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The Little Book of Revelation: The First Coming of Jesus at the End of Days

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[Greek translation of Eli Kittim’s article]

Η Αναγέννηση βασίζεται στα Μυστήρια ή στην εμπειρία;

Έλι Κιττίμ

Ο Πάπας έκανε πρόσφατα μια σοκαριστική δήλωση ότι είναι επικίνδυνο να αναζητάς προσωπική σχέση με τον Χριστό εκτός Εκκλησίας. Η δήλωσή του υπονοεί ότι δεν υπάρχει σωτηρία έξω από την Εκκλησία. Ωστόσο, ούτε ο Ιησούς ούτε κανένας από τους ευαγγελιστές είπε ποτέ ότι «όποιος πιστεύει στην εκκλησία του Χριστού θα σωθεί» (Μάρκος 16:16). Ούτε ο Ιησούς είπε ποτέ ότι κάθε άνθρωπος πρέπει να αναγεννηθεί στην εκκλησία. Ο απόστολος Παύλος ποτέ δεν είπε «αν κάποιος δεν ανήκει στην εκκλησία, δεν ανήκει στον Χριστό» (Ρωμαίους 8:9). Αντίθετα, είπε ότι είμαστε αναγεννημένοι μόνο στον Χριστό (Ρωμαίους 5:12-21). Η Βίβλος είναι πολύ ξεκάθαρη ότι σωζόμαστε μέσω μιας αναγεννημένης εμπειρίας του Ιησού Χριστού (Ιωάννης 3:3-5· Πράξεις 2:1-4). Το εδάφιο Φιλιππησίους 2:12 λέει, «Εργαστείτε για τη δική σας σωτηρία με φόβο και τρόμο», ενώ τα εδάφια Εφεσίους 4:22-24 μας διδάσκουν να φορέσουμε μια νέα ταυτότητα για να ανανεώσουμε το πνεύμα του μυαλού μας. Το εδάφιο προς Ρωμαίους 8:9 μας υπενθυμίζει ότι αν το Άγιο Πνεύμα δεν μας μεταμορφώσει ριζικά και δεν μας κατοικήσει, δεν ανήκουμε στον Χριστό. Γι' αυτό το εδάφιο Β' Κορινθίους 5:17 λέει ότι αυτοί που αναγεννήθηκαν εν Χριστώ είναι μια νέα δημιουργία. Η προσωπικότητά τους έχει αλλάξει. Το μυαλό τους έχει αλλάξει. Γι' αυτό, στη Βίβλο, όσοι μεταμορφώνονται ριζικά λαμβάνουν νέα ονόματα (π.χ. Άβραμ/Αβραάμ, Ιακώβ/Ισραήλ, Σαούλ/Παύλος κ.λπ.). Δυστυχώς, τίποτα άλλο δεν μπορεί να εξαγνίσει τη σαρκική μας φύση και να μας κάνει σκεύη αγιότητας.

Πολλοί άνθρωποι εξαπατώνται νομίζοντας ότι σώζονται με τις δικές τους προσωπικές πράξεις του νου ή της θέλησης, δηλαδή είτε πιστεύοντας στον Χριστό, είτε κάνοντας δημόσια πίστη, προσεύχοντας την προσευχή του αμαρτωλού, μέσω ιεροτελεστιών, μυστηρίων, διατροφικών νόμων, μέσω έργων του νόμου ή μέσω μιας πνευματικής συναίνεσης στις αλήθειες του Χριστιανισμού. Αλλά όλες αυτές οι συμπεριφορές δεν είναι ικανές να μεταμορφώσουν ριζικά έναν αμαρτωλό σε άγιο γιατί δεν καθαρίζουν πραγματικά τη σαρκική μας φύση, ούτε μας γεμίζουν με το Άγιο Πνεύμα. Μόνο μια υπαρξιακή εν-Χριστώ αναγέννηση μπορεί να το κάνει αυτό. Αυτό συμβαίνει επειδή ένα άτομο εξακολουθεί να είναι σαρκικό και η αμαρτωλή φύση του συνεχίζει να κυριαρχεί στο μυαλό του ακόμη και μετά τη μετάληψη των μυστηρίων ή την εκτέλεση έργων του νόμου. Μόνο μια ριζική μεταμόρφωση του μυαλού μπορεί να τα αλλάξει όλα αυτά.

