eTPL 2018

January: The   Binding   of  Satan

(Revelation 20th Chapter)

THE TRADITIONAL VIEW OF 

REVELATION CHAPTER TWENTY

The traditional view regarding the 20th Chapter of Revelation for far more than a century contradicts much of God's truth that is set forth throughout the Scripture.  The traditional view holds that the 1000 years of the kingdom; and the 1000 years of the binding of Satan are synonymous. 

We hope to demonstrate that such a view is contradictory, and denies much of Bible truth. 

For instance, the traditional view espouses the position that as the kingdom of God begins, sin in the flesh is bound for the 1000 years of the kingdom of God [i.e., the Millennial Kingdom]. 

It is also believed that near the end of the 1000 years of the kingdom,  sin in the flesh is released,   bringing war and destruction once again over the entire earth. It is believed that the rebellion ends with fire and brimstone falling upon the rebelling multitudes, putting them all to death.

The reader should take particular notice that Revelation 20: 7 does not say, "near the end of the 1000 years."  Instead, it clearly declares, "when it is finished."

The trouble with that [traditional] view is that it contradicts some beautiful prophecies regarding the kingdom age and eternity following it. 

Let us examine a few of those prophecies of the peace and righteousness beginning with the establishment of the kingdom of God. 

Isaiah 9: 6-7 - "Of the increase (the Hebrew term Marbeh, meaning abundance) of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David..."

Comment:  If there is anytime after the kingdom has begun, and Jesus has ascended the throne of David that there are war and turmoil, this prophecy is rendered null and void.  

The prophecy declares no end of peace will ever happen after Jesus ascends to his throne. 

A rebellion after the thousand years of the reign of Jesus would absolutely be an end to the abundance of his government and peace, a thing which the passage says will never happen. 

Do we believe God?  If so, we must allow our beliefs to demonstrate that fact.

Isaiah 60: 18 - "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction  within thy borders;  thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise."

Comment:  If there is a rebellion against Jesus and the saints with enemies numbering as the sand of the sea (Rev. 20: 8), and a battle breaks out between the immortal saints and the rebels, with the saints raining fire and brimstone upon those enemies, numbering as the "sand of the sea" killing them all, has Isaiah 60: 18 been fulfilled as the passage promised?  The answer is "no!"  It represents a complete failure to deliver what God promised He would accomplish.  We must not espouse such an error.

Psalms 72:3, 5:  The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills by righteousness... Verse 5 = "They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure."

Comment:  If the time comes when people cease to fear (have reverential awe for him),   the promise has failed completely and there will be no more sun or moon.  To deny these truths is to deny the glorious truth of God.

Isaiah 2:2-6;  Micah 4: 1-3: "And it shall come to pass in the last days ... many people shall go and say ... come let us go up to the house of the Lord... He shall judge among the nations  ... and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,  and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

Comment:  Anyone subscribing to the traditional view is willing to hold views that contradict God's plain truths. These truths declare that once the kingdom is fully established, violence and war will no longer occur.  Also, those who subscribe to the traditional view believe and contend that the kingdom age will end with the widest instance of war and violence ever known during the six thousand years of the history of man.

Revelation 20: 7 reads:  "And when the thousand years are finished (expired) Satan shall be loosed out of his prison..."

Comment:  The Greek word Teleo is translated "expired" in verse 7.  That word speaks only of something that has completely come to an end; something that is then in the past.  If the 1000 year binding of Satan is synonymous with the 1000 year kingdom of God, we have an insurmountable problem, for the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15: 24-28 wrote in verse 24, "Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God."  Therefore, we must realize, the rebellion would not be against Jesus and the saints, but against God, who will by that time have received the kingdom completely unto Himself.   In verse 25, Paul declares by inspiration, "Jesus must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet."  How could that be possible, for in verse 25 Paul says that by then "there is no more death." 

Therefore my brethren, what have we here?  What we have is the worst misunderstanding and wresting of God's word to be found anywhere on the earth. At a time when truth tells us the kingdom has ended, and there is not an enemy left on earth anywhere, and death is no more, that enemies rebel against the kingdom of God, and are killed at a time when death no longer exists upon the earth.  What an unbelievable contradiction!

A TREATISE CONSISTENT WITH ALL OF GOD'S REVELATION

Revelation 20: 2 contains the identifying statement of “the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan."   Nowhere in the Bible does this phrase identify "sin in the flesh."  All Christadelphians immediately recognize in Revelation 12: 7, that pagan Rome is identified by that exact phrase.  In fact, the believers of the truth of the Bible have always known that in Revelation 12: 7, pagan Rome is identified by the phrase “the dragon," that old "serpent" called the "Devil" and "Satan."  Why then, can it not be seen when the same phrase is encountered in the 20th chapter that we are dealing with the same agency, not with something entirely different.

Revelation 12 is dealing with the time of Constantine, around 312 to 324 A.D. as pagan Rome and pseudo-Christianity fought for control of the Roman Empire. Revelation 20: 2 deals with events regarding the same two agencies two hundred years later – just after 500 A. D.  (Story of the Christian Church, by Hurlbut, pp. 83-85).

The term, "dragon" often has been understood to refer to the (Roman) military (See Apocalypse Epitomized, p. 155, dealing with Revelation 12th chapter).  That agrees with Encyclopedia Britannica.   It should be known that the Roman army carried at its front a large banner containing the form of a "dragon." 

Therefore, when a person encounters that term "dragon" in Revelation, the [Roman] military is in view.  Both paganism and pseudo-Christianity sent their military forces against the others' as the battles were raged. The term "serpent" defines the lying feature of pagan doctrines, as God's truth was challenged, as it was by the serpent in Genesis, chapter three, while the term "Devil" Greek (“dia-bolos")  means to strike through, a term which defines the destructive ability of paganism as it sought to destroy opposing religious entities. 

The same agency is in view in Revelation 12 and Revelation 20, at two different times. In fact, in Ephesians 6: 12 the apostle Paul remarks to the ecclesia that they "were not wrestling against flesh and blood as much as against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  The greatest enemy they had to fear was foreign governments whose religion was not God's truth – governments which had dominion over them and who sought to extinguish the truth.

The book, Story Of The Christian Church by Hurlbut, published by Zondervan Publishing House, is vital in following the history of this matter and has been used for years by this writer in carefully verifying events that fulfilled these prophecies.

Rev. 20: 1:  Scripture depicts anyone, mortal or immortal, righteous or unrighteous, who fills the purpose of God, as an "angel" of God.  Inasmuch as Constantine and his successors carried out the purpose of God, they are depicted as having "come down from heaven," meaning that God sent his spirit from heaven to cause them to come into existence and do his will, much as was said of John the Baptist in John 1: 6.

Verse 2:  "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

Verse 3: "That he should deceive the nations no more..."   (an action which he was doing in Rev. 12: 7-9)

Comment:  Pages 73-75 of The Story of the Christian Church, by Hurlbut, relates the history of the victory of Constantine as he dethroned Paganism from the throne of Rome and set up Christianity as the state religion.  However, at the bottom of page 75, Hurlbut relates that Constantine "was tolerant and allowed pagan worship to continue;” therefore, paganism was not bound at that point, for pagan worship continued in the empire. 

On pages 84-85, the book states that the successors of Constantine were not as tolerant as he had been. We quote the following from the bottom of page 84 to the top of page 85: "Not long after Constantine's reign his son ordered to [upon] all worshippers of idols the penalty of death, and confiscation of their property. The enforcement of these repressive laws varied greatly in different portions of the empire, but their effect was that heathenism (paganism) entirely passed away in the course of three or four generations."

A generation is about fifty years. It speaks of the duration of the ability to bear children.  Four generations amount to two hundred years.  Constantine dethroned paganism in 312 A.D. and it was later outlawed (See The Story of The Christian Church, pages 83, 85).

Therefore, at around 500 A. D., pagan worship was outlawed and bound completely.  Revelation 20: 2-3 declares that it was to be bound for 1000 years.  Therefore, we must look for something around 1500 A. D. in order to discover the "loosing of the dragon, that old serpent called the devil and Satan" (paganism).

We do find it in 1517. 

On page 152 of The Story of the Christian Church, we read: "The exact date fixed by historians as the beginning of the Great Reformation is October 31, 1517.  On the morning of that day, Martin Luther nailed to the oaken door of the Wittenberg Cathedral a parchment containing ninety-five theses, or statements, nearly all relating to the sale of indulgences, but in their application striking at the authority of the pope and the priesthood.  The rulers of the church vainly endeavored to cajole Luther, but he stood firm, and the storm only made him more resolute in his opposition to doctrines and practices not countenanced by Holy Scripture."

The result of Martin Luther's efforts was that Catholicism could no longer prevent the existence of any form of religious opposition to exist. 

From that date, Paganism was allowed to recover and become a reality again. [The dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan was loosed again upon the world!], In addition to that, many other forms of anti-Christ beliefs and practices came into existence.

In other words, Catholicism dethroned and finally bound paganism.  For one thousand years, Catholicism kept it bound.  Martin Luther's Reformation broke down the ability of the Catholic Church to prevent any other than itself from becoming a fact, and as a result, every form of "ism" began to come forth, including paganism, which today has filled the earth  and, as a result, the nations are now ready for the great day of battle.

Revelation 20: 4:   "And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast nor his image..."

Comment:  Many have thought that these thrones are thrones being sat upon [occupied] by the servants of God.  However, the scene greatly resembles the events under the fifth seal in Rev. 6: 9-11 where we see saints refusing to deny the word of God; this continued for some time afterward.  They were put to death and told to rest a little season, a season that has not yet come to an end.  The beast and his image did not develop until 800 A. D., and afterward; therefore, no one could refuse to worship the beast and his image, until they came into existence. Charlemagne and the papacy (Rev. 13: 11-18) constituted that beast (the empire) and his image (the papacy). The papacy was an image of an empire in that it was given a territory, the pope was its ruler and there were many subjects over whom to rule. Therefore, it was like an empire itself.

Verse 5; “The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished..."

Comment:  This verse is omitted by many authorities (and should be omitted).  The Diaglott sought to retain it because Benjamin Wilson [the editor/publisher of the Diaglott] believed in immortal emergence [of the dead from their graves] and this was the only verse in Scripture which seemed to separate the resurrection of the just and the unjust by 1000 years.  Brother Thomas and he separated over that question, and the booklet Anastasis came into existence resulting from that controversy.

Since Revelation 20:4 shows the beheading of saints because of their refusing to worship the beast and his image, the period of time after 800 A.D. is emphasized. Therefore, "the rest of the dead" would refer to anyone dying who did not live contemporary with, or before the beast and his image. 

The apostles and the early ecclesial believers did not die because they refused to worship the beast and the image, for they did not yet exist. All the dead of the O.T. did not die because they refused to worship the beast and his image, for again, their advent was yet future. If Rev.20: 5 were authentic, none of them would rise until after the 1000 years of the kingdom age if, as many falsely believe, the kingdom and the binding of Satan are synonymous. 

Yet, those early believers are all promised blessings during the 1000 years of the Kingdom of God.  This demonstrates what the meddling and additions of men to God's word can do to the beauty and harmony of God's truth.  Of course, verse 5 has no authority.  It is not part of God's word.

Verse 7:  "And when the thousand years are ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison  ... and shall go forth to deceive the nations ..."

Comment:  The Greek term Teleo is rendered "ended" in Rev. 20: 7 (sometimes the term is translated "finished”). The term always refers to something that has run its full course and is a thing of the past. If both the thousand years of the kingdom, and the thousand years of the "binding of Satan" is meant here, then the Kingdom [of Christ] is over and has been delivered up to God (I Cor. 15: 24-28). 

According to Paul, at that time there is no longer a single enemy remaining on the entire earth.  Even death, the last enemy, shall be no more.  Are we to understand that "friends" rebel against the kingdom since there are no enemies left?

Who rebels against the kingdom?

And who are killed by fire and brimstone at a time when there is no longer any death? 

What contradiction such a false idea places against the truth of God! Such an understanding makes God's Revelation contradict the inspired word that God gave to the apostle Paul in I Cor. 15: 24-28. This all proves that God's revelation is emphasizing a time prior to the kingdom age as Gog and Magog and others come against God's people Israel (Ezek. 38, 39;  Rev. 20 8, 9).

There are two separate one-thousand-year periods in Revelation 20th chapter. One is the thousand years of the binding of Satan (paganism) from around 500 A. D. to 1517 A. D. and the other is the thousand years of the reign of Jesus and the saints. No other explanation holds an ounce of logic.  

Martin Luther's Reformation resulted in the reawakening of Paganism which the Church of Rome had outlawed on pain of death a thousand years earlier.  It has gone forth again since the year 1517 and has again filled the earth, gathering the nations together for battle, which is an event that looms just ahead of us in the world today.

Revelation 20: 11:  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away..."

Comment:  All this and on to the end of the chapter occurs just prior to the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth.  It is the present heavens and earth (the kingdoms of men) that disappear from before the coming of Jesus (Rev. 11: 15).  Mistaken Bible students place all of this at the end of the thousand years of the kingdom of God.  These passages instead, all occur just before the kingdom of God is established. 

Consider this!

If verse 11 is [comes to pass] at the end of the kingdom age, Jesus and the saints have by then (by the end of the kingdom age) been the new heavens for a thousand years.

Why would they flee from whoever is on the "great white throne" at the end of the kingdom? The traditional view of this chapter contains no logic.  It is the "heavens and earth" which are now that disappears from view as Jesus comes and sits on his throne of judgment, after which he and his saints begin to judge all people who then reside upon the earth (Revelation 5: 8-10; Psalms 149: 7-9). 

In that day and forever, there will be one Lord and his name one. (Zech. 14: 9).

Wayne R. Tanner, Bulverde, Texas,  November 2014.

February: The Rock Horeb and Moses

An eTPL28  Exhortation

In this study, we will examine two Rocks which gave forth water for the Israelites to drink in the wilderness. The life-giving water gushed forth in response to two different actions by Moses.

These actions are not only different but they are significantly different, although the result was the same.

We read of the first instance only a few days after the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army concluding with the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and into the relative safety of the Desert of Sinai.

The account of the events of Rephidim is recorded in Exodus 17…

Moses and the First Rock …

Exo 17:1  And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

Exo 17:2  Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

Exo 17:3  And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Exo 17:4  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

Exo 17:5  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

Exo 17:6  Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Exo 17:7  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

Exo 17:8  Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

There are two different places in the Bible called the "waters of Meribah."

The first was at Sinai and Kadesh: "He named the place [at Sinai] Massah [test] and Meribah [quarrel] because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us, or not?" Exodus 17: 7.

The second was a few weeks later in their journey: "Those were the waters of Meribah [at Kadesh], because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them." Numbers 20: 13 

We will discuss these particular events in some detail as we proceed. 

Meanwhile, we read the account of Moses as he brings forth water from the second rock. This account comes shortly after the first encounter – within the first month of their departure from Egypt …

Moses at the Second Rock …

Num 20:1  Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

Num 20:2  And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

Num 20:3  And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

Num 20:4  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

Num 20:5  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

Num 20:6  And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

Num 20:7  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Num 20:8  Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

Num 20:9  And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

Num 20:10  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

Num 20:11  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Num 20:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

Num 20:13  This is the water of Meribah (meaning, quarrel); because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them. 

Instead of following the LORD’s instruction as to the second Rock, Moses struck the rock with his staff twice (indicating some degree of frustration, we suppose!) in a fit of pique (?).

This is a critical point to assimilate for there is deep symbology involved in this transgression by Moses, indicating perhaps a limitation of his understanding of just what was being illustrated both to the congregation and to himself and Aaron. 

It will be conclusively important that the student realize something of the character of these two “rocks.”  

Though widely separated as to distance and time, they are equated to ONE Rock by the Apostle Paul in this passage: they are considered identical by YHVH as we realize from the words of the Apostle Paul:

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

This is an important addendum to these accounts because of the deep symbology involved in the two instances of obtaining water from the Rock – a word which we must now capitalize because we have been informed that “... that Rock was (meaning represented) Christ.”

Just what is the implication of Moses’ disobedience? He seems not to be informed directly by the Almighty – just that ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel – Numbers 20: 12.

In a real sense, Moses is shown in this account to be exactly similar to his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron, both of whom opposed Moses as God’s messenger and their appointed leader (see Exodus 12).

He (and they) failed – deep down – to trust God in this matter of leadership. All three directly rebuffed the detailed instruction of God.

In this sense, these three were similar to the leaders of the tribes who eventually entered the Promised Land – but still disbelieved (distrusted) God!

In striking the second Rock, Moses action didn’t result from his misinterpretation of the words of the Almighty – it was instead an expression of frustrated rebellion against the inherent leadership of the Father.

Moses violently struck the Rock after being told to speak to it.

Moses’ words here are crucial to this point: he said “Must We bring water for you out of this rock?”

He was clearly taking part of the credit for the action.

Verse 12 defines this action as Moses “not believing in” God. 

Many researchers have noted the deep symbology of Moses’ actions in these two accounts.

If the Rock represented Christ, then the prescribed actions of Moses upon that Rock had consequences and meaning.

The first Rock was to be STRUCK – just struck with Moses’ rod.

Jesus, in the first instance of His giving the clear, cold water of salvation to His People, had to be struck down – nailed to a tree and allowed to bleed to death, thereby shedding the life-giving Blood of the Covenant in order to satisfy the redemptive requirements of YHVH Almighty.

But after that Sacrifice, He became the Anointed Savior, and was never to be “struck” again.

Now the sweet benefits of the salvation which He freely offered were to be sought by prayer – by sincere speech – not by further striking Him. His action was exactly parallel to the characterization of the sacrifices under Moses’ Law – that they had to be repeated at marked intervals – and even then were not effective to give salvation. Instead, they all pointed forward to the ONE sacrifice made by the Savior... 

You see, Moses’ actions toward that mysterious Second Rock were highly inappropriate.

