“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” (2 Peter 2:1,2)

*****

Mankind has witnessed horrendous atrocities all throughout history, such as:

The tragedy of the French Revolution

The Nazi death camps

The Russian gulags

The Cambodian killing fields

Saddam Hussein’s torture chambers

The September 11^th attacks

Even most Americans, not to mention the rest of the world, were appalled by the scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. And yet, from among this same group of people there is a large percentage (fundamentally taught Christians) who believe that a loving God will end up torturing most of humanity in hell for all eternity. But wait a minute! Isn’t this what the Bible teaches? The Book of Revelation does mention a place called the lake of fire, doesn’t it? And even Jesus Himself mentioned over and over again a place of outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The story about the rich man and Lazarus is surely describing a place of eternal torment, isn’t it? Are these things not to be taken literally? 

When I looked up the word literal in my Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10^th Edition, I was surprised at what I had learned. Definition 1a reads like this:

“according with the letter of the scriptures” !! (Emphasis added)

God’s Word teaches us that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). So based upon this information, is it possible that those who insist upon a literal interpretation of the Scriptures are walking the wide road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13)? Indeed,

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but
its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Now this is where with an open mind we need to start thinking outside the box in our quest for the Truth. For many, however, our human pride will not allow us to admit to ourselves or to anyone else that we could have been so deceived, despite the fact that God’s Word clearly tells us that Satan deceives the WHOLE WORLD (Revelation 12:9), save the very elect (Matthew 24:24). Are you among Christ’s very elect? Am I? And if we say yes, then how can we know for sure? 

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge — even to ourselves — that we’ve been so credulous (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise). Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of confusion and bamboozle requires intelligence, vigilance, dedication and courage.” –  Carl Sagan

If we above everything else have a desire to know God’s Truth, then we would do well to humble ourselves in His sight, for

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (I Peter 5:5)

And this includes our willingness to admit to ourselves and to others that maybe, just maybe, we have for the most part been misled. I think we could all learn something from one of my favorite quotes of all time, and just because this came from a non-Christian, don’t think for one moment that it wasn’t God-inspired!

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” — Confucius

Something that had always puzzled me before were these comments by our Savior:

“But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.” (Luke 10:12-14)

What on earth is Jesus saying? If the ultimate destiny of all of the above mentioned, according to fundamentalist church doctrine, will eventually be eternal punishment in a literal burning lake of fire, then exactly how can it possibly be “more tolerable” for one group than for the other? Perhaps one group will be sent to the base of the flame, where the fire isn’t as hot as it is at the tip of the flame. Or maybe God will allow Lazarus to “cross over” every once in a great while to cool the tongues of the former inhabitants of Sodom, Tyre and Sidon with a drop of water. Do these explanations make any sense at all? I speak as a fool! No more so than God (Who is by His very Nature the definition of Love) telling us to love our enemies, while at the same time torturingHis enemies for all eternity in a literal burning lake of fire. I hope you can see the hypocrisy in this teaching. Is it any wonder why much of mankind sees the God of Christianity as this unforgiving hypocrite who sits upon his throne in heaven; one who is just patiently awaiting his opportunity to sadistically torture his creation for all eternity? 

“For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you, as it is written.” (Romans 2:24)

But the Good News is that the truth about God which is taught by the majority of fundamental Christianity pales in comparison to the Truth of the Eternal God Who is concealed within the pages of His Holy Word.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

*****

“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell

“Truth: the most deadly weapon ever discovered by humanity. Capable of destroying entire perceptual sets, cultures, and realities. Outlawed by all governments everywhere. Possession is normally punishable by death.” — John Gilmore, author

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” — Henry David Thoreau

“Ah yes, truth. Funny how everyone is always asking for it but when they get it they don’t believe it because it’s not the truth they want to hear.” –Helena Cassadine

“Men occasionally stumble over truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” — Winston Churchill

“But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction; truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth.” (Jeremiah 7:28)

“And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity (integrity) cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.” (Isaiah 59:14,15)

Since childhood, I have been taught that the word gospel means good news. The Gospel of Jesus Christ literally means the Good News of Jesus Christ. So tell me, please, how can the eternal torment of the vast majority of humanity in a literal burning lake of fire be called good news? Anyone who is led by God’s Spirit cannot, and indeed WILL NOT be able to accept this.

“Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind
of a child cannot be a true system.” — Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

There must be another explanation! AND THERE IS, GLORY TO GOD! In fact, I will now emphatically state that a loving God will NEVER torture anyone in a mythical place called “hell” for all eternity. This is NOT what the Bible teaches! It has largely been due to a series of a few very critical mistranslations of key words in the original text (a little leaven…) that has led people to believe this heresy. *(See the footnote at the end of this article. And BE SURE to watch the video interview with Greek scholar Louis Abbott).

THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL TORMENT

“A hundred difficulties meet the mind, when we think on this great subject; and they meet us when we endeavour to urge our fellow sinners to be reconciled to God, and to put confidence in Him. I confess for one that I feel these, and feel them more sensibly and powerfully the more I look at them, and the longer I live. I do not know that I have a ray of light on this subject, which I had not when the subject first flashed across my soul. I have read to some extent what wise and good men have written. I have looked at their theories and explanations. I have endeavoured to weigh their arguments, for my whole soul pants for light and relief on these questions. But I get neither; and in the distress and anguish of my own spirit, I confess that I see no light whatever. I see not one ray to disclose to me the reason why sin came into the world, why the earth is strewed with the dying and the dead, and why man must suffer all eternity.” — Albert Barnes Practical Sermons, p. 123

For all who truly desire to know the Truth, even at the cost of having to abandon your  cherished traditions and pre-conceived notions, I highly recommend the following:

The Origin and History of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment

by Thomas B. Thayer

You can access this article for yourself by the link provided on the homepage, but I have included some excerpts from this very well researched document in order to leave no doubt as to the pagan roots of this belief system that we have all been sold. This should once and for all verify to the reader the motive and agenda behind introducing this doctrine to the masses.

Polybius, the historian, says: “Since the multitude is ever fickle, full of lawless desires, irrational passions and violence, there is no other way to keep them in order but by the fear and terror of the invisible world; on which account our ancestors seem to me to have acted judiciously, when they contrived to bring into the popular belief these notions of the gods, and of the infernal regions.” B. vi 56.

He later goes on to say that “…the quality in which the Roman commonwealth is most distinctly superior is in my opinion the nature of their religious convictions. I believe that it is the very thing which among other peoples is an object of reproach, I mean superstition, which maintains the cohesion of the Roman State. These matters are clothed in such pomp and introduced to such an extent into their public and private life that nothing could exceed it, a fact which will surprise many. My own opinion at least is that they have adopted this course for the sake of the common people.” F. vii 56.

Livy, the celebrated historian, speaks of it in the same spirit; and he praises the wisdom of Numa, because he invented the fear of the gods, as “a most efficacious means of governing an ignorant and barbarous populace.” Hist. I 19.

Dionysius Halicarnassus treats the whole matter as useful, but not true. Antiq. Rom., B. ii

Strabo, the geographer, says: “The multitude are restrained from vice by the punishments the gods are said to inflict upon offenders, and by those terrors and threatenings which certain dreadful words and monstrous forms imprint upon their minds…For it is impossible to govern the crowd of women, and all the common rabble, by philosophical reasoning, and lead them to piety, holiness and virtue – but this must be done by superstition, or the fear of the gods, by means of fables and wonders; for the thunder, the aegis, the trident, the torches (of the Furies), the dragons, &c., are all fables, as is also all the ancient theology. These things the legislators used as scarecrows to terrify the childish multitude.” Geog., B. I

Seneca says: “Those things which make the infernal regions terrible, the darkness, the prison, the river of flaming fire, the judgment seat, etc., are all a fable, with which the poets amuse themselves, and by them agitate us with vain terrors.”

Sextus Empiricus calls them “poetic fables of hell.” 

Cicero speaks of them as “silly absurdities and fables” (ineptiis ac fabulis).

Aristotle says: “It has been handed down in mythical form from earliest times to posterity, that there are gods, and that the divine (Deity) compasses all nature. All beside this has been added, after the mythical style, for the purpose of persuading the multitude, and for the interests of the laws, and the advantage of the state.” Neander’s Church Hist., I, p. 7.

Timaeus Locrus, the Pythagorean, after stating that the doctrine of rewards and punishments after death is necessary to society, proceeds as follows: “For as we sometimes cure the body with unwholesome remedies, when such as are most wholesome produce no effect, so we restrain those minds with false relations, which will not be persuaded by the truth. There is a necessity, therefore, of instilling the dread of those foreign torments: as that the soul changes its habitation; that the coward is ignominiously thrust into the body of a woman; the murderer imprisoned within the form of a savage beast; the vain and inconstant changed into birds, and the slothful and ignorant into fishes.”

Before Christ walked upon this earth, pagan philosophies, such as the doctrine of metempsychosis, or the transmigration of souls, gradually crept into the Jewish schools, and the Jews incorporated into their ancient faith the dogmas of both the philosophy and theology of Egypt, the very fountain-head from which came the doctrine of future endless torments. But not only did they borrow from the Egyptian, but also from the Oriental and Pythagorean philosophy, in both of which, as well as in the Egyptian, one of the distinguishing features was as a method of retribution after death. Hence, in the account of the blind man restored to sight by Jesus, we have the question: “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) This shows plainly that the people thought the man might have been sent into a blind body as a punishment for some sin in a preexistent state; which is an exact copy of the Egyptian and Oriental doctrine. In Matthew 16, we have another trace of the doctrine among the people. In answer to the question of Jesus,“Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?” the disciples reply, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some say Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” They seemed to think the soul of some one of these ancient men of God had returned again to the earth in the body of Jesus, which to them was a satisfactory explanation of the miracles He wrought. Many of the Jewish doctors have believed that the souls of Adam, Abraham, and others, have at different times animated the bodies of the great men of their nation. Indeed, Pythagoras made so much of this dogma, that it was often called specially by his name; and it was almost universally believed by the Oriental nations, and is to this day, especially by the Hindus, the Burmans, the followers of the Grand Lama, and by the Buddhists generally.

Plato, in his commentary on Timaeus, fully endorses what he says respecting the fabulous invention of these foreign torments. And Strabo says that “Plato and the Brahmins of India invented fables concerning the future judgments of hell” (Hades). And Chrysippus blames Plato for attempting to deter men from wrong by frightful stories of future punishments.

Plato himself is exceedingly inconsistent, sometimes adopting, even in his serious discourses, the fables of the poets, and at other times rejecting them as utterly false, and giving too frightful views of the invisible world. Sometimes, he argues, on social grounds, that they are necessary to restrain bad men from wickedness and crime, and then again he protests against them on political grounds, as intimidating the citizens, and making cowards of the soldiers, who, believing these things, are afraid of death, and do not therefore fight well. But all this shows in what light he regarded them; not as truths, certainly, but as fictions, convenient in some cases, but difficult to manage in others.

Plutarch treats the subject in the same way; sometimes arguing for them with great solemnity and earnestness, and on other occasions calling them“fabulous stories, the tales of mothers and nurses.”

Saint Augustine also makes mention of these things in his celebrated book The City of God. Concerning the opinions of Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BC – 27 BC), who was a Roman scholar and writer, and was considered by some to be the greatest of all the Roman scholars, Augustine writes:

“I should be thought to conjecture these things, unless he himself, in another passage, had openly said, in speaking of religious rites, that many things are true which it is not only not useful for the common people to know, but that it is expedient that the people should think otherwise, even though falsely, and therefore the Greeks have shut up the religious ceremonies and mysteries in silence, and within walls. In this he no doubt expresses the policy of the so-called wise men by whom states and peoples are ruled. Yet by this crafty device the malign demons are wonderfully delighted, who possess alike the deceivers and the deceived, and from whose tyranny nothing sets free save the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” B. iv 31

“Varro says also, concerning the generations of the gods, that the people have inclined to the poets rather than to the natural philosophers; and that therefore their forefathers,–that is, the ancient Romans,–believed both in the sex and the generations of the gods, and settled their marriages; which certainly seems to have been done for no other cause except that it was the business of such men as were prudent and wise to deceive the people in matters of religion, and in that very thing not only to worship, but also to imitate the demons, whose greatest lust is to deceive. For just as the demons cannot possess any but those whom they have deceived with guile, so also men in princely office, not indeed being just, but like demons, have persuaded the people in the name of religion to receive as true those things which they themselves knew to be false; in this way, as it were, binding them up more firmly in civil society, so that they might in like manner possess them as subjects.”   B. iv 32

Montesquieu states that “Romulus, Tatius and Numa enslaved the gods to politics, and made religion for the state.”

And Plumptre adds that “It has been, and is, the creed of the great poets whom we accept as the spokesmen of a nation’s thoughts.”

The question with which this section began, “Whence came the doctrine of future endless punishments?” is now, I trust, answered by a sufficient number of witnesses to settle the matter beyond dispute. The heathens themselves confess to the invention of the dogma, and of all the fabulous stories of the infernal regions; the legislators and sages very frankly state that the whole thing was devised for its supposed utility in governing the gross and ignorant multitude of men and women, who cannot be restrained by the precepts of philosophy.

“How far it may be proper to use falsehood as a medicine, and for the benefit of those who require to be deceived.” — Eusebius, Ecclesiastical historian

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”  — H.L. Mencken, American journalist 1880-1956

“Historians and economists {subsidized by governments} are very good at creating and perpetuating myths that justify increasing the power placed in the hands of government.” — Reuven Brenner, Economist

They have not the slightest faith in these things themselves; they do not think them at all necessary to regulate their own lives, or keep them in order; but it is for the common people, the coarse rabble, who can only in this way be terrified into good behavior. One cannot help noting the resemblance between these wise men and some of our own day, who seem so anxious to maintain the doctrine in the ground that it is necessary to restrain men from sin. But, unfortunately for this theory, the revelations of history, both Pagan and Christian, are in opposition to it. 

“Without doubt, the greatest injury of all was done by basing morals on myth. For, sooner or later, myth is recognized for what it is, and disappears. Then morality loses the foundation on which it has been built.” – Lord Herbert Louis Samuel

Has history shown the doctrine of eternal torment to be a successful deterrent to lawlessness? Well, for a nation in which a majority of its citizens claim to believe in both a heaven and a hell, why is it that the United States has the highest crime rate? And not just here in the US, but lawlessness is ever increasing worldwide, where this doctrine is believed by many in one form or another.  

In vain does Cicero, speaking of the poets, exclaim against this state of things:

“When the plaudits and acclamation of the people, who sit as infallible judges, are won by the poets, what darkness benights the mind, what fears invade, what passions inflame it!” – The City of God B. ii 14

“But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23)

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20)

I think the facts establish, beyond refutation, these results:

• The belief of future endless torments does not restrain nor prevent men from the indulgence of their criminal passions. Those believing are no better in character or conduct because they believe it. The hell of the Burmans, for example, is as horrible as imagination or invention can make it; and yet they are notoriously corrupt, licentious, bloody-minded – the greatest thieves, liars and cheats in the world!

• The disbelief of endless torments does not make man immoral or wicked; as the character of the Sadducees, whom their enemies even acknowledge to be strictly just and moral, abundantly demonstrates.

I can imagine but one reply to this simple statement of facts: It may be said the comparison is not just, since the Burmans, as well as the Greeks and Romans, are heathen, and the Sadducees had the benefit of revelation, and of the divine law of Moses. But this is yielding the point in debate; for the ground taken is, that a religion without the doctrine in question cannot exert a salutary moral influence; that the belief of this is indispensable as a check on the wicked heart. To say, therefore, that other elements of the law, or of revelation, might have made the Sadducees moral and virtuous, is surrendering the argument, and admitting that this doctrine is not necessary to virtue.

Still, there is no difficulty in meeting the objection on its own ground. The Greeks, Romans, and Burmans are heathen, but the Pharisees are not. They are believers in divine revelation, having all the benefits of the Law of Moses, living side by side with the Sadducees, subject to the same social influences; the only difference between them being precisely the point in debate – the Pharisees believing the doctrine of future endless punishment, and the Sadducees denying it.

Of course the Pharisees ought to be great saints, without spot or blemish; and the Sadducees ought to be great sinners, vile and wicked to the last degree. To the contrary, the Sadducees were not great sinners, but honest, just and moral, by confession of their worst enemies. One half the argument, therefore, falls to the ground at the outset. Now for the other half – were the Pharisees great saints? The Savior will answer to this: “Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites; robbing the widow and fatherless, neglecting justice, mercy and truth; generation of vipers; whited sepulchers, full of corruption and all manner of uncleanness!”This does not look much like being very saintly. So the second half of the argument fares no better than the first half; and both are perfect failures.

Thus, exactly the reverse of what is claimed for the doctrine proves to be the historical fact: those believing it are the great sinners, moral vipers, whited sepulchers; while those disbelieving are – not saints perhaps, but vastly better than the sanctimonious hypocrites who charged their doctrine with immoral and dangerous tendencies.

One other thing is worthy of note in this connection, and with this I close the argument. In all his rebukes and denunciations of the wickedness of the men of His age and generation, the Savior never includes the Sadducees. It is always, “Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites;” never Scribes, Sadducees, hypocrites. This is strong presumptive proof of the unimpeachable morality of the Sadducees, and equally positive proof of the preeminent wickedness of the Pharisees.

We return, therefore, to the conclusion already stated, viz.: The belief of endless punishment does not tighten the bonds of morality, nor lead to a life of virtue; while, on the other hand, the disbelief of it does not loosen the bonds of morality, nor lead to a life of wickedness.

