I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. —Jesus (John 17:15)
At this early point, serious questions have been raised about who and what to believe with respect to the many voices and visions which have emerged in conjecture about the new millennium in front of us. Yet, be they prophets of utopia or of doomsday, or perhaps one of the varieties of fanciful and unsure New Age voices, the predictions about what the next century promises to bring are, at least, intriguing and often rousing.
This fascinating, ultra-modern day and age of our generation, in swift passage from the 20th to the 21st century, is filled with very provocative prospects for the new era. Devotees and disciples of the varied assortment of formulated forecasts and speculations about where we are headed and what the future holds in store range in expectations: some are enthusiastic, hopeful and unperturbed at the possibilities; others, more apprehensive and even pessimistic.
Some anxiously expect cures for cancer, and for just about everything else, as human genius and discovery opens up the long-held secrets of life and the universe around us. Technology buffs anticipate wonders which will transform humanity from primitive victims of the elements to unfettered "masters" of them.
Among those who prophesy a pending doomsday and a disastrous implosion upon itself of the immature human presumption to "play God," especially as more and more technological power is acquired, are both the secular as well as the religious camps. And then, not surprisingly, among the religious augurs prognosticating doom and/or utopia are more than one simple variety, each holding out varying visions of how the finale will play out. A "prophet," though generally accounted as a spiritual or religious figure, is not always so. Proclaimers of visions are of several types: political, financial, scientific, divine, etc.
All accounted for, the flood of their many voices deluges our lives with mixes of feelings: hope and despair; excitement and apprehension; sometimes optimism and occasionally cynicism; and yes, even fear as well as fascination. Everyone has a stake — however small sometimes — in the future.
The future and predicting what it holds in store is even big business these days. Beside religious soothsayers divining the future and increasingly turning prophets into profits, there are the lucrative psychic hotlines, tons of seminars, books, tapes and other related, fashionable consumer lures proffered by the New Agers; and we can hardly omit the stock market and futures options, statistical computer modeling, etc.; and even weather forecasting is a big bucks enterprise nowadays. But, for all the competing endeavors at fortune-telling, whether high tech or low, none really pin down the future with much of any certainty.
If anything at all is certain and can be generally agreed upon by the perplexed members of this harried generation, regardless of which prophets we listen to or believe, it is that uncertainty and dramatic change frame and characterize most all our expectations for the 21st century.
Whatever the brand of future-tellers, their visions are, at best, generally laced with a great deal of educated guesswork, and precious few are genuine psychic phenomenon or really reliable prophecy. Not to except myself, I too have injected some of my own personal theorizings into the views presented in this book. But overall, as previously noted, the prophecy explorations of this study are an excursion into age-old writings that will take us back 20 centuries, and even more than 3000 years in some cases, to probe and survey the oracles of the ancient Hebrew "clairvoyants" for clues they offer about this future day in which we live, as well as that one into which we must soon pass.
My primary intention is not so much to establish the credibility of these biblical oracles, which only eventual fulfillment of their prophecies can do, but more to help insure their voices are heard clearly among the myriad of others — and not drowned out or watered down! Moreover, I endeavor to do so in an arena outside and free of any association with all the trappings of establishment religion, its suffocating organizationalism, holier-than-thou denominationalism and excessively narrow dogmatism. The objective is to examine the visions of the Hebrew prophets without any mainstream or "cultic" bias imposed upon them, stemming from any of the various sectarian doctrinal dogmas that commonly prevail.
It is expected that you assess the contents of this presentation rigorously for whatever possible factual quality it might embody and then render your own judgment. As the case is made, each reader shall need to sort the plausible from the implausible, the credible from the incredible, and the fact from the fiction. Most of all, I hope to familiarize each of you with the selected words of the Prophets (provided by extensive footnoting and excerpted citations*) which will help you reflect on their veracity in terms of their applicability to the world of today.
*Please note that quick reference to the biblical citations and
other footnotes is simply a matter of clicking on the
hyperlinks, which are highlighted in color and
underlined. Upon reviewing the material offered at the hyperlink
destination, simply click on the back arrow button
[ ] found at
the end of the footnote and you will be instantly returned to the paragraph
of text that made reference to the note. How's that for hi-tech convenience
and instant gratification? No flipping through pages, fooling with book marks
or holding your place with your finger — or, oops, losing it either! |
All pretenses aside, I must state for the record that unbiased I am not; for I possess many personal biases, and like practically all of us, have been influenced by many voices and teachers in my lifetime. Those influences and biases are certainly reflected in this book, and my opinions are, of course, woven in throughout. However, the influence, voices, and visions which prevail herein originate to an overwhelming degree from the Holy Scriptures of the TaNaKh (called the "Old Testament" by Christians)1 and the New Testament of the Bible (only rarely accepted by Jews). The often unique interpretations of these scriptures which I express in these pages is either inspired by the Spirit of Truth, or not. Again, each reader must discern and discriminate in that regard for her- or himself.
My most notable bias, which will be evident and even conspicuous throughout these chapters, is that I have been completely convinced the writers of both the TaNaKh and the New Testament were divinely inspired. In addition, I also believe that, though their writings and language are often idiomatic, frequently laced with symbolism and sprinkled with parable and allegory, most often they actually meant exactly what they said. That is, they intended to be understood at face value. And so, comprehending their words is often just a matter of adjusting to their manner of speech and seeking to properly decipher the meanings of their figurative language. In the final analysis, my most fervent hope for this "tour" is that we shall actually be able to hear the voices of the Prophets (and accurately glimpse the visions they convey) as they echo down the through the ages to be reverberated in these pages now many, many centuries later.
