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Who Was The Land Beast Of Revelation 13? (Part 2 of 2)
Who Was The Land Beast Of Revelation 13?
By Don K. Preston (Part 2 of 2)
Video #8:
We have some indicators, some very powerful evidence in Revelation that helps us identify the land beast and also the specific framework in which we must place that land beast. I Revelation 13, the land beast causes others to worship the sea beast, to receive the mark, and to worship his image. We’ve already demonstrated the partnership of persecution between the sea beast and the land beast in Rev 17, and that there is only one historical time that fits that which was under Nero when he was in partnership with Jerusalem to persecute the Church. He turned on Jerusalem and destroyed the city and the temple. Notice that we have the land beast that causes people to worship the beast and receive his mark, and in the declaration of the judgment of Babylon, Revelation 14:8, another angel came saying:
Revelation 14:8-10 [KJV]
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
In the judgment of Babylon, those who would receive the mark and be involved in this persecution of the saints would be judged. Notice, all of those who had even worshipped the beast would be judged along with Babylon who CAUSED men to worship the beast…this is representative judgment. IN verse 14:14f, we have the coming of the Son of Man (Christ) with a golden crown and a sharp sickle:
Revelation 14:15-18 [KJV]
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
In order to appreciate this and the power of its statement, the framework of fulfillment, we need to go back to John the Baptizer. Remember, John came in the spirit and power of Elijah. John said:
Matthew 3:12 [KJV]
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
What is the “fan”? It is the winnowing shovel which is an END of harvest instrument. The angel in Revelation depicts Christ with a SICKLE, which is an instrument used DURING the harvest. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:12) posits the resurrection as ALREADY having begun because the winnowing shove is already in his hand! Revelation 14 is looking at things past, things present, and things about to be (Rev 1:19). All of this proves conclusively that Revelation 13, the land beast, and Revelation 14, the coming of the Lord at the time of the harvest was to be in the 1st century. John said his winnowing shovel is already in his hand! We cannot deny the force of this language and when we see that the harvest was in fulfillment to Israel to reap Judah in the Last Days, then it means that the Land Beast was, in fact, Jerusalem of Old Covenant Israel.
Video #9:
The main question in the book of Revelation is: WHO is Babylon? So we want to look at the identity of the land beast from the perspective of the vindication of the martyrs. It is strange that many, many commentators completely overlook this absolutely most pervasive, dominant theme of Revelation which is the vindication of the martyrdom of Jesus Christ. Not to mention his own martyred apostles and disciples AND all the righteous slain in the earth all the way back to Abel (Matt 23:35). Now, in that light, take a look at Revelation 1:7
Revelation 1:7 [KJV]
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
This coming of the Lord in the book of Revelation would be in vindication of the suffering of Jesus at the hands of Babylon. So the question is…who killed Jesus? It was the land beast, Babylon, the city where the Lord was slain! Now look how this conflates and agrees perfectly with Jesus on trial. Pilate declares Jesus innocent of all charges and he said I wash my hands of the blood of this innocent man. Also notice that Acts 4 says, citing the Psalms:
Acts 4:25-28 [KJV]
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Here are the Jews in conspiracy with Pilate (Rome) to kill the Lord. The Jews are the movers and shakers in his death, but when Pilate exonerates himself and washes his hands of the blood of Jesus, the Jews cry out “Let his blood be on us and on our children.” (Matt 27:25) As pointed out in my book, “Who Is This Babylon?” (Don K. Preston), the answer to the Jews’ declaration “Let his blood be on us and on our children” is found in Revelation in judgment of the land beast, the city where the Lord was slain. It’s fascinating that the book of Revelation focuses on the judgment of THAT CITY more than any other topic. This is about the vindication of the death of Jesus when THE JEWS THEMSELVES cried out…”Let his blood be on us and on our children.” The entire book of Revelation is God saying “You asked for it….you’re getting it.”
Video #10:
To identify the Land Beast, one of the things we absolutely have to see is that the land beast is in full cooperation with the sea beast to persecute the saints. If you don’t have the mark of the beast, you’re persecuted, you can’t buy, you can’t sell. Martyrdom lies at the foundation of the entire doctrine and theology of the sea beast and land beast. Throughout Revelation, from chapter 1 through chapter 22, we find the emphasis on the vindication of the martyrs. We actually find the indication of past suffering and martyrdom, present suffering and martyrdom, and future suffering and martyrdom, but…that future suffering and martyrdom is placed within a very imminent context. Revelation 6:9-11:
Revelation 6:9-11 [KJV]
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
So, we have a land beast joining with the sea beast to persecute the saints. The souls under the alter (Rev 6) want vindication to come AGAINST THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH who have been guilty of persecuting them. Notice that they are promised that vindication would come in a “little season.” NOT in 2000 years, not in 5000 years, but in a LITTLE while. Now, ask yourself a question….when did Jesus say that all of the blood, of all the righteous, shed upon the earth all the way back to ABEL, would be judged and vindicated?
Matthew 23:35-36 [KJV]
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
What authority, what evidence do we have, to divorce Matthew 23, the vindication of all the martyrs, from Revelation 6? There is NO evidence, nothing in the text to suggest such a dichotomy. That means, since the souls under the altar are looking for vindication (i.e. judgment) on those who dwell on the earth (i.e. the land beast), and that vindication was promised “in a little while,” when we conflate that with Matthew 23, it definitively identifies the Land Beast as the persecutor, as 1st century Jerusalem. And the vindication of those martyrs of Revelation 6, Revelation 13, Revelation 14, Revelation 19, and at the END OF THE MILLENNIUM……as occurring in 70A.D.
Video #11:
In Revelation 14, we have almost certain identification of the land beast as Old Covenant Israel. In Revelation 14, after the announcement of the imminent judgment of Babylon, notice in Revelation 14:17f:
Revelation 14:17-19 [KJV]
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
We have to understand the Book of Revelation is immanently Hebraic in thought. It alludes to, cites, and echoes over 400 Old Covenant passages. As a Hebrew Christian, reading the book of Revelation, you were saturated with the thought, terminology, motifs, and language of the Old Covenant. So when Revelation 14 speaks of the imminent harvest of the “vine of the earth”, twice John is referencing the vine of the land, the vine of the earth. So if you are a Hebrew saturated in Old Covenant terminology, who do you think is the “vine of the land”? It is none other than Old Covenant Israel:
Jeremiah 2:21 [KJV]
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?Isaiah 5:1-2 [KJV]
Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
There’s no question about it. When we are attuned to the Old Testament source of the Hebrew language, it’s not difficult at all to identify the Land Beast of the book of Revelation.
Video #12:
It is critical to see that Revelation MUST be limited to the time of the Roman Empire due to Daneil’s prophecy. It is also critical to see this identity of this Land Beast in terms of being the persecutor of God’s people through partnership with the sea beast (Rome). Throughout the book of Revelation, when you look up the word “land” or “earth”, it is the word “ge.” So, all through Revelation, we have references to “the land”, and to the activities of “the land” in regard to persecution of the saints and judgment coming on “the earth” or “the land.” We want to pay particular attention to Revelation 6:9-11.
Revelation 6:9-11 [KJV]
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
The martyrs are looking for vindication of their martyrdom at the hands of “them that dwell on the earth.” This is the Land Beast who has persecuted them unto death in partnership with the Sea Beast. When we look at this theme of martyr vindication, it is amazing how little attention some commentators give to this theme in the book of Revelation. From the first chapter to the last, the story of Revelation concerns the vindication of the murder of Jesus Christ and all the innocent blood of all the righteous shed on the earth all the way back to ABEL. So, we have to ask ourselves this question: How do we divorce the book of Revelation, with what it says about the vindication of the martyrs, from what Jesus said about the vindication of the martyrs? Jesus spoke in his ministry over and over again about the coming, imminent vindication of all the martyrs. In Matthew 23, Jesus stood in the temple at Jerusalem and castigated the Jewish leaders and said “YOU are those who bear witness that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets, for you say ‘If we would have been alive in the days of our fathers, WE would not have killed the prophets!’” and then he said “Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers’ guilt! Behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes, some of them you shall crucify, scourge, and chase from city to city, that upon YOU shall come all the righteous blood of all the righteous shed upon the earth, from righteous Abel to Zacharias son of Barachias whom you slew between the altar and the temple.” Jesus himself defined and described Old Covenant Jerusalem as the party GUILTY of shedding all the blood on “the Land.” Jerusalem is the LAND BEAST guilty of shedding the blood of the LAND. Unless one can find some scriptural definitive evidence to divorce Jesus’ definition of the entity that shed the blood ON THE LAND from Revelation 6, 13, 14, 20-22….then we have undeniably clear evidence that the “Land Beast” was, in fact, Old Covenant Jerusalem.