“Do you not know that God’s kindness (or goodness) is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 – RSV)

It is God’s GOODNESS that leads us to repentance, not the fear of eternal torment!

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Dr. Good has a curious passage on the subject in hand, in his Book of Nature, which I must be permitted to introduce here. “It was believed in most countries,” he says, “that this hell, hades, or invisible world, is divided into two very distinct and opposite regions, by a broad and impassable gulf; that the one is a seat of happiness, a paradise, or elysium, and the other a seat of misery, a gehenna, or tartarus; and that there is a supreme magistrate and an impartial tribunal belonging to the infernal shades, before which the ghosts must appear, and by which they are sentenced to the one or the other, according to the deeds done in the body. Egypt is said to have been the inventress of this important and valuable part of the tradition; and undoubtedly it is to be found in the earliest records of Egyptian history. But, from the wonderful conformity of its outlines to the parallel doctrines of the Scriptures, it is probable that it has a still higher origin, and that it constituted a part of the patriarchal creed, retained in a few channels, though forgotten or obliterated in others, and consequently that it was a divine communication in a very early age.”

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus furnishes another example. “And in hell (hades) he lifted up his eyes, being in torment” (Luke 16:23). It will be remembered that the Jews had borrowed their ideas of torment in a future state from the heathen, and of course they were obliged to borrow their terms to express this. Accordingly, after the manner of the Greeks, Hades, or the place of departed spirits, is represented as receiving all, as Sheol did, good and bad; but we have also the additional idea of separate apartments or districts, divided by a great gulf or river; on one side of which the blessed are located, and on the other side the damned, near enough to see each other, and converse together, as in the case of Abraham and the rich man.

It must also be remembered that this is only a parable, and not a real history; for, as Dr. Whitby affirms, “we find this very parable in the Gemara Babylonicum.” The story was not new then, and not original with Christ, but known among the Jews before He repeated it. He borrowed the parable from them, and employed it to show the judgment which awaited them. He represented the spiritual favors and privileges of the Jews by the wealth and luxury of the rich man, and the spiritual poverty of the Gentiles by the beggary and infirmity of Lazarus; and while the former would be deprived of their privileges and punished for their wickedness, the latter would enjoy the blessings of truth and faith. And Smith’s Bible Dictionary concludes that “it is impossible to ground the proof of an important theological doctrine on a passage which confessedly abounds in Jewish metaphors” (page 120).

THE FINAL JUDGMENT

Most Christian based denominations teach us that if we are “saved” when we die we will immediately be translated to heaven, but if we are “unsaved” we will promptly be sent to an eternity in hell.  But is it true? Well, Jesus said that

“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (John 3:13)

The truth is that when God takes back the breath of life from the individual, the body dies (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and goes to the grave, which is represented by the Hebrew word Sheol. The soul then departs, or enters into a state of being (described by the Greek word Hades) that properly means to be unseen. This unconscious state (death) has been likened unto “sleep” by numerous passages of Scripture. [See, for example: Deuteronomy 31:16; II Samuel 7:12; I Kings 1:21; Daniel 12:2; Luke 8:52-55; John 11:11-14; Acts 13:36,37; I Corinthians 15:6,18; I Thessalonians 4:13-15; II Peter 3:4; etc.] Here all are awaiting the resurrection to life, some to glory, but most to shame. [For a more detailed analysis be sure to read the article Does Man Have an Immortal Soul? by Ken Eckerty]

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5:28,29)

You will notice that, contrary to fundamentalist church doctrine, at the time of the resurrection, those who had previously done good were still in their graves, and not in heaven. The word for grave is the Greek word mnemeion (Strong’s G#3419), and denotes a remembrance, i.e. cenotaph (place of internment); grave, sepulchre, tomb.

The former professor of divinity at the College of Glasgow, Dr. Fairbairn, whose volumes on “Prophecy” and “Typology” have given him high rank among biblical students and interpreters, says without reserve, “Beyond doubt, SHEOL, like HADES, was regarded as the abode after death, alike of the good and the bad.” Of course, therefore, to translate it by the English word “hell” is to misrepresent the sacred writers, and mislead the common reader.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13,14)

Now please examine this passage of Scripture carefully. We are encouraged to “enter” by the narrow gate, for most will “go in” by the broad gate. The English word “enter” as well as the short phrase “go in” both come from the same Greek word eiserchomai, which means precisely what it says. So is it possible that the implication is that both groups will eventually “enter” into the same place, albeit via different paths? Jesus Himself told us that there were two paths; one leading to life, and the other one leading to destruction. It is important to note here that the English word “destruction” was translated from the Greek word apoleia, which means to suffer loss or ruin, and in no way implies eternal damnation. Please keep these facts in mind as you proceed.

THE FIRST RESURRECTION

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

The two paths that Jesus speaks of are the two resurrections. Obviously, the narrow road is the preferred path. This is the first resurrection that leads to the “life of the ages” (Greek: aionian), which is symbolized in the book of Revelation by the phrase “a thousand years.” So who is it that will have his place in the first resurrection?

“To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)

“He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11)

“To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17)

“And he who overcomes, and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.” (Revelation 2:26)

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:11)

So is overcoming the world starting to sound a bit more complicated than walking forward during “altar call” and accepting Jesus as your personal savior, getting baptized, and speaking in tongues? Always keep in mind that

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

The apostle Paul also testified of these truths when he penned the following:

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

Paul’s most heartfelt desire is clearly expressed here when he wrote:

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection FROM the dead.” (Philippians 3:10,11)

Please note the emphasis that was added to that little four-letter word from. Unlike the King James Version, most of our modern translations, including theAmerican Standard, New American Standard, Revised Standard, New International, and the New King James Versions accurately show that there is a distinction here between the two resurrections. Paul’s desire was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, the first resurrection, or the resurrection (apart) FROM the dead (Revelation 20:6), which is the narrow path. On the other hand, the wide path that leads to destruction will be the resurrection OFthe dead (Revelation 20:12).

You can rest assured that if your desire is to attain to the first resurrection which is apart from the (spiritually) dead, then you are not in for an easy life.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:18-20)

Always remember that DIFFICULT is the way of (Greek: aionian) life (Matthew 7:14).

“Yes, and ALL who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus WILL suffer persecution.” (II Timothy 3:12)

Paul knew that he had to endure many hardships and persecutions “to the end” before he could finally make this boast:

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (II Timothy 4:6-8)

And Jesus Himself states that it is the one who endures (hardships, persecutions, etc.) to the end (that) shall be saved (or attain to aionian life – Matthew 24:13).   

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

THE SECOND RESURRECTION

In the introduction to this article it was stated that membership in Christian based religion numbers over two billion people worldwide, or roughly one-third the earth’s population. However, Jesus makes it clear that there will be FEW, not many, who will find that narrow path leading to life. So what happens to the rest? 

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12,15)

“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet … These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20)

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:10)

So what is the purpose for the second resurrection? Is this where a loving God brings his rebellious creatures back to life for the purpose of endlessly tormenting them in a literal lake of fire? Absolutely not! Yet I hear the preachers ranting and raving about poor souls being cast into hell fire where ”their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched” and this, we are told, means eternal, unending torment. How foolish, illogical, and deceptive! Such a view contradicts the plain meaning of the term “unquenchable” and its use in the Word of God.

J. Preston Eby in his article The Lake of Fire provides some valuable insight:

More than 2500 years ago the Holy Spirit warned the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem that God would kindle a fire at Jerusalem’s gates that would devour her palaces.

“But if you will not hearken unto Me … then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not he quenched.” (Jeremiah 17:27)

Didn’t God just say that this fire “shall not be quenched?” This prophecy was fulfilled a few years later and it did destroy all the houses of Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 52:13). But since God said no person or thing would “quench” this fire, did that mean it would burn forever? Or since it accomplished the work it was sent to do, and since it is NOT BURNING TODAY, it obviously went out by itself after accomplishing its purpose!

So we can clearly see that the “fire” serves the very useful purpose of “burning up” all of the things that do not deserve to continue. When God turns on the HEAT, the BLAZING LIGHT OF HIS SPIRIT AND WORD, some things begin to change! The fire is never sent to destroy the PERSON, but is for the purpose of purging out all that hinders and separates him from his God. It will consume the pride, arrogance, hostility, defiance, and rebellion of the flesh, and the carnal mind so that he might then be wooed and drawn by the Holy Spirit unto the Father of Spirits and live. 

ADDITIONAL WITNESSES

In His Word, God gives us three keys to use whereby we can unlock the meaning of the Scriptures. By applying these principles of Scriptural interpretation we should be able to see the lake of fire in its true context:

1. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (II Peter 1:20)
2. “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” (II Corinthians 1:13)
3. “Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (I Corinthians 2:13)

Have you ever wondered why God’s Word is so redundant? Well, in any court of law it is nearly impossible to prove a case where there is no physical evidence, and when there is only one witness testifying against someone else. It is for this very simple reason that God will always confirm His Word in the mouths of two or three witnesses. And we will soon learn that there IS a second witness in one (and ONLY one) other passage of which I am aware in the entirety of the Word of God which speaks of every man’s work being tried and judged in God’s consuming fire.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” (I Corinthians 3:13-15)

You may recall how it was earlier noted that the one who goes by the wide road will indeed suffer loss or ruin, BUT HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED! 

Origen Adamantius (185-254 AD), one of the early church fathers and the greatest of all Christian apologists and exegetes of his era, was obliged to defend his faith when Celsus, in his True Discourse, objected to Christianity on the ground that it taught punishment by fire. Origen replied that such thoughts had been entertained by certain foolish Christians who were unable to see distinctly the sense of each particular passage, or unwilling to devote the necessary labor to the investigation of Scripture.  And perhaps, as it is appropriate to children that some things should be addressed to them in a manner befitting their infantile condition, to convert them, so such ideas as Celsus refers to are taught. But he adds that ”those who require the administration of punishment by fire” experience it “with a view to an end which is suitable for God to bring upon those who have been created in His image.” In reply to the charge of Celsus that Christians teach that God will act the part of a cook in burning men, Origen says, “not like a cook but like a God who is a benefactor of those who stand in need of discipline of fire.” Contra Celsus V. 15, 16.

“For our God IS a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)

Thus Origen interprets “fire” in the Bible not only as a symbol of the sinner’s suffering but of his purification. The “consuming fire” is a “refiner’s fire.” It consumes the sins, and refines and purifies the sinner. It burns the sinner’s works, “hay, wood and stubble,” that result from wickedness. The torture is real, the purification sure; fire is a symbol of God’s service, certain, but salutary discipline. God’s “wrath” is apparent, not real. There is no passion on His part. What we call wrath is another name for His disciplinary process. God would not tell us to put away anger, wrath (Origen says) and then be guilty Himself of what He prohibits of us. He declares that the punishment which is said to be by fire is understood to be applied with the object of healing. The “eternal fire” is curative.

Charles Pridgeon, in his scholarly work on the subject of BRIMSTONE, says:

“The Lake of Fire and Brimstone signifies a fire burning with brimstone; the word ‘brimstone’ or sulphur defines the character of the fire. The Greek word THEION translated ‘brimstone’ is exactly the same word THEION which means ‘divine.’ Sulphur was sacred to the deity among the ancient Greeks; and was used to fumigate, to purify, and to cleanse and consecrate to the deity; for this purpose they burned it in their incense. In Homer’s Iliad (16:228), one is spoken of as purifying a goblet with fire and brimstone. The verb derived from THEION is THEIOO, which means to hallow, to make divine, or to dedicate to a god (See Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, 1897 Edition). To any Greek, or any trained in the Greek language, a ‘lake of fire and brimstone’ would mean a ‘lake of divine purification.’ The idea of judgment need not be excluded. Divine purification and divine consecration are the plain meaning in ancient Greek. In the ordinary explanation, this fundamental meaning of the word is entirely left out, and nothing but eternal torment is associated with it.”

DO YOU HAVE EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR?

When Jesus’ disciples came to Him and asked, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them,

“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing. And their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear…” (Matthew 13:10,11,13,15,16)

But just as it was in the past, so it also is today (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11). Most simply have not been given the eyes to see and the ears to hear the Truth. And many that do come to see the Truth will deny it because it would mean breaking with their tradition. Well did Isaiah prophesy of them when he wrote the following:

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” (Isaiah 29:13)

Jesus said that “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). If the doctrine of eternal torment really is true, then the church is under an extremely heavy burden to evangelize the world, for without Christ billions of people will perish in eternal hellfire. And the church today, like no other time in history, has indeed “traveled land and sea to win MANY proselytes, and when they win them over they make them twice the children of judgment, or hell (Greek: Gehenna) as they are themselves (Matthew 23:15).

“For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight, says the LORD. They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My Name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.” (Jeremiah 7:30,31)

Concerning the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, or Gehenna, which is used figuratively to represent the place of judgment, Smith’s Bible Dictionary tells us that

“An idol of bronze of great size was set up in the valley, facing Olivet, where children were sacrificed in the fire, which seems to have been kindled inside the idol. Josiah abolished the worship, and strewed human bones over the place, making it unclean, and thus prevented the renewal of worship there (see II Kings 23:10). These inhuman practices gave the place a horrible character, and caused its name to be detested and used as a figure for a place of torment.”

So the literal burning of the children of Israel was an abomination to the LORD, one “which He did not command, nor did it enter into His heart!” So if God condemned the actual practice of the burning of their children in a literal fire, then what do you think will happen to those who teach that He will do likewise? Are you beginning to see what Jesus really meant when He said that the judgment of Sodom, Tyre and Sidon (used to represent worldly, self-seeking people) will be “more tolerable” than that of Chorazin and Bethsaida (representing those who have witnessed the mighty works of God, yet fail to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth)? Many good, church-going people are one day in for a rude awakening, for they will come face to face with the Lamb of God, see Him as He really is, and come to the realization that the Love of God does not seek to fry unrepentant sinners for all eternity. After a lifetime spent of either knowingly or unknowingly misrepresenting the Love of God, “their glory will be turned to shame” (Philippians 3:19), and they will be“tormented in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:10). I am convinced that this torment, in the presence of a gentle Lamb, will be the anguish they will suffer within their own hearts. Judgment by (a refining) fire will surely come upon the harlot church, and is described in vivid detail in Revelation 18. Hence the strong admonition to

“Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

*****

And finally, according to Strong’s Concordance (G#386), the word that was translated into the English word “resurrection” is the Greek word anastasis, which can also mean in a figurative sense to be a moral recovery of spiritual truth. Since the entire book of Revelation is written in figurative, symbolic language, then a metaphoric  rendering would agree perfectly with the words of the prophet:

“For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26:9)

There is coming a time when the inhabitants of the world will not just hear of righteousness, they will actually learn righteousness. And every knee shall bow, and every tongue will openly avow that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father (Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:9-11)!

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say, ‘His mercy endures forever.’ Let those who fear the Lord now say, ‘His mercy endures forever.’” (Psalm 118:1-4)

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires ALL men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:3-6)

“For as in Adam ALL die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:22)

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile ALL THINGS to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1:19,20)

“And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And He shall wipe away EVERY tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more, for the first things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:3,4)

“ALL the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and ALL the families of the nations shall worship before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations. Yea, to Him shall ALL the proud of the earth bow down; before Him shall bow ALL who go down to the dust, and he who cannot keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve Him; men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation, and proclaim His deliverance to a people yet unborn, that He has wrought it.” (PSALM 22:27-31)

“ALL Thy works shall give thanks unto Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of His kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth ALL that fall, and raiseth up ALL those that are bowed down.” (PSALM 145:10-14)

“ALL the nations that Thou hast made shall come and bow down before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thy Name.” (PSALM 86:9)

“Now, isn’t this the best news you’ve heard all day? This is the REAL good news gospel that precious few have heard.”

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of ALL men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach.” (I Timothy 4:9-11)

*****

In the introduction to this article, the question: “Could it be possible that the majority of Bible-believing people worldwide have been indoctrinated into a different gospel than the one which was taught by the apostles?” has been met with enough Biblical and historical evidence to at least make one think. And that has been my direct intent.

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)” (Hebrews 3:7-11)

“This testimony is true. For which cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled, They profess to know God; but by their works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” (Titus 1:13-16)

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” (Revelation 18:4,5)

“An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” (Jeremiah 5:30,31)

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea; who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:10,11)

God’s Word exhorts us to prove (or try, test) ALL things (I Thessalonians 5:21). The Berean Jews were “more noble” in this respect. But what will YOUdo in the end?

