Category: Bible Prophesy - Grace Panorama

THE FALSE LEGEND OF

THE TEN TRIBES

JAN LILLEBY

There is much unrest and confusion among Christendom as to the status of Israel in regard to the twelve tribes; both in the USA as well here in my homeland Norway.

There are always some loud-mouths pondering on with the tribal issues of Israel of old.

Some say that Israel has been dispersed throughout the entire earth, and the Western nations such as European continent, USA and Canada, and many others, - referring to the action taken by the Assyrian king Sargon II about 721 BC, who sent the Northern Kingdom’s inhabitants out of the land, letting them occupy many cities. Thus we have the heresy of ‘The Ten Tribes Are Lost’.

Here in Norway there are voices declaring that these ‘disappeared’ ten tribes, they are in effect the present day’s Israelites, making up the population in these Western nations, no less.

But this is a total heresy, and comes from the confusion one gets when the Bible is not studied well enough.

I have written an article on this issue, in which I prove that these ten tribes never went away into oblivion or got assimilated with Gentiles abroad.

The article is unfortunately only in my native language, Norwegian – but I can drop some of the info in it here:

The King Sargon II (he died in 705 BC) himself wrote in his chronicles that his army deported 29290 Israelis from the Northern Kingdom! In 2 Sam. 24:9 we read quite another story, telling of hundreds of thousands inhabitants. So less than 30000 people was a very small number of deported Israelis, - which was only 3,7 % of the total population. There is no way that the ten tribes disappeared. Just this small portion of almost 4% was deported. End of story, end of speculations.

AMP Bible, says -

“So when they had gone about through all the land [taking the census], they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9And Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.”

Consequently, the legend in Christendom of the ten tribes going lost, is a hoax.

Historians hold that these deported 29290 people, were probably the elite class of their time, the rich and the wealthy, people of high social status. While the common Israelis they were left alone. It was as simple as that.

PAUL’S OWN SPEECHES ON JEWRY

When Paul was questioned by King Agrippa II in Acts 26, 1- 7 - he said,

“2“I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, since it is before you that I am to make my defense today regarding all the charges brought against me by the Jews, 3especially because you are an expert [fully knowledgeable, experienced and unusually conversant] in all the Jewish customs and controversial issues; therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4“So then, all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation [the Jewish people], and in Jerusalem. 5They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee. 6And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7Which hope [of the Messiah and the resurrection] our twelve tribes [confidently] expect to realize as they serve and worship God in earnest night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews!

The outline in red: Paul referred to an existing situation regarding Israel’s tribes in the apostolic era. He used present tense, ‘they serve and worship God in earnest night and day’.

This utterance of Paul before Agrippa II at Caesarea in 59-60 CE testifies to us that these tribes, all ten of them plus the southern ones, Judea and Benjamin, were in full existence and serving (worshipping) God.

And as we read the verses above and those below, - how is it that Paul called all Israel for “my own nation, the Jewish people” - ???

It was ordinary speech to use the expression or name ‘Jews’ or ‘Jewish’ even if it was about the whole nation, the twelve tribes. This is so all through the New Testament scriptures.

Below I have more solid quotes in that regard, proving this important fact. It was without any doubt that people saying ‘The Jews’ they always spoke of it in the meaning of the entire nation.

In Flavius Josephus’ books on the Jewish War 66-70 CE, he used that way of expression.

When he told that the Jews went into rebellion against the Roman Empire – it was his way of saying, Israel went into rebellion. The whole nation rebelled against Rome, and was destroyed in 70 CE as the history books shows.

There was no distinction between Israel and the Jews. It was the very same. Paul always used ‘Jew’ or ‘The Jews’ when speaking of his national belonging. He just once mentioned that he was from the tribe of Benjamin.

Same way of addressing the people and the nation, we also find with Peter. His Pentecost speech went: Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem; men of Israel listen to….; therefore let all the house of Israel recognize…; - and yet Peter knew very well that he spoke to all the twelve tribes since they were there at the annual Pentecostal Holiday Celebration. Acts 2:5 is clear:

“Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout and God-fearing men from every nation under heaven.” Luke, the author of Acts, used Jews, and Peter the apostle, used ‘Men of Judea and all the house of Israel.

Acts 22:3; - 17-21 AMP-Web Version –

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being ardent and passionate for God just as all of you are today.

NOTICE: Even as Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin, he called himself a ‘Jew’. This proves that being a Jew was not literally meaning that such a Jew was of the tribe of Judah. No matter which tribe you came from, they all considered themselves as a Jew. It’s a fact. Both the Romans as well as the inhabitants of Israel/Palestine, used the nickname ‘Jew’ for all of them, regardless of any tribal ancestry.

17“Then it happened when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple [enclosure], that I fell into a trance (vision); 18and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know [without any doubt] that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You [and Your message of salvation]. 20‘And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby approving and consenting [to his death], and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.’ 21“And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Acts 23:27-29 – AMP- Web Version -

“This man (Paul) was seized [as a prisoner] by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, when I came upon him with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28And wanting to know the exact charge which they were making against him, I brought him down to their Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court); 29and I discovered that he was accused in regard to questions and issues in their Law, but [he was] under no accusation that would call for the penalty of death or [even] for imprisonment.”

Acts 24:26, 27 – AMP -

“At the same time he was also hoping to get money from Paul [as a bribe]; so he continued to send for him quite often and talked with him. 27But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded [in office] by Porcius Festus; and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.”

Here it seemed clearly that even the Roman officers and the procurator, meant the entire nation Israel – when using the expression “Do the Jews a favor”. Like I already pointed out above.

Phil. 4:4-6 - AMP -

“…though I myself might have [some grounds for] confidence in the flesh [if I were pursuing salvation by works]. If anyone else thinks that he has reason to be confident in the flesh [that is, in his own efforts to achieve salvation], I have far more: 5circumcised when I was eight days old, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews [an exemplary Hebrew]; as to the [observance of the] Law, a Pharisee; 6as to my zeal [for Jewish tradition], a persecutor of the church; and as to righteousness [supposed right living] which [my fellow Jews believe] is in the Law, I proved myself blameless.”

Here we find Paul saying it straight forward, confessing his national origin. Of the NATION OF ISRAEL, TRIBE OF BENJAMIN, and a HEBREW OF HEBREWS. He called his countrymen for ‘My fellow Jews’.

Tribe of Benjamin had Jerusalem as their land parcel, so that Judah was their neighbors in the era of the apostles. He was of the NATION OF ISRAEL, but still he did not come from any of the ten tribes up north. You see this?

It is entirely obsolete to try to differ between the two.

Let me also quote James 1, as he greeted these tribes,

“1James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve [Hebrew] tribes [scattered abroad among the Gentiles] in the dispersion: Greetings (rejoice)!”

How could two of the most prominent among God’s servants – James and Paul – refer to the twelve tribes (greeting them) if ten of these were gone?

THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL 70 CE

Oh, I almost forgot: Have you considered the effects of the destruction of Israel in 70 CE, as ALL THE 12 TRIBES were scattered out in the Middle-East and Egypt. Thousands of Jewish prisoners of war were sent to Alexandria and tried sold as slaves, but no one would buy. Josephus wrote of this in his books, that all prisoners from age 17 were sent to Egypt…even spouses. But many of them were sent to Rome and ended as slaves or victims of the Gladiator games.

Just as Moses prophesied in Deut. 28:68,

“The LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I said to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no one to buy you.”

In that huge calamity and disaster hitting Israel, all the files of who is who regarding tribal ancestry, were lost. The fire took it all.

This means that in our time no one knows exactly from which tribe their fathers came. And still, they call themselves generally for being a Jew.

THE FUTURE NEO-ORGANIZATION OF THE TWELVE TRIBES

And so we come to the sensation regarding the twelve tribes of Israel. This is found in Rev. 7 and 14 where we can learn of the neo-organization of the 12-tribe system in Jewry. It happens as we read of the Great Tribulation in Israel in near future.

These 144 000 tribal men of Israel in the tribulation told, are not men randomly picked out from the regular common population in Israel when the tribulation starts.

The 144 000 will be chosen by Moses and Elijah, the two witnesses in Rev. 11, and they are actually genuine real ancestors of the lineage of Abraham! It takes divine Holy Spirit anointing to separate these 144 000 from out of the Jewish population in Israel; an anointing which God has given only to His prophets, Moses and Elijah. In particular it was first Moses who was dealing with the tribal affairs of the Hebrews at Sinai, later taken over by Joshua when Moses died and went to heaven as Michael, the angel of the Lord, brought him there.

On behalf of Christ and God His Father, Moses and Elijah segregates these 144 000 believers in Christ, as they are entering total celibacy and dedication to Jesus Christ.

The many preachers in Christendom forgets these 144 000 in Rev. 7 and 14, and are misleading their assemblies much when saying that the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom were lost and gone. We meet them all in Rev. 7 and 14 – so the whole ‘legend of the missing ten tribes’ is a hoax. The thing is, at present no one knows from which tribe they, as Jews, came from. All files were burnt in 70 CE as I mentioned above.

