Daniel and Revelation, Reasons to Believe

Revelation-The SEVEN CHURCHES

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“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1: 17-18

Overview

Encouragement of the Resurrection

The first main section of the book begins with the seven churches.  It has two distinguishing imageries:  1.) Christ glorified and 2.) the seven messages to the seven churches.  But before it embarks us on the journey, it starts with these encouraging words:

 “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1: 17-18

Here is a clear reference from Jesus to His resurrection and the fact that He has keys to death and the grave points us to this comforting conclusion.  Even though we die and are buried in a grave, Jesus is able to raise us up from the dust of the earth and give us eternal life. 

When Jesus was talking with Martha about the death of Lazarus, she understood that Lazarus would be resurrected on the last day.  This was her hope and is the same for all who have a relationship with Jesus.

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” John 11:24

Jesus then reminded her that he had the keys of death and Hades.  He described Himself as the Resurrection:

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11: 25-26

At first brush, Jesus seems to be contradicting Himself.  Lazarus obviously died, but as a believer in Christ, He would never die…but he was dead.  How is this justified?  As our study continues in Revelation, we will discover there is the death all men must experience, but there is another death, avoided by the believers, the word used is called, in many places, “perish.”  This is an eternal death with no hope of ever living again. In these opening verses of Revelation, we are to find comfort that Jesus can unlock the place of death and raise us up to immortal life (See 1 Corinthians 15: 51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18).

Seven Churches Geographical Order

The road connecting these seven churches was a Roman road that connected each church beginning at the writer’s location, i.e., Patmos.  From John’s island prison, the nearest church was Ephesus.  Some 30 miles away to the north, the next church was Smyrna and then Pergamum.  The circuit ran in a clockwise semi-circle with 30 to 40-mile intervals.  John’s seven messages came in this exact order.

If a mailman were delivering to these locations, he would have taken this route.  There is order and relevance to this circuit and the seven messages.  It reflects the church in its journey through history.  Further, the messages are in a chiastic order similar to the position of lamps of the seven-branched lampstand located in the old sanctuary ministry.

Chiastic Messages

At the start of our journey in revelation, we identified an ancient way of writing.  Most movies and books have a beginning, a middle, and an end in the modern world.  It can be expressed this way:  A, B, C order.  But in many places in the Bible, The order is A, B, C, B, A.  The climax or ending is in the middle.  This will become more apparent as we move through Revelation.

The Messages to the Seven churches have this exact order.  The middle church is Thyatira. God says good things about Thyatira.

“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.” Revelation 2:19

The commendable traits of this church are love, faith, service, perseverance, and progression (Doing more than they did at first.).  I am sure God would have all the churches like this one.  But, there appear to be two groups within this praiseworthy church. One group tolerates a false prophet.

 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching, she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. Revelation 2:20

But God takes on the responsibility of taking care of the problem.  He ends with the message to the ones who tolerate this false prophet:

I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Revelation 2:23

To the second group who rejects the teaching of the false prophet, His message is less ominous: He promises to not impose any burdens on them except that they should “hold on” until Jesus comes.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ Revelation 2 24: 25

This message is God’s desire for His people.  We are to “hold on” until He comes and reject teachings that lead to sin and discouragement. 

Daniel and Revelation, Prophecies for Our Time, The Soon Return of Jesus, What is God Like?

ONE OF THE CHIEF PRINCES

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Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an article entitled, “Michael-Who is He?” I showed the reasons for the belief that Michael is an allegory for the pre-incarnated Jesus. A reader who attends our Tuesday night verse-by-verse Zoom study of Danieal and Revelation asked the following question. Below is my response. I thought it might be useful to share it with everyone. I encourage your thoughts and comments.

Blessings!

Eddie

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Question:

From Sherree:

Thank you for sharing this article!

Question for clarification:

In this passage 

“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.: Daniel 10:13

How do we explain that it says “Michael,  One of the chief princes“

__________________________________________________________________

Answer:

Thank you Sherree for the tough question and for reading the article!  The passage you cite certainly seems to point away from the assertion that Michael (mîḵā’ēl=One like God) is the pre-incarnate Jesus.  It seems to contradict the many other passages that point to Jesus as the Archangel. (Chief of the angels) as discussed in my article. The phrase “one of the chief princes” would diminish Michaels’ role as archangelos the “Chief of the angels” and make Him just one of the chief leaders.

As I mentioned in the article, whether Michael is Jesus or not, our interpretation should not take away from the divinity of Christ as some people have attempted to do. Because the divinity of Christ is Biblical. It is critical in understanding the awesome sacrifice of our Creator (John 1).   (Note: I plan to write an article on the divinity of Christ next.)


In my opinion and mentioned in my article, the focus should be more on the actions of Michael who “stands up for his people”  (Daniel 12:1), contends with the devil (Jude 1:9), and whose voice is the sound heard at our resurrection when Jesus returns (1 Thess 4: 16-18).  These actions are most important to understanding God and His character.  Less important (my opinion) is the identity or name of Michael, whether it be a powerful angel or Christ Himself. 


As you know, the word “Jesus” is not in the Old Testament.  He appears with other names e.g.. “one like the Son of God“, “Messiah” etc., or in this case, I believe “Michael” (One like God).   But I do not want to minimize the importance of words or your question.  So I began a word study within the context of the chapter, and other passages regarding Michael the Archangel.  I always try to keep an open mind.

CONTEXT OF PHRASE
I looked a little deeper at the passage of Daniel 10:13, keeping it in its context. The most immediate context is that Michael appears again in this chapter (verse 21).  


 “But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me (Garbriel) against these, except Michael your prince) Daniel 10:21


This passage insinuates more exclusivity (No one) and differentiation from other princes (your prince). This is “noted in the Scripture of Truth”).  Gabriel seems to point Daniel to the Scriptures for clarity.  This is always the best thing to do…look at other related scripture

Continuing with context, Micahel is referred to later in Daniel 12:1

At that time Michael shall stand up,

The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;


As we have found in our study of Daniel’s prophecies, it is rich in symbols as in Revelation.  So it is highly logical, as Charlie has pointed out that these Princes that are fighting against each other are in the spiritual realm (Eph 6:12).  The Characters are in the spiritual struggle include angels (both good and bad), Christ (Michael?), and Satan (the Dragon of Revelation) 

 “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought”

Revelation 12:7

So context is king.  It helps us with other difficult passages in the Bible (Note: you might want to read my other articles on “Context“-Shameful promotion, I know! 😁

WORD and PHRASE STUDY
But since words are important, I examined the phrase “one of the chief princes” in Hebrew to help me understand better Daniel’s description of the events in Chapter 10.


 It seems that the phrase “one of” is the rub.  If Jesus is Michael, this phrase “one of the chief Princes”  makes Him like just one of the other “chief princes” (i.e. more than one chief).  So I hope I am not straining at a gnat here  🙂  Here is the word study on the phrase you cited,  please feel free to make your own conclusions.


One  (‘eḥāḏ)- Translated most often as  “one” (687 times), but it is often translated as “first” (36 times).  It could have been translated as “First” instead of “One of”.  Young’s Literal Translation agrees.  It translates this passage as 

 “Michael, first of the chief heads, hath come in to help me, 

Chief (ri’šôn)-This word appears 185 times in the Old Testament alone It has been translated “first” 129 times. The next most times it is translated elsewhere as “former” (32 times).  I was expecting something related to how I understand the word chief (i.e. leader, captain, the main guy) as used elsewhere in the Bible.  The main word used in Hebrew as “chief” is used 421 times in the KJV.  This word in Hebrew is śar (It literally means what I was expecting (chieftain, leader).  So why wouldn’t Daniel use this word?)


Princes śar-The word means what I was expecting for chief!  (See above).

So with this in mind including the context.  It could be interpreted as The First of the Chief Princes. This would line up with the second designation of Michael (Archangel) who is THE “chief” or leader of the angels.   All other angel rankings fall below him as the leader. 

Sorry to have gotten too far in the weeds.  I hope this helps and does not confuse the subject further!  😁

Blessings as you study!

Eddie

Healthy Living

A Single Solution for a Dynamic Problem?

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As the news came in of the shooting of little children at Robb Elementry School in Uvalde, Texas, hearts began to break…again. Lives were changed forever…again. Little sweet precious lives were cut short…again.

Gone

Gone was a playful summer in the Texas sun for little bright-eyed children. Gone was their future! Family relationships, laughter, fun at the carnival, education, opportunities, professions, marriages, their own children, the smell and taste of a good meal, the peaceful feeling of a desert sunset, growing older and wiser… All gone in a flash by a crazy young man. His future is gone, too, by his choice. Individual choice is a powerful thing! It can create good results or lead to murder. The big question is this: How do we help young people make the right choices. More on that later.

The sad finality for these children stabbed the heart of people all over the world. Little lives who were one-moment writing on fresh tablets were now bleeding out on the floor. If they were fortunate, it ended quickly.

One deranged, immoral, uncontrollable 18-year-old found some sort of sick satisfaction in using a gun meant for use by soldiers at war to end innocent and helpless lives. Salvador Ramos purchased his semi-automatic rifles within a week of his 18th birthday! He couldn’t wait to buy those weapons. All legal, but all so wrong.

As a society, what could we have done that would have prohibited all this? The answer to that is highly complex. There is not one thing that can be done. Even if there were not a single gun in this country, evil and mental sickness would find a way to destroy life. This horrendous act of murder began in his mind…then came the weapon of choice and availability. The connection between the sick, immoral mind and available weapons is the issue. Weapons for self-defense and weapons of offense are the two different motives for owning guns.

Frustration

The frustration of the deadly redundancy and pitiful failure of our divided country to “fix the problem” was on the faces of the officials in Texas. The president of the Un-United States and his vice-president began their predictable drift into vexation, political innuendos, and customary statements that “something has to be done.”

American Wisdom and Politicians

This problem of school shootings is not a political party issue. It is a societal issue. Regardless of party affiliation, religion, or no belief system, I have found there is wisdom among the diverse people who live, work, and die in this country. They are not politicians. They are common people who have common sense. They see that a solution will not be found in a single bullet. It is not one piece of legislation; it is not a partisan solution; it is not the elimination of guns and more governmental control of things they have shown they can’t control.

The wise among us know that protecting our young people, and people in general, from death by weapons has immediate requirements and then developing a plan for long-term solutions. They know that this takes a united effort where political hats and agendas are checked at the door. We all cry about the loss of unity in this country. In our lifetimes, we have seen unity come alive at the bombing of Pearl Harbor and New York’s twin towers. We have set aside our political theology at those times, focused on the enemy, and worked together.

Unfortunately, we have had many Pearl Harbors, and we are still wearing political hats with no serious solutions. We haven’t progressed towards helping protect our children and other human beings!

Progress on this problem is for serious people living in serious times. It won’t come from politicians. It will come from the people, by the people, and for the people. Let the wise among us stop waiting on the wealthy Politicians and the political ideologies that separate us!

The president said he was “sick and tired.” Americans are sick and tired too. We are sick and tired of rhetoric, worn-out words of condolence, efforts to comfort, and political positioning to make sure their party is elected or re-elected!

Movement

Every community in this country should start a movement. Don’t fall back on the comfortable couch of complacency. Let us gather the serious and open-minded citizens among us and create a group of people with one thing in mind: the safety of our children! Who will go first? Only the serious-minded.

The group leader must be a facilitator for discussion and results-oriented for firm action. Information is king. Understanding the dynamics of the problem comes first and quickly, then finding solutions for each of the contributing factors. The plan should have an immediate, short term, and long-term plan:

Here are some ideas:

For immediate attention:

1.) Vulnerability of the Schools- How do we protect our children at school, in the building, and out? This needs immediate attention, even if it is small steps at first.

