Verse 21 “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”
As for the gates, each one is made up of a single pearl. Out of curiosity as to how others interpreted this, I did something which I seldom do. I went online and looked up some well-known commentaries to see what others were saying. Everyone that I read said the same thing, that this is not to be taken literally, as there is no such thing as a giant pearl. I have to laugh at so-called Christians who believe that God created the universe, incarnated in human form, and came back from the dead, but lacks the ability to create a giant pearl. John is not describing a metaphor, he is describing a city that he actually sees, and he is describing it in literal detail. These are either giant pearls which have a doorway carved out of them, or it may simply be that each gate is made of a single sheet of mother of pearl, both which would require a special creation of God. But then is not this whole city a special creation of God? We were not told how large the gemstones in the foundation were. They may be enormous also. As we do not know exactly what these gates look like, it is hard to say whether it is a round pearl with a doorway in it, or a gate made of one piece of mother of pearl. What we do know is that John perceived them as being a literal single pearl each, not a metaophor for some spiritual application.
Again we are told of the transparency of the gold used in this city. The streets are made of transparent gold. Years ago the idea of transparent gold may have not been understandable, but now with our technology, we know there is such a thing. As mentioned before, that is what is put on the visors of astronauts' helmets to protect them from the sun's brilliance when they are outside their spacecrafts. They can see through the gold, as it is transparent. To repeat the purpose one more time, the transparency is so God’s glory can shine throughout the entire city.
Verse 22 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
There is no temple building anymore. The millennium requires a temple, so we now can differentiate between the Scriptures that are speaking of the millennium and those which refer to eternity. I say that, as there are some who try to make the millennial Scriptures refer to the world of eternity. For eternity the old things have passed away. The need for a temple, rituals, and intercession by a priest is no longer necessary. Sinless perfection reigns and sinless perfection can come before the presence of God. Therefore God and the Lamb (Yeshua) live in the city without the need for a temple. They are the temple of the city. That is why God’s glory shines throughout. Unlike the original temple where God resided in the Holy of Holies apart from humanity, as no person can see the face of God and live, here all can look upon God, so He need not be separate from His children any longer. He has no need of a temple to separate Himself.
Verse 23 “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
The city is coming down to the earth now, so it will not be in orbit any longer. There is no sun as that blew itself out before the millennium, and there is no need for the moon either. God has had those pass away and has not created new ones to replace them. God's glory shining through the city will still light the earth, so there is no need for a sun or moon even with the city on the ground.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
About Gematria
Having written about the well-known "666" of Revelation possibly being Arabic letters that say "in the name of Allah," followed by the symbol of the crossed swords which means military might, and having received a comment that told me that Gematria is also used in English, I decided to look a little further into the history of Gematria rather than just knowing it is an occult practice. I found the historical information presented from the following sources.
"Gematria: History and Principles - The Magickal Correspondences of Words and Numbers" by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
"Some Notes on the History of Isopsephia (Gematria)" by John Opsopaus
"Gematria" by Alan G. Hefner
The earliest record that exists of the use of Gematria is from the 8th century BC where it is written that King Sargon II of Babylon built the wall of Khorsabad the distance of the Gematria or numerical value of his name, which was 16, 283 cubits. Gematria was a well-known practice in the Mesopotamian area as all of the "gods" had numbers. From Babylon its next recorded use is in Greece. This would make sense, as the history of the pagan gods show that they originated in the Babylonian area and then their worship migrated outward to Greece, India, etc. As to how Gematria came to be used by the Hebrews, there are two ways. While it is clearly probable that Gematria was incorporated into Judaism through Qabalah (Kabalah) during the Babylonian captivity, the historical evidence seems to show that it did not really take hold in Judaism until the 1st century BC and is more inclined to be used the way the Greeks used it. This would infer that while they clearly would have been exposed to it in Babylon, it really began being utilized under the Greek influence. The Hebrews used Gematria for divination ( a major sin). That this was a real problem is easily found simply by reading the Tanakh or Old Testament. Israel was influenced by pagan practices from the Exodus on. Using pagan practices was such a perpetual sin that the ten northern tribes of Israel were dispersed by God for several thousand years until the end times (of which we are close to entering), when He will again bring them back to Israel. Not only did Judaism incorporate Gematria (only one of many occult practices that they were exposed to and brought back from Babylon), but early Christianity did the same. As mentioned in previous blogs, both Judaism and Christianity are full to overflowing of pagan practices, all which need to be removed.
As mentioned in the comment by Aviv to my post, Gematria made its way into the English language, as early as the 1500s. One of the most well-known authors and users of English Gematria was Aleister Crowley, one of the world's most famous occultists. He was known as "The Great Beast", and founded the religious philosophy known as Thelema. He also founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and The Ordo Templi Orientis, both occult organizations. People have even used Gematria to try to find hidden messages in Shakespeare.
The purpose of all of this history is to merely show that Gematria is an occult practice and should not be considered a method of interpretation of the Scriptures.
"Gematria: History and Principles - The Magickal Correspondences of Words and Numbers" by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
"Some Notes on the History of Isopsephia (Gematria)" by John Opsopaus
"Gematria" by Alan G. Hefner
The earliest record that exists of the use of Gematria is from the 8th century BC where it is written that King Sargon II of Babylon built the wall of Khorsabad the distance of the Gematria or numerical value of his name, which was 16, 283 cubits. Gematria was a well-known practice in the Mesopotamian area as all of the "gods" had numbers. From Babylon its next recorded use is in Greece. This would make sense, as the history of the pagan gods show that they originated in the Babylonian area and then their worship migrated outward to Greece, India, etc. As to how Gematria came to be used by the Hebrews, there are two ways. While it is clearly probable that Gematria was incorporated into Judaism through Qabalah (Kabalah) during the Babylonian captivity, the historical evidence seems to show that it did not really take hold in Judaism until the 1st century BC and is more inclined to be used the way the Greeks used it. This would infer that while they clearly would have been exposed to it in Babylon, it really began being utilized under the Greek influence. The Hebrews used Gematria for divination ( a major sin). That this was a real problem is easily found simply by reading the Tanakh or Old Testament. Israel was influenced by pagan practices from the Exodus on. Using pagan practices was such a perpetual sin that the ten northern tribes of Israel were dispersed by God for several thousand years until the end times (of which we are close to entering), when He will again bring them back to Israel. Not only did Judaism incorporate Gematria (only one of many occult practices that they were exposed to and brought back from Babylon), but early Christianity did the same. As mentioned in previous blogs, both Judaism and Christianity are full to overflowing of pagan practices, all which need to be removed.
As mentioned in the comment by Aviv to my post, Gematria made its way into the English language, as early as the 1500s. One of the most well-known authors and users of English Gematria was Aleister Crowley, one of the world's most famous occultists. He was known as "The Great Beast", and founded the religious philosophy known as Thelema. He also founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and The Ordo Templi Orientis, both occult organizations. People have even used Gematria to try to find hidden messages in Shakespeare.
The purpose of all of this history is to merely show that Gematria is an occult practice and should not be considered a method of interpretation of the Scriptures.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Revelation 21:17-20
Verse 17 “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”
The wall that surrounds the city is 216 feet (roughly 66 meters) tall if one uses the cubit according to the measure of a man. A cubit (the length of the arm of a man up to his elbow) is generally reckoned to be 18 inches (.5 meter) long. There are some cases when a cubit was as much as 21 inches, but generally 18 inches is the accepted length. This is the height of the wall, which is actually shorter than the recorded height of ancient Babylon's wall, which Herodotus reported as being 350 feet. To a city that is 1500 miles tall, a wall merely 216 feet tall would seem miniscule by comparison. It is roughly 21 ½ stories high if a story is approximately ten feet. This is not that tall considering the height of the city. Grammatically it would appear there are two ways of viewing the statement about the measurement. The first given is the usual way of interpreting it. John says that this measure is according to the measure of a man, which means that the common measurements of man are being used. It seems that John then realizes that he may be confusing the issue by referring to the angel as a man and wants to clarify that he did not mean that the one measuring it is a man, but an angel (most likely in the form of a man). The other possible way to interpret this is that John is describing the process of measuring, and then realizes that he misspoke and said man when he meant angel (the cubit of an angel being much larger, as most angels that have been seen have been reported to be about eight feet or 2.5 meters tall). It does not seem to be an issue either way, as the idea of how high the wall is compared to the city is understood regardless of which way it is taken.
