"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" Psalm 119:105

"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" John 15:3

 

Bible Study Guides

(Part B) 0

by W. H. Grotheer -- BIBLE STUDY SERIES - July 17, 1985 --

 

Lesson #7 -- CHRIST, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

p 29 -- Section #1 -- THE CONDITION OF MAN

Jeremiah 10:23 -- It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Isaiah 1:6 -- From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it.

Isaiah 64:6 -- We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

Note - The picture of man in the Bible can be summarized in the words of Paul - "all are under sin." (Romans 3:9) Because of this, "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:3) Further, resulting from this condition, all men face death. He has nothing in or of himself to remedy his condition. The need of man is a Saviour!

Section #2 -- THE ONLY SAVIOUR

Isaiah 43:3 -- I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.

Isaiah 45:21-22 -- There is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me and be ye saved.

Hosea 13:4 -- There is no saviour beside Me.

Acts 4:12 -- None other name under heaven ... whereby we must be saved.

Note - The only One who can save us is God. Jesus, Emmanuel - God with us - came as man's Saviour. (Matt. 1:21-23) In Him only is redemption. (Rom. 3:24) For us to even conceive that we can be a contributor to our salvation is blasphemy. To do so, I, a man, would be setting myself up in place of God, or equal with God. (John 10:33)

Section #3 -- THE INVITATION OF JESUS

Matthew 11:28-30 -- Come unto Me ... and I will give you rest ... Ye shall find rest for your souls.

John 6:37 -- Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.

Isaiah 1:18 -- Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.

Note - In Jesus, there is rest of soul - sins forgiven, cleansed - made white as snow. The condition is that we come to Him - just as we are - confessing our total dependence upon Him. This was

p 30 -- illustrated in the Hebrew sanctuary service. When the individual brought his sin offering, he placed his hand upon the head of the victim confessing his sin. (Lev. 4:29) The Hebrew word signifies the placing of his full weight upon the animal. On Jesus, my full and unconditional dependence must rest. What then has He done and will do for me?

Section #4 -- CHRIST FOR MY PAST SINS

Romans 5:5-8 -- The love of God is shed abroad ... Christ died for the ungodly ... . while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 3:23-25 -- Being justified freely ... . through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ... . through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of the sins that are past.

Note - The declaration of Christ's righteousness for my past life of sin is called justification. Because of this provision - the redemption that is in Christ Jesus - I can stand before God free from quilt, because I stand as if I had never sinned. He has justified me, accounted me righteous. This is freely given, freely bestowed upon all who come to Jesus. It is ours to accept by faith, believing what He says is true. Then I am to live no longer as a sinner, but ever conscious of that fact that I am only a forgiven sinner, rejoicing in His free grace. My sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus. (Rev. 1:5)

1 Peter 2:1-2 -- Wherefore laying aside all ... evil ... as new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

Note - The experience of being justified - freed from our past sins - is often spoken of as a new birth experience; we become babes. Thus there lies before us growth. Grow in grace is the counsel given through Peter. What does this mean?

Section #5 --CHRIST, MY PRESENT LIFE

Galatians 2:20 -- The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.

Note - The Greek reads literally -"In faith I live in the Son of God." Jesus was the Word made flesh that we might know how to live in the flesh. (John 1:14) How did He live?

John 5:30 -- I can of my own self do nothing ... I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

Note - Here is the simple outline of what our present life should be, once we have come to Jesus to find rest. First, we must recognize that we are just as helpless to refrain from sinning as we were before we were justified. By seeking to know the will of God, instead of our own will, we can then perceive the way to walk. It is at all times true - whether before justification, or after - that the way that seemeth right unto a man, is the way of death. (Proverbs 16:25) Thus the Jesus perspective - not His will, but the Father's - is the way of life. (John 6:38)

Matthew 11:20, 25, 26 -- Then began He [Jesus] to upbraid the cities, because they repented not ... At that I time, Jesus ... said, I thank Thee, 0 Father ... Even so Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.

p 31 -- Note - From His human viewpoint, it looked another way, but Jesus was so completely yielded to the will of God, that even though He could not see it, He was willing to accept the Father's viewpoint. The life of Jesus is to be our example.

John 15:10 -- I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Note - Sin has alienated us from God, but God has made provision for us to return to Him. He has pardoned our past life of sin, and given to us a pattern in Jesus for our present life. What more can love devise! To abide in the Father's love, we do as Jesus did, accept His viewpoint for life as revealed in His law, His commandments.

Section #6 -- GOD'S FURTHER GIFT

John 14:15-17 -- I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter ... even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.

Note - To those who are willing to live as Jesus lived, the Father bestows a special gift - the Holy Spirit of truth. But note, to receive this Gift, we must be willing to follow God's way as He has revealed it in His commandments. The world cannot receive it - the carnally minded (Rom. 8:7) - because they are not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be.

John 16:13-14 ; I John 1:5-7-- The Spirit of truth ... will guide you into all truth ... for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. If we walk in the light ... the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Note - The Christian life is a cooperative experience. We are guided by the Spirit who focuses the light of heaven - Jesus - upon our pathway. By this light we walk toward the original way of life God designed for us from the beginning. (Eph. 1:3-4) In the process, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

Hebrews 10:15-16 -- The Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: This is the covenant ... saith the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.

Note - The evidence or the witness that we have the Holy Spirit is not a manifestation of some charismatic gift, but a way of life in harmony with the commandments of God, even as the life of Jesus was lived in harmony with God's design for His life.

Galatians 5:5 ; Romans 8:24-25 -- We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For we are saved by hope ... but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Note - The promises of God are sure and steadfast. He promises forgiveness and cleansing by the blood of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will guide into all truth. It we are willing, He will empower us to obey all His precepts. In His own time, and by His own method, there will be revealed in us that righteousness which is by faith. This is illustrated in the life of Abraham, the father of the faithful. To him, God made a promise. Even though Abraham and Sarah tried to fulfill that promise, it was not realized until they came to the place where they realized they couldn't. Then God did for them what they could not do for themselves.

Romans 8:9 -- Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.

p 32 -- Ephesians 4:30 -- Grieve not the Holy Spirit ... whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Note - Jesus Christ lived the righteous life, and that life is to be revealed in each pardoned sinner who is willing to be guided by the light of the Word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit. That Spirit then seals such a child of God unto the time when Christ shall come back to claim His own. If, however, I am not willing to be led by the Spirit for which Jesus has petitioned the Father, then I am none of His. Throughout the Christian walk, I must realize that I am dependent upon His righteousness for all things under all circumstances.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 -- I will raise unto David a righteous Branch. In His days Judah shall be saved, ... and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Lesson #7 -- QUIZ -- Matching (Place the letter [a] in the right hand column with text where it can be found.)

1. _____ Proverbs 16:25	a. -- The carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
2. _____ Romans 3:23	b. -- The way that seems right to me ends in death.
3. _____ 1 John 3:4	c. -- I cannot be Christ's unless I have the Spirit of Christ.
4. _____ Romans 8:7	d. -- Sin is the transgression of the-law.
5. _____ Romans 3:25	e. -- The witness of the Holy Spirit is a changed life conformed to the law of God in the heart.
6. _____ Galatians 2:20	f. -- Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
7. _____ John 14:6	g. -- My past life is covered by the perfect life of Jesus, when I accept Him as my Saviour.
8. _____ John 16:13	h. -- All have sinned.
9. _____ Hebrews 10:15-16	i. -- The Holy Spirit is sent to guide us into all truth.
10. ____ Romans 8:9	j. -- My life, after having been crucified with Christ is lived solely by faith in and of Him.

Complete the following Bible verses, and mark where they are found:

1. -- "All our ____ are as ____ ____." Isa. _____ : ____.

