The departure of Jesus is now at hand. He had already conferred with Moses and Elijah upon the summit of a mountain:
And lo! two men conferred with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who, being seen in the glory, spoke of His exodus, which He was about to be completing in Jerusalem. (Luke 9:30-31 CV)
The chief priests, priests, scribes, elders, and the foremost
of the people are now in the process of designing a scheme by which Jesus could
be delivered into the hands of the Roman governor for the humiliating death of
crucifixion. However, even in this endeavor, they would have no power over Jesus
other than that given them by Yahweh Elohim. Jesus would obediently prepare
Himself for the arrival of His hour and His death. Praying in
He began to act upon Himself in such a way as to be made sorrowful [grieved] and to become depressed. (Matthew 26:37 my translation)
Now a messenger from heaven was seen by Him, strengthening Him. And coming to be in a struggle, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became as if clots of blood descending on the earth. (Luke 22:43-44 CV)
Having completed the ordeal of His prayer, submitting Himself to the will of His Father, He would return to His disciples, declaring,
Behold, the hour has come. The Son of the Man is being given up into the hands of the sinners. (Mark 14:41b my translation)
In Gethsemane, Jesus as the Son of the Man Adam yields Himself
up to The Law of Death activated by Adam in
In this mortal state, the death common to all humanity begins
operating within Him (“His sweat became
as if clots of blood descending on the earth”). He now becomes vulnerable
to His enemies. As the Son of David, He has now prepared Himself for the death
of crucifixion, a death necessary in order to deliver
Paul alludes to this preparation in
v. 5: Let this thinking be in you [plural], which also was in Christ Jesus,
v. 6a: Who possessing Himself in the sphere of the interest of a form generated out of God [“a body hast thou prepared me,” Heb. 10:5]
v. 6b: ruled it not unwarranted to be equal to the interest of God [“He Who sends Me is true . . . what I hear from Him, . . . I am speaking to the world. . . . what is pleasing to Him am I doing always,” Jn. 8:26b, 29b CV]
v. 7a: but deprived Himself of the possession of His life [“I am laying down My soul . . . No one is taking it away from Me, . . . I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to get it again,” Jn. 10:17-18 CV]
v. 7b: a form of a slave taking [death begins reigning within Him,
v. 7c : in the sphere of the interest of a likeness of men becoming [now a victim of mortality experiencing the operation of the death common to all humanity]
v. 8a: and in accord with the interest of a prevailing fashion [crucifixion] being found as a man [vulnerable to death] He humbled Himself
v. 8b: becoming obedient all the way up to the point of death, even a death of a cross. (My translation)
The mind or thinking of Christ Jesus which is to be imitated
by all His faithful disciples is the mind clearly manifested in
Holy spirit shall be coming on you [Mary], and the power of the Most High shall be overshadowing you; wherefore also the holy One Who is being generated shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35 CV)
One [Jesus] Who has been tried in all respects like us, apart from sin. (Hebrews 4:15b CV)
Possessing this right to life as the Only-Begotten Son sired by Yahweh Himself, He concluded Himself worthy of the honor and responsibility of being one with the interest of His Father (v. 6b).
I and the Father, We are one. (John 10:30 CV)
Whenever you should be exalting the Son of The Man, then you will know that I am, and from Myself I am doing nothing, but, according as My Father teaches Me, these things I am speaking. And He Who sends Me is with Me. He does not leave Me alone, for what is pleasing to Him am I doing always. (John 8:28-29 CV)
not as I will, but as Thou! (Matthew 26:39b CV)
Thus, Jesus always pleased the Father, faithfully obeying the will of the Father in all things. In this He was one with the Father. His will was always to do the will of His Father.
Accordingly, as the arrival of His hour approached, He deprived Himself of the precious possession of His uncontaminated, righteous, holy life (Phil. 2:7a), taking upon Himself the form of a slave (v. 7b), that is, activating within Himself The Law of Death, thus allowing death to reign within His righteous, holy body, thereby becoming in the likeness of men victimized by the death common to all humanity (v. 7c).
Being now vulnerable to the machinations of men, Jesus was given up into the hands of His Cainite brothers. His hour had arrived. He was seized by the apostate rulers of Apostate Israel and sentenced to death by the decision of their own Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin.
He was then handed over to the Roman governor to be executed as a common man according to the prevailing fashion of crucifixion (Phil. 2:8a). In this His hour, He humbled Himself, subjecting His will and right to life to the will of the Father (v. 8a), thereby becoming obedient, not merely to death, but to a crucifixion death (v. 8b). As a result of this mind-set, He perfected Himself as the faithful Son of Adam, the faithful Son of Abraham, the faithful Son of David, the faithful Son of Yahweh Elohim.
It has already been pointed out that prior to the destruction
of
And the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 CV)
Jesus the Messiah, the Only-Begotten Son of Yahweh is Yahweh’s
living
Do you not see all these things? Truly, I am saying to you, under no circumstances will be left here a stone upon a stone which will not be demolished. (Matthew 24:2 my translation)
His disciples see only with their eyes. Their eyes are dazzled
by the outward appearance of this magnificent construction of man’s ingenuity. They
fail to perceive the essential character, the hidden or masked hypocrisy of
this exterior delusion. Beneath this exterior resides the corruption of the
evil hearts of rebelliously arrogant men, thieves and robbers, seeking to
convert Yahweh into an idol at their disposal. His disciples, like the people
of
They see all these
things, but they do not perceive all
these things (which Jesus just referred to) as about to be demolished. The
entire Sinatic/Mosaic world-order, consisting of holy buildings, precincts,
priests, sacrifices, rituals, ceremonies, and festivals, have been appointed by
Yahweh for demolishment. Having heard this response of Jesus, His disciples are
shocked. Such demolishment is totally unexpected. Understanding the implication
of Jesus’ pronouncement and wasting no time, these disciples, at the very next
opportunity, approach Him privately concerning the perplexing import of His
statement concerning the venerated
when will these things be? And what is the sign of Thy presence [Parousia] and of the conclusion [suntelias] of the eon? (Matthew 24:3 CV)
These disciples ask these questions while remaining ignorant of the coming death and resurrection of Jesus. From their perspective, the presence (parousia) of Jesus refers to His manifestation as the prophesied Davidic King of Israel. Thus, their expectation is that His parousia will be an event taking place within their own lifetime. It will lead to the imminent arrival of the conclusion of the Mosaic Eon. In this expectation, they are correct. For the answer which Jesus provides does not disappoint their anticipation.
Their question When will
these things be? assumes some time within the near future of their own
lives. Thus the necessity of the second question, What is the sign . . . ? The sign they ask for is for themselves.
They believe the previously unanticipated statement of Jesus. They merely
desire to know when, within the current events of their generation, these
things concerning the destruction of the
In the meantime, Jesus begins to answer their inquiries in accord
with the truth that His kingdom “is not
of this world-order” (Jn.
Beware that no one should be deceiving you. For many shall be coming in My name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and shall be deceiving many. Yet you shall be about to be hearing battles, and tidings of battles. See that you are not alarmed, for it must be occurring; but not as yet is the consummation [telos]. For roused shall be a nation against a nation, and a kingdom against a kingdom, and there shall be famines and quakes in places. Yet all these are the beginning of pangs. (Matthew 24:4-8 CV modified)
Jesus warns His disciples that many will be coming in His name
(Jesus, savior) claiming to be the
Anointed One. Those false messiahs will deceive many. Jesus’ disciples
should not be deceived by the deceivers. This warning must have perplexed these
disciples. They do not foresee Jesus’
death, resurrection, ascension, return, and departure. How then could they be
deceived by someone claiming to be the savior of
Little children, it is the last hour, and, according as you hear that the antichrist [antimessiah] is coming, now also there have come to be many antichrists [antimessiahs], whence we know that it is the last hour. Out of us they come, but they were not of us, . . . (1 John 2:18-19a CV)
These antichrists (antimessiahs) appear during the last hour
of the last days of the Mosaic Eon. They come out of the very Ecclesia of Jesus
the Messiah. They shall deceive many, turning them back to the Sinatic
Covenant, the terrestrial things, the apostate
This final week of years of the Mosaic Eon, together with the events occurring between the years 30 a.d. and 63 a.d., make up the period referred to as the “conclusion” (sunteleias) of the eon (see Matt. 24:3 CV), the coming together of the ends of the various eons written about in the Law and the Prophets (the Hebrew Scriptures). Paul refers to these various eons and the soon-to-arrive consummation of these eons as “the consummations (telos) of the eons” (1 Cor. 10:11 CV) which his generation had attained to. The “conclusion” (sunteleias) of the Mosaic Eon is distinct from the “consummation” (telos) of the Mosaic Eon. In the present text, Jesus speaks mainly of the events belonging to the “conclusion” of the Mosaic Eon which will terminate in the “consummation,” the very end, of the Mosaic Eon. His disciples had asked about the sign of the conclusion of the eon, not the consummation of the eon.
During this time of
Jacob’s trouble (the Jewish war against the Romans, the final week of years
consummating the Mosaic Eon), the disciples of Jesus would be hearing of
battles and tidings of battles (in the rebellion against
Jesus here refers to the Israel of Yahweh, the nation
according to spirit, the Ecclesia He will shortly begin to build, the Abelite
nation He is about to arouse against the apostate Israel, the nation according
to flesh, the Cainite nation. To this new, spiritually endowed nation will be
given the restored
Therefore am I saying to you [the chief priests and the elders] that the
Do not fear, little flocklet, for it delights your Father to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32 CV)
This apostate kingdom clings to the Sinatic Covenant for
covenantal life, covenantal privilege, covenantal blessing, and covenantal
authority to rule over the nations. However, the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant has
been corrupted by the Cainites’ own interpretive tradition and commandments. This
Jewish
make us a king to judge us like all the nations. . . . That we also may be like all the nations, . . . (1 Samuel 8:5, 20a KJV)
In response, Yahweh declares,
they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Samuel 8:7b KJV)
Jesus now implies that Yahweh has rejected this rebellious and stiff-necked nation and kingdom. The time for its final judgment, its termination, its destruction is now at hand. Yahweh’s faithful people are about to be empowered for covenantal battle. This faithful nation shall shortly march into metaphorical/covenantal/evangelical battle led by Yahweh’s chosen King, His Only-Begotten Son, the promised Son of David. This nation of faithful sons, this kingdom of royal priests making up the newly restored Davidic Kingdom shall proceed into spiritual battle as sure conquerors over the enemies of Yahweh, the nation of unfaithful servants, the apostate kingdom of prostitute priests making up the rejected and condemned Saulite Kingdom. Civil war is about to break out between the nation and kingdom metaphorically in the heaven of Yahweh’s New Davidic Covenant and Royal King, and the nation and kingdom metaphorically on the earth of Yahweh’s old Sinatic Covenant and apostate, hireling shepherds.
