Posted by Lwood on April 28, 2002 at 20:46:26:
Dear Dr. Elana Janson,
Acts: 17:11 says: "These (Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Obviously you are an intelligent person, but you need to pray for spiritual discernment when you pick up your Bible. Your grasp of Biblical eschatology is clouded at best and your conclusions are wildly speculative. Your interpretations of prophetic symbolisms contradict interpretation placed in the scriptures by the Holy Spirit himself. God has already interpreted many of these symbols for us if we would just seek them out in the scriptures.
We can interpret prophetic symbolism like beasts, heads, and horns, because the Word of God itself gives us those interpretations. How you come up with stars meaning periods of time and then begin to speculate a whole time sequence scenario seams beyond the scope of Biblical interpretation.
Speculations like Date Setting are dangerous and have always shown a lack of spiritual discernment. Many have been mislead and deceive by False Prophets like C.T. Russell and many, many others. The victims of people like Jones, Koresh, and Applewhite testify from the grave to the seriousness of taking such liberties with the Word of God.
Jesus said: Mat 7:17 “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Since you have chosen to be a Date Tree, I’ll be watching your fruit very carefully.
God’s revealed word to us is the Word of God in the Old as well as New Testament. We must use the interpretation God has provided whenever God has provided us with an interpretation. Jesus revealed the things written in the Book of Revelation to John as He had also revealed to Daniel the things written in his Book. Many of the symbolisms, i.e. beasts, heads, and horns, used and interpreted in the book of Daniel are also used in the Book of Revelation. A prayerful study of the visions in Daniel Chapters 2, and 7 through 12 reveal the succession of kings beginning with Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon through the kings of the Medes and Persians (including Cyrus), succeeded by Greece (including Alexander and Antiochus), and Rome. Each of these kingdoms ruled directly over the nation of Israel. Although England was instrumental to the prophetic rebirth of the nation of Israel in the 20th century, it is important to note that neither the Book of Daniel nor the Book of Revelation ever addresses England or any of her kings.
John received the Revelation from Christ in the 1st century AD. At that time John faithfully documented the secession of kings and their kingdoms that was revealed to him By Christ; Rev. 17:10 “…five are fallen (they are dead and rule no longer), and one is…” (He was currently ruling at that time). None of the English kings you attribute to the “Seven Kings” had ruled, or were ruling during the time John the Revelator received the instruction to write.
Lwood...