Author: roybritton

A case for the 42 months being a literal period of time

POST OVERVIEW. A refresher on the 42 months from Revelation 11-13, reviewing what the Scripture says about this end-times concept. Related to post #641, 4/16/2023, on the “thousand years.”

I have written before at length about the end times, both on numerous posts on this site and in my book, “The Last Act of the Drama: a guide to the end times,” but lately I have felt that it might be beneficial to give some refreshers.

THE 42 MONTHS IN REVELATION

One of the most important interpretive decisions that the student of Revelation makes is how he understands the timing of the major end times events and time periods in the book. In my view of Revelation, the events of the last days (the time period between Jesus’ ascension and great white throne judgment) fit into three named periods: the “thousand years,” the 42 months, and the last day. In a recent post (#641, 4/16/2023), I reviewed the events of the “thousand years” and placed the “thousand years” chronologically on a timeline. In this post, my main objective, but not my only objective, is to demonstrate that “the 42 months” of Revelation 11-13 should be understood as a literal time period.

REVIEW OF THOUSAND YEARS. Looking back to Post #641, we saw that, rather than a precise measurement of exactly one thousand 365-day years, the “thousand years” (Rev. 20:1-6) was simply a figurative expression for a long period of time. That is, since “thousand” in Revelation most often simply means a very large number, the “thousand years” simply means a very long, non-specific period of time. In my previous post, I also explained from Revelation and other Scriptures that the “thousand years” begins during the ascension of Jesus to heaven between Acts 1:9 and Rev. 5:6. Then, according to Rev. 20:3 and 20:7, the “thousand years” ends when Satan (the dragon) is released from the abyss. Thus, the period of the 42 months begins with Satan’s release.

42 MONTHS A LITERAL TIME PERIOD OR FIGURATIVE?

There are seven occurrences of the “42 months” in the Scriptures: Daniel 7:25 and 12:7; and Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; and 13:5. The first thing we want to consider as we interpret these occurrences of the 42 months is whether this is a literal time period of three-and-a-half years or whether the expression “42 months” is to be understood figuratively as just a relatively short period of time. When I was studying end-times passages for my book on the end times two years ago, my position on the 42 months (or the “time and times and half a time” or the 1,260 days) was that this expression was “relatively literal,” in that it figuratively meant a short period of time compared to the long period of the thousand years. This position was not based on in-depth exegesis or on a clear principle, so this idea of “relatively literal” was weak. But since that time, as I have continued to study these things, my position on the meaning of the 42 months has changed. I am now persuaded that the “42 months” is a literal time period of 42 calendar months in duration. I have come to this conclusion for three reasons:

  1. John mentions this period of time five times in Revelation in three different ways; “42 months” (Rev. 11:2; 13:5); “1,260 days” (Rev. 11:3; 12:6); and “time and times and half a time” (Rev. 12:14). It would be very odd for him to mention a figurative period of time in three different ways.
  2. None of these expressions of 42 months has any figurative significance that I can discern, so it is unlikely that the time span is figurative.
  3. There are two other expressions of the 42 months which are located in Daniel (“time, times, and half a time” in 7:25 and 12:7), bringing to seven the total number of times that the 42 months is mentioned in an end-times passage in the Scriptures. Seven mentions of the same time period is very significant and is strong evidence for a literal understanding.  

These three reasons taken together make a very persuasive case that the 42 months is a literal time period.

THE EVENTS DURING THE 42 MONTHS

According to my view of the last days, the “thousand years” is a time of relative peace where the primary end-times activity consists of the faithful church riding out to conquer the nations with the bow of the gospel (Rev. 6:1-2). Satan is locked in the abyss (Rev. 20:3) so that he will not thwart the work of the church to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20).

But at a point in time known only to the Lord, Satan “must be released for a short time” (Rev. 20:3). This “short time” is the period of the 42 months. With the release of Satan from the abyss, the time period of the 42 months begins and world history takes a dramatic turn toward the end of the age. The following are comments about the 42 months.

  1. There are three main purposes for the 42 months.
    • Lawlessness increases so that the rebellious world is prepared for judgment.
    • The church gathered during the “thousand years” is purified by persecution.
    • Final warnings and calls for repentance are issued for the unrighteous.
  2. The 42 months begins with Satan’s release from the abyss (Rev. 20:3, 7) and ends on the cusp of the last day as the nations are gathered for Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:19; 20:8-9) and the destruction of the church.
  3. With a couple of exceptions, the events of the 42 months are given only in Revelation. Since there is not a biblical cross-reference for these events, care must be taken as the student pieces these events together.
  4. A proposed flow of events of 42 months. Satan’s release begins the 42 months. Satan makes war in heaven (Rev. 12:7-8) but he is defeated and thrown to earth (Rev. 12:9ff). This event is parallel with Rev. 8:10 and the great star from heaven (Satan). This “star” opens “the shaft of the abyss” (9:1) and releases demonic forces on the earth. These are part of the trumpet warnings for the unrighteous to repent. In 12:12, Satan’s wrath will result in woe on the earth. The church is purified through persecution (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:3-10, esp. 7; 13:7, 10, 15), the rise of the antichrist in the person of the beast (Rev. 13:1-10); the rise of the false prophet (“another beast,” Rev. 13:11-17), and the gathering of the kings of the earth and the forces of wickedness against the faithful church for the annihilation of the church (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:19; 20:8-9). The conclusion of the 42 months prepares the world for the cataclysmic events of the last day.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 4/17/2023                   #642

A detailed review of the “thousand years” (Rev. 20:1-6)

POST OVERVIEW. A refresher on the “thousand years” from Revelation 20:1-6, reviewing what the Scripture says and how to interpret and understand this difficult passage.