Later on during this final week of Jesus in Jerusalem, at His last meal with His disciples prior to the arrival of His hour, Jesus instructs His disciples concerning their role in this newly restored Davidic Kingdom,
Now you are those who have continued with Me in My
trials. And I am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father
covenanted a kingdom to Me, that you may be eating and drinking at My table in
My kingdom. And you will be seated on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Jesus informs His disciples that His Father Yahweh has established a covenant with Him promising Him a kingdom. Here Jesus alludes to Yahweh’s covenantal promise to David, Jesus’ father:
Moreover Yahweh tells you that Yahweh shall establish a royal house for you [David]: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, then I will raise up your seed after you that shall come forth from your internal parts; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a House for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for the eon. (2 Samuel 7:11b-13 CV)
David himself, according to the record of his last words, had declared,
For He [Yahweh] has made an eonian covenant with me. Arranged forth in every respect and safeguarded. (2 Samuel 23:5b CV)
Jesus as the Son of David is the recipient of this eonian
covenant made with His father David. This covenanted kingdom is to be
distinguished from the
This new nation roused and resurrected to do battle with the apostate nation is to be born in one day (the day of Pentecost):
Hear the word of the Lord [Yahweh], you who tremble at his word: “Your brethren who hate you and cast you out for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord [Yahweh] be glorified, that we may see your [Yahweh’s] joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. Hark, an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies! Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she was delivered of a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?” (Isaiah 66:5‑8a RSV)
Ezekiel also wrote of this new nation of Yahweh born in a
creative moment like
The hand of the Lord [Yahweh] was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord,
and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, . . . Son
of man, can these bones live? . . . Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will
cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: . . . Then he said unto me,
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
This is the terrestrial truth Nicodemus could not understand
when Jesus told him “If anyone should not
be begotten anew, he can not perceive [or] . . . be entering into the
During these last days of the Mosaic Eon, there would occur
famines and quakes throughout the holy Land of Promise (Matt. 24:7b CV),
especially during the last week of years when Apostate Israel in the name of
her God and in the confidence of the covenant which she had with her God (the
Sinatic Covenant) entered into a holy war with the Roman Empire (64-70 a.d.). The period from the day of
Pentecost to the beginning of the Jewish holy war against
During the course of this covenantal war between the Israel of Yahweh and the Israel of The Adversary, between the newly restored Davidic Kingdom and the old, capricious Saulite Kingdom, Jesus warns His disciples of the affliction they shall undergo for the Gospel and the righteousness of the Kingdom. Not only shall they be killed by the apostate Jews in the holy land, but they shall also be hated by both Jews and gentiles among the nations as they carry the Gospel of Yahweh’s salvation to the Jews and gentiles dwelling among the nations.
As these days reach their climax in the midst of the Jewish
holy war against
many [in the
Ecclesia, members of the newly restored Davidic Kingdom] shall be snared,
and they shall be giving one another up and hating one another. And many false
prophets shall be roused, and shall be deceiving many. And, because of the
multiplication of [this] lawlessness,
the love of [this] many [within the
As a result of the great affliction coming upon Apostate
Israel during the climax of the time of
Jacob’s trouble, the climax of the Jewish holy war against Rome, many in
the Ecclesia, the Davidic Kingdom, the Israel of Yahweh, will be snared by the
call to patriotism issued by the Israel of The Adversary in her desperate hour
of need, the hour during which the power of the enemy would seem to be about to
overwhelm her. Apostate
Many false prophets belonging to the newly roused and
resurrected nation of Yahweh will begin to proclaim another gospel, a
pseudo-Mosaic gospel, declaring that all true Jews must return to the Sinatic
Covenant and join their brethren waging holy war against the enemy of Yahweh
and Yahweh’s nation. Persecution, affliction, and death in the name of Jesus
and on behalf of the Gospel and the righteousness of the Davidic Kingdom and
Covenant are signs of the displeasure of Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel.
Faithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant necessitates repentance and a return to
one’s allegiance to the nation in the holy land standing up faithfully for the
covenant of Yahweh, to Whom she looks for salvation in her righteous stand
against the enemy of Yahweh’s people and Yahweh’s covenant. To remain with
Jesus the Messiah, the Ecclesia, the new
Many disciples of Jesus will be deceived by these false prophets, these antichrists. Those deceived, in an attempt to save themselves, will be giving up their Messianic brethren to the enemy who is imposing affliction and death upon those considered traitors to Judaic Israel. They will be hating one another, not knowing who to trust, therefore mistrusting all. As this lawlessness increases, the love of those deceived and led astray by these false shepherds cools down, turning into the icy hatred of an evil heart. Jesus warns again, only those enduring faithfully to the consummation (telos, the end) shall be saved, delivered from the judgment of the crooked and perverse generation of the apostate nation while being delivered into the promised Celestial Allotment of the faithful children of Abraham.
The consummation, however, will not arrive until the Gospel of
the Kingdom, the Gospel of Christ is proclaimed in the sphere of the interest
of the whole inhabited household (Matt. 24:14, Greek = oikoumena NGEINT). This inhabited household refers to the entire
household of
The times of the
Gentiles or “the eras of the nations”
(CV) refers to that period of time during which Yahweh roused world empires to
discipline or judge His disobedient nation. These times or eras began with the
Assyrian Empire which Yahweh roused in order to judge the Northern Kingdom of
Israel. The Assyrian Empire was followed by the Babylonian Empire which Yahweh
used to judge the Southern Kingdom of Judah. While in captivity, Yahweh roused
the Persian Empire, during which time the people of Yahweh returned to
The apostles and disciples of Jesus at the time of this
discourse under discussion understood the
proclamation of the evangel of the kingdom in the sphere of the whole inhabited
household of
The consummation of the Mosaic Eon would arrive with the completion of the proclamation of the Gospel to the nations. This would be in accord with the writings of the prophets which revealed that Yahweh would call out of the nations a people for His name. Jesus’ commission to His apostles to evangelize the nations both revealed and concealed Yahweh’s truth. The apostles had not understood the concealed implication of Jesus’ command,
Going, then, disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to be keeping all, whatever I direct you. (Matthew 28:19-20a CV)
They had not understood the concealed meaning of Hosea 1:9-11, Genesis 48:17-19 (CV), and Amos 9:11‑12; the secret of the Gospel (Eph. 6:19), the Secret of the Christ (Eph. 3:4), the secret “hushed in times eonian” (Rom. 16:25 CV).
According to the testimony of the Book of Acts, the apostles
and faithful followers of Jesus the Messiah proclaimed the Gospel only to Jews
and proselytes. Peter addresses his first proclamation of the Gospel to “Men! Jews! and all who are dwelling at
You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God covenanted with your fathers [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], saying to Abraham: And in your seed all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed. To you first, God, raising His Boy, commissions Him to bless you . . . (Acts 3:25-26a CV)
Those faithful followers of Jesus scattered due to the persecution following the assassination of Stephen, “passed through as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only” (Acts 11:19b CV).
Thus, the assumption had been that the Jews throughout the
whole inhabited household of
First, the spirit of Yahweh would inspire those disciples of Jesus scattered as a result of the persecution following Stephen’s murder to preach also to the Greeks when they had previously been proclaiming the Gospel only to the Jews:
But among them [of
those scattered as a result of persecution] were some men of
Thereafter, Yahweh’s spirit would cause Peter to fall into a trance within which he is given a vision. The vision informs Peter that Yahweh is no longer counting the gentiles as unclean. Peter shortly learns that Yahweh had begun to extend His salvation in Jesus to the uncircumcised Gentiles.
Before the Jews in the land are evangelized, before the
completion of the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom to Israel, Yahweh has
poured out His spirit even upon the uncircumcised Gentiles. Yahweh is saving
these Gentiles, giving these Gentiles new covenant life, even as He has been
doing among His own people
Now as I began to speak [to uncircumcised Cornelius and his uncircumcised household], the holy spirit fell on them, even as on us also in the beginning. Now I was reminded of the declaration of the Lord, as He said that “John, indeed, baptizes in water, yet you [Israelites, Jews] shall be baptized in holy spirit.” If, then, God gives them [uncircumcised Gentiles] the equal gratuity [gift] as to us [Israelites] also, when believing on the Lord Jesus Christ [Yahweh’s Anointed One, Jesus], who was I—able to forbid God? (Acts 11:15-17 CV)
The Apostles and the brethren in
Consequently, to the nations also Yahweh has granted repentance into [the] life [of the New Covenant]. (Acts 11:18 my translation)
Again, the entire community is unable at this time to explain why Yahweh is granting this. The entire community remains perplexed, though every member clearly understands what Yahweh has begun to do.
Finally, the last piece of this puzzle is provided when Yahweh
calls and commissions Saul of Tarsus on the road to
Ephraim and Judah are becoming one stick (cf. Ezk. 37:15-24). Ephraim had been scattered among the nations becoming Lo-Ammi, not My people, thus, uncircumcised gentiles (cf. Hosea 1:9-11). According to the prophetic blessing of Jacob upon Ephraim, the seed of Ephraim was to “become a fullness of the nations” (Gen. 48:19b CV), which text Paul refers to when writing to the uncircumcised faithful ones concerning “this secret” (Rom. 11:25a CV). He warns these uncircumcised faithful ones of their unwarranted potential pride against unbelieving Israelites,
lest you may be passing for prudent among yourselves, that callousness, in part, on [the] Israel [of Yahweh still in blind ignorance, as Saul himself had been] has come, until the complement [Greek = fullness NGEINT] of the nations [Ephraim, representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel] may be entering. (Romans 11:25b CV)
This secret had been concealed from the Apostles and disciples of Jesus the Messiah, thus causing perplexity at the sudden and unexpected entrance of the Gentiles, the uncircumcised, into the Israel of Yahweh. When the Gospel will have been proclaimed throughout the whole inhabited household of Israel scattered among the territories of the Roman Empire and the fullness of the nations representing the once Lo-Ammi seed of Ephraim (representing the scattered Northern Kingdom of Israel) will have come into a saving faith in Jesus the Messiah, the consummation (telos) of the Mosaic Eon will then have arrived, for then, all the Israel of Yahweh will have been saved,
according as it is written, . . . He [Yahweh] will be turning away irreverence from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them Whenever I should be eliminating their sins. (Romans 11:26b-27 CV)
All this would occur before the passing of the contemporary crooked generation of Jesus the Messiah. The consummation of the Mosaic Eon would have become an historical reality on the final day of Jerusalem’s destruction on the 26th day of September of the year 70 a.d., which is the 7th month of the Jewish calendar, Tishri, during which occurred the Festival of Trumpets on the first day, the Day of Atonement on day ten, and the Festival of Tabernacles starting on the 15th day and ending on the 21st day, thus bringing to a close (a final consummation) the annual festivals of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant.
