“Systematic theology is the study of God, his ways, and his world as revealed in the Bible and creation, affirmed by the church, and restated for a contemporary audience.
Systematic theology is undergirded and informed by three related and foundational disciplines: biblical theology, historical theology, and philosophical theology. Biblical theology is a diverse movement with various aims and methods. Advocates attempt to present the biblical themes or story line, whether as a historical task for the academy or an interpretive task for the church or some combination of those perspectives. Biblical theology has been called the bridge between biblical exegesis and systematic theology because biblical theology is the first step in synthesizing the raw work of biblical exegesis to lay the foundation for doctrinal formation, which is prescriptive and more comprehensive. Examples of biblical theologians include Brevard Childs, Francis Watson, and N. T Wright.
Historical theology is the study of how Christians have understood the doctrines throughout the history of the church. Doctrines can be considered from a particular period or movement (synchronic approach), or the development of a doctrine can be traced through time (diachronic approach), or the development of a doctrine can be traced through time. Examples of historical theologians include Jaroslav Pelikan and James Leo Garrett Jr.
Philosophical theology is the study of doctrines using the tools of philosophy and reason. Examples of philosophical theologians include Paul Tillich and Alvin Plantinga as well as the movement called analytic theology. Thomas McCall explains “Analytic theology is theology that is attuned to and committed to the ‘goals and ambitions’ of analytical philosophy: a commitment to truth whenever it may be found, clarity of expression, and rigor of argumentation.”
The relationship between systematic theology and these related disciplines is complex. If the aim of systematic theology includes restating the Scriptures, then how is this aim different from the aim of biblical theology? If the goal of systematic theology includes explaining what the church has taught on the doctrines, then how is this aim different from the aim of historical theology? If the aim of systematic theology is to speak of God and his ways coherently and precisely, then how is this aim different from the goal of philosophical theology?
Harwood, A (2013) Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Systematic.
As we will see, the original apostolic Christianity that came before Paul, and developed independently of him, by those who had known and spent time with Jesus, was in sharp contrast to Paul’s version of the new faith.
This lost Christianity held sway during Paul’s lifetime, and only with the death of James in A.D. 62, followed by the brutal destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70, did it begin to lose its influence as the centre of the Jesus movement. Ironically, it was the production and final editing of the New Testament itself, in the early second century A.D., supporting Paul’s version of Christianity, that ensured first the marginalization, and subsequently the death of this original form of Christianity within Christian orthodoxy.
Tabor, James D. (2013) Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity (p. 24). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.
The Apostolic Age and Pre-Nicene Christianity
The only organized religion and the only one that was trans-regional in the Roman Empire was Judaism. This monotheistic faith survived and grew slowly amidst a world dominated by paganism. The Roman version of paganism was a pan-empire, state-sanctioned, unorganized religion that was inconsistently practiced from region to region. The populace propitiated gods that were determined by local tradition. They included every form of deity, from the twelve Olympian gods of ancient Greece to lesser Greek gods, from Persian and Egyptian deities to uniquely Roman household gods. Judaism survived in this more or less chaotic world of paganism because it was generally treated as benign by Roman emperors and regional governors. It was rare for emperors to make the kind of forceful move against Jews as Titus did when he looted and then destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
In the decades following the crucifixion of Christ, his burial, and his ascension into heaven, his followers, the apostles, encouraged groups of Christians to worship together in homes and in graveyards. Christians passed on the Word of God and the message of His earthly son to families, friends, and neighbours. This first occurred in Jerusalem, where disciples gathered after establishing rudimentary Christian congregations in Galilee, as this was where Christ spent most of his life preaching. The goal was to convince Jews that the Messiah, who had long been anticipated by their prophets, whose words were preserved in what for Christians became known as the Old Testament, had indeed appeared in the human form of Jesus Christ. Jews were ripe for absorption, or rather conversion, into the new Christian faith because, at its core, Judaism was an apocalyptic religion. That is, it was focused on the eventual revelation of divine truths that were the necessary precursors to the end times. Shortly after bringing the message that the Messiah lived to the Jews, the early Christians took their message to Gentiles, or non-Jews, thus spreading Christianity beyond the place of its origins in the Holy Land.