I shall end this article by just have you reading the relevant Bible passages by yourselves, from AMP Web version,

Rev. 7:2-8, on the 144 000 genuine Jews of the lineage of Abraham, ---

“2Then I saw another angel coming up from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and with a loud voice he called out to the four angels to whom it was granted [to have authority and power] to harm the earth and the sea,

3saying, “Do not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we seal (mark) the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

4And I heard how many were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand; [twelve thousand] sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5Twelve thousand were sealed from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,

6twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,

7twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,

8twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed (marked, redeemed, protected).”

Rev. 14:1-5 gives more details about these 144 000 tribal Jews,

1Then I looked, and this is what I saw: the Lamb stood [firmly established] on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had His name and His Father’s name inscribed on their foreheads [signifying God’s own possession].

2And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of great waters and like the rumbling of mighty thunder; and the voice that I heard [seemed like music and] was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

3And they sang a new song before the throne [of God] and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased (ransomed, redeemed) from the earth.

4These are the ones who have not been defiled [by relations] with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased and redeemed from among men [of Israel] as the first fruits [sanctified and set apart for special service] for God and the Lamb.

5No lie was found in their mouth, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, beyond reproach).”

My final comments to the above quotes is that these tribal, segregated Jews, 144 000 in number, will be the basic foundation (called first fruits, v. 4) for the NEW ISRAEL for which Jesus shall be ruler and king in the millennial Kingdom of God on earth.

Rev. 20:4 says of these, that they shall be ruling with Christ for a thousand years, - and there are absolutely NO GENTILES among these servants of God,

«4And then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom judgment [that is, the authority to act as judges] was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had refused to worship the beast or his image, and had not accepted his mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

Gracepano.com

Will God Bring Back the Miracles

In the Millennial Kingdom of Christ?

PART II

JAN LILLEBY

The chapter 66 of Isaiah’s book is also concerning the future Israel to come, as we find in the millennial kingdom prophesied. Thus we also find here much of Jesus – because he actually quoted from this chapter 66 in some instances. I shall come back to this below.

Isaiah 66 American Standard Version

1 Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest?

2 For all these things hath my hand made, and [so] all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.

3 He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, [as he that offereth] swine's blood; he that burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations:

4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.

5 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name's sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame.

6 A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies.

7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child.

8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut [the womb]? saith thy God.

10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her;

11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck [thereof]; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees.

13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

14 And ye shall see [it], and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.

15 For, behold, Jehovah will come with fire, and his chariots shall be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16 For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment, and by his sword, upon all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah shall be many.

17 They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves [to go] unto the gardens, behind one in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.

18 For I [know] their works and their thoughts: [the time] cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see my glory.

19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.

20 And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.

21 And of them also will I take for priests [and] for Levites, saith Jehovah.

22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain.

23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah.

24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

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VERSES 1 – 4:

God Jehovah declares to Israel, in particular the unbelievers and rebellious ones among them (I think mostly of the Pharisees and Sadducees!) that the temple is not a house in which God is actually dwelling. The temple is too lowly and human, and not divine one. Verses 3 and 4 tells of God chastising the hard hearted Israel, …because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear. Does it sound familiar?

Yes, this was spoken to Israel by Paul – he quoted Is. 6 and the judgment – to the Sanhedrin counsel at Rome, Acts 28:25-28. And neither did those Jews answer or hear what God (through Paul) spoke to them. It ended by God destroying both the temple and Jerusalem a few years later.

Jesus quoted the same passage to the unbelieving Jewish leaders, as He ministered to the nation the three years before He was crucified.

Same thing with Stephen, the first martyr, as found in Acts 6:13, 14 – accusing him of having spoken against the temple (!) and the Law of Moses,

“And they brought forward false witnesses who asserted, This man never stop making statements against this sacred place (temple) and the Law of Moses. – 14: For we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazareene will tear down and destroy this place, and will alter the institutions and usages which Moses transmitted to us.”

This topic, as found in Isaiah, of among other ones, how the temple is not the most important thing in the eyes of God Jehovah – has long time ago been proven to all the world: The temple was utterly destroyed and laid flat to the ground by the Roman army in 70 CE. God did not lift a finger to prevent the disaster, on the contrary, He actually sent that army against them because they had killed the followers of Jesus, in Mat. 22:7 called ‘The King’s Servants’ in Jesus’ prophetic parable as He foretold the destruction of the temple and the burning of Jerusalem. It went exactly as Jesus had prophesied, to the least detail.

VERSES 5 – 9:

These verses, as a group, have the main issue of the future new Israel, the Israel which will be ‘born’ from out of the Great Tribulation soon to come. Jesus used the imagery of a woman in birth pangs, describing the future Israel as she will come out of the Great Tribulation. The latter is likened with birth pangs and pains…like those of a woman giving birth to a new child, in this case Israel.

The ‘Christian-Zionist’ circles have used the saying of Isaiah – that of a nation being brought forth at once (verse 8) as fulfilled by the UN-1948 declaration of Israel as a state for Jews on 14th May. But this is not so. This prophecy has yet to be fulfilled; it will be done in the same instance that Jesus comes from heaven after the Great Tribulation, establishing a new Israel. Just as I taught in the first part of this article – on Isaiah 11.

The establishing of this nation in 1948 was an illicit one, a man-made political sort of theft of land, - the Israeli terrorist group Irgun shot and killed hundreds of Palestinians/Arabs in the years prior to 1948. Even bombed the headquarters of the British Mandate keepers, Hotel David, and started bombing busses etcetera.

Thus Israel of today is not a nation of God, far from it. It will become the platform upon which the false ‘Messiah’ – the anti-Christ of Rev. 13, will come forth and seduce the Jews. Soon this world will witness these horrors, and taken with fear I will presume.

VERSES 10 – 16:

This group of verses has the main topic of Jesus Christ coming and establishing His millennial Kingdom with the throne on Zion.

Verse 10 is striking up the merry tones, Rejoice ye for Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her, rejoice for love with her, all ye that mourn over her.

Verses 15 and 16 are in particular well known to a Bible student, and are found quoted much with Paul’s epistle 2 Thes. 1:7-10, using KJV,

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

VERSES 17 – 24:

This group tells of the nations as they shall come to the new Israel, and shall see the glory of Messiah Jesus. In details we find the Lord bringing people from the dispersion into the new Israel, mentioned by names. This glory mentioned must have to do with Jesus performing great things, healings and things like that. He shall be the Supreme Court judge as well as the ‘Miracle Worker’ giving people great welfare, and they will praise God and Jesus for this.

In particular we find a well-known passage used by Jesus in his speeches, namely that of judgments on ungodly, in verse 24,

“….for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh.”

We recall how Jesus warned unbelievers when ministering to Israel, using the dung in Hinnom (Gahanna) valley near Jerusalem, which burned perpetually as more waste was thrown on the fire so to help keeping the heavy rotten smell from plaguing the entire town.

When Rome crushed Israel in 70 CE, many dead victims of war were cast upon that fierce burning dung, historians tell. Thus the warning of Jesus came true.

In the final group of verses from Is. 66, we also find that Jesus as the King in Jerusalem shall re-introduce the tradition of observing new moon days, as well as the Sabbath. He will have these old elements included in His new Law which He will establish and teach the nation (see Is. 2:1-4).

This does not mean that He will revive the Law of Moses. That old Law was abolished, told us by Paul in Eph. 2:14, 15. Also - with it – the feasts, Sabbaths, New Moons, food and drink ordinances, were simply abolished. It was thrown into the litter-grinder once and for all!

But when the millennial era has been established with the return of Jesus to earth, He shall give them a new Law (the New Covenant), and the word of the Lord shall sound from His throne at Jerusalem.

And I believe, as all peoples will notice and be told of all the great miracles Jesus will perform, this time the entire Jewish population will happily obey the Law given them, not by Moses, but by Jesus Christ, God’s great Son!

And Gentiles from all over the world will come as Pilgrims, to learn the word of the Lord in Jerusalem. Zec. 8:23.

Gracepano.com

Will God Bring Back the Miracles

In the Millennial Kingdom of Christ?

JAN LILLEBY

Yes He will! But, Jesus will also bring much more than that. So to start this article by having a Biblical ‘Kick-Off’ – let’s read Isaiah 11…on the future millennial kingdom. Please have some patience, since this is a lot of material to go through. But it is very interesting!

Isaiah 11:1-16 American Standard Version

1 And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decides after the hearing of his ears;

4 but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.

6 And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12 And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

14 And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; together shall they despoil the children of the east: they shall put forth their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15 And Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind will he wave his hand over the River, and will smite it into seven streams, and cause men to march over dry-shod.

16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

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I shall have to comment on each (groups of) the quoted verses, sixteen in total.

The Bible passage is not the only one which prophesies of the millennial reign of Jesus at His Second Advent. But let us go through Isaiah 11 first.

My article-heading is asking the question of whether the great miracles and wonders will come back.

The reason I did, is the fact that Heb. 6:4-6 speaks of the apostolic era as a time in which the believers experienced what we may very well call a foretaste, a test of the ‘dishes/meals’ served them…pointing to what they saw of miracles, signs, healings and wonders, quote:

‘For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.’

Heb. 6 is a serious set of verses, and works as a stern warning against leaving the faith in Christ, since they had already been given the power of the Holy Spirit and had seen the great miracles and signs which God let follow their preaching and teaching. If they fell away from this, it would be no way back. They would be lost forever and thus reprobate.

