Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.'s Blog, page 64

THE MYTH OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION

[image error]PMW 2019-074 by Patrick Hines (The Aquila Report)

In an excellent lecture on homosexuality still available from Ligonier Ministries from long ago, the late Dr. R. C. Sproul said:

First of all, to deal with the homosexual is one of the most difficult problems we have to deal with. It would be so much easier for all concerned to just ignore the problem and say to people and to the world and to the homosexual, “Look, it’s ok. It’s alright. You’re just left-handed. It’s fine.” For me to do that is to commit perjury to the Word of God. … The problem is that so many have bought the myth that they are intrinsically homosexuals … and they have no hope of changing. They’ve been listening to a society that tells them they are sick and there is no cure for their disease. … That is telling them, in effect, “there is no hope.” There is no transforming power available to change my nature. … What we must do in order to help them is begin with this fundamental thesis: Biologically, essentially, and intrinsically, there is no such thing as a homosexual. Let me say that again. Biologically, essentially, and intrinsically, there is no such thing as a homosexual.

The surest way to guarantee you will lose a debate is to allow your opponent to define the terms, parameters, and worldview that will lie beneath your conversation. If we let them do this, our opponents will have won the argument before it even starts. While they pretend to be neutral, they are not. While they tell us to be open-minded, they are not.

In what TE Greg Johnson is calling a “war,” a thoroughly anti-biblical and secular concept has been snuck into the debate under the radar. If left unchallenged this concept will render the debate unwinnable for those who love God’s Word and the gospel and who long to see people liberated from homosexuality.

This secular concept is assumed, never argued for. It is taken for granted, never demonstrated. This anti-biblical and secular concept is sexual orientation. Until this is understood by both sides of the debate, we will continue to talk past one another.

[image error]Homosexuality, Transgenderism, and Society

5 downloadable mp3s by Ken Gentry

The homosexual movement is one of the leading challenges to the moral stability of American culture and to our Christian influence in culture. In this sermon series the homosexual question is tackled head on.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

What is sexual orientation? Sexual Orientation is a concept that was invented by the American Psychological Association in 1975. It means: “An enduring pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attractions to men, women or both sexes. Sexual orientation also refers to a person’s sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors and membership in a community of others who share those attractions.” [1]

Sexual Orientation is part of what Nate Collins in his book All But Invisible calls our “First Creation” which is not sinful. [2] Being a fixed an unchangeable part of our persons, this concept of sexual orientation implies that there are gender and sexual “minorities” who are identified by non-straight sexual orientations and/or transgender identities. Repentance is not possible from non-straight sexual orientations and transgender identities nor is repentance necessary since neither are sinful. There ought to be no shame associated with non-straight orientations and transgender identity because both are part of one’s “first creation.” One simply discovers or becomes aware of their orientation or gender identity: straight, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, cisgender, etc.

This leads to a second thoroughly anti-biblical and secular concept, that of “coming out.” If sexual orientation and gender identity are fixed parts of one’s person, then at the point one discovers such, one might be inclined to make known to the world around them what their sexual orientation or gender identity is. Coming out is making one’s sexual orientation and gender identity known publicly. This is what TE Greg Johnson did in Christianity Today, from his pulpit, and on the floor of the General Assembly of the PCA.

Oscar Martinez from The Office. Ross’s ex-wife from Friends. The show Will and Grace. The movie Brokeback Mountain. This list could be multiplied for pages and pages. Every form of media in our culture for the past many decades has assumed the validity of the concept of sexual orientation as a fixed category of personhood. The news assumes it. Entertainment assumes it. Movies assume it. Documentaries assume it. Everyone assumes it. Therein is the problem. It is assumed, never substantiated. It is taken for granted, never argued for. The media blitz has been relentless. Even ministers of the gospel have uncritically adopted the concept of sexual orientation as defined by secularists.

TE Johnson betrays how deeply he himself has imbibed from the secular conception of sexual orientation when, on the floor of the General Assembly, he made the following comments: “When I read article 7 of the Nashville Statement, it hurts. Because article 7 says that it is a sin to adopt a homosexual self-conception. And we don’t do that for any other people. … We don’t tell paraplegics that they should conceive of themselves as able-bodied because that is God’s ideal.”

[image error]Contemporary Theological Issues

by Ken Gentry (21 mp3 downloadables)

A Christian college course dealing with contemporary theological debates within the church. Covers several important topics of concern to Christians, including abortion, homosexuality, alcoholic beverages, and more

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

It is remarkable that we have to pause here to point out there is no parallel of any kind between a physical handicap and homosexual perversion. We don’t tell people to repent of being blind or deaf or crippled because none of those things are sins. We do and we must tell people to repent of homosexuality because it is a sin. If we do not, we are committing perjury against God and are not being faithful ministers of the gospel.

TE Johnson then says, “We don’t tell an infertile woman that she needs to conceive of herself as fertile and she’s unbelieving to conceive of herself as infertile because that’s not God’s design.” Physical maladies, conditions, and handicaps are not sinful. What could be more obvious? But for TE Johnson, having thoroughly embraced the secular concept of sexual orientation, he puts it in the same category as being born with a physical handicap. Do you see how powerful this concept is and why it must be challenged biblically?

TE Johnson does not like article 7 of the Nashville Statement. It reads as follows:

We deny that adopting a homosexual or transgender self-conception is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption.

TE Johnson says adopting this “hurts him.” He wants to adopt the self-conception of “homosexual.” Having an ongoing struggle with same sex attraction or gender dysphoria is nothing close to adopting the self-conception as a homosexual. What a strange thing to fight for. Why would a child of God who has been justified by the blood and righteousness of Christ alone, adopted into God’s family, and freed from slavery to sin by the powerful regenerating work of God in their life fight to apply such an abominable label, homosexual, to themselves? Our Lord bled and died not only to forgive people of the sin of homosexuality but also to liberate them from its enslaving power. For example:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Romans 6:1-2).

For sin shall not have dominion over you… (Romans 6:14).

And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18).

Why would a Christian, a minister of the gospel no less, fight to protect his supposed right to adopt a self-conception as a homosexual when according to Scripture that abominable sin is something he no longer lives in, it does not have dominion over him, and it is a vice from which he has been set free by the grace of God? For the many former homosexuals in Corinth such would surely have made no sense (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

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Political Christianity (book)

(by Kenneth Gentry writing as “Christian Citizen”)

Christian principles applied to practical political issues, including “lesser-of-evils” voting. A manual to help establish a fundamentally biblical approach to politics. Impressively thorough yet concise.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

God’s Word knows nothing of the secular concept of sexual orientation. Dr. Sproul saw this clearly many decades ago. This is why he was so emphatic in stating “The problem is that so many have bought the myth that they are intrinsically homosexuals … and they have no hope of changing. They’ve been listening to a society that tells them they are sick and there is no cure for their disease. … What we must do in order to help them is begin with this fundamental thesis: Biologically, essentially, and intrinsically, there is no such thing as a homosexual. Let me say that again. Biologically, essentially, and intrinsically, there is no such thing as a homosexual.” If we have a heart to help individuals for whom unwanted homosexual desires are an ongoing problem, we must take them to Scripture and protect them from such destructive anti-biblical concepts as sexual orientation.

In the debates over homosexuality, the Bible, the church, and the Christian faith, those in favor of same-sex marriage and of affirming God’s blessing upon homosexuality in general speak quite frequently of “the gay community,” or “the LGBTQ community.” This is a subtle and often undetected Trojan horse which enters into these discussions. Christians must object to the use of such terminology. There is no “gay community.” Human beings cannot be defined by a particular sin. How are we to handle the person who says, as Matthew Vines does, “same-sex attraction is completely natural to me,” and further tells us that this sexual orientation is something he was born with and which cannot be changed? We stand upon the authority of the text of God’s Word. We say to such people: There is no “gay community.” There are no “gay people.” Your same-sex attraction is sinful and must be stopped. God creates males and females. The genders (and there are only 2 of them) are designed as compliments to one another. Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’” The word translated “comparable” is the Hebrew word: negeth. It refers to . . . .

