Tag / William Earnhardt

by In Light Of The Cross

How can Psalm 91:7-8 be True While Bad Things Happen to Righteous People?

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Many Christians find comfort in these words from the Psalmist, but may not fully understand their meaning, 

A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Psalm 91:7-8 NKJV

I have had people ask me why their loved one died of COVID while claiming this Bible promise. Why does God allow Christians to die in terrorist attacks? Doesn’t this Psalm say a thousand may fall or even ten thousand, but it won’t come near you?

Yes, it does, but it also goes on to say that we will only see the reward of the wicked. COVID as well as terrorist attacks are not a judgment on the wicked. There is a difference between suffering the consequences of sin and suffering the reward of the wicked, or the judgment of the wicked.

In Matthew 5:45 Jesus tells us that the rain and sunshine fall on both the good and the bad. That is all just a part of life. Well, it’s also a part of our character development. The point is that both rain and sunshine are just the consequences of living in a sinful world, but not a direct judgment. In John 9:2-3 the disciples asked if a certain man was born blind because of his own sin or his parents. For some reason, it just makes us feel better if we assure ourselves that the person suffering somehow deserved it. That way we don’t have to question the mercy and justice of God. But Jesus said the man’s blindness was not a judgment against him or his parents. We live in a sinful world where bad things just happen. Even through all of this, God’s goodness can still be seen, just like Jesus healing the blind man in John 9. 

When COVID first came on the scene someone asked me if this was the beginning of the last plagues in Revelation. I told them no. First of all, no plague describes COVID. Second, the last plagues fall on those who have the mark of the beast. See Revelation 16:2. Right now, no one has the mark of the beast, and therefore no one is currently suffering from any of the 7 last plagues of Revelation. 

Like the plagues in Exodus which fell on the Egyptians but not on any of the Israelites, the 7 last plagues only fall on the wicked. Like the plagues in Exodus, the 7 last plagues are a judgment from God on the wicked. See Revelation 16:7. I was intrigued the other day, when my father pointed out as we studied the Sabbath School lesson over the phone, that in Exodus 9:29, Moses walks out of the city before stopping the hailstorm. This meant that Moses walked through the hailstorm as he left the city, totally unscathed. This is where Psalm 91:7-8 applies. The Psalmist tells us we will not experience the reward of the wicked. While assuring us of God’s protection throughout the Psalms, the Psalmist never promises us that we will not experience any of the consequences of living in a sinful world. The Psalmist only assures us that the righteous will not experience any of the direct judgments of God on the wicked.

Just as Lot and his family were saved from the direct judgments on Sodom and Gomorrah, the righteous will be saved from the direct judgments on the wicked. Amos 3:7 tells us that God does nothing without first telling his prophets, and the direct judgments on the wicked always come with plenty of warning first. Noah preached long before the flood. Jonah warned all of Ninevah. Likewise, in Revelation 14:9-12 God has a people who will warn the world not to take the mark of the beast long before it becomes a test. 

According to Revelation 16:2, the 7 last plagues will only fall on those who have the mark of the beast. This is where the promise of Psalm 91:7-8 applies. Sure, Psalm 91 applies wherever a direct judgment from God occurs. Psalm 91:8 clearly says it is the reward of the wicked that the righteous will not experience. Meanwhile, the sunshine and rain Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:45, which are not direct judgments on the wicked, happen to both the good and the bad as a part of life. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Crucial Conversations With God

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Often in our conversations with others, we try to avoid conflict and complaining. We certainly don’t want to seem disrespectful. However, this should not keep us from having crucial conversations. In this week’s Sabbath School Lesson, Moses has a crucial conversation with God, where Moses makes some crucial accusations that some mortals may be afraid to make.

So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23 NKJV

This same Moses, who was told earlier to take off his sandals and not come too close to the burning bush because he was standing on holy ground, does not seem to have any problem here calling God out on the carpet, even accusing Him of doing nothing at all to save His people.

First, let’s address the fact that while things seemed to be getting worse and Moses could not see God working, God was working on behalf of His children. Sometimes things must get worse before they can get better. God is often working behind our backs on our behalf.

