- Published on
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Chapter 0
by George Sidney Hurd
The Apostle Peter spoke of the final restoration of all things as having been prophesied since the world began (Acts 3:21). As Universal Restorationists, we believe that the restoration of all speaks of the restoration of all of mankind to a condition, not only equal to, but superior to the original state of Adam and Eve before the fall. But what about the rest of thinking, feeling rational beings who have suffered the consequences of man’s fall? Would not the restoration of all include all animal life as well? In this blog I hope to demonstrate from the Scriptures that all of creation, including animals, will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
The following is an excerpt from chapter 5 of my book: “The Ways of God.” I am posting this at the insistence of a friend who strongly feels that many need to know that God’s glorious plan for the ages culminates in the final restoration of all, including our beloved pets.
****************
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Rom 8:18-23)
We see in this passage that God Himself subjected the whole creation to futility, and presently every rational created being capable of groaning in pain is in travail, eagerly awaiting the time of the manifestation of the sons of God when all creation will be set free. As with mankind, this jubilee will be experienced universally throughout all of God’s creation, to the exclusion of none. Every living soul (Heb. nephesh) that has ever lived - which includes all animal life that has ever suffered evil or shall suffer evil, will be delivered at the consummation when there will no longer be any more pain nor sorrow, for the former things will have passed away. All, absolutely all, will be made new:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make ALL things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” (Rev 21:4-5)
We would all agree (with the exception of the Partialists who must interpret “all” as including only the few that are saved before Christ’s coming) that as far as mankind is concerned, when it says that there shall be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain, it means all mankind of all time since creation. But wouldn’t Christ’s words: “Behold I make all things new” also include all animal life that has ever been born into a world subjected to futility and infected with evil, who suffered a lifetime of pain and died? We must remember that our English word “things,” which to us means inanimate objects like trees and rocks, did not even exist in Greek and therefore His words should read: “I make all new,” which certainly would include the animals, as well as mankind, and not simply the trees and rocks. John, in a heavenly vision, saw every creature singing praises to God at the final consummation:
“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” (Rev 5:13)
John saw a time when every creature, including those who are presently in heaven, those who are on earth and even those who are now under the earth in the invisible world of Hades, before the throne of God magnifying His name. There is coming a time when all God’s creation will have been restored and God will then be all in all. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36). Paul here is saying that all that which proceeded from God at creation is sustained by Him and will return to Him in the times of the restoration of all things, at the time of the manifestation of the sons of God when all creation will be set free into the glorious liberty of the sons of God (Acts 3:21; Rom 8:19-22). Again, Paul speaks of a time when all will be reunited in Christ:
“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one (anakephalaiomai “reunite”) all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him.” (Eph 1:9-10)
The mystery revealed in this passage is that it has always been God’s predetermined purpose to reunite all things in heaven and on earth (i.e. all that which Christ created in the beginning) back under Christ’s headship in the final dispensation of the fullness of the times. The phrase: “gather together in one” is a composite word made up of ana which normally means “again” and kephalaioo and is best translated as “to reunite or unite again under one head,” since only this rendering retains the meaning of the prefix ana. [1] So, what is being revealed here is the final restoration of all things when all creation will be reunited, and God will then become all in all (1Cor 15:28).
Partialists deny what these passages are saying in more than one way. When we insist that it is referring to all people, they reply that it only refers to all who become believers before they die or Christ returns, plus all of creation. Yet when this passage is presented as evidence that the entire creation will be restored, including the animal kingdom, they often insist that it doesn’t include animals either. However, although there will be a new heaven and earth, it is improbable that the reuniting of all in Christ is here referring to inanimate creation. To “reunite” speaks of reconciling or restoring unity which is only applicable to intelligent life. In like manner, the reference in Romans 8 to creation being delivered from bondage into the liberty of the Sons of God would be irrelevant to inanimate objects like mountains and trees.
So, what they end up saying is that “all things being reunited in Christ” is restricted to possibly ten percent of all mankind who have ever lived since the beginning, plus the angels of God, who in reality don’t even need to be restored since they never fell. If the animals who have lived, suffered and died throughout history are not included in the “all” that will be reunited, heaven will be quite an empty place. Some speculate that God will create new animals for heaven. However, that would not constitute a “reunion.” Should we take these Scriptures seriously or are they nothing more than exaggerated speech? I personally believe that the Lord would have us understand them just as written.
I read numerous articles discussing the issue of whether or not we will be reunited with our pets in heaven and was troubled at the callousness with which most theologians treat the subject of an afterlife for animals. In the 17th Century the father of Rationalism, Descartes, considered animals as nothing more than automatons who felt neither emotion nor pain. I was taught as a child in school that they lived entirely by instinct. However, Scriptures, modern science and even personal observation, has amply demonstrated that they are very much thinking, feeling, willful and rational beings with all the characteristics of a living soul. In spite of this, theologians continue regarding them pretty much as Descartes did centuries ago.
While only man was created in the image and likeness of God, in the Scriptures we discover that animals are called living souls. Although most translations obscure this truth, animals are called living souls (Heb. nephesh) numerous times in Scripture. The only translation I could find which consistently translates nephesh as “soul” throughout the entire Old Testament is the Concordant Literal Translation. Other translations, viewing animals as mere brute beasts without feelings or intelligence, translated nephesh as “creature” or “beast,” instead of “soul” in every reference to animals, according to the translator’s beliefs, rather than translating according to the real meaning of the word. The nephesh or soul is what distinguishes the animal from plant life or organic life without a soul. That animals have value in the eyes of God is demonstrated by the fact that the life of innocent animals was accepted in man’s place for a sin sacrifice and not plants, as Cain found out the hard way.
Also, we see the value God places upon each individual animal in that He is said to sustain them and that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father taking note of it (Matt 10:29; Ps 104:27-30). David the psalmist even says that the Lord saves both man and the animals:
“Your righteousness is like the mountain ranges of El, Your judgment like the vast abyss: Both human and beast (animal) You save, O Yahweh.” (Ps 36:6 CLV)
David here says that God saves both humans and animals. No matter what he meant by “save” here, God’s loving care for his animal kingdom is very evident throughout Scripture. It is common to hear detractors say that Jesus didn’t die to save animals. But, while clearly His primary mission was to save man, would that salvation not encompass the animals as well? They were created for man, then subjected to vanity when man lost his dominion over the earth to Satan. When Christ died and rose again, destroying Satan’s dominion, wouldn’t the restoration include the animals as well? Even if one could argue that the restoration of all does not include animals (which we cannot reasonably do) what do we do with Colossians 1, where it is very emphatic that absolutely everything in the entire creation was reconciled to God through the blood of His cross?
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him… 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:16,20)
When Christ shed His blood upon the cross, He not only reconciled all mankind unto God but all the rest of His creation as well, whether in heaven or on earth, visible or invisible. Not that the animals were moral beings that sinned so as to need salvation as is the case with man, but they are saved from man’s curse that brought upon them suffering and death. I personally don’t know of any way that one can take the Scriptures seriously and exclude the animal kingdom from His redemptive work.
Do we find animals in the age to come? Yes, we do. Isaiah describes numerous animals in the millennial kingdom:
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa 11:6-9)
Also, the Lord speaks through the prophet Hosea concerning that time, not only indicating that they will be in the Millennium but that He will make a covenant with them to assure their safety:
“In that day I will make a covenant for them, with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely.” (Hos 2:18)
Although the millennial kingdom is on earth and the animals appear to be alive in their natural bodies, we nevertheless see God’s loving care and His restoration of the same animal kingdom, even making a covenant promising their safety. Are there presently animals in heaven? Again, although not much is said about them, the answer is yes. Elijah was taken into heaven on a chariot led by horses (2Kings 2:11). When the Syrians came against Israel, Elisha’s servant’s eyes were opened, and he saw a heavenly army with chariots and horses to defend them. When Christ returns, He will come upon a white horse and His army will follow Him on white horses (Rev 19:11; 20:11,14). While there is no mention of other classes of animals in heaven, it is doubtful that heaven has, or will have, less diversity than we presently see on earth.
There is no reason for not believing that the animals who lived, suffered and died on earth are waiting for us in heaven. The last words of many believers upon departing to be with the Lord are descriptions of their departed family members and their beloved pets that had died and were at their bedside to welcome them. Isn’t it to be expected from a benevolent God who has declared that He will restore all of His creatures?
Some refer to this expectation as sentimentalism. They also categorize us as sentimentalists when we speak of the final restoration of all mankind or Universalism. But should God’s people be past feeling? Is it sentimentalism to rejoice in the plain declarations of Scripture concerning a universal restoration of all creation? I would suggest that the real problem is not that we are sentimental, but rather that some have become callous and their hearts so hardened by the dark doctrines of men that they have become like the Pharisees who neither enter the kingdom themselves nor permit those who would enter to go in.
On the other hand, many of the Early Church Fathers took these Scriptures literally, believing in the final restoration of all, including the souls of animals. Saint Jerome himself said as late as in the early 5th Century that the majority still believed that all would be restored, both those in heaven and on earth:
“Most persons regard the story of Jonah as teaching the ultimate forgiveness of all rational creatures, even the devil.” [2]
“The apostate angels, and the prince of this world, and Lucifer, the morning star, though now ungovernable, licentiously wandering about, and plunging themselves into the depths of sin, shall in the end, embrace the happy dominion of Christ and his saints… No rational creature before God will perish forever.” [3] (emphasis mine)
Partialists may call our hope sentimentalism, but since I came to understand that God will finally restore all things – including the animal kingdom, I have not grieved over the loss of my beloved pets as I once did before I had that assurance. I love my dogs and I used to grieve for weeks when one of them died. Now I know they are in a much better place where there is no more suffering or pain, and that knowledge helps alleviate the sting of their death.
Likewise, it used to trouble me seeing nature programs where the animals suffer so much under the effects of the fall, especially knowing that God Himself subjected creation to futility when man fell and lost dominion over the earth (Rom 8:20). I once shot a deer because she kept eating from my garden. At first I felt bad for killing her, but after seeing how many fleas, ticks and open sores she had all over her body I realized I had done her a favor putting her out of her misery. Since that time, I have felt compassion for the wildlife who do not have owners to care for them. But now, knowing that when their brief lives of suffering come to an end, all creation will be reunited in their Creator and man will once again be restored to the place of dominion over the earth, co-reigning with Christ, I can rejoice concerning their future, no matter what they may have to go through during their short lifetimes. After a life of suffering, these animals will enjoy an eternal bliss which will be even more glorious for them than if they had never been born into a fallen world and been restored, since, being living souls, they will always remember the contrast of their new life of bliss with their former one on the earth.
[1] Other examples of composite words with ana prefixed where ana clearly means “again or re…” are as follows: anagennao, “to be born again”; anaginosko, lit. “to know again,” or “to read”; anagnosis, “(the act of) reading”;
anazao, “to live again”; anazopureo, to re-enkindle; anathallo, “to revive”; anakainoo, “to renew”; anamnesis, “to remember”; ananeoo, “to reform”; anastauroo, to recrucify, crucify again”; anapsuxis, “a recovery of breath, (figuratively) revival” anapsucho, “to relieve.”
[2] Jerome. In Ps. xcii. 9.22
[3] Jerome. In Ps. xcii. 9.22
The Apostle Peter spoke of the final restoration of all things as having been prophesied since the world began (Acts 3:21). As Universal Restorationists, we believe that the restoration of all speaks of the restoration of all of mankind to a condition, not only equal to, but superior to the original state of Adam and Eve before the fall. But what about the rest of thinking, feeling rational beings who have suffered the consequences of man’s fall? Would not the restoration of all include all animal life as well? In this blog I hope to demonstrate from the Scriptures that all of creation, including animals, will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
The following is an excerpt from chapter 5 of my book: “The Ways of God.” I am posting this at the insistence of a friend who strongly feels that many need to know that God’s glorious plan for the ages culminates in the final restoration of all, including our beloved pets.
****************
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Rom 8:18-23)
We see in this passage that God Himself subjected the whole creation to futility, and presently every rational created being capable of groaning in pain is in travail, eagerly awaiting the time of the manifestation of the sons of God when all creation will be set free. As with mankind, this jubilee will be experienced universally throughout all of God’s creation, to the exclusion of none. Every living soul (Heb. nephesh) that has ever lived - which includes all animal life that has ever suffered evil or shall suffer evil, will be delivered at the consummation when there will no longer be any more pain nor sorrow, for the former things will have passed away. All, absolutely all, will be made new:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make ALL things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” (Rev 21:4-5)
We would all agree (with the exception of the Partialists who must interpret “all” as including only the few that are saved before Christ’s coming) that as far as mankind is concerned, when it says that there shall be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain, it means all mankind of all time since creation. But wouldn’t Christ’s words: “Behold I make all things new” also include all animal life that has ever been born into a world subjected to futility and infected with evil, who suffered a lifetime of pain and died? We must remember that our English word “things,” which to us means inanimate objects like trees and rocks, did not even exist in Greek and therefore His words should read: “I make all new,” which certainly would include the animals, as well as mankind, and not simply the trees and rocks. John, in a heavenly vision, saw every creature singing praises to God at the final consummation:
“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” (Rev 5:13)
John saw a time when every creature, including those who are presently in heaven, those who are on earth and even those who are now under the earth in the invisible world of Hades, before the throne of God magnifying His name. There is coming a time when all God’s creation will have been restored and God will then be all in all. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36). Paul here is saying that all that which proceeded from God at creation is sustained by Him and will return to Him in the times of the restoration of all things, at the time of the manifestation of the sons of God when all creation will be set free into the glorious liberty of the sons of God (Acts 3:21; Rom 8:19-22). Again, Paul speaks of a time when all will be reunited in Christ:
“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one (anakephalaiomai “reunite”) all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him.” (Eph 1:9-10)
The mystery revealed in this passage is that it has always been God’s predetermined purpose to reunite all things in heaven and on earth (i.e. all that which Christ created in the beginning) back under Christ’s headship in the final dispensation of the fullness of the times. The phrase: “gather together in one” is a composite word made up of ana which normally means “again” and kephalaioo and is best translated as “to reunite or unite again under one head,” since only this rendering retains the meaning of the prefix ana. [1] So, what is being revealed here is the final restoration of all things when all creation will be reunited, and God will then become all in all (1Cor 15:28).
Partialists deny what these passages are saying in more than one way. When we insist that it is referring to all people, they reply that it only refers to all who become believers before they die or Christ returns, plus all of creation. Yet when this passage is presented as evidence that the entire creation will be restored, including the animal kingdom, they often insist that it doesn’t include animals either. However, although there will be a new heaven and earth, it is improbable that the reuniting of all in Christ is here referring to inanimate creation. To “reunite” speaks of reconciling or restoring unity which is only applicable to intelligent life. In like manner, the reference in Romans 8 to creation being delivered from bondage into the liberty of the Sons of God would be irrelevant to inanimate objects like mountains and trees.
So, what they end up saying is that “all things being reunited in Christ” is restricted to possibly ten percent of all mankind who have ever lived since the beginning, plus the angels of God, who in reality don’t even need to be restored since they never fell. If the animals who have lived, suffered and died throughout history are not included in the “all” that will be reunited, heaven will be quite an empty place. Some speculate that God will create new animals for heaven. However, that would not constitute a “reunion.” Should we take these Scriptures seriously or are they nothing more than exaggerated speech? I personally believe that the Lord would have us understand them just as written.
I read numerous articles discussing the issue of whether or not we will be reunited with our pets in heaven and was troubled at the callousness with which most theologians treat the subject of an afterlife for animals. In the 17th Century the father of Rationalism, Descartes, considered animals as nothing more than automatons who felt neither emotion nor pain. I was taught as a child in school that they lived entirely by instinct. However, Scriptures, modern science and even personal observation, has amply demonstrated that they are very much thinking, feeling, willful and rational beings with all the characteristics of a living soul. In spite of this, theologians continue regarding them pretty much as Descartes did centuries ago.
While only man was created in the image and likeness of God, in the Scriptures we discover that animals are called living souls. Although most translations obscure this truth, animals are called living souls (Heb. nephesh) numerous times in Scripture. The only translation I could find which consistently translates nephesh as “soul” throughout the entire Old Testament is the Concordant Literal Translation. Other translations, viewing animals as mere brute beasts without feelings or intelligence, translated nephesh as “creature” or “beast,” instead of “soul” in every reference to animals, according to the translator’s beliefs, rather than translating according to the real meaning of the word. The nephesh or soul is what distinguishes the animal from plant life or organic life without a soul. That animals have value in the eyes of God is demonstrated by the fact that the life of innocent animals was accepted in man’s place for a sin sacrifice and not plants, as Cain found out the hard way.
Also, we see the value God places upon each individual animal in that He is said to sustain them and that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father taking note of it (Matt 10:29; Ps 104:27-30). David the psalmist even says that the Lord saves both man and the animals:
“Your righteousness is like the mountain ranges of El, Your judgment like the vast abyss: Both human and beast (animal) You save, O Yahweh.” (Ps 36:6 CLV)
David here says that God saves both humans and animals. No matter what he meant by “save” here, God’s loving care for his animal kingdom is very evident throughout Scripture. It is common to hear detractors say that Jesus didn’t die to save animals. But, while clearly His primary mission was to save man, would that salvation not encompass the animals as well? They were created for man, then subjected to vanity when man lost his dominion over the earth to Satan. When Christ died and rose again, destroying Satan’s dominion, wouldn’t the restoration include the animals as well? Even if one could argue that the restoration of all does not include animals (which we cannot reasonably do) what do we do with Colossians 1, where it is very emphatic that absolutely everything in the entire creation was reconciled to God through the blood of His cross?