In striving to usurp the authority of the Almighty, whether he realized it or not, Moses took it upon himself to formulate his own approach to the salvation that the cold, clear water represented.

His action should perhaps be likened to those who continued to follow the Law of Moses, expecting it to offer life (the water of salvation) which it could not do.

Consider Romans 8:2-4: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  3 For what the law could not do (because it relied upon “works,” or striking), in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 Justification by action (striking) and not by grace (humble pleas through prayer for mercy) had been the decision of Moses in this latter instance, for he failed to realize the implicit importance of the instructions which he had been given – namely, that now it was necessary only to speak to the Rock in order to obtain its magnificent, life-sustaining benefits. 

The Rock (indeed, both Rocks) is what we refer to as a “type” of Christ.

As such, it needed first to be struck; why? (To bring out the water of life)

Who (or what) needed to strike the Rock? (Moses’ law, for it required (demanded!) that sin be atoned for through the death of an innocent sacrifice)

What was the result of the striking the Rock? (It gave forth the water of life)

If Moses had spoken to (prayed to) the Rock in the second instance, what would have been the result? (It should have continued liberally to supply the water of life to the thirsty People). 

In John 7, we find a direct reference by Jesus to this particular aspect of His sacrifice: John 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Here Jesus told His disciples in cryptic terms which they later recalled – that only AFTER He was struck down, and only after He was subsequently glorified, could the Spirit come upon them – only then could they benefit from that striking!

Those benefits accrued to them in principle on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after His resurrection and immortalization. 

Another important factor recorded in Exodus 17 arrests our attention.

Immediately upon drinking of the water which gushed forth from the Rock, the People were attacked by the Amalekites.

It is immediately clear that Amalek is a type of the forces of the flesh.

Being descended from Esau, the troublesome son of Isaac, Amalek was typical of the carnal nature. He immediately assaults those whose lives have just been energized by the waters of the Spirit which emanated from the Rock which was struck.

It is significant that this is the first battle in which Israel is required to participate individually ... and is the first of many to follow.

Up until this time, the instruction to Israel has been “Fear ye not; stand still and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14; 13).

We see the same effect within our own lives.

Although salvation is freely given to each of us, with it comes an internal struggle to maintain the life to which we have dedicated ourselves. It does not always go well unless we continue to partake of the waters of life provided by God’s Spirit working through prayer and through His Word. 

That continual partaking is illustrated by the details of just how this first battle with Amalek was won – by Moses holding up in his hands his rod, again, in a symbol of constant, dogged, unrelenting elevation of the Almighty in the prayerful stance of his raised and supplicating hands holding the staff aloft.

When Moses became tired and needed to let the staff of prayer down, Aaron and Hur came to his assistance, propping up his hands in the manner which they had found was advantageous.

The details are found in Exodus 17: 12 – But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

 Here is yet another Rock, propping Moses in an upright attitude – is it another aspect of the Rock of the waters? If so it resembles the Cornerstone of God’s Plan, Who we realize is Jesus Christ, the Anointed Savior.

The lesson is, when trial becomes wearisome to the flesh, Believers need to assist one another, propping up those prayerful, supplicating hands of faith and trust in the Father, supporting and assisting each other untiringly!

Only in this way may Amalek (the flesh) be thoroughly defeated and subdued. 

There is one more aspect of our war with the flesh (Amalek) that we notice here:

Deuteronomy 25:17 - Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

You see, the tactic of the flesh is to smite those lagging behind, the feeble, the faint and the weary; our mutual assistance to our brethren so affected will help assure their success against the flesh just as Aaron and Hur’s assistance did for Moses over a protracted period of time.

Yes, they probably became exhausted as well as Moses, but their needed support was what turned the tide of the battle to victory by Israel.

Only by conducting ourselves in the same manner, may Amalek be finally and fully defeated; the words of the LORD to Moses bear this out ...

Exodus 17:14  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven (remember that Amalek is a type of sin in the flesh) 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

The Hebrew word Jehovahnissi is better translated YVHV is my Banner, or symbol of recognition. His Name named upon us marks us as His children.

The end of the matter can be only perfection for all the faithful saints: 1 John 3:1-Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Such is the result of our all drinking of the refreshing, life-giving sustenance of that spiritual Rock, which is Christ sustaining us in our battles with the flesh.

    <HEL>  1/ 2018   An eTPL28  Exhortation    Posted Feb. 4, 2018.

March:  Romans 5 - Justification by Faith

The apostle begins by defining “justification by faith.” It is only through making “peace with God” through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Note his stress upon the principle that it is “by Whom,” meaning  by Christ Jesus, that we have access to the Grace of God (His unmerited favor). And that is IN HIM that we rejoice in hope of our glorification by our Father.

This career of service to Him leads to resistance from others to the Way which Believers have selected: it leads to tribulation. Remember, that immediately after partaking of the water from the Struck Rock (Christ) in the wilderness, Israel was attacked and warred upon by Amalek – the prototypical image of sin in the flesh – and that Amalek’s targets were invariably those Israelites who lagged behind and were stragglers from the main body of the People – the weak ones of that great throng.

It was first upon this occasion that Israel was required to fight for itself –to resist the forces of evil which attacked it in force; before that time they had been told to “stand still and see the salvation of the LORD” as in Exodus 14: 13, as the armies of Egypt bore down upon the defenseless Israelites. One sees clearly in this narrative that Amalek (the forces of the flesh) immediately attack those who have partaken of the Water of Life (baptism into His name).

But there are advantages even to these attacks of the flesh upon Believers, if they react in a godly manner ... in other words, there is benefit in trial:

Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

We see here one of the most instructive progressions of thought found in scripture. It is illustrated clearly, that Tribulation (trouble) has a distinctive effect upon our lives if we hold fast to the principles which have been delivered to us.

We are instructed to rejoice in Tribulation, for it works (results in) Patience.

Patience, when endured, leads to Experience.

 Experience when appreciated and internalized, generates Hope.

Hope, in turn, results in our not being “ashamed,” a condition arising from disappointing our Father and His Son. Shame means, at its end, rejection from the presence of God – eternal oblivion.

But there is divinely offered Hope ... because when we were completely helpless (without strength) in His time, Christ DIED for the ungodly.

Keep this firmly in mind – we were formerly in a state of ungodliness, a condition in which we were as vividly described in Ephesians 2:12 - That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

 It is surely an hopeless condition!

Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

By the above definition, “we” means everyone in existence ... all men and women and children – were helplessly entangled in sin and death. But the remedy for this hopeless condition came gratuitously from the mind and will of YHVH, our heavenly Father, Who allowed His perfect Son to offer the acceptable Sacrifice for all our iniquities and potentially for every person among humanity.

As a matter of course, not all of these will accept the generous offer; a few of them will.

Rom 5:7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Did He die for all of us?

Yes, He did.

But the enigma is that “all” will not take advantage of that Sacrifice of redemption from death. So the practical result is that He died for all who would respond to Him and His principles of salvation – the Truth.

But the benefits are far greater than first apparent...

Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The progression now continues, but in a more advanced pathway: while we were aliens (enemies) from God, we were (potentially) reconciled to God by the death of His Son – a condition in which we shall receive the greater reward of being saved by His life!

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Our having received the atonement – the complete reconciliation to God through His bloodshed – is the great benefit achieved in that remarkable process.

The apostle now recounts the entire process for our complete and sure understanding ...

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

By Adam’s transgression, sin entered into the world – and death passed upon “all men” because that “all have sinned.” This statement must apply to ALL men, whatever age or condition ... even to infants of days, or to stillborn infants, who never drew the breath of life: without salvation, all die without hope because of Adam’s transgression. There is no other possible conclusion to these words of instruction!

Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

That “figure” was Christ, Who never committed a sin – never broke God’s law as a transgressional act.

Rom 5:15  But not as the (result of the) offence, so also is the (result of the) free gift. For if through the offence of one many (this “many” is “all”) be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many (this “many” means those “all” who respond to His teachings).

Rom 5:16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

This very long parenthetical dissertation of five verses is full to the brim with vital instruction for mankind – information essential to the attainment of salvation – articles surely of the most basic truth, which must be understood and accepted by every applicant for baptism into the name of Christ.

These words contain concepts not generally accepted by “Christians” the world over – namely, the principle that man is constitutionally born into sin, quite apart from the active transgression of any of God’s principles.

He is therefore “under the sentence of death” from his beginnings. II Corinthians 2: 9.

We perceive immediately that the principles apply to all beings born of woman, even to infants of days who have not by any means become capable of actively breaking any of the commandments given as our standards of conduct – in other words, because of their finite ages of minority, they are incapable of “sinning” in the generally accepted sense of the word.

Paul’s reasoning (inspired of YHVH) is faultlessly presented in these relatively simple concepts ...

1.      He states that ”... death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression ....”  By these words, we must understand that he means that they had not sinned by personal transgression of God’s law because there was yet NO law of God prevalent over mankind. Therefore no man or woman could have “sinned” in the generally accepted sense of the word because there was no standard of righteousness in place for them to obey. Adam broke the only “law” which God had given him (“eat not of the tree in the midst of the Garden”), and brought condemnation upon all his posterity. We refer to that condition which, as a result of his sin was placed upon Adam, as “constitutional sin” for lack of a better term; Paul refers to it as “sin in the flesh,” as Romans 8: 3.

2.    Paul goes on to state: Rom 5:15 - But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. In these words Paul is differentiating between the results coming from the two opposite entities, “the offence” and the “free gift.” They are dissimilar in one aspect: “the offence” passes upon all men without exception, but the “free gift” falls ONLY upon those who avail themselves of it – who partake of that free gift of redemption. The second group is therefore limited to the “partakers” of it, and essentially excludes all others. His further reasoning leads to our fuller understanding of the doctrine which he is espousing ... For if through the offence of one, many be dead (which means everyone), much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many (by which he indicates only the “partakers” of it – a select group of faithful ones called out from the world).

3.    Rom 5:16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

This verse in Rotherham’s Bible is helpful here: “And <not as through one that sinned>Is that which is freely given, - for [sentence of judgment] indeed, - was [out of one [fault]] into condemnation, Whereas [the decree of favour] is – [out of many faults] into a recovery of righteousness.” We understand this statement as being, “The sentence of judgment (death) is dissimilar to the free gift; because of one fault (sin), came condemnation of all (all men); (in contrast) the “free gift of life” comes out of the recovery from many faults (the sins of mankind by the sacrifice of Christ, as implied), thereby justifying all who partake (but not everyone) of the means of recovery.” The recovery process is realized therefore to be selective, not universal as was the sentence of death.

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

The apostle’s final phrases consistently, further clarify his meaning. Death reigned upon all by the offense of Adam; but those who receive redemption (grace) and the designation of “righteous,” come to this status of life in the Second Man, Jesus Christ, and by means of the redemption which He can and does offer. The bringers of both death (Adam), and life (Christ), are seen to be representative of two facets of One Man ... the latter manifestation bringing reversal of the sentence of the first to a few, a limited number (not all) who respond to His principles and teachings.

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Paul’s next sentence reinforces that principle so that there can be no mistake ...

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many (all) were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many (a few) be made righteous.

He has repeated the principle exhaustively so that all may be clearly convicted of their truth.

Now the apostle illustrates the role of the Law of Moses: the law came about so that sin might be seen AS sin, clearly and concisely, as viewed by the Father. It illustrated moreover, that whereas sin was shown to be rampant, grace (unmerited favor) was illustrated to be much more prevalent.

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The supreme contrast of the two principles is thus illustrated to be reciprocals of one another. Death reigned by Adam and affected all men; but Grace comes and leads men to eternal life by the righteousness of Jesus Christ; but the recipients of the two are shown to be poles apart – and the difference is basically between all men born in Adam, and a few select individuals who choose to follow Christ.    <HEL H28> ~2250 words.

 April: Identity of “Michael” in Daniel 12: 1

An eTPL28 Analysis

Note: This article may be redundant for some with whom we have discussed this probability of “Michael” being Michael the archangel, and not the LORD Jesus Christ at His Second Advent.

The last chapter of Daniel begins thusly...

 Daniel 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

The opening words “at that time,” indicates the time of the end – see this phraseology in Daniel 11: 40, indicating the (earlier) last end of the king of the south – an era exactly 400 years prior to the end of the last king of the north.

This divine phrase, inspired by the breath of God, indicates that at the year 1517, the “time of the end” was already in progress.

Our view of the “time of the end” has been much too limited; we must look at these events as our Father views them.

So it is also obvious that “the time of the end” was continuing in force at the time of the last end of the King of the North of Daniel 11: 45.

To be a bit redundant, the careful student will note that “the time of the end” of Daniel 11:40 indicates that this era began much earlier than often supposed; it began with the “pushing” of the king of the south (Egypt) against the king of the north (the Ottomans) in 1517 AD.

The Egyptians, at that time the designated King of the South, possessed the Holy Land, and was becoming wary of the expansive moves of the Ottomans in the north.

 Egypt moved its forces against the Turks in the vicinity of Damascus, where Egypt’s sultan was killed in the battle.

This caused sheer panic among the Egyptians who began to flee southward in great disarray. At that time, while pursuing the Egyptians southward to Cairo (where the Turks defeated Egypt some weeks later) the Turk passed through (overflowed and passed over – Daniel 11: 40) the glorious land pausing for nothing – for there was no treasure there, no booty for the Ottomans to capture; indeed there was absolutely nothing of value ... and no “Israel” for another 430 years!

This clearly established fact alone rules out the King of the North in Daniel 11 being identical with the Gogian host of Ezekiel 38, 39, and proves it to have been as stated above – the assault of the Ottomans upon Egypt.

But in the latter case, the Gogian invaders are only interested in the “spoil and the prey” held by Israel (and are never allowed to reach either Jerusalem or Cairo).

At that earlier time (1517AD) the Turkish objective was the treasure of Egypt, which subsequently the Ottomans harvested for the next 400 years – until they were deposed in 1917!

This fact is in distinction to the goal of the Gogian Federation, whose objective is “a spoil and a prey” held by “Israel” the nation of that future day.

But that early history is mere preamble to the momentous events of that later year – 1917, when the last recorded king of the north should come to his end.

At that time, the forces of Great Britain attacked the Turkish overlords of Palestine during WWI, and throughout the Levant, driving them out of those lands and back into Anatolia where the sultanate became history within a short time.

 But that is another  story, not relevant to the present consideration.

The point is, it was “at that time” (subsequent to 1917) that “Michael” is noted as appearing on the scene.  

He is further described as “the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people,” or Daniel’s people, the Jews of today as well as earlier time.

Some claim this entity to be the Christ of the Second Advent, coming to establish His kingdom.

This understanding would admit Christ’s Second Advent as being after a supposed invasion and defeat of the last King of the North, because it is “at that time” that “Michael” stands up.

But that, in our opinion, is not possible for at least two major reasons.

First, that sequence of events is nowhere indicated in the annals of Bible prophecy! The sequence of Ezekiel’s prophecy depicts “My servant David” (Christ) sitting upon the throne of David on Mt. Zion when the Gogian invasion occurs.

This achievement follows upon the long series of chapters which depict the defeat of the nations round about Israel in the previous chapters (leading up to Ezekiel 37).

So those events occur first, in our opinion, and involve the Second Advent – at a time much earlier than the Gogian invasion. Keep this fact in mind as it is one key to understanding the end time sequence of events ...

But there is another major anomaly that will be seen by any diligent student of prophecy.

Please allow us to explain.

It is our studied opinion that Michael the Archangel is indicated here – a figure which some have long mistaken as a symbolic name for Jesus Christ in His Second Advent.

But that mistake is evident from the facts of history, which are contrary to that theory. If that personage was to be Christ, then there is an anomaly indicated which does not conform to the facts of history.

Jesus did not at that moment of the defeat of the Ottomans (K of N) – and has not since that era – “stood up” in the sense of appearing to His People.

But “someone” else did, in our opinion...

We must recognize historical accounts as being records of prophetic fulfillment when their narratives fit the prophecies perfectly.

Immediately after the end of the last king of the north (the Ottomans), Michael is said to appear, or to “stand up.”

Some have claimed that this indicates the entity as being Christ, presenting the reason for this “standing up” being that only He is noted to “sit” at the right hand of the Father, and that no angel ever has been so invited.

This is correct, in our opinion.

These observers say it is only He who is able therefore to “stand up,” in their interpretation, for only He has been allowed to “sit” in that place.

But there are further considerations...

Since this consideration is complex, I will state a simple premise as heading for each of the five next sections, and then explain why this supposition has been made.

Jesus “Sitting” at God’s Right Hand

1.      That argument – that Jesus is confined to “sitting” at His Father’s right hand, is nullified by scripture. Although this could possibly be a true indication of the entity being Christ, we believe it is not.

Jesus’ well-known appointment – to have the privilege of sitting at God’s right hand – is a valid point.

But is He JUST sitting? Is he limited to a seated position there?  

He is not!

We easily recognize that Jesus is also noted as “standing” at the right hand of His Father by faithful Stephen, who is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles as beholding this reality: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God ... Acts 7:55. 

Our opinion therefore, is that Michael’s “standing up” is a description of his coming forth to assist the People with whom he is specifically deputized to assist at that time, and not a description of the act of standing up from a seated position. For such a presentation of the archangel is also certainly a valid sense of the term “stand up.”

The Restoration Begins Before the Second Advent

2.     In addition, there is an inherent sequence of events contained within this verse which forbids any application of “Michael” here being the LORD Jesus Christ at His Second Advent.

Consider this reasoning ...

Coming as he does, upon the defeat of the last king of the north, Michael the Archangel, whose duties especially pertain to Israel’s course of history, begins his work immediately.

“AT THAT TIME” is surely 1917, that year in which the Land of Promise was freed from its oppressors, and the very year when we begin to see our Father’s overtly magnificent works as He arranges for a refuge to be formed for the Jews in their own Land for the first time in 2000 years.

