Verse-by-verse through Joel (2:28-2:31)

Joel 2:28-31--"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, your young men shall see visions. And also on menservants and on maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of YHVH."

"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh" &ff. If there was ever a concept that caused such a debate among God's people, it is the idea of "The Day of YHVH." And we see here, in verse 28, that another word is thrown in to make us ponder even more. That word is "Afterward..." When Peter brings to the mind these words in Acts 2:17, he quotes the LXX and calls that time "the last days..." What period of time does "afterward" refer to? What are the "last days" Peter speaks of? Is it (A) some time in Joel's near future? Or (B) the time of Mashiach, when Peter spoke? Or could it be (C) the "end times," when God brings all the things we see to an end?

The short answer is...YES. There is a concept we must always remember when we are reading Scripture. And that is the continuity of the Scriptures. In other words, there are indeed some passages that were spoken to ONE person, or ONE group of people (or even the entire nation Israel) that were to be understood as a ONE-TIME promise or command. For example, when God told Elisha to command Naaman to swim in the Jordan to cure his leprosy--is that the common treatment for leprosy? No. That was a ONE-TIME deal. When God promised Job that He would restore everything he had lost double--and oh, how the Creflo Dollars of the world love to pervert THAT promise!!--that was a ONE-TIME promise to ONE man. Now, there are some Old Testament stories that we can use for encouragement, and we can use them as testimonies to the strength of the arm of God in aiding those who trust in Him. But not every promise is applicable today.

However, there are commands and warnings--and, yes, promises--in Scripture that are forever and always. Thou shalt not murder (Exodus 20:13). That is still for today. YHVH is my Shepherd (Exodus 23:1). Still for today. And one very easy way to tell if a promise or command or warning from the Old Testament is still in effect is if that promise/command/warning is repeated elsewhere in Scripture. "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, '‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 19:17-19). Because Jesus quoted these commandments, it shows us that they are still in effect today. "I AM the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). By Jesus calling Himself our "Shepherd," He is telling all people--Jew and Gentile alike--that He is indeed the Shepherd of Psalm 23, and will covet and protect and die for His sheep (side road--Did Jesus say He would lay down His life for goats and dogs? Who did He say He laid down His life for? "The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep"--John 10:11. Just in case anybody was wondering whether Jesus died for only His elect or for the whole world).

So when Peter stands up and declares that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, with the accompanying signs, he was simply demonstrating that the promise of God, spoken by Joel, had not yet been completely fulfilled in Joel's day, or even by the time Christ came.

See, we humans get so caught up in this little breath of wind we call "time." We forget that, for us, life is but a vapor, which is here for a little while then vanishes away (James 4:14). But as far as God is concerned--well, if He tarries for a thousand years, what is it to HIM but a day (2nd Peter 3:8)? And do we really think that His word is limited by our concept of time? That, "Well, God hasn't done it yet; I guess it isn't going to happen"? Friend, God is not on OUR timetable--WE are on HIS! And if His will is that something is going to happen a lot later than we want it to, who are we to say otherwise? Does Paul not tell us that Jesus did not appear at a time designated by man, but that when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son (Galatians 4:4)? His word is eternal, it will never fade! Psalm 119:89--Forever, O YHVH, Your word is settled in Heaven! Isaiah 40:8--"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Matthew 5:18--"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

So, because Peter is repeating this promise that was given some 800 years prior, he is really telling us that this "Day of YHVH" not only has been, but was being, and eventually will someday be. That the Old Testament picture is now to become a reality. That as God saved the people of Judah from the physical death that occurred because of the destroying locusts, He would also save His people from eternal destruction that awaits those condemned to Hell. That when the day comes when God gives all of mankind over to their basest desires, when He lifts His restraining hand that is holding back the evil hearts of men, that He will show wonders in heaven and earth. He will send His angels to pour out bowl after bowl of His divine wrath and justice upon those whole will deny Him, despise Him, blaspheme His name, and utterly reject Him and kill His saints (Revelation 16:1-21). So as we begin, let us keep one thing in mind: As with any Old Testament prophecy, not every single detail had a future fulfillment in mind. That said, let's look at the immediate impact of the word of YHVH spoken through Joel, and how it was repeated in the words of Peter.

Verse 30. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke." What had been taken away from the people? Their sacrifices. They had so hardened their hearts against God that He destroyed any hope of them being righteous in His eyes by way of bulls and goats. There was no fear of YHVH in Judah in those days. Therefore, there was no mercy for Judah in YHVH. But now, the people have repented, they have rent their hearts and not their garments (Joel 2:13). They have returned to YHVH. He has restored their crops, healed their land, and allowed them to resume their sacrifices. And, if we recall, what are three things that were a result of those animal sacrifices?

First, there was Blood... Lots of it. Think about it. Think about all the people bringing all their animals. Animals like bulls, oxen, goats. These are not small animals. And when you have a large animal--are you going to have more than a little blood? Now, multiply that times hundreds of thousands of people. At the very least. So many animals were slaughtered every day that the priests could never sit down. So the fact that God was returning to them the gift of bringing Him burnt offerings was to be a sign on earth that God had accepted their repentance as being true. But what about in Heaven? Well, they had confessed their sins. And what does John say will happen if we confess our sins (1st John 1:9)? When was the Lamb of God slain (Revelation 13:8)? So the blood of the bulls and goats would once again cover their sins (although it would not take those sins away, Hebrews 10:4) while the blood of Christ, shed before the foundation of the world, would take away the sins of those who would continue to believe and who abided in the word of God.

Fast forward about 800 years. The Christological fulfillment of this promise. The blood of Christ was shed. The Lamb of God had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Now, your garden variety Jehovah's Witness will tell you that Christ was nailed to an upright stake. They will say the cross was a pagan symbol, so Christ could not have died on a two-beamed cross. I guess someone forgot to tell them that Christ was crucified by pagans, and than even an upright stake would have been a pagan form of capital punishment.

...Anyway...

But here's why Jesus HAD TO die on a two-beamed cross: this was typified in the Old Testament on no less than 2 occasions. One was the first Passover. Long story short: where did the people have to smear the blood of their lamb? On the doorposts and.....what? The lintel. (See Exodus 12:7). The lintel was a crosspiece that went over top of the door. Hmmm.....an upright post and a crosspiece. Interesting. Second, where did God tell the High Priest to put the blood of the goat that was slain for YHVH? Leviticus 16:18--"And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around." And do you remember, kids, how many corners were on the altar? Yes, four. And if you consider that Jesus had nails driven through His left hand (1), His right hand (2), His feet (3), and had the crown of thorns on His head (4), that makes four corners.....just like the altar.

