Romans 11:30 –
“For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:” (KJV)
“Just as you were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,” (RSV)
The word translated as “not believed” in the KJV is correctly translated in the RSV as “disobedient.” It is Strong’s Gr. 544, “apeitheó” and means to disobey, rebel, disloyal, refuse conformity; literally, to refuse to be persuaded. (Biblehub)
Belief requires obedience. When we obey God’s commands we are conforming to His will, not our own. His commands do not originate within our hearts. His commands come from outside our hearts and minds. His commands are foreign to our natural inclinations. We did not conceive them, we did not think of them on our own. We do not deserve His grace, but can conform to His will because He furnished the way – Christ (John 14:6).
God gave us the pathway, the method, the offer – If you will do this, then I will do that…
Obeying God’s commands comes from belief and trust in Him. We cannot separate obedience from belief. Meeting God on His terms is just another way of saying that we obey His commands and conform to His will. Conforming to His will is not a work of our own design. Conforming to His will IS belief in Him. Obedience = Belief. Through our obedience we obtain His mercy.
When Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the men of Israel to obey God’s instructions to enter into the land of Canaan, telling them not to rebel against the Lord, the people wanted to stone them (Num. 14:6-10). The glory of God appeared in the tabernacle before the congregation and said to Moses,
“…How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?” (Num. 14:11, KJV)
God counted the people’s rebellion and disobedience as unbelief.
The struggle we sometimes have in understanding the obedience to God’s commands as belief instead of works is the difference in knowing whose works they are. (Strong’s Gr. 2041, ergon – Biblehub)
We only exist because God created us. We are nothing without Him. We depend upon Him for everything that we have and everything that we are (Psa. 71). If He removed His atmosphere from this earth today we would all die. Therefore, God has a claim upon us. We owe Him everything He commands us to do. When God gives a command then it is a work of God, and our conformance becomes godliness (Strong’s Gr. 2150, eusebeia, piety – Biblehub)
Obeying His commands is a result of, is because of our belief and shows our piety, or reverence or godliness to Him. They are not our works. We did not think of them. We are not earning salvation by obeying Him. We are paying our debt to Him. This payment is not merit, or point scores. These works are purely and simply our duty to God.
Therefore, it is by God’s grace, God’s free will gift, and God’s mercy that we have been given a way to be reconciled to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (Yeshua). We have a duty to do the works or actions which He commands that we do.
“But someone will say that you have faith and I have actions. Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions!“ (James 2:18, CJB)
In Romans chap. 11 Paul was addressing how the Jews were mistakenly using the Law for merit points. They were mentally listing points earned for every law they obeyed, and thought that the more law points they scored, the higher they ranked, and the more worthy they would be. So, Paul pointed out the difference.
“5 So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been; 6 and if by grace, no more of works, otherwise the grace becometh no more grace; and if of works, it is no more grace, otherwise the work is no more work.“ (Rom. 11:5-6, YLT) or…
“5 So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been; 6 and if by grace, no more of works, otherwise the grace becometh no more grace; and if of works, it is no more grace, otherwise the work is no more work.“ (Rom. 11:5-6, CJB)
This is a hard concept for some today who are teaching that obedience to God’s commands is legalistic and a work system of merit. (Just like the Jews were doing in those days, this thinking allows people to pick and choose which commands they will honor.) That is not what Paul was teaching that present age in the 1st century AD. The Jews score card idea was faulty because Paul told them that if they were going to be justified by the law then they had to keep ALL of the law (Gal. 5:3; “a debtor to the whole law”).
A debtor pays all of the debt owed. I like Barne’s notes on Rom. 11:6.
“Otherwise grace … – If people are justified by their works, it could not be a matter of favor, but was a debt. If it could be that the doctrine of justification by grace could be held and yet at the same time that the Jewish doctrine of merit was true, then it would follow that grace had changed its nature, or was a different thing from what the word properly signified. The idea of being saved by merit contradicts the very idea of grace. If a man owes me a debt, and pays it, it cannot be said to be done by favor, or by grace. I have a claim on him for it, and there is no favor in his paying his just dues.
But if it be of works … – “Works” here mean conformity to the Law; and to be saved by works would be to be saved by such conformity as the meritorious cause. Of course there could be no grace or favor in giving what was due: if there was favor, or grace, then works would lose their essential characteristic, and cease to be the meritorious cause of procuring the blessings. What is paid as a debt is not conferred as a favor.“ (Source: Biblehub)
In other words, we do not merit anything by paying our debt to God. We are doing what He told us to do. Actions taken to conform to God’s will and God’s commands are not our merit works. They are our duty.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc. 12:13, KJV)
So, then how are we justified by faith?
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:1, KJV)
Romans chap. 5 begins with a conclusion drawn from Rom. chap. 4.