Verse 18 “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
The wall is like jasper. While there are many colors of jasper, this jasper would most likely be the clear jasper. God’s glory is to shine through it, so it needs to be transparent to allow that to happen. The city is described as being of pure gold, but clear as glass. Again, the gold is so thin, as in an astronauts helmet, that it is transparent. This city is transparent for a purpose and that is to let God’s glory shine through it.
Verse 19-20 “And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh; chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
The foundations of the wall are decorated with all kinds of precious stones. I am not a gemologist, and even many scholars have trouble when it comes to identifying stones using the ancient names, which is what the Bible does. Many stones had multiple names due to various regions giving them different names, so while there is some idea of what the gems are, especially those with names that are still common such as emerald, topaz, amethyst and sapphire, nobody can say for a certainty exactly what some of the more obscure ones mentioned are. There is a general consensus that these are the same twelve stones, some mentioned by other names, that were used to represent the twelve tribes of Israel on the priest’s breastplate. Some definitely are the same, but again, the use of different names for the same stone make it impossible to say this is absolutely true. God does like to be consistent in what He does, so it is quite probable that these are the same stones. They are an assortment of different colors, so it will be a very beautiful foundation. There is most certainly a reason why each stone was chosen by God for representing the tribes and for putting them in the wall, but a study of that nature would take years to pursue and I am not sure that even then an answer would be forthcoming. I believe there are some people who have tried to do such a study, but not having read what they have written, I cannot say whether what they are saying is upheld by Scripture or not. The obvious idea that God is trying to present is that it will be exceedingly beautiful.
The wall that surrounds the city is 216 feet (roughly 66 meters) tall if one uses the cubit according to the measure of a man. A cubit (the length of the arm of a man up to his elbow) is generally reckoned to be 18 inches (.5 meter) long. There are some cases when a cubit was as much as 21 inches, but generally 18 inches is the accepted length. This is the height of the wall, which is actually shorter than the recorded height of ancient Babylon's wall, which Herodotus reported as being 350 feet. To a city that is 1500 miles tall, a wall merely 216 feet tall would seem miniscule by comparison. It is roughly 21 ½ stories high if a story is approximately ten feet. This is not that tall considering the height of the city. Grammatically it would appear there are two ways of viewing the statement about the measurement. The first given is the usual way of interpreting it. John says that this measure is according to the measure of a man, which means that the common measurements of man are being used. It seems that John then realizes that he may be confusing the issue by referring to the angel as a man and wants to clarify that he did not mean that the one measuring it is a man, but an angel (most likely in the form of a man). The other possible way to interpret this is that John is describing the process of measuring, and then realizes that he misspoke and said man when he meant angel (the cubit of an angel being much larger, as most angels that have been seen have been reported to be about eight feet or 2.5 meters tall). It does not seem to be an issue either way, as the idea of how high the wall is compared to the city is understood regardless of which way it is taken.
Verse 18 “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
The wall is like jasper. While there are many colors of jasper, this jasper would most likely be the clear jasper. God’s glory is to shine through it, so it needs to be transparent to allow that to happen. The city is described as being of pure gold, but clear as glass. Again, the gold is so thin, as in an astronauts helmet, that it is transparent. This city is transparent for a purpose and that is to let God’s glory shine through it.
Verse 19-20 “And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh; chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
The foundations of the wall are decorated with all kinds of precious stones. I am not a gemologist, and even many scholars have trouble when it comes to identifying stones using the ancient names, which is what the Bible does. Many stones had multiple names due to various regions giving them different names, so while there is some idea of what the gems are, especially those with names that are still common such as emerald, topaz, amethyst and sapphire, nobody can say for a certainty exactly what some of the more obscure ones mentioned are. There is a general consensus that these are the same twelve stones, some mentioned by other names, that were used to represent the twelve tribes of Israel on the priest’s breastplate. Some definitely are the same, but again, the use of different names for the same stone make it impossible to say this is absolutely true. God does like to be consistent in what He does, so it is quite probable that these are the same stones. They are an assortment of different colors, so it will be a very beautiful foundation. There is most certainly a reason why each stone was chosen by God for representing the tribes and for putting them in the wall, but a study of that nature would take years to pursue and I am not sure that even then an answer would be forthcoming. I believe there are some people who have tried to do such a study, but not having read what they have written, I cannot say whether what they are saying is upheld by Scripture or not. The obvious idea that God is trying to present is that it will be exceedingly beautiful.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Revelation 21:15-16
Verse 15-16 “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.”
Now we are told that the city is in the shape of a square and that the length and width and height are all the same. The angel who has been talking with John takes a golden reed (a measuring rod) to measure the city to show John how large it is. The measure is given as 12,000 furlongs. This does not specify whether that is the perimeter measurement or the length of one side. Most assume it is the length of one side, as 1) it is then mentioned that the length, height, and width are all equal, which implies that this is the measurement that should be applied to each, 2) God usually does not incorporate math problems into his descriptions for us to figure out the measurements, but gives the measurements themselves, and 3) the city must be big to accommodate all the saints from the beginning of time. If taken that the length is twelve thousand furlongs, it is 1500 miles or 2414 km in our terms of measurement. This would appear to be a cube with every side measuring 1500 miles under that interpretation. While it does not say it is in the shape of a cube, I believe that is its indicated shape rather than a pyramid as some seem to think it is. First, the pyramid seems to be a shape that the occult uses, while nothing in God’s design of the temple ever resembled anything like a pyramid. However, the cube shape is used in the temple. This city, if placed on the earth would cover a huge area. If one were to start at the southeast corner of Alabama and draw a straight line over through Mexico to the place where the western boundary of Arizona would be if one were to draw the line down through Mexico, then draw a line straight up one third of the way through Alberta, Canada, straight across to the province of Ontario, and then back down to the southeast corner of Alabama, one would have the approximate area that this city would cover on this planet. For readers in Europe, if one started at the southwestern most tip of Spain, went north past the western part of Ireland until even with Edinburgh, Scotland, then east until halfway through (and above) Poland, then down until east of Italy and back over to the starting point in Spain making a square, you would have the approximate size of this city. For Australians, draw a box around the entire continent, then take off what you need to from the left side (about half of Western Australia) to square it off. I think everyone can picture the size now, (even though I may not have done your continent) and that I do not have to do this for every continent. That would just be the length and width without considering the height. Now it can be seen why during the millennium it orbits the earth rather than coming down at that time. It awaits a new earth, which one supposes will have to be much larger than the present earth, to host it. Not only that, this city will extend 1500 miles out into space if the height is the same. As there are many ideas on this subject, and we do not really have enough to be dogmatic about any one idea, I will present another idea I read. One person came up with the idea that this is not a city, but a walled garden like Eden, as we are later told of the trees and river in the middle of the city. They believe that Mt. Zion is the center peak of that city and that is why the city is considered 12,000 furlongs high. The top of the peak would be that high, therefore the city must be that high to incorporate the mountain. I do not think this is a viable idea though, as clearly the place is a place of habitation for millions of people and not simply a garden. There are many mansions there, plus for a mountain to go 1500 miles into the air, it would necessitate using up the entire mass of the base of the city to accommodate the incline, not leaving any level garden space or space for homes. Also there is the problem that if it is to orbit the earth for the millennia, it would not make sense for it to be a garden. It would make sense for it to be an enclosed cube. There would need to be a way to keep an atmosphere for the inhabitants while in space, so an enclosed cube would do that. As the city is made of transparent gold, it would not seem so enclosed, and God's light would shine out from it, illuminating it like the sun. For people who watch Star Trek, it might be on the idea of a Borg cube which had multiple living levels. Possibly the garden (which we will see later) is in an open center area where God dwells on His throne and there are levels around this center. It is not as if there are simply apartments on a balcony around a narrow edge, as the area is 1500 miles in length. Even a garden as large as 100 miles square in the middle would leave huge amounts of area extending outward for mansions and grounds on multiple levels. When the city comes down to rest on the earth, it would still extend way out into space, so being enclosed would still give it an atmosphere, unless the new world's atmosphere extends that far out from the planet. One’s imagination can come up with all sorts of possibilities, but there is no way to know as God simply has not told us.