Years ago, I was a local hire Bible Worker in the Texas Conference, where I was paid by the local church rather than the conference. While I was getting several baptisms, it seemed to me that I was left out of things with the conference, and they did not seem to care. That should not have bothered me, as I was working for God, not for men, and I was a local church employee, not a conference employee. Still, it bothered me that they didn’t seem to care. Then one day, I received a letter from the conference office telling me they appreciated my work and were praying for me when they prayed for the pastors during their prayer time at the conference office. Later, as a gift, they sent a check out to all the pastors, telling them to take their wives out for dinner and a lovely evening out. Although I was not a conference employee, they sent me the same check and offer. Knowing I was single, they suggested I bring a lady friend, which I did. Just when I thought the Texas conference didn’t care, it turned out they did. They were praying for me behind my back without me even knowing about it till after the fact.

Many times, when it does not look like God is doing anything for us, He is working quite hard on our behalf, behind our backs. He has our back!

Likewise, God was working hard behind Moses’ back, even though it sure did not look like it at first. Sometimes things getting worse is a sign that something extraordinary is about to happen. You have heard the saying, “Sometimes things seem to be falling apart when they are falling into place.” That was sure true for Jacob when he had to send Benjamin to Egypt with his brothers after already losing Joseph. Poor Jacob thought everything was falling apart when, in fact, it was falling into place.

Now let’s consider Moses’ brash accusations towards God. Notice that Moses did not get struck by lightning. God understands we are only human. He expects to have crucial conversations with us. He expects us to be real with Him. Some suggest all our prayers should be nothing but praise and thanksgiving, but keep in mind that at least a third of the Psalms are lamentations, and then there is an entire book of lamentations. I think it’s called Lamentations. In Will Baron’s book, Deceived by the New Age, there is a part where Baron is deceived into thinking God wants him to give a considerable sum of money he cannot afford. Baron began cursing God and calling Him some obscene things that I will not repeat. Did God strike Baron down with lightning? No. He showed him His mercy and delivered him from the deceptions he was under.

God does not get angry with us when we are mad at Him. Being mad at Him can be a good sign because it means we at least believe He exists! And that is the difference between lamenting and just being cynical. When we lament to God, we are grieving with faith and hope. I have to believe that Moses had already seen enough of God’s goodness that even when he accused God of doing nothing at all to save them, he was meaning, “Here is your opportunity to prove me wrong, God. Go ahead and show me your glory again.”

God does not avoid crucial conversations. He invites us to have crucial conversations with Him. Is there a crucial conversation you need to have with God now? He is waiting to hear from you.

by In Light Of The Cross

What We Need to Learn From Moses’ Radical Attitude Change Towards Ministry

In this week’s lesson, we are learning about when Moses was called to lead God’s people out of Egypt. He was very reluctant to take this calling. After several miraculous signs confirmed his calling, Moses still asked to be relieved of his responsibilities.

But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” Exodus 4:13 NKJV

Of course, we know Moses goes on to take this calling and leads God’s people out of Egypt. I’m sharing here what I would like to know. How did Moses go all the way from saying, “Send anyone but me,” to telling God right after one of Israel’s lowest points,

Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” Exodus 32:32 NKJV

What I want to know is, what made Moses go from “I don’t want anything to do with this mission” to “I am willing to be blotted out of the book of life if that’s what it takes to make this mission a success.” 

While contemplating this, I think I found a clue. Moses spent a lot of time with God before the golden calf incident. God was instructing Moses concerning the sanctuary and the plan of salvation. In the sanctuary, did Moses get a glimpse of the cross? Of course, Moses had already received glimpses of the cross, like the first Passover, for example. Did the shadow of the cross change Moses’ whole disposition and attitude? Moses went from trying to avoid leading the people to immediately interceding for them when they were causing trouble. When  Mirriam has leprosy, Moses immediately intercedes for her. Then in Numbers 16, when Korah leads a rebellion, Moses again intercedes for others in the camp.

I believe Moses saw something in the sanctuary service. I believe he saw something in the shadow of the cross that radically changed his ministry. 

