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Friday, October 31, 2025
What Prophecies of Daniel Was Jesus Speaking About?
Dennis Edwards
Jesus told us to look at the prophecies of Daniel
which speak of the abomination of desolation being set up to understand the
timing of the time of the end. Let’s look at the Daniel verses that speak on
the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 9:27 says, “And he (the Antichrist) shall
confirm (or strengthen as some prefer) the covenant with many for one week (or
seven-year period): and in the midst of the week, (at the three and a half year
mark), he (the Antichrist) shall cause the oblation, (or daily sacrifice), to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate.”
What we can understand from the above verse is that
half way through the seven-year period, the Antichrist shall stop the daily
sacrifice or oblation, and place the abomination that makes desolate.
What other verses speak into the question of the
sacrifice and abomination of desolation. Let us look at Daniel 11:30-31.
Daniel 11:30-31 “For the ships of Chittim (Cyprus)
shall come against him (the Antichrist): therefore, he shall be grieved, and
return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so, shall he do; he
shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy
covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the
sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall
place the abomination that makes desolate.”
The United Kingdom has the largest military and
naval base on Cyprus, therefore, verse 30 could be alluding to a NATO force
coming from Cyprus against the Antichrist half way through the seven-year
agreement. The Antichrist at that time will have already been talking secretly with others who do
not want to continue in the Holy accord. He gathers a sufficient force, maybe from a
peace-keeping contingent present in Israel, or other Middle Eastern nations,
and invades the Holy Mount, stops the daily sacrifice and places the abomination
that makes desolate. “Makes desolate” seems to indicate that the abomination
could be some type of military apparatus that causes great desolation.
The last verses that we will look at come from Daniel 8:10-14.
“And it (the little horn or Antichrist) waxed
great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the
stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.” He we see the persecution during
the tribulation period. The words host and stars are alluding to the persecuted
saints of that time.
“Yea, he (the Antichrist) magnified himself even to
the prince of the host, (which is Jesus) and by him (the Antichrist) the daily
sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an
host (military force) was given unto him against the daily sacrifice by reason
of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; (Jesus has said He
is the way, the truth and the life, therefore, the Scripture is alluding to true
Christianity and its truths being cast down), and it (the Antichrist
government) practised and prospered.
The time period being mentioned in these verses
seems to include the length of time the sacrifice takes place together with the
length of time the transgression of desolation stands in the holy place. From
Daniel 9:27, we understand that the daily sacrifice will cease, or will be
“taken away,” as it written in Daniel 11:31, when the Antichrist invades
Jerusalem during the middle of the “week,” or seven-year period. Half of seven
is three and a half, therefore, “the midst of the week,” refers to three and a
half years into the seven-year treaty, or half-way through the seven-year period
of the covenant.
The seven-year period can be divided into two equal
three-and-a-half-year periods. In the other Scriptures we have looked at, the
three-and-a-half-year period is recorded as equalling both forty-two months or
1,260 days. The great tribulation starts
when the abomination is set up at the time of the breaking of the covenant,
which takes place half way through the seven-year period.
The verses in Daniel 8 are telling us that the
amount of time that the sacrifice will occur, together with the amount of time
the abomination will stand, shall be 2,300 days. The last part of the verse 14
says, “then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,” which could be referring to the
removal of the abomination of desolation. Do we have any information for how
long the abomination will stand?
Let’s go to Daniel 12:11.
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall
be taken away,” which we know takes place in the middle of the seven-year
period, “and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a
thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
We conclude that the abomination will be in place
for 1,290 days or 30 days longer than the period of the great tribulation which
we know is 1,260 days. Why is that? The reason may be that while the rapture
takes place “immediately after the tribulation of those days,” the abomination
stands longer on the temple mount. It stands 30 days longer. The sanctuary is
not cleansed, or the abomination is not destroyed or removed, until Jesus
literally arrives from heaven with the heavenly forces during the Battle of
Armageddon.
Jesus does not remove the abomination at the time
of the rapture because He does not land on earth until later. His landing on
earth happens during that short 75-day period of the wrath of God found in
Revelation 15:5-8 and 16:1-21. That is when the Battle of Armageddon takes
place, which we also find in Revelation 19:11-21. Zechariah 14:1-9 talk about
the same events, as do Ezekiel 38-39.
We speculate, therefore, that during those 30 days,
the raptured saints are receiving their rewards at the marriage supper of the
Lamb. We find the idea for that in Revelation 19:6-9. In verse 7 we read, “for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.” The
five virgins who had their lamps burning with oil, or who were in obedient
service to God, got in and the door was shut. Verse 9 says, “Blessed are they which
are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Immediately following the
marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation is the invasion of the earth by Jesus
Christ and the armies of heaven to destroy the Antichrist, the False Prophet,
and their armies. See Revelation 19:11-21.
The 2,300 days of Daniel 8 consist of the 1,290
days of the time period of the standing of the Abomination plus the amount of
time the sacrifice will take place. If we subtract 1,290 from 2,300, we have
1,010 days of sacrifice. The first half of the 7-year period of the Holy
Covenant is 1,260 days. Therefore, by subtracting 1,010 days from 1,260 days,
we find that the daily sacrifice should start around 250 days after the signing
or initiating of the 7-year period. 250 days is around 8 months and ten days. We
speculate then that the rebuilding of the temple or the preparation for the
daily sacrifice will take that 8-month period.
If our speculations are correct, when the time
comes, we should be able to calculate to a certain extent the signs of the
times. Noah prepared the ark to the saving of his household. Noah entered the
ark before the rains began to fall and God shut him in. Noah was not caught
unaware. Likewise, God has given us much insight in His word.
Apostle Paul has admonished us to, “Study to show
yourself to be approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15. Though the days will
overtake the world, as a thief in the night, they shall not overtake us.
“Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober,” 1
Thessalonians 5:6.
In conclusion, when the 7-year Holy Covenant
begins, the daily sacrifice starts some 8 months and ten days later. The daily
sacrifice will last some 1,010 days until the middle of the 7-year pact. At
that point in time, the Antichrist invades Jerusalem, stops the daily
Sacrifice, places the abomination of desolations and so begins the great
tribulation period spoken of by Jesus and found in many other prophecies of the
Old and New Testament.
The abomination stands for 1,290 days which is 30
days longer than the 1,260 days or 42-months, or three and a half years of
great tribulation. At the end of the tribulation the rapture event takes place
when Jesus appears in the heavens and sends forth His angel to collect the
elect from the four corners of the earth. As the elect are whisked away to the
spiritual realm, the 75-days of the wrath of God begins on earth. During the
first 30 days of the wrath of God, the raptured and resurrected saints receive
their rewards at the marriage supper of the Lamb in the heavenly realm. The
abomination is removed after having stood for 1,290 days during Christ’s and
the heavenly host return to take over the earth by God’s spirit.
Those who live through the 75-days of the wrath of
God and have not received the mark of the beast in the right hand or on their
forehead and have not worshipped his image, will live on into the new
dispensation. These will be blessed as the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth
begins. They will have the opportunity to receive and follow Him who is the
author and finisher of our faith. Make sure you’re on the right team. It won’t
be long!
What is the Abomination of Desolations?
Jesus spoke of a coming “abomination of desolation” in the Olivet Discourse as He referenced a future event mentioned in Daniel 9:27. In Matthew 24:15–16, Jesus says, “So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place . . . then those in Judea must flee to the mountains” (CSB).
An abomination is “something that causes disgust or hatred”; and desolation is “a state of complete emptiness or destruction.” Jesus warned that something (or someone) that people detested would stand in the temple someday. When that horror occurred, residents of Judea should seek cover without delay. Other translations speak of “the abomination that causes desolation” (NIV), “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” (NLT), and “that ‘Horrible Thing’” (CEV). The Amplified Bible adds the note that the abomination of desolation is “the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate.”
Jesus referenced Daniel in His words in the Olivet Discourse. The prophet Daniel mentioned the abomination of desolation in three places:
“He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator” (Daniel 9:27, CSB).
“Forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31, NKJV).
“From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days” (Daniel 12:11, NASB).
The wording in the above translations indicates that the abomination of desolation is an object; in some other translations, the abomination appears to be a person: “On the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate” (Daniel 9:27, ESV).
Regardless of whether the abomination of desolation is a person or a thing, Daniel predicted the following:
1. A future ruler will make a treaty with the people of Israel.
2. The terms of this treaty will be for a “week”—which we take to be a period of seven years.
3. Midway through this time, the ruler will gather his troops and put an end to the sacrifices and offerings in the temple.
