Author: nrfaught

I have spent 5 years in mission work in the West Indies and South America. I have preached mainly part time for 40 years, much of that time while working with a full time job in Christian education. I am currently at Madison Academy in Huntsville, Alabama and serving as a shepherd at the Monrovia Church of Christ. God has blessed me with a wife and 3 grown children (and their families) who are much more loving than I am!

SAUL PERSECUTED THE JEWISH CHRISTIANS

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Saul (later called Paul) had a strict Pharisee background. Philippians 3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee.” Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today (i.e. the Jews he was making his defense to).” Acts 26:4 “So then, all Jews know my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem, 5 since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.”

We first read of Saul in Acts 7. Some Jews had brought Stephen before the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) for a trial. They produced false witnesses saying that Stephen was blaspheming Moses and the Law, which he wasn’t doing. Stephen gives his defense, a long summary or the history of the Jews showing how the Jews had always resisted the Holy Spirit, just as in the current situation. His closing words to his defense were sharp: Acts 7:51 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, and you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; 53 you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” That was too much for them to take. 7:54 Now when they heard this, they were infuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one mind. 58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he [ak]fell asleep.” The penalty for blasphemy in the Law was stoning. Saul is a young man at this time. Some think that means between 26 and 40 years old. I think he was under 30 (pure speculation). I think he would have been actively throwing stones at Stephen if he were older than that. Instead, he is just holding the garments of those stoning Stephen.

Soon after that Saul begins to persecute Jewish Christians. Acts 8:1 Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death.And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. 2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. 3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.”

Several verses comment on his persecution of Jewish Christians, whom he considered to be part of a dangerous heretical sect. Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.” Philippians 3: 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”  Acts 22:4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, 5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify.” Acts 26:9 “So I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, after receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being put to death. 11 And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was extremely enraged at them.”

Acts 26:9-11 especially gives us a picture of how cruel Saul was toward Jewish Christians. No doubt his memories of torturing, imprisoning, and killing Jewish Christians haunted him after he was converted to Jesus. He did all that with a good conscience, thinking that he was serving God by wiping out this heretical sect called Christians. Acts 23:1Now looking intently at the Council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” Of course, that shows that someone can be very devoted to his religion and yet be in a totally false religion. But God know his heart. He knew that Saul would repent and become a believer if given sufficient proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God raised from the dead.

That’s next!



THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

It seems like the main thing that the Saddcees were known for is that they denied the resurrection. “The Sadducees, a priestly faction in Judaism during the time of Jesus, were known for their limited acceptance of scripture and their rejection of the prophets, including their teachings. They adhered primarily to the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) and rejected the prophetic writings and other historical texts, including the writings of the prophets. This rejection extended to doctrines derived from the prophets, such as resurrection and the afterlife, which they denied.” (AI) Daniel 12:2 predicted a resurrection of the dead. If the Sadducees did not believe in the prophets, you can see why they rejected a resurrection of the dead. More on Daniel 12:2 later.

In contrast, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead. “The Pharisees believed that the Prophets, along with the Writings and the Five Books of Moses (Torah), were divinely inspired and authoritative. They held the scriptures as sacred texts containing God’s word.” Paul used the resurrection of the dead to get the Pharisees and Sadducees arguing among themselves, turning their attention away from their common hatred of Paul. Acts 23:6 But Paul, perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And a great uproar occurred; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”  NASB

Later in a trial before the governor Felix, Paul said: Acts 24:14 `And I confess this to thee, that, according to the way that they call a sect, so serve I the God of the fathers, believing all things that in the law and the prophets have been written, 15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, [that] there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous.” Young’s Literal Translation. Notice the words “about to be”. I will discuss that later. A future resurrection of the dead must have been taught by the prophets for Paul to say this. But where did any of the prophets predict a resurrection of the dead? There is a prediction of a resurrection in Ezekiel 37 in the valley of dry bones. The dry dead bones are the nation of Israel after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and. the captivity in Babylon. But God predicts that in the future He will put HIs Spirit in the bones and they will come out of their graves and live, thus a resurrection. Ezekiel 37:12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 And I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.” Anytime the prophets predicted a pouring out of the Spirit it always refers to the Acts 2 pouring out of the miraculous indwelling of the Spirit on the remnant believing Jews during the last days of the Jewish Age (i.e. 30 AD to 70 AD). So this is a Messianic prediction of a a spiritual resurrection from the spiritual dead state of the Jews, but would only be fulfilled in the raising from spiritual death of Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah.

We have another prediction of a resurrection of the dead in Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time (i.e. the “end time” Daniel 11:27, 35, 40) Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” Daniel says that this resurrection would occur at the “end time” (12:4, 9, 12) at the “end of the age” (12:13, i.e. the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD). He said this would occur at the “abomination of desolation” (12:11; also predicted by Daniel in Daniel 9:27). Jesus said that the abomination of desolation as predicted by Daniel had to occur within the generation of those whom he was talking to. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” The word for “generations” is genea and in the NT it always means a period of about 40 years or the people living in a 40 years period, just as we use the word when we speak of the “baby boomers’ generation, or x generation”. Thus Jesus is saying that Daniel’s abomination of desolation had to happen within the next 40 years of when he made that statement, and that could only be the destruction of the temple and the city by the Romans in 70 AD. Tie all this together, and Daniel was predicting a resurrection of the dead that would happen at the end of the Jewish age and at the abomination of desolation of the temple in 70 AD. It is noteworthy that Paul said in Acts 24:15 that there “is about to be” a resurrection of the dead” just as the prophets predicted. The Greek word for “about to be” is mello which in the NT always means something “about to happen”. I quoted from YLT b/c it is about the only one that translates the word mello correctly. Most translation translate it as “certainly will be”, but that is incorrect. So, unless Paul is mistaken, the resurrection of the dead was “about to happen” at the time he spoke. That would have to be the Daniel 12:2 prediction of the resurrection of the dead.