The organization of the Christian Church can be traced back to a council held in Jerusalem in about 50 CE. At this Apostolic Council, it was decided that Gentile converts were not obliged to conform to every Jewish ritual, including the circumcision of males. However, it was decided that Jewish dietary laws were applicable to Christians. The Jewish traditions were advocated by Pharisees who had converted to Christianity. These respected Pharisees were steeped in the laws and traditions of Rabbinic Judaism, and they held that Christians must observe the Torah. The conflict between Jewish traditions and the early Christian notion that everyone should be free to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ ended with a compromise. It was agreed that for at least Gentiles, there should be few impediments placed in their path to faithfully adopting the teachings of Christ. The Council of Jerusalem became acknowledged as the foundation for all subsequent church councils.
As outsiders in Roman society, Christians naturally fell victim to hostile attacks. They were condemned for their atheism, as they did not properly acknowledge the power of the pagan gods and thus did not acknowledge the power of the emperor. In addition, the Christians’ flagrant immorality was evidenced by gossip that Christian worship services included the killing of babies and cannibalism. The latter was the stuff of conspiracy among the faithful Romans. The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was not as extensive as Christian propagandists, both ancient and modern, would have us believe. Emperor Nero’s henchmen and their hangers-on blamed the fiery destruction of Rome in 64 CE on Christian sedition. Christians were rounded up and subjected to torture and death. Although Christians were subjected to periodic persecution, it was not until the 3rd century that Christianity became subject to institutionalized prohibition. Emperor Decius (r. 249–251 CE) issued a decree that everyone in the empire must declare that they had sacrificed to the gods and eaten a ritual meal of sacrificial meat. This was the first formal Roman legislation with an anti-Christian intent. Those failing to meet the requirements, specifically Christians, who were adamant in their faith and unable to bribe officials, were subjected to confiscation of property, exile, torture, and possibly even death. The most violent of the formal persecutions of Christians occurred in the reign of Diocletian (r. 284–305 CE). He declared Christianity illegal and decreed that all Christian places of worship be destroyed. Christians were systematically deprived of the privileges of their rank in Roman society.
Scholars estimate that some 3,000 to 3,500 Christians were executed during the reign of Diocletian. Among those Christian martyrs were several who were subsequently canonized or recognized as saints by the Catholic Church. Saint Sebastian was one of these people. He was tied to a tree by a mob and shot with arrows. According to the story of his martyrdom, he did not succumb to his wounds. After he had recuperated, he went to Diocletian to upbraid him for his sins and was clubbed to death. Another early martyr for the faith was the virginal thirteen-year-old Agnes, who came from a Roman noble family. She spurned a suitor who then reported her as a Christian to the authorities.
Poor Agnes was dragged naked through the city of Rome, during which time all the men who had lusted after her were struck blind. She was then placed on trial and condemned to death. She was tied to the stake, and a fire was ignited at her feet. The fire, or so the story goes, miraculously passed harmlessly around her. As a last resort, a Roman officer beheaded her. Like all Christians, these martyrs could look forward to an eternal afterlife, which had been promised by Christ, who suffered a similar death at the hands of his Roman executioners.
Official Roman persecution of Christianity ended when Emperor Constantine (r. 306–337 CE) issued a proclamation known as the Edict of Milan in 313 CE, in which it was declared that Christians should be treated benevolently throughout the empire. Constantine’s magnanimity toward Christians was the result of being influenced by his mother, Helena, who was a Christian, and of his belief that he had vanquished his archenemy with the aid of Christ.
Constantine himself formally converted to the Christian faith and was baptized on his deathbed. In 325 CE, Constantine, in a move to demonstrate his sympathy to the Christian Church, convened a council of Christian bishops at the city of Nicaea in present-day Turkey. The fact that the invitation went out to 1,800 bishops, as well as local and regional leaders of the Christian Church, is evidence of the rapid growth of the new religion. Modern scholars estimate that, by this time, there were as many as four million Christians in the Roman Empire. This represents an exponential growth of the faith. When Christ ascended into heaven, which, according to scripture, took place forty days after his crucifixion, sometime between 30 and 33 CE, there were only about twenty adherents of the faith.
At the time of the grizzly execution of Saint Lawrence, one of the seven Christian deacons of Rome, on a gridiron in 258 CE, it is thought there were as many as three-quarters of a million Christians. (A deacon in this instance was a church official whose function, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was to provide food to widows.) The rapid growth of the Christian faith was due in no small measure to the stories of miraculous events associated first with Christ’s terrestrial life, then with the lives of his immediate apostles, and finally with the martyrs and saints who first propagated the Christian faith throughout the Roman Empire. While the largely illiterate people of the empire were unable to engage in lofty debate on theological issues, they could understand the wonder of miracles. Stories of astonishing events, such as Christ’s feeding 5,000 people with bread and fishes that he miraculously multiplied for the hungry multitude and his raising Lazarus from the dead, were highly attractive to the unsophisticated. There is little doubt that the abundance of miracles in the stories of the Christian faith worked to increase the number of converts to the new religion. The spread of Christianity to all corners of the Roman Empire presented difficulties to the unity of the Christian faith.
