End Time is one event… (Introductory commentary)

EVENT

This begins a new series of narrative commentaries about end time scripture. We wish it could be all inclusive but there is so many end time passages throughout the Old and New Testaments it is almost impossible to cover them all yet alone find every verse. This series will address many questions posed by believers and end time searchers. We will teach but you decide.

What makes an end time study so troubling? For most people it is the volume of information found in Old and New Testament, all pointing to the same end but no straightforward way of making them contiguous. Grasping this volume of end time scripture is like drinking from multiple fire hoses at the same time. This series is to help the reader understand that End Time is ONE EVENT. After that, it is all Millennial Reign then a New Heaven and a New Earth.

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Example fire hoses: Matthew 23:1-3 and 24, Jeremiah 30, Isaiah 34, Joel 3, Revelation 13, 14, II Thessalonians 2,4, 5, & 6, Daniel 2 & 7-12, Ezekiel 37-39, Isaiah 46, Joel 2. Simply reading this Example list makes one flounder in the volume of words, symbolisms offered, and content versus context. This list is but a small dent in the passages we will discuss. We will do our best to put these passages (and many more) into their context [see the following chart].

Let’s begin with a no-brainer. Revelation 21 explains what happens AFTER God judges the world, the skies, the people, and the fallen angels. However, how closely does one read the few words at the beginning of Revelation 21…a New Heaven and a New Earth? The first heaven and earth will be replaced. The ground we stand on, are buried in, the heaven above, and the seas that have swallowed up so much life will no longer exist. This is NOT the Millennial Reign. It is what follows it. 

How do we support this? Satan is bound for a thousand years then released into this present make up of our known universe(s). He is not part of the new Heaven and the new earth. Scripture promises that all will be new.

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It is the goal of this series of articles to pull these scriptures together. To make sense of their common denominators. The most common denominator is the phrase so often used within ahabiblecoments.com is In/On That Day. This is the Day of the Lord when God puts an end to any additional need to grasp the meanings of his multiple messages found in the Old and New Testament. From time-to-time, we will use graphics to help. That Day does not mean all will happen in a 24-hour period. It is an end-time-period that will bring an end to the Genesis 1:5 creation of time and the later influence of Satan with his fallen minions (angels).

Several times in the Bible, different prophets use metaphors to point out the same thing. It is common to find each Bible prophet to identify That Day from a different street corner, but the same corner. It helps to understand that even though the individual Bible book authors are looking at the same event, they see it from a different but common street corner. Simply put…there is only ONE END of TIME. Just as God created time itself in Genesis one, He ends it all at the same time. Any attempt to make each prophetic event an exclusive topic in and of itself tends to make the reader think it may be a different topic altogether. It is all a part of In That Day, an end time event.

There are five On or In That Day time events to keep distinct: 

  1. The appointed 7-year time of tribulation for Israel i.e., Jerusalem.
    1. 3 ½ years of a false peace.
    2. 3 ½ years of trials for Israel sometimes identified as Jacob’s Troubles
  2. The time between the end of the 7-years of Jacob’s Trouble and Jesus setting up his Millennial Kingdom. He judges the nations between the end of the Tribulation and his Millennial Reign.
  3. The 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom
  4. Satan is released, his final run at overthrowing Jesus on earth begins for a brief time.
  5. Eternity: one of two places. Neither will have a permanent grave.

We suggest you print out the above list. Keep it on hand to correlate the numbers 1 through 5 with the identities we discuss in each End Time event and scripture. There is but one end time (singular) event but multiple fire hoses [See opening paragraph; line #2]. We will drink from these hoses at a slower rate than trying to simultaneously drink from the five above mentioned fire hoses. Each commentary will fit a time span within End Time. 

A passage seldom understood as part of end time scripture is found in Genesis 3:15, better explained in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 12:9.  In Genesis 3:15 we read (NKJV) “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” In Revelation 12:9So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Is it any wonder why God will create a NEW heaven and earth? Satan will be bound to this one.

Neither of these two verses identify the woman’s seed, the woman, the heel bitten, how or when will be the biting at the heel, or details of the crushing of the serpent’s head. The Genesis and Revelation passages do point out that these events will happen, but when? ONLY God the Father knows that appointed time [Matthew 24:6]. The crushing of the head of the serpent (Satan) is hinted to in Romans 16:20:

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Will God crush Satan’s (serpent) head or someone’s feet that he selects? We will delve deeper and hopefully offer a better understanding of this verse explaining how it fits into One That Day.

