Amalgamation

Posted on February 18, 2016 by ACTheologian

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In the writings of Ellen White there are two curious statements that she makes about something she calls amalgamation.

“But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him.”–Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 64.

“Every species of animal which God had created were preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the Flood. Since the Flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men.”–Page 75.

Dictionary.com defines the word as follows:

Amalgamate

Putting her statements together it is fair to guess that she is talking about the DNA of men and animals mixing together like one would get form a horse and a donkey birthing a mule.  But what she means specifically is hard to tell, one has to speculate.  Does she mean people breeding with animals or some kind of genetic experimentation?  The later would have to assume that the antediluvians were an advanced race, which is a claim some SDA make.

What concerns me is that she indicates that the results of the post flood amalgamation is still in certain races of men today.  What does she mean by that?  Due to the fact that she lived in a very racist time I am forced to conclude that she meant it in a racist fashion.  As if to say some races she was familiar with are more animal in nature than others.

Since Ellen White didn’t elaborate I am forced to turn to those who knew her while she was alive.  I believe it is fair to look at how they interpreted her words and then to see if she rebuked them for being in error.

Below is Uriah Smith’s defense and explanation of Ellen G. White’s “amalgamation” vision.

“The visions teach, says the objector, that the negro race is not human. We deny it. They do not so teach. Mark the  language: “since the flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men.” This view was given for the purpose of illustrating the deep corruption and crime into which the race fell, even within a few years after the flood, that signal manifestation of God’s wrath against human wickedness. There was amalgamation; and the effect is still visible in certain “races of men.” Mark, those excepting the animals upon whom the effects of this work are visible, are called by the vision, “men.” Now we have ever supposed that anybody that was called a man was considered a human being. The vision speaks of all these classes as races of men; yet in the face of this plain declaration, the foolishly assert that the visions teach that some men are not human beings! But does any one deny the general statement contained in the extract given above? They do not. If they did, they could easily be silenced by a reference to such cases as the wild Bushmen of Africa, some tribes of the Hottentots, and perhaps the Digger Indians of our own country, &c. Moreover, naturalists affirm that the line of demarkation between the human and animal races is lost in confusion. It is impossible, as they affirm to tell just where the human ends, and the animal beings. Can we suppose that this was so ordained of God in the beginning? Rather has not sin marred the boundaries of these two kingdoms? But, says the objector, Paul says that “God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,” and they add, “Which shall we believe, Paul or E. G. White?” You need not disbelieve E. G. White, in order to believe Paul; for there is no contradiction between them. Paul’s language will apply to all classes of men who have any of the original Adamic blood in their veins; and that there are any who have not this, is not taught by the visions, nor claimed by any one. But for this text to weigh anything in favor of the objector, he must take the ground that God made every particle of blood that exists in any human being. Is this so? Then God made all the scrofulous, leprous, or syphilitic blood that courses in the worst transgressor’s veins! From any view which leads to such a blasphemous conclusion we prefer to be excused. . . . Whatever race of men we may take, Bushmen, Hottentots, Patagonians, or any class of people, however low they may apparently be in the scale of humanity, their mental capabilities are in every instance the basis on which we are to work, and which we determine whether they are subjects of moral government or not. Then what about all this ado over the charge, which is itself false, that the visions teach that the negro is not a human being? What does it amount to? It is simply an effort to create prejudice in the minds of the people, unworthy any one who makes any pretensions to being a Christian or even a gentleman.” Uriah Smith, “The Visions—Objections Answered,” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 31 July 1866, pp. 65-66.

To his credit Uriah Smith deflects interpreting her comments as a remark against those of African decent in general.  It would have been easy for him to do so in the age that he lived in, he wouldn’t have gotten much criticism.

The problem is that the way he deflects it is to lower the humanity of others such as the bushmen, hottentots, or pategonians.  He suggests that we are to evaluate their mental capabilities to discern how much humanity is in them, if any, and then likens any found failings to a disease, and thus not created by God.  I find this last notion quite absurd as it implies anything bad wasn’t created by God.  As if to say he couldn’t judge the world with the flood if he wanted to, when taken to its logical conclusion.  But that is beside the point.

My argument is this, Uriah Smith did provide an interpretation of the text.  Also, he was a prominent leader in Seventh-Day Adventism.  It stands to reason that Ellen White would have heard or read his statements.  She had every opportunity to rebuke or correct him but did not.  Irregardless of how you interpret her amalgamation statements, her failing in rebuking Uriah Smith  demonstrates either agreement or a lack of prophetic insight on her part.

When I present this to SDA they tell me that she is only human and is allowed to make such mistakes and false prophecies.  The problem with that statement is that it argues that all prophets are allowed to be wrong.  Logically, that would also allow for Joseph Smith and Mary Baker Eddy, both of whom SDA reject.

There is no getting around this.  If one is to hold Ellen White as a prophet of God then they must also believe that certain races of men are either less than human or not human at all.  Something to consider.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 ESV

Posted in Ellen White, Leaving Adventism | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Is Abortion a Sin?

Posted on February 17, 2016 by ACTheologian

baby11

This is one of those hot topic items of our day.  Since 1973 in the United States it has been made legal to murder a baby in the womb.  This isn’t just a debate in the world though as there are many denominations considered to be Christian that deny the sin of abortion, and even some who perform them.

A good example would be the United Methodist Church that publicly confesses an affirmation of abortion.  Another example would be a Church I used to be a part of, the Seventh-Day Adventists.  Though they confess a position widely open to interpretation, at the same time they perform elective abortions in their hospitals for money.

The questions I seek to ask and answer in this blog are the following:

  1. Is it wrong for a human to murder another human?
  2. Are babies in the womb human?
  3. Should the Church support or perform abortions?

 

Is it wrong for a human to murder another human?

Below I have assembled some clear verses on this.