Let that sink in! Paul said the resurrection was “about to happen” as he spoke. This could only be the Daniel 12:2 resurrection at the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD. There was only one future resurrection and that was it in 70 AD. So why has Christian tradition taught for 2,000 years that the resurrection of the dead has not happened yet? Probably b/c Christians expected a resurrection of physical bodies from the graves, which indeed did not happen in 70 AD. There was a spiritual resurrection of the OT dead who were in hades, but not a bodily resurrection visible to the naked eye. They had been held in hades waiting their resurrection and final eternal sentence and fate. No one would have actually seen them rising from their graves in 70 AD. Another factor is that most Bible scholars believe that the 2nd coming hasn’t happened yet. They believe that the resurrection will happen at the 2nd coming, so the two doctrines become tied together.

Full preterism teaches that the 2nd coming was in 70 AD so that fits with the resurrection of the dead in 70 AD, both happening in 70 AD. Concerning the timing of the 2nd coming, Jesus only made in the synoptics 4 predictions of a 2nd coming or coming back: Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 24:30-34; 26:64. All 4 times he says that his 2nd coming would be within the lifetime of those he was speaking to. Matthew 16:27 even uses the word mello which always in the NT means “about to happen”: 27 “For, the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work.” He then adds: 28 Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in his reign.’ He is saying that some of those he is speaking to will be alive at his 2nd coming. This prediction is not a prediction of the transfiguration as some say it is. The passage is a judgment passage, and there was no judgment at the transfiguration. Then in Matthew 24, the context is the abomination of desolation (24:15) of the temple in 70 AD. The “tribulation” (24:21,29) is the tribulation predicted by Daniel to fall on the Jews as the Romans sieged Jerusalem, killing a million Jews. Daniel 12:1 And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time.” Then “immediately after that tribulation surrounding 70 AD, Jesus predicts his 2nd coming. Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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.” Then he adds in Matthew 24:34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Again, the word generation always in the NT means a period of about 40 years or the people living in a 40 year period. So a clear prediction that his 2nd coming would be in the next 40 years after he said this. It is described with some figurative language, such as the stars falling. That is typical of figurative language used of the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 13) and other nations in the OT. It is not predicting that the stars would literally fall. These predictions by Jesus of an imminent 2nd coming within the lifetime of those he was speaking to could only be fulfilled by his coming in judgement on the Jews in 70 AD (using the Romans). There are no other predictions of a “coming back” of Jesus that were not to be fulfilled in the lifetime of those he was speaking to. Check it out. Find the verses that teaches another coming of Jesus (thus a 3rd coming) that was not imminent. There are none. That also fits the teaching of the apostles who taught an imminent 2nd coming of Jesus. Revelation is about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and is a prediction of the 2nd coming: 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.” But then it says that he is coming soon or quickly: Revelation 22:6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. 10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Some want to say that “quickly” just means rapidly, but the context shows that means a coming that is “soon”. Some say, “Yes Jesus and the apostles predicted his 2nd coming to be imminent but then Jesus delayed his 2nd coming (now a 2,000 year delay!)” But Hebrews refutes that: Hebrews 10:37 For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.” James taught an imminent 2nd coming: James 5:8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” Peter said in 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near“. He is predicting the end of the Jewish system in 70 AD and not the end of the world. He follows that up with 2 Peter 3 a prediction of the removal of the old heavens and earth (the old covenantJewish system) and replacing them with the new heavens and earth (the new covenant system) that occured at 70 AD. If 2 Peter 3 was not fulfilled in 70 AD, then his prediction in 1 Peter 4:7 is false and the end of all things was not near. In 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul says that the 2nd coming would happen during the lifetime of the Thessalonian believers. Thus full preterism fulfills both the 2nd coming and the resurrection occurring in 70 AD.

Back to the discussion of the resurrection of the dead in 70 AD, Paul made it very clear that the resurrected bodies would be spiritual, not physical, in 1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” He then. says that resurrection would occur while some of those he was writing to were still alive. 51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” That is consistent with what he predicted in Acts 24:15, and can only refer to a resurrection of the dead in 70 AD just as Daniel 12:2 predicted. It is noteworthy that Paul adds that, whether dead of alive, all the believers will receive immortality at that resurrection in 70 AD. The last enemy, spiritual death, was officially defeated when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD and the law “disappeared” (Hebrews 8:13). There have been no more animal sacrifices or priesthood or temple since 70 AD.

Spiritual death has been defeated for believers. After 70 AD, believers get an immortal spiritual body when they are saved and that immortal body will live on eternally even after they die physically. John 11:23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Martha’s comment about a resurrection on the last day (of the age at the end time) reflects most Jewish expectations of a resurrection, but Jesus is teaching that the resurrection of the dead will give a believer a spiritual body that will continue to live even after physical death.

In Matthew 22:23-33 the Sadducees were trying to trap Jesus on his teaching of a resurrection of the dead (the which they denied). They posed the Levirate marriage law of a brother marrying his deceased brother’s wife if the deceased brother had no children. Matthew 22:23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to [p]Jesus and questioned Him, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 It was the same also with the second brother, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her in marriage.” Jesus’ answer is interesting. 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, since you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching”. This silenced the Sadducees (22:34) but I doubt they understood what Jesus said. But do we understand what he said? Most Bible scholars would say that the “resurrection of the dead” Jesus spoke of hasn’t happened yet, but that contradicts Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15, and 1 Corinthians 15:51. The resurrection of the dead that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22 was the same as in those verses and occurred in 70 AD. It would be a spiritual event, and thus no “marrying or giving in marriage”. Receiving immortality in 70 AD was not something physical like marriage. That is similar language as that used by Paul in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Of course there are male and female Christians, but he is speaking of a spiritual reality where believers have spiritual immortal bodies that have nothing to do with one’s gender of male or female. It is not about our marital state either, which is what Jesus was talking about. So the. resurrection Jesus is telling the Sadducees about is no doubt the Daniel 12:2 resurrection of the dead in 70 AD and not some future resurrection.