The previous chapter attempted to illustrate and establish that hearing (and seeing) — actually comprehending the messages and signals that reach our minds — can be a tainted process resulting in corruption of the message. Signals and data can, as we all know, be distorted, contaminated, or corrupted in the communication process. It is in the reception process, however, where they are most often either completely misunderstood or distorted — "purity of heart" being the critical determinant. At the reception point is where they are frequently filtered and converted into edited messages which become more selectively agreeable to the individual ear. (Most honest folks admit to the cafeteria principle of learning and opinion forming: namely, choosing to hear only what we want to hear.)
As promised and as honestly as possible, we shall endeavor to take up in this chapter the facts in the Scriptures that pertain to two major prophetic events which absolutely cannot bear misreading or misinterpretation. These two future events are hugely different in nature and yet so enormously and frequently confused in most circles where attention is paid to Bible prophecy. Surely though, as we progress into our study tour, it should become obvious to the seekers of truth (folks without cafeteria ears and escapist agendas) that these two momentous times are not one and the same, nor are they concurrent or overlapping in any way.
It should also become clear, as we reach the conclusion of our tour of the ancient prophetic landscape, why even coming across this information should concern us; and why most folks would rather not hear about it at all; and why others of us can hardly wait for these events to play out.
Time to Turn Back? or Perhaps to Get Off the Tour Bus?
Please stick with me as we begin to sort things out. It is necessary to present some background narrative in order to proceed with the tour and establish some facts...
There does exist quite a sizable camp of prophecy aficionados among the numerous Christian sects and factions (both mainstream and otherwise) who profess a high regard for the teachings and prophecies of the ancient Hebrews. I have already stated that, as a direct outgrowth of the Judaism of the Hebrews, Christianity has also naturally inherited their ancient sacred writings and, in general, places a great deal of ostensible reverence on the words of their prophets. At least this is what is professed and what should actually be the case. The fundamentalists, in particular, pride themselves in their literalist interpretations, beliefs and views on those scriptures.
However, rife among these various factions of self-proclaimed "Bible-believers" are a particularly unauthentic and uneasy number (a very sizable lot, actually) who are really quite uncomfortable with the plain truth. This lot has decidedly arranged to filter and remake the words of the sacred Scriptures into more pleasing "truths." In the process, they've divined quite novel doctrines which are now being popularly sung to a distinctly different tune than the original one composed by the holy prophets they so outwardly "revere."
Please humor me a little as we "tune in" to a choice "melody" of theirs in the following allegorical parody which typifies the modern carefree "tunes" to which they "dance" so mirthfully. A favorite "hymn" of this contemporary choir of comfort — which I shall fictitiously entitle "Flight of Fancy" (or alternately, "Rapture Reverie") — is chorused with a refrain borrowed from a very well known and highly respected Hebrew of the New Testament era. The chorus is misappropriated from one of Apostle Paul's epistles to the Thessalonians and will serve to highlight a perfect example of the fundamental fakery that masquerades as fundamentalism in our latter-day world.
The lyrics of this suppositious song of salvation, especially as regards their prophetic beliefs, constitute the core of this choir's ill-founded end-time doctrines. The words of the chorus are taken from chapter 5, verse 9, of the first epistle to the saints of Thessalonica (1Th.5:9). The gleeful chorus goes:
"God hath not appointed us to wrath,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."
The following verse from the Apocalypse is also craftily woven into the lyrics of this revisionist rendition of the ancient prophetic anthem. It too is misapplied (by a forced misinterpretation) to reinforce the errant theme of the modern twist on an old faithful melody:
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth." (Revelation 3:10)
These verses, among others, are liberally misread and misconstrued to contrive and rationalize a fundamentally flawed and contradictory notion — now become doctrine — which is all too popular among supposed fundamentalist Bible-believers.
That doctrine holds that believers are allegedly promised an escape from tribulation, referring in particular to the Great Tribulation (discussed in much more detail in the pages following). The escape is known by a more and more popularized term — the "Rapture" — which you may have already been familiar with. The "hosanna choirs" who sing this "Rapture Reverie" are known, for the sake of quick classification of their doctrine, as Pre-Tribulation Rapturists.
This "song" of theirs (by which I satirize their escapist doctrine) serves purposefully to comfort the ranks of the fearful and to assure the congregations of the uncommitted that the "hour of temptation" — intended specifically to try "all the world" — shall supposedly not befall them!
At this point, if you haven't jumped off already, you may wondering whether you caught the right bus or even care to continue the tour we're supposed to be embarking upon. I imagine you may be asking, "What does any of this have to do with me? Who cares whether the Christians are confused about their eschatologies? Just where is this prophecy tour leading, anyway? Can't we just skip this detour into the doctrinal debates of the flakey fundamentalists and compromising Christians?"
Well, your point is well taken, if you do happen to be thinking that all of this has nothing to do with you; because, it just might not be of any consequence to you personally. But again, please bear with me. There is a method to my madness.
Let me at least establish the fact that it is the Christians who are most preoccupied with and applied to the study of the end time prophecies of the Hebrews. They, more than practically any other group, are most adamant that the prophecies of the end times are being fulfilled in this generation. They, more than any others, are raising the flag and vocalizing the belief that we have entered the last generation and that the end of the world is near. They, more than any other people, claim to have detailed knowledge of the events of the future and just how they will play out, both in terms of the specific nature of anticipated future developments as well as the sequence in which they will occur and what the final outcome will be. They, above all others, claim to possess unerring inside information of a divine source which is so sure to come to pass that they are willing to lay down their lives for its veracity!
(Are they, really!?...Actually, despite the dubious depth of devotion most of them demonstrate here in the West, a few truly are and do make such dire sacrifices — although, this holds true almost entirely in the totalitarian countries of Asia and Africa, particularly Islamic and Communist regimes where tribulation already goes hand-in-hand with faith in Christ. Nevertheless, again I ask, are they, really?)
