Chapter 1
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the congregation of the Thessalonians who are one with God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed One: 2 May you have care and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed One.
3 We’re always obligated to give thanks to God for you,
brothers. This is appropriate, because of the super growth of your
faith, and [because of] the love that you have for each other, which keeps on
growing. 4 We also take special pride in you among all the congregations
of God, because of the endurance and faith you’ve shown through all the
persecutions and difficulties that you’ve been enduring. 5 So, the
righteous judgment of God is being revealed in that you’re being counted worthy of the Kingdom of
6 And it’s a righteous thing for God to repay those who are persecuting you by crushing them, 7 while providing relief to you who are suffering this persecution – and to us also – when the Lord Jesus is revealed in the sky with his powerful messengers 8 in a flaming fire. Then he’ll bring vengeance upon all those who don’t know God and those who aren’t obeying the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 [His] justice will repay them with ages of ruin away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength. 10 [He will do this] when he comes to receive the glory of his Holy Ones into himself; and then all those who believe will be in awe in that Day, because you believed the testimony we gave.
11 Another reason why we’re always praying for you, is so that our God may count you worthy of the calling, and reward you for all [your] good intentions and faithful acts with [His] power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you (and you in him), through the caring of our God and of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.
Chapter 2
1 However, brothers, when it comes to the arrival of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One and our being gathered to him, we urge you 2 not to lose hope or to be disturbed by spiritual [message], or anything that you may have been told in a letter that may have come from us, indicating that the Lord’s Day has arrived.
3 Don’t allow anyone to mislead you in any way, because it
won’t come until after there is a great
turning away and the lawless man
is revealed… the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and puts himself higher than
all others that are called gods or things of worship. He seats himself in the
6 So, now you know what’s keeping [the Lord] from being revealed in this time. 7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already being worked out. However, it can’t happen until the one who’s holding everything up gets out of its midst. 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will do away with him by the breath from his mouth and bring him to nothing, when he arrives.
9 However, the Opposer will bring [the lawless one] to those who are destroying themselves through his powers of lying signs, omens, 10 and every sort of unrighteous deception. [They will choose this] instead of the love of the truth, which would save them. 11 So, that’s what God is sending to them instead. He’s allowing this wrong thing to be, so they can believe the lie… 12 and so that all those who don’t believe the truth (but prefer unrighteousness) may be judged.
13 However, we are obligated to always thank God for you brothers (who are loved by the Lord), because God chose you from the start to be saved; to make you holy by his Breath; and to have faith in the truth. 14 This is why He called you through the good news we brought… so you would receive the glory of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One. 15 So then, brothers; stand firm and hang onto the traditions you were taught, whether by word [of mouth] or in letters from us. 16 May our Lord Jesus the Anointed One himself, and God our Father who loved us and kindly gave us comfort and a good hope in this age, 17 comfort your hearts and make you firm in all good words and deeds.
Chapter 3
1 Finally, brothers, pray for us. [Pray] that the word of the Lord may be glorified and spread rapidly, as is being done among you. 2 And [pray] that we may be delivered from unruly and wicked men, because the faith isn’t for everyone. 3 But the Lord is faithful and he will make you firm and guard you from the wicked one. 4 We also have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing — and will continue to do — the things we’re telling you to do. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of the Anointed One.
6 Now brothers, we’re instructing you in the name of the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, to stay away from any brother who isn’t following the instructions and traditions you’ve received from us. 7 For you know very well that it’s important to imitate us, because we didn’t step out of line when we were with you, 8 nor did we ask anyone to give us food. Rather, we worked hard night and day so as not to be a burden on any of you.
9 It’s not that we weren’t authorized to [ask for your support], but it’s because we wanted to set an example for you to imitate. 10 Why, when we were with you we told you, ‘If anyone isn’t willing to work, don’t feed him.’ 11 But we’re hearing that some among you aren’t following these instructions… they aren’t working at all, but meddling in other people’s affairs. 12 We instruct and urge them in the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, to be quiet and go to work so they’ll have something to eat.
