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Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Today we lay the Groundwork for our Thought Experiment: Your answers are vital... Lessons from the Wilderness Volume 55

 

Go to Part 12

Go to Beginning, Part 1

Go to Part 13       

 Go to Part 15

©2022, David E. Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries

 

Lessons from the Wilderness, Volume 55

…This is a Thought Experiment, Part Two

 …Revelation 14: A Search for Truth at the End of the Age i] [ii] [iii] [iv] [v]




Revelation 1:1-20              

1) The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which aGod gave Him to bshow to His bondservants, cthe things which must soon take place; and He sent and 1communicated it dby His angel to His bondservant eJohn,

 2) who testified to athe word of God and to bthe testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

  3) aBlessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and 1heed the things which are written in it; bfor the time is near.

   4) aJohn to bthe seven churches that are in cAsia: dGrace to you and peace, from eHim who is and who was and who 1is to come, and from fthe seven Spirits who are before His throne,

    5)and from Jesus Christ, athe faithful witness, the bfirstborn of the dead, and the cruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who dloves us and released us from our sins 1by His blood—

     6)and He has made us to be an akingdom, apriests to 1bHis God and Father—cto Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

     7) aBehold, He is coming with the clouds, and bevery eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will cmourn over Him. So, it is to be. Amen.

      8) “I am athe Alpha and the Omega,” says the bLord God, “cwho is and who was and who 1is to come, the Almighty.”

       9) aI, John, your bbrother and cfellow partaker in the tribulation and dkingdom and 1eperseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos fbecause of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

     10) I was 1ain the Spirit on bthe Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice clike the sound of a trumpet,

      11) saying, “aWrite in a 1book what you see, and send it to the bseven churches: to cEphesus and to dSmyrna and to ePergamum and to fThyatira and to gSardis and to hPhiladelphia and to iLaodicea.”

       12) Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw aseven golden lampstands,

       13) and ain the middle of the lampstands I saw one blike 1a son of man, cclothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and dgirded across His chest with a golden sash.

       14) His head and His ahair were white like white wool, like snow; and bHis eyes were like a flame of fire.

       15) His afeet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His bvoice was like the sound of many waters.

       16) In His right hand He held aseven stars, and out of His mouth came a bsharp two-edged sword; and His cface was like dthe sun 1shining in its strength.

       17) When I saw Him, I afell at His feet like a dead man. And He bplaced His right hand on me, saying, “cDo not be afraid; dI am the first and the last,

        18) and the aliving One; and I 1bwas dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have cthe keys of death and of Hades.

         19) “Therefore, awrite bthe things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place cafter these things.

         20) “As for the amystery of the bseven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the cseven golden lampstands: the bseven stars are the angels of dthe seven churches, and the seven elampstands are the seven churches. [vi]


        In May of 2021, I finished the first twelve parts of our study in Revelation. Why has it taken so long to get back to it you may wonder. My last post, a few days ago, is Part Thirteen of our study – with a hop down the bunny trail called “A Thought Experiment.” Why break it up? Added information, poured out by the Spirit, and found while I have been studying, has changed the trajectory, thus the change in direction.

In prior posts, I was dealing with the loss of loved ones; this inevitable part of life took hold of the direction of things, but now here we are. I know I had gone through only the first nine verses in those twelve parts but, truthfully? What has transpired in the past year or so has been a transformation of my studies -  or should I say how I study – and that has led to my opening of my eyes and ears to hear first - what the Spirit has to say, and second – to take my studies outside my normal lanes of traffic, and sometimes into the weeds, to look, to search, to see, what I have missed, or what I lacked understanding in.

