“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)”
Praise God despite the need for social distancing, my weeks have been productive. Thus far, I have Bible studies on the following days: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Oh yes, our Sunday gatherings are for Bible study, not the usual Christian gathering supposedly for worship, and we have biblical reasons to back up our practice. Thereby, I can do Bible studies with different or any Christian people any day of the week as long as they believe the Scripture is the Word of God and the sole source of truth and nothing more.
The apostle Paul, in Scripture said, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship (Romans 12:1 CSB).” Clearly, true worship has everything to do with biblical Christian living – that is, living in faith and trust and obedience to Christ Jesus our Lord.
See also John 4:23; the Lord Jesus Christ said: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.” With the coming of Jesus Christ, the True Temple (John 2:19,21) of God, gone are the regulations of the Mosaic Law. And mind you, Jesus Christ or the apostles mentioned nothing about liturgies in worship; these are from the traditions of men.
Our ministry principle then adheres to Scripture alone, and Paul instructed Timothy:
“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me (Paul), in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:13
“You then, my child (Timothy), be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me (Paul) in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”2 Timothy 2:1-3
Paul’s teachings were all from the Scripture. Having been accused of violating God’s word, Paul declared: “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way (Christ’s teachings), which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets” (Acts 24:14). In other words, the New Testament writings simply affirmed Old Testament declarations. Also, the New Testament spoke of the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and they serve as commentaries to each other.
No wonder, Jesus Christ declared: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17). The redemptive works of Christ and all His declarations parallel the Old Testament Scripture.
Consequently, after His death and resurrection, Christ Jesus explained and said: “Then He (Jesus Christ) said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’” (Luke 24:44)
I have been a student of the Bible for more than two decades now. Previously, I often noticed nuisances between Scripture passages as presented by contemporary Christian teachings and declarations, but having been preoccupied with the other demands of again contemporary Christianity – it’s only after my departure and going independent doing God’s work that time and priorities were made available to me. Glory be to God, spending seven years studying in-depth the Word of God, I can now safely correlate both New and Old Testament Scripture without the nuisances. Certainly, it was a worthwhile journey.
So henceforth, we don’t do Bible studies using written prepared materials; rather we use only the Bible, studying and digging into its contents, coupled with the aid of Bible lexicons (Hebrew and Greek language tools) and biblical background references (Jewish customs and history), verifying each passage according to the context of its book or letter and checking if it agrees to the whole tenet of the Scripture (Old to New Testament and New Testament to Old).
On my last day at the seminary, a professor told me, “Nothing in our past is ever wasted in God’s perspective,” and truly he was right. Now, I can see everything similar to Joseph’s story, though a lot of unpleasant things occurred on his journey, it was all necessary for God’s molding and His ultimate goal for him. The apostle Paul summarized such as a journey through Romans 8:28.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
Hence, everyone who has truthfully confessed faith in Christ Jesus, trusting His words and adhering in obedience, recognizes that all experiences – good or bad humanly speaking – are all for the glory of God.
Therefore, the present pandemic should not discourage us from believing – that God is good and He remains in control, for He is sovereign over all creation. There may have been things, opportunities, or privileges that were lost, but we must learn to see and be thankful for God’s grace despite the pandemic. Perhaps God has a better purpose later on.
For the same reason, looking back to all my past experiences, I thank God for the pastor He used to teach me the ins and outs of the Bible tools (lexicon, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, and biblical references if needed) even before I entered seminary training. Also thankful for his pastor brother who started the Bible study at our home after the tragic death of my only son. And later similarly to my seminary professors, particularly for my hermeneutics, inductive Bible study, and the overview of the New Testament and Old Testament Scripture. I used to be a strong proponent of systematic theology. Though not so much anymore, the inherent disciplines therein serve as a guide in my present understanding of the Word of God. I do not belittle lessons learned from my church history class. In hindsight, it allowed me to see the faults and defects of man, though they might be held in high esteem by other Christians. I might not remember every detail of the subjects I had during my student days, but everything comes and works together for the good purpose of God.
I am also thankful for the people who supported and worked with me during my interim ministry doing visitations and Bible studies while I was still in the seminary and months after while waiting for the departure date for my pastorate in the Queen City of the South. Thankful also for the senior pastor in my home congregation while I was still with them. In fact, on several occasions, he came to visit even while I was already out doing God’s work independently. By the same token, I would like to express my gratitude to the seminary president during my stay who supported me while I was still studying and even when I was with my former pastorate.
The same gratitude for everyone who worked and partnered with me during my six years of pastorate work. Specials thanks to the family who before we departed from the parsonage offered their place for us to stay at initially for four years until we moved to our present residence. We also thank God for everyone who believed in our ministry and partnered with us – one-time, seasonal, or otherwise. Quoting Paul’s words, thanksgiving, and perspective in ministry and partnership, Philippians 4:19.
And My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Finally, thanking God for His divine providence. Despite the unpleasant experience of departing from my former pastoral work, God has a better purpose allowing me to focus solely on the study and teaching of God’s Word. Subsequently, I’m no longer entangled with the bumps and humps of conventional pastoral work but have freely been serving the Lord Jesus Christ and no one else. Likewise, God had faithfully provided not only for the work of His ministry but a home, our day-to-day needs, and previously for the education of our youngest daughter until she graduates from college. Taking this time, once again, to thank God’s people, everyone who has partnered and contributed before and after we have started doing His work independently. The Lord Jesus Christ is indeed faithful to His Word, promises, and assurance (Matthew 6:33), teaching us to live by His word found in Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11and Hebrews 10:38 – “the righteous shall live by faith”.
Our ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, likewise adheres to God’s words, see Colossians 1:18-23.
“And He (Jesus Christ) is the Head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Also Ephesians 5:22-33.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
And many other passages but it would go on and on extending and digressing from my discussion in this blog. Glory be to God, from time to time, in spite of my schedules for Bible studies, I also get to write on my blogsite – Unlearning Tradition: Rediscovering Biblical Truths (UnlearningTraditionRelearningScripture.com). Thankful that the Lord burdened me to start blogging, expanding the reach of my ministry.
Before I end this blog, allow me to say a few words of encouragement. Amid this present pandemic, let me encourage everyone that God is ever present even in times of trouble, and He will carry us through the challenges of life. Christ Jesus is victorious over death and His reign is forevermore, hence His sovereignty is above and over the pandemic. Therefore, fear not, only believe and keep your eyes on Jesus Christ our Lord.
Many thanks and blessings to all!
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The Lord Jesus Christ spent three years calling disciples to Himself. He ate, slept, and taught them the truths of the Bible. When the opportunity arose, He cautioned against living double lives and encouraged them to trust His Word and change for the glory of God. Nowhere in Scripture did He teach the disciples to enrich themselves with worldly goods but to be rich with treasures in heaven.
Many fail to understand that discipleship cannot be done en masse without sacrificing the truths of the Scripture. Certain discipline needs to be done first before truthful discipleship can ensue. Successful disciples are not attained by numbers, nor is it by water baptism; rather, it’s only when one’s life has been transformed for Christ. This is the ultimate goal of discipleship.
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make My dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.”” 2Co 6:14-18
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”” 1Co 5:9-13
The scriptures above explained one crucial discipline that needed to be learned and done. But we have double the problem if the entity supposedly engaging in discipleship was already compromised. Would anyone sincerely deny this truth? The invitation of Jesus Christ is clear, so He said “Come, follow Me.”
True discipleship then begins and ends with the person following Jesus Christ. This involves one’s full commitment to the word of God, notwithstanding its demands.
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
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I was asked recently, “Is it true that Russia would supply arms to Middle Eastern nations in war with Israel as taught in Scripture preceding the Return of Christ?”
The simple and straightforward answer in Scripture was a definite “no, nowhere in the Bible,” but with Christian myths and fictitious novels, “yes, a lot!”
Here was the warning from Christ Jesus our Lord on His return:
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:18-20
It is important to note that Jesus Christ said “soon,” not today but two thousand years ago. And He made that promise to a real person, the apostle John, not just any John Doe today.
“And he (the angel) said to me (John), ‘These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants (John, included) what must soon take place.’ ‘And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.”Revelation 22:6-8
The same narrative has been repeated for decades, perhaps centuries, until recently. It’s truly pathetic and becoming like “the boy who cries wolf.”
For Jesus Christ attested to His disciples – that is, Peter, James and John, and the rest – saying:
“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”Matthew 16:28
Are any of the apostles to whom Jesus Christ gave the assurance of His return still alive today?
Anyone who insists otherwise should debunk the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Would anyone dare to do so?
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Utopia – an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.
I have previously written about my conversion to Christianity on my blog entitled “Regarding Wilmer”. A few days after my only son was buried, a Bible study was started at our home and continued every Monday evening, which lasted for two years. Since then, it has become my habit to read the Bible at every opportunity available to me. I must have read the whole Bible five times over and over – from Genesis to Revelation – to the point that I have practically memorized Scripture. I can easily quote Scriptural verses together with their chapter and verse number. Two pastors handled our Bible study, the first for six months, then I was entrusted to his pastor-brother, who mentored me one-on-one, so altogether two years. I must say, the two, of course, coupled with my regular reading of the Bible, were instrumental in my rapid growth in Christianity. I was then encouraged to study in a seminary for further equipping.
I had doubts about the idea of going to school again, considering my age and time limitation, since I also have to provide for my family, with two daughters still studying. After my conversion to Christianity, I have been so passionate about the faith, and wanting to learn more, so I would eagerly listen and watch every available Christian program, both on radio and television. It was then that I realized that there are a lot of different explanations for a single verse of the Scripture. I knew in my heart that God could not have meant different meanings for His Word, therefore some of the explanations must be erroneous but which one? So I decided to enter seminary study even just for a subject every semester. To make the long story short, I eventually entered full-time study four years later after my initial enrollment as a part-time student.
I remember the day we first arrived at the seminary premises, my youngest daughter – only nine years old at that time – uttered the word “Heaven”. She seemed to have a sense of euphoria knowing that we would be residing in the seminary until my graduation. But the feeling of euphoria was short-lived. We soon realized that’s not true. Looking back, I thank God my family didn’t backslide on their faith, though I don’t mean to say we had a totally bad experience in the seminary. Just as I have said in my previous blog, most of my professors and seminary staff have been kind and a blessing to us.
God truly is amazing. Our experience in the seminary prepared us for our next journey – my pastorate work. But this time, I was armed with my experience and reminded by the Words of Jesus, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).”
I have been out of the organized Christian congregation and organizations for more than six years now. Together with my wife and the support of my two daughters, we have been joyfully doing Bible studies in our own small and little way. Gone are the hurts and sad experiences of yesteryears. But as you can see from our about me webpage, we have gone independent and our ministry would primarily focus on Unlearning Tradition and Relearning Scripture. And we know that in doing so, we may have unintentionally stepped on the feet of other Christian ministries. Let us assure you that that was never our intention. Consider us your partner in further learning the truth of the Scripture.
Anyway, as I had said before, eschatology – the study of the last things (click here for a better understanding of eschatology) – has been my favorite. Having lost a son, I certainly want to know for sure what the Bible says on the topic of death. However, in the course of my study on the topic, both in the seminary and later on, the study of Jesus’ Second Coming came head-to-head with the supposed teaching on the final destination of the Christian death.