To finish the article and see the footnote: click

[image error]Patrick Hines is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of Bridwell Heights PCA in Kingsport, Tenn.

REVELATION AND THE LENGTH OF THE JEWISH WAR

[image error]PMW 2019-073 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

A reader of this blog site wrote an insightful and important question. This question is important because preterism emphasizes the history of the Jewish War as it relates to the judgment scenes in Revelation. Rather than treat his question as a comment which would not be seen by many, I thought I would make it an article. I hope you find this helpful.

Bryan Kuranaga question

I don’t know if this question is completely relevant to this post, but I figured it’s a good place to ask it. I was wondering if you have heard/read Phil Kayser’s messages on Revelation? He is also a partial preterist postmillennial and in preaching on Revelation 11:1-7, he writes (taken from the sermon, “The Two Witnesses, Part 1” preached on January 29, 2017):

“So how long was the war? If the only thing you read was the Partial Preterist commentaries (and I am in the Partial Preterist camp that believes most of chapters 1-19 has already been fulfilled) you would get the impression that the war was only three and a half years long. But all the early and later histories of the Jewish War with the Romans refer to it as a seven year war. Josephus, Eusebius, Hegesippus, Yosippon, Seutonius, Tacitus, and other ancient historians are consistent. And modern historians like Cornfeld, Mazar, Maier, and Schurer say the same.”

And

“And that is why it is such a mystery to me that the vast majority of Partial Preterists think of the war as ending in AD 70. It’s a huge mistake. They completely miss the references to the second three and a half years – which in some ways were even more devastating – with millions more being killed during that period.”

This is all from his finished sermon series on Revelation, titled “Revelation Project”

I was wondering if you are familiar with his arguments and what your take on it is.

Thank you so much! I appreciate all the past work and continued work you are doing.

Grace and peace,

Bryan

Gentry Reply

Yes, I know Phil Kayser and appreciate his ministry. And I am thankful for his work on various issues.

I also am familiar with the historical fact that you bring up. However, the point of the Jewish War as God’s judgment was the destruction of the temple (see Matt. 24:2–3), which occurred half-way through the war. By God’s providence, Revelation’s figure or 3.5 years or 42 months also fits the judgment-pattern of a broken seven.

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Navigating the Book of Revelation (by Ken Gentry)

Technical studies on key issues in Revelation, including the seven-sealed scroll, the cast out temple, Jewish persecution of Christianity, the Babylonian Harlot, and more.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

The Jewish War was effectively over when the capital city and temple fell. The remaining military engagement was a mopping up operation. This is noted by many historical scholars.

For instance, Jason Thomas Parry (JETS 2011: 524) writes that Vespasian made war “roughly April 67 at Ptolemais [J.W. 3.29] until the fall of Jerusalem in September 70 (J.W. 6.407; 435), a period of three and a half years.”

Neil Faulkner (Apocalypse: The Great Jewish Revolt Against Rome AD 66-73, p. 359) observes that “the Jewish Revolution against Rome ended, to all intents and purposes, when, on 7 September, the morale of the militiamen, who had struggled so hard for so long, suddenly collapsed” (cp. John Court, Myth and History in the Book of Revelation, p. 87 who cites Stanislas Giet).

As Roland Worth expresses it: though Masada remains unconquered until 73, “the conquerors officially treated the war as over, and Vespasian and Titus returned to Rome and celebrated a magnificent Triumph.” This is because “from the practical standpoint, after the fall of Jerusalem all else were mopping-up operations” (Worth, The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse and Roman Culture, 1999, 176).

Considering the above scenario, Moses Stuart (The Apocalypse, 2:279) correctly observes that “the active invasion of Judea continued almost exactly this length of time, being at the most only a few days more; so few that they need not and would not, enter into a symbolical computation of time.”

The Beast of Revelation[image error]

by Ken Gentry

A popularly written antidote to dispensational sensationalism and newspaper exegesis. Convincing biblical and historical evidence showing that the Beast was the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar, the first civil persecutor of the Church. The second half of the book shows Revelation’s date of writing, proving its composition as prior to the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. A thought-provoking treatment of a fascinating and confusing topic.

For more study materials, go to: KennethGentry.com

Margaret Barker (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 186) agrees that this figure represents “the duration of the final struggle with Rome [for] Vespasian entered Galilee with his armies in the Spring of 67 CE (War 3:29-34) and Jerusalem fell forty-two months later, in September 70 CE.”

This view is also held by J. S. Russell; David Chilton; David Clark; Stanislas Giet; Alan F. Beagley; Alan McNicol; Mireille Hadas-Lebel; G.K. Beale; and Randall C. Gleason (documentation to appear in my commentary on Revelation — if that ever gets released!).

So, from Spring of AD 67 to August/September of AD 70, the time of formal imperial engagement against Jerusalem, is a period right at forty-two months. John Court (87) speaks of “the period of the Flavian war, from the spring of AD 67 to 29 August 70, during which time Jerusalem was ‘profaned.’” Even in Rabbinic tradition we read: “for three and a half years Vespasian surrounded Jerusalem” (Lam. R. 1:31). Of course, all of this fits perfectly within Rev’s temporal limits (1:1, 3; 22:6, 10).

Consequently, I believe the association of forty-two months in Revelation with the Jewish War in history is valid — and helpful.

Thanks again. Keep studying!

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IN THE BIBLE

[image error]In this post, I simply provide a list of helpful verses for demonstrating God’s absolute sovereignty. These might be handy if you stumble onto an Arminian Bible study and want to start a fight.

God’s Absolute Sovereignty

Indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. (Exo 9:16)

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” (Exo 33:19)

For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses. (Josh 11:20)

Then Job answered the Lord, and said, / “I know that Thou canst do all things, / and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” (Job 42:1–2)

Our God is in the heavens; / He does whatever He pleases. (Psa 115:3)

Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, / In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. (Psa 135:6)

The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. (Prov 16:4 KJV)

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. (Prov 16:9)

[image error]

Predestination Made Easy

(by Ken Gentry)

A thoroughly biblical, extremely practical, and impressively clear presentation of

the doctrine of absolute predestination.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, for the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?” (Isa 14:24, 27)

And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; / Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, / From the time that I established the ancient nation. / And let them declare to them the things that are coming / And the events that are going to take place. (Isa 44:7)

Declaring the end from the beginning / And from ancient times things which have not been done, / Saying, “My purpose will be established, / And I will accomplish all My good pleasure; / Calling a bird of prey from the east, / The man of My purpose from a far country. / Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. / I have planned it, surely I will do it.” (Isa 46:10–11)

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, / Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, / And before you were born I consecrated you; / I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. (Jer 1:4–5)

If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? / If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? (Amos 3:6)

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Matt 11:25–26)

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt 25:34)

And he said, “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” (Luke 8:10)

Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. (Acts 2:23)

For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur. (Acts 4:27–28)

And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. (Acts 17:26)

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace. . . . (Gal 1:15)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. (1 Pet 1:20)

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Sovereignty of God

(7 mp3 Gentry downloadable sermons)

In these seven sermons will be found a practical demonstration of God’s absolute sovereignty.

This series serves as an excellent introduction to this difficult doctrine.