The Restoration of Israel now begins closely upon the end of the events of 1917-1918. The “permission” for the Jews’ return is in process of being established by both legal and physical changes – i.e., by the Balfour Declaration (legal), and by their Land being freed from the Ottoman Desolator (physical).

However, by His angelic agency, He precedes that unique accomplishment of restoring Israel to its Land with a great Time of Trouble for His People which will literally drive them back to their homeland!

Otherwise, they should perhaps not have had the impetus to return to Him; fishers and hunters were therefore sent forth into the earth at that time, to bring them back against their will. Cf., Jeremiah 16:16.

Even this dreadful episode could be due to the influence of Michael the archangel upon key figures in history. (We make no certain judgment here.)

 In 1917, with the issuance of the Balfour Declaration, it becomes suddenly clear from the subsequent facts of history that Israel’s time of dispersion among the nations is about to end abruptly.

It is now time for Michael to begin his concentrated activities of the end time in earnest. His doing so will cause the fulfillment of the prophecies...

We believe we can discern these activities within the text...

The Time of Trouble of verse one is described as the most trying time for any people until that day in history.

Allowing the validity of our application of the time stamp of this verse as the date of the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire – the Desolator of the Holy Land if there ever was one – what happened almost immediately after 1917? – even before the Restoration could begin in earnest?

There arose in Germany a monster who would devote his utmost force to eradicate world Jewry.

Adolph Hitler and his Storm Troopers and the Gestapo of that era initiated a program to do just that, in the shortest time possible.

Their extreme persecution began well before the beginning of World War II with the establishment of Dachau – a detention/concentration camp near Munich, Germany.

At first, Dachau was designated a retention center for political enemies of the Third Reich. But as the conflict progressed, it became a center, along with hundreds of other such camps, of Jewish concentration, forced labor, and death by lethal gas in many locations.

The Shoah ground on for twelve years – from 1933 until 1945. At its end, six and an half million Jews had been exterminated!

The prophet Jeremiah had been given information about this time of extreme persecution of his people: Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

There is no better short description of the Holocaust!

His being “saved out of it” indicates the small remnant (only a third of European Jewry!) that survived The Shoah, many of whom were transported to the new nation of Israel after the State was established – allowable after about three years time (1948 and later).

Once in Israel, the People would be safer and more secure than at any time in the past 2500 years, as attested by the last few verses of the Prophet Amos...

His poignant prophecy foretells a miraculous event – one which we have witnessed in our own lifetime – that of the Second Recovery of his people (see also Isaiah 11: 11).

Amos’ inspired words are recorded in Amos 9:14 - And I will bring again the captivity (the people themselves, former “captives” of the nations) of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

No rational observer will deny that this condition has been met; the Jews are back in their Land in great force and possess great military strength – and are continuing this end time convergence upon their future inheritance.

Denial by any aspect of this obvious fact amounts to denial of the prophetic word of the LORD, and is strongly discouraged.

The recovery has surely been aided every step of the way by divine providence – that is, assisted by Michael the Archangel in our opinion.

But contrary to previous convictions, their restoration did not depend upon the physical return of Jesus to them.

This perception hardly requires faith; the survival of the rag-tag bunch of only 660,000 ill-trained and ill-equipped Jews of 1948-49 against nearly 100 million Arab adversaries is an illustration of what most would assess as impossible odds against survival – and therefore evidence of angelic intervention on their behalf.

Yet the Jews DID survive; their land holdings at the truce date were about twice the territory that they had been awarded by the UN Partition Plan of 1947! In the midst of such turmoil, the Father had granted an additional boon to His People – typical of most of his blessings to them (that of overwhelming abundance of mercy!).

So, we have duly noted the prophecy of Amos as being a descriptor of conditions of the People in the end time – after their gaining access to the Land and after the migration of many of them to it as “settlers.”

We accept this statement, and others of similar mien, as being reassurance to His people that their second Restoration would be permanent and irrevocable.

We can make no other sense of His reassurance to them, even though a few of our brethren look forward to a yet future time when they claim that His people will be uprooted yet once more, and forced into Egypt – literally!

It is a theory to be utterly denied and repudiated.

For it is not scripturally supported!

Amos and others (e.g., Jeremiah 24:6 and 32:41; Ezekiel 34:28 and 37:25) deny any such further scattering or even significant oppression of God’s people once they have attained possession of the homeland in the end time.

This principle has been upheld as seen by historical passage of time since that date.

Although many Israelis have been killed in their ongoing conflicts with their Arab neighbors, the nation’s existence has not been significantly damaged; instead, it has been solidified.

There are several indications that their return should be gradual and progressive – as we have seen – and no promise is given that they should not continue to be a prey to their neighbors until Messiah makes His second appearance, and fights their vicious enemies and overcomes them, and reveals Himself to them as in Zechariah 12 and 13, q.v.

At the end of that battle episode, He assumes the Throne of David and begins His righteous reign over His People in the land promised to them in the Abrahamic Covenant – a polity which we have labeled “the mustard seed” phase of His kingdom, i.e., the beginning of it. In Mark 4: 30-32, Jesus draws this same picture, revealing that the Kingdom of God may be directly compared to the tiny mustard seed which grows into a significant plant.

His presence among His People, and His protection of them from that day onward, guarantees them the conditions which are described when the Gogian affair of Ezekiel 38 and 39 occur: Ezekiel 38: 8, 11, 14.

That is, that they are THEN finally dwelling in their Land in peace and safety under His protection.  

It is not simply a matter of Israel’s perception that they are dwelling safely (a false perception that some now claim); instead, it is a reality as attested by YHVH’s own words in Ezekiel 38:14 - Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

Two earlier verses in Ezekiel 38 express Gog’s opinion (verse 11: they ... dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,) ...

And Israel’s condition as observable by all in verse 8, where they are said to ... dwell safely, all of them.

But they shall not so dwell before that time.

The Sequence of Events is Askew

3.     In this proposal that Michael is a code name for the returned Christ and the Saints, there is another insurmountable difficulty. The sequence of events becomes untenable if this be considered the case. This observation is closely akin to the previous commentary, for it addresses factors which literally drove the Jews back to their Land at this special time.

This questionable sequence is this: after the appearance of “Michael,” whoever he is, then comes the “Time of Trouble such as never was ....”

Does any student of scripture think for one moment that once the Christ has returned and begun to regather His People that He will allow any harm to come to them? It is unthinkable!

Jesus does not return to His People to allow them to be subjected to yet another event worse than the Holocaust (yes, worse, for the time of trouble is said to be worse than any previous persecution).   

His prophesied mission at that time is to “save His people from their enemies ... and those who hate us” as prophesied by Zacharias, the father of John Immerser, in Luke 1: 71, 74.

Other references such as Isaiah 54: 14; Ezekiel 28: 26; 34: 28, et al, repeat the same hope, which is not just an hope, but a certainty!

The conclusion we are forced to form is that it is impossible for yet another time of trouble to come upon His People, once Jesus has returned.

Therefore “Michael” in this passage cannot possibly indicate the returned Christ, the Savior of Israel from its enemies and Giver of the peace and safety which it shall be enjoying when comes the mighty Gogian host in its mission of intended conquest.

Israel’s Unexpected Strength Prior to the Second Advent

4.     But let us return now to the narrative of verse one, and the time of trouble prophesied there, and the final phrase, at that time thy people shall be delivered.

As noted above, the Holocaust was the gravest insult ever delivered to an ethnic group in history; it is so acknowledge by historians.

But we see in it a mark of divine judgment leading to the Restoration.

That final judgment upon the Jews is followed by a beginning of redemption that had been completely misunderstood by earlier expositors ... the great strength that Israelis having returned to their Land should attain prior to the Second Advent.

As the Allied victory was gained in 1945, all the Nazi death camps were uncovered and their inmates liberated, and their heinous deeds made public.

The worldwide outcry was so great on the Jews’ behalf that the United Nations Organization, only two years later, voted to partition Palestine. They awarded a portion of it to world Jewry as a Jewish State, and a larger portion to the Arab population which also lived there.

The establishment of the State of Israel followed almost immediately, along with its War of Independence, which ended in a truce in August, 1949.

This momentous decision and its sequelae made Jewish migration to their heritable homeland possible as a free enterprise for the first time since the Roman expulsion of 70 AD!

It opened the floodgates for the miserable and dispossessed Jews of Europe – all victims of the Holocaust, that Time of Jacob’s Trouble – to migrate to “Palestine” as it was then called.

Palestine was technically the historical southern province of Syria of earlier times – a nation which at that time did not exist but which would shortly come into being again as one of the “trees” (cf., Jesus’ designation in Luke  21: 29) which should bud concurrent with the Fig Tree (Israel) in the “dried up” Euphratean Valley – this valley being a symbolic name for the holdings of the Ottoman Empire which had been driven out of all the Levant and chased back into Anatolia, having “come to their end with none to help” as noted at the end of Daniel 11.

The reassembly of Israel began as a direct result of this end time fulfillment of Daniel 11.

This is obviously a component of the “resurrection” described in Daniel 12: 2; it surely indicates the rescue and reassembly of the Jews of the Diaspora back to their land in great numbers – in numbers unsuspected at the beginning of the process in 1948 – but now realized as enormous, resulting in a population of Israel now greater than the number of Jews destroyed in The Shoah of 1933-1945!

Historical events have proven the “resurrection” of Israel from the nations to have occurred as a progressing enterprise immediately after the events of Daniel 11.

Having stated that obvious fact, we do not deny that this second verse also forecasts the physical resurrection of the saints to which we have not yet been witness, but which in our opinion lies directly ahead of this present time (2018).

Michael’s Two Previous Mentions by Daniel:

Are They all the Same “Michael?”

5.     There is another significant reason why we deny that “Michael” of Daniel 12 indicates the LORD Jesus Christ. It is this ...

Previous to this verse, “Michael” is twice mentioned in Daniel’s writings. 

These are in the previous chapter ...

Firstly: In Daniel 10:13 – Gabriel tells Daniel, But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Secondly: Daniel 10:21 - But I will shew thee (will show Daniel) that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

 Question: Does any reader believe that either of these two references indicates the LORD Jesus Christ in this earlier interaction with Gabriel, the angel of record?

We cannot fathom such an opinion.

In the scriptures this fact is usually apparent: the first mention of any entity in the scriptures usually defines that entity as to later references to that same entity. That is common literary practice even today.

Michael, “one of the chief princes” certainly does not nominate the LORD Jesus, but Michael the archangel, one of the chief princes of the angelic order. That is the indication of Daniel 10: 13, without doubt.

The second reference is consistent with the first. Daniel 10:21 specifies Michael as “your prince,” the same terminology as in the earlier verse. The entity is doubtless the same. And the events described in the 10th chapter occurred some 500 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth; therefore He cannot possibly be indicated in these earlier references.

Consistency demands that this third mention of his name indicates the same entity as earlier... the “great prince who standeth for the children of thy people.”

So we earnestly ask, “Why should a student believe that the third reference to “Michael” refers to some other personage?

Such is a violation of this general rule of the integrity of identity as established by the principle of the first mention of a personage or a principle’s being consistent with all later references thereto, unless some clear indicator is given that the latter occurrence means a different person or principle.

We believe that the above discussion proves quite conclusively that “Michael” in Daniel 12: 1 is an indicator of Michael the archangel standing forth now actively to assist the People of his responsibility, and not of the LORD Jesus as He comes in the Second Advent. 

<HEL I28> ~4100 words.  An eTPL28 Analysis Published April 7, 2018, in eTPL Prophecy Section.

May: The Time Periods of Daniel 12 

 New Considerations

“The Time Appointed”

            April 30, 2018.  Some time ago a respected and very dear friend circulated a study of the time periods of Daniel 12 (and other considerations) under the above title ... a subject which has baffled us for a long time (the 1335 “days”) of verse 12. For a time the article was available, but then seemed to disappear. Not being able to locate it, we could not refer to it on a knowledgeable basis. However, I have again examined the reply of our correspondent, and have tried the URL that he suggested; it now works! Here is a copy of part of his email ...

          (Dear Harold): After you asked about The Time Appointed, I went looking around and found that the Advocate already has converted the PDF document into an HTML page on their website at http://www.christadelphian-advocate.org/features/doctrinal-exposition/The-Time-Appointed/index.html.  

          As I mentioned on (your) call, when I first put the document together I directly mailed it to many (contacts). It’s also on the Advocate site, the Truth Gleaner site, and Joe Garvey sent it out as part of an email mailing as part of his Doctrinal Insights series earlier this year (2017). Many of your readers may have already seen it. Because of this, I wouldn’t recommend you replicating the contents of the paper on your site. If you still would like to point it out to your readers, you can just provide a link to the Advocate site. 

One of the key suggestions of the paper is that just as there was a 49 year period between Jerusalem’s liberation in 1917 and Jerusalem’s liberation in 1967, that we might see another dramatic event within our current Jewish year which draws to a close in October. We will see if it does coincide with a great event, but if not, then we’ll continue watching for our Lord’s return. [End of email excerpt.]

         We are therefore now posting the working address of this valuable study for all who are interested in reading a meaningful consideration of this “mysterious” time period. Please just click on this URL: http://www.christadelphian-advocate.org/features/doctrinal-exposition/The-Time-Appointed/index.html. If it does not appear immediately,  just copy and paste this URL into your search engine and bring it up in that way ...

Although there are discussions in this article with which we cannot agree (in its earlier portions), we commend this thoughtful article to the attention of all readers as a profitable study of aspects of Daniel 12. Perhaps you, as we, will finish the article with some niggling questions; but we believe you will appreciate the effort and thought that is behind this article. If you wish, please let us know your opinion or offer suggestions ... in this manner, it may be possible to reach a definitive opinion, especially on the “1335” days of Daniel 12.

         With best regards to all, H E Lafferty, Editor and Publisher of eTPL, the Electronic Prophecy Letters. 

June: Israel’s Oil and Gas Bonanza

H. E. Lafferty

For nearly a hundred years the desolate sands of Arabia and the Middle East have poured forth black gold – petroleum deposits by the millions of tons – and created a trove of wealth previously unknown in human history.

All this is on the verge of change.

The liquid petroleum deposits of the Arab oil cartel are rapidly being depleted. The older wells are much less likely to retain their output. And their heavier, more viscous product is much more costly to refine.

   It has been often said that Moses turned the wrong direction when bringing the Israelites out of Egypt – that he should have gone east rather than west; for it was in the east that the vast oceans of petroleum were later discovered. For years oil explorers drilled in Israeli lands and found almost no oil ... or gas.

But there is a new development now building – one which was not clearly foreseen even as late as last century. It is the principle of “fracking” petroleum deposits which are not liquid in their natural form. It is a technique in which rock formations containing oil are fractured in some manner so as to remove the oil deposits. The process began in some ways to be developed when the vast tar sands of Canada began to be explored, although the processes of extraction are different. At first, the tar sands presented an insoluble problem for engineers – how efficiently to separate the sand from its adherent oil and water.

As time progressed, however, systems were designed which made the process simpler and more workable.

Meanwhile, vast petroleum resources of another kind were being closely considered. These are shale oil deposits. It is now realized that the worldwide deposits of shale oil are far greater than the liquid deposits of oil. But they are more difficult to extract; therefore more costly.

he advances in fracking, however, opened a new door to Israel’s fortunes. And new techniques of deep well-drilling have even led to the discovery of liquid petroleum and natural gas in great abundance mostly in the coastal waters of Israel, but also to some extent on the country’s land mass as well.

But the most spectacular find to date has been the far-reaching deposits of oil shale in Israel. The largest of these known geologic structures is the Shfela Basin, southwest of Jerusalem. It surrounds the Valley of Elah where David slew Goliath in a war with the Philistines (1Samuel 17:2, 19).

It alone is estimated to contain 250 billion barrels of oil, rivaling the entire estimated liquid oil resources of Saudi Arabia – about 260 billion barrels of crude oil! The difference is that Arabia’s wells are aging and their product is deteriorating as to desirability and refinability.

Enter one brilliant scientist, Dr. Harold Vinegar, for many years chief of physical science at Royal  Duch Shell Oil in Texas. Retiring a few years ago, Dr. Vinegar and his family made aliyah to Israel - a long-held dream of his family - and he began to work with Israeli scientists on a "fracking" technique which he had developed during his research at Shell. It involved the new technique of horiaontal oil well drilling and the insertion of heating rods into the holes in order to heat the surrounding rocks to around 700 degrees, to make them yield their absorbed oil. The resultant product is a high qualty crude oil, easily refinable, and costing around $40 per barrel. This cost makes oil from shale attractive as long as conventional crude oil prices hovered above that price - around $100 per barrel, and were likely to rmain at that price or above for a long time. This earlier projection did not sustain; oil prices have since dropped drastically, but the principle still holds.

This diagram shows how fracking is done by the Vinegar Method (heated core rods) ...

Time magazine featured an article in its April 30th issue (2013), “Tapping the Promised Land: Can Israel Be an Energy Giant?” Interviews with executives of Israel Energy Initiatives, Dr. Vinegar’s company, reveals some startling prospects. One opinion quoted in the article is this: “We think that within a decade we can get 50,000 to 100,000 barrels a day,” says Relik Shafir, IEI chief executive officer.

He is referring to “kerogen,” the name given to the crude oil extracted from rocks of any type. This is an effort to differentiate it from “shale oil,” which is entirely different. “Shale oil” is contained in rocks as well but in tiny amounts which must be loosened before being harvested; it is also known as “tight oil.”

Thus “kerogen” is a better term for Israel’s oil – the organic matter embedded in any sort of rock near the earth’s surface. The location is important, for were it buried much deeper, the pressure would express the oil into pools as liquid petroleum.

Oil shales are usually shallow deposits, thus easily recovered by the method of horizontal drilling. In this process a well is sunk vertically to the depth of the oil-bearing shale, then the bit is turned horizontally, allowing drilling of hundreds of channels within even shallow strata, for hundreds of meters in any direction! Thusly, the above ground “footprint” of the operation may be contained in a small area of land.