And on the topic of the Second Coming, it is common for Christians to have an idea of euphoria – it’s more of a utopia once Jesus Christ has returned. Here is the explanation of Got.Questions.Org
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the hope of believers that God is in control of all things, and is faithful to the promises and prophecies in His Word. In His first coming, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem, just as prophesied. Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, there are some prophecies regarding the Messiah that Jesus has not yet fulfilled. The second coming of Christ will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will be the conquering King. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in the most humble of circumstances. In His second coming, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.
The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings.This can be seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 and Zechariah 14:4. As a result of the prophecies seeming to speak of two individuals, many Jewish scholars believed there would be both a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah. What they failed to understand is that there is only one Messiah and He would fulfill both roles. Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) in His first coming. Jesus will fulfill the role of Israel’s deliverer and King in His second coming.Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7, describing the second coming, look back to Jesus being pierced. Israel, and the whole world, will mourn for not having accepted the Messiah the first time He came.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”
The second coming is spoken of in greatest detail in Revelation 19:11-16, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined “utopia” as a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions. That is exactly the expectation and understanding of Christians once the Second Coming was fulfilled. So that explains why even well-known Christian writers and scholars would suggest that Jesus was hallucinating when He told His immediate disciples that He would be coming in their generation. See a statement made by famed Christian theologian C.S. Lewis.
Famed Christian theologian C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, said this about this passage:
“Say what you like,” we shall be told, “the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.’ And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.” (C.S. Lewis, The World’s Last Night: And Other Essays, p.97)
As you can see, C.S. Lewis, in his book entitled “The World’s Last Night: And Other Essays” on pages 97-98 made that statement. Click here to read a free PDF copy of the said book. Herein are the passages that they denied as infallible – without error:
In Matthew 24:34, Jesus Christ assured His disciples – Peter, James, John, and the others – telling them the certainty of the destruction of Jerusalem together with the temple – the sign of His return in their generation. See Matthew24:2,15-31, saying “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
In Matthew 16:27-28, Jesus Christ told His disciples that He would build His church (Matt. 16:18-19), and about His impending death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21), then assuring the twelve that His return would be within their lifetime, saying, “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what He has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
In Matthew 10:23, Jesus Christ sent out the twelve to preach about the arrival of God’s kingdom (Matt. 10:5-6), telling them about the dangers and importance of their message, saying, “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Do you understand the implication of isolating some of Jesus’ promises, making it appear it’s not true or He was wrong, simply because it does not conform to the idea of utopia once Jesus Christ had returned? In effect, C.S. Lewis and the likes have put the Words of Christ to the test. In Matthew 4:7, at the temptation of Jesus Christ, He told the devil, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Are we free to pick and choose which promises of the Scripture are true or not, simply because it does not agree with our ideas? Don’t we understand that was precisely the temptation of Adam and Eve when the Serpent put the Word of God to a test?
The popular and prevailing understanding of Jesus’ Second Coming, without a doubt, is difficult to unlearn. But an in-depth study of the Scripture would certainly liberate us from the trap. Let us first take a second look at the statement of Got.Questions.Org on the topic of the Second Coming:
First, about GotQuestions.Org’s explainer on the topic of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, “The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings.”
What distinction?
The second coming of Christ will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will be the conquering King. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in the most humble of circumstances. In His second coming, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.
That was a correct observation, but it does not mean the First and Second Comings would be separated by millennia and ongoing. The First and Second Comings actually refers to the fulfillment of Leviticus 23 Seven Jewish Festivals, which could be simplified as two Jewish Harvest Festivals – the Spring and Fall Festivals.
The Spring harvest festival began with both the Passover and Unleavened Bread feasts; next, the Feast of Firstfruit; and lastly, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. All four festivals had been fulfilled with the supposed “First Coming of Jesus Christ”.
For the Passover and unleavened bread, see 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
For the Feast of Firstfruit, 1 Corinthians 15:20.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
And for the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, Acts 2:1-4,12-21,38-41.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’(Acts 2:12-21)
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:38-41)
The second half of the Seven Jewish Feasts refers to the Fall Harvest Festival – namely, the Feast of Trumpets; the Day of Atonement; and lastly, the Feast of Booths, covering the supposed Second Coming of Jesus Christ. To read more about the Fall Harvest Festival, go to my blog “Let The Reader Understand”
Hence, Jesus in Matthew 24:29-35 said:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates.Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Here goes the most embarrassing verse, according to C.S. Lewis. Jesus Christ told His disciples that His return would be upon “this generation” – the generation that would see all that He had spoken, mainly the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. It happened in 70 A.D., therefore it was indeed witnessed by the first generation of Christians, possibly including John, a witness in the tribulation. See Revelation 1:9.
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
John cannot be talking about any other tribulation because Jesus Christ said:
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. (Matthew 24:21)
Here is an excerpt from Got.Questions.Org regarding Jerusalem Temple:
Cline states that the city was completely destroyed at least twice, once by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:8-10) and again by the Romans under Titus in AD 70.
The coming of Jesus Christ was the inauguration of the New Covenant, promised in the Old Testament Scripture, which will be completed upon His return. See first Jeremiah 31:27-34.
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the LORD. In those days they shall no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Next, in Hebrews 12:22-26, the author of Hebrews speaking to believers awaiting the return of Christ Jesus said:
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns from heaven. At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
So indeed, the coming of Jesus Christ was the arrival or commencing of the New Covenant. And it also said, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” In other words, the shaking of the heavens and earth had occurred before, it’s not a happening only at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Since we adhere that the Bible is infallible, without error, then it demands that the statement is a truthful and factual.
In that case, if we follow the ideas concerning the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, then why are we still here? There seems to be no utopia after all.
You know what, it was because those were Hebrew covenant language. Yes, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)“ was/is a covenant language.
Now see Isaiah 64:1-12. Isaiah, knowing that God’s judgment was upon Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Babylonian and the Jewish exile, pleaded for God’s mercy said:
Oh that You [the LORD God] would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence— as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make Your name known to Your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things that we did not look for, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we [Israel] sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon Your name, who rouses himself to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all Your people.Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?
In biblical history, Nebuchadnezzar is most famous for the conquering of Judah and the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in 586 BC
The first destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was God’s rejection of His people, Israel. Isaiah said, that at His (first) judgment in 586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (Isaiah 64:10-11), God came down (Isaiah 64:3), and the mountains quaked at His presence.
If we take the Hebrew language literally and follow the ideas of the traditional teaching on the Second Coming, God came down in 586 BC, so utopia follows – the history of mankind should have ceased right then and there. Don’t you think we truly need to Unlearn Tradition and Relearn Scripture?
The Son of Man coming in the cloud was a Hebrew metaphor for the coming final judgment of God against Old Covenant Israel. See Daniel 7:9-14.
As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool; His throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before Him; a thousand thousands served Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The “Son of Man” is Jesus Christ. See Matthew 10:23.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Mancomes.
See also Matthew 16:13-16,24-28.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” … Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Mancoming in His kingdom.”
Lastly, Matthew 24:27-35.
For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
A lot of people who deny the Words of Christ, that He was coming in the lifetime of Peter, James, and John, do not realize that without the return of Jesus Christ, “salvation remains to be a promise, not yet a reality”. See Hebrews 9:28
So also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
See also Revelation 14:12-20.
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
Do you realize what you have just read? Christians who have died have finally found rest, only after God’s final judgment on the city of Old Covenant Jerusalem. That is why, before Christ’s Second Coming and final judgment, Revelation 6:9-11 said:
When He [Jesus Christ] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
That is exactly what I have been explaining before the denial of Christ’s return has created an eschatological divide with the doctrine of Christian death. To understand further, go to my blog “The Eschatological Divide”.
Therefore, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ halted the Old Covenant, while the New Covenant was completed. So it’s not the utopia that follows but the fullness of the New Covenant, for we are now in the Christian age, and the Eternal Gospel must be proclaimed to all. And Scripture spoke of no end for the New Covenant or the Christian Age.
See 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Here is an “already but not yet” statement from Paul. He asked the believers to focus on what’s about to completed, not on what’s passing away.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh [circumcision]. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
See Revelation 14:6-8.
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
Old Covenant Jerusalem was Babylon the Great, not Rome, as it was traditionally taught and believed. See Revelation 17:3-5. Babylon the Great was the woman seated on a scarlet beast, which had seven heads and ten horns.
As you can see, if your compass is defective, you would never locate the right direction. The same may be said of Scripture. If you misidentify a biblical reference, off you go with your imagination.
The “seven heads” are seven mountains (or hills in Greek) on which the woman was seated. Revelation 17:9-10 says “The seven heads also are seven kings, five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while.”
Rome is always known (click here) as the city on seven hills. The Seven heads were the Seven Kings or Emperors of Rome – namely: 1st, Julius Caesar (44 BC); 2nd, Augustus Caesar (27BC – 14AD); 3rd, Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD); 4th, Caligula Caesar (37-41 AD); 5th, Claudius Caesar (41-54 AD); and finally, 6th, Nero Caesar (54-68 AD). Source: click here.
Note: Jews have always considered Julius Caesar as the first of Rome’s emperors. They are more inclined to call him king. See John 19:15 – “We have no king but Caesar.” It was said that under Julius Caesar, Judaism was officially recognized as a legal religion, a policy followed by the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Source: click here.
“Five have fallen, one is” – that was Nero Caesar. Therefore, the Book of Revelation was written by John during Nero’s reign, not in the late 90s as suggested again based on tradition.
The “woman,” “Babylon the Great”, also was the “great city”. See Revelation 17:18, where John revealed that it was the great city where Jesus Christ was crucified (Revelation 11:8); therefore it was Old Covenant Jerusalem. Isn’t it clear that all prophecies of Scripture had been fulfilled?
So what now? The apostle John in Revelation 22:7-20 has these remaining important last words from the Lord Jesus Christ.
And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.(Revelation 22:7-10)
Note: Unlike Daniel who was told to seal the book, for the things he wrote refers to the time of the end (it’s the time of the end, not end times; see Daniel 12:9), John was told not to seal this book of the prophecy – meaning, it’s a revelation – for the time is near (see Revelation 22:10). It’s near to John and his audience, not to us who are millennia away from the time of Christ’s revelation. Next …
Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense with Me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:11-15)
Note: See the urgency and certainty of Christ’s warning: “Behold, I am coming soon”. “Soon” by any means cannot be two thousand years ago and ongoing. It is also significant to understand that it was only upon His return that believers or Christians may have the right to the tree of life (eternal life) as well as to enter the city by the gates – the true Holy City, the New Jerusalem. See Revelation 21:2. And upon His return, outside the city are “the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:15). I don’t see any earth-ending scenario here but the separation of God’s people and those who love falsehood. Don’t you think it makes sense that the Eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ should still be preached even after God’s Final Judgment and the fall of Babylon the Great – again, Old Covenant Jerusalem? See Revelation 14:6-8.
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
Hence, Habakkuk 2:14 said:
Woe to him [Old Covenant Jerusalem] who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk was referring to the eternal preaching of the Gospel spoken in Revelation 14:6. So we see despite attempts in history to silence the Bible and suppress the truth, the Word of God would always be proclaimed at any time, and any place. Next …
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you [John] about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Note: Can you see, underlined, the invitation for eternal life remains open? And the assurance and certainty of things written by John was attested by Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, despite the lousyness of modern-day Christianity, let it not be a reason for anyone to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us discern carefully what we have heard, by checking every declaration and statement vis-a-vis with the Word of God.
On the other hand, Jesus Christ also has warned against diversions or extractions of His Word, the Book of Revelation. Anyone who does so, judgment and forfeiture of eternal life would be the consequence. Surely, that is a scary end, so I embarked on studying the Scripture in-depth to know the truth and be assured of entrance to God’s kingdom.
