Tag: Jesus

Do Not Be Ignorant of the Rapture

On By TimIn 1 Thessalonians 04, Rapture1 Comment

But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and arose again, so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus1.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14

Yes, this will be yet another post on what the rapture is and what it is not. To begin, take a look at how Paul introduces the concept. First, this is for those who hope in the goodness of the Lord. It is not hope like one thinks contemporarily, that is that all things will work out. The hope here is that confident expectation that God will do what He promises to do. It is the same confidence the believers who have already passed held. And they will see the real promises of God come to be. The certainty of the Christian’s resurrection rests on Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

Contrast that to those who have no hope. People will perish and their bodies will rot in the grave. Perhaps that is the idea that is being considered, as it is probably the case that these Thessalonians knew that the dead bodies of people rotted away. With that knowledge, would come the expectation that these would miss out on the Jesus coming for them and instantly changing their bodies into incorruptible ones. The believers’ dead bodies would have become altogether corrupt. Paul explains that the dead in Jesus have the same sure end… Incorruptibility.

He also connects this hope to resurrection. The text is clearly saying that God will lead away with Jesus Christ those who sleep in Jesus. This tracks in a similar explanation of what the promise of resurrection is in the first part of 1 Corinthians 15. Thought scholars believe this epistle predates the ones to the Corinthians. Where it differs though, is the promise of the sudden change and relocation of the living Holy Ones when Jesus comes to lead them away. That is, this is primarily a relocation event commensurate with Jesus’ promise.

“Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. You know where I am going, and you know the way.”

John 14:1–4

This is all commensurate on that promise Jesus would come and take believers with Him. I know many believe this to be a rapture text. I think it is far more than just that. Jesus promises to receive any believer to Himself. Not only to receive, but to come get them. What I mean is that when someone is dying, Jesus is there to receive that person. The unspoken part between Jesus’ words and what Paul writes in one of his first epistles is the idea that living holy ones would see the coming of Jesus. The other unspoken part is that they would be taken away with Him.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:15

I will again make the case that this is not a resurrection event. Even though predeceased believers are given incorruptible bodies to go with Jesus, it is not the resurrection at the end of the age. Those passed on before have the privilege of being first. There are precise distinctions between what is promised to Israel and church- age holy ones. (That is explored in this post: The Surprising Way that Resurrection Proves Futurism and the Rapture Before the Hour of Testing)

If the resurrection is at the end of the age, those alive in the nations at His second advent enter the millennium. They will be the population of Earth dwellers that Jesus will reign over. They will be believers in human bodies like we have now. They will not be incorruptible. They will be primarily Israelis. Yet believers nonetheless.

Those will not be led away with Jesus, to be with Him. And the world will be ruled from Jerusalem with a rightful King until His enemies have been vanquished. Again, these are two distinct programs. One is for the body of Christ. The other is for Israel.

No Bible passage says there is only one second coming. Likewise, no Bible passage calls Jesus’ return the second coming. The term is coined, and it comes loaded with some baggage. The baggage leads some to ridicule the relocation of the body of church-age holy ones as if it were some secret. Though Paul called it a mystery, it is no secret. The meaning of the Greek word translated as mystery in 1 Corinthians 15:51 is Paul overtly and publicly explaining something that is henceforth no longer hidden. It’s no secret. When someone calls it a secret event, it is for ridicule. It is also to sow seeds of doubt in the mind. It is being dismissive to the text, it is okay to dismiss what they say and correct them.

A real conundrum exists if the rapture occurs at the second advent. The enemies of Jesus consisting of principalities and powers are sequestered away. The living human servants of those powers on earth are summarily vanquished and their souls sequestered away. If believers are glorified, pulled up to meet Jesus and return with Him then… Who populates the millennial kingdom?

To consider the two events as the same one is going to result in some form of replacement theology. Replacement theology teaches that the universal church has replaced Israel. All of the promises of Israel belong to the church. Most use a passage in Romans 9 as the basis of the error. Rest assured, the universal church has not replaced Israel. And praise the Lord for that!

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

The shout and the voice of the archangel is the command to assemble. It is signified by the trumpet call. It is not helpful to examine the usual apocalyptic literature in the Bible to understand this. Perhaps it has more to do with the first mention of trumpet in the Bible. It is in Exodus. It is connected with Israel at Mount Sinai.

When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

Exodus 19:13b

The trumpet blast is a call to assembly. This pattern was established then. It is also iterated again… This time with a shout!

So on the third day, in the morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet. All the people who were in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely covered in smoke because the Lord had descended upon it in fire, and the smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.

Exodus 19:16–19

Note how Moses, typifying Jesus, led the people out to meet God where He is. This idea tracks with exactly what Paul is saying.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Believers are called out to a meeting with the Lord in the air.

At this point, I have to say that there is an external context applied here by some scholars. It has to do with the Greek word translated into English meeting. The Greek word is apantēsis. It is said it could be used to describe the arrival of a visiting dignitary and the custom of the citizens of a city to go outside and meet them.

According to the ancient customs, citizens left the city to meet the honored one and escort him back to their city amidst great celebration. It is said that Paul may have used this image because it would be familiar to his audience. The custom is then used to imply that believers escort Jesus back to earth. In the text, there is no explicit description of either a procession to earth or to heaven. Just the promise that holy ones will be forever with the Lord.

Paul says believers will meet the Lord in the clouds, that space immediately above the earth. To further help this imagery is the implication that Jesus is arriving in the ancient style of god warriors. That is, He is coming in or on the clouds as if believers were meeting Him in His battle space.

While fancy, that cannot be the case. First, Jesus is not mentioned as coming in the clouds in 1 Thessalonians 4. We meet Him in the clouds. Second, Jesus’ battle space is clearly on the Earth.

I saw heaven opened. And there was a white horse. He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written, that no one knows but He Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called The Word of God. The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, with which He may strike the nations. “He shall rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice to all the birds flying in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather for the supper of the great God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of strong men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great!”
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to wage war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. But the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone. The remnant were slain with the sword which proceeded out of the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

Revelation 19:11–21

Third, if all believers are glorified and all unbelievers vanquished… Who populates the Millennial Kingdom?

Taking an external context and imposing it onto the Bible can be troublesome. And in these days when the rapture is mocked and scorn, it is imperative to study the entirety of the text of the Bible. It is going to require comprehensive diligence, but remember the Bible provides the best explanation and context for Itself.

It is easy to learn to parrot a line because it sounds like a plausible way to explain away the pre-trib rapture. In this case, the pre-tribulatioin rapture is introduced amidst some form of ridicule. It’s secret, or it has only been taught for 150 years in the church. As shown, both of those ideas are really lies. Speculation is then added to the Bible to make it say something it does not. This is long before someone produces a Bible text or two.

Often, it is the usual proof texts… Like in Matthew 25 when the bridegroom comes. The bridegroom comes to take those ready away, not to bring them back with him. Or in Acts 28 when Paul is greeted on his way to Rome to be executed. What the text does not say is that the people who met him were taken anywhere else by anyone, let alone with Paul who was in custody.

The rapture is not about us meeting Jesus Christ in the air to escort Him back to earth. It is for the church-age holy one to be forever with Jesus Christ where He is. As demonstrated, the timing necessary to the post-trib rapture does not work. That makes it heterodoxy in nature.

This event outlined by Paul in 1 Thessalonians is not the second advent of Jesus to the nation of Israel. It is the second advent of Jesus to church-age saints. And it is well before He comes at the end of the age..

Cain Draws Back

On By TimIn Genesis 04, SinLeave a comment

Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Genesis 4:1–2

After the creation of the first man and woman, and their fall into sin, these first two humans have relations and conceive. The narration now moves to the first two procreated people… Cain and Abel. For now, there is no mention of any other progeny from the first couple. Yet this account is probably familiar to many.

In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, but for Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4:3–5

These boys grew up to farm and shepherd as is implied in the text. It is also clear they grew up knowing the Lord personally. They also probably learned to bring offerings to God. Cain, a farmer, brought an offering of what he grew. Abel, a shepherd, gave to God of his flocks. There was an obvious difference in the attitudes behind the offerings. Abel gave the first and best portions of his increase. Because of the heart behind it, God preferred Abel’s offering.

Sometimes, knowledge of the Law of Moses blurs this issue. The law provides for both produce and blood offerings. For that reason what is spoken here may be missed. A cursory reading may also prevent one from understanding that Cain was not careful in what he offered to the Lord. At least he was not as caring as Abel. This made Cain angry. As the account goes, it is clear who bears the focus of his anger, even though Cain’s actions were the source of his own anger.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it.”

Genesis 4:6–7

Of course, the Lord approaches Cain and asks him why he is angry. It is not as if God needs information. It is an opportunity offered to Cain for introspection and confession. As it is, Cain has already drawn back from God. This is not unlike the same thing that happened to both Adam and Eve after they sinned. They turned away from the Lord, and the Lord sought them. In like manner, God had some questions for them. But there is a not-so-subtle inference that may be a bit controversial.

When Adam was asked by God, “Have you eaten?” He seemingly blamed the woman God gave to Him. I don’t think of it as all that. I see something else that is clearly there. Adam confessed exactly what happened. He said, “I ate.” In effect, he confessed his sin.

In the same way, God asked the woman, “What have you done?” Her answer also seems to be a total passing off of blame. Yet she too, confessed her sin, “I ate.”

In the Lord’s patient questions to Cain, he never once fessed up to what he did wrong. He could have been more careful in preparing his offering. He now has an opportunity to draw close to God and confess. But it is the goodness of the way the Lord does things, He encourages Cain to do better. He doesn’t coerce a response. This is the same gentle way the Lord leads me at times. It is as if I can really hear the words, “Tim, let’s do better.”

It’s that leftover unconfessed sin. It hampers Cain’s relationship with God. It does not hamper God’s relationship with Cain. The shame of the sin festers. The effect of that sin causes Cain to draw away from God.

Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Genesis 4:8

That gnawing canker erupts. Cain kills his brother in the field. I was drawn in with the question, what did Cain tell his brother?

The Bible translation I prefer is based on the Masoretic text. As is the King James Version. In fact, the Modern English Version tracks really well with that mainstay translation. What was said seems to be left out of that manuscript collection perhaps by copyist error. Leave it to the Septuagint… Which includes what was said. Cain told Abel, “Let us go out into the field.”

They did go into the field, and then Cain’s anger led him to kill his brother.

Now, as it would be, I have always been told that sin separates one from God. In the way I was led to understand is that God withdraws Himself from sin. I just don’t see that at all in these first few accounts of the Lord walking with His creations. They sin, and He comes to them as they move away. That’s been encountered at least three times in just two chapters of Genesis. It is like a pattern is being established.

The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Genesis 4:9

God approaches Cain with another thought-provoking question designed not to accuse or shame, but to get confession. Confessing sin is for Cain’s sake. It’s to remove the enmity that keeps him from going to God.

Cain’s asinine response was not a confession. But I think there is something more here. It seems Cain knew that God knew already. His response was a pushback on God. The sin that separated him from the Lord continued to work. It pushed Cain further away, increasing the width of the gap. The gap did not exist from God’s side, but it did on Cain’s. And it grew wider. Sin tricks people with shame, deceiving them that God is so far away, and the gap shame makes is insurmountable. This gives us another pattern. One of ungodliness and its effects that Paul expounded upon.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth through unrighteousness. For what may be known about God is clear to them since God has shown it to them. The invisible things about Him—His eternal power and deity—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world and are understood by the things that are made, so that they are without excuse.

Romans 1:18–20

Sin pushes people away from God. Cain actively suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. As his sin compounded, his own knowledge and experience of God became suppressed. I mean, imagine that Cain talked to God face-to-face. Yet he still pushed himself away. It is kind of like what happened to the Israelis at Mount Sinai. God wants to draw nigh, but people push themselves away.

As the conversation continues, God lays out the consequences of sin to Cain. I will also point out another controversial point. Just as God did not curse Adam or Eve, He does not curse Cain.

And then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:10–11

It is the ground that cries out for vengeance. This introduces a principle reality that will come to light later in the Torah.

So you will not defile the land which you are in, because blood defiles the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him that shed it. So do not defile the land which you are dwelling in, where I am residing, because I the Lord am residing among the children of Israel.

Numbers 35:33–34

Blood defiles the land. It cries for vengeance. All this talk of patterns, and there are several to explore. The blood points directly to Jesus. The penalty for sin is death. We know that. It is God Who renders justice. Jesus’ blood was spilled on the ground to satisfy the vengeance.

In another way, it is God Himself Who gives and takes life. There are accounts in the Bible where God is clearly the One responsible for shedding blood. If the ground cries out for vengeance of blood shed on it, how does God bleed to satisfy that? Jesus on the cross answers that question as He reveals Himself uniquely to John.

Revelation 1:17–18 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though I were dead. Then He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, though I was dead. Look! I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Here is Jehovah God saying He died. That is not me saying it.

Back to the topic, the Lord explains the reality to Cain, sin is lying at the door. The enmity Cain has grows. It comes with the shame of sin. But instead of confessing it, he embraces the condemnation. This is clear in his response to the Lord.

Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. You have driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from your face will I be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

Genesis 4:13–14

Cain could not farm anymore. He is driven from the face of the Earth. He blames God for that when it was the ground itself that cursed Cain. Could it be that Cain would have to find something else to gainfully provide for himself?

That is a question to ponder. In the entire account of Genesis so far, we have been introduced to four people, and one is dead. Cain attests to other people being around by saying anyone who finds him would avenge his brother. There are obviously far more people around than for what the author accounts. What is also unspoken but very apparent is the avenger of blood has to be a kinsman. He would have to be related to Abel. This comes from Deuteronomy 19 and the cities of refuge. The avenger of blood, which is the Hebrew word goel also translates to kinsman and redeemer.

The ideas are right there. Other people exist, and they are brothers (and sisters) of Abel. That answers a common skeptic’s question. Intentionally, there is yet another pattern given that points to the Goel, Jesus.

Cain knows that death haunts him for his sin. Does he confess?

So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Then the Lord put a mark upon Cain, so that no one finding him would kill him.

Genesis 4:15

Here is yet another pattern pointing to Jesus. The Lord gives Cain a stay of execution! This points directly to the cross. Jesus spilled His Own blood into the ground satisfying the vengeance sin requires and extending a respite of punishment to all.

It is like Jesus says to all, “You are free to go.” To Cain He did, and Cain took up that freedom.

Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Genesis 4:16

Cain walks away from God. He walked away from every single time the Lord came to him. This meta-narrative is explained by Paul.

All this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them, and has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18–19

The proof that God is reconciled to men through the work of Jesus Christ is evident even in the beginning. God approached people amid their sin. He extends the opportunity for them to restore fellowship in an instant. Adam and Eve did, but Cain did not.

Consider all that with this seemingly ominous passage from the writer of Hebrews

Therefore, brothers, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way that He has opened for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh, and since we have a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse them from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us firmly hold the profession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works. Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but let us exhort one another, especially as you see the Day approaching.
For if we willfully continue to sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which will devour the adversaries.
Anyone who despised Moses’ law died without mercy in the presence of two or three witnesses. How much more severe a punishment do you suppose he deserves, who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded the blood of the covenant that sanctified him to be a common thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine,” says the Lord, “I will repay.” And again He says, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:19–31

That is exactly where Cain is, fearing vengeance. Cain resisted God and let that fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation push him away from God. He didn’t reconcile himself to the Lord. God did His part, and patiently tolerated Cain’s sin to pursue Him. It wasn’t for vengeance. Cain left himself to the roaring lion who devours the adversaries.

The Lord is showing there is a way out. It is patient endurance in faith. Cain could have confessed at any time, instead, he chose to draw back into a dark place.

Remember the former days, after you were enlightened, in which you endured a great struggle of afflictions. In part you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and afflictions. And in part you became companions of those who were so abused. For you had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully endured the confiscation of your property, knowing that you have in heaven a better and an enduring possession for yourselves. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which will be greatly rewarded.
For you need patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive the promise.

Hebrews 10:32–36

Cain threw away his confidence in God because of his sin. He didn’t think he could ever get back into the graces of the Lord. His claim to fame was to run from the presence of the Lord. He wanted to rely on himself. That’s what sin does.

For, “In yet a little while,
He who is to come will come, and will not wait.
Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
But we are not of those who draw back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

Hebrews 10:37–39

If you are still reading, can I say… You are not like Cain. When God approached Cain, he drew back every single time. That’s not what the Lord wants of anyone. He wanted Cain, just as He wants everyone… Including you and me.

Be bold. Be confident. You can approach the Lord anywhere and at any time. Why wait? Sin is always going to draw you away.

Jesus Christ, Whom You Have Sent

On By TimIn Jehovah, Jesus, John 17Leave a comment

This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

John 17:3

This is one text taken from the prayer that Jesus offered to God on the night before He was crucified. The real need for people is to have eternal life. Many use the term being saved, but that term has some baggage. Eternal life is a gift given to believers by God Himself. That gift comes by knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ.

There is a point often debated, “Did Jesus really say He was God?“

Yes. He certainly did.

The idea is clearly laid out in His Own words. As it is said, oftentimes the Pharisees lets us know when He does that. They took up stones to kill Him.

This eternal life is knowing God and Whom He sent… Jesus Christ. Back during Jesus’ ministry, there was one of those episodes where the Pharisees took up stones. It was then that Jesus said:

My Father and I are one.”

John 10:30

The Jewish leaders tell us exactly what Jesus said:

Again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, claim to be God.”

John 10:31–33

The Pharisees have verified Jesus’ saying He is God. Look back up to the introductory text from John 17. Keeping that in mind, I want to consider other ways that plainly show Jesus as God. To know God is to know Jesus, Whom He sent and it is to have eternal life.

Jesus often used words that echoed those expressed in the Tanakh. I know that might be shocking. Yet Jesus knows the words of the prophets, and He knows the writings of Isaiah.

Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called:
I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.
Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken,
and I have called him;
I have brought him,
and his way will prosper.
Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.

Isaiah 48:12-16

Already, it may be clear to see some familiar phrases that we know are applied elsewhere to Jesus. I will start with the first, “I am He.” Jesus said that.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:24

In the context of this passage, Jesus is speaking of the Father Whom the Jewish folk know as God. The text is clear, that unless one believes “I am He,” they do not have eternal life. For clarity, those that do not have eternal life will perish in their sins. Jesus is unequivocally saying, that one cannot have eternal life unless that person believes He is God.

The next has many witnesses. Here is the first…

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and “What you see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Revelation 1:10–11

While in exile, the apostle John is caught up in a vision where he meets God. God calls Himself Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Most know that this Person is Jesus Christ.

Part of the reason for this post comes from a conversation over whether Jesus is now God. He is, but the protagonist in the conversation believes Jesus was God and is not now because of His location at the right hand of God. I get that these types of discussions are difficult for our minds to comprehend. God is like no other. That is why, there are none like Him. We have no frame of reference except what He says of Himself. It then becomes important to understand Him as He reveals Himself.

We know Jesus is Alpha and Omega. He offers something else about His identity. These are the key things to remember.

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though I were dead. Then He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, though I was dead. Look! I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 1:17–18

This Person addressing John says, “(T)hough I was dead, Look! I am alive forevermore.” This is an indicator to identity. He identifies Himself again as First and Last. Putting both together with He died and rose again, there is only One Person that matches. It is Jesus.

Which leads to another objection that my protagonist scoffs at. He denies the idea that God has died. Clearly, Jesus as God says He died and lives forevermore.