So my conclusion is that the Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15, and 1 Corinthians 15:51 resurrection of the dead occurred in 70 AD when the OT dead in hades were raised to receive their eternal sentencing and when the believers living in 70 AD received immortality. From 70 AD on, all believers at their conversion fo Christ receive a resurrected spiritual body that will live eternally even after physical death. Paul spoke of this resurrected spiritual body in Ephesians 2, that we are raised from the dead spiritually to sit with Christ in the heavenly places. When we die, our spiritual immortal body goes directly to be with Jesus forever. There is no need for us to come back for some judgement day and some physical body to be raised from our graves. We already have all the immortal body that we need without that. Most preachers say that a deceased believer goest directly to be with Jesus, but then they still say that believer needs to come back some day, be judged, and his/her physical body be raised from the dirt. That is so inconsistent.

But isn’t it heresy to say that the resurrection of the dead has already happened in 70 AD? Did Paul not call that heresy? 2 Timothy 2: “17 Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth, claiming that the resurrection has already taken place; and they are jeopardizing the faith of some.” That was written by Paul in about 65 AD. The resurrection that would happen in 70 AD would not have happened yet when Paul wrote 2 Timothy. These two false teachers were saying in 65 AD that the resurrection had already happened, which it had not. Their teaching could really confuse believers about the fulfillment of prophecies as made by Paul and the other NT writers. So Paul calls it “going astray from the truth”. But we are living beyond 70 AD and the resurrection of the dead has indeed already happened some 2,000 years go. So it is not heresy to say today that the resurrection had already happened. The passages discussed in this article show that it has already happened. It could be considered straying from the truth to say that it has not already happened since the Bible says that it has.

I don’t believe that one’s view of the resurrection of the dead or 2nd coming is a heaven/hell issue. The only thing that matters is belief that Jesus is the Son of God, the only propitiation and atonement for our sins by his death on the cross, belief that he was raised from the dead, and following Christ through love, obedience to the moral commands of the New Testament. It is comforting to know that we already have our resurrected bodies and will go directly to be with Jesus when we die. It is edifying to know that all the predictions of Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles came true just as they were predicted. That gives us confidence in the Bible as the word of God, not men. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.”

FOR YOU TYPE A PEOPLE! AND ME!

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

I don’t know why I do blogs when I copy so much from others! But I read Chuck Swindoll today and what he said really hit home. So, quuoting:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7)

“I When we do that, He trades us His joy for our anxiety. Such a deal! As He then works things out and makes it clear to us which step to take next, we can relax, release the tension, and laugh again.

This is extremely hard for Type A personalities. If you happen to be more intelligent than the average person, it’s even more difficult. And if you are the super-responsible, I-can-handle-it individual who tends to be intense and impatient, letting go and letting God take charge will be one of life’s most incredible challenges. But I urge you, do it! Force yourself to trust Another who is far more capable and intelligent and responsible than you (or a thousand like you) ever could be. And in the meantime, enjoy!”

I think I am that type A person described in that last paragraph (not so sure about the more intelligent part). Are you that type A? My wife is just the opposite. Opposites attract, I suppose. Batteries work off a positive and negative. Two positive terminals touching would cause a short and problems. We have been making it work for 54 years now! We haven’t exploded yet!

There is a connection in 1 Peter 5:6-7 between “humbling yourself” and “casting your anxiety upon Him”. I tend to want to cast my anxiety and stress on Him and yet I don’t always humble myself when I do. In other words, I still in the back of my mind am holding on to my ability to control outcomes. I don’t totally admit that I have no control over outcomes. I don’t totally submit my will to God’s will. I don’t admit that I am totally incapable of controlling outcomes. In other words, I don’t really humble myself. Peter said that I must humble myself before casting my anxiety on Him.

I am going to try to humble myself first, and then cast my anxiety on Him. I want to trade my anxiety for His joy. I want to “laugh again”, to be happier. I need to be more patient, to take things in stride without getting upset. What about you other Type A people out there?

TENNESSEE AQUARIUM: CHATTANOOGA, TN

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

The Tennessee Aquarium is home to 12,000 animals representing 795 species. It’s pretty amazing to even see many species from South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and remote islands as well as of course the Tennessee River species. The fish species especially interest me. Genesis 1 tells us the God created fish (and fowl) on day 5, which I believe to be a 24 hour day. God created the sun and moon on day 4 to govern over a 24 hour night and day, and that was a law of physics from then on at least, if not from day 1 (which I believe all 7 days were 24 hour days). So day 5 which follows must also be a 24 hour day and all the fish (and fowl) were created in one 24 hour day. Atheistic Darwinian evolution says that the fish evolved all these different species over millions of years by natural selection and mutation. but I don’t think that is possible. Natural selection only eliminates some animals within a species. It doesn’t add new DNA genetic information to the species. Mutations are almost always harmful and it is unrealistic to think that genes gone bad could explain the variety within fish species. Many atheists even reject the Darwinian means of evolution.

So I see all that variety within the fish species at the aquarium. I rule out atheistic Darwinian evolution as the cause for reasons given above. So that only leaves one other possibility. If nature could not have created all the variety in fish species, then someone or something supernatural must have created them. Now I must admi that it is almost unbelievable to think that the God of Genesis 1 could have created all this variety in a 24 hour day. How could even God create all the different shapes, color, features of all those fish that I saw? One really hit me: the lion fish.

28 species of Clown fish. Nemo made clown fish famous!

Here is my thinking. Can you imagine getting a team of biologists and artists getting together to create 100’s or even thousands of imaginary pictures of fish with many different functions? Let them use their imagination. What they might come up with is what is at the Tennessee aquarium and all around the world. Then turn them loose on birds and tell them to come up with thousands of pictures of imaginary birds. Let them use their imagination. I wonder what they would come up with.

