A MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN

THE KINGDOM OF GOD
What will it be like?
(Lainie Pickering 2005)

Are we Speculating?

Just after Peter passed away last year my son Ari asked me,
“Mum was there ever a time that you did not believe in the return of Jesus?”

After some thought I was able to answer,

“No, I have always believed that – ever since I was a little girl.”
This makes death a very temporary state for those who love the Lord. But it does far more than that – it makes the Kingdom a reality. Not something to just look forward to but something to long for. It stirs the imagination as we take opportunity for visualisation of that Kingdom and what it will be like. Let me say at the outset that visualisation is a very personal thing and even though we may use scripture as proof of what will happen each person’s imagination comes into play as we try to visualise what that Kingdom will be like.

Now when we really come to think about it, we do this extensively with scripture. If I was to ask you, what the Garden of Eden was like, or the flood, or Abraham on his journeys, Egypt for Moses, David’s killing Goliath, Solomon’s magnificent Temple, Jesus his life, his teaching style, his death, his resurrection, your imagination would come into play as you told me about each part of the scriptural narrative. In your mind you might have certain pictures and the same story might vary from person to person. God gave us our minds, and imagination and visualisation is all a part of what is natural. But truly it is said in Proverb 20:18; “Where there is no vision the people perish.” Visualisation is necessary for survival. What can visualising the Kingdom do for you? It give you hope, it stimulates your faith, gives you a future focus, gives you purpose and can fill you with joy.

When our two oldest boys were very young, we had an opportunity to travel to England. My Mother was also there at the time and we met with her for a visit to Windsor Castle. This was just before the fire that gutted a substantial part of the castle, so we were able to see it in its former glory. I remember to this day walking through the huge doors to the xxx with a little boy on either hand and gasping at the splendour of the painted ceilings, gold painted fresco’s and plush velvet curtains and gilt furniture. Until then, I suppose, I had only really seen gold in jewellery. It was more than my eyes could take in. I called to Mum who was lagging behind, and said, “Oh Mum, take a look at this.” She came in behind me and looked up and without a moments hesitation said “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” She lived for Christ’s return and God’s glorious Kingdom and in her mind she knew exactly what it would be like. Whether her thoughts were accurate or not is not really important, but she knew that whatever it was going to be would be better than anything man might create.

Since then I have seen other grandeur such as the Schonbrun Palace in Vienna where Marie Antoinette was born and Versailles where she finished her life. Magnificent buildings with magnificent décor and spacious gardens, but my perspective has changed and I saw them as just small cameos, a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.

In discussion with different folks on this subject, so many times I came up with the comments, “We don’t really know…” We cannot tell…”, “Scripture does not tell us much”. In answer to this last comment I would like to disagree and for the purpose of this class I am asking that you might put away any negatives that you might have at the moment and enjoy the adventure of looking at the positives. So let’s board the magic carpet and take off for the Kingdom of God.
The Notes

Some areas are listed in our notes and these are the things that we want to look at together today. These references are not new. We may have heard them at lectures time and again as Biblical proof of the coming Kingdom of God. Is that where we stop? Cold hard logic? God wrote this stuff to whet our appetite. To stimulate our imaginations – blow our minds and He has given us insight into His glory to come. His glory not mans. This whole set-up is about GOD not man. Man is able to be the fortunate beneficiary of the fulfilment of that plan but it is still all about God.

No Tropical Paradise

We indeed do need the guide of scripture to direct our imagination of the Kingdom of God. Left to ourselves we would surely seek only that which we understand could give pleasure to us and we would be limited by earthly thoughts. For instants, I think we can safely say that the Kingdom of God is not going to be a Tropical paradise in which the righteous can enjoy lazing by the pool in idyllic natural surroundings sipping passionfruit punch.

As we have already said fundamentally the Kingdom of God is to glorify God Habakkuk 2:14 and Numbers 14:21. In glorifying God, the inhabitants of the earth will appreciate, praise and echo His ways – His righteousness. The physical earth will also reflect this glorified state, “All creation groans”… Romans 8 tells us as it awaits the redemption of mankind so that it too might be freed from the curse of Adam. It is a place where the meek are inheriting the earth as we read in the Beatitudes and Psalms (37:11); a place where those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will dwell. This does not conjure up thoughts of self-indulgent self-centredness people, but men and women who are indeed God centred.
Desire is Okay

We should not be afraid of longing for that time. While we should not see the Kingdom of God as a “carrot” to attract us forward to something that will benefit us, it is okay to desire it’s appearance and it’s possession as the ultimate time of seeing God’s Glory in the earth. Just imagine a two weeks vacation in such a place – but that it will last forever is truly more than our finite minds can comprehend.

This is not our resting place

God does not want us to feel too comfortable in this world with its excesses. I am not just referring to material excesses. There are also excesses of tragedy and worry all around us. We only need to consider the agonies of this world with its earthquakes, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Bird Flu, Aids, disease and death as well as wars, fighting, abuse of all kinds and financial worry. When you look at it there aren’t too many reasons for satisfaction even for believers whose strong hope is in the Lord. Dissatisfaction in this case is a good thing. It is what God wants. We often quote “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” as though it only applied to unbelievers and young people. It is for all of us to seek the Kingdom of God. Matt 6:30 – 34. All that we can imagine and strive for in this present life is incomparable to the Kingdom of God. For now we need to seek and strive to develop a love of God’s characteristics Our desire for the Kingdom of God is because righteousness is glorified there.
God wants it too

This is also what God wants.

He wants the Kingdom on the earth. . He wants Jesus to be the reigning King. He wants peace on earth and good will among men, a time of rejoicing and worship and rest for mankind. He wants it for Himself and He wants it for us. That is why he planned it and He has told us of His plan so that we will want it as much as He does.
Let’s Investigate:

1. HEAD OF GOVERNMENT

 Luke 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

 Isaiah 9:6-7 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Where God places His Name we find His presence. Although at this time God is not all in all, His righteousness is present in the earth because of Jesus the King and the Royal Household – King/Priests.

2. CENTRE OF GOVERNMENT

 Micah 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

 Matthew 5:35 In the context of not swearing by heaven or earth etc. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

 Zechariah 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

 Zechariah 8:22-23 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days [it shall come to pass], that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard [that] God [is] with you.

While, today, Israel and its surrounding countries might seem to be some of the unlovely parts of the earth, Jerusalem is “the apple of God’s eye” (Deuteronomy 32:9-10), and like a rippling groundswell, His glory will spread and change everything until the whole earth is affected. But ZION will be the central point of Government.

3. RULERS

 Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

 Revelation 5:10 And (he) hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

 Luke 19:17 And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
As royalty in training, there is a lot to learn now. We need to learn how to conduct ourselves as King/Priests. We need to focus on subjects such as demeanour, decorum, integrity, graciousness, self control, management and rulership of the little kingdom of self that we now possess. These are some of the characteristics of royalty. Just what roles in the royal court we will play will be up to the King. Whether we are rulers over cities, singing in choirs, teaching others, working the land or showing people around the City of the Great King, whatever our task it will be done with the above noted characteristics and our service to our King and the glory of God will be our one desire.

4. WORSHIP

 Zephaniah 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

 Zechariah 14:16 And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

 Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

A pure language – One might suggest Hebrew, but I do not have the evidence for that, but it does seem that there will be no confusion of language in that day.

Why the Feast of Tabernacles? The Feast of Tabernacles was also called the Feast of Ingathering. It followed the Passover. It was a celebration of deliverance. All the nations shall come to Jerusalem to celebrate it. It was great spiritual event with people dwelling in booths (camping). It was a time for reflection and renewal. In the Kingdom the nations will consider the blessing of the past and the hope of the future as a yearly celebration.

5. DEFENCE

 Psalm 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

 Isaiah 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

 Zechariah 9:10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion [shall be] from sea [even] to sea, and from the river [even] to the ends of the earth.

 Isaiah 60:12 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion [shall be] from sea [even] to sea, and from the river [even] to the ends of the earth.

Since 3,600 BC humans have fought more than 15,000 recorded wars. This means an average of two and a half wars a year for the past 5,600 years, and of course not all have been recorded and some of them lasted many years. One actually lasted 100 years. What a waste of lives and resources.

Just think of the resources and time that now is spent on war and how much more beneficial it will be to the people when it is spent on agriculture.

In one of the troubled African countries, there was a small boy named whose name is David. When he was four years old the soldiers took him from his mother to become a boy soldier. He was with the soldiers until he was ten years old and miraculously the authorities were bribed so that he might get away and at that age he became a refugee and found his way to Australia. He was one of the lucky ones. He was a water boy in the army and unlike some of his young compatriots the soldiers had not drugged him and place a gun in his hands to fire at the enemy. Sickening isn’t it. In the kingdom there will be no more boy soldiers; no more conscription; no more suicide bombers. “…the battle bow will be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen…”

6. EDUCATION

 Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

 Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

 Isaiah 30:20-21 And [though] the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

The older I get the more befuddled my brain becomes. Have you ever been asked by a child something that you did not know the answer. There’s a good chance someone is going to ask is going to ask me something about this topic that I don’t know. Can you imagine the minds and intellects of immortals. There is nothing that they cannot know. The Saints will be spread throughout the whole world to teach the people, but the joy of the people will be to come to Zion to learn of God’s ways.

7. JUSTICE AND JUDGEMENT

 Isaiah 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

 Isaiah 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
Where there are two human beings, there is always a chance of two diverse opinions. While the unrighteous and the oppressors will be removed people will still be people. With Divine counselling and judgement problems between people will be more easily solved. “The law will go out from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many people.” Isaiah 2:4

8. HEALTH

 Isaiah 35:5-6 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame [man] leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

 Isaiah 33:24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein [shall be] forgiven [their] iniquity.
What joy for some to leap about after laying prostrate, unable to move. All the guide dogs will be retired. Spiritual blindness and deafness will also be healed. What an interesting comparison of healing the sick and forgiveness. Jesus said which is easier to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee or take up thy bed and walk.” He had the power to forgive sins. In immortality sins of omission and commission will be far from us and the power to forgive the sins of others will be as easy as healing diseases. Remember, the forgiveness of sins is brought about by repentance. If the angels in heaven rejoice for us when we repent, imagine the joy of the saints over a mortal repenting. Food for thought.

9. TEMPLE TO BE BUILT

 Micah 4:1-2 But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

 Isaiah 56-7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
This is a whole study in itself and one worth doing

Listen to Psalm 48 from the Message
God Majestic,
Praise abounds in our God-city!
His sacred mountain,
Breathtaking in its heights – earth’s joy.
Zion Mountain looms in the North,
city of the world-King.
God in his citadel peaks - Impregnable
…Be glad, Zion Mountain:
Dance, Judah’s daughters!
He does what he said he’d do!
Circle Zion, take her measure,
Count her fortress peaks,
Gaze long at her sloping bulwarks,
Climb her citadel heights –
Then you can tell the next generations
Detail by detail the story of God
Our God forever,
Who guides us till the end of time.

11. SOCIAL SERVICES

 Psalm 72:12 For he shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and [him] that hath no helper.

 Psalm 72:5-8 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

 Psalm 72:11-13 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and [him] that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
Peace on earth and good will among men. Is that what we see today? – hardly! This is not just about absence of war, but an abundance of peace. That peace that the Bible says “passes understanding”.

There are many people even in this country who face the battlefront every day. Perhaps their home life is in disarray – family crises, arguments, abuse, fears of all kinds, loneliness or depression. Depression is not a new affliction. It seems both David and Saul suffered from it. In times gone by they referred to it as Melancholia. Today doctors, psychiatrist, psychologists, care workers and social workers are kept in employment because of confusion of the minds of men and women. Not so in the Kingdom age. In that time there will be no need to be poor in spirit or in need of encouragement. While today it is good that we acknowledge our need of God’s presence in our life, in that time His presence will surround us in all things. Unimaginable – just try – feel the peace that washes over you when you let go and know that God is fully in control.

10. DESERTS PRODUCTIVE

 Isaiah 35:1,7 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, [shall be] grass with reeds and rushes.

 Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.

 Isaiah 41:17-18 [When] the poor and needy seek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue fail for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

Picture this: The Sahara market gardens, with neat rows of lettuces and tomatoes, cucumbers, leeks and garlic if that’s what you like. Vineyards in Nepal, roses in the Negev, wheat crops in the Gibson Desert, with new rivers close by to water them. Not that there is much need for the rivers as the rains will come at the right time. Imagine Sudanese people with full bellies, growing rice, potatoes and all manner of nutritious vegetables. It’s like a fairytale – but it’s true.

12. AGRICULTURE

 Amos 9:13-14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

 Psalm 72:16-19 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and [men] shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed [be] the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed [be] his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled [with] his glory; Amen, and Amen.

 Isaiah 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off.

 Isaiah 65:21-25 And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

No filling out forms for unemployment benefits. There is work for everyone. Happy people busy from dawn til dusk. Self-employed and self-sufficient, we can imagine neighbours helping neighbours and the only taxes, that which might be and offering to God. Whole families will benefit from their own labour, while the kids skip around with lions and wolves and lambs. Nothing to hurt them, no fear – Not in God’s Holy Mountain saith the Lord

In Summary

No one would doubt that the world is in a mess and although many people desire to make the world a better place, the odds are definitely against their success. The environmentalist might lobby governments and plant trees. Scientists try to come up with better industrial designs to save the ozone or find cures for the latest virus. International aid workers bring supplies to war torn countries and supply disaster relief to national disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes; while teachers and social workers battle issues of drugs, poverty and abuse.

For all that the earth seems to have potential for exquisite beauty and goodness. But there is only one government and leader who can remedy all these problems. So God gives us the promise of His Kingdom, with Jesus Christ as its King. Jesus will be a perfect ruler, unlike any ruler in the history of mankind. What makes him so different? He loves us more than he loves himself. Christ will rule on behalf of his Father, bringing about God’s will on the earth. Reigning from Jerusalem the future capital of the whole earth he will rule with a true balance of justice and mercy (Isaiah11:2-4,9).

While people will praise God in various places throughout the whole world in that day, the Temple in Zion will be the focal point and people from all nations will go up year by year to worship and enthusiastically learn of God’s ways, that they might worship him in the way He has appointed.