Το ερώτημά μου λοιπόν είναι το εξής: πώς συμβιβάζουμε την εντολή του Ιησού να γεννηθούμε από το Άγιο Πνεύμα με τη ρωμαιοκαθολική και την ανατολική ορθόδοξη διδασκαλία της σωτηρίας μέσω των μυστηρίων;

Αυτό είναι ένα ζήτημα υψίστης σημασίας στο οποίο διακυβεύονται οι ζωές των ανθρώπων. Αυτό είναι πολύ σοβαρό θέμα. Μιλάμε για το αν σώζονται άνθρωποι ή όχι. Εάν οι άνθρωποι παραπλανούνται και πιστεύουν ότι θα πάνε στον παράδεισο, ενώ αυτό δεν αληθεύει, τότε πρέπει να τους προειδοποιήσω. Η Καινή Διαθήκη δεν προτείνει ότι τα πλεονεκτήματα της λύτρωσης ιδιοποιούνται απευθείας μέσω των μυστηρίων, αφού αυτό θα αποτελούσε μια σαρκική πνευματικότητα που βασίζεται σε εξωτερικά στηρίγματα, τα οποία δεν μπορούν να μας αλλάξουν εκ των έσω. Τα μυστήρια είναι προέκταση του εβραϊκού Πάσχα και των εβραϊκών διατροφικών νόμων. Κανένα από τα δύο δεν μπορεί πραγματικά να αλλάξει τη σαρκική μας φύση εκ των έσω. Στο Κατά Ματθαίος 15:11, ο Ιησούς εξηγεί ότι οι διατροφικοί νόμοι δεν μπορούν να ��άνουν τίποτα επειδή δεν είναι οι τροφές που τρώτε που σας καθαρίζουν ή σας μολύνουν, αλλά αυτό που βγαίνει από την ακάθαρτη και μη αναζωογονημένη καρδιά σας που σας μολύνει: «Δεν είναι αυτό που μπαίνει στο στόμα που [καθαρίζει ή] μολύνει έναν άνθρωπο, αλλά αυτό που βγαίνει από το στόμα. Αυτό μολύνει έναν άνθρωπο».

Σύμφωνα με τον απόστολο Παύλο, προτού αναγεννηθούμε (δηλαδή ανανεωθούμε στο πνεύμα του νου) λειτουργούμε με βάση τους πόθους της σάρκας (σαρκικό μυαλό), αλλά αφού γεννηθούμε-ξανά έχουμε ένα νέο λειτουργικό σύστημα που λειτουργεί μέσω αγάπης, όχι λαγνείας (Εφεσίους 4:22-24)! Έτσι, η μετάληψη των μυστηρίων δεν αλλάζει ούτε καθαρίζει τη σαρκική μας φύση (ή την αμαρτωλή φύση). Μπορούμε να διεξάγουμε ψυχολογικά πειράματα για να αποδείξουμε ότι ο ίδιος σαρκικός νους λειτουργεί μετά τη μετάληψη των μυστηρίων όπως πριν. Εάν ένας Καθολικός ή Ορθόδοξος Χριστιανός είναι ειλικρινής, θα πρέπει να παραδεχτεί ότι οι ίδιες αμαρτωλές σκέψεις, κλίσεις και λάγνες επιθυμίες εξακολουθούν να υπάρχουν μετά τη λήψη των μυστηρίων. Πώς λοιπόν η Καθολική και η Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία ισχυρίζονται ότι η θεια κοινωνία είναι «εξιλεωτική θυσία» για τους πιστούς και ότι αναγεννιόμαστε μέσω των μυστηρίων;