Jesus continues His answer to the disciples’ question by referring to the abomination of desolation recorded in the book written by the prophet Daniel. He interprets this abomination as still being future. He alerts His disciples to the imminent arrival of this prophetic event, for this abomination will be another warning concerning the conclusion (sunteleias), the convergence of the various lines of eons and eras signaling the impending knot of the consummation.
Jesus declares that this abomination of desolation will stand
in a holy place (Matt. 24:15b CV). Mark’s account describes this abomination of
desolation as “standing where it must
not” (Mk. 13:14a CV). Luke’s account omits a reference to the abomination of
desolation, directing the attention of the disciples instead to “
This abomination of desolation would take place within the time of Jacob’s trouble as recorded by Jeremiah (see chapter 8, subsection titled “The Two Sticks,” within the section titled “The Message of Ezekiel and the Greek Scriptures”):
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it:
it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he [the
Jacob’s trouble had been caused by the treacherous minds and deeds of Levi and Simeon (see Genesis, chapter 34). A covenant had been entered into by Jacob and the Shechemites. The Shechemite males agreed to undergo circumcision in order to form an alliance with Jacob. Immediately after the Shechemite males are circumcised, Levi and Simeon proceed to enter their city and slay all the males, plundering all that belonged to these Shechemites. In response to this heinous, Cainish act of Jacob’s own sons (a treacherous deed which also jeopardized the welfare and survival of Jacob’s clan), Jacob laments,
You trouble me to make me stink among the dwellers of the land, . . . and exterminated shall I be, I and my household. (Genesis 34:30 CV)
In this lamentation Jacob speaks prophetically of the destiny of his Cainite sons at the conclusion of and consummation of the Mosaic Eon.
Thus, the abomination of desolation would be caused not by the
Romans, but by the Cainite sons of Jacob. The treacherous and corrupt mind and
activities of Apostate Israel, the Israel according to flesh, the Cainite
Israel, would indeed commit the abomination of desolation and the heinous
crimes after the likeness of Levi and Simeon, causing Israel’s name to stink
among the nations of the Roman Empire. This would lead to persecution and
affliction for all Jews throughout the
The evilly disparate members of the deceitful and murderous
Apostate Israel would be responsible for the abomination of desolation and the
death-doomed extermination of Jerusalem, the Temple made with hands, and the
Israel according to flesh. This would occur between the years 67 a.d. and 70 a.d., representing the climactic years of the Jewish revolt
against
The abomination of desolation proclaimed by Jesus did occur
within His own contemporaneous generation. His Apostles and disciples did
perceive it standing in the holy place, the
The people of
The situation became more complicated when the Jewish bands of
outlaws which had been ravaging the country converged together becoming one
army. The advancing Roman army forced this newly formed alliance to withdraw in
flight into
Thus, the abomination of desolation had been set up in the
As these two factions warred against one another in the city,
the Idumeans, a foreign nation, gathered an army of 20,000 revolutionaries and
marched to
It is this encampment outside the walls of
Now whenever you may be perceiving
At this encampment, it was still possible to flee into the
mountains and to flee out of
When the zealots occupying the
And they [the
Jews] shall be falling by the edge of the sword and shall be led into
captivity into all nations. And
Jesus refers to the period from
the time of the actualization of the abomination of desolation and the
encampment around Jerusalem to the
destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 a.d.
as “days of vengeance . . . to fulfill
all that is written” (Lk. 21:22 CV). Thus, He makes clear the boundary
determining the consummation of the Mosaic Eon. The Mosaic Eon terminates at
the fulfillment of all that is written in the Law and the Prophets. The
destruction of the
Of this period (67-70 a.d.),
Jesus also declares, “for then shall be
great affliction, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world [the
world-order of the Sinatic Covenant] till
now; . . .” (Matt. 24:21a CV). This great affliction within the
the blood of all the prophets which is shed from the disruption [the casting down, the establishment] of the world [the world-order established outside Eden after the sin of Eve and Adam] may be exacted from this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, . . . (Luke 11:50-51a CV)
that on you [Apostate
The judgment on
The Adamic race has been superseded by the Jesuic Race. In the eyes of Yahweh, the Abelites and Cainites are brothers each of whom is in the process of learning experientially that each is the other’s keeper. Each is dependent on the other. Each must contribute equally to the welfare of the human family. Good and Evil are not at enmity. The dichotic perception of Good and Evil, of Man and the Cosmos must give way to the complementary perception of Good and Evil, of Man and the Cosmos. Jesus the Messiah has altered the history and state of mankind.
Continuing His warning to His disciples, Jesus alerts them to the arousing of false christs (anointed ones, messiahs) and false prophets performing great signs and miracles. These false christs and prophets will be roused up by Yahweh Himself as a means of giving His enemies over to judgment. If they refuse to believe the truth, they will be given the lie they prefer. Paul alludes to this warning of Jesus as follows:
For the secret of lawlessness is already operating. . . . whose presence is in accord with the operation of Satan, with all power and signs and false miracles and with every seduction of injustice among those who are perishing, because they do not receive the love of the truth for their salvation. And therefore God will be sending them an operation of deception, for them to believe the falsehood [the lie], [in order] that all may be judged, [the ones] who do not believe the truth, but delight in [to the interest of] injustice [the injustice associated with the corrupted, apostate Sinatic Covenant]. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 CV)
In this same passage, Paul reminds the Thessalonian faithful ones that the day of the Lord had not yet arrived. Some had been misled to believe the day of the Lord was already present. Both Paul and the Thessalonian disciples of Jesus understood that they were living in the last days of the Mosaic Eon. The Parousia of Jesus their Lord was an imminent expectation.
These faithful ones in Thessalonica are reminded by Paul that
before the day of the Lord arrived there must be the coming of the apostasy from within the community of
the Israel of Yahweh. Combined with this apostasy would be the unveiling of “the man of lawlessness . . . who is
opposing and exalting himself up over all being termed gods or venerated ones
deserving of divine worship and obedience, so that he, moving into the temple
of Yahweh is seating himself, demonstrating that he himself is a god” (2
Thess. 2:3b-4 my translation). The secret of lawlessness was already operating
(v. 7a). The operation of this lawlessness had already been revealed to the
faithful in the record of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. The
crucifixion death of Jesus was an illustration of this lawlessness. The present
unrest and disorder throughout Judea and the division and conflict among the
rulers of
However, the man of lawlessness had not yet been unveiled. Could
it be that this man is also to be identified with the abomination of
desolation? After all, it is John of Gischala who later (68 a.d.) in the
But now John, aspiring to despotic power, began to disdain the position of mere equality in honors with his peers, and, gradually gathering round him a group of the more depraved, broke away from the coalition [government]. Invariably, disregarding the decisions of the rest, and issuing imperious orders of his own, he was evidently laying claim to absolute sovereignty. Some yielded to him through fear, others from devotion (for he was an expert in gaining supporters by fraud and rhetoric . . .). (Rhoads 1976, p. 133, citing Josephus, 9 vols., War 4:390, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1926-1965)
Earlier, in Josephus’ War of The Jews, he describes John of Gischala as
an intriguer . . . the most unscrupulous and crafty of all who ever gained notoriety . . . a ready liar and clever in obtaining credit for his lies, he made a merit of deceit and practiced it among his most intimate friends . . . the promise of lucre made him the most sanguinary of men; always full of high ambitions, his hopes were fed in the basest of knaveries. (Rhoads 1976, p. 123, citing Josephus, translated by H. S. T. Thackeray, R. Marcus, A. Wikgren, and L. H. Feldman, 9 vols., War 2:585-587, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1926-1965)
Finally, Josephus adds,
He had his heart set on war in order to obtain supreme power. (Rhoads 1976, p. 123, citing Josephus, translated by H. S. T. Thackeray, R. Marcus, A. Wikgren, and L. H. Feldman, 9 vols., War 4:85, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1926-1965)
This description of John of Gischala seems to fit the criteria of Paul’s man of lawlessness. Could this John be the predicted man of lawlessness? Paul writes of this lawless one that it is he
whom the Lord Jesus will dispatch to the interest of the spirit of his [the lawless one’s] mouth and will discard to the interest of the [deceiving] manifestation of his parousia, whose parousia is in accord with the operation of Satan, in the sphere of the interest of all power and signs and false miracles and in the sphere of the interest of every seduction of the injustice [associated with the lawlessness of the sons of Cain] among those who are perishing [Apostate Israel, the sons of Cain], because they do not favorably admit into their presence the love of the truth [of the Gospel of Christ] for their salvation. (2 Thessalonians 2:8b-10 my translation)
Paul claims this man of lawlessness is dispatched (Greek = anelei, literally, to lift up), is roused up and sent to Apostate Israel by Jesus Himself. He describes the arrival of the man of lawlessness as a parousia, the arriving manifestation of the presence of a man of distinguished authority and nobility. Jesus authorizes the mock parousia of this man of lawlessness in order to give to Apostate Israel that which it prefers, the lie, the falsehood in contrast to the truth of the Gospel of Christ.
Thus, this man of lawlessness speaks with his mouth the spiritual lies associated with The Adversary, Satan. His parousia, therefore, is associated with deceptive power and signs attested by false (pseudo) miracles energized by the operation of Satan functioning under the authoritative rule of Yahweh’s Anointed One, Jesus the Son of David, King over the Israel of Yahweh. The very essence of this mock parousia guarantees its being discarded as waste by the legitimate, royal Parousia of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Yahweh. To Apostate Israel this legitimate Parousia of Messiah Jesus will be perceived, experienced, as the day of the Lord, the evil day of Yahweh’s condemnatory visitation.