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him… 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:16,20)
When Christ shed His blood upon the cross, He not only reconciled all mankind unto God but all the rest of His creation as well, whether in heaven or on earth, visible or invisible. Not that the animals were moral beings that sinned so as to need salvation as is the case with man, but they are saved from man’s curse that brought upon them suffering and death. I personally don’t know of any way that one can take the Scriptures seriously and exclude the animal kingdom from His redemptive work.
Do we find animals in the age to come? Yes, we do. Isaiah describes numerous animals in the millennial kingdom:
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa 11:6-9)
Also, the Lord speaks through the prophet Hosea concerning that time, not only indicating that they will be in the Millennium but that He will make a covenant with them to assure their safety:
“In that day I will make a covenant for them, with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely.” (Hos 2:18)
Although the millennial kingdom is on earth and the animals appear to be alive in their natural bodies, we nevertheless see God’s loving care and His restoration of the same animal kingdom, even making a covenant promising their safety. Are there presently animals in heaven? Again, although not much is said about them, the answer is yes. Elijah was taken into heaven on a chariot led by horses (2Kings 2:11). When the Syrians came against Israel, Elisha’s servant’s eyes were opened, and he saw a heavenly army with chariots and horses to defend them. When Christ returns, He will come upon a white horse and His army will follow Him on white horses (Rev 19:11; 20:11,14). While there is no mention of other classes of animals in heaven, it is doubtful that heaven has, or will have, less diversity than we presently see on earth.
There is no reason for not believing that the animals who lived, suffered and died on earth are waiting for us in heaven. The last words of many believers upon departing to be with the Lord are descriptions of their departed family members and their beloved pets that had died and were at their bedside to welcome them. Isn’t it to be expected from a benevolent God who has declared that He will restore all of His creatures?
Some refer to this expectation as sentimentalism. They also categorize us as sentimentalists when we speak of the final restoration of all mankind or Universalism. But should God’s people be past feeling? Is it sentimentalism to rejoice in the plain declarations of Scripture concerning a universal restoration of all creation? I would suggest that the real problem is not that we are sentimental, but rather that some have become callous and their hearts so hardened by the dark doctrines of men that they have become like the Pharisees who neither enter the kingdom themselves nor permit those who would enter to go in.
On the other hand, many of the Early Church Fathers took these Scriptures literally, believing in the final restoration of all, including the souls of animals. Saint Jerome himself said as late as in the early 5th Century that the majority still believed that all would be restored, both those in heaven and on earth:
“Most persons regard the story of Jonah as teaching the ultimate forgiveness of all rational creatures, even the devil.” [2]
“The apostate angels, and the prince of this world, and Lucifer, the morning star, though now ungovernable, licentiously wandering about, and plunging themselves into the depths of sin, shall in the end, embrace the happy dominion of Christ and his saints… No rational creature before God will perish forever.” [3] (emphasis mine)
Partialists may call our hope sentimentalism, but since I came to understand that God will finally restore all things – including the animal kingdom, I have not grieved over the loss of my beloved pets as I once did before I had that assurance. I love my dogs and I used to grieve for weeks when one of them died. Now I know they are in a much better place where there is no more suffering or pain, and that knowledge helps alleviate the sting of their death.
Likewise, it used to trouble me seeing nature programs where the animals suffer so much under the effects of the fall, especially knowing that God Himself subjected creation to futility when man fell and lost dominion over the earth (Rom 8:20). I once shot a deer because she kept eating from my garden. At first I felt bad for killing her, but after seeing how many fleas, ticks and open sores she had all over her body I realized I had done her a favor putting her out of her misery. Since that time, I have felt compassion for the wildlife who do not have owners to care for them. But now, knowing that when their brief lives of suffering come to an end, all creation will be reunited in their Creator and man will once again be restored to the place of dominion over the earth, co-reigning with Christ, I can rejoice concerning their future, no matter what they may have to go through during their short lifetimes. After a life of suffering, these animals will enjoy an eternal bliss which will be even more glorious for them than if they had never been born into a fallen world and been restored, since, being living souls, they will always remember the contrast of their new life of bliss with their former one on the earth.
[1] Other examples of composite words with ana prefixed where ana clearly means “again or re…” are as follows: anagennao, “to be born again”; anaginosko, lit. “to know again,” or “to read”; anagnosis, “(the act of) reading”;
anazao, “to live again”; anazopureo, to re-enkindle; anathallo, “to revive”; anakainoo, “to renew”; anamnesis, “to remember”; ananeoo, “to reform”; anastauroo, to recrucify, crucify again”; anapsuxis, “a recovery of breath, (figuratively) revival” anapsucho, “to relieve.”
[2] Jerome. In Ps. xcii. 9.22
[3] Jerome. In Ps. xcii. 9.22
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6The Identity of the Hundred and 44 thousand (3 of 3)
by George Sidney Hurd
There has been much fanciful speculation concerning the identity of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7. Are they made up of Church saints or a Jewish remnant? Will there be literally 144,000 sealed, or does that number have some hidden spiritual meaning?
It is my conviction that the confusion is the result of ignoring clear identifying statements within the passages themselves, much as we saw with the indicators within the sign of the woman and the man-child in Revelation 12, revealing their identities. Sound exegesis always draws the meaning from the text itself, instead of reading one’s understanding into the text. The following is an excerpt from chapter 9 of my book: “Focusing in on End-Time Events,” in which I point out the identity of the 144,000 from the text itself.
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In Revelation chapter 7 there is mention of 144,000 servants of God from the twelve tribes of the children of Israel who are sealed. There are two basic interpretations as to their identity. The first is that they are to be seen symbolically as representing the Church saints, and the second is that it is referring to literal Israelites – 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes as listed in verses 5 thru 8 who will be sealed at the end of the age, just prior to the judgments which will be inflicted upon those who dwell on the earth. The arguments presented in defense of a symbolic interpretation will be first examined before explaining their identity using the literal approach.
Arguments against a Literal Interpretation of the 144,000 in Revelation 7
1) Revelation is a Book Full of Symbolism and should not be Interpreted Literally
It is argued that the 144,000 should be understood as simply referring to a great multitude and should not be taken literally. This position is defended in spite of the fact that much detail is given specifying that the 144,000 are children of Israel, composed of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes mentioned in verses 5 thru 8. In reality, the passage is very specific as to the number of the sealed. It is in verses 9 thru the end of the chapter that we see a non-specific number of blood washed saints from all nations who come out of the Great Tribulation, as seen in distinction from the 144,000 Jews who are sealed in verses 1 thru 8. In verse 9 John says: “After these things I saw a great multitude which no man can number…” Why would so much attention be given to detail, specifying 144,000 individuals in one passage and then right afterwards refer to a non-specific number by simply saying “a great multitude” if the 144,000 are also meant to be understood as a non-specific number? The most obvious progression of chapter seven is to show first, those of literal Israel who will survive the tribulation, and then the great multitude of blood washed Church saints from all nations who will also come out of the Great Tribulation.
The same school of thought which would spiritualize the number 144,000, usually does not interpret the 1,000-year millennium or the three-and-a-half-year period of the Great Tribulation literally either. This they do in spite of the several ways it is expressed; “three and a half years,” “time, times and half a time,” “forty-two months” and “twelve hundred and sixty days.” It is as if God, anticipating that men would want to spiritualize these numbers, made them specific in every possible way. Nevertheless, many persist in seeing the numbers as nonspecific. One commentary actually states in reference to the 144,000: “The number is too exact and artificial to suppose that it is literal.” Since when do specific details instead of general terms argue for not taking them literally? Clearly the opposite is true.
In Old Testament prophecies that specify numbers, we can see that they were fulfilled literally. In Daniel the numbers are literally fulfilled. Should we expect anything different in Revelation, the companion volume? In Jeremiah 29:10, it is revealed that the captivity would last 70 years. Did Daniel understand it literally? Yes. And exactly 70 years later the captivity ended as prophesied. Even though there was a secondary application revealed to him in Daniel 9:24-27 that would be fulfilled in 7 times 70 years, the primary prophecy was fulfilled literally, and the secondary fulfillment is also being fulfilled literally. Although prophetic Scriptures contain symbolism, we only have liberty to interpret symbolism symbolically. Literal prophecies should never be interpreted symbolically. A rule of interpretation should generally be recognized: “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense.”
The same interpreters arbitrarily take many other numbers in Revelation literally, such as the New Jerusalem with 12 foundations and 12 gates; 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, etc. Generally speaking, whenever God chooses to communicate with numbers, He wants us to think in terms of numbers.
2) The 10 Tribes of the Northern Kingdom were Dispersed Never to be Found Again
It is argued that the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom are lost tribes. After the reign of Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was divided. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained in Judea under the rule of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, and the other ten tribes formed the northern kingdom under Jeroboam. The northern kingdom abandoned the worship of God and persisted in idolatry until they were delivered over to the Assyrians around 722 B.C. They were then dispersed among the nations, and foreigners were sent to repopulate their cities. Those who argue against the 144,000 being the literal children of Israel say that the ten tribes of Israel were dispersed among the nations and lost forever and therefore could not be the 144,000 at the end of the age. However, God made an irrevocable promise that neither the nation of Israel nor Judah, which was also later sent into captivity, would be lost forever:
“For behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the Lord. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it….'" For I am with you,' says the Lord, 'to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.” (Jer 30:3,11)
“Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name): "If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the Lord: "If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord.” (Jer 31:35-37)
In these verses, and many others, God unconditionally promises that they will never entirely cease to be God’s elect people, contrary to what many may say. He also promises that however lost they may seem to be, He will re-gather them into their own land and will restore to them their kingdom in the latter days:
"Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.” (Ezek 37:21,22)
“After many days you (Gog) will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely…. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezek 38:8,16)
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” (Hos 3:4-5)
In these passages we see clearly that, far from being lost forever, in the latter days both Israel and Judah will be back in the land of Israel as one nation with one king over them. I consider the fallacies of Replacement Theology which teaches that the Church replaced national Israel in my blog Has God Rejected His People Israel?
Early Christians would have had no problem accepting that all twelve tribes of Israel could be sealed. All twelve tribes were present and worshipping God at the time of the writing of the New Testament over 700 years after the dispersion. On the day of Pentecost, we see that the devout Jews of the dispersion, representing all the house of Israel, were in Jerusalem for the Passover Feasts:
“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitudes came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language… ‘Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know… Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:5,6, 22,36)
Here we see that on the day of Pentecost, Jews representative of the whole house of Israel were present in Jerusalem for the Feast (all twelve tribes were referred to as Jews as well as Israelites since the Babylonian captivity). Paul, speaking before Agrippa, presents in his speech something that was common knowledge – there were devout Jews serving God from all twelve tribes in his time:
“To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.” (Acts 26:7)
James wrote his epistle to all twelve tribes of the Jews of the dispersion:
“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.” (James 1:1)
Though not all from the ten tribes returned to the land of Israel (that awaits the latter times), they were definitely not all forever lost, nor absorbed by the nations. And of those that apparently are lost, they are only lost to men, not to God.
The Jewish lineage in biblical times was traced through the father’s line and not the mother’s line. Throughout the Scriptures we see that a child continues to be a Jew even if the child’s mother is non-Jewish as long as the father is Jewish. Joseph married an Egyptian, yet his two sons became the fathers of the two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Moses married a Midianite. In the Messianic genealogy of Matthew chapter one, we see that Rahab the harlot of Jericho was the mother of Boaz, but Boaz continued to be included in the line of Judah. He in turn married Ruth, a Moabite. So, although there were Gentiles in Jesus’ bloodline, that did not exclude Him from being a legitimate descendent of Judah and thus qualified to be the Messiah as a descendant of David from the tribe of Judah. God knows the paternal descent of every Jew and is fully capable of distinguishing them and sealing them.
There are many devout Jews in the world today who know they are Jews but do not know with certainty of which tribe they are. Some conclude that because their surnames are Levi or Cohen that they are of the tribe of Levi but even that is not conclusive. Genealogical records cannot be traced back more than a few generations. Israelites have been banished from many nations, persecuted, slaughtered, and obligated to embrace Christendom or the Muslim faith, further complicating things (for a timeline showing how the Jews have been trampled underfoot by the Gentiles see the following link: ( [i] ). It is a miracle that they remain a distinct people after so many attempts to destroy them. Many modern-day Jews have continued to practice the Jewish faith as passed down from their ancestors even though they may not know of which tribe they are descended from. Be what it may, God knows their paternal descent and knows whom He has chosen to be sealed from each tribe at the end of the age.
3) The Fact that the Tribes are not mentioned in the Usual Manner Indicates that it was Not Intended to be Interpreted Literally
Those who maintain that the 144,000 symbolically represent the Church point out that the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7 are not mentioned in the usual order, the tribe of Dan is excluded and instead of mentioning Ephraim he is replaced with his father Joseph. Also, the Levites, who are normally excluded from the lists of tribes because their heavenly calling as priests excluded them from earthly inheritances, are here included. From this it is argued that it was not meant to be taken literally. In reality the contrary is true. The fact that they are not listed in the usual order from the oldest to youngest and that there are exclusions should call our attention. Why is Dan excluded? Why is Joseph named instead of Ephraim? Why was Levi included? These differences should be a call to attention, causing us to investigate the reason for the changes.
The reason for the exclusion of Dan and Ephraim is implied in that Dan was the first of the tribes to turn to idolatry upon entering Canaan and Ephraim followed suit:
“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.” (Judg 18:30)
“Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.” (Hos 4:17)
The idea expressed in these texts is that both tribes rejected the worship of the true God and persisted in their idolatry until they were given over to a reprobate mind. Jacob even prophetically implied that Dan would be a stumbling block for the nation of Israel when he blessed his sons in Genesis 49:17. He said,
“Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path that bites the horse's heels so that its rider shall fall backward.”
Levi would naturally be included among the tribes sealed because, although the Levites were not given an earthly inheritance, the seal of God is unto the heavenly inheritance of which they are heirs and ministers.
So, the differences in the list of tribes from the normal order, actually favor the conclusion that they should be taken literally. A Jew would naturally ask why two tribes are not mentioned and knowing the history of idolatry in the tribes of Dan and Ephraim would have understood the message that God meant to communicate by their exclusion.
As has been demonstrated, the arguments for not taking the 144,000 as being 12,000 literal Jews from each tribe listed do not stand up under closer examination. Israel has not been lost and absorbed by the nations. And God has promised that, though they will be judged for their sin and idolatry, He will not cast them off forever, no matter what they may have done.
Reason for Sealing the Foreheads of the 144,000
The reason for sealing the 144,000 is implied in Revelation 7 verses 1 thru 3:
“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Rev 7:1-3)
The judgments described in the seals alone will cause the death of at least one fourth of the world’s population (Rev 6:7), not to mention the loss of life in other events described in the trumpet and bowl judgments. The seal of God in their foreheads is for their protection from these judgments and the wrath of the dragon who will seek to destroy them after he is cast down to the earth. We see this demonstrated when the demons that ascend from the bottomless pit are not permitted to harm those who have the seal of God in their forehead (9:4). This is similar to a vision that Ezekiel was shown:
“Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’ To the others He said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’” (Ezek 9:3-6)
The Mark in Revelation, as in Ezekiel, is for Protection of the Servants of God
A change in John’s visions is often introduced by the words “after this I saw”, or “after these things I saw” or simply “then I saw”. These expressions are not to indicate that the contents of the visions chronologically follow the events of the prior visions but rather what John sees in the new vision follows what he saw in the prior one. John is shown repeated visions of the same three-and-a-half-year period of the Great Tribulation, giving different details of the same timespan. They are not to be understood as one three-and-a-half-year period followed by another three-and-a-half-year period, but rather two visions where he sees the same timespan from a different perspective.
Recapitulation is a common characteristic of the book of Revelation. When he says, “after these things I saw…” in 7:1 he is not saying, “after the seven seals have already wiped out over a quarter of the world’s population I saw that the 144,000 were sealed to protect them from being harmed,” but rather that he saw in the next vision that the four angels continued to hold back the four winds of the earth so that no harm would be done to it until the 144,000 servants of God had been sealed. The vision takes him back to the beginning, before any of the seals which will bring devastation to the earth and its inhabitants are broken.
Identity of the 144,000
Having established that the 144,000 are 12,000 natural Jews from each of the twelve tribes of Israel listed, the question still remains as to their identity. They are called servants of God, which speaks of their devotion to Him. However, if they were blood washed Church saints, they would not need a sealing to protect them distinct from that which one receives upon appropriating salvation in Christ:
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Eph 1:13)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30)
“who (God) also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2Cor 1:22)
Though man cannot see the seal, both angels and demons alike see it. Angels, as ministering spirits, provide protection to those sealed of God, and demons are not permitted to touch us without God’s permission. God only permits Satan to afflict His elect children when it is necessary for their sanctification. In the case of one who does not judge sin in his life, it becomes necessary for God to “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1Cor 5:5). God will discipline His children in order that they may not be condemned with the world. Even one who loves the Lord like Peter, and longs to serve Him full-heartedly, must be broken and divested of self. And in order to accomplish this, God permits Satan to sift us like wheat, so we may learn to trust in Him, putting no confidence in the flesh.