2. -- For if when we were ____, we were ____ to God by the death of His ____, much more, being ____, we shall be ____ by His ____." Romans ____ : ____.

p 33 -- CONCEPTS FOR IN DEPTH STUDY

I. The Sin in Eden (Genesis 3)

1. -- Eve entertained a question regarding the word and authority of God (3:1)

2. -- Eve accepted a lie for the truth of God's word. (3:4)

3. -- Delusion and faulty judgment followed. (3:6)

Relate this anatomy of the beginning of sin in Eden with the following texts as they relate to man's redemption:

Proverbs 14:12; 16:25 [Twice repeated - for emphasis? How vital to our acceptance of salvation?]

Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 3:5-6; Revelation 3:18c; II Thessalonians 2:9-12.

Romans 8:6-7 margin [The Greek for "carnally minded" = "the minding of the flesh. Likewise for "spiritually minded" = "the minding of the Spirit."]; Philippians 2:5; John 16:13.

II. What is sin? (I John 3:4)

While sin is the transgression of the law, the one committing sin transgresses ALSO the law. What else does a person sinning do? Paul wrote - "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). There are precious promises in God's word by which we are to escape sin. (II Peter 1:4) Note the following: Jude 24; Deuteronomy 8:3 [Jesus claimed this promise, and observe what followed Matthew 4:2-4, 11]; 1 Corinthians 10:13. Now faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Our failure to exercise faith leads to sin which is the transgression of the Law. This is why the victory is "through faith." (I John 5:4)

III. The Challenge of Protestantism to Catholicism.

The salvation of man is by grace alone (Sola Gratia) through the exercise of faith alone (Sola Fide), and made possible by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Solo Christo). This revelation is to be found in the Bible, and does not need the creeds of the Councils to augment it. Thus the use of the expression - Sola Scriptura. See the following texts of Scripture upon which this is based: Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:24; Acts 4:12; and II Timothy 3:15-17.TOP

Lesson #8 -- CHRIST, OUR HIGH PRIEST

p 34 --Hebrews 3:1 -- Consider the ... High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.

Note - Other translations of the Bible use for "consider," the phrase, "Fix your thoughts on." When we fix our thoughts on the work of Christ as our High Priest, we enter into some of the deep things of God.

Hebrews 8:1-2 -- This is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister ... of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched.

Note - Jesus Christ as our High Priest is ministering in the sanctuary of heaven, the true tabernacle. To understand this phase of the ministry of Christ, we need to study carefully certain aspects of the earthly tabernacle pitched by Moses.

Hebrews 8:4-5 -- On earth ... there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.

Note - The work of the priests in the earthly tabernacle was both a shadow and an example. The Greek word for shadow - skia - means "a faint outline." We are told that the sacrifices offered were "a shadow-of good things to come." (Heb. 10:1) Only faintly could the blood of lambs, bulls, and goats represent the blood of Jesus Christ. But an example is a different thing. While not identical to the real problem it does indicate the exact procedure in solving the problem. So the earthly sanctuary while not identical - only a model in miniature - serves to help us understand the nature and procedure of the work of Christ, our High Priest.

Section #2 -- THE EARTHLY MODEL

Exodus 25:8 -- Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

Note - In the diagram following the lesson, you will observe that the sanctuary was divided into two apartments, or rooms. These are designated in different ways in different parts of the Bible. For example in the book of Hebrews, each apartment is called a "tabernacle." See Hebrews 9:2-3. In Leviticus 16, the second apartment, or Most Holy Place, is simply referred to as "the holy." The first apartment is called, "the tabernacle," while the court is covered by the phrase, "the altar that is before the Lord." (Lev. 16:2, 20) In each of the rooms of the sanctuary were articles of furniture, which were symbolic representations of originals in the heavenly counterpart. (On the diagram, they are lettered with the same letter as in the lesson description of each article of furniture.]

A. The Ark of the Covenant

Exodus 25:10, 11 -- And they shall make an ark ... of wood ... and shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without.

Exodus 25:17,21 -- And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold ... and thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

p 35 -- Exodus 25, 18, 20 -- Thou shalt make two cherubims of gold ... in the two ends of the mercy seat ... and their faces shall look one to another.

Exodus 25:22 -- I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims.

B. The Altar of Incense

Exodus 30:1 -- Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon.

Exodus 30:6-8 -- And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony ... and Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning ... [and] ... at even, he shall burn incense upon it.

Revelation 8:3-4 -- And another angel came and stood at the altar ... and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar.

Ephesians 5:2 -- Christ ... hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

C. The Table of Shewbread

Exodus 25:23, 30 -- Thou shalt make a table of shittim wood ... and thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me always.

John 6:51 -- I am the living bread which came down from heaven ... and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.

Note - In the New Testament references to the Heavenly Sanctuary, there is no specific counterpart for the Table of Shewbread. However, since the Table was set on the north side of the first apartment, it could well serve as the representation of the Throne of God. This for two reasons: The description of the Throne of God in Ezekiel 1, and Revelation 4 have many similarities. In Ezekiel, the vision is introduced by "a whirlwind which came out of the north." (1:4) In Revelation, the seven lampstands are portrayed as "before the throne" which would be the position of the golden candlesticks before the table of shewbread in the earthly typical representation. (4:5)

D. The Candlestick

Exodus 25:31-32 -- And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold and six branches shall come out of the sides of it.

Exodus 27:20 -- And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure olive oil ... to cause the lamps to burn always.

John 8:12 -- I am the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14,16 -- Ye are the light of the world let your light so shine
before men.

Hebrews 9:6-9a -- Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always [daily] in the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, ... the Holy Spirit this signifying a figure for the time then present.

p 36 -- Note - The earthly sanctuary was divided into two apartments. The book of Hebrews refers to these apartments as "tabernacles." The common priests went daily into the first apartment, but into the second apartment, called the Most Holy, the high priest went alone, and then only once a year. This being an example, it indicates the dual work of the ministry of Jesus Christ, our High Priest, in the Heavenly Sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:11-12, 24 -- Christ being come an high priest by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, [thus securing an eternal redemption - RSV] for us ... for Christ is not entered into holy places made with hands ... but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Note - Jesus Christ is both Victim and Priest. Having provided for us by His blood, the means of redemption, He entered into the Sanctuary of heaven to obtain through His mediation the fulness of that redemption. Since Christ is called to be the High Priest. His work will assume major proportions in the work of the second apartment of the Heavenly Sanctuary inasmuch as the earthly type emphasized the work of the high priest in that apartment.

Section #3 --DIFFERENT RESULT OF DAILY AND YEARLY SERVICE IN TYPE

Leviticus 4:13-14, 20b, 26b, 31c ; Leviticus 5:10b, 13a, 18b -- If the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance ... then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin ... and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

Note - Whether for the whole congregation, or the ruler (Lev. 4:22). or the common person (Lev. 4:27) the atonement always resulted in forgiveness. This was the daily service.

Leviticus 16:29-33 -- In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month ... the priest shall make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord ... . The priest ... shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary ... the tabernacle ... the altar ... the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

Note - The tenth day of the seventh month marked the time of the yearly service when the high priest went into the most holy place. The results of the mediation on that day were in distinct contrast to the results of the daily service. In both an atonement was obtained, but the results of the yearly service were of a higher nature - "that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." The atonement also involved the sanctuary; it, too, had to be cleansed.

Section #4 -- JESUS IN HEAVEN

Revelation 4:2, 5 -- A throne was set in heaven ... and there were seven lamps, of fire burning before the throne.

Note - In the last book of the Bible, activities in heaven were opened before John, and he beheld the Throne of God in relationship to the golden lampstands. From the type, we know that this was the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. Now the question - Who is before the throne?

Revelation 5:6 -- And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne ... stood a Lamb as it had been slain.

p 37 -- Note - The first portrayal of Jesus in the book of Revelation is in His calling as Priest (Rev. 1:12-16) In Rev. 5:6. John sees Him before the Throne in the first apartment ministering as a Lamb as it had been slain. The blood of Calvary is not forgotten, nor the marks of the crucifixion erased. The great High Priest bears them forever in His body, and presents before His Father the nail - scarred hands calling into remembrance the blood of His all-sufficient sacrifice. But the book of Revelation presents a continuing work of Christ.

