Hey, everyone! In case you missed it, Giants: Legends and Lore of Goliaths, is the recipient of a Gold Medal in the 2016 Moonbeam Awards! Since I wasn't aware that it was even being submitted for consideration, this is a pretty amazing thing, and caught me completely off-guard. But I sort of feel the need to say something about it, lest I get distracted by what matters.
First, I didn't win the award, the book did, and the book was most definitely a collaborative effort. Bill Looney did the absolutely fantastic illustrations, which - in my opinion - make the book. But the editors over at Masterbooks also had to take my text, take Bill's illustrations, and work them into a coherent, visually-stunning, and interactive work of art. I only wrote the text, and, truthfully, an illustrated pop-up book without illustrations or pop-up elements is . . . boring. Really, really boring. So the book won, and it only did so because of the work of several other individuals. I've received lots of congratulations so far - and thank you for those - but please stop, as my part was very, very small.
Secondly, the whole point of writing the book was not to win an award, but to introduce people to the mind-blowing concept that the Bible is not simply a book of fairy tales that has no historical significance. Like Flood Legends before it, Giants is my way of pointing people to the Bible and reminding them that faith - true, Biblical faith - is never blind. We have a mighty God, an incredible God, a loving, beautiful, awesome God Who has revealed Himself throughout history as recorded in the pages of the Bible. So when I say the Bible can be trusted, what I'm really saying is that the God of the Bible can be trusted, and, indeed, demands our trust. He wants us to know Him on a deeply intimate level, and trusting Him is the only way to begin doing that. Now, this award will, hopefully, make the book more available to people who would not normally come across this sort of thing. That's my prayer, but the motivation remains the same: an avenue for sharing the Gospel.
I'm humbled and proud that Giants actually won an award and for the part I played in it, I'm excited to see what that does for the distribution of it, but at the end of the day, it's ultimately up to you, the readers, to make this thing work. You need to pass out the copies you own, you need to discuss these ideas with your friends and families, you need to open your Bibles with them, and you need to do what each and every believer is called to do: go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Besides, how cool is the topic of giants, anyway? It's a good door to go through, so let's go through it together.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Angkor Wat and the Khmer of Cambodia
Once there was an Indian prince who loved to walk through the countryside outside of the palace. One day, he met a beautiful princess. He became so enamored with her, that he married her.
On their wedding night, the princess said to the prince, "I am not of your race. I am a Naga spirit." Now the Naga spirits are serpent spirits who dwell in the water. They often take the form of humans, however, in order to interact with us. The prince, upon learning that his new bride was a Naga spirit, was not upset, because her human form was so beautiful.
Soon, he had even more reason to rejoice. The princess' father was so happy about the union that he created a new land for the two of them to rule. So the prince and princess became the first King and Queen of the Khmer people.
-From Cambodia
In the heart of Cambodia rises the imposing architectural marvel known as Angkor Wat. Its massive blocks - some of which weigh in at 3,300 pounds - have been the source of one of the great historical mysteries: how did such an ancient people move and manipulate more than 5 million of these blocks onto the site? Japanese archaeologist Estup Uchida, with the aid of satellite technology, believes he has discovered the secret.
He and his team believe that the ancient Khmer used a series of hundreds of man-made canals to ship the blocks over a distance of 22 miles. The previous theory had the Khmer shipping the blocks via river over a distance of 54 miles. By cutting the distance in half, Uchida now believes the temple's construction period - a time frame of approximately thirty years - is far more feasible.
You can read about the project in more detail at the Cambodian Information Center website, but, in the meantime, there is another component to this story that I want to look at, and that involves the Naga spirits. This is one of the most startling pieces of information, but it only emerges as important when we consider it in light of the other mythology:
1) That the Khmer peoples appear to have been experts at engineering and handling waterways, and
2) The Khmer people believed themselves to have been descended from the Naga, ancient Hindu water/serpent spirits.
Naga (or, more correctly, Naaga) spirits and the worship of them date back centuries, and seem to have been an integral and fundamental part of the formation of Hinduism (though, of course, Hinduism has so many forms and integrates so many other faiths that it is difficult to claim this with any certainty). What is interesting about the Cambodian version of the Naga, however, is that the Khmer who built Angkor Wat believed in seven different types - or "races" - of Nagas. Even today, if you were to visit Angkor Wat, you would see several statues of seven-headed cobras, each one meant to represent the Naga people who helped found that society.
Here's where things get interesting. Ancient Sumerian literature tells of a group of seven water spirits who came to shore and brought with them architecture, literature, engineering - civilization, in short. These "spirits" dressed in the garb of fish, complete with scales, a head and a tail. It is clear from the literature that they were not traditional mermen, but people dressed in costumes. It is interesting to note that seven water spirits, complete with scales, brought civilization to Sumeria.
Oh, but there's more. A Bolivian legend has it that the temple complex of Kalasasaya was built with the aid of a "fish man." Local statues at the temple portray him as a man with fish scales running down his body, and a belt decorated with several large crustaceans. In other words, he was an architect and engineer who dressed like a water creature.
And all of this parallels an ancient Indian (sub-continental India, not Native American) belief that civilization is restored after every calamity by a semi-divine group of beings known as the Seven Risis.
Interesting. . . .
So let's put this all together. In India, we have a belief that a group of seven learned men skilled in the arts of literature, math, and agriculture help rebuild civilization. In Cambodia, we have the belief that their kingdom was built by the Naga peoples, water spirits who excelled in engineering, the crowning achievement of that kingdom being a massive temple complex built with the aid of hundreds of canals. In Sumeria, we have the belief that seven fish-people, led by Oannes, brought civilzation to the ancient Sumerian kingdom. And in South America, the ancient kingdoms were built with the aid of fish-people.
Where does this leave us? I haven't the foggiest idea. It appears to leave us with the bizarre notion that there was an ancient race of engineers who dressed as aquatic beings and helped out mankind at its most dire hour.
Even I realize how ridiculous that sounds.
