Question #1:
Hi Bob,
What does Psalm 122:7 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" mean? I heard Christian
Zionists say that this verse applies to the modern day capital of the State of
Israel, but I'm not too sure about that interpretation.
Response #1:
"Christian Zionists"? I know what you mean (I think), but Zionism is a
political ideology and a completely secular one at that. That makes
sense too, because if a person wants to see the biblical promises to
Israel fulfilled and feels that the only way that can happen is through
human political action, well, at least they can't think much of God and
His abilities since He needs all that "help" from them.
If you are asking for my interpretation, this Psalm is both a
contemporary, literal prayer for the peace and security of the capital
of biblical Israel of David's day, and may also be taken as
prophetically looking forward to the time when Israel is restored and
ruled by David as the Messiah's lieutenant in the land during the
Millennium. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with the present
day secular state of Israel. For one thing, the justification David uses
for this prayer request found in the last verse makes that impossible:
"For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your
prosperity" (Ps.122:9 NIV). The temple was destroyed by the Romans
nearly two thousand years ago and will not be rebuilt even in an
incipient form until the Tribulation begins. This Psalm is all about
asking for God's blessing upon the focal point of the worship of God by
the people of God, but in modern day Israel there is no worship of God
going on, no temple, and precious few believers of any stripe.
I have no problem in praying for any person or group of people for whose
salvation one may be desirous. But there is certainly a danger in
injecting politics into anything spiritual, and this area is not an
exception – just the opposite.
In our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #2:
Dear Robert,
Is the current Israel in her 'Aliyah' prophetic? Or is it more a human
effort? These questions are in regards of Ezekiel 20: 33-36, which
refers to an act of Messiah as a future event.
The blood of Christ gives us the boldness to enter into His (Father)
presence,
Response #2:
Always good to hear from you, my friend.
Indeed, there is a plethora of passages which make it clear that "all
Israel" will not be regathered into the land until the Messiah returns
and regathers them (you can find the full discussion of this at the link
in
CT 6: "The Regathering and Purging of Israel").
It is also very clear from scripture that a Jewish state exists during
the Tribulation. That is taken for granted in every passage of scripture
which discusses the end times. The Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70
A.D. and the further devastations following the Bar-Kochba rebellion in
the next century resulted in the removal and/or flight of most Jews from
the land (though not all, as is sometimes assumed); that is not
predicted in scripture – and neither is the (necessary) return of many
Jews beginning in the 19th century and accelerated after WWII in the
20th. But that "return" has been the result of a political movement
(Zionism; see the link), and is unquestionably only partial (the vast
majority of Jewish people in the world today do not live in Israel), and
so cannot constitute the fulfillment of the prophecies of regathering in
any way. God clearly is in control of all events which happen in all of
history, but there is a very large distinction to made on the one hand
between a man-made political movement which has only brought a fraction
of the Jewish population worldwide back to the land, and a divinely
mandated complete return of every Jewish survivor orchestrated by the
Messiah Himself once He has taken up rule in Jerusalem.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #3:
What does this verse mean?
"This is what the Lord says: 'The people who survive the swordwill find
favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.'" (Jeremiah
31:2)
Response #3:
This refers to
the regathering of Israel on the threshold of the land
following the Tribulation in the early days of the Millennium (cf.
Hos.2:14 and see the link).
In Jesus our Lord,
Bob L.
Question #4:
Hi Dr Luginbill,
I hope you and family are doing well, and having a great start to this
new year!
I was just studying, and using your essay on the Resurrection in review,
and I'd like you to clarify something for me. Am I understanding your
commentary correctly in that there is a 3 part Resurrection, and that
before that time there is an "interim state" which will characterizes
believers' bodies for who have died already: first Christ, then, those
who are taken up to be with Him at His coming. Then, the "catchall" is
at the conclusion of human history where both the unredeemed as well as
the millennial believers – and those believers will not see death due to
the seamless transfer of the Kingdom to God by Christ, will receive
their eternal bodies? And this is the third phase of the Resurrection?
Thank you as always for your accessibility.
In Him,
Response #4:
Good to hear from you, my friend.
Yes indeed, that is it in a nutshell:
(23) But each [will be resurrected] in his own echelon. Christ [is the] first-fruits. Next [will be] those belonging to Christ at His coming (i.e., the 2nd Advent). (24) Then the end, when He will hand the Kingdom over to the Father, after He has brought an end to all rule, all power, and all authority. (25) For He must rule until He has placed all His enemies under His feet – (26) and death is the final enemy to be done away with.
1st Corinthians 15:23-26
Jesus was first; the Church comes second at the second advent; the Millennial
believers (the "friends of the Bride") are resurrected at the end of history –
which is also when all unbelievers are resurrected. The sheep and goats judgment
of Matthew 25 deals with both of these, the sheep being the millennial
believers, the goats being all unbelievers of all time.
For more, please see the link:
"The Resurrection of the Lamb's Bride"
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #5:
Dr. L
I do not understand the following quote: “And since all believers who survive
until the Second Advent will be resurrected at that time...”
If the believers have survived until Christ’s return, how can they be
resurrected? They survived. They’re not dead. I don’t understand.
Response #5:
Hello Friend,
Good to hear from you again.
The resurrection (of believers) takes place in three phases:
(23) But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (24) Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
1st Corinthians 15:23-24 NIV
The first phase is Christ, and His resurrection has already been accomplished. The last phase or "end" takes place at the end of history when all of the millennial believers (aka "the friends of the Bride") will be resurrected. But the middle or second phase, the resurrection of the Church (the "Bride of Christ"), takes place at Christ's "coming", that is, at the 2nd Advent which occurs at and marks the end of the Tribulation. That is when "the dead in Christ rise first", followed by "we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1Thes.4:17 NIV). So this middle phase of the resurrection, the resurrection of the Church, is mainly composed of those who have died (from Adam and Eve to the point of Christ's return) but will also include those who are believers and "still alive" at the point of the 2nd Advent, having survived the Tribulation both spiritually and physically.
(51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: not all of us will fall asleep (i.e., some will experience the living resurrection at Christ's return), but all of us will be changed (52) in [that] moment of time, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet blast (i.e., announcing the end of the Tribulation and the Lord's return). For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible, and we too (i.e., believers still alive) will be changed [at that time (i.e., the Lord's Second Advent return)].
1st Corinthians 15:51-52
(15) For we tell you this by the Lord's own Word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord (i.e., the Second Advent which brings the Great Tribulation to a close) will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the archangel's blast on the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first (in resurrection), (17) then we who are alive and remain will be snatched up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and in this way we shall always be with the Lord.
1st Thessalonians 4:15-17
So the term "resurrection" for what happens to those believers who are still
alive when Christ returns is probably technically not the best (since as you
point out they are not dead), but it is the one traditionally used since what
happens to them (and possibly "us"), i.e., the transformation of the first body
into the eternal or "resurrection body", is precisely what happens to the rest
of the Church who have already passed on. The only difference is in their
(possibly "our") status before the transformation, not in the nature of the
transformation itself.
Hope this answers your question. You can find out more at the links:
Peter #27: "Tribulational Security"
The Resurrection of the Lamb's Bride
Please feel free to write me back about any of the above.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #6:
Dear Sir,
I appreciate the time and effort that you have obviously put into your
studies so that others of us may learn, thank you.
When you give the time periods of the churches in the Tribulation
series: Ephesus - 12 years; Smyrna - 360 and so on, where do you get
these time periods, they are very interesting and I would like to know
where they came from.
Thank you for your time and wisdom
Response #6:
Good to make your acquaintance (and apologies for the delay – busy time
here).
In terms of the time periods of the seven church eras, this is explained
at the link: "Chronological and Historical Overview" in CT 2A, and
defended and further explained at the link: "What Church era are we
in?". The seven churches – to me very clearly – must represent the
consecutive trends of the Church Age: cf. Rev.4:1: "Come up here, and I
will show you things which must take place after this" (lit., "after
these things", namely, what our Lord has just said in the preceding two
chapters). Therefore it is really only a matter of splitting up the time
between the writing of Revelation and the beginning of the Tribulation
(i.e., the 1,956 years). The method I used was informed by historical
events as discernible from the details given in chapters two and three
for reasons discussed in the links. This is an interpretation (as
opposed to something directly taught in scripture), but it is certainly
an informed one, and in my view any proper interpretation of the seven
churches could only quibble about the precise dates given. I have seen
other interpretations which approach the problem in a very similar way,
but none which I personally feel have given a reasonable explanation,
based upon scriptural parallels, for the divisions I have preferred. The
additional persuasive point for me personally is that these divisions
result in the eras matching up with what we do know of prior Church
history very precisely. But the truly important point for any Christian
looking at this issue is to realize that we are presently in the era of
Laodicea, and so take to heart the ramifications of that realization
(i.e., the Tribulation is close and therefore spiritual preparation very
necessary). If a reader gets that point (which I believe to be beyond
argument), then the precise divisions of the eras are of less
consequence (though I certainly do stand by this interpretation
completely).