13 However, brothers, don’t give up in doing what’s good. 14 And if anyone isn’t willing to obey the things we wrote in this letter, mark him and don’t associate with him, to shame him. 15 However, don’t think of him as an enemy, council him as a brother.
16 Now, may the Lord of peace himself give you peace in every way throughout all time. May the Lord be with all of you. 17 [Here’s] my greeting in my own (Paul’s) hand. Every letter proves it, because, this is the way I write.
18 May the care of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One be with all of you.
Notes
Apostasy and Apostates
There are just two places where the term apostasy is used in the
Christian Era Scriptures, Acts
What does Apostasy Mean? The Greek word apostate literally means to turn back from (apo) a standing or state. To the Israelites, becoming an apostate meant that one had turned his back on the entire way of life as set out in the Law. Notice, for example, how this word was applied to Paul (at Acts 21:21), ‘But they have heard the rumor that you’ve been teaching Judeans who live among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to follow the traditions.’
As you can see, this false accusation of apostasy against Paul directly involved the practice of circumcision and the traditions – that is, Jewish traditions. So, the accusation against Paul by supposed Christians didn’t involve any disagreement over doctrines, but rather, he was being accused of teaching against Jewish Law and traditions.
Of course, Paul was totally in the right here, because circumcision and Jewish traditions were no longer required of Christians. And if he had been teaching circumcision and Jewish traditions, he would in fact have been guilty of teaching something wrong – but not of apostasy. This is because apostasy has little to do with doctrinal disagreements and everything to do with ‘turning back from’ a Godly course of life.
Also, think of the seriousness of this accusation against
Paul (an Apostle)… that he was teaching an apostasy! What worse charge
could anyone lodge against a Christian? This puts us in mind of Jesus’ words,
as found at Matthew
Since the Greek word moro (which is translated moron herein) means someone who knows better but just doesn’t care, weren’t those early Christians who said this about Paul guilty of a serious sin against God? Why, the Bible tells us that Jesus even refused to pass such a judgment on the Slanderer (at Jude 9), and surely he was the first to turn away from a Godly course of life (the first apostate).
The scripture at 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is the only other one that’s in the Christian Era Scriptures where apostasy (translated as a great turning away here) is mentioned, and in this case the word is used as part of a prophecy of what would be expected to happen in the Christian Congregation. What does it have reference to? The fact that the word apostasy was used, indicates that this future falling away didn’t involve the corruption of Christian doctrines (although history shows that did happen), but rather, that there would be a falling away from living a Christian way of life (which has continued to happen down to our day).
Actually, there are other references in the Bible where
the Greek word for apostasy is used; however, these words aren’t translated as
apostasy. For example, Matthew
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What does In Mean?
The Greek word en simply means in. However, it is translated as in, one, in union with, and as other words, depending on the context. Especially in the book of John do we find the question raised; Was Jesus really the same person as the God? This question is raised because the text at John 10:38 literally says, ‘… in order that you should know and you may be knowing that in (en) me the Father and I in (en) the Father.’
The text above is often translated as, ‘I and my father are one.’ Is this the true sense of what John wrote? Is Jesus ‘in’ or ‘one with’ (the same as) the Father? That could be a correct translation, but not in the context of the way the book of John was written. For example, notice how John 14:20 reads literally, ‘In that the day you will know that I in (en) the Father of me, and you in (en) me, and I in (en) you.’
So, if John 10:38 means that Jesus is the same person as his Father, then John 14:20 means that all of Jesus’ followers are the same person and that they are also the same persons as Jesus and his Father. Is this a logical conclusion? No, because it doesn’t harmonize with numerous other scriptures that show his followers to be individuals, but at one with (or in unity with) Jesus and God.
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Forever, System of Things, or Age?
The Greek word aionos is what the English word eon
is derived from. It means an indefinite period. However, there is no
exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).