Revelation 11:15 -- The seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices ... saying, The kingdom's of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

Note - When the seventh angel sounds, there is a change in the ministry of our Lord. From the work of a priest, He becomes a King. The priestly ministry is ended. But where did that work end?

Revelation 11:19 -- And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple, the ark of His covenant.

Note - The ark of the testament was in the Most Holy place of the earthly type. Thus it is indicated that Christ's last work before taking His kingdom is to be done in the Most Holy place of the Heavenly Temple, where in the earthly type, the high priest ministered once a year. The question then remains - when did Jesus change from the first apartment to the second in the heavenly Temple? This answer is to be found in the book of Daniel. This will be studied in the next lesson.

38 -- CONCEPTS FOR FURTHER STUDY

I. Possible Physical Layout of the Sanctuary - Its Message

Two foci come to view the Altar of Burnt Offering representing the Cross, Christ the Sacrifice; and the Most Holy Place where Christ ministers as the great High Priest after the Order of Melchisedec.

"The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, "whither the Forerunner is for us entered." There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption." (Great Controversy, p. 489)

II. The Sanctuary in the Book of Hebrews

1. -- The book of Hebrews clearly teaches a direct vertical link between the heavenly sanctuary and its earthly counterpart:

Heb. 8: 5 (example) 9:23 (patterns) - upodeigma (hupodeigma) = imitation, copy, or pattern.

Heb. 8:5 (pattern) - tupoV (tupos) type

Heb. 9:6-9 (figure) - parabolh (parabole) = figure, or symbol.

2. -- Ta Hagia - Hagia is a neuter plural, and occurs in this form nine times in the book - Chapters 8-13. (8:2; 9:2-3, 8, 12, 24, 25; 10:19; 13:11) In Heb. 9:1 it occurs as to hagion , a neuter singular. In Heb. 9:3 it is combined with the neuter plural genitive - hagia hagion - and clearly refers to the second apartment, or Most Holy Place. Literally, it means "holy places," or "holy things."

p 39 --

3. -- How is TA Hagia used in Hebrews? This is a key question, and the answer has a bearing on our understanding of the sanctuary doctrine. Certain unique features mark the book of Hebrews. These need to be noted.

a. -- When a text is quoted in the book of Hebrews from the Old Testament, it is always from the LXX (the Septuagint Version), and some of these differ from what has now become the accepted Hebrew text - the Masoretic. (Example - Hebrews 1:6 - "Let all the angels of God worship Him." This is quoted from Deut. 32:43 LXX, but is not found in the Hebrew text. See KJV on Deut. 32:43.)

b. -- The term, TA hagia, functions in Hebrews as a noun, and is derived from the adjective, hagios (masculine), hagion (neuter). This word as used in the LXX in reference to the sanctuary, and its two apartments, varies. The singular form is used to denote the holy place (Ex. 26:33), and the Most Holy Place (Lev. 16:2), as well as the sanctuary as a whole (Lev. 4:17 LXX). But the plural form is also used to designate the sanctuary as a whole (Lev. 10:4). When the two are separately distinguished in relationship to each other, the singular (ton hagion) is used for the first apartment, and the singular plus the genitive plural (ton hagion ton hagion) is used for the second apartment (Ex. 26:33).

c. -- In the construction of the sanctuary as outlined in the Old Testament, the two apartments were spoken of as a unit, and called the tabernacle or tent. (Ex. 26:15-18) But in the book of Hebrews, each apartment is noted as a separate tabernacle. (Heb. 9:2-3)

d. -- At the beginning of the 9th Chapter of Hebrews, specific definitions for the use of TA hagia are given. By itself it is used for the first apartment, tabernacle (Heb. 9:2). With the addition of the plural genitive - hagion - the phrase is used to denote the Most Holy Place, or the second tabernacle. Honest ,and accurate interpretation would demand that these designations apply to all uses of these terms following Hebrews 9:2-3 inasmuch as the LXX varies in the use of the words. Another factor is important. After the definitive verses, the term applied to the Most Holy Place never occurs again in the book, which leaves only one conclusion that all uses of TA hagia in Hebrews following Heb. 9:2-3 refer to the first apartment of the sanctuary whether the earthly or the heavenly.

e. -- What about the one use prior to Heb 9:2-3, and the use of the singular form in Heb. 9:1? In Heb. 9:1, the use of the singular can be understood as used in the LXX to refer to the sanctuary as a whole. Prior to this point, there had been no separation of the sanctuary into two tabernacles. In Heb. 8:2, the literal meaning of the plural form - "holy things" - fits the context. Christ became "minister of holy things and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."

4. The Function of the High Priest in the Sanctuary Ritual.

It is suggested that the imagery of the book of Hebrews refers to the ministry of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Thus the expression - TA hagia must refer in some of the verses to the second apartment, or Holy of Holies. See Hebrews 9:12-14; 13:11. What was the role of the High Priest in the earthly sanctuary?

a. -- The High Priest officiated in the offering of the sin offerings wherein corporate guilt was involved. (Lev. 4:3-6, 13-17.) The blood was brought into the tabernacle, and the carcass of the animal was burned without the camp. (Lev. 4-11-12; 21; compare with Heb. 13:11) The offering in each incident was a bull.

b. -- At the close of each one of the monthly and/or annual feast days and/or weeks, a kid of the goats was offered as a sin offering. Note the following summary

p 40 -- and references:

1. -- The Feast of the New Moon - Numbers 28:11-15

2. -- Feast of Unleavened Bread - Numbers 28:16-22

3. -- Day of the First Fruits (Pentecost) - Numbers 28:26-30 See also Leviticus 23:19.

4. -- Blowing of the Trumpets - Numbers 29:1-5

5. -- Feast of Tabernacles - Numbers 29:12-16

6. -- Octave of the Feast of Tabernacles - Numbers 29:35-38

7. -- Day of Atonement - Numbers 29:7-11

This kid of the goat was a sin offering for the congregation (Lev. 9:3, 5; compare with Numbers 28:1-2). Since the High Priest alone officiated at sin offerings for the whole congregation, the High Priest was the active and final officiant at all the annual and monthly feasts.

c. -- "Once every year" (Heb. 9:7); "Every year" (Heb. 9:25); "Year by year," "Every year" (Heb. 10:1,3). Are these expressions identical and do they refer to the ministry of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement? It is obvious from the context that Hebrews 9:7 is talking about that Day only. The language used in the Greek is hapax tou eniautou - once of the year. In the other references, the phraseology is different - kat' eniauton - during the year. This word for year (eniautoV) is not the word used in Hebrews to denote the chronological year. Rather etoV is used. (Heb. 1:12, 3:9, 17) The word - eniautos - refers to the cycle of feasts during the year. Once in that cycle, the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place. (Heb. 9:7) During the cycle the High Priest went frequently into the Holy Place, or first apartment with the blood of bulls and goats. TOP

Lesson #9 -- THE TIME OF THE CLEANSING OF THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY

p 41 --Introduction - In the previous study, we observed that the work of Jesus in the heavens changed from the first apartment of the sanctuary to the second. Does the Bible give any evidence as to when this change in His ministry occurred? We noted also, that the work of the priest in the second apartment pertained to a work of cleansing of the individual and the sanctuary itself. In the prophecy of Daniel, we find a statement concerning time linked with the cleansing of the sanctuary which will cast light upon our question.

Daniel 8:14 -- Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Note - This period of time could not refer to the earthly sanctuary. Gabriel, commissioned to make Daniel understand the vision (8:16). declared that "at the time of the end shall be the vision. " (8:17) The temple at Jerusalem, which was the successor to the wilderness tabernacle, was destroyed in 70 A.D. The only sanctuary beyond that date, referred to in the Bible, is the heavenly Tabernacle where Christ is ministering as our High Priest. This then is a prophecy which relates to the last part of the ministry of Christ in heaven. How shall we understand these 2300 days?

