Apocalypse Prophecy LX: A Thousand Years

The Millennial Kingdom Inaugurated – Revelation 20

The millennium is inaugurated during which god limits Satan’s deceptive powers and as deceased Christians are vindicated by reigning in heaven. The millennium is concluded by a resurgence of Satan’s deceptive assault against the church (community of faith) and the final judgment (20:1-15)

There are three predominant views of the millennium, though within each perspective there are wide variations of interpretation.

 Some believe that the millennium will occur after the second coming of Christ. This view is traditionally known as Premillennialism.

 Postmillennialism has held that the millennium occurs toward the end of the church age and that Christ’s climactic coming will occur at the close of the millennium.

 Amillennialists believe that the millennium started at Christ’s Resurrection and will be concluded at his final coming. This view has been called Amillennialism, though it is better to call it, more simply, “inaugurated millennialism” since “Amillennial” is vague. Postmillennialism and Amillennialism have approached the passage more consistently according to a symbolic interpretation, whereas Premillenialism approaches the text in a literal fashion. I will reserve comment on what I believe for this series as I do not believe this is a salvational issue.

This vision is stunning in its use of words demonstrating an obvious symbolic nature, such as, “chain,” “abyss,” “dragon,” “serpent,” “locked,” “sealed,” and “beast.” Some Premillennialists see Revelation 21:9–22:5, 14–15 as a further description of the millennium, which is already described in 20:4–6, with 21:1–5 a description of the new creation after the millennium. To the other schools of interpretative thought, they posit that they see no evidence that the portrayal of the new Jerusalem.

In these passages respectively, demons “gather them together for the war” of Armageddon and “the kings of the earth and their armies” are “gathered together to make war” (the latter in connection with mention of the false prophet’s deceptive activities, though that is not directly stated). Just as the war of Armageddon in ch16 is followed by a description of the destruction of the cosmos (16:17–21), so likewise a vision of the dissolution of the world follows the final battle in 20:7–10, which suggests further the parallelism of the two segments. Some identify the defeated forces of 19:17–21 as demonic and the forces of 20:7–10 as their human counterparts, defeated after the intervening millennium but there is not enough evidence to make such a distinction.

The main question that arises from Revelation 20 is this: How could there be any survivors among the rebellious nations of 19:11–21 after Christ’s absolute victory over them (19:21: “the rest were killed”)? The answer is that the description in 19:15–21leaves no room for any such survivors.  But another possible answer is that “the nations” mentioned in 20:3 are a remnant of the rebellious forces who never entered the final battle and are now able to believe as a result of the removal of the deceptive powers.  At the close of the millennium, the descendants of these Christians will be deceived into fighting against Christ again.

So what are we looking at here? To be honest, I have no other explanation than this. None is righteous, no, not one. Left to their own accord, man will always drift away from God.

The Keys to the Abyss

The key of the shaft of the abyss” in chapter 9 represents God’s ultimate authority over demonic powers dwelling in the realm of death (9:1–2), whose deceiving powers are limited by God so that they cannot affect those who “have the seal of God” (9:4).  In striking similarity to Revelation 20:1, both 6:8 and 9:1–2 portray good angels (the fourth living creature and the fifth trumpet angel) as Christ’s intermediaries executing his authority over demonic beings in the realm of the dead. The “key of the abyss” in Revelation 20:1 appear to be similar to the keys in chs1, 3, 6, and 9, especially chs6 and 9, which all pertain to realities during the church age. The “abyss” in 9:1–2 and 20:1 is probably a synonym for “death and Hades”. The angel “binds” the devil with the chain for “a thousand years.” Much debate has focused on the definition of the binding and of the thousand-year period – is it to be taken literally or symbolically? Those who take it more symbolically would see that the identification in Revelation 20:1 with the preceding “key” passages then the binding and the millennium are best understood as Christ’s authority restraining the devil in some manner during the church age. This would mean that the restraint of Satan is a direct result of Christ’s resurrection.

“Sealing” may connote an absolute incarceration, but could just as well connote the general idea of “authority over,” which is its primary meaning also in Daniel 6:17. Just like God’s “seal” on Christians does not protect them in every sense but only in a spiritual, salvation manner, since they appear they will suffer from persecution in various physical ways (Revelation 7:3; 9:4). So God’s seal on Satan may only prevent him from harming the salvation security of the true church but may allow physical harm. Broad sweeping assumptions should never be made in apocalyptic prophecies.

In verse 7–10 the devil is released “to deceive the nations in order to gather them together” to exterminate the community of God’s people on earth.  This will occur at the end of history immediately before Christ’s final coming, when he will destroy the nations with fire. But at the end of the age, persecution by deceived multitudes will break out against the church, such that it would vanish were it not for God’s intervention on its behalf. At the end of the age, directly preceding Christ’s return, Satan will again be allowed, for “a little time,” to stop the preaching of the gospel and to draw the curtain of delusion over the nations, especially with the goal of mounting a devastating attack against the people of God, as he did before in Eden, against Israel, and at the cross against Jesus, the true Israel. A lethal attack must be launched against the corporate body of Christ, as earlier against the individual Christ.

Immediately before Christ’s final coming the restraint will be removed so that Satan will unleash “false wonders and…deceptions,” and then he will be judged along with his followers. The Millennium is inaugurated for deceased saints during the church age by the resurrection of their souls, placing them in the heavenly condition of having authority with Christ as priests and kings over spiritual death (20:4-6). Those whom the beast put to death are those who will truly live and those who contested his right to rule and suffered for it are those who will in the end rule as universally as he — and for much longer.

The imprisonment of the serpent is an event enabling the saints to reign with Christ, and it is a judgment executed against Satan on their behalf. Just as the devil’s captivity is limited to a thousand years, so the saints’ intermediate reign is limited, but it is followed by the consummate reign in eternity. As noted in the comments on v1, the “thousand years” of Satan’s imprisonment and the saints’ reign with Christ is often understood to commence with Christ’s final coming, so that the dead raised to life in v4 begin to reign at the time of that coming and the “rest of the dead” of v5 “come to life” at the completion of the millennial period. This view sometimes understands the period as a literal thousand years, though many view it as a figurative period during which people will reign on earth and not in heaven.  Furthermore, this premillennial view interprets both the “coming to life” of the righteous in v4 and that of the  ungodly in v5 as literal physical resurrections, whereas historic Amillennialism has understood the first Resurrection as spiritual and the second as physical. One of the most substantial arguments in favor of the premillennial interpretation is based on the fact that the coming to life of “the rest of the dead” mentioned in v5 is clearly a physical resurrection. It seems clear to me that “the second death” in v6 is the spiritual death of the unrighteous, involving conscious, eternal suffering (Revelation 20:10, 14–15). On the other hand, the death of the righteous in verse 4 (“the souls of those beheaded”) is literal, physical death. Therefore, there is a first death of believers that is physical and different in nature from the second death of unbelievers, which is spiritual. If there are thus two different kinds of deaths, it is plausible that the corresponding resurrections would also differ. The resurrection of believers is spiritual, whereas the resurrection of unbelievers is physical. Ironically, the first physical death of saints translates them into the first spiritual resurrection in heaven, whereas the second physical resurrection translates the ungodly into the second spiritual death.