See more study materials at: KennethGentry.com

God’s Sovereign Calling

And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. (Gen 21:12–13)

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deut 7:6–8)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, / The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psa 33:12)

How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, / To dwell in Thy courts. / We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, / Thy holy temple. (Psa 65:4)

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (Matt 11:27)

So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. (Matt 20:16)

Shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? (Luke 18:7)

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (John 6:37)

And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (John 6:39)

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)

I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. (John 13:18)

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. (John 15:16a)

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (John 15:19)

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. (John 17:1–2)

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. . . . I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. (John 17:6, 9)

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:39)

Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)

And he said, “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.” (Acts 22:14)

(For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory. (Rom 9:11–23)

What then? That which Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened. (Rom 11:7)

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. (1 Cor 1:26–29)

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. (1 Cor 2:7)

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. (Phil 1:29)

It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. (Col 3:12)

Knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1 Thess 1:4–5)

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess 2:12)

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess 5:9)

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess 2:13, 14)

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. (2 Tim 1:9)

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Rev 13:8)

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Rev 17:8)

[image error]Revelation, God and Man

(24 mp3 lectures by Ken Gentry)

Formal Christ College course on the doctrines of revelation, God, and man. Opens with introduction to the study of systematic theology. Excellent material for personal study or group Bible study. Strongly Reformed and covenantal in orientation.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

God’s Predestinating Counsel

Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; / And in Thy book they were all written, / The days that were ordained for me, / When as yet there was not one of them. (Psa 139:16)

Remember the former things long past, / For I am God, and there is no other; / I am God, and there is no one like Me, / Declaring the end from the beginning / And from ancient times things which have not been done, / Saying, “My purpose will be established, / And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” (Isa 46:9–10)

For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. (Acts 4:28)

And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)

We speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory. (1 Cor 2:7)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph 1:3–5)

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. (Eph 1:12)

According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Eph 3:11)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Rom 8:29–30)

He has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (2 Tim 1:9)

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and deny–ing the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4)

God’s Choosing for Salvation

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ (Matt 25:34)

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. (Rom 8:33)

For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. (Rom 9:11)

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. . . . What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (according as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear) unto this day. (Rom 11:5, 7–8)

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. (1 Thess 1:4)

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. (2 Thess 2:13)

I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. (1 Tim 5:2)

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. (Tit 1:1–2)

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Pet 1:20)

The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. (1 Pet 5:13)

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. (2 Pet 1:10)

God’s plan is eternal

God’s plan not only exists prior to the creation but is actually eternal, existing in God’s mind forever. He did not create a world in which random forces control its ultimate outcome. He created a world on the basis of his eternal purpose.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever, / The plans of His heart from generation to generation. (Psa 33:11)

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ (Matt 25:34)

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. (Eph 1:4)

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Eph 3:11)

He has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (2 Tim 1:9)

His works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Heb 4:3b)

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath. (Heb 6:17)

Those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. (Rev 17:8b)

God’s plan is certain

God’s plan is not merely his good intention or his holy desire that may or may not come to fruition, depending on man’s willingness — or whatever other contingency we may consider. It is absolutely certain to transpire in history exactly as he determined it.

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19)

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, / But the counsel of the Lord, it will stand. (Prov 19:21)

The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, ‘Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.’ (Isa 14:24)

Remember the former things long past, / For I am God, and there is no other; / I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning / And from ancient times things which have not been done, / Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, / And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; / Calling a bird of prey from the east, /The man of My purpose from a far country. / Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. / I have planned it, surely I will do it. (Isa 46:9–11)

For the vision is yet for the appointed time; / It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. / Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. (Hab 2:3)

God’s plan is detailed

God’s eternal, certain plan is not a general scheme concerned with the “big things.” After all, what things are “big” in the eyes of God?

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, / And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; / Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. / Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, / Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. / All the nations are as nothing before Him, / They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. / To whom then will you liken God? / Or what likeness will you compare with Him? (Isa 40:15–18)

Rather, God’s plan determines every detail of history — all the way from the “big” events down to the most trivial matters, including the most mathematically precise atomic actions and the most apparently random events. He controls the farthest flung galaxy and the smallest atomic particle. His plan includes even the free choices of men and their wicked plans and actions.

1. God’s plan includes cosmic issues

Thou alone art the Lord. Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. Thou dost give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before Thee. (Neh 9:6)

And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to men of understanding. (Dan 2:21)

And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, / But He does according to His will in the host of heaven / And among the inhabitants of earth; / And no one can ward off His hand / Or say to Him, “What hast Thou done?” (Dan 4:35)

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col 1:17)

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. (Heb 1:3a)

2. God’s plan includes even random events

He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark. (Job 36:32)

The steps of a man are established by the Lord; / And He delights in his way. (Psa 37:23)

He sends forth springs in the valleys; / They flow between the mountains; / They give drink to every beast of the field; / The wild donkeys quench their thirst. . . . / He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, / And vegetation for the labor of man, / So that he may bring forth food from the earth, / And wine which makes man’s heart glad, / So that he may make his face glisten with oil, / And food which sustains man’s heart. . . . / The young lions roar after their prey, / And seek their food from God. (Psa 104:10-11, 14–15, 21)

He gives to the beast its food, / And to the young ravens which cry. . . . / He sends forth His command to the earth; / His word runs very swiftly. / He gives snow like wool; / He scatters the frost like ashes. / He casts forth His ice as fragments; / Who can stand before His cold? / He sends forth His word and melts them; / He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. (Psa 147:9, 15–18)

The mind of man plans his way, / But the Lord directs his steps. (Prov 16:9)

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; / He turns it wherever He wishes. (Prov 21:1)

The lot is cast into the lap, / But its every decision is from the Lord. (Prov 16:33)

In whirlwind and storm is His way, / And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. (Nah 1:3b)

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matt 10:29–30)

3. God’s plan includes destructive catastrophes

And as for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. (Exo 14:17; cp. Exo 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17)

But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today. (Deut 2:30)

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Josh 11:20)

The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulder.” This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back? (Isa 14:24–27)

The One forming light and creating darkness, / Causing well- being and creating calamity; / I am the Lord who does all these. (Isa 45:7)

Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, / Unless the Lord has commanded it? / Is it not from the mouth of the Most High / That both good and ill go forth? (Lam 3:37–38)

If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? / If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? (Amos 3:6)

4. God’s plan includes the evil actions of men

And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive (Gen 50:20)

The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil. (Prov 16:14)

For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! (Luke 22:22)

This Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (Acts 2:23)

For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur. (Acts 4:27–28)

THE MILLENNIAL POSITIONS

[image error]INTRODUCTION

Theological Terms

The technical theological term that describes the study of Bible prophecy is: “eschatology.” It is based on two Greek words: eschatos, which means “end, last”; logos, which means “word or study.” Thus, “eschatology” is technically “the study of the last things.”

Another technical theological term that has become so popular in modern discussions is: “millennium.” It is based on the Latin: mille, “thousand”; and annum, “year.” Thus, the term means “thousand years.” It is derived from Rev. 20:1–6, the only place in Scripture which associates 1000 years with Christ’s rule.

Basic Positions

In attaching prefixes to the term “millennium” we link the second coming of Christ to the millennium that is mentioned in Rev. 20: amillennial, premillennial, and postmillennial. These three most basic positions may be briefly defined in terms of their chronology as follows:

Amillennialism: The privative a in “amillennialism” emphasizes that there will be no earthly millennial kingdom as such. As amillennialist George Murray puts it: “amillennial, a term which indicates a denial of any future millennium of one thousand years’ duration.”

Premillennialism: The prefix pre indicates that eschatological system that expects a literal earthly millennial kingdom which Christ introduces by his second coming before (pre) it. This kingdom will transpire on earth under Christ’s direct rule.

Postmillennialism: The prefix post points out a lengthy (though not literal 1000 year) earthly period in which Christ’s kingdom influences the world, which period will conclude (hence, “post”) at Christ’s second advent. Postmillennialism tends to see the thousand years as a symbolic figure covering the entirety of the Christian era.