In isolation, groups of Christians might absorb elements of local spiritual culture into their forms of worship and belief systems. These might include pagan ceremonies that were modified and adapted to Christian beliefs. For example, the Christian celebration of Christmas was an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice. It is likely that the angels prominent in the texts of the Christian faith were a modified form of flying humanoid spirits that were prominent in the cult of Mithraism, which was favoured by the soldiers in the Roman army. Early Christianity has thus been characterized by several scholars as a syncretic religion amalgamating different religions, cultures, and schools of thought. Some have even proposed that the very idea of a single all-powerful God was fairly common in the Near East among pagan sects, as well as, of course, Judaism. With such large distances separating groups of Christians by the time of Constantine, a large number of Christian groups existed who practiced their religion according to local customs. These were unsuitable to a centrally organized church. For example, in North Africa, there was a Christian sect known as the Adamites.
They engaged in worship in the nude. This idea of recapturing the innocence of Adam in the garden of Eden probably came from early Christian and Jewish Gnostics (believers in personal spiritual knowledge) in the region. Other variants of Christian worship in the Apostolic Age included the Nazarenes in Palestine, who were Jewish Christians who observed the Torah as opposed to Gentile Christians who didn’t. The Ebionites, also of Palestinian origin, believed that Christ was merely a man chosen by God to be His last prophet. It was due to these vast numbers of variants in the Christian Church that Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. The central focus of this council was the immediate need to deal with the writings of a presbyter, Arius of Alexandria (256–336 CE). The title presbyter was derived from the organization of Jewish synagogues in which a council of ordained presbyters managed the operation and spiritual life of a faithful congregation. Arius and his followers in Egypt believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and begotten by God the Father but that Christ was distinct from His father and was not co-eternal with Him.
According to the Arians, Jesus Christ was born at a specific time; therefore, he was not an eternal being. His existence was thus not equivalent to that of God the Father or the Holy Ghost. For the Arians, Christ was a lesser being than God Himself. Arius’s idea was rejected by the twentieth bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius (c. 296–373 CE), who believed that the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Ghost—were co-equals and were all three co-eternal. The attendees at the First Council of Nicaea established the orthodox faith, coming down on the side of Athanasius. Arianism was declared a heterodox belief. In other words, it was heresy and was thus condemned by the Christian Church. This was confirmed by the Nicene Creed, a statement of Christian belief crafted by the council.
This continues to be used in various forms by Christian churches to this day. It stresses that all Christians subscribe to the belief that Christ was begotten and not made by God the Father and that Christ is one being with God, or, in the words of the creed, “begotten not made, consubstantial with the father.” The Nicene Creed further affirmed that Christ came down to earth and was made incarnate as a man and that he was killed but rose into heaven for the salvation of mankind.
The original creed ended with the condemnation of Arian theology. It specifically says that it is incorrect to suggest that there was a time when Christ did not exist, that he was made out of nothing, that he is of another substance or essence than God Himself, or that Christ is changeable in any way. Our knowledge of the early Christian Church’s evolution depends primarily on texts, including the Acts of the Apostles and Saint Paul’s letters to congregations of Christians from Galatia, a region in the south of modern-day Turkey. There are also texts by Christian theologians known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, such as Athanasius and, before him, Origen of Alexandria (c. 184–253 CE), as well as the Carthaginian Tertullian (c. 155–c. 240 CE), and Athenagoras of Athens (c. 133–c. 190 CE).
We can get a glimpse of the ideas that were the basis of the voluminous writings of the Anti-Nicene Fathers in the work of Origen. He not only translated the Hebrew text of the Bible into Greek but also interpreted many passages in it. He suggested that before creating the material universe, God created the souls of all intelligent beings. In the beginning, the souls were faithful to God, but they gradually fell into sin and were then given physical bodies. Origen wrote extensively on the relationship of the three entities of the Trinity and the incarnation of the Logos (Christ), as well as the soul, free will, and eschatology, or the ultimate destiny of humanity. As well as theology, writers around the time of the First Nicene Council concerned themselves with the history of the Christian Church. Among them was Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–c. 340 CE), who wrote an Ecclesiastical History. It sheds considerable light on the organization and events in the history of the nascent Christian faith.