Well, as time draws on, especially as we transition more fully into the new millennium, I guarantee that all of us will hear and read even more (surely not less) of the eschatologies of the Christians. Already, these themes of theirs widely paint and splash our collective consciousness with their rumors of the end of the world and the coming of Christ Messiah. Popular movies and prime time television programs already capitalize enormously on end-times doomsday themes heralded by Christians. So, to be able to separate the hype and the nonsense from the facts seems to me to be of great worth to practically everyone (who cares at all, of course), Christian or otherwise. Again, whether you may be person of faith (in the Bible) or not, either way, most assuredly, you will hear more and more about these end time themes as time goes by.
So, if you are interested in the least, perhaps you will consider staying on this bus for a couple more chapters to see exactly where this study tour might be headed. Jump ahead, if you wish; but, just try not to miss the hottest points of interest on the itinerary (e.g., the next chapter).
Back now to the "Rapture Reverie" theme song from the Christian soundtrack to their Hollywood-style production of "The End Times". . . .
The fact is — and this they do have correct — according to the Scriptures, believers are not appointed to wrath. They're absolutely right on this score. Wrath is not a part of the destiny of the saints.2 And, yes, the saints are to be kept during the hour of temptation, or the Great Tribulation as it may be. The trouble is, the facts in both these (quite distinct) scriptural cases are definitely misinterpreted, misunderstood, misapplied, confused and mismatched by these rapturists in the dreamy doctrines of their idealized world of salvation reverie. Something's wrong when facts cannot be faced for what they really are!
In that world of forced fiction, where the forcing of facts into clothes that do not fit outranks the finding of facts in their naked beauty, they deliberately ignore the enormous difference between the implications of "wrath" as opposed to "tribulation." They dress them both alike, as though they were identical twins, only with different names. And then, for heaven's sake (really for the sake of convenience), they proceed to disown them both altogether, not wanting to have anything to do with either one of them — ultimately leaving them on the Jews' doorstep for adoption (as we learn more about in chapters 7 & 8).
Strong Medicine for Rapture Syndrome (Pious Paranoia)
Well, when not caught up in their reveries, a sort of tribulation phobia grips the rapturists. It has driven them to a paranoid schizophrenia in which their unstable dual mentality concocts delusional misinterpretations of Scripture that make them feel pious and persecuted (when often neither is the case). At the same time, so fearful of persecution are they that they feel compelled to embrace fictitious pre-tribulation rapture doctrines, fancying to be saved from the worst of it all, the final trial. In their world of fear, delusion, and shaky commitment, Great Tribulation is generically lumped together with the Wrath of God as something just as horrifying and unendurable. That is, to speak of the Great Tribulation in those Christian circles is to toss up the same red flag as the word "wrath" also does.
They know the Scriptures clearly assure that the believers are not appointed to wrath; but they also ought to know the same scriptures plainly promise every devout disciple a dose of tribulation and persecution.3 Yet, being perfectly aware of how dreadful it is foretold to be, they refuse to accept that they are appointed to the greatest of all tribulations. So frightening is it to them that the uncommitted half of their double hearts frantically grasps at straws of sheer fiction, which they desperately imagine may save them from drowning in that which they so intently dread. In this case, the flimsy straws come in the form of cowardly misinterpretations of facts.
According to the tenets of rapturemania, being kept from the hour of temptation is interpreted as being delivered from the horror of Great Tribulation, mistaken for God's wrath. This, they say, happens by means of the "snatching away" of the saints in the mystical event they endearingly term the "Rapture."
This term, borrowed from the Latin versions of the New Testament, is not found in the authorized English versions and is otherwise more authoritatively known as the (aerial) "gathering together" of the saints, or the "catching up together" into the sky of the called-out ones. The Greek manuscripts employ the term harpázo, which conveys a meaning more akin to a snatching up or away, seizing, or plucking out of something.
The occasion of this snatching away, or plucking of the people of God out of the earthly realm, will most assuredly be nothing less than rapturous, and is indeed a comforting assurance.4 But the fictitious fantasy that they attach to this salvation event is not in the nature of it; rather, it is in the timing of it, as well as in its purpose, which they also mistake.
The pre-tribulation rapturists contend vehemently that it is intended to provide them an escape from the frightful hour of Tribulation and, therefore, occurs before the onset of that time of trial. This, they argue, is what is inferred by the promise that they will be "kept from the hour of temptation." They mistakenly allege this particular promise to indicate they will be taken away, or rapturously snatched out of this worldwide trial period (which we noted above is confused with the time of God's wrath). This pet verse of theirs from Revelation 3 (already quoted and presented in its context below) is just one of several consistently misused to justify their misinterpretation of all the pertinent scriptures on this topic of the ultimate and universal trial and tribulation to come.
(Again, please try to hang in with me over this rocky stretch of road through all the semantics and proof-texting — and with patience at my pontificating.)
In their typically less than courageous perspective on the Holy Scriptures, they have erringly neglected to take note that the term keep denotes more exactly (from the Greek teréo) to guard by keeping an eye on, watch over, take care of, preserve, attend to carefully. Not by any stretch of meaning is it implied or to be assumed that that should be accomplished by removal, extraction, or sparing from hazard or adversity.
To make the meaning of "keep" even more eminently clear — and to the shame and deserved embarrassment of these anxious rapturists "caught up" in their fantasies of flying away to escape the Great Tribulation — the same word, teréo, appears earlier in the very same verse to declare the Lord's rationale for keeping these saints from the worldwide hour of temptation. The meaning, even without the aid of Greek manuscripts and dictionaries, is perfectly clear. For your convenience, the passage under review is provided below:..
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write...I know thy works...for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. . . . Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. —Revelation 3:7-13
Precisely because these faithful overcomers addressed above have not allowed His words to escape preservation, or to be spared from their careful attendance to them, or to be snatched out of their repertoire of consistent observation, He too promises in commensurate fashion to preserve them in His jealous personal care. Because they have kept His word in patience, and not succumbed to the hosanna syndrome,5 He promises to royally reward their patience; not to exempt them from the trial which is to come upon "all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
In this passage, the terms try and temptation are mother and daughter. From the early Greek manuscripts they are "peirázo" and "peirasmos," meaning (in the case of try) to put to the test or trial, to examine, scrutinize; and (in the case of temptation) a putting to the proof, especially by adversity, affliction, or trouble.