Imagine day 5 of the creation week. How in the world does God, in a 24 hour period based on my understanding, create thousands of fish and bird species? His Spirit fills the universe and usually HIs Spirit in the Old Testament is miraculous power exerted by God or revelation of the will of God to man. So the Spirit is everywhere on earth creating unique animals. Often times they are native to a particular location on earth (something observed by Darwin in the Galapagos Islands and in his travels). Atheistic evolutionists say that animals evolved by natural selection to live in a particular location, but I believe the Spirit created each unique animal for each unique location. Natural selection only eliminates some of each species that can’t survive in a particular location, but it doesn’t add new genetic info to create a new species. Cross-breeding can produce variation within a species, but that variation is always “horizontal”, not “vertical”. Horizontal is variation across a species and within a species, which does happen often. Vertical is when one species, like a fish, evolves into a totally new species of animal, like a human (the evolutionists say that happened). The vertical variatioon would be essential to the theory of atheistic evolution, but there no clear, convincing examples of vertical variation.

Back to my thinking. It just blows my mind to think of he Spirit over the entire earth creating so many unique, often weird looking fish and birds, in a 24 hour period. Even if you believe in an old earth (billions of years old), it is still mind blowing as to when and how the Spriit might do that over millions of years. All this is almost too incredible to believe, but the only other option is that there is no supernatural power (God) who created all this diversity. But atheism has no answers to creation or intelligent design.

So my final thought is this. It is almost unbelievable to believe in God who created all things. The other option is that there is no god and everything just created and designed itself, which is much more unbelievable. So my questioning mind chooses to believe in God, the God of Genesis 1, and the creation story in Genesis 1. Now I just need to really believe God created everything in Genesis 1 instead of just choosing that as the better option. When I really remove my doubt and just believe, then I can start praising God for His creation.

Then I read all the passages in the Bible that praise God for His creation.

Psalm 104:24 “Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions.
25 There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.”

WORRY, STRESS, AND FEAR

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Chuck Swindoll said that worry, stress, and fear are the thieves that rob us of our joy. I have personally been robbed many times by these 3 bandits. I struggle with all 3. The Holy Spirit tries to counsel me with scripture. 1 Peter 5:7:“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” Hebrews 13:5b-6:“…for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what man can do to me.'” 2 Timothy 1:7:“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.” Philippians 4:6-7:“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The Spirit of God is everywhere, so I try to feel His presence and hear His gentle voice counseling me to get rid of my worry, stress, and fear, but often that doesn’t help me. Why not? Probably b/c of my lack of faith and my shallow relationship with God and with the Spirit of God.

So what will help me? I know that when I am stressed out over something, I will go to my wife and she will say, “don’t even think about that; everything is going to be fine; quit worrying about that”. She might even give me a reason that I should not be worried. That helps me even if I’m not sure about her reason! I trust her emotions and faith more than I do my own.

Why can’t I turn to Jesus and listen to him telling me not to worry or stress out or be afraid? We read what Jesus said about these 3 things, but we tend to forget that he always gave counseling on these things as he was talking to his followers. They were having a panic attack in the middle of a storm at sea. Jesus asked the apostles, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”. They were afraid as the time for his crucifixion was about to happen. Jesus told them, John 14:27:“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” He was addressing the multitude but also this disciples in Matthew 6:25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

If Jesus were sitting right in front of me on my couch right now, I think his words would, at least temporarily, remove all my worry, stress, and fear; just as my wife’s words help me. So the secret is to have such a relationship with Him that I can feel him sitting with me, talking to me, counseling me. That requires faith, b/c we walk by faith and not sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). When I panic, he is probably asking me the same question that the asked the apostles during the storm at sea, “”Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”. The secret is to feel His presence! As long as I can hear him say, “everything is going to be good; don’t worry; don’t be afraid”, then that’s all I need to hear. But it takes faith and a personal relationship with Him to sense him looking at me and saying thsee things to me.

Can you relate to any of this? I wrote this article for me. I get tired of all he worry, stress, and fear that I carry with me all the time. Those 3 things rob me of the joy and peace that Jesus brings to me. Christians should be the happiest people of earth. Isaiah 35: 10 “And the redeemed of the Lord will return
and come to Zion with joyful shouting; and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” This verse is describing those redeemed by the Messiah when he came. It is talking about the redeemed here on earth. They might cry and be sad, but inside they spiritual everlasting joy and peace. Or at least they should. Pew Research Center says that actively religious people are more likely than their less-religious peers to describe themselves as “very happy”. That’s good. But then it adds, “36% of the actively religious describe themselves as “very happy,” compared with 25% of the inactively religious.” So only a little over a third of active Christians describe themselves as “very happy”. A little better 11% better than the inactive religious people, but still only 1 out of every 3 active Christians (i.e. those who go to church, who profess a sincere faith in Jesus) are very happy. What about the other 2/3????? They are active religiously. They probably go to church regularly. They listen to sermons and attend Bible classes, but the other 2/3 are not “very happy”. Yet we have been blessed with so many material blessings in this country. Most of us have money, nice homes, medical insurance, plenty of food, cars, income, etc. But not “very happy”. You take a short mission trip overseas as one of our student groups just did to Ghana, Africa. They have very little but they are happy in the Lord. Their joy is obvious. They are not stressed out and worried about material things. They have that everlasting joy that many of us Christians do not have.

Let’s work on it, what do you say? Jesus, talk to me! Holy Spirit, move me! Father, comfort me!

PAUL WAS AN INSPIRED APOSTLE!

On By nrfaught1 Comment

One of my former Bible students came by school and made a comment that we don’t have to follow the teachings and commands of Paul. The student said that we only have to follow the “red letters”, i.e. the teachings and commands of Jesus. I knew where he was going with that comment. He said that Jesus did not condemn homosexuality. He said that Paul was just homophobic and that Paul’s opinions were just his personal opinions and not binding on us today.