I have written before at length about the end times, both on numerous posts on this site and in my book, “The Last Act of the Drama: a guide to the end times,” but lately I have felt that it might be beneficial to give some refreshers on the key concepts.

THE “THOUSAND YEARS”

The “thousand years” is admittedly a difficult topic but it is also an important one. Misinterpreting the meaning of the “thousand years” can lead the student of the end times away from biblical teaching about the end of the age and about the return of Jesus and into confusing man-made concepts and ideas. As seekers of biblical truth, we must cling to the Scriptures until they reveal their truth to us and must resist the temptation to simply adopt a popular view or to be influenced by a persuasive teacher.

When studying these questions about the “thousand years,” we should turn to Rev. 20:1-6 and observe what the Bible asserts, that Satan (the dragon) is bound in the abyss for “a thousand years” (Rev. 20:2, 3). This is plain from this passage of Scripture and we know that the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), so first we conclude that Satan is bound for the thousand years. Next, Rev. 20:4 says that “the souls of those who had been beheaded and of those who had not worshiped the beast came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Rev. 20:6 adds that these will reign with Christ for a thousand years. So, with this basic interpretation of these verses on the thousand years, we see that, during the thousand years, while Satan (the dragon) is bound in the abyss, the souls of the saints are reigning with Christ in heaven. So far, so good.

But we must go deeper than this if we are going to draw any real meaning from this passage. We must seek to answer two obvious questions:

  1. What is the nature of the “thousand years?” That is, is it a literal period of time or is it a figurative expression?
  2. When does the “thousand years” occur?

Only after answering these two questions can we begin to fully understand the meaning of the “thousand years.” Here I will try to (briefly) describe my view. (By the way, I published a book in October 2021 called “The Last Act of the Drama: a guide to the end times.” That book expresses most of my thoughts on these things in more detail. It is available on Amazon.)

  1. The “thousand years” is not a literal time period but is simply an expression for a long period of time. Numbers in Revelation, especially numbers like 3, 7, 12, and 1000, often have figurative significance. The number “thousand” in Revelation is usually figurative and simply means a really big number. That means that “thousand years” does not mean 365,000 days. It just means a really long time.
  2. The “thousand years” must begin at least a thousand years before the resurrection of the saints (1 Thess. 4:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:23, 51-54), because we know that the resurrection of the saints will be on the last day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24). Directly related to this is the fact that Jesus’ coming occurs at the same time as the resurrection of the saints (1 Thess. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 John 3:2). Thus, the “thousand years” must begin long BEFORE the resurrection of the saints and the return of Jesus because the “thousand years” cannot occur after the last day.
  3. (From 2) The binding of Satan in the abyss, which is the event that begins the thousand years (Rev. 20:2, 3), occurs at least a thousand years before the coming of Jesus and the Resurrection.
  4. The “angel” (Rev. 20:1) who binds the dragon (Satan) in the abyss is the risen Lord Jesus, for only the Son of God has the power and authority to throw Satan around like a rag doll.
  5. In Rev. 20:4, John sees “thrones.” In Revelation, thrones are always in heaven, so “the souls of those who had been beheaded . . .” are in heaven. Also in Rev. 20:4, John explicitly sees “souls” in heaven with Christ,” not glorified saints. Thus, we know the “thousand years” occurs before the resurrection, because “souls” only exist until the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:42-44, 51-54).
  6. In Psalm 110:1, the conversation between the LORD (Father) and the Lord (Son) took place when Jesus returned to heaven after His victorious death and resurrection. After that, the Lord (Jesus) has been seated at the LORD’s (Father’s) right hand until His judgment of His enemies.
  7. The beginning of the “thousand years” occurs during the ascension of Jesus, between Acts 1:9 and Revelation 5:6. Jesus (“the angel” in Rev. 20:1) binds Satan in the abyss (Rev. 20:2, 3) and then arrives in heaven (Rev. 5:6) where He begins His reign with the souls of the faithful saints.
  8. In a “simplified” timeline of the events of the last days, Jesus ascends (Acts 1:9), binds Satan in the abyss (Rev. 20:2, 3), thus beginning the “thousand years,” and takes His seat at the Father’s right hand (Psalm 110:1). The victorious Lamb (Rev. 5:6) sends out (Rev. 6:2) the commissioned (Matt. 28:19-20) church to proclaim the gospel to the nations for the “thousand years.” At the end of the “thousand years,” Satan is released from the abyss (Rev. 20:3, 7) and his release begins the 42 months. Satan makes war in heaven (Rev. 12:7-8) but he is defeated and thrown to earth (Rev. 12:9, etc.). The events of the 42 months include the persecution of the church (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:3-10, esp. 7; 13:7, 10, 15), the final “trumpet” warnings to the unrighteous to repent (Rev. 8:6-9:21), the rise of the beast (Rev. 13:1-10) and the false prophet (“another beast,” Rev. 13:11-17), the increase of lawlessness (Matt. 24:12), the apostasy of the visible church (2 Thess. 2:3), and the gathering of the kings of the earth and the forces of wickedness against the faithful church to attempt the annihilation of the church (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:19; 20:8-9). On the last day, the faithful church is rescued by resurrection (Rev. 11:11-12) and rises to meet the descending Lord Jesus (1 Thess. 4:15-17; Rev. 19:11-16). The Lord brings wrath and judgment on the unrighteous and slays them all (Rev. 19:20, 21). The final event is the great white throne where the unrighteous are condemned into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 4/16/2023                   #641

A settled response to the experience of fear

POST OVERVIEW. This is an idea that I found from writing I did on September 27, 2016, about the experience of fear and how I determined to respond to those feelings.