There was a certain level of high responsibility laid upon the apostolic assembly in Acts period, no doubt.

“The powers of the age to come” is not a pointing to the New Jerusalem, but to the millennial Kingdom and Jesus as their King of kings, Lord of lords.

VERSES 1-3:

These words are describing the King (Jesus) and His character and strength and ability as a ruler sent from God. He will possess a full anointing of Jehovah so He shall not judge by what His ears hear or His eyes see, but being led by the Spirit and thus making righteous verdicts when judging.

VERSES 4-5:

It says to whom Jesus will help and restitute by His righteousness and power, namely the poor and the meek. They will find favor with the Lord, but the evildoers shall have to taste His indignation and righteous wrath: He shall kill (execute) these criminals by speaking a word (of judgment). It says “smite the earth” – but this can mean two things – either it speaks of ‘the land’ Israel only, or it may be speaking of the entire world. Translators are in dispute over this.

VERSES 6-8:

These are displaying to us a substantial changing in the animal-world. God shall re-arrange and ‘dress’ or make tame dangerous beasts, even reptiles, so that these no longer will be a threat to humans like it is now. The verses does not speak of animals kept at Zoo! They are out in the woods and fields, but their angry and wild nature has been made tame and they can be mastered/handled even by kids! The snakes cannot bite anyone with its deadly venom, neither can a leopard or a lion cause danger to anyone…… These will no longer eat meat from prey, but grass – it says. We find that such dangers will no longer be found ‘in all My holy mountain’ (says the Lord) Verse 9 - and this can also be understood in two ways, - one is that it goes for ONLY Israel, the land (holy mountain may point to Zion and Jerusalem exclusively) – or the other, it may be like this for the entire world. Translators have disputes on this. I am voting for the first: It will be especially Israel which will have such magnificent changes with animal’s nature. It will not occur world wide, I am sure.

VERSES 9-10:

This also points to a special event found in Zechariah 8:23 of gentile peoples seeking to see the Lord, Jesus the King in Israel,

“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

This corresponds with verse 10, …unto Him shall the nations seek.

My personal opinion of these words are, that as the millennial Kingdom has been established, the world outside of Israel, the Gentile nations, will notice how God has put a special blessing upon Israel in the presence of Jesus on Zion. And so we find that they have been made aware of this fantastic new miraculous change in animal-nature…predators now acting as cattle more than scary cat beasts – they understand that Israel has been made a special nation again, like it was in olden times. And it seem obvious that it must be “Jews first, then Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). Israel has been taken back to its former glory as a nation for God, a ‘lighthouse’ shining its light on the world. It will become a ‘them’ and an ‘us’ – a distinction between Israel and all other nations on earth. I shall come back to this point of interest below, mostly pertaining to the fact that people will live a thousand years in that kingdom.

This means that it will be Israel possessing such extraordinary blessings – since the nations make notice of this new glory appearing. They want a piece of the ‘glory cake’. They will go to Jerusalem to hear the teachings of Jesus Christ.

AND IN THAT NARRATIVE: The world will most probably be seeing the very marvelous miracles and wonders of Jesus as He grants these desperate visitors healings and other kind of blessings. He will reward them graciously and generously in this wonderful manner. But it will have to be arranged in an orderly manner and they must be given allowance by the Lord to come forth before Him. They can in no way just come storming the premises craving for healing from cancer and other grave illnesses. The Lord is the One to decide how this will take place. Like my quote of Heb. 6:4-6 of the powers of the age to come…in the millennial reign of Jesus this word will ‘fit the bill’.

In this instance, such miracles/healings will not work as ‘signs’ anymore. That was in Acts only, because of the unbelief of Israel. God had to give signs through His apostles, so Israel could be brought to faith in Jesus. So, for instance we will not find the sign of tongues and such in the millennia. And the miracles will now be done in pure welfare for the Jews first, then Gentile. But as it was with Peter in Acts 5 and his judgment of the lying thieves Ananias and Sapphira, Jesus will execute certain criminal elements when judging in His courts.

Isaiah 12 – the shortest chapter in the Prophets – contains a loud shiny praise to the Lord, and I shall quote it, by verse 5 which points to these miracles and healings which shall be done by Jesus,

“Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done excellent things (gloriously); let this be made known to all the earth.” (Amp. Bible).

These excellent things will surely include the healing miracles, and not just the altering of the animal nature and beasts.

WE FIND CLEARLY THAT SALVATION IS STILL

WORKING FOR BELIEVERS IN THE MILLENNIA

It is not the end of salvation from the day that God takes His believers into the heavens.

In this world, even as the Great Tribulation is raging inside Israel in the end-times, salvation is still valid by faith in God. True, there will be no more ‘free Grace Gospel’ like as we now are experiencing. But nevertheless people in the world can still believe in God and be saved. But their salvation is not a call to come to heaven. It will be a call to believe on Jesus and God, as He will be seen present on earth during the millennia! Since they can see and hear Him whom they will believe on, Jesus, this cannot be compared with us now, as we are believing on Him without having seen Him. The conditions for salvation will change after the ascension of the Church: One will have to prove ones faith by works, just like they had to during Acts period. The epistle of James will again apply to all believers; especially as in James 2:17,

“So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).” (Amp. Bible).

When the Church has finished its ministry in history, finding itself in heaven (Col. 3:1-4 we shall be appearing with Christ in glory), those who think that it will then be too late to be saved are wrong. God will save anyone who calls upon Him in sincerity. But the saved ones will remain on earth and shall have to line up their faith and lives according to what Jesus shall decide from His throne on Zion. Faith will then have to be proved by the believer’s works/actions. No less.

VERSES 11-14 of Isaiah 11:

These are explaining how Jesus shall gather all the Jews/Israelites from the dispersion, to come stay in the land as members of the new Kingdom. He shall have a vast operation doing so, and we find names of these people listed: From Assyria, Lower Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam in Persia, from Shinar in Babylonia, from Hamath in upper Syria, and from countries bordering on the Mediteranean Sea. (There will also come certain restricted actions upon Arabs and others, see verse 14).

What these verses are proving, is that it will be a genuine gathering of the Jews from many parts of the world, unlike the man-made artificial UN-1948 declaration. This time the nation of Israel will be declared by God and Christ, thus this will become the New Messianic Israel, and its citizens will all be Jesus-believers. Ungodly Jews are killed during the Great Tribulation; Zec. 13 tells of just one third saved Jewish souls – survivors of the tribulation. It correspond clearly with Deut. 28:62,

“And you (Israel) shall be left few in number, whereas you had been as the stars of the heavens for multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

VERSES 15-16:

Not only Israel shall have changes in the topography (Mt. Olives shall split into two, opening a new valley in this split) – but the Lord shall make a miraculous topographical intervention regarding the Nile Delta: It shall be made into seven streams, so that Jews wanting to go to Israel can go across it dry-shod. And thus Is. 11 is ended. Notice: This has clear ‘strings attached’ to the Exodus when Moses led them across the Red Sea. It will be to these Jews a clear reminder of that. They will again walk across waters, dry-shod.

THE MUCH MISUNDERSTOOD RESURRECTION CHAPTER OF

1 COR. 15 NEEDS AN EXPLANATION HERE

We are having the future millennial Kingdom in view here, and the soon return of Jesus to earth to rule it.

What is not so obvious to many Christians – and they are mostly ridden by grave misconceptions – is that the Bible passage of 1 Cor. 15:23-26; -50-55 has nothing to do with our heavenly calling according to Paul’s free Grace Gospel found in Ephesians/Colossians. This teaching on the resurrection and the millennia was a doctrine pertaining to the earthly Kingdom only, and not to the hope of the ‘One new Man’ up in heaven. Eph. 3:1-9 portrays the Church as coming from out of a Mystery, we were as such hidden in God since before He created the world says Paul. And this Mystery was not revealed before Paul sat in jail in Rome in 62-63 CE. The epistles to the Corinthians were written around 7-8 years prior to the Mystery epistles. That gives us around 54-55 CE. There exist a minor discussion on which year CE, as always. But we know that he wrote the Romans from Ephesus in 57 CE, right before he left by ship to catch the Pentecost celebration in Jerusalem, Acts. 20:16.

We shall have a closer look on this important topic. 1 Cor. 15, selected verses, from American Standard Version,

23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. ----- -----

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?

A question is now in its place: Are we, the ‘One new Man’ – the Church, awaiting the Lord’s coming from heaven to establish that promised millennial Kingdom?

My answer, of course, is no. Not by any means are we going to wait for Christ to come down to greet His body, the Church. We are in no manner going to be included as citizens of the coming millennial Kingdom in Israel with Jesus on His throne on Zion and the temple.

It is the other way around: We are going up to Christ, by God’s super-natural intervention when the day of redemption arrives and the Church dispensation is concluded!

Paul’s description in 1 Cor. 15 of Christ rapturing the believers and also raising the dead ones up from the graves, does not belong in the Church dispensation.

It was ‘Fresh Ware’ with a ‘Sell-by-Date’ stamped on it: It only had relevance in the Acts period when the coming of Christ was imminent. He was expected to come back the same moment that God saw that Israel had repented to Christ. They did not repent, so – the whole matter of resurrection and rapture up in clouds has been cancelled, since Israel as a nation for God was cancelled in 70 CE, at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and Jews scattered all over the civilized world at that time. It’s a historical as well as a Biblical fact!