*****

*Footnote: Please note that in the original King James Version the word forever (which means eternal) is divided into two words - for and ever. This part the translators got right, but their rendering of the word “ever” is very misleading. Most modern translations give us a single word forever. Look for the word forever in your concordance and you will find that it is nowhere to be found! The word here that means ever is the Greek word (Strong’s #165) aion, which denotes an indefinite period of time, or age; spec. (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future) that has both a beginning and an end. A thorough study of this word in a good concordance such as Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible will reveal that the King James Bible butchered that word. Why? If they didn’t twist the word the way they did, the doctrine of eternal punishment could not be supported by the Bible. So they took a word which simply means an indeterminate period of time or an age and twisted it into a word which can be as short as a day to the concept of timelessness, that is, eternity. *[Interestingly enough, Augustine himself, who flourished about A.D. 400 to 430, was the first to argue that aionios signified strictly endless. He attempted a criticism on the original word, maintaining at first that it always meant endless; but this being so bold and palpable a blunder, he was compelled to abandon it, admitting that it did not always mean endless, but did sometimes; and he brings Matthew 25:46 as proof, arguing that if the "everlasting punishment" was not endless, the "eternal life" was not. And this criticism has been handed down from his time to the present, and is still employed with great confidence, notwithstanding it forces into the spiritual world a judgment which the Savior expressly declared should take place in that generation, before some then living should die. (Matthew 16:28; 24:30-34; Luke 9:26,27)] For example, Genesis 13:15 in the KJV states: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” Genesis 17:8 reads: “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession: and I will be their God.” After reading and studying these two scriptures we know that something is not in accord because the physical seed of Abraham has not always retained possession of the land of Canaan. From A.D. 70 up to the middle of this century, the people of Israel have been scattered throughout this entire earth and thus did not possess their Promised Land endlessly, as the words forever and everlastingsignify. Again by examining the Hebrew manuscripts we do not find the two words forever and everlasting in this scripture but instead we find the word OLAM or AGE. Likewise, the King James Bible says that the Aaronic Priesthood is an everlasting priesthood, but the book of Hebrews clearly states an end to it. This should make one think (see Exodus 40:15 and Hebrews 7:14-18). Leviticus 24:8 tells of the Mt. Sinai or Mosaic covenant as being an everlasting covenant, yet Jeremiah 31:31 prophesies its end with a second and better covenant. Hebrews 8:7-13  reiterates this prophecy as being fulfilled. The KJV has Jonah in the belly of the whale forever which actually ended three days later (Jonah 2:6). Dozens of examples like the ones above should make one see that the King James translators did not handle the translation of this word aion and its Hebrew counterpart olam correctly. If the translators render the word aion and its adjective aionios consistently as a period of time with beginnings and endings, then the teaching of eternal punishment will no longer find a place in the Bible. 

*****

Now you might protest by saying something like, “Well if all of this really is true, then why didn’t God make these things unmistakably clear enough so thateveryone could understand them?”

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory
of kings is to search things out.” (Proverbs 25:2)

PART SIX: THE NUMBER OF MAN

“As [God] is perfect, so His works and His words also must be perfect. And when we see number used not by chance, but by design; not at haphazard, but with significance; then we see not merely so many works and words, but the Living God working and speaking.” - E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913)

In the previous section we showed that man was [and still is being] created on the sixth day, and thus has the number six impressed upon him. And six days are appointed to him for his labor. But the number six tells not only of labor, but also of sorrow, and it specifically marks all that is under the sun:

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4)

Therefore, six is the number, not only of man, but of labor also – of man’s labor as apart and distinct from God’s rest. And six is the number stamped on all that is connected with human labor. We see it stamped upon his measures, which he uses in his labor, and on the time during which he labors. And we see this from the very beginning:

“Corresponding to these measures we have the first division of the natural time-spaces which measure man’s labour and rest – the day, consisting of 24 hours (4×6), divided into the day and night of 12 hours. The multiples and subdivisions are also stamped by the number six: the months being 12, while the hours consist of 60 minutes (6×10), and the minutes of 60 seconds (6×10).” – E. W. Bullinger, Number in Scripture

The remainder of this segment contains some more interesting observations about man’s number – the number six, from E. W. Bullinger’s classic Number in Scripture:

There are three men which stand out in Scripture as the avowed enemies of God and of His people. Each is branded with this number six that we may not miss their significance:

1. GOLIATH, whose height was 6 cubits, and he had 6 pieces of armour; his spear’s head weighed 600 shekels of iron (1 Sam 17:4-7).

2. NEBUCHADNEZZAR, whose “image” which he set up, was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad (Dan 3:1), and which was worshipped when the music was heard from 6 specified instruments.

3. ANTICHRIST, whose number is 666.

In the first we have one six connected with the pride of fleshly might.

In the second we have two sixes connected with the pride of absolute dominion.

In the third we have three sixes connected with the pride of Satanic guidance.

So if six is the number of secular or human perfection, then 66 is a more emphatic expression of the same fact, and 666 is the concentrated expression of it; 666 is therefore the trinity of human perfection; the perfection of imperfection; the culmination of human pride in independence of God and opposition to His Christ.

The number 6 was stamped on the old mysteries. But 666 was the secret symbol of the ancient pagan mysteries connected with the worship of the Devil. The great secret symbol consisted of the three letters SSS, because the letter S in the Greek alphabet was the symbol of the figure 6. a = 1, b = 2, g = 3, d = 4, e = 5, but when it came to 6, another letter was introduced! Not the next—the sixth letter (z, zeta)—but a different letter, a peculiar form of S, called “stigma” (V). Now the word stigma (stigma), means a mark, but especially a mark made by a brand as burnt upon slaves, cattle, or soldiers, by their owners or masters; or on devotees who thus branded themselves as belonging to their gods. It is from stizw, stizo, to prick, or brand with a hot iron. Hence it came to be used of scars or wound-prints, and it is thus used by Paul of his scars, which he regarded as the tokens of his sufferings, the marks which he bore on his body for the sake of his Lord and Master, and marking him as belonging to the one who had bought him (Gal 6:17).

It is also remarkable that the Romans did not use all the letters of their alphabet, as did the Hebrews and Greeks. They used only six letters, D, C, L, X, V, and I (the M appears to have been merely two D’s). And it is still more remarkable, and perhaps significant, that the sum of these amounts totals 666:—

The number 666 has another remarkable property. It is further marked as the concentration and essence of 6 by being the sum of all the numbers which makes up the square of six! The square of six is 36 (6², or 6×6), and the sum of the numbers 1 to 36 = 666, i.e., 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666.

The talents of gold brought to Solomon in a year were also 666 (1 Kings 10:14). But this perfection of money-power was only “vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 2:8,11; compare I Timothy 6:10).

It’s also worth mentioning that the Assyrian Empire endured for 666 years before it was conquered by Babylon. And Jerusalem was trodden down by the Roman Empire exactly 666 years from the battle of Actium, BC 31, to the Saracen conquest in AD 636.

So while one figure (6) is significant, two figures (66) are still more so; and three figures (666) seem to denote the concentration or essence of the particular number.

THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

I have several translations of the Bible, and every one of them (save two) says that in Revelation 13:18, the number 666 is the number of a (certain) man.

“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.” (King James Version)

“Here is scope for ingenuity. Let people of shrewd intelligence calculate the number of the Wild Beast; for it indicates a certain man, and his number is 666.” (Weymouth’s New Testament)

So who is this man? There have been many books written about this coming man of sin, the son of perdition (II Thessalonians 2:3). And there are hundreds of thousands of pages on the Internet as well. A couple hundred years ago, there were undoubtedly those who believed Napoleon Bonaparte was the Antichrist. And those who lived through the horrors of WWII must have thought the same of Adolph Hitler. During the course of my own life, I have heard everything from King Juan Carlos of Spain to former president Ronald Wilson Reagan (each of his 3 names contains 6 letters = 666) to Mikhail Gorbachev. One theory pinpoints Prince Charles as the future leader, or Antichrist, of the New World Order. And I have also had some emails forwarded to me which “prove” that Barack Obama is the Antichrist. Will it ever end?

It is not my intention to further speculate as to the identity of this man. More than enough has already been written. And most everything that has been written has been wrong. But it is my intention to reveal an aspect of this prophecy that most miss, largely because they have their eyes fixed upon the outward things, and fail to look inwardly. Most prophecy teachers focus either upon the past or the future, and fail to understand “that they themselves are beasts.” (Ecclesiastes 3:18).

IS, WAS, AND IS TO COME

If you were to do a little research, you would find that almost every opinion about this “man of sin” falls into one of the three following categories:

PRETERISM: Preterism is a Latin word meaning past, and teaches that most, if not all of Biblical prophecy, has already been fulfilled. Preterists teach that the Book of Revelation is primarily a prophecy about the Roman war against the Jews in Israel, a war that began in 67 AD and ended with the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Preterists are unanimous in their opinion that Nero, who ruled the Roman Empire from 54-68 AD, was the Antichrist. Because the Roman emperors were worshiped as gods, there was a rumor circulating about that he would be restored to life, even well after his death, and that he would rule once again (see Revelation 13:3).

PREMILLENNIALISM: Premillennialists believe that Christ will return at the end of the Church Age and establish a literal 1,000-year kingdom on earth. According to this view, which has had an enormous amount of exposure thanks to the popular Left Behind series, the coming of this world leader, the Antichrist, is yet future.

AMILLENNIALISM: This system, endorsed by St. Augustine in the 4^th century, interprets the 1,000-year Millennium to be the Church Age. But since well over 1,000 years has passed since the Holy Roman Catholic Church was first established, church officials have had to adjust their belief that the 1,000 year kingdom is symbolic of a much longer period of time. They also believe that Christ’s work on the cross has bound Satan (Revelation 20:2) where believers are concerned, even though the spirit of antichrist remains in this world, even to this very day (I John 2:22; II John 7).

So, which of these views is correct? Well, none of them are entirely correct. However, there are truthful aspects of each. But what most Christians don’t know (because the church does not teach this fundamental truth), is that The Revelation of Jesus Christ (who IS, who WAS, and who IS TO COME – v. 1:4), and most all prophecy in general, is written on THREE levels: the PAST, the PRESENT, and the FUTURE:

“Write the things which you have seen [the past], and the things which are [the present], and the things which will take place after this [the future].” (Revelation 1:19)

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Ecclesiastes tells us that history always repeats itself. A good example of this can be seen in Daniel 11:21-31, which describes one of the more wicked kings of that day, Antiochus IV. He is the one Daniel says, “shall pollute the sanctuary, take away the daily sacrifice, and place the abomination that maketh desolate” (v. 31). The Dictionary of Bible and Religion (p. 54) tells us:

Out of the power struggle, Antiochus IV came to the throne, announcing himself as the manifestation of Olympian Zeus and taking the title Epiphanes [Greek for: "God manifests"]. In order to unify the kingdom behind him, he insisted that all subject peoples honor him alone as divine. The Jews were forbidden to practice circumcision or to offer the sacrifices required by their law, but were to pay him divine honors at an altar he ordered erected in the Temple at Jerusalem. This was viewed by Jews as the “abomination of desolation” mentioned in Daniel.

And in 168 BC, Antiochus IV further desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a swine (an unclean animal by the Law of Moses) upon the holy altar. These unspeakable acts led to the Maccabean revolt, and Jerusalem’s independence was eventually won. [For the historical record of these events, see the apocryphal books I & II Maccabees.] The Temple was cleansed in 164 BC, and is celebrated in the Feast of Hanukkah.

So did Antiochus Epiphanes fulfill the prophetic requirements of Daniel 11:21-31? Absolutely! In 168 BC, Antiochus IV stood in the Temple in Jerusalem and claimed to be God. And it appears as though even the apostle Paul alluded to this historical fact:

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (II Thessalonians 2:4)

But the comparisons did not end there, for the historian Josephus recorded similar types of events, which led to the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire:

“NOW Caius Caesar did so grossly abuse the fortune he had arrived at, as to take himself to be a god, and to desire to be so called also, and to cut off those of the greatest nobility out of his country. He also extended his impiety as far as the Jews. Accordingly, he sent Petronius with an army to Jerusalem, to place his statues in the temple, and commanded him that, in case the Jews would not admit of them, he should slay those that opposed it, and carry all the rest of the nation into captivity.” – War of the Jews, II, 10:1

“Now on the next day, which was the seventh day of the week, when the Jews were crowding apace to their synagogue, a certain man of Caesarea, of a seditious temper, got an earthen vessel, and set it with the bottom upward, at the entrance of that synagogue, and sacrificed birds. This thing provoked the Jews to an incurable degree, because their laws were affronted, and the place was polluted.” – War of the Jews, II, 14:5

These examples show us how history repeats. When Jesus spoke to His disciples on the Mount of Olives concerning the end of days, He referred to Daniel’s prophecy, not as a past event, but as a yet-to-be-fulfilled future event (see Matthew 24:15-28). The preterist camp believes that all of these things were fulfilled with the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. And the prophecies spoken by our Lord concerning the Jewish Temple (Matthew 24:2; Luke 19:41-44) were indeed fulfilled at that time. But those who were still alive in 70 AD and had to endure the tribulation of the Roman war against the Jews, those who were closest to our Lord, and who recalled the things Jesus had told them, must have believed that the end of days was indeed at hand. For Jesus Himself had told them:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29,30)

But Jesus did NOT return “immediately after the tribulation of THOSE days” to establish His kingdom upon the earth. Instead, another prophecy was fulfilled:

“And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, … and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.” (Deuteronomy 28:68)

This prophecy was written nearly 1500 years before it was fulfilled. Those Jews who survived the siege and destruction of Jerusalem were taken aboard Roman ships back to Egypt, where the slave market was overly saturated for years.

So since Jesus did not return at that time, premillennialist prophecy teachers believe that a future world ruler known as the Antichrist shall also stand in a future rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, claiming to be God. One was, and one is to come. But what about the “IS” part of this prophecy? How does this prophecy apply to us? Before we address this, a bit of irony:

Many religious Jews today believe that before their long-awaited Messiah can come, the physical Jewish Temple in Jerusalem must be restored. And most Jews have rejected the notion that Jesus is the Messiah. And many Christian prophecy teachers believe that an impostor (the Antichrist) will sit in this Temple and deceive the nation of Israel into thinking that he is their messiah. And yet, Christians here in the United States are encouraged to support the nation of Israel in their endeavor to rebuild this temple. So what’s wrong with this picture? Are Christians unwittingly supporting the rise of the Antichrist? Hmmm…

We have seen how many of the physical symbols in the Bible (the letter of the Word) are indicative of spiritual things. But because most have their eyes set upon worldly things, they are not able to see it. And inaccurate Bible translations don’t help much, either. Here are two that are (here in Revelation 13:18) better than most:

“Here is wisdom. Let him who has a mind calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of mankind, and its number is six hundred sixty six.” (Concordant Literal New Testament)

“This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” (New International Version)

Those who have been given wisdom need not concern themselves (other than for educational purposes) with past events (Philippians 3:12-14), nor do they need to worry about future events (Matthew 6:25-34). Christ’s elect must focus their attention upon the here and now, for their time is at hand (Revelation 1:3). So how does this prophecy apply to us? In a footnote to Revelation 13:18, the New Living Translation tells us that the statement “the number of a man” can also read: “the number of humanity.” So with this in mind, let us attempt to calculate the number of the beast. Exactly who is this beast that sits in the temple of God? You might be surprised:

“I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.” (Ecclesiastes 3:18)

“I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.” (Psalm 73:22)

“Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?” (Job 18:3)

God’s Spirit no longer dwells in buildings made of stone. The heart is the new temple of the living God (I Corinthians 6:19; II Corinthians 6:16), and we [speaking of humanity in general] are the beast!

THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST

God told us way back in Genesis that His plan was to create man in His image. And this process began with Adam and Eve. But Christianity teaches that mankind was already perfectly created in the image of God; that is, until we fell from grace. And why do they believe this? There are many reasons, including poor Bible translation, false teaching, and a failure to “study to show themselves approved.” But the number one reason, of course, is because the god of this present wicked age, in complete accordance with God’s will, has blinded their eyes from the Truth. For instance, Kenneth Copeland has said that when Adam was first created, he was so shining, so glorious, so spiritual, so GOD-like, that one could not even see his body for the glorious radiance of his spirituality. Oh really? Is this what we learned about “nakedness” in part three? Mankind is NAKED, although he “… knoweth not that he is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and NAKED” (Revelation 3:17). And because man is not cognizant of his own condition, he proudly tends to boast of his “own” accomplishments, just as Nebuchadnezzar did (see Daniel 4).

“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?” (Revelation 13:4)

And man fails to glorify our sovereign LORD (who has already declared the end from the beginning – Isaiah 46:10) for the things HE has done. For example, Christians often talk about the grace of God as if they really believe they are saved by God’s grace. But in reality, they do not believe that anyone is saved by God’s grace. Instead, they believe that is it their (free will) CHOICE for Jesus that saves them. According to Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary, the word “choice” is briefly defined as “the act of choosing, selection.” In other words, they believe that their act, work, or deed of “choosing Christ,” usually via some form of a “sinner’s prayer” is what saves them. But Paul disagreed. It is NOT of ourselves. God’s free gift was given even BEFORE the world began. (see Ephesians 2:9; II Timothy 1:9).

“Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.” (Isaiah 2:8)

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8)

God is creating man in His image. This is an established Scriptural fact. But although:

“… they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.” (Romans 1:21-23; New Revised Standard Version)

And how have sinful men exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal being? One way is by claiming that God is triune, consisting of three PERSONS. What did the second commandment say?

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Exodus 20:4)

Our Israeli fathers held such a fearful reverence for their LORD that they would not even use vowels in an attempt to spell out His name, referring to Him only as YHWH. And it was considered blasphemy to even utter His holy name as well. Even today, religious Jews print the words “G-d” and “L-rd” without the vowels for fear that this would be an attempt to pronounce His holy name. But Christian theologians have blatantly violated the second commandment by creating God in the likeness of sinful men, referring to Him as three persons. And the beast (man) worships this image that he has created. But it doesn’t end there. For now that this false image of God has been established in the hearts and minds of believers, another image has been created as well: one of the triune man, consisting of a body, an immortal soul, and a spirit. And they worship the image of this beast as well, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God, capable of making free will choices. But man does not consist of a body, an immortal soul, and a spirit. Read Genesis 2:7 again. What does it tell us?

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Lifeless body + God’s precious breath of life = living soul. So what happens when God removes His precious breath of life from the body? The soul DIES (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Ezekiel 18:4).