Video #13:
We’ve pointed out that the entire book of Revelation deals with the theme of the vindication of the martyrs of God. It’s not just some “future” group of martyrs. The martyrs in view in Revelation is a comprehensive element that, as good Bible students, we must consider the evidence of the rest of the Bible as it agrees with, segues with, Revelation. In Matthew 23, Jesus said it was Old Covenant Jerusalem that had killed the prophets. Old Covenant Jerusalem was going to kill HIM. (Matt 20-23) Old Covenant Jerusalem was going to kill his personal apostles and prophets that would be sent to them and they would fill up the measure of their guilt in doing so and judgment would fall on them in that generation. In 1st Thessalonians 2, Paul reminds the congregation how they were being presently persecuted by the Jews, their countrymen (confirmed in Acts 17). He also reminds them of how the Jews had killed the prophets in the past, had now slain Jesus, they were now killing the apostles and prophets, filling up the measure of their sin, and judgment was about to fall in that generation. Who disagrees that Paul was echoing what Jesus had said? So in Revelation we have the Sea Beast and the Land Beast in union to persecute the saints. The Land Beast was Babylon, the city where the LORD was slain, but Babylon was also the entity that killed the prophets (Rev 16:6). Notably, the term “The Prophets”, when used in the N.T. without a contextual qualifier, invariably refers to the O.T. prophets. So here is Babylon that has killed the prophets and is where the Lord was slain. In Revelation 18:20-24:
Revelation 18:20-24 [KJV]
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
When was this judgment coming? Very, very soon!
Revelation 22:6 [KJV]
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Revelation 22:7 [KJV]
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:10 [KJV]
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.Revelation 22:12 [KJV]
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.Revelation 22:20 [KJV]
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
So, in Matthew, we have the killing of the O.T. prophets, Jesus himself, the N.T. prophets and apostles, the filling up of the measure of sin, and judgment coming in that generation. In Paul, we have O.T. Israel killing the O.T. prophets, the killing of Jesus and his apostles and prophets, filling up the measure of their sin, and judgment is coming very soon. In Revelation, we have the past killing of the O.T. prophets, the city Babylon is where the Lord was slain, they are killing the apostles and prophets of Jesus, the cup of her sin (Rev 17:6f) is now full and judgment was coming imminently. This DEMANDS that the Sea Beast and the Land Beast, in their partnership of persecution, must be kept within a 1st century context because the focus is on Babylon and Babylon is the city where the Lord was slain. Therefore, you cannot destroy that pattern of the killing of the O.T. Prophets, Jesus, his apostles and prophets, filling up the measure of sin, and imminent judgment. You can’t divorce it from Jesus, which means Babylon is Jerusalem and you can’t divorce it from Paul. Babylon, the Land Beast….was JERUSALEM.
Video #14:
We have examined the concept from Rev 13 that there is a partnership of persecution between the Sea Beast and the Land Beast. The Land Beast, according to Rev 17, is to be identified with the city Babylon who rides upon the beast, sitting on seven mountains. This raises the question “WHO was Babylon?” The interpretations for these prophecies and the identity of Babylon are as varied as the number of Christian church denominations today. Many think the Roman Catholic Church or the Pope is depicted or a Revived Roman Empire in modern times or possibly the actual city of Babylon In Iraq will be revived in modern times. Revelations has NOTHING to do with any of these interpretations because NONE of these entities or their timeframes fit the requirements given in both Revelation and Daniel. We have already shown irrefutably that the events of Revelation MUST fall within the time frame of the 1st century AD. Revelation 18 identifies this Babylon FIVE TIMES as that “Great City.” In chapter 11, the “Great City” is identified as the city “where also our Lord was crucified.” That is an interpretive phrase. Notice John is initially told that this “Great City” is spiritually called “Sodom and Egypt.” In the Bible, there is only ONE city that is ever spiritually designated as “Sodom.” Isaiah 1, Ezekiel 16, Ezekiel 23. In Deuteronomy 32:32, Yahweh said that in Israel’s Last Days, she would become the VINE OF SODOM.
Deuteronomy 32:32 [KJV]
For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
In Galatians 4:22f, Paul identifies Old Covenant Jerusalem as Hagar who was the Egyptian Bondwoman in Genesis 21:
Genesis 21:9-10 [KJV]
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.Galatians 4:22-26 [KJV]
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
So, we have two spiritual designations that are applied in scripture to Jerusalem and then the Holy Spirit interprets who it is by saying it is “where also our Lord was crucified.” Jesus was not slain in Babylon, the streets of the Vatican, or the streets of New York City. Whatever city you identify as Babylon, as “that Great City, it MUST be “the city where the Lord was slain.” If your “Babylon” does not match that Holy Spirit-inspired description, then you’ve got the WRONG BABYLON.
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Who Was The Land Beast Of Revelation 13? (Part 1 of 2)
Who Was The Land Beast Of Revelation 13?
By Don K. Preston (Part 1 of 2)
These are the notes I took while watching Don Preston’s video serious of the same name, so the writing style is a bit more relaxed and casual. However, the information Don presents is irrefutable. There are 14 videos in this series and Don’s teaching is excellent and very thorough. The link to the series playlist on YouTube is shown above.
Video #1:
There were actually two beasts involved in Revelation, a land beast and a sea beast and we will actually identify both of them. We cannot isolate Revelation 12, 13, and 14 in our understanding of the identity of the Land Beast of chapter 13. One of the keys to understanding the identity of either of these beasts is to understand Hebraic thought of the 1st century. The Hebrews understood that the sea represented the pagan Gentile world. The Hebrews were not known as seafarers and were more of a land-based people. The “land” for Israel did not represent “dirt” it represented the covenant land of Israel. It is not simply “land” to them, but “THE Land.” When Hebrew writers referred to “THE Land,” they were referring to the land of Israel. If that well known, well established usage of the term “The Land” is being used here in Revelation 13, as opposed to “THE Sea,” then what we find is that the writer is describing a pagan authority joining with Israel to persecute the saints of God. This becomes within itself one of the most definitive proofs that Revelation was written prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., prior to the time of Domitian. We’re told: “Revelation was written during the time of Domitian, so Domitian was the beast!” NO he was not. The identification of the sea beast as a pagan gentile force, and the land beast as related to Israel, demands there was a partnership between a pagan force which is the dominant force, and Israel in some way or fashion, in a partnership of persecution against the body of Christ. If true, this proves Revelation was written prior to the fall of Jerusalem in AD70 and it proves Domitian was not the Beast, as we shall see.
Video #2:
We’re dealing with apocalyptic language which is highly metaphoric and hyperbolic. It should never be pressed to the extreme “nth” degree of literalism. That completely and totally misses the point of apocalyptics. That’s one of the reasons why the dispensational view of Revelation is so misplaced. It takes Hebrew scripture which was never meant to be taken literally and imposes a modern, literalistic hermeneutic upon it and then people say “Oh look! We’re expecting a future atomic warfare!” Apocalyptic language was never meant to be taken literally.
In Revelation 13, we have two beasts depicted, a sea beast and a land beast. We have to go back to chapter 12 to discover that both beasts are empowered by the Dragon. The Dragon in chapter 12 is the “mover and shaker” of the persecution. The Dragon is the one that attempted to slay the man-child that was to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Revelation 19. It is the Dragon that is pursuing the seed of the woman and notice that, in Revelation 13 and 14, John then sees the beast of the sea and he says in verse 2:
Revelation 13:2 [KJV]
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
So the Dragon is the real POWER behind the land and sea beasts which is obviously Satan:
Revelation 12:9 [KJV]
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
In John 12:30-31, Jesus, speaking of Satan, said:
John 12:31 [KJV]
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Here is Jesus in John 12 talking about the impending overthrow of the Great Dragon. In Revelation 12, we have the casting of the Dragon out of heaven, but remember it was that same Dragon that empowered both the sea beast and the land beast. Whatever identities that we feel we must assign to the sea and land beasts, they are both empowered by Satan the Dragon and Jesus said that the power of his cross would lead to the casting out and overthrow of Satan. Virtually all scholars admit that Revelation 13:1-2 is speaking about the same (fourth) sea beast of Daniel 7.
