Revelation Bible Study.

[Alan]

Jim,

Thanks!. I had previously mentioned your thoughts before (a couple of times). For everybody's reference, in Lesson 8, page 4 of this study, on the lesson on Ezekiel 47:13-23, "The Borders of the Kingdom," I said:

Ezekiel 47:13-23, “The Borders of the Kingdom.”

 

Verse 13 and 14, “Thus saith the LORD GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.”

 

“... This shall be the border ...” The following borders of the land of Israel has never been given to the Jews since the time of Ezekiel until the current age. This includes the boundary of Israel since 1948.

Modern Border: September 2016

Map of Israel & Occupied Territories

 

 

OnLine Baptist Study Map Note:

If anybody has a more accurate map on the current boundaries of Israel that they would like to share, than please do so.

 

The modern border is the most extensive boundary of Israel since the time of Ezekiel. Therefore, the vision of Ezekiel, and the boundaries given to Ezekiel, has not been fulfilled to this day.

 

[Alan]

The New King James Version is a ‘Profane’ Translation

 

The prophet Ezekiel clearly states that, among other ministries, the ministry of the Levites, the sons of Zadok (Ezekiel 44:15-31), in the Millennial Temple is to explain the difference between the “holy” and the “profane” and to discern between the “unclean: and the “clean.” Ezekiel 44:23 states, “And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” The millennial Temple is a ‘holy’ place, and the ground it sits on is ‘holy.’(Ezekiel 45:1-6). Thus, the King James Version translators were entirely correct in the usage of the word, ‘oblation’ in Ezekiel 45: 1, 6 and 7. The word, ‘oblation,’ as previously defined is, ‘Any thing offered or presented in worship or sacred service; an offering; a sacrifice.’

 

Among the definitions of profane, the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definition of ‘profane’ is, “a. 1. Not sacred: secular; relating to secular things; as profane history. 2. Polluted; not pure. 3. Not purified or holy; allowed for common use; as a profane place. Profane is used chiefly in scripture in opposition to holy, or qualified ceremonially for sacred services.”[1]   Therefore, the word 'oblation’ is the correct word to use in reference to the sacrifice of the land in Ezekiel 45:1

 

The New King James Version (NKJV), translates Ezekiel 45:1 as, “Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around.” The NKJV version substitutes, ‘district,’ for the King James Version, ‘oblation” in Ezekiel 45:1, 6 & 7.  ‘Oblation’ is the sacrifice of anything; in this case land, and has nothing to do with ‘secular,’ or, ‘profane’ things.

 

The primary Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definition of district is, “n. 1. Properly, a limited extent of country: a circuit within which power, right or authority may be exercised, and to which it is restrained; a word applicable to any portion of land or country, or to any part of a city or town, which is defined by law or agreement. A governor, a prefect, or a judge may have his district. Some of the states are divided into districts for the choice of senators, representatives or electors. Cities and towns are divided into districts for various purposes, as for schools, &c. The United States are divided into districts for the collection of the revenue.”[2]

 

It is very obvious that the translators of the King James Version chose ‘oblation’ as the proper word for the ‘sacrifice’ of the land for the Temple of God in lieu of the word ‘district’ as ‘district is primarily used for secular, or profane, uses of land; especially for the collection of revenue by a Government entity.

 

‘District’ does not entail the meaning, of any definition, of a sacrifice at all. In fact, the word ‘district’ is meaningless in the context of Ezekiel 45:1-6 and is a takes away from the ‘sacrifice’ that God desired. The word ‘oblation’ is the correct word for the land that the millennial Temple will sit on. The word ‘district’ is the profane, or irreverent, or secular, or political, and meaningless word for the land the Temple will sit on.

 

Therefore, the Authorized Version, or commonly referred to as the King James Version translation, is correct and the usage of ‘district’ in lieu of ‘oblation’ by the New King James Version translators is in error, is not the preserved word of Ezekiel, and is a profane, or secular, translation of the Scriptures.

 

Furthermore, the New King James Version Preface reads, “In light of these facts, and also because the New King James Version is the fifth revision of a historic document translated from specific Greek texts, the editors decided to retain the traditional text in the body of the New Testament and to indicate major Critical and Majority Text variant readings in the footnotes.”[3] The changing of many verses from the King James Version to mean different usages (which are many), such as the removing of the word ‘oblation’ in Ezekiel 45:1, 6 & 7 and substituting the profane word, ‘district, clearly proves that the New King James Version is not a “fifth revision” of the King James Version of 1611 as the New King James Version Preface states.

 

---

[1] Webster, Noah.  American Dictionary of the English Language. 1828. (Cincinnati, OH: C. J. Krehbiel Company, 2000).  s. v., “profane.”

[2] Webster, Noah.  American Dictionary of the English Language. 1828. (Cincinnati, OH: C. J. Krehbiel Company, 2000).  s. v., “district.”