Just for the sake of consideration that the measurement is the perimeter and not the length, then each side would be only one fourth of that length or 375 miles (603.5 km). That would be a far smaller city, although the mileage out into space would still seem to be problematic.
Now we are told that the city is in the shape of a square and that the length and width and height are all the same. The angel who has been talking with John takes a golden reed (a measuring rod) to measure the city to show John how large it is. The measure is given as 12,000 furlongs. This does not specify whether that is the perimeter measurement or the length of one side. Most assume it is the length of one side, as 1) it is then mentioned that the length, height, and width are all equal, which implies that this is the measurement that should be applied to each, 2) God usually does not incorporate math problems into his descriptions for us to figure out the measurements, but gives the measurements themselves, and 3) the city must be big to accommodate all the saints from the beginning of time. If taken that the length is twelve thousand furlongs, it is 1500 miles or 2414 km in our terms of measurement. This would appear to be a cube with every side measuring 1500 miles under that interpretation. While it does not say it is in the shape of a cube, I believe that is its indicated shape rather than a pyramid as some seem to think it is. First, the pyramid seems to be a shape that the occult uses, while nothing in God’s design of the temple ever resembled anything like a pyramid. However, the cube shape is used in the temple. This city, if placed on the earth would cover a huge area. If one were to start at the southeast corner of Alabama and draw a straight line over through Mexico to the place where the western boundary of Arizona would be if one were to draw the line down through Mexico, then draw a line straight up one third of the way through Alberta, Canada, straight across to the province of Ontario, and then back down to the southeast corner of Alabama, one would have the approximate area that this city would cover on this planet. For readers in Europe, if one started at the southwestern most tip of Spain, went north past the western part of Ireland until even with Edinburgh, Scotland, then east until halfway through (and above) Poland, then down until east of Italy and back over to the starting point in Spain making a square, you would have the approximate size of this city. For Australians, draw a box around the entire continent, then take off what you need to from the left side (about half of Western Australia) to square it off. I think everyone can picture the size now, (even though I may not have done your continent) and that I do not have to do this for every continent. That would just be the length and width without considering the height. Now it can be seen why during the millennium it orbits the earth rather than coming down at that time. It awaits a new earth, which one supposes will have to be much larger than the present earth, to host it. Not only that, this city will extend 1500 miles out into space if the height is the same. As there are many ideas on this subject, and we do not really have enough to be dogmatic about any one idea, I will present another idea I read. One person came up with the idea that this is not a city, but a walled garden like Eden, as we are later told of the trees and river in the middle of the city. They believe that Mt. Zion is the center peak of that city and that is why the city is considered 12,000 furlongs high. The top of the peak would be that high, therefore the city must be that high to incorporate the mountain. I do not think this is a viable idea though, as clearly the place is a place of habitation for millions of people and not simply a garden. There are many mansions there, plus for a mountain to go 1500 miles into the air, it would necessitate using up the entire mass of the base of the city to accommodate the incline, not leaving any level garden space or space for homes. Also there is the problem that if it is to orbit the earth for the millennia, it would not make sense for it to be a garden. It would make sense for it to be an enclosed cube. There would need to be a way to keep an atmosphere for the inhabitants while in space, so an enclosed cube would do that. As the city is made of transparent gold, it would not seem so enclosed, and God's light would shine out from it, illuminating it like the sun. For people who watch Star Trek, it might be on the idea of a Borg cube which had multiple living levels. Possibly the garden (which we will see later) is in an open center area where God dwells on His throne and there are levels around this center. It is not as if there are simply apartments on a balcony around a narrow edge, as the area is 1500 miles in length. Even a garden as large as 100 miles square in the middle would leave huge amounts of area extending outward for mansions and grounds on multiple levels. When the city comes down to rest on the earth, it would still extend way out into space, so being enclosed would still give it an atmosphere, unless the new world's atmosphere extends that far out from the planet. One’s imagination can come up with all sorts of possibilities, but there is no way to know as God simply has not told us.
Just for the sake of consideration that the measurement is the perimeter and not the length, then each side would be only one fourth of that length or 375 miles (603.5 km). That would be a far smaller city, although the mileage out into space would still seem to be problematic.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Revelation 21:9-14
Verse 9 “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
Now one of the angels that had poured out one of the seven vials of God’s wrath comes and tells John he will show him the bride of the Lamb. Interestingly, he is referring not to the people who incorporate the Church as the bride, but to the city that they inhabit. He is about to see the city of New Jerusalem, where the saints will live (this is what the “In my father’s house are many mansions…..I go to prepare a place for you.” verse is all about). It is an incredibly beautiful city built of gold and jewels. Only the bride of Christ will dwell in this city. We will see that those who come through the millennium do not live in this city afterward. They will live in the nations outside the city.
Verse 10 “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”
John is taken (and here he specifies that he is doing this in the spirit, not in the flesh) to a great and high mountain where sees New Jerusalem descending from heaven down to the earth. All of what John has seen is because he has been “in the spirit” or seeing a vision. He has not been physically taken into the future, but has been allowed to see the future through a spiritual vision.
Verse 11 “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
New Jerusalem shines with the Shekinah glory of God. It lights her and the light shining through her makes her look like a beautiful crystal clear jasper stone (think diamond) sparkling in the sun. Think of how that would look. A huge city that is sparkling like a diamond in the sky, now descending to earth.
Verse 12 “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”
The city is surrounded by a great high wall which has twelve gates. Each gate is guarded or overseen by an angel. Also each gate has the name of one of the tribes of Israel written on it.
Verse 13 “On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.”
This city is a square city, (as we shall soon see) and the wall is also. Each side has three gates, three each on the north, south, east, and west side.
Verse 14 “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
This wall has twelve foundations. It is not clear exactly what is meant by twelve foundations. Some possibilities are that this is a stack of twelve different layers that go all the way around so that each side has twelve layers, or possibly there are twelve different divisions of the wall’s foundation each section between two gates. Maybe it means there are twelve foundation stones. I have even heard someone suggest that there are twelve pillars supporting the wall. That seems a little improbable to me, considering its size. No matter which way it is, each individual section, layer, or stone has the name of one of the apostles written on it. This is a great honor to have their names engraved on the foundation for all to see. We most commonly think of Peter, Paul, and John, (and because of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke) when we think of apostles, but Paul (and Mark and Luke) was not one of the original twelve disciples/apostles, even though considered by most Christians to probably have been the greatest apostle due to his writing most of the epistles. His name will not be on the foundation if this is speaking of the original twelve disciples/apostles.
Now one of the angels that had poured out one of the seven vials of God’s wrath comes and tells John he will show him the bride of the Lamb. Interestingly, he is referring not to the people who incorporate the Church as the bride, but to the city that they inhabit. He is about to see the city of New Jerusalem, where the saints will live (this is what the “In my father’s house are many mansions…..I go to prepare a place for you.” verse is all about). It is an incredibly beautiful city built of gold and jewels. Only the bride of Christ will dwell in this city. We will see that those who come through the millennium do not live in this city afterward. They will live in the nations outside the city.
Verse 10 “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”
John is taken (and here he specifies that he is doing this in the spirit, not in the flesh) to a great and high mountain where sees New Jerusalem descending from heaven down to the earth. All of what John has seen is because he has been “in the spirit” or seeing a vision. He has not been physically taken into the future, but has been allowed to see the future through a spiritual vision.
Verse 11 “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
New Jerusalem shines with the Shekinah glory of God. It lights her and the light shining through her makes her look like a beautiful crystal clear jasper stone (think diamond) sparkling in the sun. Think of how that would look. A huge city that is sparkling like a diamond in the sky, now descending to earth.
Verse 12 “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”
The city is surrounded by a great high wall which has twelve gates. Each gate is guarded or overseen by an angel. Also each gate has the name of one of the tribes of Israel written on it.
Verse 13 “On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.”
This city is a square city, (as we shall soon see) and the wall is also. Each side has three gates, three each on the north, south, east, and west side.
