Category: Dispensationalism, Zionism, Israel

Ok Kids. First thing. This “Beast” has nothing to do with the Marvel comics character.

Neither does it have much to do with modern prophecy pimps like Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHay, Jack Hibbs, or C.I. Scofield.

The core of the biblical prophecies about the beast are found in Revelation chapter 13. First, there are two beasts mentioned. Revelation 13:1-10 concerns a sea beast. Revelation 13:11-18 concerns a land beast. Verses 16-18 are the ones people cite when talking about the “mark of the beast.”

Background

Virtually every symbol in Revelation can be found in one way or another in the Old Testament. When you want to learn about a symbol always start there. Then ask how the original readers and hearers of Revelation living in the First Century would understand what it says.

God gave Abraham a geographical area of land back in Genesis. From then on, it is frequently called “the land.” The land is pictured in various ways through the history of the Jewish nation. Those outside the land are the sea of Gentiles. The sea is wild and chaotic. John even describes the sea:

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest … are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Revelation 17:15.

Below are comments from Logos on this subject:

In biblical symbolism, the sea represents gentiles while the land represents Israel.1 This symbolic framework appears consistently throughout Scripture, particularly in how Old Testament literature portrays foreign nations. After humanity’s fall, the separation between land and sea became emblematic of the division between God’s covenant people and the ungodly nations, with the chaotic sea constantly attempting to encroach upon the land just as gentile powers sought to destabilize God’s established order.2

Throughout the Old Testament, gentiles are frequently depicted through aquatic imagery or referenced in connection with crossing waters.1 This symbolic language extends into apocalyptic literature as well. In Revelation, the many waters are explicitly explained as representing peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues3, and Revelation consistently distinguishes Israel through land and earth imagery while depicting gentiles through the sea.2

The shift from Old Testament to New Testament narrative reinforces this symbolism. In the Old Testament, God revealed His ways through His priestly people inhabiting His land, and the text focuses almost exclusively on land animals—prophets and kings functioned as farmers, shepherds, and herdsmen.2 By contrast, none of Jesus’ prominent disciples were farmers or husbandmen; the most prominent were fishermen, and the disciples are characterized as fishers of men rather than shepherds—imagery indicating that Jesus’ kingdom would extend to the entire world, including the gentiles.1 This transition in symbolic language marks the gospel’s expansion beyond Israel to encompass all nations.

1 James B. Jordan, “153 Large Fish,” in Biblical Horizons (Niceville, FL: Biblical Horizons, 2000), 630.

2 James B. Jordan, The Geneva Review (Birmingham, AL: Theopolis Books, 2022), 20.

3 Alfred Ernest Garvie, “SEA,” in A Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with Its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings et al. (New York; Edinburgh: Charles Scribner’s Sons; T. & T. Clark, 1911–1912), 4:424.

The Sea Beast

In Revelation 13:1 it refers to the sea beast as having seven heads and ten horns.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Revelation 13:1.

Again, what John is describing in Revelation is symbols from the Old Testament. So where is he getting this description of the Beast?

Jump back to Daniel chapter 7. Daniel sees four beasts come up out of the sea (vs. 3).

1 Beast one was like a lion (vs. 4)

2 Beast two was like a bear (vs. 5)

3 Beast three was like a leopard with four heads (vs. 6)

4 Beast four was like a terrible with ten horns (vs. 7)

Add these up and you get seven heads (1+1+4+1) and ten horns.

The dragon (see below) gave the beast in Revelation 13 it’s power.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:9

Please note also the corresponding creatures.

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Revelation 13:2.

Revelation 13:1 also adds something new which is not found in Daniel, the ten crowns.

“The ten crowned horns (powers) of the Beast are explained in 17:12 in terms of the governors of the ten imperial provinces, while the seven heads are explained as the line of Caesars (17:9-11): Nero is one of the “heads.”

David Chilton “The Days of Vengeance” pg. 327

The ten imperial provinces are referenced in this passage:

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Revelation 17:12.

The line of Caesar:

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Revelation 17:9–11.

Chilton’s comments on Revelation 17:9-10 are also worth noting.

“The “seven mountains” again identify the Beast as Rome, famous for its “seven hills”; but these also correspond to the line of the Caesars, for they are seven kings; five have fallen: They first five Ceasars were Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. One is: Nero, the sixth Caesar, was on the throne as St. John was writing Revelation. The other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while: Galba, the seventh Caesar, reigned for less than seven months.”  

David Chilton “The Days of Vengeance” pg. 435-6

The Land Beast

Concerning Revelation 13:12, Chilton writes, “The Jewish leaders, symbolized by this Beast from the Land, joined forces with the Beast of Rome in an attempt to destroy the Church. Thus the Land Beast exercises all the authority of the First Beast: “As the first beast is the agent of the dragon, so the second beast is the agent of the first beast. “All the authority’ makes the second beast the complete agent of the first.” Apostate Judaism became completely subservient to the Roman State.” Pg. 337

Mark of the Beast

Ok. So, we have briefly dealt with the Sea and Land Beasts. What about the balance of the chapter? Buying, selling, and the Mark of the Beast.

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive qa mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Revelation 13:16–18.

Folks, there is so much nonsense said about this passage that it makes me laugh on the one hand; but on the other, this is really simple if you confine your analysis to Scripture and don’t seek answers in your daily news feed.

Let’s take verse 18 first and then look at verses 16 & 17.

The first thing you need to remember when reading Revelation is this: what would the first Century audience think when reading or hearing this passage for the first time? Once you start looking at Revelation as someone living in 66 A.D. then a lot of the stuff that is popular today fades away as absurdity. Then it’s clear that the Beast is not Ronald Wilson Reagan (all three of his names have six letters) or Adolf Hitler, or Stalin, or the Prime Minister or any other contemporary person that might be suggested. Why would John suggest that someone in his day could calculate the number of the beast if they were wise? John is indicating that someone in his day might be able to calculate his identity; thus, the Beast was alive in his day.

So why six hundred threescore and six? Please note that it’s not presented as six-six-six or 666. Details matter. Remember also that I previously said that most of the symbolism of Revelation is from the Old Testament.

Let’s jump back to Deuteronomy. Moses knew that in the future that Israel would one day have a King. God planned for it. God even set up three rules for Israel’s king to follow.

14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; 15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. [Rule #1]16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. [Rule #2] 17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: [Rule #3] neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

Deuteronomy 17:14–17.

In summary, Israel’s King was not to multiply horses, multiply wives, and multiply gold and silver.

1 A multitude of horses were only for offensive armies. Now that Canaan had been conquered, Israel was only to have defensive military capabilities.

2 A multitude of wives would turn the King’s heart from worshipping the Lord. God was against political alliances bases in marrying daughters of pagan kings.

3 God was against excessive taxation and accumulation of wealth via harsh taxation.

My next question is kind of obvious, who in the Bible broke all three rules for a king and did so in spades? Solomon.

Violations of Rules 1 & 3 are covered in the same passage.

[Rule #1] 26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.[Rule #3] 27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. 29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

1 Kings 10:26–29.

Violation of Rule #2 immediately follows the chapter break.

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

1 Kings 11:1–6.

Solomon broke all the rules God had set out for a King of Israel. Thus, he became a wicked ruler.

The Apostle John used Solomon as a prototype of a beast. Any ruler that sets himself up as a “god” is a beast. In Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar was called King of kings (Daniel 2:37) but Nebuchadnezzar because proud and in his heart took credit for what God had done for him and God, as punishment, made him a literal beast. Eventually, Nebuchadnezzar repented and became a man again.

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws. 34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

Daniel 4:30–35.

Now, back to Solomon. Drawing upon this imagery in the Old Testament of Solomon being an apostate ruler, John went to a verse that referenced Solomon’s sin.