Happy to discuss this with your further.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #7:
Dear Sir,
I understand where the 360 years for the five churches come from but I am
wondering how the division of time came about, is it historical evidence if so
from where? I am not disagreeing, just trying to understand. You have the
Ephesian Church at 12 years (70-82) The Laodicea Church at 144 yrs. and the rest
at 360. Why is the Ephesus Church only 12 and the Laodicean Church 144, why not
the reverse? The 360 I understand as the Jewish calendar days, but the rest I am
not clear on. Thank you for your time.
Response #7:
Both of these eras, Ephesus and Laodicea, with less years than the other
five ages are truncated on account of the deficiency of their
performance. Ephesus has "abandoned" her "first love" according to our
Lord (Rev.2:4), namely, has shown a serious lack of attention to the
truth of the Word of God, while Laodicea is so offensively lukewarm
about that same truth that the Lord is "about to spit you out of my
mouth" (Rev.3:16). These are also the "bookend" ages, occurring first
and last respectively. So it make sense for these two to be the shortest
for that combination of reasons. Given the biblical significance of the
number "12", it also makes sense for the length of these two eras to be
multiples of twelve. Once we determine the starting point (the end of
the apostolic age / John's time of writing) and the end point (the end
of the Church Age, the beginning of the Tribulation), and once we accept
the 360 years as the length of the other five ages (based on the Jewish
calendar as you note), the only question then left is how many 12's for
each of the other two?
The number 144 has much to recommend it for Laodicea on the cusp of the
Tribulation which will be characterized in its early days by the
ministry of the 144K witnesses; if we take that as a hypothesis, we will
be left with 12 years for Ephesus about which church era our Lord says,
"If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from
its place" (Rev.2:5 NIV). From everything we know about the era
following the apostles, there was no repentance, no return to making the
Word of God central to everything – so much so that the extra-biblical
teaching of the apostles was lost and the truth which remained in the
preserved Word of God was no longer properly understood and mostly not
understood at all to judge from the writings of this period – a fairly
shocking development for a group only one generation removed from Peter,
Paul and John, many of whom had seen these apostles personally. So
seeing Ephesus come to an end quickly (after only twelve years from the
point of John's writing of Revelation) jibes with the historical record.
Similar is the case of Laodicea: calculating backwards 144 years from
the commencement of the Tribulation yields the year 1882 which is
directly in the midst of the period where secularism, rationalism,
Darwinism, and modern skepticism has begun to infiltrate the church
visible in an overwhelming way (and one may add also emotionalism which
is the counterpart of lukewarmness because emotion does not sustain nor
spiritually edify in and of itself). Moving then to the other five
periods which are now set firmly in place between the first and the
last, the historical events within the church visible likewise seem to
square quite well with the description in Revelation. For example,
Philadelphia will now begin in 1522, five years after Luther posted his
famous 95 theses, and the year in which his New Testament in German came
out, making the Bible finally available to his countrymen who were not
clergy (the era Philadelphia being characterized by a rekindled
appreciation for the Word of God). Similar historical contiguity may be
found in the dating of the other eras according to this system (see the
previous links for the details). This was my method in a nutshell
(again, please see prior links).
And, again, as I stressed last time, this is an interpretation. To me it
is quite clear for many reasons that the seven churches are in fact
seven consecutive eras of the two thousand year Church Age (and I'm not
the first nor the only person to have seen this). Indeed, it is very
hard, in my view, to argue against this point given what our Lord says
to John at Rev. 4:1: "Come up here, and I will show you what must take
place after this" (NIV; lit. Gk: "after these things"). The seven
churches "happen", and then all of Revelation thereafter (the events of
the Tribulation and beyond) happens "after these things" (i.e., the
Church Age).
That said, I reiterate, the most important point to glean from this
teaching is the fact that we are at present in the very late stages of
the era of Laodicea, that most Christians are not at all prepared for
what is coming (being lukewarm), and that it behooves us as individual
Christians who are made of aware of these truths to get "red hot" for
the truth of the Word of God and prepare spiritually as best we can and
as rapidly as we can for that most spiritually challenging time in the
history of the world, the soon to come Tribulation.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #8:
A few months ago I had the rare opportunity to speak to a Southern Baptist Ministers Meeting. Early on I made a comment, which implied that I did not believe in a pre-trib rapture. At that point, a hand went of up from one the pastors to ask a question: "But, brother! "Isn't the pre-trib rapture the blessed hope?" I offered one of those "not exactly" responses. But, how typical and telling is the mentality contained in such a question. Is it any wonder, "Like people, like priest"?
I have come to discover that being Post-Trib is not "the end all to cure all." In fact, some, if not many, Post-Tribbers hold to some of the most "off the wall" views in Christendom. They tend to focus on conspiracy theories of every sort, judgment on everyone and everything outside of the Church and labeling them as "enemies of God," exposing all sorts of clandestine operations, apocalyptic catastrophes having little or no redemptive value, NWO, galactic aliens, giants, survivalism, Replacement Theology, and a very myopic view of God's Big Picture with respect to the "whole purpose of God." They have an insatiable appetite for information and comparatively less on true Godly knowledge rooted in the Scriptures. Frankly, it is this expression of Post-Trib that concerns me far more than Pre-Tribbers. But, in my view, the one common denominator is that in their own way they are "barking up the wrong tree."
Response #8:
It's certainly true that the present day level of interest in the truth among
the majority of our brethren is very low and declining. The irony is that many
of our fellow believers in the church-visible imagine that they have arrived in
terms of biblical and doctrinal knowledge and spiritual growth. Just as our Lord
says, "you say 'I am rich and have become wealthy and know no lack'. And you do
not realize that it is you who are the one who is wretched and pitiful and poor
and blind and naked" (Rev.3:17).
On pre vs. post, while without pure faith in Christ there is no salvation, there
is certainly no other "one doctrine" that makes or breaks. Christians are
supposed to desire and come to know all of the truths of scripture. I've never
liked labels in this respect, and your apt observation is an indication of why.
And, after all, just because someone says "I'm a Christian", doesn't mean that
we can then have total confidence about their morality or ethics or
understanding of the truth – or anything else. That is because being saved is
only the start:
But with respect to the progress you have made [in your salvation], keep on advancing in the same way [as you were saved in the first place] (i.e., through receiving, believing and applying the truth)!
Philippians 3:16
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and a happy 2017!
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #9:
Good morning Dr Luginbill,
I hope this note finds you well; and even more so in the fullness of His
presence than when we last corresponded! He is faithful, amen?!
Just a point of quick clarification I'd like, regarding your
exegesis/commentary in particular. With such fullness and precision you
have divided some truth here, and at times that achieved result demands
by default some ambiguity, for Scripture itself is like that at times.
In other words what I am having trouble clarifying with your works is
whether you by Scripture identify any specific component or event of the
eschatological unfolding as the indication or initiation of the
tribulation. For instance some studies, which do have the same
overarching spiritual and theological trajectory as yours, have the
rebuilding of the temple and the rise to power of the antichrist as a
clear marker of commencement. Whereas you entail them in the first half
but don't seem to draw any chronological parameters for them. Therefore
as it regards your teaching on the seals, the restraining ministry of
the Holy Spirit, et al, I see clear the implications; but from what I've
been reviewing in your studies, it still begs the question when or by
what will we know that the tribulation (for which you have set such
distinct timelines, etc) is about to or has begun? Is there any defining
development that will indicate that what you have expounded upon as
happening behind the veil so to speak has begun?
Very kindly, and with much appreciation for your labor in love of God
through Christ, and your brothers and sisters in Christ,
Response #9:
Good to hear from you, and thanks much for your good wishes.
As to the subtext of your question, my methodology is to try to gather
together everything scripture has to say on any topic, understand that
material to the best of my ability in the Spirit, then provide a
systematic treatment which encompasses everything which can be said on
the subject at hand. Sometimes this does require a bit of deduction to
fill in necessary gaps, but I always try to make clear where I "get"
what I get and how I have come to the conclusions to which I have come
(without getting too deep in the weeds when it comes to explaining
linguistic analysis unless it is a case of some controversial point).
As to the question itself, I am aware that some have suggested that the
temple will have to be rebuilt before the Tribulation commences. That I
find nowhere in scripture; add to that the fact that Moses and Elijah
are the logical ones to preside over a legitimate rebuilding inasmuch as
they will be operating with a unique divine mandate being prophets and
having been uniquely resuscitated to life, whereas any unbelieving
Jewish persons or group which may try to do this before the Tribulation
begins will not be acting under divine authority at all (not even being
believers). Some others suggest that the temple won't be rebuilt until
the Lord returns, but
that interpretation is based upon a
misunderstanding of Zechariah 6:12-13 (which passage actually means
"build up" or adorn the preexisting structure; see the link), and
ignores clear biblical evidence that there will be temple in Jerusalem
during the Tribulation (e.g., 2Thes.2:4; cf. Rev.11:1-3).