Verse 14 “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
This wall has twelve foundations. It is not clear exactly what is meant by twelve foundations. Some possibilities are that this is a stack of twelve different layers that go all the way around so that each side has twelve layers, or possibly there are twelve different divisions of the wall’s foundation each section between two gates. Maybe it means there are twelve foundation stones. I have even heard someone suggest that there are twelve pillars supporting the wall. That seems a little improbable to me, considering its size. No matter which way it is, each individual section, layer, or stone has the name of one of the apostles written on it. This is a great honor to have their names engraved on the foundation for all to see. We most commonly think of Peter, Paul, and John, (and because of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke) when we think of apostles, but Paul (and Mark and Luke) was not one of the original twelve disciples/apostles, even though considered by most Christians to probably have been the greatest apostle due to his writing most of the epistles. His name will not be on the foundation if this is speaking of the original twelve disciples/apostles.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Revelation 21:6-8
Verse 6 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
When Yeshua died on the cross He said, “It is finished.” What was finished at that time was the first step in the plan of redemption, the means by which man could obtain salvation. But it was not the end of what had to be completed to bring creation back to its original state. The next step was regaining ownership of the planet, then restoring the earth to its antediluvian state, and then the promised reign of the Messiah to Israel. Finally the entire plan is complete. Death has been conquered, Satan has been crushed and is in eternal punishment, the world has been restored, mankind has been redeemed (those who would choose God) and now a new heaven and earth have been created. Everything God has set out to do is complete. The kingdom of God now exists in an eternal state. Yeshua is the Alpha (the first letter of the alphabet) or beginning, and the Omega (the last letter of the alphabet) or end. He spoke creation into existence and now He pronounces the entire history of the world complete. He was at the beginning and He is at the end. To those who have thirsted to know God, He has freely given them water to drink from the fountain of life. He is that fountain of life. The eternal life that has been promised to those who love God is now about to begin. They will never sorrow, suffer, sin, die, or thirst for God again.
Verse 7 “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
In the seven letters of Revelation the promises were given to those that are overcomers. For those that do overcome, they will inherit all the promises given by God. God will be the overcomer’s Father and the overcomer will be God’s child.
Verse 8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Here is a list of sinners that make it into the lake of fire. While the list is not complete as to every sin, there are a few that God particularly mentions. The abominable, these are those who are totally disgusting to God. He abhors them as they are gross sinners of all the vile sins. This would include a lot of sins, so this is a very encompassing category. It is the worst of the lusts and behaviors that are listed elsewhere in the Scriptures, for example, 1 Cor. 6:9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." For those who commit these acts and think it is okay with God, think again. There are many sins listed, but one in particular needs to be addressed, as nowadays people deny that it is a sin.
What I am about to say is going to make some people mad. If you are offended, you will have to take it up with God, not me, because I am not the author of the Bible. In particular, there is a question of the word "effeminate" and the phrase "abusers of themselves with mankind." I have visited sites where homosexual pastors or Christians try to explain this word and passage away to allow them to continue to practice their sexual preference guilt free. I notice they stay far away from certain verses of the Bible, which I will give in a moment. First I must explain something. I have (either presently or in the past) had homosexual or lesbian friends or family. I love them dearly and we have had great relationships. I am not their judge, so I don't judge them. I love them, but do not condone the sin. Sadly if they continue in their sin unrepentant until they die, just as the other sins listed in these verses will do, this sin will send them to hell and eventually the lake of fire. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7.
Whether or not people want to accept it, the Scriptures are clear about this sexual act. Lev.18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Lev. 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." First, this is not making any distinction between lust and love (which seems to be the crux of the homosexual defense). No mention of feelings is involved at all. It is the physical act that is being addressed. It is the physical act which is the abomination. The penalty for committing this abomination was death. Next, clearly this is not talking about temple prostitution (which is another explanation I have heard). It had nothing to do with pagan temple worship. It is a law for God's people's behavior, not a commentary on surrounding nations. Nor is this a non-applicable law because it is in the Old Testament. While not all of the Torah laws are still in effect today, such as kosher, which was more of a health preservation law, this is not the same thing. This is an abomination to God yesterday, today, and forever, and it is addressed as such again in the New Testament. "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, (denying what the Scriptures clearly say about this) and worshipped and served the creature (each other) more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause (because of their unwillingness to acknowledge the truth and their deliberate disobedience) God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (lesbianism) and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men (homosexuality) working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, (O.T. law still in effect) not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.(put their stamp of approval on it and deny it is wrong)" Romans 1: 24-32. I believe the description of men leaving the natural use of women and burning with lust for other men describes homosexuality. It is not a matter of distinction between lust and love, it is a matter of distinction between wanting to have sex with the opposite gender versus wanting to have sex with the same gender. The same holds true for the women. Again, it is not a case of "lust" versus "love", and love making it all right. It is a matter of the same gender having sex with the same gender. All Scriptures must be taken together on this issue. They are leaving the natural use of women (or men). It is the physical act, not the emotions involved. It is also not a case of temple prostitution. The temple is not referred to at all. It is simply the unnatural use of sex between members of the same gender that God considers dishonoring the body. This could not be more clear in these verses and trying to ignore it or twist it to mean something else is just going to land people in the lake of fire. Understand I am not without sins myself, and this is (while not trying to treat it lightly) just one more sin. The problem is that the gay community is denying that it is a sin, and not only being unrepentant, but trying to justify it. ("have pleasure in them that do them") Repentant homosexuals who do not continue in the practice of this sin can get into heaven. Just as any other sinner who repents and turns from their sin will get in(provided they endure to the end). Thieves know stealing is wrong. People know lying is wrong. These sins are acknowledged to be sins, however that is not the case with homosexuality. Gay people defend it as not being a sin. Understand it is not my call. It does not matter what I think. It does not matter what you think. It does not matter what anyone thinks. It only matters what God thinks, because He is the one calling the shots. God does not care how I or anybody else feels about the issue. It only matters how He feels and He has made it abundantly clear. Denying it is a sin will not work with God, no matter how much a person wants it to be so. That is not my opinion, that is what God says. He says it is an abomination, which makes the person who practices it abominable to God, plain and simple. The truth is the truth, like it or not. Denying the truth is not going to change what God says. We all like to justify our sins, but it is to our own eternal peril that we do. I do not want to see the gay people I know and love go to hell any more than I want to see the fornicators (many of my friends and family have practiced sex outside of marriage), or liars (Who has not told a little white lie? I know I have to protect someone's feelings - e.g. Does this make me look fat?), or thieves (Stealing is taking a pen from work, not just robbing a bank), or murderers (Do you intensely dislike anyone?), or drunkards (Did you have one too many at that last party?), or those who covet (Who hasn't experienced that one at one time or another? I know I have. I have to confess it and repent it.). I know sinning jeopardizes my salvation and I have to continually acknowledge it and repent. But I admit it is a sin and that I am sinning. Homosexuality is a sin that is not acknowledged by homosexuals and unfortunately it is a sin that the Christian church has either accepted as being okay or focused on as being a sin to the exclusion of every other sin. Neither is the correct response. It is clearly a sin and should not be condoned, however it is hypocritical on the part of many Christians to be so super condemning when they have a serious problem themselves. One sin in the church that really rankles me is gossip, and some of the most pious people are the guiltiest of practicing it. It is usually epidemic in most churches and is a sin that is not only unacknowledged, but will jeopardize a lot of people who practice it unrepentantly. Most homosexuals do not pretend to be Christians, therefore Christians should not be worried about their homosexuality. Unbelievers do not have to clean up their lives before coming to the Lord, that is not how it works. Our job is to bring people to the Lord and let the Lord clean up their sins. On the other hand, Christians should be looking at the beam in their own eye, as they are responsible for keeping their lives as free from sin as possible.
Getting back to the list in Revelation, there are murderers, those who with malice aforethought, deliberately take a human life. In 1 John 3:15 we are told that whoever hates his brother is considered a murderer. So unlike Old Testament times where the act was the sin, even our thoughts are judged. Whoremongers includes fornicators, adulterers, prostitutes and such. And again, it is not just the act, it is the thought that counts. Sorcerers includes people who not only dabble in the occult, but also with drugs. Idolaters are those who worship anything besides God. That not only includes false gods, but things like money, celebrities, etc. These people are not unexpected candidates for this punishment. But the list doesn't end there.