Concerning His legitimate Parousia, Jesus tells His disciples
not to be deceived by false reports of this Parousia (Matt. 24:23-26). This
must have confused His disciples, since they did not know of His coming death,
resurrection, and ascension. Surely they must have been puzzled by His strange
talk implying His absence. Why would He be absent? Where would He be going? Why
would His Parousia, the glorious arrival of His royal presence manifested to
Jesus then concludes His warning concerning His Parousia,
For even as the lightning is coming out from the east and is appearing as far as the west, thus shall be the presence [Parousia] of the Son of Mankind. Wheresoever the corpse may be, there will the vultures be gathered. (Matthew 24:27-28 CV)
His Parousia will not be hidden. It will not be private. It will not be a secret. When it would occur, they would have no doubts about it, neither they nor apostate Israelites. For this sign is not intended for universal spiritual sight, but only for local spiritual sight, the sight of faith:
In correlating his coming to lightning, Jesus is not
intimating that the entire world will see his coming; rather he is speaking in
terms of the thunder clouds that would pass over
Randall Otto further comments,
Since the lack of seeing on the part of the tribes of Israel in Jesus’ first coming was not a lack of physically seeing him but instead a lack of spiritually seeing him in repentance and faith, it is best to understand the “seeing” of the Son of man here as a rectification of their previous spiritual blindness in spiritual sight. (pp. 227-228)
Continuing His eschatological proclamation, Jesus hastens to announce what must immediately occur after the arrival and experience of the affliction associated with the abomination of desolation just described. Immediately after the revelation of the abomination of desolation and the great affliction associated with it (the manifestation of the man of lawlessness and the consequent affliction occurring as the result of his “operation of deception, for them [apostate Israel] to believe the falsehood [lie], [in order] that all may be judged [by Yahweh’s Anointed One], [the ones] not believing the truth, but delighting in injustice,” 2 Thess. 2:11-12 my translation), the final transfer of eonian rule and power will be inaugurated:
the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not be giving her beams, and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (Matthew 24:29b CV)
Such metaphorical language continues the tradition of the
Hebrew prophets. The sun being darkened alludes to the covenantal exaltation of
As a result of the dethronement of the
This apocalyptic imagery began to be fulfilled at the Festival of Pentecost following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It is implied in the vision of John recorded in Revelation 12:1-6. Apostate Israel, having corrupted the Law of Yahweh through her own commandments and traditions (thereby soiling her outer robe of covenantal glory, thus hindering the reflection of Yahweh’s glory over the nations), is superseded by the new Israel of Yahweh generated on the day of Pentecost as a result of the pouring out of the spirit of Yahweh by Jesus the Messiah.
Thus, the Ecclesia of the Messiah, now exalted over Apostate
Israel and the nations, is clothed in the new royal robe of the New Covenant of
the resurrected and ascended Davidic King, the New Davidic Covenant of THE
promised Son of David, Jesus the Anointed One of Yahweh. Apostate
Thus, the Ecclesia of the Messiah, at Pentecost, has been
metaphorically exalted as the newly rising sun on the horizon of the coming new
day ending the long night of the Mosaic Eon. The twilight of the nations began
with the
As the Hebrew prophets used the apocalyptic images of the sun,
the moon, and the stars in order to proclaim the judgment of Yahweh against
both
Isaiah, when announcing Yahweh’s judgment against
Howl ye; for the day of the Lord [Yahweh] is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. . . . For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. (Isaiah 13:6, 10 KJV)
At the destruction of
Yahweh, continuing His judgment against
I will cause the arrogancy of the proud [Babylonians] to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible [Babylonian military might]. . . . Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:11b, 13 KJV)
The defeat of the Babylonians by the Medes brought about a new political, economic, social, and religious world-order. Shaking the heavens figuratively described the rearrangement of political, economic, social, and religious authorities and powers. The Babylonian Empire came crumbling down. In its place arose the Medo-Persian Empire. A world-order was destroyed. A new world-order began to dominate the nations of the Near-East and the Near-West. No supernatural events occurred.
This is precisely what Jesus is intending to convey when He figuratively declares that the“stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Matt. 24:29b CV). Such apocalyptic imagery is meant to display pictorially the consummation (the telos) of the Mosaic Eon, the Mosaic Arrangement, the Mosaic World-Order, the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. The consummation of the Mosaic Eon meant the beginning of a new eon. The consummation of the Mosaic Arrangement meant the beginning of a new arrangement. The consummation of the Mosaic World-Order meant the beginning of a new world-order. The conclusion (suntelias) of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant necessitated the inauguration of the renewed Davidic Covenant previously promised to David by Yahweh and the new Messianic/Davidic Kingdom promised by the prophets.
The prophet Joel, using this same apocalyptic imagery, spoke of the future inauguration of the renewed Davidic Covenant (the New Messianic Covenant) later fulfilled initially by the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah at Pentecost:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I [Yahweh] will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord [Yahweh] come. (Joel 2:28-31 KJV)
At the Festival of Pentecost recorded in Acts, chapter 2,
Joel’s prophecy began to be fulfilled. The spirit of Yahweh began to be poured
out by Jesus the Messiah from His celestial throne alongside Yahweh. This
spirit was first poured out upon
The Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, the new Israel of Yahweh
born on the day of Pentecost, would now be exalted to the place in the
metaphorical heavens of covenantal rule, authority, and power left vacant by
Apostate Israel. This new Israel of Yahweh, unlike
This terrible day of the Lord would represent a short period of time, the years 64-70 a.d., the Jewish war against the Romans, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Parousia of Jesus the Messiah, His royal Approach/Arrival would be initiated, royally heralded, by the appearance of “the sign of the Son of Man in heaven” (Matt. 24:30a CV). This sign is explained by Paul: “For I am reckoning [accounting] that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. . . . the unveiling of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:18-19b CV). With the revelation, the parousia, of the man of lawlessness associated with the arrival of the abomination of desolation, there would be a counter-revelation, a counter-parousia, the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah first manifested in the unveiling of the glory of Jesus the Messiah in His Ecclesia, His spiritual, covenantal Body.
This Ecclesia, this Body, the new Israel of Yahweh, during the last days of the Mosaic Eon (approximately 30 a.d.–70 a.d.), had been metaphorically entombed together in the death of the Christ and had been sharing in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom. 6:4-7 CV). This metaphorical, covenantal resurrection had been veiled to blind and ignorant Israel (not Apostate Israel, but the elect of Yahweh still blind and ignorant like Saul of Tarsus before his encounter with the glory of Jesus the Messiah) until the fullness of the nations had heard and received the Gospel of the Christ (Rom. 11:25). This Ecclesia, this spiritual, covenantal Body, the new Israel of Yahweh, the Anointed of Yahweh, the Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:12-13 CV), had been in the process of sharing in the rising, the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.
However, this rising had remained hidden in the metaphorical soil of Jesus the Messiah’s burial ground. Thus, it had been growing underground in Christ. It had been unveiled only to those faithful ones sharing in its growth. Therefore, until the manifestation of the man of lawlessness and the unveiling of his abomination of desolation, the glory of this new Israel of Yahweh, this Body of Jesus the Messiah, remained hidden, veiled in The Christ. It had been ascending from below the horizon of the new, on-coming day. The light of its testimony (the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah) had been shining, but the full glory of its appearance had not yet ascended over the horizon of the new day ending, terminating, completing the Mosaic Eon.
This ascension, this unveiling of the Ecclesia’s resurrection glory did not take place until the parousia (approach/arrival) of the man of lawlessness beginning in approximately 64 a.d. (his approach) and consummating in his commitment of the abomination of desolation in approximately 67 a.d. (his arrival). The unveiling of the resurrection glory of this Ecclesia, this new Israel of Yahweh, this spiritual, covenantal Body of Christ heralded the Parousia/Approach of Jesus the Messiah. This glorious unveiling of Jesus the Messiah, like Saul’s encounter with the glory of Jesus the Messiah on the road to Damascus, opened the spiritual eyes of the blind and ignorant elect Israelites belonging to Yahweh, exposing them to spiritual understanding.
Given this spiritual sight by Yahweh, these faithful ones repent, turning to faith in Yahweh’s revealed Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah, in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophetic conclusion:
then all the tribes of the land [the blind and ignorant elect of
With this new spiritual sight, these elect Israelites will
perceive the spiritual power and superexceeding covenantal glory of Jesus the
Messiah. Shortly thereafter, they will see with their eyes the judgment of
Yahweh and His Anointed One on Apostate Israel—the destruction of the
This prophetic prediction of Jesus would confirm the words of Zechariah:
And it shall come to pass in that day [the day of Yahweh’s wrath, the period of the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah], that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem [the neighbor nations of Apostate Israel in the land of Palestine pursuing independence from Rome in joint-participation with Apostate Israel in their defense of Jerusalem in the name of Yahweh and patriotic nationalism]. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the blind and ignorant elect Israelites of Yahweh], the spirit of grace and of supplications [the unveiling of the glory of the Christ in His Ecclesia, His spiritual, covenantal Body]: and they shall look upon me [Yahweh] whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him [Jesus], as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:9-10 KJV)
The pouring out of the spirit of grace and supplications upon the house of David during the latter part of the time of Jacob’s trouble is the primary purpose for the unveiling of the glory of Jesus the Messiah in His Ecclesia, His Body. The Parable of the Tares had also hinted at the coming of the unveiling of the glory of Jesus the Messiah. It connected this glory with the final harvest of elect Israelites at the conclusion (sunteleia) of the Mosaic Eon.
The final harvest refers to the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah.