I know my detractors would also be claiming they speak the truth, so it should be a prudent thing to listen to both sides of the argument and reflect on Scripture to see which one is the truth. Most of you have heard their side of the argument, so perhaps you can give my exposition of the Scripture a chance. At the end of the day, it’s about faith, our salvation, and eternity.
There was no utopia after all, but a New Covenant. But if you mean utopia as in Jesus Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings, make no mistake He was/is victorious (Revelation 17:14; Revelation 5:5), and He reigns now and forevermore (Revelation 19:6). Therefore, in Christ Jesus, we have eternal blessedness, now and beyond this present existence, indeed we are having it now.
Blessings!
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The Covid-19 pandemic has been around for a year now. Until today, its origin remains to be a matter of opinion, nothing conclusive or official. Just when vaccines are set to roll out, a couple of new variants or mutations of the virus have emerged and is now spreading, even as the original strain remains uncontainable. So once again Christians, especially among futurists camp, have asked, “Aren’t we now in the time of tribulation?” (see blog entitled “The Eschatological Divide” to understand the different perspective on the study of the Last Things)
What is a virus?
Viruses are microscopic parasites, generally much smaller than bacteria. They lack the capacity to thrive and reproduce outside of a host body.
Viruses teeter on the boundaries of what is considered life. On one hand, they contain the key elements that make up all living organisms: the nucleic acids, DNA or RNA (any given virus can only have one or the other). On the other hand, viruses lack the capacity to independently read and act upon the information contained within these nucleic acids.
Science or virology, the branch of science that deals with the study of virus has no definite answer on the origin of the virus (click here to read) except that virus is part of nature. But the COVID-19 virus or any other viruses that causes illness is a mutation not innate in itself. So, though everything has its beginning with God’s creation, and virus may be part of nature, the COVID-19 virus, same with the HIV-Virus or Swine-flu (H1N1 virus) is not a creation of God but a mutation from His original creation. As Christians, we need to see the importance of such difference. For God is good, everything He created is very good, no evil or harm could originate from Him.
See this BBC Documentary entitled “Understanding Viruses”produced in 2017. A couple of years before the emergence of COVID-19 virus, that documentary video was made to explain the possible causes of pandemics, like what we are experiencing today. For a shorter version of the explanation, click here. Epidemics or pandemics caused by viruses are man-made, not from God.
Travels, explorations, deforestations and many other human activities could be a trigger for dormant viruses to enter the human body, be its host, then mutation occurs until it becomes a deadly transmissible virus. It would be prudent then not to blame or make God the cause of the COVID-19 virus, but simply see that it is due to human error – intentionally or unintentionally.
Now on the merits that the new strain is further proof that we are in the tribulation period of the last days. Again, my short and repeated answer is “NO, NO WAY ARE WE IN TRIBULATION.”
Now, if by “tribulation”, you mean a great time of trouble due to the deaths, sickness, and the accompanying economic hardships, make no mistake we are in a difficult times. What I reject is the idea that this COVID-19 and its accompanying hardship are the alleged signs spoken by the Bible connected to Matthew 24:21. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” The great tribulation, as it has been discussed today among Christians, is believed to be a 3-1/2 years of trouble, a prelude to a Second Coming of Jesus Christ? It’s a myth that has been repeated, therefore becoming a trend, which no Bible-loving Christian should even consider.
See the explanation of GotQuestions.Com regarding the “Great Tribulation“:
The Tribulation is a future time period when the Lord will accomplish at least two aspects of His plan: 1) He will complete His discipline of the nation Israel (Daniel 9:24), and 2) He will judge the unbelieving, godless inhabitants of the earth (Revelation 6 – 18). The length of the Tribulation is seven years. This is determined by an understanding of the seventy weeks of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27; also see the article on the Tribulation). The Great Tribulation is the last half of the Tribulation period, three and one-half years in length. It is distinguished from the Tribulation period because the Beast, or Antichrist, will be revealed, and the wrath of God will greatly intensify during this time. Thus, it is important at this point to emphasize that the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation are not synonymous terms. Within eschatology (the study of future things), the Tribulation refers to the full seven-year period while the “Great Tribulation” refers to the second half of the Tribulation.
The above explanation is basically the teaching of modern-day Christianity, the futurist view. As you can see, they have verses of Scripture supporting their position or teachings, which was mainly from Daniel 9:24-27. But before we dig into the passage, let us determine its context or background. See Daniel 9:1-2.
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
In Daniel 5:30, Scripture said Darius ruled over the kingdom of Babylon after he had defeated Belshazzar the Chaldean king (Babylonian king). Daniel previously had prophesied about four Gentile kingdoms ruling over Jerusalem (Daniel 2:27-45). The four Gentile kingdoms were namely Babylon (Daniel 2:37-38; 7:4); Mede-Persia and Greece (Daniel 2:39; 7:5-6; 11:1-2); then Rome (Daniel 2:40; 7:7-8; Revelation 13:1; 17:7-12). We know the fourth kingdom was Rome, for it’s the city seated on seven hills (Revelation 17:9). Click on the link “Rome” to see the validity of its claim.
Daniel mentioned Jeremiah’s prophecy – “seventy years must passed before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem”. See Jeremiah 25:8-9,11.
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the LORD, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation … This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste.
Now back to Daniel 9:1-2. The Seventy Years Babylonian Captivity was over, so Daniel confessed Israel’s sin, and he pleaded and prayed for God’s mercy and restoration and the rebuilding of the temple (Daniel 9:17).
The LORD God replied in a vision, the Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 – “the time for God to end the transgression of Israel and the holy city, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophets, to anoint a most holy place.” Jesus actually quoted Daniel 9:26 in Matthew 24:15-21. See and compare below.
And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. (Daniel 9:26)
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.(Matthew 24:15-21)
Matthew 24:15-21 then is a commentary to Daniel 9:24-27, specifically 9:26.
Isn’t it ironic for Daniel? He pleaded for God’s mercy, restoration and the rebuilding of the temple (Daniel 9:17), yet though God did talk about a rebuilding (Daniel 9:25), He also spoke of a final destruction (Daniel 9:26), so until today the temple remains desolate. The exact location where the temple was once standing before its destruction is now occupied by the Dome of Rock.
See Daniel 9:25 – rebuilding of the temple.
Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince [Hebrew 5057], there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
See Daniel 9:26 – a second and final destruction of the temple.
And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince [Hebrew 5057] who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
Click on the link to know about “Julian the apostate”, emperor of Rome. He ordered the rebuilding of the Jewish temple but failed. That was long before the Dome of the Rock was built on the temple site. No, he wasn’t a believer of Christianity; hence he was called an apostate. His sole purpose for rebuilding the temple was to disprove Christianity – Jesus Christ and His promise to return in the generation of His disciples destroying the temple (Matthew 24:1-3, 15-28).
Now back to our discussion on Daniel 9:24-27. It is important to understand that the “prince” of verse 25 is also the “prince” of verse 26; both refers to the “Anointed One,” the Christ or Messiah. Such a reading of the Scripture is in accordance to the basic principle of hermeneutics, the science of interpreting Scripture. But the futurist teaches that the verse 25 “prince” refers to Jesus Christ, while verse 26 is the anti-Christ, even if both are the same Hebrew noun. You may want to ask your pastors to verify if indeed that’s how they interpret it.
Messiah comes from the Hebrew word mashiach and means “anointed one” or “chosen one.” The Greek equivalent is the word Christos or, in English, Christ. The name “Jesus Christ” is the same as “Jesus the Messiah.”
Jesus fulfills the role of Prophet, Priest, and King, which is further evidence to His being the Messiah. He is a prophet, because He embodied and preached the Word of God (see John 1:1–18; 14:24; and Luke 24:19); a priest, because His death atones for our sins and reconciles us to the Father (see Hebrews 2:17; 4:14); and a king, because after His resurrection God gave all authority to Him (see John 18:36; Ephesians 1:20–23; and Revelation 19:16).
Though it’s true that historically the Romans attacked and destroyed Jerusalem and burned down the temple in AD 70, it was to fulfill the Day of God’s vengeance; see Luke 21:20-24.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The “times of the Gentiles” refers to the four Gentile kingdoms ruling over Jerusalem – again namely, Babylon, Mede-Persia, Greece and Rome – prophesied by Daniel, and he clearly explained that during the reign of the fourth kingdom – Rome – the kingdom of heaven would appear and be established (Daniel 2:36-45). In the New Testament time, both John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2) and Jesus Christ proclaimed “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Fact is, Jesus Christ declared before the Pharisees, the kingdom of heaven has arrived. See Luke 17:20-21.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He [Jesus] answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!‘ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Many have speculated about a revived Roman Empire in an effort to align their beliefs and teachings with that of Daniel 2, so that their futurist view on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ could possibly stand. But it could not be sustained simply because it’s not from the Word of God, rather an invention of man. Nowhere in the Bible did it spoke of a revived Roman Empire.
Take note that Luke 21:20-24 is similar to Matthew 24:15-21; both spoke of the desolation of Jerusalem. Also, just as Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was servant of God for His judgment against Jerusalem. Rome serves the same purpose in the second and final destruction of Old Covenant Jerusalem (Romans 13:1-4).
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
Who was the governing authority at the time of Paul? No other but Rome.
Now, see again Daniel 9:25.
Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
The “seven weeks” spoken along with the Anointed One – no other but Jesus Christ – refers to the Day of Pentecost. See Leviticus 23:15-16, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.
You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.
Pentecost is significant in both the Old and New Testaments. “Pentecost” is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9). The Greek word means “fifty” and refers to the fifty days that have elapsed since the wave offering of Passover (week). The Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the grain harvest. Most interesting, however, is its use in Joel and Acts. Looking back to Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28–32) and forward to the promise of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s last words on earth before His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:8), Pentecost signals the beginning of the church age.
Note: To amend gotquestions.org’s explanation on the Pentecost, I added open close parentheses “week” to make clear Pentecost has to be 50 days after the third festival of the passover week, which is the feast of firstfruits (click link to see Scriptural support) – the day Jesus Christ resurrected. Click on ligonier.org to see explanation.
Interestingly, Daniel 9:26 said: “And after the sixty-weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off[Hebrew 3772] and shall have nothing.“
The Complete Word Study Bible Dictionary said “cut off [Hebrew 3772]”is a verb meaning to cut off, to cut down, to make a covenant. This word can mean literally to cut something down or off, as grapes (Numbers 13:23, 24) or branches (Judges 9:48, 49).It can also be used figuratively, as with people (Jeremiah 11:19; 50:16). Another important use of this word is to make a covenant (lit., to cut a covenant), perhaps deriving from the practice of cutting an animal in two in the covenant ceremony. God made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:18); Abraham made one with Abimelech (Genesis 21:27). Finally, this word can also mean to destroy, as in Micah’s prophecy (Micah 5:10).
Amazingly, the apostle Paul spoke of the same idea – that is, being cut off from the New Covenant. See Romans 9:1-8.
I am speaking the truth in Christ— I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
See also Romans 11:13-24.
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches [Jews] were broken off, and you [Gentiles], although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
How then should we understand Daniel 9:26? It’s about Christ Jesus’ offering of the New Covenant (see Heb 9:8-15) – salvation by faith, not by circumcision – but since the Jews rejected and crucified Him, they ceased to be God’s covenant people, except of course those who have believed in Him.