Messianic Jews, in the same manner as Gentile believers, are sealed by God for the day of redemption upon believing. They are no longer distinct from the Church but rather joint members with the Gentiles. Church saints will be protected from the wrath of God during the tribulation, but many will also be privileged to die as martyrs under the reign of the Antichrist:
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' Yes, ‘says the Spirit,’ that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Rev 14:12-13)
Many Christians who refuse the mark or the name of the beast in their foreheads will be put to death. For them it is said to be a privilege to die in the Lord. The same could not be said, however, of devout Jews who have not yet believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior. They must be preserved alive until the Second Coming of Christ, at which time they will be saved:
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.' Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom 11:25-29)
How is all Israel saved? By the Deliverer when He comes from Zion. They will continue throughout the tribulation period as devout Jews but in unbelief until they see their Deliverer coming in the clouds of heaven. At that moment they will be saved.
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zech 12:10)
When is it that God pours out upon the house of Israel the Spirit of grace and supplication? When the Deliverer comes from Zion. Then they will look upon the wounds in His hands and feet. They will see His pierced side and will mourn – not for themselves but for Him whom they pierced. It will be a time of deep repentance for those 144,000 of Israel who survive the most horrible holocaust ever under the Antichrist that will apparently result in every Jew being killed except for those who are sealed for protection. Romans 11:26 says, “all Israel will be saved” when the Deliverer comes. In other words, as a result of the coming holocaust, only the 144,000 sealed will be saved alive. Their protection from the dragon and the Antichrist can be seen in Revelation twelve where the woman, or Israel, is persecuted by Satan after giving birth to the man-child:
“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 12:13-17)
Here we see that the dragon pursues the woman, but the Lord comes to the woman’s aid, keeping her from his reach. The 144,000 are not only protected from the wrath of God, as are the Christians, but they are also protected from Satan’s wrath, enabling them to survive until they are saved after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and the Deliverer comes from Zion. In his frustration and rage at not being able to touch the woman, the dragon focuses his wrath upon the rest of the woman’s offspring, the Christians.
So, we see that the 144,000 are non-messianic Jews who are chosen and sealed to survive the worst and final holocaust under the Antichrist and stand before the Son of God, believing on Him only when they see His wounds and pierced side when He returns to earth. They will probably be the only surviving Jews, since genetic research is rapidly replacing genealogical records with DNA testing, potentially making it possible to positively determine Jewish descent under the persecution of the Antichrist.
[i] http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/HistoryJewishPersecution/
There has been much fanciful speculation concerning the identity of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7. Are they made up of Church saints or a Jewish remnant? Will there be literally 144,000 sealed, or does that number have some hidden spiritual meaning?
It is my conviction that the confusion is the result of ignoring clear identifying statements within the passages themselves, much as we saw with the indicators within the sign of the woman and the man-child in Revelation 12, revealing their identities. Sound exegesis always draws the meaning from the text itself, instead of reading one’s understanding into the text. The following is an excerpt from chapter 9 of my book: “Focusing in on End-Time Events,” in which I point out the identity of the 144,000 from the text itself.
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In Revelation chapter 7 there is mention of 144,000 servants of God from the twelve tribes of the children of Israel who are sealed. There are two basic interpretations as to their identity. The first is that they are to be seen symbolically as representing the Church saints, and the second is that it is referring to literal Israelites – 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes as listed in verses 5 thru 8 who will be sealed at the end of the age, just prior to the judgments which will be inflicted upon those who dwell on the earth. The arguments presented in defense of a symbolic interpretation will be first examined before explaining their identity using the literal approach.
Arguments against a Literal Interpretation of the 144,000 in Revelation 7
1) Revelation is a Book Full of Symbolism and should not be Interpreted Literally
It is argued that the 144,000 should be understood as simply referring to a great multitude and should not be taken literally. This position is defended in spite of the fact that much detail is given specifying that the 144,000 are children of Israel, composed of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes mentioned in verses 5 thru 8. In reality, the passage is very specific as to the number of the sealed. It is in verses 9 thru the end of the chapter that we see a non-specific number of blood washed saints from all nations who come out of the Great Tribulation, as seen in distinction from the 144,000 Jews who are sealed in verses 1 thru 8. In verse 9 John says: “After these things I saw a great multitude which no man can number…” Why would so much attention be given to detail, specifying 144,000 individuals in one passage and then right afterwards refer to a non-specific number by simply saying “a great multitude” if the 144,000 are also meant to be understood as a non-specific number? The most obvious progression of chapter seven is to show first, those of literal Israel who will survive the tribulation, and then the great multitude of blood washed Church saints from all nations who will also come out of the Great Tribulation.
The same school of thought which would spiritualize the number 144,000, usually does not interpret the 1,000-year millennium or the three-and-a-half-year period of the Great Tribulation literally either. This they do in spite of the several ways it is expressed; “three and a half years,” “time, times and half a time,” “forty-two months” and “twelve hundred and sixty days.” It is as if God, anticipating that men would want to spiritualize these numbers, made them specific in every possible way. Nevertheless, many persist in seeing the numbers as nonspecific. One commentary actually states in reference to the 144,000: “The number is too exact and artificial to suppose that it is literal.” Since when do specific details instead of general terms argue for not taking them literally? Clearly the opposite is true.
In Old Testament prophecies that specify numbers, we can see that they were fulfilled literally. In Daniel the numbers are literally fulfilled. Should we expect anything different in Revelation, the companion volume? In Jeremiah 29:10, it is revealed that the captivity would last 70 years. Did Daniel understand it literally? Yes. And exactly 70 years later the captivity ended as prophesied. Even though there was a secondary application revealed to him in Daniel 9:24-27 that would be fulfilled in 7 times 70 years, the primary prophecy was fulfilled literally, and the secondary fulfillment is also being fulfilled literally. Although prophetic Scriptures contain symbolism, we only have liberty to interpret symbolism symbolically. Literal prophecies should never be interpreted symbolically. A rule of interpretation should generally be recognized: “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense.”
The same interpreters arbitrarily take many other numbers in Revelation literally, such as the New Jerusalem with 12 foundations and 12 gates; 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, etc. Generally speaking, whenever God chooses to communicate with numbers, He wants us to think in terms of numbers.
2) The 10 Tribes of the Northern Kingdom were Dispersed Never to be Found Again
It is argued that the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom are lost tribes. After the reign of Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was divided. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained in Judea under the rule of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, and the other ten tribes formed the northern kingdom under Jeroboam. The northern kingdom abandoned the worship of God and persisted in idolatry until they were delivered over to the Assyrians around 722 B.C. They were then dispersed among the nations, and foreigners were sent to repopulate their cities. Those who argue against the 144,000 being the literal children of Israel say that the ten tribes of Israel were dispersed among the nations and lost forever and therefore could not be the 144,000 at the end of the age. However, God made an irrevocable promise that neither the nation of Israel nor Judah, which was also later sent into captivity, would be lost forever:
“For behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the Lord. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it….'" For I am with you,' says the Lord, 'to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.” (Jer 30:3,11)
“Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name): "If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the Lord: "If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord.” (Jer 31:35-37)
In these verses, and many others, God unconditionally promises that they will never entirely cease to be God’s elect people, contrary to what many may say. He also promises that however lost they may seem to be, He will re-gather them into their own land and will restore to them their kingdom in the latter days:
"Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.” (Ezek 37:21,22)
“After many days you (Gog) will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely…. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezek 38:8,16)
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” (Hos 3:4-5)
In these passages we see clearly that, far from being lost forever, in the latter days both Israel and Judah will be back in the land of Israel as one nation with one king over them. I consider the fallacies of Replacement Theology which teaches that the Church replaced national Israel in my blog Has God Rejected His People Israel?
Early Christians would have had no problem accepting that all twelve tribes of Israel could be sealed. All twelve tribes were present and worshipping God at the time of the writing of the New Testament over 700 years after the dispersion. On the day of Pentecost, we see that the devout Jews of the dispersion, representing all the house of Israel, were in Jerusalem for the Passover Feasts:
“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitudes came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language… ‘Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know… Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:5,6, 22,36)
Here we see that on the day of Pentecost, Jews representative of the whole house of Israel were present in Jerusalem for the Feast (all twelve tribes were referred to as Jews as well as Israelites since the Babylonian captivity). Paul, speaking before Agrippa, presents in his speech something that was common knowledge – there were devout Jews serving God from all twelve tribes in his time:
“To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.” (Acts 26:7)
James wrote his epistle to all twelve tribes of the Jews of the dispersion:
“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.” (James 1:1)
Though not all from the ten tribes returned to the land of Israel (that awaits the latter times), they were definitely not all forever lost, nor absorbed by the nations. And of those that apparently are lost, they are only lost to men, not to God.
The Jewish lineage in biblical times was traced through the father’s line and not the mother’s line. Throughout the Scriptures we see that a child continues to be a Jew even if the child’s mother is non-Jewish as long as the father is Jewish. Joseph married an Egyptian, yet his two sons became the fathers of the two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Moses married a Midianite. In the Messianic genealogy of Matthew chapter one, we see that Rahab the harlot of Jericho was the mother of Boaz, but Boaz continued to be included in the line of Judah. He in turn married Ruth, a Moabite. So, although there were Gentiles in Jesus’ bloodline, that did not exclude Him from being a legitimate descendent of Judah and thus qualified to be the Messiah as a descendant of David from the tribe of Judah. God knows the paternal descent of every Jew and is fully capable of distinguishing them and sealing them.
There are many devout Jews in the world today who know they are Jews but do not know with certainty of which tribe they are. Some conclude that because their surnames are Levi or Cohen that they are of the tribe of Levi but even that is not conclusive. Genealogical records cannot be traced back more than a few generations. Israelites have been banished from many nations, persecuted, slaughtered, and obligated to embrace Christendom or the Muslim faith, further complicating things (for a timeline showing how the Jews have been trampled underfoot by the Gentiles see the following link: ( [i] ). It is a miracle that they remain a distinct people after so many attempts to destroy them. Many modern-day Jews have continued to practice the Jewish faith as passed down from their ancestors even though they may not know of which tribe they are descended from. Be what it may, God knows their paternal descent and knows whom He has chosen to be sealed from each tribe at the end of the age.
3) The Fact that the Tribes are not mentioned in the Usual Manner Indicates that it was Not Intended to be Interpreted Literally
Those who maintain that the 144,000 symbolically represent the Church point out that the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7 are not mentioned in the usual order, the tribe of Dan is excluded and instead of mentioning Ephraim he is replaced with his father Joseph. Also, the Levites, who are normally excluded from the lists of tribes because their heavenly calling as priests excluded them from earthly inheritances, are here included. From this it is argued that it was not meant to be taken literally. In reality the contrary is true. The fact that they are not listed in the usual order from the oldest to youngest and that there are exclusions should call our attention. Why is Dan excluded? Why is Joseph named instead of Ephraim? Why was Levi included? These differences should be a call to attention, causing us to investigate the reason for the changes.
The reason for the exclusion of Dan and Ephraim is implied in that Dan was the first of the tribes to turn to idolatry upon entering Canaan and Ephraim followed suit:
“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.” (Judg 18:30)
“Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.” (Hos 4:17)
The idea expressed in these texts is that both tribes rejected the worship of the true God and persisted in their idolatry until they were given over to a reprobate mind. Jacob even prophetically implied that Dan would be a stumbling block for the nation of Israel when he blessed his sons in Genesis 49:17. He said,
“Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path that bites the horse's heels so that its rider shall fall backward.”
Levi would naturally be included among the tribes sealed because, although the Levites were not given an earthly inheritance, the seal of God is unto the heavenly inheritance of which they are heirs and ministers.
So, the differences in the list of tribes from the normal order, actually favor the conclusion that they should be taken literally. A Jew would naturally ask why two tribes are not mentioned and knowing the history of idolatry in the tribes of Dan and Ephraim would have understood the message that God meant to communicate by their exclusion.
As has been demonstrated, the arguments for not taking the 144,000 as being 12,000 literal Jews from each tribe listed do not stand up under closer examination. Israel has not been lost and absorbed by the nations. And God has promised that, though they will be judged for their sin and idolatry, He will not cast them off forever, no matter what they may have done.
Reason for Sealing the Foreheads of the 144,000
The reason for sealing the 144,000 is implied in Revelation 7 verses 1 thru 3:
“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Rev 7:1-3)
The judgments described in the seals alone will cause the death of at least one fourth of the world’s population (Rev 6:7), not to mention the loss of life in other events described in the trumpet and bowl judgments. The seal of God in their foreheads is for their protection from these judgments and the wrath of the dragon who will seek to destroy them after he is cast down to the earth. We see this demonstrated when the demons that ascend from the bottomless pit are not permitted to harm those who have the seal of God in their forehead (9:4). This is similar to a vision that Ezekiel was shown:
“Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’ To the others He said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’” (Ezek 9:3-6)
The Mark in Revelation, as in Ezekiel, is for Protection of the Servants of God
A change in John’s visions is often introduced by the words “after this I saw”, or “after these things I saw” or simply “then I saw”. These expressions are not to indicate that the contents of the visions chronologically follow the events of the prior visions but rather what John sees in the new vision follows what he saw in the prior one. John is shown repeated visions of the same three-and-a-half-year period of the Great Tribulation, giving different details of the same timespan. They are not to be understood as one three-and-a-half-year period followed by another three-and-a-half-year period, but rather two visions where he sees the same timespan from a different perspective.
Recapitulation is a common characteristic of the book of Revelation. When he says, “after these things I saw…” in 7:1 he is not saying, “after the seven seals have already wiped out over a quarter of the world’s population I saw that the 144,000 were sealed to protect them from being harmed,” but rather that he saw in the next vision that the four angels continued to hold back the four winds of the earth so that no harm would be done to it until the 144,000 servants of God had been sealed. The vision takes him back to the beginning, before any of the seals which will bring devastation to the earth and its inhabitants are broken.
Identity of the 144,000
Having established that the 144,000 are 12,000 natural Jews from each of the twelve tribes of Israel listed, the question still remains as to their identity. They are called servants of God, which speaks of their devotion to Him. However, if they were blood washed Church saints, they would not need a sealing to protect them distinct from that which one receives upon appropriating salvation in Christ:
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Eph 1:13)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30)
“who (God) also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2Cor 1:22)
Though man cannot see the seal, both angels and demons alike see it. Angels, as ministering spirits, provide protection to those sealed of God, and demons are not permitted to touch us without God’s permission. God only permits Satan to afflict His elect children when it is necessary for their sanctification. In the case of one who does not judge sin in his life, it becomes necessary for God to “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1Cor 5:5). God will discipline His children in order that they may not be condemned with the world. Even one who loves the Lord like Peter, and longs to serve Him full-heartedly, must be broken and divested of self. And in order to accomplish this, God permits Satan to sift us like wheat, so we may learn to trust in Him, putting no confidence in the flesh.
Messianic Jews, in the same manner as Gentile believers, are sealed by God for the day of redemption upon believing. They are no longer distinct from the Church but rather joint members with the Gentiles. Church saints will be protected from the wrath of God during the tribulation, but many will also be privileged to die as martyrs under the reign of the Antichrist:
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' Yes, ‘says the Spirit,’ that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Rev 14:12-13)
Many Christians who refuse the mark or the name of the beast in their foreheads will be put to death. For them it is said to be a privilege to die in the Lord. The same could not be said, however, of devout Jews who have not yet believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior. They must be preserved alive until the Second Coming of Christ, at which time they will be saved:
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.' Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom 11:25-29)
How is all Israel saved? By the Deliverer when He comes from Zion. They will continue throughout the tribulation period as devout Jews but in unbelief until they see their Deliverer coming in the clouds of heaven. At that moment they will be saved.
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zech 12:10)
When is it that God pours out upon the house of Israel the Spirit of grace and supplication? When the Deliverer comes from Zion. Then they will look upon the wounds in His hands and feet. They will see His pierced side and will mourn – not for themselves but for Him whom they pierced. It will be a time of deep repentance for those 144,000 of Israel who survive the most horrible holocaust ever under the Antichrist that will apparently result in every Jew being killed except for those who are sealed for protection. Romans 11:26 says, “all Israel will be saved” when the Deliverer comes. In other words, as a result of the coming holocaust, only the 144,000 sealed will be saved alive. Their protection from the dragon and the Antichrist can be seen in Revelation twelve where the woman, or Israel, is persecuted by Satan after giving birth to the man-child:
“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 12:13-17)
Here we see that the dragon pursues the woman, but the Lord comes to the woman’s aid, keeping her from his reach. The 144,000 are not only protected from the wrath of God, as are the Christians, but they are also protected from Satan’s wrath, enabling them to survive until they are saved after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and the Deliverer comes from Zion. In his frustration and rage at not being able to touch the woman, the dragon focuses his wrath upon the rest of the woman’s offspring, the Christians.