2.) Alert Processes– How do we educate, encourage, and identify people who appear dangerous. There are all sorts of ways for those on social media to identify people who need help. But once they are identified, what next?

Moderate Term Actions:

1.) Mental Health-A highly neglected group in our communities are those with mental health problems. How can we incorporate community-wide programs to help people with mental health challenges?

Long Term Actions:

It is time to focus on practical subjects for students in our schools and leave behind special interest ideologies!

1.) Mental health classes and mental health experts must be added to the schools.

1.) Return the teaching of morals to our school. The government should never interfere with religious freedom. It is a basic tenant of our Constitution. But even if you are not religious, you know there are right and wrong actions. There are consequences for doing wrong. Just ask anyone in jail. Our local state and national moral laws are based on God’s law. Six of the Ten Commandments are moral directives. They are helpful to any person, religious or not:

*Honoring parents ( Why not have mental health classes relating to your Mother, Dad, Grandparents, etc.?)

*Murder. What this means to our society and the lives of others. There are other solutions than taking someone’s life.

*Adultery– Stress the importance of commitment to one mate. Commitment to right and honor is sadly missing in our society.

*Stealing. Understand how stealing is wrong and that there are consequences that will disrupt life. Teach respect for other people’s property

*Lying. Talk about its moral implications related to yourself and how it affects other people.

*Covetousness-Talk about the consequences of mental anxiety in desiring other people’s property, spouse, and property.

2.) Find more resources for mental health, especially for impressionable youth. Set aside funds to address the mental issues of children and people who are on the streets or in nice comfortable homes. Mental health affects everyone, especially those in High School.

3.) Gun control on the local level. Let the politicians do all the fighting about the 2nd amendment. In the meantime, let’s think about how we can control who get’s guns and who doesn’t in our community. Require background checks. You don’t want to give a gun to people with mental issues or crime issues. This won’t solve the problem, but it will be a vital part. Training for both practical and moral use of a gun. Make the classes necessary for owning a gun.

Think about this: Automatic weapons have been banned since 1986, while the slightly slower semi-automatic and bump stocks are not. These types of weapons are for the military, as are rocket launchers and tanks. Since we are given the right to bear arms, it does not mean an individual should have weapons reserved for soldiers. My feeling about the 2nd amendment is that it was written for its time to maintain a militia that could fight against a rogue government. While we are guaranteed to bear arms, it doesn’t mean we should own weapons of mass destruction. Just my opinion…

When you meet with your newly formed group, discuss the facts of the matter and come to agree in the context of protecting our children. Then move forward with rapidity. Time is of the essence. The next sick person is out there somewhere waiting for his opportunity,

Think less about your adult self and more about the children.

Discussion Question Examples for Your Group

Here are some discussion statements to consider. They are discussion questions only, with the objective of getting on the same page of protecting our children.

1.) What can we do immediately to protect all our schools? We may not like this answer, but it is worth discussing. How can the teachers at the school protect the students and themselves? Is having a locked safe under the desk with a gun a possibility? A politician stated that “hardening the schools” by arming teachers is just “adding more guns” where accidents will happen. But an unlikely accident is not going to kill 19 children!

2.) How can we use the police and other resources in our community to protect the innocent and vulnerable?

3.) How can we monitor our communities, so we don’t tread on the sanctity of the home but become more aware of dangerous conditions around us. How do we react?

Last Thoughts

What were the last thoughts of those precious children? My wife, who is a nurse and has held the hands of dying people, including children, told me this:

I have seen my Creator, in His love and mercy, give a person at death’s door comfort. God especially sends comfort to children. Children have a special place in His heart. I have seen it in their eyes. Eyes looking towards heaven as if they are seeing an angel come to be with them.

Nurse Judy

God and Children

The question to God is often “why”? Why did God allow this? Stock answers are multiple but often make no sense and reflect badly on God. Because the answers don’t come from people who know the character of God, even if they are an elder or a pastor in a church. A person can be religious and not appreciate the God whose identity is described as love.

Bad responses:

“God loves them more than us and calls them home.” So God causes a mass murder to kill them so He can have them in heaven? Or a man dies of a heart attack and leaves a wife and three small children. So God clogged his arteries so He could have this young man in heaven? How ridiculous!

“God has a long-term plan that we can’t see.” It will save someone else. Really? Is this how God works? Is death the solution tool of God or of Satan?

“They are in a better place.” Of course, heaven is a better place, but it brings no comfort to those who no longer have their little sweetheart!

As a follower of Christ, I get frustrated with pat religious answers. I prefer the plain word of God and His revelation of great love:

1.) God does not take any enjoyment in death. Even the death of a wicked person:

“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live…”

Ezekiel 33:11

“…but (God) is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

Death is not God’s tool. It is the tool of Satan himself:

 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

Children Need Him

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14

Have we prohibited the Children to come to Jesus? Children are our model for what it means to be part of the kingdom of heaven. As adults we must come to Jesus and learn how to bring our children to Him. It must be in the Spirit of the love of Christ and not the steeling cold theologies of religion.

Eddie
Daniel and Revelation

Michael-Who is He?

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Why does it matter?

Introduction-The Bigger Story

As I studied the Bible for this article, I realized that it is not a salvation issue whether a person believes Michael the Archangel is another name for Jesus or not.  However, what is essential, and is a salvation issue, is faith in Jesus regardless of the many names given Him.  Because without trust or confidence in Him, we will not see the kingdom of God (Hebrews 11:6, John 3:3).  The several actions of Michael give us reasons to have even more faith in the God we serve.  That is the objective of this writing.

I propose that we don’t get hung up on the gnats and swallow a camel in this study. Having said that, I will go into some detail.  But keep in mind it is to disclose the bigger story of Jesus. 

What I discovered in the study of this powerful being called Michael, the archangel is a God that fought with Lucifer in heaven and was victorious against Satan’s accusations about God’s character.”  I see a God who contends with Satan on our behalf particularly when we pray for God to intervene.  I see a God who stands up and protects His people even during the “time of trouble…in the latter days.”  I see a God that argues victoriously with Satan over the body of Moses.  I see Jesus!  I see Jesus when His voice wakes those who have died in Him.  He raises them to life and gives them immortality free of the corruption of carnal bodies.  Let us not fail to see Jesus in this search for the identity of Michael.

Michael the Archangel

Michael is described as the Archangel in the Bible. The primary argument against Michael being Jesus goes like this:   

If Jesus were Michael, He would be an angel. That would mean He was created, undermining the many passages of scriptures that tell us of His divinity.  Therefore, Michael must be a mighty lead angel, but not Christ.

Although this logic has a proper conclusion, it assumes Michael is a created being. Without a deeper look, we could miss something important about Michael and Jesus, not to mention the purpose of Christ and the message of God. 

Michael the Archangel draws more attention than regular angels in the Bible (both Old and New Testament).  The word angel is described 15 times in the entire Bible.   “Michael” and “Archangel” appear only six times in Scripture.  But each “Michael” passage tells a powerful story. Here is an overview of the six times Michael arrives:

  1. Michael appears in Daniel 10 (verses 13 and 21).  He comes to help out Gabriel fight with the Prince of Persia. A fascinating story!
  2. In Daniel 12:1, Michael stands up to signify the start of the time of trouble.
  3. In Jude 1:9-Micahel argues over whether Moses should be resurrected or not. God wins the argument.  Moses would later appear on the mount of transfiguration along with Elijah, who never saw death.  These two represent those who never experience death when Jesus comes and those that are resurrected by the voice of Micahel, the archangel.
  4. Revelation 12:7 describes a war in heaven between the dragon (Satan) and Michael.
  5. 1 Thessalonians 4:16: Michael is not used here, but instead, “the archangel’s voice,” which is understood as Michael’s. This voice raises those who sleep in Christ and rise to meet Him in the air with those who have not seen death (The Moses’s and Elijah’s of the end time)

Bear with me as I add another nuance to this study that adds some credibility to God having the name of an angel.  It would not be complete without mentioning the “Angel of the Lord.”

Angel of the Lord

Another interesting, relevant study is on the “angel of the Lord.”  This exact phrase appears 64 times in the Bible.  It is a study within itself.  I will use only a couple of references.

There are several passages like this one where God is referred to as the Angel of the Lord:

Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.

Genesis 16:7

Only God led the people out of Egypt.  Only God made a covenant with His people.  Yet He is given the name Angel of the Lord. (See also Genesis 16: 6-13, Genesis 22: 15-19)

For a quick story that reveals the “angel of the Lord” as God, look at Exodus 3, verses 2-6.  We are all familiar with the story of Moses at the burning bush.  The angel of the Lord appears in the burning bush.  Moses is told to take off his shoes because he is on holy ground.  Why is the ground holy?  Because it is God who is in the burning bush. The presence of an angel does not make the ground holy.  There do not appear to be two entities in the burning bush.  The writer tells us: 

“Moreover, he (the angel of the Lord-verse 2) said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” 

Exodus 3:6

This tells us clearly that the Angel of the Lord is God. I will go a step further.  The Angel of the Lord is Jesus. Later in this story, Moses desires to know the name of the God who is sending him on a mission to free God’s people from Egypt.  Jesus would later refer to this story as the “I AM.”

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?”

And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

Exodus 3:  13-14

Who is Jesus?

Before we can answer the question of the identity of Michael, we must be sure we know who Jesus is.  Most Christians will have no issue with the essence of Jesus.

When Jesus walked this earth as a man, He was called Immanuel (God with Us).  He is God!  I once was visiting a Sunday School class as a guest.  The topic was Jesus and divinity.  The teacher said, “Jesus never claimed to be God.”  I disagreed and used the following scriptures to support my response. 

“First, He took the name given to Moses at the burning bush.  This upset the religious leaders, and they took up stones to kill Jesus for the offense of blasphemy, i.e., a person who claims to be God Almighty, thereby blaspheming God’s name (Leviticus 24:16).”  Jesus told them:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Then they took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by…

John 8: 56-59

“At another time, Jesus claimed equality with God the Father.”

I and My Father are one.”

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”. John 10: 30-33

Jesus was God who came in the flesh of a Man!

The religious leaders wanted to rid themselves of Jesus and often looked for reasons to do so through the favored method of execution, i.e., rocks hurdled at the soft flesh of the offending human.

Finally, I told the Sunday school teacher

“Jesus claimed to be the Son of God under oath!”

I quoted from Luke:

Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” Luke 22:70

As a visitor, I loathed taking up so much of the teacher’s time, but the Spirit of God compelled me to speak.  Later, I was thanked for the short Bible study.

Could it be that Michael is another name for Jesus?  Jesus was given several names.  No one denies His divinity by the use of those names.

The Many Names of Jesus

 Each name comes with meaning and a succinct description of Him, His character, and His purpose.   The word “Jesus” does not appear in the Old Testament, but several other names describe Him:

  • Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 6:9),
  • Lamb of God (John 1:29)
  • Immanuel (God with us-Matthew 1:23)
  • King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37)
  • Son of Man (Matthew 8:20).  This is the name Jesus gave to Himself.
  • Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13)
  • The Bread of Life – John 6:35
  • The Redeemer – Isaiah 59:20
  • The Living Stone – 1 Peter 2:4-8
  • The Word (John 1: 1-14)

From scripture, it is clear that Jesus is divinity and not a created angel. He is part of the eternal three (God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit).  All three were present at Creation:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;

Genesis 1:26 (a)

You and I are descendants of the first man and woman and the creation that came from the hand of Jesus.  Jesus is God.  John, the beloved disciple, proclaims this with boldness when he describes Jesus as “the Word.”

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it…

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1: 1-5

From this passage, the following is made clear:

  • The Word was present with God at the beginning
  • The Word was God at the beginning
  • All that was made was made by Him (The personal pronoun Him is the same as the Word)
  • In Him is life (Sustainer)
  • He is light.  The darkness (darkness must refer to the opposite of Jesus’ character, i.e., those who were in darkness.  When He came to earth, the religious leaders didn’t recognize Him.
  • He became flesh and lived among us.