The underlying issue here is there a difference between spiritual and physical resurrection. Does the death of a Christian translate them immediately into a condition of spiritual resurrection? It appears that a believers’ physical death translates them directly into a state of spiritual resurrection which is indicated by Revelation 6:9–11, where saints are portrayed as “souls” without physical bodies under the heavenly altar and are told to “rest” a while until the full number of their fellow believers on earth also die. As for the “souls” of 20:4 to be spoken of as “coming to life” or being “resurrected” after physical death could appear contradictory, since the soul does not die with the body, but lives on. Since souls do not die, to speak of the souls here as being resurrected is merely to refer to a continuance of the soul’s existence, which might be construed as not doing justice to the word range of the resurrection language being used. Though the Christian’s body appears defeated by the curse of death, at that moment the soul is blessed by rising into God’s immediate presence.

A theological problem posited with the premillennial view is that it means that resurrected believers with glorified, newly created bodies would be living in the old creation with people with corruptible bodies, many of whom will become unbelievers at the end of the millennium. The response that the incorruptible Christ dwelled with people who had corruptible bodies for forty days after his resurrection is interesting but not fully satisfying for those holding variant views.

Is the “1000 Years” literal or figurative? Some understand all of verses 4–6 as forecasting a literal fulfillment of OT prophecies of a literal, earthly messianic reign (e.g., Psalm 2; Isaiah 2:1–4; 4:1–6; 11:1–16; Jeremiah 23:5–8; Ezekiel 37:24–28; Ezekiel 40–48; Daniel 2 and 7; Zechariah 14). This also means a literal hermeneutical approach also demands taking the millennial period literally. Some contend that the number is used only literally, whether in quantitative or temporal designations.

Regardless there is no way we can be sure.

What we do know for sure is, after Satan is incarcerated He will be released to deceive the nations so that he can mount one more vain pointless attempt to annihilate the Church (20:7–10). The “abyss” of vv1–3 is now called a “prison” to highlight the fact that the sphere in which the devil resides during the thousand years means that he is restrained in some significant manner. The particular manner in which the devil has been restrained is repeated from verse 3. He has been restrained from “deceiving the nations,” but now is permitted to resume his deceiving activities. This includes not merely blinding people to the truth but also causing them to assemble together to annihilate God’s people on earth, as verse 9 makes clear. The people deceived are from throughout the earth. “The four corners of the earth” does not refer to remote parts of the world, where the underworld supposedly manifests itself or where the exits of the underworld are located. It is, rather, a Semitic way of referring to the entire earth. The assembly of these forces against God’s people is seen as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Ezekiel 38–39 of “Gog and Magog” and the nations “gathering for war” against Israel. All these Old Testament texts foretell that God will gather the nations together in Israel for the final war of history (Revelation 16:14 and 19:19).

“Gog and Magog” are figuratively equated with all “the nations.” Moreover, “Gog and Magog” and their allies come “out of the remote parts of the north” in Ezekiel (38:6, 15), whereas now they come from throughout the whole earth, “the four corners of the earth.” That the “number” of the nations assembled are “as the sand of the sea” underscores their innumerability and the overwhelming odds in their favor against the saints. The attacking nations will be destroyed by God before they can annihilate the saints: “fire descended from heaven and consumed them.” This follows the pattern of Ezekiel’s prophecy, where Israel’s enemy is destroyed by fire (Ezekiel 39). The devil is again highlighted as the one who deceived the nations to attack the saints. His deceiving activities are mentioned again to show that he will undergo judgment because of such deception.  He will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where also the beast and false prophet reside for eternity. The Satanic trinity “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” This wording is best taken to mean that they will not be annihilated but will suffer torment that will endure endlessly for eternity.

The “torment” here is conscious suffering, especially spiritual and psychological suffering.  This is a real, ongoing suffering for those represented by the images of “beast and false prophet” is apparent, since the same expression of eternal punishment applies to the individual devil in this verse and since virtually the same expression is applied to the individual followers of the beast in Revelation 14:10–11. This judgment would also include unbelievers (Revelation 14:10–11), the latter of which happens after the millennium has ended. They all begin to suffer “the second death” together.

Final Judgment

All people will be resurrected and judged according to their works, and the guilty will be consigned to eternal punishment (Revelation 20:11–15). The vision of “a great white throne and one sitting on it” goes  back to Revelation 4:2 and 5:7, where God was pictured “sitting on a throne” in allusion primarily to Daniel 7:9 and Ezekiel 1:26–28. Both there and here Daniel 7 is the focus, since the “opening of books” from Daniel 7:10, as well as other allusions to Daniel, directly follow in the two contexts. The scene is repeated here to signify the consummate judgment, to which all previous judgments pointed and which is the climax of them all.

This is the final judgment. It either begins with or is simultaneous with the definitive judgment in v 10. All who ally themselves ultimately with the dragon, the beast, and false prophet will suffer the same fate, “the second death.” The climactic nature of the punishment is also expressed by the following cosmic imagery: “from whose face heaven and earth fled, and a place was not found for them.” What we see by the repeated allusions is that the non-repentant have been given every possible chance to turn back to God and they have failed. Those that end up in eternal punishment…earned it. They literally decided to be there of their own accord. Its not like God didn’t give them warnings and chances.

“The books were opened and another book was opened, which is The Lambs Book of Life”. John’s vision gives assurance that the prophecy of final judgment and redemption will occur. In actuality it will be a culmination of judgment already set in motion by Christ’s death and resurrection. The mention of a “sea” and “death and Hades” are merely three of a number of names for the region of the dead. The image of resurrection is that the place of the dead “will give back their dead.”. How can the sea still exist if the heaven and earth have already been destroyed (v 11)? If the language of v 11 is not literal, then there is no problem. If it is literal, then the sequence within the narrative is not chronological but recapitulating, which is

likely the case here.

All are resurrected and stand before God’s throne before God actually judges the cosmos and its inhabitants. The unbelieving dead appear to be the focus here. All fall short of the divine standard, but the resurrected saints find refuge from judgment in the “Lambs Book of Life” as they are God’s chosen.

The “lake of fire” has already been defined as unending, conscious punishment for all who are consigned to it as a place of eternal condemnation. Now it is also termed “the second death.” This is not a second physical death. The unbelievers undergoing judgment have already died physically and been resurrected. I believe Revelation 20:10 shows that the torment of the “lake of fire” involves not physical death but suffering that is primarily spiritual in nature, since Satan and his angels are only spiritual beings and will be there also.

