GENESIS 1 & 2—From Genesis To Revelation

Genesis: Beginnings

The word 'Genesis' means "beginning". In this book, we read about the beginning of creation, the beginning of man, the beginning of sin in the human race, the beginning of redemption, the beginning of the two streams of religiosity and spirituality, the beginning of Babylon, the beginning of Jerusalem, and the beginning of counterfeit religion and true religion.

The Scriptures begin with the words,  "In the beginning God." That's how it must be in our life every day. God must be in the beginning of everything in our lives, not man. In every area of our life—in our goals and our ambitions, in everything—God must be first. And wherever God finds a man or woman who will put Him first in every area of his/her life in business, in finances, and daily life—there will be no limit to what God will do in and through such a person.

Creation

In Chapter 1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The heavens and the earth were created by God through His spoken word (Hebrews11:3), He made them perfect. Nothing that God creates is ever imperfect. 

The angel Lucifer fell and became the devil. That was when sin first came into the universe. That is not mentioned at this point, because the Bible was not written for angels, but for man. That's why the creation of man is mentioned in the first chapter, and the fall of Lucifer is mentioned only much later (in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28).

What we read of in the rest of Chapter 1 is the making of the earth. And by the time you come to the end of the chapter, it has become a beautiful earth. God Himself could look at it and say, "It is very good."

Chapter 1 has a message for all of us. Satan has come into the human race too and made man exactly as mentioned in verse 2—empty, dark and shapeless. We have lost the image of God. God did not create Adam like that. Adam was created perfect. But the devil came in and ruined man. And God had to begin to remake man.

God is in the business of remaking ruined humanity today. It doesn't matter how shapeless, dark or empty you are. Chapter 1 teaches that God can remake you. He can make you so perfect that you will finally reflect His likeness perfectly, and God Himself will be able to certify about you, "Very Good". That is the message of the very first chapter of the Bible.

But how did this change take place? If you understand how it happened, the same thing can happen in your life too.

Every day God spoke His word. He said something the first day. And He said something the second day. Every day He spoke. That's what you need to see in the very first chapter of the Bible—that our God is a living God Who speaks. If you want to be transformed, the most important thing you need is to hear God speaking to you. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). That's how God planned for man to live. And so if we don't listen to His voice daily, we will not be transformed.

We have to develop the habit of listening to God through His word. God speaks every day. But most believers do not listen to Him. Even those who read the Bible every day don't listen to God. Listening to God is not the same as reading the Bible. You can read the Bible like you read a storybook or study it like a chemistry book—and never hear what God is trying to say to your heart.

The other thing we see here is that the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters (1:2). After you hear God speak, you must allow the Holy Spirit to move upon you. Only then can you be transformed. We see the Holy Spirit working along with God's Word right from the beginning. Only the Holy Spirit can change man. It was the combined working of God's Word and of the Holy Spirit that brought change and beauty to that chaotic earth.

The great need in Christendom today is for balance. Many believers emphasize the study of the word of God, but do not emphasize dependence on the Holy Spirit equally. If you study the word of God without the Holy Spirit's enabling, you will be as dry as a bone and just as dead. Others emphasize the ministry of the Holy Spirit and neglect God's Word and thus get sidetracked into emotionalism, which they mistake for the Spirit's workings. Like steam engines that have gone off the rails (of God's Word), they blow their whistles furiously and make a lot of noise, but they are stuck in the mud and make no progress, because they do not allow the word of God to guide them.

So we see that we can get correction and instruction in righteousness in order to be perfect in the very first paragraph of the Scriptures.

In 1:4, we read that "God separated the light from the darkness" . This separation is repeated on the fourth day (1:18). This is a very important thing, and that is why it is repeated. When God created the light, He didn't want the darkness mixed up with it and that was why He made a separation.

Many people imagine that all division must be from the devil. But here we read that the first person to make a division was God Himself. Light can have no fellowship with darkness. When light comes into our hearts, the very next thing God that wants to do in our lives is to separate us from all that is darkness. In 2 Corinthians 4:6, we have a Divine commentary on the creation of light. There we are told that this was a picture of the light of the gospel of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ coming into our hearts. Then two chapters later, in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, we are told of the necessity of separating ourselves from all darkness. The world is full of darkness, and there must be nothing of the world in our hearts. When Christians don't separate from the darkness, confusion is the result.

When God placed the sun and the moon in the middle of the skies, again He separated the light from the darkness (1:18). On both occasions, we read that "God saw that it was good." Only when you are separated from all that is of darkness can God say, "It is good", not otherwise. Many who have received the light have not separated themselves from the darkness. That is why they have so many problems in their Christian life.

Man was created on the sixth day. The beasts of the field were also created on the same day, just before Adam(verse 24). Those beasts were made from the same dust that man was made from. Only one thing distinguished man from those beasts: God breathed into man. It is only the Spirit of God in man that lifts him above the level of animals. From this we learn that if we stop living by the Spirit of God, we will sink to the level of animals very soon! God made man from the dust to teach him that he was worth nothing apart from the breath of God.

God kept the seventh day as a day of rest. That was the seventh day for God, but it was the first day for man. Man was created towards the end of the sixth day and so his very first living day was a day of rest. God was trying to teach man thereby that he must fellowship with God first before going out to work for Him. Adam and Eve were to work in the garden of Eden only after they had spent a day in fellowship with their God. That is the Divine order for man:Fellowship first and then service. In the beginning God Himself—then God's work. We forget that order to our peril. This was why God taught Israel to respect the Sabbath so strictly. Today, there remains a Sabbath rest for God's people to live in (Hebrews 4:9).

In 1:28 God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply". How did He expect them to do that? Obviously by having a sexual relationship. It was God Who created the sexual function and told man to use it to produce children. The sexual function in man was also included in what God finally called "Very good" (1:31). So we see that sex in marriage is something that God himself has termed "Very good"? Sex is very bad outside of marriage, but very good inside it. There are many Christians who think that sex is a dirty thing even in marriage and therefore imagine that they can be holier if they are not married. This is un-Scriptural.

When God created man He blessed him (1:28). He told him not only to be fruitful, but also to subdue everything under him and to rule over everything. So we see that God created man to be a ruler, not a slave. God created man to be an overcomer who has everything under his feet. In Genesis, we read of God's desire for man to rule. And in Revelation, we read of God's desire for man to overcome (Revelation 21:7). That was God's original will for man, and He finally finds a few who fulfil His plan and become overcomers. God's purpose for you is to rule over everything. He wants you to rule over sin in your life, over your anger, your lusts and your passions. He wants you to put them all under your feet. God never created you to be a slave. He created you to be a conqueror and a ruler. And that can come about only when God blesses you (as we read in1:28).

