P2 - A 12 point critique of History Channel's "Bible Secrets Revealed"

Jude 3-4 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

Introduction:

Today's post will continue what we began yesterday in our 12 point critique of the first episode of a current series on the History Channel called "Bible Secrets Revealed".  For those who may want to view a more detailed and fuller version of the material presented in this post, I invite you once again to view my other blog: http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/p2-a-12-point-critique-of-the-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/

In that blog site I deal more specifically with issues related to the Biblical languages, the text of scripture, theology and church history. In this blogsite (Growing Christian Resources) we cover the practical, doctrinal and supernatural aspects of the Christian walk is it pertains to the study and application of God's Word. Below contains the remaining six points of this twelve point critique, therefore I will begin today's post at point #7 so as to continue where we left off yesterday.  May the body of Christ find either this post (or the other more fuller and detailed post) to be useful in defending and proclaiming the truth of God's Word.

7. Addressing the claim that Jesus usage of the title "Son of Man" has no significant meaning or significance
The History Channel's slate of "experts" claim that Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man" has no point to the meaning of the passage and thus renders its meaning incoherent.  What they fail to realize are a couple of things.  First of all the title "Son of Man" is the most utilized title used by Jesus to describe Himself (some 83 times). Second, the title is used of Daniel's pre-incarnate vision of the "Son of Man" in Daniel 7:13.  Clearly when Jesus uses this title, it is His way of asserting His Deity and Lordship as creator over the Sabbath.

8. Addressing the claim that the material of the Bible was sifted around by early Christians

In the copying of the New Testament the History Channel program claims that the early "book like" documents called "codices" could had lost some leaves in the process of their use by early Christians.  With that likelihood, the History Channel claim we may have missing pages or sections in the New Testament manuscripts and translations. The problem with this claim is that they failed to mention that the early scribes used papyrus scrolls in the first two centuries following the days of Apostles before Codices became popular.  In a scroll you cannot lose pages and when we compare those early papyrus manuscripts with the later codices, we don't find missing sections or pages as alleged by the documentary.

9. Addressing the issue of the ending of Mark's Gospel
The shorter and longer ending of Mark's Gospel is certainly a difficult issue to explain without getting overly technical.  However a few basic considerations can help explain and thus defeat the accusations made by the documentary that we cannot trust the Gospel of Mark.  First of all if one takes Mark's Gospel to be the first written Gospel (as alleged by the show), the longer versus shorter ending issue becomes a very big deal.  However if we take the older and historically substantiated view of Matthew being the first written Gospel, the issue becomes manageable and explainable.  Secondly, the words in Mark 16:9-20 are Jesus' words, and when compared to other parts of other Gospels, match His teachings and words.

10. Addressing the claim that John 7:53-8:11 was inserted by the church and other conspiracies of the church trying suppress the truth
The show claims this section of John's Gospel was a conspiracy insertion made by the KJV translators using texts that contained the passage.  Without a doubt the textual details of the account of the woman caught in adultery is difficult to explain without getting overly technical, however its issues are similar to Mark's ending in that we are dealing with the words of Jesus.  Thankfully John 7:53-8:11 is found in manuscripts far older than the manuscripts available to the KJV translators thus dismissing the "conspiracy" theory proposed by the documentary. Also too, the inclusion of John 7:53-8:11 in no-way destroys the context or flow of John's Gospel.

11. Addressing the claim that various Christian groups today with different interpretations of the Bible prove the Bible to be untrustworthy and corrupted
Just because different Christian groups exist today does not mean the Bible is unreliable.  This particular argument tries to show the Bible to be untrue because of the behaviors of certain groups who in times past may very well has misapplied and taken the Bible out of context.  Such an argument is what we call a "red-herring", meaning that irrelevant information is used to throw the audience off to try to cast doubt on the opposing argument.  The bad behaviors of certain Christian groups have no connection to bad texts, only bad theology and miss-application of the inerrant scriptures.

12. Addressing the notion that Constantine and a group of scholars composed the New Testament at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D

This argument has been used for years to try to discredit the New Testament.  For one thing the Council of Nicaea was convened to deal with heresies about Jesus and had nothing to do with the forming together of the New Testament.  Secondly, though Constantine may had been questionable in his political and theological policies, he had nothing to do in the forming of the Canon of scripture.  Thirdly, the New Testament Canon was virtually agreed upon by the entire Christian world by at least two centuries prior to Constantine. It truly is shocking that a group of "experts" who work in the fields of religion, church history and New Testament textual criticism would put forth this argument.  The argument is nothing new and was made popularized by Dan Brown's novel "The Davinci Code" several years ago.  Thankfully we have the entire textual history of the New Testament manuscripts to disprove the claims made by the History Channel's so-called experts.  

