How the prophecies of the 1974 year have been fulfilled? – today's comment
The understanding of the object, the manner and the time of our Lord return pictured promised God's Kingdom on earth in realistic shape.
The first presence of the Jesus Christ recognized only the "Israelites indeed". Owing to what? Owing to the certain peculiar signs that is several prophetic statements of the Scriptures foretelling Messiah. The disciples have associated these prophecies with Jesus person of Nazareth. Our Lord could then be seen the corporeal sight, because he was the man, of human nature. He has left heavenly glory, spiritual nature, has become the man, "hath been made a little lower than the angels" (Hebr. 2:9). Why? To become the Ransom for Adam and his descendants our Lord had to die as the man, not the angel (1 Tim. 2:5,6). Giver of the ransom for man had to be of the same nature.
Briefly before finishing his mission, the Lord told Apostles that the world will not see him anymore (John 14:19). What does it mean? The Father of our Lord, exalted his Son to the divine, immortal nature, above all remaining creatures in the universe, in prize for his faithfulness. Therefore no human sight would bear such glory. A small flash of Lord's glory blinded Saul of Tarsus and overthrew him to the ground. There is no need and no possibility for our Lord, the Great Monarch of universe, to become a man once again.
By reason of such circumstances the second coming of our Lord could not be noticed with sensual sight of men. The coming of invisible being, Jesus Christ, can be noticed only as the powerful signs of his activity. The signs of the second coming of Christ are foretold in the Scripture. Jesus himself talked about them. These signs speak about preparations to the foundation of God's Kingdom on the earth. The programme of Christ's activity foresees demolition of the old order of the world, devilish and establishment new order, God's. Among these signs are: dissemination of enlightenment and knowledge (Dan. 12:4; Rev. 18:1), the gathering Israelites together (Jer. 16:15), the organizing the earthly revolutionary army able to defeat "all the kings of the whole world" (Isa. 13:4; Rev. 16:14).
Since the beginning of seventh thousand of years from the fall of Adam (1874) all these signs were perceived more and more clearly; only by faithful believers, by worldly ones not. They testified that our Lord, Jesus Christ, has engaged himself in the matters of our globe with the aim of execution of the work of the Restitution of all things. The second invisible presence of our Lord, that is his parousia, consists in the such activity.
The Scriptures defines the time of the Millennium of Christ with the three Greek words: parousia (presence; Matt. 24:3), epiphaneia (manifestation; Tit. 2:13) and apokalupsis (revelation; Luk. 17:30).
When we apply the word parousia to this period then it embraces the entire activity of the Lord during the Millenium; "he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death." (1 Kor. 15:26)
The second presence of Christ has began with the beginning of seventh thousand of years. However, it could not be earlier but only after the end of choice of Christ church that this mystery can be disclosed before the world.
When the church has been joined with the Lord (in 1980 A.D. according to the Bible chronology), the second presence of the Lord ceases to be a mystery, because no reason justifies further perpetuating secrecy. The time of overthrowing of the old world in "the great tribulation" came and soon after this – the time of God's Kingdom. Our Lord taught that neither the world nor the unfaithful servants would be aware of God's intentions, until the intense fire of trouble is at least commenced.
The crucial phase of Parousia is Apokalupsis (1980 A.D.). It speaks about this, that from now all secretive things of this world are coming to the light. Bad people preferred the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil, but from now they can conceal from the public opinion nothing. Divine power enabled courses of action, which started the avalanche process of investigation of the truth in every matter. Such knowledge blows up the structures of the old world more and more quickly, nevertheless, owing to this process "the earth shall be [finally] filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." (Abac. 2:14).
The same crucial moment of the Lord's presence (1980) defines other greek word, epiphaneia. Epiphaneia speaks about manifesting the Divine power, which is dashing all powers of this world in pieces "like a potter's vessel" (Ps. 2:9). Nobody and nothing is able oppose to this power. For example we can quote words of Paul apostle: "the lawless one [Rome-catholic church] shall be revealed [gr. apokaluphtheesetai], whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth [spirit of his truth], and bring to nought by the manifestation [gr. epiphaneia] of his coming [gr. parousias]" (2 Thess. 2:8].