“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,” (Rom. 4:16, KJV)
The faith of Abraham whose belief in God was shown through his actions conforming to God’s will, which belief was counted unto him for righteousness.
“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Rom. 4:3, KJV)
Abraham followed God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22), believing God, his faith was perfected through action. Did God count Abraham righteous before he took Isaac up to the mountain? Or, was it as Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain? Or, was it when Abraham bound Isaac and laid Isaac on the altar? It was only at the point when Abraham was about to strike and kill Isaac that God knew Abraham’s belief was complete, and intervened. Only at that point, only after Abraham’s full willing obedience was Abraham’s belief counted as righteousness.
“20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Rom. 4:20-24, KJV)
We obey God’s commands because we believe Him, and our faith is perfected through our actions in obeying His commands. They are not our works, they are God’s works. Obeying God’s commands is not legalism. Obedience is the essence, the component of FAITH and BELIEF.
What did Paul mean when he said in Rom. 13:11,
“Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed;” ….?
Speaking to those first century AD listeners in Rome, Paul was telling them the hour was then, and salvation was near… the coming of Christ was nearer than when? When did they first believe?
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; …” (Acts 2:38, RSV)
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved;“ (Mark 16:16, RSV)
They were baptized / immersed for forgiveness of their sins when they first believed.
Baptism is not a work of man. It is a command of God, a work of God. And, our sins are only washed away after we believe AND obey that command. The forgiveness of sins is the promise of God for obedience to His will. Therefore, we only have our sins washed away by God after we believe AND are immersed into Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Those who are teaching that you are saved when you have accepted Christ into your heart are short cutting God’s command. They are leaving out the conjunction “AND”. The action of baptism is the point at which you perfect your belief and faith in Christ, and only then are you of Abraham’s faith, only then are you in Christ, added to His body, and have your sins washed away.
“26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ….29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26-27, 29, KJV)
“For,”… or because. Because they had been baptized into Christ, they were all children of God by faith.
“21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?“ (James 2: 21-22, KJV)
I beg of you, do not confuse God’s commands as works of man. It is our duty to obey Him whom we believe is the author of our salvation.
“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” (Heb. 5:9, KJV)
“18 And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, `Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth; 19 having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them — to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days — till the full end of the age.’” (Matt. 28:18-20, YLT)
Shredding The Veil 
Always like your take on scripture.
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Thank you, Daniel. I always appreciate your comments. God bless.
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Gina, I am starting to wonder if Jesus is the fulfillment of the Two Witnesses (He died, was resurrected, mourned symbol of sackcloth) over Jerusalem, etc). He fulfills every other role/office in scripture I can think of I.e. High Priest, King, Lord, Chief Prophet, Chief Shepherd, Judge, etc.
I am not a Biblical scholar but just a humble servant of The Lord searching the scriptures. Is my wondering off base? Am I missing something?
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Joe, I have gone back and forth on this question several times. There are those who argue for this position that Christ embodies the two witnesses of Rev. chap. 11 in both offices of the King and High Priest as Hebrews points out that the offices were recombined into one person in Jesus Christ. Many argue that these two witnesses are modeled upon the olive trees from Zech 3 & 4, Joshua the High Priest and Zerubabbel, the two sons of oil (Zech. 4:14). The phrase “sons of oil” meant those two that were appointed / anointed by God to lead the remnant back from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Zerubabbel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin, and so represented the office of the old king, appointed a governor of the assembly / body of the remnant of the old covenant. As Ezekiel referenced the two witnesses as the anointed office of the the High Priest and the ruling authority of the king of Judah, then it is possible that the same reference found in Rev. 11 refers to the same offices that were combined into one person under the new covenant, that being Jesus Christ.
If this is the case the context of Rev. 11 would refer to the 1260 days or 3-1/2 years of Jesus’ ministry on earth before His crucifixion, and His witness of the gospel of the new covenant continuing to be spread until the destruction of the temple in AD 70. But, I think that the context of Rev. 11:5ff does not argue well for this position. The context of Rev. 11:7-8 refers to Jesus’ crucifixion in the past tense, prior to the death of the two witnesses, and places their death in close proximity to the war waged by the beast coming up out of the abyss. That reference is the revival of the Roman empire after the year of 4 emperors & places this in close proximity to Vespasian’s war upon Judea. The 3 days and a half of Rev. 11:11 is a short time period which I cannot think would represent the 40 years after the crucifixion to the destruction of the temple in AD 70.
