THE LAST TIME: 1 Peter was written to Jewish Christians scattered across the Roman Empire. Throughout the letter, there is a a prediction of an imminent event in their future. There are many phrases that indicate that. 1:5 there is a “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” “Ready” in the Greek is hetoimos: ready, accomplished, opportune: ready because the necessary preparations are done. The phrase the “last time” is similar to the phrase “the last days” used in the New Testament, which refers to the last days of the Jewish Age, a 40 year period from 30 AD to 70 AD, ending in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 1 Peter 1:20 shows that they were living in the “last times” at the time of writing: 1:²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.”

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: The “revelation of Jesus was the imminent event in 1 Peter. 1 Peter 1:⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” “Revelation” in the Greek is apokalupsis: Revelation, unveiling, disclosure: the ultimate unveiling of His glory, power, and role as king at the end time (not the “end of time”). This would happen at Jesus’ 2nd coming in 70 AD when His coming in judgment on the Jews would show His glory and power. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 portrays relief for the persecuted “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.” “Set your hope fully on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). 1 Peter 4:¹³ but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.” That revelation of Jesus would result in them 1:⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.This unveiling of Jesus’ glory and power at His 2nd coming would give them their ultimate salvation, i.e. the “immortality” Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 15:50ff. This is the “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1:5). They would suffer for “a little while” until that 2nd coming in which Jesus using the Romans would destroy over a million of the evil Jews who had been persecuting Jewish Christians for the 40 year period from 30 AD to 70 AD. 1 Peter 1:⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” 1 Peter was probably written around 62 AD-64 AD, shortly before his death at the hands of Nero in 64-68 AD. So “the little while” of suffering would be just a few years till 70 AD. Their trials and persecution would include not only Jewish persecution but also the Roman persecution of Jewish Christians in the empire spurred by Nero’s persecution of all Christians in Rome after Rome burned and he blamed the Christians.

THE DAY OF VISITATION: This revelation of Jesus in 70 AD would be called the “day of visitation” in 1 Peter 2:¹² Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation.” “Visitation” in the Greek is episkopé: Oversight, visitation, office of a bishop. The word is used of the office of bishops overseeing the flock, but whether describing the Lord’s coming to evaluate His people or the vocation of those who guard and guide the flock, the word invariably carries a sense of accountable watchfulness. His coming in 70 AD and relieving the persecution of the Jewish Christians showed that He was watching over and overseeing the welfare of the early suffering Christians It is used one other place to refer to the 2nd coming and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD: Luke 19:⁴¹ When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known on this day, even you, the conditions for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will put up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, ⁴⁴ and they will level you to the ground, and throw down your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR: GOD IS READY TO JUDGE 1 Peter 4:⁷ The end of all things is near.” This is a critical passage in 1 Peter. “Near” in the Greek is eggizó: To draw near, to approach, to come near and occurs 14 times in the Greek perfect tense (indicative mood) in the NT which expresses “extreme closeness, immediate imminence” (biblehub.com) It is used in a similar way in” “The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near” (Romans 13:12). “You too be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near” (James 5:8). So what does the imminent “end of all things” refer to in 1 Peter 4:7? If it refers to the end of the world, then Peter is a false prophet b/c the end of the world did not happen soon after he wrote 1 Peter. The word “end” in the Greek is telos: End, purpose, goal, completion, fulfillment: properly, consummation (the end-goal, purpose), such as closure with all its results.” It is the word we get “telescope” from: This root (tel-) means “reaching the end (aim).” It is well-illustrated with the old pirate’s telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full-strength (capacity effectiveness).” (biblehub.com) It must refer to the 2nd coming in 70 AD which would be the end of the Jewish Age, the end of the old covenant (Hebrews 8:¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear and the old covenant did disappear in 70 AD), the end of the Jewish system of worship (the temple was destroyed, the offering of animals ceased, and the priesthood of Levi dissolved). But it would also the be fulfillment of all the old covenant shadows, the final culmination of God’s plan to bring in the new covenant in which sinners would be saved by grace through faith in the death of God’s Son Jesus on the cross. The “telescope” of God’s plan of redemption would be extended out one stage at a time until the full extension in 70 AD. There would be a “judgment of the living and the dead” at that time and Peter says that God was “ready” to do that judgment: 1 Peter 4:⁵ but they (the Gentiles)will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.” In 70 AD God would judge those Old Testament dead waiting in Hades for their final sentencing (Daniel 12:1-3). He would judge the living, giving immortality to believers. He would even judge the Gentiles, not in physical judgment, but in showing them that the Jewish Christians whom they were persecuting were the true chosen people of God. That judgment would begin with the Jewish nation in 70 AD: 1 Peter 4:¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God (i.e. the Jewish nation); and if it begins with us (i.e. the Jews) first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

2 THESSALONIANS 1; THE REVELATION OF JESUS FROM HEAVEN A lengthy section, but one to ponder on is 2 Thessalonians 1:⁴ As a result, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. ⁵ This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you indeed are suffering. ⁶ For after all it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us, when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (the same as 1 Peter 4:17); ⁹ These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will consider you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This “revelation of Jesus from heaven” is obviously referring to His coming in judgment on the Jews in 70 AD to kill one million of the Jews who have been persecuting the Jewish Christians. Paul had written about that in 1 Thessalonians 2:¹⁴ For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵ who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out.They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all people, ¹⁶ hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always reach the limit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them fully.” That wrath would come upon the Jewish nation fully in 70 AD. God would avenge the blood of the apostles, prophets, and saints whom the Jews had killed over the centuries (Revelation 19).