The Bible commands us to “fear not” many, many times. Yet, as a fallen human being, I have found that my natural response to many situations is still to instinctively fear and to feel the threat. There is a feeling in the bottom of my stomach or a tightness in the chest that tells me that whatever has just occurred has caused me to fear. Since the Bible commands me to fear not, I must confess that my fear is sin. Therefore, it is incumbent on me, as a disciple of the Lord Jesus who desires obedience, to develop a response to these feelings of fear.

Here is my settled , intentional response to fear and anxiety:

  1. Recognize and acknowledge the feeling of fear. I become conscious of the fact that I am fearing something.
  2. Identify the fear. What is it I fear? Be as specific and concrete as possible and go as deep as necessary to find the cause of the fear.
  3. Confess the fear to the Lord, while acknowledging that fear is not faith and, therefore, agreeing with the Lord that fear is sin. “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
  4. Refuse to be fearful anymore by casting the fear or the anxiety onto the Lord. (See 1 Peter 5:7).
  5. Pray specifically about the fear using the Word of God. Explicitly declare to the Lord that I have this fear and request that the Lord would act on my behalf to remove the fear. “Be anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6-7). Restrict the things that I allow my mind to dwell on (Psalm 131).
  6. Consciously and explicitly leave the fear with the Lord and willfully forget the fear. By faith forget the fear and turn to godly activities and thoughts.

Finally, if there is something practical that I can do to address the cause of the fear or if there is some action that I can take to combat the fear, then it is my responsibility to take that action.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 4/11/2023                   #640

How have you impacted the kingdom of God?

This post is simply a series of questions that seek to evaluate the disciple’s fruit and his impact. Are you bearing fruit or producing good works (Eph. 2:10) for the Kingdom? What will be your legacy?

REGARDING SATAN’S AWARENESS OF THE DISCIPLE’S ACTIVITY

  • Does your name get mentioned in Satan’s war room?
  • Does Satan even know your name?
  • Are you a target for Satan’s attack? (Consider Job 1, 2)
  • Do your prayers frighten Satan? By their frequency? By their power?
  • Is your witness for Jesus something that Satan feels compelled to silence?
  • Are you on Satan’s radar screen?
  • Are you on Satan’s “10 Most Wanted” list?
  • Does Satan consider you dangerous to his cause?
  • If you died today, would Satan breathe a sigh of relief or would he not notice?
  • Does your witness for Jesus keep Satan up at night?

GENERAL KINGDOM WORK, FRUIT, AND LEGACY

  • If you died right now, would the cause of Christ on earth be lessened?
  • What kingdom work are you planning for the future?
  • What kingdom work are you currently executing (i.e., it is on your calendar)?
  • Will your efforts for Christ bear thirty, sixty, a hundred fold? (Matthew 13:8)
  • Would those seeking to persecute followers of Jesus be able to find you?
  • If Jesus gave you two talents at your conversion, what would you show Him when He returned/when He asked for an accounting (Matthew 25:14-30)?
  • Are there people who have heard the name of Jesus because of you?
  • How is the kingdom of God different because you have lived?
  • Is heaven well acquainted with your voice because of your prayers?

The point of these questions is to emphasize that the disciple has been called to bear fruit for the Kingdom (John 15:5, 8, 16).

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.” –  Jesus Christ in John 15:8

The disciple’s goal is to be useful to the Master (2 Tim. 2:21). How will your life bear fruit for Jesus? How will you be useful to the Master?

What questions would you add to this list?

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 4/10/2023                   #639

The authority of the Bible for doctrine and practice

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Lord has graciously given His people His book, the Bible, so that His people can know Him better, so that we can understand all that He has done through the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, and so that we can know how to glorify Him on earth. One of the Bible’s strongest statements about the authority of the Bible is given in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, quoted above. The features of the Word that I want to consider in this article are that all Scripture is useful for teaching and for correction.

STRANGERS IN THE EARTH. The Bible also says that we are strangers in the earth. “I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me” (Psalm 119:19). The psalmist is making a statement about the condition of all mankind. We are strangers in the earth, in that we are born with no sense of direction, no strong means of survival, no significant control, and no real defense against the threats around us. We are strangers surrounded by strangers. Where are we going to find a trustworthy guide to help us through this minefield? The psalmist’s solution is to cry out to the LORD, “Do not hide Your commandments from me.” As a stranger here surrounded by hostiles, the psalmist asks God to give him His Word. God’s Word is what he needs, and so do we.

As we come into the world directionless, purposelessness, and defenseless, so the believer comes to Christ “conviction-less.” What I mean is that the new believer has no convictions about doctrinal truth or about practices within the church or about fellowship with other believers. This is one reason why it is very important for the new believer to become immersed in the Bible as quickly as possible so that they can begin building doctrinal foundations.