Therefore, to deliver the believers out of that global trial would (by simple logic) make it impossible for them to "overcome" in that very hour of proving and putting to the test. It would also be a flagrant contradiction of Christ's express wishes for His disciples, outlined in a solemn prayer to the Father for them: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep [teréo] them from the evil." (John 17:15) Here again, the Greek word teréo is translated as "keep" to signify preservation. From the context here too, "keep" obviously suggests no hint whatsoever of deliverance by removal, sparing, or escape from the temptation and trial, other than by preservation in the midst and in the face of it.
Now for some more "exciting" semantic facts, which are as grossly overlooked and glossed over as the very scriptures in which they're found.
As has been posed in the earlier sections, there is actually a broad and gaping difference between the hour of temptation (tribulation) and wrath (indignation). Any alert student of the Bible (with functional eyes and ears)6 understands well the unified concept of temptation and tribulation, which has absolutely nothing to do with the wrath or indignation of God.
Consider the following sample collection of Bible excerpts regarding tribulation which make it quite clear that the people of God are promised, and should expect, and even be glad of tribulation:
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also (John 15:20.). . . . And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Mark 13:13). . . . He that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (Matthew 13:20-21). . . . Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10.). . . . These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). —Christ YeshuaMy brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. —James 1:2-4.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience...(Romans 5:3). . . . For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know (1Thessalonians 3:4). . . . [After being stoned "to death" in Lystra, Apostle Paul defiantly returned there...] Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith...[declaring] that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). . . . So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer...(II Thessalonians 1:4-5). —Apostle Paul
The word "tribulation" in the New Testament of the Bible is translated from the Greek, thlipsis, meaning pressure (literally or figuratively). The other forms this same Greek word takes in the English New Testament are afflicted, affliction, anguish, burdened, persecution, and trouble. Defining it similarly, Webster's dictionary provides the root-word derivation for "tribulation," through Middle English, French and Latin, as a word with a base meaning equivalent to pressure, or oppression. And, in the collection of excerpts cited above, we see the clear connection between the pressure of tribulation and the oppression of persecution, as well as between the trial of one's faith and patience.
On the other hand, let us now examine the concept of indignation. To quote the Webster dictionary, indignation is "anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean."
The Great Day of God Almighty, besides marking the restoration of His sovereignty over the earth and the restoration of Earth to His original design (paradise), is marked by a precursory period of indignation, wrath, vengeance and judgment aroused by wicked humans. This period of wrath is spoken about throughout the holy writings of nearly all the Hebrew prophets from Moses to Malachi, and on up to the beloved John. It is a day of jealous indignation in which The Almighty Creator obliterates the idolatrous superstructures and city systems of man, along with wicked, egotistical man himself (and his ally, the Beast), and then recovers possession of Earth and its people.
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. —Zephaniah 1:14-18.Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. —Zephaniah 3:8.
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. . . . For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. —Isaiah 34:1-2, 8.
This day of the LORD's vengeance, described above, is also the day of
His annihilating wrath. It is that day foretold when YHWH
[
] judges the nations
of the world to rid the planet of the evil usurpers of Earth who by wicked
devices have expropriated His world for self-glorifying purposes and thereby
utterly defiled the planet.
However, tribulation, on the first hand, is always a precursor to wrath and vengeance. Tribulation occurs as a cleansing and purging mechanism. It serves to flush impurities and undesirable attributes or properties from things of value. In short, tribulation is a sorting out process intended to purge out the undesirable from the desirable, the bad from the good, the unworthy from the worthy. Plagues on the world in general, as well as on individuals in particular, and any other sorts of afflictions or troubles associated with tribulation, are nothing more than a means of testing, cleansing, purging and refining in order to distill, disentangle and separate the fine from the crude and the pure from the gross.
Almost sixty different references can be found scattered throughout the Bible on this concept of trial and tribulation for exactly the purpose outlined above. And although some degree of destruction and loss often occurs in the trial process, it cannot be compared with the ravages of annihilation that are implicit in the phases of indignation and vengeance connected with the coming Great Day of God Almighty. In fact, a proper response (i.e., repentance) to the afflictions of tribulation actually deters wrath and quiets indignation.
Consider only a few more especially salient references to trial and tribulation from the prophets of the Bible:
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. —Moses, Deuteronomy 4:30-31Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:10). . . . And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed (Daniel 11:35). —the prophet Daniel
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (1 Peter 4:12-13). . . .That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:7-9). —Apostle Peter
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. —James 1:12
For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. —King David, Psalms 66:10
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? —Jeremiah 9:7
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. —Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:13
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. —Zechariah 13:9
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. —Isaiah 48:10
To establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. —Paul, 1Thessalonians 3:2-4
Now, in light of so many references to the promise of testing and proving, ask yourself, "How could so many professed believers of the Bible be convinced that they should escape the coming Great Tribulation of all time?"
Contrary to any mistaken impression that might be gathered from the subtitle of this book, there is no denying the truth of a certain imminency associated with the coming of the Messiah and the Great Day of God Almighty. That sense of imminency is indeed repeatedly stressed in Bible Scripture. And of course, Messiah Himself strongly affirmed during His first visit to earth that no man knew the day or the hour of His return.
Imminency, however, should not be confused with surprise (from failure to discern either the times or the seasons). You see, the time of the end — the Day of the LORD — is broken into distinct seasons: the pre-tribulation season, moving toward absolute apostasy; the season of Great Tribulation, brought about as a consequence of pervasive apostasy; the swift season of wrath, indignation, and vengeance to strip Satan and his secular children from their destructive dominion of Earth; immediately followed thereafter by the season of establishment of paradise over the whole earth under the peaceful reign of Messiah which will endure 1000 years.
