Why Does God Harden Hearts?

My bible study teacher and former pastor posed a question one night as he taught from the Gospel of Mark. "Why do you suppose God would harden hearts so they could not hear the words of Jesus and be saved?" He was teaching in reference to these verses:

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' ”

Mark 4:10-12 NASB

I think he had some ideas but wanted to hear ours. I was stumped too. Sometimes you think you know everything till you try to tell someone else. I just sat and listened to other people answer, but I wanted God to speak to me. It took a few days but as usual He whispered to me in my sleep.

Jesus spoke these verses to those who followed him AND those he chose as apostles. To them he chose to reveal the mysteries of God. This was seed sown in good soil. Their open hearts would melt and dissolve the outer shell on the seed and allow the roots to begin to grow.

Not so with the bystanders and critics who came to hear him speak. To them, their hard hearts were like the hard stone road that could never cause the seed to open and take root. They would hear and mock, or record his words to be used against him. Or they would shrug and dismiss him as another crazy prophet from Galilee. Or they would consider his words and turn away because of other concerns and cares.

Isaiah 6:9 which he quoted, seems to say that God hardened their heart so they would not receive the word and repent. Knowing the mysteries of the kingdom cannot save a man's soul.

Paul said in I Corinthians 13 "though I know all mysteries and all knowledge...but do not have love, I am nothing." Understanding Jesus' parables would only make sinners into "righteous-looking sinners". The words used in Mark seem to say "lest they turn and escape judgment." This escape would be short-lived because though the mind may be changed the heart would not be.

It reminds me of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life in the garden of Eden. Man grasped for knowledge in hope of being like God, but it did not make him like God because in doing so he was in rebellion against God. Instead the knowledge made him puffed up, like in Romans 1 "they became futile in their speculation and their foolish heart was darkened." As their foolish heart was darkened, they could no longer see God or find his blessings of life.

So the proper way to approach God is to first leave our own lives behind and follow Jesus. Then he will give us a new heart, made of flesh and not of stone. The same sunlight that hardens clay can melt ice; it is our composition that determines our disposition. It's not that God does not want all men to be saved, but that he requires us first to make a decision to follow Jesus and receive a new heart, before the life-giving word can be sown and grown there.

I have seen Jesus pass by my place many times in life. Many times I welcomed him and listened to his teaching, even worshiping him with tears. Lately those tears have been nourishing the seed of his word in my own heart. I want to follow him now, not as a passive observer, but as a sold-out disciple. My sincere prayer is to have the faith to leave everything behind and follow Jesus unconditionally, every morning of every day. I know that he is patient, but some mornings it seems like he has gone up the mountain to pray, and I'm still down here struggling with life.

Lord Jesus, let your word bear fruit in my life, and in those whose lives I touch!

The Right Hand of God

One morning recently, I was awakened with a small revelation about the nature of God. This is not the first time I have awakened with a revelation - that seems to be the time when God speaks to me most often.

In this awakening I realized that Jesus is the right hand of God. Not only does He sit at the right hand of God, He IS the right hand of God in a metaphorical sense. Suddenly I saw scriptures in this new light. Jesus is the powerful hand of God that reaches down into this world to save and defend us. Here are a few verses where you could substitute the name of Jesus for the right hand of God...

Exodus 15:6 (Jesus is majestic in power)

Psalm 118:15-16 (Jesus is the mighty warrior, lifted high and exalted)

Psalm 89:13 (Jesus is mighty and exalted)

Psalm 139:10 (Jesus is our guide through the darkness)

Psalm 98:1 (Jesus is victorious)

Psalm 17:7 (Jesus is our refuge)

Psalm 21:8 (Jesus is the scepter of God's righteous judgment)

Psalm 63:8 (Jesus is our help and support)

Psalm 48:10 (Jesus is full of righteousness)

Psalm 60:5 (Jesus is our savior)

Name Above All Names

The Hebrew name of God consists of four characters, “YOD”-“HEY”-“VAV”-“HEY”. You might have seen it spelled YHWH, the unpronounceable name.

Characters in the Hebrew language are as interesting as some of the real Hebrew characters in the Bible.  First, there are no vowels in the written language so sounds have to be added by annotations called “nikkud” or just added when the text is read based on knowing how each word should sound.  This makes it very difficult for a non-Hebrew speaking person to learn to speak Hebrew. Hebrew is not designed to be learned from a book, but rather from a teacher.

Aside from that challenge, in fact some characters in the Hebrew language can function as vowels or consonants depending on the word in which they are used. It happens that God’s name has two of these vowel/consonant characters, “VAV” and “HEY”. VAV can sound like a “V” when used at the beginning of a word, or like a “U” or “O” when used in the middle of a word. HEY can sound like an “H” or like “ha” when used at the beginning of a word, or like “ah” when used elsewhere. It can also be silent in some cases.

So now we get to the point – how to pronounce the name of God. Well, that’s even trickier because the ones who know won’t say, for fear of using the name of God in vain. And the ones who don’t know are all over the map. Jehovah and Yahweh are two commonly used pronunciations. There is also evidence that Yahu’ah could be the correct pronunciation. The translators of the Bible just avoid the whole issue by translating it “LORD” in all upper case.

One night I was thinking about the name of God and had this inspiring thought. If I were to attempt to say “Yahu’ah” around a Jewish priest he would probably say “shhhh!” Ya-shhh-hu’ah! That’s the Hebrew name for Jesus.

Yes, that is the name of my LORD! Lord you and the Father are one, Yeshua, yes you are!

Now why is God reluctant to be called by name? A name is used to distinguish one from another. In the case of God, there is only one and thus no need to identify Him. However, His name is also powerful, and at the sound of His name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. This goes back to holiness; we are not allowed to regard Him as one among many.

Speaking of Yeshua, what did he call God? Simply “Abba” or “Father”. That is really special; you only have one father and using that name identifies the love, respect and uniqueness that is due His name. I’m so thankful that He is willing to be called Father; that means that He is willing to call me son!

