Question: Tribulation already begun?
Sun, 1 Oct 2000
Did the tribulation begin after the resurrection and the stop? Please help me line up the scriptures.
In Christ, Mrs Michael Thompson (Lynn) thank you so much for your help on Romans 11:23 - it really helped me think through "who was cut off" and who will be cut off - unbelievers. IC
Answer: (click here to view the answer)
Dear
Lynn,
Instead of answering your question, I would like to answer a
similar one. Does the rapture take place before the tribulation? Does it
take place in the middle? After? Does it take place after the
tribulation but before the day of the Lord? These questions and others
still puzzle Christians. Is there an answer? If so, what is the
solution? There is one thing to understand that will answer these
questions. That is the nature of the mystery. Let us put it another way.
The dispensation of the mystery, as revealed in Ephesians 3, is the most
important concept we must comprehend to understand the chronology of the
rapture and the tribulation.
The mystery was never made known before it was revealed to the
Apostle Paul. Ephesians 3:9 shows that explicitly. Paul said he was
given a commission “to make all see what is the dispensation of the
mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God[1]
who created all things through Jesus Christ.” We see again in 1
Corinthians 2:7 that this mystery was hidden: “The hidden wisdom of
God in a mystery was ordained before the ages for our glory.” Put
another way, it “was kept secret since the world began”[2]
(Rom 16:25,26). Finally, it was “hidden from ages and from
generations” (Col 1:26). What characteristic of the mystery do we see
from these scriptures? What is the nature of the mystery? More than
anything else, it was a secret, hidden in God from ages and generations.
It was never written about anywhere in God’s word until it was
revealed to the Apostle Paul. In fact it says in Ephesians 3:8,9, that
Paul was given the grace that “I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable[3]
riches of Christ.” That means no prophecy made before Paul’s
salvation concerns the mystery. In other words, all prophecy made before
Paul received the mystery is silent about the people and things of the
mystery. That is the nature of the mystery.
Believers in the dispensation of the mystery were baptized by the
Spirit into the body of Christ. They became part of something brand new.
They became joint-heirs, a joint-body, and joint-partakers of a new
creation (2 Co 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2;14-16; Col 1;18-22). There was
nothing written about them in the prophetic scriptures before Paul’s
conversion. God called this new creation, the body Christ. Again, it was
made up of Jews and Gentiles as joint-heirs and joint-partakers.
According to the content of this mystery, God broke down the
discriminatory barriers. This truth causes us[4]
to make a strong distinction between Israel and the church which is His
body.
Israel was identified as the people of the tribulation by Daniel.
First, let us look at a new translation of Daniel 9:24-27.[5]
Seventy heptads[6]
are determined on your people[7]
and on your holy city to eliminate violations and to end[8]
sins, and to cover iniquity and to bring in eternal righteousness, and
to seal the vision and prophecy,[9]
and to anoint the holy of holies. 25 So know and discern[10]
that from the issue of a decree to return and build Jerusalem until
Messiah the Prince: seven heptads and sixty-two heptads; it will be
rebuilt,[11]
street and wall, even in time of distress.[12]
26 And after the sixty-two heptads, Messiah will be cut off, having
neither the city nor the sanctuary. And the coming one will defile
[destroy][13]
the people of the Prince; and his end is in a flood, and until the end
of battle desolations are determined. 27 And he will strengthen a
covenant with the many for one heptad; and at the midpoint of the heptad
he will stop sacrifice and grain offering; and on the summit[14]
of abominations one who desolates,[15]
until completion, and that which is determined shall be poured upon the
desolator.
Next,
we will see in two more passages in Daniel, that these end times
prophecies concerned Israel, not the church which is the body of Christ.
Daniel
10:14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to
your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to
come.
Daniel
12:1 At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch
over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time
of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even
to that time. And at that time your
people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the
book.
Israel
was also identified as the people of the tribulation by our Lord when
Jesus mentioned Daniel’s abomination of desolation (Dan 9:27; 11:31)
in the tribulation’s setting in
Matthew 24:15-21 Therefore
when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him
understand), 16 then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him
who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18
And let him who is in the field not go back to
get his clothes. 19 But woe to those
who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20
And pray that your flight may not be in winter
or on the Sabbath.
21 For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until
this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The purpose of the tribulation is to purify Israel for her
kingdom reign (Dan 9:24 See above). Zechariah 13:9 also refers to this
purification process,
I will bring the one-third
through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them
as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I
will say, “This is My people,”
And each one will say, “The Lord
is my God.”
In
addition to the purification, we see that the tribulation is
specifically designated “a time of tribulation[16]
for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is
like it; And it is the time of
Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Therefore, since
the tribulation is specifically designated “Israel’s” (lit.,
“for Jacob”), it has nothing to do with the church which is His
body.
Historically, the doctrine of the
pre-tribulation rapture has been a major distinctive of dispensational
theology. However, dispensationalists in increasing numbers are shifting
to a post-tribulation position. We believe that this realignment stems
from a growing ignorance of the doctrine of the body of Christ as a
distinct, new work of God for the dispensation of grace.
The pre-tribulation coming of Christ is
a necessary conclusion of a theology which maintains a strict separation
between Israel and the church. Since our Lord identifies the tribulation
with Daniel’s 70th week by citing “the abomination of
desolation” from Daniel 9:27 and 11:31 within the context of the
tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21), we are forced to conclude that
“[Daniel’s] people,” the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:24 and 12:1),
not the body of Christ, is the exclusive subject of Daniel’s prophecy.
