©2022, David E. Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries
Lessons
from the Wilderness, Volume 55
…This
is a Thought Experiment, Part Two
…Revelation 14: A Search for Truth at the
End of the Age i]
[ii] [iii] [iv] [v]
1) The
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which aGod gave Him to bshow to His bondservants,
cthe
things which must soon take place; and He sent and 1communicated it dby His angel to His bondservant
eJohn,
2) who testified to athe
word of God and to bthe testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3) aBlessed is he who
reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and 1heed the things
which are written in it; bfor the time is near.
4) aJohn to bthe
seven churches that are in cAsia: dGrace to you and
peace, from eHim who is and who was and who 1is to come, and
from fthe
seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5)and from Jesus Christ, athe
faithful witness, the bfirstborn of the dead, and the cruler
of the kings of the earth. To Him who dloves us and released
us from our sins 1by His blood—
6)and He has made us to be an akingdom, apriests
to 1bHis
God and Father—cto Him be
the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7) aBehold, He is coming
with the clouds, and bevery eye will see Him, even those
who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will cmourn over Him.
So, it is to be. Amen.
8) “I am athe Alpha and the
Omega,” says the bLord God, “cwho is and who was and
who 1is
to come, the Almighty.”
9) aI, John, your bbrother
and cfellow
partaker in the tribulation and dkingdom and 1eperseverance
which are in Jesus, was on the island
called Patmos fbecause of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10) I was 1ain
the Spirit on bthe Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice clike
the sound of a trumpet,
11) saying, “aWrite in a 1book
what you see, and send it to the bseven
churches: to cEphesus and to dSmyrna and to ePergamum
and to fThyatira
and to gSardis
and to hPhiladelphia
and to iLaodicea.”
12) Then I turned to see the voice that
was speaking with me. And having turned I saw aseven golden
lampstands,
13) and ain the middle of the
lampstands I saw one blike
1a
son of man, cclothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and dgirded
across His chest with a golden sash.
14) His head and His ahair
were white like white wool, like snow; and bHis eyes were like a
flame of fire.
15) His afeet were like burnished bronze, when it has
been made to glow in a furnace, and His bvoice was like the sound of many waters.
16) In His right
hand He held aseven stars, and out of His mouth came a bsharp
two-edged sword; and His cface was like dthe sun 1shining
in its strength.
17) When I saw Him, I afell
at His feet like a dead man. And He bplaced His right hand
on me, saying, “cDo not be afraid; dI am the first and the last,
18) and the aliving
One; and I 1bwas dead, and behold, I am alive
forevermore, and I have cthe keys of death and of Hades.
19) “Therefore,
awrite
bthe
things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will
take place cafter these things.
20) “As for the
amystery
of the bseven
stars which you saw in My right hand, and the cseven golden
lampstands: the bseven stars are the angels of dthe seven
churches, and the seven elampstands are the seven churches. [vi]
In May of 2021, I finished the first twelve parts of our study in Revelation. Why has it taken so long to get back to it you may wonder. My last post, a few days ago, is Part Thirteen of our study – with a hop down the bunny trail called “A Thought Experiment.” Why break it up? Added information, poured out by the Spirit, and found while I have been studying, has changed the trajectory, thus the change in direction.
In prior posts, I was dealing with
the loss of loved ones; this inevitable part of life took hold of the direction
of things, but now here we are. I know I had gone through only the first nine verses
in those twelve parts but, truthfully? What has transpired in the past year or
so has been a transformation of my studies - or should I say how I study – and that has led
to my opening of my eyes and ears to hear first - what the Spirit has to say,
and second – to take my studies outside my normal lanes of traffic, and
sometimes into the weeds, to look, to search, to see, what I have missed, or
what I lacked understanding in.
The doors have opened wide on this
subject, from numerous sources and much research. I tell you, I do not wish to handle
God’s word carelessly, and come up with my own interpretations; I wish to
follow exegesis and not eisegesis; I want my hermeneutics[vii]
([viii])
to follow a path of principles that fit the Scriptures and the
doctrines contained within, not based upon what the “church” or the “Church
fathers” have declared should be the way. These are not just bold statements; I
want to return to the old path, to the boundaries of the Creator. I no longer
wish to move outside of the boundary stones He has laid out, for to do so threatens
to move the foundations upon which lays the chief cornerstone, Yeshua. There is
a sense of urgency in the spirit realm – a sense that something dark comes this way, and for HaShem’s people to survive the coming storm, we MUST be in line
with Him – nothing else will do.
