My Take On Matthew Chapter 24 - Part 2

For Part 1 Click Here

Before I continue where I left off I want to say something about scripture in general and as we read through Matthew 24 I will apply it to what Jesus was saying.

I believe scripture have can have multiple layers.  By that I don't mean that scripture can mean different things to different people.  God didn't give us the bible so everybody could have their own interpretations.  Jesus and His disciples quoted the Old Testament many times.  Whenever they do it is always quoted because it means something specific.  For example in Matthew 26:31 Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7.  He tells us Zechariah 13:7 was referring to His upcoming capture and crucifixion, saying the disciples will be afraid to admit they are His followers and will flee the scene.  Here are the verses.

Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd [Jesus] , and against the man that is my fellow [His followers] , saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

Matthew 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them [His disciples], All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

After Jesus quotes Zechariah do you know what He does NOT do?  He doesn't say "Well, that's what this verse means to Me, but if it means something else to you that's okay because the bible can mean different things to different people."  In fact not once can you find an example in the bible of Jesus or anybody else quoting scripture then saying "that's what it means to me... but if means something different to you that's fine..."  Yet the devil has convinced millions of Christians to think scripture can mean whatever personally works for them. 

As I said earlier I do believe scripture can have multiple layers.  The obvious meaning will be at the surface but there can be more to it on a deeper level.  So perhaps one could say Matthew 26:31 also applies to Christians throughout the centuries who become afraid to declare they follow Jesus because of the consequences.  An example could be at work fearing to say homosexuality is a sin because it might cost you your job.  Or even keeping silent about believing in Jesus because your peers at school will laugh at you.  After all scripture says "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9) so if followers of Christ denied Him out of fear then, there's no reason to say they won't do it now.  But what we want to avoid is twisting scripture so it means something out of context or doesn't build upon the basic meaning.  One verse cannot mean two totally different things.  Take this next verse for example:

Psalm 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Some heretics like Kenneth Copeland claim it is saying we are all powerful deities, we are literally "gods" not just mortal men.  But is that really what it is saying?  Read it in context and you will see when it says "Ye are gods" it really means we are God's children, we are God's property, not that we are gods/deities ourselves.  If you think I'm wrong and agree with Copeland's interpretation so be it but at the very least I hope you don't think both interpretations are true.  The notion that bible verses can mean two totally different, contradictory things needs to be put to rest.  When scripture has multiple layers the deeper meaning has to build upon the foundation of the surface level meaning.  It cannot mean something else entirely.

Part 1 covered Matthew 24 up to verse 14 so let's continue starting with verse 15.

Matthew 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Matthew 24:16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Matthew 24:17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Matthew 24:18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Matthew 24:19  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Matthew 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

In Daniel chapter 7 four dominent empires, referred to as kingdoms, are spoken of.  These kingdoms are symbolized as beasts; "... The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth..." (Daniel 7:23) and it represents the Roman Empire, who along with apostate Jews killed Jesus.  Rome is (RED LETTERS) "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" was Jesus warned about.  The pagan Roman Empire surrounded "the holy place"  (verse 15) Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD.  The Romans didn't immediately attack the city when they first surrounded it.  The Jews who heeded the warning Jesus had given took advantage of the Rome's tarrying and fled the city.  According to the Jewish historian Josephus, 1.1 million Jews who remained were killed in the ensuing combat and famine.

The reason Jesus said "pray ye that your flight be not... on the sabbath day" is because the city was surrounded by a wall and the gates were closed on the Sabbath to prevent traveling merchants from coming in and attempting to do business on the Sabbath day.  [As an aside, this proves the Sabbath was not abolished at the cross as some people claim and it also proves the Sabbath isn't any day you personally choose either, as others claim.]  Having the gates closed not only kept people out but it also locked people in.  That's why Jesus said to pray you didn't have to flee that day... because you were trapped inside the city!  At any rate, praise God that the Jews who followed Jesus knew they were surrounded by "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" and fled to safety when they still could. 