Please note that where the plural form of the word (ages) is used, it refers to
a long time, at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is
used (age or era), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a
lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of ages is used
(such as at Ephesians
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 Hebrew Scriptures. 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, ‘What will be the signs when you are near and this age will come to its conclusion?’
You can see that the word 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 the
The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos, not aionos, for world or system of things.
The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says:
‘Long ago, O Lord, You laid the foundation of the earth and Your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but You will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [You would do to] a robe, You will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, You are the One, and Your years will never run out.’
The problem with most Bible translations is that when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular form (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.
Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; the one who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me will have life in this age. He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’
Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).
Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’
So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would
have everlasting life, but that they would (in their current life) be
considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation
From consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life, the conclusion might be logically reached that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that (unlike those whom God considers to be ‘dead’) living people will receive ‘life in the age,’ meaning, they will be considered worthy of life by God during their lifetimes.
Two words imply infinity in the Bible. One is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word, aidios, which is found at Romans 1:20 and at Jude 6, is used to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal.
For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?
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Called and Chosen
There seems to be quite a bit of difference between these two words (called and chosen) and their implications for the people involved. For, notice what Jesus said as recorded at Matthew 22:14, ‘Many are the called but few are the chosen (gr. polloi eisin gar cletoi, oligoi de eclectoi).’ And this verse could be possibly even be translated as ‘Many are the nominated but few are the elected.’
These words of Jesus seem to put an end to the notion that everyone who is called by God was foreordained to that position before his/her specific birth. Rather, what was determined is that there would be people in general (not specific individuals) who would be chosen. Because, as Jesus makes clear here, not all who are among the called (or the nominated) to this hope are thereafter counted among the chosen (elected). For, why would God call people if He already knew that there was no chance of their being chosen?
Notice how this was stated at Revelation 17:14. There we are told, ‘Then they’ll go and fight against the Lamb. But, because he’s the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb and those who are with him (the called, elected, and faithful) will conquer them.’
So, ‘the called’ also have prove faithful in order to become ‘the elected’ to serve with Jesus.
That was the point of Jesus’ parable at Matthew 22:1-14,
which (as Jesus said) was an illustration concerning ‘the
The king then ordered his slaves to go out into the streets and ‘call’ anyone who wishes to come to the banquet. These words obviously refer to the calling of people of the nations, or the gentiles (gr. tas ethne – the ethnics).
So, is this parable talking about being called to heaven to rule there with Jesus… for isn’t the wedding banquet for God’s son to be held in heaven, and aren’t those who are invited to God’s banquet the bride who will be with Jesus in heaven? We have always thought so, but notice that the guests in this parable aren’t referred to as virgins (as was the case of those mentioned in Revelation 14:1-4). Rather, they are called ‘both the wicked and the good,’ which is a strange way to refer to the ‘Saints.’
Next, as the parable continues, the king noticed a guest who wasn’t properly dressed for a wedding feast (he didn’t have the required qualities). This guest was then bound and thrown back outside (but not killed). Do as you can see, he was called but not chosen. Now, if we were to assume that this banquet is held in heaven, and since he was already there at the feast, we must ask: was he then kicked out of heaven… and if so, we would also have to ask, then why was he taken there to begin with?
Now, we do know that there are those who are taken to heaven
to rule with Jesus, but they are likely the bride at the wedding feast,
not the guests (see Revelation 17:7-9). For, notice what Paul said of himself
at Philippians
What was Paul talking about here? It appears as though, when
speaking of ‘the upward resurrection,’ he was saying that although he had been
‘called,’ he may not have been ‘chosen’ yet for heavenly life. That this is what
he was likely talking about, can be seen from what he said at Philippians
So, notice that the Bible speaks both of a ‘calling’ and of an ‘upward calling,’ which we assume refers to being called to heaven. And how would Paul know that he had been ‘chosen’ for this lofty reward? It appears as though such a person must first endure incredible suffering for his/her beliefs (as did Jesus), for notice what Paul wrote at Romans 8:17, ‘We have to suffer together so we can also be glorified together.’