Another element of the sacrifices was ...Fire... What did the priests do with the animals once they cut their jugular vein and drained all the blood? They cut it up and roasted it. Space does not permit me to list all the things they had to do (cut this off, throw this out, carry that outside and burn it and bury it, etc). But, as an example, the burnt offering in Leviticus 1:7-9--The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts...on the fire upon the altar...And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to YHVH. So when the people once again saw fires being kindled on the altar of burnt offering, this was a sign on earth that God was pouring out His spirit upon the people, and He would once again allow them to worship Him with their sacrifices. And in Heaven, God would once again consider their burnt offerings to be a sweet aroma unto YHVH.

So what is the Christological implication? As with the blood, we look backward so we can look forward. What was Isaac's question to Abraham in Genesis 22:7-8? Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” This of course is another foreshadowing of Christ. We know the Lamb was Christ. The wood was the cross. But what was the fire? It was God's wrath, that He poured out upon His Son, who drank that cup full strength. Luke 22:41-42--And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” And as our Lord, the King of Glory, hung upon that cross, the wrath of God--that divine fire of God's holy justice--was poured out upon that Son, devouring our sins in a single burnt offering. As we sing,

'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

Mark 15:34--And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” What greater sign can be shown in Heaven, than Almighty God allowing His Son to endure the wrath of our Father? And should not those who claim to love God, also fear God? Hebrews 12:28-29--Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

And, whenever you have fire, you have pillars of smoke. Almost 100 years later, Isaiah would see the King, YHVH Sabaoth. And how would he describe the throne room of Almighty God? Isaiah 6:4--And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. And, of course, whenever the high priest went into the Most Holy Place on Yom Kippur, as did Aaron that first time, YHVH would do what He promised to Moses: "I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat" (Leviticus 16:2).

But, eventually, that mercy seat would be done away with, and the eternal mercy seat would take its place. For, as the blood of the goat upon whom the lot of YHVH fell was sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:14), the blood of the Lamb of God was shed abroad upon the mercy seat of the cross. For it pleased God to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of [Christ's] cross (Colossians 1:20).

The mingling of blood and fire and smoke upon Golgotha also brought about some fulfillment of verse 31, where God says through the prophet, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of YHVH." After all, what happened the moment Jesus gave up the ghost and died? Matthew 27:45--Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And, just to speculate a little bit, as far as the moon turning to blood (and, no, this ain't a hill I'm gonna die upon). Could this not have referred to a lunar eclipse? Considering that Passover was celebrated during the new moon, when the moon is obscured by the earth? For your consideration: what color does the moon appear to turn during a lunar eclipse? If you've never seen a lunar eclipse, the moon appears to turn a shade of dark red, even maroon. Now, the people in Jerusalem would not have seen the moon at that time, but certainly those who lived on the other side of the world would have, no? So, at the moment when Jesus died, the entire world would have been shrouded in darkness. The sun would not give its light, and the light the moon gives off as it reflects the light of the sun would be negated. Again, speculation.

So, not only did all these things come about--the blood, the fire, the smoke--at some point after this was written by Joel. They also happened during the time of Messiah. And they will happen again before the final Day of YHVH as well. For this same Peter, who stood and told the people at Pentecost that these things were coming to pass, warns us that the final day of YHVH will be preceded by these same elements. 2nd Peter 3:10--But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Even John tells us in Revelation 16:1-21 that the seas and the rivers and the springs would turn to blood, that the sun will be given the power to scorch men to death and dry up the Euphrates, and cause smoke to rise and cover so much of the earth.

Friend, the Day of YHVH is something that should be feared by anyone who does not know Christ. The things that will happen during those 7 most dreadful years when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth will make the things we see happening now look tame by comparison. But for those of us who do know Almighty God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent, the Day of YHVH will be the fulfillment of our labor. What we have now, what we see only dimly, will be revealed in its fullness. When we see, face-to-face, the One who paid for our sins with His blood, and we fall at His feet as dead men, and we cry out how unworthy we are for Him to have suffered as he did for us. Then we will cry out in joy inexpressible, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!"

50 Answers to 50 Mormon Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions (Answer 28)

Tower To Truth Question:

28. If marriage is essential to achieve exaltation, why did Paul say that it is good for a man not to marry? (1st Corinthians 7:1)

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FAIR Answer:

Paul does not say it is good not to marry, but quotes the Corinthian Saints' comments in a previous letter to him. Paul is responding to this claim, and he critiques it.

To learn more: Paul says good not to marry?

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My Response:

Methinks FAIR is misunderstanding Tower's intentions in asking this question. It's almost the same misunderstanding Catholics have with us Protestants when we deny the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity. They seem to be under the impression that we think sex (or, in this case, marriage) is a shameful thing and that we think it is "icky."

On the contrary. We are not saying that marriage is a "bad" thing. Neither is Paul. And above all--knowing that the Scriptures were God-breathed--neither is God! And if FAIR knew their Bible, they would have gone immediately to Hebrews 13:4--Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled. Or even 1st Timothy 4:1-3--Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry... (Not to say anything about Catholics forbidding their priests from marrying, mind you...[/sarcasm]) But, the Mormon cannot get around the fact that Paul said he would have men to be as he was (i.e., unmarried). But, let's dive into the text, shall we?

What is the first thing we need to consider before we examine ANY text from the Bible? Say it with me kids! CONTEXT...CONTEXT...CONTEXT. What is the context of 1st Corinthians 7? There had come up some question(s) in the church at Corinth concerning marriage. One of them seems to be what Paul is quoting in verse 1, that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. And, if it is good for a man not to touch a woman, does that mean that one should abstain from even marrying? But Paul tells them they have misunderstood his point. What he meant was that it is good if a man does not touch a woman he is not married to. But, if he IS married, then he should render to his wife due benevolence (in the biblical sense of "knowing" her, verse 3. And speaking of Catholics, doesn't this mean that Joseph should have rendered his "due benevolence" unto Mary? Just sayin'...).

So, why does Paul say it is good for men not to marry? Now, slow down there my Mormon friend! Because, contrary to what you will accuse me of saying, he is NOT saying it is BAD if you DO marry! The answer to the question of why he says it is good not to marry is found in 1st Corinthians 7:33-35--But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction. Now, we could do an entire study of these verses but we won't.....today. But notice the parts that are in bold. The reason Paul advises them to not marry is simple--so that they may serve the Lord unhindered. 2nd Timothy 2:4--No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

But, there's another thing we need to notice about this passage. Look at verse 4. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. So, this means that Emma Smith had authority over Joseph's body, yes? So, knowing that Joseph Smith's fleshly lust was pretty strong, how could he go out and have sex with all the girls he wanted to have? "Hey!! I've got it!! I'll have "God" speak a commandment to Emma, telling her that she must let me have as many women as I want, or God will destroy her!! Doggone, I'm getting good at this "prophet" stuff!!" So, he comes up with Doctrine and Covenants 132:52-54--And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God. For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many things; for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him. And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law. "See that, honey? This ain't me talking, this is God!! And, ya know, ya gotta obey what He says! I mean, hey, it's not that I want to go sleeping with a bunch of wives, but if God said it, hey, I'm good with it! I, uh, I mean, I guess I'll do it!"

