By Jack Kelly
He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. (Daniel 11:21)
In 175 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power in Syria by stealing the throne from his relative, Demetrius II, the young son of Seleucus IV Heliodorus and rightful heir. The original Seleucus was one of the four generals who divided the Greek Empire between them following the death of Alexander the Great. Thus Antiochus Epiphanes became the eighth descendant of Seleucus to sit on the throne of Syria.
Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant (Onias III) will be destroyed. With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South (Ptolemy VI of Egypt). The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. The king of the North (Antiochus) will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. (Daniel 11:22,25,28)
Soon after taking power, on his way to invade Egypt, Antiochus attacked Israel, stealing all the gold and silver furnishings from the Temple. He had Israel’s last legitimate High Priest, Onias III, murdered and from then on the office was sold to the highest bidder, with the money going to Antiochus.
The Birth Of The Sadducees
He began to “Hellenize” Israel and before long many of the wealthy and influential among the Israelites adopted the Greek style of dress, cutting their hair short and shaving off their beards as well. They also argued for a blending of Greek philosophy and culture into the Jewish way of life. From these advocates of Greek thinking, the political party known as the Sadducees was born, eventually growing to a position of prominence during the time of Jesus. It was the influence of Greek philosophy on their approach to the Hebrew Scriptures that blinded the ruling Sadducees to the fact that Messianic Prophecies were being fulfilled right before their eyes during the Lord’s life on Earth.
“At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. (Daniel 11:29-30)
Initially, this accommodation with Greek culture encountered only vocal resistance, but that all changed when the Egyptians rebelled and, with the aid of the Roman Navy, defeated Antiochus and drove him from Egypt. In a rage, Antiochus again invaded Israel, this time demanding that he be worshiped as God. (The name “Epiphanes” comes from a title he gave himself, “theos epiphanies” or god made manifest. After this the Jews started calling him “Epimanes” which means the madman.) He outlawed the reading of the Hebrew Scripture, punishing by death anyone found with copies in their possession. Circumcision, praying, keeping the Sabbath, and worshiping the One True God were likewise proscribed with severe penalties for disobedience.
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. (Daniel 11:31-32)
Put The Hammer Down
In 168 BC Antiochus again broke into the Temple, converting it into a pagan worship center in honor of the Greek god Zeus (called Jupiter in Roman mythology). Instead of the blood of bulls and goats, he sprinkled water in which pork had been boiled in the Holy of Holies, and slaughtered pigs on the altar. Then he erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy Place, with his own face on it, thereby proclaiming himself to be God. Because it rendered the Temple unfit for worshiping God, Jewish historians called this act the Abomination that Causes Desolation, the only event in history so named. It triggered the Maccabean Revolt.
For 3 1/2 years the Jews fought one of the world’s first guerrilla wars under Judeus Maccabeus (Judah the Hammer) finally defeating the Syrians in 165 BC. Upon regaining the Temple, they smashed the polluted altar and the statue of Zeus, grinding both to powder, and then built a new altar from uncut stones.
Next they set out to cleanse the Temple and re-dedicate it to God, an eight-day process (2 Chron. 29:17). But they could only find enough sacred oil to light the Menorah (the 7-branched lamp stand in the Holy Place) for one day, and the law required that it be lit constantly. Because the preparation of sacred oil was a time consuming process, they decided not to wait, but to use the oil they had to light the Menorah immediately, trusting that God would find this acceptable. God was pleased and made the oil last for the full eight days until the new supply was ready and the re-dedication complete.
Eight Is Enough
Those who study the symbolic use of numbers in Scripture know that eight is the number of New Beginnings, and indeed the Maccabean victory over the Syrians ushered in a new era, known as the Hasmonean Dynasty. During much of this period, which lasted till about 64 BC, Judea, as Israel was now known, enjoyed independent nation status, having finally won their freedom from Syria in 142 BC. Following other Hasmonean victories, the Jews regained boundaries that nearly approximated those of Solomon’s time. Jewish rule was exercised throughout the expanded nation and Jewish life flourished once again. A New Beginning for the Children of Israel.
The Feast Of Dedication
The miraculous burning of the oil is still celebrated in the eight-day Feast of Hanukkah, from the Hebrew word meaning dedication. It’s also called the Festival of Lights and this year began on the evening of December 1.
To celebrate Hanukkah, a special 9-branched candelabra is used, with eight branches commemorating the eight days when the oil kept burning. The ninth branch, called the Shamash, is usually positioned above the other eight. Its candle is always lit first and then used to light the other candles, one each day, until on the eighth day of Hanukkah all are lit. The Hebrew word Shamash means servant, so the Shamash is the servant candle that’s raised up and gives light to all the others.
Incredibly, the Hanukkia, or Hanukkah candelabra, becomes a beautiful model of the Messiah and His church. It was the Lord Jesus, the obedient servant, who was raised up (John 3:12) and gives light to all others (John 8:12). For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. (Mark 10:45)
If you’ve read our studies on the Lord’s probable birth date, you know I believe He was conceived during the Feast of Hanukkah and that His life, like all others, began at conception. If so, the Hanukkia is a fitting reminder that the Light of the World arrived during the Festival of Lights, ushering in a New Beginning for all mankind.
History To Prophecy
We know that all the Levitical Feasts have both a historical and a prophetic fulfillment. For example, Passover commemorated the Jews’ freedom from bondage in Egypt and looked forward to the Messiah freeing us all from the bondage of our sins. The prophetic aspect of the Spring Feasts were fulfilled in the Lord’s 1st Coming, the summer time Feast of Pentecost commemorated the giving of the Law and was fulfilled in the Church, and the Fall Feasts commemorated God’s dwelling among them and will be fulfilled in the 2nd Coming. Hanukkah is not a Levitical Feast but I think it has an important prophetic fulfillment like the others.
In reviewing the history of Hanukkah,I’m sure you spotted the similarity to events yet future to us. One day soon a man will arrive on the world scene. He’ll become very powerful very quickly, assuming a leadership position that’s not rightfully his. Many will give their loyalty to him and he’ll conquer most of the world. Even in Israel, many will favor accommodation with him, some even thinking he might be the Messiah. (John 5:43)
But then he’ll stand in the Holy place and declare that He’s God. (2 Thes. 2:4) Another Antiochus Epiphanes. He’ll have a statue of himself erected and put in the Holy Place to be worshiped.(Rev. 13:14) Another Abomination of Desolation,the one Jesus warned about in Matt. 24:15. Just like his predecessor he’ll demand to be worshiped as God on pain of death, and make everyone swear a pledge of loyalty to him. He’ll put a stop to the recently instituted Temple sacrifice(Dan. 9:27) and try to erase every trace of the legitimate God from the world.He’ll wage war against those who oppose him, but they’ll fight back in another war of resistance. After 3 ½ years he’ll be defeated(Dan. 12:7) and the defiled Temple will be cleansed and made ready for use again during the Millennium. Another Feast of Dedication.And Israel will again experience a period of untold peace and prosperity, expandingfully to its originally promised dimensions.Jewish rule will be exercised throughout the expanded nation and Jewish life will flourish once again.(Isaiah 65:17-25) Another New Beginning for the Children of Israel and for all the world.Happy Hanukkah. 12-04-10
The Last Generation
by: J. Michael Hile
Which generation of people will be living when the King of kings and Lord of lords makes his trek back to Planet Earth at the end of this age? Will the European, Asian, and Mideast leaders we see on television and read about in the newspaper every day be involved in the endtime battle called “Armageddon”?
According to Isaiah, the prophet, God knows every generation that will ever be born. “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Isa. 41:4). God also has a plan for every generation: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1).
The prophetic Word indicates one generation that will not pass away completely; that is, not everyone in that generation will die. Some people will be taken directly from Planet Earth after an instantaneous, miraculous change into supernatural minds and bodies, for eternal residence in heaven. The Generation Mystery
We know from the Scriptures that the first generation began with Adam and Eve. Noah was the tenth generation. Which generation of people was Christ talking about that would see his return when he said: “…This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled?” (Matt. 24:34). The answer to this 2000-year-old question may be closer than we think, if the many prophecies we see converging on the horizon continue their march towards fulfillment in the 21st century.
The unfolding of the “end times” prophetic scenario before our eyes should prompt us to keep our Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other as we piece the prophetic puzzle together.
Matthew 24:30-36 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory…Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
The Generation of His Coming
Perhaps the most intriguing and controversial prophetic passage in the Bible is contained in the Olivet Discourse. This dynamic “end times” message by Jesus, contained in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, describes major events that will impact the Jewish people just before the Lord returns to set up his kingdom.
This remarkable prophecy, given by Jesus on Mount Olivet after leaving the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, was his response to three questions from His disciples.
1. “When shall these things be
2. “And what shall be the sign of thy coming”
3. “and [what shall be the sign] of the end of the world (age)?”
His answer to those questions alludes to the generation that will be living on the earth when Christ returns. Some believe that the generation Jesus was talking about in the Olivet Discourse was the generation that passed away in 70 A.D. But that does not fit within the context of a literal return of Christ back to earth, as described in the Scriptures preceding and following the parable of the fig tree. When the many signals Christ gave for the Tribulation in his Olivet discourse begin to occur at the same time, with greater frequency and intensity, the end-time generation can know Jesus’ coming is near.
ANALYZING THE TERM: A GENERATION
One might raise several questions about the unique generation described by Jesus, and other generations that are described in the Bible.
What is a generation?
When does a generation begin?
When does a generation end?
How long is a generation?
And, which generation was Christ talking about?
What is a generation?
According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, a “generation” can be defined in several ways, including:
the entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time; the average number of years between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring; and a group of individuals who are roughly the same age and who have similar ideas and attitudes The generation described in Jeremiah 7:29,30 seems to best fit the generation described in the parable of the fig tree that will be present when Christ returns: “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.” When does a generation begin?
The word “seed” in the Old Testament was used to describe the lineage of offspring before and after conception. God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants are given in the book of Genesis: “And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee…And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations” (Genesis 17: 6-9).
Offspring in the Bible were sometimes referred to as “seed” and other times associated with “generations,” as shown in the book of Psalms: “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation” (Psalm 22:30).
The prophet Jeremiah’s generation and ministry began before he was born but was not manifested until after his birth. About this, the Scripture says: “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4,5).
When does a generation end?
A generation ends at the death of an individual or at the death of those individuals who are living at about the same time. For example, the death of King David is described in Acts 13:36: “for David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption…”
The men who took over after the death of Joshua represented a new generation that was displeasing to God. God’s Word says: “And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old...and also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” Joshua’s generation ended when he and those who were about his age died. An abundance of evidence in the Scriptures points to physical life beginning at conception and ending at death.
How long is a generation?
One of the most perplexing and sought-after figures among students of Bible prophecy is the length of a generation. There is much disagreement among both secular and religious writers concerning the length of a generation. Is the length of a generation forty years, as believed by many? Israel as Fig Tree
When Israel became a nation in 1948, some believed that Israel’s birth date marked the beginning of the generation that would see all the events leading up to the second coming of Christ. This theory was based upon the generation alluded to in the parable of the fig tree, in which the fig tree was symbolic of the nation Israel. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13: 28-33).
Many people believe that the birth of Israel in 1948 marked the beginning of the generation that would be alive at Christ’s return.
End-Time Generation Puzzle
In 1988, when forty years had passed without fulfillment of any of the events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ, the forty-year generation theory fell into disrepute. Either 1948 had not been the starting date for the generation described in the fig tree parable, or a generation must be longer than 40 years.
Additional arguments put forth claimed that 1967, the year Jerusalem was captured by Israel, or some other future date could be the birth of the generation that would see the return of Christ. Some proponents of the “end times” generation theory questioned whether forty years was actually the length of a generation today. Is there any evidence to suggest that the length of a generation is longer than forty years? Just how long is a generation today? Is there an answer to the generation question?
The Longevity of Mankind
Numerous theories have been put forth concerning the length of a generation without defining clearly what a generation was, when it began, or when it ended. As discussed earlier, a generation, as described in the Bible, begins at conception and ends at death. The length of a generation is not an arbitrary period of time that occurs within the life span of an individual or group of people.
Joshua’s age at the time of death, 110 years (including 9 months gestation), was the length of the generation he represented. Some of his generation died before him and some after him. Consequently, the average life span of a person or group of people living at about the same time constitutes the length of that generation.
The length of a generation has not always been constant since the days of Adam and Eve. Before the biblical flood, the average life span of man was over 900 years. Today, if a person lives to be a hundred years old, it is a special occasion in which the person is accorded celebrity status.
The Flood’s Effects
In order to understand how long a generation is today, it will be helpful to know what the length of a generation was before the Flood and what happened to the life span of man immediately following the Flood. Has man’s life span increased, decreased or stayed the same down through the centuries?
Before the Flood: Life span of the patriarchs averaged around 930 years.
The life span of the patriarchs decreased from generation to generation as a result of the earth’s changing environment brought about by the breakup of the “fountains of the deep” located within the earth and the “windows of heaven” spoken of in Genesis 7:11.
These catastrophic occurrences, according to some scientific authorities, disrupted a protective environmental shield that had prevented the earth from receiving damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun. With the deterioration of that shield, things upon earth, including human life, began to degenerate and deteriorate at a much faster rate. Life span decreased as a result.
After the Flood: Life span of man began to decrease rapidly
Noah and his family lived on both sides of the flood. Noah was 500 years old when the flood waters covered the earth. He lived 350 years after the flood and was 950 years of age at his death. After the flood, Shem, Noah’s son, lived to be 500 years. He was nearly 100 years old when the flood occurred. He lived an additional 500 years after the flood. The age of each successive generation continued to decrease to the point that Abraham lived to be only 175 years old. The regression of age continues with Abraham’s son Isaac living to be 180, Jacob 147, Joseph 110, Levi 137, Kohath 133, and Amram, who was Moses’ father, 137.
The Wilderness Generation
Again it should be noted that perhaps the most widely held belief for the length of a generation is forty years. A forty-year period was required for the disobedient generation of Moses’ day to die off in the wilderness.
Those who hold to the forty-year generation concept do not take into account the total age of those who had sinned against the Lord. The curse was to be against the men who had reached twenty years of age. God Word tells us, regarding the matter: “Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed” (Numbers 32: 11,13; also Psalm 95: 8-11).
After the forty-year judgment period was completed, there were no men left older than 60 years of age except Joshua and Caleb. Although Joshua was not a descendant of Moses or Aaron, he represented the succeeding generation that was to enter the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two males permitted to live after the Lord cursed the rebellious generation that would not return and retake their land in Canaan. So forty years could not have been the length of that generation, but it was the time God allotted for that generation to die off. Most of the recorded life spans during this time were well over 40 years. Aaron was 123, Moses 120, Joshua 110, and Caleb was over 85 when their generations died off.
The Generation of Job
Some believe a generation to be 35 years. This is based upon a passage in the last chapter of the book of Job. Following Job’s lengthy trial, the Lord blessed him with great possessions and many sons and daughters. The Bible says: “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations” (Job 42:16).
Thirty-five, as the length of a generation, is arrived at by dividing the one hundred and forty years mentioned in above by four, the number of generations Job saw. Since a new generation normally begins every twenty to forty years, we would expect Job to see several generations of offspring, which is exactly what happened. Thirty-five years would come closer to representing the length between generations, usually referred to as “the generation gap.”
Job was well over 140 years old, so he would not fit the mold if the length of a generation during his days was taken to be thirty-five years.