So, we see that the 144,000 are non-messianic Jews who are chosen and sealed to survive the worst and final holocaust under the Antichrist and stand before the Son of God, believing on Him only when they see His wounds and pierced side when He returns to earth. They will probably be the only surviving Jews, since genetic research is rapidly replacing genealogical records with DNA testing, potentially making it possible to positively determine Jewish descent under the persecution of the Antichrist.
[i] http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/HistoryJewishPersecution/
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#The Manifest Sons of God (2 0f 3)
by George Sidney Hurd
“For as many as are being constantly led by God's Spirit, these are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again with resulting fear, but you received the Spirit who places you as adult sons, by whom we cry out with deep emotion, Abba, [namely] Father. The Spirit himself is constantly bearing joint-testimony with our [human] spirit that we are God's children, and since children, also heirs; on the one hand, heirs of God, on the other, joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we are suffering with Him in order that we also may be glorified together, for I have come to a reasoned conclusion that the sufferings of the present season are of no weight in comparison to the glory which is about to be revealed upon us. For the concentrated and undivided expectation of the creation is assiduously and patiently awaiting the revelation of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not voluntarily, but on account of the One who put it under subjection upon the basis of the hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails together up to this moment, and not only, but we ourselves also who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, we ourselves also are groaning within ourselves, assiduously and patiently waiting the full realization of our adult sonship at the time of the redemption of our body.” (Rom 8:14-19) [1]
In Romans chapter eight, cited above from the translation of the renowned Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest, the Holy Spirit speaks through the apostle Paul of a future unveiling or revelation (apocalupsis) of the sons of God. It is said to be an event eagerly awaited, not only by all of creation but also by the saints having the firstfruit of the Spirit. Creation has been subjected to futility since Adam forfeited his dominion to Satan when he disobeyed God in Eden. That futility will continue unchallenged until the manifestation of the Sons of God when they will begin to walk in all the authority of Christ, the Last Adam. What is being described here, and when will it begin to manifest? These are questions which will be considered in this section.
Who are the Manifest Sons of God?
Who are these sons of God who will be manifest or unveiled at the close of this age? The language of the passage that Paul utilizes and his references to the Greek culture are very enlightening. In the Greek language there are several words used to distinguish different stages of a son’s development from birth to manhood. The first word is brephos which is used to refer to an infant or even an unborn child. We do not become part of the family of God by adoption but by birth. The term “adoption” will be explained later. We all begin as newborn babes in the family of God:
“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever... As newborn babes (brephos), desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” (1Peter 1:23; 2:2)
The second word used is nepios. When speaking of the stages of one’s development it refers to a toddler, one who has not yet been weaned or is immature:
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes (nepios) in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” (1Cor 3:1-2)
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe (nepios).” (Heb 5:13-14)
The third stage in development from infant to adult is referred to as teknion or teknon. Both terms refer to childhood, but teknion is a more endearing term which is usually translated “little children”. John uses this term throughout his first epistle. In 1John 2:12 he uses it to refer to the spiritual children in contrast with the young mature sons who are overcomers and the older mature sons who have developed intimacy with Christ:
“I write to you, little children (tecnion), because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.” (1John 2:12-14)
In this passage, we can see different levels of spiritual maturity among believers. The little children are at the level where they know that their sins have been forgiven through Jesus Christ. The young men have matured and have learned to walk in the authority of Christ, overcoming Satan. The fathers are those who, having discovered justification by faith and their authority in Christ, have pressed on to greater intimacy with Him.
The word used to express the mature sons is the Greek word huios. While the word huios is also used to refer to lineage without regard to age (even today we would present our baby or child saying “this is my son”), when it is used to refer to the level of one’s maturity, huios refers to an adult son along with all the privileges and responsibilities of an adult. In Galatians 4:1-7 we see this illustrated:
“Now I say, that as long as the heir is in his minority, he does not differ one bit from a slave, even though he is owner of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time previously fixed by his father. In like manner, we also, when we were in our minority, were in a permanent state of servitude under the rudimentary first principles of mankind. But when there came the fullness of the time, God sent off His Son, woman-born, made subject to law, in order that He might deliver those under law to the end that we might be placed as adult sons (huiothesia). And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, Abba [namely], my Father. So that no longer are you a slave but a son (huios), and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.” [2]
Here we see that a child, even though he is an heir, must mature to the point where the father determines he is a responsible adult (huios) before he can be entrusted with his inheritance.
What is Meant by “Adoption”?
Many have mistakenly applied the western concept of adoption to the Greek word huiothesia translating it “adoption”. The word simply means “to place as an adult son” (it is a compound word composed of “son” <huios> and <tithemi> “to place”).
Both Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and Doctor C.I. Scofield, make the following comments concerning the meaning of the term huiothesia:
“In Eph 1:5 they are said to have been foreordained unto ‘adoption as sons’ through Jesus Christ, RV; the KJV, ‘adoption of children’ is a mistranslation and misleading. God does not ‘adopt’ believers as children; they are begotten as such by His Holy Spirit through faith. ‘Adoption’ is a term involving the dignity of the relationship of believers as sons; it is not a putting into the family by spiritual birth, but a putting into the position of sons. In Rom 8:23 the ‘adoption’ of the believer is set forth as still future, as it there includes the redemption of the body, when the living will be changed and those who have fallen asleep will be raised.” [3]
“Adoption (huiothesia, ‘placing as a son’) is not so much a word of relationship as of position. The believer’s relation to God as a child results from the new birth (John 1:12, 13), whereas adoption is the act of God whereby one already a child is, through redemption from the law, placed in the position of an adult son (Gal. 4:1-5). The indwelling Spirit gives the realization of this in the believer’s present experience (Gal. 4:6); but the full manifestation of the believer’s sonship awaits the resurrection change and translation of saints, which is called ‘the redemption of the body’ (Rom. 8:23; 1Thess. 4:14-17; Eph. 1:14; 1John 3:2) (emphasis added).” [4]
The Three Stages to Sonship in Hebrew Tradition
These three stages of development of a Hebrew son into adulthood were celebrated with three Jewish ceremonies: 1) Circumcision, 2) Bar Mitzvah and 3) Huiothesia or placement as an adult son. The first stage is from circumcision on the eighth day after birth until the child reaches twelve years of age. During this stage, the child is taught the law. In his thirteenth year the child enters into adolescence. During the second stage the son learns the statutes of the Torah and is instructed in the father’s business. Reference is made to all three stages in Doctor Kittel’s authoritative work:
“In the Jewish family, sons received the covenant sign of circumcision the eighth day after birth and from early youth were instructed by their fathers in the Torah. When taught the Law, the boy in his thirteenth year becomes fully responsible for observance of the commandments from that time on.... In the Qumran and Rabbinical literature there are precise rules for each age. 1 QSa 1:6-19a says that in the end time the instruction of the young Israelite in the statutes of the covenant will take place from youth up….The stages of human life are divided ...with 30 to maturity, with 40 to understanding, with 50 to counsel, with 60 to age, with 70 to old age, with 80 to hoary old age, with 90 to being bowed down, with 100 as dead and gone from the world (emphasis added).” [5]
When did the full manifestation of sonship occur in the development of a Hebrew son? Upon reaching maturity around the age of 30, the father would make an open declaration in a public place, usually the market. David Webber comments on this ceremony:
“The word ‘Huiothesia’ means ‘Son Placement,’ and indicates the time when a male child reached what was considered to be the age of maturity (somewhere around 30). At this time, the father of the young man would place his hand on the head of his son and openly proclaim, ‘This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased! I bestow upon him now all of my riches and power and authority (through power of attorney) so that he might act on my behalf in all of my affairs’." [6]
Some associate the term huiothesia with the Bar Mitzvah when a child turns thirteen and is considered morally responsible for his actions (bar mitzvah in Hebrew means “son of the commandments”). However, a child beginning his adolescence in his thirteenth year would not have been considered sufficiently mature to receive his inheritance, as we saw described in Galatians 4:1-7.
Jesus’ life and ministry illustrates the stages toward sonship. He was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21). When He was twelve years old, He spoke in the temple and all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents found Him in the temple, he said to them: “Do you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Lu 2:49). This transition marks the second stage of His development from Bar Mitzvah until he was thirty years old, during which time a son learned his father’s business. Then at thirty years of age He was baptized, fulfilling all righteousness. At that time the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and His Father said publicly “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Lu 3:22). The following verse says: “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age…” Though He was a Son, he learned obedience, awaiting the time of His Father.
It is the Mature Sons who will be Manifest in the End of the Age
Looking again at Romans 8:14-19, we can see that it is the mature sons of God that are being referred to. In verse nine he says that every child of God has the indwelling Spirit of Christ: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Every child born of God has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them, including the immature. Even the carnal Christians in Corinth who were reproved for fornicating had the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Paul said to them: “…do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?” (1Cor 6:19). He exhorts believers in Ephesians 4:30 saying: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
However, from verse fourteen on in Romans 8, Paul begins to speak of those mature sons who not only have the indwelling Holy Spirit but are also led by the Spirit: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons (huios) of God.” While it can be said of every child of God that they have the Spirit of Christ, only the mature sons are continually led by the Spirit. They are no longer driven by every need that presents itself, but only do that which the Spirit leads them to do, even as Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. An immature believer is usually governed by circumstances, reason and the opinion of others. The adult sons, however, are led by the Spirit and the rhema Word of God. The Spirit bears witness with every child of God that we are his children (teknon), that we have the Spirit that brings us to sonship, and are also potential fellow heirs with Christ if we mature into adult sons, having suffered with Him, thus qualifying us to reign with Him (vv. 15-17).
Comparing the use of huiothesia in Romans eight with the other places it occurs, we can see that sonship is reserved for the mature. In 8:17 we see that the inheritance is reserved for those who have participated in Christ’s suffering, qualifying them to reign with Him. In Hebrews 5:8 we discover that even Jesus “learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” We also are matured in the school of suffering. Our level of maturity is measured by the degree we are conformed to the image of Christ, only doing what we see the Father doing - obeying the Father in all things.
In Ephesians 1:4-6 we see that “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.” The term, “predestined,” is pro-orizo which is pro “beforehand” and horizo “to set boundaries (horizon), to mark out.” Put together, the word means literally “to set boundaries beforehand”. The idea expressed is that God sets out boundaries beforehand in the lives of His elect that will bring them to the place of maturity required in order to receive sonship. Predestination is like a fence on either side of us which becomes closer and closer one to the other. As we move forward, the set boundaries narrow us down to the place where God destined us to arrive – the place of sonship. Comparing this with Romans 8:29, we see what the measure of maturity is that God has predestined us to:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Rom 8:28-30)
Here we see that the boundaries set beforehand in the lives of those whom He has foreknown are designed to bring us into conformity to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. When we have reached the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ (Eph 4:13), then we as the body of Christ will be mature and will enter into the fullness of sonship.
In Galatians 3:23 thru 4:7, we see the relationship of the people of God under the Old Covenant compared to that of a child under the tutor of the Law to bring them to Christ – the place of sonship. Under the New Covenant, our relationship is no longer comparable to that of a child under tutors but to that of an adult son:
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Gal 4:1-7)
Here we see that adoption or sonship is not conferred to a son until the time appointed by the father, when he determines that the son has matured sufficiently to be recognized as an adult son. We see that a child, though he is an heir, does not receive his inheritance until such a time as his father determines that he is sufficiently responsible, which traditionally was 30 years of age. However, Paul’s use of the term “adoption” (huiothesia) to describe our new relation to God as adult sons, in contrast to the Old Covenant relation under the law as children, is not to be confused with what he is describing in Romans 8 when he speaks concerning the manifestation of the sons of God. In Galatians 4, it is referring to something that commenced in the past with the initiation of the New Covenant. However, in Romans 8, it is describing something yet future that Paul and the early believers were longing for but had not yet experienced:
“because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Rom 8:21-23)
As both Scofield and Vine point out, the full manifestation of sonship (huiothesia) awaits the time of the transformation when the sons receive the redemption of their bodies. Paul said that even they themselves who had the firstfruits of the Spirit were still awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God.
Although the full manifestation awaits the millennium, there are indications that the manifestation will begin through those who have reached the maturity of sonship prior to Christ’s physical return to earth. Isaiah 60 says that the glory of the Lord will arise upon His sons of glory during a time of great darkness:
“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isa 60:1-3)
The latter glory described here, which will begin to dawn during the darkest hour, seems to be what Paul anxiously awaited: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Rom 8:18,19).
It appears that it will only be the mature sons at the close of the age, prior to the Great Tribulation, who will make up the man-child company and manifest the latter glory during the time of greatest darkness. However, all those who have attained maturity in past generations will also be manifested as sons of God to all of creation during the millennium. Those who have been purified by the fires of the Great Tribulation will also reign in glory with Him during the millennium. Though we of this generation should count it a great privilege to potentially be the firstfruits of the manifestation of the sons of God at the close of the age, the rest of the overcomers will also reign with Him and manifest His glory in the coming ages. All those who suffer with Him will also reign with Him.
Before the Throne of God and on Earth at the Same Time?
There is an indication that the sons of glory in Isaiah 60, in addition to being the manifest sons of God, are also the man-child company of Revelation 12. Many conclude that, since the man-child is caught up to God and to His throne, the man-child company cannot also be on the earth. However, it is possible to be in the heavenlies and on earth at the same time. Jesus, even in the days of His flesh, when speaking with Nicodemus said:
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (John 3:13)
Jesus stated that He who was speaking to Nicodemus on earth was in heaven in that same moment. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended and descended at will. Jesus, after His resurrection, could manifest His presence on earth or in heaven at will. He didn’t have to become absent from heaven in order to appear on earth. John says: “...it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1John 3:2). In Revelation 14:3 it says that the 144,000 are “before the throne”. However, in verse four it says that they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes”. In the natural this is not possible, but it is possible in the spirit realm.
That is not to say that the man-child company will be omnipresent. That is an attribute only God possesses. But even now in the days of our flesh it is possible to be aware of our presence in the heavenlies where we are seated with Christ. The reality that we are seated with Christ in a place of authority is more than simply “positional truth”. Until we begin to see ourselves seated with Christ, far above all principality and power and dominion, we will not mature into the place of sonship. Our spirit is always before God as believers in spite of the fact that our body and soul are earthbound. It is thus possible to be in communion with God while at the same time carrying on our responsibilities here on earth, following the Lamb wherever He goes. In addition to the promise to the overcomers of the church in Philadelphia that they would be kept from the hour of trial, it is also said: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more” (Rev 3:12). We all understand that this is not saying that those who overcome will never do anything or go anywhere else for all of eternity, but rather that he will always be spiritually in the very presence of God, even while serving Him and following the Lamb. When David speaks of dwelling in the house of the Lord forever, are we to understand that he will never be anywhere else, or that he will be reigning in the millennial kingdom, among other activities, at the same time he is in the presence of God?
When Jesus delayed His arrival in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead four days. When Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again” she replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” To her faith in the resurrection at the last day Jesus replied, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). I believe that Jesus here presents two levels of faith concerning death that are greater than that expressed by Martha when she said she believed in a future resurrection. The first was that which was demonstrated, raising Lazarus from the dead; faith to come back to life after having died. This level of faith has been demonstrated many times in the Bible and in history when the dead have been raised. The second level of faith has rarely been seen as of yet; “he who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Apart from Enoch and Elijah, this faith for translation without seeing death has not been manifested. However, it seems that there will be an Elijah company of saints that will be given revelation for this level of faith. Even as Elijah knew he would be translated without seeing death, there will be a man-child company who will be caught up to the throne of God without seeing death.
It seems that this man-child company is also referring to the sons of glory who will shine in the midst of the darkness at the end of the age, resulting in a great harvest of souls. They will do the greater works that Jesus spoke of. They will be able to tirelessly reach the unreachable, going where the Church has not yet been able to go – to the ends of the earth. This may seem incredible to some. However, it seems that God will do many incredible things at the close of this age in order to bring in the final harvest before the Second Coming. Although Chuck Girard probably does not share this interpretation - at least not in its entirety, he expresses this well in his prophetic song “Name Above All Names”: “I am Jehovah, I am that I am, and my trumpet shall soon call out. I formed the worlds with just a whisper, but I’m getting ready to shout!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owJ62Yu95S0). He is coming soon but He will not come before the gospel of the Kingdom has been heard throughout the whole earth.
In Revelation 14:6-7 it appears that even the angels will take part in the proclamation of the everlasting gospel at the end of the age. Why would he not also use the manifest sons of God – the glorified man-child company?
Some have argued that it is elitism to teach that the manifest sons of God are a group distinct from the Church at large. However, the privilege is for all who attain the conditions of sonship. The responsibility lies, to a great extent, with us. Are we willing to suffer with Him in order that we may be glorified with Him? Will we cleanse ourselves from the flesh so as to be vessels of honor fit for the Master’s use? Will we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt us in due time? Will we be among those who endure, so that, after having done the will of God we may receive the promise? Will we be watchful and praying that we may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass? The overcomers – not an elite group, will rule with a rod of Iron. Those who have kept the word of His patience will be those kept from the hour of trial. The wise virgins will be those permitted to enter in. God is not a respecter of persons. Let us make it our goal to lay hold of everything Christ desired for us when He laid hold of us.