Such suffering must be much more than what is typical of the suffering and death of mankind. Does this ‘suffering’ require a dying a martyr’s death? That seems to be the gist of the prophecy at Revelation 6:9-11, which says, ‘When he opened the fifth seal, I saw the lives of those who had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the testimony that they gave, underneath the altar ... Then they were each given a white robe and they were told to take it easy just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was filled (who were going to be killed, as they were).’
But, in the case of Jesus’ words found Matthew 22:14, (‘Many are called but few are chosen’), we would have to conclude that God calls many people from among mankind to become His faithful slaves and to thereafter attend the wedding banquet of the Lamb (whether in heaven or earth is not stated), but not all who are called are found worthy.
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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.
The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath are supposed to be ‘one’) is found at Matthew 28:19, which simply says that baptism should be done ‘in the name of’ (or, in recognition of) these three. All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is spurious (something that was added to the Bible).
So to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is usually translated as breath here. The only exceptions would be 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, where the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit).
Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase means more than just breathing, it refers 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 in this case, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and caused him to breathe… the Breath of Life
For more information, see the attached link ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’
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Revealing of the ‘Lawless Man’
At 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, Paul wrote, ‘Don’t allow anyone to mislead you in any way, because [the Lord’s Day] won’t come until after there’s a great turning away and the lawless man is revealed, the son of destruction. He opposes and puts himself higher than all that are called gods or things of worship. He seats himself in the Temple of God and publicly displays himself as being a god.’
Notice that this ‘lawless man’ comes as the result of a ‘great turning away’ from true Christianity, which proves that it is a religious organization. He also ‘seats himself in the Temple of God’ (or the organization pretends to have authority over all proper religious worship), and he sets himself up as a ‘god’ (or he expects people to worship the organization and its clergy)… does this sound familiar?
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Satan, Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub
It is appropriate that the heavenly name of the great Opposer and Slanderer of God is never given in the Bible. However, several terms (and one mistakenly) have been used to describe him. Here is a list of those descriptions:
- Satan: This is a Hebrew word meaning, opposer, resistor, a smart person who does things to serve his own interests, and/or a person who can’t be fooled. It was applied to the Evil One because of his opposition to God. To prevent people from thinking of it as a name, it is translated as ‘the Opposer’ herein.
- Devil: This is the only Greek word (Diabolos) used in the Bible to describe the evil one. The first part of the word, dia, means through. Bolos means throw (it’s where we get the English words ball and bowl). So, Devil means one who throws through, which implied Slanderer in Greek, so that’s the way it’s translated herein.
- Lucifer:
The name Lucifer is commonly tied to the Biblical Opposer, however the
name doesn’t appear in most versions of the Bible. It does appear once in
the King James version in Isaiah 14:12, in which the King of Babylon is
referenced as Lucifer, Son of the Morning, which is translated from
the Hebrew words Helel ben Shahar – Day Star, Son of the
Dawn. This term was used there, because Lucifer is the Latin term for
the planet Venus, which is also known as the morning star.
So, there is no direct link in the Bible between the entity known in Hebrew as Satan and the person who was referred to as Lucifer. This was a myth that was created by Augustine after translating the text in Isaiah from the original Hebrew into Latin.
It should be noted that in the earliest days of the church, Lucifer was seen as being synonymous with Jesus, not the Opposer, so early Christian parents often named their children Lucifer, as with Lucifer Calaritanus. - Beelzebub: There are eight references in the Bible to this Hebrew word, and it does refer to the Slanderer. However, once again, this is not a proper name. It appears to be a title. Beel (like Baal) means Lord. Zebub appears to refer to flies (the insects). So, Beelzebub likely means Lord of Flies.
Is the Opposer (Slanderer or Beelzebub) a real person? All one has to do is look at the titles he was given above to realize that he is. To deny his existence negates the rest of the Bible. For example, when dealing with Adam’s sin, why did God adhere so closely to a law when other options were available to Him? Why didn’t he just destroy rebellious Adam and create another man?