An important subclass of premillennialism arose in the 1830s: “dispensationalism.” Because of its current prominence (Late Great Planet Earth and Left Behind) and its vigorous rejection even by historic premillennialists, we will present it as a fourth, separate and distinct view (see below).

[image error]

House Divided: The Break-up of Dispensational Theology

By Greg L. Bahnsen and Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This book demonstrates that dispensational theology has been shattered by its own defenders. They are no longer willing to defend the original system, and their drastic modifications have left it a broken shell.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Interpretive Sorting Device

A helpful interpretive sorting device works quite well in classifying the three basic millennial positions. Two questions tend to sort the positions into one of the three most basic schools. These questions are:

(1) What is the chronology of the kingdom?

(2) What is the nature of the kingdom?

The question of chronology focuses on the timing of Christ’s second advent in relation to the kingdom’s establishment. If his coming is before the kingdom, then the position is premillennial; if it is after the kingdom, then it may be either amillennial or postmillennial.

The question of nature highlights its historical character. If the kingdom will have a radical, objective, transforming influence in human culture, it is either premillennial or postmillennial; if it will not, it is amillennial.

Amillennialism

With the golden-age connotation of the word “millennium,” the label “a–millennial” appropriately describes the system. As Anthony Hoekema notes: “The word amillennial means that the Second Coming of Christ is to be without a millennium.” Kim Riddlebarger states that “amillennialism is an eschatological orientation that awaits no future earthly millennium.”

Descriptive Features

1. The Church Age is the kingdom which the Old Testament prophets predict. God expands his people from the one nation of Israel in the Old Testament to the universal Christian church of the New Testament, making this phase of God’s people the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16).

2. Christ binds Satan during his earthly ministry at his first coming. His binding prevents Satan from stopping gospel proclamation. This allows for multitudes of sinners to convert to Christ and insures some restraint upon evil.

3. Christ rules spiritually in the hearts of believers. We may expect occasional, short-lived influences of Christianity on culture and society, especially when Christians live out the implications of their faith.

4. History will gradually worsen as evil’s growth accelerates toward the end. This will culminate in the great tribulation, with the arising of a personal Antichrist.

5. Christ will return to end history, resurrect all men, and conduct the Final Judgment, and establish the eternal order. The eternal destiny of the redeemed may be either in heaven or in a totally renovated new earth.

[image error]

He Shall Have Dominion

(paperback by Kenneth Gentry)

A classic, thorough explanation and defense of postmillennialism (600+ pages). Complete with several chapters answering specific objections.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Dispensationalism

This term highlights the view that history is divided into seven distinct compartments or “dispensations.” The final dispensation is the millennium.

Paul Benware provides a thorough definition of dispensationalism from which I will draw several key elements:

Certain fundamental elements characterize this type of premillennialism. . . . The belief that the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth before the establishment of His kingdom. . . . The belief in two resurrections, which are separated by a thousand years. . . . That the millennial kingdom is a literal kingdom that will exist on this present earth. . . . That the millennial kingdom will be established only after human kingdoms have come to an end. . . . That the purpose of the millennial kingdom is to fulfill the covenant promises made to Abraham and his descendants. Premillennialism thus gives a much greater place to the nation of Israel than the other major millennial views.

Descriptive Features

1. Redemptive history is divided up into seven categorically distinct dispensations, wherein God works with men under each dispensation in different ways. Hence, the name “dispensationalism.”

2. Christ offers renewed Davidic Kingdom — an earthly, political structure — to the Jews in the first century. They reject it, leading him to postpone it until the future.

3. The Church Age is a wholly unforseen and distinct era in the plan of God. It was altogether unknown to and unexpected by the Old Testament prophets.

4. God has a separate and distinct program and plan for racial Israel, as distinguished from the church. The church of Jesus Christ is a parenthetical aside in the original plan of God.

5. The church may experience occasional small scale successes in history, but ultimately she will lose influence, fail in her mission, and become corrupt as worldwide evil intensifies toward the end of the Church Age.

6. Christ will return secretly in the sky to rapture living saints and resurrect the bodies of deceased saints (the first resurrection). He is removing them out of the world before the great tribulation. The judgment of the saints transpires in heaven during the seven-year great tribulation period before Christ’s bodily return to the earth.

7. At the conclusion of the seven-year great tribulation, Christ will return to the earth in order to establish and personally administer a Jewish political kingdom headquartered at Jerusalem for 1,000 years. During this time, Satan will be bound, and the temple and sacrificial system will be reestablished in Jerusalem as memorials.

8. Toward the end of the Millennial Kingdom, Satan will be loosed so that he may surround and attack Christ at Jerusalem.

9. Christ will call down fire from heaven to destroy his enemies. The second resurrection and judgment of the wicked will occur, initiating the eternal order.

Historic Premillennialism

According to historic premillennialist Wayne Grudem, this view holds that:

The present church age will continue until, as it nears the end, a time of great tribulation and suffering comes on the earth . . . . After that time of tribulation at the end of the church age, Christ will return to earth to establish a millennial kingdom. When he comes back, believers who have died will be raised from the dead, their bodies will be reunited with their spirits, and these believers will reign with Christ on earth for one thousand years. During this time, Christ will be physically present on the earth in his resurrected body, and will reign as King over the entire earth. The believers who have been raised from the dead, and those who were on earth when Christ returns, will receive glorified resurrection bodies that will never die, and in these resurrection bodies they will live on the earth and reign with Christ. Of the unbelievers who remain on earth, many (but not all) will turn to Christ and be saved. Jesus will reign in perfect righteousness and there will be peace throughout the earth. At the beginning of this time Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit so that he will have no influence eon the earth during the millennium (Rev. 20:1–3).

At the end of the thousand years Satan will be loosed form the bottomless pit and will join forces with many unbelievers who have submitted outwardly to Christ’s reign but have inwardly been seething in rebellion against him. Satan will gather these rebellious people for battle against Christ, but they will be decisively defeated. Christ will then raise from the dead all the unbelievers who have died throughout history, and they will stand before him for final judgment. After the final judgment has occurred, believers will enter into the eternal state.

Descriptive Features

1. The New Testament era church is the initial phase of Christ’s kingdom, which the Old Testament anticipates especially in its prophetic books.

2. The New Testament church may win occasional victories in history, but ultimately she will fail in her mission, lose influence, and become corrupted as worldwide evil increases toward the end of the current era, the Church Age.

3. The church will pass through a future, worldwide, unprecedented time of travail. During this period a personal Antichrist will arise, possessing great religious and political power. This era is known as the great tribulation, which will punctuate the end of contemporary history. Historic premillennialists differ significantly from dispensationalists in that their system is posttribulational.

4. Christ will return at the end of the tribulation to rapture the church, resurrect deceased saints, and conduct the judgment of the righteous in the “twinkling of an eye.”

5. Christ then will descend to the earth with his glorified saints, fight the battle of Armageddon, bind Satan, and establish a worldwide, political kingdom, which Christ will personally administer for 1,000 years from Jerusalem. (Historic premillennialists often do not demand the Revelation’s 1000 years be a literal time frame.)

6. At the end of the millennial reign, Satan will be loosed and will cause a massive rebellion against the millennial kingdom and a fierce assault against Christ and his saints.

7. God will intervene with fiery judgment to rescue Christ and the saints. The resurrection and the judgment of the wicked will occur and the eternal order will begin. The eternal order may be either a recreated material new heavens and new earth, or it may be simply a heavenly environment.

