Posted 5-19-01
Here are different translations of Rev. 22:14-16. The meaning of the Lord Jesus Christ's words is very clear. Not only was it in the best interest of Israel to wash their clothes, we should wash our robes clean.
(Weymouth) "Blessed are those who WASH THEIR ROBES CLEAN, that they may have a RIGHT to the Tree of Life, and may go through the gates into the city. THE UNCLEAN ARE SHUT OUT, and so are all who practise magic, all fornicators, all murderers, and those who worship idols, and every one who loves falsehood and tells lies. "I Jesus have sent My angel for him solemnly to declare these things to you among the Churches."
(Rotherham): "Happy, they who are washing their robes, that their right may be unto the tree of life and, by the gates, they may enter into the city. Outside, are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the unchaste, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one loving and doing falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my messenger, to bear witness unto you of these things, for the assemblies. I, am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright and the morning Star.
(Darby): "Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city. Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loves and makes a lie. *I* Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies. *I* am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star."
There is even a correlation between Sinai (prob. derived from the Sanskrit, Sani, Saturn) and "the bright and morning star."
We have something to do, wash our robes, i.e., confess known sins since we accepted Christ. The Lord has something to do too. He is the one that cleanses us of all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).
John 13:6-10 (KJV) is something else on this subject that we should pay attention to. It says, "Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean."
So glad your excited about Him coming back too! Thanks
Luke 13:24,25 says, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath SHUT TO THE DOOR, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I KNOW YOU NOT WHENCE YE ARE." Their lamps are not burning brightly so they can be seen easily. I want my lamp to burn as brightly as possible. I want the Lord to know me, and where I am located, very well.
> > > The duration and extravagance of the wedding celebration in the ancient world was only limited by the wealth of the groom’s father, and these parties were known to last for months in the time of Christ!
> > > To me, this makes the Millennium a 1000 year wedding celebration given by our Heavenly Father, who owns everything, for His Son, Jesus, and we are the bride.
To me, the Wedding will only precede the Second Advent by the 7 Jewish months in Eze, 39:12,13. We will all return to Earth with Christ at the Second Advent. Zech. 14:5 says, "the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." The Judgment of the Nations will be held, and Armageddon will be fought, after the Second Advent. Those things do not sound like a wedding celebration is going on at the same time.
> > > In Matt 25:1-13, immediately after Jesus answers questions about the Second Advent (That sets our CONTEXT), He says THEN, meaning at the Second Advent, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins. The virgins, according to custom, are waiting outside the wedding chamber. When the bride and groom came out of the wedding chamber, five of the virgins were wise and properly prepared and were admitted to the celebration. The other five were unwise, and not prepared and were refused entrance.
> > > My interpretation of the parable of the 10 virgins is that they symbolize ALL of ISRAEL at the Second Advent, as they await the return of Jesus with His bride (the Church), from their heavenly wedding chamber. The 5 unwise virgins represent "religious" Israel, who trust in their own works, and are not "saved" and are refused entrance to the wedding celebration. The 5 wise virgins represent born again children of God, clothed with the righteousness of God, and they live into the Millennium. See Jer 3:12-19.
In Mt. 24, I think Jesus was talking about the Pre-Trib Rapture from "it is near, even at the doors" (Rev. 3:8) in the parable of the fig tree (24:33) through the end of the chapter in v. 51. The Rapture is "as the days of Noe." At the Rapture, there will be a "faithful and wise servant" and an "evil servant." Both are servants of the Lord. Of the evil servant, Jesus said, "if that evil servant shall say in his heart, MY LORD delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; THE LORD OF THAT SERVANT shall COME in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall CUT HIM ASUNDER, and appoint him his portion (2300 days of the Tribulation, Dan. 8:13,14) with the hypocrites (pretenders): there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
In the original, there was no chapter division here. Jesus went on to say, "THEN (TOTE, AT THE SAME TIME, i.e., at the time of the Rapture, when the evil servant is cut off) shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins." The 5 wise virgins are the "faithful and wise" servants. The 5 foolish virgins are the "evil" servants. The time is the Pre-Trib Rapture. This is when Lu. 12:46 is fulfilled. It says, "The lord of that servant (the unwise) will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder (lit., cut him off), and will appoint him his portion (2300 days of the Tribulation) with the UNBELIEVERS." This is also when the man without a wedding garment in Mt. 22 will be cast outside the door, where he will weep and gnash his teeth.
> > Concerning the issue some have made of the virgins' "lamp oil", notice in Matt 25:3, that the foolish virgins took NO oil with them. Oil in Scripture often symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and the 5 unwise virgins had none. They only had a temporary lamp in their hand, not real righteousness, but as Jesus often said to the Pharisees, they only had an external show of righteousness as whitewashed tombstones.