In the next verse, Daniel 9:27, it was Jesus Christ then who made a strong covenant with many for one week. Again, not the anti-Christ as alleged and taught by the futurist. The one week is what remains for the completion of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel 24, which actually was about Jesus Christ and His salvation and judgment. See again Daniel 9:27a.
And He [Jesus Christ] shall make a strong covenant [eternal covenant; Hebrews 13:20] with many for one week, and for half of the week He shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.
The half of the week obviously refers to Jesus’ first coming; His sacrifice, death and resurrection made the Old Covenant law on sacrifice and offering obsolete. See Hebrews 8:13.
In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Next, Hebrews 9:15-26.
Therefore He [Jesus Christ] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Did you notice what Hebrews said? The coming of Jesus Christ was the end of ages. It was therefore truly the last days, not an unending last days if we follow the futurist idea of the Second Coming. You may want to read my blog entitled “The Unending Last Days”.
Now, continuing on Daniel 9:27b, see explanation in Luke 21:20-24.
And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.
It was God who made Old Covenant Jerusalem desolate, but of course historically it was the Romans, the people of the Prince – the Anointed One, Jesus Christ. Just as Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon was God’s servant for His vengeance against Jerusalem during its first destruction.
In conclusion, since the “seven weeks” of Daniel 9:25 refers to the Pentecost, the last of the four Jewish spring festivals, fulfilled by Christ Jesus at His First Coming. Daniel 9:26-27 then fulfilled the last three Jewish Fall Festivals – namely, the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25), the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32), and lastly, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacle (Leviticus 23:33-43). It should be noticeable that with the fulfillment of the three Jewish Fall Festivals, it also fulfilled Daniel 9:24:
The Jews and the holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin – that’s God’s Final Judgment (Matthew 24:29-31), the Feast of Trumpets.
To atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness – that’s the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14), the day of Atonement.
To seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place – that’s the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2-6), the Feast of Booths.
It therefore makes no sense believing that the present COVID-19 pandemic is a proof that we are in the time of tribulation. Let me narrow down my arguments to two points:
First, according to Jesus’ own words, the great tribulation refers to the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Is there presently a temple standing to be destroyed that we should be misled into believing we are at the time of tribulation?
Lastly, when John wrote to the seven churches of Asia, the apostle clearly said he was in tribulation, which was millennia ago. According to the futurist teaching, the tribulation is a period of seven years, not two thousands years and continuing.
To end, allow me to quote Jesus’ words.
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.
Matthew 5:14
Do not blindly follow and listen. Study the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd of God’s flock, in Matthew 24:15 said, “Let the reader understand“. Don’t you yet understand? If you wish to understand better, reach out to us here. We would be more than willing to help.
Blessing!
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Here is a summary of Paul’s travel to Jerusalem after his 3rd Missionary Journey: Paul met church elders from Ephesus at Miletus because he wanted to sail past Ephesus for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem for the Pentecost (Acts 20:16). No, I don’t think he wanted to be there by Pentecost for the festivity per se – rather, the opportunity to preach the Gospel, considering that Jews from everywhere would be in Jerusalem for the Pentecost. From Miletus, Paul took several ships’ ride, from one port to another, arriving in Ptolemais where he met Christian brothers and stayed for a night (Acts 21:7). The next day, Paul travelled by land coming to Caesarea (Acts 21:8). Again he met fellow believers, then few days later Paul went up to Jerusalem (Acts 21:8-15).
It is important to remember Paul’s travel route as we come to conclude his possible location when he was martyed for the faith. So, it’s by several boat or ship rides from Miletus to Ptolemais, next by land to Caesarea and then Jerusalem.
I uploaded a map (see above) to show the distance from Rome to Spain. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul indicated his plans to go to Spain via Rome. See Romans 15:23-28.
But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.
Paul indeed arrived in Rome but via a different circumstance. He was a prisoner for the Gospel of Christ, which actually was his 4th Missionary Journey. As we can see from Acts 28:30-31, Paul stayed under house arrest in Rome for two years. Incidentally, the key verses of Luke’s second writing, Acts 1:6-8, came to fulfillment with his closing verses at the end of his narrative (Acts 28:28,30-31).
So when they [the apostles] had come together, they asked Him [Jesus Christ], “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8)
Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:28,30-31)
Without a doubt, Paul, through his missionary journeys, particularly his fourth under house arrest, indeed he became a witness to the “end of the earth” – Rome, the capital of the known world of Israel in the last days.
Now see Jesus’ words to the apostlesin Matthew 24:1-22.
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. But He answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Now compare Acts 1:6-8 with Matthew 24:14-15,21-22, then ask yourselves, “Do you see similarities in both passages?” Acts 1:8 spoke of the Gospel reaching the end of the earth, same with Matthew 24:14. Also, in Acts 1:6, the apostles asked about the restoration of Israel’s kingdom; then in Matthew 24:29-36,42 (see below), Jesus went on to tell the disciples about the end of the Old Covenant age, the coming of Jesus Christ.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days [the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only … Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:29-36,42)
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The Gospel is for eternal (Revelation 14:6), it shall not pass away. “Heaven and earth” is covenant language; see Isaiah 65:17. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
Therefore, it’s not literal “heaven and earth passing away but the Old Covenant”. See Isaiah 66:1.
Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; what is the house that you would build for Me, and what is the place of My rest?
Don’t you find it ridiculous for God to destroy His own throne, and the place of His reign (earth is God’s footstool)? Even during the flood in Noah days, God flooded the earth and destroyed humans and living things but not the earth.
True, no one knows the day and the hour, only the Father, yet Jesus clearly declared the fulfillment of God’s judgment – the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple – would be with the generation of the disciples, the immediate audience of Jesus Christ at His first coming (See Matthew 24:34; Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew 10:23 and others). You may want also to read this article from crosswalk.com entitled “Liar, Lunatic or Lord?”
Now going back to Paul’s journey after his released from house arrest in Rome, let us look at the details of 2 Timothy 4:9-13, 19-21.
[9] Do your best to come to me soon. [10] For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. [11] Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. [12] Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. [13] When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:9-13)
[19]Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. [20] Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. [21] Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. (2 Timothy 4:19-21)
Paul asked Timothy to come to him soon (4:9), but he should first pick up the cloak Paul left at Troas, as well as the books and all the parchments (4:13), and he should come before winter.
ESV Study Bible Map, Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey
Look at the first map at the top, the beginning of this blog. You will see Rome, Greece and Asia Minor. We will focus on the last two. Here on our second map, Corinth is the same with Greece. Look at the areas I encircled with blue. Paul came to Troas after his released from house arrest at Rome (2 Timothy 4:13).
Next, Paul mentioned leaving Trophimus at the care of believers in Asia Minor at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20), right below Ephesus, see map above. Remember that Paul’s opponents, those who wanted him dead, were in Ephesus, so he told the Ephesian elders they would no longer see each other (Acts 20:25), but it was not out of fear or a desire to preserve his own life but to finish his course of ministry that he received from the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:24).
Timothy, on the other hand, was previously with Paul at Rome. Let us look at the four prison letters of Paul. First, Philippians 1:1-2.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
So clearly, Paul was with Timothy when he wrote to the Philippians. Next, Colossians 1:1-2.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Again, Paul was with Timothy on his letter to the Colossians. Next, Philemon 1:1-2.
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
The letter to the Colossians and Philemon could have been sent at the same time because Philemon was from Colossae. Archippus, who was greeted along with Philemon, was a co-worker of Paul in Colossae. See Colossians 4:15-17.
Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea were tri-cities in Asia Minor. Only Laodicea was rebuilt quickly after the great earthquake but by their own effort – they were sufficient by themselves refusing help from Rome. The two other cities were left in ruins, slow to rebuild. So we see in Revelation, Jesus addressed only seven churches, excluding Laodicea and Hierapolis.
The area often suffered from earthquakes, especially from the great shock that occurred in the reign of Nero (60 AD) in which the town was completely destroyed. But the inhabitants declined imperial assistance to rebuild the city and restored it from their own means.[10]
Cities grow as they develop commercial centers that provide jobs for their residents. The ancient city of Colossae was built on a major trade route through the Lycus River Valley in the Roman province of Asia Minor (in the southwest corner of modern-day Turkey). There the Colossians manufactured a beautiful dark red wool cloth (colossinum) for which the city became famous. But Colossae’s importance as a business center diminished significantly around 100 BC, when the neighboring city of Laodicea was founded as an active and commercially aggressive competitor. The two towns, along with neighboring Hierapolis, were destroyed by earthquakes in AD 17 (in the reign of Tiberius) and again in 60 (in the reign of Nero). Rebuilt after each earthquake, Colossae never regained its early prominence, and by 400 the city no longer existed.
Continuing on our discussion, next is Ephesians 1:1-2.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here in Ephesians, there was no mention of Timothy. Perhaps Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy could shed some light; see 1 Timothy 1:2-3.
To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.
So Timothy was asked to remain in Ephesus while Paul embarked to Macedonia, but we don’t know for sure if he first went to Spain, just as he told the Romans prior to his arrest in Jerusalem, or he went straight to Macedonia after his released from house arrest in Rome.
So now, we can see the details of Paul’s travel after his Roman imprisonment. He was imprisoned only once in Rome as we can see with my previous blog on the topic. Scholars found no evidence of either Peter or Paul entombed or later transferred and buried in Rome. Paul’s travel, as indicated from his own letters after his released from house arest in Rome, was clearly in the direction heading to Jerusalem. From Rome, Paul went to Macedonia (1 Timothy 1:2-3), then Troas (2 Timothy 4:13), and next Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20). Again, Paul’s travel direction was obviously going towards Jerusalem. See again Paul’s journey back to Jerusalem before his house arrest in Rome. From Miletus, Paul travelled by boat or ship, through several ports, then landing in Tyre or Ptolemais going to Caesarea, then Jerusalem. So where was Paul martyred?
Now, let us again see Scripture and understand the heart and earnest desire of Paul as far as his ministry was concern.
See Acts 21:13.
Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Also, Romans 10:1-4.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they [the Jews] may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Next, let us see what Jesus said about His prophets and apostles:
See, Matthew 23:32-38.
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house [temple] is left to you desolate.
Next, Luke 13:31-35.
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Him [Jesus], “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Question: Was Paul a prophet or only an apostle?
See Acts 13:1,9.
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul … But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him.
So, was Paul among the prophets or teachers only? What then is a Prophet of God?
The Nelson’s New International Bible Dictionary defined “Prophet” as a person who spoke for God and who communicated God’s message courageously to God’s Chosen People – the nation of Israel.
The Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible said, “The ministry of the word (Acts 6:4) was a prophetic ministry, and so we find Paul himself described as a prophet long after he had become an Apostle (Acts 13:1).”
Paul, an apostle and prophet of Christ Jesus, also perished in Jerusalem, and the Jews was made accountable for his innocent blood, so Jerusalem and the temple became desolate in 70 AD. The Old Covenant Israel came to an end, so indeed “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Oh, by the way, Peter was said to be in Babylon. See 1 Peter 5:12-13.
By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.
But Rome was not Babylon, Jerusalem is. See my blog entitled “Dating the Book of Revelation” to read the explanation. In conclusion, both Peter and Paul were martyred in Old Covenant Jerusalem.
Blessings!
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According to Britannica.Com, the Tradition of Peter in Rome has no valid proofs except that of tradition claimed by early church fathers, see excerpt below:
The strongest evidence to support the thesis that Peter was martyred in Rome is to be found in the Letter to the Corinthians (c. 96 CE; 5:1–6:4) of St. Clement of Rome.
