Episodes

  • A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 5

    A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 5
    Feb 2 2025
    Why study Satan? 1) The Bible identifies Satan as public enemy #1, the greatest adversary (Heb., Satan = Adversary) of all sentient beings – including God. To fight him we need to know him[1] (2Co 2:11).[2] The following profile is based on the conclusions that may be drawn about Satan when considering the teachings of Scripture and traditions of the Ancient Near East (ANE).Distilling what we have learned from studying Satan with some additional conjecture for good measure:1. Satan’s big reveal: Shortly before Jesus’ return, Satan is going to appear in human form and convince the entire world to unite under his leadership and go to war against Yhwh and the last small vestige of Christ’s churches and devout Jews in Jerusalem that still exist and stand against him (Rev 20:3 [“short time”]w/7-9a “nations which are in the four corners of the earth” = Every nation on earth; “God and Magog” w/Eze 37-39 = The biblical symbol of a world led by one leader and the majority united in fulfilling his evil agenda; “the number of them is like the sand of the seashore” = Vast majority of the population will follow Satan; “surrounded” = Implies these groups are not spread out or numerous, but rather limited in location and small in number; able to easily be contained and captured; “the camp of the saints” = Christ’s churches; “the beloved city” = Devout Jews in Jerusalem crying out to God/sacrificing red heifers to purify themselves for Messiah’s return who will repent and be saved the moment Jesus lands on the Mt. of Olives – Rom 11:25-28 “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob” = Seeing Jesus wb their salvation [Rev 1:7]; “they are enemies for your sake” = They will not listen to Christians [FAG has ruined our witness to them]).2. Satan’s ability: There are three reasons Satan will be able to “deceive the nations” and unite them in a global war against Yhwh: 2.1. The apostasy of the New Covenant Church = Over the course of human history God has employed various corrective measures to restrain (slow down, push back, limit) the moral corruption and spiritual darkness continually infecting and progressively destroying the “code of Creation” (what God used to create the material world – Gen 1:3,6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26 “Then God said”) – which includes the invisible, dimensional barrier separating our world from the heavenly realm above (Gen 28:12; Act 1:9-11; Eph 4:8).[3] Among these was the establishment of covenant communities (churches) with codified law, a consecrated people and an empowered priesthood. Though a vast improvement on the original design, the New Covenant community/Church – like her predecessor, was not perfect. As a result, she too would eventually succumb to her self-inflicted wounds of gospel and moral compromise, forfeiting not only God’s presence and power among her, but her ability to act as salt and light in the world. Such loss of restraint would mean those spiritual gates once locked were now open and those behind them once more free to exercise the full range of their evil powers – including the use of those communities (now apostate) for their own purposes (2Th 2:1-9 “apostasy comes first, then the man of lawlessness is revealed/released…you know what restrains him now” = God’s CC not going apostate): 1) >70 AD = OCC is apostate (Eph 6:11-12 w/Rev 2:9, 18:2) w/the NCC on the brink of apostasy (5 of the 7 churches in Rev 2-3) leads to Satan’s release (Rev 12-13).2) >2030 AD = NCC is apostate leading once more to the restraints being removed/to Satan’s release (Mat 16:18-19 w/Mat 12:22-29 w/Joh 12:31 w/Luk 10:17-18 w/Rev 2:5 w/Rev 20:3,7 [“thousand years = The complete time the church remains faithful and therefore able to restrain Satan/keep the gates of Hades closed after being put there by Jesus]).2.2. The power of pseudo-incarnation/body-snatching (2Th 2:8 [2Th 1:7-9 w/Isa 11:1-4, 66:15-16] w/Rev 20:9; Rev 13:1-2 w/Rev 17:8), miracles of healing and advanced tech (2Th 2:9 “all [every kind of] power [e.g., high-tech weapons, UFOs, telepathically/spirit/demon controlled drones] and signs [attesting miracles; e.g., healing of all diseases, granting of superhuman health and abilities] and false wonders” [eye candy; e.g., everything wb tune to not only entertain us but convince us that we can break through the weakened dimensional barrier and make an attack on heaven/God’s throne - Rev 20:9 “they came up on the broad plain” = An allusion to Gen 11:1-8 [“they found a plain in the land of Shinar”] = God’s corrective measure is not to tear down the tower but disrupt their ability for global communication and unification – which He states will give them the power to eventually do what they are attempting [break thru into heaven and make an attack on His throne]; v6).[4] 2.3. His prior success in indoctrinating the world in his “anti-God, ...