Galatians becomes a critical letter for us today as we face the LGBQT issues that seem to be splitting churches right and left. The Judaizers in Galatia were trying to undermine Paul’s authority as an apostle. Their issue in Galatia was not LGBQT but instead was Judaizer forcing Gentile converts to be circumcised as was required of Jews under the Law of Moses. No doubt they pointed out that Paul was not one of the original 12 apostles, which was true. Even Paul admitted that he was the last of the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus about 6 years after the death of Jesus, thus qualifying him to be an apostle. But in the 2nd Corinthian letter, he made it clear that he was not inferior to any of he other original 12 apostles in authority. 2 Corinthians 11:5 For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.” 12:Actually I should have been commended by you, since I was in no respect inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. 12 The distinguishing marks of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs, wonders, and miracles.”

In the letter to the Galatians he defends his apostleship vigorously. In chapter 1 he argued that he received his gospel message (in which he did not make Gentile converts be circumcised) directly from Jesus and not from the other apostles. He makes it clear that he only went to Jerusalem 3 years after his conversion and only stayed 15 days, not nearly enough time to get a school of preaching training from the other apostles! Maybe some Judaizers were claiming that Paul got his teachings from the apostles but didn’t get some teachings on circumcision of Gentile converts correctly. But Paul is adamant that he did not get his gospel from the other apostles in any way. In chapter 2 he then stated that he did not go to Jerusalem again util 14 years later when he attended the Jerusalem Council in 50 AD to discuss the issue of Gentile converts being circumcised. He boldly states that Peter, James (the Lord’s brother), and John were the pillars of the Jerusalem. church but that he did not yield to them on the issue even for an hour. He said that their reputation as the apostles and leaders of the church meant nothing to him. He added that he even opposed the apostle Peter to his face when Peter was influenced by a group of men coming from James in Jerusalem to Antioch in Syria telling the Jewish Christians in Antioch to not eat with the Gentile Christians. BTW that’s pretty strange, if Peter was the first pope, that Paul would be rebuking the pope! It is obvious that Paul is claiming to have the same authority as the other apostles.

If Paul was a true apostle, which he was, then his teachings were inspired by the Spirit and infallible (without error). He is not just giving his uninspired opinions on issues. He was giving teachings inspired b by the Spirit. The apostle Peter even called Paul’s writings “Scripture”, giving them equal authority to the inspired writings of the Old Testament. 2 Peter 3:15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” Surely no one would question the apostleship of Peter, and yet Peter claims that Paul’s writings were inspired Scripture.

Back to the critical LGBQT issue. Paul clearly says that homosexuality is a sin. Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, 27 and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” 1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” The Greek word for homosexuals is arsenokoites: Homosexual, sodomite. The same word is used in 1 Timothy 1: 10 for the sexually immoral, homosexuals, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.” I once talked with a minister of a church that accepted homosexual members and marriages. He argued that the Greek word for homosexual in these passages did not mean homosexual. Every Greek lexicon confirms that it does mean homosexual. If that isn’t enough, Romans 1 makes it even clearer without relying on Greek words.

The authority of Paul as an apostle is a critical issue today and we must defend his apostleship just as he did 2,000 years ago in the Galatian and Corinthian letters. The LGBQT issue should be easily resolved if we accept the inspiration of Paul’s writings. Those who reject Paul’s apostleship and authority do so without any proof or reasonable argument. They do so simply b/c they don’t like what he said about homosexuality.

One last point. One of the qualifications of an apostles was that one had to see the resurrected Jesus. Acts 1:22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” Paul was not with Jesus for the 3 years like the other apostles, but he argues that he did indeed see the resurrected Jesus. 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” The resurrected Jesus appearing to Saul on the road to Damascus is one of the biggest proofs of the resurrection of Jesus. There is nothing else that could have changed Saul from persecuting, even killing, Jewish Christians except that he saw the resurrected Jesus. Jewish Christians were terrified of Saul and would not have dared to try to convert him. Seeing the resurrected Jesus qualified him to be an apostle even though he was not with Jesus the 3 years that the other apostles were with Him.

The church should be the “pillar and ground of the truth”. Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” It is not surprising for atheists and agnostics to argue that Paul was not an apostle, but it is shocking for churches like some of the Methodist churches (and other denominations before that) arguing that his writings against homosexuality are not inspired. If even believers reject Paul’s writings, what hope is there to convert the unbelieving world who question the authority of the Bible as the word of God? I shudder to think what Jesus must feel about the direction some of the churches are going in. I also wonder how many millions of dollars are collected to support the staff and buildings of churches that reject Paul’s teaching on homosexuality. I believe Jesus would be turning some tables over if he were to make an appearance to the churches in the U.S.

 

AM I BECOME YOUR ENEMY BY TELLING YOU THE TRUTH?

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Galatians 4:16 So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Paul said this to the Galatian Christians after scolding them. He began his letter to them in 1:6 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, 7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” There are none of the commendations for them as found in Colossians or several of his other letters. He is amazed at how quickly they followed the Judaizer false teachers who were saying that Gentile converts had to be circumcised. He says that they had been “bewitched” in 3:1 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” The Greek is baskaínō (from baskanos, “to cast an evil spell, wishing injury upon someone; to bewitch”) – properly, to exercise evil power over someone, like putting them under a spell.” He challenges them: “did you receive the miraculous indwelling of the Spirit by the hearing of faith (Paul would have been the one who taught, baptized them and laid his hands on them to give them the Spirit and miraculous gifts) or by the works of the Law (as was being promoted by the Judaizers). Who gave you the miraculous, me or the Judaizers”?

He fears that all his work with converting and maturing them has been in vain. 4: 8 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? 10 You meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” In other words, “I fear that I have wasted precious time working with you Galatians. I helped free you from the slavery of your pagan god laws and yet now you are allowing the Judaizers to make you a slave to rituals from the Law of Moses that you aren’t required to keep.” That’s pretty bold and harsh.

He reminds them of how they received him so fondly when he first converted them. Maybe his thorn was bad eyesight and they could have looked at Paul with contempt, but instead they would have torn out their own eyes and given them to Paul. Their relationship with him was such a blessing, and yet now they are turning on Paul. But it is not Paul, but Christ, that they are turning on. 4:12 I beg of you, brothers and sisters, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13 but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; 14 and you did not despise that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition, nor express contempt, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. 15 Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I testify about you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.” Paul is saying, “what made you listen to the Judaizers and turn on me?”