[3] Help me with Bible Study.org, Accessed on 7 June 20; available from:         http://helpmewithbiblestudy.org/13reference/study_NKJV.aspx#sthash.Knr8Apo4.kYjgiIGx.dpbs; internet.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Alan
spelling changed generation to collection

[Alan]

Ezekiel 45:1, “Reeds, Cubits, Deeds and Law”

When a person changes a landmark, whether in the field or legal description of land in a “Deed,” or, “Title,” legal document, and tries to pass off that landmark, or document, as a true representation of the property in question, or changes the measurements of the property in question, than that person commits fraud with the intent to deceive. Furthermore, in the Law of Moses, which exceeds in authority than the law of any Government of man, God forbade anybody from moving a landmark. Deuteronomy 19:14, Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.”

Furthermore, Deuteronomy 27:17 states, “Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.” It is a serious matter, both in the Bible and in everywhere else, in changing landmarks.

The Law, as written in Ezekiel, is the Legal Deed to the Land of Israel

The scripture is a legal document. In the case of the terminology of the prophet Ezekiel and the one continuous vision of the house of God, the Temple, and the land, in Ezekiel 40:1 to 48:35, the  very words of God Himself state, “Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.”

“Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. Ezekiel 45:1"Behold, this is the law of the house.”

In Ezekiel 45:1, (and in 48:8), the King James Version, in italics, says reeds. When a word was not in the manuscripts, the King James Version translators put the word in italics. This indicates an honest translation method. The accepted length of a reed is between 10 and 12 feet. The angel is measuring the land with a measuring reed. “And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.” Ezekiel 40:3

Furthermore, in Ezekiel 42:16-20, when the angel measures the outside east, north, south  and west, land dimensions of the house, or Temple, he uses the measuring reed.

Due to the measuring of the land dimensions, it was very obvious to the King James Version translators that the angel is using the measuring reed in 45:1. Therefore, in order to make the sentence more readable, and in the context of the angel using the measuring reed, the translator’s added reeds in italics.

In the New King James Version, Ezekiel 45:1 says, “cubit.” (which is not italicized), the accepted length of a Hebrew long cubit is 17. 5 inches.

This difference is tremendous. Both versions, the King James Version and the New King James Version, state different types of measurements that give vastly different dimensions of land. So, it is an inescapable conclusion that the NKJV is different from the KJV and that the change from reeds to cubit was deliberate and an error.

Confusion among the Saints

Furthermore, among the scholars, and saints, of the religions world, the ‘reed’ and ‘cubit’ in Ezekiel 45:1 and 48:8 is the cause of much confusion and acrimony. Who is the primary cause of such confusion in the churches? Can the holy writ give us a clue?  “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33, Satan himself is the author of the confusion of these new versions among the saints in the churches. The primary cause of confusion among the Sunday schools, the pulpit, the forums (!), is caused by Satan. Every new version since the Revised Version of 1881, including the New King James Version, is sowing confusion among the saints in their effort to disparage the authority of the King James Version in their mad rush for fame and fortune.

If the King James Version is correct than it is the ‘preserved’ word of Ezekiel and of God. If the New King James Version is correct than it is the ‘preserved’ word of Ezekiel and of God. One of the two versions is not the preserved word of Ezekiel and of God and one of the two versions is a fraud and is sowing confusion among the saints.

We need to be aware that the New King James Version purports to be a “fifth edition” of the King James Version. Nelson Publishers stated, “1979 – NKJV New Testament released from Thomas Nelson Publishers. The New King James Version becomes the fifth major revision.”[1] Based on the differences between the KJV and the NKJV in Ezekiel 45:1 & 48:8, the word reeds changed to cubits, this is a false statement. The difference between the KJV and the NKJV is irreconcilable. Therefore, the NKJV is not a fifth edition of the KJV.

[1] Thomas Nelson Bible Publishers, About the NKJV, Accessed on 10 June 2020. Available from:  https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/nkjv/about/ Internet.

Edited June 12, 2020 by Alan
link

[Jim_Alaska]

Well done Alan. While I have never liked the NKJV I also have not liked it since I first saw it because of its inaccuracies. As to your stated differences between "reed" and "cubit", this may just be one of those things that many times we are guilty of not really paying attention to. I put myself in this classification. Although I put a lot of time into study, there are times when I get sloppy, especially with single words.

So, having said that, I was delighted to learn that there is a difference and this difference is significant. Thank you.

[Alan]

7 hours ago, Jim_Alaska said:

So, having said that, I was delighted to learn that there is a difference and this difference is significant. Thank you.

Thank you Jim.

The more I studied the measurements in the vision of Ezekiel, and other items, it became to dawn on me the magnitude of the vision. The King James Version translators were entirely correct in putting the word reed, in italics, in Ezekiel 45:1, and the NKJV translators made a MAJOR, and a significant, error in putting the word 'cubit.' As I pointed out, the error is irreconcilable with the measurements given by Ezekiel in the vision. It is a fraud of immense magnitude for the Nelson Publishing Company, and others, to declare that the NKJV is a 'fifth edition' of the KJV.