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,

1 Kings 10:14.

Yep. There it is. The good old six hundred threescore and six. This was the excess amount of gold that Solomon was taking in each year.

When Solomon died, his successor was faced with a choice, reduce taxation so the people would love you or increase taxation and oppress the people even more. Rehoboam decided to oppress the people, and the result was that the kingdom was split with him getting two tribes (known as Judah) and Jeroboam getting the other ten tribes (known as Israel).

I have said this all to prove that the Mark of the Beast originated in the apostacy of Solomon when he because a tyrant. The Beast in Revelation is tied to Solomon via the six hundred three score and six. If you wrote Nero Caesar in Hebrew, it’s numerical value is 666. In this passage, some textual variations have 616 instead of 666. This is the numerical value of Nero Caesar in Greek. Nero was Emperor when John authored the Apocalypse. Nero’s name was written in code to get the manuscript past any Roman censorship.

Obscuring a direct reference to Nero is much like Mother Goose rhymes and other “children’s stories” written to get around censorship of the times. Political commentary was disguised as children’s stories while poking fun at the English government. John’s writing technique is still used today in various media presentations.

The other thing that somehow gets lost in Revelation is that everyone has a “mark.” The mark is symbolic not literal. God’s people are sealed with the mark of the Holy Spirit; the devil’s people are sealed with the Mark of the Beast.

Due to illiteracy of the book of Revelation, I guess I have to prove my claim so here goes.

“ … till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

Revelation 7:3b-4

Oh, even better, the next verse after the number of the beast is about believers having God the Father’s name on their foreheads.

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 14:1.

As Bob Dylan said, “It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.”

Buying and Selling

Now for verses 16 & 17. If you didn’t serve the beast then you couldn’t buy and sell. But buy or sell what. Is this a blanket claim that commerce was forbidden or was something more specific in mind?

I know folks claim that you need a microchip, or bar code, or whatever to be part of the world system but is that what somebody in the First Century would understand? I doubt it.

The idol of First Century Jews was the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem. The Herod family started to refurbish the Temple in 20 B.C. and the project was completed shortly after John wrote Revelation. Refurbishment was completed about 64 A.D.

The following is from a blog by Gary DeMar.

Let’s begin at the beginning. Jesus told the church of Laodicea, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see” (Rev. 3:18). There is no market available to make such a purchase. Purchasing a commodity like oil for lamps to greet the bridegroom is not about economics but worship (Matt. 25:6–13).

In the same way, buying gold refined by fire is symbolic and is also related to worship. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume that the reference to buying and selling in Revelation 13:17 is also symbolic and not part of an end-time economic system or even one in the first century. Similar language is found in the Old Testament:

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

2  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 55:1-2

Temple leaders controlled buying and selling to regulate access to the temple (John 2:12–22; Matt. 21:12). It’s why Jesus cleanses the temple twice as required by Leviticus 14:33–57. “This is established in [Revelation] 3:18 (and compare 21:6). When those who refuse the mark of the Beast are not allowed to buy and sell, it means that they are expelled from the synagogue and Temple. The merchants of the land in Revelation 18 are those who worshipped at the Temple and synagogue.” ((James B. Jordan, A Brief Reader’s Guide to Revelation (Niceville, FL: Transfiguration Press, 1999), 19. James was the person who suggested this interpretation. I’m indebted to him for it.))

Jesus foretold that this would happen: “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God” (John 16:2). Keep in mind that the “beast coming up out of the earth” is involved in these events. The land beast is most certainly associated with first-century Israel, especially the priests who controlled access to the temple, which was finished during Nero’s reign in AD 64.

Early in the church’s history the disciples went to the temple to preach the gospel (Acts 5:20–21, 24, 42; 24:12). At first, they were welcomed (2:46). Peter and John frequented the temple during “the hour of prayer” (3:1). Jewish Christians continued to use the temple, even participating in some of its rituals (21:26). After the temple officials learned that those Jews were preaching that Jesus was the Messiah—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—Paul was “dragged … out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut” (21:26–30).

During Jesus’ ministry, the temple officials were “selling,” and worshipers were “buying” access to the temple (Matt. 21:12), turning God’s house into a “robbers’ den” (Matt. 21:12–13). Only the Jews who aligned themselves with the priests (i.e., had the “mark of the beast”), the sacrificial system, and the temple buildings, could enter the temple for worship.

To take the “mark of the beast” meant a person denied that Jesus was the Messiah, the true temple of God, the only sufficient sacrifice (Heb. 9). Of course, Christian Jews avoided the “mark of the beast” and showed their true allegiance to Jesus, “having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads” (Rev. 14:1). They demonstrated that these (symbolic) names on their foreheads through their public professions of faith and allegiance to Jesus. Those who carried the mark of the beast professed that they had chosen Caesar over Christ (John 19:15).

When commanded not to speak to “any man in this name,” Peter and John responded, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:17–20). The proclamation that “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor. 12:3) and “that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7) was a religious and political affront to those in power throughout the Roman Empire. Such proclamations were acts “contrary to Caesar” (17:7) and “against this holy place [i.e., the temple] and this law” (6:13).

These passages fit together nicely since true redemption comes, not from Rome or earthly Jerusalem, but from where “the Lamb was standing,” that is, on Mount Zion. The writer of Hebrews describes Mt. Zion’s location: “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels” (Heb. 12:22).

Revelation 13 and 14 contrast two ways of salvation: access to the temple through the mark, name, or number of the Beast (Rev. 13:16–17) or through the name of the Lamb “having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads” (14:1). Those who were circumcised only in their flesh followed the Beast, while those circumcised in the heart followed the Lamb.

Conclusion

So, I think this about wraps up everything you wanted to know about the beasts of Revelation and the mark. God places his mark on the foreheads of his people, and the devil places a mark on the foreheads of his people. This motif goes all the way back to the beginning in Genesis but that is a separate topic.

I’ve probably mentioned this before but felt like writing on it again.

Supposedly, Matthew 24 contains a rock-solid proof of the Rapture of the Church. First, here’s the passage in question.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Matthew 24:36–42.

Jesus says that something is coming and only the Father knows when. (We are actually given more context and time related information by Matthew but I’m strictly sticking to the quoted passage.) He then gives this analogy. People will be eating and drinking. Whoa. That’s evil? They will be marrying and giving in marriage. Whoa. That’s evil?

Seriously? Hey folks, life goes on, as normal but then Noah entered the Ark. Life still went on for another week.

“And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.”

Genesis 7:10.

Then the flood waters came. Guess what happened next?

21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: Genesis 7:21.

Yep, all the bad guys died. The righteous folks, i.e. Noah’s family were safe in the Ark. The wicked were taken.

Ok, now look at verse 39 in Matthew 24. It actually says the exact opposite of when premillennial dispensationalists claim it does.

“39 And [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”  

So, the bad guys knew not until the flood came and took them all away. Yep, the people taken are the wicked not the righteous.

Now look at verse 40 & 41 in Matthew 24.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

So, who is taken? The bad guys not the Christians.

FYI zero Christians were killed in the siege of Jerusalem. This was the reason that the church in Jerusalem sold their property and held it in common all the way at the beginning of the Book of Acts. They were told to flee when they see the signs and they did. Obey and live. In fact, you didn’t even need to be a Christian to avoid the coming judgment, just flee when the predicted signs appeared.

Jump back to the Sermon on the Mount; “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.

So, class, who inherits the world? The righteous. We don’t inherit Heaven, but the earth.

Need more proof?

The righteous shall never be removed:

But the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

Proverbs 10: 30

For evildoers shall be cut off:

But those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:

Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth;

And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalm 37:9–11.

Jesus is promising that the wicked, those that oppose the Christians of the First Century, will be removed from the earth. This allows the meek to inherit the world.

