REVELATION: THE MYSTERIES REVEALED - FAQ'S
Q. Hi Pastor Ed, I had a question regarding prophecy. Are feast days such as the feast of tabernacles and its concerning prophecy relevant to today’s study of prophecy?
A. Hi Michael - All of the old feasts and festivals are a foreshadow of the coming Messiah - Jesus Christ. Prophetically it only points to the work of Jesus now in heaven.
Your question is actually deeper than you realize. There are seven feasts and festivals. Leviticus 23, you can clearly see that the feasts of the Lord were appointed times, established as an annual foreshadowing, teaching both historically and prophetically the whole plan of God concerning the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of man.
The first four are 1) Passover, 2) Unleavened Bread, 3) First Fruits and the 4) Feast of Weeks (a.k.a. Pentecost). These 4 Spring Feasts are considered to be an interrelated whole – and Pentecost was the completion of the seasons cycle. But the last three teach of what Jesus is doing now and points to the 2nd coming!
Q. When did the wound of the beast heal?
A. Between 1798 and 1814, the revolutionary French government invaded Italy several times and annexed the Papal States (though the papacy was restored between 1800 and 1809). Napoleon Bonaparte abolished the pope's temporal power in 1809, incorporating Rome and Latium into his First French Empire. Pope Pius VII himself was even taken prisoner by Napoleon. However, the pope's temporal power was restored by the Great powers at the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars in the 1815 Congress of Vienna.
Q. Hey Pastor - I was wondering what's the full meaning of Yeshua?
A. Yeshua in Hebrew is a verbal derivative from "to rescue", "to deliver".
A shortened form of the Hebrew name for Jesus is Yeshua. We understand the meaning of the name of Jesus from what the angel said to Joseph as recorded in Matthew 1:21: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Jesus is not a Hebrew name but the English translation of the Greek name Iēsous, which is a translation of the Hebrew name for Joshua (Yehoshua‘). Joshua means “the salvation of the Lord” or “the Lord will save.”
Q. What in Revelation should be taken literally and what is not literal?
A. The Book of Revelation is prophetic: John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, points out that book is prophecy in verse three:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation 1:1-3 NASB”
Prophecy in the Old Testament did have figurative language (e.g., Joseph’s dream, Nebuchadnezzar dream, the prophets of Israel, etc.). However the images and figures were always explained by the one who was interpreting the prophecy.
In addition, you will find keys of interpretation in the Old Testament. The Books of Daniel and Ezekiel are primary boobs for this.
In short, because John describes this book as prophecy, the reader does not have to hypothesize, theorize, allegorize, or spiritualize, the meaning of the events laid out in the Book of Revelation.
We should expect the interpretation of the book be laid out in order for us by God the author who gave us the prophecy, so that we may understand and be blessed by it (Rev. 1:3).
Q. How do I conquer doubt/fear?
A. 5 Ways To Build Your Faith (and Eliminate Doubt)
All of these strategies are really centered around the FAITH in God and faith in God’s WORD that is opposite fear and doubt.
Faith is how we WALK (2 Cor. 5:7), how we LIVE (Heb. 10:38), and certainly key to how we minister (Rom. 12:6).
You can build your faith and eliminate doubt through:
- Hearing the preached Word of God (Rom. 10:14-17)
- Being taught the Word of God (Mark 6:1-6)
- Asking for God to help your unbelief (Mark 9:24)
- Prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:15-21; Jude 1:20)
- Testimonies (John 4:28-29, 39; Luke 7:2-3, 6-10)
Q. I have cone to understand my calling is to spread the Word of God. I do not know exactly how to go about it. What advice can you give me?
A. SALT, in partnership with the evangelistic ministry of It Is Written, is a fresh and dynamic evangelism training program on the vibrant campus of Southern Adventist University. Offering fully accredited college classes, a Bible worker certification and hands on training, there is no experience like one gained here.
Q. How do I live with a non-Christian Spouse?
A.
- Don't look for a way out. ...
- Be realistic. ...
- Remember why you are married. ...
- Concentrate on your conduct. ...
- Share your faith. ...
- Don't hate them. ...
- Pray.
1. Don’t look for a way out. “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him” (1 Cor. 7:12-13).
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).
“if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace” (1 Cor. 7:15).
Deuteronomy 12:10: “The Lord your God is giving you…rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety.”
2. Be realistic.
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority”(Acts 1:7).
“Look…and watch--Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you” (Habakkuk 1:5).
3. Remember why you are married.
1 Corinthians 7:14: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).
“For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife” (1 Cor. 7:16)?
4. Concentrate on your conduct.“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct” (1 Peter 3:1-2). In addition, Paul reminded the Corinthian church that they were a living epistle “known and read by all men”(2 Cor. 3:2). Your life may be the only Bible your spouse or children will ever read. Therefore, concentrate on having a conduct that is worthy of the Gospel (Phil. 1:27).
5. Share your faith.“A word spoken in due season, how good it is” (Prov. 15:23)! Isaiah also described this ability: “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary” (Is. 50:4).
6. Don’t hate them.
“They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).
“He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16).
7. Pray.
“the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD” (Ps. 27:14)!