There is hardly a person alive, including Christians, who has not told a lie, so this sin covers almost everyone. People hardly think anything of telling a lie, yet it can condemn you to eternal punishment. If something so universally thought of as being okay can do that, then people should not dismiss these other things so readily. A surprising sin on this list is the fearful. One thinks of fearful as simply a person who is afraid of things in general. That does not seem like such a horrible thing at first, but one has to take it a little farther. The concordance defines this word as timid or faithless. We are told that if we shrink back from standing up for God, and if we are faithless, we will be denied by God. If we deny Him, He has said He will deny us. Matt. 10:33 "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Fear of losing your property, your wealth, or even your life is not an excuse, nor will it be excused. We must endure to the end suffering persecution and death if necessary. Fear can keep us from eternal life. The last sin to be considered is unbelief. This is not only those who proclaim their unbelief such as atheists, but may include those who say they are Christians. One must believe with one's heart in complete faith in Christ. Just having a head belief is not enough. People who want to accommodate science, man's traditions, man's morality, and basically compromise the truths of the Bible are essentially non-believers. They do not truly believe God's Word is the truth, or they would not compromise it to accommodate everything that comes along. Any sin can be forgiven, except the sin of unbelief.
I believe unbelief is actually blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Many people wonder what exactly blaspheming the Holy Spirit is. I cannot say if I am completely correct on this or not, but it seems logical. Refusal to believe in Yeshua, who He is and His sacrifice, is the criteria by which everyone will lose out getting into the Book of Life. They choose to be judged by their own works rather than have their sins covered by the blood of Yeshua. So they do not accept Him and believe in Him. Because it is the Holy Spirit that convicts people of their sin and reveals who Yeshua is to them, I have come to the conclusion that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is that moment when the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to people, and they make the conscious decision to reject the truth. Not accepting Yeshua is the one sin that cannot be forgiven, as there is no other means by which people can be saved. God cannot forgive that rejection. Putting together those facts, that the Holy Spirit convicts and reveals, that one cannot be forgiven for rejecting Yeshua, and that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin, or the one sin that cannot be forgiven, it would seem that these two things are one in the same, as it says there is only one sin that is unpardonable. Therefore rejecting Yeshua when the Holy Spirit convicts and reveals Him, is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. All of these sins listed in this verse will send these sinners to the lake of fire, but the sins other than unbelief could have been forgiven, if there were belief and repentance. So in actuality, the sin that is sending all of these sinners to the lake of fire is unbelief, for if they truly believed what God said and repented, they would no longer be unbelievers, regardless of what their sins may have been. They would be forgiven and could enter into heaven.
All unbelievers will end up with the beast, false prophet, and Satan in the lake of fire. As mentioned before this is the second death, spiritual death, where torment goes on for ever and ever.
When Yeshua died on the cross He said, “It is finished.” What was finished at that time was the first step in the plan of redemption, the means by which man could obtain salvation. But it was not the end of what had to be completed to bring creation back to its original state. The next step was regaining ownership of the planet, then restoring the earth to its antediluvian state, and then the promised reign of the Messiah to Israel. Finally the entire plan is complete. Death has been conquered, Satan has been crushed and is in eternal punishment, the world has been restored, mankind has been redeemed (those who would choose God) and now a new heaven and earth have been created. Everything God has set out to do is complete. The kingdom of God now exists in an eternal state. Yeshua is the Alpha (the first letter of the alphabet) or beginning, and the Omega (the last letter of the alphabet) or end. He spoke creation into existence and now He pronounces the entire history of the world complete. He was at the beginning and He is at the end. To those who have thirsted to know God, He has freely given them water to drink from the fountain of life. He is that fountain of life. The eternal life that has been promised to those who love God is now about to begin. They will never sorrow, suffer, sin, die, or thirst for God again.
Verse 7 “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
In the seven letters of Revelation the promises were given to those that are overcomers. For those that do overcome, they will inherit all the promises given by God. God will be the overcomer’s Father and the overcomer will be God’s child.
Verse 8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Here is a list of sinners that make it into the lake of fire. While the list is not complete as to every sin, there are a few that God particularly mentions. The abominable, these are those who are totally disgusting to God. He abhors them as they are gross sinners of all the vile sins. This would include a lot of sins, so this is a very encompassing category. It is the worst of the lusts and behaviors that are listed elsewhere in the Scriptures, for example, 1 Cor. 6:9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." For those who commit these acts and think it is okay with God, think again. There are many sins listed, but one in particular needs to be addressed, as nowadays people deny that it is a sin.
What I am about to say is going to make some people mad. If you are offended, you will have to take it up with God, not me, because I am not the author of the Bible. In particular, there is a question of the word "effeminate" and the phrase "abusers of themselves with mankind." I have visited sites where homosexual pastors or Christians try to explain this word and passage away to allow them to continue to practice their sexual preference guilt free. I notice they stay far away from certain verses of the Bible, which I will give in a moment. First I must explain something. I have (either presently or in the past) had homosexual or lesbian friends or family. I love them dearly and we have had great relationships. I am not their judge, so I don't judge them. I love them, but do not condone the sin. Sadly if they continue in their sin unrepentant until they die, just as the other sins listed in these verses will do, this sin will send them to hell and eventually the lake of fire. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7.
Whether or not people want to accept it, the Scriptures are clear about this sexual act. Lev.18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Lev. 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." First, this is not making any distinction between lust and love (which seems to be the crux of the homosexual defense). No mention of feelings is involved at all. It is the physical act that is being addressed. It is the physical act which is the abomination. The penalty for committing this abomination was death. Next, clearly this is not talking about temple prostitution (which is another explanation I have heard). It had nothing to do with pagan temple worship. It is a law for God's people's behavior, not a commentary on surrounding nations. Nor is this a non-applicable law because it is in the Old Testament. While not all of the Torah laws are still in effect today, such as kosher, which was more of a health preservation law, this is not the same thing. This is an abomination to God yesterday, today, and forever, and it is addressed as such again in the New Testament. "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, (denying what the Scriptures clearly say about this) and worshipped and served the creature (each other) more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause (because of their unwillingness to acknowledge the truth and their deliberate disobedience) God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (lesbianism) and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men (homosexuality) working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, (O.T. law still in effect) not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.(put their stamp of approval on it and deny it is wrong)" Romans 1: 24-32. I believe the description of men leaving the natural use of women and burning with lust for other men describes homosexuality. It is not a matter of distinction between lust and love, it is a matter of distinction between wanting to have sex with the opposite gender versus wanting to have sex with the same gender. The same holds true for the women. Again, it is not a case of "lust" versus "love", and love making it all right. It is a matter of the same gender having sex with the same gender. All Scriptures must be taken together on this issue. They are leaving the natural use of women (or men). It is the physical act, not the emotions involved. It is also not a case of temple prostitution. The temple is not referred to at all. It is simply the unnatural use of sex between members of the same gender that God considers dishonoring the body. This could not be more clear in these verses and trying to ignore it or twist it to mean something else is just going to land people in the lake of fire. Understand I am not without sins myself, and this is (while not trying to treat it lightly) just one more sin. The problem is that the gay community is denying that it is a sin, and not only being unrepentant, but trying to justify it. ("have pleasure in them that do them") Repentant homosexuals who do not continue in the practice of this sin can get into heaven. Just as any other sinner who repents and turns from their sin will get in(provided they endure to the end). Thieves know stealing is wrong. People know lying is wrong. These sins are acknowledged to be sins, however that is not the case with homosexuality. Gay people defend it as not being a sin. Understand it is not my call. It does not matter what I think. It does not matter what you think. It does not matter what anyone thinks. It only matters what God thinks, because He is the one calling the shots. God does not care how I or anybody else feels about the issue. It only matters how He feels and He has made it abundantly clear. Denying it is a sin will not work with God, no matter how much a person wants it to be so. That is not my opinion, that is what God says. He says it is an abomination, which makes the person who practices it abominable to God, plain and simple. The truth is the truth, like it or not. Denying the truth is not going to change what God says. We all like to justify our sins, but it is to our own eternal peril that we do. I do not want to see the gay people I know and love go to hell any more than I want to see the fornicators (many of my friends and family have practiced sex outside of marriage), or liars (Who has not told a little white lie? I know I have to protect someone's feelings - e.g. Does this make me look fat?), or thieves (Stealing is taking a pen from work, not just robbing a bank), or murderers (Do you intensely dislike anyone?), or drunkards (Did you have one too many at that last party?), or those who covet (Who hasn't experienced that one at one time or another? I know I have. I have to confess it and repent it.). I know sinning jeopardizes my salvation and I have to continually acknowledge it and repent. But I admit it is a sin and that I am sinning. Homosexuality is a sin that is not acknowledged by homosexuals and unfortunately it is a sin that the Christian church has either accepted as being okay or focused on as being a sin to the exclusion of every other sin. Neither is the correct response. It is clearly a sin and should not be condoned, however it is hypocritical on the part of many Christians to be so super condemning when they have a serious problem themselves. One sin in the church that really rankles me is gossip, and some of the most pious people are the guiltiest of practicing it. It is usually epidemic in most churches and is a sin that is not only unacknowledged, but will jeopardize a lot of people who practice it unrepentantly. Most homosexuals do not pretend to be Christians, therefore Christians should not be worried about their homosexuality. Unbelievers do not have to clean up their lives before coming to the Lord, that is not how it works. Our job is to bring people to the Lord and let the Lord clean up their sins. On the other hand, Christians should be looking at the beam in their own eye, as they are responsible for keeping their lives as free from sin as possible.