So, it is more likely that these two witnesses who were prophesying with the aid of the Holy Spirit were those that spread the gospel during the days after Jesus’ crucifixion when the Holy Spirit was poured forth upon the apostles and disciples. Taken in context of the entire chapter, I am leaning toward Peter and Paul, those two prophets / messengers of the gospel sent to the Jews and gentiles respectively who were martyred very close to the time of the destruction of the temple when the judgment against Jerusalem was signaled in Rev. 11:12-19. I don’t think we can state for certain, but this is to me more likely.
Please see Don Preston’s take on the context of these verses here: https://donkpreston.com/a-short-shot-about-those-two-witnesses/
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Gina, thank you very much for the quick response. I sincerely appreciate it.
I will reread your response a few times to follow it but, regarding the Apostles Peter and Paul, as far as both fulfilling the roles of the Two Witnesses, that has crossed my mind as well.
I am new to the Preterist interpretation and the information you provide on the different topics here is eye opening.
Thank you again and God bless you.
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Welcome, Joe. I try to respond to questions as quickly as I can. If I do not have the answer I will provide a source that can. Please do share the posts at this site if you are able. It is my hope that the truth of God’s word will overcome the false teachings that are being used to promote the evil political policies that people in high places in governments today rely upon to destroy so many, and that make war upon so many people of the earth.
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Gina, I have a question regarding Ezekiel 14:15. Does “wild beasts” in context of the scripture here symbolize unrepentant people or leaders and, if so, does that apply in context in other parts of scripture?
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Joe, while God will often use lions, and wolves, and bears as symbols of tyrant rulers that oppressed the people – See my post As A Roaring Lion from Mar 2023 – the wild beasts of the field are one of the punishments / judgments God promised from Lev. 26:22 for their disobedience. As Ezek. 14:21 makes it clear that His four “sore judgments” included the beasts of the field, then vs. 15 is literally the wild beasts that would roam through the land and kill the people and the cattle. See the commentaries on this verse from Biblehub.com : https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ezekiel/14-15.htm
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Thank you for answering my question, Gina. I will read what you suggested.
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Gina, I have another Book of Ezekiel question. In Ch 28:10 speaking to the Prince of Tyre, God says, “you shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hands of aliens.” Why does God specify “uncircumcised” here?
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The context for the use of “uncircumcised” in this verse does not just mean a gentile, but was a description of unmarked graves, of the dishonored or poor, one that is nor mourned. As opposed to the traditions of the Israelite who buried their dead with much honor and distinction. Look at it in the entire context from vs. 7 – 10 in the YLT.
“7 Therefore, lo, I am bringing in against thee strangers, The terrible of the nations, And they have drawn out their swords Against the beauty of thy wisdom, And they have pierced thy brightness. 8 To destruction they bring thee down, Thou diest by the deaths of the wounded, in the heart of the seas.
9 Dost thou really say, `I [am] God,’ Before him who is slaying thee? And thou [art] man, and not God, In the hand of him who is piercing thee. 10 The deaths of the uncircumcised thou diest, By the hand of strangers, for I have spoken, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'”
God taunts the king of Tyre in vs. 9 asking the king “Are you really calling yourself ‘God”? God is the one who sent the strangers from other nations against the king of Tyre in judgment for the king’s arrogance in equating himself with YHVH. The death of the uncircumcised then meant that for all the king’s arrogance in thinking he was someone special that his death would be in dishonor such as for unburied, unremarked, with no funeral honors. Killed by strangers, and left unburied. The Jews specifically looked down upon the death of the gentiles, and as the king of Tyre was putting himself above the God of the Jews, looking down upon the circumcised, his death would be not only equated with all other sinful people, but of no distinction at all.
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Thank you, Gina!
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Thank you, Gina. I have another question: I Ezekiel 39, who is the search party ? Is it possible the search party are the Apostles traveling through the land ? Thank you and God bless you for your patience.
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Joe, have you read my posts for Parts VI, VII, & VIII of Ezekiel in Revelation concerning Gog of Magog? I did not specifically review the searchers prophesied in Ezek. 39:14 b/c there is a lot of background that has to be established in the context of the prophecy for the destruction of Jerusalem. There is a physical / literal aspect that is overlayed by the spiritual, recognizing that part of the enemy “Gog” included the wicked of the land of Israel that stood against God – the ruling Jews. So, while Ezek 39:1-2 can be specifically identified with the 4 legions of the Roman army led by Vespasian & his son Titus, the spiritual mountains of Israel in vs. 4 then switches to God’s kingdom, as God’s kingdom is called God’s mountain (Isa. 11:9; 14:25) which became the everlasting kingdom under the gospel of Christ in the new covenant. See Part VIII of Ezekiel in Rev. for a full discussion.