Ezekiel 4:6 -- I have appointed thee each day for a year.

Note - Here God is defining the key for the understanding of prophetic time. A day in prophecy equals one literal year. Thus the 2300 days of Daniel would actually be 2300 years. Our problem, therefore, is to determine when to commence the 2300 day prophecy, so as to find the time when the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary began, and the date when the ministry of Christ changed from the first to the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary.

Daniel 8:26-27 -- The vision ... which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted and was sick certain days.

Note - In the eighth chapter of Daniel no explanation of the 2300 days is made; but it does give the reason why the interpretation was delayed. In the ninth chapter, Daniel seeks to understand certain messages in the prophecy of Jeremiah and prays concerning their import. (9:2-4) At the conclusion of the recorded prayer, Gabriel returns. (9:19-21) His return is for a distinct purpose - "I am now come to give thee skill and understanding ... therefore understand the matter and consider the vision." (9:22-23) Gabriel then begins to explain that which was left unanswered in his previous contact with Daniel - the 2300 days.

Daniel 9:24-27 -- Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people ... Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah ... shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks ... And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off ... and He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.

Note - Here in these verses we find the breakdown for the first division of the 2300 days. Let us note carefully these sections of the prophecy:

p 42 --      -- "Seventy weeks" = 70 x 7 = 490 days/years

-- "Seven weeks and three score and two weeks" = 7 + (20 x 3) + 2 = 69 weeks

69 x 7 = 483 days/years

-- "One week" = I x 7 = 7 days/years

The total number of weeks given in the break down - 7 + 60 + 2 + 1 - equals 70 weeks, the time in the first section of the 2300 day prophecy. The starting point of this prophecy is indicated as "the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem."

Ezra 7:7c - 8, 11 -- In the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. And he [Ezra] came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was the seventh year of the king ... Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest.

Note - The entire copy of this decree which restored the right of government and the temple services is found in the remaining verses of Ezra 7. The seventh year of King Artaxerxes of Persia was 457 B.C. (The margins of many Bibles carry this date.) This then is the starting date for the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, and the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24.

Daniel 9:25 -- From the commandment to restore unto the Messiah shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks.

Note - The time of 69 weeks or 483 literal years must be added to the date of 457 BC Naturally, we will obtain an A.D. date since there are more years required than we have remaining before Christ. How do we go from a BC point in time to a date in A.D.? The following diagram will illustrate, so that the procedure can be applied to the prophecy we are studying.

BC A.D. - Timeline

In the diagram a date was chosen 6 BC and to that date we added 10 years. This brought us to 5 A. D. To obtain this date mathematically, we would subtract the BC date from the total number of years desired and add one (10 - 6 + I = 5). Applying this same formula to the prophecy, we would have this equation - (483 - 457 + 1 = 27 A.D). This was the time for the appearing of the Messiah, and thus the terminal date for "the seven weeks and three score and two weeks."

John 1:41 -- We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (Margin - The Anointed)

Note - Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The word - Messiah - in the Hebrew means "anointed". In Acts 10:38, we find that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. This took place at His baptism according to Luke 3:21-22. The baptism occurred in the "fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar." (Luke 3:1) The year was 27 A.D., the exact year specified by prophetic calculation.

Mark 1:14-15 -- Jesus came ... preaching the gospel ... saying, The time is fulfilled, ... repent ye and believe the gospel.

p 43 -- Note - What time was fulfilled? There is only one time prophecy concerning the beginning date for the ministry of the Messiah, and that prophecy is Daniel 9:25. Thus Jesus proclaimed His Gospel as a valid message announcing the kingdom of God because the time was fulfilled.

Daniel 9:27a -- In the midst of the week, He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.

Note - In the study of this prophecy, we have now come to the final week of the 70 Weeks. In the midst (middle), Christ was to cause the sacrifice to cease. He was to be "cut off" (9:26). One half of the seven prophetic days would be 3 1/2 years. Adding this to 27 A.D., we have 30 1/2 or 31 A.D. By noting the Passovers which Jesus attended after His baptism, we can determine the year that He was to be "cut off" on the cross.

1. -- John 1:32-33 --- Baptism noted -------27 A.D.
2. -- John 2:13 --------First Passover --------28 A.D.
3. -- John 5:1 ---------Second Passover ----29 A.D.
4. -- John 6:4 ---------Third Passover --------30 A.D.
5. -- John 13:1 --------Final Passover -------31 A.D.

Of this final passover, it states "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father." Again the time element in the life of Jesus is noted. Jesus knew about the schedule of His life. He was on time! Again prophecy is fulfilled. As the Lamb, He offered Himself on time, and as the great High Priest, He will do that work on time.

Daniel 9:24 -- Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people.

Note - At the close of the 69 weeks, there was only one week left, broken by the death of Christ. By adding 7 years to 27 A.D., The date that marked the end of the 69 weeks, we come to 34 A.D., which would mark the end of the full 70 weeks. This was the time allotted to the Jewish people as the chosen nation under God. The nation sealed its probation in the stoning of Stephen and the persecution of the Church. This violence sent the Church "every where preaching the word." (Acts 8:1-4) This was in A.D. 34. It was at this point that Paul, who was to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, was converted.

Daniel 8:14 -- Unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Note - The 70 weeks consumed 490 years of the total of 2300. This leaves us only 1810 years to account for. (2300 - 490 = 1810) By adding 1810 years to 34 A.D., We arrive at the date - 1844 A. D. This then was the time foretold for the cleansing of the sanctuary to begin. It was the time that Jesus, our great High Priest, began His final work in the second apartment of the sanctuary above.

Hebrews 9:26-28 -- Once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself ... after this the judgment: ... unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Note - The text reads literally - "Now once in the end of the ages" Christ came to put away sin. When He comes the second time, it will be without sin. The first Advent was the coming to be the Sacrifice. His second coming will be the full salvation for those who accepted Him as their Sacrifice. Prior, in the judgment as the High Priest, He completes the cleansing from sin. Full of meaning was the admonition - "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." (Heb. 3:1)

Daniel 7:9-10 -- The judgment was set, and the books were opened.

p 44 --Note - These verses picture the scene of the Heavenly Judgment before the Ancient of days. Jesus as the Son of man is brought before Him to receive a kingdom, and an everlasting dominion. (Daniel 7:13-14) Further it is stated that judgment in rendered in favor of the saints of the most High, "and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." (Daniel 7:22) How can we then be included in that kingdom?

Revelation 3:5 -- He that overcometh, ... I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Note - He that overcometh will have his name retained in the book of life, and will not be hurt of the second death. (Rev. 2:11; 20:15) The issue comes down to a single bottom line - what does it mean to overcome? The same book gives the answer: - "They over came him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death." (Rev. 12:11 ) Those who are saints and for whom the judgment is rendered have been washed in the blood of the Lamb (7:14), and are willing to follow the Lamb even if it costs them their all - even life itself.

Summary - In this remarkable prophecy of Daniel 8:14 and 9:24-27, we have pictured before us the two-fold work of Jesus. In the first section of the prophecy, there is revealed the time when He would come to present Himself as the Lamb of God, and the final date of the prophecy - 1844 - reaches to the hour when as our High Priest, Jesus would enter the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Tabernacle to begin His final work for His people - to cleanse them from all sin. We are living in the final hours of that intercession. Soon Jesus will come without sin unto salvation.

DANIEL 8:14 in DIAGRAM

p 45 -- Lessons #8 & #9 -- QUIZ -- (Fill in the blanks)

1. -- We are asked to ____ Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our profession, and in so doing we find that He is serving in a ____ in heaven, which the Lord ____ and not ____.

2. -- The earthly priests of the Old Testament served unto an _____ and ____ of the heavenly reality. In the earthly service only the ____ priest could go into the second apartment, and then only ____ a year. Since Jesus is our ____ priest, His major work will be performed in the ____ apartment of the heavenly ____.