ROMANS 8:18-23: THE GLORY “ABOUT TO BE REVEALED” IN THE CHRISTIANS IN 70 AD At that “end of all things” in 70 AD, the glory of the Lord Jesus would be revealed in His 2nd coming (2 Thessalonians 1:10) and the faithful Jewish Christian saints would be glorified, shown to be the true chosen people of God. 1 Peter 5:1 Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed (i.e revealed at the end of all things of 1 Peter 4:7)”. That is the same Greek word apokaluptó as in 1 Peter 1:7,13; 4:13. This was the event Paul predicted in Romans 8:¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be revealed in us; ¹⁹ for the earnest looking out of the creation doth expect the revelation of the sons of God.” The Greek word is mello and always means “about to be” when used in the New Testament. This was the same apokalupsis as used in 1 Peter. Romans 8:18-23 is predicting an event that was “about to happen” when Paul wrote the Roman letter. It must be referring to 70 AD when the Jewish Christians would be glorified as the true children of God. The “creation” that would be set free from the curse of sin would be people, not the physical creation (i.e. not the earth). Romans 8:²¹ that also the creation itself shall be set free from the servitude of the corruption to the liberty of the glory of the children of God.” The “creation” here is the children of God, the Christians, who will be given immortality and final freedom from the curse of sin. Many use Romans 8:18-23 to teach that the physical creation, i.e. the earth, will be restored to it s Garden of Eden state at the 2nd coming but Romans 8 is predicting an event that is “about to happen”, not something yet to happen 2,000 years (and counting) in the future. It is not predicting a future restoration of the earth to its Garden of Eden state.

THE CROWN OF GLORY WHEN THE CHIEF SHEPHERD JESUS APPEARS At Jesus’ 2nd coming in 70 AD the Jewish Christians Peter was writing to would receive their “crown of glory”. 1 Peter 5:⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” “Appears” in the Greek is phaneroó: To make manifest, to reveal, to make known, to show openly: (figuratively) make plain, in open view; to become apparent. Those with wisdom would see the judgment of the Jews in 70 AD as the apparent coming of Jesus, the appearance of Jesus. This is the same Greek word as in 1 Jn 3:2: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared (phaneroó:) as yet what we will be. We know that if (Gk ean) He becomes manifest (5319 /phaneróō), we will be like Him, because (hoti) we will see Him just as (Gk kathōs) He is.” (biblehub.com) When Jesus was glorified in his coming in 70 AD, the Christians were also glorified and honored, thus becoming like Him, receiving His glory. “Put yourself in the place of those persecuted Jewish Christians that Peter is writing to. Can you imagine the joy they would get when Jesus appeared in 70 AD to give them relief from their persecution by killing one million of their persecutors? The joy they would get when they received the “outcome of their salvation”, i.e. immortality in 70 AD. The glory and honor they would get when in 70 AD they were shown to both Jews and Gentiles to be the true chosen people of God. The crown of glory they would receive! God would exalt them at “the proper time”: 1 Peter 5:⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time.” That “proper time” would be the 2nd coming in 70 AD. Peter gives one last exhortation: 1 Peter 5:¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” The same “little while” of suffering as in 1 Peter1:⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” After that little while, in 70 AD God would confirm them to be His true chosen people. The unbelieving Jewish nation would no longer be the chosen people of God. The kingdom of God would be taken from the Jews and given to a nation that would produce fruit for God. Matthew 21:⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.” That new nation would be the church, Jewish Christians, the new chosen people, the new nation of God. 1 Peter 2:⁹ But you (the Jewish Christians) are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Wow! I don’t think I ever fully realized the imminency of the events that Peter predicted in 1 Peter. As you can see, when understood properly, they all tie together with the imminent coming of Jesus in 70 AD. I hope you have enjoyed this study. I think the Greek helps also.

WAS MARK 16:9-20 IN THE ORIGINAL TEXT OF MARK’S GOSPE? THE MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE Here is a good article that I suggest you read on this topic https://www.gotquestions.org/Mark-16-9-20.html I am not a Greek scholar, but a couple of key points stand out. “Two of the oldest and most respected manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, do not contain the longer ending to the Gospel of Mark. Both of those ancient Greek manuscripts end at Mark 16:8. They are given credence because, the older the manuscript, the closer it is to the original autographs. The fewer generations of copies, the fewer opportunities for deviation, and thus an older manuscript can be assumed to be more accurate than a newer one. Since the oldest manuscripts do not contain Mark 16:9–20, many scholars doubt that these verses were in the original Gospel of Mark.” There are also 2 shorter endings to Mark 16 that appear in some ancient manuscripts, which to me suggests that some copyists thought that the book ended abruptly and sought to add something to the ending. That would support the idea that it ended with 16:8.  However, the Long Ending is present in over 95% of other Greek manuscripts, That makes you wonder how so many other manuscripts would have it if it was not in any of the oldest manuscripts. That would be strong support for the long ending. So the question is whether to rely on its absence in two of the very oldest manuscripts versus its presence in the vast majority of manuscripts. Almost all scholars reject the long ending of Mark.