The fact is, He created men and His messengers with the ability to choose whether to serve Him or not, so none are automatons. And as a man failed in the Paradise of Pleasure, we can assume (and the Scriptures support) that there were failures (and rebels) in the heavens also. This is the reason why it became necessary to have a law that clearly outlined what rebellion against God constituted, and what the consequences of violating that law would be. It was obviously for the sake of the millions of millions of heavenly spirit (breath) creatures that the issue of rebellion here on the earth had to be resolved by legal means, and in a way that demonstrated the love and loyalty of God’s first-born son, which resulted in the painful need for a ‘ransom’ (Jesus’ death).
And other questions are raised. For example, while Jesus was being tempted in the desert, was he simply struggling with the bad inside himself rather than against a real, evil personality? If so, we would have to conclude that there was bad in Jesus.
Also, was the battle in heaven, as spoken of at Revelation the Twelfth Chapter, just figurative and not a real war against the Opposer and his messengers? If so, then ‘evil thoughts’ were rampant in heaven prior to that battle. And, in what sense would ‘the Opposer’ and his ‘messengers’ have lost the battle and have been confined to the earth? Also, why would internal evil be ‘angry’ in knowing that he just has ‘a short period of time left?’
And lastly, when the Opposer entered God’s presence and spoke to Him (Job the First Chapter), can we assume that this inherent evil was found in God? That isn’t likely.
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Who Wrote Paul’s Letters?
We find the entire flap about who wrote Paul’s letters – by both scholars and critics alike – funny. Much has been made of the fact that the writing styles of Paul’s letters vary so much that it is improbable that he wrote them all, and he obviously didn’t, as the words of Romans 16:22 testify, ‘I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in [the] Lord.’
Paul, as several of his letters indicate, had very poor eyesight (see Galatians 4:13-15). Why? Was this caused by the brightness of his vision of Jesus, as some say? Well, it could have been, but we doubt it. Remember that there were no eyeglasses at the time when Paul wrote, he was likely over forty, and many of us who are beyond that age couldn’t see to write letters today if it weren’t for our eyeglasses… so there are several other natural causes for poor eyesight (other than miraculous visions).
Obviously, a man named Tertius wrote this letter for Paul, and if you look at the headings or conclusions of his other letters, you’ll likely find references to those who actually did the writing. For example, First Corinthians starts with the words, ‘Paul …, and Sosthenes our brother.’ Second Corinthians starts out the same way, ‘Paul …, and our brother Timothy.’
So, there are obviously different writing styles in Paul’s letters, because (as the letters themselves indicate) different people did the writing. This may be quite a revelation to critics and college professors, but they obviously haven’t actually read the letters.
For more information, see the attached link, The Bible’s Internal Proofs of Its Authentic History
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The Day of ‘the Lord’ and of Jehovah
Throughout the Bible, we find references to ‘the Day of Jehovah,’ and ‘the Day of the Lord.’ 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), ‘This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of his Anointed One began.’
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 authorization for Jesus (the Lord) to rule, appear to begin at the same time.
So, does the Lord’s Day begin when the Opposer and his messengers are thrown out of heaven? It appears to be so, because the Revelation (which covers these events) starts out with John’s words (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, apparently, almost all the things that were prophesied to happen in Revelation are included in that Day. They start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of ‘Babylon the Great’ (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ (acceptance of the rest of the Anointed ones to heaven?), the Battle of Armageddon, the abyssing of the Opposer and his messengers, 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 which is thereafter followed by the descent of ‘New Jerusalem’ to the earth, and the making of the ‘new earth and sky’ (see Revelation 21).
Peter wrote in length about this period, and at 2 Peter 3:7 he wrote, ‘It was also promised that; what’s [now] in store for the earth and sky is fire, which [will come] during the Judgment Day, when godless men will be destroyed.’ And although many misinterpret these words as describing just the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon, the context shows that he was looking at a much longer period of time, the total ‘Lord’s Day’ or ‘Judgment Day’ – the ‘thousand-year’ period spoken of at Revelation Chapter Twenty. For what he said about the burning of the earth and sky and of the ‘new earth and sky’ corresponds exactly with the end of the thousand years and the promises found at Revelation 21:1.