At this time, Jesus commissions His celestial messengers to separate the wheat
from the tares in His field, that is, to reveal the apostate, lawless ones in
His Ecclesia and drive them out by the operation of deception brought about by
the parousia of the man of lawlessness. These lawless ones are then driven back
to Apostate Israel in her rebellion against
Then shall the just [those having shared in the sufferings of Jesus the Messiah] be shining out [“the glory about to be revealed for us . . . the unveiling of the sons of God,” (Rom. 8:18b, 19b CV)] as the sun [the rising over the horizon of the Ecclesia] in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matthew 13:43a CV)
As the period of Jacob’s trouble draws to a close, Jesus the Messiah dispatches His celestial messengers with a loud sounding trumpet, commissioning them to assemble His elect Ecclesia, His elect spiritual Body now completed with the opening of the spiritual eyes of the once blind and ignorant Israelites of Yahweh and their repentance, their turn to Yahweh’s Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah, as a result of “the unveiling of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19 CV). “A loud sounding trumpet” (see Matt. 24:31) metaphorically describes the call to assemble and remove the Ecclesia, the new, spiritual Israel of Yahweh from the terrestrial realm to her promised allotment in the Celestial Realm in fulfillment of the craving for
a better, that is, a celestial [country, allotment]; wherefore God [Yahweh] is not ashamed of them, to be invoked as their God [Elohim], for He makes ready for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16b CV)
This occurred, according to the expectation of the writers of the Greek Scriptures, by 70 a.d. By that time, the elect children of Abraham, the promised celestial seed, the Ecclesia of the Firstborn Ones, had entered
mount Zion, and the city of the living God, celestial Jerusalem, and to ten thousand messengers, to a universal convocation, and to the ecclesia of the firstborn [ones], registered in the heavens, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the just perfected, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a fresh covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which is speaking [a] better [judgment] than Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24 CV)
Having answered His disciples’ question concerning the sign of His Parousia and the conclusion (sunteleias) of the eon, Jesus begins to comment on His exposition. His disciples are warned to take heed to a parable. He then presents to them The Parable of the Fig Tree, which is intended to reinforce the practical purpose of His Eschatological Proclamation.
His royal approach, even the day of Yahweh, is to take place in their time, their generation. According to the parable, when the leaves of the fig tree begin to sprout, one can be assured that summer is near. So also His disciples can be assured that His royal approach and actual arrival are near when they themselves perceive the occurrence of all the events He has just predicted.
Thus you [the very disciples who have initiated the present discussion], also, whenever you [these same disciples] may be perceiving all these things [just spoken by Jesus], know that He [Yahweh, represented by His Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah] is near—at the doors. (Matthew 24:33 CV)
The royal Approach/Arrival, the Parousia of Yahweh’s Suffering Servant, the Anointed Son of David commissioned to wage spiritual warfare against Apostate Israel and deliver the faithful children of Abraham, is imminent. He would shortly lead the Israel of Yahweh into her Celestial Allotment, after waging spiritual warfare against Apostate Israel by means of the evangelization of Israel and the nations under her covenantal authority (the inhabited world-order of Israel, then represented by the Roman Empire). By imminent, Jesus means no more than a period of 40 years. This is confirmed when He continues,
Verily, I am saying to you [His present disciples] that by no means may this generation [His own contemporary generation] be passing by till all these things should be occurring. (Matthew 24:34 CV)
This assured His disciples that they would soon enter into their promised Celestial Allotment. They themselves would perceive the occurrence of ALL the events He had previously described. This included the manifestation of the abomination of desolation, the sun being darkened, the moon not reflecting her light, the stars falling from heaven, the powers of the heavens being shaken, the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, the mourning of all the tribes of the land, the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory, and the assembling of His chosen faithful ones (the Israel of Yahweh) in preparation for their entrance into the Celestial Allotment promised in the Law and the Prophets. Since all these events were imminent for His disciples, they were to watch and be ready. They were to take advantage of this advance notice so that the day of Yahweh, even the Parousia of His Anointed One, would not overtake them as a thief in the night.
They were not given advance notice of the specific day or hour, but they were clearly informed that these events would occur within their specific generation. They would be held responsible to watch and be ready. The Mosaic Eon would soon be terminated during the life span of the generation then living,
Heaven and earth [the metaphoric heaven and earth created at Sinai and equated with the Mosaic Eon] shall be passing by, yet My words may by no means be passing by. Now, concerning that day and hour no one is aware, neither the messengers of the heavens, nor the Son; except the Father only. (Matthew 24:35-36 CV)
The heaven and the earth of the Mosaic Eon would be passing by. The Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant would soon be fulfilled. It will have achieved its goal. The words of Jesus the Messiah would be incorporated into the New Davidic Covenant. This covenant would not be terminated. Its goal would be a new covenantal life, and that life would never be terminated; it would be immortal.
The events foretold by Jesus provided a perception of the nearness of the end, the telos, of that era, that eon, but these events did not reveal, did not make known, the specific day and hour which would mark the final end, the final termination, the final telos of the heaven and the earth metaphorically representing the world-order of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant operating during the course of the Mosaic Eon. Only Yahweh, the Father, was in possession of that specific day and hour. Therefore, the disciples would have to diligently watch for those revealed events which would mark the nearness of the end, requiring that they take heed to the significance of these events so that the end would not elude them, catching them unaware and exposing them to the destructive judgment of the day of Yahweh.
It was possible to be found unprepared, thus, to lose one’s standing among the faithful ones. To be found unprepared meant one had become conquered rather than being a conqueror. The conqueror would be faithful to the end, fighting as a spiritual warrior in the conquering New Covenantal Army of Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed, Davidic Warrior-King (Rev. 19:11-16). The conquered one would be found unfaithful, unprepared because of a lack of faith in the word of Yahweh and His Anointed One. Such a one would be given over to “great affliction” (Rev. 2:22 CV) because he had not kept the warning of Jesus, “ what you have, hold until that time whenever I should be arriving” (Rev. 2:25 CV); thus the necessity of not revealing the day and hour.
Jesus clearly teaches the imminence of His Parousia, His royal Approach/Arrival. His Apostles, disciples, and the writers of the Greek Scriptures all expected His imminent Parousia. Jesus could not be and was not a false prophet. He did not deceive His disciples. His Parousia took place as announced prophetically. His disciples were not disappointed.
Jesus now turns to the ancient past to further qualify the character of His Parousia. He compares the last days of the Mosaic Eon with the days of Noah. The last days just prior to the great flood exemplify the last days just prior to “the presence [Parousia, royal Approach/Arrival] of the Son of the Man” (Matt. 24:39b CV modified).
As the ancients went about their business as usual—eating, drinking, marrying etc.—taking no heed to the activity of Noah as he constructed an innovative, new technological phenomenon, so also the present evil generation of apostate Israelites would be going about their business as usual—eating, drinking, marrying, and opposing Roman enslavement (in the confidence of the flesh rather than the confidence of the spirit exemplified by Abraham their forefather)—taking no heed to the activity of the Saints, the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, as they proclaimed the innovative, new covenantal Gospel of Jesus the Messiah. The present evil generation, like the ancients in the days of Noah, would refuse to acknowledge as significant the activity of the resurrected and ascended Jesus the Messiah as He constructed His innovative, new spiritual House, His Ecclesia, the new Israel of Yahweh, the spiritual New Covenantal Ark of Jesus the Messiah.
As the ancients in the days of Noah had failed to acknowledge the significant warning of Noah’s activity until Noah entered the ark and the deluge of the waters caught them unaware and unprepared, so also the present evil generation of Apostate Israel (having failed to acknowledge as significant the activity of the Ecclesia of the Messiah, the Anointed One of Yahweh) would be caught unaware and unprepared by the destructive judgment of Yahweh suffered during the period of the Parousia, the royal Approach/Arrival, of His Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah. As Noah’s parousia (his royal presence, his divinely appointed approach and entrance into the ark) had unleashed the deluge of the waters, making escape/salvation from judgment impossible, so also Jesus the Messiah’s Parousia (His royal presence, His divinely appointed Approach and Arrival) would unleash the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, making escape/salvation from judgment impossible.
Thus, Israel, in the eyes of Yahweh, is divided into two nations, two kingdoms: Apostate Israel and Faithful Israel, the Saulite Kingdom and the Davidic Kingdom, the evil generation and the righteous generation, the lost and the saved. This is the meaning of the following explanation of Jesus:
Then two shall be in the field; one is taken along [into the Celestial Allotment] and one
left [for the judgment against Apostate
Every Israelite is confronted with a choice: receive or reject Jesus the Messiah, receive or reject the Gospel of Christ, submit to or rebel against the authority of Yahweh and His Anointed One, become a citizen of the New Israel or remain a citizen of the Apostate Israel.
Those who choose Yahweh and His Anointed One are responsible to remain faithful to the end. They must be continually watching for the prophetic events as revealed in Jesus’ Eschatological Proclamation. Having observed the occurrence of these prophetic events, they must acknowledge their revealed significance, taking heed to their warning, for these events would occur during the course of their present generation.
Acknowledging the holy, new covenantal significance of these prophetic events would contribute to their welfare as faithful ones. The heeding of these prophetic events would keep them prepared for the specific day and hour of the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah Who is appointed to lead them into the promised Celestial Allotment. Thus, their faithfulness would be put to the test. By faith they would take heed to the prophetic events as they faithfully kept watch, not knowing the specific day or hour of their Lord’s trumpeting call of assembly for entrance into their Blessed Hope.
Watchfulness would prevent the deception of the false prophets from turning them back to the Sinatic Covenant, back to Apostate Israel, her man of lawlessness and her lawless rebellion against Yahweh in the very name of Yahweh. By taking heed to the prophetic words of Jesus’ Eschatological Proclamation, the faithful ones would avoid being led astray by the deceptive operation of the parousia of the man of lawlessness inspired by Satan, The Adversary, who would be dispatched for this task on the authority of the Lord Jesus. To forget to be watchful, to fail to observe, perceive, and acknowledge the significance of these prophetic events is to leave oneself vulnerable to the deception of the great lie, the great falsehood of the secret of lawlessness conjured up by The Adversary himself with the blessing of Yahweh Himself (see 2 Thess. 2:1-12). For by this means, Yahweh would cull out from His people, His nation, His Kingdom, all the sons of Cain, the apostate ones whose hearts are uncircumcised (Matt. 13:36-43).
The importance of the exhortation “Be watching” is confirmed by the fact that it is the theme of the remaining verses of Matthew, chapter 24, and the concluding parables and metaphoric judgment of Jesus’ Eschatological Proclamation found in chapter 25. This exhortation is vital to the purpose of Jesus’ Eschatological Proclamation. It is the practical heart of this prophetic revelation. Jesus goes on to declare,
if the householder were aware in what watch the thief is coming, he would watch, and would not let his house be tunneled into. Therefore you [His disciples] also become ready, for in an hour which you are not supposing, the Son of the Man is coming. (Matthew 24:43-44 CV)
Like such a householder, the disciples of Jesus do not know the specific watch, the specific day or hour, during which Jesus will come to assemble and lead His Ecclesia into the promised Celestial Allotment. Therefore, they are to watch continuously. They are to be continually ready, prepared, for the thief-like coming of Jesus.
