Question #1:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I have a simple question. Some bible teacher was arguing that Moses body was
never recovered so God can certainly make His own exceptions according to His
Will, and that he is one of the two witnesses. He also said that it can be even
if Moses died, and it is appointed unto man once to die, God can do whatever He
wants and make Moses die twice. I don't know what to make of this.
God Bless,
Response #1:
Good to here from you. We do know for certain that the two witnesses of Revelation chapter eleven are resuscitated:
And when they have completed their testimony, the beast who is going to come up out of the Abyss at that time will make war upon them and will defeat them and will kill them. And their bodies will [lie] in the square of the great city which in spiritual terms is called "Sodom" and "Egypt", where our Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, people from [every] tribe and race and language and nation will gaze upon their bodies, and they will not allow their bodies to be placed in a tomb. And the inhabitants of the earth will rejoice over them and be glad and send gifts to one another, on the [false] grounds that these two prophets had tortured the inhabitants of the earth (i.e., this is how the unbelieving world will see it). And after the three and a half days, a living spirit from God entered into them, and they stood up on their feet. And a great fear fell upon those who were watching them [arise]. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them [do so].
Revelation 11:7-12
This of course is not the only case in the Bible of resuscitation.
Elijah was given to mediate the resuscitation of the widow's son and
Elishah that of the Shunammite's son. And of course our Lord brought a
number of people back to life including notably the girl to whom He says
talitha qum!, the widow of Nain's son and Lazarus. After our Lord
gave up His spirit, Matthew records that God caused a number of recently
departed believers also to come back to life (temporarily: Matt.27:52).
And Peter was given to revive Dorcas (Acts 9:40), and Paul the boy who
fell out of the window (Acts 20:10).
All of these cases I call "resuscitations" to distinguish them from
resurrection. Resurrection is eternal, and involves receiving a
completely transformed body which can never die, whereas resuscitation
is being restored to life in the same temporary body one had when one
died. The former is permanent, the latter temporary. That temporary
revival is what we have in the case with the two witnesses in Revelation
chapter eleven: the Lord puts their spirits back into their bodies and
restores them to life in those original bodies (temporarily).
What is unique about the two witnesses is that 1) Revelation 11:11 is
the second resuscitation they experience, the first being the one that
brings them back to life during the Tribulation for their ministry in
the first place, and 2) the fact that their first resuscitation happens
a very long time after their first physical deaths. In all
the other resuscitations listed in the previous paragraph, life is
restored fairly quickly after death.
Also in regard to the two witnesses, it is very clear that they are
notable figures from Israel's past. It is correct that Moses is one of
those witnesses – the other is Elijah. And that is why it was necessary
for both of them to have unique departures from life the first time they
died, namely, so that their physical bodies could be specially preserved
by God in order that they might be resuscitated many centuries later to
direct the evangelizing ministry to Israel during the Tribulation's
first half.
So there is no contradiction here with Hebrews 9:27 and this very
infrequent phenomenon of resuscitation – because all physical bodies
eventually die once and for all, and because everyone has only one,
brief physical life. Resuscitation is mere the recommencement in that
first body of that first life which to fulfill the plan of God was
temporarily interrupted in a very few cases.
There is more to say about all of this, but I have written it up
extensively at the following links (do have a look and feel free to
write me back if you have further questions about this):
The 144,000 and the Two Witnesses of the Tribulation
Moses and Elijah are the Two Witnesses
The Restoration Ministries of Moses and Elijah
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #2:
Hi Bob,
I have a question regarding the fate of the Nephilim, and some other
related questions. Jesus said that hell was prepared for the devil and
his angels, and this got me thinking. I know that hell is also for
unbelievers; but why didn't Jesus say that hell was prepared for Satan,
his angels, and unbelievers since God already knew that there will be a
lot of unbelievers in hell because they chose the broad path? And I
can't seem to find a passage in the bible where it states what will
happen to the Nephilim at the end of history and before the eternal
state. This got me thinking because they are both the product of angels
and humans. Or is this simply explained by reading in the bible that
anyone in opposition to God will face His wrath in the lake of fire?
John MacArthur said that in Genesis 6, that the fallen angels possessed
people to mate with the women on earth. He said that because he believes
that angels are pure spirit beings and have no body. This seems to make
sense to me, but if this is the case, why were the Roman soldiers at
Jesus' tomb afraid when they actually saw the angels? It further states
that the appearance of the angels had on shiny white clothing and were
intimidating to the soldiers. To me, this doesn't sound like a human
being possessed by a spirit of an angel, so I'm trying to reconcile
these differences. Can you help me to understand how to reconcile these?
Thanks in advance!
God Bless you and your ministry,
Response #2:
Good to hear from you. First, you're probably thinking of this verse:
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Matthew 25:41 KJV
The lake of fire
is the eventual last stop for all unbelievers and for all of the fallen angels
(see the link).
As to the nephilim, they are offspring of angels and humans – not the offspring
of demon-possessed men and non-demon-possessed women. Angels are creatures of
light but they can also produce physical effects. After all, in the passage you
ask about, they rolled away the stone from the tomb, and of course there are
many other things angels, fallen and elect, do in scripture that necessitates
them being able to interact with the material world (cf. the fallen angels
destroying Job's flocks and family). There is more about all this at the link in
BB 2A: Angelology (see also the link:
"The Nature of Angels").
Angels are impressive to human beings in their appearance and we find even the
apostle John falling down to worship the angel speaking to him in Revelation
(Rev.19:10; 22:9), so it is not wonder that the soldiers were terrified by the
sight.
As to the fate of the nephilim, just as only God can create angelic spirits, so
also only God can create a human spirit and only the human spirit of man is
eternal – it will also be "housed" in a body forever (the interim body after
death, and the resurrection body in the end). Whether God created human spirits
for the nephilim or not is impossible to say for sure. We do know that the beast
and the false prophet (who
are nephilim; see the link) are thrown into the lake of fire and remain
"there" (Rev.20:10), so that would seem to be the answer to your question. I
can't think of any biblical rationale to suggest that the other nephilim would
have a fate any different from these two arch-nephilim.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #3:
Hi Bob,
I just wanted to say from the outset, thank you so much for all the
questions that have been answered because of you, and thank you for
praying for me, my loved ones, and those who are in need of Salvation. I
have a question regarding a verse in Revelation 5:13. It states that
even creatures "under" the earth praise God and give Him Glory. I can't
figure out who the creatures under the earth are. I thought that it may
be a reference to hell or the lake of fire, but then I thought to
myself. . .why would the condemned praise God? I've heard many
interpretations on this verse from bible teachers saying things like,
"those under the earth are the lost or evil beings" or "the earth is
hollow and that the lost are located there." Even if that were true,
then it still doesn't answer why the unrepentant lost would praise God.
The verse in question says that "all" creatures praise God. Does the
word for "all" in the Greek here refer to all in a literal sense, or
"all kinds"? I normally read the KJV, but the ESV reads "every". Can you
please explain what is the bible referring to when it speaks of
creatures under the earth praising God and giving Him Glory?
God Bless you and your ministry,
Response #3:
You're most welcome, my friend – and thank you for all your kind words!
As to your question, the simple answer is "it's not in the Bible". This
is a case of a textual error in the critical editions of the Greek text
being used by most of the standard translations going back to the TR of
the KJV. Here is my translation of the passage with its context:
(12) [and they were] saying in a loud voice, “The Lamb who has been slain is worthy to take the power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing (13) and every created thing in heaven and on the earth and in the sea and everything in them.” Then I heard them saying, “To the One who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb [be] the blessing and the honor and the glory and the power for ever and ever!” (14) And the four living creatures were saying, “Amen!”. And the [twenty-four] elders fell [down] and worshiped.