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward (high) call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” (Phil 3:12-15)
[1] Kenneth S. Wuest, The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985).
[4] Scofield Reference Bible, ( Oxford University Press, New York, 1945), note on Eph. 1:5.
[5] Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (10 volumes). By Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972-1989), huios strongs 5207
[6] http://www.tlchrist.info/worship/adoption.htm
“For as many as are being constantly led by God's Spirit, these are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again with resulting fear, but you received the Spirit who places you as adult sons, by whom we cry out with deep emotion, Abba, [namely] Father. The Spirit himself is constantly bearing joint-testimony with our [human] spirit that we are God's children, and since children, also heirs; on the one hand, heirs of God, on the other, joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we are suffering with Him in order that we also may be glorified together, for I have come to a reasoned conclusion that the sufferings of the present season are of no weight in comparison to the glory which is about to be revealed upon us. For the concentrated and undivided expectation of the creation is assiduously and patiently awaiting the revelation of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not voluntarily, but on account of the One who put it under subjection upon the basis of the hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails together up to this moment, and not only, but we ourselves also who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, we ourselves also are groaning within ourselves, assiduously and patiently waiting the full realization of our adult sonship at the time of the redemption of our body.” (Rom 8:14-19) [1]
In Romans chapter eight, cited above from the translation of the renowned Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest, the Holy Spirit speaks through the apostle Paul of a future unveiling or revelation (apocalupsis) of the sons of God. It is said to be an event eagerly awaited, not only by all of creation but also by the saints having the firstfruit of the Spirit. Creation has been subjected to futility since Adam forfeited his dominion to Satan when he disobeyed God in Eden. That futility will continue unchallenged until the manifestation of the Sons of God when they will begin to walk in all the authority of Christ, the Last Adam. What is being described here, and when will it begin to manifest? These are questions which will be considered in this section.
Who are the Manifest Sons of God?
Who are these sons of God who will be manifest or unveiled at the close of this age? The language of the passage that Paul utilizes and his references to the Greek culture are very enlightening. In the Greek language there are several words used to distinguish different stages of a son’s development from birth to manhood. The first word is brephos which is used to refer to an infant or even an unborn child. We do not become part of the family of God by adoption but by birth. The term “adoption” will be explained later. We all begin as newborn babes in the family of God:
“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever... As newborn babes (brephos), desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” (1Peter 1:23; 2:2)
The second word used is nepios. When speaking of the stages of one’s development it refers to a toddler, one who has not yet been weaned or is immature:
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes (nepios) in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” (1Cor 3:1-2)
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe (nepios).” (Heb 5:13-14)
The third stage in development from infant to adult is referred to as teknion or teknon. Both terms refer to childhood, but teknion is a more endearing term which is usually translated “little children”. John uses this term throughout his first epistle. In 1John 2:12 he uses it to refer to the spiritual children in contrast with the young mature sons who are overcomers and the older mature sons who have developed intimacy with Christ:
“I write to you, little children (tecnion), because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.” (1John 2:12-14)
In this passage, we can see different levels of spiritual maturity among believers. The little children are at the level where they know that their sins have been forgiven through Jesus Christ. The young men have matured and have learned to walk in the authority of Christ, overcoming Satan. The fathers are those who, having discovered justification by faith and their authority in Christ, have pressed on to greater intimacy with Him.
The word used to express the mature sons is the Greek word huios. While the word huios is also used to refer to lineage without regard to age (even today we would present our baby or child saying “this is my son”), when it is used to refer to the level of one’s maturity, huios refers to an adult son along with all the privileges and responsibilities of an adult. In Galatians 4:1-7 we see this illustrated:
“Now I say, that as long as the heir is in his minority, he does not differ one bit from a slave, even though he is owner of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time previously fixed by his father. In like manner, we also, when we were in our minority, were in a permanent state of servitude under the rudimentary first principles of mankind. But when there came the fullness of the time, God sent off His Son, woman-born, made subject to law, in order that He might deliver those under law to the end that we might be placed as adult sons (huiothesia). And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, Abba [namely], my Father. So that no longer are you a slave but a son (huios), and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.” [2]
Here we see that a child, even though he is an heir, must mature to the point where the father determines he is a responsible adult (huios) before he can be entrusted with his inheritance.
What is Meant by “Adoption”?
Many have mistakenly applied the western concept of adoption to the Greek word huiothesia translating it “adoption”. The word simply means “to place as an adult son” (it is a compound word composed of “son” <huios> and <tithemi> “to place”).
Both Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and Doctor C.I. Scofield, make the following comments concerning the meaning of the term huiothesia:
“In Eph 1:5 they are said to have been foreordained unto ‘adoption as sons’ through Jesus Christ, RV; the KJV, ‘adoption of children’ is a mistranslation and misleading. God does not ‘adopt’ believers as children; they are begotten as such by His Holy Spirit through faith. ‘Adoption’ is a term involving the dignity of the relationship of believers as sons; it is not a putting into the family by spiritual birth, but a putting into the position of sons. In Rom 8:23 the ‘adoption’ of the believer is set forth as still future, as it there includes the redemption of the body, when the living will be changed and those who have fallen asleep will be raised.” [3]
“Adoption (huiothesia, ‘placing as a son’) is not so much a word of relationship as of position. The believer’s relation to God as a child results from the new birth (John 1:12, 13), whereas adoption is the act of God whereby one already a child is, through redemption from the law, placed in the position of an adult son (Gal. 4:1-5). The indwelling Spirit gives the realization of this in the believer’s present experience (Gal. 4:6); but the full manifestation of the believer’s sonship awaits the resurrection change and translation of saints, which is called ‘the redemption of the body’ (Rom. 8:23; 1Thess. 4:14-17; Eph. 1:14; 1John 3:2) (emphasis added).” [4]
The Three Stages to Sonship in Hebrew Tradition
These three stages of development of a Hebrew son into adulthood were celebrated with three Jewish ceremonies: 1) Circumcision, 2) Bar Mitzvah and 3) Huiothesia or placement as an adult son. The first stage is from circumcision on the eighth day after birth until the child reaches twelve years of age. During this stage, the child is taught the law. In his thirteenth year the child enters into adolescence. During the second stage the son learns the statutes of the Torah and is instructed in the father’s business. Reference is made to all three stages in Doctor Kittel’s authoritative work:
“In the Jewish family, sons received the covenant sign of circumcision the eighth day after birth and from early youth were instructed by their fathers in the Torah. When taught the Law, the boy in his thirteenth year becomes fully responsible for observance of the commandments from that time on.... In the Qumran and Rabbinical literature there are precise rules for each age. 1 QSa 1:6-19a says that in the end time the instruction of the young Israelite in the statutes of the covenant will take place from youth up….The stages of human life are divided ...with 30 to maturity, with 40 to understanding, with 50 to counsel, with 60 to age, with 70 to old age, with 80 to hoary old age, with 90 to being bowed down, with 100 as dead and gone from the world (emphasis added).” [5]
When did the full manifestation of sonship occur in the development of a Hebrew son? Upon reaching maturity around the age of 30, the father would make an open declaration in a public place, usually the market. David Webber comments on this ceremony:
“The word ‘Huiothesia’ means ‘Son Placement,’ and indicates the time when a male child reached what was considered to be the age of maturity (somewhere around 30). At this time, the father of the young man would place his hand on the head of his son and openly proclaim, ‘This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased! I bestow upon him now all of my riches and power and authority (through power of attorney) so that he might act on my behalf in all of my affairs’." [6]
Some associate the term huiothesia with the Bar Mitzvah when a child turns thirteen and is considered morally responsible for his actions (bar mitzvah in Hebrew means “son of the commandments”). However, a child beginning his adolescence in his thirteenth year would not have been considered sufficiently mature to receive his inheritance, as we saw described in Galatians 4:1-7.
Jesus’ life and ministry illustrates the stages toward sonship. He was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21). When He was twelve years old, He spoke in the temple and all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents found Him in the temple, he said to them: “Do you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Lu 2:49). This transition marks the second stage of His development from Bar Mitzvah until he was thirty years old, during which time a son learned his father’s business. Then at thirty years of age He was baptized, fulfilling all righteousness. At that time the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and His Father said publicly “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Lu 3:22). The following verse says: “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age…” Though He was a Son, he learned obedience, awaiting the time of His Father.
It is the Mature Sons who will be Manifest in the End of the Age
Looking again at Romans 8:14-19, we can see that it is the mature sons of God that are being referred to. In verse nine he says that every child of God has the indwelling Spirit of Christ: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Every child born of God has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them, including the immature. Even the carnal Christians in Corinth who were reproved for fornicating had the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Paul said to them: “…do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?” (1Cor 6:19). He exhorts believers in Ephesians 4:30 saying: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
However, from verse fourteen on in Romans 8, Paul begins to speak of those mature sons who not only have the indwelling Holy Spirit but are also led by the Spirit: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons (huios) of God.” While it can be said of every child of God that they have the Spirit of Christ, only the mature sons are continually led by the Spirit. They are no longer driven by every need that presents itself, but only do that which the Spirit leads them to do, even as Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. An immature believer is usually governed by circumstances, reason and the opinion of others. The adult sons, however, are led by the Spirit and the rhema Word of God. The Spirit bears witness with every child of God that we are his children (teknon), that we have the Spirit that brings us to sonship, and are also potential fellow heirs with Christ if we mature into adult sons, having suffered with Him, thus qualifying us to reign with Him (vv. 15-17).
Comparing the use of huiothesia in Romans eight with the other places it occurs, we can see that sonship is reserved for the mature. In 8:17 we see that the inheritance is reserved for those who have participated in Christ’s suffering, qualifying them to reign with Him. In Hebrews 5:8 we discover that even Jesus “learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” We also are matured in the school of suffering. Our level of maturity is measured by the degree we are conformed to the image of Christ, only doing what we see the Father doing - obeying the Father in all things.
In Ephesians 1:4-6 we see that “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.” The term, “predestined,” is pro-orizo which is pro “beforehand” and horizo “to set boundaries (horizon), to mark out.” Put together, the word means literally “to set boundaries beforehand”. The idea expressed is that God sets out boundaries beforehand in the lives of His elect that will bring them to the place of maturity required in order to receive sonship. Predestination is like a fence on either side of us which becomes closer and closer one to the other. As we move forward, the set boundaries narrow us down to the place where God destined us to arrive – the place of sonship. Comparing this with Romans 8:29, we see what the measure of maturity is that God has predestined us to:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Rom 8:28-30)
Here we see that the boundaries set beforehand in the lives of those whom He has foreknown are designed to bring us into conformity to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. When we have reached the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ (Eph 4:13), then we as the body of Christ will be mature and will enter into the fullness of sonship.
In Galatians 3:23 thru 4:7, we see the relationship of the people of God under the Old Covenant compared to that of a child under the tutor of the Law to bring them to Christ – the place of sonship. Under the New Covenant, our relationship is no longer comparable to that of a child under tutors but to that of an adult son:
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Gal 4:1-7)
Here we see that adoption or sonship is not conferred to a son until the time appointed by the father, when he determines that the son has matured sufficiently to be recognized as an adult son. We see that a child, though he is an heir, does not receive his inheritance until such a time as his father determines that he is sufficiently responsible, which traditionally was 30 years of age. However, Paul’s use of the term “adoption” (huiothesia) to describe our new relation to God as adult sons, in contrast to the Old Covenant relation under the law as children, is not to be confused with what he is describing in Romans 8 when he speaks concerning the manifestation of the sons of God. In Galatians 4, it is referring to something that commenced in the past with the initiation of the New Covenant. However, in Romans 8, it is describing something yet future that Paul and the early believers were longing for but had not yet experienced:
“because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Rom 8:21-23)
As both Scofield and Vine point out, the full manifestation of sonship (huiothesia) awaits the time of the transformation when the sons receive the redemption of their bodies. Paul said that even they themselves who had the firstfruits of the Spirit were still awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God.
Although the full manifestation awaits the millennium, there are indications that the manifestation will begin through those who have reached the maturity of sonship prior to Christ’s physical return to earth. Isaiah 60 says that the glory of the Lord will arise upon His sons of glory during a time of great darkness:
“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isa 60:1-3)
The latter glory described here, which will begin to dawn during the darkest hour, seems to be what Paul anxiously awaited: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Rom 8:18,19).
It appears that it will only be the mature sons at the close of the age, prior to the Great Tribulation, who will make up the man-child company and manifest the latter glory during the time of greatest darkness. However, all those who have attained maturity in past generations will also be manifested as sons of God to all of creation during the millennium. Those who have been purified by the fires of the Great Tribulation will also reign in glory with Him during the millennium. Though we of this generation should count it a great privilege to potentially be the firstfruits of the manifestation of the sons of God at the close of the age, the rest of the overcomers will also reign with Him and manifest His glory in the coming ages. All those who suffer with Him will also reign with Him.
Before the Throne of God and on Earth at the Same Time?
There is an indication that the sons of glory in Isaiah 60, in addition to being the manifest sons of God, are also the man-child company of Revelation 12. Many conclude that, since the man-child is caught up to God and to His throne, the man-child company cannot also be on the earth. However, it is possible to be in the heavenlies and on earth at the same time. Jesus, even in the days of His flesh, when speaking with Nicodemus said:
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (John 3:13)
Jesus stated that He who was speaking to Nicodemus on earth was in heaven in that same moment. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended and descended at will. Jesus, after His resurrection, could manifest His presence on earth or in heaven at will. He didn’t have to become absent from heaven in order to appear on earth. John says: “...it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1John 3:2). In Revelation 14:3 it says that the 144,000 are “before the throne”. However, in verse four it says that they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes”. In the natural this is not possible, but it is possible in the spirit realm.
That is not to say that the man-child company will be omnipresent. That is an attribute only God possesses. But even now in the days of our flesh it is possible to be aware of our presence in the heavenlies where we are seated with Christ. The reality that we are seated with Christ in a place of authority is more than simply “positional truth”. Until we begin to see ourselves seated with Christ, far above all principality and power and dominion, we will not mature into the place of sonship. Our spirit is always before God as believers in spite of the fact that our body and soul are earthbound. It is thus possible to be in communion with God while at the same time carrying on our responsibilities here on earth, following the Lamb wherever He goes. In addition to the promise to the overcomers of the church in Philadelphia that they would be kept from the hour of trial, it is also said: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more” (Rev 3:12). We all understand that this is not saying that those who overcome will never do anything or go anywhere else for all of eternity, but rather that he will always be spiritually in the very presence of God, even while serving Him and following the Lamb. When David speaks of dwelling in the house of the Lord forever, are we to understand that he will never be anywhere else, or that he will be reigning in the millennial kingdom, among other activities, at the same time he is in the presence of God?
When Jesus delayed His arrival in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead four days. When Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again” she replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” To her faith in the resurrection at the last day Jesus replied, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). I believe that Jesus here presents two levels of faith concerning death that are greater than that expressed by Martha when she said she believed in a future resurrection. The first was that which was demonstrated, raising Lazarus from the dead; faith to come back to life after having died. This level of faith has been demonstrated many times in the Bible and in history when the dead have been raised. The second level of faith has rarely been seen as of yet; “he who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Apart from Enoch and Elijah, this faith for translation without seeing death has not been manifested. However, it seems that there will be an Elijah company of saints that will be given revelation for this level of faith. Even as Elijah knew he would be translated without seeing death, there will be a man-child company who will be caught up to the throne of God without seeing death.
It seems that this man-child company is also referring to the sons of glory who will shine in the midst of the darkness at the end of the age, resulting in a great harvest of souls. They will do the greater works that Jesus spoke of. They will be able to tirelessly reach the unreachable, going where the Church has not yet been able to go – to the ends of the earth. This may seem incredible to some. However, it seems that God will do many incredible things at the close of this age in order to bring in the final harvest before the Second Coming. Although Chuck Girard probably does not share this interpretation - at least not in its entirety, he expresses this well in his prophetic song “Name Above All Names”: “I am Jehovah, I am that I am, and my trumpet shall soon call out. I formed the worlds with just a whisper, but I’m getting ready to shout!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owJ62Yu95S0). He is coming soon but He will not come before the gospel of the Kingdom has been heard throughout the whole earth.
In Revelation 14:6-7 it appears that even the angels will take part in the proclamation of the everlasting gospel at the end of the age. Why would he not also use the manifest sons of God – the glorified man-child company?
Some have argued that it is elitism to teach that the manifest sons of God are a group distinct from the Church at large. However, the privilege is for all who attain the conditions of sonship. The responsibility lies, to a great extent, with us. Are we willing to suffer with Him in order that we may be glorified with Him? Will we cleanse ourselves from the flesh so as to be vessels of honor fit for the Master’s use? Will we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt us in due time? Will we be among those who endure, so that, after having done the will of God we may receive the promise? Will we be watchful and praying that we may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass? The overcomers – not an elite group, will rule with a rod of Iron. Those who have kept the word of His patience will be those kept from the hour of trial. The wise virgins will be those permitted to enter in. God is not a respecter of persons. Let us make it our goal to lay hold of everything Christ desired for us when He laid hold of us.
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward (high) call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” (Phil 3:12-15)
[1] Kenneth S. Wuest, The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985).