Getting back to the list in Revelation, there are murderers, those who with malice aforethought, deliberately take a human life. In 1 John 3:15 we are told that whoever hates his brother is considered a murderer. So unlike Old Testament times where the act was the sin, even our thoughts are judged. Whoremongers includes fornicators, adulterers, prostitutes and such. And again, it is not just the act, it is the thought that counts. Sorcerers includes people who not only dabble in the occult, but also with drugs. Idolaters are those who worship anything besides God. That not only includes false gods, but things like money, celebrities, etc. These people are not unexpected candidates for this punishment. But the list doesn't end there.
There is hardly a person alive, including Christians, who has not told a lie, so this sin covers almost everyone. People hardly think anything of telling a lie, yet it can condemn you to eternal punishment. If something so universally thought of as being okay can do that, then people should not dismiss these other things so readily. A surprising sin on this list is the fearful. One thinks of fearful as simply a person who is afraid of things in general. That does not seem like such a horrible thing at first, but one has to take it a little farther. The concordance defines this word as timid or faithless. We are told that if we shrink back from standing up for God, and if we are faithless, we will be denied by God. If we deny Him, He has said He will deny us. Matt. 10:33 "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Fear of losing your property, your wealth, or even your life is not an excuse, nor will it be excused. We must endure to the end suffering persecution and death if necessary. Fear can keep us from eternal life. The last sin to be considered is unbelief. This is not only those who proclaim their unbelief such as atheists, but may include those who say they are Christians. One must believe with one's heart in complete faith in Christ. Just having a head belief is not enough. People who want to accommodate science, man's traditions, man's morality, and basically compromise the truths of the Bible are essentially non-believers. They do not truly believe God's Word is the truth, or they would not compromise it to accommodate everything that comes along. Any sin can be forgiven, except the sin of unbelief.
I believe unbelief is actually blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Many people wonder what exactly blaspheming the Holy Spirit is. I cannot say if I am completely correct on this or not, but it seems logical. Refusal to believe in Yeshua, who He is and His sacrifice, is the criteria by which everyone will lose out getting into the Book of Life. They choose to be judged by their own works rather than have their sins covered by the blood of Yeshua. So they do not accept Him and believe in Him. Because it is the Holy Spirit that convicts people of their sin and reveals who Yeshua is to them, I have come to the conclusion that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is that moment when the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to people, and they make the conscious decision to reject the truth. Not accepting Yeshua is the one sin that cannot be forgiven, as there is no other means by which people can be saved. God cannot forgive that rejection. Putting together those facts, that the Holy Spirit convicts and reveals, that one cannot be forgiven for rejecting Yeshua, and that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin, or the one sin that cannot be forgiven, it would seem that these two things are one in the same, as it says there is only one sin that is unpardonable. Therefore rejecting Yeshua when the Holy Spirit convicts and reveals Him, is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. All of these sins listed in this verse will send these sinners to the lake of fire, but the sins other than unbelief could have been forgiven, if there were belief and repentance. So in actuality, the sin that is sending all of these sinners to the lake of fire is unbelief, for if they truly believed what God said and repented, they would no longer be unbelievers, regardless of what their sins may have been. They would be forgiven and could enter into heaven.
All unbelievers will end up with the beast, false prophet, and Satan in the lake of fire. As mentioned before this is the second death, spiritual death, where torment goes on for ever and ever.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Revelation 21:3-5
Verse 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.”
Now a voice from heaven announces that God’s tabernacle (New Jerusalem) will be not above man shining down on him, but with man. He will dwell on the new earth (which will be large enough to contain this city) and everyone will be His people. They will actually live in the presence of God. He will never again separate Himself from mankind.
Verse 4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”
Everything that will have passed will have been painful for everyone. God will comfort them and remove their sorrow and possibly memories of what has transpired, so that they do not grieve. Their joy at being in the presence of God will help them to forget the past, if He does not remove the memories. And in time, memories fade, and there is all of eternity ahead in which there is time to forget. All the former things of this life will be no more, so there will be nothing to remind us of it. There will be no more death. Death was never a part of God’s plan, it was the result of man’s sin. Now death and pain will no longer exist. They are of the past, and everything of the past that happened in time will be no more. God’s people and creation will be entering into eternity where there is no time, as we live it today. We think in terms of years, but in eternity that would be an impossibility after a while.
Verse 5 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Now the occupier of the throne (either God or Yeshua) says that everything is being made new, not renovated or made over, but entirely new. New heavens and earth, new concept of life (no death or illness, or pain, or sorrow), new concept of time, eternity. Then He reiterates that these promises are true and will be fulfilled. We are told that not one jot or tittle will pass from God’s word until heaven and earth pass away and all is fulfilled. Matt. 5:18. After all is said and done, there will be no need for the Scriptures anymore, so God's Word as far as the Bible, can pass away, as the earth and heavens will. I believe Jehovah's Witnesses believe that this earth will go on forever, and if one takes some verses alone without considering all of the verses on this subject, one might be inclined to agree. However, there are other verses such as this in Matthew and these in Revelation that show us that the present earth and heavens will pass away. After all of the Law is fulfilled and the Word of God is completely fulfilled, the heavens and earth will pass away and new ones will be created. There will always be an earth, just not the same one. This earth will not pass away until everything written in God's Word is fulfilled, but those words will eventually be fulfilled, and then all things will become new.
Many people have a problem with the idea that the world will go back to temple worship during the millennium. It must be remembered that Israel was promised this time of being a premier nation under the rule of the Messiah, and they will bring the gospel to the rest of the world (as originally intended). It hasn't happened yet, and God keeps His promises, so this must happen. That is part of the purpose of the millennium. As the Torah (first five books of the Bible) and temple worship is what identifies the nation of Israel, and given that the world will be in a barbaric condition and need these sort of rules for survival again, this is the way the world will function - under the law. It isn't a matter of grace not being given, grace has always been given (check out what it says about Noah), but just as Judaism did not work very well the first time around, Christianity did not work very well either. Our concept of grace and freedom have led to an enormous amount of paganism in the church, just as there was in Israel, so our way of worshiping God is no better. People need stringent guidelines to keep them in check. The laws of the Old Testament are God's governmental laws. Christ will be the King on the throne, and every government has to have rules. God has already created those rules for the nation of Israel, so they will come into effect again. Since freedom from temple worship and indwelling of the Holy Spirit has not seemed to keep people from straying off the path, temple worship procedures will come back into practice. At the end of the millennium, after judgment, only those who are followers of God will go on into eternity with Him. We will see that there will be no more temple, and we have been told death, pain, etc. are no more, so it appears that the Torah will no longer be necessary. The prophecies will have been fulfilled, the history of Israel will be irrelevant, and the gospel will no longer have to be preached. It says that until the heavens and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of the law will, until all is fulfilled. It does not say that the law will never pass away, just that it won't until it has 1) been fulfilled, and 2) after the heavens and earth pass away, which they now do.
