We have always been told in evangelical churches to be ready because Jesus will come like a thief in the night, and no one knows the day or hour. So how does one stay ready? If a person is ready then does the thief in the night analogy even apply? Are we talking about a dispensational pre-tribulation rapture here, the second coming, or the day of the Lord? The more time spent reading what the scriptures actually say, reveals things that are hard to reconcile with twentieth century eschatology. I wonder how much money was spent on books that were completely irrelevant ten years after they were written in the last half of the twentieth century? Arguments over pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post tribulation rapture theories could cause bloodshed if someone didn’t end the argument with “remember, no one knows the day or the hour”. That is more of an American thing though, in Canada it seems we just accept the dispensational theological narrative and keep quiet about it, or we don’t think about it at all. If you read my blog Immortal Soul or Resurrected Body, I show that the resurrection should be our focus and our hope, not a secret rapture. I would like to deal with some of this here. First, below is one of a few places where Jesus uses the thief analogy.

Mat 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
Mat 24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Mat 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Mat 24:47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Mat 24:48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’
Mat 24:49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,
Mat 24:50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
Mat 24:51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now let’s look at how Jesus describes the way he will come back in Matthew 24:

Mat 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
Mat 24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Mat 24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Mat 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Mat 24:25 See, I have told you beforehand.
Mat 24:26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mat 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
Mat 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Mat 24:30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus appears as lightning across the sky. In Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” With these two passages there does not appear to be the sense of a thief in the night. So what is meant by this idea of a thief in the night? I know what you are thinking, in dispensational theology these verses are not referring to the “secret rapture”, thief in the night scenario, but a time later. The “church” has already been removed. I agree that believers will not experience the wrath of God, however, we can not make things appear in scripture that are not there. Please read my blog, The church and Israel, the church or Israel, or both? Faith works. Let’s look at who the coming of Christ will appear as a thief in the night to according to Paul.

1Th 5:1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
1Th 5:2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
1Th 5:4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
1Th 5:5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
1Th 5:6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
1Th 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
1Th 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
1Th 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

In these verses we have an important distinction. People will be in a false sense of security, but those who are not in darkness will not be surprised by the day. The thief in the night comparison is being used to describe what the day of the Lord will be like for those in a false sense of security and darkness. The day of the Lord requires its own blog, but let’s look at a verse describing it out of the book of Zechariah.

Zec 14:1 Behold, a day is coming for the LORD, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zec 14:3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.
Zec 14:4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
Zec 14:5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
Zec 14:6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.
Zec 14:7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
Zec 14:8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.
Zec 14:10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
Zec 14:11 And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Zec 14:13 And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.
Zec 14:14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.
Zec 14:15 And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.
Zec 14:16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.

A couple points here show that it’s a unique day known to the Lord, “Mat 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”, and there will be those of the nations that survive and will be required to keep the fall feast of Booths. As believers we will not be taken by surprise because we have been told what to look for.

Mat 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Mat 24:8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Mat 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
Mat 24:10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
Mat 24:12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
Mat 24:13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Mat 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.Mat 24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Some of the signs for us to look for, not to have the day come on us like a thief, are the following: false teachers leading people astray, lawlessness, (anomia, abandonment of the commandments and statutes of יהוה), people being hated for their faith, leaving the faith and great tribulation. Paul gives us some more signs.

2Th 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
2Th 2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
2Th 2:5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
2Th 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
2Th 2:10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
2Th 2:11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
2Th 2:12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This opening statement tells us about the subject that follows, “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him”. This gathering is spoken about from the beginning to the end of scripture. Notice the similarities between verse eight and what John speaks of in Revelation.

Rev 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
Rev 19:13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
Rev 19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Rev 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God,
Rev 19:18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
Rev 19:21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

A similar prophecy in Ezekiel also has the birds cleaning up the mess.

Eze 39:17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood.
Eze 39:18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan.
Eze 39:19 And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you.
Eze 39:20 And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Eze 39:21 “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them.

Jesus even makes reference to the birds. “Mat 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mat 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” These all appear to be speaking of the same event.

In the second letter to the Thessalonians, quoted earlier, Paul was clarifying what he wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians. There is one coming of the Lord, and one gathering of the saints to him.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Daniel speaks of the same event many years before Paul’s letters.

Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Where Paul speaks of one restraining, “2Th 2:6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.”, it could be Michael in Daniel 12:1 who stands up and allows the time of trouble. Some would say that it is the church remaining on Earth that restrains, but there is no scripture to support that. The word for “stand up” H5975, can also mean cease or stop moving. Compare this to the Greek word for restraining. It makes sense that Michael standing up implies he is is stopping whatever it is he is doing that prevents the great time of trouble.