And yet the parallels - many of them found on the opposite side of the world from others - indicate something must be going on here. Add to these stories the fantastic tales of mermaids and mermen found almost all over the world, and I begin to suspect two possibilities. Let's start with the unlikely one.
The first, that mermaids and mermen actually exist. Despite what many people may argue on conspiracy theory websites, this does not appear to be the case, for several reasons. There has not been, to my knowledge, any credible physical evidence. Many fraudulent bodies, many cases of mistaken identity, but no actual remains. Secondly, biology prevents fish and people from producing offspring. It is genetically impossible for a human and a fish (or water snake) to produce offspring. While the universality of the "merpeople" myth does make one wonder, it shouldn't make us wonder for long: mermaids and mermen do not exist.
Which leaves us with my theory. What if they were an ancient culture, advanced in many ways? I'm not talking about aliens or some kind of mystic, Atlantis-like demigods, but a culture who, like the Egyptians, understood agriculture, language, and engineering. And what if this culture were a maritime culture, its people becoming experts in sailing, swimming, and fishing. They became so much so, in fact, that the ocean and its components became a matter of worship for them. And what if that worship developed so much that they began wearing, as means of worship, clothing and accessories that reflected their admiration for the sea?
We do this even today, putting on clothing depicting movie stars and singers. We buy magazines that give us intimate details of a movie star's life. Is it strange to think this could be a new phenomenon? Only, rather than worship Michael Jackson, they worshiped the ocean. Rather than put up Justin Bieber posters, they put on fish scales. After all, in both the Sumerian and Bolivian cultures, these are clearly people who dressed as water creatures.
Could they have gone out in groups of seven, exploring the oceans? Could they, in their explorations, have found less-developed cultures and, as a means of gesture and goodwill, assisted those cultures with their own knowledge? Think of it as benevolent imperialism. Rather than conquer the "lesser" people, they helped these people develop.
Maybe the Nagas weren't spirits, but people. Maybe they are the reason we have ancient civilizations. Maybe, rather than dismiss mermaid tales, we should be investigating them in light of these other legends. Maybe we should take the Cambodians seriously when they say that they are descended from the Naga, not because they owe their technology to spirit-snakes, but because they owe their civilization to a group of engineers who worshiped the ocean.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Indra and Vrtra
I will declare the mighty deeds of Indra, his foremost of
accomplishments, he who is the Thunder-wielder. He slaughtered the
dragon, then let loose the waters, carving and cleaving the pathways of
the mountain torrents. The dragon who lay on the mountain - it was he
whom Indra killed. Tvastr fashioned a bolt of thunder for Indra, and
Indra did slay the dragon. As the many cattle low with a deep thunder,
so did the waters of the rivers sound as they flowed to the ocean. With
his deadly thunderbolt, Indra slew the mighty dragon Vrtra, and broke
him into pieces. The waters of the torrents flowed over his body, and
the pieces of his body tumbled in the rivers. Vrtra in his greatness
did encompass the mountain, holding back the rivers, and these rivers
did now flow over the mighty Vrtra. Tumbling in the rivers did Vrtra's
body ever reach the ocean, O Indra who released the Seven Rivers.
Indra, you slew the great serpent who obstructed the rivers, and with their rushing, the rivers carved passages in the face of the land; the desert lands were flooded, and the mountains settled into their beds as men who settle to their suppers. Heaven and Earth trembled, all that moved and was immobile trembled, and Ahi - the serpent who was Vrtra - was torn into pieces by your thunderbolt. You are Indra, the great Dragon Slayer.
-From the Rig Veda
Indra, you slew the great serpent who obstructed the rivers, and with their rushing, the rivers carved passages in the face of the land; the desert lands were flooded, and the mountains settled into their beds as men who settle to their suppers. Heaven and Earth trembled, all that moved and was immobile trembled, and Ahi - the serpent who was Vrtra - was torn into pieces by your thunderbolt. You are Indra, the great Dragon Slayer.
-From the Rig Veda
Monday, October 10, 2016
It's the End of the World As We Know It: The Rapture, Part 2
In the last post, we discussed the idea that we can know, based on several Biblical signs, when the Rapture is approaching. Mind you, we cannot predict the date - not from here, at least - but I believe we can be reasonably assured that it isn't likely to happen today, because, as the Scriptures state, we will not be "caught up" and "gathered" until "the Man of Lawlessness . . . sets himself up as god," and, after that, there is a "last trumpet." Since the Beast has not been revealed, and there hasn't been a First Trumpet, we can reasonably assume that the Rapture is not at any moment. This goes against popular belief, but popular belief appears to be . . . wrong.
I stated earlier that I believe the Seventh Trumpet of Revelation may immediately follow the Rapture. After reading the Scriptures for quite some time on this, I believe this is the best and most Scriptural argument. Now, to be clear, the passage in Revelation that talks about the final Trumpet does not say this, and there are detractors who argue against this view. However, the main point I want to get to is that if we take the passages we looked at in the last post and read Revelation 10 and 11 in light of those, this seems like a reasonable assessment. So let's get to it.
When we last saw the Trumpets, the Sixth Trumpet had been sounded and a 200,000,000-spirit army had been unleashed on the world (Revelation 9:13-19). People are killed (9:15), people refuse to repent (19:20-21), but believers are spared (see 9:4). One thing we must keep in mind, however, is that this Trumpet was only the second of three woes. That means that the last Trumpet is called, specifically, a "woe." Remember that as we look at the last Trumpet in a few moments.
So the Sixth Trumpet has sounded, things have gotten really scary on earth for non-believers, then John sees something in Heaven (and on earth) that sort of breaks up the Trumpets:
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by Him who lives for ever and ever, Who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets."
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
What on earth is going on here? John eats a scroll, he's told not to write some things down, thunder is speaking, and an angel with legs like pillars of fire is straddling the earth and sea. This is pretty strange, but I want us to notice that we're seeing a vitally important announcement here, and that is that "in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets." Keep that in mind as we continue through Revelation.
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. . . .
Now when they have finished their testimony, the Beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on (11:1-5; 7-12).