3. -- The atonement prefigured in the daily ministration of the earthly sanctuary always resulted in ____, while the yearly atonement prefigured a ____.

4. -- In Bible prophecy a day equals ____ ____. Text: ____ ____ : ____.

5. -- The first important point Gabriel told Daniel regarding the 2300 days was that the vision would extend to the ____ of the ____. Before the explanation was completed, Daniel fainted. Give the text which explains the
vision after Gabriel returned: Daniel ____: ____ - ____.

6. --- The vision of the 2300 Days began with the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem in ____ BC The first combined period of 69 weeks or ____ literal years, extended to the Messiah, or the ____ One. Jesus became the Messiah officially at His baptism in ____ A.D. In the ____ of the ____, or 3 1/2 years after His baptism, He was to be cut off. This was a prophecy of His crucifixion which occurred in ____ A.D. The 70 Weeks ended in ____ A.D. By adding the remaining 1810 years of the 2300 prophetic days to this date, we come to ____ A.D. In this year, our High Priest entered into the ____ apartment of the heavenly sanctuary to begin the final work of ____.

7. -- When Jesus returns the second time, it will be without ____ unto ____.

CONCEPTS FOR FURTHER STUDY

The understanding and interpretation of Daniel 8:14 as given in this Lesson is a unique study. Because of this, those who oppose this teaching offer certain objections, and present what they consider problems to its acceptance. These need to be carefully considered:

1. -- Is the word, "cleansed" as used in the KJV in Daniel 8:14 a correct translation, or should the word be, "justified"?

2. -- What is the relationship between Daniel 8 & 9 linguistically?

3. -- Can the 2300 days be considered as literal time?

p 46 -- 4. In the context of Daniel 8:9-14, how is "daily" (tamid) related to the "days" of Daniel 8:14 ("evenings and mornings.")

Question 1 (Response): -- "Cleansed" or "Justified"? Which? -- In the margin of the KJV (Oxford Press edition) for Daniel 8:14, the word translated "cleansed" is noted in the Hebrew to be "justified." This is true. The Hebrew Bible (Massoretic Text) has the word - tzah-dak - a correct rendering of which for this verse would be "justified." However, in the Septuagint (LXX), the word is katharisthesetai, a future passive of katharizo. Likewise in the Vulgate (Latin version), the word is mundabitur, a future passive meaning, "shall be cleansed." Of these three versions ' the LXX is the most ancient (200-100 BC) and thus closest to the actual writing of Daniel. The Vulgate was the Old Testament translation into Latin by Jerome in the 4th Century A.D. The Masssoretic Text was produced by Jewish scholars at Tiberias in Palestine about 900 A.D. It, however, was based upon an accepted text developed by the Hebrew sage, Hillel, and the school he founded. This text became fixed early in the 1st Century A.D. (See Bible Review, Vol. 1, #2, pp. 12-25)

Modern Hebrew scholars believe that all of Daniel was originally written in the Aramaic, and the Aramaic word for Daniel 8:14 can only be translated, "cleansed," as was done in the LXX and Vulgate. (See Studies in Daniel, by H. Louis Ginsberg, pp. 41-42, 79) Thus in three languages, the Greek, Latin, and the language in which the book was originally written, the KJV version is sustained.

The connection between Daniel 8:14, and Leviticus 16 is easily traceable through the LXX, the most ancient of all translations of the Hebrew Bible. There, Leviticus 16:30 reads in the KJV - "For on that day shall the [high] priest make an atonement for you to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." In the LXX the same verse reads - "For on this day he shall make an atonement for you, to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord, and ye shall be purged." The single Greek word for "ye shall be purged" is the same Greek word in Daniel 8:14 for "shall be cleansed," differing only in person & number. (Dan. 8:14 - 3rd person, singular while Leviticus 16:30 - 2nd person plural)

Question 2 (Response): -- The Words for "Vision" in Daniel 8 & 9 -- Two different words are translated "vision" in these two chapters. One is ghah-zohn and covers the whole of a vision. For examples see - "The vision of Isaiah" (1:1) and "The vision of Obadiah" (1:1). The other is mar'eh, and when translated "vision" refers to an aspect, or part of the whole vision. For example, in Daniel 8:15, the word, ghah-zohn is used for the word, "vision," and mar'eh is translated - "appearance."

Here are the listings for the word - vision - in Daniel 8 & 9:

Daniel 8:1, 2 (2x), 13, 15, 17, 26 (2nd use); 9:21, 24 - ghah-zohn.

Daniel 8:15 (appearance), 16, 26 (first use), 27; 9:23 - mar''eh.

Significant conclusions can be drawn. The 2300 days (evenings and mornings) are referred to as a mar'eh (Daniel 8:26). Gabriel had specific instructions to make Daniel understand the mar'eh (Daniel 8:16). It was that part of the vision (mar'eh) which was left - unexplained as the eighth chapter closes (Daniel 8:27). When Gabriel returned to Daniel, he specifically stated - "Understand the matter, and consider the mar'eh" (Daniel 9:23) Furthermore, Daniel specifically states that when Gabriel returned, he was the one "whom I had seen in

p 47 -- the vision (ghah-zohn) at the beginning." (Daniel 9:21) Thus the part in Daniel 9:24-27 is linked linguistically to the whole of Daniel 8.

Question 3 (Response): -- Literal Time vs Prophetic Time -- Between Daniel 8 - "the third year of Belshazzar" - and Daniel 9 - "the first year of Darius" - there is approximately 11 years. There are those who suggest that the 2300 evenings and mornings are half days, thus making 1150 full days, or about 3 years and 2 plus months. Those who grant the 2300 days as full days have approximately 6 years and 5 months. If Daniel entertained any idea that the prophecy was in literal time - keep in mind that in the 3rd year of Belshazzar he was not told when the vision of the 2300 days was to begin - it was dispelled after 11 years had passed. When he saw that the 70 years of Jeremiah were about expire and nothing had happened to bring about the "cleansing of the sanctuary," - also keep in mind that the vision of Daniel 8 began with a representation of Medo-Persia - Daniel entered into "prayer, and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes." (Daniel 9:3) It was then that Gabriel returned and gave the only explanation acceptable for the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 - it was to be considered in accordance with prophetic time - a day for a year. (Ezekiel 4:6 margin) There is no way that Daniel 9:24-27 can be properly understood except this principle be applied. Would God, who prior to the beginning of the fulfillment of the vision of the 2300 days indicated prophetic time only, now that the 2300 days are completed indicate a reapplication in literal time as is now being advocated by some?

Question 4 (Response): -- "Tamid" and the 2300 Days -- In Daniel 8:9-14, which is the full context for the setting of the 14th verse, the word tamid is translated "daily" three times. In the KJV, the word "sacrifice is added to complete its meaning. While tamid is used as a substantive in Daniel, it is used elsewhere either as an adverb or an adjective. The substantive use in Daniel would indicate an adjectival force, thus requiring for proper translation of thought a noun, such as "sacrifice."

It is of interest that A. T. Jones in discussing this prophecy of Daniel, while recognizing that the word, "sacrifice" had been supplied, well knew that the "daily" could not be a symbolism of paganism. He suggested Numbers 28 & 29 as a source for the word to be used with tamid to give its meaning. He wrote:

In Numbers 28 and 29 alone, the word is used seventeen times, referring to the continual service of the sanctuary.

And it is this continual service of Christ, the true High Priest, "who continueth ever," and who is consecrated forevermore" in an "unchangeable priesthood" - it is this continual service of our great High Priest, which the man of sin, the Papacy, has taken away. It is the sanctuary and the true tabernacle in which this true High Priest exercises His continual ministry that has been cast down by the transgression of desolation." (The Consecrated Way, pp. 99-100; Emphasis his.)