Peter, who by reason of wicked jealousy, not only once or twice but frequently endured suffering and thus, bearing his witness, went to the glorious place which he merited (5:4).…To these men [Peter and Paul] who lived such holy lives there was joined a great multitude of the elect who by reason of rivalry were victims of many outrages and tortures and who became outstanding examples among us (6:1).
Note: The said letter to the Corinth were not those of the apostle Paul, but of Clement of Rome written in AD 96, many years after Paul was martyred for the faith. Therefore, that letter is by no means authoritative nor Scripture.
These sources, plus the suggestions and implications of later works, combine to lead many scholars to accept Rome as the location of the martyrdom and the reign of Nero as the time.
Excavations were begun in the late 19th century in order to substantiate the theory that the burial of Peter and Paul was ad catacumbas. After a half century of investigation, it now seems reasonable to concede that a cult of the apostles existed there about 260 CE, though Christian influence may have been exerted as early as 200 CE. None of the excavations, however, in all of the areas indicated at various times as the resting place of the apostolic relics, have produced any evidence whatsoever that the bodies of Peter and Paul were either buried there originally or brought there at a later time after earlier burials elsewhere.
According to GotQuestions.Org, Christian catacombs, an underground tombs did not came to exist in Rome until the second century. See quotation below:
In ancient Rome people were forbidden to bury their dead within the city limits. This rule led to the creation of the catacombs, a network of underground passages used as a cemetery. The pagans of Rome mainly used cremation, but some pagans and Jews utilized the catacombs to bury loved ones. Following the practice of the Jewish community, Christians began using the catacombs to bury their dead around the second century.
Therefore, the claim that both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome is highly doubtful. So here is a study on the possible location of Paul’s martyrdom. The second letter of Paul to Timothy provides clues to his whereabouts. See 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.
“Departure [Greek 359]” was used only here in 2 Timothy. Yet, from the context, Paul claimed to have faithfully finished his mission. He had previously said, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16)” Consequently, no doubt this was a farewell letter of Paul to Timothy.
Now, let us trace Paul’s last recorded journey to Jerusalem before he was arrested. See Acts 20:17-25.
Now from Miletus he [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.And now, behold, I know that none of you [elders from the church in Ephesus] among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.
So here are the facts:
Paul’s goal was to finish his course of ministry entrusted by Jesus to him (Acts 20:24).
The Lord Jesus constrained Paul to go to Jerusalem, where he would face afflictions and imprisonments (Acts 20:22).
Paul’s opponents were the Jews (Acts 20:18-19).
Paul said he won’t see the Ephesian’s elders again (Acts 20:25).
Here are some important details concerning Paul’s travel to Jerusalem:
See Acts 20:17,22-23
“Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.”
Next, Acts 20:36-38
“And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.”
Finally, Acts 21:1-8,15-18
And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge. When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
It is important to note that Paul travelled to Jerusalem by ship, several connecting ports, from Miletus to Ptolemais, then arriving in Caesarea en route by land to Jerusalem. See map below, follow the blue line to see the travel route of Paul from Miletus to Jerusalem.
Map courtesy of ESV Study Bible Resources Follow the blue line to see the travel route of Paul from Miletus to Jerusalem
Now continuing on our study of Paul’s journey back to Jerusalem before his house arrest in Rome, see Acts 21:27-28.
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him [Paul] in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people [the Jews] and the law [the Mosaic law] and this place [the Temple]. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
The enemies of Paul, Jews in Asia Minor, came also to Jerusalem and saw Paul. They instigated against him, claiming he was an enemy of the Jews, the Mosaic Law and the temple itself. So Paul was arrested; see Acts 21:30-37.
Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!” As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek?
Like that of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul’s arrest came by the instigation of the Jews, who wanted him dead (Acts 21:31). If not for the intervention of Roman soldier, in their effort to keep peace in Jerusalem, perhaps Paul might have been stoned to death outright.
While being investigated at the Roman tribune, the soldiers came to know that Paul was a citizen of Rome; see Acts 22:25-30.
But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.
While Paul was still in Jerusalem, he was next examined and confronted by the Chief Priest and the Jewish Sanhedrin. Paul raised the topic of Resurrection, creating a division among the Sadducees and Pharisees. Click here to understand the differences between these two Jewish religious sect.
A plot against Paul’s life was designed with the cooperation of the Chief Priests and elders. See Acts 23:12-15.
When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
The plot however came to the knowledge of Paul and the tribune, so the Roman soldiers escorted Paul out of Jerusalem and transferred him to the custody of Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, Caesarea. Paul spent two years imprisoned at Caesarea until Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; see Acts 24:27 to 25:1-7.
When two years had elapsed,Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him,asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.” After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove.
It had been two years after Paul was first arrested in Jerusalem. Though he was away, imprisoned in Caesarea, the Jews still wanted him dead. Paul was later interrogated by Festus and King Agrippa [Herod Agrippa II]. It was at this time that Paul appealed for Caesar (Acts 25:10-12; Acts 25:21-22; Acts 26:32).
Paul appealed to appear before Caesar, not really to escape death, for he has previously claimed desire to die in Jerusalem preaching the Gospel (Acts 21:13), but to further do his mission – to testify also in Rome. See Acts 23:11.
The following night the Lord stood by him [Paul] and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
On hindsight, before his arrest in Jerusalem, while he was still doing his ministry at Ephesus, the Spirit of Jesus had actually previously told Paul about his future mission in Jerusalem, then Rome (Acts 19:21-22).
At this point, a relevant information might connect 2 Timothy 4:14-18 with the riot against Paul at Ephesus in Acts 19. That must be the reason, Paul told the Ephesian elders, after his departure to Jerusalem he won’t be seeing them again. For the simple reason, later, it was the Jews from Asia (Ephesus) who came to Jerusalem accusing Paul of wrongdoings against the Jewish traditions. They might be the forty Jews who pledged to kill Paul also.
See 2 Timothy 4:14-17.
Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
Now see and compare Acts 19:22-27,33-34.
And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” … Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Alexander was prompted by fellow Jews not to make a defense on Paul’s behalf, but in an effort to protect themselves – Jews – against the possible animosity of the Gentiles. They fear for themselves and perhaps for their trade as well. Alexander was a coppersmith man in Ephesus, probably also a maker of the image of Artemis.
On his first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:18-20), Paul also mentioned Alexander along with Hymenaeus, saying: “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.“
Possibly, after the riot, sometime later, the Gospel was shared to Alexander, but his true colors came out. He might be with Hymenaeus and Philetus, promulgating heresy regarding the resurrection; see 2 Timothy 2:16-18.
But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
Concerning the heresy about the resurrection, read my blog entitled “Scripture vs. Tradition”, click on the link to read.
Now back to 2 Timothy 4:17, Paul’s mention of lion’s mouth refers to the Jews of Ephesus, for the context begins with his mention of Alexander the coppersmith. In 1 Corinthians 15:32, Paul said: “What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.‘”
Furthermore, Paul also said (2 Timothy 1:15-18):
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.
Luke’s narrative here has to do with Paul’s house arrest in Rome, Acts 28. His trouble was instigated by Jews in Asia. So it makes so much sense that in Revelation, the Seven churches of Asia Minor became the focus of Jesus Christ, for among the seven was Ephesus, the beasts whom Paul fought.
Now back to Paul’s journey. In Acts 28:16,30-31, finally Paul came to Rome, though was in house arrest but was able to freely preach the Gospel for two years, thereby fulfilling his mandated mission.
And when we {Luke, the author of Acts was with Paul] came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him … He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
During his house arrest in Rome, Paul wrote four letters to the churches, namely Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. GotQuestions.Org placed his Rome imprisonment about 60-62 AD. Below is an excerpt from the said website concerning Paul’s imprisonment in Rome.
The prison epistles—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon—are so named because they were written by the apostle Paul during one of his incarcerations. It is generally accepted that Paul wrote the prison epistles during his first Roman imprisonment. The exact dates he wrote each of the prison epistles is unknown, but the two-year period he spent under house arrest in Rome has been narrowed down to the years AD 60–62. Paul’s imprisonment in Rome is verified by the book of Acts, where we find references to his being guarded by soldiers (Acts 28:16), being permitted to receive visitors (Acts 28:30), and having opportunities to share the gospel (Acts 28:31). These details, along with Paul’s mention of being with “those who belong to Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22), support the view that Paul wrote the prison epistles from Rome. Paul’s Roman incarceration produced three great letters to the churches of Ephesus, Colosse, and Philippi, as well as a personal letter to his friend Philemon.
Details on Paul’s whereabouts after his release from house arrest in Rome may be seen through the prison letters of Paul vis-a-vis the details found in his pastoral letters to Timothy. However, due to its length, we will continue our study in my next blog, on Paul’s whereabouts when he was martyred, which obviously was not in Rome.
Blessings!
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During the pandemic, many Christians believe we are in the “last days.” This belief has been largely influenced by novels and books that discuss the supposed signs of the impending rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
About a century ago, a pandemic known as the “Spanish Flu” lasted for a couple of years and claimed many lives. If that generation had shared a similar mindset, they might have believed they were experiencing the “last days.” However, here we are today, facing a new pandemic and many people are once again believing we are in the last days. So, it seems this is the “last last days” following the last days a century ago. This concept doesn’t make sense.
The Bible does speak of the “last days,” actually five times in the New Testament Scripture. Let us explore them each, starting with Acts 2:16-21,36-38,40.
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel [cf. Joel 2:28-32]: “‘And in the last daysit shall be, God declares,that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,before the day of the Lordcomes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:16-21)
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit … And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” (Acts 2:36-38,40)
What was the occasion of Acts 2? It’s the day of Pentecost, it’s the fourth of the Seven Jewish Feasts; see Leviticus 23:15-17.
You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering [the Resurrection Day of Jesus, cf. Leviticus 23:10-11]. You shall count fifty days [literal meaning of “Pentecost”] to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the LORD [cf. Acts 2:41; 2 Thessalonians 2:13].
The time for God’s harvest began at Pentecost, see Acts 2:41“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
See also 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
But we [Paul and his co-workers] ought always to give thanks to God for you [the Thessalonians believers], brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Pentecost was the second of three Jewish Harvest Festivals when Jews from everywhere were required to appear before the LORD in Jerusalem. See Deuteronomy 16:16.
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks [Pentecost], and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.”
In Peter’s sermon, he referenced the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32), stating that its fulfillment began at Pentecost. This event marked the beginning of the countdown to the last days, leading up to the Day of the LORD (Acts 2:17,20), which is also the day of God’s vengeance. This concept is further supported by Luke 21:20-22.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
The “day of the Lord” then was the day of God’s vengeance against Jerusalem. This is also highlighted in Matthew 23, where the Lord Jesus Christ pronounces several “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees. Pay special attention to the highlighted verses 36-38 to understand who will experience God’s vengeance and when it will take place.
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon THIS GENERATION. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate.
It is clear that Jesus stated, “God’s vengeance would be upon the generation He spoke against” (Matthew 23:36). He specifically referred to Jerusalem when He said, “See, your house is left desolate” (Matthew 23:38). This provides us with both the “who” and the “when”—Jerusalem during Jesus’ generation. The “house” left desolate refers to the Jewish Temple. Jesus further explained this in His discourse; see Matthew 24:1-3.
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. But He answered them,“You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Without a doubt, the last days lead to the Day of God’s vengeance, the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, and the end of the age—the end of the Old Covenant Age, as noted in Hebrews 8:13.
