Friday, November 3, 2017

THE ETERNITY OF YHWH



THE ETERNITY OF YHWH

Yes. The Bible teaches the eternity of God. This means that God has always existed. His existence extends endlessly in the past and in the future. There was not a time when He did not exist. He never came into being and He will never cease to exist.
The Bible says.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:2).
The Bible records God saying.
I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever (Deuteronomy 32:40).
Isaiah wrote.
Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD - with the first of them and with the last - I am He (Isaiah 41:4).
In the New Testament we read.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).
John wrote in the Book of Revelation.
And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay!" (Revelation 10:6).
He Is The Everlasting God
One of the names of God is El Olam (the everlasting God).
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33).
The Bible says that God inhabits eternity.
For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite (Isaiah 57:15).
He Was In The Beginning
As far back as we go, God is already there. Scripture says.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
Before anything was created, God was already there.
I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, your years are throughout all generations. Of old you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands" (Psalm 102:24,25).
He Is The First And The Last 
The God of the Bible is the first and the last.
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me' (Isaiah 44:6).
He Is The Alpha And Omega 
God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8).
He Is The One Who Is, Was, And Will Come 
He is the one who is, was, and who is to come.
And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come" (Revelation 4:8).
He Is The Eternal God 
He is called the eternal God.
The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27)
God Is The Great I Am
God is timeless, the eternal I AM. When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush He said to him.
Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is his name?' What shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you' (Exodus 3:13,14).
The eternal I AM is beyond the restraints of time.
Only He Knows The Future
Because God is not bound by time constraints He knows what will happen in the future. We find Him answering the questions of the martyrs to certain events before they occur.
They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed (Revelation 6:10,11).
Consequently, God will always be in control of all events.
God Himself Created Time
Time is a creation of God. Scripture speaks of events in the past, present and future. However God has never been bound to time. He sees all things in the present. The Bible says.
But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day (2 Peter 3:8).
We Can Only Approximate The Truth About God
The idea that God inhabits eternity but has His dealings in time causes apparent contradictions in the mind of humans. This is one of the antinomies in Scripture (two truths that are seemingly non-reconcilable).
There Is No End To God
The doctrine of the eternity of God provides comfort to believers. Since God will never cease to exist neither will those who have put their trust in Him.
Summary
The Bible teaches the eternity of God - He has always existed. There was never a time when He came into existence, there will never be a time when He goes out of existence. Because created time, He is not limited by it. Everything to Him is the present. Therefore He can tell us what will happen in our future because it is not future to Him.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Who's Painting Swastikas?




Who's Painting Swastikas?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t93LLC3FaEc

Jewish student caught painting Swastikas on her own door then claiming Anti-Semitic Attack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLt5U7VcHw8


Jewish Man Caught Spray Painting Swastikas & Making "anti-Semitic" Threatening Phone Calls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWW27uwfH_E


Jew arrested after spray painting swastikas on his own home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqqCMa8l7r0


Jewish Man Caught Perpetuating Swastika Hoax

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQcaVP8a6Wo


JCC Bomb Threats Done By Jew Antisemitism On The Rise Cemetery Not Vandalized

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsFWR6DBX5E



Why are Jewish people painting SWASTIKAS???

Jewish Mossad Motto:  By Way of Deception MAKE WAR

Saturday, September 9, 2017

A Future Bodily Return? Acts 1:9-11

A Future Bodily Return?