Ezek. 39:7 – “My holy name,” in other words, Christ, and “my people Israel” under the gospel of Christ are now all who have been baptized into Christ & now counted for the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:26-29) then take over this prophecy. The inhabitants of the “cities of Israel” in vs. 9 are the same as “the people of the land” in vs. 13, which after Christ’s cleansing (Eph. 5:26) are His saints, and are the “camp of the saints” (Rev. 20:9) where the church was born on Pentecost, that are now to cleanse the land of the dead – spiritually those unrighteous souls who reject Christ. The cleansing began with Christ’s ministry and His death on the cross, & continued with the work of the Apostles and disciples throughout the spreading of the gospel during the 40 years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, and by those disciples of Christ who remained after the battle, the destruction of Jerusalem & the temple, the destruction of the wicked rulers (Gog) who had rejected Christ. By that time, most of the Apostles had been killed. Tradition has it that John lived to about AD 96. You could take this cleansing as a continual process for those in Christ as we teach His gospel to all nations, as the number 7 denotes perfection.
The seven years and seven months cleansing is from the ritual cleansing in the OT scriptures for those who came against a dead body (Num. 19:11-3), and is figurative for a complete or perfect time. The land of Israel was symbolic then for the kingdom of Christ, the church of Christ, the body of the saints; all of whom are His priests and kings on this earth (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10). As His priests, then cleansing from a dead body – the old covenant – was symbolic of OT cleansing. The physical land was unclean b/c of the wicked of Gog, those unrighteous who murdered Christ (both Roman & Jewish rulers), His blood and the blood of the prophets they spilled upon the land (Ezek. 22:24; 24:9). The spiritual land was cleansed by Christ and His disciples.
Ezek. 38 & 39 are very involved with both literal and spiritual aspects and symbolism. I hope this answer has helped. I also recommend reading Kurt Simmons’ post on Identifying Gog & Magog: http://preteristcentral.com/Identifying%20Gog%20&%20Magog.html
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Thank you, Gina!
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Hi Gina. I have a question regarding the Two Witnesses. In the Gospel of John, Ch 8 (starting with V.12), Jesus has a dialogue with the Scribes and Pharisees. In V. 17 & 18, He appears to equate Himself and The Father to two witnesses giving testimony of truth in accordance with the Jewish Law. Does this Ch 8 dialogue have anything to do with the Two Witnesses of Revelation, possibly? I have not gone back to Revelation yet to re-study the Two Witnesses.
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Joe, the context of John 8:12ff is the testimony of Yeshua that He is the one sent by our Father in heaven, & that His witnessing of Himself is the same as the words of the Father (v.16). Yeshua, the messenger of the covenant (Mal. 3:1) the promised Messiah having been with YHVH in the beginning (John 1:1) has the knowledge to speak of Himself, so His testimony is truth.
This is different than the symbolic two witnesses that lie dead in the street in Rev. 11:8 that were prophesying. At this point in the Revelation Jesus was alive in heaven seated at the right hand of YHVH. Jesus Christ had ascended in AD 31 which is pictured in Rev. 4 in the coming to the throne of God, then He was not one of the two witnesses that were still prophesying. Our Father in heaven cannot be considered to be dead in the streets. Rev. 11: 4 are the same as the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before YHVH. This is a picture of the martyrdom of those witnessing to the truth of Yeshua and the gospel of Christ. It harks back to Zech 4 and Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah from the return to rebuild the city & the temple. Oil and light, the anointing and the truth of the word of God, of the Spirit of God.
Some say that the two witnesses represent the offices of Zerubbabel (gov / ruler) and Joshua the High Priest which oversaw the return to rebuild the city as being fulfilled in Christ who reunited the two offices of King and High Priest in one & the establishment of the spiritual new Jerusalem in His heavenly kingdom (Heb. 7). Others believe the two witnesses to have been Peter and Paul – Peter being sent to the Jews, & Paul the apostle to the gentiles – having been martyred for prophesying the gospel of Christ. Their bodies lying in the street is not literal as the Jews were commanded to bury the dead by nightfall. Lying in the streets for 3-1/2 years is continuance of their witness of Christ even tho they were dead during the war between AD 66-70. The entire prophesy of Rev. 11 is the imagery of the establishment of the new covenant under Christ by the power of YHVH.
There are some good points in some of the commentaries on the two witnesses of Rev. 11 at https://biblehub.com/commentaries/revelation/11-4.htm.