The note of final judgment is rung once more for emphasis in verse 15. As if to drive home a point like a nail in a coffin, all who were “not found written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire.” This implies that all who are listed in the “Lambs Book of Life” are spared from the judgment and eternal wrath of God. The “life” granted the saints in association with the book comes from their identification with the Lamb’s righteous deeds, and especially his death, which means likewise that they are identified with his resurrection life.

They will not suffer judgment for their evil deeds because He [Jesus] has already suffered it for them: he was slain on their behalf. [The “Lamb's Book of Life” is metaphorical for God’s unfailing memory, and at the end God recognizes those who have taken refuge in the Lamb and have been recorded in the book for an inheritance of eternal life (Isaiah 4:3 and Malachi 3:16)].

Revealing Christ In The Old Testament X: A Nail To Hang Salvation On

Ezra


At the core of Ezra is restoration because of faith and reliance on God. In the restoration for a faithful remnant we have a picture of restoration from backsliding, of individual faithfulness and corporate faithfulness, and of a true effort too walk closer with God.

The worldliness, unbelief and desire of the modern evangelical church that we see all around us does not need be a hindrance to a faithful walk for us as faithful believers. We still obey the God who is still calling us to come out and be separate unto Himself.

The restored remnant in Ezra's time seems to have begun at the core, and to have worked from within outwards. They did not begin with building up the walls, nor even with building the Temple, but...

Ezra 3:2-4~ and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. And they kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required...

At the very heart of this book we see Christ and His great atoning work in these burnt offerings. The restored people are pointed forwards to Him that was to come. In turning back to these practices we see a remnant turning back to God, Messiah in faith to do what He has promised He would do even after having been punished and driven into exile and returned. It is like every soul that returns from its backsliding today must begin again but this time at the foot of the Cross, not the Temple. The idea remains with us. There are many self-proclaiming Christians that a nothing more than their proclamations. When it comes to actually producing fruits of the Spirit...they are much harder to come by. Whether we like it or not there are a large contingent within our own churches that are marginal Christians. There are so few in the core unit of our churches that keep the church alive...and they are the remnant.

The next step was laying the foundation of the Temple amidst praise and thanksgiving. But some of the old men who remembered the glory of the former house (Solomon’s Temple) wept with a loud voice, so that the people could not distinguish between the shouts of joy and of weeping. It is the story of a believer encapsulated in a single act of worship that is both a combination of joy and sorrow. Joy in that we are truly saved by faith through grace but at the same time we will need to endure to the end probably through more suffering until we reach glory. Are salvation is assured but due to what has happened in the past we are sorrowful and repentant of our sin. Our restored soul’s rest upon the foundation of Christ but there is also mingled sadness over wasted and wicked days.

During Ezra’s prayer of confession in Ezra 9 he speaks of "a nail in a sure place" in verse 8. Although he is referring to the tent peg of the Tabernacle we know from other typologies mention about the Tabernacle, that the Tabernacle itself is a type of Christ. In the context of this passage though the nail or peg itself appears to be Christ as the image conveyed of it are that of a stake being driven firmly into the ground or into a wall. It is immovable and holds things down or up. In the case of Isaiah’s context it affixes something up as v25 tells us of something that will fall. Along the same lines we see the idea that people will not hang too many things on a weak unreliable nail or hook but a solid one that is rooted deeply will be depended upon greatly and as such…everyone hangs their burdens and hopes upon.

The image of pegs as anchors are not only for the Tabernacles. We also see them in Jesus the One possibly represented by the peg. He too would also be an anchor for His people (just as Eliakim). In the following passage we see a reference to a perfectly placed peg/nail, a manifestation of grace that allows God’s people to be relieved of their bondage and burden of sin and we then see that we are still slaves yet in bondage (Romans 7) but God has not forsaken us nor turned us over to our sin because we have turned to Him in belief, praise and worship. In the context of this passage we have also turned to Him and repent (remember: this is a prayer of confession). We obviously cannot ignore the implications of the image of a nail itself. The very thing that held Christ to the Cross because of our sins is in view here.

Ezra 9:5-9 But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God; and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day. But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness…

If we jump forward to Isaiah 22:20-25 we see a reference point to show us some of what is going on here. In Isaiah we see a prophecy of Jerusalem.

“In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.  I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars. “In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.

Here we see a typification of Jesus Christ in the peg/nail and in the idea of driving by force. The word “וּתְקַעְתִּ֥יו/drive” here is to affix by striking in-just as Christ as afflicted by blows from people. It is these blows and Christ’s crucifixion that eventually drives what Jesus did into the annuals of history and for all time becoming the atonement for sin for all people for all time. This word in the Hebrew can also allude to a person becoming a bondsman or willing servant / slave to the one he indebts himself to another by a handclasp or handshake. It portrays the making a deal by a poor man’s bargain or handshake. This gives us an image of someone becoming a slave or guarantee oneself in place of another by pledging oneself. Hmmm…this sounds really familiar, perhaps because it foreshadows pledging oneself in place of sin and it was done He that knew no sin to became sin for us (Isaiah 53:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5). Initially, we see the One nailed fail and die from a worldly and physical standpoint but from a spiritual and salvation standpoint it is a victory as He had risen from the dead. It is this victory over death that stands as a sentinel to the believe like stake in the ground. It is a stake driven through the heart of sin, wickedness and death.

How We Approaching Things Makes All The Difference

I took it on myself to compare two websites. What started as a study in contrasts ends in sad irony.

Site #1: Answers In Genesis (as most Christian will know as an apologetic source)

Site #2: National Center for Science Education (a supposedly "unbiased" scientific source that critiques  evolution and creationism with an aim to disseminate the "truth")

Presuppositions…This is the first word that comes to mind when dealing with the two links above and their diametrically opposed topics. It is the idea that you can show the same exact set of data to two people and they will interpret it completely differently. One will see the complexity of God’s creation and the other will see a sum total of innumerable mutations and processes over an extremely long period of time. One will approach the data like Answers in Genesis (AIG) under the presupposition that God does indeed exist and all natural or supernatural processes are the product of or set in motion by a divine sovereign God. The other will see the data and will see only the natural or naturalistic and totally preclude the supernatural which is to deny it outright or purposely limit the scope of their investigation. Partial analysis produces partial results. To me it is intellectual bias (or arrogance). To acknowledge that there might be a plausible alternative by even mentioning it on your website National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and then completely dismiss it after making broad-sweeping comments labeling a Biblical worldview of Creationism as “anti” Evolution. To me this is a rather high handed approach. It condescends by assuming Evolution is the thing that has the higher authority and needs to be proved wrong by saying Creationism is anti-evolution. It should be that evolution is anti-Biblical thereby allowing Scripture to be the higher authority in the argument. The argument has been completely reframed and it is in favor of Science. Why? Because God is no longer humanity's Master, Science and the Self is. Humanity has become its own highest authority, pursuit of knowledge is its own idol…a god of their/our own creation. Sadly, I had no problem finding another theistic/Christian point of view site defending Creationism like: [http://www.creationism.org/]  but I found it quite difficult to find a site that was defending evolution like: [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/] .