We've previously looked at this passage, but now I want to put it in context of the rest of Revelation. John has heard the sixth and penultimate Trumpet, which brought about a large angelic/(possibly demonic) army. Then we see an interlude in which the Third Temple, part of which is "given to the Gentiles," is operational. In front of this temple, the Two Witnesses prophesy for 3 1/2 years, are murdered by The Beast, and then are resurrected. Here's where it gets interesting:
At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our
Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and
ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
"We give thanks to You, Lord God
Almighty,
the One Who is and Who was,
because You have taken Your great
power
and have begun to reign. . ." (Revelation 11:13-17).
So what do we see? The Witnesses (possibly the Jewish and Gentile Church) are executed, resurrect, and are raptured according to a loud command from heaven (11:12). There is a great earthquake in the city of Jerusalem, and only after this is the Second Woe finished. After that declaration, the Seventh Trumpet is blown, signaling the coming Wrath of God. Now, let's look once more at the passages closely associated with "the rapture," and see what they say.
Jesus, in Matthew 24, says, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (30-31).
In I Corinthians 15, Paul writes: "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (50-53).
Paul, furthermore, tells us that none of this will happen "until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).
And all of this brings us back to Revelation 11. What do we see in Revelation 11?
1) We see Two Witnesses who are called "the two olive trees" and "the two lampstands" (4),
2) We see God supernaturally protect these witnesses (5),
3) We see these men endowed with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (6),
4) We see the Beast from the Abyss conquer them (7),
5) We see them resurrect (11),
6) They are raptured with a loud shout (12),
7) This event is called a "woe" for the inhabitants of the earth (14; see also 8:13),
8) The Last Trumpet sounds (15).
We've already looked at the possibility that the Two Witnesses represent the Jewish and Gentile believers. We know that God protects Israel during this time (Revelation 7:1-8;12:6,14), we know that there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit prior to the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-32), we know that the Beast will eventually rise up and conquer the Church (13:7), we know that, at the time of the Rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first (I Thess. 4:16), the Rapture will occur with a loud command (I Thess. 4:16), this begins the period of God's Wrath on earth, something from which Jesus promised to spare the Church (Revelation 16; 3:10), and the Rapture occurs with the sound of "a" Final Trumpet (Matthew 24:31; I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:16-17).
Seems fairly clear, right? Furthermore, we have numerous signs to look for (Six Trumpets, to be exact), in order for us to be like the man who knows when the thief is coming. However, exactly when between the Sixth and Seventh Trumpets does this occur? We don't know. Therefore, we do not know the day or the hour, but, since we are not "in darkness," it is entirely possible for us to not be caught off guard (I Thess. 4:13 - 5:11). If the Rapture is completely and totally unpredictable, then it doesn't matter how many "signs" you look for, you'll be caught off guard - you can't watch for it. That's not deep theology, that's just common sense.
I'm going to state this as plainly as I can. If "The Rapture" can happen at any moment, at any time, when no one on earth can possibly expect it, and all we have are vague, quasi-signs about war and death (which happen and have happened continuously since . . . well, since man first died), then how on earth can the Church "watch" and "be ready"? How can we possibly not be in darkness, if this is all veiled and hidden from us? Jesus tells us to watch. He tells us to be like the guy who knew when the thief was coming. Paul tells us that the world will walk in darkness and be caught off guard, but we don't walk in darkness. And, listen, most importantly, we're not told that it could happen "at any moment," but, among other things, that the Man of Lawlessness must be revealed first. We know that there will be preceding trumpets. There are specific signs we can look to in order to know when this event is closer. Very specific - much more specific than "wars and rumors of wars." This, Paul says, is a great mystery, and the angel in Revelation 10 tells us that, prior to the Last Trumpet, "the mystery of God will be accomplished" (10:7).
Look, I acknowledge that a lot of this hinges on whether or not the two witnesses are symbols of the Church, and therefore I refuse to state that this take on the Rapture is the answer, the Truth, the absolute, Biblical stance and everyone else is wrong; I won't go there. There are reasons, for example, to believe that the Rapture will happen at the very end, when Jesus physically returns and sends the Beast into the Lake of Fire. But here's the deal: if we're teaching people that the Rapture could happen this second, then we're ignoring Scripture. If we're leading people into a false sense of security, that they can wait until they see the Rapture in order to be saved, then we're also ignoring Scripture (as we'll see when we look at the Bowls of God's Wrath).
Now, some would say that this view removes the urgency of the Gospel, because part of that urgency is to tell people that they don't want to be "left behind." In the timeline I am presenting, by the time the Rapture happens, the Beast has already set up his kingdom, he has already forced people to choose whether or not they will worship him, he has persecuted and overcome Christians, the Rapture happens, the Church is taken, and the only people left are those who have sworn allegiance to the Beast and the Dragon. There is, by the time the Rapture happens, no more witnessing. If you are left behind, you will not be saved, and once the Beast arrives, he will deceive many, many people through lies, counterfeit miracles, and the like, while fear will keep any remaining doubters in line. Folks, if you're not a believer when the Rapture happens, there is - I'm just reading the Scriptures on this one - a high likelihood that you won't ever be a believer. As a result, the sense of urgency for the Gospel goes nowhere. Rather, it amplifies. Popular Christian literature teaches that once the Rapture happens, you can just be saved then. Do you know what that does? It leads people into a false sense of security. If the lies of the Beast are so persuasive, however, that Jesus is concerned that He won't find any faith left on earth (Luke 18:8), then it sounds like if you're waiting to see the Rapture before you believe in Christ, it may be too late.
More than this, though, the Gospel does not revolve around the Rapture. The Gospel revolves around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether the Rapture is this year, next year, or a million years from now, we are all sinners in need of Jesus, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Any one of us can be taken from this world, because we don't know the span of our lives. So understand, if you're reading this and you don't believe Jesus is Lord, don't wait for the Rapture to make a decision, because you may not live long enough to see that. Don't decide to wait until The Beast shows up, because you may not live long enough to see that. As believers, our hope of forgiveness is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture. As non-believers, your hope is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture.