As we have shown, the purpose of this period is to purge Israel for her
kingdom reign (Daniel 9:24; Zechariah 13:9). We must reiterate. The
tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation for
Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7.
Paul wrote the comforting passage, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, to
the body of Christ.
But I do not want you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For
this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and
remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who
are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And
the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort
one another with these words.
This whole thought was new to the Thessalonians. He had told them
about many other things but not about the rapture. Notice, he wrote,
“I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren. ”[17]
Since this was new, we know it was not revealed in the Old Testament or
in Christ’s Olivet discourse.[18]
Further, they seemed more concerned about the condition of their dead
loved ones than a theology of eschatology. He wrote this to comfort them
so they would have hope in the resurrection of their loved ones, “lest
you sorrow as others who have no hope.” But Paul not only comforted
them, he went further. He showed them an event where they would be
united with their loved ones in the air. Notice, Christ’s resurrection
is based on our justification,[19]
and our hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “for if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again.” Then he described the
rapture. Please read it again.
14b -17 God will bring with Him those
who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that
we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no
means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
His
whole point for giving them this information was comfort. He had a real
pastor’s heart: “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
We can see from this portion of scripture in 1 Thessalonians that
Christ is bringing with Him those who died. He will descend from heaven
with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. The
dead in Christ will rise first. The rapture is Christ’s coming and our
going. We “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air.” We’ll all be changed at the last sound of the
trumpet. What an event! But although these two passages describe the
rapture, they do not give us the time when it will take place.
In considering the time of the rapture in relation to the
tribulation, we must remember the concept we’ve already studied, the
nature of the mystery. Since the nature of the mystery shows us that the
body of Christ is never referred to in biblical prophecy prior to
Paul’s conversion, we can make some conclusions about when it occurs.
They are:
Prophecy about the people in the
tribulation would not refer to the body of Christ.
Prophecy about the day of the Lord
would not apply to the body of Christ.
Prophecy about the people under the
wrath of God would not apply to the body of Christ.
The rapture must take place prior to
the prophetic program.
Another passage about the rapture occurs in 1 Corinthians
15:51-54.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 52 in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.[20]
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this
corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
This
whole event is called a mystery, something hid in God, a secret. The
secret in 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 is not the concept that some will not
see death, for our Lord expresses this idea clearly in John 11:25-26:
“He who believes in Me will live even if he dies, but he who lives and
believes in Me will never die.” The secret is the event itself. Now,
the second coming, including the gathering of the elect, is well
prophesied in Matthew 24: 29-31,
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars
will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming
on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send
His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather
together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.
This event was no mystery to Paul. Let us recall here the precise
definition of “mystery”. A musthvrion is not an ambiguous or mystical revelation but an unrevealed truth. The
LXX of Daniel 2:19 employs musthvrion
to render the Persian (Aramaic) raz,
“secret”, in reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel did not
receive from Nebuchadnezzar a vague or shadowy revelation of the dream.
Rather, until the God of heaven revealed the secret to His prophet, the
content of the dream was completely concealed to him. Likewise, the
secret of the rapture was not the subject of ambiguous or shadowy
revelation before Paul, but was concealed in God. This mystery was
revealed to Paul early in his ministry, and Paul discusses the rapture
in his earliest epistles, Galatians and Thessalonians. Further, the musthvrion of Ephesians is also discussed in Romans and 1
Corinthians. Since the rapture is a musthvrion,
the disclosure of the church’s hope prior to the revelation of the
secret church through Paul is also a mystery – not revealed.
God did not form the body of Christ by bringing believing
Gentiles into the covenant blessings of His people, Israel. He did not
bring Gentiles into equality with Jews, but equalized the two groups by
concluding Israel in the same state of unbelief as the Gentiles because
of her disobedience. The following Scripture from Romans 9:31-10:3;
11:32, establishes this:
But Israel, pursuing the law of
righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why?
Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of
the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 10:1 Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according
to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and
seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the
righteousness of God. 11:32 For God has committed them all to
disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Therefore, the church is an entirely
new creation (Eph 2:15). Since the church was formed only after Israel
was removed from her position of privilege, the body of Christ cannot be
the result of including the Gentile believers in Israel’s blessings.
The body of Christ is not an extension of Israel’s privileged status
to the Gentiles. Likewise, the ministry of Paul, to whom the truth of
the body of Christ was entrusted, was not an extension of the
circumcision apostles’ commission. Paul’s gospel of grace and his
apostleship to the Gentiles represented a new course of divine action
(Gal 1:1, 11-12; 2:7-9). Therefore, a tribulation specifically applied
to Israel has nothing to do with the church which is His body.
Under the law dispensation, which
includes the tribulation and kingdom (Isa 2:3), Israel enjoyed a
position of high privilege: “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a
people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face
of the earth” (Deu 7:6). The law covenant brought about this special
status (Deu 4:7-8; 10:15; 26:18-19; 32:8). The Abrahamic covenant
accorded his descendants a unique access to God’s salvation (Psa 3:8;
John 4:22; Eph 2:11-13). Even within the redeemed, the Jews are a royal
priesthood, mediating between the Lord and the righteous nations (Isa
61:5; Zec 8:23).