How will we know when the Tribulation itself has begun? While there are
numerous tribulational events (chronicled throughout the Coming
Tribulation series) prophesied to occur during those seven years, events
that our Lord told us very specifically should be an encouragement
because they forecast that "the end is near" and His return ever closer
(Lk.21:28), there will in fact also be a set of unmistakable divine
signs that the seven years have just begun (unmistakable for any
believer who has set his/her heart on looking into these things, that
is):
(1) And when He opened the seventh seal (necessary to commence the Tribulation), there was silence in heaven for about half an hour (a six month delay wherein the eschatological calendar is moved forward to the fall from the spring). (2) And I saw the seven angels who stood before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. (3) And another angel with a golden censer came and stood by the altar, and much incense was given to him so that he might offer it for the prayers of the saints on the golden altar in front of the throne. (4) And smoke from the incense went up from the hand of the angel before God for the prayers of the saints. (5) Then the angel took the incense holder and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth. And there occurred thunderous voices and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Revelation 8:1-5
These signs will thus be seen and heard around the world, leaving believers, at
least, in no doubt about the situation (if we have bothered to learn the most
basic things the Bible has to say about all this).
Given that this is an "issue" in evangelicaldom at present, I would encourage
you to have a look at the following link
"Signs of the Coming Tribulation" (in
CT 2B), wherein a number of false assumptions about the start of those last
seven years before our Lord's return are explored and refuted. Directly
following are some helpful suggestions for "trend watching" which, while not
providing definitive proof of just how close the Tribulation may be are
nonetheless good to consider for any believer interested in using scripture to
evaluate the "signs of the times". So please have a look at the link, and do
feel free to write me back with any questions you may have.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #10:
Dear Dr Luginbill,
Thank you as always for your thought-full reply. For the sake of fellowship I
want to mention that in reading your reply to the subtext you perceived in my
email, it occurred to me to assure you that whatever came through my words was
meant only as commendation. More, my spirit bearing witness with yours in
regards to the approach I observe you taking as you "look into these things."
It's rarer than ever to find those whom one can be confident studying after, and
given the times especially it is of great value to us to be able to employ the
labor of others so that the peculiar labor of an individual saint can more
effectively and abundantly bear the fruit it ought to in due season. And your
work I believe will be such a source of Life, in Christ's enterprises through
me.
I will be sure to utilize the response as well as the excerpts/references you
included in your email.
Enjoy this beautiful fall season! I'm in New England...where are you? Fall...the
season of the Lord's return. Might it be a day that looks like the one I'm
enjoying to look at out my window just now? We'll see.
In brotherly love,
Response #10:
Thanks much for your good words, my friend. It is clear that you have a
good heart, and I certainly didn't mean to suggest that I took any
offense. I think believers who are committing to study under any
teaching ministry have a right to have certain basic questions like this
answered. They may not always like or understand the answers they get,
but that is part of the process of determining the Bible teaching
ministry which is right for them.
Here in Louisville we are just now getting into the fall colors (they
usually peak the end of October). TBD whether it will be an exceptional
fall or not, but I have seen a few striking trees already on my daily
run. The weather is quite nice! We'll have to find something else to
complain about down here for a couple of weeks anyway I guess.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – for whose return we
breathlessly wait.
Bob L.
Question #11:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
Just started your study of the Seven Churches of Revelation and have the
following question:
Where did you get the information to support the number of years for each of the
seven churches?
I have read the following at another site:
Nevertheless expositors disagree as to the beginning and ending dates for each
era. The differences are minor and it is perhaps impossible to pick a precise
year. The seven church ages telescope into one another as opposed to abruptly
starting and ending. However, here is a typical date range:
Ephesus - 31 to 96 - Apostolic Church
Smyrna - 96 to 313 - Roman Persecution
Pergamos - 313 to 538 - Age of Constantine
Thyatira - 538 to 1517 - Dark Ages
Sardis - 1517 to 1739 - Reformation
Philadelphia - 1739 to 1900 - Missionary Age
Laodicea - 1900 to the end - Drift to Apostasy
I would note that the dates you supply seem to me to be more accurate.
Just wanted your opinion on the above.
Thanks so much,
Till we meet in the Celestial City,
May the Lord bless and keep you.
Your friend,
Response #11:
I did not get these dates from anyone else but proceeded from the same position that these seven churches were consecutive eras and were prophetic of the Church Age so that there would be a reasonable, non-arbitrary set of divisions. History was a guide in seeing where those divisions should be made, and also the Jewish ceremonial calendar and the latent information contained therein (link). Here is a link where I answer this (more or less the same) question; you will see that although I didn't know it at the time, others have realized the essential thesis and its correctness:
Do have a look and please feel free to get back to me on this.
Also, if you don't mind, could you please let me know where you find this
alternative scheme (who is the author)?
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #12:
Hello Doc,
I would be happy to supply the link to the Website I got this info on
the eras of the seven churches:
http://midnightoilbooks.com/historicism/revelation/the-seven-churches/
On the Home Page of this Website it shows: Historicism. It does not list
the author. I hope this helps you. I will look at your link and forward
any comments I might have.
Regarding the following which is in the link you gave me:
The specific trends of church history that correspond to the
description in Revelation chapters two and three is given under each
specific Church-era. In a "nutshell" the seven churches cover from 70
A.D., the end of the apostolic, formative, pre-canon period to 2026 A.D.
(the beginning of the Tribulation), a total of 1,956 years (i.e., two
millennial “days” of a thousand years, excluding the age of the apostles
on the front end and the seven years of the Tribulation on the back).
My only question is: Why are the age of the apostles on the front end
and the seven years of the Tribulation on the back, excluded?
My comment: The Church-Era's line up with the historical years of each
church and the Laodicea Age is most definitely applicable to the
present, from the looks of where most churches are today, and it is only
going to deteriorate more and more.
The reason I make this statement is: It is getting harder and harder to
find a true Biblical church which preaches according to what God says,
not what the hierarchy says or agrees too, because they want to be
politically correct so they don't loose their 501c3 status as a
non-profit organization.
In my opinion the church should not be tax-exempt.
Well, I apologize I got off into issues that are not relevant to the
topic at hand. Always good to talk with you by email.
Be forever blessed in Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Your friend,
Response #12:
It's all relevant, my friend.
Thank you for the website address. I could not find any attribution for
the website whatsoever, but they do identify some authors of some
articles – and I notice that they also include some supporting the hoax
of "British Israelism", so staying away would be a good idea. Indeed, I
would advise any wise Christian to have nothing to do with any website
or books or "church" where it was not made clear right from the start
who was teaching and what they were teaching and with whom (if anyone)
they were associated.
As to your other questions here, the seven churches are the era of the
Church when it is mature and on its own; so the apostolic era is
excluded because the "functional church militant" was still in the
process of forming and transitioning from a Jewish state to a largely
gentile trans-state organization (defined by the Spirit rather than
geographical borders), administered by men gifted by the Spirit to guide
others through the (after the apostles) completed Bible which would now
include the New Testament. The Tribulation is excluded because it is the
precursor or the "dark before the dawn" of the Day of the Lord and is a
joint era between Israel and the gentile wing of the Church (or, to put
it another way, a time shared between the ages of Israel and that of the
Church), wherein Israel again will take the leadership role (through
Moses and Elijah and the 144,000).
I certainly agree that things are not only getting progressively worse
but that the pace of degeneration is increasing to the degree that
anyone with a lick of spiritual common sense can easily see that things
cannot go on like this much longer (not and have any chance of a
positive response to our Lord's question at Lk.18:8).
But you, dear friend, keep on making spiritual progress and keep on
fighting the good fight of faith. There is great reward along that path,
and a well done from our Lord and the end of the road.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #13:
Hi Bob,
Happy New Year to you! I hope you are doing well my friend I saw on
Facebook where it was your birthday recently so I hope you had a very
Happy Birthday and that you are richly blessed in the new year ahead of
you. I wanted to let you know that I finally completed my website,
www.seriousfortruth.com . You will finally have a chance to read some of
my writings for a change. I included a few articles on my site that you
wrote to include:
1. An article about cults - http://www.seriousfortruth.com/425820949
2. An article about the Trinity - http://www.seriousfortruth.com/425214834
3. An article about if Christians can serve in the military - http://www.seriousfortruth.com/425559316
I also included your website in my "Wise/Recommended Ministries" page -
http://www.seriousfortruth.com/426990154
I think my teachings/articles match up pretty well overall with what you
teach/write about. Here is a topic I wrote about called the "Mandela
effect" which is a new harmful 'wind of doctrine' which is bringing harm
to the body of Christ but I'm not sure if you've heard of it before.