I stated earlier that I believe the Seventh Trumpet of Revelation may immediately follow the Rapture. After reading the Scriptures for quite some time on this, I believe this is the best and most Scriptural argument. Now, to be clear, the passage in Revelation that talks about the final Trumpet does not say this, and there are detractors who argue against this view. However, the main point I want to get to is that if we take the passages we looked at in the last post and read Revelation 10 and 11 in light of those, this seems like a reasonable assessment. So let's get to it.
When we last saw the Trumpets, the Sixth Trumpet had been sounded and a 200,000,000-spirit army had been unleashed on the world (Revelation 9:13-19). People are killed (9:15), people refuse to repent (19:20-21), but believers are spared (see 9:4). One thing we must keep in mind, however, is that this Trumpet was only the second of three woes. That means that the last Trumpet is called, specifically, a "woe." Remember that as we look at the last Trumpet in a few moments.
So the Sixth Trumpet has sounded, things have gotten really scary on earth for non-believers, then John sees something in Heaven (and on earth) that sort of breaks up the Trumpets:
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by Him who lives for ever and ever, Who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets."
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
What on earth is going on here? John eats a scroll, he's told not to write some things down, thunder is speaking, and an angel with legs like pillars of fire is straddling the earth and sea. This is pretty strange, but I want us to notice that we're seeing a vitally important announcement here, and that is that "in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets." Keep that in mind as we continue through Revelation.
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. . . .
Now when they have finished their testimony, the Beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on (11:1-5; 7-12).
We've previously looked at this passage, but now I want to put it in context of the rest of Revelation. John has heard the sixth and penultimate Trumpet, which brought about a large angelic/(possibly demonic) army. Then we see an interlude in which the Third Temple, part of which is "given to the Gentiles," is operational. In front of this temple, the Two Witnesses prophesy for 3 1/2 years, are murdered by The Beast, and then are resurrected. Here's where it gets interesting:
At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our
Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and
ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
"We give thanks to You, Lord God
Almighty,
the One Who is and Who was,
because You have taken Your great
power
and have begun to reign. . ." (Revelation 11:13-17).
So what do we see? The Witnesses (possibly the Jewish and Gentile Church) are executed, resurrect, and are raptured according to a loud command from heaven (11:12). There is a great earthquake in the city of Jerusalem, and only after this is the Second Woe finished. After that declaration, the Seventh Trumpet is blown, signaling the coming Wrath of God. Now, let's look once more at the passages closely associated with "the rapture," and see what they say.
Jesus, in Matthew 24, says, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (30-31).
In I Corinthians 15, Paul writes: "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (50-53).
Paul, furthermore, tells us that none of this will happen "until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).
And all of this brings us back to Revelation 11. What do we see in Revelation 11?
1) We see Two Witnesses who are called "the two olive trees" and "the two lampstands" (4),
2) We see God supernaturally protect these witnesses (5),
3) We see these men endowed with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (6),
4) We see the Beast from the Abyss conquer them (7),
5) We see them resurrect (11),
6) They are raptured with a loud shout (12),
7) This event is called a "woe" for the inhabitants of the earth (14; see also 8:13),
8) The Last Trumpet sounds (15).
We've already looked at the possibility that the Two Witnesses represent the Jewish and Gentile believers. We know that God protects Israel during this time (Revelation 7:1-8;12:6,14), we know that there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit prior to the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-32), we know that the Beast will eventually rise up and conquer the Church (13:7), we know that, at the time of the Rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first (I Thess. 4:16), the Rapture will occur with a loud command (I Thess. 4:16), this begins the period of God's Wrath on earth, something from which Jesus promised to spare the Church (Revelation 16; 3:10), and the Rapture occurs with the sound of "a" Final Trumpet (Matthew 24:31; I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:16-17).
Seems fairly clear, right? Furthermore, we have numerous signs to look for (Six Trumpets, to be exact), in order for us to be like the man who knows when the thief is coming. However, exactly when between the Sixth and Seventh Trumpets does this occur? We don't know. Therefore, we do not know the day or the hour, but, since we are not "in darkness," it is entirely possible for us to not be caught off guard (I Thess. 4:13 - 5:11). If the Rapture is completely and totally unpredictable, then it doesn't matter how many "signs" you look for, you'll be caught off guard - you can't watch for it. That's not deep theology, that's just common sense.
I'm going to state this as plainly as I can. If "The Rapture" can happen at any moment, at any time, when no one on earth can possibly expect it, and all we have are vague, quasi-signs about war and death (which happen and have happened continuously since . . . well, since man first died), then how on earth can the Church "watch" and "be ready"? How can we possibly not be in darkness, if this is all veiled and hidden from us? Jesus tells us to watch. He tells us to be like the guy who knew when the thief was coming. Paul tells us that the world will walk in darkness and be caught off guard, but we don't walk in darkness. And, listen, most importantly, we're not told that it could happen "at any moment," but, among other things, that the Man of Lawlessness must be revealed first. We know that there will be preceding trumpets. There are specific signs we can look to in order to know when this event is closer. Very specific - much more specific than "wars and rumors of wars." This, Paul says, is a great mystery, and the angel in Revelation 10 tells us that, prior to the Last Trumpet, "the mystery of God will be accomplished" (10:7).
Look, I acknowledge that a lot of this hinges on whether or not the two witnesses are symbols of the Church, and therefore I refuse to state that this take on the Rapture is the answer, the Truth, the absolute, Biblical stance and everyone else is wrong; I won't go there. There are reasons, for example, to believe that the Rapture will happen at the very end, when Jesus physically returns and sends the Beast into the Lake of Fire. But here's the deal: if we're teaching people that the Rapture could happen this second, then we're ignoring Scripture. If we're leading people into a false sense of security, that they can wait until they see the Rapture in order to be saved, then we're also ignoring Scripture (as we'll see when we look at the Bowls of God's Wrath).