In the dispensation of grace, God has
abolished Israel’s privileged status. But we know He will never
forsake His mercies to Abraham and to David. He will ultimately elevate
Israel again to primacy over the Gentiles, but now, He declares that
“there is no distinction.” In the world, Jews and Gentiles stand
before God as equally condemned unbelievers (Rom 3:23). Now, they have
equal access through the gospel of Christ (Rom 10:12; 3:22) to an equal
salvation in His body (Eph 2). Speaking about the elect, Paul does not
even find it sufficient to repeat, “there is no distinction between
Jew and Greek.” Why? Because, “in Christ, there is no Jew or
Greek” (Col 3:11; Gal 3:28). In the church, God has gone beyond
“separate but equal” in reconciling both into one new man. Now,
circumcision is of no value either for our position in Christ (Gal 5:6)
or for our walk in Him (1 Co 7:19). “The church of God” is
distinguished from both Jews and Gentiles as a distinct new entity (1 Co
10:32). When the gospel of the kingdom and its companion gospel of the
circumcision are again proclaimed during the tribulation, believers will
be brought into the old order. It is impossible to harmonize the new
creation within the old framework of Jewish primacy.
Dispensationalists agree that we cannot
apply Israel’s law to the church. How then can we adopt her prophecy?
The body of Christ was concealed in God until He revealed His secret
through the apostle Paul (Eph 3:6). The tribulation saints are clearly
the subject of Old Testament prophecy (Dan 7:27). The saints who endure
the tribulation and inherit the kingdom cannot be members of the body of
Christ, the unprophesied church. Further, we see no conclusive evidence
of Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during the dispensation of grace.
Our Lord’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction can only pertain to
the time of the end, for only then will “all things written be
fulfilled” (Lk 21:22).
A theology is inconsistent which
incorporates the body of Christ into Israel’s remnant in Acts, but
subsequently distinguishes body members from the renewed remnant church
in the tribulation. The NT distinguishes between the body of Christ and
the Messianic Jewish remnant churches in the first century (Acts
15:19-21; 21:24-25; Gal 6:16), but we find only Jewish and Gentile
believers during the tribulation (Rev 7:1-9; Mat 25:32 ff). We hold to a
stricter dispensational theology which recognizes this Acts-period
distinction and raptures the body from the world before the resumption
of the old order.
As stated above, the purpose of the
tribulation is the purification of Israel, so that “he who is left in
Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy” (Isa 4:3).
This purpose is illustrated by the difference between the salvation
experience in the two dispensations. In Paul, eternal salvation is
instantaneous upon belief (Eph 1:13) and assured by divine sealing (Eph
4:30). Justification is by God’s grace, provided entirely by the
faithfulness of Christ (Rom 3:25) and realized by faith alone on the
part of the individual, apart from covenant status or works (Tit 3:5;
Rom 4:4-5).
In contrast, the circumcision
Scriptures present the salvation experience as the culmination of an
extended process of faith manifested in works. James asserts boldly that
faith alone cannot save (2:14-26). We will cite the references of
several examples of believers whose faith faltered and did not progress
to salvation (John 8:30,31,45; Acts 8:13; Mat 13:20-22; Heb 10:38; John
2:23-25). In the circumcision dispensation, faith became saving faith
only when expressed through repentance, baptism, law works, and
endurance (Mat 24:13,14; Mk 16:16; Lk 3:8; 10:28; John 15:6; Acts 2:38).
When our Lord was asked how one inherits eternal life, He consistently
pointed to the keeping of the commandments (Mat 19:17; Lk 10:28).
Certainly the keeping of the law cannot be an instantaneous experience,
but must be borne out over a period of time.
Salvation, to the Jew, did not involve
a point-action conversion from false religion to the true, but a
progression from old covenant Judaism to Messianic Judaism. The Jewish
believer is exhorted to separate himself from judged national Israel and
identify himself with “the Way” (Acts 22:4), the “sect of the
Nazarenes” (Acts 24:14), the remnant (Isa 65:l ff), “the little
flock” (Lk 12:32). They are exhorted to “go forth with Him, outside
the camp” (Heb 13:13). The Lord Jesus abbreviated this sentiment when
He exhorted His disciples, “You believe in God, believe also in Me”
(John 14:1). If the Jewish believer abandoned his faith before it
brought forth mature fruit, he was cast away (John 15:6). The concept of
progressive salvation is applied specifically to tribulation saints in
Matthew 24:13: “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” The
tribulation period is an endurance test for those whose salvation
depends on their endurance (Lk 21:19). Since our justification is
already sealed for eternity, this endurance test does not apply to us.
The tribulation will purge rebellious Israelites from the believing
remnant of overcomers. In contrast, we are already “superovercomers”
through Christ our Lord (Rom 8:37).
God’s respective promises to the body
and to the remnant illustrate the contrasting views of salvation
described above. Paul assured us that Jesus Christ is already our
deliverer from “the coming wrath” (1 Th 1:10). We are not destined
for that wrath (5:9). He said that God’s plan for the body of Christ
from the beginning was for us to be saved from it (2 Th 2:13). He
instructed us not to make an issue of the day of the Lord, for it will
not overtake us (1 Th 5:4). The certainty of our future deliverance is
based upon the surety of our past justification (Rom 5:9). The Lord’s
word to Israel, though, is conditional: “seek righteousness . . .
perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zep
2:3). “Be vigilant . . . that you may be deemed worthy to escape . . .
and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk 21:36). “Because you have
kept My command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of
trial” (Rev 3:10).