As with other verses I think that Matthew 24:15 has multiple layers, and will also apply it to the end time church.  The pagan Roman Empire collapsed and was taken over pseudo-Christian papal Rome, ruled not by the Caesar's but by the papacy, currently led by Pope Francis.  The Roman Catholic Church I believe is "Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth" (Revelation 17:5).  Whether or not Francis will be the last pope I don't know, but Rome was the abomination of desolation then... and still is today.  I believe they will attempt to trap the people of God again, not in one lone city, but wherever God's true followers are worldwide.  As Matthew 24:15 says "whoso readeth, let him understand" the people who have eyes that see and ears that here will flee before Rome (who gets their power and great authority from Satan) captures and kills them (Revelation 13:2).  They will be coming after Sabbath keepers soon, the saints "that keep the commandments of God [thereby rejecting the traditions of man and the church] , and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12).

Since I believe the warning "pray ye that your flight be not... on the Sabbath day" is or can be multi-layered then it could also apply to the end time church.  So it seems logical to me the antichrist will have some type of plan to trap people on the Sabbath day.  What specifically that trap might be I have no idea but Jesus didn't warn us for nothing so I will be vigilant.  Our adversaries not only have modern day technology to use against us but Satan's demons will be working alongside with them so I'm sure they think their plans to attack us will succeed.  But we have the assurance of God that "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17).  So we shall "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:9).

Matthew 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

When Rome surrounded Jerusalem in 70 AD 1.1 million Jews were killed while the number who fled and survived was only in the thousands.  Certainly a great tribulation period for them.  During the period of history known as the Dark Ages Europe the Roman Catholic Church was responsible for the deaths of over 100 million Christians who rejected Catholic authority.  This period was primarily the 5th to 15th centuries but their violence and hatred against bible-believing Christians continues to this day, only well-hidden beneath a veneer of peace.  So the tribulation is ongoing.  And now while lukewarm Christianity is joining hands with Catholic church, they are preparing to unleash the worst tribulation period for true Christians the world will ever see.  And most Christians won't see it coming because they are expecting an Islamic antichrist.  The "iron" empire Daniel warned of in Daniel chapter 2 is Rome. The fourth beast - the one with iron teeth - of Daniel chapter 7 is Rome.   Rome is "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" Jesus warned about... not Islam.  Islam is the brilliant deception Satan raised up to take our eyes off the real threat.

Matthew 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Now just because Isaiah said no weapons formed against us shall prosper doesn't mean many of us won't be imprisoned or killed during this period of great tribulation.  Revelation 20:4 tells us some of God's people will be "beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God. "  And we know it's speaking of the end times because the same verse tells us this will happen at the mark of the beast is being enforced.  Ultimately we need not be afraid because Jesus commands us to "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).  If you die in this life but keep your salvation that is what matters.  The goal of Satan and his followers is to cause us to lose out on receiving our eternal crowns of glory so they will use every weapon at their disposal to achieve that goal, be it spiritual or physical.  But remember Matthew 10:22, 24:13 & Mark 13:13 assure us as long as we keep the faith "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." 

Matthew 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Matthew 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Jesus is warning us to not be fooled by miracles.  This reminds of Deuteronomy 13:1-3:

Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deuteronomy 13:2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Deuteronomy 13:3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

In other words, if a prophet or visionary promises you a miracle and it comes to pass... but he preaches "another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted" (2 Corinthians 11:4), you shall not hearken to the words of that false prophet or visionary.  God allowed the false miracle to take place (or He did it Himself) just to test you, to prove whether you will believe Him or the lies.  In Matthew Jesus warns at the time of the end the miracles of these false prophets will be so spectacular even the very elect, those with the most wisdom and best discernment will be tempted to believe them.

Matthew 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.
Matthew 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Matthew 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Rome is Mystery Babylon and the pope is "that man of sin [to] be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) whom the world will bow down to after the churches fall away into apostasy.  I believe every pope who has lived was and is an antichrist for there are "many antichrists" (1 John 2:18) but I do believe the final antichrist will be Satan himself staging a fake Second Coming of Christ, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). 