Why? I believe it is because Creationism seems to be on the endangered species list of the world because most have bought the half-truths or outright lies of evolution hook, line and sinker without ever once questioning its validity. Science and the godless world has Creationists on the run. Evolution takes center-stage and snubs its nose at God while Creationism and theistic origin accounts float on the periphery soon to wink into the darkness of the world’s myopic vision.

This then brings up an interesting conundrum. In our culture and world nowadays, Science does have the upper hand in this polemic/debate. What was once something that could’ve been made in harmony with Christianity and religion in general is now antithetical to it. In a wish to preclude the supernatural, science and humanists have tried to preclude God. Regardless of whether or not they acknowledge God or not, He is still there/here. These people have sadly confused God’s grace, mercy and silence for the end result. At some point God’s mercy runs out and the silence to these people will end.

Try only to give what they believe is the truth and what they believe it. If they believe in something then I would have to say that this comes close to constituting a religion in and of itself. They want what they believe taught in classrooms and disseminated to the world but for all intents and purposes they want to shut up the propagation of creationism and keep it out of classrooms. This to me seems a little bit like a breach of the religious rights of some in favor of others. I thought the First Amendment rights in America (never mind the idea of separation of Church and State is not even in the Constitution). The sad fact is that the scientific side has clear acknowledged that they limit or pigeon-hole their scope of data. The exact quote of NCSE was, “For more than two decades, the National Center for Science Education has been opposing efforts by creationists to weaken or block the teaching of evolution.” Yet they cite no incidences of this. If they are opposing Creationists, then they are clearly limiting what is said and therefore not being open and honest about their sources of data or reality. What’s worse is that they appear to be actively resisting having Creationism taught in classrooms. It isn’t like the Creationists are not trying to meet them half the way either. Creationists are trying to convince and offer olive branches to evolutionists with their own words and science but most often this is met with a “talk to the hand” stand-offish attitude. Evolutionist (mostly the militant among them) cannot even find a place to meet the Creationists in the middle to discuss things because…they don’t want too. So the two sides grow farther apart, misrepresenting and stereotyping along the way further exacerbating the division.

What I will say in this NCSE defense is that they at least recognize and accurately represent the fact that there is a continuum of Creation/Evolution. They specifically state that:

One goal of this section of the website is to make the public aware that the dichotomous view represented by creationists and antireligious atheists leaves out a large range of more moderate religious views. We hope that you find these materials useful in considering these important issues.

The continuum starts with the hardcore on opposite ends of the Evolution/Creation debate and then goes towards the middle to the “not so sure”. It speaks of those that try to straddle the fence between Creationism (religious based) and Evolution (which tend to be, but not always materialists/methodological naturalists). Regardless of the pretense/subterfuge NCSE puts up of being somewhat impartial, the site still doesn’t speak too kindly of those of a theistic or religious persuasion. It is still humanism/humanistic based and therefore is not of the spiritual mind but rather of the natural man mentioned by Paul in Romans and 1 Corinthians.

If you are going to believe something, at least do so with conviction not half-heartedly. Figure out what you believe and think through things to their logical end and stop being force fed what others want you to believe. Both sites advocate this to some extent but I sense a disingenuous nature in the NCSE site since the anti-Christian/theistic posts are scathing and venomous at times.

The truth is Science doesn’t necessarily make you hardcore atheist and Christianity (Religion) does not necessarily make you a hardcore Young Earth Creationist either.  There is some breathing room. Science books are not the Bible but they have things to teach us, just as the Bible is not a science book but when it speaks of things scientific, science would have a hard time of proving it wrong. If we do not at least try to meet in the middle to talk about these things the sides can only grow farther apart and become more acrimonious towards one another. This doesn’t help evangelism and it keeps theists in the dark about things that could potentially help them. My assumption is that evangelism helps those on the fence or on the other side of the fence.

Proverbs 8:24-29 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,  when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Christians approach God knowing they know very little and this is often the reason for the need to approach Him. True Christians by nature will be humble. We know that He has the answers we do not. Scientific types on the other had refuse to go to God for answers. Usually because they do not even believe He exists. More importantly, scientific empirical types approach reality with arrogance cock-sure of themselves that they will be able to determine and answer on their own. My nature they are not intellectually humble. They are usually pretentious and haughty. This arrogance stems from a support system or society that looks up to them and never tells them they are wrong. This is not support, it is enabling, just like a junkie enables an addict. They are addicted to themselves and wisdom of the world and the masses are the pushers of their egos.

On The Origin Of Darwin & A Demonic Selection

So I decided to reread Darwin's On Origin of Species. Not sure why, it's a brutally dry read and so full of 19th Century empiricism and rationalism, a person could choke on it even at a distance. The most coherent thing that I can pull from the last Chapter (14) of Origin of the Species is a convoluted explanation for sterility in female caste ants in their colony. It is overly wordy and comes off as pretentious and at times, rambling, like a man possessed. Perhaps he was? Perhaps this is why I put it down the first time when I tried to read the entire thing twenty years ago (boooooring). 

Darwin then goes on to describe in detail the potential shortcomings of his theory by stating them. The foremost being the complete lack of intermediate forms or what are now called transitional fossils/forms. He acknowledges at the time of publishing of Origin of The Species (1859) that there appeared to be a substantial lack of sources of transitional forms and unequivocally posits the rhetorical question that even if we as humans did find them, “What would keep us from finding them so distinct that they would be viewed as another distinct species and not a transitional or intermediate form?” He makes elaborate excuses for why intermediate forms would be so difficult to find. Case in point: He states that perfect scenarios/circumstances would need to unfold to fossilize these intermediate forms and then probably, even on the sheer scale of time that he allows for…the discovery of them would be minimal if not impossible. It’s as if he is making “scientific excuses” for why they won’t be found even though he is convinced they existed. That is like saying, “They existed, I’m sure of it but they don’t anymore and you won’t find proof.” How this any different than saying, “They never existed because they can’t…because evolution isn’t true.” Again we see an impressive intellect framing the argument so that no matter how its approached, it will be hard to refute or argue because you need to work within the framework laid out by the one who sets the criteria for what the truth is or what the possible end results or answers could be. To me this is no different than what David Hume did in his argument against miracles. It’s called “excuses for human inadequacy”. Hume narrowly defined criteria of how to view and assess miracles. So narrowly that he practically made the supernatural only explainable through means he found acceptable which in itself—was horribly biased. In Hume’s case he wants a posteriori experience or posits a need to have people or witnesses of the miracle and they had to have been “educated" and "honest" men by Hume’s definition. Like Darwin, Hume demands a proof that is unattainable by the criteria set up. Darwin by saying that the fossil record would be too infinitesimal is making excuses for why these intermediate forms will not (or cannot) be found. He then compounds the impossibly/improbability by saying that even if we found them, we probably wouldn’t recognize them as transitional fossils but rather completely distinct new species. How convenient for evolutionists.