Although Eusebius was biased in his understanding of history, his work is particularly valuable in recounting the growth of Christianity through the years of persecution. When dealing with Nero’s barbarism, he tells us, for example, “So it came about that this man, the first to be heralded as a conspicuous fighter against God, was led on to murder the apostles. It is recorded that in his reign Paul [in 64 CE] was beheaded in Rome itself, and that Peter likewise was crucified [between 64 and 68 CE].” Eusebius’s text is rich in information on some of the heretical sects that arose in the church. For example, he informs us that Cerinthus (c.50–100 CE), according to Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria, believed “Christ’s Kingdom would be on earth; and the things he lusted after himself, being the slave of his body and sensual through and through, filled the heaven of his dreams.” Corinthians were said to celebrate Christ through gluttony, lechery, sacrifices, and the immolation of victims. Surviving material remains of the early Christian Church reveal the kind of growth suggested in written texts.
The first churches were homes in which the faithful gathered. This makes perfect sense considering that the church underwent periodic suppression by Roman authorities. Secretive private worship in domestic surroundings or outside in graveyards provided the most security for the faithful. In one such house church, dating from around 232 CE and excavated in Dura-Europos, a frontier city near the Euphrates in Syria, two rooms were joined by the removal of a wall, and a dais was set up. A small room near the entrance was set up as a baptistry. These modest beginnings of Christian architecture ended when Constantine removed any official sanctions against Christianity. Church building immediately swept the empire. In Rome, the Church of the Lateran (dedicated 324 CE) and the Church of Saint Peter (begun c. 318 CE) were built. Today, neither existing building reflects the simple yet highly functional structures of the early Christian period. Both consisted of a rectangular nave with an entrance at one end and an altar at the other, flanked by side aisles.
This was the preferred plan for early churches, which was adapted from Roman basilicas or meeting halls. Along with architecture was visual art. The early Christians used the same media as their pagan contemporaries, contemporaries, namely, frescos, mosaics, and sculptures. They adapted pagan motifs for Christian purposes so that some art made for Christians could easily be mistaken for imperial Roman art. For example, portrait busts on sarcophagi or coffins that look like those of emperors, surrounded by decorative vines and narrative scenes under canopies and separated by columns, could be mistaken for pagan secular art were it not for the appearance of scenes with clear Christian content, such as events from the Bible like Jonah and the whale, Noah in the ark, Daniel in the lion’s den, or Christ the Good Shepherd.
History, Captivating. Church History: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Christian Church, Including Events of the Crusades, the Missionary Journeys of Paul, the Conversion of Constantine, and More (p. 13). Kindle Edition.
Allegorical interpretation of the Bible is an interpretive method (exegesis) that assumes that the Bible has various levels of meaning and tends to focus on the spiritual sense, which includes the allegorical sense, the moral (or tropological) sense, and the anagogical sense, as opposed to the literal sense. It is sometimes referred to as the quadriga, a reference to the Roman chariot that was drawn by four horses.”
Note: Why only four levels of meaning when there are seven or so billion humans living? Surely, many more levels of meaning should be employed as it is in reality. Each of us use our own ‘theology’, to justify the cause and effect, circumstances we are in, beliefs and even on redemption. This approach is to deny the literal meaning in Scripture; that is to change, circumvent, paraphrase, avoid or replace the Torah. For example:
Wrong theology leads to Anti-Jewish Bias:
An increasing anger toward the Jews developed in the writings of the Church fathers. When the allegorical method of interpretation is used, it denies the literal meaning of the text. Then you can make the text mean anything you want it to mean. This resulted in arriving at conclusions that grew from their own imaginations.
This system produced the teaching that the Church is the “New Israel” of God. It replaced literal Israel in God’s plan and purposes. At first, the errors were gradual, but as time went on, the resulting consequences gained momentum. Eventually, destruction of millions of Jews resulted under the banner of the cross.
Justin Martyr (100 – 165 A.D.) was the earliest apologetic writer of the Church who wrote in the mid-first century his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, “. . . the Jews have forfeited the Scriptures, and the prophets are now the property of the Church. . ..” This is believed to be the first written example of Replacement Theology.
Ignatius of Antioch (martyred 117 A.D.) contended that the Jews were in league with the devil and warned his readers to be on their guard against their evil practices.
The Gospel of Barnabas (130 A.D.) warns its audience against the Jews and states that the Jews have “lost” the covenants.