Check out my separate article on the rapture-teaching of Paul here on the site. You will learn that all of this was cancelled by God.

We notice in 1 Cor. 15:23 that Paul has a clear reference to the coming of the Lord.

In verses 24 and 25 Paul points to Christ when He has ruled for a thousand years, and He delivers up the Kingdom to God, because He has then – during the millennia – put all His enemies under His feet. Total victory.

And verse 26 gives us Christ as One Who defeated death, as His last enemy.

This narrative is not seen until AFTER the millennial Kingdom, be sure of that.

It has no relevance for us at all.

What of Paul in verses 50-55 teaching of issues concerning death – life – eternity?

Verse 50: Flesh and blood (as it is now) cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Verse 51 and 52: We shall all be changed - the dead shall be raised incorruptible, at the ‘Last trumpet’ – and we shall be changed.

This latter, a trumpet, and dead being raised, and the ones alive when this happens being changed…it all pertains to the very same narrative as found in 1 Thes. 4:13-18 of the so-called ‘Rapture-doctrine’. It belonged to the Kingdom-preaching of the Acts period, and not to the Mystery epistles with the Church dispensation. Be not confused.

We are definitively in Kingdom teaching, as we find the word ‘Trumpet’, and ‘Inherit the kingdom of God’ and ‘We shall be changed’. None of these words apply to the Church, the ’One New Man’ in Eph. 2:14, 15.

Col. 3:1-4 tells NOT of anyone hearing a trumpet blowing! None is ‘changed’ – but it says that the believer in that ‘One New Man’ Church shall be “Appearing with Christ” –understood: Up in the heavens. Also, there are no opening of graves on earth, because that is the sum of understanding this: Paul described it 1. First the dead are raised up from graves, then 2: The dead shall then TOGETHER WITH THOSE ALIVE ON EARTH be taken up in the clouds meeting Jesus Who has come down from heaven, and bringing these saints gathered together landing them down in Jerusalem/Israel. This is the same thing in both 1 Cor 15 and in 1 Thess. 4. We cannot find the ‘One New Man’ of the Mystery revelation in Ephesians/Colossians at all in this scenario.

The incorruptible body Paul wrote of in 1 Cor. 15:54 is a genuine normal human body, only – it has been ‘clothed’ in extra-heavenly power from on high, and made sustainable and impossible to make worn and tired and sick of old age, for 1000 years. God takes up the original life-time found in the oldest books of the Bible, people lived till they were close to 1000 years of age. This is a condition which shall not come on the entire world, but will be so for Israel’s Jesus-believers only. This will really make these believers stand out from the world, living that long.

It says of this arrangement, that if a sinner dies at the age of 100 years, he shall be considered as one who died as a youth!

Another prophet says, that the age of man shall become like the trees, - thinking of the millennial blessing on Israel when Jesus shall reign from Jerusalem.

We cannot find a single thing on death-resurrection-rapture-changed bodies- put on immortality-trumpet sounding- etcetera, at all in Paul’s Mystery epistles, Ephesians and Colossians. End of research.

The kind of ‘Immortality’ found in 1 Cor. 15 and 1 Thess. 4 is the prolonged stretched new norm of human age, like it was in the oldest times after creation. It will be seen in the coming millennia for Israel!

Scrutinizing the «Hosea Clock»!

Hosea ministered to the Northern Kingdom (the ten tribes) of Israel,

750 – 722 BC, in the time of king Jeroboam II (785-745 BC).

Jan Lilleby

The so-called «Hosea Clock» has been mentioned in some of my earlier articles.

It has to do both with the future Israel and with the Church dispensation, as far as the time-question is concerned.

In short: The prophecy spoken by Hosea tells of a certain time to come, when Israel will be revived as a nation for God; And thus followed by the Millennial Kingdom which was promised by the prophets.

Here I want to use the context in which Hosea prophesied, so that we should have no doubts that the time-aspect is trust worthy.

I shall use Amplified Bible for quotes.

THE CONTEXT FOR HOSEA’S PROPHECY

Hos. 5:15,

“I will return to My place (on high) until they acknowledge their offense and feel their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction and distress they will seek, inquire for, and require Me earnestly, saying..” (thus it continues in chapt. 6)

Actually, the words in this verse are uttered by Hosea, but in the metaphorical meaning that these are spoken by Israel’s Messiah, the future Jesus Christ.

How so?

Because He here is pointing to the fact that He had been some place, and thereafter left that place. Which place?

He had been with His people in Israel (as we read the four Gospels) – and He was killed by those who hated him, those who would not believe that He was God’s Messiah King. We know this story, don’t we?

He actually returned to His place in heaven. We read of Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1:9 and in Luke 24:51. Luke says, - was taken up into heaven. Here we also get to know that Jesus actually came from heaven, since it says that He returned. He could not have ‘returned’ if He did not first come down here, from heaven on high.

But notice that He said a very important word, until they (Israel) ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR OFFENSE, or said with other words: Until they confess their sins of having killed their own Messiah! As well as they will feel the heavy burden of guilt having done this. And in this regretful mindset they will seek Him – and they will say….what?

That is where the Hosea clock comes in, answering on what Israel will say. So we read in Hos. 6: 1, 2,

“Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up. 2: After TWO DAYS He will REVIVE US; on the THIRD DAY He will raise us up that we MAY LIVE BEFORE HIM.”

Hosea wrote this down, and now we actually have an exact time (by year) for the coming of Jesus Christ from heaven! We cannot find any Bible Scripture saying against Hosea 6:1, 2. And notice that Israel (verse 1) is admitting to having been torn (destroyed), and stricken as a nation, so that in His return to earth, He will then heal them and mend all their wounds and afflictions. He shall “bind them up”- which means to restitute them and give them back their right standing with God as His nation on earth.

WHAT OF THESE 2000 YEARS – THE TWO DAYS?

If these “Two Days” had been ordinary calendar days, then it would have meant that Jesus would have come from heaven two days after that they died (as a nation) in 10th of September 70 AD. That day was a Sunday, which means that Jesus would have come from heaven Tuesday 12th of September. But that never happened. Thus we have to look for the other option: The two days are 2000 years. Peter’s words in his epistle come to mind, - one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day in the eyes of God. ( II Pet. 3:8).

We have to use the Jewish calendar system when putting this together.

Counting 360 days (one Jewish year) x 2000 gives us 720 000 calendar days, and if converted into the Gregorian calendar which we have, this makes up 1972,6 years, adding the 70 years to when Israel was destroyed, we get 2042 and also make adjustments in regard to leap years, it is fair to say 2041 as the year of Jesus coming from heaven.

It will actually give us November 17th 2041, when the counting started at 10th September 70 AD.

That is the day which then becomes the first day of that THIRD DAY: The Millennial Kingdom. Thus the Great Tribulation is ended 16th of November of course. (In another article, I have added that it might also come to that Jesus arrives in the Passover 2041, which is in springtime, and not in November.) I shall come back to this.

So having this settled, we have to subtract these 7 years of tribulation for Israel, and get 2034 AD as the year in which that Great Tribulation is started.

That leaves us to reason that the Church dispensation will have to end at this year at the latest. However, it might also come to that God will find it convenient to take us to heaven in good time before that tribulation is starting up. If it is 2034, then we have only 12 years left on earth before taken into heaven. It is a sensational short interval of time, isn’t it? But God’s prophet to the Northern Kingdom (the ten tribes) he was a real truth-teller. There would not fall one single syllable or utterance from his lips which would not be a true Word of God! This you can take to the bank, and they will favor you with interest! And there is no other, eventually opposing Word of God to say against the truth told in Hos. 5:15; 6:1- 3.

But still, it might come to that God takes us into heaven several years before that. (See my article “Can the Present Dispensation Be Concluded Much Earlier Than the Great Tribulation For Israel?”.)

There is no doubt that Hosea 5:15 as well as 6:1, 2 have the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as the topic and context.

It is pointing to Israel as a revived nation, as they will seek the Lord Jesus and utter great regrets over what they did to Him 2000 years ago – another prophet in the Bible say straight forward that they shall mourn and lamenting with tears before Christ at His return, like a woman over her only son (having died).

Hosea 6:3 must also be quoted here,

“Yes, let us know Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord. His going forth is prepared and certain as the dawn, and He will come to us, as the rain (from heaven), as the latter rain that waters the earth.”

“His going forth is prepared” it says. That is a hint towards Elijah who shall come and make everything restored and ready for the coming of Messiah Jesus (Mat. 17:11). Jesus said this after John the Baptist was beheaded by Antipas, so this proves that He spoke of the real Elijah, and not “one like Elijah, John the Baptist”.

Hosea used the imagery of rain falling from the clouds, speaking of Christ’s return. Rev. 19:11-14 shows us when Christ will appear in the clouds of heaven, and riding a white horse followed by an army of God’s angels. It is Christ Who will fall upon Israel (as a relief from the tribulation) like when latter rain falls on the dry soil, watering the earth.

Jesus knew this, since He had read Daniels Book, mentioning “One like a Son of Man, who came with clouds of heaven” – Dan. 7:13.