He gets pretty strong with them. 4:19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for I am at a loss about you!” The Greek for “at a loss” is the term ἀπορέω. It is used in the New Testament to describe a state of perplexity or confusion, often in the context of not knowing what to do or how to proceed. In other words, “I don’t know what to do with you”. It sound like something you would say to your wild, disobedient teenage child after many incidents getting in trouble!

He tells them this it is fine if they want to be circumcised, but if they do it as a test of fellowship as promoted by the Judaizers then they will fall from grace. 5:2 Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.” Circumcision was not a heaven/hell issue, but if someone makes it a heaven/hell issue and withdraws from those who aren’t circumcised, then that becomes a major issue. It means that the one making it a test of fellowship is no longer trusting the grace of God and is trusting the keeping of Laws instead of trusting God’s grace that allows freedom in non essential issues. Wow! The church I was raised in did that all the time. They made issues like instrumental music or kitchens in the church building (and many other issues) to be heaven/hell issues and withdrew from other Christians and denominations who disagreed with them. I even remember hearing our preachers condemn the denominations for using instrumental music (and other things), accusing them of “perverting the gospel of Christ”. They quote 1:6-9 saying the denominations were preaching a “different gospel”. But those whom Paul condemned for preaching a different gospel were the Judaizers who were making circumcision (a non heaven/hell issue) a test of fellowship with other Christians. So it was our preachers who, by making instrumental music a test of fellowship, were the ones preaching a different gospel!!!!!!! It took me a long time to figure that out!

He wants to know who has hindered them from full obedience to the gospel. 5:7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.” It certainly wasn’t the Christ Jesus who called them by the gospel of grace, not the legalism of the Law. Apparently the Judaizers had caused a lot of internal strife among the Galatian Christians. 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” I have seen many churches be divided and split over non heaven/hell issues like having kitchens in the building or using money from the treasury to support orphan homes. We are talking knock down, drag out. battles between members. Ugly, ugly church splits. Is that what was happening in their churches?

So back to Galatians 4:16 So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” He has been pretty blunt and harsh with them. He isn’t sure how they will respond to his sharp criticism. Will they side with the Judaizers and turn even further away from Paul? Will they listen to the Judaizers as they challenge the apostleship of Paul (which he defends vigorously in chapters 1 and 2)?

I just talked to a wonderful Christian lady from Trinidad, West Indies whom we baptized and matured during our 3 years of mission work there. She made me feel so good bragging on how we planted the churches in Trinidad that are still doing well 50 years later. I can’t imagine if the conversation had been such as Paul had with his Galatian converts. What if she had told me that some preachers from the U.S. had been to Trinidad and had convinced her that we were false teachers 50 years ago? What if I could tell that she no longer respected the work we did with them 50 years ago? Can you imagine how crushed that conversation would have been to me?????

Can you imagine how Paul felt about the negative attitude he was hearing about from his Galatian converts? We don’t even know how he found out about what was going on in the Galatian churches. Sadly, we don’t know how they responded to his letter. We are not even sure when he wrote the letter. Where was he when he wrote it? If Galatians 2 is about Paul going to Jerusalem for the conference in Acts 15 to settle the issue of Gentile converts being circumcised, then the letter had to be written after 50 AD (the date of the conference). That would mean the letter was written between 50 and 60 AD. Paul likely wrote his Epistle to the Galatians while traveling through Macedonia during his third missionary journey in about A.D. 55–57. If so, then he would not have been able to visit the Galatians to confront them in person since his 3rd journey ended as a prisoner in Jerusalem before going to Rome as a prisoner. That would make sense that he would write a letter to them. He probably never got to go visit them again even after he got out of Roman imprisonment during his last journey to Crete, Ephesus, and Miletus before he was arrested and faced his final imprisonment in Rome before being beheaded.

So, sometimes you need to tell people the truth even if it hurts their feelings or if it could strain your relationship with them. “You need to start using deodorant!” A true friend will tell his friend that. “You need to quit hanging around with those people.” “You need to quit having sex with your boyfriend.” “You need to get out of that legalistic church that you are in.” “You need to quit lying to your parents.” “You need to quit having that affair on your mate.” Need I go on? Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” Someone said that “unsolicited advice” is like “butting into someone’s personal business”. I guess it is. But if you really care about them, you will butt in and tell them what they need to hear! Paul kinda addresses that in Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.” He is telling those who are “spiritual” to back him up with his criticism of some of their less spiritual brethren and sisters.

Yes, you should tell them in love the blunt things that they need to hear. Do it in private if possible. Let them know you care. Let them know that you also have sins and weaknesses. Use “I” statements to express your feelings and observations without blaming or accusing your friend. For example, instead of saying “You’ve been so down lately,” you could say “I’ve noticed you seem down, and I’m worried about you.” But the bottom line is to tell them what they need to hear even if it hurts their feelings or embarrasses them or makes them mad at you or makes them defensive. If you love them you will tell them!

THE MILLENNIUM OF REVELATION 20: 40 YEARS!

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Here are the facts from Revelation 20 on the millennium, the 1,000 years. Read the chapter.

  1. Satan was bound in some way for 1,000 years. He was not allowed to deceive the nations for that period of time.
  2. After the 1,000 years is completed Satan is released but only for a short time.
  3. Those martyred for their faith in Jesus come to life and reign with Christ for 1,000 years. Their coming to life is the “first resurrection”.
  4. The “rest of the dead” don’t come to life till the end of. the 1,000 years. They will be given the second death.
  5. At the end of the 1,000 years Satan will be released for a short time to deceive the nations (20:3 said he could not do that for the 1,000 years).
  6. The nations are called God and Magog from Ezekiel 38-39 where Gog (the leader of the land of Magog) and Magog (the land) will attack Israel in the “latter years” (38:8). Ezekiel said this had been prophesied by “God’s servants the prophets of Israel” (38:17). He says that God and Magog will be defeated and destroyed. He says that God then will pour out His Spirit on the house of Israel (Ezekiel 39:29).
  7. Gog and Magog “surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city” but Gog and Magog are devoured by fire (Revelation 20:9).
  8. The devil is thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.
  9. There is then a great white throne judgement. Heavens and earth pass away. Death and Hades give up their dead to be judged. Death and Hades are then thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone which is the 2nd death.