Postmillennialism

We may succinctly define postmillennialism as follows:

Postmillennialism holds that the Lord Jesus Christ establishes his kingdom on earth through his preaching and redemptive work in the first century and that he equips his Church with the gospel, empowers her by the Spirit, and charges her with the Great Commission to disciple all nations. Postmillennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of men living will be saved. Increasing gospel success will gradually produce a time in history prior to Christ’s return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and prosperity will prevail in the affairs of men and of nations. After an extensive era of such conditions the Lord will return visibly, bodily, and gloriously, to end history with the general resurrection and the final judgment after which the eternal order follows.

Descriptive Features

1. Postmillennialism holds that the Lord Jesus Christ founds his Messianic kingdom on the earth during his earthly ministry and through his redemptive labors. His establishing the “kingdom of heaven” fulfills Old Testament prophetic expectations regarding the coming kingdom. The kingdom which Christ preaches and presents is not something other than that expected by the Old Testament saints. In postmillennialism the church is the fulfilled/transformed Israel and is even called “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16).

2. The kingdom’s fundamental nature is essentially redemptive and spiritual, rather than political and corporeal. Although it has implications for the political realm, postmillennialism is not political, offering a kingdom in competition with geopolitical nations for governmental rule. Christ rules his kingdom spiritually in and through his people in the world, as well as by his universal providence.

3. Because of the intrinsic power and design of Christ’s redemption, his kingdom will exercise a transformational socio-cultural influence in history. This will occur as more and more people convert to Christ, not by a minority revolt and seizure of political power in history nor by the catastrophic imposition of Christ at his second advent from outside of history. As Rushdoony notes: “The key to remedying the [world] situation is not revolution, nor any kind of resistance that works to subvert law and order. . . . The key is regeneration, propagation of the gospel, and the conversion of men and nations to God’s law-word.” This is because “evil men cannot produce a good society. The key to social renewal is individual regeneration.”

4. Postmillennialism, therefore, expects the gradual, developmental expansion of Christ’s kingdom in time and on earth before the Lord returns to end history. This will proceed by a full-orbed ministry of the Word, fervent and believing prayer, and the consecrated labors of Christ’s Spirit-filled people. The ever-present Christ is directing kingdom growth from his throne in heaven, where he sits at God’s right hand.

5. Postmillennialism confidently anticipates a time in earth history (continuous with the present) in which the very gospel already operating will win the victory throughout the earth, fulfilling the Great Commission. “The thing that distinguishes the biblical postmillennialist, then, from amillennialists and premillennialists is his belief that the Scripture teaches the success of the great commission in this age of the church” (Greg Bahnsen). The overwhelming majority of men and nations will be Christianized, righteousness will abound, wars will cease, and prosperity and safety will flourish. “It will be marked by the universal reception of the true religion, and unlimited subjection to the sceptre of Christ” (David Brown). “It shall be a time of universal peace.” “It will be characterised by great temporal prosperity” (Lorraine Boettner).

6. Postmillennialists look forward to a great ‘golden age’ of spiritual prosperity continuing for centuries, or even for millenniums, during which time Christianity shall be triumphant over all the earth. After this extended period of gospel prosperity, earth history will draw to a close by the personal, visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ (accompanied by a literal resurrection and a general judgment) to introduce his blood-bought people into the consummative and eternal form of the kingdom. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

[image error]Your Hope in God’s World (Kenneth Gentry)

5 DVDs; 5 lectures

This series of lectures presents the theological and exegetical argument for the postmillennial hope in our fallen world. The last lecture answers the major practical, theological, and exegetical objections to postmillennialism. An excellent series for both introducing and refreshing one’s understanding of postmillennialism.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

REVELATION’S FOUR-FOLD JUDGMENT STRUCTURE

[image error]PMT 2019-070 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

It has been said that wherever you find five Revelation commentaries, you will discover six different Revelation outlines. Outlining Revelation is a difficult task due to its cyclical and repetitive movement. For instance, in it appear cycles of seven: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. But these appear to be rehearsing the same information.

Nevertheless, outlining Revelation is an important, though difficult, task that can be accomplished. The structuring of Revelation should emphasize its judicial character, since we see one judgment of God after another in its unfolding story.

The Structuring Device

Though Revelation may be outlined in several different ways, its most basic framework is structured around John’s four “in Spirit” (Greek: en pneumati) experiences (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). This phraseology only appears four times in Revelation. And they highlight Revelation’s simplest, most basic structural feature, presenting the material in four primary visions, which point to four major transitions within the whole vision.

Rev 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet.”

Rev 4:2 “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.”

Rev 17:3 “He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.”

Rev 21:10 “He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.”

This simple structuring of the book picks up on this distinctive phrasing that highlights John’s prophetic experience (1:10; 4:2) and Spirit-transport (17:3; 21:10).

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Survey of the Book of Revelation

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Twenty-four careful, down-to-earth lectures provide a basic introduction to and survey of the entire Book of Revelation. Professionally produced lectures of 30-35 minutes length.

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The Structuring Result

Associated with each occurrence of the “in the Spirit” phraseology, we find John appearing in a ifferent location. Each location is radically different from the others.

In the context of Rev 1:10, we see John on the island of Patmos. In Rev 1:9 we read:

“I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos.”

In today’s context, the second “in the spirit” (Rev. 4:2) statement, we find John transported from Patmos on the earth to heaven:

Rev 4:1 “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.”

The next appearance of “in the Spirit” occurs in Rev 17:3, where John is carried back down to the earth into a wilderness:

Rev 17:3a: “he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness.”

The final appearance of “in the Spirit” is in Rev 20:10, where John is moved from the low-lying wilderness to a great, high mountain:

Rev 21:10a “He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain.”

Thus, John’s “in the Spirit” experiences have him placed in different locations to receive different revelations from God.

The Structuring Significance

The “in the Spirit” movements have judicial implications that are significant for the judgment scenes of Revelation.

The first “in the Spirit” section

The first “in the Spirit” location appears in Rev 1:9-3:22. This one shows John under judicial censure on Patmos to where Rome banishes him. While there, Christ directs him to write Revelation and to send it to the seven churches (1:11). In the following seven letter-oracles Christ will engage an investigative judgment of the churches.

We may discern this from both Christ’s visionary appearance and his oracles. He appears as the Son of Man with flaming (i.e., dross-burning, searching) eyes and a two-edged (i.e., penetrating) sword (1:14, 16; 2:18, 23; cp. Heb 4:12); then he criticizes and warns the churches (2:4, 5, 14, 16, 20, 24; 3:2-3, 17, 19). Christ’s judicial criticism is designed to show “all the churches” that “I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according your deeds” (2:23).

So then, this first vision is designed to promote repentance and faithfulness in the seven churches by threatening judgment.

[image error]The Climax of the Book of Revelation (Rev 19-22)

Six lectures on six DVDs that introduce Revelation as a whole, then focuses on its glorious conclusion. Provides an important, lengthy Introduction to Revelation also.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

The second “in the Spirit” section

The second “in the Spirit” experience escorts John into heaven (4:1-2a), where he sees God’s judgment throne and his heavenly judicial courtroom (4:2b-4). There we see the lightning and thunder (4:5) which signify the terrifying theophany from which the judgments flow out against God’s enemies (4:1-16:21). While there in the Spirit John witnesses a session of the divine council (4:1-5:14), which results in a seven-sealed judgment scroll being given to Christ (5:1-4), who will open the seals and unleash the judgments (5:9; 6:1ff).

The third and fourth “in the Spirit” sections

The third (17:1-21:8) and fourth sections (21:9-22:5) have strong introductory parallels, establishing a clear relationship between them and a climax to the whole judicial procedure. Note the parallels:

17:1: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters…. [17::3] And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.’”

21:9-10: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.’”