Jesus continues His exhortation to be continually watchful by characterizing “the faithful and prudent slave” (Matt. 24:45a CV), the disciple who will be faithful to the end. In this instance, He is addressing His close disciples, His apostles whom He will commission to lead and teach His people. These are the ones responsible to spiritually nourish His people during their spiritual journey through the wilderness of the apostate world-order (of the corrupted and distorted Sinatic Covenant) on their way to entrance into the promised Celestial Allotment. This spiritual journey through this Sinatic/Judaic wilderness (during which the Israel of Yahweh would require the spiritual nourishment of the New Davidic Covenant as provided by the operation of the spirit of Yahweh) was about to begin at the upcoming Festival of Pentecost.
These chosen slaves given authority and power over the Israel of Yahweh would be placed by Jesus their Lord
over his [Yahweh’s] household [the ecclesia being built by Jesus, see Heb. 3:6] to give them [the faithful ones] nourishment [spiritual knowledge and wisdom contained in the New Davidic Covenant of Jesus the Messiah] in season [30 a.d. through 70 a.d., the last days of the Mosaic Eon, the last days of that present evil generation]. (Matthew 24:45b CV)
These chosen slaves (Apostles and disciples placed in positions of authority) are characterized as Happy (blessed, honored) if they are found faithfully executing their responsibilities at the coming of Jesus their Lord. Thus, like all the faithful ones, they are required to be faithful to the end, to be continually watchful, to be continually ready to receive Him at His coming.
For though they do not know the specific day or hour of the final Arrival of His royal Approach, they have been given and, therefore, have knowledge of the season, the era, of His Parousia (His royal Approach/Arrival) as a result of the informative prophetic events revealed in His Eschatological Proclamation. This gracious proclamation characterizes a distinct portion of time, a period consisting of specific events having a salvational significance for all those believing these prophetic revelations of Jesus. The consecutive occurrence of these revelational events will preparatorily alert the faithful ones to the nearness of Jesus’ final royal Arrival.
These events announce the Approach of the royal presence of the Davidic King to all those having ears to hear and eyes to perceive, as Jesus declares in His lesson to be learned from the season of the fig tree:
Whenever its bough may already be becoming tender, and the leaves sprouting out, you know that summer is near. Thus you, also, whenever you may be perceiving all these things [the previously revealed prophetic events], know that He [Yahweh through His Anointed Davidic King] is near—at the doors. (Matthew 24:32‑33 CV)
Those clinging faithfully to the words of Jesus will not be deceived (by the operation of lawlessness) into turning back to the decrepit and dying Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. For, taking heed to the spiritual significance of these prophetic events, they will not be discouraged by the relatively lengthy interval of time (approximately 40 years) preceding the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah. They will not be discouraged into giving up their blessed hope associated with the promised imminent Parousia of their Lord and King.
The worthless (kakos) slave, however, says in his heart, “Delaying is my lord” (Matt. 24:48 CV). The word “delaying” can mislead the reader into understanding an unintended lapse of time due to some unforeseen obstacle. However, the Greek word here translated delaying is chronizo. It is a derivation of the Greek word chronos, which means time, a space or period of time. The worthless slave concludes that since his master has not yet returned after so long a period of time, he is not going to return at all. His master has not simply been delayed for whatever reason, but, in fact, will not be returning.
The worthless slave concludes the master is not worthy of his (the servant’s) faithfulness. The master cannot be trusted. He is not faithful to his word. He declared he would return soon, but the great lapse of time which has passed only indicates he will not be returning at all. So concludes the worthless slave. If this be the truth, there is no need to carry out the master’s instructions. As a result, the worthless slave begins “to beat his fellow slaves,” “eating and drinking with the drunken” (Matt. 24:49 CV).
The worthless slave Jesus is referring to is the apostate slave whose heart reflects his Cainite character. He comes to perceive his Abelite brothers as fools. His Abelite brothers continue to trust in the words and promises of Jesus the Messiah, their Lord and King. They observe, perceive, and take heed to the significance of the revealed prophetic events. The lengthy interval of time is not perceived as a delay. They understand this interval in terms of the occurrences of the prophetical events and the words of Jesus defining the furthest boundary of the intervening period of time culminating in His Parousia:
by no means may this [very] generation be passing by till all these things [the prophetic events just elaborated] should be occurring. (Matthew 24:34 CV)
The Abelite faithful slave continues to believe in the imminent Parousia of Jesus the Messiah. The Cainite worthless slave no longer believes in the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah. He concludes that this Jesus is a false messiah, a false christ, thus, Jesus becomes to him “antichrist”:
Little children, it is the last hour, and, according as you hear that the antichrist is coming, now also there have come to be many antichrists, whence we know that it is the last hour. Out of us they come, but they were not of us, . . . (1 John 2:18-19a CV)
The worthless slave turns away from Jesus as the Messiah,
turns away from the covenantal life of the New Davidic Covenant, turning back
to the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant about to be terminated by Yahweh’s execution of
the verdict of death pronounced at
These apostate Israelites, rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, are characterized and judged by the writer of Hebrews,
For it is impossible for those once enlightened, besides tasting the celestial gratuity and becoming partakers of holy spirit, and tasting the ideal declaration of God, besides the powerful deeds of the impending eon, and falling aside, to be renewing them again to repentance while crucifying for themselves the Son of God again and holding Him up to infamy. (Hebrews 6:4-6 CV)
This worthless slave of Jesus the Messiah, concluding in his heart that Jesus is not the Messiah (because of his conception of the unacceptable length of time without the fulfillment of His Parousia), is equivalent to the one David characterized when he wrote,
The decadent one [the fool, KJV] says in his heart, There is no Elohim. They [the decadent ones] have become corrupt and abhorrent with iniquitous deeds. There is no one [of these decadent ones, these fools] doing good. Yahweh, He gazes down from the heavens on the [these] sons of humanity, To see whether there is anyone [of them] acting intelligently, Anyone [of them] seeking after Elohim. All [of these decadent ones, these fools] withdraw aside; together they are spoiled. There is no one [of them] doing good; There is not even one. (Psalms 14:1-3 CV)
Such is the characterization of all apostate Israelites. Each has had the gracious advantage of Yahweh’s Law, Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, Yahweh’s instructions and testimonies, Yahweh’s compassion and mercy, Yahweh’s election and salvation.
These worthless slaves of Jesus the Messiah are to be
identified with the unfaithful, Cainish nation of
The nation at the foot of the mountain (this first evil generation), however, was not told how long Moses would be gone. By faith, this evil generation should have believed that Moses would return, for it served the only living Elohim Who had just given it covenantal life and, prior to this, had been redeemed from Egyptian bondage by the mighty hand of Yahweh and the authorized leadership of Moses. But what was the evil, decadent conclusion of this apostate, Cainite nation?!
The people saw that Moses was tardy to descend from the
mountain. So the people assembled themselves against Aaron and said to him:
Rise! Make for us elohim who shall go before us, for this Moses, the man who
brought us up from the land of
As this first evil generation of Cainite, Apostate Israel had turned away from Moses, turning back to the bondage in Egypt because they believed Moses would not return from the presence of Yahweh, so also this last evil generation of Cainite, Apostate Israel would turn away from Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One of Yahweh, turning back to the bondage and death-verdict (the Second Death) of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. As the first evil generation had turned away from the covenantal life of the Sinatic Covenant to the death of a molten elohim, so also the antichrist apostate generation within and without the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah would turn away from the covenantal life of the New Davidic Covenant to the death of the decrepit Sinatic Covenant manifested by the creation of its own molten elohim, the man of lawlessness forging his own abomination of desolation.
Apostate
This worthless slave disregards the significance of the graciously revealed prophetic events. He impetuously becomes impatient. He denies the significance of the prophetic events. He judges the promise of Jesus by his own timetable rather than trusting in the timetable determined by Yahweh, Who alone knows the specific day and hour. He Who, through this Eschatological Proclamation of Jesus, reveals to His people, His faithful ones, the necessary information providing ample warning of the nearness of the Parousia, as well as the ultimate extension of the final season, the final era, the final days of the Mosaic Eon—the interval of time represented by the present, contemporary generation of Jesus and the Apostles:
by no means may this [very present contemporary] generation [of mine] be passing by till all these things [the catalogue of prophetic events announcing My Parousia, My royal Approach/Arrival] should be occurring. (Matthew 24:34 CV)
The Parousia of Jesus was conditioned upon (subjunctive mood, “may,” “should”) the occurrence of each revealed prophetic event during the course or duration of His contemporary generation (which, according to the law of Jubilee, would consist of no more than 50 years).
Finally, having rejected the return of Jesus and accounting Him a false prophet, a false messiah, a false christ, an antichrist, the worthless slave metaphorically/covenantally beats his fellow slaves (the Abelites) with his proclamation of the falsehood of Jesus and the deception of the Gospel of Christ and the supposedly new covenant superseding the Mosaic Covenant. He attempts to lead astray the faithful Abelites. He seeks to lead a new exodus back to the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. In doing this, he once again eats and drinks with those drunk with the old contaminated wine of the death-dealing Sinatic Covenant, unknowingly becoming himself metaphorically/covenantally drunk with the old, contaminated wine of the Sinatic Covenant. In refusing to prepare himself for the deliverance of the Parousia of Jesus, he prepares himself for the destructive judgment of Yahweh’s wrath:
the lord of that slave [the worthless slave] will be arriving on a day for which he is not
hoping, and in an hour which he knows not, and shall be cutting him asunder [cutting him off from the salvation of his
people], and will be appointing his part with the hypocrites [Apostate
The worthless slave, having undergone the destructive judgment of Yahweh’s wrath administered by Jesus the Messiah, shall lament the mistake of his decadent, unbelieving heart, resulting in his bitterness over his loss as a member of the final evil generation of the Mosaic Eon.