A person could substitute “Word” for the name “Jesus” and be perfectly correct in identifying who Jesus is:  Example: “In the beginning was (Jesus), and (Jesus) was with God, and (Jesus) was God.”

Paul also boldly proclaims this about the divinity of Jesus:

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1: 16

Paul goes a step further in Hebrews Chapter 1 to compare Jesus with the angels. His point is this:, though Jesus came in the flesh, He is the Creator and, therefore God:

 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;…  And: “You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands

Hebrews 1: 8,10

This is God the Father (verse 5) talking to God the Son. He calls Jesus “God.”

But it must be understood that Jesus was also fully human, tempted in all points as we were (Hebrews 4:15).  He is not ashamed to call us brothers (Hebrews 2:11).  This is part of the salvation story as much as His divinity.  It is also a mystery that we as humans find difficult to understand.

So, we can put this stake in the ground; Jesus is God and not a created angel.  But could Michael be another name for Christ?  Could the purpose of Michael reveal the Son of Man who watches over His people? Perhaps, Michael is another name we can add to the list as names of Jesus that demonstrate his power.  The next question to explore is how the Bible uses the word angel.

Who are Angels?

No doubt, the typical angels we think of and see in pictures were created.  They often show up as men or women without wings and white robes.   The word “angel” in the original language discloses something interesting.  We have already seen that the Angel of the Lord can be another name for God.  Why is that?  Why not just be direct?

The word “angel” appears 199 times in the Bible (NKJV).  The phrase “angel of the Lord” appears 64 times in the Old Testament and New Testament.   The Hebrew word for angel can mean one of the following:

 Abîr:  Strong Ones- chiefest
‘ĕlōhîm:   God or Judge

mal’āḵ:  Messenger, Ambassador

mal’aḵ:  Angel (Notice the slight variance in the previous word)

šin’ān:  Angel

The character of Jesus would fit the first three words easily.  Is he not the chiefest, the strong one, God, Judge, Messenger, and Ambassador for the kingdom of God?

Who are the Cherubs?

These beings (angels called Cherub or Cherubim) appear 70 times in the Old Testament and only once in the New Testament (Hebrews 9:5). They first appear in the Garden of Eden after the fall of Adam and Eve.  Their purpose was to protect the Tree of Life and the Garden…to keep everyone out, “lest they eat and live forever.”  Cherubs are often connected to the Sanctuary as overseeing the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant (God’s law).  It is the Cherubim’s purpose to protect.  The Hebrew word for these Cherubs is kᵊrûḇ.  It means an angelic being who protects.

The point is this:  When we see the word “angel,” Cherub, or Cherubim, the interpretation of who is being described will be disclosed in its context!  This is probably the most powerful tool in a good understanding of Scripture: The context of the surrounding verses and words; the context within the chapter or book; the context within the entire Bible; and finally, and most importantly, the context within the character and purpose of God.

So, with this in mind, let’s see why it is highly likely Jesus is described as Michael the Archangel.  But more importantly, what Jesus means to His people.

 Michael-Spiritual Battle in Daniel

Daniel 10:13, 10:21, 12:1

Daniel has been in intense prayer for three weeks.  Why?  He understands that the end of the 70 years of captivity of his people, the Jews, in Babylon is coming to an end. Here is that passage that gives us context to the work of Michael (Daniel 10:2, Daniel 9:2-3)

in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem… In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.

Daniel 9: 2-3, 10:2

There was a long time (3 weeks of intense dedication) before Gabriel responded to Daniel’s prayer. Gabriel was an angel (messenger) that had been the primary communicator with Daniel (Daniel 8: 15-16, 9:21) regarding the prophecies recorded in the book of Daniel. There was a reason for the delay in Gabriel appearing before Danie!  There was a spiritual battle between the Prince of Persia and Gabriel.  Michael came to assist Gabriel in his mission.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

Daniel 10:13

(A quick note:  It is not good to be left alone with the enemy.  When Jesus shows up, victory is won!)

Gabriel is alone to contend with the “prince of the kingdom of Persia.”  Notice it does not say “king” of Persia, but rather “prince.”  Daniel 10:1 refers to Cyrus as the “king” of Persia.  The prince of the kingdom of Persia and the King of Persia are two different entities. 

So, who is this “prince of the kingdom of Persia”?  It is likely Satan who wrestles with “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Ephesians 6:12

Why is the king of Persia being tempted to disobey the influence of Gabriel and follow Satan’s (Prince of Persia) desire to keep the Jews in captivity?  Cyrus was not “wrestling against flesh and blood.”  Here is where we go into “the unseen world in relation to human affairs.” 

Satan influences Cyrus to go against God’s will of allowing the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and sanctuary destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1).  In that famous decree to “restore and build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9;25), the work had already begun with constructing the temple.  But the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem had political and religious significance to the area. Hence the builders of the wall experienced severe opposition from rulers near Jerusalem. The prophecy of Daniel 9:25 said,

“The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.”

This is shown to come to pass in Nehemiah 4:1:

But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

Nehemiah 4:1

Those who built on the wall and carried burdens loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.

Nehemiah 4:17

But Daniel was praying for three weeks to counteract the influence of Satan (Prince of Cyrus) on King Cyrus.  Gabriel calls upon Michael to finish the work initiated by Daniel’s prayer.  Gabriel was contending against Satan for twenty-one (21) days when Michael showed up.  The passage calls Michael “one of the chief princes.”  But it is better translated literally as “the chief (number one) prince.  Young’s Literal Translations calls Michael the first of the chief heads. Michael means (“He who is like God).  No one can make this claim but Jesus.  Further, the word archangel in Greek means “chief of the angels.”  This does not mean Jesus is an angel, but it does mean He is in charge of the angels, as we will see in Revelation.

So here is the story in its context.  Daniel knows that the captivity of the Jews (according to Jeremiah’s prophecy) is soon to end, and the children of Israel (Daniel’s people) will start to return to the desolate city of Jerusalem.  Nevertheless, Daniel is troubled in his spirit over an undisclosed message he receives and understands (Daniel 10: 1-2). 

Daniel begins to mourn and prays earnestly for three weeks.   While he is praying, Gabriel is in a spiritual battle with Satan (Prince of Persia) over the influence of the King of Persia to follow through with God’s will to release the Jews.

“The king struggles between conflicting emotions.  He hesitates; he delays.  Day after day passes away, yet Daniel prays on.  The king refuses to yield to the angel (Gabriel).  Three weeks expire, and lo, a mightier than Gabriel joins him in the palace of the king and then they come to Daniel to acquaint him with the progress of events.  From the first, said Gabriel, your prayer was heard; but during these three weeks which you have devoted to prayer and fasting, the king of Persia has resisted my influence and prevented by coming. Such was the effect of prayer.” Daniel and Revelation-Smith p. 228, 229)

Then Michael (the chief of the angels) and with more power than the angel Gabriel, influences the King of Persia to obey the will of God and let Daniel’s people go.  The rest is history.  The Jews returned and rebuilt the city of Jerusalem and the temple.

Who is Michael?

He has the power to resurrect.

This is demonstrated in Jude 1:9

Yet Michael the archangel, in contending (arguing) with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Satan did not think it was fair for Moses to be resurrected.  The Lord (Michael) simply said, “The Lord rebuke you.”  Only Jesus can argue with the devil about the body of the dead.  Jesus told Mary that He is the resurrection and that trust in Him would bring life back to a dead person:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

John 11:25

 From the Mount of Transfiguration experience, we know that Moses died but was resurrected.  Because He appears with Elijah, who never saw death.  Both are symbols of those alive and dead at the return of Christ (John 17: 1-8)

That brings us to the next appearance of Michael in the New Testament.”

For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Jesus Himself, the resurrection and life, saves us from eternal death by coming again to receive those who are alive and remain” and those who are “dead in Christ.” This power can only be that of Jesus, whose voice is the Archangel that He is. This scene so clearly described by the Apostle Paul should bring us more comfort than any scenario we can think of.

But before He comes, He protects us during the time of trouble:

“At that time, Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered, Everyone who is found written in the book.

Daniel 12:1

Like those during their time in Egypt, God’s people shine with light upon their faces as a testimony to the power and salvation of His people.  The lost cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them.  Why?  Because they cannot stand to look upon the His face and His wrath (Revelation 6:16).  But the people of God say, 

“Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

Isaiah 25:9

The second verse of Chapter 12 in Daniel expands on the events of Michael standing up.

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine. Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:2

When Michael stands up, it signifies a point where God has had enough.  Whether alive or dead, every person will have decided to live or die (Revelation 22: 11-12).  Their fate is sealed.  Then Jesus returns.  Only Jesus (aka Michael) has this kind of power.  No angel can be assigned these responsibilities.  Michael (aka Jesus) has power demonstrated in His ability to protect those who belong to Him when all hell is let loose and when the graves (hell) let loose those who awake to eternal life.

Only the Power of Jesus

Because of this power of Michael, I believe it is a synonym for Jesus. For no other angel has this power.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.

Revelation 12: 7-8

Only Jesus has the power to defeat Satan both at the start and at the end.  Let us praise His many names!

That one name, Jesus, summarizes the many names given to Him.  But they are all the same. Whether you call Him Lord, Prince of Peace, Savior, or Michael (One like God), Jesus’ name given Him at birth shows His power, uniqueness, and purpose of His mission of salvation.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 

Matthew 1:21

Church, Daniel and Revelation

CHRIST’S MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA

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Notes on a church known for its love and faithfulness.

 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Revelation 3: 7-13

The American City

Most Americans know the meaning of the name Philadelphia. This fact is especially true if you live in that great city of Pennsylvania located in the Northeast section of the United States. Over 1.6 million people call Philidelphia home. It is known for its contribution to founding the American dream of freedom, free from the tyranny of Great Brittan and the powerful papacy of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. But also the personal right of every human to “… to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (United State Declaration of Independence)

Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed here. The authors of our famous documents desired a country without a king and a church without a pope. America’s pursuit of freedom and equality for every citizen has its roots in this famous city.

William Penn, a Quaker, founded Philidelphia in 1862, which became the capital of the Pennsylvania colony. The name means “brotherly love” in the Greek language. Interestingly, the Greek word for Philadelphia appears only twice in the Bible. Both references appear in the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:11 and 3:7). John was inspired to write to this city after receiving a vision from God.

The City of Revelation

 “Asia Minor, situated near the eastern base of Mount Tmolus, (was founded and named by the Pergamene king Attalus II, Philadelphus. After the death of king Attalus III. Philometor, B. C. 133, it together with his entire kingdom came by his will under the jurisdiction of the Romans” (Ref: Blue Bible)

King Attalus II reigned for approximately 21 years 159-138 BC), whose “love for his brother Eumenes II gave him the epithet Philadelphus; after him, Philidelphia (brotherly love) was named. This prosperous city lay on the imperial post road. From its inception, Philadelphia was intended to serve as a missionary city for the promotion of the Greek language and culture to the area of Lydia and Phrygia. Its geographical location, however, made it subject to occasional earthquakes; in particular, the severe earthquake of A.D. 17 devastated Philadelphia together with Sardis and other surrounding cities.” (Revelation of Jesus Christ, Stefanovic, p.143)

The Church In Philadelphia

Jesus introduces Himself to this church with these characteristics:

  • The Holy One
  • the True One
  • The One who has the key of David who opens and no one shuts and shuts, and no one opens.

The first two attributes of Christ are significant for this church and all “who have an ear.” Christ is holy (set apart above the world’s sins) and the only One who is genuine and faithful. All others are false. Exclusive statements about Christ are inclusive of everyone, whether they believe it or not. Jesus and His promises are precise for each and every person. Therefore, exclusive comments about Jesus like this are not threatening if they are true. Jesus has proven to be true.