The Pauline references cited above
indicate that the church “will not suffer the wrath of God.” This
point forces post-tribulationists to make a sharp distinction between
the tribulation period and the day of the Lord, for that day is “the
day of His fierce anger” (Isa 13:13). The post-tribulationist position
must maintain that God’s wrath is absent from the seven-year
tribulation. They must maintain that the day of the Lord does not
commence until Christ’s actual return at Armageddon. This analysis
restricts that day to a very short time frame, perhaps even a literal
24-hour day. It is our aim to show that this arrangement is wrong for
the following reasons:
1. The day of the Lord is a period of substantial
duration.
2. The day of the Lord and the tribulation coincide.
3. God will be in control during the tribulation.
It’s His day.
4. The wrath of God is present during the tribulation.
If the day of the Lord were limited to
Christ’s second advent, the Thessalonians could hardly have been led
to believe it had already arrived. At least several months would have
passed from the time they were troubled by false teachers until Paul
dispatched his epistle to them (2 Th 2:2). Joel’s extended description
of that day could not transpire within 24 hours: “The seeds rot under
the clods . . . the grain has dried up . . . the livestock are perplexed
for lack of pasture . . . for the rivers of waters have dried up”
(1:17-20). He then describes a military campaign against Jerusalem which
will require greater than one day’s time. Ezekiel extends the battle
through Egypt to Ethiopia and Libya (30:3). Obadiah predicts that the
“nations will drink continually” of God’s wrath (v.16). Zephaniah
invokes a standard Old Testament curse to the effect that in that day
they will plant vineyards, but not drink the wine, they will build
houses, but not inhabit them (1:7-14). According to Zechariah 14:8, the
day of the Lord will take place during summer and winter, implying at
least a year’s duration, “And in that day it shall be that living
waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea
and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it
shall occur.”
The major post-tribulationist argument
to restrict the day of the Lord is based on Joel 2:31, which places a
series of great heavenly signs “before the coming of the great and
awesome day of the Lord.” Our Lord, in Matthew 24:29, places these
signs at the conclusion of the tribulation. This order is confirmed by
the sixth seal of Revelation 6:16-17. On this basis, it is reasoned that
the Lord’s day cannot begin until the end of the tribulation. Yet Joel
2:10 and 3:9-14, as well as Isaiah 13:9-10, place the great heavenly
signs during, not before, the day of the Lord. How can this be
explained?
Joel begins his presentation of the day
of the Lord with a description of general tribulation judgments: famine,
drought, flame (1:15-20). After an extended description of the armies
which converge on Jerusalem, the day culminates with the heavenly signs
(2:10), and finally reaches the crescendo: “The Lord will give the
command to His army . . . for the Lord’s day is great and very awesome
– who can abide it?” Although God is always supreme, He has
delegated sovereignty on earth to man under “man’s day” (1 Co
4:3). The Lord’s day is when God, in the person of Jesus Christ, moves
to reclaim direct sovereignty over the earth, “for the Lord alone will
be exalted in that day” (Isa 2:11). However, Joel applies the day of
the Lord not only to the climactic return but to the series of events
which culminate in His return. Subsequently, “the great and awesome
day of the Lord” is used to denote specifically the day of His advent
in Joel 2:31 and Malachi 4:5.
The seal judgments in Revelation 6
clearly show God is in control in the tribulation, the day of the Lord.
It is God’s day. His agents, the living creatures that are before His
throne, command each one of the four horsemen to go! They give the first
horseman his crown. They give the second horseman the ability to take
peace from the earth. They also give him a great sword. The third
horseman reaped the harvest of the first two – famine. They give the
fourth horseman the authority over one fourth of the earth to kill by
the sword, famine, and the beasts of the earth. This is God’s wrath
being poured out on the earth. However, because there is so much textual
criticism on these passages, I want to retranslate verses 1-8 giving you
the textual support in the footnotes:
I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals;
and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like
thunder, “Go!” 2 And I saw, and behold,[21]
a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him.
And he went out conquering even that he might conquer. 3 And when He
opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying,
“Go!”[22]
4 And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one
who sat on it to take peace from the earth, that they should slaughter
one another. And a great sword was given to him. 5 And when He opened
the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Go!” And
I saw,[23]
and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in
his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living
creatures saying, “A daily ration of wheat for a day’s wages[24],
and three quarts of barley[25]
for a day’s wages; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” 7 And
when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature
saying, “Go!” 8 And I saw, and behold,[26]
a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades
followed him. And authority was given to him over a fourth of the earth,
to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the
earth.
Zechariah presented the day of the Lord
as commencing prior to Christ’s return. God will “gather all the
nations against Jerusalem for battle . . . and half the city will go
forth into captivity . . . then the Lord will go forth and fight against
those nations . . . and His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of
olives” (14:1-4). Christ’s return is not the initiation of that day,
but its climax. John sees all the nations already gathered [Greek
perfect] at Armageddon (Rev 19:19), but the armies are still in the
process of being gathered during that day (Joel 3:9-14). Israel will
battle the nations in that day (Eze 13:5), but Christ will fight at
Armageddon without human assistance (Isa 63:6).