When these holes are drilled, stainless steel cables are inserted into them, then heated to around 700 degrees. This process heats all the rock surrounding the shafts and the oil content begins to seep out and become pumpable. When brought to the surface the oil is “sweet (low sulfur), very light, super-high quality,” according to Vinegar.

And, incidentally, the product of this process yields other commodities as well; they are two other quite valuable resources: water ... and natural gas!

All This, and Why Now?

We wonder why this development has come about at this particular time. For years other companies have exerted their most diligent efforts to find oil in Israel. Up until 1986, 440 wells had been drilled in Israel, each one essentially a dry hole.

One feature of the Time article is that this dearth of oil reserves drove the Jewish State in other directions – impelling Israelis “to develop alternatives – from miraculous desert agriculture to the armaments industry that spawned the ‘start-up nation,’ including an electric-car enterprise, Better Place, marketed in part as a comeuppance to Arab oil.”

Israeli officials are absolutely ecstatic as they prepare to test the theories and techniques of fracking in the Shfela Basin.

The beginning of the brighter prospects for Israel came in the wake of the discovery of natural gas about 50 miles off Haifa in the Mediterranean Sea in 2009. Named the Tamar Gas Field, it came online in March of this year, causing great acclaim throughout Israel. This gas alone will raise Israel’s Gross Domestic Product by a full percentage point, according to the Bank of Israel. Add to Tamar a second gas find about 80 miles west from Haifa, called Leviathan, Israel can easily convert into an energy exporter without taking anything away from the kerogen discovery! This is a marvelously fortuitous find, says Harold Vinegar, because this newly discovered natural gas will provide the power to heat the subterranean kerogen fields ... until the gas that is released as a by-product of the kerogen harvest is re-purposed for the same task! Then the process will become self-sustaining! Talk about timing! (all Divine, of course!).

The prospects of petroleum wealth then, at last, has come to Israel in the terminal end time. The trove of wealth promises to be a mere portion of the “spoil and prey” that will be in the possession of the Jewish state when the Gogian affair of Ezekiel 38 and 39 begins. We have read that a better translation of that phrase ... to take a “spoil and prey,” is better translated “to spoil the despoilers,” which clearly means that Israel at that time shall be extremely wealthy because of “spoils” (booty) captured from its neighbouring Islamic enemies – those between the Rivers Nile and Euphrates, the Abrahamic inheritance which shall be liberated from Israel’s (and God’s) enemies when the Christ of the Second Advent makes his appearance in the near future.      <HEL> An eTPL Exposition. Published June, 2018.

July: The Desire of all Nations

An eTPL29 Exhortation

Haggai 2: 7

Hag 2:7And I will shake all nations,

and the desire of all nations shall come:

and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. (AV)

The translators of the Revised Version separate the three phrases by only a comma, a technique which reflects the editors’ view that the three events are inseparably linked.

Haggai could not have realized the full import of these words! In his mind, it might seem that the LORD had already shaken all nations – all the nations of which he was aware in that day.

But today’s believers can now appreciate the full import of the whole fabric of the statement. We behold the nations raging on many fronts – and entire “religions” at war with the world, i.e., Islam (1.2 billion) versus the entire world! And besides this, there are regional wars in progress in Nigeria, Somali, Syria, Afghanistan, the Punjab, El Salvador, Egypt and Ukraine just to name a few.

So those graphic words “I will shake all nations” have come to pass.

The second phrase is richly deep in symbolism: “and the Desire of all nations shall come,” with the subject capitalized, as most would interpret the reference as Messianic.

But is it?

We have noted the slight change from the reading of the AV’s “Desire of all nations” to “the desirable things” of the RV.

We are informed that the reason for this is that the verb “shall come” is in the pleural form.[i] Some Lexicographers state that the word has no pleural form. If that is so, the rules of grammar seem broken in that it is the nominative of the plural verb (vahu, in Hebrew), “they shall come.” It makes no sense to say “The Desire ... they shall come” as these are mixed cases.

Some, including John Thomas, have concluded that perhaps a letter of the Hebrew was misconstrued during translation: “khemdath should read khemdoth” he says.

This probability, however, is not consistent with the context of the prophecies. If “all nations” come to surround Christ at His Second Advent, how can He be their “Desire?” Indeed, in the name of the Lord of all the earth, He shall destroy them!

John  Thomas says this change would then read “and the excellencies of all the nations shall come,” with both words plural.

However, he adds, “... if khemdath in the singular be correct, then the construction is to be accounted for upon the same principle that Elohim, plural, is so often construed with a verb in the singular – “The Excellency of all the nations they shall come,” or as Zechariah expresses the same thing, “Yahveh Elohim He shall come in, and all the saints with Thee,” in this case, He and the Saints being the Excellency of all the nations.

Rotherham’s translation reads:

      “And I will shake all the nations,

   And the delight of all the nations shall come in,

   And I will fill this house with glory.”

On the word, “delight,” he attaches this footnote, noting the differences of phraseology utilized by various commentators ...

... “object of delight”

– Davies Hebrew Lexicon. “The noblest of all peoples”

– Fuerst’s Hebrew Lexicon. “Desire, delight ... (i.e., the desirable, precious things of all nations)”

– Oxford Gesenius. “He drew his singular, costly thing, or desirableness

... but the verb, shall come, is in the pleural, and the Septuagint has the choice things - G. A. Smith.

We follow the reasoning of Carter here (op cit,  pp 18, 19): “The tendency of many writers is to regard the “desirable things” as a reference to the wealth of the nations, and to find support in vs. 8, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.” It is of course true that the wealth of the nations will be poured in tribute at the feet of the King of kings, and used for the building and beautifying of the Temple in the age  to come.

This process Isaiah comments upon extensively, in “Isaiah 60:10 - And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.... 13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.... 16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. 17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

But if this be true, that consideration seems strange following the next phrase, which is that God’s house will be filled with glory (Hebrew, kabod). We often term it Shekinah – the glory of God.

Our conviction is that the “desirable things” has a close association with that glory to come. And is not particularly related to the riches that are noted in the passage.

In Ezekiel’s prophecy we see a clear, step-by-step movement of God’s glory (kabod) out of the first Temple.

These four verses recognize its purposeful removal by YHVH...

Ezekiel 9:3  And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house.

Eze 10:4  Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory.

Eze 10:18  Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. 19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight:

Eze 11:23  And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city (the Mount of Olives).

This disappearance of the Shekinah is the reason that it was not present in the second House.

Indeed, it is a matter of Jewish belief that there were five items missing from the second House of God:

the ark with its mercy seat,

the glory of God which shined above it,

the sacred fire (of the altar),

the Urim and the Thummim,

and the spirit of prophecy. [ii]

As to the glory of the LORD (Shekinah is the term applied to it although not used in scripture) – the glory of the Lord which dwelt between the cherubim, this was the “first glory” of Haggai 2: 3.

The ninth verse of Haggai 2 stresses that  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

All three Temples are identified as “the LORD’s House,” or “this house.” The first contained the glory – the Shekinah – but it was purposefully removed by the Father in preparation for that edifice’s destruction. It was absent from the second House – that of Zerubbabel.  It will be restored to the Third House – the Millennial Temple which is to be constructed by the returned Lord Jesus Christ.

But it will appear there in its refined and perfected form – as the perfect manifestation of the antitype of which the earlier, imperfect “glory” was a token.

This antitypical and Resident future “Glory” will be incomparable to the first. Its details of being are the incomprehensible minutiae of Ezekiel one – the remarkable Cherbubim of God as seen in vision by the prophet.

Its depiction as a living, dynamic, mysterious, all-powerful Being is eloquently described by the prophet ... an object never yet created or in existence – but surety of an highly symbolic future manifestation during the Kingdom age ...

Its movement back into the Temple is prophesied in Ezekiel 43: 1-4 ... note the wonderful details:

Ezekiel 43:1  Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

Note the distinct reference made here by Ezekiel to his vision of chapter one (“that I saw by the river Chebar”), solidly linking this vision to that of the Cherubim of God recorded there.

Here then is proof of the nature of this latter “glory” of the Lord – this brilliant Being, now noted as featuring “his” voice and “his” glory – now described as being masculine, and sounding like “many waters.”

Certain reference is made to this feature by the LORD Jesus Himself, Who revealed this characteristic of Himself as the returned Christ of a multitude:  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Revelation 19:6

When the original ark with its mercy seat – and its resident GLORY – were removed from the first Temple, the symbology was being presented that the things of the impotent and fleshly Law of Moses (to which these pertained) would be removed from the people, and a new and Everlasting Covenant instituted which could, and would freely, give life.

This Being that in Ezekiel 43 is depicted as moving into the Temple of the Millennium supersedes the outmoded and interim reality of the Law of Moses represented by that earlier “glory,” removed “because of sin,” and illustrates the habitation of the latter day House by the Returned LORD Jesus Christ – now sinless and having sole jurisdiction – along with His multitude of Redeemed Ones from all nations and ages – the Ransomed of God Who in their immortality shall have returned to Him forever, and are destined to serve Him continually throughout the ages to come!

And so it is that we now perceive that the earlier “glory” was not merely a simplistic principle of the presence of God among the Israelites of ages agone, but was symbolic of a far greater manifestation of God With Us in person ... in the great Person of the LORD Jesus Christ, yes, but also in the persons of the multitude of Redeemed Saints, in Whom ALSO shall dwell the Name of God forever!

Together, He and They constitute the indwelling Spirit of God among His re-gathered People of Israel of the end time – at the precise time of their Second Restoration to their Land and Heritage – and they shall collectively be in residence among them forever.

At first that function shall result in their utter peace and safety from their enemies who will quickly come to destroy the mysterious “king” of Israel and His legion of followers.

But that condition of assured Peace can only result from their recognition of Him as Messiah as He stands before them upon Olivet, revealing the wounds in His hands and side (as Zechariah 12 and 13) – and their acceptance of His Person and Authority over them.

Then their walls of defense shall be removed forever (Ezekiel 38: 8, 11, 14).

As a matter of logic, their military shall be dismantled.

Their strongholds and fortresses will be demolished (Zechariah 9: 10).

Their conscripts shall be mustered out forever.

Their air force and their navy shall be discontinued and scrapped as a resource for farm equipment of every sort (fulfilling the “swords into plowshares” mandate of Malachi 4:3).

Their wealth shall increase immensely by His bringing into Greater Israel the “wealth of the Gentiles” (Zechariah 14: 14).

His people as in that day, yet dispersed among the “islands of the sea” (Isaiah 11: 11), shall quickly begin to be brought home and settled in their respective tribal lands by the forces of Messiah.

Each tribe shall be headed by one of the Twelve Apostles, as promised by the LORD Jesus.

And each blessed resident shall sit under his own vine and fig tree for the duration of the millennial age!

But perhaps the most beneficial feature of that age is the eternal indwelling of The Glorious Things which shall have been inserted into the Temple of the Millennium – for it is recorded as one of the last personal promises of the Master, that He should “tabernacle” (as a verb) among them eternally: His words are recorded in Revelation 21:3 -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.

The Missing Elements Restored

Now, concerning the other elements (in addition to the Glory of the Lord which dwelt above the Mercy Seat) which were not present in the second Temple ... these too are typical – are “types” – which have distinct “antitypes” of fulfillment in the kingdom age, but like the Shekinah, they are not literally restored ...

A close examination reveals their identities in that future day. They are:

1.      The  Ark of the Covenant with its Mercy Seat:

2.     The sacred fire of the altar,

3.     The Urim and Thummim, and

4.     The spirit of Prophecy (or teaching, as it shall be in that day).

The Ark of the Covenant with its Mercy Seat will symbolically inhabit the Third Temple in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ, which they earlier prefigured.  As their King and Sovereign, He has such powers of regnal authority and beneficence for His people.

When He appears the second time, and after He has defeated and routed the enemies round about Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates, peace will settle over His entire domain, the people will humbly recognize Him as their long-awaited Messiah and King. Their repentance will bring their rectification at that time; after their humble repentance (as noted in Zechariah 12 and 13) and He has shown His MERCY to His people of that day, and He will make a new covenant with His people which shall supersede the Old Covenant of Moses.

Jeremiah 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Ezekiel predicts the same outcome at that time as the Valley of Dry Bones is emptied of his people, and the Kingdom established under David My Servant...   

Ezekiel 37:24  And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

Eze 37:25  And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

Eze 37:26  Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Eze 37:27  My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The Sacred Fire of the altar refers to the altar before the doors of the sanctuary. It was to burn continuously before the Temple: And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus  6:12, 13. 

Earlier verses in Leviticus 6 inform us that the fire was to be perpetual; that is wood should be replenished regularly by the priests; the fire was always to be available for burnt offerings (vs. 9).

Perpetual fire was a prominent feature of the era of Moses’ Law, occurring in numerous forms and at various times. We now consider several other instances of sacred fire as utilized to cleanse and to consecrate people or things in the LORD’s service...

1.      When God called Moses in the wilderness of Midian – called him to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt – He appeared to Moses in a flaming bush which was not consumed. The bush burned perpetually as a miraculous sign that God was speaking to him. Exodus 3:2.

2.     When God protected and led the liberated nation, beginning at the crisis of the Red Sea, He did so with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. Exodus 13: 21, 22.

3.     And when the Law was put into place and the appropriate altar constructed in front of the wilderness Tabernacle, it was originally activated by a perpetual fire which was ignited by the very hand of God.  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. Leviticus 9:24 . And in this instance it was the burnt offering which was being offered FOR ATONEMENT.

No other source of fire was acceptable, and no other process of atonement was available, as seen in Numbers 3:4 - And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai ... In this instance, Nadab and Abihu were conducting sacrifices on their own terms, essentially seeking atonement by a spurious route – thus usurping the authority of YHVH in their priestly functions.  

We learn from Deuteronomy 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. The glory of God was always visible in this perpetual fire of the altar of burnt offerings which God alone had furnished at the beginning. We also realize that all unholy things under the Law were cleansed by fire if made of non-combustible materials; otherwise, consecration could only be obtained by use of the ritual of the Waters of Separation created from the ashes of the red heifer and other ingredients.

We have no record of the length of time that this perpetual fire of the altar of burnt offering was maintained – perhaps far beyond the wilderness journey. But at some point in time it must have been extinguished, for we are informed that when Solomon dedicated the Temple which he had built, the fire of the altar was again ignited by the hand of the LORD: 2Chronicles  7:1  informs us:  Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.  

4.     Finally, the perpetual fire of YHVH was also manifested to the eyes of the high priest on one occasion during the year, when he entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. As he pushed aside the thick curtain of separation and stepped inside the solitary chamber, he faced the Ark of the Covenant with its Mercy Seat of gold overlaying it, and two golden cherubim with outstretched wings facing each other at the two ends of the Mercy Seat. And hovering in midair above the Mercy Seat was the Kabod of Haggai 2:3 – a mysterious orb of brilliant light which, perpetually suspended there, occupied that space. It was this Light – this Shekinah – which Ezekiel had seen removed from the Temple, and had predicted that it should later be restored to the Temple of the Millennium in future time as already cited. Some have noted that these lights – the Shekinah and the firelight of the altar – were reminders that salvation is only of God, and can be of no other source. Thus “strange fire” was rejected by Him in the case of Nadab and Abihu.

5.     There is one other case to which we shall refer. In the New Testament, in Matthew 3: 11, John Immerser reminds us that the LORD Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with FIRE. That prediction came true when on the Day of Pentecost just after His Sacrifice, the Spirit was manifested by cloven tongues of fire: Acts 2:3 - And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  Here too, the fire represented God’s approval of these men – these authoritative, genuine conveyors of Truth and Salvation among His people. Obviously these tongues of fire did not harm their subjects in any way ... just as the bush of Moses was not consumed. 

The final manifestation of God’s judgment by FIRE is that of this passage in the Apoclaypse: Revelation 19:20 - And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Here the last vestiges of evil and corruption are eternally destroyed:

The beast and the false prophet,

The “devil,” or diabolos – the flesh of sin,

Death and the Grave (hell),

          Whosoever was not found written in the book of life.

As the purging, cleansing effects of the perpetual fire of God at this final act of the Adamic Dispensation winds down, the terminal cleansing of God’s creation is put into operation. All the uncleanness of the condemned creation shall by these events have been abolished ... and Eden restored.  And God shall be “all and in all” from that time to eternity!

The Urim and the Thummim were also absent. These were the oracles of God which were consulted by the High Priest in his duties of judgment. They were apparently two objects, perhaps precious stones, which would invariably reflect the will of God when consulted according to the priestly directions which God had given. Urim means “lights” and Thummim means “perfections.” In the LXX they are “manifestation” and “truth.” They were the essential answers to questions which had not been addressed in the larger Law of Moses, matters upon which the priest had to depend upon the LORD Himself for judgment.

We are not informed as to their identity in particular, but they were apparently kept in the pocket behind the precious stones of the high priest’s breastplate, and were withdrawn by the priest after he had queried the LORD as to any certain matter. They apparently gave either approval or disapproval of any given matter – a “yes” or a “no” of sorts.

This important assignment of Judgment in the Kingdom age will be a function primarily of the JUDGE Himself – the LORD Jesus Christ – but will also be vested in the immortalized Saints of that era. Their perfect minds will weigh and evaluate every matter and make an irrevocable decision as to the proper course of action in each case. There will be no doubt in that day as to the decisions to be made upon any matter of civil justice or law, for the LORD is there to pass upon any matter.

The spirit of Prophecy (or teaching, as it shall be in that day). The fourth element which shall be restored to the Third Temple will be the Spirit of Prophecy. It will be resident in the Christ as well as His Saints, for all shall in that day possess the Mind of God in every matter. Their “prophecy” in that day shall consist of the elements of Teaching the Gospel to every creature. Their word shall be the prevalent law of the land, and their doctrine that of salvation to the masses of the earth who have never heard the gospel of the Kingdom age.  