In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Without the Temple, the Jewish people ceased to be God’s covenant people. I remember previously writing about this topic but can’t remember which blog. If you find it worthwhile to dig deeper, you may find the topic in my previous blogs.
The countdown to the “last days” began at Pentecost and continued until the destruction of Jerusalem. You can see for yourselves that the Jerusalem Temple no longer stands today. This was the sign understood by the disciples of Jesus regarding the fulfillment of the Day of the Lord (Matthew 24:3) and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The second passage in the New Testament Scripture that spoke of the “last days” may be found in 2 Timothy 3:1-7.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
Although it is unfortunate, the recent revelation and confirmation by Christianity Today concerning Ravi Zacharias, a prominent preacher within a Christian organization, serves as a notable example of 2 Timothy 3:5. The Gospel of Jesus Christ represents the power of God, as stated in Romans 1:16.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Such an arrogance and bad hermeneutics for some to believe, claim, and teach that the power is with us Christians. Let me be clear, the power is not with the Christian but by the Gospel (Romans 1:16). So Paul, in Philippians 2:12-13 said:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
In reference to 2 Timothy 3:5, the formerly renowned preacher failed to experience the transformative power of the Gospel. Therefore, Scripture states, “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
This was Paul’s second letter to Timothy. In this letter, Paul warned Timothy about the challenges he would face in his ministry, emphasizing that the last days would be a difficult time. Paul provides descriptions of people’s behavior during these last days in 2Timothy 3:1-5, which aligns with Peter’s words spoken at Pentecost about the “last days” (see Acts 2:40). Peter urged the Jews at Pentecost by saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation,” using many other words to bear witness and encourage them.
Interestingly, on the first chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul did imply that the Day of the Lord was coming in his generation; see 2 Timothy 1:15-18.
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me [Paul}, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord ON THAT DAY!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.
Onesiphorus must still be alive for him to find mercy on the Day of the Lord. Again, as I have said in my other blogs, the Lord Jesus Christ again and again did spoke of His Return in the days of His apostles. See Matthew 10:23.
When they persecute you [the apostles, see Matthew 10:1-5, Jesus was speaking to them] in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Also see Matthew 16:27-28.
For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Now, let’s see the next passage that spoke of the “last days”; see Hebrews 1:1-2.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.
The “last days” then covers the people of Jesus’ generation – those who had heard firsthand from the Son, Jesus Christ, the last and Great Prophet of God. So again, Hebrews agrees with both Acts and 2 Timothy that the New Testament people mentioned in Scripture were living in the last days leading to the Day of the Lord.
Next, we have James 5:1-3.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you [the actual audience of James]. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
Lastly, 2 Peter 3:1-4.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
Here, the apostle Peter was rebuking false teachers – see 2 Peter 2:1-2 – for denying the imminent or soon coming of Jesus Christ.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
What was that they denied about the Master, Jesus Christ? It was His promise to return, again see 2 Peter 3:1-4, the continuing narrative of Peter regarding the heresies of the false teachers (2 Peter 2:1-22).
This is now the second letter that I am [Peter] writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
Come to think of it, two millennia cannot be soon by any measurement, don’t you think? Peter assures the Lord’s coming was soon in his generation; see 2 Peter 3:13, again the continuing narrative of Peter on the same discourse.
But according to His [Jesus Christ] promise we [Peter and his contemporaries] are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Again Scripture made clear that Peter and his contemporaries indeed was expecting the soon return of Jesus Christ. Still not convinced? Let’s see 1 Peter 4:7. “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”
Peter said “the end of all things is at hand.” The Scripture Direct, an online lexicon explained that “at hand” in Greek means “the occurrence of a point of time close to a subsequent point of time”. In other words, the time Peter spoke of “the end of things” was close to the time of its fulfillment, so indeed it was the “last days”. However, if it hasn’t been fulfilled, as it was/is taught today, then the end of things which was spoken two thousand years ago cannot in any means be close (at hand) to Peter’s days than closer to us, as claimed by the popular and traditional teachings.
One more, in 1 Peter 5:1-4.
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
The “glory to be revealed” refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd, which Peter assures his audience “they are partakers of the coming glory” – the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Again the lexicon Scripture Direct explained “partaker” means “one who participates with another in some enterprise or matter of joint concern,” and in the case of 1 Peter 5:1, it spoke of Peter’s audience as the partaker or participants of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Once again, it agrees with Jesus’ repeated declaration that His Return would be in the days of His generation – the generation of Jews that crucified Jesus Christ.
See Numbers 32:13.
And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
A Jewish generation is forty years. In Exodus, as revealed through Number 32:13, the Jews, who were first to received God’s covenant at Mount Sinai, wandered in the wilderness for FORTY YEARS and perished because they broke the covenant. So they failed to enter the Promised Land. At the time of Jesus, the Jews were offered the New Covenant – the Gospel – but they rejected Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant and crucified Him. See Hebrews 12:24.
And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
FORTY YEARS later, beginning with the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ (30 A.D.) that generation of Jews perished with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Similarly forty years, a generation, coincidence? Of course not, because the Exodus account actually foreshadowed both the First and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, Matthew 3:10-12 narrated the story of John the Baptist as he spoke of the last days – the judgment and regathering of God’s people.
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He [Jesus Christ] who is coming after Me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The cutting down of the tree analogy leaving only the stump alludes to God’s declaration found in Isaiah 6:8-13.
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And He said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”And He said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste [the Day of the Lord], and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The Holy Seed is its stump.
Who was the “holy seed”? See Galatians 3:16.
Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
The doctrine of the “last days” has intrigued many, and it was/is one of the most misinterpreted idea or concept in the Bible. Simply because readers of the Bible approached the Scripture with a preconditioned mind, the “Second Coming of Jesus Christ” is still in the future. I remember once in the seminary, a professor of mine introduced the idea of the possibility that all Scripture has been fulfilled, meaning even the Second Coming event has been fulfilled. Everyone’s immediate reaction was to reject outright the idea without even considering a second look in the Scripture. The same mistake was/is happening then and now. People will adamantly reject the idea outright, yet if challenged to give a passage in Scripture proving that the Second Coming truly is still in the future, I seriously doubt that it would stand. I’m offering a friendly challenge that proponents of the future Second Coming offer a passage in the Bible that could sustain the popular and traditionally existing belief.
After considering all five times, “the last days” was mentioned in the New Testament Scripture, and all agreed that the generation of the apostles were living in the “last days”. It’s definitely a “last days” – not an unending last days as it would appear in the argument of everyone who insist the Second Coming is still in the future.
Blessings!
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I am publishing verbatim explanation of ecclesia.org on the Dating of the Book of Revelation with a few notes from me.
With the dating of Revelation, you establish the true historical prospective. If you date it early, you have its fulfillment in God’s judgment on Israel. If you date it late, you have every man’s idea. So dating plays a very important part in its interpretation.
There are differences of opinion as to when this book was written. These can be summed up as the “late date” and the “early date” theories. First, we’ll cover the late date theory. Then we’ll examine the facts which support the early date theory
The Late Date Theory
Those who hold to the “late date,” have Revelation written during the time of Domitian Caesar (AD 95-96). This date is determined by the following statement by Irenaeus (AD 130 to AD 202), as quoted by Eusebius, the church historian, in AD 325: “We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen not very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign.”
There are things about this statement that need to be noted.First, Irenaeus did not witness this. He referred to Polycarp (who supposedly knew the apostle John).Secondly, the key part — “it is not long since it was seen” — is ambiguous. According to Irenaeus recollection, Polycarp saw “it” sometime in AD 95-96, during the last part Domitian’s reign.Thirdly, we do not know if the “it” Polycarp was referring to was John, the visions he saw, the name of anti-christ, or the book itself and we do not know if he meant that the book was written at that time or not. Furthermore, it comes to us through three people separated by three centuries. Simply put, this is hear-say.
Note (mine, not from the article): Both Irenaeus and Polycarp were not inspired writers, unlike those of the apostles in the New Testament and prophets in the Old Testament Scripture.
This statement, even with all of this uncertainty, is the only evidence used to support the “late date” theory. It has been accepted by generations of people without really questioning it or examining it in light of the book itself. The late date has been passed on to us in the same way it was passed on to Eusebius, “…it [was] handed down by tradition…” Tradition is not the way to interpret Scripture.
Another statement by Irenaeus seems to indicate the earlier date also. In his fifth book, he speaks as follows concerning the Apocalypse of John and the number of the name of the Antichrist: “As these things are so, and this number is found in all the approved and ancient copies.” Domitian’s reign was almost in his own day, but now he speaks of the Revelation being written in ancient copies.His statement at least gives some doubt as to the “vision” being seen in 95 AD which was almost in his day, and even suggests a time somewhat removed from his own day for him to consider the copies available to him as ancient.
The Early Date Theory
So, where can we turn to find evidence for the dating of Revelation?Within the book itself!It will be shown, from internal evidence, that Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
John must prophesy again
The first point to consider in favor of the early date is the fact that John was told that he “must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” in Revelation 10:11. Now, if Revelation was written in AD 95-96, John would have been over 90 years old and it would have been very difficult for him to travel to the various “nations and…many kings”and preach. However, with Revelation written earlier, John would have been in his mid 60’s and at that age, his traveling would have been more feasible.
The Seven Churches In Asia
Another point is that John wrote Revelation to a specific group of churches in Asia (Revelation 1:4). The importance of this statement cannot be overlooked (even though it has been by many scholars). There is only one small window of time in which there were only seven churches in Asia. The early AD 60’s. The apostle Paul established nine churches in that area, but only seven were addressed in Revelation(see Revelation 1:11). The reason for this is that the cities of Colosse, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, were all destroyed by an earthquake around AD 61. Laodicea was rebuilt soon afterwards, but the other two cities were not. This left only seven churches in Asia during the five years just prior to the beginning of the Roman/Jewish war(66-70 AD).
Of particular importance is the message to the church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). In verse’s 10 and 11, Christ told John to inform them that an “hour of temptation” was “about to come upon all the world,” i.e., the Roman Empire. Christ then told them that He was coming quickly and that they should hold fast. The reason this is important (besides the fact that this was directed to an actual church in the first century) is that the first persecution of Christians took place under Nero Caesar in AD 64. Therefore, Revelation must have been written before that time.
The Temple was still standing
One of the most compelling proofs that Revelation was written before Jerusalem was destroyed is the fact that the Jewish temple was still standing!
Revelation 11:1-2, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
How do we know that this was the temple of the first century and not some future one? First, there is not one verse in the entire Bible that speaks of a “rebuilt” Jewish Temple. Not one. That alone should be proof enough.
However, this passage is very similar to Luke 21:20-24. Notice that Jesus told the disciples that they would see this event. They had asked Him about their temple (verse 5), and Jesus told them it would be destroyed before their generation passed away (verse 32). Notice again what Jesus said in verse 24, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles.” This is the same thing Christ told John in Revelation 11:2.Therefore, since the disciples’ generation has long since passed away, Revelation must have been written before the nations trampled Jerusalem under foot in AD 70.
The Tribes of the Earth
Most writers consider the theme of the book to be Revelation 1:7. This verse is very similar in context to Matthew 24:30
Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds [Greek word #5443] of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
Matthew 24:30, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes [Greek word #5443] of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
It may not be conclusive standing alone, but you can see that just based on the language, a case can be made that the two verses are speaking of the same event. Matthew 24:30 is a verse that speaks of the fall of Jerusalem. And that is just the case that I am making about the book of Revelation — it speaks of the fall of Jerusalem.
