Felix gets scared

Felix gets scared!

By Richard P. Joseph

                7/15/2020

    In Acts 24 we find Paul on trial in Caesarea.  The Jews, especially the Judaizes, were committed to killing Paul because they felt that he had forsaken the Mosaic covenant in his teachings.   Some Jews allowed the belief in Jesus but only as a sect of Judaism as they were never able to understand that Judaism was really only a precursor to a coming Messiah.  Since the Jews were the murderers of many of the prophets and then finally the Messiah himself, they were to be judged and found wanting.  Physical Israel was to give way to spiritual Israel.  It was made quite clear in the gospels, in the epistles and in Revelation that physical Israel had run its course and would soon become defunct as a religious system.  Jesus Christ had become the fulfillment of the  law.  Now Paul was on trial for that very hope, the hope of, not only a resurrection of souls but of a resurrected Israel to be realized in both Jew and gentile alike.  

    During Paul’s trial that Felix was overseeing, he made it clear that he spoke only of the things that were written in the Old Testament.  He then said:

Acts:2415 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection [e]of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.  NKJV

Young’s literal translation actually makes it clear that this coming resurrection was imminent, not just something in the future.  

Paul kept reminding them that he was an orthodox Jew and that that orthodoxy demanded a resurrection and Paul made it quite clear (as well as the other apostles) that this rising from the dead was imminent.  

    This soon coming (Greek word mello) resurrection caught Felix’s attention but his love for money was stronger.  He kept a hope up that Paul would bribe him with some money for his release which, of course, Paul never offered.  But it came around that Felix’s Jewish wife became interested in this Paul and Felix, perhaps,  thought that she might have a fresh perspective on this so called new doctrine (which of course wasn’t since the prophets have been predicting it for centuries) so he called Paul in for a private session with just him and his Jewish wife Drusilla.  Drusilla was descended from the Herodian dynasty.  Paul began to share the gospel with them and when he finally got to the resurrection Felix began to become afraid.

Acts 24:25 and he reasoning concerning righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment that is about to be, Felix, having become afraid, answered, `For the present be going, and having got time, I will call for thee;'  Young's literal translation.

My question therefore is this; “why would Felix be concerned with something that won’t happen for maybe thousands of years” (according to the common futurist doctrine of eschatology)?   Answer; Because Felix never interpreted it that way, only modern day seminarians do because they use poor hermeneutics.  That might sound harsh but I think Felix had it right.  Felix was the original recipient of Paul’s sermon and he correctly understood that this resurrection was “about to occur” very soon.  Since paul was preaching about self control and righteousness, this definitely caught Felix’s attention because he was a wholly corrupt man.  When Paul mentioned an approaching judgement, Felix became frightened and promptly dismissed Paul back to his jail cell.  

    The point I am attempting to make is that the preterist position is thoroughly ensconced in new testament writings.  The context always indicates an imminent judgement and resurrection.  It never ever considers a long and protracted timeline for the events of the parousia.  Not one apostle ever embraced such a doctrine.  Stick with what was written and with the historical events that prove it and you can’t go wrong.

Original Intent

Original Intent

                                                               By Richard P. Joseph

                                                                7/1/2020

    Just about anything that David Barton writes is worth reading.  Barton has a passion for explaining the Christian origins of the United States government. These origins have a blatant biblical foundation which has been blotted out and perverted by modern day liberal judges and educators.  Their hatred for all that is holy and good has caused them to disregard the original intent of our founding only to replace it with an imaginary and twisted distortion of American history.  In Barton’s book Original Intent,  he produces the historical documentation to prove his point concerning the writing of our constitution and amendments showing that our modern courts, in many instances, have altered the meaning to such a degree that it is unrecognizable and completely detached from its actual meaning.  

Many of our founders expressed their concern when people attempted to use “modern thought” to interpret ancient documents.  Noah Webster expressed this when he said “..not only misinterpretation but even serious error can result when original meanings are ignored.”  Joseph Story added: “The first and fundamental rule in the interpretation of all instruments is to construe them according to the sense of the terms and intentions of the parties”.  Preterists call this “audience relevance”.  

An example of blatant misinterpretation by way of the disregard for audience relevance would be the misapplication of our first amendment.  