Now,
this sounds all too familiar or dramatic, but if you sense it also, then hear
me out. If it sounds like every other “gloom and doom” Soothsayer out there,
and you are tired of hearing it, ignore it – but the cost may be at your own peril.
Just maybe, I am wrong; but one cannot deny that the world is upside down right
now; good is evil, right is wrong, and it is getting so not even the saints can
tell the sacred from the profane anymore. Our children and grand-children are
being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and “Woke-ism,” and the
enemy of our souls has released his army of Blackness and shadows. Lies are
truth, and truth is a lie – this is shouted by most of the main-stream media. That
is why we, as believers, must exercise a thought experiment.
Ever feel that way? I mean, what is our purpose? We struggle; the differences between yours and mine is just a different degree of intensity, but our experiences are common – as I said in my last post, there is nothing new under the sun. Look at the Bible again. I mean really look. There is no other document on this earth that bears the soul of its writer(s) greater than the Bible. All the warts, all the wrinkles, all the spots and blemishes of the various authors of this unique Book are laid out and exposed before us – it was their story, and it is our story. It is the story of those seeking the face of God and our struggles along the way. I do not know about you, but I need to find Him, and not just in an existential way, or in an academic way, but in a real and tangible manner – I must behold Him, I must compel myself each day to seek Him… Desire drives me and if He is not a part of all that I am, of all that I do, then I will fail. The world as we know, the one we knew, it is on fire. You all know that – I do not need to elaborate. No matter where you live, your values and core systems of belief are under assault. Freedom is hanging on by a thread, our circumstances grow more desperate, and we wonder how much we can manage anyway. Humanity is in peril; the culture of death tears at the very fabric of survival – and that takes up so many distinct aspects of our daily time and efforts that we are overwhelmed attempting to make sense of it all. Cannot you see this in your own lives, where you live?
Brethren, families everywhere are grappling with losses from the pandemic, coping with finances, with health, inflation; on and on the list grows. Many are feeling helpless, asking themselves “What can I do, how can I help, where are the resources to draw from?” More questions than answers, more tears than prayers, and even prayers seem to fall flat. Everyday there is more of this, too much of that, too little of everything…
I want to retreat, not exactly a
great coping mechanism. Retreat solves nothing, but it at least allows me to
draw a breath; sometimes that is all it takes. Therefore, it is essential we
stretch our minds, ask questions. We need to think. Critically think about what
it takes to survive a world on fire.
There is only one
answer.
HaShem and Messiah
Yeshua. Echad.
The Exercise
To keep
this short, I will focus only upon three areas or questions I want you to
ponder today.
·
Foreknowledge: to have previous knowledge beforehand
especially by paranormal means or by revelation [ix]. In theology, foreknowledge refers
to the all-knowing, omniscient [x] nature
of God whereby He knows reality before it is real, all things and events before
they happen, and all people before they exist. [xi]
(See Genesis 12:3; Exodus 3:19; Isaiah 9:1-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Daniel 2:7, 31-45;
Matthew 1:22; 4:14; 8:17; John 12:38-41; Acts 2:17-21; 3:22-25; Galatians 3:8;
Hebrews 5:6; 1 Peter 1:10-12)
·
Predestination: from the
Greek word proorizo, which carries the meaning of “determining
beforehand,” “ordaining,” “deciding ahead of time.” (See Romans 8:29-30;
Matt 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 8:33, 9:11, 11:5-7, 28; Ephesians 1:11;
Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus
1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10)
·
Inevitability: impossible to avoid or prevent; certain to happen. Many verses
in Scripture speak to the things certain to happen; see Matthew 16:21, 17:10,
18:33; 23:23, 24:6, 25:27, 26:35, 54, Mark 8:31, 9:11, 13:7, 13:10, 13:14,
14:31; Luke 2:49, Luke 4:43, 9:22, 11:42, 12:12, 13:14, 13:16, 13:33, 15:32,
17:25, 18:1. All related to the Greek word Original: δεῖ (Strong’s G1163);
- Transliteration: Dei; - Phonetic: die
- Definition:
1. it is necessary, there
is need of, it behooves, is right and proper
a. necessity lying in the nature of the case
b. necessity brought on by circumstances or by the
conduct of others toward us.