Notice also the language of Revelation 1:7. It speaks of those who “pierced him.” Although we know that the Romans crucified him and pierced him, the apostles accused the Jews of the act. In Acts 2:23,36, Peter says that they crucified Jesus. He continues to state this in his following sermons (Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30). Stephen, in Acts 7:51-52, calls them murderers. And Paul, in 1Corinthians 2:8, speaks of the Jews killing the Lord. And also in 1Thessalonians 2:14-15, he speaks of the Jews that killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets. So perhaps the book concerns itself with the Jews.
This view is further reinforced with the phrase, “kindreds of the earth.” (“kindreds” is from the Greek word phule, which means “tribe”). This is a direct allusion to the Jewish tribal system. Now, we must identify, from Scripture, who those “tribes” were. To do that, we must keep in mind this simple rule of interpreting the Bible: let Scripture interpret Scripture. We can do that quite easily by looking at Zechariah 12:10-14.
Zechariah 12:10-14, “And I will pour upon the…inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son…In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem…And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
Obviously, this is the foundation for John’s statement that “every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth (or land) shall wail because of him” So, in essence, Zechariah was saying that the “tribes of the land” would mourn for Him whom they had pierced. Who were those tribes? “The inhabitants of Jerusalem.” This also helps us identify the “earth” in Revelation 1:7. According to Zechariah, the “earth” is the land of Palestine, specifically, Jerusalem. Also, it is those tribes, i.e., the nation of Israel, who would “look upon Me whom they have pierced.” And because of that, “the mourning in Jerusalem” would be great. With all of this information, we can see that the “tribes of the earth” in Revelation 1:7 are the nation of Israel. The “earth” is Palestine. The land that would mourn is Jerusalem.
So, the main purpose of Revelation would be to reveal Jesus to the nation of Israel. The place of this revealing would be Jerusalem. Lastly, this revealing would be to those who pierced Him, i.e., the Jews. This is not a general reference to the Jewish nation, but to Christ’s contemporary generation. That generation was destroyed in AD 70, by the Roman Legions. Therefore, the book of Revelation must have been written before that event.
The Woman
The next thing that we need to look at is “the woman” found in chapters 17 and 18. John wrote that he saw a “woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (17:6). The “woman” had this name written on her forehead: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (17:5).The angel said that “the woman” was a poetic symbol of “that great city” (17:18); in whom “was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (18:24). Then John wrote, “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her… Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (18:20, 21). So who was this “woman?” This “great city?”
Note: In my last blog “The Eternal Gospel”, I did mention a need to identify “Babylon the Great,” so here is the answer. Now continuing on my quotation from ecclesia.org.
John gave us a clue in Revelation 11:8, where he wrote, “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” This shows us, as we saw above, that John was referring to the Jerusalem of his day.
To prove this assertion, Let’s look at the term “Sodom.” John wrote that this is a “figurative” name. That means it does not tell us the actual name of the city, but it’s spiritual condition. Once more, in letting the Bible interpret itself, we find this is a reference to Jerusalem. In Isaiah, chapter 1, after declaring that he had a “vision…concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (verse 1), Isaiah wrote, “Hear the words of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom.” In Jeremiah 23:14, because of the adulterous prophets, God said that Jerusalem and her inhabitants were “all of them unto me as Sodom.”
But what about “Egypt?” No where in the Bible is Jerusalem called Egypt. However, the first century generation was also in an exodus. While Old Testament Israel’s exodus was from the bondage of Egypt, the New Testament Israel’s exodus was from the bondage of the Old Covenant Law. The most recognizable passage that depicts this “new exodus” is found in I Corinthians 10:1-11. Paul wrote, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” His contextual foundation for this statement was the Old Testament exodus from Egyptian bondage. He wrote that they had passed through the sea (verse 1). They ate manna and drank from the rock (verse’s 3-4). He then relays how they wandered in the wilderness (verse 5), became idolaters (verse 7), tried the Lord and were destroyed by serpents (verse 9). This shows us that, just like the “type and shadow” of the Old Testament and their deliverance from bondage, the New Testament saints were undergoing the same exodus.The only difference was that Paul’s generation was the reality to which the Old Testament example pointed.
Furthermore, in Luke 13:33-34, Jesus said, “[T]oday and tomorrow, and on the following [day], I must travel on, because it is not possible [for] a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The [one] killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her.” Then, in Matthew 23:29-37, Jesus blasted the Jews of His day for killing the prophets and the apostles. He declared that they are the children of their fathers who also killed the prophets. Then in verse 32, Jesus said that they would complete the sin that their fathers started. But the most crucial evidence is found in verse 35, where Jesus said, “upon you (i.e., the Jews of His day) may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on the earth.” Then He said, “I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now. Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you” (verse’s 36-37). In both passages, Jesus told the Jews of His day that they were guilty of “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth” (see also Acts 7:51-52).
Therefore, since both of these passages deal with the same crime and the same judgment, the “great city” of Revelation must be the Jerusalem of Christ’s generation. Which further proves that Revelation was been written before Jerusalem fell in AD 70.
The Sixth King
So far we have seen that Revelation deals with the revealing of Jesus to first century Israel. As noted above, “the woman” John saw was first century Jerusalem. The “kings,” therefore, were the rulers of the known world of John’s day, i.e., the Roman Empire. The “kings” were not ruling at the same time, for the text stated “five fell,” meaning that five of those kings had come and gone. Then “one is,” meaning the “king” who was ruling at the time Revelation was written. Here in this verse, we have one of the clearest proofs for dating this book. If we simply examine the list of Roman Emperors, we will be able to determine who the sixth king was, and the time Revelation was written.
Here are the Roman Emperors: Julius Caesar; Augustus; Tiberius; Gaius (Caligula); Claudius; and the sixth emperor was…Nero. Nero reigned from 54 AD to June of 68 AD, with Galba to follow who reigns but six months. Here we find the terrible persecutors of the Christians (at whose hand Peter and Paul were martyred), whom God used to destroy the Jews. Nero was in power and he gave the command to Vespasian to destroy Jerusalem. This was the sixth king, proving beyond any doubt that Revelation was written before the Roman/Jewish war.
Historically, Nero is the one that persecuted Christians beyond all comparison. St. John’s banishment to Patmos was itself a result of the great persecution of Nero.The apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. The apostle Peter, who was crucified upside down, was another victim of Nero.
Point of clarification: On the last paragraph, there is another perspective that neither Paul nor Peter were martyred in Rome but in Jerusalem. Interestingly, John alone did not face death at the hands of his persecutors but was banished to Patmos. So what’s so special about John? But I’m not covering that here. Just pointing out I have a different take on the martyrdom of Paul and Peter.
The Song of Moses
To anyone familiar with the Law of Moses and Jewish tradition, Revelation 15:2-3 will have meaning. It says that those martyrs “who had come off victorious from the Beast” were singing “the Song of Moses.”Question: if these martyrs are Christians living 2,000 years after Christ, why would these Christians be singing the Song of Moses?
Does any Christian alive today know how to sing this song? Deuteronomy 32:1-43 is the song that John has reference to.
The Jews were to sing this song to remind themselves of what would befall them “in the latter days” (Deuteronomy 31:29).The song talks about “their end” – the Jews (verse 20), and details their destruction by a consuming “fire” (verse 22), “famine” (verse 24), “plague” (verse 24) and “bitter destruction” (verse 24). God calls them a “perverse generation” (verses 5 and 20), and says He will “render vengeance” upon them and “vindicate His people” (verse 41 and 36 respectively). Why would Christian martyrs of the 21st century be singing this song about the Romans, when the song had reference to the Jews living in the 1st century? It wouldn’t make much sense.
Aren’t these the same martyrs who cried out earlier, “How long, O Lord, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood” (Revelation 6:10)? Who was it who had all the “blood of the righteous” martyrs imputed against them? Clearly, it was Christians who had kept their faith in Jesus, in spite of the intense persecution, and “had come off victorious from the Beast.” (See Matthew 23:35 and Luke 13:33)! This passage (Revelation 15:2-3) points very clearly to followers of Christ living in the first century.
In Revelation 16:10-11, it says that the people in the Beast’s kingdom “gnawed their tongues because of pain.” They had great sores on their bodies along with other plagues that had been poured out on them. We know from Josephus when the Jews literally gnawed their tongues for lack of food during the siege of AD 70! And, it is interesting that Josephus even calls the Jewish Zealot forces a “wild beast” in several places (Wars V.1.1; IV.7.4; IV.9.8; V.2.5)! This point is emphasized even more by the fact that the whole context of the Song of Moses is full of references to “beasts,” “serpents,” and “dragons” (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-32; Deuteronomy 32:24,33).
Note: I’m actually surprised that the article did not appeal to Scripture concerning reference to the beast (Revelation 6:8-11). The apostle Paul, Peter and Jude have references to the “beasts”; see 1 Corinthians 15:32; 2 Peter 2:12 and Jude 1:10. Clues to these “beasts” were given by Peter and Jude. These false teachers were denying the Master. It should be no brainer to argue who was the Master in the context of Peter and Jude; of course, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, if the false teachers denied the Master, then they must be former believers but have swayed away from the teachings of the Gospel. Consequently, the false teachers were no other than the Judaizers.
In Galatians 2:14 it means to “live like Jews” (RSV, neb, NASB, Phillips),”follow Jewish customs” (NIV), or “live by the Jewish law”(Barclay). The context for this reference is the episode in Antioch when Paul condemns Peter’s withdrawal from table fellowship with Gentile Christians. Peter’s actions a reviewed by Paul as a serious compromise of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone, lending support to the position that sought to impose Jewish ceremonial law on the Gentiles. Thus, Paul interprets Peter’s withdrawal in terms of its effect in compelling Gentile Christians to live like Jews.
The term “Judaizer” has come to be used in theological parlance to describe the opponents of Paul and Barnabas at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and those who sought to preach “another gospel” in the churches of Galatia ( Galatians 2:4Galatians 2:12 ; 6:12 ; cf. Php 3:2 ). In this sense, “Judaizers” refers to Jewish Christians who sought to induce Gentiles to observe Jewish religious customs: to “judaize.” It appears that these individuals agreed with much of the apostolic kerygma but sought to regulate the admission of Gentiles into the covenant people of God through circumcision and the keeping of the ceremonial law. Insisting that “Unless you are circumcised … you cannot be saved” ( Acts15:1 ), these “believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees” ( Acts 15:5 ) posed a serious threat to the gospel of grace and the universality of the Christian mission.
Paul’s Galatian epistle portrays the Judaizers as having come from the Jerusalem church to his churches in Galatia, stressing the need for Gentiles to be circumcised and keep the law, both for full acceptance by God (legalism) and as the basis for Christian living (nomism[novmisma]).They understood keeping the law not only as the means by which the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant could be appropriated, but also as the regulative guide for Christian life within that covenant relationship. Although the Judaizers appear to be concerned with bringing the Galatian Christians to perfection through the observance of the law, Paul charges them with being motivated by a desire to avoid persecution ( Gal 6:12-13 ). Amidst the rising pressures of Jewish nationalism in Palestine during the mid-first century, and increased Zealot animosity against any Jew who had Gentile sympathies, it would appear that these Jewish Christians embarked on a judaizing mission among Paul’s converts in order to prevent Zealot persecution of the Palestinian church
So thus far, the article argued from internal evidence; that is, from within the Scripture – particularly the writings of John in Revelation. It mentioned passages from Revelation 10:11“John must prophesy again”, Revelation 1:4 and 3:7-13“The Seven Churches in Asia”, Revelation 11:1-2“The Temple was still standing”,Revelation 1:7“The Tribes of the Earth”, Revelation 11:8, 17:5-6,18 and 18:20,21“The Woman”, “the Sixth King” (the paragraph on the topic did not mention the text from Scripture, but it’s Revelation 17:9-10), and lastly, Revelation 15:2,3“The Song of Moses”. Yet, those are not all.