And, to justify his lust, he decided to let "God" allow him to have his 33 wives in D&C 132:61-62--"And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else. And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified." This passage has been covered under one of the other questions, so for more click here. But here's another thing: It says if any man espouse a second wife who is a virgin. Um, if any Mormon historian can tell the truth here: were ALL of Joseph's wives virgins who had not been espoused to other men? No? Well, then I guess he'll just have to be destroyed. Sorry. Those are the words of your "God."

Now, as far as relating this to 1st Corinthians 7:2 says--Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. See that word "wife"? What do you notice about it? Is it plural? No. It is singular. "WIFE" not "WIVES." Therefore, D&C 132 goes against what is clearly spelled out in this passage. But, I guess this was just Paul's idea. Or, perhaps, it was one of those "truths, plain and most precious that were removed from the gospel of the Lamb."

Systematic Theology--Lesson 9, The Doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ (part 2)

So today we finish up our look at the last things, and with that we finish up our study of systematic theology. If you have missed any weeks, then you will have to get with Richard to schedule a time to make them up. If you have missed any of our topics, we started off talking about the importance of doctrine. That if we do not have a firm understanding of what the Bible teaches, and if we just run around trying to follow every new personality that comes along claiming to be speaking biblical truth just because they happen to be the most popular name at your Christian bookstore, we can find ourselves following doctrines that are flat-out unbiblical. The names that are popular today are men like TD Jakes and Joel Osteen, Rick Warren and Brian McLaren. These are men who—yeah, they quote the Bible, but what they have to say about it is a long ways away from the truth. And the reason people fall prey to these kinds of teachers—and the reason so many people who claim to be Christians get sucked into Mormonism or Jehovah's Witnesses is because they have no sense of doctrine.

That was week 1. Then we spent a week talking about God the Father. The immortal, invisible Father. We talked about how He reveals Himself through creation. Atheists don’t believe in a self-existent God—a God who is not dependent upon anyone for anything, but who is in fact the source of all things. But the fact that there is a creation is a stumbling block for the atheist because it puts him in a bit of a bind. Either the things that make up this universe were created by someone who existed before the universe began. Much like this podium—someone existed before this podium was created in order to put it together—unless they had a big explosion in the lumber department at Home Depot. Or the things that make up this universe were just always here, on their own, making those things self-existent—which, of course, throws cold water on their arguments against a self-existent God. Then we spent a couple weeks talking about God the Son, Jesus Christ. We saw that while many false religions say they believe in Jesus Christ, it means something different to them than it does to us. The Muslim believes in a Christ that was nothing more then a prophet. Mormons believe that Jesus was Satan's spirit brother. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that He was nothing more than an exalted angel. But we know Him to be the Son of God, one with the Father, sent to glorify the Father here on earth, to offer His life to atone for our sins, and by His resurrection, giving us a guarantee that we too would be raised with Him in that last day.

We then looked at the Holy Spirit, how He is indeed a Person. That what we believe about this Holy Spirit can affect our knowledge of many things. If we misunderstand His role in the Trinity and in our lives, it can lead us to believe some things that aren't quite right. We saw that when God saves us, He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, as another guarantee—an earnest, as it is called in the KJV—that if He has saved us, He will keep us. Then we talked about angels. They're not babies with wings. We do not become angels when we die. Then we looked at man. That if we do not understand who we are in relation to God, we can miss the gospel completely. Because there is so much teaching out there that says something like, “God created you to be a champion!” And that we are essentially good people who just kinda need a hand up in order to be good enough to go to Heaven.

And then we got to salvation. That was a big one. About 5 weeks there. Salvation is not something you can phone in. You don’t just go into a room, learn 4 spiritual laws, pray a little prayer and ask Jesus into your heart, and have your pastor declare a dominus omnis over you and receive automatic admission into the Kingdom of God. It takes knowing who Christ is, believing He is who He says He is, and committing your life to Him. It means seeing the Law of God for what it is—basically a mirror that we hold up to our lives and it shows us where we fall short of His perfect standards for allowing us to walk in His kingdom. That led us into sanctification—that we are to separate ourselves from the things of this world. that when we walk in this world—we used the illustration of a UT fan walking into Rupp Arena, and how you could pick out the orange in that sea of blue. And how the world should be able to tell Christians from non-believers from the way we live our lives. Which led us into the doctrine of the church. that is was built upon Christ alone—and not the apostle Peter. That the church is made up of those whom God has called out from the world, to be separate from the world.

And then last week we began to wrap things up by beginning a study of The Doctrine of the Last Things. We spent the day looking at Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2. And many people think it strange when you try to talk about the end times by using OT Scripture. I kinda compared it to those old “Magic Eye” things, where you hold it right up to your nose, and you stare real hard at one spot and suddenly you see Mickey Mouse waterskiing. And that many people study endtimes prophecy in the same way. They take the book of Revelation, they hold it up to their nose and stare real hard at one verse and all of a sudden you realize that your zip code is the Mark of the Beast®. Or Steve Spurrier becomes the antichrist. Of course around here, many people think that way regardless.

But when we are talking about the end times, and what God’s word says about those times, consider this one example. Here was God giving Daniel a vision about things that would happen over the next 500-800 years. Now, here’s a question: whenever God gives someone a vision, does He usually have a reason for giving that vision to a particular person, at a particular time? He’s on His own timetable, and He does not do anything without a reason. So when He gives this vision to not only Daniel, but Nebuchadnezzar as well, there was a reason He gave it at that particular point in history. Was Daniel or Nebuchadnezzar going to be around to see the Greeks come to power? In fact Babylon did not fall to the Persians until Daniel was in his 60’s and Nebuchadnezzar had died. But God gives this vision to this young man who will not live to see it come to pass—so he can explain it to a king who will not live to see it come to pass. Why?

To show the generations that would follow over the next, now 2500 or so years, that when God give a prophecy, it will come to pass. And not only prophecies about Christ—which we looked at on Resurrection Sunday—but also in terms of human events concerning kings and empires. It’s one thing to tell a skeptic that there are all these prophecies about Christ—but if they don’t even believe Christ was real, and they believe this book is nothing but a bunch of Jewish fairy tales, they will just brush them off. But when you show them prophecies about the history they read in their precious history books, it’s a little harder for them to brush away those things. And by the same token, it gives us who do believe yet another reason to believe that this truly is the word of God written for us. So with that in mind, let us move on from Man’s Kingdoms to The Messiah’s Kingdom. Singular. After man has had all kinds of opportunities to rule the earth, doing a horrible job at it, with no single empire that could stretch to every corner of the earth, God will give man what he wants—complete ownership of planet earth.