Jesus used this ‘nickname’ if you will, Son of Man, many times in His earthly ministry. It was recognizable to the learned Jews who heard Him, and they got angry over Jesus’ using this name on Himself!

I mentioned that Jesus would rather come in the Passover than in November 2041.

The seven years of tribulation can also be held as a time-frame, in the sense that it might not take full seven years of tribulation. It can be shortened. Thus, it is absolutely probable that Jesus would come at Passover – especially when He said to his people, right before the crucifixion, that - you shall not see me again before you say – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Well, that particular line/sentence is a quote from Psalm 118:26 – the Passover Psalm in Jewry which is sung every year at that time,

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord”.

So it may be a fair and reasonable assertion that Jesus will come in Passover 2041 instead of November. But – it will remain to be seen of course.

I fully have confidence in Hosea’s prediction of the three prophetic days, which are three millennia. Hosea spoke in full inspiration of God and the Holy Spirit, I am sure.

MINDLESS TRANSLATING

LEAVES US WITH A TOTALLY

TWISTED UNDERSTANDING!

Analysing Revelation 13.

JAN LILLEBY

What do I mean by ‘mindless’ ?

I am pointing to the repetitive error committed by the diverse Committees which translated/translates the Bible.

This article is concentrating on Revelation 13 and the matter of a coming Anti-Christ, which, thanks to the mindless translations - is portrayed as a world-leader. And thus he will also be praised and worshipped by the whole world. Not the least this ‘understanding’ fits right in with the end time teaching found with Hal Lindsey and others like him. Added the horrors of a coming ‘One World Government’ – the scenery played out will then fit perfect with these Armageddon-Fans, as Anti-Christ is that coming world leader, enforcing the entire world to take the mark of the beast, on their hand or on their forehead. Lindsey is without doubt the foremost propagator of such mindless ideas and beliefs. He got himself instantly famous when he wrote the book “Late Great Planet Earth” decades ago.

Not long ago, I emailed him (his office) and told him straight forward that only Israel will experience that prophesied ‘Great Tribulation’ and that Anti-Christ is NOT a world leader, but he takes rule in Israel and will occupy the third temple (soon to be built). I also said that most (perhaps all) Bibles are very badly translated in these matters. And that because of such bad translations he had been misled into totally wrong understanding of most end time matters and eschatology in general.

He did not answer me personally, but his secretary did (by email) – in a polite and short manner I was just told that “Mister Lindsey is always following Greek text when teaching from the Bible” – in other words: He says what the Bible says.

Problem is you cannot use the Greek texts flat out without first taking in the context at hand. In Greek, context is everything. One Greek word can mean three, four, five different things – all depending on the context. And this is the main error with translators, they do not check out thoroughly what exactly is the context. So they often pick a meaning which is totally misleading. Rev. 13 is a school-example proving that.

This comes clear when we read Rev. 13:8,

NKJV Bible:

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

NIV Bible:

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”

AMP Bible:

“And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain (in sacrifice) from the foundation of the world.”

Rev. 13:8 in which we find the word “Earth” – is noted in Strong’s Bible dictionary with number 1093. It is a Noun – Genitive Feminine Singular.

What is clear in Strong is that the Greek word for earth (ges) is contracted from a primary word; SOIL; by extension a REGION, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe. So earth is in this case taken from the understanding of solid part or terrene globe. They skipped SOIL, they skipped REGION (which is a certain place within a nation). In short, they did not pay attention to the context. For the context is clearly that of Israel and the on-going tribulation there – Rev. 6 and on testifies of that.

Paul testifies in II Thes. 2:4 that Anti-Christ shall take the seat in the temple of God, and demand of Israel that they shall fall down before him in adoration and worship. To use the terrene globe as right contexts is way out of line. The context is clearly inside the land of Israel, on Israel’s SOIL and Israel’s REGIONAL whereabouts in the Middle-East. This is non-negotiable facts!

Using these contextual sceneries will have the right explanation of Rev. 13:8 – it tells of what will happen as people in Israel believes that Anti-Christ is the genuine Messiah, and thus they worship him, and they take upon their hands or foreheads that mark of the beast. (Rev. 13:16-18).

Jesus pointed out that the Jews (Israel) in the future would receive another man coming to them in his own name…just as we read John 5:43, and He explicitly also added, …AND GIVE HIM YOUR APPROVAL. Jesus never told anyone that a false ‘messiah’ would come to the entire globe and be received by the whole world!

It is NOT around the entire globe, it is ONLY inside Israel.

It is that simple, and yet, it is that difficult – especially for believers who have been misled for decades by speculative ‘Armageddon Preaching”.

Hal Lindsey (born November 23, 1929), the critics say, has over the years since his first book, come out with a new book every third year, trying to explain why certain prophesies told in the foregoing book never came to fulfillment. He does not really want to change or try to get the right understanding of the Bible. He just wants to ‘keep up his appearances’, and carry on this charade of a Bible-fiasco…speaking prophecy which never was real prophecy, it was only his own fantasy or ‘interpretation’ of parts of the Bible.

The same principle of translation as shown above, by Rev. 13:8, goes for not only the Revelation Book; it goes for the entire New Testament. Only, it gets so visible when using certain extreme sceneries as found in Revelation.

Check out Rev. 13 verses where “Earth” is mentioned – you will be amazed to learn that when every time that word is mentioned, the meaning of the verse is changed dramatically. Earth MUST be changed to read “Israel” or “Land” – and not in the meaning of the whole globe. It takes place on Israeli SOIL or REGION.

Verse 3: “..and the whole EARTH went after the beast in amazement and admiration.”

They were amazed that the beast, Anti-Christ was healed of the deadly wound. It is described as if it is a miracle, - and not a natural healing of a wound by the human body’s normal functions….or else the whole “Earth” would not have been so utterly impressed – amazed.

Verse 7: …over every tribe and people, and tongue and nation.

This verse confuses people. But it come on just as Acts 2:5 where we read of Pentecost and that people from all over the civilized world (Jews) were present in Jerusalem – from all the Jewish tribes, Jewish people, Jews speaking the languages learnt in the nations they lived, and they came from all those nations they lived in.

Verse 8 (already mentioned above) …and all the inhabitants of the EARTH will fall down in adoration…

Verse 11 …Then I saw another beast rising up out of the land…

Here it slips a bit with the translating Committee: They use the word LAND – and even as they very well know that the context (in their minds) was EARTH. They do not explain to us why that other beast (false prophet) was rising up out of the land. Why not use EARTH, since that is what they use with Anti-Christ, the first beast? You see this? Bad and sloppy work. You have to ask them: What LAND? Is it America? Is it Norway? Great Britain? France? Greece? Israel? What?? But the LAND here is what I already have told you, it is Israel. The false prophet comes forth in Israel to support the Anti-Christ.

Verse 12 …. (He – the false prophet) ..causes the EARTH and those who dwell upon it to exalt and deify the first beast…

Verse 13 …making fire fall from the sky to the EARTH in men’s sight…

Verse 14 …he deceives those who inhabit the EARTH..

If you erase the word EARTH and write Israel instead, you will get the right translation and you will be able to interpret the Bible correctly so far!

The Great Tribulation will come upon Israel only. Jer. 30:7 testifies to that,

“Alas! For that day will be great, so that none will be like it; it will be the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he will be saved out of it.” (Jacob was re-named Israel).

Anti-Christ will use Jerusalem and the third temple as his abode and headquarter during his stay in Israel. There is no word of a presumed “One World Government” and Anti-Christ to rule the whole wide world.

I have also mentioned much of this same exhortation in a previous article, which you can read here on my site – “Erroneous Translation of the Bible Causes Misunderstanding Regarding Anti-Christ and World Power”- so this present article here can be considered as a little reminder, that it is very important to get the right translation of several passages in the Bible, or else you will go astray and end up in mental/spiritual dead-end-streets and fail to get things right!

A fair tip for the interested Bible student: Visit www.biblehub.com where you can sift through innumerable Bible passages to check out Greek words to compare with what you read in your personal Bible! They are using Strong’s dictionary and several others so you can check various references.

------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

REGARDING MY RECENT ARTICLE

ON ANTI-CHRIST AND THE

BRITISH ROYALTY:

A few days ago I found it right to withdraw that article from my site. The reason is that I have found several options – but of such a character that I do not want to go on with this topic.

It seems to me that God allows for a ‘Cover’ over certain parts of His Word. Anti-Christ and similar topics seem to be a riddle which no regular believer can solve! Thanks for your patience!

Erroneous Translation of the Bible

Causes Misunderstanding Regarding

Anti-Christ and World Power

By Jan Lilleby

*Edited and ‘upgraded’ October 3, 2022.

Perhaps you are among those who have noticed how the issue of Anti-Christ and the belief of that person to become a ‘One World Government’ dictator have caught much attention among Christians? Some are also teaching that Anti-Christ is going to have ‘Ten Kings’ under him to assist his future regime. Many think that those ten will be leaders with him in that supposed ‘One World Government’ – but it is not true. (The ten kings will only be governors inside Israel in due time, see Rev. 17 – some kind of false tribal system as opposed to the 144 000 in Rev. 7).