There are groups on facebook with hundreds or thousands of members that
promote the Mandela effect. The largest group has over 7,000 members.
Here is a link to my article on that subject in case you are interested
in learning about it: http://www.seriousfortruth.com/429421295
One area that I've had to rethink more about is the area of final days
prophecy. The end-times timelines that I've read about have just seemed
too overwhelming for me to fully comprehend most times. I honestly
believe that the seals have already been opened and that all of the
trumpets have been 'blown' except for the soon to come 6th trumpet
(World War III) and the 7th trumpet of Armageddon. I don't believe that
end-times prophecy is anything that we have to be dogmatic about and I
think in many key areas we are in agreement about it. If you would like
to look at my prophecy page it is here: http://www.seriousfortruth.com/425036048
Well, I just wanted to update you on everything since we have not
written to each other in awhile. I always think about you though and
keep you in prayer. I'm so thankful for your friendship, encouragement,
and guidance!!!
God bless you richly my dear friend,
Response #13:
Good to hear from you!
Facebook has the wrong birthday. That's sensitive information that can
be used to hack a person's accounts. I tried to delete my birthday many
years ago, but FB wouldn't let me do it – so I just changed it to Jan.
1st (the most obvious "this is not really my birthday" day I could think
of). But thanks anyway – I did have one last year.
Congratulations on your website and on your continued determination to
serve the Lord! I wish you much success. Thanks also for including some
of the things from Ichthys. I had never heard of the "Mandela effect"
before. A theory of collective "false memories" could be a way to
undermine almost anything. To the extent there is actually anything to
it I suspect this has to do with the present sloppiness in all things
historical and the present very weak ethos about checking facts (very
understandable in a society which is moving away from the written word
to an entirely visual interface).
As to eschatology,
the seven seals are previews, so to speak, of what is
in the book of Revelation (see the link). The first four give the trends
of the first three and a half years; the fifth and sixth the two major
trends/events of the Great Tribulation (being the Great Persecution and
Armageddon respectively); the seventh seal when opened begins the
Tribulation (nothing can happen until the book is opened, and the seals
prevent its opening until they are all broken). When the Tribulation
begins (it has not yet begun), there will be no doubt about it on
account of the signs which accompany its commencement, signs which will
be heard and felt throughout the world (Rev.8:5).
The trumpets are the
warning judgments which occur in first half of the Tribulation (as
opposed to the punitive judgments of
the bowls in the second half; see
the links). They will likewise be unmistakable, just as described in
scripture. I know it is fashionable in some evangelical circles to
allegorize away the terrifying things found in Revelation, but they are
in fact very literally true. Blessedly, we have a few years yet before
these things begin to take place. All the more reason for believers who
understand the importance of scripture to take all possible measures to
be spiritually prepared before the fact.
Best wishes for your website!
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #14:
Dr. Luginbill,
Thanks for your reply and your explanation, which I will study
thoroughly.
While I was meditating on "The Last Day", I came to understand the
"literal" meaning of 2 Peter 3:8.
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
I go back to the very beginning of Genesis when God created everything. He says of the first day:
"And the evening and the morning were the first day", and so till the 6th day.
Then it says that God rested on the 7th day in Genesis 2:
"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."
So God blessed the 7th day or 7,000th year [Millennium] and made it holy. I view these 7 days as literal 24 hour days.
"And there was evening [6 PM - 6 AM - 12 hours, and morning or day [6AM - 6PM- 12 hours".
The eschatological days in my understand are 1,000 years (literal) in duration.
e.g. Adam to Jesus - 4 days or 4,000 years. Jesus to some time from now ? - 2
days or 2,000 years. From sometime from today till the end of the Tribulation,
the Battle of Armageddon would be included in the 6th day which we are in now.
From end of Battle of Armageddon to End of Millennium is the 7th day, or the
"Last Day". That Last Day is a day of literal rest for us believers, Jesus will
dwell with us on the earth that is now, and we will reign with Him. Sometime
from the end of the 7th day ( very short time) the earth we now live on will be
destroyed by fire. God will create a new Heaven and new earth, therefore the 24
day will cease, because there will no longer be a literal sun and that there no
longer be a night. God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will
be the light in the New Heaven and New earth.
We use the sun rising and setting as our means of counting the evenings and
mornings.
So the way we humans counts days is different than how God views days, according
to 2 Peter 3:8. Ours is a 24 clock, God has a 1,000 year clock so to speak.
Revelation 21 says:
"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea."
I believe that the Millennium is that Day, that Last Day, when we will "enter into that rest" that God has prepared for us. Speaking of this "rest", I would say that Hebrews 4 points to that 7th day of rest with Jesus during the Millennium.
"Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
I know that when we are saved we are "resting" or should be "trusting" in Him
every day, but I think that there are multiple meanings. I would really
appreciate your thoughts on what I have said, to get your understanding and to
know that my thoughts are Biblical.
Till we enter into His rest,
Thanks so much,
Response #14:
Good for you! Yes, this is exactly right. I would even agree with your
Hebrews chapter four observation as a good application of the truth
(though as you realize the interpretation has to do with our "faith
rest" in Jesus Christ; see the link:
"The Law,
Love, Faith-Rest and Messianism").
For the seven millennial days, please see this link for the details of
what I have taught about it (excerpt is from SR 5):
The Seven
Millennial Days. Incidentally, this interpretation (which was a
given in the early church before the false teaching of Augustinian
amillennialism took over) allows us to see with some confidence that
the
Tribulation is very close now (see the link).
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #15:
I have had this theory for several years, due to a large book we have called A
wall chart of world history ISBN 0-88029-239-3. My pastor has been recently
covering the book of Genesis. He discussed Enoch, how he broke the pattern as
the 7th from Adam and "God took him" Then during my usual Sunday afternoon nap I
was brought to think about whether the millennial days were marked by a sunrise
and sunset like "evening and morning were the first day" and wondered if Enoch
was roughly halfway through the first thousand years. I got up and did some
looking at things, Today I ran across your information which is amazing. Since I
had started this timeline graphic and attempted to fill things in, I thought I
would share it and give my thanks to your labors on this subject.
My thinking was that the transitions are fluid and varying like sunrise/sunsets
because I could not nail things down very exactly... Hence I used only general
timing. Some of the church age stuff I am more at a loss as to what the
significant events would be. Certainly your explanations based in 2-day periods
are more clear. Anyway, I believe we are in the transition to the sabbath rest.
(My timeline concept should show next.)
Response #15:
Good to make your acquaintance, and thanks for sharing your chart. It is
true, for example, that the Tribulation will be split exactly in two,
and also that all of human history is split exactly in two (by the
cross). One thing to keep in mind when working with biblical dates such
as this is that the "start point" is critical to get right. The cross,
our Lord's sacrifice for the sins of the world where these were all
propitiated by His spiritual death in bearing them, took place, as best
I can reconstruct, in 33 A.D. There was no "year zero", and in fact the
B.C / A.D. system was not even invented until the 5th century (by
Dionysius Exiguus). Before that, everyone in Christendom calculated
dates based mainly on the traditional foundation date of the city of
Rome (i.e., the A.U.C. system). The details for all this, if you have
not run across them yet, are to be found at the link in SR 5, under
"specific chronology of the seven days of millennial "days" of human
history" (see the link).
Happy to answer any questions you might have after perusing this.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #16:
Hello Bob.
Thank you so much for your response. I just threw generic dates on my
little chart as I am still researching some of the dates and was more
focused on the idea of a "transition" period which I was calling a
"Sunrise" and "Sunset" not in the sense of an exact moment but of the
spectacular color display and the "golden hour" as photographers call
it. I actually already agree with 33AD to 2033AD based on similar
presumptions, but certainly without your rigorous study. I also believe
that the generation that saw Israel become a nation in 1948 will not
pass. Regardless we seem to be really close.
Response #16:
You're very welcome.
Yes, I think we are pretty close. It's certainly prudent for Christians
to operate on that assumption at all times in any case since, after all,
we should always be looking towards the kingdom and not to this world.
As to 1948, in my interpretation of things the Church is the mystery
age, being only dimly foreshadowed in the Old Testament and, as such,
having no OT prophecies associated with it – all prophecy as yet
unfulfilled looks toward the Day of the Lord and the period directly
preceding it, namely, the Tribulation. The seven churches of Revelation
constitute an exception only in the sense of providing a preview of the
trends each of the seven church eras has exhibited, but without any
prophecy of specific events. This is all a long way of saying that
while, clearly, there had to be a Jewish presence in Palestine before
the events of the Tribulation could take place, the year 1948 itself is
of no prophetic significance – nor is the fact of the secular state of
Israel's declaration of nationhood. I find it necessary to point this
out inasmuch as there are many false systems of "prophetic
interpretation" about in the ether these days which make a great deal
out of that date, and it is my job to head off the acceptance of false
teaching so far as it is in my power to do so.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #17:
Hi Dr Luginbill,
Quick request for clarity on your timeline/chronology regarding the
Tribulation/Great Tribulation: am I understanding correctly that the seven
trumpet judgments are intended to commence around 21 months into the first half
on the tribulation? It looks like you have them placed around the summer of
2028? And then headed directly into the Great Trib/7th trumpet?