Along the way he makes what appears to be leaping assumptions such as, “If we look to long enough intervals of time, geology plainly declares that all species have changed; and they have changed in the manner which my theory requires, for they have changed slowly and in a graduated manner. We clearly see this in the fossil remains from consecutive formations invariably being much more closely related to each other, than are the fossils from formations distant from each other in time. Darwin has drawn the false assumption here that things have to have been laid down in strata in a uniform manner and because it appears it has always been done in this manner, it would continue to so, both in time and within the ecological systems of which he refers. This is an adherence to Uniformitarianism. Too bad Stephen Jay Gould came along as an evolutionist himself and added a further theory to an existing flawed theory (evolution) called Punctuated Equilibrium. This theory generally states that evolutionary change occurs rapidly and then alternates with long periods of evolutionary stability or stasis (i.e.: non-uniform). Ironically, this sounds strangely akin to theistic evolution and if I dare say it…progressive creationism. Unfortunate for Darwin, it flies directly in the face of his foundational theory which states in the summary that, “As natural selection acts solely by accumulating slight, successive, favorable variations, it can produce no great or sudden modification; it can act only by very short and slow steps. Hence the canon of `Natura non facit saltum”. What’s this all mean? It means the very theory the Gould bases his modified theory on directly contradicts the tenants of his undergirding or supporting theory. He nicely “shoots himself in the taxonomic foot (or fin)” …so to speak. This violates the Law of Non-contradiction. Tut-tut Mr. Gould you committed a fallacy of logic that any first year philosophy student would know to avoid.

This being said I offer a short abbreviated Christian blurb as a point of commonsense and contrast from a site called:  biblicalcreation.org.uk. It alludes (rightfully) that science since the time of Darwin has purposefully and narrowly defined what is acceptable (and not acceptable) right down to terminologies (just as Hume did with miracles). Much of what we pull from Scriptures is dependent on terms. If science or humanistic society is successful in redefining them or deconstructing them, they can change people’s minds by obfuscating truth and bending meanings. This is exactly what biblicalcreation.org points out in a succinct prose. They mention that plants and animals reproduce after their “kind”.  As such there are not rigid rules in the norms of language in the Bible that says these “kinds” are species per se. This is a modern imposition on the text. This site then rightfully concludes that the Bible does not preclude speciation which is a false assumption by evolutionist and sadly, many creationists. This is all because of an improper or deliberate reframing of the argument and twisting of meanings.

What neither of these sites speak to very much is the issue of the soul unless you dig on the Christian sites. Darwin doesn’t seem to mention it. It is interesting that Darwin never took a thing like the soul into consideration in his theory. This also brings up the interesting question of what makes the difference between man’s self-consciousness and animal’s lack of it. Why are human’s different if we are nothing more than a more evolved primate? To me this is a glaring oversight or act of intellectual ignorance/arrogance in the case of Darwin and continues to be for all those that adhere to the tenants of his godless faith in evolution that cannot even account for something as obvious as his own human cognizance as anything more than a sum result of evolution and chemistry.

What I found truly interesting is the article on Darwin himself on christiananswers.net concerning his “free thinking” background with his parents. He himself seems to have been a victim or outworking of his own theory in a warped and twisted way. Darwin appears to have indeed been shaped by his environment in his youth by his father and grandfather and “adapted” accordingly by apostatizing and assimilating into agnostic surroundings he grew up in. He took on the “traits” within his own family or “species” of unbelief. Sad. Due to the mental devolution of one man a permanent detrimental mutation has now propagated to millions. He had a chance to select the right path, he chose the wrong one. Just as many who have followed him down a path of man-centered worship.

Revealing Christ In The Old Testament IX: The Greater-Part II

Golgatha 

Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge
1892
Realism

2 Samuel

In 2 Samuel 9 we see the story of Mephibosheth which in an encapsulated form foreshadows the love God has for all sinful believers that God will bestow Jesus’ righteousness on all believers who will trust in Him. Mephibosheth lamed since childhood and crippled. Believers crippled by sin and death since birth. Even though Mephibosheth considered himself a “dead dog” and had no right to anything of the kingdom, David had compassion on him and confirmed him as the rightful owner of Saul's lands (2 Samuel 9: 1-13). Moreover, David conferred on him the position reserved for his own sons. Mephibosheth would eat at David's table. He was officially adopted into David's family. I don’t know about you the reader but this sounds and awful lot like believers being adopted in the family of God solely because of God’s mercy and grace through faith…which is by no works of our own. Mephibosheth is an exact image of us as wretched sinners coming to the King and having faith in His promises thereby having His righteousness imputed to us and gaining us a position in God’s eyes…through Christ alone.

Kings and Chronicles (History Books In General)

In 1 Kings we see the image of the Forerunner. When God was about to send the rain in answer to Elijah's prayer, Elijah sent Ahab the message:

1 Kings 18:44 "The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel."

And then it appears that Elijah acted the part of a runner to Ahab. In Egypt the "runner" attached to the household of kings and nobles. The same custom was in used in Israel, for Samuel warned the people that the king they so eagerly desired would exact this oppressive custom of his subjects :

"He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen ; and some shall run before his chariots." 1 Samuel 8:11


These facts lend great force to the act of Elijah, who, in an ecstasy of joy and zeal at the triumph of God, and based in the desire to "honor the King" who for a brief moment had honored God, when the hand of the Lord came upon him, girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel—that is, for a distance of some twenty miles or more across the great plain of Esdraelon the man of God acted as the sais or runner of the King, clearing the way for his chariot and announcing his arrival! He ran the equivalent of a marathon!

Does this not describe almost in detail the function of John the Baptist in all the Gospels and foretold of by Isaiah 40:3?

Mark 1:1-4~"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

In another sense does this not speak of the office of out-runner also illustrate in the figure of Jesus in Hebrews 6:20?

"...here our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

Elisha's was a ministry of blessing and healing. This too was a type of Christ. We have, moreover, in the life and miracles of Elisha just like Christ. In the story of Elisha ploughing the field. Passing by Elisha, Elijah cast his mantle upon him which was a call was to follow Elijah as a servant, pour water on his hands, perhaps to die with him. There was no time to think, the decision had to be made in a instantly.  Here we see Jesus' statements on the importance of being a disciple and its costs:

Marks 9:62~ Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Luke 9:23~ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny [or die] themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

In the healing of Naaman we see a picture of the Gospel in miniature. Naaman was a great man but he was also a leper. He was unclean. Just as one who has unforgiven sin is unclean/unrighteous in God's eyes. Naaman is therefore required to go through steps of humbling, low enough to receive the blessing of healing and new life from God. He accepted the testimony of a little captive maid. He found it was not the great King of Israel who was to cleanse him. He found that the cleansing could not be bought, even with money. He had to go to the house of a poor prophet. The prophet did not even come out to work the miracle, but sent a message. He was to wash in the Jordan River. say what? He had to be guided by the advice of servants. He had to obey those "beneath" him. He had to become as a little child. Then, and only then was he clean

In a similar way God had to remove, one by one, all people's preconceived notions of how they were and will saved by their Messiah. This of course brings us to the lowering to be exalted of Philippians 2:5-11...and that points squarely at the Gospel.