Revelation 5:12-14
As you can see, there is no "under the earth" here because it's not in
the original Greek text. That false idea is a later addition and not
part of scripture.
The second "issue" is that while in truth all created things are what
the Lamb is praised as being worthy take possession of, the jumbled
received text makes it sound as if these created things are praising
God. While there is precedent for that (e.g., Ps.98:8), the actual text
(see ms. Sinaiticus) says as reflected above that it is the angels who
are continuing to do the praising here, and in this part of the passage
they are affirming our Lord's authority over everything in creation.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #4:
Hi Bob,
I have a follow-up question regarding created beings that are in the sea. Who
are these creatures in the sea that are praising and Glorifying God?
God Bless,
Response #4:
To reiterate, the versions have an incorrect translation based on following a faulty manuscript tradition. Angels are actually the ones doing all the praising here, not all created things, and these angels praise the Lamb as follows:
"The Lamb who has been slain is worthy to take the power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing (13) and every created thing in heaven and on the earth and in the sea and everything in them."
Revelation 5:12b-13
So the created things in heaven, on earth and in the sea all belong
to the Lamb and will all be under His authority. There is no basis for saying
that sea creatures are doing any praising – except in faulty translations of the
passage.
In Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #5:
Hi Dr. Luginbill,
I have a few questions regarding animals. My first question is, do
animals have souls like we do? And my other question is will there be
animals in the Eternal State or the Heavenly Jerusalem? My opinion is
that there will be animals in Heaven because Noah brought animals into
the ark. What does the bible say about these questions because I can't
seem to find an answer when reading the bible.
God Bless,
Response #5:
I agree with your supposition entirely. Just as God never allows a human
spirit to be unclothed or go out of existence, so I deduce must be the
case for animals who have spirits just as we do (Eccl3:21), though
without free will (so no basis for condemnation).
However, it is a spirit that an animal has which quickens the body just
as in the case of human beings. The word "soul" is a most unfortunate
one in the way it is employed by most English speakers – as if it meant
something like a spirit. In fact, in the Bible, "soul" (a standard
translation for Greek psyche and Hebrew nephesh) refers to
the person as a whole and often focuses on the entire person inside (so
that you can often substitute the word "heart" where you find "soul" in
translations of scripture). See the link:
"the word 'soul' ".
I fully expect that there will be many wonders such as this in the New
Jerusalem and on the new earth and in the new heavens of which we are as
yet unaware.
Here are some links:
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #6:
Hi Sir,
I'm really enjoy studying your teaching and I pray that God will
continue to bless you and your ministry. You are indeed helping people
like me who is in the ministry.
We had our evangelism last Saturday and it was good, but one of our
attendee asked a question concerning the eternal destiny of those babies
who died before the age of accountability as well as the mentally
retarded/ill . I think I gave them the right answer. But they are asking
a particular verse or passage on the Bible concerning this issue and
said I will get back to them. Sure I encountered it in your teachings
just could not remember which particular subject; maybe you can help me.
Response #6:
Your answer is correct. This life is all about choice, so it is certainly consistent with the justice of a perfect God that someone who cannot make the choice of accepting / rejecting Christ will not be penalized for that inability (seems pretty clear). Here are some links where the issue is discussed and scriptural citations provided:
Why Doesn't God Prevent All Children from Dying?
What will our relationship in heaven be with children who died young?
Question #7:
Good morning Bob and family,
A few days ago I googled a question regarding the ‘spirit being imparted
at birth’ and at the top of the page it came up as a question in ichthys
email postings, which I was glad of because I knew the best answer would
come from you. In this posting there was a doctor who, because of his
medical background, was having difficulty accepting that the spirit is
only imparted at birth, which I can understand is what most people think
regardless of whether they have a medical background or just normal,
everyday people. (I very much enjoyed and appreciated the candor in both
his and your responses to each other – if only the world would too.)
I have been thinking about this for a couple of days and I believe this
is where the Spirit has led me and I am wondering if you would agree as
well.
As you have said, natural procreation between a man and a woman forms
the pattern or the body of the individual, which to my mind is just the
mechanics of all the ‘moving parts’ including the heart, but the spirit,
which is the life force within us and is imparted by God at birth. You
could say we do the physical bit and God does the spiritual bit, and all
in the right time. And He does everything in the same manner so as not
to create confusion – He first formed Adam from dust, then put the life
or spirit within him after – and not the other way round.
So because it is a two-part operation and thinking about it further I
began to think about a baby that is stillborn. As God knows absolutely
everything – before today, today and tomorrow as well, He knows when and
if a child will be stillborn. And that being so, I don’t see a need for
God to impart the spirit at conception only to retrieve it at the death
of the infant while still within the mother. I can’t think of any other
way that would make sense as an example for those who don’t believe it.
Will make this do for now.
As always dear Bob, with brotherly love,
Response #7:
Good to hear from you, my friend!
Thanks so much for this encouraging message too! It's always a pleasure
to hear that this ministry has done its part to help "equip the saints".
As to your question/observation, that is a mystery and you have
understood all the working parts of it absolutely correctly. On the one
hand, the stillborn child may be a person with a spirit which the Lord
creates at birth and brings immediately into His presence without it
every taking a breath; on the other hand there may be no spirit
creation; and it may be "yes" in one case and "no" in the next – it is
totally up to Him and we cannot verify things one way or another this
side of heaven because 1) the Bible doesn't give us the specifics on
this one and 2) since the child was stillborn we have no visible
indication of a spirit created (no "breath of life" that we can
observe). But nothing is impossible for the Lord and all things were
foreknown AND foreordained by Him. So the one thing we can say for
absolute certain is that there was never a person who was meant to be
who ended up not being because of anything human beings have ever done,
not even in the case of the murder of a pregnant woman or the abortion
of an unborn child or the heartbreaking birth of a stillborn one (cf.
Eccl.6:3-5).
Keeping you and your family in my prayers every day, my friend – and
wishing you and yours the merriest of Christmases and a very happy 2018!
Yours in our Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #8:
Hi Bob,
So happy to tell you I’m still clinging to Jesus no matter what in this
present day and my prayers are that He will continue the work He has
begun so that I may stand in the days soon to come and I pray that it
could be so for others as well. How sad it is in this perishing world
that so many – the vast majority, either just don’t want to know what
could be, or they are completely ignorant and blindsided, being led
further down the path that will eventually lead to their destruction. I
find it so hard to comprehend that so few want it now and at the last
day it may be too late to have a change of heart. If you and I feel
helpless in this, how must His pain be?
Just as it is your desire to help others, and you do that so wonderfully
through Ichthys, it is mine as well and I hope in some small way that I
too, may be a help unto others. In my limited dealings with people these
days, I am still ‘looking for a lost sheep’ and I often wonder if I am
looking at one when I meet them.
I sincerely hope that He will preserve you and that ichthys will be
allowed free course in this ever darkening world, even during the coming
days.
Thank you for responding to my thoughts/question/observation – I never
thought about it in that context and I can see that the possibilities
that you show could in fact exist. As you say, nothing is impossible for
God.
Again and as always dear Bob,
With brotherly love,
Response #8:
I'm very encouraged by your testimony as always, my friend.
Thanks for your help, for your good words, and for your prayers!
I appreciate you in the Lord, my friend.
Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas in our dear Savior Jesus
Christ,
Bob L.