The Time Element
Next consider the expectations of the author, Jesus Christ. He tells John to expect the fulfillment of the prophecy soon (Revelation 1:1,3; 2:16; 3:11; 22:6,7,10,12,20).
In Revelation 1:1,3, right off the bat, John informed his readers, the seven churches of Asia (verse 4), that the contents of this volume “must shortly come to pass.” Please note, that John did not write that some of the events, or even most of the events must shortly take place. He wrote that all of the events contained in Revelation “must shortlycome to pass.” Why? Why must those things “shortly come to pass?” Because “the time (was) at hand.” At hand for whom? The seven churches of Asia, specifically, and to the church of the first century in general. The time for what was at hand? “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Remember, as we saw above, this is the main episode of Revelation.
In Revelation 22:6, John wrote that the Lord sent an angel to John “to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.” Here, at the end of the book of Revelation, John recorded the exact same message that he did in chapter 1. This again emphasizes that all of the events contained in Revelation were about to take place in the first century — not stretched throughout time, and certainly not for any future generation.
In Revelation 22:10, the angel of the Lord said to John, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” Once more, we have proof that the events of Revelation were about to take place in the first century. However, another element was added to this warning. The angel told John not to seal the Scroll. Why is this important? To answer that, let’s look at the book of Daniel.
After Daniel had received visions concerning his people (the nation of Israel), he was told, “thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (12:1). Daniel is then told how they would be rescued — by resurrection, some would be rewarded with “everlasting life” and others with “everlasting contempt” (verse 2). But then, Daniel is told something very peculiar. In verse 4, Daniel was told, “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.” Please note that this verse says the “time of the end”, and not “the end of time”. There is a huge difference between the end of time and the time of the end. Now, we must ask “Whose time of the end?” Verse 1 told us that Daniel’s visions concerned the nation of Israel, not mankind in general.
Next, Daniel saw two angels talking about the fulfillment of all that he had seen (verse 6). One asked the other, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” The answer was, “when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” (verse 7). But Daniel could not understand what they meant, so he asked again, “When?” The angel answered “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Now that we have looked at this passage, how does it relate to Revelation 21?
Did you know that there is only one other place in the Bible where a sealed book is referred to? Revelation, chapter 5. How Daniel relates to Revelation is that Revelation is the opening of Daniel’s sealed book!! Remember, Daniel’s visions were concerning the “time of the end” of Israel, and Revelation is about God’s judgment on Israel. They are one and the same. The reason this has direct bearing on Revelation 21, is that Daniel was told to seal his book concerning the end “for it pertains to many days in the future” (Dan.8:26), but John was told not to seal his book “because the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10). The end of Old Covenant Israel was at hand. All things written had to be fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in AD 70 (see Luke 21:20-22). Therefore, since Revelation is the opening of Daniel, then it must have been fulfilled by the summer of AD 70.
Our next time statement is found in Revelation 22:12. There, Jesus told John, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”Notice that Jesus did not say that “when I come, I will come quickly,” He emphatically said that He was coming “quickly.” But He also said something else. He said that His reward was with Him to give every man according to his works. Now some state that this has not happened yet. However, we must let Scripture interpret Scripture, and turn to Matthew 16:27-28 and Mark 8:38-9:1 and Luke 9:26-27.
Jesus said the exact same thing in these three verses that He did in Revelation 21. In Revelation 21, He said He was coming and “he shall reward every man according to his works.” These are the exact same “comings” with the exact same “rewards.” But, Jesus also said in these three verses, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” Notice that Jesus tied His coming to the lives of His disciples. He said that some of his listeners would not die until He came. But to whom is He coming? And what will be their reward? Jesus said that the “coming” would be to the first century generation of Israel (Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32). Daniel told us that the “rewards” would be that some would be resurrected to “everlasting life” and others to “everlasting contempt”. Now, let’s put these two passages together. Jesus said He was coming and He was going to reward each according to his works, and that some of the disciples wouldn’t die until they saw this take place. Therefore, since all of the disciples are dead, Jesus must have returned and rewarded each according to his works. Furthermore, in Revelation, He said the same thing, therefore it must be fulfilled!
If a person doesn’t believe the first three verses of Revelation (i.e., the near expectation of the events), neither will he believe the rest of the book.For if a person is unwilling to accept the time constraints of the text, the rest of the document can mean anything that the reader desires.
If the Apostle John was banished to Patmos under the reign of Nero, as the internal evidence indicates, he wrote the book of Revelation about AD 68 or 69, which was after the death of that emperor; but the gospels and epistles some years later. One of the oddest facts about the New Testament is that what on any showing would appear to be the single most datable and climactic event of the period — the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 — is never once mentioned as a passed fact.
The inscription to the book of Revelation, in the Syrian version, first published by Deuteronomy Dieu, in 1627, and, afterwards in the London Polyglot, is the following, “The Revelation which God made to John the evangelist, in the Island of Patmos, to which he was banished by Nero Caesar.”
Conclusion
Note: There are other opinions on the second paragraph of the conclusion. The article placed it about AD 68 or 69, which might be too late. But certainly the dating of Revelation based on the internal evidence must be before AD 70, the Fall of Jerusalem. Also, concerning the article’s mention of the gospels and epistles being written some year later after Revelation, it is perhaps true for one or two of the letters but it’s debatable.
On the above arguments, the late R.C. Sproul has a video on the same dicussion “The Book of Revelation: The Last Days according to Jesus”. Click on the link to watch. However, to be fair, herein is a video of a futurist, Dr. Peter Walker of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University who has admitted the internal evidence does suggest early dating, though based on his “hunch,” he went with late date dating. Read my blog on the Futurist View and the alternative, see “The Eschatological Divide”.
Truth of the matter is, the futurist stand would fall leaving no support because the only claim they have rests on that ambitious statement by Irenaeus as mentioned early in the quotation, which was an external evidence – not from within the Scripture.
As you can see, we shouldn’t take articles, blogs, preachings or teachings of the Scripture line, hook and sinker. Rather, we should read the articles and blogs, listen to sermons, and study vis-a-vis the Scripture. We should check each statement and reference if indeed it is according to the context of the Scripture, not simply quoting a verse or two and ignoring its background. Remember the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:16), saying:
Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Note: Click on underlines and highlights for definitions or Bible references.
Peter , in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share freely, for you freely receive. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessing!
The story of Jesus and Nicodemus may be found throughJohn 3:1-21. Nicodemus was said to be a ruler of the Jews. No, Nicodemus was neither a king or any kind of officer over the Jews but a teacher of Israel (John 3:10). Nicodemus was a Pharisee, therefore an expert of the Law. He was one of the seventy members of the powerful religious governing body of Israel – the Sanhedrin.
The term Sanhedrin is from a Greek word that means “assembly” or “council” and dates from the Hellenistic period, but the concept is one that goes back to the Bible. In the Torah, God commands Moses to “bring Me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you” – (Numbers 11:16).
The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel, made up of 70 men and the high priest. In the Second Temple (Herod’s Temple) period, the Great Sanhedrin met in the Temple in Jerusalem … The Sanhedrin as a body claimed powers that lesser Jewish courts did not have. As such, they were the only ones who could try the king or extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of Law were finally put.
Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:2-3)
Without a doubt, the Jews were expecting the coming kingdom of God, which was according to the prophecy of Daniel 2:36-45.
This was the dream. Now we will tell the king [Nebuchadnezzar] its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand He has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom [Mede and Persia] inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze [Greece], which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they [iron and clay] will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings [iron and clay] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.
The fourth kingdom was Rome; both Jewish history and the Bible tells us the four Gentile kingdoms starting with Babylon, the first foreign ruler over Israel. Next was Mede and Persia, then Greece and lastly Rome. Jesus Christ came at the time of the Roman rulers, so Nicodemus knew the time was up. He came to Jesus at night, perhaps out of fear of the Sanhedrin, to check on Jesus if indeed He was the promised Messiah of Israel coming to establish God’s kingdom. Hence, Nicodemus must have been dumbfounded hearing Jesus utter those words, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3).
Note: It is interesting that GotQuestions.Org got everything covered and explained out clearly, yet it suggested that something is still in the future in spite of Rome fulfilling the last of four Gentile Kingdoms spoken by God through Daniel, then the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. Here is another topic that needs to be cleared out. Perhaps in another blog.
Nicodemus, being a Pharisee, knew the Law. He knew fully well that Jews were born children of God through the sign of circumcision. See Genesis 17:9-14.
And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh [circumcision] an everlasting covenant.Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
In other words, the Jews became God’s children, born to the flesh – that is, circumcision, the sign of God’s bilateral covenant made with Abraham. Genesis 17:14 said, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from His people; he has broken My covenant.”
Now, if the Jewish sign of “circumcision” making them God’s children won’t be enough or qualify them to enter God’s kingdom, then it must be another birth Jesus was referring to. You have to remember that male Jews were “circumcised eight days after birth.” That was the condition of God’s covenant with Abraham so that seems to be the assumption of Nicodemus. So Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4)
Then Jesus replied; see John 3:5-8.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Jesus was referring, not to water baptism as commonly suggested today, nor was He talking about a second birth and circumcision; rather, God’s Unilateral Covenant to Israel. See Ezekiel 36:16-27.
The word of the LORD came to me [Ezekiel]: “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before Me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity.So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it.I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them.But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey My rules.
By “water”, God would make Israel clean, whereas “spirit” refers to both the Holy Spirit and the Words of Christ. See John 6:63.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two basic types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant.An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.
Genesis 17:9-14 is a conditional or bilateral covenant. Consequently, before Moses led Israel out of Egypt, the bilateral covenant with Abraham was renewed; see Exodus 12:43-51.
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” All the people of Israel did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
Whereas, Genesis 17:1-7 was God’s unilateral covenant for Abraham, the father of God’s holy nation.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make My covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, explained it clearly. See Galatians 4:21-31.
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.” Now you [Christians], brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
Next, see Galatians 3:25-29.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian [the Mosaic Law], for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
In conclusion, Jesus then was telling Nicodemus that entrance to God’s kingdom comes by obedience to His word (Spirit, John 6:63); that is, Nicodemus should no longer rely on the law but faith in Christ alone. God’s unconditional or unilateral covenant with Abraham was fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the Anointed One – Prophet, Priest and King eternal.
Still, Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can these things be?” (John 3:9)
Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:10-21)
To be born again then is to believe in God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, and by believing, we may have eternal life. But to those who rejected Jesus, God’s judgment remains in them.
Finally, see 1 Peter 1:22-25
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Christ Jesus and His Gospel are one. Salvation then may be found by believing in the Eternal Gospel of the Bible.
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” (Revelation 14:6-8)
If the Eternal Gospel has been fulfilled, what is left then that is yet to come?
But for the sake of argument, to know the time of its fulfillment, we need to identify who is “Babylon the Great”. But that would be for another time.
Blessings!
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Unlearning Tradition, Relearning Scripture 