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"Bible Chronology” (published in April, 1974). Part III – Bible Numerology
THE PROPHECIES
Lesson 28
Lesson 29
Lesson 30
Lesson 31
"These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me" (Luke. 24:44).
"Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me" (John 5:39).
The Hebrew books of the Old Testament are divided on the three parts: (1) the Law – Torah, (2) Prophets – Nebiim, (3) Different writings – Ketubim. Third part begins from Psalms; from here in Gospel, Luke 24:44, our Lord enumerated all three parts of the Old Testament. All books of the Old Testament testify about our Lord Jesus Christ. He is showed by Highest Author as the main person in the work of the salvation, as the One, by who God will pour out his blessing on the Church and on the whole mankind.
The books of Torah (Moses' Pentateuch) are marked in Hebrew Bible with first words of these books, and namely: (1) Bereshit – In the beginning, (2) Welleh Shemot – These are the names, (3) Vayikra – And named, (4) Wajjedabber – And he said, or Bemidbar – On the desert, (5) Elleh haddevarim – These are the words.
We noticed from hitherto considered compositions, that numerical values of first letters of all words, in the considered part of the Scripture, delivered to us in the many cases the numbers, which help to understand secrets hidden in it.
Similarly now, we will use in a composition the numerical values of all first letters of every book of the Scripture, of the Old and New Testament.
The above mentioned consideration teaches us that only 66 books consists on the canon of the Scripture, and that all 66 books testify about the Lord Jesus Christ, whose God exalted highly in the heaven and on the earth (Acts 2:36; Phili. 2:11).
Lesson 32
PRESENCE OF THE LORD
"Who is faithful and zealous disciple of his Master, he strives to study every word coming from the mouth of His, who spoke so, how no other man. Such will also notice what he told by his faithful Apostles and prophets. The careful investigation will let them get to know three various words, treating to the second coming of Christ, and namely:
Parousia, Epiphaneia and Apokalupsis
The word 'Parousia' relates to the early time of the second coming, meanwhile word 'Apokalupsis' relates to the same arrival, but to the later time. We do not have to understand, that the words, 'Apokalupsis' and 'Epiphaneia' had to mean different some third arrival, but the only later time of the second arrival. These Greek words were eclipsed, and their meanings became as hidden in the usual translation of Scripture, but not without the aim. It was the surely Divine intention that the world and Christians living ungodly did not know about God plan, till the intentional time; even they, which are watching, could not earlier understand details, but just on the short time before fulfillment (Dan. 12:10) (...)
The reckoning first with his servants, after his return, means the reckoning with the church, and corresponds to separating wheat from the tares in the previous parable. Everyone can easily convince oneself, that this part of our Lord's activity during His second arrival, this is the work, which precedes his 'epiphany,' that is the revelation of Him before world. During this period, the faithful have to be on the alert, because the time of Lord's presence (parousia) is for them the judgement, to take place being then. During this judgement, only vigilant and faithful ones will ‘trustworthy to stand in the presence the Son of Man'; then unworthy ones will fall. Individuals 'ungodly' (and lazy servants) shall not stand in the assembly of the righteous (Psalm 1:1-5).
Therefore about the time of Christ presence and his future activity the world will not know earlier, before the reckoning with servants is finished and the rewarding the faithful is over. Just after this event, the judgment over the world will start with the 'time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.' The time of this trouble is presented as the symbolic 'fire.' The apostle says that our Lord will be 'manifested' (apokalipto – uncovered) in the flaming fire (judgments) in the aim of rendering the repayment." "About Our Lord Return" ("O powrocie naszego Pana," Poland, pages 11, 17)
This is the numerical value of words:
Lesson 33
Through the Bible chronology our Lord informed about his presence these, who love Him and who were vigilant. This truth is testified by the Bible numerology. Let's read the words the Lord said to last period of the church (Rev. 3:20).