Question #9:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I have made a copy, shown below of some comments from an article I read
and was wondering if you could comment on them?
Personhood in the Bible: A number of ancient societies opposed abortion,[ii] but the ancient Hebrew society had the clearest reasons for doing so because of its foundations in the Scriptures. The Bible teaches that men and women are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Mankind was the climax of God’s creation, with an intrinsic worth far greater than that of the animal kingdom placed under his care. Throughout the Scriptures, personhood is never measured by age, stage of development, or mental, physical, or social skills. Personhood is endowed by God at the moment of creation, when there was not a human being before but there is one now. That moment of creation can be nothing other than the moment of conception (see Arguments 1 through 8). The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament to refer to the unborn (Exodus 21:22-25) is yeled, a word that “generally indicates young children, but may refer to teens or even young adults.”[iii] The Hebrews did not have or need a separate word for unborn children. They were just like any other children, only younger. In the Bible there are references to born children and unborn children, but there is no such thing as a potential, incipient, or “almost” child. Job graphically described the way God created him before he was born (Job 10:8-12). The person in the womb was not something that might become Job, but someone who was Job, just a younger version of the same man. To Isaiah God says, “This is what the Lord says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb” (Isaiah 44:2). What each person is, not merely what he might become, was present in his mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13-16 paints a graphic picture of the intimate involvement of God with a preborn person. God created David’s “inmost being,” not at birth but before birth. David says to his Creator, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Each person, regardless of his parentage or handicap, has not been manufactured on a cosmic assembly line, but has been personally knitted together by God in the womb. All the days of his life have been planned out by God before any have come to be (Psalm 139:16). As a member of the human race that has rejected God, each person sinned “in Adam,” and is therefore a sinner from his very beginning (Romans 5:12-19). David says, “Surely I was sinful at birth.” Then he goes back even further, back before birth to the actual beginning of his life, saying he was “sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Each person has a sinful nature from the point of conception. Who but an actual person can have a sinful nature? Rocks and trees and animals and human organs do not have moral natures, good or bad. Morality can be ascribed only to a person. That there is a sin nature at the point of conception demonstrates there is a person present who is capable of having such a nature. Jacob was given prominence over his twin Esau “though not yet born” (Romans 9:11). When Rebekah was pregnant with Jacob and Esau, Scripture says, “The babies jostled each other within her” (Genesis 25:22). The unborn are regarded as “babies” in the full sense of the term. God tells Jeremiah, “I knew you in the womb” (Jeremiah 1:5). He could not know Jeremiah in his mother’s womb unless Jeremiah, the person, was present in his mother’s womb. The Creator is involved in an intimate knowing relationship not only with born people but with unborn people. In Luke 1:41,44 there are references to the unborn John the Baptist, who was at the end of his second trimester in the womb. The word translated “baby” in these verses is the Greek word brephos. It is the same word used for the already-born baby Jesus (Luke 2:12,16) and for the babies brought to Jesus to receive his blessing (Luke 18:15-17). It is also the same word used in Acts 7:19 for the newborn babies killed by Pharaoh. To the writers of the New Testament, like the Old, whether born or unborn a baby is simply a baby. It appears the preborn John the Baptist responded to the presence of the preborn Jesus in his mother Mary, when Jesus was probably no more than ten days beyond his conception (Luke 1:41).
I am wrestling with this subject in my mind, trying to understand. ugh.
Thanks so much,
Bountiful blessings to you always,
Your friend,
Response #9:
Good to hear from you, my friend.
The anti-abortion crusade folks are very vehement in their defense of
this issue and, as this article proves, have few scruples when it comes
to manipulating scripture to display their case in the best light. That
is "spin". But "spin" is a political thing, not a spiritual thing.
Christians who are interested in the truth sincerely seek it from the
Bible, listening and discussing the truth with others who love the
truth, considering everything the Bible has to say. The political
approach takes a few passages which seem from one point of view to
support a position and presents them in a rhetorical way with no concern
for the fact that important passages which oppose their position are
left out. There is a difference between studying the Bible as you are
doing and using the Bible to support a cause as this article is doing.
All Christians who are trying to grow (as opposed to win a political
debate) would do well to keep this important distinction firmly in mind.
As to the substance:
1) To reiterate, there is a tremendous amount of positive information in
scripture which makes birth the point where a person becomes a person.
That is when God creates the human spirit. That is the event that is
celebrated. No one is a person with the image of God until such image,
inherent in the spirit, the real "us", is place into the body at birth.
That was the case with Adam. That was the case with Christ. That is the
case with all who were ever born into this world. You have been reading
all about this and studying it and teaching it, and we have been
discussing fine points related to this subject for the last few weeks
and months, so I don't think I need to go over these things again in
detail here or give you links to studies of which you are already well
aware (see the link:
"The
Dichotomy of Man").
The point is, we KNOW from scripture that life begins at birth; that is
what the Bible teaches. So if these passages and the arguments adduced
based on them teach something different, then scripture is in conflict
with itself. Since that is NEVER the case, we can conclude that there is
an alternative explanation for each point advanced here – and that these
passages have merely been cobbled together to support a political
purpose, i.e., "spin".
2) One argument with which this article is replete is the vocabulary
argument. The argument goes, "because words for the unborn are the same
as the words used for the born, the unborn are persons". This is an
emotional argument only, and one in which logic, I hope it is easy to
see, is entirely absent. Sailors call ships "she"; that doesn't make
them alive. We speak of and to our cats and dogs as if they were people;
that doesn't make them people. In fact, as far as I know, all cultures
can use the same words for the unborn as for the newly born. That is
simply how things are done. The word "fetus" which sounds clinical in
English is a Latin word meaning "newborn". To expect ancient cultures to
have developed some technical term to refer to the unborn is silly. To
draw logical conclusions from the fact that they don't is beyond absurd.
There is no other word for the unborn than "child" or "baby" or what
have you, except in an anachronistic way of importing our present faulty
understanding of English vocabulary backwards two or three thousand
years and expecting that method to be valid. In other words, calling the
unborn "a baby" or "a child" in the Bible does not make the unborn a
living person with a human spirit. Newlyweds who want a family talk
about the "children" they expect to have and about "making babies" even
before conception – clearly we can't hypothesize a spirit baby in heaven
awaiting this event. And it is notable that when scripture does NOT use
the word "child" or "baby" to refer to the unborn, in relative clauses,
for example, it uses the neuter gender and NOT the masculine or feminine
which would be appropriate if the fetus were a person. This as you know
from the studies at Ichthys is the case even for our Lord's unborn body:
at Luke 1:35 it is referred to as "that which (neuter) is conceived".
2) This anachronistic vocabulary argument is pushed further by saying
that because people in the Bible such as Job and David refer to their
fetuses as belonging to themselves that this can be taken to mean that
therefore they were themselves as full persons before they were born.
This is a variation of #1. What else are we to call our unformed body
but OUR unformed body? It was ours even before we came to be, after all.
The point at issue is "when did we come to be us in terms of being alive
with a human spirit with the free will image of God"? Neither David nor
Job nor anyone else relates any instance of making free will decisions
in the womb. If that seems a ridiculous thing to say, it is ridiculous
to have to say it. We are given the image of God in the spirit created
within us at birth. That is when we become us and so that is the proper
question: when is the human spirit given/created? Scripture is very
clear about that. Job's description in Job chapter 10 and David's
description in Psalm 139 present the process of the physical development
of the body to show God's superintendence of that process. No one is
denying that! No one is saying that we are not "fearfully and
wonderfully made"! No one is saying that the process of conception and
of the body's growth in the womb resulting in birth is not a miracle –
or that abortion is not a horrendous evil. The question is only whether
human beings give human life and produce the image of God physically, or
whether it is God who gives that life and that image in creating the
human spirit within us. It is He who does so, of course, and He does so
at birth – which is why the day of birth is the day of celebration and
the day of scriptural focus.