The third section has John “in the Spirit,” while one of the seven-judgment angels transports him into the wilderness. There he will hear the harlot’s sentence and witness her judgment. The harlot is drunk on the blood of the saints (17:6; 18:24) and intoxicates the nations with her passion to destroy (18:3), so that she deserves a double payback (18:6). Her destruction is sure because “the Lord God who judges her is strong” (18:8, 20). Heaven will praise God’s judgments against her (19:1-3). Her judgment ultimately comes from Christ who appears as the divine warrior (19:11-19).

The fourth “in the Spirit” section has one of the seven-judgment angels carrying John to a great high mountain. There he sees the vindication and reward of the saints (21:9-22:5). In their judicial reward they inhabit the strong, well-protected heavenly Jerusalem come down to earth.

The Structuring Outline

Part I. Introduction (1:1-8)

Part II. In the Spirit on Patmos (1:9-3:22)

Part III. In the Spirit in Heaven (4:1-16:21)

Part IV. In the Spirit in the Wilderness (17:1-21:8)

Part V. In the Spirit on the Mountain (21:9-22:5)

Part VI. Conclusion (22:6-21)

This judicial structuring fits nicely with Revelation’s judicial theme and movement.

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QUICK ARGUMENT FOR REVELATION’S EARLY DATE

[image error]PMT 2019-069 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction

Revelation 17:8–10 is an important passage that helps us determine the date in which John composed Revelation. That passage reads as follows:

[17:8] The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. [17:9] Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, [17:10] and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Since there is a serious debate over the dating of Revelation, and since we are in one of the passages that offers us evidence for its date (Rev. 15–19), I thought I would introduce you to the debate.

Awareness of the debate is significant for a number of reasons. I believe that our recognition of the matter will help us understand an important issue. And that issues is: the writers of Scripture were real writers who wrote to real people in the real world. The Bible did not drop down from heaven as an other-worldly document. We must understand the historical significance of the books of Scripture so that we avoid mysticism and fanaticism. Christianity is an historical religion.

Before Jerusalem Fell[image error]

(by Ken Gentry)

Doctoral dissertation defending a pre-AD 70 date for Revelation’s writing. Thoroughly covers internal evidence from Revelation, external evidence from history, and objections to the early date by scholars.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

In the process of our study of Scripture we can detect evidence for the life-settings of the books. I believe that this helps the Bible to become more “alive” for us. The biblical books were not written as mystical experiences detached from the real world circumstances of the original audience.

Furthermore, understanding when an author wrote something can often throw additional light on its proper interpretation.

As we begin, we should note that the two leading time-frames that evangelical scholars offer for Revelation are:

1. The early date (prior to the destruction of the temple in AD 70);

2. The late date (toward the end of the reign of Caesar Domitian around AD 95–96).

The early date was the dominant view in the 1700s–1800s. Whereas in the early 1900s the tide shifted to adoption of the late date. However, the early date is beginning to make a resurgence among scholars.

Revelation 17:9–10

In the perplexing vision found in Rev. 17:1–6, John is shown a harlot riding on a seven-headed beast. John is befuddled by the vision, for in Rev. 17:6b–7 we read:

[17:6] And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. [17:7] And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”

So as we begin our analysis, I will build the case for the early date that is argued from this passage.

The Early Date of Revelation and the End Times: An Amillennial Partial Preterist Perspective

By Robert Hillegonds[image error]

This book presents a strong, contemporary case in support of the early dating of Revelation. He builds on Before Jerusalem Fell and brings additional arguments to bear.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

First, we should realize that this section does not contain further perplexing visionary information. Rather, it is expressly designed to explain to John the vision he has just seen: “I will tell you the mystery” (v. 7). Then as he begins to explain the vision, he adds: “Here is the mind which has wisdom” (v. 9). And in the process, the angel’s explanation helps us to look behind the scenes to discover when John wrote.

Second, we must note that all scholars hold that John was writing at sometime during the Roman empire and that he wrote in the first century of Rome’s history. This ties us to a general period that spans only 100 years. This is an advantage for Revelation commentators that Daniel commentators do not have. Arguments for Daniel’s date range from 600 BC to 160 BC. This is an extremely wide variation.

Third, we must note that the beast image itself gives us a clue as to what kings are in view. For we read of the beast with seven heads that the heads represent both mountains (or hills) and kings. Since John wrote in the first century during the days of the Roman empire, this provides us with an important clue. We are led to ask: what city is known as sitting on seven hills? That is easy to answer: Rome. The famous seven hills of Rome are the Palatine, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Viminal, Quirinal, and Capitoline hills.

The Roman writers Suetonius and Plutarch make reference to the first century festival in Rome called Septimontium, i.e. the feast of “the seven hilled city.” Archaeologists have discovered the Coin of Vespasian (emperor A.D. 69–79) picturing the goddess Roma as a woman seated on seven hills. In the coin posted above, we see seven hills behind Roma, and she is sitting on the seventh:

The famed seven hills of Rome are mentioned time and again by ancient pagan writers such as Ovid, Claudian, Statius, Pliny, Virgil, Horace, Propertius, Martial, and Cicero. The seven hills are mentioned by such Christian writers as Tertullian and Jerome.

Thus, this vision is linked to Rome of the first century. But we must go further.

Fourth, the angel teaches John something he would not naturally realize: the seven heads have a two-fold referent. They represent not only hills/mountains but also kings. So now we must look at first-century history for a line of seven kings that is associated with the city of Rome. This is where we find evidence for the early date prior to Jerusalem’s destruction.

Notice v. 10:

“They are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.”

Thus, when John writes, five of the seven kings have already fallen; they are dead and in the past. But the sixth one is currently reigning, he “is” (“one is”). And the seventh one lies off in the future: “he has not yet come.” Who could these be? Let’s get one other piece of evidence before us.

Fifth, note that the seventh “has not yet come,” but “when he comes, he must remain a little while.” This distinguishes the seventh king from the preceding six kings, the sixth of whom is now reigning.

This fits perfectly with what we know of the opening line of Caesars:

1. Julius Caesar (49-44 B.C.)

2. Augustus Caesar (31 B.C.-A.D. 14)

3. Tiberius Caesar (A.D. 14-37)

4. Gaius Caesar, also called “Caligula” (A.D. 37-41)

5. Claudius Caesar (A.D. 41-54)

6. Nero Caesar (A.D. 54-A.D. 68)

7. Galba Caesar (June, A.D. 68 to January 15, A.D. 69)

We can find these first emperors in the Roman historian Suetonius’ The Lives of the Twelve Caesars. He lists that twelve emperors up to his time in the early second century.

Note that these seven Caesars are the first emperors of the Roman empire (and are thus significant). Prior to them, Rome was a Republic. Julius Caesar set in motion the empire. He was so important for the empire that his name became a title that effectively functioned to mean “emperor.” The emperors of Rome all took his name as their title.

Sixth, now we should note that the first five “have already fallen.” That is, as John writes the first five are already dead. But the current Caesar is Nero, the one who now “is.” But one more in the vision’s enumeration must come soon. That would be Galba Caesar. And he must reign only briefly, for the angel informs John: “and when he comes, he must remain a little while” (v. 10b).

When we compare Galba (the seventh emperor of Rome) to all the preceding ones, he is the only one who reigns less than a year. He reigns only a six months (June, A.D. 68 to January 15, A.D. 69). And interestingly, he is the first emperor not to be related somehow to Julius Caesar, the others being adopted into the line of Caesars by formal, legal action.

Thus, first-century Roman history fits the angelic explanation of the vision. Consequently, John wrote Revelation while Nero was on the throne. And he dies in AD 68 as the empire erupts into the devastating civil war that will result in the famed “Year of the Four Emperors.” When Nero dies, three emperors lay claim to the emperorship but last only a few months each: Galba, Otho, and Vitellius.

