Theology

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Psalm 22: 9-10

second-coming29 Yet thou art he who took me from the womb; 

thou didst keep me safe upon my mother’s breasts. 

10 Upon thee was I cast from my birth, 

and since my mother bore me thou hast been my God. 

Messiah acknowledges that God was with Him from His birth. It was God who was the midwife or doctor.

He was provided a safe childhood. As a breast is the safest place a small child can be, this represents all the love a mother has for her children. The Hebrew word for breast is shad which is the root to the title El Shaddai.

He was cast upon God, like all the children of Israel. From Abraham to Messiah there had been an uninterrupted series of continual, sustaining, wonders and phenomena that had kept the line that was cast upon God, safe. On His eighth day, this covenant relationship was sealed with circumcision. His parents agreed that this one was under the covenant their father accepted 2500 years before. [Gen 17] For it was this covenant whose mark scared the very organ that normally delivers seed. This ancient ritual pointed to the fact that the promised child would not come by the normal sexual way.

Messiah reminds God that His dependance on God had been so from the beginning. His devotion was real.

“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Jer. 2:2 

Yet for all this He was now abandoned.

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Psalm 22:3-4

second-coming23 Yet thou art holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 

4 In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 

At first glance and separated from the rest of the Psalm this looks like a praise, however it is actually a complaint. As Messiah hung on the cross, He complains that God the Father is not coming to rescue Him. In His agony and suffering He reminds God that He saved others.

He was delivered to His enemies, He felt forsaken, He felt that no one was coming to deliver Him, because that was the way it was.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; Is. 53:10 

Only in being forsaken, only in being rejected, could victory be given to all. without obedience He could not become a source for all who OBEY Him.

8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 9 and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, Heb. 5:8-9

There is always that little catch about obedience that the dispensational church has lost, with their false teaching that, “the law has passed away”.

As the Son of God was obedient unto death so we must be obedient to His teachings.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. John 15:10

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Psalm 22:1-2

second-coming2Sounds like a simple enough prophecy till one reads all of Psalm 22 which is a Psalm of David recounting a time when he was fleeing from his enemies. There is nothing in it that would make one reading think it was prophecy. It is only after reading John that we even consider looking at the Psalm as a type of the Messiah.

To the choirmaster: 

according to The Hind of the Dawn.

 A Psalm of David.  

“The Hind of the Dawn” would have been the name of a tune, that’s meter would fit well with the words. Like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, The ABC Song, and Jesus Loves Me, are all the same tune. David meant for this psalm to be sung to The Hind of the Dawn tune.

 1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?  2 O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest.  

In this type David feels that God has forsaken him. He feels that God does not hear him. We all cry this way from to time to time. We don’t understand why we are sick, or poor? We feel forsaken, even though He never forsakes us.

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. Job 13:15

Like Job, Messiah had maintained God’s ways. Yet the very words Messiah cried when He was slain where this forsaken verse from the Psalm.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matt. 27:46 

Help did not come for three days and three nights, then all was victory.

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear.  8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;  9 and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,  10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Heb. 5:7-9

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The Time of Jacob’s Trouble future or fulfilled?

 Jeremiah 30

dstructThose Mischievous Futurist teach that there is a future tribulation, that they call the “time of Jacob’s trouble”.  They take this from the verse.

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.   Jer 30:7

However they have lifted this verse entirely out of its context. The context of the verse is the Babylonian Empire is coming in Jeremiah’s day to destroy the temple and take Judah into exile. Therefore the “time” of Jacob’s trouble clearly begins with that destruction of the temple by the Empire of Babylon under the kingship of Nebuchadnezzar, not some time in the far distant future.

1  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:  2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.  3 For behold, days are coming, says the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

Jeremiah 30 is a marked change in the writing style of Jeremiah. Up to this point he has been admonishing the people to change there ways and repent of their wickedness. From here on his predictions of imminent disaster come with promises of restoration and prophecies that they will someday in the far future repent. The passage starts with a reassurance that in the end God will restore Israel and Judah, not just Judah. But both nations shall return.