Notice in Chapter 1, that God examined each day's work and certified it as good. (God did not say that on the second day, because Satan who had been cast down by God was permitted to dwell in the second heaven). We too should allow God to examine our work each day, to see whether it meets with His approval.

In Chapter 2, more details are given about the creation of man. We see there that God gave man three gifts—a marriage partner (Eve), a home to live in (Eden) and a work to do (as a gardener). These are the three things that many young people are seeking for today. God was interested in providing all three for Adam and He is interested in providing all three for His children today. Adam didn't even have to ask God for them. God Himself saw Adam's need and provided him with them. God knows your need of a marriage partner, a house and a job too. If you walk with Him, He will provide you with these and other needs too.

In 2:11, 12, it says that the gold in Eden was good! It is only in the presence of God, that gold is good. Away from Him, gold is a snare and can be a curse.

In 2:19, 20, we read that God brought the beasts to Adam—and Adam gave them all names. Then we read these words: "But for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him" .That phrase seems to indicate that when Adam saw each of the animals having a partner, he wondered whether he could have one of them as a partner!! The lion had its lioness, the elephant had its partner, the cat had its partner, and so on. Adam looked at them one by one and rejected them one by one, because none of them corresponded with his own nature. And when Adam had rejected all of them, God said, "All right, I will make a helper for you". He then caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and made a wife for him.

There is a spiritual application to this: If you are a child of God, and are looking for a marriage partner, God may first allow some pretty girls (or handsome men) to come by you, who do not have the same Divine nature that you received when you were born again. He will test you through them to see whether you will choose one of them as your partner. If you do, you will miss the one God has planned for you. Honor God and obey His word that says,"Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 6:14)—and He will give you His very best.

Notice this: After God saying that "It was good" six times in 6 days (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), He suddenly said, "It is NOT good" (2:18). It was not good for Adam to be alone. Then, after He had made Eve, He says,"It is VERY good" (1:31). That is the difference that a happily married couple made to God's creation!

In 2:24,we read something that all married people need to pay heed to: When a person gets married he must leave his father and mother and cleave to his partner.This is not referring primarily to leaving one's parents physically (although that may also be necessary), but to being detached from them emotionally. Once a person is married, his marriage-partner must be far more important to him than his parents. A married couple must make their family-decisions in consultation with each other and not in consultation with their parents. I wish I could go up and down India proclaiming this important message to all married couples. There will be many more happy marriages in our land, if every married person obeyed this command. Here is a commandment given by God, even before sin came into the world. It is in fact the very first commandment written in the Bible for us. Why did God put this as the very first commandment in Scripture? Because He Who ordained marriage knew the vital importance of this step. Yet many married couples have not understood its importance.

THE GAP THEORY—From Genesis To Revelation—Introduction 2

Genesis 1:1–2 states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The gap theory is the view that God created a fully functional earth with all animals, including the dinosaurs and other creatures we know only from the fossil record. Then, the theory goes, something happened to destroy the earth completely—most likely the fall of Satan to earth—so that the planet became without form and void. At this point, God started all over again, recreating the earth in its paradise form as further described in Genesis. The gap theory, which is distinct from theistic evolution and the day-age theory, is also called old-earth creationism, gap creationism, and the ruin-reconstruction theory.

In young-earth creationism, Genesis 1:1 is seen as a summary of the complete chapter 1 in the Hebrew storytelling form. God created the heavens and the earth. Then verse 2 begins a detailed breakdown of the step-by-step process that verse 1 summarizes. However, the statement that “the earth was formless and empty, [and] darkness was over the surface of the deep” (Genesis 1:2) can be puzzling. The idea that God created a useless and shapeless earth is an uncomfortable position for some conservative theologians, and this leads them to the gap theory, or an old-earth perspective.

According to conservative proponents of the gap theory, Genesis 1:1 describes the original creation of God—perfect in every way. Then, between verses 1 and 2, Satan rebelled in heaven and was cast out. Satan’s sin “ruined” the original creation; that is, his rebellion brought about its destruction and eventual death, and the earth was reduced to its “formless and empty” state, ready for the “re-construction.” The length of time involved—the size of the “gap”—is not specified but could have lasted millions of years.

Of course, Satan must have fallen before Adam did; otherwise, there would have been no temptation in the garden. Young-earth creationists say that Satan fell sometime after Genesis 1:31. Gap creationists say that Satan fell between Genesis 1:1 and 2.

One difficulty of the gap theory is that it requires that creation suffer death and destruction before Adam’s fall. Romans 5:12 says, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” The gap theory counters by positing two worlds. Satan’s sin brought death to the original creation, whatever that was like; and Adam’s sin brought death to the re-creation, the realm of mankind. Through Adam’s sin, evil entered our world and the realm of man was cursed. But rebellion already existed outside the realm of mankind (in the spiritual realm), since Satan and his angels had already fallen (Isaiah 14:12–14; Ezekiel 28:12–18). Sin could not enter the realm of man until man chose it. And Satan, via the serpent, successfully tempted man to make that choice.

Objections to the gap theory include the idea that, if something important had occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 2, God would have told us so, rather than leave us to speculate in ignorance. Also, Genesis 1:31 says God declared His creation to be “very good”—a statement difficult to square with the theory that evil already existed because of Satan’s fall in the “gap.”

It is possible to hold to a literal, six-day creation week and still hold to the gap theory—the gap theory does not require evolution to be true, since the gap falls before the events of Day One in Genesis 1:3. And that’s why some conservative scholars do believe the gap theory, although its acceptance has waned since the days of proponents C. I. Scofield and J. Vernon McGee.

However, many of those who hold to the gap theory do so in order to reconcile old-earth, evolutionary theories with the book of Genesis. But it seems to be a strained reconciliation. The plain reading of Genesis 1 does not at all intimate a length of time between the first two verses. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:2 informs us that, when He first created the earth, it was formless, empty, and dark; it was unfinished and uninhabited. The rest of Genesis 1 relates how God completed the formless, empty, and dark earth by filling it with life, beauty, and goodness.