Thank you!
In Him,
Response #17:
For my best interpretation of
the probable date, see the link.
The first six trumpet judgments last twenty one months and end at
precisely the Tribulation's midpoint. Thus the seventh trumpet unleashes
the Great Tribulation, which is the last act of human history prior to
Christ's return:
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, "The world Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ has [now] come, and He will rule forever and ever. Amen".
Revelation 11:15
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #18:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I hope your Monday morning got off to a good start and that your mouth is
feeling better!
On Christ's empathy in Lazarus' death and raising from the dead. The more I
think about it, Christ probably had more reason to cry over Lazarus than anyone
else around Him. Christ was Lazarus's creator and He loved Lazarus more than all
of his friends and relatives loved him because Christ's love for us is greatest,
deepest love that exists. More than anyone else, because of His close and
flawless connection to The Father and knowing/believing in the Old Testament
scriptures, He had the greatest understanding of the utter waste/tragedy/evil
that is death. Death is, after all, what He had come to vanquish and seeing one
of His sheep in the grips of it (and the other sheep grieving), I think, caused
Him emotional pain. I think this is another small detail in the Gospels that
help us understand Christ's character, and as you said "tells us a great deal
about Him." It is a good example to give to unbelievers when trying to describe
Christ's love for us.
I need to re-read your Christology study, but it makes me wonder, with the
kenosis, how much of Jesus's deity was allowed to influence Him when He became
human. For example, as a human, did Jesus recall "memory" of when He created
Lazarus, as God? When He found out that Lazarus had died, could he
recall/picture the actual time when Eve ate the fruit and died spiritually (the
first death of one of His creatures?). I think that you teach that all of that
knowledge (His omniscience) was not accessible to his human mind at all times.
And I think you teach that it is the Holy Spirit that mediated Christ's kenosis?
And thank you for your advice on hermeneutics. When I start to read the book, I
will probably email you with questions. You said "It is true that any proper
appreciation of the truth of scripture writ large must conversely flow from
individual scriptures themselves in a virtuous cycle (where truth builds up
truth), but exegesis for anyone failing to have a good deal of the essential
truths of scripture under one's belt first results inevitably instead in a
vicious circle (where mistakes reinforce mistakes)." That is why I really like
your method of teaching the the structure of Ichthys - how all of the
information is organized topically instead of verse by verse (even though you do
have some verse by verse studies). It was the best way for me to learn God's
Word as an immature Christian starved for truth. It is the way to study that I
will recommend to other Christians, because it really helped me. Curt's Basic
Training series are great too. Now that I have learned so much through your
Bible Basic series, I do feel strong enough to study the individual books of the
Bible in depth, verse by verse (and of course I am still studying Hebrew).
And that brings me to a question I have about the interpretation of King
Nebuchadnezzar's 1st dream in Daniel Chapter 2. When the king dreams about the
rock cut from the mountain and smashes the statue, I understand that symbolizes
God's eternal kingdom on earth, established through Christ. I think this is how
you translated Daniel 2:44-45(a):
(44) And in the days of those kings (i.e., in the end times), the God of Heaven will establish a Kingdom which will not be destroyed forever. Nor will that kingdom be surrendered to another people. It will crush and put an end to all those other kingdoms, but this [Kingdom] will endure forever. (45) And in that you saw that a Stone was cut out without [human] hands from the [living] Rock [of a mountain] and that it crushed the iron and the bronze and the clay and the silver and the gold [of the statue], the Great God has made known to the king what will happen after this [in the future[ (i.e., when Christ crushes the kingdom of antichrist).
(from http://www.ichthys.com/4A-Christo.htm#Daniel 2:44-45a)
My question is: The rock (which you translate as "stone") is cut from a bigger
mountain (which you describe as “living” in your interpretation). Does that
symbolize Christ’s incarnation/becoming human? The way I see it, Christ, being
God, IS the living mountain mentioned, but a stone is cut from it and “sent” to
smash the statue. A stone is smaller than a mountain, just as Christ became
humble in his humanity. Just as the stone is sent to strike the statue, Christ
was sent earth to save us through His work on the Cross. I know the stone
smashing the statue (at with the feet, the Beast's empire) represents Christ
defeating the Beast’s army at Armageddon but also of His work on the cross
(which is the foundation of that later conquest at Armageddon)?
I hope I have a good understanding of the interpretation. I just want to make
sure I am not "over-analyzing" it.
In Christ's Love,
Response #18:
Good to hear from you, and thanks for your prayers!
The surgery went fine but it will be a minute before I'm completely back in
sync. I was able to go to work today and teach my classes, however. So praise
God for that!
As to your question, in the context, everything about the statue has to do with
rulership of the world by secular power throughout history, and the smashing of
that power by the stone/rock is very clearly a symbol of divine power crushing
all human, worldly power and replacing it, then establishing a kingdom, clearly
from God, which will last le'almayah, "forever". The "forever" is not to be
taken to mean "beyond history" and into the eternal state (this word in Aramaic
here and its corresponding Hebrew word really means "far into the unknown
future"). The reference is to the Millennial Kingdom of Christ which will
provide the sharpest possible contrast between God's direct rule over sinful
mankind through the Messiah and all that has come before, especially the regime
of antichrist.
As to the Mountain of Rock vs. the Stone of Rock which is cut from it, I think
the parallel with the incarnation is a good one. This image is indeed consistent
with Christ being sent from God, and of course the only way that could happen
was for the Second Person of the Trinity to take on human form. In this
particular image/vision, of course, the prophet is given to focus on the second
advent, not the first, and that is typical in the Old Testament (and possibly
helps to explain though not to excuse how so many learned people could have
missed the OT teaching of the first advent).
Your observation demonstrates that the incarnation, namely, the Messiah being
directly part of God, is hard to overlook in this symbolism. Whatever the
Mountain is, the Stone/rock hewn from it must be as well. That is as far as I
would want to push the symbolism here. When it comes to visions/images such as
this, it is usually best not to interpret them beyond the parameters that are
set for them by scripture. This image/vision is supposed to teach divine
sovereignty over human history and the final end of sinful human control when
that is replaced by the Messiah; but it is consistent with the Messiah being the
God-man . . . and it would be hard to argue from this prophecy that He is not
divine.
I always appreciate your insightful comments and encouraging words. Thanks for
both!
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #19:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I am still currently reviewing your study stated in the subject line,
and I have a question and a comment. You have quoted Daniel 11:30b as
follows:
“Then he will be stricken [as if dead], but will revive. Therefore he will be enraged at the holy covenant, so that on his return [to Israel from the far south] he will take action [against it] (i.e., eliminating Moses and Elijah and ending the sacrifices).”
Daniel 11:30b
I have read some different translations, here is one of them;
"30 For the Citians issuing forth shall come against him, and he shall be brought low, and shall return, and shall be incensed against the holy covenant: and he shall do thus, and shall return, and have intelligence with them that have forsaken the holy covenant. (This is Brenton's Septuagint translation)
I understand your comment on the following Hebrew word:
While there exists a variety of opinions among lexicographers and commentators about this difficult form, what we have here is most likely the niphal (i.e., passive) perfect of the verb cha'ah (כאה), meaning to strike, smite or scourge (hence the translation, "he will be stricken").(61)
It would appear that the translators, did not consider what you have written
about the above meaning to strike, smite or scourge. How then, without having
the knowledge that God has given you, how is that one who does not have that
knowledge of Hebrew going to be able to correctly render the Scriptures? I
believe what you saying is true, but I have no way to verify the validity of
your translation. So, what am I to do? Thanks for your help.
P.S. I am too old to obtain a PHD in Classical languages such as you have, and I
don't have the years of knowledge from the study of Hebrew, etc. Frustrating too
say the least. I would say that many of those teaching today may have a Bible
degree maybe a BS or BA from seminary, but I don't. I have only gained my
knowledge from many decades of my own study, and I will say that the Holy Spirit
is my helper, and He will lead me and guide me into all truth. These so-called
prophecy teachers don't impress me at all about their knowledge, especially
since most of them teach a Pre-Trib rapture heresy. Thanks so much for your
help. One needs to study each of your studies at least twice and I believe more,
as it is not easy to grasp all the information supplied.
Blessings to you,
Response #19:
Good to hear from you as always, my friend.