<HEL>  4300 words/ An eTPL29 Exhortation  24 minutes.

 August: When Christ Comes –

What Will be the Order of Events?

H E Lafferty

Contains 9,000 words. This  article will require some dedicated time to study adequately.

 Devotees to God’s word have been aware for several years that we are extremely near the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. The primary visible signal of this proximity was the landmark event of Israeli Statehood, achieved in May, 1948. We look upon this event as the “sign of the Son of Man in heaven” as revealed in Matthew 24:30: 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.

On the grand scale of the end-time prophecies, these two events are tightly compressed in this statement; to our simple, rather pedestrian view of things they are obviously separated from each other by years. The “sign” appears first in the political heavens (Israel’s establishment among the nations), then some years later, they “see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” As sure as the SIGN appeared, so shall the SON OF MAN also appear later, but we must allow space for that to happen in our Father’s own good time.

It must be evident to all that the perfect or sure order of these events cannot invariably be established with a confident degree of certainty; on the other hand, it is evident that some must precede others, e.g., the resurrection of the dead must occur prior to the Judgment Seat of Christ; and Christ’s sacred Land must be cleared of aggressors of His people before the establishment of His kingdom.

So please consider the following considerations with this realization in mind. In a real sense, the development of all these is being brought forward simultaneously; just as in pre-Adventual history, events progress concurrently with each other.

Ø  So … soon CHRIST COMES back to the earth in His Second Advent. No man knows the day or the hour of His appearance (Matthew 25: 13). At the same time, we can discern the general signs of the times. Believers have been expecting His appearance for decades because of the unique circumstances commented upon above.

Ø  The Angel Gabriel sounds the LAST TRUMP (the Great Shofar of Assembly); the multitudes of the dead in Christ are RAISED from their memorial graves where they have been dormant and “asleep” until Gabriel sounds his trumpet blast. I believe they are regarded by the Spirit as “asleep” because their later awakening from death in the coming resurrection is certain. All the others do NOT “sleep,” as their destiny is perpetual oblivion, with no resurrection in their future. The simple truth of this expectation of even the great ones (rulers) of the earth having perished is well phrased by the words of Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 14 They are dead, they shall not live (again); they are deceased, they shall not rise (in the resurrection): therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. You must surely realize that to perish is to CEASE to exist – anywhere …  or to continue on in any state. These have been assigned irreversibly to “hell” – to Sheol – which is the pit of death and darkness in contrast to a lake of literal fire which is, however, a fitting metaphor for total destruction, as in Revelation 19: 20; 20: 10, 14, 15, where we see even “death and hell” cast into the lake of fire in a poetic figure, meaning that these deleterious elements themselves are completely destroyed, and in league with the human occupants of Sheol shall no longer continue. Afterward there IS no more death, and clearly therefore signifies that no future inhabitants shall be consigned to the grave (hell).

Ø  The resurrected numbers of covenanted People are very great – and they emerge into current society from all ages and all societies of all past ages, but do not mingle with that society until they are admitted to it by the Master.  

Ø  The angels GATHER TOGETHER the living believers in Christ – doubtless a far smaller number of people than those of many earlier ages who are to be resurrected, and along with those subjects of the resurrection, transport them to a secret place of judgment, as in I Thessalonians 4: 14 – 17. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 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 (precede) them which are asleep. 16 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: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (in the atmosphere of the earth): and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Notice, please, that the word “the” has been struck out editorially, for the word does not exist in the Greek text. The clouds, in our opinion, refer to an huge group of these individuals, and may possibly be a play on words relating to physical clouds. In John 6:5 we see the word “company” applied to a large group of people in the same sense:  When Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

Our opinion as to the meaning of the resurrected being caught up “in clouds” as NOT being into the heavens (a common misconception of the phrase) is because clouds only exist near the earth, in the earth’s atmosphere, and never above the earth more than perhaps ten miles. Never are men – either mortal or immortal – invited to inhabit the heavens; indeed they are specifically forbidden to ascend to the heavens as did the LORD Jesus (John 8:22; 13:33). So the assembly of the resurrected dead, now to be judged, will be within the atmospheric limit and on the earth.

This event is similar to the ‘rapture’ which is the expressed conviction of the people of popular Christendom and is the prime source of their mistaken conviction that all “Christians” are to be raised from the dead, and with all living believers will be transported to heaven – far, far beyond the “clouds” which obviously is an erroneous conception.

We are extremely confident that intelligent correlation with many other scriptures shows this verse’s  clear meaning to be that myriads (clouds) of the redeemed will be gathered to Him in a ruling capacity upon the EARTH and in its “air” (or atmosphere) – for the eternal Promises to the Redeemed consist not of an eternal habitation in heaven itself at all, but on the EARTH forever, fulfilling the original promises God made to Abraham and his Seed (Genesis 12, 14, Galatians 3, etc.).  

In addition much ancillary information is revealed in I Corinthians 15: 15 et seq., where Paul reasons about and explains the resurrection process and his expectation of the Saints’ earthly inheritance under the Christ. Habakkuk 2: 14 expresses the same principle and is mirrored in four other occurrences of almost exactly the same phrases: the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Ø  He JUDGES His household according to those things done in the flesh, whether good or evil, (Ecclesiastes 12: 14; 2 Corinthians 5: 10, q.v.) rewarding a large ACCEPTED multitude with immortality.

Ø  The unfaithful believers are REJECTED and turned aside from His presence. These weep and gnash their teeth, lamenting their failure to achieve immortality. I Corinthians 15: 53-55; see also Luke 13: 27 But he shall say, ‘I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.’  This clear statement in itself is concrete evidence of the location of the Kingdom and the inheritance of the Saints. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was THE LAND of ISRAEL at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea; it was to be awarded to them in perpetuity – a sacred tract of land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf (Indian Ocean?).

Ø  Those who are to be turned aside are ruined. Their lives have been essentially wasted; it is better for them if they had never been born, as is said of Judas who betrayed Christ (Mark 14: 21). The edict of Matthew 7: 23 to those on His left hand pronounces and seals their fate: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Ø  He joins joyfully and eternally with the faithful, now immortalized Saints, in THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB.  Revelation 19: 6-9; 22: 12. The location of this event is not revealed, but the account is compelling …

Ø  In so doing, Christ fulfills in each individual Saint that precious promise to Abraham that his descendants (his SEED) shall be as the sand of the seashore and as the stars of heaven – an innumerable company of powerful, now newly deathless earth-borns of all tongues, people, and ages since Adam who have been preserved in their Memorial Graves, sleeping there for eons, safely and silently in the dust of the earth in every clime of His creation, awaiting this memorable day of liberation into the atmosphere and into new life. Revelation 5: 11 cites the number of ten thousand times ten thousand ... and thousands of thousands above that number - which is a vast number of Redeemed Ones (well over 100 millions) of immortals! These fortunate ones enjoy an elevation (after His judgment) from mortality (certainty of death) to immortality (certainty of eternal life).

Ø  He then brings THE FAITHFUL with Himself to confront the nations with their own doctrines and practices – to deliver Israel from their threatening enemies round about as in Habbakuk 3, Isaiah 11 and 63 – on the way to Jerusalem. Micah 4: 13 – ‘Arise and thresh!’ He shall CONQUER, with the assistance of the Saints (Psalm 149: 6 – 9) putting away all Israel’s ENEMIES that remain round about them and within Israel. Ezekiel 35: 12, 14; Obadiah; Micah 5; Psalm 83 and 102; Zechariah 10 - 14; Joel 3; Isaiah 34, all of which please see.

Ø  Details of THESE CONFLICTS are abundant and involve the ‘nations round about:’ Zechariah 14: 2, and all those who have fought against Jerusalem, Zechariah 14: 12; …. These nations are NOT all the nations of the world! In Isaiah 34 and in scores of other references, the same terminology is used of the Proximal Arabs … ALL the aggressor nations (but ONLY those aggressors) of the Jewish State up to that time. Otherwise – if His meaning was indeed ALL nations – His destruction should spread to the ends of the earth, thus aborting His own plan to teach the nations righteousness and peace during the Millennium. There should be no population remaining to whom the Truth might be taught!

Ø  It is in the above actions that He gathers to Himself and to His kingdom of Israel THE WEALTH OF THE GENTILES – the riches of those SAME Gentiles (Zechariah 14: 14; Isaiah 60: 4 – 7) as well as many other commodities and benefits – including their lands, their properties, their bank accounts, their goods and chattels, their minerals and oil wealth, and all other valuables of every sort – and incorporates them into Greater Israel, bringing to fruition the Land Promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David – increasing His inheritance to full measure, from the Nile to the Euphrates (Psalm 72: 8; Zechariah 9: 10) and from the  Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.  … they shall suck the milk (confiscate the riches) of Gentiles … and shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and Redeemer … - Isaiah 60: 16; also Isaiah 66: 11. This is a truth that is affirmed here and many times later – reinforcing their now enlightened, firm faith in Him as Messiah. Note please, that this is here indicative of the time of their coming to the “knowledge” (realization) that the LORD Jesus IS their Messiah: “...shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and Redeemer.” This statement signifies that until that special revelation, the living People of God shall NOT recognize His identity – a reality that does not take the Almighty by surprise.  Before that time, there is no possibility of a widespread recognition of Him among the Jews of the world or of Israel.

Ø  When these Phase One battles are finished the Jews inquire diligently as to HIS IDENTITY… the personage of their Redeemer, Whom they have not recognized to this point in their wildly pitched battles with the opposing Edomites and others. But They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12: 10) and behold the nail prints in His hands (Zechariah 13: 6), and realize their grave error of having condemned and crucified Him in AD 29, after which His people shall immerse themselves in a great, heartfelt, sincere mourning of repentance – Zechariah 12: 10 – 14 and Zechariah 13 and 14.

Ø  As a result of their genuine repentance, having seen Him come in the name of the Lord of Hosts, they are immediately blessed by Him. He had told them definitively in Luke 13: 35 - Ye shall not see Me until the time come when ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He That cometh in the name of the Lord.

Ø  You see, He actually had spoken extensive and intensive condemnation upon His people for their refusal to accept Him, telling them that they never would throughout the coming centuries be able to perceive His real identity, nor accept His work as their Savior until His end-time stipulations were accomplished!

Ø  But … now His People of Israel give Him their undivided loyalty and genuine, heartfelt affection; they are anxious to do His bidding, to fulfill His assigned duties, to start to become a light unto the Gentiles (Isaiah 42: 6). In response He places within their breasts hearts of flesh, replacing their stony hearts of unbelief – and writes upon it His Spirit in the clearly defined act of natural and spiritual redemption of His people.

Ø  Ezekiel 11: 19 and Ezekiel 36: 25 – 28 both attest to this unique and benevolent response of their Savior, the latter of which says, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

It is again made positively clear the Jews’ defined destiny as His consecrated People of the kingdom age – those living at His Advent will continue in life, although converted as discussed above, will be still mortal, living their lives in service to Him presumably until their natural deaths. We are assured that those who faithfully live out their mortal lives shall later be raised from the dead and given immortality in accordance with their faithfulness.

Ø  During this time the Returned Christ proclaims Himself to them and to the world at large, that He is indeed KING OF ISRAEL, abruptly and completely reversing the State’s original Republican composition, surely triggering the disdain, the scorn and the derision of the constitutional democracies of the earth. Their devotion to their democratically-determined way of life illustrates well their immersion in ‘the three unclean spirits’ proceeding out of the mouth of the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet (Revelation 16: 13), prompting their total rejection of Christ’s proclamation, and bringing further scorn upon His germinal (mustard seed) kingdom.  Micah 4: 2; Psalm 83.

Ø  So what is His and their reaction? They are infuriated, but He cares not; nor do the now esteemed and exonerated Israelis care, as the greatest percentage of them have wholeheartedly accepted Him and recognized His Office. We are not apprised as to whether all the people accept Him as Messiah at the same time; or whether, if some do not accept Him immediately, He will allow them some time for self-examination and review of the Word which clearly foretells Him – principles which shall be effectively taught them by the Redeemed in their midst, their King. These enjoy the first stages of their redemption and readily accept whatever their King proclaims to them! Some rebels among His people perhaps remain to be rooted out in the days ahead. We are not instructed as to His method for accomplishing this task.

Ø  He PROCLAIMS THE KINGDOM in Zion and TO Zion, but the world (except Israel) is deaf to His claims. They repudiate His claims out of hand, having no inkling of His true identity. “Christians” will doubtless immediately proclaim Him as The Antichrist of their apostate theology; pagans will have no part of Him not remotely suspecting His innate power, His authority,  His regency, or His future plans.

Ø   All the evidence indicates that yet other enemies now gather to resist His kingdom, e.g., the Gogian host of Ezekiel 38 and 39. The UNO will quickly issue sanctions against this new “king” in Israel. The West will be taken with rage at such audacity of their former compatriots, the Israelis. The remaining petroleum-rich Islamic states further afield will immediately begin to prepare for yet another attack upon Israel in revenge for the colossal victory just won by Christ, the Saints and the IDF!

Ø  Also the Beast and the False Prophet headquartered in Roman Europe (but reaching to the furthest extent of the papal realms of human commerce), will have been given pause, and also begin their preparation to resist Israel with economic and political sanctions, boycotts and other protective means, for they now perceive possible threats to their commercial advantage, and even their traffic in human souls, because of the sudden influx of souls into the Middle East (the huge numbers of Israelites remaining in the world today but being then brought to their eternal homeland).    Conflict shall ensue. That extended conflict is related in Apocalypse 18 – 20, leading into the halcyon days of the proclamation of His kingdom in the vast Mideast and West, including the Americas without doubt – a fortress of Catholic authority and dominion among men.

Ø  And, yes, the expansion of His authority become apparent to mankind in the  ‘free’ world; these perceive challenges to their embedded liberty and equality and democratic ideals (selfishness and jealousy of “their rights and privileges” of self-determination as peoples) rub them the wrong way! These objections reach outward with the momentum of a huge tsunami to the nations of the world: Psalm 2 is one reference to their self-willed resistance to Him.

Ø  He begins healing the wreckage of the great earthquake which comes when His feet touched the Mount of Olives and altered the topography of the Land. Perhaps He takes this great human displacement as His opportunity to reapportion ownership of the Land itself, dividing it into the tribal cantons described in Ezekiel 40 – 48.

Ø  In proclaiming Himself King, He initiates KINGDOM OPERATIONS in Zion. getting to the detailed affairs of His administration and the infrastructure of the new State.

Ø  He shall immediately ESTABLISH HIS THRONE in Jerusalem. Micah 4:4; Psalm 72: 8 – 15; and proclaim Himself King of Israel publicly, thus confirming another action that all those expect who already believe He is the personal embodiment of their supposed “Antichrist.”

Ø  He immediately moves to bring His people back to their land. He GATHERS ALL ISRAEL (including the Ten Tribes) to Zion progressively from this point. As His people arrive in the Land, He shall appoint each family to its eternal inheritance, Tribe by Tribe, setting over each Tribe one of the Apostles, as He promised in Luke 22: 30.

Ø   Deuteronomy 30: 3. Isaiah 27: 12 seems to indicate that at least the first portion of the return was always destined to be gradual, building on the original trickle of immigration – the serial Aliyahs we have witnessed for over an hundred years. By far the greatest portion of His people remains at this time in Diaspora, ready now to be delivered to the land of peace and safety soon to be observed in Israel. These are the remaining people of Judah and Benjamin (the Two Tribes) and the great majority of the Ten Tribes of Israel. 

Ø  At some indeterminate time during these operations He CONVERTS EGYPT as part of these End time activities after demonstrating His power in saving them from their ‘oppressors’ [Perhaps identifiable as The Moslem Brotherhood (?), the spawner of Hamas of our day, and troublemaker extraordinaire, which Egypt has been trying to suppress for many years but which is today increasing in strength]: Isaiah 19: 16-21; Zechariah 10: 11. We are told little of this operation, but we can be sure that Christ is not defeating the Gogian Host in Egypt as some in the past have indicated. The Gogian host instead, shall, future to this time, have been stopped DEAD in its tracks east of the Sea of Galilee and their stone-cold corpses are being consumed by the beasts of the field and the birds of the air of that age (Ezekiel 39: 4, 5).

Ø  He conquers and PACIFIES “ASSYRIA,” making them a third with Egypt and Israel – these accounts being surely related in passages such as Isaiah 19: 16-21; Micah 5; Zechariah 10: 11.

Ø  He shall put a NEW HEART AND A NEW SPIRIT within His re-gathered People:  I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.  Ezekiel 36: 26 – 27; Zechariah 12: 9 - 11.

Ø  He shall then PURGE OUT THE REBELS from His people, for there appears to be some who are not able or faithful enough to accept Him at face value. There will doubtless be others who have adopted aberrant lifestyles (we here refer to homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism, etc.) who are not either willing or able to cast that lifestyle aside – and therefore stand against His diktat to them. Those unfaithful ones are, in our opinion, to be turned out of His kingdom. Those left in it are described in Zephaniah 3: 12 – I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Zephaniah (the meaning of his name is “he whom Yahweh hath hidden”) excoriates the unfaithfulness of Israel in chapters 1 and 2, and forecasts the historical Babylonian captivity then still ahead of them. Then he pronounces the final solution upon their race in chapter 3:19 – leaping over the Babylonian return and their second scattering by Rome in 70 AD and 135 AD into all nations – giving the details of their final ingathering! - that spoken of in Isaiah 11.  