FYI: Israel and Judah were separate nations long before the time of Jeremiah. They had broke into two nations after the death of Solomon. Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin became the southern nation of Judah, while the rest of the tribes formed the northern nation of Israel. [1Kings 12]

4   These are the words which the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:  5 “Thus says the LORD: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace.  6 Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?  7 Alas! that day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it. 

Both nations are in panic not just Judah as those Futurist’s would have it. The men are as woman giving birth. As all women who have given birth will attest there nothing that is going on around them matters, you will lay down in the middle of the street to have that baby. The false prophets had been telling them that all was well. Don’t look behind the curtain, nothing evil is coming. However Jeremiah was telling the truth. Babylon was coming for Judah just as Assyria had come for Israel. When Babylon came the men were in agony. They were unable to do anything about what was going on around them. Avery few tried to flee, but it was too late. The city fell to the Babylonians. However when a woman gives birth all the pain and discomfort is forgotten in the joy of a child. No child was coming, at least not in their lifetimes. There was only destruction and death.

8   “And it shall come to pass in that day, says the LORD of hosts, that I will break the yoke from off their neck, and I will burst their bonds, and strangers shall no more make servants of them.  9 But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 

Sudden change in the prophecy as better times are coming. Like the joy of the new life, freedom will come. Many see a Messianic promise here, the phrase “in David their king whom I will raise up” that this is talking of spiritual freedom that is given to all who believe in Messiah. Others see a future where the both Judah and Israel return to God and His Messiah. (We believe that both are meant.)

10   “Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, says the LORD, nor be dismayed, O Israel; for lo, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.  11 For I am with you to save you, says the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will chasten you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. 

Those who believe this happen in 1948 are just plain wrong. Such an interpretation does not meet the fact. The passage says that they will have quiet and ease. We must also consider that Zech. 14:1-5 makes it quite clear that Jerusalem will be sacked one more time, and the people set into exile yet again. [c.f. Jer. 10:25, 25:15]

God explains that this punishment is deserved, and further explains to the nations  who are the ones dishing out God’s discipline must not be too excessive at being God’s hand or they will face the wrath of God themselves.

12   “For thus says the LORD: Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous.  13 There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you.  14 All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant.  15 Why do you cry out over your hurt? Your pain is incurable. Because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant, I have done these things to you.  16 Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured, and all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity; those who despoil you shall become a spoil, and all who prey on you I will make a prey.  17 For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, says the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’ 

Through out the prophets the term “lovers” is used to condemn Jacobs descendants of idolatry. God views the pagan gods as rivals for His people’s love. He says there is no healing for this. The pagan gods were never real so they will not save the people. The nations who’s gods they were worshiping have come and devoured the people. However the devourers will themselves be devoured. Yet again He promises to restore Zion, a place no one cares for.

18   “Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt upon its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be.  19 Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who make merry. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.  20 Their children shall be as they were of old, and their congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all who oppress them.  21 Their prince shall be one of themselves, their ruler shall come forth from their midst; I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me? says the LORD.  22 And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” 

This is what Balaam said when he could not curse the people. Those who wish like Balaam to make God’s people poor and destitute will get no reward. For the dwelling places of God’s people is where He swells.

. . . how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Num. 24:5

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Psa. 34:7

The question is this to be interpreted literal as in the literal historic capital city of Israel, where people literarily live, or is the spiritual new Jerusalem, a city of symbolic imagery, the city from above. [ Gal. 4; Heb. 12; Rev. 21] Time will tell.

23  Behold the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.  24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this. 

The idea that this is some seven year period in the future is not supported by the text. It cannot be for later times. The people of the post modern church are confused, our minds are not clear on this at all. We are plagued by dispensationalist that say that this is about seven years in the future. However the plain reading of the text is clear that it is talking about the whole of Israel and Judah’s captivity, and the devouring of all the nations that have ever been harsh on God’s peoples.