Because the day of the Lord begins prior to Christ’s return, it
must coincide, at least in part, with the tribulation. The use in
Scripture of parallel terminology indicates further that this day
encompasses the entire tribulation. The day of the Lord is called “the
time of the Gentiles” in Ezekiel
30:3. Our Lord designates the tribulation period the fulfillment of
“the times of the Gentiles” in Luke
21:24. In Revelation 1:9,10 the apostle John becomes his readers’
“brother and partner in the tribulation” by being transported
spiritually to “the day of the Lord”.[27]
The content of the Apocalypse, “the things you saw and what they are
and what is about to happen after these things,”[28]
concerns the tribulation and ensuing kingdom. This places the entire
tribulation within the day of the Lord. In addition, by comparing Daniel
with Jeremiah (30:7,8),
Alas! For that day is great, So that
none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall
be saved out of it. 8 “For it shall come to pass in that day,” Says
the Lord of hosts, “That I will break his yoke from your neck, and
will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them.”
Daniel
(12:1,2) extends Israel’s “time of tribulation”[29]
to the time of the resurrection. This must be identical to the great
tribulation of Matthew 24:21, for each is described as a judgment
without equal. Daniel’s is “a time of tribulation, such as never
existed since the existence of the nation;” Matthew’s is “such as
has never occurred since the beginning of the world.” (Cf. also Joel
2:2.) This includes the Armageddon judgment within the tribulation
period, and thus invalidates the post-tribulationist delineation between
the tribulation and the day of the Lord’s wrath.
Since the tribulation falls within the
day of the Lord, we know that God’s wrath is executed during the
tribulation. In fact, Jesus Christ called the tribulation a time of
“wrath upon this people [Israel]” (Lk 21:23). He encouraged His
disciples to rejoice when they see this wrath, for “your redemption is
drawing near” (v.28). The tribulation saints are still on earth during
the outpouring of God’s wrath in the bowl judgments, for Christ
exhorts them from heaven to endure (Rev 16:15). With all of this
information, it should be possible to see that God promised to deliver
Christ’s church, the body of Christ, from His wrath with the
pre-tribulation rapture.
Paul had comforted the Thessalonian
believers with the hope of the rapture in his first letter. Because of
the intensity of persecution, though, confusion had set in. These
suffering believers were afraid that the awful day of the Lord had come
upon them. When Paul learned that his teaching (5:4) had been
misinterpreted, he wrote a second letter for clarification. In order to
assure them they were not experiencing the day of the Lord, he extended
a guarantee to them: that day cannot come “unless the departure comes
first, and the man of sin is revealed” (2:3). The interpretation of
Paul’s promise depends on the meaning of the word ajpostasiva. This noun is compounded from
ajpov,
“away from,” and stavsi", “position, stance”, from i{sthmi, “stand.”
Literally, the act of positioning oneself away is a departure or
separation. That’s how we have rendered it. In secular Greek, this
noun was used to refer to separatist political groups. From this sense,
LXX employed it to denote “rebellion,” especially against God. Since
James was familiar with the Greek Old Testament (he cites it in Acts
15:16-18 and Jam 2:23 and 4:6), it is probable that LXX usage underlies
his phrase ajpostasiva from
Moses” in Acts 21:21. However, his very phrase would be redundant if
the concept of religious apostasy were inherent within the noun, for
then he would not have defined the ajpostasiva as
“from Moses.” From what other than Moses’ law could the Jew
apostasize? While ajpostasiva was used in patristic sources in the technical sense
of “apostasy,” the addition by James of the qualifying modifier
suggests that in the New Testament, ajpostasiva does
not carry that sense by itself.
Further, since the Thessalonians were
recent converts from paganism, the relevance of LXX usage in Paul’s
epistle to them is questionable. These believers would be more familiar
with the noun’s Greek heritage. Liddell & Scott (1881:203)
classify ajpostasiva as
a “worse [later] form of ajpostavsi",”
and give as one definition “distance.” Moulton and Milligan
(1930:68) consider ajpostasiva “equivalent
to ajpostavsi",” a noun commonly used in the sense of
“departure.” Further, while the cognate verb ajfivsthmi sometimes describes a departure from godliness, it is often just the
opposite:
In
Acts 19:9, Paul departs from the unbelieving Jews.
In
1 Timothy 6:5, Paul instructs Timothy to depart from those who pervert
the truth.
In
2 Timothy 2:19, those who name Christ’s name are to depart from
iniquity.
Our understanding of ajpostasiva
is
supported by the syntax. The noun in this case has the definite article:
“the departure.” The article cannot be generic; it must be
anaphoric.[30]
To what specific departure did Paul refer in Thessalonians? Had he
discussed previously with them a specific time of apostasy? We see
nothing of the sort in 1 Thessalonians. In contrast, the departure of
the church is pre-eminent in the first epistle. Paul refers to this
event and to our subsequent joy in Christ’s presence in 1:10, 2:19,
3:12 and 5:9,10, discussing it at length in 4:13-18. Within the
immediate context of our noun, he writes of our gathering together with
Christ (2 Th 2:1). We infer that Paul is referring back to a subject in
which he has assiduously instructed his readers: “the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.”
Our interpretation of ajpostasiva
as
“departure” better serves Paul’s purpose in writing this chapter.
Those who interpret ajpostasiva as
“apostasy” assume that Paul refers to this “apostasy” as a sign
to warn the Thessalonians of Christ’s return. However, Paul’s
purpose is not to warn them of His impending return, but to reassure
them in their persecution that they need not worry about enduring the
wrath of God. It is not they who will be left behind. The unbelievers
who refused the truth will be left behind (2:11-12).
