Bible Study Seattle

What does Satan see? He’s had access to heaven for a long time:

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.  The Lord said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” Job 1:6-7

Eventually Satan will be kicked out of heaven:

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.  And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:7-9

First, Satan’s expulsion will be temporary:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain.  And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3

Finally, Satan will have a last battle that he will lose:

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.  And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:7-10

One of the first things Jesus needs to do at his second coming will be binding Satan:

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” Matthew 12:28-29

This will probably take 500+ years. Satan will meet his first (temporary) end at the Day of Atonement. But what about now? Can we discern anything from our time (circa 2023) that shows what Satan is up to?

One thrust is the desire by many powerful people to reduce population, particularly since the French Revolution. Why the mad dash to promote abortion, confuse gender, promote immorality, and weaken the family? Could it be that Satan sees the harvest? Could he be seeing the promotion of saints to heaven? Might he have a clue that this is something that will lead to his demise?

One of the first things that happens at Christ’s return is a bumper crop of believers. This coincides with a massive rise in world population. Since 1800, world population has exploded from 1 billion to 8 billion and climbing. In the story of Joseph we read of a period of great wheat harvests:

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream is one. The seven lean and gaunt cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh, God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,” Genesis 41:25-28

Satan is currently seeing this bumper crop of faithful people and he’s desperate to stop it.

We three kings of orient are…

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,  “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

Where were the magi from? Dwight Longenecker believes they were envoys from Aretas IV, who ruled the Nabateans from 9BC to 40AD. https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/12/why-gold-frankincense-myrrh-mystery-of-the-magi-dwight-longenecker.html

The famous mausoleum at Petra is thought to be Aretas IV’s tomb.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,” Ephesians 2:14-15

Many Christians teach that Christ nailed the Law to the Cross, abolishing the ceremonial laws of Moses, but that the Ten Commandments are still in play. However:

“For as the new heavens and the new earth
    that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
    so shall your offspring and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon,
    and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22-23

“All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel.  It shall be the prince’s duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary.” Ezekiel 45:16-18

Ezekiel 40-48 is clearly a future prophecy.

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.  And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.  And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.  This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar.  And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.” Zechariah 14:16-21

Clearly the Law will be kept in the future! The Temple will be rebuilt and many nations will stream to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s council. Eventually, in the distant future thousands of years from now, the Law may become obsolete, but only after Death itself has been destroyed.

“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.  And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-22

When I first read this it sounded almost comical. Why would people just suddenly drop everything and follow some random guy? Of course John the Baptist had been preparing people for the coming Messiah for six months prior to this. But what was Jesus doing before that? It seems likely that Jesus might have met many of the disciples even before John began his ministry. And I’m sure John spent much time with Jesus in the years prior since they were relatives. Christianity is and was a religion of relationships.

In 2022 the Supreme Court of the U.S. overturned Roe v Wade (1973), which found a Constitutional right to abortion implied through the 14th Amendment. This will make abortion a State issue to be decided by the many states. Many pastors were sad. It turns out that many mainline denominations officially support abortion on demand. Who knew?!? The phrase ‘synagogue of Satan’ comes to mind. Is it any surprise that mainline denominations are declining? How can a person call themselves Christian and support the murder of babies? Perhaps if they observed an abortion, with legs and arms being pulled out they might see it for what it is. God is not mocked. In the old days the Presbyterian Church USA viewed it thus: The earliest appearance of abortion as an issue before the General Assembly occurs in 1869, at the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Old School) Assembly in New York. Responding to Overture 44, on “unscriptural views of marriage, divorce, and infanticide,” the commissioners wrote, “This Assembly regards the destruction by parents of their own offspring, before birth, with abhorrence, as a crime against God and against nature.” AMEN!! Thankfully, it is estimated that the total U.S. abortion rate has declined roughly 6% since the overturning of Roe. This means that about 50,000+ babies in the U.S. are alive that would have been murdered.

Genesis 34 has the sad story of Dinah. She was raped by the local chief, who then wanted to marry her.

“On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males.” Genesis 34:25

Is this foreshadowing the slaughter at Armageddon? This incident foreshadows what will happen under Moses. “And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.  And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”  And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.  And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.” Exodus 32:25-29

A lot happens on or in the third day in scripture. This is within 3,000 years from the Cross.

“And the Lord said to Moses,  “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.  You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.  Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.  Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.  It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” Exodus 31:12-17

Why are Sabbath breakers to be executed? Is this true today? This scripture was meant to show the future. There are different Sabbaths: the weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. Then there’s the millennium. Jesus will reign during a 1,000 year Sabbath. This is where the second death will be in operation. Here’s a glimpse:

“From new moon to new moon,
    and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.

“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:23-24

Moses typifies Messiah at least twice. Stephen illustrates once:

“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.  And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.   He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.  And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’  But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?  Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’  At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.  When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord:  ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look.  Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.  I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.  This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.  This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ Acts 7:23-37

The other sequence was while wandering in the desert. Moses went up the mount of God for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24). When the people thought he was too long coming back, they made an idol of gold. This corresponds to the corruption that developed in the church in the middle ages. In Exodus 34, Moses ascends the mountain again to receive new tablets of the law. When he came down, his face was shining. This corresponds to the second coming of Christ.

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.  And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.  And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.  This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.” Zechariah 14:16-19

“And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1-2

When people go up to the feast of tabernacles, what will be the process that will allow them to eat from the trees of life?

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.” Matthew 5:22-25

Will a simple acceptance of apology suffice? Will restitution have to be paid? Will the church weigh in on the sincerity of the apology?

“After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.  Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Job 42:7-8

“But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” 2 Timothy 2:16-18

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.  The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:51-53

Does this not seem like a contradiction? Did the resurrection happen after Jesus died or not? Our best guess is that the line saying, “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies…” was inserted later and was not part of the original scripture. Jesus himself appeared to many after he was raised and this would seem to negate the need for other saints to appear.