[4] Scofield Reference Bible, ( Oxford University Press, New York, 1945), note on Eph. 1:5.
[5] Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (10 volumes). By Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972-1989), huios strongs 5207
[6] http://www.tlchrist.info/worship/adoption.htm
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The Man-Child Company (1 of 3)
by George Sidney Hurd
In the next couple of blogs, I will be sharing with you something that has been close to my heart ever since the Lord opened my understanding to it nearly forty years ago in what I can only describe as an open-heaven encounter with Him. It wasn’t until later that I began to see how the Scriptures themselves spoke of what I had seen in the spirit during that time. Since that experience, I have come across many who have received a similar vision for what the Lord is going to do through His chosen, prepared sons at the close of this age.
I realize that not everyone reading this will see the unfolding of final events in the same manner as I do, and my purpose in sharing it is not to be contentious, but to simply share what I feel the Lord has shown me, hoping that some may be encouraged by it and receive a renewed vision as to their own role and purpose in the final days of this age.
For me personally, this expectation has been an anchor for my soul through difficult times. Even when the doctors held out no hope for me, the vision I received concerning the latter glory kept my hope alive. Whenever I was tempted to feel that the doctors were right and I was dying, I would remember what the Lord showed me and would repeat, “I shall not die but live and see the glory of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Twenty-two years after the doctors gave me only a few months to live, I am not only alive but totally healed and have a new liver. Even though I am now in my 70s and am often tempted to feel that I have outlived my usefulness, my hope is still kept alive by reminding myself of the vision and declaring, “I shall not die but live and see the glory of the Lord in the land of the living.” This is an excerpt from chapter 8 of my book, “Focusing in on End-Time Events.” I am posting this, at the risk of being misunderstood by those who haven't read the previous chapters which further lay the foundation for this belief.
**************
In Revelation chapter twelve John is shown a vision describing four personages or people groups: 1) A woman with child, 2) The dragon with seven heads and ten horns, 3) The man-child who is born of the woman and 4) the rest of the woman’s descendants (i.e., those born of the woman who are not the man-child).
Who is the Woman?
The vision is introduced with the words, “Now a great sign appeared in heaven.” Again, when the dragon is introduced, it says: “Another sign appeared in heaven” (v. 3). One key to identifying the woman and the man-child she gives birth to is to understand that both she and the dragon are signs and therefore must be interpreted symbolically as signs. In verse nine it states that the dragon is Satan, but recognizing the symbolism represented in the sign, we see that it is not simply Satan but more specifically, Satan as he will manifest during the final three and a half years of the age. He is said to be Satan, but more specifically Satan with seven heads and ten horns having seven crowns on his heads. In Revelation 17:12 it explains the symbolism of the ten horns:
"The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.” (Rev 17:12)
Here we see that although the dragon is a symbol of Satan, it is not Satan acting in the past, but Satan as seen operating through the Antichrist and the ten kings during the final hour of this age. This is key to a correct interpretation because it reveals that the whole vision is concerning the future when Satan will appear in that particular form. Any interpretation that seeks to find fulfillment of this vision in history is not giving attention to the details of the symbolism in the signs. According to Revelation 4:1, everything shown to John in vision has to do with future events.
If the dragon is a sign describing the end-time manifestation of Satan, then the woman giving birth is also yet future, since it is Satan in his final manifestation as the dragon with seven heads and ten horns that is seen waiting to devour the man-child as soon as he is born.
Then who does this woman represent who will give birth to the man-child three and a half years before the end of the age? The Catholic Church has traditionally interpreted her as Mary who gives birth to Jesus. That is why Mary is commonly depicted in Catholic art as standing on a crescent moon with twelve stars above her head. However, we see that the woman, upon giving birth to the man-child, is pursued by the dragon and is protected by God in the wilderness during the final three and a half years of this age (vv. 13-16). So, clearly it is not referring to the historical virgin birth of Jesus, since the woman is seen to be fleeing into the desert where she will remain during the Great Tribulation or the last three-and-a-half years of the age (v.14).
Neither is the woman representative of the Church, since the Church is mentioned in verse 17 as being the woman’s offspring.
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 12:17)
When the dragon sees that he cannot devour the man-child, he pursues the woman. Because of divine intervention, he cannot touch her either. Then, enraged, he vents his fury on the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And who are those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ? The Church of Jesus Christ. In the following chapter, chapter thirteen, we see a description of the dragon’s persecution of the Church:
“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” (Rev 13:5, 7)
While he is granted permission to make war on the Church, we see that the woman is protected by God and out of reach of the dragon. Who is this woman, and why is she protected from the dragon while the rest of her offspring – the Church, is given into his power?
The symbolism of the sign of the woman helps us discover her identity. In Revelation 12:1 it says that she is “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.” Comparing this with Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9-10, we can see that she represents the nation of Israel:
“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’ So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” (Gen 37:9-10)
Joseph had a dream in which the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to him. Jacob himself gives the interpretation of the sign of the woman in heaven. The sun is Jacob, the moon is Rachel, and the stars are the twelve tribes of Israel (including Joseph they would be twelve). So, the woman is representative of the nation of Israel. However, Paul says in Romans 9:6, “they are not all Israel who are of Israel”. He then goes on to explain that the true Israel are those who come through the promised line – not Ishmael but Isaac; not Esau but Jacob etc. Today there are many descendants of Israel, but it is only the elect Israel who are the true seed of Israel. Because of Israel’s failure to recognize their Messiah, God has turned his favor towards the Gentiles, resulting in many being born into the Kingdom of God. Because of Israel’s unbelief, the Gentiles have been grafted into the olive tree which represents the family of Abraham. Because of God’s judgment upon Israel for their rejection of their Messiah, we can now say as Gentiles that we are one body along with the Jewish believers and Abraham’s seed.
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:26-29)
This partial blinding of Israel will continue until the last elect Gentile of this age has been birthed into the Church. Then all of Israel will be saved at the Second Coming of their Messiah:
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom 11:25-29)
So, the suffering that Israel has undergone since their rejection of the Messiah has served to bring forth the Church, made up of Gentiles and a remnant of Jewish believers. It is not until they see the Deliverer coming out of Zion that all unbelief will be removed from Israel. Meanwhile God has not rejected Israel. They continue to be the beloved of God because his gifts and calling are irrevocable.
The 144,000 sealed of all the tribes of Israel are the elect Israel who are sealed for protection and divinely kept out of reach of the dragon, thus preserving their lives until Christ comes from Zion at which time they will all be saved. Meanwhile their rejection is reconciliation of the world (Rom.11:15). While she has suffered in travail since her rejection of the Messiah, the Church has been coming forth.
Who is the Man-Child?
Many assume that the man-child being born to Israel is referring to Jesus, since it says that the man-child is destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron, and it is said of Jesus in Revelation 19:15 that He will rule with a rod of iron. However, the same is also said of the overcomers in Revelation 2:26,27:
“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations — ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' — as I also have received from My Father.” (Rev 2:26-27)
This is a quote from a messianic Psalm:
“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.” (Ps 2:8-9)
This was a promise given to the Son of God. Why would He in turn give it to the overcomers? Because He did not receive all authority and power in order to have it for Himself. He was already Almighty God with all power and authority. He emptied Himself and became the Son of Man, the Last Adam in order to recover all the authority the first Adam forfeited to Satan and much more, so that He could then give it to us, thus bringing many sons to glory. Since He already had all authority and power, He didn’t obtain it for Himself. He obtained it to give it to us. If we fail to overcome in the trials that are designed to prepare us to reign with Him, we will delay His ultimate purpose in redemption which is not only to save us from sin but also to conform us to His image. Even now, according to Ephesians 2:6, we are seated with Him in His exalted position in Heavenly places. But how many of us are already now reigning in life through Him?
So, while it is evident that Christ will rule with a rod of iron, the same is also said of the overcomers. Although it is an individual that is depicted in the vision of Revelation 12, we have already seen that the vision uses symbolism. The woman is not one individual, but a people. The dragon is also seen to not only represent the devil, but also the whole Antichrist system. Would we not expect that the man-child would be representative of a company of saints as well?
Also, the use of the plural “they” in verse 6 implies that the man-child is not referring to just one individual. “She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” (Rev 12:5-6). In the context, the subject of the verb “they should feed” (tréfosin) which is plural, would be the man-child. This would seem to imply, not only that the man-child is a group rather than an individual, but also that, although they will be caught up in spirit to heavenly realms, they will also be ministering on the earth during the last three and a half years of this age.
Another observation that would indicate that it is not referring to the birth of Christ is the timeframe of the vision. The man-child is born at a time when Satan appears as the ten horned dragon, which places his birth at the end of the age. Satan, in that form, is seen standing before the woman in order to devour the man-child as soon as he is born. But when he is born, it says that “her child was caught up to God and His throne” (Rev 12:5). Jesus, the child, grew in wisdom and stature and defeated the devil at the cross before rising from the dead and ascending to the Father. The man-child, on the other hand, is caught up to God and His throne the very moment he comes forth before the devil is able to do him harm. When the man-child of Revelation 12 is caught up, the woman flees from the dragon into the wilderness where she is protected and sustained by God for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (v.6), or during the period of the Great Tribulation. There she is kept alive until the Deliverer comes out of Zion. So, the timeframe of the vision is limited to the last three and a half years of this age, rather than covering more than two thousand years, which is what would be required in order to make it refer to the birth of Jesus.
If the context of Revelation 12 is future, commencing just prior to the Great Tribulation, then who is the man- child? The man-child company seems to be those who overcome – those who have reached maturity prior to the Great Tribulation, which is designed to prepare the unprepared of the bride of Christ for the marriage of the Lamb. The man-child company will be kept from that hour since they already persevered under previous trials (Rev 3:10). They will be accounted worthy to escape all those things which will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36). They are those who have already learned to reign in life while on earth, and will now begin to reign from the heavenlies. With the assistance of Michael and his legions they will do warfare in the heavenlies and Satan and his angels will be cast down to earth (Rev 12:7-12). While only Michael and his angels are mentioned in this battle, the flow of the context would imply that this company of overcomers who will rule with a rod of iron, having already become accustomed to walking in ascension power while still on earth, will have begun to exercise that authority given to them in the heavenlies also. Jesus said to his disciples:
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19)
"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 18:18)
These overcomers, while still on earth, took these words literally and by faith exercised that authority over all the power of the enemy, binding evil forces they could not even see, trusting that all the angels of heaven would back them. How much more so will they bind and loose now that they are in the heavenly realm, now being able to see the enemy under their feet and the angels waiting to carry out their bidding!
What a privilege granted to the latter day saints (not Mormons), to be living in the end of the age when those who keep His works to the end will be granted the privilege of standing before the Son of God, beginning to conquer from the heavenlies even before His Second Coming, where it is said after the dragon and his angels have been cast from the heavenlies: “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ have come.” (Rev 12:10). The man-child company will have already begun to reign with Christ from the heavenlies before the Great Tribulation. Far from being a pretribulational escape for an unprepared bride, stained and wrinkled by the flesh and the world, it will be a first-fruits company of the bride to be, the rest of whom will be made ready in the fires of the Great Tribulation prior to the Second Coming of Christ when the marriage feast of the Lamb will take place (Rev 19:7-16). It is high time that the Church of Jesus Christ awakes to the call. As Jesus said:
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
In the next couple of blogs, I will be sharing with you something that has been close to my heart ever since the Lord opened my understanding to it nearly forty years ago in what I can only describe as an open-heaven encounter with Him. It wasn’t until later that I began to see how the Scriptures themselves spoke of what I had seen in the spirit during that time. Since that experience, I have come across many who have received a similar vision for what the Lord is going to do through His chosen, prepared sons at the close of this age.
I realize that not everyone reading this will see the unfolding of final events in the same manner as I do, and my purpose in sharing it is not to be contentious, but to simply share what I feel the Lord has shown me, hoping that some may be encouraged by it and receive a renewed vision as to their own role and purpose in the final days of this age.
For me personally, this expectation has been an anchor for my soul through difficult times. Even when the doctors held out no hope for me, the vision I received concerning the latter glory kept my hope alive. Whenever I was tempted to feel that the doctors were right and I was dying, I would remember what the Lord showed me and would repeat, “I shall not die but live and see the glory of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Twenty-two years after the doctors gave me only a few months to live, I am not only alive but totally healed and have a new liver. Even though I am now in my 70s and am often tempted to feel that I have outlived my usefulness, my hope is still kept alive by reminding myself of the vision and declaring, “I shall not die but live and see the glory of the Lord in the land of the living.” This is an excerpt from chapter 8 of my book, “Focusing in on End-Time Events.” I am posting this, at the risk of being misunderstood by those who haven't read the previous chapters which further lay the foundation for this belief.
**************
In Revelation chapter twelve John is shown a vision describing four personages or people groups: 1) A woman with child, 2) The dragon with seven heads and ten horns, 3) The man-child who is born of the woman and 4) the rest of the woman’s descendants (i.e., those born of the woman who are not the man-child).
Who is the Woman?
The vision is introduced with the words, “Now a great sign appeared in heaven.” Again, when the dragon is introduced, it says: “Another sign appeared in heaven” (v. 3). One key to identifying the woman and the man-child she gives birth to is to understand that both she and the dragon are signs and therefore must be interpreted symbolically as signs. In verse nine it states that the dragon is Satan, but recognizing the symbolism represented in the sign, we see that it is not simply Satan but more specifically, Satan as he will manifest during the final three and a half years of the age. He is said to be Satan, but more specifically Satan with seven heads and ten horns having seven crowns on his heads. In Revelation 17:12 it explains the symbolism of the ten horns:
"The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.” (Rev 17:12)
Here we see that although the dragon is a symbol of Satan, it is not Satan acting in the past, but Satan as seen operating through the Antichrist and the ten kings during the final hour of this age. This is key to a correct interpretation because it reveals that the whole vision is concerning the future when Satan will appear in that particular form. Any interpretation that seeks to find fulfillment of this vision in history is not giving attention to the details of the symbolism in the signs. According to Revelation 4:1, everything shown to John in vision has to do with future events.
If the dragon is a sign describing the end-time manifestation of Satan, then the woman giving birth is also yet future, since it is Satan in his final manifestation as the dragon with seven heads and ten horns that is seen waiting to devour the man-child as soon as he is born.
Then who does this woman represent who will give birth to the man-child three and a half years before the end of the age? The Catholic Church has traditionally interpreted her as Mary who gives birth to Jesus. That is why Mary is commonly depicted in Catholic art as standing on a crescent moon with twelve stars above her head. However, we see that the woman, upon giving birth to the man-child, is pursued by the dragon and is protected by God in the wilderness during the final three and a half years of this age (vv. 13-16). So, clearly it is not referring to the historical virgin birth of Jesus, since the woman is seen to be fleeing into the desert where she will remain during the Great Tribulation or the last three-and-a-half years of the age (v.14).
Neither is the woman representative of the Church, since the Church is mentioned in verse 17 as being the woman’s offspring.
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 12:17)
When the dragon sees that he cannot devour the man-child, he pursues the woman. Because of divine intervention, he cannot touch her either. Then, enraged, he vents his fury on the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And who are those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ? The Church of Jesus Christ. In the following chapter, chapter thirteen, we see a description of the dragon’s persecution of the Church:
“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” (Rev 13:5, 7)
While he is granted permission to make war on the Church, we see that the woman is protected by God and out of reach of the dragon. Who is this woman, and why is she protected from the dragon while the rest of her offspring – the Church, is given into his power?
The symbolism of the sign of the woman helps us discover her identity. In Revelation 12:1 it says that she is “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.” Comparing this with Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9-10, we can see that she represents the nation of Israel:
“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’ So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” (Gen 37:9-10)
Joseph had a dream in which the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to him. Jacob himself gives the interpretation of the sign of the woman in heaven. The sun is Jacob, the moon is Rachel, and the stars are the twelve tribes of Israel (including Joseph they would be twelve). So, the woman is representative of the nation of Israel. However, Paul says in Romans 9:6, “they are not all Israel who are of Israel”. He then goes on to explain that the true Israel are those who come through the promised line – not Ishmael but Isaac; not Esau but Jacob etc. Today there are many descendants of Israel, but it is only the elect Israel who are the true seed of Israel. Because of Israel’s failure to recognize their Messiah, God has turned his favor towards the Gentiles, resulting in many being born into the Kingdom of God. Because of Israel’s unbelief, the Gentiles have been grafted into the olive tree which represents the family of Abraham. Because of God’s judgment upon Israel for their rejection of their Messiah, we can now say as Gentiles that we are one body along with the Jewish believers and Abraham’s seed.
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:26-29)
This partial blinding of Israel will continue until the last elect Gentile of this age has been birthed into the Church. Then all of Israel will be saved at the Second Coming of their Messiah:
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom 11:25-29)
So, the suffering that Israel has undergone since their rejection of the Messiah has served to bring forth the Church, made up of Gentiles and a remnant of Jewish believers. It is not until they see the Deliverer coming out of Zion that all unbelief will be removed from Israel. Meanwhile God has not rejected Israel. They continue to be the beloved of God because his gifts and calling are irrevocable.