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    1 hr
  • A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 4

    A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 4
    Jan 26 2025
    Why study Satan? 1) The Bible identifies Satan as public enemy #1, the greatest adversary (Heb., Satan = Adversary) of all sentient beings – including God. To fight him we need to know him[1] (2Co 2:11).[2] The following profile is based on the conclusions that may be drawn about Satan when considering the teachings of Scripture and traditions of the Ancient Near East (ANE).CREATION AND PRE-CRIME CAREER 1. Satan was a high ranking, highly elite throne-guardian angel who looks like a fiery winged serpent or dragon and existed as one of several types of elohim created not only before human beings but the construction of our entire universe. CRIMES AND PENALTIES 2. Satan sparked an insurrection not only against God but His high priest Adam, convincing a third of the angel population to follow him in his rebellion.3. The initial punishments suffered by Satan for his double insurrection were threefold: 1) loss of position [as throne guardian], 2) loss of physical form in this world [as a glorious dragon], 3) imprisoned in Hades [lowest, darkest, most desolate and fiery portion of Sheol]. Satan was reduced to a groveling amputee who now works as the night manager at the hotel Hades. That said, Satan retains command of a large demonic army with access to our world. 4. For almost six thousand years, Satan has been using his access to our world and the power of Sheol to reduce God’s army while increasing his own.[3] 5. Christ’s first return resulted in Satan being unable to use his newly discovered power of pseudo-incarnation or “body-snatching” for the entirety of the Church Age. 5.1. Christ’s first return: The spiritual return of Jesus (Rev 1:7 [e.g., Isa 19:1]) in 70 AD to judge: 1) unfaithful OC Israel thru divorce and the destruction of God’s house (Mat 23:37-24:3 w/15 [the destruction of the temple] w/34; Rev 5:1-5 w/chs 6-11 [11:1-2 w/15]). 2) those involved with the Jews in persecuting Jesus’ new (covenant) people thru the downfall of Satan (“the dragon”), the Roman Caesar Nero, (“the beast”) and the Jewish priesthood (“false prophet”) (Rev 13:1-18).5.2. (Satan’s) newly discovered power of pseudo-incarnation or “body snatching” (def., the spirit of the host person is replaced by Satan’s spirit – allowing for complete integration with their body, and uninhibited expression of his personality and powers)[4]: As discussed, Satan was forced to shed his skin in this world at the time of his initial “grand insurrection” (insurrection against God and His sacred human authorities). Since then, he has been seeking a way to re-incarnate himself.[5] It isn’t until the time of Christ that we find Scriptural evidence of Satan possessing this ability suggesting he was unable to do so before this time. Hence the reason for referring to it as “newly discovered” (e.g., Rev 13:1-2 “the dragon standing on the seashore” = Satan [Rev 12:9]; “[the] beast coming out of the sea” = Nero Caesar, Roman king living in the first century;[6] “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority”) = A statement describing what happens when there is the passing of the mantle between outgoing and incoming kings or national leaders (e.g., recent transfer of the president’s power, throne and authority from Joe Biden to Donald Trump). In this case, from Satan to Nero (Rev 13: 4 “his authority”). That being said, there is more going on in these verses than a simple a transfer of power (etc.,). It implies also the replacement of Nero’s spirit with the spirit of Satan; that the true person of Nero, no longer exists (is dead and in the “lake of fire” – Rev 19:20), his body-snatched and identity assumed by an imposter. This then is the real reason the person who appears to be Nero can also be said to possess Satan’s supernatural power (etc.,). The transfer of power included also a transfer of person. Satan had pseudo-incarnated himself in the body of Nero. Proof that Satan pseudo-incarnated himself in the body of Nero – versus simply transferring his power (etc.) or possessing him: 1) (Rev 13:1 “coming up out of [Grk., anabaino] the sea”) = A reference to Nero’s earthly place of origin, Rome[7] before the transfer (v2b) versus Nero’s place of origin after the transfer (Rev 17:8 “come up out of [Grk., anabaino] the abyss”) = The beast/Nero’s place of origin has changed from this world to the underworld. The body of Nero is no longer inhabited by the person from Rome, but the prince of the abyss (Rev 9:11).[8] 2) (Rev 13:4 “they worshipped the dragon”) = A reference to the Jews who were not only in approval but instigating Nero’s blasphemy against Jesus and empire wide persecution of Christians (5-8 “all who dwell in the land [Grk., epi teis geis = Israel] = Satan’s 2nd “grand insurrection”).[9] How then did the Jews worship Satan (“the dragon”)? By their worship of Nero indicating once again, that the switch ...