The faithful and prudent slave assigned a place of authority over the household of Jesus the Messiah, however, at the victorious arrival of Jesus (to lead His Ecclesia, His Bride, His Body, the Israel of Yahweh, into her Celestial Allotment) will be reassigned. In the coming new eon, the coming new world-order, the coming new heavens and earth inaugurated at the entrance of Jesus the Messiah and His Body into the Celestial Allotment prepared for them (the new humanity, the new spiritual Adam and Eve), the faithful and prudent slave previously authorized to administer the affairs of the Ecclesia during the last days of the Mosaic Eon will receive authorization to administer the affairs of Jesus the Messiah related to all His possessions (Matt. 24:47b) in the Celestial Realm as well as the terrestrial realm. These faithful slaves will join the company of celestial authorities (sons of El) and, in some cases, supersede the positions of authority occupied by many of these celestial authorities, such as those celestial sons of El who had been given authority over the nations after the judgment at Babel (see Deut. 32:7-9 CV, RSV; Eph. 1:15-23 CV, NGEINT).
The theme of watching continues as Jesus turns to a parable of the kingdom of the heavens. This kingdom (the new Davidic Kingdom) is likened to ten virgins. Each one, taking her torch (or lamp), goes out to meet the bridegroom. Five of these virgins are described as stupid (Greek = Moros, dull, foolish, heedless, mentally out of harmony with the truth of Yahweh). Five are described as prudent (Greek = phronimos, thoughtful, discreet, wise, cautiously waiting for and acknowledging the significance of the prophetic events revealed by Jesus, NGEINT).
The number ten symbolically represents the completion of a
cycle (for example: the ten commandments, the ten plagues in
The ten is divided into two groups of five. The number five symbolically represents the favor or grace of Yahweh. Each group of five virgins has been graced, favored with the light of the Gospel, the spiritual knowledge derived from the New Davidic Covenant, derived from the revelational significance of the prophetic events described in the Eschatological Proclamation of Jesus the Messiah.
The five heedless virgins neglect to take along the sufficient amount of oil needed to keep their torches burning until the actual arrival of the bridegroom. These five represent the worthless slaves who impatiently conclude that Jesus is not going to return, making Him a false prophet. These five represent apostate Israelites within the Ecclesia (the Davidic Kingdom of Jesus the Messiah). They are antichrists impatiently failing to take heed to the prophetic events revealed by Jesus, faithlessly denying the word of Jesus as to His Parousia occurring during the course of the present evil generation (symbolized by their neglect to take along the sufficient supply of oil).
The five prudent virgins wisely calculate the need to take along the sufficient supply of oil needed to keep their torches burning until the actual arrival of the bridegroom. These five represent the faithful, prudent slaves who patiently endure the sufferings of the Gospel, faithfully concluding that Jesus would return within the course of the present evil generation, refusing to become discouraged by the lengthy interval of time that has already passed without His return. They continue to believe the word of Jesus. They continue to believe the imminence of His Parousia. They represent faithful Israelites within the Davidic Kingdom of Jesus the Messiah. They faithfully observe, perceive, and acknowledge as spiritually significant the occurrence of the prophetic events spoken of by Jesus. They cautiously remain alert, carefully waiting for the significant events warning them of the nearness of the Parousia (symbolized by their faithful calculations and foresight to obtain a sufficient supply of oil).
As the night progresses (that is, the lengthy interval of time during which the virgins await the arrival of the bridegroom, Jesus the Messiah), all ten virgins sleep as their torches continue to burn. However, in the middle of the night, a clamor of voices is heard, waking the ten virgins to the rumor that the bridegroom approaches. The five heedless virgins discover the insufficiency of their oil supply. The light of their torches is dwindling. Their supply of oil is insufficient. They seek to borrow oil from the five prudent virgins who refuse their request. Having an insufficient supply of oil, the five foolish virgins return to the sellers of oil in order to buy what they lack. In the interim, the bridegroom arrives and the five prudent virgins, who had gone out to meet him at the rumor of his approach, enter with him into the wedding festivities.
The five heedless, unfaithful virgins, having neglected the necessary indwelling operation of the counter-alterating spirit, had not observed, perceived, and acknowledged as significant the prophetic events spoken of by Jesus. The lengthy interval of time that had passed indicated to them that Jesus was not going to return. They concluded that he was a false prophet, a false messiah, a false anointed one. Thus, their oil (their faithfulness to the indwelling operation of the spirit) ran out (the quenching of the spirit).
At the rumor of his approach, they are impelled to return to
the sellers of oil to buy what they are lacking. But they can no longer buy the
oil from Yahweh’s servants. It is too late to restore the indwelling operation
of the counter-alterating spirit. Their faithlessness, their unbelief,
necessitates their return to the servants of Apostate Israel. Rejecting Jesus
as the Messiah and His New Davidic Covenant, they are flushed out of the
Davidic Kingdom of Jesus and rush back to the Old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant (the
only oil [spiritual operation] available and the oil of their unbelieving,
apostate choice). They return to the apostate nationalistic call to covenantal
war against
However, after experiencing the destructive judgment of the
Parousia of Jesus the Messiah against
They were not faithful to the end. They had lost their
standing among the faithful ones, the spiritual children of faithful Abraham.
They had been cut off from the people of Yahweh, the Israel of Yahweh, the
Davidic Kingdom of Jesus the Messiah. They had been cut off from the holy,
righteous nation entering into the
The five prudent virgins (representing those faithful to Jesus the Messiah to the end, dipping their torches in the oil [of the indwelling operation of the counter-alterating spirit] previously prepared for His arrival on the specific day and the specific hour not revealed to them) are found watchfully prepared. Upon hearing the announcement of His approach, they take up their lighted torches (representing their faithful watchfulness to the end) and go out to meet Him. He recognizes and acknowledges them, escorting these faithful ones into the wedding activities. The faithful, virginal, unspotted Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah is led by Jesus into the promised Celestial Allotment. The parable then concludes, again, with the vital warning:
Watch, then, for you are not aware of the day, neither the hour. (Matthew 25:13 CV)
Watchfulness implies faithfulness. Jesus now presents to His disciples a parable emphasizing the importance of faithful service. A man about to travel (Jesus Himself), calling His slaves (His Apostles and disciples) to Himself, places in their care His possessions (the Gospel of Christ announcing the terms of the New Davidic Covenant). In order to assure their success in this crucial endeavor, he gives each slave a specific number of talents (money, symbolizing spiritual gifts, those gifts, powers, of the spirit enabling the faithful slaves of Jesus the Messiah to keep His word, to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, to successfully obey the voice of Yahweh in the last days of the Mosaic Eon, cf. Gal. 5:22-26, Eph. 4:7-14).
To one he gives five talents, to a second he gives two talents, to a third he gives one talent. He gives to each according to each one’s characteristics and abilities, according to Yahweh’s placement of each within the corporate body of The Christ, the Ecclesia. The function of each is in accord with the predetermined will of The Father. The responsibility of each slave is to apply his talents, his gifts, as empowered by the spirit of Yahweh’s Anointed Son Whom He roused from the dead. These slaves were to occupy themselves with the implementation of the empowering gifts given by their lord during the interval of his absence.
According to the parable, the lord immediately begins his travel after providing each of his slaves with the appropriate amount of talents. The first slave, investing his five talents, gains five more talents. The second slave, investing his two talents, gains two more talents. But the third slave, receiving the one talent, merely digs a hole in the earth and buries his one talent.
After much time (40 years, 30 a.d.–70 a.d.), the lord (Jesus) of these slaves (His Apostles and disciples) returns to evaluate their service. To the first slave gaining five more talents, the lord declares, “Well done! good and faithful slave. Over a few [responsibilities] were you faithful; over many [responsibilities] will I place you. Enter into the joy of your lord!” (Matt. 25:21 CV). To the second slave gaining two more talents, the lord repeats the same praise given to the first slave. Each of these slaves had applied his empowering gifts producing great gain. Each proved himself a profitable servant, honoring the character and reputation of his lord.
The third slave, however, receiving and burying his one talent, is found worthless. He defends himself by arguing,
Lord, I knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you do not sow, and gathering whence you do not scatter. And, being afraid, having gone away, I hid your talent in the earth. Lo! you have what is yours! (Matthew 25:24b-25 CV modified)
This slave knows the character and reputation of his lord. He knows Yahweh and His Anointed Son demand responsible obedience to Their gracious covenants. He knows Yahweh’s gifts, Yahweh’s blessings, require their being used with the purpose of manifesting His character and glory among the nations. Yahweh’s election necessitates obedient thought and behavior in relation to the terms of His covenant. In return for abundant covenantal blessing, the covenanted servants of Yahweh must render obedient service to His law, producing and manifesting His righteousness.
This worthless third slave fears the cost of producing and manifesting the righteousness of Yahweh and His Anointed Son as revealed in His Gospel, His New Davidic Covenant. He receives the message of the Gospel of God and His Christ, but fears to produce its fruit in his practical daily endeavors. Thus, he refuses to share in the sufferings of the Christ; he refuses to partake of the persecution on account of righteousness, the righteousness of Yahweh, the righteousness of Jesus the Messiah, the righteousness of the Gospel, the righteousness of the New Davidic Kingdom (see Matt. 5:1-12). He had been given the counter-alterating spirit which had dwelt within him, but he had not in faithfulness submitted himself to the indwelling operation of the spirit. The spirit had been quenched. Thus, he produced no works of righteousness. Faith without works is dead.
To this worthless slave, his lord (Jesus) judiciously pronounces his just judgment,
Wicked and slothful slave! You were aware that I am reaping where I do not sow [expecting obedient production of covenantal blessing. Yahweh provides the seed, His servant does the sowing, and Yahweh enjoys the reaping], and gathering whence I do not scatter. It was binding on you, then, to be depositing my silver with the bankers [applying one’s spiritual gifts, assets], and on coming, I should recover what is mine together with interest [produce much righteous fruit with the aide of Yahweh’s cultivating spirit]. Take the talent [the spiritual gift, talent provided by the counter-alterating spirit dwelling within him] away from him then, and give it to the one who has ten talents. (Matthew 25:26b-28 CV)
His worthless slave, having received the gift of the spirit and having buried it, rendering it useless, is to have the spirit taken from him. Again, the writer of Hebrews accurately explains the worthlessness of this slave. Having tasted the celestial gift, thus, partaking of the holy spirit of Yahweh, and falling aside (rendering it useless), this slave has again crucified for himself the Son of Yahweh, holding him up to infamy, that is, dishonoring Him (see Heb. 6:4-8). This worthless slave is likened to land bringing forth thorns and thistles. As this land is disqualified as infertile, being fit only for burning; so also, this worthless slave is disqualified from entrance into the Celestial Allotment of the faithful ones, being fit only for the destructive judgment of the day of Yahweh’s wrath (Heb. 6:8).