EVIDENCE FOR AND AGAINST THE LONG ENDING FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS: The evidence from the early church fathers is mixed. “Evidence from the church fathers in favor of Mark 16:9–20 is even earlier than the oldest manuscript evidence. Irenaeus wrote book three of Against Heresies when Eleutherius was bishop of Rome (174–189)—at least a century before Vaticanus was produced. There Irenaeus wrote, “Also, towards the conclusion of his Gospel, Mark says, ‘So then, after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God” (3.10.5). Irenaeus’s copy of Mark obviously included Mark 16:9–20, since he is quoting here from Mark 16:19.” (James Snapp, Jr) Also, Tatian’s Diatessaron (c. 170) (a harmony of the 4 gospels) also included it.So that is strong 2nd century proof in support of the long ending. However, “both (church fathers) Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome specifically commented on the long ending of Mark (16:9-20), noting that it was absent from the majority of Greek manuscripts available to them in the 4th and 5th centuries. They recognized that the most accurate copies ended at Mark 16:8.” (AI) Jerome did include it in his 4th century Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, which is interesting. That is strong proof against the long ending since it shows that many of the early church fathers rejected the long ending. On the other hand, “some arguments suggest that while only a few very early fathers (2nd century) explicitly cite it, over 40 patristic sources across the early church period use material from Mark 16:9-20 in some form.” (AI) As I said, the. evidence from the early church fathers is mixed.

DOES THE CONTENT OF THE LONG ENDING SUPPORT OR REJECT ITS AUTHENTICITY? Those refuting the long ending also say that the long ending introduced questionable new doctrines like baptism before a believer is saved, drinking of poison, and handling of snakes. That argument doesn’t help decide if the text is genuine or not, which must be determined by manuscript evidence alone. The rest of the New Testament supports baptism before salvation (Acts 2:38) so that is not an issue. The healing of the sick, speaking in tongues, and casting out demons are signs in the book of Acts. The drinking of poison and handling of snakes as signs following the conversion of believers does seem unusual. The only mention in the New Testament of snakes is Paul being bitten by a poisonous snake in Malta and not being harmed. But there is none of the “snake handlng” practiced by some groups in church history. “Snake handling churches are independent, fundamentalist Pentecostal congregations, primarily located in the rural Appalachian region of the United States, that incorporate the handling of venomous snakes into their worship services. Based on a literal interpretation of Mark 16:17-18, followers believe that taking up snakes serves as a test of faith, a demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power, and a sign of protection for true believers.” (AI) There is no mention of drinking poison in the New Testament. Some of the same snake handling groups also practice the drinking of poison. “While many participants claim to be unharmed, there have been documented cases of illness and death resulting from both snakebites and poison consumption. Adherents generally refuse medical attention, believing that if they are harmed or die, it was God’s will or a sign of insufficient faith.” (AI) The introduction of these two unusual new doctrines doesn’t support or refute the authenticity of the long ending, but it is an interesting discussion. If the long ending was not in the original text of Mark but added later, it makes me wonder why the person(s) adding the long ending would add these 2 unusual doctrines about snakes handling and drinking poison as signs. If the long ending was added after the first century, then the person(s) adding it would have access to the New Testament books (all of which were written before 70 AD) and would know that those 2 signs were not mentioned in the book of Acts or the letters (other than Paul being randomly bitten by a snake).

CONCLUSION I lean toward rejecting the long ending based on the evidence discussed above. But one of thee points sticks out to me in support of the long ending. If 95% of the other Greek manuscripts have the identical long endings, how could that be if it was not in any of the oldest manuscripts. At what point in time would someone have added the long ending and then almost all copyists after that started including the long ending in their copies? If the long ending was not in the original Mark text, that takes away a great verse on baptism being essential to salvation that we Church of Christ like to use (“he that believes and is baptized shall be saved”, Mark 16:16), but, as I said, the rest of the New Testament supports that doctrine of baptism before salvation. Acts 2:³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” In that verse, baptism comes before the remission of sins. In Acts 22, Saul was told ¹⁶ Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.” In that verse, baptism comes before the washing away of sins. Many say that baptism is an outward sign to show that your sins have been washed away, but that’s not what Acts 22:16 says. Paul says in Romans 6:3-5 that we rise from baptism to walk in newness of life (thus new spiritual life after baptism). 1 Peter 3:²¹ Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Peter is comparing Noah being saved by (not “from” although that would also be true) the flood waters from the sinful environment on the e Peter says that in like manner baptism saves and the obvious comparison is to water baptism that saves us from sin, not fleshly dirt. Often I’ve heard preachers boldly teach “baptism does not save” and I wonder if they’ve read 1 Peter 3:16. Now if they mean that baptism alone does not save, I agree. If they mean that baptism is not a work to earn salvation, I agree. But in the new Testament salvation is by grace through faith but baptism is an essential part of faith that saves, so Peter is correct to say that “baptism saves you”. So, we don’t need Mark 16:16 to support baptism before salvation.

SHOULD IT BOTHER US IF THE LONG ENDING WAS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL MARK TEXT? So should it bother us that so many verses in 95% of the manuscripts might not even be in the original Mark text? It doesn’t bother me. We don’t have the originals and we know there are many variants in the over 5,000 copies. Those variants are almost always minor and of no consequence or impact on major doctrines. Some say we have over 99% of the originals in our best translations. The early church fathers quoted or cited all but 11 verses of the New Testament. So if the long ending in Mark is just a longer variant that might not be in the original Mark, that doesn’t bother me. The same goes for the story in John 8 of the woman caught in the act of adutery which almost everyone believes was not in the original text of the gospel of John.