I shared this story before, so I will be brief here. However, I recall that when I was a literature evangelist, I was very bitter that I did not receive the award I had expected to receive. Later  I found myself walking through an old cemetery, pondering the meaning of life, when I realized I was not alive to receive awards. I was alive to share the hope of Jesus. Once I took my eyes off my pain and set them back on the cross, everything in my life made sense and became balanced again. That was 35 years ago. Ever since then, I have found that when I become hurt, bitter, and discouraged, it is because I have taken my eyes off the cross and centered them on self. At the time, I justified it by calling it self-care and taking care of my own mental health. Every time I shift my focus away from myself and back to the cross, I find healing. It’s no wonder Isaiah 53:5 states, “by His stripes we are healed.”

Regardless of what our calling is, it can be anything from parenting to leading a large organization to hosting a small group Bible study, we all have had moments when we want to throw in the towel and call it quits. Life is hard for everyone. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us no temptation comes to us but what is common to all humanity. Moses had his moments, and Elijah had his too. And so do we when we just want to throw in the towel and be done with it all. When these moments come, take some time for self-care. Take a mental health day or at least a mental health hour. But instead of a self-pity party, try this instead.  

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit.-Ellen White,  Desire of Ages, p. 83.

May I add that our mental health will be restored and balanced again, so we will be encouraged to complete the mission God has called us to. It is when I take my eyes off the cross that discouragement sets in, and I am tempted to throw in the towel and find a nice island on Google Maps where I can go live by myself. You can’t believe I just shared that on an open forum? Well, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells me I am not alone. It happened to Moses. It happened to Elijah. I bet it’s crossed your mind too. That’s why I am sharing with you that when I place my eyes back on the cross, I find healing for my mental health. I find peace, courage, and even the happiness I need to continue my calling. 

I think Moses went from running away from his God-given ministry to fiercely interceding for those he was called to minister to when he saw the glory of God’s love and His amazing sacrifice. Nothing ruins a perfectly good self-pity, woe-is-me party like the cross. Nothing brings healing, mental health, and mental stability like the cross to take on the toughest missions. It is when I look at the cross that everything in my heart and mind becomes reconciled and I am at peace. By His stripes I am healed. Isaiah 53:5.

I invite you to join me this quarter as we witness God’s grace transform Moses and the way he conducts ministry. 

by In Light Of The Cross

Let’s Explore the Book of Exodus

Dear Sabbath School and Bible Study Friends,

I have presented these challenges before, encouraging everyone to read through the entire book we are studying in the Sabbath School quarterly. With this quarter’s lesson on Exodus, I encourage everyone to read the whole book of Exodus. Many of us have read it before, but there are different ways to approach it that may help you gain fresh insights and new perspectives. For example, you may want to read a different translation than the one you are accustomed to using. After all, every translation has its strengths and weaknesses, including the KJV.

Another idea is to look for different themes in Exodus. For example, the most obvious is the Gospel and plan of salvation that we find throughout the book of Exodus. In Exodus 12, we see the shadow of the cross. Now, I am not going to tell you where else we find the Gospel in the book of Exodus; I am going to let you read it for yourself. Okay, I will give you one more example. In Exodus 15 the children of Israel find an oasis of water, but it tastes bitter. Moses is instructed to place a tree in the water, and suddenly it becomes sweet. Could the tree possibly represent the cross that takes the bitterness out of our lives, and makes our lives sweet? 

Another theme I would like to suggest watching for as you study Exodus is the theme of discipleship. Moses was a disciple of the Lord. In Exodus 18, Moses learns from his father-in-law about how to make more disciples instead of trying to do everything himself. In Matthew 28 Jesus taught His disciples to make more disciples. In Exodus 32 Aaron gives us a good example of how not to disciple. Aaron and the golden calf give us an example of how the most popular leader is not necessarily the best leader. Oh! Speaking of Exodus 32 I just thought of another glimpse of the Gospel that Moses gives us in Exodus chapter 32. But I have given away too much already. I will let you discover that one for yourself. 

Enjoy reading and studying, my friends! Be sure and share what you discover. 

by In Light Of The Cross

Does the Bible Teach Us to Disregard Man-Made Laws At Times?