On more than one occasion, Yeshua's disciples, as well as others, pressed Him to reveal the time when His world government would be established. On one of those occasions shortly before His betrayal, arrest and crucifixion, they urged Him, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of he world?" (Matthew 24:3) His reply was, "Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." (Mark 13:32-33)
Then again, at the conclusion of His forty-day post-resurrection sojourn with them in His hyperphysical body — just prior to His ascension and disappearance through the clouded atmosphere into hyperspace — they pressed Him anew. And again, He answered their anxious inquiry with essentially the same exhortation: "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." (Acts 1:7)
Bear in mind, the Messianic Order of Peace and Prosperity has been the supreme hope of all ages among the Hebrews. Therefore, it is no wonder that having discovered their Prince they now were so impatient to see His worldwide kingdom established. The time was just not fully come.7
Despite all the urgings upon Him to reveal a specific time when the Great Day of Mashiach would dawn, the graphics He consistently sketched about that day were largely colored with indefiniteness and unexpectedness. His most weighty strokes were in these two hues and shades, rather than in the tint and tone of imminency which has come to be cast over His teachings by later remakes. Even the subsequent (second generation) visions sketched by His original followers were true to the original. The tinge of imminency seems to have been splashed on sometime thereafter.
Because this issue is so central to achieving clarity about this upcoming Great Day of The Prince of Peace, the following compilation of quotations is provided to help establish the amount of stress that has been placed in the Scriptures on impressing the idea of indefiniteness and unexpectedness, as opposed to so much supposed imminency. Careful reading of these and other related Scriptures on this topic definitely does not reflect the any-moment idea as much as it does the desire of The Father to have total discretion about timing in the fulfilling of His own purposes:
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. —Christ, Revelation 16:15.But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey [far from any suggestion of imminency, I might add], who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. —Christ, Mark 13:32-37
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore [Likewise, in the Greek] be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. —Christ Yeshua, Matthew24:42-44
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. —2 Peter 3:10.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. —Paul, 1 Thessalonians 5:2.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. —Christ, Revelation 3:3.
The scriptures quoted above, ironically enough, form the hub of this very popular doctrine of imminency among the mainstream Christian sects who say that Messiah could sneak up and appear at any unexpected moment. Yet, where in these verses — which they so regularly and widely use to substantiate this dogma — are we supposed to gather the supposed sense of imminency so emphatically stressed by the any-moment cult?
Good thieves, we should note, know the vast difference between mere surprise and the much more critical element of vulnerability. Surprise is not the issue being stressed in these admonitions; falling into a state of vulnerability is. And, most vulnerable of all conditions is the fantasy world of intoxication with mammon.
Let us, for the moment, set aside any concerns about the chronic and typical misreading of the Scriptures that underlie this doctrine to examine the main rationale provided by the imminency cult for subscribing to this belief.
What we find is that it is regularly stressed that believers must be somehow prodded so as to maintain devout and ever-faithful lifestyles right up to the final moment of the "thief's" arrival. It is taught by these particular sects that, because Jesus could come at any time, it is therefore that much more imperative that we diligently strive to maintain our state of preparedness and fulfill our Christian calling (while there yet remains time to do so). And, to abide in such a state of preparedness, they reason, takes on a particularly fresh sense of urgency when the Lord's arrival might come at any moment.
Very sensible reasoning — it would appear — especially if it's clear what the Christian calling consists of. An earlier section of the previous chapter, entitled "20/20 Blindness," begins to explore the fogginess that obscures an understanding of that calling. So, even if it were true that Yeshua could come at any moment of any day, do we know what it is that He would hope to find us engaged in?
It is evident in the Scriptures that Christ's concern about the conditions (apostasy vs. faithfulness) that He knew would prevail among His subjects upon His future return was almost dire. Otherwise, He would not have devoted so many of His discussions to that topic and stressed so repeatedly the importance of watching and praying. The parable Jesus told in the Gospel of Luke (18:1-8) on this principle of unrelenting faithfulness and vigilance reveals an anxiety He felt about those future conditions. In concluding the parable, He raises the issue, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (It is plain to me that it was certainly a well-founded preoccupation.)
And, at least in this respect, the imminency doctrinaires are not so far off. Their rationale definitely possesses a certain merit: namely, the good sense of urging a constant vigilant faithfulness, which of course is the principle established in the numerous passages of Scripture we are considering now. Yeshua Himself obviously knew the value of maintaining a sense of uncertainty regarding the day of His return so as to keep His disciples on their toes and diligently engaged in preparation of His kingdom. People do tend to fall off to sleep when they are relaxed, or to get caught in the tide of worldliness, when they are not striving against it. Most everyone is familiar with the common expression, "When the cat's away, the mice will play." So, there is no argument that the importance of being ready is the flame that is being fanned by this vigorous and repeated instruction to vigilance.
But let's take another look at these and some other related scriptures (which I promised in an earlier section to come back to) in terms of the thief notion. Since that metaphor is used so often, there must be more to it than simply the element of surprise. After all, the tone of the thief scriptures cited above implies plainly "the thief" will not come as a thief to those who maintain a state of readiness. They, nor their houses, nor their goods will be in jeopardy. In fact, the literal phrasing of more than one of those citations makes it clear beyond any debate that the children of God are not to be subject to that element of surprise — if they have not gone to sleep and have eyes to see (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6).
On top of those, we shall examine prophetic scripture with our own eyes which states plain as day that Messiah cannot come at any moment!
These scriptures will show that the very same dogmatists who have married the notion of Christ coming at any moment are really the ones who will get caught with their proverbial pants down. They shall be most vulnerable to the thief. They in particular shall suffer the most tragic loss to this thief who comes "at an hour when [they] think not!" (Luke 12:40) Which is exactly the point! — "such an hour as ye think not!" (Matt.12:44) Remember, they think He can come at any hour; and they certainly think that He will not delay until after the Tribulation.