c. necessity in reference to what is required to
attain some end
d. a necessity of law and command, of duty, equity
e. necessity established
by the counsel and decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which
relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ, and which is
disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies
1. concerning what Christ
was destined finally to undergo, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension
- Origin: third person singular active present of G1210; - TDNT entry: 02:21,1; - Part(s) of speech: Verb.
- Strong's: Third person singular active
present of G1210; also, δεόν deon which is neuter
active participle of the same; both used impersonally.
it is (was etc.) necessary (as binding): - behoved be meet must (needs) (be) need (-ful) ought should.
Total KJV Occurrences: 72
• be, 1: 1Pe_1:6
• meet, 1: Rom_1:27
• must, 36: Mat_16:21; Mat_17:10; Mar_8:31; Mar_9:11; Luk_22:7; Luk_24:7; Joh_3:30; Joh_12:34; Joh_20:9;Act_4:12; Act_14:22; Act_16:30; Act_18:21; Act_19:21; Act_21:22; Act_27:24; Act_27:26;1Co_11:19; 1Co_15:25; 1Co_15:53; 2Co_5:10; 1Ti_3:2; 1Ti_3:7; 2Ti_2:6; 2Ti_2:24; Tit_1:7; Heb_9:26; Heb_11:6; Rev_1:1; Rev_4:1; Rev_10:11; Rev_11:5; Rev_13:10; Rev_17:10; Rev_20:3; Rev_22:6
• needful, 1: Act_15:5
• needs, 4: Joh_4:4; Act_1:16; Act_17:3; 2Co_11:30
• ought, 23:
Luk_13:14; Luk_18:1; Joh_4:20; Act_5:29; Act_19:36; Act_20:35; Act_24:19; Act_25:10; Act_25:24; Act_26:9; Rom_8:26; Rom_12:3; 1Co_8:2; 2Co_2:3; Eph_6:20; Col_4:4; Col_4:6; 1Th_4:1; 2Th_3:7; 1Ti_5:13; Tit_1:11; Heb_2:1; 2Pe_3:11
• oughtest, 2: Act_10:6; 1Ti_3:15
• should, 3: Mat_26:35; Mar_14:31; Act_27:
● stopped, 1: Tit_1:11
…So, it goes like this…
will be asking two questions, and two questions only, and I want you to think carefully. How you answer is up to you. I will tell you my thoughts – but each must deduce an answer for themselves.
Here are my questions:
Is all creation
predestinated to an end by the foreknowledge of God?
If so, then does foreknowledge make this predestination inevitable?
So, I ask you again. Ponder on these questions. See if you can make your answers fit according to scripture.
Be sure to read the Scriptures I gave so you have a reference
point from where to begin…
(Hint: there are no simple “Yes” or “No” answers. I think you will
be surprised.)
[i] NOTICE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: Unless otherwise cited, all material found on
this blogsite (original text, opinions, conclusions, and other material not
related to cited sources remains the collected intellectual property of the
author of this site, David E. Robinson, Elder Teacher, and are owned and
controlled by myself and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and
various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the
United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions. Any errors
found within, rest solely upon me; please do not blame the Father for my
mistakes. I am teachable and correctable, fallible. 😊
[ii] FAIR USE DISCLAIMER:
This blog site may contain content that is not authorized for use by its owner.
All such material will be cited back to its original source. According to
Section 107 of the Copyright Act: “…the fair use of a copyrighted work […] for
purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including
multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an
infringement of copyright…” I have made and will continue to make every effort
to stay within all ethical and moral guidelines in the use of material
presented here, and the use of these materials is solely intended for
educational purposes only, and all efforts to obtain or sustain fair use of
non-owned material will be made.
