Posts by Mac48

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Mac48

Ever, You also wrote: Its only Adam and eve that sinned and hence they died.

I disagree.

The book of Genesis indicates that Adam and Eve were created by God as mortal people with a dying nature just like us. The Bible makes clear that their being able to live forever was not a part of their original physical nature. Rather, Adam and Eve's ability to live forever depended entirely on their eating from a tree “in the middle of the garden” of Eden, “the Tree of Life.” (Genesis 2:9)

Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve were going to be given continued access to its fruit only if they passed a God-given test, a test which we are told they both failed. After failing that test God expelled Adam and his wife from the Garden of Eden and prevented them from ever again eating from “the Tree of Life.” Genesis also tells us that had Adam and Eve been allowed to continue eating from that tree their lives would have been prolonged indefinitely, even after they had sinned. (Genesis 3:22-24) So we know that it was not their disobedience to God that changed them into people like us who naturally die. For it was only when God prevented them from eating from “the Tree of Life” that they began to die what were apparently natural deaths. A careful reading of the Genesis account shows that living forever would have been just as unnatural for Adam and Eve as it would now be for us.

Genesis does not indicate that Adam and Eve originally had eternal life programmed into their genetic codes by God and later had their genetic codes reprogrammed by Him in order to make them and their descendants mortals. Rather, Genesis indicates that Adam and Eve would have lived forever only if God had graciously given them eternal life from a source outside of themselves, “the Tree of Life." That "Tree of Life" was meant to picture Jesus Christ and the free gift of eternal life which He will give to all who follow Him. (Matthew 19:29; 25:46; John 3:16; 6:40; 17:3; Revelation 2:7)

The Bible tells us that God was going to give Adam and Eve eternal life from an outside source, “the Tree of Life,” only if they passed a very simple test. The Bible also says that God will give all of us eternal life from an outside source, Jesus Christ, if we pass a very simple test. That test is to simply believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ's death was sufficient payment to buy all mankind God's forgiveness for all of our sins, and then begin serving Him as our Lord.

As I noted earlier, I understand that Adam and Eve’s nakedness in Eden was meant to picture their sinful and shameful condition before God, even before their disobedience to Him. Adam and Eve’s failure to see themselves as being naked before they had committed a very blatant act of sin pictured their failure to recognize the fact that they were sinful people even before they disobeyed God. We are told that it was only after they did so that they realized they were naked, felt ashamed of their condition, tried to cover their nakedness and tried to hide from God. Why? Because it was only then that they felt unworthy to stand in God’s presence. However, Adam and Eve’s nakedness before their disobedience showed that they were just as unworthy to stand in front of their perfectly righteous God prior to their act of disobedience as they were afterwards. They just didn’t realize it.

Adam and Eve’s feelings and behavior in this regard were meant to picture the way we often become ashamed of ourselves after committing what we consider to be a “very serious” sin. For it is usually only then that we feel like hiding ourselves from God. At such times we often do things like stop praying to God or stop attending church services because we feel ashamed of what we have done and feel unworthy to be in His presence. Adam and Eve’s nakedness in Eden, and their failure to see themselves as naked before they disobeyed God, was meant to picture the fact that we are all just as unworthy to stand in the presence of our Most Holy God before we commit any “serious” sin as we are after we have done so. We just don’t realize it.

Besides their nakedness, another element of the Bible’s story of Adam and Eve which was meant to inform us that they were sinful people before they ever disobeyed God’s command is that Satan spoke to Eve through a snake. To begin with, this seems to make no sense to many Bible readers. If Satan wanted to deceive Eve why would he have chosen to talk to her through a snake? Wouldn’t a better choice have been a harmless looking deer, lamb or bunny rabbit? Or better yet, why did Satan not appear to her as “an angel of light,” since the Bible tells us that is how he often appears? (2 Corinthians 11:14) Why did God see to it that Satan would speak to Eve through a snake? The answer to this question can be found in Numbers 21:6-9 and John 3:14-15.

In Numbers 21:6-9 we are told that during the time the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, before being allowed to enter their promised land, “They spoke against God and against Moses,” complaining about their living conditions. Then we find that “The Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” The Bible tells us that the people then asked for God’s forgiveness for speaking against both Him and Moses. After they did so, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” In John 3:14-15 we find that Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” Jesus was saying that the replica of a snake which Moses attached to a pole and lifted up in the wilderness was intended to point to the time when He would be nailed to the Cross. But why did God use a snake to picture the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ? He did so because that snake raised up by Moses on a pole was meant to represent the Israelites’ sin. God said He would forgive their sin, provided they would acknowledge it in the way He told them they must do, by looking upon it as a snake nailed to a pole.