WHY GOD GAVE US THE BIBLE—From Genesis To Revelation—Introduction

Before studying God’s Word, we must understand why God gave it to us. It is possible to study the Bible for the wrong reasons—a lot of Christians do just that. We must study the Scriptures for the same purpose that God gave it.

When we consider to study through the whole Bible, we must try to look into the heart of God, and keep this well-known verse in mind: “God so loved the world that He gave His Son, that whoever believes in Him should never perish” (John 3:16).

The primary purpose with which God gave us the Scriptures was that all people might know that He loves them so intensely that He sent His Son to save them from the grip of sin and bring them into fellowship with Him. In God’s heart there is a great desire that no one should be ruined by sin and perish.

Let us keep that in mind as we study God’s Word. Even if there are matters in the Word that we cannot fully understand, let us pray, “Lord, I want to understand Your heart, even if I don’t understand the meaning of everything in Your Word”.

We must pray as we study the Scriptures that we will understand what is in the heart of God. We can get so taken up with little details as we study, that we miss seeing the heart of God. God reveals His heart in His word.

But God’s purpose does not stop there—just like the construction of a building does not stop with laying the foundation. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 God breathed into this book, exactly as He breathed into Adam. If God had not breathed into Adam, Adam would have been just a pile of dust; and any book that God has not breathed into is also a pile of dust.

God’s Word has been given to us: 

1. To teach us, to show us the right path.
2. To reprove us and rebuke us. We need strong rebukes to be preserved in the pathway of godliness.
3. To correct us when we go astray, to direct us into the right path.
4. To train us in righteousness. It is a training manual.

So we see that God’s Word has been given to us to change our character, so that we can become godly men and women.

The ultimate goal is “that the man of God may be adequate”—perfect and complete. Like a glass of water filled to the brim, our character is to be rounded off, balanced and complete. We are to be anointed and equipped to serve God, so that we can do every good work that God has planned for us. That is the purpose of Scripture.

So if you study the Bible, you must study it for these reasons.

The Holy Spirit alone can teach us God’s Word. The same Holy Spirit Who taught the apostles in the 1st century, seeks to teach us in the 21st century too. That is how we must study the Scriptures. We don’t need to attend a Bible-school or Bible-college. The Holy Spirit can teach us God’s Word, if we are willing to study it with an open mind and a soft heart—to obey it. When the Lord Jesus walked with two disciples to Emmaus, He “opened the Scriptures to them”. That is what He wants to do for us today, as we walk with Him. Those disciples found that their “hearts burned within them when the Lord opened the Scriptures to them” ( Luke 24:32 ). That is what will happen to our hearts too, when the Holy Spirit opens the Scriptures to us today.

The truths that God reveals in His Word can never be boring, because the Lord Jesus is never boring. If we walk with our Lord and listen to Him, our hearts will burn within us—because we will see the glory of Christ in the Word.

Under the Old Covenant, people meditated on God’s written Word. But now we meditate on the Word made flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ (John1:14). Now we see the glory of the Lord Jesus as we meditate on the Scriptures (2 Corinthians 3:18). A person who looks at that Glory constantly will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, and will always be fruitful. Even in old age, he/she will bring forth fruit (Psalm 1:3; 92:14). That is the will of God for each one of us.

Proverbs 25:2 says,“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out”. Gold and diamonds are found deep down, many thousands of feet beneath the earth’s surface. It is the same with the Scriptures—its riches are concealed deep within. We are kings and queens in Christ, and our glory is to find those hidden treasures in God’s Word.

The Lord Jesus once said, “I thank You Father that You have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to babes” (Matthew 11:25). We don’t have to be clever to understand the Scriptures, but we must have clean, humble, trusting hearts, like an infant. It’s our heart condition and not our intelligence that determines whether we understand God’s Word or not.

God’s Word gives us promises to believe and commands to obey. It has words to rebuke us, and words to comfort us as well.

Unless we make the Bible our final authority in all matters relating to our faith and life, we will be tossed about here and there, until our faith itself is lost.

We are told by the psalmist that God has magnified His Word above all His Name (Psalm 138:2). To reject or ignore it therefore, or to treat it lightly, is to end up with immeasurable loss. But to reverence it is to discover a door into untold riches.

So with those words as an introduction, let us begin our study of the Word of God.

THE BATTLE OF EZEKIEL 38 & 39

“Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 and I will turn thee back... and all thy army... Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them... Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters... ‘in the latter years thou shalt come’... against the mountains of Israel... Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish... Art thou come to take a spoil... to take away cattle and goods?” (Ezek 38,39).

We think that the expression “in the latter years” used in Ezekiel’s prophecy requires a fulfillment in the future, not in the present era. 

Because the Israelites in Ezekiel 38:8 are described as being “brought forth out of the nations”, some suppose this requires a current era fulfillment. The argument goes like this: At one time the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, later they were brought out of Babylon, but here they are brought out of the “nations” (plural). It was after 70 A.D. That they were scattered to the nations, and did not become a nation again until 1948, so this is when they were gathered out of the nations.

This is faulty reasoning, for at the time of the Babylonian captivity they were also scattered to many nations—not just Babylon. We can see this right within other chapters of Ezekiel. Their cities would be destroyed and they would be scattered “among the nations whither they shall be carried captives” (Ezek 6:9). They would be removed and “go into captivity... among the nations” (Ezek 12:11, 15).

But there was also the promise of being again gathered from the nations—not in 1948 A.D.—but following the seventy year captivity. “For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you... and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from ALL THE NATIONS... and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive” (Jer 29:10-14).

In view of such statements, the reference about a people “brought forth out of the nations” does not require a fulfillment in present times.

We will state our position quite clearly. We do not believe Ezekiel 38-39 has anything to do with Russia invading the present state of Israel. Instead, there is internal evidence that the setting of this prophecy must be either back in the Old Testament era, or in the distant future—meaning, after the Millennium (Rev. 20:7-10).

We do not know of anyone who has sacred or secular history to match the description of this battle, so we doubt it ever happened in the past. But our present era is not in view either. The reasons are as follows:

First, the invading soldiers who make up the armies of this passage would be riding on HORSES. “And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, ALL OF THEM RIDING UPON HORSES horses, a great company, and a mighty army” (Ezek 38:15).