The Math of God

I got a link to this website the other day and browsed through some of their "De-motivation" posters (which I must confess are mostly hilarious).

 

This one caught my eye because it relates to a mathematical concept I've been meaning to write about.

Really, this picture saved me about a thousand words because it pretty much says it all.  Here's my mathematical version.

In English, it's "any number divided by infinity equals zero".  For example, take the numbers in that picture - seventy-four divided by maybe 200 million years.  That would be 0.00000037. That's a pretty small ratio. It simply illustrates how small our time on earth is relative to geologic time. If you want even smaller numbers compare your one little life to the number of people on earth. That makes you or me about 0.00000000166 percent of the world's population. It's pretty daunting to try to stand out in that crowd! The people at Despair.com would probably say "don't bother."

If you want to consider even more astronomical numbers, consider that God was around for eternity before the universe was created (maybe 13.7 billion years ago or so). Consider that the universe itself, which would take at least 13.7 billion years to cross at light speed, is a small thing to God in terms of both time and space.

You see, that equation I gave you means more than just how small our life is. It means that no matter how long and magnificent nor how short and small our physical life here on earth is, it's all the same in the end: ZERO.

Now before you give up in despair, let me point out something very important.

 



The God of the infinite has made an incredible offer to mortal man. He offers to come alongside us and to enter our hearts; to make us part of his infinite, timeless kingdom. His infinite presence in our heart makes us much greater than zero. (How much of him we allow in our heart really determines how great that number can be.)

There's just one thing preventing us from taking this fruit of eternal life - we have a massive debt to pay off. That debt is called "iniquity" in the Bible. It results from our selfish nature that causes each of us to pursue our own pleasure in defiance of God and at the expense of others. By allowing ourselves to be equal to God in determining the course of our lives (the original sin) we are accountable to an infinitely high standard (to be sinless), which no mortal man can satisfy.

When the original man and woman became sinful by nature, God removed our access to eternity, by withdrawing himself from our view and blocking the way to the tree of life. He did this for a simple but profound reason - a eternal sinner is infinitely evil and destructive. Satan and his dark angels are in this realm and must be bound and detained for eternity.

At the right time, God took a part of himself in the form of his son Jesus, and offered his life as the sufficient payment for our iniquity. His perfect sacrifice, being of infinite value, is greater than the sum total of all our debts before the high standard of the law.

Now if we receive this incredible gift from God, and allow Jesus to take his rightful place as our director in every aspect of our lives, we can enter into his eternal kingdom and eat the fruit of the tree of life. It is this infinite gift that gives us meaning in the vast eternity beyond space and time. Everything else that we see and treasure is - well - nothing really. As British missionary C. T. Studd once wrote:

Only one life, 'twill soon be past.

Only what's done for Christ will last.

The Curse on the Dragon

I was reading Psalm 140 one day recently.  It's one of those Psalms that don't get quoted a lot in church because it's a prayer for vengeance.

"As for the head of those who surround me,
     May the mischief of their lips cover them.
"May burning coals fall upon them;
      May they be cast into the fire,
      Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.
"May a slanderer not be established in the earth;
            May evil hunt the violent man speedily."
Psalm 140:9-11 NASB

Many of the Psalms have this mysterious double meaning, one as a prayer and one as a prophecy. In this Psalm David is praying for deliverance from his enemies who have surrounded him. This is the most obvious meaning when you are reading or reciting the Psalm.

But if you look closely you will see an underlying prophecy regarding the final fate of Satan and his followers. The "head" of those who surround David is also their "leader" or "chief". David in a prophetic sense is Christ and His kingdom.  The "head" of those who surround Christ is Satan.  The curse which is repeated every time this Psalm is recited is that Satan, the beast and the false prophet will be cast into a fiery pit from which they shall never arise.

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:7-10 NASB

There are two interesting men mentioned in verse 11. In Hebrew they are Ish-Lashon (man of the tongue) and Ish-Hamas (man of violence). These are most surely the false prophet and the beast of the Revelation in a prophetic sense. I also found it interesting that the word "Hamas" is used in the context of those surrounding the camp of David. I don't think it's a coincidence that Hamas means "zeal" in Arabic and "violence" in Hebrew.

Those who are on the wrong side in this cosmic battle constantly participate in this ancient curse.  An ever expanding chorus of martyrs in heaven join in this prayer. Choose this day whom you will serve...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord!

God is in Control

A few days ago I was reading something a friend liked on Facebook, which said that some who focus on prophecy are too negative and lead believers into fear and anxiety.

I lost a lot of sleep that night thinking seriously about this. I had never considered that what I post online about Biblical prophecy might cause some to stumble or fear, and I was deeply convicted. If you feel this way, please accept my humble apology and let me explain my motives.

First, I know there have been marketeers who prey on people's fears and superstitions to sell books and supplies for end-time preparation. Some may do this simply to feed their egos and enhance their power and influence over other believers. Some of these would fall into a category I've already blogged about, the wandering stars who have rushed headlong into "Balaam's Error".

I must confess that researching prophecy has been fulfilling to me because it's sort of like solving a puzzle, or finding that piece you were missing for so long. Little revelations keep me interested in studying more, and I think this is a good thing as long as it doesn't distract me from seeking the heart of God. But it's not the main thing.

After a lot of introspection I think I know why I am personally interested in this subject. I feel like the world we know in America is spinning out of control and lurching into some very troubled waters. This is currently disguised by a very unsustainable program of government borrowing and economic stimulus. In fact, I can't help believing that the end of the American era is at hand and without America the entire world is in for a very rude awakening. If I didn't believe in God I would be very troubled by these feelings of hopelessness for my homeland.

However, as a Christian I have a better home and a better hope in the eternal presence of God. When I read and write about end time prophecy I am reinforcing my confidence that indeed God has forewarned us about what is coming, and is giving us the hope and strength to thrive in the midst of a cataclysmic disaster.