In a nutshell, the amendment is written only to congress, not to individuals.  To apply this to individuals is a gross misapplication of the law.  This amendment is not intended for any individual, its only purpose is to limit congress from enacting any law that would restrict religion, free speech etc.  It has nothing to do with telling someone they can’t have a bible in a school or the ten commandments in a courtroom etc.  But because they have ignored the original intent and have a complete disregard for audience relevance, they got away with brainwashing 90% of American citizens that they can’t express their inalienable right to worship when and how they wish.  What is funny about this whole thing is that David Barton is a futurist!

    If David Barton applied this same logic to his bible studies, he would quickly turn into a preterist.  Preterism is really nothing more than a proper interpretation of the bible via audience relevance.  In other words, what did that passage mean to those that first heard it.  Nearly all new Christians today pick up the bible and think that it was written just last week and commence to interpret it that way.  The scamsters feed on this ignorance and prey on the ignorance of the new believers.  What is worse is that seminaries actually teach in this same manner.  People that should know better dig their feet in and will not relent because of either money or pride; both of which will destroy you.  For example if I ask nearly any pastor “who was the book of Timothy written to?”, he would smile and say “to me, of course”.  I hate to be the one to tell him that this book was written to a young man named Timothy who lived 2,000 years ago and must be interpreted in light of that.  What would Timothy think about the letter that was sent to “him” not me.  That is how we can benefit from Timothy’s letter, by extracting the original meaning from it.  It is ironic that someone like David Barton has not done such a thing so I now encourage him to do so (like he is going to be reading this!!!).   So let’s all glean the precious meaning from past historical documents, which includes the bible, in the most accurate way possible by applying the concept of audience relevance to our study.  

Ps, I heartily recommend Barton’s book. 

Mark of the Beast!

Mark of the Beast!

By Richard P. Joseph

1/23/2020

.

So who or what was the beast?  There are too many theories for me to answer that but here is all you need to know for now:

He or it was blasphemous

He or it received worship from the heathen.

He or it made war against the saints.

There is more than one beast.

He or it is deceivious.

He or it forces all to receive a mark on their forehead or their hand.

The last item is of interest because it cripples one's ability to even survive.  The word Antichrist as John might put it is not an accident.  Perhaps what John is telling us here is something that the Jews were well aware of.

The Jews were well aware of Exodus 13:16 which reads:

It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

Almost word for word of what the beast requires of his subjects!

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He then required the firstborn of animals and men.  The animals were to be sacrificed but the firstborn males were to be redeemed.  The idea that YHWH freed the Israelites out of bondage was to be an everlasting memorial for the Jews and it would be a sign on their foreheads and their hand.  The Pharisees even wore what are called phylacteries on their heads as a reminder of this.  This again is the idea that the Israelites were sealed as God’s chosen people.  The Beast in Revelation seems to have had the same idea; that he would copy God and seal his people, not for good, but for destruction.   

For modern Americans to somehow be sitting around and waiting for the Anti-Christ to come and stamp 666 on our foreheads and hand shows a complete ignorance of scripture.   I am old enough to remember when barcodes came out.  Those that are confused about scripture had a heyday promoting the barcodes as the mark of the beast.  This, of course, would be just another in a continuing line of end-times blunders that are not going to stop anytime soon.  Every new presidential election, every blood moon, every war, and every political stunt brings on a new round of end-time prophecies which of course pads the pocketbooks of the scammers.  Since Revelation was written to a first century audience , then would it not make more sense to interpret it from their vantage point instead of ours 2,000 years later in a completely different setting and culture?  The Beast in Revelation was an event to take place at a time preceding the Parousia (second coming or visitation) which obviously transpired by AD70.   This was the time that Jesus warned the Pharisees about when their house would be left to them desolate.  The Beast was about to mark his people which would separate them from the Christians who were sealed by the blood of the lamb.  

While attempting to understand the New Testament one must refer to the Old Testament.  To read a passage of scripture and then just make something up according to your modern, out of context, thinking will lead you to the wrong interpretation every time.  The mark of the beast is not a barcode or 666 or any other such thing but was something that occurred in the first century and was connected with the final events of AD70.  This is something that would have been readily understood by any faithful Jewish Christian of the day.  Once taken out of context it becomes a Pandora's box full of anything you can imagine because it is all make believe at that point.  God sealed his people for safety but Satan seals for evil.

Rev14:9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. 