Acts 1:9-11

Delivered by DAVID CURTIS 07/09/17


If you attempt to share the eschatology view of Preterism (the view that says that the return of Christ happened in the first century) with others, I think you will quickly find out that Acts 1:11 is a very important text to the discussion. Most futurists would use Acts 1:11 as a proof text to say that Christ has not yet returned in His second coming. They use this text to teach that when Christ returns, in the future, He will come in a physical body and everyone will see Him. The Faithlife Study Bible commenting on verses 10-11; the futurist view when it says, "The angels attest to Jesus' future bodily return." Most futurist would say that "in just the same way" means that Yeshua is going to come exactly how He left in Acts 1:11. So for our time this morning I want to look at the text of Acts 1:9-11 and see if we can come to an understanding of what exactly it is saying to its first century audience. 
In the first chapter of the book of Acts we see the resurrected Christ teaching His disciples about the Kingdom of God and opening their minds to understand these truths. After spending forty days teaching them, Yeshua commissions them to proclaim the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the remotest part of the earth, and then He leaves them and ascends to the Father:
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9 NASB
We learn from Luke's former narrative that it was while Yeshua was in the act of blessing them with uplifted hands that He departed from them and went into heaven:
And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them. Luke 24:50-51 NASB
These texts are talking about the doctrine of the Ascension. The ascension of Yeshua is a central element in the Christian tradition. It is included in the two classic Christian creeds. Both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed affirm that Yeshua "ascended into heaven." 
By the word "ascension" we mean the removal of Yeshua from this earth into a different place and sphere, which we call heaven. A place seen by Isaiah (chapter 6) as high and exalted, a place of sovereign control and authority. The ascension means the Lord's physical removal from His people on earth and from this present state of affairs. It is a removal, a change of position and locale.
The ascension and the pouring out of the Spirit are connected:
"But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' 6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:5-7 NASB
Only after Yeshua ascended, could He send the promised Spirit. Reflecting on the ascension, Paul said:
Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, Philippians 2:9 NASB
"Therefore" begins this section with a ringing contrast. Because of Christ's humility (verses 6-8), His exaltation now follows (verses 9-11). Here we see a Divine principle in operation—it applies to you, me, and every believer. He who humbles himself shall be exalted. 
The words "highly exalted" are the Greek word huperupsoo, it means: "to elevate to a surpassing position, to exalt beyond all others, to exalt to the highest, maximum majesty." This particular exaltation is so grand that this particular Greek word is not used anyplace else in the whole Bible.
Our Lord changed residence in hypostatic union from earth to heaven forty days after the resurrection. He ascended to the right hand of God:
but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, 13 waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. Hebrews 10:12-13 NASB
Peter puts it this way:
who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. 1 Peter 3:22 NASB
The right hand of God is a metaphor for the place of supreme privilege and divine authority. We can determine what this statement means by referring to other Scriptures where the meaning appears to be clear. 
In Genesis 48:8-20 we find Jacob (Israel) brought Joseph's two sons, laying his hands upon them shortly before his death and blessing them both. In verse 17, we see Joseph trying to remove his father's hands from off his children and swapping them over so that his right hand rested on the firstborn son, Manasseh, for it was the firstborn who had special rights concerning inheritance. 
But Jacob prophetically saw that Ephraim would be greater than his elder brother, Manasseh and so had deliberately laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim: 
But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people and he also shall be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." Genesis 48:19 NASB
The right hand is, therefore, a position of superiority over and above others and of greater blessing than being positioned at the left hand. Notice that in Genesis 48:19 Jacob says clearly that Ephraim "shall be greater." The right hand is a place of honor above all else and all others: 
Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalms 16:11 NASB
This Psalm speaks of the great blessing and provision that there is at God's right hand for all His saints: 
(A Psalm of David.) The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." Psalms 110:1 NASB
When David speaks of the Messiah as being seated at the right hand of the Lord, he's saying that the Christ is to be given a position of great power and authority, a place of unequaled honor and blessing. 
These concepts are at the heart of the New Testament usage of the saying that Yeshua has been exalted to the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He's been elevated into a position that can be neither equaled nor bettered. He is the supreme Head over all things.
The ascension of Christ was taught in the Tanakh:
Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted. Isaiah 52:13 NASB
I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. 11 Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalms 16:8-11 NASB
This prophecy traces Christ from the cross through resurrection back into His glory at God's right hand through the ascension. 
The Lord is at Thy right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. Psalms 110:5 NASB
Please notice this: The exalted Christ will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. 
At the ascension, when Yeshua disappeared from their sight, He sat down at the right hand of God: 
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9 NASB
Physically, what is happening here? Is it that as they are talking to Yeshua He begins to float upward and ascends into a cloud and disappears? That is what it sounds like. But let me says this, Apart from understanding the Tanakh, you will never completely understand the New Testament. The writers of the New Testament all suppose that their readers understood the Tanakh. If we do not understand the language of the first three quarters of the Bible, we will never understand the last quarter—the New Testament.
Acts 1:9 is a good illustration of this principle. If we don't understand what the Tanakh teaches about "clouds," we will be lost here. The idea is not that Yeshua disappeared in a white puffy cloud. When Luke writes, "A cloud received Him out of their sight," they would recognize in this that He had gone to Yahweh, Who, when He revealed Himself, regularly did so in a cloud:
And it came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. Exodus 16:10 NASB
The cloud indicated Yahweh's presence:
And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I shall come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe in you forever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. Exodus 19:9 NASB
And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Exodus 34:5 NASB
And the LORD said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:2 NASB
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And it came about that when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again. Numbers 11:25 NASB
So the idea of a cloud would speak to them of the presence of God. And they would further remember that when the Son of Man received His Kingdom, He would do so in the clouds of heaven:
"I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 NASB
Notice that the Son of Man "came UP to the Ancient of Days" and was "presented before Him." At that glorious event, Yeshua receives His kingdom and sits at the right hand of God awaiting the conquest of His enemies. The idea of Yeshua going and coming "on the clouds," is familiar apocalyptic language of the prophets to identify Himself as Yahweh. Only Yahweh came on clouds, that was a claim to deity. Thus they may well have seen His entering the cloud as indicating His departing to His heavenly throne. 
This was the Shekinah Cloud. It was the cloud which hid the presence of God. It was the same cloud of smoke that Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6:4. It was the same cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness. It indicated the presence of Yahweh:
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9 NASB
"Looking on" is the present active participle of the Greek word blepo. Which, according to BAGD, is used abstractly, i.e., there was no object at which the disciples were looking; thus it may well mean simply "in their sight," as in 1 Clem. 25:4. 
Yeshua is then said to have been "lifted up," which is the Greek word epairo, which, in its passive form, figuratively connotes the lifting up of someone in stature or dignity. The only other use of this word cited in BAGD, 1 Clem 45:8, does not denote a literal and physical elevation of the person, but instead describes the exaltation of someone. 
W. Neil writes, "It would be a grave misunderstanding of Luke's mind and purpose to regard his account of the ascension of Christ as other than symbolic and poetic. He is not describing an act of levitation." [W. Neil, The Acts of the Apostles (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1973) 66.] 
So a correct understanding of "He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight," may not have anything to due with Yeshua floating up in the air into a cloud, but may, in fact, speak of His exaltation into the presence of Yahweh. Either way, the main idea here is that Yeshua is exalted to the right hand of God, a position of superiority over and above others. 
As God, He was incapable of elevation, but as God-man, He could be lifted from humility to the highest glory. The God-man is exalted: 
which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:20-22 NASB
Christ has been given absolute authority, absolute power—Christ is exalted in His ascension.
With the ascension, Yeshua wanted His followers to know that He was gone for good, as opposed to the way He appeared and reappeared during the forty days after the resurrection. It is very important at this point to understand this is not just another coming and going. This is the promised ascension when Yeshua said He would go to His Father and He would send back His Spirit to empower them to accomplish the mission. 
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; Acts 1:10 NASB
The disciples stand in awe, "gazing intently into the sky" for an extended period as the cloud departed. Luke uses the verb "to look intently" often in Acts in connection with the miraculous (3:4, 12; 6:15; 10:4; 11:6; 13:9; 14:9). 
The two men, who by their description as being "in white clothing," are depicted as angels from God (this was the recognized way of describing angels ( Matthew 28.3; Mark 16.5; John 20.12).
Two men also appeared in front of the women in Luke 24:4. These men in Acts were like them. Luke wants us to consider them as witnesses. There had to be two witnesses that saw an event (Deuteronomy 19:15).
There may also be some imagery here in line with Elisha's experience. As with Elisha, the seeing of their Master being taken was evidence that they would partake of His Spirit (2 Kings 2.9). 
and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Yeshua, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 NASB
What do the angels tells the apostles here? Yeshua will return. He will come again! He will come back! It is agreed by all that Acts 1:11, "This Yeshua, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven" refers to the Parousia, the Second Coming of Christ. 
Was this something new to the apostles? Not at all. What is interesting in this verse is that it is rare for the Scripture to speak of the Second Coming without a time reference. Normally, when the Parousia is spoken of, a time reference is attached. Even though there is no time reference in these verses I think we understand that unless there are two Second Comings, these verses in Acts 1:9-11 had to be fulfilled when other verses talking about the Second Coming were fulfilled. Yeshua had taught His disciples over and over that He would return, but what most Christians miss is that He also tells them when He will return:
"But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:23 NASB
To understand this verse, the first thing that we have to know is who is Yeshua talking to? Who is the "you"? To find out, let's back up to:
And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Matthew 10:1 NASB
Now if you read verse 2 thru verse 22, you will notice the personal pronoun "you," referring to the twelve, used over and over. Throughout this discourse, Yeshua is speaking to the twelve. Yeshua uses the second person plural throughout the discourse to make this point more than clear. There is nothing in the passage that gives any indication that Yeshua has any other audience in view other than His immediate audience.
"You" means "the twelve" in the first century. "You" does not mean "US" in OUR century. Understand the hermanutical principle of audience relevance, we know that "You" means the twelve that Yeshua was speaking to in the first century. 
In Matthew 10:23 Yeshua is saying to His twelve disciples that they will not have fled through all the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. They will keep running through the cities, fleeing from their persecutors. When He says that they will not have time to have fled through all the cities, it indicates that they will not have fled to all the cities until the Son of Man comes, a promised deliverance for them—the twelve! That really sounds like Yeshua is saying He will return in their lifetime. Is that possible? Let's look at another text:
"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and WILL THEN RECOMPENSE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. Matthew 16:27 NASB
Verse 27 clearly speaks of the Second Coming, He comes with the angels to reward every man. Compare this with:
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12 NASB
So Christ is speaking to His disciples of His Second Coming, now look at the next verse:
"Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Matthew 16:28 NASB
Who are the "YOU" of this verse? Verse 24 tells us that Yeshua is speaking to His disciples. So Yeshua is saying to His disciples who were standing there that some of them would still be alive when He returned in the Second Coming. 
Now some say He is talking about the transfiguration of Matthew 17:2, but that is only six days later and none of them had died in that six day period. Did He come in the glory of His Father with His angels and reward each according to his works at the transfiguration? Of course not! How about Pentecost? No, that was only two months later, and they were all still alive except Judas. 
What are the possible explanations to this verse? I see only three. If you have others, I would like to hear them. 1) There are still some of the disciples alive today. 2) Yeshua was confused or lying. I hope I could not convince any of you of that one. 3Hang on! Yeshua actually did what He said and came in the lifetime of His disciples. I would like to convince you all of this one. This seems like the simple and clear answer that holds to the inspiration of Scripture. Yeshua did what He said He would do. I am very comfortable with that, how about you? 
If you are going to believe what Yeshua is saying here, If you are going to hold to the TIME of His Second Coming, you are going to have to have a paradigm shift in your view of the NATURE of the Second Coming.
I submit to you that either Scripture is wrong about the TIME of the Second Coming and thus not inerrant or our paradigms are wrong about the NATURE of the Second Coming. Which one of those are you more comfortable with, an incorrect paradigm or an uninspired Scripture? 
"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Matthew 24:34 NASB
If you look at the way Yeshua used the word "generation," I think it will be abundantly clear that it always refers to His contemporaries, the Jewish people of His own period. Yeshua here, very plainly and very clearly, tells HIS DISCIPLES that ALL of the things He had mentioned would come to pass in THEIR GENERATION. This includes the Gospel being preached in all the world, the abomination of desolation, the great tribulation, and the Coming of the Son of man. This is so clear that it greatly troubles those who hold to a Futuristic eschatology. 
Yeshua uses the near demonstrative "this" generation. Every time "this" is used in the New Testament it always refers to something that is near in terms of time or distance. If I said, "'This building' is going to be remodeled." What building am I talking about? You know that I'm referring to the one close to me—the one we are sitting in. But if I said, "That building," I'm referring to one further away, not the one we are in. Yeshua could have said, "That generation." But He didn't! Yeshua is saying that everything that He has spoken about will happen before the generation that He was speaking to would pass away.
When the Bible speaks about the "coming" of Christ, it does so in the same manner as the Tanakh spoke of the "coming" of God. I'll say it again, it is because we do not have a working knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures that we get so confused in the New Testament. Christ's coming was not to be viewed physically:
The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. Isaiah 19:1 NASB
I believe that this is polemic. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Ba'al's epithet as the storm god was, "He Who Rides on the Clouds." In Phoenician, he was called, "Ba'al Shamen, Lord of the Heavens." So when the Hebrews come along and take that title and apply it to Yahweh, they are in essence mocking, or belittling Ba'al. It is Yahweh, not Ba'al, who rides on the clouds.
We know from chapter 20 that Yahweh used the Assyrians as instruments of His wrath on Egypt, yet it says, "The LORD is riding on a swift cloud…, Egypt will tremble at His presence." Yahweh came to Egypt. Did He physically come to Egypt? No. How did He "come" to Egypt? He came in judgment. His presence was made known in judgment. But it was the Assyrians who were literally present. 
We must understand this if we are going to understand the Second Coming of Christ. Christ's Coming was not physical, His Coming was the same as His Fathers, He came in judgment. The nature of the Second Coming was not physical, bodily as a man, Christ came in judgment against Old Covenant Israel when He destroyed Jerusalem in A. D. 70 using the Roman army. 
All Christians believe in the Second Coming of Christ. To deny the fact of the Second Coming is to deny the inspiration of Scripture. Do you agree? Well, I believe that the time of the Second Coming is just as clear as the fact of the Second Coming. I believe that to deny the time statements that the Bible gives of the Second Coming is also to deny inspiration. Do you still agree? 
If you attempt to share the Preterist view of eschatology with others, then I think you'll understand what I mean when I say that Acts 1:11 is a very important text. It is probably the text that is brought up against Preterists more than any other. Listen to what some have written about Acts 1:11:
"Jesus will return just as He left: physically, visibly, and to the Mount of Olives." (Dave Guzik). 
"The same Christ who ascended into heaven in Acts 1:9 will return the same way. He won't be different. He will return in the same glorified body that the disciples saw when Christ joined them for breakfast by the Sea of Galilee in John 21:4-14. He will be in the same body Thomas saw when he said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28)."(John MacArthur) 
Ray Steadman writes, "Now the angels tell us that though He was to go away, His return is certain. 'This same Jesus, they say, 'will come back again.' When He comes, He will come in exactly the same way as they saw Him go. Just as He stepped into invisibility then, He will step back again into visibility. Suddenly He will be back. 
Men are today looking for a solution to the ecological crisis, the environmental crisis that confronts us today. How shall we solve these problems? Well, we shall not. They are going to get much worse. The crisis will get so bad that human life will actually be unable to exist any longer on the earth. Jesus said so." 
Wow! Isn't that an encouraging view of our future? This is a good example of how bad theology affects us on a daily basis. We're all doomed!
Keith Mathison, who is a very vocal opponent to Preterism, declaring Preterists as heretics, says that "Traditionally Acts 1:11 has been understood to be a clear and unambiguous promise of the personal, visible, and bodily Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth" ["Acts 1:9-11 and the Hyper-Preterism Debate", p. 2]. 
The argument runs simply like this: If Yeshua ascended visibly and in a physical body, and He is to come in the same way as He left, then He is to return visibly and in a physical body. And since this clearly has not happened yet, for we have no record of Him coming to the earth, nor is He here with us now; there is therefore a future coming of Christ. 
The majority opinion of the nature of the Second Coming is that it will be a future to us, physical, visible, bodily return of the Lord Yeshua to earth that every eye will see. Does our text in Acts 1:11 teach a physical bodily Second Coming? 
and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Yeshua, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 NASB
They say that His ascension was physical and visible, so won't His return be also? It says He will come in "just the same way." The words "just the same way" are the Greek phrase "hon tropon." By examining the usage of "hon tropon" in the New Testament, it is clear that this phrase does not mean: "exactly the same in every detail," but has the idea of: "similar in some fashion." For example, look at how this phrase is used in:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a (hos tropon) hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Luke 13:34 NASB
Did Yeshua want to gather Jerusalem in exactly the same manner as (hos tropon) a hen gathers her chicks? I don't think so. So in "just the same way" doesn't mean: "in exactly the same manner." That His coming was not to be "exactly" as He left (Acts 1:11) is made clear by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Notice what Matthew says about His coming:
"For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:27 NASB
This is obviously different than what Acts 1:11 describes. So which way is it, visibly in a cloud or like lightning? But Paul describes Christ's coming this way:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 NASB
This is not "just the same way" as Luke describes in Acts. And what about:
and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Yeshua shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Yeshua. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 NASB
This is also different than Acts 1:11. Here we have angels and flaming fire dealing out retribution. We don't see this in Acts. Notice what John says in:
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. Revelation 19:11 NASB
John has Yeshua coming on a horse, not a cloud. So how can anyone say that Yeshua is going to come exactly how He left when they read Acts 1:11? When you compare Scripture with Scripture, it just doesn't add up. 
The emphasis of Acts 1:11 is that Christ's coming would be a cloud coming, just as He left in a cloud, so He would come in the clouds. This is an apocalyptic symbol for coming in judgment. When Luke says that Yeshua was taken up, and "a cloud received Him out of their sight," He was not telling us what the weather was like that day, but rather the part that the Father played in the ascension of Yeshua.
There is no Scripture that explicitly teaches that Yeshua would return in a physical, bodily fashion. An understanding of the language of Scripture will help us see that His coming was not to be physical, but a coming in judgment on Old Covenant Israel, and usher in the consummated the New Covenant. 
Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. You can help further this work by your prayer and by contributing online or by mailing to:
Berean Bible Church
1000 Chattanooga Street
Chesapeake, VA 23322
http://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/acts/acts_01_09-11_future-bodily-return.htm

Saturday, September 2, 2017

THE OLD & NEW COVENANT, WHO WAS/ IS IT FOR? By Tuese Ahkiong


THE OLD & NEW COVENANT, WHO WAS/ IS IT FOR?
By Tuese Ahkiong






THE NEW COVENANT and asking some questions. Who was it for or is for?  Is it still accessible?


THEY ARE ISRAELITES, and TO THEM BELONG the adoption, the glory, THE COVENANTS, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

To whom did the covenants belong? 



Hebrews 8   (ESV)
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as THE COVENANT HE MEDIATES IS BETTER, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion TO LOOK FOR A SECOND.
For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I WILL ESTABLISH A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL (Ephraim; northern kingdom) AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH (southern kingdom),
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
    on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
    and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
    and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
    and I will remember their sins no more.”
13 In speaking of A NEW COVENANT, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

****Who does Yeshua establish the New Covenant with?
Who is called “MY PEOPLE?”


1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH IS FOR YOU. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup IS THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

**When taking the bread, breaking it and saying to His Israeli Disciples who were under the first covenant, that “This is my body, which is for you” is Christ limiting his sacrificial offering of Himself to those under the old covenant, a New Covenant?  
Christ came or returned in 70AD.


Luke 22:14-23 (ESV)
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and THE APOSTLES WITH HIM. 15 And he said TO THEM, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover WITH YOU before I suffer. 16 For I tell YOU I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and DIVIDE IT AMONG YOURSELVES18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given FOR YOU. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out FOR YOU is THE NEW COVENANT in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

***Is Christ Covenanting with the 12 Disciples in the sense of them representing The House of Israel who were under the Old Covenant?  Is His body and blood given FOR THEM specifically taking them OUT of the Old and into The New Covenant?


Jeremiah 31:31-37
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that THEY BROKE, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
35 Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
    and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
    the Lord of hosts is his name:
36 “IF THIS FIXED ORDER DEPARTS
    FROM BEFORE ME, DECLARES THE LORD,
THEN SHALL THE OFFSPRING OF ISRAEL CEASE
    FROM BEING A NATION BEFORE ME FOREVER.”
37 Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
    and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
THEN I WILL CAST OFF ALL THE OFFSPRING OF ISRAEL
    for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”


***Who does YHWH make a New Covenant with?



Galatians 4:21-27 

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are TWO COVENANTS. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now HAGAR IS MOUNT SINAI IN ARABIA; SHE CORRESPONDS TO THE PRESENT JERUSALEM, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the JERUSALEM ABOVE IS FREE, AND SHE IS OUR MOTHER. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
 than those of the one who has a husband.”

The Present Jerusalem are the unbelieving Jews of the 1st century who equate to Hagar, The Law, the first covenant.
The Jerusalem above are those who are free, of the promise, The New Covenant, those who believe in Yeshua, The Messiah. 


2 Corinthians 3:5-8 (ESV)
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of A NEW COVENANT, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?

The ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, The Old Covenant which was being brought to an END at the time Paul was penning 2 Corinthians.

Who are the “us” that were made ministers of a New Covenant of The Spirit of life?  Paul, The Apostles and Disciples…


Hebrews 8:13 
When He said, A new covenant,” He has made the first obsoleteBut whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

Hebrews was written in the 1st century around 64-68AD just before the complete removal of the Old Covenant in 70AD at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.   
This is why it is written that the old covenant is becoming obsolete and ready to disappear.  



Therefore he is the mediator of a NEW COVENANT, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.


Who was under the first covenant?  ISRAEL
Are people today under the first covenant?  NO
Who transgressed the first covenant?  ISRAEL
Can one transgress a covenant that has passed away?  NO




Hebrews 12:18-24  
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But YOU HAVE COME to MOUNT ZION AND TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD, THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM, AND TO INNUMERABLE ANGELS IN FESTAL GATHERING, 23 AND TO THE ASSEMBLY OF THE FIRSTBORN WHO ARE ENROLLED IN HEAVEN, AND TO GOD, THE JUDGE OF ALL, AND TO THE SPIRITS OF THE RIGHTEOUS MADE PERFECT, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of A NEW COVENANT, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 
***The book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew or Israeli Christians in the 1st century.  This passage says that they come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, The Heavenly Jerusalem and to Jesus, the mediator of a New Covenant.



Ephesians 2:11-13 

11 Therefore remember that at one time you GENTILES IN THE FLESH, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL AND STRANGERS TO THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Who were the gentiles?
How can a gentile be a “gentile in the flesh?”  Aren’t they already uncircumcized?
How can an Israeli be a “gentile in the flesh?”  By being uncircumcised!
Who was separated from Christ (their Messiah)?
Who was alienated from The Commonwealth of Israel?
Who was strangers to the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world?
How can one be separated, alienated and strangers to the covenants of promise (promised to who?) unless one was first in a relationship?
THE SCATTERED TRIBES or THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL or THE DIASPORA



YHWH made covenant only with Israel








MORE READING MATERIAL:


Who were THE DIASPORA?  THE ELECT?  The fullness of GENTILES that Paul spoke of? Who were those YHWH CALLED NOT MY PEOPLE?  Are people today elect like Reformed Calvinist folk think they are?  Here’s a RED PILL to who the Bible identifies as the elect!

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-diaspora-were-elect-remnant-of.html?m=1



THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL were NOT Samoans, Mexicans, Indians, Filipinos, Koreans, Irish, English…. but Israelites, duh!!!

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-lost-sheep-of-israel-were-not.html



People in the 21st century pick up an ancient book and assume it’s written to them when it is not. It was written to the ekklesia in Rome Corinth Galatia; Timothy Titus Philemon... in the 1st century

THE BIBLE IS ISRAEL’s STORY!

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-bible-is-israels-story.html?m=1




Ancient Israel Only - Simplified. https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/04/ancient-israel-only-simplified-by-mb.html?m=1



26 POINTS THAT [ISRAEL ONLY] STANDS ON REGARDING THE PROMISES AND COVENANTS  

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/07/26-points-that-israel-only-stands-on.html?m=1



1 According to Scripture, one cannot be a Christian without the Indwelling Holy Spirit. 

2 The Holy Spirit was promised to a specific group of people in the last days (30-70AD). 

3 Therefore, there are no more Christians. https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/05/after-70ad-no-one-has-holy-spirit-here.html?m=1





NOT ONE PERSON TODAY HAS THE HOLY SPIRIT Here are some facts about the HOLY SPIRIT

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/05/after-70ad-no-one-has-holy-spirit-here.html?m=1



Is The Holy Spirit still indwelling people?  

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/05/after-70ad-no-one-has-holy-spirit-here.html?m=1



ISRAEL ONLY: THE GENTILES WERE SCATTERED ISRAELITES

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2020/12/israel-only-gentiles-were-scattered.html?m=1



Israel SCATTERED by GOD among the nations for their sin and idolatry, became like the gentile nations, then REGATHERED in THE LATTER DAYS by 70AD

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2020/05/scattered-israel-among-nations-peoples.html