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Thank you for the response, Gina. I didn’t mean to insinuate that our Heavenly Father could die. God cannot die. I am probably not explaining correctly. However, Jesus explains to the Pharisees and Scribes that He bears witness of Himself and The Father also bears witness of Jesus. Therefore, in that respect, there are 2 witnesses giving testimony or bearing witness of Jesus to the Scribes and Pharisees: Jesus and our Heavenly Father. The Pharisees and Scribes deny Jesus’ witness testimony (they do not believe He is who He says He is) so, as a result, they also reject the testimony of The Father (Who testifies through the OT Prophets and Patriarchs that Jesus is the The Christ, the only Son of God). 2 Witnesses (The Father and Jesus) both giving true testimony of Jesus, as Jewish Law requires, to the Scribes and Pharisees but both true testimonies are rejected by the Scribes and Pharisees. Am I seeing that correctly? That there are 2 witnesses in John Ch 8 as Jesus explains to the Scribes and Pharisees? Therefore, are Jesus and The Father perhaps a foreshadowing of the 2 witnesses of Revelation?
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I don’t see how the two witness in Rev that stand beside the Father in heaven can also be the Father in heaven. So, those two witnesses are different.
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Thanks. I understand that Jesus and The Father are not the Two Witnesses. But, I am a bit confused by the dialogue between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees in John Ch 8 v. 12-19 and how it relates to the Scribes and Pharisees bringing the woman caught in adultery to Him to test Him. That incident at the beginning of John 8 appears to trigger the dialogue. Are you able to shed light on that for me? Thank you.
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The space and time separators between the verses are indicators that some amount of time transpired between the accusation of the adulterous woman in the first 11 verses and the dialogue beginning in vs 12. When it says, “Again, therefore…” (YLT) or “Then spake Jesus again…” (KJV), or “Yeshua spoke to them again…” (CJB), or “When Jesus spoke again…” (NIV), or “Later, Jesus talked to the people again…” Easy-to-read Version, we cannot tell how much time passed between vs. 11 & 12. It is best to understand vs. 12ff as a new discussion. Many of the translations show a line separator, or paragraph separator between v. 11 & 12.
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J. Stuart Russell in his book “The Parousia” makes a convincing case that the two witnesses in Rev 11 are James, the brother of Jesus, and Peter. Both are closely associated with the church in Jerusalem and meet the descriptors that can be known in Rev 11. Thank you, Gina, for your very enlightening website.
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Appreciate the info, and I’ll look it up. Thank you!
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Hello Gina. I’m raised non-denominational Christian, turned away as a teen for over 20 years until about 3 weeks ago. Been stumbling on my path of the lord but believe in his strengthening every day no matter the stumble or barriers in my way. That said, you’re blog and the information you’ve presented has been apart of things I find myself crossing a few times now. Being raised in the “End Times” belief system, it kind of shakes me a bit, almost as if thinking to myself what’s the point of it all if what I was raised on is not the actual, for lack of a better word, goal. I do think though it leaves much for me to consider and have questions for you if that’s ok? Mainly because I have no one else to ask except God but don’t hear from him yet. If it’s ok, do you prefer I post questions here, do you have a different preference? Thank you!! -Dan
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Dan, you are welcome to post questions here. May I suggest however that most of the posts at this site have many answers for the questions most ppl ask. It is matter of the first audience perspective, who was speaking, whom were they speaking to, and when were they speaking. Some of those answers are provided in Part VII of It’s Not The End of The World from July 2015. But, every post here goes over the areas you probably are confused about. Ask, and if I have written about it already I will direct you to that particular post. If not, then I will attempt to address it to the best of my ability. We are all searching….
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Hope your doing well Gina, I was curious what Yeshua was referring to in this verse? What are the demons He won’t let speak? Thank you.
“He healed many who were ill with various diseases and expelled many demons, but he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.”
Mark (Mrk) 1:34 CJB
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Let’s think about this for a moment. “…he would not allow the demons to speak…” So, a regular person would be able to hear the “demons” speak? Who or what were these “demons?” Jesus was in Capernaum which was on the NE shore of Galilee. Those in that area were surrounded by pagan beliefs which said that if you became ill, well then you were possessed of a “demon,” so those ill people were called “demonaics.”
Jesus had just finished healing Simon’s mother-in-law (vs. 31), and then the people began bringing to Him others to be healed – “… they brought unto him all who were ill, and who were demoniacs,…” (vs. 32). The language is inclusive, meaning those who were called “demonaics” were also ill. It was a cultural saying, a language identification of that area for all diseases or conditions they could not explain. “Oh, he’s having a fit, so he must have a demon.” The phrase “casting out” is an Aramaic term for making sane. What did the Bible say in Mark 5:15, 18-19 about the “legion” demonaic?
” and they come unto Jesus, and see the demoniac, sitting, and clothed, and right-minded — him having had the legion — and they were afraid;….18 And he having gone into the boat, the demoniac was calling on him that he may be with him, 19 and Jesus did not suffer him, but saith to him, `Go away to thy house, unto thine own [friends], and tell them how great things the Lord did to thee, and dealt kindly with thee;”
The Bible uses the language that the people commonly used. They called him a “demonaic” b/c he had not been in his right mind, so the word the Bible uses is what the people understood and used to identify someone who was not sane. But, after Jesus healed the “demonaic” he was sitting with Jesus, clothed and in his right mind…. or sane.