We know that the house of Togarmah (which is included in the invasion) was in possession of horses and traded them at Tyre (Ezek 27:14). Horses were commonly used in ancient battles, numerous references to such being mentioned in the Bible and secular history. Even up until comparatively recent times, different nations maintained some small cavalry units—but no longer. The World Book Encyclopedia (article: “calvary”) says: “The expense of maintaining horses and the greater speed and mobility of motorized units made horse cavalry obsolete by the mid-1900’s”. And Wikipedia repeats six times the word “obsolete” in the page devoted to the same topic (article: “calvary”).

To those who think Ezekiel 38-39 is a prophecy for the near future, we ask: Will major armies of the world revert back to using horses in battle?

We should carefully notice also that this prophecy not only mentions soldiers on horses—as though perhaps a few soldiers might be on horses—but it says, “ALL of them riding upon horses” (Ezek 38:15). It does not say part of them would be on horses, or a few of them; it says, “ALL of them riding upon horses”. They are not flying in airplanes or helicopters. They are not traveling in jeeps. They are not in tanks. They are not in ships or submarines. These troops are not moving in buses or trains. All of them are riding on horses!

Second, the time of the invasion is described as a time when Israel should be dwelling in peace. The enemy forces are pictured as saying, “I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (Ezek 38:11).

There were times in the Old Testament when Israel enjoyed times of rest and safety. But the modern nation of Israel is one of the most troubled spots on earth. Repeatedly it is in the news as a place of war, trouble, and insecurity. The picture has been anything but one of rest and safety. If these conditions were to change, such changes would have to stand the test of time, over a period of years, before anyone would be saying of the State of Israel: “I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (Ezek 38:11).

Notice also that the enemy is pictured as saying he would go to the land of “unwalled villages”. In times of peace, apparently, the villages within the land of Israel did not have walls. In the days of Esther we read about: “the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns” (Esth 9:19).

Though cities commonly had walls, it was not uncommon for villages to be without walls (Lev. 25:29,31; Deut. 3:5). During a time of peace, and with villages without walls, we can see how the enemy could refer to this as the land of unwalled villages. But notice the implication. The time of this prophecy would be when some land and countries will have villages with protective walls (Rev. 21:12,14). It is a comparative statement.

In our day, neither cities nor villages depend on walls for protection. Walls, so commonly known and used in ancient times—such as those around Jerusalem, Jericho, Babylon, or Nineveh—would now be obsolete. Would an enemy in our time speak of going up to a land of unwalled villages—a relative term? No, for all lands are now this way. But in the millennium, the New Jerusalem will be known for its wall “great and high” (Rev. 21:12). We even are told that “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14).

Third, notice the purpose of this invasion upon Israel. The enemy wants “to take a spoil, and to take a prey... to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil” (Ezek 38:12, 13).

Dramatic sermons have sometimes portrayed the Russians as coming against Israel to get wealth from minerals in the Dead Sea. Or the word spoil is turned into oil. But Israel is not an oil producing country. The invading forces here, come riding on horses to steal cattle, among other things. This fits the millennial reasons for invading the land of Israel, but can hardly apply to our day. Does anyone really believe this prophecy is talking about a bunch of Russian cattle rustlers?

Fourth, the weapons used by this army are primitive weapons. All of the soldiers ride on horses, “all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords... all of them with shield and helmet” (Ezek. 38:4,5), using bows and arrows, and handstaves, and spears” (Ezek. 39:9).

These soldiers fight with bows and arrows. They handle swords. They wear armor. They have shields to protect them against arrows shot from bows. Such a detailed description can hardly fit contemporary warfare. The accompanying illustrations show the type of weapons that were used in the Old Testament era—an era to which the world living in the millennium will revert to live.

Fifth, these primitive weapons—bow, arrows, shields, and spears—will be made out of materials which could be used as firewood. It is said that, “they shall burn them with fire seven years... they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them” (Ezek. 39:9,10). Contemporary weapons are not made of wood.

The time of this battle will be when people will revert to the use of wood as fuel. “And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire” (Ezek. 39:9,10).

This is not a picture of the contemporary era. How many people today depend on wood for heating and cooking? But the trend in the millennium will be a return to cutting down trees for fuel. The inhabitants of the millennium  will be living in the same conditions as people lived in the Old Testament times.

The Bible teaches that after the return of Christ, He will set up an earthly kingdom of 1000 years in duration. The constituents of this earthly kingdom will include both saved and glorified individuals as well as saved and non-glorified individuals. The saved and glorified individuals will consist of all the saved of all the ages from Adam to the last beheaded martyr. The saved and non-glorified group will consist of a remnant of Israel and some Gentile believers who survive to the Day of the Lord.

Following the battle of Armageddon, Christ will sit in judgment of those remaining alive on the earth in what has been called the Sheep and Goat Judgment (Matt. 25:31-46). Those Gentile believers, who evidenced their faith by how they treated the Jews during the Great Tribulation, will enter the Millennial kingdom along with the saved Jewish remnant.

There are many Scriptures which give us insight into the conditions on earth during the Millennial reign of Christ. These include Isaiah 35, 60-62, 65; Ezek. 40-48; Micah 4; and Rev. 20-22.

From these passages we understand that the Millennial kingdom will be an earthly kingdom, with Christ ruling from the New Jerusalem, which will descend from heaven and reside above Mt. Zion. Christ will rule in righteousness over the inhabitants of earth. During this time the earth will have been restored to conditions similar to before the Fall of Adam: wild animals will be tame, there will be no war, trees will give abundant fruit, sin will be punished. Ezekiel 47 points out the fact that fishermen will fish in the waters of the rivers and will catch “very many” fish. So the activities of life continue in a normal but bucolic fashion, only with righteous government, peace and perfect conditions.

The saved but non-glorified group of individuals will enter the Millennial kingdom in natural, human bodies and so will be subject to death and disease. Revelation 22 and Ezekiel 47 tell us that the leaves of the trees that grow along the river of life are for the healing of the nations. Isaiah 65 tells us that people on earth at that time will live long lives, and if someone dies at 100 he will be considered accursed. Evidently, similar to those days prior to the flood, people will live hundreds of years.

During these 1000 years, Israel will be the chief nation of the world and will be restored to the full dimensions of her land which God promised. Mt. Zion will be raised up as the chief mountain in the world and it is from here that Christ will reign from the New Jerusalem (Ps. 68:16; 132:13-14; Micah 4:1-8). King David will be resurrected and will be the chief prince over the nation of Israel (Jer. 30:9; Ezek. 37:24-25). All other nations will honor Israel and will worship God in Jerusalem. Zechariah 14 tells us that those nations who do not come up to Jerusalem every year to worship God will be punished with no rain.