The English Bible has a very long and complicated history. Wycliffe's
translation was followed by Tyndale's (and both paid with their lives
for their efforts), then the Great Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Bishop's
Bible and then the KJV – and Wycliffe was not the first person to put
major parts of the Bible into English, nor, obviously, has the KJV been
the last. What all translations down to the present moment have in
common, however, are 1) the fact that they are inextricably connected to
the past (translators have read the older versions and are heavily
influenced by them), and 2) the fact that translators have massive
amounts of work to do and are not concerned so much with rethinking
everything from the ground up so much as producing a modernized product
which sounds good and, ideally, makes use of new information about text
and discoveries since the previous version(s); that is to say, Bible
translators are not Bible exegetes – and even when they are, their
purpose in producing a translation of the entire Bible is not exegesis
but translation. So in spite of the truth that "all translation is
interpretation", most operate on a kind of autopilot most of the time.
This is not to say that a translator won't correct what he feels is an
obvious error or mistake, but there is a heavy conservatism in play when
it comes to producing a version, one which guarantees that each new
version will tend to sound a lot like the last one. The bottom line here
is that without looking at a passage with the intent to understand it
completely, no translation is going to veer far from what was produced
in the past; and, as I say, translators of the entire Bible don't have
the luxury of trying to actually understand every passage they are
translating to its depths – they couldn't do that if they lived a
thousand years. When we add to this the fact that most translators are
not Bible teachers with a deep understanding of the actual truth even if
they are highly qualified academics (as both a highly qualified academic
and, I hope, a teacher with a deep understanding of the truth, I
appreciate the difference). Finally, even if the person in any given
version "got" what Daniel was saying here (and believe me when I say it
took me a number of years to figure this all out), I am sure that his
editor and editorial committee would have been loath to depart so far
from the longstanding tradition. After all, we want our books to sell.
I checked multiple translations in English, and the modern ones all
follow KJV which follows Geneva – but I notice that Wycliffe does have
"and he shall be smitten" (which is of course correct); and I notice
that the Great Bible has "smytte"; the Bishop's Bible has "he shalbe
sorie" (which at least gets that something happens to the beast);
Tyndale didn't translate this part of the OT. As to the Septuagint, it
actually has tapeinothesetai (ταπεινωθήσεται), meaning "he shall be laid
low" – which might be either physical or emotional or both, and so can
also be translated "be humbled" or "humiliated" (so Breton's translation
is wrong, influenced no doubt by the Vulgate or other English
translations); the Latin Vulgate seems to be the origin of the mistaken
rendering inasmuch as it has indignabitur, "he shall be indignant"
(which is more of an active response on the beast's part than
chronicling something that happened to him as the object).
Q: What is a person to do? A: Find a good Bible teacher. God provides
for all who are interested in the truth (I also recommend Curt Omo's
Bible Academy).
Trouble is, now that we have at our fingertips more information about
the scripture and its languages and background than ever before in human
history, few men are interested in enduring the hard course of
preparation necessary to dig into and discover the truth so as to teach
it – no doubt at least in part because fewer Christians than ever before
are interested in hearing it (i.e., it's no way to "get a job" . . . or
status or respect).
That makes what you are doing in actually dedicating yourself to finding
out the truth – and believing it once discovered – more important than
you may realize.
As always, thanks much for your good words.
Keep fighting the good fight of faith.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #20:
Dear Dr. Luginbill,
Thank you so much for your reply. Well, there is no Bible teacher among all the
Pastor's that I have met that fit the description of a "Good Bible Teacher". The
only one I have ever found is the one to whom I am writing to at present. Had I
not found your website, I would, at least I don't think I would have learned
what I have learned in the past few months. The Bible says to give "honor" to
whom honor is due, and I honor you for your many years of study and for the
tremendous amount of work you have done to place all these studies on the
website for all to use.
You are to be commended for your diligence. I know and understand that God
receives the glory from you, and that is as it should be. I have met many
Pastor's, and have had difficulties with most of them. God knows what they have
and have not done for His flock and they will have to answer for that. It is
hard to forget the past and move on, but the old memory gets in the way
sometimes.
Again, I am so thankful first to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I have
found your material and am learning so much from it. Secondly, I have never met
anyone, and I do mean anyone who has the knowledge or skills to provide the in
depth teachings you have compiled.
May God so richly bless you and keep you in good health. I heard a good
expression today.
Lord, I don't know what to do, So, I will keep my eyes on you.
Blessings to you my friend,
Response #20:
Thanks so much for your exceptionally kind words (Ps.115:1). I surely
appreciate them. And thanks even more for your prayers.
Feel free to write any time.
Your friend in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior who is our all.
Bob L.
Question #21:
I have been studying your teaching on Gog/Magog. If I am understanding this correctly it goes something like this; America is not only physical end time Babylon but also Magog (I get this but I don't quite understand where you get the cryptogram). We give rise to the antichrist personality who will lead three campaigns in the Middle East with the third leading to the abomination of desolation. The battle of Gog/ Magog is actually the same as Armageddon, meaning that the Lahaye/Lindsey interpretation with Russia and Iran invading Israel is false. The kingdom of the north is Europe which is under the control of the American antichrist, represented by the two legs of Daniels statue, Babylon and Magog (I'm a little confused on this part as well). Any links to teaching on the cryptogram and Daniels statue would help and of course anything else you think appropriate.
Response #21:
In terms of eschatological Babylon, I always wish to stress that since the Tribulation has not yet begun, this "mystery" Babylon technically does not yet exist, even though I am personally very confident about its probable future identification. In terms of the cryptogram, Hebrew uses only consonants in its written form (the vowels were [mostly] added later). So Babylon in Hebrew is bbl (of course it's written right to left in Hebrew: lbb), whereas Magog would be mgg (ggm). In the Hebrew alphabet, beth is the letter preceding gimmel, and lamedh is the letter preceding mem; so by shifting the letters of Babylon one place each in the alphabet order and reading the trilitteral root backwards, Babylon = Magog.
This may sound odd and unlikely to us, but we find other such cryptograms in the Old Testament as for example where Leb-Qamay is used for Babylon at Jeremiah 51:1 by means of a similar cryptogram (explained at the link). "Sheshach" is another example of this (e.g., Jer.25:26; 51:41), where the first consonant of the Hebrew alphabet is substitute for the last and then the second for the second to last so that Sheshach (sh-sh-ch) = Babel (b-b-l). This is nothing like "Bible codes" or anything of the sort; it is a divinely ordained way of giving the adversarial nation an alternative, significant name (Leb-Qamay = "heart of those who rise up against Me"; Sheshach = "lustful / overfed one [perhaps]"; and Magog = "place of Gog"), and still making it possible to see who is being talked about. This is particularly the case with Babylon which has both an ancient historical existence and a "mystery" or future eschatological existence (cf. Rev.17:5). It's not a critical point, but the cryptogram does help the reader to see that Magog is Babylon (future, eschatological Babylon, that is), if that were not already clear enough from the context.
Your synopsis is correct in all respects. And, yes, it is sadly true
that very many self-styled teachers out there in evangelical-dom have
made a complete hash of eschatology and everything the Bible has to say
about the end times. No doubt the horribly mistaken view that there will
be a pre-Tribulation "rapture" of the Church has contributed to the
sloppiness – because after all this is "only for fun" and "won't have
anything to do with us". Such individuals are in for a very rude
awakening both when the events begin to occur in a few short year and
also when they have to give an account for their false teachings.
The two legs of Daniel's stature. I'm not sure what the confusion is
(please feel free to expand on that point). Statues of people are
supported by two legs, with each leg supporting the whole body.
Similarly, antichrist's power will consist of two props, Babylon (the
mystery country of the west which otherwise does not figure in prophecy)
and Magog, the "north country" whence most of Israel's attackers came
(Assyria, then historical Babylon, then Rome), coming down through what
is today Syria and Lebanon. The "north" in the end times will be Europe
or "the Revived Roman Empire", the second prop of antichrist's power of
which he will gain control during the early days of the Tribulation
(with help from the seven kings who rule the seven "provinces" of Rome /
Europe) following his prior seizure of power in Babylon.
Here are some links to where these things are discussed from a variety
of viewpoints (as I say, do feel free to write back for clarification of
any of the above):
Daniel's Vision of the Great Statue (in CT 3B)
Gog and Magog in Revelation
Who are Gog and Magog (Ezek.38-39)?
The 7 Trumpets, the 7 Kings, Nephilim, Antichrist and Revived Rome.
Israel and Antichrist in Eschatology
More on Antichrist and his Kingdom
Question #22:
Hello Dr.