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Time, Times, and Half a Time

time-warp~s600x600mo’ed mo’adim chatzi

The Lord gave Moses instructions on Mt. Sinai to worship Him through the observance of the mo’adim or “Feasts of the Lord.” These Feasts were appointed in time, as well as space. Seven times a year, every male in Israel was to congregate at the appointed place, i.e., the tabernacle and later the temple, on their appointed date on the calendar.

feasts

These seven holy assemblies found in Leviticus 23 are called in Hebrew, the Mo’adim.

  • mo’ed is the tent of meeting, i.e. the “appointed place” in the Torah
  • mo’adim is the plural and means the appointed times or the appointed feast days.

 

In Daniel 12:7 in the Hebrew it says, “mo’ed mo’adim chatzi.” The literal reading would be appointed, appointed(s) and half an appointed.

6 And I said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time; and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be accomplished. Dan. 12:7

 

One has to ask what does Daniel mean “it would be for”?  The “it” is the shattering of the holy people. This “shattering” occurs until what the Lord intends is accomplished, then the shattering will end. This is clearly in the context of the passage of time. Here, Daniel is telling us that a passage (of time) will entail the punishment of Israel until it is accomplished. We now need to determine, if possible, what the length of this appointed time will be.

FYI: chatzi is half

 

The Appointed Time

This amount of “appointed” is referenced seven times total in Daniel and The Revelation.

  • Once as “time, times and a dividing of time” [Dan 7:25]
  • Twice as “time, times and a half time.” [Dan 12:7; Rev 12:14]
  • Twice as “forty-two months” [Rev 11:2; 13:5] [42 months of 30 days per lunar month is the equivalent of 1260 days]
  • Twice as “twelve hundred and sixty days” [Rev.11:3, 12:6 ]

 

Although the words can mean “appointed place,” i.e. the tabernacle/temple, it is clear that in Dan 12:7 it is “time”. The English translators did not translate this as “feast, feasts and half” a feast.

The noun mo’ed appears twice, once in the singular and once in the plural. In Hebrew grammar, this is called a double forte with a plural on the second noun. Usually this means that the noun is great, grand, fabulous, or IMPORTANT. The same is accomplished in English by modifying the noun with much, very, or surely. However, all translators have felt that this is a specific time reference rather than just the “really important time”.

Historicists believe a day is symbolically “put” for a year. (See Also; Hermeneutics) A Time in prophecy is interpreted as a year and time, times and half a time works out to 1260 years.

Each time passages in Daniel and The Revelation are about how long the persecution of God’s people will last. The reference to time, times and half a time in the book of Daniel is for the Jews. The reference to time, times and half a time in the book of The Revelation is for the Christians, first to the believing Jew and then to the Gentile. God has made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, all are His children. [Gal. 3:28]. All have been idolatrous. And as such, all share in His time, times and half a time judgement.

 

Consequences of Hermeneutics

The futurist will have us believe that this is about a future time of 3 1/2  or 7 years. This hardly makes sense since this period is said to wear to the saints.

He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time. Dan. 7:25

How can God’s people be worn out in just seven years? History shows that the Jews suffered in the Babylonian exile for 70 years. They were not worn out. The Christians were severely tortured under Roman Emperor persecutions which lasted 10 years under Emperor Diocletian from 303 – 313AD. The Church was not “worn out”. These persecutions, though arduous, did not wear out the saints. However, the INQUISITION lasted some 400 years, and took a great toll on God’s people. They were warn out. In May of 1514 the Fifth Lateran Council issued a challenged to anyone who still refused to obey the pope, to come forward. No one came out. The pope and the council celebrated, banquets were held and further laws against heresy were made. However 3 1/2 years Luther posted his 95 Theses. [Rev 10:9]  The gates of hell did not prevail, but at a huge cost.