The problem is not the Bible; it’s the false understanding that we have when we impose our presuppositions on the text instead of letting the text speak for itself.

In Matthew 24, Israel and more specifically, Jerusalem and its Temple, are about to be judged. The wicked Jews of the First Century are about to be judged for “all the righteous blood from Abel through Zechariah.”

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Matthew 23:29–38

47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Luke 11:47–51.

The blood of all the righteous prophets ever killed in the history of the Bible would be required of this generation—those that heard the voice of Jesus just days before he was crucified. Folks, this promise is airtight. There is no deferring it or waiting until some future event thousands of years hence, it was going to happen to them, and it did. Jesus said the judgment would be so terrible that unless it was cut short, no flesh would be saved. Over one million people died in the siege of Jerusalem that ended in 70 A.D.

Folks, at the trial of Jesus, the crowd screamed let his blood be upon us and it was.

25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”

Matthew 27:25.

Within a generation of his crucifixion, the Jewish nation was wiped off the map. The Old Covenant era was ended forever. Jesus said I will take it from you and give it to a nation bearing the fruit thereof and he did. That new nation began with a remnant of Jews on Pentecost. Eventually, this righteous remnant began grafting non-Jews (Gentiles) into its assembly. This nation will encompass the entire world not just a small patch of land in Palestine. The Bible says that the Gospel was spread to all the civilized world before the New Testament’s writing was even completed. The Gospel was preached to every creature under heaven.

In the early church, there was apostacy in the form of Judaizers and gnostic teaching. Many fell away from the true faith. There was also persecution instigated by Jews jealous of the freedom found in Christ. Up until the end of Nero’s reign, Rome protected Christians from the Jews. Under Nero, persecution against the church began. The Apostle Paul and Jesus via Revelation both promised the church relief if they would stay faithful just a little longer. Relief came when Israel was judged for its sin. The apostate whore was burned by her lovers and destroyed just as John had recorded in Revelation 17.

The Olivet Discourse was a prophecy in 33 A.D. but history by 70 A.D. The Apostle John lived to see his prophetic work come to pass during his lifetime just as Jesus had promised on a beach in Galilee many years before.

Sorry kids. No Rapture in your future, just God’s promises … if you’d only believe them.

Drawing above is John Calvin.

In the last few weeks, I’ve seen the fruit of a paradigm shift in the church that I’ve been attending. Some of the clergy have been moving away from premillennial dispensationalism and toward a more historic understanding of the faith. The new pastor and the soon to be leaving one have been tag-teaming the book of Romans. In the last few weeks, they have been defending predestination as above free will and that God has one people—the church—which is the continuing Israel and true children of Abraham. Today the pastor went out of his way to proclaim that God has one people, not two. He even stated that only via faith in Jesus Christ can anyone be saved. God didn’t have one path for the church and a separate one for Jews. It sounded much like stuff that I’ve been posting here lately.

There are some really hardcore Armenians and Premil folks in the group. The pastor stating that eschatology was a secondary issue, not one that is core to the faith, was followed up by a plug for classic dispensationalism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. He said he had limited copies of a sheet with four views of eschatology for people to get at the back of the church after the service. He encouraged folks to consider views other than premillennial dispensationalism. Bold move. The four views documents were all gone when I went looking for one. I was going to photograph it and leave it for someone else but was unable to do that.

Folks, this is a dicey move to make in a nondenominational church. I think the pastors would only move their flock in that direction if they were convinced that it was true. There is a minority that is post millennial in the church but whether the clergy is heading that direction has not been revealed yet. I think they can move their people a ways down that track, but at some point, their paradigm shift will get some pushback.

A couple of the leaders in the church are what I would describe as old school Baptists. I think they will balk at any move away from Arminianism (free will) and Scofieldism.

Many Christians call eschatology a secondary issue, but the reality is that it is not. Eschatology cannot really be separated from core Christian doctrines. There is a huge difference between playing duck and cover, wait for the Rapture, and taking dominion because Jesus claims to be Lord over every area of life. Premillennial dispensationalism leads to escapism while post millennialism leads to progressive growth as nations are discipled not individuals.

I am very happy to see this change taking place. If America is to see revival, then many congregations will need to experience a similar shift in eschatology.

What do Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and Mike Hukabee have in common besides being Republican politicians? Bad eschatology. Specifically premillennial dispensationalism.

The attached meme sums it up, or at least half the story.

Folks, when you hold views in isolation—in your mind anyway—you can simultaneously claim to value two ideals that are in complete opposition to each other.

Illustration: Life or Death

Let me pick on Liberals first and illustrate what I mean. Let’s take the issue of life. Liberals simultaneously value life and death as the highest ideals. They hold both as true and don’t see the inherent conflict. Let’s explore this.

Liberals oppose the death penalty for those that commit murder. They view this as unjust. They claim nobody deserves the death penalty because it is cruel and unusual punishment, inhuman, and discriminates against minorities. Some even quote the Bible stating, “Thou shalt not kill.” Thus, they assert that executing someone is violating the Commandment of God.

Simultaneously, Liberals support death via abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide. Lest Liberals dispute my claim of support for all three: abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide then let me sight a few examples that won’t make your brain hurt should you choose to verify them.

Euthanasia is legal in several states and in Canada. Canada called their euthanasia program MAID. As of my writing, Canada is surpassing the deaths of over 100,000 of its citizens via the MAID program.

The United States has killed upwards of 73 million children via legal abortion since 1973. Contrary to what you would expect, abortions are higher now than when Roe v Wade was the Law of the Land. This is due to the availability of abortion pills being shipped over state lines, mostly from California and New York.

Infanticide is legal in California and probably a few other leftist states, I’m thinking maybe Colorado. In California, if an infant dies, it is illegal for any law enforcement officer, doctor, or other government official to investigate the cause of death. If such an investigation occurs, the person investigating can be prosecuted and jailed for committing a crime; thus, a woman has an absolute right to kill her child purposely or by neglect and she cannot be punished. This has been California law for many years. Thanks Gavin Newsom.

Oh, the time limit of how old a child can be before its death is investigated in California is not defined in the law. It was felt that the mother could choose to kill her baby during a period of at least the first 30 days of life, but such a limit was left to be decided by the courts and not the Legislature.  

Thus, killing a human being that is weaker than yourself is allowed in states that oppose the death penalty. One must therefore conclude that life is not valued highly in Liberal states despite protestations that the death penalty is wrong. Life and death are arbitrary and decided on something other than the intrinsic value of human life. Oh, yes, Liberals will cite passages of Scripture in isolation to support ending life and saving life. Their metric seems to be to free the guilty and punish the innocent. There is no single logical proposition to justify both death and life in their worldview.

Scofieldism and the Jews

In like manner, premillennial dispensationalists will proclaim support for Israel and simultaneously believe that Jews only exist to be slaughtered in the largest holocaust in the history of the planet, a yet future even which will make what Hitler did seem like a picnic in comparison.

Huckabee, Cruz, and Graham all hold to this view as do millions of Evangelicals in the West. I hope to illustrate the absurdity of these ideas in what follows.

Some claim that the premillennial dispensational view is orthodox Christianity, but I say that is B.S.

I have previously delt with the idea that the promise in Genesis to bless Abraham has no application to the modern nation called “Israel.” The New Testament makes it clear that the offspring of Abraham are not genetic descendants but those who by faith believe in Christ. Look it up in the New Testament books of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews.

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Galatians 3:6–9.

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:26–29.

Premillennial dispensationalists deny the plain teaching of the New Testament and instead teach that God will eventually get back to dealing with national Israel at some point in the future. A future when the Church is no longer in the picture. Until the Church is Raptured, they think the Bible teaches that in order to be a good Christian that you must support modern Israel, right or wrong, or God will punish you both personally and as a nation.