What I know is this - that as hard as things may get in my lifetime, I am accepted and beloved by God and He will provide a way for me even in death to have eternal joy and hope. I am learning goals and strategies to reach the lost and leave a legacy of testimony to my Jewish brethren who have yet to accept Yeshua as their Messiah. I am learning how to put on the full armor of Christ so that I am prepared for spiritual warfare.

At the same time, I want to encourage those who see this to do the same.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
I Thessalonians 5:4-8 NASB

Remember that even though we may one day see hardship and persecution in our own land, God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

My goal is to encourage the fainthearted and help the weak, so please be patient with me. I will not allow the Holy Spirit in me to be quenched even if some may despise my prophesying. So hold fast to whatever I write that seems to be good and encouraging and cast away whatever appears to discourage you. After all, sometimes I miss the Lord or need to correct what I say in the spirit, even as I'm sure you do as well.

(I didn't intend to borrow so heavily from Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, but found myself on exactly the same wavelength!)

The Valley of Jehoshaphat

"I will gather all the nations

    And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

    Then I will enter into judgment with them there
    On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
    Whom they have scattered among the nations;
    And they have divided up My land.
"They have also cast lots for My people,
    Traded a boy for a harlot
    And sold a girl for wine that they may drink."
Joel 3:2-3 NASB

Joel prophesied that the LORD will execute vengeance on the nations in the last days. This would happen in the "Valley of Jehoshaphat". Another way to translate this is "Valley of God's Judgment" since Jehoshaphat means "God is Judge". This is no doubt in reference to the valley where God destroyed the nations who came against Judah, in response to their fasting and prayer and praise and worship.

It is from this chapter that John draws at least two quotations in the book of Revelation:

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
            Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
            The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.

The sun and moon grow dark
            And the stars lose their brightness.
Joel 3:13,15 NASB

These verses are clearly referring to the battle of the ages between the armies of the LORD and the armies of the nations. What have the nations done to merit this day of vengeance?

• Scattered His people among the nations - desolation of the church by persecution and corruption
• Divided up His land - confiscation of property and occupation of holy ground
• Cast lots for His people - slave trade
• Traded a boy for a harlot, sold a girl for wine - sex and drug trafficking

These atrocities happen around the world, but mostly outside America. My church has committed to fighting human trafficking and the sex trade. I must believe that as heinous as the persecution of the church has been throughout history, rampant sex trafficking of innocent children must surely fill the cup of God's wrath to overflowing.

We are working to stop the tide of human trafficking and sex slavery, and I have to believe from studying these verses about Jehoshaphat that we can:

• Recognize that we are powerless before this great multitude coming against us
• Stand before the LORD with our infants and wives and children
• Bow with our face to the ground and worship the LORD
• Rise up early and put our trust in the LORD our God
• Begin singing and praising God
• Stand and see the salvation of the LORD on our behalf 
• Take back the spoil, which are the poor desperate young people caught in these traps

We will surely overcome, but if not, surely this cup of reeling will one day overflow in the Valley of Jehoshaphat and bring the armies of the LORD to the final battle.

Guide to Apocalyptic Scriptures

After years of study, I put together this timeline that I have used to understand biblical prophecy related to the end times.  I have intentionally put aside the many teachings I have had on this subject and mainly used the Bible as my guideline, checking what I learn from the Bible and the Spirit against those teachings when necessary and fruitful.  I once again must thank the publishers of the Biblehub website for the enormous benefit of having so much information easily available online.

Click image to expand to readable size

I would just add a few notes.  One is my mapping of the "Great Tribulation" to the entire time period from the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 until the Day of the Lord at the final trumpet.  I did not set out to take such an unconventional view of this term (the "thlipsis megale" in Greek), however after cross-referencing the synoptic accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke, I came to the conclusion that the "Olivet Discourse" is mostly referring to the end of the Jewish kingdom and the desecration of the temple by the Roman Emperor. After all, this is what the disciples asked about (the destruction of the temple) and what they would be most concerned about in their lifetimes.  This drove me to review the prophecies of Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation and the cessation of the regular sacrifice which were fulfilled at that time and are not mentioned in Revelation.  The tribulation in my view, is great not only in intensity, but also in its breadth (worldwide) and duration over the centuries.  This trying of our souls involves not only endurance through persecution, but also endurance through false prophecy and the mocking wisdom of man.

Of course, Jesus also talks about His second coming after the great tribulation so we cannot take a "post millennial" viewpoint; the balance of scripture still indicates much to come before the great day of judgment.

If you study end time teachings over the years, you will discover that commonly accepted teachings come and go, and change greatly over time.  This is natural, because nobody really knows when the things yet to come will happen, or exactly how.  That part is up to God.  I may change my own view of some of these events, but I have tried diligently to respect the entire teaching of the Bible and only use the tools available to consolidate wisdom and knowledge from the Bible and present it here in a very broad summary.

I hope you enjoy using this for reference, and consider it prayerfully before commenting below!

Mercy and Atonement

Reading Psalm 136, you can't help but notice that every verse ends with "His steadfast love endures forever". (It would help if we also had the original tune to go along with this "praise chorus"!)

So being overly analytical I wanted to see what those words are in Hebrew.  Ki le'ovlam chasdow - Because of His eternal mercy.  The Hebrew word for "steadfast love" or "mercy" is chasdow or Chesed (start by snoring backwards, then add "hess-said").  Chesed is one of the core attributes of God.  It refers to how God treats those in need - to care for them and help them.  A Chesed organization in Israel would be called a charitable organization in America.

So I got curious if this word was used in the "mercy seat" of the Torah.  Not at all.  Actually I was surprised to see that the "mercy seat" is really mistranslated and would be more accurately translated "the covering" or "the atonement cover".  The Hebrew is "Hakkaporet" or simply "The Cover".  The root word "kopher" (KPR) in Hebrew has several meanings, most often translated "ransom" or the price one must pay to redeem a life from debtor's prison or slavery.  I think this must be where we get the usage of "covering a debt" in English.