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It is important to note that while the three Hebrews never even hinted at bowing to the image, they still attended the demonstration. They did not refuse to show up just because they knew where this was going. They obeyed the king as far as they could, until the king gave a command that directly violated God’s law. The example the three Hebrews gave us aligns with biblical counsel.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities….Romans 13:1 NKJV

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 NKJV

Paul instructs us to obey civil laws as far as possible without violating God’s law. Peter says that, of course, the law of God trumps civil law when civil law directly violates God’s law, but Peter did not teach us to violate civil law just for the sake of demanding our rights. After all, as a Christian, the only right I have is to pick up my cross and die with Christ. See Luke 9:23.

The same Peter who was thrown into prison by the civil servants, the same Peter who said we ought to obey God rather than men, also told us,

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 1 Peter 2:13-17 NKJV

Peter gave no validation for those who refuse to obey simply to defy the civil laws.

For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 1 Peter 2:20 NKJV

During the COVID shutdown, I was saddened by Christians who were making fun of people wearing masks and refusing to wear masks where they were required simply because they felt their rights were being taken away. Again, Luke 9:23 tells me the only right I have is to die with Christ. Wearing a mask in no way interferes with any of God’s laws. Some Christians were defiant, claiming that even more rights may be taken away that would interfere with God’s law. Still, remember the three Hebrews did not demand their rights. They obeyed just as far as they could without violating God’s law. They did not refuse to attend the ceremony just because they knew where this was going to go.

Jesus tells us,

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10 NKJV

Jesus gave no validation for those who are persecuted for any other reason than for righteousness’ sake.

Even though Jesus, Paul, and Peter had some serious run-ins with the civil authorities, they never taught us to defy civil laws just for our rights. Even when Paul mentioned in Acts 22:25 that it was unlawful for him to be scourged as a Roman citizen, he was going by civil law and not opposing it.

Many of the things people were asked to give up or do during the COVID shutdown did not violate civil law or God’s law. We recognize that these circumstances are likely to recur, and it is essential to recall that Scripture offers no justification for disobeying civil law unless it directly conflicts with God’s law. The Three Hebrews, Paul, Peter, and even Jesus, set an example for us to follow civil law as far as possible, until it directly contradicts God’s law.

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Your Current Career Does not Define you; Your Entire Life Defines you

 While I had always planned to become a pastor, my early twenties found me spinning my wheels as I forgot to return to college in the fall to complete my degree. I found a job working in the warehouse for a business forms company, where I made deliveries. There, I met Alan, who had already been there for a while, and he showed me the ropes. We became friends and started going to ball games together and eating out at Tex-Mex restaurants. He became more than just a friend to hang out with. He became a friend who helped me move from one place to another across town. He was the friend I called when my car broke down outside of town late at night. He was a little older than I, and he became like a big brother to me. 

One day, while we were waiting for clearance to make a large delivery in a secured area of the Tulsa International airport, our conversation turned to Jesus. Now, Alan was already a Christian, but he seemed eager to learn more about the faith. I shared the Sabbath with him, explaining that I observe the Seventh-day Sabbath because it is the example Jesus gave us, and our salvation is found solely in Him. He found that interesting. 

Now, I suppose I wasn’t spinning my wheels entirely, as at my local church, I had become the youngest elder at the time in the Oklahoma Adventist Conference and was doing a lot of preaching in my church and around the state. Alan would sometimes come and hear me speak, though for the most part, he was an outdoorsman who found nature to be his sanctuary, where he met with God. 

Meanwhile, Alan and I enjoyed working together about as much as you can enjoy working in a warehouse and doing deliveries. Some parts of the job were a lot of fun, such as driving to Arkansas and back to make deliveries, and meeting all the people we encountered. In the evenings, when I would drive across town to visit friends, it gave me a sense of satisfaction driving by all the businesses where I had delivered business forms. Making deliveries was a tangible way I could see the results of my labor. Still, there were times when I would be sweating while making deliveries or even in the warehouse during the day, and I would think to myself, ‘If only I were a pastor, I could spend my time making hospital visits and giving Bible studies, making better use of my time.’ I would even have more time for personal Bible study and sermon preparation. 

During the four years I worked at the business forms company, Alan and I continued our conversations about Jesus, while also doing other things. Over time, he had become familiar with my friends from church, as he joined some of our group studies and attended ball games with us. Eventually, some friends from church led me to become a literature evangelist, and I left the business forms company. However, Alan and I continued our friendship, and he even came to my rescue once when my car broke down 30 miles outside of town, where I was selling Christian books. 