 

ZECHARIAH 6:11-15 Haggai and Zechariah were the two prophets sent by God to get the people back to work on rebuilding the temple. The fist return from Babylonian exile was to rebuild the temple, but the work stopped for 16 years due to opposition of the surrounding Samaritans. This study is about Zechariah 6:11-15. ¹¹ Also take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² Then say to him, ‘The Lord of armies says this: “Behold, there is a Man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord. ¹³ Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the majesty and sit and rule on His throne. So He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’ ¹⁴ Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the Lord to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord.” Then you will know that the Lord of armies has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the Lord your God.”

JESUS, HIGH PRIEST AND KING AT THE SAME TIME AND HE WOULD BUILD HIS CHURCH TEMPLE: This is an amazing Messianic prediction. It starts with God telling Zechariah to put a king’s crown on the high priest Joshua, which would be very unusual since a high priest could not also be a king. Kings came from the tribe of Judah and high priests from the tribe of Levi. But the next verses explain why God told him to do that. It was a symbol of Jesus (called the Branch as in Zechaariah 3:8; Isaiah 4:2;11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15) one day being both king and high priest at the same time. The book of Hebrews shows that Jesus is our high priest after the order of Melchizadek, replacing the high priesthood of Levi. Revelation 19:16: Explicitly states, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”. Revelation 17:14: Mentions that the Lamb (Jesus) will conquer, as He is “Lord of lords and King of kings”. Revelation 11:“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” Zechariah 6:13 adds that the “counsel of peace will be between the two offices”. “The “counsel of peace” refers to the harmonious union of the kingly and priestly offices within one person, the Messianic “Branch” (Jesus Christ). This signifies a divine, eternal plan to reconcile humanity with God, uniting the atonement of the Priest with the ruling power of the King.” (AI) Zechariah adds that the Branch Jesus will “build the temple of the Lord”. This is a prediction of Jesus building His chuch, a spiritual temple. Ephesians 2:¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” He did not come to build a physical temple, as discussed in the next paragraph. The church is Jesus’ temple.Zechariah 6:15 also adds that “those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord.” That would either be Jews who were scattered over the Roman Empire who would preach the gospel in the book of Acts, thus helping build the church temple that Jesus would build (6:12-13), or maybe even the Gentiles who were far off (Ephessians 2:12ff) who would help build the church temple. I lean toward the first interpretation.

JESUS DID BUILD HIS CHUCH TEMPLE AND ESTABLISH A SPIRITUAL KINGDOM IN THE FIRST CENTURY: Jesus is both our high priest and king at the same time. The Hebrews letter says that Jesus is our high priest in heaven, having entered the Holy of Holies in heaven into the very presence of God to offer his blood for the sins of the world once for all time. No one would dispute that. But did He establish His kingdom already and is He reigning as King over that kingdom already, or is He coming back some day to. set up an earthly kingdom? This is where the nature of Jesus’ kingdom comes in. Jesus taught “the kingdom is at hand” (Mark 1:15). “At hand” means soon, shortly in. the time frame of those Jesus was talking to. Jesus said in Matthew 16:²⁸ “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Jesus is a false prophet if he did not return in His established kingdom while some of those he was talking to were still alive. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Paul is saying that the Colossian Christians were in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus told Peter, Matthew 16:¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” This verse shows that the church is the kingdom that Jesus planned to build. When did Peter use those keys to allow saved sinners to enter that church kingdom? When he preached the first “gospel” sermon in Acts 2 and 3,000 were baptized and became Jesus’ first church of the saved. Peter used those keys to the kingdom to open the doors into the kingdom. Jesus said in John 18:³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Jesus did not come to establish a physical earthly kingdom. He established a spiritual kingdom, the church. He is not coming back to establish an earthly kingdom some day as most teach.

HEBREWS 8: JESUS CANNOT BE A KING ON EARTH Next I want to go to Hebrews 8 to show that Jesus cannot be a king on earth. Hebrews 8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law.” Now remember from Zechariah 6 that Jesus is both high priest and king at the same time. He is high priest in heaven, so he must be king in heaven also. If he were on earth, he could not be high priest (at the time of writing of Hebrews when the high priest was still active in the Holy of Holies) b/c He was not of the tribe of Levi (at the time of writing a high priest on earth would have to be from the tribe of Levi but Jesus was from the tribe of Judah). So, since he must be king and high priest at the same time, and since He can’t be high priest on earth, then He can’t be king on earth of some earthly kingdom. So, those who teach that Jesus will one day come back and establish an earthly kingdom over which He will be king will have a major problem: i.e. if he did that, He could no longer be our high priest. This is one of those syllogistic logic arguments. a) Jesus could not be our high priest on earth (Hebrews 8) b) Jesus is both king and high priest at the same time (Zechariah 6) in heaven c) Therefore, Jesus cannot be both high priest and king on earth.