Daniel 7:3 [KJV]
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.Daniel 7:7 [KJV]
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.Daniel 7:11 [KJV]
I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Daniel 7 spoke of the coming of four world empires and that fourth world empire is the SAME days of the sea beast of Revelation. The fourth empire in Daniel is the Roman Empire. This gives us another textual connection that tells us something. No matter what else we may think of the Dragon, the sea beast, and the land beast, we are limited to the days of Rome because that is how John is applying Daniel. We therefore, cannot look beyond the days of Rome for the fulfillment of Revelation 13. Revelation 13 is about the Dragon and the sea beast and the sea beast is the fulfillment of Daniel 7, but Daniel 7 and the fourth beast is the Roman Empire. Therefore, Revelation 13 HAD to be fulfilled in the days of Rome. Rome fell in 476 AD, so we can’t get Revelation 13 beyond that date. However, when we couple that with Revelation 12 when Jesus said the Dragon would be cast out (John 12:30-31), we find that we aren’t even close to 476 AD, we are in JESUS’ GENERATION. Therefore, the Sea Beast of Revelation 13 was ROME.
Video #3:
In Revelation 13, we have a partnership of persecution between the sea beast (Rome) and the land beast. The land beast causes everyone to worship the sea beast, but the partnership between the two is the most important aspect. Revelation 13 develops this extensively where we have the beast who is in partnership with Babylon. Babylon sits on the beast which sits on the 7 mountains. In Revelation 17, we have the beast and Babylon in persecutorial partnership, but then the beast turns on the woman, Babylon, hates her, destroys her and burns her with fire. We are told Revelation was written under Domitian and he is called “the beast.” However, there are problems with this view. Scholars and historians realize that Domitian never instigated any type of systematic persecution of the Church! Domitian was also NEVER in a persecution partnership with ANY city against the Church. He NEVER destroyed any “partner” city by fire and he never destroyed Rome either. When we look at the historical facts, we find very quickly that a late dating of the writing of Revelation DOES NOT FIT and, secondly, the identity of Domitian as “the Beast” DOES NOT FIT. So, who was John writing about when he said in Revelation 17:10 “and there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come”? There is only ONE historical situation which fits this prophecy and it fits the prophecy PERFECTLY.
Video #4:
Revelation 17 depicts the same identical partnership as Revelation 13, but it uses slightly different imagery. In Revelation 17, we have the same sea beast (Rome) with seven heads and ten horns, but now we have that enigmatic city called a woman (and also identified as a whore) with the name of MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT and there is a partnership between the beast and the woman against the saints. In Revelation 17, the beast and Babylon are of one mind.
Revelation 17:12-17 [KJV] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
So, here you have the partnership of persecution between the beast and his confederates (ten horns) and the woman, Babylon. But this partnership turns sour and the beast and his confederates turn on that woman and they hate her and burn her with fire. This is critical to understand because most commentators claim that Domitian was the “Beast.” But the problem with this view is that Domitian was never in a partnership with anyone else, no city, no kingdom, to persecute the Christians. As previously pointed out, there was NO systematic persecution of Christians by Domitian AT ALL. However, when we look at Nero Caesar, we find that Nero was the very FIRST Roman Emperor to persecute the Church. But what most don’t realize is that Nero was in partnership with the Jews. Nero’s wife, Popea, was a Jewess. Likewise, most of his inner circle of counselors were Jews. It is also known that when the persecution began against the Christians, there was an ambassage from Jerusalem of Jewish priests IN ROME who were actively attempting to prosecute Paul. It is widely believed when the fire broke out at Rome, that Nero’s Jewish counselors are the ones who suggested to Nero that if he wanted to take the heat off of himself for setting the city ablaze, that he should blame this tragedy on the Christians. And thus, the Roman Empire began widespread persecutions of the Christians. But, in 66 AD, Jerusalem revolted and Nero sent his armies and destroyed Jerusalem completely. All these historical events fit the prophecy PERFECTLY.
Video #5:
The land beast and sea beast of Revelation 13 form a partnership of persecution against the body of Christ. This partnership is demonstrated again in Revelation 17 with the scarlet beast and Babylon. If you compare the sea beast of Rev 13 and the scarlet beast of Rev 17, you find they are one and the same. They both arise out of the waters. If you compare the land beast of Rev 13 with Babylon, the Whore who sits on the beast of Rev 17, you will find the Whore Babylon of Rev 17 and the land beast of Rev 13 are ALSO one and the same. Babylon is said to be the city where the Lord was slain which means that Babylon was Old Covenant 1st century Jerusalem!
Revelation 11:8 [KJV]
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
In Rev 17, we also see that the partnership between the scarlet beast and Babylon (sea beast and land beast of Rev 13) goes sour and the beast hates her, leaves her naked and desolate and burns her with fire. When you consider all these things, you find there is only ONE historical context that fits the timing and framework in which John posits all these things. People like to say Domitian was “the Beast.” But that won’t work because only ONE Roman emperor was ever in a partnership with any other city to persecute the Church where the partnership went sour and Rome turned on the city and destroyed it by fire. This is EXACTLY what happened at Jerusalem in 70 A.D.! Nero and Rome are the sea beast of Revelation 13 and the scarlet beast of Revelation 17. Jerusalem is both the land beast of Revelation 13 and the whore Babylon riding the scarlet beast in Revelation 17.
Video #6:
There are some things in Revelation which absolutely demand that we confine the events to John’s generation as being urgently imminent for the 1st century. We cannot extend anything in Revelation beyond the Roman empire, let alone 2000 years into the future. Critically, in Revelation 13 we have the sea beast and the land beast who persecute the saints in partnership. In Chapter 14, we gain some insights as to the identity of those who are persecuted. We are told about the 144,000 who are out of the twelve tribes of Israel. These are the righteous remnant. In chapter 7, we are told this 144,000 have come out of the Great Tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, both beasts and the 144,000 belong together temporally. In Revelation 14, John again sees the 144,000 and identifies them as virgins, undefiled with women, the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb redeemed from the earth. They are the 1st generation of Hebrew Christians depicted as martyrs for their faith. Who was it who persecuted them? Both Rome and Jerusalem (Babylon!), with Jerusalem being the driving force behind the persecution in alliance with Rome. The sea beast and the land beast persecute the 144,000 who go through the Great Tribulation, but these 144,000 are also the firstfruits from the 1st CENTURY CHURCH! This means that the Great Tribulation was IN THE 1ST CENTURY! This means that Armageddon was also IN THE 1ST CENTURY!
Video #7:
We’ve already pointed out the correlation between Rev 13 and Rev 17, in which we find that the land beast is actually Babylon. This is obviously critical because Revelation, particularly chapters 18 and following, specifically identifies Babylon as the focus of God’s wrath for her persecution of the saints. As in chapter 13, the land beast causes people to worship the sea beast and the focus of all of that is the partnership between the sea beast and land beast to persecute the saints. Interestingly, in chapter 13, we have the land beast conspiring with the sea beast to persecute the saints, those who would not receive the mark of the beast. The 144,000 also have a mark to identify them as the followers of the Lamb (Rev 14:1f).
Revelation 14:6-10 [KJV]
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
So, who made people worship the Beast? The Land Beast…and the Land Beast is BABYLON! The main point to understand with the passage above is that this great angel flying through the heavens, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those that dwell on the earth, said the HOUR of God’s judgment on Babylon HAS COME. Where do we find the idea and motif of the preaching of the gospel into all the world before the time of the end? In Matthew 24, Jesus predicted the fall of the city of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. The disciples immediately asked him when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of your parousia and of the end of the age? Please don’t make the mistake of believing that the parousia and the end of the age refer to something DIFFERENT from the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple. They are absolutely and inextricably tied together. Jesus gave the signs of that impending destruction, his parousia, and the end of the age. What was one of those signs? He said this gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world (oikoumenē) as a witness to the nations (ethnos), THEN comes the end. Jesus said the gospel would be preached in all the world IN HIS GENERATION and that HIS GENERATION would not pass until all those things were fulfilled (Matthew 24:14,34) Paul testified in Colossians 1:23 that IN FACT the gospel HAD ALREADY BEEN PREACHED TO EVERY CREATURE WHICH IS UNDER HEAVEN. This is precisely why John could now say in Revelation that the hour of the judgment of Babylon IS HERE. By the time John wrote Revelation, the gospel HAD been preached into all the world.