Again, the New Testament teaches that Jesus is the true Israel and that his followers are the true Israel—people of God. In Jesus, the promise made to Abraham is fulfilled, Abraham is heir to the whole world and through Christ (Abraham’s seed) all the nations of the world have been blessed. The Bible also promises at a future date that Jesus will be the Savior of the World. The Church will fulfill her mission, and the world will be converted. God divorced Israel in 70 AD and has a new people, a new bride, the Church. He is done with Old Covenant Israel.

What Do Evangelicals Believe is Israel’s Fate

Some Evangelicals even raise money to send Jews to Israel. Isn’t that nice? They are so supportive of modern Israel. Did you ever wonder why?

Evangelicals are supportive of Israel because they want the Jews there to die. No, really. They believe that 2/3 of all the Jews in Israel will die. Some even say that 2/3 of all Jews everywhere on the planet will die.

For Evangelicals, this wasn’t fulfilled in 70 A.D. as Jesus predicted but is the future that Jews have to look forward to experiencing. Isn’t that wonderful? So, for every three Jews you help send to Israel, two will die to usher in the End Times.

Yep, they really teach this as the Gospel; the good news that Jews have to expect in their future. Then after 2/3 are killed, the Jews will be so thankful for what just happened to them that all the rest will willingly believe in Jesus and then Christ will return and set up his Kingdom.

Premillennial dispensationalism demands a literal Kingdom, in literal Jerusalem, with Jesus sitting on a literal throne. The millennium will be so wonderful, Jews will reestablish sacrifices in the rebuilt temple (I’m not sure if this is the third or fourth rebuilt temple) and even circumcise babies on the eighth day. It will be just like old times. In fact, it will be just like Jesus never came and accomplished a darn thing by his death.

Oh, nobody ever asks, if the remaining Jews all believe in Jesus, why do they need to restart the Sacrificial system? Didn’t Jesus say, “It is finished?” Doesn’t the New Testament teach that Jesus was the High Priest and the final and perfect sacrifice for sin, so why a new physical temple?

Conclusion

These contradictions don’t matter to the premillennial dispensationalist crowd. Once you start holding contradictory views in isolation, you get to juggle these views in your head and as long as they remain in isolation, people can hold them all to be true.

This belief system is nuts but that is what is taught within the footnotes of the Scofield Reference Bible. Millions of people believe this nonsense. Prophecy pimps make millions of dollars printing books teaching these falsehoods. People with itching ears gobble up this teaching and just assume it must be the correct grid to interpret the Bible. Scofield’s system cannot be found within the Bible unless it is assumed before you open the Book. The core of his system is never found in the Bible.

• Future Rebuilt Temple – not there
• Antichrist as a political figure– not there
• Seven years of tribulation– not there
• Great Tribulation being Worldwide– not there
• Rapture– not there
• God not done with national Israel– not there
• Kingdom of God put on hold– not there
• Mark of the Beast being literal– not there

I could go on but you get the point. Everything that made “The Late, Great Planet Earth” and “Left Behind” sensational is not found in the Bible, at least not if the context of the Scriptures matter.

Final Word

The nonsense coming from Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, and Ted Cruz about Israel is just that, nonsense. If you want to back Israel because you think they are a good ally in the Middle East then have fun with that, but don’t expect God to bless our country just because you believe we must back Israel right or wrong. Sorry, but I get nervous when someone is more willing to back a foreign country than they are the United States. I thought Donald Trump was booting masses of people out of the United States for doing that very thing. Or is the double standard one way for conservatives and another for everyone else?

With a title like that, if you are expecting a post about Jesus’ friendship with Mary and Martha, please stop reading because you’ll be disappointed. No, I’m once again pointing out a failure in the premillennial dispensational scheme.

Would You Rather …

Admittedly, half the reason that I go to the church Bible study is to get blog ideas, and this post stems from such a study that I attended last night. Towards the end of the session, a question was asked that I found interesting. I don’t recall it verbatim, but it was to the effect of, would you rather be a part of God’s chosen people the Jews coming to Christ as such or part of the New Testament Church?

The respondent thought for a moment and then replied; I guess I would prefer knowing Christ as part of His church.

Bingo. Right answer.

Even one of the stopped prophecy clock guys came up with an orthodox sounding answer. It’s a start.

The guy answering the question is always trying to push every Old Testament prophecy of judgment into the future, but even he seemed content that the book of Amos might actually be something that was fulfilled. He seemed willing to accept the idea that maybe Amos was fulfilled but could be a warning from history that we might learn from. His concluding that God gave us the book of Amos for our instruction is mildly hopeful.

It was a rare time when folks in the group were not trying to make prophecies of judgment into passages requiring double or triple fulfillments. I think the group leader actually teaching the book as history that was fulfilled was satisfying to attendees. Much of the previous books of the minor prophets were concerning the same judgments but the group kept trying to force fulfilled passages into the future to be fulfilled yet again.

Sadly, these moments of lucid theological insight were contradicted by invoking that Christ has two brides: namely, the Church and the Jews. This is not the traditional view of the Church. This crazy idea is part of the Zionist scheme of Schofield which has been adopted without any Biblical warrant by much of the evangelical church.  

Does Jesus Have Two Brides

Guys let me not confuse you by quoting the Bible since it’s not your authority as to what the Bible says. Try this explanation.

The purpose of God dealing with the Jews, and Moses, and the Old Testament was to get us to Christ, the Jews’ Messiah.

A recurring theme in the Bible is that at least a remnant of Jews will be saved. Jesus said that only a remnant of Jews alive in the First Century would be saved. In the same passage however, he also promised that hordes of Gentiles would come streaming into the Kingdom.

The illustration that Jesus used was that of an olive tree. Branches of the domesticated olive would be broken off, and wild olive branches would be grafted into the root of the tree. Thus, the Kingdom of God is built from the Jews, includes Jews, and even honors the Jews but access to Christ is also granted to the Gentiles (think rest of us in the world).

Thus, the Jews are never set aside until some future date as Scofield claims. The New Testament Church is built on the foundation of Judaism, and populated with the Spiritual children of Abraham; namely, us.  

Conclusion

This is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that the world would be His inheritance (see book of Hebrews). Jesus unites both Jew and Gentile into one new man. There is no separation between male and female, bond and free, Jew or Gentile. We are all the Bride of Christ. This is a forever arrangement not a temporary one. Jesus has only one Bride.

National Israel was destroyed for the sin of adultery in 70 A.D. This is one of the main points of the Book of Revelation. The harlot, Babylon the Great, where Jesus was crucified is destroyed. Burned forever. (Burning with fire is a punishment reserved almost exclusively in the Bible for the daughter of the priest. Leviticus 212:9)

Sorry, this is not a do-over of Jacob working to get both Rachel and Leah by slaving away, working seven years for each bride. The idea that Jesus gets Israel and her little sister, the Church at the end is the ages is syrupy, sentimental nonsense.

I’ve been going to a Bible study on Thursday nights that is sponsored by the church that I am currently attending. The study is completely unmoored from the normal restraints of context, historical relevance, and using the Bible to interpret the Bible. The result is often fantastical and disjointed.

Amos is the third minor prophet that we have been reading since I started attending. Last Thursday, for the first time, the leader actually had done a bit of research on the book and its historical fulfillment. Even after reading the notes related to our reading—chapter one—many in the group were unconvinced that any of it had been fulfilled between the time Amos made the pronouncements of impending judgment and the time of Christ. They kept demanding that Amos must really be about the “end times” and couldn’t possibly be history. Some also invoke the idea of double or triple fulfillment which to me renders the text no better than the ravings of Nostradamus.