Now maybe you disagree with my beliefs.  Maybe you think I'm wrong about the papacy, maybe you think it'll be an Islamic antichrist or some other suspect.  Fair enough.  But I hope one thing you and I can agree on is this; what Jesus says in Matthew 24:23-28 can prevent you from being fooled by the false second coming of Christ  no matter who it is.  Jesus says "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not" and "if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not."  Now in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Paul tells us when Jesus returns "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  When people say Jesus is here or there but you haven't been caught up in the clouds to meet Him in the air, then it's a lie!  Jesus will be in the air "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."  Amen!!!  Oh and everybody who does not meet the Lord in the air will be dead.  Paul says after Jesus claims His people the fate of the rest of the world is "sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and Jesus confirms this in Matthew 24:28 when He says "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." 

If you read the bible and still fall for these deceptions it is unfortunate.  At the real Second Coming you are either alive in the air with the real Jesus or down here dead.  The sad thing is millions of Christians will fall for the lie "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10).  Let's look at two more verses which proves this to be the case:

Matthew 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Jesus said "all the tribes of the earth... shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds".  After we see Him we either go up with Him or die.  So when Christians end up believing He is in the desert or the secret chambers or here or there it is because they listen to false teachers rather than study the bible for themselves.

I'll finish up my take on Matthew chapter 24 in Part 3 of this study.  As for what you've read so far I hope and pray you've been blessed by it.  Love you.  Amen.

My Take On Matthew Chapter 24 - Part 1

I'm going to through the entire chapter of Matthew 24 and share a few thoughts about it as we read along.

Matthew 24:1  And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Matthew 24:2  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Jesus was talking about the upcoming destruction of the 2nd Temple which was to happen a few decades after He spoke those words.  On the surface He was talking about the  physical building being destroyed but in scripture there are often many layers to be uncovered.  I think there is a spiritual lesson here as well.  Today we tend to think of a church as a building.  You drive by it during the week and think to yourself "there is my church."  But a church (ekklesia in the original New Testament Greek) is really an assembly or gathering of Gods people whether you are surrounded by four walls or out in an open field.  Now notice in verse 1 Christ's disciples follow Him out of the building in which Jesus had been speaking.  Jesus then continues to teach them outside the building, telling them the building itself is irrelevant and will be destroyed.  Likewise as believers we must remember that the buildings we meet in today are not "the church" but we are the church.  We are only part of the true body of Christ when we following Him outside the building and let Him teach us wherever we are.  If the only time you spend with Jesus is an hour or two every week at "church" then you really aren't part of THE church.

Matthew 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matthew 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Verse 24:4 is the most important warning in the entire chapter.  Jesus goes on to forewarn of many things which can get us killed but those things won't cost us our salvation.  However being deceived by false prophets just might cost you everything.

Matthew 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

He says to "see that ye be not troubled" by these things you cannot control.  What should you be troubled by?  Deception by false prophets and false Christs.  Why should those things concern you?  Because you can do something about it!  You can learn to spot false prophets and study the truths of the bible to prevent from being deceived.  In verse 7 Jesus continues to foretell of things we will not be able to prevent.  There's nothing wrong with keeping track of these things but we should focus on the preventable things.

The key to remember about these warnings is that they are a mixture of things we can and cannot prevent.  You have the ability to prevent yourself from being deceived... but it takes due diligence.  Are you in the word daily?  Or are you only in the word at church once a week?  And do you actually follow Jesus wherever He leads you or only when He leads you where you want to go?  2 Timothy 4:3-4 says "For the time will come when they [people who profess to be followers of Christ] will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."  Why?  Because they only follow Jesus when it makes them happy to do so. That type of mindset is preventable... and if any of us have that problem right now the good news is the Holy Spirit can change us; He can and will lead us into all truth if we surrender our will to Him. 

As for the wars, the disasters and the diseases we shouldn't think it our place to stop these things from happening.  Jesus specifically said these things must happen so preventing these things is not an option. 