H5975
עמד
‛âmad
BDB Definition:
1) to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to stand, take one’s stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of
1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease
1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast
1a4) to make a stand, hold one’s ground
1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright
1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against
1a7) to stand with, take one’s stand, be appointed, grow flat, grow insipid

G2722
κατέχω
katechō
Thayer Definition:
1) to hold back, detain, retain
1a) from going away
1b) to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of)
1b1) that which hinders, Antichrist from making his appearance
1b2) to check a ship’s headway, i.e. to hold or head the ship
1c) to hold fast, keep secure, keep firm possession of
2) to get possession of, take
2b) to possess

Peter also warns us not to be impatient, and the the day will come as a thief, but he is not referring to a dispensational type rapture here. Verse four, in my opinion, is speaking of a time in the future when Christians who have been deceived will loose faith in his coming because it didn’t follow the pattern of the common dispensational view.

2Pe 3:1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2Pe 3:2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,
2Pe 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
2Pe 3:4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
2Pe 3:5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
2Pe 3:6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
2Pe 3:7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
2Pe 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
2Pe 3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
2Pe 3:13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

How do we stay awake? Depart from wickedness, iniquity, and lawlessness, which is anomia in the Greek, and pursue righteousness. Both lawlessness and righteousness are defined throughout scripture, and it would be my guess that is the way יהוה God still defines them. The definition of anomia again is the following:

G458
ἀνομία
anomia
Thayer Definition:
1) the condition of without law
1a) because ignorant of it
1b) because of violating it
2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness

2Ti 2:14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
2Ti 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,
2Ti 2:17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
2Ti 2:18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
2Ti 2:19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
2Ti 2:20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
2Ti 2:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
2Ti 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2Ti 2:23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
2Ti 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
2Ti 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
2Ti 2:26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Psa 37:27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.
Psa 37:28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psa 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
Psa 37:30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
Psa 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
Psa 37:32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.
Psa 37:33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Psa 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
Psa 37:35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
Psa 37:36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
Psa 37:37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
Psa 37:38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psa 37:39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
Psa 37:40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

What is יהוה God looking for us to do? Here are some examples:

Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luk 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Jas 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Jas 1:24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Jas 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Jer 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Jer 7:21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Speaking of sacrifice, here is an interesting situation in Leviticus 17:11 that was pointed out to me. If we look at Leviticus 17:11, with the Strong’s numbers, both in the Hebrew text and English text we will see something that is curious. Here is the verse, “Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Nearly all English translations translate it this way. Let’s look at it with the Strong’s numbers.

Lev 17:11 ForH3588the lifeH5315of the fleshH1320is in the blood:H1818and IH589have givenH5414it to you uponH5921the altarH4196to make an atonementH3722forH5921your souls:H5315forH3588itH1931is the bloodH1818that maketh an atonementH3722for the soul.H5315

Lev 17:11 כיH3588נפשׁH5315הבשׂרH1320בדםH1818הואH1931ואניH589נתתיוH5414לכם עלH5921המזבחH4196לכפרH3722עלH5921נפשׁתיכםH5315כיH3588הדםH1818הואH1931בנפשׁH5315יכפר׃H3722

Remember, Hebrew reads right to left and English left to right. It reads in English, “ and I” , but in Hebrew, “הוא ואני”, which clearly says he and I, even in the first two Duo Lingo lessons of Hebrew! H1931 is missing in the King James with Strong’s numbers, but it is there in the Hebrew text complete with the Strong’s number for He.

The Eth CEPHER version translates this verse as follows: “For the soul of the flesh is in the blood: he and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood of him that makes an atonement in the soul. VAYIQRA (LEVITICUS) 17:11 את CEPHER”

God Yahweh has always wanted his set apart people to follow his commandments, and he always intended for Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins. That is why the priestly sacrificial system is no longer in play. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD and his people are scattered throughout the nations waiting to be regathered at the last day.

Heb 5:5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”;
Heb 5:6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
Heb 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Heb 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Heb 5:10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 5:11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
Heb 5:13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

So, we must discern good from evil by constant practice. What happens when we stop practicing good, and can no longer discern good from evil? A warning from the writer of Hebrews:

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
Heb 6:6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Rev 21:6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
Rev 21:7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Rev 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

It is interesting unraveling some of the linguistic situations that present themselves in modern translations of the Bible. In the Christian Bible there is the Old Testament, which was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek; or was it? Then there is the Septuagint, which seventy Hebrew translators worked at translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek around the third century BC. This version helps us understand Greek words in the New Testament, and how the translators of the Septuagint would have translated them. Another translation to consider is the Latin Vulgate that Jerome translated sometime in the fourth century.