“For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Rom 13:9 ESV

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” 1 Peter 4:15 ESV

Though nobody is under the old covenant anymore and shouldn’t be used prescriptively, we can still use it definitively.  Below are some passages from the Old Covenant Torah on the topic of murder.

“You shall not murder.” Exo 20:13 ESV

“You shall not murder.” Deu 5:17 ESV

“And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.;  “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” Gen 9:5-6 ESV

The above verse gives us an idea of the Biblical definition of murder.  One of the things that the King James fumbles on was that they used the word “kill” interchangeably with “murder”.  There is a significant difference in those English words.

Murder Kill
Murder Kill

This distinction is helpful for forms of ending life that both the New Covenant and old covenant condone.  For example, (Romans 13:1-4) would permit use of the “sword” of government in a first use of the law sense.  But it would not permit individuals acting on their own as judge jury and executioner over the life of another human being.

Some liberals I have spoken to have argued that since the government is allowed to kill, abortion must be okay since it is condoned by the government.  The reason I reject this argument is that the “sword” of the government has a scope.  Notice below that when the ruling authorities of the day had commanded the apostles not to preach Christ they refused based on the authority of the Word of God.

“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29 ESV

Therefore I would argue that the scope of governments authority is the Word.  And it only condones use of the sword as a curb against sin.  In the face of many scriptures clearly teaching that murder is a sin I am forced to conclude that the Bible does in fact teach that it is wrong for a human to murder another human, even when the act is condoned by the government.

Are babies in the womb human?

Some may object that I am using the word “baby” instead of “fetus” as it might be considered humanizing the person in the womb.  Personally I think this is a silly word game.  It would be just as absurd to assert that one must say “Child” or “Teenager” for a 13 year old boy or girl.  While one of those words may be more accurate both denote a human being at a certain stage of development.  In like manner a human fetus is just as human as a baby or child is, they are simply at a different stage of growth and development.  If you feel more inclined to use one word over the other go for it, but don’t make a new law that everyone else has to use the same one.

The relevant question though is whether or not a Baby in the womb is human.  To answer this I will appeal to scripture.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born I consecrated you;I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 ESV

Notice that this verse in Jeremiah is personal in nature.  God is saying that he formed and knew “you” [Jeremiah].  Thus even as Jeremiah is in the “womb” he is identified by God as a sole and separate human being of personal nature.

We see the same language with regards to Paul in the letter to the Galatians.

“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace” Gal 1:15 ESV

Read this next passage carefully, notice the personal nature of the writer conveyed in the poetry.  He speaks of himself being known and made by God in his mothers womb.  Though he describes himself in this state as an unformed substance David still takes possession of that substance and refers to it as his own.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psa 139:13-16 ESV

Take another look at this statement:

“in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them”

Notice that the days written for Davids life after birth are ascribed to him when he was forming.  This connections his conception to every day of his life and even to the moment of his death.  In God’s eyes there is no disconnect between conception, life after birth, and death.  All is one story from beginning to end.

“Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.” Isaiah 44:2 ESV

Notice above that God is speaking to someone who is alive at the time of this writing but then hearkens back to when that person was formed in the womb.  Again, we see the two connected.  This reveals that our man made distinction between birth day and conception day is contrived.  Biblically one is human even inside the womb.

Should the Church support or perform abortions?

 

 

Since the Bible is clear that murder is a sin, and that babies in the womb are human, it must also true that abortion is murder.  Thus, based on the word I would argue that the Church should not support or perform abortions.

Furthermore, I believe that this gives us grounds to affirm that those denominations that do are sending a strong message to the world that they are no longer Christian denominations.  This is because a Christian assembly derives its authority from the Word, not from men.  And such a bold deviation from his word is an indicator to the rest of us that these groups have in part or in whole severed themselves from that authority.

Does this mean that there are no Christians in the United Methodist Church, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, or others?  Of course not, but it does indicate that those churches are not Christian Churches.  Something to consider, God Bless.

 

 

Posted in Armchair Lounge, Heresy & Heterodoxy | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Deity of Christ

Posted on February 14, 2016 by ACTheologian

hc-christ-transfiguration

Communicating with current and former Adventists over the past year I have found that this doctrine comes up from time to time.  As such I intend to demonstrate from multiple angles that Jesus Christ is God.  Commentary in each section will be light as  I believe the content speaks for itself.  Please do not consider this an exhaustive study, more of a birds eye view.

 

Jesus Christ Identified Himself as God

Muslims will frequently point out that Jesus Christ never uttered the words “I am God”.  While it is true we don’t see those three words next to each other he does actually call himself God.  He just says it a bit differently.  Specifically he refers to himself as the very “I AM” from Moses encounter with the burning bush.

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58 KJV

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exo 3:14 KJV

“I and my Father are one.” John 10:30 KJV

It should be noted that the Pharisees believed Jesus was calling himself God, and had decided to stone him for it.

“Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?; The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” John 10:32-33 KJV

Apostles Identified Jesus Christ as God

It is very clear that the apostles believed Jesus to be God, these texts speak for themselves.

“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” John 21:17 KJV

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.; And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.;  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.;  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.; And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.; But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.; And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?; And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.; Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” Matt 14:25-33 KJV

“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.; And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.; Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” John 20:27-29 KJV

Apostles Taught of Jesus Christ as God

We see in Jude 3 a reference to the “faith once delivered to the saints”.  This faith was delivered to us by the apostles in the new testament, and an undeniable portion of that is that they taught us that Jesus Christ is God.

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:;  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:;  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.;  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Col 1:15-18 KJV

Notice above he states that “all” things are created by Jesus.  If one is to believe that Jesus is a created being then they would have to assert that Jesus created himself.  That is just a silly notion.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Php 2:5-11 KJV

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Col 2:9 KJV

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Tim 3:16 KJV

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”  Acts 20:28 KJV

“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Eph 1:23 KJV

I find the above passage quite profound.  It is stating that Christ in his flesh is omnipresent.  Something powerful to consider.