3) Being sinful from conception might be an argument that would need to
be considered, however, “sinful from the time my mother conceived me” is
a mis-translation of Psalm 51:5. The Hebrew text actually says "my
mother conceived me in sin". For obvious reasons, translators have
generally shied away from being overly literal here – since it might
seem to make David accuse his mother of adultery. But we know that he
was the legitimate "son of Jesse". This means that he acknowledges not
only his own sinfulness as one born physically but also the inherent
sinfulness of his parents in terms of having sin natures (as we all do).
4) Romans 9:11: God knows what people are going to do even before they
are conceived as well; that doesn't make them persons once conceived.
5) Genesis 25:22: "The babies" – because there is no other word (see
#1); the use of the word doesn't make them persons yet. This is seeing
events from our perspective anticipating the "persons to be".
*6) Jeremiah 1:5: The person making this argument is not listening to
the text he/she is quoting. The Lord says, "BEFORE I formed you in the
womb, I knew you". Q.E.D. God knows us before conception, after
conception, and after birth . . . and also after death. God knows us
because He knows everything and because we are all in His plan. The
sequence of events does not constrain His knowledge – and therefore
cannot be used as an argument for suggesting "personhood" in the womb.
7) On Luke chapter one, I have written a great deal about this passage
in places other than BB 3A and will give you the links. The "baby"
argument has been treated sufficiently already. When correspondent says
"It appears the preborn John the Baptist responded to the presence of
the preborn Jesus in his mother Mary, when Jesus was probably no more
than ten days beyond his conception (Luke 1:41)", we now have the
argument reduced to absurdity for us without any further effort on our
part. Can a fetus hear what is going on outside of the womb in such
detail and then respond by recognizing someone else, someone else who is
also a fetus in another womb? That is insanely absurd. Now it may be
remarked, "this was a spiritual occurrence", but we cannot allow that
objection since these people are arguing for physical life and rejecting
the spiritual dimension, taking that act of creation out of God's hands.
Of course what happened was a miracle, but it is also a misunderstood
one; if the Greek is read correctly, we see that Elisabeth attributes
this reaction to her own emotion, not to some impossible reaction of her
unborn son (son, but not yet possessed of a human spirit), reacting to
the fetus of our unborn Lord.
I hate abortion as much as the next person. But I hate materialism even
more. And I especially hate it when as in this movement it is leading
Christians to believe dangerous lies (because once materialism is their
god, their spiritual decline is inevitable) and to become involved in
political crusades which have the capacity to sink anyone's spirituality
and even cause their faith to founder. All of this is an attempt to take
things out of God's hands from start (in proclaiming the image of God at
conception) to finish (in attempting to fix the devil's world as a
result). But of course no one can take anything from Him. All people who
buy into these falsehoods end up doing is taking themselves out of His
hands, and there is nothing more frightening than that.
See the links:
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior.
Bob L.
Question #10:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
Yes indeed, I did do a study that you wrote on "The Human Spirit" and
"The dichotomy of Man". I had forgotten about these which fully explain
when life begins. So many things to remember from your exhaustive
studies, hard to remember sometimes. Anyway, I just wanted to let you
know that I agree with your analysis which is according to The Word of
God and am happy that I reviewed these two studies again. I totally
agree, that at birth God breathes into man and woman a spirit, and that
is when life begins.
Thanks my friend for jogging my memory.
Your friend still studying every day, to share with others and give God
the glory.
People often remark in the Bible Study that they have never heard about
the things which I present. They do receive it though. They keep coming
back and one the Catholics can't wait until the next week. She also
comes to the Sunday morning chapel service. God is working, and I praise
Him for His goodness, kindness, mercy and grace.
I am overjoyed to share with them what I have learned from your
excellent material which by the way is totally Bible based, not an
opinion.
May our Lord and Savior continue to give you good health and a sharp
mind to continue His work until He comes.
Your friend,
Response #10:
Thank YOU!
Your continuing growth and production are a great encouragement to me.
Hope your teaching went well today.
Sorry for the delay – a bit under water at the moment.
Your friend in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #11:
Greetings Dr Bob,
I have greatly enjoyed reading the Peter Series and rereading the essential
doctrine Bible basics and am hungry for more especially the unfinished
Bibliology. As to the weekly e-mails I spend hours going through the emails and
links provided there in and your work and ministry is so extensive such that I
have failed to finish up reading or even browsing through the responses. I
wonder if we had millions more like you in schools, hospitals, banks, Radio and
television shows, the impact could be greater. Am wondering if one day I woke up
and wrote an email and sadly not to receive any response on a pressing issue I
can't imagine how devastating that will be to me. Are there any successors or
fellows whom you've groomed to do this in your absence or retirement? Is the
ichthys ministry all about Dr Bob or are there any more people involved in this
great ministry? May the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless you with many days and
years on earth till you see his return.
Question: If God quickens his spirit "pneuma" into the human body with his
essence and life giving breath, how is it that we're born spiritually dead? In
what technical sense is the quickening of God essence into a human body
automatically becomes spiritually dead by design human beings will not exist
without the human Spirit of which in truth is the spirit of God himself.
I believe everything written by you on this issue; could there be another term
apart from spiritually being dead? Since all this language is earthly, what has
God has to say about our state in this world concerning sin?
I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for your success now and future and your
health/wellness/wellbeing.
Amen!!!
Response #11:
Thanks so much for all your good and positive words. On your question,
there is an emergency "succession plan" so to speak, whereby I am
confident that Ichthys will "stay on the air" even if I get run over by
a bus. The important thing is that God has a succession plan, whereby no
believer will ever be deprived of the truth he/she really wants to be
taught (even if that means a little effort and a little waiting to find
it).
As to life at birth, and the term "spiritually dead", this is
terminology I inherited and is perhaps NOT the best phrase to use to
describe the state of human beings at birth, being physically alive but
not saved. It is problematic because we do have a spirit – otherwise we
would not even be physically alive (the body is quickened as the spirit
enters; the body dies as the spirit leaves). And we do have a sin nature
too – which is the problem because it means we do not have a saved
relationship with the Lord at birth, that we are going to sin, and that
we are going to die physically as a result of our imperfection (as all
can see) – and that will mean the second death / damnation – absent
God's merciful intervention and our appropriation of the Gift of life by
grace through faith.
The problems are clear, even if the phrase, "spiritually dead", is not
the best way to describe them. It's not a terrible phrase in that it is
thus a parallel to the physical death that results from it, but to the
extent that anyone wants to connect this phrase to the human spirit, to
that extent they are not understanding the teaching of this ministry and
have been mislead by the terminology. If I had not, as I say, inherited
this phrase (most of the Christian world uses it), I would probably make
do with something like "dead to God" or "born to sin thus destined to
die". I think you probably get the idea. One thing that is not
legitimate to do is to take a non-biblical technical phrase developed to
describe and delineate biblical teaching, then use that phrase as a
piece of evidence from which to deduce further biblical principles. That
is exactly backwards of the way the search for truth in scripture should
go. But that is also, sadly, what much of erroneous theology often comes
down to (reminds me of Augustine).
As I say, I think this gets to the nub of the whole conundrum, but do
feel free to write me back about any of the above.
Hope you are doing well!