Additionally, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles in general show us shadows and types of the "glory which should follow" that is greater than the Temple built by Solomon and Solomon himself… 

Greater Than Solomon

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here." Matthew 12:1-6

Greater Than Solomon

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:38-42

This "Something" would be the very thing to speak these words The Greater here is Jesus (of course). Therefore Christ Himself acknowledges that both the Temple in all its types and shadows, foreshadowed Christ Himself. Just like God had laid out the plans for the Tabernacle and Temple, so too He had laid out the plan since before the foundations of the world of how He would send His Son Jesus to give Himself to redeem His people. Christ also acknowledges that Solomon as a Wise King was another foreshadowing of a King to come just has His father was before him. It wasn't until Solomon turned towards the world and apostatized that he did not act as a foreshadowing of Jesus. But then again...if we view an old back-slid Solomon as the image of a King that has heaped sin upon Himself, we then begin to the image turns really ugly. If that is the case then Solomon does then foreshadow Jesus who would hang on a cross taking on the sin of humanity...which also turns really violent and ugly. The difference between Solomon and Jesus though is an issue of forgiveness. Solomon had absolutely no authority or ability to forgive even one sin. It is to Jesus that we all will need to look to for that forgiveness.

…and all of this speaks of Jesus' glory

“The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”Psalm29:9

As best I can see Chronicles (1 & 2) reveals Christ as "the King's Son," rescued "from among the dead," hidden in the House of God, to be manifested in due time in the story of Queen Athaliah and Joash.

“When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land. In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David.” 2 Chronicles 22:10-23: 3

This is an obvious parallel to Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is also an analogy of the Kingdom itself in that, although Jesus is around and the Kingdom has arrived, it has not done so yet in full force…except for the hearts of true believers. Everyone else just swings with the whims of the world and culture and clings tightly to whatever new comes along. Like that witch Athaliah. The killing of the relatives or “she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah” and this is akin to the stoning and killing of prophets in the Old Testament who were of the royal family of Go. It is also a picture of the Israelites persecuted or hunted down, often by their own brethren albeit removed by generations and years. Later this would be manifest in the vile hatred exhibited by Jews towards Christians after Christ.

Some other things we see in the history books of the Samuels, Kings and Chronicles is the offices of the King, the Prophet and the Priest which are in full swing during these narratives. Mirrored in these offices of King, Prophet and Priest we see the Messiah because all of them are embodied perfectly in Jesus Christ. Interestingly, it is only David that had this three-fold anointing on his life…other than Jesus Himself.

In these books we see the Lord’s zeal for his Temple which will eventually become the believer themselves in the New Testament when believers will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Finally, I will mention the interesting story of 1 Chronicles 14:8-12 in which David defeats the Philistines. How? The Lord delivers them into David’s hands.

"When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them. Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The LORD answered him, “Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”  So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire." 1 Chronicles 14:8-12

Here we see the Lord informing David the victory is his. In a sort of way we see the Lord acting as a military advisor. He is the Lord of Hosts (Armies). It would be Him that would know the weakest point at which to engage the enemy. It would be Him that would come out to wage war on the forces of evil and darkness when He submitted to the will of the Father by allowing Himself to be crucified and laying down His life on the Cross. For this he would be raised by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. God knows how to defeat our spiritual enemies and has already done so…its victory He has already won and we need only step forward to claim it as our own.

We no longer need to have any fear of our enemy(ies), Jesus Christ has overcome them all.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:28-32

…as Hezekiah  exhorted in 2 Chronicles 32:7…

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him”

A “Power” clearly greater than the Temple and greater than Solomon that will come as the “Son of David”.  He will be a Lion that conquers as a Slaughtered Lamb. He was more because He was less. Lowered so He could be exalted by the Father. He suffered so we could escape the penalty of God's wrath an eternal condemnation. In so doing he will accept those into the family of God crippled by their sin and unable to do anything about it…because He is the King…and can do whatever He wants…even being merciful and bestowing unmerited grace.

Finally we see the image of Temple being filled with Glory of God. When the work of the house of the Lord was finished, Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel to bring up the Ark of the Lord out of Zion the city of David.

Then...1 Kings 8:10-11 "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple."

This is an amazing picture of the Holy Spirit coming to fill the heart which has been prepared for His coming, the heart cleansed. So much so that

1 John 3:9 "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God"

So it is by the blood of Christ and surrender to Him, that we, clay vessels are made fit to become a temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own"

Revealing Christ In The Old Testament VIII: The Greater - Part I

Jean-Leon Gerome
Jerusalem 
(Golgotha ​​Consummatum East)
1867
Oil on Canvas

1 & 2 Samuel

"David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain [Sar/ שָׂר] over them. And there were about four hundred men with him." ~1 Samuel 22:1-2

Samuel reveals the "sufferings" and rejection of David in his flight from the "world's" or "people's" king that was in actuality in rebellion and disobedience against God. A King that was given over to His reprobate mind and had literally gone mad because of it. In David's flight from persecution he becomes and outcast of the very society or people he was to reign over. A society and culture that would one day accepted him but now reviled him because of lies and deception by Saul (a man of the world). Strangely, this near exact scenario will again unfold with his own son Absalom later in life because of his very disobedience to God (unlike Jesus).

But here in the cave of Adullam, David becomes a שָׂר . A "Savior", "Lord/Prince" or "Captain" of his followers (1 Sam. 22:1, 2) who were themselves outcast, even more so for following David. A cave not that unlike a grave used a millennium later to bury the One True King. It is after Jesus' death, buried in this cave and Resurrection from that cave/grave that men then truly understand what Jesus' true ministry was in that it was an ushering in of the true Kingdom, through a true nation of priests (foretold by Moses) that would be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, the word "Captain", "Savior" or "Lord/Prince" here is [Sar/ שָׂר] in Hebrew. Translate to Greek it is similar to the word [Archegos/ αρχηγος] which means captain. Also, in ancient Greek maritime tradition an [Archegos/ αρχηγος] was the strongest swimmer on the ship. In case of shipwreck, he would dive into the sea with a rope tied around his waist and swim to shore and tie the rope to a tree or something fixed on shore. He then would swim back to the ship and help everyone on board to follow the line to safety one at a time. If the archegos drowned, then the people on the ship were doomed. This word is attributed directly to Jesus (3x) three times in the New Testament.

Peter speaking to the Jews in Acts 3:14-15, "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,  but put to death the Prince [Archegos/ αρχηγος] of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses."