So, from the periods described in the Revelation, near the end of Jesus’ thousand-year reign there will be a judgment of the wicked (those who join with Gog of Magog) and they will be destroyed. Then there will be a ‘new earth and sky.’ What does that really mean? Perhaps we’ll all have to live to see it to be sure.
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Who are God’s ‘Anointed?’
Notice that in this Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (for example) says, ‘The One who guarantees that we all belong to the Anointed One, and He who anointed us, is God.’
So, why didn’t these translators just go ahead and render the word (Anointed) as Christ – as countless other translators have done? For two reasons:
-
Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that ‘Christ’ was part of Jesus’ name. It wasn’t.
-
Because Christ is word that was made up by early Bible translators and is only used in that form when they think that the Bible was speaking of Jesus. In other places it is correctly translated as anointed.
If you look at the above verse in Greek, you’ll see that it reads, ‘Ho de bebaion hemas syn hymin eis Christon kai chrisas hemas Theos,’ or, ‘The of stabilizing us with you into Anointed and anointing us God.’
You will notice here that Christon
(Christ or Anointed) and chrisas (anointed) are both derived from the
same root word, which by the way, is Greek for olive oil. Why olive oil? Because, that
substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those who God chose to be
kings over
Such a physical anointing with oil appeared to picture receiving God’s Holy Breath, which happened to Jesus at his baptism, to 120 of Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost of 33-C.E., and to other First-century Christians. So, Jesus didn’t really become the Christon (Christ, Anointed, or Chosen One) until he was anointed with Holy Breath at his baptism (when the ‘dove’ came down on him).
If you understand this nuance, you get the true meaning of
the word Christ (Anointed) as it applies to Jesus; it means that he was the one
who God chose to be king over His people. Also, Paul was telling the Christians
in
Also, notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For what he actually said was, ‘Because false Anointed ones and false prophets (gr. pseudo christon kai pseudo prophetai) will arise and they will perform great signs and omens to mislead (if possible) even the elected.’
So, Jesus wasn't necessarily saying that people would come claiming to be him, but people would come falsely claiming to be the anointed and prophets.
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Undeserved Kindness or Care?
The Greek word caris is where we derive the English word care or caring. However, the Greek word carries a slightly different meaning. Old English Bible translations have rendered caris as grace. However, the nuance that grace implies (smooth and flowing) totally distorts the meaning of this term in contemporary American English.
Most Bible dictionaries prefer to see caris translated as undeserved kindness. However, this phrase, which may or may not make some minor technical difference in the meaning, adds wordiness, which distracts from the ease of reading. So, you will find it translated as care, caring, or kindness herein, depending on the setting.
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2 Thessalonians 1:9
The precise wording and meaning of 2 Thessalonians 1:9 is a bit difficult to determine, and we have chosen to deviate from the thoughts expressed in other Bibles for the following reason: In Greek, the verse reads, ‘oitenes diken tisousin holethron aionion apo prosopou tou kyriou kai apo tes doxes tes iskous autou,’ or, ‘which/ones justice will/pay destruction (or ruin) ages from face of/the Lord and from the glory of/the strength of/him.’
In the New American Standard Bible (for example) this is rendered as as: ‘These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.’ And this, as you can see, is an obvious mistranslation. For not only does the word aionion not mean eternal, but being eternally destroyed is inconsistent with the thought of being sent away from the face of the Lord and from his glory and strength. In other words, the sentence just doesn't make sense.
What Paul appears to have meant is that those who are persecuting faithful Christians will suffer the ruin of being sent away from the face of the Lord and his glory and strength for ages of time, not that they would be eternally destroyed. So, we have rendered this verse as reading: ‘[His] justice will repay them with ages of ruin away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength.’