The Years

The post-modern church has lost some simple facts from our history. From the time the Popes claimed sovereign power, to the breaking of that power by Napoleon was 1260 years.

  • Emperor Justinian recognized the Pope as head of all the churches in Christendom in 538 AD, Napoleon took the Pope prisoner in 1798AD, forever removing from the Popes their temporal power.
  • Emperor Phocas 607-610AD also recognized the Popes authority and in 1870 The Church of Rome claimed that their Popes were Infallible.

These claims of power are now considered ridiculous by all rational thinkers. That power is broken and no longer can they persecute God’s people on such a large scale. Sometimes, here or there they are able to raise the people up and persecute a small minority in some third world country. But their time is up.

Epiloge

And I said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” Dan. 12:6

The time prophecies in Daniel and The Revelation do not say what happens after this power is broken. They only give a time that the power will come to an end.  What ends, is of concern in the text, not what is to begin. Many felt that when the Popes power was broken that the Millennium would start. That clearly didn’t happened. There are no indications of dates for the Lords Return, or the Millennium.

 

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Islam Passes Away Without a Hand, Daniel 8:25

cresent and starBy his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall magnify himself. Without warning he shall destroy many; and he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes; but, by no human hand, he shall be broken. Dan. 8:25

The “he” in this passage is the religion of Islam, and by 1299 that religion had become an empire, the Ottoman Empire. (See Also: Hermeneutics) The Ottoman Empire or Porte, was the longest lasting dynastic empire in the history of the world, lasting from 1299 to 1923. In 1844, with the signing of the Edict of Toleration  the Ottoman Empire began a long decline, wasting away untill World War One, where most of its territory was divided between France and Great Britain. The last Caliph (Mehmed VI) was exiled in 1922.

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The Hoax of a One World Government or New World Order

One World Government? – New World Order?

United Nations Emblem - Art of Heraldry - Peter Crawford

The Books of Daniel and The Revelation are about the history of the imperial powers that have ruled the nations. These prophecies have nearly run their course, and we now live at the time of the last of them, i.e., the ten nations, which are represented by toes in Dan 2 and horns in Dan 7 and Rev 12,13, &17. You might have been taught, that these ten nations  are in our immediate future. However, there are no gaps in the metal man of Dan 2; these ten nations have been around since Rome fell in 476 A.D. There have been wars; they have merged. They have had wars, revolts, and invasions, from time to time, there have been slightly more or less than ten, but when the dust settles, they are always TEN.

The only empire in the prophecies that is still future is the one represented by the rock not cut with hands, Dan. 2. Nearly everyone thinks this is the Millennial reign of Messiah. There is no future human government like the New World Order or One World Government. No matter how much men may try, it is just not there. In fact, the book of Daniel expressly says that it cannot happen. When speaking of the toes, it says—

As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. Dan. 2:43.

Which pretty much sums up European history. They have mixed, but no matter how hard they try, they have not been able to hold together. Not since the Fall of Rome have these nations been able to hold themselves together. [Gen 11] Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon, and finally Hitler have all failed at this monumental task. The only way to accomplish this task is to concede it to the One with a Rod of Iron. [Rev. 19:15] So we must wait till Shiloh come.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Gen. 49:10

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;

and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.

For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

Yea, to him shall all the proud of the earth bow down;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

and he who cannot keep himself alive.

Posterity shall serve him;

men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation,

and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,

that he has wrought it.  Psa. 22:27 -31

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I am Coming Soon

One of the greatest harms of Dispensationalism is an insistence on interpreting the Bible literally. They are actually ignoring the plain reading of a text, forcing symbolism, metaphors, and similes to read as truth. If they were truly interpreting the Bible literally, they would all be missing an eye or a hand, avoiding the whole body going to hell. 