OK, so step back for a moment and consider what the the Kopher is covering.  It's the lid on the ark of the covenant.  Inside the ark of the covenant is the Law of Moses, which is the law of sin and death.  We could go back one more step and note that "kopher" also means "pitch" or "bitumen" which was used to seal and protect another ark - Noah's ark.

So, why does the ark need a covering?  In Noah's case the ark needed to be sealed so it could float for a year without leaking or getting waterlogged.  The "kopher" kept the creatures inside the ark separate from the water outside the ark.  In that sense it stood between the redeemed and judgment.

In the case of the ark of the covenant, the cover was to stand between man and the law of sin and death. This is the concept of atonement.  Yom Kippur - the day of atonement - would ensure that the sins of the people were covered for another year.  Why is this translated "the mercy seat"?  "Seat" because the cover is seated on the top of the ark (an artifact of King James English I suppose).  "Mercy" because it is only by God's great mercy that we are not consumed by His wrath.  The law requires death as the penalty for sin, and all of us stand in need of His mercy to save us from the just sentence of death.


So now we come to what covers our sins as Christians.  It is the righteousness of Christ. Unlike the black tar used to cover the ark of Noah, the righteousness of Christ is a white linen garment, fine and clean.

Genesis 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Isaiah 61:10 For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness.

Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Revelation 19:18 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Yet there is something more than atonement available for followers of Christ.  Atonement is temporary, and our sins are covered by the blood of Christ while we are in the flesh, but we are also:

Redeemed (all our debts under the Law are paid by Christ's sacrifice),

Reconciled (brought back into the presence of God),

Saved (delivered from the power of sin and spared from the wrath of God),

Reborn (resurrected to a new life in Christ),

Justified (imputed with the righteousness of Christ),

Sanctified (purified from sin and re-formed into the image of Christ),

Anointed (filled with the Holy Spirit of God),

Appointed (sent into the world to make disciples of all men), and

Glorified (together with Christ) when our earthly bodies are exchanged for heavenly bodies in the world to come.

Now that I think about this list, I think I will memorize it for a time of thanksgiving and praise!

Buying the Land of Promise

'Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You...O great and mighty God...great in counsel and mighty in deed...'
Jeremiah 32:17 NASB

I guess if you've been around Christian music more than a few years you recognize that song. This was a prayer by Jeremiah as a profession of faith in God's coming restoration of His kingdom in Judea. It was said on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Babylon. You see, Jeremiah had just purchased some of the Benjamin tribal territory from his cousin Hanamel. He did this while the armies of Babylon camped outside the gates of Jerusalem ready to strike. And this testimony of faith was done in front of the king and the high priest in the royal palace.

The deed to the land would be sealed in an earthenware pot, in order to last a very long time. So long was the exile in Babylon that Jeremiah would not enjoy this new purchase in his lifetime. Of course the contract would be nullified when the government of Judea was overthrown, but the promise of God to return His people to the land of their forefathers was Jeremiah's assurance of things hoped for, and conviction of things not seen. He was one of those who were stoned, sawn in two, tempted, put to death with the sword; who went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy). Hebrews 11:1, 37-38 NASB

Jeremiah traded this little bit of silver for a piece of the land of promise. What a lesson for us. To trust God enough to trade our worldly pleasure here for an eternal treasure there! God, whose outstretched powerful right arm (Jesus) made heaven and earth, is worthy of our faith and our praise! Nothing is too difficult for Him, even to give us "what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him. I Corinthians 2:9 NASB

If you remember this song, remember Jeremiah and his purchase of heaven's promised land.

Holiness and the Sabbath

One of the things that I find difficult to reconcile between the Old Testament and the New Testament is the Sabbath.  This was one of the fundamental tenets of the Law; the Sabbath is to be a holy day unto the Lord.  The Sabbath rest is introduced in the very beginning of the Bible and it is one of the Ten Commandments.  I ran into this quandary again today when I was reading Isaiah 56.

Thus says the LORD,
            “Preserve justice and do righteousness,
            For My salvation is about to come
            And My righteousness to be revealed.
      “How blessed is the man who does this,
            And the son of man who takes hold of it;
            Who keeps from profaning the Sabbath,
            And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

This theme of not profaning the Sabbath is repeated three times in Isaiah 56, even  applying it to gentiles who come to the Lord.

“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
            To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD,
            To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the Sabbath
            And holds fast My covenant;
      Even those I will bring to My holy mountain
            And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
            Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
            For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

When I was a child in Houston, I remember the world around me seemed to stop on Sundays.  At that time (the 1960s) America was just getting started on its way to abandoning the Sabbath or "blue laws."  Today in America you couldn't tell much difference between Sunday and any other day of the week.  Most people still get weekends off from work (praise the Lord), but treat Sunday just like Saturday or any other day off from work.

So I had to stop and ask myself, how does this fundamental Old Testament law apply to Christians, or does it apply at all?  First, the Sabbath as counted by the original keepers of the Sabbath occurs on Saturday.  That immediately causes me concern about Sabbath legalism being applied to Sundays.

The apostles seemed to dismiss or even discourage observance of holy days, and even Christ seemed to intentionally violate Jewish traditions based on the Sabbath day, in order to challenge the religious establishment.

So, what can we learn from the principal of the Sabbath that applies to Christians?  Well, first the principal of rest on the seventh day is built into our genetics by our Creator.  This is a physical principal which we would do best to observe.

More importantly, just like our bodies need rest periodically, our spirits need refreshing periodically.  The Sabbath, like the tithe, is a principal which pre-dates and exists outside the Law of Moses.  Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So we should use the Sabbath rest for its purpose, to re-unite our spirits with the Spirit of God, and re-unite our souls with our brethren in the Lord.