However, as incisive as Jones' conclusions may be, the use of "continual" (tamid) in Numbers 28 and 29, is always without exception, connected with the words, "burnt offering, " not "ministry." And it is in this sense that the first use of the word, tamid, as an adjective is found in the Bible. In Exodus 29:42, it reads, referring to the morning and evening sacrifices:

This shall be a continual (tamid) burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, where I will

p 48 -- meet you, to speak there unto thee."

It is in connection with the morning and evening sacrifices that we can see the relationship between tamid and the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14.

The Hebrew word for day is yom This word is not used in Daniel 8:14 for the 2300 "days" (KJV), but rather the phrase, "evenings and mornings." This very phraseology connects it with the word, tamid, thus specifically associating the Prophecy with the Hebrew sanctuary service. However, there is a reversal of terms. The daily sacrifice was in its inauguration spoken of as a morning and evening burnt offering. (Exodus 30:38-39) In Daniel 8:14, the days are noted as "evenings and mornings." This harks back to creation when the original days were made - "There was evening, there was morning, day one." (Gen. 1:5 Heb) Thus while connecting Daniel 8:14 with the sanctuary service of the Old Testament through the symbolism derived from tamid, it was also telling the reader that full days - not half days - were to be understood for prophetic interpretation. "There were 2300 evenings; there were 2300 mornings, days 2300."

For further discussion - See Appendix D.

Note - For the most part all words transliterated from the Hebrew into English follow the Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance. TOP

Lesson #10 -- CHRIST, OUR COMING KING

p 49 -- John 14:1 -3 -- Let not your heart be troubled ... In my Father's house are many mansions ... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go ... I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Note - This is the greatest unfulfilled promise and prophecy in all the Bible. The return of Jesus, has been the hope and expectation of the church in all ages. This wonderful promise is based on only one condition - "If I go - I will come again." If He went, then He is sure to return.

Acts 1:9-11 -- And when He [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked ... two men stood by them ... which also said ... This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.

Note - The disciples to whom Jesus had made the wonderful promise of John 14:1-3 now see Him go into heaven. And two angel-messengers reassure the gazing disciples that this same Jesus will return again. These angels emphasize that the return will be "in like manner" as they have seen go. Why is this important? That brings us to our next text.

Matthew 24:23-27 -- There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders ... believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be.

Note - Since there will arise false christs seeking to disturb the very elect, then it behooves us know from the Word of God, the exact way and manner that the true Christ Jesus will return the proceeding verses (Acts 1:9-11) are to be found three ways in which the disciples observed His departure.  (1)   A cloud received Him."  (2)  They "beheld" Him as He went up. And   (3)   the "Same" Jesus would return. It would not be a "spirit" return, for Jesus went bodily into heaven. The angels declared that Jesus would come again "in like manner." Let us check.

Matthew 24:30-31 -- And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect.

Note - This statement by Jesus is very important. He declares that when He returns all the tribes of earth will see Him. At that very time, the elect will be gathered. Who are the Elect?

I Peter 1:2-3 -- Elect ... through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Note - Peter defines the elect as those sanctified by the Spirit and sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. These he says have obtained "a lively hope." (Verse 3) At the sounding of the trumpet, the "elect" are in two categories. Note the next verse.

p 50 -- I Thessalonians 4:16-17 -- The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall arise first: Then we which are alive ... shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Note - From these verses, it will be observed that the "elect" are composed of those who have died in Christ., and the righteous who are alive on the earth, noted by Paul as "we." Since this letter is addressed to the "church" (I Thess. 1:1). we conclude the "we" to be the church. Another important factor in these verses is the revelation that Jesus does not touch the earth when He comes the second time. We meet Him "in the air," and from that point, we shall "ever be with the Lord." The return of Jesus also marks a resurrection - "the dead in Christ shall arise first." This is called the "First" Resurrection.

Revelation 20:5-6 -- This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.

Note - The second coming of Christ concerns primarily those only who are blessed and holy. "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished." (20:5) Thus Jesus' return and the resurrection of the just mark the beginning of that remarkable prophecy of Revelation 20 - The 1000 Years. (The Millennium)

Section #2 -- THE BEGINNING OF THE 1000 YEARS

Revelation 20:1-3 -- And I saw another angel ... having the key of the bottomless pit ... . and he laid hold on ... Satan and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit ... till the thousand years should be fulfilled.

Note - Two expressions should be noted in these verses:   (1)   The term - "bottomless pit." To interpret this expression literally, would mean a pit without a bottom, and such an implication would make the prophecy ridiculous, for Satan comes out of the pit after the 1000 years. (20:7) The two words are a translation of a single Greek word - abussos - which means simply an abyss. In the LXX, the translators used this Greek word in Genesis 1:2, to translate the Hebrew word t'hohm. This word is used to describe the earth before God began the process of organization of the mass He had created on the first day. The word is thus used again and applied to the state of the earth as it will be for 1000 years after the return of Jesus the second time.   (2)   The second expression is the word - "bound" - in connection with Satan's inability to deceive the nations for 1000 years. How is this possible? Let us divide all humanity, alive and dead, into four groups, and find out what happens to each group at the return of Jesus the second time:

a. The righteous living - "caught up to meet Jesus in the air.- (I Thess 4:17)

b. The righteous dead - "The dead in Christ shall arise first." "They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (I Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:4c, 6b)

c. The wicked living - Destroyed at the "presence of the Lord." (II Thess. 1:7-10)

d. The wicked dead - Lived not till the thousand years were completed. (Rev. 20:5a)

On the basis of this deduction, there is not a single human being alive on the earth after Jesus comes the second time. The earth returns to a state of chaos which becomes Satan's abode for 1000 years. Jeremiah the prophet also pictures these conditions.

Jeremiah 4:23-28 -- I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void ... I beheld and lo, there was no man ... I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities

p 51 -- were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Jeremiah 25:31-33 -- The Lord hath a controversy with the nations ... He will give them that are wicked to the sword ... And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried, they shall be dung upon the ground.

Note - The wages of sin is death, and here among the dead Satan and his angels will be confined for 1000 years to view and contemplate the results of his rebellion.

Section #3 -- DURING THE 1000 YEARS

Revelation 20:4 -- I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them ... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Note - The Bible in other references teaches that the redeemed will become a part of the judgment process. Jesus told His disciples that they would judge the tribes of Israel. (Matt. 19:28) Paul declares that the saints will judge the world and angels. (I Cor. 6:2-3) All that is involved in this judgment, we shall have to leave until that day when Christ shall set His "elect" upon those thrones. We do know that this period will be a time of adjustment as the saints acclimate themselves for the eternity ahead. We shall come to understand many things which are now only a mystery.

Section #4 -- THE CLOSE OF THE 1000 YEARS

Revelation 20:7-8 -- And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth to deceive the nations.

Note - These nations are declared to be in the four quarters of the earth. The wicked who had been slain at the presence of the Lord at His second coming, and those who did not come forth in the first resurrection now arise in a "second" resurrection. With beings once more to tempt, Satan is no longer restricted - bound - and goes forth to deceive.

Revelation 20:9 -- And they [the nations] went forth on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Note - The beloved city is the New Jerusalem, which John saw coming down from God out of heaven. (Rev. 21:2) This city with its many mansions is the camp of the saints as they return with Jesus at the close of the 1000 years. (Zechariah 14:4-5) As the wicked seek to take the city by battle, fire from God devours them. This is called the second death. (Rev. 20:14-15) This fire also purifies the earth.

Section #5 -- THE ETERNAL KINGDOM

Revelation 21:1, 5 -- And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth ... And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new.

p 52 -- Revelation 22:1, 3 -- And he shewed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of throne of God and of the Lamb and there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and His servants shall serve Him.