4. At that time the ruler will desecrate the temple, setting up some type of sacrilegious object.
5. The desecration of the temple will continue until the judgment of God is finally meted out on the ruler and his followers, 1,290 days (3½ years and 1 month) later.
Daniel’s prophecies about the abomination of desolation seemed to have at least a partial fulfillment in 167 BC when a Greek ruler by the name of Antiochus IV desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. Antiochus called himself “Epiphanies” (“illustrious one” or “god manifest”). He set up an altar to Zeus over the altar of burnt offering, and he sacrificed a pig on the altar. Antiochus went even further in his atrocities, slaughtering a great number of the Jews and selling others into slavery. And he issued decrees forbidding circumcision and requiring Jews to sacrifice to pagan gods and eat pig meat.
What Antiochus did certainly qualifies as an abomination, but it was not a complete fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. Antiochus Epiphanies did not enter a covenant with Israel for seven years, for example. And in Matthew 24 Jesus, speaking some 200 years after Antiochus’s evil actions, spoke of Daniel’s prophecy as having a still future fulfillment.
The question then becomes, when, after Jesus’ day, was the abomination of desolation prophecy fulfilled? Or are we still waiting for a fulfillment? The preterist view is that Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15 concerned events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. In this view, the abomination of desolation probably occurred during the Roman occupation of Jerusalem when the Roman army brought their heathen images and standards into the temple courts.
We take the futurist view, which sees the abomination of desolation prophecy as still future. In our view, Jesus was referring to the Antichrist who, in the end times, will establish a covenant with Israel for seven years and then break it by doing something similar to what Antiochus Epiphanies did in the temple. The sacrilegious object Jesus called “the abomination of desolation” could be the “image of the beast” that the Antichrist’s right-hand man, the false prophet, will order to be set up and worshiped (Revelation 13:14). Of course, for Matthew 24:15 to be yet future, the temple in Jerusalem will have to be rebuilt before the tribulation begins.
Those who are alive during the tribulation should be watchful and recognize that the breaking of the covenant with Israel and the abomination of desolation will herald the beginning of the worst 3½ years in history (see Matthew 24:21). “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Who are the Elect? Another View
Who are the Elect?
Let’s confine our study of this matter to the word elect as it is used in both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. After all, the opinions of men are of little consequence – it is what God says on a matter that is important.
The Hebrew word so translated is bachiyr; in the KJV, it has been translated as elect – four times, as chosen – eight times, and once as choose.1 With the exception of choose, all of the uses of this word include a suffix that identifies the chosen, or elect, as being of Jehovah.2 Seven times the word is used in a plural form, and although they primarily refer to the children of Jacob, or Israel, as a people, in Isaiah 65:9 a reference is made to those who are now in Christ. “And I will bring forth a seed [singular – the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15)] out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor [to take possession of; singular – Jesus is of the tribe of Judah, and the One Who will gather all things together (Ephesians 1:10)] of my mountains: and mine elect [plural, with Jehovah suffix] shall inherit it [possess it and dwell there, the faithful in Christ have an inheritance through Him (Ephesians 1:11)], and my servants [or worshippers of Jehovah] shall dwell there.”3 There are some who will say that this is not a reference to Christ’s ekklesia, but to the nation of Israel. As part of this study we will also touch on the role of Israel as it is revealed in the Scriptures, and then we will understand that this is a Messianic prophecy that looks forward to the reconciling work that Christ came to do.
Bachiyr is also used to refer specifically to the coming Messiah: “Behold my servant [a parallel to Philippians 2:7], whom I uphold; mine elect [bachiyr; Chosen; singular], in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment [or justice] to the Gentiles [non-Jewish people]” (Isaiah 42:1).4 This is very clearly a messianic prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ; Matthew specifically noted that Jesus was the fulfillment of this passage from Isaiah (Matthew 12:18-21; Isaiah 42:1-4) – there can be no question that mine Elect is a reference to Christ: the Chosen of God! Micah prophesied: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel [speaking of the Lord Jesus]; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2) – the Word came out of eternity to take on a body of flesh (Jesus): “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [the Word became flesh, John 1:1-2, 14], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). The Word was chosen in eternity past to enter this world in a body of flesh for the purpose of paying the price for sin; John the Baptist recognized this truth: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29b). The eternal purpose of the Lord was to send the Word (an eternal part of the Godhead) to pay the price for the sin that would be committed by a humanity who was yet to be created – Jesus (the Word become flesh) was chosen to bring redemption to humanity. Within the eternal counsels of God, Jesus is the Elect – chosen for a very specific purpose! It is clear from this that being God’s elect is for a reason, and it is also important that we understand that the application of the term elect is highly dependent upon its context.
Isaiah received a message from the Lord regarding Cyrus (a king of Persia who came onto the scene over a century after this message5), the Lord’s anointed, who would be commissioned by Jehovah to accomplish His purposes even though he (Cyrus) would not know the Lord (Isaiah 45:1-4). The purpose of the message was that he would know that Jehovah is the God of Israel, and that he (Cyrus) had been called by God “For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect …” (Isaiah 45:4a). The relationship of Israel to the Lord is both as a servant and as His elect (this is entirely consistent with what we have seen so far). As the Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He expressed His desire for them: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6a) – a desire that was contingent upon their obedience to His commandments (Exodus 19:5). A priest acts as an intermediary between God (in this case) and man, and must have an established relationship with God in order to communicate His expectations to man, as well as intercede with God on his behalf – the priest is a servant of God. God’s desire for Israel to be a holy nation was so that they might present a favored view of God to the world – they should live out God’s desire for mankind as His elect, His chosen ones. Israel, as God’s elect, was chosen for two specific purposes: 1) to be a light for Jehovah in a spiritually dark world, and 2) that through them, all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). As a people, Israel had great difficulty being a light for the Lord; as a matter of fact, by the time of Isaiah, the traditions of the priests and sacrifices had become empty rituals that continued to foreshadow the coming Savior but brought no present cleansing from sin for Israel; even though the blood flowed from the many sacrifices, God tells them that their hands are full of blood and their empty liturgies are evil (Isaiah 1:15-16). Despite failing to be a faithful servant of the Lord, Israel still remained the Lord’s elect for that second purpose, and “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman” (Galatians 4:4). Israel, as God’s elect, was the chosen family line through whom the Savior would be born, and it was through Him that all families of the earth have been blessed!
We have looked at how the OT Scriptures have revealed Christ and Israel as the elect, as well as an indication that those who will follow the Elect (Christ) will also be called elect. We have also noted that the chosen of God are to accomplish specific purposes. Let’s now move on to consider the concept of elect as it is used within the NT so that we can complete our understanding of God’s intent in this matter.
Elect, in Greek, is eklektos; in the KJV, it appears 16 times as elect and 7 as chosen.6 Twice the word is used in reference to Jesus as the Elect of God: 1) the rulers of the Jews taunted the Lord Jesus while He was dying for their sins (and ours), to save Himself if He was truly the Christ, the Elect of God (Luke 23:35, literal);7 2) Peter quotes part of Isaiah 28:16 where the coming Messiah is called a precious corner stone, and includes the word eklektos, Jesus is the Elect – the Chosen of God to bear the sin of the world! The Jewish religious leaders wondered whether Jesus was the Elect, but Peter removes any doubt by showing Him to be the fulfillment of OT prophecy and calling Him Elect (1 Peter 2:6).