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Isaiah Puts It ALL Together…
What does the book of Isaiah have to say about the Resurrection, Salvation, the Regathering of Israel, the Inclusion of the Gentiles, the Judgment, the Slaying of Satan/Leviathan, the Vindication of the Martyrs, and the Messianic Wedding Banquet?
In this post, I am going to prove to you that all the above events are tied temporally in prophecy to a specific time and place in the eschatology of Israel’s Last Days. This is irrefutable proof that should leave no doubts in anyone’s mind as to the spiritual finality of the events of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. We’ll begin by looking at Paul’s doctrine of the Resurrection found in 1 Corinthians 15.
In 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, the apostle Paul cites verses from Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 as foundational passages for his doctrine of the Resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 [KJV]
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?Isaiah 25:8 [KJV]
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.Hosea 13:14 [KJV]
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
This correlation is foundational to the Resurrection. However, there is a lot more prophetic gold to be mined from the book of Isaiah that I want us to look at today. I want to give you some irrefutable PROOF from the Old Testament that shows definitively that the Resurrection, the Messianic Banquet (also known as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelation), the Regathering of the Diaspora (lost 10 Tribes of Israel), the in-gathering of the Gentiles with Israel, the post-Millennial Judgment, the Slaying of Satan/Leviathan, the Vindication of God’s Martyrs….ALL of these prophetic events and themes have their termination and fulfillment at the coming of the Lord against Israel of the flesh in 70 A.D.
Most of us have been told and taught from our earliest Sunday School lessons as good Protestant Christians that Christ is supposed to return someday yet in the future to establish his Kingdom here on earth and that we will be “raptured” to meet him in the air. Some folks are pre-tribulation rapture believers, some post-tribulation, amillennialists, and all variants in between. But I am going to prove to you by the scriptures that all of these future views of the Coming of the Lord are absolutely falsified by the Old Testament prophecies.
I will use a few supporting scriptures from other O.T. books, but the main passage from the end of Isaiah 24 through chapter 28 will suffice. Let’s start by establishing the two main temporal statements which Isaiah uses to describe WHERE and WHEN all these prophetic events will unfold. The two key phrases are “in that day” and “in this mountain.” The phrase “in that Day” refers to the Great & Terrible Day of the Lord which occurs in the Last Days of Israel’s Old Covenant. The second phrase, “in this mountain,” refers to Mount Zion which is where the spiritual House of God (the Messianic Temple) will be established in the Last Days of Israel’s Covenant when Messiah comes.
In Acts 2, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost where, on that day alone, over 3000 Jewish converts believe in Jesus Christ and are washed of their blood guilt for having slain the Lord. This was the fulfillment of Zechariah 13:1 and Joel 2. Peter says that what they were witnessing that day with the supernatural gift of tongues was THE FULFILLMENT of Joel chapter 2 which is a prophecy of the Last Days of Israel’s covenant just before the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”:
Joel 2:28-32 [KJV]
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.Zechariah 13:1 [KJV]
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Notice also that Joel’s prophecy also makes mention of Mount Zion and Jerusalem as being the place of deliverance for the remnant whom the LORD shall call. The term “Mount Zion” represented the very hope of Israel. Zion is the Mountain of the House of God established in the LAST DAYS as spoken in Micah 4:
Micah 4:1-2 [KJV]
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
So then, let us now look at Isaiah chapter 25 and begin to identify the end time prophetic events which will occur “in that day” and “in this mountain.” The first one is the Messianic Banquet, or Marriage Supper of the Lamb as described in Revelation 19:7-9.
Revelation 19:7-9 [KJV]
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.Isaiah 25:6 [KJV]
And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
There you have the Great Feast of the Lord “in this mountain” made unto ALL PEOPLE. This is also known as the Messianic Banquet. But how do we know that “in this mountain” is really speaking of “Mount Zion” in Isaiah 25? We can positively identify this mountain by going back to the antecedent reference of Mount Zion found at the end of Isaiah chapter 24. Remember that chapter and verse headings were not inserted into scripture until well after these things were written for easy reference.
Isaiah 24:23 [KJV]
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
Ok, so we have the Messianic Banquet occurring in Mount Zion and we know Mount Zion is specifically the Last Days establishment of the Mountain and House of God (Messianic Temple). We know that Revelation speaks of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ in Revelation 19:7-9 following the destruction of the city of Babylon. In previous studies, we have identified “Babylon” as a spiritual or prophetic code word for the city of Jerusalem.
The next two prophetic events on the list are found immediately in the next few verses after the Messianic Banquet reference and they are Salvation and the Resurrection.
Isaiah 25:7-9 [KJV]
And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Here again we have the reference to “in this mountain” and now we have the first “in that day” key reference. God will destroy the vail of separation that covers the nations which is the removal of their sin and shame, or “the rebuke of his people.” This is the salvation of the Lord which occurs at the Resurrection. Remember also that this section contains Isaiah 25:8 which Paul cited in 1 Corinthians 15:54 in his doctrine of the Resurrection where Death is swallowed up in victory and God wipes away tears from off all faces!
The last prophetic event tie we find in chapter 25 is to the destruction and judgment of Jerusalem in the Last Days, especially in the final verse of the chapter. Notice the language used where God says “the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, law low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.” This is exactly what happened at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Josephus says that the Roman army plowed up the very foundations of the city right down to the dust of the ground.
Isaiah 25:10-12 [KJV]
For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
In Isaiah 26, the prophecy continues with the odd combination of the song of salvation being sung at the same time the city of brought down to the dust. This theme of simultaneous destruction and redemption in Jerusalem is also found in other O.T. prophesies, especially the book of Hosea where we find the story of God divorcing, slaying and departing from Israel for her spiritual idolatry and harlotry, but in her Last Days he Returns, Resurrects, and Remarries her. Note this similar combination of rejoicing and destruction in this passage and almost a verbatim repeat of the language from Isaiah 25:12 about bringing down those that dwell on high and laying them low, “even to the dust”:
Isaiah 26:1-5 [KJV]
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
Near the end of the chapter, we find the combined message of Resurrection of the people with Christ associated with the vindication of the martyrs when “the LORD cometh out of his place to punish inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity” at which time the earth discloses her blood and reveals her slain.
Isaiah 26:19-21 [KJV]
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
In the VERY next verse at the beginning of chapter 27, we find the slaying of Leviathan, which is the great crooked, piercing serpent, which is none other than Satan the “dragon that is in the sea.” Notice again that his slaying occurs with the temporal referent of IN THAT DAY:
Isaiah 27:1 [KJV]
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Immediately following in the next few verses, also “IN THAT DAY,” we have a song being sung to Israel/Jacob of blessing and protection of the LORD after Leviathan is slain:
Isaiah 27:2 [KJV]
In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me. He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
And how does Jacob make peace with God and receive the blessing? It is through God’s judgment which purges the iniquity (blood-guilt) of Jacob, when he makes the stones of the altar into CHALKSTONES that are beaten in sunder and the defenced city is forsaken and made desolate! This is when God shows the people which he formed NO MERCY and NO FAVOR…this was undeniably, irrefutably done at Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Isaiah 27:9-11 [KJV]
By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up. Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof. When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.
In the last portion of Isaiah 27, after the slaying of Satan and the blessing of Jacob through his judgment and purging of sin is the consummative Regathering of the Diaspora and the Gentiles, represented by Assyria and Egypt, together with Israel IN THAT DAY when the Great Trumpet is blown and all men come to worship God in his holy mount (Zion) at Jerusalem. However, please note something VERY important. The physical temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was NOT built on Mount Zion. It was built on Mount Moriah. That is because Mount Zion and the Messianic Temple are a spiritual mountain and temple not made by human hands. Remember in Revelation there is a NEW Jerusalem and a New Heavens and Earth because the first (the types and shadow versions) are destroyed. Also important to note is the symbology of the phrase “Heaven and Earth” as it relates directly to the Temple, not the physical planet earth and the universal cosmos.
Isaiah 27:12-13 [KJV]
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
Now, chapter 28 I will try to summarize and wrap this study up. What we find in chapter 28 is the decree of judgment to those who sit in judgment, but refuge to the residue of his people who trust in the cornerstone that God laid in Mount Zion. It would be good if you will read the entire passage of Isaiah 25 through 28 to see how it all flows together as I have described. But here are the key verses from chapter 28 which establish the main theme of this chapter.