After being a literature evangelist for a couple of years, a new pastor came to my church and hired me as a Bible Worker. I told Alan I needed practice giving Bible studies, and he said I could practice giving him studies. He started visiting the church with me again. Later, when I moved to Texas for a Bible Worker position, Alan and I continued being friends. Over time, we lost contact for a few years, but when Facebook emerged, we reconnected and started being friends again. By this time, I was in Florida, where I was serving as a Bible Worker. He was at my 50th birthday celebration, which I had back home in Tulsa. When my mother passed away, he was a pallbearer. Alan had his tragedies, as his son was killed in a motorcycle accident, and his wife died of a lingering illness. He would call and talk, and he was comforted as I reminded him of what we had learned in our Bible studies about the state of the dead and the hope of the second coming. 

When the conference asked me to stop being a Bible Worker so I could be a full-time conference pastor, Alan, as well as the rest of my friends, were very happy. Alan was there when I came back to Oklahoma as a guest speaker, this time as a full-time pastor, even though it was still just me. 

Alan would continue texting me prayer requests whenever anything was going on with his family or his health. He faithfully followed me on Facebook, telling me my inspirational messages were always just what he needed to read. About a week ago, Alan crossed my mind again. It had been a month since I heard from him, so I picked up the phone to call. His number was no longer working. Concerned, I went to Facebook and everything looked normal, but later I found his obituary online. He had no opportunity to text me this time as he died suddenly. 

Later, Alan’s sister contacted me on Facebook. She told me Alan often mentioned me to her and that he had always felt that I was his personal pastor. That made me feel warm inside. I thought back to earlier days at the business forms company. I always felt like I was spinning my wheels there and should have been working on becoming a pastor instead of dealing with business forms. But was I just spinning my wheels? Should I have become a pastor in my early twenties instead of spending all that time working in a business forms company? I thought to myself, one day I will meet Alan again on the streets of gold, and he will tell me he was glad I did notbecome a pastor in my early twenties. Alan will assure me that I was exactly where I belonged the whole time. 

As much as I loved being a Bible Worker and love being a pastor, I am consoled by the thought that being a pastor does not define me. My years as a Bible Worker and Pastor do not define me. My entire life defines me, and it has purpose and meaning. I wasn’t spinning my wheels at the business forms company in my early twenties. I was exactly where God wanted me to be the whole time. 

I hope my story has opened your eyes to ways God is using you where you are today. Too often, we spend our time longing to reach a life goal, not realizing that God is already using us for a purpose, every step of the way. Even if you become president of your country, that will not define you. Your whole life has purpose. Your entire life defines you. 

That day, when I was sitting in the delivery truck with my friend Alan, talking about Jesus while waiting to make our delivery at the airport, had just as much meaning and purpose as sitting behind the desk in my pastor’s office today. 

by In Light Of The Cross

Genesis to Revelation Teaches the Truth About Death and God’s Love

One of the saddest things I have ever had to do, was go to a funeral for a little girl who was hit and killed by a car. In the funeral the minister talked about how much fun Jesus and the little girl were having in heaven right now. I thought, how cruel the minister is making Jesus look to the girl’s poor mother. Jesus does not break our hearts and tear our world apart so He can have fun with our loved ones while we suffer. Jesus will be reunited with the little girl the same time the mother is-at the second coming. This is why it is so important to study the topic of death in the light of the cross and the light of God’s love. 

The minister even tried to use David as an example, claiming that when he died, he went straight to heaven to be with his son who had died. After the service I wanted to mention to the minister what Peter said in Acts 2 while sharing the prophecies about Jesus in Scripture. 

“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Acts 2:34-35 NKJV

Peter makes it clear that David’s prophecy was about Jesus and not himself, as David has not gone to heaven yet, but remains in his grave, awaiting the resurrection. 

The minister then talked about how the little girl who died is now an angel watching over us. Many believe that angels are our dead loved ones. They find comfort in the false idea that our dead loved ones are watching over us, but this lie not only leads to spiritualism, but it also leads to idolatry as it puts dead loved ones in the place of God. I find it comforting knowing God is watching over me. Why would I think my dead loved ones watching over me would be more comforting than God watching over me, when my soul hungers and thirsts for God’s love more than my family’s love? 