The word used 2,000 years ago in the areas outside of Jerusalem – b/c those in Jerusalem did not believe in demons – would today be those who have mental issues, or bi-polar, or some insane condition. The Greek word “daimonion” (Strong’s G1140) is from pagan origin beliefs. Just b/c the people were influenced to believe that idea does not mean that those labeled “demonaic” were invaded by some invisible evil being. They were another sick person with a different label on them.
Please read the posts here for Testing The Spirits – Parts VI (a), (b), (c): Demons, Devils, Idols. Paul made it very clear that “demons” were “no-gods”, idols, which are nothing. They don’t exist. Just b/c the ppl believed otherwise doesn’t make it true.
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Sorry for going off topic a little here, but I’d like to get your perspective on the following matter. I’m assuming you believe that we have free will. If not, correct me on that. Do you believe we will have free will in heaven? Here on Earth, a big component of free will is that we choose between good and evil. Since there is no evil in heaven, then doesn’t it follow that there will be no free will in heaven? After all, how can free will exist if there is no evil to choose? I’ve heard religious leaders say that God gave us free will on Earth because He loves us, and He doesn’t want us to be robots. But if we don’t have free will in heaven, then why would we have free will on Earth?
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It appears to be a dilemma, but “free will” is truly a matter of choice. “`None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.” Matt. 6:24. We have the freedom to choose which we will serve – our own greedy, lustful self interest (mammon) or God. That is really the ultimate decision, and for those that choose God, then when we reach heaven, won’t we still be serving God? We have already made the choice to deny ourselves (Titus 2:12). Why would we suddenly become selfish when we get to heaven? The righteous in heaven freely chose to serve God. And our mindset will continue in that vein.
Further, He has promised a rest from our labors (Heb. 4:9-11). I do not fully know what that entails, but I imagine a lot of time to be able to do fun things, like swimming, feasting, visiting with Abraham, and reuniting with my family, etc.
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That’s a good answer! Thanks!
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Excellent information on this site. I pray that more christians embrace this viewpoint on prophecy.
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Thank you. That is my prayer daily.
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Sorry here is the scripture I was talking about.
“But, wanting so much to be right about this, they overlook the fact that it was by God’s Word that long ago there were heavens, and there was land which arose out of water and existed between the waters, and that by means of these things the world of that time was flooded with water and destroyed. It is by that same Word that the present heavens and earth, having been preserved, are being kept for fire until the Day of Judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.”
2 Kefa (2 Pe) 3:5-7 CJB
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The new heavens and new earth is the prophesy from Isaiah 65-66, where YHVH was going to return the captives from Babylon and create for them a new creation…. same language as in Gen creation, but He was speaking metaphorically of a new relationship with their Father in heaven. When YHVH brought them back from the Babylonian captivity into covenant relationship with Him, did He physically destroy the existing earth? No. It was the renewed covenant. The double fulfillment of that new heaven and new earth was the new covenant under the gospel of Christ, where He told them that it would not be like the old one (Heb 8: 8-13 from Jer. 31:31-40). In prophesy “earth” was the land the prophet was sent to warn. It was not literally the entire earth. So, if the prophet was sent to Israel, the “earth” was the land & ppl of Israel. If the prophet was sent to Babylon, the “earth” was the land and ppl of Babylon.
Please read Heaven & Earth Have Passed Away from Aug 2015, and also The New Jerusalem – The New Heaven & Earth Covenant from Dec 2022.
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Ok thank you, it threw me off because the flood was a world wide event not just local so I thought that was the comparison.
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It throws a lot of ppl off b/c they are not thinking about the rainbow. YHVH made a covenant w/ Noah that he would never again destroy the ground for man’s sake (Gen. 8:21) and the sign of that covenant was the rainbow (Gen. 9:9-14). The appearance of the rainbow in the visions in both Ezekiel 1:4, 28 and Rev 4:3 was the sign to them that the judgment coming of those prophesies of the 1st & 2nd destructions of the temples in Jerusalem were a limited judgment upon the “earth” of Israel, & were not prophesying a world-wide destruction. I went over this in Testing The Spirits – Part II: The End in Jan 2022. You might that post too.
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Thank you so much. I will re read them again to strengthen my foundation on it.
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Good afternoon Gina, I was reading scripture and was kinda confused by it because it is talking about the literal earth and heavens being reserved for fire. The issue I have is in context it’s talking about the entire earth because it relates it to the flood. So how do we understand this? It seems like there will be a physical earth ending event. Thank you for your help.