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 3

    A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 3
    Jan 19 2025
    Why study Satan? 1) The Bible identifies Satan as public enemy #1, the greatest adversary (Heb., Satan = Adversary) of all sentient beings – including God. To fight him we need to know him[1] (2Co 2:11 = Paul’s use of the plural personal pronoun [“we”] when claiming they were “not ignorant” of Satan’s “schemes” implies that he and his pastoral team -and possibly those in the Corinthian church, had received in-depth teaching on Satan’s profile).[2] 2) Satan is no longer incarcerated and mounting a global misinformation/hate campaign against the last vestige of God’s people on earth (Rev 20:1-9). Our ability to prepare ourselves through its identification also demands we endeavor to possess an accurate and thorough profile of his person and history (1Th 2:14-18 w/3:1-4 = Endurance thru diagnosis). The following profile is based on the conclusions that may be drawn about Satan when considering the teachings of Scripture and traditions of the Ancient Near East (ANE).CREATION AND PRE-CRIME CAREER 1. Satan was a high ranking, highly elite throne-guardian angel who looks like a fiery winged serpent or dragon and existed as one of several types of elohim created not only before human beings but the construction of our entire universe. CRIMES AND PENALTIES 2. Satan sparked an insurrection not only against God but His high priest Adam, convincing a third of the angel population to follow him in his rebellion.3. The initial punishments suffered by Satan for his double insurrection were threefold: 1) loss of position [as throne guardian], 2) loss of physical form in this world [as a glorious dragon], 3) imprisoned in Hades [lowest, darkest, most desolate and fiery portion of Sheol]. Satan was reduced to a groveling amputee who now works as the night manager at the hotel Hades. That said, Satan retains command of a large demonic army with access to our world. 4. For almost six thousand years, Satan has been using his access to our world and the power of Sheol to reduce God’s army while increasing his own.[3] 4.1. access to our world: Though Satan’s imprisonment in Hades means he (and his angels) no longer possessed citizenship in the spiritual realm of heaven or the natural realm of earth (their two former residences – Gen 1:1 w/Job 38:4-7 and Eze 28:13-16), because Hades exists in the same geographical location as earth (Hades is the “earth beneath”- Eze 31:14) he (and his angels) still possess access to our realm. Entrance into our world primarily happens through entering - in various ways or degrees, the bodies of living physical beings – most especially human beings. Hence why Jesus says that when an unclean spirit is exorcised, it is forced to return to Hades (i.e., travel through “waterless places”), until it can find another physical host (Mat 12:43-45; Consider also Luk 8:30-33). 4.2. How Satan uses human bodies to reduce God’s army while increasing his own: 1) By placing in the minds of sinful people (Christian and non-Christian) the lie that God (Yhwh) is a fraud (e.g., Gen 3:4-5) = God is a lying, emotionally abusive, manipulator (v4; Pro 19:3) who is really not God in the truest sense (infinite and uncreated, the source of all other life) (v5a; Psa 10:4, 14:1, 53:1), but a selfish bigot and control freak whose self-deluded worship of Himself has convinced Him that His laws are the only ones worth following (5b = You will be able to make your own laws or determine for yourselves what is right and wrong). That Satan still possesses the ability to place in our brains strong and convincing lies about God after his expulsion from our world is confirmed in the NT (Joh 13:2 = Jesus is a fraud; 2Co 4:3-4 w/Eph 2:1-3 w/1Jo 3:7-12 = The gospel or Christianity [loyalty to God: His laws and people] is a fraud; Mat 13:19 = Christians are frauds; Rev 12:9-10 “deceives the whole world…accuser of our brethren”[as frauds]-10 = God, Jesus, the gospel, Christianity and Christians are all evil frauds).2) By placing in the minds of sinful people (Christian and non-Christian) the lie that serving self or the world (what they have to offer) is better than serving God (what He has to offer) (Jam 4:1-8).3) By placing in the minds of people not welcomed to God (those who do not truly love God/who have not truly counted the cost of following Christ - Luk 14:25-35) a very strong and convincing argument to get saved/be baptized into Christ’s Church (e.g., Act 8:13 w/21) so that they can eventually become stumbling blocks that cause others to ruin their testimony or go apostate (Mat 13:24-30, 18:7-10; Luk 17:1; 2Pe 2:13-22; Jud 1:12-19). 4) By possessing unto apostasy those excommunicated Christians who have not embraced comprehensive repentance.[4] This danger is a part of Paul’s instruction in (1Co 5:5) “deliver to Satan” = (Lev 16:10) “send it into the wilderness [outside the heavenly outpost/realm of heaven to the realm of Hades] to Azazel [Satan].”[5] Every time ...