Getting back to the words being faithful and true, having delved into everything from occult teachings to conspiracy theories in the course of my research, I can say that there is much that can sway a mind that is not firmly rooted in the Word of God. Knowing that it is faithful and true, and knowing that history, archeology, and 100% fulfilled prophecies prove that it is faithful and true, is what has kept me from straying off course when the lies start worming their way into my brain. Studying these lies of Satan to learn what is being said so as to 1) refute it and 2) to know what the enemy is planning, is a dangerous occupation and should never be taken up by anyone who has not studied God's Word in depth and for a long time. What saves a person from being deceived are the warning bells that sound when you realize something is not in alignment with the Word of God. This will not happen if you do not have a thorough understanding and familiarity with God's Word from beginning to end. That is just another reason why I initially began this study of end times in the book of Genesis.
In my small circle of close Christian friends, practically all of them (erroneously I believe) ascribe to the theory that a true Christian cannot be deceived. When the passage in Matthew 24 comes up ("if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."), I have been told that while it may say that it is possible, it does not really indicate the possibility that they can be. I disagree. First it must be noted that the words "it were" are not in the original manuscripts. They have been editorially added by the translators, which is why they are in italics. They were trying to be as accurate as possible, but things do not always translate well, so they would add words to try to make the flow of the sentence more grammatically correct in English. They however did not want to deceive, so they italicized words that were not there in the original language. So it actually reads "if possible, they will deceive the elect." Now either way, I say that the word "if" implies the possibility, however the words "it were" changes how the verse is perceived by these people. For example if I say, "if possible, I will go to town tomorrow," I am not saying it is impossible. I am saying if circumstances allow it, I will go to town. Therefore it depends on the circumstances. If I say, "if it were possible, I would go to town tomorrow" it appears as if it is not possible at the outset, however if conditions were to change and it were then possible, I could still go. However there still seems to be a problem in the grammar. "If it were possible" implies a condition exists that has already happened in the past that might prevent my going, yet the conditional grammar that should accompany that to be consistent should be "I would" (as I used). Instead we see the words "they shall" which is not a past tense, is used. In fact this implies a positive declaration that there will be some who succumb to the deception. The fact that the words "it were" are not in the original should be taken into account. It says, "if possible, they shall deceive." This implies it is possible and that it will happen in some cases. Otherwise, why bother saying it at all? How will they be able to deceive? God tells us. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. People are deceived and destroyed because they do not know what God's Word says and therefore do not realize that what they are accepting as truth is in fact a lie.
Back to my friends, if I were to ask them if they believe they are truly saved, they would give a resounding "yes." And I would agree, as I know them and believe it to be true based on their fruits. However, I also know that more than a few of them have been deceived doctrinally. A couple in particular because they have, over the course of a long period of time, listened to a self-proclaimed Bible teacher who has proven himself to be a false prophet. Some of the others simply do not question the doctrines that their church lays out for them, and have never studied to see if they are truly what the Bible teaches. As for the false prophet, luckily for him he does not live in ancient Israel. What would happen to him if he did? Deut. 13:5 "And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death." This man predicted the Lord's return some years ago and obviously was wrong. He predicted again, and I know he will miss again based on the date he has given, as we are not even in the tribulation period yet. Since he has already missed once, and does not have confidence in his own predictions, he has also set forth a third date if this second one fails (which it will). My friends who follow this man's teachings do not believe it is possible for them to be deceived, as they are true Christians, and yet as I sit there and talk to them, I know that they are already deceived, in that they have followed this man, whose teachings are so unscriptural as to be absurd in some cases. Given that he is a proven false prophet, they should never have listened to him to begin with. So the very thing they think is impossible, has in fact already happened. They are deceived. When I questioned one of the doctrines this man teaches and asked what they did with not only the verses that contradict it, but literally whole chapters that contradict it, I was told they had never studied this part of the Bible. See my point about knowledge? Had they had even a passing working knowledge of the Bible from start to finish, this man would never have infiltrated and changed their beliefs. Nobody, nobody, is beyond being deceived. The danger lies in believing that you cannot be. Am I scared for my friends in the days ahead? You had better believe it. They do not have what they need at their disposal, namely a working knowledge of the entire Bible, not just the New Testament gospels and epistles. The only recourse we have against this possibility is to 1) "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Tim. 2:15. Know what God's Word says. 2) be a Berean and check everything against Scripture (which requires having a working knowledge to begin with) Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." 3) do not trust others to do your research for you. They may not be trustworthy. Do not run to a commentary, or a teacher/pastor for answers. Do not be lazy. Your salvation depends upon you, not them. This may seem to contradict my writing this and you (for those who read this) reading my blog, but one thing that I always preach is to not take my word for it. Check it out yourself. Reading other's words is fine as long as you check what they say against the Scriptures. Sometimes it helps our own studies to get other's insights on the Scriptures, and access the knowledge they may have about history, geography, science, or any other number of things. This is all right provided you do not rely on anyone's word, including mine, without verifying things, and finally 4) pray, pray, pray for truth and to not be deceived.
Some people make the mistake of studying other things first and then coming to God's Word. The problem with this is that then God's Word is viewed through the lies of the other belief systems or the bias of the person's interpretation. Thus the truth becomes distorted. How does a bank clerk become adept at recognizing counterfeit money? Is it by handling counterfeit money? No. There are too many different ways of counterfeiting to do that. A person who learns to spot counterfeit money is never given that money to study at all. They are given real money and they must study every inch of it. In so doing, they recognize the real thing, so when something comes along that has something amiss, they spot it immediately. It is a much easier process to do it that way. One would miss a great deal the other way, as one would never be sure what is actually real and what is not, because the real thing was never studied. The same holds true for the Word of God. One needs to approach it with a blank slate. No commentaries, no trying to make it fit with so-called science (Everything can be reconciled between Scripture and true science. See answersingenesis.org to get any answers you might need for that.) There should be no trying to mesh different religious beliefs with it. The only book that is inspired by God and has the truth is the Bible. And that book has told us that there is no revelation beyond it, so any of these books (or people) that have "new revelations" that have come after the Bible are from false prophets. It should not be superseded by them.
I have digressed from Revelation, but the whole concept of Christians being deceived was a recent issue of concern for me, so I felt led to write on it as it seemed to suddenly be relevant to this verse.
Now a voice from heaven announces that God’s tabernacle (New Jerusalem) will be not above man shining down on him, but with man. He will dwell on the new earth (which will be large enough to contain this city) and everyone will be His people. They will actually live in the presence of God. He will never again separate Himself from mankind.
Verse 4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”
Everything that will have passed will have been painful for everyone. God will comfort them and remove their sorrow and possibly memories of what has transpired, so that they do not grieve. Their joy at being in the presence of God will help them to forget the past, if He does not remove the memories. And in time, memories fade, and there is all of eternity ahead in which there is time to forget. All the former things of this life will be no more, so there will be nothing to remind us of it. There will be no more death. Death was never a part of God’s plan, it was the result of man’s sin. Now death and pain will no longer exist. They are of the past, and everything of the past that happened in time will be no more. God’s people and creation will be entering into eternity where there is no time, as we live it today. We think in terms of years, but in eternity that would be an impossibility after a while.
Verse 5 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Now the occupier of the throne (either God or Yeshua) says that everything is being made new, not renovated or made over, but entirely new. New heavens and earth, new concept of life (no death or illness, or pain, or sorrow), new concept of time, eternity. Then He reiterates that these promises are true and will be fulfilled. We are told that not one jot or tittle will pass from God’s word until heaven and earth pass away and all is fulfilled. Matt. 5:18. After all is said and done, there will be no need for the Scriptures anymore, so God's Word as far as the Bible, can pass away, as the earth and heavens will. I believe Jehovah's Witnesses believe that this earth will go on forever, and if one takes some verses alone without considering all of the verses on this subject, one might be inclined to agree. However, there are other verses such as this in Matthew and these in Revelation that show us that the present earth and heavens will pass away. After all of the Law is fulfilled and the Word of God is completely fulfilled, the heavens and earth will pass away and new ones will be created. There will always be an earth, just not the same one. This earth will not pass away until everything written in God's Word is fulfilled, but those words will eventually be fulfilled, and then all things will become new.