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Matt 5:29-30

According to these modern commentators (a.k.a. those Mischievous Futurists) nothing or very little of the prophecies in the Book of the Revelation has been fulfilled. These Futurists claim it will all happen in our “soon” future. They call this “soon coming” period the Tribulation. All of this comes from their belief that the Revelation was written to us and intended for our time. However, The Revelation, was written between 96-98 AD. to seven specific churches that existed in Asia Minor, or what is now modern Turkey. The historical grammatical context of any passage in the Bible is paramount to our understanding. Therefore, we must search out the culture of the people of these seven churches, what they believed, thought, and experienced in their lifetime. Why these seven and not some other churches? What made them the receivers of this Letter?

Soon

However, the testimony of the book itself is completely contrary to a distant fulfillment.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, Rev. 1:1

Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near. Rev. 1:3

And behold, I am coming soon.”  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Rev. 22:7

And he said to me,  “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Rev. 22:10 

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. Rev. 22:12  

He who testifies to these things says,  “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Rev. 22:20 

It said these are the things “soon” to take place. How can “soon” be interpreted as “literally” later? What crazy hermeneutic could allow such repudiation of the plain reading of the text? Any young child could tell you what these verses should mean.

The Greek word tachei means soon, quick, or quickly. [Luke 14:21; Luke 16:6; John 11:31; John 13:27; John 20:4; Acts 17:15; 1 Cor 4:19; Gal 1:6; Phili 2:19; Phili 2:24; 2 Thess 2:2; Heb 13:19; Heb 13:23] It is never used to mean two thousand years later. The Dispensational Futurists, suggest that it means that the events will happen quickly once they start. However, soon is never used in this way anywhere else in Scripture. There is no use that even suggests a two thousand year gap. It must mean that what the text is talking about, at the very least, begins quickly from the point of 96-98 AD. If the Revelation was meant for the distant future, one would expect that the word or phrase would not be “soon” but rather, “after many days,” or “in the latter days.” [1Kings 18:1; Is. 24:22; Jer. 13:6; Acts 18:18]

Coming

The problem is the word “coming”. The casual reader may think “coming” means the “Second Coming.” This is the effect of lazy preaching and not doing your own homework. We were told to wait for the Lord’s “Return” not His “coming”.

In Matthew 24, the disciples asked, when are you coming? They cannot be asking about what we call the second coming or return. They had no expectation that He was going to leave. So, clearly our understanding of the word “coming” and the disciples’ first century use of the phrase, or just the word “come,” does not mean “return,” “coming again” nor “second coming” of the Lord.

They had to be asking, “when are you coming to judge Jerusalem”? How did some conclude this? Because whenever God had informed someone He was “coming,” it meant He was coming to judge.

  • When God came to look at the Tower of Babel, it meant that they were about to be judged. [Gen 11:5-8]
  • When God came to look at Sodom and Gomorrah, it meant that God was about to judge the two cities [Gen 18:21]
  • Other examples where “coming” is used: [Ex 3:8; Psalm. 50:3; Isa 64:1-3; Isa 66:15; Mic 1:3-4]

All those “soon’s” in The Revelation are about the “coming” judgments that each particular passage is about. They are clearly not “the Return of the Lord”.

See Also: Clouds

The Day of Our Lord

The Lord of Hosts

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The Last Days

shottingstarFor all of church history everyone has thought they lived in the “last days.” However when one actually looks at this phrase in the Text, it really doesn’t mean what we think it means.

The “last days” verse are used over and over without their context to fortify the idea that we are in the “last days” of our time. However if one carefully examines them in their context, they are not speaking to”our times” at all.

‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; Acts 2:17

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. 2 Tim. 3:1  

. . . but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Heb. 1:2

Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. James 5:3

First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions 2Pet. 3:3

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Undoing 1844 Made Simple

Written by Guest Author

Mark Wikander

As a person who used to believe all of the SDA theology including 1844 as the beginning of the day of atonement and the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. I write the following article for non-SDA historicists in order to deal with SDA’s. SDA’s make many assumptions about their theology, but namely they are never wrong, because they have a prophet. This assumption lock in any error they have and it must be dealt with before the SDA will even consider a different view. There are 2 ways to do this 1. Is to go directly after the prophet. This is only effective if a person is well studied in the History and Myth surrounding her. This is how I first had doubts. The Second is to go after the core teaching that She endorsed, if it is not true, then she is not true, because he endorsed it. That is what I will do here. A side note. the Prophet Ellen G. White, did not actually write any of the SDA doctrine, She came along and put her/God’s endorsement of the teaching. In the SDA mind becausen Sister White, as she is called, endorsed a teaching while claiming to be in vision, the doctrine is automatically true and cannot change. It is with this in mind I will write about the 2300 days/1844 teaching and address the assumption held by SDA’s in their interpretation of the passage. It is not intended to be an interpretation of the passage.

The SDA’s assume that the 2300 day ends in 1844 and that God began to cleans the sanctuary on the anti-typically day of atonement on that day, for the following reasons

1. They assume a day-year principle in Daniel 8 & 9

2. They a connection Between 8&9

3. They assume a common start date for the prophecy between 8&9

4. They assume a universal application of the Day-year in all prophecy.

5, They assume all other methods are in harmony with day-year.

6. They Assume Daniel 9 is part of Daniel 8.

7. They assume because Ellen White Endorsed 1844 it is proof of her prophetic calling.

If you break these assumption the whole thing falls apart. In what follows is a breaking of those assumptions. We do not start in Daniel 8 with the 2300 days, as one would assume, but in Daniel 9, because Daniel 9, in the SDA Mind, is the foundation for making the leap and connection to Daniel 8. Break the foundation and the SDA cannot make the leap to Daniel 8. They have to look at each prophecy individually. Only after this has been done can an SDA question their theology.

Daniel 9 the proper understanding is as follows….

Daniel says at the beginning of chapter 9 that he understood by Jeremiah the Prophet that the temple would lay desolate for 70 years and then be rebuilt. It is after this understanding that the Angel of the Lord came to him to give him further understanding. So it should be a reasonable conclusion that we look at the information attributed to Jeremiah concerning the 70 years of desolation of the temple first.

The scriptures tell us in Jeremiah 25:10, 29:11 that the temple would lay desolate for 70 years, but it never tells us why, what caused the Lord to be angry with Israel? In 2nd Chronicles 36:21 scripture tells us exactly why, 70 years of Desolation, 1 year for each year the land did not have it rest. Did you catch that! The Chroniclers told us why. They violated the Sabbath-year rest in Leviticus 25:1-13, Leviticus 26:14-24. The land was supposed to rest once every 7 years; no work was to be done. But they did not obey this command; 70 times they neglected to give the land its rest. So God punished them by sending them to Babylon for 70 years, one for each year the land did not receive its rest.

Now let us do a simple calculation so that you can see how it applies to the second half of Daniel 9, 7 years (the time between Sabbath-year rests) times 70 (the number of times they violated the Sabbath rest = 490 the time period covered by the original time period given to observe the Sabbath-year rest, 7×70=490 years given to obey the Sabbath-year rest. Why is this important, because in the next part of the prophecy Daniel is given another 490 years as we shall see?

The next section the Angel comes to Daniel and says His prayer has been answered. He tells him the temple is going to be rebuilt and then messiah is going to come and then the desolator is going to come and desolate the temple. The prophecy starts with the temple being desolate and ends with the temple being desolate, what happens in between is what concerns us now.

The angel tells Daniel “70 Weeks of years, have been decreed for your people and the holy city” (vs. 24), this is only applying to the Jewish people and Jerusalem. He goes on to tell them that they have a job to do, to finish transgression, to make and end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting, to seal up the vision of the prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy” (vs. 24), then in vs. 25-27 he breaks down the time prophecy even further by showing a division of the prophetic weeks 7,62,1 respectively.