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Rev 1:17-18 KJV

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.;  The same was in the beginning with God.; All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3 KJV

“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” Heb 1:8 KJV

Church Taught of Jesus Christ as God

It is very clear from Church history that we have taught Jesus Christ is God.  This in and of itself doesn’t prove it as it is not scripture.  But this does demonstrate the early church understanding of scripture.  Those who first received the faith once and for all delivered to the saints confessed that which they had received, and this is that Jesus Christ is God.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.” –Apostles Creed

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” – Nicene Creed

“…The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped…” – Athanasian Creed

 

Jesus Christ Forgave Sins

Only God has the power to forgive sins, and we see Jesus do this many times in scripture.

“And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:48 KJV

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Mark 2:5 KJV

“And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.; And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.; And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?;  For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?;  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” Matt 9:2-6 KJV

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.; If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.; If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9 KJV

 

Jesus Christ Judges the Living and Dead

It is telling that we see Jesus Christ as judge over us in the end.  He sits in the throne of God Judging the world.  As a wise man once said “if it walks like a duck….” well… you get the idea.

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:;  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:;  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” Matt 25:31-33 KJV

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” 1 Cor 4:5 KJV

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.; His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.; And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.; And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.; And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.; And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LORDS.” Rev 19:11-16 KJV

“And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.” Acts 10:42 KJV

 

Jesus Christ has the Power of God

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39 KJV

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” Matt 14:25 KJV

“Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?; Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.;  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.; And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.; And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” John 11:40-44 KJV

“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.; And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.; And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.” Mark 1:40-42 KJV

“And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.; And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.; And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.” Matt 14:19-21 KJV

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9 KJV

 

Old Testament Taught Jesus Christ as God

We do see Jesus taught as God in the  old testament too.  This would require a whole series all in itself to do it justice.  But just to make the point I am going to post a sampling of verses from the old testament along with the New Testament interpretation.

“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” Heb 1:8 KJV

“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.; Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Psa 45:6-7 KJV

“God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.; And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.; Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Acts 13:33-35 KJV

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matt 28:18 KJV

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psa 16:10 KJV

“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.; Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.; Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.; I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.; Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.; Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psa 2:4-9 KJV

Conclusion

It is my assessment that if one is to contest the Deity of Christ they are either doing so with a very low view of Scripture, or they are deferring to an extra biblical source.

Posted in Armchair Lounge, Christianity 101, Nature of God | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Apology of the Omni’s

Posted on February 4, 2016 by ACTheologian

creation

My aim with this post is to Biblically demonstrate why I reject the more liberal interpretations of the attributes of God.  Below is a list of the specific attributes I will be discussing in this post.

  1. Omniscience
  2. Omnipotence
  3. Omnipresence
  4. Immutability

Below is an outline of the verses used by liberal theologians to deny the Omni’s of God.  If you want a comprehensive analysis of any of these the links below under each category will take you to articles put together by smarter people than myself over at CARM.

  1. God changes His mind.
    1. Exodus 32:14, Numbers 14:11, Deuteronomy 9:13–14, Deuteronomy 9:18-20, 1 Samuel 2:29-30, 2 Kings 20:1–6, 1 Chronicles 21:15, Jeremiah 18:7–11, Jeremiah 26:3, Jeremiah. 26:19, Ezekiel 33:13–15, Ezekiel 20:21–22, Amos 7:1–6, Jonah 1:2, 3:2, 4-10, Joel 2:13–14
  2. God regrets.
    1. Genesis 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:10-11, Ezekiel 22:29–31
  3. God is surprised.
    1. Isaiah 5:3–7, Jeremiah 3:6-7, Jeremiah 3:19–20
  4. God didn’t know what people would do.
    1. 1 Kings 22:20-22, Jeremiah 7:31, Jeremiah 19:5, Jeremiah 32:35
  5. God tests people to learn what they will do.
    1. Genesis 22:12, Exodus 16:4, Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 13:1–3, Judges 2:21-22, 2 Chronicles 32:31
  6. God shows uncertainty about the future.
    1. Exodus 4:9, Exodus 13:17, Numbers 14:11, Hosea 8:5, Jeremiah 38:17–18, 20, Ezekiel. 12:1–3

Rather than go through all of those one by one myself I am going to address one which CARM seemed to miss to demonstrate my hermeneutic.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” Luke 13:34 KJV

Above we see that Jesus is speaking about the people of Jerusalem over the ages.  Specifically, Jesus wanted Jerusalem to repent and would have done things differently had they complied.  The argument is that Jesus didn’t know they wouldn’t repent ahead of time, had he known one would presume that he wouldn’t have been upset about it.

It is the conclusion itself that I disagree with, primarily because scripture is so clear that God knows everything.  To use this verse above to argue that God doesn’t know everything would be to put scripture against scripture.  Furthermore, it is not necessary to do so.  Jesus isn’t saying his divine nature didn’t know the future, he is instead expressing grief.

I would argue based on putting this text together with the doctrine of omniscience that though God does know the future and is all powerful that doesn’t mean that there are no consequences for our sins.  In this case the Jewish people had sinned grievously and over the ages consequences came to be as God said they would in Leviticus 26.  Just because God knew they would fail doesn’t mean that his promises of blessings in the case of obedience were untrue, nor does it mean the consequences for disobedience were not painful to watch happen.

One of the Biblical doctrines that is helpful for understanding such dynamics is that of the Hypostatic Union.  It is not something I have blogged on yet but I intend to cover it with greater detail in the future.  Essentially, we confess that Christ is fully God and fully Man.

“…For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God” – Athanasian Creed

We see this reflected in scripture in that Jesus was not a super man or a demi-god, but showed the full and distinct qualities of both.