Ironically, the chief text cited on
behalf of the post-tribulation position occurs in the immediately
preceding context. “It is just with God to repay affliction to those
who afflict you, and to you who are afflicted relief with us, at the
unveiling of the Lord Jesus” (1:7). All agree that this context
describes our Lord’s return after the tribulation. However, we must
not assume that the saints’ relief and the afflictors’ recompense
are simultaneous. The nouns relief
and affliction are not
co-objects of the verb ajntapovdounai,
“repay,” for in what sense is God’s relief a repayment of our afflictions? Afflicting the afflictors represents
the Mosaic law of corresponding retribution, but our relief is not a
corresponding reward – we all receive it, regardless of the degree of
our faithfulness. The clause, “and [give] relief to you who are
afflicted,” is a parenthesis, inserted in a manner almost
characteristic of this passage:
(v.5) the afflictions which you endure
(an indication of God’s just judgment) that you may be counted worthy
of God’s kingdom
(v.10) to be marveled at by the
believers (for our witness to you was believed) in that day
Clearly Paul is not saying that his
testimony “was believed [past tense]” in “that [future] day. When
the parentheses in the above examples are deleted, the remaining text is
a complete thought. So also in v.7, “repay affliction to those who
afflict you . . . at the unveiling of the Lord Jesus” is a complete
thought. Paul inserts the parenthetical reference to the relief He will
recompense us for two reasons. First, while the vengeance aspect is
important, Paul wants to focus our attention immediately on the positive
promise toward us, not only on the negative pronouncement on our
enemies. Second, the insertion creates a parallelism:
to the
afflictors // to you being afflicted
affliction //
relief (from affliction)
Finally, it is impossible to
incorporate the rapture into the second advent because of the nature of
the two events. In the rapture, Christ will snatch away the saints for a
gathering in the air, leaving behind the unbelievers (2 Th 2:11-13). At
the second coming, Christ will separate the unrighteous from among the
saints (Mat 13:41 and 24:31). The gathering of the elect takes place
only after the Lord has returned and eliminated His Gentile opposition.
A post-tribulational, pre-Armageddon rapture is impossible simply
because it does not fit into the sequence of events described by our
Lord.
In conclusion, the rapture does take place before the
tribulation. The most important part of the solution is the nature of
the mystery. The dispensation of the mystery, as revealed by God through
Paul in Ephesians 3, is the most important concept to understand the
chronology of the rapture and the tribulation, because the mystery was
never made known before it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. Ephesians
3:9 showed that explicitly. The nature of the mystery more than anything
else, was its secrecy, hidden in God from ages and generations. It was
never written about anywhere in God’s word until it was revealed to
the Apostle Paul. The contents of the mystery were never in any prophecy
made before the beginning of the body of Christ at Paul’s conversion.
In other words, all prophecy made before Paul received the mystery was
silent about the people and things of the mystery. That is the nature of
the mystery.
[1] kai; fwtivsai pavnta" tiv"
hJ oijkonomiva tou` musthrivou tou` ajpokekrummevnou ajpo; tw`n aijwvnwn
ejn tw`/ qew`/ tw`/ ta; pavnta ktivsanti dia; jIhsou'
Cristou'
[2] crovnoi" aijwnivoi"
sesighmevnou,
kept silent through or in age times. This is the only transitive use of
the verb in the Greek New Testament. All the others are intransitive.
[3] ajnexicnivasto"
anexichneevastos,
something “that cannot be searched out, that cannot be
comprehended.” This word only occurs twice in the New Testament. In
Romans 11:33, it shows that God’s ways cannot be searched out. Since
Paul says he was given the grace of preaching this unsearchable grace,
it must mean it could not be traced anywhere in the scripture before it
was given to him. The context of Ephesians 3:8,9 shows this to be true.
“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable (ajnexicnivaston) riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the
dispensation of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has
been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.”
[4]
Mid-Acts-Dispensationalists believe the body of Christ started with the
Apostle Paul. In my case, I believe the body of Christ started with the
conversion of Paul.
[5]
This new translation is by Timothy McMahon.
[6]
Hebrew shebuvim
is an irregular plural of the noun for “week.” Our word “heptad”
denotes a period of seven years.
[7]
All bold italics are our emphases in these quotations.
[8]
A textual alternative reads “seal” for “end”, but the MT reading
better suits the parallel, and the alternative reading (followed by LXX)
can be explained as an anticipatory error for “seal” later in the
text.
[9]
Literally, “prophet,” a case of abstract used in place of concrete.
[10]
“Know and discern” could also be rendered as a future indicative,
“You will know and discern.”
[11]
Literally, “it will return and be built.” We have interpreted Hebrew
shub as an auxiliary (but
compare the preceding “return and build”).
[12]
Literally, “in distress of time.”
[13]
Hebrew shachat can mean either to defile an object ritually or to destroy
it physically. This is probably the reasoning behind the Pauline usage
of fqeivrw,
defile, in 1 Corinthians 3:17.
[14]
Hebrew kanap, “wing,” refers to the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew
4:5).
[15]
A minor textual emendation could be posited to yield the rendering,
“and on the summit [of the temple], the abomination of desolation.”
The identical phrase occurs in Daniel 11:31, and is referred to in
Matthew 24:15.
[16]
hr;x; – tsarah, trouble, distress, affliction,
adversity, anguish, tribulation, adversary.
[17]
He appealed to their prior knowledge repeatedly in this epistle. 1:5;
2:1,5,9,10,11; 3:3,4; 4:2,6; 5:2.