Thank's once again for such a prompt and informative response to my
questions. I've read the attached links and I can say I am beginning to
obtain "epignosis" concerning your teaching on Magog. I was really more
confused on the cryptogram and how you came up with this as well as how
you incorporated it into Daniels statue than I was with the statue
itself. With four years of college as a religion major and shelves full
of books on bible prophecy this is the first I have ever heard of this
teaching. The studies I was involved with in college and church
instructed me that Magog is Russia and Gog is their leader, all the
books teach the same, it's been drummed into my head along with other
false doctrine for years, but I'm willing to be corrected. World events
shaping up the way they are I've been asked questions about Ezekiel
38-39 and have been hesitant to give an answer. One can read the news
and see the Russia/Magog interpretation taking shape but so far my
response to the question has been that "things may not be what they
seem". My knowledge of Hebrew and cryptograms is practically zero. Are
there any introductory level books that you could recommend for someone
like myself? Hebrew for dummies? Cryptograms for boneheads? Seriously ,
I would like to know where you got this teaching from, did you figure it
out yourself? For the record I do not doubt your authority on this
matter, quite the contrary, everything I have read in your personal
communication with me an all that I have read posted on Ichthys,
demonstrate your ability to accurate handle the Word of God.
Response #22:
You're most welcome, my friend.
I don't find it surprising that you've heard only this one view. Ever
since Hal Lindsey split from my old pastor and mentor Col. Thieme,
evangelicals have been seeing Soviet Hind helicopters in Revelation
chapter nine, et al. But it seems to me that it ought to be obvious even
to these rapture-devotees that taking current events and trying to
splice them into the Bible is going about things in precisely the
opposite of the correct way: we ought to let the Bible teach us and
accept what it says even if, in the case of prophecy, it may seem
unlikely from the human viewpoint that things will turn out the way it
says they will. In the history of prophecy already fulfilled, things
turned out precisely the way the Bible said they would, and of course we
know that will be the case in the future as well. So, really, the only
type of question we should be asking is whether or not we are
interpreting the scriptures correctly based upon what they actually say;
and the test will not be the resemblance that interpretation may bear to
current "facts on the ground".
The Russia interpretation is based entirely, from what I can tell (these
folks are usually big on conjecture but short on attribution of
scriptural evidence), on Ezekiel 38:2, taking the word ro'sh (רֹאש) as
referring to Russia – when in fact the word means "head" or "chief"
wherever it occurs (hundreds of times in scripture). Secondly, the
Hebrew accentuation links "head" and "prince" together in a construct
phrase ("chief prince") which is closer together than the two following
elements. Granted, these accents were supplied by the Masoretes and are
not inspired, but they represent the way that the Hebrew is naturally
taken, i.e., connecting "chief" and "prince" as an almost hyphenated
phrase. On the other hand, one would expect that if "Rosh" were one of
three elements, there would be an "AND" afterwards (waw), which is
absent. I will also note that of all the versions I consulted, only the
much more recent ones (notably NKJV and NASB which have obviously been
influenced by the Lindsey crowd) have published "prince of Rosh" instead
of "chief prince". That point aside, it would be nice to know what
evidence these translators and interpreters can provide that justifies
taking this very common Hebrew word to mean something absolutely
different than what it actually does mean? William White, in TWOT, the
standard OT vocabulary commentary used in seminaries et all, doesn't
even mention the possibility under the heading of rosh. One generally
can't merely come up with a theory, then put it forth as fact, without
even a smidgen of objective external evidence that it might have some
validity. Isn't this exactly what we accuse (theologically) liberal
interpreters of doing?
On cryptograms, I don't know of any books devoted to the subject. I
would suggest a scholarly commentary on Jeremiah or a good Bible
dictionary, IDB's article on "cryptography", for example.
Apologies for the shortness of this (and any typos) – must dash!
Yours in our dear Lord Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #23:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,,
In your study stated in the subject line you state the following:
Gog, as was pointed out in section II above, is a prophetic name for
antichrist, while Magog refers to his home country, Babylon, a
"super-nation" which holds sway over a larger, composite empire (a.k.a.,
"revived Rome").
In Revelation 20 scripture states the following:
"7When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
By the time this scripture is fulfilled, Gog, or the antichrist is already in the Lake of Fire as stated in Revelation 19:
19 "Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur."
Is not the "beast" the antichrist or Gog as you state above, so how can
the reference you make of Gog be the antichrist as he is in the Lake of
Fire?
Can you clarify?
Thanks again,
Response #23:
Ezekiel 38:2 speaks of "Gog of the land of Magog", meaning
a person ("Gog") who is the head of a territorial nation ("land of Magog").
Revelation 20:8, significantly differently, speaks of "the nations
which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog",
meaning that "Gog and Magog" there is a shorthand description of all the
peoples on earth ("the nations"). So these two passages are speaking of
different subjects of different events. The Ezekiel passage refers to
antichrist and his land/confederation attacking Israel at Armageddon;
the Revelation passage refers to all the gentile nations
on earth (the national "Gog and Magog") attacking Jerusalem at the end
of the Millennium.
Ezekiel 38-39 describes Gog as assembling peoples from all over the
world to attack Israel (e.g., "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with
them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the
house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are
with you"; Ezek.38:5-6 NKJV). This is literally fulfilled at Armageddon.
But the principle, i.e., that of assembling all of the world's nations
against "the camp of the saints" in Jerusalem, is repeated again at the
end of the Millennium (and so, opposite-wise, Psalm 2, while it bears a
striking resemblance to the events of Armageddon, is actually speaking
of the Gog-Magog rebellion).
Since all of John's readers ought to be acquainted with the Ezekiel
passage, the phrase "Gog and Magog" is a very effective way to get the
point across that all of the world's gentile nations will be summoned to
Israel (again) on that last day. No matter how remote or numerous, all
of the gentile nations of that day will be deceived and will throng to
Jerusalem to attack the camp of the believers. No doubt John is given to
make this significant change in the phraseology (i.e., from "Gog
[person] of Magog [territory]" to "Gog and Magog" [= collection of
peoples]) in order to avoid any potential confusion that might otherwise
result.
There is much more about all of this at the following links:
Who are Gog and Magog (Ezek.38-39)?
Gog-Magog in Revelation versus Ezekiel
Gog of Magog (in CT 5)
Magog as Babylon
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #24:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
In Hebrews Chapter 4 God is telling about "The believer's Rest " that is
coming. In Verse 1 He says: "
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest,
any one of you may seem to have come short of it."
In Verse 3:
"For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”; 5and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”
In Verse 6:
Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,
In Verse 8:
For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
1. It would seem to me that, provided that my interpretation is correct,
that all these " Days" are included in the "Seventh Day" which to me
points to the Day of the Lord, the Last Day, the day of rest from all
our works which would be the time specified as the Last Day of 1,000
years of the Millennial reign. Can you tell me if I my understanding is
correct please?
2. Also, there are a number of events which happen during this 1,000
(Last Day, Day of the Lord). Namely: Revelation 20:1-3:
"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time."
We read in Revelation 20:7-10:
"When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
I am thinking that those who follow Satan during his release from the
abyss are "unbelievers" who came through the Tribulation still alive,
and the children which were born to them during the Millennium? Am I
interpreting this correctly or? After this final failed attempt by the
arch deceiver, and his incarceration in the Lake of Fire for eternity,
the Great White Throne Judgment takes place. Yes or No?
3. 2 Peter 3 Verses 10, and 12 are somewhat confusing for me.
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare".
Verse 12:
"as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
This verse references "The day of the Lord", which I thought was a
direct reference to those days of the 1,000 year millennial reign, The
Last Day.
It appears to me that "The Day of God", is maybe referencing the "Great
White Throne Judgment", and during this time is when what God has
written through Peter will take place at that time? Am I thinking
straight, that the "Day of God" is not the same as the Day of the Lord,
the Last day? That is the only way I can see, but I am perhaps not
seeing everything clearly, that these events line up which each other.
Would really appreciate your time for helping me solve this mystery?
Thanks always for your great help, and humble spirit.