Anyone who has read Josephus and his description of the Jewish war against Rome will not need any imagination when trying to interpret the above passage.  It is all spelled out in detail and I implore you to get a copy and read it. 

Zionism and apostasy

Zionism and apostasy

By Richard P. Joseph

1/5/2020

    I drive a lot so every now and again I attempt to find a good sermon on the radio to make up for me quitting church but I not only hear the same old tired futurist messages, this time it was full blown.  I happened upon a Zionist who was explaining how they believe they know where the ark and other temple treasures are buried and that once the officials agree to expose this then the “temple” is the only appropriate place for them to be properly displayed; hence a third temple must be built which would of course usher in the second coming scenario replete with the anti-Christ etc. etc. etc.  He made it clear that they are working hard to force this to happen. They can do all of this because their theology is make belief and therefore they can make it up as they go using pieces of scripture to fool the masses. But who will explain this stuff once it runs its course?

    After the resurrection of Jesus, two disciples were traveling to Emmaus discussing the current events of the life of Jesus and his mysterious resurrection from the dead.  Jesus met them and opened the scriptures up to them explaining that the entire message of his ministry is hidden in there. He probably showed them how the seven Jewish holidays embodied the entire suffering, death, resurrection, indwelling of the Holy Spirit and second coming events but that they were such that could not be faked.  There was no way for any human to fake the events that transpired from the birth of Christ until he returned at the AD 70 events. But now we have a bunch of Zionists who are going to do exactly that: fake the second coming of Christ!

    The Zionists believe that they are going to do what God is incapable of doing.  I believe they are sick and tired of waiting for an event that is never going to come because it already had its complete fulfilment 2,000 years ago.  This coming snow job will be one of the largest hoaxes known to mankind even surpassing evolution, global warming, the HIV/AIDS hoax and COVID. The events that the Zionists are pushing for will spawn unnecessary wars and mass chaos.  Most of all it will spin the churches into a great confusion as they fall prey to this false theology. It may even cause them to accept a false earthly Christ. The devastation would be world wide and the confusion would be pushed to hysteria.  So, where will we be in all of this?

My hope is that the conservative branch of the Preterist movement would stand fast as perhaps the only beacon of stability during this time of confusion and eventual apostasy.  I can’t think of another group that is better positioned and able to weather this coming storm. We must pray that God will have his hand on us as we encounter the frantic mess that would be caused by their efforts to force the hand of God with false doctrine.  We might seem insignificant now but our time is coming when we can finally present the unadulterated scripture to the world. It is sad that it might take WWIII to accomplish this but that is where we are heading as the Zionists are influencing world leaders with their faulty theology.

This could all be avoided with sound fulfilled theology. Most people do not understand that the Jewish religion today has absolutely nothing to do with scriptural Judaism which perished in AD 70. What we have today is Rabbinical Judaism. When the Romans leveled the temple in AD70, some Jewish priests asked the Roman general Titus for permission to start a Jewish school in Yavne. That was the beginning of Rabbinical Judaism as there was no more temple, no more sacrifices, no more genealogical records to prove Levitical priesthood etc. The Judaism of today is a made up religion just like Islam. The New Jerusalem is the church. Zionist eschatology is false and dangerous and needs to be exposed for what it is.

As a postscript I would like to say that I would be ecstatic if they found the temple implements.  I think it would be wonderful to see these items and use them as a wonderful testimony to our faith and the hope of the world.  This would be the greatest archaeological discovery of all time. I just don’t want to lie about these items and use them for destruction or monetary gain.  Our hope is in the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ, not in a false narrative about the end of the world!

aka Yusuf Islam

aka Yusuf Islam

By Richard P. Joseph

11/5/2019

   

   

    One of my favorite musicians of all time is Cat Stevens.   Cat Stevens boomed on the scene in the late 1960s and became a mega star during the 1970s.  His songs were not the run of the mill “get the girl in bed” types such that most of Rock & Roll is made of.  Actually Cat Stevens is more of a folk singer and his songs were deeply reflective and meaningful. It was obvious that he had a serious side to him.   