Καταλαβαίνουμε πραγματικά τι σημαίνει η νέα γέννηση; Χρειάζεται να διαβάσουμε τα εδάφια Πράξεις 2:1-4, Εφεσίους 4:22-24 και Φιλιππησίους 2:12, μεταξύ άλλων περικοπών, για να δούμε πώς επιτυγχάνεται. Περιλαμβάνει μια προσωπική και υπαρξιακή εμπειρία του Θεού όπου παραδίδουμε το νου και τη θέλησή μας σε αυτόν. Διαβάστε το εδάφιο Γαλάτες 2:20, όπου ο Παύλος λέει: «Εγώ σταυρώθηκα μαζί με τον Χριστό και δεν ζω πια, αλλά ο Χριστός ζει μέσα μου». Πιστεύετε ότι η σταύρωση ή ο θάνατος του Παύλου προήλθαν από τη συμμετοχή του στα μυστήρια; Φυσικά και όχι! Ο Παύλος αναφέρεται στον θάνατο του παλιού εαυτού, όπως αναφέρεται στους Εφεσίους 4:22-24. Αυτή η υπαρξιακή εμπειρία είναι γνωστή και γραμμένη από Καθολικούς στοχαστές, όπως ο Ιωάννης του Σταυρού, αλλά έχει απορριφθεί από το Μαγιστήριο της Εκκλησίας, παρόλο που ο Ιωάννης του Σταυρού θεωρείτε γιατρός της Καθολικής Εκκλησίας.

Το να μπολιαζόμαστε στον Χριστό (Ρωμ. 11) σημαίνει ότι γινόμαστε μέρος του σώματος του Χριστού. Αυτό μπορεί να συμβεί μόνο όταν το Πνεύμα μας αναδημιουργήσει μέσω του βαπτίσματος του Αγίου Πνεύματος, μέσω μιας νέας γέννησης, παρόμοια με την υπαρξιακή εμπειρία που είχαν οι πιστοί (Πράξεις 2:1-4). Ο Ιησούς είπε ότι πρέπει να αναγεννηθείς από το Πνεύμα, όχι από τη γη. Δεν είπε ότι πρέπει να φας ψωμί ή να πιεις κρασί, ή να πας στην εκκλησία, για να γεννηθείς από τον Θεό.

Συμπερασματικά, τίποτα εξωτερικό δεν μπορεί να αλλάξει τη σαρκική μας φύση και να γεμίσει τις καρδιές μας με αγάπη, ή να μας δώσει τη γαλήνη που ξεπερνά την κατανόηση. Αυτό μπορεί να συμβεί μόνο ��ε μια σκοτεινή νύχτα της ψυχής όταν η ταυτότητά μας διαγράφεται και ο ίδιος ο Θεός γίνεται η νέα μας ταυτότητα, ή ο νέος μας εαυτός (πρβλ. Γαλάτες 2:20)! Δυστυχώς, δεν υπάρχουν συντομεύσεις για τη σωτηρία.

Για περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες, δείτε το ακόλουθο δοκίμιο:

Η Βάπτιση του Αγίου Πνεύματος

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Eli Kittim on MeWe

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Jesus vs Paul: Different Views of Salvation?

I recently saw a few short YouTube Clips in which Bart Ehrman repeatedly raised the issue of Biblical contradiction by trying to pit the teachings of Jesus against those of Paul. According to Ehrman, Jesus neither taught atonement nor belief in it for salvation, whereas Paul taught the exact opposite, namely, that belief in Jesus’ death (as an atonement) was a necessary part of redemption.

Ehrman also asserts that Jesus’ teaching on salvation requires keeping the commandments, whereas Paul’s teaching is just the opposite, namely, the abrogation of the commandments of the Law. Since I agree with his view of Paul, I will not focus on Paul’s but rather on Jesus’ teaching.

Just to quickly recap, the abrogation of the Law is not just in Paul. It’s all over the New Testament. Read the anonymous letter to the Hebrews, chapter 9. It’s all about how Christ’s sacrifice is greater than the Temple sacrifices or the Law of Moses. Hebrews 8:13 reads thusly: “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one [the Law] obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

Hebrews 9:15 puts Christ’s atonement in perspective:

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Paul also states that Christians don’t need to observe the Jewish dietary guidelines, festivals, Law, or Sabbaths (Colossians 2:16). Paul says categorically and unequivocally that we are saved by Grace, not by the Law. In Galatians 2:16, Paul writes: “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” In Galatians 2:21, Paul vehemently asserts: “if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Paul thinks that you will not be saved if you hold on to the Law as your ultimate authority (see e.g. Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:11; Ephesians 2:8). Ehrman seems to agree that this was Paul’s teaching on salvation. So let’s now look at Jesus’ teaching to see if it differs from Paul’s.