But before He does that, He will remove every restraint He has placed on it. The first thing He will do is to gather His people up out of this world. 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17—The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And this is of course The Rapture. The Lord Jesus Christ will descend, Michael will be blowing the horn and shouting, calling all of God’s people out of their graves and out of the world. Living, dead, it don’t matter. Even if someone was cremated—God made them one body, He can make them another one. Then this Revived Roman Empire will come that we talked about last week. All these countries will be scrambling to make treaties with each other, these loose confederations won’t hold, and they will need one central body to keep things together. Daniel 2:34—you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay…but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. The salt and the light will be removed from the earth. Things will fall into decay and darkness. And man will worship man even more than he does now.

God will remove truth from the world, 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12—The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Think about that! God will make people believe a lie. Does that make God unfair? People want to believe a lie, He’s saying, “Fine! That’s what you want—here ya go!” And the world will see 7 years of misery, torment, anguish, death, disease—many people today ask, “Why does God allow so much pain and suffering?” WRONG QUESTION. The real question is, “Why doesn’t He allow more?” Because right now God is holding back and restraining the evil hearts of men and denying us what we truly deserve for our rebellion against Him. But when He takes His church up out of this world—just listen to some of the things that are going to happen.

In Revelation 6 we read about the 4 horsemen, bringing famine and disease and war and death—so that ¼ of the world’s population—by that time, probably close to 2 BILLION people—will die in a very short period of time. There will be there will be things happening in space that the greatest scientific minds won’t be able to explain.

Then in Revelation 8, we see that fire will fall down and burn up trees and crops. Something like a meteor shower will rain down on the oceans, killing 1/3 of the marine life and destroying ships. One third of the world’s drinking water will be contaminated. Then the antichrist will come, and give his mark to all those who worship him. He will sit in the temple that will be built in Jerusalem as though he were God Himself.

Then skip to Revelation 16, and those who take the mark will suffer some sort of disease that covers them with sores. Every living thing in the seas will die. Then every source of drinking water will be poisoned, there will be great heat poured out upon the earth, probably some kind of nuclear exchange—and those people who remain will still curse God. The Euphrates River in what we now call Iraq will dry up, and there will be earthquakes all over the world.

Then this New World Order, which is called Mystery: Babylon, or the great harlot in Revelation 17-18 will be judged by God and destroyed. That’s the bad news. Now, here’s the good news. Revelation 19:11-13—Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Next time you hear somebody say that Christ Himself came and spoke to them, ask them if He looked like this. Revelation 19:14-16—And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. This will be Armageddon. That word is the Anglicized form of the Hebrew Har Megiddo. This is where the armies of man make war with Christ and His saints. This not going to be pretty. There will be more blood spilled here than at any other time in history.

How bad is it going to be? Revelation 19:17-19—Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” There will be so much carnage that all the birds of the air will think they're at Golden Corral®. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Guess who’s going to win?

This is where things get good. First we see Christ’s kingdom is A Supernatural Stone. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, look at what it says in Daniel 2:34—"You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces." Who is the cornerstone of the church, the one on whom it is built? (HINT: It ain't Peter!) This Stone will come and smash every single power that man has upon the earth. Man’s kingdom’s will come to an end. What about Christ’s kingdom—will it last a while? Daniel 2:44-45—"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." God said it. That settles it. It’s gonna happen. Period, paragraph. What’s gonna happen after that? The Beast and the False Prophet will get first dibs on lakeshore property. Unfortunately for them, that lake will be the Lake of Fire.

Then Christ will set up His kingdom on earth and reign for 1000 years. Revelation 20:1-5—Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus…they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. Will Christ be a King that will put up with any opposition? Four times the Scriptures tell us He will rule with what? A rod of iron. He will destroy the kingdoms of men, and there will be no opposition to His reign for 1000 years.

But then what will happen? Satan, who has been sealed in the bottomless pit for those 1000 years—God’s gonna let him out to make one final battle. Think the Pittsburgh Steelers versus your local high school team. Your high school team has a better chance than Satan. Revelation 20:7-10—Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations…They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Anybody who does not think Hell is eternal does not believe the Scriptures. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Period, paragraph. Write it in stone, it is FOREVER!!

This will be the final destruction of Satan. God made him lick the dust of the earth in Genesis 3. He defeated Satan at the cross. He will put him in a pit for a thousand years. And He’ll STILL make war against Christ. He just never learns. Kinda like us. He shows us foolish humans time and time and time again that He is God. And people still like to say, “No you're not—I am!” And there will be people in these VERY last days who will live during the rule of Christ, who will see His power and might—and STILL take sides with Satan. And what will happen to them? This is the part so many people don’t like to hear. That there will be a final judgment, where all those who EVER despised God, who died in their sins—those people who thought they were “good”—will stand before Christ to settle their accounts. Revelation 20:11-15—Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

See where it says, Books were opened. I believe—and I'm not going to argue over this, it’s not a hill worth dying on—is that there will be at least 3 books besides the Book of Life. There will be the book of there “good” works. There will be another will all their sins. And there will be The Book of the Law—God’s Law. Romans 2:14-16 (NASB)—For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do the things of the Law…they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts accusing or defending them, on the day when…God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. Those who never knew Christ—small, great, no matter what kinds of “great things” they did in the eyes of men—will stand before Christ, and be found lacking. It doesn’t matter if it’s Albert Einstein or Mahatma Ghandi or John Lennon or the guy that lives across the street. Anyone who does not know Christ will be judged by Christ, and against Christ and His righteousness. But I'm not going to end on a sour note. Here’s the good news.

Anyone who knows Christ, who has been given Christ’s righteousness—they will receive reward. They will hear the words that mean more than anything this world can offer. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into thy rest.” Revelation 21:1-4—Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” There is an old song called “I Bowed My Knees and Cried ‘Holy!’” And this is only a microscopic sliver of what it’s gonna be like:

As I entered the gates of that city,
My loved ones all knew me well.
They took me down the streets of Heaven;
The sights, too many to tell;
I saw Abraham, Jacob and Isaac,
I spoke with Mark and Timothy.
But then I said, “Timothy, I want to see Jesus,
For He's the One who died for me.”

So that wraps it up for our study of Systematic Theology. Next week we’re going to pick back up in Philippians. We finished chapter 1 a while back. We’ll review a little bit for a couple weeks and start chapter 2 the following week.

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Systematic Theology--Lesson 9 (Doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ, part 1)

The first of our last two studies in our Systematic Theology. Since this week and next will be our last two weeks in this study, we will be talking about the last things. The end times as they are called. There are people who spend years studying these things. What we’re going to do over the next couple weeks is to take a step back in order to look forward. Remember those 3-D puzzles that you put up to your nose and suddenly those little dots turn into Mickey Mouse, or the Eiffel Tower? Some people tend to do that with Revelation. They see this one little dot and all of a sudden your Social Security number is the Mark of the Beast. Meanwhile, they ignore the other hundred little dots that make it impossible for that to be true. We’re not going to go real deep into end-times prophecy because we could get bogged down in so many details that we’d be spending three weeks figuring out who the third toe of the Great Beast is going to be. Today we will look back at an OT prophecy about the endtimes, then next week we can plunge into deeper water.