WHY I THIS SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD? I really don’t know why this concept of Jesus’ kingdom being a spiritual kingdom, not physical, is so misunderstood by Bible teachers who say that Jesus is going to come back some day to set up an earthly kingdom. That false expectation of Jesus returning to set up an earthly kingdom is the basis of many other false teachings. The spiritual kingdom of Jesus was set up during the transition period from the beginning of the church in AD 30 to the confirmation and final consummation of the kingdom in 70 AD after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple.Very similar to our change of government when we elect a new president. There is the election and then a transition period until the inauguration a few months later. That is why you will find passages like Colossians 1:13 where the Christians are “already” in the kingdom, the church, but also passages like Acts 14:22 which talks about the Christians entering the kingdom in their future; so “already, not yet”. Are people just so bent on getting physical blessings that they can’t accept the spiritual blessings?

If you are old enough, you remember getting up every day to tune in the the latest in the 51 day siege of the Mt Carmel compound where David Koresh and his followers were hold up. You also probably saw on TV the fire brake out on the compound.

WHO WAS DAVID KORESH AND WHAT HAPPENED AT WACO, TEXAS IN 1993? : “The Branch Davidians were a group that spit off the 7th Day Adventists in the 1950s. David Koresh took control in the late 1980s, claiming to be the final prophet before the 2nd coming of Jesus and the only one who could interpret the “Seven Seals” of the Book of Revelation. They believed they were preparing for the end of the world (Armageddon) and adhered to strict rules, including communal living on the Mt. Carmel compound in Waco, Texas. Koresh, who considered himself the “Lamb” of the Book of Revelation, preached an imminent apocalypse, arguing his followers had to fight “Babylon” (the US government). He required members to surrender all personal assets, dictated strict diets, and, despite his claims to be married to one woman, took multiple, including underage (some as young as 12), “spiritual wives. The group was investigated for stockpiling illegal weapons. Following reports of illegal weapons manufacturing, including machine guns, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) attempted to raid the Mount Carmel compound on February 28, 1993. A shootout resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Davidians. A 51-day standoff with the FBI ensued, marked by psychological warfare, including blasting loud music and screams of slaughtered animals to deprive the residents of sleep.On April 19, 1993, a fire destroyed the compound. While some survivors escaped, 76 people, including at least 26 children, died. David Koresh was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. The siege brought a lot of public scrutiiny to the tactics of the FBI.” Today, small groups of survivors and new followers still exist; a new chapel stands at the original Mount Carmel site, though the remaining members are split between those who still revere Koresh and those who believe he corrupted the original faith. Branch Davidian survivors today are scattered, with some, like Clive Doyle, maintaining faith and community in Waco, expecting Koresh’s resurrection, Kiri Jewell, a former child member survivor, has spoken out about abuse in the cult, highlighting the lasting impact on children.” (AI)

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING OF 1995 WAS CONNECTED TO THE WACO SIEGE? “The tragedy became a rallying cry for anti-government groups and was cited by Timothy McVeigh as the primary motivation for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which 168 souls lost, including 19 children, with several hundred more injured.. Timothy McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Today, small groups of survivors and new followers still exist; a new chapel stands at the original Mount Carmel site, though the remaining members are split between those who still revere Koresh and those who believe he corrupted the original faith.” (AI)

THE NEED TO TEACH FULL PRETERISM: As I continue to study and teach about cults like this and cult leaders like Koresh, I am constantly amazed at how corrupt men like Koresh could lead so many people into his heresy and their final deaths at Mt. Carmel.. You would think that all would realize how perverted this man was when he announced to all the husbands that their wives were no longer their wives, but his wives. You would think they would all leave the cult immediately, but they didn’t, which just shows the power of religious brainwashing. No doubt, most of them were probably good people who thought that Koresh was leading them into the fulfillment of the book of Revelation, the opening of the 7 seals, and the end time Armageddon Apocalypse. People seem to always get excited when they think someone is supposedly accurately tying the predictions of Revelation to current events or events about to happen in their lifetimes. This is one of the reasons I teach so much on full preterism, showing that all Bible predictions, including those of Revelation, were fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to full preterism, there are no Bible predictions of any events to be fulfilled after 70 AD. All the events predicted in Revelation were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. I just did a blog on Revelation that I hope you will read. So many good people have been led astray by false prophets who teach otherwise. I encourage you to study some of my blogs on full preterism. Full preterism doesn’t change the way we live by faith in Jesus, but it stops all the end time false prophets and false Apocalyptic predictions about the 2nd coming. It keeps people from being led astray and distracted from simple faith in Jesus and Christian living.

Please watch this excellent 5 minute news video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zI9ub9AgF0