The NT also includes a reference to Israel as being God’s elect: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22; parallel in Mark 13:20). Jesus was explaining to His disciples what was coming, and this is specifically directed to the time of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem; He told them of signs to watch for, along with the instruction to then flee from the city without stopping for anything (Luke 21:20-21). As these signs unfolded in 70 AD, those who were His children and familiar with His warnings, fled from the city so that its inhabitants would have been primarily Jews still following the Mosaic traditions – they were Israel, His elect as the family line for the Messiah. As it turned out, the days of the siege of Jerusalem were shortened, and many of Israel (the OT elect according to God’s purpose) were saved from sure death as a result. Despite their rejection of Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, God still extended mercy to the Jews – almost 100,000 were taken captive (compared to over a million who perished), even as the temple and Jerusalem were leveled, and Judaism, as it had been, was ended.8
Following the verse above, Jesus went on to say, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.” (Matthew 24:23-25). Christ (Christos in the Greek) means someone who has been anointed; within the Mosaic tradition, it was the priests and the High Priest who were anointed with a special holy oil, thereby setting them apart unto Jehovah and ministry in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:30-31).9 Then is a time marker; what Jesus is about to reveal, follows that of which He has just spoken – namely, the circumstances that would surround the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Earlier, Jesus had told His disciples that He would be leaving them, preparing a place for them, and then coming again to take them to be with Him (John 14:1-3). Jesus used this passage to prepare His disciples for what was coming, when He would no longer be with them; His concluding comment was: look, I have forewarned you (Matthew 24:25, literal).10 In other words, Jesus told them about what was coming as a warning so that they would be prepared and not be drawn into error.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples were told: “… this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). With the promise of Jesus’ return, there seems to have been some expectation among that first generation of Christians that Jesus, the Christ, could come at any moment. Paul comforted the Thessalonian Christians by telling them that they had not missed Jesus’ return, despite what some people were saying (2 Thessalonians 2:2), and then he went on to explain that there were specific events that would take place before the day of His return. In our passage, Jesus is explaining to His disciples that, following the destruction of Jerusalem, some will come who will declare themselves to be the Christ; so if someone was to say that the Christ is over here, they should not believe him because that is not how Jesus will return. We can readily understand that now because of the teachings of Paul, but for those who had not been under his teaching, this might have been more difficult to discern.
In our study, the question that we face at the moment is this: does elect in our passage (verse 24) refer to the same people as those in verse 22? Let me provide compelling evidence that it does not.
After the death of Alexander the Great, Judea became a part of the Seleucid Empire that continued with Alexander’s campaign to impose Hellenistic practices upon everyone, and that included the Jews. This led to many conflicts centered on the practice of Judaism, and ultimately resulted in the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem; the Maccabees (the Hasmonean Dynasty) revolted and were able to free most of Jerusalem and the temple in 164 BC. From this time, through to the rise of Herod the Great in 37 BC, the Jews maintained control of the temple area of Jerusalem, and gradually gained their freedom to govern themselves without interference.11 With Herod being granted control over Judea by Rome, there was an increase in the number of zealots who sought to break the yoke of oppression that they felt.12 Although the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70AD temporarily curbed the activities of the zealots, through the years since there have been those who sought to assume the role of messiah – about 30, since the first century.13 That might seem to be quite a few, but when that number is spread over some 20 centuries, it really isn’t very significant. Jesus’ warning to His disciples to be alert carries a much greater sense of urgency than that would warrant – the elect, in this case, are not the Jews.
Jesus recognized that as He instituted the New Covenant through His shed blood, death and resurrection, there would come many false Christs (pseudochristos) who, being enabled by Satan, would seek to draw those who are in Christ away from Him. It is important to understand that with the institution of the New Covenant, in the eyes of the Lord, Judaism came to an end; Jesus made it very clear that He came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and the prophetic writings (Matthew 5:17), and He did just that. The writer of Hebrews explained it: but Christ did come, a High Priest of the coming good things through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hand – that is, not of this creation; neither through the blood of goats and calves, through His own blood He did enter once for all into the holy places – eternal redemption He did obtain (Hebrews 9:11-12, literal).14 The Jews were God’s elect from the time of Abraham – the one to whom God made this promise: “… in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b); it was through this chosen family line that the Savior of the world would come. The fulfillment of this OT promise, made to the father of the Jews, came in the form of Jesus Christ! Although salvation has always been for everyone, during the time of the Jews the universality of God’s provision became buried by their traditions to the point that even the majority of their own people no longer understood His marvellous salvation that was available by faith alone. With the establishment of the New Covenant in His blood, Christ brought the Jewish traditions to an end – symbolized by the veil of the temple, that protected the Holy of Holies, being torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Through His death, full payment for the sins of the world was made (1 John 2:2) – the Jewish priesthood was replaced by Jesus, and the temple was rendered of no further use. In fact, the New Covenant brought the Mosaic Covenant (or, the Old) to an end; the writer of Hebrews declared: by saying ‘new,’[referring to Jehovah’s prophecy through Jeremiah about when He would make a new covenant]; He made the first obsolete, and what is being made old, even is old – close to disappearing (Hebrews 8:13, literal).15 By paying for sin, Jesus made the first obsolete, and thereby God’s provision of salvation became uniquely available to everyone: 1) the debt of sin was now paid in full – no more continual sacrifices, only faith in the Lord’s Provision and faithfulness to His commands was required (Hebrews 10:14; Matthew 24:13), 2) as our High Priest, Jesus is now our intercessor with the Father (Romans 8:34), and 3) the Spirit of God now abides within the faithful one to provide guidance and strength (John 16:13).
Therefore, since the Jewish priesthood and temple were replaced by Jesus, our High Priest and eternal Sacrifice, the Lord’s promise to Abraham was complete! Despite their many departures from the Lord, Israel had been used by God to bring the Savior into the world – the eternal Word became flesh (John 1:14). Consider Jesus’ words again: “For there shall arise [future tense!] false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).16 The elect, in this case, can only refer to those who are in Christ by faith and living in obedience to His commands. Faith and obedience cannot be separated: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). The only works that this can mean are those that are in keeping with the faith; faith in the Lord Jesus must be followed by works of obedience to Him. Jesus said that if you are loving Him (faith), then you must be obedient to His commands – works that are in keeping with the faith (John 14:15). Jesus’ warning is against being persuaded by the coming false Christs (pseudochristos) and false prophets (pseudoprophetes) to turn away from Him.
The quoted verse under consideration carries this phrase: if it were possible, which actually makes it sound like it is not possible; however, this is another occasion when the KJV translators followed the Bishops’ Bible rather than the Greek text.17 You will notice that the words it were are in italics in the KJV, which means that these have been supplied by the translators and don’t appear in the Greek text – that is true! The Greek text reads: if possible; the Greek word dunatos speaks of ability, strength and might.18 The false christs and prophets will show mighty signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (literal);19 this sounds much more like something that could happen, and this is why Jesus forewarned His disciples against being taken in by these charlatans. This fits well with the warning issued by the writer of Hebrews: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing [aposthnai, becoming apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12); notice that the warning is issued to brethren who were earlier called holy brethren (Hebrews 3:1) – this is not an alert that is sounded against a hypothetical possibility, but against a potential reality! Jesus has warned us to be alert to the ability of false teachers to make themselves appear to be credible, after all “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
As Paul wrote to the Colossians, he referred to them as being “the elect of God, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12); he addressed this epistle to “the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” (Colossians 1:2a). Although this is specifically written to those who were a part of the assembly at Colossae, they were in Christ in exactly the same way as we are today; therefore, we can take how Paul identified them as fitting for us, as well. The first thing that is evident is that the elect of God are within the context of the Gospel (the New Covenant) – those who are in Christ! Holy (hagioi) and saints (hagiois) are different forms of the same Greek word that speaks of being consecrated to God, set apart unto Him, and therefore, those who have been made fit to enter into His holy presence through the cleansing that comes by way of the blood of Jesus.20 Beloved is a perfect, passive participle: they having been loved – it is God’s love expressed to His elect (passive voice), and His love is a completed one-time action that continues in full effect (perfect tense).21 The final descriptive is: faithful brethren in Christ. Holy describes our restored position through Christ before God, beloved tells of how God views those who have been made holy in Christ, and this last phrase describes the maintenance of this wonderful relationship with the Lord: the holy and beloved are faithful to Christ! From this we understand that the elect are holy before God, they are beloved by God, and they are those who remain faithful to God. However, most significant is the phrase in Christ – being holy and faithful in Christ makes us beloved of the Father and His elect. As we consider this carefully, we can understand that being among God’s elect is a reflection of who we are before Him in Christ.
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, worthy of praise, having blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, even as He did choose us in Him before the foundation of the world; we being holy and without fault before Him, in love He did predetermine us unto adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the favor of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace in which He highly favored us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6, literal; emphasis added to show the central role of Christ).22 We are the elect of God as we are in Christ and as we remain in Him.
The word elect appears once more in Matthew’s Gospel: “And he [Jesus] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). This is yet future, with which most will agree, and therefore, it should be apparent that the elect in this case are those who are faithfully in Christ. This is preceded by: “all the tribes of the earth … shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). When Jesus ascended to the Father, “he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9); the angels told His watching disciples that He would “come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). As Paul explained Jesus coming for His own, he wrote: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Jesus said that He would come in the clouds, a trumpet would sound, and His angels would gather His elect – this can be nothing other than the rapture! The elect are those who have remained faithfully in Christ unto the end, who are at that moment resurrected and gathered in their glorified bodies to be with the Lord.