While all the saved, but non-glorified individuals who initially enter the Millennial kingdom will be believers, we know that during the millennium there will be many people born. Some of these will choose to not follow the leadership of Christ and will be rebellious in their hearts. Those born during this time are born with the same sin nature that humans now are cursed with. Thus, when Satan is released at the conclusion of the 1000 years, he is able to amass a great army to come against the “beloved City”, Jerusalem (Rev. 20:7-10). 

This is, according to our understanding, the right context of of Ezekiel prophecy.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:7-10).

The prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 has been called “the most difficult prophecy in the Old Testament”. But this is only true if we are not willing to accept that the same is described—though succinctly—in Revelation 20:7-10. 

But despite the details that are not mentioned, the interpretation which will place it as a literal battle in “when the thousand years are expired” (Rev. 20:7) seems, to us, the most likely. Our reasons for this we will sum up as follows:

The prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 will take place when huge armies of the world will have to go back to a dependence on horses. Every soldier will ride a horse.

Israel will have to be at rest, dwelling safely. the New Jerusalem, hovering over the Mount Zion will be protected by a huge wall, so that the land of Israel, in comparison, can be called the land of “unwalled villages”.

The rebellious nations that will go up “on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city” (Rev. 20:9) will go back to the use of primitive weapons made of wood such as arrows, bows, and spears.

In view of this evidence, Ezekiel is describing a literal battle which setting is “when the thousand years are expired” (Rev. 20:7).

We realize that there are good Christian people who may hold a different view. They are at perfect liberty to do so. We would never think of making the interpretation of a prophecy such as this a basis of fellowship. We have presented what we believe is the best explanation, but the reader can make his own decision and be fully persuaded in his own mind.

FLASHPOINT - RUSSIA & UKRAINE UPDATE

THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST & ISLAMIC ESCHATOLOGY

 THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST

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Part 2:  

ISLAMIC ESCHATOLOGY

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THE NORMAL-LITERAL METHOD OF INTERPRETATIOM VS. ALLEGORICALISM HOLINESS

 