Now, some would say that this view removes the urgency of the Gospel, because part of that urgency is to tell people that they don't want to be "left behind." In the timeline I am presenting, by the time the Rapture happens, the Beast has already set up his kingdom, he has already forced people to choose whether or not they will worship him, he has persecuted and overcome Christians, the Rapture happens, the Church is taken, and the only people left are those who have sworn allegiance to the Beast and the Dragon. There is, by the time the Rapture happens, no more witnessing. If you are left behind, you will not be saved, and once the Beast arrives, he will deceive many, many people through lies, counterfeit miracles, and the like, while fear will keep any remaining doubters in line. Folks, if you're not a believer when the Rapture happens, there is - I'm just reading the Scriptures on this one - a high likelihood that you won't ever be a believer. As a result, the sense of urgency for the Gospel goes nowhere. Rather, it amplifies. Popular Christian literature teaches that once the Rapture happens, you can just be saved then. Do you know what that does? It leads people into a false sense of security. If the lies of the Beast are so persuasive, however, that Jesus is concerned that He won't find any faith left on earth (Luke 18:8), then it sounds like if you're waiting to see the Rapture before you believe in Christ, it may be too late.
More than this, though, the Gospel does not revolve around the Rapture. The Gospel revolves around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether the Rapture is this year, next year, or a million years from now, we are all sinners in need of Jesus, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Any one of us can be taken from this world, because we don't know the span of our lives. So understand, if you're reading this and you don't believe Jesus is Lord, don't wait for the Rapture to make a decision, because you may not live long enough to see that. Don't decide to wait until The Beast shows up, because you may not live long enough to see that. As believers, our hope of forgiveness is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture. As non-believers, your hope is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Altering the Bible
One of the common arguments against the authority of the Scriptures is that it has been altered and changed over the years. Now, thanks to this text, we know, for certain, that at least the first chapters of Leviticus have remained consistent.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
It's The End of the World As We Know It: The Rapture, Pt. 1
Few things get theologians more riled up than asserting that The Rapture is going to happen at a time different than what they, themselves, may believe. I've seen people get vicious. Which is interesting, when you really think about it, because the Bible seems to give us a pretty clear picture of when the Rapture takes place. Now, I'm not talking about date-setting, because we don't know the exact hour or day - not from where we are right now (Matthew 24:36). Date-setting is heretical. But. . . .
. . . Jesus does tell us, numerous times, to watch and be ready. Watch what? If it's impossible to have any idea, whatsoever, when He's coming back, then why watch? And what, exactly, does watching and being ready actually mean?
Let's look at a few things that Jesus has to say about this:
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things [Matthew 24:1-31], you know that it is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:32-33).
What's His point? "Look, you know how to read the signs of the fig tree, so learn to read the signs of the world."
"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matthew 24:43-44).
There are two ways to interpret this. The first seems pretty straightforward: "the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." In other words, you don't know when He's coming, so be ready. But look at Jesus' "If" statement: If you knew about what time someone was going to break into your home, wouldn't you be ready for it? Therefore, Jesus says, be ready - be ready, just like the guy who knows when the thief is coming. Sounds an awful lot like we can have a general idea, doesn't it? But then He tacks on that weird clause: "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." As I said, I think most of us take that to mean: it could be any day. But when we take it in context of what Jesus has just finished saying ("watch for the signs, just like you watch the fig tree" and "be ready, just like the owner of the house who knows exactly when the thief is coming"), then Jesus may not be saying, "It could be any day, maybe in the next five seconds." What He might be saying is that lots of people are going to give you lots of opinions, but check them to make sure they are Scriptural, because there will be enough in the Scriptures for you to know when the time will be - again, not necessarily the day or hour, but a general concept of what to look for.
Let's reiterate, this is not date-setting. Take a few months and read through the Bible, and you'll find that, not once, does God give us a date. Never. Not once. If you see someone tell you that the Rapture will happen by, say, the 3rd of October, 2017, run from them. Flee their teaching: it's wrong. God does not give us a specific date. He does, however, give us a whole lot of stuff to look for, and some of it is pretty specific, specific enough that we can, if we are familiar with the Scriptures, say, "Yep, the time is getting nearer." I can look, for example, and see our world moving ever-closer to a one-world economy. The U.S. economy can't keep going the way it is - collapse is inevitable. Parts of Europe and Asia are experiencing collapse in several markets - and our economies are so closely linked that, should the American economy actually collapse, most of the world will follow. That seems, to me at least, to be a good time to implement a one-world economy, like we see in Revelation 13:16-17; when the Old Order collapses, usher in the New Order.
The world - even as the Gospel is spreading throughout the planet - is growing ever-more intolerant of Christianity. In places like China, which has always persecuted the underground Church, persecution is stepping up. We've watched, for a couple of years now, as ISIS has gone after Middle Eastern Christians. In America, laws are being passed that are making it illegal to hold certain viewpoints as a Christian - our religious freedom is being systematically removed. We're certainly not being executed, so I'm not comparing our plight with believers in the Middle East, but what we're seeing here is a precursor to that. Even now, in light of the recent shooting in Orlando, we see people blaming Christians for the act of a Muslim; this is the quintessential definition of "scapegoat." So when we read that The Beast from the Abyss wages war against, and conquers, Christians [Revelation 13:7], I can see our globe moving ever-closer to that scenario.
But these are all theoretical, and things could certainly turn around, so let's move on to something more tangible and Biblical. Now, I'm about to wade into some potentially dangerous waters, so please hear out what I have to say, and then I will give some rationale for this: true, Jesus did not know when He was returning while He was here on earth - He said it Himself. But that doesn't mean that He's still ignorant of it. If, after His Ascension, after He received His glorified body, after He was given authority of Heaven and Earth, He still does not know when He's returning, then does He really have all authority?