I was going to put the difference in reeds, cubits, the lots, the length of Israel's land in comparison between reeds and cubit;  but, because of the size of the study, the math involved, it is not feasible at this time and I may wait until I have more time and better maps to display with the measurements.

The future restoration of Israel, in the land, with the presence of God in the Holy Temple as in the days of Moses, King David, and King Solomon, and the sheer size of the increase in population during the 1,000 year reign of Christ, will require a large land mass for the Jewish tribes of Israel to dwell in. Also, as I pointed out, the changing of the measurements in the land of Israel, any land for that matter, is a fraud of major proportions and legal consequence.  God put a curse on those who removed landmarks; either physically or on paper. 

Alan

Edited June 12, 2020 by Alan
added 'reign'

[Alan]

In verse 6 & 7 the prophet Ezekiel continues his description of the land for the whole house of Israel and then for the prince, “And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel. And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.”

 

Ezekiel now gives the measurements for the land for the people of the house of Israel, the Jewish remnant that have escaped the wrath of the anti-Christ during the 7-year Tribulation Period and for the prince.

The Prince

The prince was mentioned previously in Ezekiel 44:1-3. In Ezekiel 46:1-18 the prophet Ezekiel shows that the prince is given directions for sacrificing in the Temple for worship. Therefore, the prince cannot be the Lord Jesus Christ, nor can the prince be in any way symbolic, or an allegory, to the Church Age saints.

 

The prince is the resurrected King David as prophesied by the prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Hosea.

 

In Ezekiel 34:1-31 the prophet Ezekiel prophesies against the false prophets, the false shepherds (both in the religious and political realm). Ezekiel 34:1-31 clearly shows that God Himself, verse11-15, will seek the flock and restore the flock back to the nation of Israel. This is a clear prophesy of the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd, John 10:1-18 and 21:15-25, and further teaches us the future restoration of the nation of Israel, in the land, in 34:12-16.

 

During the discourse of the immense prophetical happening in Ezekiel 34:1-31, we see clearly that God will raise up King David to be the prince in the restored nation of Israel. “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD hath spoken it.” Ezekiel 34:23-24

 

The prophet Hosea prophesied of the day when David would return as the prince over Israel, “Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3:5

 

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied of the return of David, “But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I shall raise up unto them.” Jeremiah 30:9

 

Up to the Church Age, and even to this day, King David has not been raised up, the nation of Israel does not serve the LORD God, the nation of Israel has not been restored, and the vast number of Jews are not seeking the LORD their God.

 

Therefore, the prophesy of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Hosea has not been fulfilled up to this time and is prophetic of future events in the land of Israel.

[Alan]

David as Prince & the Sanctuary & the Tabernacle in the Land

In Ezekiel 37:1-14 we have the vision of the dry bones and then in Ezekiel 37: 15-19 we have the vision of the two sticks, one stick representing Judah, the children of Israel and his companions, and one stick representing Joseph, and Ephraim and the house of Israel and his companions; and then the two sticks will become one stick. In Ezekiel 37:20-28 the LORD gives the future fulfillment of the vision of the two sticks. The interpretation was partially fulfilled when the nation of Israel came back in the land of Israel after the Babylonian Captivity as one nation and not two nations, or kingdoms.

But, the complete fulfillment of the prophesy of Ezekiel 37:20-28 is when David, the servant of God, would be king over the nation of Israel, in the land, as prince, for ever, and that the sanctuary would be in the midst of them. The complete fulfillment is still yet future. Ezekiel prophesied, “And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children, for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be a everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be there God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.”

The Tabernacle, was described by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 41:1 to 42:15 and then the sanctuary, where the Tabernacle is located, is spoken of in Ezekiel 45:1-5. After the Babylonian Captivity, and up to our age, neither the Tabernacle, nor the Sanctuary, has been built. The reason why God gave Ezekiel so much detail in the construction, the measurements, and the locations of the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary, is make sure that nobody could say it is not literal. And, there would be no mistake when the literal Tabernacle and Sanctuary were completed.

In Ezekiel 37:20-28, David will be a king, a shepherd, and a prince in the restored land of Israel. David has not returned to Israel since the prophet Ezekiel clearly spoke of the day when David would return as king, a shepherd, and the prince of Israel.

Therefore, the complete fulfillment of the prophesy of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37:20-28 has not been fulfilled. The fulfillment will be as spoken of in Ezekiel 40-48 at the restoration of the nation of Israel during the 1,000-year reign of Christ as spoken of in Revelation 20:4-6

Edited June 22, 2020 by Alan
reference 24 to 20

[Alan]

Brethren,

I would like to remind all of us of some of the rules here on Online Baptist. As the 'author' of the 'Revelation Bible Study' thread I am going to try and enforce these rules on my thread the way I interpret them.

Rule # 1:

"Do not promote your own site."

I consider those individuals who post lengthy, or partial, studies from their own website, or a different forum, a violation of this rule.