Nowhere does the Bible teach that our dead loved ones are angels. As a matter of fact, in Genesis we read:

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24 NKJV

We all know Cherubim are angels, In Genesis 3 we have angels before anyone has died. Therefore, angels are clearly not our dead loved ones. God Himself and the angels of heaven are watching over us now, while our dead ones are resting from their labors. I find that way more thrilling and amazing than the lie that my dead loved ones are watching over me. Prophecy teaches me our dead loved ones are taking a deserved rest. 

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” Revelation 14:13 NKJV

While we are looking at Genesis and Revelation lets look at another passage that has been skewed by the lie of spiritualism. 

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV

Many twist this passage to say that the souls of dead loved ones are literally under the altar in heaven. This makes no sense literally as we will not be living under the altar in heaven. Plus, if the dead are currently in heaven why would they be asking for vengeance against those who put them in heaven? Remember in Genesis 4:10 God tells Cain that Abel’s blood was crying out for vengeance. Abel’s blood was not literally crying out. It was symbolic. the situation was symbolically crying out for justice. Likewise in Revelation 6:9-11 it is the situation that symbolically cries out for justice, as the passage goes on to explain, while the dead continue to rest. 

From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is clear that God is love. God loves us more than our family loves us, and therefore the truth about God and angels is comforting, knowing God Himself and His angels are watching over us, and not our dead loved ones. God is also not going to tear a young mother’s world apart so He can go have fun with the mother’s child. When a child dies, God will be reunited with the child the same time the mother is, at the second coming. 

From Genesis to Revelation, we see the truth about the state of the dead, in the light of the cross and God’s love. 

You may study this week’s sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

How did we Come up With 360 Days for a Year in Bible Prophecy?

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While we are studying prophecy, with an emphasis this week on the book of Genesis, I thought it might be a good idea to elaborate on the day-for-a-year principle in prophecy and use the story of Noah, in the book of Genesis to illustrate why there are only 360 days in a prophetic year instead of 365.

Occasionally, when I am studying Daniel and Revelation with someone, they will question how we get 360 days to a prophetic year instead of 365. First, the Cambridge University Press confirms that ancient Israel had a 360-day year with each month having 30 days.

The story of Noah also confirms that in Bible times, each month had exactly 30 days, thus giving us 360 years in a Biblical year. 1
First, where do we get a day-for-a-year in Bible prophecy?

The first time we find a day for a specific year in prophecy is in the book of Numbers.

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. Numbers 14:34

Later, in Ezekiel repeats this idea of a day for a year.

For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. Ezekiel 4:5-6

So now, how does the story of Noah and the flood help us establish one year equaling 360 days to a year in Bible prophecy?

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. Genesis 7:11NKJV

And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days. Genesis 7:24 NKJV

And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. Genesis 8:3-4 NKJV

Here we clearly see that from the 17th day of the second month to the 17th day of the seventh month is exactly 150 days. Every month had 30 days equaling 360 days for a year. The 42 months of Revelation 13:5 would be 1260 prophetic days or 1260 years. 2 and “Appendix Two: The day-for-a-year principle,” .]
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1. The Jewish 360-day luni-solar calendar was adjusted by adding a leap month of 30 days every six years to coordinate with the solar year. See “Bible Prophecy Year of 360 Days,”  ↩
2. See also “What the Bible says about Day-for-a-Year- Principle,” ↩

Posted in 2025b Allusions, Images, Symbols: How to Study Bible Prophecy, Daily, Feature Tagged The Genesis Foundation permalink

You may study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

What is Wrong With the Futuristic View of Revelation?

Protestant reformers like Martin Luther used a system of prophetic interpretation based on fulfilled prophecies of the past. They found the keys to prophecies for the future in fulfilled prophecies of the past. They saw, for instance, how prophecies had been given in days and fulfilled in years. They saw names and animals that had been used for certain world powers, and they saw these same names and some of the same animals used in prophecies for the future. When Martin Luther used this system to interpret the prophecies of Revelation, he concluded that the system of the papacy was the antichrist in the book of Revelation.

Now keep in mind that it was never Martin Luther’s intention to start a new church. He wanted to reform the Catholic church. He was trying to work within the church to bring it back to the Bible, but when the church refused to go back to the Bible, Luther had to move forward.