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 2

    A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 2
    Jan 12 2025
    Why study Satan? 1) The Bible identifies Satan as public enemy #1, the greatest adversary (Heb., Satan = Adversary) of all sentient beings – including God. To fight him we need to know him[1] (2Co 2:11 = Paul’s use of the plural personal pronoun [“we”] when claiming they were “not ignorant” of Satan’s “schemes” implies that he and his pastoral team -and possibly those in the Corinthian church, had received in-depth teaching on Satan’s profile).[2] 2) Satan is no longer incarcerated and mounting a global misinformation/hate campaign against the last vestige of God’s people on earth (Rev 20:1-9). Our ability to prepare ourselves through its identification also demands we endeavor to possess an accurate and thorough profile of his person and history (1Th 2:14-18 w/3:1-4 = Endurance thru diagnosis). The following profile is based on the conclusions that may be drawn about Satan when considering the teachings of Scripture and traditions of the Ancient Near East (ANE).CREATION AND PRE-CRIME CAREER 1. Satan was a high ranking, highly elite throne-guardian angel who looks like a fiery winged serpent or dragon and existed as one of several types of elohim created not only before human beings but the construction of our entire universe. [DISCUSSED]CRIMES AND PENALTIES 2. Satan sparked an insurrection not only against God but His high priest Adam, convincing a third of the angel population to follow him in his rebellion.2.1. insurrection against God: (Gen 3:1-5) = Verses 4 and 5 reveal that Satan’s initial inquiry was not innocent, but for the purpose of calling the equity of God’s prohibition into question (His death threat was a lie and His motives for making the one tree off limits was selfish - i.e., He did not want to share His divinity with others). By such actions, Satan was guilty of the greatest covenant sin: divine insurrection (deliberately slandering God by accusing Him or one of His anointed leaders of evil; Mat 12:22-34 “vipers” (~ little satans) = Jesus equates the pharisees to Satan – the first insurrectionist. 2.2. Though, it is often assumed that Satan’s initial rebellion took place before the creation of our world, the biblical evidence says otherwise (Eze 28:12-13a w/14-15) = Satan’s insurrection took place while at his post guarding Adam, God’s first high priest and divine council (“stones of fire” = ANE reference to a DC [Psa 82:1ff]) in God’s first temple (“Eden, the garden of God…the mountain of God” = ANE reference to divine temples [sacred gardens and mountains][3]). 2.3. insurrection…against…His priest Adam: How? 1) thru Satan’s deception of his wife. Eve had likely heard God’s prohibition from her husband (Gen 2:17 = Prohibition spoken to Adam before Eve was created; Gen 3:3 “God has said” versus “God said” may also indicate she had received the command indirectly [through her husband]). As such, what Satan was doing in his condemnation of God’s rule was true also for Adam His priest: the one who had taught this rule to his wife. Like God, Adam was (in Satan’s mind) guilty of promoting evil through the authority of his position and teaching.[4] 2) thru his (likely) open refusal to recognize Adam’s divine authority above his own (Eze 28:16-17 “By the abundance of your trade [Because of the abundance of your materials – i.e., position, possessions and stature – Eze 28:13-14] you were internally filled with violence [the need to fight against God’s justice/moral decisions]…Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor”[You let your natural gifting go to your head; You charmed yourself into believing you were smarter or more righteous than God]; Isa 14:12 “star of the morning, son of the dawn” [firstborn – or first of the Father’s strength and beauty- Eze 28:12]; Isa 14:13-14 [Satan believed he sb above God Himself – security detail to humans was therefore a huge slap in the face]; e.g., Num 16:1-3). There was also the issue of Satan’s place as the first to be created (ANE principle of the firstborn: majority recipient of the father’s possessions and rightful heir to the throne). [5] 2.4. That humans - or God’s divine council, has authority over angels is attested to in the NT (1Co 6:3; Jud 1:8-9).2.5. Both biblical evidence and Jewish tradition suggest that those angels who fell with Satan were those under his direct command (i.e., those soldiers loyal to his command as their general - Eze 28:14 “anointed” [double entendre’ ~ expansive a reference to his wings] = A God appointed, high ranking [military?] leader). [6] 2.6. The number of angels who followed Satan in his rebellion could be 50 million (Rev 12:3-4 “a third of the stars” [angels – Job 38:7] w/Dan 7:10 and Rev 5:11 “myriads upon myriads” [10k x 10k = 100m] = 50m loyal soldier demons).3. The initial punishments suffered by Satan for his insurrection were ...