To expect Jesus at any moment is to discard half of the Book of Revelation — which the cult of the tribulation escapists fruitlessly struggle to even begin to understand anyway (though they so confidently affirm to). Even the very first verse of the Book of the Revelation escapes them! Eyes to see and a heart to understand will notice from that first verse that Jesus Christ Himself learned something that He previously did not know, at least not fully.
Secret New Facts Revealed to The Lamb
While on earth, both before his death and after His resurrection, He declared that not even He knew the exact day or the hour when all would be fulfilled (as quoted above from the Gospel of Mark and repeated in Matthew 24:36). This fact remained true for all practical purposes until about 90 C.E. when the Book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse, was written by the apostle John.8 Contrary to the misleading book headings at the top of chapter one of Revelation in some publications of the Holy Bible, the Book of Revelation is not the revelation of St. John the Divine! Rather, verse one declares the prophecy to be "the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." Obviously, these were things that Yeshua was unable to show unto His servants while he was yet present with them before leaving earth at His ascension almost 60 years prior.
Now though, after having suffered being sacrificed as the Lamb of God (see Revelation chapter 5), He was found worthy to break open the seals of the seven-sealed book of revelation (actually a roll or scroll of the ancient type). This scroll-book sealed with seven seals is mistakenly referred to by many so-called prophecy experts and scholars as a book of the future. Whereas, in reality it provides a revelatory overview of all the ages, and then brings into particular focus the view of the end of those ages, which is its primary emphasis. Though it is an extensive study of its own, which we will not fully have opportunity to explore in this treatise, for the time being let us condense some of its major features in order to stick with the current topic.
One of those major features is the specific outlay of times and seasons it contains. Times, which previously had been unknown even to Christ Himself before this revelation, were subsequently revealed to Him quite specifically — after His crucifixion and resurrection — in terms of even a countdown of days. Not only so, but the countdown is provided additionally in two other corroborating formats as well, enumerating corresponding periods of time in both months and years.
The first six seals of this special scroll cover the general dynamics of earthly affairs all the way through the entire course of earth's history to the coming of the Great Day of the Wrath of God. It's the opening of the sixth which discloses details of that final Day. The day wherein YHWH at last annihilates the wicked constructs of revolting, rebellious men who have achieved nothing more than oppression, murder and war (esp. victimizing the vulnerable righteous and poor) during their decadent dominion of Planet Earth.
The seventh portion of the sealed Revelation — just as in the development of the plot of many books and movies — is a flashback to focus on a particular period of history that most concerns the Writer of this Script, God Almighty. In the first six sealed revelations, He laid out His general overview and provided sufficient background to then jump back to fully develop the theme of importance — the conclusion of man's day, and the coming of His own. This, as we have noted, is what was of such keen interest to the early followers of Yeshua the Lamb, particularly in terms of exactly when.
Consistent with the other New Testament prophets, the Apocalypse does not fail to reiterate and refresh us on the notion of "the thief." In it, at least two direct mentions of Messiah coming as a thief are made. Those two references found in chapters 3 and 16 were quoted in the list provided earlier above. Both have tremendous significance in resolving the meaning of the thief concept in its fullest sense. Both involve vigilance and hanging on to something precious that should not be lost, lest the losers thereof should be overcome with shame (and probably grief). Now, besides unexpectedness or taking advantage of vulnerability, isn't that which a thief specializes in, more particularly, the forcible taking of another's property?
It seems the key word is "as." In other words, this is how it will seem to the "victims" whom he surprises. In reality, The Creator is simply coming to reclaim what was His to begin with and which was merely consigned or commissioned to mankind for enhancement, safekeeping and enjoyment.9 After thousands of years of the general dynamics of Revelation chapter 6, however — during which time man has converted himself into a vile self-proclaimed god and rejected the status of entrusted steward of the earth, in favor of being the exploitative and abusive expropriator of Earth and her resources — now he feels that the earth is his to do with as he pleases. Now that he has arrived at the degree of mastery that has rendered it possible for him to destroy that earth by the diabolical creations of his own hands, he seems to think that The Creator can be defied and denied His right to the planet made by His own hand. Well, to the thieves He will be viewed as a thief.10
And to those who align themselves with thieves, will He also appear as a thief — in more ways than one! Revelation 16:15 (quoted earlier) is a reference that is found couched in a passage describing the final preparations for the vengeance of the "thief" upon the real thieves.11 In this passage, He gathers together "the kings of the earth and of the whole world...to the battle of that great day of God Almighty...into a place called...Armageddon." Here is where they — the kings of the earth and the beast — gather together "to make war against Him (a.k.a. the Lamb) that sat on the horse, and against his army"12 in final defense of their theft of the earth against its reclamation by the rightful owner, who Himself comes "as a thief!" These Armageddon forces are headed up by the Beast (a.k.a. the Antichrist), the consummate pirate, who will even attempt to steal the name and place of God.13 (This thief will steal your soul, if you are fooled by his marvels and take his mark in order to participate in his "magnificent" New World Order.)
Those who espouse the any-moment doctrine of escapism and believe that their thief-in-the-night-messiah will come to steal them away into the clouds of heaven before they are confronted with having to deal with the real thief are already victims of a thief. In their self-induced state of sleep/darkness, they are already subjects of a theft that has robbed them of their vision, their understanding,14 as well as their sense of urgency about being ready. For, how can they claim or believe themselves to be ready for the coming of the Day of the Lord, when they participate so completely in the proscribed secular mammonism of the current world order15 — which is merely the larval stage of the Global Secular Order that is about emerge in our world from its cocoon in full glory?