Matthew 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matthew 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Okay so we cannot stop these things from happening.  But is praying for God to slow them down for the sake of bringing more non-believers into the assembly an option?  I think so.  And also to give the lost sheep, those who profess to be believers but are straying from the path, more time to repent.  But make no mistake, the Lord will not spare a people who reject Him once their cup of iniquity has overflowed.  I'm an American by birth, but my loyalty is to God by the rebirth He offers me through the blood of Jesus.  Whatever past claims this country had to being a Christian are irrelevant.  The United States has long since ceased to be a Christian nation and even though it will make people angry, I'm placing the blame squarely on the church.  If that angers you let me ask you a few questions.  Do you think this country was ever really a Christian nation?  I do although we have always had our flaws.  If you say "no I don't think this was ever really a Christian nation" then you have no reason be upset.  But if you say "yes I think this country was (or still is) a Christian nation" then I have a couple more questions.  Do you think as a society we have been dumbed down spiritually?  Morally?  Politically?  Do you think the education system in this country has been dumbed down?  If you said yes to any of those I have one final question.  How can you dumb down a Christian nation unless you dumb down Christianity first?  Sorry if it angers you, but the if the church in general was doing its job this country would not be in the state of decay it is in now.

Remember when Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city of Sodom (see Genesis 18:20-33).  Because his nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom, Abraham asked the Lord to spare that city if at least 50 righteous people could be found living there.  Abraham eventually talked the Lord into sparing Sodom if only 10 righteous people could be found.  Did He find 10?  No, so "the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24) and I have no doubt the United States has the same fate coming, along with the rest of the world.  Jesus said the world in the end times would be "as it was in the days of Noe [Noah] (Luke 17:26).  Genesis 6:5 tells us it was like this; "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."  And throughout the bible we are told though the number of God's people (the number of professed believers) will be as the sands of the sea of the sea, only a remnant shall be saved.  A lot of people will verbally claim Jesus is Lord, but for most their hearts are actually quite far from Him.  In the grand scheme of things there won't be enough truly Godly people in this country to prevent the USA from the same fate as Sodom.   Now obviously the bible isn't exclusively for Americans so you can say the same thing about any other country of course.  The very next verse in Matthew 24 says Christians in all nations will be afflicted.  In fact verses 9 and 10 below continue to foretell of things that are going to happen which we cannot prevent, so we shouldn't think it is our duty to prevent these things.  It is our duty to be spiritually strong in Christ so that when they happen we keep the faith because as verse 13 below tells us only those who "shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."  So now let's read verses 9 through 14.

Matthew 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matthew 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matthew 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matthew 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matthew 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Verse 9; we can't do anything about it.  It's going to happen.

Verses 10 and 11; these things will also not be stopped... but you can prevent yourself from being one of those betrayers who hates one another.  And you can take heed that those false prophets do not deceive you. 

Verse 12; we can't stop it.

Verses 13 and 14; you can be one who endures to the end & you can be one who preaches the gospel. 

This pattern continues throughout the chapter.  My prayer for us all is that we don't focus to much on the things we cannot stop, but will be diligent about the things we can prevent.  I'm not saying it's wrong to pay attention to the unpreventable things just don't obsess over them.  The church isn't going to stop earthquakes or any other natural disasters from happening.  You won't stop floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, meteor's or whatever else comes along but you can help bring people to Christ before they die in one of these types of disasters.  And you can help people learn to identify and avoid false prophets too. 

Keep in mind you can only help people who are willing to listen to reason; most will reject the truth so don't try to force it on people.  Focus on people who want to learn the truth, not on those who only want to easy way out.  Sad as it to say, most Christians will fall into the latter category.  Read verses 9 through 11 again.  But before you do keep two things in mind:

#1) Jesus said in John 16:2 "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."  Jesus is telling us our fellow Christians are going to be the ones attacking us.

#2) No matter how popular the belief is that the greatest threat against Christianity is Islam, with an Islamic antichrist coming up against us one day, the truth is Islam is nothing but a deception from Satan to distract us from the fact that the bible is really warning us about a false Christian antichrist. Look at what the apostle John tells us in 1 John 2:18-19.  John points out there are many antichrists even back then when he wrote it, but take note the antichrist's he warns of come from us.  Notice verse 19 John uses the word us 5 times.  Who is us?  This is from a letter to Christians so obviously us means the Christian church. He's driving the point home to be on the lookout for a Christian antichrist, not an Islamic one!!!