[iii] Author’s
note: This site is for education only and is not affiliated with any
institution, organization, or religious group. It is the sole production of its
editor. Use of information from Jewish-themed websites (or any other source
material) should not be construed as these sites endorsing or confirming any
thesis introduced by the author of this epistle. I present the information from
their respective sites for instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the
readers understanding of the subjects discussed.
[iv] Author’s
note: Throughout this study I will be using the NET Bible® and the
NET Notes®: within the notes you will see symbols like this: (א B Ψ 892* 2427 sys). These are abbreviations
used by the NET Bible® for identifying the principal manuscript evidence that
they (authors and translators of the NET Bible®) used in translating the Scriptures.
Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/ and see their section labeled “NET
Bible Principals of Translation” for a more complete explanation on these
symbols and other items pertinent to the way the NET Bible uses them.
[v] Author’s Note:
In these studies, I have used the notes that come along with the passages I
cite from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As
in all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I necessarily
agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to any matters
of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as the authors of
the material write, so that you may benefit from the information contained
within them. It truly is not my place to edit or correct them; if they state
anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address
these issues if requested. That is not to say I should not challenge something
I believe might contradict the truth of God’s word; that I will do in the main
body of my epistles for that is where my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not
all) of the differences will come when I quote from a source that displays a
decidedly Western/Greek mindset, as opposed to a Hebraic perspective. I must be
intellectually honest – I am biased toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and His son, Yeshua the Messiah. I pray then we all can find common
ground as we study the Scriptures. Also, to be honest – I may be wrong in my
conclusions also. I can only present to you what I deem at this time and
place in my walk with God to be true. So, like any good teacher of the Word
should tell you: do not trust my word or conclusions. Take what I say back to
your Bible, evaluate it all against what you find written. Test everything. I
try my best to be faithful in what I present, yet I am only human – and like
any other human, I can make a mistake. So do your due diligence – study to show
yourself approved, be a Berean and look to see if these things are so. If you
find they agree – Halleluiah! If they do not agree – Halleluiah and let me
know!! Let us sharpen one another. Shalom.
a John 17:8; Rev 5:7
b Rev 22:6
c Dan 2:28f; Rev
1:19
1 Or signified
d Rev 17:1; 19:9f;
21:9; 22:16
e Rev 1:4, 9; 22:8
[vii] Hermeneutics: A thorough introduction to the art of hermeneutics can be found at https://knepublishing.com/index.php/Kne-Social/article/view/2733/5892 . Here is the gist from their introduction: “…Hermeneutics is basically a branch of a discipline closely related to language [1]. We think, interpret, talk, and write using language. Put simply, life cannot be separated from using language activities. Consequently, we need hermeneutics to live in society; we need a language interpretation [2] …”{References: [1]Kharmandar MA, Karimnia A: The fundamentals of constructing a hermeneutical model for poetry translation. Procedia-Social Behav Sci. 2013; 70: 580-591. [2] Palmer RE: Hermenuetika: Teori baru mengenai interpretasi [New theories of interpretation]. Jogiakarta: Pustaka Pelajar; 2003.
What I am saying briefly is this: society revolves around the use of language which is the definition of words to describe the ebb and flow of how a society could grow or whither. Hermeneutics is familiar to most bible students, as a word or theory spoke about by writers or pastors, but rarely used by the nominal student. There are four major types of hermeneutics that have emerged over the years as related to biblical interpretation: literal (plain meaning); moral (how ethical lessons are formed); allegorical (that beyond the explicit); and anagogical or mystical (that which explains what has been to that which is to come) – what can be called a “deep” reading of the literary or philosophical texts. [Condensed from Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Hermeneutics summary". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/summary/hermeneutics-principles-of-biblical-interpretation. Accessed 2 November 2022.]
[viii] See also PaRDeS, Jewish interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures: PeSHAT The first level of understanding is Peshat (simple, the intended or explicit meaning of the text); REMEZ The next level of understanding is called in Hebrew Remez (the alluded or the implied meaning of the text); DeRASH Another level of understanding the Scriptures is called in Hebrew "derash" (meaning "search", this is the homiletical or interpretive application of the text); SOD The final level of understanding the Scriptures is called in Hebrew "Sod" literally the “secret” or the esoteric, mystical meaning found in the text). See https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/1270231/jewish/Introduction.htm for more.