Rule # 2:

Do not post Spam

a) Spam includes advertisements, content deemed inappropriate or illegal, flooding of the boards, double posts, and posts that are posted just to bring hits to your website;

b) Spammers will be banned from the boards.

c) If your first post contains a link, it might be considered spam. Add links to your profile instead.

I consider those individuals, who are members of other forums, copying and posting, whether or not a link is in the post, on my study, a 'double post' (one post on the individuals forum and the same post on my study), 'spam.' Next time this happens,I will ask the moderators to remove the post.

Rule # 3:

"3. Feel free to quote the Bible, if you do we ask that you use the KJV. This is done to avoid confusion. The Administrators and Moderators of this site believe that the KJV is Gods preserved Word for the English speaking people, and we ask that you respect that and use the KJV when quoting scripture."

I consider the Authorized Version, or commonly referred to as the 'KJV, the 'preserved' word of God. If another post shows up on my thread that belittles, disparages, or other wise demeans the KJV, or uses a version apart from the KJV, I will ask the moderators to delete the post.

Alan

 

Edited June 28, 2020 by Alan
spelling

[Alan]

Ezekiel 45:8, “The Prince”

Introduction

During the 1,000-year reign of the Lord Jesus as prophesied in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The “Government” is to rule and reign as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” over all of the nations of the world as prophesied by the prophet Zechariah. “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” (Zechariah 14:9)

In our previous study of Ezekiel 45:6-7, we mentioned the passages of Ezekiel 44:1-3, 46:1-18, 34:1-31 (specifically 34:12-16 & 23-24), 37:1-14 & 20-28, and conclusively proved that King David will be raised up to reign as Prince, Shepherd, and as a King in the restored nation of Israel as prophesied in other passages.

Therefore, the Lord Jesus is the ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,” and the Governor Of the Nations of the World, with the capital of the world in Jerusalem with King David as the ‘Prince.’

Possessions and Duties of the Prince

The prophet Ezekiel continues his prophesy concerning the Prince that prove without a shadow of a doubt that the ‘Prince is King David and not the Lord Jesus Christ, “In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.” (Ezekiel 45:8

As brought out in other passages, the ‘land’ is the physical land of Israel and Ezekiel plainly states that the prince “in the land shall be his possession.” In other words, the oblation for the prince as prophesied in Ezekiel 45:7 (and 45:16), is for the ‘possession’ of the prince to live in. In Ezekiel 45:17 Ezekiel prophesied that the prince was to offer burnt offerings, meat offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings during the various feasts and the Sabbath, as set down in the law of Moses. Further, in Ezekiel 45:17-25 the prince is to provide sacrifices for sin offerings.

Further, in the land, the prince, as recorded in Ezekiel 46:1-8, details offerings concerning the new moon, and how the prince is to go through the gate, stand by the gate, and other rules concerning the gate, the prince and the people.

Further, in Ezekiel 44:1-3 we read a very detailed prophesy concerning the Eastern Gate. In order to understand the literalness of the prophesy we must consider consider Ezekiel 44:1-3 and how it relates to the prince. “Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; this gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.” Ezekiel 44:1-3

The LORD, the God of Israel, entered through the east gate of the Eastern Gate, as recorded in Ezekiel 43:1-6. Therefore, God, the LORD of Israel, plainly stated that the eastern gate is to remain shut until it is used by the prince.

The Prince and Preterism

Most Preterists teach that the ‘prince,’ as recorded by the prophet Ezekiel, is the Lord Jesus Christ or the princes as in the days of Ezra. Preterism teaches that all of the prophecies concerning the prince, the temple, the sacrifices, the land spoken of in Ezekiel 37:20-28 and Ezekiel 40:1 to 48:35 are speaking of Christ, heaven, promises given to the church, or prophecies already fulfilled with the nation of Israel. Preterism teaches that the prophecies of Ezekiel 37:20-28 and Ezekiel 40:1 to 48:35, do not have one thing to do with King David being raised up as the prince of Israel in the restored land of Israel.

Concerning the prince in the vision, the prophecies, of Ezekiel, Philip Mauro states, “Furthermore, special instructions are given in this vision regarding “the prince.” Now it was only after the return of Zerubbabel in the days of Ezra, and the Asmonæan princes at a later day.”1 Thus, Mauro teaches that the ‘prince’ is either the “prince of Judah” as recorded in Ezra 1:8, or one of the princes of the leaders in the days of Zerubbabel after the Jews returned to Israel from the Babylonian Captivity.

Other Preterists, as written by the unnamed authors of the Ligonier Ministries of R. C. Sproul believe that that prince of the visions of Ezekiel 45:8 (and the other related passages in the vision of Ezekiel), are prophecies of Christ, “Jesus fulfills Ezekiel's vision of the prince.”2

Preterism, as with other false doctrines, false bibles, false religions, can change as the sands of the sea.