JIM JONES AND THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE HISTORY: That tells you much of the story of Jim Jones that started in Indianapolis, moved to California, moved to Guyana, South America, and ended up in a mass suicide of over 900 people (270 of them children) in the agricultural farm called Jonestown. As Jeff Guinn says in the video, “The saddest part is that good, decent people died who were well intentioned”. Jones started with breaking down racial barriers, helping the poor, and had a multi racial congregation. Only God knows if his heart was right to begin with, but over time he changed. “He devolved into a narcissistic, paranoid, drug addicted, and abusive dictator. Jones was a sexual predator who was unfaithful to his wife and had sexual relationships with both men and women in his congregation. He demanded that members turn over all their assets, including homes and Social Security checks, creating complete economic dependency on him. Jim Jones regarded the Bible as a “paper idol” and a tool of oppression used to manipulate people, ultimately rejecting it in favor of his own ideology. While initially utilizing religious themes, he grew to criticize the Bible, eventually promoting atheism and Marxism, claiming to be a divine figure himself. He taught that traditional religion was an “opiate” and used it to manipulate followers, later admitting in 1976 to being an atheist and agnostic. ones preached that the United States was a racist, fascist society (“Babylon”) that was destined to be destroyed. He warned of a coming genocide against black people and racial minorities, telling his followers they would be sent to concentration camps in “gas ovens”. Jim Jones believed a nuclear apocalypse destroying the U.S. was imminent, which he used to justify moving his followers to California and eventually to the Jonestown commune in Guyana. He framed this apocalyptic event as a way to escape US government oppression and to establish a socialist utopia. Jones was heavily influenced by Father M. J. Divine, a charismatic African American preacher who claimed to be God and built a multi-racial, communal, and economically independent society. Jones visited Divine in Philadelphia and adopted the concept of creating a “Promised Land” (eventually Jonestown) that would be a haven for his followers during the end times. He framed the mass suicide/murder in Jonestown as a “revolutionary suicide” against capitalist oppression” (AI)

THE GUYANA TRAGEDY MOVIE: The movie “Guyana Tragedy” is long and graphic, but tells the Jim Jones story completely, even from the time of his childhood. “Much of what is known about Jones’ early life came from his own later recollections. He described being a young hellion in his Indiana hometown: “I was considered the trash of the neighborhood.” He identified with the underdog, fighting off kids who bullied other children, rescuing stray pets, and taking home beggars. He explored every church in town — Quaker, Nazarene, Methodist, Apostolic and the Church of Christ — throwing himself into their particular rituals before becoming disillusioned and moving on to the next. (That interested me since I come from a Church of Christ background. Jim Jones most likely once attended a Church of Christ service!) As a young man, while working as a hospital orderly, Jones met Marceline Baldwin, a nursing student, and they married in 1949. In Indianapolis, he served as a student pastor in the Methodist Church in 1952 but chose to found his own church, Peoples Temple, in 1956. The Temple joined the Disciples of Christ in 1960 and Jones was ordained in 1964. A major source of Jones’ unhappiness with various mainstream churches was segregation. During the 1950s and early 1960s, segregation was widespread across the country, and many religious congregations followed the practice of keeping the races separate. Having grown up an outsider, Jones empathized with the downtrodden, the poor, the non-whites in society. In 1961 he and his wife were the first white couple in Indianapolis to adopt a black child, Peoples Temple participated directly in the social shifts of the emerging civil rights movement. As the head of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission, Jones desegregated movie theaters, restaurants, the telephone company, hospitals and the city police department. The Temple ran a free restaurant, and homes for the elderly and mentally ill.” (from PBS American Experience article https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jonestown-bio-jones/?scrlybrkr=f2f8117f

FALSE PROPHETS AND CULT LEADERS: What caused a man who was doing a lot of good for poor people oppressed by racism to become a dangerous, perverted cult leader? Read 2 Peter 2 as Peter talks about false prophets. Some of his description of false prophets: ² Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; ³ and in their greed they will exploit you with false words. 13 “They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children; ¹⁸ For, while speaking out arrogant words of no value they entice by fleshly desires, by indecent behavior, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption.” Power, pride, sex, money, drugs. Back to what Jeff Guinn said, “The saddest part is that good, decent people died who were well intentioned”. They were “exploited with false words. They were promised freedom by a perverse man who was himself “a slave of corruption”.

PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS, NOT MEN: Most false prophets and cult leaders start out with some Biblical concept, like love, and then corrupt that. Often they prey on people looking for love and community. David Berg (Children of God, free love and flirty fishing); Charles Manson (The Manson Family and the LaBiana murders); David Koresh (The Branch Davidians and the 51 day Waco siege; all the women in his cult were his wives, including the married women); Warren Jeffs (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and his multiple wives, including young girls); Marshall Applewhite (Heaven’s Gate cult, mass suicides). The list goes on, even including very popular Christian church leaders of modern day churches. Good people looking for love and family are hurt and disillusioned. Their faith in God and in the Bible is often destroyed. Bottom line, don’t put your faith in men. Put your faith in Jesus.

I can’t overstate the importance of understand the correct meaning of the Greek word mello in the New Testament. It appears over 100 times and it always, always means some event that is “about to happen” or “about to be at a place”. When used of time, things which were imminent and expected to occur within a short time. Always. I will give a few examples and a site that gives every single usage of the word.

Jesus prophesied his coming crucifixion, he told his disciples that the Son of Man “is about to” [Gk: μέλλει : mellei] suffer at the hands of certain men (Matt 17:12).
Jesus repeated that prophecy, saying that the Son of Man “is about to” [Gk: μέλλει : mellei] be delivered into the hands of men (Matt 17:22).  The same in Luke 9:34. Matt 20:22 – Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am [Gk: μέλλω : mello : I am about to] to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” Luke 9:31 – who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 10:1 – After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] go. Here is the site for more examples. https://parousiafulfilled.com/mello-about-to-happen/index.php

Why is this word so important? B/c it helps us understand the New Testament in its original context and its relevance to those it was written to. But here’s the catch. The translators of the New Testament from the Greek have no trouble correctly translating the word mello as “about to” when it is used of an event about to happen or about to be at a place except when the word is used with the imminent 2nd coming of Jesus or the judgement that was “about to come” on that first century generation of Jews. They will usually translate the word as “certainly” going to happen, etc, but not “about to happen”. That totally destroys the context of the verse! They do not translate it correctly as “about to” b/c that would go against traditional church dogma that said that Jesus’ 2nd coming is still in the future (going on 2000 years and counting). Here are some examples. The usual incorrect translations of the word will be crossed out in these verses along with the correct translation. Only translations like Young’s Literal Translation translate mello correctly as “about to”.