MATURITY MEANS BUILDING CONVICTIONS

Part of growing from a new believer to a mature disciple involves fashioning biblical doctrines and practices into immovable convictions. In my own experience, when I came to Christ, I was worshiping the Lord in a large Baptist church in north Atlanta. This church was Arminian in their soteriology and was Dispensational in their eschatology. Since I came to Christ with no doctrinal foundation at all, I, too, became nominally Arminian and Dispensational simply by osmosis. But as time went on, and as I read through the Bible and studied its passages carefully, the nominal leanings that I had adopted from my pastor’s sermons were replaced with bedrock convictions bought with a firm grasp on the Word. I am now Calvinist in my soteriology and biblical in my eschatology. If there is to be sustained growth in the disciple’s walk with Jesus, it is necessary that the disciple move beyond mere adoption of the ideas of others to having convictions about what the word of the living God teaches.

Let me talk a little more about this idea of discerning and intentionally replacing erroneous ideas. The disciple of Jesus is a man or woman of one book. For the disciple, the Bible is the uncontested authority for all matters of doctrine and practice. All doctrinal and theological statements and ideas and claims should come from and may be tested by the word of God. Every doctrinal or theological statement or claim should be supported by the plain teaching of the Bible. Any teaching or theology of pastor or parent or priest or presbytery or parish or pope or professor must be crushed to dust and swept away if it cannot be readily defended from Scripture.

Therefore, it is the duty of the disciple, for the health of his own soul, to examine the doctrines he is being taught and the practices in which he engages inside the crucible of God’s word to be sure he is drinking pure milk (1 Peter 2:2) and not a diluted or tainted or even poisoned substitute. If, upon examination, the disciple discovers that a dearly beloved doctrine that he has cherished since childhood is in conflict with the teaching of the Bible, his necessary course of action is to slay that beloved doctrine and replace it with biblical teaching. The erroneous teaching must be treated as Deut. 13:6-11 treats the suggestion to serve false gods. That dearly beloved teaching that you learned on your mother’s knee, that you now know to be wrong, must be put to death without hesitation and without pity.

DANGERS OF TOLERATING ERROR

There are dangers to your soul from knowing that your doctrine or practice is in conflict with biblical teaching and yet persisting in it for subjective reasons.

The first danger of not rejecting and replacing this non-biblical doctrine or practice is that you will quickly grow to ignore your Bible altogether. When you tolerate known error in something small, it soon becomes easy to tolerate something bigger and more significant. It turns out that, when it comes to biblical truth, there is no such thing as a small thing. If God put that “thing” in His Word, he expects it to be obeyed, and it is a big deal when someone tolerates something else. Tolerating a “small thing” means the Bible is not the uncontested authority. Your behavior and your tolerating of the error have made clear that something else has more authority than the Word. And that is a huge problem. Now there is a rivalry (Matthew 6:24). Soon you will resent your Bible interfering with your life and eventually you will close your Bible and go do what you want to do. Tolerating any known error or conflict with biblical truth will cause your convictions to vanish like smoke. Therefore, reject any known error.

The second danger of not rejecting known error and replacing it with biblical truth is that you have a “form of godliness (religion), although you have denied its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Man-made ideas and compromises are impotent and adopting man-made rules and teaching will evacuate all power from your faith. God’s Word is “a hammer that shatters a rock” (Jeremiah 23:29), but man-made substitutes have no power at all. If your church clings to error, you should leave the church. It is better to leave a church than to forfeit biblical truth. You can find another church, but once you surrender your allegiance to the absolute truth of the Bible, you will be forever at sea without rudder or compass. There is no other Word of God. What the Bible says is true and it may be trusted. Indeed, it must be trusted. If you are unwilling to examine doctrine and practice by the blazing light of the Scripture and then conform errant doctrines and practices to those demanded by the Word of God, then your Bible will soon be of no practical use to you and you will have a man-made religion.

CONVICTIONS. The disciple of Jesus must be continually purging man-made practices and made-up doctrines as he earnestly develops biblical convictions that cannot be shaken.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 4/10/2023                   #638

Hebrews: An introduction and an overview

POST OVERVIEW. This article gives an introduction to the letter of Hebrews with thoughts about the author’s purposes, the recipients, the author and the date of writing.

FORM OF A SERMON. The letter to the Hebrews takes the form of a sermon from the displaced pastor to his congregation.

TWO DIFFERENT PURPOSES FOR THE LETTER

The author preaches his sermon with two different purposes.

ENCOURAGED BY CHRIST AND OTHER BELIEVERS. His first purpose is to encourage the genuine believer and to urge that believer to persevere by faith in the face of persecution. The author’s primary means of encouraging the true believers in his flock is to present Jesus Christ in all His glory and majesty as the model we are to follow. The author also spurs his flock on by reminding them of others from the past who have persevered and who have remained steadfast despite great difficulty and suffering. We can press on and not shrink back because we have “a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us” (12:1).

APPLICATION – As we read about the glory of Jesus Christ, about His holiness and His power and His sinlessness and His sacrifice on the cross, true believers should take heart that we have such a High Priest (7:25) and, knowing that Jesus is our substitute, we should resolve to not shrink back but press on to maturity and persevere to the end.