Exclusive statements about God and Jesus often appear in the Bible. For example, Jesus said something very similar, as recorded by John:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14: 6

In a similar point, Paul asks a question to the Roman church to clarify that unfaithful people do not affect the truth of God.

What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. Romans 3: 3-4

So, Jesus is the untouched and unsoiled source of truth. But, he also declares He has keys to a door that none of us possess. He can let people in or people out. What does this mean? In or out of what?

An Open Door

Some might surmise that the door represents an entrance or exit into heaven. This has logical meaning to the western mind. However, in the context of the literal setting of Philadelphia, the purpose of this church, and other Bible references, it is likely a metaphor for an open door of opportunity that Jesus opens. When He does, no one can stop His purpose.

“The city’s strategic location made it the gateway to the East. From its very beginning, Philadelphia was deliberately built to be “the missionary city” for spreading the Greek culture and language among the barbarian tribes throughout the regions of Asia. Being on the imperial post road, Philadelphia was indeed given an open door for the spreading Greek ideas throughout the region.”

Revelation of Jesus Christ, Stefanovic, p. 144

The Philadelphia church also became an effective highway for spreading the gospel. This poses the question to the modern church. As we located where we can spread the gospel, or do we locate ourselves away from the highways and byways of the lost or to protect ourselves? Do we go inward or outward?

This was the purpose of all the churches and it continues to this day. Instead, we find ourselves more like a club for the comfort of the saints and we stay “in.” To go “out” is symbolic of proactiveness. Going “in” is more for the fearful and introverted. Paul spoke about the open door and going out in the world of opportunity for the sake of the kingdom. Going out means facing adversaries and the difficulties of being a worker for the kingdom of God.

For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:9

Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, 2 Corinthians 2:12

…praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, Col 4:3

If God opens a door, the church should go through. Sometimes we find ourselves timid and excuse ourselves to tarry and pray. But often, the prayers have already been prayed, we just are too timid because of the challenges we anticipate. The road is not aways smooth anyway.

“Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”

The work of spreading the gospel is God’s work,. We are just encouraged to be willing to follow and go out as He gives the opportunity. Has God opened the door for your church?

A Trial on the Earth

I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. Verses 11:12

Ah! many will say after seeing the phrase “from the hour of trial”, “See, God’s church has been raptured away, so they are not on the earth to witness this trial” (a.k.a time of trouble.).

This teaching hangs on one word “from.” But look at the exhortation and context of the reward in the next verse.

Jesus tells us to “hold on to what we have so that no one will take your crown.” Can someone take your crown if you are already in paradise? Of course not. In the next breathe, Jesus talks about individual victory that leads to being a strong “pillar” in heaven. Strength comes from the patient endurance found in verse 10.

Jesus prayed,

 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

John 17:15

Will God the Father answer Jesus’ prayer? I think so. Don’t you. We are to stay in this world to the end as a witness or testimony to the power of Jesus in our hearts regardless of the circumstances. Again, the western mind thinks only of the convenience and comfort of being snatched away. This is dangerous because this teaching minimizes spiritual preparation.

Philadelphia – A Historical Symbol

This church could easily be a symbol of the church during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In America and around the world, the Bible was being more understood as predicted by the prophet Daniel and encouraged by John when he said,

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

“With ‘little strength’ (3:8), the church of this period was indeed a missionary church driven by a strong desire to bring the gospel to the entire world. This period was a time of great advancement of the gospel, such as had not been experienced ever before in Chrisitan history.” Revelation of Jesus Christ, Stefanovic, p. 146

As the world has gotten larger, the tools to communicate have increased. Doors are open behind walled and discriminatory countries.

The church of Philadelphia encourages us to walk through the door of opportunity while it is day and light is available to everyone. Let us be quick to walk through the door and shake off the comfort of familiarity while it daytime. One day, darkeness will attempt to cover the whole earth.


I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. John 9:4

Hell, Reasons to Believe, What is God Like?

Hell-LET US REASON TOGETHER

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I once heard a pastor preach on the topic of hell.  It was called “Why the Intellectual Honest is Not Christian.”   A catchy title, but it is often true.  The teaching of hell, a place of torture and non-stop punishment in flames without end, doesn’t line up with the character of God.  If a person thinks it through, the sacrifice of God the Father by giving His Son Jesus so that we might not perish (John 3:16) is at the extreme opposite end of God’s supposed solution and punishment for the lost.  Mercy, justice, or torture with skin on fire; Which fits the character of God?  John, the beloved, described the essence of God’s character this way:

“…God is love.”

1 John 4:8b

From the central concept of God is love, all other doctrines of the Bible must line up.  If not, we have a massive misunderstanding about who God is.  How can He be merciful and full of love for even the worse of lost sinners?  Then respond to rejection by torturing them forever? If this is true, it would be the ultimate form of unsatisfied, unquenchable revenge. Can you think of anything more cruel? Maybe driving straw under the fingernail every second of the day.

God’s Glory and Goodness

Moses was allowed to see God’s “glory” and His “goodness” as He walked by. 

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.

After seeing God walk by, Moses didn’t describe God’s physical appearance, but the characteristics of God:

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

Exodus 34:6

This is where we must start understanding who God is and what His name represents.  This goodness, this kindness, leads someone to want to follow Him. God gave us the ability to reason. Non-Stop torture for quadrillion years, then starting over makes no sense for a merciful, loving God.

 Only after we understand that God is love, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness can we look at God’s plan for those who are “lost.”  No, not all are saved and live forever. It is the opposite; they die forever, They would not be happy in heaven.

This question must be asked: Which is God’s method of reaching the lost: The threat of personal eternal punishment or falling in love with a sacrificial God?

Popular Teachings on Hell

Hell is taught as a place either under the earth or somewhere in the universe where the souls of those who reject Christ spend eternity in flames and torture. Hell, and mercy cannot be in the same sermon or teaching for this idea. They are mutually exclusive because the burning flames of punishment would eliminate mercy. 

Before accepting Christ as an unbeliever, this idea of God’s punishment created a crisis of faith for me.  How could I trust a God who held this threat over my head?  Love me, or I will torture you. It made no sense. There was no logic there.

What if I had tried to win my wife by saying, “If you don’t love me, I will torture you.”  Would that attract her to me?  Sadly, I know someone who is caught in this type of Godless marriage.  The husband has (on several occasions threatened to kill the wife and her father if she left him.  What do you think her life is like? Is she free or in captivity? Is she in love or in shackles?

As an atheist, this idea of burning anyone for eternity gave me more reasons to believe that the Bible and religion were all about controlling people and scaring them into submission. 

What amazed my rational, logical thought process is this fact:  Many Christians, in particular, get angry if someone rejects the idea of such a place or a God that doesn’t put the sinners into a living place of flames.  They think it is unchristian and unbiblical not to believe the lost stay alive in hot coals of fire, crying for relief.  They insinuate it is what the sinner chooses, and it serves them right for rejecting Christ or living a life of rebellion and sin against God.

God and the bible teach justice. Is eternal torture justice?  Does punishment fit the crime?

Life In Prison-Justice?

A man was driving on the freeway going 75 mph in a 55 mph speed zone. He is taken to court, where the judge sentences him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Is this justice? 

Another man is caught in the same speed zone and is brought to the court. The judge hears the charges. He had been at a bar and left at 10:00 PM to head home.  He drifts over the double yellow line and kills an innocent family.  The dirty, smelly man is unrepentant.  The judge gives him life in prison without parole. Is this justice?  Likely.  But here is the sad thing, some teach that God says, “No!” This is not justice!   God condemns him to life in flames with no parole after He dies in prison, not because of the act of murder, but because he rejected Jesus and never repented. But here is something else to consider. The loving, hard-working husband and father also killed by the drunk is also condemned to flames because he rejected Christ and hated going to church with his wife and children. He was a good man but didn’t believe in Jesus and Christianity.

A rational person has a hard time wrapping their head around eternity, much less the idea of the unbearable stinging of flames on the skin, lips, arms, and legs kept alive FOREVER by God to “punish” the lost.  These human torches cry out for actual death to escape the flames, but the merciful God says, “No!”  The human torches, or as we call them, “lost,” can be anyone from Hitler to Uncle Bill who never attended church, never opened a Bible, didn’t believe in Jesus but was a good faithful husband and father. It includes all those who worship other gods or who never heard the story of Jesus. Their punishment is never satisfied by a loving, merciful God.  

WHO IS GOD?

Let’s explore this topic.  It is essential for Christians to know the truth and know their heavenly Father and His character.  Would a merciful, loving God do such a thing?  What method did God and Jesus employ to bring people into a loving, saving relationship with Him?

Following are the two typical modern understandings of hell.  This is what a majority of protestant Christians trust to be true.

View 1:  If you die and are unsaved (e.g., did not profess Christ), your immortal soul immediately (or after a quick judgment scene) goes to a place under the earth where the devil resides, and blistering hot flames torment your soul throughout eternity without end.  You will scream and desire to die, but you will stay alive in flames, never finding relief.  This could be called the immediate and present Hell.

View 2:  If you die and are unsaved, your immortal soul is judged at the Great White Throne judgment at the end of time. Your soul and body are cast into the lake of fire prepared for Satan and his angels, where flames torture you throughout eternity.  You will scream and desire to die, but you will stay alive in the fire, never finding relief.  We will call this future Hell.

The Catholic church throws in a couple of “holding” places, such as purgatory, and some talk about a place called “Abraham’s bosom.” Those in these places can be prayed into heaven. In some cases, money can pay them into heaven.

There may be other slight variations of hell, but if you ask a Christian or a pastor about hell, this is very close to the answers given.  It is often softened up to take out the idea of a Holy God torturing the unsaved by saying non-biblical things like,

“The lost choose hell.”  

Is that right?  Who in their right mind would choose to be tortured? The Bible teaches they choose death over eternal life not so much from a conscious choice but instead through unbelief in Jesus and rejecting the pull of the Holy Spirit to repent and turn away from the sins that lead to death.

The common idea with both basic views about hell involves non-stop burning, which is a miracle!  The miracle of staying alive with a body to experience pain! It also requires an immortal soul.  A term not used in the Bible.   We often hear preachers say, “You will live eternally in one of two places.”  Is this true?  Does the lost also have eternal life?  Are their souls immortal?  What is tortured by the flames?  The soul? The body?  Both?

What does the Bible have to say about all this?

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The Bible’s Teaching on the Fate of the Lost

Some will say, “The immortal soul is being punished, not the body.“  Of course, there is no biblical proof for this. It contradicts those who support a literal interpretation of the Rich Man and Lazarus, where the rich man has a tongue and gets thirsty in flames. He has a body!

Some will say, “God is just, and this is their fate.  We can’t understand it and aren’t supposed to.”

Is this true?

Indeed, our thoughts and ways are not like His, but there are things He has revealed that we can know with certainty. “

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to our children and to us forever,

Deuteronomy 29:29

Is the fate of the lost one of those things revealed to us?  Yes! But we must understand it from ALL that has been shown to us!

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JESUS’ APPEAL

The Bible tells us that eternal life is based on knowing God and having a relationship with Him.  We are drawn to Him as He is lifted up (Cross).  Is a torturing God the One we want to get to know?  Or is God like a father who loves his child?  Does God use hell to scare us into coming to Him, or does he draw us in a different more divine way?

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

John 17:3

Knowing God The Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is essential in our experience and salvation from death.  To have a false conception of God is dangerous, as we shall see.

We are not scared into a relationship with the Lord; He draws us with “lovingkindness.”

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

It is the cross, not hell that draws people to Jesus.