SAINTS IN HEAVEN

CONTEMPLATION

The time of the final judgment is referred to in Revelation 20 as the judgment before the "great white throne." (20:11) As one brings together the picture as described in these final chapters of Revelation, a tremendous scene emerges. The Holy City has come down to earth, and is described as "the camp of the saints." (20:9) Far above the city appears the Throne of the Eternal - and the books of human record are opened. Before the Throne stand all the children of Adam in one first and final family reunion. (20:12) Consider as you envision the scene a few of those who will be there:

Cain and Abel will be there; Abel inside the jasper wall, Cain without. The last time they had seen each other, Abel's eyes were closing in death, and Cain's heart was burning with revengeful hate. Now the record is seen clearly. His refusal to acknowledge his need of a substitute has cost him dearly - the Holy City is forever closed to him.

Jacob and Esau will be there; Jacob within, Esau without. Again the books disclose the record. Esau's abhorrence of the birthright has cost him his right to the city of God.

Paul and Agrippa will be there; Paul within. Agrippa without. As Agrippa sees the record, he will be reminded of that day when Paul pled with him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He will hear again those fateful words he uttered - "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28) As his gaze turns to the glory radiating from the Holy City, he will realize as never before the price of "almost."

You and I will be in this scene somewhere. At the first resurrection, we will either meet the Lord in the air, or perish at His presence. During the 1000 years we will either be with Jesus, or lay as "dung" on the earth. Then in the family reunion we will either be inside or outside the city of God. The choice is ours now to make as to where we will be in the picture projected by this final time prophecy of the Bible.

p 53 -- Lesson #10 -- QUIZ -- (Fill in the blanks)

1. -- The greatest unfulfilled prophecy in the Bible is the promise of Jesus found in ____ ____:____, which says,"_____ ____ ____ ____."

2. -- When Jesus returns the second time, the ____ of earth will mourn, because they ____ Him come. On the other hand, when the ____ of God shall sound, the ____ in Christ ____ _____ first, and the ____ ____ will be caught up to meet the Lord ____ ____ ____ , and so they shall ____ ____ with ____ ____.

3. -- The resurrection of the righteous is called the ____ ____ and marks the beginning of the ____ ____.

4. -- During the 1000 years the earth will be ____, and without a living human ____. Here for this period will be the prison of ____ . Those who are slain by the presence of the Lord will lie as ____ on the earth, and will not be ____.

5. -- During the 1000 years, the righteous will be with Christ in heaven, sitting upon ____ of ____.

6. -- After the 1000 years the wicked will be resurrected, and Satan will then seek to deceive them into believing that they can take the camp of the saints which is the ____ ____. But ____ comes down from God and ____ them. This is the ____ death.

7. -- After the destruction of the wicked, God will make ____ ____ new. Then on this earth will be established the _____ of the ____ and His ____ shall ____ Him. TOP

Lesson #11 -- MAN - HERE AND HEREAFTER

p 54 -- Genesis 1:27 -- God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him.

Note - In studying the nature of man in this life, and the life to come, we must first determine what man received from God in the beginning. Did man receive an immortal soul or spirit? What did this likeness to God mean?

Genesis 2:7 -- The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Note - The component parts of a living soul are the dust of the ground and the "breath of life." The first question to be resolved is simply - Did this "breath of life" give to man an immortal soul or spirit?

Genesis 2:17 -- Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Note - If God had given to man an immortal soul or spirit, then it would have been absurd to tell him that if he transgressed, he would die; for he could not have died. Also, because of transgression, if man had been created with an immortal soul, sin would have become immortalized with no way for it to be eradicated. But we find that God took all precautions to confine sin after it entered this world, and then to plan for its final extinction.

Genesis 3:22-23 -- And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us ... and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and live, forever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden.

Note - Driven from Eden, our first parents entered a world outside without an immortal soul or spirit, or access to the tree of life. Thus when man would be called to yield up the "breath of life," he would return to the original component - dust. This is exactly what God told man - "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19)

Section #2 -- THE OLD TESTAMENT TESTIMONY

Job 14:12-14 -- So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more ... . 0 that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave ... if a man die shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come.

Job 19:25-27 -- For I know that my Redeemer liveth and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold.

Psalm 17:15 -- As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.

p 55 -- Psalm 146:4 -- His [man's] breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: in that very day his thoughts perish.

Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 -- For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything ... There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest.

Note - To these texts, other Scriptures could be added. (Isaiah 28:18-19; Daniel 12:13) The picture of man in the Old Testament is that he dies, his thoughts cease, he goes to the grave, back to dust to await a day when he shall again awaken. There is no concept of something immortal, eternal, leaving man at death to continue in another sphere of existence. The dead know not anything.

Section #3 -- THE NEW TESTAMENT TESTIMONY

Hebrews 2:14 -- Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He [Jesus] also Himself took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death.

Note - The New Testament presents Jesus on a mission to destroy death. Now, if at death, we do not die, but live on, then Jesus is placed in a position of destroying not death, but life. But He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

John 11 :25 -- I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

John 11:11-14 -- Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep ... Jesus said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Note - To Jesus who is the resurrection and the life, death is only a sleep. He destroyed the stranglehold of death: and changed it from an endless sleep to a temporary sleep, which He alone can break. He demonstrated that power in the case of Lazarus. When He came to the tomb, He called, "Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth." (John 11:43-44) This is what Jesus plans to do at the end of the age on a wider and grander scale.

John 5:28-29 -- Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth.

Note - In that coming day, the grave, the resting place of the dead, shall no longer hold her captives. He who destroyed the power of death will call them forth, "they that have done good unto the resurrection of life."

I Corinthians 15:51-54 -- Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible ... So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then ... Death is swallowed up in victory.

Note - Only when the last trumpet shall sound will men experience victory over death. Not until then will men receive immortality. This gift is for the righteous only. A man, not spiritually born again, never shares in this gift of eternal life. John declares, "Ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." (I John 3:15) Hence the wicked, when they are resurrected - the resurrection of damnation - possess the same type of life they had when alive on the earth in their first existence.

p 56 -- Section #4 -- THE REWARDS OF LIFE

Matthew 25:45-46 -- Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Romans 6:23 -- The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Note - The wicked receive a reward that is the opposite to the reward of the righteous. Since they do not have eternal life, they receive death - eternal or everlasting death. This death results from the direct judgment of God.

Revelation 20:9 -- And they [the wicked] went up on the breadth of the earth ... and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Note - In Lesson #10, we learned that this event occurred at the end of the 1000 years, when Christ and His saints have returned to earth to abide in the Holy City. The wicked dead, coming up in the second resurrection, are marshaled by the devil before the New Jerusalem. At that point, God sends fire to devour them. Since they do not possess an immortal spirit, or eternal life, they are consumed. They have no power to resist the fire of God. It is the end for them. They are then visited with "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." (II Thess. 1:9)

Section #5 -- THE TESTIMONY OF THE BIBLE ON THE REWARD OF THE WICKED

Matthew 13:38-40 -- The field is the world; ... the tares are the children of the wicked one; ... as therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Malachi 4:1, 3 -- For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch ... they shall be ashes ... in the day that I do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Psalm 37:20, 10 -- The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be.

Isaiah 47:14 -- Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

Note - The testimony of Jesus, and the prophets, are agreed that the wicked shall burn up; they shall be as ashes upon the earth. When the devouring fire has completed its work, there shall not be left a coal to warm before. Before man is a choice. Live as you desire, and the end will be death - total extinction. But to choose the way of Christ is to have life - real living now - and life everlasting hereafter.

p 57 -- QUIZ SHEET - Lesson 11 -- True and False. If the statement is true, circle the "T"; but if any part of the statement is false, circle the letter, "F".