There is one more witness from Revelation to examine.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to give to each one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Revelation 22:12–13

Once again, this Person identifies Himself as Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last. It has already been established Who is speaking. Yet another witness to identity is this One is coming again. We know the One Who returning to Earth again is Jesus Christ!

Back in the passage of Isaiah 48 above, it says I am He, the First and Last. From the context, Jehovah is being spoken of in third person. Yet clearly the One narrating is God. Israelis in the day would know this well. They were very familiar with the Tanakh. Note, when connected from Isaiah to the Gospel of John and then Revelation, the idea coalesces. It is clearly conveyed that when Jesus says “I am He,” He is saying He is God.

But as it is in the Bible, things get a bit blurry…

Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.

Isaiah 48:16

This is the same invitation from Jesus in the New Testament. The God of the Tanakh is the same God that Jesus is. And He is this same God that sent Jesus Christ. Keep in mind, the same God that sent Jesus is the First and the Last.

In my mind, it seems there can only be One Who identifies as Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. The phrase leaves no room for others. That’s God and He is Jesus.

Jesus is not-so-secretly declaring that He is Jehovah. That same Jehovah Who sent Him!

This testimony of the Alpha and the Omega in the last book of the Bible connects it to one of those books in the rough middle of It, Isaiah. The text seems to draw the reader to closely examine the beginning. It is there that yet another witness identifies that Jesus is indeed Jehovah God.

All things were created through Him, and without Him nothing was created that was created.

John 1:3

John testifies that all things were created by Jesus. And God testifies in Isaiah that He spoke very clearly from the beginning. What does that mean?

Well, if all things that were created were created by Jesus… Jesus is not created. Which means He is the One Who created all things. Once again, in my mind that leaves no room for another creator.

Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:
Ask Me of things to come
concerning My sons,
and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
I have made the earth
and created man on it.
I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and I have ordained all their host.
I have raised him up in righteousness,
and I will direct all his ways;
he shall build My city,
and he shall let My captives go,
neither for price nor reward,
says the Lord of Hosts.

Isaiah 45:11-13

Thus says Jehovah, that is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) translated as Lord. He testifies He has made the Earth. All this was spoken by the Lord of Hosts (Jehovah of Hosts.) That’s the military title of Jesus Christ. He is Jesus, the Son of God, and He is God.

It is like everything is pointing to the beginning. It might just be beneficial to check it out.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

I assume most are familiar with this verse. What many may not know are the not-so-secret things hidden just behind the translation into English. Here is the verse in transliterated Hebrew.

Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz

I tend to be a bit nerdy. I’m no Hebrew scholar. But I’m certain many see the word Elohim. It is well known as one of the names of God.

It is that two-letter word et, which is not translated into any English Bibles. There is much controversy over what the ‘word’ means. I am one that does not think it is a word, but is more of am identifying signature.

See, that two-letter et, in the Hebrew alphabet is also two letters, those being the aleph and the tav. The significance of those two letters is like the signature. It is as if it is literally saying, “In the beginning created God Aleph-Tav.”

The aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The tav is the last letter. Has God spoken not in secret from the beginning?

Yes!

Jesus the Son, is the Creator God. The same Elohim Aleph-Tav Alpha-Omega Who spoke creation to be. The same God Who died and lives forevermore!

Kept from the Hour of Temptation

On By TimIn Rapture, Revelation 03Leave a comment

Because you have kept My word of patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation which shall come upon the entire world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Revelation 3:10

There are two pertinent things that need to be clearly understood in Jesus’ words here.

First, the hour of temptation comes upon the entire Earth, there will be no place to escape it on Earth. And it will test those who dwell on Earth. The language indicates that every individual on the Earth will be tested.

Second, Jesus promises to keep the ones who believe in Him from that hour of temptation. Which means those kept from it are necessarily not on Earth.

The text clearly indicates that believers are relocated off of the Earth before trouble begins.

    The Truth About Idols

    On By TimIn 1 Timothy 03, Spiritual WarfareLeave a comment

    Without question, great is the mystery of godliness:
    God was revealed in the flesh,
    justified in the Spirit,
    seen by angels,
    preached to the Gentiles,
    believed on in the world,
    taken up into glory.

    1 Timothy 3:16

    Paul’s charge to his son in the faith Timothy is to reassure him that he knew how to conduct himself in the house of God. Amidst the instructions for overseers in the local church is this sentence which most think was a hymn or creed of those early Christians. It speaks of the mystery that we now know.

    God is revealed in the flesh. The speaks of the incarnation of Jesus. Not that God changed places, but that He is revealed in flesh. This speaks to the Son’s existence before His virgin birth. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2, He being in the form of God. He is the brightness of His glory and the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3.) The Son is Spirit being revealed in the flesh. Jesus taught us that God is Spirit (John 4:24.)

    That’s part of the mystery. It continues. Jesus was not justified in the flesh, but justified in the Spirit. That is attested to in His resurrection. When He came back from the dead in a new body, it proved there was no other entity that could lay hold on Him.

    He is preached to the Gentiles, basically the truth is being spread to all nations. He is believed on in the world. Many people are saved because He is preached. We know He is taken up into glory. He sits at the right hand of the Father, as God.

    Seen by Angels

    It is this idea that Jesus was seen by angels, that draws me in. Jesus being seen by the angels means they could identify Him as God readily. But does it entail that He is known by them before being manifest in the flesh?

    There seems to be testimony to that fact. It occurs in one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ ministry in Israel.

    Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great crowd followed Him from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan. And those from Tyre and Sidon, a great crowd, when they heard what great things He did, came to Him. He told the disciples to have a small boat ready for Him because of the crowd, lest they should crush Him. For He had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed on Him to touch Him. When unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him, crying out, “You are the Son of God.” But He sternly ordered them not to make Him known.

    Mark 3:7–12

    If we take Mark’s Gospel chronologically here, this incident occurred before Jesus selected any of His inner-circle of twelve disciples.

    What is clear is that the people around Jesus are the time did not really know they were in the presence of God. Let alone that He is made flesh. Yet those unclean spirits know and testify to the fact right. They could apprehend the spiritual reality readily. But a question comes to mind. Where did they come from?

    So many details are not included. I think it safe to assume that Jesus was casting unclean spirits out of people. Those spirits identified Him immediately. And He commanded them to not reveal Who He is. Did the crowd present hear and what did they understand?

    I don’t know. I know there were spiritual beings present by witness of the text. Are there any indications that some of those were angels?

    The text lends itself to that idea. The Bible reveals that there are two kinds of unclean spirits, fallen angels and demons. Demons are the disembodied spirits from the progeny of some fallen angels, the Nephilim.

    The Disembodied Spirits Called Demons

    When men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and took as wives any they chose.

    Genesis 6:1–2

    Way back toward the beginning of it all, Moses reveals that angels took wives. The language used is not pleasant, and it isn’t without controversy. The term Sons of God is used sparingly in the Tanakh. As it is used in other places, it always means angels. That is direct creations of God and this by that same title given to Adam in Luke 3:38. (There are other resources that delve into this concept, the tag cloud can help in that pursuit.)

    The progeny of the fallen angels and their taken human women were called Nephilim. They were the mighty men of old.

    The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

    Genesis 6:4

    It is my opinion that the corrupted human bloodlines from these strange flesh unions were the vast majority of people that died in the flood. That idea comes from the Septuagint translation where it says that Noah was perfect in his generations. The Greek word translated is where the English word generations comes. It reveals a relationship to Noah’s genetics.

    In fact, the entire incident of the ark hints that there were corrupted genetics in the human and animal kinds. God chose all the occupants of the ark. If Noah was perfect in his generations, it follows that the animals selected were perfect in theirs.

    Now, it becomes a bit clearer that there are many unclean spirits, and kinds such as fallen angel and the disembodied spirits of angel/human hybrids known as demons. It follows that the unclean spirits (both angelic and demon) would see God as He is and readily identify Him in the flesh.

    Before the Time

    There is another encounter Jesus had with unclean spirits that is important to understand. It reveals yet another concept.

    When He came to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two men possessed with demons, coming out of the tombs, extremely fierce, so that no one might pass by that way. Suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

    Matthew 8:28–29

    These unclean spirits are specifically identified as demons. They identify Jesus’ divinity readily. Yet it is those two questions. Apparently they knew of certain timings. And they knew of torment, and their consignment to it. One might ask, is there punishment spoken of in the Bible?

    It takes a bit of sleuthing to get it out of the Tanakh. So the first stop is the last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy. This particular Chester is full of details on the spiritual reality of Things.

    They made Him jealous with strange gods;
    with abominations they provoked Him to anger.
    They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
    to gods whom they knew not,
    to new gods that recently came along,
    whom your fathers did not fear.

    Deuteronomy 32:16–17

    Israel went to worship stage gods. These were actually demons. The Hebrew word is shedim, it appears only twice in the Bible.

    The Israelis sacrificed to the demons. The text says these were new gods that recently came along. It seems to indicate that these came after creation. This is especially clear as it follows Genesis 6 above.

    It bears mentioning that the mythological Golden Age hearkens back to the time when gods lived with humans. This would be before the flood. There is a stark difference between the mythological understanding and what God thinks of the days of Noah. There is a contemporary popular mantra announcing a new Golden Age. The Bible does tell us that the end days will be like the days of Noah. The gods will once again live with men.

    There is a definitive judgment coming. And this is what the demons were alluding to about Jesus coming to them before the time. Jeremiah prophesied the demise of those gods.

    Thus you shall say to them: The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.

    Jeremiah 10:11

    Remember, in the encounter above that those demons also alluded to torment. That is a reference to eternal fire. Jesus told us the how and what for in that.

    “Then He will say to those at the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

    Matthew 25:41

    Eternal fire is made for the devil and his angels. By the testimony of the demons in the vicinity of the Gerasenes, they knew of their fate in torment. It follows that eternal fire is for the devil, fallen angels, and demons.