THE LIFE SPAN OF MAN STABILIZES
We recall that the average length of a generation was about 930 years for those living before the Flood but decreased to around 120 years by the time Moses crossed the Red Sea and began his forty-year sojourn in the wilderness of Sinai. Since there are not very many 120-year-old men walking around today, it is apparent that the average lifespan is no longer 120 years.
Eli, a high priest and judge of Israel whose life bridged the 13th and 12th centuries BC, died at the age of 98 years. According to the Scriptures, he was considered to be a “very old” person at the time of his death.
The oldest, fully authenticated age in recent times (122 years) is Jeanne Louise Calment, who was born in France on February 21, 1875, and died on August 4, 1997. Maud Farris-Luse, recognized in 2001 as the world’s oldest person (115 years) by the Guiness Book of World Records, was born on January 21, 1887 in the state of Michigan, and died March 18, 2002. Obviously, these cases are exceptions and do not represent the average lifespan of mankind today.
Additional Views On Life Span
Additional views for the life span of man (i.e., the length of a generation) include 100, 80, 70, 60, 50, and 20 years. A more recent theory divides the 2166 years from Abraham’s birth to the birth of Christ by the 42 generations listed in Matthew chapter 1 to give a generation length of 51.57 years. Due to space limitations, these views will not be discussed except for the 70-80 year generation concept.
A View from the Psalmist
Disregarding untimely or unnatural deaths due to epidemics, famine and war, there is evidence in the Scriptures and in recent history to support a 70-80 year life span for the past 3000 years. The evidence for a 70-80 year lifespan was present during the 10th century B.C. during the reign of King David (c. 1010-970).
About 400-500 years after the Exodus (c. 1450 B.C.), the life span of man seemed to level off at around 70-80 years. This was around 1000 B.C. during the days of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon. Perhaps the most significant declaration in the Bible for the life span of man is given in Psalm 90. The Psalmist states that the life span of man is seventy years with eighty years being the upper range of normal life expectancy: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God…For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night…For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long?”
Ironically, Moses, who lived to be 120 years old, is credited with writing this Psalm during the 15th century B.C. Moses may have been suggesting a new life span for man, since the 70-80 year statement does not coincide with his age or the age of his contemporaries, Aaron and Joshua.
According to conservative scholars, Moses was born around 1526 B.C., led the Exodus from Egypt in c.1446 B.C., and died about 1406 B.C., the year Joshua crossed over the Jordan River into Canaan. About 400 years after Moses’ death, David began his reign of 40 years that would end around 970 B.C.
The Generation of David
As David approached the end of his life, he was considered to be an old man by those living at that time. The Scripture tells us: “So when David was old and full of days, he made Soloman his son king over Israel” (1 Chronicles 23:1). The significant years of David’s life are given in 2 Samuel 5:4: “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years…” (1 Kings 2:10).
Acts 13:36 concludes: “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption…” The Scriptures reveal that David served his generation and was seventy years old when he died.
A contemporary of David, Barzillai the Gileadite, was considered to be an old man during the days of King David’s reign. The Scriptures report: “Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old…And Barzillai said unto the King, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? I am this day fourscore years old…let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother” (2 Samuel 19: 32-37).
Both David at 70 years and Barzillai at 80 years were considered to be “old” and “very aged” men nearly 3000 years ago, and both of their life spans coincided with the 70-80 years described in Psalm 90.
THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
Around 200 years after David’s death, Isaiah prophesied: “Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king…” (Isaiah 23:15).
The concept of 70 years as the life span for kings may have been established after David’s death at seventy years. When Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity in 606, 597, and 586 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar, it was to be for seventy years. The Bible tells: “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight saith the Lord…” (Jeremiah 7:29-30).
The capture of the Southern Kingdom of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar brought Ezekiel and Daniel to the land of Babylon. After Babylon’s capture by the Medes in 539 BC,, Daniel began reading from the book of Jeremiah about the captivity that had been prophesied by Jeremiah: “In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem…” (Daniel 9:2).
The length of time appointed for the rejection of this “evil” generation was seventy years. If the age of the Jewish generation rejected by God was twenty years and up, as with Moses’ generation in the wilderness, then those still living in Babylon would have been over ninety years old when the seventy-year period ended. Most of the generation taken into captivity had already died or were too old to make the journey back to the Promised Land. Daniel was a youth when taken captive and was probably in his eighties or nineties.
The Generation of Christ
Shortly after Christ’s birth, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord. Anna, who was considered to be very old at the time Christ was born, was present at the temple: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:36, 37).
Christ described the generation of his day as evil and accused them of killing, crucifying, and persecuting the prophets, wise men, and scribes that he had sent to them. He also prophesied that he would be rejected by His generation. Because of their stubbornness and failure to recognize “the time of their visitation,” Christ pronounced judgment upon the city of Jerusalem and declared: “all these things shall come upon this generation” (i.e., the generation of Christ).
We know that Christ did not live out the full length of his generation, which raises the question: “Who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:33; Isaiah 53:8). Christ said in Luke 11:30 “For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
That raises an interesting question! Has God appointed a “man of God” to be a sign to each generation of people? Jesus Christ, who was “cut off” or killed as prophesied in Daniel 9:26, was to represent the evil generation of his day. How long would Christ’s generation have been if he had not died an early death?
Most Bible scholars believe Christ was crucified between 30-33 A.D. If that was the case, the wicked generation that the time of Christ represented was judged 40 years later when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The last vestige of Jewish resistance was wiped out at Masada in 73-75 A.D. The destruction prophesied upon the generation that crucified the Lord was complete.
Historians tell us that Jesus Christ was born sometime before the turn of the century (2-8 B.C.) with 4 B.C. being the most popular view. Assuming that the generation that Christ described had expired by 75 A.D., the length of that generation would have been between seventy and eighty years.
Extra-biblical Confirmation
As discussed earlier, the Psalmist declared that the life span of man was 70-80 years. The extra-biblical book of Jubilees, which was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls during the middle of the twentieth century (1947-1956), has an interesting account of the regression of man’s age that coincides with the description given in Psalm 90:9,10. This ancient document, believed to have been written sometime between 150 and 105 B.C., describes the regression of man’s age from the generation of Adam down to a generation that will receive a great punishment from the Lord. I recommend the reader who wants to go more in-depth, read that account.
LIFE SPAN OF MAN TODAY
Evidence discussed thus far indicates that the life span of man leveled off at around 70 to 80 years during the reigns of King Saul, David, and Solomon and has remained about the same for the past 3000 years (1000 BC to 2000 AD). Fluctuations in lifespan have occurred due to war, famine, disease and other factors. People are most likely to grow old in rich countries, where there are sufficient medical and sanitary facilities, clean drinking water and enough food at their disposal. In poor countries, these facilities often are insufficient, with the result that infant and child mortality is very high.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base, life expectancy today is only 37.13 years in Zimbabwe, 47.49 years in Kenya, and 48.09 years in South Africa but is 63.24 years in Brazil, 63.69 years in Egypt, 67.34 years in Russia, 71.62 years in China, 79.87 years in Australia and 80.80 years in Japan. Most of the countries in Europe and North America have life spans between 70 and 80 years. The life expectancy of those living in the United States in 1850 was less than 40 years but increased to 47.3 years by 1900 and then mushroomed to 76.7 years (1999) by the end of the 20th century.2
If 70 to 80 years still represents the length of a generation, as described in Psalm 90:9,10, one would expect the life span of those living today to be close to that figure. According to the 2002 World Almanac and Book of Facts, the average life expectancy in the United States is 77.26 years (74.37 years for males and 80.05 years for females). For Israel it is 78.71 years (76.69 years for males and 80.84 years for females). The average life expectancy at birth for Israel is projected to be 81.6 years in the year 2025. 3
THE FIG TREE GENERATION
In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus talked about a generation of people (perhaps Jews and Gentiles) that would be living at the time he returned to earth to establish his kingdom. With Israel back in their land after almost 2000 years of dispersion and other end-time prophecies coming into focus, the Jewish people now living in Israel could very well be the generation Christ was talking about.
Perhaps this Generation?
Luke’s version of the fig tree parable, which mentions the fig tree (Israel) and all the trees, (nations of the world) (Judges 9:8-20) states: “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Luke 21:29-33).
If the length of David’s generation, Christ’s generation, and those living today is 70-80 years (a 3000 year span), it would be reasonable to conclude that the generation Christ was talking about in the parable of the fig tree will also be 70-80 years in length. If the fig tree in this parable represents the nation of Israel, as many prophetic scholars believe, and the generation that is described has a lifespan of 70 to 80 years, then we see several strong indicators that the generation Christ was talking about has already been born. That would mean that the return of Jesus Christ to establish his reign for a thousand years is close at hand. The indicators we have seen include:
the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 (Isaiah 66:8),
the Jerusalem controversy in the end times (Zechariah 12:1-3),
preparations for rebuilding the Jewish Temple (Revelation 11:1,2),
ongoing negotiations for a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians (Daniel 9:27)
The Most Significant End-Time Prophecy
The end-time events described in the Olivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation could not have taken place without Israel back in their land. Israel’s return to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the 20th century after dispersion by the Roman armies in 70 A.D. is the most important event that signals the soon return of Jesus Christ. Israel’s rebirth as a nation has also served as a catalyst for other end-time prophecies that are beginning to converge on the world scene. The pieces necessary for development of the end-time prophetic puzzle began to fall in place between the middle of the 19th and first half of the 20th century when the Jewish people began coming back to their homeland in record numbers.
A movement called Zionism encouraged the Jewish people to return to the “Promised Land” and brought about the Balfour Declaration in 1917, a statement by Great Britain that supported a home for the Jewish people. After much negotiation and endorsement of a partition resolution by the United Nations in 1947, the rebirth of Israel (Isaiah 66:7-9) took place on May 15, 1948. Following a period of wars between the Jewish and Arab nations in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, peace negotiations have been ongoing and will continue until a covenant (Daniel 9:27) is confirmed between “the prince that shall come” (Antichrist) and the nation of Israel.
GOD’S BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE
Christians who take the Bible seriously should be actively watching the prophetic shadows that are appearing in today’s headlines. The primary purpose of God’s prophetic Word is to point people to Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith.”
A Chosen Generation
As we entertain the possibility that we may be the generation Jesus was talking about in the fig tree parable nearly 2000 years ago, we are admonished by the Scriptures to watch and be prepared. As stated clearly by Jesus in Matthew and Mark, no man knows the day or the hour of his coming but the Father only. The same Jesus, however, was very angry with the Pharisees and Scribes for not discerning “the signs of the times” and not knowing the “time of their visitation.” In these thought-provoking and challenging times in which we are living, we need to be informed and discerning like “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
One day there will be a generation of Christians that will escape the grip of death and be ushered into heaven, the “final frontier” for believers. The generation that is “left behind” will face the ruthless tyranny of a global dictatorship. The world stage is now being set for the closing act of this dispensation, and the climax of world history, Christ’s return, is drawing near. As God’s children, we may very well be the generation that is chosen to “escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21: 34-36). That possibility is certainly worth pondering!
Which generation of people will be living when the King of kings and Lord of lords makes his trek back to Planet Earth at the end of this age? Will the European, Asian, and Mideast leaders we see on television and read about in the newspaper every day be involved in the endtime battle called “Armageddon”?
According to Isaiah, the prophet, God knows every generation that will ever be born. “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Isa. 41:4). God also has a plan for every generation: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1).
The prophetic Word indicates one generation that will not pass away completely; that is, not everyone in that generation will die. Some people will be taken directly from Planet Earth after an instantaneous, miraculous change into supernatural minds and bodies, for eternal residence in heaven. The Generation Mystery
We know from the Scriptures that the first generation began with Adam and Eve. Noah was the tenth generation. Which generation of people was Christ talking about that would see his return when he said: “…This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled?” (Matt. 24:34). The answer to this 2000-year-old question may be closer than we think, if the many prophecies we see converging on the horizon continue their march towards fulfillment in the 21st century.
The unfolding of the “end times” prophetic scenario before our eyes should prompt us to keep our Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other as we piece the prophetic puzzle together.
Matthew 24:30-36 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory…Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
The Generation of His Coming
Perhaps the most intriguing and controversial prophetic passage in the Bible is contained in the Olivet Discourse. This dynamic “end times” message by Jesus, contained in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, describes major events that will impact the Jewish people just before the Lord returns to set up his kingdom.
This remarkable prophecy, given by Jesus on Mount Olivet after leaving the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, was his response to three questions from His disciples.
1. “When shall these things be
2. “And what shall be the sign of thy coming”
3. “and [what shall be the sign] of the end of the world (age)?”
His answer to those questions alludes to the generation that will be living on the earth when Christ returns. Some believe that the generation Jesus was talking about in the Olivet Discourse was the generation that passed away in 70 A.D. But that does not fit within the context of a literal return of Christ back to earth, as described in the Scriptures preceding and following the parable of the fig tree. When the many signals Christ gave for the Tribulation in his Olivet discourse begin to occur at the same time, with greater frequency and intensity, the end-time generation can know Jesus’ coming is near.
ANALYZING THE TERM: A GENERATION
One might raise several questions about the unique generation described by Jesus, and other generations that are described in the Bible.
What is a generation?
When does a generation begin?
When does a generation end?
How long is a generation?
And, which generation was Christ talking about?
What is a generation?
According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, a “generation” can be defined in several ways, including:
the entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time; the average number of years between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring; and a group of individuals who are roughly the same age and who have similar ideas and attitudes The generation described in Jeremiah 7:29,30 seems to best fit the generation described in the parable of the fig tree that will be present when Christ returns: “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.” When does a generation begin?
The word “seed” in the Old Testament was used to describe the lineage of offspring before and after conception. God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants are given in the book of Genesis: “And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee…And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations” (Genesis 17: 6-9).
Offspring in the Bible were sometimes referred to as “seed” and other times associated with “generations,” as shown in the book of Psalms: “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation” (Psalm 22:30).
The prophet Jeremiah’s generation and ministry began before he was born but was not manifested until after his birth. About this, the Scripture says: “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4,5).
When does a generation end?
A generation ends at the death of an individual or at the death of those individuals who are living at about the same time. For example, the death of King David is described in Acts 13:36: “for David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption…”
The men who took over after the death of Joshua represented a new generation that was displeasing to God. God’s Word says: “And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old...and also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” Joshua’s generation ended when he and those who were about his age died. An abundance of evidence in the Scriptures points to physical life beginning at conception and ending at death.
How long is a generation?
One of the most perplexing and sought-after figures among students of Bible prophecy is the length of a generation. There is much disagreement among both secular and religious writers concerning the length of a generation. Is the length of a generation forty years, as believed by many? Israel as Fig Tree
When Israel became a nation in 1948, some believed that Israel’s birth date marked the beginning of the generation that would see all the events leading up to the second coming of Christ. This theory was based upon the generation alluded to in the parable of the fig tree, in which the fig tree was symbolic of the nation Israel. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13: 28-33).
Many people believe that the birth of Israel in 1948 marked the beginning of the generation that would be alive at Christ’s return.
End-Time Generation Puzzle
In 1988, when forty years had passed without fulfillment of any of the events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ, the forty-year generation theory fell into disrepute. Either 1948 had not been the starting date for the generation described in the fig tree parable, or a generation must be longer than 40 years.
Additional arguments put forth claimed that 1967, the year Jerusalem was captured by Israel, or some other future date could be the birth of the generation that would see the return of Christ. Some proponents of the “end times” generation theory questioned whether forty years was actually the length of a generation today. Is there any evidence to suggest that the length of a generation is longer than forty years? Just how long is a generation today? Is there an answer to the generation question?