John Hus, John Knox and many more Protestant reformers preached that the Pope was the antichrist, and that interpretation was carried on by the churches they founded. The 1260 day-for-a-year prophecy has demonstrated their calculations to be correct. Yet today, while we understand that God has His people in every church, including the Catholic church, 1many are afraid to identify the antichrist in Revelation as the papal system. Because of this, a new way of studying Bible prophecy was devised, 2which is what we now know as the futuristic approach in place of the previous historicist approach used by the Reformers and earlier Christians. It played an important role in the  Counter Reformation. This places all of the events in Revelation in the future so as not to identify the papacy as the antichrist. However, this theory has several flaws.

For instance, in January 1991, the United States began Desert Storm to relieve Kuwait from Iraqi oppression. U.S. helicopters and other aircraft were swarming the desert. At the time, a popular theologian in the futuristic tradition suggested that Revelation 9:3 was being fulfilled since the locusts mentioned in this passage were symbolic of the helicopters swarming the desert.

The problem with that interpretation is that Revelation 9 has already been precisely fulfilled, using the day-for-a-year principle concerning 391 years and 15 days, ending on exactly August 11, 1840, when the Ottoman Empire accepted guarantees and declared its dependence upon surrounding nations to survive. 3When this prophecy was fulfilled right down to the exact day of August 11, 1840, many people who had scoffed at the Bible became Bible-believing Christians. 

Today most popular Protestant churches have rejected the historicist method of interpreting prophecy, as it is no longer politically correct to identify the antichrist biblically. They have joined the Catholic church’s interpretation of prophecy in Revelation to put everything in the future, thus nullifying much of what was accomplished and gained in the Reformation. 

Here are some problems that exist now with the futuristic view of prophecy.

With the futuristic approach to Revelation, there is no way to determine the probable accuracy of an interpretation because there are no checks and balances, such as the day-for-a-year principle, to test predictions. For example, Desert Storm does not fit the time period for Revelation 9.  However,  interpretations using the day-for-a-year principle fall into place with other prophecies in Daniel and Revelation. With the futuristic approach, there is no rhyme or reason to interpretations, and many predictions are only proven wrong once they don’t come to pass. That’s why some have called The Revelation “the happy hunting ground of fraudsters and religious fanatics.” 

The futuristic view denies all prophecies that have already been accurately fulfilled using the day-year principle by putting them in the future. This means nullifying much of the evidence that the Bible is true. This destroys not only the credibility of prophecies but of the Bible itself. 

While recognizing that God has His people in all churches, and that every church has sincere worshipers who will make up the kingdom of heaven, we should not be afraid to teach accurate prophetic interpretations, even though they may not be currently “politically correct.”

By using the historical day-for-year principle in studying the prophecies of Revelation, we prove the Bible to be true and trusted by what has already been accurately fullfifilled, and we can properly warn all of God’s people in all of us churches of the false teachers and their doctrines which lead men away from Jesus, as our only True Teacher. 

Do you have any experience to share about the day-for-a-year principle compared to the futuristic view?

References

  1. I believe there will be more Catholics in heaven than in any other church. ↩
  2. Look up Francisco Ribera (1537–1591), the originator of the futuristic approach to prophecy. ↩
  3. You can see a facsimile copy of Josiah Litch’s original article in the Signs of the Times of Aug. 1, 1840 ↩

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

You can Never go Home Again, and Don’t Need to Anyways

While some folks say, things aren’t what they used to be, I say, yes, but they never were what they are now.

I am a historian by nature. When I visited the Litchfield Congregational church, pictured below, built in Connecticut in 1721, I tried to imagine all the sin-weary souls who had come to hear the Gospel preached for over three centuries inside those consecrated walls.

Photo by William Earnhardt

Later, when I went to see the Rays and Red Sox play at old Fenway Park, it was not enough to watch the game. I had to picture what it must have been like for a father taking his son out of school to attend a game back in 1912. Millions of people with memories of that old ball park, and my mind wanted to capture them all. I walk by an old high school building built in 1927 in Tampa, and I have to stop and try to imagine all the scenes that may have taken place. All the loves and relationships that began on that campus. I stand on the sidewalk, looking at an old glass window. I ask myself, on the last day of school in 1942 did a young man stand where I stand now, and glance for the last time at a young girl he had a crush on standing in the window, before leaving to join the war, never to return?