The doors have opened wide on this subject, from numerous sources and much research. I tell you, I do not wish to handle God’s word carelessly, and come up with my own interpretations; I wish to follow exegesis and not eisegesis; I want my hermeneutics[vii] ([viii]) to follow a path of principles that fit the Scriptures and the doctrines contained within, not based upon what the “church” or the “Church fathers” have declared should be the way. These are not just bold statements; I want to return to the old path, to the boundaries of the Creator. I no longer wish to move outside of the boundary stones He has laid out, for to do so threatens to move the foundations upon which lays the chief cornerstone, Yeshua. There is a sense of urgency in the spirit realm – a sense that something dark comes this way, and for HaShem’s people to survive the coming storm, we MUST be in line with Him – nothing else will do.

             Now, this sounds all too familiar or dramatic, but if you sense it also, then hear me out. If it sounds like every other “gloom and doom” Soothsayer out there, and you are tired of hearing it, ignore it – but the cost may be at your own peril. Just maybe, I am wrong; but one cannot deny that the world is upside down right now; good is evil, right is wrong, and it is getting so not even the saints can tell the sacred from the profane anymore. Our children and grand-children are being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and “Woke-ism,” and the enemy of our souls has released his army of Blackness and shadows. Lies are truth, and truth is a lie – this is shouted by most of the main-stream media. That is why we, as believers, must exercise a thought experiment.

 Ever feel that way? I mean, what is our purpose? We struggle; the differences between yours and mine is just a different degree of intensity, but our experiences are common – as I said in my last post, there is nothing new under the sun. Look at the Bible again. I mean really look. There is no other document on this earth that bears the soul of its writer(s) greater than the Bible. All the warts, all the wrinkles, all the spots and blemishes of the various authors of this unique Book are laid out and exposed before us – it was their story, and it is our story. It is the story of those seeking the face of God and our struggles along the way. I do not know about you, but I need to find Him, and not just in an existential way, or in an academic way, but in a real and tangible manner – I must behold Him, I must compel myself each day to seek Him… Desire drives me and if He is not a part of all that I am, of all that I do, then I will fail. The world as we know, the one we knew, it is on fire. You all know that – I do not need to elaborate. No matter where you live, your values and core systems of belief are under assault. Freedom is hanging on by a thread, our circumstances grow more desperate, and we wonder how much we can manage anyway. Humanity is in peril; the culture of death tears at the very fabric of survival – and that takes up so many distinct aspects of our daily time and efforts that we are overwhelmed attempting to make sense of it all. Cannot you see this in your own lives, where you live?

Brethren, families everywhere are grappling with losses from the pandemic, coping with finances, with health, inflation; on and on the list grows. Many are feeling helpless, asking themselves “What can I do, how can I help, where are the resources to draw from?” More questions than answers, more tears than prayers, and even prayers seem to fall flat. Everyday there is more of this, too much of that, too little of everything…

I want to retreat, not exactly a great coping mechanism. Retreat solves nothing, but it at least allows me to draw a breath; sometimes that is all it takes. Therefore, it is essential we stretch our minds, ask questions. We need to think. Critically think about what it takes to survive a world on fire.

There is only one answer.

HaShem and Messiah Yeshua. Echad.


The Exercise

To keep this short, I will focus only upon three areas or questions I want you to ponder today.

·         Foreknowledge: to have previous knowledge beforehand especially by paranormal means or by revelation [ix]. In theology, foreknowledge refers to the all-knowing, omniscient [x] nature of God whereby He knows reality before it is real, all things and events before they happen, and all people before they exist. [xi] (See Genesis 12:3; Exodus 3:19; Isaiah 9:1-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Daniel 2:7, 31-45; Matthew 1:22; 4:14; 8:17; John 12:38-41; Acts 2:17-21; 3:22-25; Galatians 3:8; Hebrews 5:6; 1 Peter 1:10-12)

·         Predestination: from the Greek word proorizo, which carries the meaning of “determining beforehand,” “ordaining,” “deciding ahead of time.” (See Romans 8:29-30; Matt 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 8:33, 9:11, 11:5-7, 28; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10)

·         Inevitability: impossible to avoid or prevent; certain to happen. Many verses in Scripture speak to the things certain to happen; see Matthew 16:21, 17:10, 18:33; 23:23, 24:6, 25:27, 26:35, 54, Mark 8:31, 9:11, 13:7, 13:10, 13:14, 14:31; Luke 2:49, Luke 4:43, 9:22, 11:42, 12:12, 13:14, 13:16, 13:33, 15:32, 17:25, 18:1. All related to the Greek word Original: δεῖ (Strong’s G1163); - Transliteration: Dei; - Phonetic: die

                - Definition:

           1. it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper

                    a. necessity lying in the nature of the case

                    b. necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct of others toward us.

                    c. necessity in reference to what is required to attain some end

                    d. a necessity of law and command, of duty, equity

e. necessity established by the counsel and decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ, and which is disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies

1. concerning what Christ was destined finally to undergo, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension

                 - Origin: third person singular active present of G1210; - TDNT entry: 02:21,1; - Part(s) of speech: Verb.

 - Strong's: Third person singular active present of G1210; also, δεόν deon which is neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally.

                                it is (was etc.) necessary (as binding): - behoved be meet must (needs) (be) need (-ful) ought should.

                Total KJV Occurrences: 72

        be, 1:  1Pe_1:6  

        meet, 1:  Rom_1:27 

• must, 36:  Mat_16:21; Mat_17:10; Mar_8:31; Mar_9:11; Luk_22:7; Luk_24:7; Joh_3:30; Joh_12:34;  Joh_20:9;Act_4:12; Act_14:22; Act_16:30; Act_18:21; Act_19:21; Act_21:22; Act_27:24; Act_27:26;1Co_11:19;  1Co_15:25; 1Co_15:53; 2Co_5:10; 1Ti_3:2; 1Ti_3:7; 2Ti_2:6; 2Ti_2:24; Tit_1:7; Heb_9:26; Heb_11:6Rev_1:1; Rev_4:1; Rev_10:11; Rev_11:5; Rev_13:10; Rev_17:10; Rev_20:3; Rev_22:6

          needful, 1: Act_15:5

          needs, 4: Joh_4:4; Act_1:16; Act_17:3; 2Co_11:30

  ought, 23:  Luk_13:14; Luk_18:1; Joh_4:20; Act_5:29; Act_19:36; Act_20:35; Act_24:19; Act_25:10; Act_25:24;                                            Act_26:9; Rom_8:26; Rom_12:3; 1Co_8:2; 2Co_2:3; Eph_6:20; Col_4:4; Col_4:6; 1Th_4:12Th_3:7; 1Ti_5:13;                                               Tit_1:11; Heb_2:1; 2Pe_3:11

           oughtest, 2 Act_10:6; 1Ti_3:15

            should, 3 Mat_26:35; Mar_14:31; Act_27:

             stopped, 1: Tit_1:11

 …So, it goes like this…

  will be asking two questions, and two questions only, and I want you to think carefully. How you answer is up to you. I will tell you my thoughts – but each must deduce an answer for themselves. 

Here are my questions:

Is all creation predestinated to an end by the foreknowledge of God?

If so, then does foreknowledge make this predestination inevitable?

So, I ask you again. Ponder on these questions. See if you can make your answers fit according to scripture.

Be sure to read the Scriptures I gave so you have a reference point from where to begin…

(Hint: there are no simple “Yes” or “No” answers. I think you will be surprised.)

 Till next time, may The Lord richly bless and keep you, my beloved, Amein.



[i] NOTICE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: Unless otherwise cited, all material found on this blogsite (original text, opinions, conclusions, and other material not related to cited sources remains the collected intellectual property of the author of this site, David E. Robinson, Elder Teacher, and are owned and controlled by myself and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions. Any errors found within, rest solely upon me; please do not blame the Father for my mistakes. I am teachable and correctable, fallible. 😊

[ii] FAIR USE DISCLAIMER: This blog site may contain content that is not authorized for use by its owner. All such material will be cited back to its original source. According to Section 107 of the Copyright Act: “…the fair use of a copyrighted work […] for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright…” I have made and will continue to make every effort to stay within all ethical and moral guidelines in the use of material presented here, and the use of these materials is solely intended for educational purposes only, and all efforts to obtain or sustain fair use of non-owned material will be made.

[iii] Author’s note: This site is for education only and is not affiliated with any institution, organization, or religious group. It is the sole production of its editor. Use of information from Jewish-themed websites (or any other source material) should not be construed as these sites endorsing or confirming any thesis introduced by the author of this epistle. I present the information from their respective sites for instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the readers understanding of the subjects discussed.

[iv] Author’s note:  Throughout this study I will be using the NET Bible® and the NET Notes®: within the notes you will see symbols like this: (א B Ψ 892* 2427 sys). These are abbreviations used by the NET Bible® for identifying the principal manuscript evidence that they (authors and translators of the NET Bible®) used in translating the Scriptures. Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/ and see their section labeled “NET Bible Principals of Translation” for a more complete explanation on these symbols and other items pertinent to the way the NET Bible uses them.

[v] Author’s Note: In these studies, I have used the notes that come along with the passages I cite from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I necessarily agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to any matters of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as the authors of the material write, so that you may benefit from the information contained within them. It truly is not my place to edit or correct them; if they state anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address these issues if requested. That is not to say I should not challenge something I believe might contradict the truth of God’s word; that I will do in the main body of my epistles for that is where my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not all) of the differences will come when I quote from a source that displays a decidedly Western/Greek mindset, as opposed to a Hebraic perspective. I must be intellectually honest – I am biased toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His son, Yeshua the Messiah. I pray then we all can find common ground as we study the Scriptures. Also, to be honest – I may be wrong in my conclusions also. I can only present to you what I deem at this time and place in my walk with God to be true. So, like any good teacher of the Word should tell you: do not trust my word or conclusions. Take what I say back to your Bible, evaluate it all against what you find written. Test everything. I try my best to be faithful in what I present, yet I am only human – and like any other human, I can make a mistake. So do your due diligence – study to show yourself approved, be a Berean and look to see if these things are so. If you find they agree – Halleluiah! If they do not agree – Halleluiah and let me know!! Let us sharpen one another. Shalom.

 a John 17:8; Rev 5:7

b Rev 22:6

c Dan 2:28f; Rev 1:19

1 Or signified

d Rev 17:1; 19:9f; 21:9; 22:16

e Rev 1:4, 9; 22:8

a Rev 1:9; 6:9; 12:17; 20:4
b 1 Cor 1:6; Rev 12:17
a Luke 11:28; Rev 22:7
1 Or keep
b Rom 13:11; Rev 3:11; 22:7, 10, 12
a Rev 1:1, 9; 22:8
b Rev 1:11, 20
c Acts 2:9
d Rom 1:7
e Rev 1:8, 17; 4:8; 16:5
1 Or is coming
f Is 11:2; Rev 3:1; 4:5; 5:6; 8:2
a Rev 3:14; 19:11
b 1 Cor 15:20; Col 1:18
c Rev 17:14; 19:16
d Rom 8:37
1 Or in
a Rev 5:10; 20:6
a Rev 5:10; 20:6
1 Or God and His Father
b Rom 15:6
c Rom 11:36
a Dan 7:13; 1 Thess 4:17
b Zech 12:10–14; John 19:37
c Luke 23:28
a Is 41:4; Rev 21:6; 22:13
b Rev 4:8; 11:17
c Rev 1:4
1 Or is coming
a Rev 1:1
b Acts 1:15
c Matt 20:23; Acts 14:22; 2 Cor 1:7; Phil 4:14
d 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 1:6
1 Or steadfastness
e 2 Thess 3:5; Rev 3:10
f Rev 1:2
1 Or in spirit
a Matt 22:43; Rev 4:2; 17:3; 21:10
b Acts 20:7
c Rev 4:1
a Rev 1:2, 19
1 Or scroll
b Rev 1:4, 20
c Rev 2:1
d Rev 2:8
e Rev 2:12
f Acts 16:14; Rev 2:18, 24
g Rev 3:1, 4
h Rev 3:7
i Col 2:1; Rev 3:14
a Ex 25:37; 37:23; Zech 4:2; Rev 1:20; 2:1
a Rev 2:1
b Ezek 1:26; Dan 7:13; 10:16; Rev 14:14
1 Or the Son of Man
c Dan 10:5
d Rev 15:6
a Dan 7:9
b Dan 7:9; 10:6; Rev 2:18; 19:12
a Ezek 1:7; Dan 10:6; Rev 2:18
b Ezek 1:24; 43:2; Rev 14:2; 19:6
a Rev 1:20; 2:1; 3:1
b Is 49:2; Heb 4:12; Rev 2:12, 16; 19:15
c Matt 17:2; Rev 10:1
d Judg 5:31
1 Lit shines
a Dan 8:17; 10:9, 10, 15
b Dan 8:18; 10:10, 12
c Matt 14:27; 17:7
d Is 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev 2:8; 22:13
a Luke 24:5; Rev 4:9f
1 Lit became
b Rom 6:9; Rev 2:8; 10:6; 15:7
c Job 38:17; Matt 11:23; 16:19; Rev 9:1; 20:1
a Rev 1:11
b Rev 1:12–16
c Rev 4:1
a Rom 11:25
b Rev 1:16; 2:1; 3:1
c Ex 25:37; 37:23; Zech 4:2; Rev 1:12; 2:1
b Rev 1:16; 2:1; 3:1
d Rev 1:4, 11
e Matt 5:14f
[vi] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Re 1:1–Re 2.
 
[vii] Hermeneutics: A thorough introduction to the art of hermeneutics can be found at https://knepublishing.com/index.php/Kne-Social/article/view/2733/5892 . Here is the gist from their introduction: “…Hermeneutics is basically a branch of a discipline closely related to language [1]. We think, interpret, talk, and write using language. Put simply, life cannot be separated from using language activities. Consequently, we need hermeneutics to live in society; we need a language interpretation [2] …”{References: [1]Kharmandar MA, Karimnia A: The fundamentals of constructing a hermeneutical model for poetry translation. Procedia-Social Behav Sci. 2013; 70: 580-591. [2] Palmer RE: Hermenuetika: Teori baru mengenai interpretasi [New theories of interpretation]. Jogiakarta: Pustaka Pelajar; 2003.
What I am saying briefly is this: society revolves around the use of language which is the definition of words to describe the ebb and flow of how a society could grow or whither. Hermeneutics is familiar to most bible students, as a word or theory spoke about by writers or pastors, but rarely used by the nominal student. There are four major types of hermeneutics that have emerged over the years as related to biblical interpretation: literal (plain meaning); moral (how ethical lessons are formed); allegorical (that beyond the explicit); and anagogical or mystical (that which explains what has been to that which is to come) – what can be called a “deep” reading of the literary or philosophical texts. [Condensed from Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Hermeneutics summary". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/summary/hermeneutics-principles-of-biblical-interpretation. Accessed 2 November 2022.]
 
[viii] See also PaRDeS, Jewish interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures: PeSHAT The first level of understanding is Peshat (simple, the intended or explicit meaning of the text); REMEZ The next level of understanding is called in Hebrew Remez (the alluded or the implied meaning of the text); DeRASH Another level of understanding the Scriptures is called in Hebrew "derash" (meaning "search", this is the homiletical or interpretive application of the text); SOD The final level of understanding the Scriptures is called in Hebrew "Sod" literally the “secret” or the esoteric, mystical meaning found in the text). See https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/1270231/jewish/Introduction.htm for more.
 
[ix] “foreknow,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreknow. Accessed 11/2/2022.
[x] Possessed of universal or complete knowledge: “omniscient,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omniscient. Accessed 11/2/2022.
[xi] Adapted from What is foreknowledge in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org.