Tag: christianity

ISAIAH 44 THE FOLLY OF IDOLATRY; MODERN IDOLATRY

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

In an earlier blog on Isaiah 41-45, Isaiah challenged the gods of the pagan idols to prove their very existence (41:1 set forth your case) by predicting the future (with 100% accuracy). He then gives several predictions about the temple being destroyed (586 BC, 120 years in the future), the return from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple (536 BC, 160 years in the future) allowed by Cyrus the king of Persia, naming Cyrus by name about 100 years before he was even born. I gave many other prophecies about nations that were fulfilled in the old testament.

But not only does Isaiah show that the pagan gods cannot predict the future, he then goes on to show the “futility of idol worship” (the foolishness).

Isaiah 44:9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

There is not much need of commentary here. Isaiah scoffs at the idea of a man planting and growing a tree, cutting it down after it is grown, using half of the fallen tree to make fires to rost his meat, and uses the other half to make into a delicately and lavishly carved wooden idol to worhip his pagan god.

We must go to Romans 1 for commentary.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Paul is saying that there is no excuse for not believing in God who created everything. While his attributes of eternal power and divine nature should be “clearly perceived” by all. Read my blog article “Praising the God of creation” for all the arguments for the existence of God (intelligent design of all animals and plants, the periodic table, the human body, the many constants of math and physics that must be finely tuned to have life on earth, etc.). That is called “natural revelation” (nature reveals that there is a creator God). The psalmist said “the fool has said there is no god” (Psalm 19:1). But let us suppose that someone does perceive that the universe and life could not just come into existence from nothing. That would not tell us about that God who created everything. That would take “special revelation”, i.e. that creator God would reveal himself and his plans through inspired messengers or prophets by miraculous inspiration. But suppose that person believes there must be a creator God but doesn’t have access to any of God’s special revelation of HIs word through prophets. He might decide to. start worshipping God through what God created. This could be “animism”: Animism is the doctrine that every natural thing in the universe has a soul. If you believe in animism, you believe that ostriches, cactuses, mountains, and thunder are all spiritual beings. Animism comes from the Latin word anima, meaning life, or soul. Animists believe in innumerable spiritual beings that are concerned with human affairs and capable of helping or harming human interests. Animistic rituals are a variety of practices that serve to maintain relationships between humans and spirits, such as sacrifices, taboos, ancestor worship, shamanism (witch doctors), etc. You can undersand in remote areas of Africans the practice of animism by sincere worshipers of the Creator God when they don’t have the word of God. It is the church’s responsibility to get the word of God to them in their own languages, which many have tried to do, often leding to their deaths.

Idolatry is different than animism. A great AI (I love AI b/c it usually says things better than I do and in less words!) distinction: “While both terms are related to the worship of something other than a single, supreme deity, idolatry specifically refers to the act of worshipping a physical object like a statue as a god, while animism is the belief that all things in nature, including animals, plants, and even inanimate objects, possess a spirit or soul, and can be interacted with on a spiritual level; essentially, animism is a broader concept that encompasses the idea of spiritual agency in all things, not just physical representations of deities like in idolatry.” For example, Ancient Egypt: The polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt featured large idols that were often animals or included animal parts. Bull and cow, cat and dog, ram and goat were considered to be the incarnations of different deities, and so were lion and lioness, jackal and scorpion, crocodile and hippopotamus, the poisonous cobra (also called the “uraeus” serpent) and several birds, among them the falcon and the vulture. They worshipped the sun god Ra and many other gods but focused on the animals. Ancient Greece: The Greek civilization favored human forms for divine representation. The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods, including the 12 Olympians, who lived on Mount Olympus (Zeus- the main god, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.). They worshipped idols that were a representation of the gods themselves. The most important group of deities of the Romans were the Deii Consentes, the twelve gods and goddesses of the Roman pantheon: Jupiter (the main god) and Juno, Neptune and Minerva, Mars and Venus, Apollo and Diana, Vulcan and Vesta, Mercury and Ceres. The Romans basically worshipped the same gods that the Romans did, they just changed the names. Isolatry has existed in all cultures. The Canaanites practiced polytheism, which is the worship of multiple gods. Their gods included: Astarte: A war goddess.  Baal: A fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the Canaanite pantheon.  Asherah: The wife of El, also known as Athirat.  Anat: A war goddess. Many, many other examples of idolatry and false pagan gods could be given.

Paul sums up idolatry in Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Idolaters made images of “man and animals”, worshipping the things the creator created instead of the creator Himself. Isaiah says this is just downright folly of foolishness. Even if you don’t have special revelation, it just doesn’t make sense to make up different false gods and then create idols to worhip them by. Again, it is the church’s responsibility to get the word of God to them, but there would be no excuse for the Greeks and Romans discussed above. The Jews had collected the 39 books (scrolls) of the old testament by the time the Greeks and the Romans came into existence. Those books condemned idolatry, a sin that Israael itself continued to practice. They could have turned from idolatry just as Rahab turned from the worship of the Canaanite gods like Baal to worship the one true god YHWH of Israel. I think that is probably true for all idolaters in the world. Hinduism in India is full of worhsip of many gods and goddesses with idols. But the word of God has been preached in India for centuries. If a person was seeking the truth about God, he could find it in India if he really wanted to. Buddhism has its many statues of Buddha and follow his teaching. They actually don’t worship Buddha himself or his statue, but for all practical purposes they do. But the word of God has been in Buddhist countries for centuries. Islam only began in the 7th century AD, about 600 years after Jesus lived and dead and 600 years after the New Testament was completed. Muslims definitely had the word of God but chose instead to follow Mohommed and the Koran. At least hey don’t practice idolatry, however, but they do deny that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jeremiah condemns the folly of idolatry: 10:1  Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity.
A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” 6 There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. 7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms
there is none like you. 8 They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood!

(AI) “n the Bible, Ezekiel saw several examples of idolatry in the temple in Ezekiel 8, including:

  • 1) An idol outside the temple: Ezekiel saw a foreign idol standing in front of the temple’s northern gate. This idol was a symbol of Israel’s rejection of God. Maybe a giant idol off Asherah? or Baal?
  • 2) Idols on the walls: Ezekiel saw images of crawling animals, detestable creatures, and idols of the house of Israel on the temple walls. This would be from Egyptian gods probably.
  • 3) Women weeping for Tammuz: Ezekiel saw women weeping for Tammuz, a Babylonian god of fertility. Ezekiel sees several other sacrilegious things, but Tammuz is the only deity mentioned in the vision, showing one of the foreign gods Israel had strayed after.
  • 4) Men worshiping the sun: Ezekiel saw 25 men facing east and worshiping the sun. Sun worship has been practiced in many cultures throughout history, including: 
    • Ancient Egypt: The sun god Ra was worshipped, and the ancient Egyptian god of creation, Amun, was believed to reside in the sun. 
    • Ancient Greece: The sun god Helios was worshipped. 
    • Ancient Rome: The sun god Sol was worshipped. 
    • Ancient Persia: The sun god Mithra was worshipped. 
    • Ancient India: The sun gods Surya, Savitr, and Mithra were worshipped. 
    • Ancient Sumer: The sun god Utu was worshipped. 
    • Ancient Babylon: The sun god Shamash was worshipped. 
    • Inca civilization: The sun god Inti was worshipped, and the ruler of Peru was considered an incarnation of Inti. 
    • Aztec religion: The sun gods Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca demanded human sacrifice. 
    • Japanese Shintoism: The sun goddess Amaterasu was worshipped, and sun symbols are still used to represent the Japanese state. 
    • Albanian tradition: The sun god Dielli is worshipped, and the sun and moon are sacred elements of Albanian tradition. 
    • Native American tribes: Some tribes still practice a sun dance to renew their connection with the earth and the growing season. 
    • Siberian cultures: The sun goddess is worshipped by the Taymyr Samoyed and the Tungus. 
    • The concept of sun worship is likely as old as humanity itself. In societies that were dependent on the sun for life and sustenance, it’s not surprising that the sun became deified.
  • 5) Leaders offering incense sacrifices: Ezekiel saw leaders offering incense sacrifices to false gods. 
  • Ezekiel’s vision of idolatry in the temple was a condemnation of these practices and explained why God’s glory departed from the temple later in the vision. 

God condemned idolatry as the 2nd of the 10 commandments: Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. It is amazing that Israel practiced idolatry all through their history up to the Babylonian captivity ( the exile seemed to cure them of idolatry after that). It is amazing that Solomon (the wisest man on earth) practiced idolatry. 1 Kings 11:1 ” King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon. 2 They came from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods.” But Solomon was obsessed with their love. 3 He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 wives who were concubines. 4 In his old age, his wives tempted him to follow other gods. He was no longer committed to the Lord his God as his father David had been. 5 Solomon followed Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians) and Milcom (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 6 So Solomon did what the Lord considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord as his father David had done. 7 Then Solomon built an illegal worship site on the hill east of Jerusalem for Chemosh (the disgusting idol of Moab) and for Molech (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 8 He did these things for each of his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

Jereoboam I and King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel are known for practicing idolatry: Jeroboam IThe first king of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam established new places of worship, including golden calves in Bethel and Dan, to divert his people away from the temple in Judah. He also appointed his own priests. Jeroboam’s actions were motivated by a fear that his subjects would become sympathetic to the Southern Kingdom and its king, In the Bible, the prophet Amos condemned idolatry in the northern kingdom of Israel in the book of Amos, specifically in Amos 5:4-5: Amos 5:4-5: Amos tells the Israelites to renounce their idolatry and not enter the idolatrous temples of Bethel and Gilgal. Amos was sent to preach in Bethel of Israel by God to condemn the sins of the northern kingdom, including idolatry, greed, social injustice, and political corruption. Amos’s messages announced God’s anger and impending judgment on Israel. The idolatry of the northern kingdom eventually led to being carried into Assyrian captivity in 722 BC after 19 evil kings.

In the southern kingdom of Judah, several kings practiced idolatry but the worst if probably Manasseh. Known as the “Evil King”, Manasseh’s reign was marked by paganism, including human sacrifice and the worship of Baal and Asherah. He also sponsored the Assyrian astral cult. In contrast, King Josiah led Judah in a reform movement that broke the pattern of idol worship in his family. Josiah’s reforms included: Breaking down altars made by Manasseh, Defiling high places dedicated to foreign gods, and Breaking pillars and Asherim. But idolatry was too ingrained in the people. Josiah’s reforms did not stop the evil practices of Judah, which led the them being carried into Babylonian captivity in 3 exilles in 606 BC, 596 BC, and 586 BC when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzer. There was no more idolatry of Judah after the exile, so God’s punishment worked.

I feel good that I don’t practice idolatry since it is such a bad sin. Really? Notice these new testament verses. 1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. Ephesians 5:5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. What is “modern day idolatry” and some examples?

Modern-day idolatry is the act of misdirecting worship and giving more affection to something created than the Creator. It can take many forms, including: 

  • Materialism: Buying more and more things to build our egos 
  • Pride and ego: Obsessing over careers and jobs 
  • Self-aggrandizement: Self-indulgence through alcohol, drugs, sexual sins, and food 
  • Identity: Placing our identity in something or someone other than God, such as our social media following, our position at work, or our abilities 
  • Entertainment: Being obsessed with being entertained, such as through Netflix, vacations, video games, or podcasts 
  • Comfort: Being promised an easier or simpler or more comfortable life through products 
  • Phones: Becoming addicted to smartphones 

Idols can be anything that we look to for things that only God can give. They can be things that we believe will fulfill our desires, such as love, joy, peace, freedom, status, identity, control, happiness, security, fulfillment, significance, acceptance, and respect.

Ouch! I might not be worshipping some idol in my house or in a Hindu temple, but maybe I am just as much of an idolater as they are! “Turn away from idols” is a phrase that appears in the Bible, and it is a call to stop worshiping idols and to serve the true God: Ezekiel 14:6: “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your disgusting and vile acts” . Genesis 35:2-3 So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress.” Some of his family had brought with them the household idols of Laban from his 20 years in Haran. Rachel hid hers from Laban when he caught up with Jacob fleeing Haran, searching for his household idols that had been stolen. So before Jacob could build an altar to worship God at Bethel, he made everyone put away their pagan altars. Maybe that’s what we need to do before we worship. Too many Christians go to some church assembly to worship with songs and praise, but then they go right back to their time, energy, and money being dominated by their modern idolatry idols listed above. God is a “jealous God”. Joshua 24:19“And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins”. Joshua knew that the Israelites would worship the Canaanite gods after his death. In the Bible, God is described as jealous because he wants exclusive devotion from his people and commands that they love and worship him alone. He wants the same exclusive devotion that married mates would want from each other.

Am I an idolater? Are you an idolater?

Isaiah 40: WHAT A GREAT CHAPTER!

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

The Messianic prophecies in this last part of the book of Isiah are discussed separately in the blog article “isaiah Messianic Prophet, but here are some other neat passages in this section.

COMFORT FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

40:1Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A lot of this chapter has Messianic overtones, especially since it starts with the prediction o the coming of John the Baptist (40:3).

THE WORD OF GOD STANDS FOREVER

40:6 “A voice says, “Cry!” And I said,] “What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fade when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” This great verse is quoted in 1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” The primary meaning is probably that God’s predictions will always come true, but it is amazing that the word of God has stood all these centuries when many have tried to destroy it. From AI: 1) “Antiochus (in the 2nd century BC) also destroyed copies of the Torah and sentenced to death anyone who was found to possess a copy of the Torah or observed its teachings. Antiochus ordered the total suppression of Temple sacrifices, Sabbath observance, and the practice of circumcision.” 2)According to the Book of Jeremiah, King Jehoiakim (one of the last kings of Judah) attempted to destroy the written word of God (which included Jeremiah’s predictions of the fall of Jerusalem to happen in 586 BC) by cutting up and burning a scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophecies. From AI: 3) “In 303 AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered that the Christian Scriptures be confiscated and burned. When Christians were found, they would give them copies of deuterocanonical books or other Christian literature, and the pagans, unsuspecting, burned them.”

THE GREATNESS OF GOD

40:9-26. Vs 9 Go tell the world “Behold your God who is coming”. A series of questions beginning with “who” showing how great God is:

1) 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Imagine a God so big that he can scoop up all the waters from the rivers, lakes, and seas in his hands. You can only scoop us maybe a cup of water in your hands. A span is about 9 inches in the Bible, the length of an outstretched hand. Can you imagine trying to measure the distance from Huntsville to Mobile using a ruler (which is 12 inches)? But God’s hands are so big that he can use His span to measure all the heavens in the universe, maybe just a few of his spans. Can you imagine weighing the Rocky Mountains on a bathroom scale? Or on a small balance in the lab that weighs grams of chemicals? But God is so big that His bathroom scales can weigh all the mountains and hills on earth. There is a neat song: Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing our God cannot do.”

2) 40:13 Who has measured (takan: To measure, weigh, regulate, estimate, balance)the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? How big would you estimate that the Spirit of the Lord is? Psalm 139:7Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” God is spirit (John 4:24) and His spirit fills the universe. The Spirit of God tells us the mind, thoughts, and plans of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

3) Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? We are always trying to learn wisdom at the feet of great men like Socrates and Plato, but God doesn’t have to consult anyone about wisdom. He is the scource of all wisdom for salvation and all things.