Most critical though, the Sabbath is a demonstration of the holiness of God.  Profaning the Sabbath is really just making the Sabbath like any other day.  There is another similar commandment right before the Sabbath law.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."
Exodus 20:7 NASB

The first four commandments deal with the holiness of God.  There have been teachings in America that bring God down to our level, as a friend or a brother.  While it is true that God may present himself through Jesus as a fellow servant of God, we cannot presume to approach Him in that way.  The first words in the Lord's prayer lift up the holiness of God.

I came across this in my study of the prophets.

He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die, by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.
Ezekiel 43:7-8 NASB

It appears to me that the Jewish priests set up a room next to the holy place in the temple where they kept the remains of their kings.  This reminds me of some churches I saw in Europe where they had the bones of dead saints right there in the sanctuary mixed in with images of Jesus.  Certainly elevating saints to a level of worship is an abomination to God.

God may come down to our level, but we are not allowed to go up to His level or bring Him down to ours. If we make His throne in our lives just one of many, we profane His name.  God's throne must be supreme; He will not share His glory with any other.

"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images."
Isaiah 42:8 NASB

The early disciples called Sunday the "Lord's Day" and it was indeed a special day.  We need not re-introduce the Law of Moses to make Sunday our Sabbath.  Rather, I pray that I will remember to keep the Lord's day separate in some ways, to spend a little more time in prayer, to read a little more from His word, and maybe even write something honoring the Name of my Creator!

Seven Shofars and a Shout

In the last few days I learned something about shofars (trumpets made from ram's horns).  In the Bible they are used to lead people into battle.  Sometimes these are spiritual battles, as when the priests blew the shofars to gather the people for fasting and prayer.

In one particular battle, priests blew their shofars once a day for six days to warn the enemy of the coming judgment of God.  The city under siege was Jericho, and the commander of the invading army was Joshua.  On the seventh day, the army marched around Jericho seven times, then blew their shofars seven times, and then when the people shouted God brought down the walls of Jericho by the power of His word.

So it is in the end of time, that the blast of the angel's shofars will pronounce doom on the city of Babylon, which is the dominion of Satan.  Six times the shofars will sound the solemn warnings, and after the seventh blast, with the shout of a great multitude of believers and angels, the Lord will bring down the walls of Satan's kingdom by a great earthquake and by the power of His word.

Indeed, our entry into the eternal kingdom must be preceded by this great battle, in which the promised land is cleansed from all the powers of sin and darkness.  It was an inspiration to me to see this prototyped in the battle of Jericho, to demonstrate the power of God when His people enter the promised land.  Get ready to shout, people of God, and watch the gates of Hell come down!

The Four Seasons of Man

For way longer than I've been around, people have compared their lives to the seasons of the year.  I see parallels in Bible prophecy.

The Four Seasons of Life
Springtime brings new birth, fresh growth, and wonderful awe in the eyes of a young child who has nothing but hope and expectation for the future.  Springtime is bursting with innocence and trust; no doubt or fear is found here.

Summertime brings the fevered heat of adolescence and young adulthood.  Desperate searching for purpose, frantic pursuit of pleasure, and rebellion against authority accompany the lives of young people as they become adults.

Autumn brings a time of settling down; ambitions give way to wealth accumulation and retirement planning. The kids grow up and begin their own families; those in the autumn of their lives are left with an empty nest and silent hallways.  Some in this season of life are overcome by doubt and fear, and enter winter earlier than the rest.

As autumn ends the cold winter wind grows stronger. Our bodies begin to show the process of death that has been at work in us since the beginning of autumn. Winter white dusts whatever hair is left and we realize our own mortality. For those of us with eternal hope, new life grows within our hearts even as the body decays.

The Four Seasons of Man
The kingdom of man also has four seasons.

The first season of man is the age of authority. The people cry "Give us a king to rule over us!"  Peace is guaranteed by the king or the emperor.  One empire overtakes another until the domination of the final empire reaches to the ends of the earth.  Inevitably the worldwide empire becomes overstretched and grows weak from within.  Under worldwide imperial control, organization of a large opposing army is not possible. But discontented mobs and opportunistic gangs finally break through and plunder the lazy, overindulged empire.

In the second season mankind enters the dark ages. Chaos and war is the outgrowth that naturally follows in the wake of the washed-up empire.  In the post-imperial era, warring tribes eventually settle far enough apart or annihilate themselves until they live in isolated cloisters of well protected villages.  Enough of the centralized structure has been decimated to allow independent thinking.  Among those who are literate and have access to the word of God, some discover the concept of grace and liberty.

The third season of man could be called the Age of Reason.  It is characterized by regions that are liberated from the mental and spiritual bonds that remain from the empire, led by those that have found the light of salvation.  The light of salvation and liberty soon leads to increasing knowledge and scientific advancement. Without repression from the state or the church, mankind pushes the boundaries of knowledge to enrich themselves in ways only emperors could previously have known.  This continues until they reach that dreaded time when they declare themselves to be like God.

The fourth season of man begins when the dominion of wealth and knowledge suddenly collapses of its own weight. The tables have instantly turned and specialized intellectual and legal skills become worthless almost overnight.  It is this suddenness that prevents this season from reverting to a tribal warfare cycle. People simply aren't organized enough without the thin fabric of civilization to survive and organize.  Death and disease spread so rapidly that the entire social order is permanently destroyed.  Out of those ashes comes one who brings the final destruction.

Where Are We Now?
If you overlay the four horsemen of Revelation 6 on the four seasons above, you will see where I believe we stand.  The horseman on the white horse is like the springtime of mankind, the red horse like the fiery summer of chaos. The rider on the black horse is like the autumn of enlightenment and wealth, and the final riders like the winter of death.  We stand perilously close to the blasphemy that is the beginning of the end of time.  Is it inevitable that we become puffed up and reject God who has brought us this far, or do we gather together as a body of believers and pray God's mercy back into our fallen world? The end is prophesied, but the timing is not. It may still be possible that another great revival will delay God's wrath again.  Please join me as I pray for that outcome!