The “normal-literal” method of Bible interpretation refers to the manner in which human language is ordinarily interpreted. This been called the “golden rule” of Bible interpretation: “When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense, but take every word at its primary literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context clearly indicate otherwise” (David Cooper). “God says what He means and means what He says. We are to read the Bible just as read any other piece of writing, not trying to force some allegorical, mystical, or figurative meaning into its plain statements” (Bible Explorers Guide, John Phillips). Dr. Charles Feinberg said, “Unless there is some reason intrinsic within the text itself which requires a symbolical interpretation or unless there are other Scriptures which interpret a parallel prophecy in a symbolic sense, we are required to employ a natural, literal interpretation” (Premillennialism or Amillennialism?, p. 212). We use figures of speech, such as metaphors, in normal speech, but we understand that these are figures of speech by the context and we know how to interpret them. If I say, “I’m going for a run,” we know that this means that I am literally going to go running. But if I say, “I’m going to run down to the store,” we know this is a figure of speech, and it simply means that I am going to the store, whether by walking, driving, etc. The same is true for Bible prophecy. It contains figures of speech, but the Bible makes it clear that these are figures of speech and teaches us how to interpret them either by the context itself or by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Contrast the allegorical method of interpretation The allegorical method interprets the prophetic portions of Scripture in a symbolic manner rather than a literal one. By this method, the Old Testament prophecies of Israel’s glorious earthly kingdom are interpreted as descriptions of the church age. So “Sion” is the church and “the thousand years” of Revelation 20 are the church age and the desert blossoming as the rose (Isa. 35:1) is fruitfulness in the church age. Consider three examples: The Geneva Bible note at Revelation 9:11 identifies “the Angel of the bottomless pit” as “Antichrist the Pope, king of hypocrites and Satan’s ambassador.” There is no reason, though, to see this angel as anything other than a literal fallen angel in a literal bottomless pit. Adam Clarke on Revelation 20:2: “In what this binding of Satan consists, who can tell? ... it is not likely that the number, a thousand years, is to be taken literally here.” Jamieson, Fausset, Brown on Revelation 20:2: “Thousand symbolizes that the world is perfectly leavened and pervaded by the divine; since thousand is ten, the number of the world, raised to the third power, three being the number of God.” The history of allegoricalism The early Christians interpreted prophecy literally (Ac. 3:19-21; Ro. 11:25-27). This is admitted by most church historians. Lutheran historian Adolph Harnack wrote, “Faith in the nearness of Christ’s Second Advent and the establishing of His reign of glory on the earth was undoubtedly a strong point in the primitive Christian church” (“Millennium,” Encyclopedia Brittanica). Consider again the statement by the Lutheran historian Philip Schaff: “The most striking point in the eschatology of the ante-Nicene age [before 325 AD] is the prominent chiliasm, or millenarianism, that is the belief of a visible reign of Christ in glory on earth with the risen saints for a thousand years, before the general resurrection and judgment. ... It was indeed ... a widely current opinion of distinguished teachers, such as Barnabas [end of first century], Papias [a disciple of John], Justin Martyr [born about 100 AD], Irenaeus [120-202 AD] the disciple of Polycarp who in turn was the disciple of John, Tertullian [150-220 AD], Methodius [third century], and Lactantius [end of third and beginning of fourth century]” (History of the Christian Church, 1884, II, p. 614). G. A. Simcox, who interprets Revelation allegorically, admits that “from the time of Tertullian and Hippolytus--not to say Justin and Irenaeus--we have a consistent expectation of the course of events that will precede the last judgment” (Simcox, The Revelation of St. John the Divine). Amillennialist Louis Berkhof says, “During the early Christian centuries the prevailing, though not officially recognized view of the Kingdom of God was eschatological [future], and in some cases Chiliastic [millennial]” (The Kingdom of God, p. 21). Greek scholar and Bible commentator Dean Alford says, “I cannot consent to distort words from their plain sense and chronological place in the prophecy on account of any risk of abuses which the doctrine of the Millennium may bring with it. Those who lived next to the Apostles, and the whole Church for 300 years, understood them in the plain literal sense and it is a strange sight in these days to see expositors who are among the first in reverence for antiquity, complacently casting aside the most cogent instance of consensus which primitive antiquity presents. As regards the text itself, no legitimate treatment of it will extort what is known as the spiritual interpretation now in fashion” (The Greek Testament, IV, p. 732, cited from Chester Tulga, Premillennial or Amillennial: An Introductory Study). Dr. John Walvoord says, “[T]here are clear and unmistakable evidences of Premillennialism in the first century. In contrast to these clear evidences, there is not one adherent, not one live of evidence is produced sustaining the idea that any first century Christians held Augustinian Amillennialism. Furthermore, there is no evidence whatever that Premillennialism was even disputed. It was the overwhelming view of the early Church” (The Millennial Kingdom, p. 119). George Ladd says, “A survey of the literature leads to the following conclusions. The understanding of the Kingdom is exclusively eschatological [literal kingdom of the future] and with one exception there is no church father before Origin who opposed the Millenarian interpretation, and there is no one before Augustine whose extant writings offer a different interpretation of Revelation 20 than that of a future earthly Kingdom consonant with the natural interpretation of the language” (Crucial Questions about the Kingdom of God, p.23) The churches in Asia Minor, which were the first churches established by the apostle Paul and his co-workers, held to a literal interpretation of prophecy for centuries. Amillennialist T. Francis Glasson says, “In the early centuries, it was largely on account of the book of Revelation that Millenarianism flourished in some quarters. ... Years ago Neander, the great church historian, pointed out that ‘Wherever we meet with Chiliasm, in Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, everything goes to indicate that it was diffused from one country and from a single fountainhead’” (His Appearing and Kingdom, p.122). That “fountainhead” is the very place where the book of Revelation was written and where the churches were located to which it was written, and where where many of the other New Testament epistles were written. Amillennialist theologians Glasson and Neander are saying that these churches interpreted Revelation and the apostolic prophecies literally and this remained the fountainhead of literal interpretation until it was destroyed by apostasy in the fourth and fifth centuries. Papias was the pastor of the church at Hierapolis, near Laodicea. Justin Martyr lived at Ephesus. Iranaeus spent the early years of his Christian life in that region. The allegorical interpretation was invented by false teachers after the time of the apostles. A school was established at Alexandria, Egypt, which became the headquarters for the allegorical method of interpretation. Egypt was a place where false teaching proliferated in the early centuries after Christ. Clement headed the school from 190 to 202. He corrupted the Christian faith by mixing it with the worldly philosophy of Plato. He taught many false doctrines, including purgatory, and believed that most men would eventually be saved even though Jesus said only a few would be (Mt. 7:14). Origen (A.D. 185-254) was one of the chief fathers of allegoricalism. Louis Berkhof says, “Through the combined influence of Origin and Augustine, and of the Christianizing of the empire in the time of Constantine the Great, the Chiliastic [literal millennial] view of the Kingdom was gradually eclipsed by the representation of the Kingdom as a present reality” (The Kingdom of God, p.113). Origen said, “The Scriptures have little use to those who understand them literally.” He described the literal meaning of Scripture as “bread” and encouraged the student to go beyond this to the “wine” of allegoricalism, whereby one can become intoxicated and transported to heavenly realms. Origen’s commentaries contained a mass of fanciful interpretations, abounding in “heretical revisals of Scripture” (Frederick Nolan, Inquiry into the Integrity of the Greek Vulgate, p. 367). Origen led the school at Alexandria from 202 to 232. Though he endured persecution and torture for the cause of Christ under the emperor Decius in 250, Origen held many false teachings. Like Clement, he mixed the truth of the Bible with pagan philosophy. Following are some of his heresies: He taught baptismal regeneration, purgatory, the pre-existence of the human soul, and universalism (with even the devil eventually being saved). He taught that the Holy Spirit was the first creature made by God and denied that Jesus is fully God. He did not believe that the Scriptures are wholly inspired by God. He taught that celibacy is a holy state above marriage. Augustine was so influential in changing the literal interpretation of prophecy to the allegorical that he has been called “the father of amillennialism.” Yet he testified that there were many in his day [fifth century BC] who believed in a literal millennium. He said, “I myself, too, once held this opinion. ... They who do believe them are called by the spiritual, Chiliasts, which we may literally reproduce by the name Millenarians” (Augustine, City of God, book 20, chapter 7). Amillennialist Oswald T. Allis says, “The view which has been most widely held by opponents of Millenarianism is associated historically with the name of Augustine. He taught that the Millennium is to be interpreted spiritually as fulfilled in the Christian Church. He held that the binding of Satan took place during the earthly ministry of our Lord (Luke 10:18), that the first resurrection is the new birth of the believer (John 5:25), and that the Millennium must correspond, therefore, to the interadventual period or church age. This involved the interpreting of Rev. 20:1-6 as a ‘recapitulation’ of the preceding chapters instead of as describing a new age following chronologically on the events set forth in chapter 19” (Prophecy and the Church, pp.2-3). The Roman Catholic Church interpreted Bible prophecy allegorically throughout its history. The Protestant denominations (e.g., Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist) have also interpreted prophecy allegorically, with few exceptions. This is one of the errors they brought out of Rome. Why we interpret the prophecies literally First, God gave the Scriptures to REVEAL truth to man, not to hide it. See Deuteronomy 29:29. Prophecy is given to reveal secrets, not hide them. Prophecy is light, not darkness (2 Pe.1:19). The Bible’s final book of prophecy, Revelation, is so named because it is given to reveal truth, not hide it. Prophecy is to be understood in the normal way that human language is understood because it is God’s revelation to mankind in human language. God made human language, and He has communicated His revelation to man in normal human language that is interpreted in a normal way that language is interpreted. Second, the apostles interpreted prophecy literally. Consider two key passages: Acts 3:18-21 - Peter preached that as there was a literal fulfillment of Christ’s first coming to suffer for man’s sin, so there will be a literal fulfillment of the prophecies pertaining to Israel’s conversion and kingdom. The heaven will receive Christ until He returns. Then there will be a “restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets.” Words could not be plainer. The prophecies