Isaiah 28:1-6 [KJV]
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
Note that any time you see the phrase “Lord of Hosts” it is generally referring to the armies of the Lord in battle for judgment. Here we have the armies of the Lord presented as a crown, or diadem of beauty to the RESIDUE of his people….only the faithful few who believe and trust in him. To the rest who are scornful and sit in judgment over Jerusalem, he comes as a spirit of judgment, giving strength to the Roman armies who brought the battle to the gate of Jerusalem and destroyed it in 70 A.D.
Isaiah 28:13-19 [KJV]
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
In summary, the Lord’s plan all along was to lay in ZION the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Messiah, in Israel’s Last Days when the New Covenant would be established at the passing of the Old Covenant system. This cornerstone would be the foundation of the Messianic Kingdom and Temple, the spiritual house of God in Mount Zion, that would be radically different than the old temple and kingdom. This is the Temple not made with human hands:
Acts 7:48-49 [KJV]
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Instead, this temple would be made of “lively stones” which Peter spoke of in 1 Peter 2:4-6. Notice also that Peter cites Isaiah 28:16 in this passage:
1 Peter 2:4-6 [KJV]
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Instead of a nebulous 2000+ year “Last Days” period, the Last Days of Israel lasted roughly 40 years. This was from the time of Jesus’ public ministry from AD30 through the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. All the scripture I just gave you from Isaiah and other supporting scriptures (and MUCH more I could have provided) shows that ALL these events, the Resurrection, the Salvation of God, the Slaying of Satan, the Messianic Banquet, the in-gathering of the Gentiles, the Regathering of Israel, occurred and culminated with the judgment of Israel and the vindication of the Martyrs of God in 70A.D. There was and IS NO 2000 YEAR GAP…
The Messianic Kingdom and Temple are HERE NOW…inside the hearts of those who trust in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who established them in Israel’s Last Days, Yeshua Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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The Resurrection Of The Dead
This study was compiled from notes I took while viewing the video series by Don K. Preston, D.Div. There were 25 short videos in this series and the link is posted below the title if you wish to view them.
The Resurrection was the Hope of Israel and that hope was precisely what Paul and the apostles preached…the Resurrection of Israel. As I’ve said elsewhere, there is NOTHING to be found in the New Testament writings that isn’t based on the fulfillment of Israel’s promises from YHWH. The church of the New Testament was the “one new man” made of twain from Ephesians 2:15 whereby YHWH brought both Hebrews and Gentiles together at the Resurrection to form one body, one faith, one baptism…all in Christ as Israel resurrected from the dead. The New Covenant hope of Christ and his apostles was ISRAEL’s Old Covenant Hope of the Resurrection and it is now OUR CURRENT SPIRITUAL REALITY in this post 70 A.D., fully-realized, eternal Messianic Kingdom of Christ. All glory to God!
The Resurrection From The Dead
By Don Preston
Video 1:
Is the Resurrection a physical, bodily, fleshly event? The raising of biologically decomposed bodies from the ground or is it a spiritual reality? Just because something is “spiritual” does not mean it isn’t REAL. In fact, the spiritual is eternal and is, in God’s terms, “more real” than the temporal/physical things which scripture says are merely the shadows of things to come.
The coming of Christ, the parousia would be to overcome the “death” introduced by Adam. As through one man, sin entered into the world, therefore death passed upon all men because all men sinned.
God said “in the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die.”
James 2:26 says “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” God said “in the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die.”
- God did not say you will die two deaths
- God did not say you will begin to die
- God did not say you will be sentenced to die
- God did not say you will become mortal…we already ARE mortal.
Therefore, the death that Adam and Eve suffered was spiritual death…separation of fellowship and alienation from the presence of God…it was NOT biological death.
Since the death that Adam introduced was spiritual death and not biological death and since the death which Christ’s resurrection and coming was meant to overcome was the death introduced by Adam, then the death that Christ overcame by his resurrection was spiritual death and alienation from God. He did not come to fix what wasn’t broken. Physical death was not and is not the problem. This doctrine falsifies ALL futurist views of eschatology.
Video #2:
We know that “in the day” refers specifically to THAT 24 HOUR DAY because the very same phrase applied to what the serpent told Eve:
Genesis 3:5 [KJV]
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Surely, Adam and Eve came to know good and evil THAT DAY because they were ashamed of their nakedness and hid themselves from God.
Genesis 3:7 [KJV]
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
There is NO argument for extrapolating the phrase “in the day” to mean a 1000 year day in order to justify a fleshly, biological meaning for “death.” Yes, it can be said that Adam and Eve certainly DID fulfill the requirement that God laid out in terms of “dying” physically within a 1000 year “day,” but that is only evidence of the Lord being proven righteous in ALL his sayings and is NOT a proof that biological death is being discussed by the text. CLEARLY, the type of death in question is spiritual death in the form of separation from God’s presence.
Video #3:
Don further explains the points from the previous videos.
Video #4:
LIFE is defined as being in the presence of God. This is why DEATH is defined as the opposite, NOT being in the presence of God. The death Adam and Eve suffered THAT DAY was separation from God when they were cast out of the Garden. The penalty was receive the same day as the transgression and the same day in which they received their knowledge of good and evil…the same day they ate the fruit.
We cannot use the “yeah, but” hermeneutic when speaking of the death Adam and Eve suffered. We cannot agree that the death was spiritual and covenantal on the one hand and then say “yeah, BUT” and try to make God’s threat of death apply to temporal, biological death.
Video #5:
If physical death was the curse of Adam, then who was the first to experience the death of Adam? ABEL was the first person to die physical death. Was Cain able to do that to Abel which God was NOT able to do to Adam and Eve? Cain died first, but Adam and Eve died later. Jesus did NOT come to redeem us from the death of Abel…he came to redeem us from the death of ADAM….spiritual death.
Video #6:
The death of Adam represents biological death according to most Christians. It is true that Jesus died the death of Adam in man’s place, so that those living in the power of Christ’s resurrection do not have to die the death of Adam. But if that “death” was physical, biological death, then do you see the FALLACY of this position? You cannot say that Christ died the death of Adam to save us FROM the death of Adam and then turn around and say “Oh yeah, we still die the death of ADAM!” It is true that AFTER Christ’s resurrection, WE still continue to die physical death. To hold that physical, biological death is the death which Adam died completely negates the power of Jesus’ substitutionary death on our behalf.
Video #7:
Jesus work in the atonement was to take on himself the penalty of sin to make the atonement for sin so that those IN HIM and in the power of his atonement would not have to pay the penalty. We are told that the penalty for sin is physical, biological death. Therefore, those in Christ should not have to pay the penalty. But if physical, biological death is the “death” that was in view when Adam fell, then why are we STILL DYING? Does this mean that NO ONE is living in the power of Jesus’ Resurrection? NO…the death of Adam was spiritual death and alienation from God….covenantal death.
Video #8:
Is physical death the enemy of the child of God? If when we die as a Christian, having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, go directly into heaven following biological death, then how is biological death considered an “enemy” when it is actually USHERING me into HEAVEN? Where is the THE CURSE OF ADAM? We have to conclude, if physical death IS the enemy of the child of God, then even the child of God remains under the curse and power of sin! Forgiveness and redemption are rendered null and void. This is completely false. Physical death is NOT the enemy of the Child of God.
Video #9:
Most Christians would agree that the child of God is forgiven of all sin currently. The bible says the wages of sin is death. Forgiveness brings the abolishment of sin. So then, why do we still die physical, biological death? Therefore, the death of Adam cannot be referring to physical, biological death. Jesus said “If a man keeps my commandments, he will NEVER die.” There is no question that Jesus was NOT talking about physical, biological death.
Video #10:
Paul says in Acts 26:23 speaking to King Agrippa, that Christ was the FIRST to be raised from the dead. Christ was the first born from the death of Adam. However, there were others who were raised from the dead much prior to Jesus. Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus, and the widow’s son raised by Elijah. It is clear that Jesus was NOT the FIRST to be raised from physical, biological death. This can ONLY mean that Jesus is the FIRST to be raised from spiritual or covenantal death, meaning the death of separation from God. This “death of separation from God” is further proven true by Christ’s mournful cry from the cross where he cried out “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Christ bore and experienced the punishment of separation from God for us and he was the FIRST to be raised from a death of alienation from God. It was not his physical, biological death that was concerned, although that happened simultaneously. Christ’s resurrection was ALSO a physical, biological resurrection in order to fulfill what Christ spoke to the Pharisees and scribes that they would receive the SIGN OF JONAH, with him being in the ground and raised from the dead after three days.