The teachings of Preterism, with examples of Philip Mauro and R. C. Sproul, are in error. The Lord Jesus did not enter in, or out, by the Eastern Gate anytime during His ministry, never ate bread near the Eastern gate, never had to offer any sacrifice for sin (He offered His body as a sacrifice for OUR sins), did not have any land possessions in Israel, and nor did the Lord Jesus rule over any princes as a prince in Israel.

The teaching of Preterism, in any of its forms, is full of contradictions, cannot correctly divide the scriptures, rejects the doctrine of the restoration of Israel, does not have a correct understanding of the prophecies of Ezekiel, the other Old Testament prophets, the book of Hebrews and the book of Revelation. Preterism, in any form, is false doctrine.

1Mauro, Philip, The Hope of Israel: What Is it? (Boston, MA: Hamilton Brothers,1929), page 120.

2Ligonier Ministries, The Sacrifices of the Prince, Accessed on 4 July 2020. Available on: 

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/sacrifices-prince/ Internet.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Alan
the to that

[Jim_Alaska]

Well done Alan. I especially like "The Prince and Preterism" part. It was a great refutation of Preterism. I have also heard some who are not preterists preach that this prince is Jesus. Sadly they, through ignorance and sloppy study habits, take these verses out of context and quickly hurry on in blissful  ignorance.

[Alan]

On 7/6/2020 at 10:33 AM, Jim_Alaska said:

Well done Alan. I especially like "The Prince and Preterism" part. It was a great refutation of Preterism. I have also heard some who are not preterists preach that this prince is Jesus. Sadly they, through ignorance and sloppy study habits, take these verses out of context and quickly hurry on in blissful  ignorance.

Thank you Jim. I appreciate your comments very much

You are entirely correct in that some Baptists are now stating that the 'Prince' is the Lord Jesus. Sad to say, Preterist teachings are now within the ranks of independent, Fundamental, Baptist churches. This is due to several reasons with the primary reason a lack of believing the Bible as it is written, the lack of spiritual discernment, and the lack of correctly dividing the scriptures.

Alan

Steven Anderson – the ‘Prince’ is Jesus

As with standard Preterist teachings, Pastor Steven Anderson does not believe that the prophets the King David will be raised from the dead and reign as the ‘Prince’ of Israel. In his comments on Ezekiel 37:20-26, Anderson states, “Now this is pretty clear when it says that David is going to rule over them, and there is going to be one shepherd; and its talking about Jesus.” 1

1 Anderson, Steven, Bible Prophecy in Ezekiel, video, Time Frame: 13:00-13:09. Accessed on 06 July 2020. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmtthpnUaVs

 

[Alan]

By way of remembrance, and for those who missed my study on David as King, Shepherd, and the Prince of the restored nation of Israel, as Ezekiel 37:20-26 also states, during the millennium, here is the link: https://onlinebaptist.com/topic/23615-revelation-bible-study/page/10/

 

[Alan]

Ezekiel 45:8, “Free from Oppressive Princes”

The prophet Ezekiel makes an interesting observation concerning the governmental authorities, ‘princes,’ under the Kingship in his vision from the Lord in Ezekiel 45:8b, “and my princes shall no more oppress my people.” Besides the sons of the king, the ‘princes’ would include any administrative official under the Prince. Thus it would include the elders who made decision for the people, the judges who sat in an official capacity in Israel, and others making decisions for the populace. In Numbers 1:1-16, after Moses took the sum of the children of the various tribes, and had appointed a leader from each tribe, the Bible states, “These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands of Israel.” The heads of the tribes of Israel that were appointed the rulers of the tribes were called “princes.”

The prophet Ezekiel is very clear. The princes under the King, were to rule righteously and  not oppressively, and are directly accountable to the king: Ezekiel 45:8a. In other passages, the princes are to rule according to the righteous commandments as given in the Law of Moses. The prophet Isaiah prophesied, “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:3

Throughout the history of the Jews after the Babylonian Captivity, up to our age, the ‘princes,’ the elders of Israel, the judges of Israel, the men who sat in the gate of Israel, under the authority of the governmental systems in Israel have been ‘oppressive,’ unrighteous, full of corruption, bribery and under the influence of unrighteous priests, foreign governments, and political intrigue.

The prophet Isaiah preached against the rulers that made oppressive, or unrighteous, decrees, or laws, “Woe to them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed.” Isaiah 10:1. The princes, the rulers, in governmental offices, who write unrighteous decrees, or laws, are oppressive.

The Princes in the Age of Christ

Although it was for the sins of mankind that the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, it was the religious leadership of the Jews, the Scribes, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, putting pressure on the administration of Pontius Pilate, that officially crucified the Lord on the Cross. “When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” Matthew 27:1. The ‘elders’ would be comparable to the ‘princes’ in Ezekiel 45:8. The elders, part of the rulers in Israel, both in the religious and secular realm, in the time of Christ, officially are responsible for crucifying Christ on the Cross by their counsel. Their counsel was ‘oppressive.’