40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. 16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.” The United Nations recognizes 241 countries and territories when dependent territories are included with a total of 8 billion people. According to estimations, a gallon bucket can hold roughly 1 million drops of water. All the nations in the world are like one drop of water in God’s bucket.

Then to show the greatness of God, Isaiah has two “to whom will you liken or compare God to”?

  1. 40:18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? 19 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. 20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman
    to set up an idol that will not move.” To an idol that a goldsmith forms, that a poor man has made to stand in his house so he can worship it for a long time since he can’t afford to go offer sacrifices on a regular basis?? God is big that: 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.” You might could sit on top of a small plastic globe of the earth but God is so big than he can sit on top of the earth sphere. I might stretch out the 6 feet of curtains in my bathtub before I take a shower. God stretches out the endless heavens like I stretch out those curtains. I might set up a little tent to dwell in and spend the night in outside. God sets up His tent with all the heavens of the universe so he can dwell in it. You can blow dust off a countertop to move it. God can blow on the nations and move them wherever He wants. Daniel 12:21 “He removes kings and sets up kings”. This verse also says that God changes times and seasons, gives wisdom to the wise, and reveals deep and secret things.”
  2. 40:25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.” Psalm 19:The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” From AI: The observable universe has ~ 2 trillion galaxies. Each galaxy has ~ 100 billion stars. Each star has about 1.6 planets. Multiplying these gives 3.2 x 10^23 planets in the observable universe.” From AI: “A few hundred stars have proper names, while the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes proper names for 152 planets. There are 88 officially recognized constellations, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) (like Orion, Pleiades, and Arcturas mentioned in Job 9:8-9: did God name those when he book of Job was written or were they already named that by people?).” But has named each of the 200 billion, trillion stars or planets. How long would it take us to do that? God is a spirit who fills the universe, so that would not be difficult for Him since His spirit is right there everywhere in the universe. There is a “fixed order” of stars and planets in the universe, all on pre-set patterns of movement. 1 Chronicles 16:30 – “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.” Psalm 93:1 – “Thou hast fixed the earth immovable and firm.” Psalm 96:10 – “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.”Psalm 104:5 -“Thou didst fix the earth on its foundation so that it never can be shaken.” This fixed order of movement is so precise and dependable that we can safely send men into space and return them from orbit around the moon.

THE NEVER TIRING GOD, THE GOD OF UNLIMITED STRENGTH AND POWER

40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”

The remnant often end up asking why God does not avenge their suffering. The souls under the altar in Revelation 6 asked, “How long, God, before You avenge our blood”? Is God asleep? Does He not see what is going on, how we are being persecuted? God even told the souls under the altar that He was going to wait until some more saints were martyred. That sounds like He doesn’t care. Or maybe He is powerless to stop it. Not so. He is the Creator of the universe so He has all power. He knows all that is going on. He is not tired or asleep. He has a plan and we must trust Him. He will give us the strength during those tough times to keep on keeping on. He will give us wings to fly above our trials and problems. He doesn’t always remove the problems, but He will give us the strength to handle them, to overcome them. As Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” God is all powerful, and the amazing thing is that He gives us enough of His power to handle everything we face or do. Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” It’s like when you are sinking in the water and can’t swim, or sinking in quicksand, and someone reaches down to give you their strong hand and pull up to safety, giving you strength that you can’t possibly have on your own.” From AI” In the Bible, God asks Moses if His power is limited in Numbers 11:23. This occurs when Moses expresses doubt about God’s ability to provide meat for the Israelites for a whole month, and God responds by saying, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened?” The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”

ROMANS 11:25-27 (And all of Romans 9-11)

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Romans 11:25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:[k] a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;27 “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

Romans 11:27 is considered to quote from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, specifically from passages like Isaiah 59:20-21 and Isaiah 27:9, although the exact wording aligns most closely with the Septuagint translation of these verses, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible used by early Christians;. 

2 main questions from Romans 11:25-27: 1) Who is the “all Israel” that will be saved, and when will “all Israel be saved”? 2) What and when is the “fulness of the Gentiles”?

First of all, I must acknowledge that my interpretation of this passage comes from a full preterist view. That is important b/c that view eliminates futuristic interpretations of the passage. Many scholars believe that the passage is still to be fulfilled in our future, that it refers to the 2nd coming and a salvation of the Jewish people in the future. The full preterism view is that the 2nd coming was in 70 AD, so that would eliminate futuristic views completely. You can read my articles on the 2nd coming to. get a study of the full preterist view if you chose, but in this article I won’t defend the full preterism view.

Having said that, how do I answer those 2 main questions? Let’s look at the context of Romans 9-11. Those 3 chapters describe the process of saving the remnant of Israel (those who would believe that Jesus is the Messiah and be saved in the church) and the grafting in of the Gentile believers into the new covenant church along with the Jewish believers.

Key thoughts in these 3 chapters. 9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. That would be fleshly Israel, that nation of Israel in the OT. 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. “All who are descended from Israel” would be fleshly Israel, the nation. But “belong to Israel” would be the remnant of Israel who would believe in Jesus as the Messiah and be saved in the church. Those would be “the children of God, the children of promise”. “It is not the children of the flesh (the nation) who are the children of God”. In other words, not all who are of the fleshly Israel are in the remnant, only those Jews who believe in Jesus. “It is not as though the word of God has failed”. God made promises in the OT to save Israel in the Messianic Age. For example, Isaiah 27:9 “Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin” (quoted in Romans 11:27). The OT prophets spoke of “restore the fortunes of Israel” (Jeremiah 30:3,7,18; 32:44; 33:7,11; Amos 9:13-15). The cities will be rebult, Israel will return to their land and will dwell securely in the land. Israel will be saved (Jeremiah 33:16  “In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” God would make a new covenant with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah) in which he would “forgive their iniquity and remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34 For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”) Jeremiah 31:36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” The future of Israel would be as certain as the fixed order of the sun, moon, and stars in their orbits.

Now, on the surface, this looks as if these passages predict that the entire Jewish nation would be restored to the power of the nation under King David, that the nation of Israel would get and keep all the Promised Land forever in the Messianic Age, that the entire nation of Israel would be saved. But Paul says that “not all Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6). He also says that these OT promises for Israel’s restoration and salvation have been fulfilled at the tiime he wrote Romans (“it is not as though the word of God has failed” Romans 9:6). This shows that those OT promises were made to the nation, but only the remnant (those Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah) would be the recipients of those promises. So, were those promises fulfilled phycially or is this figurative language? The remnant Jewish church did not receive the Promised Land that Joshua conquered. They did not rebuild cities. They did not restore the power of the kingdom under David. But they were saved spiritually and were the recipients of the OT promises. Therefore, those promises must be figurative language. Jesus said in John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Jesus said in Matthew 21: 43 “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” Israel was God’s kingdom on earth in the OT (Exodus 19:6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation). God took that kingdom away from the fleshly nation of Israel and gave it to the church kingdom nation (of Jewish and Gentile believers). 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. Revelatiiion 1:5 “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” The OT promises made to Israel were: 1) Spiritual, not physical, in nature; 2) Fulfilled only by the remnant of Jewish believers and not the entire nation.

Let’s move on to Romans 9:22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel[c] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”

Notice that most of the Jewish nation were “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction”, i.e. the Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah would be destroyed, a prediction of the judgment on the Jews in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple and one million Jews were killed (according to Josephus). But God called the remnant who believed in Jesus as the Messiah to be saved, along with Gentiles who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. In 9:27 Paul quotes Isaiah 10:22. I like Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible “The remnant shall return”,…. This is said in allusion to Shearjashub, the name of Isaiah’s son, Isaiah 7:3 which signifies “the remnant shall return”, and was imposed on him, to give assurance of it; meaning, either that they should return from the Babylonish captivity, as they did, or to God by repentance; or rather the sense is, they shall turn to the Lord, be converted to Christ, to the faith and obedience of him, as some of them were when he came, a few, not all, only a remnant, as it is explained in the next clause”. In other words, Isaiah 10:22 could be a Messianic prediction of the remnant of believing Jews, which is the way Paul used it in Romans 9:27. For sure, Paul is saying that only a remnant of the nation of Israel would be saved in the Messianic Age. Remember that b/c in 11:27 he will say “all Israel will be saved”. Same language as chapter 9. The “Israel” of 11:27 would be the same remnant, spiritual church Israel as in ch 9. The “will be saved” would only refer to the remnant being saved and not the entire nation. Too many scholars intepret 11:27 based on their views of a future 2nd coming in which the nation of Israel will be retored to the Promised Land instead of examinng the context of chapter 9.

Paul concludes chapter 9, saying 9:What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” This is discussing the unbelieving Jews and why they missed out on the spiritual promises of salvation by the Messiah. These would be the “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction”. Why did they miss out? B/c they pursued the Law to earn salvation by keeping the Law and became self righteous, not feeling that they needed the grace and forgiveness that Jesus came to bring the remnant. They were invited to receive that, but their self righteousness kept them from receiving it. “Many are called but few chosen” (Mt 22:14). BTW Calvinism says that only the arbitrarily predetermined elect are called, but Jesus says that not all those called will be chosen for salvation. Also, Paul in Romans 9:30-33 says that the Jews who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah did so off their own freewill choice, that they did so b/c they pursued the Law as a means of righteousness (which cannot save) instead of a means of leading them to the saving righteousness of Jesus (which can save). Does that sound like Calvinism where the elect really don’t have a choice. Paul says that the Jews had a choice, but made the wrong choice in how they pursued the Law. Read the article I wrote on Ephesians 1:15 for a more thorough discussion of predestination and Calvinism.

I know all this figurative fulfillment of OT prophecies for Israel is heresy to those who expect Jesus to set up a physical kingdom at his 2nd coming and that he will restore the nation of Israel to their land forever, but please consider the context of Romans 9. The OT promises to restore the fortunes of Israel and to restore them their land had been fulfilled when Paul wrote Romans. They were fulfilled only in and for the remnant Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Those OT promises were not fulfilled physically for the nation. Therefore, those OT promises must have been fulfilled spiritually and only for the remnant. I’m sure that could be put in some syllogistic reasoning. Syllogistic reasoning is a type of deductive argument that uses two premises to reach a specific conclusion. Here are some examples of syllogistic reasoning: All mammals are animals, camels are mammals, therefore camels are animals. Maybe, 1) All the OT promises for Israel in the Messianic Age were fulfilled for only the remnant by the time Paul wrote Romans. 2) Those promises were not fulfilled pysically for the nation when Paul wrote Romans. 3) Those promises could only be fulfilled spiritually for the renmnant, not the whole nation. I know figurative language can be confusing or even misleading. The Jews expected the OT promises to be fulfilled literally, for the power of the nation of Israel to be restored and a resoration to the Promised Land to be held forever. I can see why why would think that. That is also the reason they rejected Jesus, i.e. b/c he came to establish a spiritual kingdom, not physical. They expected the Messiah to defeat Israel’s enemies, the Romans, but he said he came to destroy spiritual, not physical, powers of the darkness. Even the apostles expected a physical kingdom, even after the resurrection. Acts 1:6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
In other words, “Lord you didn’t restore the kingdom to Israel (physcially) while you were alive, but now we get it, now you are going to restore it to Israel?” Had they forgotten Mt 21:43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” The kingdom would not only not be restored to the nation, but it would be taken away from the nation. Remember, Jesus used figurative language a lot. He said that the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes” was in John the Baptist, not the literal man Elijah coming. Mt 11:13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Mt 17:11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist”.

I wish those who expect a literal fulfillment of OT promises to Israel would be consistent. In the same “restore the fortunes of Israel” passages of Jeremiah 33:7,11, it predicts 33:17 “For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.” Would they not have to say that, since they expect the restoration of Israel to be still in our future, then 33:17 would be fulfilled in our future at the same time? If so, do they expect that when Jesus returns that Christians will go back to having a Levitical priesthood that burns animal sacrifices? That would be a total contradiction of the whole book of Hebrews. No, the literalists would probaly say, “Oh, well that part was fulfilled spiritually”. Do you see how inconsistent their interpretation is? Literal in 33:7, 11 but figurative in 33:17,18. Now, the unbelieving Jews today still expect both the restoration of Israel and the restoration of the Levitical priesthood to be fulfilled when the real Messiah comes in our future (they don’t believe Jesus was the Messiah). At least they are consistent, even if they are totally wrong! Why can’t the literalists see that they are making the same mistake that the unbelieving Jews made when they expected a literal fulfillment of the OT promises to Israel?????? They then might start preaching that the kingdom of God, of heaven, of Jesus is the church and that there is not physical kingdom to be set up at his 2nd coming.

They might even then examine the predictions of Jesus that his 2nd coming would be in the lifetime of those he was speaking to. Mt 11:23 `And whenever they may persecute you in this city, flee to the other, for verily I say to you, ye may not have completed the cities of Israel till the Son of Man may come. Mt 16:27 `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. 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. Notice “the Son of Man is about to come” That is the Greek word mello, and it always means “about to be, about to happen”. Thankfully Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) translates it correctly in Mt 16:28. Most translations just say “is going to come”. Jesus is a false prophet if his 2nd coming was not imminent, about to happen, or if some listening to him would not be alive when he returned in his reign or kingdom (same Greek word, basileia: Kingdom. Mt 24:29 “And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; 30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory.” This coming of the Son of Man had to occur within the generation of those Jesus was talking to. Mt 24:34 Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass. That word for generation is genea which always is used in the NT of a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period, like we speak of the x or z generation. Mt 1 has 42 generations of the genealogy of Jesus which covers about 2,000 years. In the chapter before Mt 24, Jesus had just predicted judgment on the Jews for killing the prophets and the apostles. He told them Mt 23:36 “verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.” The word generation clearly refers to that generation of Jews that were currently alive when he spoke. They are the ones who will be judged in about 40 years in 70 AD. Jesus told Caiaphas in Mt 26:64 Jesus saith to him, `Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.’ We don’t know when Caiaphas died, but I believe Jesus is not a false prophet. Caiaphas must have lived to at least see the beginning of the 2nd coming in judgement on the Jews. These are the only 4 passages where Jesus predicts his 2nd coming. They all say that his 2nd coming would be within the lifetime of those he was speaking to, that it was “about to” happen. I challenge you to find any othe passage in the gospels where he predicts a “coming” that would not be within their lifetime. It is not to be found. Would that not be strange if a 2nd coming that is still in our future was never even predicted by Jesus in the gospels? Well, I guess I got into full preterism after all, but I still hope you will read my article “The 2nd coming” for a more thorough disscussion.