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Gina, just getting acquainted with these sites. Totally appreciate your comments on the dating of Revelation. We attend a great, bible believing, Kingdom expanding vision. ”Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing, ,,,, and go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. I have morphed from Pre-trib, to post-trib and now partial preterism, etc. I found your thoughts on the Jewish celebrations great. The destruction of Jerusalem corresponding with the first destruction and the feast of trumpets. I feel that Ascension and Pentecost are greatly under appreciated/celebrated holy days. The Ascension is the coronation of King Jesus and His subsequent ruling and reigning via the Holy Spirit in this world UNTIL all of His enemies are brought under His footstool. Very important in reading Psalm 110, that after these verses, His people are to volunteer freely and enter into the work, warfare. Do you have any comments on Ascension, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles and fulfullments coming?
Again, thank you so much for your in depth work. Presently looking forward to Kenneth Gentry’s two volume work on the Great Divorce, later this month. Dennis
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Dennis, thank you for reading. Ever day is another day God has granted us to work in His kingdom. We are his priests, kings, and ambassadors on this earth ( Pet. 2:9; 2 Cor. 5:20), and as long as He grants us a new day it is a holy day to work for Him. Jesus fulfilled all of the feast days, which means He completed them. Col. 2:16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” He has already put all of His enemies beneath His feet whether they know it or not. Heb 10:13 referred to the expectation of His return in that century to specifically judge those enemies who handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified… the unbelieving Jews, the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. But any one who denies that Christ came in the flesh is an antichrist (1 John 4:3; 2 John 1:7) and an enemy of His people. They act as enemies to us, but He is already ruling at the right hand of the Father, and His kingdom is already within us (Luke 17:21). Therefor, as His kingdom is with us now, as we who are in Christ are already tabernacling with Him (the last feast of Sukkot, Rev. 21:3), then all of who deny Him stand condemned answerable to the judgment beneath His feet, unless they repent.
I like Kenneth Gentry’s book Before Jerusalem Fell, and have handed out several copies of it. It reads as a doctoral thesis, but all of the points he made are excellent and substantiate Christ’s return in AD 70 to destroy the temple in Jerusalem, and judge those wicked who pierced Him. However, I am a full preterist, as Matt. 25 is linked to Matt 24 by the phrases used for the Feast of Trumpets on the 1st of Tishri which Christ deliberately used when speaking of the fall of that temple to His disciples. See all three posts The Signs of The Feasts from July 2018. So, the gathering out of Hades which He prophesied in Matt. 25 happened after the fall of that temple, and Hades is no more. See the posts here under the series Testing The Spirits for Part II: The End, Part III: Daniel’s Lot, and the one titled Hades Is No More.
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Good evening Gina I was wondering what regeneration means in Mathew 19:28? What is Yeshua referring to?
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Strong’s Gr. 3824, “paliggenesia” – renewal, new birth, See definitions at Biblehub: https://biblehub.com/greek/3824.htm
The renewal of our minds in dedication to Christ through baptism / immersion into His death, burial, & resurrection. We are then born anew, a new creature in His kingdom. Those who have been immersed into Christ already have eternal life, as long as we remain faithful. Jesus was not speaking of a regeneration or restoral of a nation state of Israel as too many ppl want to believe this verse is about. It is speaking of our newness in Christ, of being reborn to newness of life, being restored to the Father through Christ.
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Thank you that makes sense.
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Was it because of sin that these changes were made?
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Yes.
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Good morning Gina hope you are well. I was curious what changed to cause the animals and people to start eating meat? I see in scripture in the beginning animals and people were vegetarians so I’m wondering when that changed and what caused it? Thank you always for your help.
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We can deduce that the change in diet was given after the fall, after Adam and Eve were banned from the garden. Abel was tending a flock of sheep or some other animal from which he offered of the “firstlings” of that flock as sacrifice (Gen. 4:4). After the flood, Gen. 8:20 records that Noah sacrificed from every “clean” animal and fowl to God. Therefore at some time after the garden, God had given specific instructions on which animals were clean for food. These were issued again in Leviticus 11 after the Exodus from Egypt.
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Sorry for my confusion or misunderstanding but is this saying the Ten Commandments are still in effect and should be followed or were they done away with along with the rest of the law? Is it only 9 of the 10 Commandments that are in effect? Thank you Gina for what you do.
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The 4th commandment to observe the sabbath (Ex. 20:8; Lev 23:3) was a feast day, a holy convocation to God which foreshadowed Christ. It is fulfilled in Christ just as all of the other feast days which also foreshadowed Him. The other commandments are all wrapped up in Jesus’ command that we love God with all our heart and mind and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40). If we do that then we will not commit murder, theft, false witness, adultery, etc.