By following spiritual leaders who are also blind, they have become persuaded that the systems of man are benign, harmless establishments which merit their participatory membership. In cunning and subtle ways, those blind leaders lead these unwitting souls into the ditch of perdition.16 Teaching totally twisted precepts from allegorical scriptures that they themselves do not understand, they convince their followers that "occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13) means they are to persist in materialism — as long as they do so "wisely" and "to the glory of God" — as would-be stewards of His wealth. A quick perusal of the passage in which this reference is found in Luke chapter 19 will readily reveal that dollar signs is all these blind leaders (and their followers) can see.
Again, strong delusion has replaced the light of truth in those whose worldly values have replaced the eternally enduring ones and misshapened their resulting warped theologies and eschatologies. Temporal materialistic values come to dominate the lives of those who fear material insecurity and discomfort of the flesh and become attached to the "cares of this life."17 And so, the deceitfulness of riches captures their affections, "chokes the word" and lures them headlong into serving mammon (even in the name of God, whom they also claim to fear as part of their dual devotion).18 Yet there is always hope; hence this book.
Temporarily blinded by mammon, most folks could care less about the dimension of life after death. But what about those who say it does matter? For them, profound poverty and insecurity of enduring spiritual proportions (i.e., biblical "nakedness" and the associated shame) can only result from the model of Christianity which great numbers of two-masters types are actually led to subscribe to. "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."19 And, "they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:7-10)
These pitiable souls are at severe risk of being targets of multiple thieves!20 Because, not only will they ultimately be ripped off of their material accumulations and bear no viable fruit for the Kingdom, but they will see themselves stripped of their "robes" (personal spiritual adornment) and related eternal wealth, which they foolishly relinquished for doctrines which condone the love of mundane acquisitions and the priority of such temporal values.
The fact of the matter is, every one of us will be subject to one theft or the other, despite whether we be true and faithful followers of God, or not. Though the neighborhood burglar is always a threat, it's the two big-time thieves of Bible prophecy that we must all ultimately contend with: The Savior who comes as a thief; and The Thief who comes as a savior.
The latter case is, in fact, an integral part of the coming Great Tribulation, according to the Prophets. As is pointed out in the section "Hate First" (see chapter 5, entitled "Not Yet"), one of the hate crimes to be perpetrated by the New Secular Order of the Beast will be the confiscation of wealth by the regime for redistribution and aggrandizement of the Order. Of course, the primary targets of these robberies and seizings of assets will be the conscientious objectors and dissidents (i.e., "them of understanding") who are opposed to the regime.21
The New Order "infidels" (primarily Jews, Christians, true Muslims and others refusing idols), as well as the affluent of the First World, will be the greatest victims of the new secular socialism of The Beast who will pride himself as the ultimate "Robbing" Hood. This hood will attempt to outdo God Himself by the flaunting of his poverty elimination and "economic justice" program, as "proof" that he is the only viable God. For what God has allegedly been unable to do, the Marvellous Beast shall endeavor to accomplish — with measured success — by his "righteous program" of wealth redistribution.22 (A sad testimony to the failure of God's people to effectively and truly "occupy till I come.")
Espousers of tribulation escapism will indeed find, in more than just one sense, that the Day of The Lord has come as a thief.
For one, when the "son of perdition" establishes himself as the specious "savior of the world" and outlaws the antiquated religions of the superstitious past,23 they then, three-and-half years before the True Messiah appears, must choose between getting ripped off or bowing down to the ultimate man-god and taking his mark.24 (Hopefully then, they will at last understand the scriptures they vainly clung to about the Son of man [Jesus] coming "in such an hour as ye think not.")
It is at that time, unexpectedly faced with either taking the mark or not, that they will have to endure that which they desired so desperately to escape and take the only appropriate stand (which they squeamishly avoided, claiming Jesus would return first). And if they do, all the mammon they worked so hard for over the years — houses, cars, furnishings, businesses, bank accounts, toys and accessories — will all be stripped from them as a contribution to the socialist New World Establishment of The Beast.
And, if they fail to watch and pray that they might escape the cares of this life,25 then as was mentioned in an earlier paragraph, they shall suffer the vengeance of the other thief for their alignment with the agenda of this new Robin Hood by taking his mark. This will be supremely tragic, since the prophets we have been citing have made the message so perfectly clear: It is only those who do not watch that the calamity of the thief will vex (Revelation 3:3, quoted earlier above). And, for all that the any-moment Christians insist that they possess the light of understanding on the allegory of the thief, it is shamefully ironic that they are so blind to scriptures that contradict — back to back in the very same passages which they reference about the thief — the very notion they conclude from those scriptures. How true it is that a divided allegiance (the evil eye of Yeshua's exposition on serving two masters) only fills your whole being with darkness (the perfect condition for the stealth of a thief, incidentally).
Now, to conclude this section with the fulfillment of one of my promises, let's revisit the perfect example of self-induced blindness to passages of prophecy which are plainly unambiguous. To Apostle Paul, as he outrightly states in this passage we are about to review, the topic of this study (of the thief notion) was so explicitly exempt from debate and dispute that he even felt his letter on the subject was an unnecessary reiteration. Thank God, though, that he was given to reaffirmation:
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."—1 Thessalonians 5:1-9
In a matter of only nine verses he summarized the essence of our whole discussion. Of course the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. But to whom will he appear in such a manner, bringing sudden destruction upon them? To those who proclaim "Peace and safety!"
Do you see any substantial difference between that cry and "Rapture, rapture and no tribulation," which the escapist cults call the "blessed hope?"
The particularly profound feature of this passage is its unmistakable inference that though it is as obvious as a pregnant woman that there will be eventual travail at the end of that pregnancy, yet the prevailing clamor will be "Peace and safety"; or perhaps otherwise phrased, "No troubles for us — we'll be safe in the sky!" The fallacy of this fanciful attitude will not serve the fans of this fantasy well, however. For it is unequivocal that "they shall not escape!" — no matter how adamantly they affirm their safety. Equally as profound in this passage is the starkly lucid declaration that the brethren, as children of light and of the day, are not in any kind of darkness that that Day should overtake them as a thief. Yet the imminency cult persists.