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 1

    A Profile of Public Enemy #1 (Satan) - Part 1
    Jan 5 2025
    Why study Satan? 1) The Bible identifies Satan as public enemy #1, the greatest adversary (Heb., Satan = Adversary) of all sentient beings – including God. To fight him we need to know him[1] (2Co 2:11 = Paul’s use of the plural personal pronoun [“we”] when claiming they were “not ignorant” of Satan’s “schemes” implies that he and his pastoral team -and possibly those in the Corinthian church, had received in-depth teaching on Satan’s profile).[2] 2) Satan is no longer incarcerated and mounting a global misinformation and hate campaign against the last vestige of God’s people on earth (Rev 20:1-9). Our ability to prepare ourselves through its identification also demands we endeavor to possess an accurate and thorough profile of his person and history (1Th 2:14-18 w/3:1-4 = Endurance thru diagnosis). The following profile is based on the conclusions that may be drawn about Satan when considering the teachings of Scripture and traditions of the Ancient Near East (ANE).CREATION AND PRE-CRIME CAREER (Eze 28:12-19; Isa 14:12-15)1. Satan was a high ranking, highly elite throne-guardian angel who looks like a fiery winged serpent or dragon and existed as one of several types of elohim created not only before human beings but the construction of our entire universe.1.1. high-ranking: (Rev 9:11 “king [of the demons]”; Mat 9:34, 12:24-27; Mar 3:22 “Beelzebul [compound word meaning “ruler Baal”]…the ruler of the demons”; Eph 2:1-2 “the prince…” [Grk., archon as in archangel – e.g. Michael, Dan 10:13 LXX]). Seeing that God was the first to appoint him to such a high rank (Isa 14:13 “I will raise my throne [of rule]”), we can be sure that God also provided him with those gifts/abilities commensurate to leading or ruling over others (vision, strategy, planning, persuasion, etc.). All things considered, Satan is one of God’s most intelligent, influential and powerful creations (Eze 28:12b “Full of wisdom and beauty”). 1.2. highly elite throne-guardian angel: (Eze 28:14 “cherub”) = Elite class of angel who guards (“who covers” [Heb., sakak = To guard]) sacred people and places (God, priests and the tabernacle/temple: “the cherubim formula” - 1Sa 4:4 w/2Sa 6:2 w/Isa 37:16 w/Eze 10:1-20 //Exo 25:18; Exo 26:1, 31, 36:8, 35; 1Ki 6:23-29). [3] According to (Eze 28:13), Satan’s post was in the “Garden of Eden” (or v16, the “mountain of God”) implying his security detail to be Adam, God’s first high-priest in God’s first temple (Eze 28:16 “stones of fire [on the “mountain of God”]” w/Eze 28:18 “sanctuaries” w/Isa 14:13 “the stars of God…the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north” = In the ANE, all these phrases referred to a divine place, house or temple – the place of God’s divine council or priests). Given their association with sacred things, the ten precious stones mentioned as his “covering” (Eze 28:13) further reinforces his role as a protector of sacred people and places. (v14) “anointed” (Heb., mimsah) is better translated according to its literal understanding, “outstretched” or “expansive” – most likely a reference to his wings (e.g., cherubim on the mercy seat – Exo 25:20). Given this as the bejeweled portion of Satan’s body, his wings served not only for flying but fighting. From a defensive perspective they were heavy armor plating, from the offensive side, they were diamond tipped battle blades.[4] Biblical scholars have demonstrated that “seraphim” (Isa 6:2) is simply a descriptive term referring to a different class of cherubim increasing the possible number of “weapon wings” assigned to Satan to six.[5] Six wings (versus only two) may be the reason Paul refers to him as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2). [6] 1.3. fiery winged serpent or dragon: Identifying Satan as seraphim agrees with the other titles used to describe Satan: a fiery winged serpent or dragon able breathe fire on his enemies (Isa 6:2 “seraphim” [Heb., serap = To burn][7]; Eze 28:18b “I brought fire from the midst of you”; Rev 12:3-13:11, 16:13, 20:2 “the great red [Grk., purros ~ pryro, fire] dragon”]).[8] Satan as a dragon or fiery serpent is further supported by: 1) his identification as a serpent (Gen 3:1 w/Rev 12:9 and 20:2; See also Rev 2:13 [“Pergamum…where Satan dwells” = Temple of Asclepius [pagan god intertwined with a talking snake who teaches him the secrets of healing]; Job 26:12-13 [Rahab] and Isa 27:1 [Leviathan] = Appropriation language: Satan is identified with the multi-named mythical sea creature of the ANE - and is conquered by Yhwh). 2) the other Hebrew word associated with the term seraphim (sarap = Serpent. In this case, a fiery serpent).[9] 3) the possible mention of a serpent in the Ezekiel text (Eze 28:12 “seal” may be “serpent” as in “serpent of perfection”).[10]1.4. The chances that such descriptions were meant to be taken ...