Clearly, the snake which Moses nailed to that pole and then raised up in the wilderness was intended by God to picture the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. For at that time Jesus Christ took all of our sins upon Himself, in order to pay for them with His life. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that when Jesus Christ was nailed to the Cross, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us.” So that snake nailed to the pole which Moses raised up for the snake-bitten Israelites to look upon did not picture our sinless Lord. That bronze snake pictured the sin of all mankind which Jesus Christ took upon Himself, as our sin was nailed to His Cross.

So by reading Numbers 21:6-9 and John 3:14-15 we can see that God long ago used a snake to represent sin and mankind’s need for God’s forgiveness. It was for this reason that God saw to it that Satan spoke through a snake. For He intended for the events in Eden to serve as a demonstration in which He used Adam and Eve as representatives of the human race. In that demonstration He used a snake to represent Adam and Eve’s sinful condition and their need for His forgiveness, even before they disobeyed Him. We can see this because that snake was with Adam and Eve in their garden home even before they there disobeyed God.

In confirmation of this understanding, I think it is worthwhile to here note that when Satan spoke to Jesus Christ in the wilderness he did not speak to Him through a serpent, even though there were probably many there. For, as I have here shown, the Bible uses snakes to represent sin, and the sinful condition of the ones looking upon them. And the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was without sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22)

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Mac48

Ever, You wrote: These Pre-Adam [and] Eve people and their descendants should all be alive today.

They are us.

Few people now alive are descendants of Adam and Eve. The Bible contains a greatly detailed chronological record that tells us that God created Adam only 4,000 years before the birth of Christ. However, scientists assure us that this planet has been populated with members of the human race for at least 200,000 years, and maybe as long as 400,000 years. So, as I said, this means that God created Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:7-22) long after He created the human race (Genesis 1:26-27) and that He staged the events in Eden as a demonstration of our sinful nature, and our need for His forgiveness. It also means that the doctrines of the "fall of man" and "original sin" are misunderstandings of the Scriptures. Long story.

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Mac48

You first need to understand that the Bible does not present Adam and Eve as literally the first two people who ever lived. For it informs us that God created the human race (Genesis 1:26-27) long before He created Adam and Eve. (Genesis 2:7-22) And it tells us that their son Cain found his wife in "the land of Nod," which then existed "east of Eden." (Genesis 4:16-17) This means that God staged the events in Eden as a demonstration of the sinful nature of all mankind, and our need for His forgiveness. For if Adam and Eve in paradise, without problems of any kind, were unable to obey one very simple command from God, what chance does any of us have, in far more difficult circumstances, of living a perfectly righteous life and by so doing prove him or herself worthy of eternal life? No chance at all. This means that Adam and Eve’s nakedness in Eden did not represent their innocence. It represented their shameful condition before God as sinful people, just as nakedness does everywhere else it is portrayed in the Bible. See, for instance, the next time it is there portrayed in Genesis 9:20-23, where Noah’s nakedness is associated with the sinful behavior of drunkenness.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

Right. Jesus said that when He "separates the sheep from the goats" He will do so on the basis of how much love we showed for "the least of" Christ's "brothers" in practical ways. (Matthew 25:31-46) Sadly, the Watchtower's leaders tell us this means how well we treated them.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

Doug,

You wrote: I do not care what any individual JW believes. As long as their belief causes no actual harm to themselves or to anyone else ...

The problem is their beliefs do cause harm to themselves and others in many ways. For one thing, their disfellowshipping practice destroys families. Over the years millions of people have been badly hurt by JWs who follow their leaders' instructions to shun members of their own family for the rest of their lives for committing the terrible sins of celebrating their childrens' birthdays or questioning some of the Watchtower's highly questionable teachings on things such as its own God-given authority over their lives and when Jerusalem was destroyed. How many of their lives have been greatly harmed by the WTS refusing to allow them to obtain a higher education? I could here list many other ways that being a JW hurts people. JWs are enslaved to the WTS in a way that hurts both themselves and others. And when I see people in slavery I want to help set them free, even if they do not realize how much their slavery is hurting themselves and others.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

Doug,

You asked: Why did Daniel write in two different languages?

Daniel was taken captive as a youth and appears to have served as an official of the Babylonian/Persian government for about 70 years. As I noted earlier, as a Babylonian he is known to have reckoned the reigns of kings using the Babylonian accession year system of reckoning while using Babylon’s calendar which began in the spring. (Judean Bible writers counted the reigns of its kings using their civil calendar that began in the fall.) Because Daniel lived and worked as a Babylonian for so long he often wrote in the Aramaic language, the language of the Babylonians. From the beginning of his book through Daniel 2:3 he wrote in Hebrew. In Daniel 2:4 he switched to Aramaic, and used that language through the end of chapter 7. This may have been because this part of his book dealt primarily with non-Jewish matters. Beginning in chapter 8, the rest of his book was written in Hebrew again, possibly because the focus of the last 5 chapters is mainly on Israel.