In 1991 I drove to a remote little town in extreme western Oklahoma, to preach. When I arrived at the church, I went downstairs to get water. While downstairs I saw several Sabbath School classrooms, all totally vacant and abandoned. The elderly couple who invited me home for lunch explained that all those rooms were packed with children back in the day. But they all grew up and moved away to find jobs. The husband was the school master back in the day, but had since retired for decades, and, with no children around any more, the only traces of the school were distant memories. I remember a feeling of sadness coming over me as I thought of the hollow classrooms once full of life. I can’t say if it was the evangelist or the historian in me that made me wish there was a way to fill those classrooms with lively children again.

Over the years those hollow classrooms occasionally haunt my mind. Of course in my lifetime, I have seen changes in my own childhood church. It still has a thriving church school and Sabbath School department, but when my friends and I go home to visit, we remember days gone by when the church was much fuller. But I have to keep in mind that when we were kids our church was The Adventist Church in the area. Today there are several Adventist churches in the area, and there really is no “The” Church now. This is where the evangelist in me wars with the historian in me. The historian in me wants to re-create the church I grew up in. I want to go home again. The evangelist in me rejoices that there are new churches, and the gospel is being preached all over the area now, instead of in just one place. I understand my childhood church is slightly smaller now because people are spreading out to other churches to share the gospel beyond my little neighborhood.

Now my mind looks back to those empty Sabbath School classrooms in the middle of nowhere in Western Oklahoma. Is it really sad that the kids grew up and moved on to bigger places where they could find jobs? Not if moving gave them more opportunities to share Jesus with those in need! Now I look back at those empty classrooms in a different way. Maybe the primary Sabbath School teacher did not realize it at the time, but she was doing a lot more than teaching the children in her small town about Jesus. She was training them to be missionaries and take the Gospel from those little rooms and spread it all over the world! The historian in me looks into those vacant rooms and sees a church that died. The evangelist in me looks into those hollow rooms and sees scores of children leaving those sacred halls to share the Gospel in new places, meeting people around the world who need Jesus.

The church is a movement, not a history museum. The church is a people and not an old building standing out in a field where there used to be a town. While reality tells me that many of the kids probably left the church, I am sure many stayed in the church as well.. Many of the children who filled those old Sabbath School classrooms in western Oklahoma took the church with them when they moved away. The Sabbath School class did not die in those classrooms in western Oklahoma; the class just outgrew its walls! They grew all over the world. I look back now and realize children with whom I sat in Primary Sabbath School class in my home church are now scattered from the South Pacific Islands to New England and beyond. And you know what’s cool? We left four walls we used to meet in, but we never left the church. We took it with us. Just as importantly, we never left each other. We are in touch on Facebook and Sabbath School Net, where we still share ideas from theology to evangelism strategies. And of course we still get together personally when we can. A couple years ago, a former classmate, now a teacher, helped me put my Bible curriculum together while living 1200 miles away. You see, our little Sabbath School classroom did not die. Just the opposite. We grew so big we exceeded the boundaries of our four little walls.

I believe it to be the same with the little classrooms in a small town in Western Oklahoma. If I ever get a chance to return, and I hope I do, I will go downstairs and look into those empty classrooms again. This time instead of trying to imagine a class that once was, I will see a class that still is and even more. I will see a classroom that has grown into something much bigger and greater than it ever was. I won’t see a class that died in a little room. I will see a class that grew all over the world to help people all over the world who need Jesus.

When I think of my experience in the church, I realize in one sense, I can never go home again. The building I worshiped in as a child will never be what it was. That’s just fine. It was never meant to stay what it was. It was meant to grow. It was meant to grow beyond those walls into the rest of the world where people need Jesus. My church is now all over the word. So in one sense, I can never go back to my home church again. In an even more real sense, my home church is all over the world now and is everywhere I go. And the even greater reality is, that I’ve never been home and never will be until Jesus comes. While the historian in me wants to reminisce about the way the church used to be, the evangelist in me says to keep growing the church. It’s not finished yet!