Folks, if I could ban three words during the study, most participants would be mute. Those three words are “rapture”, “end”, “times”. Many people say that the Bible is all about Jesus, but this group believes that church is just a cute bus stop while we wait with oil in our lamps for the Rapture while doing nothing in the meantime, so we don’t miss His Return. In their minds, the church has nothing else to do. Somehow that whole “discipling the nations” thing is for another era—probably a future one.

This Israel is not that Israel

I hear a lot about Israel and how all those nations mad at Benjamin Netanyahu will get punished by God because to disparage the modern nation of Israel is to attack God’s People.

If you point out that the modern nation of Israel is not the one in the Bible and that the current nation calling itself “Israel” is not based on the teaching of Moses, you get crickets. It doesn’t matter because we just have to be living in the “end times.”

If you dare to point out that only the followers of Jesus are part of the true Israel, they look at you like you have a third eye or rebuke the comment in the name of Jesus. Just because that is what the New Testament teaches matters not because Scofield doesn’t agree.

Meanwhile Netanyahu has stopped Christian worship at the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre, implemented the death penalty on Palestinians, and  blocked 200 Palestinian Christian teachers from teaching at private Christian schools in Jerusalem which many have been doing for several decades.

All of these abuses by Israel have happened in the last week as most people are looking only at the war with Iran. I guess other guys don’t let a good crisis go to waste either.

Folks, my California editorial staff is correct that nothing will change for the better in this country as long as the Baby Boom generation is running the show. The so-called adults running this place are broken as are lots of their offspring.

Judgment begins on Us not the Pagans

The other theme that people in the group keep saying is that God will Rapture us out of this world and then punish the wicked. My gentle contribution for the last two weeks is this, the Bible says judgment begins with the house of the Lord. 1 Peter 4:17.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Judgment does not begin after the Rapture, or on the heathen, but on the Church. This concept does not compute in this group. It has no pigeonhole in their theological system. It seems to be a good wedge to drive into Scofield’s theological system. Hopefully it will take root and expand the understanding of some in the group.

There is a still small voice in some corners of the Reformed camp saying the American and Western Church’s failures are due to unbelief. Dear Church, the Devil can only take what you have voluntarily given to him. Most of this is due to the poison of Scofield’s premillennial dispensationalism heresies. Yep, I said the “H” word. It is a lie to say Scofield’s views on eschatology are valid for Christians to hold. The more I see it up close and personal, the more I wretch when I hear it. Yes, I once believed that way but no more. God heard my prayer in the litany, “… from such as these, good Lord deliver us.”

Final Thoughts

There is sometimes a fine line between seasoning a conversation with salt and casting pearls. God is having me examine the idea that a few insurgents in this congregation can coax it towards orthodoxy. I am not alone in my views but clearly in the minority in this congregation. In the plus column, they do practice weekly Communion and at least one teaching Elder rejects the “sinner’s prayer.”

This is blog post is the second concerning Moses, Elijah, and Scofield’s Premillennial Dispensationalism. Bases on previous notes written by Scofield, it appears that his eschatological scheme involves Moses and Elijah—yep, the same guys mentioned prominently in the Old Testament—will again walk planet earth so that they can be killed in Jerusalem; yes, the city in Palestine/Israel, the Holy Land.

Moses and Elijah

The assertion that somehow Moses and Elijah will walk the streets of Jerusalem in the midst of some future End Times Apocalypse is clearly another case of Dispensational Premillennial folks taking symbolic language literally in a wooden sort of way and making a horrible mess of their interpretation.

Here is the passage from Revelation 11 that is being discussed in this post:

2 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy ia thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Revelation 11:3–12.

As always, the Dispensational Premillennial folks start by ignoring the time markers in the New Testament texts and make everything future and thus about themselves. (Thus, such passages have been unapplicable and irrelevant for the last 2,00 years of church history. Talk about hubris.)

Below is one of the key verses in this discussion:

Verse 6 of Revelation 11 harkens back to Moses and Elijah but nowhere in the passage does it say their names directly or say they are literally returning.

6 These have the power to shut up the sky, in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

Revelation 11:6

Elijah famously shut up the sky and Moses turned the Nile to blood. The symbolism harkens back to these men but in the final analysis, it remains symbolism.

Below are some comments on the subject from three different sources. I am quoting David Chilton extensively because his book is available for free as a PDF from Gary North’s old website or in printed form from American Vision which is run by Gary DeMar. Lastly, I will let Logos Software take a stab at interpreting the topic.

David Chilton

David Chilton, in his commentary on Revelation, Days of Vengeance, has some interesting things to say about the two witnesses in Revelation 11.

Chilton does not believe a literal Moses or Elijah will be showing up in chapter 11 of Revelation. The two unnamed witnesses are composite symbols that will be killed and consequently resurrected.

The fact that the Witnesses are identified as members of the Old Covenant should tell you that these guys died before the Resurrection of Christ since that is the event that inaugurated the New Testament. Almost all prophets died in Jerusalem.

People in the Premillennial Dispensational camp think all the events in Revelation are in chronological order. This is not so. This can easily be proved as Jesus’ birth is discussed in Revelation chapter 12 (see especially verses 1-6).  Please note verse 5 where John goes from Jesus’ birth directly to his Ascension. Compare this verse to Psalm 2:6-9. Christ’ dead, burial, and resurrection are skipped in both passages.

5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Revelation 12:5.

6 Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 

9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Psalm 2:6–9.

Psalm 2 ends with Jesus reigning on his throne in heaven while Revelation begins with Jesus on his throne in heaven.

In making his comments on the two witnesses, Chilton follows the passage quoted above with a discussion the death of John the Baptist and Jesus—both men dying during the Old Covenant period. And then the church symbolically died and raised to victory in tandem with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple. Thus, as the Old Covenant ends in 70 A.D., we find the Witnesses having risen to everlasting life in and through Christ.

I will quote a long passage from the book. Again, I don’t want to be accused of taking things out of context.

The two Witnesses are identified as the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. At this point the imagery becomes much more complex. St. John returns again to Zechariah’s prophecy of the lampstand (Zech. 4:1-5; cf. Rev. 1:4, 13, 20; 4:5). The seven lamps on the lampstand are connected to two olive trees (cf. Ps. 52:8; Jer. 11:16), from which flow an unceasing supply of oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit’s filling and empowering work in the leaders of His covenant people. The meaning of the symbol is summarized in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” The same passage in Zechariah also speaks of two Witnesses, two sons of oil (“anointed ones”), who lead God’s people: Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel the king (Zech. 3-4; cf. Ezra 3, 5-6; Hag. 1-2). In brief, then, Zechariah tells us of an olive tree/lampstand complex representing the officers of the covenant: two Witness-figures who belong to the royal house and the priesthood. The Book of Revelation freely connects all of these, speaking of two shining lampstands which are two oil-filled olive trees, which are also two Witnesses, a king and a priest-all representing the Spirit-inspired prophetic testimony of the Kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). … That these Witnesses are members of the Old Covenant rather than the New is shown, among other indications, by their wearing of sackcloth – the dress characteristic of Old Covenant privation rather than New Covenant fullness.

5-6 St. John now speaks of the two Witnesses in terms of the two great witnesses of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah – the Law and the Prophets. If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. In Numbers 16:35, fire came down from heaven at Moses’ word and consumed the false worshipers who had rebelled against him; and, similarly, fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah’s enemies when he spoke the word (2 Ki. 1:9-12). This becomes a standard symbol for the power of the prophetic Word, as if fire actually proceeds from the mouths of God’s Witnesses. As the Lord said to Jeremiah, “Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall consume them” (Jer. 5:14).