Let’s recap what we have learned. First of all, context is very important in determining who the elect are in a given passage. When I say, context, I am referring to the context of Scripture, not how it may fit within the framework of a favored theology. Reading the Scriptures with an overarching theology in mind is like watching a sunset with your eyes closed – you may well be able to detect the waning light, but the magnificent details will be lost to you. I challenge you to allow God’s Word to speak for itself; it will mean much more work for you, but the benefits are amazing! I can understand how difficult it is to only depend upon what God has given to us – it was around the year 2000 that I began in earnest to test all things by the Scriptures. In short order it became very evident to me that most of the doctrines that I had been taught in church and college needed to come under the illumination of God’s Word – yes, we have had to make many changes, but they come easier when you understand what God has said on a matter. It’s difficult to shut the teaching that you have received out of your mind, but it is well worth the effort. Most preachers have not studied God’s Word as much as they have studied the theologies that men have assembled; consequently, there is a measure of consistency among them, with very little that is new and refreshing. It is only as we are committed to the Scriptures for our spiritual light that we are able to change our thinking and behavior to align more closely to God’s requirements without fear – man’s theologies limit us to the accepted narrative. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments …” (Psalm 111:10).
We have learned that elect is used in the Scripture for three people or groups of people:
1. The children of Israel – God’s purpose for choosing Abraham (the father of the Jews) was so that, through his family line, all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). This was a narrowing of the more general promise in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of a woman would come to crush Satan’s head – it identified that from the descendants of Abraham would come the One Who would defeat Satan, and so fulfill the promise made to Abraham.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ – “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things … But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained [proginosko, to know beforehand] before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:18-20).23 In the eternal counsels of God, it was determined that the eternal Word (Who was part of this counsel) would come to earth in the body of man in order to redeem him from sin – the Word is God’s Elect, chosen from before creation to bring salvation to a lost humanity, not yet created.
3. Those who are in Christ – these have placed their faith in the Elect (#2) and have remained faithful (obedient) to Him. We have learned that faith without obedience is a dead faith in which there can be no salvation (James 2:17); Jesus clarified that if we are loving Him, then we must also be obedient to His commands (John 14:15). Jesus also said that it is the one who remains faithful to Him unto the end who will be saved (Matthew 24:13). Who are the elect who are in Christ? “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). For all of humanity (those who were, are and are yet to be), there is only one Mediator, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ! The OT saints, from the Garden of Eden onward, all knew the promise of God that a Redeemer was coming, the faithful clung to this promise, and their faith was expressed through a blood sacrifice to the Lord – a foreshadowing of the coming of God’s Elect Who would pay the price for sin. After the Elect (Jesus) paid the price for sin, we can now place our faith in Him and His completed work of redemption. The OT saints looked forward and the NT saints look backward, but both look to God’s only Mediator for their salvation. Let’s pause here for a moment and ponder this truth!
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4); this means that all of the sacrifices that the OT saints made could not remove their sins. Yet Jesus came at the appointed time (Galatians 4:4) and fulfilled those foreshadowed sacrifices that were made in faith, thereby providing the OT saints with the cleansing from sin that they could never have before He came. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12) – God’s foreknown Elect One brought eternal redemption through His sacrifice! After delineating some of the faithful among the OT saints, the writer of Hebrews makes this observation: “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 [apart from] us should [will; this is a purpose clause and the subjunctive form of perfect is to be understood as a statement of intent, not just a possibility24] not be made perfect [complete]” (Hebrews 11:39-40).25 Both the OT and NT saints are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus (as He was promised, and as He came); therefore, both are in Him, Who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Jesus clarified this during His earthly ministry: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold [aule, an unroofed enclosure; a metaphorical reference to Israel]: them also I must bring [ago; lead], and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold [poimne; flock], and one shepherd [poimen]” (John 10:16).26 Jesus states that He will be the Shepherd of one flock that will be comprised of OT, NT and Millennium saints – all saved through Jesus, our Savior, Lord, and Mediator.
Who are the elect? We can now say with confidence that they are those from all ages who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have lived/are living in faithful obedience to Him!
The Hebrew word so translated is bachiyr; in the KJV, it has been translated as elect – four times, as chosen – eight times, and once as choose.1 With the exception of choose, all of the uses of this word include a suffix that identifies the chosen, or elect, as being of Jehovah.2 Seven times the word is used in a plural form, and although they primarily refer to the children of Jacob, or Israel, as a people, in Isaiah 65:9 a reference is made to those who are now in Christ. “And I will bring forth a seed [singular – the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15)] out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor [to take possession of; singular – Jesus is of the tribe of Judah, and the One Who will gather all things together (Ephesians 1:10)] of my mountains: and mine elect [plural, with Jehovah suffix] shall inherit it [possess it and dwell there, the faithful in Christ have an inheritance through Him (Ephesians 1:11)], and my servants [or worshippers of Jehovah] shall dwell there.”3 There are some who will say that this is not a reference to Christ’s ekklesia, but to the nation of Israel. As part of this study we will also touch on the role of Israel as it is revealed in the Scriptures, and then we will understand that this is a Messianic prophecy that looks forward to the reconciling work that Christ came to do.
Bachiyr is also used to refer specifically to the coming Messiah: “Behold my servant [a parallel to Philippians 2:7], whom I uphold; mine elect [bachiyr; Chosen; singular], in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment [or justice] to the Gentiles [non-Jewish people]” (Isaiah 42:1).4 This is very clearly a messianic prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ; Matthew specifically noted that Jesus was the fulfillment of this passage from Isaiah (Matthew 12:18-21; Isaiah 42:1-4) – there can be no question that mine Elect is a reference to Christ: the Chosen of God! Micah prophesied: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel [speaking of the Lord Jesus]; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2) – the Word came out of eternity to take on a body of flesh (Jesus): “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [the Word became flesh, John 1:1-2, 14], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). The Word was chosen in eternity past to enter this world in a body of flesh for the purpose of paying the price for sin; John the Baptist recognized this truth: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29b). The eternal purpose of the Lord was to send the Word (an eternal part of the Godhead) to pay the price for the sin that would be committed by a humanity who was yet to be created – Jesus (the Word become flesh) was chosen to bring redemption to humanity. Within the eternal counsels of God, Jesus is the Elect – chosen for a very specific purpose! It is clear from this that being God’s elect is for a reason, and it is also important that we understand that the application of the term elect is highly dependent upon its context.
Isaiah received a message from the Lord regarding Cyrus (a king of Persia who came onto the scene over a century after this message5), the Lord’s anointed, who would be commissioned by Jehovah to accomplish His purposes even though he (Cyrus) would not know the Lord (Isaiah 45:1-4). The purpose of the message was that he would know that Jehovah is the God of Israel, and that he (Cyrus) had been called by God “For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect …” (Isaiah 45:4a). The relationship of Israel to the Lord is both as a servant and as His elect (this is entirely consistent with what we have seen so far). As the Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He expressed His desire for them: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6a) – a desire that was contingent upon their obedience to His commandments (Exodus 19:5). A priest acts as an intermediary between God (in this case) and man, and must have an established relationship with God in order to communicate His expectations to man, as well as intercede with God on his behalf – the priest is a servant of God. God’s desire for Israel to be a holy nation was so that they might present a favored view of God to the world – they should live out God’s desire for mankind as His elect, His chosen ones. Israel, as God’s elect, was chosen for two specific purposes: 1) to be a light for Jehovah in a spiritually dark world, and 2) that through them, all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). As a people, Israel had great difficulty being a light for the Lord; as a matter of fact, by the time of Isaiah, the traditions of the priests and sacrifices had become empty rituals that continued to foreshadow the coming Savior but brought no present cleansing from sin for Israel; even though the blood flowed from the many sacrifices, God tells them that their hands are full of blood and their empty liturgies are evil (Isaiah 1:15-16). Despite failing to be a faithful servant of the Lord, Israel still remained the Lord’s elect for that second purpose, and “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman” (Galatians 4:4). Israel, as God’s elect, was the chosen family line through whom the Savior would be born, and it was through Him that all families of the earth have been blessed!
We have looked at how the OT Scriptures have revealed Christ and Israel as the elect, as well as an indication that those who will follow the Elect (Christ) will also be called elect. We have also noted that the chosen of God are to accomplish specific purposes. Let’s now move on to consider the concept of elect as it is used within the NT so that we can complete our understanding of God’s intent in this matter.