First, we will look at The Emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ.


Did you know.....prophecy occupies 20% of Scripture? God spends most of His time preparing us for something before He actually does it. He knows that we foolish humans need a clue or…a hundred. He spent 4000 years preparing mankind for the Messiah—and many people who actually saw Him and heard Him still missed Him.


Did you know.....There are 1527 Old Testament Scriptures that talk about His second coming. Not only was God getting the people ready for the FIRST time Messiah would come. He was getting them ready for when He would COME BACK. One of the clearest is Zechariah 14:2-5—For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then YHVH will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus YHVH my God will come, and all the saints with You. Another clue in here about the Trinity. Is it going to be the Father’s feet that will stand on the Mount of Olives? Whose feet will it be?

Did you know.....one out of 25 verses in the New Testament refers to the 2nd coming of Christ?
Did you know.....next to faith, the subject of Christ's second coming is the most dominant NT subject?
Did you know.....there are 8 times as many prophecies about Christ’s SECOND coming as there are about His FIRST.
Did you know.....over 50 times we are exhorted to be ready for Christ’s return. Not to LOOK for His return. Don’t bother LOOKING for it. Nobody knows when it’s going to happen. But be ready for it. Do firemen try and predict when the next house fire’s going to be? No. But are they ready for when they get a call to a house fire? Don’t bother looking for it because it’s going to come like THAT. Be ready for it—because it’s going to come in the blink of an eye. Luke 12:45-46—“But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the [other] servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”

We were all young once, weren’t we? What happened if mom and dad left us alone in the house? We did exactly what we were supposed to, didn’t we? What happened if mom and dad came home early? We got a whoopin. Or we at least got grounded. That’s nothing compared to what will happen to those who are not ready when Christ returns. Look at what He says He will do. See, the first time Christ came, people heard Him and saw Him, they had three years to decide whether He was real. Next time—in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

Next, The Essentials of the Second Coming. First, Man’s Kingdoms. Let’s take a look at Daniel for the remainder of our time today. In Daniel 2, we find that the young man is an interpreter of dreams, much like Joseph in Egypt back in Genesis. And the king at the time was a man named Nebuchadnezzar. He was a pretty powerful guy. In fact, Daniel refers to him as a king of kings. Not to be confused with Christ, THE King of ALL Kings. Nebuchadnezzar was a king who ruled over other kings. And here is Daniel, a man who loves and serves God with everything he has, serving under this king whose rule stretches for literally, thousands of miles in all directions. The Babylonian empire stretched from Iran and Iraq on the east, through Saudi Arabia, over to Egypt and Ethiopia, up through Israel and Jordan and Syria, into Turkey and up into what we now call southern Russia. Yet this most powerful ruler on earth is having a horrific dream that will not let him sleep at night. So he calls his magicians and seers to interpret his dream. “O king, tell us what your dream was!”

And he basically tells them, “If you're such great wizards, you tell me what it was.” But God told Daniel what the dream was. Here is the dream, Daniel 2:32-35—“You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” Daniel, who was born some 600 years before Christ, and died about 530 BC, served under some of the most wicked—yet most powerful—kings in the history of planet earth. Daniel has told Nebuchadnezzar, “I know what you have been dreaming; now I'm going to explain it.” This image, this dream, was of course about the various kingdoms who would rule on earth at various times in history. The first four have, at our point in history, come and gone.

The first was The Babylonian Empire. And in verses 36-38, he explains it. "This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold." Babylon was an empire known for its vast wealth of gold. And here, Daniel is telling the king that he is the mightiest of all the rulers of the earth at that time. That who gave him his power? In verse 37? "The God of Heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory." Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn’t Babylon one of the most wicked and corrupt and despicable empires to ever exist in history? What was it that they did to the people of Israel? In fact, Daniel wrote this book during this 70-year period when Israel was captive and slave to Babylon.

Why would God give a man like Nebuchadnezzar such power? He did it to punish Israel for their disobedience. We Christians, in this country, think that God owes us a president who believes like we do. But make no mistake, God will raise up an authority to persecute His people when they go astray. It has happened before; I believe it is happening now. The church in America is drifting away from the truth of Scripture to serve physical needs at the cost of the gospel. So, God is punishing her by giving her what she wants. And one day, and it will happen again when God takes His hand off of men’s evil hearts and lets people do what they desire to do and this world falls into chaos and wickedness and death—much like Babylon.

Next there was the breast and arms of silver. The Medo-Persian Empire. Verse 39a. "But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours..." This second kingdom was not as glorious—in man’s terms—as Babylon. Yet Persia—or as we call it today, Iran—defeated Babylon in the year 538 BC. And in terms of land ruled, was larger geographically and in terms of wealth than Babylon. So what does this “inferiority” refer to? It was said by one man that “The kings of Persia were the worst race of men that ever governed an empire.” As wicked and evil as the Babylonians were, the Persians were even worse. And militarily, they suffered some very embarrassing defeats. The most famous being depicted in the movie “300” that came out a couple years ago. It told the story of Persia trying to invade Greece at a place called Thermopylae. A battle in which it took over a million Persians--and not a little treason on the part of a Greek local--to defeat a force of about 5000-7000 soldiers. It wasn’t just the 300 Spartans; they had a couple hundred from here, 1000 from somewhere else. None the less, it was a rather humiliating effort on the part of the Persian king Xerxes.

The Persian Empire was seated, primarily, in what we now call Iran. Off the top of your head, can you think of any crazy, out-of-his-mind, whack-job lunatic that is running around Iran right now? What kind of love does he have for Israel? Any ties with Russia? So there’s the head of gold and the breast and arms of silver.

Next we have the thighs of bronze, a reference to The Grecian Empire. They were known for their bronze. Here’s the thing about bronze. Is it a pure metal? No. It’s copper, and usually mixed with tin, or some other metal. And as such, the fact that bronze represented Greece is actually kind of interesting. For one, they used bronze in their weapons and their armor, and for good reason. Unlike iron, bronze only oxidized on the outside. It did not allow the layers underneath to fully rust. So not only was it easier to mold and shape, it was more durable--although it’s not as pretty and shiny as silver or gold. The Grecian Empire was known for their excellence with weapons and warfare.

And while they were rather wealthy, they really prided themselves on their military prowess. The most famous Grecian general was, of course, Alexander the Great, who was more famous than his brother Alexander the.....Eh-Not-So-Much. He lived from 356-323 BC, he was educated by Aristotle, and his goal was, quite literally, world domination. And during his rule, the Grecian Empire stretched from Greece in the west to as far east as the Himalayas.