[18]
Mat 24:3-25:46 In an earlier epistle, Galatians 1:11-12, Paul defended
the uniqueness of his gospel: “But I make known to you, brethren, that
the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I
neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through
the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This message of comfort was also new.
Later, we’ll see that he calls the new church arrangement a mystery in
1 Corinthians 15.
[19]
Rom 4:25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised
because of our justification.
[20]
1 Co 15:52 in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, in the last trump (ejn
ajtovmw/, ejn rJiph`/ ojfqalmou`, ejn th`/ ejscavth/ savlpiggi)
For a trumpet will sound (salpivsei
ga;r).
While this trumpet is sounding, actually during the last note (trump),
the dead will be raised and we who remain until the coming of the Lord
will be changed.
[21]
ercou.
2 kai
eidon, kai idou [Mc d ept, Cr,
vs AC idon
kai idou ]
[22]
hnoixen thn deuteran
sfragida, hkousa tou deuterou zwou legonto":ercou
4 kai [MAC, Cr]
[23]
Kai ote hnoixe thn sfragida thn trithn, hkousa tou tritou
zwou legonto": ercou kai eidon, kai idou
[Mc d ept, C, Cr, vs
A idon kai idou vs Mept kai idou]
[24]
denarius
[25]
Barley, used in the preparation of cheaper kinds of bread.
[26]
Kai ote hnoixen thn sfragida thn tetarthn, hkousa
tou'tetartou zwou legonto": ercou 8 kai eidon kai idou [Mc
d ept, Cr,
vs A kai
idon kai idou vs C idon kai idou]
[27]
hJ kuriavkh hJmevra Hebrew did not have an
adjective, Lord’s, to describe this day. It uses two nouns to describe
what the Greek can do by using an adjective, Lord’s. One of these
Hebrew nouns is in a form called the “construct”.
[28]
Rev 1:19 gravyon
ou\n a} ei\de" kai; a} eijsi; kaiV a} mevllei ginevsqai meta;
tau'ta
[29]
hr;x; t[e ‘et sarah, occurs in Psa 37:39, “But the salvation of the righteous
is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.” Isa
33:2 “O Lord, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be their arm
every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.” Jer 14:8
“O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble. Why should You
be like a stranger in the land, and like a traveler who turns aside to
tarry for a night?” Jer 15:11 “The Lord said: ‘Surely it will be
well with your remnant; Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with
you in the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.” Jer 30:7
“Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; And it is the
time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Dan 12:1
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands
watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found
written in the book.
[30]
Referring to something already stated.
Question: Why is it that if we sin we will die?
Grandpa,
Most concepts make sense to me. Legalism, why we don't baptize, why we pray. It all makes sense and adds up logically, but the question I have is.... Why is it that if we sin we will die? I searched for verses to answer that question and after searching I have come up with the idea that it might not be sin itself but the Knowledge of good and evil that causes us to die. Gen. 7:17, Romans 7:13. So my question is: (before we are saved) is it our sins that actually causes us to die or is it obtaining the knowledge of good and evil that causes us to die? It is impossible for us to live without sinning. (Romans 3:23) So is it really the sin that causes us to die or is it the knowledge of the sin?
Answer: (click here to view the answer)
Jon,
Great question. The Scriptures show quite often that it is sin that causes death. Here are some of the Scripture passages that show that.
Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
Rom 6:3-11,16,22,23 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 16Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 22But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 7:5,13 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 13Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
Rom 8:2-4 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
1 Co 15:54-56 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
Question: Are you saying there is never a place for anger in a Christian's life?
Wed, 6 Sep 2000 12:08
"James W. Carlson"
Are you saying that there is never
any place for anger in the Christian's life? What about "righteous
indignation", like you wrote? What about Bob Enyart? Do you support
his ministry? It primarily consists of Bob venting his "righteous
indignation" on liberals all the time.
Answer: (click here to view the answer)
James,
As I wrote in my previous answer: “However, in Eph 4:26-32 it shows us that we should be very careful. . . . “31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
God wants us to put away all anger in all its forms. Righteous indignation, what Christ showed in Mat 23, the passage you gave, certainly is all right, but we are too easily influenced by the flesh to keep our anger in that vein of righteousness. The Son is God. God would always be righteous in His indignation. But even in His humanity, Hebrews says in 4:15 ‘For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.’
Therefore, I believe there is absolutely no place for anger in the life of a Christian.”
But I will reiterate. Righteous indignation, as long as it stays righteous certainly would be all right. But even then, God says through Paul, in Eph 4:26,27: “do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.” if I get righteously indignant/angry, I don’t want to nurse that anger. I also believe the imperative “be angry” in 4:26 is a concessive imperative rather than a command to be angry. Therefore, I believe there is no place for anger in my life. That doesn’t mean I never disobey my Lord, but my goal is to love Him and let Him fill my life with the fruit of His Spirit. Anger is not one of those fruits.
Next, you asked, “What about Bob Enyart? Do you support his ministry? It primarily consists of Bob venting his ‘righteous indignation’ on liberals all the time.” The answer is, yes, I do support his ministry. Does that mean that he supports every jot and tittle of what I believe, say and write or that I support every jot and tittle of what he believes, says and writes? No. We do differ on a few things. For instance, we disagree on the interpretation of some important parts of the book of Galatians. He believes they pertain to the Christian life while I believe they pertain to salvation. We are two human beings who do not walk in lock step with each other, but we are in agreement on 99,99999999% of the Bible. I support him. He has a unique ministry. He has led more homos to the Lord than anyone else I know. He is a brilliant visionary who has assaulted the evil in our society. He is also an outstanding theologian adept at packaging God’s word in superb ways that impact people. Therefore, I’m happy to say it again. I do support Bob Enyart. He a very close friend of mine.