Ø  He shall REMOVE THE CURSE OF THE EARTH as reflected in words such as those in Psalm 72: 16 – 19. As His kingdom progresses, Edenic conditions return in widespread climatic change; the friendly nations receive abundant rainfall and blessings of flock and herd. In addition, the human fertility rate shall be markedly increased so that Israel, especially, brings forth abundant children – offspring to replace those whom the People have lost in their endless attrition at the hand of the nations. Isaiah 49 is a remarkably poignant testament to this restoration of Israel in full; indeed, the latest reports from Israel acknowledge Israeli women now to have one of the highest fertility rates in the Western World. Isaiah 49 refers to this time in the poignant account foretold in Isaiah 49:19: For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy (former) destruction, shall even now (at that time) be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. 21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost [in the Holocaust, and at other times] my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? 22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Ø  In these passages we see additional evidence that ISLAM SHALL HAVE SUFFERED terminally!! Their pagan beliefs shall have been overthrown and trampled – and completely obliterated. Isaiah 49: 17-19 addresses the Israelis’ interaction with the oppressors round about; verse 18 indicates that Israel shall take all the good things left by the heathen and use them for their own purposes. Their possessions shall adorn Israel as a bride! The subservience of the foreign kings is indicated in verses 23 – 26 as referenced above.

Ø  But, to reiterate: in verses 19 – 22 and 25, the Revelator reassures His people of ample space for the habitation of the overwhelming numbers of their brethren who shall be brought back to their expanded Land, and that their children shall now be born in abundance – all to the glory of God’s holy name.

Ø   Agreeing completely with these prophecies, we see the abject obliteration of the “Palestinians” reflected in the terse words of Obadiah, who indicates that there shall none remain of the house of Esau which, judging by their areas of habitation (the five areas recorded there as being conquered  by Israel) are those regions now inhabited by those we recognize as being the modern-day “Palestinians” – those who even now are murdering and oppressing the little ones of Israel – the civilian population: these are not the recognized name of any extant race of people but are clearly recognizable from their modern day location! Newt Gingrich, a U. S. politician recently made sensational headlines by referring to the “Palestinians” as a MANUFACTURED people which have never existed in history, indicating that the title “Palestinian” is a pseudonym for “Arab.” And he is correct.

Ø  He shall build THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE of Ezekiel 40 – 48, and install in it His GLORY (Himself). His own everlasting, shining presence – His glory! Therefore, Shekinah personified returns to His ‘house’ in Jerusalem, site of Zion’s Millennial Temple (see Isaiah 43: 4,  5); also Haggai 2: 7 - 9, which connects the Glory to “the Desire of all nations” Who we believe to be the Christ.

Ø  He shall bring (real) PEACE to Israel and the nations round about by proclaiming His PEACE to the world. He is not deterred by the refusal of many of the nations who will not accept His edicts: Psalm 2; Habakkuk 2:14, et al.

Ø  He shall display POWER AND AUTHORITY THAT THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN, but his kingdom operations are at first more local than international – exerted within the “first dominion” of His kingdom … the “mustard seed” (the beginning, the small) stage of His eternal kingdom. Micah 4: 2.

Ø  He shall immediately DISARM Israel, His people. Cf. Micah 5:9-15; Zechariah 9: 10. His weapons of warfare, used to subdue the heathen, are His spoken words! Only His command – the word of His mouth – is necessary to wreak havoc among His enemies and destroy them. Revelation 19:15: And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, and with it He should smite the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron; and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The effectiveness of that incredibly deadly weapon is seen in the following verses; the angel invites the fowls to gather for the supper of the Great God, to eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and their riders, and of all men associated with them, free and bond, small and great!! (verses 7, 18) – activities which are parallel to Deuteronomy 32: 41 – 43; Ezekiel 39: 9 – 27; and other references, such as Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 11:4. With the breath of His lips, He shall slay the wicked! There is also His granted extension of that Power to all the Immortal Saints as well, for Psalm 149 tells us, Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the nations, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the JUDGMENTS WRITTEN; THIS HONOR HAVE ALL THE SAINTS. This is another logical reason why it is our personal conviction that the Assistants present with the Christ in His battles with the nations round about ARE THE SAINTS, not the angels, as some believe.

Ø  He shall form a NEW COVENANT with Israel, which shall be salvation through Christ, the clear teaching of the Last Supper – thus bringing them out of the Mosaic Covenant and into the Abrahamic Covenant – following their recognition of His person and identity. In my main study Bible I have pasted a Post It note on Zechariah 10: 4 (in The Companion Bible) listing several references … Jeremiah 31: 31-34; 32: 40; 33: 20, 21; Ezekiel 37: 26; 34: 25, 26; Joel 2: 21-27; Ezekiel 16: 62; Zechariah 9: 11; 10: 10; Isaiah 42: 6, 7; 49: 19, 20; 55: 3; Ezekiel 11: 17 - 20; Psalm 89, esp. verses 1 - 3 [this psalm treats of the Davidic Covenant, the actual identity of this new covenant with them]. See also Hebrews 10: 16, 17. Romans 11: 25 – 27, which actually define the covenant in great and clear detail!

Ø  All this activity puts the world on warning – especially the ‘Christian’ world – as He shall fulfill all the requirements which they have fantasized as the role of ‘THE ANTI-CHRIST’ of their manufactured theology. Their resistance to Him and His testimonies shall grow increasingly bitter and more adamant, for this new ‘king’ in Israel has not ‘raptured’ them to heaven nor even addressed their persons, their representatives, nor their policies directly. As He has not acted to remove them from the world to heaven they "recognize" him immediately – and claim that He MUST be The Anti-Christ!  

Ø  The “religious” world shall be livid with rage and indignation. They consort with the acknowledged worldly (keyword: worldly) leader of “religion” at Vatican City. Since the Church’s beliefs about the Second Coming of Christ have been grossly corrupted over the ages, the pope actually knows and understands little about what has really lately occurred. He doubtless will revert to the long-standing teachings of Francisco Ribera and Ignatius Loyola, the priest-leaders and founders of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) who long ago posited that the Antichrist would be a future entity quite removed from papal implications, and would arise in the latter days out of the Jewish people, to save the Jews from their enemies and declare himself their king, rebuild their Temple, and in three and a half years install a statue of himself in that edifice and demand their worship, which they would decline.  A terrible final retribution would then fall upon the Jews but Jesus would come and save them from the Antichrist – something along those lines as interpretations differ among the sects of Christianity! It is significant that all the Protestant “daughters” of the Harlot power have swallowed this doctrine hook, line and sinker, and spout it from the world’s TV centers every day.

Ø  The leaders of the Beast nations of that future time shall be confronted with the real Jesus Who shall immediately present to them “the everlasting Gospel” – a body of facts and demands (among them, “Fear God , and keep His commandments” – meaning the commandments of the newly returned but unrecognized Savior) with which they and their papal leader are not at all familiar – demanding their capitulation to His laws and leadership, and defining the laws of this new king in Jerusalem as the now valid statutes of all mankind. They will by no means accept this edict graciously, but regard it as an infringement upon their own sovereignty.

Ø  Consulting with his papal nuncios of each country the pope will advise “the faithful” (Catholics)  to resist with all their powers – not a wise notion – and to amass their military might to express that resistance. Their advice surely shall be that this upstart of the East is the long-expected Antichrist and that He is to be resisted with all their might. It is outside the purview of this present study to examine those events in much detail beyond what has been said. The amount of time between the Gogian overthrow and the European affair with the Beast nations – which is the manifestation of the Image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of Daniel two “standing on his feet” – is impossible to project at this time. The chief account of this confrontation is found in Revelation 17 and 18.  In those chapters are listed all the markers and identifiers that any intelligent student of God’s word needs to make positive identification of the Harlot  and the Beast here portrayed in consort with each other in a trading relationship which at that time shall evidently be well developed and dominant in the earth, viz., the European Community along with NATO, and the pope of Vatican City as their dominant spiritual leader.

Ø  Meanwhile, the returned Christ shall be conducting the business of His First Dominion WITHOUT CONSIDERING WORLD AQUESIENCE or opinion [such as from the UNO, NATO, SEATO, CIS, the European Union, the Pope, etc.] and shall be rapidly going forward with setting up the vast, permanent infrastructure of His kingdom.

Ø  Meanwhile, and evidently prior to the European affair reviewed above, THE FURY OF GOG OF THE LAND OF MAGOG is fanned into a flame, and the Islamic sensitivity and indignation of Persia, Cush, Libya, and Gog’s other partners (all Islamic!) grow mightily (Ezekiel 38 and 39). A world-spanning conspiracy against Israel and its new King grows apace amongst the remaining powers of Islam which are named as being confederates of Gog – and doubtless with the sanction of all the remaining Muslims of the outer world.

Ø  We visualize the Gogian affair as being instigated by the Islamic countries named as her confederates (all are Muslim except Russia – even Magog – the five Islamic republics of the CIS, and not Germany!). We suspect that the ‘hooks’ in Russia’s jaws, which bring her down upon Israel, are their PETRODOLLARS available to be GIVEN HER willingly as a bribe BY the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Sharia state of Libya, the terrorist State of Ethiopia/Sudan (KUWSH), the two former of which are awash in the monetary rewards of continents of petroleum and having sold it to the world for decades) – Ezekiel 38, 39.

Ø  Gog is stated to be attracted to Israel by “a spoil and a prey,” this cannot be solely the payday offered by the Distal Islamic States who effectively bribe Russia to do the dirty work that they cannot do alone. We, therefore, suggest the booty meant is the wealth of the Gentiles which shall by that time have consummately been gathered into Greater Israel during the earlier Proximal Islamic conflicts – the oil wealth and properties of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the oil Emirates, the vast oil shale deposits of Jordan, and the monetary treasuries of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The phrase used by Ezekiel describing the Gogian host as coming down to Israel “to take a spoil and a prey,” is said to be better translated as “to spoil the despoilers.” Despoilers are those who have taken great amounts of the goods of others – not those who have developed their own wealth: an accurate description of conditions as they shall at that time be! That is not in any way to denigrate the inherent wealth of Israel. Not only is there the limitless value of the minerals of the Dead Sea; there is now petroleum, natural gas and oil shales in great abundance! Golda Meir, former premier of Israel, is famous for having said, “The only thing I have against Moses is, he brought us to a dry hole!” – meaning to a land devoid of oil wealth. However, as we are now fully aware, Israel is lately NOT an oil- and gas-destitute country! Twenty-first-century drilling activities and further surveys reveal that Israel could easily become a huge oil and gas producer not only from both liquid crude oil and high-pressure natural gas reservoirs but also from an abundance of oil shale deposits. In the Valley of Sorek (remember Samson?) lies a deposit of oil shale estimated to be the equivalent to all the bestimated liquid crude oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. Until recently the means of extraction of oil from such shale was expensive, environmentally unfriendly, and required vast quantities of water, all being factors which limited the interest in oil shales by the oil men of the world, especially in arid Israel. Now we have been informed that Dr. Harold Vinegar, former head of research for Royal Dutch Shell, has come to Israel with a newly patented technique for extraction of oil from Israel’s huge deposits of shale. His method involves highly precise drilling downward, then drilling horizontally in the shale formations; inserting heating elements into the shafts, heating the shales to a high temperature (causing the oil to seep out in abundance as high quality liquid crude oil) and be recoverable at a price comparable to drilling in near-surface crude oil pools. No fracturing (“fracking”) of the rock is involved which often causes leakage of oil into groundwater aquifers.  And in addition, the process does not require water but instead PRODUCES water as a by-product. And still further, the process is extremely safe and environmentally friendly. The BOTTOM LINE is that these newly discovered oil deposits and Israel’s giant discoveries of natural gas in the adjacent Mediterranean Sea alone, could make Gog’s efforts to grab this “spoil” seem worth the trouble; the Arabs just might promise these spoils to Gog for his leadership and participation in that conflict. At the moment these factors seem to be the most likely “hooks” that will cause Gog to attempt its conquest of Israel.  Ezekiel 38: 4.

Ø  But contrary to his well-laid plans, Gog and his host shall have no success at all in their adventure, and are destined absolutely to be obliterated ‘on the mountains of Israel’ (Ezekiel 39) and to be buried at Hamongog – a valley ‘east of the sea’ of Galilee (Young). To Gog, her Jewish ‘prey’ appears to be unarmed and vulnerable during this entire time, dwelling without bars or gates, an innocent people with a naïve King who dwells with them in their apparent (to Gog) false confidence (Hebrew, betach) and seemingly indifferent to any threat that Gog or any others may offer. They are not yet aware of the lethal breath of His lips!

Ø  Note that Israel is at that time markedly different from today’s Israel, which today is an heavily armed and fortified country by any standard, and ready to defend itself with arms and armor and citizen soldiers. Its demeanor at that future time shall be outwardly peaceful, self-contained, self-interested, with no repugnant foreign policies (not yet!) and seems to Gog to have reverted to a more primitive society with peace on its mind, principally. And that is so.

Ø  To the war-planners of the Gogian nations, Israel looks like a hanging summer fruit, a plum, ripe for the picking, due to the “amateurish, naïve and foolish,” precipitous disarmament of the Jewish State which the Stealth King has accomplished. They have no inkling as to what lies in wait for them upon the mountains of Israel!

Ø  Yet, at this future time, Christ the King finds it entirely unnecessary to defend His completely unarmed people because it is His Father's prerogative to destroy these heathen attackers with the Word of His Mouth, speaking peace (really resulting in the peace of silence - bringing about their pacification by total victory over them!) by uttering His Thunderous Voice against them, calling down upon them the terrors of the heavens – causing the enemies’ swords viciously to be turned on each other, but also sending terrifying displays of lightning, fire, smoke and thunder, great hail and brimstone, and an overpowering rain, gaining complete and instantaneous victory over these heathen, yet keeping His people absolutely safe all the while!

   His newly enlightened People, in the manner of those of the Exodus at the Red Sea, are commanded to be still ... to do nothing ... but to behold the salvation of the Lord: Exodus 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.

   Indeed, in the finality, after the smoke and din of their destruction has subsided, it is the inhabitants of the villages of Israel who almost serenely (and thankfully, of course!) come forth and begin to bury the multitudes of the Northern Host at Hamogog. So it is more than obvious that Israel is virtually untouched by the threat of the Gogian hordes, and shall be victorious over them through the invincibility of their Father!

   We believe this signal event also bears on another clear statement of circumstance which shall at that moment - as Israel comes forth to bury this great host - be realized among them and firmly established in their minds. This great victory utterly confirms the already clearly stated and proven Authority and Sovereignty of their God and His King. Additionally, in a singular measure the Almighty not only destroys the military forces of Gog but also bring a positive consequence of His overpowering authority to their home territories as He infers in 39: 6, just as He reconfirms His authority and identity within Israel itself as in 39: 7. 

     Why do we so claim?

   Look at verses 21, 22 (in chapter 39):  And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. 22  So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. I believe this second instantaneous deliverance from their overwhelming enemies sets the conviction firmly in their minds (if they had entertained any previous doubts) that the Lord God is forever among them and will deliver them from every evil force, every oppressor, from this day forward – no matter how vicious or threatening or numerous!

Ø  We can learn many details of the fate of Gog and abolish mountains of ignorance and misapplication of many previous (and present!) students of prophecy, if we pay diligent attention to the text of Ezekiel 39, and restrain ourselves from importing chapter after chapter of spurious, supposedly ‘related’ information about the affair. If any other reference assumptively applied to this narrative is discovered to be incongruent with the outcome plainly stated there, then the application is erroneous; discard it post haste.  Any additional conjectures or suppositions as to the success of Gog’s forces MUST conform to the context of this clearly stated account, which decidedly indicates its clear boundaries: the utter defeat of Gog and its forces before they are allowed to enter the presently-constituted sacred home grounds of Christ and the Saints and of Israel. After the Gogian affair, or perhaps just prior to it, Christ sends forth the Everlasting Gospel, which will have tremendous repercussions in Europe and among the people of the Harlot and the Beast. But these are subjects intended for future discussion. 

Ø  As the kingdom proceeds, the Lord intends to return a pure tongue to the earth so that all people may communicate efficiently and clearly in the same language. This will facilitate His control over the earth’s populations and encourage dialog between all its citizens; it will facilitate His Saints’ teaching of the everlasting Gospel to the nations of the earth. In our present ignorance (because we have not concretely been informed) we project that this pure tongue will be the Hebrew language. The compelling conclusions that we may draw from late findings such as the equally spaced letters spelling out relevant messages to mankind (The Bible Code) throughout the Word is enough to convince this watcher that the Hebrew language possesses all the qualities needed for the vastly expanded technology of that future time, the reformed social needs, the diverse medical accomplishments, the administrative language, the godly instruction that will be spread abroad, and shall be adequate as the instructional language of the Saints and of Christ in the perfecting earth!

Ø  But there is another reason for the conclusion that Hebrew will be the language of the future Kingdom age. In the book of Zephaniah, there are two key verses that relate to this principle: they are ... Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. 9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.   Zephaniah 3: 8, 9.

In these two verses, there is a remarkable clue as to the Almighty’s intentions, in our studied opinion. They are these: in all the Bible, verse 8 of this passage uniquely utilizes ALL the 22 characters in the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, and all the sofit forms as well – the five letters which are written differently if they appear as the last letter of any word – the “final forms” of five letters. And in the ninth verse comes this concrete statement concerning the “pure language” of the future age! We believe that this is a subliminal means of His attesting to Believers that Hebrew will be that “pure” language. It has been contended by a few that Hebrew is not “pure,” because it contains many elements of Chaldean and other languages. But by the term “pure,” we believe the Revelator means (“single,” or “unique”) – not pure as to source.

In conclusion: there are perhaps several elements of the new institutions of Christ that we have overlooked in this would-be essay. Pursuant to this project of defining the events that we expect to be accomplished when Christ appears the second time upon the earth – as we are assured He shall – I would like to offer each of you a series of five lectures following generally the above format in a PowerPoint series on this same subject, but well illustrated by charts, diagrams, photographs, and maps. In order for you to view these PowerPoint lectures you will need to have a PowerPoint Viewer downloaded to your computer – that is unless you are utilizing Microsoft Office which contains PowerPoint already. If you do not already have PowerPoint functions you may download a free reader-version of it from the Microsoft website. You may make your own DVD recordings from your downloaded slides if you wish.