I remind you that Revelation is predicting things that are near, to shortly take place (Revelation 1:1-3; 22:6-10). Thus we expect chapter 20 to take place shortly also. The key is #7 above. At the end of the 1,000 years Gog and Magog surround the “beloved city” and the “saints”. The beloved city would have to Jerusalem, so this would refer to the Romans (God and Magog) sieging Jerusalem in 70 AD, destroying the temple and the city. The saints attacked would be the Jews, God’s people of the old testament. Ezekiel said that the prophets had predicted God and Magog and indeed several prophets predicted the destruction of Jerusalem by the “nations” (the Romans) in 70 AD (Joel 3; Zechariah 14; Deuteronomy 30; Daniel 9,12).

Notice that #7 takes place at the end of the 1,000 years (#5). The end of the 1,000 years must be 70 AD. Therefore the 1,000 years must be the 40 year period from 30 AD (when the gospel was preached to the whole Roman Empire, the church was established, and Christians began to be martyred for their faith in Jesus) to 70 AD. The martyred saints during that period would receive their resurrected bodies (the 1st resurrection) spiritually and reign with Jesus in heaven during that period. The “rest of the dead” would be those who died in the Old Testament and were held in Hades waiting for their eternal fate. They would be raised in 70 AD just as Daniel 12:2 predicted would happen at the “end of the age” (i.e. the end of the Jewish age in 70 AD). The wicked would be raised spiritually to receive their fate, the 2nd death of fire and brimstone.

The pouring out of the Spirit on Israel (Ezekiel 39:29) is often predicted by the prophets (Joel 2:28-32; Isaiah 44:3; Zechariah 12:10). That was also fulfilled during the “last days” of the Jewish Age from AD 30 to 70 AD as seen in the book of Acts. The “Israel” the Spirit was poured out on has to be the remnant of Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and who became the first church in the book of Acts. The Spirit was not poured out on the whole nation. Instead God judged the wicked unbelieving Jews and sent the Romans to kill one million Jews in 70 AD. That was the great white throne judgment.

Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone at the end of the 1,000 years in 70 AD. I personally believe that means that Satan was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone in 70 AD b/c that is what it says. That means that Satan is no longer allowed to roam the earth and deceive people after 70 AD. He is “toast”, either annihilated or burning forever. Evil would continue after 70 AD since evil is the result of our lusts (James 1) and Satan. is not some omnipotent being who personally induces every person on the earth to sin. Spiritual death is destroyed in. 70 AD. The last enemy Jesus conquered was spiritual death (1 Corinthians 15:26) and spiritual death would be destroyed when the Law, the source of death (1 Corinthians 15:56), was destroyed in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed, the Law was finally removed once and for all (Hebrews 8:13 it “disappeared” in 70 AD), and spiritual death is destroyed for every believer in Jesus from AD 70 forward. Hades, the waiting place of the Olld Testament dead, was also destroyed in 70 AD. There was no need for a “waiting place” any longer. After 70 AD Christians who die go directly to be with Jesus. They will live spiritually even if they die physically (John 11:25-26).

That, right or wrong, is about as short and through as I can make it. That means the 1,000 years (the millennium) ended in 70 AD. The number 1,000 is a figurative number just like many numbers in the book of Revelation. That means that Jesus is not coming back to set up a 1,000 year reign on earth in a. physical power based kingdom. Most evangelicals believe that and are waiting for Jesus to come set up an earthly kingdom. They believe the battle of Armageddon will happen at the end of the 1,000 years, but Armageddon in the book of Revelation happened in 70 AD when the Romans attacked Jerusalem. Jesus’s kingdom was a spiritual kingdom, the church, not of this world (John 18:36). So many predictions for the beginning of the 1,000 years have failed. Dispensationalists thought it would begin in the 7th millennium since the creation, which, if you beleive the earth was created about 4,000 BC, would begin in the year 2,000 AD. It did not. All the false expectations of a millennium happening in our future is just an unnecessary distraction to the preaching of the gospel and the glory that should be given to God in the church. When predictions of a future 2nd coming and millennium don’t come true, many might lose their faith in the Bible since they think the predictions failed to come true. Instead of rejecting those false prophets who made the false predictions, they reject the Bible itself.

These are the conclusions of my study of the millennium. Thanks for reading even if you disagree!

correction: restoring the fallen tabernacle of David

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

sorry. restoring not restorying the fallen tabernacle of David. I get in too big of a hurry at times and my laptop is about to shut down and my charger is at another house where my wife is baby sitting some of our grandchildren and my back is really hurting and I had to cook my own breakfast (actually I had an extra egg McMuffin from yesterday in the frig). oh well, you get the picture.