The 144,000 sealed of all the tribes of Israel are the elect Israel who are sealed for protection and divinely kept out of reach of the dragon, thus preserving their lives until Christ comes from Zion at which time they will all be saved. Meanwhile their rejection is reconciliation of the world (Rom.11:15). While she has suffered in travail since her rejection of the Messiah, the Church has been coming forth.
Who is the Man-Child?
Many assume that the man-child being born to Israel is referring to Jesus, since it says that the man-child is destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron, and it is said of Jesus in Revelation 19:15 that He will rule with a rod of iron. However, the same is also said of the overcomers in Revelation 2:26,27:
“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations — ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' — as I also have received from My Father.” (Rev 2:26-27)
This is a quote from a messianic Psalm:
“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.” (Ps 2:8-9)
This was a promise given to the Son of God. Why would He in turn give it to the overcomers? Because He did not receive all authority and power in order to have it for Himself. He was already Almighty God with all power and authority. He emptied Himself and became the Son of Man, the Last Adam in order to recover all the authority the first Adam forfeited to Satan and much more, so that He could then give it to us, thus bringing many sons to glory. Since He already had all authority and power, He didn’t obtain it for Himself. He obtained it to give it to us. If we fail to overcome in the trials that are designed to prepare us to reign with Him, we will delay His ultimate purpose in redemption which is not only to save us from sin but also to conform us to His image. Even now, according to Ephesians 2:6, we are seated with Him in His exalted position in Heavenly places. But how many of us are already now reigning in life through Him?
So, while it is evident that Christ will rule with a rod of iron, the same is also said of the overcomers. Although it is an individual that is depicted in the vision of Revelation 12, we have already seen that the vision uses symbolism. The woman is not one individual, but a people. The dragon is also seen to not only represent the devil, but also the whole Antichrist system. Would we not expect that the man-child would be representative of a company of saints as well?
Also, the use of the plural “they” in verse 6 implies that the man-child is not referring to just one individual. “She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” (Rev 12:5-6). In the context, the subject of the verb “they should feed” (tréfosin) which is plural, would be the man-child. This would seem to imply, not only that the man-child is a group rather than an individual, but also that, although they will be caught up in spirit to heavenly realms, they will also be ministering on the earth during the last three and a half years of this age.
Another observation that would indicate that it is not referring to the birth of Christ is the timeframe of the vision. The man-child is born at a time when Satan appears as the ten horned dragon, which places his birth at the end of the age. Satan, in that form, is seen standing before the woman in order to devour the man-child as soon as he is born. But when he is born, it says that “her child was caught up to God and His throne” (Rev 12:5). Jesus, the child, grew in wisdom and stature and defeated the devil at the cross before rising from the dead and ascending to the Father. The man-child, on the other hand, is caught up to God and His throne the very moment he comes forth before the devil is able to do him harm. When the man-child of Revelation 12 is caught up, the woman flees from the dragon into the wilderness where she is protected and sustained by God for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (v.6), or during the period of the Great Tribulation. There she is kept alive until the Deliverer comes out of Zion. So, the timeframe of the vision is limited to the last three and a half years of this age, rather than covering more than two thousand years, which is what would be required in order to make it refer to the birth of Jesus.
If the context of Revelation 12 is future, commencing just prior to the Great Tribulation, then who is the man- child? The man-child company seems to be those who overcome – those who have reached maturity prior to the Great Tribulation, which is designed to prepare the unprepared of the bride of Christ for the marriage of the Lamb. The man-child company will be kept from that hour since they already persevered under previous trials (Rev 3:10). They will be accounted worthy to escape all those things which will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36). They are those who have already learned to reign in life while on earth, and will now begin to reign from the heavenlies. With the assistance of Michael and his legions they will do warfare in the heavenlies and Satan and his angels will be cast down to earth (Rev 12:7-12). While only Michael and his angels are mentioned in this battle, the flow of the context would imply that this company of overcomers who will rule with a rod of iron, having already become accustomed to walking in ascension power while still on earth, will have begun to exercise that authority given to them in the heavenlies also. Jesus said to his disciples:
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19)
"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 18:18)
These overcomers, while still on earth, took these words literally and by faith exercised that authority over all the power of the enemy, binding evil forces they could not even see, trusting that all the angels of heaven would back them. How much more so will they bind and loose now that they are in the heavenly realm, now being able to see the enemy under their feet and the angels waiting to carry out their bidding!
What a privilege granted to the latter day saints (not Mormons), to be living in the end of the age when those who keep His works to the end will be granted the privilege of standing before the Son of God, beginning to conquer from the heavenlies even before His Second Coming, where it is said after the dragon and his angels have been cast from the heavenlies: “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ have come.” (Rev 12:10). The man-child company will have already begun to reign with Christ from the heavenlies before the Great Tribulation. Far from being a pretribulational escape for an unprepared bride, stained and wrinkled by the flesh and the world, it will be a first-fruits company of the bride to be, the rest of whom will be made ready in the fires of the Great Tribulation prior to the Second Coming of Christ when the marriage feast of the Lamb will take place (Rev 19:7-16). It is high time that the Church of Jesus Christ awakes to the call. As Jesus said:
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
- Published on
Considering how to differentiate between Biblical and Unbiblical Varieties of Universalism
by George Sidney Hurd
In writing this blog I have two primary groups of individuals in mind. The first group are those who, having been misinformed, think that all forms of Universalism are without any solid biblical foundation. This is primarily due to the fact that many preachers and teachers categorically villainize all Universalists, placing them in the same general category with heterodox Pluralistic Liberalism. Many are totally unaware that there are many good and sound biblical arguments for the belief that all will eventually be saved and restored, and that, far from being unorthodox, Biblical Universalism was actually the prevailing doctrine of the Early Church Fathers during the first five centuries before Constantine politicized Christianity and Augustine popularized the doctrine of Eternal Torment. I demonstrate this in my blog, The Testimony of the Fathers.
The second group of individuals I have in mind in this blog are those who have come to believe from Scripture that all will eventually be saved and restored, but feel overwhelmed and confused by the many diverse and often conflicting beliefs of those who teach Christian Universalism. As a Conservative Universalist, I see two basic categories of Christian Universalists: 1) Those who have a high view of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and derive their doctrine of Universal Salvation from the Scriptures alone, and 2) Those who have a low view of Scripture and deny its inerrancy, and therefore feel free to base their doctrine of universal salvation upon what they themselves consider to be reasonably attributable to God. Since they do not believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, they feel at liberty to selectively apply or reject portions of Scripture, formulating doctrines according to their own moral judgments and philosophical reasoning.
Those who base their beliefs solely upon the Scriptures will inevitably differ on some points of doctrine, since we are all fallible in our understanding of Scripture. However, where the doctrinal confusion and fluidity of beliefs is most prolific is among those who rely primarily upon their own reason and sensibilities for understanding, rather than the Scriptures alone. Once the inerrancy of Scripture is abandoned, there remains no objective standard of truth upon which to base our doctrines, and the tendency is to deconstruct, going from certainty and conviction to doubt and confusion, often making shipwreck of one’s faith.
In the remainder of this blog, I will be briefly considering these two groups with their major subgroups in order to assist those who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture in distinguishing the biblical forms of Universalism from the diverse non-biblical forms. If you are questioning the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture, I would encourage you to first read my series of blogs on the subject on my website: The Evangelical Conservative Universalist.
Throughout this blog I will be providing underlined links in the text or in parenthesis which substantiate or further explain many points that are only here touched upon in passing.
Biblical Universalism
By Biblical Universalism, I mean Universalists who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture and therefore derive their doctrine of the final salvation of all from the Scriptures alone. The title Conservative Universalism is essentially the same as Biblical Universalism, since theologically Conservative Christians defend and conserve the faith once and for all delivered to the saints in the Scriptures. In contrast, the Progressives argue that we have outgrown the Scriptures, and therefore need to reject or nuance many passages in Scripture in the name of progress. The great drawback to the title Conservative Universalism is that it is easily confused with political conservatism.
While some prefer other titles, such as Evangelical Universalism, Patristic Universalism or Trinitarian Universalism, those titles can be misleading, since many who identify themselves by these names no longer hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. For example, The Early Fathers defended the inerrancy of Scripture, and their understanding encompassed the penal substitutionary aspects of Christ’s atonement, yet many who today call themselves Patristic Universalists deny one or both of those essential elements. I demonstrate that the Early Fathers believed in the Penal Substitutionary Atonement in my blog, (The Early Fathers and Penal Substitutionary Atonement).
Biblical Universalists believe that salvation and forgiveness of sins was only made possible through Christ’s Penal Substitutionary Atonement for our sins, and that one must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him in order to be saved and born again, receiving the eternal life of God (Jn 1:12-13; 3:16; 8:24; Rom 3:22; 3:28; 3:30; Gal 2:16; 3:8; 3:24; Eph 2:8; Php 3:9; 2Tim 3:15 ; Acts 16:31; etc.)
Biblical Universalists believe in the Trinity and the full deity of Christ. They believe in the existence of a personal Satan, fallen angels and demons, who seek to steal, kill and destroy and must be resisted in the name of Jesus. They believe in one resurrection of the dead, as opposed to reincarnation.
Generally speaking, Biblical Universalists believe the same doctrines as other Evangelicals, except that they understand, as did the Early Church Fathers, that hell is eonian, in the sense that it is not eternal, but endures into the coming ages, and its primary purpose and goal is correction and restoration, rather than unending torment.
Among Biblical Universalists, one will find Charismatics who believe that the gifts of the Spirit are still operative today, as well as Cessationists who believe that the supernatural gifts ceased in the first century. Some see the freewill of man as predominant, much like the Arminians, whereas others believe in divine determinism, as do many Calvinists. Taking into account God’s middle knowledge by which God not only knows what will happen, but also what would happen under different circumstances, I believe that our ultimate salvation is accomplished through a perfect interplay between both the freewill of man and the sovereignty of God that unfailingly results in all eventually being effectually drawn to Christ without violating man’s will or compromising God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22-24). I demonstrate how Universalism harmonizes with the overall teaching of Scripture in a way that Arminianism and Calvinism are unable to do in my book: “The Universal Solution.”
So, Biblical Universalists believe in all of the orthodox doctrines held by the Church throughout history, including the doctrine of postmortem punishments in Gehenna or the Lake of Fire. The only difference is concerning the purpose and duration of God’s postmortem punishments. I present a comprehensive consideration of the biblical basis for the belief in the temporal restorative nature of God’s punishments and the final restoration of all in my book: “The Triumph of Mercy.”
Having briefly considered what Biblical Universalism is, we can now turn our attention to what I consider to be some of the aberrant forms of Universalism. Sadly, the opponents of Universalism almost always ignore the sound biblical arguments of the Biblical Universalists, attacking instead the easy target of Liberal and Progressive forms of Universalism. While the beliefs among those who depart from the doctrine of inerrancy are difficult to categorize due to their diversity, I see them as generally falling into three categories: 1) Liberal Universalism, 2) Progressive Universalism and 3) Extrabiblical Hybrid forms of Universalism.
I. Liberal Universalism
Liberal Modernism arose with the Age of Enlightenment and its rationalistic anti-supernaturalism in the 18th century. Since the Bible is a supernatural book from cover to cover, it took the brunt of their attack against the supernatural. They denied anything that didn’t have a rational explanation or the backing of empirical evidence. The Bible’s claim to be the divine Word of God, along with the miracles, the virgin birth and deity of Christ, as well as the Trinity, were all denied. Christ’s Penal Substitutionary Death on our behalf was rejected in favor of a social Pelagianist gospel.
The resurgence of the biblical doctrine of Universal Salvation that began with the Reformation and flourished in the 19th century, resulted in the formation of the Universal Convention, also known as the Universalist Church of America, which for a brief time was the third largest denomination in America. However, it later succumbed to Unitarian Liberalism, forming what today is known as the Unitarian Universalist Association. As of 2006, less than 20% of their members still identified themselves as Christian. [1]
II. Progressive Universalism
Over the last fifty years, beginning with the cultural revolution of the Hippies, the rational anti-supernatural Modernism began to give way to Postmodernism, which abandoned Modernist certainties for a Progressive Relativism which embraces uncertainty and the supernatural. Mankind cannot live very long in the vacuum of secular materialism without any belief in the supernatural, and the cultural revolution of the 60s and 70s was a rejection of naturalistic secular materialism.
Even prior to that, in the early 20th century, theologians like Karl Barth and Thomas F. Torrance, in reaction against Liberalism, began to formulate a new theology which became known as Neo-Orthodoxy. While still denying the inerrancy of Scripture as defended by Charles Haddon Spurgeon and the Princetonians A. A. Hodge and B. B. Warfield, they argued that the Bible nevertheless contains the Word of God in that it is a witness to Christ, who, to them, is the only true Word of God. Barth, while affirming the divine origin of the Bible, nevertheless opposed the doctrine of inerrancy saying, “it is mere self-will and disobedience to try to find some infallible elements in the Bible.” [2] T. F. Torrance likewise depreciates the belief in inerrancy saying: “We came up with the idea of inerrancy because we needed another mediator between God and man other than Jesus.” [3]
This same low view of Scripture is commonly held by Progressive Universalists today. For example, Steve McVey says:
“If you want to say the Bible is the word with a lower-case w, that it is a way that God speaks to us, I have full agreement with that.” [4] “Literally speaking, the Bible is not the Word of God – Jesus is.” [5]
Brian Zahnd, a hopeful Universalist, shows a blatant contempt for the Bible in his book entitled, “Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God” when he says: “Jesus is the Savior of all that is to be saved…including the Bible. Jesus saves the Bible from itself!” [6] Among Progressives I have heard such depreciative comments as: “I believe in the inerrant Word of God, and He has a beard.”
What they fail to take into account is the teaching of Jesus Himself concerning the infallibility of the written Word of God. He called the Scriptures the Word of God and said that they could not be broken and that not even one jot nor tittle could pass from them without being fulfilled (Jn 10:35; Matt 5:18). I further consider the fallacy of depreciating the written Word of God in the name of Jesus in my blog: “What does the Word Word Mean to Jesus?”
Inclusive Universalists
There are three main beliefs among Universalists concerning the way of salvation. Biblical Universalists are Exclusivists, which means they hold that one must personally believe and receive the gospel in order to be saved (Rom 10:13; Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31). That is the reason why most Biblical Universalists are evangelistic, making sacrifices in order to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
In stark contrast to this, some Progressive and Liberal Universalists are Pluralists, teaching that Jesus is not the only way to God, but only one of many paths leading to Him. However, Scriptures are very emphatic in declaring that Jesus is the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12).
A somewhat more reserved view held by many is that of the Inclusivists who, while insisting that Christ is the only way to God, nevertheless argue that it is not necessary for one to explicitly place faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. To them, one can be saved by implicit faith in a general revelation of God without ever having heard and positively responded to the gospel. They reason that one’s faith need not be cognitive as long as it is sincere and reverent. In this manner it becomes possible for one to be saved without having ever even heard of Christ. A sincere Buddhist, Muslim, or even an Atheist, can be saved through the once and for all sacrifice of Christ at Calvary without ever having consciously believed on Him – or even heard of Him, for that matter. Those individuals who are said to be Christians without even knowing it are sometimes referred to by them as “anonymous Christians.”
However, a rapidly growing number of Progressive and Liberal Universalists are now transitioning from Pluralism and Inclusivism towards a radical form of Inclusivism which says that it is not necessary for anyone to believe the gospel in order to be saved since everyone was already saved 2,000 years ago at the cross. This teaching was first popularized by Carlton Pearson with the publication of his book: “The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God and Self,” published in 2007. Since then, Pearson has further deconstructed into New Age Expanded Consciousness and New Thought. I consider the fallacies of this new form of Inclusivism in my blog: “What must I do to be Saved?”
They often redefine sin, presenting it as not being something that we commit against God, but simply against one’s own self. This removes the need for Christ’s Penal Substitutionary Atonement. Since sin is not against God, they further deny that man has ever been separated from God, except in his own mind. I consider these and other related fallacies in my blog: “The Blurring of Biblical Distinctions.”
The Denial of a Postmortem Hell
Although Biblical Universalists deny that hell is eternal, they nevertheless believe in the reality of some form of hell in the afterlife, just as the Early Church Fathers did. However, many Progressive Universalists today deny that there is a hell beyond what we make for ourselves in this life. While space doesn’t allow us to consider in detail the purpose and duration of hell, the Scriptures are clear that there will be Postmortem punishment and correction for the unjust, both in Hades, as well as in the Lake of Fire for those who are still not found written in the Book of Life at the White Throne Judgment.
Many Progressive Universalists deny the conscious state of the soul, either in Paradise or in Hades after death. Don Keathley, in his recent book “Hell’s Illusion (Exposing the Myth of Hell),” says that the only Hell that anyone will ever experience is the Hell we undergo in our own minds when we have been programmed by religion to believe in the myth of Hell. He claims that there is no need to receive Christ in order to be saved from sin, Hell and the wrath to come, because we were never separated from God to begin with. Our sins are not against God, according to him, but only against ourselves, and therefore there is no divine retribution for the unrepentant in Hell. He says: “There is no such destination after we pass from the physical realm to a place called Hell, even if you didn’t pray the magic prayer!” [7] The “magic prayer” he refers to is the prayer of repentance and faith when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. I consider the fallacies of the doctrine of soul-sleep in my book “Extermination or Restoration?” and also in my blog: “Is Sheol the Grave?”