1 John 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

Now do see why Jesus said "Take heed that no man deceive you" and "many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many"?   Think about it.  There is nothing deceptive whatsoever about Muslims openly declaring they want to kill Christians, yet millions of Christians are convinced Islam is the great end time threat we face.  Nope, they are the red herring Satan raised up so false prophets in the Christian church can point the finger at them.  The ones who "shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you" are going to be deceived Christians who think they are doing God a service because they are going to think real Christians are the heretics, not them.  They are going to think because you don't bow down to "the church" then you are the reason God's wrath is coming upon them and the world.  These deceived Christians are going to think they have to kill us "heretics" in order to appease God so He will end the worldwide calamities.  Again Jesus said to let "no man deceive you" and their is nothing even remotely deceptive about Muslims openly declaring they want to kill Christians... so don't be deceived into thinking they are who the bible is talking about.  Antichrist will be a fake Christian leader who along with his fake Christian false prophets convinces lukewarm Christians to kill real God-fearing Christians.  When you read Matthew 24:9-11 that is what Jesus was warning about!!!

Brothers and sisters I pray you are not angry with me for saying these things.  Christians must get themselves prepared spiritually for what is coming.  Will terrorist attacks against Christians by Muslims increase as time progresses?  I'm sure they will and I'm not looking forward to it.  But you know what I'm looking forward to even less?  How the self-centered, me-first Christian community is going to respond!

I'm not saying this stuff to be hateful or because I think I'm so great.  As a man, I'm as much a sinner as anyone else, and I probably have more skeletons in my closet than most of you.  But remember Moses was a murderer and King David was a murderer and an adulterer.  And the apostle Paul was an relentless persecutor of the church, consenting to the death and imprisonment of Christians before his conversion.  The point is not that I'm trying to put myself on a pedestal because that isn't the case.  But God doesn't use people who are perfect either.  He uses people who are willing to believe Him whether or not the truth is popular.  I'm pleading with you, you have got to understand and NOT underestimate what is coming.  You must be prepared spiritually because Jesus said only those who endure till the end shall be saved.

Thanks for reading.  God Bless.

I've Posted A Few Updates

Today I updated The Letter Of The Law Vs The Spirit Of The Law.   It was a small addition that I added to the bottom of the post.  Click this link to check it out.  :)

I also updated a couple of other pages in May with the additions being added at the bottom of each post.  If you care to see the updates click the links below.

Do People Burn In Hell For All Time?

The Isaiah 28:10 Principle

 

The Lord Will Give You The Desires Of Your Heart Whether They Are Good Or Evil

Acts 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
Psalm 10:17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Romans 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Romans 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Romans 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Romans 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Romans 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Romans 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Romans 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Matthew 15:16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
1 Corinthians 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Corinthians 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Galatians 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Galatians 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Galatians 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Galatians 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Ephesians 5:3  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Ephesians 5:4  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Ephesians 5:5  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Ephesians 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Ephesians 5:7  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
1 Timothy 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
Revelation 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1 Timothy 6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
1 Timothy 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Ephesians 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Ephesians 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Ephesians 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Ephesians 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:19  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Ephesians 6:20  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Galatians 1:5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word Hell Means The Grave Part 3

Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2

Even though the New Testament was originally written in Greek, it was still written by Jews (except for the books of Luke and Acts which were both penned by Luke who was not of Jewish descent).  Thus the correlating Greek words will mean the same thing as the Hebrew words.  The Greek word Hades is translated hell ten times and grave once but like sheol it simply means grave, not hell in the popular sense.  You can look it up in Strongs Concordance too if you'd like; it is word G86.  Here are a few verses with hades along with my comments on some of them:

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave [hades], where is thy victory?

Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [hades] and of death. 

Who is it that will call people out of their graves at the resurrection?  Jesus, of course.  So He holds the keys out of the grave.  That's why Job said he wanted the Lord to hide him in sheol/the grave till the day of the Messiah.  Job knew he would not be in heaven or hell, but merely in the grave with no conscious thought.  His suffering would end and when he was resurrected he would get to be with the Lord for eternity.  Okay, two more:

Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [hades] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

If hell is already a fiery underworld, why cast it into the lake of fire?  That makes no sense.  Think about it.  Supposedly it says the realm of fire will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed by the fire... huh?!?  But verse 14 makes sense if you think of it as the grave, not hell, being destroyed for all time.  "O death, where is thy sting? O grave [hades], where is thy victory?" Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:26?  He said "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."  Well when death is destroyed the grave will be destroyed with it.  Amen.