Once again, the Scripture plainly tells us:

“For the creature [that's us] was made subject to vanity [we were created this way], not willingly [we did not of our own 'free will' rebel against God's will], but by reason of Him [according to His plan] who hath subjected the same in hope.” (Romans 8:20 – KJV)

According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for vanity (#3153) in a figurative sense denotes transientness. Funk & Wagnalls New Practical Standard Dictionary offers this description of the word transient:

“A thing is transient which in fact is not lasting; a thing is transitory which by its very nature must soon pass away; a thing is temporary which is intended to last or be made use of but a little while…” (Vol. 2, p. 1385)

These physical, fleshly bodies of ours are temporary vessels, wherein “dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18). In earlier installments, it was made perfectly clear that our first parents were not created as perfect beings. The symbolism of the number six itself even bears this out:

“The number six represents what falls short of the number of completeness, seven.” – The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001, Third Edition (footnote to Revelation 13:18)

The creature was made (and is still being made) subject to vanity. The creature (once again, that’s us) is in a transition process. We are being made (an ongoing process) in the image of God. And that image will not be completed until we are clothed with brand new, incorruptible spiritual bodies (see I Corinthians 15:35-57). Jeremiah speaks of this as well:

“And the vessel that he made of clay [the physical man] was marred [by design] in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel [the spiritual man], as seemed good to the potter to make it.” (Jeremiah 18:4)

In a MySpace.com discussion group one day, a fundamental Christian told me I was taking this verse out of context, and that the “vessel” is really talking about the nation of Israel (v. 6). And the reason he believed this, of course, is because he, like most all Christians, have not been taught how to compare spiritual with spiritual. So let’s see what the Scriptures reveal when we put these foundational principles into play:

“Nay but, O MAN, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (Romans 9:20,21)

Six is the number of man, the number of imperfection. Seven is the number, not only of perfection, but of completion as well. Shouldn’t this tell us something?

GENESIS RELOADED

PART FIVE: DOES A “DAY” ALWAYS MEAN A LITERAL DAY?

When it comes to the Creation story, Answers in Genesis says it does:

“Scripture teaches a recent origin for man and the whole creation. The days in Genesis do not correspond to geologic ages, but are six [6] consecutive twenty-four [24] hour days of Creation.”  – AiG Statement of Faith

And in his article A young Earth; it’s not the issue! Kenneth Ham writes:

“Recently, one of our associates sat down with a highly respected world-class Hebrew scholar [Which scholar? Does he have a name?] and asked him this question: If you started with the Bible alone, without considering any outside influences whatsoever, could you ever come up with millions or billions of years of history for the Earth and universe? The answer from this scholar? Absolutely not! Let’s be honest. Take out your Bible and look through it. You can’t find any hint at all for millions or billions of years.”

And I agree. You can’t find any hint for millions or billions of years of history because the Bible is a record of human history, written for our benefit. A thorough study of the genealogy from Adam to Christ (see Luke 3:23-38) will reveal that there were about 4,000 years of recorded human history before Christ (BC). And about 2,000 years of history have elapsed since the time of Christ (AD), for a grand total of about 6,000 years. This is the Biblical record of human history ONLY. This is not necessarily indicative of how much time may or may not have elapsed since the very beginning of creation, relative to our limited earthly perspective, when God first said “Let there be light.” Question: Why should a book that was written for the benefit of mankind concern itself with ages past? It doesn’t. Genesis one gives us the record of creation, but doesn’t go much further than that.

A DAY = A THOUSAND YEARS?

“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)

“But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (II Peter 3:8)

Since the vast majority of Christian theologians do not understand physics and concepts such as time dilation, they naturally insist upon a very literal interpretation of the Scriptures, and take most everything the Bible says at face value. Hence, they come to the conclusion that God created everything in six literal days, and that His creation is now approximately 6,000 years old. And since we have seen about 6,000 years of recorded history pass, the belief is that we are soon to witness the beginning of day 7, the Great Sabbath Day of rest. This will commence with the coming of our Lord, which will usher in the 1,000-year Millenium, the kingdom of God on earth. Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation says six times that the Messianic Kingdom will last 1,000 years. If the 7th day of creation represents a coming 1,000 year period, do the first 6 days of creation also represent 6,000 years in God’s plan for this world and its peoples? Many of the Early Church Fathers believed so:

“What that means is, that He is going to bring the world to an end in six thousand years, since with Him one day means a thousand years.” – Epistle of Barnabas

“Six thousand years must needs be fulfilled that the Sabbath may come.” – Hippolytus

“For in so many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded… in six days created things were completed: it is evident that, therefore, they will come to an end after 6,000 years.” – Irenaeus

This idea of a six-day, six-thousand-year-plan for the ages was well known to the Jews of Christ’s day. Even 200 years before Christ, the Rabbi Elias wrote:

“The world endures six thousand years: two thousand before the law, two thousand under the law, and two thousand under Messiah.” Source: The Sacred Theory of the Earth, by Bishop Burnett [London: 1816], p. 408

COMMENT: It’s worth mentioning here that this Jewish Rabbi was expecting the coming of their Messiah after about 4,000 years, which is precisely when Jesus showed up claiming to be this Messiah. Hmmm …

But most did not share Rabbi Elias’ opinion. The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion (art. “Millennium,” Adama Books, 1986, p.263) reports that the tannaim (rabbis of Christ’s day) based their interpretation on Psalm 90:4 – “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.” The tannaim said that, as there were six days of creation, the world would last for 6,000 years. The seventh “world day” would be 1,000 years of the Messiah (Sanhedrin 97a; Avodah Zarah Sa).

To further illustrate how widespread the concept of the Millennium beginning six thousand years after Adam’s creation was, many more writings by other early rabbis and church fathers could be examined: Rabbi Ketina, Lactantius, Victorinus, Justin Martyr, Methodius, etc. Though these men may not always be relied upon for Biblical truth, they certainly do attest to how popular this understanding was in the early centuries after Christ’s death. And this has been the respected opinion of Christian scholars throughout the centuries, up to our present day.

Of course, we have now seen over 6,000 years of human history come and go, and still no sign of our Lord’s return. Is this a problem? No. Jesus Himself said that no man would (or could) know the day or the hour of His return. And Peter reminds us:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9)

Before moving on, one more important observation needs to be made:

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16,17)

God told Adam that in the DAY he ate of the forbidden fruit, he would DIE. Yet Adam lived to be 930 years old (see Genesis 5:5)! How is this possible? Did God lie? Was He misinformed? Was He not able to accurately predict the future? Of course not! But since Adam did not die the very DAY (meaning a literal 24-hour day) he ate from this tree, Christian theologians have had to offer an alternative explanation. The “death” Adam died, most now say, was a spiritual death, a “separation from God.” But this is not how theologians have always explained this apparent discrepancy. Another way is just as Methodius and other early church commentators explained: since a day with God was a thousand years, then Adam had to die before the first 1,000-year day was completed – and he did [On Things Created, Chapter IX]. But should we really take these passages literally (one day = 1,000 years), like many theologians have claimed? Or do we have reason to question this type of thinking?

“Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? Are your days like those of a mortal, or your years like those of a man…?” (Job 10:4,5 – NIV)

In the book of Job, God asks a rhetorical question to which no answer is needed. Of course not! God’s “days” are NOT like those of mortal men.

“Surely God is great, and we do not know him; the number of his years is unsearchable.” (Job 36:26 – NRSV)

“But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” (Psalm 102:27)

WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURES?

Dr. Gerald Schroeder, an orthodox Jew, also agrees that the creation occurred in six consecutive twenty-four hour periods of time. And he leans heavily upon ancient commentaries like the Talmud and the Zohar (Kabbalah), which are as highly revered to the Jew as are the Gospels to the Christian, to verify this. And one of the main points he made during his presentation is the fact that the Hebrew word yome, from which we get the English word day, is always indicative of a literal 24-hour period of time. I will not argue the fact that in a most literal sense, the word yome does refer to a 24-hour day, and it is used this way in the Scriptures an overwhelming majority of the time. But sometimes, literal words are used as symbols to describe spiritual (or other) things, as we shall soon see. But first, let’s cite a couple of sources. New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies (p.109) defines the word yome as follows:

“A day; it is frequently put for time in general, or for a long time; a whole period under consideration, as, in the day signifieth in the time when; in that day, at that time. Day is also put for a particular season or time when any extraordinary event happens, whether it be prosperous and joyful, or adverse and calamitous; which day is denominated either from the LORD who appoints it, or from those who suffer in it…”

And Strong’s Concordance says this (emphasis in CAPS are mine):

H#3117 yowm, yome; from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or FIGURATIVE (a SPACE OF TIME defined by an associated term).

According to BOTH of these sources, the Hebrew word yome does NOT necessarily always imply the notion of a literal 24-hour period of time. And it didn’t take too long for me to find numerous examples from the Scriptures to verify this. Here are three:

• 1. “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.” (Psalm 20:1)

The New Living Translation, though not a technical word for word translation, more accurately expresses the thought here:

“In times of trouble, may the LORD respond to your cry…”

• 1. “Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.” (Psalm 95:8)

In this example, the word ‘day’ is obviously symbolic of a period of time longer than 24 hours, for as we all know, the Moses-led refugees were in the wilderness 40 years.

• 1. “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider…” (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

In times of prosperity, and in times of adversity, is clearly the thought here.

In the King James Bible, yome is also represented by other words or phrases as well. The following list (from George V. Wigram’s Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament) shows how yome has been translated by a word or phrase other than ‘day’ or ‘days.’ This should lay to rest any further controversy about whether or not this word is always indicative of a literal 24-hour day.

• • In age (Genesis 18:11; 24:1)
  • A time (Genesis 26:8)
  • In time (Genesis 30:33)
  • For ever (Genesis 43:9; 44:32)
  • From year to year (Exodus 13:10)
  • All the while that (Leviticus 14:46)
  • The space of (Leviticus 25:8)
  • A full year (Leviticus 25:29)
  • According to the time of (Leviticus 25:50)
  • As long as (Leviticus 26:34)
  • Now the time (was) the time of (Numbers 13:20)
  • And the space (Deuteronomy 2:14)
  • Always (Deuteronomy 6:24; 28:33)
  • Evermore (Deuteronomy 28:29)
  • Even now (Deuteronomy 31:21)

Even in the English language, the word day sometimes implies more than a literal 24-hour period of time. The following comes from Funk & Wagnalls New Practical Standard Desk Dictionary, Volume I:

6) A time or period; an age

A specified epoch; as, in Caesar’s day

EVENING AND MORNING

We have just shown from the Scriptures that the word day can very well indeed imply something other than a literal 24-hour day, as we know it. So in Genesis chapter one, does this mean is possible that the phrase “evening and morning” (from the Hebrew words EREV and BOKER) is describing something other than a literal sunset and sunrise? It is more than just possible, it is CERTAIN!

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the EREV and the BOKER were the FIRST DAY.” (v. 1,3-5)

“And God made the firmament, [and] called the firmament Heaven. And the EREV and the BOKER were the SECOND DAY.” (v. 7,8)

“And the earth brought forth grass, and the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that is was good. And the EREV and the BOKER were the THIRD DAY.” (v. 12,13)

“And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years. And the EREV and the BOKER were the FOURTH DAY.” (v. 14,19)

As Dr. Schroeder mentioned during the video presentation (which Scripture has just confirmed), there was no visible sun or moon until DAY FOUR! And God tells us that the lights in the firmament were established to give mankind a way to measure time (v. 14). So logically speaking, EREV and BOKER must be speaking of something other than literal earth days. But despite the logic behind the argument I have just presented, fundamental Christian websites like AiG will still cling to their traditional, narrow-minded way of thinking. Why? The late cosmologist Carl Sagan said it best:

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge – even to ourselves – that we’ve been so credulous (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise). Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of confusion and bamboozle requires intelligence, vigilance, dedication and courage.”

Proverbs 16:18 says that “pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” In part three of this series we showed that doctrine must be built upon a sure foundation of Truth: the Rock of Christ. Orthodox Christian doctrine is NOT built upon the Rock – it is built upon the sand. It is NOT built upon Truth – it is built upon LIES! And the WHOLE HOUSE is about to come CRASHING DOWN!

Let’s take a brief look at another attempt by AiG to discredit Dr. Schroeder’s theory:

“Dr. Schroeder also states that the basic Hebrew root word for evening is chaos and the basic Hebrew root word for morning is order. He cites no Hebrew scholar supporting his view, which appears to many scholars to be without foundation.” Gerald Schroeder and his new variation on the day-age theory: Part 1

AiG claims here that Dr. Schroeder “cites no Hebrew scholar supporting his view.” Oh really? I have a transcript of the television programs in question, and though he does not mention a specific Hebrew scholar by name, he DOES mention his source: the Kabbalah. And a little research will clearly show that Nachmanides, one of the most highly revered Hebrew scholars who has ever lived, supports Schroeder’s viewpoint! [In reality, it is Schroeder who is supporting Nachmanides’ viewpoint, for he wrote of these things hundreds of years before.] By comparison, AiG reports that Schroeder’s viewpoint “appears to many scholars to be without foundation.” Many scholars? WHICH scholars? Does AiG provide a list of “many scholars” (or even ONE scholar) who support their viewpoint? No. Not one! Is it just me, or does anybody else see the hypocrisy? First they chide Dr. Schroeder for citing no Hebrew scholar in supporting his view (even though, in an indirect way, he did), and then they themselves cite no Hebrew scholar in support of theirs. Hmmm…. [NOTE: Dr. Schroeder does mention Nachmanides as his source, both in his book The Science of God, and in his online article The Age of the Universe.] Continuing with the AiG article:

“The Hebrew word for evening is (ereb); it appears to have no relation to the word most scholars [which scholars?] would expect for chaos (tohu). Similarly, the word for morning (boqer) has no discernible connection to the word we would expect for order (seder). Since Dr. Schroeder offers no details supporting his alleged Hebrew word relationships, readers should not take him seriously on this point.” – ibid.

Allow me to indulge myself by playing word substitution game here, using AiG’s logic:

“The Hebrew word for GRAVE is (SHEOL); it appears to have no relation to the word most scholars would expect for HELL (sorry, but there is no Hebrew word for hell). Since Christian theologians offer no details supporting their alleged Hebrew word relationships, people should not take them seriously on this point.”

Is there a discernible connection of the words evening and morning [erev and boker] with the concepts of chaos and order? Not by the letter (or a literal meaning) of these words, at least none that I could find (but I’m no Hebrew scholar, either). Regardless, if we desire to know what the Spirit is trying to teach us, then we must learn to look beyond the letter of the Word, to the Spirit behind the letter. Remember: the letter kills, but the Spirit brings life (II Corinthians 3:6)! And we have already proven from God’s Word that these passages cannot be speaking of literal evenings and literal mornings, as we understand them. “Evening and morning” is symbolic language here.

“In the beginning God finds the earth to be “formless (tohu) and empty; but through a series of creative acts, God imposes order upon the cosmos. The order is declared to be “good.” – Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (p. 136) Inter-Varsity Press, 1998

There have been other commentators who have alluded to the fact that the ancient Hebrew words erev and boker — evening and morning — also mean “mixture” (confusion) and “order.” St. John Chrysostom says, “He (Moses) clearly called the end of the day and end of the night one day, in order to set forth a certain order and sequence in the visible (world), and so there would be no confusion.”

“Created by God were the heavens and the earth. Yet the earth became a chaos [tohu] and vacant, and darkness was on the surface of the submerged chaos.” (Genesis 1:1,2 – Concordant Literal Old Testament)

Although not nearly as poetic as the King James, this is how a very literal rendering of this passage would read. Before God initiated His creation process, everything was, as the KJV puts it, “without form and void [empty].” In other words, His creation was first a collection of thoughts, a wonderful plan in the mind of Almighty God. But through a progression of six consecutive “days” He turns His thoughts into reality.

SO WHAT “DAY” IS IT?

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the DAY that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” (Genesis 2:4)

In this verse, the Hebrew word for DAY, once again, is yome. Does anyone really believe that God created ALL the generations of the heavens and the earth in a single earth day? Preposterous! God’s days are NOT like those of mortal men.

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the DAY that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the DAY when they were created.” (Genesis 5:1,2)

Once again, we obviously have the word DAY being used to denote something other than a literal sunrise-to-sunset day, as we know it. So what are these passages saying? Did God really create generations (plural) in ONE DAY? Let’s once again quote AiG in their article Gerald Schroeder and a new variation on the “day-age” theory: Part 1:

“Moreover, Dr. Schroeder’s arbitrary numbers are not consistent with each other. He chooses to divide the 15 billion years by the degree of expansion of the universe, which he defines as a million million (1,000,000,000,000), and then multiplying that by 365 for the number of days in a year. He states that the answer is approximately 6, proving his theory. However, the actual answer is 5.475, meaning that we have not yet completed the sixth day. Therefore, according to his theory, animals and humans should not be around.”

Simply amazing! In their attempt to discredit Dr. Schroeder’s theory, they in reality added validity to it! Allow me to explain. The first century AD started around the time of the birth of Christ, and ended 100 AD. Similarly, day one of creation started at 0.0 (the beginning of time) and ended at 1.0 (the end of day one). Likewise, day two began at 1.0 and ended at 2.0, etc. So following this pattern, when would day six had to have begun? Correct – 5.0! Therefore, his figure of 5.475 puts us smack dab in the middle of DAY SIX! And according to Genesis 1:24-31, God made humans and animals on which day? Why of course – DAY SIX. [The word made (H6213) here is in the FUTURE TENSE, according to BOTH The Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament, p. 989, and New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies, p. 263]. At no point in the history of planet earth has God ever ceased His activity of creating animals and human beings (more on this later). Hence, the statement that “animals and humans should not be around” is erroneous (to put it mildly).