Therefore, the prophecy by Ezekiel 45:8 was not fulfilled from Ezekiel’s era to the era of Christ.

The Princes from 1948 to the Present

The nation of Israel, from the formation of the state of Israel in May 1948 to the present time, is a Parliamentary Democracy.  The representatives of the people, as with most Jews, are secularists who are not governed by the laws of Moses as commanded by God and openly reject the Lord Jesus as the Son of God. The government consists of an elected President as the Head of State and three branches of administration: The Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Below is a diagram of the different branches.

 

 

Diagram from the Israeli “Ministry of Foreign Affairs”[i]

In Bible language, besides the sons of the king, the elected leaders, or rulers of the various governmental administrative functions, are ‘princes.’ If one reads the local papers from Israel very long, as with all countries in our age, they will discover that the elected rulers, princes in Bible parlance, are corrupt, use the law to promote their own agendas, are oppressive, and are not ruling in their official capacities as Ezekiel records.

Therefore, the ‘princes’ of the nation of Israel, are not the ‘princes’ that Ezekiel prophesies of and that Ezekiel’s prophecy has remained unfulfilled to this day.

Preterism and the Princes

As discussed earlier, the preterist teaches that the “Prince” of Ezekiel 37:24-25, and 45:7-8, is not King David, but, in the spiritual (and in their parlance literal sense), is the Lord Jesus. Thus, if the Prince is the Lord Jesus than it is logical to conclude that the ‘princes’ under the Prince are in the church.

As previously stated, Philip Mauro believes that the princes ruled in the days of Ezra.

For those individuals who believe that the ‘princes’ are fulfilled in the church. If that be the case, than obviously the interpretation for the ‘princes’ are the ‘rulers’ in the church. Such an interpretation has no scriptural merit nor does it have any merit as a literal or allegorical interpretation. The various ‘rulers’ of the various denominations, up to this age, in church history have a history of oppression, corruption, debauchery, liberalism, and doctrinal error. It is ludicrous to interpret the princes as rulers in the various churches in the Church Age.

Therefore, the ‘princes’ have not been fulfilled in the spiritual sense, nor in an allegorical, or historical sense in the church during the New Testament church age.

The fulfillment of Freedom from Oppressive Princes

In his great discourse on his vision concerning the Lord’s house in the last days, when all nations shall flow into the Lords’ house for worship and instruction, recorded in Isaiah 2:1-4, we read this prophecy, “ And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:3

The prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 2:3, coupled with the princes not oppressing the people in Ezekiel 45:8, has not, whether allegorically, spiritually, or literally, been fulfilled to this day.

Therefore, since the prophecy of the princes, or government administrative rulers under the king, as prophesied in Ezekiel 45:8, ruling justly and not oppressively, has not been fulfilled as recorded, then the prophecy is still yet future. As the prophecy in Isaiah 2:1-4 (and many other prophecies concerning the righteous ruling of the King and his princes ruling in Jerusalem), is still yet future. The only possible time for the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel to be fulfilled is during the 1,000-Year reign of Christ in Jerusalem as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS as prophesied by the apostle John in Revelation 20:4-6.

Revelation 20:4 specifically states, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” The ‘princes’ ruling justly and not oppressively, mentioned in Ezekiel 45:8 are included in the individuals as sitting on the seats of authority, or thrones, in Revelation 20:4

 

[i] The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State: Political Structure, Accessed on 21 July 2020. Available on: https://mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/the state- political structure.aspx ; Internet.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Alan
48 to 45 added the word 'more' in 45:8

[Alan]

Ezekiel 45:8. “According to their Tribes”

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied, “… and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.” Ezekiel 45:8c.

Introduction

The “land” as prophesied by Ezekiel is exactly what it is: the physical land of Israel. The “tribes” as prophesied by Ezekiel is exactly what it is: the tribes of the 12 sons of Israel.

The Church Age saints have no ‘tribes,’ either symbolically, allegorically, or literal. The physical land nation of Israel, from the Babylonian Captivity and up to the present era, has not been allocated to the 12 tribes of Jacob. The only possible, and correct, interpretation is that God is going to restore the ‘House of Israel,’ the twelve tribes of Jacob, to the physical land of Israel as Ezekiel prophesied in the future.