As you may recall, I ended Part 2 by mentioning the pit is also a symbol for imprisonment along with being the grave.  When you realize that it makes Revelation chapter 20 a little easier to understand.  Let's talk about the 1st 3 verses.

Revelation 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Revelation 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Revelation 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Many people think the bottomless pit is hell but what it actually symbolizes is the surface of the earth. I covered that in another study but I'll briefly recap it here.  At the return of Christ the first resurrection takes place.  This is the resurrection of the dead in Christ; they along with the Christians who are alive at the time of Christ's return will be taken to New Jerusalem for 1000 years.  Everybody who was alive at the time but not saved will be killed.  Then at the end of the 1000 years the second resurrection, the resurrection of the unsaved, will take place.  Here is the scripture to back that up:

1 Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

This sequence of events, which is popularly called the Rapture, takes place in the following order.  During the last 7 plagues when the wrath of God is poured out on the earth, the 6th plague happens, then Jesus returns to fulfill the events from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.  Then the 7th and final plague kills all the wicked who are unsaved.  Despite popular belief there is no second chance at salvation after the rapture.  Revelation chapter 16 describes the last 7 plagues, which are symbolically referred to as the vials of wrath in the King James Version or the bowls of wrath in many English translations.  Revelation chapter 16 goes through the plagues/vials of wrath in order.  In verse 12 the 6th plague happens, then skip ahead a couple of verses to verse 15 and Jesus says "Behold, I come as a thief ..." which matches 1 Thessalonians 5:2.  Then in Revelation 16:17 the 7th and final plague happens with "a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done."  This is the "sudden destruction" that "they shall not escape" from in 1 Thessalonians 5:3.  Comparing scripture to scripture we will match these things up with Revelation 20:4-5.

Revelation 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Those verses talk about the people who are "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" from 1 Thessalonians 4:17 who will live and reign with Christ 1000 years which is the first resurrection.  But the rest of the dead, the unsaved, won't be resurrected "until the thousand years were finished."  Okay, so where will all the people who were killed in the 7th plague be?  Their corpses will be left behind where they died, since the saved won't be around to bury them.  That means the surface of the earth will be littered with dead bodies.  Dead bodies as far as the eye could see if anybody were there to see them.  This is "the bottomless pit" mentioned in Revelation 20:1 & 20:3.  The earth will be one unending mass grave.  The bottomless pit is not the mythical hell people think it is.  The pit is the grave so the bottomless pit is a never-ending grave.  But the grave also symbolizes a prison remember?   Who is that is imprisoned for those 1000 years?  Satan and his fallen angels that's who.  Revelation 20:1-3 says "... an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled..."  The "great chain" and being "bound a thousand years" is symbolic.  Satan is trapped in the bottomless pit because he cannot "deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled."  As it says in Jude 1:6 "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."  The judgment of the great day happens after the second resurrection when the unsaved are brought back to life and Satan is able to convince them to try going to war with the saints in the beloved city.  Then God judges them all as condemned and He reigns fire down on them, turning the surface of the earth into a lake of fire.  As 2 Peter 3:10 says "... the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."  Let's look at how Revelation chapter 20 describes it. 

Revelation 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelation 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
[Remember verse 3 describes Satan's prison sentence like this - "he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."  That is what verses 7 and 8 are describing.]
Revelation 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them [this is judgment of the great day which Jude 1:6 was describing and it's also the day of the Lord where the elements will be melted and the earth burned up in 2 Peter 3:10].

To recap, the bottomless pit is the surface of the earth as a mass grave... the same mass grave which symbolizes Satan's prison for 1000 years. 

The term "bottomless pit" shows up in scripture 7 times total, all of them in the book of Revelation.  It is found in Revelation 9:1-2, Revelation 9:11, Revelation 11:7, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:1, & Revelation 20:3.  The earth has been the prison of Satan and his angels from the time they were cast out of heaven and death happens countless times daily on this planet since the fall of man, so earth has always been the devil's prison and an endless tomb of death.  Earth is the bottomless pit.