“All creation is stamped with the seal of God in numerics. God has made man a creature of Time and therefore a creature of Number! It is consistent with the very nature and being of God that His Book, the Holy Bible, should be stamped with the seal of Bible numbers.” – Kevin J. Conner, Interpreting the Symbols and Types (p. 47), City Bible Publishing, 1992

Six is the number of man, for God created (and continues to create) man on DAY SIX (Genesis 1:26-31). So the issue that now needs to be addressed is this:

“Dr. Schroeder continues by saying that because we are in the “sixth day” of creation, the Sabbath Day, the seventh day of rest, has not yet occurred. However, Genesis 2:1–2 clearly states that God “ended his work”, “he rested”, and “he blessed it and sanctified it because in it he rested.” All of these statements are made in the past tense. How could this be if we are still in the sixth day as Dr. Schroeder claims?” – ibid.

According to The Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament, as well New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies, all of these statements are, just as AiG claims, made in the past tense. And in the preceding verse (Genesis 2:2) we also read:

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

According to New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies the word here in Genesis 2:2 for “ended” (Strong’s H3615) means:

“To be completed, finished; to be over, past; to end, to make an end of. A full end, an utter end; perfection, end.”

John the Baptist said that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), came to take away (or bring to an utter end) the sin of the world (John 1:29). Since Christ has not yet removed sin from this world, it stands to reason that this event is yet in our future. But God often speaks of these things as if they are already done, and indeed, from God’s perspective, they ARE done.

Now here’s where it gets very interesting. According to both of the above-mentioned sources, the word “rested” (from which we get the word Sabbath) is here (in Genesis 2:2) in the FUTURE TENSE! So why does God speak of the Sabbath Day of rest in verse 3 as if it is a past event, but in verse 2 He speaks of it as if it is yet future? I believe it is because our Creator wanted to reveal to us two different perspectives, a concept that AiG (and Christianity in general) does not comprehend. On the one hand, from God’s perspective, everything IS done – He has declared the end from the beginning. And it is only a matter of time before the rest of us (some sooner than others) “catch up” and join God in His great Sabbath Day of rest.

GOD IS STILL CREATING MAN IN HIS IMAGE!

As I was doing some online research for this piece, I came across the article Berdichev on Creation, by Lawrence Kushner. The following is an excerpt from that article:

“In his K’dushat Levi on Genesis 1:1, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev notices a curious grammatical inconsistency between the opening verse of Genesis: “In the beginning, God created . . .” and the language of the Yotzer blessing, directly after the Bar’chu of the morning liturgy, “God . . . who makes light and creates darkness.” Why, he asks, is the Genesis version stated in the past tense (“created”) and the prayer-book in the present tense (“creates”)? The answer, he explains, is that there are two modes of religious consciousness that correspond to these two descriptions of Creation – past and present tense.

When we regard ourselves as separate from, independent of, other than, discrete from God, then God has already created the world and left. (The formal theological name for such a God is Deus abscondus!) But when we realize that we ourselves are manifestations of the Divine, that our awareness is dissolved into the Divine, that we are dimensions of God, then the process of creation is no longer a completed event but becomes continuous. Creation happens even at this very moment – right now, while you are reading these words. Indeed this is one of the central religious mysteries of all time.

If God made the world and left, then God is limited, bounded, and finite. God is, effectively, only part of being; there are things in the world that are not God. And such a God is, therefore, only one limited thing among other limited things (in Hebrew, yeish, “something”). On the other hand, if God is still and now the One who is continuously bringing being into being, then God is, indeed, the Holy One of All Being.”

So did God really create all of the generations of mankind in ONE DAY? Yes He did – on the SIXTH DAY! And we are still IN the sixth day. Therefore, from our viewpoint, God is still creating.  The process of creating man in God’s image had only begun with Adam and Eve, and will not be completed until the consummation (I Corinthians 15:22-28). The Concordant Literal Old Testament is in complete agreement with the Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev’s remarks, and their version of the Genesis account reads as though this process is an ongoing activity:

“And creating (present tense) is God humanity in His image. In the image of God He creates it. Male and female He creates them.” (Genesis 1:27)

“And He called (not his, but) THEIR name Adam (Genesis 5:2).” The Hebrew word for ADAM (Strong’s #H120) is used two different ways in the Scriptures. It can be indicative of a specific human being (the first man, Adam), or of the entire species of mankind. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Holman Bible Publishers, 2003) tells us on page 25 that:

Adam means man, and in many places the Hebrew word refers to mankind in general. Genesis 1:27, for example, says, “So God created man [adam] in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female [see also Genesis 5:2; 6:1]. Adam is also used of the first man, either with the article as “the man” (Genesis 2:15,16) or as the name “Adam” (Genesis 4:1,25; 5:3,4). Finally, the term can refer to a member of the human race, “a man” (e.g., Genesis 2:5, “there was no man to work the ground”).

I have often heard the assertion made by fundamental Christian teachers that Adam and Eve were the only ones who were “created” by God. The rest of us, they say, are “born.” Oh really? Do we have chapter and verse on that?

“Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? (Job 31:15)

“Yet He is not partial to princes, nor dies He regard the rich more than the poor; for they are all the work of His hands.” (Job 34:19)

“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? (Malachi 2:10)

Contrary to the beliefs of many, God is still in the creation business (at least from our perspective). And we should now be able to see that all of the apparent discrepancies in Genesis are neither misprints nor mistranslations. Our Creator is clever. He knew that at some point in our future, as our knowledge of His creation and His Word increased, we would discover these things. That’s why He hid these things in His Word and sealed His Book until the time of the end (Daniel 12).

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” (Proverbs 25:2)

But now the seals are being loosed [see the article The Wrath of God]. The mysteries of His Word are now being revealed to those who have their faith grounded upon the sure Rock of Truth, and have an open mind, willing to learn. Are you willing?

PART SIX: THE NUMBER OF MAN

GENESIS RELOADED

PART FOUR: THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

If we desire to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word, then it is critical that we a) study to show ourselves approved (II Timothy 2:15), and b) follow God’s commands (Psalm 111:10). One of God’s more important commands is to compare spiritual things with spiritual (I Corinthians 2:13). How do we do this? First of all, it is vital that we own a good concordance, such as a Strong’s, or a Young’s. I also highly recommend the two-volume Englishman’s Concordance set, not to mention an e-sword. For example, if you have an e-sword, and want to find out how the words “naked” and “nakedness” are used in the Scriptures, you simply log these words into the search engine and every single verse in the Bible that contains these words will come up. Then you just go down the list and find all of the passages that deal with this idea of man’s nakedness before God. This is how I was able to determine in the previous section that to be naked before God was not necessarily a good thing. By studying in this manner, God’s Word will really open up to you in a way that perhaps you never before thought possible. Try it and see!

Now when we think of this “tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” most of us have this image etched in our minds of a lush garden paradise, with a beautiful fruit-bearing tree planted in its midst. We also have this image of a serpent (or snake) coiled around one of its branches, tempting Eve to partake of its fruit. Many have been led to believe that this “fruit” was an apple, even though the Scriptures do not verify this. But this is the image that many of us have had since childhood. And it is quite natural to take the symbols literally: i.e. a literal garden, a literal tree, a literal snake, a literal piece of fruit, etc. After all, the Scriptures declare that first comes the natural, then the spiritual (I Corinthians 15:46). In other words, we will first come to understand the Bible in a literal (or natural) sense. But if our faith is grounded upon the sure Rock of Truth, which is Christ, then the Spirit will begin to reveal to us the deeper things. The problem with the church, not surprisingly, is that its members seldom mature beyond a superficial understanding of God’s Word (see I Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 6:1-3). Why? Because nearly all organized religious institutions have their foundations built upon the sand, and not upon the Rock. And a having a sure foundation is essential before we can press on to maturity.

A few years ago, the Genesis story was retold in the science fiction movie classic The Matrix. In it, the main character Neo (Keanu Reeves) is offered a choice between two pills, a blue one and a red one. If he chooses to take the blue pill, then he will remain ignorant of truth (age of innocence). However, if he chooses to take the red pill, then his eyes will be opened to truth (tree of knowledge). Of course he chooses to take the red pill and has an awakening, a rebirth experience. He then notices that his eyes are burning, and asks why. The answer given by the character Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburn) is because he has never used them (his new spiritual eyes) before. So when his eyes finally are opened, and he sees the world as it really is, the truth is more than he can bear. He immediately goes into denial, and wants to go back to a time and place of ignorance (after all, ignorance is bliss). In other words, he tries cover up the truth by denying it, and wants to undo what has been done. Notice any similarities between this story and the Genesis account?

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” (Genesis 3:7)

Remember how growing up as a child used to be? Life was fun and carefree. We all lived in our own little fantasy worlds, filled with roadrunner cartoons, where the coyote character falls off cliffs and has 2 ton boulders smashing down on top of him. But the wily coyote never dies, never gets discouraged, and always returns with a greater resolve to succeed the next time. But then grandpa suddenly dies, and we attend our first funeral, where we experience the REALITY of death. And though grandpa smoked, drank, and cursed his entire life, never professed faith in Christ, and barely ever set foot in a church, our parents assure us that he is now in heaven with God. And why do they tell us this? Because they know that the mind of a child is not yet mature enough to bear the “truth” (Christianity’s truth), that he is now burning in hell. In fact, deep down inside, I seriously doubt that there are many Christians who really believe it:

“Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child cannot be a true system.” – Thomas Paine (1737–1809)

So as we mature and gain knowledge, we become increasingly aware of our own mortality, and come to understand that this life really is but a vapor, and that we all have an inescapable appointment with death. And there is absolutely nothing that any of us can do to change it.

“For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draws nigh unto the grave (Psalm 88:3)

So we take refuge in various systems of religious belief, hiding from the truth. For the Hindu, life and death is a progression toward oneness with God through many cycles of reincarnation. John Edwards’ disciples believe they will “cross over” to the spirit world, while Christians are assured that their faith in Christ earns them instant access into heaven. In all three cases, it is only the body that dies; the soul does not. Satan does indeed assure us (through our own minds) that we “shall not surely die.” God’s Word, however, declares differently: “The soul that sins SHALL die” (Ezekiel 18:20).

So what have I just described for you? This is the fall of man story in a nutshell. And this story is much more than just a one-time event that occurred approximately 6,000 years ago. This story is continuously being played out in the daily lives of each and every one of us! For example, I just heard Dr. D. James Kennedy announce to the world during his Easter Sunday sermon that he would never die! And how does he verify this for his audience? By quoting a poorly translated verse of Scripture:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” (John 8:51)

If you do not have an e-sword program, then get one – it’s a free download. If you do have an e-sword, then please go to this verse. After the word “never” you will notice three little numbers: 3364, 1519, and 165. These are Strong’s Concordance Greek words. The first word (3364) denotes a negative: not, not at all, never, etc. The second one (1519) is a primary preposition showing motion towards: in, into. The third one (165) is that word aion, which properly translated, of course, means “pertaining to the age, or age-during.” So how should this verse read when properly translated?

“Verily, verily, I say to you, If any one may keep my word, death he may not see – to the age.” (Young’s Literal Translation)

“Verily, verily, I am saying to you, If ever anyone should be keeping My word, he should under no circumstances be beholding death for the eon.” (Concordant Literal New Testament)

When this verse is properly translated, an entirely different meaning becomes clear. It is true that Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. But the abundant life Jesus speaks of is the narrow pathway, the first resurrection, which leads to life for the faithful follower during the coming earthly messianic kingdom AGE. This is consistent with the message of repentance that both Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed while they were here. The “death” Jesus warns of is the “second death,” which takes place at the time of the second resurrection. Jesus did not teach His disciples that they would never die, for even Jesus had to DIE! Do you really believe that you are above your Master? But the multitudes always opt for messages that tickle their itching ears (Isaiah 30:10; II Timothy 4:3,4) rather than for truth:

“The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.” –   Edith Sitwell (1887 – 1964) British poet, critic

“Truth is often hard to swallow, so we rest in comfortable lies and delusions.”

– Dorothy Anne Seese, Freelance political writer

Satan is alive and well on planet earth. The Genesis story lives on. The multitudes will always opt for the lie: “Ye shall NOT surely die!” And if you show them the Scriptural evidence to the contrary, they will more than likely still deny it. Why?

“Many people today don’t want honest answers insofar as honest means unpleasant or disturbing. They want a soft answer that turneth away anxiety.” – Louis Kronenberger, Author

“Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession – their ignorance.” – Hendrick Van Loon, Author

“Men occasionally stumble over truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” – Winston Churchill

On page 18 of his Concordant Commentary on the Book of Genesis, A. E. Knoch provides us with the following insightful tidbit:

“God’s revelation is on a higher spiritual plane than other literature. Especially in prophecy, both past and future, God sometimes speaks of things as if they are being enacted BEFORE OUR EYES.” [Emphasis added]

God’s Word (Jesus) truly IS a LIVING WORD! So what does this mean for us today, in regards to the Genesis account? Simply this: the Genesis “fall of man” story is nothing more than a PARABLE! It never literally took place any more than the story of Lazarus and the rich man did. It is symbolic of an everyday present reality. There was no literal tree, there was no literal piece of fruit, and there was no literal flesh-and-blood serpent. So if we are not speaking of a literal event that took place some 6,000 years ago, then what do the symbols represent?

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the WORLD, which is “in the midst of the garden of God,” the focal point of God’s creation. And all that this world has to offer (the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life) is its FRUIT! “Eden” is symbolic of our innocent, child-like condition. But as we mature and gain knowledge, we lose our innocence and are cast out of this garden paradise (our child-like fantasy world). Now we come to understand that we must learn to “till the ground” and earn our living “by the sweat of our brow,” because our parents aren’t always going to be there to provide for us. And later in life, when we come to understand our own mortality, we are seduced in our thinking (represented by the serpent) into believing the lie, that we shall not surely die. And this seducing spirit takes many forms, and continues to crawl upon its belly, feasting upon us, the DUST of the earth (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20). And we continue to take refuge in these various forms of religious systems, or coverings (fig leaves), hiding from the truth. But the coverings that we attempt to provide for ourselves are but illusions, while God’s remedy is sure:

“Also for Adam and his wife [and for ALL of humanity as well] the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

This verse is speaking of much more than God merely covering up physical, naked bodies. This verse is symbolic of much, much more – God’s plan of REDEMPTION! Although this passage doesn’t say what type of skin God used, I am quite certain that they were lamb skins: symbolic of the covering that our precious LAMB of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has provided for us all.

THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let [restrain], until he be taken out of the way.” (II Thessalonians 2:7)

Before continuing, please read II Thessalonians 2:1-12. Most Christian theologians and prophecy teachers are unanimous in their belief that this passage is speaking of end-time events. The “mystery of iniquity” is supposedly some sort of a satanic power that is to be unleashed during the Tribulation Period after the rapture of the church, which they say is the restraining force keeping the Antichrist (the wicked one, v. at bay. And perhaps, at some point in the future, all of these things (except the rapture of the church, which is but another Christian myth) will take place. But it is my contention that this passage is primarily speaking, once again, of the fall of man. The parallels are too obvious to ignore.

The mystery of iniquity [wickedness] is none other than that “man of sin,” which lies dormant while we are babes. The restraining power that keeps us from recognizing it [our sinful nature] is our innocence, which we lose as we mature and gain knowledge. Our adolescent years are our most rebellious, and we are naturally inclined to disobey our parents and “do our own thing.” It is now that we begin to “oppose and exalt ourselves above all that is called God, sitting in the temple of God [we are the temple of God – I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19], believing that we are indeed gods” (v.4). And because of our pride, we are seduced into believing a lie (v.11), that we have control over our own destiny. But the control we believe we possess is but an illusion. And one Day, this lawless one will be clearly revealed (v.8) for all to see.

If you think I am just giving these verses my own private interpretations; that they are not grounded by any Scriptural support, then allow me to draw your attention to the following verse:

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” (Genesis 3:1)

I will let New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies (p. 428) define the word subtil (subtle) as it is used here:

“To be naked; to be crafty, cunning… It is observable that our first parents, before they sinned, are called (Genesis 2:25) naked, and the serpent in the very next verse is called subtil, BY ONE AND THE SAME WORD (Emphasis in CAPS are mine).

This provides further confirmation of what was already stated in Part Three, namely, that Adam and Eve’s cunning, sinful nature was already within them from their inception, even BEFORE they had sinned.

“If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” (Revelation 13:9)

I pray that God is beginning to give you His spiritual ears to comprehend these spiritual truths. A chosen few WILL come to understand these things NOW; the vast majority will come to understand these things LATER, at the Great White Throne Judgment, where the “man of sin” is consumed (II Thessalonians 2:8), and the spirit of man is saved (I Corinthians 3:15).

“Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” (Daniel 12:10)

Much more will be said on this subject (LORD willing) in Part Six of this series.

So, did a literal flesh-and-blood serpent seduce Adam and Eve into swallowing the equivalent of Hollywood’s “red pill” in the form of a literal piece of fruit, growing on a literal tree, in the midst of a literal lush garden paradise? Is this how they instantly gained a comprehensive understanding of good and evil? The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it becomes. This would not be consistent with what we see in the world today. And Scripture teaches us that God is consistent (Hebrews 13:8). Their understanding of good and evil, life and death, was knowledge they obtained as they matured, and came about as a result of their everyday life’s experiences. It was no different for them than it is for us today. So what were these experiences that opened their eyes to the truth of their own mortality? What do you think? Do you still believe the death of animals was something that was completely foreign to their experience?

Selah.

PART FIVE: DOES A “DAY” ALWAYS MEAN A LITERAL DAY?

