[Anders G]

Tim,
Do you mean that the bride is the universal assembly collectively, and the guests are the individual believers?

Can you see any contradiction against the rest of the Bibel if the bride is believing Jews and the guests are believing Gentiles?

[Anders G]

I get it. Thanks!

[Anders G]

Maybe there is a difference between Swedish and English. In Swedish a dog may be called he or she even if “hund” (= dog) is neuter. Maybe English (and Greek) is stricter?

[Anders G]

I understand that animals with he/she-gender does not say anything about their sex.

But my question was the other way around. Is it impossible to call a neuter-gender for he/she to indicate their sex? E.g. can a “youth” or a “child” be called he/she in Greek?

[Anders G]

Thanks Tim!
In English, we may choose pronouns to express personhood to neuter things, like calling a female dog ”she”, or a male spirit ”he”. Is this impossible in Greek?

[Anders G]

So simple. Why didn’t I think of that myself…

[Anders G]

Great answer!
Thank you.

[Anders G]

I get it now. Thanks Tim!

[Anders G]

Tim,
We totally agree that the land promise to Abraham is not yet fulfilled but will be fulfilled through the Kingdom. My problem is that I cannot see that this is what Acts 7 says. Look at v.17:

[Act 7:17 NKJV] “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt…”

Since “the time drew near” when “the people multiplied in Egypt”, the time must refer to the conquest of Kanaan. At this time the “promise… God had sworn TO ABRAHAM” would be fulfilled. It must be the land promise because it is not possible to “set ones foot on” (v.5) a promise of a son, an abuse of 4000 years, or a delivery in the 4th generation.

[Anders G]

Thanks Tim,
This ought to mean that it is not possible to use Acts 7:5 as evidence that the FINAL land promise to Abraham remains to be fulfilled (which I use to do).

[Anders G]

Tim,
Now, I see my mistake. I missed the time-gap between verses 13 and 14 of Rev 11.
Thanks!
/Anders

[Anders G]

Tim,
I realize the benefits of the belief that the 3,5 days for the witnesses are literal days. However, this is the 2nd woe and the 3rd woe is comming QUICKLY where the kingdoms HAVE BECOME kingdoms of our Lord. So it seems to me that the wakening of the witnesses ought to be close to the end. How do you interpret this?

[Rev 11:11-15 NKJV] 11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming QICKLY. 15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world HAVE BECOME [the kingdoms] of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

[Anders G]

Raymond,

1. In Rev 11:2-3 it says the witnesses will prophesy during 1260 days, in direct opposition to the time the Gentiles will tread the holy city under foot for 42 months. Since the latter refers to the second part of the tribulation, the former ought to refer to the first half.

2. The witnesses have the power to turn water into blood (Rev 11:6) which happens during the 1st and 2nd trumpet (Rev 8:7,8). (We know the first 4 trumpets are in the first half since they are escalated in the first 4 bowls which are in the second half.)

3. “When they shall have FINISHED their tesitmony” (Rev 11:7), the beast will ascend from the earth and kill them (Rev 11:7), and the people will rejoice (Rev 11:10). This is the middle of tribulation since that is the time the beast will ascend, and there is no way people will rejoice right after the second half.

4. In Rev 11:11-14, the witnesses are resurrected after 3 and a half days, were taken to heaven, an earthquake came, and the 2nd woe (6th trump) was immediately (?) followed by the 3rd woe (7th trump). This is at the end of the tribulation which may indicate the witnesses will operate during the 2nd half. However, if the 3,5 days equal 3,5 years it fits perfectly. (I believe Tim interprets the 3,5 days literally, so it would be interesting to hear his view on this.)

All well! /Anders

[Anders G]

Tim,
IMO, it is necessary to take two other time periods into consideration to understand the Day of the Lord correctly:

1. The time between the end of the Tribulation and the return of Christ, i.e. the ten days from the Feast of Trumpets until the Day of Atonement (called *“Days of Awe” (DoA)* in Jewish tradition). I believe that these days contain the darkness (as shown by Matt 24:29 and Joel 2:30-31), the battle of Armageddon, seal 6, trumpet 7, messengers 4-7, bowl 7 and other dramatic events.

2. The year from the return of Jesus until the start of the Millennium, called *the year of recompenses (YoR)* in Isa 34:8. This is also the last Jubilee year to be intercalated after each 7:th of Daniels year-weeks, and it is necessary to get exactly 6000 years between the creation and the Kingdom. This year contains cleansing of the earth after all wars and environmental abuses, judgement of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet, the judgment seat of Christ where governmental tasks are distributed, the division of the land and the cleansing of the temple.

Hypothesis 1: Day of the Lord = DoA
In this case, the Day of the Lord is synonymous with the *”Day of Wrath”* as in Rev 6:17, 11:18, 14:19, 19:15 together with many OT passages. This would explain the violence in it as described in Zep 1:14-16 and Joe 2:1-2 among many others. The “Day” may still come “as a thief” since it may start with the rolling up of the sky (Rev 6:14, Isa 34:4) and Jesus becoming visible from the earth. The seventh trumpet may also sound during the whole period of ten days (as we discussed in the previous forum).

Hypothesis 2: Day of the Lord = YoR
This has the obvious advantage that “a day” prophetically corresponds to a year, which is common in the Bible (e.g. Isa 34:8). And it fits perfectly with Peter 3 describing the purging of the land on the Day of the Lord. It also fits with all the positive things that will happen in the Day of the Lord. (You have quoted a few above.)

Of course, there is also a possibility that the Day of the Lord is DoA + YoR, making it exactly of year.

None of the hypotheses is according to what the church fathers taught, but they probably did not know about DoA and YoR since God had not revealed (or rather “enlightened”) them yet. (His Spirit enlightens on a need-to-know-bases.)

What do you think?

[Anders G]

Tim,
If the “Day of the Lord” is the millennium or part thereof, how do you interpret the negative things that will occur in it?

[Zep 1:14-16 NKJV] 14 The great day of the LORD [is] near; [It is] near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. 15 That day [is] a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.

[Joe 2:1-2 NKJV] 1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning [clouds] spread over the mountains. A people [come], great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any [such] after them, Even for many successive generations.

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