A quick side note.  This is off topic, but Revelation 20:8 mentions the names Gog and Magog.  There is a ton of speculation in our churches and online about who Gog and Magog are, with the most popular opinion being they represent the countries of Russia and Iran.  Well, take a second look at Revelation 20:7-8 and it tells you exactly who Gog and Magog really are.  It says Satan will be freed from his prison and deceive the nations, then it identifies Satan and the deceived nations as Gog and Magog.  Gog is Satan, Magog is the deceived nations, and together they are gathered for battle against the saints.  Revelation also says this war of Gog & Magog happens 1000 years after Christ's return yet the people who think it is Russia and Iran think it will happen sometime very soon.  I think they are mistaken.  Just thought I point that out. 

Now back to the topic at hand...

Okay, so I'll wrap this study up with the other two Greek words beside hades which is translated as hell in the New Testament.  They are tartarus which only occurs one time and gehenna which occurs 12 times.  In fact Jesus used the word gehenna 11 of the 12 times occurs in the New Testament, with James 3:6 "... it is set of fire of hell" [gehenna] being the only time someone besides Jesus used that word in the original Greek.  If you want to see every occurrence of gehenna as hell go to this link https://www.blueletterbible.org/ and type G1067 in the search box.  Here are two examples of it.

Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? [gehenna]

Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell [gehenna]; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Gehenna was a place south of Jerusalem.  It was the place where the city's refuse and the bodies of dead animals were burned.  It literally was a place where the trash was burned.  As harsh as it sounds Jesus was warning people they would be burned as trash in the lake of fire.  And Revelation 20:9 and 20:14-15 do promise the wicked will burn after the second resurrection.  So if you want to call hell a place of burning I suppose that is true, it just isn't the underworld hell we've been taught all our lives.  And the wicked will burn until they are all dead, not for all future time as most people believe. 

The one other word translated as hell is tartarus (Strongs concordance G5020) which only occurs once when Peter used it in the following verse.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Tartarus means prison, a place of incarceration.  When Satan and the other fallen angels sinned against God they were cast out of heaven, down to earth which became their prison, their tartarus, to be reserved for judgment.  And in case you didn't read my other study where I revealed what the bible really says about Satan being destroyed in the lake of fire, the biblical truth is even Satan and his demons will be killed when "the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" so ultimately the earth is both their prison and their grave.  Hell truly is the grave.

I pray this study has been a blessing for you.  Amen.
 

The Word Hell Means The Grave Part 2

Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 3

Part 1 focused primarily on the Hebrew word sheol which is translated as both hell and grave 31 times each in the King James Version (KJV) of the Old Testament. 

Now let's talk about the Hebrew words for pit.  The Hebrew bowr is most often translated into English as pit in the KJV but it turns out sheol is also translated as pit 3 times.  These first two examples of sheol as pit are both from Numbers chapter 16.

Numbers 16:30 [Moses said] But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit [sheol]; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
Numbers 16:33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit [sheol], and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

In Part 1 I mentioned there was a time when God destroyed some disobedient Israelites by opening a sinkhole under their feet, trapping them and then burning them in front of the rest of the congregation of Israel.  Those two verses I just showed you where that happens.  Now let's continue in Numbers chapter 16 starting at verse 34 to see what happens after they are trapped in the sinkhole/pit.

Numbers 16:34  And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
Numbers 16:35  And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

Okay so in context so far the Lord has opened a pit underneath men who have provoked Him.  They were trapped and the Lord burned them with fire.  Can you see where people take that to mean "the pit" is an underworld hell where the damned burn?  I can see it.  But let's continue reading and remember to keep things in context.  Keep in mind there were 250 men who were burned and they were carrying censers (see verse 17).  Censers are containers for burning incense during religious ceremonies.

Numbers 16:36  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Numbers 16:37  Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
Numbers 16:38  The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
Numbers 16:39  And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:
Now some questions.

Did the damned in Numbers 16:33 go into a pit?  Yes.

Were they burned?  Yes.

Do those things sound like "hell" as the popular concept defines hell?  Yes and we all know the damned are going to be burned in a lake of fire.  So I can definitely see where a person could think verses 34 & 35 were describing hell.
But a few more questions.