Balaam's Error

I have been wandering around the Bible lately studying prophecy.

[Actually I'm surfing around the Biblos Bible Hub web site, which I'm convinced is God's special gift to mankind for these last days.  When else in the history of mankind could a lay person like myself have the best concordances, multiple translations, commentaries, Greek and Hebrew text and dictionary references and more, all available for no charge, only a mouse click away?  History has not always been so kind to Christians seeking the truth.  Roman Catholics authorized by King Henry IV of England burned people at the stake for publishing or translating the Bible.  Thankfully, and owing a huge debt to those who laid down their lives for this privilege, there is a greater opportunity today than ever before for the body of Christ to "rightly divide the word of truth."]

A Canaanite in the House 

So, one verse caught my attention recently:

Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day.
Zechariah 14:21 NASB

That thing about the Canaanite no longer being in the house of the LORD just didn't quite click.  To be sure, God was totally opposed to the Canaanites from the day Ham walked in on Noah's hangover.  That's another whole topic.

However, Jesus didn't reject the Canaanites.  After all, the disciple Simon the Zealot was also called a Canaanite (Kananaios) in Matthew 10 and Mark 13.  In Matthew 15 a Canaanite woman had such great faith that Jesus healed her daughter.  So, why won't there be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD?

I had two thoughts (maybe equally valid and possibly both true).  First, is the antichrist a Canaanite?  This could be a prophecy about the day when the antichrist no longer stands in the temple and proclaims himself to be God.

The other thought is a bit deeper and less speculative.  The word for Canaanite here is also the Hebrew word for merchant or trader.  I suppose that because they settled on the Mediterranean coast, the Canaanites became traders and thus their name became synonymous with trade.  Some translations read more like "And there will no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day."

That sheds a whole new light on this verse (and illustrates why you need more than one translation of the Bible when you study deeply).  During the Millennial reign of Christ everything is holy, from the animals to the cooking pots to the people.  There won't be any demand for merchants to sell holy animals and vessels to the people like they were doing when Jesus cleansed the temple.  Merchandising in the temple of God was one thing that made Jesus very, very angry.  Which brings me back to my original topic.

Balaam's Error

But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude 1:11-13 NASB

Balaam was a merchant in the house of the Lord.  In other words, he offered his prophetic gifts for money.  Worse, he offered to help the enemies of the Lord and curse God's chosen people for money.  Of course, God wouldn't let him do that.  It didn't help Balaam much to be in direct communication with God because he also consulted demons.  Balaam is on Satan's all-star team because he thought he could profit from being a prophet.  In fact, he was blaspheming the Holy Spirit and bringing a curse on himself.

Notice the term "wandering stars" in the verses above.  The Greek is "asteres planetai".  Asteres is the Greek word for star, from which we get the word "asterisk".  The English word planet comes from the Greek word for "wandering".  Astronomers at the time couldn't figure out why planets didn't stay in the same constellations as the other stars, so they called them "wanderers."

The "error of Balaam" in Greek is "plane".  Basically it is the same Greek root, implying that the error of Balaam was to wander away from his gift and into error.  How many of those gifted by God have gone astray into using their gift for obscene financial rewards - and then because of the love of money have introduced error into their message to maintain or magnify their gains?  Like planets, we will drift slowly away into darkness if we are not under the control of the light of truth.

According to John in the book of Revelation, when Balaam could not pronounce a curse on Israel, he taught the Canaanite king Balak how to weaken Israel by enticing them into idolatry and fornication.

The love of money is indeed the root of all kinds of evil, but when the love of money is mixed in the temple of God, Balaam's error is born.  We must be particularly careful to avoid the many snares that are laid for us by those that follow the error of Balaam.

His Name is "Maher Shalal Hash Baz"

I'm reading Isaiah now.  I realized after an intense foray into eschatology (study of end-time prophecy) that having an increased understanding of prophecy is an open door for me to re-read the prophets and discern more of God's word.

 

As a matter of fact, I feel a desperate need to read and understand as quickly as possible because the time is short and there is much to do.

 

Today I was reading Isaiah 8: Then the LORD said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters: Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey.

 

Isaiah was so impressed by these words that they became the name of his next son - Maher Shalal Hash Baz.  (Talk about opening the door for witnessing!  Try naming your kid Maher Shalal Hash Baz and let me know how it works out.  I guess the poor boy would get a lot of chances to explain the prophecy right before he got beat up.)

 

I can imagine the prophet and prophetess telling people about their cute baby - "his name is swift the booty speedy the prey" - with their fiery prophet gaze.

 

Whoa where is this conversation headed? Well I'll tell you where.

 

"...for before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

(Isaiah 8:11-15 NASB)

 

One principle in the Bible is the testimony of two witnesses, which are required to pronounce judgement.  In this case the two witnesses are Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the prophet. The law and the prophet - this might sound familiar if you read my earlier post (Two Witnesses at the End of Days).  The wrath of God is immediately preceded by the testimony of two witnesses.

 

The testimony also serves as a sort of contract to prove that God is faithful and His judgments are true.  God's judgment is conditioned upon the people's response to the testimony.  Repentance will always turn away God's wrath.  This is why the LORD has delayed His final judgment on creation.  This is why the "apostacy must come first" - the people must become so hardened that repentance is impossible.  Notice the response in Isaiah 8:

They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness. (Isaiah 8:21-22 NASB)

 

This is a prophetic reference to the final judgment, as in Revelation 9:

 

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts. (Rev 9:21-22 NASB) 

 

Finally...

 

Satan has had plenty of antichrists ready for the final conflict, but God has always had a people who would repent and pray for God's mercy; thus the final wrath has been withheld even until now.  It is when God's people are finally "taken out of the way" then "...that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming." (II Thessalonians 2:7-8 NASB)

 

There may yet be time to delay God's wrath, but the answer won't come through politics or economic genius or military might.  It will come only

 

"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways" (II Chronicles 7:14 NASB).