DO NOT COME SHORT. But there is a second purpose in this epistle that is manifested in the warning passages which characterize this letter. The author is intent on warning the pretender, the one who is blending in with the believing crowd while still holding back from real faith in Jesus. These people are probably not aware themselves that they are unsaved. After all, they are doing the same things that the rest of the congregation does, so why would they not also be saved? But the author’s warnings are intended to make clear that it is possible to come short of salvation. It is possible to drift away, to go through all the motions and then fall away because you never, by faith, trusted in Jesus Christ. The issue is not to check off all the religious boxes and have all the “Christian experiences,” but the critical issue is to come to Christ by faith. With all your heart, mind, and strength, believe in the Lord Jesus without reservation. The author warns that anything short of that is an eternity away from salvation.

APPLICATION – In much the same way that we read 1 John, so we read Hebrews and examine our own profession of faith in light of the warning passages. “Do I exhibit any of the danger signs about which the author is warning us here?” Therefore, when we encounter a warning text, we compare our faith to the warning and see if there are any similarities. We should allow the text of holy Scripture to warn us away from the disastrous consequences of a formal false “faith” that falls short of salvation. We, therefore, put our faith in the balances and allow the Scriptures to determine its saving weight.

SUMMARY. Thus the author writes to his beloved congregation to encourage genuine believers to remain steadfast in their faith in the face of opposition and to warn those who are relying on their religious performance and on their association with the faith community as evidence of true salvation that they must place all their trust in Jesus Christ.

This overview will serve as a good template for understanding the individual sections of the letter. The author is either encouraging the perseverance of genuine believers or he is urging the pretenders to come all the way to faith in Christ, and he is using the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as his means of accomplishing both.

OTHER INTRODUCTORY DETAILS

AUTHOR. We do not know the author of this letter. Before canonicity was fully established, Paul was given as the author in order to justify the letter’s inclusion in the canon, but once the epistle was universally accepted as canonical, the need for Pauline authorship was removed. Thus, modern translations simply refer to it as the letter to the Hebrews.

Apollos seems to be the most likely author of this sermon. All the quotes are from the LXX (Septuagint), which was written in Alexandria, and Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria. We know that Apollos was “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). He was also an eloquent man (18:24), which would seem to suggest he was a good orator who would have been a strong preacher of sermons. Based on the breadth of quotes used in the letter, the author of Hebrews obviously had a comprehensive knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. He also uses the most complex Greek in the New Testament, indicating the author was a very eloquent man. Although Paul is not the author of Hebrews, it is evident that Paul’s person and ministry influenced the author, which would also fit Apollos (1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4, 5, 6, 22; 16:12; Titus 3:13). The author was well-acquainted with Timothy (Hebrews 13:23) and so was a well-known figure in the early Christian church, particularly in Asia Minor and Achaia. One of the most likely reasons that the author did not identify himself is that he needed no introduction. Those who were reading the letter immediately knew who he was, so he just went right into his sermon. All of these are clues that the author may very well have been Apollos.

AUDIENCE. The original recipients are also unknown. The audience did know Timothy (Hebrews 13:23), so they almost certainly knew Paul. The letter is referred to as “the letter to the Hebrews,” but it is inconclusive that the original recipients were Hebrews (Jewish). There is no mention in the letter of circumcision, of ceremonial foods, of the Law, or of Jews and Gentiles, so there is nothing here that we would expect in a distinctively Jewish letter.

Some have suggested that the author’s teaching about the tabernacle and the elements of the Day of Atonement are things that only the Jews would understand, but I would counter that with the fact that pastors today teach the Old Testament Law to Gentiles in order to help all believers know the Scriptures and know the glory of Christ in His fulfillment of the Old Testament types. In other words, that the author teaches how Christ fulfilled the foreshadows of the Day of Atonement reveals almost nothing about the audience.

My best guess is that the original recipients were located far away from Jerusalem and were probably mostly Gentiles. Maybe in Ephesus or Corinth?

DATE. The letter was probably written in the early 70’s AD. Since Paul is not mentioned in the letter, then I assume that Paul was dead by now. If he is not dead, he is far removed from this congregation. But Timothy is alive and is apparently in a leadership position. Nothing is mentioned about the destruction of Jerusalem, but Jerusalem is not mentioned in the New Testament unless someone is going to that city or is coming from that city.

The next post will use our template to give a preview of the letters contents.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/30/2023                   #637

Vanquishing perfectionism

POST OVERVIEW. A post about the sin of perfectionism and a strategy for vanquishing it and removing it from your life.

I must have been under the burden of perfectionism long before I realized it, but that seems to usually be the case with these types of sins. The attitudes of my parents, particularly my father’s demands for performance, and my own personality definitely predisposed me to perfectionism, and it is likely that I had been a perfectionist for decades before I finally recognized my disease when I was in my forties.

But regardless of the reasons, I finally realized that I was a victim of perfectionism. My demand for perfect performance manifested itself in my being critical of the efforts, the performance, and the accomplishments of others, and in my being especially hard on myself for constantly falling short of the elusive “perfect” outcomes that I imagined for myself.

DEFINITION. I should try to define what I mean by “perfectionism.” This is the tendency to view all outcomes as binary, as either perfection or failure. All performance is to be evaluated on that absolute scale, as either perfect or literally as a failure. In extreme cases, even excellence is unacceptable since the goal was perfection.

This demon of perfectionism, this poison root, produces evil fruit.