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • How To Prepare For The End Of The World

    How To Prepare For The End Of The World
    Nov 24 2024
    “When disaster strikes, life becomes like molten metal…Old customs crumble, instability rules.” – Dr. Samuel Prince (“Catastrophe and Social Change”) All signs point to Jesus’ return in 2030. And though this event will be a day of great joy and excitement for His faithful followers, getting to that day without going apostate will prove difficult – even impossible for many. Why? Because they will be ill-prepared and equipped to endure the epic levels of craziness, scariness and confusion that will become our world in the years or days prior to His return. In short, those people will not possess what is known in the fields of psychology and sociology as “disaster behavior.” To avoid becoming one of those people will therefore mean learning and applying those principles necessary to possess it. The following points represent those principles -or how to prepare for the end of the world: 1. Prepare according to the predictions. 1.1. The death rate from natural disasters has significantly dropped over the last hundred years due to our ability to predict (forecast) when these events will happen. For example, in 1927 when nothing existed to predict natural disasters, the global death toll exceeded 3.5 million. Since the 1970s and the creation of devices for predicting such things, that number has consistently stayed below 500 thousand. 1.2. The lesson (then) to be learned? If we want to increase our chances of survival, we need to prepare according to the predictions, we need to follow the forecast and be on the alert. 1.3. Jesus agrees (Mat 24:37-51) – Besides the obvious, there are two things worth noting here: 1) If you are gauging your urgency to get ready or take seriously Christ’s return based on the world around you, then you are going to miss the boat (just like they did in Noah’s day). You won’t be ready when Jesus comes because you refused to act according to the forecast – the predictions of His coming. 2) Being alert (or following the forecast) means being responsible with your life in the time you have remaining. IOW: this isn’t the time to be less committed in your walk with Christ or with the potential He has given you for advancing His gospel and Kingdom. To use a football analogy, we have hit the two-minute warning. Whatever you’ve got left, you need to leave it on the field – otherwise you may lose the game. My advice: plan exactly what you are going to accomplish for Christ over the next five years and start working that plan. Like Jesus says about the faithful slave, He needs to find you productive when He shows up – otherwise you will be “cut to pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites…that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (i.e., hell).”1.4. BTW: the reason Jesus mentions hell as the place of hypocrites is because that is ultimately why people end up in hell. They go to hell bc their choices in life created a double standard (one favoring them). As a result, they are hypocrites (approving for themselves what they condemn in others). The only way to avoid such hypocrisy is by following God’s Law. It is the only law that always creates equity (impartiality/fairness) - the opposite of hypocrisy (Mat 7:12 “treat others in the same way as you would want them to treat you”).2. Get through the denial phase as quickly as possible.2.1. Those who study disaster will tell you that the first phase in the survival arc is denial. When disaster strikes we tend to suppress the truth of the event – or what’s happening to us. We respond in denial. Denial is just another word for disbelief/unbelief. Which means we have a hard time believing things when difficulty or disaster strikes. In our case, what the Bible says about Jesus’ return and the urgency that will be necessary to stay faithful. As a result, we will delay to act – or fail to act at all, sealing our fate.2.2. The National Research Council found that when disaster strikes – as in the example of a fire, “people are often cool…delaying their response.” 2.3. The average response of the World Trade Center survivors was six minutes after realizing what had happened. Some waited as long as forty-five minutes before acting. About one thousand individuals spent time shutting down their computers before leaving the collapsing towers. A person on a floor in the upper sixties stated that “the building started to sway and everything started shaking” and that they “knew something was wrong.” Yet instead of immediately leaving, they ran to their desk and made several calls to relatives trying to figure out what was going on.2.4. Scientists believe the reason we tend to fall into the denial phase is four-fold: 1) we have a “normalcy bias.” IOW: we think that disaster only happens to other people, but never us (our lives are too normal; e.g., Survey of one thousand Americans after 9/11: most believed they only had a 21 percent chance of being in a ...