    To come full circle, we are still before the time. The time comes in the judgment of the great day. The one reserved for all of the enemies of God, the Great White Throne of Revelation 20.

    Idol Talk

    This may shock the sensibilities of some. The idols of the Old Testament are real beings. They are not simple creations of carved wood and hammered metals. They are not figments of active imagination. They were and are real entities that take worship to themselves. They have a clear destination.

    The loftiness of man shall be humbled,
    and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
    the Lord alone will be exalted in that day;
    the idols He shall utterly abolish.

    Isaiah 2:17–18

    I know that many think idols are the creation of vivid imaginations. They are not. This truth gets further confused because of the allegorization of the idea of an idol. One that reinforces the notion that they are figments of the imagination which take us away from God.

    I think that this allegorization has led to many folks putting their guard down. In other words, the west has been trained not to see these things. That makes it harder to understand the stark reality of the enemies against us as a race.

    For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

    Ephesians 6:12

    The truths revealed in the Bible don’t always lend themselves to a personal application. Sometimes, that might obscure the reality. It then seems a bit silly to say that something like football or food becomes an idol for people. It may seem to lend itself that way, but the idols of the Old Testament are clearly real entities. Ones who do not want humans to flourish.

    Changing Allegiance

    The purpose for this lengthy article is to expose the reality. The hope is for the body of Christ to shake off the silly thinking that idols are imaginary things that keep us from God. The truth is these are real entities who have real power, that is if one extends it to them. When Jesus went to the cross, He removed the bondage. People can be free of these besetting and disabling influences in Jesus’ name.

    In the Tanakh, there is no sinners’ prayer. Though the invitation is there as a call to change one’s mind… To repent. The reality is that to leave idols is to change allegiance. To come to God is to change allegiance.

    Which leads to an important biblical principle. One that many do not quite grasp. The spirit world tends toward the legalistic. They cannot go where they do not have rights. From the beginning, this principle is laid out. Adam yielded rights to the dominion he was given by God.

    This point is personally extended and explained in the New Testament. One yields their members, thus giving rights and permissions to the unclean spirits. Jesus spoke of this in John 8. Paul shows all exactly what it is.

    Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield yourselves to God, as those who are alive from the dead, and your bodies to God as instruments of righteousness.

    Romans 6:13

    God does not work in anyone until one lets Him do it. Ephesians 1:13 clearly demonstrates this principle. It is a truth that clobbers some fatalistic lies taught by some circles of Christianity. The Bible is clear, one serves who one yields to serve. That is why the Bible uses the term servants and slaves, as these have masters.

    I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you have yielded your members as slaves to impurity and iniquity leading to more iniquity, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness. For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit did you have then from the things of which you are now ashamed? The result of those things is death. But now, having been freed from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit unto holiness, and the end is eternal life.

    Romans 6:19–22

    The problem is that all have sinned. Universally, it is before anyone can know the requirements of the moral law. When that’s explained, the reality is all have missed the mark of perfection necessitated.

    The ugly underbelly of that is a person who sins yields themselves to a master. Sin brings more sin, which brings death. Death brings judgment.

    Jesus frees all from having to be bound to sin. When anyone repents and believes, God deposits His Spirit in that person freeing them from condemnation. The Spirit becomes a permanent presence and mark in them forever.

    Indwelling Unclean Spirits

    Another interweaving theme in the Bible suggests that the enemy counterfeits the things of God. It follows that those unclean spirits could also enter a person. There are many such cases detailed in the Scriptures. Consider what Jesus says about that from a different perspective.

    “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through dry places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation.”

    Matthew 12:43–45

    Even though the principle Jesus is teaching is not necessarily about demon possession. He is using that truth to explain the activities of those who questioned and mocked His divine authority. It is a stern warning against the real dangers of stubborn disbelief. The important consideration being taught is that rejecting Jesus lends one to be more open and vulnerable to the principalities and powers of the air.

    Think back to Jesus’ ministry, and the early days of the apostles. Possession of a person by indwelling unclean spirits was real. Jesus, the apostles, and even some others did cast demons out of folks. But did that problem just go away?

    From present reality, no. It certainly seems foreign to many in western Christianized nations. It is as if the enemy has subtly hidden himself and his tactics. The activity of unclean spirits recessed in a way to not really be detectable. In modern times, demon possession is really just fodder for ghost stories and scary movies.

    It did not just disappear. I see the evidence more frequently than I want to encounter it. And I’ve had personal encounters. I think there is a marked increase as the time quickly approaches. It is a last hurrah.

    There are some immediately discernible behavioral indicators of influence and even possession by unclean spirits. These behavioral indicators have increased exponentially in contemporary populations because of the late hour. So… How does this happen?

    It certainly does not without a person presenting themselves for the very purpose. Sometimes those rights and permissions are coerced by trauma, whether the trauma is purposed for that or not. Sometimes they are granted when one willfully ingests hallucinogenics into their body. It doesn’t matter if using those substances is legal or not. Others present themselves purposefully, knowing exactly what it is they are doing.

    The language I use is indeed nuanced for various reasons. Mainly, I am not yet led to write in further detail on the subject. The point is that there are real unclean spirits and they attempt to influence the world in the same ways they did at the time of Jesus.

    Humans are in a real spiritual war!

    The Turning Point

    There’s a reason why much of this has slipped under the proverbial radar. It is to avoid detection. But why?

    Well, that leads to one of my favorite things about what Jesus did at the cross.

    He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed authorities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them by the cross.

    Colossians 2:14–15

    It was the law that empowered sin because it exposed sin in everyone. At the cross, Jesus took the handwriting, really He took the certificate of indebtedness to sin and destroyed it. In effect, freeing the entire race of humanity from the bondage of sin. The enemies had to go underground. In light of the truth that nobody is bound to yield themselves to their influences.

    It is the other part that is more important. He disarmed the authorities and powers. These unclean spirits really have no power, other than what anyone may be extended to them. Because Jesus removed the indebtedness, they have only whatever is willfully volunteered. The truth is that anything given can also be revoked by will. It is done in the name of Jesus Christ. It is by Him that folks are set free.

    Concluding Thoughts

    This is not meant to elicit fear. On the contrary, because Jesus died there is nothing to fear. As the introductory citation shows, His resurrection is proof of that.

    For those who are reading, it may be that God is revealing some things to you. You may have extended rights and privileges you no longer want to do. That is easy to fix. You can revoke them at any time in the name of Jesus.

    For those who have never really believed or changed allegiances, you can do that, too. Set your mind to serving God. Believe that Jesus did die. In so doing, demolished the certificate of indebtedness that shackled you. The proof is, He rose again. Believing that is what pleases God.

    And without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

    Hebrews 11:6

    The Name: Yours

    On By TimIn Isaiah 62, RedemptionLeave a comment

    For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. And you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons shall marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God shall rejoice over you.

    Isaiah 62:1–5

    As Isaiah writes, it is easy to see the love that God has for Israel. Even though her disobedience produced many problems and the land became forsaken, God promises restoration. With that restoration also comes another surprising promise. One is this principle I want to explore.

    Years ago, I wrote a small series of posts on the idea of The Name. It was to show the importance of names, and specifically related to the promises of God. With redemption and restoration, God gives new names. Just as the one we bear now passed on to us by our parents, the Father will give new names to His children.

    Back to Isaiah, the prophet is relating how God perceives Zion. That is, the mountain of God… Jerusalem. Sometimes when names like Zion, Jerusalem, and others are used, it is as a rhetorical device. In this case, Jerusalem is a synecdoche for the people of Israel.

    Many years ago, Mark Twain visited the Holy Land and wrote a travelogue entitled “Innocents Abroad.” There is some controversy in quoting him. Some say it is out-of-context to make it appear as some sort of proof of what the Bible says. But much of what he described in his experience of traveling through the Holy Land is that the land did appear forsaken and desolate. He said of the city of Jerusalem, that it could be circumnavigated on foot at a normal pace in about an hour.

    That was long before Israel became a nation in the early 20th century. For almost 2,000 years, there was no nation. The Israeli people were scattered among the nations of the world. Even though they retained their national identity in diaspora, it would be apt to describe their plight as forsaken.

    We have had and continue to have the privilege to witness firsthand this saga of redemption as God promised would happen. Isaiah wrote much of the future for Israel. There are controversial opinions that the prophecies have been fulfilled, while others think there is yet a future consummation of these. Yet since the birth of the nation in 1948, much seems to bloom as we watch.

    The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God.

    Isaiah 35:1–2

    It is a controversial statement to say that the modern state of Israel made the desert blossom. That’s because the world wants Israel to be thought of by her old names Forsaken and Desolate. Perhaps it is just a bit of jealousy. This seeming increasing favor to Israel becomes a silent portent of urgency. I think deep inside, we all know the time of the end is near. It is Israel that is God’s timepiece.

    We mere mortals living now have witnessed an extraordinary move of God in our lifetimes. Some of you may be a bit older than I… Many perhaps younger. But there is no mistake. It is now almost 80 years into the existence of Israel, and the land has had remarkable and noteworthy changes. It is hard not to acknowledge those. It is almost as if Israel were a bride being gussied up for a wedding!

    And what happens to a bride when she gets married?

    Well, traditionally… She takes on a new name. After all, the name is what I am writing about.

    Israel will have a new name. It will be given by the mouth of the Lord. It is a promise of the Lord’s delight in His people.

    Recently, in our small group as we study the book of Exodus, we chatted about how most people perceive the God of the Tanakh as different than how Jesus is portrayed. Having read through the Old Testament many times, it is remarkable how quickly one can be disabused of that idea. He is the same God. Jesus attested to the fact.

    Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
    Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”

    John 8:19

    If one knows the Father, they would immediately know Jesus. It follows, if one knows Jesus, they would know the Father. It is an inescapable conclusion that they are the same God with the same purpose.