Peter speaking before the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin Acts 5:31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince [Archegos/ αρχηγος] and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author [Archegos/ αρχηγος]  and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Saul never managed to kill David. As a matter of fact David becomes Israel's first true legitimate king in God's eyes. Jesus as Archegos did not drown but is God's True Chosen and is his name is exalted above all other names and at His name very knee will bow as He is the Only King we will ever need (Philippians 2:9-10). Jesus Christ in going into His cave/grave and coming out the other side is our [Archegos/ αρχηγος] in the sea of sin and death in this life. In so doing He saved us from our sin and death. Jesus is a King of which David was only a foreshadowing of because even David was not resurrected by the Father from the grave and exalted. Jesus who went down (in death) but resurfaced (in Resurrection) according to Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus is God's “archegos”. He has safely navigated the waters of death with the sin of humanity on His shoulders to reach Heaven's shore safely. He has tied a rope to that far shore for us and He is coming back to us someday to assure that we reach safety. None will be lost on His watch (John 17:12) except those already doomed to destruction.

What is even more fascinating is that those that join with David in the cave on Adullam are those who were, "in distress, in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him." Just as those who would come to Jesus after His death and resurrection. People who had a debt of sin hanging over their heads that could not be paid off the debt incurred by sin by anything they have or do. People that are under the distress and discontent cause by sin also.

In David, at his best, we see a foreshadowing of a King to come that is a man after God's own heart that seeks to do the will of the Father. In David, at his worst, we see the depths of depravity of man that is in need of the very King that is to come. A King that has the authority and ability to forgive sin and depravity of people like King David but only if David repents and seeks the True King. GOD!

Some of the other places we see Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel and to some extent the Kings and Chronicles? We know that Jesus will be the Root and the Offspring of David.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Isaiah 4:2

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist... In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. Isaiah 11:1-5,10

And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." Romans 15:12

Specifically in 2 Samuel 7 we see some seriously important promises made to David from God Himself through Nathan. A Covenant or promise is made to David that will have resounding affects through the entire Bible and throughout history.

“The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:11-16 (1 Chronicles 17:11-15)

In short God’s promise of covenant with David states that…

From David’s seed will come the very Son of God…Jesus Himself, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. David's seed will build a house for God's name. Solomon would build and consecrate the Temple to God. The Temple just like the Tabernacle before it would be an image of Jesus. The Temple which would house the very presence of God, and would foreshadow the Temple of the Holy Spirit after Christ’s ascension…the believers themselves. Strangely, all of the promises to David would occur after his death or after he would (v.12) “lie down” and rest with his ancestors/fathers, just as Pentecost would also occur after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension after He went to be seated at the right hand of the Father.

God would, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.” As we know from Hebraic mindset and Jewish thought the idea of a father could mean an indirect ancestor just as a son or offspring didn’t necessarily mean a direct descendant. Here God seems to mean both. We see the Kingdom of Israel is at its greatest size and growth under Solomon, David’s immediate son and under Jesus Christ we see the initiation of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. The “now but not yet” of Jesus initiating the Kingdom through believers only to see its full culmination at Jesus’ second coming then comes later. We see the floggings inflicted on Christ though human hands and we also the eternality of the Kingdom Jesus would usher it. By its nature…forever and by its lineage having come from David, therefore made David’s lineage forever also.

If we actually needed further proof we need only consult a few passages in the New Testament as below:

“For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?  Hebrews 1:5 (a direct quote of 2 Samuel 7:14)

In Acts 2:25-32 we need to note (v30) ~ “But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.” We should also note Psalm 132:11: “The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne”

Psalm 89:3-4, 34-37, 2 Samuel 23:5 and Isaiah 55:3 all define the promise from God to David as a covenant.

“From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. ~Acts 13:23

“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-33.

All of this points to something greater...

Apocalypse Prophecy LIX: Christ Crushes His Enemies

Hallelujah!

There is a dual theme of reward to the saints and destruction of their enemies announced by the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15–19) and it is picked up again in chapter 19, as is evident from the verbal similarities, especially in 19:5–6, specifically the threefold description of believers (11:18), the declaration of the commencement of God’s reign.

The main point of chapter18 was that the saints were to rejoice over God’s judgment of Babylon because that judgment demonstrated the integrity of the Christians’ faith and God’s justice. Ch19 begins with the phrase “after these things,” “these things” being primarily the vision of Babylon’s demise. God is to be praised because “the salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God”. The exhortation to the saints to “rejoice” in Revelation 18:20 is now answered in 19:1–3, 6–7. The saints offer praise only to God because he alone deposed Babylon (the world system) and deserves glory for this deed, which accomplished “salvation” for his people and demonstrated his “power.” The threefold “hallelujah” in verse 1–6 alludes to the Hallel psalms (Psalms 113–118) because of the prominent reference in those psalms to the exodus and because Jewish writings associated the Hallel Psalms with the final destruction of the wicked.

Babylon is “the Great Harlot,” the one who has “corrupted the earth through her fornication,” repeating

from chapter 18 the basis for judgment. She/it is the one who has contaminated the nations with her immoral ways. The fall of historical Babylon was a foreshadowed the grander fall of the last day, worldwide Babylon. God “has avenged the blood of his bondservants, which was shed by her hand.”  The wording “her smoke ascends forever” comes from Isaiah 34:9–10, where the portrayal of smoke continually ascending serves as a permanent memorial to God’s punishment of Edom for its sin.

The fact of God’s reign is a direct consequence of his judgment of Babylon. He has shown himself to be the all-powerful divine king by this great act of deposing the system that arrogated this office to itself. “The kingdom of the earth has come to be transferred to our Lord and his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever”

The Wedding Clothes

The innumerable crowd of verse 6 then lift their voices to glorify God once again. They raise up such a doxology “because the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.” The marriage could not take place without the removal of the Babylonian arch enemy and the coming of God’s kingdom in complete form, as narrated in 18:1–19:6. The existence of Babylon was a necessary factor in the bride’s preparation for the marriage. How is this so?

It was Babylon’s oppression and temptation was the fire ultimately used by God to refine the saints’ faith to prepare them to enter the heavenly city. This idea of refining by fire/persecution is all over Scripture. A person needs only pay attention to it when reading the Bible. The bride’s preparation is explained in verse 8 where she clothes herself with “bright, pure, fine linen,” which symbolizes “the righteous deeds of the saints”. From a theological standpoint this would mean that justification is the fundamental necessary condition for entrance into the eternal kingdom, but good works are a not a necessary condition for salvation.  Therefore, the white clothes here should be equated not with the “righteous deeds” of perseverance, as in the view described above, but with the reward or result of such deed(s). Anther plausible and theologically sound interpretation here could be “just judgments on behalf of the saints.” The white robes could then represent two things:

 

      Human faithfulness and good works (as a necessary evidence of right standing with God)

      Vindication or acquittal accomplished by God’s judgments against the enemy on behalf of his people.

Overall the bride’s garments might best be interpreted as “righteous deeds” in order to describe an aspect of the intimate relationship between God and the people.  As noted above, the phrase includes reference to persevering faith in Jesus despite persecution, which is required for entry into the consummate, intimate relation with Christ. Likewise, the church’s righteous faith and deeds during its earthly bondage were given a guilty verdict by the world but now its members’ lives of faithful witness are vindicated by God through judgment and deliverance at the time of their final union with him. Therefore, the white linen represents not only the saints’ pure and righteous condition before God but also their vindicated standing before God and the world.