The Longevity of Mankind
Numerous theories have been put forth concerning the length of a generation without defining clearly what a generation was, when it began, or when it ended. As discussed earlier, a generation, as described in the Bible, begins at conception and ends at death. The length of a generation is not an arbitrary period of time that occurs within the life span of an individual or group of people.
Joshua’s age at the time of death, 110 years (including 9 months gestation), was the length of the generation he represented. Some of his generation died before him and some after him. Consequently, the average life span of a person or group of people living at about the same time constitutes the length of that generation.
The length of a generation has not always been constant since the days of Adam and Eve. Before the biblical flood, the average life span of man was over 900 years. Today, if a person lives to be a hundred years old, it is a special occasion in which the person is accorded celebrity status.
The Flood’s Effects
In order to understand how long a generation is today, it will be helpful to know what the length of a generation was before the Flood and what happened to the life span of man immediately following the Flood. Has man’s life span increased, decreased or stayed the same down through the centuries?
Before the Flood: Life span of the patriarchs averaged around 930 years.
The life span of the patriarchs decreased from generation to generation as a result of the earth’s changing environment brought about by the breakup of the “fountains of the deep” located within the earth and the “windows of heaven” spoken of in Genesis 7:11.
These catastrophic occurrences, according to some scientific authorities, disrupted a protective environmental shield that had prevented the earth from receiving damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun. With the deterioration of that shield, things upon earth, including human life, began to degenerate and deteriorate at a much faster rate. Life span decreased as a result.
After the Flood: Life span of man began to decrease rapidly
Noah and his family lived on both sides of the flood. Noah was 500 years old when the flood waters covered the earth. He lived 350 years after the flood and was 950 years of age at his death. After the flood, Shem, Noah’s son, lived to be 500 years. He was nearly 100 years old when the flood occurred. He lived an additional 500 years after the flood. The age of each successive generation continued to decrease to the point that Abraham lived to be only 175 years old. The regression of age continues with Abraham’s son Isaac living to be 180, Jacob 147, Joseph 110, Levi 137, Kohath 133, and Amram, who was Moses’ father, 137.
The Wilderness Generation
Again it should be noted that perhaps the most widely held belief for the length of a generation is forty years. A forty-year period was required for the disobedient generation of Moses’ day to die off in the wilderness.
Those who hold to the forty-year generation concept do not take into account the total age of those who had sinned against the Lord. The curse was to be against the men who had reached twenty years of age. God Word tells us, regarding the matter: “Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed” (Numbers 32: 11,13; also Psalm 95: 8-11).
After the forty-year judgment period was completed, there were no men left older than 60 years of age except Joshua and Caleb. Although Joshua was not a descendant of Moses or Aaron, he represented the succeeding generation that was to enter the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two males permitted to live after the Lord cursed the rebellious generation that would not return and retake their land in Canaan. So forty years could not have been the length of that generation, but it was the time God allotted for that generation to die off. Most of the recorded life spans during this time were well over 40 years. Aaron was 123, Moses 120, Joshua 110, and Caleb was over 85 when their generations died off.
The Generation of Job
Some believe a generation to be 35 years. This is based upon a passage in the last chapter of the book of Job. Following Job’s lengthy trial, the Lord blessed him with great possessions and many sons and daughters. The Bible says: “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations” (Job 42:16).
Thirty-five, as the length of a generation, is arrived at by dividing the one hundred and forty years mentioned in above by four, the number of generations Job saw. Since a new generation normally begins every twenty to forty years, we would expect Job to see several generations of offspring, which is exactly what happened. Thirty-five years would come closer to representing the length between generations, usually referred to as “the generation gap.”
Job was well over 140 years old, so he would not fit the mold if the length of a generation during his days was taken to be thirty-five years.
THE LIFE SPAN OF MAN STABILIZES
We recall that the average length of a generation was about 930 years for those living before the Flood but decreased to around 120 years by the time Moses crossed the Red Sea and began his forty-year sojourn in the wilderness of Sinai. Since there are not very many 120-year-old men walking around today, it is apparent that the average lifespan is no longer 120 years.
Eli, a high priest and judge of Israel whose life bridged the 13th and 12th centuries BC, died at the age of 98 years. According to the Scriptures, he was considered to be a “very old” person at the time of his death.
The oldest, fully authenticated age in recent times (122 years) is Jeanne Louise Calment, who was born in France on February 21, 1875, and died on August 4, 1997. Maud Farris-Luse, recognized in 2001 as the world’s oldest person (115 years) by the Guiness Book of World Records, was born on January 21, 1887 in the state of Michigan, and died March 18, 2002. Obviously, these cases are exceptions and do not represent the average lifespan of mankind today.
Additional Views On Life Span
Additional views for the life span of man (i.e., the length of a generation) include 100, 80, 70, 60, 50, and 20 years. A more recent theory divides the 2166 years from Abraham’s birth to the birth of Christ by the 42 generations listed in Matthew chapter 1 to give a generation length of 51.57 years. Due to space limitations, these views will not be discussed except for the 70-80 year generation concept.
A View from the Psalmist
Disregarding untimely or unnatural deaths due to epidemics, famine and war, there is evidence in the Scriptures and in recent history to support a 70-80 year life span for the past 3000 years. The evidence for a 70-80 year lifespan was present during the 10th century B.C. during the reign of King David (c. 1010-970).
About 400-500 years after the Exodus (c. 1450 B.C.), the life span of man seemed to level off at around 70-80 years. This was around 1000 B.C. during the days of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon. Perhaps the most significant declaration in the Bible for the life span of man is given in Psalm 90. The Psalmist states that the life span of man is seventy years with eighty years being the upper range of normal life expectancy: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God…For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night…For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long?”
Ironically, Moses, who lived to be 120 years old, is credited with writing this Psalm during the 15th century B.C. Moses may have been suggesting a new life span for man, since the 70-80 year statement does not coincide with his age or the age of his contemporaries, Aaron and Joshua.
According to conservative scholars, Moses was born around 1526 B.C., led the Exodus from Egypt in c.1446 B.C., and died about 1406 B.C., the year Joshua crossed over the Jordan River into Canaan. About 400 years after Moses’ death, David began his reign of 40 years that would end around 970 B.C.
The Generation of David
As David approached the end of his life, he was considered to be an old man by those living at that time. The Scripture tells us: “So when David was old and full of days, he made Soloman his son king over Israel” (1 Chronicles 23:1). The significant years of David’s life are given in 2 Samuel 5:4: “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years…” (1 Kings 2:10).
Acts 13:36 concludes: “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption…” The Scriptures reveal that David served his generation and was seventy years old when he died.
A contemporary of David, Barzillai the Gileadite, was considered to be an old man during the days of King David’s reign. The Scriptures report: “Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old…And Barzillai said unto the King, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? I am this day fourscore years old…let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother” (2 Samuel 19: 32-37).
Both David at 70 years and Barzillai at 80 years were considered to be “old” and “very aged” men nearly 3000 years ago, and both of their life spans coincided with the 70-80 years described in Psalm 90.
THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
Around 200 years after David’s death, Isaiah prophesied: “Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king…” (Isaiah 23:15).
The concept of 70 years as the life span for kings may have been established after David’s death at seventy years. When Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity in 606, 597, and 586 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar, it was to be for seventy years. The Bible tells: “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight saith the Lord…” (Jeremiah 7:29-30).
The capture of the Southern Kingdom of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar brought Ezekiel and Daniel to the land of Babylon. After Babylon’s capture by the Medes in 539 BC,, Daniel began reading from the book of Jeremiah about the captivity that had been prophesied by Jeremiah: “In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem…” (Daniel 9:2).
The length of time appointed for the rejection of this “evil” generation was seventy years. If the age of the Jewish generation rejected by God was twenty years and up, as with Moses’ generation in the wilderness, then those still living in Babylon would have been over ninety years old when the seventy-year period ended. Most of the generation taken into captivity had already died or were too old to make the journey back to the Promised Land. Daniel was a youth when taken captive and was probably in his eighties or nineties.
The Generation of Christ
Shortly after Christ’s birth, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord. Anna, who was considered to be very old at the time Christ was born, was present at the temple: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:36, 37).
Christ described the generation of his day as evil and accused them of killing, crucifying, and persecuting the prophets, wise men, and scribes that he had sent to them. He also prophesied that he would be rejected by His generation. Because of their stubbornness and failure to recognize “the time of their visitation,” Christ pronounced judgment upon the city of Jerusalem and declared: “all these things shall come upon this generation” (i.e., the generation of Christ).
We know that Christ did not live out the full length of his generation, which raises the question: “Who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:33; Isaiah 53:8). Christ said in Luke 11:30 “For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
That raises an interesting question! Has God appointed a “man of God” to be a sign to each generation of people? Jesus Christ, who was “cut off” or killed as prophesied in Daniel 9:26, was to represent the evil generation of his day. How long would Christ’s generation have been if he had not died an early death?
Most Bible scholars believe Christ was crucified between 30-33 A.D. If that was the case, the wicked generation that the time of Christ represented was judged 40 years later when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The last vestige of Jewish resistance was wiped out at Masada in 73-75 A.D. The destruction prophesied upon the generation that crucified the Lord was complete.
Historians tell us that Jesus Christ was born sometime before the turn of the century (2-8 B.C.) with 4 B.C. being the most popular view. Assuming that the generation that Christ described had expired by 75 A.D., the length of that generation would have been between seventy and eighty years.
Extra-biblical Confirmation
As discussed earlier, the Psalmist declared that the life span of man was 70-80 years. The extra-biblical book of Jubilees, which was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls during the middle of the twentieth century (1947-1956), has an interesting account of the regression of man’s age that coincides with the description given in Psalm 90:9,10. This ancient document, believed to have been written sometime between 150 and 105 B.C., describes the regression of man’s age from the generation of Adam down to a generation that will receive a great punishment from the Lord. I recommend the reader who wants to go more in-depth, read that account.
LIFE SPAN OF MAN TODAY
Evidence discussed thus far indicates that the life span of man leveled off at around 70 to 80 years during the reigns of King Saul, David, and Solomon and has remained about the same for the past 3000 years (1000 BC to 2000 AD). Fluctuations in lifespan have occurred due to war, famine, disease and other factors. People are most likely to grow old in rich countries, where there are sufficient medical and sanitary facilities, clean drinking water and enough food at their disposal. In poor countries, these facilities often are insufficient, with the result that infant and child mortality is very high.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base, life expectancy today is only 37.13 years in Zimbabwe, 47.49 years in Kenya, and 48.09 years in South Africa but is 63.24 years in Brazil, 63.69 years in Egypt, 67.34 years in Russia, 71.62 years in China, 79.87 years in Australia and 80.80 years in Japan. Most of the countries in Europe and North America have life spans between 70 and 80 years. The life expectancy of those living in the United States in 1850 was less than 40 years but increased to 47.3 years by 1900 and then mushroomed to 76.7 years (1999) by the end of the 20th century.2
If 70 to 80 years still represents the length of a generation, as described in Psalm 90:9,10, one would expect the life span of those living today to be close to that figure. According to the 2002 World Almanac and Book of Facts, the average life expectancy in the United States is 77.26 years (74.37 years for males and 80.05 years for females). For Israel it is 78.71 years (76.69 years for males and 80.84 years for females). The average life expectancy at birth for Israel is projected to be 81.6 years in the year 2025. 3
THE FIG TREE GENERATION
In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus talked about a generation of people (perhaps Jews and Gentiles) that would be living at the time he returned to earth to establish his kingdom. With Israel back in their land after almost 2000 years of dispersion and other end-time prophecies coming into focus, the Jewish people now living in Israel could very well be the generation Christ was talking about.
Perhaps this Generation?
Luke’s version of the fig tree parable, which mentions the fig tree (Israel) and all the trees, (nations of the world) (Judges 9:8-20) states: “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Luke 21:29-33).
If the length of David’s generation, Christ’s generation, and those living today is 70-80 years (a 3000 year span), it would be reasonable to conclude that the generation Christ was talking about in the parable of the fig tree will also be 70-80 years in length. If the fig tree in this parable represents the nation of Israel, as many prophetic scholars believe, and the generation that is described has a lifespan of 70 to 80 years, then we see several strong indicators that the generation Christ was talking about has already been born. That would mean that the return of Jesus Christ to establish his reign for a thousand years is close at hand. The indicators we have seen include:
the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 (Isaiah 66:8),
the Jerusalem controversy in the end times (Zechariah 12:1-3),
preparations for rebuilding the Jewish Temple (Revelation 11:1,2),
ongoing negotiations for a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians (Daniel 9:27)
The Most Significant End-Time Prophecy
The end-time events described in the Olivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation could not have taken place without Israel back in their land. Israel’s return to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the 20th century after dispersion by the Roman armies in 70 A.D. is the most important event that signals the soon return of Jesus Christ. Israel’s rebirth as a nation has also served as a catalyst for other end-time prophecies that are beginning to converge on the world scene. The pieces necessary for development of the end-time prophetic puzzle began to fall in place between the middle of the 19th and first half of the 20th century when the Jewish people began coming back to their homeland in record numbers.
A movement called Zionism encouraged the Jewish people to return to the “Promised Land” and brought about the Balfour Declaration in 1917, a statement by Great Britain that supported a home for the Jewish people. After much negotiation and endorsement of a partition resolution by the United Nations in 1947, the rebirth of Israel (Isaiah 66:7-9) took place on May 15, 1948. Following a period of wars between the Jewish and Arab nations in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, peace negotiations have been ongoing and will continue until a covenant (Daniel 9:27) is confirmed between “the prince that shall come” (Antichrist) and the nation of Israel.
GOD’S BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE
Christians who take the Bible seriously should be actively watching the prophetic shadows that are appearing in today’s headlines. The primary purpose of God’s prophetic Word is to point people to Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith.”
A Chosen Generation
As we entertain the possibility that we may be the generation Jesus was talking about in the fig tree parable nearly 2000 years ago, we are admonished by the Scriptures to watch and be prepared. As stated clearly by Jesus in Matthew and Mark, no man knows the day or the hour of his coming but the Father only. The same Jesus, however, was very angry with the Pharisees and Scribes for not discerning “the signs of the times” and not knowing the “time of their visitation.” In these thought-provoking and challenging times in which we are living, we need to be informed and discerning like “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
One day there will be a generation of Christians that will escape the grip of death and be ushered into heaven, the “final frontier” for believers. The generation that is “left behind” will face the ruthless tyranny of a global dictatorship. The world stage is now being set for the closing act of this dispensation, and the climax of world history, Christ’s return, is drawing near. As God’s children, we may very well be the generation that is chosen to “escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21: 34-36). That possibility is certainly worth pondering!
Thief in the Night
By Terry James
No scriptural proof-text in God’s Word more clearly points to the first of the two phases of Jesus Christ’s second coming than does the following: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2).
We who hold to the pre-trib rapture viewpoint are often accused of being deceivers. We are condemned by our detractors as leading astray Christians alive now–if they live to see it-- who will be required to endure the tribulation, thus to wash their robes clean in preparation for inheriting God’s Kingdom. We are castigated for foisting upon innocent, gullible believers a “secret rapture” that will somehow lead these Christians to take the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18).
I’m not precisely sure of their “reasoning,” but I think they claim this because they are convinced that the ones who fall for the rapture viewpoint won’t be able to recognize Antichrist when he comes to power. We who teach the pre-trib rapture, so the accusation goes, would have falsely led these people to think the Church would not be here when Antichrist is on the world scene.