Then we have the legs of iron, this being The Roman Empire. This was the number one superpower that ruled and reigned during the time of Christ. They occupied Israel, they set up their own governors over this little piece of land that was, to them, no more than just another victim of their superiority. And they did, in fact, conquer and crush nearly every army that got in their way. “Inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.” The Roman Empire did indeed rule over many of the lands which had once been held by Babylon, and by Persia, and by Greece. In fact, at the height of their power, Rome controlled all of Greece. They conquered every nation that bordered the Mediterranean Sea, to the extent that they called it Mare Nostrum, literally, “Our Sea.”

There was a long period of peace under Roman rule, and that was referred to as Pax Romanus, meaning "Roman Peace." Of course, the only reason there was peace during this time was because they submitted to Roman rule rather than be obliterated. Kinda like a protection racket. You know, when Louie the Hammer shows up at your business and tells you, “Hey, ya know, if you wanted to pay us $1000 a month, we’ll make sure nobody burns down your store. Ain't dat right Rocco!” Back then it was, “Pay your tribute to the Caesar, and we’ll make sure that no little band of miscreants attacks your homes.”

Rome ruled with an iron fist. There was not a lot of mercy when it came to worshipping the Caesar. It was like Islam is today. The word Islam means “submission,” and many people—especially those who have their head in the sand—have bought into the lie that Islam is a “religion of peace.” Well, it is, so long as you don’t go ticking off the local Imam, and you don’t say or do anything to offfffend the Muslims. If you do offend them, then things won’t be quite so peaceful. But, if all of us dirty kafirs and infidels pay our dhimmi tax to make sure that nothing happens to, say, the World Trade Center or the Pentagon—then it will be a religion of peace. And although we do not have a Roman Empire right now, we can still see the influences that Rome made on our education, our language, and many other areas of our lives.

Which, in fact, brings us to the feet of this statue, The Revived Roman Empire, in verses 41-43. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. This also refers to a Roman Empire, but one which has not come yet. This empire will not be come about by military means, but it will come about from nations trying to make peace with one another—not out of a desire for peace, but for what they can get out of it.

Most of these countries would probably have had no prior agreements or foreign relations before signing a bunch of treaties that will make them all buddy-buddy with each other. But what’s gonna be the problem with these treaties? “As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” Melt some iron, throw in some clay, let it cool and what’s gonna happen? Yeah, it's gonna fall apart into a big old pile of stuff. And in much the same way, you'll have countries like Iran making a treaty with Pakistan; China with India; Great Britain with Syria, and so on and so forth. Everybody making treaties with everybody else. One problem—these nations won’t mesh. They’ll kinda get along, but just on the surface. They will need some kind of mediator between them to keep peace with each other and with the nations they hate already. And who will be that one that will keep peace between all these nations? The one we call "The Antichrist."

You see, the real Christ did not come to bring peace on earth. He came to bring a sword (see Matthew 10:34-35). This false Christ will come, and he will bring peace between all nations—but they will make war with God. So this antichrist will rise up during this time, and bring peace, and as a token of that peace, he will give his number to anyone who will take it. And so long as you have that number, you can go one about your business, you can buy and sell. But if you don’t.....you're going to die.

Now, real quick, I do want to bring Israel into this, and if we’re not careful we could take up more time than we have. Suffice it to say, these nations won’t want anything to do with Israel. For a time, anyway. But this Beast will make a treaty with Israel, let her carry out her sacrifices in the temple, and he will in fact occupy the temple in Jerusalem as though he is God (see 2nd Thessalonians 2:4). I don’t know the exact timeframe this will take place, but it will happen. Because, as we have seen so many times, if God says something is going to happen, is it going to happen? If you want to know what’s gonna be in the newspaper tomorrow, read your Bible today.

So that’s Man’s Kingdoms. That kinda sets us up for next week. We’re not done with Daniel. Next week we’ll use Daniel to study The Messiah’s Kingdom—singular. We will see that He is the stone that dashes this whole bloomin’ statue to bits. That while He builds kingdoms up, He also tears them down once He’s done with them. And we will see what the fate of this antichrist will be. I'll give you a hint—be glad you ain't him!

Verse-by-verse through Joel (2:25-2:29)

Joel 2:25-29--25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of YHVH your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. 27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am YHVH your God, and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. 28 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, your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Last week we saw that at some point the people of Judah had repented of their sin. They had, for some time, dealt wickedly, they had piled up for themselves sin upon sin upon sin. They had bowed their knee to the Baalim. And they thought that because of their many sacrifices that they were bringing to the high priest that God's anger would be put off perpetually. They were wrong. And it was precisely because of their many sacrifices that God sent the locusts to devour every green thing in order to wreak havoc on the land itself, to starve the animals that would be cut up and burned, and to bring the people to repentance. So now, God has dismissed the army, deferred His anger, and delivered abundance so that His people would not be put to shame.

Verse 25. "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. When we sin against God, and we ask His forgiveness, and He grants us forgiveness, does that mean that the sin we committed never happened? Granted, God will forget it happened. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so YHVH pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:11-14). But, All that time that we held onto that sin; all that time that God's anger burnt against us; all that time we spent like Jonah, trying to run from God instead of doing what He told us to do--all that time is gone. We cannot "undo" what we did. All that time that we spent being dead to God. It's gone, and we can't get it back. There is nothing we can do to "make up for it."

But that is the beauty of God's mercy toward us. Toward those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). He will restore those years. He will take those years that we spent in sin, use them for His own purposes, and, in that way, "restore" them. Before the foundation of the world, did He know those who were going to be His? Yes. If you don't believe that, then you have a very low view of God. Did we go through some things, even do sinful things, before God called us to Himself--yea, and even after He saves us? Yes. If you don't believe we did (and if you don't believe we still do), then you have a very high view of man. And here's the kicker: God allowed it all! Whatever you were, whatever you did, before He saved you, He allowed it to happen! And here is what He does after He saves us (and, keep in mind, He had planned this even before He saved us): He will put us in situations where we can warn others about the things we did. As Spurgeon once said (so much better than I ever could):

“It will strike you at once that the locusts did not eat the years: the locusts ate the fruits of the years’ labor, the harvests of the fields; so that the meaning of the restoration of the years must be the restoration of those fruits and of those harvests which the locusts consumed. You cannot have back your time; but there is a strange and wonderful way in which God can give back to you the wasted blessings, the unripened fruits of years over which you mourned. The fruits of wasted years may yet be yours.”

He will work everything to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And in so doing, will restore the years the locust has eaten.