With the world’s resources and energies no longer spent on war, soldiers will become farmers and like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, men and women will become responsible for caring for the land. The whole earth will become fruitful from Mountain tops to deserts and the harvest will be plentiful. There will be equality and all people will benefit and no one will go hungry. No longer working hard for the profit of others, the worker will satisfy himself and God and people will enjoy the fruit of their own hands.
The blind shall see and the lame shall walk. Diseases will be cured – no more aids, bird ‘flu or cancer for His healing power will be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God and Isaiah (65:19-22) tells us that “Never again will there be in it (the Kingdom) an infant who lives but for a few days, or an old man who does not live out his year; he who dies at an hundred will be thought of as a mere youth.”
In that time the mortals, who have not had a chance to learn about Christ, will hear about him and answer his call. The Saints will teach them and rule over them so that they too, will have opportunity to learn of God’s plan and choose to serve Him. Their reward of immortality will come at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ (Revelation 20).

As for the Saints, how rewarding their work shall be. They will be helping to fill the earth with God’s glory. For this has been the whole purpose for His creation from the beginning, that “the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord as the water covers the see. (Habakkuk 2:14. No longer weighed down with sickness, sadness and sin, the Saints will be filled with the indescribable joy of serving God and being a part of His purpose.
And then what?

After the 1000 years – “The end will come, when he (Christ) hands over the kingdom to God the Father and after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. When he has don this, the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God will be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24-26,28)
Can you see it? Can you believe it? Is it real for you? Do you want it? God does. Since the beginning of time God sent forth prophets and teachers; he gave us His Word the Bible and even sacrificed His only Son to bring this about for us.
“Even so, come Lord Jesus”

More Information in
www.yeshuahamashiaj.org

DR. JAMES DOBSON & HIS SELF-ESTEEM GOSPEL

Dr. James Dobson is founder and president of Focus on the Family, a media and educational organization consisting of 72 separate ministries, each dedicated to the preservation of the home. He is heard on more than four thousand radio facilities around the world and publishes 11 magazines read by 3 million people each month.
Dr. Dobson has been a licensed psychologist and marriage, family, and child counselor for 24 years. (Taken from the back inside dust jacket of Dobson's book, Solid Answers.)
During these 24 years, Dr. James C. Dobson has been propagating the gospel of self-esteem, and self-esteem is still (to this day) his "good news".

In the book of Galatians, we see how Paul dealt with anyone who would propagate a false gospel. In Galatians 1:8-9, Paul writes,
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
What false gospel was Paul dealing with in Galatians? It was a perversion of the true gospel (Galatians 1:7, "pervert the gospel of Christ"). It was Jesus plus the law, Christ plus circumcision. Paul pointed out that following such a gospel would actually separate them from Christ. In other words, it would damn their soul (Galatians 1:6; 5:2, 4). Dr. Dobson's gospel is just as damning, and even more erroneous.

The Galatian heresy did not redefine the basic problem of mankind (which is sin, Romans 3:10-18). All this heresy taught was that the law must be kept. Faith was still to be placed upon Christ, but the law also must be kept to be found righteous before God. Dobson's false gospel actually redefines man's basic problem into a problem of low self-esteem, and then gives the answer to this basic problem -- high self-esteem. It is all in intense deceit, because he speaks of sin and Christ also. But, nonetheless, it boils down to a perverted gospel.

If you are familiar with Dobson's teaching, you would know that Dobson's basic tenet is this low self-esteem/high self-esteem dilemma and answer. He has propagated this "gospel" at least since the publishing of his book in 1974, Hide or Seek, How To Build Self-Esteem in Your Child. Note how Dobson redefines man's basic problem into "low self-esteem". With emphasis (the three last sentences being written in italics), he writes,

The matter of personal worth is not only the concern of those who lack it. In a real sense, the health of an entire society depends on the ease with which its individual members can gain personal acceptance. Thus, whenever the keys to self-esteem are seemingly out of reach for a large percentage of the people, as in twentieth-century America, then widespread 'mental illness', neuroticism, hatred, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, and social disorder will certainly occur. Personal worth is not something humans are free to take or leave. We must have it, and when it is unattainable, everybody suffers. (p. 21)

There you have Dobson's definition of the problem of mankind. All these problems, according to Dobson, exist because of a shortage of "personal worth". This is Dobson's fiction. The truth is, the reason all these problems exist is because "they did not like to retain God in their knowledge" (Romans 1:28). Therefore,
God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness [mental illness, neuroticism]; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud [high self-esteem], boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving [hatred], unforgiving, unmerciful; [alcoholics (drunkards) and drug abusers] (Romans 1:28-31).

Thus, we have "social disorder" because men have refused to "glorify Him as God, nor were thankful" (Romans 1:21). In other words, all these things are a result of sin (Romans 3:23), not because "the keys of self-esteem are . . . out of reach"!
So, we have Dobson's gospel which begins with the problem of low self-esteem. His answer ("good news") is, of course, high self- esteem. As he writes in this same book (Hide or Seek),
The heart of this book, then, is devoted to a description of ten comprehensive 'strategies' for building self-esteem, . . . (p. 21)
There we have the gospel of Dr. James Dobson in a nutshell. Man's problem? Low-self esteem. The answer? High self-esteem. Compare this with the true gospel. Man's problem? Sin. The answer? Jesus Christ.
If there was any question as to whether self-esteem was really Dobson's "good news" and his core doctrine, note what Dobson wrote in his book, What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women,
Joyce Landorf, the gifted authoress of His Stubborn Love, recently asked people to answer the following question: What would you change about women in general if you could wave some magic wand? My answer, which is now published with the other replies in her book, The Fragrance of Beauty, is quoted below: If I could write a prescription for the women of the world, I would provide each one of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth (taken three times a day until the symptoms disappear). I have no doubt that this is their greatest need. (p. 35)

Dobson has "no doubt that this is their greatest need."! Who is Mr. Dobson speaking of? Christians? Non-Christians? He says, ". . . the women of the world,". What is the greatest need for ANY woman? The Lord Jesus Christ! It is NOT ". . . a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth . . ."! This is another gospel (Galatians 1:8-9).
Dr. Dobson is a deceiver, and has deceived the masses. The above is actually only the tip of the iceberg of the false teaching of "America's foremost family counselor". Psychological deceit pervades his writings and material. Several have documented some of this fallacy, yet most refuse to identify the man for what he really is -- a false teacher (2 Peter 2:1-3). The fear of man and political correctness saturates the "Christianity" of today.
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More studies en:
www.yeshuahamashiaj.org

THE TEN KINGS OF DANIEL AND REVELATION

A reader (Richard) wrote and suggested that Psalms 83 might contain the 10 kings. So, I started to look and this is what I found.

Firstly, we have a confederation in favor of destroying the nation Israel (against the purposes of God.)

A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people , and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation ; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent : they are confederate against thee: -- Psalms 83:1-5

Just who is part of this confederation? And where are they located? Are kings listed and how many? Since they are to consult together with one consent , then, (upon identifying these) it will be clear that this is a future confederacy because all these have never consulted together in the past.

The tabernacles of Edom , and the Ishmaelites; of Moab , and the Hagarenes; [Hagar’s descendents?] Gebal [1], and Ammon [2], and Amalek[3]; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [4] also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. -- Psalms 83:6-8

Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera[5], as to Jabin[6], at the brook of Kison: Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth. -- Psalms 83:9-10

Make their nobles like Oreb [7], and like Zeeb [8]: yea, all their princes as Zebah [9], and as Zalmunna [10]: Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. -- Psalms 83:11-12

O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. -- Psalms 83:13-18

The LORD will not be known as the most high over all the earth until He returns. Consequently, these verses are yet future.

The general locations of these kings is given as " Edom", "Moab ", the " inhabitants of Tyre ", the " Midianites ."
The Edomites are located in Western Jordan, in the southernmost part. The Moabites are located in Western Jordan in the central portion, and Tyre was a city in what is now modern Lebanon . (originally Tyre was shown incorrectly as in Syria).

What do we know of Midian? We quote from Encyclopaedia Judaica .

"MIDIAN (Heb. Nydm, Mynydm Gen. 37:28, Mynydm), name of a people or a group of (semi-) nomadic peoples in the Bible (LXX, Madian, or Madiam; 1QIsa 60:6, Mydm). The Midianites are among the sons of Abraham and Keturah who were sent to "the land of the East" (Gen. 25:1–6). "Midianite traders" are mentioned in the episode about the sale of Joseph (Gen. 37:28). Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, was a Midianite priest living in the land of Midian (Ex. 2:15–3:1); he met Moses in the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 18: 1–5), and the members of his family accompanied the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert (Num. 10:29–32). The elders of Midian displayed hostility toward the Israelites on the plains of Moab (22:7) and the Israelites fought the Midianites, killing many of them (31: 1–20).

In Greek-Roman and Arabic sources Midian is mentioned in Arabia, as well as on the shore of the Red Sea , and, according to Josephus (Ant. 2:257), this is the biblical Midian (cf. Eusebius, Onom. 124:6).

It may be said of the Midianites that were directly involved in both the travels of the nation Israel INTO and OUT of Egypt. It was the Midianites who sold Joseph into Egypt and it was Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, in whose land Moses prepared for 40 years to lead the nation Israel OUT of Egypt. The Sinai is part of modern Egypt . In Judges 6:33, the Midianites did ally with the Amalekites against Israel. Perhaps the Midianites refers to the Gaza strip because the Gaza was ceded to Israel by Egypt.

So far, we have involved the nations of Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and perhaps the north-western part of Saudi Arabia. Let's talk about the ten kings themselves.

[1] Gebal
The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. -- Ezekiel 27:8-9

Other than Psalm 83, Gebal appears only in the above verse, which clearly shows that the modern nation Lebanon/Syria includes Zidon, Arvad, and Gebal. Zidon and Gebal are in Lebanon and Arvad is in Syria.

[2] Ammon
Amman is the capital of Jordan . In fact, the King of Jordan has recently decided to "democraticize" his country and divide it into 3 parts which have elected regional officials or appear to make Jordan similar to western republics. These 3 parts could easily be Edom, Moab, and Ammon, about which we are speaking. There are 91 occurrences of Ammon in the Bible. Curiously, the last one is as follows-

Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. -- Zephaniah 2:9

We know that the above has not happened yet.

[3] Amalek
And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek : these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife. -- Genesis 36:12

Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek : these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom ; these were the sons of Adah. -- Genesis 36:16
Amalek is therefore an Edomite in the country of Jordan .

[4] Assur
Assur was a town located in what is now modern Iraq north of Tikrit near Mosul. (see Harper Atlas of the Bible page 126)

Is it not interesting that this verse is as follows?
Assur also is joined with them : they have holpen the children of Lot [the Moabites ]. Selah. -- Psalms 83:8
Who is the THEY?
The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; (Hagar’s descendents?)-- Psalms 83:6 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek ; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre ; -- Psalms 83:7

Is there any doubt that Jordan (Edom, Ammon, and Moab), Lebanon (Sidon and Gebal and Tyre), Syria (Arvad), and Iraq (Assur) will be JOINED together?

Look at the route of antichrist from his place in the north . The route passes through the joined countries.

Curiously, the last of the 2 Bible verses with Assur in them says-
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. -- Ezra 4:1-2

In other words, lying to the Jews who want to rebuild the temple will happen during the 70th week of Daniel just like it did here and the " King of Assur " will be involved. Will the antichrist from "Assur" send his emissaries to Jerusalem to tell this lie again?

[5] Sisera
And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. -- Judges 4:2
According to the National Geographic Atlas of the World on page 76, Hazor is just west of the Golan Heights in Israel!!!!! Of course, anything too west of the Golan Heights in Israel is in the Mediterranean. So we know that west of the Golan Heights is a short distance.

[6] Jabin
And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor ; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. -- Judges 4:2
Hazor is in northern Israel just west of the Golan Heights (see above).

[7] Oreb
And they took two princes of the Midianites , Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. -- Judges 7:25
Oreb is therefore a Midianite and is positioned in the Sinai, southwest of Israel in what is now Egypt.

[8] Zeeb
God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. -- Judges 8:3
Zeeb is therefore a Midianite and is positioned in the Sinai, southwest of Israel in what is now Egypt.

[9] Zebah
And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian . -- Judges 8:5
Zebah is therefore a Midianite and is positioned in the Sinai, southwest of Israel in what is now Egypt.

[10] Zalmunna
And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian . -- Judges 8:5
Zalmunna is therefore a Midianite and is positioned in the Sinai, southwest of Israel in what is now Egypt.
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Here is a schematic showing the relative geographical positions of Israel and the 10 Kings. The 10 Kings are in bold face. Talk about Israel being surrounded.

Syria ASSUR in Iraq
GEBAL in Lebanon
SISERA, JABIN in Golan Heights AMMON in Jordan
Israel
Moabites in Jordan
(children of Lot helped)
OREB, ZEEB, ZEBAH, ZALMUNNA in Sinai AMALEK in Jordan

Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. - Psalms 83:8

Let us think on this - If there are ten kings and three of the ten kings are, in effect, REPLACED by the antichrist, will this not leave 7 kings? However, they may not be REPLACED, they may GIVE WAY to the antichrist. We know from Revelation 17:12-13 that the ten kings RECEIVE power as kings for ONE HOURWITH the antichrist.

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. -- Revelation 17:12-13

This seems to imply that the antichrist receives power along with the 10 kings. Who is the donor of such power? Since the antichrist receives power at the mid-point in the tribulation,

And there was GIVEN unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was GIVEN unto him to continue forty and two months. -- Rev 13:5

it seems that the ONE HOUR begins at this time or somewhat later. The donor of such power is Satan with the agreement of the ten kings.

In Daniel, we read of the same situation occurring at the same time –

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings . -- Daniel 7:24

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots : and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things . -- Daniel 7:7-8

Since Rev 17:13 says that they (all 10 kings) GIVE their power and their strength unto the beast, this must mean that the antichrist assumes power (as the antichrist) IN THE LOCALES of these THREE KINGS simultaneoulsy in such a manner that they will effectively be JOINed (see Psalms 83:8) together as ONE entity.