Matthew 16:27 – the Son of Man is going to i [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. The imminency of the 2nd coming is obvious when you read the next verse: 16:²⁸ “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” This is imminent 2nd coming and not the transfiguration that would shortly happen b/c there was no judgment involved in the transfiguration but there was to be a judgement in Matthew 16:27. The only predictions Jesus made of his 2nd coming all say that he was coming back within the lifetime of those he was speaking to: Matthew 10:²³ “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you (i.e. the apostles that he is talking to)will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (the Greek word genea in the New Testament always means a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period). Matthew 26:⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you (at least some of those he was speaking to) will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” There are no other predictions of Jesus coming again at any time after the generation that he was speaking to. None.

Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] come? John the Baptist was predicting the judgment on the Jews that was about to come on the nation in 70 AD. The same in Luke 3:7. Acts 17:31 – because he has fixed a day on which he will i [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 2 Timothy 4:1 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is [Gk: μέλλοντος : mellontos : is about to] to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom. Luke 21:36 – But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to i [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : are about to] take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” In Luke 21 (also Matthew 24 and Mark 13) Jesus was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem that was “about to happen” in 70 AD.

Revelation 1:19 YLT – Write the things that thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is (are) about to] iii ) come after these things.” The events predicted in Revelation were about to happen, not things to happen thousands of years later. The same in Revelation 2:10; 3:10,16; 6:11; 8:13; 12:5. The 2nd coming of Jesus was imminent when John wrote this letter, as seen from “I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:7,12,20). Revelation 1:⁷ Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. Revelation begins and ends sayin that the events it is predicting will “shortly take place” for “the time is near” (Revelation 1:1,3; 22:6,10). To make the events predicted in Revelation to be things that haven’t even happened 2,000 years later (and counting) is to say that the predictions in Revelation failed to come to pass and that the book is false prophecy.

Hebrews 6:5 – and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to [Gk: μέλλοντος : mellontos : which is about to] come. That would be the Messianic Age about to come in its fullness in 70 AD when the Mosaic Age would end and the Law was about to “disappear” in 70 AD. Hebrews 8:¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear (eggus: Near, close, at hand: a different Greek word than mello but same idea of “about to”. The book of Hebrews is all about the judgement to come on the Jews in 70 AD, trying to keep Jewish Christians from leaving faith in Christ and going back to trusting in the old covenant which would lead to them suffering the same judgment in 70 AD as the evil unbelieving Jews whom the Romans killed in the siege of the city (one million killed).

Romans 8:18,38 YLT ii – 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to [Gk: μέλλουσαν : mellousan : about to] be revealed in us; … 38 for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things about to be [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : about to (be)]. This is an important passage b/c Romans 8:18-24 predicts that the “creation” will be released from its suffering which many interpret to be the earth being re-created to its Garden of Eden form at Jesus’ 2nd coming. But notice that 8:18 says that whatever is about to happen with the creation is “about to” happen in the time frame of those Paul is writing to. Several opinions on whether the creation being released from its slavery is referring to people (which is what I believe) or the physical creation, but either way it had to happen in the first century and not at least 2000 years later (and counting). It makes sense that he is talking about people being glorified in 70 AD when it would be shown that the Chistians, not Jews, were the true people of God. Again, the word mello in 8:18 changes the whole way we look at the fulfillment of this prediction. 1 Peter 5:1 – So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to i [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] be revealed (at 70 AD) . The same idea as in Romans 8:18. In 70 AD God would show world, once for all time, that Christians are His chosen people, not the Jews. Jesus predicted that he was going to take away the kingdom from the Jews and give it to a people who would produce fruit for him Matthew 21:⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.” That “people” would be Jew and Gentile Christians. 1 Peter 2:⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 

I’m sure that many readers aren’t very interested in the study of Greek words or eschatology, but I urge you to do a serious study of the word mello. It changes the way you interpret many doctrines concerning the 2nd coming or the judgement. But it also shows you that the predictions of the New Testament came true in the time frame of the people they were made to. Otherwise someone could say that the New Testament made many predictions that were to be fulfilled in the first century that never came true, and thus that the New Testament is full of false prophecies (which is exactly what atheists say). Keep studying