The foolish virgins had no EXTRA oil with them. Mt. 25:4 (KJV) says, "But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." The RSV has, "but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps."
Both wise and foolish had burning lamps, i.e., they had both received the sealing oil of the Holy Spirit when they accepted Christ. However, the wise took extra oil in their vessels (bodies). The foolish took no extra oil with them in their bodies. Soon, the lamps of the foolish sputtered as if to go out. The KJV's "gone out" should be translated going out, as in Scofield's note. Sbennumi means to suppress. The foolish were quenching the Holy Spirit by their sins. They were out of fellowship with our Holy God. Unconfessed sin erected a barrier between them and God. To get rid of it, they needed to allow the Lord to wash their feet by confessing their sins so he could cleanse them of all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). John 13:8 says, "Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, IF I WASH THEE NOT, THOU HAST NO PART WITH ME." This is so important. We need to let Jesus wash our feet by confessing our sins so he can cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
> > Notice at the end of the chapter, Jesus speaks of His Second Advent and describes the rest of the human nations who physically live through the 7 year tribulation as "sheep" (saved) and "goats" (unsaved). The "sheep" inherit the Kingdom (Millennium, see Isa 2:1-4) and the "goats" go away into everlasting punishment.
> > The LITERAL interpretation, I believe, is that the 10 virgins represent the children of Israel, all over the world, at the Second Advent.
Jesus finished with the subject of the Pre-Trib Rapture in Mt. 25:30, saying, "cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness (outside the doors): there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He started a new subject in v. 31: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory..." By the Second Advent, all saints (virgins, wise and foolish) have been caught up to Heaven, either in the Pre-Trib Rapture or the Pre-Wrath Rapture. They have already been judged for rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ in Heaven. They will not be judged again at the Judgment of the Nations on Earth. I think the 5 wise virgins are the Bride of Christ caught up to Heaven in the Pre-Trib Rapture. I think the 5 foolish virgins are the rest of the Body of Christ caught up to Heaven in the Pre-Wrath Rapture, which is 7 months before the Second Advent (Eze. 39:12,13).
> > I do not find any application to the Church Age children of God in the parable of the 10 Virgins. The 10 virgins in the parable are awaiting the return of Jesus at the Second Advent and the Church will return with Him as His bride
I think the 10 virgins apply to believers at the Pre-Trib Rapture. The wise virgins are the Bride. They go with the Bridegroom when he comes. The foolish virgins do not seem to be part of the Bride group. This could be their last chance to join the Bride group. The 144,000 Israelites that are caught up in the Pre-Wrath Rapture are part of the Bride group, but no one else can sing the new song then but the 144,000 (Rev. 14:3-5).
> > I cannot in good conscience take the parable of the 10 virgins out of context and use it to try to make God's people doubt their SALVATION.
There it is again, mixing up Salvation with being accounted worthy to escape at the first trump of God. The parable of the 10 virgins has nothing to do with salvation. It shows which group of already saved servants is caught up in the Pre-Trib Rapture (the Bride group) and which group is left behind at that time to be chastened during the 2300 days (Dan. 8:13,14) of the shortened Tribulation. Luke 21:24-26 says, "take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
Just as there are two groups of virgins, there are two Raptures and two trumps to call the saints up to Heaven. The first trump of God is in I Thess. 4:16,17. That is the Pre-Trib Rapture of the wise virgins. The "last trump" of God is in I Cor. 15:51,52. That is the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the foolish virgins.
Nu. 10:1-4 says, "the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee TWO TRUMPETS of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest USE THEM FOR THE CALLING OF THE ASSEMBLY (as in Heb. 12:23), AND FOR THE JOURNEYING (macca, DEPARTURE) OF THE CAMPS. And when they shall BLOW WITH THEM (BOTH), all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation (2nd Rapture). And if they blow but with ONE TRUMPET (1st Rapture), then the princes (24 elders), which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee."
Isa. 18:3-6 shows the two groups. One shows fruit, the other does not. It says, "ALL YE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD, AND DWELLERS ON THE EARTH, SEE YE, when he lifteth up an ensign (flag, i.e., of the OWG/UN) on the mountains (nations); and when HE (THE LORD) BLOWETH A TRUMPET (i.e., the first trump, I Thess. 4:16,17), HEAR YE. For so the LORD said unto me, I will take MY REST (suggesting a Sabbatic Year, i.e., 5761), and I will consider (see) in my dwelling place (Heaven) like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For AFORE THE HARVEST, WHEN the bud is perfect, and THE SOUR GRAPE IS RIPENING in the flower, he shall both CUT OFF THE SPRIGS with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches (i.e., that have no fruit). THEY SHALL BE LEFT together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the BEASTS (i.e., of Rev. 13) of the earth: and the fowls shall SUMMER UPON THEM (i.e., BOTH THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE AND THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION ARE IN THE SPRING), and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them."
When did the Lord blow the first trumpet of the Bible? at Sinai. Ex. 19:10-21 says, "the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes (i.e., confess our sins), And be ready against the third day (1998 + 3 = 2001): for THE THIRD DAY THE LORD WILL COME DOWN in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: WHEN THE TRUMPET SOUNDETH LONG, THEY SHALL COME UP to the mount. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the TRUMPET sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a VOICE. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai (prob. from the Sanskrit Sani, Saturn, i.e., Heaven), on the top of the mount: and THE LORD CALLED MOSES UP to the top of the mount; and MOSES WENT UP (depicting the Pre-Trib Rapture). And the LORD said unto Moses, GO DOWN." Because Moses is one of the two witnesses that Jesus will bring with him. Moses and Elijah will stay on Earth for the next 3.5 years. Agape
Sorry no, I do not.
>The Jewish Publication Society translates De. 6:4 as "HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE."
This is the exact translation I stated in my first email. Sh'ma Yisra'el (Hear, O Israel) Adonai (the Lord) ELOHEINU (our GOD, singular not Elohim, plural) Adonai (the Lord) Echad (is One, meaning singular).
>Brenton's translation of the Septuagint has, "Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord."
Different arrangement of the words but the meaning still remains the same.
>Herb Jahn did a better job in his Exegesis Parallel Bible, used by many Messianic Jews. De. 6:4 says, "Hear, O Yisra El! Yah Veh our Elohim is one Yah Veh!
Now this is quite different...perhaps this will be the version Moses and Elijah will preach during their 1260 day ministry in Jerusalem!
Thanks once again for all your study and thoughtful answers to the questions from all of us who read your website and eagerly await each new posting of P & C. Thanks also for the time you take to answer (so quickly) the emails which you are inundated with. Shalom and agape
I sure wish I knew more about the original languages of the Bible. As it is, things come clearer to me when I compare different translations. As you know, it seems that we should know the correct name of the Son of God. Prov. 30:4 says, "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
If thou canst tell rings through my head as I read his name in different versions. It is a good thing that the Lord knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Of these three examples, I would have to agree with you that the Exegesis is the clearest. I once read a Bible, maybe called The Name Bible, where all the names of God were left untranslated. I liked that, but even that involved transliteration. If we don't know the original language, we can't understand, remember or write the name otherwise.
Isa. 54:5 (KJV) says to Israel, "thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD (YHVH) of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God (Elohim) of the whole earth shall he be called."
The Complete Jewish Bible says, "your husband is your Maker, ADONAI-Tzva'ot is his name. The Holy One of Isra'el is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of all the earth."
The Exegesis translation does not bring out the full truth of the first phrase, but the rest is clearer. It says, "your Worker is your master; Yah Veh Sabaoth is his name; and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Yisra El; the Elohim of the whole earth he is called."
I can't put my fingers on it right now, but just lately, I read that the Rabbis had said that there was a tradition that Messiah's name is "Yinnon." That is interesting. On page 58 in my first book, Exit: 2007, I said, "Fred Meldau, editor of Christian Victory Magazine in 1956, when his book, Messiah in Both Testaments, was published, found an interesting statement in the Hebrew of Psalm 72. On page 90 of his book, he said that the English translation of verse 17-- "His[Christ's] name shall continue as long as the sun"--is in the original Hebrew, "Before the sun was, His name (was) Yinon." If you run across anything on this, please let me know. I should have printed that paragraph about "Yinnon" while I knew where it was.
At the end of Psalms Book II, Psa. 72:17-20 (Exegesis Bible) says, "His name, Eternal; his name perpetuates at the face of the sun; and they bless themselves in him: all goyim call him blithesome. Blessed--Yah Veh Elohim, Elohim of Yisra El, who alone works marvels. And blessed--his honored name eternally; and may the whole earth fills with his honor; Amen and Amen. The prayers by David the son of Yishay are concluded."
Strong's Concordance is not a lot of help in this.
|1961| Will be (hayah) I understand that when hayah is used, it denotes some type of change, i.e., will become
|8034| His name (shem)
|5769| forever ('owlam, perpetual, time out of mind, past or future)
|6440| In front of (paniym, the face, plural (but always used as singular)
|8121| the sun (shemesh)
|5125| will continue (nuwn, be perpetual)
|8034| His name (shem)
I can't find the name Yinon/Yinnon there. Do you know anything about this?
I'm looking forward to meeting you and all I have corresponded with. What a day that will be. Shalom and agape
My first reading of the Bible back in 1978, at age 37, prompted me to try to summarise the impact of that which I had just encountered.
I proceeded to write a trilogy connecting the three steps we take from unsaved,through our walk in The Lord and onto our destined Heavenly Homecoming by way of the Rapture.
Never having written any form of poetry before, the impulse to express was a bit naive , but the Rapture Mystery and Hope that it engendered, strengthened my resolve to paint a word picture which that consummate moment inspires in any of us who are "Watching and Waiting".
For 23 years now, I have lived with this constant hope " Maybe Today" and it has ordered my footsteps towards His purpose as I seek His Soon Return.
As the 'Time' draws very near I am moved to focus and, if your time concepts are accurate, it is certainly a very good reason to be quickened. If however they are not spot-on it is still a very good reason to be quickened.
It seems timely to share with you this ditty, as it seems to say much about the moment we are now living in, and I pray that it blesses you in the way it has blessed me in that great Hope over these past years. (Jer. 50:2)
'O RAPTURE DIVINE
You show us a MYSTERY, we shall not all die?
When the last fleeting moments, on earth give a sigh.
In BLESSED HOPE we wait, to meet in the sky,
With our SAVIOUR who comes, in the clouds up on high.
You'll whisk us from death, in the twinkling of an eye,
It's what we all long for, as the MILLENIUM DRAWS NIGH.
'O Heavenly SAVIOUR, help quicken our pace,
As the moment draws near, for the END OF THE RACE.
'O in that moment, help us find GRACE,
So there'll be no shame, as we gaze on YOUR FACE.
'O RAPTURE DIVINE, when we rise to that place,
We'll all knit together, like patterns in lace.
'O what a MYSTERY, a MIRACULOUS THING,
'O DEATH where's thy victory,'O GRAVE, where's thy sting.
We'll meet with SAINTS, of NOW and of OLD,
How great a tale of TRUTH will unfold.
No more will our social fabric be torn,
Making our dreams, all lost and forlorn.
No more we'll suffer derision and scorn,
We'll all be there, BECAUSE WE WERE REBORN.
For in THAT GREAT CITY..... WE'LL LIVE WITHOUT FLAW,
In FELLOWSHIP...In WORSHIP..In SERVICE EVERMORE!
MARANATHA AMEN SO COME LORD JESUS
(Jesus really loves you) Agape
I appreciate the way you write, always encouraging us to substantiate your interpretations by reading the scriptures that support it. And I always admire the kind way you deal with discouraging words and/or criticism from others.
Marilyn, I was on business travel recently and can't remember which URL site I read about the recent rains, lightening and thunder that took place in Israel approximately a week or so ago. (Perhaps it was the 5 Doves site or the Rapture Ready site). Anyway, it stated that it rained so much in Israel that it caused flooding in some areas. The author went on to say that "it just never rains" this time of year in Israel. Do you think this could be a sign from God, in regards to the rapture or in regards to God's sorrow that many Jewish people have not accepted Jesus as His Son? I know its been discussed about the possibility of a "sign" from God 10 days before the Rapture, and of course this is quite a few days before the anticipated date of May 28th. Just wondering about your thoughts on this? May God bless you and your husband.
Jer. 5:24 says, "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."
His seasons seem to be fall and spring. The former rain stands for the First Advent, coming on Tishri 1 in the fall. The latter rain stands for the Second Advent, coming on Nisan 1 in the spring. Hos. 6:3 says, "the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
Jer. 5:24's "he reserveth (shamar, keeps) unto us the appointed WEEKS (shabuwa, lit., sevened) of the harvest" is very interesting. It is talking about the Feast of Weeks, Pentecost, the wheat harvest.
BBE says, "who keeps for us the ordered weeks of the grain-cutting." This sounds like they cut grain from Firstfruits to Pentecost. Agape
The "locusts" come up out of the bottomless pit where demons/wicked angels have been in prison. What else could they be but demons? Jude 6 says, "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." This is the Day of God's Wrath when the star (aster) of Rev. 8:10 and 9:1 opens the bottomless pit, the molten center of the Earth, and sets them free. Satan will be allowed his entire following to see if he can win the Angelic Conflict.
Out of the bottomless pit come smoke and living things in a great swarm as if they were locusts. These swarmers are given permission to hurt men 5 months. We know for sure that they are not literal locusts for they eat no green thing. They just torment men that have not the seal of God in their foreheads. That sounds like demons.
The "shapes of the locusts were like unto horses" (beasts, living things) with faces like "the faces of men" and "tails like unto scorpions" (they can pierce the skin and enter the flesh) and "like unto serpents" (devils). The "heads of the horses were as the heads of lions." This sounds like demons for I Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
To top it off, they have "a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit" (9:11). "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils." It seems likely that those that worship devils will be plagued by devils. See what you think. Agape
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