    Some call it the romance of redemption. As Israel is redeemed, a new name will be given. Yet surprisingly, this is a principle that applies to each of us as individuals. God wants to redeem us in the same way He redeems His people collectively. This is one of those promises that is for you.

    I know for me, the world programmed my inner voice to go along with the names it wanted me to go by… Ugly, Fat, Unimportant… Whatever. But now, since I have been redeemed… God calls me His son. Jesus calls me a brother. Yet I know there is something greater in store. Something that is intimately between God and I.

    He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except he who receives it.

    Revelation 2:17

    There is far more than just getting a new name… Being redeemed means to never perish and to never be forsaken. Things the promise to Israel. It is the same promise that Jesus extends to each of us. Jesus Himself will publicly proclaim the name He gives to me before others.

    He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

    Revelation 3:5

    As extraordinary as all of that sounds, I will also be inscribed with Jesus’ own new name.

    He who overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My own new name.

    Revelation 3:12

    What does this mean?

    Well, I think if you’ve ruined your reputation, there is redemption in Jesus for each of us. I also know, as we watch Israel become more prosperous, it is a reminder of the urgency to be right with God. And that is easy.

    Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing… You can stop and acknowledge God right now. Believe that He came to redeem you. He sent His Son Who satisfied your moral failures taking them upon Himself. He died taking them to the grave. And He rose again, giving the gift of eternal life to any who wishes to have it. Then confess that belief out loud. You may also confess your sins and He takes them away.

    Salvation is easy…

    Acknowledge He is. The Bible calls this repentance.

    Believe He died and rose again for you.

    Confess, tell others about it.

    There is None Like Me

    On By TimIn Hebrews 01, Triune GodLeave a comment

    God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world. He is the brightness of His glory, the express image of Himself, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

    Hebrews 1:2–3

    When recently reading this portion of Scripture, it reminded me of a recent conversation. The gist of which was an objection to this phrase, “Jesus is God.” The objection went something like, “Jesus was God, but not at this time.” As He is sitting at the right hand of God.

    Granted, when discussing this issue, things become very difficult for our finite minds to grasp. Even my bride asked me recently about these things, and they are hard to explain. I think there are multiple reasons. One is our limited physical reality which inhibits film understand of spiritual things. Second, and probably most important, is that He says there is no one like Him. I think that means there is nothing akin to God as One.

    Remember the former things of old,
    for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is no one like Me,
    declaring the end from the beginning,
    and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
    “My counsel shall stand,
    and I will do all My good pleasure,”

    Isaiah 46:9–10

    I know that there are those who object to the idea that Jesus is God and is sitting at the right-hand of God because it doesn’t make sense. To cope with that, the explanation is as if somehow Jesus is separate from and takes off what it is to be God. The idea is rather difficult because there is nothing to like Him for comparison.

    It’s a point that God says of Himself, He is not like anything else. He just is.

    Considering that, I think the writer of Hebrews wants to convey the clear distinction between the Father and the Son… And how Each is no less God. (I would add ‘at any time,’ but that makes a mess of things because God is not encumbered by time.) I also think this portion of Hebrews lends help to enlighten a weird passage in the Torah. Which in turn helps to clarify the issue at hand.

    Yes, the Father spoke though prophets, but then He sent His Son. The Son is Heir of all things. He is everything that God is. Yet there is a distinction. It is the Son Who Himself purged our sins. The Son then sat down at the right hand of Majesty. That hints that there is something significantly different about the Son… It is a term I think of as locality. It is also seems as if Jesus put Himself in the position of contingency to God. Paul indicates this in Philippians 2. He said that Jesus emptied Himself of what it was to be God and took on the form of a servant not considering equality with God as something to hold tight. This is instructive because Jesus has to rely on God, and in that way He becomes a model to follow.

    The writer of a Hebrews will make the case that a body was prepared for the Son. A human body, conceived, gestated, born, grown to adulthood, and eventually wounded to death by sin. It’s the humility of the Savior submitting Himself to the penalty of sin, death. He is human in every way yet perfectly sinless. Death had no claim to Him and He took up His life again. Yet He still has a body, and is not like a spirit. He’s not like an angel at all. Therefore He has locality like any other human. Yet He is still God in every way.

    He was made so much better than the angels as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
    For to which of the angels did He at any time say:
    “You are My Son;
    today I have become Your Father”?
    Or again,
    “I will be a Father to Him,
    and He shall be a Son to Me”?
    And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
    “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
    Of the angels He says:
    “He makes His angels spirits,
    and His servants a flame of fire.”

    Hebrews 1:4–7

    Jesus is far superior to the angels. He is Unique. The language reveals the conception of the Son. Humans conceive and beget children, angels do not. (Though the Bible speaks plainly that some of those left that estate and sought strange or different flesh.) It’s a precise idea being conveyed. Jesus is human, He has a body. Angels don’t have a body.

    He is the Son and His position is clearly God as all the angels worship Him… At His birth, and even at the right hand of God. It is like God is talking to God. I write it that way because the Father is speaking to the Son, God to God. I’m certain this might just fry the thinking circuits of many. But God is clearly talking to God. He’s not talking to Himself, as there are two distinct Persons involved. The One speaking is God and the One being praised is God.

    Don’t believe what I say. It is what the Bible says.

    But to the Son He says:
    “Your throne, O God, lasts forever and ever;
    a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
    You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
    with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
    And,
    “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
    and the heavens are the works of Your hands.
    They will perish, but You remain;
    and they all will wear out like a garment;
    as a cloak You will fold them up,
    and they will be changed.
    But You are the same,
    and Your years will not end.”

    Hebrews 1:8–12

    Your throne, Oh God… That’s the Son. Therefore God, your God… That’s the Father. It is crystal clear that God is talking to God. And it’s not like you or I when we talk to ourselves.

    Now, it might all seem to be a game in semantics. But it is necessary to look back at the Torah for some contextual clues. I think there is one incident back in Genesis that is useful. It’s back when God calls Abram. God makes some promises to the patriarch. Promises that He alone will keep.

    Genesis chapter 12 progresses from the first promises to chapter 15. This is where God again iterates the promises to Abram. Abram begins to boldly question God, not that He doesn’t believe but wants to know how it will be. God promises Abram the Promised Land as a possession. When Abram asks God how he will know God keeps His promises, this is the response.

    So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
    Then Abram brought all of these to Him and cut them in two and laid each piece opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds in half. When the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

    Genesis 15:9–11

    Yeah, to me, that’s just weird. But this is how covenants were made in those days. Animals were slaughtered by cutting them in half. Each half was laid to one side of the pooled blood between them. The next animal in line would be likewise slaughtered, and so on. This created a blood path between them. The significance is that both parties walk through the cut animals on the blood path to testify that if they break the covenant they will be cut to pieces and shed their blood as these animals. In other words, the person breaking the covenant must die.

    It’s here that I must say that I think the significance of this is barely understood. Not so much the covenant and ritual, but the precision of the details. The parties of the covenant are going to walk that blood path placing a curse upon themselves if the covenant is broken.

    Back to the scene at hand, Abram was shooing away the birds of prey. As was the custom, the greater party went first. Abram was prepared to go through and waited on God. But, a deep sleep came upon him. Then something odd happened.

    As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and terror and a great darkness fell on him. Then He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will live as strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. But I will judge the nation that they serve, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. As for you, you will go to your fathers in peace and you will be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation, your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.

    Genesis 15:12–16

    God gave Abram a satisfying rest. Just as Jesus says to come unto Him and He gives rest. That detail alone is important and points forward to Jesus. It also provides a clue as to Who is really here. There is a hint to the prophetic detail of this particular incident.

    I do have questions. One, I want to ask why was God talking to Abram in that deep sleep?

    Perhaps this is a way of how God gives visions. It’s recorded for our edification. Which begs another question… Does that mean God cannot work on me until I rest?

    It would seem like it. Nevertheless, God gives Abram details about his progeny. But, it’s what comes next that is difficult to ignore.

    When the sun went down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot with a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

    Genesis 15:17

    Abram is sleeping. God talks to him in his sleep. Then It got dark. I think many overlook the significance of the Entities making the Covenant. It’s often said that God made a Covenant with Himself. That almost sounds like crazy talk. But it’s not crazy to think that covenants exist between two or more parties. In this case, we have at least two Persons if not three.

    The first is the smoking firepot. Representing the Father, the all consuming fire, the One Who descended on on Mount Sinai in exodus. The One Who led the Israelis in the wilderness by the pillar of cloud. And there’s that smoke which surrounds God much like the Holy Spirit does in John’s Revelation.

    The flaming torch is the Light, Jesus. He is the Begotten. He is the Heir of all things.

    These parties walked as equals on the blood path signifying that should the covenant be broken, their own blood would be shed in like manner. God doesn’t have blood. From Genesis 3:15, the idea of God having begotten Progeny is clear. The blood path is pointing directly at the incarnation of Jesus.

    Furthermore, These Parties will keep the contract. Jesus inherits the land. Israel is established forever. This points forward to the sealed scroll in Revelation. There is no detail that is not important.

    On that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

    Genesis 15:18–21

    What God did was to signify to Abram, even if you break the covenant I will be cut to pieces.

    Covenants aren’t single party. It wasn’t God promising Himself. It was the Spirit promising to the Father and the Son, the Son promising to the Spirit and the Father, and the Father promising to the Spirit and the Son. It’s Their covenant to establish and keep, not Abram’s. Even if Abram broke it, the consequences fell to the Parties in the covenant.

    The Son promised to keep the covenant. As did the Father and the Spirit.

    The throne of the Son is a forever thing. With a promised purpose…

    But to which of the angels did He at any time say:
    “Sit at My right hand,
    until I make Your enemies
    Your footstool”?

    Hebrews 1:13

    Jesus is God. He has never changed, nor never will.