    That serious side pushed him on a mission to go “on the road to find out”.  It sounds like something similar that I went through during the last two years of my college career.  God began convicting me in a deep and meaningful way. People were praying for me and the messages I was receiving from Jesus Christ were vivid and compelling.  God was calling me and I finally answered in the affirmative and my life has never been the same since. I became a new creation and the old things were quickly dropped.  Stevens seemed to take another path. According to some of his interviews that I watched, “he” began a spiritual search which led him to study various “religions” including Eastern Mysticism, Buddhism, etc.  He finally found the one that suited him; Islam.  

    This reminds me of a high school social studies textbook which lays out the world religions on a platter like hors d'oeuvres in such a manner that you can choose the one that fits your taste buds the best.  None are any better than the others necessarily. The text books make it appear that Jesus is the founder of yet just another world religion. So it appears that Stevens actually found what he was searching for: “RELIGION”.  

    The difference between him and I is this.  God called me but Stevens called god. A man does not have the ability to find the true God.  I could have never found the true God on my own ability, he called me and I said yes once I saw him.  I did not go searching for a god. When man searches for a god he ultimately finds religion. Christianity is not a religion, it is the truth.  There is no religious organization on earth that has a corner on Jesus Christ. Jesus calls out people from the world and they can only respond but no man can find Jesus by his own volition.  Once a person is truly saved by the power of the Holy Spirit his life becomes more productive and useful. On the contrary, once someone finds religion, they become even more of an enemy of God than they were before and things begin to degrade and become unfruitful.  

That is exactly what happened to Cat Stevens.  He may have gotten the break he needed from his fast paced hectic life and I am sure he has a lovely family but he soon became completely unfruitful.  He gave up his talent for music and he drifted off into obscurity. He has finally crawled out of his hell hole to take the stage again hoping he can do what all Rock Stars do; create world peace!  Apparently he learned nothing. So, what would his life have been like if he embraced Jesus Christ instead of a man made religion? 

If he had responded to Jesus Christ he would have become a new and vibrant creation.  His talent for music would have been put to good use and millions of fans would have been able to enjoy the gift that God gave him.  He would have been evangelizing the world over and would have become a positive force in the world but instead he joined a religion that has violence, hatred, oppression, selfishness and war as its pillars.  He became useless. The same thing happened to Cassius Clay; God shut his mouth at the very time he would have been using it to spread his vile religion.  

Recently Kanye West became a born again Christian.  The first thing he did was produce a Christian album.  He didn’t run and hide. He didn’t need to find a religion.  He didn’t need to become an invalid. He became more productive.  He also is attempting to make an impact on others in his community by spreading the gospel and working with Donald Trump to make positive changes in society.  I hope he keeps it up but I haven't heard much about him lately. Maybe Stevens tried that but nothing will ever come of it.  

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

    We can only produce real fruit if we are in Jesus Christ.  Try as you may but your own personal efforts are actually an affront to God.  It is not us that does good things, it is Christ through us. In the end, I pray for Cat Stevens that God calls him to the true and everlasting God.  I pray that he responds and leaves his man made religion and comes into the light for Jesus alone is the way the truth and the life.  

    In the end, I am glad to see him singing again.  I only share this article for one reason and that is to point out that Jesus gives life to all things that are his.  When one comes into a covenant with the living God, they become vibrant and productive bearing much fruit. On the contrary, when one succumbs to religion, they end up stifled in life, giving way to oppression and suppression.  Satan is the master of death. Only through Jesus Christ is one freed from the bondage of sin to become fruitful and productive.

  

No More Tears

No More Tears

By Richard P. Joseph

11/1/2019

    Rev 21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

    The book of Revelation gives a vivid prediction of the soon to occur last days of Judaism and the temple.  In chapter 21 John now sees a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. I, and probably everyone else, really don’t have all of this figured out.  There are many different points of view but one thing is for certain, this “new” Jerusalem was created in heaven, not on earth. The earthly temples were made by men from brick, mortar, wood and gold.  This new temple is made by God himself and can never be destroyed. This New Jerusalem is the new covenant that Jesus established with his blood. Then a voice tells John that the tears in their eyes will be wiped away and that there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.   As a Christian I certainly have avoided many tears that others have but by no means do I have no tears or pain. So when will the time come when every tear will be wiped away?

    Well, the futurists believe it is when Jesus establishes his 1000 year reign on earth.  That ain’t gonna happen. It isn’t right now on earth either. The only time it can happen to an individual is in heaven.  But, is that really what the scripture is talking about? I am not sure. However, if I attempt to place myself in first century Jerusalem, I might imagine what a Jew would think. 