The words of the Lord "my voice" one reads in Greek:
Lesson 34
It was Magdalene Maria, who first saw our Lord after his Resurrection. (Look the comment to John 20:14 and "List of the Biblical Topics")
The Lord let to be recognized by his voice. (John. 20:16) The Church, which in the Scripture is symbolized by a woman, got to know the Lord at his second presence through the "voice," at the dawn of the new day, when this day dawned faintly, as then – "while it was yet dark" (John 20:1).
Lesson 35
The apostle Peter, saying about presence of the Lord (2 Pet. 1:16), gives such an advice:
(Look lessons 65-66)
Lesson 36
"Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot"
Luke 17:28
The word of God, in its the report about Lot's exit from Sodom and the sheltering at Zoar says about gradual increasing of the sunlight. After nightly incidents in Sodom and when the darkness of the night began to elapse, two Angels urged Lot and his family to exit Sodom. They told him this city is threatened destruction because of sins of its occupants (Gen. 19:1-16).
This is the illustration of the circumstance at the dawn of the Lord's presence, when people of God have been called to quit Babylon (Rev. 18:4).
The number "1876" shows on the date, in which brother Russell was stimulated as never before to activity under the influence of the understanding that the Lord is present from 1874 as the invisible Being. This was result of combining two conclusions in studying the questions relating to the second presence of the Lord. One group of brothers, which were studying the question from the standpoint of the Bible chronology, understood the date 1874, as the time of the Lord's presence, although they did not understand object and the manner of this presence. The second brothers, going out from the teaching about the ransom, understood, that the Lord is no longer the Human, therefore He could not be seen with the earthly eye. They also understood that the "time of restitution" will be the result of the ransom and not the destruction of the world with the literal fire, like it was expected by Adventist, and like they are expecting to the present time. It was the question, which interested the handful of Bible students, including brother Russell. In 1876, on the invitation of brother Russell, has arrived Barbour and has submitted the proofs that the chronology showed on 1874, as the date of second presence of the Lord. In result of this, brother Russell had begun fervently to act at the work of harvest. How Lot was rushed by two Angels, similarly people of God was rushed by observations, above mentioned, to exiting from the nominal Christianity (Babylon), to avoid plagues and destruction. It came to pass at the very early dawn of the Lord's presence. (Look Volume VII, pages 53-55; look also article containing reminiscences about getting organized the beginnings of the Lord's work titled "Harvest gathering and siftings" Reprints 1906-3820).
"The sun was risen upon the earth
when Lot came unto Zoar"
When the sun rose, Lot entered Zoar and destruction of Sodom happened (Gen.19:21-25). This pictures, that the "great tribulation" will come after taking the Church to the glory. The parable from Matt. 13:42, 43 teaches similarly, that when "wheat" is gathered "to shine as brightly as the sun," the smoking of tares will happen.
Lesson 37
"And as it came to pass in the days of Noah"
Luke 17:26
Our Lord quoted from the Old Testament two events, which are illustrating the time of his revelation to the world. When Noe entered the Ark, the deluge came; when Lot came unto Zoar, the fire with sulphur fell from the skies (Volume IV, pages 749-750).
When the Ark was already built, God commanded Noah to enter the ark within seven days, together with his family and the living creatures. After these seven days the waters of the flood had to fall (Gen. 6:22; 7:1-4). Noah as last entered to the Ark "and the Lord closed the door on him."
Because the Lord used the both these histories for illustrating his epiphany and apocalypse, let's combine the numerical values of expressions relating to Noah and Lot to get in this matter the proper teaching.
This is the numerical values of the expressions, which in both events describe last moments before destruction:
Lesson 38
The place of a shelter for Noah and his family was the Ark (gr. hee kibwtos; 1 Pet. 3:20).
Jesus (gr. ho Jeesous), "He is the escape of souls..." (Matt. 11:28)
Lesson 39
"And spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood [gr. kataklusmon] upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow [gr. katastrophee], having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly...." (2 Pet. 2:5, 6)
Here is the secret of the pictures, above mentioned, understood with the help of the Spirit, Comforter (gr. ho parakleetos), which guides into the knowledge of future things (John 15:26; 16:13):
Lesson 40
Added by: Andrzej