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #12:
Hope you are doing well! It has been some time since my last question. I
always look forward to the wisdom God gives you concerning these
subject. Have you any information on the what happens at death for the
Christian? Heb. 9:23-28 says we must die once. What happens immediately
after that. What kind of body do we have? Will it change to a
resurrected body as did Christ’s, or will it be a spiritual body? Do we
immediately go to the place Jesus has prepared for us? Will we be in the
presence of Jesus at the right hand of the Father-
Blessings from our family to yours in the wonderful name of Jesus, our
all in all
Response #12:
Great to hear from you, my friend.
I've written a lot about this subject, so I will give you the gist and then
direct you to links for the details and citations. In a nutshell, believers who
died before the ascension of Christ to the third heaven went to paradise below
the earth (aka "Abraham's bosom" of Lk.16:19ff.; cf. Lk.23:43). Since that time,
all who die in the Lord are taken to the third heaven to await the resurrection.
In all cases (even unbelievers who die), an interim body is provided so that we
may be "clothed" and not "unclothed" – "we" being our spirit which was never
meant to be "bodiless" (2Cor.5:1-10). Departed believers today in the third
heaven are among those who will "rise first" when Christ returns at the end of
the Tribulation, then "we who remain" will be resurrected bodily without knowing
physical death (all believers, that is, who are still physically alive at the
second advent; 1Thes.4:13-18). That is the resurrection of the Church; the
believers of the Millennium will be resurrected at the end of history – as will
all unbelievers, but in the case of the latter, this is a resurrection "unto
judgment" where they will not be evaluated for reward (as believers will be) but
to demonstrate their status as bereft of any redemption. Unbelievers are then
cast into the lake of fire, but all believers will live forever with the Lord,
the Church being blessed to live eternally in His presence in the New Jerusalem.
The resurrection body itself will be wonderful with none of the present
negatives of this temporary body and with many advantages the likes of which in
most cases we can only speculate about at present. Here are some links which
address the several questions you posed:
The Timing of the Resurrection
Our Heavenly, Pre-Resurrection, Interim State
The Resurrection Body
The nature of the ResurrectionThe Resurrection of the Lamb's Bride
The Judgment and Reward of the Church
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #13:
My humble apology Bob, for calling you Bill.
I mentioned in my question how your answers have blessed me, and am
grateful for your prompt replies. I will be sharing your reply with a
men's group. I pray that you know how we appreciate your spiritual
wisdom. Thank you for caring so much about those who come to you for
help
Your friend in Christ
Response #13:
No worries, my friend – I've been called a lot worse!
And by the way, my favorite seminary professor, a man I had probably a
dozen classes with, called me "Bill" the entire time. It's a natural
mistake for someone whose first name starts with "B" and whose last name
ends with "-bill".
Your friend in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #14:
Good morning Brother Bob-
Guess what, I have no question today! Just wanted you to know that your name
came up at the Throne of Grace this morning. I was thanking God for the way your
ministry has helped people like me. His blessings are new each day, and many
times they come through others who help us-
Blessings on your day
Response #14:
Thanks!
Prayers are ALWAYS greatly appreciated.
Your friend in Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #15:
Hello again Dr. Luginbill,
Here is another statement you make in the study of The creation of Adam.
"And do not fear those who can kill your body, but are not able to kill
your self (psyche). But fear rather the One who is able to destroy both
your self (psyche) and your body in hell."
Matthew 10:28
This word "destroy" in my understanding is: to cause to cease to exist.
But I don't believe that this is the correct definition of this word,
otherwise would not those who in hell also "cease to exist"?
Hope you can clarify for me.
Thanks again.
Your friend,
Response #15:
This is another frequently asked question – but often not really a
question when it comes from "annihilationists". You are of course
absolutely correct that the second death does not mean a termination of
existence; rather it means an existence so horrible that it can only be
described as a death. There is nothing but darkness and pain in the lake
of fire. Because blessing all flows from God and God is what unbelievers
and fallen angels wanted no part of. So in eternity they get their wish
– just that they had hoped to have blessing without God. That was the
devil's desire and his plan and program – but it was and is impossible,
thank God!
The verse you quote means that "life" in the good sense in this life is
destroyed and the unbeliever is cast into hell as a result: where we
can't even call the body a resurrection body (though it is resurrected
for want of a better word), and where we can't even call life life but
the second death; but that does not mean "no existence". Here is a link
to where the details are discussed:
"Destroy body and soul in Gehenna".
When God creates a spirit, it never goes out of existence, but those who
reject Him are forevermore separated from Him, from blessing, from all
that makes "life" worth living. Death is separation, and separation from
God is the worst type of separation. So death is an apt description of
the eternal state of all who wanted nothing to do with Him.
Hope your teaching went well today!
Your friend in Jesus Christ our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #16:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
Next time if I have more than one question, I'll put them all in one
email. I wanted to know some things about the Great White Throne
judgment in Revelation 20. I actually heard a bible teacher that said
that the lost will be judged by their "works", and I agree with that.
And we both believe that all their works show that they are unworthy and
they all end up in the Lake of fire because their works cannot save them
as you mentioned in a previous email. This bible teacher said that human
beings are capable of doing good works on their own, even the unsaved.
He gave examples of unbelievers donating blood or kidneys out of love
for others who are in need, but there were more examples. His point was
basically was that humans can do "good" works innately without God, and
that those who are judged according to their works can actually be saved
if their intentions were done out of love for others. Now I've never
heard of that before and completely disagree. If that's the case, then
why did Jesus die on the Cross for us if we can somehow get saved by
doing "good works"?
Revelation also speaks about different books (plural) that are opened
during the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20:12). What are the books?
I know that there is the Lamb's Book of Life, but I don't know what the
other book is about. Can you please explain what the other book is
about?
God Bless you and your ministry,
Response #16:
You are correct. This is an evil "interpretation" and you have correctly ferreted out why: if works saved, then Jesus died for nothing; but works do not save, and no good work could ever wipe out any sin; so without the cross, no one can be saved, no matter how good WE think their works are. God is the One who will decide whether or not anything anyone has done is truly "good", and anything not done in the power of the Holy Spirit cannot be divinely good by definition. Since unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit, all of their "good works" are detestable to God. Responding to God and doing things His way is what constitutes true "good works", namely, believing in Christ, growing and progressing spiritually, and helping others do likewise:
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
John 6:29 NKJV
The books by which unbelievers are judged at the last judgment contain all of
their "deeds" (erga), that is, everything they have thought, said and
done in this life; through these it will be demonstrated that they never had any
intention of responding to God and His truth through humbling themselves by
believing in Christ, and as a result He is absolutely just in everything He has
done – so that they have no excuse and no defense for their condemnation. I have
written about this passage extensively at the link:
"The Great White Throne Judgment".
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #17:
In "Eschatology Issues XIX" you said in Response #1, "...full reward
through diligent spiritual growth, progress and production in the
service of Jesus Christ." I'm not sure how to interpret "production."
Every attempt I've made to share the gospel has ended in what appears to
be failure. I still try to share, but per your suggestion, more by
asking questions than preaching. I don't know enough to teach. So far,
except for my daughter, I've produced little to nothing for the Lord.
That is becoming a growing concern. What do you mean by production?
On another front, I'm still scanning news for anything of relevance, but
I'm seeing a vulgarity I've never seen before, violent sickness like
I've not seen before and political rhetoric that's sick and
disgusting. I have to remember that there's still divine restraint so
this is all coming from our own willingness to do evil. That must be a
major part of what leads up to the Tribulation. This is really the first
time I've begun to comprehend the horrors coming. It looks to me like
one of the greatest risks to Christians and a possible source of
apostasy will be hatred.