An early accusation of deicide (Christ killers) was put forward by Melito of Sardis (d. 190 A.D.), who accused the Jews of sending Jesus to the cross, and therefore of being directly responsible for the death of God.
Clement of Alexandria (150 – 215 A.D.) emphasized Greek philosophy rather than the Tanakh as the primary means God gave the Gentiles to lead them to Jesus as the ultimate “Word of God.” He blended Greek philosophy with Christianity to make Christianity acceptable to the Gentiles. It is said that Clement was more comfortable with Plato than he was with Moses. This resulted in his students looking more to Athens than to Jerusalem.
Hippolytus (160 – 236 A.D.), in his Expository Treatise Against the Jews also placed the charge of deicide on the Jews. He proclaimed that the Jewish people were a perverse race, as could be seen in the way they glorified in the sufferings of the death of Jesus.
Tertullian (160 – 220 A.D.), as a prolific writer, joined his voice with others, in his Answer to the Jews — he presented the Jews as idolaters.
Origen (185 – 253 A.D.) is credited with being the father of the allegorical method of interpretation. The reason is that Origen, in a comprehensive system, made allegory the only way to truly understand the Scriptures. His knowledge of philosophy and theology brought him fame and influence throughout the Roman world, even by the Emperor. Origen’s students became leading theologians using his allegorical method of interpretation of the Scriptures. This helped to establish it as official Church teaching, also laying the foundations for anti-Semitism in the Church, which only gained momentum in successive generations.
Eusebius (263 – 339 A.D.) was considered a “Father of Church History.” He played a leading role of influence along with Emperor Constantine, at the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.), which was attended by 318 bishops, none of whom were Jewish believers.
They decided to separate Easter from Passover. Constantine considered it unbecoming beyond measure that Christians were following the practices of this “most odious” people and were unable to celebrate their festival(s) without the aid of their rules.
Eusebius wrote that the promises of the Hebrew Scriptures were for Christians and not the Jews, and the curses were for the Jews. He argued that the Church was the continuation of the Old Testament and thus superseded Judaism.
The young Church declared itself to be the true Israel, or “Israel according to the Spirit”— heir to the divine promises. They found it essential to discredit the “Israel according to the flesh” to prove that God had cast away His people and transferred His love to the Christians.
Eusebius may be credited with the notion that the heroes of the Old Testament were not Jews but, in fact, proto-Christians. It is interesting that the false prophet Mohammed picked up this idea when he claimed that the Patriarchs were not Jewish but were “hanif” or proto-Moslems.
Replacement Theology originated when Greek interpretation suppressed the Hebrew mindset of the Scriptures. The Gentile Church then became the dominant influence. This was the basis for the foundation of anti-Semitism, which exists to this day, even within some churches.
The New Testament states that the Gentile believers were grafted in and became the sons of Abraham and spiritual Israel. However, we should not presume that the God-given covenants of the Jewish nation now belong to the Church and that the Church has replaced physical Israel. This wrong theology eventually steered the Church off course from the Apostles’ original instructions found in New Testament scripture.
Though scholars debate the authenticity of Constantine’s conversion, the net effect was that Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. But the new state religion endorsed Replacement Theology. This meant the end of formal persecution of Christians, but it also meant the beginning of persecution of the Jewish people in the name of the Church.
Bolender, Merrill. When the Cross Became a Sword: The Origin and Consequences of Replacement Theology. Psalm 71:18. Kindle Edition.
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am who I am]
14 God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be],” and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus 3:14 (CJB).
2 “Speak to the entire community of Isra’el; tell them, ‘You people are to be holy because I, Adonai your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:2 (CJB).
7 Therefore consecrate yourselves—you people must be holy, because I am Adonai your God. (RY: vii, LY: vi) Leviticus 20:7 (CJB).
26 Rather, you people are to be holy for me; because I, Adonai, am holy; and I have set you apart from the other peoples, so that you can belong to me. Leviticus 20:26 (CJB).
8 Rather, you are to set him apart as holy, because he offers the bread of your God; he is to be holy for you, because I, Adonai, who makes you holy, am holy. Leviticus 21:8 (CJB).
Isaiah 44:1–6 (CJB)
1 “Now listen, Ya‘akov my servant, Isra’el whom I have chosen:
2 Thus says Adonai, who made you, formed you in the womb, and will help you: ‘Don’t be afraid, Ya‘akov my servant, Yeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring.