Elect, in Greek, is eklektos; in the KJV, it appears 16 times as elect and 7 as chosen.6 Twice the word is used in reference to Jesus as the Elect of God: 1) the rulers of the Jews taunted the Lord Jesus while He was dying for their sins (and ours), to save Himself if He was truly the Christ, the Elect of God (Luke 23:35, literal);7 2) Peter quotes part of Isaiah 28:16 where the coming Messiah is called a precious corner stone, and includes the word eklektos, Jesus is the Elect – the Chosen of God to bear the sin of the world! The Jewish religious leaders wondered whether Jesus was the Elect, but Peter removes any doubt by showing Him to be the fulfillment of OT prophecy and calling Him Elect (1 Peter 2:6).
The NT also includes a reference to Israel as being God’s elect: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22; parallel in Mark 13:20). Jesus was explaining to His disciples what was coming, and this is specifically directed to the time of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem; He told them of signs to watch for, along with the instruction to then flee from the city without stopping for anything (Luke 21:20-21). As these signs unfolded in 70 AD, those who were His children and familiar with His warnings, fled from the city so that its inhabitants would have been primarily Jews still following the Mosaic traditions – they were Israel, His elect as the family line for the Messiah. As it turned out, the days of the siege of Jerusalem were shortened, and many of Israel (the OT elect according to God’s purpose) were saved from sure death as a result. Despite their rejection of Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, God still extended mercy to the Jews – almost 100,000 were taken captive (compared to over a million who perished), even as the temple and Jerusalem were leveled, and Judaism, as it had been, was ended.8
Following the verse above, Jesus went on to say, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.” (Matthew 24:23-25). Christ (Christos in the Greek) means someone who has been anointed; within the Mosaic tradition, it was the priests and the High Priest who were anointed with a special holy oil, thereby setting them apart unto Jehovah and ministry in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:30-31).9 Then is a time marker; what Jesus is about to reveal, follows that of which He has just spoken – namely, the circumstances that would surround the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Earlier, Jesus had told His disciples that He would be leaving them, preparing a place for them, and then coming again to take them to be with Him (John 14:1-3). Jesus used this passage to prepare His disciples for what was coming, when He would no longer be with them; His concluding comment was: look, I have forewarned you (Matthew 24:25, literal).10 In other words, Jesus told them about what was coming as a warning so that they would be prepared and not be drawn into error.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples were told: “… this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). With the promise of Jesus’ return, there seems to have been some expectation among that first generation of Christians that Jesus, the Christ, could come at any moment. Paul comforted the Thessalonian Christians by telling them that they had not missed Jesus’ return, despite what some people were saying (2 Thessalonians 2:2), and then he went on to explain that there were specific events that would take place before the day of His return. In our passage, Jesus is explaining to His disciples that, following the destruction of Jerusalem, some will come who will declare themselves to be the Christ; so if someone was to say that the Christ is over here, they should not believe him because that is not how Jesus will return. We can readily understand that now because of the teachings of Paul, but for those who had not been under his teaching, this might have been more difficult to discern.
In our study, the question that we face at the moment is this: does elect in our passage (verse 24) refer to the same people as those in verse 22? Let me provide compelling evidence that it does not.
After the death of Alexander the Great, Judea became a part of the Seleucid Empire that continued with Alexander’s campaign to impose Hellenistic practices upon everyone, and that included the Jews. This led to many conflicts centered on the practice of Judaism, and ultimately resulted in the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem; the Maccabees (the Hasmonean Dynasty) revolted and were able to free most of Jerusalem and the temple in 164 BC. From this time, through to the rise of Herod the Great in 37 BC, the Jews maintained control of the temple area of Jerusalem, and gradually gained their freedom to govern themselves without interference.11 With Herod being granted control over Judea by Rome, there was an increase in the number of zealots who sought to break the yoke of oppression that they felt.12 Although the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70AD temporarily curbed the activities of the zealots, through the years since there have been those who sought to assume the role of messiah – about 30, since the first century.13 That might seem to be quite a few, but when that number is spread over some 20 centuries, it really isn’t very significant. Jesus’ warning to His disciples to be alert carries a much greater sense of urgency than that would warrant – the elect, in this case, are not the Jews.
Jesus recognized that as He instituted the New Covenant through His shed blood, death and resurrection, there would come many false Christs (pseudochristos) who, being enabled by Satan, would seek to draw those who are in Christ away from Him. It is important to understand that with the institution of the New Covenant, in the eyes of the Lord, Judaism came to an end; Jesus made it very clear that He came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and the prophetic writings (Matthew 5:17), and He did just that. The writer of Hebrews explained it: but Christ did come, a High Priest of the coming good things through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hand – that is, not of this creation; neither through the blood of goats and calves, through His own blood He did enter once for all into the holy places – eternal redemption He did obtain (Hebrews 9:11-12, literal).14 The Jews were God’s elect from the time of Abraham – the one to whom God made this promise: “… in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b); it was through this chosen family line that the Savior of the world would come. The fulfillment of this OT promise, made to the father of the Jews, came in the form of Jesus Christ! Although salvation has always been for everyone, during the time of the Jews the universality of God’s provision became buried by their traditions to the point that even the majority of their own people no longer understood His marvellous salvation that was available by faith alone. With the establishment of the New Covenant in His blood, Christ brought the Jewish traditions to an end – symbolized by the veil of the temple, that protected the Holy of Holies, being torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Through His death, full payment for the sins of the world was made (1 John 2:2) – the Jewish priesthood was replaced by Jesus, and the temple was rendered of no further use. In fact, the New Covenant brought the Mosaic Covenant (or, the Old) to an end; the writer of Hebrews declared: by saying ‘new,’[referring to Jehovah’s prophecy through Jeremiah about when He would make a new covenant]; He made the first obsolete, and what is being made old, even is old – close to disappearing (Hebrews 8:13, literal).15 By paying for sin, Jesus made the first obsolete, and thereby God’s provision of salvation became uniquely available to everyone: 1) the debt of sin was now paid in full – no more continual sacrifices, only faith in the Lord’s Provision and faithfulness to His commands was required (Hebrews 10:14; Matthew 24:13), 2) as our High Priest, Jesus is now our intercessor with the Father (Romans 8:34), and 3) the Spirit of God now abides within the faithful one to provide guidance and strength (John 16:13).
Therefore, since the Jewish priesthood and temple were replaced by Jesus, our High Priest and eternal Sacrifice, the Lord’s promise to Abraham was complete! Despite their many departures from the Lord, Israel had been used by God to bring the Savior into the world – the eternal Word became flesh (John 1:14). Consider Jesus’ words again: “For there shall arise [future tense!] false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).16 The elect, in this case, can only refer to those who are in Christ by faith and living in obedience to His commands. Faith and obedience cannot be separated: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). The only works that this can mean are those that are in keeping with the faith; faith in the Lord Jesus must be followed by works of obedience to Him. Jesus said that if you are loving Him (faith), then you must be obedient to His commands – works that are in keeping with the faith (John 14:15). Jesus’ warning is against being persuaded by the coming false Christs (pseudochristos) and false prophets (pseudoprophetes) to turn away from Him.
The quoted verse under consideration carries this phrase: if it were possible, which actually makes it sound like it is not possible; however, this is another occasion when the KJV translators followed the Bishops’ Bible rather than the Greek text.17 You will notice that the words it were are in italics in the KJV, which means that these have been supplied by the translators and don’t appear in the Greek text – that is true! The Greek text reads: if possible; the Greek word dunatos speaks of ability, strength and might.18 The false christs and prophets will show mighty signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (literal);19 this sounds much more like something that could happen, and this is why Jesus forewarned His disciples against being taken in by these charlatans. This fits well with the warning issued by the writer of Hebrews: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing [aposthnai, becoming apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12); notice that the warning is issued to brethren who were earlier called holy brethren (Hebrews 3:1) – this is not an alert that is sounded against a hypothetical possibility, but against a potential reality! Jesus has warned us to be alert to the ability of false teachers to make themselves appear to be credible, after all “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
As Paul wrote to the Colossians, he referred to them as being “the elect of God, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12); he addressed this epistle to “the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” (Colossians 1:2a). Although this is specifically written to those who were a part of the assembly at Colossae, they were in Christ in exactly the same way as we are today; therefore, we can take how Paul identified them as fitting for us, as well. The first thing that is evident is that the elect of God are within the context of the Gospel (the New Covenant) – those who are in Christ! Holy (hagioi) and saints (hagiois) are different forms of the same Greek word that speaks of being consecrated to God, set apart unto Him, and therefore, those who have been made fit to enter into His holy presence through the cleansing that comes by way of the blood of Jesus.20 Beloved is a perfect, passive participle: they having been loved – it is God’s love expressed to His elect (passive voice), and His love is a completed one-time action that continues in full effect (perfect tense).21 The final descriptive is: faithful brethren in Christ. Holy describes our restored position through Christ before God, beloved tells of how God views those who have been made holy in Christ, and this last phrase describes the maintenance of this wonderful relationship with the Lord: the holy and beloved are faithful to Christ! From this we understand that the elect are holy before God, they are beloved by God, and they are those who remain faithful to God. However, most significant is the phrase in Christ – being holy and faithful in Christ makes us beloved of the Father and His elect. As we consider this carefully, we can understand that being among God’s elect is a reflection of who we are before Him in Christ.