GENESIS RELOADED

PART THREE: A SURE FOUNDATION

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the Rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall, for it was founded on the Rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the ROCK. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the TRUTH. And Jesus Himself said that those who worship God must worship Him in both Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23). Those who do not worship God in Spirit and in Truth have built their foundation upon, not the Rock, but the sand. In other words, they have not built their foundation upon Truth, but upon falsehoods. And according to Jesus, it’s only a matter of time before the whole house comes crashing down.

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

A quick glance at a few of the main tenets of AiG’s Statement of Faith will speak volumes in determining whether or not AiG’s spiritual house is built upon Truth, or upon lies:

• Satan is the personal spiritual adversary of both God and man.

• All mankind are sinners, inherently from Adam and individually (by choice) and are therefore subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.

• Those who do not believe in Christ are subject to everlasting conscious punishment, but believers enjoy eternal life with God.

We have already debunked these myths on this site, that:

1. Satan is the adversary of God
2. Mankind has free will
3. Unrepentant sinners are tossed away into an everlasting hell

Hence, there is no need to further elaborate on them. But now it is time to examine what is undoubtedly the most critical area of concern before we can bring science and the Bible into accord. And this is the notion that:

“Death (both physical and spiritual) and bloodshed entered into this world subsequent to and as a direct consequence of man’s sin.” – AiG Statement of Faith

Here are the statements from a couple of AiG’s regular contributors:

• Dr. Terry Mortensen: “Accepting millions of years of the geological ages (as the evolutionists interpret the fossil record) destroys the Bible’s teaching on death, which clearly indicates that there was no animal death or human death before the Fall.” – What are the most compelling scientific evidences of a young earth?

• Kenneth Ham: “I must interpret Scripture with Scripture, not impose ideas from the outside! When I take the plain words of the Bible, it is obvious there was no death, bloodshed, disease or suffering of humans or animals before sin. God instituted death and bloodshed because of sin; this is foundational to the Gospel. Therefore, one cannot allow a fossil record of millions of years of death, bloodshed, disease and suffering before sin.” – A young Earth – it’s not the issue!

Ham claims to “interpret Scripture with Scripture.” Does he? If these statements are true, then we should be able to find Biblical support for them (II Timothy 3:16). Can we? Is there any Biblical evidence to support the notion that no animals died prior to the time of man’s fall? NO. Read through the first three chapters of Genesis again, and I will assure you that you will be able to find nothing in the text that would indicate this. In fact, if you have a concordance, I encourage you to look up all of the passages that deal with the subject of sin and death, and see if you can find anything that tells us that man (via sin) was responsible for the death of animals. If you can’t, then we must conclude that this is but another fundamental Christian assumption. And everybody knows what happens when we ASSUME – we make an ASS out of both U and ME. Besides, why would a just and righteous God invoke a death sentence upon innocent animals, that do not have the ability to reason, for something that man was allegedly responsible for? If you stop and take the time to think about this, it really doesn’t make much sense. Even Mr. Spock would have to conclude that “It is highly illogical.”

Romans 5:12 is the most often cited verse to defend the orthodox position, that man himself was responsible for sin and death entering into the world:

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Now it says here that death passed upon all MEN. Do you see any mention of death being passed on to all animals as well, as result of something man did? Do you? No? Good! Then we are making progress. Now, can we absolutely, positively, without question, prove from this passage (with a 100% degree of certainty), that the burden of responsibility rests upon man’s shoulders, that it was man’s fault? Or is the text simply stating a fact? Read it again for yourself, and see if you can still come to the fundamentalist’s widely held conclusion. An honest look at the passages which follow tell a different story:

“For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses…” (v. 13, 14a)

God’s Word tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But it says here that sin is not imputed [attributed (a fault, crime, etc.) to a person; charged] where there is no law. Moses brought the law. Adam and Eve had NOT the law. Therefore, according to this passage, they were NOT guilty of transgressing something they did not possess, namely, God’s law. Nevertheless, they still DIED! So what’s going on? Why does God say they are innocent apart from the law, but invokes the penalty of sin (which is death) upon them as if they were guilty of breaking it?

Before addressing this question, it is necessary first to expose a little Pharisaic leaven. Fundamental Christian theologians interpret ‘death’ to mean ‘eternal separation from God.’ We read in Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words, p. 83, the following:

• 1. thanatos (2288) “death” (b) the separation of man from God; Adam died on the day he disobeyed God, Gen. 2:17, and hence all mankind are born in the same spiritual condition, Rom. 5:12,14,17,21, from which, however, those who believe in Christ are delivered, John 5:24; I John 3:14. “Death” is the opposite of life; it never denotes nonexistence. As spiritual life is “conscious existence in communion with God,” so spiritual “death” is “conscious existence in separation from God.”

Now, if you have a concordance, please take the time to look up all of the Hebrew and Greek words that are represented by our English word “death” and see if you can find this idea of “eternal separation from God” anywhere in the text. I could not even find the word “separation” used anywhere in conjunction with the word “death.” So what is the lesson here? “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.” Death is, however, the point in which the body is separated from God’s precious breath of life and returns to dust, and the soul retires into an unconscious state of being (see our Statement of Faith on the subject of death for an extensive list of Scriptural witnesses).

MAN’S NAKEDNESS BEFORE GOD

Now let’s examine the word “sin” to see if we can determine what this word really means. The Greek noun hamartia (266) is derived from the verb hamartano (264) and means, according to Strong’s Concordance, “to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize).” So a more cumbersome but accurate way to describe what it says in Romans 6:23 would go something like this: “Since man has missed the mark (or in other words, he has fallen short of the glory of God) he is destined to die.” Now is man himself responsible for his plight, or is God? Please take note of Adam and Eve’s condition at the time when they were first placed in the Garden of Eden:

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Then the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:15,22,25)

Genesis 2:25 brings to my mind the example of a two-year-old child, who after losing his diaper, runs around the house in front of guests, completely naked. Many of us have witnessed a scene similar to this. And why does the child unabashedly do this? Because he is not yet mature enough to know any better; therefore his behavior is indicative of both innocence as well as ignorance. And so it was with Adam and Eve. They were already naked from the very moment that God placed them in the Garden of Eden. And they were unashamed (they were both innocent and ignorant).

Christian theologians teach that Adam and Eve had a perfect, blissful, harmonious relationship with God until they “chose” (of their own free will) to rebel against Him. But there is one big problem with this viewpoint. If they were so “perfect,” then what made them susceptible to sin and rebellion in the first place? Those who have been perfected in God’s image do not have the capacity to sin, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was always in perfect submission to His Father’s will, being our prime example. So what is the text trying to tell us? Is nakedness symbolic of holy perfection, of righteous standing before God? Hardly! The complete opposite is true (Hosea 2:9,10; Revelation 3:17,18). Nakedness is used in God’s Word to denote mankind’s sinful condition [see points 7 & 8 in part 2 of the “Destruction” series for a more in-depth look into this].

Now you will notice that the text clearly tells us that they were naked even BEFORE they had partaken of the forbidden fruit, BEFORE THEY HAD SINNED. In other words, they had ALREADY missed the mark, and were already DESTINED TO DIE!

“For the creature [that’s us] was made subject to vanity [we were created this way], not willingly [we did not of our own ‘free will’ rebel against God’s will], but by reason of Him [according to His plan] who hath subjected the same in hope.” (Romans 8:20 – KJV)

An open-minded and honest examination of the Scriptures clearly reveals that Eve, especially, was guilty of sin BEFORE she ever ate of the “forbidden fruit.”

“For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.” (I John 2:16)

Now compare the above verse with the thoughts that were going through Eve’s mind right before she and her husband Adam partook of the fruit:

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6)

Now let’s refer back to John’s epistle to gain further insight:

“Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15)

Did you catch that? If ANYONE loves the world (along with all that is in the world), THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM! So how could Adam and Eve have been perfectly created (past tense) in the image of God, when the Scriptures clearly tell us that they were not? The love of the Father was NOT in Adam and Eve, or else they would have had the ability (like our Lord Jesus) to abstain from temptation.

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

But it was never God’s intention to leave his beloved creatures in this wretched condition, for it was His plan from the beginning to create man in His image. God’s finished product will be one who is Christ-like: wise as a serpent, yet as harmless as a dove. Therefore, He put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the Garden of Eden, and made sure that they would partake of this “forbidden fruit” by placing the tempter in the garden with them. What? Do you mean to tell me that God actually wanted them to eat of this tree? Then why on earth did God tell them not to eat of this tree? This would be the logical question that most fundamentalists would ask, and would best be answered with another logical question:

“Well then, why did God tell the nation of Israel to obey His commandments if He knew beforehand that they were not going to obey them?”

The answer is quite simple: so that we (like the nation of Israel) will be made aware of our sinful condition (Romans 3:20; 5:13; 7:7; Galatians 2:16; etc.). Adam and Eve were unashamed because they were unaware, or ignorant, of their frailty. They were as innocent as newborn babes, and could not discern the difference between right and wrong. But once they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened, and they became aware of their condition. In other words, the falling away must come first, before the man of sin can be revealed (II Thessalonians 2)! And once the man of sin (the mortality of man) is revealed, then man’s need for a Savior becomes apparent. Contrary to fundamental Christian teaching, the transgression of God’s law was an integral part of His plan from the beginning. And it was designed to give mankind instruction in the ways of good vs. evil (Romans 7), and it will be used as a schoolmaster to bring everyone to the Savior, Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:24).

*A CHALLENGE: Anyone who can clearly demonstrate from the Scriptures that animal death was a direct consequence of, and did not occur prior to, the “fall of man” is cordially invited to do so. – Gary Cottongim

PART FOUR: THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

GENESIS RELOADED

PART TWO: THE LAW OF RELATIVITY

“Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” – Albert Einstein

When Dr. Schroeder was invited to appear on the Christian television program Zola Levitt Presents, and make his views known to the conservative Christian community, both he and Zola (a Jewish Christian) were quite predictably attacked. The brunt of this assault came from Answers in Genesis, a fundamental Christian website that is dedicated in defending the concept of a fairly young creation (about 6000 years), and that God created everything in six literal 24-hour days [see AiG’s Statement of Faith, Section D, point #2]. It was demonstrated in Dr. Schroeder’s presentation that the six 24-hour periods of time is not the point of contention, it is the concept of time dilation, first brought to the world of science by Albert Einstein in 1905. His theory of relativity is no longer a theory, but is now a proven, scientific fact, and is now the LAW of relativity. So what is it?

It’s been said that how long a minute lasts depends upon which side of the bathroom door we are standing. This is a rather simple way to explain the concept of relativity, which states that “the measurement of time and space is relative to the observer’s frame of reference.” Or in other words, one’s perception of (the passing of) time and space is directly related to his position in the universe. If we have to go badly enough, a minute can sure seem like an awfully long time. But there’s more to it than this.

[This next section will require a bit of abstract thinking.]

In 1987, astronomers discovered a new point of light (a supernova; an exploding star) on an image of the Large Magellanic Cloud, measured to be approximately 170,000 light years away, and was given the name ’1987A.’ So when did this event actually take place? 1987? No. This event did not really occur in the year 1987, but 170,000 years prior. Since our universe is so vast, it took 170,000 years for this data, traveling at the speed of 186,000 miles per second (the speed of light), to reach our solar system. And this was one of the closer star systems – most are much further away! Mere humans are not capable of comprehending the enormity of such dimensions.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

Now suppose for a moment that you were standing on a planet halfway between this star system and earth. In order to observe this phenomenon from this planet, you would had to have been living how long ago? Correct! 85,000 years ago! Why? Because the data from the supernova would have taken 85,000 years (one-half the distance of 170,000 years) to reach a destination halfway between there and earth.

NOTE: Not exactly 85,000 years, because time dilation factors for our ever-expanding universe have not been considered. It would take a trained physics mathematician (which I am not) like Dr. Schroeder to figure this. This is only an example.

Now, if we had the ability to fast-forward ourselves from this distant planet to planet earth in the year 1987, then we could view this same event again – when the data (in the form of light rays) from this galaxy finally reach our own solar system. Seen from two different perspectives, they can take on the appearance of being two separate events, when in reality they are one in the same! And if we had the ability to travel along with this supernova (at the speed of light) when it first occurred (170,000 years ago), time would in fact stand still, and we would see the complete history of this star – the past, present, and the future – with one glance. This is what God revealed to a young Albert Einstein in 1905, that the distinction between the past, the present, and future really IS nothing more than “a stubbornly persistent illusion!”

But it is difficult for us mere mortals to think in these terms. We all quite naturally see events develop with the passage of time. And everything we do in life is linear-time oriented. We have to be at work by 9:00am, we leave work at 6:00pm, we make travel arrangements for our vacation two months in advance, etc. To us, time is one-dimensional and moves forward. The past, present, and future happen in that order. This is the way we see things, relative to our perspective. But God does not see things from our limited perspective. He sees things from His eternal perspective.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 1:8)

And one day in 1905, God chose to give a young Albert Einstein a glimpse into the eternal, to see things from His perspective. From that time on, until his death in 1955, Einstein came to think in terms of a static, non-moving picture of space and time, the space-time continuum. In this static picture, events do not develop (as we see them develop), they just are! Otherwise, how could God declare the following?

“Known [only] unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.” (Acts 15:18)

Because our perspective (relative to our position in the universe) is limited, we do not know (aside from what we can learn from the Scriptures) what tomorrow will bring, only God does. The 100% accuracy in the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies provides confirmation, PROOF-POSITIVE, that God does not have to wait for the future to unfold to see what is going to happen. He did not have to wait to see whether or not Judas Iscariot would betray His only begotten Son into the hands of sinful men, He already KNEW that he would, for He created him to do just that. The ancient prophecies declared it hundreds of years in advance. And likewise, He does not have to wait to see who will accept, and who will reject His Son, for He already knows that ALL will accept His Son (Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 45:23; Philippians 2:9-11)! And how does He know this? Because ALL of his works have been completed (Genesis 2:1-3), and He alone is God!

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10)

Supernova 1987A exploded 170,000 years ago, well before we became aware of it. Likewise, the events that we will witness on tomorrow’s evening news have already been determined. Is this so hard to believe? How else could our Creator claim that He knows the end from the beginning? How could He have known that Adam and Eve would sin before He created them, if He did not know the end from the beginning? Believe it or not, God already knows the outcome of tonight’s basketball game before it even tips off. He knows the end from the beginning. When Christ returns to judge the nations, when He comes to separate the sheep from the goats, He knows beforehand who are sheep, and who are goats. He knows the end from the beginning!

“They gathered to do everything that you, by your power and will, had already decided would take place.” (Acts 4:28 – Today’s English Version)

Most assume that the doctrine of human free will must be true, because they are only able to see things from their own limited perspective. And the point of view in most cases determines whether or not people accept free will or determinism. Observed from within (relative to our perspective), the will has the illusion of being free. But Albert Einstein strongly disagreed. Through his study of physics (cause and effect), he determined that people do not act freely in the sense of having alternatives to their actions. Their belief in freedom arises only from their ignorance of the causes of the desires that motivate their actions. Einstein was certainly no theologian, but he was not devoid of any religious training. In a 1929 interview he was asked:

Q: “To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?”

A: “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”

Q: “You accept the historical existence of Jesus?”

A: “Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

Einstein was greatly admired by nearly everyone within the scientific community, but was often ridiculed by those within religious circles for many of his ideas, especially those that challenged traditional Western concepts about God. Like Galileo before him, he was also guilty of thinking “outside the box,” and dared to venture “where no man had gone before.” For example:

“About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church. As long as I can remember, I have resented mass indoctrination. I do not believe in the fear of life, in the fear of death, in blind faith. I cannot prove to you that there is no personal God, but if I were to speak to him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws.”

God Himself established the immutable law of life, sin and death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23); the wages of sin is not “eternal torment in hell.” Ironically, Albert Einstein the physicist had a better understanding of these things than do most theologians, which is nicely exemplified in his famous statement:

“I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice [with the universe].”

Einstein was greatly influenced by the 17^th century Jewish philosopher Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677), who rejected the traditional theistic concept of God, and denied the existence of a cosmic purpose on the grounds that all events in nature occur according to immutable laws of cause and effect. [Of course, I strongly believe that there IS a great cosmic purpose behind the immutable laws of cause and effect. – GC]

“Spinoza was the first to apply with strict consistency the idea of an all-pervasive determinism to human thought, feeling, and action. In my opinion, his point of view has not gained general acceptance by all those striving for clarity and logical rigor only because it requires not only consistency of thought but also unusual integrity, magnanimity and – modesty.”

It takes a great deal of modesty, or humility, to be able to concede the fact that none of us are in control of our own destiny – God is. Those who are caught up in any type of a “good works” oriented religious system will find this especially hard to admit, because we want to believe that our good deeds are somehow earning us God’s favor. And Dr. Schroeder, an orthodox Jew, is no exception. In his book The Science of God, he devotes an entire chapter trying to disprove the notion of absolute causality, via the uncertainty principle of quantum physics, which is briefly defined as:

“In quantum physics and wave mechanics, a statement of the impossibility of exactly determining at any given instant or by a single operation more than one magnitude or quantity, as the velocity, position, etc., of an electron.” – Funk & Wagnalls New Practical Standard Dictionary, Volume II

But the effects of the uncertainty principle, according to The Penguin Dictionary of Physics, are not apparent with large systems. This principle is only apparent in the behavior of systems on the atomic scale. So it would be foolish to try to apply this principle, with our limited degree of understanding, to God’s universal system. Only God knows what the future holds. And only God can predict with any certainty how electrons will behave at any given moment on the subatomic level. We cannot. So it really all boils down to this: Do we believe God, or do we believe men? God will continue to mislead those who reject His Word (II Thessalonians 2:11), and will continue to choose the foolish things of this world to confound those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight.