‘”…And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.‘  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”

John 12:32-33

That day on a lonely hill, Jesus dying on a rough wooden cross is the ultimate demonstration of the sacrifice and love God offers to all people. A clear view of the things leading up to the death of Jesus and the day He said, “It is finished,” will bring the sin weary to repentance, forgiveness, and salvation from eternal death.

His death was what all lost people would experience—an end without hope.  When Jesus “became sin for us,” He felt the separation from God the Father.  He felt forsaken.

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The Rest of The Story

It is unbiblical to think that the soul is immortal.  The soul is not eternal.  Only God has immortality.  The saved are not given immortality until Christ returns.

If a soul can die, it is not immortal.

“ Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die..”

Ezekiel 18:4

Only God has immortality!

I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

1 Timothy 6:14-16

Immortality is not given to us until Jesus returns and we are changed.  We “put on” immortality then and not before.  

Want to know a mystery about death that has been solved? Something God has revealed to us and our children?  Listen closely to the words of Paul:

 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.””

1 Corinthians 15: 51-54

Is this not as clear as a bell?  Immortality is “put on” when Jesus returns!  We sleep in death, waiting for the resurrection just as the Bible describes.  This waiting is like a mere micro-second.  A person dies.  Years if not millennia, pass, and they come forth in new immortal bodies at the return of Christ. The same is true for the “lost.”  Except, they meet a different fate.

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Eternal Death

“Death has come upon all men by the offense of one man. But, through grace and the gift of righteousness, life came by Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:12, 17

Wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 3:23.

Wages are something due to us for our work of sin.  Sin leads to death, not life. Both are mutually exclusive.  You can’t have both.  You must have one or the other. The gift of eternal life is reserved only for the saved.

He that has the Son has life.  He that does not have the Son does not have life.

1 John 5:12

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

Here is a simple, straightforward comparison of what awaits the lost VS the saved:

Believes in Jesus = everlasting life

Not believing = perish (eternal death)

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life….”

John 3:36

Believes in the Son = everlasting life

Does not believe in the = shall not see life.

The Lord can destroy the soul,

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28

The body and soul are destroyed in hell.  It is not kept alive to suffer throughout eternity. If there is a fear to be taught, it is the fear that both the body and the soul are forever destroyed, while the redeemed have a new immortal body and life without end.

The Power and Miracle of the Resurrection

As described before, the belief in God AND the resurrection of Jesus are both vital to receiving salvation from eternal death:

… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

It was Paul’s goal to be raised from the dead…Not to die and be with Him,

” if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:11

The mortal “puts on” immortality, and death is no more when Jesus returns.

The dead in Christ are resurrected.

“For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words”

1 Thessalonians 4: 15-18

Note:  Those who died in Christ and those alive when He returns start to “be with the Lord forever” when He returns.  So, the resurrection is our hope…Our eternity with the Lord does not begin until He returns.

Jesus will raise the saved from the grave on the last day.

“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”

John 6:39

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:44

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:54

“Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

John 11:24

The teaching of resurrection as our hope is an ancient truth.  Example: Job said,

“my redeemer lives and I will see God in the flesh in the latter day upon the earth.”

Job 19:25, 26

The resurrection is crucial because we are lost if it doesn’t happen.

Our faith is futile without the resurrection. Our hope is in the return of Christ and the Resurrection, not in dying and floating off to heaven.

“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

1 Corinthians 15:14-19

The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Rich Man and Lazarus story does not include the resurrection in its story.  It is clearly a parable directed at the snooty self-righteous Pharisees.  To say it is literal brings many contradictions to other clear verses that are not parables. This parable comes near the end of a long series of parables spoken by Jesus.  There was a resurrection of another Lazarus that clearly describes the state of those who die.  The event is described in John 11.  Here Jesus compares Lazarus’ death with sleep:

“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep…Then said Jesus, unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”

John 11:14

Notice something else; When Jesus brought Lazarus back to life after being dead for four days, he did not say to him to come down but rather come forth (v. 43). If Lazarus had been in heaven, he would have had many things to share, don’t you think?  Why is he silent?  It is because he was unconscious until Jesus called for him to “come forth.”

The Resurrection of the Lost

The unjust have a resurrection, too (after the millennium): 

“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.”

Act 24:15

The “rest of the dead” come up long after the first resurrection:

“And they (the saved) lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.”

Revelation 20: 4, 5

The second death is the fate of the lost who are not part of the first resurrection but rise in the 2nd resurrection. Revelation 20:6

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power….”

Revelation 20:6

At the end of all things, the saved may have died once, but they will never have to die again because they have been given immortality.  But the lost who died once will die again, fully aware that their death will be forever. This knowledge is their quick punishment. They acknowledge they were wrong and dismissive of Jesus:

As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

Romans 4:11

At the end of time, fire destroys the earth, Satan, and sinners:

Jesus comes as a thief in the night in which the heavens, earth, elements, and all the works are burned up.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

2 Peter 3:10

Everlasting Destruction

“The Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9

What is everlasting?  The destruction. This is the punishment, never existing again.

The wicked are destroyed forever (Psalm 92:7, Psalm 9:5)

“When the wicked spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish,
It is that they may be destroyed forever.”

Psalm 92:7

Death and hell (grave) are destroyed!

“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Revelation 20:14

Fire comes down from God when the resurrected lost try to surround the beloved city. This fire devours them. When something is consumed or devoured, there is nothing left.

“They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”

Revelation 20:9

“For our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:29

The Anti-Christ (lawless one) is destroyed when Christ returns by the brightness of the Lord’s coming.

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

2 Thessalonians 2:8

Wicked is burned up, reducing them to nothing

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.”

Malachi 4:1

Satan is burned to ashes and shall never be anymore

“You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth.
In the sight of all who saw you.”

All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever”

Ezekiel 28:18, 19

So, Scripture is clear: sin’s wages are death, not eternal life in burning flames.  There is a hell of fire, but it is a work of eternal destruction. Even Satan’s fate is total destruction.  God’s end-time plan will wipe the universe clean of sin and its results. There won’t be some special corner of the universe for people to suffer forever. 

Eternal life is given only to those who turn to Jesus and trust Him. Life eternal is given to those who know Him and not just about Him. It is all about Jesus.  He holds the keys to the grave and death:

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold; I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 1:18

Because we believe He can resurrect us and give us immortality, we have passed from death to life. I want to be part of the first resurrection, don’t you?

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

John 5:24

I often wondered why God wipes away all tears. The passage in Revelation 21: 4, Revelation 7:17, and Isaiah 25:8 are in the context of the end of time when all of God’s people arrive in heaven at the same time after the resurrection, as described in 1 Thess. 4:15-18

The saints will spend their first day in heaven wondering about a loved one who didn’t make it. Then they will understand from the Lord Himself that they were lost and will never be anymore. There will be tears in heaven, but Jesus will literally and symbolically wipe away the tears.  He will explain and show them the many opportunities given to them to receive eternal life as a free gift, but they refused it.

Then all the saints will bow, throw their crowns, and proclaim

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.

Revelation 4:11

God is just! God is worthy! For this, he receives glory, honor, and power!

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Church, Daniel and Revelation, Personal Journey With Jesus

Christ’s Message to Sardis

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A few notes.

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,

‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.  Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Revelation 3: 1-6

Each message to the seven churches ends with these words: “let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Each church has personalized council from Christ Himself.  But also, every person who “has an ear” has the same direction. No one is excluded.  However, there is something in the message that many fail to understand.  It is this: the message is primarily to His church!  Those who profess His leadership.

God’s desire for the body of Christ to prosper spiritually is found in each letter.  If each member heeded the words, the church would go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit to be co-workers with the Godhead.

Today, I was studying the challenges of the Sardis church with an “ear to hear” what that ancient city of Sardis has in common with me personally.  Here are a few of my notes:

The City and the Church

There are five application levels when reading to understand Christ’s messages to the church.  First, it was a literal message to an early historical church.  In this case, it is to the church in Sardis.  It was for them. 

But there is a second level.  It is a message to all churches throughout history in similar situations. 

The third level is a customized message to local churches with similar challenges.  

The fourth level is highly applicable to the different stages of church history.  The message describes the church’s struggles from the book of Acts to our day in the 21st century.   To understand this part, a study of church history is necessary.

But, lastly and most importantly, it is the message to the individual who makes up the church.  The person who “has an ear.”  The council is very personal and understandable to anyone brought under the conviction of the message.

The message to the historical church at Sardis is highly appropriate when considering its location and condition:

” Sardis was built on a hill so steep that it was considered a natural citadel, and its defenses seemed secure.  The location of the city made the citizens overconfident; as a result, the city walls were carelessly guarded.  The city was captured twice by surprise, first by Cyrus the Persian (549 B.C.) and later by Antiochus (218 B.C.)  On both occasions, enemy troops climbed the precipice by night and found that the Sardians had set no guard.  The city was captured and destroyed because of the overconfidence of the citizens and the failure of the guards to watch.  It seemed that this carelessness had crept into the church, hence the warning: “Keep watching.” Revelation of Jesus Christ, Stefanovic p. 138

So, the highest application level for this church and today’s church is to “keep watching.”  Watching for what?  This is undoubtedly a spiritual application of being aware of our surroundings and attack threats.  Can you see the attacks on the churches today?  Can you see the attacks on you personally?

For the churches and individuals of our day, we are directed to watch and be prepared for the second return of Christ.  If not, He will come unexpectedly, and therefore, the person is unprepared.

Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

Revelation 3:3

Jesus warned in His sermon on the mount:

But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:43-44

Notice the admonition to “watch” and “be ready.”  The follower of Christ must be watchful and understanding of their surroundings but must go further and prepare their hearts, so they know they are ready.

Paul compares the return of Christ with a thief who comes at night. The key concept here is the surprise element.

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

1 Thessalonians 5:2

A couple of verses later, Paul clarifies that the followers of Christ are not in darkness (uninformed), and they are not overtaken by the experience of an unexpected visit of a thief.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

1 Thessalonians 5:4

Sadly, many churches today try to compare the thief’s experience with quietness to support the secret rapture theory.  But, Peter leaves no doubt that the second coming and the church rising to meet the Lord in the air is loud and destructive:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise (loud), and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (destructive).

2 Peter 3:10

So, when He comes, there are no second chances.  Therefore, the individual must watch and be prepared.  This is the primary message to the church at Sardis and all those lazy in their experience with Christ.

This leads to Christ’s counsel to “repent.”  If not, then those who think they are of the body of Christ and written in the book of life will be surprised, as are those who do not know Christ and therefore lost.

Book of Life

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 3: 5-6

Whether the book of life is a literal book or not, it has life-and-death significance to those professing Christ.  The once-saved, always-saved doctrine doesn’t line up with the message here.  The follower can have their name blotted out of the book of life.  Therefore, overcoming is minimized in this passage to those who hold on to the dangerous doctrine.  Overcoming in Christ is the key here.  No amount of self-will or exercise is enough.  The will and the doing come only through Jesus.  Any self-actions, whether grit, determination, morning devotions, memorizing Bible texts, diet, you name it, are ropes of sand.  Why?  It is because we can do nothing without Jesus.  He gives us the will (desire) and performs His will through us.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2: 12-13

This is righteousness by faith in Christ alone.  We are legalists if we don’t seek righteousness through Him alone.  Our choice is to repent and seek to be “in Him” at all times.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15: 5

Other writers confirm Jesus’ statement of warning about the book of life.

Moses: 

“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”

Exodus 32: 32-33

David:

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,

And not be written with the righteous.

Psalm 69:28

Only those who remain in the book of life will be spared destruction in the lake of file.

: And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:15

Conclusion

I ask the question after reading Christ’s message to Sardis:  Why does Jesus give these warnings and council to all the churches and individuals if there was no possibility of having their names blotted from the book of life?  The answer is obvious. 