Now, the reason I call this dangerous is because it could lead to some of us thinking that the Bible cannot be trusted. Here's the potential argument: "Well, if Jesus didn't know about His return, but now He does, then He could have been wrong about other things." But here's the deal: Jesus wasn't wrong about His return when He said He didn't know the day or the hour, He simply didn't know - and He told us as much. This wasn't a mistake on His part, but an open honesty about His own human limitations, limitations that have no evidence, whatsoever, of spilling out into any other area of His teaching. Remember, Jesus taught with great authority, but He could also only say what the Father told Him to say (John 8:28). This isn't an issue of Jesus being wrong, just an issue of Jesus - as a man - having limited divine knowledge. Therefore, the question remains: is He still ignorant?
I would venture to say, no, because He revealed much to the Apostles in the years between His Ascension and the exile of John. But let's be clear, even with all that the Apostles reveal - through Christ - in the Scriptures, they still never give an exact hour or day. Even with added revelation, Jesus is not contradicted. Now, I know that some of you who read this are still going to balk and say, "But Jesus said we can't know the day or hour! Plus, the Apostles all thought Jesus was coming back in their lifetime!"
Yes, they appeared to, that's true. But the Apostles didn't have the Book of Revelation. Peter, Paul, James - they all died before John received the Apocalypse (which is Greek for "Revelation," not "End of the World in a Fiery Cataclysm that Destroys All Life on Earth," which is how modern American film culture defines it). It would make sense, therefore, that we would take all of the information that they give us in their letters, look at that in light of what Jesus says in the Gospels, and filter all of that through the Book of Revelation. And when we do that, Jesus' admonition to watch the signs becomes way, way easier, and involves very little guesswork.
Now, some of you may still be saying, "We can't know, because Jesus said so! Besides, eschatology doesn't matter; only the Gospel matters!"
I've actually heard these arguments, which is why I bring them up. First of all, we do have to be careful not to follow every theory and every conspiracy claim out there, looking for far-reaching "examples" of The End in order to "prove" everyone wrong. I agree with that, and I agree with the fact that we don't need to scour Youtube for "proof" that the Rapture is about to happen. Eschatology should always be filtered and presented in light of the fact that Jesus can be trusted, that He is God, that He died for the sins of the world, rose again, and will return. But to claim that eschatology doesn't matter is to claim that sections of the Bible don't matter, and if that were true, God wouldn't have revealed it. Since God did reveal it, and since Jesus admonished us to study the signs, then it's probably something we should take seriously.
But there's a deeper issue with the above argument, the argument that appeals to one single verse, while denying the importance of a good deal of the New Testament: if you approach this area of Scripture in this manner, how do you approach other areas? If you deny the importance of key elements of the Scriptures, how do you know you have key elements of the Gospel correct? My guess is, you may not.
"Well, all I know is that Jesus is returning, and that's good enough!"
Yeah, so did the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, yet they were shut out from the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13). So what do we do? How do we study this topic without getting sucked into debates and far-flung theories and foolishness?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we study the Scriptures. We learn what they say, we learn what they don't, and we recognize Paul's advice in Romans 14:1, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." And while many people would claim that the Rapture is a disputable matter, the Scriptures do give us quite a few signs. So let's look at those, and then we'll see how it applies to the Gospel in the here and now.
The actual spelled-out doctrine of the Rapture is non-existent; we need to be clear. There is no passage in the Bible that lays out, detail for detail, every single aspect of this event (there is nothing, for example, that says that we will all disappear, naked, leaving a pile of clothes behind). Nonetheless, there is a large number of passages that addresses the concept (sort of like "the Trinity"), and Jesus Himself starts it off in Matthew 24:30-33; 36-41:
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. . . .
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the Flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the Flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
Now, this sounds a lot like Jesus will "take" believers at the sign of His physical return in Revelation 19:11-16. It really does. And I'll admit, that may be the case. But I want to temporarily call attention to only one factor here (we'll return to the rest in the next post!), and that is that His angels will "gather the elect . . . with a loud trumpet call." This sentiment is echoed in I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11:
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Okay, two things. Firstly, notice Paul reiterates this idea of the "trumpet call of God" with the Rapture: "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (4:16-17). Jesus is going to command something, "the archangel" is going to shout, there will be a trumpet call, and believers will "meet the Lord in the air."
Clear? Absolutely. But notice something else, Paul uses Jesus' term "thief in the night." Most of us, especially those raised on A Thief in the Night, have always believed that "thief in the night" refers to how the entire world, including Christians, will view the Rapture. But Paul says something in this passage that many of us have long-overlooked: "We know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night . . . but you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief" (5:2,4). What's Paul saying? If you're a believer, you shouldn't be caught off-guard by it - you'll know when it's coming.
Now, let's look at one more word from Paul. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he writes:
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality (15:50-53).
Paul's point here is fairly obvious, and that is that, since our sinful flesh cannot enter the kingdom of God, then, by the grace of Jesus (see 15:57), our bodies will be changed into our new, glorified bodies, in the same way that Jesus, after His resurrection, had a glorified body. The second point here is that Paul tells us that the recurring trumpet motif is not just a random trumpet, but is the "last trumpet" in an uncounted series of trumpets. Perhaps there will be two, maybe fifty - he doesn't say. Only that, it is "the last trumpet," and for there to be a "last," there must be a first.
Have we heard any Divine trumpets? Not yet. Since, therefore, there hasn't been a first yet, there can't be a last. But there is one more sign to look for, and we find this in II Thessalonians 2:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come (1-2).
In other words, the church at Thessalonica was worried that they had missed "being gathered to Him."
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (3-4).
Do we see this? Do we see, now, why we cannot claim the Rapture to be "at any moment"? Because Paul himself, who claimed to have visions of heaven (II Corinthians 12:1-7), tells us that "The Rebellion" (not "a rebellion," which happens all the time), and "The Man of Lawlessness" (again, not "a man of lawlessness," of which there are countless), must happen before we are "gathered to Him." In other words, believers will not be taken by God until after the Beast has risen, and after he has set himself up as god. Listen carefully: God does not promise to save us from the Tribulation and persecution of the saints, but He does promise to save us from the coming wrath.
But wait, aren't they the same thing?