Finally, one of the verses that has had a profound effect on me is Psalm
46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." The more I can do that, the
more fruit it bears. How else would someone hear the
gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit, if not still? I assume that I'll be
guided when the time is right and whatever my skill may be, I'll know
then. This has been my approach to this point. Should
I change?
Thanks.
Yours in Jesus Christ,
Response #17:
Good to hear from you my friend.
Production is everything we do in the Spirit that is truly for the
Church of Jesus Christ. Therefore true spiritual production is often
quite different from what many assume. Someone who goes to church (for
the wrong reasons = any reason which is not focused on spiritual growth
and mutual encouragement in Christ), who gives a lot of money (for the
wrong reasons, e.g., to be well thought of at church), who witnesses
aggressively (for the wrong reasons, e.g., to "count coup" over those
they have "saved") is not producing anything at all. However, a person
who seeks the truth from a Bible teaching ministry, who learns from it
and believes what he/she is taught, and who applies that truth to
his/her life IS producing: spiritual growth is production. A person who
prays for others in the Spirit, who contributes what he/she has to
ministries that truly help others (a small amount of money, a prayer, a
word of encouragement, a recommendation to others) IS producing. And
passing the tests of that God gives us is production of the next level,
much more fully rewarded than basic spiritual growth (the crown of life
in addition to the crown of righteousness). Coming into ministry, the
right one which the Lord has for you, and carrying it out diligently and
effectively is what brings the ultimate reward, the crown of glory. But
please understand: it is what YOU choose and do that counts when our
Lord evaluates us, not the response of others in this world. We are
given a field to tend. If we are given an extremely fruitful field and
it yields a good crop without much effort on our part, we will be
rewarded according to the effort that we put in, not the bounty of the
field which belongs to God:
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1st Corinthians 3:6-8 KJV
After all, very few believed John the baptist – and we may be assured
that his reward is great. Also, how many believed our Lord? Didn't most
of His contemporaries reject Him and His message . . . and then called
for His crucifixion? But He did His job perfectly, and has received the
Church and the Name which above every Name from the Father, not because
of the responsiveness of the Jewish people of His day but because of His
perfect and faithful fulfillment of the plan of God for us in every way.
He is our role model (1Pet.2:21). You are laboring – in spiritual
growth, progress and production. Be pleased to keep it up and to keep
fighting this good fight! There is great reward for persevering as you
are doing, my friend. For much more on all of this please see the link:
"The Judgment and Reward of the Church".
On your other question, I think that any Bible reading Christian looking
at today's world must come to the conclusion that things cannot go on
like this much longer. I am sure that you are correct that emotions run
amok will greatly contribute to the scenario that brings the beast to
the fore. Once the restraint of the Holy Spirit is removed at the
Tribulation's inception and the Lord unleashes
the "empowerment of error" (2Thes.2:9-12; and see the link), things
will begin to get even worse than we can presently imagine and with a
rapidity no one will foresee.
Jesus left us His peace (Jn.14:27) with the intent that we might live
tranquil lives – at least in our hearts – in spite of the turmoil of
this world which has nothing ultimately to do with us, for we are not
"of it" (Jn.17:16); and yes, it is the Spirit and His still, small voice
that speaks to us in encouragement and guidance to maintain that peace.
You are doing exactly the right thing in turning away from anything and
everything that upsets your peace. We are only here in this world for a
very little while, and we are only here after salvation to grow,
progress and serve the Church of Jesus Christ – exactly the things you
are endeavoring to do.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #18:
Thanks, Bob, so much. That was the encouragement I needed. I hate to
admit that I needed it, but I did.
You have no idea how much your weekly email postings have helped me. I
sometimes get annoyed with your correspondents who insist on belaboring
their pet point, but the way you've dealt with them, your patience and
your final refusal to be baited has been an inspiration and guidance.
(My mouth is my worst enemy.) You have answered so many of my questions
through your responses to others. I truly appreciate your weekly email
postings as I'm sure are others and your willingness to answer poorly
framed and sometimes ill thought-through questions like mine.
Thank you. May the Lord bless your ministry.
Yours in Jesus Christ,
Response #18:
You're so very welcome!
I surely appreciate your encouraging words here. Motivation to "keep it
up".
No need at all to apologize, and do feel free to write me back any time.
That is what the Body of Christ is for: mutual support, encouragement
and edification.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #19:
Shalom Dr. Robert,
Hope ALL is WELL with you and yours!
At your convenience and leisure could you please kindly explain Dan.
12:1-2 and Dan. 12:6-7 in respect to the chronological timing of their
actual fulfillment as they relate to the two distinct resurrection
events of the Just (Righteous) vs. the Unjust (Unrighteous).
Daniel 12:1-2 (KJV)
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 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 12:6-7 (KJV)
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Respectfully,
Response #19:
Thanks much for your good wishes.
As to your questions:
1) "at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be
found written in the book": This is a reference to the end of the
Tribulation when the resurrection (the next phase of it) will take
place.
2) "some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt": This conflates the next phase of the resurrection (of all who
have believed up until our Lord's return) with the last phase (at the
end of the Millennium) and the last judgment at the end of history. This
conflating of end times events – seeing the whole rather than the parts
– is a common occurrence in the Prophets (see the link:
"prophetic foreshortening").
3) "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" and 4) "it shall
be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished
to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be
finished.": This refers to the end of the Great Tribulation (three and a
half years) at the second advent. So all of these refer to the same
time. The only complication being that many don't factor in that in the
Old Testament the Church Age was a mystery age and that as a result all
future end times events were seen as a whole whereas in fact there is a
chronology of individual parts (see prior link). As I often say, they
were given to see the mountain range of future events from a distance
whence it appeared as one solid mass; we are blessed to see it close up
and from a side-perspective whence we are able to differentiate the
individual peaks and valleys.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #20:
Hi Bob,
In one of my posts (post 2.3) I speculate that when we meet Christ in
the air (1 Thess 4) and are changed (1 Cor 15:52), that those alive at
the 2nd advent might be changed differently.
This is based on the following:
1) Those saints who've been resurrected receive their resurrection
bodies at that moment, at the 2nd advent. Jesus mentions in the gospels
that there is no post-resurrection marriage. It seems thus unlikely that
there will marriage of resurrected saints in the millennium either.
Hence no childbearing too.
2) The prophesies re the millennium mention children in Israel during
the millennium. You mention Edenic conditions in Israel. Scriptures seem
to point to God's people living with Him during the millennium working
and bearing children. It seems unlikely to me that these families in
Israel at that time will only consist converted offspring of ungodly
tribulation survivors, i.e. converts after the 2nd advent.
The remaining option is that the 'woman', the saints in the wilderness,
enter the millennium in different bodies, capable of childbearing.
Is it perhaps possible that those saints in the wilderness will be
changed differently at the second advent, i.e. receiving restored edenic
bodies, such that childbearing is possible in the millennium? By
extension will perhaps all 'saints still alive' be changed differently
to those who are resurrected from the dead? I was thinking of removing
the above speculation from this post because it is not sufficiently
motivated. However, I'd would be interested to hear your thoughts on it
before I do so.
Thanks,
Response #20:
Good to hear from you as always.
According to 1st Corinthians 15:23-24, there are only three echelons of
the resurrection: 1) Christ (complete); 2) the Church at the second
advent (not so far away now); the "end", which is the end of history at
the end of the Millennium, the participants in that third and final
phase being the friends of the Bride or millennial believers.