It is God’s purpose to correct our journey with Him. It is not a one-time trip down the aisle of the church.  It is a daily choice to live “in Jesus” or live in our own power.   We often are tempted and pulled away from Him.  Our best course is found in the council to Sardis to “watch.”  Be aware of the workings of Satan and our sinful flesh.  Repent if we know we are not in line with God’s will.  Turn over the steering wheel of life to the only One who can save us from our sins and give us the power to be victorious.   Otherwise, we deceive ourselves and are in danger of thinking we are religious enough to be saved.

The Sardis church was lazy and comfortable.  It would lead to defeat.  But those few who had an ear listened and followed Jesus’ words were given the gift of eternal life.  They are made worthy by the white robe of Christ’s righteousness.

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Revelation 3:4

Death and Resurrection, What to Do With Doubt

WHAT TO DO WITH DOUBT-(RESURRECTION)

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 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

John 20: 26, 27

The resurrection is not preached and taught enough. It is mostly mentioned at Easter services once a year. So sad! Jesus overcoming death and rising from death was the hope of the Apostles’ letters, preaching, and teaching, especially Paul’s. We should contemplate what that means to us as followers of Christ. There is more here than you might not have considered. Paul said,

“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3: 10, 11

Jesus’ resurrection is not only proof of His divinity, but it also gives us hope of the same when He returns as it did all the disciples. But, If Jesus was not resurrected, our faith is in vain. I didn’t say this; Paul did!

Have you ever thought about the claims of Jesus when he said,  

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

John 11:25

For every person, there is death, but we shall all live when our resurrections occur. How important is the resurrection of Jesus? Was it a real event or did Jesus’ disciples just dream it up?  What will our bodies be like when we are resurrected?  What happens before then?

Doubt is demolished when a person comes to truly believe that Jesus was resurrected and He has the same plan for us when He returns.

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This account is from Thomas, who separated himself from the other disciples after the crucifixion and did not see them again for about eight days after Jesus appeared to them (John 20:24-26).  

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Greetings.  I am Thomas, one of his original 12 disciples.  Jesus commissioned me to do mighty works for the kingdom of God, but I am confused and skeptical, just as you may be.  Let me tell you what I know and the timelines.  I have not seen the other disciples since the last supper, which was the day before the Preparation Day.  You will call it Thursday.  Most of us were scattered when He went to trial and was crucified.  I think I saw Peter on the other side of the hill weeping on that day.

First of all, I know that Jesus is dead!  I saw him beaten, scourged, and eventually nailed to that cruel Roman Cross. He died on the afternoon of the Preparation Day.  This is the day you Gentiles call Friday.  It is the day us Jews and the converts prepare for the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship.  I have always enjoyed the Sabbath, especially with Jesus, but this Sabbath was different.  We all retreated to a secret spot to literally rest from the events of the previous 24 hours, but our souls were not at rest.  The women had seen the body of Jesus and were resting according to the Sabbath commandment.  Their plan was to go to the tomb of Jesus at the rising of the sun on the First Day of the week to prepare his body. (John 20:19 and Luke 23:56)

The Scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus dead because they said He claimed to be God and that he could tear down the temple and build it again in three days.  Often Jesus would say things like this that made little sense to me. But, later, he would explain it to His followers, and we could see its true meaning.

Since the religious leaders didn’t want Jesus and the two thieves hanging on the cross during the Sabbath, they broke the legs of the thieves to hurry the death process.  You see, a man hanging on the cross with broken legs is unable to push up against the nails in his feet to get a breath with their legs broken.  The diaphragm will collapse in such a way that they smother to death.  Such a disgusting and uncomfortable slow death, but since the Sabbath was only a few hours from the beginning, they were fortunate and did not have to suffer for days as have many others.  The Romans are so cruel! But, I don’t put all the blame on them.  Our own religious leaders pushed and pushed until they finally got what they wanted…the scourging and death of Jesus.

But, when the soldiers came to Jesus, they supposed he was already dead and did not break his legs but rather took a sword and pierced his side just to make sure (John 19: 31-37).  Blood and water came forth.  I saw it even though I watched from a distance to protect myself from the same fate.   It was horrible!  It took the air out of me (so to speak) and made me wonder why I followed Jesus in the first place.  So, I know Jesus to be dead!  Even the women knew He was dead and went to His tomb that Friday afternoon to look at his body and to prepare spices to anoint him early on Sunday morning.

Mary Magdalene, who Jesus had cast out seven demons, said that she had seen Jesus at the tomb with two angels.  But I don’t know about her.  She did have demons, didn’t she?  Jesus cast out several demons out of her, but maybe one was leftover, making her mad.  The whole city must be mad because it is reported that many people who were dead were resurrected and appeared to many! (Matthew 27:53)  I have not seen any, but I must admit I have not been going out much lately. I feel lost and with no purpose or direction.  I just want to rest.

Then I heard that about eight days ago, on the day you Gentiles call Sunday, Cleopas and his friend were on their way to Emmaus and had an encounter with a spirit or something. It was reported to me by the other disciples that a stranger spent a good three hours giving a comparative study of the writings of the Tanakh or the Old Testament as you call it.

As they walked down the dusty road towards Emmaus, the stranger told them about how Jesus could be found all through scripture.  As they began to understand from the Tanakh about Jesus, they could see why He had to die on the cross. They said it made their “hearts burn within them.”  I remember Jesus saying something about dying and being resurrected, but it was so far from my thinking that I put it out of my mind.

Cleopas reported that they begged him to stay when they reached their destination and tell them more of what he knew.  But, the stranger turned out to be Jesus himself!  They apparently recognized him as He broke bread, and then He disappeared.  Can you imagine that?  He just disappeared!

They then raced back to Jerusalem with the news of what had just happened.   But the disciples were skeptical as I am. Now the other disciples are claiming Jesus showed up at their meeting and that he also gave them a comparative study from the Tanakh about himself.  He then asked for something to eat, and he ate some fish. Does a spirit eat food? Quite unusual.

So that is what I know so far.  It is all only rumor and wishful thinking as far as I am concerned.  Tragic events like this can lead you to think weird things.  So I think I will walk over and see how my friends are doing. The last time I saw them, they were fearful and unbelieving as I am, but something has come over them the last week.  They swear they have seen Jesus.

As I walk in, I notice the doors are not shut, and there is a certain confidence and happiness in the countenance of each one.  Peter rushes over to me and says,

“We have seen the Lord!”

My response is quick and to the point,

“Unless I see, in His hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

John 20:25

I am serious too.  His death has been difficult to both understand and accept.  My mind begins to fall back to those final moments before he died.  He said,

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:34

What did He mean by this?  Is there more to this than forgiveness?

As I am thinking about this, I look up, and right there in front of me is Jesus!  But….Jesus…you….are… Do I see a spirit?  I don’t believe in ghosts!  Then I hear His voice and His words:

Thomas…. “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” John 20:27

I take my trembling finger and place it on the place where the nails were…both hands!  It is strange to feel a scar where I saw nails piercing his skin only a week or so ago.   I reach out and put my hand inside His robe and feel the warmth of His skin and the scar where the sword had been.  I then look up at His eyes. I see the kindness and royalty of a wise and gentle king and savior.  He IS alive!  I fall at his feet and say in remorse and acknowledgment.

“My Lord and my God!”

John 20:28

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“…we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.”

Philippians 3: 20, 21

How Important is the Resurrection in your life?

How important is it in your experience and understanding of the Second Coming? Why is this so important?  Can’t we just believe that he existed and that be enough?

Jesus told Thomas these important words:

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20: 29

We will never have the experience that Thomas had when he touched the risen and glorified body of Jesus, but we can still find evidence that will result in faith to believe that Jesus is alive and is preparing a place for those who believe and love Him.  You see, faith is based on substance and evidence.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1

If Christ was not raised, then the disciples are liars. We have no hope. We are not saved from anything.  Those who have “fallen asleep” in Christ have perished.  And when we sleep in Christ, there is no resurrection for us.  If we only have a Christ that died and did not come back to life, He is just like every other person who claims to be God.  Follow the logic of Paul’s argument in the following portion of scripture:

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if, in fact, the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”  

1 Corinthians 15:  12-19

Here is the logic:

1.) If Resurrection is not possible, nor important, then Jesus has not been raised.

2.) If Jesus has not been raised, then preaching and teaching is in vain.

3.) If Preaching and teaching are in vain then faith is empty (It has no substance-nor basis).

4.) If faith is empty, then the disciples are false witnesses because they said they saw him alive.

4.) If the Disciples are false witnesses, then Christ has not risen.

5.) If Christ has not risen, then our faith in Christ is futile. All those who have died have perished.

6.) Since there is no hope of a resurrection, we are of men, most pitiable.

Paul told us that he did not want us to be ignorant about the resurrection and those who have fallen asleep (died).  If we are ignorant about it, we will sorrow like everyone else that does not have hope.  But, the fact that Jesus died and was resurrected gives us the hope of one day coming back to life through the resurrection.

Our hope is that Jesus is all that He claimed to be.  He claims to have the keys to the grave and death (Revelation 1:8). He claims to be the resurrection and the life and

“even though we die, we will live again.”

John 11:25

“ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring (resurrect) with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

Paul goes so far as to provide us with the clearest passage in the Bible about the day when all who have died in Christ will be resurrected.  It will happen this way: The Lord will descend from heaven.  It will be loud because there is a shout and a loud trumpet.  Also, the sky will be lit up with the angels and the glory of Jesus and the Father.

Those in the grave will hear his voice and will meet with those who are alive at the 2nd coming and meet them in the air.  This is the start of eternity with Jesus.  This picture described by Paul is the comfort for us who are to be resurrected. One day we will all be reunited with those alive at His coming.  Not at any other time, but at His second coming:

“For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

 I Thessalonians 4:15-18

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works.  (Note: our reward is when he comes)

Matthew 16:27 

Then the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. 

Matthew 25:31

So how important is the resurrection?  It is critical to our salvation:

 “… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

Romans 10:9

Why is the resurrection not discussed more?  It is the bedrock of the faith we follow regarding Jesus.

Many of the writers of the Bible believed in and put their hope in the resurrection.  Here is but a few:

Job:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

Isaiah:

Your dead shall live;

Together with my dead body, they shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;

For your dew is like the dew of herbs,

And the earth shall cast out the dead. Isaiah 26:19

Daniel:

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

David:

 “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” Psalm 17:15

Abraham:

Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead Hebrews 11:18

There is no precedence for the resurrection except for Jesus. No other person has raised themselves from the dead. Jesus said this about the resurrection:

Jesus said,

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” 

John 11:25

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” 

John 6:40

Until the Lord returns, the dead sleep and wait for the last day when Jesus will raise them up.  What a day that will be!

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there (heaven), the Lord Jesus Christ,  who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Philippians 3: 20-21

Look again at the resurrection of Jesus and His body.  Here you will see what our bodies shall look like.  As the verse above, and many others, tell us:  We “wait” for that glorious day when He returns and changes us.  It is not until that day that we can say,

 “Oh death, where is thy sting?  Oh grave, where is thy victory?”

1 Corinthians 15:55

We cannot say this at a funeral.  The context tells us, these words cannot be said until our risen Savior returns and changes our bodies like to his risen body:

 “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1 Corinthians 15: 51-55

In conclusion, let us not be a doubting Thomas but believe.  We are promised a blessing if we believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He can do the same for us!  He has promised to do that very thing when he returns.  Oh, what a day that will be!  The great “getting up morning”!

“In that great gettin’ up mornin’ fare the well, fare the well.”

Faith, Time of Trouble

THE TIME OF TROUBLE-GOD GLORIFIED

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“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Everyone who is found written in the book.

Daniel 12:1

The Doctrine of Fear?

A well-meaning friend with concern about end-times said,

” I hope I am not alive when Jesus returns because I don’t think I could endure the time of trouble.”