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, worthy of praise, having blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, even as He did choose us in Him before the foundation of the world; we being holy and without fault before Him, in love He did predetermine us unto adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the favor of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace in which He highly favored us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6, literal; emphasis added to show the central role of Christ).22 We are the elect of God as we are in Christ and as we remain in Him.
The word elect appears once more in Matthew’s Gospel: “And he [Jesus] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). This is yet future, with which most will agree, and therefore, it should be apparent that the elect in this case are those who are faithfully in Christ. This is preceded by: “all the tribes of the earth … shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). When Jesus ascended to the Father, “he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9); the angels told His watching disciples that He would “come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). As Paul explained Jesus coming for His own, he wrote: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Jesus said that He would come in the clouds, a trumpet would sound, and His angels would gather His elect – this can be nothing other than the rapture! The elect are those who have remained faithfully in Christ unto the end, who are at that moment resurrected and gathered in their glorified bodies to be with the Lord.
Let’s recap what we have learned. First of all, context is very important in determining who the elect are in a given passage. When I say, context, I am referring to the context of Scripture, not how it may fit within the framework of a favored theology. Reading the Scriptures with an overarching theology in mind is like watching a sunset with your eyes closed – you may well be able to detect the waning light, but the magnificent details will be lost to you. I challenge you to allow God’s Word to speak for itself; it will mean much more work for you, but the benefits are amazing! I can understand how difficult it is to only depend upon what God has given to us – it was around the year 2000 that I began in earnest to test all things by the Scriptures. In short order it became very evident to me that most of the doctrines that I had been taught in church and college needed to come under the illumination of God’s Word – yes, we have had to make many changes, but they come easier when you understand what God has said on a matter. It’s difficult to shut the teaching that you have received out of your mind, but it is well worth the effort. Most preachers have not studied God’s Word as much as they have studied the theologies that men have assembled; consequently, there is a measure of consistency among them, with very little that is new and refreshing. It is only as we are committed to the Scriptures for our spiritual light that we are able to change our thinking and behavior to align more closely to God’s requirements without fear – man’s theologies limit us to the accepted narrative. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments …” (Psalm 111:10).
We have learned that elect is used in the Scripture for three people or groups of people:
1. The children of Israel – God’s purpose for choosing Abraham (the father of the Jews) was so that, through his family line, all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). This was a narrowing of the more general promise in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of a woman would come to crush Satan’s head – it identified that from the descendants of Abraham would come the One Who would defeat Satan, and so fulfill the promise made to Abraham.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ – “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things … But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained [proginosko, to know beforehand] before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:18-20).23 In the eternal counsels of God, it was determined that the eternal Word (Who was part of this counsel) would come to earth in the body of man in order to redeem him from sin – the Word is God’s Elect, chosen from before creation to bring salvation to a lost humanity, not yet created.
3. Those who are in Christ – these have placed their faith in the Elect (#2) and have remained faithful (obedient) to Him. We have learned that faith without obedience is a dead faith in which there can be no salvation (James 2:17); Jesus clarified that if we are loving Him, then we must also be obedient to His commands (John 14:15). Jesus also said that it is the one who remains faithful to Him unto the end who will be saved (Matthew 24:13). Who are the elect who are in Christ? “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). For all of humanity (those who were, are and are yet to be), there is only one Mediator, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ! The OT saints, from the Garden of Eden onward, all knew the promise of God that a Redeemer was coming, the faithful clung to this promise, and their faith was expressed through a blood sacrifice to the Lord – a foreshadowing of the coming of God’s Elect Who would pay the price for sin. After the Elect (Jesus) paid the price for sin, we can now place our faith in Him and His completed work of redemption. The OT saints looked forward and the NT saints look backward, but both look to God’s only Mediator for their salvation. Let’s pause here for a moment and ponder this truth!
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4); this means that all of the sacrifices that the OT saints made could not remove their sins. Yet Jesus came at the appointed time (Galatians 4:4) and fulfilled those foreshadowed sacrifices that were made in faith, thereby providing the OT saints with the cleansing from sin that they could never have before He came. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12) – God’s foreknown Elect One brought eternal redemption through His sacrifice! After delineating some of the faithful among the OT saints, the writer of Hebrews makes this observation: “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 [apart from] us should [will; this is a purpose clause and the subjunctive form of perfect is to be understood as a statement of intent, not just a possibility24] not be made perfect [complete]” (Hebrews 11:39-40).25 Both the OT and NT saints are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus (as He was promised, and as He came); therefore, both are in Him, Who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Jesus clarified this during His earthly ministry: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold [aule, an unroofed enclosure; a metaphorical reference to Israel]: them also I must bring [ago; lead], and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold [poimne; flock], and one shepherd [poimen]” (John 10:16).26 Jesus states that He will be the Shepherd of one flock that will be comprised of OT, NT and Millennium saints – all saved through Jesus, our Savior, Lord, and Mediator.
Who are the elect? We can now say with confidence that they are those from all ages who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have lived/are living in faithful obedience to Him!
ENDNOTES:
1 Strong’s Online, https://onlinebible.net/.
2 Brown, Driver, Briggs Lexicon (BDB), Bibleworks 8.
3 Ibid.
4 Strong’s Online; BDB.
5 Isaiah’s ministry was from about 767 to 687 BC (https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2017/07/updated-chart-of-israels-and-judahs-kings-and-prophets/), and Cyrus was king of Persia from about 550 to 529 BC (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cyrus-the-Great).
6 Strong’s Online.
7 Stephanus 1550 NT, Bibleworks 8.
8 Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book V Chapter 3, footnote #752 (from the complete works of Josephus).
9 Friberg Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
10 Stephanus 1550 NT.
11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasmonean_dynasty.
12 https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12416-pseudo-messiahs.
13 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_messiah_claimants.
14 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
15 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; with the destruction of the temple in 70AD, the Old Covenant disappeared.
16 Strong’s Online.
17 King James laid out 15 rules for translation, and the first one was: “The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the original will permit” (https://petergoeman.com/15-rules-of-translation-for-the-king-james-version-kjv/).
18 Strong’s Online.
19 Stephanus 1550 NT.
20 Ibid.
21 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm#AORIST.
22 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
23 Strong’s Online.
24 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
25 Friberg Lexicon.
26 Strong’s Online; Friberg Lexicon.
1 Strong’s Online, https://onlinebible.net/.
2 Brown, Driver, Briggs Lexicon (BDB), Bibleworks 8.
3 Ibid.
4 Strong’s Online; BDB.
5 Isaiah’s ministry was from about 767 to 687 BC (https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2017/07/updated-chart-of-israels-and-judahs-kings-and-prophets/), and Cyrus was king of Persia from about 550 to 529 BC (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cyrus-the-Great).
6 Strong’s Online.
7 Stephanus 1550 NT, Bibleworks 8.
8 Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book V Chapter 3, footnote #752 (from the complete works of Josephus).
9 Friberg Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
10 Stephanus 1550 NT.
11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasmonean_dynasty.
12 https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12416-pseudo-messiahs.
13 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_messiah_claimants.
14 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
15 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; with the destruction of the temple in 70AD, the Old Covenant disappeared.
16 Strong’s Online.
17 King James laid out 15 rules for translation, and the first one was: “The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the original will permit” (https://petergoeman.com/15-rules-of-translation-for-the-king-james-version-kjv/).
18 Strong’s Online.
19 Stephanus 1550 NT.
20 Ibid.
21 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm#AORIST.
22 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
23 Strong’s Online.
24 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
25 Friberg Lexicon.
26 Strong’s Online; Friberg Lexicon.
Who are the elect of God?