It is very common for evangelicals today (among others) to draw sharp
distinctions between Israel and the Church, but that is not biblical.
All of the believing gentiles before Abraham, all of the believing Jews
from Abraham to the beginning of the Church Age – but also all of the
believing Jews during the Church Age and all of the gentiles who
believed in the Jewish Age are all also part of Christ's Church. The
Jews of Revelation chapter 12 who are taken to the special refuge during
the Tribulation are believers, those who have responded to the
tribulational ministry of Moses and Elijah and the 144,000. It is a
unique situation to be sure, but it seems completely incongruous if
these believers in Christ would be made to wait an additional thousand
years for their resurrection; or to put it another way, since that would
be contrary to what we know of the resurrection and also to what we know
about the truth of Israel and the gentiles being one in Christ in the
Church, it would seem that there would need to be some statement in
scripture to support such a theory before we advanced it. I know of no
such scripture.
I also don't know of any verse that would suggest that there is any
possibility of someone having a different body here on earth this side
of the resurrection. In all of the cases of believers being brought back
to life in scripture, the impression we are given is that even here they
are the same as they were before dying and then being miraculously
revived to life. If that is true of those who died and came back, how
much more in the case of those who never did so.
The fact that Israel of the Millennium begins with those who were
previously unbelievers does not strike me as significant. We all began
as unbelievers. All of the disciples/apostles were at one time
unbelievers – and Paul, the greatest of the twelve, notoriously so. Also
of course, not all of those who see the Lord return will convert. That
is why there is an initial regathering of Israel in the desert of Sinai
before any are allowed to reenter the land – so that all will be
regathered, but only believers will enter the land (see the link:
"The regathering and purging of Israel").
I do absolutely agree with you on the point that after the resurrection
there is no "marrying or giving in marriage" (Matt.22:30; Mk.12:25); our
Lord was quite clear about that.
Thanks again for everything you do, my friend!
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #21:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I'm trying to understand if the Bema seat of Christ where He judges believers
and rewards them, or not, takes place in Heaven. What does Bema mean, and since
it mentions "seat", does this imply that seat and throne are the same thing?
God Bless,
Response #21:
The word means "speaker's place" and in usage it means the place of adjudication as in this passage where Paul is haled in front of the Roman governor at Corinth:
When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat (bema), saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. “But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” And he drove them from the judgment seat (bema).
Acts 18:12-16 NKJV
Our judgment takes place after the resurrection, and since that happens
at the second advent, this judgment must take place on earth, in
Jerusalem, where Christ is reigning for a thousand years. For the
logistics of it and other issues connected with this judgment where
believers are evaluated for our life's work for Jesus Christ, see the
link: "Time and place of
the judgment" (in CT 6); for the judgment itself, please see in
CT 6 "The Judgment and Reward of the Church".
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #22:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I've been studying the resurrections and the judgements laid out in
scripture and have trouble reconciling some. I've heard the terms
"General Resurrection" and "General Judgement". I came up with four
different types of judgements. The first one is the judgment for
believers. The second is the judgement seat of Christ. The third one is
the judgement for the Jews in the Great Tribulation, and the final being
the judgement of the nations. Is this correct? By this I am thinking
that the General Judgment and Resurrection refers to just ONE judgment
for everyone, and ONE judgement for everyone too. Is this correction on
what it means by "General".? The only denominations that I know that
believes in a general resurrection and judgement are the RCC, Judaism,
the presbyterians, the Protestant reformed church, and some preterists.
When Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders, He mentioned a
resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of the damned. So this
sort of confuses me because it seems like just one judgement and
resurrection for all at the same time, but other passages in the bible
teach otherwise. The guy who heads a bible study we have on occasion
said that there is a threefold judgement for the believer. The judgement
as a sinner(was judged on the Cross when Jesus paid for our sins -
Isaiah 53:5,6). The judgement as a "son" (1st John 2:1; and 1:9; Hebrews
12:5-11 asnd 1 Corinthians 11:31,32), and the judgement as a servant.
What is the true biblical view on these judgments? From what I gleaned
from bible studies, this is what I got from it. I am very cautious when
it comes to bible teachers, and this is what I was told during our last
one, and I am not going to just take the bible teacher's word on
everything he says, so I wanted to ask if what I got from the bible
study are correct regarding Judgements and Resurrections.
God Bless,
Response #22:
Believers of the Church (everyone from Adam and Eve to the last person saved
during the Tribulation) will be judged following resurrection at the judgment
seat of Christ; that is where we will
get our rewards (or not; see the link).
Unbelievers will receive a last judgment at the end of time to demonstrate their
true nature and illuminate their decision to reject God; that results in being
cast into the lake of
fire in every case (see the link).
The only other judgment following a resurrection involves the case of the
millennial believers, the friends of the Bride, who are not resurrected at the
second advent as we are (most of them will not have been born at that point) but
at the end of history; they are the sheep in
the sheep and goats judgment (see the link).
I'm happy to answer any other questions on this you may have, but in terms of
post resurrection judgments, this is it. Please see the links:
The Resurrection of the Lamb's Bride (in CT 5)
The Last Judgment (in CT 6)
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #23:
Hello Bob,
In Revelation 20, it states that there were souls that were before God
who are martyred for their testimony and they were beheaded. I notice
that this is the most common way for Christian martyrs to die. Is there
a reason for this? Muslims behead Christians, and the followers of
Christ in the bible are mostly beheaded. King David beheaded Goliath,
but for a good reason. Does the head of the body signify something? I
once heard that the head is the seat of the soul, but don't know if
that's true. Is there a reason why most martyrs are beheaded, or is is
just a choice? Jesus died on the Cross instead of a different type of
physical punishment, was there a reason for that instead of Him dying
for our sins another way? Thanks in advance!
God Bless,
Response #23:
On Revelation 20:4, while the verb does mean, etymologically, "to axe",
we should not take this to mean that all of the tribulational martyrs
will die in this fashion. Beheading was a Roman death penalty for
citizens – quick and easy; non-citizens and those who committed
especially foul crimes were dispatched in different, more painful ways,
crucifixion, for example. Church tradition has the apostle Paul
beheaded, but the Bible is silent on this score. John the baptist was
beheaded by Herod Antipas, but other than that I can't think of another
case of this particular means of execution in scripture. I am quite sure
that martyrdom in the Tribulation will take on many forms – probably
some very horrible ones (cf. Heb.11:36-38 for a parallel – including
other means of martyrdom historically). But we can have faith that the
Lord will give those of us destined to face martyrdom for His Name the
wherewithal to suffer through to the glory of the One who suffered far
more for us.
As to that very important point, it must be remembered that our Lord did
not die of crucifixion; rather, He exhaled His spirit . . . but ONLY
after He had suffered spiritual death for the sins of the world
(2Cor.5:21; 1Pet.2:24). As terrible as physical crucifixion is, all that
our Lord went through in getting to and being nailed to the cross is
meant to give us a small sliver of an idea of what it would take to die
for a single sin – and He died for them all. All of the suffering of all
humanity from the beginning to the end of human history rolled into one
bitter pill would not come close to equaling what our Lord did in dying
for the least sin of the least person – and He died for every sin of
every one of us. The cross is "bigger" than anything that can be
imagined in an eternity of imagining. Nothing is more precious than the
blood of Christ, that is, His spiritual death for us all as He rose in
the flames without being consumed in the darkness on Calvary's cross
(see the link:
"The Spiritual Death of Christ").
In Jesus Christ who did everything for us, far more than we know.