4 They will spring up among the grass like willows on the riverbanks.
5 One will say, “I belong to Adonai.” Another will be called by the name of Ya‘akov. Yet another will write that he belongs to ADONAI. and adopt the surname Isra’el.’ ”
6 Thus says Adonai, Isra’el’s King and Redeemer, Adonai-Tzva’ot: “I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no God.
19 and I will give them unity of heart. “I will put a new spirit among you.” I will remove from their bodies the hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh; Ezekiel 11:19 (CJB).
31 Throw far away from yourselves all your crimes that you committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why should you die, house of Isra’el? Ezekiel 18:31 (CJB).
26 I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit inside you;
I will take the stony heart out of your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 (CJB).
3 “Yes, indeed,” Yeshua answered him, “I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (CJB).
7 Stop being amazed at my telling you that you must be born again from above! John 3:7 (CJB).
John 8:23–24 (CJB)
23 Yeshua said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
24 This is why I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not trust that I AM [who I say I am], you will die in your sins.”
John 8:58 (CJB)
58 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! Before Avraham came into being, I AM!”
14 Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God—to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them because they are evaluated through the Spirit. 1 Cor 2:14 (CJB).
44 When sown, it is an ordinary human body; when raised, it will be a body controlled by the Spirit. If there is an ordinary human body, there is also a body controlled by the Spirit. 1 Cor 15:44 (CJB).
45 In fact, the Tanakh says so: Adam, the first man, became a living human being; but the last “Adam” has become a life-giving Spirit. 1 Cor 15:45 (CJB).
46 Note, however, that the body from the Spirit did not come first, but the ordinary human one; the one from the Spirit comes afterwards. 1 Cor 15:46 (CJB).
3 Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who, in keeping with his great mercy, has caused us, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to be born again to a living hope, 1 Peter 1:3 (CJB).
23 You have been born again not from some seed that will decay, but from one that cannot decay, through the living Word of God that lasts forever. 1 Peter 1:23 (CJB).
Jude 3-16 (CJB)
3 Dear friends, I was busily at work writing to you about the salvation we share, when I found it necessary to write, urging you to keep contending earnestly for the faith which was once and for all passed on to God’s people. 4 For certain individuals, the ones written about long ago as being meant for this condemnation, have wormed their way in—ungodly people who pervert God’s grace into a license for debauchery and disown our only Master and Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
5 Since you already know all this, my purpose is only to remind you that Adonai, who once delivered the people from Egypt, later destroyed those who did not trust. 6 And the angels that did not keep within their original authority, but abandoned their proper sphere, he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for the Judgment of the Great Day. 7 And S’dom, ‘Amora and the surrounding cities, following a pattern like theirs, committing sexual sins and perversions, lie exposed as a warning of the everlasting fire awaiting those who must undergo punishment.
8 Likewise, these people, with their visions, defile their own flesh, despise godly authority, and insult angelic beings. 9 When Mikha’el, one of the ruling angels, took issue with the Adversary, arguing over the body of Moshe, he did not dare bring against him an insulting charge, but said, “May Adonai rebuke you.” 10 However, these people insult anything they don’t understand; and what they do understand naturally, without thinking, like animals—by these things they are destroyed!
11 Woe to them, in that they have walked the road of Kayin, they have given themselves over for money to the error of Bil‘am, they have been destroyed in the rebellion of Korach. 12 These men are filthy spots at your festive gatherings meant to foster love; they share your meals without a qualm, while caring only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; trees without fruit even in autumn, and doubly dead because they have been uprooted; 13 savage sea-waves heaving forth their shameful deeds like foam; wandering stars for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14 Moreover, Hanokh, in the seventh generation starting with Adam, also prophesied about these men, saying, “Look! Adonai came with his myriads of holy ones 15 to execute judgment against everyone, that is, to convict all the godless for their godless deeds which they have done in such a godless way, and for all the harsh words these godless sinners have spoken against him.”
16 These people are grumblers and complainers, they follow their evil passions, their mouths speak grandiosities, and they flatter others to gain advantage.
Jude 17–23 (CJB)
17 But you, dear friends, keep in mind the words spoken in advance by the emissaries of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 18 They told you, “During the acharit-hayamim there will be scoffers following their own godless passions.” 19 These are the people who cause divisions. They are controlled by their impulses because they don’t have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in union with the Ruach HaKodesh. 21 Thus keep yourselves in God’s love, as you wait for our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to give you the mercy that leads to eternal life.
22 Rebuke some who are disputing; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and to yet others, show mercy, but with fear, hating even the clothes stained by their vices.