Conclusion

Other lines of “internal” evidence appear in Revelation. Especially important is the reference to the Jewish temple in Rev. 11:1–2. This material is obviously picked up from Jesus’ teaching in Luke 21:24. Notice how similar they are:

Rev. 11:1-2

[11:1] Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. [11:2] Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.”

Luke 21:24

[21:20: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near…. [21:24] And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jerusalem = the holy city

Gentiles (ethne) = nations (ethnesin)

trampled underfoot (patoumene) = tread under foot (patesousin)

I believe that these two pieces of evidence strongly anchor Revelation’s history in the sixties of the first century. The evidence from Rev. 17 is particularly instructive.

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THE BEASTS OF REVELATION

PMW 2019-023 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

[image error]In Revelation 13:1–2 we are introduced to the beast from the sea who will play a prominent role in Revelation from this point forward: “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”

We must understand the “first beast” in Rev 13 both generically and individually. This is not unusual in Scripture: Christ’s body is generic (the church) and specific (Jesus); Adam is generic (man) and specific (Adam). Generically the “beast” is Rome; individually it is Nero Caesar, the head of the Roman Empire of the day.

The rationale for the generic identity is as follows. The book’s time frame supports the identification (see earlier article; cp. Rev 1:1, 3). The beast rises from the sea, which suggests the Italian peninsula where Rome is located and when considered from the vantage of either Patmos or Israel (across the Mediterranean Sea). It has “seven heads” (Rev 13:1; 17:3) that are “seven mountains” (Rev 17:8, 9); Rome is famous for its “Seven Hills.” The beast’s number is an exercise in Hebrew gematria: converting letters into numbers. An ancient Hebrew spelling of Nero Caesar perfectly fits the value: “Nrwn Qsr” (Rev 13:18): n [50] r [200] w [6] n [50] q [100] s [60] r [200].

The Beast of Revelation[image error]

by Ken Gentry

A popularly written antidote to dispensational sensationalism and newspaper exegesis. Convincing biblical and historical evidence showing that the Beast was the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar, the first civil persecutor of the Church. The second half of the book shows Revelation’s date of writing, proving its composition as prior to the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. A thought-provoking treatment of a fascinating and confusing topic.

For more study materials, go to: KennethGentry.com

The beast’s evil and blasphemous character suggests Nero specifically, and the emperors generically: Since Julius Caesar the emperors were often considered divine. Roman historian Dio Cassius reports on Nero’s return to Rome from Greece: “The people cried out: ‘Thou August, August! To Nero, the Hercules! To Nero, the Apollo! The Eternal One! Thou August! Sacred voice! Happy those who hear thee!’” (Dio, Roman History 62:20:5) In addition, Nero was the first emperor to persecute Christianity (Rev 13:7), and his persecution prevails as a virtual state of siege for around forty-two months, as prophesied in Rev 13:5 (Nov. AD 64 to June AD 68, Rev 13:5).

The healing of the beast’s deadly wound pictures Rome’s revival after the devastating Roman Civil Wars of AD 68–69, which are caused by Nero’s suicide with his own sword. Roman historian Tacitus reports on the Roman Civil Wars: “This was the condition of the Roman state when Servius Galba .　.　. entered upon the year that was to be for Galba his last and for the state almost the end” (Histories 1:2, 11)

Roman historian Suetonius writes regarding the outcome of the Civil Wars two years later: “The empire, which for a long time had been unsettled and, as it were, drifting through the usurpation and violent death of three emperors, was at last taken in and given stability by the Flavian family” (Vespasian 1:1). Josephus, the Jewish court historian to the Flavians, agrees: “So upon this confirmation of Vespasian’s entire government, which was now settled, and upon the unexpected deliverance of the public affairs of the Romans from ruin” (Josephus, J.W. 4:11:5).

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Blessed Is He Who Reads: A Primer on the Book of Revelation

By Larry E. Ball

A basic survey of Revelation from the preterist perspective.

It sees John as focusing on the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70.

For more Christian studies see: www.KennethGentry.com

The “second beast” is the first beast’s minion (Rev 13:11–12). He represents apostate Judaism as concentrated in its religious leadership in its high priestly aristocracy: (1) He arises from “the land” (tes ges), i.e., from within Israel. (2) He appears as a “lamb” (Rev 13:11), reminding us of temple worship in that “the lamb is the dominant sacrificial victim” (Interpreters’ Dictionary of the Bible, 3:58). (3) He “spoke as a dragon,” i.e., as Satan (13:11; 12:3), which reflects John and Jesus’ estimation of what Israel has become (Rev 2:9; 3:9; Jn 8:44). (4) He is also the “false prophet” (Rev 19:20), which reminds us of Israel’s long line of prophets.

THE TEMPLE’S DESTRUCTION IN REVELATION

PMT 2014-008 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

[image error]Rev. 11:1–2: “Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.’”

Here in Rev 11 a voice commands John to measure the inner temple in the “holy city,” which must be Jerusalem (Isa 48:2; 52:1; Neh. 11:1–18; Mt 4:5; 27:53). This is the place where the Lord “was crucified” (Rev 11:8; cp. Lk 9:22; 13:32; 17:11; 19:28). In Rev 1:7 John states his theme (see earlier article) which is the judgment-coming of Christ against those who pierced him, i.e., the first-century Jews.

This vision in Rev 11 underscores that theme of judgment against the Jews, showing the destruction of their beloved physical temple while sparing the new temple of God, the worshiping church of Jesus Christ.

This measuring signifies the preservation (cf. Zec 2:1–5; Rev 21:15) of the inner court of the temple. But the outer temple court is left unmeasured, and is, thus, destined for destruction (Rev 11:1, 2).

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The Book of Revelation Made Easy

(by Ken Gentry)

Helpful introduction to Revelation presenting keys for interpreting. Also provides studies of basic issues in Revelation’s story-line.|

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

The inner temple represents the temple’s true essence that continues in Christianity. The New Testament calls Christians “temples” by employing this very Greek term, naos (1Co 3:16–17; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:19ff; 1Pe 2:5). As in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the sacrificial system here receives a heavenly replacement (Rev 11:19). The outer court speaks of the physical temple, which the Romans will soon destroy (Mt 24:1–2, 16, 34).

The Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, records that Jerusalem’s wall: “was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to” (Josephus, J.W. 7:1:1).

The “forty-two months” (Rev 11:2) or “1260 days” (v 3) indicates the period of the Jewish War with Rome from its formal engagement until the temple was destroyed.

Calvin and Culture: Exploring a Worldview[image error]

Ed. by David Hall

No other Christian teachings in the past five hundred years have affected our Western culture as deeply as the worldview of John Calvin. It extends far beyond the theological disciplines.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

As church historian F. F. Bruce writes: “When Vespasian arrived the following Spring [AD 67] to take charge of operations, he steadily reduced Galilee, Peraea .　.　　.　. Titus [Vespasian’s son] began the siege of Jerusalem in April, 70. . . . By the end of August the Temple area was occupied and the holy house burned down” (Bruce, New Testament History, 381–382). From Spring AD 67 to August/September AD 70 is a period of nearly forty-two months.

HARLOTRY AND COVENANT IN BIBLICAL IMAGERY

PMW 2019-066 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

[image error]An insightful question.

Recently one of my blog readers made the following perceptive comment regarding my statement that Rome could not be Revelation’s “harlot” because Rome was never in a covenantal relationship with God:

“You said: ‘Fourth, Rome cannot commit adultery against God, for she had never been God’s wife.’ The language of harlot/marriage is spoken of Tyre in Isaiah, and as far as I know, they weren’t in a marriage with God either. Tyre is also spoken of as committing fornication.