If you read the text very carefully what you have is the JOINING of ASSUR, AMMON, and AMALEK (all 3 of whom will still remain kings, but their kingdoms will be united under the antichrist.) Is it any wonder that the Jordanian monarchy is seeking to give democracy a chance in Jordan by dividing his country into 3 parts, 2 of which (Ammon and Amalek) could become included in the 10 Kings?

from the website-
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050127/2005012716.html
we read-

King Abdullah discusses the division of Jordan to three districts

Jordan, Politics, 1/27/2005

The Jordanian King Abdullah II said he will reconsider the administrative divisions in the Kingdom in order to form three districts of elected local councils, with each district including several governorates.

The Jordanian King said that he will form shortly a royal committee with a mission of "including this inclination from various aspects and draw an appropriate mechanism to implement it and convert it from a theory to a tangible practice."

In a televised statement, the Jordanian TV underlined the importance of this political development "starting as from people's organizations up to the centers of decision making, not the opposite way round."

Is it any wonder that the policy of the United States is to create just such a "central democratic state" in the Middle East? Is it any wonder that the WHOLE world is rushing toward the UNIFICATION of Sunni, Shia, and Kurd to prohibit chaos in Iraq (especially the King of Jordan)? Is it any wonder that (for at least two years) political analysts have openly called for Iraq and Jordan to be merged?

All that can be said about this is - Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh - and praise the Lord for the accuracy of His Word!!
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Look at this verse again very carefully. It is concerning the joining process-

The tabernacles of Edom , and the Ishmaelites; of Moab , and the Hagarenes; [Hagar’s descendents?] Gebal [1], and Ammon [2], and Amalek[3]; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [4] also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. -- Psalms 83:6-8

When it is said- Assur also is joined with them , the two kings Ammon and Amalek cover the northern and southern areas of the Jordan-Israeli border. That part of the border which has NO king, the Moabites (aka the children of Lot), is being helped. These assuredly appear to be the Palestinians presently caught on the border. The joining helps them. Ammon (with King Ammon)
Moab (no king) Edom (King Amalek) is the north-south alignment on the border.

Wonder if this has anything to do with the Jordanian King's recent change in the Crown Prince? Yes, if it leads to Palestine joining Jordan and promotes Palestinian good will as is being suggested today.

The town Assur was also known as Ninevah. The book of Nahum says the antichrist arises in Ninevah-
The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. -- Nahum 1:1

There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.
-- Nahum 1:11

So, when Assur (Ninevah in Kurdistan ) joins with Jordan (Amalek and Ammon), the antichrist rises.
See also the invasion route of the antichrist.
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Post Script

So much for the "western" view of political prophecy. These ten kings and their locale (and the locale of the antichrist ) put the generally accepted EU theory into the waste basket. The West is so proud that we can not imagine how we are just bit players.(This does beg the question - are we (the U.S., etc) " dwelling carelessly in the isles?" We know that a "fire" devours those. See Ezekiel 38-39)

The Bible is clear about the location of the endtimes empire . These 10 kings are in the same location as that part of Alexander the Great's empire (Seleucid, Assyrian) which is prophesied to play a role before Christ returns. In fact, the SHAPE of this joined empire is nearly exactly that of ancient Assyria (because Ammon, Moab, and Edom are the western part of Jordan). Large portions of Southern Iraq and Southeastern Jordan are not part of the ancient Assyrian Empire.

This also seems to imply that the "Shia" nation is destroyed in the Magog invasion . See this for timing .

The Lord views things in the 70th week from the viewpoint of Israel. It is Daniel's 70th week for a reason.

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01-31-2005

This page was originally constructed using those "Kings" whose names were actually given in the text. However, since it might be said that the named "Kings" (starting with Sisera ) are under the descriptive words "Do unto them (those named in verses 6-8, who ARE yet future) AS and then Sisera and the rest are listed. Consequently, it can be correctly argued that the Kings starting with Sisera were historical and they serve as examples of what will happen to the future 10 kings.

So, where does that leave us? It still leaves us with the FUTURE 10 KINGS. Here they are (the bold print were also kings in the original list)

The tabernacles of Edom [1], and the Ishmaelites [2]; of Moab [3], and the Hagarenes [4]; [Hagar’s descendents?] Gebal [5], and Ammon [6], and Amalek [7]; the Philistines [8] with the inhabitants of Tyre[9]; Assur [10] also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. -- Psalms 83:6-8

This still leaves us with 10 Kings in the immediate environ of Israel which will be JOINED and a schematic that looks like this-
GEBAL in Lebanon ASSUR in Iraq
TYRE in Lebanon
HAGARENES ?? PHILISTINES?? ISHMAELITES ?? AMMON in Jordan
Israel
MOAB in Jordan
(children of Lot helped)
AMALEK in Jordan
EDOM in Jordan

The above schematic is certainly more descriptive of FUTURE kings that will be confederated against Israel. They will do so WHEN ASSUR (Northern Iraq) is JOINED with the other 9 Kings. This is a 100 PERCENT Moslem confederacy against the nation Israel.

Since this occurs at the mid point of the tribulation (at least for ONE HOUR) and since the "Shia" nation is not represented in the Old Assyrian Empire, it seems that the destruction of the "Shia" nation is completed with the invasion of Israel by "Persia" et al in Ezekiel 38-39 prior to this confederation . This seems to confirm our hypothesis regarding the timing of the Gog invasion.

Southern Iraq is a "Shia" nation and will likely side with Iran against Israel. Even though this strategy for Iran is risky, remember that "hooks" will be put in the "jaws" and they will be compelled to invade by the Almighty Himself.

End 01-31-2005
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In any case, one of the significants points of this discussion is that the JOINING of Assur (Ninevah), a city in northern Iraq, and Ammon (the northern portion of the West Bank in Jordan) becomes the moment of the rise to power of the 10 kings and the antichrist. This is a slightly different twist than is presented on this page . Translation - the "Cheney doctrine" (advocated by many in the Bush White House) of joining Iraq and Jordan (and in so doing extending the authority of the antichrist) becomes a significant Biblical reality.
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02-14-2005
from the following website we learn how the recent elections in Iraq will increase pressure on the United States to unite the northern (Kurds, read Assur) with the Jordanians (read Ammon, Moab, Edom).

http://www.juancole.com/2005/02/shiites-kurds-win-big-bush-loses.html
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Shiites, Kurds, win Big
Bush Loses Election in Iraq (hardly the way it is being reported)

The three big winners were the United Iraqi Alliance [read Shiites] (about 48 percent), the Kurdistan alliance (26 percent) and the Iraqiyah list of interim prime minister Iyad Allawi (about 13 percent). These three account for 88 percent of the seats in parliament, or so. The other eleven percent go to tiny parties like that of al-Yawir, the Sadrists (Cadres and Chosen List) and the Communists.

Although Allawi's list is among the three with more than two digits, in fact he lost big. Allawi had all the advantages of incumbency. He dominated the air waves in December and January. He went to Baghdad University and made all sorts of promises to the students there and it was dutifully broadcast, and there were lots of photo ops like that. Allawi's list also spent an enormouos amount on campaign advertising. The source of these millions is unknown, since Paul Bremer passed a law making disclosure of campaign contributions unnecessary (the Bush administration's further little contribution to "democracy" in the Middle East). Despite these enormous advantages, clear American backing, money, etc., Allawi's list came in a poor third and clearly lacks any substantial grass roots in most of the country. It seems to have been the refuge of what is left of the secular middle class.

Allawi's defeat (he will not be prime minister in the new government) is a huge defeat for the Bush administration, though it will not be reported that way in the corporate media.

The system is set up so that a two-thirds majority is necessary to form a government. The United Iraqi Alliance needs to pick up 18 percent or about 50 seats to go forward. The easy place to get those 50 seats is from the Kurds, who have 70 or so. This step will require that substantial concessions be made to the Kurds, who want the presidency, a redrawing of the provincial map of Iraq to creat a united Kurdistan province, and substantial provincial autonomy or "states rights."

The US now hopes to use the Kurds to blunt the push for Islamic law from the UIA. This is the significance of Allawi's visit to Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and his support for Talabani as president. The Kurds and Allawi together control nearly 40 percent of seats in parliament. They can be outvoted on many issues, but they can't be ignored. Allawi is trying to ensure that Talabani's position is unassailable and to pressure the UIA to give up its own candidates for president, so as to bloc any rush to Islamic law .

The chief allies of the United States in the Mideast (other than Israel) are Jordan and the Kurds. All three (US, Kurdistan, Jordan) are in a struggle against the Shia nation. The Jordanian monarch is terrified of a Shia Iraq. The pressure will increase to unite these factions. When this confederacy takes place we will be witnessing the one hour during which the antichrist and the ten kings unite.
Of course, the believers will be gone and the timetable looks like this . The JOINING takes place in the 2nd half of Daniel's 70th week.

The antichrist will arise from this alliance. He will come from this area (when his power is established and the JOINing together takes place)..

End 02-14-2005
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02-15-2005

from the website-
http://debka.com/article.php?aid=983
we read how that the recent bombing assassination of Rafiq Hariri in Lebanon was the direct result of his support of a direct (without Syria) link of Lebanon to Israel in the peace process .

Last year, Hariri stepped down in protest against the extension of pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud’s presidency and was about to take the lead of the opposition. A towering figure in Lebanese politics, Hariri was expected to fight the election due to take place in April or May.

The Lebanese hammer blow that came down on the Bush administration from Beirut set back its plans to bring democratic reforms to the Middle East . US officials were still digesting the import of Iraq’s general election the day after its results were released in Baghdad. They were also still waiting for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to come up to scratch in fighting terrorism. Its impact will be regional in magnitude, affecting the next stage of Iraqi insurgency and the chances of a Palestinian-Israeli accommodation.

According to DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources, the assassination was staged by Syrian military intelligence headed by General Rostum Ghazala. It capped two years of attempts by the Bush administration to engage Assad by diplomacy. On February 14, the confrontation between Washington and Bashar Assad’s regime abruptly shot up to a new level: the Syrian president had decided to resort to the vicious tactics of Iraq and Lebanon’s ugly past, finally impelled by a circumstance that DEBKA-Net-Weekly 193 revealed on February 1:

For the first time in the annals of the Arab-Israeli dispute, Lebanon’s senior opposition politicians are pressing for the government in Beirut to recognize Israel and sign a separate peace treaty with the Jewish state – without
reference to Damascus .

The reason I am bringing this to your attention is that after hearing about the assassination I went back to the maps in the historical Harper Atlas of the Bible and the National Geographic Atlas of the World for comparison purposes. Originally, when I published this page, I incorrectly listed GEBAL as being in Syria. It is not in Syria, but right on top of Beirut!!!!! Tyre is south of Gebal in Lebanon as well. I have updated the second schematic of the ten kings accordingly and as you can see there is no representation among the ten kings for Syria, only Lebanon, the very nation whose political leader was assassinated because he is in favor of negotiating the peace with Israel. It looks like when Assur (northern Iraq) joins with Jordan, it will be with Lebanon and without Syria. Syria is willing to assassinate to stop the process.

I would not mess with the WORD of GOD. It is all coming to pass EXACTLY as He said in the prophets. I might add that Psalms 83 is a Psalm of Asaph. Asaph had 12 Psalms - 50 and 73-83 inclusively. The 83rd Psalm is the last thing Asaph had to say in the Bible. Looks like his silence is still speaking.
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www.yeshuahamashiaj.org

The New Testament Declares the Existence of Demons

One of the most perplexing features of Christadelphianism is the persistent tendency to want to expunge from the New Testament records the presence of demons. In view of the excellent treatment of Scripture we find in Christadelphian literature dealing with the Kingdom of God, the nature of man and the Unity of God, this "demythologizing" is all the more remarkable.

Before beginning our discussion it will be helpful to insert a quotation from a 19th-century writer, Robert Hall, who observed that ideas which become part of a fixed system of theology are dislodged with the greatest difficulty. Christadelphians, along with the rest of us, must accept the need to verify all teachings against the scriptural standard, and realize that non-biblical tradition can be just as firmly settled in their denominational "family" as in any religious community. Robert Hall is right when he says that "whatever holds back a spirit of inquiry is favorable to error; whatever promotes it, to truth. But nothing, it will be acknowledged, has a greater tendency to obstruct the exercise of inquiry, than the spirit and feeling of party. Let a doctrine, however erroneous, become a party distinction, and it is at once entrenched in interests and attachments which make it extremely difficult for the most powerful artillery of reason to dislodge it. It becomes a point of honor in the leaders of such parties, which is from thence communicated to their followers, to defend and support their respective peculiarities to the last; and, as a consequence, to shut their ears against all the pleas and remonstrances by which they are assailed. Even the wisest and best men are seldom aware how much they are susceptible to this sort of influence" (Works, Vol. 1, p. 352).

It was Peter Watkins, a leading Christadelphian writer, who warned his brethren that in dealing with the demon question "we must state categorically that it is not sufficient to say that the New Testament writers were using language that would have reflected current superstitions" (The Devil, the Great Deceiver, p. 65). Yet most Christadelphians do use that very argument. How else can they dispose of the demons which the New Testament describes as personal articulate entities quite distinct from the victims they influence? Peter Watkins is quite right to add that "it was not the limitations of language that compelled gospel writers to make such elaborate use of demon terminology, it was the spirit of God" (Ibid., p. 65). We can only encourage Christadelphians to take note of Peter Watkins' wise words.

It cannot, however, be right that Peter Watkins should be taken seriously when he states dogmatically that "the subject of demons must be thought of as one elaborate sustained parable" (Ibid., p. 64). We might just as well argue that all the miracles of healing were parables. The exorcisms and the healings are equally presented by the New Testament writers as facts of history.