Extending the imagery, St. John says that the Witnesses have the power to shut up the sky, in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophesying, i.e., for the twelve hundred and sixty days (three and a half years)- the same duration of the drought caused by Elijah in 1 Kings 17 (see Luke 4:25; James 5:17). Like Moses (Ex. 7-13), the Witnesses have power over the waters to tum them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

Both of these prophetic figures pointed beyond themselves to the Greater Prophet, Jesus Christ. The very last message of the Old Testament mentions them together in a prophecy of Christ’s Advent: “Remember the law of Moses My servant. … Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet. …” (Mal. 4:4-5). Malachi goes on to declare that Elijah’s ministry would be recapitulated in the life of John the Baptizer (Mal. 4:5-6; cf. Matt. 11:14; 17:10-13; Luke 1:15-17). But John, like Elijah, was only a Forerunner, preparing the way for One coming after him, the Firstborn, who would have a double – nay, measureless portion of the Spirit (cf. Deut. 21:17; 2 Kings 2:9; John 3:27-34). And, like Moses, John was succeeded by a Joshua, Jesus the Conqueror, who would bring the covenant people into their promised inheritance. The two Witnesses, therefore, summarize all the witnesses of the Old Covenant, culminating in the witness of John.

Days of Vengeance, p 276-278

8-10 The dead bodies of the Old Covenant Witnesses, “from righteous Abel to Zechariah” (Matt. 23:35) lie metaphorically in the street of the Great City which Spiritually [I.e., by the revelation of the Holy Spirit] is called Sodom and Egypt. This City is, of course, Jerusalem; St. John explains that it is where also their Lord was crucified (on Israel as Sodom, see Deut. 29:22-28; 32:32; Isa. 1:10, 21; 3:9; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:46). …

On the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:31), He spoke with Moses and Elijah (another link with this passage), calling His coming death and resurrection in Jerusalem an “Exodus” (the Greek word is exodon). Following from all this is the language of Revelation itself, which speaks of the Egyptian plagues being poured out upon Israel (8:6-12; 16:2-12). The war of the Witnesses with apostate Israel and the pagan states is described in the same terms as the original Exodus from Egypt (cf. also the Cloud and the pillar of fire in 10:1). Jerusalem, the once-holy, now apostate city, has become pagan and perverse, an oppressor of the true Covenant people, joining with the Beast in attacking and killing them. It is Jerusalem that is guilty of the blood of the Old Covenant Witnesses; she is, par excellence, the killer of prophets (Matt. 21:33-43; 23:34-38). In fact, said Jesus, “it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). Days of Vengeance, p 281

11-12 After the three and a half days, the Witnesses are resurrected: The breath of life from God entered into them in the New Creation (cf. Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 37:1-14; John 20:22) and they stood on their feet (cf. Acts 7:55), causing terror and consternation to their enemies. Great fear came upon those who were beholding them (cf. Acts 2:43; 5:5; 19:17; contrast John 7:13; 12:42; 19:38; 20:19), and with good reason: Through the resurrection of Christ, the Church and her Testimony became unstoppable. In union with Christ in His Ascension to glory (Eph. 2:6), they went up to heaven in the Cloud, and their enemies beheld them. ls The Witnesses did not survive the persecutions; they died. But in Christ’s resurrection they rose to power and dominion that existed not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit, the very breath of life from God.

Days of Vengeance, p 283-284

The story of the Two Witnesses is therefore the story of the witnessing Church, which has received the divine command to Come up here and has ascended with Christ into the Cloud of heaven, to the Throne (Eph. 1:20-22; 2:6; Heb. 12:22-24): She now possesses an imperial grant to exercise rule over the ends of the earth, discipling the nations to the obedience of faith (Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 1:5).

Days of Vengeance, p 284

Gary DeMar

Something literal can’t be an olive tree and a lampstand at the same time. Thus, the two witnesses in Revelation chapter 11 are symbolic. They are both confirming the other’s message. Were the Law and the Prophets testifying against apostate Jerusalem?

3 And I will grant authority to My two Witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Revelation 11:3&4

“So, whoever these two witnesses are, they’re symbolic of witnesses bringing a message to people who still hate the things of Jesus Christ. Are martyrdom. Their martyrdom does not stop the progress of the Gospel.”

The Two Witnesses

Gary “I don’t know exactly who the two witnesses are.”

Eric “And maybe that’s kinda the point”

Gary “That may be. If you identify them, specifically with two individuals, I think it would narrow maybe the application of it all. What you’re seeing here, as two witnesses, as witnesses to the things of Christ and same response that you find in the book of Acts you’re finding here. Which seems to me that the attack on these two witnesses are the same ones attacking Peter and Paul within the book of Acts. Cause you’ll find in the book of Acts that the apostate Jews were using the political establishment of the day, in order to get a hearing and to get the Roman government to stop these Christians from proclaiming the Gospel.”

Logos Software

> Two Witnesses Revelation 11

The two witnesses in Revelation 11 are empowered by God to prophesy for 1,260 days while clothed in sackcloth, and they are symbolically identified as “the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” They possess extraordinary authority—fire proceeds from their mouths to consume enemies, they can prevent rain, transform water into blood, and strike the earth with plagues. (Rev 11:1–14)

The identity of these figures remains one of Revelation’s most contested questions. The Old Testament foundation appears in Zechariah 4, where two olive trees (representing the king and priest) are empowered by the Spirit to lead God’s people.[1] A prominent interpretation identifies them as figures operating “in the Spirit and power of” Moses and Elijah, since their miracles—turning water to blood and preventing rain—mirror those of these Old Testament prophets.[1] Supporting this view is Moses and Elijah’s appearance at Jesus’s transfiguration, along with Jewish expectations that both would return, particularly Elijah as predicted in Malachi 4:5.[2]

However, an alternative proposal suggests Enoch and Elijah, since they alone were taken to heaven without experiencing death and thus could authentically experience the death and resurrection the witnesses undergo.[2] A third view contends that Scripture intentionally withholds famous identities, allowing God to empower two ordinary believers to perform the same miraculous deeds.[2] All three interpretations remain theologically valid, and Christians need not be dogmatic about resolving this ambiguity.[2]

The number two itself carries significance—it fulfills the legal requirement for valid testimony and echoes Zechariah’s dual figures while contrasting with Revelation’s two evil leaders.[1]

[1] J. Daniel Hays, J. Scott Duvall, and C. Marvin Pate, in Dictionary of Biblical Prophecy and End Times (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2007), 460–461.

[2] Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013).

Logos Software offers three potential understandings of Revelation 11, none of which involve the literal appearance of Moses and Elijah. A group operating in the Spirit and power of Moses and Elijah seems reasonable. The alternatives of Enoch and Elijah, or two ordinary believers seem like a longshots. Again, the text of Revelation is clear that the Witnesses are symbolic and likely discussed this way as both the Old and New Testament require that everything be established in terms of two or three witnesses.

Conclusion

Scofield’s Easter Egg comment in Matthew 17:2 that “… the prediction fulfilled in John the Baptist, and that yet to be fulfilled in Elijah, are kept distinct” is without biblical foundation and like much of his theology is injected into the text when it is clearly not there. Scofield’s interpretive grid is imposed onto the text of Scripture not derived from its content. Just because Oxford University publishes Scofield’s footnotes in their copy of the Bible does not elevate it to Scripture.

I’ll take Jesus saying that John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah before I would take Scofield’s juvenile, hyper-literal interpretation, that somehow demands that both Moses and Elijah be made mortal and walk the planet so they can experience death in Revelation chapter 11.

I was minding my own business and beginning my day as I often do, reading the Days of Praise devotional from ICR (Institute for Creation Research). I like ICR because as a kid, I read “The Genesis Flood” by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris. Morris founded ICR. This book put me on the path to belief in a literal six-day creation instead of the evolution I was being taught in public school.