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Another question I was curious about, what happened to all the people who passed away before Christ was crucified and resurrected? I’m talking about all people especially those who never even heard of Him were they given an opportunity to accept Christ during His three days before the resurrection? Thank you again your input is greatly appreciated.
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Heb. 9:27, ” And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” All men are judged at their carnal death. Once a man dies, there is no more repentance, no more opportunity to turn back to God. This process is and has been the same from the beginning. So, before John came preaching the baptism of repentance, clearing the path for Christ (Mal. 3:1) there were two systems running side-by-side: the patriarch system which God established in the beginning with Adam, and then the Law of Moses which God established for Abraham’s descendants to prepare the world for Christ.
All that died under the Law of Moses were judged by that law. Those of the nations under the patriarch system were judged according to their deeds. God originally spoke directly to the head of families and nations (Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham), then through the prophets / messengers to warn and correct. The nations were not left without God or His word. (Isaiah was sent to warn Babylon, Tyre, Edom, etc.; Jonah was sent to warn Nineveh; and so on. Rom. 1:18-20; Heb. 1:1).
One of the purposes for the nation of Israel was to be an example to the rest of the nations on how to be acceptable to God, a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:5-6; Deu. 4:5-6). The nations were strangers, so not allowed to participate in the temple worship system unless they were circumcised and then kept the passover (Ex. 12:48). But, they heard of all the miraculous things God did for Israel, and thereby knew YHVH ruled over all the earth.
The Jews rec’d the word of the gospel first at Jerusalem just as foretold by the prophets (Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:2). So, the Jews first, then the gentiles (Cornelius, Acts 10) were grafted in and brought under the gospel of Christ. The transition occurred in stages. Any Jews that died during the time of John’s preaching and before Christ’s death would have been judged according to the baptism of repentance. During this same time the nations were still under the patriarch system, and at their deaths were still judged by God according to their deeds. After Christ’s death on the cross, and up to the day of Pentecost, John’s baptism would still have been operating. On the day of Pentecost, Peter changed that to the baptism for forgiveness of sins under Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Acts 2:38-39).
I am of the opinion and am persuaded that while Christ was in Paradise, before His resurrection, in that part of Hades reserved for the worthy / righteous (Luke 16:22) that Jesus was doing the same thing He had done during His ministry on earth… announcing that the kingdom was at hand. He wasn’t preaching to them to be baptized. They had already been judged and placed into the section of the grave reserved for the righteous. He was just telling them that they would not have to wait much longer before their release from that prison just as He had foretold His disciples in Matt. 25. See the post Testing The Spirits – Part III: Daniel’s Lot.
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Good afternoon Gina, I was curious how to interpret these verses.
”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.“
I Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV
Were those who were alive at Christs return taken away with Christ and those who were dead and caught up to Christ?
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Everyone dies bodily. Our carnal body will die. (Heb. 9:27) 1 Cor. 15:53… “we shall not all sleep” indicates those who were still “sleeping” were in the grave waiting for Christ’s coming in AD 70. Paul was assuring those who were concerned about their family and loved ones that had already passed from this realm that they would not be left behind, but indeed would be raised first (Matt. 25:31ff). There is great confusion over 1 Thess. 4:17 because the English translations do not take into account the use of order of the Greek. “Then” denotes an order of afterwards. So you have an orderly change, a succession. “Together with” does not imply at the same time, or in the same group, but rather being taken to be with them, where they are already in heaven. Should better read “shall be caught up in the clouds and gathered to where they already are so that we are all together with the Lord”. Cambridge Bible Commentary – “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds] In the Greek order: together with them will be caught up in the clouds, emphasis being thrown on the precedence of the dead: “we the living shall join their company, who are already with the Lord.” Together with implies full association.” Source: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_thessalonians/4-17.htm
The process changed when Christ took all of those who had died before His coming at the destruction of the temple in AD 70. All those righteous in the grave (Hades / Sheol) were euphemistically said to be “sleeping.” implying they were resting (Luke 16:23), some want to say unconscious but we do not have clarity on that from the scriptures. After Christ raised the dead (Matt. 25) then a change in the process occurred so that those that died after AD 70’s resurrection would not sleep in the grave in Hades any longer. Christ threw Hades into the lake of fire, just extinguishing it after the resurrection which occurred after the destruction of the temple (Rev. 20:14). So no one goes to Hades or the grave anymore to sleep and wait. Ever since that time the process has become that we are transformed when we die (we will not sleep) and gathered immediately into heaven to be together with all those that have gone before us. But, we all face bodily death. We do not get out of this realm any other way. Those that die in the Lord are greatly blessed now (Rev. 14:13) in that judgment passes over us and we go home to be with the Lord forever more.
See the post The Gathering of The Elect – July 2017. I explained this more fully in that post.
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