RESTORING THE FALLEN TABERNACLE OF DAVID

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

The “tabernacle of David” was the tent wherein the ark of the covenant was housed during the latter days of David’s reign. The ark and the tabernacle had been kept from the time of Joshua 18:1 at Shiloh for 369 years according to Jewish tradition. The ark was captured by the Philistines and returned 7 months later and ended up in the house of Abinadab (1 Samuel 7:1) for 20 years after the men at Bethshamesh looked into the ark and were killed. The tabernacle appears to be at Nob for some time b/c David got the forbidden bread from the holy place there but during most of Saul and David’s reign the tabernacle was kept at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39; 21:29). The ark was brought from the house of Abinadad but they carry it on a cart and Uzzah is killed for touching the ark so the ark stayed at the house of Obed-edom for 3 monhts. David has it brought from the house of Obed-edom to his capital, Jerusalem and placed on Mt Zion. It was not brought to the tabernacle which was at Gibeon.. Instead it was brought to Jerusalem, the city of David, and placed on Mt Zion. 2 Samuel 6:17 Now they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it.” David made a special tent to place the ark in. There was much joy and praising God on this occasion. David offered sacrifices, apparently using Levite since the priests would have been at the tabernacle in Gibeon. Obviously this is not where the ark was supposed to be kept, which was in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle of Moses, but there is no recorded condemnation of David putting the ark in a special tent that he made instead of in the tabernacle Holy of Holies. Solomon is crowned king at the tabernacle in Gibeon, but the ark remained in the tent David built for it in Jerusalem for 40 years until Solomon finished building the temple, at which time (2 Chronicles 5)the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple. 2 Chronicles 1:3 Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place which was at Gibeon, because God’s tent of meeting was there which Moses, the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. 4 However, David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.” We don’t know what happened to the tent that David built and housed the ark in after the ark was moved into the temple.

In the days of the divided kingdom Amos the prophet condemns the sins of the northern kingdom of Irael and wicked king Jereboam II. In the last chapter of the book of Amos, he makes a prediction that will be fulfilled in the days of the Messiah.

Amos 9:11 “On that day I will raise up the fallen shelter of David,
And wall up its gaps;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 So that they may possess the remnant of Edom
And all the nations who are called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.

13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the plowman will overtake the reaper,
And the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed;
When the mountains will drip grape juice,
And all the hills will come apart.
14 I will also restore the fortunes of My people Israel,
And they will rebuild the desolated cities and live in them;
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will also plant them on their land,
And they will not be uprooted again from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.”

A lot of figurative language (mountains dripping grape juice, etc) but obviously a Messianic prediction. Fast forward to the 1st century. The conference of apostles, elders, and Paul and Barnabas are meeting in Jerusalem to settle the issue of whether Gentile converts have to be circumcised or not. Peter speaks first, reminding everyone how God accepted the Gentile Cornelius wihtout insisting on him being circumcised. Paul and Barnabas cite the miracles God was doing by them among the Gentile as confirmation that God accepted their Gentile converts without circumcision. But the final argument comes from James the Lord’s brother who was a pillar in the church at Jerusalem (Galatians 2). He says that the prophets, like Amos, agree with Peter’s point that the Gentile converts should be accepted without being circumcision. He then quotes Amos 9:11-12 as proof. The main part of his argument is Amos 9:12 that “the nations” would be allowed in the restored tabernacle of David, but James replaces the word nations with “Gentiles” (which is the correct meaning). For that argument to have any value, the tabernacle of David would have had to be restored at the time that he made the argument. James is saying that the tabernacle of David was being restored at the time he spoke, thus allowing the Gentiles to be admitted into it. His point then is that the Gentiles should be admitted into the church without having to keep the Law of Moses and circumcision. BTW that would also mean that the rest of Amos 9:11-15 was also being fulfilled at the time James spoke. Included in that would be mountains dripping grape juice and Israel being restored to their land. Obviously that refers to spiritual blessings (using figurative language) but only for the Jewish remnant who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Also being restored to their land is figurative language and not the believing remnant actually getting the land in the first century (certainly it doesn’t refer to Israel getting Palestine in 1948). But that’s another subject. This appears to be a final, convincing argument to everyone that the Gentile converts did not have to be circumcised or keep the Law. It is interesting that this final argument comes from James, who in Galatians 2 is forbidding Jewish Christians from eating with Gentile Christians in the churches of Galatia, even convincing Peter to quit eating with them. So if James thinks Gentile converts don’t need to be circumcised, that is pretty convincing. He does add a few restrictions like not eating blood that the Gentile converts should observe in order not to offend their Jewish brethren.

Why would he quote Amos 9? Why does he quote a prediction about restoring a tent that David built to house the ark for 40 years? There were several passages from Isaiah (Isaiah 56) that predicted that the Gentiles would be allowed into the new covenant along with believing Jews. I just read a chapter in Philip Mauro’s book, The Hope of Israel (1971) where he quotes some from George Smith’s Harmony of the Divine (1856). Smith says that James chose Amos 9 b/c of the circumstances surrounding the ark being in the tabernacle of David. He says that the fact that the ark was allowed to be placed in David’s special tent in Jerusalem instead of in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle at Gibeon is important. Apparently during the 40 years the ark was in David’s tabernacle or tent, the high priest would not go in every year on the day of Atonement and perform the rituals. In other words, some of he requirements concerning the ark were not insisted on by God during that 40 years. Smith concludes that meant that the rituals of the Law would not be insisted on being required by Gentile converts. Perhaps that was the parallel that James saw from Amos 9 that applied to the issue at hand in the Jerusalem conference. I had never heard that logic but it made sense to Mauro (and to me). Of course, a lot of speculation there but there is good, logical speculation and then there is wild, unfounded speculation. I hope that is good speculation.

That’s a little deep, huh? But imagine yourself being at that conference. Imagine listening to the arguments from Peter, Paul, and James and trying to decide on the issue of circumcision of Gentile converts. It should be noted that they had Holy Spirit help. Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from acts of sexual immorality; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” So the Spirit in some way confirmed that their decision was correct.

Imagine that you are at a conference where the Methodist churches are trying to decide on the LGBQT issue. But their leaders don’t have inspired apostles to guide their decision. They don’t have miraculously inspired positions like the pope to make an infallible decision (which is not really infallible). They must rely on the words of the apostles just as the council in Jerusalem relied on the testimony of Paul, Peter and James. The only difference is that those words are written instead of being spoken. We have their words in the New Testament. So Paul speaks in Romans 1 and tells us that homosexuality is a sin. That alone should be enough to settle the issue and to condemn homosexuality and homosexual marriages. Unfortunately that was not enough for many, and their denomination split over the issue. Conferences like that aren’t of much value if they don’t rely on the word of God to guide them!