of Israel’s regathering and conversion and blessing and the prophecies of Christ sitting on David’s throne will be literally fulfilled. Romans 11:25-27 - Paul also taught that God’s covenants with Israel will be literally fulfilled. Israel is currently blind, except for those few, like Peter and Paul, who are saved. Israel will be blind only until the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, referring to the church age. Then Israel will be saved and her covenants fulfilled. Again, words could not be plainer. That the apostles and the apostolic churches interpreted prophecy literally is admitted by most church historians, as we have seen. Even Augustine, “the father of amillennialism,” admitted that there were many in his day [fifth century] who believed in a literal fulfillment of Revelation 20. He said, “I myself, too, once held this opinion. ... They who do believe them are called by the spiritual, Chiliasts, which we may literally reproduce by the name Millenarians” (Augustine, City of God, book 20, chapter 7). The church at Antioch continued to interpret prophecy literally after the allegorical method was invented by heretics such as Origen (185-254). Antioch, of course, was an important church founded by Barnabas and Paul, and it is from this church that the first foreign missionaries were sent out (Acts 11:19-26; 13:1-4; 15:39-41). It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. Some of the preachers associated with Antioch were Lucian (died 312), Diodorus of Tarsus (d. 390), Chrysostom (d. 407), Theodore (d. 428), and Theodoret (d. 458). These men did not accept the Alexandrian allegorical method of interpretation. They interpreted Bible prophecy literally. Farrar says, “Diodorus of Tarsus’ books were devoted to an exposition of Scripture in its literal sense, and he wrote a treatise, now unhappily lost, ‘on the difference between allegory and spiritual insight’” (F. W. Farrar, History of Interpretation, pp. 213-15). Third, Bible prophecies have always been fulfilled literally. Prophecies about Israel were fulfilled literally. Israel’s entire history was given in the great prophecy of Deuteronomy 28 (see particularly verses 63-67). This prophecy describes Israel’s defeat at the hands of foreign powers and her dispersion to the ends of the earth, and they have been fulfilled literally and precisely over the past 2,000 years, beginning with the Babylonian Captivity and then Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and again in AD 135. Prophecies of the nations were fulfilled literally. The prophecies of the nations by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were so precise that scoffers have said that they must have been written after the events. TYRE Consider the prophecy of the ancient city of Tyre in Ezekiel 26:3-16. Tyre was the capital of the great Phoenician Empire. The city consisted of two parts. One part of the city was on the coast and another part was on an island about a half mile off the coast. It was one of the most beautiful cities of ancient times. - Nebuchadnezzar will besiege and sack Tyre (Eze. 26:7-11). In 573 BC, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Tyre after a 13-year siege. At that time the coastal city was destroyed, but the city on the island was not conquered. - Many nations will participate in destroying Tyre (Eze. 26:3). Tyre was attacked and overcome by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Syrians, the Romans, and finally the Muslims. - Tyre’s walls and towers will be destroyed (Eze. 26:4). This was done first by Nebuchadnezzar and then by Alexander the Great. - The city will be made flat like the top of a rock and even the dust will be scraped (v. 4), and its stones and timbers will be laid in the sea (Eze. 26:12). This was done in 332 BC when Alexander used the material from the ruins of the city on the coast to build a land bridge out to the island. - Tyre will become a place for the spreading of nets (Eze. 26:5, 14). The great mart of the nations eventually became a lowly fishing village. - Tyre was a spoil to the nations (Eze. 26:12). After her destruction by Alexander, Tyre did not regain her position as the head of an empire; instead, she was the vassal of whatever power happened to dominate the region. Prophecies of Christ’s first coming were fulfilled literally. Consider the prophecy of Christ’s first coming in Psalm 22. In this Psalm alone, there are many specific prophecies about Christ’s death, and they were literally fulfilled: Psa. 22:1 – Jesus’ words on the cross (Mt. 27:46) Psa. 22:6-8, 12-13 – The people reviled Jesus (Mt. 27:39-44) Psa. 22:11 – There were none to help Him (Mk. 14:50; Heb. 1:3) Psa. 22:14-16 – They crucified Him (Mt. 27:35) Psa. 22:14-15 - Christ’s thirst from blood loss (Joh. 19:28) Psa. 22:17a – They did not break his bones (Joh. 19:33) Psa. 22:17b – They stared at Him (Mt. 27:36) Psa. 22:18 – They gambled for his garments (Mt. 27:35; Joh. 19:24) Since Bible prophecy has always been fulfilled literally, there is no reason to believe that future prophecies will be fulfilled any differently. Fourth, the Lord Jesus said the major prophetic events are yet future. In His prophecy in Matthew 24, He described the Great Tribulation and the rule of the Antichrist and said that these events will occur in the future just prior to His literal return (Mt. 24:15-29). It is obvious, then, that the Great Tribulation is not something that has already been fulfilled in history or is being fulfilled, and it is obvious that the Antichrist is a literal man who will desecrate a literal third temple. Fifth, Christ rebuked His disciples for not believing the prophecies in their literal interpretation (Lu. 24:25-27). Sixth, the stage is set today for the literal fulfillment of the prophecies. Everything is ready. The machinery for a one-world government and a one-world religion as described in Revelation 13 and 17 is being set up before our eyes. The technology is in place to control the world’s commerce as described in Revelation 13:16-17 and for the people of the world to observe the events described in Revelation 11:8-10. Most importantly, the nation Israel is back in her land in fulfillment of Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Ezekiel said she would return first in a spiritually-dead condition, verse 8) and in preparation for the literal fulfillment of the rest of her prophecies. She is making preparations to build the third temple, which will be desecrated by the Antichrist. She is looking for a peace-making, temple-building Messiah, which is exactly what the Antichrist will be at the beginning of his reign when he makes a seven-year covenant with Israel as per Daniel 9:27. This supports the doctrine that God has not rejected the nation Israel in a permanent sense or replaced Israel with the Church, but has only temporarily set Israel aside until He is ready to fulfill His covenants with her. This is clearly taught in Romans 11:25-29. Seventh, practical necessity demands the literal interpretation of prophecy. To interpret Bible prophecy allegorically destroys the absolute sense of God’s Word. It ceases to be a “sure word” (2 Pe. 1:19). If prophecy does not mean exactly what it says, there is no way to know what it does mean. Consider Revelation 20:1-3. If this passage does not mean that a literal angel binds a literal devil in a literal bottomless pit for a literal thousand years, we have no way of knowing for sure what it does mean. If it does not mean what it literally says, it could mean anything that any interpreter says it means. Consider this important statement by Paul Lee Tan: “Whether it is the interpretation of prophecy or non-prophecy, once literality is sacrificed, it is like starting down an incline. Momentum speedily gathers as one succumbs to the temptation to spiritualize one passage after another. ... Moreover, under the method of spiritualization, there is no way for an interpreter to test the validity of his conclusions, except to compare his works with that of a colleague. Instead of ‘a more sure word of prophecy’ (2 Pe. 1:19), interpreters end up with an ‘unsure’ word and chaos in the ranks” (Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy, pp. 73, 74). Bible teacher Vernon McGee was trained in the allegorical method of interpretation, but he realized as a young man that it resulted in foolishness: “I went to a seminary that was amillennial, where they attempted to fit the rest of Revelation into the historical, or the amillennial, viewpoint. It became ridiculous and even comical at times. For example, when we reached the place where Scripture says that Satan was put into the bottomless pit, we were taught that that has already taken place. I asked the professor, ‘How do you explain the satanic activity that is taking place today?’ He replied, ‘Satan is chained, but he has a long chain on him. It is like when you take a cow out into a vacant lot and tether her out on a long rope and let her graze.’ That was his explanation! And my comment was, ‘Doctor, I think Satan’s got a pretty long chain on him then, because he is able to graze all over the world today!’ It really makes some Scriptures seem rather ridiculous when you follow the allegorical viewpoint” (Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee). It is for failure to apply the literal method that the book of Revelation has been so puzzling to Catholic and Protestant commentators. “On the whole no one in the later Middle Ages did more than think of it as a puzzling moral allegory. Luther at first dismissed it; Calvin declined to comment on it. Erasmus’s position was of doubting its authenticity. Acts and Revelation are the only books in Tyndale’s 1534 New Testament without prologues ... his marginal notes to Revelation are so minimal as effectively not to exist” (David Daniell, The Bible in English, p. 348). Eighth, prophecy as an apologetic demands a literal interpretation. In Isaiah, Jehovah God Himself uses Bible prophecy as evidence that He is its Author. See Isaiah 41:22-23; 44:6-7; 45:21-22; 46:9-10. The reason that Bible prophecy can be used as an evidence of the divine inspiration of Scripture is that it is precise and clear. Charles Feinburg, who had a Ph.D. in Archaeology and Semitic Languages from Johns Hopkins University, observed, “Although the intellectual atmosphere of our times is against it, this literal fulfillment of Biblical prophecy remains to an open mind a strong apologetic for the supernatural character of the Scriptures” (Premillennialism or Amillennialism?, p. 212). Bible prophecy contains details such as names, dates, and places. For example, Psalm 22 contains the details of Christ’s death, as we have seen. David wrote this 1,000 years before Christ. It is impossible for man to know such things about the future. For such details about a man’s life to be written in a book hundreds of years before his birth is irrefutable evidence that that book is of God. But if the details of the prophecies are not interpreted literally, the prophecies cannot be used as an apologetic because it will not be clear exactly what is being prophesied. If piercing of the hands and feet, for example, means something other than a literal piercing then the power of the prophecy as an apologetic is destroyed. Consider the prophecy of Israel that was given in Deuteronomy 28 before they even entered Canaan: Israel’s land would be devoured by foreigners (v. 33); Israel’s cities would be besieged and destroyed by a nation of fierce countenance (vv. 50-57); Israel will be scattered among the nations and find no rest or safety (vv. 64-67); Israel would become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations (v. 37). This is so precise that it is like reading an outline of Israel’s history over the past 2,500 years. Deuteronomy 28 proves that the Pentateuch is divinely inspired and not a product of human redaction as modernists, and even many evangelicals, claim. It gives the details of events in Israel’s history that occurred after the time when the modernists claim the book was written (in the kingdom era). It describes the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (6th century BC) and Romans (1st century AD) and the worldwide dispersal of the Jews and their terrible condition over last two millennia. That plainly means that Deuteronomy is a supernatural, divinely-inspired book just as Jesus taught.