The promise of the allocation of the land to Israel to the 12 tribes of Israel has never been yet fulfilled, nor annulled, nor changed, nor given to the church. According to the Paul the apostle, every word of the prophets must be fulfilled; every prophecy, and every promise, by Ezekiel awaits a future fulfillment. Galatians 3:15-17, “Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that is should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance by of the law, it is not more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

It is also very clear that Abraham, King David, and the other Old Testament saints, did not receive, as yet, the promises given to them by God verbally or through the prophets. The writer of Hebrews expresses it this way, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13 The saints in the Old Testament realized that heaven was their true home, Hebrews 11:14-17, and that the earthly promises given to them was part of the overall plan of God leading up to eternity in Heaven, and then, as Isaiah promised, after a glorious period of time of the restored Israel, Isaiah 65:17, the New Heaven and the New Earth. After his discourse on faith, the promises of God, heaven, a better resurrection, persecution, the writer of Hebrews concludes, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40

Revelation 17:10 – All, Every Last One, of the Prophecies & Promises will be Fulfilled

According to the mighty angel in Revelation 10:1-11, all, every one of, the prophecies, and promises, of the Old Testament prophets will be fulfilled at the time of the events as depicted in the Book of Revelation. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, which he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Revelation 17:10. One of the reasons why the a-millennial, the cults, the preterist, and the teachers of the Replacement Theology teachers cannot understand prophecy is that they believe that the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets were fulfilled in their age, or was fulfilled no later than 70 AD, or was fulfilled in the church, and that the events of the Book of Revelation are not prophetic but historical. According to the words of the mighty angel in Revelation 17:10, all of these teachers are in error.

The prophecy of Ezekiel 45:8, the allocation of the land of Israel, to the 12 tribes of Israel, as with the other prophecies concerning the restoration of Israel, and the promises given by God, by the Old Testament prophets, are still future.

Therefore, according to Paul the apostle, the promise of Ezekiel, and the other unfulfilled prophecies of the prophets, awaits a future fulfillment, “For I wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen accrediting to the flesh; Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.” Romans 9:3-4 In God’s good timing, all of the prophecies and promises of Ezekiel, and the other prophets, will come to pass to lead up to the New Heaven and the New Earth.

The 144,000 sealed of the Tribes of Israel of Revelation 7:1-8

The book of Revelation was written in 96 AD by John the Apostle from a direct vision from God. The book of Revelation is a book of prophecy; it is not a history book. The book of Revelation is the fulfillment of the prophecies, promises, and covenants given to Abraham, Isaac, and the house of Israel. Therefore the only way to correctly interpret the book of Revelation is through the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament.

John the apostle saw, “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of God were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.” Revelation 7:5-9.

Since the days of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, to our era, the Jewish race has not been able to know which tribe that they belong to. The angel sent by God is the one who will seal the 144,000 by their tribes. God fully knows which Jew belongs to which tribe. As the Jewish remnant are gathered together, they will be told as needed, by the angel, or the 144,000, or a prophet sent by God.

The scripture is very clear that these 12 tribes, the complete 144,000 men, are from, “all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4). There is no symbolic, or allegorical, or spiritual, words or meanings. The 144,000 are sealed by an angel, during the 7-Year Tribulation Period, and those sealed are the descendants of Jacob, Jewish men, from Israel.

The Lord Jesus prophesied, Matthew 24:31, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Mark 13:27, “And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” During the 7-Year Tribulation period, as the Jewish 144,000 men witness, large numbers of people, including from the Jewish race, will be saved. After the 3 ½ mark, the anti-christ will be shown as an impostor and the Jewish race, the ones that are left alive, will realize their grievous mistake of rejecting Christ as the Messiah, and the four angels, as a great trumpet, as recorded in Numbers 10:2 to assemble the people together, will start gathering together, and journey as a nation back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants.

Symbolism instead of Belief - The Error of the A-millennialist, the Cults,

Mauro, Laymon, Hendriksen, Sullivan, Anderson, & Other False Teachers

A-millennial teaching, or Preterism, with its numerous interpretations, teaches that the prophecies, and promises, of the Old Testament were already fulfilled, are symbolic, allegorical, spiritual, or are given to the church; Replacement Theology. The A-millennialist, or the preterist, in my estimation, does not believe the Bible as it is written.

As most cults use symbolism exclusively, we will use the Jehovah's Witnesses as an example. Even though the Jehovah’s Witnesses previously believed that the 144,000 were literal, now they always believe that the 144,000 are spiritual and are Jehovah’s Witnesses in some aspect, “Meantime, the victorious Messianic King has been gathering the remaining ones of the 144,000 spiritual Israelites that they may be sealed in their foreheads with the “seal of the living God” as his special possession. (Revelation 7:1-8; Matthew 24:31).”¹

Philip Mauro, being a Preterist, believes that the list of 12 tribes is symbolic of the redeemed and we need to look at the meanings of the names of the 12 tribes to understand the vision. Mauro states, “But if we regard this vision as being, like all the others, composed of symbols, then we may hopefully look for an explanation of the peculiarity referred to. My suggestion is that the desired explanation will be found in the meanings of the names of Jacob’s twelve sons.”² After the quotation, Mauro goes into a lengthy list of meanings for the 12 tribes of Israel and leaves it up to the reader to determine which applies to whom.