 

Remember,

 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (II Peter 2:9 NASB)

The Final Apostasy

At church this morning our interim pastor followed one of his deep theological bunny trails into the book of Romans and landed on chapter 1, wherein Paul describes the process of falling from the grace of God.

I memorized about half the book of Romans about 40 years ago and if you ever memorized that much scripture you might know that I have recited the first chapter of Romans in my mind more than any other scriptures, just to keep those memorized verses from slipping into the dust bin of my distant memories.

At any rate, I was inspired to tie these verses starting with Romans 1:18 to scriptures I have been studying most recently in the second letter of Paul to the church in Thessalonica.  Specifically,

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

I wondered if the apostasy to which Paul referred here would look like the process he described in the first chapter of Romans.  When I got home I got this confirmation from research of the Greek text on the Bible Hub web site.

Apokalyptetai gar orge theo ap ouranou... (Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven...)

After studying prophecy so intensely, I am starting to recognize prophetic language I didn't see before.  The first word of this section of Romans is the same Greek word as the beginning of the book of Revelation (Apokalypsis).

So there are two ways of reading this section of Romans, one in a historical sense, in which the wrath of God revealed from heaven could be seen in the sun, a lake of fire hotter and larger than anything one could imagine on earth, perhaps like the one that awaits the devil and his followers.

The other is in a prophetic sense; Romans 1 describes the apostasy that is to come before the antichrist is revealed at the end of time.  OF COURSE, where else in the Bible is the wrath of God coming down from heaven to punish the ungodly?  I NEVER SAW THIS BEFORE!

We have refused to honor God or give thanks, we have become futile in our speculation, we have accepted a form of earth-worship in place of God, we have accepted and embraced unnatural sexual behavior and are plunging headlong into a state of societal depravity which can only be paralleled by Rome at its worst or by Sodom and Gomorrah.  As I recall both of those eras ended in flames.

When the times of the Gentiles come to full fruition, God will suspend His wrath one final time(Rev 7:3) to fulfill His promise to the descendants of Jacob.

Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:22)

The elect are those predestined for salvation from the tribes of Israel, who will finally see and embrace their Messiah:

...and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,
HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”
“THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”
(Romans 11:26-27)

I am excited to see these prophecies fulfilled, but as I said before, we Gentiles will be watching the final act from heaven.  Oh! What a glorious day!

Searching for the Lost Ark?

I think I found the lost Ark of the Covenant!  It's in Revelation 11:19:

And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

So the Ark of the Covenant is in the temple of God in heaven.  It figures.  When the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom, is it possible that God himself left the temple with the Ark in His hands?

It would be just like those faithless chief priests to keep it a secret for another 40 years:

"Hey you know that Ark thing?  Well, we sort-of lost it around the time we crucified that Troublemaker.  Maybe some looters took it during that earthquake, you know?  Anyway we figured you folks wouldn't miss it since only the chief priest sees it once a year.  It's really not that important anyway since you folks just come here to offer your sacrifices and give us some really nice steak and lamb chops."

I supposed the priests had another veil made, just to cover the empty room that used to be the Holy of Holies.  The symbolism of the Jews continuing their religion after the presence of God had departed is bitterly similar to a church "having a form of godliness but denying its power".

Last night I had this convicting thought - would I continue to live like a Christian on the outside when God had departed on the inside?  Sometimes it feels that way.  So I prayed this way:

Father, take me to your temple in heaven.  Burn your testimony into my heart and soul.  Fill me with your presence even as your temple is filled.  Let my life have the sweet smell of incense from your altar!  I don't want to live without your awe inspiring presence; fill me with your Holy Spirit once again!

In the name of Jesus, so let it be.

The Mark of the Beast and the Seal of the Living God

The Mark of the Beast introduced in Revelation 13 has always fascinated people who study apocalyptic prophecy.  Most discussions of this topic tend to focus on that number, that 666 thing you know.  Everybody seems to know that the number 666 is associated with evil, whether they study prophecy or have never even heard of the Bible.

The number 666 impressed on your hand or forehead could look a lot like the imprint of chains.  This is an awesome and disturbing thought, that the mark of the beast could be the imprisonment that he imposes on your thoughts (forehead) and actions (hand) when you are enslaved to sin.  Jesus said he who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34).  This has application to all times, not just the end times.  If that applies to you, Jesus Christ can break those chains and set you free.  I know because He did it for me!

What I would like to focus on in this post is the meaning and implications of a mark on the forehead and right hand.  Let me take you through a few verses that illustrate what these signs represent, starting with the seal of God.

The seal of the living God

And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." (Revelation 7:2-3)

The seal of the living God is used by the angels in Revelation to stamp God's name on the foreheads of believers.  As we shall see, this is not the first time this symbolism has been used to identify believers.  This is a reference to Old Testament laws and ancient customs.

Exodus 13:9
This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a sign of God's deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt, which is to be remembered each year and taught to the children.  The right hand represents power; Jesus is at the right hand of God to exercise His power over all creation.  As such Jesus was the mighty hand of God that delivered Israel out of bondage, and He is the mighty hand that can deliver us from the evil one today.

The sign on the hand is a reminder of God's power and deliverance; the sign on the forehead is the spoken expression of God's law that is in our minds and written on our hearts.

Exodus 28:36
You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.' ...and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

The seal that the high priest wore on his forehead symbolized his sanctification to the Lord and his priestly role as intercessor for the people.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might... You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

Deuteronomy 11:18
You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

The greatest commandment to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and all your soul is illustrated by His words on the forehead (love) and on the hand (service). The hypocritical Pharisees wore ornate phylacteries to outwardly demonstrate their righteousness, but they neglected to love God and impress His word on their hearts.