My only gripe with ICR is that they will sometimes twist Scripture in an effort to undergird their Premillennial Dispensational presuppositions. Today is such an example. How someone can take the plain meaning of Scripture and butcher it so badly is inexcusable to me. Especially, when they have built their whole organization on the idea of taking the Bible literally; at least until it gets in the way of their presuppositions. Ironically, attacking the presuppositions of others is part of what ICR does when they battle evolutionists. Sadly, they call the kettle black a little too much as you will see shortly.

Today’s Days of Praise topic was:

And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.”

Luke 9:30–31

This verse is part of the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a high mountain where Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Jesus. The voice of the Father is heard here as well.

Analysis of the Event

While not directly the subject of my blog today, here are a few comments on this passage.

First, geography in the Bible is important. As Michael Heiser and others of like mind point out, the ministry of Jesus is as much about combatting Principalities and Powers as it is rebuking the Jewish religious leaders and proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Just a few verses prior to the Transfiguration, Jesus said the gates of Hell won’t prevail against His Kingdom. Jesus said this while standing in front of the Gates of Hell, a pagan shrine dedicated to the god Pan. Then he and the three disciples climb Mt. Hermon, the holy mountain of Bashan, to have the Transfiguration episode.

Mount Hermon is also much higher than Tabor (8,500 feet vs. 1,843 feet), which would fit better with the description of a “high mountain” by Mark (and in Matt 17:1). Some scholars still hold to the Tabor identification, but many have come to agree that the close proximity of Caesarea Philippi to Mount Hermon and the symbolic-religious associations that relationship entails make Mount Hermon the logical choice for the transfiguration.

The imagery is striking. We’ve seen already that the Jewish tradition about the descent of the Watchers, the sons of God of Genesis 6:1–4, informed the writings of Peter and Jude. Now we see that the transfiguration of Jesus takes place on the same location identified by that tradition. Jesus picks Mount Hermon to reveal to Peter, James, and John exactly who he is—the embodied glory-essence of God, the divine Name made visible by incarnation. The meaning is just as transparent: I’m putting the hostile powers of the unseen world on notice. I’ve come to earth to take back what is mine. The kingdom of God is at hand.

Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Discovering the Supernatural World of the Bible, Expanded Edition (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2025), 348.

Details in the [Transfiguration] narrative seem to fit better with Mount Hermon, located on the northern edge of Bashan—a region associated in Jesus’ day with demonic activity. Based on this connection, Jesus’ revelation of His true identity in the Transfiguration can be understood as an advance against evil: The King has arrived to defeat the powers of darkness and claim what belongs to Him. The eschatological conquest of Bashan is described in Psa 68, a passage quoted by Paul in Eph 4:8 in connection with the Church.

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016)

My second observation is the word “decease” in the KJV or “departure” in NIV is the Greek word “Exodus” (ἔξοδος). Jesus would be going on an Exodus! Wow, I don’t recall hearing that said in church before.

But it gets better because, my third observation is that this exodus is coupled with the Greek word “mello” (μέλλω). So, the exodus of Jesus was an event that he was about to accomplish. The KJV, “he should,” in the phrase he should accomplish, masks the immediacy of the event. Another KJV paraphrase?

ICR Puts Their Thumb on the Scale

This is a mysterious passage. Peter, James, and John watched in awe as Christ was transfigured before them as He had promised (Mark 9:2). But how could Moses and Elijah be there? Moses’ body had been buried by God in an unknown tomb in Moab some 1,500 years before, and no resurrection had yet taken place (Deuteronomy 34:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:22-23). Elijah had been taken alive into heaven in a chariot of fire over 900 years previously (2 Kings 2:11).

How could Moses and Elijah be there?

This is the wrong question to ask but ICR’s answer is the following:

But when He [Jesus] does return in glory, there will be two groups of people sharing His glory with Him: Moses represented the resurrected saints and Elijah the “raptured” saints.

Wow. This is so wrong on so many levels.

First, Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the Prophets. Jesus repeatedly says the Law and Prophets testify to him so why is that anything novel for me to claim?

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:17–18.

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Luke24:44.

23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

Acts 28:23.

Lest you think I am alone in my thinking, Logos Software yields the following:

> why are Moses and Elijah at Transfiguration

Moses and Elijah appear at the transfiguration to authenticate Jesus’s messianic identity and demonstrate his continuity with Israel’s redemptive history. They function as representatives of the Law and the Prophets, pointing to Jesus as the messianic Son.[1] This pairing carries profound symbolic weight: Moses had experienced a mountaintop encounter at Sinai where his face shone, and served as a prototype of the coming prophet[2], while Elijah held eschatological significance in Jewish thought as a figure associated with the end times and the Messiah’s precursor.[2]

Beyond their covenantal roles, Moses and Elijah embody a deeper spiritual reality. Both men had longed to see God during their earthly ministries, and their appearance at the transfiguration allows them to witness the eternally begotten Son.[1] Remarkably, Moses finally enters the promised land he was forbidden to inhabit in life, and sees not merely the land but Immanuel himself.[1] Mount Sinai provided the geographical intersection of their ministries—the only place both had gone—where each witnessed a theophany on the mountain.[3] The transfiguration thus echoes this pattern, positioning Jesus within the continuum of God’s self-revelation.

Moses and Elijah demonstrate how Jesus completes the story: under the old covenant they were servants, but under the new covenant Jesus is the master—the prophet, priest, and king Israel awaited.[1] Their presence draws attention to Jesus’s place in continuing God’s redemptive work from the Exodus through the eschatological future, and underscores his superiority over even these revered figures of Israel’s past.[2]

[1] Patrick Schreiner, The Transfiguration of Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Reading (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2024), 87–88.

[2] Walter L. Liefeld, “Luke,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 926–927.

[3] Benjamin A. Foreman, “The Geographical Significance of the Transfiguration,” in Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels, ed. Barry J. Beitzel and Kristopher A. Lyle, Lexham Geographic Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 306–307.

So back to ICR.

How could Moses and Elijah be there? ICR’s original question. Well, the Bible never gives us an answer. It states a fact and expects us to believe it.

Peter, James, and John were there because under Old Testament law, valid testimony required two or three witnesses that attested to the same set of facts. These disciples were sworn to secrecy until a later date which followed the exodus of Jesus.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Matthew 17:9.

Folks, ICR has really gone out on a limb which can’t support the weight of their argument. There is zero reference anywhere in this passage about the ideas expressed in I Thessalonians 4:16-17 concerning those that “sleep” or are alive. Again, there is no such thing as “The Rapture” in Scripture; unless you presuppose its existence.

Thus, the claim that Moses represented the resurrected saints and Elijah the “raptured” saints is so novel that nobody has any basis to believe it. It is definitely not supported by the text or the historic understanding of the Transfiguration. Such an interpretation is manufactured in an attempt to lend credibility to the biblical presuppositions of Premillennial Dispensationalism.

I Just Had to Look in Scofield’s Notes: Big Mistake

Just for fun, I looked up the Transfiguration in my Scofield Reference Bible. This Premillennial nonsense is not in Luke’s account of the Transfiguration but in footnotes in Matthew’s version of the Transfiguration event (Matthew 17:2 & 10).

None of Scofield’s notes for the Transfiguration event in Matthew, Mark, or Luke, mention anything about the Law and the Prophets as it relates to the presence of Moses and Elijah.

However, Scofield mentions another bit of theological crap. In his comments on Matthew 17:10 he states:

(1) Christ confirms the specific and still unfulfilled prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6: “Elijah comes and will restore all things.” Here, as in Malachi, the prediction fulfilled in John the Baptist, and that yet to be fulfilled in Elijah are kept distinct.

The New Testament, and Jesus in particular, say that John the Baptist was Elijah that was to come.

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Matthew 17:10–13.