    The Jews would immediately think back when King Nebuchadnezzar once destroyed their temple by way of the Babylonian army.  When Jerusalem was sacked in 586 BC, Jeremiah the prophet wrote an entire book lamenting the disaster.  

Lamentations 1:2  

Bitterly she weeps at night,

    tears are on her cheeks.

Among all her lovers

    there is no one to comfort her.

All her friends have betrayed her;

    they have become her enemies.

After the temple was destroyed and the people carried away there was great weeping and lamentation as there should be.  But what strikes me funny is that after Herod’s temple was destroyed and Jerusalem laid waste, God is telling us that there would be “No more tears!”  Maybe, just maybe, God is telling us that these tears are for Jerusalem. And since this time the true temple and Judaic economy of sacrifices will never be established again, it should not bring any tears.  No more death for those under the law.  

Revelation 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

There is a new day that dawned.  No one will ever cry over the old covenant, because a new covenant is now established by the blood of the lamb.  Even the temple is judged differently now.

 In Lamentations 2:8 we read that there was a line of judgement measured against the faltering people of Zion.

The Lord determined to tear down

    the wall around Daughter Zion.

He stretched out a measuring line

    and did not withhold his hand from destroying.

He made ramparts and walls lament;

    together they wasted away.

However, the new city, which had no temple, seemed to be laid plumb and sound. The Temple was God himself.

Revelation 21:15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide….

 This new city and it’s new temple (God) will never need to be wept over.  The city was square and solid and decorated with every kind of precious stone.  The kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be destroyed and therefore no need to ever weep over it.  We may weep over the world which is trying so hard to destroy it but the gates of hell will not prevail.  God’s mercies are new every morning. Let us rejoice and be glad when we come to the house of the LORD.  

What the Hell!

What the Hell!

By Richard P. Joseph

10/8/2019

    What the Hell!  Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that because you just might not believe in it.  In fact, you might not believe that there is a heaven either for that matter.  So what has Preterism really become for many people? Apparently it has become a Pandora's box of man’s mixed bag of candy.   It seems like it has become a playground for every bored soul out there. But that is not why I am in it. What did it mean to me when I became a preterist?

    When I became a preterist I found out that the bible is reliable and historically true.  It gave me even more confidence in scripture than I previously had (which was already absolute).  Now, when a preacher says something dumb like “Jesus made a mistake” when he predicted the end times, I can refute it with boldness.  But this isn’t the case for many preterists out there. For most preterists that are not of the “Individual Body Rapture View” , if a preacher says something about heaven or hell, the confused preterist jumps up and yells “Hey, there isn’t any heaven or hell!”  In fact, they might even get on a roll and start on a tirade and give ‘em the whole bit; “There ain’t no heaven, hell, creation, devil, or a resurrection of individuals.”  Then he will cap it off by saying “the earth is flat”!   

    Unfortunately, what I have been experiencing is that, as more and more people become familiar with the basic idea of fulfilled theology, they take it upon themselves to, not only correct the timing of events, but to correct the entire biblical narrative.  Although, there are some things that do need reforming, just be careful or you will do what many have already done; they reformed themselves right out of Christendom. I am not going to explain all of the ridiculous things out there but if you find yourself falling off the edge of the earth, you may have gone too far (pardon the pun).  I would laugh but somebody out there might get offended. If “I” do not get to experience God when I get to a real heavenly realm, then why would I even believe in Him? If nobody gets punished for their unbelief and vile life then what’s the point of following Christ? If we just evolved and then God, all of a sudden, made a covenant with an ape then Genesis is a lie.    If the earth isn’t round then God only forgot our sins for a limited distance.  

    So what is my point?  This article is a warning to all who are just doing this to be rebellious.  If you find that you are now questioning everything in the bible then you are probably going in the wrong direction.  I have experienced the complete opposite. I now believe the bible more than ever. Yes, there are some “ideas” that need reforming but I really do expect to actually go to heaven and see Jesus Christ and be busy there doing God’s will.  If someone told you that you are just part of a resurrected Israel on earth and that you really won’t individually experience God in heaven then I feel sorry for you. In fact, I suggest you don’t even bother doing this “religious” stuff.  Why waste your time? Or better yet, come and join the conservative believers who actually trust scripture and want to actually experience it.