A different statement from another friend:

“I don’t worry about the time of trouble because God will rapture the church before it all starts.”

Regardless of what one believes about tribulation, “pre-tribulation” or “post-tribulation,” there is a danger in both of the two responses above.

For the easy-way-out person, i.e., “I don’t have to worry about the time of trouble,” spiritual preparation to trust God to the uttermost becomes a low priority. The health and wealth “gospel” and mindset leave a person with the possibility of great disappointment and exposure should their thinking be incorrect.

The believer who worries that they want to escape trials and trouble through death is equally in danger. They don’t have faith in God to strengthen and protect them even when times are rough before the great time of trouble.

There is a third response. It is a response of faith that can conquer any situation.

“I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me,”
Pilippians 4:14

Paul

Can this mindset be true even during a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation? Trust in God to the uttermost has been demonstrated throughout the Church’s history. Persecution of believers who have this level of faith reflects God’s power, truth, and grace even while being burned at the stake.

Endurance and Salvation

The endurance of believers is the theme of encouragement for us in the last days. They are found all through the Bible and the history of Jesus’ church. It is a biblical certainty prophesied by Jesus and recorded for us in Matthew, John, and Mark.

“…If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you…
John 15:20

Jesus

And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22

Jesus

When Jesus spoke about the last generation on planet earth, He said,

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  but he who endures to the end shall be saved.  Matthew 24:12

Jesus

At the end of time, the strong in Christ endure the pressure of the beast’s power (political and religious entity). They are faithful and obedient to the commands of God. As a result, they are recognized specifically as those…

…who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name,
Revelation 15:2 

John

There is no doubt that the believers, i.e., His Church, go through this terrible time of trouble to glorify God and reward those who endure to the end. They are singled out as victorious over anything the Beast Satan (dragon) can throw at them.

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17

John

God’s Purpose

What is the purpose of all persecution and suffering? Paul said it this way:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Romans 8:1

Paul

Suffering has a purpose: God’s glory revealed in us!

Enduring times of trouble is an opportunity to demonstrate the level of faith and strength God gives you in mini-trials throughout your Jesus’ journey. The daily exercises in faith build the bone and muscle of the believer’s confidence!

The ancient prophet, Jeremiah, asks this relevant and revealing question:

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? 
Jeremiah 12:5

Jeremiah

In modern terms, If we can’t trust God in the small challenges of life, how will we have confidence in Him in the large things? Paul, that great man of God, encourages us to be conquerors and tells us nothing can separate us from God. Is this fact of Jesus true for you today? Do you believe He is with you through good times and bad times?

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 37-39

Paul

God’s continual presence, love, and victory is are demonstrated in the conquering power God gives us!

Protection During The Time of Trouble

When modern Bible fiction writers and their followers talk about the time of trouble, they emphasize the terrible conditions during the great tribulation predicted by Daniel and Jesus. They paint a dark, bleak picture of the beast’s actions in Revelation 13 and the Anti-Christ, followed by God’s judgments of the seven last plagues of Revelation 16. And, I might say, “rightly so.” These judgments are not warnings; they are actions of a Holy God, who has determined enough is enough!

These judgments fall on the people of the earth who have rejected God. At the same time, His people are protected from the effects of the judgments falling on planet earth. There is precise precedence for this type of situation.

A foreshadowing of God’s protection during the plagues is presented in the story of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

Just as God protected His people in the days before they were delivered from the might of Egypt, God will protect His people in the last days of rescue from a fallen world.

As you read the story of Israel’s preparation for deliverance, notice the plagues fell on the Pharaoh and Egypt while God’s people were still in Egypt! When the last plague of the death angel who slew the firstborn. God asked the Israelites to put their protection in the blood of the lamb by putting the lamb’s blood on the doorposts. The angel of death “passed over” the home that had followed God’s commands. That event is celebrated to this day through the ceremony of The Passover. So it will be in the last days, God will pass over those who are hidden in Christ and depend upon His blood for their salvation! David must have been reflecting on the power of God’s protection when he wrote:

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
Psalm 91: 9-10

David

There were ten plagues in Egypt; there will be seven in the time of trouble. Just as God protected His people in Egypt, God will protect His people in the final days of the planet in rebellion against God.

The view of faith to endure via God’s grace and strength is more Biblical than the easy way out. The person who fears such times may lack the faith that is available every day until the proclamation of God seals the fate of those who have faith in Christ and are alive just before He comes.

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him [e]be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Revelation 22: 11-12

“…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8

Jesus

Jesus asked this rhetorical question directed at the disciples, with the Pharisees nearby, demonstrating the importance of faith before He returns.

Trust (faith) in Jesus propels the believer through the toughest of times, even the great tribulation.

As mentioned at the start, some pastors ignore the topic of the coming great tribulation, saying things like, “I won’t be here anyway.” The proverbial head in the sand would apply here. To give an easy way out of the turmoil upon the earth in the final days eliminates the story of victory, the rejoicing of overcoming, and the glorification of God through us! The demonstration to the universe of believers staying faithful to God even amid extreme difficulty is lost if their faith is not seen! It is a smooth doctrine of peace and safety for an escape.

“At That Time”

In the final chapter of Daniel, the angel describes a point where Michael “stands up.” This motion is a powerful allusion to strength, decision, and finality. In modern terminology, Jesus has had enough. The wicked and their leaders have crossed a line. Their continuous battles and wars have gone too far (See Daniel 11 for context).

In Daniel 12: 1, the “time” is described in this order:

1.) Jesus, who watches over His people, stands up.

2.) A time of trouble begins after Jesus stands up

3.) At that time (time of trouble), the people are delivered whose name is written in the book of life. This is not a deliverance FROM the time of trouble but THROUGH the time of trouble. This is not wordplay but the context of precedence. Think of all the characters in the Bible and Church History. They did not escape persecution; they endured it. Examples: the disciples, the early Christians, those in the dark ages against the powerful Roman church, and even those in modern-day Islamic-controlled countries.

After Jesus stands up, He returns to take up His people to where He is now (John 14: 1-3). Those who remain alive after the terrible catastrophes on the earth AND those who sleep in the dust! Those who never see death are few and far between, but they have endured through the power of their faithful God and Jesus Christ. These faithful few will witness the most spectacular event of all times…” never since there was a nation.” Here is a description from three inspired writers of the Bible:

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake…”
Daniel 12:2

Daniel

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Job 19:26

Job

The context of the above verses gives hope to believers that the dead will come to live again.

Christian brothers, we want you to know for sure about those who have died. You have no reason to have sorrow as those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and then came to life again. Because we believe this, we know that God will bring to life again all those who belong to Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-14

Paul

Book of Life-And Believers at the End

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 13:8
John

The context of Revelation 13:8 is the two beasts that enforce economic sanctions on earth’s people (verses 1 and 11-17). Those not in the book of life will worship him (the sea beast). Conversely, those written in the book of life don’t worship the beast and his image. This last group is the believers. They are on earth to glorify God and demonstrate His power.

Since the anti-Christ and the beast are part of the time of trouble, it confirms God’s people are still on earth and standing faithfully for the Lord by obeying His command to have no other gods before them, not to bow down and worship graven images. This same scenario is found in Daniel 3. The golden image and the command to bow down and worship it under the duress of the death decrees. But God’s people stand firm.

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12

John

Notice that this small group has patience, and they are identified as loyal to God’s commandments and have faith like Jesus!

Is this deliverance before or during the time of trouble? Delivered from what? How is the deliverance accomplished? The next verse in Daniel 12 adds context to the deliverance.

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life…
Daniel 12: 2

Daniel

At this time, those living in peace and safety in our society are a sensitive narcissistic generation who could care less about God. They are caught unaware when the Lord “stands up.”

They have become like the people of Noah,’ and Lot’s generations. They are described as going about their normal routines of life just before destruction. Jesus described it this way,

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Luke 17: 26-30

Jesus

These unbelievers wrapped up in everyday life apart from God are contrasted with those who stay faithful to God. Their eyes are looking upward. They are protected and saved. The others are looking to nature to save them:

Two Different Responses:

Those who have made God their refuge…their hiding place, stand in the open as Jesus returns and proclaims,

“Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Isaiah 25:9

Isaiah

Those who have failed at faith or ignored it, will say,

and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 6:16-17

The answer to the question in Revelation is this:.

Those who are able to stand are the believers who have put their complete trust in Jesus and His word daily. This choice has resulted in faith that is able to endure the most difficult time of planet earth.

My friend, Jesus wants to save you to the uttermost. Take time just now to examine yourself and commit your whole life and situations to total trust in Jesus every step of the way. You will develope strength for whatever is thrown your way. Would you do it just now?

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”
2 Corinthians 13:5

Paul
Daniel and Revelation, Israel in Bible Prophecy, Rapture, Reasons to Believe, Time of Trouble

7 YEARS OF TRIBULATION-BIBLICAL?

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““At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book..”

Daniel 12: 1

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Matthew 24:21

There is no doubt, there is predicted a “time of trouble” by Daniel and Jesus in these two verses, but how long is it?

The length of the time of trouble in the verses above is not specific about the time. It is the same for other Bible writers.  It is just a “time of trouble.” It can be said with absolute certainty; there is not one verse in the Bible that uses the phrase “7 years of tribulation” or “7 years of trouble.” The attempt to make it 7 years comes from a fanciful misinterpretation of  Daniel 9: 24-27  prophecy.  

The Daniel 9 prophecy is powerful when interpreted in its setting. History confirms the angel’s words sent to Daniel; words to help him understand a portion of a much longer time prophecy. A correct understanding validates the accuracy of Scripture and the God who inspired holy men to write them. Daniel’s vision of the 70-week prophecy has helped many believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. I am one of them.

In previous posts, we have explored What the Rapture is Not. Please read this before continuing.  It will help in the understanding of what happens when Jesus returns and how the time of trouble fits in the timeline.

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 Let’s read the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 and compare it with actual history and dates supported by the Bible to see if there is a 7-year tribulation hidden somewhere in it.  We will discover the power of this prophecy in Daniel, written almost 500 years before Jesus!

Please follow and study closely.  When we are finished, I recommend you verify the dates at your local library or other resources.  Beware of the confusion of the internet.  Also, I have included a chart at the end in the “Appendix” to make these dates easier to see and follow.

____________________________________________

Ready? Here we go.   Be sure to pay special attention to keywords and the context.

Daniel 9:24-27

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks (7), and threescore (60) and two weeks (2): the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

 And after threescore (60) and two weeks (2) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (1): and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Daniel 9: 24-27

If you count up the number in parenthesis, you will have the 70 weeks mentioned at the start of the prophecy.  There is a reason why they are split up that way.  I will not go into those historical reasons in this writing for the sake of staying on point.

The setting for these verses is important in understanding the prophecy.  Daniel and his people (The Jews) had been taken captive by Babylon and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed and lay desolate as prophesied by Jeremiah.  It was predicted by Jeremiah that they would be in captivity for 70 years!

“In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the *desolations of Jerusalem.”

(*notice how the word desolations is used here. Jerusalem was empty! A place laid waste, ruin, waste, desolation. This will come in handy as you study the abomination of desolations later. Sadly, as I write this, Russia has made certain cities of the Ukraine-desolate)

Daniel 9:2

As the 70 years of captivity for God’s people drew near to the end, Daniel began to pray and confess his sins and the sins of the people (Verses 4-20). Then Gabriel (an angel) came and informed Daniel that he had…

“come to give thee skill and understanding.” 