Great parts of Christianity seem to have come to such conclusions – and there are a host of pastors, preachers, teachers, eschatologists and Bible expositors that go for such a view. They believe and they preach in all gullible honesty, that Anti-Christ will come and have the entire world fall down and following his rule, having Revelation chapter 13 in mind, as it says in Amplified Bible,

“And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone who’s name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain (in sacrifice) from the foundation of the world.” Verse 8.

“And he compels all (alike), both small and great, both the rich and the poor, both free and slave, to be marked with an inscription (stamped) on their right hands or on their foreheads.” Verse 16.

These are but just two verses, but it says a lot. It speaks of immense power and might over the people in this world. Well, if we assume it is speaking of all the people in this world. But is Rev. 13 really speaking of all the people in this world?

Hardly!

To you believers over in America: Do you really believe that Anti-Christ will overpower or persuade the American president and his government, the Congress, the Senate, the armed forces….the works, to let him rule America? Please, you better think this through once more! Of course he is not. There is no way possible that such a vile person would ever be allowed into USA to take over the rule. It’s never going to happen, believe me!

To you over in the UK: You cannot possibly think and seriously believe that this Anti-Christ person of the Bible would just arrive in London one day, walk out of a cab at Number 10, bust in the door and telling your Prime Minister to pack up and leave. Because ‘I the mighty Anti-Christ will from now on rule the UK!’ Folks, it’s never going to happen. Not ever!

Or you folks in Russia: If this Anti-Christ try to enter for a take-over, Putin or whoever is in charge at that time, will throw him under a tank at the Red Square or something like that. There will absolutely be no world rule by Anti-Christ, nor will there ever be a ‘One World Government’ – believe me.

And I shall be glad to explain why this is so.

REPETITIVE ERRORS IN THE USE OF

CERTAIN WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

The quoted verses says so – that is right, but are these verses…and eventually other verses of the same category, correctly translated in our Bibles?

I am afraid not. Many passages, words, and expressions are translated in much error; which leads readers into misunderstanding of the topic and issues at hand.

These errors are repetitive to a great degree, being used over and over again.

Words like, eternal, forever, all the world, all the people, all the inhabitants of the earth, all men slaves and free, and related words/expressions. These are the most frequent ones used and misunderstood because Christians do not really scrutinize this. They often forget to check out the context for the words used.

Here it is the issue of the coming prophesied Anti-Christ – and it says that he shall make all people taking that ‘Mark of the Beast’ on their right hand or their forehead. And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and obey this man, the Anti-Christ of the Bible.

In the English speaking world, mainly USA and United Kingdom, there have been certain evangelists/TV-preachers and pastors who have gone in the forefront as flag-carriers of such a Bible view.

The ‘king of apocalyptic preaching and prophecy’ is no doubt Harold Lee Lindsey, born in Texas November 23, 1929 – and at an age of 92 still going strong, and can be seen and heard on YouTube with his ‘Hal Lindsey Report’.

It was his book, published a few decades ago – ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ – which really got things going. Almost overnight Hal Lindsey became America’s fresh new Christian celebrity preaching apocalyptic and eschatological topics.

And one of those topics, namely, the Anti-Christ, was held forth as a coming gruesome world-dictator and a type of ‘messiah’ to take over both the world and Israel.

I am just using Hal Lindsey’s view on the Anti-Christ to make that announced point of Christians having been ‘had’ regarding translation errors. But this is a fact. Translation errors found in Revelation Book, for instance in Rev. 13 and the issue of a coming terrorizing Anti-Christ, have made laymen as well as theologians/professors, and also evangelists and pastors misunderstand the whole topic at hand.

But having said this: Why haven’t these Christian preachers done what they should have done: Checking out the Bible also from the point of whether translations are correct? They have in a most gullible manner just taken the wild erroneous translations as ‘The Word of God’ – and thus it must be perfect and true.

To become better informed regarding Hal Lindsey, since he is the leading celebrity in this case, you may enter the website - pbs.org (click a link at the end of this article) - which issues a pretty well written analysis and commentaries regarding Apocalypticism seen from an American perspective. I shall at the end of this article quote some from the first paragraph of an article in that website, written by Prof. Paul Boyer, professor of History of Wisconsin, Madison. His article is titled “America’s Doom Industry”.

Hal Lindsey, needless to say – is in his full rights to interpret the Bible or parts of the Bible as he pleases, and according to his own understanding and ability. As are all Christian pastors, preachers and evangelists.

But then, yours truly has the same rights. And I am here going to point out to you how we can read the Bible, and actually avoid grave misunderstandings at the same instance! It all has to do with correct translation of the Bible.

THE MISUNDERSTANDING ON THE ANTI-CHRIST

Jesus left two clues on Anti-Christ in John 5 and John 10, which tells us that this vile person shall be presenting himself to Israel only. He is not going to enter UN in New York or any other international forum, no, he will set course for Israel and Jerusalem. He shall become a false ‘messiah’ and he shall install himself, in due time, in the third temple to be raised. And that temple is not far into the future.

John 5:43,

“I have come in My Father’s name, and with His power, and you do not receive Me: but if another comes in his own name and his own power and with no authority but himself, you will receive him and give him your approval.”

John 10:10,

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance.”

Here Jesus spoke of a thief, in singular tense, and it can only be this future falsehood, Anti-Christ.

In Matt. 15:24 we find Jesus lecturing the people present,

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.

And Paul, in Rom. 15:8 confirming this,

“…Christ the Messiah became a servant and a minister to the circumcised (the Jews) in order to show God’s truthfulness and honesty by confirming the promises to our fathers.”

Jesus speaking of Anti-Christ as one who shall be coming, is related to the fact that Jesus had already come, - and to whom? The Jews of course. Jesus had come to Israel, and as He told the people – likewise shall there come another person, to the very same people: The Jews, Israel. Jesus said this in the capacity of having been sent by God to ISRAEL ONLY. This we must understand.

Anti-Christ as a man who shall seduce and terrorize and rule the entire world is out of the question. There shall be no such thing.

In what circumstances and what kind of times for Israel will the coming of the Anti-Christ happen?

The Bible says clearly that he will be part of the ‘Great Tribulation’ – thus we find him in the Revelation Book, a book dedicated to show what will take place during that 7-year period of time. He was even prophesied in Daniel’s Book. Check out my separate article ‘Daniel 9 and the Seventy Weeks’ here on the website.

And to whom shall the tribulation come? It will come upon Israel, and not the world as such.

Jer. 30:7 clearly pin-pointed this tribulation to punish Israel, no other,

“Alas! For that day will be great, so that none will be like it; it will be the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he will be saved out of it.”

Compare to Jesus in Matt. 24:21 with Jer. 30:7 “…so that none will be like it…”,

“…great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now – no, and never will be again.”

He says same thing as what Jeremiah had prophesied. A tribulation for ISRAEL AND NOT THE WORLD!

And Anti-Christ is an important figure into and inside this tribulation – a tribulation to hit Israel only, and not the world. Not USA, not Great Britain, not Scandinavia, not France, not Italy, not Canada, not China, not India, not Iran, not Iraq, not Africa, not Australia, …not not not…..

Knowing that it is only a tribulation to occur inside Israel, we have a solid frame-work with which to decide the proper context for the described problems in Revelation Book, for instance Rev. 13 and the mark of the beast and people falling down to adore this beast.

This will take place only inside of Israel. The 7 meter tall concrete wall has already been raised to accomplish this (it will be completed soon enough). This is not a wall just to keep enemies out, but it will become the tool of Anti-Christ with which he shall manage to lock up the entire population of Israel in due time, and then enforce his mark upon them. They cannot escape because of that wall. And it will be guarded by heavily armed police, I assure you.

Rev. 13:8 is thus standing corrected, and shall now hereafter be read,

“And all inhabitants of the LAND inside the wall around it will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.”

Be aware of the fact that the word earth in Rev. 13:8 was translated from ges, the Greek word used to describe the earth, the land, the province, the area, the district, the universe….all of the creation seen.

*In Strong’s dictionary (1093) ges (Greek for earth) has four meanings, all depending upon the context. “Earth” comes from SOIL, REGION, THE SOLID PART or THE TERRENE GLOBE. So, the translators should have used SOIL or REGION, rather than the terrene globe. Context is extremely important to get things right!

So it is obvious that it cannot be used at random. It can only be used to describe something in the visible creation, and this will be the LAND OF ISRAEL (soil or region) since we have established that this Anti-Christ is operating inside of that land, and he shall take a seat inside the coming new Third Temple – says Paul in 2 Thes 2.

Knowing that Anti-Christ will be seducing the Jews and be present inside Israel, we cannot translate with earth. Yes, of course, Anti-Christ will be upon this earth, but those things he will do will take place at a special cite, a piece of land on earth – soil or region - called Israel. This isn’t rocket-science; we only have to be awake when reading our Bibles.

Also the Rev.13:16 on the mark of the beast, shall stand corrected from here on, and shall read,

“Also he compels all Jews in Israel, both small and great, both the rich and the poor, both free and slave, to be marked with an inscription on their right hands or on their foreheads.”

The ‘Mark of the beast’?

What is that? Is it 666 as many thinks?

No, it has been ‘hidden-in-plain-sight’ for decades, right before our noses. You can see this mark (or rather, logo) if you look at the Israeli flag – here to the left.