WHO ARE THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST? Have you ever heard of these churches? “First known as the Crossroads Movement and later the Boston Movement, the ICOC traces its roots to the late 1960s. The movement developed in the campus ministry of Chuck Lucas at the Crossroads Church of Christ in Gainesville, Fla., as that ministry began baptizing many college students. Lucas later converted McKean, who called 30 disciples to be totally committed to Christ. In 1979, McKean’s group planted the fast-growing Boston Church of Christ, which became the center of the discipling movement. In 1988, the Crossroads church disassociated itself from the movement.In the early 1990s, the ICOC formally split from the mainline Churches of Christ. The ICOC’s reported membership hit a high of 135,000 in 2002 — the same year worldwide leader Kip McKean stepped aside. Long-simmering concerns over the movement’s top-down hierarchy (i.e. everyone answering to McKean), aggressive discipling techniques and sectarianism seemed to threaten the ICOC’s future. By 2006, worldwide membership plummeted to less than 89,000 — a 34 percent decline. In the past, discipling partners sometimes exerted too much control and influence over converts. For example, controlling how they spent their time, who they date, pressure to convert others, pressure to attend Bible study groups, pressure to attend all church events, how much to give to the church, prying into your secret moral thoughts and activities, not to help you, but to get their hooks in you to stop you from leaving the church, manipulating you, using your secrets to shame you into obedience; forcing you to live with roommates instead of alone so a church member is usually around to keep an eye on you, being re-baptized b/c you didn’t make Jesus your “Lord” fully when you were first baptized even if you were baptized correctly the first time (I experienced that pressure when I was in college), pressure to cut yourself off from your family and stay around fellow members all the time instead, the music you listen to, the work and career you pursue. Some of its leaders did not consider members of mainline Churches of Christ to be Christians. I thnk one could say that the ICOC was definitely a cult! I have read of several who had to undergo counseling to overcome the stressful time they spent in the ICOC.

THE ICOC TODAY: (The Christian Chronicle, 9/1/2012). As of 2024–2025, the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is a global movement with approximately 112,000 members across roughly 700 congregations in 148 countries. The fellowship is organized into 34–36 regional families of churches and maintains a focus on international evangelism and missions. They have acknowledged a lot of their errors from the past and seem to be doing better in their disciping methods. They are growing.

THE GREAT COMMISSION: MAKE DISCIPLES AND BAPTIZE The Church of Christ put a lot of emphasis on people being baptized by the right method (immersion), being baptized when old enough to believe, and being baptized for the remission of sins (not saved before baptism). This led to a lot of baptisms and re-baptisms of those who were not baptized “correctly”, but perhaps not enough emphasis on “making disciples” Matthew 28:¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I was in college when the Crossroads Movement began in Gainesville, Fla. At first, it just seemed like an effort to make baptized believers become more committed disciples of Jesus. It spread to the Boston Movement and to other large cities. It spread to international cities. But many churches left the movement for reasons given in the paragraph above. There was a congregation in my city that went fully into the movement but left it many years later.

WHAT DOES MAKING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS MEAN? AI: “To disciple a believer in Jesus means engaging in an intentional, relational process of helping them follow, learn from, and become more like Jesus Christ. It involves mentoring a believer to obey Jesus’s teachings, grow in faith, and fulfill the mission of making other disciples, transforming them into a devoted follower.” The Greek word for “disciple” in Matthew 28:19 is mathéteuó: To make a disciple, to teach, to instruct: to disciple, i.e. helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple (literally, “a learner,” a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, i.e. helping a believer learn to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice.” (Biblehub.com) So in the Crossroads Movement, a discipling partner was assigned to a new baptized believer. That’s good. But the problem arose when the discipling partner began controlling and pressuring the would be disciple. I had a friend who had a mental and physical breakdown b/c of the pressure he was getting from his discipling partner while in college. The movement took a good thing and made it a cultish, control thing.

THE 3 ESSENTIALS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN LUKE’S GOSPEL There are many baptized believers who are not fully committed to following Jesus, being true disciples. Jesus gave 3 requirements for being a true disciple in Luke 14:²⁵ Now large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’ ³¹ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace. ³³ So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Thus 3 essentials of discipleship in Luke’s gospel: 1) Love Jesus even if it means leaving your family (not literally hating your family). 2) Be willing to suffer for Jesus, to carry your “cross” as Jesus did his. 3) Count the costs of being a disciple and be willing to do whatever it costs you to be a disciple.

THE 3 PROOFS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN JOHN’S GOSPEL In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives 3 tests or proofs of true discipleship. 1) Continue studying and obeying the Words of Jesus. John 8:³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples.” 2) Love one another. John 13:³⁴ I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” 3) Bear much fruit. John 15:⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” In all 3 verses, the Greek word for “disciple” is mathétés: Disciple, learner, pupil: properly, a learner; a disciple, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require; someone catechized with proper instruction from the Bible with its necessary follow-through (life-applications). Μαθητής designates a learner who binds himself to a teacher in order to embrace that teacher’s worldview and way of life. (Bibehub.com)

DON’T MAKE DISCIPLING A “LEGAL SYSTEM” OF WORKS It is obvious from these verses that Jesus demands full commitment from his followers. But we must be careful not to make that a legal system. How much fruit must a Christian bear in order to be a true disciple? Jesus said that some produce 30, some 60, some 100 (Matthew 13:23). How much time must a Christian spend in the Word to be a true disciple? How much must a Christian suffer to be a true disciple? We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus’s death. We can’t make the tests and proofs of discipleship a system whereby we demand certain amounts of all these things. We can’t pressure new baptized believers into a strict, authoritarian, controlling system of doing these things. Which is what the Crossroads Movement, the Boston Movement, and the ICOC did.. We should help new believers become more like Christ in their everyday lives, but always assure them that they are saved even if they aren’t perfect disciples.