In Christ,
Bob
Question: Question: Is anger all right - Matthew 5:22?
Sun, 3 Sep 2000 12:31
"James W. Carlson"
Greetings from South Bend! My
question is in the area of New Testament textual criticism. According to
Matthew 5:22 did Jesus forbid all anger or only anger
"without a cause".
According to the internal evidence in Matthew's gospel it seems contradictory to me that Jesus would forbid all anger and then become so enraged with the hypocrisy of Israel's religious leaders himself. Chapter 23 is the best example of Jesus' ire with the Pharisees.
However, the external evidence seems to favor its inclusion. It's found in papyrus 75, Sinaiticus, and Vaticanus. According to my minimal understanding of NT textual criticism, if a word or phrase in the NT is found in a papyrus ms and our two oldest uncials, then it's almost certain to be original. What do you think?
James W. Carlson
Answer: (click here to view the answer
James,
I’ve been studying textual criticism for 40 years. I used to buy into the critical text until I read Wilbur Pickering’s book, The Identity of the New Testament Text, published by Nelson. The NT according to the MT was published by Hodges and Farsted in 1982. I now believe the Majority Text is the text of the New Testament. The MT has the Greek word eijkh`, so the without a cause idea is there.
However, in Eph 4:26-32 it shows us that we should be very careful. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
God wants us to put away all anger in all its forms. Righteous indignation, what Christ showed in Mat 23, the passage you gave, certainly is all right, but we are too easily influenced by the flesh to keep our anger in that vein of righteousness. The Son is God. God would always be righteous in His indignation. But even in His humanity, Hebrews says in 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Therefore, I believe there is absolutely no place for anger in the life of a Christian.
In Christ,
Question: Can you give me some proof verses that tell me how the 144,000 get saved?
Thu, 31 Aug 2000 00:40
Answer: (click here to view the answer)
Answer: No!
The only biblical material on the 144,000 is in Rev 7 & 14. Rev 14:1-5: “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
It just tells us that they were redeemed.
In Christ,
Bob
Question: Can you get divorced and remarry with God’s approval?
Sun, 13 Aug 2000 13:28
Hi my name is Tina. My mother goes to your church and she has told me that I can write to you for some answers to a couple of questions.
I am married to a man that was saved in a Baptist church so the only teaching he has had has come from a Baptist background, anyway I am more on the non-denominational side I go to a church that preaches the word and also the importance of having a realtionship with GOD and knowing him on a personal level.
Well my husband doesn't really understand that and says the BIBLE is black and white and I interrupt it on how I see fit to fit my situation which I told him I interrupt it how the HOLY GHOST leads me to interrupt his word.
Anyway we got into a relationship while he was still married, he ended up divorcing his wife and marrying me after 8 years, we just got married July 25, 2000 he told me that his old pastor of his church is not able to associate with him because he is still in sin his pastor said that he would never be able to re-marry after committing adultery and if he did he would be living a life of sin. I told him that is not true that if he asked GOD to forgive him of his sin and not to do it againg that GOD would and that now sin is greater than any other except blasphemy of the HOLY GHOST and that GOD said he is forgiven and to start new therefore now that we are married we did the right thing as oppossed to living in sin without being married.
My husband told me that when GOD wrote the scriptue in the BIBLE that said your sins are forgiven and they are as far away as the East is to the West my husband only said that applies to new Christians that have just gotten saved not the Christians that are already saved he said GOD keeps a tally on what we have done since we've gotten saved and remembers.
Is he right and when one gets re-married is that one living in sin the rest of his life.
Thank you for taking the time to read my question I do appreciate it very much.
Answer: (click here to view the answer)"
Dear Tina,
According to Romans 6:3-11,14, when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, all our sin is taken care of because we take part in His death. Verse 7 says that: “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” When it says we are to reckon ourselves to be dead in the 11th verse, the Greek word means reckon, take into account, realize it. Further, according to verse 14, we are no longer under the Law of God: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Romans 6:3-11,14 3 Or do you not know
that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into
death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have
been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of His
resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer
be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now
if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death
that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life
that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves
to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but
under grace.
Also, since we are not under law, but under grace (Rom 6:14), we are not under the marriage laws on divorce and remarriage. This doesn’t mean they have no meaning, it just means the blood of Christ has freed us from the penalty of death. We don’t try to keep those laws. Instead, we should focus on loving God and allow Him to fill us with His love. Then we by faith should let His love show in our lives.
Look at 1 Corinthians 7:27,28, “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a
wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But even if you do marry, you have not
sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless
such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.” This
shows us that the sin is in the divorce. If you remarry, you have not
sinned. This doesn’t mean God wants us to sin or divorce. He wants
us to live for Him freely.
I hope
this answers your questions.
In Christ,
Question: How many years was it between Pentecost and the stoning of Stephen?
Mon, 14 Aug 2000 21:28
William Blackmon
Hello, my name is Bruce and I have a ? If you can help I will be = grateful! How meny years after Pentacost was the stoning of Stephen?
Answer: (click here to view the answer)
Dear Bruce,
When we add up the time that appears to elapse from Pentecost to Stephen’s death, it looks l