Charles Laymon, being a Preterist, states, “Although there probably is a Hebrew source for this reference to the twelve tribes, it is used here in regard to the faithful in the Christian church which the New Testament views as the Israel of God. That these tribes are not to be taken literally is evident from the fact that one tribe, Dan, is omitted and that Joseph and Manasseh overlap since the latter comprises part of the former. Accordingly, R. H. Charles concludes that the 144,000 belong to the spiritual, not to the literal, Israel. All peoples and nations make up this group.”³

William Hendriksen, being a Preterist, symbolizes the the 144,000 of Revelation 7:1-8 thusly, “It is very clear, therefore, that the sealed multitude of Rev. 7 symbolizes the entire Church Militant of old and new dispensation. … The one hundred forty-four thousand sealed individuals out of the twelve tribes of literal Israel symbolize spiritual Israel, the church of God on earth.”⁴

Michael Sullivan, representing the full-preterist, has this novel (and erroneous), symbolic interpretation of the 144,000 listing in Revelation 7:1-8, “The First Resurrection and the Resurrection of the “Rest of the Dead” Those participating in the “first resurrection” is a subject that has been previously addressed in chapters 7 and 14 – these being the first century Jewish “first fruits” or 144,000 that were the first to believe in Christ and continued enduring through the great tribulation until the end. Therefore, they would partake in the harvest/resurrection at the end of the Old Covenant Age. These are those who are coming out of their “graves” through the preaching of the gospel (John 5:24-27) and would soon participate and be joined with the rest of the dead in the consummative resurrection event.”⁵

Steven Anderson takes a partial Preterist position on the 144,000 of Revelation 7:1-8. Concerning the 144,000 from Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5, Anderson, after a convoluted, and confusing, series of miss-applied scriptures, irrational thinking, rants against the Jewish race, and a twisted history of the Jewish nation, states, “In fact, the 144,000 are already in heaven right now. They’re Old Testament saints who’ve passed on thousands of years ago.”⁶

Concerning the erroneous, and numerous, false beliefs of the last days, the Apostle Paul stated, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7

Conclusion

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied in Ezekiel 45:8c, “and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes” and then enumerated the list of the tribes in Ezekiel 28:1-29 in order to clearly show that the physical land of Israel would be restored to the physical 12 tribes of the sons of Jacob. None of this prophecy is symbolic, an allegory, or of a spiritual interpretation. Furthermore, the prophecy in Ezekiel 45:8c has not come to pass in the history of mankind up to our age.

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied that the land would be given to the tribes of Israel. Since the day that Ezekiel penned these words none, in any sense of the word, have been fulfilled. Therefore, it is an inescapable conclusion that the prophecy is still future. And, it is an inescapable conclusion that, according to the prophecy of John the apostle, the tribes will one day be gathered together, to be witnesses during the 7-Year Tribulation Period.

As John the apostle stated, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of God were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.” Revelation 7:5-9. The scripture is very clear that these 12 tribes, the complete 144,000 men, are from, “all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4). There is no symbolic, or allegorical, or spiritual, words or meanings. The 144,000 are sealed by an angel and those sealed are the descendants of Jacob, Jewish men, from Israel in order to proclaim the gospel to the world and prepare the descendants of Jacob to return to the land of Israel.

1Jehovah’s Witnesses, Then is Finished the Mystery of God, (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society: New York, 1969), P.357.

2Mauro, Philip, Of the Things Which Soon Must Come to Pass, (Grand Rapids, MI: WM. B. Eerdmans, 1933), Page 250.

3Laymon, Charles, M. The Book of Revelation, (New York – Nashville: Abingdon Press), 1960, Page 105.

4Hendriksen, William, More than Conquerors, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1939, 1967), Page 134.

5Sullivan, Michael, A Full Preterist Response, Accessed on: 27 July 2020. Available on: https://fullpreterism.com/a-full-preterist-response-to-holy-land-end-time-holy-war-eschatologies-part-3-christian-dispensational-zionism/. Internet.

6Anderson, Steven Anderson, Revelation 7, Accessed on 30 April 2019. Available on: http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/revelation_7.html. Internet.

[Alan]

Brethren,

At this point in these studies I must make three special notes concerning the internet links to the quotations by Pastor Steven Anderson.

1. I had, a long time ago, back in 2019 and before, copied the complete Revelation study (all 22 chapters), internet videos of Pastor Steven Anderson and the associated PDF files.

2. In the process of time, due to the PDF files on the videos not having scripture references, and some other data, I put the PDF files in 'hard-copy' and then listened to the videos in an effort to make sure every scripture reference was on the PDF 'hard-copy' and to assure myself that I had quoted Pastor Anderson correctly.

3. On July 7, 2020, YouTube "DE-platformed' almost all of Pastor Steven Anderson YouTube channels. Some of his followers are uploading some, not all, of the Anderson videos onto their own personal or church YouTube channels. And, Pastor Anderson still has the Faith Baptist Church website, and a personal website, still on the internet.

Therefore, the internet links of the Pastor Steven Anderson videos are not all available, or, they may be available on other YouTube channels as time goes on. 

So, if a question does arise concerning an quote that I upload on a video by Pastor Anderson cannot be found on the internet I do have a 'hard-copy' in my files to back up my quote.

Alan