For those who have spent any amount of time reading my articles on this site, it must seem like I am beating a dead horse to death. But I cannot emphasize this point enough. The Biblical doctrine of predetermination is admittedly difficult for most people to accept, for we all want to believe that we have control over our lives. But we do not. If we really did, then how many people would choose to grow old and die? The simple fact that we all one day have an appointment with death is proof that none of us are in control of our own destiny, God is. But once we come to an understanding that God (a.k.a. Love) is in control, then this is the most liberating experience we can have, for now there is no longer any reason to worry about tomorrow. Our Father in Heaven has ordered our very steps. And we can rest in the assurance that whatever happens in life has already been declared from the very beginning!

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)

Only the writer, who has spent the past year writing a novel, knows how the plot will unfold and the book will end; that is, until it hits the bookstores and people have a chance to read it. And only those who have been involved in the production of a Hollywood film know how the movie will end; that is, until it hits the theaters. Likewise, none of us can know what tomorrow will bring; that is, until history (His Story) unfolds. God alone is the Author and the Finisher of our faith. And His book is finished. He is at rest. His academy award winning film has been produced, and we are merely players, as Shakespeare put it, upon His great stage. From our perspective, the drama is still unfolding, and we are still being given over to corruption and death. But we also can rest in the promises of Him who has created us thus:

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave [SHEOL]; I will redeem them from death. O Death, where is your punishment? O Grave [SHEOL], where is your sting?” (Hosea 13:14 – LXX)

“But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave [SHEOL], for He shall receive me.” (Psalm 49:15)

COMMENT: Is it any wonder why the translators chose not to render the Hebrew word SHEOL as HELL in these two verses?

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (I Corinthians 15:53,54)

“Because the creature itself [that’s us] shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)

PART THREE: A SURE FOUNDATION

GENESIS RELOADED

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the

end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)

Daniel tells us that with the passing of history knowledge would increase, and man would begin to unravel the mysteries of God’s Word. For many years scientists and theologians have been in conflict with one another over one main issue: Is our universe thousands, or billions of years old? Before you are so quick to respond with the pat answer, please consider the following examples from history.

When Christopher Columbus endeavored to sail the Atlantic in search of new lands, there were many that viewed this attempt as a suicide mission. Some believed there were monstrous sea creatures waiting, which would gobble up him and his crew. Others believed that if he ventured too far out into uncharted waters, he would eventually fall off the edge of the earth. That’s right. There were many who once believed that the earth was flat, perhaps because a literal interpretation of Biblical passages that spoke of the ‘four corners’ of the earth (Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1) was adhered to. But thanks to the advances of modern science, we now know that these were merely pagan superstitions, which were believed out of ignorance.

All throughout history, God has raised up various individuals to challenge established systems of belief. One such person was Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), an Italian astronomer and physicist, who actually had the nerve, in defiance of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, to agree with the Copernican model of our solar system – that the earth revolved around the sun. So in 1633, he was dragged off to stand before the Inquisition as a heretic, and was forced to publicly renounce his convictions. What was his crime? He disagreed with the established authorities’ teaching on this matter, plain and simple. This was a dangerous man indeed, an independent thinker armed with a telescope, and he had to be dealt with.

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” – Voltaire (1694-1778), French writer“Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.” – Albert Einstein (1879-1955)Of course, science would later vindicate Galileo, who in 1638 went on to author his Dialogues on the New Science, which forcefully restated his earlier discoveries. But this shows how authority figures are not easily dissuaded from their beliefs, because to admit error is to concede a degree of control. And those in authority do not want to concede control.

“The truth is that Christian theology, like every other theology, is not only opposed to the scientific spirit; it is also opposed to all other attempts at rational thinking.  Not by accident does Genesis 3 make the father of knowledge a serpent – slimy, sneaking and abominable.  Since the earliest days the church as an organization has thrown itself violently against every effort to liberate the body and mind of man. It has been, at all times and everywhere, the habitual and incorrigible defender of bad governments, bad laws, bad social theories, bad institutions.  It was, for centuries, an apologist for slavery, as it was the apologist for the divine right of kings.” – H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist, editor, essayist, linguist, lexicographer, critic “The doctrine of blind obedience and unqualified submission to any human power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, is the doctrine of despotism, and ought to have no place among Republicans and Christians.” – Angelica Grimke (1805-1879) Source: Anti-Slavery Examiner, September 1836The truth is that many do not have the courage, nor do they have the humility, even in the face of an overwhelming amount of evidence, to admit it when they are wrong. People could learn a thing or two from a couple of well-known figures from our past:

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – William ShakespeareIt is high time to reexamine the Genesis story. Thanks to Albert Einstein’s well-tested theory (now a proven, scientific fact) of relativity, there is no longer any reason why science and the Bible should be at odds. In the following video, nuclear physicist Dr. Gerald Schroeder does a nice job of explaining why science and the Bible must agree.

Before continuing with this article, please take the time to view physicist
Dr. Gerald Schroeder’s 77 minute lecture on the six days of creation.
(View in Hi Def)

**NOTE: This video is no longer available online, but DVD copies are free for the asking. Just email me with your contact info: gary_cott@yahoo.com

PART TWO: THE LAW OF RELATIVITY

The word destruction can be found in the Authorized Version, or the King James Bible, a total of 94 times; 82 times in the Old Testament alone. According to Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, this sole English word is used to represent 32 different Hebrew words! It is not my intention to produce a tome on this subject, so I will briefly list some of the meanings of these different Hebrew words.

I hate to have to burst anyone’s bubble (not really), especially all of you “King James Only” advocates out there, but the main point I wish to make here is that, contrary to popular belief, there can be no such thing as a “perfect translation” from one language to another. Despite the best of intentions of any translator, there will inevitably be something that gets lost in the translation. Any etymologist can assure you that this is indeed the case. Otherwise, there is no way you would ever use just one English word to represent 32 different Hebrew words, all of which have slightly different meanings! That being said, and since there are only twelve New Testament examples of the word destruction being used, it is here where I would like to focus our attention.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13,14 – NKJV)

The assertion was made in the article “Hell: Biblical Truth or Pagan Myth?” that the word used here to describe destruction, the Greek word apoleia, can never in its original sense imply “eternal damnation.” The purpose of this study is to hopefully leave no doubt to the reader that this is indeed the case.

STUDY TO SHEW THYSELF APPROVED

For the serious student of God’s Word, an invaluable tool of study to have at your disposal is The Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament, as well as The Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament, by George V. Wigram. These volumes will show you every instance that a certain Greek or Hebrew word is used, verse by verse. By studying in this manner, the Holy Spirit can really open up the original meanings of these words for you.

The word apoleia is used a total of 20 times in the Greek New Testament. In the Authorized Version (King James Bible) it has been rendered by the English word perdition 8 times, destruction 6 times, damnable 2 times, waste 2 times, and by the words die and pernicious ways once each. A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, first published by Oxford University Press in 1916, renders this word to mean destruction, ruin, or loss. According to Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, the word apoleia simply means loss. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance tells us that the word apoleia (G#684) means ruin or loss (physical, spiritual, or eternal): — damnable (-nation), destruction, die, perdition, x perish, pernicious ways, waste.

Now please take note of how closely the various meanings of this word in Strong’s Concordance matches the Authorized Version’s renderings; in fact, they are nearly identical! The fact that the KJV was completed 2 centuries before James Strong was even born leads me to believe that the AV translators were more the authority in determining, at least in this instance, the meaning of the Greek. Now in all fairness to Mr. Strong, I must say that I have never seen an earlier edition concordance in his name, and it is quite possible, even probable that the leaven grew as time passed.

It is also of the utmost importance to note here that many key words in Bibles such as the KJV do not convey the meaning they had when they were written and therefore do not convey the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew. A thorough study of the etymology of the word damn will show that this word no longer conveys the meaning it once had. In sixteen century England it was a legal term simply meaning loss, which would be consistent with the meaning of apoleia, and did not contain the theological overtone we associate with the word today, due in no small part to the religious influence of the church. It is undoubtedly errors such as these, which apparently have come about as a result of a failure of many to “study to show themselves approved” that have contributed to the rise of many of our abhorrent modern translations. The following excerpt is taken from an American Bible Society edition entitled Good News for Modern Man/The New Testament in Today’s English Version.

“Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell, and there are many who travel it. The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and few people find it.” (Matthew 7:13,14)

According to this version, MANY are traveling the wide road that leads to hell, and they dare to call this “Good News for Modern Man?” Contrary to the fundamentalist’s concept of the word hell, it can easily be proven that this word, like the word damn, no longer conveys the meaning it once had as well. If you look in your dictionary for the word hell you will discover that it was derived from the Old High German word helan, which means to conceal. The AV translators probably used the word hell to describe the place of concealment following death, which in 17^th century England would not have been inconsistent with both the Hebrew word Sheol as well as the Greek word Hades. Smith’s Bible Dictionary tells us

“It is clear that in many passages of the Old Testament Sheol can only mean “the grave,” and is so rendered in the A.V. (see, for example, Genesis 37:35, 42:38; I Samuel 2:6; Job 14:13). In other passages, however, it seems to involve a notion of punishment, and is therefore rendered in the A.V. by the word “Hell.” But in many cases this translation misleads the reader. It is obvious, for instance, that Job 11:8; Psalm 139:8; Amos 9:2 (where “hell” is used as the antithesis of “heaven”), merely illustrate the Jewish notions of the locality of Sheol, in the bowels of the earth. In the New Testament the word Hades, like Sheol, sometimes means merely “the grave” (Revelation 20:13; Acts 2:31; I Corinthians 15:55), or in general “the unseen world.” It is in this sense that the creeds say of our Lord, “He went down into hell,” meaning the state of the dead in general, without any restriction of happiness or misery – a doctrine certainly, though only virtually, expressed in Scripture (Ephesians 4:9; Acts 2:25-31).

PART I

APOLEIA = DESTRUCTION

So let us begin our study with the word in question, apoleia. Unless otherwise noted, all passages will be taken from the New King James Version. Besides the example from Matthew 7:13, which was already examined in the article “Hell: Biblical Truth or Pagan Myth?” this word has been rendered as destruction four more times.

1. 1. “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:20-24)

In this passage we can clearly see that God, from the foundation of the world, has prepared both vessels of wrath as well as vessels of mercy. This idea that our loving heavenly Father would create souls in advance for the purpose of endlessly torturing them in literal hellfire is abominable to say the least. The word wrath comes from the Greek word orge (Strong’s G#3709), and means to show anger, wrath, passion, and in this verse has a definite eschatological reference of the divine wrath. As the sovereign Lord over His creation, God has a large purpose that will eventually bring about blessing to all. But in the process of its fulfillment He has chosen to use some (the vessels of wrath) as foils to set forth His indignation and power, that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy.

“For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth.’ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.” (Romans 9:17,18)

Go back and read the Exodus story again. I will challenge anyone to show me where man’s “free will” comes into play here. Pharaoh did not at any time of his own free volition just decide to change his mind about releasing God’s people. Quite to the contrary, it was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart over and over again in order to show His power and to accomplish His purposes.

Concerning the vessels of mercy, Paul writes:

“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth; to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Thessalonians 2:13,14)

The word for chosen (KJV) is the Greek word haireomai (Strong’s G#138), which means to take for oneself, prefer. In John’s gospel Jesus says that

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you…” (John 15:16)

Do you see anything here resembling man’s free will, and his ability to choose Christ?

“So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:16)

The ones upon whom God has showed mercy are not appointed to wrath (see I Thessalonians 5:4-11).

“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13 – KJV)

These are the elect of God; they will pass through the fire (Daniel 3:25), but not be hurt by it (Revelation 2:11).

“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (I Corinthians 11:31 – KJV)

“And whosoever shall fall on this stone [judge himself NOW while in the flesh] shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall [in the lake of fire, at the white throne judgment], it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44 – KJV)

“But when we are [now] judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned [to the great white throne judgment] with the world.” (I Corinthians 11:32 – KJV)

But all of the multitudes that will walk the wide road into the kingdom via destruction do have an appointment with God’s wrath. The wood, hay, and stubble shall be consumed, but they ALL WILL BE SAVED (I Corinthians 3:15)!

1. 2. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18,19)

1. E. Knoch, in his Concordant Commentary on the New Testament, writes:

“The enemies of the cross of Christ are those who, failing to apprehend the significance of His shameful death, still cling to the terrestrial and the physical. The cross of Christ brings before us the manner of His death. It was an ignominious, shameful, malefactor’s death, to which God’s curse was attached. Hence we may avail ourselves of the efficacy of His blood, and yet, by clinging to the world and the flesh, become enemies of His cross.” [And therefore may run the risk of not qualifying for the first resurrection – GC]

And according to this passage in Philippians, their end will be destruction, which means that they will suffer loss, or ruin, but absolutely cannot mean that they will suffer eternal hellfire. How can I be so sure, you might ask? Well, let’s look to the words of Jesus for some insight into how God treats His enemies.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do so? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? (Matthew 5:44-47)

So here we have a set of instructions from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on what He expects from us concerning our behavior toward others, including our enemies. Now would God expect something from us that He would be unwilling to do Himself?

“Therefore you shall be perfect, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT!” (Matthew 5:48 – emphasis added)

Make no mistake about it; ALL enemies of the cross of Christ WILL BE DESTROYED! This does not mean that the man himself will be destroyed; rather it is the attitude of that man which made him an enemy of the cross of Christ in the first place that will be consumed.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” (Proverbs 25:21,22)

It is probable that this passage of Scripture is also describing the method by which God will implement His fiery, tormenting judgment upon all that are called “enemies of the cross of Christ.” Repaying evil with goodness, love and mercy will be the “fire” that shall melt the many hearts of stone and consume all that separates the sinner from his Creator. In the end will come salvation, for EVERY knee shall bow, and EVERY tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!

1. 3. “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be   false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” (II Peter 2:1)

Before I attempt to drive home a point concerning this text, it is necessary to provide some background. In the book of Genesis, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). And the very next verse tells us that God completed this process when it says: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). According to the teaching of fundamental Christianity, man was in perfect union with God until sin entered into the world via the serpent’s deception (Genesis 3). However, there is one big problem with this viewpoint; namely, if man was so “perfect,” then what made him susceptible to sin and deception in the first place? Anyone who really takes the time to search the Scriptures will come to see that Eve, especially, was guilty of sin before she ever partook of the forbidden fruit.

“For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.” (I John 2:16)

Now compare the above verse with the thoughts that were going through Eve’s mind right before she and her husband Adam ate of the fruit:

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6)

Now let’s go back to John and we will gain further insight:

“Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15)

Did you catch that? If ANYONE loves the world, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM! So how could Adam and Eve have been in perfect union with God, when the Scriptures clearly tell us that, according to their thoughts, they were not?

In order to understand this, we need to go back to the statement where it says “God created (past tense) man in His image.” A more accurate rendering of this verse is provided by the Concordant Version of the Old Testament:

“And creating (present tense) is [God] humanity in His image. In the image of [God] He creates it. Male and female He creates them.” (Genesis 1:27)

God has a plan and a purpose for the human race. God is creating (present tense – indicating an ongoing activity) man in His own image. And an integral part of that process is to provide mankind with an experience of both good and evil.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:22)

* Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428 A.D.), who was just one of a significant number of the early church fathers who taught the eventual salvation of all, provides further insight:

“God knew that men would sin in all ways, but permitted this result to come to pass, knowing that it would ultimately be for their advantage. For since God created man when he did not exist, and made him ruler of so extended a system, and offered so great blessings for his enjoyment, it was impossible that He should have not prevented the entrance of sin if He had not known that it would be ultimately for his advantage. Therefore God divided the creation into two states, the present and the future. In the latter He will bring all to immortality and immutability. In the former He gives us over to death and mutability. For if He had made us at first immortal and immutable, we should not have differed from irrational animals, who do not understand the peculiar characteristics by which they are distinguished. For if we had been ignorant of mutability we could not have understood the good of immutability. Ignorant of death, we could not have known the true worth of immortality. Ignorant of corruption, we could not have properly valued incorruption. Ignorant of the burden of sinful passions, we could not have duly exulted in freedom from such passions. In a word, ignorant of an experiment of evils, we should not have been able properly to understand the opposite forms of good.” (Chapter XXV, History of Opinions on the Scriptural Doctrine of Retribution, by Edward Beecher, D.D.)

Fundamental Christianity teaches us that Satan was originally created as the archangel Lucifer, and that at one time he also was in perfect union with God, but because of his pride and rebellion he fell from grace and became the devil. He then convinced one third of God’s angels to join him in this celestial mutiny, which would eventually lead to the corruption of the human race. There is one big problem with this viewpoint, namely, that it contradicts the Scriptures:

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.” (I John 3:8)

This idea that Satan was once in perfect union with God contradicts a clear declaration of our Lord Jesus, for He declared that the devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning!

“By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.” (Job 26:13 – KJV)

“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

Now didn’t we just learn that God made everything, including the devil, and that everything He made was very good?

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7 – KJV)

So we can clearly see that the evil which God has created is serving a large purpose during this present wicked age which will eventually turn out for good! On the contrary, the church would have us all believe that when sin entered into the world, God temporarily lost control of His creation to Satan and was therefore compelled to send a Savior in order to dig mankind out of the mess into which he had fallen. But don’t the Scriptures declare that the Lamb of whom they speak was “slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8)?” In other words, God had a plan from the beginning of creation, the integral part of that plan being the offering up of His only begotten Son. It makes much more sense to believe that God is in control, that He is sovereign, that He had a plan from the foundation of the world, and that everything is going according to plan.