    Shepherds Living in the Fields

    On By TimIn Humility, Luke 021 Comment

    And in the same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

    Luke 2:8

    When you see the word shepherd, what comes to mind?

    Do you visualize middle-aged weather-worn men like I did?

    That’s probably not the reality. Most likely, these shepherds would be teenagers and probably even preteens. It was such a lowly position to hold.

    For years, I thought these would be older well-worn adults. The account of David tending sheep as a teenager is one of those iconic backdrops presented in the Tanakh. Being a shepherd was like an entry level position. It would not be surprising that it would be reserved for the younger ones in the family.

    Most of us are familiar with the setting, Mary had just given birth the Jesus. Luke’s narrative then focuses on the humblest of people… The shepherds. Imagine yourself in the field that night.

    And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid.

    Luke 2:9

    Shepherds… Who sleep with the flocks. Shepherds… Who ward off predators of the sheep. Shepherds… Who probably spend lots of time alone with their thoughts.

    Out in the fields at night, it’s dark and most likely chilly. Suddenly, it’s as bright as day and an angel appears. There was no warning of anything approaching them or the flock. It was just there in a moment… Fight or flight!

    Just another night in the field performing a humbling task and seemingly adding to the humility a sudden appearing of a being surrounded by the brightest light. The mind races to fear and then thinks, there’s no where to run for escape. Wait! That spectacular being speaks…

    But the angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

    Luke 2:10–12

    The first to hear the announcement of the Messiah were shepherds. Messiah had been born, not at home, but in someone else’s barn. While the mind might just begin to ponder the strange and exceeding lowliness of the situation contrasted to the pomp and splendor of the announcement…

    Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
    “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.”

    Luke 2:13–14

    What would you do?

    When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

    Luke 2:15

    A moment of panic turned into joy and excitement. Let’s go see!

    So they came hurrying and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger.

    Luke 2:16

    Those shepherds wasted no time. They went directly to the place where the announced Messiah is.

    Just in this little scenario is a simple presentation of the Gospel. Think back to when you first heard of Jesus. I’m certain before the good news was heard, there was that momentary sensation of panic. One that there is nowhere to hide from an ever-present God Who knows all things. What to do?

    The mind reels. Wait! There’s a Savior?

    Hurry, let’s go see!

    Everyone’s response should be to run to Jesus. These shepherds went and witnessed what was announced for themselves. But…There’s more.

    When they had seen Him, they made widely known the word which was told them concerning this Child.

    Luke 2:17

    They spread the Good News far and wide.

    And all those who heard it marveled at what the shepherds told them.

    Luke 2:18

    The first evangelists were most likely children… Teenagers and preteens. That fact alone might shock some, but there is more to this account.

    In the ancient near east, common practice was for the youngest children to tend the flocks. It wasn’t just male children that shepherded. But there would also be girls who shepherded. The practice continues today in Israel.

    Some of the earliest texts in the Bible testify to that fact, too.

    Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he dwelled by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. Then shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

    Exodus 2:15–17

    Moses met the daughters of Reuel, they were tending to their father’s flock. This seems to be another iteration of a subtle theme.

    When Jacob fled Esau at his mother’s bidding… He went to his uncle Laban. He goes east and finds a well. He asks the gathered shepherds about his uncle.

    Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?”
    And they said, “We know him.”
    He said to them, “Is he well?”
    And they said, “He is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep.”

    Genesis 29:5–6

    Everything in the Bible is there by design. I had not paid any attention to these little details. But are there, shockingly obvious, and very satisfying.

    It’s fascinating that the announcement of Jesus’ birth came to teenagers. Not just boys, but a probable mix of boys and girls. These would be ready to receive such glad tidings. The spectacle was not reserved for old-barnacled men. Perhaps that was one of those things Mary pondered about.

    When these witnesses spread the word of what transpired that night, Those heard marveled, not just at the account, but most likely because it was coming from teenaged boys and girls.

    Let that delight settle into your consciousness.

    After Hearing, After Believing, Sealed Forever

    On By TimIn Ephesians 01, Eternal SecurityLeave a comment

    In Him you also, after hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and after believing in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

    Ephesians 1:13–14

    Like other parts of the Bible, this is a powerful passage. It debunks a majority of erroneous doctrines. Two that come to mind…

    Regeneration before faith is impossible here. Hearing, believing, and sealed are ordered. The tenses of each verb in the Greek are all aorist. The aorist tense is best translated at perfect tenses in English. The best way to describe the tense is once and done, meaning it cannot be undone. After one hears, it cannot be undone. After one believes, it cannot be undone. Once one is sealed, it cannot be undone.

    The latter idea is reinforced in the words that describe Who the Holy Spirit is. This debunks the other popular error, that one can somehow lose or forfeit salvation by free will.

    “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me. For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

    Matthew 11:28–30

    Jesus beckoned for all to come unto Him. He promised to give them rest. Not only is that rest from work, it is rest from persevering. It is also rest from worry because He keeps His promises and He keeps His own.

    Just as Paul wrote to the Ephesians. If you’ve heard, and then you believed… You are delivered from death and judgment, being sealed by the Holy Spirit Himself. He is given as earnest money guaranteeing the fulfillment. You don’t have to guarantee the fulfillment by work, perseverance, or worry. He does.

    There are now two witnesses from the Scriptures of this truth. There are more, but one particularly satisfying is from Jesus Himself as recorded by John.

    Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. But I told you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and he who comes to Me I will never cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who has sent Me, that of all whom He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

    John 6:35–40

    Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him. It’s not enough to see or hear about Jesus. One has to make the next step, believe in Him to have eternal life. What does that mean?

    Jesus explained it to the Pharisees…

    Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

    John 8:24

    Check the immediate context of that text. Jesus is making the case that He forgive sins. He is the Light. Things that Jewish folks only consider to be of the Father Himself. That is, He is God. That is exactly what He means when He says unless one believes they are still in their sins. Just like those who came to Him in John 6, they saw Him and the miracles… But they did not believe in Him as God.

    See and hear of the Son. Then believe His testimony, trusting in Him as God to forgive sins. He will forgive, and give eternal life to anyone who does that.

    The Seventieth — Jubilee!

    On By TimIn Jubilee, Leviticus 252 Comments

    Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruit, but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

    Leviticus 25:2–4

    Most folks are already familiar with the Sabbath, which occurs weekly on Saturdays. When considering the entirety of the Torah, sabbath is more than an every Saturday occurrence. It is more than just a day, too. It is also more than just for humans. The passage above mandates a sabbath year of rest for the land. Just as God instructs Moses, he will pass on the information to the Israelis. They are to let the land rest every seven years.

    With the seventh-year sabbath, God has further instructions for the Israelis that will be explored. These are instructions on counting years. As it is with the Word of God, some peculiarities deserve attention. These are encoded within these instructions.

    Take the number six in this passage. Six days are given to humans to work the land. The seventh year is a sabbath for the land and for the Lord. It’s not that He needs rest, the land is to have rest, leading the people to the Lord to provide for them.

    The numbers in the text are not there by mistake. The interplay of six and seven seems to be overt. The Bible tells us that six is the number of man in Revelation 13:18. Man was created on the sixth day. In the same manner, humans work the land for six years, giving the land rest on the seventh. Seven is the number of God. It almost sounds synergistic, because it is.

    That which grows by itself from your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your unpruned vines, for it is a year of complete rest for the land. The sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, and for your male and female servants, and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who sojourns with you, and for your livestock, and for the wild animals in your land, shall all its increase be food.

    Leviticus 25:5–7

    The synergism between God and humans continues. While the land is cultivated by humans for six years giving them provision and sustenance, it rests for God on the seventh. Humans are instructed to not eat of their cultivation even the unpruned vines. What grows from the wild shall be sustenance for all. In other words, God will provide their needs.

    Seven leads to God.

    Seven Times Seven

    You shall count seven sabbath weeks of years, seven times seven years, and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the horn blasts on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall make the sound of the horn throughout all your land. You shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all the inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee to you, and each of you shall return to his possession, and every person shall return to his family. That fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you. You shall neither sow nor reap that which grows by itself, nor gather the grapes of your unpruned vines.

    Leviticus 25:8–11

    Six and seven are the prominent numbers in the previous text. The repertoire is now expanded to include ten, forty-nine, and fifty.

    There is now a counting of years assigned to a different purpose. It marks the time of restoration for the people of Israel, which is called the Jubilee. There is much to learn about the Jubilee and restoration. Some of that will be explored, but it will not be comprehensive.

    Jubilee is the time when sold land is returned to the owner, and it is the time when slaves are set free. Land was never really sold in ancient Israel. It was rented knowing it would be restored at the Jubilee. The indentured were also rented, knowing that release from their bondage came at the Jubilee.

    Seven sets of seven years are counted. Seven is the number of God, and seven squared is forty-nine (72=49.) Forty-nine years are counted. The fiftieth year follows and is then consecrated and proclaimed when it begins. In addition to freedom and restoration, it is a sabbath year of rest for the land. There is more here that will be examined a bit later.

    The Jubilee was announced on the seventh month on the tenth day. This is 10 Tishri. Tishri is the seventh month. As noted before, the number seven is the number of God. It signifies perfection and completion. Those meanings are gleaned from the creation narrative among other places. The number ten means completeness of order. This is also gleaned from the creation narrative where the phrase “God said” is used ten times. Ten is also the number of commandments given to Moses.

    Seventh Month, Tenth Day

    10 Tishri is also one of the moedim (feast days) given to Israel. It is the Day of Atonement solemnized by the selection of two goats, one offered for the presence of God and the other carrying sins away. The rituals prescribed for that day also signify the idea of freedom from the bondage of sin and restoration. In addition to that celebration, every fiftieth year Jubilee is proclaimed by the blasting of the shofar.

    This combination of the seventh month and the tenth day has another obscured message. The numbers seven, perfection, and ten, completeness of order… It follows that this day marks the perfection of complete order.