Verse 27. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: YHVH your God, and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. Now, let's stop and think about this last sentence. God's people will never be put to shame. Now, either God could not see that the nation of Israel would be scattered to the four winds in 70 AD, or there is an underlying meaning to this assertion. A little Hebrew grammar lesson (a VERY little Hebrew lesson). The phrase "put to shame" is NOT in the future tense. In fact, Hebrew does not use "tenses," it uses "aspects." "Put to shame" is in an aspect called the "imperfect." Ironically enough, it refers to an action that has not yet been completed, but is either to be done, or being done. For example, if the Big Bad Wolf was speaking in Hebrew when he warned the three pigs that "I will huff and I will puff" &c, he would be speaking in the imperfect aspect.

So, what does all this mean? It means that the people of God are not completed yet. That there are still many more to come who will be God's people. And while the world may look at God's people with scorn and ridicule, and may not want anything to do with us, we will not be ashamed before Almighty God. 1st Peter 2:6--Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame. 2nd Timothy 1:8--do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. Hebrews 2:11--For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Hebrews 11:16--But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. And, of course, Jesus said in Mark 8:38--"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." We are a spectacle to the world. They don't know, they don't understand--they have not seen, therefore they do not believe. But we have hope in what we have not seen! That is why we call it hope! For hope in what is seen is not hope (Romans 8:24). And because we believe, we shall never be ashamed.

Verses 27-28. I am YHVH your God, and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. 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, your young men shall see visions. These words, of course, echoed by the apostle Simon Peter on the Day of Pentecost. And oh, friend! How these words have been taken by many and used to try and support some of the most outlandish claims and practices! I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Does this mean that every single person who will ever be born will be saved? Absolutely NOT! So, again, we either have a contradiction or an underlying meaning. I'll go with door #2. Who did the Jews think were the only people God wanted anything to do with? The Jews! In fact, in their Midrash, they claimed that "God created the Gentiles to fuel the fires of hell." (And yet, if you ask some people, they would tell you that OT Jews didn't believe in a fiery Hell. Oops!)

Notice the imagery. The rain has not fallen in some time. Why? Because of disobedience. God would warn the people later (about 50 years later) that there would be no prophet in Israel. Amos 8:11-12--"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord YHVH, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of YHVH. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of YHVH, but shall not find it." Why? Because of disobedience. Because they had, once again, turned to serving other gods. So, when the 400 year silence was over, and when God did send forth another prophet, who did God send? Yeah, Him. And who was He sent to first? To the Jews! The Israelites! Everything that God does, He begins with the Jews. If God is going to bless, He blesses the Jews first. If the Jews are obedient, He will bless them first. But, on the other hand, if they are disobedient, He will punish all people, but the Jew first.

So, after the 400 years of silence were over, and God sent His Son in the form of man, who was He sent to first? Matthew 10:5-6--These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 15:22-24--And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Who was the gospel given to first? Romans 1:16--I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Who does glory come to first? Romans 2:10--glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. But, when tribulation comes, who does it come to first? Romans 2:9--tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek.

So, the question then becomes, Who is a Jew? Is a person Jewish simply because they were born of a certain nationality? Before Christ came, the answer to that was simple. In order to be a Jew, one of two things were necessary: One, you could be born into the nation Israel. Or, Two, you could be circumcised and follow the Law. It was an outward thing. But something happened. And in that passage in Matthew 15, that Gentile woman showed a faith that Jesus had not seen in those who claimed to be God's people. Matthew 15:24-28--He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

How is it that a woman who hailed from an area as wicked and as heathen as Tyre and Sidon--two cities which had been cursed by God above nearly every other city--how is it that a woman from such a place would cry out to the Son of David! A Son of JEWS! How was it that a centurion--a man employed by Rome itself--could fall down and worship this Son of David, and revere Him so much that he would not even ask Him to disobey a JEWISH law--that Jewish Law that Pontius Pilate so casually dismissed (John 18:29-31)--and cause our Lord to exclaim that He had not found such faith in all Israel (Matthew 8:8-10)! How was it that Lydia, that seller of purple, from an abominable city such as Thyatira, would worship YHVH, and receive the gospel and salvation (Acts 16:14-15)! How was it that a Samaritan woman, married 5 times and living with a man not her husband, would consider as truth the words of a Jew (John 4:28-29)! How was it possible for all these to believe a Jew? Because God kept His promise, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.

In fact, God poured out His Spirit even as His Christ was but a child. Even as Christ was being delivered over for circumcision, Simeon, who believed the promise of God, proclaimed that this boy, YHVH's Christ, would bring light to all the world. Luke 2:28-32--And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."

So, getting back to the question of "Who is a Jew?" It is no longer simply a nationalistic designation. It does not matter your nationality, it does not matter whether your flesh has been circumcised. You are a Jew if you are in Christ. Romans 2:25-29--For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Once, way back when, only an Israelite could go into the presence of God within the veil. Matthew 27:51--Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. In fact, if you were a Gentile, you couldn't even go into certain parts of the temple itself. There was a wall keeping you out. Ephesians 2:14-16--For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And you were only a Jew if you descended, physically, from Abraham. Galatians 3:28-29--There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. How can this be? How can our bloodline be changed? Because we are born from above. We are born by the Spirit. John 3:5-6--"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." We, who were Gentiles by birth, are Jews by the Spirit, because God has fulfilled His promise, whereby He said, "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh."
...your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. How these words have been taken by many and used to try and support some of the most outlandish claims and practices! Have I said that already? Well, I must say it again! For it has been taken, by many who just simply cannot stand to be bound by the Word of God, to mean that it is OK for women to preach in a church and to hold ecclesiastical authority over a man. Oh, but the trouble they run into! For to do that, they must necessarily create contradictions within the Word of God. I, for one, would much rather hold to the truth of Scripture. 1st Timothy 2:11--Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. Friend, if I were to give you one piece of advice at this point, it would be this: whenever you come across a passage of Scripture that begins with the word "Let"--go back to the Greek. Because, more often than not, you will find that the verb the word "Let" is referring to is in the imperative voice. In other words, it's not a suggestion--it is a command! And, yeah, it is here. Literally, the verse reads "Women, in quietness, be learning in all obedience!" Read 1st Corinthians 11:7-12 if you want an idea of whether or not women are to have authority in the church.

But, will women prophesy? Yes. Will they understand the deep things of God? Yes. Will God show women things from the Scriptures? Yes. Are they permitted to proclaim them to the assembling of saints? NO. 1st Corinthians 14:34-37--Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says...for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. Did you catch that last part? (And guess what? That whole "Let" meaning the verb is imperative? Yeah, here too. "Acknowledge"--it's a command!) The fact that women were to keep silent in the church is not just an idea Paul came up with because he was some kind of male chauvinist. This was A COMMANDMENT FROM THE LORD. If you don't like it, take it up with God. It's His word, not mine.