The Hexagram with its six tags has an occult magical value of the number 666. This occult mark stems from the Jew’s time in Babylon, from where all sorcery and magic witchcraft have come. It was brought into Europe with the Jews, and history-experts in occultism and sorcery can testify on a scientific basis that this is so. It all comes from Babylon in olden times. The founders of Israel wanted to have the Menorah as symbol in their flag, but the money-elite had them choose the Hexagram, and they called it the Star of David. But it is not, it is really the Star of Rephan (see Acts. 7:43 and Stephens speech). The star has a history of being a part of the idolatry in the dessert as the people carried with them the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan. All Satanic idolatry and symbolism.

The beast, Anti-Christ will be in Israel, and will keep the people inside the land using that 7 meter tall wall, and he shall use the Hexagram in Israel’s flag as a mark to have each one subdued to his commands and rule. John saw in his visions on Patmos that the Babylon Harlot had it written on her forehead – and we read of Anti-Christ making the entire Israeli people take this mark on their forehead. Hello there, is any of you awake and sober?? (Rev. 17:5)

Think of this when reading Rev 17 – the description of God’s judgement upon Babylon the Great Harlot, which really is the Zionist Israel of today and up to the time of the great tribulation.

Rev. 17:6 tells of Babylon Harlot being drunk with the blood of the saints,

“I also saw that the woman (Zionist Israel and Jesus-haters, my remark) was drunk, with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs who witnessed for Jesus. And when I saw her, I was utterly amazed and wondered greatly.”

Babylon Harlot is same as the city which has seven hills, and in Biblical terms, only Jerusalem has seven hills/mountains. Some have mentioned Rome, but Rome has more than seven hills. (Rev. 17:9).

The end of Rev. 16 mention Babylon as she is split in three parts due to an earth quake, verse 19,

“The mighty city (Jerusalem) was broken into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind mighty Babylon, to make her drain the cup of His furious wrath and indignation.” Here we see that the mighty city, Jerusalem is the same as ‘mighty Babylon’.

The earth quake seems to afflict certain cities nearby Israel, but no names are given. We can only make guesses in this case.

Nowhere in Revelation Book can we find judgements upon nations around the world, but only the one nation which has been blaspheming God for centuries and killed the saints of God and Christ. Israel has it coming!

THE NATIONS SHALL BE WITNESSES TO HOW

GOD PUNISHES AND RESTORES ISRAEL

BACK TO HIMSELF AS HIS NATION

There is a prophecy in Ezekiel’s Book of God in the end times as He will vindicate His holy name, and the nations shall be witnesses to this process, Ezekiel 36:19-23, which is yet another proof of the fact that the world will not be having any apocalyptic disasters/wars as any part of the Great Tribulation. They shall not become victims, but witnesses to what God does with Israel. What a difference! We read,

“And I scattered them (Israel) among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their conduct and their deeds I judged and punished them. 20: And when they came to the nations to which they went, they profaned My holy name in that men said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go forth out of His land. 21: But I had regard, concern and compassion for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they went. 22: Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sakes, which you have profaned among the nations to which you went. 23: And I will vindicate (revenge and restore) the holiness of My great name (Jesus Christ) and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it – My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them – and the nations WILL KNOW, UNDERSTAND, AND REALIZE THAT I AM THE LORD, when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you BEFORE THEIR EYES AND YOURS.”

There it is. Proof of God, as one who will not send any tribulation on the whole world, like many apocalyptic TV preachers are blabbering out to their audiences. But He shall instead have the world/nations standing as on-lookers, as witnesses to what He shall do with Israel as He sends the Great Tribulation upon them, including Anti-Christ, and everything we see in Revelation Book.

The prophecy in Ezekiel 36 has nothing to do with Israel as He had them taken to Babylon. It has to do with what happened as the Roman armies scattered the nation in the world in 70 A.D. They were scattered among the nations…which is plural tense. While as He sent them to Babylon in 586 B.C. they were just taken to one single nation, Babylon.

Ezekiel 36:19-23 has not yet happened, but it will as God send Israel the Great Tribulation. This also corresponds to Is. 61:2 and the last half of that verse, which Jesus avoided to quote when in the Synagogue at Nazareth, remember? That verse which speaks of doom,

“….and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.”

This is hard evidence that ONLY Israel will have the Great Tribulation. The TV-evangelists who specialize in apocalyptic preaching, threatening with Anti-Christ and a nuclear holocaust, are all entirely wrong in their assertions. They have misunderstood the Bible due to the many bad translations, as I made a few examples of above.

There will never come any evil man, Anti-Christ, to rule through a so-called ‘One World Government’ with a staff of ‘Ten Kings’ and enforcing the world to take the mark of the beast on their right hand or their forehead. He shall only try to gain power inside Israel. And he will.

There will never come any ‘Great Tribulation’ – including a world-wide ‘Armageddon’ to ruin the whole world and killing millions and millions of people in a nuclear nightmare.

Christian teachers and preachers have been fooled by bad and erroneous translations of the Bible, and also reckless treatment of the written Word of God.

Also they suffer from the lack of proper and correct dividing of the Word of God, learning what is written to whom, and why.

You can sleep tight and be at ease if you were afraid of Anti-Christ to come knocking on your door to put upon you the ‘Mark of the Beast’. It will never happen.

I do not suggest that guys like Hal Lindsey are liars in a classic sense, who deliberately lie to their audiences via YouTube or TV, for they themselves have been fooled because of bad translations, thus creating misunderstanding of the Word of God. Thus they deliver lies from their pulpits, but unawares. If you are one among these, here is your urge to let go of that. Just simply stop preaching what you are preaching. Get on with Biblical truth and the Grace Gospel of Paul instead!

Just be aware to sift out things like errors in Biblical topics, don’t be fooled by whatever any preacher throws out from his pulpit. Exercise some discernment.

In this article I have concentrated on the Anti-Christ issue; but the very same errors in the translations/misunderstanding also goes for such Biblical phenomenon as ‘The Rapture’ (see 1 Thes. 4) which only was promised the Jewish believers/proselytes in the times of the apostles, and which now is dismissed by God since Jesus did not return in their life-time; as well as ‘Armageddon’ (Rev. 16:16) – often taught by televangelists as something that will hit America in the form of nuclear bombing!

But the Revelation Book says that Armageddon is a farmland plain, with a Kibbutz in its vicinity in the northern parts of Israel (named Megiddo in Hebrew) – and it is only slightly larger (in square km) than Manhattan island in New York City! – Has a triangular shape, 58 kilometers long and 24 kilometers average width. You have Mt. Tabor (which you can see in the image, see Mat. 17) on the northeast, Mt. Gilboa on the south and Mt. Carmel on the northwest. In ‘real non-fictional life’ the‘Armageddon’ does not really exist outside of Israel.

How foolish will those apocalypse preaching televangelists going to be feeling if or when they get this correction on their desks?

All that non-sense and lies served to America’s people (and in other nations as well) over the YouTube and TV Medias! For decades! And just because these preachers didn’t check out their sources seriously enough. Bad Bible translations are nothing new I assure you.

I HEREBY INCLUDE AT THE END OF MY CONCLUSION

A QUOTATION FROM PROF. PAUL BOYER:

“What we see in contemporary American mass culture really is that apocalyptic belief has become big business. It’s become an industry. It’s a subset of the publishing industry. And books that become successful literally sell millions of copies. And what we’re seeing is a kind of synergistic process where a successful televangelist will publish a book which is successful, which will then spin off into videotapes and movies and sometimes prophecy magazines, and even we have bumper stickers and wristwatches and other kinds of material, all of which reinforce popular belief and interest in Bible prophecy.”

Paul Boyer mentions Hal Lindsey and the writers of the ‘Left Behind’ books, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins….very interesting observation.

You can read the entire article by visiting website,

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/doomindustry.html

Daniel 9:24 and the Year Weeks:

Gabriel’s Lecturing of Daniel is

Pointing to the Millennia

By Jan Lilleby

If one first have started to unwind such a topic as the Year Weeks in Daniel 9, it is not so easy to step on the brake pedal.

In Dan. 9:24 we find Gabriel giving Daniel a prophetic review in a rather shortened concentrated version on the future of Israel. The verse ends with Gabriel’s mention of the new Holy of Holies in the new millennial temple being anointed. This shall happen at the Second Advent. Image: Daniel unharmed in the lion’s den.

Let us look at the verse step by step. Amplified Bible,

“Seventy weeks (of years, or 490 years) are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish and put an end to transgression, to seal up and make full the measure of sin, to purge away and make expiation and reconciliation for sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness (permanent moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies.”

Seventy year weeks is same as 490 Jewish calendar years. But we know from the verses 25 and 26 that the row of details in prophecy ends with the 69th year week (483 years) – and counting from king Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia in his first year (456 BC) declared the edict of the freedom for all Jews, to go home to Israel; thus we get the year of 28 AD – the year that Jesus was crucified (Dan. 9:26 …shall the Anointed One be cut off or killed…). Then I have included the five years which the Catholic Church manipulated off. Jesus was about to reach 33 years of age in 28 AD, namely in September, NOT December.