THE FORCES THAT ARE AGAINST US

Ephesians 6:11-12 

At the end of the book of Ephesians, Paul admonished them to “put on the full armor of God.” Why? We are involved in a spiritual conflict. There is a battle going on around us. We prepare by putting on the armor AND by knowing who our enemy is. Paul explained who our “struggle” is “against.” We are going to discuss this in our lesson. 

Who Is Against Us? 

• The devil (v. 11) – Paul warned about the “schemes of the devil“; he tries to defeat us by deceiving us (2 Corinthians 11:3); he is the father of lies (John 8:44); we need to be on the alert (1 Peter 5:8); yet we can overcome him (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7). 

• The rulers (v. 12) – this word refers to those in power; yet the Greek word is also translated in many verses as “the beginning” (cf. John 8:44); this is a reminder that this battle has been going on since the beginning (Genesis 3:1); it includes angels who rebelled against God (Jude 6). 

• The powers (v. 12) – those with authority; same word used for the authority of Jesus (Matthew 28:18); these are ones who would challenge the authority of Christ; they want to be seen as the ultimate authority (cf. Genesis 10:8-10); they want to take the place of God (cf. Acts 12:20-22). 

• The world forces (v. 12) – this Greek word is only used in this verse in the NT, yet it is derived from a word that is used elsewhere to refer to Satan (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4); Satan has deceived the world and “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19); so this refers to the forces that are under Satan’s power. 

• The spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (v. 12) – not physical forces; Clarke: “disguised falsehood in the garb of truth; antinomianism in the guise of religion”; Jesus warned His apostles that their opponents would be religiously motivated (John 16:2-3) Who Is For Us? 

• God is for us (Romans 8:31-39) – nothing can defeat us as long as we remain with Him. 

• Jesus, the Lamb, will be victorious (Revelation 17:14) – He overcame death (Hebrews 2:14-15); we have hope through Him (Romans 6:5); we simply need to be faithful until death (Revelation 2:10). 

• We have our brethren to fight with us (2 Timothy 2:3) – there is strength in numbers; we need to encourage one another (Hebrews 3:12-13) www.eastsidecoc.us Eastside church of Christ, Morgantown, KY How We Defend Ourselves. 

• “Be strong in the Lord” (v. 10) – we must put our full faith and trust in Him; when we are weak, we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). 

• “Put on the full armor of God” (v. 11) – each piece describes or is derived from the word of God; we need to know the word (2 Timothy 2:15). 

• “Contend earnestly” (Jude 3) – this is not stated in this passage, but it is implied; “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). 

• “Be on the alert” (1 Peter 5:8) – the devil is looking for an opportunity when we are not ready for him; do not be “ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11, KJV). 

Conclusion 

• There are powerful forces that are opposed to God and His people – they want us to abandon Him. 

• Instead, let us put on the full armor of God and fight the good fight – we will be victorious through Him.