Christadelphians should recognize that if the gospel writers did not believe that demons exist, the very last thing we would expect them to do is to use the term "demon" with such frequency! There are perfectly good Greek words for disease and madness (which appear in the New Testament). Yet the term "demon" appears throughout the story of Jesus' ministry and quite naturally in Paul's and James' and John's writings. It would be surprising to find the word "angel" used consistently by an author who did not think such beings existed. There is therefore the strongest prima facie evidence that if Luke speaks of demons, he means demons.1

Another distinguished Christadelphian writer, Thomas Williams, who deals with the Kingdom of God and the mortality of man in a most logical manner, finds himself in serious difficulty when trying to explain the demons, while not believing in their existence. The section in question is headed "A difficulty" (The World's Redemption, p. 370). How to avoid the demons proves to be a greater problem than Thomas Williams can cope with. He says: "The greatest difficulty in understanding some of the New Testament accounts of casting out demons is in the fact that the language sometimes seems to make them appear to speak independently of the person whom they are supposed to possess" (emphasis mine). This analysis tells its own clear story. Williams shies away from facing the facts which would, if believed, force him to change his thinking. "Seems to speak"? "Supposed to possess"? Luke does not share Thomas Williams' uncertainty:

"Now there was a man in the synagogue who was under the power of an unclean demon, and he screamed with a loud voice, 'Ha! What do you want of us, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are God's Holy One.' But Jesus reproved him saying, 'Be quiet! Come out of him!' So the demon threw him down in their midst and came out of him without doing him any harm" (Luke 4:33-35).
This account simply states that Jesus addressed the demon as a personality distinct from the man ("Come out of him!"). It is also quite dear that the demon speaks as one of a class ("What do you want of us?"). The evidence before us shows that Jesus understood the demon, not the man, to be the author of the outburst, "Ha! What do you want of us, Jesus, you Nazarene? I know who you are. You are God's Holy One."

The student of Scripture who "trembles at the Word of God" must decide between a theory which denies the existence of demons, and Luke's account which presents Jesus as responding to a personal articulate being, the demon, who is not the human sufferer, though the demon speaks through the victim. A refusal to face the evidence of Scripture can amount to nothing but unbelief. If demons exist, no explaining is necessary; the narrative is in harmony with the facts. Tragically, the Christadelphians have mounted a theory by which the facts of Scripture can be avoided. The Christadelphian theory, however, implies that the biblical narrative is not in harmony with the facts. It places their own authority above that of the Bible, a technique which they have rightly detected in so much "theology" which avoids the Kingdom of God or even the Resurrection. Ultimately the Christadelphian theory commits them to the belief that a being uttering articulate sentences and displaying intelligence and emotion does not exist!

In Luke 4:40 Luke makes his usual careful distinction between healing and exorcism, and reports that "even demons came out of many people, [the demons] shrieking and saying, 'You are the Son of God.' But he reproved them [the demons] and would not let them [the demons] speak, because they knew that he was the Christ" (Luke 4:41). Once again Luke records intelligent speech on the part of the demons, as distinct from their victims. This fact is even more strikingly conveyed by the Greek text, in which the participles "shrieking" and "saying" are neuter to agree with the demons which are grammatically neuter. They cannot refer to the men who are grammatically masculine. It is also the neuter demons whom Jesus reproves, not their masculine victims ("he would not let them speak").

These important texts will put an end to Thomas Williams' ambivalence when he says that the language "sometimes seems to make the demons appear to speak independently of the person they are supposed to possess." One might as well say that if I tell my child, "Give him the book" I seem to be in the presence of more than one person! Or that I appear to be addressing one person in the company of another! Language has no means of demonstrating the independent personality of the demons other than that employed by Luke (and other New Testament writers). Luke simply states that a demon speaks and that Jesus answers him, not the man under the demon's control. These are the facts of the Scriptural record, and they demand our belief. Demons do exist. The Bible says they do!

Faced with this overwhelming evidence Thomas Williams is frank enough to concede: "Allowing that this difficulty forces the conclusion that the demons were entities and that they actually did speak…" (emphasis mine). It is a relief to find him admitting that the evidence "forces that conclusion." But he is unable to face his own findings; he quickly sidesteps the conclusion to which, he says, the evidence points. It is exasperating that he then completes his sentence: "The question will arise, Why is the same phenomenon not to be found in similar afflictions today?"

That, of course, is a quite separate issue, and the assumption underlying the question is open to argument. The point to be underlined, however, is that the "difficult" evidence in Williams' words "forces the conclusion that the demons were entities and that they actually did speak…" Which is to admit that Jesus and Luke believed in the existence of demons as creatures having the power of speech as well as intelligence, emotion and will. May Christadelphians bow before the Scriptures and abandon a theory which opposes the veracity of the inspired record. The Scriptural record is to be accepted, not explained away.

In conclusion we note that Robert Roberts, another Christadelphian writer, wrestled unsuccessfully with the theory imposed upon him by his denomination. The widespread theory of "accommodation" by which Christadelphians (and many others) "read out" the demons from the New Testament is found in the work of Robert Roberts, whose verbal gymnastics have trapped the unwary (this is not for a moment to underestimate his lucid explanations of other biblical topics): "The statement that the devils (demons) made request, or cried out this or that must be interpreted in the light of a self-evident fact that it was the person possessed who spoke and not the abstract derangement" (Christendom Astray, p. 126). But this is precisely what Luke does not say. In Luke's account the demons are there as intelligent beings with supernatural knowledge of the Messiah. Roberts may say they are "abstract derangements." Luke does not. The demons utter coherent sentences as reasoning creatures, distinct from their victims (see also Acts 16:18). Roberts dismisses Luke's evidence as "rough popular forms of speech," but how does he know this? He then finds what he believes to be the truth in his own rationalizing theory, having made up his mind a priori that demons do not exist. The Christadelphian must choose between Luke and Roberts.

The self-evident facts of the gospel records are that Jesus believed in personal demons. They addressed him and he addressed them. Though invisible, they exist as beings no less real than any other person to whom Jesus spoke.

------

1 The favorite argument about our use of "lunatic" without thinking of the moon is not valid. If we addressed the moon and told it to cease its evil influence, it would be clear that we were taking the term lunatic literally. The New Testament writers do take demon phenomena quite literally. Much more is involved than just the single term "demon."

MY PERSONAL FAITH

GOD

I believe that only one person is God, and that He is a literal being -- almighty, eternal, immortal, and the Creator of all things. -- Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:18; 1 Tim. 2:5.

JESUS CHRIST

I believe that Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, is the sinless and only begotten Son of God. He existed only from His birth. -- Lk. 1: 32, 33, 35; 3:22; 1 Pet. 1:18-20.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

I believe that the Holy Spirit is God's divine power and influence manifest in God's mighty works and in the lives of His people. It is not a person. -- Gen. 1:2; Rom. 8:11.

THE BIBLE

I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, given by divine inspiration. It is the only authoritative source of doctrine and practice for Christians. -- 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21.

MAN

I believe that man was created innocent, but through disobedience to God fell under condemnation of death -- the cessation of all life and consciousness. All persons, being both sinful and mortal, are in need of salvation. -- Gen. 2:7, 17; 3:4, 19; 5:5; Eccl. 9:4, 10; Rom. 3:9-11; 6:23.

SALVATION

I believe that salvation is by the grace of God, through the atoning blood of Christ. It consists of God's forgiveness of sin, the imparting of His Spirit to the believer, and finally the gift of immortality at the resurrection when Christ returns. The steps in the gospel plan of salvation are:
- 1. Belief of the things concerning Jesus Christ and the gospel of the Kingdom. -- Acts 8:12; Rom. 1:16.
- 2. Sincere repentance and confession of sins. -- Acts 2:38.
- 3. Baptism -- which is immersion -- in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. -- Mark 16:15, 16; Rom. 6:1-6; Acts 22:16.
- 4. Indwelling of the believer by Christ through God's Spirit. -- Gal. 4:6; Eph. 3:16, 17.
- 5. Growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1 Pet. 2:1-3.

THE CHURCH OF GOD

I believe that the Church of God is the scriptural name for that body of people who have been called out from among all nations through obedience to the gospel plan of salvation. Christ is the Head of the church; and the nature, work, and government of the church are set forth in the New Testament. -- 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 5:23-25.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

I believe that the Christian life is primarily a life of consecrated discipleship to Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and Teacher. It will be exemplified by love, prayerful dependence on the fruit of the Spirit, stewardship, and tithing. The
church will recognize those members who, because of their religious conviction, claim exemption from military service. -- 1 Tim. 4:11-16; Titus 2:11-14; and Mal. 3:10.

ISRAEL

I believe that "Israel" is the name of the literal descendants of Abraham through Jacob. As God's chosen nation, Israel was given the land of Palestine, but because of disobedience they were scattered throughout the world. In accordance with God's covenant with them, they will be restored to Palestine as the head of the nations in the Kingdom of God. -- Ezek. 36:21-32.

THE RETURN OF CHRIST AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD

I believe that the Kingdom of God will be established on earth when Christ returns personally and visibly to reign as King in Jerusalem over the whole earth, with the church as joint-heirs with Him. His millennial reign will be followed by the final judgment and destruction of the wicked, after which will be established "new heavens and a new earth" wherein there will be no more death and God will be all in all. -- Acts 1: 11; I Thess. 4:16, 17; Rev. 5-10; 20:4, 5; 21:1-4, 7, 8; 2 Pet. 3:12-14."

See more of my studies in www.yeshuahamashiaj.org

SATAN, THE PERSONAL DEVIL

by Anthony F. Buzzard

A contemporary of John Thomas, the founder of Christadelphianism, produced a controversial work in 1842 entitled The Devil: A Biblical Exposition of the Truth Concerning That Old Serpent, the Devil and Satan, and a Refutation of the Beliefs Obtaining in the World Regarding Sin and its Source. A critic of this book described it as “a labored attempt to dispose of the existence of the Devil, adding one more proof of the awful fact.”

Clearly there is a matter of the greatest importance at stake here. It is tragic that there should still be doubt and division amongst students of the Bible about what the Scriptures mean by the Satan, the Adversary, the Devil, the Serpent, the Tempter.

Alan Eyre’s informative book, The Protesters, traces the fascinating history of those who through the centuries have shared the “unorthodox” beliefs of the Christadelphians and groups such as the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith. These tenets include the firm belief in the future millennial reign of Christ on earth, in the mortal soul, in One God, the rejection of the Trinity, and the refusal to take part in war. It is however very remarkable that Eyre was able to find only two references to the extraordinary belief that Satan in the Bible refers to the evil in human nature, and not to a personal being.

It is a fact that the believer in the non-personality of Satan must hold that belief against practically all of his brethren who share with him a rejection of traditional dogmas. The works of Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, spokesmen for the Church in the second century, show no Trinitarianism in the later, Chalcedonian sense (though they do not retain belief in the fully human Messiah of the New Testament); they contain no belief in the survival of the soul in heaven after death, nor in eternal hell-fire; they are also strongly millenarian. The notion that Satan is not a personal being, however, is utterly foreign to their writings. This will mean that Irenaeus, the “grand pupil” of John the Apostle, through Polycarp, had gone badly astray on this major point: the proper understanding of Satan. Is such a proposition credible?

It will be our purpose to show that it is not only most unlikely on any reasonable view of the history of doctrine; but, more important, the non-personality idea is based on an unjustifiable treatment of Scripture. It is a dangerous mistake, divisive in its effects, and liable to cast doubt on the credibility of its exponents as responsible teachers of the Bible. It is an error, however, which can be corrected, provided there is a willingness to lay aside tradition and examine the matter carefully, if necessary over an extended period of time.

There is no doubt that the popular medieval devil, with pitchfork and stoking the fires of hell, is a caricature of the scriptural devil. We must, however, guard against the natural tendency to jump from one extreme to another and attempt to do away with the personal devil of the Bible. If that personal devil exists, nothing will please him more than to have his existence denied by those exponents of Scripture who have seen through the mistaken teachings of “orthodoxy.”

To say that the Trinity, in the popular sense, is not in the Bible is in fact only to say what numerous scholars admit. To proclaim the future millennial reign of Christ is to echo the opinions of the first 250 years of Christianity and of many noted theologians of all ages. To deny the immortality of the soul is to align oneself with scores of scriptural experts from all denominations. To deny that the Satan (i.e. Satan as a proper name) is an external being in Scripture, is, however, virtually unknown in the history of exegesis. Such a situation demands an explanation which will fit the facts of history as well as the facts of the Bible.

The writer has examined in detail scores of tracts written by Christadelphians and discussed the question at great length with their leading exponents. One very important fact emerges from these studies: the exponents of “non-personality” constantly blur the difference between a satan and the Satan. On this unfortunate blunder, the whole misunderstanding about the meaning of the word “Satan” is built. No one will deny that there are occurrences in the OT of the term “satan” where a human adversary is intended (just as in the New Testament “diabolos” (devil) can occasionally refer to human accusers, I Tim. 3:11). The question we are facing is what is meant by the Satan or the Devil in Job and Zechariah and some sixty times in the New Testament (not to mention numerous other references to the Satan under a different title).

When Matthew introduces the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven, he assumes that his readers are familiar with these phrases. When he introduces the Devil (Matt. 4:11), having already called him the Tempter (v. 2), he uses a title well recognized by his readers. He nowhere speaks of a tempter or an accuser. If we realize the importance of the definite article here our subject can be clarified without further difficulty. The celebrated New Testament Greek authority, Dr. A.T. Robertson, states: “The definite article is never meaningless in the Greek…The article is associated with gesture and aids in pointing out like an index finger…Wherever the article occurs, the object is certainly definite” (Grammar of Greek New Testament, p.756). Thus a savior may be one of many saviors. The Savior means the one and only Savior. An “ecclesia” is an assembly of people gathered for many different reasons (Acts 19:32, 39, 41). But no one would consider confusing this with the Church. Similarly, the Satan, the Devil, the Tempter is that well-known Satan not requiring definition, because the writer knows that his readers understand who is meant. Will anyone deny that a book carries a very different meaning from the book?

It will be instructive to see how Christadelphian literature confuses the issue from the start: “The word Satan...simply means an adversary, as will be evident to the least instructed from the following instances of its use: ‘The Lord stirred up an adversary (a ‘satan’) unto Solomon, Hadad, the Edomite’ (I Kings 11:14). ‘Lest in battle he (David) be an adversary to us’ (I Sam. 29:4)...There are New Testament instances, such as where Jesus addresses Peter as ‘Satan,’ when he opposes Christ’s submission to death (Matt. 16:23); where Pergamos, the headquarters of the enemies of truth is described as Satan’s seat (Rev. 2:13). Now if Satan means adversary we will read the scriptures intelligently if we read adversary wherever we read Satan” (The Evil One, by Robert Roberts, p. 12).

Unfortunately, however, Mr. Roberts has misled us by introducing the quotation from Revelation 2:13 without any indication of the fact that the text says that the Satan (not “a satan”) has his seat there.[1] The Satan is very different from the indefinite adversaries (satans) cited from the OT.

The fundamental error is now established and the argument proceeds on the false premise: “The trial of Jesus is usually cited in opposition to our conclusions. The great feature of the narrative relied upon is the application of the word ‘devil’ to the tempter: but this proves nothing. If Judas could be a devil, and yet be a man, why may the tempter of Jesus not have been a man? His being called ‘devil’ proves nothing” (Ibid., p. 19).

What we are not allowed to see is that the tempter of Jesus is not called a devil; he is called the devil (Matt. 4:5, 8, etc.), that is, the one and only Devil we all know. The Christadelphian argument continues with the basic error entrenched: “‘Devil’ proves that it was one who busied himself to subvert Jesus from the path of obedience. Who it was it is impossible to say because we are not informed” (Ibid., p. 19).

The average reader of the book of Job and of the temptation accounts in Matthew and Luke will find it very difficult to believe that the Satan who acted as the Tempter was an unknown human being, as Christadelphians propose. John Thomas and his followers, despite their invaluable work of biblical exposition on other subjects, have regrettably distorted the Scripture by doing away with the definite article. This we dare not do. The Satan, the adversary, is the external personality who tempted Jesus and Job. A tragic mistake was made by Roberts when he wrote: “Why may not the tempter of Jesus have been a man? His being called ‘devil’ proves nothing.” He was not, however, called ‘devil,’ but the devil. Roberts has effaced the word “the” from the text, and by implication from the sixty or more occurrences of the Satan and the Devil throughout the New Testament.

When a group of Bible students arrive at the same conclusion but cannot agree amongst themselves on the arguments upon which the conclusion is built, there is usually cause for suspicion that the conclusion is faulty. They are accepting the creed because it has been dictated to them by their leader. They have very probably always believed the tenets of the group. They have not personally examined the arguments in detail, very often because they have had so little exposure to contrary points of view and have never been challenged. They may accept the excellent truths taught by their founder and in their enthusiasm swallow an error as part of “the package.” We are all prone to make this mistake. God requires of us a passionate desire to know the truth; we must stand personally responsible before Him for everything we teach as “the oracles of God.”

The Christadelphians are unable to agree about the identity of the Tempter of Jesus. Most contemporary Christadelphians insist that Jesus was talking to himself in the wilderness. Apart from the difficulty which this raises about the sinlessness of the Lord, it is arbitrary in the extreme to say that when Matthew reports that the Tempter “came up to Jesus and spoke” (Matt. 4:3), he meant that Jesus’ own mind produced twisted versions of the Scriptures. Matthew ends the description of the Temptation by saying that the Devil departed and angels “came up to him” (Matt. 4:11) to minister to him. On what principle of interpretation can we justify taking the words “came up to him” in two totally different senses in the same paragraph? Where in Scripture does human nature come up to a person and speak, and hold an extended conversation? It is most unnatural to think that Jesus invited himself to fall down before himself and worship himself! If the departure of Satan means the cessation of human nature’s temptation of Jesus, why may not the arrival of the angels be no more than the comfort of the spirit of God within him?! Can anyone fail to see that the treatment of Scripture which the Christadelphians propose in this passage involves the overthrow of the plain meaning of language?

The older Christadelphians are rightly indignant that anyone could suggest that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by his own mind. One Christadelphian writes: “Some think that the devil in the case of the temptation was Christ’s own inclination; but this is untenable in view of the statement that ‘when the devil had ended all the temptations, he departed from him for a season.’ It is also untenable in view of the harmony that existed between the mind of Christ and the will of the Father (John 8:29). It might be added also that it is untenable because a tempter or devil, i.e. one who attempts to seduce to evil, is invariably a sinner (Matt. 18:7, RSV) whether it is oneself or another...[This is] illustrated also in Mark 4:19: ‘The lusts of other things entering in choke the word.’ Lusts, then, that ‘enter in’ and ‘draw away’ (James 1:14), being not legitimate desires...are forbidden and therefore sin. Jesus was not thus ‘drawn away’ or inclined from the right and consequently could not have been the devil or ‘satan’ in the case. The devil was obviously a sinner who aimed to divert Jesus from the path of obedience and wrested the Scriptures (Ps. 91:11, 12) in the attempt. So that those who believe that Jesus himself was the ‘devil’ and Satan [i.e. fellow Christadelphians] make him a sinner, their protestations notwithstanding” (The “Devil” and “Satan” Scripturally Considered, by E.J.R.M., pp. 14, 15).

It is remarkable that the numerous attempts of the Christadelphians to explain away the personal Devil nearly always avoid a detailed analysis of Matthew 4, the temptation story. It should be obvious to any reader of the passage (it has been clear to millions of readers over the ages!) that an external person tempted Jesus; and that external person was called the Tempter, the Devil, the Satan. The use of the article means only that it is “the Devil we all know about.” (To suggest, as some Christadelphians do, that it was the High Priest is a desperate evasion!) Scripture likewise speaks of “the Jesus” (with the definite article in Greek), that is, “the Jesus we all know.” If the Devil is well known in Matthew’s mind, we must go to the Old Testament, the Intertestamental Jewish literature, and to the rest of the early Christian literature of the New Testament to find out what was meant by the personal name Satan.

There is not a single reference in the Old Testament to Satan as an internal tempter. The Serpent in Genesis was clearly not Eve’s human nature! It was an external personality who spoke and reasoned with refined subtlety. Likewise the “satans” of the OT (without the definite article) who provided opposition were invariably external persons. It is therefore amazing that anyone should propose that the devil of Matthew 4 (where the term occurs for the first time in the New Testament) is an internal “person,” i.e. human nature. The suggestion imposes an alien idea upon Scripture. Moreover, the “spiritualizing” method of exegesis necessary to obscure the fact that a real person came up to Jesus and spoke to him will, if applied elsewhere, render the whole biblical account meaningless. This very technique has been successfully used by the churches to do away with the millennial Kingdom of the Coming Age.

It is proper that we establish our understanding of biblical terms both from the evidence of Scripture as a whole and from sources current at the time of Jesus. We have ample evidence, for example, of the Kingdom of God referring to the future Messianic reign. We know from Matthew 4 that the Devil cannot be human nature; no such idea is to be found in the Old Testament. Nor can the Devil be an unknown human being. The presence of the definite article, which the Christadelphians have been keen to drop, forbids us to understand the Satan as an unknown person. The fact that Matthew introduces the Satan as well known to his readers shows that we must connect him with the external Satan of Job and Zechariah 3 and I Chronicles 21:1 (where Hebrew scholars take the reference to be a proper name).

It would be hard indeed to think that the Satan who appears amongst the Sons of God (whom the book of Job identifies with the angels: Job 38:7) and can “walk to and fro in the earth,” call down fire from heaven, generate whirlwinds and inflict Job with boils, was a human being. Was the Satan appearing opposite the Angel of the Lord a man? (Zech. 3). Where in these passages is there the faintest hint that the Satan means human nature? And in the New Testament, on what principle shall we say that the “Prince of this world,” “the Father of lies,” “the Original Serpent,” “the god of this age,” “the roaring lion going about to destroy Christians,” “the one who shoots darts at us” is internal human nature? The idea that these are personifications and not a person is an invention created by liberal Protestants of the 19th century who rejected the supernatural and whose philosophy did not allow them to admit a spiritual personality in opposition to God. But man is in opposition to God. Why not a fallen angel? It is the teaching of the New Testament that Satan is an angel of darkness. Paul describes him as transformed into an angel of light (II Cor. 11:14). A word study on the verb Paul used (“metaschematizetai”) will show that Satan changes his outward appearance to masquerade as an angel of light. He is by inward nature an angel, but he changes himself into an angel of light by an external transformation. Only an angel can become an angel of light by this means. Paul states the belief, common to his contemporaries, that Satan is an angel, albeit a fallen one. He states the same thing in so many words in II Corinthians 11:3, 4, 14 where he identifies the Serpent with the transformed angel (verses 5-13 represent a parenthetical section).

This identification is well known in the writings of Paul’s contemporaries. It is clearly made in Revelation 12:9 and 20:2. The fact that the Serpent of Genesis is to be crushed by the seed of the woman Eve alerts us to the fact that the Serpent continued to exist until the times of the Messiah (Gen. 3:15). The Serpent was cursed for its wickedness. It should hardly be necessary to point out that the curse was imposed because of the Serpent’s guilt. Every Christadelphian must weigh carefully whether to follow the Scripture at this point or embrace John Thomas’ extraordinary statement that the Serpent was “not morally accountable” — “it did not intend to deceive”; “it did not intend to lie”; “it did not intend to cause the woman’s death” (Elpis Israel, p. 88). These statements from the founder of Christadelphianism will suffice to show that he has misunderstood the subject at the outset. He has God cursing an innocent creature! He goes on to propose his fundamental theory; that the Serpent is henceforth to be equated with the sin he produces; that “Satan” equals sin (Elpis Israel, p. 91). By this twist the real Devil disappeared as a synonym for human nature, where he has remained ever since, but mostly only in the minds of John Thomas’ followers!

Students of the Bible should never think that Satan is as powerful as God! He is not omniscient or omnipresent. Nor need he be feared by those who are properly instructed Christians and who seek the strength and protection of God, their Father. The Satan of the New Testament is the god of the present age — the age until the coming of the Kingdom (II Cor. 4:4). As Beliar (a common Jewish term for Satan) he is contrasted with the supernatural Christ (not with the “good” in human beings — II Cor. 6:15). He is also the prince of the demons (Matt. 12:24). Jesus made no effort to challenge this idea. He assumes it along with a belief in the reality of demons. He had himself stated that Satan is chief of a host of angels (Matt. 25:41). Satan is also seen in conflict with Michael, the Archangel, in Jude 9. Any attempt to explain this passage in terms of human beings, as Christadelphianism does, involves a desperate effort to eradicate supernatural evil from the Scriptures.[2] This is matched only by John Thomas and his followers’ attempt to remove the demons from the gospel records and the epistles.

It is the Christadelphian attempt to explain the demons which demonstrates most clearly the extreme difficulty of trying to erase them from the New Testament records. Once again the Christadelphians cannot agree on the right explanation. They must deny that demons exist, because their creeds demand it. How to explain the constant presence of demons in the New Testament is a real problem. Their most detailed treatment of the demons is found in their publication The Devil, the Great Deceiver, quoted below. Many Christadelphians have not read carefully what Peter Watkins has to say. They are confident that his explanation must be sound, for it has been approved by the movement. Some, however, are beginning to question the traditional Christadelphian view of the demon stories, sensing that there is something amiss with the treatment of the subject by Roberts. To say that Jesus and the writers of the New Testament invested the term “demon” with a meaning unknown to the Greek language of the time is a bold theory indeed.

The average Christadelphian will propose that the demons of Scripture are to be explained as an accommodation to the ignorance of the times. They will maintain that Jesus did not disturb the superstition of the contemporary Jews, in order to assist in the cure of the demon-possessed. The important question is whether there is any other example of Jesus allowing superstition to pass uncorrected. Another problem is Luke’s (and the other reporters’ of Jesus’ miracles) insistence that the demons spoke in their own person, and recognized Jesus as the Messiah when the ordinary people did not. The New Testament records make an absolute distinction between the victim who is “demonized” and the demon who has possessed him. Jesus is concerned with addressing the demon as a person distinct from the sufferer.

In Luke 4:33: “There was a man in the synagogue who had a spirit, an unclean demon. [Luke’s Gentile audience might have understood demons as supernatural personalities, both good and bad. Thus he makes it clear that it was an unclean demon.] And he cried out: ‘Ah! What have we to do with you, Jesus, the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know you, you are the Holy One of God.’ And Jesus rebuked him and said: ‘Hold your peace and come out of him.’ And when the demon had thrown him down in front of them, he came out of him without hurting him...” Verse 41: “And demons went out from many, the demons crying out and saying ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ And he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew him to be the Messiah.”

We must note that the demon spoke as a member of a class of demons: “What have we to do with you?” Jesus then addressed the demon as distinct from the man: “Come out of him.” In verse 41 the Greek participles “crying out” and “saying” are neuter plural agreeing with and referring to the demons. They cannot refer to the men. To suggest that the men cried out (though clearly the demon spoke through them) is to overlook the laws of the Greek language. Jesus then rebuked them (neuter plural, the demons, not the men). Throughout the accounts, as everywhere else in the New Testament, the demons are treated as a well-known class of personalities quite distinct from the victims they oppress. To blur this distinction, as Christadelphian literature does, is simply to undermine the truth of the historical records.

The International Critical Commentary makes the wise statement that if demons exist, there is no problem at all with this passage. “The narrative is in harmony with the facts” (Plummer in ICC on Luke, p. 136). Note that any other explanation means that the account is not in harmony with the facts, another way of saying that it is untrue!

Christians will do well to avoid the attack on Scripture implied by the denial of the existence of demons. They should understand that to say that Jesus merely accommodated himself to the ignorance of his times makes him less than honest. There is no hint anywhere in the New Testament that Jesus knew better than to believe in demons! He discussed them privately with his disciples, as well as in front of the Jews (Luke 10:20, see also Luke 11:14-28, where Jesus talks at length about the demons). The comment of Henry Alford, the distinguished British theologian and a leading millenarian, is very much to the point:

“The Gospel narratives are distinctly pledged to the historic truth of these occurrences [the accounts of demon possession and expulsion]. Either they are true or the Gospels are false...They form part of the general groundwork upon which all agree. Nor can it be said that they represent the opinion of the time, and use words in accordance with it. They relate to us words used by the Lord Jesus in which the personality and presence of the demons is distinctly implied. Now either our Lord spoke these words or he did not. If he did not then we must at once set aside the concurrent testimony of the evangelists to a plain matter of fact; in other words establish a principle which will overthrow equally every fact related to the Gospels. If he did, it is wholly at variance with any Christian idea of holiness in him to have used such plain and solemn words repeatedly, before his disciples and the Jews, in encouragement of, and connivance at, a lying superstition. It will be unnecessary to refute the view of demoniacal possession which makes it identical with mere bodily disease...We may observe that it is everywhere in the Gospels distinguished from disease...” (Alford, Greek Testament, Vol. I, p.79, emphasis his). Henry Alford’s well-worded statement is a defense against liberal theologians and critics of the reliability of the New Testament. It is sad that his defense must be used against Christadelphians.