Another day closer to His coming,
Response #24:
While I would not wish to rule out the Millennium – or the "day of eternity" – as "rests" to which we are to look forward, the "rest" to which Paul is referring in Hebrews chapter four is the day by day, every day, every moment of every day "Sabbath" or rest into which Christians should enter and abide within at all times. Please see the links:
The "Sabbath rest" in Hebrews
The "rest" in Hebrews explained verse by verse
As to the participants in the last revolt at the end of the Millennium, apart from Satan, these are all unbelieving human beings. The Millennium begins mainly with believers since all who have taken the mark of the beast will be destroyed in the "baptism of fire" at its inception (children who've not yet reached accountability would be possible exceptions; see the link). But even though the Millennium will begin with a greatly reduced population, said number will expand dramatically and rapidly so under the edenic conditions of the Messiah's rule, so that by the time of the Gog-Magog revolt (see the link), world population may well exceed by a great deal even what we see today. Everyone who is born and grows up during the 1,000 years will know only peace and prosperity and the "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Is.11:9 NASB). Yet even so, apparently, as with all other times in human history, most will choose to reject the Lord as their Savior – even though they will be compelled to honor Him as their King. Just as soon as they have the "opportunity" with Satan's release, however, they will rebel:
(1) Why are the nations forming into a mob and the peoples [of the earth] grumbling idly. (2) The kings of the earth are assembling and its princes are gathering together – against the Lord and His Anointed One, [saying] (3) "Let us pull off Their chains, and cast Their cords from us!" (4) The One enthroned in heaven will laugh. The Lord will mock them. (5) At that time He will speak to them in His anger, and in His wrath He will throw them into confusion. (6) "But as for Me, I have anointed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." (7) I shall relate the Lord's decree. He said to Me, "You are My Son. Today I have begotten You. (8) Ask of Me and I shall give [You] the nations as your inheritance, and as Your possession the ends of the earth. (9) You shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, and You shall shatter them like a potter's vessel. (10) So now, O kings, learn prudence! Take warning, you judges of the earth! (11) Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling! (12) Kiss the Son (i.e., pay homage to Him), lest He become angry [with you] and you perish for your [insolent] behavior. For His anger may blaze up in an instant [if you do not]. Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him."
Psalm 2:1-12
While the first part of this passage is partially fulfilled at
Armageddon, the final and complete fulfillment of the whole of it comes
at the end of history.
On the terminology for the end times, these terms are all somewhat
similar since "that day" is the end, and the end starts to arise during
the Tribulation, is fulfilled during a thousand years of Christ's rule,
and then terminates in the last judgment. So from the eschatological
point of view in scripture (especially in the Old Testament) all of
those future events are considered to be part of a single whole; that is
to say, "the Day" is the eschaton / eschatological history taken as a
whole (described with whatever modifier).This is all explained at the
link in
CT 1, "The Day of the Lord Paradigm" (so "day of the Lord" and
"day of God" are the same, as the context of 2Pet.3 indicates).
Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2017, my
friend.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #25:
Dear Bob,
I distinctly remember reading these three chapters of Coming Tribulation. I find
them extremely terrifying, to say the least. It seems from hearing it again,
that the Lord just abandons us to our fate, helpless, where there will be no
manifestation of His wrath as a sign that he has us in his heart, as a
consolation or reminder to his people that his judgements are in retribution for
what the enemy is doing to his remnant. I m afraid this straightforwardness can
have the opposite effect, as you seem to condemn those who stand against the
enemy and his system, but are not offering a shred of hope, or know how, on how
to deal with it.
I am not trying to minimize the seriousness of the situation, as it is a fact
that God does not save his martyrs but instead seems to enjoy seeing them die
for Him, as it is the ticket prize for entering into eternity, something we have
not even signed on for, that I know. I don't mean to sound blasphemous, but
there must be some biblical basis to say that God cries for his children and
suffers when they suffer. Or does he not? I cant see God abandoning His faithful
to be tortured, decapitated or whatever, and just sit and count the numbers. It
seems that there should be some plan for some of his children. I have never head
anyone explain why we must pray so that He saves us from the hour of temptation.
Is the tribulation the hour of temptation. Also, where are the 144000 in all
this? ministering? giving hope? or are we just going to be left here alone to
face the monster?
How about the two witnesses? Will they guide the faithful, or newly converts? I
don't know, this reading is highly disturbing and gives us a sense of
helplessness and abandonment. When I read it, back three years ago in Tucson, I
was shocked and filled with despair,
Put a little hope and love in this part, because if God is so cold and
sociopathic, then it will rattle the faith of others who are easily swayed and
give up.
Yours in Christ Our Lord,
Response #25:
Let me start by asking how things are going with you. When last we
chatted, you had been trying to get out of the __ and find some good
place here in the states. I have been praying for you along those lines.
These studies can sometimes be a "Rorschach Test" reflecting what's
going on in a person's life and spirituality. I'm a little surprised at
your reaction. I have had, of course, many emails over the years where
folks have expressed fear about the Tribulation and the events related.
That is certainly an understandable reaction given all the terrors that
most difficult era of human history contains. Through it all, I have
tried to assure them (and also in this study you reference) of God's
faithfulness to us who believe. The exodus generation was frequently
terrified, but God always protected them; yet they never seemed to learn
the lesson. The whole point of the Bible containing so much about those
final seven years is just that same one, namely, to help us get ready so
that we can survive it. Understanding the complete and total goodness
and faithfulness of the One who bought us with His own blood and who is
going to shepherd us through whatever comes is fundamental.
Part of the issue with martyrdom and times of suffering also has to do
with one's attitude towards life, and that is another wonderful
advantage of studying the Tribulation – even if it were not so close.
What I mean to say is that this world is temporary. We are not here, as
Christians, to "have a good life" – although many of us do and we are
very grateful to the Lord for all the good things He does give us. But
no matter how "good" a believer or unbeliever has it, this life does not
last long. There is a greater purpose. That understanding has to be the
bedrock of all we think and say and do – otherwise we are only going to
be drifting along spiritually, and that is never a good thing. We
believers have a hope that transcends this world. We know that we are
going to be resurrected and that what comes next is "better by far", as
Paul says in understatement, than anything which could possibly be
achieved or enjoyed in this temporary world. Because even if we "gain
the whole world", we can't hold onto it; so if we gain it all apart from
the Lord, the end and the loss will just be that much worse. But if we
are living for Him, then even if we lose our lives, we will have gained
a reward far beyond present imagination.
As I try to make clear in the series, (genuine) martyrdom is not just a
guarantee of salvation – it is a guarantee of higher rewards, namely,
the crown of life, the penultimate decoration for meritorious service in
this world. So we can be sure that the Lord is not going to be
abandoning us and that He has our best interests always in view. If we
don't see that, whether in theory or in practice, the problem lies with
us, not with Him. After all, He is perfect, and, after all, what He
suffered in dying for the least sin is more than all of humanity has or
will suffer collectively throughout all of human history. Having loved
us so much to do that, we need to understand the troubles of the
Tribulation in the context of God's plan and our part in it, and not
become overly fixated on our own wants, and earthly hopes and fears. We
need to set our sights on the "the things above" at all times, and most
especially as we see "the time drawing near".
As to "praying to be saved from the hour of temptation", I'm not sure
where that occurs in scripture. Jesus does say: "Be always on the watch,
and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and
that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Lk.21:26); but
that is entirely different. This is a prayer to be able to endure the
Tribulation, if need be, not to be spared from entering it. One third of
the true church will endure to the end and be saved (Matt.10:22), and
will see with our own eyes the Lord's return, just before we too are
"caught up in clouds [in resurrection] to meet the Lord in the air"
(1Thes.4:17). The other third – which does not allow its love to "grow
cold" so as to fall away, will indeed be martyred – but if we are part
of that echelon, we will be out of this world (and out of the
Tribulation) and with the Lord, our eternal reward guaranteed thereby.
And that is no small thing.
Finally, as to any concern for "rattling the faith" of those who read
these things, well, this is the Bible – or at least an honest attempt in
the Spirit to explicate the Bible. Anyone who perseveres through
teaching they find hard will, if the teaching is genuinely good, be
edified in the end so as to grow in peace and love and hope and faith in
every way. But watering down the Word is never good for anyone, not for
those who receive it and not for those who water it down, regardless of
motivation. Is the prospect of the Tribulation daunting? Indeed it is.
All the more reason to prepare so as to honor the Lord with our behavior
therein if need be.
I'm keeping you in my prayers day by day, my friend!
Be of good cheer. We will all be walking together in white in the
presence of the One we love more than life very soon now. At that point,
what went on in this world will be of little moment – except that we
will never regret a bit of truth we learned, believed, applied or
shared.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #26:
Forgive me, I had a moment of weakness.
Is heaven that good? I have to be honest: I think I can come up with a
better version of heaven than the one God gives in the description of
Revelation.
Response #26:
It's no problem, my friend.
Apologies for being a little behind.
I know that when we actually see it, it will be beyond anything we can
imagine in our presently limited state. Your Newton quote applies here
perfectly as well :
"As a blind man has no idea of colors, so we have no idea of the manner by which the all-wise God perceives and understands all things.” —Isaac Newton (1642-1727), from his treatise "Mathematical Principles"
I think one thing even good Christians fail to realize is that the absence of darkness and the effulgence of the light of the glory of God will be in and of itself something that transcends whatever we may imagine here on earth as "heavenly". And being with our Lord and the Father, and being in the presence of all of our brothers and sisters, and being indescribably happy and unable to be unhappy, having deep and comforting knowledge of all things without any worries or concerns, being in perfect and unfathomably deep peace in a perfect, eternal body, all these things will be wonderful beyond description – and would be even without a New Jerusalem, new earth and new heavens.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1st Corinthians 2:9 KJV (cf. Eph.1:18; 2:7)
Looking forward to that wonderful day of days to come.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.