It’s all somewhat boring history until a person starts pulling things apart and realizes that many things really do evolve in translations and transliterations. When we translate we take a word in language A and use a word in language B that means the same thing. An example is chat in French means cat in English. Transliteration is a little different where a word would get spelled out the way it sounds in the original language and become a new word in the new language. The name Jesus is a good example of transliteration.

Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

We see that in Matthew 1:21 they called his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. At first glance it would make a thinking person ask why? What does the name Jesus, on it’s own, have to do with saving people? To answer this we have to look at an event early in the history of Israel.

Num 13:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 13:2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
Num 13:3 And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
Num 13:4 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
Num 13:5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
Num 13:6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
Num 13:7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
Num 13:8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.
Num 13:9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
Num 13:10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
Num 13:11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
Num 13:12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
Num 13:13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
Num 13:14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
Num 13:15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
Num 13:16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

Here we see Moses changed the name of the son of Nun from Oshea to Jehoshua. These are both transliterated names. Oshea is הושע, and Jehoshua is יהושוע, which literally mean Yah, a shortened form of Yahweh or יהוה, saves. So what does this have to do with Jesus and his name saving people from their sins? This is where the the Septuagint is helpful.

Num 13:16 ταυτα G3778 D-NPN  τα G3588 T-NPN  ονοματα G3686 N-NPN  των G3588 T-GPM  ανδρων G435 N-GPM  ους G3739 R-APM  απεστειλεν G649 V-AAI-3S  μωυσης N-NSM  κατασκεψασθαι V-AMN  την G3588 T-ASF  γην G1065 N-ASF  και G2532 CONJ  επωνομασεν V-AAI-3S  μωυσης N-NSM  τον G3588 T-ASM  αυση N-PRI  υιον G5207 N-ASM  ναυη N-PRI  ιησουν G2424 N-PRI

Strong’s G2424, the Greek word for Joshua, is translated as Iesous. “ee-ay-soos”

Ἰησοῦς
Iēsous
Thayer Definition:
Jesus = “Jehovah is salvation”
1) Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate
2) Jesus Barabbas was the captive robber whom the Jews begged Pilate to release instead of Christ
3) Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor (Act 7:45, Heb 4:8)
4) Jesus, son of Eliezer, one of the ancestors of Christ (Luk 3:29)
5) Jesus, surnamed Justus, a Jewish Christian, an associate with Paul in the preaching of the gospel (Col 4:11)

If we look at the Tyndale English translation, from the early 1500’s, we see the name of Jesus in its transliterated Greek form. The English language didn’t have a J in the alphabet until a little later.

21 She shall brynge forthe a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iesus. For he shall save his peple from their synnes.

So Jesus could have been translated directly to Joshua, except the transcripts were in Greek, so it was Iesous, because that is what יהושוע is translated to when going from Hebrew to Greek.

Another name that took a strange turn is James. In the Old English version it was Iames because there was no J. Let’s look at it with the help of the Strong numbers.

Jas 1:1 James, G2385  a servant G1401  of God G2316  and G2532  of the Lord G2962  Jesus G2424  Christ, G5547  to the G3588  twelve G1427  tribes G5443  which G3588  are scattered abroad, G1722 G1290  greeting. G5463

Here James is writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad. His name is Strong’s G2385.

Ἰάκωβος
Iakōbos
ee-ak’-o-bos
The same as G2384 Graecized; Jacobus, the name of three Israelites: – James.

So James is the same as G2384, Jacobus. What does G2384 show us.

Ἰακώβ
Iakōb
ee-ak-obe’
Of Hebrew origin [H3290]; Jacob (that is, Ja’akob), the pogenitor of the Israelites; also an Israelite: – Jacob.

Now we are getting to the bottom of it. James is really Jacob.

יַעֲקֹב
ya‛ăqôb
yah-ak-obe’
From H6117; heel catcher (that is, supplanter); Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch: – Jacob.

It’s not Jacob though, because there is no J sound in Hebrew. It is pronounced Ya’acove. How did Jacob become James? I really do not know. It predated King James so we can’t blame him.

With all of this Hebrew to Greek and Greek to English, it is also interesting to see how God, Lord and יהוה are treated in the Septuagint, because we can then understand how Jesus and the Apostles used the same words.

Mat 4:10 Then G5119  saith G3004  Jesus G2424  unto him, G846  Get thee hence, G5217  Satan: G4567  for G1063  it is written, G1125  Thou shalt worship G4352  the Lord G2962  thy G4675  God, G2316  and G2532  him G846  only G3441  shalt thou serve. G3000

Here we have Lord, G2962 and God, G2316. A verse in Exodus that uses the same phrase, Lord thy God is as follows:

Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

In the Greek Septuagint, G2962 is used for Lord and G2316 is used for God.

Exo 20:5 ου G3364 ADV  προσκυνησεις G4352 V-FAI-2S  αυτοις G846 D-DPM  ουδε G3761 CONJ  μη G3165 ADV  λατρευσης G3000 V-AAS-2S  αυτοις G846 D-DPN  εγω G1473 P-NS  γαρ G1063 PRT  ειμι G1510 V-PAI-1S  κυριος G2962 N-NSM  ο G3588 T-NSM  θεος G2316 N-NSM  σου G4771 P-GS  θεος G2316 N-NSM  ζηλωτης G2207 N-NSM  αποδιδους G591 V-PAPNS  αμαρτιας G266 N-GSF  πατερων G3962 N-GPM  επι G1909 PREP  τεκνα G5043 N-APN  εως G2193 PREP  τριτης G5154 A-GSF  και G2532 CONJ  τεταρτης G5067 A-GSF  γενεας G1074 N-GSF  τοις G3588 T-DPM  μισουσιν G3404 V-PAPDP  με G1473 P-AS

G2962
κύριος
kurios
Thayer Definition:
1) he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
1a) the possessor and disposer of a thing
1a1) the owner; one who has control of the person, the master
1a2) in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor
1b) is a title of honour expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master
1c) this title is given to: God, the Messiah

G2316
θεός
theos
Thayer Definition:
1) a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities
2) the Godhead, trinity
2a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity
2b) Christ, the second person of the trinity
2c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity
3) spoken of the only and true God
3a) refers to the things of God
3b) his counsels, interests, things due to him
4) whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way
4a) God’s representative or viceregent
4a1) of magistrates and judges

So Kurios is the word the Greeks used for the supreme being, יהוה (Yahweh), and Theos is what they used for God or gods, אלהים, (Eloheem).

With this in mind we could read Matthew 4:10 as follows:“Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship Yahweh Elohayka, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Elohayka being the possessive form of Eloheem, meaning Yahweh your God. Once a person identifies Kurios with Yahweh and Theos as god or God, it makes things interesting when you look at what is being said in some verses. We know John 1:1-3:

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So The Word was with God and was God, and all things were made by him. Also, “Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”, in light of what is found in Isaiah:

Isa 45:21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Isa 45:24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Isa 45:25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

We have to conclude that Jesus Christ is Kurios, to the glory of Theos, the Father, or Jesus Christ is יהוה, to the glory of Eloheem, the Father, or some such thing. I am not promoting a “oneness” doctrine here, but I can see where it comes from, where Jesus is declared Kurios in the letter to the Philippians and in Isaiah there is none beside the LORD, which is יהוה (Yahweh) in Hebrew or κύριος (Kurios) in Greek. The question I want considered here is this; what are we really saying when we say Jesus is Lord? Today in the Christian church do we understand who Jesus is? It’s a question to think about. There are exceptions, but I would say by looking around at the 40,000 plus groups that descended from the original church, the answer is, we do not think about who Jesus is, and He is in some cases made out to whatever our imaginations want him to be. Jesus gave the following warning:

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

After reading this statement by Jesus, the two questions I have are, one, what is the will of his Father in heaven, and two what is meant by working iniquity. The first word “will” is G2307 in the Strong’s Greek numbering system and defined by the Thayer Greek lexicon as follows:

θέλημα
thelēma
Thayer Definition:
1) what one wishes or has determined shall be done
1a) of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ
1b) of what God wishes to be done by us
1b1) commands, precepts
2) will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

So God’s will could be summarized as one, what he intends to do for us, and two, what he expects us to do. We cannot do what God’s will is for himself, which is to bless mankind through Christ, but we can do what God wishes to be done by us. The next word to define is “iniquity”, which is G458 and a related word G459:

ἀνομία
anomia
Thayer Definition:
1) the condition of without law
1a) because ignorant of it
1b) because of violating it
2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G459

ἄνομος
anomos
Thayer Definition:
1) destitute of (the Mosaic) law
1a) of the Gentiles
2) departing from the law, a violator of the law, lawless, wicked

Joshua, the son of nun, says it best when he says the following:

Jos 24:14 “So now, revere Yahweh and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; remove the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh.
Jos 24:15 But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.” (Lexam English Bible Translation)

Did you ever wonder what was special about the hem of Jesus’ garment? What would the hem actually be referring to? A common definition of hem is, “a border of a cloth article doubled back and stitched down” Was it the “hem” that the woman who was healed touched, as Jesus walked by? Maybe looking at the scripture with a Hebraic mindset instead of a Roman, Greek or 21st century Christian mindset may clear things up.

Mat 9:20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
Mat 9:21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
Mat 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Mat 9:20 And, G2532  behold, G2400  a woman, G1135  which was diseased with an issue of blood G131  twelve G1427  years, G2094  came G4334  behind G3693  him, and touched G680  the G3588 hem G2899of his G846  garment: G2440

What is meant by hem? Is that actually what is being said here? Let’s look at Strong’s G2899.

G2899
κράσπεδον
kraspedon
kras’-ped-on
Of uncertain derivation; a margin, that is, (specifically) a fringe or tassel: – border, hem.

In the book of Numbers יהוה God tells Moses to have the people wear tassels.

Num 15:37 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
Num 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
Num 15:40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Num 15:41 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.

Num 15:38 Speak H1696  unto H413  the children H1121  of Israel, H3478  and bid H559 H413  them that they make H6213  them fringes H6734 in H5921  the borders H3671  of their garments H899  throughout their generations, H1755  and that they put H5414  upon H5921  the fringe H6734  of the borders H3671  a ribband H6616  of blue: H8504

The fringe is Strong’s H6734 in Hebrew. A quick comparison to the Greek Septuagint will show that Strong’s 2899 is used in this verse in Numbers for fringe.

H6734
ציצת
tsı̂ytsith
BDB Definition:
1) fringe, tassel, lock
Part of Speech: noun feminine

Num 15:38 λαλησον G2980 V-AAD-2S  τοις G3588 T-DPM  υιοις G5207 N-DPM  ισραηλ G2474 N-PRI  και G2532 CONJ  ερεις V-FAI-2S  προς G4314 PREP  αυτους G846 D-APM  και G2532 CONJ  ποιησατωσαν G4160 V-AAD-3P  εαυτοις G1438 D-DPMκρασπεδα G2899 N-APN  επι G1909 PREP  τα G3588 T-APN  πτερυγια G4419 N-APN  των G3588 T-GPN  ιματιων G2440 N-GPN  αυτων G846 D-GPM  εις G1519 PREP  τας G3588 T-APF  γενεας G1074 N-APF  αυτων G846 D-GPM  και G2532 CONJ  επιθησετε G2007 V-FAI-2P  επι G1909 PREP  τα G3588 T-APN κρασπεδαn G2899 N-APN  των G3588 T-GPN  πτερυγιων G4419 N-GPN  κλωσμα N-ASN  υακινθινον G5191 A-ASN

The Septuagint was a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures that was started in the third century BC. It was a common translation quoted by the Apostles and it is a great way to see how the Greek words in the New Testament times compare to their Hebrew meanings.

Jesus was wearing tassels, or tzit tzit, just as the Torah commanded. When a person looked at their tassels it was supposed to remind them to keep the commandments. Right after Moses told the people about יהוה God’s commandments to wear tassels, Korah rebelled.

Num 16:1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
Num 16:2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.
Num 16:3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
Num 16:4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,
Num 16:5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the LORD will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.

Num 16:19 Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
Num 16:20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
Num 16:21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
Num 16:22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”
Num 16:23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 16:24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
Num 16:25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
Num 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.”

These fringes and tassels can be seen in many cultures from the dispersion of the Northern Kingdom of Israel into the nations after they were conquered by the Assyrians. “Deu 28:64 And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.”

2Ki 17:16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
2Ki 17:17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
2Ki 17:18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.
2Ki 17:19 Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.
2Ki 17:20 And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

This dispersion was prophesied by Moses that the people would not follow יהוה God’s commandments, therefore being scattered.

Deu 28:62 Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
Deu 28:63 And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
Deu 28:64 “And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
Deu 28:65 And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul.
Deu 28:66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.

Ezra, or sometimes called Esdras, speaks of a land far away that many of these dispersed Israelites traveled to called Arsareth.

2Es 13:29 Behold, the days come, when the most High will begin to deliver them that are upon the earth.
2Es 13:30 And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the earth.
2Es 13:31 And one shall undertake to fight against another, one city against another, one place against another, one people against another, and one realm against another.
2Es 13:32 And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass, and the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before, and then shall my Son be declared, whom thou sawest as a man ascending.
2Es 13:33 And when all the people hear his voice, every man shall in their own land leave the battle they have one against another.
2Es 13:34 And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as thou sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome him by fighting.
2Es 13:35 But he shall stand upon the top of the mount Sion.
2Es 13:36 And Sion shall come, and shall be shewed to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without hands.
2Es 13:37 And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked inventions of those nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into the tempest;
2Es 13:38 And shall lay before them their evil thoughts, and the torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented, which are like unto a flame: and he shall destroy them without labour by the law which is like unto me.
2Es 13:39 And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him;
2Es 13:40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land.
2Es 13:41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt,
2Es 13:42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.
2Es 13:43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the river.
2Es 13:44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.
2Es 13:45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth.
2Es 13:46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come,
2Es 13:47 The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace.
2Es 13:48 But those that be left behind of thy people are they that are found within my borders.
2Es 13:49 Now when he destroyeth the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, he shall defend his people that remain.
2Es 13:50 And then shall he shew them great wonders.

Jesus speaks of this gathering, similar to the book of second Esdras, which was removed from most modern bibles. The language Jesus uses is a summary of the prophecy in second Esdras.

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

John the Baptist also spoke of a similar concept: “Mat 3:12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” The sad part is many that think they are doing the work of יהוה God are not, and are just practicing lawlessness. You must determine correctly what exactly “the will of my Father who is in heaven” means. A good place to start is to learn how the Father in heaven, יהוה God, defines lawlessness and iniquity.

Mat 7:17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Mat 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Have you ever wondered how the Christian Bible came into existence? I never gave it much thought until about six years ago when I started reading early church fathers’ writings. In an effort to stamp out gnosticism, stoics, and the likes of Marcion, who taught a lawless gospel, people like Ireneaus, Origen, Tertullian, Jerome and Augustine wrote volumes of books to clarify what should be considered scripture and what was heretical. It was quite a process over hundreds of years, with various books coming and going out of the canon. That is only taking into consideration Christianity, because Judaism also had it’s share of wrestlings with texts, especially with second temple books that had too many messianic prophecies for their liking. So, rather than thinking a leather bound King James Bible fell out of the sky one day like I did, here are a few things to look at that will hopefully spark enough interest to make someone reading this open their bible and search out the truth.

Psa 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

Joh 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Let’s start with some authors from the standard, Westminster Confession, sixty-six book bible.

Jesus speaking here to some Sadducees:

Mat 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Which scriptures are Jesus referring to here? Enoch speaks of this subject.

You being spiritual, holy, and possessing a life which is eternal, have polluted yourselves with women; have begotten in carnal blood; have lusted in the blood of men; and have done as those who are flesh and blood do. These however die and perish. Therefore have I given to them women, that they might cohabit with them; that sons might be born of them; and that this might be transacted upon earth. But you from the beginning were made spiritual, possessing a life which is eternal, and not subject to death forever. Therefore I made not women for you, because, being spiritual, your dwelling is in heaven. CHANOK (ENOCH) 15:3-7 את CEPHER

Enoch may be too far fetched for some to consider valid at all, even though Peter and Jude also quote from it, so let’s reel it in to the Apocrypha that was included in the Tyndale, Wycliffe, 1560 Geneva and 1611 King James Version Bibles. These were all English, Protestant Bibles.

Here is Jesus, in the Gospel of Matthew, quoting from one of the Apocrypha books, 2 Esdras:

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Mat 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

This is the passage out of 2nd Esdras:

2Es 1:28 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, Have I not prayed you as a father his sons, as a mother her daughters, and a nurse her young babes,
2Es 1:29 That ye would be my people, and I should be your God; that ye would be my children, and I should be your father?
2Es 1:30 I gathered you together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings: but now, what shall I do unto you? I will cast you out from my face.
2Es 1:31 When ye offer unto me, I will turn my face from you: for your solemn feastdays, your new moons, and your circumcisions, have I forsaken.
2Es 1:32 I sent unto you my servants the prophets, whom ye have taken and slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose blood I will require of your hands, saith the Lord.
2Es 1:33 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, Your house is desolate, I will cast you out as the wind doth stubble.

During the English revolution, after King Charles was beheaded, members of the Long Parliament, along with some “divines”, as they were called, drafted the Westminster Confessions, which set as a standard the sixty-six book Bible we have today. After approving a list of the sixty-six books here is what they had to say about the Apocrypha:

“III. The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.”

So, in 1648, books that had been commonly accepted since the 3rd century BC, were tossed out like yesterday’s news. Who were these men who did this? What were their motives? The Westminster Confessions contained thirty-three chapters and produced a sixty-six book bible, which should be interesting clues to those paying attention. It is a Calvinistic document, which supports the predestination doctrine.

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-confession-faith/

The Dead Sea scrolls found in caves at Qumran in the 1940’s have been helpful validating old texts. This is where the oldest fragments of Genesis that we have were found, along side Enoch and Jubilees. The English Standard Bible translation will give what both the masoretic text and the fragments found at Qumran say, if they differ.

Here is one such difference:

King James Version

Deu 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

English Standard Version

Deu 32:8 When the Most HighR1gave to the nations their inheritance, when heR2divided mankind, he fixed the bordersN1of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.N2

N2   (ESV+)
[variant] Compare Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text sons of Israel

The Masoretic Text says “Children of Israel”, where older texts say “sons of God”, with sons of God being similar to the divine council of Yahweh, יהוה, spoke about in Psalms 82.

Psa 82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; in the midst of the gods He judges.
Psa 82:2 How long will you judge unjustly and lift up the faces of the wicked? Selah.
Psa 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Psa 82:4 Deliver the poor and needy; save them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psa 82:5 They neither know nor will understand; they walk on in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Psa 82:6 I have said, You are gods; and all of you sons of the Most High.
Psa 82:7 But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Psa 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit in all nations.

How can Yahweh, יהוה, be the most high God, if there were no other gods? It would cheapen the title of Most High, if it were only talking of gods of wood and stone. A subject needing more discussion in the future.

Jasher is another book that has being ridiculed for being a corrupted text. Paul seems to have read a version of it here:

2Ti 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

And when Phar`oh heard their words he was greatly terrified before them, and he said to them, Go today and come back to me tomorrow, and they did according to the word of the king. And when they had gone Phar`oh sent for Bil`am the magician and to Iannes and Iambres his sons, and to all the magicians and conjurors and counselors which belonged to the king, and they all came and sat before the king. YASHAR (JASHER) 79:26-27 את CEPHER

Peter and Enoch:

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Great fear and trembling shall seize them, even to the ends of the earth. The lofty mountains shall be troubled, and the exalted hills depressed, melting like a honeycomb in the flame. The earth shall be immerged, and all things which are in it perish; while judgment shall come upon all, even upon all the righteous: But to them shall he give peace: he shall guard the elect, and towards them exercise clemency. Then shall all belong to YAHUAH; be happy and blessed; and the splendour of YAHUAH shall illuminate them. CHANOK (ENOCH) 1:6-8 את CEPHER

2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare sinning angels, but thrust them down into Tartarus, and delivered them into chains of darkness, being reserved to judgment.
2Pe 2:5 And He did not spare the old world, but saved Noah the eighth one, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.

A large portion of Enoch deals with the angels that sinned, a concept Augustine claimed was about the evil sons of Cain and the godly sons of Seth, referring to Genesis chapter six. Peter is writing about the angels that sinned and were chained in Tartarus, much like the Titan Demi-God’s of the Greeks that mated with human women. This is all explained in Enoch and would be familiar to Peter’s audience. It also explains “ancient aliens” and their technology, First Nation’s star people, and many things that are just not addressed in the church any more and that are part of scripture.

Of course, Jude directly quotes Enoch:

Jud 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

So here is a list books, that once you have read the standard sixty-six book bible and are familiar with it, are well worth reading.

Epistles of Clement, Epistles of Polycarp, Epistle of Barnabas, Shepherd of Hermas, Gospel of Hebrews, Gospel of Peter, Baruk 1 and 2, Esdras 1 and 2, Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Jubilees, Jasher, Enoch 1, Maccabees, and Sirach. Some of these books provide the second and third witness to things only mentioned once in the sixty-six book canon. Most can be downloaded for free on bible software like eSword, while ccel.org is another good source for old texts.

https://www.e-sword.net/

https://ccel.org/

Do we have immortal souls, and do we go to heaven or hell immediately at death? It has been so engrained in our culture that we all possess an immortal soul, that we, in the Christian church, seldom question it, or are even willing to entertain the idea we may not have immortal souls. What does scripture say about an immortal soul? Where do we get the notion that if we are believers, some non-material part of us ascends to heaven where the creator is? I define who I consider to be the literal creator of everything as יהוה, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The purpose of this exercise is to question what you believe, why you believe it, and make you, the reader, not rely on tradition, what any denomination teaches, or what some famous evangelist has taught, but to make you want to study, and pray that God, יהוה, through his spirit, would show you what the scriptures say. I also reserve the right to be wrong, and change my mind upon further study.

What was the penalty for disobeying God in the garden?

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Gen 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
Gen 3:3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Gen 3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
Gen 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Eve knew what God said. Eat of the fruit and you will die. But the deceiver told her she wouldn’t die, but be like God if she ate the fruit. If death were not significant, what would it change?

Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—

”Gen 3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

So now, Adam and Eve had to be removed from the garden so they wouldn’t become immortal in a fallen state by eating from the tree of life. The tree of life shows up again in the last book, Revelation, at the end of this age.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Notice “for without” in verse 15 referencing “his commandments” in verse 14. Material for a future study.

What does Paul say about sin and death?

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we look to the people who saw a vision of heaven that are in scripture, their stories are similar. No one spoke of seeing their dead grandparents happily worshipping around the throne of God. Paul didn’t even want to say what he saw

Ezekiel:

Eze 1:24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings.
Eze 1:25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.
Eze 1:26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.
Eze 1:27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.
Eze 1:28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Isaiah:

Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Isa 6:3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Isa 6:4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Isa 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
Isa 6:7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Paul:

2Co 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
2Co 12:3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
2Co 12:4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
2Co 12:5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—
2Co 12:6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.

The verse that is often referenced when speaking of immortal souls is Paul’s famous, “absent from the body, present with the Lord”, verse.

2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say,and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Is Paul saying here once our spirit is absent from our body, it is immediately present with the Lord? Let’s put it in context.

2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Co 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
2Co 5:3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
2Co 5:4 For we that are in thistabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
2Co 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2Co 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Why don’t we want to be found naked? What is the earthly tabernacle or tent that dissolves, and what is the building made by God eternal in the heavens? Is that building a non-material spirit we possess now, that will be freed at death as the Greek philosophers believed? Or is Paul expounding on his other writings concerning the resurrection of the flesh?

Here is what a second century church father, Ireneaus, has to say about the subject in Against Heresies, book 5, chapter 31:

1. Since, again, some who are reckoned among the orthodox go beyond the pre-arranged plan for the exaltation of the just, and are ignorant of the methods by which they are disciplined beforehand for incorruption, they thus entertain heretical opinions. For the heretics, despising the handiwork of God, and not admitting the salvation of their flesh, while they also treat the promise of God contemptuously, and pass beyond God altogether in the sentiments they form, affirm that immediately upon their death they shall pass above the heavens and the Demiurge, and go to the Mother (Achamoth) or to that Father whom they have feigned. Those persons, therefore, who disallow a resurrection affecting the whole man (universam reprobant resurrectionem), and as far as in them lies remove it from the midst [of the Christian scheme], how can they be wondered at, if again they know nothing as to the plan of the resurrection? For they do not choose to understand, that if these things are as they say, the Lord Himself, in whom they profess to believe, did not rise again upon the third day; but immediately upon His expiring on the cross, undoubtedly departed on high, leaving His body to the earth. But the case was, that for three days He dwelt in the place where the dead were, as the prophet says concerning Him: “And the Lord remembered His dead saints who slept formerly in the land of sepulture; and He descended to them, to rescue and save them.”51And the Lord Himself says, “As Jonas remained three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth.” (Mat 12:40) Then also the apostle says, “But when He ascended, what is it but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth?” (Eph 4:9) This, too, David says when prophesying of Him, “And thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hell;” (Psa 86:13) and on His rising again the third day, He said to Mary, who was the first to see and to worship Him, “Touch Me not, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to the disciples, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and unto your Father.” (Joh 20:17)

So how then, does a person obtain immortality, if we do not have an immortal soul? The writer of Hebrews considers the resurrection of the dead elementary, something he did not need to address because it was common knowledge like laying on of hands and eternal judgement. Do you know anything about the resurrection of the dead? Or is it not important to you because you believe your spirit goes to heaven at death? When was the last time you have heard the resurrection of the dead taught?

Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

The resurrection is the hope we have to not perish through Jesus conquering death.

Joh 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Joh 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

On a side note, how does the scripture define light? Truth? Wicked things? Questions for another time.

Resurrection of the dead:

Daniel:

Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation evento that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame andeverlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Jesus:

Luk 14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luk 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Paul:

1Co 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1Co 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

What does he mean by those who have fallen asleep in Christ are perished? How can that be if their spirit was in heaven? Every man in his own order: Christ is the first fruits and afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

1Co 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1Co 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1Co 15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
1Co 15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
1Co 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial isone, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

So when do we get resurrected and given this new body?

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal mustput on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks beto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

So what do you believe? Why? Remember the words of Paul to Timothy.

2Ti 2:14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
2Ti 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,
2Ti 2:17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
2Ti 2:18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
2Ti 2:19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
2Ti 2:20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
2Ti 2:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
2Ti 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2Ti 2:23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
2Ti 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
2Ti 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
2Ti 2:26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

The English Standard and King James Versions were used for the above passages.