Back to Romans! Romans 10:3 “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” This verse again shows that they had the freewill to not submit to God’s righteousness. Why would Paul blame them for not submitting if they did not have the freewill to either accept or submit (as Calvinism teaches)? It also shows again, as 9:32, that their problem was that they pursued the Law as a means of righteousness. The Law was given to show them that they could not obtain righteousness by Law keeping b/c no one could keep the Law perfectly, and the Law did not provide for eternal forgiveness of sisn by animal sacrifices. If someone understood that, they would gladly accept Jesus and receive the righteousness which is by faith in Jesus, the reckoned or imputed righteousness that Paul spoke of in Romans 4:2 “for if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath to boast — but not before god; 3 for what doth the writing say? `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him — to righteousness;’ 4 and to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt; 5 and to him who is not working, and is believing upon Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned — to righteousness: 6 even as David also doth speak of the happiness of the man to whom God doth reckon righteousness apart from works.”  Then in Philippians 3:9 “not having my righteousness, which [is] of law, but that which [is] through faith of Christ — the righteousness that is of God by the faith.” That reckoned righteousness which comes by faith is Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 for with the heart doth [one] believe to righteousness, and with the mouth is confession made to salvation.” It comes by faith and not keeping the Law (or any law).

Paul then brings up a possible objection: Romans 10:18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” Maybe all fleshly Jews did not have the opportunity to hear the gospel and believe? Paul says that the gospel had been preached to the ends of the (Roman) world. Colossians 1:”23 if also ye remain in the faith, being founded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the good news, which ye heard, which was preached in all the creation that [is] under the heaven, of which I became — I Paul — a ministrant.” Paul says that the gospel had been preached to the whole Roman world (empire) by the time he wrote Colossians in about 62 AD. Then Paul gives another possible objection, Romans 10:19 “But I ask, did Israel not understand?” Well, they probably didn’t understand the need for the gospel, but it wasn’t b/c they were not capable of understanding. It certainly wasn’t b/c only the predestined elect could understand by “I” (irresistible grace in Calvinism) when God would send His Spirit basically allowing and forcing the elect to be able to believe (Calvinism). Paul says that they simply refused to believe. Romans 10:21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” They could have chosen to believe but refused to. It is amazing to me how Calvinists use Romans 9-11 as a proof text of their teaching when the context refutes Calvinism over and over.

All this might sound like God has rejected the whole nation of Israel. Paul anticipated that thought. Romans 11:”I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!” He had rejected those Jews who refused to accept Jesus as Messiah and prepared them as vessels of wrath for destruction in 70 AD. But Romans 11:5 “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” God had not rejected the remnant of Jews who would believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Back to the remant idea. Yes, “chosen” but chosen by grace through faith; not the chosen of Calvinism (the elect chosen with irresistible grace without their freewill choice to believe or not). Romans 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” If you didn’t read the context of chapters 9 and 10, you might say this is pure Calvinism in these verses. The “elect” obtained salvation and grace but God gave a stupor of unbelief that made them not believe in Jesus???? The context of chapters 9 and 10 show that the Jews had the freewill choice to accept Jesus as the Messiah or not. It shows why they failed to accept Jesus as the Messiah, i.e. they pursued the Law as a means of righteousness, which implies they were to blame and would be held accountable for their unbelief. In Calvinism, you have to blame God if someone is lost b/c He has arbitrarily predestined some to be lost regardless of their freewill choices. Again, Calvinism is wrong. Paul explains how God gave them a “spirit of stupor” that they could not see or hear. How did God do that? By somehow making their hearts unable to believe? No. Romans 11:9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,and bend their backs forever.” The design of salvation was the death of Jesus on a cross like a common criminal. That was an intentional design to weed out those who would not accept God’s plan b/c of their pride. The cross would be a stumbling block to the Jews b/c they were looking for physical blessings and kingdom. 1 Corinthians 1:21 for, seeing in the wisdom of God the world through the wisdom knew not God, it did please God through the foolishness of the preaching to save those believing. 22 Since also Jews ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 also we — we preach Christ crucified, to Jews, indeed, a stumbling-block, and to Greeks foolishness, 24 and to those called — both Jews and Greeks — Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God,25 because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” In spite of Isaiah 53 predicting the death of the Messiah, they did not expect the Messiah to die.

Paul anticipates another thought. Romans 11:11 “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means!” By this he means was the stumbling of the unbelieving Jews a permanent thing that left them with no hope? By not means, he says. “Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!” So, if those unbelieving Jews eventually see the Gentiles saved and are filled with jealousy, and if they change and accept Jesus as the Messiah, they can be saved. That would be their “full inclusion” (YLT). That would mean that, when you add them to the ones who initially accepted Jesus as the Messiah, you then have the “full” remnant that will be saved before 70 AD. BTW this pretty well answers the question in 11:27 “who is the all Israel who will be saved”. It is when the entire remnant is gathered by 70 AD by the preaching of the gospel in the whole Roman empire. Jesus spoke of this “gathering of the elect from the four winds” in Mt 24:31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. We have to assume that there were many such Jews who initially rejected the gospel but later accepted it and were added to the church. Paul warns the Gentile believers not to be arrogant toward any unbelieving Jews who later believe. He says that if God did not spare the unbelieving natural branches (the unbelieving Jews) b/c of their unbelief, then He will not spare Gentile believers fall away. Those unbelieving natural branches (unbelieving Jews) were cut off the tree, but they will be grafted back into the tree (just as the Gentile believers were grafted into the tree) if they repent and later believe in Jesus. BTW doesn’t this help up with the 11:27 “the fulness of the Gentiles”? The language of 11:12, “the full inclusion”, meant when all the remnant was saved and gathered. So does that mean that the “fulness of the Gentiles” would be similar, i.e. when all the Gentile believers were gathered by 70 AD? Maybe so.

That brings us to the actual topic we started with. Romans 11:25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:[d] a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Again, 2 main questions from Romans 11:25-27: 1) Who is the “all Israel” that will be saved, and when will “all Israel be saved”? 2) What and when is the “fulness of the Gentiles”?

  1. Hopefully we have already seen that the “all Israel will be saved” refers to the gathering of all the remnant of the Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. This gathering of the remnant would take place when “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” This is a quote from Isiah 59:20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,  to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.” There is a lot of debate on this quote b/c Isaiah says “to Zion” and Romans 11:27 says “from Zion”. You have to think that this is in reference to the 2nd coming, coming to Zion (Jerusalem) to establish the new covenant of Isaiah 59:21 where he will saved the remnant and take away their sins. You can research the “to” or “from” Zion if you want to dig deeper, but it is safe to say that 11:27 is referring to the 2nd coming of Jesus. In Mt 24, the elect remnant would be gathered (24:31) within that generation (24:34) and the 2nd coming (24:30) would be within that generation. So the timing and event match.
  2. The fulness of the Gentiles. 11:27 “the fulness of the Gentiles”? The language of 11:12, “the full inclusion”, meant when all the remnant was saved and gathered. So does that mean that the “fulness of the Gentiles” would be similar, i.e. when all the Gentile believers were gathered by 70 AD? Maybe so. There was a process of natural branches being broken off, Gentile believers being grafted in, and then unbelieving Jews who later believed being grafted back in this Messianic church kingdom tree. All this would be fulfilled by 70 AD and the 2nd coming. That doesn’t mean that the process would stop after that. There would continue to be Jews and Gentiles converted, but Paul is peaking specifically of the process developing by 70 AD when the plan of redemption was finally realized. Here is a good statement AI from the internet. “The fullness is the state of being fully included in the covenant. A transitional period between Christ’s great commission and the destruction of Jerusalem (and the sacrificial system).” So by 70AD the gentiles are now fully included in the covenant.ApHere is a great image of that from pinterest.

Paul closes with this doxology: Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” God’s plan from all eternity was to save Jews and Gentiles who would accept His Son as the Messiah who died for their sins, and unite them in one body, the church. That was the mystery of Ephesians 3. Revelation 10:7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. What a great statement. Who would have ever thought that this would be God’s plan of salvation. Amazing!

I hope this is beneficial to you. Long but it needs a careful examination.

Thanks for reading.

WHEN WERE THE 4 GOSPELS WRITTEN?

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Were the 4 gospel really written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Were they written early, or as some say, in the late first century (if so, not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John b/c they died before 70 AD. Here is the liberal view on all that.

According to Bart Ehrman, the four gospels were written in the following order:

  • Mark: Written around 70 CE
  • Matthew and Luke: Written around 80–85 CE
  • John: Written around 90–95 CE 

Bart Ehrman has said that the Gospels were written and circulated anonymously, and that Christian leaders later attributed them to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: 

I believe all 4 gospels were written before 70 AD. First, let’s look at the 3 synoptics: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There is one main proof for me. All 3 predict in detail the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem to happen in the future after writing the gospels. A whole chapter in each gospel predicts that: Mt 24, Mk 13, and Lk 21. There are many other such predictions in the gospels, like the parable of the wheat and tears in Mt 13, but we will

focus on those 3 chapters. For example, Mt 24 predicts several events to be fulfilled within that generation (24:34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.). Mk 13 and Lk 21 do the same thing. The word genea in the NT always refers to a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period. For example, Mt 1 lists 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus, which is about 2,000 years. Mt 23:36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. The word genea there obviously is referring to the generation of Jews that Jesus is speaking to.

Now, if Matthew was written after AD 70, don’t you think that he (or whoever wrote the gospel) would have said that prediction of 70 AD was already fulfilled, proving Jesus to be a true prophet? Matthew often quotes prophecies, like the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Mt 2), showing the fulfillment of that prophecy. Surely he would have done that with the Mt 24 prediction if it had already been fulfilled when he wrote the gospel. That means that the predictions in Mt 24 had not been fulfilled at the time of writing of the gospel. That means that the gospel was written before 70 AD.

For example, suppose we found an old, old book about the persecution of Jews in history, but we don’t know when it was written. Suppose that it tells about AD 70, about the killing of Jews in the Crusades, the killing of Jews during the Black Plagues (some blamed the Jews for the plague), etc. But suppose that it did not discuss the Holocaust. To me, that means that the book was written before the Holocaust happened. That means the book was written before 1945 AD. Do you see the point?

The gospel of John is a different case, but I believe that it was written before 70 AD (in spite of tradition saying that he wrote Revelation in 96 AD. Why do I believe that? The main reason is that I believe that he died before 70 AD. The church father Papias (60-130 AD) said that John died a martyr’s death as the hands of the Jews (he did not give a date). He supported that saying the John died a martyr just like Jesus had predicted that the brothers James and John would die. Jesus predicted that James and John would be martyred in the Bible, in Mark 10:35–45. In this passage, Jesus tells the brothers that they will “drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with”. We know James the apostle was martyred by Herod in Acts 12. The only time John could have been killed by the Jews would have to be before 70 AD. A million Jews died in the siege of Jerusalem and 200,000 were carried away captive (according to Josephus who was present during the siege). Most say John lived to the year 100 AD and died a natural death, but that would contradict what Jesus predicted. Also, if he died as a martyr around 100 AD, surely there would be church father testimony to that fact, but there is none. The Jews did not have the ability to kill Christians around 100 AD. There is just the speculation that he wrote Revelation in 96 AD based on the statement of one church father (Irenaeus, 130-202 AD). That statement is not even clear as to what he is saying. But the internal evidence of the book of Revelation says that it was written during the reign of Emperor Nero (54-68 AD). Rev 17:9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. Refer to my Revelation articles for a more thorough discussion but the seven kings here are the first 7 emperors of Rome starting with Julius Caesar. I know many historians say that the first emperor was Augustus, but Josephus at least twice says that Augustus was the 2nd king, not the 1st, and Josephus lived at that time and would know who was considered to be the first king of Rome, i.e. Julius. Also Seutonius, (a Roman biographer, 69-122 AD) wrote The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, beginning with Julius, not Augustus. So, at the time of writing Revelation, 5 kings were dead, “fallen” (Julius through Claudius), the 6th, “one is”, is reigning when the book is written, i.e. Nero (54-68 AD). So the book had to be written before Nero died in 68 AD. That certainly fits the Papias statement that John died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Jews. If John died before 70 AD, then obviously he wrote his gospel of John, and his letters (1,2,3 John and Revelation) before he died in 70 AD. There is some internal evidence also that John wrote his gospel before 70 AD. John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic[a] called Bethesda,[b] which has five roofed colonnades. He says there “was” a feast that Jesus went to (past tense) but then he says there “is” a pool in Jerusalem (present tense). The pool was Bethesday was still there when he wrote the gospel. After 70 AD, there would no longer be a pool there since the Romans destroyed everything. Like wise with Rev 11: 1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there. The temple was still standing and Jews worshipping there when he wrote Revelation. It was destroyed in 70 AD, so the letter had to be written before 70 AD.

I hope this establishes that the 4 gospels were written before 70 AD. That means they were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, since the early church would have rejected a forgery gospel while the 4 men were still living. The church fathers of the 2nd century all accepted the 4 gospels as being written by the 4 men. That’s why they were put in the NT canon later. In his work Against Heresies, Irenaeus of Lyons argued that there should be four Gospels because of the four zones of the world, the four winds…Irenaeus declared that the four he espoused were the four pillars of the Church: ‘it is not possible that there can be either more or fewer than four‘ he stated, presenting as logic the analogy of the four corners of the earth and the four winds (1.11. 8). The early church fathers quoted or cited the 4 gospels thousands of times as Scripture. Would they have done that if the 4 gospels were written by anonymous authors? If they accepted the 4 gospels as authentic and rejected many other gospels (like the gospel of Mary Magdelene, etc), then would they not have also rejected the 4 gospels unless they were very confident that they were genu

Why is it so important to establish the early date of writing of the 4 gospels? If they were written before 70 AD, then those who read the gospels would have been able to refute their authenticity, authorship, the stories and miracles they recorded. If they claimed a resurrection of Jesus within 40 years of his resurrection in 30 AD, then people living before 70 AD would have had the opportunity to refute that resurrection. If I claiimed that a certain man was raised from the Maple Hill Cemetry 10 years ago, then people could research that and either refute it or verify it. If I said a that man was raised 50 years ago, there would be very few living that could verify that or refute it. If the miracles of Jesus were mere legend, as well as his resurrection, as many claim them to be, then 20 or 30 years would not be enough time for a legend to be established. If the gospels were written anonimously by whoever in the late first century, how would they get their facts about Jesus ministry and miracles. Luke 1:1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Luke could interview witnesses if he wrote his gospel before 70 AD while many witnesses were still alive. If he wrote it the late 1st century, many would be dead.

I’m sure some of the Christian apologists could make more arguments for the early date of writing of the gospels, but this article has my reasons. BTW the same logic used here could be used to say that the entire NT was written before 70 AD. Paul was beheaded by Nero around 66 AD, so all of his letters had to be written before he died and thus before 70 AD. Many of Paul’s letters also predict the coming of Jesus in 70 AD also (like 2 Thess 2), so they had to be written before that event.Hebrews was not written by Paul, but it has internal evidence that it was written before the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Heb 9:8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places “is” (present tense) not yet opened as long as the first section “is” (present tense) still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). That present tense “is” shows that the temple was still standing when the letter was written. Heb 10: 37 For, “Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay”. The only “coming of Jesus” here can be is the coming in judgment on Jerusalem in 70 AD, the “2nd coming”. No other coming would fit this verse if the book was written after 70 AD. This prediction came true in 70 AD, proving that the author, whoever it might be, is inspired by the Holy Spirit. James 5:8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Thus James predicts the coming of Jesus to be “at hand” (i.e. soon, shortly) and this can only refer to the coming of Jesus in 70 AD. That proves that the book is written before 70 AD. Peter was an apostle and was killed by Nero, so he died about 66 AD and obviously 1,2 Peter were written before he died, before 70 AD. Jude was a brother of Jesus. Jude mentioned the coming of the Lord and the judgment of the great day, which I believe is 70 AD, so Jude was written before 70 AD.