Now let us return to II Peter 2:1. In this passage we have the word apoleia being used twice. Here I want to focus on the first instance, which the KJV renders as “damnable heresies.” According to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, the word damnable means liable to or deserving condemnation, very bad, detestable. The word liable implies a possibility or probability of incurring something because of position, nature, or a particular situation. This present wicked age is being used as the vehicle to make all of God’s creation liable to their Creator. Concerning the teachings of Theodore of Mopsuestia, A Dictionary of Christian Biography tells us that

“Man was created in the former state, his nature being from the first liable to dissolution… The fall therefore did not introduce mortality, but converted the liability into a fact… As our mortality was no afterthought with God, so neither was the sentence of death a vindictive punishment. The present life, with its vicissitudes and probationary trials, is a wholesome discipline, affording room for the exercise of free will and the attainment of goodness, which without our efforts would be destitute of moral worth. Although human nature is free, yet in its present condition of mortality and mutability it is insufficient to conquer the forces of evil without supernatural aid. A new creation is needed to abolish sin and death.

The Day is coming when the “beast” (the old man) and the “false prophet” (all false religious systems) will be destroyed! All will eventually come to the knowledge of the Truth (I Timothy 2:4). Those who are teaching damnable heresies in the Name of our Lord and Savior are being made liable to their Creator, swift destruction (loss; ruin) will come upon them, and they WILL repent and give glory to God!

“But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the LORD one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that ALL come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:8,9)

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (II Corinthians 4:16)

1. 4. “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” (II Peter 3:14-16)

According to Peter, untaught and unstable people will inevitably twist the Scriptures to their own destruction. Now allow the Word of God to enlighten you as to exactly what it means to be “taught” concerning the things of the Spirit. You may be in for a bit of a surprise!

In Acts 3 we are given the account of Peter and John healing the lame man at the gate of the temple, which caused the people who had witnessed it to glorify God. But when they started to preach in the temple the Name of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, this did not bode well with the Sadducees, due to the fact that they did not believe in any doctrine of a resurrection. The next day they were brought before the rulers, elders and scribes, as well as the high priest.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 – KJV)

The word for unlearned is the Greek word agrammatos (Strong’s G#62), and means unlettered or illiterate; while the word for ignorant is the Greek word idiotes (Strong’s G#2399), obviously from which we derive our modern English word idiot. So here we have, according to the most literal rendering of the Greek language, a couple of “illiterate idiots” standing up to the most learned men in all the land and speaking in a Spirit and with an eloquence that made them all marvel. God does indeed choose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise (I Corinthians 1:27). And since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (literally: for the ages), He still chooses the foolishness of this world to confound the wise!

So what does the Spirit intend to show us from this account? There is obviously a very important place for learning and study, and I do not in any way desire to minimize the importance of it. But God’s ultimate Truth can only come to us via divine revelation. In Matthew’s gospel we are given the following account as an example:

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said to him, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’” (Matthew 16:13-17)

So the knowledge of Christ’s divine nature did not come to Peter from any human source, but from above. God chooses to reveal the Truth to those whom He will for His purposes. And Peter later speaks of this elect calling in his epistle:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (I Peter 2:9,10)

Once again, we see that God has from the beginning taken for Himself His special people, upon whom for His reasons He chooses to have mercy. And unless you have been granted the Spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear God’s Truth, you will ever be like the former group to which Peter refers:

“They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.” (I Peter 2:8)

I am sure that many of the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day were fine, upstanding people with nothing but the best of intentions. Many were undoubtedly very dedicated in their zeal to serve God, and spent a lifetime studying the Scriptures. Saul of Tarsus was one of the most learned men in all the land, zealous to serve God, and blameless under the law (Philippians 3:3-6). But after our Lord met him on the road to Damascus and immersed him in the True Light of His Spirit, all that he had before learned he now considered as “dung.” I spent years studying eschatology and reading what the most educated and knowledgeable men of our day had to say on the subject, and for a period of time really thought that I knew something. Turns out that I really didn’t know much of anything, and like the apostle Paul, I now consider the majority of what I had learned before as worthless. True discernment of the Scriptures comes from above, and no amount of personal study can ever take its place. Unless God has chosen to reveal unto you the things of the Spirit, then you will inevitably twist the Scriptures to your own destruction, despite your good intentions.

“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39)

And just as it was in the past, so it also is in our day (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11). We have in place a whole religious infrastructure that is by the millions leading people to their destruction (ruin). How can I be so sure, you might ask? I will let the Scriptures be the authority concerning this matter.

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (I Corinthians 1:10)

Now, do we have an undivided Christian church that is “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment?” Of course we don’t; instead, there are hundreds, if not thousands of different denominations and “cults” all claiming to have the real truth! But God’s Word is emphatic in telling us that

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6)

According to the Scriptures, there is but ONE true faith and ONE true body of believers! IF this is true, and I believe that it is, then it would probably be safe to assume that the rest are impostors.

“For among My people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as one who sets snares; they set a trap; they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich.” (Jeremiah 5:26,27)

We can read in Matthew 23 the account of Jesus pronouncing judgment upon the scribes and Pharisees of His day. And since Ecclesiastes 1 tells us that history will always repeat itself, that there is nothing new under the sun, then Jesus’ words are still applicable. Read Matthew 23 in light of what is happening in the church today, especially on what is called Christian television. Tune in to TBN just about any time of the night or day, and I will guarantee that within 5 or 10 minutes you will see some slick, smooth talker either trying to sell you something or attempting to manipulate your emotions in order to extort money from you.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” (Matthew 23:14)

Once again we have further confirmation that Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for worldly people than it will be for all of the religious leaders who are leading the multitudes astray. According to Jesus, they are the ones who will receive the greater condemnation.

“They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” (II Peter 2:15)

“The story of Balaam (Numbers 22-25) shows the fearful lengths to which men will go for reward, even in the face of divine displeasure. They are lower than brute beasts in their rejection of God’s revealed will, if it leads to preferment or pecuniary [monetary] advantage.” – A. E. Knoch; Concordant Commentary on the New Testament

Now, do you still think anything has changed?

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” (I Timothy 4:1,2)

The ultimate “doctrine of demons” that has infested the church and is now spreading worldwide thanks to Christian missionaries is this idea that unless you pray some “sinner’s prayer,” get baptized and speak in tongues, our loving heavenly Father will end up torturing you in literal hellfire for ever and ever and ever and ever…

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much the son of hell (Gehenna) as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15)

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven [referring to the way of life via the first resurrection] against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matthew 23:13)

Now do you still really truly believe that things have changed for the better? If so, then chances are very good that you have not been given the “eyes that see and the ears that hear” the Truth in this present wicked age. But don’t worry,

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have ALL men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:3-6 – KJV – emphasis added)

In due time, ALL WILL come to the knowledge of the Truth! May God’s Name be praised forever!

* ENDNOTE: Theodorus of Mopsuestia, as well as Origen and a host of many other early church fathers, believed in the eventual salvation of all mankind (I Corinthians 15:20-28). It is important to note here that this was the prevailing belief of most of early Christianity during the first five centuries. It wasn’t until the middle of the sixth century that this doctrine was officially declared anathema, that coming via imperial decree from the Emperor Justinian. This declaration would give birth to the dark ages where the church was to be used as the vehicle to suppress the truth to give the empire firm social, political and economic control of its citizens. For a more in depth look at the history of this be sure to avail yourself of the following resources on our homepage:

Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church

During its First Five Hundred Years, by J.W. Hanson, D.D.

History of Opinions on the Scriptural Doctrine

of Retribution, by Edward Beecher, D.D.

Comments/Questions?

Part 2 | Part 3

THE DAVINCI CODE-BREAKING HYPOCRITES

On a big sign in front of a church where I had visited several months ago read the words “Cracking the Koran,” which was a two-part series exposing the evils of Islam. Ever since the “supposed” attack by radical Islamic fundamentalists on September 11, 2001, this has been the hot topic among the conservative Christian community.

Now the Evangelical Christian community is currently up at arms with the recent release of Ron Howard’s new blockbuster movie The DaVinci Code. The Christian marketplace is being saturated with books, tracts, DVD’s, and other materials which expose this heresy. In my own community, churches are organizing workshops in order to inform their parishioners how to witness to all of those poor “lost souls” who may otherwise be taken in by this deception.

Of course, this is nothing new. Approximately 2o years ago, another blasphemous movie, The Last Temptation of Christ, was met with similar types of opposition. Back then, church groups banded together and formed picket lines outside of movie theaters, and tried to discourage movie-goers from seeing this movie. Products that were involved in the sponsorship of this movie were even boycotted by some.

And on her new tour, the practicing Kabbalist Madonna has now been seen in a parody of the crucifixion, in front of a back-lit cross and wearing a crown of thorns. I can only imagine the backlash of self-righteous indignation that surely awaits her.

All of these examples serve to remind me of these words that were spoken by our Savior to the religious leaders of His day approximately 2,000 years ago:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27,28 – New International Version)

Ecclesiastes 1 tells us that history will repeat itself; that there is nothing new under the sun. And just as it was in Jesus’ day, so it is in our day. The churches are led by:

“Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23:24)

Today’s Christian leaders, who are so worried about their Lord and Savior being cast in a less than positive light by worldly people who are out to make a fast buck, should first concern themselves with cleaning up their own house.

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

Today’s Evangelical Christian community does indeed go to great lengths to point out everything that is wrong with what others are doing and saying about Jesus Christ. And yet they are the ones who are committing the ultimate blasphemy by teaching that our merciful and loving heavenly Father will burn all unrepentant sinners in a mythical place called “hell” for all eternity!

Quite ironic, isn’t it? They are the ones who have truly SWALLOWED THE CAMEL!

NOTE: Most of the following research was compiled by a fellow believer, who, for personal reasons, has chosen not to have his name affiliated with this site.

Walk up to almost any church of any denomination in any nation on earth, and it immediately distinguishes itself from all other kinds of buildings. First, you might notice near the highway or on the sidewalk, a marquee with a name such as, Church of the Nazarene, or First Baptist Church, or Our Lady Catholic Church. These unique buildings we call churches have many things in common, not the least of which is the designation of the word “church” itself. What does the word “church” mean, and from where did it come? The Scriptures? No. The word “church” is neither Hebrew nor Greek, so when these languages were translated into English Bibles, the word church was already in existence.

The word “church” found in most (not all) Bibles is translated from the Greek word “ekklesia,” and it means “called out ones.” The word “church” is defined in most dictionaries as: “A building for public worship, especially Christian worship; the company of all Christians as a spiritual body.” This, however, tells us nothing concerning the origin of this word and its original definition, meaning, and usage. Some theologians have erroneously stated that the word church comes from the Greek “kyrios” which means “lord,” and thus “church” is those who belong to the Lord, or references the “Lord’s house.” This is not, however, the origin or original meaning of the word “church.”

“Church” is a very early English word that means “circle” (the shape of a circle), while the Greek word translated “church” is “ekklesia” and means “called out ones,” and more properly answers to the English words: congregation, assembly or group.

In Acts 19:32 ekklesia refers to a riotous mob. And ekklesia is never applied to a building for worship. Furthermore, there can be only one “Lord’s House,” and that was the temple in Jerusalem, only. Local congregations and synagogues or assembly halls were never designated “The Lord’s House.”

“Bethel” is the word for “Lord’s House” in Hebrew. Yet, this “Lord’s House” became an abomination to the Lord, along with all other such “Lord’s houses.”

“For the saying that he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass… Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places… And this thing became SIN unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth” (I Kings 13:32-34).

And so, in rebelling to God’s commands, “Bethels” were built throughout the land. And just as Israel continually looked to the heathen for their religious practices (see Jeremiah 10:1-5, for example), so did the heathens borrow from Israel. These “Bethels” or “houses of the Lord” became popular among the heathens. Bethels were being built throughout Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. They usually used the Greek spelling “baetyls,” but they were the same high, religious places of worship, which God condemned. So even if a “Bethel” was a “house of the Lord,” it was still condemned by God. Here are the historical facts regarding the word “Bethel” [From the Dictionary of Proper Names and Places in the Bible, by O. Odelain and R. Seguineau, Doubleday & Company, 1981]:

The word Bethel literally means “House of God,” and was the name of a town about 17 km north of Jerusalem on the road to Shechem. Bethel was also the name of a Canaanite deity venerated at Bethel. In the ancient world Bethel is one of the camping places of Abraham and Jacob. From there Abraham sees the land God is giving him. It is also here where the dream of “Jacob’s ladder” occurs, and where God later appears to Jacob. Thus Bethel becomes a sanctuary of the patriarchs. Along with Ai, it is one of the first towns conquered by Joshua. Later, in the ninth century the town is the residence of a brotherhood of prophets centered around Elijah and Elisha. It also becomes for the Northern Kingdom the national center of worship, with its golden calf, “the sin of Jeroboam.” Amos pronounces God’s judgment upon this cult (Amos 3:13-15; 5:4-7), and is expelled from Bethel by the priest Amaziah. Hosea waxes ironical about Bethel, the “House of God,” that it has become Beth-aven (Hosea 5:8; 10:5), which means “the house of nothingness (or iniquity).” Josiah’s religious reform affects Bethel, where these altars and high places are destroyed (see II Kings 23:15-20).

Now concerning the word “church,” Professor Smith of Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible states that “church” comes from a word meaning “circle,” which is akin to our word “circus.” Professor Lipsius (German theologian during the Reformation) also shows that “church” came from “circle.” Professor A. F. Fausett of Home Bible Study Dictionary” agrees with Professor Lipsius. The exhaustive ten volume Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature under the word “church” states that:

“It was probably connected with the Latin circus, circulus, and with the Greek kuklos. Lipsius, who was the first to reject the received tradition, was probably right in his suggestion” (Vol. II, p. 322).

Robert Brown’s work The Myth of Kirke” also confirms that “kirke” (church) means “Circle” or “Circular” (p. 22).

Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, under the entry “church” adds this:

“The etymology of this word is generally assumed to be from the Greek, kurious oikos (house of God); but this is most improbable, as the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long before the introduction of the Greek. No doubt the word means ‘a circle.’ The places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always circular [witness circular Stonehenge, one of the most ancient stone megaliths on earth]. Compare Anglo-Saxon ‘circe,’ a small church, with ‘circol,’ a circle.”

In Scotland it is called “Kirk” and in Gemany it is “Kirche,” in England it is the word “Circe” (the “c” having a “k” sound).

But according to Brown’s book, “Kirke/Circe” was also the name of a Goddess.

Kirke or Circe was the daughter of the Sun god, who was famous for taming wild animals for her circus. But get ready for this: Circe is pictured holding a golden cup in her hand mixed with wine and drugs, by which she controlled the kings of the world. Now where have we heard that before?

“And the woman [always the symbol for a church/kirke] was arrayed in purple and scarlet color [these colors symbolize wealth and high position], and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:4).

What else are we told is in the golden cup of this church?

“…the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Verse 2).

But there is something else. Remember that Brown above also mentions drugs along with wine. Is our lady church of Revelation 17:4-5 “MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” also involved in DRUGS?

Notice what Revelation 18:23 lists among her many abominations:

“…for the merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorceries were all nations deceived.”

Just what are these “sorceries?”

The Greek word translated “sorceries” in this verse is pharmakeia. Dr. Strong’s first definition of this word is “medicine.” Our words “pharmacy” and “pharmaceutical” (DRUGS) are derived from this word. This harlot church peddles spiritual DRUGS to the world! And so, clearly this pagan goddess Kirke not only stamps Christian religions of the world with her name: “Kirke, Kirche, Church,” but also she is the Mystery Babylonian Harlot Church of Revelation 17 and 18. This Church has committed spiritual fornication among the leaders of the world, and has caused the inhabitants of the world to be made drunk and drugged by the contents of her golden cup.

What about you? Are you yet so drugged and drunk on this Harlot Church that you cannot see to walk the straight and narrow way of Christ, which leads to life?

ADDENDUM

This brief synopsis of the word “church” is in no way meant to be an indictment toward the many wonderful people who attend churches. Lord only knows how much worse the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims would have been if it weren’t for the generosity of the area churches, who met many personal needs where government agencies such as FEMA and the Red Cross failed. I am confident that our Lord Jesus will remember good deeds such as these on Judgment Day. But good deeds alone will not qualify one for first-resurrection status (see Matthew 7:21-23).

First of all, those who worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. They must proclaim Christ as Savior of the world, and believe that He will indeed SAVE the world!

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe [that He is the Savior of ALL men, and that He will INDEED SAVE ALL MEN]. These things command and teach. (I Timothy 4:9-11)

These are the things that our Lord commands His laborers to teach concerning Him. Now how many church pastors do you know of that are doing this? Instead, most believe and teach that our heavenly Father will cast the majority of mankind away into a fiery furnace for all eternity. Because of this erroneous teaching, they lead their flocks astray (see Jeremiah 50:6). The way to life [via the first resurrection] is indeed a narrow one.

Secondly, those who take a stand for the Truth (Jesus) must be willing to do so even in the face of violent opposition. Remember these sobering words of our Lord:

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘ A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:18-20)

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (II Timothy 3:12)

For some, this may even mean being forsaken by the members of one’s own household:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth… For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39)

Christ will become top priority to those who wish to find the narrow way that leads to age-abiding life. Not everyone will be able to make that type of a commitment. This is why Christ tells us to “count the cost” of following Him (see Luke 14:26-33).

And finally, Christ makes it clear that it is the one who endures to the end who will be saved [or attain to age-abiding life] (see Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13). But those who have been appointed to walk the difficult to find narrow road can take heart:

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

You will notice that it is God who began the work, and it is God who completes it!

“Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38,39)

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)