Category Archives: Hell, Sheol, Hades

Keys to Prophecy: Yes, There is Protected Elect.

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Modern men very smugly assert that they make their own choices. Many ministers confidently assure people that they make the final choices about their salvation. In their zeal to deny Calvinism, I have heard others strongly assure people that God would never violate their free will. For a fact, that makes most people feel more confident about their salvation. I mean, who would decide to go to eternal punishment? However that seriously overlooks plain things like,

There is a final “judgment” of all men.

“For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
2Cor 5:10

So there is final judgment, and God does at the end pass judgment on you and me. So God makes the final choices! Not men.

And God makes choices.

One of the key words in Greek for those chosen or elect, is the Greek word eklektos. God, being all knowing, is able to foresee how you and I will turn out, and thus able to make His decisions ahead of time. So it says,

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;”
Eph 1:4

Contrary to what some Calvinists teach, Peter writes to,

“1 … to the chosen … 2 according to the foreknowledge of God”
1Pe 1:2

God knows ahead of time what will happen, so makes His choices. Some say God only chooses classes of people, not the individuals; but that is not true per Rev 17:8.

To be chosen brings many benefits.

Jesus says of the last days of this universe.

“Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.”
Mtt 24:22

Or again,

“Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, …”
Lk 18:7

Will anyone be able to shoot us down?

“Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.”
Rom 8:33

Or on a sterner note.

“What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.”
Rom 11:7

And of God in His infinite wisdom, it says,

“27 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;”
1Cor 1:27

And can we be chosen and then “blow it”?

Indeed we can, just we can for many things in everyday life. So Peter summarizes,

“Therefore, brothers be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.”
2Pe 1:10

But if we neglect these things we may stumble and perish.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Keys To Prophecy: Yes, God Protects His Own.

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It is true that the wicked aims to kill the righteous.

“For, behold, the wicked bend their bows.
They set their arrows on the strings,
That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.”
Psa 11:2

These are the very ones,

“Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And aim their arrows, deadly words,”
Psa 64:3

Still we should see that the threats of the wicked are not all of the story, for God shoots back, Psa 64:7, and so on. Further,

If you live with God, He WILL protect you.

We are talking about the man who places his confidence in God’s protection. The man who lives with God.

“1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in whom I trust.” ”
Psa 91:1-2

What then will God do for this man?

“3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
Under his wings you will take refuge.
His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.”
Psa 91:3-6

You will only see these things

“7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes,
And see the recompense of the wicked. ”
Psa 91:7-8

In verse 8 at least, it jumps to eternal things, “you” seeing the punishment of the wicked!

Why would God do these things?

“9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge,
And the Most High your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall happen to you,
Neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11 For he will give his angels charge over you,
To guard you in all your ways. ”
Psa 91:9

That is definitely in line with Psalm 34.

“The angel of Yahweh encamps round about those who fear him,
And delivers them. ”
Psa 34:7

But, Wait a minute Preacher, Psalm 91 is about Jesus!

Yes, it is quoted by the devil in Mtt 4:6 and Lk 4:10-11. OK, then you tell me how it fits Jesus, who died on a cross! It is all the same issue! But Jesus still says not a jot or a tittle of Scripture can fail, Mtt 5:18. However, Jesus survived the cross and lived! And you my Christian friend, are you not in Jesus, having the same protection!

Of you who dwell In the shadow of the Most High it says,

“He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him, and honor him.” Psa 91:15

Or did you not believe? Or where do you really live?

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Practice in Prophecy: David, Jesus and the Righteous in Psalm 69, Part 4

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We have seen in Psalm 69 that it is psalm about both David and Jesus, and that there is both a symbol / type (David), and a fulfillment (Jesus), and the subjects are intertwined. It says of both that the prayer to the Lord by them was at an acceptable time. Have you done that? Have you sought the Lord at an acceptable time? Both men had to wait a while before receiving the kingdom, and we can see there is merit to waiting.

Don’t let me be overwhelmed, they say,

“14 Deliver me out of the mire, and don’t let me sink.
Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15 Don’t let the flood waters overwhelm me,
Neither let the deep swallow me up.
Don’t let the pit shut its mouth on me. Psa 69:14-15.

And “the pit,” what is that talking about?

The “pit” or something that you sink into and it swallows you, is a subject of many Scriptures.

“He keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.”
Job 33:18

It is clearly talking about death here. Again,

“Yes, his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to the destroyers.”
Job 33:22

The same word above translated as a “pit” is in the WEB translated as “corruption,” in Job 17

“If I have said to corruption, ‘You are my father;’
To the worm, ‘My mother,’ and ‘my sister;’”
Job 17:14

Clearly it is talking about the death of our earthly body and its decay. Then there are passages which clearly associate “the pit”with Sheol (Hebrew) / Hades (Greek), that is to say the place of the dead. For instance in Psalm 30.

“Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol.
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.”
Psa 30:3

Psalm 30 is also a psalm of David and what is asked for in Psa 69:15 is viewed as accomplished here in Psa 30:3. Also here a more regular word for a pit is used, bor meaning a pit, or a cistern for collecting water. But wait! If Psalm 30 is about David then it says David did NOT go down to the pit!

But Peter says David did die!

“Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.”
Acts 2:29

Of course also the Old Testament records David’s death. So what is going on? Ah! Perhaps another Psalm in which David speaks in the first person of the Christ. In English we talk about “the pit of hell,” and there are some associations there.

“The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol,
Even all the nations that forget God.”
Psa 9:17

Clearly in Psalm 69 David and the Christ and the
righteous are in danger of death and the pit.

They are earnestly pleading for deliverance, even though Psalm 30 clearly says the Christ (!!??) is saved from death!

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901