These five lectures have been presented at various venues in North America within the past several years and have been emailed to several interested friends during this time. They are free, needless to say, but you have to contact me via email and request these, after which I will send them to your email address in three large PowerPoint files. Your ISP must allow large files to be transferred as two of them are huge. There are more than 300 total slides in this presentation and all the text is included as the slides unfold, with no voice-over addition, a technique I have not yet mastered.  When I become capable of doing so, I do intend to post these on our website for eTPL and make them resident there for anyone to access and read.  Until then, my only solution is to email them directly to you from my systems on your request. My current email address is     helafferty@gmail.com. God be with you all …  <HEL  MD/USA>

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Basic Rules of Prophetic Interpretation

An Attempt to Codify Such Investigations

In the study of prophecy the basic rules of interpretation demand that several factors be considered. We believe these logically to be …

1.                First, do not spiritualize the text and depart from its original meaning before you understand its objective message – its primary, factual relationship to those to whom it was spoken/written. Any spiritualization of the prophecy then must agree with its original import.

2.               Second, apply the words first of all to those to whom it is written. Those folks must be able to see its relevance to them and their then-current affairs; it must MEAN something to them that they can appreciate, although they may not understand all aspects of it early in the game.

3.               Third, it must integrate and agree with all other scriptural references which may apply to the events prophesied.

4.               Fourth, any interpretation must not violate any other basic, scriptural tenet.

5.               Fifth, it must integrate sensibly with existing time lines of history.

6.               Sixth, if secondary or tertiary meanings seem to be applicable to the prophecy, they must agree in principle with its original intent and confirm its original meaning.

7.               Seventh, apply the interpretation of the prophecy to the peoples who today live on the territories referred to at the time of the prophecy; that is, don’t apply the prophetic intent to the areas to which the original people later are supposed to have migrated as this is tenuous, inaccurate, depends upon the veracity of historical records and their accuracy, and would often be impossible to determine. Beside this fact, the prophecy would not have relevance to the people directly addressed, or others referred to, at the time of the prophecy.  This practice introduces confusion; the factor here is that the prophecy would mean entirely different things to people of various ages; as the named peoples migrated as the centuries passed, the meaning of the prophecy would change. Confusion would reign.

Specifically, I refer to the popular claim that today’s Magog is Germany! I respectfully submit that the Magogians of the Gogian host who are nominated here are the peoples who NOW live in the area of ancient Scythia – namely the five CIS republics of central Asia, all of which are completely Muslim. When Ezekiel was writing the words of the Almighty, he made reference to the powers of the end-time by the names of the peoples who lived there in his time. We have accurate records of their habitation for the most part and can discern areas today which were populated by ancient peoples.

This is a principle stated as preferable by John Thomas. He wrote, ”… the Lion-power [by which he indicated Britain] will not only become the Sheba and Dedan, but also the Edom, Moab, and Ammon of the ‘latter days (sic);’ for in speaking of the events of these days, the prophets refer not to races of men, but to powers on territories designated by the names of the people who anciently inhabited them. Hence, for instance, the Lion-power planted hereafter in the ancient territory of Moab becomes the Moab of the latter days (sic); so that when the countries before-named are possessed and settled by the British, they will be men of Dedan in Muscat, men of Sheba in Aden and Mocha, and Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites in their several territories (sic). Thus, the prophecies concerning those countries in their latter-day developments have regard to the power to which they then belong … ” Eureka, Vol. III. 

These statements are qualified by (sic) because the events have not yet transpired, and we do not believe that these predictions are certain – or even correct.

<HEL MD/USA>  ~Published August 2018, as the “August” eTPL entry.  ohn Carter, “Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi,” (The Christadelphian, Birmingham, 1945), pp. 16, 17. 

[ii] Ibid, page 14.

A Letter to the Editor ... Unpublished (of course!) 

September: Beginning of a Magnificent Charade?

8:20 am., Sunday, June 10th; Singapore. The dark velvet night of Singapore airbase was intruded upon by the gentle, majestic giant of air transport, decorated tastefully in white, blue and gold livery, tail number 92000, displaying the American banner on its lighted rudder. Air Force One touched the runway, slowed, turned about and deliberately taxied to its docking station as, on the tarmac, dignitaries awaiting the arrival raised their expectant faces to catch their first glimpse of the US president as he appeared in the doorway at the head of the movable stairway and waved his familiar gesture in greeting.

    It is the first palpable step in what promises to be a long, tortuous journey of diplomacy between the leaders of North Korea and the United States – Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump.

From a prophetic viewpoint, we frankly wonder what real significance this series of meetings will have. Perhaps they are merely smoke over the turbulent waters of the agitated world affairs of the age ... a transitory, fruitless convulsion of the mighty men of the earth, yielding no profitable outcome or result more than further frustration and uncertainty.

But they do reflect the generalized, desperate hope, the expectancy – and the trepidation that is felt without question – by the peoples of the earth ... and the stark realization that the world community has become impossibly complex, and even unworkable, on an enormous scale.

It would seem obvious to every sensible observer that mankind is no longer able tovsolve its dilemmas of state and society. The psalmist wisely observed, “Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men.”  Psalm 9:20.

The immaterial “noise” of the nations is referenced by Isaiah, who observed: “Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!  Isaiah 7:12.

His figure of “the noise of the seas ... the rushing of the nations,” recalls the description of all the races of men of the end time, when precisely these conditions should obtain upon the earth.

The Lord Jesus Himself referred to these times in His warning as recorded by Luke: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” Luke 21:25 .

As enlightened

, and greatly blessed observers of these terminal days of the world which has consistently ignored the words of faith and life, our hearts are elevated by the emerging events!

In the final analysis, the dispute between the United States and North Korea regarding nuclear weapons is merely a passing phase of failed human history. It illustrates quite thoroughly the incapability of mankind effectively to govern itself successfully ... and certainly underlines the unwillingness of the nations to obey the revealed will of the Almighty – a comprehensive body of information which has ever been available to them, but which consistently has been ignored by them in their arrogance and confidence in self.

In our opinion, this rushing wind of activity will drone on and on with no definitively satisfactory outcome or resolution. And the final solution of these mundane challenges of humanity will be solved only by the reappearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is destined to arrive suddenly, in power and great glory, and to manifest His will among mankind universally, righteously, benevolently, and pervasively.

His own words to the sheep of His household bring reassurance to them, because as He states, nothing profitable is achieved by striving or controversy. He compares their required trust (their faith) in Him to that which He also requires of the world, summarizing this prospect beginning in Luke 12: 26 – “If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

The simple solution which has always evaded mankind is the substance of the everlasting Gospel which shall in the Kingdom Age go forth unto all nations: the inspired word describes the angel of the mid-heaven proclaiming in that future day the singular and powerful principle of universal redemption: “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:7 

 It is unreasonable to expect the nations to behave in this fashion in this day, for they purposely ignore the Divine Edicts in favor of their own self-centered interests and goals. We thank our heavenly Father that He has reassured us of the truth – that these ignoble days are rapidly drawing to their end – and that the Age of True Enlightenment is inevitably coming in ... a day which was noted as certain to come by the Apostle Peter: “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 Peter 3:10.

The replacement society of the Kingdom Age will be the complete obverse of the civilization which we now experience, and shall be as described by the Prophet Micah at the beginning of his fourth chapter:

Micah 4:1  “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”  

H. Edward Lafferty, Hagerstown  USA

October: I Will Bless Them ...

An eTPL29 Analysis

About three weeks ago, the U.S. Congress voted into law a Thirty-Eight Billion dollar Defense Aid Bill to Israel, as reported by JNS on September 14, 2018.

In avid support of the action, the article began with a quotation from King Solomon: “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 (The Israel Bible™)

The date specified was when the U.S. House of Representatives approved the measure, now known as “The Ileana Ros-Lehtinen U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018.” The bill had received approval of the Senate some weeks earlier and was now being passed down to the White House for the president’s signature into law.

In the present atmosphere of contention within the Congress, it might seem unusual that the bill was agreed upon by both parties in passing this major hurdle ... not an easy achievement at the present time. The $38 billion in military aid is spread out over ten years, and falls under the umbrella of the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Israel, and therefore will be funded through a unique mechanism that divorces it from any constraints upon the annual national budget. It is therefore legally assured to be in force until expiration.

Representative Ted Deutsch (D-Fla.) explained that the bill was renamed in order to honor Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) who has been an avid supporter of Israel in the Congress but is not standing for re-election this fall. In his tribute to the bill’s sponsor Mr. Deutsch added, “Israel is under constant threat from every direction. A threat to Israel, our strategic ally in a turbulent region, is also a threat to our national security.”

What does the bill accomplish? Quoting from the article ...

1.     It “gives Israel increased access to sophisticated U.S. technology to ensure that it maintains its qualitative edge in the region through the U.S. war-reserve stockpile in Israel, which Israeli forces can use under certain conditions.”

2.    It authorizes the president to “bolster the stockpile with $1 billion worth of (additional) weaponry, as well as with precision-guided munitions to use against the Hezbollah terror group based in Lebanon.”

3.    “The bill further allows the president to establish a collaborative U.S.-Israel counter-drone program.”

Mr. Ed Royce, chairman of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee and a Republican from California, commented further, that “The law ensures that U.S. aid (to Israel) would not be cut as long as the memorandum comes into effect starting in 2019, ensuring that the funds would not be influenced by the budget wars between Congress and the White House. It also means that presidents would not be able to suspend U.S. aid as a means of pressuring Israel.” (Emphasis ours - Ed.)

The Congress’ special emphasis on the surety of this assistance package was shown in Mr. Royce’s further comments:  “With this measure, we are codifying the assistance levels in the latest 10-year U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to strengthen our already robust relationship, especially on defense matters.... This bill also works to build on the United States’ and Israel’s successful history of cooperation on technology development.”

The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was quick to praise the House for its official passage of the Senate’s work, applauding the legislators for adopting the bill. A spokesman for AIPAC stated, “This key legislation seeks to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself, by itself, against growing threats—most significantly Iran’s presence on its northern border. This bipartisan bill authorizes agreed-upon increases in Israel’s security assistance. It encourages expanding U.S. weapons stockpiles in Israel and advancing U.S.-Israel cooperation in anti-drone technologies and space.” (Emphasis ours – Ed.)

We see the passage of this legislation as another of the many ways in which the U.S. is – and has been – blessing Israel during the past two years of President Trump’s administration. It is a marked departure from the rather shabby and marginal national treatment of God’s People during many previous years, and we strongly believe is one of the reasons for the recent sharp recovery of the U.S. economy from the doldrums into which it had fallen in recent years.

We also see in this resurgence of support for Israel palpable fulfillment of the Almighty’s promise to Abram in one of His original conversations with the patriarch as recorded in Genesis 12: 1-3, a record which ends with the promise that,  ... I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

It seems to us that such dependable support of Israel as seen here gives credence to the belief that Israel and its allies will be able to defend the People adequately until the critical events of the Second Advent are about to take place. At that time, in our (scripturally-supported) opinion, all international support for Israel will be withdrawn and Israel shall stand alone against her vile enemies round about. (Cf., Isaiah 34: 2-5; 63: 1-6; Zechariah 10:5)

But fortunately for God’s People, their Ally of the Ages shall come to them in that critical time as the events foretold by the psalmist come into full play: When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. Psalm 102:16.

We ... and Israel ... can depend upon that! What People need mortal allies when the “terrible swift sword” of the LORD appears on their behalf?

    <HEL>  Published in eTPL, October 11, 2018.

 November: “Hezbollah’s Firepower Exceeds

95% of the World’s Armies”

By Sean Savage, JNS.org

An eTPL29 Analysis

Editor’s note: This disturbing article from Jewish News Service is quoted in its entirety ... our brief comments will be found at the end. The (1700-word) article is presented in italics. Students of God’s word will do well to consider every word of this summary report, as we believe it may bear heavily upon events which could be imminent – an enormous Islamic attack from both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip – because these forces (Hezbollah and Hamas) are closely allied both as to purpose and destiny, and entirely unified in their goals of Israel’s destruction.

“Nov 9, 2018

“According to the report, the next conflict with Hezbollah will “bear little resemblance to anything that has come before between Israel and its adversaries.”

“Israel and Hezbollah have been adversaries for decades now, dating back to the Jewish state’s involvement in the Lebanese civil war. However, bolstered by the military and financial support of its Iranian patron, the Lebanese terror group now poses a threat to Israel unlike anything the Jewish state has seen in recent history.

“A new report from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America’s (JINSA) Hybrid Warfare Task force, headed by several retired senior U.S. military officials, outlined this striking strategic threat to Israel, as well as the operational and legal challenges the country will most likely face in its next war with Hezbollah.

“According to the report, the next conflict with Hezbollah will “bear little resemblance to anything that has come before between Israel and its adversaries.”

“’Changes in the strategic environment in the 12 years since the last Israeli-Hezbollah conflict will translate into unparalleled death and destruction,’ the report said, noting that Hezbollah’s recent fighting experience in Syria, its support from Iran and its massive weapons arsenal pose a ‘quantum leap’ in the terror group’s ability to inflict devastation on Israel.

“’Today, Hezbollah possesses more firepower than 95 percent of the world’s conventional militaries, and more rockets and missiles than all European NATO members combined,’ the report stated.

“Various estimates put Hezbollah’s overall rocket and missile stockpiles at between 120,000 to 140,000—up from roughly 10,000 in the last conflict in 2006. While the vast majority comprises inaccurate short-range rockets, the terror group also has several thousand medium-range rockets and several hundred precision long-range missiles capable of striking targets throughout all of Israel. At the same time, Hezbollah has also bolstered its fighting force from 13,000 fighters in 2006 to a current 25,000 active-duty members, in addition to 20,000 to 30,000 reserve fighters.

“’Hezbollah has emplaced this expanded rocket and missile arsenal within and around civilian infrastructure, including apartment blocs, hospitals, schools and mosques, in the hopes of deterring and defending against IDF airstrikes, and courting civilian casualties it can hypocritically and disingenuously blame on Israel,’ the report said.

“Situation Does Not Exist Anywhere Else in the World”

“One of the authors of the report, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael S. Tucker, who formerly served as Commanding General of the First United States Army from 2013 until 2016, and who made his first visit to Israel as part of the fact-finding mission for the report, told JNS that he acquired a real appreciation for the threats that Israel faces in the north.

“’Israel is truly challenged with a situation that does not exist anywhere else in the world,’ he said. ‘Because they are a nation-state and they do abide by the law of armed conflict, they are challenged against an enemy that doesn’t necessarily follow that, nor is there any accountability on their side.’

“Tucker said he hopes ‘This report should be a wake-up call to the international community that this is a real threat and the potential for this conflict to turn into a large-scale war unlike we have seen yet,’ he said.

“Col. (Ret.) Marc Warren, who served as U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and as the senior legal officer for Multi-National Forces Iraq, and who now is co-chair of Jenner & Block, LLP’s Aviation and Aerospace Practice, also made his first trip to Israel for purposes of the report. He told JNS that he was struck by the size and scope of the threat Israel faces.

“’I was struck by the relatively small size of Israel. That when you overlay the range of missile and rocket batteries in Syria and Lebanon, how much of Israel is well within range of many rocket systems,’ he said. ‘The threat is obvious given the size of the country.’

Objective: ‘Political Defeat’ of Israel

“Despite the tens of thousands of Hezbollah rockets that Israel faces, the report acknowledges that it still remains unlikely that the terror group could inflict a strategic military defeat on the Israel Defense Forces—one of the most well-trained, well-armed and highly capable militaries in the world.

“Instead, the report notes that Hezbollah’s objective will be the “political defeat” of Israel by weaponizing information and international law to its advantage.

“’By illegally exposing civilians to harm, manipulating the narrative and exploiting misperceptions about the laws of war, Hezbollah will seek to portray Israel as an arbitrary, immoral and illegal murderer of civilians,’ the report stated.

“’Hezbollah will hope to survive to fight another day while delegitimizing Israel in the eyes of the world before the IDF can achieve decisive victory,’ the report said.

“Warren said that Hezbollah has intentionally placed the civilian population of Lebanon in harm’s way with the intent of forcing Israel to create massive civilian casualties and turn public opinion against them.

“’It is Hezbollah that mixes missiles, rockets and mortars with civilians. It is Hezbollah who builds these villas in southern Lebanon adjacent to Israel that are way out of proportion for the area. They are built for the purpose of creating defensible positions; they are interconnected with tunnels. Fighters have batteries, missiles and rockets stored there,’ he said.

“While Warren recognized that terror groups have longed misused protected places, such as hospitals and mosques to mask their forces, he said Hezbollah is taking this to a new level of perversity.

“’The intent is not only to mask or protect fighters and equipment, but to deliberately create situations where Israel is forced to target those locations,’ he said. ‘They are so deep and so numerous that you simply cannot bypass them.’

“As such, Hezbollah can twist the narrative to present Israel as the real enemy.

“’Thus, you create civilians causalities, and the adversary is able to twist the traditional principles of the law of war—most specifically, discrimination and proportionality—and say to the international media and community, ‘Look at what Israel did here; they killed these civilians here, how awful is that.’ So Israel is in a strict liability position,’ Warren said.

“At the same time, Warren also noted that past measures the IDF has used in conflicts in Gaza to warn the civilian population ahead of airstrikes, such as text messages, leaflets and the so-called ‘knock on the roof,’ will likely not be available to the Israelis against Hezbollah.

“’The tragedy of the next war, it will be different than prior recent wars. A lot more combined arms maneuver … it will not be surgical,’ he explained. ‘While the Israelis make great use of precision-guided actions, not all of these targets can be pre-planned, as there will be fleeting ones and new emerging ones. That kind of fight cannot lend itself well to a knock on the roof, leaflets or text messages to civilians. It is going to be much more dynamic than that.’