In the end the readers are to be encouraged to obey the exhortation by the knowledge that God has provided grace for them to clothe themselves now by the power of the Spirit and also by recalling that they will receive “pure garments” from God at the end of their pilgrimage individually and corporately.

The idea of the “supper” intensifies the idea of intimate communion expressed in the marriage metaphors, since suppers were the occasion of close table fellowship. The picture of Christ dining with his people has the same idea elsewhere in the Bible. The state of blessedness is the reward of enjoying such communion with God. Both pictures portray the intimate communion of Christ with believers, but the first focuses on the corporate church and the second on individual members of the church. This metaphor is also steeped in the idea and story of Mephibosheth and eating at the Kings table.

John then falls down in order to worship the angel in response to the angel’s confirmatory interpretation of verse 1–8 in verse 9. Though it is appropriate for John to revere the angel’s interpretation as a divine message, it is wrong for him to revere the messenger, who is not divine but only a servant to the divine. The angel commands John not to worship him but to “worship God”.

Christ will again reveal his sovereignty and faithfulness to his promises by judging Babylon’s former allies in order to vindicate his people (Revelation 19:11–21). First, Christ and his heavenly armies are described, in anticipation of their victory, then the imminent destruction of the enemy is declared. In the scene’s climax we see the defeat of the beast and false prophet, along with their followers. “He judges”,  “His eyes as a flame of fire”. That the actual weapon of judgment is Christ’s word of truth. The very thing believers are encouraged to steep themselves in even today.

Looking into the heavenly dimension, John sees a “white horse and one sitting on it.” The rider on the horse is “called faithful and true”. The rider is described as one who “in righteousness judges and makes war,” is best translated “he judges righteously,” affirming the righteous standard by which the judgment is executed. This judicial motif and action by God in and from the Old Testament is now carried out by the divine Christ on behalf of his people. The allusion to “making war” refers not to literal battlefield conflict but to a legal battle and judgment, as does the heavenly combat between the angelic armies. The metaphor of v.12 “his eyes as a flame of fire”  evokes Christ’s role as divine judge since He can see and has seen everything. The horseman wears “many diadems on his head.”

The undefined multiplicity of diadems shows Christ is the only true cosmic king, on a grander scale than the dragon and the beast, whose small number of crowns implies a kingship limited in time and size. Christ’s judgment of the beast puts the beast in his proper hellish place. It seems as though the “crown” of the Satanic horseman in Revelation 6:2 is now removed and given to the heavenly horseman before the Satanic horseman is overthrown.  Believers receive Christ’s name to demonstrate their close association with him, which is also compared to the relationship between the bride and groom at a “bridal feast,” in striking similarity to Rev. 19:7–9, 12.  That no one knows the name mentioned here except Christ means that the prophecy of Isaiah 62 and 65 has not yet been consummately fulfilled. But Christ’s “name” will be known to his people when they experience the fulfillment of prophecy in a new, consummated covenant marriage relationship with Christ. The significance of knowing a name (or not knowing it) must be sought elsewhere in biblical literature. In the OT to know a name means to have control over the one named. Therefore, the confidential nature of the name here has nothing to do with concealing a name on the cognitive level but alludes to Christ being absolutely sovereign over humanity.

The rider is portrayed as “clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood,” which is a clear allusion to the

description of God judging the nations in Isaiah 63:1–3: “with garments of red colors … garments like the one who treads in the winepress … their juice is sprinkled on my garments.” John thus affirms Isaiah’s prophecy of God as a warrior and identifies Christ as that divine warrior. In Isaiah the warrior judges to achieve “vengeance” and “redemption” on behalf of his people. Therefore, the stained garments symbolize God’s attribute of justice, which he will exercise in the coming judgment.

In verse 14, the armies in heaven follow” Christ. They, too, ride on “white horses,” for the same reason that their leader does. The color of the horses enhances his role of vindication as the saints’ representative or, less likely, reveals that the saints together with Christ participate in their own  vindication. If the armies here are angelic, then there may be no question of God’s people taking part in their own vindication.

In verse 15 another name is added to explain further the ambiguous name in v 12. This name is written on the rider’s garment and thigh, either in two different places or only once, on a part of the garment that draped over the thigh. The thigh was the typical location of the warrior’s sword and the symbolic place under which the hand was placed to swear oaths (Genesis 24:2, 9; 47:29). Christ’s victory over the wicked will be a fulfillment of God’s promise to judge. The name for Christ was “King of kings and Lord of lords,” a title expressing the idea of “ultimate ruler over all kings.” The name is taken from the Septuagint of Daniel 4:37, where it is a title for God, and has already been applied to Christ in Revelation 17:14. Jesus, given this divine title, demonstrates his deity at the end of history by judging the beast that carried “Babylon the Great.”

John sees “an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a great voice, speaking.” The angel announces the coming destruction of the beast, the false prophet, and their troops through the same imagery by which the defeat of Gog and Magog was announced in Ezekiel 39:4, 17–20.

Christ Defeats the Beast, the False Prophet

(v.19) After the announcement of coming judgment, John sees a vision of the judgment itself. He observes that “the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies having been gathered to make war,” which essentially duplicates the wording used in 16:14 and 20:8 to describe the prelude to the last battle of history. Here the battle is conducted against Christ and his heavenly armies, but 16:14 and 20:8 reveal that it is also against God, his “saints, and the beloved city” on earth. Although the immediate agents of the “gathering” are the  devil and his demonic helpers, Ezekiel affirms that God is the ultimate force causing the unbelieving hordes to assemble.

The actual judgment occurs in two parts. First, the beast and the false prophet are captured and destroyed, and then their followers are executed (v 21). The false prophet is described before the narration of his judgment and that of the beast as “the one who did the signs before him [the beast], by which he deceived those receiving the mark of the beast and the ones worshiping his image.” The beast made divine claims, and the false prophet supported those claims by influencing others to pay heed  lest they be persecuted.

The two demonic pretenders are “seized” and “while living, were cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone”. This is not a merciful annihilation but rather (as Revelation 20:10 clarifies) that this punishment endures for eternity: “the devil, the one deceiving them, was cast into the lake of fire and of brimstone, where also [were cast] the beast and the false prophet, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”

Stinks to be them. (*Sorry Rob Bell, love doesn't win in this case, justice and truth does*)

The armies following the beast and the false prophet will then be “killed by the sword proceeding from the mouth of the one sitting upon the horse.” This is an allusion to Isaiah 49:2 and Isaiah 11:4, repeated from Revelation 19:15. What we know for sure about this account contained in Revelation 19:19-21 is it is a scene of devastating judgment, with no hint of redemption for the rebellious kings. They will be doomed.