1. -- When God created man in His own image, He gave to man the very substance
of Himself ... ... ... ... T -- F

2. -- The formula for the creation of man could be written: Dust + Breath
of life = Living soul ... ... ... ... T -- F

3. -- This formula transposed reveals the nature of death: Living soul -
Breath of life = Dust ... ... ... T -- F

4. -- Adam left the garden of Eden not as an immortal sinner but as a mortal man ... ... T -- F

5. -- Solomon declared that the living know that they shall die, but the
dead do not know anything ... ... ... ... .T -- F

6. -- David asked the question - "If a man die, shall he live again?" ... ... ... T -- F

7. -- We develop immortal -life by living a life like Jesus lived ... ... ... ... T -- F

8. -- Jesus Christ changed an endless sleep into a temporary sleep, so that
death need cause no fear for His followers ... ... ... ... T -- F

9. -- Corruption and mortality have the same meaning in I Cor. 15:51-54,
and apply to the same groups of people ... ... ... ...T -- F

10. -- Immortality is the state which those who do not taste death put on at the second

coming of Christ ... ... ... ... T -- F

11. -- The rewards of life are the same for both the righteous and the wicked,

the only difference is that they are in different places ... ... ... ... T -- F

12. -- After the 1000 years when the wicked are gathered before the Holy
City, the fire of God comes down and devours them ... ... ... ... T -- F

13. -- There is a fiery hell now into which God consigns the wicked until
the day of judgment ... ... ... ... T -- F

14. -- The root of wickedness is the devil, and the branches are his followers, so when
God completes the payment of the wages for sin, all sin and sinners will be no more . . T -- F

15. -- We have a voice in our hereafter, and that decision is made here ... ... ... ... T -- F

SUPPLEMENT

p 58 -- Section #1 -- What Is the "Spirit"?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 -- Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Note - What is the "spirit" which returns to God who gave it? Many assume that this "spirit" has life and being, and in the "spirit world" to which it goes, there will be a continued conscious existence. This verse says simply that it will "return unto God who gave it." If there is a conscious existence after death, then there must have been the same conscious pre-existence. To draw this conclusion is to adopt the teachings of Mormonism and the Hindu doctrine of the transmigration of the soul. But how are we to understand the word, "spirit," in this text?

Job 34:12-15 -- Yea, surely God will not do wickedly ... If He set His heart upon men, if He gather unto Himself His spirit, and His breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

Note - The spirit that returns to God is God's spirit, God's breath. Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) He demonstrated the power of that word by calling to the dead Lazarus, "Come forth." The record is - "He that was dead came forth." (John 11:43-44) The words formed by the breath of God's mouth are spirit, and they give life. This is the very way that man was created in the beginning. (Ps. 33:6, 9)

Section #2 -- The Thief on the Cross

Luke 23:39-43 -- And he [the thief] said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Note - In the text quoted above the answer of Jesus is left unpunctuated. The punctuation as given in the KJV is that of the translators. To correctly punctuate what Jesus really said, we must find the answer to three questions:  1)   What and where is paradise?   2)   Did Jesus go to paradise that day? And   3)   What did the thief ask?

1) -- What and where is paradise? This is where the throne of God is. We are told that the tree of life is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7) That tree arches the river of life which flows from the throne of God. (Revelation 22:1-2)

2) -- Did Jesus go to paradise the day He died? Jesus did not go to paradise the day of the crucifixion. He died on Friday, the preparation day. (Luke 23:52-54) On the first day of the week after He arose, He said to Mary, "I have not yet ascended to My Father." (John 20:17) To make this text infer that Jesus went to paradise with the thief the day of the crucifixion is to make Jesus contradict Himself.

3) -- For what did the thief ask? The thief merely wanted to be remembered when Christ set up His kingdom. Jesus had declared that His kingdom would be inaugurated when He returns the second time in His glory accompanied by the angelic hosts. (Matthew 25:31) The thief needed the assurance of hope and pardon before he died. It was such a hope that Jesus extended to him. He declared - and now we punctuate the verse in harmony with the facts of Scripture - "Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with Me in paradise." We, too, need hope. We can come to Jesus and say, . "Lord, remember me." He will respond that very moment, that very day, with the assurance that He will remember us.

p 59 -- Section #3 -- Preaching to Spirits in Prison

I Peter 3:18-20 -- For Christ also hath suffered for sins ... being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.

Note - Those who believe in a conscious existence after death refer to this verse to indicate that Christ conducted a "revival" among the "disobedient spirits" while His body was confined to Joseph's tomb. Careful reading of this verse indicates that the same Spirit which brought life - quickened - Christ, is the One who preached to the "spirits in prison." Such it was in the days of Noah. (Gen. 6:3) The phrase itself - "spirits in prison" - is a figure of speech. Jesus used the expression in His sermon at Nazareth, quoting from Isaiah. (Luke 4:18) Observe - "Preach deliverance to the captives." It is sin that makes one a prisoner, but Jesus through the Holy Spirit seeks to set us free. If that Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead abides in us, then we, too, can be freed from the bondage of sin. (Romans 8:11)

Section #4 -- The Expression - "Forever and Ever"

Revelation 20:10 -- And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire ... and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Note - Our concept of the phrase - "forever and ever" - is based on present day usage. But we must think in Bible usage. In the Bible, the law concerning voluntary servitude reads - "And he shall serve him forever." (Exodus 21:6) Now long could such a servitude be? Only as long as the individual lived! Then how long will the lake of fire burn? Only so long as the life of those consigned there lasts. Since the wicked never receive immortality, and since they do not possess it, they shall be tormented only so long as their life shall continue. The fire of that lake is a devouring fire. (Revelation 20:9) This fire "eats" into their bodies, until they are consumed. (Zechariah 14:12)

Section #5 -- The Unquenchable Fire

Mark 9: 43-48 -- Cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Note - The term translated "hell" in these verses is the Greek word, Ghehenna which refers to the Valley of Hinnom. In this valley in Old Testament times, living sacrifices were made to the god, Molech. (Jeremiah 7:31; 32:35) As a deterrent against this gross idolatry, the valley was turned into the city dump of Jerusalem. Here the "worms" and the "fire" continually consumed the garbage. The garbage did not put out the fire, nor kill the worms. Christ used this valley as an illustration of the end of all sinners, for outside of the New Jerusalem will be consigned the "garbage" of earth. The wicked will not be able to put out the fire of God's judgment.

Sodom is pictured in the Bible as "suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 7) Is Sodom here today? Was the city able to escape the fire? Just so, the fire of God is eternal in consequences, and no man can alter the objective for which it is intended - to cleanse and purity the earth from sin and sinners.

p 60 -- Section #6 -- Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord

II Corinthians 5:1-8 -- For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God ... eternal in the heavens. For this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven ... For we ... do groan ... that mortality might be swallowed up of life ... knowing that, whilst we are home in the body, we are absent from the Lord ... We are ... willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Note - These verses are interpreted to mean that as soon as one dies, he, if in a "saved" condition, will be transported into the presence of God. However, the phraseology used by Paul in these verses is also to be found in other epistles. Here he speaks of groaning for a change from the earthly to the heavenly body. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul wrote that the whole creation is groaning and travailing in pain, adding - "and not only they, but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." (8:22-23) This expectation of change, this hope of deliverance from the bondage of sin, not only spiritually, but also physically is the echo of the Scriptures. Job expressed this expectation in the hope that his Redeemer liveth, and though there would be a dissolution of the body, yet he would see God with his own eyes. (Job 19:25-27) David indicated he would be satisfied when he awoke with the likeness of God, . a restored image. (Ps. 17:15) But in all of the expectation, there is a sense of a waiting period.

Paul in writing the above verses indicated that the objective of the groaning was "that mortality be swallowed up of life." In his first epistle to the Corinthians, he had told them when this would be - "at the last trump." When "this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality," then death would be swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:5154). What then is Paul trying to say in these verses? He is illustrating what he had just written at the close of the previous chapter. There is "for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" because we look not at what is seen, but the unseen, for "the things which are not seen are eternal." (II Corinthians 4:17-18) That new body which will be ours is "eternal in the heavens." (5:1) We do not see it - "we walk by faith, not by sight." (5:7) This then becomes an elaboration of what Paul wrote in the previous letter to the church at Corinth. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." ( I Corinthians 15:19) There is hope - though unseen by mortal eye - beyond death and the grave. While we must wait till "the last trump.", The sensation of that waiting is not realized.

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