Divine Nature Human Nature
Walked on Water Matt 14:24-25 Ate Food Matt 9:10
Rose the Dead John 11:25-26 Grew Weary John 4:6
Omniscient Matt 9:4 Slept Mark 4:38
Omnipresent Matt 26:26 Learned Luke 2:52
Creator John 8:58 Col 1:16 Not-Omnipresent John 11:6
Rose from the Dead 1 Cor 15:4 Died Matt 27:50

Just as God is divine and infinite in every way does not mean he cannot express himself to created beings in less than an infinite fashion when he chooses to (Psa 115:3).  In this expression we see his grief, sorrow, and mercy.  But at the same time we see that the consequences of our actions are real.

Though we cannot save ourselves we can certainly damn ourselves, and are fully responsible for our own actions and all the consequences that come with it.  We should count ourselves lucky that Christ saw fit to die on our behalf so that he would bear the eternal consequences of our actions.

Ultimately this last point is the reason that I discern liberal views on the Nature of God become a Gospel issue.  If God were not all knowing, if he were not all powerful, if he were not unchanging, then it would be logical to assume he could learn something new.  And by that knowledge change his mind about saving mankind and send us all to hell.  Since the promises of our salvation are assured beyond any measure of doubt then it is logical to presume there is no doubt and that nothing is going to change God’s mind.

“8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev 13:8 KJV

“6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” Php 1:6 KJV

“13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 Jhn 5:13 KJV

 

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Immutability

Posted on February 2, 2016 by ACTheologian

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Does God change in essence?  Does God change his mind?  To ask this question in a more relevant manner, is it theologically possible for God to no longer be eternal?  Is it theologically possible for him to learn something new and decide not to save his elect?  This is what is at the very core of the understanding of the immutability of God.  To answer this question I am going to assemble the clearest verses on the topic.

Immutable:  “not mutable; unchangeable; changeless”

 

“6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Mal 3:6 KJV

Notice that the promise associated with the immutability of God above is that the sons of Jacob are not consumed.  They can rest sure in God’s promise and that it will come to pass.  God is not going to change his mind.

“19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Num 23:19 KJV

“25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.; 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:; 27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.; 28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.” Psa 102:25-28 KJV

“11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Psa 33:11 KJV

“10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” Isa 46:10 KJV

“10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” Isa 43:10 KJV

“8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” Psa 138:8 KJV

“14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exo 3:14 KJV

“29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Rom 11:29 KJV

“2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” Tit 1:2 KJV

“17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 KJV

“8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Heb 8:13 KJV

There is a great deal of nuance to this doctrine that I don’t think it is helpful to delve into, certain details should be held in a degree of tension.  I am going to touch on it anyways though as the question always tends to come up.

“5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.; 6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.; 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” Gen 6:5-7 KJV

There are some important questions to ask based on the above text.  Did God not know what was going to happen in such a sense that he regretted making man?  To that I would answer no because it is clear from other texts that God knows everything, even the future, as he is omniscient.  But do such events grieve his heart?  To that I would say yes, so much so that he conveys this grief to us in his Word.  Likewise we know from other texts in the New Testament that he had a purpose in the flood to be fulfilled.

“18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:; 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.; 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 3:18-21 KJV

We see in the flood types and shadows of judgement of the wicked and salvation of God’s elect.  If one were to argue that the flood was a knee jerk reaction God didn’t anticipate then so too is that which it prefigures.  I would argue that such a notion would conflict with many clear texts in scripture.

That said, the important question is could God learn something new that would lead him to change his mind about saving mankind from sin?  Is it possible that one day he will just throw his arms up in the air in frustration and send everyone to hell?

This is an important question because it is a Gospel related one.  To answer that I would say NO.  One point stands out above all others in the texts I have posted and that is that God has declared his gospel plan from before the foundations of the world.

“8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev 13:8 KJV

And in this we can rest in the finished work of God’s salvation.

“6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” Php 1:6 KJV

“13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 Jhn 5:13 KJV

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Omnipresence

Posted on January 28, 2016 by ACTheologian

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Is God everywhere or is he contained to a specific location in space and time?  What does the scripture teach on this?

Omnipresent: “Present everywhere at the same time”

A famous Calvinist Pastor, John MacArthur, addresses this topic in his blog.

“God is everywhere at all times.  And I want you to hold on to your hat, because this is liable to flip you if you don’t be careful.  Some of these thoughts are so far beyond our capacity, you’re going to have to strain a little bit.  God is everywhere at the same time.  God is infinite.  There is no end to God.  His being fills all of endless infinity.  Wow.  Staggering. Jeremiah 23:24, he says: “‘Do not I fill heaven and earth,’ saith the Lord?”  First Kings 8:27, “Will God dwell on earth?  Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee.”  Then Solomon said, “How much less this house that I built?”  As God is before all things eternal and after all things eternal, He is within all things and without all things.  He is everywhere.  No limits.  God is infinite.  You can’t find the end of God.  There is no end.  He has no limits.”

I completely agree with his assessment of the doctrine and though he gave some good passages I will include those and others below in my study on this.

Below we see that God himself says that he fills heaven and earth.  Can we be sure that he means in a literal sense and not just in his knowledge of all things?  I think that we can because the opening of the passage juxtaposes a “God at hand” over and against “not a God afar off”.

“23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?; 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” Jer 23:23-24 KJV

“27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” 1 Kings 8:27 KJV

Here in the proverbs we see the eyes of God as being “in every place”.  The plainest way of understanding this is that he is everywhere.

“3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Pro 15:3 KJV

Below we see that he is the sustainer of all things created as well.  Earlier in the passage is ascribes creation of all things in heaven and earth to God and states he is before them all and sustains them.  The most logical understanding is that God is present in all of his creation.

“17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Col 1:17 KJV

This next passage is very comforting for Christians in that we know God is with us when the Church comes together.  This is an event that is transpiring all over the world in various times and places, yet we can know that God is with us as his presence cannot be contained.

“20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matt 18:20 KJV

I like these next two passages very much due to clarity.  In the Psalms we see the comfort of God’s presence in all places, even as we pass from this life.  In Isaiah God is said to inhabit eternity itself.  Because of this and other verses I think it would be follow to say that God’s presence is limited to any point in time as well as space.