Video #11:
WHEN does the Bible say the resurrection would occur?
The time of the resurrection had arrived in the first century according to both old and new testament prophets. Biblically speaking, the resurrection is posited as taking place ON ZION. Isaiah Chapter 25:6-8
“In that day,” the day of the Messianic banquet, the Lord will destroy death and wipe away all tears “ON THIS MOUNTAIN,” on Zion. Zion is the locus of all eschatological blessings in all O.T. prophecies which include salvation, the Messianic kingdom, Messianic banquet, the Messianic temple, etc. Hebrews was written to a Hebrew audience thoroughly familiar with all the O.T. prophecies and they knew how central Zion was to the eschatological Hope of Israel. This Hope was not isolated from Abraham, Abel, Moses, or all of Israel…it was ALL the same eschatological hope, focused the Heavenly City (Hebrews 11:13-16) That city is ZION. The Resurrection and Zion go hand in hand. If Zion is there…the resurrection is there. Hebrew 12:18-24 says “YOU have come to Mount Zion.”
Hebrews 12:18-24 [KJV]
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Video #12:
The Messianic Wedding Banquet and the Resurrection?
The Messianic Banquet and the Resurrection go hand in hand. The statement of “on that Day” found in Isaiah 24 and “in this mountain” found in Isaiah 25, puts these two events together in both time and place. Isaiah 24 speaks of the judgment of all Israel in verses 21-23:
Isaiah 24:21-23 [KJV]
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
The “host of the high ones” and the “kings of the earth” are speaking of the covenant people, Israel. This is not, as is automatically assumed by the layperson, speaking of GENTILE kings. The O.T. prophecies consistently and commonly speak of fierce judgment along with simultaneous rejoicing where the Day of the Lord is concerned. This is because the coming of the Kingdom would bring great loss for some, but eternal gain for others. In Matthew 8, Jesus commended the centurion for his great faith in the healing of his servant. He then said many will come from east and west [Believers made up of Gentiles, Disaspora believers, and the Remnant of believing Israel ] and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom, but the children of the Kingdom [unbelieving fleshly Israel] will be cast out into outer darkness. The presence of the ancient fathers of the Kingdom at the Messiah’s Wedding Banquet means they now have a change of status…they are resurrected! The Resurrection, which occurs at the END of the Millennium, and the Banquet are occurring at the same time. Isaiah 25:6-12 vividly speaks of the wedding banquet occurring at the same time of the Resurrection, the judgment of the Sons of the Kingdom [old covenant Israel] and the deliverance of God’s salvation.
Isaiah 25:6 [KJV]
And in this mountain [ZION!!] shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. [THIS is the wedding banquet of the LAMB!] And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. [THIS is speaking of eternal SALVATION!!] For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. [THIS is the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple!!]
Video #13:
Isaiah, The Resurrection and the Banquet
As previously noted, Isaiah 25 says the Messianic Banquet or Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation) will be at the time of the Resurrection. Matthew 8:11 says that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would sit down in the kingdom at the banquet at the time when the Sons of the Kingdom (Old Covenant Israel) were cast out.
Paul quotes this passage from Isaiah 65 in Romans 10 to speak of the condition of Israel of his day:
Isaiah 65:1-3 [KJV]
I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Again in Isaiah 65, because of Israel’s rebellion, the Lord says he would call the Gentiles, a people who had never been called. Paul quotes Isaiah here and applies it to his ministry. So, we know that Isaiah 65 was being fulfilled in the 1st century. Further, as a result of Old Covenant Israel’s sin, speaking to them, the Lord says:
Isaiah 65:10 [KJV]
And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me. But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
In the Last Days, God says the majority of Israel will be slain, but he will preserve a righteous remnant unto himself. This is shown in Isaiah 65:8-10
Isaiah 65:8 [KJV]
Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
Paul also speaks of the righteous elect remnant in Romans 11 in answering whether God has cast away his people Israel? He says in Romans 11:1f:
Romans 11:1-29 [KJV]
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew…. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace…What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded….I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy…. For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
On Pentecost, the fountain for cleansing of sin and unrighteousness was opened spoken of in Zechariah 13:1 when the Spirit was given in fulfillment of Joel 2:32. From that day forward, the elect remnant of Israel began coming into the Kingdom as the firstfruits unto Christ. Later, the Gentiles would begin to come into the Kingdom beginning with the house of Cornelius and all those who would be converted under Paul’s ministry and the other disciples who went abroad into the nations beyond Israel. From these converts would also come the regathering of the Diaspora who were now blended into the Gentile nations. Thus, ALL ISRAEL would be saved in the Resurrection in the Last Days, all them who called upon the Lord and whose name was written in book, as spoken in Daniel 12:1-2
Daniel 12:1 [KJV]
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And the result of all these things coming to pass would be the New Heavens and New Earth…the Kingdom under the New Covenant of Christ with the body of Christ as the bride, the New Jerusalem . All these things would come when Old Covenant Israel was destroyed as Daniel 12:7-10:
Daniel 12:7-10 [KJV]
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Video #14:
Daniel 12 and the Resurrection
Daniel was given a prophecy of the “time of the end” in verse 4….a prophecy of the Great Tribulation in verse 1….and a prophecy of when all his people who were written in the book would be saved in verse 1. In verse 7, the angel in linen stood upon the waters and declared, swearing by him that liveth forever, that “when he [Messiah] shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” In Daniel’s day, the identify of the “holy people” could only be Old Covenant Israel. What was the source of their power? Their only source of Israel’s power was her covenant with Yahweh, the Law of Moses, and their access to that power was the Temple. The holy people CANNOT be the Church here being destroyed because the Church, the body of Christ and his Kingdom, will exist forever and will never be destroyed in the so-called “end of the church age.” Daniel 2:44, 7:13-14, Psalms 89, Isaiah 9:6-9 and others declare such a doctrine to be patently false:
Daniel 2:44 [KJV]
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Daniel 7:13-14 [KJV]
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Psalms 89:2-4 [KJV] For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Isaiah 9:6-7 [KJV] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Thus, the resurrection would be when Old Covenant Israel’s relationship with Yahweh was finally terminated. In Hebrews 8:13, Paul cites Jeremiah 31 and Yahweh’s promise of a New Covenant that was not like the law of Moses. That time for the New Covenant had come in the 1st century and Paul says that Israel’s Covenant was now decaying and waxing old and READY TO VANISH. The power of the holy people was completely shattered in 70 A.D.
Video #15:
Isaiah 26:19-21 [KJV] Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
This is the resurrection of the body out of the dust at the coming of the Lord at the destruction of the “earth” and the time of the resurrection when the martyrs of God will be vindicated. There is a direct correlation between the resurrection and coming of the Lord and the vindication of the martyrs which harmonizes with Revelation 20. Also notice the “coming out of the dust” which parallels with Daniel 12:2. The first six verses of Rev 20 is the beginning of the Resurrection with Christ as the first-fruits, and then you have the consummation of the Resurrection in 10-12 which is the time of the vindication of the martyrs. The resurrection of Isaiah 26, 25, 1 Cor 15, and Rev 20 are all correlated and the resurrection of Isaiah 26 is the end of the Millennium Resurrection. Jesus said all the righteous blood shed upon all the earth all the way back to ABEL would be vindicated in Matthew 23:29-37. Are the dead from Isaiah 26:19-21 included in that comprehensive body of martyrs of Matthew 23? If not, then where is the exegetical foundation and evidence to exclude them from this judgment and vindication? And where is the evidence to exclude them from the martyrs of Revelation 6, 12, 16, 20? There is none, they are ALL of the same group….Jesus said ALL the righteous blood shed upon the earth… ALL of these “resurrections” and “martyrs” to be vindicated happened at 70 A.D.
Video #16:
Isaiah 65 and the Resurrection
Everyone agrees that Revelation chapter 20:10-12 is the end of the Millennium. At the end of the Millennium, heaven and earth are destroyed and we have a new creation with new heaven and earth and new Jerusalem. John specifically cites Isaiah 65:17. The resurrection is at the time of the destruction of the old creation and the establishment of the New Jerusalem and the New Heavens/Earth. Isaiah 65 posits the time of the new creations at the same time when God tells Old Covenant Israel: “The Lord God will slay you and call his people with a new name.” What is our justification for saying that Revelation is about the destruction of the Christian age and the destruction of the literal, physical heaven and earth at a time unrelated to the fulfillment of Isaiah 65, having nothing to do with the destruction of Old Covenant Israel, but rather, somehow being the END of the Christian Age, which the Bible already says HAS NO END. Don’t forget that Paul said in Hebrews 8:13 that Irael’s covenant and the law was now decaying and waxing old and READY TO VANISH in the face of the establishment of the New Covenant.