In summary, from the internet (AI), “The primary evidence suggesting the Gospels were written before 70 AD is that they describe Jerusalem and its Temple as still standing, despite the fact that both were destroyed by the Romans in that year; this indicates the authors were writing before the destruction event, as they would have mentioned it if they were writing afterwards.”

Thanks for reading. You can trust your 4 gospels!!!!!!

REVELATION

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

I have several blog articles on Revelation, but this is more of a summary in one post.

  1. Who? Who wrote it? Who was it written to?
  • The early church accepted John the apostle as the author.  There was some speculation about another John the Elder but it was John the apostle who was exiled to Patmos.
  • It was written to the 7 churches of Asia (ch 1-3). 
  1. Who? Who wrote it? Who was it written to?
  • The early church accepted John the apostle as the author. 
  • It was written to the 7 churches of Asia (ch 1-3). The map below gives a nickname to each of the 7 churches. Read ch 2-3 and see why each church is called by that nickname.

II. Where? Where was John when he wrote the book?

The Syrian translation of the NT, which dates to late 1st/early 2nd century AD, states that Revelation was written during the reign of Nero (thus before Nero died in 68 AD) which would make John being exiled by Nero, not Domitian. 

John was exiled to the island of Patmos during the reign of Nero.

Some claim his exile was during the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD) based on a statement by Irenaeus in about 175 AD, but that statement is uncertain as to what Ireneaus is even saying. 

III. When? When was it written? When would its predictions be fulfilled?

The internal evidence is conclusive. It was written before 70 AD. 

  • Ireneaus statement (170 AD) is the sole early source of the tradition that John was in exile during the reign of Domitian, 81-96 AD (thus he dates the book 96 AD). Ireneaus statement is uncertain as to its meaning.
  • The internal evidence is conclusive, however. It was written in the early 60’s AD, and definitely before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD..

5 have fallen,  one “is”. 

  • 17:7 the beast (the sea beast of ch 13) had 7 heads, which were 7 kings 
  • (17:10). 5 had fallen (were dead) at the time of writing, and “one is”. 
  • So the book was written during the reign of the 6th emperor. Starting with Julius Caesar, Nero would be the 6th emperor or king. He reigned from 54-68 AD, so the book had to be written before he died. 
  • Some say Augustus was the 1st emperor, but Josephus, who lived in the first century and would know who was considered to be the 1st king or emperor of Rome, twice said that Augustus was the 2nd emperor.
  • The internal evidence wins out. The book was written before 70 AD. 

Is there any other evidence for an early date of writing? 

  • Gentry claims there are 145 scholars who advocate the early date of writing of Revelation, including the great church historian Phillip Schaff.
  • The Muratorian Canon of 170 AD says that Paul, following the example of his predecessor John, wrote to 7 churches. That means that John wrote Revelation before Paul wrote his last letter to a 7th church, and Paul died in 66-68 AD. Therefore, Revelation was written before Paul died and not in 96 AD.
  • The Syriac translation of the NT says it was written during the reign of Nero. Nero died in 68 AD, so it was written before 68 AD.

What if John died before 70 AD? That of course would mean that he wrote it before 70 AD.

  • Another proof of the early date is that John died before 70 AD.
  • Tradition says he lived to the age of 100 and died a natural death. 
  • The church father Papias (100 AD) said that John died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Jews, just as Jesus predicted for James (James was killed with a sword  by Herod in Acts 12) and John (Mark 10:35-45). 
  • That could only have occurred before 70 AD when the Jews had the ability to kill anyone, just as they killed James the Lord’s brother just before 70 AD. 
  • Although Papias does not give a date for the martyrdom of John, it is most likely that John died before 70 AD based on his statement.

Shortly. Soon. Near. 

  • The books begins and ends with the statements that the predictions would  “soon take place (tachos: Speed, swiftness, quickness)” (1:1), “time is near (eggus: Near, close, at hand)” (1:3), “soon take place (tachos: Speed, swiftness, quickness)” (22:6), “don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is near (eggus: Near, close, at hand” (22:10).
  • Many use 2 Peter 3:8 “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” to say that “soon” could be thousands of years. 
  • But when the Holy Spirit say something is soon, at hand, etc. it must have meaning that is relevant to the readers. If I told my math class, “you need to do your homework each day because we have a test soon”. What if one of my students said, “do you mean the test is next year since soon can be a thousand years with God?” 
  • For example, Jesus said “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand”. The urgency to repent is based on the nearness of the coming kingdom and judgment of those who don’t accept the Messianic kingdom. 
  • Revelation 1:1-3. He writes to the 7 churches. He tells them “blessed is the one who reads, hears, and keeps the things written”. Why? “For the time (of fulfillment, Amplied Bible) is near.  He doesn’t say “the time could be anytime”. He makes a statement: the time is near. A fact. A prediction.
  • John is also told not to seal up the predictions in Revelation. In contrast, Daniel was told to seal up the predictions in Daniel b/c the time for their fulfillment would be in the distant future, about 600 years after Daniel died. Not so with Revelation. The predictions would happen soon so don’t seal them up. Leave them open where people can read them and heed them (Rev 1:1-3).
  • So, whether early (before 70 AD) or late (96 AD) date of writing, that eliminates the views that Revelation is predicting anything beyond the first century. The historical view was that it predicted the Catholic Church and the beast was the Pope. The futurist view is that it predicts future end time events and an Antichrist beast and Armageddon that is still unfulfilled as of today. . 

Mello in the book of Revelation. 

The Greek word mello, which always means “about to be or about to happen” is used several times in the book (1:19; 2:10; 3:10,16; 6:11; 8:13; 12:5), indicating that the events predicted were about to happen. 

From parousiafulfilled.com

Another important use of the word “mello” is in the Apocalypse (ie: Book of Revelation). Just as in the passages above, the author of Revelation also talks about the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ. The angel revealed to Apostle John that the parousia was “ABOUT TO” happen… it would be SOON. Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) ii of the New Testament renders the relevant passages correctly.

Here are some examples of the use of “mello” in Revelation, from YLT:

Another important use of the word “mello” is in the Apocalypse (ie: Book of Revelation). Just as in the passages above, the author of Revelation also talks about the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ. The angel revealed to Apostle John that the parousia was “ABOUT TO” happen… it would be SOON. Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) ii of the New Testament renders the relevant passages correctly.

Here are some examples of the use of “mello” in Revelation, from YLT:

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;

Revelation 2:10 YLT – Be not afraid of the things that thou art about to [Gk: μέλλεις : melleis : are about to] suffer; lo, the devil is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] cast of you to prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; become thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of the life.

Revelation 3:10,16 YLT – Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] come upon all the world iv, to try those dwelling upon the earth v … So ‐‐ because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to [Gk: μέλλω : mello : I am about to] vomit thee out of my mouth.

Revelation 6:11 YLT – and there was given to each one white robes, and it was said to them that they may rest themselves yet a little time, till may be fulfilled also their fellow-servants and their brethren, who are about to [Gk: μέλλοντες : mellontes : are about to] be killed ‐‐ even as they.

Revelation 8:13 YLT – And I saw, and I heard one messenger, flying in the mid-heaven, saying with a great voice, ‘Wo, wo, wo, to those dwelling upon the land from the rest of the voices of the trumpet of the three messengers who are about to [Gk: μελλόντων : mellonton : are about to] sound.’

Revelation 12:5 YLT – and she brought forth a male child, who is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and caught away was her child unto God and His throne.

What would be the point of telling Christians in the 1st Century about apocalyptic events, if those things were not expected for thousands of years… after they were all dead and their world had disappeared? How could those events have any meaning or significance to 1st Century people, if they would NOT live to see and experience them? It just doesn’t make any sense.

Conversely, if those early Christians were “ABOUT TO” experience great tribulations and persecutions, they would obviously find encouragement and hope in the knowledge that “SOON” their Lord Jesus Christ was “ABOUT TO” return and rescue them from their enemies… the last wicked and perverse generation of Old Covenant Jews and their temporary Roman allies.

The obvious meaning of the Greek word “mello” throughout the New Testament is that certain things were “ABOUT TO” happen… SOON… in a very short time. And when it refers to the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ, the word “mello” was clearly intended to warn people that it was “ABOUT TO” happen, in the lifetime of those early Christians. This is exactly what Jesus promised his disciples:

“27 For, the Son of Man is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] come in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work. 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.” (Matthew 16:27-28 YLT)

IV. What? What is the book about?

The theme of the book.

  • The theme of the book is the “avenging of the blood of the apostles, saints, and prophets” (18:20,24). 
  • The book is about the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 
  • In ch 17 a harlot is riding on the beast (the sea beast, Rome, ch 13) indicating harmony between the two, but then in 17:16 the beast burns the harlot with fire. 
  • 17:18 says that the woman harlot is the “great city”.
  • The harlot has the name “Babylon” on her forehead.
  • In 11:8 the great city is where the Lord of the 2 witnesses was crucified (Jesus), so the great city is Jerusalem. 8 and their dead bodies (of the two witnesses) will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
  • So the sea beast Rome burns the great city harlot woman (Jerusalem). That is what happened!
  • So the harlot= the great city= Babylon= Jerusalem.

The main subject of the book.

  • So the main subject of the book is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and that fits the theme of ch 18 also. 
  • It was Jerusalem that had killed the saints (Jewish Christians), apostles, and prophets (of the Old Testament), and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD would be God’s vengeance on the nation, just as Jesus predicted in Mt 23:34-36. 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah,[f] whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
  • Some say Rome is the great city, but Rome never killed the prophets. But the Jews did.
  • The harlot, Jerusalem, is also called Babylon (17:5 ch 18) b/c of her sinful ways. 

V. Why? Why was the book written? Why all the figurative language? 

The book was written to warn the 7 churches.

  • The book was intended to be read, heard, and kept (heeded and taken to heart, Amplified Bible) by the original readers (1:1-3), so it directly applied to them, not us. The comments to the 7 churches (ch 2,3) prove that, predicting things about to happen to them (mello). 

The book was written to declare the finished mystery of salvation. 

  • 10:7 says that the “mystery is finished as he announced the gospel to his servants the prophets” when the book’s predictions all come true. 
  • The book sums up the eternal mystery of God’s plan of salvation as given through the prophets of the OT, which included the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. 
  • Several places in the OT predict the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Daniel 9, 12; Joel 3; Zechariah 14; Isaiah 65-66).
  • Ezekiel 40-48 even predicts the building of the new church temple, although he describes it in figurative language. 
  • Heb 9:8 said that the “way into the new Holy of Holies has not yet been disclosed (fully) as long as the first tabernacle (the temple) is still standing”. 
  • Thus it is essential that God remove the 1st temple to complete His plan of giving us the new church temple. 
  • Ch 21 gives a picture of the new Jerusalem (the church, the bride of Christ) coming down to earth so God can dwell in his sanctuary, the church, on earth. 
  • Ch 22 picture a river flowing from the new Jerusalem with the water of life and the tree of life with leaves for the healing of the nations. 
  • Ch 22 is a picture of Eden’s Paradise Restored spiritually in the church as of 70 AD

But why describe the predicted events in such figurative language?

Won’t that make it harder to understand? 

  • Why so much figurative language? John wrote about real events that would happen soon, but in figurative language. 
  • In 13:18 he talks about the mark of the beast, 666 (using a numbers for letters system perhaps), but he says that those readers with insight could calculate exactly who he was talking about, probably Nero. John would not want to name Nero. It had to be someone living at that time if they were told that they could identify him.

Symbolic numbers in Revelation.

  • Other times, the numbers are symbolic, such as 4 (the earth number, the 4 directions, the 4 living creatures of ch 4 who execute God’s wrath on earth); or 7 (the complete number, the 7 churches, stars, Spirits, seals, angels, plagues, bowls of wrath, heads),, or 10 (10. Horns, 10 kings), or 12 (12 gates, pearls, foundations, apostles of the church in ch 22).

Big symbolic numbers. The 1,000 reign of Revelation 20. 

  • Some bigger numbers are multiples of these symbolic numbers. 1,000 is 10X10X10. 
  • The 1,000 years in ch 20 has been used to teach a 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth when he returns, but it only refers to the 40 year period from Acts 2 (30 AD) to 70 AD. 
  • Why do I say that? 22:7,8 says that at the end of the 1,000 years that Gog and Magog (as predicted in Ezekiel 38-39) will surround the “beloved city” which has to be Jerusalem. If this is an event soon to take place based on Rev 1:1-3 and Rev 21:4-7, then this has to be the Romans (God and Magog) surrounding Jerusalem in 70 AD. So the end of the 1000 years is AD 70. The 1000 years must be the 40 years from AD 30 to AD 70.
  • There is a 200 million man army (Rev 9:16) attacking (200X10^6), which is Rome. 
  • There is the 144,000 who are sealed for protection (ch 7, 14). There are the 12,000 of ch 7 (12X1000). 

Symbolic animals. 

  • Other figures like the sea beast of ch 13 are taken from OT predictions (Daniel 7 names the next 4 kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greeks, Romans) using lion, leopard, and bear, the same figures used to describe the sea beast Rome in ch 13 (the iron beast in Daniel 2,7). Surely the readers of the letter would connect Daniel 7 animals with the Revelation 13 sea beast.
  • There is also an earth beast which is the Jewish false prophets. 
  • The dragon in ch 12 and ch 20, which John tells us is Satan. 
  • The 4 living creatures in ch 4 (the same figure in Ezekiel 1). 
  • Apparently the Holy Spirit just wanted to describe these imminent events more powerfully than just literal language, the same way we use “it’s raining cats and dogs” to describe heavy rain. In the same way that C.S.Lewis in The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe used animals to portray the propitiation of Jesus’ death in Romans 3.
  • Then there is the lamb of ch 5, standing as if slain, the only one who could open the scrolls that would predict the imminent events.


Revelation 5:6-7And there between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which are the seven Spirits of God who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 

The 4 horsemen of ch 6 which represent conquest, war, famine, and death. This is taken from Zechariah 6.

The new Jerusalem, the sanctuary, the bride of Christ. .

  • 21:1-3 The new Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth so that God can dwell in his sanctuary forever. This was the “city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). 
  • Revelation 21:1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (vanished), and there is no longer any [a]sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed like a bride adorned for her husband; 3 and then I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “See! The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them [b][as their God,] 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the [c]former order of things has passed away.”
  • The new Jerusalem is not a physical city (as many say it will be) but is the bride of Christ, the church (Ephesians 5:25-33). 
  • Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a vast and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy (sanctified) city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God

Ezekiel predicted all this 700 years earlier. 

  • The prophet Ezekiel predicted this sanctuary on earth for God to dwell in his people. Not a physical sanctuary, but the temple of God where the Spirit of God dwells, i.e. the church. 
  • Ezekiel 37:24 “My servant David will be king over them, and they all will have one shepherd. They will also walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. 25 They will live in the land where your fathers lived, [the land] that I gave to My servant Jacob, and they will live there, they and their children and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David will be their leader forever. 26 I will make a covenant of 
    peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will put My sanctuary in their midst forever. 27 My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 28 Then the nations will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord who sets apart and sanctifies Israel [for holy use], when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”



The streets of gold. The river and tree of life. 