“Instead, Warren says the next war with Hezbollah will more closely resemble conventional warfare between two states, albeit with one side not adhering to international law.

“’This report is a bit of a retro report—what is in vogue is counter-insurgency—but this war here would not be the kind of special operating forces, drone strikes and surgical airstrikes that we see more often now. It will be much more extensive than that. The methods Israel uses that exceed the laws of war might not be applicable here.’

“Warren added that the key part of the report is to prepare the international community for what to expect in this conflict.

“’The key part is to prepare people for the idea that while Israel will adhere to the laws of war, that some of the extraordinary cautionary measures that people have become accustomed to seeing may not be feasible in this war,’ he said.

‘Raise Awareness for International Community’

“In recent weeks, Israel has sounded the alarm over Hezbollah’s buildup in southern Lebanon and its blatant use of embedding its military capabilities within the civilian population. In late October, the IDF exposed a new Hezbollah forward position on the Lebanese-Israeli border that was disguised as a structure used by environmental-protection activists.

“’This is a breach of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701,’ the officer said, in reference to a resolution that bans armed forces other than the official Lebanese Armed Forces from being deployed in southern Lebanon.

“The new intelligence-gathering post is part of “Hezbollah’s tactical military activities in south Lebanon that are being conducted in the last few years,” the officer stated.

“’What we’ve seen … is Hezbollah using the civilian front and working in civilian uniforms in south Lebanon in order to act in the region with impunity,’ he added. ‘We see them gathering intelligence on IDF activity, watching Israeli communities close to the Blue Line, which is the border between Israel and Lebanon—preparing for attacks against the IDF and against Israeli civilians in the Galilee,’ the officer said.

“Tucker expressed dismay over the current response by the international community, especially the U.N. Security Council, which oversees the peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, tasked with enforcing the disarmament of Hezbollah under Security Council resolution 1701.

“’The methodology they [Hezbollah] use to combat the IDF—using human shields, using protective places for military purposes—there needs to be a greater level of situational awareness in the international community to that. To raise questions to the U.N. and to the entire UNIFIL program in southern Lebanon.

“’The international community should hold the U.N. accountable at that level of fidelity. It [UNSC Resolution 1701] is blatantly being disregarded on a daily basis.’

“As such, Tucker believes that Israel needs to continue to sound the alarm on Hezbollah to the international community, while also continuing to build regional and international coalitions that will support the Jewish state in the next conflict.

“’They should continue every effort to shed light on Hezbollah, its buildup in Lebanon and its ties with Iran,’ he said. ‘We need to create a consensus among the international community on the threat Israel is faced with. And we can only do that through education.’”

Editor’s Comments:

This fresh assessment of the boasted advance of Israel’s enemy to the immediate north (Hezbollah) is the most dire prediction that we have seen leading up to Israel’s final conflict with the nations round about.

The hope that “ ... the report will prod the international community into action” is surely a vain hope.

Recent history bears witness to the fact that the United Nations Organization is not bent upon any actions which will either defend or exonerate Israel in its local affairs!

The resultant fact that nothing will be done from any quarter to assist Israel is further illustration of the conditions described by the Christ of the Second Advent, Who, in Isaiah 63, declares “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people (nations) there was none with Me.”

Despite the vast stockpiles of U. S. military equipment and other defensive materiel now in existence in Israel, we believe there will not be enough time for any well-intentioned “helper” of Israel to get its act together to come to Israel’s assistance.

Such would indeed be counterproductive – for the Master, we believe, intends to make it entirely clear in this conflict that HE is the savior of Israel, entirely without any assistance from any well-intended ally that Israel might claim, including the forces of the United States.

To allow such assistance would be to take away the credit which He claims in this declaration.

In our thinking, when the moment arrives in which “ ... the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 59: 19, 20. 

The tripwire of the Second Advent – which will come as a thief in the night to Israel and their enemies – will bring the appearance upon the scene of not only the LORD Jesus Christ, but also ten thousand times ten thousands of His immortal brethren, newly raised up to His nature by His approval of them at the recent Judgment Bema.

The resultant company is the “One Man” which is comprised of these two components – a multitude of exactly similar, immortal, infallible, indestructible, and entirely righteous People, along with their Master and Commander in person – now bent upon their fatal intervention in the mundane affairs of God’s people ... their mission aimed singularly toward saving His People Israel from their enemies ... and those who hate them (cf., Luke 1: 71, 74), and the establishment of His righteousness and peace in the Land of Promise.

To view this coming conflict in any other light is to deny this clear, scriptural definition of this engagement – the events of the Valley of Jehoshaphat in our studied opinion.

Hezbollah has been boasting of its increasing firepower, including rockets and artillery ... and its increasing enlistment of thousands of fighters against Israel ... and has made no pretense of desiring peace with Israel.

Its true goal – also made continuously and abundantly clear by both Hezbollah AND Hamas – is to take over the entirety of Israel, forcing the Jews of the Jewish state into the Mediterranean Sea!

But their leaders have not acquainted themselves with the immutable words of the prophets of YHVH as to their own fate.

Among their obituaries are the words of Obadiah:

And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it. Obadiah 1:18. 

We consider one other set of prophecies which portend the same fatal end for all Israel’s enemies: the extensive and detailed condemnation of Psalm 83 ...

Psalm 83:9  Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

Psa 83:10  Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

Psa 83:11  Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

Psa 83:12  Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

Psa 83:13  O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

Psa 83:14  As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Psa 83:15  So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

Psa 83:16  Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

Psa 83:17  Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

Psa 83:18  That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

<HEL> ~2650 words. An eTPL29 Analysis Published in eTPL 2018, on November  10,2018.

December: Being Grafted Into the Good Olive Tree

An eTPL28  Exhortation

On Romans 11

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Ecclesia at Rome, puts forth spiritual reasoning (which was also inspired!) to show the importance of God’s People Israel in his day ... as well as in ours.

Unfortunately, Israel today has its detractors – even among many who should be better informed. These deny the importance of the present re-gathering of the nation of Israel, and claim that the People of God now located there shall be overrun and scattered again (the third time).

They also deny that the presence of over six million Jews in Israel today has anything whatever to do with the return of the Jews as revealed in the vision of Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones.

But such an outcome – their yet future scattering and destruction – is neither feasible nor possible.

Israel is back in its Land for the second time ... and forever.

Isaiah 11 discusses many aspects of Israel’s Return – its second recovery, from the nations of the earth – and never even intimates a third scattering and a third return. In verse eleven, the prophet stresses that when God puts forth His hand to recover His people it will be for the SECOND (and final) time.

In fact, the eleventh of Isaiah links the Second Coming of Messiah with this second Recovery of His people, and associates it inseparably with the beginning of His Kingdom on the earth. It is our opinion that after that significant achievement there cannot possibly be another “scattering” of God’s People.

The Lord Jesus’ presence among them after that time obviates any third “scattering” of Israel. The narrative of Ezekiel 37 points the scholar in the same direction:  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves ... Ezekiel 37:13.

The chapter ends with “David My Servant” being king over them (verse 24).

To claim that the present day placement of Israel back in its Land also has nothing to do with their recovery from the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37) is the same as accusing our Father of being disingenuous (which is a legal way of saying He was lying!).

It is conviction built on a sandy foundation ... and subject to be obliterated by events to come.

Some Gentiles, upon hearing the Truth of God’s word from Paul, had evidently made the same claim: that Israel and its people of their time were no longer relevant to God’s plan.

That is not the message of Romans 11. Indeed it is firmly contraindicated that Israel has no relevance.

Allow the apostle to explain the inspired words which he wrote ...

Israel Today is Favored by the Father

... but is Being Held in Abeyance

Paul had begun his eleventh of Romans with these words: Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Romans 10:1. In so saying, Paul was recognizing that the Jews of his own day were on the wrong track to obtain favor of God. They were at that time in a lost condition ... needful of “being saved” as today. But he goes on in the eleventh chapter to elaborate on the process of how this will play out.

Meanwhile, let no man think that “God hath ... cast away His people.”

In his first sentence of Romans 11, Paul makes clear that the Jews as well as all other peoples may be saved from death through conviction of the belief (the doctrine) that Paul is teaching, which is summarized by him in another place as “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” I Corinthians 2: 2.

Rom 11:1  I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Paul is a living example that God hath NOT cast away His People, for Paul places himself before the Roman Ecclesia as the apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles (cf., verse 13), completely equivalent to the other Twelve.

But the key to his status of being “a Pharisee of the Pharisees” is repentance from dead works, and acceptance of the grace that is in Christ Jesus – an achievement which shows clearly that the process is open for the employment of all Jews and all other people.

Rom 11:2  God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye (i.e., perceive ye, or know ye) not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

Rom 11:3  Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

Elijah, like some of the true Believers of Paul’s day, had given up on the Jews, and thought them to be irrelevant to God’s ongoing plan.

But this is not the case!

Wasn’t then; isn’t now ...

Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

Elijah had become a critic of Israel as being a basket case – all of them within the same confines of disobedience. But YHVH showed Elijah decisively that this was not the case, but that He had reserved many of His people for deliverance, even in that dark day.

The same was true in Paul’s time ...

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Rom 11:6  And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

 The conditions are mutually exclusive of each other; either it is one or the other. God’s intention is grace ... that salvation should be by His grace, not by works. It is never “for your sakes, Israel, that I do this or that...but for My holy name’s sake.” Ezekiel 20: 44; 36: 22.

Rom 11:7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest (that is, those yet not having perceived this salvation in Israel) were blinded

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Rom 11:9  And David saith, Let their table (their affairs, or philosophy, as they have been “set out” before every observer, much as a table-setting would be) be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Such a state of affairs has consequences ... dire consequences. By such attitudes they induce further blindness and deafness to His will and word.

Rom 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

Rom 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? (This question addresses their ultimate “fall,” not the temporary one which they were then – and are now – suffering: estrangement from God’s covenants.) God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them (Israel) to jealousy.

The sense of this statement is that of alternative “election” by the Father.

Since His People have cast Him aside, He has made a gracious alternative offer to the Gentiles – an offer which was only available on a limited basis prior to this time, viz., that the believer must have converted to Judaism prior to being taught Truth.

Only after the time of Cornelius was direct conversion allowed.

Rom 11:12  Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

It is a “given” that the student read this statement as a sentence upon Israel with a limited term – and as constraint that shall be lifted in future days ... that there is to come a time in the future when all the benefits of the Hope of Israel will again be made available to them; but it shall only be available to them after their clear recognition of Messiah at His return, as outlined in Zechariah 12 and 13 ... their pervasive and heartfelt recognition of the returned LORD Jesus Christ as that personage, and their deeply-felt repentance as to their former treatment of Him in the days of Herod.

In clearer terms, their advantage is not lost forever; it is held in abeyance until the time of  the restitution of all things (cf., Acts 3: 21).

Rom 11:13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

Rom 11:14  If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

We see without any doubt that the way of salvation is open to any Jew who is open to the teachings of Paul and the other apostles and disciples. The “playing field” has been leveled considerably as to their former preference with YHVH.

Rom 11:15  For if the casting away of them (to restate: this “casting away of them” must be understood to be of limited term) be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

We might be reading too much into this statement by observing that the wording here is extremely similar to that of Ezekiel 37: 13, as discussed above.

It seems entirely feasible that the apostle is perhaps pointing out that the Jews will get their next definitive opportunity at first-line reception by the Father at the time of their resurrection from the nations, which is parallel with (and even concurrent with, in part) the resurrection of the responsible dead from their graves.

If so, it was a terrible penalty that Israel of 33/34AD had to pay for their refusal to accept Jesus as their Redeemer – as the obviously perfect and divinely provided Product of the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Next, Paul mentions the inherent holiness – by which he means “sanctification” of His people and the eventual branches of their progeny ...

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

We must remember that to be “holy” is to be “sanctified, or dedicated.” But it is not necessarily to be “righteous” or “obedient” at some particular time.

All men are sinners, and come short of the glory of God; this had happened to Israel in part, at that time in history.

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

This reasoning shows clearly the justification which YHVH showed in His handling of His rebellious people of that earlier age. Many of them – though not all, for all the first true Christians were Jewish – were “broken off” and destroyed. But in their place were grafted new stock from the wild olive trees – the Gentiles; the result was that these converted Gentiles bore acceptable fruit unto Him.

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

The apostle is in this statement counseling humility ... and thankfulness (cf., verse 20) ... on the part of  every Gentile who has been given the marvelous understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation in lieu of His own people, a People whose privilege it was from the beginning of their nation.

Their drastic loss of privilege was the Gentiles’ drastic gain!

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith (it is then a matter of openness of approach on the part of both parties; the Jews were and are almost universally closed to the truth that Jesus Christ was Messiah; but the Gentiles who hear and believe he message of salvation readily accept that doctrine). Be not highminded, but fear (the Greek for “fear” is phobeo, or reverence): (There is good reason for this advice, for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But the same degree of austerity can be imposed upon the grafted-in branches as befell the natural branches ... and all could fall together. Therefore, Paul counsels “reverence."

The apostle adds to that sober advice with a pointed warning for them to be such.

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

The end result is that His favor goes to those who “stand” (do not “fall”) before Him, and continue steadfastly in their high calling – Philippians 3: 14.

Such is not a matter of chance, but of volition ... and faithful courage!

Now the apostle graphically illustrates the importance of “belief,” for he relates now the certain advantage of those wh0 “abide not still in unbelief,” and reveals that YHVH is able (and willing) to graft them into the Olive Tree again.

Thus redemption and its opportunities come full circle: from gain to loss and back to gain for some ... for those who exhibit the ability to “stand in Truth,” or “abide in the same,” before Him in their lives.

Rom 11:23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

For the first time in this dissertation, Paul clarifies that the Gentiles are branches of an olive tree which is “wild by nature,” and whose only hope is to be grafted in, contrary to that nature, into the good Olive Tree (Israel, His people – their “goodness” being by attribution; they are designated such, by Him, just as righteousness is attributed to all believers in Christ, even they are not so).

How much moreso should the good Olive’s branches which have gone wild (disobeyed His laws and precepts) be grafted back into the Good Olive? It is an unspeakable privilege!

This language might seem a bit “circular” if we fail to give it adequately thoughtful analysis. But with such, it becomes completely clear and logical.

He seems now to restate that premise in full, once again...

Rom 11:24  For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

At this point in the essay, the apostle points out clearly that the blindness of Israel shall have a definite limit, and that that limit is “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Do we understand by this statement that there is a prescribed number of Gentile converts which must be reached before the Kingdom can be established and that not until that time should Israel have its blindness removed?

It would seem to be so. But we cannot remember any other scriptural allusions to this factor, except the descriptor which Jesus places on the length of the second dispersion of the Jews (the Diaspora) ... “the times of the Gentiles” being that descriptor.

We believe that this time has long passed, however, having been completed in 1917AD, so could that be the factor in Paul’s mind?

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness (Greek: pleroma) of the Gentiles be come in.

Strong defines plermoa as being ... “From G4134; to make replete, that is, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.: - accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfill, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.”

We are from this extensive definition forced to admit that the meaning could be both of those discussed above: a certain number of Gentiles OR a fullness of time of Gentile dominion.

But Paul leaves his readers with no doubt as to the final disposition of “Israel,” that it shall ALL be saved, by which we understand he means all of Israel that are then alive as well as those who have been resurrected and immortalized.

Further we must admit that it may not even mean all of those who are alive and are present when He reveals Himself to them, for there remain even today many “rebels” who must be purged out of the people (Ezekiel 20: 38, q.v.).

This verse must give us some pause for consideration, because it is evident that many of the current citizens of Israel who are Jewish are not (?) acceptable to Him, such as those many thousands who proclaim their “gayness” and march openly and obscenely in the yearly parade staged in Tel Aviv.

Will these, who are already in the Land, be “purged” from it, or will they be forcibly converted from their evil ways? We can only conjecture...

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

To many, this must seem an impossible objective – taking away all “their sins,” which are multitudinous.

But think of it objectively: He is also destined to remove ALL sin from His brethren who are baptized  into His name, is He not?

Yes! But both are accomplished by means of abject repentance of both parties.

Israel’s will be forgiven when they recognize their Messiah Who is pictured as presenting Himself to them from the Mount of Olives.

Ours (the baptized Believer’s) are forgiven, in our understanding, at our baptism into Christ, and also as we ask for His forgiveness hour by hour during our present probationary lives. A reasoned approach tells us that, when such a Believer reaches the Judgment bema of the LORD Jesus Christ, he or she will not be required to discuss the details and ask forgiveness for all past transgressions, for these shall have been forgiven as he progresses toward “the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 3: 14).

It would seem feasible, in our thinking, that only a short discussion with each might be undertaken by the Judge of that day; but even that would consume years of time to complete, given the millions who doubtless shall be there, giving each only a minute’s duration of time before Him.

It is obviously an event which we are forced to admit that we do not fully grasp at this time.

Now ... Paul further elaborates on the principle upon which our calling as Gentiles has become possible; his reasoning is entirely logical – as we expect the Spirit of God to be!

Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

Moses reveals this principle in his words recorded in Deuteronomy 9:5 - Not for thy righteousness (Israel), or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

By these words we perceive that His promises to the spiritual fathers were immutable promises because they did not depend upon the elders’ (or their descendants’) agreement with or perfect obedience to Him. Every facet of the promises was unilateral (not requiring their reciprocal agreement or acceptance) and therefore WOULD BE accomplished regardless of any merit or failure of merit on their parts in the Almighty’s own perfect way.

Rom 11:29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (meaning, not to be repented of by Him).

The remaining words of this dissertation are lofty beyond human concepts, illustrating as they do, “... the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments...!” Verse 33.

Rom 11:30  For as ye (Gentiles) in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.  <HEL I28> ~3650 words. An eTPL28  Exhortation  

Published December, 2018. Published in The Advocate December 2018