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    46 mins
  • The Return of the King - Part 3

    The Return of the King - Part 3
    Nov 17 2024
    One of the biggest challenges to determining the proper chronology of those events relevant to Jesus’ return is deciding which portions of prophecy were fulfilled in the past (original audience relevant), have yet to be fulfilled (future audience relevant), and which portions will experience dual fulfillment (original and future audience relevant) (e.g., Isa 7:10-16 w/8:1-4 w/Isa 9:6-7; Isa 7:14)[1]. In this respect, the chronological order presented in this study assumes the following in relation to those NT prophecies most relevant to our subject (the return of Christ): 1) the book of Revelation = None of Revelation will experience dual fulfillment and the majority has already been fulfilled (1:1-20:8a). Only a small portion remains yet to be fulfilled (Rev 20:8a-22:21). 2) Jesus’ Olivet Discourse = The majority of the Discourse will experience dual fulfillment (Mat 24:4-14, 23-51). Only a small portion was fulfilled in the past (Mat 24:15-22). 3) Paul’s prophetic words to the Thessalonians = Some has yet to be fulfilled (1Th 4:13-18, 5:1-3; 2Th 1:7-10) and some will experience dual fulfillment (2Th 2:1-12). Chronology of Fulfillment: 1. Jesus made His first return in 70 AD to bring judgment against OC Israel through the destruction of her holy city and temple. 1.1. This largely is the focus of John’s vision from the post-death/resurrected/ascended Jesus in the book of Revelation. Its scary – or otherworldly imagery realized through the breaking of seals, sounding of trumpets and pouring out of bowls is meant to depict the historical events surrounding and leading up to the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple by the Roman general Titus and his armies.[2] 1.2. As its content makes clear, this destruction represents the finalization of His divorce to OC Israel – His unfaithful wife, leading to the confirmation of His marriage to his newly betrothed (and faithful) bride, NC Israel (i.e., the church). (Rev 5:1-10): 1) What is the “book” (or scroll) in the “right hand” of God the Father (“Him who sat on the throne”) “sealed up with seven seals?” A get mekushar, the special seven-sealed marriage license used by priests under the OC. In this specific case, the marriage license used by Jesus the divine Priest, in His marriage to OC Israel at Mt. Sinai (Exo 19-24 w/Jud 1:5; Exo 24:7 “the book of the covenant” = the marriage covenant document)[3]. 2) How are we to understand the “strong angel[’s]” request for one “who is worthy to “open the book [or] break its seals?” As a summons for divorce. Somebody has filed a petition with the heavenly courts requesting divorce from OC Israel. For proceedings to begin, that person must not only make themselves known, but bring the proper evidence necessary for their request to be granted (i.e., they must possess grounds to make them “worthy” to receive a divorce; Mal 2:14-16 = God hates/does not approve of His priests divorcing for illegitimate reasons). 3) Why is John crying over no one being found “worthy?” Because the confirmation of Jesus’ marriage to NC Israel (the church) and the kingdom power promised to her (v10; Mat 21:43) cannot happen until the divorce to OC Israel is finalized (until all seven seals are broken). 4) What makes Jesus (“the Lion from the tribe of Judah” and “Root of David”= The Christ) the “worthy” candidate (i.e., the One able to make a valid case for divorce)? = Not simply His role as Husband, but His position as the offended spouse. Hence why He is pictured also as the “Lamb…as if slain.” His death - though necessary for purchasing the new people of God (v9), was the result of OC Israel’s marital unfaithfulness. She murdered Him to keep playing the “harlot” with the world (Rev 19:1-7) “harlot” [Grk., porne’- Mat 5:32] = OC Israel; “bride” and “saints” = NC Israel/the church. That the church has already shown herself to be faithful is attested to in (v8). The basis for the church being viewed as already faithful to Christ are the many martyrs who remained sexually pure and obedient even though it cost them their lives (Rev 6:9-; 12:17, 13:7, 14:1-4, 20:4). 1.3. Why does Jesus’ divorce from OC Israel also include her destruction? Why does the breaking of the seven seals deliver a seven-fold judgment? IOW: Why does Israel experience both divorce and death as punishment for her adultery? B/C when Jesus wrote the marriage contract, He included the prenuptial promise of a seven-fold vengeance if Israel was found to be unfaithful ([Lev 26:18, 21, 24, 28] w/Luk 21:22).1.4. That John’s 70 AD vision should be viewed as Jesus’ first return is supported by Jesus’ words at the beginning and the end of the book’s prophecy (Rev 1:1-7 and 22:10-12). 1.5. With respect to the destruction of Jerusalem, this too becomes abundantly obvious once we consider the identity of the prophecy’s primary target in judgment: 1) (Rev 1:7, 11:15-18) “...