  • Then in ch 21 he describes the soon to be finished church, the bride of Christ, as a city with 12 gates, precious stones, streets of gold with gates never closed, open to bring the nations in, no night there.
  • Ch 22 closes with a river of life and tree of life, all beautiful symbolic figures of the restoration of everything that was lost in the fall in the Garden of Eden. This was predicted in Ezekiel 47.
  • Revelation 22:Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Christ), 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer exist anything that is cursed [because sin and illness and death are gone]; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve and worship Him [with great awe and joy and loving devotion]; 4 they will [be privileged to] see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign [as kings] forever and ever.
  • Those figures just give us a beautiful picture of the completed plan of God that we have had now going on 2,000 years later. 
  • But I thought the church was established in Acts 2 (30 AD). 
  • It was, but the final, fully revealed and confirmed church, the new Jerusalem, was not fully established until the old temple had been destroyed in 70 AD. 
  • This is the “already, not yet” phrase. They had salvation and the church but not fully realized till 70 AD after death was destroyed (1 Cor 15). 
  • It is like electing our president on Nov 5. But his government doesn’t officially begin to rule until June 20, 2025. There is a transition period.
  • It is sad that people say Revelation 21-22 has not been fulfilled yet. They are looking for a physical city someday. 
  • It is as if you have a new house ready to live in but don’t realize it and can’t enjoy living in it. 

I hope this abbreviated synopsis of Revelation Is helpful. There is a great DVD called Revelation Illustrated that has every image of every chapter. Most of the images in this summary are from that DVD. These are copyrighted so be careful how you use them . There are many other things in Revelation but this is just a synopsis for you to study. 

PAUL AND 2ND COMING AND THE RESURRECTION

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Now let’s look at what Paul said about the 2nd coming. 

Did Paul really say that the resurrection was “about to happen”? 

Acts 24:15 What did Paul say was the “hope of Israel”? ______________

__________________________________________________________________

  • Paul said that he was on trial for the “hope of Israel”, I.e. the resurrection of the dead. Where would he get the idea of the resurrection being the hope of Israel? 
  • That has to come from Daniel 12:1-2 that predicts a resurrection of the righteous and wicked at the end of the age (i.e. in 70 AD). 
  • He also said that there was “about to be (mello)” a resurrection of the dead. Mello always mean about to happen. Is Paul a false prophet when he predicted this?
  • That Greek word “mello” appears 110 times in various forms in the NT. Here are more examples: 
  • MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
  • Matt 2:13 – Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] search for the child, to destroy him.”
  • 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.” 
  • MARK’S GOSPEL
  • Mark 10:32 – And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : about to] to happen to him 
  • LUKE’S GOSPEL
  • Luke 7:2 – Now a centurion had a servant1 who was sick and at the point of death [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to], who was highly valued by him.
  • 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 9:44 – “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] be delivered into the hands of men.”
  • Zacchaeus ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, for he was about to (Gk:ἤμελλεν) pass that way …Luke 19:4
  • – CC Image courtesy of Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing … FreeBibleimages.org
  • 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.
  • Luke 19:4 – So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] pass that way.
  • Luke 22:23 – And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to [Gk: μέλλων : mellon : was about to] do this. 
  • JOHN’S GOSPEL
  • John 4:47 – When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to].
  • We can clearly see from the passages above that certain events were “ABOUT TO” happen… IMMEDIATELY or very SOON after.
  • Matthew 2 – King Herod soon searched for the infant Jesus, just as predicted.
  • Matthew 20, Mark 10, Luke 9 – The suffering and crucifixion of Jesus did occur within a short time, just as predicted.
  • Luke 19 – Jesus did in fact pass the sycamore tree, soon after Zacchaeus climbed up to see him, just as predicted.
  • “Mello” means that something is IMMINENT and “ABOUT TO HAPPEN”. It never means “MANY YEARS FROM NOW” or “SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE” or “2000 YEARS FROM NOW”! Yet that is what some Bible translators want us to believe, whenever “mello” is used in a passage about the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ.
  • “Mello” means that something is IMMINENT and “ABOUT TO HAPPEN”. It never means “MANY YEARS FROM NOW” or “SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE” or “2000 YEARS FROM NOW”! Yet that is what some Bible translators want us to believe, whenever “mello” is used in a passage about the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ. It is never used to simply mean “certianly will happen” which is the way it is translated in most translations. Why would the translators not translate correctly as “about to happen”? They might translate it “about to happen” in passages that are not eschatological ones, but they would have problems translating the 2nd coming as “about to happen” b/c of almost 2,00 years of church dogma that said that the 2nd coming had not happened yet. A few translations like Young’s Literal Translation translate mello as “about to happen” correctly even in the eschatological passages we have discussed. 
  • So Acts 24:15 is a critical verse. Paul said there was about to be a resurrection. If that resurrection did not happen shortly, then he is a false prophet. Daniel 12:1-2 shows us that resurrection did happen at the end of the age in 70 AD. All those OT people, good and bad, were raised in 70 AD and given their final sentencing, either eternal life or eternal punishment.

Acts 17:31 What did Paul tell the Athenians was about to happen?

_________________________________________________________________

  • Paul told the Athenians that God was about to (mello) judge the world through Jesus. So the judgment that people says will happen in our future had to happen shortly after Paul said this. So it must refer to the judgment in 70 AD.

Acts 24:25 

Paul told Felix the judgement was about to happen (mello)

Is God going to restore the earth to pristine conditions when Jesus returns in our future? 

Romans 8:18, 37 

  • 8:18 “The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory about to be (mello) revealed in us”. 
  • He then discusses the creation being released from its curse. That creation could be used figuratively to refer to the actual earth that was cursed after the fall or it could refer to the curse put on men (people being the creation) due to sin, but whatever it refers to, the creation being freed from the curse here had to be something that was about to happen (mello in 8:18). 
  • It cannot refer to God destroying the old earth and making a restored earth back to the Garden of Eden perfection at some time in our future today because that was not “about to happen” when Paul wrote 8:18 and did not happen any time after Paul wrote. 
  • This is the same “glory about to be revealed” in 1 Peter 5:1.

Romans 13:12

The night is almost gone and the day is almost here, I.e. the day of Christ’s return (Amplified Bible). 

A critical chapter on the resurrection. Did Paul predict that the resurrection was going to occur while some Corinthians were still alive? 

1 Corinthians 15 Read this chapter. 

  • Paul discusses the 2nd coming at the end of the Jewish Age (70 AD). 
  • Jesus must first conquer all enemies, the last enemy being death. 
  • Paul then discusses the nature of the believer’s resurrection. Some in Corinth were confused or questioning the teaching of the resurrection of believers. 
  • Now remember, Paul had said in Acts 24:15 that there was about to be (mello) the resurrection of the dead (the one predicted in Daniel 12:1-2 to occur at the end of the Jewish age). 
  • Paul then says that believers will get an immortal, incorruptible, spiritual body at their resurrection. “Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom” so there will be no resurrection of physical bodies from the graves.

But the critical statement is 15:51. 

  • “We (Paul and those he is writing to in Corinth) shall not all sleep (i.e. be dead) when this resurrection occurs”. 
  • He is not saying that some people will be alive and some dead when Jesus returns. That is obvious. 
  • He is saying that some of the Corinthian Christians will still be alive at Jesus’ 2nd coming and the resurrection, which corresponds with his other statements in Acts 24:15. 
  • But whether dead or alive, all will receive immortality, that immortal, incorruptible, spiritual body at the resurrection in 70 AD when he returns. 
  • In 70 AD he conquered death, which came through the Law (15:54-57) by destroying the temple, the Law, and the ability of the Law to condemn believers in Jesus (Romans 8:1-4).
  • This passage shows that the resurrection had to occur while some of those Corinthians were still alive. It was a spiritual thing. There were no physical bodies coming out of the graves as is often depicted.

Spiritual death has been conquered, as of 70 AD.

  • Jesus said in John 11:24,25 that believers would live even if they died, that they would never die. 
  • It is interesting that evangelicals say that death has not been conquered yet since they think Jesus has not returned yet. They are still waiting for the plan of redemption to be completed. 
  • Not me. As of 70 AD all believers have their immortal resurrected bodies and will go straight to heaven to be with Jesus forever when they die. 
  • No waiting place as in the Old Testament and the story of the rich man and Lazarus. 
  • After 70 AD and death is defeated, believers have eternal life spiritual bodies that keep on living and go to some spiritual heavenly realm after physical death to live forever. Most preachers believe that deceased believers do go immediately to be with Jesus forever. If so, why would they need to leave heaven and the presence of Jesus to come back to earth some day and be judged and have their body in their coffin be raised. If they are in heaven with Jesus after death, they have all the spiritual body they need to be with Jesus forever.
  • Of course, premillenneals believe that the bodies of bellievers will be resurrected at Jesus’ 2nd coming to live in a physical kingdom that he will establish. 3 problems with that. 1) The 2nd coming was at 70 AD, not in our future (see blog article 2nd Coming of Jesus (parts 1 and 2). 2) Jesus established a spiritual kingdom, the church. John 18:36 My kingdom is not of this world.3) This view contradicts Acts 24:15 that the resurrection was about to happen in Paul’s day. Also 1 Cor 15 some would still be alive at the resurrection, so it had to be imminent.

Ephesians 1:21 

The age about to come (mello). 

  • That would be the Messianic Age which began in Acts 2 in 30 AD and was finalized in 70 AD. 

Philippians 3:20 

We (Paul and those he is writing to at Philippi) eagerly await the coming of Jesus

  • Doesn’t that imply an imminent coming in their lifetime?. 

Philippians 4:5 

The Lord is near. Is this his presence is near or his 2nd coming is near (eggus: Near, close, at hand)?

Colossians 2:17 

A shadow of the things about to come (mello). 

  • The new covenant blessings would only be fully realized in 70 AD. Hebrews 8:13 says that the old covenant was ready (eggus) to disappear. That was written about 62 AD and must refer to 70 AD. Some say the old covenant ended at the cross in 30 AD, but Heb 8:13 rejects that view. The old covenant was perpetual till the end of the age in 70 AD. Even the Jewish Christians kept the Law till 70 AD, even while they kept the new covenant. They knew the old covenant could not save them, but it was the law of God for them until God removed it in 70 AD by sending the Romans to destroy the temple and kill one million Jews (according to Josephus).

1 Thessalonians 1:10 

To wait for the coming of Jesus from heaven to rescue us from the coming wrath. 

  • What wrath? 2:16 will explain that wrath, i.e. on the Jews in 70 AD. 1 Thess 2:For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,[h] 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!. That wrath to come must be God’s wrath poured out on the Jews in 70 AD.
  • John the Baptist predicted the same thing. Mt 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 come (mello about to come)? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” This was obviously wrath to come on the Jews in 70 AD b/c it was a wrath (mello) about to come, imminent.
  • Malachi had predicted this same wrath on the Jews. Mal 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” That awesome day of the Lord was a judgment day on the Jews in 70 AD.
  • That was the same day as Acts 2:19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
        and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
    20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
        and the moon to blood,
        before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. This was a fulfillment of Joel 2.
  • That led Peter to tell the Jews in Acts 2:40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” There’s that idea of judgment on that generation of Jews living at that time, the same one that Jesus kept saying was evil and going to be judged in 70 AD.

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 

  • God’s wrath has come upon them (the non Christian Jews who were persecuting the Christian Jews, as Paul did) at last! 
  • This has to be 70 AD judgment on the Jews in which one million died, 200,000 captives (according to Josephus). 
  • John the Baptist said that this wrath on the Jews was about to come (mello, Mt 3:7)

1 Thessalonians 2:19 

The Thessalonians Christians would be Paul’s joy and crown at Jesus’ coming

1 Thessalonians 3:13 

Paul wanted them to be blameless at the coming of Jesus

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

  • This is one of the most misunderstood eschatological passages. The rapture theory comes from this passage, although the Greek word is believers being “caught up”. The word rapture comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of “caught up”. 
  • The only other passage used to teach the rapture theory is Mt 24: 40,41 where one is taken (raptured) and one left. 
  • The false assumption is that this taking up occurs at a coming of Jesus that will happen in our future, but the context of Mt 24 is AD 70 2nd coming all the way through the chapter. 24:34 everything up to that verse must happen within that generation (genea). But many say that it changes to a future 2nd coming in 24:35 and that the flood analogy refers to the rapture of the righteous at Jesus’ 2nd coming in our future.
  • But notice, in the days of Noah and the flood, who was taken? The righteous or the wicked? Who was left after the flood?
  • It was the wicked who were taken (Amplied Bible adds “for judgment), and the righteous were left on earth (Noah and his family). 
  • That is just the opposite of what the rapture theory teaches (and the wrong coming of Jesus as they teach). They say in the rapture the righteous will be taken, but in the flood the wicked were taken. Just the opposite. The whole chapter Mt 24 is about the 2nd coming in 70 AD.

Does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 teach there will be a future rapture and resurrection?

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 What does it sound like was a concern of the Thessalonians concerning the imminent 2nd coming?

_________________________________________________________________

 Paul is addressing a concern of the Thessalonians Christians that Timothy had relayed to him after visiting them. 

  • They thought Jesus’ 2nd coming was in their lifetime (because Paul taught them that), but what if one of their fellow believers died before then? Would they be left out of the glory of the 2nd coming that they had been told was imminent within their lifetime? 
  • Paul told them not to worry. Jesus would come in the clouds bringing with him those Christians who died during the transition period from AD 30-70 (some of them martyrs). Thus “the dead in Christ would rise first”. 
  • This is the 1st resurrection of Rev 20:1-4 (more later). Apparently those believers who died during the transition period did not go to hades as al the Old Testament people did. Instead, they went to be with the Lord. This answer would have relieved the Thessalonians of their concern.
  • He adds that the living believers would then be “caught up” to meet the Lord and be with him always. 
  • Typically, many say this means a rapture to meet Jesus at his 2nd coming, after which the believers will then go to heaven to be with Jesus (often they add for 7 years or tribulation on earth followed by another coming of Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom and do a final judgment). 
  • But not so. In the Roman world, a dignitary or king would visit a town. The people would go out to meet him and then return with him back into their town to enjoy his presence with them.
  • That is what 1 Thess 4:13-18 is picturing in some figurative language.
  • .Jesus would come in the clouds. Living believers would figuratively meet him in the air (where the clouds are) and then the believers and Jesus would come back to earth so that his presence would be with the believers on earth forever. 
  • He does not take them back to heaven. The word for his 2nd coming is parousia, and means coming or presence, i.e. when you come to someone, you make your presence with them. 
  • As of 70 AD. Jesus has made his presence among believers in the tabernacle of God, the sanctuary, the church. 
  • He dwells in believers’ hearts through faith (Eph 3:17) spiritually, figuratively, not physically. 
  • Paul also says “we who are alive”, implying that some of those (maybe including himself) will still be alive when the the events of 4:13-18 occur. 