Daniel 9:22

Then Gabriel gives the vision, as stated in Verses 24-27 above.  This is the skill and understanding Daniel needed to understand the message.  Daniel knew from Jeremiah’s writings the 70 years of captivity would soon end. But now 70 weeks is introduced. A quick summary of Daniel 9: 24-27 reveals six actions that were to be accomplished in an apparently short period of time:

Six Actions For God’s People:

  1. Finish the transgression
  2. Make an end of sins
  3. Make reconciliation for iniquity
  4. Bring in everlasting righteousness
  5. Seal up the vision and prophecy
  6. Anoint the most Holy

So God was giving the Jewish people (Daniel’s people in captivity) 70 weeks or 490 days to do all those  things; ending with anointing the most Holy.  We shall see that the anointing of the most Holy is not in regards to the apartment in the sanctuary necessarily, but the Holy One of God-Jesus  

The  70 weeks given to the Jews are are calculated in the verses in sections:  

“seven weeks” (7) and

“three score” (60) and

“two weeks” (2)

“one week” (1)

Simple arithmetic shows this is a total of 70 weeks. In days, this is 490 days (7 X 70).  

A Day Equals a Year in Bible Prophecy

Often in Bible prophecy, the day = year principle is used to unlock the timelines for the coming events.  The verses that support this principle can be found in the passages below:    

“After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.”

Numbers 14:34 

This was a prophecy given by God Himself. He used the 40 days they spied out the land to represent the number of years (40) the children of Israel would wander in the wilderness. A day=a year principal disclosed a literal time period. Here is another example:

“And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”

Ezekiel 4:6  

God commands the prophet, Ezekiel, to represent the siege of Jerusalem for 40 years. The day=a year principal at work again.

So God was giving the Jewish people 490 years for their assignment.  He sent prophets and others to inspire and help keep them close to him during this time.  But as one reads their story, it is quickly seen that they often went after other gods and forsook the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Most of all the one and only true Creator God and their mission was minimized.

Eventually, the religion of Israel became stiff and legalistic, often relying on their heritage than on the God who delivered them many times in miraculous ways. The scripture became so twisted that they denied their Messiah, who would have made them the greatest nation on the earth. Their actions would not be without consequences.

But let’s not be too judgmental of their plight. Today’s Christians are a similar position as Abraham’s seed. It is no wonder Paul stated,


These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures to teach us who live in these last days.

1 Corinthians 10:11 CEV

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The Start Date for the Prophecy

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city…”Daniel 9: 24  

If we can determine where the 490 years begin (with certainty), we can understand the other events of the prophecy.   The timelines start here:

  “….from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem”

Daniel 9: 25  

This command to restore and build Jerusalem can be found in Ezra Chapter 7 when Artaxerxes gave the commandment in 457 BC (See the *notes at the end).  

So, now that we have a starting date let’s see where it takes us:  The first stop is the coming of the Messiah, the Prince  

The First Event of the Prophecy:

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince….Daniel 9: 25  

The Messiah the Prince can refer only to Jesus himself.  He is both the Messiah and a Prince  

 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).

John 1:41

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

John 1:45

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6  

So we know that from the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince (Jesus) would be a certain length of time.  How long?   The answer is 69 weeks, (483 days or 483 years)

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks (7), and threescore (60) and two weeks (2): the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  

Using the day=a year principal…We start at 457BC and move forward through history 483 years. It brings us to 27 AD   Jesus was baptized and anointed for the beginning of his ministry on this date just as the prophecy in Daniel predicted! Remarkable!

Here is an important verse that connects Daniel 9 with Jesus’ baptism:  

“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”

Matthew  3:16  

A dove represents anointing.   Another exciting passage that makes sense in the light of Jesus beginning his ministry precisely on time according to Daniel’s prophecy some 500 years before Jesus is this one:  

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…”

Galatians 4:4  

The time was “full.” In other words, Jesus came to this earth and began his ministry right on time!  It may be possible that this quote is about this particular prophecy in Daniel 9!  

We know that God knows the future  and will not do anything unless he reveals it by his prophets:  

“Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”

Amos 3:7  

69 weeks or 483 years of the 70 weeks or 490 years has been explained.  Isn’t it comforting to know that God, through the prophet Daniel let the world know when Jesus would come on the scene?    

The 7 Years Explained

Now let’s look at the last week or 7 years.  This is where Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, and others use the 7 years as a period of tribulation.  They disconnect it from this timeline and attempt to run it down to the end of time after Jesus “raptures the church.”  

But we are going to let the verses speak for themselves.  We will keep the last week on the timeline as intended.  If we do, we learn the most exciting and powerful part of this prophecy!

Daniel tells us after Jesus began his ministry that Jesus would be cut off:  

“Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:….” Daniel 9: 26  

But before He is cutoff he would do the following:  

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, Daniel 9:27”  

Jesus was to “confirm the covenant with many for 1 week or 7 days, which is 7 years in prophecy. But He is “cut off” in the middle of the week or 3 1/2 days or 3 1/2 years   Jesus’ ministry was exactly that long (3 1/2 years) before He was “cut off” or crucified on a Roman cross in 31 AD! Again, this is remarkably accurate!

Jesus ministered from 27 AD to 31 AD.   As Daniel 9:27 stated, the sacrifices and oblations also ended at the time of Jesus’ death.  The law of ceremonies had served their purpose of teaching the Jewish nation about the price of sin, the sacrifice for it, and the plan of salvation.  Those ceremonial laws were the School Master to bring people to Jesus and help them understand the lesson of sin, forgiveness,  grace, and the sacrifice of Jesus!  The School Master died forever the day Jesus died on the cross as the true Lamb of God.  

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Galatians 3:24, 25

All the festivals, drink, meat offerings, and special Sabbath days (Not the weekly Sabbath found in the 10 commandments) were shadows pointing to the body of Jesus.   All those had served their purpose and were fulfilled in Christ:

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Colossians 2:17

On the other side of the cross, the people looked forward in faith to Jesus (the Messiah) and what He would do for them (Die for their sins).  All of us on this side of the cross look back in faith at what Jesus has done for us (Die for our sins).  Something extraordinary occurred at the crucifixion of Christ to demonstrate the truthfulness of the two verses above:  

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;Matthew 27: 50, 51  

Thus ended the rounds of ceremonies and the laws put in place by Moses to teach about Jesus.  (Please note:  These laws did not include the 10 commandments, as some would assert. A study for another time. ) 

Jesus told His disciples this:    

But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Matthew 15: 24  

Jesus was “confirming the covenant” with the children of Israel during His ministry.  With them, he spent most of His time.  His plea about the coming Kingdom of God was a message primarily to the Jews.   He also told His disciples to do the same:  

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 10: 5, 6

This the disciples did for 3 1/2 more years after Jesus was “cut off” or crucified in 31 AD. This takes us 3  1/2 years forward to the end of the 70 weeks or 490 years.

In the year 34 AD, specific and relevant events took place to mark the end of the 490 years “determined” or given unto the Jewish nation:

In this year Stephen was martyred and Paul was converted to be the teacher to the Gentiles

“I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” 

2 Timothy 1:11

Another important passage of scripture also marks the end of 70 weeks given to the Jews to do all those things of the covenant listed in Daniel 9.  It is a point where the burden of carrying the gospel to the entire world is taken off the shoulders of the Jews and given to the Gentiles. It is the point where God reveals who is a real Jew or seed of Abraham.

Paul and Barnabas were preaching to a large group but were interrupted by the Jews because of the large following of the two disciples.  Those religious leaders who were interrupting contradicted Paul and Barnabas and blasphemed God!  But it is what Paul and Barnabas say that marks the transition and end of the  490 years given to the  Daniel’s people (Israelites)

 “But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:  45, 46

The appointed people of God had rebelled continuously and  failed to keep the covenant (agreement).  At this transitional period in history God turned to the Gentiles and made them heir to the promises of God:

“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Galatians 3:29

No longer was there a distinction between literal Jew and Gentile if one belongs to Christ. God’s chosen people are identified as belonging to Christ:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28

 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Romans 2:28, 29

Thus the 70-week prophecy came to an end! There is no room or context in the prophecy for 7 years of tribulation or the Anti Christ. It is simply not there.  To try to force it takes away from a beautiful and essential part of the ministry of Christ of keeping the covenant with them while He was on this earth.

While Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, and others have everyone looking at Jerusalem for the rebuilding of the temple to mark the soon return of Jesus, the Anti Christ is at work elsewhere in the world.  This we will see in future studies.  The Hollywood-produced Bible fiction is so deceptive that almost the whole world is taken in.  What a great diversion by the enemy of humanity!  It teaches an incorrect story about Jesus’ return and gives false hope of a 2nd chance after Jesus returns.

In conclusion, the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9 is mishandled to try and support 7 years of tribulation at the end of time and the work of the Anti Christ.  If the prophecy is kept in its context, it becomes a prophecy to support Jesus as the Messiah, his crucifixion, the spread of the gospel, and God’s long-suffering with the lost sheep of the house of Israel!

Below is a summary chart of the dates we have discussed above:

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APPENDIX

Below is information about the start date of this Daniel 9 prophecy (if you want more detail). I hope this study helped you see how God is in control and provided proof of Jesus’ ministry hundreds of years before He came to pay the price for our sins.

*Notes about the dates described in this writing:

Ezra has three decrees with different dates that could be used.  Nehemiah has a date also.  But the decision as to which one to use, you must keep in mind the key words of the prophecy: “the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.” The four decrees are :


The decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4)
The decree of Darius I (Ezra 6:1-12)
The decree of Artaxerxes I (Longimanuus) (Ezra 7: 12-26)
The decree of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah Chapters 1 and 2)  

Let’s eliminate some of the dates based on the guiding verse of Daniel 9:25   Ezra 1-gave instruction only for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Said nothing about the whole city.  We can eliminate this date.   Ezra 6-simply the endorsement by Darius of the decree of Cyrus.  It only mentions the building of the “house of God.” We can eliminate this date.   Ezra 7 makes provision for complete restoration of the Jewish state, including the right to appoint magistrates and judges, hold trials, and pass and execute sentences upon violators of their national laws. This date fits the idea of “restoring and rebuilding Jerusalem.”   

Nehemiah 2-Wording has not been preserved but was simply a reinstatement of Artaxerxes original authorization to Ezra recorded in Ezra chapter 7.   Determination of the date of the decree: It was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes’ reign (Ezra 7:7,8)   . Biblical evidence for the 457 BC start date:   The dates for Artaxerxes reign are well documented in the ancient sources: 

  • Greek historians, Ptolemy’s Canon
  • The Babylonian business tablets
  • Elephantine papyri from Egypt
  • From the above documents, we know that Xerxes was killed in late December of 465 B.C. and the reign of Artaxerxes began at the time.
Artaxerxes ReignFall to Fall
First year464/463 B.C.
Second year463/462 B.C.
Third year462/461 B.C.
Fourth year461/460 B.C.
Fifth year460/459 B.C.
Sixth year459/458 B.C.
Seventh year458/457 B.C.

Therefore, the seventh year of Artaxerxes, according to Jewish reckoning, extended from the fall of 458 to the fall of 457 B. C.

Note: the references in this prophecy to destruction of the city and temple and desolations:

“….the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined… for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate”

Daniel 9:27

This is not a reference to a minor historical character called Antiochus or a future Anti-Christ but to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD as predicted by Jesus himself when he told the disciples.  There has never been a temple since then and never will be!

“Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:2 

“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not e in the winter or on the Sabbath.   For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

Matthew 24: 15-22

The total destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman soldiers was horrible.  Many who tried to escape were crucified outside the city.  At one time, the number of crosses outside the city almost made it look like a forest of trees.  Those who heeded the advice of Jesus escaped the city and remained alive.

This was a time of trouble unlike any seen before…But there will be another time of trouble just before the Lord comes.  While the Christians will be here, the plagues will not touch them, just as it didn’t when the plagues fell on Egypt when they were in captivity.  This is a topic we will discuss in the coming weeks.

Until then, may the Lord bless you and your family and keep you under His wings.

"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Colossians 1:28