Many interpreters, particularly those steeped in the Old Testament, often misunderstand, misinterpret, and misrepresent what Jesus says concerning his relation to the Law of Moses. For example, in Matthew 5:17, Jesus says the following: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” Here, Jesus means that he himself fulfills the Law through his sacrifice and death, which according to Hebrews 9:11-15 is the ultimate atonement for sin. Jesus’ sacrifice was foreshadowed by the Temple sacrifices of animals. Jesus, however, does not mean that his followers must follow the Old Testament Law and commandments in order to be saved. As a matter of fact, in Matthew 16:6, as well as in verse 12, Jesus explicitly teaches His disciples not to follow the Law or “the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

“John makes sure that we know that Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. The Pharisees were the most rigorously religious of all the Jewish groups. To this one, Jesus says (in verse 3), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And even more personally in verse 7: “You must be born again.” So one of John’s points is: All of Nicodemus’s religion, all of his amazing Pharisaic study and discipline and law-keeping, cannot replace the need for the new birth. In fact, they may well make more obvious the need for the new birth.”

John Piper

Did Jesus keep the Law? Not at all. He actually broke all the Laws and the Sabbaths (eating with unwashed hands, eating with sinners, cleansing the temple, working on the Sabbath, etc.), and that’s why the Jews wanted to kill him (Matthew 9:10-11; 15:1-2, 12; see also John 5:18)! He often argued with Pharisees, telling them that law-keeping doesn’t amount to anything. Read Matthew 23, especially verse 13, which demonstrates that you cannot be saved by keeping the Law:

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

Similarly, Matthew 23:25-28 demonstrates that the carnal nature is not eliminated or cleansed by the Law:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. … So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Incidentally, when Jesus speaks of keeping his commandments, he’s not referring to the dietary guidelines or the ceremonial or civil laws and sabbaths. He’s talking about his commands to love. And in order to distinguish them from law-keeping, he makes a distinct reference to the Holy Spirit that will enter inside every believer. In John 14:15-17, he states:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him,because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

This is echoed in Revelation 3:20. This verse is not talking about having dinner at someone’s house. It’s referring to regeneration, rebirth, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” In Luke 24:46-49, Jesus demonstrates that salvation can only occur with the arrival of the Holy Spirit:

“So it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. … And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The commandment of Christ can be summed up in the word Love. 1 John 4:7-8 reads:

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

This passage tells us that we can only receive this love if we have “been born of God.” This is a direct reference to rebirth! That’s the only way to “know God.” And God is love. You can’t know this or understand this by simply relying on your own behavior or performance. Jesus accused the Pharisees of being hypocrites because although they followed the Law externally, yet internally they were wicked devils (see Matthew 15:7-14). Following the Law neither changes your carnal nature, nor requires a Messiah! A Christian is saved by being born-again in Christ (John 3:3; 3:5; Acts 2:1-4), not by dietary laws, commandments, or Sabbaths, which have all been abrogated (see Colossians 2:16)! These are useless in cleansing your heart. Only rebirth makes you a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)! What is more, Romans 8:9 makes it abundantly clear that without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are not saved: “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Obeying the Law has absolutely nothing to do with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also makes it very clear in John 3:3 that you can not be saved unless you are born again: “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again’ “. Bottom line, we are saved by faith, not by works of the law!

Did Jesus ever speak about his death as an atonement? Yes, of course: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Elsewhere he says: “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27). This demonstrates that the purpose of Jesus’ life was to die as a ransom for sin: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Peter follows suit and explains the significance of Jesus’ atoning death in 1 Peter 2:24: “He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 3:18 similarly says: “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” In Matthew 26:27-28, Jesus himself acknowledges and affirms that his death is the atonement for the forgiveness of sins:

“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.’ “

If that’s not atonement language, I don’t know what is. Thus, contrary to the assertions made by Bart Ehrman, both Jesus and Paul hold the same views on salvation, namely, that Jesus’ death is an atonement for sins and that salvation can only happen when we are born again through the Holy Spirit.