Something of thoughtful consideration is the serpent Satan biting at the heel. The authors of the Bible do not need legend or mythology to make a point, but God often uses comparative verbiage. That is, something that is similar but much shorter than would be a parable. In the case of why might this reference to the serpent Satan biting the heel [Genesis 3:15] of mankind infer a reference to a much later English phrase…Achilles’ heel? 

Be Aware

Satan will not go for the strong points in humankind but his and her weak point. We know the Achille’s heel story is Greek mythology. This passage in Genesis, like a simple parable, may be an inference to a future Greek mythological point. Satan attacks one’s Achille’s heel. If it is a simple parallel coincident, it is still valid.

Even if this is not an intended futuristic analogy, the Achille’s heel and Satan biting at the heel of man, it is valid. This does not mean defeat. Scripture tells us in Genesis 3:15c…” Satan can only (attempt) to bruise our heel.” God built choice into man upon creation. S/he can surrender to a temptation or opt for another path when Satan bites at our heel. Per scripture, Serpent Satan’s bite is not fatal, but our choices will be eternal. Once a choice in life is self-determined, one is now a servant to it. To change that decision requires one to change his or her choice.

An end-time parallel point seldom recognized is God’s judgements on the northern and southern Kingdoms of Israel and Judah by Assyria and Babylon and end time events. The Assyrian dispersion of the Northern 10-Tribe Kingdom had no refugees returning. There was no longer a kingdom to which to return. In the case of the 70-year Babylonian captivity of Judah, some returned but not to a kingdom. They returned to a geographical province under the thumb of Babylonia. Both kingdoms suffered a similar judgement of G-d parallel to what we will be examining in this series of narrative end time commentaries. Israel as a nation will suffer like never before. This will be during the second half of the 7-year Tribulation (i.e., Jacob’s Trouble). Then as did Assyria and Babylon suffer God’s judged for how they treated the Israelis, the world that aligns against Israel during the Tribulation will suffer greatly for their aggression against Israel (cf. Matthew 24:21).

It will look so hopeless for Israel during this global aggression against them, these people of Jacob’s descent will be forced to accept Christ as the chosen king of Israel. (Zechariah 12:3; cntrl/click) The world of nations, just as did Assyria and Babylon, will meet their demise. 

Now to begin our narrative scripture-based commentary on the different parts of the same thing…End Time.

Rev Dr. Jstark
2022

Crown of Jewels? End Time

The following is a question asked of an ahabiblemoments.com reader. She asks, “will our crown(s) in heaven actually have inlaid jewels?” It has taken a couple of days to reply as any research needs supporting Bible references. If there is nothing offered to support one’s conclusion it is nothing more than opinion; right or wrong. The following is our conclusion at ahabiblemoments.com.

Remember: We teach but You decide

Might one recall the old Sunday School nursery song of Climb, climb up sunshine mountain faces all aglow? We learn things as kids and adults that are not actualities, but symbolism. As a young child or a newcomer to anything, one tends to accept what is said as true, not symbolic. Our learning becomes fact to us and seldom will a person think differently later life. There is no sunshine mountain in either the Old or the New Testament. Mountains…YES, but no mountain named Sunshine. We can’t reach the proverbial top of a non-existing mountain on our own works and effort to climb it. This is what we are about to address per the good question of physical crowns and differing jewels within them.

First, consider Isaiah 28:5…(We often use the New King James Version or the New American Standard. These two are very close to direct interpretations of original Bible records) In that day the LORD of hosts will be For a crown (at-aw-raw’) of glory and a diadem (which means a crown) of beauty to the remnant of His people,”. Note that this is a reference to “His people”, a remnant in End Time. They are of Israel DNA. A crown of glory is not a physical crown but symbolic or figurative. The crown of glory is Christ (God) himself. The word CROWN can be both a noun and a verb. It is the GLORY that is the emphasis. The recognition of having earned a crown of glory.

Back up to verse 3 in Isaiah 28. The crown mentioned in verse 3 of Isaiah 28 is the crown of pride. Same thing in verse #1. Not a physical property but a figurative description of one’s sense of him or herself as something earned. One might say…This is Old Testament stuff. Well…read on.

Revelation 3:11 states, “Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast to what you have, that no one will take your crown. Again, this is the taking of one’s belief and confidence in Christ during the 7-year Tribulation…more accurately: this passage in Revelation is a reference to and during the trouble of Jacob; the final 3 ½ years of the 7-year Tribulation. To emphasize such symbolism, go to the next verse in Revelation 3. (V12) He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. Like receiving the proverbial crown inlaid with jewels believers will not become literal PILLARS in the Temple of God. This has all to do with status recognition. Do not be misguided. One cannot earn his or her salvation, but we can earn status. EARN STATUS? Isn’t this incorrect interpretation of scripture? Let’s look at what Jesus said in Luke 9:48.

“Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”

Doesn’t this passage in Luke read as pointing out different levels of reward or differing levels of recognition in the eyes of God? If one needs additional scripture support, read Matthew 23:1-12 or Mark 9:30-37. Yes, it is the same verse as found in Luke, but to be repeated three times in three different books of the Bible suggests its significance.

We at this website have researched and studied well over 100 verses that address the words crown and jewels. I Thessalonians 2:19 helps support our conclusion. It reads: For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? Note that the word crown is again something descriptive of hope; joy; crown being recognition. Go to the very next verse in I Thessalonians (2:20). For you are our glory and joy.” Glory and joy are not properties but identities. Neither is the word crown a property but an identity. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are it.

Regarding jewels.

After studying well over 116 passages that reference “jewels”. Again, most often it is symbolic of value, a very high value of finery as in well done my good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).

Isaiah 61:10 reads…I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Garments of salvation? Robes of righteousness? Not every bride decks herself with garland and adorns herself with jewels. Not “decking out” does not make a woman a non-bride. It is symbolism meaning to be in her glory. In heaven s/he will have the support of God’s glory upon him or her.

The jewels are the added value of one’s salvation, glory and reward at the Judgment Seat of God, but earned on earth. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:10…For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. This judgement is referenced in Revelation 20:11-15.

·        The Victor’s Crown. This crown (recognition) will be awarded to those who discipline their minds through the study of God’s Word and prayer (1 Corinthians 9:25–27).

·        The Crown (recognition) of Rejoicing, which will be given to those who have led others to Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

·        The Crown (recognition) of Righteousness, which will be given to those who have a longing for the Lord Jesus—who look for Jesus’ return (2 Timothy 4:8).

·        The Crown of Life (recognition), placed upon those who have endured and triumphed over trial and temptation and persecution, even to the point of martyrdom (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10).

·        The Crown of Glory (recognition), awarded to the faithful shepherds of the people of God and to Christian leaders (1 Peter 5:4).

·        By definition from scripture, here is what crown means. “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown (recognition in heaven) in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

HMMM? We often ignore the Martyr’s Crown discussed in Revelation 2:10. Does one eagerly anticipate wearing it?

This list of six crowns )plus one) believers will receive after Christ returns and judges, is of recognition There may be more rewards, but the list validates our conclusion. It is an identity (crowns) with jewels probably being the additional rewards of great value once in…, read the next paragraph.

John 14 tells us that we will live in mansions. Oddly, we take or assume the word mansions to mean what we understand today as a dwelling. It may be a universe of our own or an estate that includes a universe. Modern science tells us that there are hundreds of millions of individual universes outside our own earth’s solar system and universe (I Corinthians 2:9 and 10).

When scripture tells us that we will lay our crowns before the feet of God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) it is again an allegory. It means as believers we will give full credit to the One we worship and who redeems us. Not of yourself but of God (read 2 Corinthians 3:5)… Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,…” This is why the 24 elders of Revelation 4:4 toss their crowns (their status in heaven) before the feet of God as will all redeemed believers.

Joan N. I apologize for not being able to give you a plausible short answer. Our personal belief is that one must add supporting scripture to a correct conclusion. A conclusion is not accepted as valid unless one gives supporting reference. To simply say “take my word for it” is not a support. I have dealt with far too many people who quote, and too often misquote scripture to validate his or her desired conclusions.

Rev Dr. Jstark
2022- (a question from a reader)