Questions & Answers

Question: Has the serpent been crushed per Romans 16:20?[collapse collapsed title=Answer]Yes, it is true.

Romans 16:20

And the God of peace shall [future to 55AD] bruise Satan under your [the church at Rome] feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.This promise was not fulfilled the day or year after it was penned in 56AD. “Shortly” is the same word used to describe when the events foreseen in Revelation were to come to pass, Rev 1:1 & Rev 4:1. Satan was not crushed beneath the feet of that first generation of Christians until the Lord’s Return around 70AD. Christ’s Return marks the moment Satan was bound, cast & sealed into the Abyss (the deep) marking the beginning of the 1000 years, Rev 20:1-3. And Christ’s Return marks same moment the martyrs from the Nero-Beast-Tribulation, the Dead in Christ, were raised first, the First Resurrection (1 Thess 4:16 & Rev 20:4-6). Christ’s Return/Rapture/First Resurrection marks the beginning of that same 1000 years in which they begin to rule from the Unseen realm over the affairs of men in the place of the just dethroned Eph 6:12 principalities and the just-crushed god of that old world, 2 Cor 4:4.[/collapse]

Question: Have God's enemies been defeated per 1 Corinthians 15:25 and Luke 19:27? [collapse collapsed title=Answer]Yes.

1 Cor 15:23-28

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

We would do well to let go of our modern ideas of smart-bomb “destroy” and let the Word’s use of synonyms & repetition of message define what is meant here. Clearly “put under foot” = “destroyed” = “subdued unto” = “be subject unto.” This passage gets across the message that Death is eventually brought under Christ’s complete control. This accords with the Rev 1:18 visionary-poetic description of Christ coming to hold the keys of Death & Hell. Keys represent control, access control, who goes in or out; just like the way a prison guard holds all the keys. Jesus now controls who goes to Death & Hell and who does not. Death & Hell are subject to Him, they are put under His feet: this is the Bible's definition of “destroyed.” If I enslaved my most insulting opponent from the web and made him wax my car everyday and do my shopping and cook my food and mow my lawn and bath my dog; and I could lock him up & shut him up at will without internet, in short order we would all agree I had pretty well destroyed him, crushed his little heretical spirit, no longer free to be what he once was.

Luke 19:27 is better understood in the full context. Here it is:

Luke 19:11-27

And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

v14 & v27 the enemies are identified: they are the people who did not want Christ to reign over them upon His Return with His Kingdom & Power. It is specifically mentioning those who were already Christ’s enemies – NOT those who might one day eventually get around to nit liking Him. Notably, “Death” is not specifically mentioned here: the storyline does not even bring it to mind. Hard to imagine that carpenters & fishermen could be expected to see Death’s destruction in this parable, but they should have plainly seen the destruction of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Preists, Herodians, et al., that is, those openly identified as opponents of Jesus before His going away to receive the Kingdom.

v15 makes clear that it is AFTER Jesus Returns with His Kingdom & Power that: 1) His servants are judged/brought to account, then 2) those found faithful during His absence are rewarded with delegated power to rule over cities. [/collapse]

Question: Has the last enemy, (death ), been conquered per 1 Corinthians 15:26 and Revelation 20:14?[collapse collapsed title=Answer]Yes.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

From Rev 18:2’s triumphant declaration of Babylon’s Fall, I am persuaded that each time John writes something like “And I saw” he is recounting another mini-vision that describes with visual-poetry the direct consequences of Babylon’s Fall: he is listing reasons for Heavens’ rejoicing over Babylon.

v11-15 describes the eternal-perpetual-ongoing Judgment Seat of God from the time of Babylon’s Fall around 70AD forward into forever. It is a glimpse into the ordinarily Unseen realm outside the visible spectrum of natural men, and it is described in terms men can visualize so they can understand & be blessed. Just because this snapshot was “shortly to come to pass” as of Revelation’s ~63AD writing does not mean that this was a one-time, one-shot-goodbye thing. Just as Eternal Life has been made available ever since Christ first preached & paid for it and will continually be offered forever, the Judgment Seat of God continues perpetually forever.[/collapse]

Question: Has final atonement for sin been administered by the High Priest per Daniel 9:24? [collapse collapsed title=ANSWER]...[/collapse]

Question: And has He returned out of the holiest place to announce that "salvation" has been consummated per Hebrews 9:28? [collapse collapsed title=ANSWER]...[/collapse]

Question: If all of these things ended in 70AD, what stands to condemn anyone? [collapse collapsed title=Answer, part 1]Firstly, all these things did not end in 70AD.

Satan

(1) Satan was crushed beneath the feet of Christians at Christ’s Return/Rapture/First Resurrection.

(2) Satan is not synonymous with sin. Sin is simply disobedience to God and that can be done without Satan, James 1:14-15. Gal 5:16-21, 2 Peter 2:10, 1 John 2:16.

(3) Satan was not the sum of all evil, Ephesians 6:12 & 2 Peter 2:4 describe a plurality of evil beings.

(4) Satan was, however, the supreme organizational head of evil beings. Just as doing away with Saddam Hussein did not do away with all Iraqi resistance to America’s will, doing away with Satan did not do away with all earthly resistance to God’s will. Doing away with Satan did not do away with all evil beings but it did do away with the organizational genius by which they had organized the ancient world into idol-worshipping empires. Having their organizational head, (Satan), crushed by Christ's circa 70AD Return, these idol-worshipping empires began to lose their holds on men, beginning first with prostituted, ancient Jerusalem and then on to beastly, ancient Rome and all idol-worshipping empires. Since then, the dominant religion of the dominant empires has been the Religion of Christ.

Jesus' Enemies "Destroyed"

(1) Being “destroyed” is not always include “ending existence,” we tend to add that connotation. 1 Corinthians 15:23-28 equates “destroy” with being “put down” = “put under foot” = “subdued unto” = “made subject unto.” When a ruler is subdued, his own rule has ended, however.

(2) Luke 19:11-27, though describing the end of those people who opposed His ministry prior to His Ascension, (Scribes, Pharisees, Saducess, Herodians, et al), it does not describe or even hint at the end of Death. Interestingly, however, it does go on to describe the beginning of the Reign of the Saints with Christ. The rule of the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, et al was put down, trampled under foot, destroyed.

The Second Death

Just because Rev 20:14 foresaw a snapshot in visionary (visual-poetry) terms of that moment when Death & Hell were to be cast into the Second Death does not mean that the Second Death lasted only for that moment. Rev 20:10 describes this Second Death/Lake of Fire as a torment that lasts perpetually, forever & ever indicating that it is ever ready to receive future generations of the unrepentant, those who receive the Resurrection of Damnation of which Jesus spoke.[/collapse]

Question: Then does the Law of Moses still exist for those not in Christ?[collapse collapsed title=Answer] No. The Law of Moses ceased to be binding upon anyone the moment the Law of Christ was ratified, at the Cross. From the Cross onward, whether Jew or Gentile, obeying the New Testament was all you had to concern yourself with. This is developed a bit more at Cross of Christ: Old to New Covenant moment of change http://prophecyhistory.com/?q=node/87.

It should never be forgotten that obeying the Gospel of Christ fully satisfies the Law of Moses. In fact, since Christ's first appearrance, obedience to Jesus Christ is the ONLY satisfaction of the Law of Moses. It must never be forgotten that the Law of Moses included this major Commandment:

Acts 3:22-23 & Deuteronomy 18:15-20