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Author Eli Kittim- YouTube Channel

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Author Eli of Kittim's unique interpretation of the New Testament account of Jesus!

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The First Horseman of the Apocalypse is Not the Antichrist

Eli Kittim

(Based on the NT & LXX Greek Texts)

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A Biblical Greek Translation of Hebrews 9:26 that Changes Everything We Thought We Knew About Jesus

Eli Kittim

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The Little Book of Revelation - Look Inside ⤵️⤵️⤵️

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Little_Book_of_Revelation.html?id=8FYsbxHqrB4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1&gl=US#v=onepage&q&f=false

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OPEN ACCESS AND THE BIBLE: The Bible and Interpretation

A Scholarly Article By ELI KITTIM 🎓

This is an academic paper written by Eli Kittim——and published in the Journal of Higher Criticism, vol. 13, no. 3 (2018), page 4—-entitled, "The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ According to the Greek New Testament Epistles."

To view or purchase, click this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Journal-Higher-Criticism-13-Number/dp/1726625176

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This is the PDF of my article----published in the Journal of Higher Criticism, vol. 13, no. 3 (2018)----entitled, "The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ According to the Greek New Testament Epistles."

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:6b2a560b-9940-4690-ad29-caf086dbdcd6

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Famous Quote by Author Eli Kittim! 📚

——-

Author of The Little Book of Revelation 📕

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A Biblical Study of the Sequence of End-time Events http://thelittlebookofrevelation.com/

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A book that demonstrates the relevance of prophecy in today’s world.

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"Sadly, we have confused biblical literature with history, and turned prophecy into biography!" ----Eli of Kittim

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The Biblical "Last Days" Have Not Yet Happened

It is of the utmost importance that we compare scripture with scripture so as to understand the author’s intentions rather than projecting our own subjective interpretations into the text. For example, many conservative biblical scholars insist that the term, “last days,” refers specifically to Jesus’ first coming some two thousand years ago. They often refer to a handful of verses that seem to support this interpretation. One such reference can be found in the book of Hebrews chapter 1 and verses 1-2:

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these LAST DAYS has spoken to us in His Son.” (Emphasis added).

Here is the assumption: if Jesus’ first coming has come to pass, then the “last days” have already begun during the time of antiquity. But this is a forced interpretation that does not take into consideration the overall context of scripture, much less the rendering of the term in the original language. The actual words in the original Greek text are “ep escaton ton imeron,” where the word “escaton” means “last.” This is the same word from where we get the term “eschatology,” or the study of the final events of human history, also known as the “end times.” Now, imagine for a moment what these same scholars would say if we suddenly announced to them that we are studying eschatology, which we define as the study of antiquity. They would either laugh or think we were mad. Yet, they are quite serious when defending the exact same preposterous postulate! If we turn to the book of Isaiah, we find that the term “last days” refers to the end of the world, not to the time of antiquity. Just as in the book of Daniel—where the angel says to Daniel: “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end” (8:17)—Isaiah is not referring to the time of antiquity, but to the end of time. How can we tell? Firstly, Isaiah refers to the Messiah’s future reign. Secondly, he mentions the peace that will finally endure on earth under the messianic reign. Thirdly, Isaiah clearly indicates that all wars will end and there will be a Day of Judgment! And all this is mentioned in the context of the “last days.” Isaiah writes,

“This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the LAST DAYS the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (2:1-4, emphasis added).

As you can see, the intended meaning of the term, “last days,” is the end of time. Therefore, according to Hebrews 1:1-2, Jesus speaks to mankind not during the time of antiquity, but in the end of the world! So, it should come as no surprise that this view is reiterated elsewhere in the text:

“Once IN THE END OF THE WORLD hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:26, emphasis added).

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For the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 19:10

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In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these LAST DAYS he has spoken to us by his Son.

Hebrews 1:1-2, emphasis added