Blessings…
Gary Cottongim

(EXCERPTS FROM HELL: BIBLICAL TRUTH OR PAGAN MYTH?)

Jesus made some puzzling remarks while pronouncing judgment upon the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida:

“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)

Now I don’t know about you, but I have always been under the assumption that the city of Sodom, like its sister city of Gomorrah, were two of the most vile and morally depraved communities that have ever existed. If there were ever a group of people that deserved to be damned for all eternity, then surely these people filled the bill. But Jesus says that their judgment will be “more tolerable” than that of Chorazin and Bethsaida. How can this be? Only one way – that the time of judgment, contrary to the teaching of orthodox Christianity, does not last forever!

“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)

The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, or Gehenna, is famous chiefly for the abominable religious practices of the Israelites who there “built the high place of Tophet” to burn their sons and daughters in honor of the pagan god Molech (II Chronicles 28:3, 33:6). Changed into a public refuse dump and permanent place for burning, this accursed place, “the hell of fire where their worm does not die nor their fire go out,” 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 now 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.

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

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 the doctrine of future endless torments came. 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. But 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. And 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, and subject to the same social influences. The only difference between them is precisely the point in debate – the Pharisees believe the doctrine of future endless punishment, and the Sadducees deny 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 now return to the conclusion already stated: 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!

(A): Though Paul never used the word “hell” anywhere in his epistles, there are several places where warnings of “falling short” of the kingdom of God are given:

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9)

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” ( Galatians 5:19-21)

First of all, it should be understood that Paul is not addressing the heathen in either of these two letters; rather, he is addressing those who claim to be believers:

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified (set apart) in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…” (I Corinthians 1:2)

“To the churches of Galatia…” (Galatians 1:2)

Anyone who takes an open-minded and honest look at I Corinthians 15:20-28 will come to see that the apostle Paul clearly understood that it has always been God’s intention to bring all fallen creatures into a right relationship with their Creator:

“…having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him.” (Ephesians 1:9,10)

So Paul cannot be speaking of massively large groups of sinners who will be entirely left out of God’s kingdom; rather, the issue here in which Paul is addressing involves one of inheritance. The word “inherit” which is used in these passages of Scripture comes from the Greek word kleronomeo (Strong’s #G2816) and strictly means “to receive by lot,” and then, in a more general sense, “to possess oneself of, to receive as one’s own, to obtain” [Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words]. In other words, Paul is speaking of the right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth, or a “birthright.” Those who have been predestined (or chosen) to receive the age-enduring promises will inherit God’s kingdom as true sons and joint-heirs via the first resurrection. This is the difficult to find “narrow road” of which Jesus spoke. All others will travel the “wide road” into the kingdom via the second resurrection. [For a more detailed analysis of this, see the articles Hell: Biblical Truth or Pagan Myth? as well as the series of articles on the word Destruction.]

There are multitudes of individuals today who have been “set apart” in Christ, or called, to be saints. However, Christ Himself made it very clear that “many are called, but FEW are chosen.” According to Paul, God’s will for mankind (I Timothy 2:4) is a mystery (Ephesians 1:9) which has been “made known” to but a select few. The majority of the “called,” thanks largely to the misleading doctrines that are prevalent within orthodox Christianity, have had their eyes blinded to these truths by “the god of this age” (II Corinthians 4:4). God’s chosen few will come to recognize the errors within the church system and separate themselves from it. (See II Corinthians 6:14-20; Revelation 18:4,5)

(B): The phrase “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction (without remedy) from the presence of the Lord” (II Thessalonians 1:9 – NKJV) would be more accurately rendered as “age-abiding” (Greek: aionian) punishment, always for the purpose of correction.

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