The notion that Jesus was accommodating to the ignorance of his times when he spoke of demons was so problematic to the Christadelphian writer Peter Watkins that he wrote: “Let it be stated categorically that it is not sufficient to say that the New Testament writers were using language that would have reflected current superstitions...It was not the limitations of language that compelled the Gospel writers to make such elaborate use of demon terminology. It was the Spirit of God” (The Devil, the Great Deceiver, p. 65). Peter Watkins correctly opposes the arguments which his colleague Christadelphians almost always use to defend their belief in no Satan or demons. Watkins, however, instead of accepting the New Testament facts, proposes a solution which no one, surely, including other Christadelphians, will take seriously. He says: “The subject of Satan and the demons — or the Devil and his angels — must be thought of as one elaborate New Testament parable” (Ibid. p. 64). What extraordinary lengths Bible students will go to avoid the truth! The idea that the exorcism stories are meant only to be parables is without foundation. We might just as well say that all the healing miracles are parables. Fortunately the biblical writers did not intend their readers to be so hopelessly confused. They make it clear when Jesus spoke in parables. They never say that the accounts of the casting out of demons were parables.

We are left with the simple explanation that Satan is the chief of an army of demon spirits, fallen angels; that the Serpent of Genesis is the Devil (Rev. 12:9; 20:2). The identification of the Devil with the Original Serpent (Rev. 12:9) was the common belief of the times. It is merely confirmed by the Scriptures. Paul implies the same identification in II Corinthians 11 (discussed earlier). He equates the Satan with the Serpent in Romans 16:20 where he says that Satan will shortly be bruised, a reference to the future bruising of the Serpent by the Messiah, as promised in Genesis 3:15. The Nachash (serpent) of the third chapter of Genesis appears again in the third chapter from the end of the Bible, where he is bound and imprisoned so that he cannot deceive the world any longer (Rev. 20:1-3). The Serpent appears in the religious books of nearly all ancient cultures; so also does the flood. The millennial idea is known to the Persians. These facts do not mean that the ideas are all false. Major theological truths are held by the Bible in common with other faiths. The belief in the personal Devil and in demons is a prime example.

The connection of the Nachash (serpent) with the Seraphs, the shining angelic beings who surround the throne of God (Isa. 6), provides further evidence of the identification of Satan with a fallen angel (Num. 21:6-9). Though the origin and ultimate fate of Satan are obscure, this is no excuse for not accepting the united testimony of the New Testament writers to his existence as an external personality. Would anyone refuse to accept the existence of angels in Scripture simply because the details of their origin and future are not made clear? There is nothing in the Bible to say that the life of Satan must be prolonged indefinitely. Immortality is conditional upon God granting it. He grants life to Satan at present as part of the divine plan.

The believer in the non-personality of Satan will have to explain how it is that the Satan is everywhere external in the Old and New Testaments. In the parable of the sower the “birds of heaven” devoured the seed (the message of the Kingdom) which fell by the wayside. Jesus’ explanation of the birds is that “the devil comes and takes away the Message from their heart so that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:5, 12). Will anyone seriously suggest that the birds of the sky represent internal human nature? The analogy is of course parallel to Paul’s description of Satan as the Prince of the power of the air, the wicked spirit in heavenly places (Eph. 2:2; 6:12). How can the air be the seat of human nature? The air, in Paul’s terminology, is located above the earth (I Thess. 4:17). The very atmosphere is polluted by the presence of Satan and the demons who at present “energize” the children of disobedience, just as the Spirit of God “energizes” the children of God (see Eph. 2:2, Phil. 2:13, where the same Greek word describes the activity of Satan and God). That the air is contaminated by evil spirits is evident from the need for Christ to reconcile to himself things both in heaven and on the earth (Col. 1:20).

It must be emphasized that belief in Satan as an external spirit does not excuse us from responsibility for our sins or false beliefs. We cannot blame Satan for our errors, claiming that “the Devil made me do it.” We are responsible, with God’s help, for learning the Truth, and turning from our sinful ways. The temptation which arises from the heart of man (James 1:14) and the evil thoughts which proceed “from within, out of the heart of man” (Mark 7:21) may be prompted by Satan; they may also arise naturally, since human nature has been poisoned by the disobedience of Adam and Eve. But we must not confuse the evil which comes “from within, out of the heart” with the Satan who comes up from the outside, as in the temptation story (Matt. 4). There is a close connection between sin and the original cause of sin, just as the conductor and the music he produces from an orchestra are connected. But no one would confuse the conductor with the orchestra.

If demon in the New Testament means epilepsy and mental disease, then it must be shown how epilepsy and mental disease can “believe in God and tremble” (James 2:19, “the demons believe in God and tremble”), produce false teachings (I Tim. 4:1), or be the object of the worship of pagan people (I Cor. 10:20, where “demons” are parallel to God). The Greek language has perfectly good words for “mad” and “madness,” and they are used in the New Testament. Despite this, elaborate use is made of demon terminology by the biblical writers. The demons are everywhere treated as living, active, supernatural agents, able to speak through human beings. It is unthinkable that Luke would have written as he does, had he wished to convey the Christadelphian belief that demons do not exist! There is, of course, abundant evidence of demon phenomena, both throughout history and in our own times. Personal experience of the phenomena is quite unnecessary; it should, of course, be avoided. It is sufficient merely to believe the New Testament records.

The view of the Satan as a personification of human nature is a theory imposed upon Scripture. It represents a serious misreading of the Bible which cannot be sustained by sound exegesis. Those who hold such a belief must consider, as we all must, the remark of James that all teachers of the Bible carry a heavy responsibility for teaching the Truth, and may be found guilty of leading others astray. Worst of all, a vagueness or error in understanding the Satan, who has a dozen or more titles in Scripture[3] (and must therefore be a personality of some importance), may lead to others losing confidence in one’s ability as a teacher of the Bible. They will then be deterred from accepting the real Truths which are offered to them. Until the important matter of Satan and the demons is properly explained, according to the Scripture, there is little hope of a group being counted worthy of the task of bringing to the world the whole counsel of God. We must beware of putting a barrier between us and others who are unable to see how we can fail to understand a matter as straightforward as the existence of the personal Satan.

Additional Notes on Matthew 4, Jude 9 and Demon Terminology

The Christadelphian treatment of the temptation accounts is all the more bewildering in view of the fair principles of exegesis they use elsewhere. The fact is that they arrive at Matthew 4 knowing that there cannot be a supernatural Devil. It is then impossible that he should be found there. To avoid him, they must embark on a method of interpretation which distorts the biblical text. This will be illustrated from The Mystery of Iniquity Explained, a Biblical Exposition of the Devil, by Lyman Booth, 1929.[4]

The author lets us know at the outset the technique he proposes to employ, with his comment on Mark 1:13: “And Jesus was forty days in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild animals; and the angels ministered to him.” The “wild animals,” he tells us, “represent the animal feelings in man’s nature” (p. 174). He then suggests as a method of interpretation that “no passage of Scripture can be interpreted partly literally and partly spiritually. If it is to be literally understood, it must be literally understood throughout; if it is to be spiritually understood, it must be spiritually understood throughout” (p. 183). However, he undermines his own principle by admitting that Christ was literally in the wilderness though the temptations were figurative (p. l84). (By “figurative” he presumably means that the temptations did not involve an external person.) Christ’s appetite created an “impulse” within him (p. 185). “The Self-principle, the desire principle in the Christ when he felt hungry suggested at once what was a truth, surely, seeing thou art the Son of God ‘command that these stones be made bread.’ This state of mind was the Devil that tempted Christ” (p.187).

Booth goes on to speak of the “falsely accusing principle, figuratively represented by the Devil” (p.189). “Hence the whole passage is merely a figurative description of the result of the mental examination of the prevalent worldly system.” “The Devil leaves him — that is, these states of mind cease to trouble him; he had gained the victory, and angels, i.e. messengers came and ministered unto him” (p. 190). “Hence the better view of the trials is that which regards them as mental scenes...The whole account of the trial of our Lord admits of an easy, clear and conclusive explanation when viewed figuratively as a picture of the thoughts that passed through his mind in the survey of this great struggle” (p. 191). He then goes on to speak of the “absurdity connected with the belief in the Devil; the atheistical tendency of such a belief in a devil...If there is a God there cannot be a devil” (p. 195).

We must note that the method of interpretation proposed by Booth is abandoned. He admits that Christ was literally in the wilderness and that angels came to him and ministered to him. These facts he dare not treat figuratively.

The question that must be asked is: why should the phrase “came up to him” (v. 3) mean the onset of thoughts within him, when exactly the same phrase “came up to him” (v. 11) means a literal approach of angels? The method used by Booth is quite arbitrary. In the single sentence “the Devil leaves him and angels come up to him,” the first half of the sentence is taken figuratively to mean the end of temptation in the mind of Jesus, and the second half is literally true! This is in contradiction to Booth’s own principle of consistency, quoted above.

The proper and commonsense method is surely to compare the phrase “came up to him” in verse 3 with Matthew’s use of the same phrase elsewhere, and then with the use of the same words in the New Testament as a whole. (In deciphering poor handwriting, we look for other occurrences of an obscure letter to see how it fits in different contexts.) In Matthew 8:2, a leper “came up to him”; in 8:5 a centurion “came up to him”; in 8:19 a scribe “came up to him”; and in 24:3 the disciples “came up to him.” In Acts 22:27, “the chief Captain came up to Paul and spoke.” The words in the original text in all these cases and scores of others throughout the New Testament are exactly the words used of the approach of the Satan to Christ. In no case in the Bible are these words used of thoughts arising in the mind. This will suffice to show that the “figurative” view of “came up to him” in Matthew 4:3 has no parallel anywhere in Scripture. No lexicon known to the writer will allow a figurative meaning for the phrase in question. The theory that no one approached Jesus in the wilderness temptation is a private one, which has simply been imported by ascribing to words meanings which they cannot bear. This involves a revolution in language which if applied elsewhere will effectively overthrow every fact stated in the New Testament.

We must examine briefly the passage in Jude 9 which describes Satan in conflict with the Archangel Michael. The ordinary reader has no difficulty in understanding that the Archangel Michael is the Archangel Michael. Not so the Christadelphians. Booth embarks on a complex explanation which is all the more misleading because of the confidence with which it is presented.

To explain Jude 9, he refers us to Zechariah 3, where he says Satan is Tatnai. The latter opposed the rebuilding of the Temple in the days of Joshua the High Priest. Booth says: “Referring to this event [in Zechariah 3] Jude says: ‘Yet Michael, the Archangel, when contending with the Devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, [and] dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said “The Lord rebuke thee.”’ Here Tatnai is represented as ‘the devil’ because he falsely accused the Jews...The ‘body of Moses’ is merely the Jewish church, and the disputation regarding the body is the disputation regarding the building of the Temple for the Mosaic system of worship. Thus the passage in Jude which has been the cause of much perplexity becomes easily intelligible...As Michael, the chief messenger, did not rebuke Satan, but said ‘The Lord rebuke thee,’ so it was in the case of Joshua” (pp. 101, 102). On page 76 he states boldly: “It is evident that Michael, the chief messenger, and also the false-accuser (Satan) were individual HUMAN BEINGS” (capitals his).

A less intelligible explanation would be hard to imagine. It is evident, says Booth, that Michael, the Archangel, is a human being. Is it evident that the angel Gabriel is a human being? It is evident to Booth that Joshua in Zechariah 3 is Michael, the Archangel, in Jude 9! Booth has not noted that in Zechariah, the Lord said “the Lord rebuke you.” In Jude, Michael the Archangel uttered the same words. Will this mean then that the Lord is Michael and Joshua?! There is no good evidence for equating the two passages, much less for equating the high priest Joshua with the Archangel Michael!

To propose that Michael, the Archangel, is Joshua the High Priest is unprecedented. I Thessalonians 4:16 provides the only other occurrence of the word archangel, and no one suggests that he is a human being! If we consult contemporary Jewish writings (Jude himself quotes from the book of Enoch), we find a reference to the dispute over the body of Moses — which means Moses’ body — in the Targum of Jonathan on Deuteronomy 34:6, and a reference in the church father, Origen, to the Ascension of Moses in which the story of a dispute over his body occurs. The event was clearly well known to Jude’s readers and needed no explanation. The mention of Satan in opposition to an Archangel is further proof of Satan’s reality as a supernatural being, and this is confirmed beyond any doubt by Revelation 12 where a war occurs in heaven between “Michael and his angels (who) made war with Satan and his angels.” To explain these passages away, in an effort to suppress the scriptural evidence for Satan as an angelic being, is strongly discouraged by the verse in Revelation 22:19 which warns us not to “take away from the book of this prophecy.”

Surely a method of interpretation which entails equating the Archangel Michael with Joshua is self-condemned. The desperation involved in the Christadelphian treatment of Jude 9 should point to the weakness of their whole theory about Satan.

It is customary for the Christadelphians to dismiss the New Testament demon terminology as mere terms bearing no relation to the idea behind them. Thus, it is said, we talk of lunacy without necessarily believing in the power of the moon to produce madness. A moment’s thought will reveal that the use of the word “lunacy” is in no way a parallel to the elaborate use of demon terminology in the New Testament. The New Testament records speak of demons entering and leaving their victims. They carefully differentiate between disease and demon possession (Mark 1:32; 16:17, 18; Luke 6:17, 18). The same outward disease may be attributed to natural causes in one case and to demon possession in another (compare Matt. 4:24 with 17:15 and 12:22 with Mark 7:32). As the Smith’s Bible Dictionary says (quoting Trench, On Miracles, p. 135): “Can it be supposed that Christ would sanction and the Evangelists be permitted to record forever an idea itself false, which has constantly been the very stronghold of superstition. Nor was the language used such as can be paralleled with mere conventional expression. There is no harm in our speaking of certain forms of madness as lunacy, not thereby implying that we believe the moon to have or to have had any influence on them...but if we begin to describe the cure of such as the moon’s ceasing to afflict them, or if a physician were solemnly to address the moon, bidding it to abstain from injuring the patient, there would be here a passing over to a quite different region...There would be that gulf between our thoughts and words in which the essence of a lie consists. Now Christ does everywhere speak such language as this.