In certain novels and movies, yes, but in the Bible, they are different. The difference is subtle, but clear: God brings judgments onto the earth during the persecution of His Church, under the Satanic rule of The Man of Lawlessness, in order to demonstrate His power and His Sovereignty over His people, in an effort to bring about a great harvest of believers before the Last Days. But once His church is removed, He pours out His wrath on the earth, and on the Kingdom of the Antichrist. We'll explore those ideas more in following posts.
. . . Jesus does tell us, numerous times, to watch and be ready. Watch what? If it's impossible to have any idea, whatsoever, when He's coming back, then why watch? And what, exactly, does watching and being ready actually mean?
Let's look at a few things that Jesus has to say about this:
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things [Matthew 24:1-31], you know that it is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:32-33).
What's His point? "Look, you know how to read the signs of the fig tree, so learn to read the signs of the world."
"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matthew 24:43-44).
There are two ways to interpret this. The first seems pretty straightforward: "the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." In other words, you don't know when He's coming, so be ready. But look at Jesus' "If" statement: If you knew about what time someone was going to break into your home, wouldn't you be ready for it? Therefore, Jesus says, be ready - be ready, just like the guy who knows when the thief is coming. Sounds an awful lot like we can have a general idea, doesn't it? But then He tacks on that weird clause: "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." As I said, I think most of us take that to mean: it could be any day. But when we take it in context of what Jesus has just finished saying ("watch for the signs, just like you watch the fig tree" and "be ready, just like the owner of the house who knows exactly when the thief is coming"), then Jesus may not be saying, "It could be any day, maybe in the next five seconds." What He might be saying is that lots of people are going to give you lots of opinions, but check them to make sure they are Scriptural, because there will be enough in the Scriptures for you to know when the time will be - again, not necessarily the day or hour, but a general concept of what to look for.
Let's reiterate, this is not date-setting. Take a few months and read through the Bible, and you'll find that, not once, does God give us a date. Never. Not once. If you see someone tell you that the Rapture will happen by, say, the 3rd of October, 2017, run from them. Flee their teaching: it's wrong. God does not give us a specific date. He does, however, give us a whole lot of stuff to look for, and some of it is pretty specific, specific enough that we can, if we are familiar with the Scriptures, say, "Yep, the time is getting nearer." I can look, for example, and see our world moving ever-closer to a one-world economy. The U.S. economy can't keep going the way it is - collapse is inevitable. Parts of Europe and Asia are experiencing collapse in several markets - and our economies are so closely linked that, should the American economy actually collapse, most of the world will follow. That seems, to me at least, to be a good time to implement a one-world economy, like we see in Revelation 13:16-17; when the Old Order collapses, usher in the New Order.
The world - even as the Gospel is spreading throughout the planet - is growing ever-more intolerant of Christianity. In places like China, which has always persecuted the underground Church, persecution is stepping up. We've watched, for a couple of years now, as ISIS has gone after Middle Eastern Christians. In America, laws are being passed that are making it illegal to hold certain viewpoints as a Christian - our religious freedom is being systematically removed. We're certainly not being executed, so I'm not comparing our plight with believers in the Middle East, but what we're seeing here is a precursor to that. Even now, in light of the recent shooting in Orlando, we see people blaming Christians for the act of a Muslim; this is the quintessential definition of "scapegoat." So when we read that The Beast from the Abyss wages war against, and conquers, Christians [Revelation 13:7], I can see our globe moving ever-closer to that scenario.
But these are all theoretical, and things could certainly turn around, so let's move on to something more tangible and Biblical. Now, I'm about to wade into some potentially dangerous waters, so please hear out what I have to say, and then I will give some rationale for this: true, Jesus did not know when He was returning while He was here on earth - He said it Himself. But that doesn't mean that He's still ignorant of it. If, after His Ascension, after He received His glorified body, after He was given authority of Heaven and Earth, He still does not know when He's returning, then does He really have all authority?
Now, the reason I call this dangerous is because it could lead to some of us thinking that the Bible cannot be trusted. Here's the potential argument: "Well, if Jesus didn't know about His return, but now He does, then He could have been wrong about other things." But here's the deal: Jesus wasn't wrong about His return when He said He didn't know the day or the hour, He simply didn't know - and He told us as much. This wasn't a mistake on His part, but an open honesty about His own human limitations, limitations that have no evidence, whatsoever, of spilling out into any other area of His teaching. Remember, Jesus taught with great authority, but He could also only say what the Father told Him to say (John 8:28). This isn't an issue of Jesus being wrong, just an issue of Jesus - as a man - having limited divine knowledge. Therefore, the question remains: is He still ignorant?
I would venture to say, no, because He revealed much to the Apostles in the years between His Ascension and the exile of John. But let's be clear, even with all that the Apostles reveal - through Christ - in the Scriptures, they still never give an exact hour or day. Even with added revelation, Jesus is not contradicted. Now, I know that some of you who read this are still going to balk and say, "But Jesus said we can't know the day or hour! Plus, the Apostles all thought Jesus was coming back in their lifetime!"
Yes, they appeared to, that's true. But the Apostles didn't have the Book of Revelation. Peter, Paul, James - they all died before John received the Apocalypse (which is Greek for "Revelation," not "End of the World in a Fiery Cataclysm that Destroys All Life on Earth," which is how modern American film culture defines it). It would make sense, therefore, that we would take all of the information that they give us in their letters, look at that in light of what Jesus says in the Gospels, and filter all of that through the Book of Revelation. And when we do that, Jesus' admonition to watch the signs becomes way, way easier, and involves very little guesswork.
Now, some of you may still be saying, "We can't know, because Jesus said so! Besides, eschatology doesn't matter; only the Gospel matters!"
I've actually heard these arguments, which is why I bring them up. First of all, we do have to be careful not to follow every theory and every conspiracy claim out there, looking for far-reaching "examples" of The End in order to "prove" everyone wrong. I agree with that, and I agree with the fact that we don't need to scour Youtube for "proof" that the Rapture is about to happen. Eschatology should always be filtered and presented in light of the fact that Jesus can be trusted, that He is God, that He died for the sins of the world, rose again, and will return. But to claim that eschatology doesn't matter is to claim that sections of the Bible don't matter, and if that were true, God wouldn't have revealed it. Since God did reveal it, and since Jesus admonished us to study the signs, then it's probably something we should take seriously.