  • There is constant sense of discontent and disappointment because NOTHING ever meets the requirement of perfection.
  • Indecision and second-guessing are produced because there is no choice without problems and there is no perfect alternative.
  • A tendency to judge everything and compare all people and all actions and all performance against an imaginary “perfect” ideal and then to criticize when the ideal is not achieved.
  • Seeing people’s faults and shortcomings, rather than seeing their strengths and their good qualities.

The purpose of this article is to help those who are perfectionists, like me, to develop a strategy for getting free of this sin and for reaching that place where grace replaces law in how you view your own performance and the performance of others.

ADMIT AND CONFESS. The first step is to recognize that you are a perfectionist and to confess that this is a sinful behavior. Perfectionism assumes that I am capable of perfect performance and that all I need to do to achieve perfection is work harder. Thus perfectionism is works based and performance based and denies my fallenness and denies my need for a perfect God who will have mercy on my sin and my failure. So, confession of perfectionism must mark the first step of the deliverance strategy. Confess your sin to God (Psalm 32:5), but also confess your sin to others (James 5:16). Just taking this first step will begin to loosen perfectionism’s grip and will also bring others into the battle against it.

STRATEGY FOR REPENTANCE. Battling perfectionism requires a two-pronged approach of earnest repenting prayer for deliverance coupled with an aggressive action plan. Prayer is necessary for making the necessary changes. Any serious strategy must involve crying out to God for His help. But the perfectionist must also resolve to act. You must change your behavior so that the enemy will be defeated.

SUGGESTED PRAYER. “O God, I long to be delivered from this evil trait. Holy Spirit, I ask You to change me and to change my mind, to transform me so that this characteristic of perfectionism and its devastating effects are removed from my life.” (Verses to pray through: Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 10:5; Eph. 4:22-24, 29, 32; remember Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23; Galatians 2:21)

ACTION PLAN. Here are some suggested steps for an action plan.

  • Develop the habit of thanking God often. Wake up every day thanking God.
  • Make it a rule to never criticize other people’s efforts. Instead, give other people compliments. Never, ever ridicule others!
  • Never speak with cynicism or sarcasm (Eph. 4:29).
  • Stop grumbling and complaining (Phil. 2:14).
  • Before you begin to judge someone’s effort, remember that all God requires of His people is their best effort.
  • When tempted to judge others, remember Romans 14:4 – “Who are you to judge the servant of another?” This verse is quite profound. Think about it.
  • Strive to be kind and tender-hearted to other people (Eph. 4:32). This world has enough pain without me adding to it with my unwarranted demands for perfection.
  • Encourage all sincere effort, regardless of the results.
  • Before you begin some project or task, have clearly defined, realistic expectations of outcomes. “Clearly defined” because this provides a goal for the effort and prevents an open-ended comparison with some vague “perfection;” “realistic” because a realistic expectation can often be achieved.
  • Celebrate and praise all accomplishment.
  • This world is fallen and only Jesus Christ is perfect. Accept this as an undeniable, theological fact and live like this is a fact.
  • God required perfection of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that He could be a perfect sinless sacrifice for sinners. Because Jesus Christ is perfect, I don’t need to be and neither does anyone else.
  • See people as amazing, complex creations of God who need to know the savior. My mission is to reflect Christ so that others can know Him, not to judge others until they meet my performance criteria.
  • Determine to face challenges with my best efforts and with fervent prayer and trust the Lord for the outcome. He is sovereign over all things.

With this strategy of prayer and action, and with perseverance (Romans 15:4-5; Hebrews 12:1), the sharp sin of perfectionism may be vanquished and removed from your life.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/24/2023                   #636

Evaluating the case for evolution – Part 2

POST OVERVIEW. The second in a series of posts evaluating the case for evolution from the perspective of a biblical creationist. (See also post #633 from 3/20/2023.)

My stated purpose in this series of posts is “to objectively explore the fundamental ideas of evolution and then to examine the validity and credibility of these ideas. My purpose for this exercise is to set up the situation where a person like me who holds to a biblical view of creation can examine the case for evolution and see if the evidence for evolution is persuasive.”

In the first post of the series (#633 on 3/20/2023), I presented three ideas that threaten the credibility of evolution: the origin of matter, evolution’s amazing abilities, and evolution’s curious improvements to the species. In this post, I will be asking questions about the nature of evolution and also about the body of knowledge that defines what exactly evolution is.

I will begin this post on evaluating evolution as I began the last one. As a Bible-believing disciple of Jesus Christ, I will present evidence for biblical creation.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

The Bible is the most popular, most influential book in the history of mankind, and the first verse of the Bible presents a clear statement about the origin of the universe, making a case for creation. As we evaluate the case for evolution, we should keep in mind that the Bible presents strong evidence for another view.