“In the face of the mass of evidence, it seems difficult to conceive how the theory of accommodation to the language of the time can be reconciled with anything like the truth of Scripture. We may fairly say that it would never have been maintained, except for the proposition that demoniacal possession was itself a thing absolutely incredible and against all experience” (“Demoniacs,” Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible).

The believer in no personal Satan is invited to reread the passages of Scripture referring to Satan, the Devil, the Tempter, etc., allowing the word angel to mean angel, and “come up to” to mean what it says. It will be found that there is a united scriptural testimony to an external, evil invisible being and his demons. Ultimately the arguments used to suppress the facts about Satan will equally obscure the evidence of the true God. Both are clearly presented in Scripture. Only the prolonged holding of a traditional view to the contrary will make the scriptural doctrine of Satan difficult. The Church of God cannot afford to be uncertain on an issue as fundamental as this.

Non-Personality of Satan — Doctrinal Oddity or Biblical Truth?

It is well for those who deny that there is a supernatural personal Devil in Scripture to realize that they must maintain their position against the views of countless millions of Bible students from all denominations. To do this they must produce clear and sound explanations for those passages in the Bible which have always appeared to their opponents to provide unarguable proof of the existence of the external Satan. The defenders of “non-personality” must, for example, show the basic fallacy in the following remarks of Edersheim in The Life and Times of Jesus:

“As regards the reality and outwardness of the temptation of Jesus, several suggestions may be set aside as unnatural, and ex post facto attempts to remove a felt difficulty. Renan’s frivolous conceit scarcely deserves serious notice, that Jesus went into the wilderness in order to imitate the Baptist and others, since solitude was at the time regarded as a necessary preparation for great things. We equally dismiss, as more reverent, but not better grounded, such suggestions as that an interview with the deputies of the Sanhedrin or with a priest, or with a Pharisee, formed the historical basis of the Satanic temptation; or that it was a vision, a dream, the reflection of the ideas of the time; or that it was a parabolic form in which Jesus afterwards presented to his disciples his conception of the Kingdom, and how they were to preach it.”

So unacceptable do these ideas appear to Edersheim that he adds in a footnote that he refrains from naming the individual writers holding such theories. Edersheim continues: “Of all such explanations it may be said, that the narrative does not warrant them, and that they would probably never have been suggested, if their authors had been able to accept the Evangelic history” (Life and Times of Jesus, Vol. 1, p. 296, emphasis added).

We are here at the very heart of the issue. Those who rejected the facts presented by the temptation story were often those who also rejected the resurrection. The proponents of “non-personality” must consider whether they have not been trapped into a form of unbelief by treating such words as “came up to him and spoke” as figurative language for the onset of an inward struggle in the mind of Jesus. It is only fair that they show from Scripture (since we all believe in comparing passage with passage) a single other instance in which those words are used “figuratively.”

Edersheim rightly says that the passage in Matthew 4, “if naturally interpreted, suggests an outward and real event, not an inward transaction; there is no other instance of ecstatic state or of vision recorded in the life of Jesus, and the special expressions used are all in accordance with the natural view” (Ibid. p. 296, emphasis added).

The celebrated Dictionary of the Bible by Smith says: “It would be a waste of time to prove that, in varying degrees of clearness, the personal existence of a Spirit of Evil is revealed again and again in the scriptures. Every quality, every action which can indicate personality, is attributed to him in language which cannot be explained away...This influence is correlative to, but not to be confounded with, the existence of evil within.”

It has not been fully noticed by proponents of “non-personality” that the biblical doctrine of Satan and demons has unmistakable points of contact with rabbinical and other Jewish writings. The Hastings Dictionary of the Bible notes: “Satan is called the prince of the demons in Matt. 12:24 just as Sammael ‘the great prince in heaven’ is designated the ‘chief of satans’ in the Midrash. The demonology that confronts us in the New Testament has striking points of contact with that which has developed in the Enochic literature. The main features of the latter, in fact, reappear...The ‘angelic watchers’ found in Enoch 6-16 correspond exactly with the angels which ‘kept not their first estate’ (Jude 6, II Pet. 2:4). In Enoch the demons...exercise an evil activity working moral ruin on the earth till the final judgment. In exactly the same way the demons in the New Testament are described as disembodied spirits...As in the book of Enoch, Satan is represented in the New Testament as the ruler of a counterfeit Kingdom of evil...Both in St. Paul and in the Apocalypse Satan is identified with the Serpent of Gen. 3. It is also noteworthy that Paul shared the contemporary belief that the angelic beings inhabited the higher (heavenly) regions, and that Satan also, with his retinue, dwelt not beneath the earth, but in the lower atmospheric region: cp. Eph. 2:2, 6:12. Our Lord, as is clearly apparent in the synoptic tradition, recognized the existence and power of a kingdom of evil with organized demonic agencies under the control of a supreme personality, Satan or Beelzebub...that our Lord accepted the reality of such personal agencies cannot seriously be questioned; nor is it necessary to explain this fact away.”

In the article on the Devil in the same Dictionary we read: “The language [used of Satan and the demons], common to all the writers, and pervading the whole New Testament, allows no other conclusion than that the forces and spirits of evil were conceived as gathered up into a personal head and center whose authority they recognized and at whose bidding they moved...For Jesus himself no theory of accommodation can be maintained...The personality of the Devil must consequently be regarded as taught by Scripture.”

Edersheim’s remarks on the existence of demons are highly significant. “The reader of the New Testament must form some definite idea...about persons who were ‘demonized’...The first question here is whether Christ himself shared the views, not indeed of his contemporaries, but of the Evangelists in regard to what they called the ‘demonized.’ This has been extensively denied, and Christ represented as only unwilling needlessly to disturb popular prejudice, which he could not at the time effectively combat. But the theory requires more than this; and, since Christ not only tolerated, but in addressing the demonized actually adopted, or seemed to adopt the prevailing view, it has been argued that, for the sake of those poor afflicted persons, he acted like a physician who appears to enter into the fancy of his patients, in order the more effectively to heal him of it. This view seems, however, scarcely worth refuting, since it imputes to Jesus, on a point so important, a conduct not only unworthy of him, or indeed of any truly great man, but implies a canon of ‘accommodation’ which might equally be applied to his miracles, or to anything else that contravened the notions of an interpreter, and so might transform the whole Gospel narratives into a series of historically untrustworthy legends...We find that Jesus not only tolerated the popular ‘prejudice,’ or that he ‘adopted it for the sake of more readily healing those thus afflicted’...but that he even made it part of his disciples’ commission to ‘cast out demons,’ and that when the disciples afterwards reported their success in this, Christ actually made it a matter of thanksgiving to God. The same view underlies his reproof to the disciples, when failing in this part of their work; while in Luke 11:19, 24, he adopts and argues on this view as against the Pharisees. Regarded therefore in the light of history, impartial criticism can arrive at no other conclusion than that Jesus of Nazareth shared the views of the Evangelists as regards the ‘demonized’...He would be a bold interpreter who would ascribe all the phenomena even of heathen magic to jugglery, or else to purely physical causes” (Life and Times of Jesus, Vol. 1. pp. 480, 483).

We would invite from the exponents of “no supernatural evil” an explanation of the ability of the magicians in Egypt to imitate the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron, and also some reasonable account of the Parousia (i.e. spectacular arrival, as used of the Coming of Christ) of the Man of Sin (II Thess. 2:9), who is able to produce every “power, and sign and wonder” through the energy of Satan. The very same words are used constantly in the New Testament of the supernatural feats of Jesus. How can these be produced by human power alone apart from the intervention of an unseen evil agent?

These are some of the facts that must be explained by those who maintain that the Satan/Devil of the Bible is no more than human nature. It would also be fair to ask them to produce some evidence of this belief having been seriously entertained by anyone other than those who came under the influence of John Thomas and Robert Roberts. The remarkable fact is that where a denomination is divided on this belief, opinions have been formed according to the opinion of the pastors in different congregations. This proves conclusively that “positions” have been taken up not on the basis of individual study but according to the views of individual pastors. Thus the error of one teacher is perpetuated in his congregation — and not only in one generation. On the other hand the Truth is spread by a single pastor and from his congregation to subsequent generations. It is therefore incumbent on every individual to study these important doctrines for himself, weighing the evidence carefully over a considerable period of time. Each of us must recognize that what we have been initially taught will appear to be right. Such is the strength of conviction gained in early years. The need for unity on fundamental biblical teachings, such as Satan and the Demons, is demanded by the Apostolic appeal of Paul, who speaks to us:

“Now I implore you, brethren, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing; that there be no division among you; that you be knit together in the same mind and the same judgment” (I Cor. 1:10).

[1]In Greek "tou satana" and "o satanas."

[2]The average reader will be astonished at the following: “Now turn to Jude 9, where we find another passage where the word, diabolos, occurs and is translated devil: ‘Yet Michael the archangel when contending with the Devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke you.’ The proper meaning of the word diabolos here is false-accuser; and it is evident that Michael the chief messenger, and also the false-accuser, were individual human beings” (The Mystery of Iniquity Explained, Lyman Booth, , Oregon, Illinois: National Bible Institution, 1929, p. 76).

[3]The Devil and his fallen angels are referred to over 300 times in Scripture. In the Gospels alone, these evil forces are referred to at least 116 times. Another 70 references to the devil can be found in the remainder of the NT. 23 of the 27 NT books contain references to Satan or demons.

[4]The source is Church of God (Abrahamic Faith) but the reasoning is Christadelphian.

More Bible studies in: www.yeshuahamashiaj.org

The Rapture — A Question of Timing
by Anthony Buzzard

THE PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED:
Are Christians to be on the earth during the time following the appearance of the Abomination of Desolation, which all futurists agree is placed at the mid-point of the Septennium (the seven year period just before the end—Dan. 9:27), OR:

Will Christians be taken to heaven by a return of Jesus to raise the dead before the appearance of the Abomination of Desolation? (i.e., before the tribulation).

The following data must be looked at:
According to Matthew 24:15ff., Mark 13:14ff., and parallels in Luke 21:

1. Christians are to flee to the mountains when the Abomination is placed (Matt. 24:15, Mark 13:14).

Question: How would this fit with the thesis that Christians are to be removed to heaven before the Abomination appears?

2. During the tribulation which begins with the placing of the Abomination, Christians are to be careful not to be deceived by false prophets and false Christs (Matt. 24:23; Mark 13:21).

Question: How would this apply to Christians if they are to be removed from the earth to heaven before the Abomination appears?

3. During the tribulation which begins with the Abomination expectant mothers and nursing mothers will experience difficulty (Matt. 24:19).

Question: Does this fit with the hypothesis that Christians will be removed before the Tribulation?

4. After the tribulation the same “elect” who are warned not to be deceived during the tribulation (Matt. 24:23) are gathered from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other (Matt. 24:31). (Isa. 13:5 speaks of an army of nations coming from the end of heaven — showing this expression to be an idiom for a gathering from all over the earth.)

Question: Does the gathering of the elect after the tribulation fit with the idea that our gathering together to Christ is to happen before the tribulation?

5. The Christians who see all the troubles of the tribulation time (Luke 21:21) are to look up and to expect their approaching redemption following the time of trouble.

Question: Why would Christians be looking up towards the sky if they have been removed before the time of trouble?

SUMMARY QUESTION: Why, if Christians are to be removed to heaven before the Tribulation, does Jesus give explicit instructions to Christians for coping with conditions during the Tribulation?

In other words, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 all describe (in a total of about 60 verses) the conflict between Christians and the forces of evil during the Tribulation. How can this fit with the theory that Christians will be removed before the Antichrist appears?

PAUL’S LETTERS

1. Paul promises that Christians will receive relief from tribulation “when the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God” (2 Thess. 2:7).

Question: How does this fit with the theory that Christians will be relieved from suffering seven years earlier than this revelation of Jesus in flaming fire?

2. Paul specifically warns the Christians that two things — the apostasy and the arrival of the man of sin — have to happen before the Day of the Lord and our gathering together to him (II Thess. 2:1-3).

Question: How then can it be maintained that nothing has to happen before our gathering together to meet Jesus?

SUMMARY:

What is the relevance of all the warnings about flight to the mountains, pregnancy, deception during the tribulation if Christians are to be removed before the Abomination is placed? Why do Christians look up after the tribulation (Luke 21:28) in expectation of their salvation, if they should expect to be removed before the Tribulation? Why are Christians found in the tribulation (Matt. 24:15ff, Mark 13:14ff, Luke 21:20ff) if Christians are going to be removed to heaven before the tribulation?

THE PROPOSITION WHICH MUST BE EXAMINED IS SIMPLY THIS:

The Bible describes the activities of Christians at the beginning, during and after the tribulation, viz:

Before: “When you see the Abomination...flee.”

During: “Then shall be great tribulation...those days shall be shortened...then if anyone says to you....”

After: “Immediately after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened...and the angels will gather the elect...look up, for your redemption draws near.”

This is a description of Christians on the earth during the tribulation. How then can we say that they are not on the earth but in heaven during the tribulation? (Matthew, Mark and Luke all speak of Christians on the earth during the tribulation, and of their being gathered after it.)

Note: The only way in which the force of the above can be avoided is by saying that none of the descriptions of conflict affect the Church but only Jews who come to faith after the tribulation begins. We could then ask: If Jesus does not mean Christians when he says “you” in Matthew 24, how would we know that anything in the gospels addressed to “you” (disciples) applies to Christians? The theory that Christians are not addressed in Matthew 24:15ff (instructions for going through the great tribulation) sounds very much like an attempt to divorce Christians from what Jesus taught them in the gospels — indeed some ultra-dispensationalists have maintained that none of the material in the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) is for Christians! When Jesus tells the twelve to go into the world and preach everywhere we all take this as a command to us. It was given to Jewish Christians but the body of Christ constitutes their descendants. What is said to them applies directly to us. When Jesus addresses believers telling them how to cope during the tribulation, this must mean that they must expect to be on earth during the tribulation.

The Pre-/Post-Tribulation Rapture discussion can therefore be reduced to a simple question: Why do Christ and Paul give instructions to Christians for going through the final tribulation if they are going to be removed before the Tribulation begins?

If someone were to warn you of an approaching typhoon and give you instructions about what to do in order to survive the storm, it would be strange if at the same time he told that you will not be in the locality of the typhoon at all. Both the gospels and Revelation speak of saints battling the evil forces of Antichrist during the tribulation. Jesus gave specific orders to Christians in Judea about what to do when the “storm” was approaching. To say that Christians will observe the tribulation from heaven simply contradicts and renders pointless Jesus’ commands to Christians alive when the Abomination of Desolation appears (Matt. 24:15, Mark 13:14). There is no need to flee if you have been raptured.

The importance of this question is underlined by the following fact: Paul expressly warns Christians not to be deceived by anyone saying that the second coming can occur immediately (2 Thess. 2:1-3, KJV), or that it has already happened. Paul then distinctly explains that two things must happen “before the coming of the Lord and our gathering together to him” (v. 1). These two events are: 1) The Apostasy and 2) The appearance of the Man of Sin. It follows that unless the Man of Sin has already appeared the Coming of Jesus cannot happen. The passage deals deliberately with the sequence of events preceding the Coming of Jesus.

Paul’s reference to the man of sin who “exalts himself above all that is called God” (2 Thess. 2:4) takes us back to Daniel 11:36 where we can identify the Man of Sin as the “King of the North.” This “King” is the subject of a long prophecy beginning in Daniel 11:21. The King of the North, historically, was Syria or Assyria (these nations attacked Israel from the north. Their modern counterparts are Syria and Iraq). Fortunately we are told in the postscript to Daniel 11 (Dan. 12:7-11) that exactly 1290 days will elapse from the time that this King of the North places “the Abomination of Desolation” (Dan. 11:31) until the end of all the events of the vision, including the Tribulation (Dan. 12:1) and Resurrection (Dan. 12:2).

This critically important chronological data is found in Daniel 12:11: “From the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the Abomination of Desolation is set up there will be 1290 days.”

Remarkably, Jesus also refers to the career of this same final King of the North when he speaks of the Abomination of Desolation appearing in Jerusalem (see Matt. 24:15, where Jesus directs us to Dan. 11:31, 12:11, as well as Dan. 9:27, 8:13). The appearance of the Abomination means the onset of the great Tribulation — again Jesus refers to the same prophecy in Daniel 12:1.

The picture of the final time of trouble is very clearly laid out by Jesus and Paul who both base their understanding on Daniel, especially the prophecy of Daniel 11 and 12. If we start with Jesus’ clear instructions (rather than our own preconceived systems of interpretation) we will find a simple prediction of a final tyrant whose career climaxes with the placing of the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15; Dan. 11:31). Following this the saints who have not escaped are cruelly persecuted: “The people that know their God shall be strong and do exploits. And they that be wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame and by captivity and by spoil for some days” (Dan. 11:32, 33).

The final tyrant comes to his end (Dan. 11:45) and the Kingdom of God is then established (Dan. 2:44, 7:18, 22, 27). For these terrible events of the end Jesus warns us to be prepared — though we do not know when they will begin. It is not helpful for Bible teachers to promise their students complete exemption from the time of final trouble when Jesus has gone to great lengths to instruct us on how to survive in the coming time of trouble! “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13).

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Who Is Jesus Christ?

Introduction

One request on our survey/questionnaire was for “all that would help me understand better about Christ.” This Morning we ask, What is your concept of Who He is? What would you say? What are the thoughts that people have of Jesus?

I. He is the Son of God.

A. There is Peter’s well-known confession.

In Mat 16:13-17, we find Jesus asking this same question, “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" {14} So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." {15} He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" {16} Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." {17} Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

B. It was one repeated by the Ethiopian.

(Acts 8:36-37 NKJV) Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" {37} Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

C. John repeatedly called Jesus the only begotten Son.

1. The first reference is in the prologue.

(John 1:18 NKJV) No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

2. The second reference is in what has been called the golden text of the Bible.

(John 3:16 KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

D. Paul refers to Jesus as the last Adam.

(1 Cor 15:45-47 NKJV) And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. {46} However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. {47} The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

II. How was Jesus described when He walked on earth?

A. He obviously did many good works.

(John 10:32 NKJV) Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?"

B. His actions were often described as being moved with compassion.

(Mat 14:14 NKJV) And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

1. He was moved to tears at the tomb of Lazarus.

(John 11:34-36 NKJV) And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." {35} Jesus wept. {36} Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"

2. He was touched by a widow who had lost her son.

(Luke 7:12-16 NKJV) And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. {13} When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." {14} Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." {15} So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. {16} Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."

3. He touched lives – literally.

a. He touched a leper.

(Mat 8:1-3 NKJV) When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. {2} And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." {3} Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

b. He touched the eyes of blind men.

(Mat 20:31-34 NKJV) Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" {32} So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" {33} They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." {34} So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

C. He went about doing good.

(Acts 10:38 NKJV) "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

D. God gave Jesus the Spirit without measure.

(John 3:34-35 NKJV) "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. {35} "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

III. He went about teaching.

A. As He finished the Sermon on the Mount, the people were impressed.

(Mat 7:28-29 NKJV) And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, {29} for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

B. He taught that His words were to be heeded and obeyed.

(John 12:48 NKJV) "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

C. We must know His words because they are life.

(John 6:63 NKJV) "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

IV. Who is your Christ? – What does He mean to you?

A. Is He your Lord?

1. What does it mean for Him to be Lord?

(Luke 6:46-49 NKJV) "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?"

2. Jesus obviously expects our total obedience.

(Mark 8:34-35 NKJV) When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. {35} "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

B. Is He your Savior?

Conclusion

I. Have you accepted Jesus as Your Lord and Savior?

II. Have you been baptized into Christ?

(Rom 6:3-4 NKJV) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? {4} Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

A. All spiritual blessings are in Christ.

(Eph 1:3 NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

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The Big Bang and the Bible

by John Clayton

There is probably no subject in matters related to the existence of God where there is more confusion than what has popularly been called the big bang. Much of the problem has come from not understanding what the theory proposes. Historically, the first suggestion that would propose the idea came in 1916 from Albert Einstein's field equation of general relativity predicting an expanding universe. In 1916, the accepted philosophical position was that the cosmos had always existed, and Einstein's proposal clearly dictated that there was a beginning, so his theory was altered to conform to the accepted position. That position also contradicted the Bible which delighted atheists. In 1925, Abbe Georges Le Maitre, an astrophysicist and Jesuit priest promoted a hot big bang creation event. In the late 1930s, Edwin Hubble gathered spectra data that supported the fact that the cosmos was expanding. Since that time, more and more data has been gathered to add to the hot big bang event concept. In later years, Arno Penziar and Robert Wilson measured temperatures that fitted the picture and were awarded a Nobel Prize. Most recently evidence has shown that the cosmos is not only expanding, but in fact is accelerating in its expansion.

All of this is in strong support of the Bible's assertion that there was a beginning. In cosmology, the view is that the big bang involved the creation of time and the creation of space (space/time) which again agrees with the notion that the creation was not just a rearrangement of energy/mass but a process that had a cause. The biblical concept of what God is fits this cause very well.

What is especially interesting in this discussion is that the literal meaning of words in the Hebrew and Greek strongly support the expanding universe concept. It is this relationship of the big bang and the Bible that we would like to explore in this article.

God's Predating the Universe

The first point that needs to be made about this subject is that the Bible clearly points to God existing before the universe existed. This is not just the obvious point of Genesis 1:1, but is also stated in Proverbs 8:22-31, Colossians 1, John 17:24, Ephesians 1:4, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2, and 1 Peter 1:20. The biblical concept of God is that He is a being outside of time and space and is the cause of the existence we have. Acts 17:28 clearly states it as ".in Him we live and move and have our being." It is also important to note the name of God chosen in Genesis 1 is Elohim. There are many names used in Hebrew for God, each indicative of the properties of God being discussed. Jaweh is used when one is talking about the promises of God. Adonai is used when the ruling aspect of God is the subject. When the power and creative nature of God are involved, the word is Elohim, and that is used exclusively in Genesis 1. In modern English, we might refer to our mate as our wife or husband, our old woman or old man, our lover, our battle ax. All of those convey different conceptions of the person we are married to.

The Creative Process

The word used in Genesis 1:1 to describe the creation is the Hebrew word bara. This word is never used in reference to something a human can do. Seven times in the Old Testament, it is used in reference to the creation (Genesis 1:1; 2:3-4; Psalm 148:5; Isaiah 40:26; 42:5; and 45:15). Hebrews 11:3 states that the cosmos we can see is made out of things which we cannot see. Numerous passages indicate that God is the sole source of the cosmos, further supporting God as the creator. (see Isaiah 45:5-22; John 1:3; and Colossians 1:15-17).

The Expansion of the Cosmos

The word shamayim is used in the Bible to refer to the astronomical universe. The word itself is connected with the phrase stretched out eleven times in the Old Testament (Job 9:8; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12; 48:13; 51:13; Jeremiah 10:12; 51:15; Zachariah 12:1). The concept here is that the cosmos is not static but the verb natah is used in an active participle form indicating that the process is ongoing.

You do not have to be a Hebrew scholar to understand the concept (I certainly would make no claim of personal credibility at all). Just take a concordance and look up the words and see what the common usage is. In Young's Analytical Concordance, for example, shamayim is referred to as heaved up things because of its connection to the stretching or expanding concept.

It is important to understand that the concept of the big bang and the expansion of the cosmos makes no statement of it being something that is a product of blind chance. If a person takes that position, it is a religious assumption. The evidence that design is mandatory for a life-bearing planet to exist from the hot big bang model has been discussed many times in this journal.

The fact that the universe had a beginning that involved the creation of space/time and that the expansion of the cosmos is ongoing is supported both by the scientific evidence and by biblical claims. The Bible continues to hold an amazing record of accuracy and knowledge far beyond its day. We argue that the big bang is just one more of a massive number of examples that show it is the word of God.

Much of the material for this article is from an article by Dr. John Rea, specialist in Old Testament languages and archaeology, and Dr. Hugh Ross in Facts for Faith, Quarter 3, 2000, pages 26-32.

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Can Men Perform Miracles Today?

Today, many people are fascinated with the miraculous gifts of the New Testament. In various ways, I have been asked if I believe in miracles. That sounds like an easy question, but let's be sure we are "on the same page." If you are asking if I think men today can raise the dead, restore hearing to the deaf, and sight to the blind, or cause the paralyzed to walk, my answer is no.

If you are asking if I think that prayers for the sick are answered, my answer is yes. On March 4, 1998, my aorta dissected at about 9:30 in the morning. Untold prayers were prayed for me. By e-mail, prayer requests went to Europe, and perhaps other countries. Obviously, I am still alive. Is that a miracle, or an answer to prayer? I call it an answer to prayer! Why? Because I have been told that only one in twenty ever live to tell of their experience. I thank God for sparing my life. As great as that is, it isn't the same as raising someone who is dead, and has been dead for some time. My heart was stopped for 18 minutes, but I was not dead.

What does the Bible say about miracles? I think Acts 8 is a great starting point. (Acts 8:5-8 NKJV) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. {6} And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. {7} For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. {8} And there was great joy in that city.

In few words, these verses tell the story very well. Philip preached the word, and the people listened. Here is the statement: "hearing and seeing the miracles which he did." That was the reason for miracles. Miracles were to confirm the word. The Hebrew writer says, "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, {4} God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" (Heb 2:3-4 NKJV) What does this passage say? It says basically that "signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit," were for the purpose of confirming the word.

John, in his gospel, used the word "sign" for miracles in numerous cases. Near the end of the gospel he recorded, he said, "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; {31} but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20:30-31 NKJV)

A very similar thought is expressed here in John as was expressed by the Hebrew writer. The purpose was to confirm the word, or the teachings of Jesus as the New Testament age began. Now the question is, when did miracles end? Before we answer that question, we need to know how one came to possess the gift of miracles to begin with. I only know of two ways. (1) A direct act of God through His Holy Spirit. Examples of this are the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, and on Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. and (2) The apostles could lay their hands on someone and impart the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit to others.

Returning to Acts 8, we see Simon the sorcerer wanted to buy this power. There are several important points in this story, but two that we want to point out especially. Here is the story: (Acts 8:14-21 NKJV) Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, {15} who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. {16} For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. {17} Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. {18} And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, {19} saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." {20} But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! {21} "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God."

What are the two points? First: The miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit could only be passed on by laying on of the apostles hands. Notice two points in this regard. (1) Highlighted in verse 17 is the statement that Peter and John were sent to Samaria. Why? "that they might receive the Holy Spirit. {16} For as yet He had fallen upon none of them" How did it happen? {17} 'Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." What follows? "And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, {19} saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." So what is the first point? It took the laying on of the apostles hands to pass on the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit. What is the second point? We know of no case where anyone besides the apostles was ever given the power to pass this gift on to others. There were only two groups that had miraculous power so as to be able to perform miracles: (1) the apostles, and (2) those on whom the apostles had laid their hands. When these died, that was the last of those who could perform miracles.

One other thought should be added. Paul said, "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds." (2 Cor 12:12 NKJV) Very clearly, "signs and wonders and mighty deeds" were the "signs of an apostle." The apostles are dead. Those on whom they laid their hands are dead, so miracles have ceased.

The miracles were "signs" to confirm the word and the the teaching of Christ. That was accomplished early in the history of the church. Miracles have ceased because those who had this power all died a long time ago. As much as we might like it to be otherwise, I find no evidence to give us any hope that there is a single exception to the rules I have just outlined above; therefore, it is my conclusions that there are no genuine miracles today.

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