    It must be noted that Israelis observe more than one calendar. The sacred one is the most familiar. It begins in the month of Nisan. This one was instituted by God after the flood of Noah. The original calendar from Genesis had the new year on 1 Tishri, which is one of the moedim celebrated as the Feast of Trumpets. As seen in the text, Tishri is the new year for counting years and on the original calendar Noah used before it was changed.

    I don’t mean this to be an exhaustive study of biblical numerology or Israeli calendars. But as I study and write, fascinating things come to mind; thoughts scatter, and I try to render some coherence.

    Nisan/Tishri

    Counting the seventh month from Nisan brings one to Tishri. The seventh month from Tishri is Nisan. Both Nisan and Tishri begin the new year on differing calendars. The difference in calendars is only which month is first. The order of them stays the same. Even more unsettling, six full months are counted to get to the seventh. The interplay of this pattern is repeated if one pays attention.

    Now, consider that Noah’s Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on 17 Nisan (seventh month, seventeenth day, Genesis 8:4.) Coincidentally, 17 Nisan is the month and day of the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection Day is three days away from the sacrifice of Passover on 14 Nisan. The Passover lambs were selected on 10 Nisan and brought into the home. Which is the seventh month and tenth day of the original calendar. Again as coincidence would have, 10 Nisan is the same day and month Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.

    Of course, I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in the precision of the Bible. Every detail is there by design. There are multiple interplays of seven and ten that purposefully and overtly point to the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

    Lunar Calendar

    The Hebrew calendar is lunar. It has a year with 360 days. There are twelve months in most years. But there are also a thirteenth and a fourteenth month to accommodate the differences between solar and lunar calendars. Why a thirteenth and fourteenth month, though?

    Consider the listings of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Tanakh. Each one is never the same, even the order of the names can be different. The tribe of Dan becomes obscured to the point of non-existence. Sometimes Ephraim and Manasseh are included in the lists. Obviously, there is also a thirteenth and fourteenth tribe of Israel.

    I understand the unsettling nature of this information.

    A similar pattern is present in the listing of the inner circle of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Like Dan above, a time came when Judas was gone. The lot fell on Matthias as his replacement. Jesus fell on Paul in Light on the Damascus Road making Paul an apostle. It follows that there is also a thirteenth and fourteenth apostle.

    How do I assimilate that?

    I know this all seems to get rather blurry. I think it allows for a greater degree of precision and design. Many will read past these, but God conceals things for His glory. And for those who diligently seek for those hidden things. When one encounters a listing, the names and their order become significant, and even a clue as to a hidden deeper meaning. Even the omission of one or more has meaning to explore.

    Seven and Ten, Seventeen and Seventy

    As has been shown, seven and ten are meaningful on their own. Added together they become seventeen. Seventeen is the day the Ark rested at Ararat. It is the day Jesus rose from the dead. Seventeen is the number of new beginnings, God vanquishes the enemy. (The last enemy to be destroyed is death.) Seventeen is complete order in perfection.

    Seven times ten is seventy. And like seventeen above, it has significance. Seventy connotes perfection in complete order. Seventy members of Jacob’s family come to Joseph in Egypt. There are seventy elders appointed to help Moses with the affairs of the people. There are seventy Gentile nations. Seventy weeks are given to Israel. The number seventy is a complete set, or as the Hebraism is all of them.

    When Jesus teaches about forgiveness, he says to forgive seventy times seven, it is more than hyperbole. The inherent meaning of the numbers is to forgive all of the sins of another completely and perfectly.

    Correcting the Common Misconceptions

    The counting of the seven weeks of years gives a forty-nine-year period. It is when the fiftieth year is announced and liberty is proclaimed that the cycle is complete. The common misconception in counting the Jubilees is they occur every fifty years, which is taken to count fifty between them. It is not fifty, but forty-nine. When the Jubilee is proclaimed the cycle completes and resets. It becomes the first year of the next cycle. This is just as God prescribed it. That concept may prove difficult to grasp, nevertheless, it is the reality.

    There is another misconception about counting that may be easily overlooked.

    Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord.

    Leviticus 25:2

    Examine the text closely for the clue. Through Moses, God told the Israelis that the first year was a sabbath year. It would also mean it is the first year in the count to the forty-ninth year for the Jubilee.

    For six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruit,

    Leviticus 25:3

    There is a slightly different way of numbering for the sabbath. It is not a count. The Israelis were to work the land for six years, and the seventh is a sabbath. It is a different system. Because the year Israelis entered the Promised Land is a sabbath, the next year is year one of six years of working the land. The seventh would be the sabbath year.

    Say that Israel entered the Promised Land in the year 1406 BC. 1405 BC would be the first year of working the land, with 1400 BC as the sixth. 1399 BC would be a sabbath year. Following the pattern of sabbath years, 1392 BC, 1385 BC, 1378 BC, 1371 BC, 1364 BC, and 1357 BC. 1357 would then be the first Jubilee. It would be the fiftieth year from 1406 BC. The forty-ninth year, counting seven sevens would be 1358 BC. The next year was the Jubilee. It would also be the first year in our next count of forty-nine to the second Jubilee in 1308 BC. Do the math, 1357–1308=49.

    The number of years between Jubilees is forty-nine in the way God instituted the count. The fiftieth year is proclaimed, and the next count begins. Meaning it is year one of the next count to forty-nine. The way it works is the Jubilees will always be in a sabbath year.

    The count may seem confusing, but God has already given the precedent for this count.

    Shavuot (Pentecost)

    You shall count seven full weeks from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf bundle of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.

    Leviticus 23:15–16

    Counting seven full weeks after the Sabbath after Passover, each week beginning on Sunday and ending on Saturday. Seven full weeks brings us to Sunday… Not Saturday. Just as the Israelis were to count six years of working the land, these were full years, to arrive at the seventh. The forty-ninth day, Saturday, is part of the seven full weeks. The Holy Spirit provided error correction in the next way of counting. Counting 50 days from Sunday ensures the end day is always Sunday.

    It is in this way that the count to Jubilee is related to the count to Shavuot. It also provides a foundation for understanding the meaning of the number fifty. It has already been shown that it signifies freedom and deliverance. It also leads directly to the Holy Spirit.

    When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

    Acts 2:1–4

    The number fifty connects with the giving of the promised Holy Spirit at the birth of the church in the first century. The correlation between Shavuot and Jubilee is not a coincidence. Both occur on a celebration of the fiftieth. One of the fiftieth day, the other on the fiftieth year. Adding importance, Pentecost occurred on the fiftieth day from the resurrection of Jesus.

    These numbers are all interlaced in meaning and concept. Seven times ten makes seventy. That number has precise biblical significance, too. Seventy is a perfect complete set.

    What if there is a complete set of Jubilees for Israel?

    The Complete Set in Daniel

    In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which were specified by the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, that is, seventy years. I set my face toward the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

    Daniel 9:1–3

    The significance of the numbers seven and ten provided much to ponder. When adding seven to ten, it makes seventeen. To review, the number seventeen has significance and points to new beginnings and resurrection. Noah’s Ark came to rest on 17 Nisan, the same day and month of the resurrection of Jesus.

    Seventy conveys the idea of perfection of complete order. As stated before, I like to say all of them as in a full set that matches the Hebraism.

    In the text above, Daniel was reading a passage from the book of Jeremiah on the desolations of Israel being complete in seventy years. This was to repay the seventy years of sabbaths that the land of Israel never had. Daniel realized the release from captivity was soon and sought to pray about that particular text to understand its meaning. His prayer is recorded in the following verses of Daniel 9, along with the answer to it.

    While I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, indeed, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. He informed me and talked with me, and said, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved.

    Daniel 9:20–23a

    I don’t want to summarize this. I find the reading of it exciting and so compelling that it needs no other simplification or amplification. God’s messenger Gabriel gave Daniel the understanding he prayed to have.

    Therefore understand the matter and consider the vision:
    “Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

    Daniel 9:23b–24

    I would point out that seventy weeks are given to the people. And seventy weeks are given to the city of Jerusalem. Hidden within the precision of the text is a hint at dual application. A dual application with a common consummation.

    “Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of trouble.

    Daniel 9:25

    It seems clear that the messenger is explaining the vision for the city. It will be rebuilt. There is also a precise calculation given, 69 weeks of years from the decree until the Anointed One comes. The order to rebuild the city, not just the temple, would be the impetus to start counting 483 years (69 weeks of years.) The command to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus on 14 March 445 BC.

    The math is precise. 483 years of 360 days corrected for leap years and there is no year zero takes us to 10 Nisan AD 32. That is the first Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem as King on the back of a donkey. (Seventh month, tenth day of the original calendar.)

    Jesus was crucified on 14 Nisan, the day the Paschal lambs were slaughtered for observation of Passover. He was put in the grave that night. This tracks exactly what Gabriel said to Daniel.

    After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined.

    Daniel 9:26

    Messiah was cut off from His people. That’s a euphemism for the sudden death that is due for sins. The focus here turns to the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. The text also explains that both would be destroyed.

    There is much controversy here. Much of that controversy comes about by not taking the time to examine the precision of the Scriptures and how they interrelate. They do, surprisingly and intricately. Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed quickly. That is the meaning behind flood, swiftness of the action. The destruction of the temple and Jerusalem did come about swiftly in AD 70.

    The understanding Gabriel gave Daniel didn’t end there.

    And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

    Daniel 9:27

    Implicit in the text is the assumption that there is a temple for sacrifice and offering to take place after it has been destroyed. The seemingly new temple is in place, it would have to be some time after the destruction previously foretold. This new temple would necessarily have to be in Jerusalem. These ideas have to be inferred to make sense of the text. Moving further along, those things are coupled with the language of destruction to the desolator, it is a consummation of the seventy weeks. It follows that the desolation is destroyed after there is a new temple. It all points to a time then yet future Daniel, and yet future to the destruction of the Temple then existing. That will be when the transgression is finished and the end of sins comes.