Simply put, the “elect of God” are those whom God has predestined to salvation. They are called the “elect” because that word denotes “determining beforehand,” “ordaining,” “deciding ahead of time.” Every four years in the U.S., we “elect” a President—i.e., we choose who will serve in that office. The same goes for God and those who will be saved; God chooses those who will be saved. These are the elect of God.
As it stands, the concept of God electing those who will be saved (predestination) isn’t controversial. It is a biblical truth (John 6:44, Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:4-5). What is controversial is how and in what manner God chooses those who will be saved. Throughout church history, there have been two main views on the doctrine of election. One view, which we will call the prescient or foreknowledge view, teaches that God, through His omniscience, knows those who will in the course of time choose of their own free will to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. On the basis of this divine foreknowledge, God elects these individuals “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
The second main view is the Augustinian view, which essentially teaches that God not only divinely elects those who will have faith in Jesus Christ, but also divinely elects to grant to these individuals the faith to believe in Christ. In other words, God’s election unto salvation is not based on a foreknowledge of an individual’s faith, but is based on the free, sovereign grace of Almighty God.
The difference boils down to this: who has the ultimate choice in salvation—God or man? In the first view (the prescient view), man has control; his free will is sovereign and becomes the determining factor in God’s election. God can provide the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, but man must choose Christ for himself in order to make salvation real. Ultimately, this view diminishes the biblical understanding of God's sovereignty. This view puts the Creator's provision of salvation at the mercy of the creature; if God wants people in heaven, He has to hope that man will freely choose His way of salvation. In reality, the prescient view of election is no view of election at all, because God is not really choosing—He is only confirming. It is man who is the ultimate chooser.
In the Augustinian view, God has control; He is the one who, of His own sovereign will, freely chooses those whom He will save. He not only elects those whom He will save, but He actually accomplishes their salvation. Rather than simply make salvation possible, God chooses those whom He will save and then saves them. This view puts God in His proper place as Creator and Sovereign.
The Augustinian view is not without problems of its own. Critics have claimed that this view robs man of his free will. If God chooses those who will be saved, then what difference does it make for man to believe? Why preach the gospel? Furthermore, if God elects according to His sovereign will, then how can we be responsible for our actions? These are all good and fair questions that need to be answered. A good passage to answer these questions is Romans 9, the most in-depth passage dealing with God’s sovereignty in election.
The context of the passage flows from Romans 8, which ends with a great climax of praise: “For I am convinced that ... [nothing] in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). This leads Paul to consider how a Jew might respond to that statement. While Jesus came to the lost children of Israel and while the early church was largely Jewish in makeup, the gospel was spreading among the Gentiles much faster than among the Jews. In fact, most Jews saw the gospel as a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:23) and rejected Jesus. This would lead the average Jew to wonder if God’s plan of election has failed, since most Jews reject the message of the gospel.
Throughout Romans 9, Paul systematically shows that God’s sovereign election has been in force from the very beginning. He begins with a crucial statement: “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6). This means that not all people of ethnic Israel (that is, those descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) belong to true Israel (the elect of God). Reviewing the history of Israel, Paul shows that God chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau. Just in case anyone thinks that God was choosing these individuals based on the faith or good works they would do in the future, he adds, “Though they [Jacob and Esau] were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad – in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:11, ESV).
At this point, one might be tempted to accuse God of acting unjustly. Paul anticipates this accusation in v. 14, stating plainly that God is not unjust in any way. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15). God is sovereign over His creation. He is free to choose those whom He will choose, and He is free to pass by those whom He will pass by. The creature has no right to accuse the Creator of being unjust. The very thought that the creature can stand in judgment of the Creator is absurd to Paul, and it should be so to every Christian, as well. The balance of Romans 9 substantiates this point.
Ephesians 1:5 tells us that God “predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” According to this verse, the basis of our being predestined is not something that we do or will do, but is based solely on God. This predetermination is based on His sovereignty, unchanging character (Malachi 3:6), foreknowledge (Romans 8:29, 11:2), love (Ephesians 1:4-5), and plan and pleasure (Ephesians 1:5). God’s desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). He offers salvation to everyone (Titus 2:11) and has made Himself plain to everyone so that everyone is without excuse (Romans 1:19-20).
Both predestination and personal responsibility are true—God is completely in control, and humanity makes choices and is completely accountable for those choices. The Bible does not present these as irreconcilable truths (as theological traditions sometimes do). We learn that, if God elected those He foreknew, He both knows His creation before it exists and He determines important things about His creation. If God is great enough to be the Creator of all, then He is not stumped by the mutual existence of His sovereignty and human volition, choice, and responsibility.
As it stands, the concept of God electing those who will be saved (predestination) isn’t controversial. It is a biblical truth (John 6:44, Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:4-5). What is controversial is how and in what manner God chooses those who will be saved. Throughout church history, there have been two main views on the doctrine of election. One view, which we will call the prescient or foreknowledge view, teaches that God, through His omniscience, knows those who will in the course of time choose of their own free will to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. On the basis of this divine foreknowledge, God elects these individuals “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
The second main view is the Augustinian view, which essentially teaches that God not only divinely elects those who will have faith in Jesus Christ, but also divinely elects to grant to these individuals the faith to believe in Christ. In other words, God’s election unto salvation is not based on a foreknowledge of an individual’s faith, but is based on the free, sovereign grace of Almighty God.
The difference boils down to this: who has the ultimate choice in salvation—God or man? In the first view (the prescient view), man has control; his free will is sovereign and becomes the determining factor in God’s election. God can provide the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, but man must choose Christ for himself in order to make salvation real. Ultimately, this view diminishes the biblical understanding of God's sovereignty. This view puts the Creator's provision of salvation at the mercy of the creature; if God wants people in heaven, He has to hope that man will freely choose His way of salvation. In reality, the prescient view of election is no view of election at all, because God is not really choosing—He is only confirming. It is man who is the ultimate chooser.
In the Augustinian view, God has control; He is the one who, of His own sovereign will, freely chooses those whom He will save. He not only elects those whom He will save, but He actually accomplishes their salvation. Rather than simply make salvation possible, God chooses those whom He will save and then saves them. This view puts God in His proper place as Creator and Sovereign.
The Augustinian view is not without problems of its own. Critics have claimed that this view robs man of his free will. If God chooses those who will be saved, then what difference does it make for man to believe? Why preach the gospel? Furthermore, if God elects according to His sovereign will, then how can we be responsible for our actions? These are all good and fair questions that need to be answered. A good passage to answer these questions is Romans 9, the most in-depth passage dealing with God’s sovereignty in election.
The context of the passage flows from Romans 8, which ends with a great climax of praise: “For I am convinced that ... [nothing] in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). This leads Paul to consider how a Jew might respond to that statement. While Jesus came to the lost children of Israel and while the early church was largely Jewish in makeup, the gospel was spreading among the Gentiles much faster than among the Jews. In fact, most Jews saw the gospel as a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:23) and rejected Jesus. This would lead the average Jew to wonder if God’s plan of election has failed, since most Jews reject the message of the gospel.
Throughout Romans 9, Paul systematically shows that God’s sovereign election has been in force from the very beginning. He begins with a crucial statement: “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6). This means that not all people of ethnic Israel (that is, those descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) belong to true Israel (the elect of God). Reviewing the history of Israel, Paul shows that God chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau. Just in case anyone thinks that God was choosing these individuals based on the faith or good works they would do in the future, he adds, “Though they [Jacob and Esau] were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad – in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:11, ESV).
At this point, one might be tempted to accuse God of acting unjustly. Paul anticipates this accusation in v. 14, stating plainly that God is not unjust in any way. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15). God is sovereign over His creation. He is free to choose those whom He will choose, and He is free to pass by those whom He will pass by. The creature has no right to accuse the Creator of being unjust. The very thought that the creature can stand in judgment of the Creator is absurd to Paul, and it should be so to every Christian, as well. The balance of Romans 9 substantiates this point.
Ephesians 1:5 tells us that God “predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” According to this verse, the basis of our being predestined is not something that we do or will do, but is based solely on God. This predetermination is based on His sovereignty, unchanging character (Malachi 3:6), foreknowledge (Romans 8:29, 11:2), love (Ephesians 1:4-5), and plan and pleasure (Ephesians 1:5). God’s desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). He offers salvation to everyone (Titus 2:11) and has made Himself plain to everyone so that everyone is without excuse (Romans 1:19-20).