QUESTIONS ABOUT EVOLUTION

  • Since evolution is about incremental improvements in a species, how does evolution identify the species that needs to be improved or changed?
  • If a species has existed for millions of years and countless generations, why would that species need to evolve? For example, why would a shark need to evolve or be improved? A shark seems to be remarkably well adapted for survival in its current environment. Or choose another species of animal and state the basis of a need for improvement.
  • How does evolution produce improvements and changes in species in a universe where the second law of thermodynamics also operates and everything is inevitably and irresistibly moving to greater disorder?
  • Is evolution a force? If so, how can its existence be measured?
  • Can evolution be seen? Heard? Felt? Detected? Does evolution have mass and occupy space? If not, how can its existence be proven in any way?
  • When did evolution come into existence? How did evolution come into existence? Since, according to proponents, evolution has existed for billions of years, is evolution effectively eternal?
  • Does evolution exist on other planets and in other galaxies, or is its existence limited to earth?
  • Why would evolution need to exist where there were no living species to be improved or that needed to evolve?
  • Is evolution responsible for creating from the Big Bang the order that we see throughout our visible universe? (If so, then evolution must be able to work with inanimate as well as animate material. From the unimaginably chaotic, lifeless explosion of the Big Bang, not only was evolution able to produce the astonishing beauty we see in the heavens over our heads, displayed in countless galaxies of stars, but evolution was also able to create from swirling, churning, lifeless cosmic debris all the existing living plant and animal and insect and bacteria species that we find on our inhabited planet called earth.)
  • How did evolution create life from the lifelessness of the Big Bang?
  • How did evolution create water from not-water?
  • How did evolution create two genders for each species, male and female?
  • How does an eye evolve?
  • How does an ear evolve?
  • How does a bird’s wing evolve?
  • How does a lung or a heart evolve?
  • How does a reproductive system evolve?
  • Is evolution itself a living thing?
  • Does evolution have intelligence? What is the source of evolution’s intelligence?
  • Who are the recognized experts on the subject of evolution? (national, international, historical)
  • Which colleges have majors in Evolution? Which colleges offer PhD’s in Evolution?
  • If I majored in Evolution, what career fields would be open to me?
  • What are the leading colleges and universities in the field of evolution?
  • What courses do they offer? Who teaches these courses?
  • Where is research being done to further our understanding of evolution?
  • What are the foundational principles of the field of evolution?
  • What are the best basic books for explaining the subject of evolution?
  • Are there conferences where evolutionists gather?

That is probably enough questions for now.

I am sure that some of these questions will be easier for the evolutionist to answer than others, but I think that, for me as a biblical creationist, hearing some of these answers would at least give us an opportunity for dialog.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/22/2023                   #635

Satan will be cast out (John 12:31-32; Rev. 20:2-3)

POST OVERVIEW. A study of John 12:31-32 (“Satan will be cast out”) and the relation of those verses to Satan being thrown into the abyss for the thousand years in Revelation 20:2-3.

Recently, during my preparation for a Bible study of the gospel of John, I observed that Jesus declared, “The ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). As I considered this section of Scripture, I began to see a connection between these verses and Revelation 20:1-3, when Satan is thrown into the abyss by “the angel” (Jesus) at the start of the thousand years. This post is a study of those connections.

REVIEW OF THE INTERPRETATION OF REVELATION 20:1-3

In other posts on this site and in my book, The Last Act of the Drama, I have presented my interpretation of Revelation 20:1-3, a passage about the binding of Satan and the inauguration of the thousand years. In this passage, Christ (“the angel”) “bound Satan for a thousand years and he threw him into the abyss, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer.” I maintain that this binding of Satan occurs during Christ’s ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9; Rev. 5:6ff) at the very beginning of the gospel age so that the church can accomplish its commission to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20) without Satan’s interference. Satan is thrown into the abyss so that he cannot hinder the gospel advance and the church then rides out into the world (Rev. 6:1-2) proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

The passage in Rev. 20, therefore, presents Christ restraining Satan during the thousand years (church age) so that the gospel can be proclaimed to the Gentiles (“the nations”) without Satan’s hindrance.

A PARALLEL TEXT IN JOHN 12:31-32

Now we turn our attention to our study text in John 12:31-32. In John 12:31, Jesus says that Satan “will be cast out.” Clearly implied here is that Satan will be cast out of this world, since “of this world” appears twice in John 12:31. Also apparent in this verse is that Jesus will be the one who will cast Satan out.

Now, as we consider what Jesus says here in John 12:31, we must ask some questions. First, what does it mean for Satan to be “cast out?” Does it mean that he is completely eliminated or does it mean something less absolute? And second, we must ask, “When did this happen?” When did Jesus cast Satan out of this world? Or was Jesus just speaking figuratively about casting Satan out?

Before we answer these questions, however, we should also notice that the results of John 12:32 are connected to the events of John 12:31. That is, the “lifting up” of Jesus and the “drawing all men to Myself” in 12:32 are dependent upon or derived from the “ruler of this world being cast out” in 12:31. A closer examination of these two verses reveals that the casting out of the ruler of this world (Satan) enables or facilitates the drawing of all men to Jesus. In other words, Christ casts Satan out (12:31) so that the preaching of the gospel (“Jesus is lifted up”) will draw men to Jesus from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (12:32) without Satan’s interference.

“CAST OUT.” In this context, then, “cast out” (John 12:31) should be understood to mean “taken off the playing field” or “removed from being an obstacle to the gospel and to the salvation of the nations.” “Cast out” does not mean complete elimination or destruction but is better understood as “limiting or restraining his activity.” If this understanding of “cast out” is accurate, then “cast out” in John 12:31 is virtually identical in meaning to binding Satan and throwing him into the abyss we see in Rev. 20:2-3. In fact, at this point we can say that binding Satan and throwing him in the abyss (Rev. 20:2-3) was the means that the Lord Jesus used to cast Satan out (John 12:31).

SUMMARY

In John 12:31-32 Jesus is speaking prophetically and His prophecy spoken there is fulfilled in Rev. 20:1-3. Both these passages are teaching that Christ restrains Satan’s activities and abilities during the thousand years so that Satan cannot hinder (“deceive”) the nations (Gentiles) from being drawn to Jesus.