You asked: Which Bible do you believe in?

I believe in the Protestant Christian Bible which contains a collection of 70 books. Although this Bible is most often said to contain “66 books,” it is actually a collection of 70 books. For the Bible’s book of Psalms was originally written and compiled as five separate books, and it remains so divided in almost all Bibles today. (“Book 1” is made up of chapters 1-41, “Book 2” contains chapters 42-72, “Book 3” includes chapters 73-89, “Book 4” has chapters 90-106, and “Book 5” contains chapters 107-150.) So, with the five books of Psalms, together with the Bible’s other sixty-five books, the Bible contains a total of 70 books. (The books of the Apocrypha now found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, and which were also in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, aka the LXX, were never in any Hebrew Bible.) The Bible often uses the number 70 to refer to things that are perfect and spiritually complete. So, whenever someone tells us that we need to read their new so-called “holy book” we can confidently reply that our Bible is perfectly complete and that it contains everything about God and from God that we need to know. I understand that this 70 book count also shows that most other extra-biblical written works, which some people claim were supernaturally inspired by God, were actually written by false prophets and false teachers. These include all of the so-called “holy books” of non-Christian religions, such as Islam’s Quran, as well as all such books which have been written by people claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ, such as Joseph Smith of the Mormons, Ellen G. White of the Seventh Day Adventists, and Mary Baker Eddy of the Christian Scientists. By making our Bible a collection of 70 books I believe God intended to inform us that it contains everything we need to know in order for us to receive both His forgiveness for our sins and His gift of eternal life.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

Doug,

I am a Bible-believing Christian. My position is that the Book of Daniel was written by Daniel. And it was written by him when he told us he wrote it, which was during the time he spent in Babylon after he was taken there as Babylon's prisoner. That time began, "in the third year of Jehoiakim king of Judah," as reckoned by Daniel, which was in 605 BC. (Daniel 1:1) Daniel also told us that he was still writing his book, “in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia,” (Daniel 10:1) which was in 537 BC. Since Daniel 1:4 tells us that Daniel was taken to Babylon as a “youth” (let’s say about 15 years old) in 605 BC he would have been about 83 years old when he was still writing his book in 537 BC, which is totally credible.

However, because the Watchtower Society says Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 607 BC, 20 years before that event’s true date of 587 BC, they must also push back the “the third year of Jehoiakim” 20 years, when Daniel was taken prisoner, which means they believe he was about 103 years old when he was writing his book “in the third year of Cyrus.” Not very likely. Which is another proof that their “607 BC” date for Jerusalem’s destruction is pure fiction.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

Bobcat,

The thread you linked is 11 pages long, in which you link to many more threads. I'm sorry, but I just don't have time to read all of that. I also see no need to do so. I am entirely happy with my understanding that God intended for the events depicted in Nebuchadnezzar's vision, and in his own later life, to prefigure the time that He will remove Satan from his position as ruler of this world and bind him for 1,000 years. There is no need to make the greater meaning of Daniel 4, if indeed there is one, any more complicated than that.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

Doug,

You did not respond to my contention that if the Daniel 4 prophecy was intended by God to have a greater and secondary fulfillment, the tree that was cut down in that vision and Nebuchadnezzar who was subsequently removed from his thrown for "seven times" were both most likely meant by God to picture Satan the devil, who the Bible tells us will one day be cut down and removed from his throne for 1,000 years.

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Mac48

In Daniel chapter 4 we are told that the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream that he asked Daniel to interpret. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a giant tree. “Its top touched the sky” and “it was visible to the ends of the earth.” “Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.” (Daniel 4:11-12) Then a messenger was seen coming down from heaven. He ordered that the tree be cut down, but its stump and roots were to remain in the ground, bound with metal bands. (Daniel 4:13-15) The messenger then referred to this chopped down tree as a person by saying, “Let him live with the animals …. And let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.” (Daniel 4:15-16) Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that the tree he saw cut down in his dream was meant to picture him, and that Nebuchadnezzar would soon “be driven away from people” and “live with the wild animals” until “seven times” passed by. Daniel then told the king that “the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.” (Daniel 4:24-26) Daniel then told us that “twelve months later” “what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.” Daniel concluded his account by informing us that “at the end of that time” Nebuchadnezzar’s “sanity was restored” and he then returned to his throne. (Daniel 4:29-36)

For many centuries millions of Bible readers, not just Jehovah's witnesses, have thought this prophecy was simply too big to have applied only to Nebuchadnezzar. Believing that the key to discovering its greater meaning might lie in understanding the cryptic phrase “seven times,” some have twisted these two words every which way. For instance, over the past 200 years, several Bible expositors have told us that the words “seven times,” as found in Daniel chapter 4, were meant by God to be understood as a period of seven so-called “prophetic years” of 360 days, totaling 2,520 days. And they have told us that those 2,520 days were intended by God to represent a period of 2,520 years. And they have speculated that those 2,520 years began at some point in time now passed and told us those 2,520 years would end at the time of Christ‘s return. (Different starting points have been assigned by different expositors. Jehovah's Witnesses have long claimed those supposed 2,520 years began in the year 607 BC, their unique date for Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem.)