So a city doesn’t necessarily have to be in covenant relationship like Israel/Jerusalem, in order for God to use the language of marriage, i.e harlot/fornication. Tyre wasn’t God’s wife, yet he called her a harlot who committed fornication.”

My reply:

It is true that the OT prophets charged harlotry against the pagan cities Nineveh (Nah 3:1–4) and Tyre (Isa 23:15). But this does not undermine my argument that the charge of harlotry in Rev points to Jerusalem-Israel, for the following reasons:

The Beast of Revelation[image error]

by Ken Gentry

A popularly written antidote to dispensational sensationalism and newspaper exegesis. Convincing biblical and historical evidence showing that the Beast was the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar, the first civil persecutor of the Church. The second half of the book shows Revelation’s date of writing, proving its composition as prior to the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. A thought-provoking treatment of a fascinating and confusing topic.

For more study materials, go to: KennethGentry.com

First, despite the abundant use of harlot imagery by the prophets, “only twice in the biblical corpus is a non-Israelite nation referred to as a harlot” (Rick van de Water, Reconsidering the Beast from the Sea in New Testament Studies 46 [Apr. 2000]: 256). Statistically the numbers favor a Jerusalem referent. “How could a non-Israelite nation be called ‘harlot’ except in a much less precise sense? It is the covenant which makes the bride, the breaking of it which makes the adulteress” (J. M. Ford, Revelation 285).

Second, in the two instances of harlot-denunciation beyond Israel, “this is done casually; it is not the characteristic symbol of a heathen city. As against these two texts, we find all through the prophets, beginning from Hosea, faithless Israel is called a Harlot or False Bride; it is to be found everywhere. In particular Ezekiel, who is St. John’s literary model, develops the idea at great length in certain repulsive chapters (xvi. and xxiii.) which have profoundly influenced the Revelation” (Philip Carrington, The Meaning of Revelation, 276).

Third, furthermore, Tyre and Nineveh had been in a covenant of sorts with God. Nineveh was converted under Jonah’s preaching (Jon 3:5–10) about 100 years prior to Nahum’s ministry. And Tyre’s king Hiram blessed God’s name and assisted in the building of the temple (1Ki 5:7–12), called Solomon his “brother” (1Ki 9:13), and had a “covenant of brotherhood” with Israel (Am 1:9). The “covenant of brotherhood” statement is “Amos’ way of summarizing the lengthy cooperative relationship that had existed bewtween the Phoenicians and the Israelites.” Covenantally we see a reason for applying harlotry images to these two particular cities.

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Perilous Times: A Study in Eschatological Evil (by Ken Gentry)

Technical studies on Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, the great tribulation, Paul’s Man of Sin, and John’s Revelation.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

THE NEW CREATION IN REVELATION

PMW 2019-065 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

[image error]In Revelation 21 we read of the glorious new creation:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:1–2).

Revelation presents God’s divorce of his old covenant wife Israel in AD 70 (Rev 5 presents the divorce decree). In Rev 6-19 (with interludes and asides) we witness his adulterous wife’s capital punishment. Now in the two closing chapters, we are witnesses to his marriage to his new bride, the new covenant church of Jesus Christ. The new creation is an image of the new covenant. This new Jerusalem-bride is the “Jerusalem above” (Gal 4:26), the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb 12:22) to which all believers in Christ belong.

The new creation/Jerusalem of Revelation 21–22 begins in the first century, although it unfolds throughout history and stretches out into eternity in its ultimate consummation. Note the following evidence for its coming in the first century.

First, the time frame strongly suggests it.

Especially in that it follows closely upon the vision of the new creation/Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is described in Revelation 21:2–22:5. Then immediately after it is presented we read the words: “And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place” (Rev 22:6). This is confirmed just four verses later where John is commanded not to seal up the words of Revelation: “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’”

Second, Revelation’s flow clearly suggests it.

The new Jerusalem (Rev 20–22) immediately replaces the old Jerusalem (Rev 16–19) rather than waiting several thousand years. Jerusalem is destroyed in AD 70, it is only logical that it would be replaced by the spiritual Jerusalem immediately. In fact, the spiritual Jerusalem overlaps it, already being formed in the first century prior to AD 70.

[image error]The Climax of the Book of Revelation (Rev 19-22)

Six lectures on six DVDs that introduce Revelation as a whole, then focuses on its glorious conclusion. Provides an important, lengthy Introduction to Revelation also.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Third, earlier teaching on the new creation.

Elsewhere Scripture teaches that the new creation (salvation) enters history before the final consummation. For instance, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read language very similar to Revelation 21:1 and 5: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (cp. Eph 2:10; 4:24; Gal 6:15). John’s Old Testament backdrop is clearly Isaiah 65:17–25.

Note especially verses 17 and 20: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. . . . No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed.” Notice that the new creation on earth still experiences sin, aging, and death in the physical realm; thus, it cannot refer to heaven and eternity.

Fourth, the New Testament anticipates a change. 

The NT expects the immediate change of the old era into the new. For instance, in John 4:21 Christ teaches the Samaritan woman: “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” Hebrews teaches much about the approaching passing of the old covenant. One clear passage is Heb 8:13 reads: “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”

Fifth, the New Testament speaks of the bride.

In the NT the church is Christ’s bride (Eph 5:25ff; 2Co 11:2ff; Jn 3:29). God does not have two wives; his new covenant bride replaces his old covenant wife, Israel, in AD 70.

When we read Revelation 21–22 we must recognize John’s strong use of dramatic, poetic imagery. The absence of the sea (Rev 21:1) pictures harmony and peace within. In Scripture the sea often symbolizes discord and sin (Rev 13:1,2; Isa 8:7ff; 23:10; 57:20; Jer 6:23; 46:7). Christianity offers the opposite (Rom 5:1; Eph 2:12ff; Phil 4:7, 9). The bride-church is the tabernacle-temple of God (Rev 21:3) because God dwells within her and no literal temple is needed (Rev 21:22; cf. Eph 2:19–22; 1Co 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; 1 Pet 2:5, 9). Salvation removes grief (Rev 21:4; 1 Thess 4:13; 1 Cor 15:55–58; Jms 1:2–4), introduces one into the family of God (Rev 21:7; cf. John 1:12–13; 1 John 3:1ff). and brings eternal life (Rev 21:6, 8).

John also presents the glory of the bride-church (Rev 21:9–22:5) in poetic imagery. She shines brilliantly like light (Rev 21:10, 11; cp. Matt 5:14–16; Acts 13:47; Rom 13:12; 2 Cor 6:14; Eph 5:8ff). Consequently, she is as precious to God as costly gold and jewels (Rev 21:11, 18ff; 1 Pet 1:7; 2:4–7; 1 Cor 3:12). This beautiful bride-church has a sure foundation and impregnable walls (Rev 21:12–21; Matt 16:18; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:19f; 1 Cor 3:10ff; Isa 26:1; 60:18).

Four Views on the Book of Revelation[image error]

(ed. by Marvin Pate)

Helpful presentation of four approaches to Revelation. Ken Gentry writes the chapter on the preterist approach to Revelation, which provides a 50 page survey of Revelation .

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Thus, she is destined to have a massive influence in the world (Rev 21:16; cp. Isa 2:2ff; Eze 17:22ff; 47:1–11; Dan 2:31–35; Mic 4:1; Matt 13:31–32; 28:18 –20; John 3:17; 1Co 15:20ff; 2 Cor 5:19). God cares for her by providing her with the water of life (John 4:14; 7:37–38; 6:32–35). Thus, she brings healing to the nations by her presence (Rev 21:22; 22:1–5; Rev 22:2, 3; Isa 53:5; Eze 47:1–12; Matt 13:33; Luke 4:18; John 4:14; Gal 3:10–13; 1 Pet 2:2, 24).