Revelation 22:3-4
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.

An ancient custom of slavery or servitude (including military service under some despotic rulers) was to brand slaves with the name of their master on the forehead and hand.  When we are redeemed from slavery to sin and become bond-servants of God, we are sealed with His righteousness and are labeled "Holy to the Lord".

 The Mark of the Beast

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)

Given the background of laws and customs, it should be easy to understand that the mark of the beast is a symbol of servitude which is demanded by the Anti-Christ in order to purchase or trade.  This mark signifies that its bearer has been completely dedicated to worship and serve the evil ruler of this world, who is the bodily vessel of Satan.

How terrible and sad it is that mankind will face this kind of choice one day.

Revelation 14:9-10
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

The act of receiving this mark will signify abandonment of God and commitment to Anti-Christ.  I don't believe that simply having an ID or number in a global system of identification will be the damning mark of the beast.  Whoever has the misfortune to be alive on earth when Anti-Christ comes into power will be fully aware that they are accepting him as their supreme master and deity before they receive the mark.

Notice that the mark is not unique to the individual, it is the name or number of the beast.  As such this mark would not be useful as an identifier, but rather to simply brand this person as the property of the beast.  There may come a day of world government and a global identification scheme may be part of that system, but when the Anti-Christ stands in the place of God, then you must refuse to worship him or take his mark on your body.

In a way, the mark is parallel to Christian baptism - it is the outward expression of an inner spiritual allegiance.  The worship and proclamation of the beast as God is what brings condemnation.

Encouragement

Notice one difference between the seal of God and the mark of the beast.  The seal of God is on the forehead only.  In the Old Testament law, we were commanded to bind the law as a sign on our hands.  The New Covenant with God is only on our foreheads (hearts).  Our hands are no longer bound by the Law of Sin and Death.  Slavery to sin and slavery to the law both bind your hands; only the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus sets you free.

We don't really have a choice to "opt-out" of a decision about whom we shall serve.  Before the bowls of God's wrath are poured on the kingdom of darkness, there will be only two choices - serving the Living God or bowing to that hideous seven-headed beast and suffering God's wrath.  The time is now to make that decision and prepare to be an overcomer in Christ.  Overcomers will be delivered from God's wrath and enjoy eternity with the One who truly loves us.

The Two Witnesses at the End of Days

(I have had a powerful writer's block for many months, so please forgive my silence.  I cannot write except under inspiration and have tried many times fruitlessly since my last post.  I have much more to say when that inspiration permits it.)

I've been studying Revelation with a group of men led by pastor and teacher Gene Smith.  Last week he taught from chapter 11 wherein the two witnesses prophesy from Jerusalem for 1260 days during the first half of the final seven years of judgement.

Gene indicated that most scholars regard these two witnesses to be the re-embodied Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament, or at least people who have the same power and ministry.

I did some of my own research (which I always do regardless of who is teaching) and reached the same conclusion!  Here's how I challenged the assertion and the possibilities I studied.

Enoch and Elijah

First, I noted that the two witnesses died.  The Bible says it is appointed unto man once to die, and then comes judgement.  There are only two people mentioned in the Bible who never died - Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (II Kings 2:11).  Many scholars believe these are the two witnesses at the end of days.  There is some logic here, because these two could return to life in the last days and actually be killed for the first time. Furthermore, although little is known about Enoch, Jude mentions Enoch as an end-time prophet:

It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Jude 1:14-15

There is little doubt that one of the two is Elijah, as Malachi prophesied and the Jews affirm (even to this day).  Even Jesus referenced John as Elijah's prototype to prepare the way for His first coming.

Moses and Elijah

As Pastor Gene pointed out to us:

Who had the power to shut off the sky so that rain will not fall?  Elijah. (James 5:17, Luke 4:25, I Kings 17:1)  How long did the two witnesses prophesy? (1260 days or three and a half years.)  That is exactly the same amount of time the rain did not fall during Elijah's prophesying.  Amazing!

Who had the power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague?  Moses. (Exodus chapters 7-10)

Who appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2)?  Moses and Elijah.

The two witnesses stand before the Lord continually.

What better two authorities could reach the Jewish people and turn their hearts to the living Messiah than Moses and Elijah?  These two represent the embodiment of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophet.

Malachi mentions both Moses and Elijah in his end-time prophecy:

“Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:4-6

There is just one minor problem with Moses as the second witness.  Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab (Deuteronomy 34:5).  So Moses doesn't exactly parallel Elijah as a person alive and standing before the Lord in heaven.  Today I resolved that conflict (in my own understanding at least.)  The little book of Jude sheds unique light on what happened to Moses after God buried his body.

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude 1:9

Deuteronomy 34 says the Lord buried him in the land of Moab, but his eye was not dim nor his vigor abated.  I think God might have just resurrected old Moses and took him to heaven alive.  Why?  If God didn't hide Moses' body the Jews might have worshiped his shrine.  If God took him to heaven in a chariot before their eyes they might surely have worshipped him as some sort of deity.  It makes sense that if God wanted to take him, He might have to do it rather discreetly.  So He sent Michael to go get his body and bring him up to heaven (I suspect).

Getting to the point

On balance I am convinced the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah, in the flesh. Can you imagine the power of these two mighty men of God after spending thousands of years in heaven before the throne of God, returning to earth by God's authorization to convert their Jewish brethren?  If that didn't impress you, how about a little fire from their mouths to slay those who try to kill them?  By the way, who called fire out of heaven to destroy his enemies, not once but twice (II Kings 1:10,12)?  Elijah.

At the end of days, these two mighty witnesses and the 144,000 chosen from every tribe of Israel will lead the nation of Israel back to the Lord.  That will be a day I would like to see, but as Pastor Gene pointed out, that will probably be from heaven.  At that time the age of the gentile church has been fulfilled and God will once again extend His infinite mercy to his chosen people.  Oh Halellujah, praise God, that'll be the day!