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • The Return of the King - Part 2

    The Return of the King - Part 2
    Nov 10 2024
    Determining the window of possible dates:1. Jesus was condemned to death by the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.1.1. (Mat 27:26; Mar 15:15; Luk 23:23-24; Joh 19:14-16)1.2. “Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.” – Tacitus (Annals)1.3. Josephus (Antiquities, Wars) indicates that Pilate reigned in Judea from 26 to 36 AD.1.4. Jesus’ death could not, therefore, have taken place before 26 AD nor after 36 AD. [A 10-year window]2. Jesus was crucified before Paul became a Christian.2.1. While in Corinth, the Jews brought Paul before the proconsul of Achaia, Gallio (Act 18:8-13). Roman records (e.g., the Delphi or Gallio Inscription) indicate that Gallio served as proconsul from 51-52 AD.2.2. Paul’s arrival in Corinth was just after Emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome (Act 18:2). Per the ancient historian Orossius, this took place in the ninth year of Claudius’ reign – or 49 AD. 2.3. Prior to this Paul was delivering aid to Jerusalem in response to Agabus’ prophecy of a coming famine (Act 11:27-30). Per Josephus, the famine was affecting Jerusalem during the time of Queen Helena’s pilgrimage (46-47 AD). 2.4. According to Paul, this trip was 14 years after his conversion (Gal 2:1 “after an interval of fourteen years [after conversion – 1:11-17] I went up again [having visited once already 11 years prior – or three years after conversion – 1:18]). 2.5. Paul’s conversion was, therefore, between 33 and 32 AD. As such, the latest possible date for Jesus’ death is 33 AD. [A 7-year window]3. Jesus died on Friday, the day of preparation for a Sabbath-Passover.3.1. Per the Law, the Passover (i.e., sacrifice and eating of the paschal lamb) had to be celebrated in the month of Nisan – the first month of the Jewish calendar (Est 3:7), at moonrise on the 14th day - which signaled the beginning of the 15th day (Exo 12:2-8; Lev 23:5-6; Num 28:16-17; Deu 16:6). In God’s eyes, days extend from moonrise to moonrise versus sunrise to sunrise (Gen 1:5 “there was evening and there was morning, one day” [Note the order]). If Passover fell on a Sabbath (a Sabbath-Passover or “high day” – Joh 19:31[1]), then both the sacrifice and preparation of the meal (cooking the lambs and unleavened bread, etc.) had to take place the day before (Friday day – the 14th of Nisan) – or in the hours before moonrise and the beginning of the Sabbath (Friday evening, the 15th of Nisan), since no work could be done on the Sabbath. This day was called the “day or preparation.” 3.2. All four gospels make clear that Jesus died on the “day of preparation” (Friday day, the 14th of Nisan), during one of these unique Sabbath-Passover celebrations (Mat 27:50 w/62; Mar 15:37 w/42-43; Luk 24:44-46 w/50-54; Joh 19:31-33)[2].3.3. Jesus died, therefore, at the same time as the Passover lambs were slain (on the day of preparation). Hence the reason: 1) for Paul’s words in (1Co 5:7 “Christ our Passover [lamb]…has been sacrificed”), 2) the Passover meal celebrated by Jesus and disciples (the Last Supper/Lord’s Table) did not include a lamb. Jesus was replacing them as the eschatological Passover “lamb of God” (Joh 1:36). Hence why also, their Passover meal needed to be celebrated on Thursday evening before the actual Sabbath-Passover meal (i.e., on Friday evening[3]). By then, Jesus would be dead. The benefits of consuming Him through the bread and wine the night before made moot any need for further OC Passover observance or meals. Jesus’ supper/table had become the new – or NC, Passover. 3) Paul can also speak of Jesus’ resurrection as our “first fruits” (1Co 15:20) – no doubt an allusion to the offering of first fruits which happened on the 16th of Nisan, a Sunday during a Sabbath-Passover. 3.4. Astronomical calculations indicate only two Sabbath-Passover dates within the 7-year window: 30 and 33 AD[4] ***The million dollar question: Which year is the correct one?*** Considering where the additional evidence points:4. The 46th year of Herod’s Temple project points to one date. 4.1. During Jesus’ first Passover, He is confronted regarding the time it took Herod to expand the temple (Joh 2:13-20 “forty six years”). 4.2. According to Josephus (Antiquities), Herod began his rule of Judea in 37 BC and his work on the Temple in his eighteenth year - or 19 BC. Accounting for the transition between BC and AD (there is no “0” BC/AD, it goes from 1BC to 1AD), as well as inclusive reckoning (counting, 1-2 = 1 yr, 2-3 = 2 yrs) the 46th year of Herod’s Temple project and Jesus’ first Passover, occurred in 28 AD.4.3. Given that Jesus’ public ministry lasted for three Passovers (Joh 2:13, 23; Joh 6:4; Joh 11:55, 12:1[5]) the dates of all three would be as follows: the first in the spring of 28 AD, the second in the spring of 29 AD...
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    1 hr