The seventieth year week has not started yet, as I write this article. But in that final year week Israel shall be brought back to God as a nation for Him, a position they lost when they refused to listen to Paul in Rome, Acts 28:25-31. They fell away from God after the apostles had used over thirty years to try to have the nation repent. They started at Pentecost in 28 AD, when Peter, James and John were the leaders; later on Paul was given the leadership as he went to the Provinces outside Israel, to reach the Jews in the diaspora.

It is that falling away from God, which happened when Paul met with the Sanhedrin at Rome in 60 – 62 AD, that shall be sealed up and made full the measure of sin…God shall forgive Israel her national sin of having rejected Jesus for almost two thousand years. And this will happen due to the purging within that Great Tribulation to come. Israel will be chastised and cleansed.

Zec. 13:8 predicting one third of the population shall be saved, and two thirds will perish. The latter will not repent and receive Jesus Christ.

To bring in everlasting righteousness said Gabriel – which means that Israel can be saved because of Jesus having died for them that day in Passover 28 AD. He is the Lamb of God who took upon Him all the sin and transgression.

They refused the apostles – but as they go through the Great Tribulation, they will finally come to faith. At least one third of them will, says Scripture.

The Book of Acts is the story of Israel’s falling away from God, and not of their salvation. I hope you are aware of that Biblical fact…? Acts 28:28,

“So let it be understood by you then that (this message of) the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen to it.” (They will receive it) as opposed to the Jews – who rejected Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately several of the Christian denominations in modern time have in error thought (and therefore preached it) that the mentioned falling away is a fall which will happen to the Christian church! That is how wrong you can be if one ignores studies in the Bible, rightly divided.

That fall has already occurred, and it was Israel that fell, NOT the church. The Church/Body of Christ came as a consequence of the fall of Israel. Because of that fall, God revealed His Mystery to Paul, the dispensation of the Church and the free grace Gospel (Eph. 3:1-9).

Our Gospel according to Paul is an international Gospel for the whole world to believe on. But the gospel in the times of the Acts was a gospel only regarding the earthly millennial kingdom in Israel. It had nothing to do with the Church.

This new Grace Gospel given Paul for us can only be found in the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. The Gospel is weaved into these Epistles and we read it as a summary of what Paul taught in them.

Paul’s doctrine of faith for the Church dispensation was already spread widely into the civilized world, the early Christianity by Paul and his staff of helpers long before the four Gospels had been issued and could be bought and read.

Matthew came in 80 AD, Luke was published at the earliest, 62 AD but most scholars say 73 AD. Mark came in 83 AD and John a few years later. So, Paul’s Grace Gospel according to his doctrine in Ephesians and Colossians were a dominant factor, several years before anyone could read any of the four Gospel stories. These stories were NEVER meant to be faith doctrine to the Church dispensation. Can you get this, all you pastors and preachers out there?

Gabriel’s expression – to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet – has to do with the fact that by the fulfillment of the different prophesies on Jesus, His birth, His ministry and miracle healings, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension – all things have been fulfilled and verified as true. The Jews will have to confess that the prophets spoke the truth, for they will witness everything come to an end during the Great Tribulation, the Seventieth Year Week. They shall see Jesus descending from heaven, and this will end Jewry’s long dreary Jesus-rejecting.

We have a prophet-word on that issue, Hos. 5:15 – as Hosea became the Lord’s voice, saying –

“I will return to My place (heaven) until they acknowledge their offense and feel their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction and distress (Great Tribulation) they will seek, inquire for, and require Me earnestly, saying….”

If anybody have thought that the Jews’ suffering in the world has been as innocents, that they are victims of the unjust world – but themselves have clean hands, - then we can learn here that this is not true. They are definitively guilty as charged! Jesus simply demand of them to plead guilty and seeking His face (presence) before He can descend from heaven. The tribulation will have them on their knees, for sure.

Gabriel’s final point of prophesy in verse 24, is …and to anoint a Holy of Holies.

In that situation the Lord has come down from heaven, the fourth temple has been built, and finally the Holy of Holies will be anointed in the presence of the Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Let me just give a slight remark: It is saying in some Bible Commentaries that the ‘Holy of Holies’ can actually be a person, Jesus Christ (Messiah) **. - However, I think they have misunderstood some and that it really means that room, the most Holy hall in the temple, into which only the High Priests could be given admittance. It will be only one High Priest, Jesus Christ.

I have taken the liberty to write here a list used by the website versebyversecommentary.com – and they call that list of six points “Purposes for these 490 years” The first three have to do with the sin of Israel and the last three with the kingdom:

“To finish the transgression” – this will bring to end the rebellion and apostasy that sent Israel into captivity.

2 “To make an end of sins” – Israel as a nation will go back into fellowship with God after the divine discipline of captivity.

3 “To make reconciliation for iniquity” – restoration will bring expiation or covering of past sins through the Messiah.

4 “To bring in everlasting righteousness” – God will cause the restoration of Israel in the Millennium and will launch new norms where righteousness reigns.

5 “To seal up vision and prophesy” – God will seal this prophesy until the restoration at the Second Coming will fulfill God’s covenant for Israel. (this might be in error, since this is already revealed – the coming Millennia with Christ as king. It is not sealed (hidden from insight).

6 “To anoint the most Holy” – God will restore the Messiah in the restored temple. ** (this might be in error)

Do your own comparison using this list of six points….it can be alright to have more than just one voice into this issue. But in this case, I actually found that site and their comments to Dan. 9:24 after that I had written this article. That is why I let you compare it, so you know that I am acting in full openness, letting you see what others might say. What I then found is that most of these points matches my own understanding of the topic, and only point 6 and perhaps point 5 may differ some. The letters in red has been inserted by me after I read their comments of course. Just to avoid any misunderstanding.

The third temple was destroyed in the tribulation, and a fourth temple – as shown in Ezec. 47 are built to replace it. There have been written lots of material on that topic.

This new temple, in which Jesus and His priesthood (Rev. 20:4) shall have their ministry in the millennial kingdom, it says in Scripture that there will grow trees near it with leaves that bring healing from sickness. They grow along the double-creek which springs from the temple area. The special power and blessings of the coming millennia have now come into full effect, and even the biological world with plants and vegetation etc are upgraded and entirely fantastic. Heb. 6:4, 5 mention this coming power,

“..and have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age and world to come.”

Paul obviously must have had the healings and miracles in mind as he wrote this, I believe. But it will include a changed and upgraded nature as well.

The new temple will be placed near the Mount Olives – which at the arrival of Jesus from heaven will be split into a valley says Zec. 14:4 – it splits toward east and west and will actually alter Mount Olives radically.

One half of the mountain leans toward north, and the other half to the south.

Jerusalem will thus be much altered in her structure, road system and residential areas.

As we take time to read of Daniel and all those things the Lord revealed to him as the angel Gabriel visited him over the many years – we just have to sit in awe and admiration of our Lord Jesus Christ. This must have totally filled Daniel’s life with so many impressions as a man can take; he was totally given over to God in faith and in prayer. God gave this prophet extra power to endure all those years. See Dan. 10:16-18. It is among scholars held for true that the prophet died at the age of around 90 years.

By Jan Lilleby

I would like to begin this article by referring to another one, called “Israel With Jerusalem Is Babylon the Great Harlot in Rev. 17” – in which I prove by many Bible references and expository, refuting the false ideas found inside Christianity that Babylon is the Vatican, or USA, or a restored Babylon in Iraq, – that those are not the Babylon harlot in Rev. 17-18 at all.

It is Israel with its capital Jerusalem.

In this article we shall have a closer look at the translations of certain key-words/expressions – that lead preachers into false ideas in this regard.

One of the most noteworthy Youtube videos on USA figuring as the fulfilment of the prophesy of Babylon harlot in Rev. 17-18, is one made by pastor Steven Anderson in a Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ. I have included the video in this article, at the end of it. You judge for yourself if my assertions are right or not.

You will see and hear pastor Anderson teaching that he sincerely believes that USA shall be nuked in near future, because of the judgment God shall cast upon the Babylon harlot – which in his opinion is USA. IMAGE: Chicago nuked.
Let me quickly remark that I also have another video with Anderson, in this website, wherein he is chastising and rebuking the Pope for his false teachings. I simply agree with Anderson that in this matter, he is right about the falsehood of the Pope. So, Anderson can produce some very good stuff in one instance, as well as not so well put together stuff in another; such as the Babylon-video.

But in the video included here in this article, my pointing to errors in translations, it is to me pretty obvious that Anderson does not twist-and-turn and in any way abuses the Bible for his own agenda. No, he comes to his conclusions much based upon what the KJV-Bible has in it of translation errors. Most Bibles have the very same errors, and KJV is but one among several. Thus Anderson seems to be in what we call ‘good faith’ when presenting his topic.

In my opinion Steven Anderson is a real and sincere Christian believer, trying to do his best, for the benefit of other Christians.

I will concentrate in pointing to errors in a few key-words/expressions which do repeat themselves in most Bible translations, causing the Bible reader to make wrong assumptions and conclusions of a topic.

These are: (Amplified Bible)

Rev. 17:18 – ‘..the rulers and the leaders of the earth.’
Rev. 18:9 – ‘..the rulers and the leaders of the earth.’
Rev. 13:3 – ‘..and the whole earth went after the beast..’
Rev. 13:8 – ‘And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down..’

There is no doubt that the Book of Revelation deals mainly with the time which Jesus Himself characterized, – quote: