Apocalyptic? #36: Wrapping Up the Rapture!

 

Putting 2 and 2 together

It’s now time to put 2 and 2 together:

1.      Since every other prophecy made by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse (and elsewhere in the Gospels) concerning the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom can easily be placed as having been fulfilled within the 40-year time limit imposed by Jesus (as I have demonstrated, citing primarily Josephus), and

2.      Since every other prophecy made by John in Revelation concerning those things that “must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1) from the perspective of 69 A.D. (when John wrote the book) can easily be placed as having been fulfilled within the seven-year war time limit (as I have demonstrated, citing primarily Josephus), and

3.      Since Jesus said that the Parousia would occur in the following time frame: “[S]ome who are standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matthew 16:28, Mark 9:1, and Luke 9:27), “[T]his generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:32, Mark 13:30, and Luke 21:32), and

4.      Since John, in 69 A.D., states that Jesus is "coming soon" (Revelation 3:11, 22:20), that the dragon’s "time is short" (Revelation 12:12), and that these things “must soon take place" (Revelation 22:6), and

5.      Since the Parousia is described by Paul as happening “in the twinkling of an eye” (I Corinthians 15:52) and, by Jesus, as happening as rapidly “as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west” (Matthew 24:27), and 

6.      Since so many Jews (including Jewish Christians?) were either slain or escaped into hiding at that time that no one would know if they had been raptured, killed, or just gone into hiding, and

7.      Since Church historian S. G. F. Brandon observes: “[F]ar more amazing is the fact that . . . Christian Literature contains no record of the fate of its Mother Church in this calamity . . .

8.      Is it such a leap of faith for Christians to simply trust that Jesus’, Paul’s, and John’s prophecies of the Parousia (Rapture) actually occurred in the time frame in which they were predicted to occur?

 

Tracing the Exodus of the Jewish Church—Dead Ends

Where did the Jewish church go, as they followed the directions of Jesus to flee Jerusalem and Judea?  They could not flee to Cesarea (in Samaria), Ptolymais, or Tyre (land that was once the property of the tribe of Asher), because those towns emptied themselves of Jewish inhabitants before the war even began.   In the Northwest area of the Decapolis (land that was once the property of the tribes of Issachar and Manasseh), the cities of Abila, Gadara, Scythopolis, Geraza, and Pella were significant in the first century A.D.  Josephus had reported concerning Vespasian’s general Placidus that “Crossing over the Jordan into Perea (east of the Jordan and north of the Dead Sea—territory originally apportioned to the tribes of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben in the time of Joshua), Placidus took the towns of “Abila” (Wars IV.IX.1).  Before the war with Rome began, the people of the city of Cesarea, in allegiance to Florus . . . massacred 20,000 Jews “and all Cesarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants” (Wars II.XVIII.1).  Likewise, Scythopolis killed 13,000 (Wars II.XVIII.3), “Askelon slew two thousand five hundred [2500] . . . Ptolymais two thousand [2000] . . . Tyre also put a great number to death . . . those of Hippos and . . . Gadara did the like . . . as did the rest of the cities of Syria” (Wars II.XVIII.5).  Even the city of Alexandria (in Egypt), which had long been a safe haven for Jews in the Roman Empire, attacked (with two Roman legions) and killed 50,000 Jews (Wars II.XVIII.8).  Furthermore, Vespasian and his commander Placidus “plundered Gadara . . . insomuch that all Perea had either surrendered themselves, or were taken by the Romans” (Wars IV.VII.6). 

Tracing the Exodus of the Jewish Church—Pella?  I Don’t Think So.

There is a tradition (cited by fourth century church fathers Eusebius and Epiphanius of Salamis) that the Jewish Christians had escaped to Pella, just across the Jordan River in the Decapolis.  According to Craig Koester [Koester, Craig R. “The Origin and Significance of the Flight to Pella Tradition.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 51, no. 1 (January 1989): 90–106]:

Gerd Lüdemann argued that the tradition arose in the second century among Jewish Christians in Pella, who claimed to be the successors of the original apostolic church in Jerusalem.2 Lüdemann observes that pseudonymous writings in the NT tried to legitimate their form of Christianity by ascribing it to an apostle. He suggests that Christians at Pella traced their origins back to the original Jerusalem congregation in order to legitimate their form of Jewish Christianity (90).  . . . [H]e did not need to mention the place of relocation. Most scholars believe that Eusebius drew his information from a source.  . . . Lüdemann . . . plausibly suggests Aristón of Pella, a Jewish Christian who lived in the mid-second century.

 

While “Lüdemann . . . concludes that Epiphanius based all his Pella texts on Eusebius,” Koester concludes: “Epiphanius probably learned of the Pella tradition from an unknown source other than Eusebius.  . . . [T]he most plausible explanation for the origin of the tradition is that it recalls actual events of the first century.” 

 

F. F. Bruce (A New Testament Commentary, page 651) comments regarding the Revelation 12:6 passage (“and the woman fled into the wilderness”): “A reference to the flight of the Palestinian church in A. D. 66, at the outbreak of the Jewish revolt; according to Eusebius, she found a refuge in the territory of Pella beyond Jordan—but did some members settle in the wilderness of Judea?”  Later, regarding the Revelation 12:15-16 account (“The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman . . . the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river”), Bruce (652) comments: “This may refer to some incident . . . which threatened to cut off the church’s escape.  . . . [perhaps] a literal flood, like that which prevented the Jews of Gadara from escaping across the Jordan from the Romans in March A.D. 68.”  Or, perhaps, it was the opposite of a flood.  Perhaps, the Jordan—rather than flooding—dried up substantially so that Christian Jews could virtually walk across the Jordan on dry land, thus, leaving the Promised land in the same manner as in the miracle of crossing the Jordan to enter the Promised land in Joshua 3-4 (“the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river”).  All of this is speculation, of course.  Bruce speculated a “wilderness” settlement.  I have speculated a possible “parting of the Jordan” event.  And, we really do not even know if the destination of the Jewish church’s flight was Pella.  We simply seem to have good evidence that the church fled somewhere.

S. G. F. Brandon in his book The Fall of Jerusalem and the Christian Church (176) cites “[t]he great English authority on apocalyptic matters, the late Dr. R. H. Charles” regarding the incident just discussed—the waters out of the mouth of the serpent being swallowed by the earth—they “refer to the flight of the primitive Christian community to Pella before the Fall of Jerusalem.”  Nevertheless, Brandon (170ff.) argues that Christian Jews could not have fled to Pella, because Jews—in response to Cesarea’s killing of Jews—had sacked Pella in retaliation in 66 A.D. and there would have been extreme animosity among the Gentiles in that city toward Jews of any variety who came to their city.  He asks (172): “[O]n what did they rely for their economic support in devastated Pella among embittered Gentiles? . . . [W]hatever may have been the fate of the Jerusalem Church, it is not credible that it migrated as a body to the Greek city of Pella.”  If not Pella, then where?  Alexandria, Egypt?  Roman legions had already killed 50,000 Jews there.  Before the war began, according to Josephus, Agrippa had argued to the Jews against being provoked into a war partly because of the difficulty of fleeing to safety:

[W]hen the Romans have got you under their power, they will . . . burn your holy city, and utterly destroy your whole nation; for those of you who shall survive the war will not be able to find a place whither to flee since all men have the Romans for their lords already . . . .  Nay, indeed, the danger concerns not those Jews that dwell here only, but those of them who dwell in other cities also; for there is no people upon the habitable earth which have not some portion of you among them, whom your enemies will slay, in case you go to war . . . and so every city that hath Jews in it will be filled with slaughter” (Wars II.XVI.4).

 

For example, when Vespasian defeated the city of Gadara, he sent his general:

Placidus against those that had fled from Gadara . . . [who] ran together to a certain village, which was called Bethennabris . . . the most courageous of them fled to the wall of the village.  And now those that guarded the wall . . . though they could not bear the thoughts of excluding these that came . . . the guards prevented them and shut the gates . . .so they got together in great numbers and fled to Jericho . . . but Placidus followed them and slew all he overtook, as far as the Jordan . . . there was no place whither they could flee . . . fifteen thousand of them were slain” (Wars IV.VIII.4-5).

 

Tracing the Exodus of the Jewish Church—The 7 Churches of Revelation?  Yes.

It would seem that the location of the seven churches in Asia Minor would be a good possible alternative (least of all possible evils) destination for flight.  We know, from Acts, Paul’s writings, and Revelation, that there were Jewish and Jewish Christian communities living in these seven cities.  These cities were far enough away from Judea that the Jews and Jewish Christians were not being strongly attacked for being Jewish (while those in cities nearer to Israel were already being slaughtered by the gentile citizenry).  In light of Agrippa’s argument, one can understand the PORNEIA of the “synagogue of Satan” in the cities of Smyrna and Philadelphia, as the non-Christian Jews attempted to save their own skins (and Jezebel, the Balaamites, and the Nicolaitans in the other cities as the Christian Jews attempted to save their own skins).  The seven churches were far enough away from Rome that they were not suffering terribly from Nero’s persecution of the Christians.  If, when John states in Revelation 1:9 (NKJV), “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ,” he is indicating a common plight of Christian Jews—that they had fled (rather than were banished) to regions around Asia Minor and had arrived primarily by sea (some of the 7 cities being near a seaport; the others on a major ground route connecting to seaports), it may be an indication that Asia Minor had become a primary destination to which Jewish Christians fled.  Indeed, it may be that Jewish Christians fled in several different directions, but what happened to them after 70 A.D.?  We, frankly, do not know.  They just simply disappeared.

 

How Long Would it Take to Reconstitute the Church?

The Jews reconstituted (rabbinic) Judaism, following the destruction of Jerusalem and annihilation of the sacrificial worship system in 70 A.D., in the Mediterranean coastal city of Jabneh (aka, Javneh, Jamnia, and Jamneel), located between Joppa/Jaffa and the former Philistine city of Ashdod.  According to William F. Albright’s article in The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia:

At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem [70 A.D.], Johanan ben Zakkai, a member of the Sanhedrin, who had fled from the city, established a small community of sages at Jabneh.  He became the head of a Beth Din (court) there which, with certain changes, took over the functions of the Sanhedrin.  Vespasian granted the request of Johanan ben Zakkai to found an academy there, and from that time on, Jabneh became the center of a new Jewish spiritual life.  Rabban Gamaliel II was the successor of Johannan as the president of the new Sanhedrin and the academy.  [Gamaliel II remained as president until 90 A.D.]

 

We have no similar historical records for the continuation of the Church, despite a “concern for apostolic succession” expressed in I Clement (which John A. T. Robinson dates in 70 A.D.) and “Ignatius’ plea [Ignatius died either in 108 or in the 140s A.D.] for unity around the monarchical bishop (quintessential interests . . . of ‘emergent catholicism’)” (J. A. T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament, p.9).  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the epistle from the church at Rome to the church at Corinth that is attributed to Clement as I Clement (although Clement’s name does not appear in the epistle) is neither canonical nor inspired, yet it shows internal evidence of having been written before 70 A.D.  It mentions the temple as still existing.  The concept of “apostolic succession,” however, as taken from I Clement has been used to justify the catholic concept of Peter as first pope and Clement as his successor.

There is NO DISCUSSION WHATSOEVER of a monarchical bishop in the New Testament.  What has occurred by around 100 to 140 A.D. is what Robinson calls “emergent catholicism.”  The Catholic Church has, by the second century, begun to be the “reconstituted” church, but it is almost completely devoid of Jews.  And there is no conclusive proof of any sort of succession of the church from the Apostolic age, although legends attempt to supply proof of such matters.  The church is now being run by Gentiles, despite the fact that not a single New Testament book was written by a Gentile.  Ignatius of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, and Polycarp of Smyrna are the three most prominent leaders in the reconstituted church.  While there is a wealth of New Testament literature from the 50s and 60s A.D., there is NO Christian Literature that is undisputedly from the late 70s to the early 90s.  The Epistle of Barnabas (sometimes mistakenly assumed to be written by the New Testament ally of Paul) could have been written as early as 70 A.D. or as late as 132.  The Shepherd of Hermas was written, most likely, late in the first half of the second century.  The church has both “literally” and “literarily” gone away.

How Could a Church be Reconstituted if There Were No Christians Left?

The 1969 Christian Folksong (“I Wish We’d All Been Ready”) that inspired the Tim LaHaye “Left Behind” books and movies states lyrically: “The Father spoke, the demons dined, the Son has come, and you’ve been left behind.”  Is that true?  If the Rapture occurred in the 70s, were some “left behind”? 

Not every Christian was promised that s/he would be raptured.  I am not yet completely convinced that the promised rapture included, for example, Gentile Christians.  The promise may have been intended only for Jewish Christians (those that were “standing here” in Jesus’ audience; the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel).  On the other hand, Paul indicates that “we shall all be changed” (I Corinthians 15:51), possibly indicating that some Gentiles in Corinth may be among the raptured.  Whatever the case may be concerning Jews and Gentiles, Matthew 24:41 describes the Rapture event: “Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”  Hence: “Left behind!”  Revelation 16:15 and Matthew 24:42-43 warn that Jesus is coming like a thief, so we need to be ready.  The parable of the Ten Virgins reinforces the point in marriage imagery.  I Peter 4:17 (KJV) warns that “judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?”  Therefore, we should assume that not every Christian was raptured.  Did those who were “left behind” reconstitute the church?

If so, they were given the opportunity to repent.  However, those “Christians” who supposedly remained did not seem to have clear information concerning who the authors of the gospels, or the book of Hebrews, the Epistles of John, or the book of Revelation were.  Virtually all of the attributions of authorship have to do with “internal” evidence—things that might be learned by any novice studying the texts for the first time.  There are legends (again, based perhaps on interpretations of “internal” evidence) that Paul and Peter were killed in Rome, but these legends are also suspect.  I Peter 5:13 (NIV), for example, places Peter in “Babylon”: “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.”  These “Christians” assume that Babylon means Rome, but, if as I and others have argued, Babylon does not refer to Rome, but rather to Jerusalem, Mark’s home town, and the site of the church that meets in his mother’s house (Acts 12:12), we may have Peter dying in Jerusalem instead, where also Jesus’ brother James died in 62 A.D.—as substantiated by Josephus (Antiquities XX.IX.1).  Why would the reconstituted Church not know these basic historical matters?  Could it be because the “Christians” who reconstituted the Church were among those “left behind” or by novices studying the texts for the first time.  If they don’t know these things, how would they have any idea of the fate of the Jewish church? 

I grew up in the Restoration Movement, the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, who live by the motto: “No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible.”  If the reconstituted Church cannot be relied upon for basic historical information concerning the transition from the Church of the New Testament to the Catholic Church, why should we rely upon their “creeds”?  Why should we look to them to interpret Jesus’ Olivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation?  Modern scholarly methods are superior and our knowledge of archaeology and textual criticism lend much support to revisiting long-held interpretations without interference from centuries-old creeds.

 

Why is That Not Bad News?

Atheists—since they desire to disprove the thesis that God exists—seize upon the fact that the New Testament writings (including the gospels, Pauline literature, and Revelation) place a time limit on the period before Christ’s coming (which event, they argue, did not happen within the specified time limit).  Therefore, they seek to prove that Jesus and John were false prophets and, thereby, to discredit the New Testament.  By arguing that the Parousia did arrive on schedule, we are pounding a major nail in the coffin of Atheism.  Atheists can be right about the New Testament placing a time limit on the period before Christ’s coming, and yet fatally wrong in their assessment that the event did not happen within the specified time limit.  Likewise, critical biblical scholars have lost a major premise upon which to hang their doctrine of the “delay of the Parousia” speculation.  Of course, these critical scholars are prisoners to their own prejudiced assumption “that supernatural events are not possible” (Noll, 20), anyway, so they would never admit that the Rapture could have happened at all.

Some Christians might look at the conclusion that the Church was raptured in the years following the Fall of Jerusalem as a source of huge disappointment.  The song lyrics state: “you’ve been left behind.”  Is that true?  If the Rapture occurred in the 70s, were you “left behind”?  No, because you were not alive in 70-73 A.D.  Furthermore, you have had the advantage of the tremendous growth of Christianity world-wide over the past two millennia.  You live in Western Christian Civilization.  This civilization has been growing for more than a millennium—nearly, two thousand years.  As Jesus and John promised in Revelation, Christ’s followers have been reigning with Him for all this time.  And, yet, Revelation predicts another coming test for Christianity—the rise of Gog and Magog—in our future.  Following the rise of Gog and Magog, you must be ready for the final act of human history—the end of the world and the beginning of the World to Come, the New Jerusalem dwelling in the New Heavens and New Earth.  We will begin to look at those events in subsequent blog posts.

Meanwhile, have you ever wondered about the I Peter 4:17 (KJV) warning that “judgment must begin at the house of God”?  Have you wondered whether God’s judgment on the Church would be so severe that only one-tenth or one-fourth or one-half of the Church would be saved?  Have you wondered if you would “make the cut”?  Then, take heart from the almost total dearth of (especially, Jewish) Christians left in the world after the Rapture.  They’re just simply all gone.  That fact seems to me to bode well for the Christians who will be around for the last round-up.  The implication is that God will be taking with him ALL who are true believers.  God is not willing to have ANY of his people “left behind” (II Peter 3:9).

Apocalyptic? #24: The “Land” of “Ten Kings”: Josephus

The Two-Letter Greek Word That “Blinds” the Interpreters                     

Jesus was fond of quoting Isaiah (6:9-10) concerning the “blind guide” interpreters of his day, just as I suggest that many modern-day interpreters are “blind” to what is clearly in front of their eyes:

"In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:  'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.  For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'" (Matthew 13:14-15 NIV.  Cf., also Mark 4:12 and 8:18, Luke 8:10, John 9:39, and Acts 8:26). 

 

Jesus even repeats this “blindness/deafness” concept as an admonition to each of the seven churches of Revelation: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Novice students of Revelation sometimes conclude that, since there are so many different takes on Revelation, the book is impossible to understand.  On the contrary, if one reads the various interpretations carefully, one sees that Revelation interpreters agree pretty much across-the-board concerning the interpretation of Revelation 1-5 (the Letters to the Seven Churches and the picture of God and the Lamb in Heaven) and 21-22 (the New Heavens and New Earth).  The many different interpretations are generated concerning what is going on in the seals and trumpets and plagues.  Why is this so?  Most of the differences in interpretation can be boiled down to something the interpreters, for some unexplained reason, cannot “see”:  a misinterpretation of a tiny little two-letter Greek word:  GĒ.  Although virtually ALL of the interpreters know that the interpretation advocated here is very possible, the vast majority of them choose not to “see” the best translation of this little word.  In my blogpost Apocalyptic? #11, I explain: 

The issue as to whether the term "earth" [GĒ] is to be taken as generally referring to the entire world or specifically as referring to Palestine is important.  The Jews most frequently refer to the “Land of Israel” as simply the “Land.”  The Hebrew word for “Land” is the same word translated “Earth [GĒ].”  . . . If Babylon is Jerusalem, the location of her porneia would appear to be in the "land" of Israel. Certainly, either interpretation--Palestine or Earth--is possible, as Charles acknowledges (Commentary, 1:289).

The earth/land is to be the focus of the seven last plagues in 16:1, so this is a very important interpretive issue.  If John is speaking of a destruction which comes upon the land of Israel, rather than the entire earth, it is easy to find historical referents in the Jewish war of 66-73 A.D.

The sole individual who was intimately involved in (and also has written an extensive chronicle concerning) the Jewish-Roman War of 66-73 A.D. is Josephus.  As I will demonstrate (from Josephus, himself) shortly, he is one of the “ten kings of the land” described in Revelation 17:12-18 (NKJV, with my correction for the incorrect translation “earth/GĒ”):

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. ¹³ These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast [i.e., ROME]. ¹⁴ These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

¹⁵ Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot [i.e., JERUSALEM] sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. ¹⁷ For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸ And the woman whom you saw is that great city [i.e., JERUSALEM] which reigns over the kings of the [LAND/GĒ].”

I expand on my explanation, in my blogpost Apocalyptic? #16:

John is continuing his rejection of the villains' nomenclature.  Thus, he renames "the holy city" (11:2) in which the "Lord was crucified" (11:8), "Sodom and Egypt."  If he refers to Jews who dwell in Judea, he calls them the "inhabitants of the land" and leaves off the words "of Israel."  . . . In his message to the church in Philadelphia, “the hour of trial” that is coming upon “the inhabitants of the earth/land” (actually, meaning Judea, throughout the seven-year war between the Jews and the Romans from 66-73 A.D.), the NIV translation incorrectly translates what should be translated as “the inhabitants of the land” as “those who dwell upon the earth.”  “The inhabitants of the land/earth” is the exact terminology used to refer to the (non-Jewish) inhabitants of the (Promised) Land (before Israel dominated it) throughout the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel, and I and II Chronicles, and even later.  Genesis 34:30, 50:11, Exodus 23:31, 34:12 & 15, Leviticus 18:25, 25:10, Numbers 13:32, 14:14, 32:17, 33:52 & 55, Joshua 2:9, 7:9: 9:24, Judges 1:32 & 33, 2:2, I Samuel 27:8, II Samuel 5:6, I Chronicles 11:4, 22:18, and II Chronicles 20:7 all use the expression “the inhabitants of the land” when referring to the non-Jewish population of the (Promised) Land.  The word translated “land” in every one of these instances is the word ארץ/ARETZ, in the Hebrew, the equivalent of γῆ/GE in the Greek, which virtually all Bible versions incorrectly translate as “Earth,” in Revelation.  A tremendous amount of confusion regarding what Revelation is predicting is removed once one realizes that the prophecies directed against the so-called “earth” (and the “inhabitants of the earth” and the “kings of the earth”) in Revelation are actually only directed against the “land” (of Israel).

G. K. Beale grapples briefly with the translation of GĒ as “land” on pp. 924-925 of his Commentary, arguing that, in Matt. 23:25, GĒ “is best translated ‘earth’ instead of ‘land’ (i.e., land of Israel),” thus, indicating that Beale understands correctly that the term GĒ may be translated either way—earth or land.  To his credit, he cites Chilton who identifies “merchants of the earth” in Revelation 18:11, 23 as “only Israelite merchants” and notes: “Furthermore, the word [GĒ] is used about eighty times in Revelation . . . .  The remaining uses could be debatable, depending on one’s overall perspective on the book . . . .  Similarly, Ford proposes that the list of trade goods . . . are best understood against the background of the economic situation in Jerusalem and especially its temple.”  A major flaw in Beale’s work is that he consistently gives short schrift to views with which he disagrees, and generally concludes his discussion with an arbitrary dismissal of their value.  Here, the value of translating GĒ as “land is, at once, stunningly mind-blowing.

The most significant attack against the credibility of the Book of Revelation has been that critical scholars believe it predicts the destruction of the EARTH [GĒ], as occurring “VERY SOON,” a prediction which, of course, did not occur.  (This problem in New Testament studies is commonly referred to as “The Delay of the Eschaton” or “The Delay of the Parousia,” which biblical problem I will discuss in a future blogpost.  Revelation 1:1 (NIV) states: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must SOON take place.”  John is to be listened to by his audience, according to Revelation 1:3 (NIV): “because the time is NEAR.”  John repeats his consciousness of the “what must SOON take place” throughout Revelation.  John predicts that the "time" is "near" (Revelation 1:3, 22:10), that Jesus is "coming soon" (Revelation 3:11, 22:20), that the dragon’s "time is short" (Revelation 12:12), and that these things “must soon take place" (Revelation 22:6).

This entire argument against the credibility of the Book of Revelation quickly dissipates—vanishes, melts into thin air—if one understands that it predicts the destruction of the LAND (of Israel=GĒ), AS OCCURRING “VERY SOON.”  It did, in fact, happen and history records it (especially, Josephus).  If Babylon is, as Ford argues and I agree, the old Jerusalem (not Rome), the city DID FALL VERY SOON AFTER JOHN PREDICTED IT.  If the “Kings of the Land” (not the Kings of the Earth) are indicated in Revelation 17:12-18, their actions become immediately understandable and historically demonstrable.  They are being fulfilled, even as John writes the Book of Revelation.

 

The (Ten) Kings of the Earth (i.e., Kings of the LAND)                    

In my book Revelation:  The Human Drama (p. 84) I observe:

John mentions the "kings of the earth" in Revelation 1:5; 6:15; 17:2,18; 18:3,9; 19:19; and 21:24.  In Revelation 1:5, Jesus the Christ is called the ruler (archon) of the kings of the earth.  . . . In Revelation 6:15, the kings of the earth are among those who hide from the great day of wrath.  This may be the wrath of God directed against the kings of the earth in Psalm 2:5.  In Revelation 17:2 and in 18:3 and 9, the harlot Babylon commits porneia [i.e., harlotry] with the kings of the earth. In Revelation 17:18, the harlot Babylon is the city which has "kingship" over the kings of the earth.  In Revelation 19:19, the kings of the earth assemble for war with the Messiah, after the harlot has been destroyed, and the beast is at that point thrown into the lake of fire.  The kings of the earth (at least some of them?) appear to have survived for in Revelation 21:24 the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem, along with the glory and honor of the "nations" of those who are "saved."

 

Luke assists us in understanding how the phrase “Kings of the Earth/Land” is to be interpreted, in Acts 4, in his historical application of Psalm 2:

And the peoples [Gk. laoi] think vain things.  The kings of the earth and the rulers [Gk. archontês] were assembled on the same (day) against the Lord and against his Christ.  For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the heathen and the peoples [Gk. laoi] of Israel were gathered together against your holy child, Jesus, whom you anointed. (Acts 4:25-27, emphases mine)

 

Acts 4, thus, identifies two important terms: "rulers" and “kings.”  In Acts 4:5, the “rulers” were gathered along with the “elders and scribes.”  Specifically, verse 6 reports that this group of “rulers” included "Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of high-priestly family" (emphasis mine).  Peter addresses the group in verse 8 as "rulers [archontês] of the people [laos] and elders of Israel" (emphasis mine).  In Acts, then, an authoritative Christian historical application, this Psalm is interpreted as an alliance between the “rulers” of the people (the priestly family) and the “kings of the earth/Land” (Herod and Pontius Pilate, specifically).  The only specific "kings of the earth" who are identified in the Acts 4 passage are Herod and Pilate, both of whom ruled over only the "land" of Israel, although they received their authority from Rome.  John’s favorite Psalm is Psalm 2.  According to Nestle and Aland, he cites this Psalm eight times in the book of Revelation.  For John, this Psalm denounces an alliance between Jewish “rulers” and "the kings of the earth," as does the author of Acts.  The Psalm asks:

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

     "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."

     The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.  Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."

     I will proclaim the decree of the Lord:

     He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.  Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.  You will rule them with an iron scepter . . .” (Psalm 2:1-9).

Since the “kings of the earth/Land” refers to kings who rule over only the “land” of Israel, we may consult Josephus to see if there was a specific historical group of “ten kings” as described in Revelation 17:12-18 (cited above) who ruled only over the Land of Israel.  Josephus knows of this group of ten kings quite well, because he was one of them.  I state in my book Revelation: The Human Drama (pp. 91-92):

The ten horns of the beast are "ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom but will receive authority as kings one hour along with the beast" (17:12).  If they are identified as the "kings of the earth/land" (meaning Palestine), they enter into the equation, in the sense that they would then be understood to have committed porneia with Babylon [Jerusalem], and therefore this would explain the parallel references to the ten horns of Revelation leaving her naked (17:16) and Ezek. 16:37 where it is Jerusalem's lovers who leave her naked.  Thus, these "kings" would have an explicit link with Rome (since they are the horns of the beast), although that link is implicit.  But these ten horns are described in language that links them philosophically with the second beast [the Jewish high priesthood].  17:17 says, "For God gave into their (the horns') hearts to do His mind and to act in one mind and to give their (plural!) kingdom (singular!) to the beast."  The independent Jewish government of 66 A.D. (headed by the High Priest Ananus) was similarly described by Zeitlin:  "This government . . . played a double role.  . . . Inwardly it was for peace.  It wanted to disarm the extremists so that it should have all power concentrated in its hands and thus be allowed to make peace with Rome."

 

How many rulers did this government have?  TEN.  The following list is from Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book I, Chapter XX.3-4, in William Whiston, Trans., Josephus Complete Works (Grand Rapids, MI:  Kregel Publications, 1974), 497 (emphases and numbers mine):

 

[T]hey . . . appointed a great many generals for the war [with Rome].  [1] Joseph also, the son of Gorion, and [2] Ananus the High priest, were chosen as governors of all affairs within the city [of Jerusalem] . . . .  They also chose other generals for Idumea; [3] Jesus the son of Sapphias, one of the high priests; and [4] Eleazar the son of Ananias, the high priest; they also enjoined [5] Niger, the then governor of Idumea. . . .  Nor did they neglect the care of the other parts of the country, but [6] Joseph the son of Simon was sent as general to Jericho, as was [7] Manasseh to Perea, and [8] John, the Essene, to the toparchy of Thamma; Lydda was also added to his portion, and Joppa and Emmaus.  But [9] John, the son of Matthias, was made the governor of the toparchies of Gophnitica and Acrabastene; as was [10] Josephus, the son of Matthias, of both the Galilees.

 

This tenth king is the same Josephus who wrote this book (Wars of the Jews) from which we are citing the history of the Jewish Roman War.  These "kings of the earth/land" are Jewish (not heathen), but then, Herod, whom Luke named in the book of Acts as being one of the “kings of the earth/land” considers himself to be Jewish, also.  And, if Solomon Zeitlin (mentioned above, the foremost Jewish authority on Josephus and the Jewish-Roman War, in the past century) is to be believed, they act in favor of the "heathen" rule of Rome.  These "kings" are specifically "kings of the land," meaning the "land" of Palestine.  Since they took office at the time the Jews declared their independence from Rome, they actually rule for a short period "along with the beast" (Revelation 17:12).  While they are (plural) kings, they share a (singular) kingdom (Revelation 17:12, 17).  And they do in fact work in league with the beast to destroy Jerusalem (Revelation 17:16-17).  Zeitlin (2:253) observes:

 

“This government . . . was greatly responsible for turning a revolution into a civil war."  The civil war was the instrument, perhaps more than the Roman siege, which destroyed Jerusalem.  The various parties in the war ravaged the citizenry, confiscated and wasted precious food and ammunition.  Vespasian, himself, waited for the Jewish civil strife to complete much of the work of destroying the Jewish nation before he pressed the siege.  Jewish writers of later years blame those internal struggles for the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

In the next blogpost, we will consider John’s (Trumpet 2, Trumpet 3, Bowl 2, and Bowl 3) prophecies concerning the Seas and Rivers turned to blood, according to Josephus’s historical evidence. 

Apocalyptic? #18: Evangelize? Or Hold Fast? (Rev. 2:13, 25, 3:3, and 11)

 

“To the angel of the church in . . . Pergamum . . . Thyatira . . . Sardis . . . Philadelphia . . . write . . .” 

Pergamum (2:13 NKJV): ¹³ “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

Thyatira (2:25 NKJV):  ^25 “But hold fast what you have till I come.”

Sardis (3:3 NKJV):  ^3 “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”

Philadelphia (3:11 NKJV):  ^11 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

                                                   

The Command to Evangelize                                           

It is natural for “Evangelical” Christians to seek (and find) commands to “evangelize” everywhere in the New Testament.  But where is such a command in Revelation?  Jesus did give his apostles the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV):

^19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And, surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

From the very beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, they did this very thing.  Beginning with Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the apostles evangelized!  Our first four New Testament books are called “Gospel” (=Greek: EVANGELION).  Paul mentions the term “Gospel” (EVANGELION) many times—in every single one of his letters (except Titus).  But, in Revelation, the noun (EVANGELION) and its cognate verb (EVANGELIZOMAI) are used only three times—in Revelation 10:7 (NIV):

⁷ But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced (EVANGELIZOMAI) to his servants the prophets.

And in Revelation 14:6-8 (NIV):  

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel (EVANGELION) to proclaim (EVANGELIZOMAI) to those who live on the earth (understand: “land”)—to every nation, tribe, language and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

Notice that in NONE of these three instances are HUMANS instructed to evangelize or preach the gospel.  In Revelation 10:7, it is GOD THE CREATOR who announced the Gospel which is about to be completed, with the blowing of the seventh trumpet, to his servants, the prophets.  In Revelation 14:6-8, it is an ANGEL flying in midair that announces to the “inhabitants of the land” the “good news” (EVANGELION) that Babylon the Great (Jerusalem) is Fallen, Fallen!  In other words, the perfection of the (mysterious) Gospel that God announced to the prophets is about to be completed, with the Fall of Jerusalem.  This is “good news” (EVANGELION) to the prophets, because Jesus has promised in the Gospels that his Parousia will follow shortly upon the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13).  Luke 21:28 (NIV) explains why this is good news: “²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” This is what John (in Revelation 3:3 & 10) calls the “hour of [God’s] judgment” (14:7).

The Command to Hold Fast

Nowhere in Revelation are Christians instructed or commanded to “evangelize.”  However, four of the seven churches are encouraged to “hold fast.”  Repentance is repeatedly recommended and the goal of being one who “overcomes” or “conquers” is of paramount importance, but what does it mean that the churches were to “hold fast”?  It appears to mean that the time for evangelizing the world has neared a completion, that those who had become Christians should brace themselves for testing,

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) advises: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”  We might, now, add the line: “A time to evangelize, a time to hold fast.”  John’s Apocalypse was written during such a time—a time to “hold fast.”  (Are we living in such a time, today?)  The church in 64 A.D. faced persecution throughout the empire, as Nero blamed the Christians for the Great Roman Fire.  In 66 A.D., the Jewish State declared independence from Rome, setting off the 7 year Jewish-Roman War, during which Jews (both Christian and non-Christian) faced murderous and economic retribution from the (Roman) Beast.  John, writing in 69 A.D., sees some of this happening in seven sea-port cities in Asia Minor, as Jews (both Christian and non-Christian) fled Judea to find safe harbor in Asia Minor.  Perhaps, a similar (time to hold fast) scenario is now developing in America.

One year ago, Christians in America and throughout the world entered into a time in which Churches were forbidden to assemble together in large numbers, due to the Communist China virus.  Daily, more and more freedom of speech rights and freedom of religion rights are being compromised.  Major news networks have censored news stories that Christians care about.  Social media sites have banned free expression of views the oligarch owners of the sites oppose.  Employers have removed the job security of many Christians who have spoken out.  Other Christians are black-balled in unfair hiring practices.  Retailers have refused to carry the products of openly Christian manufacturers while consumers have boycotted retail outlets that openly advocate Christian values.  Educational institutions have censored the expression of Christian values.  The court system has been leaning further and further in anti-Christian directions.  A large number of Americans wonder if even the election process has been compromised.  This may be one of those times in history, similar to 69 A.D., when Jesus’ message to the church would have less of an “Evangelize!” emphasis and more of a “Hold Fast!” emphasis.

But, Isn’t “Witnessing” Evangelism?

While cognates of “evangelism” are rare in Revelation, cognates of “witnessing” are abundant in Revelation.  This includes four uses of the verb (to testify), five uses of the noun (witness), and nine uses of the noun (testimony), which is a cognate of the verb and noun.   In Revelation 1:5 and 3:14, Jesus is called “the faithful witness.” In Revelation 2:13, Jesus calls Antipas “my faithful witness.”  In Revelation 11:3, an angel (speaking on behalf of God) refers to “my two witnesses [probably, referring to Moses and Elijah, as the personification of the Law and the Prophets].”  In Revelation 17:6, John “saw the woman [Babylon/Jerusalem], drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”  Notably, IN EVERY SINGLE USE OF THE NOUN “witness,” the witness(es) is killed.  The Greek noun translated “witness” is MARTYS.  John has made the term “witness/MARTYS” indicate what we now understand the word to mean:  “MARTYR”—one who is killed for his beliefs.

The verb (to testify) is MARTYREO, a verb used more by the Gospel of John than any other New Testament book, is used in Revelation 1:2, 22:16, 18, and 20 to indicate that John, Jesus, and an angel “testified,” but no other humans. 

The noun (testimony) is MARTYRIA, a noun used more by the Gospel of John than any other New Testament book, is used in Revelation 1:2, 9, 12:17, 19:10 referring to the ongoing “testimony of Jesus.”  Revelation 6:9 (NKJV) refers to those who “had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.”  Revelation 11:7 (NKJV) refers to the two witnesses (mentioned earlier: “When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.”  Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) refers to the Christians who “overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”  Revelation 20:4 (NKJV) refers to the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

Clearly, as John uses the term “witness/testimony,” the strong potential for being killed is implicit in the term.  This is a pretty tough form of “evangelism,” to say the least.  How many non-believers will be induced to become a Christian, when faced with the possibility of being killed, if they do?  Surely, there are some (apostolic Christian history is evidence of that), but there won’t be many megachurches filled with new Christians volunteering to be slain or even financially disadvantaged!  This is not to say that every Christian will be slain, if s/he wishes to be a true Christian, but there is an implication that every Christian should accept the possibility that it might happen.  Even if they were not slain, the Christians in 69 A.D. in Asia Minor were faced with economic persecution not terribly unlike what Christians today are increasingly faced with.  Is there any actual martyrdom occurring today?  Yes, but not much in the United States, yet.  Nevertheless, it is happening world-wide.  According to http://www.opendoorsusa.org , between October 31, 2017 and November 1, 2018:

In the top 50 World Watch List countries alone, 245 million Christians in the world experience high levels of persecution for their choice to follow Christ.  [There have been] . . . 4,136 Christians killed for faith-related reasons in the top 50 WWL countries, 2,625 Christians detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned in the top 50 WWL countries, 1,266 churches or Christian buildings attacked in the top 50 WWL countries.  . . . In seven of the countries in the World Watch List’s top 10, the primary cause of persecution is Islamic oppression.

So, What Does John Mean: “Hold Fast”?

In Pergamum, Jesus commended the church in 2:13 (NKJV): “And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you.”  This is not saying that all Christians will necessarily be killed, but it certainly includes not denying faith in Jesus, when our fellow Christians (like Antipas and modern-day brothers around the world) are being slain.  We must not be intimidated by the persecution.

In Sardis, there is an indication that even Christians who have slipped are given a second chance, to repent.  The Church at Sardis was declared by Jesus to be nearly dead.  Nevertheless, in Revelation 3:3 (NKJV), Jesus states: “hold fast and repent.”  Perhaps, instead of concentrating on new evangelism, the “hold fast” command suggests that we should concentrate on shoring up the weak among us, those whose faith is on the brink of dying.  We should encourage them to repent and renew their commitment to Christ.

In Thyatira, Jesus offers the alternative to dying for him—remaining unintimidated and uncompromised until he returns.  Revelation 2:25 (NKJV) states: ^“But hold fast what you have till I come.”  How long will that be?  He answers in his letter to the church at Philadelphia. In Revelation 3:11 (NKJV), he states: ^“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

If John is conveying Jesus’ message to Philadelphia in 69 A.D., the command to hold fast “till I come” may have only lasted a few years.  For our generation, I believe that the final coming of Christ to rescue us from Gog and Magog (to be explained later) could be signaled by an increasing encircling of “the camp of the saints”—if that is indeed what we are currently experiencing.  This is not a prediction that the assault of Gog and Magog is near at hand, but it is prudent to consider, at least, the possibility.  Jesus encouraged us to watch for the signs of the times in Luke 12:54-56 (NKJV):

Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?”

Let not your heart be troubled.  We Christians win this thing in the end.  But, if you, as do many others, sense that we are living in apocalyptic times, the recommendation of Jesus for right now is:  Hold on tightly!  Hold fast!