Concluding thought: If the reader would like a more thorough and technical version of these final six-points of critique, please see my post today at http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/p2-a-12-point-critique-of-the-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/.As we have witnessed in today's points as well as yesterday's, there is nothing to fear when it comes to the inspiration, reliability and accuracy of the Bible in the Old and New Testaments.

P1 - A 12 point critique of History Channel's "Bible Secrets Revealed"

Jude 3-4 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

Introduction:

Today's post will begin a two part critique of the first episode of a current series on the History Channel called "Bible Secrets Revealed".  For those who may want to view a more detailed and fuller version of the material presented in this post, I invite you to view my other blog: http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/p1-a-12-point-critique-of-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/

Below contains the first six points of critique.  May the body of Christ find either this post (or the other more fuller and detailed post) to be useful in defending and proclaiming the truth of God's Word.

1. Addressing the documentary's biased viewpoint of the Bible

The more than one dozen scholars who appeared on the documentary series represent a worldview that promotes a very hostile view of Divine inspiration of scripture, Biblical inerrancy and the reliability of the Bible.  It would had made for a better opening to the series to have had conservative Bible scholars included in the discussion.

2. Addressing the claim that the Bible's words are unclear and untranslatable from one language to the next 

Whenever we take into consideration the context of a given passage of scripture, any uncertainties as to the meaning or use of words will clear up.  Each verse of scripture has ultimately one meaning with many applications.  Context in both the nearer and wider sense will aid the reader in knowing which meaning to use.  Unfortunately we don't hear anything about context brought up in the History Channel presentation.

3. Addressing the claim that we don't know who wrote the Pentateuch nor when it was written
The past 100 years of Biblical archaeology, as well as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls actually demonstrates the unified and Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch.

4. Addressing the criticism that the Bible has unsolvable contradictions

Getting a hold of a good Bible Dictionary, Bible Encyclopedia or Commentary will aid the reader in working through parallel passages like what we see in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.  In the Bible I know of not one Bible difficulty that cannot be resolved in light of context, historical background or some other means of sound Bible interpretation principle.

5. Addressing the claim that we cannot trust nor determine the authorship of the four Gospels

Unfortunately the History Channel panel of "experts" totally ignore church history and the internal workings of the texts of the four Gospels.  Until 200 years ago, virtually no serious scholar or laymen in the history of the church ever doubted the reliability of the four Gospels.  Despite nearly two centuries of attack by critical scholarship, the Four Gospels have proven to still be reliable and accurate.

6. Addressing the claim that Matthew misinterpreted Isaiah and the prophecy of the virgin birth

Matthew's use of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:23 is accurate when considering the fact that the same word used in Isaiah 7:14 is translated "young maiden" or "virgin" in Genesis 24:43, where we see reference to a then young and unmarried Rebecca. Rebecca (Isaac's bride to be) was an unmarried girl living in her father's house who would had been of course a virgin.  Matthew's use and understanding of Isaiah's prophecy was both accurate and theologically precise.

More will be mentioned tomorrow.  If the reader would like a more thorough and technical version of these first six-points of critique, please see my post at http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/p1-a-12-point-critique-of-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/. To God be the glory!

God's power in prayer & life's storms - Revelation 8:1-5

Revelation 8:3 "Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake."

Richard Foster comments on the place of prayer in the Christian life

One of my favorite authors, Richard Foster, writes the following about the place of prayer in the midst of turmoil and business: "Through the Prayer of Rest God places His children in the eye of the storm.  When all around us is chaos and confusion, deep within we know stability and serenity. In the midst of intense personal struggle we are still and relaxed.  While a thousand frustrations seek to distract us, we remained focused and attentive.  This is the fruit of the Prayer of Rest."1 Foster's words truly hit home when you think about them and reminds me of my own experience of being in the eye of a storm.

Lessons learned in the silence of the eye of a hurricane

I will never forget while living in Florida the year Central Florida was struck by not one, not two but three hurricanes in a matter of six weeks.  At the time my wife and kids and I were living right where the "eye-walls" of all three storms has crossed over our very home.  By the time it was all said and done, a 100 mile zone of devastation was left in the wake.  On the night that the first hurricane (Hurricane Charley) was blowing into the area, were told it would be a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 m.p.h.  The building where we were seeking shelter had been battered by the first half of the storm, with the roof blown off down to the plywood and water running down to the walls. The winds raging outside the building sounded like fleets of jet aircraft taking off numerous runways. Sheets of rain were falling so hard that you could not see outside. I watched as the lights of our then home and the city lights blinked, dimmed and then went dark. 

Suddenly, without warning...there was silence. If you have never been in a hurricane, it is all at once a most peaceful and unnerving experience.  I recall going outside in the pitch black darkness (for the power had went out at that point). As I looked up into the night sky, I beheld for the first time an endless star field of the Milky Way Galaxy.  In the eye of that storm there was no wind, no sound - only the endless stretches of countless stars declaring the glory of God and the firmament of His handiwork. (Psalm 19:1-6) Then as if without warning, the wind turned up once again, and we rode out the remainder of that first storm.  Though those storms and their aftermath contained the most painful and traumatic memories, they also were used by God to illustrate to me His Power and also the power of prayer.