“7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” Psa 139:7-10 KJV

“15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa 57:15 KJV

Due to the clarity of language in the Bible this is something that we need to accept and understand in faith.  When it reaches a point that I cannot grasp one end from the other there is a story that I remember and find comforting.

I found a copy of the story HERE if you want to read and learn more about it yourself.  Whether or not you believe the story to be true the lesson it conveys is certainly spot on.

 

“He was walking by the seashore one day contemplating and trying to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity when he saw a small boy running back and forth from the water to a spot on the seashore. The boy was using a sea shell to carry the water from the ocean and place it into a small hole in the sand.

The Bishop of Hippo approached him and asked, “My boy, what are doing?”

“I am trying to bring all the sea into this hole,” the boy replied with a sweet smile.

“But that is impossible, my dear child, the hole cannot contain all that water” said Augustine.

The boy paused in his work, stood up, looked into the eyes of the Saint, and replied, “It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do – comprehend the immensity of the mystery of the Holy Trinity with your small intelligence.”

The Saint was absorbed by such a keen response from that child, and turned his eyes from him for a short while. When he glanced down to ask him something else, the boy had vanished.

Some say that it was an Angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson on pride in learning. Others affirm it was the Christ Child Himself who appeared to the Saint to remind him of the limits of human understanding before the great mysteries of our Faith.

Through this story, the sea shell has become a symbol of St. Augustine and the study of theology.”

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Omnipotence

Posted on January 27, 2016 by ACTheologian

14-2 Jesus Bearing the Cross Uphill Close Up By El Greco National Museum of Fine Arts MNBA Buenos Aires

Is God Almighty?  Is is power an infinite power?  Can he literally do anything?  What does the Bible say?  First let’s define omnipotence and then turn to the clearest passages of scripture on this important quesiton.

Omnipotent: “Almighty or infinity power, as God”

For starters we see a very nice proof-text for this in Revelation.  The word “omnipotent” is actually found in the Bible as directly describing God.  Some translations say omnipotent and some say almighty.  They both convey the same meaning.

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Rev 19:6 KJV

Simply finding the word in the Bible is not enough to prove ones case though because we have to define that word with the Bible.  To do that we need to examine how the Bible talks about the power of God in other places.  Once you have identified these areas you need to screen them for those that are the clearest, on topic, those which provide either powerful metaphors or use concise language that can be quantified.

A good example is found below were the power of God is quantified as “mighty”

“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” Eph 1:19 KJV

Here in Daniel we see that the prophet juxtaposes the power of God against that of man.  He quantifies man as nothing and then states that God does according to his will.  That would mean that compared to God we are nothing.

“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” Dan 4:35 KJV

Below we see a similar comparison where God can do what he wants and nobody can reverse it.  The word “let” gets lost in the old english, if you’re not sure look it up in another translation or check it in a KJV dictionary.

“Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?” Isa 43:13 KJV

Below we see Christ says that with God “all things” are possible.  I have also posted another passage from Luke essentially stating the same thing.  Here we see the power of God quantified in the words “all things”.  Because of this I would argue it is fair to state that God’s power is infinite.  Thus we have the omnipotence of Almighty God defined as an infinite power.

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26 KJV

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luk 1:37 KJV

I think that it is important to see this played out in other areas of scripture as well.  Although the below verses do not provide the same quantifiable language they paint the same teaching in metaphor and simile.

“5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.; 6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:; 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.; 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:5-8 KJV

“15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.; 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.; 17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.” Isaiah 40:15-17 KJV

“28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” Isaiah 40:28 KJV

Whatever interpretation you are to derive from any other portion of scripture that is less clear, the above must always stand as true.  God is all powerful and can do as he pleases (Psa 115:3).

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Omniscience

Posted on January 23, 2016 by ACTheologian

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Omniscient: having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things

One of the Characteristics of God is the Biblical teaching that he knows everything.  This is an exhaustive knowledge of everything.  Some try to argue that God is simply smarter than man in the manner that a father knows more than his children.  While such an argument has always been philosophically tenable it is not a Biblical argument.  While there are many passages on the omniscience of God, the most obvious are in Isaiah.

In the Bible we see that he has knowledge of the future, but also that he has knowledge of the meaning of the past.

“21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.; 22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.; 23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.; 24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.” Isaiah 41:21-24 KJV

 Above is a challenge to idol worshipers and their idols.  God is mocking them, he challenges them to predict the future:

Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen

Also he challenges them to interpret them correct meaning of the past when he says:

and know the latter end of them

By issuing this challenge God is also declaring that he is capable of meeting it.  He has a perfect knowledge of the future for it is by the failure to predict it which we know that prophecies did not come from God.  Not only that, but he knows the reason of events that have already transpired.  Any good historian can tell you when or how something happened but they cannot discern why on a cosmic scale.  To do so would require not only knowledge of the events of the past but the purpose of the future to see how one connects to the other.

Read the passage below carefully.  God is naming a gentile ruler many years before he is born.  God has elected Cyrus to free his people so that they can rebuild Jerusalem long after the captivity, which hadn’t even happened yet at the time of this writing.  If God’s knowledge were not complete then this would not be a guarantee, as it would be possible through libertarian free will for Cyrus not to even have been born.  His grandmother could have simply fallen in love with another man.  His grandfather could have gotten ill and died.

But instead we see that God has seen the future clearly and knows exactly what will happen.  In this case he demonstrates this power which in Chapter 41 God says is a test of True God vs and Idol, the ability to know the future.

“1 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else…..13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 45:1-6, 13 KJV

The verse below just comes right out and says that the understanding of God is infinite.  Here we can see that this isn’t simply a philosophical attribute of God given to us by Plato as some claim, but rather it is taught in the pages of the Bible.

“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” Psalms 147:5 KJV

Below we have some other clear passages plainly stating that God knows “all things”.