Almost all who are antagonistic to the pre-trib rapture doctrine teach that the “elect” will have to endure part or all of the seven-year tribulation era. Those who hold to a post-tribulation rapture, or a no-rapture position, believe that Christ will come back at the end of the tribulation, at Armageddon. They hold to the notion that that is His only return in the second coming. There are other views of the second coming that have Christ returning when the earth is perfected and made ready, but we won’t go there in this essay.
Let us look at only the pre-trib rapture and the post-trib rapture positions for the purpose of exploring what is meant by the “thief in the night” references in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10.
These two viewpoints–the pre-trib, and the post-trib--offer the greatest contrast to examine in consideration of the second advent of Jesus Christ, within the overall belief that rapture will, according to Bible prophecy, happen before Christ’s foot actually touches down on Planet Earth.
The pre-trib view of rapture says that Christ’s second coming is in two phases, separated by at least seven years. The post-trib rapture view says that the rapture and Christ’s coming back to the Mount of Olives will occur almost simultaneously–certainly with no more than a matter of days separating the two events. The post-trib position says there is no “secret” rapture. Christ’s coming again will be fully seen in the heavens by all, including Christians who will be watching for Him to break through the darkness of that hour.
We agree that the rapture of the Church (all born-again believers in Jesus Christ for salvation since the Church Age began at Pentecost will be anything but a “secret”. The world will instantly go into cataclysmic chaos at the moment that stunning event takes place. The imagination is hard-pressed to fathom the ramifications of what will happen when millions suddenly vanish. Every child below the age of accountability will be gone in that mind-boggling instant of time. All babies (including those in the wombs of their mothers) will be instantly in the presence of Christ in the clouds of glory. Every corpse of every dead Christian will be raised to join with his or her soul to meet Christ in the air in that atomos of time.
The rapture will be mystifying, and to some an inexplicable phenomenon, but it will not be a secret. It will happen before the eyes of a stupefied planet of left-behind earth-dwellers. This declaration that Jesus will call His Church to be with Him seems audacious to many. But, it didn’t seem so to the Apostle Paul. He was quite confident–even adamant—in his prophecy concerning the “mystery” he had been given by the Holy Spirit to instruct all believers down through the Age of Grace (Church Age).
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
He explains what will take place next, in that stupendous fraction of a second: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15-17).
Jesus himself told of this “mystery” Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15:51. The Lord explains what happens after believers –both the bodies of the dead and those who are living-- are caught up in the air to be with Him: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).
So, the rapture will take place. Believers and the bodies of those who died during the Church Age will be “caught up” in one single moment of time. “ALL,” not “some,” will go instantly to be with Jesus, who will then take them into heaven, where He has been preparing their dwelling places since He ascended from the Mount of Olives.
Again, the pre-trib position on this joyous event is that it is imminent (could happen at any moment), and will happen before the tribulation period begins. The post-trib position says that it happens at the end of the most terrible time in human history, just as Jesus Christ is returning from heaven at Armageddon.
The pre-trib view holds that it will occur at an unknown time. It will be a stunning, sudden, and unannounced-to-the-world-at-large break-in upon business as usual on Planet Earth. The post-trib proclaims that it will occur following all of the horrors of the judgments outlined in Revelation.
The pre-trib view says that the world at large (left-behind earth-dwellers) won’t see it coming. The rapture will cause all left on earth to wonder what has happened. The post-trib view says that all eyes will behold Christ’s coming again to a hellish planet, and the living and dead saints will then be gathered to Christ.
The defining thing to consider in thinking on the two diametrically different views of the rapture and second coming is wrapped up in the term “thief in the night”. The Apostle Peter again uses this mysterious term, first used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:2: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10).
Peter is saying here that the day of the Lord–that time when God and His Christ, His Son, takes over this fallen planet—will begin like a thief in the night. It will be a sudden, catastrophic break-in upon a world doing business as usual. (Read Luke 17:26-29 to understand how things will be going along as usual when Christ comes back.)
This description hardly fits the post-trib view, or any other view that says Christ will rapture His Church during a time of unprecedented trouble (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21). This indicates that it will be a total surprise, because a thief in the night doesn’t announce his coming with great, cataclysmic fanfare. The break-in is swift, stealthy–a totally unexpected event.
Peter foretells in these passages that the “day of the Lord” will then run its course, until the remaking of the heavens and the earth. The rapture will begin this “day of the Lord,” which will then run at least 1,007 years.
This is the first phase of Christ’s second coming. The rapture occurs like a “thief in the night”. The second advent, when Jesus’ foot touches down on the Mount of Olives, is the second phase of His second coming.
There are those who say with vehemence that it is blasphemous to equate Christ’s coming again as being like the break-in of a thief in the night. How dare we liken their Lord to a “thief”!
Really? Here’s what Jesus, the Creator of all things, said about this matter:
“But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:43-44).
Looks like a pretty good case for the Lord’s sudden intervention into the nefarious affairs of this increasingly wicked world, does it not? That thief-in-the-night moment could happen, literally, at any moment. Certainly, signals of the tribulation are beginning to come to pass.
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Lk. 21:28).
No scriptural proof-text in God’s Word more clearly points to the first of the two phases of Jesus Christ’s second coming than does the following: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2).
We who hold to the pre-trib rapture viewpoint are often accused of being deceivers. We are condemned by our detractors as leading astray Christians alive now–if they live to see it-- who will be required to endure the tribulation, thus to wash their robes clean in preparation for inheriting God’s Kingdom. We are castigated for foisting upon innocent, gullible believers a “secret rapture” that will somehow lead these Christians to take the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18).
I’m not precisely sure of their “reasoning,” but I think they claim this because they are convinced that the ones who fall for the rapture viewpoint won’t be able to recognize Antichrist when he comes to power. We who teach the pre-trib rapture, so the accusation goes, would have falsely led these people to think the Church would not be here when Antichrist is on the world scene.
Almost all who are antagonistic to the pre-trib rapture doctrine teach that the “elect” will have to endure part or all of the seven-year tribulation era. Those who hold to a post-tribulation rapture, or a no-rapture position, believe that Christ will come back at the end of the tribulation, at Armageddon. They hold to the notion that that is His only return in the second coming. There are other views of the second coming that have Christ returning when the earth is perfected and made ready, but we won’t go there in this essay.
Let us look at only the pre-trib rapture and the post-trib rapture positions for the purpose of exploring what is meant by the “thief in the night” references in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10.
These two viewpoints–the pre-trib, and the post-trib--offer the greatest contrast to examine in consideration of the second advent of Jesus Christ, within the overall belief that rapture will, according to Bible prophecy, happen before Christ’s foot actually touches down on Planet Earth.
The pre-trib view of rapture says that Christ’s second coming is in two phases, separated by at least seven years. The post-trib rapture view says that the rapture and Christ’s coming back to the Mount of Olives will occur almost simultaneously–certainly with no more than a matter of days separating the two events. The post-trib position says there is no “secret” rapture. Christ’s coming again will be fully seen in the heavens by all, including Christians who will be watching for Him to break through the darkness of that hour.
We agree that the rapture of the Church (all born-again believers in Jesus Christ for salvation since the Church Age began at Pentecost will be anything but a “secret”. The world will instantly go into cataclysmic chaos at the moment that stunning event takes place. The imagination is hard-pressed to fathom the ramifications of what will happen when millions suddenly vanish. Every child below the age of accountability will be gone in that mind-boggling instant of time. All babies (including those in the wombs of their mothers) will be instantly in the presence of Christ in the clouds of glory. Every corpse of every dead Christian will be raised to join with his or her soul to meet Christ in the air in that atomos of time.
The rapture will be mystifying, and to some an inexplicable phenomenon, but it will not be a secret. It will happen before the eyes of a stupefied planet of left-behind earth-dwellers. This declaration that Jesus will call His Church to be with Him seems audacious to many. But, it didn’t seem so to the Apostle Paul. He was quite confident–even adamant—in his prophecy concerning the “mystery” he had been given by the Holy Spirit to instruct all believers down through the Age of Grace (Church Age).
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
He explains what will take place next, in that stupendous fraction of a second: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15-17).
Jesus himself told of this “mystery” Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15:51. The Lord explains what happens after believers –both the bodies of the dead and those who are living-- are caught up in the air to be with Him: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).
So, the rapture will take place. Believers and the bodies of those who died during the Church Age will be “caught up” in one single moment of time. “ALL,” not “some,” will go instantly to be with Jesus, who will then take them into heaven, where He has been preparing their dwelling places since He ascended from the Mount of Olives.
Again, the pre-trib position on this joyous event is that it is imminent (could happen at any moment), and will happen before the tribulation period begins. The post-trib position says that it happens at the end of the most terrible time in human history, just as Jesus Christ is returning from heaven at Armageddon.
The pre-trib view holds that it will occur at an unknown time. It will be a stunning, sudden, and unannounced-to-the-world-at-large break-in upon business as usual on Planet Earth. The post-trib proclaims that it will occur following all of the horrors of the judgments outlined in Revelation.
The pre-trib view says that the world at large (left-behind earth-dwellers) won’t see it coming. The rapture will cause all left on earth to wonder what has happened. The post-trib view says that all eyes will behold Christ’s coming again to a hellish planet, and the living and dead saints will then be gathered to Christ.
The defining thing to consider in thinking on the two diametrically different views of the rapture and second coming is wrapped up in the term “thief in the night”. The Apostle Peter again uses this mysterious term, first used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:2: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10).
Peter is saying here that the day of the Lord–that time when God and His Christ, His Son, takes over this fallen planet—will begin like a thief in the night. It will be a sudden, catastrophic break-in upon a world doing business as usual. (Read Luke 17:26-29 to understand how things will be going along as usual when Christ comes back.)
This description hardly fits the post-trib view, or any other view that says Christ will rapture His Church during a time of unprecedented trouble (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21). This indicates that it will be a total surprise, because a thief in the night doesn’t announce his coming with great, cataclysmic fanfare. The break-in is swift, stealthy–a totally unexpected event.
Peter foretells in these passages that the “day of the Lord” will then run its course, until the remaking of the heavens and the earth. The rapture will begin this “day of the Lord,” which will then run at least 1,007 years.
This is the first phase of Christ’s second coming. The rapture occurs like a “thief in the night”. The second advent, when Jesus’ foot touches down on the Mount of Olives, is the second phase of His second coming.
There are those who say with vehemence that it is blasphemous to equate Christ’s coming again as being like the break-in of a thief in the night. How dare we liken their Lord to a “thief”!
Really? Here’s what Jesus, the Creator of all things, said about this matter:
“But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:43-44).
Looks like a pretty good case for the Lord’s sudden intervention into the nefarious affairs of this increasingly wicked world, does it not? That thief-in-the-night moment could happen, literally, at any moment. Certainly, signals of the tribulation are beginning to come to pass.
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Lk. 21:28).
The Book Of Life
Written by Jack Kelly
The word book appears 188 times in the Bible. The Hebrew version is cepher (pronounced safer) and the Greek is biblos from which we get the English word Bible. The first mention of a book is in Genesis 5:1 introducing the stories of 10 patriarchs that Moses wove together to form the book of Genesis.
The first time mention is made of the Book of Life (literally Book of the Living) is in Exodus 32 where the Lord threatened to destroy all the Israelites because the Golden Calf rebellion (Ex. 32:10). Moses made intercession for them asking the Lord to forgive the sins of the people or if not to blot him out of the book (Ex. 32:32). He was offering to die for the sins of the people. Then the Lord said instead of destroying them all right then He would delay their ultimate punishment until a future time. But when that time came He would blot out the names of all who had sinned against Him. (Ex. 32:33-34)
The Principle of First Mention holds that the first time an important bit of doctrine is mentioned in the Bible, we'll often find details surrounding it that help us gain a deeper understanding. In this case it's clear. All our names are written in the Book of Life. Sinning against God will cause them to be blotted out. To avoid having our names blotted out immediately upon sinning we need an intercessor. Moses was told his intercession would only postpone the judgment, and that those who sinned would eventually have their names blotted out of the book. So Moses, the Law giver, is seen here as a model of the Law. The sacrifices offered under the Law could only postpone the judgment for mankind's sins, they could not provide a permanent pardon. This would later be confirmed in Hebrews 10:1-4 and other places.
From what we know of the Yom Kippur ceremony, this temporary postponement had to be renewed every year and that's what made it the most solemn day of the year. It's hard for us to imagine the degree of apprehension this day brought. The Fate of the nation and its people literally hung in the balance. Would God extend the postponement or would He require an accounting then and there?
When Were Our Names Written In The Book?
Psalm 139 speaks of the relationship between God and the pre-born. It makes a strong case for life beginning at conception, saying the Lord knit us together in our mother's womb (Ps. 139:13) and that all the days ordained for us were written in the Book of Life before one of them came to be (Ps. 139:16).
There are two pieces of important information here. The first is that before we were conceived we didn't exist in any form. We weren't a spirit waiting for a body to inhabit, or coming fresh from a previous life to begin a new one on our journey to Nirvana. And the second is while God knows the end from the beginning, our lives don't consist of some tightly controlled script we're forced to follow. The fact that God knew all of our days before we lived one of them simply means that He knew the history of our life while it was still future to us.
Israel And The Book Of Life
An Angel confirmed to Daniel that at the time of the Great Tribulation all Daniel's people whose names had been written in the Book of Life would be delivered (Daniel 12:1). This was confirmed by Paul in Romans 11:25-26. He said after the rapture of the Church, the partial blindness that has kept Israel from identifying their Messiah would be lifted and representatives from all the 12 tribes would accept Him as their Savior. John wrote that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation believing Jews will be carried away into the desert to be protected from Satan for its duration (Rev. 12:14). As the time of the 2nd Coming approaches others who have survived will also be saved (Zechariah 12:10). Together, these Jews will populate Israel during the Millennium, where they'll be joined by resurrected Jews of Old Testament times who died in faith of a coming redeemer. (Daniel 12:2)
The Church And The Book Of Life
In the New Testament, the Book of Life is mentioned eight times. Seven of them are in the Book of Revelation. The other one is in Phil. 4:3 where Paul said the names of his fellow laborers are listed there. But there other places where the Book of Life is in view, even though it isn't named as such. For instance a group of disciples had just returned from ministering in Israel. They were filled with joy knowing that even demons had submitted to them in the Lord's name. Jesus told them, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20)
In Rev. 3:5 Jesus said He will never blot the names of those who entrust their destinies to Him out of the Book of Life. In Romans 8:34 we read that Jesus is at the right hand of God making intercession for us. From this we can see that the Lord's intercession is sufficient to give us a permanent place in the book, while Moses could only promise temporary security.
In Rev. 13:8 we're introduced to another Book of Life, this one belonging to the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. In this verse John said all those who dwell upon the Earth will worship the anti-Christ, whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Note the odd sentence structure here. First it says all those who dwell on the Earth will worship the anti-Christ. Then it says their names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. From this we can infer that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation there's no one on Earth whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Peter confirms the Lamb is Jesus, so the Lamb's Book of Life is the registry of the Church, rescued from the time and place of the End times judgments.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. (1 Peter 1:18-20)
The only other place where the Lamb's Book of Life appears is in Rev. 21:27 where it says only those whose names are written therein can enter the New Jerusalem. This identifies the New Jerusalem as the exclusive home of the Church
Unbelievers And The Book Of Life
Rev. 17:8 says the inhabitants of the Earth whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world will be astonished to see the Beast because he was once, now is not, and yet will come. This tells us that not only were our names written there before we were born as Psalm 139:16 revealed, but were actually written there from the creation. It also reveals that those who are astonished by the beast have already had their names blotted out of the book, just as the 3rd angel of Rev. 14 had warned (Rev. 14:9-11). The Greek word translated astonished in Rev. 17:8 means to marvel at, or hold in admiration. Worshiping the anti-Christ is cause for having one's name blotted out of the book.
Some believe that the phrase once was, now is not, and yet will come means that the anti-Christ will be a figure from the past, someone who had lived before John's time, was dead when John wrote the book of Revelation (95 AD), but will come back at the End of the Age as the anti-Christ. The most popular candidates are Antiochus Epiphanes who died in 163BC, the Roman Emperor Nero who died in 68 AD, and Judas Iscariot who died in 32AD. Antiochus Epiphanes and Nero are two of the most specific historical models of the anti-Christ, and Jesus called Judas the son of perdition (John 17:12) the same title by which Paul referred to the anti-Christ (2 Thes. 2:3)
The Great White Throne judgment of Rev. 20:11-15 shows the dead being judged according to what is written in the books (Rev. 20:12). Several books will be used in this judgment. They contain the record of everything everyone ever born has said (Matthew 12:36-37) or done, whether good or bad, in public or in secret (Ecclesiastes 12:14). But in concluding the passage, John wrote that regardless of their good works, if their name has been blotted out of the Book of Life they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The only way to prevent being blotted out of the book is to allow the death of Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
This study was not meant to cover every reference to the Book of Life, whether direct or indirect, but to give us a more complete understanding of its purpose. Our names were inscribed there before the Creation as a record of our existence, and because of our belief that the Lord died for us and rose again they can never be blotted out. Selah 10-23-10.
The word book appears 188 times in the Bible. The Hebrew version is cepher (pronounced safer) and the Greek is biblos from which we get the English word Bible. The first mention of a book is in Genesis 5:1 introducing the stories of 10 patriarchs that Moses wove together to form the book of Genesis.
The first time mention is made of the Book of Life (literally Book of the Living) is in Exodus 32 where the Lord threatened to destroy all the Israelites because the Golden Calf rebellion (Ex. 32:10). Moses made intercession for them asking the Lord to forgive the sins of the people or if not to blot him out of the book (Ex. 32:32). He was offering to die for the sins of the people. Then the Lord said instead of destroying them all right then He would delay their ultimate punishment until a future time. But when that time came He would blot out the names of all who had sinned against Him. (Ex. 32:33-34)
The Principle of First Mention holds that the first time an important bit of doctrine is mentioned in the Bible, we'll often find details surrounding it that help us gain a deeper understanding. In this case it's clear. All our names are written in the Book of Life. Sinning against God will cause them to be blotted out. To avoid having our names blotted out immediately upon sinning we need an intercessor. Moses was told his intercession would only postpone the judgment, and that those who sinned would eventually have their names blotted out of the book. So Moses, the Law giver, is seen here as a model of the Law. The sacrifices offered under the Law could only postpone the judgment for mankind's sins, they could not provide a permanent pardon. This would later be confirmed in Hebrews 10:1-4 and other places.
From what we know of the Yom Kippur ceremony, this temporary postponement had to be renewed every year and that's what made it the most solemn day of the year. It's hard for us to imagine the degree of apprehension this day brought. The Fate of the nation and its people literally hung in the balance. Would God extend the postponement or would He require an accounting then and there?
When Were Our Names Written In The Book?
Psalm 139 speaks of the relationship between God and the pre-born. It makes a strong case for life beginning at conception, saying the Lord knit us together in our mother's womb (Ps. 139:13) and that all the days ordained for us were written in the Book of Life before one of them came to be (Ps. 139:16).
There are two pieces of important information here. The first is that before we were conceived we didn't exist in any form. We weren't a spirit waiting for a body to inhabit, or coming fresh from a previous life to begin a new one on our journey to Nirvana. And the second is while God knows the end from the beginning, our lives don't consist of some tightly controlled script we're forced to follow. The fact that God knew all of our days before we lived one of them simply means that He knew the history of our life while it was still future to us.
Israel And The Book Of Life
An Angel confirmed to Daniel that at the time of the Great Tribulation all Daniel's people whose names had been written in the Book of Life would be delivered (Daniel 12:1). This was confirmed by Paul in Romans 11:25-26. He said after the rapture of the Church, the partial blindness that has kept Israel from identifying their Messiah would be lifted and representatives from all the 12 tribes would accept Him as their Savior. John wrote that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation believing Jews will be carried away into the desert to be protected from Satan for its duration (Rev. 12:14). As the time of the 2nd Coming approaches others who have survived will also be saved (Zechariah 12:10). Together, these Jews will populate Israel during the Millennium, where they'll be joined by resurrected Jews of Old Testament times who died in faith of a coming redeemer. (Daniel 12:2)
The Church And The Book Of Life
In the New Testament, the Book of Life is mentioned eight times. Seven of them are in the Book of Revelation. The other one is in Phil. 4:3 where Paul said the names of his fellow laborers are listed there. But there other places where the Book of Life is in view, even though it isn't named as such. For instance a group of disciples had just returned from ministering in Israel. They were filled with joy knowing that even demons had submitted to them in the Lord's name. Jesus told them, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20)
In Rev. 3:5 Jesus said He will never blot the names of those who entrust their destinies to Him out of the Book of Life. In Romans 8:34 we read that Jesus is at the right hand of God making intercession for us. From this we can see that the Lord's intercession is sufficient to give us a permanent place in the book, while Moses could only promise temporary security.
In Rev. 13:8 we're introduced to another Book of Life, this one belonging to the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. In this verse John said all those who dwell upon the Earth will worship the anti-Christ, whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Note the odd sentence structure here. First it says all those who dwell on the Earth will worship the anti-Christ. Then it says their names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. From this we can infer that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation there's no one on Earth whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Peter confirms the Lamb is Jesus, so the Lamb's Book of Life is the registry of the Church, rescued from the time and place of the End times judgments.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. (1 Peter 1:18-20)
The only other place where the Lamb's Book of Life appears is in Rev. 21:27 where it says only those whose names are written therein can enter the New Jerusalem. This identifies the New Jerusalem as the exclusive home of the Church
Unbelievers And The Book Of Life
Rev. 17:8 says the inhabitants of the Earth whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world will be astonished to see the Beast because he was once, now is not, and yet will come. This tells us that not only were our names written there before we were born as Psalm 139:16 revealed, but were actually written there from the creation. It also reveals that those who are astonished by the beast have already had their names blotted out of the book, just as the 3rd angel of Rev. 14 had warned (Rev. 14:9-11). The Greek word translated astonished in Rev. 17:8 means to marvel at, or hold in admiration. Worshiping the anti-Christ is cause for having one's name blotted out of the book.
Some believe that the phrase once was, now is not, and yet will come means that the anti-Christ will be a figure from the past, someone who had lived before John's time, was dead when John wrote the book of Revelation (95 AD), but will come back at the End of the Age as the anti-Christ. The most popular candidates are Antiochus Epiphanes who died in 163BC, the Roman Emperor Nero who died in 68 AD, and Judas Iscariot who died in 32AD. Antiochus Epiphanes and Nero are two of the most specific historical models of the anti-Christ, and Jesus called Judas the son of perdition (John 17:12) the same title by which Paul referred to the anti-Christ (2 Thes. 2:3)
The Great White Throne judgment of Rev. 20:11-15 shows the dead being judged according to what is written in the books (Rev. 20:12). Several books will be used in this judgment. They contain the record of everything everyone ever born has said (Matthew 12:36-37) or done, whether good or bad, in public or in secret (Ecclesiastes 12:14). But in concluding the passage, John wrote that regardless of their good works, if their name has been blotted out of the Book of Life they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The only way to prevent being blotted out of the book is to allow the death of Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
This study was not meant to cover every reference to the Book of Life, whether direct or indirect, but to give us a more complete understanding of its purpose. Our names were inscribed there before the Creation as a record of our existence, and because of our belief that the Lord died for us and rose again they can never be blotted out. Selah 10-23-10.
The Battle of Armageddon
By Joseph Chambers
Jesus Christ – glorious in battle, triumphant over every enemy, riding a mighty white stallion – will split the eastern sky to come back to earth as the King of Kings. This is truly the colossal event and even more spectacular than Gog and Magog. The breath (Spirit) of His mouth is a two-edged sword. He has sat – at times stood – at His Father’s Right Hand for two thousand years. Now, he returns to reign over the world for a millennium.
As He returns to this earth, He will face an army from every kingdom ruled by the Antichrist. Demons will have been dispatched to gather this army and they will be chosen to be part of the most vicious army ever assembled. Each soldier will be chosen by the highest possible standard of both military and New Age religions. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13-14). Every chosen warrior will have taken the Mark of the Beast will be possessed by unclean spirits and will be ready to die for this masquerade of their “christ.”
The Son of God will not return from His Father’s presence alone. The triumphant Church of the blood-washed and glorified saints will be riding with Him on their white horses. Every one of these Saints will be overcomers from their generation and each of them will be a match for Satan himself. They will have already proven that Satan could not stop their faith or compromise their purity. They will surely gleam brightly in their garments of righteousness, “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14).
Even before this great drama is portrayed in Revelation Chapter nineteen, the Spirit declared that a host of angels would join the ranks for this grand moment, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32). To even attempt to number this multitude will be impossible. Every angel will be an experienced warrior that have fought and won numerous conflicts with their evil counterparts that rebelled with their champion, Lucifer or Satan.
This great multitude will stretch from one end of the heavens to the opposite end. The day of invisible angels will be finished and this awesome company will startle the earthly inhabitants that are still alive. The saints on their spectacular white horses will number “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” but the angels will be innumerable. At the head of this great and awesome multitude and brighter than the noon day sun, will be the triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Son of God is called the Lamb or the Lamb of God from Revelation 4:1 to this victorious moment. His total purpose during that period is the redemption of this universe. At this point the earth will be redeemed, sin will be judged, injustice will be set straight, and the righteous King of Kings can now mount the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Satan has been the god of this earth for better than six thousand years, but he knows if he loses the “Battle of Armageddon”, he is finished.
To picture the ground and air forces gathered in Megiddo will be to witness in one location the military hardware of every great army on earth. As the Antichrist armies gather, the forward direction will be Jerusalem. It is clear in Scripture that the Antichrist’s capitol city of Babylon will already be in ruins, the Vatican city of Rome will have been burned, and, now, Jerusalem’s must be conquered. The destruction of Babylon was an act of God but Rome’s destruction was the fury of the Antichrist. When the great minds of these world leaders are fully prepared and the march to Jerusalem is announced, the heavens will suddenly explode with action.
Jesus Christ in all of His excellent glory will return to personally direct this battle. We serve a patient God; but when His wrath is kindled, there is no defense. Zechariah spoke by the Spirit, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle”… Then shall the LORD go forth…And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zechariah 14:2a,3a &12). The slaughter of this angry mob will be unprecedented.
The Son of God will actually fight with His army of the redeemed and His angels. The Antichrist will flee in fear and defeat to the ruined entrance of His once proud capitol. Micah reported his end at Babylon, “And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders” (Micah 5:6).
Our victorious King will arrive in Jerusalem with grace in His heart for the convicted nation of His own kin. “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).
The very word “Armageddon” has always been a word that suggests the end of human conflicts or the end of time. It has been used as freely by the unbelieving and the wild spiritualists as it has by the Bible believers. That suggests that it is God’s designed word – all fixed in the human thought processes – raising both great fear but also final victory. Only we that know the infallibility of Scripture can speak this word “Armageddon” with great joy in our hearts.
It’s closer than you can possibly imagine!
Jesus Christ – glorious in battle, triumphant over every enemy, riding a mighty white stallion – will split the eastern sky to come back to earth as the King of Kings. This is truly the colossal event and even more spectacular than Gog and Magog. The breath (Spirit) of His mouth is a two-edged sword. He has sat – at times stood – at His Father’s Right Hand for two thousand years. Now, he returns to reign over the world for a millennium.
As He returns to this earth, He will face an army from every kingdom ruled by the Antichrist. Demons will have been dispatched to gather this army and they will be chosen to be part of the most vicious army ever assembled. Each soldier will be chosen by the highest possible standard of both military and New Age religions. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13-14). Every chosen warrior will have taken the Mark of the Beast will be possessed by unclean spirits and will be ready to die for this masquerade of their “christ.”
The Son of God will not return from His Father’s presence alone. The triumphant Church of the blood-washed and glorified saints will be riding with Him on their white horses. Every one of these Saints will be overcomers from their generation and each of them will be a match for Satan himself. They will have already proven that Satan could not stop their faith or compromise their purity. They will surely gleam brightly in their garments of righteousness, “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14).
Even before this great drama is portrayed in Revelation Chapter nineteen, the Spirit declared that a host of angels would join the ranks for this grand moment, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32). To even attempt to number this multitude will be impossible. Every angel will be an experienced warrior that have fought and won numerous conflicts with their evil counterparts that rebelled with their champion, Lucifer or Satan.
This great multitude will stretch from one end of the heavens to the opposite end. The day of invisible angels will be finished and this awesome company will startle the earthly inhabitants that are still alive. The saints on their spectacular white horses will number “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” but the angels will be innumerable. At the head of this great and awesome multitude and brighter than the noon day sun, will be the triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Son of God is called the Lamb or the Lamb of God from Revelation 4:1 to this victorious moment. His total purpose during that period is the redemption of this universe. At this point the earth will be redeemed, sin will be judged, injustice will be set straight, and the righteous King of Kings can now mount the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Satan has been the god of this earth for better than six thousand years, but he knows if he loses the “Battle of Armageddon”, he is finished.
To picture the ground and air forces gathered in Megiddo will be to witness in one location the military hardware of every great army on earth. As the Antichrist armies gather, the forward direction will be Jerusalem. It is clear in Scripture that the Antichrist’s capitol city of Babylon will already be in ruins, the Vatican city of Rome will have been burned, and, now, Jerusalem’s must be conquered. The destruction of Babylon was an act of God but Rome’s destruction was the fury of the Antichrist. When the great minds of these world leaders are fully prepared and the march to Jerusalem is announced, the heavens will suddenly explode with action.
Jesus Christ in all of His excellent glory will return to personally direct this battle. We serve a patient God; but when His wrath is kindled, there is no defense. Zechariah spoke by the Spirit, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle”… Then shall the LORD go forth…And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zechariah 14:2a,3a &12). The slaughter of this angry mob will be unprecedented.
The Son of God will actually fight with His army of the redeemed and His angels. The Antichrist will flee in fear and defeat to the ruined entrance of His once proud capitol. Micah reported his end at Babylon, “And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders” (Micah 5:6).
Our victorious King will arrive in Jerusalem with grace in His heart for the convicted nation of His own kin. “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).
The very word “Armageddon” has always been a word that suggests the end of human conflicts or the end of time. It has been used as freely by the unbelieving and the wild spiritualists as it has by the Bible believers. That suggests that it is God’s designed word – all fixed in the human thought processes – raising both great fear but also final victory. Only we that know the infallibility of Scripture can speak this word “Armageddon” with great joy in our hearts.
It’s closer than you can possibly imagine!
A City Too Priceless To Value
By Joseph Chambers
This earth is a beautiful creation. Men have built cities, parks, buildings, and campuses that are marvels of technology and splendor. The natural splendor of this earth is overwhelming. But, never has this earth seen beauty as we are destined to view. Ancient Babylon was known as one of the wonders of the world. Chariots raced on and around the tops of its walls, and the Great Euphrates River flowed beneath its towering strength. Yet, when New Jerusalem descends out of Heaven its glowing beauty will dazzle the world. Never has this world viewed anything so glorious and so massive. The streets of gold are the most common of all its riches. This city will actually be Heaven on earth.
God Himself, in the excellent glory of His person, and His exalted glorified Son will dwell in the midst of this city. It will become a temple or a sanctuary of His sovereign presence, and worship will fill every beautiful inch. I cannot explain the presence of the Heavenly Father, but I can assure you that there are not human words to fully describe Him. He is awesome in holiness, and that characteristic will be the overarching expression of Him. No sin can live or even approach Him. His holiness is not acquired but issues forth from Him. He is the one and only source of all holiness, and it absolutely fills His person to overflowing. All that come near to Him will take on His holiness in them and reflect it throughout this matchless city.
The Son of God in all His glorified manhood will, along with His Father, be the Light of the city and of the New Heaven and New Earth. The brilliance of that light will create a lighted world without shadows. Everywhere you look will be this brilliance of Light so remarkable that it will appear to reflect off and out of everything. It will be Light that forever and totally eliminates the presence of darkness so that the entire universe has a God-like splendor. The Son of God Himself is the source of this Light. When He said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5), it was a divine statement. When we see Him there will be a satisfaction in us that forever fulfills the greatest hunger known to man. Every pain, sadness, or sorrow known to the human family is but a deep need to be filled with Him. In His literal presence is fullness of life, and we will never have emptiness again. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (I Corinthians 13:12).
The massive walls of this city are fifteen hundred miles high and are created with jewels of great value and beauty. The city will be foursquare, equal on each side to its height. There will be three identical gates on each side of the city of the same height as the twelve levels of city walls. They will add splendor because they will be solid pearls polished to their highest perfection. There is nowhere in God’s universe that this city will not be visible. The Bible does not tell us how it will be set in conjunction to the new earth, but it must be seen because within it is the source of all light and there is no darkness. The gates will bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve foundations will bear the names of the twelve apostles. These twenty-four representations reflect the same complete type as seen in chapter four when the Rapture occurred. They are His raptured saints from the Old and New Testament. The number twenty-four is but a type of a multitude.
The “New Heaven” assures us that the heavenly bodies, the weather patterns, and the very atmosphere will be purified unto perfection. The great planets, stars, and other celestial bodies will be the source of beauty and heavenly splendor that will make the sky above to glisten in perfect clarity. It will be picture perfect, and the weather will never be anything but the source of life. When it rains, it will be like drinking water bathing His created world. Snow and ice flakes will fill His world with a carpet that delights His entire creation. The birds, earth animals, and the sea creatures will spend their lives in playful delight, and God’s family will love every moment of it.
The earth will bring forth nothing but that which delights our appetites. Fruit trees will never bear imperfect fruit. The vineyards will provide its vintage flavors to man. The entire earth will be a garden and flowers will explode in their beauty. There will be nothing on the earth or produced by the earth but those things that man enjoys. The earth will be so pure that God Himself will find delight in a renewed fellowship with His family. He will walk among us as He visited Adam in the garden. Labor will be sweet and we will tend our gardens with delight. Every moment on God’s earth will be like Heaven.
The twentieth first chapter of Revelation is the single place in God’s World that the Book of Life is called by its full title. John wrote as the Spirit gave witness, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, nor maketh a lie: but they which are written in the “LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE” (Revelation 21:27). Nothing on His earth, in His Heaven, or in New Jerusalem will be unclean. Nothing that defiles can enter His eternity. The total culture and population will be His redeemed saints. Holiness will be the lifestyle and love will be the emotion that fills this universe and His holy city forever. Sinners that refused to repent and surrender only to Christ will already have been cast into the Lake of Fire.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
Dwelling in the midst of this city and of His own family will be the Father Himself. The Son of God loves His Father with a love that can only be called divine. Yet, this divine love has a component of manhood because He was begotten of the Father in His earthly pilgrimage. This city is the Son’s gift to His Bride. After He brings His Bride into the city, He proceeds to exalt His Father to be with Him and His Bride and to be their God. One of the greatest mysteries that we shall soon discover is voiced in words that show this future honor that the Son gives His Father. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:24-26).
This earth is a beautiful creation. Men have built cities, parks, buildings, and campuses that are marvels of technology and splendor. The natural splendor of this earth is overwhelming. But, never has this earth seen beauty as we are destined to view. Ancient Babylon was known as one of the wonders of the world. Chariots raced on and around the tops of its walls, and the Great Euphrates River flowed beneath its towering strength. Yet, when New Jerusalem descends out of Heaven its glowing beauty will dazzle the world. Never has this world viewed anything so glorious and so massive. The streets of gold are the most common of all its riches. This city will actually be Heaven on earth.
God Himself, in the excellent glory of His person, and His exalted glorified Son will dwell in the midst of this city. It will become a temple or a sanctuary of His sovereign presence, and worship will fill every beautiful inch. I cannot explain the presence of the Heavenly Father, but I can assure you that there are not human words to fully describe Him. He is awesome in holiness, and that characteristic will be the overarching expression of Him. No sin can live or even approach Him. His holiness is not acquired but issues forth from Him. He is the one and only source of all holiness, and it absolutely fills His person to overflowing. All that come near to Him will take on His holiness in them and reflect it throughout this matchless city.
The Son of God in all His glorified manhood will, along with His Father, be the Light of the city and of the New Heaven and New Earth. The brilliance of that light will create a lighted world without shadows. Everywhere you look will be this brilliance of Light so remarkable that it will appear to reflect off and out of everything. It will be Light that forever and totally eliminates the presence of darkness so that the entire universe has a God-like splendor. The Son of God Himself is the source of this Light. When He said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5), it was a divine statement. When we see Him there will be a satisfaction in us that forever fulfills the greatest hunger known to man. Every pain, sadness, or sorrow known to the human family is but a deep need to be filled with Him. In His literal presence is fullness of life, and we will never have emptiness again. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (I Corinthians 13:12).
The massive walls of this city are fifteen hundred miles high and are created with jewels of great value and beauty. The city will be foursquare, equal on each side to its height. There will be three identical gates on each side of the city of the same height as the twelve levels of city walls. They will add splendor because they will be solid pearls polished to their highest perfection. There is nowhere in God’s universe that this city will not be visible. The Bible does not tell us how it will be set in conjunction to the new earth, but it must be seen because within it is the source of all light and there is no darkness. The gates will bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve foundations will bear the names of the twelve apostles. These twenty-four representations reflect the same complete type as seen in chapter four when the Rapture occurred. They are His raptured saints from the Old and New Testament. The number twenty-four is but a type of a multitude.
The “New Heaven” assures us that the heavenly bodies, the weather patterns, and the very atmosphere will be purified unto perfection. The great planets, stars, and other celestial bodies will be the source of beauty and heavenly splendor that will make the sky above to glisten in perfect clarity. It will be picture perfect, and the weather will never be anything but the source of life. When it rains, it will be like drinking water bathing His created world. Snow and ice flakes will fill His world with a carpet that delights His entire creation. The birds, earth animals, and the sea creatures will spend their lives in playful delight, and God’s family will love every moment of it.
The earth will bring forth nothing but that which delights our appetites. Fruit trees will never bear imperfect fruit. The vineyards will provide its vintage flavors to man. The entire earth will be a garden and flowers will explode in their beauty. There will be nothing on the earth or produced by the earth but those things that man enjoys. The earth will be so pure that God Himself will find delight in a renewed fellowship with His family. He will walk among us as He visited Adam in the garden. Labor will be sweet and we will tend our gardens with delight. Every moment on God’s earth will be like Heaven.
The twentieth first chapter of Revelation is the single place in God’s World that the Book of Life is called by its full title. John wrote as the Spirit gave witness, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, nor maketh a lie: but they which are written in the “LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE” (Revelation 21:27). Nothing on His earth, in His Heaven, or in New Jerusalem will be unclean. Nothing that defiles can enter His eternity. The total culture and population will be His redeemed saints. Holiness will be the lifestyle and love will be the emotion that fills this universe and His holy city forever. Sinners that refused to repent and surrender only to Christ will already have been cast into the Lake of Fire.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
Dwelling in the midst of this city and of His own family will be the Father Himself. The Son of God loves His Father with a love that can only be called divine. Yet, this divine love has a component of manhood because He was begotten of the Father in His earthly pilgrimage. This city is the Son’s gift to His Bride. After He brings His Bride into the city, He proceeds to exalt His Father to be with Him and His Bride and to be their God. One of the greatest mysteries that we shall soon discover is voiced in words that show this future honor that the Son gives His Father. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:24-26).
IN DEFENSE OF ISRAEL
By Mike Taylor
In the world in which we live in, there are no other people that have been persecuted more than the Jewish people. People who claim to be Christians, believe that Israel has been replaced and has no place in the heart of God, even though God called them “His chosen people.” In Genesis chapter 12 we find the following proclamation by God:
12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (what is that blessing? God's final remark in verse 3 is the most fundamental reason God chose Abraham, and thus Israel and his descendants: to bless mankind in the Person of Jesus Christ. Christ is the center, the focus, of everything.)
12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Before God called Abram to leave his father and the family he had known, the human race was called the nations, until God made a covenant with Abram, who became Abraham and was called “a friend of God.” Throughout all of the bible, we see a personal, intimate relationship, both good and bad, that God had with this selected race of people that became the nation of Israel, named after Jacob, who became Israel after wrestling with the Spirit of the Lord. God dealt with these people to be a witness to the whole world. God spoke to Moses, His desire for a peculiar and special people:
19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
When studying your bible, you see a trend that develops with mortal man, even a special people. Man, when he is following what God says and obeys His voice, the blessings flow until in this ancient time, Israel became the greatest nation on earth in the time of David and into the reign of Solomon. But when man does not follow God’s commandments and obey His voice, then because of His disobedience, he experiences curses, exile, and death at the hand of his enemies. It happened many times to Israel and God was patient with them for hundreds of years and sent many prophets to warn them, but they failed miserably and were scattered to the four winds after Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
For almost 2000 years, the Jewish people (so named because of the tribe of Judah) were a nation no more. They were persecuted, hunted down, and killed because of Gentile nation prejudice of being “the killers of Jesus Christ.” Yes, the Jews did indeed have a indirect hand in the crucifixion and death, (right along with the Romans), of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as was His plan from the beginning. When Jesus was speaking about what would happen to the nation of Israel, which during the time of Jesus was being ruled in servitude to Roman conquerors, Jesus said in Matthew 21: 42
“Did you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes"? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”
Jesus was speaking of a time coming when the nation of Israel would lose the commission that was given to them, to be a royal priesthood to all the nations of the earth and a peculiar people. They were to be a witness, or intermediary for the gentile nations though the Levitical priesthood, until the time of the revealing of their Messiah. But as we should know, they failed miserably. But they are no better, or worse than we are, because as humans, we fail miserably when looking to ourselves and not following God’s leadership through His Holy Spirit.
So, if God has rejected the children of Israel, what was their purpose? Was Israel God's failed trial run at ruling humans, or was there something more to it? Why did God choose Israel? What makes Israel so special? Where does Israel fit in the grand scheme of God's plan?
There is good news and bad news concerning what has happened to Israel for the last 2000 years. First, let’s discuss the good news of Israel’s failure to follow God and to accept His only begotten Son, as the Savior of their souls. The good news is that because Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and rejected the message preached by the apostles noted in the book of Acts, that the message was taken to the Gentiles, especially by Paul the apostle, who had been known as the Pharisee, Saul, before his conversion on a dusty road to Damascus. Paul writes
Romans 11:26-32:
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
That folks is it in a nutshell. In God’s eternal wisdom, He blinded the Jewish people to the truth and the revelation of Jesus Christ as their long awaited Messiah, so God could have mercy on us, the gentiles and eventually on us all. But is God done with the nation of Israel? Some in modern evangelical religions seem to think that God has abandoned Israel and has replaced her with the church. That contradicts the above scripture, and as we all know, God cannot lie. The church will be God’s first fruits into His kingdom, but as He says, “He will take away their sins.” But do they deserve it? Do you? Of course, we do not deserve the sacrifice Jesus made on His cross, almost 2000 years ago, during Passover season. But for the sake of His promise to the fathers of the Jews, namely, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and because of His Holy Name, He will confirm and honor the covenant He made with their father Abraham when He called him into the land of Canaan.
We read in Ezekiel the 37th chapter about the prophecy of the “valley of dry bones”. We won’t take time to quote the entire chapter, so take a moment and read that chapter and meditate what the meaning of the passage means to Israel. They were a nation scattered, lost as a people, blinded to the truth, and seemingly beyond hope. But God has called them again and they were prophesied to be a great nation again, a vast army. For 2000 years, this passage lay dormant in the annals of history, until 1948 when beyond all reason, beyond all human comprehension, and against all odds, Israel became a nation AGAIN. It has never, never, ever happened in all of the history of the world. There has never been a nation destroyed, scattered, and forgotten, and then reconstitute itself to be the same nation as it was centuries before with essentially the same customs, language, and culture. I repeat, NEVER!!
Why has this happened? Because God is not done with them, until He saves THEM ALL!! He wishes to show mercy, as it is written in Roman chapter 11:
11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
1 1:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Did you get that? He will have mercy upon all. That includes us, the church in the Age of Grace and upon the nation of Israel in the time of tribulation when He will purge them as a refiner of silver. Malachi chapter 3:
3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
God has used Israel and its descendents, to move along the plan of God and introduce His salvation through the Hebrew people, namely the nation of Israel. He has now reconstituted that nation again into a nation long thought of destroyed for these end times we live in. Zechariah prophesied and wrote down what we have seen and will see in the near future. Turn over to the 12th chapter in your bible.
12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
God will defend His people and will in the end, reveal Himself to His people and they will believe as a nation.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
And that soon to be future event, God says this in Hebrews chapter 10:
10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Remember the beginning of the message? “I will bless them that bless you, and will curse them that curse you.’? Every member of God’s church, His true church, must pray for Israel, must stand with her, and must believe the Words of Almighty God. Anyone who lifts a hand against her will be cut to pieces. Anyone who thinks they are so powerful that they can undermine the nation of Israel in these last days, I believe, is going against God Himself. Look all around us. Have we not been blessed when we stood shoulder to shoulder with God’s chosen people? And if we try and divide His land, (as it belongs to God), and do evil to a people God has made an unbreakable promises to then I fear for that nation. My fellow Americans, I fear for us. We must stand up and make known our voice loud and clear, that we stand with Israel. Not because they deserve it, but because God said it. They don’t deserve, but then again, neither do we.
As we fast approach the coming time of Jacob’s trouble and seven year tribulation, John spoke of Israel as a people in the Revelation chapter 12, we see a symbol of the nation of Israel, as woman with 12 stars about her head, as a crown, and the moon under her feet.
12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The next few verses, we see the Red Dragon, Satan the devil, appear to wait to devour the child, which is Jesus Christ, which he tried many times, but when he thought he had won at the crucifixion, his victory was his ultimate defeat.
12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Jesus has risen and been taken to the right side of God the Father waiting for setting up His kingdom, here on earth.
But notice the next lines? 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
All through this chapter, God protects His people, so to say that God is done with the Israelites, is to ignore scripture references to the contrary. We see many references to standing with Israel in the annals of this website, but we must continue to make our case known and our voice heard where we stand on the side of God’s chosen people and what He called “the apple of His eye.”