Video #17:
The Great Tribulation and the Resurrection are posited TOGETHER in the O.T.
The old testament clearly expresses the framework for the Resurrection. Virtually every O.T. prophecy of the Resurrection posits that event in the immediate context of the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation belongs to the 1st century (Daniel 12:1-2). Isaiah 26:16f We have been in pain in the pains of childbirth, describes the birth pains of the Messiah and the Great Tribulation. Jesus said in predicting the fall of Jerusalem, the Great Tribulation would be in the 1st century in the context of the Lord’s coming against Jerusalem. Thus, the Great Tribulation and the Resurrection are inseparable linked temporally speaking. Jesus posited the Great Tribulation at the time of the fall of Jerusalem in AD70, therefore, the Resurrection, Isaiah 26 and Daniel 12, are inseparable connected to the judgment of Jerusalem. Revelation posits 144,000 out of each of the 12 tribes of Israel (Rev 14:2-14 Rev 7:14) and the angel tells John they are those who have come out of the Great Tribulation. Who are they? These are the firstfruit of those redeemed to God from man. THE FIRST GENERATION OF HEBREW CHRISTIANS. This is proof that the Great Tribulation belongs to the 1st century! When was the Great Tribulation to occur? At the end of the Millennium….Rev 20:8f. Satan is loosed at the end of the Millennium.
Video #18:
1 Corinthians 15
Nearly everyone was taught that the resurrection found in 1 Corinthians 15 is in some way related to the END of the Christian Age. The problem with this position is that the Christian Age HAS NO END. Isaiah 9 says:
Isaiah 9:7 [KJV] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Luke 1 says:
Luke 1:32-33 [KJV]
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
So what is the “increase?” There is no increase without evangelism. Jesus, speaking of his gospel which is preached for the redemption of man said:
Matthew 24:35 [KJV]
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
If we posit the fulfillment of 1 Corinthians 15 at the END of the Christian age, the our basic assumption about this passage is WRONG. The resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 would come at “the end.”
The end of WHAT? There is irrefutable evidence in the text itself that the resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 could not be at the end of the Christian age. Proofs offered in the next video.
Video #19:
Israel and the Covenant Promises
Paul’s discourse in 1 Corinthians 15 is his greatest and lengthiest on the resurrection found in the N.T. Fundamentally, we must honor the fact that no matter what our concept of 1 Corinthians 15, no matter when we might think it is supposed to be fulfilled, the indisputable fact is that the resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 would be in fulfillment of God’s Old Covenant promises, made to Old Covenant Israel after the flesh. The Amillennialists generally hold a fundamentally view that God was completely through and DONE with Old Covenant Israel at the cross. Some are now saying, and increasingly so, that God’s covenant relationship with Israel was terminated at 70 A.D. Still others hold that God will not terminate his covenant with Old Covenant Israel until the physical resurrection at the end of history. This view is astounding because, if true, then it means Old Covenant Israel remains as GOD’s COVENANT PEOPLE TODAY! This suggests that either God is maintaining TWO covenant people (Old Covenant Israel and the Church) and TWO covenants…OR WORSE….that the Church is NOT God’s covenant people at all TODAY! These views create a very difficult dilemma. But here is the indisputable FACT…Paul in preaching while he’s on trial about the resurrection says:
Acts 24:13-15 [KJV]
Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be [Grk “mello” = is ABOUT to be] a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Acts 26:22 [KJV]
Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Paul says clearly that he got HIS resurrection doctrine from MOSES and the O.T. prophets! If this is true, then when we come to 1 Corinthians 15, we had BETTER be able to go to the O.T. and find THAT SAME resurrection doctrine in the O.T. because Paul said:
1 Corinthians 15:53 [KJV]
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Paul quotes directly from Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 and he is clearly looking for the SAME promises Yahweh made to Old Covenant Israel after the flesh! He is NOT looking for the fulfillment of some NEW prophecy or promise made to the CHURCH that is divorced from Old Covenant ISRAEL! If your resurrection doctrine and interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15 is not taken from, drawn from, and based on the Old Covenant promises made to Old Covenant Israel after the flesh, you have the WRONG doctrine of the resurrection. Do not assume, though, that the fulfillment of these promises would be in terms of a fleshly, bodily resurrection “after the flesh”…it just means that Paul was to based his doctrine on promises made TO old covenant Israel after the flesh.
Video #20:
Paul’s Resurrection Hope
Paul says his doctrine of the Resurrection was NOTHING but the hope of Israel found in Moses and the Prophets, as referenced earlier. Paul also said that when the resurrection was fulfilled it would be the fulfillment of Isaiah 25:8, “Death is swallowed up in victory” and Isaiah said it would be “in this mountain” that death would be destroyed. The mountain is ZION according to Isaiah 24:23. This passage in Isaiah 25 also says “in that day,” the same day in which the Lord would destroy death, he would ALSO make a “great banquet of fine things.” This is the Messianic Banquet. The Messianic Banquet is posited at the end of the Millennium resurrection of Isaiah 25:8, which is also further posited as the time of Israel’s salvation in Romans 11:25-27 when the fullness of the Gentiles come in. Thus, the destruction of death would occur at the END of the Millennium, which is the time of the Resurrection, which is also the time of Israel’s salvation. In Matthew 8:11, Jesus says that many shall come from the east and the west to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob IN THE KINGDOM. This passage is definitely speaking of the Messianic Banquet and the Abrahamic Fathers have been resurrected. Jesus then says that this would also be the time when the Sons of The Kingdom would be cast into outer darkness. This obviously doesn’t mean the CHURCH, because the church will NEVER be cast out. According to Galatians 4:21-31, the only “Sons of God” that were to be “cast out” are identified as the Old Covenant seed of Israel, the sons of the covenant of Sinai, the sons of the Bondwoman. These were the inhabitants of 1st century Israel and Jerusalem who were cast out for persecuting the TRUE Seed of Abraham, Old Covenant Israel. So then, the Resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 would be established at the Messianic Banquet and that would be established when Old Covenant Israel was cast out.
Video #21:
Hosea and 1 Corinthians 15
It is vital that we keep in mind that Paul’s resurrection doctrine was nothing but the Hope of Israel. This is important because both Amillennialists and Post Millennialists say that God was through with Israel in the 1st century. But this position ignores the PROMISES that Yahweh made to her. It is illogical to say that God was through with through with Old Covenant Israel in the 1st century, but we’re still looking for the fulfillment of those SAME promises, made in the Old Testament, made to Old Covenant Israel, at the end of the CHRISTIAN age of the New Covenant. There is just no logical or Biblical support for such an idea. We’ve already looked at how Paul draws from Isaiah 24-25, but now let’s look at some other O.T. passages he appeals to in Hosea. The story of Hosea is the story of Divorce, Departure, and Death. Because of Israel’s sin, God divorced her. (Hosea 2:2) When God divorced her, he departed from her (Hosea 5:15) When God departed from Israel, he KILLED her. (Hosea 13:1, 9:16, 6:5, 4:5) But there is also a story of REDEMPTION in Hosea, one of Remarriage, Return, and Resurrection. God said, in the last days he would betroth Israel to himself again. (Hosea 2:19-20) He also said he would return to her again. (Hosea 6:1-3) Verse 6:2 is a specific picture of the Resurrection. This means the Resurrection will be at the time of the Remarriage of Israel which is the same time of the RETURN. And Matthew 25:1-13 is the return of Christ, the Bridegroom, for the Wedding. In Matthew 22, a king made a great wedding feast for his son. He sent out his servants to call those who had already been invited. Whose wedding promise was it? It was Old Covenant Israel’s wedding promise because God said he would remarry her in the Last Days. Isaiah 62, Hosea 6. In Matthew 22:1-14, the king sent his servants to bid the guests who had been invited to come to the wedding feast. The guests spurned the invitation, so the king sent still more servants telling them to come, for the feast was ready. The guests persecuted and killed the king’s servants. When the king had heard, he was very angry and sent out his army and destroyed those wicked murderers and burned up their city. He then sent out even more servants to call guests to fill up the tables at his banquet. It is impossible to read this passage in Matthew without seeing the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70, unless one has never heard of that event in history. There is no postponement of the wedding, no delay, no gap in time. The important question is…where is the wedding posited? It is at the destruction of the city whose inhabitants killed God’s servants. Remember, the resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 is the same resurrection of Hosea, but Hosea’s resurrection would come at the time of the Wedding Banquet. And Jesus Himself placed the time of the wedding at the destruction of Jerusalem. This is POWERFUL!!