Both predestination and personal responsibility are true—God is completely in control, and humanity makes choices and is completely accountable for those choices. The Bible does not present these as irreconcilable truths (as theological traditions sometimes do). We learn that, if God elected those He foreknew, He both knows His creation before it exists and He determines important things about His creation. If God is great enough to be the Creator of all, then He is not stumped by the mutual existence of His sovereignty and human volition, choice, and responsibility.
Sexpionage
Sexpionage:
A former Russian “sexpionage” agent is warning Silicon Valley that foreign operatives are using romance scams & manufactured intimacy to pry loose trade secrets — & she’s laying out red flags she says engineers & tech executives should spot before they get burned.
Aliia Roza, a former Russian “sex spy” who defected from her country after she fell in love with a target, said in an interview that she was trained by authorities to seduce & manipulate her targets — & that she started studying the tactics as a teenager.
She says sex spies follow a sinister playbook designed to break down defenses before targets even realize they’re being hunted.
The manipulation follows a predetermined script — & according to Roza, a seasoned agent never approaches cold:
“You first appear in their life — 7 times, to be exact — before making contact,” she said. “You might show up at their coffee shop, their gym, or just keep liking their posts. When you finally meet, their brain already trusts you.”
Once that familiarity is built, the agent reels the target in:
“It starts with love bombing — messages full of compliments, selfies & bikini photos,” Roza explained. “They pretend to be weak or alone: ‘My parents were killed, I’m a student, I’m broke.’ It triggers the hero instinct. Every man wants to feel like the rescuer.”
Then comes what is known as the “milk technique,” she said, where operatives fake mutual connections to appear legitimate.
With trust established, the psychological manipulation escalates:
“The agent makes you doubt yourself,” Roza said. “She’ll say, ‘Your boss doesn’t appreciate you; your colleagues use you.’ It creates a bond where you feel you understand each other — & the rest of the world is bad.”
Finally, the agent begins to make threats if the desired information isn’t divulged:
“They’ll create stress — fear of losing the relationship,” Roza warned. “‘If you don’t tell me this info, I’ll disappear forever.’ Under that emotional rush, people give up things they never would otherwise.”
Roza said tech workers are particularly vulnerable because many are isolated & overworked:
“They may be very smart in what they do, but regarding dating relationships, they spend a lot of time in the offices,” she said. “They interact more with machinery than females. So it’s much easier to target you.”
According to Roza, her particular intelligence missions were primarily in Europe, where she was sent to seduce oligarchs & politicians.
More on the Possible Red Heifer Sacrifice
Dennis Edwards
The first Bible Prophecy classes I received some
50+ years ago emphasized the importance of the Holy Covenant alluded to by
Jesus in Matthew 24.
"When you shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whosoever reads, let him understand): ...For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be," Matthew 24:15&21.
To find out more what Jesus was referring to, we
need to look at those specific prophecies of Daniel and try to understand what
they are saying. Jesus told Daniel, who lived from approximately 620 BC to 536
BC, that it was not for him to understand certain prophecies that he received,
as they were pertaining to the time of the end.
"But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and
seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased," Daniel 12:4.
Knowledge has certainly increased since the time of
Daniel. Many are also running to and fro, much more so than in any centuries
previously.
The prophecies continues and Daniel records,
"that it shall be for a time, times, and a
half; and when he (the Antichrist, that the previous chapter 11 was talking about),
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, (as has been
prophesized in Daniel 7:25, 8:23-25, Revelation 12:14-17, 13:7), all these things shall be finished," Daniel
12:7.
The above section of the prophecy is referring to
the Great Tribulation period mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24. The prophecy
confirms that the tribulation period will be three and a half years long, or as
written in the prophecy, "time (1), times (2), and a half of time (1/2) or
a total of three and a half years. The length of the tribulation period is also
found in Daniel 7:25, Revelation 11:2, 11:3, 12:6, 12:14, 13:5. All those
dates: the 1,260 days, the 42 months, and the "time, times, and half a
time," are referring to the length of the tribulation period and all come
to the same three-and-a-half-year period.
In the next verse, Daniel confesses that he doesn’t
understand. He says, “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my
Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go your way Daniel:
for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end,” Daniel
12:8-9.
God’s word is telling us that God has sealed or
closed the understanding of the Daniel prophecies until the time of the end.
Sir Isaac Newton spent a good deal of time trying to unravel and understand the
prophecies of Daniel, but to little avail. Why? Because the prophecies had been
closed up until God opened them. When would God open them. Earlier we have
read, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased,” Daniel
12:4b.
We are definitely living in a time where people are
travelling to and fro all over the world through today’s rapid methods of
transportation. Today is also a day in which knowledge has increased and many
have access through their internet devises to a wealth of information and
knowledge. If those two qualities in the prophecy are conditional, then we
certainly live in a period of time that God’s Holy Spirit could open up the
Scripture to our understanding.
The spiritual being who talks to Daniel tells him
in the next verse, “but the wise will understand,” Daniel 12:10b. Who are the
wise? If, we go back to verse three we find out that the wise seem to be those
“that turn many to righteousness.” In other words, those that are actively
sharing their faith and leading others to Christ. As Jesus said in Matthew,
“Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock,” Matthew 7:24. It is in
the hearing and doing that we are wise.
In Amos 3:7 God has promised that He will not do
anything, “but He reveals His secret unto the servants the prophets.” Apostle
Paul has admonished us that, “you are not in darkness that that day should
overtake you as a thief. We are all children of the light, and of the day: we
are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do
others; but let us watch and be sober,” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6.
In the parable of the ten virgins, we see five were
ready with oil in their lamps, while five were not ready. Both knew their Lord
was about to return for the wedding feast, yet only five got into the wedding
and the door was shut. The five who got in had oil in their lamps. Oil in the
Scriptures is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit. When Samuel anointed Saul and
David with oil, they were soon afterwards filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Acts, we find that “God gives the Holy Spirit to
them that obey Him,” Acts 5:32. Therefore, we can deduce that those five
virgins who got into the wedding feast symbolize the wise and obedient spirit
filled true followers of Christ. They not only heard and knew, but did what
their Lord required.
The proverbs of Solomon tell us that “Wisdom is the
principal thing: therefore, get wisdom: and with all your getting get
understanding,” Proverbs 4:7. In all our strivings for more things, more wealth,
more entertainment, etc., if we are not striving for wisdom, we are really
missing the mark. Interesting enough, the word “sin” in its root form means, “missing
the mark.” By missing the mark, we are in fact sinning. How do we get to such a
state where we take pleasure in our missing the mark, in our sinning?
The proverbs tell us right from the first page that
the goal of writing the proverbs is “to know wisdom and instruction; to
perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom,
justice, and judgment, and equity; to give wisdom to the simple, to the young
man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning,”
Proverbs 1:2-5a.
It is two verses later that we get to the heart of
the matter. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools
despise wisdom and instruction,” Proverbs 1:7. The fear of the Lord means that
we acknowledge that we have not created ourselves, but that the best
explanation for the world we see around us is that there was and is a Creator
God. “In the beginning God,” is the bases for a sound understanding of the word
around us.
If we believe in the Creator God and, therefore, in
the supernatural realm, we will seek to understand more about that Creator God.
We will seek to find out if the Creator has given us more information about
Himself. We will seek to find out if the Creator has given us information on
how we should live our lives. We will seek to understand what happens when we
die. The question of death will cause us to seek for purpose and understanding of
the Creator’s reason and plan for our lives.
We will seek to find out more about our Creator,
and how we can live our lives in accordance to His will and purpose. We see
that faith in God, a belief in God, is the first step in properly understanding
reality. For that reason, Saint Augustine said, “Seek not to understand that
you might believe: but seek to believe, that you might understand.” Believing,
or acknowledging the Creator God is the first step in attaining to a correct
understanding of the world around us. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge,” Proverbs 1:7.
By starting our thinking with belief in God, or “the
fear of the Lord,” we our choosing to use that lens to view the world around
us. We are forming a worldview that places God as the focal point of
understanding everything we experience. Proverbs 2 gives us similar instruction
as Proverbs 1. The proverb tells us that we should incline our ear unto wisdom,
and apply our heart to understanding. We should cry after knowledge, and lift
up our voice for understanding. If we have that desperation of heart and mind,
if we seek for wisdom as one would seek for wealth, or for a hidden treasure;
then we shall understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God,
Proverbs 2:2-5.
Our Creator God is not beyond our finding. In His word He says, "You shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me, with all your heart," Jeremiah 29:13. Voddie Bauchan said during his life, “I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfilment of specific prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin."
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