This idea is John 14:3,23. What did Jesus say he was going to do?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

  • Jesus promises the apostles that he will come to them and make his dwelling place with them (14:3). This is not the parousia word for “come” to them, and is fulfilled in coming to them by giving them the Holy Spirit (14:18,25,26) which occurred in Acts 2 with their baptism in the Holy Spirit. 
  • Many use 14:1-3 to say that Jesus will come and take believers off the earth to a mansion in heaven prepared for them, but not so. 
  • 14:23 is the same Greek word for “dwelling place” as in 14:3 and it it means that he will come to them and make his dwelling in them through the Holy Spirit on earth from AD 30-70. 
  • He prepares a mansion for them but brings it down with him to earth where he can dwell in them in a dwelling place mansion on earth, not in heaven. So the song “I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop….” that makes the mansion of John 14 to be heaven might not be correct! Jesus’ dwelling place or mansion is with us Christians on earth.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 

  • This follows up on the 2nd coming, saying that it will be like a thief in the night. 
  • Some have trouble reconciling this idea with the fact that Jesus gave signs of his 2nd coming to look for. 
  • But even if you read the signs correctly, you would get prepared by being a faithful servant (Mt 24:42-51) but you still would not know the exact hour, so you better be prepared at all times. 
  • BTW 5:1-11 he tells them to stay ready at all times for the 2nd coming. It does appear that he is saying that some of them will be alive at that coming, or else this warning would not mean much to them.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 In what way did Paul tell them that the 2nd coming would bring relief to them? Relief from what?

________________________________________________________________

  • Paul says that when Jesus is revealed at his 2nd coming in his glory to glorify his saints that he will deal out vengeance on those who are causing the Jewish Christians to suffer, I.e. the Jewish non Christians (1 Thess 2:14-16, like Saul who killed Jewish Christians). 
  • The persecution that caused the Jewish Christians to scatter from Jerusalem in Acts 8 would be from Jewish non Christians in Jerusalem. 
  • This promise of relief from suffering at his 2nd coming would not mean much if his 2nd coming did not occur in their lifetime, would it?

Who is the “man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians 2? Is he still to come?

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 What had they heard about the 2nd coming?

_________________________________________________________________

  • After Timothy delivered the 1 Thessalonians letter to them, he came back with this issue about the 2nd coming. 
  • Some were saying the 2nd coming had already happened. 
  • BTW if Paul had taught them that there would be a physical resurrection of bodies from the graves at the 2nd coming, then he could have just said, “But did anyone observe that happening”.
  • So this shows that he was not teaching a physical resurrection of bodies out of the graves at Jesus’ 2nd coming! 

The “man of sin” was Titus who destroyed the temple. 

  • Paul then goes on to say several things were yet to happen before the 2nd coming: an apostasy, the Man of Sin (some call this the Antichrist) must appear claiming to be God and taking his seat in the temple of God.
  • BTW only the emperor Titus fits this description of the man of sin. He claimed to be God and he entered the temple in 70 AD when he destroyed it and received sacrifices to himself as God. Many have thought the man of sin to be Nero, but Nero never took his seat in the temple.
  • But Paul says that at the time of writing the 2nd letter, someone was restraining Titus and that person had to be removed first before Titus would do his thing. 
  • Paul said in 2:7 that all this was “already at work” at the time he wrote this letter. 
  • In other words, all this would occur in their lifetime. 
  • Not some Antichrist that comes in our future (numerous guesses have been made as to who the Antichrist was or will be, all of them wrong guesses. 
  • The coming of the Man of Sin would be accompanied by false wonders and deceptive signs. 
  • Indeed, the earth beast of Rev 13 is the false Jewish prophets who persuaded Jewish non Christians to worship the Roman sea beast (more later). 
  • BTW Christ would slay the man of sin at his coming, but did Christ slay Titus physically? 
  • No. But he did destroy all earthly powers when he came in 70 AD, and become king of kings over all the kingdoms of the world (Rev 11:15). He also destroyed all the demonic princes, one of which would have been behind the evil Roman Empire. Daniel 9 talks about evil princes of different kingdoms.

2 Timothy 4:1 What did Paul say that Jesus was about to do? 

______________________________________________________________

  • Jesus is about to (mello) judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom. Is this not clear that the judgment and his 2nd coming was about to happen?

Conclusion

It is obvious that the Christians living in the transition period from AD 30-70 expected an imminent, within their generation, in their lifetime, 2nd coming of Jesus. 

  • As James Stewart Russell said, “Why would they think that? Because Jesus and the apostles told them that”. 
  • Some say that the apostles are simply saying that the 2nd coming could be at any time, but that is not what they said.
  • Some say that the apostles thought the 2nd coming was imminent but that they were just mistaken. 
  • Wrong. The apostles wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and their statements were error free. 
  • If not, how would you know if any of their other teachings were mistaken.
  • Some say that even Jesus could be wrong about the timing of the 2nd coming being imminent. 
  • They base that on his comment that even the Son of Man did not know the exact hour of his coming. 
  • C.S.Lewis took this position when he said that Mt 10:23 was the most embarrassing verse in the Bible because in it Jesus predicted his 2nd coming within the lifetime of the apostles and yet that did not come true. 
  • C.S.Lewis just shirks that off saying, “Even Jesus could be mistaken at times”. 
  • Wrong again
  • . Jesus might not have known the exact hour of his 2nd coming, but he clearly states that the 2nd coming will be in that generation, or else he is a false prophet. 

Titus 2:11-13

  • Awaiting and confidently expecting the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. 

THE BOOK OF HEBREWS: CANONICITY AND THE 2ND COMING AND END OF THE OLD COVENANT

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Why was the canonicity of the book of Hebrews questioned by some?

The canonicity of the book of Hebrews was in doubt in the early church because of the uncertainty of its authorship. Some thought Paul wrote it which would automatically make it canonical. Others did not think Paul wrote it, attributing it to Barnabas or Clement or someone else, and that uncertainly made its canonicity questionable. From the internet: the western church did not accept Paul as the author of Hebrews until the fourth century. In fact, most modern scholars now believe the author is unknown. 

Here are some reasons why the church has rejected Paul as the author of Hebrews:

Separation from eyewitnesses: In Hebrews 2:3, the author separates himself from the original eyewitnesses, which is different from Paul’s emphasis on his authority as an apostle.  

Style: The style of Hebrews is different from Paul’s letters.  

Name: Paul identifies himself by name in his 13 letters, but Hebrews does not name the author.  

But, whoever wrote it, it was inspired by the Holy Spirit! 

  • But there is no doubt that it is from an inspired author! It was written in the early 60’ and its predictions of the things about to happen (mello), of the 2nd coming in a very little while that would not be delayed, of the replacement of the old covenant with the new, etc. are all inspired exegesis of what the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD meant in God’s plan to give the new covenant. 

Why I don’t think that Paul wrote Hebrews. 

1) Hebrews 1:3. How does the author say that the words of Jesus were confirmed to him? _______________________________________________  

  • I am not sure of the author but I don’t think it was Paul b/c Paul would never have said in Heb 1:3 that the word spoken by Jesus was confirmed to us (including himself) by those that heard him (the apostles). 
  • Paul argued in Galatians 1 that he received his gospel directly from Jesus and not from the apostles, so he would never have said that. 

Why I think the book is canonical and inspired: key eschatological passages in Hebrews. 

2) Heb 8:13 What does the author say about the old covenant? ___________

_________________________________________________________________

  • The old covenant “is ready (eggus: Near, close, at hand) to disappear (aphanismos: Disappearance, destruction, ruin) ”. This doesn’t mention the 2nd coming, but it is an important eschatological passage. 
  • “Near” is eggizó: To draw near, to approach, to come near. The word is used 43 times in the NT.
  • Matthew 3:2: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
  • Matthew 4:17: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
  • Matthew 10:7: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
  • Matthew 15:8: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth”
  • Matthew 21:1: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to”
  • Matthew 21:34: “time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to”
  • Matthew 26:45: “behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man”
  • Matthew 26:46: “Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”
  • Mark 1:15: “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the”
  • Mark 11:1: “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and”
  • Mark 14:42: “lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.”
  • Luke 7:12: “Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city,”
  • Luke 10:9: “unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
  • Luke 10:11: “the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
  • Luke 12:33: “heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth”
  • Luke 15:1: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and”
  • Luke 15:25: “and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music”
  • Luke 18:35: “And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man”
  • Luke 18:40: “him: and when he was come near, he asked him,”
  • Luke 19:29: “And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany,”
  • Luke 19:37: “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the”
  • Luke 19:41: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over”
  • Luke 21:8: “Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after”
  • Luke 21:20: “the desolation thereof is nigh.”
  • Luke 21:28: “for your redemption draweth nigh.”
  • Luke 22:1: “the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.”
  • Luke 22:47: “went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.”
  • Luke 24:15: “Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.”
  • Luke 24:28: “And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and”
  • Acts 7:17: “time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham,”
  • Acts 9:3: “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about”
  • Acts 10:9: “as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up”
  • Acts 21:33: “Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded”
  • Acts 22:6: “that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly”
  • Acts 23:15: “and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill”
  • Romans 13:12: “the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works”
  • Philippians 2:30: “the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life,”
  • Hebrews 7:19: “of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
  • Hebrews 10:25: “as ye see the day approaching.”
  • James 4:8: ” Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;”
  • James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;”
  • James 5:8: “for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
  • Some say the old covenant disappeared, ended, at the cross. 
  • Certainly, the cross and death of Jesus was the basis for a new covenant since the first covenant could not save anyone, but 8:13 clearly shows that the 1st covenant did not disappear or end until 70 AD when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed. The old covenant could only condemn, not save, and its power to condemn ceased at the cross for those who would be saved by grace through faith in Jesus and the new covenant.

Jewish Christians continued to keep the Law until 70 AD but they understood that it was the new covenant that saved them, not the old.  

  • Acts 21:17-26 What did James the Lord’s brother tell Paul that thousands of Jewish Christians were doing? 
  • James asked Paul to join 4 men in keeping a Jewish vow to show that he was not telling Jewish converts to quit keeping the Law (he did tell Gentile converts that they did not need to keep the Law, but that was not in James’ discussion). 
  • So what did Paul do? Did he tell James that the Jewish converts were not required to keep the Law since the Law died at the cross? 
  • Nope. He kept the Jewish vow with the 4 men to show that he was not teaching Jewish concerts to quit keeping the Law. 
  • Some have said that Paul was just “becoming all things to all men” in keeping this vow, but Paul would never have done that on such a critical issue. 

3) Heb 9:8 What does the author say about the way into the new Holy of Holies of the new covenant? 

________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

  • 9:8 “The way into the new Holy of Holies (in heaven) has not yet been disclosed as long as the first or outer tabernacle “is” still standing”. 
  • This shows that, while the 2nd covenant began in Acts 2, the 2nd covenant would not be fully disclosed and confirmed until the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The present tense of the verb “is” shows that. This verse also shows that the temple was still standing and the priests still ministering at the time of writing of Hebrews, so it was definitely written before 70 AD.
  • The NIV has the verb “was” but that is not the correct Gk verb tense. 

4) Heb 9:28 What does the author say is the purpose of Jesus’ 2nd coming?

__________________________________________________________________

  • 9:28 “Christ was offered once for all time in his 1st coming, but he would appear a 2nd time, not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for him.” 
  • His 2nd coming would bring physical salvation for the Jewish Christian remnant who escaped the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD as well as put an end to non Christian Jews persecuting Jewish Christians (1 Thess 2:14-16; 2 Thess 1). 
  • His 2nd coming at the end of the age would also bring spiritual salvation, destroying death (1 Cor 15) and bring immortality to believers in 70 AD. 

5) Heb 10:27 What did the author say about a coming judgment of Jewish Christians  if they lose their faith in Jesus and start trusting in the Law?

________________________________________________________________

  • There is about to be (mello) a judgment on the Jews and that would include any Jewish Christians who forsake faith in Christ and return to the Law for salvation (which was the purpose of writing Hebrews, to convince them not to do that). 
  • That imminent judgement was 70 AD.

A passage that refutes the “delayed 2nd coming” theory of many.