    That’s the account of the seventy weeks for the city of Jerusalem. Is there one for the people?

    Seventy Years of Jeremiah

    It shall come to pass when seventy years are finished that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, says the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

    Jeremiah 25:12

    This is the text Daniel had concerns about. He knew the 70 years of captivity were nearing an end. The phrase perpetual desolations stands out as also connecting this to what Gabriel said. This also then hints at a long view yet future. This means Gabriel gave a longer view of the 70 years for the people (of the captivity.)

    I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them. And I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the works of their hands.

    Jeremiah 25:13–14

    There is that promise of God, I will bring upon Babylon all My words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in Jeremiah’s book. God spoke many words to Babylon. Some of them were written many centuries after Jeremiah lived.

    Standing far off for the fear of her torment, they will say:
    ‘Alas, alas for that great city,
    that mighty city, Babylon!
    In one hour your judgment has come.’

    Revelation 18:10

    If, as one reads in Jeremiah, all of the things pronounced against Babylon must take place, it must include those written in Revelation. Since there are things in Jeremiah which have not yet come to pass, and there are other things pronounced against Babylon that have not seen fruition… It follows that some of what is written in Revelation has not yet been fulfilled completely. God is promising that all of it will happen, and because it has not… These things point to events yet future.

    In the Jeremiah text above, God also declares He will repay all of the nations that went against Jerusalem according to their deeds and according to their works. The idea of all nations being judged is spread through the bandwidth of the Bible. This is the apocalyptic language that points to the end times.

    “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation has drawn near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

    Luke 21:20–22

    As Luke records the words of Jesus, it is clear that His words connect to the ideas presented so far by both Daniel and Jeremiah. It is my clear conviction that the preponderance of the evidence indicates that these events are yet future.

    But is there something else that may have been overlooked?

    Going back to Jeremiah 25:12, God said it shall be when seventy years are finished that He will do these things. Well, all the things pronounced against Babylon have not yet happened. It means that those seventy years are not yet complete.

    When examining the word translated into English as years, we encounter the Hebrew word sana. It is almost always translated as years, but the meaning of the Hebrew word has a much broader context. The meaning of sana encompasses the passing of seasons or cycles. A year encompasses a cycle of seasons, as does every fiftieth year encompasses the Jubilee cycle.

    The Full Set of Jubilees

    There is not an overt count of one set of 70 Jubilees in the Scriptures. It is hidden away in the text of Jeremiah as seen. Especially considering the difference between the precise English 70 years, to the less precise Hebrew 70 sana.

    If this set of complete Jubilees exists, then there is some very specific math that can be applied. But that math requires an objective starting point.

    Back a bit, I chose the year 1406 BC as the year Israel entered the Promised Land. There is much controversy over the dating of the sojourn of Israel in Egypt. Many of the secular scholars have purposefully excluded biblical data. We know the day and month from the Scriptures.

    Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho.

    Joshua 4:19

    Israel entered the Promised Land on 10 Nisan, but what year?

    The evidence points to 1406 BC. The selection of Passover Lambs in Egypt 40 years before brackets the wilderness wandering with the entrance into the Promised Land on 10 Nisan 1446 BC.

    Why choose these dates?

    I favor 1446 BC as the year of the Exodus based on the work of two individuals. The first is the book “Origins of the Hebrews: New Evidence of Israelites in Egypt from Joseph to Exodus” by Douglas Petrovich. The book presents compelling evidence for not only the Israeli sojourn in Egypt but also provides a detailed timeline. One that includes an exit year of 1446 under Pharaoh Amenhotep II. Mr. Petrovich maintains an academia.edu page where he has published other materials.

    The second reason why I favor 1446 BC as the year of exodus is based on some of the work of Heather R. She maintains an academia.edu page, too. Her books are published there for free. Of particular interest is the book “The Jubilee and Ezekiel’s Temple” where she provides a comprehensive timeline of the Jubilee cycle complete with data and methods.

    The count for the full set of Jubilees begins in the year 1406 BC. This is by the instructions given to Moses in Leviticus 25. With that start date, the complete set of Jubilees can be determined. With the last being the seventieth Jubilee. It will occur in AD 2025.

    Big deal, right?

    It could very well be. What else is there to learn?

    Jesus and the Jubilee

    There is an incident recorded in the book of Luke. Jesus is reading from the prophet Isaiah in a synagogue in Nazareth.

    He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. When He had unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it was written:
    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
    because He has anointed Me
    to preach the gospel to the poor;
    He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,
    to preach deliverance to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
    to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

    Luke 4:16–19

    Jesus read from chapter 61 in the book of Isaiah. This is what Jesus said about this:

    Then He rolled up the scroll, and He gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

    Luke 4:20–21

    It’s brief. But what Jesus read has language that fits the idea of the Jubilee… Freedom from oppression and restoration. It would be awesome if this coincided with a Jubilee. It does not. And it’s not even close.

    When examining what Jesus read, the last two lines are compelling, especially “to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” The definitive article (the) is not in Greek but is assumed for translation clarity.

    When the passage in Isaiah 61 is examined, something else is unveiled.

    The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to preach good news to the poor;
    He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted,
    to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
    to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn,
    to preserve those who mourn in Zion,
    to give to them beauty
    for ashes,
    the oil of joy
    for mourning,
    the garment of praise
    for the spirit of heaviness,
    that they might be called trees of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord,
    that He might be glorified.

    Isaiah 61:1–3

    It is what Jesus didn’t read, and precisely where He stopped. It was halfway through the passage. This implies He’s not finished yet proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord. The next step in the program is to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God. That is a specific period of time. I also note that the acceptable time is a year, exponentially greater than the day of vengeance.

    What can be gleaned about that?

    Isaiah uses the phrase day of vengeance multiple times. It is apocalyptic in nature. It speaks to a time period that is referred to as Jacob’s Trouble.

    Jacob’s Trouble

    The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book. For surely the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah. The Lord says, I also will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

    Jeremiah 30:1–3

    There is a time of restoration for the Israeli people, all of them. Note that God includes Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom. Colloquially, the northern kingdom is spoken of as the lost tribes. It is a nod to the fact that these tribes have never been regathered into the land. It is my contention that all of Israel is being gathered into the land and for a while, now. The purpose is for restoration, but there is also trouble for both Israel and Judah. There’s a reason why both are named twice, that is both have to have returned to Israel. And tribulation looms for both.

    These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. For thus says the Lord:
    I have heard a sound of trembling,
    of fear, and not of peace.
    Ask now, and see,
    can a male labor with child?
    Why do I see every man
    with his hands on his loins, as a woman in labor,
    and all faces turned pale?
    Alas! for that day is great,
    so that no one is like it;
    it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble,
    but he shall be saved out of it.

    Jeremiah 30:4–7

    All of Jeremiah 30 is worth a read. God is pointing to a consummation of events in the latter days. Like Jesus said in Matthew 24:21, there is nor will be no other day like it. Ones in which, Jacob will be saved out of it. And as Daniel says, knowledge will be increased.

    Look, the whirlwind of the Lord
    goes forth with fury,
    a continuing whirlwind;
    it will fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
    The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return
    until He has done it
    and until He has performed the intentions of His heart.
    In the latter days
    you will understand it.

    Jeremiah 30:23–24

    These are the latter days. These are the days to understand it. There is the day of vengeance, that day. It is a period called the Tribulation. It is the time of consummation from Daniel 9 above when all things will be finished. It will be with the return of Jesus to vanquish His enemies. It is described graphically.

    The Return of Jesus

    “Who is this who comes from Edom
    with dyed garments from Bozrah?
    This one who is glorious in His apparel,
    traveling in the greatness of His strength?”
    “It is I who speak in righteousness,
    mighty to save.”
    “Why is Your apparel red,
    and Your garments like him who treads in the wine vat?”
    “I have trodden the winepress alone;
    and from the peoples there was no one with Me.
    For I will tread them in My anger,
    and trample them in My fury,
    and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments,
    and I will stain all My raiment.
    For the day of vengeance is in My heart,
    and My year of redemption has come.
    I looked and there was no one to help,
    and I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold;
    therefore, My own arm brought salvation to Me;
    and My fury upheld Me.
    I will tread down the peoples in My anger
    and make them drunk in My fury,
    and I will pour out their lifeblood on the earth.”

    Isaiah 63:1–6

    This is the end of the tribulation when Jesus comes. There is an order to things, Jesus stopped at the reading of the scroll of Isaiah. There is a long length of what is acceptable time for people to be saved. Which is followed by a day of vengeance. After which is to preserve those who mourn in Zion.

    Who is this Who treads the wine press?

    I saw heaven opened. And there was a white horse. He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written, that no one knows but He Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called The Word of God. The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, with which He may strike the nations. “He shall rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written:
    KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

    Revelation 19:11–16

    It truly is the Day of Lord!

    Isn’t this still the acceptable year?

    Lurking behind the English translation there is that Hebrew word sana again. It is most often rendered as year but has a broader meaning of a cycle of seasons. Perhaps that cycle is the complete set of Jubilees.

    Conclusion

    If all of this is true, then 2025 is significant in meaning. It is a Jubilee year. As demonstrated, it is probably the closing of the acceptable time. What does that mean?

    Jubilee is about freedom from bondage. It connects with the giving of the Holy Spirit by the number fifty. It is the restoration of inheritance. It is resurrection. All of which happen in the acceptable time before the day of vengeance.

    God does not restore people to take vengeance on them. So, it makes sense that those being restored will necessarily need removal from that vengeance. What is that?

    Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality. When this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then the saying that is written shall come to pass: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
    “O death, where is your sting?
    O grave, where is your victory?”
    The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
    But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
    Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

    1 Corinthians 15:50–58

    Maranatha!