Pray for our leaders. And if they won’t follow standing with Israel, or live by what this nation was founded upon. Then pray for leaders that will. But as individuals that are responsible to God for our actions, our thoughts, and obedience to His Word. Pray for Israel, because she is the door to end time events, and Jerusalem is the key and the clearest indicator of how close we really are to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to receive His church unto Himself. So come Lord Jesus.
In the world in which we live in, there are no other people that have been persecuted more than the Jewish people. People who claim to be Christians, believe that Israel has been replaced and has no place in the heart of God, even though God called them “His chosen people.” In Genesis chapter 12 we find the following proclamation by God:
12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (what is that blessing? God's final remark in verse 3 is the most fundamental reason God chose Abraham, and thus Israel and his descendants: to bless mankind in the Person of Jesus Christ. Christ is the center, the focus, of everything.)
12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Before God called Abram to leave his father and the family he had known, the human race was called the nations, until God made a covenant with Abram, who became Abraham and was called “a friend of God.” Throughout all of the bible, we see a personal, intimate relationship, both good and bad, that God had with this selected race of people that became the nation of Israel, named after Jacob, who became Israel after wrestling with the Spirit of the Lord. God dealt with these people to be a witness to the whole world. God spoke to Moses, His desire for a peculiar and special people:
19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
When studying your bible, you see a trend that develops with mortal man, even a special people. Man, when he is following what God says and obeys His voice, the blessings flow until in this ancient time, Israel became the greatest nation on earth in the time of David and into the reign of Solomon. But when man does not follow God’s commandments and obey His voice, then because of His disobedience, he experiences curses, exile, and death at the hand of his enemies. It happened many times to Israel and God was patient with them for hundreds of years and sent many prophets to warn them, but they failed miserably and were scattered to the four winds after Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
For almost 2000 years, the Jewish people (so named because of the tribe of Judah) were a nation no more. They were persecuted, hunted down, and killed because of Gentile nation prejudice of being “the killers of Jesus Christ.” Yes, the Jews did indeed have a indirect hand in the crucifixion and death, (right along with the Romans), of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as was His plan from the beginning. When Jesus was speaking about what would happen to the nation of Israel, which during the time of Jesus was being ruled in servitude to Roman conquerors, Jesus said in Matthew 21: 42
“Did you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes"? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”
Jesus was speaking of a time coming when the nation of Israel would lose the commission that was given to them, to be a royal priesthood to all the nations of the earth and a peculiar people. They were to be a witness, or intermediary for the gentile nations though the Levitical priesthood, until the time of the revealing of their Messiah. But as we should know, they failed miserably. But they are no better, or worse than we are, because as humans, we fail miserably when looking to ourselves and not following God’s leadership through His Holy Spirit.
So, if God has rejected the children of Israel, what was their purpose? Was Israel God's failed trial run at ruling humans, or was there something more to it? Why did God choose Israel? What makes Israel so special? Where does Israel fit in the grand scheme of God's plan?
There is good news and bad news concerning what has happened to Israel for the last 2000 years. First, let’s discuss the good news of Israel’s failure to follow God and to accept His only begotten Son, as the Savior of their souls. The good news is that because Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and rejected the message preached by the apostles noted in the book of Acts, that the message was taken to the Gentiles, especially by Paul the apostle, who had been known as the Pharisee, Saul, before his conversion on a dusty road to Damascus. Paul writes
Romans 11:26-32:
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
That folks is it in a nutshell. In God’s eternal wisdom, He blinded the Jewish people to the truth and the revelation of Jesus Christ as their long awaited Messiah, so God could have mercy on us, the gentiles and eventually on us all. But is God done with the nation of Israel? Some in modern evangelical religions seem to think that God has abandoned Israel and has replaced her with the church. That contradicts the above scripture, and as we all know, God cannot lie. The church will be God’s first fruits into His kingdom, but as He says, “He will take away their sins.” But do they deserve it? Do you? Of course, we do not deserve the sacrifice Jesus made on His cross, almost 2000 years ago, during Passover season. But for the sake of His promise to the fathers of the Jews, namely, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and because of His Holy Name, He will confirm and honor the covenant He made with their father Abraham when He called him into the land of Canaan.
We read in Ezekiel the 37th chapter about the prophecy of the “valley of dry bones”. We won’t take time to quote the entire chapter, so take a moment and read that chapter and meditate what the meaning of the passage means to Israel. They were a nation scattered, lost as a people, blinded to the truth, and seemingly beyond hope. But God has called them again and they were prophesied to be a great nation again, a vast army. For 2000 years, this passage lay dormant in the annals of history, until 1948 when beyond all reason, beyond all human comprehension, and against all odds, Israel became a nation AGAIN. It has never, never, ever happened in all of the history of the world. There has never been a nation destroyed, scattered, and forgotten, and then reconstitute itself to be the same nation as it was centuries before with essentially the same customs, language, and culture. I repeat, NEVER!!
Why has this happened? Because God is not done with them, until He saves THEM ALL!! He wishes to show mercy, as it is written in Roman chapter 11:
11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
1 1:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Did you get that? He will have mercy upon all. That includes us, the church in the Age of Grace and upon the nation of Israel in the time of tribulation when He will purge them as a refiner of silver. Malachi chapter 3:
3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
God has used Israel and its descendents, to move along the plan of God and introduce His salvation through the Hebrew people, namely the nation of Israel. He has now reconstituted that nation again into a nation long thought of destroyed for these end times we live in. Zechariah prophesied and wrote down what we have seen and will see in the near future. Turn over to the 12th chapter in your bible.
12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
God will defend His people and will in the end, reveal Himself to His people and they will believe as a nation.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
And that soon to be future event, God says this in Hebrews chapter 10:
10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Remember the beginning of the message? “I will bless them that bless you, and will curse them that curse you.’? Every member of God’s church, His true church, must pray for Israel, must stand with her, and must believe the Words of Almighty God. Anyone who lifts a hand against her will be cut to pieces. Anyone who thinks they are so powerful that they can undermine the nation of Israel in these last days, I believe, is going against God Himself. Look all around us. Have we not been blessed when we stood shoulder to shoulder with God’s chosen people? And if we try and divide His land, (as it belongs to God), and do evil to a people God has made an unbreakable promises to then I fear for that nation. My fellow Americans, I fear for us. We must stand up and make known our voice loud and clear, that we stand with Israel. Not because they deserve it, but because God said it. They don’t deserve, but then again, neither do we.
As we fast approach the coming time of Jacob’s trouble and seven year tribulation, John spoke of Israel as a people in the Revelation chapter 12, we see a symbol of the nation of Israel, as woman with 12 stars about her head, as a crown, and the moon under her feet.
12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The next few verses, we see the Red Dragon, Satan the devil, appear to wait to devour the child, which is Jesus Christ, which he tried many times, but when he thought he had won at the crucifixion, his victory was his ultimate defeat.
12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Jesus has risen and been taken to the right side of God the Father waiting for setting up His kingdom, here on earth.
But notice the next lines? 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
All through this chapter, God protects His people, so to say that God is done with the Israelites, is to ignore scripture references to the contrary. We see many references to standing with Israel in the annals of this website, but we must continue to make our case known and our voice heard where we stand on the side of God’s chosen people and what He called “the apple of His eye.”
Pray for our leaders. And if they won’t follow standing with Israel, or live by what this nation was founded upon. Then pray for leaders that will. But as individuals that are responsible to God for our actions, our thoughts, and obedience to His Word. Pray for Israel, because she is the door to end time events, and Jerusalem is the key and the clearest indicator of how close we really are to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to receive His church unto Himself. So come Lord Jesus.
Once Saved, Always Saved: Fact or Fiction?
By Pete Rose
There is an ongoing controversy in churches today and between certain denominations as to whether or not once a person is born again he can ever be lost again—or is he saved for eternity? This document will attempt to clear the air and determine the truth of this matter.
First, there is the matter of how to interpret the Bible and how doctrines come about.
The Bible is the final authority in all matters concerning the Christian faith. It must be properly interpreted. It is to be taken at face value, as written, with words given their normal, ordinary meaning unless the context indicates otherwise. Scripture should be read in its context—that is, in the light of what precedes and what follows the particular passage you are reading. You need also to consider to whom is the passage written, who and what it is talking about, where they are, and what they are doing. The law of first use says that how a particular word is used the first time it appears in Scripture usually sets the correct usage of that word throughout the rest of the Bible. Never use a passage of weak or uncertain meaning to overrule a passage whose meaning is obvious. If the language is symbolic, try to determine what it symbolizes. Using a concordance or a Bible reference program to look up passages matching the symbols spoken of will help you find the correct meaning.
Doctrines usually come about in one of two ways—either through an honest study of the Scriptures, or by human reasoning. Sound doctrine is always based on Scripture taken in its proper context, and never on human wisdom or logic. False doctrine is based on human reasoning, frequently with "proof texts," Scripture quotations taken out of context and twisted to fit the doctrine.
That said, let's get to the heart of the matter.
It is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and our relationship with Him that gets us to heaven, not anything on our part beyond putting our whole trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. He alone paid the penalty for our sins, and it is through Him alone that we have hope of going to heaven and avoiding hell. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, "For by grace are you saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." You can't get saved by joining a church, giving money to charity, or doing good deeds, though Jesus expects us to do such things once we are saved. You can't save yourself by right living, apart from Jesus. The prophet Isaiah says, "All our [human] righteousnesses are as filthy rags" in the sight of God (64:6). Jesus is our only hope of salvation, and it is Jesus and His righteousness living in us and through us that are our ticket to heaven.
I intend to examine this subject from several angles:
1. The words of Jesus and the apostles, the Word of God.
2. Our Father-son relationship with God.
3. The problem of salvation by works.
4. What the Bible really says about falling from grace.
5. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
6. The body of Christ.
1. The words of Jesus and the apostles, the Word of God. We have the plain words of Jesus Himself: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. I give to them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of His hand. I and my father are one" (John 10:27–30).
He plainly says we have eternal life, He knows us, we will never perish, and no one is able to snatch us from His hand. And since Jesus and the Father are one and the same, anyone trying to snatch us out of His hand is also trying to snatch us out of the Father's hand, and Jesus flatly says no one can do that.
In Jesus' high priestly prayer (John 17), He has this to say: "Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name; and of those you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition [Judas]; that the scripture might be fulfilled." Jesus specifically asks the Father to keep those who were with Him during His time on earth, as He, Jesus, had kept them while He was here, and not for those only but for all who would believe on Him through their word (v. 12, 20). He also makes the point that none was lost except for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. Nothing in the Bible indicates that Judas was truly saved, even though he had walked with Jesus and had part in His ministry. He was a thief as well as a traitor.
We have also the words of the apostles.
The apostle John tells us, "These things I write unto you that you sin not. And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 1:1-2.) Jesus has paid God's just penalty for all our sins, and they can never be held against us. Moreover, Jesus stands at God's right hand making intercession for us when we do sin. He is our lawyer, our defense attorney before God the Father. When Satan comes accusing us before God, Jesus says, "Father, my blood has already paid for that sin," and instantly it is erased. When we confess our sin, we are forgiven and cleansed from the effects of that sin (1 John 1:9). Paul tells us of God's love in Romans 8:37–39: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Again in 2 Timothy 1:12, "For which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 that our works of whatever sort they are will be judged, tried by fire. Our works are represented as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble. Gold, silver, and precious stones will survive the fire; wood, hay, and stubble will be burned up. This judgment is only for Christians. The unsaved will face a much different judgment later on.
"Now if any man builds upon this foundation [Jesus Christ] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abides which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." In other words, in the latter case it will be like he escaped out of a burning house. Even though he lost everything, still he is saved.
2. Our Father-son relationship with God. God is our Father and we are His children. When a person is saved, he is adopted into God's family. See Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:5, and Ephesians 1:5. In the ancient Roman culture, when a child was adopted into a family, he received all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the new family, and all ties and relationships with the old family were broken off. The adopted child had the same status in the adoptive family as a natural-born child. And so it is when we are adopted into God's family.
God has become our Father and we are His children. He cares for us, corrects us, and disciplines us as a natural father would do for his own children. Would we disown our children every time they disobeyed us? If we would not, how much less would God?
3. The problem of salvation by works. Some teach that if you sin, you lose your salvation. There are various degrees of disagreement among those who teach this as to how much you can sin before you lose your salvation. Some say that you lose your salvation every time you sin; some believe only willful sin will cause you to lose it; yet others believe there are varying degrees in between. The big problem with this teaching is it ignores the keeping power of God. Throughout Romans and Galatians, we are told that we cannot be saved by keeping the law—in other words, by works. First Peter 1:3–5 tells us we have an inheritance stored up for us in heaven, and we are kept by the power of God. We are not our own, and we don't keep ourselves saved by being good. Jesus and the Father keep us.
It is the righteousness of Jesus that makes us acceptable in God's sight, and our "badness" has no effect on Jesus' righteousness. It is our relationship with Jesus, not our goodness, that keeps us saved.
Let's assume for a few minutes, just for the sake of argument, that we have to keep ourselves saved by our good works. What then? First of all, we know this contradicts what Jesus Himself said. But if you can lose your salvation through sin, how much sin does it take to take us out of God's hand? What does James say? "If you keep the whole law, but offend in only one point, you are guilty of all" (James 2:10).
What was that? You mess up just one time, and you're out? That's what he says. Then there's another problem. There are two passages in Hebrews (6:4–6 and 10:26–31) that indicate that if a saved person falls away (loses his salvation), it is impossible for him ever to be saved again. According to this reasoning, if we lose our salvation when we sin, and if the foregoing is true, we're all lost and on our way to hell—with no hope of ever getting saved again. But that would defeat God's whole purpose of Jesus offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. God is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24–25).
4. What the Bible really says about falling from grace. Galatians (5:4) uses the words, "You have fallen from grace." This is about a third of verse 4, which is sometimes quoted by those who believe one can fall from grace.
The whole verse reads, "Christ has become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you have fallen from grace." Big difference. Paul makes it very plain throughout the book of Galatians, and also in Romans, that no one can be saved by keeping the law. The purpose of the law is to show us we are sinners and drive us to Jesus for the remedy. It is those who are trying to justify themselves by keeping the law—not Christians who have sinned—who have fallen from grace.
5. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Hebrews 10:9–18 indicates that Jesus offered Himself, one sacrifice, one time, as the full and sufficient sacrifice for all men for all time. Does this mean we are saved automatically? No. We must still receive the Lamb of God, Jesus, into our hearts in order for that sacrifice to be effective for us. Once we have done that, Jesus lives inside us, and it is He that keeps us, and not ourselves. If once we've truly been saved, we can lose our salvation by sinning, then Jesus' sacrifice was not enough to take away our sins, and we have to keep ourselves saved by our own efforts. Saying that Jesus' sacrifice is not sufficient to keep us saved, to me, is little short of blasphemy, if not in fact. Plus, it contradicts the plain words of Jesus Himself, "They will never perish."
6. The body of Christ. When we are born again by faith in Jesus, He comes to live in us and we become a part of the body of Christ. If we lose our salvation, we are no longer a part of the body of Christ, and the body would continually have parts falling off of it. Can you imagine this scene? "Whoops! There goes his left index finger." "Hey, his ear just fell off." "Uh-oh! His right arm just disappeared." Ridiculous? Of course it is. But that's just what would be happening if we lost our salvation every time we sinned.