What concerns us is the term weeks and the term decreed. Weeks is a word in Hebrew for a grouping of seven, any grouping of seven, seven cars, seven people, seven animals. It is the same as the word dozen. Dozen mean a grouping of 12, 12 cars, 12 people, and 12 animals. In the context of the prophecy it means a grouping of seven years. A group of 7 years 70 times, the total which will be 490 years. Now we need to stop and take a look at that. Daniel had just understood that the prophecy concerning the desolation of Jerusalem was punishment for the 490 years or 70 times they failed to observe the Sabbath-year rest, now the angel comes and tell them they are going to get another 490 to obey God, and the prophecy will be broken down by weeks. That is the exact same time break down of the first part of the prophecy of the 70 year of the temples desolation. The conclusion is that they are talking about the same time thing. They are being reissued another set of Sabbath-years.

Now concerning the word decree or determined, depending upon which translation you use. The word mean “to cut” it comes from the same word family as words that are related to covenant or legal agreements. You see the concept of cutting in Genesis 15 when Abraham cuts up the animals and separates them making a path for God to walk through. What is happening here? Abraham is faltering in his faith and God comes to reassure him that He, God, can be trusted. God condescends and obligates himself to Abraham by making a covenant with Abraham saying in effect, if I don’t keep my promise you can do to me what you did to the animals. This was a serious vow, God guaranteed to Abraham that he would keep his vow. This is the origin of the word to decree or determine, it come from cutting a covenant, it does not come from the idea of amputation, as in separating on part of something from another part of something. In the case of the prophecy it dose not mean to amputate or separate it from the 2300 day prophecy.

Now I must address one more issue that is has been raised, namely that the day-year and the Sabbath-year are the same thing and that they can be used interchangeably. This is an error. If this premise were true we could use the day-year principle and the Sabbath-year cycles as substitutes one for another and every prophecy would divide evenly by the number 7, 7 being the number of years need to reach the Sabbath-year, stated another way the number of years needed in a weeks of years. This is not the case in every case. The Day-year, Sabbath-year swap is not universal it applies is some cases but not in other cases. For example 490 years, 1260 years, divide evenly by 7, you get 70 Sabbath years, 180 Sabbath years respectively. The interchange works in these cases. How ever it does not work in the came of the 1290 year, 1335 years and 2300 days/years, divided them by 7 and you get 184.285 Sabbath years, 190.7142 Sabbath years and 328.5714 Sabbath years. If they were interchangeable you would have an exact division, this shows that the day-year and the Sabbath year are not used universally or interchangeably as some have claimed. Those who do so, do so out of ignorance or deception.

Another thing that must be addressed are the themes in Daniel 8 and Daniel 9 they are completely different. In Daniel 8 the prophecy starts with the temple existing then it is defiled and then it is restored. In Daniel 9 you start with the temple be desolate, the temple is restored and then it is desolated again. The passages cannot be linked because they do not cover the same events. Daniel 8 is about restoring the temple, Daniel 9 is about the temple being destroyed. SDA’s ignores the context of the chapter and focus on the numbers ignoring what is actually happening in the chapter.

Which brings me to my final point the numbers. SDA assume a day year principle in Daniel 8 and in Daniel 9, when in fact the day year principle is not used in either passage. In Daniel 8 it is “evenings & mornings” a reference to Genesis 1 and the days of creation. 2300 year may be possible out of Daniel 8 but you arrive at by the yearly day of atonement, it would be 2300 days of atonement. This is independent of Daniel 9 which use the Sabbath Year principle in Lev. 25:1-7, which is the basis of the Babylonian captivity of Israel. The 2 passages are not connected based on prophetic number or events. This is how you deal with the SDA mind and how you Break 1844.

P.S. I do not believe that the SDA’s are wrong on every part of the prophecy or their teaching, the 1844 and EGW are a problem. If SDA’s could officially change this teaching it is my belief that they would grow exponentially as a Church. They have much to offer, but the Stink of Ellen G, White and the 1844 error permeate their teaching, spoiling the whole thing.

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See Also: Daniel 9: Proof that Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah