From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians
A prophecy against all IsraEl, which was likely written during the middle 5^th Century BCE.

Chapter 1

¹ This is the matter of the word of Jehovah concerning IsraEl [that came] by the hand of His messenger.

² ‘I have loved you,’ says Jehovah. ‘Yet you asked, How have You loved us? Wasn’t Esau the brother of Jacob? Yet,’ said Jehovah, ‘I loved Jacob ³ and Esau [his brother] I hated. So, I ordered an end to his borders, and gave him homes in the desert.

⁴ ‘Because Edom will say, Although we’ve been cut down, we’ll return and rebuild our desolate places,’ thus says Jehovah the Almighty: ‘Though they may rebuild, I’ll knock it down; so the Lawless Borders is what they’ll be called, and a People Opposed to Jehovah.

⁵ ‘Your eyes will see it and then you will say, The Lord has been magnified, beyond IsraEl's borders..

⁶ ‘Fathers are glorified by their sons, and a servant gives glory to his master; but if I’m a father, then where is My glory; and if I am the Lord, then where is [your] fear,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty?

‘You Priests treat My Name without value, then ask, How have we treated it as worthless? ⁷ By bringing [unholy] bread to My Altar. Then you ask, How have we made it unholy? When you say Jehovah’s table isn’t holy, and the things you place on it are treated with contempt. ⁸ For, if you bring a animal that's blind, is this not something evil? And if you should bring the lame or the ill, is it not [also something that’s] bad? Why, bring it to [your king] who [rules over] you… will he show you favor when he gets it… will he [bestow honor] on your soul,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty? ‘No!’

⁹ ‘Now, atone before the face of your God… come before Him and beg! For, these things have been done by your hands. So, will I receive such things from your soul,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty? ‘No!’

¹⁰ ‘Therefore, to you the doors will be closed, and you won’t find My favor by lighting My Altar. There is nothing that I need from you,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ‘So, I'll accept no sacrifices from your hands.

¹¹ ‘From the rising of the sun to [the place] where it sets, among the nations My Name's glorified, and incense is offered in My Name everywhere… along with sacrifices that are pure! For, My Name is great among all the nations,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ¹² ‘Yet, you profane it whenever you say, Jehovah's table isn’t [holy], and you treat the food before Him with contempt.

¹³ ‘For you say, It is just too much trouble… and then you blow them away,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ‘So, you carry in game and the lame and the ill. You’ve brought such things to sacrifice to Me. So, will I favorably receive them from your hands,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty? ‘No!’

¹⁴ ‘Cursed is the powerful man, who has a male among all his flock, and whose vow [that was promised] comes due, and then offers to the Lord one that’s corrupt! For, I am great,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and My Name is well-known in the nations!’

Chapter 2

¹ ‘Now, these instructions are for you, O Priests: ² If you will not listen and take it to heart, that you must glorify My Name,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘then I’ll send curses upon you; I will curse all your blessings; I’ll curse it and it won’t happen among you, if you don’t take this message to heart.

³ ‘{Look!} I’ve set aside the [lamb’s] shoulder as yours, but I’ll throw its dung in your faces… [I’ll give you] manure for your holiday feasts, and at that time I’ll remove you! ⁴ And then you will know it was I, who sent these instructions to you… it’s My agreement with Levi,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ⁵ For, I made my agreement with him; and it’s one that brings life and peace. I gave him the fear to fear Me, and prepared him [to fear] My Name. ⁶ The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteous words were not on his lips. Straightforward in peace he traveled with Me, and many he turned from injustice. ⁷ So, from his lips the Priest should guard knowledge, and seek the Law from his mouth; for he’s a messenger of the Almighty Jehovah.

⁸ ‘But you’ve turned aside from the way, and you’ve turned many from following the Law… you’ve corrupted My sacred agreement with Levi,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ⁹ ‘So, to those who’ll you treat with great contempt, I have now handed you… to those whom the nations do not respect. For, you haven’t guarded My ways, and you’ve led My people away from the Law.

¹⁰ ‘Why, don’t you each have one father? Weren’t you formed by one God? So, why have you each abandoned your brothers, and let them profane the Agreement of your fathers?

¹¹ ‘Judah [has now been] abandoned, for in JeruSalem and IsraEl, disgusting things have been done. Why, Judah profaned the Lord's’s holy things (things that He [dearly] loved), then they [turned] to alien gods. ¹² So, Jehovah will destroy each man who's done this, and those in Jacob’s tents will be humbled… those bringing sacrifices to Jehovah.

¹³ ‘Yet, you did these things that I detested, and the Altar of Jehovah you’ve covered with tears… weeping and moaning because of the trouble. And you thought I’d consider your offerings, and take them from your hands as though they are worthy?

¹⁴ ‘Then you [dared to] ask, What’s the reason for this? Because, Jehovah was a witness between you, and the wives of your youth whom you’ve left. Yet, they have [long] been your partners… they’re the wives of your sacred agreement! ¹⁵ So, [God] doesn’t send you what’s good, with even a small portion of His Breath.

‘Then you asked, What more than a seed does God seek? [He wants you to] guard your spirit [with care], and not to abandon the wife of your youth! ¹⁶ Do not detest her and send her away, says Jehovah, IsraEl’s God, as you cover the irreverence of your thoughts. For thus says Jehovah the Almighty God: Keep close guard on your spirit, and no way should you ever abandon [your wives].

¹⁷ ‘You provoke Jehovah with your words, and then you ask, How have we done this? By your saying, Before Him, the wicked are good; He really thinks [kindly] of them, or, Where is the God who wants justice?’

Chapter 3

¹ ‘{Look!} I will send out My angel, and he’ll prepare the way in front of My face. Then the Lord (the One for whom you search) will suddenly come to his Temple… the messenger of the Sacred Agreement.

‘Look, here he comes,’ says Jehovah the Almighty! ² ‘Now, who will endure the Day of his entry; and when he appears, who will stand? For, his entrance will be like the fire of a furnace, and as the lye to do washing. ³ So, a melting pot he’ll place in a furnace, as someone who refines silver. Then the sons of Levi he will refine, and pour them out like silver or gold.

‘Before Jehovah, they will then be, those who bring righteous sacrifices. ⁴ And thereafter the Lord will be pleased, with the offerings of Judah and JeruSalem, as in the days of the ages, and as [He] was in past years.

⁵ ‘Then I’ll come against you in judgment, and against all those who make potions. I will be a swift witness, against those [guilty of] adultery, and those swearing false oaths in My Name; against those who don’t pay those they’ve hired; against those who tyrannize orphans and widows, and deny justice to foreign peoples; for, these are the ones who don’t fear Me,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ⁶ 'I’m Jehovah your God and I never change!'

⁷ ‘But you sons of Jacob won’t stay away, from the sins of your fathers… you’ve turned aside and not guarded My Laws. So return to Me, and then I’ll come back to you,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

‘But you ask, In what ways must we return?

⁸ ‘Will a man be stomped on by God? No! Yet, you [are guilty] of stomping on Me! Then you ask, How have we been stomping on You?

‘By your keeping all your tithes first fruits! ⁹ You turn and [hide] them away… and this is how you're stomping on Me!

¹⁰ ‘This year has come to an end, and you’ve carried your produce and put it in barns, but there will be ravaging in your homes!

‘Restore indeed what [is due],’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and see if I don’t open to you, the outpouring of rain from the skies… I’ll pour My blessings upon you, until you’ve received what’s enough. ¹¹ For you I will set aside food, and not destroy the fruit of the ground, nor will I weaken your grapevines,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

¹² ‘Then all the nations will proclaim that you're blest, and your land will be one that’s desired,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

¹³ ‘But you’ve put Me down with your words,’ says Jehovah, ‘and then you have dared to ask: How have we spoken in bad ways against You? ¹⁴ By your saying, Our service to God is in vain! And, Though we have kept His instructions, before Him we still must go begging! ¹⁵ So, we declare the aliens blest, as are those who do lawless deeds, for they oppose God and still live!

¹⁶ ‘Yet, there were those who spoke to their neighbors, and told of their fear of Jehovah. So, Jehovah paid attention and listened, and wrote [their names] in the scroll, of those honoring and fearing the Name of the Lord. ¹⁷ And in that Day, to Me they’ll belong,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘for I will prepare a procurement, and select them in the same way, as a man selects the son who will serve him.

¹⁸ ‘Then you will turn and you’ll see, what happens to those who do wrong… the difference between the one serving God, and those who choose not to serve Him.’

Chapter 4

¹ ‘For, look; the Day is about to arrive, and it burns like an oven… against them all it will blaze. Then the foreigners and lawless will be stubble, to be lit on fire in that Day,’ says Jehovah of Armies! ‘And no way will a branch or a root still remain.

² ‘But on those fearing My Name, the sun of righteousness will arise, and healing [will come from] His wings. You will come and leap like young calves, who were spared from the stock pens. ³ Then you will trample the lawless, and they’ll be like ashes under your feet, in the Day that I have prepared,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

⁴ ‘Remember the Law of Moses My servant – all I gave him in that dry place – all the orders and decisions, which I gave to IsraEl!

⁵ ‘And {Look!} I’ll send EliJah the Prophet, before the Great Day of the Lord. ⁶ He’ll restore the hearts of fathers to sons, and the heart of a man to his neighbor, so I will not strike the whole earth.’

Notes

The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of non-living creation divided into just three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (or the waters) and rivers.

Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can't be found. So, Genesis 1:1 is literally translated herein as, 'In the beginning, The God created the skies and the lands.' This is very accurate, because it was man's view of creation from the earth. There was just the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. He had no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men had never seen the earth as a globe in space, as most of us have done today. However, because of these distinctions that we are aware of, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text. And as you will see, something as simple as selecting another synonym can give us a quite different view of the meanings of some common verses.

The Greek word ourano(n), for example, can be correctly translated as heaven, heavens, sky, and skies, depending on the context and tense. But if the translator should choose the wrong word, people will reach very different (and often wrong) conclusions, because of the nuances implied in English.

Likewise, the Greek words ge, ges, and gen can be translated as earth, earths, ground, grounds, land, or lands, depending on the context and tense. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, 'The thing that they don't want to understand is this: That the ancient skies and land were out of the water, but (in obedience to God's instructions) they stood together between the waters.' (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge, ges, and gen, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the 'skies and land' were located 'between the water.' So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the 'heavens and earth,' the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the skies.

The same is true of the famous words of Jesus at Matthew 5:5, which read in Greek: 'Makarioi oi praeis hoti outoi kleronomesousin ten gen,' or, Blest the gentle for they will/inherit the (earth, ground, or land).' Notice that in some Bibles Jesus is recorded as saying, 'The meek will inherit the earth;' while in others he said, 'The meek will inherit the land.' Do you see the difference in nuances implied here? Yet, both word choices are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. tas thalassan), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassan and rivers are called potamos (or 'flowing'). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water; 'The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.'

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, whIch we have translated as saying, 'Then I saw new skies and new lands, because the previous sky and land had disappeared, as did the sea.' So, did John see 'a new heavens and a new earth,' as some translate his words, or did he see 'new skies and new lands,' as we have quoted him? The Greek words that are used in the beginning of this verse are both in the plural tense, but in the singular tense in the latter half of the verse. So, what John says that he saw was 'new skies and new lands' which took the place of the old 'sky, land, and sea' that had just disappeared before him (he didn't see the globe and the realm of God disappear).

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken away in a celestial chariot; most people think he was taken (as their Bibles put it) 'to heaven,' where he went to live with God. This isn't true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into 'the sky' (the proper translation here), where he was then sent to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus alone as having it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God's Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos, which is used throughout the Bible in various conjugated forms and is often translated as eternal and forever, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age or era.

Where the singular form (aionos) is used, this appears to mean a period such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the plural form of the word (aiōnōn) is used, it refers to a longer time… at least multiple generations. Also, where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can't mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: 'Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?' Notice that aionos is also translated as world here in many Bibles, such as the KJ, and as system of things in other Bibles, such as the NWT. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those things, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or arrangement), not aionos.

You can see that aionos obviously doesn't mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age, or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God's Temple in JeruSalem would be destroyed, because that's what Jesus was explaining to them.

Yet, there are instances when some forms of the word could imply forever, such as when we find it in the form aiōniŏn. This is an adjective in the singular case, which, when combined with the Greek word zoe (in its various forms) is usually translated in other Bibles as everlasting life. However, that isn't a totally-accurate description.

In the past, we had tried to reconcile the words zoe aiōniŏn as meaning, life in the age. However, the word age in this instance would not be an adjective, so we have recently chosen, in most cases where we find this word combination, to translate them more accurately as age-long life, which we will agree could mean everlasting life.

For more information, see the linked Scriptural Commentary, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

In the Bible, the most common use of the word pneuma is to convey the idea of a force that can't be seen, such as breath or wind. And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost, is that those words have been given religious meanings that aren't implied by the Greek texts.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as 'spirits.' Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God's Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God's] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, 'Breath of Life.' This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It's the unseen force of life for all creatures… it's what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the 'pneuma' as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) 'return to God' at death,' because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God's Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, 'Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?' As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God's Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3, God said concerning the wicked people on earth before the Downpour: 'I won't allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.' In Greek that reads, 'Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,' or, 'Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.'

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God's Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though what God was saying here, is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as 'My Breath,' there may be a link implied between God's Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, 'The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.'

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), 'he hung his head and gave up the breath' (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to 'the breath of life,' or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Why the Name Changes?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we've started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiAh, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

Of course, the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] JehovAH, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. Yet, there are other names (such as EliJah), where the IEs have been changed to Js.

So, why have translators substituted a capital 'J' for the letters 'Ie' in both of the above cases? Well, there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter 'J' in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, the letters were changed to coincide with the common English pronunciations of these names. Unfortunately though, this process wasn't followed consistently by ancient translators; so while some names are spelled with a J, many others are still spelled with an Ie or Iah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is 'El' (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped), should actually be pronounced Elee-ehzer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to 'the Lord' or 'the God.' Also, the prefixes 'Ben' and 'Bar' mean 'the son of.' 'Beth' means 'the house of,' 'Beer' refers to a 'well,' 'Is' or 'Ish' means 'Man,' etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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Messengers of God

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was meant.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and came to the door of some faithful Christians. Here the housemaid told the people inside that Peter was outside. And according to many other Bibles, they thought that it was 'his angel' at the door. However, this rendering doesn't sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, 'So they said, It's his messenger.'

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn't always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, 'Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou' or, 'Sent of Jacob angels(?) ahead of/him toward Esau the brother of/him.' Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.' Then in verse 16, it says that 'Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.'

Obviously, the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used there to speak of two different types of messengers… those who were human and the one who was sent from heaven by God. And in this case, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, however, for the readers should be able to discern from the context which ones are human and which ones are spirit by themselves. And when there is some question, each person should keep an open mind.

Consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: 'Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!'

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit. So, there may be other cases in the Bible where some translations have presumptuously written angel, when the one that God sent was a human messenger!

Also consider that; Translating aggelos as messenger when it is truly speaking of a spirit from God, helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such sons of God play in His dealings with mankind… and that the term angel isn't a type of creature or a heavenly rank (as most think), but an assignment that may even be temporary. It also helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels (because dead men, dead women, and dead babies don't become angels, since heavenly spirits are direct creations by God).

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Scroll of Life

The first place in the Bible that speaks of the Scroll of Life (in those words specifically) is found in one of the songs of King David (Psalm 69:28), where he wrote, 'From the Scroll of the Living may their names be erased, and among the righteous may their names not be written.' However, the first actual mention of such a scroll timewise, is found in Exodus 32:33, where God said to Moses, 'I'm going to erase [the names] of all those who have sinned against Me from My scroll.'

So, we must assume that as early as the early fifteenth Century B.C.E., God's faithful worshipers had some concept of a record that God keeps of people whom He counts as being 'the living.' And as God Himself pointed out, their names can also be erased from His scroll after they had been written there (so much for the concept of once-saved, always-saved).

What is this Scroll, how does a person get his or her name written in it, and what does this mean for them?

Although God surely needs no actual written record to remember His faithful ones, the phrase 'the Scroll of Life' is mentioned enough times in the Bible to assume that God does remember (or record) the names of those righteous whom He counts among 'the living,' as opposed to those whom He numbers among 'the dead.'

Who are 'the living?' They are likely the same as the ones of whom Jesus spoke at John 5:24, when he said, 'I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have age-long life… he won't have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!'

So, we must assume that some conscious act of faith by each individual causes him or her to cross over 'from death to life,' and that is likely the time when a person's name is written in the Scroll of Life. Then, as Jesus said, 'He won't have to be judged' thereafter, when he (or she) is resurrected.

What is this act of faith? Today, it would surely be the conscious act of choosing to be baptized. However, since baptism wasn't practiced during the time of David, it appears as though all IsraEl had their names written in that Scroll when they were born into that nation which was chosen by God; and their names remained there for as long as they were faithful. Notice how this concept fits into David's words about their names being erased.

Then at Revelation 20:11, 12, we read of several 'scrolls' being opened and of the 'dead' being judged by the things that are written in those scrolls. Who are these 'dead?' Well, remember that those whose names are written in the Scroll of Life will not be judged, so they aren't the dead. And that (following the order of the series of events described here), all the resurrections will already have taken place before these scrolls are opened (see Revelation 20:4-6); so these dead individuals aren't physically dead any longer, for they are seen to be standing. As the result, this must mean that; Although they are no longer literally dead, they are still counted as dead (or dying). And so they must be judged before their names can be written in the Scroll of Life.

So with this understanding, notice again the exact words of Revelation 20:12: 'Then I saw the dead – the great and the small – standing before the throne, and several scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, which was the Scroll of Life. And the dead were then judged by the things that were written in the scrolls, according to the things that they did.'

Therefore, we must assume that those who remain faithful worshipers of God have their names permanently sealed in God's Scroll of Life upon their deaths and are considered 'the living' by Him. Then, when they are resurrected, there is no need for them to be judged thereafter.

As for 'the dead' whom the Revelation says are 'judged by the things written in the scrolls;' this likely means that they too will be resurrected, but they will be judged by the things they do after the resurrection and during the thousand-year period that the Slanderer is bound and in the pit (See Revelation 20:2-6).

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The Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to 'the Day of Jehovah,' and 'the Day of the Lord' (Jesus). Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), 'Now it has come to pass; the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the empowerment of His Anointed One!'

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God's Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the empowerment for Jesus (the Lord) to begin his rule, appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord's Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John's words (at Revelation 1:10), 'Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord's Day.'

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of 'The Great Babylon' (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the 'marriage of the Lamb,' the Battle of Armageddon, tossing the Opposer and his messengers into the abyss, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and is thereafter followed by the descent of 'New JeruSalem' to the earth and the making of the 'new earth and sky' (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, 'the Day of the Lord' appears to start with the destruction of JeruSalem by worldly armies, and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). Then, in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God's Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

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