Now you may wonder, in light of all the foregoing, why seemingly strong Christians sometimes go bad. Some possibilities come to mind:
Carnality. Some Christians let the flesh instead of the Holy Spirit rule their lives. Paul had to deal with this constantly with people in the church at Corinth—including a man in bed with his stepmother. But he never told them they were lost; instead, he sought to restore them.
Religion. Many people are religious but are not really saved. There is a big difference between religion and salvation. Religion has a form of godliness, but lacks the power of God. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus and is backed up with the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Satan's trap. Satan is continually seeking to trap Christians into compromising situations. Sometimes they let down their guard, and Satan snares them. That doesn't mean they're lost, but they're definitely out of God's favor. Paul says to restore such a one with a spirit of meekness [or, gently, as in some translations], considering yourself, lest you also be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
Fear. Some may fear persecution, or fear what someone might do or think, and so turn aside to avoid it. Remember Galatians 2:11–14, where Paul rebuked Peter for playing the hypocrite when certain of the Jews came around, separating himself from the Gentiles?
Now to the flip side of eternal salvation. Does the fact that Jesus keeps us saved even when we sin give us a license to sin? Absolutely not!
Paul says in Romans 6:20–21 that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Then in 6:1-2 he asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" then answers, "God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?" Sin never pleases God. And there are lots of other reasons to avoid sin.
When we sin, we invite the chastisement of God. God as our Father has the responsibility of correcting us when we do wrong, and if we insist on sinning, His corrections can be very unpleasant. Remember how it felt when your dad or your mom paddled you when you were a kid? Didn't feel very good, did it? But he or she did it for your ultimate good, and you're the better for it. Likewise, God as our Father will discipline us when we disobey, and His discipline can be quite unpleasant (see Hebrews 12:4–11). If you do sin, and you repent (turn away from it, forsake it), God may turn away His chastisement (see 1 John 1:9). If God doesn't discipline you when you sin, you’d better make sure you're really saved.
Hebrews 10:7–8 says God disciplines all whom He receives, and if you are without chastisement, you are a bastard and not a son. In other words, you’re not saved.
When you sin, you grieve the Holy Spirit, break fellowship with God, and open yourself up to all sorts of satanic attack.
You can lose your reward. Rewards and salvation are two different things. Salvation is a free gift from God given at no cost for you, and it will never be taken away. Rewards are perks (extra benefits) you earn through good works you do while on earth, which you will receive in heaven. They can be lost.
The ultimate price: If you insist on continuing in sin after God has repeatedly corrected you, He may take you to an early grave. It has happened. You will still be saved, but you will see your works—which are the basis for your rewards—all go up in smoke at the judgment seat of Christ, and you will enter heaven as one who escaped from a burning house with nothing but the smell of smoke on you (1 Corinthians 3:10–17).
What about good works?
If we don't work to get saved or stay saved, should we still do good works? Absolutely. God commands it. Ephesians 2:10 says we "are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he has before ordained that we should walk in them." We do good works because we're saved, not to be saved or stay saved. It's a matter of cause and effect. Good works please God, and are the basis for our rewards when we get to heaven. Further, maintaining a good testimony through good works and staying out of sin will glorify God and help bring others to salvation.
To sum up, we are saved by faith, and we are kept saved by the power of God in Jesus living in us. We can never lose our salvation; the Word of God says so. We do good works not to be saved or to stay saved, but because we are saved and we want to please and glorify God. Salvation is a gift that can never be lost; rewards are earned and can be lost. Living in sin as a Christian will bring only misery and the chastisement of God, and may bring you to an early grave. If you do sin as a Christian, ask God to forgive you, and turn away from that sin (see 1 John 1:9). If you think you can earn your way to heaven in any manner, by any capacity, watch out. You can't. Thinking you can is a manifestation of pride, the worst sin of all because it leads into so many other sins.
Bottom line:
Fact: Eternal salvation can never be lost; it is powered by Jesus Himself.
Fiction: Salvation is lost when you sin, and you have to work to keep yourself saved.
There is an ongoing controversy in churches today and between certain denominations as to whether or not once a person is born again he can ever be lost again—or is he saved for eternity? This document will attempt to clear the air and determine the truth of this matter.
First, there is the matter of how to interpret the Bible and how doctrines come about.
The Bible is the final authority in all matters concerning the Christian faith. It must be properly interpreted. It is to be taken at face value, as written, with words given their normal, ordinary meaning unless the context indicates otherwise. Scripture should be read in its context—that is, in the light of what precedes and what follows the particular passage you are reading. You need also to consider to whom is the passage written, who and what it is talking about, where they are, and what they are doing. The law of first use says that how a particular word is used the first time it appears in Scripture usually sets the correct usage of that word throughout the rest of the Bible. Never use a passage of weak or uncertain meaning to overrule a passage whose meaning is obvious. If the language is symbolic, try to determine what it symbolizes. Using a concordance or a Bible reference program to look up passages matching the symbols spoken of will help you find the correct meaning.
Doctrines usually come about in one of two ways—either through an honest study of the Scriptures, or by human reasoning. Sound doctrine is always based on Scripture taken in its proper context, and never on human wisdom or logic. False doctrine is based on human reasoning, frequently with "proof texts," Scripture quotations taken out of context and twisted to fit the doctrine.
That said, let's get to the heart of the matter.
It is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and our relationship with Him that gets us to heaven, not anything on our part beyond putting our whole trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. He alone paid the penalty for our sins, and it is through Him alone that we have hope of going to heaven and avoiding hell. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, "For by grace are you saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." You can't get saved by joining a church, giving money to charity, or doing good deeds, though Jesus expects us to do such things once we are saved. You can't save yourself by right living, apart from Jesus. The prophet Isaiah says, "All our [human] righteousnesses are as filthy rags" in the sight of God (64:6). Jesus is our only hope of salvation, and it is Jesus and His righteousness living in us and through us that are our ticket to heaven.
I intend to examine this subject from several angles:
1. The words of Jesus and the apostles, the Word of God.
2. Our Father-son relationship with God.
3. The problem of salvation by works.
4. What the Bible really says about falling from grace.
5. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
6. The body of Christ.
1. The words of Jesus and the apostles, the Word of God. We have the plain words of Jesus Himself: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. I give to them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of His hand. I and my father are one" (John 10:27–30).
He plainly says we have eternal life, He knows us, we will never perish, and no one is able to snatch us from His hand. And since Jesus and the Father are one and the same, anyone trying to snatch us out of His hand is also trying to snatch us out of the Father's hand, and Jesus flatly says no one can do that.
In Jesus' high priestly prayer (John 17), He has this to say: "Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name; and of those you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition [Judas]; that the scripture might be fulfilled." Jesus specifically asks the Father to keep those who were with Him during His time on earth, as He, Jesus, had kept them while He was here, and not for those only but for all who would believe on Him through their word (v. 12, 20). He also makes the point that none was lost except for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. Nothing in the Bible indicates that Judas was truly saved, even though he had walked with Jesus and had part in His ministry. He was a thief as well as a traitor.
We have also the words of the apostles.
The apostle John tells us, "These things I write unto you that you sin not. And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 1:1-2.) Jesus has paid God's just penalty for all our sins, and they can never be held against us. Moreover, Jesus stands at God's right hand making intercession for us when we do sin. He is our lawyer, our defense attorney before God the Father. When Satan comes accusing us before God, Jesus says, "Father, my blood has already paid for that sin," and instantly it is erased. When we confess our sin, we are forgiven and cleansed from the effects of that sin (1 John 1:9). Paul tells us of God's love in Romans 8:37–39: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Again in 2 Timothy 1:12, "For which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 that our works of whatever sort they are will be judged, tried by fire. Our works are represented as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble. Gold, silver, and precious stones will survive the fire; wood, hay, and stubble will be burned up. This judgment is only for Christians. The unsaved will face a much different judgment later on.
"Now if any man builds upon this foundation [Jesus Christ] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abides which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." In other words, in the latter case it will be like he escaped out of a burning house. Even though he lost everything, still he is saved.
2. Our Father-son relationship with God. God is our Father and we are His children. When a person is saved, he is adopted into God's family. See Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:5, and Ephesians 1:5. In the ancient Roman culture, when a child was adopted into a family, he received all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the new family, and all ties and relationships with the old family were broken off. The adopted child had the same status in the adoptive family as a natural-born child. And so it is when we are adopted into God's family.
God has become our Father and we are His children. He cares for us, corrects us, and disciplines us as a natural father would do for his own children. Would we disown our children every time they disobeyed us? If we would not, how much less would God?
3. The problem of salvation by works. Some teach that if you sin, you lose your salvation. There are various degrees of disagreement among those who teach this as to how much you can sin before you lose your salvation. Some say that you lose your salvation every time you sin; some believe only willful sin will cause you to lose it; yet others believe there are varying degrees in between. The big problem with this teaching is it ignores the keeping power of God. Throughout Romans and Galatians, we are told that we cannot be saved by keeping the law—in other words, by works. First Peter 1:3–5 tells us we have an inheritance stored up for us in heaven, and we are kept by the power of God. We are not our own, and we don't keep ourselves saved by being good. Jesus and the Father keep us.
It is the righteousness of Jesus that makes us acceptable in God's sight, and our "badness" has no effect on Jesus' righteousness. It is our relationship with Jesus, not our goodness, that keeps us saved.
Let's assume for a few minutes, just for the sake of argument, that we have to keep ourselves saved by our good works. What then? First of all, we know this contradicts what Jesus Himself said. But if you can lose your salvation through sin, how much sin does it take to take us out of God's hand? What does James say? "If you keep the whole law, but offend in only one point, you are guilty of all" (James 2:10).
What was that? You mess up just one time, and you're out? That's what he says. Then there's another problem. There are two passages in Hebrews (6:4–6 and 10:26–31) that indicate that if a saved person falls away (loses his salvation), it is impossible for him ever to be saved again. According to this reasoning, if we lose our salvation when we sin, and if the foregoing is true, we're all lost and on our way to hell—with no hope of ever getting saved again. But that would defeat God's whole purpose of Jesus offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. God is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24–25).
4. What the Bible really says about falling from grace. Galatians (5:4) uses the words, "You have fallen from grace." This is about a third of verse 4, which is sometimes quoted by those who believe one can fall from grace.
The whole verse reads, "Christ has become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you have fallen from grace." Big difference. Paul makes it very plain throughout the book of Galatians, and also in Romans, that no one can be saved by keeping the law. The purpose of the law is to show us we are sinners and drive us to Jesus for the remedy. It is those who are trying to justify themselves by keeping the law—not Christians who have sinned—who have fallen from grace.
5. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Hebrews 10:9–18 indicates that Jesus offered Himself, one sacrifice, one time, as the full and sufficient sacrifice for all men for all time. Does this mean we are saved automatically? No. We must still receive the Lamb of God, Jesus, into our hearts in order for that sacrifice to be effective for us. Once we have done that, Jesus lives inside us, and it is He that keeps us, and not ourselves. If once we've truly been saved, we can lose our salvation by sinning, then Jesus' sacrifice was not enough to take away our sins, and we have to keep ourselves saved by our own efforts. Saying that Jesus' sacrifice is not sufficient to keep us saved, to me, is little short of blasphemy, if not in fact. Plus, it contradicts the plain words of Jesus Himself, "They will never perish."
6. The body of Christ. When we are born again by faith in Jesus, He comes to live in us and we become a part of the body of Christ. If we lose our salvation, we are no longer a part of the body of Christ, and the body would continually have parts falling off of it. Can you imagine this scene? "Whoops! There goes his left index finger." "Hey, his ear just fell off." "Uh-oh! His right arm just disappeared." Ridiculous? Of course it is. But that's just what would be happening if we lost our salvation every time we sinned.
Now you may wonder, in light of all the foregoing, why seemingly strong Christians sometimes go bad. Some possibilities come to mind:
Carnality. Some Christians let the flesh instead of the Holy Spirit rule their lives. Paul had to deal with this constantly with people in the church at Corinth—including a man in bed with his stepmother. But he never told them they were lost; instead, he sought to restore them.
Religion. Many people are religious but are not really saved. There is a big difference between religion and salvation. Religion has a form of godliness, but lacks the power of God. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus and is backed up with the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Satan's trap. Satan is continually seeking to trap Christians into compromising situations. Sometimes they let down their guard, and Satan snares them. That doesn't mean they're lost, but they're definitely out of God's favor. Paul says to restore such a one with a spirit of meekness [or, gently, as in some translations], considering yourself, lest you also be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
Fear. Some may fear persecution, or fear what someone might do or think, and so turn aside to avoid it. Remember Galatians 2:11–14, where Paul rebuked Peter for playing the hypocrite when certain of the Jews came around, separating himself from the Gentiles?
Now to the flip side of eternal salvation. Does the fact that Jesus keeps us saved even when we sin give us a license to sin? Absolutely not!
Paul says in Romans 6:20–21 that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Then in 6:1-2 he asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" then answers, "God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?" Sin never pleases God. And there are lots of other reasons to avoid sin.
When we sin, we invite the chastisement of God. God as our Father has the responsibility of correcting us when we do wrong, and if we insist on sinning, His corrections can be very unpleasant. Remember how it felt when your dad or your mom paddled you when you were a kid? Didn't feel very good, did it? But he or she did it for your ultimate good, and you're the better for it. Likewise, God as our Father will discipline us when we disobey, and His discipline can be quite unpleasant (see Hebrews 12:4–11). If you do sin, and you repent (turn away from it, forsake it), God may turn away His chastisement (see 1 John 1:9). If God doesn't discipline you when you sin, you’d better make sure you're really saved.
Hebrews 10:7–8 says God disciplines all whom He receives, and if you are without chastisement, you are a bastard and not a son. In other words, you’re not saved.
When you sin, you grieve the Holy Spirit, break fellowship with God, and open yourself up to all sorts of satanic attack.
You can lose your reward. Rewards and salvation are two different things. Salvation is a free gift from God given at no cost for you, and it will never be taken away. Rewards are perks (extra benefits) you earn through good works you do while on earth, which you will receive in heaven. They can be lost.
The ultimate price: If you insist on continuing in sin after God has repeatedly corrected you, He may take you to an early grave. It has happened. You will still be saved, but you will see your works—which are the basis for your rewards—all go up in smoke at the judgment seat of Christ, and you will enter heaven as one who escaped from a burning house with nothing but the smell of smoke on you (1 Corinthians 3:10–17).
What about good works?
If we don't work to get saved or stay saved, should we still do good works? Absolutely. God commands it. Ephesians 2:10 says we "are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he has before ordained that we should walk in them." We do good works because we're saved, not to be saved or stay saved. It's a matter of cause and effect. Good works please God, and are the basis for our rewards when we get to heaven. Further, maintaining a good testimony through good works and staying out of sin will glorify God and help bring others to salvation.
To sum up, we are saved by faith, and we are kept saved by the power of God in Jesus living in us. We can never lose our salvation; the Word of God says so. We do good works not to be saved or to stay saved, but because we are saved and we want to please and glorify God. Salvation is a gift that can never be lost; rewards are earned and can be lost. Living in sin as a Christian will bring only misery and the chastisement of God, and may bring you to an early grave. If you do sin as a Christian, ask God to forgive you, and turn away from that sin (see 1 John 1:9). If you think you can earn your way to heaven in any manner, by any capacity, watch out. You can't. Thinking you can is a manifestation of pride, the worst sin of all because it leads into so many other sins.
Bottom line:
Fact: Eternal salvation can never be lost; it is powered by Jesus Himself.
Fiction: Salvation is lost when you sin, and you have to work to keep yourself saved.
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