Christ has declared, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18) and He has also commissioned His church as those who will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). By restraining Satan for the thousand years, Christ makes certain that His church will accomplish their task.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/22/2023                   #634

Evaluating the case for evolution – Part 1 (Hebrews 11:3)

POST OVERVIEW. The first in a series of posts evaluating the case for evolution from the perspective of a biblical creationist.

EXPLORING THE EVIDENCE, ASKING THE QUESTIONS

In these posts, I will be attempting to objectively explore the fundamental ideas of evolution and then to examine the validity and credibility of these ideas. My purpose for this exercise is to set up the situation where a person like me who holds to a biblical view of creation can examine the case for evolution and see if the evidence for evolution is persuasive. In this exploration, I will also be asking questions of the evolutionist to prompt dialog.

I will begin presenting a small piece of evidence that supports biblical creation. In Hebrews 11:3, the Bible speaks directly to the means by which God created the universe.

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Here in this verse the Bible states that God created what is seen out of that which is unseen. This means that God created our universe out of nothing, ex nihilo. God used just the power and authority of His word to bring the universe into being.

The teaching of this verse separates those who, by faith, believe the Bible to be the word of God from those who, lacking faith, do not. This verse drives us back to the very start of the Scriptures, to the first words of Genesis when creation is being described and requires us to make a decision. Do we believe that God created the worlds out of that which did not exist or do we think that some form of evolution was responsible for all we see in the creation? The answer to this question reveals whether you have saving faith or you lack it.

Of course, the evolutionist readily admits he does not have faith in God and does not believe the Bible, but we will see that this verse presents a problem for him, nevertheless.

THE PROBLEM OF ORIGINAL MATERIAL

While the proponent of evolution can reject the biblical explanation about God’s creation, he cannot avoid the problem of original material. Why do I say that? I say that because of the very nature of and definition of evolution. Evolution always begins with what already exists and modifies it. Evolution always starts with an existing species and then somehow conceives of an “improvement” in that species to make it more fit to survive. The theory of evolution describes a process whereby existing species improve. Thus evolution requires existing material. For evolution to operate, there must be something already existing that can be evolved. This means that the proponents of evolution must address the issue of origin. What is the source of the original material that was originally subject to “improvement”?

Even if it could be shown that the existence of the breathtaking variety of animals and birds and fish and plants and rocks and mountains and trees on our planet and the spectacular beauty of the uncountable stars in the heavens is the result of an evolutionary process (see below), those who promote evolution must still answer the question of original material. And simply saying, “The big bang,” does not answer the question, but merely throws it into the realm of myth.

THE NATURE OF EVOLUTION’S ABILITIES

As we consider “evolution” more deeply, we see that the nature of evolution itself is mysterious. For example, to make the theory of evolution function, proponents of the theory give to evolution a personality and a will that results in a purpose. It seems that evolution’s one purpose in life is to improve flawed species and make them better able to survive. According to the experts, evolution has been doing this for hundreds of millions or billions of years. To equip evolution for its vital role in our universe, it has also been given the remarkable ability to detect design flaws in any creature in any corner of the earth. And evolution never sleeps. Wherever there is a “design flaw” in any living creature, plant or animal, anywhere on the seven continents, there evolution will be found, working tirelessly over millions of years if necessary to ultimately “create” an improved species. And evolution does all this without any intelligent input from anything outside of itself. What I mean is that evolution appears to do all its remarkable work perpetually and as if by instinct. Evolution just does what it does automatically, spontaneously, perpetually, and independently. This seems like a stretch to me.

THE NATURE OF EVOLUTION’S IMPROVEMENTS

Equally curious to me are the “improvements” that evolution makes. According to proponents, evolution is responsible for all the spectacular variety of plant and animal life we see displayed in every corner of the globe. Birds, fish, mammals, insects of all types, trees, plants, grasses, bacteria. Everywhere we see life in all its infinite diversity, there we know that evolution has been at work.

An example of this concept at work requires that at some point in time and for some unknown reason, evolution “decided” that some species of fish was flawed or needed to be improved so that it could become a bird. And so evolution began the process of making incremental changes (“improvements”) over millions of years such that a male and a female of this species of fish would eventually shed their scales and the gills needed for breathing in water, and would abandon the sources of food that they ate as fish, and would emerge from the ocean waves with hollow bones and feather-covered wings with the ability to fly and to make nests and to lay eggs and to breathe air and to eat an entirely new diet of food that just happened to be available right at the place where they emerged from the water.

This seems like a stretch to me. There does not seems to be any evidence to support this sort of evolution ever taking place, nor does this process seem to be possible. But the other question would be, “Why would this ever happen?” In our example, the fish species was functioning and surviving perfectly well before they “evolved.” They had food to survive, they reproduced, they did all they needed to do to live out their days. Why would the fish need to be changed into birds? How would their becoming birds be an improvement? More than that, how would the seismic changes in these fish be sustained over the thousands of generations needed to change a fish to a bird, since at each change, there would need to be a male and a female of the intermediate fish-bird species to keep it going? Again, it seems to be a stretch.

SUMMARY. So far, we have presented three ideas that threaten the credibility of evolution: the origin of matter, evolution’s abilities, and evolution’s improvements. I will continue this examination of evolution in the next post by asking some questions of the evolutionist.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/20/2023                   #633