The Apostle John is brought into the eye of the storm of Christ's plan for conquering the world - the power of prayer

Revelation 8:1-5 is an amazing stretch of scripture because of its location in the middle of Christ's revealed vision of how He will use the future tribulation period to be His theater for conquering the world.  John's exposure to future events and scenes of judgment, Israel's preparation and tribulation martyrs would had undoubtedly sent his mind and heart reeling.  Revelation 8:1-5 functions as the Divinely given eye of the storm of this set of revelatory visions in Revelation 4-11.  Consider in brief how Revelation 8:1-5 is situated at the "eye-wall" of this sweeping revelatory sequence:

1. God the Father and the Lamb on the Throne. Revelation 4-5

2. The Lamb breaks the seven seals to access earth's title deed to prepare for the earth's judgment, Israel's meeting of her Messiah and the final evangelization of planet earth. Revelation 6-7

3. Revelation 8:1-5 Silence in heaven and the prayers of the saints that will be used by the Lamb to execute judgment by way of the seven trumpets.

4. Revelation 8:6-13 The seven trumpets begin to sound well into the second half of the tribulation period. A parallel appears to exist between God having the seal judgments begin with four seals, with the remaining three having their own distinct grouping to that of the trumpet judgments having four trumpets and then the last three being also distinctive. 

5. Revelation 9-11 The seven trumpets signal the intensity of judgment in the latter part of the tribulation period, culminating in the conquering of the earth by Jesus Christ. The latter three trumpet blasts, also called the "three woes", will increase the intensity and speed of judgment on the earth at the tail end of the tribulation period.  Like a hurricane, the tribulation period will be far worse in the latter half than the first half.  

As Jesus brought John to see how He is going to use the prayers of God's people as part of His plan in conquering the world, some wonderful truths about God's power and need of prayer in life's storms are revealed. 

God's power is perceived through prayer. Rev 8:1

The need for rest and silence before God is more needed than ever before. Even in heaven the theme of rest and silence is used by God to convey to John and to us reminders about prayer and rest in His Sovereignty and purposes.  Revelation 8:1 "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Silence before God grants the ability to see more clearly His power. Consider the following cross references that drive home this point of prayerful rest before God and the ability to see His power:

-Psalm 62:1 "My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation."

-Habakkuk 2:20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

-Zechariah 2:13 “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.”

Just as David in Psalms and the prophets were instructed by God to include silence and restful prayer in seeing God's greatness, so was Jesus using the same method with John.  Revelation 8:1 read in light of the above cross-references shows us the point of Jesus' inclusion of rest and prayer in the middle of this vision - to assert to John and us His Sovereign power over life, history and salvation. 

God's power is granted to live for Him through prayer     Rev 8:2-4
The place given to prayer in the Christian life cannot be overestimated. The imagery John uses of the prayers of God's people functioning like incense before the throne of God is taken from the prayer lives of God's people.  For instance, Psalm 141:2 "May my prayer be counted as incense before You;The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering." 

Undoubtedly connecting prayer to the incense that was burned by the priests in the temple was first revealed by God.  Passages such as Exodus 30:1,3; Leviticus 16:12 and Hebrews 9:4 all refer to the priests burning incense upon the golden altar that was in the holy place of the tabernacle or temple, and that place being designated as the place of prayer. Anytime incense was offered in conjunction with the sacrifices in the courtyard of the tabernacle or temple, the work of prayer would had been made known to the senses.  The worshippers could not see the priest once he disappeared into the holy place to perform his duties on their behalf.  However whenever that priest placed incense upon the golden altar, the worshipper in the courtyard knew that he had an intercessor working on his behalf.  To the Lord incense and aroma meant that satisfaction for sin had been rendered by the sacrifice of an innocent sin bearer on behalf of the sinning person. 

Now why do we mention these details? Because prayer and its function was part fo the everyday lives of God's people in the Bible. By the days of the early church, this idea of incense and prayer as daily realities signaled how God's church continued to view prayer as God's power source for the Christian. Ephesians 5:2 reminds us: "and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:4-5 "And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones,are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." It is through us that the Lord works forth the knowledge of Himself as indicated by 2 Corinthians 2:14. 

Sacrificial language is used to describe God's desire for a life of prayer as found in 1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior

God powerfully affect things here on earth through prayer. Rev 8:5
Revelation 8:5 states "Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." Note how there was silence in heaven for about 30 minutes.  God had John watch in silence as all the angels got in their places, all the vials or bowls were handed out and the prayers in those bowls were to be poured out. Prayer and silence must be a part of the daily life of God's people.  Prayer is one of the means ordained by God to accomplish His greater purposes here on earth. What did Jesus teach His disciples in Matthew 6:9-10 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." Certainly the final prayer of the Bible emphasizes the hastening of Christ's return here to earth in Revelation 22:20  "He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Conclusion
As we have considered God's power in prayer & life's storms, we have interacted with Revelation 8:1-5 in understanding how it fits in the midst of Jesus' extraordinary revelations to the Apostle John. John's vision of Revelation 4-11 has in it this incredible series of verses that show how Jesus will include God's final answers to every believer's prayer in His conquering of the world. Here is what we have learned:

1. God's power is perceived through prayer. Revelation 8:1
2. God's power is granted to live for Him through prayer Revelation 8:2-4
3. God powerfully affect things here on earth through prayer. Revelation 8:5

Endnotes: 

1. Richard Foster. Prayer - Finding the Heart's True Home. Harper San Francisco. 1992. Page 93

The Biblical overview of the Tribulation - the book of Revelation

Revelation 6:1 "Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”

Review
For the past couple of days we have been journeying our way through the Biblical teaching on the tribulation period.  We have noted the Old Testament's presentation as well as Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Through each successive book of the Bible the details and character of this time period become sharper and more detailed.  We have noted that both the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul utilize Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:23-27) and other prophetic scriptures that speak of Divine judgment on the world. We will briefly survey the tribulation period in Revelation, concluding with a summary of the period in both testaments and a final chart visualizing the period.  To God be the glory!

John's teaching on the Tribulation
Revelation 6-19 is undoubtedly the fullest treatment we know of regarding the Tribulation period. As we have witnessed in the scripture, the whole period is future, representing God's prophetic clock for dealing with Israel, executing final judgment on this world and as seen in Paul's writings, destruction of Anti-Christ. Revelation 6-19 unfolds a repetition of this time period in four prophetic visions that together are like transparency slides on top of one another to complete a very detailed picture of the tribulation period:

a. The tribulation will be Christ's theater through which He will conquer the world. This particular depiction of the tribulation period is important because God in His Ultimate Will has ordained that time to prepare Israel to meet her Messiah and pour out judgment on the world.  Revelation 6-11

b. Revelation 12 is the introduction to John's next revelatory sequence of the events of the tribulation. The tribulation will be Christ's way of preparing Israel to meet Him. In Revelation 12-14 Satan and his man the anti-Christ will come into view during this period as the instrumental causes of the destruction and rebellion of unbelieving nations during the tribulation period. Like a set of transparency slides, Revelation 12-14 fits on top of the same time frame portrayed in Revelation 6-11.

c. The tribulation (especially the final 3 1/2 years or Great Tribulation) will be the time in which Christ brings an end to Anti-Christ. Revelation 13-14 and to the world system that he is permitted by God to control and wield in Revelation 15-19. Babylon the Great will function in the tribulation as the religious, economic and political web spun out by Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet of Revelation 12-14. After the half-way point of the tribulation period, the world system will begin to grow hostile toward the Anti-Christ and his regime and a war leading to the battle of Armegeddon will ensue. The only common point between the Anti-Christ and the nations will be their united stand-off against Christ at His return during the future epic battle of Armegeddon. Like a transparency slide once again, Revelation 15-19:10 fits over the previous visions of Revelation 6-11 & 12-14, completing for us the most detailed treatment of the tribulation period in the Bible.

d. The Great Tribulation will be a time in which the evils of man and the Anti-Christ's regime is brought to a close, with Christ's return marking the end of the tribulation -i.e "the day of the Lord".  The church will be with Jesus in the marriage supper of the Lamb, protected from wrath and return with her Lord who Himself will fight and defeat the armies of the world in the battle of Armegeddon.  All of these events, recorded in Revelation 19:11-21, and preparing the way for what will be Christ's thousand year reign in Revelation 20. 


Conclusion on the Old & New Testament's teaching of the Tribulation period
We have covered much ground in these past three blogs. We have seen the following main thoughts about the Tribulation period in our Biblical overview of the period:

Summary of the Old Testament's teaching on the tribulation
1. It will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. Being that the Old Testament predicts its uniqueness and unmistakable cosmic occurrences, the likelihood of it referring to a general pattern of tribulation that covers the church age or some other broad period of history is pretty slim.

2. The Tribulation period's purpose is two-fold - to judge the world and prepare Israel to meet her Messiah

3. The Tribulation periods' duration will be seven years. The first half is hardly mentioned, with the overwhelming focus on the events of the latter 3 1/2 years that Jesus calls later on "The Great Tribulation" in light of Daniel's prophecies.4. A Tyrannical ruler will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God. 

Summary of the New Testament's teaching on the tribulation
As you can see, both Testaments teach essentially the same truths about this period, with the New Testament refining and sharpening the details:

1. It will be a future, seven year period that marks the completion of God's prophetic program for Israel.

2. It will be divided into two equal halves, with the latter half called the "Great Tribulation" and ending in a most intense way called "The day of the Lord", which will occur when Christ returns to earth. The Old Testament, Jesus, Paul and John were all surveyed and found consistent in their testimony about this period.

3. The period of the tribulation period will be a time where God judges the Gentile nations who rejected Him. Other scriptures testify of how Gentiles will be saved during this time as a result of the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists (Revelation 7:1-10; 11-19) In addition to the Lord's use of the tribulation period to prepare Israel and pour out wrath, a third purpose will be for Jesus to destroy Anti-Christ and his regime, casting him (and his compatriot "the false prophet") into the lake of fire.

4. God's people in the church ultimately do not have to worry about having to endure God's wrath. The tribulation functions to urge God;s people to live Godly lives right now. 

5. For those who evidence no concern about the impending coming tribulation, this truth can expose their false profession and be used of the Spirit of God to grant them repentance whereby they may believe and be saved. 

Endnotes & Chart
This chart is derived from the                                                                                          website: middletownbiblechurch.org

A Biblical Overview of the Tribulation period - Jesus and Paul

Matthew 24:21 "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."

Introduction & Review
In yesterday's post we concluded the following regarding the Old Testament's teaching about the Tribulation period:
1. It will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. Being that the Old Testament predicts its uniqueness and unmistakable cosmic occurrences, the likelihood of it referring to a general pattern of tribulation that covers the church age or some other broad period of history is pretty slim.1  

2. The Tribulation period's purpose is two-fold - to judge the world and prepare Israel to meet her Messiah

3. The Tribulation period's duration will be seven years. The first half is not focused upon near as much as the latter half.  There is an overwhelming focus on the events of the latter 3 1/2 years that Jesus calls later on "The Great Tribulation" in light of Daniel's prophecies.

4. A tyrannical ruler will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God.

As we continue on in our Biblical overview of the Tribulation period, we enter now into the New Testament with the aim once again to understand what the Bible has to say about this subject.
 

1. Jesus' teaching on the Tribulation period
Matthew 24:1-31; Mark 13:1-27 & Luke 21:5-28 are the passages we look to to understand Jesus' teaching on the Tribulation period. Matthew and Mark's accounts appear to emphasize Jesus' predictions a near event future to them (destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D) and the Tribulation period at the end of this age. Luke's account does the same as Matthew and Mark, with the additional phrase of the "times of the Gentiles" referring to the Gentile occupancy in Jerusalem that began in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar and will cease at the end of the future Tribulation.

There is much more that could be said about Jesus' teaching, but we can note a few points about the Tribulation from these texts:

1. Jesus utilizes Daniel's prophecies throughout His sermon, meaning that He uses similar language to describe a future seven year period, divided into two equal 3 1/2 year periods, with the latter being the most severe.

2. Jesus refers to the whole period as "the tribulation period" (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24) and the latter half as "The Great Tribulation" (Matthew 24:21). Jesus uses phrases from Daniel 9:23-27 and Daniel 12 to describe this period as being unprecedented.

3. In all three passages there appears to be reference made to a fairly near event future to Jesus' time as well as the far future tribulation period. The near future event of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D acts as a template to preview what will be the final seven year tribulation period spoken of in Daniel. In Daniel's prophecies we see that same phenomena of "double-fulfillment" wherein he speaks of a fairly near set of events and of course the far future event of the tribulation period. Jesus (as God in human flesh) is showing Himself to both continue and further sharpen the vision of God's revelation of this period.

4. Jesus' continuity with Daniel's prophecies gives us a bridge between the Old and New Testament teachings on the Tribulation period. Every passage that follows throughout the New Testament on the Tribulation period does so from Jesus' sermon interpreting the extensive Old Testament treatment on the subject.


2. Paul's teaching on the Tribulation period in 1 Thessalonians 5
There are two main passages in Paul's writings the deal with the Tribulation Period. The first we encounter is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. This passage is worth outlining to see how it treats the Tribulation period:
I. The swiftness of God's wrath at the end of the tribulation will be avoided by believers 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
The Apostle Paul undoubtedly is using this phrase "day of the Lord" as it is spoken of in Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 10:3; Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 34:2; Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 61:2; Ezekiel 30:3; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:7. The Book of Zephaniah is perhaps the fullest treatment on this phrase in the Old Testament, being that the entire book is dedicated specifically to describing it.  Will this day encompass the entire Tribulation period? Or is this a phrase meant to describe the tail end of the Tribulation period? Zephaniah 1:1-3:11 describes how God will wage war against the nations who have assembled against Him, followed by the promised restoration of Israel and the redeemed in Zephaniah 3:12-20.

Jesus speaks of people not knowing the day when He comes in Matthew 24:42. From Matthew 24:42-25:46 we see Jesus unfolding further details about what He will do as He returns to earth.  Again the "day of the Lord" seems to speak of the grand finale of the Tribulation period's increasing frequency and intensity of judgment at the very end.

Therefore when we come to Paul's treatment of the Tribulation in general and the "day of the Lord" in particular, He is speaking of what seems to be the latter part of the seven year period.  The point being - the day of the Lord, the end of the Tribulation will come swiftly. No Christian in the church now or those tribulation martyrs saved in the tribulation will have to experience that most intense time of God's wrath at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-17). 

II. The severity of wrath of the Great Tribulation (final 3 1/2 years) will be avoided by Christians in the church right now. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9
The Apostle Paul appears to be working backwards from the end of the seven-year tribulation period to its mid-point.  Whenever you compare Paul's presentation of the tribulation period to that of Jesus' in Matthew 24-25, you discover that this section of 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9 corresponds to Matthew 24:21-41. In terms of what we noted earlier, Jesus refers to the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period as "The Great Tribulation". So the question is: would Paul's readers (and us) have to worry about the severity of wrath in that final half of the future tribulation? Paul's answer is no.  Now with that said, Paul uses the truth of the coming tribulation to tell his readers to be on the "alert" and "on their guard". For those people who think they are "o.k" with God and thus can live in ease, it is those people who need to be the most alarmed and who are the most likely to be in the time of the severe and swiftly coming wrath of the Great Tribulation and the day of the Lord. 

III. Solid encouragement to live for Jesus right now. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

3. Paul's teaching on The Tribulation in 2 Thessalonians 2
In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 we saw Paul begin with the end of the Tribulation (the day of the Lord) and work his way back through the second half of the Tribulation period (called by Jesus the Great Tribulation) to underscore the swiftness and severity of judgment. We have seen as well that Paul offers strong encouragement that believer's will not have to experience such wrath and that they are to strive all they can for Jesus now. 

But what about Paul's teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8? 2 Thessalonians speaks of the coming of Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him. The doctrine of the rapture is being mentioned here in 2:1, however for now we will suspend discussion of that wonderful truth for a future post. Paul refers to that doctrine to comfort his readers in the face of rumors circulating that perhaps the Thessalonians had missed the rapture, or that the day of the Lord had come, or that they were somehow going to have to endure God's wrath after-all. From 2:2-12 we get an overview of the whole Tribulation period:

a. 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4 The increasing level of apostasy going on right now up until the Anti-Christ is first revealed at the beginning of the Tribulation.

b. 2 Thessalonians 2:5-11 The Spirit of God will remove His restraining influence and check on man's evil, and the Anti-Christ will have full liberty to increasingly and gradually exercise full dominion over this planet. Just as Daniel 9:26b-27 reveals and this passage confirms, the peace covenant will be broken, with the latter half unveiling the Anti-Christ's true character. One of main purposes of this period will be to judge unbelieving man's sin. a second main purpose for this period will be to prepare Israel for her coming Messiah at the end of this period. However we gain a clear third purpose: destruction of Satan's man - the Anti-Christ. 

With Jesus and the Apostle Paul's teaching on the tribulation summarized, we will conclude our Biblical overview of the tribulation period in the New Testament by considering how it appears in the Book of Revelation tomorrow... 

Endnotes:
1. To say there will be seasons of trial or tribulations throughout the history of Christ's church or the individual lives of God's people cannot be disputed.  In fact suffering and trials of all sorts is to be the norm for anyone wanting to be Godly in Christ Jesus. (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12) However the testimony of scripture bears out the fact that the Tribulation period (the whole seven year period of time spoken of in Daniel and elsewhere) is unique in terms of its intensity and character and thus merits its own unique study and understanding. 

A Biblical overview of the Tribulation period - Old Testament

Deuteronomy 4:30-31 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

Introduction:

The above text stands as perhaps the first mention in the Bible of a period of time that Jesus calls "the tribulation" (Mark 13:19). Much ink of course has been spilled over the nature and purpose of the Tribulation period, and even as to whether or not it is currently happening right now or is yet to come. The aim today will not be to trace out those various viewpoints (that is for another post, another day). In today's post I simply want to list some texts of scripture that speak of this period to give you the reader an overview of what the Bible has to say about the Tribulation period.  We will begin in today's post by tracing this teaching through the Old Testament.

1. Deuteronomy 4:26-31 - First mention of the tribulation in the Bible

We began today's post with this text, being that it is the first mention of the tribulation period. God lays out the prophetic history of Israel through the Old Testament and human history (4:26-28) with reference to her going through a time of great difficulty and deliverance by her Lord in 4:29-31. At this early stage Israel's whole history and the tribulation period are treated as one, seamless history.


2. Isaiah 13:6-18 - The day of the Lord is associated with the Tribulation
The heart of this passage is expressed in Isaiah 13:9-11a "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.
11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their iniquity." Twice in this passage we find reference to what is called "the day of the Lord".  We are not told the duration of this "day" in the passage, only its character and purpose.  Later passages in the Bible will aid in answering the exact time frame of this "day".  The punishment of mankind on the earth is a revealed purpose of this period.  

3. Isaiah 17:4-11 Israel will be prepared to meet her Lord
Isaiah 17:7 notes "In that day man will have regard for his Maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel."

4. Jeremiah 30:4-11 The Tribulation is termed "The time of Jacob's distress or trouble"
It is in this passage that we gain further evidence of God turning His attention back to Israel. During the Tribulation period God will be preparing Israel to meet her Messiah through a process of chastening, purification, purging and protection. 

5. Ezekiel 20:33-38 The tribulation period will purify Israel to enter into the Lord's Kingdom
Ezekiel 20:38 states - "and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord." Thus far in our study of the Tribulation period, we have discovered that the judgment of the earth will occur and that the preparation of Israel for her Messiah will be the specific focus. The scriptures are teaching us the character and purposes of the Tribulation period.

6. Daniel 9:26b-27 The duration and details of the Tribulation period
Daniel 9:26b-27 "and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”It is in this passage that we first gain access to the time frame of this period - seven years.  Daniel's prophecy also unfolds another chronological feature: that this seven year period will be at the end of a 490 year period of time prescribed for Israel by God with regards to His program for her.  The final "seven" in the prophecy will be divided into two parts of 3 1/2 years each, featuring a tyrannical ruler called "the prince", who especially in the latter half of this period will unmask his true intentions.

7. Daniel 12 reveals details about the latter 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, called "The Great Tribulation"
Daniel 12:1 reads - “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." As you read on down through the chapter, you discover the specific time frame of this vision to occur in the future and in the same latter 3 1/2 year period that Daniel spoke of in Daniel 9:23-27.  Daniel's prophecies in 9:23-27 and chapter 12 form the foundation of Jesus' teachings on the tribulation period in His Olivet discourses of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. 

8. Zechariah 14:1-4 The end of the Tribulation period witnesses the return of the Messiah to the earth. 

Zechariah 14:4 reads - "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south."

Conclusions

In this fly-over of the Bible's teaching of the Tribulation period, we have attempted to look at the major Old Testament Prophecies that speak specifically about it. We have concluded the following:

1. It will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. Being that the Old Testament predicts its uniqueness, the likelihood of it referring to a general pattern of tribulation that covers the church age or some other broad period of history is pretty slim.

2. The Tribulation period's purpose is two-fold - to judge the world and prepare Israel to meet her Messiah

3. The Tribulation period's duration will be seven years. The first half is hardly mentioned, with the overwhelming focus on the events of the latter 3 1/2 years that Jesus calls later on "The Great Tribulation" in light of Daniel's prophecies.

4. A Tyrannical ruler will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God.

We could have looked at more scripture, but the ones above constitute the majority report of the Old Testament on the Tribulation period. In tomorrow's post we will consider what the New Testament has to say about this future period of time.

How Jesus will conquer the world - Revelation 6-11

Revelation 11:15-17 "Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,17 saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign."

Introduction:
A couple of days ago I blogged concerning a seven-fold outline of Revelation that attempted to take into consideration key words and ideas (http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-seven-fold-outline-of-book-of.html ).  
The particular key words in the outline had to do with John seeing a sequence beginning with persons or activities "in heaven" followed by the outworking of Divine decrees here on earth. So for example we noticed the first visionary sequence of Revelation as being Revelation 1-3, with Jesus being the Lord over His church and thus exercising His reign over the church through her history and in every place. The first visionary sequence answers the question: What is Jesus doing and what is His relationship now to the church?

Today I want us to look specifically at the second sequence we proposed: namely Revelation 4-11. This second sequence begins with a dramatic vision of the Father (4) and the Lamb (5) on the throne, ready to unfurl the judgments contained within the title deed to planet earth. John's point is to demonstrate the Lamb is worthy to break open the seals and to retake what is rightfully His - namely the title deed to planet earth. In order to do this, Jesus Christ, the New Adam, the Lamb of God will need to conquer the Kingdoms of this world. And so in this second visionary sequence, we will be asking this question: how will Jesus conquer the world?

How Jesus will conquer the Kingdoms of man or the world
We know that this question is the main focus of Revelation 6-11 in particular because of what is said in Revelation 11:15 - "Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” The larger context of Revelation in 6-19 unfolds in a repetition of various events in the same general period of time - the final seven-year tribulation period. In this particular section of chapters 6-11, the groundwork is laid by John for the realization of this general time period, its character, the Lamb's activities from heaven to earth and the reactions of the people living on earth at that time. 1 

So in looking at Revelation 6-11, how will Jesus conquer man's kingdoms? Lets propose three general headings in answer to that question:

1. Period of the Tribulation 
As we saw in yesterday's post, Daniel's seventieth week will be a time of unprecedented fulfillment of prophetic events. 

Daniel 9:26-27 gives us the specific time frame of this period - seven years. This period, according to Daniel's prophecy and repeated by Jesus in His final sermon, the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, will be subdivided into two parts. The first 3 1/2 years appears to be (relatively speaking) the less severe, with the second 3 1/2 years being termed by Jesus in Matthew 24:21 "The Great Tribulation".

Why this final seven year period prior to Christ's return? Revelation 6-11 ties together two main reasons that we find throughout other scriptures that also speak of the whole Tribulation period:
a. Pour out increasing judgment on the earth.
We see this in the seven seals of Revelation 6:1-8; 8:1-5 and the seven trumpets of 8:6-11:19.

b. Prepare Israel for her coming King.
The appearance of the 144,000 Jews from every tribe of Israel in this period is but a sampling of what the Lord intends to do in Israel.  The Bible says in Romans 11:25-26 that all Israel will be saved.  For now she has been set aside to give Gentiles, chosen and called from every nation to believe and be saved in this current age. (Romans 11) However the day is coming when Israel, having been prepared and purified will look upon the one whom they pierced and acknowledge Jesus Christ at His second coming as their Lord and Messiah. (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37; Revelation 1:7)2

And so Jesus Christ will use the period of the Tribulation as His theater in which to bring about His conquering of man's kingdoms.  But note secondly...

Power of answered prayer. Revelation 8:1-5
I love Revelation 8:1-5 because it gives the reader a much needed pause in the midst of the havoc that will ensue during the Tribulation period. Every prayer, of every saint, prayed in every age will be used of God and the Lord Jesus Christ to bring to pass His purposes. God's Sovereign purposes are like a train traveling on the rails of His Spirit and prayer. Both run parallel and in sync with one another, with the Spirit being the believer's intercessor here on earth and prayer being shaped by the Spirit who initiates it. The railroad ties upon which God's Sovereign purposes and steel rails of the Spirit and prayer ride are the words of scripture. 

Whenever you read Revelation 8:1-5 in light of other scriptures, you see how Jesus includes prayer in the accomplishment of His victory over man's kingdoms. Luke 18:1-8, a marvelous passage on prayer, concludes with this statement in 18:8b "However, when the Son of Man comes,will He find faith on the earth?” Jesus instructs us to pray in Matthew 6:10 "Your kingdom come.Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven." Then of course the final prayer of the Bible that demonstrates Christ inclusion of prayer in His victorious return - Revelation 22:20 "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

So Jesus Christ, in bringing about what will be His conquering of man's kingdoms, will utilize the period of the tribulation and prayer, but notice lastly:
Power of His Word. Revelation 10-11
Revelation 10-11 make references to the ways in which Jesus Christ will utilize the power of the Word of God to conquer the kingdoms of this world.  In Revelation 10 we see John describing Jesus in the Old Testament imagery of the Angel of the Lord, mirroring the imagery used by Ezekiel 1:22-3:3.  Clearly with Jesus Divine nature in view, John describes Jesus Christ speaking forth in peals of thunder in Revelation 10:3-4. Then in Revelation 10:10-11 we read - "I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.11 And they *said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”  In Revelation 11 we see two witnesses, presumed by many to be a re-appearance of Moses and Elijah in the latter half of the Tribulation period. For the final 3 1/2 years or Great Tribulation period, both men will preach for the Word of God. Despite the best efforts of unbelieving man at that time, God's resurrection power will enter both men and they will be taken up. 

2 Thessalonians 2:8 reminds us - "Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming." Revelation 19:15 records what will be the same time frame - "From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." 

Conclusion:
We have witnessed today a summary of Revelation 6-11, aiming to answer the question: How will Jesus conquer man's kingdoms? We witnessed three answers given by the text: period of the tribulation, power of answered prayer and the power of His word. 

Endnotes:
1. Revelation 6-11 is critical because of the reminder that it is not ultimately Satan in Revelation 12, nor Anti-Christ in chapters 13-14 nor the evils of mankind that will determine the course of history's end - but rather Christ Himself.  Revelation 6-11 lays down the necessary substrata of what will be the later visions of Revelation 12-14 and 15-19. 

2.  A note on Revelation 6:9-11 & 7:9-17 is in order, since it is contended by this blogger that the 144,000 Jews are evangelists whom are used by God to take the Gospel forth throughout every nation.  Clearly John's vision here includes people getting saved during the Tribulation period in the first 3 1/2 years and perhaps into the second half.  Several opinions exist as to the identity of these people, with no decisive and fool-proof evidences given beyond what the text presents.  All we know is that they can cling to the promise of not having to endure the wrath of God that will be poured out in full measure as one goes further and further into the Tribulation.  Clearly after Revelation 7, we do not see any saints or believing Jews mentioned, telling us that the Lord's promise of no direct, unmingled wrath on the saints in that future time will stand as it is promised to Christians in the church at this present time. (compare 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9)