Part 1: The Future Written as History
PLEASE TEST EACH BLOG I POST WITH STUDY, RESEARCH, AND PRAYER. JUDGE MY WORDS AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD AND THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND THEORIES I USE TO SUPPORT MY RESEARCH TO ENSURE MY THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH BOTH THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE.
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I want to apologize for this
post's tardiness. I am taking classes to earn a Visual
Art Graduate Certificate specializing in Popular Media (e.g.,
film, television, and social media) at Harvard University’s Extension School
(HES): continuing education courses to further my academic and professional
knowledge of popular media in support of my degree in History of Art I earned at
The Ohio State University. I had assignments and a makeup midterm exam to
complete, which took time away from me to work on this blog and Facebook page.
That said, I included a list of Definitions
of Key Terms at the end of this blog. Also, I hyperlinked words from
internet dictionaries and encyclopedia sources in case I use a term or phrase some
people may need to be more familiar with. Lastly, unless otherwise indicated, I
will use the New King James Version Bible (NKJV) on BibleHub.com for my primary Bible source.
What is Eschaton Transition,
and is it Scriptural?
I coined the term eschaton transition
when I launched this blog site in June 2020 and published it academically in seminary
school at Regent University when I introduced the term in my Master of Apologetics and Cosmogony thesis,
Eschaton Transition: The Multiverse and Non-Terrestrial Entities in Popular
Media, Science, and Biblical Eschatological Prophecy,[1]
in December 2022.
Recently, I made minor revisions
to my master’s thesis and realized I needed to write about how I came up with the
term and find biblical support for it. Long story short, I had searched the
internet and books for a term that explicitly defined biblical eschatological
prophecies yet to be fulfilled. In 2020, while studying Daniel 12:4-13 and Revelation 10:1-4, the
words eschaton transition came to me. I searched the internet to see if
anyone had used my term precisely or if there was terminology already being
used by scholars. Fortunately, I could not find an established term for it.
Not long ago, while studying my
Bible and researching for this blog entry, the verses Daniel 10:1b and Psalm 81:3 (KJV) extemporaneously
revealed themselves to me. Unbeknownst to me, my definition of eschaton
transition corresponds to what Daniel and Asaph said in the Book of Psalms,
along with the other verses I have noted below. I give full credit to the Holy
Spirit for this revelation because I cannot honestly say I would have
discovered these verses when I did.
Scriptural Support for
Eschaton Transition
· Daniel 8:26 – “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.”[3]
· Daniel 10:1 – “The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and [Daniel] understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.”[4]
· Daniel 12:4-13 – “4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. 8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”[5]
· Luke 1:20 – “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”[6]
· Revelation 10:1-4 – “1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”[7]
Lastly, the next several posts titled The Future Written as History will explicitly concentrate on verses in 2 Thessalonians 2: verses 6 and 7. They will examine, in part or whole, The Holy Spirit-Restrainer of the Mystery of Lawlessness, The Mystery of Lawlessness Already at Work in the World Today, and The Emerging Apostate Church in Modernity in context to the two verses, and how the Holy Spirit's influence and work and the Mystery of Lawlessness operates and influences The World, The Church, and the Free Will of Humanity. I will also examine how popular media and historical and contemporary scientific research (i.e., hard science, soft science,[9] and pseudo-science) can and/or do, knowingly and unknowingly, influence our individual, familial, tribal, and societal thoughts and opinions, and religious and spiritual worldviews.
Why did Paul Write His Epistle to the Christians in Thessalonica?
1 Thessalonians & 2 Thessalonians Historical Background
The Thessalonian Christians were
New to the Faith
When Paul wrote his letters to
the Thessalonian Christians,
“[He had] spent
a very short time in the city of Thessalonica, but he was able to establish a
church [there] during his stay. [Scholars hypothesized], there may have been
little time for instructions of the new converts, so it is not surprising that
Paul wrote [his first] letter to address some questions”[10]
“[In his second letter], Paul [gives]
further clarification on how to live the Christian life in light of the coming
return of Christ. The Thessalonians were called to stand firm and live useful
lives, because the return of Christ might be in the distant future.”[11]
Why were the Thessalonian
Christians Anxious and Fearful?
Paul wanted to comfort them,
especially since they were new to the faith, and to quieten their anxiety
and fears because of the persecution they faced as Christians by the Romans,
worries about the End of Days and the Antichrist. Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5
(NKJV):
1 Now, brethren,
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to
Him, we ask you, 2
not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by
letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive
you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes
first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and
exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he
sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember
that when I was still with you I told you these things?
Since the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70[12] by the Romans that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:1-3, Christians, in general, have attempted to predict Jesus’s Second Coming and postulate who the Antichrist is. Even though Jesus told us in Matthew 25:13 and Mark 13:32-37:
Matthew 25:13
“Watch
therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is
coming.”
Mark 13:32-37
32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the [incarnate] Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— 36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
To help you better understand the trepidations of the Thessalonian Christians, the pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church in Carlsbad, CA, Dr. Daniel R. Hyde, wrote a succinct, informative essay about why Paul wrote his epistle titled 3 Things to Know about 1 & 2 Thessalonians. It should take approximately 5 minutes to read.
In Conclusion
Book of 2 Thessalonians Summary: A Complete Animated
Overview
I will leave you with a few things to ponder till my next blog: the Flow of Thought of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7. The orange text represents you or direct address (who: identifies persons, objects), the blue text represents the Holy Spirit or subject (who or what?), the red text represents the Antichrist and the [spirit of] mystery of lawlessness or apposition (who or what?), and the green text represents time or temporal (when?: when, after, before). And biblical verses to explain what The World, The Church, and the Free Will of Humanity are in context with 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
Things to Ponder
Paul’s Flow of Thought of 2
Thessalonians 2:6-7
6
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at
work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
a b c
d
A And you know what is now restraining
him
B so
that he may be revealed at the proper time
C For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work
D but
the One who now restrains it will continue until
E He is taken out of the way
The Influence and Labor of the Holy Spirit's The Mystery
of Lawlessness
The World The
Church Free Will of
Humanity
John 3:17 Rev. 3:14-22 1 Timothy 2:4
1 Timothy 2:4 Jude
1:4 Rev. 22:17
The
Olivet Discourse: Jesus Forewarns His Disciples, Israel, and the World about the End of
Days
Amir Tsarfati: The Olivet Discourse
In the Book of Matthew, when Jesus's disciples asked Him what the signs of His Second Coming and the End of Days would be, Jesus privately told them The Olivet Discourse, found in Matthew 24 and 25. As a Watchman (Ezekiel 3:16-19, 33:1-11) of our Lord Jesus Christ, I highly advise all of God's people to keep watch on what happens in the Nation-State of Israel and Jerusalem!
The
New King James Version Bible breaks each chapter as follows:
·
(Chapter 24) Jesus Predicts the
Destruction of the Temple, The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age, The
Great Tribulation, The Coming of the Son of Man, The Parable of the Fig Tree, No
One Knows the Day or Hour, The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant.
· (Chapter 25) The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, The Parable of the Talents, The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations.
Definitions
of Key Terms
·
Cosmogony – “the study (theory or account
of this) of the origin of the universe.”[13]
· Cultivation Theory — “a communications and
sociological framework that posits [that] long-term exposure to media shapes
how the consumers of media perceive the world as well as conduct themselves in
life.”[14]
·
Epistle – a letter.
· Eschatology - “The term
"eschatology" designates the doctrine concerning "the last
things." The word "last" can be understood either absolutely as
referring to the ultimate destiny of mankind in general or of each individual
man, or relatively as referring to the end of a certain period in the history
of mankind or of a nation that is followed by another, entirely different,
historical period.”[15]
· Eschaton Transition - prophetic biblical
events that are manifesting but will not be fully realized until their
appointed time.
· Exegesis - “refers to the interpretation
of a specific Biblical text; hermeneutics is deciding which principles we will
use to interpret the text.”[16]
· Flow of Thought - “Usually, the interpreter seeks to understand one passage, at least one at a time. After discovering the main sections, the next step involves tracing the flow of thought in the passages for study….First, one must isolate, where appropriate, the individual paragraphs. Paragraphs typically develop a unit of thought, often incorporating a topic sentence that the paragraph develops. Then, the interpreter proceeds to analyze the building blocks of paragraphs–sentences–and how their assertions or propositions develop the writer’s argument or narration. Placing proper proportionate weight on each element in a sentence involves distinguishing the main statement (independent clause) or statements from any subordinate (dependent) clause or clauses that qualify it.”[17]
·
Hard science - “any of the natural or
physical sciences, as chemistry, biology, physics, or astronomy, in which
aspects of the universe are investigated by means of hypotheses and
experiments.”[18]
· Hermeneutics - “Biblical hermeneutics is
the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation. The word most often
refers to how to interpret the Bible or other sacred texts from other religions.”[19]
·
Incarnate - “embodied in flesh; given a
bodily, especially a human, form.”[20]
· Popular Media (aka mass media) - “modes
(or, less commonly, a single mode) of mass communication whereby information,
opinion, advocacy, propaganda, advertising, artwork, entertainment, and other
forms of expression are conveyed to a very large audience. In this, the most
general, sense of the term, mass media have included print, radio, television,
film, video, audio recording, and the Internet—in particular, the World Wide
Web and Internet-based social media.”[21]
· Prophecy - “something that is declared by
a prophet, especially a divinely inspired prediction, instruction, or
exhortation.”[22]
· Pseudo-science – “a system of theories,
assumptions, and methods erroneously regarded as scientific.”[23]
· Soft science - “any of the specialized
fields or disciplines, as psychology, sociology, anthropology, or political
science, that interpret human behavior, institutions, society, etc., on the
basis of scientific investigations for which it may be difficult to establish strictly
measurable criteria.”[24]
FOOTNOTES
[1]
Anderson, Leni D. December 2022. “Eschaton Transition: The Multiverse and
Non-terrestrial Entities in Popular Media, Science, and Biblical Eschatological
Prophecy,” ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/openview/fd818afd0406ebd6597aac361894b1f9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
[2] BibleHub.com.
Psalm 81:3 (KJV).
[3]
Ibid, Daniel 8:26 (NKJV).
[4] Ibid,
Daniel 10:1b.
[5]
Ibid, Daniel 12:4-13.
[6]
Ibid, Luke 1:20.
[7]
Ibid, Revelation 10:1-4.
[8]
Ibid, Revelation 11:3.
[9] Collins,
Jason. January 6, 2021. “An Analysis of the Differences Between 'Hard' and
'Soft' Sciences,” Impactio.com. https://www.impactio.com/blog/an-analysis-of-the-the-differences-between-hard-and-soft-sciences.
[10]
Holman Study Bible, NKJV Edition. “1 Thessalonians Introduction,” New
King James Version Bible (Nashville, TN, Holman Bible Publishers, 2013),
p.2029.
[11] Ibid,
p.2039.
[12]
Harvard Divinity School. 2024. “Destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE,”
Religion and Public Life. https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/faq/destruction-second-temple-70-ce.
[13]
Collins Dictionary. “Cosmogony.” https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/cosmogony.
[14]
Perera, Ayesh. September 7, 2023. “Cultivation Theory In Media,” Simply
Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/cultivation-theory.html.
[15] Jewish
Virtual Library: A Project of AICE. 2007. “Eschatology,” Encyclopaedia
Judaica. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/eschatology.
[16] Klein,
William, W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. “Exegesis,”
Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, 3rd edition (Grand Rapids,
MI, Zondervan, 2017), p.352.
[17] Ibid,
“Flow of Thought.”
[18] Dictionary.com.
“Hard science.” https://www.dictionary.com/compare-words/hard%20science-vs-soft%20science.
[19]
Grace Theological Seminary. January 4, 2022. “What is Biblical
Hermeneutics?” https://seminary.grace.edu/what-is-biblical-hermeneutics.
[20] Dictionary.com.
“Incarnate.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/incarnate.
[21] Duignan,
B.. “mass media.” Encyclopedia Britannica, February 15, 2024.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/mass-media.
[22] Dictionary.com.
Accessed 2020. “Prophecy.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/prophecy.
[23]
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. “Pseudoscience.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pseudoscience.
[24] Ibid.
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Here is the sinner’s prayer if you are moved to give your life to Christ, and please send me an email if you would like me to say a prayer for you –
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins, rose from the dead, and are now sitting at the right hand of God the Father. I turn from my sins and invite You into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord
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Leni D. Anderson, MLIS, MA.AC, BA ArtH, AA
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