“20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” 1 John 3:20 KJV

“1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.; 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.; 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.; 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.; 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.; 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.; 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?; 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” Psalms 139:1-8 KJV

“28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” Isaiah 40:28 KJV

“9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:9 KJV

“13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Heb 4:13 KJV

I’m not going to say that “all” things means “some” things.  I know that sounds like a trite statement but I would like to put that out there none the less as there are many today who argue that the knowledge of God is limited.

 

For a longer list of prooftexts on the omniscience of God please click HERE.

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Joseph and Jesus

Posted on January 17, 2016 by ACTheologian

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This blog post is a study that I put together with a great deal of help.  If you want to take a look at the source that I got this from click HERE.  I highly recommend his podcast in general.

 

The Bible is about Jesus

 

In the New Testament Jesus Christ taught that the Old Testament speaks of himself.  This is an important principle of interpreting scripture, especially in a day when so many seem to want to understand the scriptures as types and shadows of themselves.

 

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,” John 5:39 ESV

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27 ESV

 

How does this principle play out in scripture though?  How do we see types and shadows of Christ in the Old Testament narrative?  One of the best examples is in the story of Joseph.  If you want to read it yourself before continuing in this post you can find the story in Genesis chapters 37-50.

 

What we see in the story of Joseph are recurring themes pointing to Christ.  They rotate back and forth, bringing in new elements as the story progresses.  In a way you could think of it like walking up a spiral staircase with a painting of the Gospel narrative at the top.  Each time you progress up this stair case you get a different view of Christ, and when you are back on the other side you see the same picture again but with a different angle as new elements are brought forward.

 

Kept the Saying

 

Though less obvious than the others that come later the first example of this is found right in the beginning of the story with Josephs dreams.

 

“For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? …. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.” Gen 37:7-11 KJV

 

Above we see two things that stand out when compared to the Story of Jesus, first is the theme of worship, for we know though many find the notion deplorable, one day “every knee [shall] bow” (Phil 2:10-11).  Also we find some curious statements about Mary in the book of Luke.

 

“11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord….

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:11, 18-19 KJV

 

Comparing the passage in Genesis with that of Luke and the birth of Christ we see types and shadows of Messianic worship.  Also we see Israel pondering messianic promises in his heart, just as Mary does the actual messiah.  If this were a work of fiction I would assume the writing was using foreshadow.  However with the scripture, we see that God the Holy Spirit has written “foreshadow” on human history itself.

 

The Pit and Crucifixion

 

Later in the story we see that Josephs brothers are jealous and decide to take matters into their own hands.  Specifically they decide to kill him.

 

“And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.;  Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” Gen 37:19-20 KJV

 

There are some preachers today who will say that you and I need to dream like Joseph about our own personal lives so that we can become great just as he did.  And that this pit in his life is just like the “pits” that we fall into.  The problem is that it takes a story ultimately about Jesus and makes it about yourself.

Instead what we see here is a father who loved his son and brother who hated him to the point of killing him.  Just as Jesus is loved by the father and hated by man, even to the point of death.  As with Jesus and Pontius Pilate there was an advocate for Joseph.

 

“And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.; And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.” Gen 37:21-22 KJV

“Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:; No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.; I will therefore chastise him, and release him.” Luke 23:14-16 KJV

“And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.” Gen 37:24 KJV

“And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.; And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.” Luke 23:23-24 KJV

 

Joseph and Jesus Betrayed and Sold

 

“Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.; Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.” Gen 37:27-28 KJV

 

“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” Matt 26:15 KJV

 

Notice that Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver and Jesus for 30.  The interesting part is that both of these prices were the going rate for a slave in the period of time which they took place in.  So even with a disparity in the actual price a connection between the two can be reasonably drawn.

 

Joseph in Bondage

 

“And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.;  And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.;  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.;  And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.;  And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.” Gen 37:31-36 KJV

 

What we have above is a theme of death burial and resurrection.  The death is seen in that Joseph is presented as dead to his father, burial in that he was thrown into a pit, and Resurrection in that he yet lives thus carrying the Gospel story forward to the next generation.

 

Slave / Incarnation

 

In comparison of the story of Joseph under the service of Potifar to Jesus as God in Human Flesh we see some compelling correlations.

 

“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.; And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.; And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.; And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” Gen 39:1-4 KJV

 

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:;  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:;  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil 2:6-8 KJV

 

An alternative translation to “servant” in Philippians would actually be slave.  So what we have is Joseph in the form and likeness of a slave and Jesus who is God in flesh also taking on the likeness of a slave.  What we have is type and shadow pointing to the incarnation so that we could recognize Jesus as the messianic fulfillment of all scripture.

 

Temptation

 

“And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.; But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?  And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.” Gen 39:7-10 KJV

 

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,; Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.” Luke 4:1-2 KJV

 

Vicarious Atonement

We see Joseph being punished for a sin he did not commit.

 

“And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.” Gen 39:20 KJV

 

Just as we see Jesus taking on the sins of the whole world which he did not commit

 

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Cor 5:21 KJV

 

Death and Resurrection

Read through the story of the Cup Bearer and the Baker by clicking HERE.  For starters we see parallels with the bread and wine of the new covenant with both a baker and a cup bearer.  Secondly we see the death in the story of the Baker.  Specifically as there are three cake baskets being eaten there were three days that Christ was dead.  Just as the baker was hung on a tree so was Christ hung on one as well.

 

With the cup bearer we have 3 branches of grapes alluding to the three days he would have to wait to be restored to office.  Just as Christ rose from the dead in three days conquering sin and death.  Just as the exaltation of Christ came after the Resurrection so did the exaltation of Joseph come after the release of the cup bearer.

 

Exaltation 

 

This is where things start to get really interesting, in this we see a comparison of the exaltation of Joseph with that of Jesus.