Verse 29. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. This is one hang-up with the NKJV. That should not read "MY menservants and MY maidservants." There should not be an article there at all. For this reason: what good were slaves and servants at the time Joel wrote? Not much, really. So imagine what the people would have thought when YHVH told the people that slaves and servants would give prophecy! Ahh, but such is the power and mercy of Almighty God! That He would use an old man like Simeon, an 80-some-odd-year-old woman like Anna, and even the daughter of Philip, to spread forth the news that Messiah had come, and to spread to the nations His glorious gospel! And for no other reason than the good pleasure of His perfect will!

God has poured out His Spirit upon the earth. Men and women, boys and girls, freemen and slaves, Jews and Greeks and even Muslims are being awakened to the glorious light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Spirit of God is showing them that they have been worshipping a false idea about God. He is showing them the truth, He is opening their eyes, He is bringing their dead spirit back to life, and He is delivering them from the kingdom of darkness and bringing them into the kingdom of the Son of His love. And, as we will see next, as long as they continue to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will save them!

50 Answers to 50 Mormon Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions (Answers 25, 26, and 27)

Because of the repetitive nature of the next three questions, I have decided to lump them into one post.

Tower To Truth Question:

25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?


FAIR Answer:

It would be more correct to say that the Book of Mormon teaches that plain and precious things have been removed from the Bible 1_Ne. 13:28. The vast majority of that which has remained in the Bible is both true and valuable.

Latter-day Saints take two years of every four in Sunday School studying the Bible. They cherish it. They merely refuse to believe that the Bible is all that God has said, or can say. God can speak whenever He wishes.

To learn more: Bible basics

For extensive evidence that the Bible both underwent change and deletions in the very early years, see here.

To learn more: Biblical completeness

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Tower To Truth Question:

26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?

FAIR Answer:

The italics do indeed identify words added by the translators. They were "added" because they were necessary words for making sense of the translation: in Hebrew and Greek the words are sometimes implied, but necessary for English to make sense. (Italics can mislead us, however, in suggesting that there is such a thing as a word-for-word translation without interpretation, save for the italics.)

Thus, in some cases the italic words are necessary, and Joseph or another translator would have had to put them in. In other cases, Joseph removed the italic words. (It's not clear that Joseph even owned a Bible during the Book of Mormon translation era, much less that he knew what the italics meant.)

This is really a question about why the Book of Mormon text is often very close (or, in some cases, identical to) the King James Version. If Joseph was trying to forge a book (as the critics claim) then why did he quote from the Bible, the one book his readers would be sure to know?

To learn more: Joseph Smith Translation and the Book of Mormon

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Tower To Truth Question:

27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?

FAIR Answer:

Because Joseph translated it as King James English.
Why do modern translations of the Greek and Hebrew Bible sound like modern English, even though the texts are hundreds or thousands of years old? Because that's how the translators translated them. It doesn't say anything about what the language is like on the original. (French translators make totally different translations than English translators, but the manuscripts remain the same!)

Do Christians condemn the Bible as an inauthentic record because their translations sound like 21st century English? This question is a good example of how insincere these "questions" from an anti-Mormon ministry are.

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My Response:

OK, we'll take the first one (Answer 25), since it is the simplest. It is simply another example of Mormon double-speak. They are basically saying, "We don't believe the Bible has been corrupted. We just believe some things have been removed."





Doesn't the "fact" (quote-unquote) that things have "been removed" (quote-unquote), by default, render something "corrupt?" The word "corrupt" comes from the Latin (through Middle English) "to break." In fact, according to Merriam-Webster, to "corrupt" means "to alter from the original or correct form or version" (See full entry here). So....if something was "removed," doesn't that, automatically, mean that it has been "altered from its original form?" But, this is, yet again, another example of a Mormon defining things differently than what they really mean. Oh, and, as usual, not a word about which of the "truths, plain and most precious" were removed. Yeah, good luck getting an answer on THAT.

Then there is the link that says, "For extensive evidence that the Bible both underwent change and deletions in the very early years." Of course, that link takes you to another FAIR page where they quote Blake Ostler. Oh, yeah, real unbiased work, there. **rolls eyes** Oh, and as far as trying ot use Vagany against the reliability of Scripture, let's look at the quote from FAIR:

"In AD 178 the secular writer Celsus stated in polemic against the Christians: some of the believers . . . have changed the original text of the Gospels three or four times or even more, with the intention of thus being able to destroy the arguments of their critics.' (quoted in Origen, Contra Celsum, SC 132, 2, 27).

Now, one thing you need to know about Celsus: he was a heretic. He vehemently opposed the Christians and went out of his way to disparage them. Which means he is exactly the kind of person FAIR will quote in order to defend their beliefs--a known heretic! Way to go, guys! I suppose that next, in order to "prove" the Bible was wrong about the creation account, they will probably be quoting Charles Darwin.

Oh, and by the way, here is the full quote from Origen (emphasis mine):

After this he says, that certain of the Christian believers, like persons who in a fit of drunkenness lay violent hands upon themselves, have corrupted the Gospel from its original integrity, to a threefold, and fourfold, and many-fold degree, and have remodelled it, so that they might be able to answer objections. Now I know of no others who have altered the Gospel, save the followers of Marcion, and those of Valentinus, and, I think, also those of Lucian. But such an allegation is no charge against the Christian system, but against those who dared so to trifle with the Gospels. And as it is no ground of accusation against philosophy, that there exist Sophists, or Epicureans, or Peripatetics, or any others, whoever they may be, who hold false opinions; so neither is it against genuine Christianity that there are some who corrupt the Gospel histories, and who introduce heresies opposed to the meaning of the doctrine of Jesus.

I suppose that is enough evidence to shatter FAIR's misuse of someone's quote. And, yeah, there are going to be differences in the various Hebrew manuscripts. It would be interesting if FAIR would live up to their acronym and share with us some of these differences from Tov's book. Oh wait......are those crickets I hear chirping in Utah? Yeah, I thought so.

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So, for the second (Answer 26), let's boil it down. Let's look at the main thrust of their response:

The italics do indeed identify words added by the translators. They were "added" because they were necessary words for making sense of the translation: in Hebrew and Greek the words are sometimes implied, but necessary for English to make sense.

RED FLAG ALERT!
RED FLAG ALERT!

The Book of Mormon was not written in Hebrew, or Greek! IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN IN REFORMED EGYPTIAN! So the argument that the italics were added to the Hebrew for insertion into the BOM is silly, because Isaiah was written in Hebrew while the BOM was written in a totally different language! BUSTED!! That would be like saying "The parts of the Bagavad Gita that were plagiarized from Das Kapital kept the italics to get the sense of what the Japanese meant." We're talking about completely different languages, so their answer on this point is moot.

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Finally, Answer #27. I would have to say this isn't much of an issue. Of course the gold-digger was going to translate it into the language of his day, so I really don't think that's any ground we need to cover.