6) Heb 10:37 What does the author say about Jesus’ coming? __________

_________________________________________________________________

  • That imminent, “about to be” (mello) judgment in 10:27 is tied to the 2nd coming in 10:37. “Yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” The work mello is always used in the NT of something that is “about to happen”.
  • USE OF “MELLO” TO WARN OF IMMINENT ACTIONS OR EVENTS.
  • That Greek word “mello” appears 110 times in various forms in the NT. Here are more examples: 
  • MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
  • Matt 2:13 – Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] search for the child, to destroy him.”
  • 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.” 
  • MARK’S GOSPEL
  • Mark 10:32 – And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : about to] to happen to him 
  • LUKE’S GOSPEL
  • Luke 7:2 – Now a centurion had a servant1 who was sick and at the point of death [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to], who was highly valued by him.
  • 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 9:44 – “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] be delivered into the hands of men.”
  • Zacchaeus ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, for he was about to (Gk:ἤμελλεν) pass that way …Luke 19:4
  • – CC Image courtesy of Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing … FreeBibleimages.org
  • 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.
  • Luke 19:4 – So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] pass that way.
  • Luke 22:23 – And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to [Gk: μέλλων : mellon : was about to] do this. 
  • JOHN’S GOSPEL
  • John 4:47 – When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to].
  • We can clearly see from the passages above that certain events were “ABOUT TO” happen… IMMEDIATELY or very SOON after.
  • Matthew 2 – King Herod soon searched for the infant Jesus, just as predicted.
  • Matthew 20, Mark 10, Luke 9 – The suffering and crucifixion of Jesus did occur within a short time, just as predicted.
  • Luke 19 – Jesus did in fact pass the sycamore tree, soon after Zacchaeus climbed up to see him, just as predicted.
  • “Mello” means that something is IMMINENT and “ABOUT TO HAPPEN”. It never means “MANY YEARS FROM NOW” or “SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE” or “2000 YEARS FROM NOW”! Yet that is what some Bible translators want us to believe, whenever “mello” is used in a passage about the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ.
  • “Mello” means that something is IMMINENT and “ABOUT TO HAPPEN”. It never means “MANY YEARS FROM NOW” or “SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE” or “2000 YEARS FROM NOW”! Yet that is what some Bible translators want us to believe, whenever “mello” is used in a passage about the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ. It is never used to simply mean “certianly will happen” which is the way it is translated in most translations. Why would the translators not translate correctly as “about to happen”? They might translate it “about to happen” in passages that are not eschatological ones, but they would have problems translating the 2nd coming as “about to happen” b/c of almost 2,00 years of church dogma that said that the 2nd coming had not happened yet. A few translations like Young’s Literal Translation translate mello as “about to happen” correctly even in the eschatological passages we have discussed.
  • As stated earlier, this is a critical passage to destroy the idea that Jesus delayed his predicted imminent 2nd coming. 
  • Again, people say that b/c they expected him to establish a physical kingdom and he did not do that in 70 AD. 
  • They say he delayed his 2nd coming and will one day (going on 2000 years and counting) come back and set up his earthly kingdom.
  • He never intended to set up an earthly kingdom (John 18:36 my kingdom is not of this world). 
  • He had preached that the “kingdom (of Daniel 2:44) is at hand (eggizó: To draw near, to approach, to come near)”.
  • He had said that some would still be alive to see him coming in his kingdom (Mt 16:27). He said that he was mello about to come.
  • He would be a false prophet if the kingdom was not established soon after these predictions. 
  • It was established soon after in the church, a spiritual kingdom. 
  • Jesus equated the kingdom and the church in Mt 16:16-19. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell[c] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”He said Peter would have the keys to open the door for entrance into the church kingdom. 
  • Peter used those keys in Acts 2 as he preached the first gospel sermon with 3,000 being saved and entering that new church kingdom.
  • Paul said that Christians had been translated into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13, so the kingdom of Jesus was already established as Paul was writing). But in Luke 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. He was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD which had to occur within that generation (genea, always used of a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period, just was we speak of the baby boomers generation, the Z generation, etc.). He even said in Luke 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are (mellow, about to) take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” So all the predictions in Luke 21 were “about to happen” (mello). So back to 21:31. In what sense was the “kingdom of God is near (eggus: Near, close, at hand)”. If the kingdom of God was the church, and Col 1:13 says that Christians had already been translated into the kingdom of Jesus at the time of writing (62 AD), then how could Luke’s prediction of Lk 21:31 that the kingdom of God is near when the events in 70 AD occur.
  • I use our election of presidents to explain that. We elected a new president on Nov 5, 2024. The inauguration is Jan 20, 2025. So officially we have a “president elect” and a new government that only officially begins to rule on Jan 20, 2025. In the meantime, the new president elect is appointing his new cabinet and beginning to remove the old cabinet. But all that only becomes official in 2025. It is the same with the kingdom of God that was near. Acts 2 the day of Pentecost in 30 AD was the Nov 5 of our elections. It was the establishment of the church (Acts 2:37). The official rule of the new church kingdom would be in 70 AD after Jesus had defeated all his enemies (the last enemy was spiritual death 1 Cor 15) and removed the old covenant (Heb 8:13 that old covenant was removed in 70 AD). So we might say that Trump is the new president during the interim of Novv 5,2024 to Jan 20, 2025 but he only officially becomes the president on Jan 20, 2025. Paul could say that those living in the transition period from AD 30 to AD 70 were indeed in the kingdom but teachnically the kingdom would not be fully operative till 70 AD.
  • Many use the phrase “already, not yet” to describe this transition period. The Christians were “alrready in the kingdom Col 1:13” but “not yet” in the final phase of the kingdom in 70 AD.
  • Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Paul said this to those he had just converted. According to Paul in Col 1:13, they were already in the church kingdom. And yet he says they will enter a future kingdom, which would refer to 70 AD.
  • 2 Peter 1:11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, the Christians Peter was writing to were already in the church kingdom, but there was another phase of the kingdom for them to enter in their future, which would be 70 AD.
  • Of course, premillineals say that this future kingdom is a physical kingdom set up by Jesus when he returns in our future. 3 problems with that. 1) Jesus’ 2nd coming was in 70 AD (see blog articles 2nd Coming of Jesus (part 1 and 2). 2) Jesus’ kingdom he set us was a spiritual kingdom. John 18:36 my kingdom is not of this world. 3) Jesus said that some would still be alive to see him coming in his kingdom Mt 16:27,28 (and that coming was mello about to happen).
  • I was raised in a church that said that this everlasting phase of the kingdom in 2 Peter 1:11 was heaven, but that would contradict Lk 21:31 who said that the future phase of the kingdom would be near in 70 AD. Of course my church said that the 2nd coming is in our future which is not true either.
  • Jesus did not delay his 2nd coming. He came in 70 AD just as he predicted. The only reason anyone would say that Jesus did indeed predict an imminent 2nd coming but that he delayed it is that they expect Jesus to set up a physical kingdom when he comes back. They are making the same mistake that the unbelieving Jews made. Those Jews expected a physical kingdom of political power like that of the kingdom of David and a king who would defeat the Romans (like David defeated the enemies of Israel).

7) Heb 12:25-29 What did the author say that God was going to shake?

__________________________________________________________________

  • After saying that the believers had come to the heavenly Jerusalem (i.e. the new Jerusalem the church) and to the new covenant, the writer said that God was going to once more shake not only the earth but also the heavens, removing the things that can be shaken (the old Jewish heavens and earth, the old Jewish system, a physical system that could be destroyed and was destroyed in 70 AD). 
  • A new spiritual system the new heavens and earth, the new Messianic system, would remain that cannot be shaken b/c it cannot be destroyed (Mt 16:18). 
  • BTW, doesn’t this sound a lot like 2 Peter 3 and the replacing of the old heavens and earth with a new heavens and earth? 

Some more “mello” (about to happen) passages in Hebrews:

Heb 2:5; 6:6 

2:5 The world about to come (mello). 6:6 the age about to come (mello).

  • These passages are predicting the Messianic Age that began in Acts 2 in 30 AD and would be finalized and confirmed in 70 AD. Technically the new Messianic Age began in 70 AD after the old age (called the “present age in the NT) ended.

Heb 13:14 

Seeking the city which is about to come (mello). 

  • What city was about to come when Hebrews was written? 
  • This could only be the new Jerusalem, the church, which began in Acts 2 in 30 AD, but was only finalized in 70 AD. 
  • Rev 21:1 pictures that new Jerusalem coming down to earth and says that city is the bride or Christ, i.e. the church. 

So do you see why I say that the author of Hebrews was inspired by the Holy Spirit. The book predicts accurately so many things about the 2nd coming in 70 AD. The book gives an inspired discussion of the difference of the two covenants. Whoever wrote it was inspired. 

The next lesson will look at what the apostle Paul said about the 2nd coming and the resurrection. 

THE 2ND COMING OF JESUS (PART 2)

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Now let’s look at what the apostles said about the timing of the 2nd coming. 

James:

James 5:8,9 The coming of the Lord is near; the Judge is standing right at the door. 

Peter:

1 Peter 4:7 The end and culmination of all things is near. The end of what? The end of the old law and Jewish theocracy. He could not mean the end of the physical world or else he would be a false prophet since that was not near. “near” is Now let’s look at what the apostles said about the timing of the 2nd coming. 

  1. James:

James 5:8,9 The coming of the Lord is near; the Judge is standing right at the door. 

“Near” is eggizó: To draw near, to approach, to come near. The word is used 43 times in the NT.

Matthew 3:2: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 10:7: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 15:8: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth”
Matthew 21:1: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to”
Matthew 21:34: “time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to”
Matthew 26:45: “behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man”
Matthew 26:46: “Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”
Mark 1:15: “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the”
Mark 11:1: “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and”
Mark 14:42: “lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.”
Luke 7:12: “Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city,”
Luke 10:9: “unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
Luke 10:11: “the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
Luke 12:33: “heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth”
Luke 15:1: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and”
Luke 15:25: “and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music”
Luke 18:35: “And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man”
Luke 18:40: “him: and when he was come near, he asked him,”
Luke 19:29: “And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany,”
Luke 19:37: “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the”
Luke 19:41: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over”
Luke 21:8: “Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after”
Luke 21:20: “the desolation thereof is nigh.”
Luke 21:28: “for your redemption draweth nigh.”
Luke 22:1: “the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.”
Luke 22:47: “went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.”
Luke 24:15: “Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.”
Luke 24:28: “And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and”
Acts 7:17: “time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham,”
Acts 9:3: “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about”
Acts 10:9: “as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up”
Acts 21:33: “Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded”
Acts 22:6: “that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly”
Acts 23:15: “and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill”
Romans 13:12: “the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works”
Philippians 2:30: “the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life,”
Hebrews 7:19: “of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
Hebrews 10:25: “as ye see the day approaching.”
James 4:8: ” Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;”
James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;”
James 5:8: “for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

2. Peter:

1 Peter 4:7 The end and culmination of all things is near. The end of what? The end of the old law and Jewish theocracy. If he was predicting that the end of the physical world things, then he was a false prophet since that did not happen. “Near” is eggizó as in James 5:8.

1 Peter 5:1 the glory that is about to be (mello) revealed (at 2nd coming). Refer to the blog article The 2nd Coming of Jesus (Part 1) to see the use of mello in the NT. It always refers to something about to happen. For example just a few:

Matt 2:13 – Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] search for the child, to destroy him.”

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.”

Mark 10:32 – And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : about to] to happen to him

Luke 7:2 – Now a centurion had a servant1 who was sick and at the point of death [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to], who was highly valued by him.

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 9:44 – “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] be delivered into the hands of men.”

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.

Luke 19:4 – So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] pass that way.

Luke 22:23 – And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to [Gk: μέλλων : mellon : was about to] do this.

John 4:47 – When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to].

It is the same word mell used by Jesus to say that 2nd coming was “about to happen”

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.

Romans 8 expounds on this glory about to be revealed. 

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)].

Many interpret Romans 8:18-25 as a new creation of the earth, a restoration of the earth to the Garden of Eden paradise, but 8:18 says that the glory of this predicted event (whatever the “new creation” might mean) is mello about to happen, so it can’t refer to an event at least 2,00 years later in our future. What does it mean? Since the creation is eagerly waiting for its adoption as sons, then it must refer to sinners awaiting the 2nd coming (which Jesus said was about to happen Mk 16:27,28) and the glory that would be given to the true sons of God, i.e. Christians as opposed to the destruction of the wicked Jews.

2 Peter 3  If Peter said the end of all things is near in 1 Peter 4:7, then when he talks about the destruction of the old heavens and earth in 2 Peter 3, would that destruction not also be included in the “end of all things is near” time frame?

2 Peter 3:10,12 The elements would be burned up. We think that means the elements of the periodic table of which the earth is made up of, but it doesn’t mean that. The Greek word for elements is stoicheion, which means the rudimentary principle or rules of something. The word is used only In Gal 4:3, 9; Col 2:8,20; Heb 5:12 where it means the elementary principles of the world or of religious systems or of the Law. It never refers to the elements of the periodic table. The use of the word in Heb 3:10,12 refers to the elementary principles of the old Jewish system (as in Heb 5:12), the old heavens and earth which were about to be destroyed in 70 AD. The old heavens and earth (the Jewish system) would be destroyed in 70 AD and be replaced by the new heavens and earth (the Messianic system). Heb 12:25 predicted this destruction of the current heavens and earth, leaving the new heavens and earth that could not be shaken or destroyed. 

Also 2 Peter 3:13 Peter said “according to promise” they were looking for a new heavens and earth. What promise was he referring to? The only promise of a new heavens and earth is from Isaiah 65:17; 66:22 where the context is the new Messianic system, the new Jerusalem, a time when believers would come to worship on earth (66:23,24). It is not predicting a re-creation of the cursed earth. 

3) John:

John 21:22 If I (Jesus) want him (John) to stay alive till I come, what is that to you (Peter)? John then comments in 21:23 that some thought that meant that John would never die (if 21:22 is predicting a 2nd coming that hasn’t happened in the last 2,000 years, then John would indeed not die in the first century). But if 21:22 is referring to a 2nd coming in that generation, then John could indeed live to see that. Some say John died a natural death, an old man of 100 living in Ephesus. But the church father Papias in the late 1st/ early 2nd century said that John died a martyr’s death just as Jesus predicted in Mark 10:35-40 at the hands of the Jews. Jesus had predicted that John would drink the same cup as Jesus would (Mk 14:36, the cup of death). Acts 12 records the death of James, John’s brother, in AD 44. So the only time the Jews could have martyred John would have to be before 70 AD, just as they martyred James the Lord’s brother before 70 AD. 

Why would early church tradition say that John lived to the age of 100. Probably b/c they didn’t see Revelation being fulfilled in AD 70, and therefore looked for a time when John might have been exiled to Patmos after 70 AD, and then came up with the theory that he was exiled in the reign of Domitian in 96 AD and that Revelation was written in 96 AD and was fulfilled after 70 AD. We wil see later that both these views are wrong in an article on the book of Revelation. . 

1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour. Last hour of what? Of the last days of the Jewish Age.

Rev 1:2-7 Things to shortly take place (tachos: Speed, swiftness, quickness)
. The time is near (1:3 eggus: Near, close, at hand). He is coming with the clouds (Mt 24:29; Acts 1:8), every eye will see him. 

Rev 22:6-10 Things must soon take place (tachos: Speed, swiftness, quickness). Behold I am coming quickly (tachu: Quickly, swiftly, soon). The time is near (eggus: Near, close, at hand). 

Rev 22:12,20 Behold I am coming quickly. Yes I am coming quickly. 

(Some say “quickly” just means “suddenly”, but the other phrases “near”, “shortly”, “soon” show that quickly means soon. Our modern use of the word “quickly” includes “soon” in time. The word “quickly” is an adverb that means to do something fast, soon, or after a short time. Here are some examples of “quickly” in a sentence: 

“I quickly realized that this was a big mistake”. Rev 1:7 “he is coming with the clouds” shows that it refers to the 2nd coming. 

“She walked quickly away”.  

“The disease spreads quickly”.  

mello passages in Revelation. 1:19; 2:20 3:10,16; 6:11; 8:13; 12:5

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;

Revelation 2:10 YLT – Be not afraid of the things that thou art about to [Gk: μέλλεις : melleis : are about to] suffer; lo, the devil is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] cast of you to prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; become thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of the life.

Revelation 3:10,16 YLT – Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] come upon all the world iv, to try those dwelling upon the earth v … So ‐‐ because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to [Gk: μέλλω : mello : I am about to] vomit thee out of my mouth.

Revelation 6:11 YLT – and there was given to each one white robes, and it was said to them that they may rest themselves yet a little time, till may be fulfilled also their fellow-servants and their brethren, who are about to [Gk: μέλλοντες : mellontes : are about to] be killed ‐‐ even as they.

Revelation 8:13 YLT – And I saw, and I heard one messenger, flying in the mid-heaven, saying with a great voice, ‘Wo, wo, wo, to those dwelling upon the land from the rest of the voices of the trumpet of the three messengers who are about to [Gk: μελλόντων : mellonton : are about to] sound.’

Revelation 12:5 YLT – and she brought forth a male child, who is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and caught away was her child unto God and His throne.

All these passages say the things predicted in Revelation were about to be (mello) fulfilled or happen.

From parousiafulfilled.com

What would be the point of telling Christians in the 1st Century about apocalyptic events, if those things were not expected for thousands of years… after they were all dead and their world had disappeared? How could those events have any meaning or significance to 1st Century people, if they would NOT live to see and experience them? It just doesn’t make any sense.

Conversely, if those early Christians were “ABOUT TO” experience great tribulations and persecutions, they would obviously find encouragement and hope in the knowledge that “SOON” their Lord Jesus Christ was “ABOUT TO” return and rescue them from their enemies… the last wicked and perverse generation of Old Covenant Jews and their temporary Roman allies.