Jude 24–25 (CJB)
24 Now,
to the one who can keep you from falling
and set you without defect and full of joy
in the presence of his Sh’khinah—
25 to God alone, our Deliverer;
through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord—
be glory, majesty, power and authority,
before all time, now and forever.
Amen.
Revelation 1:17–18 (CJB)
17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand upon me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last,
18 the Living One. I was dead but look! —I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Sh’ol.
Theological expressions:
In 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul teaches that when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back for His church, all those who died trusting the Messiah will be physically resurrected. When this resurrection occurs, the believers in the Messiah that are still alive will be transformed into glorified creatures. Then the two groups together will meet in the air and go to be with Jesus Christ.
The Greek word “harpazo” means to be snatched. In Latin the word for snatched is “raptus.” This is where we get the modern English word “rapture.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17 (CJB)
17 then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus, we will always be with the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 (CJB)
1 But in connection with the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to meet him, we ask you, brothers,
Paul gives us a little more detail in 1 Corinthians. In this passage Paul describes the Rapture as “the changing.” He states not all of us will “sleep” (or die), but when the resurrection of dead believers occurs, the living believers in Messiah will be changed from our current mortal bodies to glorified, immortal bodies. This all happens in less time than it takes to blink.
Johnson, Ken. The Rapture (pp. 6-7). Biblefacts.org. Kindle Edition.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52 (CJB)
51 Look, I will tell you a secret—not all of us will die! But we will all be changed! 52 It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar. For the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will be changed.
In Romans 8 Paul describes the Rapture as the “manifestation of the sons of God,” which begins with the “redemption of our bodies.”
“But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you… For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God… Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God… And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8: 11,19,21,23.
In both 1 Corinthians and Romans, Paul describes this Rapture as changing us from “corruption” to “incorruption.” Where did Paul get this teaching about the Rapture/ Resurrection? It is taught in the same exact way in Daniel 12.
Daniel describes the “time of distress,” which is that seven-year period prior to the start of the Messiah’s thousand-year reign, saying that it starts with all believers being rescued. The “rescue” is one of the names for the Rapture; see the chart at the end of this section. This will also include believers who have died. The unbelieving dead will resurrect later.
Daniel 12:1–2 (CJB)
1 “When that time comes, Mikha’el, the great prince who champions your people, will stand up; and there will be a time of distress unparalleled between the time they became a nation and that moment. At that time, your people will be delivered, everyone whose name is found written in the book. 2 Many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and abhorrence.
The KJV translates “rescued” as “delivered.” The Hebrew word means to “escape” or “be rescued.” This “time of distress” is worse than anything that has ever happened before. Modern Christians call this period the tribulation period. The prophet Daniel says, “at this time” everyone whose name “is found written in the book” (of life) will be rescued.
The Book of Life is mentioned in Revelation 13: 8; 20: 15 and other passages. Only believers in the Messiah have their names written in this book. In other words, if your name is in this book, you are a Christian and have eternal life, and will spend eternity with God. If your name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you will spend eternity in hell.
Johnson, Ken. The Rapture (p. 8). Biblefacts.org. Kindle Edition.
Hebrews 9:28 (CJB)
28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Titus 2:13 (CJB)
13 while continuing to expect the blessed fulfilment of our certain hope, which is the appearing of the Sh’khinah of our great God and the appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah.
Romans 8:18–25 (CJB)
18 I don’t think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future. 19 The creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed; 20 for the creation was made subject to frustration—not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it. But it was given a reliable hope 21 that it too would be set free from its bondage to decay and would enjoy the freedom accompanying the glory that God’s children will have. 22 We know that until now, the whole creation has been groaning as with the pains of childbirth; 23 and not only it, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we continue waiting eagerly to be made sons—that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free. 24 It was in this hope that we were saved. But if we see what we hope for, it isn’t hope—after all, who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we continue hoping for something we don’t see, then we still wait eagerly for it, with perseverance.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (CJB)
10 and to wait for his Son Yeshua, whom he raised from the dead, to appear from heaven and rescue us from the impending fury of God’s judgment.
1 Corinthians 1:7 (CJB)
7 so that you are not lacking any spiritual gift and are eagerly awaiting the revealing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
1 Peter 1:13 (CJB)
13 Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed.
Philippians 3:20–21 (CJB)
20 But we are citizens of heaven, and it is from there that we expect a Deliverer, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 21 He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like his glorious body, using the power which enables him to bring everything under his control.