 

“Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.;  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.;  And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” Gen 41:40-43 KJV

 

We even have types and shadows of the Trinity in the above passage.  We see the relationship between Pharaoh and Joseph as similar to the Father and the Son.  Within Joseph dwells the Spirit of God which gives us glimpses of the Holy Spirit.

 

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matt 28:18 KJV

 

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” Phi 2:10 KJV

 

“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Rom 14:11 KJV

 

In the above passages we see that there are obvious paralells between the exaltation of Joseph and Jesus.  In each case every knee bows, with Joseph all in the land of Egypt but with Jesus as antitype fulfillment with all of mankind.

Judgement Day

 

Just as in his visions Josephs brothers did indeed bow down to him.

 

“And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.” Genesis 42:6 KJV

 

Joseph, knowing that his brothers have done evil to him chooses to weigh out their intentions at the end of the story.

 

“And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.” Genesis 42:33-34 KJV

 

He wants to know if they would harm their younger brother the same way that they did to him and tests them for it.  What he finds after a bit of a game he plays with them is that the same brothers who had sought to kill him and did sell him into slavery were this time willing to give up themselves to save their brother.

 

“Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.” Genesis 44:33 KJV

 

When Jesus judges us he won’t have to run us through a narrative, he is divine and knows the heart of man in a greater sense then how Joseph was able to discern the truth through his authority.  Joseph chooses to bear in his life and imprisonment the punishment that was due to his brothers rather than exact a punishment upon them.

We also get imagery of justification by faith too because we see his brothers bowing down to him before their works are laid bare before Josephs eyes.

 

Conclusion

 

We see in Joseph’ story that he was originally with his family and very wealthy just as Christ was in heaven before coming to earth.  Joseph leaves his family and becomes a slave just as Christ left heaven entering into human history in the form of a servant with the incarnation.  We see that Joseph ultimately goes to prison just as Jesus descended into hell.  We see Joseph exalted to authority and power in Egypt just as Christ was exalted to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, and we see him judge the house of Israel just as Christ will judge and find guiltless the elect who are saved by faith.

 

What I like so much about this is to see Jesus being prophesied on the very history of the world.  Next time someone tells you to cross your red sea, slay your goliath, or dream like Joseph know that the Bible doesn’t point in type and shadow to you.  Instead take comfort in that it points to Jesus Christ on every page.

 

 

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The Millennium

Posted on January 15, 2016 by ACTheologian
Revelation-Lion-and-the-Lamb1

 

The eschatology one holds to is heavily influenced by where they place the Millennium we find in Revelation.

 

“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Rev 20:4 ESV

 

My question is, where did the Apostles place this period of time?  We find many places in the New Testament where the Apostles interpret the Prophecies of Christ for us.  Do they perform the same inspired exegesis in the New Testament for the Millennium?

 

I believe that I can make a very strong argument in the affirmative.  Take a look below and tell me what you think in the comments if you want to.  As I said on the Eschatology page, I’m not super dogmatic about the particulars of eschatology so I not only appreciate critique but I am asking for it.

 

Mountain of the Lord

 

Old Testament Millennial Text

 

“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,  and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:2-3 ESV

 

“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,  and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;  but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.”  Micah 4:1-4 ESV

 

“Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”  Hosea 1:10 ESV

 

“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,” Amos 9:11 ESV

 

New Testament Millennial Text

 

“After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,  “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,  that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’  Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,” Acts 15:13-19 ESV

 

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,” Hebrews 12:22 ESV

 

Above we see that a commonly used passage in Isaiah for the millennium is interpreted in the New Testament.  The “nations” in Isaiah are interpreted as “gentiles” in Acts.  The “mountain of the Lord” and the “house of Jacob” is interpreted as “turn to God”.

 

Furthermore, in Hebrews we see that the author is declaring that we, those in Christ, have “come to Mount Zion”.  It appears that the Apostles are arguing for a figurative “mountain” expressed in gentiles turning to Christ rather than a literal geographical location that PreMillennialists prefer.

 

Millennial Peace

Old Testament Millennial Texts

 

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.  They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6-9 ESV

 

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:9-10 ESV

 

“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.” Joel 2:23 ESV

 

“And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.” Joel 3:18 ESV

 

“He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;” Micah 4:3 ESV

 

Above we see that the old testament is speaking of a time of peace.  So far as to say that nations themselves are not seeking war with each other.  Understanding this in a carnal sense would completely exclude our modern world from this.  You don’t even have to read today’s newspaper.  Just consider recent world wars of the last century.

 

There is no peace in our current age in the sense of the Law (Rom 13:9) (Eph 4:28) that one could call fulfillment of the above prophecies of millennial peace.

 

New Testament Millennial Texts

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14 ESV

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV

“and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15 ESV

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 ESV

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV

 

Clearly, the above passages do teach that the Peace foretold in the old testament has come to fulfillment.  How are we to understand this then?  Even Jesus is clear that there is no peace between men even in his teachings.

 

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34 ESV

 

I would argue that all of these Biblical texts are true.  So how are we to understand them correctly?  The simplest explanation is that the Peace foretold and fulfilled is a peace between God and man.  This is peace in a gospel sense rather than that of the law.  Because of the penal substitution atonement of Christ on the cross our sins are not seen by God and his wrath is not upon us.  Rather than wrath we experience his peace.

 

Francis Pieper addresses this Millennial Peace in Christian Dogmatics, Vol 3, pg 521

 

“what these Old Testament texts prophesy of a future peace in the world is realized in its “full, actual value” not in a still future millennium, but in the appearance of the Son of God in the flesh, in the reconciliation of the world to God, in the proclamation of this news in the world, and in the sending of the Holy Spirit who through this message works faith in people’s hearts, thus creating children of peace in the whole world and among all nations.  By faith in the Gospel the Christian Church on earth possesses a peerless state of peace.”