III. Extrabiblical Hybrid forms of Universalism
Two-Gospel Hyper-Dispensational Universalists
I want to mention one final group that has occasioned much confusion among Universalists. It is that of the two-gospel doctrine. This doctrine was first developed by A. E. Knoch early in the 20th century. He also translated the Concordant Literal Version of the Bible. He was excommunicated from the Plymouth Brethren for his divisive, contentious spirit and deviate doctrines. He denied the Trinity and the full deity of Christ, insisting that, while the Son was exalted above all creation and created before all things, including time, He was nonetheless somehow a creature created by God at some point in eternity before time. He somehow failed to take into account the fact that there can be no beginnings in eternity before time.
While not denying the inerrancy of Scripture, he relegated all of the New Testament, with the exception of Paul’s epistles, to a previous dispensation, thereby invalidating the rest of the Scriptures for all practical purposes. The main proponent of this two-gospel doctrine today is Martin Zender. I consider the fallacies of this Hyper-Dispensational form of Universalism in a four part series of blogs beginning with the blog, “Are there Two Different Gospels in the New Testament.”
Conclusion
There are other deviations from Biblical Universalism which could be pointed out, but for space I will not elaborate further. Once one departs from the Scriptures as the sole infallible and authoritative source of faith and doctrine, the tendency is to either devolve into a swamp of subjectivity, as do the Progressives, or else superimpose men’s doctrines upon the Scriptures, as we see with Knoch’s two-gospel doctrine.
In passing, I would like to point out the fact that none of these three categories are exclusive to Universalism. The same categories exist among those who believe in eternal torment, including those who hold to the two-gospel doctrine.
Applying the Reformer’s theme, Sola Scriptura, searching the Scriptures as did the Bereans to see if what we have been told is in agreement with what the Bible actually teaches, we begin to discover God’s glorious plan for the ages which culminates with all being restored and reunited in Christ and God becoming all in all, as we pass from the realm of time into eternity.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalism#cite_note-110
[2] Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, I/2, ed. G. W. Bromiley and T. F. Torrance (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 531.
[3] Q & A Session (FGC 2016) Video 27:00
[4] Steve McVey: The Word of God is. Video 17:50
[5] Steve McVey: The Word of God is. Video 22:00
[6] Zahnd, Brian. Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News (p. 57). The Crown Publishing Group.
[7] Keathley, Don. Hell's Illusion (p. 46). Don Keathley. Kindle Edition.
by George Sidney Hurd
In writing this blog I have two primary groups of individuals in mind. The first group are those who, having been misinformed, think that all forms of Universalism are without any solid biblical foundation. This is primarily due to the fact that many preachers and teachers categorically villainize all Universalists, placing them in the same general category with heterodox Pluralistic Liberalism. Many are totally unaware that there are many good and sound biblical arguments for the belief that all will eventually be saved and restored, and that, far from being unorthodox, Biblical Universalism was actually the prevailing doctrine of the Early Church Fathers during the first five centuries before Constantine politicized Christianity and Augustine popularized the doctrine of Eternal Torment. I demonstrate this in my blog, The Testimony of the Fathers.
The second group of individuals I have in mind in this blog are those who have come to believe from Scripture that all will eventually be saved and restored, but feel overwhelmed and confused by the many diverse and often conflicting beliefs of those who teach Christian Universalism. As a Conservative Universalist, I see two basic categories of Christian Universalists: 1) Those who have a high view of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and derive their doctrine of Universal Salvation from the Scriptures alone, and 2) Those who have a low view of Scripture and deny its inerrancy, and therefore feel free to base their doctrine of universal salvation upon what they themselves consider to be reasonably attributable to God. Since they do not believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, they feel at liberty to selectively apply or reject portions of Scripture, formulating doctrines according to their own moral judgments and philosophical reasoning.
Those who base their beliefs solely upon the Scriptures will inevitably differ on some points of doctrine, since we are all fallible in our understanding of Scripture. However, where the doctrinal confusion and fluidity of beliefs is most prolific is among those who rely primarily upon their own reason and sensibilities for understanding, rather than the Scriptures alone. Once the inerrancy of Scripture is abandoned, there remains no objective standard of truth upon which to base our doctrines, and the tendency is to deconstruct, going from certainty and conviction to doubt and confusion, often making shipwreck of one’s faith.
In the remainder of this blog, I will be briefly considering these two groups with their major subgroups in order to assist those who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture in distinguishing the biblical forms of Universalism from the diverse non-biblical forms. If you are questioning the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture, I would encourage you to first read my series of blogs on the subject on my website: The Evangelical Conservative Universalist.
Throughout this blog I will be providing underlined links in the text or in parenthesis which substantiate or further explain many points that are only here touched upon in passing.
Biblical Universalism
By Biblical Universalism, I mean Universalists who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture and therefore derive their doctrine of the final salvation of all from the Scriptures alone. The title Conservative Universalism is essentially the same as Biblical Universalism, since theologically Conservative Christians defend and conserve the faith once and for all delivered to the saints in the Scriptures. In contrast, the Progressives argue that we have outgrown the Scriptures, and therefore need to reject or nuance many passages in Scripture in the name of progress. The great drawback to the title Conservative Universalism is that it is easily confused with political conservatism.
While some prefer other titles, such as Evangelical Universalism, Patristic Universalism or Trinitarian Universalism, those titles can be misleading, since many who identify themselves by these names no longer hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. For example, The Early Fathers defended the inerrancy of Scripture, and their understanding encompassed the penal substitutionary aspects of Christ’s atonement, yet many who today call themselves Patristic Universalists deny one or both of those essential elements. I demonstrate that the Early Fathers believed in the Penal Substitutionary Atonement in my blog, (The Early Fathers and Penal Substitutionary Atonement).
Biblical Universalists believe that salvation and forgiveness of sins was only made possible through Christ’s Penal Substitutionary Atonement for our sins, and that one must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him in order to be saved and born again, receiving the eternal life of God (Jn 1:12-13; 3:16; 8:24; Rom 3:22; 3:28; 3:30; Gal 2:16; 3:8; 3:24; Eph 2:8; Php 3:9; 2Tim 3:15 ; Acts 16:31; etc.)
Biblical Universalists believe in the Trinity and the full deity of Christ. They believe in the existence of a personal Satan, fallen angels and demons, who seek to steal, kill and destroy and must be resisted in the name of Jesus. They believe in one resurrection of the dead, as opposed to reincarnation.
Generally speaking, Biblical Universalists believe the same doctrines as other Evangelicals, except that they understand, as did the Early Church Fathers, that hell is eonian, in the sense that it is not eternal, but endures into the coming ages, and its primary purpose and goal is correction and restoration, rather than unending torment.
Among Biblical Universalists, one will find Charismatics who believe that the gifts of the Spirit are still operative today, as well as Cessationists who believe that the supernatural gifts ceased in the first century. Some see the freewill of man as predominant, much like the Arminians, whereas others believe in divine determinism, as do many Calvinists. Taking into account God’s middle knowledge by which God not only knows what will happen, but also what would happen under different circumstances, I believe that our ultimate salvation is accomplished through a perfect interplay between both the freewill of man and the sovereignty of God that unfailingly results in all eventually being effectually drawn to Christ without violating man’s will or compromising God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22-24). I demonstrate how Universalism harmonizes with the overall teaching of Scripture in a way that Arminianism and Calvinism are unable to do in my book: “The Universal Solution.”
So, Biblical Universalists believe in all of the orthodox doctrines held by the Church throughout history, including the doctrine of postmortem punishments in Gehenna or the Lake of Fire. The only difference is concerning the purpose and duration of God’s postmortem punishments. I present a comprehensive consideration of the biblical basis for the belief in the temporal restorative nature of God’s punishments and the final restoration of all in my book: “The Triumph of Mercy.”
Having briefly considered what Biblical Universalism is, we can now turn our attention to what I consider to be some of the aberrant forms of Universalism. Sadly, the opponents of Universalism almost always ignore the sound biblical arguments of the Biblical Universalists, attacking instead the easy target of Liberal and Progressive forms of Universalism. While the beliefs among those who depart from the doctrine of inerrancy are difficult to categorize due to their diversity, I see them as generally falling into three categories: 1) Liberal Universalism, 2) Progressive Universalism and 3) Extrabiblical Hybrid forms of Universalism.
I. Liberal Universalism
Liberal Modernism arose with the Age of Enlightenment and its rationalistic anti-supernaturalism in the 18th century. Since the Bible is a supernatural book from cover to cover, it took the brunt of their attack against the supernatural. They denied anything that didn’t have a rational explanation or the backing of empirical evidence. The Bible’s claim to be the divine Word of God, along with the miracles, the virgin birth and deity of Christ, as well as the Trinity, were all denied. Christ’s Penal Substitutionary Death on our behalf was rejected in favor of a social Pelagianist gospel.
The resurgence of the biblical doctrine of Universal Salvation that began with the Reformation and flourished in the 19th century, resulted in the formation of the Universal Convention, also known as the Universalist Church of America, which for a brief time was the third largest denomination in America. However, it later succumbed to Unitarian Liberalism, forming what today is known as the Unitarian Universalist Association. As of 2006, less than 20% of their members still identified themselves as Christian. [1]
II. Progressive Universalism
Over the last fifty years, beginning with the cultural revolution of the Hippies, the rational anti-supernatural Modernism began to give way to Postmodernism, which abandoned Modernist certainties for a Progressive Relativism which embraces uncertainty and the supernatural. Mankind cannot live very long in the vacuum of secular materialism without any belief in the supernatural, and the cultural revolution of the 60s and 70s was a rejection of naturalistic secular materialism.
Even prior to that, in the early 20th century, theologians like Karl Barth and Thomas F. Torrance, in reaction against Liberalism, began to formulate a new theology which became known as Neo-Orthodoxy. While still denying the inerrancy of Scripture as defended by Charles Haddon Spurgeon and the Princetonians A. A. Hodge and B. B. Warfield, they argued that the Bible nevertheless contains the Word of God in that it is a witness to Christ, who, to them, is the only true Word of God. Barth, while affirming the divine origin of the Bible, nevertheless opposed the doctrine of inerrancy saying, “it is mere self-will and disobedience to try to find some infallible elements in the Bible.” [2] T. F. Torrance likewise depreciates the belief in inerrancy saying: “We came up with the idea of inerrancy because we needed another mediator between God and man other than Jesus.” [3]
This same low view of Scripture is commonly held by Progressive Universalists today. For example, Steve McVey says:
“If you want to say the Bible is the word with a lower-case w, that it is a way that God speaks to us, I have full agreement with that.” [4] “Literally speaking, the Bible is not the Word of God – Jesus is.” [5]
Brian Zahnd, a hopeful Universalist, shows a blatant contempt for the Bible in his book entitled, “Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God” when he says: “Jesus is the Savior of all that is to be saved…including the Bible. Jesus saves the Bible from itself!” [6] Among Progressives I have heard such depreciative comments as: “I believe in the inerrant Word of God, and He has a beard.”
What they fail to take into account is the teaching of Jesus Himself concerning the infallibility of the written Word of God. He called the Scriptures the Word of God and said that they could not be broken and that not even one jot nor tittle could pass from them without being fulfilled (Jn 10:35; Matt 5:18). I further consider the fallacy of depreciating the written Word of God in the name of Jesus in my blog: “What does the Word Word Mean to Jesus?”
Inclusive Universalists
There are three main beliefs among Universalists concerning the way of salvation. Biblical Universalists are Exclusivists, which means they hold that one must personally believe and receive the gospel in order to be saved (Rom 10:13; Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31). That is the reason why most Biblical Universalists are evangelistic, making sacrifices in order to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
In stark contrast to this, some Progressive and Liberal Universalists are Pluralists, teaching that Jesus is not the only way to God, but only one of many paths leading to Him. However, Scriptures are very emphatic in declaring that Jesus is the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12).
A somewhat more reserved view held by many is that of the Inclusivists who, while insisting that Christ is the only way to God, nevertheless argue that it is not necessary for one to explicitly place faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. To them, one can be saved by implicit faith in a general revelation of God without ever having heard and positively responded to the gospel. They reason that one’s faith need not be cognitive as long as it is sincere and reverent. In this manner it becomes possible for one to be saved without having ever even heard of Christ. A sincere Buddhist, Muslim, or even an Atheist, can be saved through the once and for all sacrifice of Christ at Calvary without ever having consciously believed on Him – or even heard of Him, for that matter. Those individuals who are said to be Christians without even knowing it are sometimes referred to by them as “anonymous Christians.”
However, a rapidly growing number of Progressive and Liberal Universalists are now transitioning from Pluralism and Inclusivism towards a radical form of Inclusivism which says that it is not necessary for anyone to believe the gospel in order to be saved since everyone was already saved 2,000 years ago at the cross. This teaching was first popularized by Carlton Pearson with the publication of his book: “The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God and Self,” published in 2007. Since then, Pearson has further deconstructed into New Age Expanded Consciousness and New Thought. I consider the fallacies of this new form of Inclusivism in my blog: “What must I do to be Saved?”
They often redefine sin, presenting it as not being something that we commit against God, but simply against one’s own self. This removes the need for Christ’s Penal Substitutionary Atonement. Since sin is not against God, they further deny that man has ever been separated from God, except in his own mind. I consider these and other related fallacies in my blog: “The Blurring of Biblical Distinctions.”
The Denial of a Postmortem Hell
Although Biblical Universalists deny that hell is eternal, they nevertheless believe in the reality of some form of hell in the afterlife, just as the Early Church Fathers did. However, many Progressive Universalists today deny that there is a hell beyond what we make for ourselves in this life. While space doesn’t allow us to consider in detail the purpose and duration of hell, the Scriptures are clear that there will be Postmortem punishment and correction for the unjust, both in Hades, as well as in the Lake of Fire for those who are still not found written in the Book of Life at the White Throne Judgment.
Many Progressive Universalists deny the conscious state of the soul, either in Paradise or in Hades after death. Don Keathley, in his recent book “Hell’s Illusion (Exposing the Myth of Hell),” says that the only Hell that anyone will ever experience is the Hell we undergo in our own minds when we have been programmed by religion to believe in the myth of Hell. He claims that there is no need to receive Christ in order to be saved from sin, Hell and the wrath to come, because we were never separated from God to begin with. Our sins are not against God, according to him, but only against ourselves, and therefore there is no divine retribution for the unrepentant in Hell. He says: “There is no such destination after we pass from the physical realm to a place called Hell, even if you didn’t pray the magic prayer!” [7] The “magic prayer” he refers to is the prayer of repentance and faith when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. I consider the fallacies of the doctrine of soul-sleep in my book “Extermination or Restoration?” and also in my blog: “Is Sheol the Grave?”
III. Extrabiblical Hybrid forms of Universalism
Two-Gospel Hyper-Dispensational Universalists
I want to mention one final group that has occasioned much confusion among Universalists. It is that of the two-gospel doctrine. This doctrine was first developed by A. E. Knoch early in the 20th century. He also translated the Concordant Literal Version of the Bible. He was excommunicated from the Plymouth Brethren for his divisive, contentious spirit and deviate doctrines. He denied the Trinity and the full deity of Christ, insisting that, while the Son was exalted above all creation and created before all things, including time, He was nonetheless somehow a creature created by God at some point in eternity before time. He somehow failed to take into account the fact that there can be no beginnings in eternity before time.
While not denying the inerrancy of Scripture, he relegated all of the New Testament, with the exception of Paul’s epistles, to a previous dispensation, thereby invalidating the rest of the Scriptures for all practical purposes. The main proponent of this two-gospel doctrine today is Martin Zender. I consider the fallacies of this Hyper-Dispensational form of Universalism in a four part series of blogs beginning with the blog, “Are there Two Different Gospels in the New Testament.”
Conclusion
There are other deviations from Biblical Universalism which could be pointed out, but for space I will not elaborate further. Once one departs from the Scriptures as the sole infallible and authoritative source of faith and doctrine, the tendency is to either devolve into a swamp of subjectivity, as do the Progressives, or else superimpose men’s doctrines upon the Scriptures, as we see with Knoch’s two-gospel doctrine.
In passing, I would like to point out the fact that none of these three categories are exclusive to Universalism. The same categories exist among those who believe in eternal torment, including those who hold to the two-gospel doctrine.
Applying the Reformer’s theme, Sola Scriptura, searching the Scriptures as did the Bereans to see if what we have been told is in agreement with what the Bible actually teaches, we begin to discover God’s glorious plan for the ages which culminates with all being restored and reunited in Christ and God becoming all in all, as we pass from the realm of time into eternity.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalism#cite_note-110
[2] Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, I/2, ed. G. W. Bromiley and T. F. Torrance (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 531.
[3] Q & A Session (FGC 2016) Video 27:00
[4] Steve McVey: The Word of God is. Video 17:50
[5] Steve McVey: The Word of God is. Video 22:00
[6] Zahnd, Brian. Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News (p. 57). The Crown Publishing Group.
[7] Keathley, Don. Hell's Illusion (p. 46). Don Keathley. Kindle Edition.