The obvious meaning of the Greek word “mello” throughout the New Testament is that certain things were “ABOUT TO” happen… SOON… in a very short time. And when it refers to the parousia (Second Coming) of Christ, the word “mello” was clearly intended to warn people that it was “ABOUT TO” happen, in the lifetime of those early Christians. This is exactly what Jesus promised his disciples:

“27 For, the Son of Man is about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] come in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work. 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.” (Matthew 16:27-28 YLT)

From James Stewart Russell in The Parousia:

The doctrine of the apostles with regard to the coming of the Lord is in perfect harmony with this (i.e. Jesus’ predictions that his 2nd coming would be imminent). Nothing can be more evident than that they all believed and taught the speedy return of the Lord. From the first speech of St. Peter on the day of Pentecost to the last utterance of St. John in the Apocalypse, this conviction is clearly and constantly expressed. To say that the apostles were themselves ignorant of the time of their Lord’s return, and therefore could have no belief on the subject,—could not teach what they did not know,—is to contradict their own express and reiterated assertions. True, they did not know, and did not teach, ‘that day and that hour;’ they did not say that He would come in a particular month of a particular year, but they assuredly did give the churches to understand that He was coming quickly; that they might soon expect to see Him; and they never ceased to exhort them to maintain the attitude of constant watchfulness and preparation.

The early church expected the imminent return of Jesus within their lifetime. They were “eagerly awaiting” the coming of Jesus. As Russell pointed out: Why did they expect an imminent 2nd coming? the answer is simple. Jesus and the apostles told them that it would be imminent. Case closed.

EPHESIANS 5:21-6:24 6th walk and “Stand”

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

6. 5:22-6:9 Walk in submission to one another.

Actually, 5:21 says 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. So it doesn’t say “walk” but I am making it one of the “walks” of chapters 4-6. 

“Walk in submission to one another” in Ephesians 5:21 means to humbly prioritize the needs and perspectives of others in your relationships, putting aside your own desires and ego, with the understanding that this act of submission is done out of reverence for Christ and to reflect his love in your interactions with others; essentially, it calls for mutual respect and a willingness to yield to one another within a community or relationship. 

We might think this is just a verse for wives to be subject to their husbands, which it does include that, but it would include all our relations with others: husbands and wives, children and parents; slaves and masters. A husband is submitting in a way to his wife when he puts aside his own ego and needs to love and cherish her needs. Etc. 

Christianity should change the way we treat others in all the different relationships in 5:22-6:9. What good is it if a man is a great member of the church but mistreats his wife, or abuses his wife or children, or is a cruel boss to his workers? He might obey all the commands in 4:1-5:21 and yet commit perhaps the worse sin of all in how he treats others. 

This is also tied to being filled with the Spirit. 

6. 5:22-6:9 Walk in submission to one another.

Actually, 5:21 says 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. So it doesn’t say “walk” but I am making it one of the “walks” of chapters 4-6. 

“Walk in submission to one another” in Ephesians 5:21 means to humbly prioritize the needs and perspectives of others in your relationships, putting aside your own desires and ego, with the understanding that this act of submission is done out of reverence for Christ and to reflect his love in your interactions with others; essentially, it calls for mutual respect and a willingness to yield to one another within a community or relationship. 

We might think this is just a verse for wives to be subject to their husbands, which it does include that, but it would include all our relations with others: husbands and wives, children and parents; slaves and masters. A husband is submitting in a way to his wife when he puts aside his own ego and needs to love and cherish her needs. Etc. 

Christianity should change the way we treat others in all the different relationships in 5:22-6:9. What good is it if a man is a great member of the church but mistreats his wife, or abuses his wife or children, or is a cruel boss to his workers? He might obey all the commands in 4:1-5:21 and yet commit perhaps the worse sin of all in how he treats others. 

This is also tied to being filled with the Spirit. 

6. 5:22-6:9 Walk in submission to one another.

Actually, 5:21 says 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. So it doesn’t say “walk” but I am making it one of the “walks” of chapters 4-6. 

“Walk in submission to one another” in Ephesians 5:21 means to humbly prioritize the needs and perspectives of others in your relationships, putting aside your own desires and ego, with the understanding that this act of submission is done out of reverence for Christ and to reflect his love in your interactions with others; essentially, it calls for mutual respect and a willingness to yield to one another within a community or relationship. 

We might think this is just a verse for wives to be subject to their husbands, which it does include that, but it would include all our relations with others: husbands and wives, children and parents; slaves and masters. A husband is submitting in a way to his wife when he puts aside his own ego and needs to love and cherish her needs. Etc. 

Christianity should change the way we treat others in all the different relationships in 5:22-6:9. What good is it if a man is a great member of the church but mistreats his wife, or abuses his wife or children, or is a cruel boss to his workers? He might obey all the commands in 4:1-5:21 and yet commit perhaps the worse sin of all in how he treats others. 

This is also tied to being filled with the Spirit where Paul ended the 5th walk as wise men.

  1. 5:22-33 Husbands and wives


A. 5:22-33 Husbands and wives

These images are from saralandchristians.com

4:20 The husband is to nourish (supply her needs)and cherish (thalli, to keep warm, warm someone up, revive their health, by nourishing. Used in 1 Thess 2:7 of a nursing mother cherishing (cares for) her children). 

Q: Do most husbands even know what their wives needs are or care if he is really supplying those needs? 

Q: Do most husbands show their wives how much they cherish them? “Cherish is the word that I use to describe …” song by the Association. 

Q: What would you say are a wife’s main needs?

Q: Under what circumstances would a wife not have to be in submission to her husband? If he beat her? If he verbally abused her? If he lied to her? If he didn’t support her financially? If he was a drunk? 

B) 6:1-4 Children and parents

Also from saralandchristians.com

Q: Is there ever a time when children do not have to obey their parents?

What if the parents won’t let them be baptized or go to church with their friends?

Q: What are some ways that fathers might exasperate their children and provoke them to anger?

Why are only fathers mentioned here and not mothers?

If you have children, do you remember times when you probably provoked your children to anger or disobedience because of the way you disciplined them? 

C) 6:5-9 Bondservants and masters 

Q: Does it surprise you that neither Jesus nor the apostles tried to do away with slavery? 

How did the Christians in the northern and southern churches handle the slavery issue around the time of the Civil War?

Do you think that a Christian master would voluntarily free his slave once he becomes a Christian?

We will study Philemon later where Paul tells Philemon to receive back kindly his runaway slave who had become a Christian while Paul was in Roman prison. Paul did not tell him to free Onesiphorus.  

7. 6:10-20 Stand with the armor of God against the schemes of the devil

So far it has been about our “walk” and conduct. But if you are out walking and someone attacks you, then you have to keep walking to get to your goal but you need to defend yourself with a weapon like a gun or a knife, etc. 

The Christian walk is the same way. The devil had devious schemes to deceive Christians and many different ways of attacking Christians to get them to sin and fall from grace.

Thus the need for the “whole armor of God”. You can’t fight on your own. You need the strength of God and His armor. 

Q: After reading all the individual parts of the armor and what they do, which one do you need the most?

Q: 6:18 8 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance.

How often do you pray for God to help you fight the devi, to not give in to temptation?

6:21-24 FINAL GREETINGS

Paul sent Tychicus to see how they were doing.

Tychicus is mentioned five times in the New Testament:

  • Acts 20:4: Tychicus is mentioned alongside Trophimus 
  • Ephesians 6:21–22: Paul sends Tychicus to the Ephesians to tell them about his circumstances and encourage them 
  • Colossians 4:7–9: Paul sends Tychicus to the Colossians to tell them about his circumstances and encourage them 
  • Titus 3:12: Paul considers sending Tychicus to Crete to assist Titus 
    2 Timothy 4:12: Paul sends Tychicus to Ephesus. Tychicus was an Asiatic Christian who accompanied Paul on part of his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem. Paul trusted Tychicus and referred to him as a “dear brother” and “faithful servant”. 
  • The Catholic Church calls Tychicus St. Tychicus, and his feast day is April 29. Church tradition holds that he was martyred for his faith in Colophon, which is 24 miles from Ephesus. 

EPHESIANS 5:3- The 4th and 5th walks

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

4. 5:3-14 Walk as children of light, no longer in darkness

These are the really bad things that characterize those who are walking in spiritual darkness. 

Again from gotquestions.org

Spiritual darkness is the state of a person who is living apart from God. The Old Testament book of Isaiah, in prophesying of the Messiah, speaks of a deep spiritual darkness that enveloped the people: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). This passage reappears in the New Testament, in Matthew 4:16, to announce that those who have come to know the God of Israel through His Son Jesus Christ are the ones who have been delivered from spiritual darkness and now walk in the light of God’s life.

The apostle John taught that God is light: “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth” (1 John 1:5–6, NLT). And Jesus declared that He is the light of the world: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Thus, spiritual darkness means not having fellowship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The darkness of separation from God is overcome through Christ: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4–5).

From the moment Adam and Eve sinned, humans have lived in a fallen world. All people are born in a fallen state of sin and separation from God. Until a person is reborn of God’s Spirit, he or she lives in spiritual darkness. Sin darkens our understanding and destroys our spiritual sight, cloaking us in deep darkness: “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:19). Moses compares this state of sin and disobedience to groping about like “a blind person in the dark” (Deuteronomy 28:29). One of Job’s friends speaks of those who are lost in spiritual darkness: “Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night” (Job 5:14).

Living in rebellion to God and His will is equivalent to living in spiritual darkness. When the Lord commissioned Paul, He said, “I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me” (Acts 26:17–18, NLT).

After salvation, believers become beacons of the spiritual light of Christ: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Those who are in Jesus Christ have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13, ESV). Those who reject Jesus Christ face eternal separation from God in “blackest darkness” (Jude 1:4–13).

In Judaism, a person’s inner character and moral quality are understood to be reflected through the eyes. In Matthew 6:22–23, Jesus compares the moral condition of an unregenerate soul to darkness: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Jesus’ listeners would have understood that a healthy eye is one that lets in light just as a healthy regenerated heart lets in spiritual light. But a sick or sinful eye (or heart) shuts out light, leaving the soul in spiritual darkness.

The apostle Paul describes those in a sinful state before knowing Christ as possessing a darkened, closed mind and a hardened heart: “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him” (Ephesians 4:18, NLT).

Unbelievers live in spiritual darkness because Satan, the god of this world, has blinded their minds. They cannot see the glorious light of the gospel: “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT).

Note: Many of the images below are from Micky Galloway ppt. which is on the internet so I assume I can use them.


Spiritual darkness refers to all that is in opposition to the light of God’s love in Christ. The good news that Jesus brings to this world is that His light—His life-giving Spirit—floods light and life into the spiritual darkness of the sinner’s heart. The One who opened the eyes of the blind can also bring us out of spiritual darkness. No matter how deep the darkness, the light of God’s love and truth overcomes every sin that separates us from God.

Q: 5:3,5 The two main sins of the darkness are sexual immorality and greed (covetousness). “Filthiness, foolish talk, and crude jesting” are probably connected to those two main sins. 

Would you say that our society today is characterized by 1)sexual immorality (4202 porneía (the root of the English terms “pornography, pornographic”; cf. 4205 /pórnos) which is derived from pernaō, “to sell off”) – properly, a selling off (surrendering) of sexual purity; promiscuity of any (every) type which would include fornication, adultery, homosexuality) and 

2) greed (4124 pleoneksía (a feminine noun derived from 4119 /pleíōn, “numerically more” and 2192 /éxō, “have”) – properly, the desire for more (things), i.e. lusting for a greater number of temporal things that go beyond what God determines is eternally best (beyond His preferred-will, cf. 2307 /thélēma); covetousness (coveting).

Q: What factors contribute to such a sexual immoral society that we have?

(Personal question to ask yourself): How hard is it to resist sexually immoral thoughts and deeds? How hard is it to to resist lust? What if, like Garfield, all our thoughts were put up in words above us all day? God sees those thoughts even if others can’t.  

Q: What factors contribute to such a greedy, materialistic society that we have? 

Jesus said, “Beware of all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15) in the parable of the rich man building bigger barns. So are there different kinds of greed? Yes, “desire for more” material things, power, control, status, attention, recognition, even time. 

Q: We all are blessed materially. When does a healthy desire for more in life become greed?

(Personal question to ask yourself): Am I content with what I have or always thinking about how to get more? Contentment is the key to overcoming greed.

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

Philippians 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Q: Paul says to not only don’t participate in them but to “expose the deeds of darkness”. How can we do that without becoming judgmental or self righteous? 


5. 5:15-21 Walk not as unwise men but as wise men

Q: What does “make the best use of your time for the days are evil” (4:16) mean? Is that just talking about time management for all your daily tasks (although that is wise)? 

In Ephesians 5:15, “make the best use of your time” means to be intentional and careful about how you spend your time, prioritizing activities that align with God’s will and serve others, rather than wasting time on worldly pursuits, especially considering that “the days are evil” (meaning the world is not aligned with God’s values)

Jesus said in John 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 

1 Peter 4:2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

Q: 4:18 Don’t be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. 

How big of a problem is drinking in our society? 

Without naming names, think of all the Christians you know who have ruined their lives with drinking.

Drinking is considered a significant problem in society, as excessive alcohol use is a leading preventable cause of death, contributing to a substantial number of deaths each year, and also causing significant health, social, and economic issues, including accidents, violence, family problems, and workplace disruptions; making it a major public health concern both in the United States and globally.

Key points about the scale of the drinking problem:

  • High mortality rate:
    Excessive alcohol use is linked to a large number of deaths annually, ranking it among the leading preventable causes of death. 
  • Economic impact:
    Alcohol misuse incurs significant costs due to healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and legal issues associated with alcohol-related incidents. 
  • Prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD):
    Millions of people in the US are diagnosed with AUD, indicating a substantial population struggling with problematic drinking habits. 
  • Social consequences:
    Alcohol abuse can lead to family dysfunction, relationship problems, and increased risk of violence. 
  • Global concern:
    Excessive alcohol consumption is recognized as a major public health issue worldwide. 

Q: Why do people drink so much (moderate drinking is not forbidden in the Bible)? 

Why is it such a problem on college campuses?

Why do even many Christians ruin their lives with drinking? 

Q: What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit (4:18)? Miraculous? 

Q: 4:19 Being filled with the Spirit leads to singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, teaching and admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16).

What is the difference between psalms, hymns, spiritual songs? 

Do you enjoy singing to the Lord? 

Does such singing uplift you and edify you? 

What if we could all sing like Vincent?

Does it matter how good you sing? Make a joyful “noise” (Psalm 100)

How important is Christian music to you and others?

Does making melody in our hearts mean you can’t make melody with instruments along with the singing? 

    psalmos: a striking (of musical strings), a psalm.    5568 psalmós – a psalm (“Scripture set to music”). Originally, a psalm (5568 /psalmós) was sung and accompanied by a plucked musical instrument (typically a harp), especially the OT Psalms.

Regardless of one’s view of the use of instruments in worship, is that issue a heaven/hell issue?

Would it be good to add instruments to our worship, or would it be divisive? It seems that it would cause many to either violate their conscience and sing or to leave. 

Is there a workable solution if many of the congregation would like to have some instrumental worship? 

Does contemporary Christian music mean a lot to you? 

What are some of the dangers of using instruments in worship? 

Q: Tied to being filled with the Spirit is giving thanks to God the father and to our Lord Jesus Christ “always and for everything” (4:20). 

How often do you thank God each day?

How often do you tell others thank you (probably we do that more than we thank God as we tend to take God for granted). 

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

PSALM 103:1-4Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.

PSALM 95:1-5 (NKJV)Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth’ the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

COLOSSIANS 3:15-17Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.