But there's a deeper issue with the above argument, the argument that appeals to one single verse, while denying the importance of a good deal of the New Testament: if you approach this area of Scripture in this manner, how do you approach other areas? If you deny the importance of key elements of the Scriptures, how do you know you have key elements of the Gospel correct? My guess is, you may not.
"Well, all I know is that Jesus is returning, and that's good enough!"
Yeah, so did the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, yet they were shut out from the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13). So what do we do? How do we study this topic without getting sucked into debates and far-flung theories and foolishness?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we study the Scriptures. We learn what they say, we learn what they don't, and we recognize Paul's advice in Romans 14:1, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." And while many people would claim that the Rapture is a disputable matter, the Scriptures do give us quite a few signs. So let's look at those, and then we'll see how it applies to the Gospel in the here and now.
The actual spelled-out doctrine of the Rapture is non-existent; we need to be clear. There is no passage in the Bible that lays out, detail for detail, every single aspect of this event (there is nothing, for example, that says that we will all disappear, naked, leaving a pile of clothes behind). Nonetheless, there is a large number of passages that addresses the concept (sort of like "the Trinity"), and Jesus Himself starts it off in Matthew 24:30-33; 36-41:
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. . . .
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the Flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the Flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
Now, this sounds a lot like Jesus will "take" believers at the sign of His physical return in Revelation 19:11-16. It really does. And I'll admit, that may be the case. But I want to temporarily call attention to only one factor here (we'll return to the rest in the next post!), and that is that His angels will "gather the elect . . . with a loud trumpet call." This sentiment is echoed in I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11:
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Okay, two things. Firstly, notice Paul reiterates this idea of the "trumpet call of God" with the Rapture: "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (4:16-17). Jesus is going to command something, "the archangel" is going to shout, there will be a trumpet call, and believers will "meet the Lord in the air."
Clear? Absolutely. But notice something else, Paul uses Jesus' term "thief in the night." Most of us, especially those raised on A Thief in the Night, have always believed that "thief in the night" refers to how the entire world, including Christians, will view the Rapture. But Paul says something in this passage that many of us have long-overlooked: "We know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night . . . but you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief" (5:2,4). What's Paul saying? If you're a believer, you shouldn't be caught off-guard by it - you'll know when it's coming.
Now, let's look at one more word from Paul. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he writes:
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality (15:50-53).
Paul's point here is fairly obvious, and that is that, since our sinful flesh cannot enter the kingdom of God, then, by the grace of Jesus (see 15:57), our bodies will be changed into our new, glorified bodies, in the same way that Jesus, after His resurrection, had a glorified body. The second point here is that Paul tells us that the recurring trumpet motif is not just a random trumpet, but is the "last trumpet" in an uncounted series of trumpets. Perhaps there will be two, maybe fifty - he doesn't say. Only that, it is "the last trumpet," and for there to be a "last," there must be a first.
Have we heard any Divine trumpets? Not yet. Since, therefore, there hasn't been a first yet, there can't be a last. But there is one more sign to look for, and we find this in II Thessalonians 2:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come (1-2).
In other words, the church at Thessalonica was worried that they had missed "being gathered to Him."
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (3-4).
Do we see this? Do we see, now, why we cannot claim the Rapture to be "at any moment"? Because Paul himself, who claimed to have visions of heaven (II Corinthians 12:1-7), tells us that "The Rebellion" (not "a rebellion," which happens all the time), and "The Man of Lawlessness" (again, not "a man of lawlessness," of which there are countless), must happen before we are "gathered to Him." In other words, believers will not be taken by God until after the Beast has risen, and after he has set himself up as god. Listen carefully: God does not promise to save us from the Tribulation and persecution of the saints, but He does promise to save us from the coming wrath.
But wait, aren't they the same thing?
In certain novels and movies, yes, but in the Bible, they are different. The difference is subtle, but clear: God brings judgments onto the earth during the persecution of His Church, under the Satanic rule of The Man of Lawlessness, in order to demonstrate His power and His Sovereignty over His people, in an effort to bring about a great harvest of believers before the Last Days. But once His church is removed, He pours out His wrath on the earth, and on the Kingdom of the Antichrist. We'll explore those ideas more in following posts.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Flood of the Earth (The Rotti version)
Once, the sea-god became angry with mankind and decided to flood the
whole earth. In fact, the entire earth was destroyed, except for the
peak of one mountain. A man and his sister, along with several animals,
escaped to the high mountain, and there survived. However, there was
nowhere to go. So they asked the sea-god to bring the waters back
down. The sea-god answered them: "I will bring the waters back down,
but only if you can throw me a creature whose hairs I cannot number."
So the man and his wife threw a pig into the waves, but the sea-god could number the hairs of the pig. So they then threw in a goat, but the sea-god could count those, too. They then threw in a dog, and then a hen, but the sea-god counted both of them. Finally, they threw in a cat, and this was more than the sea-god could take. So he agreed that the waters would be returned to their place. After that, an osprey flew over the mountain, sprinkling dirt on the water. The dirt became dry land, and the man and his sister were able to descend the mountain.
- From the Rotti of Timor, Found in Flood Legends: Global Clues of a Common Event
So the man and his wife threw a pig into the waves, but the sea-god could number the hairs of the pig. So they then threw in a goat, but the sea-god could count those, too. They then threw in a dog, and then a hen, but the sea-god counted both of them. Finally, they threw in a cat, and this was more than the sea-god could take. So he agreed that the waters would be returned to their place. After that, an osprey flew over the mountain, sprinkling dirt on the water. The dirt became dry land, and the man and his sister were able to descend the mountain.
- From the Rotti of Timor, Found in Flood Legends: Global Clues of a Common Event
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