Jesus concludes this parable as follows:
For to everyone [every slave] who has shall be given, and he shall have a superfluity, yet from the one who has not, that also which he has shall be taken away from him; and the useless slave cast out into outer darkness. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:29-30 CV)
Every faithful slave who has produced holy, spiritual fruit, shall be rewarded generously. Every worthless, useless, unfaithful slave who has not produced holy fruit will be spiritually disqualified, having the spirit of Yahweh rescinded. At the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah, this disqualified slave would be cast into outer darkness, that is, he would be cast out of the New Davidic Kingdom of light into the old Saulistic Kingdom of darkness far removed from the covenantal presence of Yahweh, which darkness is associated with the death of the Old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. Thus, he would be appointed his part with Apostate Israel in the darkness of the Second Death. He would undergo the curse of the Mosaic Law, the termination of the relationship to Yahweh once provided by the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. Consequently, this worthless slave would lament the loss of his salvation and, with gnashing teeth, regret the dreadful condition of alienation from Yahweh.
Jesus concludes His Eschatological Proclamation with a word
concerning the nations. For the Law and the Prophets had promised the blessing
of the nations through the seed of Abraham, through the elect twelve tribes of
The Bride would become the Body, the Wife, the Complement of
Jesus the Messiah with the completion of the entrance of this elect people from
among the nations into the
In this conclusion to the Eschatological Proclamation, Jesus provides another significant prophetic event signaling the nearness of His Parousia. Jesus announces that whenever He, the Son of the Man, should be coming in His glory accompanied by His holy celestial messengers, He would be metaphorically seated upon the throne of His glory. In the process of His unveiling the glory of His faithful ones during His royal Approach, He would metaphorically gather before His throne the nations. By nations, He does not mean the collective, corporate bodies of various nations, but individuals belonging to these various national bodies. This is confirmed by the shift from the neuter “all the nations” to the use of the masculine pronoun “them” to refer to the separating of the individual members of these nations:
then shall He be seated on the throne of His glory, and in front of Him shall be gathered all the nations [neuter]. And He shall be severing them [masculine, the individual men among the nations] from one another even as a shepherd [Jesus Himself] is severing the sheep from the kids [goats]. And He shall be standing the sheep, indeed, at His right, yet the kids at the left. (Matthew 25:31b-33 CV)
This judgment, therefore, is individual rather than national.
In the previous parable, Jesus had distinguished the faithful
servants from the worthless servants. That judgment separated the sheep from
the goats of those servants from among the nation
Note the omission of the word stand in relation to the goats. The faithful stand at His right, indicating they are worthy to stand among the faithful ones. The goats metaphorically do not stand. They have failed to meet the requirements of faithful service. They have lost their standing among the servants found faithful at the Parousia/Approach of their Lord and King.
To the faithful sheep standing at His right, the King declares,
Hither, blessed [honored] of My Father! Enjoy the allotment of the kingdom made ready for you from the casting-down [establishment] of a world-order [the world-order of the Sinatic Covenant]. For I hungered and you gave Me to eat; I thirsted and you gave Me drink; a stranger was I and you took Me in; naked and you clothed Me; infirm was I and you visited Me; in jail was I and you came to Me. (Matthew 25:34b-36 my translation)
These justified, faithful servants, surprised, inquire as to when they had performed these deeds, these services, on His behalf. The King replies,
In as much as you did it to one of these, the least of
My brethren [His circumcised kinsmen,
faithful
Paul historically confirms the fulfillment of this prophetic event when he writes,
For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of
the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal
promises. Yet the nations are to glorify God for His mercy, according as it is
written, “Therefore I shall be acclaiming Thee [Yahweh] among the nations,” [Psalms
18:49] . . . And again he [Moses] is saying, “Be merry, ye
nations, with His [Yahweh’s] people [
Paul further declares, concerning the grace of Yahweh toward him, that Yahweh had commissioned him,
to be the minister of Christ Jesus for the nations,
acting as a priest of the evangel of God [Yahweh],
that the approach present of the nations may be becoming well received, having
been hallowed by holy spirit. . . . yet now I am going to
Paul, in this passage, is on his way to
In as much as you did it to one of these, the least of
My brethren, you did it to
To the metaphoric goats (the unfaithful Gentile servants), the King, turning to His left, declares,
Go from Me, you cursed, into the fire eonian, made ready for the Adversary and his messengers. (Matthew 25:41b CV)
These uncircumcised servants, having received the Gospel from the commissioned Israelites of Yahweh and His Anointed One, had not manifested it in their lives. They had not respected the position and function of the saints, the circumcised faithful ones (“to the Jew first, and to the Greek as well,” Rom. 1:16b CV). They had not humbly served the needs of the authorized and persecuted elect, circumcised Israelites who bore the responsibility for their spiritual welfare. These Gentile believers in Jesus the Messiah haughtily considered themselves better than the blind and ignorant Israelites, failing to give these Israelites the honor due them as Yahweh’s elect. Paul had to warn these Gentile believers,
You will be declaring, then, “Boughs [blind and ignorant
These metaphoric goats, fearing the persecution on behalf of the righteousness of the New Davidic Kingdom, avoid serving the needs of those Israelites sharing in the sufferings of Jesus the Messiah. In avoiding the sufferings on behalf of Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One of Israel, they neglect to meet the economic, social, political, and spiritual needs of the suffering servants of Yahweh’s circumcised faithful ones. In denying these needs to the faithful brethren of Jesus the Messiah, they had denied them to Jesus Himself. As they had denied Him, He, in His faithfulness to the justice of His word, denied them.
As such, they would be condemned to bear the curse of the Mosaic
Law together with all those committed to Apostate Israel. Having refused to
share in the sufferings of the Messiah, they would share in the metaphoric
eonian fire of the judgment of the Second Death, the destruction of
The
And these [the
Gentile goats, together with Apostate
The term eonian
chastening, as a last reference to the judging of Apostate Israel and the
unfaithful Gentiles, indicates the survival of
Eventually, she would be gathered out from among the nations and once again formed into the nation she is meant to be. Yahweh would not forget the nation generated at Sinai, the Cainite Israel. She would have her share in the blessings prepared for all nations under the rule of Jesus the Messiah and His Celestial Ecclesia (those going away into eonian life, i.e., life in the new age). The restoration of Israel as a national corporate body occupying once again her land became an historical reality in 1948, the rebirth or regathering of modern (non-covenantal) Israel.
Having completed His Eschatological Proclamation with its
indispensable warnings, Jesus prepares Himself to endure death as
The Jews [the chief priests and the elders of the people], then, said to him [Pilate], “To us it is not allowed to kill anyone,” . . . (John 18:31b CV)
These Jewish rulers are determined to put Jesus to death, even as Caiaphas, that year’s chief priest, had unknowingly prophesied,
it is expedient for us [
And as Jesus had predicted,
that the word of Jesus may be fulfilled which He said, signifying by what death [crucifixion] He was about to be dying. (John 18:32 CV)
In the eyes of Caiaphas and the rulers of Apostate Israel, it is expedient that Jesus be put to a crucifixion death for two reasons: first, in order that the apostate nation of Israel might not perish as a political entity in the Roman world-order; second, in order that the people of Israel might be discouraged from following this dangerous rabbi who posed a threat to the nation’s covenantal relationship to Yahweh.
However, in the eyes of Yahweh, Whose spirit inspired
Caiaphas’ prophecy, it is necessary that Jesus die a crucifixion death in order
to redeem the Israel of Yahweh from His verdict against the Sinatic Covenant
(national covenantal death) and in order that His shed blood might utterly and
completely cleanse the nation and individual Israelites from their covenantal
sins against Yahweh and His Law (the curse of the Mosaic Law). By means of the
crucifixion death of Jesus, Yahweh would execute His verdict of death
pronounced against
The chief priests and elders fear the people because the people perceive Jesus as a prophet. They fear the people will follow Jesus, taking heed to His teachings. Therefore, in order to attain their goal of crucifixion death, they assemble before the dais of Pilate a group of people from their own ranks, thus, in agreement with their political and religious policies. These people have been coached to demand the crucifixion death of Jesus. When Pilate attempts to release Jesus, these planted, coached people, committed to the policies of the chief priests and elders, cry out as one unified multitude,
Away with this one! Yet release for us Bar-Abbas . . . Crucify, crucify him [Jesus]! (Luke 23:18b, 21 CV)
Luke then concludes, “And
their voices and the chief priests' prevailed” (Lk. 23:23b CV). It is this
apostate people preselected and coached by the chief priests and elders (see
Matt. 27:20) who demands the crucifixion of Jesus. It is this apostate people
(to be differentiated from the people of
His blood be on us and on our children! (Matthew 27:25 CV)
while the chief priests testify arrogantly,
No king have we except Caesar! (John 19:15b CV)
These apostate Israelites deny Yahweh as their king, demonstrating their rebellious and stiff-necked character by demanding the crucifixion death of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Israel’s only legitimate King. The blood of Jesus is to be held against only these apostate Israelites and their children, not the nation as a whole nor the future generations of the nation as a whole.
Jesus, obeying the will of His Father, submits Himself to the Jewish apostate rulers and the Roman authorities, enduring the suffering and the death of a cross. His Father, however, remaining faithful to His oath sworn to David, “out of the fruit of his [David’s] loin to seat One on his [David’s] throne . . .” (Acts 2:30b CV), rouses Him out from among the dead,
He was neither forsaken in the unseen, nor was His flesh acquainted with decay. . . . Being, . . . to the right hand of God exalted, . . . obtaining the promise of the holy spirit . . . (Acts 2:31b-33a CV)
His disciples are totally unprepared for this most unexpected turn of events. They would be temporarily scattered and discouraged, almost losing all hope. But Jesus, as He had foretold them, is resurrected from the dead and appears to them, restoring their hope and confidence and commissioning them to
disciple all the nations, . . . teaching them to be keeping all, whatever I direct you. And lo! I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon! Amen! (Matthew 28:19b-20 CV)
At this time, His disciples understand disciple all the nations to be restricted to the Jews among the nations.
They would soon learn the full extent of the yet hidden meaning concealed in
this reference to the nations.