 

Is this peace with God prevalent amongst the nations?  In a gospel sense it is, but in a law sense it is not.  The same distinction applies.  In this manner, new testament and old draws us to the Gospel of Christ.  If you are looking for millennial fulfillment in a carnal sense you will be just as disappointed as the pharisees who were seeking the same in the first century.  The failure to see the New Covenant peace in the age we currently live in is to fail to see the Wrath of God against man and the Gospel as the only solution to it.

 

“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Col 1:20 ESV

 

We should look for the kingdom of God in the gospel, in a spiritual sense rather than in a carnal one.  Even Jesus says it is not something we would be able to point to physically.

 

“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,  nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Luke 17:20-21 ESV

 

Millennial Ruling and Reigning

 

Old Testament Millennial Texts

 

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-13 ESV

 

The above passage speaks of Solomon and the immediate kings that succeeded David if you want to read it in its entirety.  But it also gives glimpses of the Messiah who is to rule on the throne forever, descended from David’s very body.

 

“For to us a child is born,to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom,to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;  you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;” Psa 45:6-7 ESV

 

New Testament Millennial Texts

 

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luk 1:32-33 ESV

“concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh” Rom 1:3 ESV

“But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” Heb 1:8 ESV

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt 28:18 ESV

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV

 

Something important to understand about the above statement is that it is presently true.  Jesus is ruling and reigning now with the authority prophesied to be during the millennial reign.  To push this off into the future would be to argue that Christ is not ruling and reigning now.

 

Vision and Prophecy – Sun Moon and Stars

 

Old Testament Millennial Texts

 

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.  The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:28-32 ESV

 

 Some things above are obvious and others not so much.  Even without examining the new testament text is should be clear that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” is the Gospel going out to the world, most notably to the gentiles.

 

 New Testament Millennial Texts

 

“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.  For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:  “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;  even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.  And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;  the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Acts 2:14-21 ESV

 

Above we see that Peter cites the following as being fulfilled at Pentacost:

 

  1. Pour out my Spirit
  2. Visions, dreams, prophecy
  3. Wonders in the heavens signs on the earth
  4. Sun shall be turned to darkness
  5. Moon to blood
  6. Fulfillment of the Day of the Lord
  7. Everyone that calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved

 

 

I would argue that cross referencing Acts 2:14-21 with the following passages demonstrates that the above prophecies were fulfilled at Pentecost as Peter declared.

 

“6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”” Num 12:6-8 ESV

 

Above we see that Moses spoke to the Lord mouth to mouth as juxtaposed against the dreams, visions, and riddles that we should expect from other Old Testament Prophets.  This is not the only place in the Bible we see this stated.  Below is another similar passage.

 

“I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions,and through the prophets gave parables.” Hosea 12:10 ESV

 

In the ESV we see Parables, other translations say “similitude’s” which means likeness.  Both work choices are consistent with riddles and dreams noted above.  Putting it bluntly, we shouldn’t expect clarity from Old Testament prophets.  Since Peter interprets the fulfillment of these things at Pentecost so to should we.  Based on this I would argue that even the blood moon and darkening of the sun should be seen as apocalyptic language which finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant Apostolic era.

 

Binding of Satan

At the end of Revelation we see that at the start of the Millennium Satan is bound for 1000 years.

 

“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” Revelation 20:2 ESV

 

PreMillennial Dispensationalist material I have read teaches that the Devil is literally bound in chains and tied to the bottom of the sea, or abyss, prior to the start of an earthly rein of Christ in a semi-sinful world for 1000 years.  If I am misrepresenting them please let me know.

 

Is this true?  Should we expect to see Satan bound at some point in the future or has it already happened?

 

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” John 12:31 ESV

“concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” John 16:11 ESV

 “But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.” Mark 3:27 ESV

“17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ; 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ; 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ; 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 ESV

 

Do I have to point out that the above texts are current or past tense?  We see clearly that from today’s perspective Jesus bound Satan in the past.  Should we consider him bound today?  Of course, but it depends it depends on what you mean by that.  Some argue that since there is so much evil in the world that means the Devil isn’t bound, or that he has a very long chain.  I would respond to this by pointing out the obvious. First is that this isn’t a theological argument its an experiential one.  Second I would state that just because there is evil in the world doesn’t necessarily mean its the Devils fault, we are pretty evil all on our own.  It’s a cop out to blame the devil for your own wickedness.

 

That is all secondary to the scripture, which though unclear does allude to the nature of the binding.

 

“and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.” Rev 20:3 ESV

 

Admittedly the above verse doesn’t define the manner of deception being prevented.  If I were to guess though, and I think it is a reasonable one, we have received the fullest Revelation from God imaginable in this very age.  Today in our hands we have the full canon of scripture which is promised to have the power to create faith and save souls when rightly preached (Rom 10:17).  Through the preaching of the word, baptism, and administering of the Sacrament the devil is cast out and helpless.  A creature created above us in every way entirely irrelevant against the power of the word in the hand of a mere man.

 

The only thing that could then reverse this would be an Apostasy from the very means of Grace binding the Devil (2 Thess 2:3).  The scriptures do tell of a Great Apostasy near the end so perhaps that is a good cross reference for the last sentence of Revelation 20:3.

 

Conclusion

 

Based on the above I think it is fair to argue that we are in the Millennium right now.  It seems the plainest handling of scripture to me anyways.  The only problem I had a hard part with is that Revelation 20 does plainly state “1000 years”.  It’s rather declarative about it and I don’t have much on that to compare it against.

 

Some argue that 10 is a number for the completion of God, and 3 is for the three persons of the Trinity.  Thus 1000 would be a complete fullness of time ordained by God.  Upon examination of all of that data I think that this is the correct understanding.  The reason is I am able to take the apostles interpretation of the Old Testament at face value.  It is obvious to me that they were teaching the millennium age had come.

 

So, when faced with a book that opens up with “the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Rev 1:20) I don’t think it is a stretch to assume a pattern of symbolism is to follow in the chapters to come.  Understanding the 1000 years as symbolic actually makes more sense than the alternative.  If that makes me an amillennialist so be it.

 

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