Further Reading:
Lancaster, D. T., Dr (2024, January 18). Jewish version of Rapture. Www.Ffoz.org. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/the-jewish-version-of-the-rapture
Scripture (literal meaning):
Isaiah 26:19
19 Your dead will live, my corpse will rise;
awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust;
for your dew is like the morning dew,
and the earth will bring the ghosts to life.
Isaiah 26:20
20 Come, my people, enter your rooms,
and shut your doors behind you.
Hide yourselves for a little while
until the wrath is past.
Isaiah 26:21
21 For see! ADONAI emerges from his place
to punish those on earth for their sin.
Then the earth will reveal the blood shed on it
and no longer conceal its slain.
Matthew 11:5
5 the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara’at are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, the Good News is being told to the poor—
Luke 7:22
22 So he answered them by saying, “Go, tell Yochanan what you have been seeing and hearing: the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara‘at are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, the Good News is being told to the poor—
Jude 21 (CJB)
21 Thus keep yourselves in God’s love, as you wait for our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to give you the mercy that leads to eternal life.
John 14:3 (CJB)
3 Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also.
Daniel 12:1–2 (CJB)
1 “When that time comes, Mikha’el, the great prince who champions your people, will stand up; and there will be a time of distress unparalleled between the time they became a nation and that moment. At that time, your people will be delivered, everyone whose name is found written in the book. 2 Many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and abhorrence.
Matthew 24:4–51 (CJB)
4 Yeshua replied: “Watch out! Don’t let anyone fool you! 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. 6 You will hear the noise of wars nearby and the news of wars far off; see to it that you don’t become frightened. Such things must happen, but the end is yet to come. 7 For peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various parts of the world; 8 all this is but the beginning of the ‘birth-pains.’ 9 At that time you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and put to death, and all peoples will hate you because of me. 10 At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other, 11 many false prophets will appear and fool many people; 12 and many people’s love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah. 13 But whoever holds out till the end will be delivered. 14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be announced throughout the whole world as a witness to all the Goyim. It is then that the end will come.
15 “So when you see the abomination that causes desolation spoken about through the prophet Dani’el standing in the Holy Place” (let the reader understand the allusion), 16 “that will be the time for those in Y’hudah to escape to the hills. 17 If someone is on the roof, he must not go down to gather his belongings from his house; 18 if someone is in the field, he must not turn back to get his coat. 19 What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on Shabbat. 21 For there will be trouble then worse than there has ever been from the beginning of the world until now, and there will be nothing like it again! 22 Indeed, if the length of this time had not been limited, no one would survive; but for the sake of those who have been chosen, its length will be limited.
23 “At that time, if someone says to you, ‘Look! Here’s the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ don’t believe him. 24 For there will appear false Messiahs and false prophets performing great miracles—amazing things!—so as to fool even the chosen, if possible. 25 There! I have told you in advance! 26 So if people say to you, ‘Listen! He’s out in the desert!’ don’t go; or, ‘Look! He’s hidden away in a secret room!’ don’t believe it. 27 For when the Son of Man does come, it will be like lightning that flashes out of the east and fills the sky to the western horizon.
28 Wherever there’s a dead body, that’s where you find the vultures.
29 “But immediately following the trouble of those times,
the sun will grow dark,
the moon will stop shining,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in heaven will be shaken.
30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, all the tribes of the Land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with tremendous power and glory. 31 He will send out his angels with a great shofar; and they will gather together his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “Now let the fig tree teach you its lesson: when its branches begin to sprout and leaves appear, you know that summer is approaching. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you are to know that the time is near, right at the door. 34 Yes! I tell you that this people will certainly not pass away before all these things happen. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36 “But when that day and hour will come, no one knows—not the angels in heaven, not the Son, only the Father. 37 For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noach. 38 Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noach entered the ark; 39 and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes. 40 Then there will be two men in a field—one will be taken and the other left behind. 41 There will be two women grinding flour at the mill—one will be taken and the other left behind. 42 So stay alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But you do know this: had the owner of the house known when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you too must always be ready, for the Son of Man will come when you are not expecting him.
45 “Who is the faithful and sensible servant whose master puts him in charge of the household staff, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will go well with that servant if he is found doing his job when his master comes. 47 Yes, I tell you that he will put him in charge of all he owns. 48 But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time’; 49 and he starts beating up his fellow servants and spends his time eating and drinking with drunkards; 50 then his master will come on a day the servant does not expect, at a time he doesn’t know; 51 and he will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites, where people will wail and grind their teeth!
Understanding theology, Living Scripture!