Many people have a problem with the idea that the world will go back to temple worship during the millennium. It must be remembered that Israel was promised this time of being a premier nation under the rule of the Messiah, and they will bring the gospel to the rest of the world (as originally intended). It hasn't happened yet, and God keeps His promises, so this must happen. That is part of the purpose of the millennium. As the Torah (first five books of the Bible) and temple worship is what identifies the nation of Israel, and given that the world will be in a barbaric condition and need these sort of rules for survival again, this is the way the world will function - under the law. It isn't a matter of grace not being given, grace has always been given (check out what it says about Noah), but just as Judaism did not work very well the first time around, Christianity did not work very well either. Our concept of grace and freedom have led to an enormous amount of paganism in the church, just as there was in Israel, so our way of worshiping God is no better. People need stringent guidelines to keep them in check. The laws of the Old Testament are God's governmental laws. Christ will be the King on the throne, and every government has to have rules. God has already created those rules for the nation of Israel, so they will come into effect again. Since freedom from temple worship and indwelling of the Holy Spirit has not seemed to keep people from straying off the path, temple worship procedures will come back into practice. At the end of the millennium, after judgment, only those who are followers of God will go on into eternity with Him. We will see that there will be no more temple, and we have been told death, pain, etc. are no more, so it appears that the Torah will no longer be necessary. The prophecies will have been fulfilled, the history of Israel will be irrelevant, and the gospel will no longer have to be preached. It says that until the heavens and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of the law will, until all is fulfilled. It does not say that the law will never pass away, just that it won't until it has 1) been fulfilled, and 2) after the heavens and earth pass away, which they now do.
Getting back to the words being faithful and true, having delved into everything from occult teachings to conspiracy theories in the course of my research, I can say that there is much that can sway a mind that is not firmly rooted in the Word of God. Knowing that it is faithful and true, and knowing that history, archeology, and 100% fulfilled prophecies prove that it is faithful and true, is what has kept me from straying off course when the lies start worming their way into my brain. Studying these lies of Satan to learn what is being said so as to 1) refute it and 2) to know what the enemy is planning, is a dangerous occupation and should never be taken up by anyone who has not studied God's Word in depth and for a long time. What saves a person from being deceived are the warning bells that sound when you realize something is not in alignment with the Word of God. This will not happen if you do not have a thorough understanding and familiarity with God's Word from beginning to end. That is just another reason why I initially began this study of end times in the book of Genesis.
In my small circle of close Christian friends, practically all of them (erroneously I believe) ascribe to the theory that a true Christian cannot be deceived. When the passage in Matthew 24 comes up ("if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."), I have been told that while it may say that it is possible, it does not really indicate the possibility that they can be. I disagree. First it must be noted that the words "it were" are not in the original manuscripts. They have been editorially added by the translators, which is why they are in italics. They were trying to be as accurate as possible, but things do not always translate well, so they would add words to try to make the flow of the sentence more grammatically correct in English. They however did not want to deceive, so they italicized words that were not there in the original language. So it actually reads "if possible, they will deceive the elect." Now either way, I say that the word "if" implies the possibility, however the words "it were" changes how the verse is perceived by these people. For example if I say, "if possible, I will go to town tomorrow," I am not saying it is impossible. I am saying if circumstances allow it, I will go to town. Therefore it depends on the circumstances. If I say, "if it were possible, I would go to town tomorrow" it appears as if it is not possible at the outset, however if conditions were to change and it were then possible, I could still go. However there still seems to be a problem in the grammar. "If it were possible" implies a condition exists that has already happened in the past that might prevent my going, yet the conditional grammar that should accompany that to be consistent should be "I would" (as I used). Instead we see the words "they shall" which is not a past tense, is used. In fact this implies a positive declaration that there will be some who succumb to the deception. The fact that the words "it were" are not in the original should be taken into account. It says, "if possible, they shall deceive." This implies it is possible and that it will happen in some cases. Otherwise, why bother saying it at all? How will they be able to deceive? God tells us. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. People are deceived and destroyed because they do not know what God's Word says and therefore do not realize that what they are accepting as truth is in fact a lie.
Back to my friends, if I were to ask them if they believe they are truly saved, they would give a resounding "yes." And I would agree, as I know them and believe it to be true based on their fruits. However, I also know that more than a few of them have been deceived doctrinally. A couple in particular because they have, over the course of a long period of time, listened to a self-proclaimed Bible teacher who has proven himself to be a false prophet. Some of the others simply do not question the doctrines that their church lays out for them, and have never studied to see if they are truly what the Bible teaches. As for the false prophet, luckily for him he does not live in ancient Israel. What would happen to him if he did? Deut. 13:5 "And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death." This man predicted the Lord's return some years ago and obviously was wrong. He predicted again, and I know he will miss again based on the date he has given, as we are not even in the tribulation period yet. Since he has already missed once, and does not have confidence in his own predictions, he has also set forth a third date if this second one fails (which it will). My friends who follow this man's teachings do not believe it is possible for them to be deceived, as they are true Christians, and yet as I sit there and talk to them, I know that they are already deceived, in that they have followed this man, whose teachings are so unscriptural as to be absurd in some cases. Given that he is a proven false prophet, they should never have listened to him to begin with. So the very thing they think is impossible, has in fact already happened. They are deceived. When I questioned one of the doctrines this man teaches and asked what they did with not only the verses that contradict it, but literally whole chapters that contradict it, I was told they had never studied this part of the Bible. See my point about knowledge? Had they had even a passing working knowledge of the Bible from start to finish, this man would never have infiltrated and changed their beliefs. Nobody, nobody, is beyond being deceived. The danger lies in believing that you cannot be. Am I scared for my friends in the days ahead? You had better believe it. They do not have what they need at their disposal, namely a working knowledge of the entire Bible, not just the New Testament gospels and epistles. The only recourse we have against this possibility is to 1) "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Tim. 2:15. Know what God's Word says. 2) be a Berean and check everything against Scripture (which requires having a working knowledge to begin with) Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." 3) do not trust others to do your research for you. They may not be trustworthy. Do not run to a commentary, or a teacher/pastor for answers. Do not be lazy. Your salvation depends upon you, not them. This may seem to contradict my writing this and you (for those who read this) reading my blog, but one thing that I always preach is to not take my word for it. Check it out yourself. Reading other's words is fine as long as you check what they say against the Scriptures. Sometimes it helps our own studies to get other's insights on the Scriptures, and access the knowledge they may have about history, geography, science, or any other number of things. This is all right provided you do not rely on anyone's word, including mine, without verifying things, and finally 4) pray, pray, pray for truth and to not be deceived.
Some people make the mistake of studying other things first and then coming to God's Word. The problem with this is that then God's Word is viewed through the lies of the other belief systems or the bias of the person's interpretation. Thus the truth becomes distorted. How does a bank clerk become adept at recognizing counterfeit money? Is it by handling counterfeit money? No. There are too many different ways of counterfeiting to do that. A person who learns to spot counterfeit money is never given that money to study at all. They are given real money and they must study every inch of it. In so doing, they recognize the real thing, so when something comes along that has something amiss, they spot it immediately. It is a much easier process to do it that way. One would miss a great deal the other way, as one would never be sure what is actually real and what is not, because the real thing was never studied. The same holds true for the Word of God. One needs to approach it with a blank slate. No commentaries, no trying to make it fit with so-called science (Everything can be reconciled between Scripture and true science. See answersingenesis.org to get any answers you might need for that.) There should be no trying to mesh different religious beliefs with it. The only book that is inspired by God and has the truth is the Bible. And that book has told us that there is no revelation beyond it, so any of these books (or people) that have "new revelations" that have come after the Bible are from false prophets. It should not be superseded by them.
I have digressed from Revelation, but the whole concept of Christians being deceived was a recent issue of concern for me, so I felt led to write on it as it seemed to suddenly be relevant to this verse.
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