Scofield winks at that and then, essentially claims that Jesus was wrong and despite the assurances of Jesus, Elijah will literally return in physical form to do some future tasks that John was not able to do. Without explicitly saying it, I guess he expects Elijah and Moses to be the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-12.

Folks, people don’t typically come back from the afterlife. Jesus clearly states that John the Baptist fulfills the prophecy because he came in the spirit of Elijah, the Bible knows nothing of reincarnation.

Also, does anybody but me have a problem with Moses, having died 4,000 years ago and counting, be required to take on human flesh again so that he can die once again during the Great Tribulation. Moses has already been in Sheol from his death until Christ’s Resurrection, and then he gets a spiritual body and then his eternal life is undone so he can come to earth and die again. Wow. What a horrible punishment; especially for a very righteous man. Scofield is a sadistic S.O.B. for expecting such a fate for Moses. Then again, he is Ok with killing 2/3 of the Jews on the planet so what’s one more dead Jewish guy?

Scofield’s whole claim is based on one distortion. John the Baptist was asked if he was Elijah. John said, “No.” John was John, not the reincarnation of Elijah. Thus, Scofield once again taking symbolic language literally, makes the assertion that Elijah never came as prophesied.

Again, Jesus said that John was the Elijah that was prophesied.

11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. Mark 9:11–13.

Lest you think I’m playing fast and loose with the text, let’s go to yet another passage.

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luke 1:13–17.

This passage closes the case. Scofield’s insistence that Elijah literally return to Earth so he too can be killed during the Great Tribulation is unsubstantiated crap.

Again, Moses and Elijah are never named in Revelation chapter 11, but a search for the name “Elijah” in my handy Logos Software brings up the passage anyway. Proof that some folks think this is a thing. Ridiculous! (I’ll have more on this in a future post.)

Not Scofield Bible Notes

My other Bible has the following note on Matthew 17:3

Moses and Elijah

Since the Law and the Prophets testify to Jesus, Moses the lawgiver, and Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of Israel, are here privileged to appear with Jesus. According to Luke 9:31 they discussed Jesus’ coming death.

New Geneva Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

Conclusion

The Transfiguration is about authenticating Jesus’ message and verifying that he is the promised Messiah. Both the Law and Prophets—again two witnesses—validate the authenticity of his claim. God the Father appears to further validate the claim.  It is a preview of Christ’s enthronement in the kingdom of God.

The idea that Moses and Elijah appearing at the Transfiguration is about “The Rapture” is pure fiction and very laughable. The further claim, that either Elijah, Moses, or both will literally return to planet Earth during the Great Tribulation, for the express purpose of dying in Jerusalem, is also nonsense and lacking in biblical warrant. I intend to take up the hoopla about Moses, Elijah, and the Two Witnesses in a future blog post.

Taking symbols literally just makes an ass out of people that we hope are otherwise intelligent. Taking a passage literally should mean in accordance with its type of literature, not literally in a wooden, ChatGPT, AI sort of way. Following Scofield’s notes inevitably leads people into the ditch.

As stated previously, all promises that God made to Abraham were literally fulfilled by the conclusion of the book of Joshua. I also stated that ultimately, the blessing of Abraham’s seed was fulfilled with Christ.

A few folks aren’t satisfied with what I said previously so let me add the following:

In an ultimate sense, Abraham was promised the whole world which is exactly what Christ was given upon his enthronement in heaven. Also, the New Testament is clear that the heirs or descendants of Abraham are not those descended biologically or genetically but those who have faith in Christ.

Lastly, all remaining promises made to national Israel were fulfilled in Christ. There are no unfulfilled biblical promises to Israel that have yet to be fulfilled now or sometime in the future. Claiming that God is not done with Israel invalidates the clear teaching of the New Testament. Such a claim is false. The replacement Theology advocated by Dispensationalists who maintain that the Church replaces the Jews in the current dispensation of the “Church Age” has zero biblical support. Thus, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Jack Hibbs, Billy Graham, Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHay, and a host of others are wrong when falsely bifurcating Jews and the Church.

The Church is Israel because at its root, it is built upon the believing remnant of First Century Jews. The Church is a continuation of the faithful with the Gentiles added to its numbers. This is the whole point of the Book of Acts which documents this very transition.

In Old Covenant terms, God divorced His unfaithful bride, national Israel, the whore of Babylon where Jesus was crucified. She was executed via fire, the death of the daughter of the high priest. God took for himself a pure bride, the Church and consummated the marriage with her. Like most of the New Testament, the marriage to Christ was completed in the past, is still happening today as more people are added to the number of the Church and will be fulfilled in its final form at some point in the future. This is the clear teaching of the New Testament; especially, the Revelation.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is a celebration of Christ’s sacrifice and participation in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Properly understood, we enter into God’s Throne Room when we partake of the bread and wine in Communion. Sadly, many Christians don’t understand the theology associated with the Sacrament.

By claiming that God has both the Church and the Jews as his chosen people, Dispensationalists are advocating a perverse form of polygamy by saying God has two brides. That is not New Testament theology; thus, it is a false gospel.

Yep. You read the headline correctly. I keep saying that when you come to the Bible with a predetermined interpretive system, that you can’t read the actual text and understand the plain meaning of it. Your system gets in the way. A correct biblical hermeneutic is that the Bible is the best interpreter of the Bible.

Last night at the church Bible study that I have been attending for several weeks, we read the second chapter of Joel. I was thinking to myself, great, here is the prophecy and Acts chapter 2 is the fulfillment. It explicitly says so. Surely, they will see that when the Bible uses the phrase “the last days” that it is not always some far off future event.

Nope. Part of me knew this would be the case but I have hope that these people will see beyond their prejudice. Not happening yet.

Let’s look at the text. Being that Peter had just been given the Holy Spirit, it would seem difficult to say that Peter didn’t know what he was talking about, but apparently folks born 2,000 years after the fact think they know better than those that were eyewitnesses to Jesus and his ministry.

Compare these two passages for yourself.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:16–21.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:

Joel 2:28–32.

Peter is claiming that Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. That “the last days” was 2,000 years ago.

The people in my Bible study were appalled. They would not take Peter at his word. The last days can’t be then. That is impossible. Peter was wrong. He didn’t know what he was talking about.

I was then accused of being disruptive to the harmony of the group and asked why I even bothered attending. I also was essentially told that I was going against the Holy Spirit by disrupting their harmony.

So, when I quote Scripture that says another Scripture was fulfilled, I’m disrupting the group because it’s not what they presuppose that the Bible ought to say. Makes perfect sense, right?

Asking why I am there is a fair question. Partly, it’s to see if pointing people, that claim to be Christian, to the Bible for answers is even possible.

Their little bubble is just an echo chamber of nonsense. Their creed seems to be, “Get saved and pray for the Rapture.” Christians have nothing else God expects of them but hiding out in the church while the world goes to hell. The sooner the world burns, the quicker Jesus will return. Also, they are convinced that they will never experience hardship or persecution because Jesus will rescue them before things get really bad.

This is a complete inversion of the Reformation and the Puritans and Western Culture in general, yet they think they are on the side of light. Ha!!

The Bible says judgment begins at the house of God not the doorstep of the heathen.

17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

1 Pe 4:17–18.

Folks, eschatology is not a secondary issue. It is a primary issue. Eschatology colors every aspect of life and your understanding of the world. Bad eschatology leaded to a defective worldview. Bad eschatology is like trying to navigate with a broken compass and then thinking that you arrived at the correct destination.

When I side with the Apostle Peter, I’m wrong? Dude, I quoted him verbatim. The unbelief of others illustrates just how far off the mark our Christianity has fallen. As I’ve said before, the devil only owns the turf that the Church has freely ceded to him.

We are commanded to subject all of the world to the Lordship of Christ. Yep, every area of life and every square inch of the planet belongs to Jesus now not in the sweet bye-and-bye.