Video #22:
New Covenant Resurrection
Again, Paul said that his doctrine of the Resurrection was NOTHING BUT the Hope of Israel after the flesh. The problem with this TRUTH is that the three futurist views of eschatology almost unanimously say the promise of the resurrection occurs at the end of the Christian Age in fulfillment of God’s promises to the CHURCH. Noted Amillenialist, Kim Riddlebarger, says God has already fulfilled all of the O.T. promises made to Israel and now, with the coming of Christ, we have a brand NEW set of promises to the church. Loraine Boettner, a noted Postmillennialist, says when we want to know about the 1st coming of Christ, we go to the O.T. and he came exactly as he was predicted to come there. However, Boettner said in his book on the Millennium, when we want to know about the 2nd coming of Christ and the end of the age, we go STRICTLY to the N.T. because the O.T. promises have either been transferred to the Church or forfeited by Israel. Wow! Paul knew NOTHING of such a doctrine!! God’s O.T. promises made to O.T. Israel after the flesh. This does NOT mean the PROMISES themselves are fleshly to be fulfilled in a fleshly way, but rather that the promises HAD to be fulfilled to Old Covenant Israel. They were NOT transferrable or irrevocable. Romans 11:28-29. When we approach 1 Corinthians 15, if we come to that passage that from the perspective that it is NOT about the fulfillment of God’s O.T promises made to O.T. Israel after the flesh, we come with a WRONG presupposition! The Psalmist said in 11:3 “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” We MUST have the right foundational understanding of the text. Most approach 1 Corinthians 15 and interpret it as if it speaks about the end of the Christian Age and the end of time when Paul says “and then comes the end.” For Paul, it was the end of ISRAEL’s covenant promises and her covenant age. Most approach the passage saying, “This is in fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4, Romans 8, or Revelation 20; therefore these are NEW Covenant promises!” WRONG! There are NO New Covenant promises which are DIVORCED FROM, SEPARATE FROM God’s Old Covenant Promises made to Old Covenant Israel. Remember, Paul said the Resurrection would be in fulfillment of Isaiah 25, Hosea 13, and, of course, Daniel and Ezekiel. These are ALL O.T. promises made O.T. Israel after the flesh. It’s a fact that neither the Amillennialists nor Post Millennialists deal with this properly. The Premillennialists, ostensibly, have it right, but they completely overlook the context, framework, and the NATURE and TIME of the fulfillment of these O.T. promises. Bottom line, if we don’t honor the fact that the Resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 is in fulfillment of God’s O.T. promises made to O.T. Israel after the flesh, then we are DOOMED to misunderstand and misinterpret the Resurrection doctrine of 1 Corinthians 15.
Video #23:
Resurrection and Torah
The most important thing about interpreting any piece of literature, the Bible or not, is setting the proper context and framework. Lamentably, most people approach 1 Corinthians 15 (and the Bible in general) from a Grecian worldview and/or they approach it as if it was written specifically to US in the 21st century. They read it as if it really wasn’t written to the Corinthians and that it really wasn’t written about the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel. This is all patently FALSE. When we approach 1 Corinthians 15 with false presuppositions concerning to whom it was written, the proper life situation of the audience; and if we assume that it is about the end of time and the end of the Christian age, then we are likely doomed to misunderstand it. Paul says that the resurrection, passing from mortality to immortality, would be accomplished when THE LAW, which is the strength of THE SIN, would be overcome. What LAW is the strength of SIN? Paul uses the term THE LAW 117 times in his epistles. When he uses the term “THE LAW” without any contextual qualifier, (such as in Romans 8) it invariably refers to the Law of Moses…Torah!! There are NO contextual qualifiers in 1 Corinthians 15 to define THE LAW as anything other than THE LAW OF MOSES, TORAH, as used by Paul in all other contexts. Therefore, the Resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 would be when the Law of Moses would be removed. This agrees perfectly with Daniel 12 which foretold the Resurrection to Eternal Life, and that Resurrection was to be when the power of the holy people was completely shattered. (Daniel 12:7) What was Israel’s one and only power? Torah….their Covenant with Yahweh. So, we have Daniel 12 predicting the Resurrection to Eternal Life when Torah would end….and 1 Corinthians 15 speaking of the Resurrection to Eternal Life when THE LAW that was the strength of THE SIN, which is TORAH, would be removed. Irrefutable!
Video #24:
The Vindicated Martyrs
Paul said that the Resurrection he was anticipating, found in 1 Corinthians 15, which is also the end of the Millennium Resurrection of Revelation 20, the eschatological, end times, end of the age Resurrection, and would be in fulfillment of Isaiah 25:8 “He shall swallow up Death in victory.” Gues what? Isaiah 25 and 26 both foretold the Resurrection. Isaiah 26:19 “the earth shall give up her dead” Isn’t this the same thing found in Isaiah 25:8? Sure is! All eschatological positions consider both of these to be the same resurrection. But interestingly, the Resurrection of 26:19 is ALSO at the Coming of the Lord (Isaiah 26:20) and in the very next verse we have the Vindication of the Martyrs!
Isaiah 26:19 [KJV]
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Jesus said all the blood of all the martyrs all the way back to creation would be judged in HIS GENERATION in the judgment of Jerusalem. But this means that Isaiah 26 would be fulfilled in AD70, which also demands that the end of the Millennium Resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 (same Resurrection in Isaiah 25 and 26) was fulfilled in AD70. The connections are direct, undeniable, and emphatic. It doesn’t get any clearer than this.
Video #25:
Hosea and 1 Corinthians 15
Here are some key markers in 1 Corinthians 15 to help set the proper context for the chapter. Paul quotes from Hosea 13:14 “O’ Grave, where is thy victory.” Let’s break Hosea down into some broad headings:
- Divorce – The 10 Northern Tribes had committed spiritual adultery, as a result, God divorced her (Hosea 2:1-5).
- Departure – When God would divorce her, he departed. (Hosea 5:15)
- Death – When God divorced her and departed, God slayed her and Israel died. (Hosea 13:1, 9:16, 6:5, 4:5)
The story of Redemption and Resurrection also breaks down into three easy headings:
- Remarriage – The Lord said “I will betroth her to me again in righteousness.” (Hosea 2:19)
- Return – “He shall come unto us as the rain.” (Hosea 6:3)
- Resurrection – “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” (Hosea 6:2)
The story of the Resurrection Paul was anticipating in 1 Corinthians 15 IS the story of the Remarriage! The Remarriage, God’s Return, and the Resurrection are inseparable. The Marriage was a favorite topic of Christ. Jesus’ parable in Matthew 22:1-14 gives the story of the Wedding and the Messianic Banquet which is also the story of the Judgment and Vindication of the Martyrs at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Old Covenant Israel spurned the wedding invitation, persecuting and killing the servants sent to invite them, the apostles of Christ who were preaching “The Kingdom has drawn near!” As a result, the Lord sent out his armies and he destroyed them and burned their city. And then the Lord said, “Send out the servants, call everyone in so that my wedding banquet may be FULL. The wedding proceeded as planned with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Paul tied the Resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 to the fulfillment of Hosea. And Hosea predicted the Resurrection would be at the time of the Wedding. Jesus said the Wedding would be when Old Covenant Jerusalem was destroyed. Therefore, the Resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15 would be at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. When we allow the Bible to interpret itself, when we see that 1 Corinthians 15 is about the fulfillment of God’s Old Covenant Promises made to Old Covenant Israel after the flesh…THEN we see it is God’s faithfulness to Old Covenant Israel so that then all men might be called INTO the salvation that God created to be brought THROUGH Old Covenant Israel. The Bible makes a lot of sense, but when you divorce 1 Corinthians 15 from the promises God made to Old Covenant Israel, you doom yourself to a wrong interpretation of the doctrine of the Resurrection from the dead.
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Thy Kingdom Came... 