Bob L.
Question #24:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
A muslim co-worker was discussing muslims killing in the name of Allah and tried
to justify it. I quoted the bible verse about those who think they kill others
are thinking that they are doing God's service, which was what Jesus said. My
co-worker said that if Christians killed in the name of God, they would be hated
more than muslims. I thought to myself...why? Jesus Himself never killed anyone
and at His first coming He healed people and showed the Love of God towards
others, and preached the Gospel to the lost, and they killed HIM without a
cause. It seems as if Christians are the ones that are being killed for doing
nothing wrong but trying to bring the lost to Christ. There are no killings
involved. Why are the Christians being killed for being harmless most of the
time? Why so much hatred for Christians?
God Bless,
Response #24:
Whatever is happening today is nothing compared to the Tribulation. Christians,
ACTUAL Christians, will be the only ones being persecuted in
the Great Persecution (link) because biblical Christianity, being
spiritually reborn from above through faith in Christ, is the only true faith;
all the others will cooperate with antichrist.
Whether people around the world being targeted today are actually believers no
one can say because we don't know them personally and only God knows the heart.
But it is a good idea to keep in mind that 1) many groups which are called
Christian are in fact composed of mostly or even exclusively unbelievers, and 2)
God is in complete control: so if any Christian is killed for his/her faith, it
is all in the plan of God and said person honors the Lord by staying faithful
unto death, thus earning a good reward. That is something else for us all to
keep in mind with the Tribulation so close.
In the meantime, we certainly can and certainly should pray for our brothers and
sisters in Christ around the world who are being intimidated, persecuted,
imprisoned and threatened with death for their faith.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #25:
Hi Dr. Luginbill,
I apologize for not putting all my questions to you in one email
regarding Crowns. Bible verses pop up in my head all day and I ask
myself, why didn't I ask that before. In Revelation, there are 24 elders
who cast their crowns before the feet of God. Who are these elders? I've
heard differing opinions on this. Some say that's symbolic of all the
redeemed (both Gentiles and Jews), and then there are some who say that
they are patriarchs. Do they cast their crowns because those crowns are
given by God freely because God works in them to do His will? and that
none of us really deserve any rewards because we are saved by Grace
through Faith?
God Bless,
Response #25:
It's no problem, my friend. I'll take them one at a time in this one
email, if you don't mind.
1) Elders of Revelation: these are angels, no doubt about it. The Church
has not even been resurrected (and so has not been rewarded) when the
scenes in heaven take place where they are described. Casting the crowns
is a form of worship wherein they acknowledge the grace of God just as
you have surmised (good job!). Much about this on the site. Here are
some links:
2) On martyrs crowns, dying for the Name of Christ is actually an accomplishment
(true martyrdom from the Lord that is), and it is associated with
the crown of
life (link). There are three crowns of Christian reward, righteousness (for
gaining spiritual maturity), life (for passing extreme testing – such as
martyrdom), and glory (for successful completion of ministry). There is much to
say about this so I will give you the main link:
"The Judgment and Reward of the Church".
Feel free to write me back about any of this, my friend.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #26:
Hi Dr. Luginbill,
In Revelation 22, it states that the Tree of life brings forth fruit
every month. Is this a literal month as in 4 weeks, or does it stand for
something else? I notice that there is beauty in God's creation, and
even in different seasons. I find rain, snow, sun, falling leaves, etc
of the seasons. Will seasons exist in the Eternal State? And will there
be snow, wind, etc.?
God Bless,
Response #26:
There were no seasons on earth before the great flood (see the link). And there is no indication of any seasons in the New Jerusalem – there will no longer even be any night (Rev.21:25; 22:5), nor any sun or moon to mark the seasons and years (Rev.21:23). The question of the fruit of the tree of life is a bit involved and somewhat different than the impression given by cursorily reading about it from an English version: the crops are actually simultaneously produced, for one thing. Here is what I have written on that in CT 6:
The Tree of Life: There are several important things to note about the tree of life which may not be immediately obvious from an English version. First, the word "tree" is used here in a collective sense. What we have to do with here is a veritable forest of trees. Second, this forest lines both sides of the river of living water along all twelve channels, over 20,000 miles of network, and on both sides of the river channels at that. We can also only guess at the width of the river or of breadth of the wooded area occupied on each side, but the proportions of the city and the likely extensive span of each of the twelve avenues argue for a not inconsiderable distance. Simply put, the tree of life will cover a good deal of territory in New Jerusalem. Third, the twelve crops are not produced sequentially, but simultaneously, regardless of the time of the year (that is the meaning of "every month, month by month"). Rather than being temporally separated, the fruit is geographically separated: the trees along each of the twelve branches of the river bring forth a different type of produce, one for each tribe (in a manner analogous to the twelve loaves of the bread of presence set out in the tabernacle to represent the twelve tribes of Israel: Lev.24:5-9). This diversity of location will encourage the visitation of residents of every tribe to all other areas of the city, in order the better to enjoy and appreciate the whole of New Jerusalem.
(12) Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, (13) consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. (14) For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 48:12-14 NIV
When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate.
Ezekiel 46:9 NIVThere are three important aspects to the tree of life and its fruit, all of which are symbolized by the furniture in the tabernacle-temple; and all of these symbols are inextricably bound to the Person of the One who is the revealed member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the true tree of life (Jn.15:1-8; Rom.11:17-24). The golden lampstand symbolizes the appearance of the tree of life (Ex.25:33-34)82; the bread of the presence on the golden table symbolizes its fruit (Lev.24:5-9); and the incense from the golden altar recalls its fragrance (cf. 2Cor.2:15). For Jesus is the light of the world (Jn.8:12), the bread of life (Jn.6:35), and the sweet savor of salvation which expiates our sins (Eph.5:2; cf. Heb.7:27; 9:14). The tree of life will thus be the source of palpable joy in its appearance, fragrance, and taste (cf. Gen.2:9; Ezek.47:12). And in this last blessing in particular, the feature emphasized in our context with the reference to the twelve crops, the benefits and delights of partaking of the various fruits will be enormous, eternal manna from God, everlasting communion in the participation of the Body of Christ, a pleasurable experience that will surpass to infinity anything offered by this present, visible world.
We are also told that the foliage of the trees will likewise produce great benefits, though here again the English versions can be misleading. The Greek word therapeia (θεραπεία), the source of our "therapy", may indeed have a medicinal meaning, but not necessarily so. Its primary application has to do with care and oversight, a function which does not require some prior problem as in the case of illness (cf. Lk.12:42). Therefore "positive use" or "enjoyment" is a far preferable translation in this context where all tears have now been wiped away forever. This benefit of the tree of life will then be some sort of pleasurable activity apart from eating, and one of its prime applications will be the production of unity among all believers. For the occurrence of the word "curse" found in most of the versions in verse three of chapter twenty-two is based upon a misreading of the text (as we have seen, the “curse” of Genesis chapter three had already been removed at Christ's return: Rom.8:21; cf. Zech.14:11 NASB only). As Sinaiticus makes clear, the correct Greek text reads katagma (κατάγμα) "division", not katathema (κατάθεμα) "curse". In New Jerusalem there will be no further divisiveness between the tribes, now composed of Jews and gentiles both, nor between the Bride and the Friends of the Bride. The therapeutic foliage of the tree of life will provide a pleasurable means of fellowship and harmony between all believers forevermore (Ps.47:9; Zech.2:11; Jn.10:16; 11:52).Happy are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to [access] the tree of life, and [the right to pass through] the gates so that they may enter the city.
Revelation 22:14
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.