And finally, as though grasping at any possible last straws to salvage their drowning eschatologies and their dreams of being spared tribulation, they redefine the word "wrath" in verse nine to conveniently accommodate their completely erroneous and shallow notions that they, as supposed brethren, are not appointed to "that terrible Great Tribulation."26
Isn't time the facts are faced up to? The world needs to see a testimony of Christian courage, not fundamentalist cowardice and thievery of truth!
~~~~
Chapter 2 Footnotes — "Sorting Out the Facts"
The TaNaKh, a term familiar to Jews, is the Hebraic term for the Bible; more specifically, what is distinguished as the "Old Testament" as apart from the New. It is actually an acronym derived from the names of its three divisions: Torah (hence, Ta), Nevi`im (Na), and Ketuvim (Kh). The Torah consists of the 5 books of Moses, which comprises the Instruction, or Law, and is also called the Pentateuch. The Nevi`im comprise eight books, which are generally known as the Prophets. These include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor (i.e., briefer) Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who were all formerly written on a single scroll and thus reckoned as one book). Also contained in Nevi`im are the four historical works, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, called the Former Prophets. And finally, the religious poetry and wisdom literature is grouped into the Ketuvim, or Writings. These include Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, a collection known as the "Five Megillot" ("scrolls")—Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, which have been grouped together according to the annual cycle of their public reading in the synagogue—and the books of Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, and Chronicles.Back To Text
Note that the concept of sainthood has been much exaggerated over the centuries, particularly by certain churches which have contrived a religious culture of cultic saint worship. In these ecclesiastical cultures, certain devout believers, because of their exemplary lifestyles, are unduly exalted to a status of "saintliness" of a type that confers upon them an inordinate quality of sinlessness or holiness that is beyond measure for any flesh. Such exaltation of persons—considering the clear prohibition of such practices by the Law of the God of the Hebrews—is really tantamount to idolizing of humans. In actuality, the Holy Scriptures plainly define a saint as a consecrated individual who has committed him- or herself to observance of the Law of God out of faith in the divine nature of that law, and who consequently defies or resists temptation and error by pursuing that law. In other words, a saint is a person who is committed to the pursuit of righteousness, despite human weakness, error, and the inescapable tendency to sin; and by virtue of that commitment to strive toward that end, is regarded as "sinless" in the understanding eyes and lovingkindness of the Creator, although absolute carnal sinlessness is patently unachievable in any present fleshly state of being. Perfection of a human soul (virtual sinlessness) is ultimately accomplished primarily through a dynamic process of the Creator's own cleansing activity. It is not a natural state of being, let alone a self-attainable one. Saints are those who have willingly submitted themselves to that hopeful process and do not feign to be sinless or perfect by any means. They are simply believers, and hence followers of the Holy Word, who are consequently cleansed by that very faith in the teaching. Christ declared: "Now ye [disciples] are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:2)." Solomon in his keen understanding of such matters taught that "a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief." (Prov.24:16) Saints are stumblers, bumblers, and sinners as much as any; they just don't settle comfortably in the mire when they happen to slip into it.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. —Yeshua Ha'Mashiach
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. —Apostle Paul
1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I shew 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.
Mark 13:24-27 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
5 hosanna choirs and the hosanna syndrome
Please see the section "Hosanna Hearts and the Barabbas Factor" in the chapter (14) entitled "Tell Us When" for an in-depth look at this phenomenon. Essentially, it refers to the on-again-off-again affections of the here-today-gone-tomorrow worshippers who presently hail the King in adoration, only to later repudiate and deny Him when their personal expectations of Him are not met.
Matthew 13:13-16 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Isaiah 6:9-10 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Please refer to the chapter (14) entitled "Tell Us When!" for more detail on Kingdom-come Ideology, and the Acceptable Year.
The dating abbreviation CE (Common Era) is used throughout this book as the equivalent of the more generally used AD And, BCE (Before the Common Era) is used instead of BC as its equivalent.
Genesis 2:15-16 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Psalm 18:26-27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
11 the real thief vs. the "thief"
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Revelation 19:11-16 & 19 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. . . . And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
13 son of perdition — the beast
Revelation 17:11-14 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
II Thessalonians 2:3-12 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
14 what you want is what you get
II Thessalonians 2:10-12 They received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Psalm 106:15 And he gave them their request [satisfied their lust]; but sent leanness into their soul. (an Exodus experience of the chosen people & lesson to all)
Isaiah 66:3-4 Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
Leviticus 18:3-4 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of [BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Psalm 106:35-40 But [they] were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
Ephesians 5:5-7 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
Luke 6:39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Revelation 3:1-3 I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. —Paul
20 treasures for thieves (see Rev. 3:3 in footnote 18 also)
Matthew 6:19-20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 seizure and confiscation of assets
Daniel 11:24 He [Antichrist-prince of the holy covenant detailed later] shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
Daniel 11:28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches [seized spoils]; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
Daniel 11:31-39 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant [the underhanded underminers and betrayers of the "peace process"] shall he corrupt by flatteries (from the Hebrew chalaq, meaning dividing up, apportioning, distributing of gifts and spoil): but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many [erstwhile believers] shall cleave to [turn to and embrace] them with flatteries [the new socialist regime]. And some of them of understanding [God's people] shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces [military might]: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain [money and/or other reward, e.g. political gain]. (Note that "divide" here is the same "chalaq" translated as "flattery" above.)
2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Revelation 13:15-17 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 14:9-12 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Luke 21:34-36 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
26 reminder of "the appointment"
1 Thessalonians 3:3-4 No man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.
Acts 14:22b We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
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