Did they become spirits and go to a spiritual realm of burning as the popular concept of hell goes?   No.

Were the other Israelites able to witness them burn?  Yes, so they definitely were not in some underworld realm as hell is described.

In fact even though they went into a pit, it wasn't very deep.  Deep enough to trap them but it was also shallow enough that Aaron's son Eleazar was able to retrieve the censers the victims were carrying so the pit was basically a shallow grave.  Now ask yourself this question and be honest; if during a sermon or while watching a video, if the speaker only showed you verses 33 through 35 and told you it was speaking of "hell" the spiritual underworld of burning damnation, would you have later gone back and read those verses in context to verify the truth?  Or would you have simply believed him because it already matched your preconceived notion of hell?  I suspect most Christians would have accepted that interpretation without making any effort to verify the truth.  I'm not saying that to ridicule anybody or make anybody feel bad.  I'm trying to help people understand how vitally important it is to be a Berean.  See Acts 17:10-11 to find out what being a Berean means if you don't know already.  It is unwise to not verify the truth for yourself "because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8) and the devil certainly doesn't want you be a Berean. 

In fact Satan just wants you to nod your head in agreement whenever scripture is misinterpreted, whether the misinterpretation was done intentionally by a wolf in sheep's clothing or it was an honest mistake.  There are allegedly true stories out there where people make claims of going to heaven or hell for a period of time and then coming back.  I believe the bible, I don't believe the creeds of churches over scripture... and I won't be deceived by those claims.  I'm not saying these people are intentionally lying either.  But we must be grounded in scripture, not traditions of men.  There is a popular book and movie called Heaven Is For Real where a young boy alleged to have gone to heaven.  Don't think for one second our enemy Satan won't use children to decieve the church.  Whether this young boy was coached by people to say the things he did or if demons made him think these things happened I don't know... but I do know his claims aren't biblical.  I also know because this boy was of pre-school age at the time of the alleged events there is a good chance other Christians will accuse me of attacking a child if I don't believe his story.  So be it.  I will also be attacked by other Christians for any number of other things just as Christ-believing Jews are attacked by their fellow Jews for believing scripture above traditions.  "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10). 

There is a third time in the bible where sheol was translated as pit.  It is in the book of Job.

Job 17:16 They shall go down to the bars of the pit [sheol], when our rest together is in the dust.

The phrase "bars of the pit" conjures up images of being held behind bars in prison.  Isaiah also describes the pit as a prison in the following verse, but take note the Hebrew word for pit in this case is bowr, not sheol.

Isaiah 24:22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit [bowr], and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

Even though it's a different Hebrew word I'm going to show you five verses where it demonstrates that sheol and bowr mean the same thing - the pit.  And the pit means the grave, not hell.

Psalms 30:3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave [sheol]: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit [bowr].

Proverbs 1:12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave [sheol]; and whole, as those that go down into the pit [bowr]:

Isaiah 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [sheol], to the sides of the pit [bowr].

Isaiah 38:18 For the grave [sheol] cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit [bowr] cannot hope for thy truth.

Ezekiel 31:16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell [sheol] with them that descend into the pit [bowr]: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.

Do you see how these verses demonstrate that sheol and bowr can be used interchangeably?   

If you would like to see every verse where either sheol or bowr you can look them up in Strongs Concordance.  Sheol is word H7585 and bowr is H953.  Here is website where you look them up.  https://www.blueletterbible.org/ . In the search box type H7585 or H953, then scroll down and you will see all the verses where those words are used.

Besides being translated as pit bowr is also translated as dungeon.  So do you see where the grave/pit also symbolizes being imprisoned?  Remember near the beginning of this study I showed you in Jonah said that being in the belly of the great fish was sheol, his grave (though only temporarily since the fish spewed him out).  In Jonah 2:6 he compares being in the fish as having "bars around me" so we see example after example of the grave being a prison. 

In Part 3 I will talk about the "bottomless pit" of Revelation, how it symbolizes the biggest mass grave in history and how it also symbolizes a prison for Satan and his minions.  I will discuss and the original Greek words which are translated as hell in the New Testament as well.

Thanks for reading.  God Bless.