Such complicated explanations of Daniel chapter four’s supposed “greater fulfillment” have long bewildered me. For if the prophecy given by God to Nebuchadnezzar, and interpreted for him by Daniel, was indeed meant by God to have a greater fulfillment, that fulfillment has long seemed to me quite obvious. For I have long thought that it made sense that the tree that was cut down in Nebuchadnezzar‘s dream, with its roots left in the ground and its stump banded until “seven times” had passed, and Nebuchadnezzar being removed from his throne until “seven times” had passed, to both prefigure the time when Satan the devil will be removed from his position of power.

After all, on three occasions Jesus Christ called Satan “the ruler of this world,” leaving no doubt who most people now really serve. (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 - New Revised Standard Version). And Revelation 20:1-3 tells us that God intends to bind Satan with a metal “chain,” as the tree in Daniel chapter four was bound with metal bands. And that God will then cast Satan into an “Abyss” which will be “locked and sealed … over … for a thousand years … to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years” have ended. Revelation then tells us that “after that he must be set free for a short time,” just as the tree in Daniel chapter 4 was to be banded only until “seven times” ended, and just as Nebuchadnezzar was again allowed to rule his kingdom after “seven times” had passed.

Nebuchadnezzar was a king who, for almost twenty years, attacked the land of Judah before he finally totally destroyed the Jewish people’s holy city of Jerusalem, along with its temple. Nebuchadnezzar then took everyone in the land of Judah to Babylon as his slaves. Certainly he was well cast to picture Satan the devil in the initial fulfillment of this prophecy contained in Daniel chapter four, if indeed it was intended by God to have one.

That Nebuchadnezzar may have been intended by God in Daniel chapter four to picture Satan the devil seems likely when we read the 14th chapter of Isaiah. There we find in verses 4 and 12 that “the king of Babylon” is actually called “Lucifer.” (King James Version) He was there given that name partly because of his haughty attitude, as described in verses 13 and 14, an attitude very similar to that which Daniel 4:29-33 tells us Nebuchadnezzar displayed. In further confirmation of this “Nebuchadnezzar pictured Satan” understanding, we also find in Isaiah 14:12 that God told Isaiah people would “taunt” Babylon‘s king by telling him that he had “fallen from heaven” and “been cast down to the earth,” which reminds us of how Jesus Christ said that He “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:18)

So if we understand that Nebuchadnezzar may have been intended by God to portray Satan the devil in Daniel chapter 4, we don’t need any complicated mathematical formula to determine what period of time was there represented by the words “seven times.” For the Bible itself, in Revelation 20:1-3, tells us that in this understanding of Daniel chapter 4’s greater fulfillment, those “seven times” will be fulfilled by a period of “1,000 years.” But how can “seven times” equal “1,000 years”?

In this prophecy’s initial fulfillment upon King Nebuchadnezzar some believe that those “seven times” may have simply meant “seven years.” But that does not appear to be possible. For many of the major activities which Nebuchadnezzar engaged in during his forty-three-year reign are very well documented and dated to various years of his rule, both in biblical and extra-biblical sources of reference. And these historical records show that there was never a seven-year period of time during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign when he was not actively involved in ruling his kingdom.

But if this is so, and if in the greater fulfillment of this prophecy the words “seven times” refer to a period of 1,000 years, what period of time could those “seven times” have referred to in this prophecy’s initial small scale fulfillment during the lifetime of Nebuchadnezzar? In other words, how long was Nebuchadnezzar then away from his throne? The Bible does not say. But that time may have been 1,000 days. For we know that the God of the Bible used days on a small scale to represent an equal number of years on a large scale elsewhere in the Scriptures. (Ezekiel 4:1-6) And though the well documented and dated activities of Nebuchadnezzar during his forty-three-year reign do not allow for him to have been away from his throne for seven years, they do allow him to have left it for 1,000 days. (See “The Gentile Times Reconsidered” - fourth edition, by Carl Olof Jonsson, page 254.) And 1,000 days of foraging for food in the wilderness, without a bath, a haircut, a shave, or a manicure, is plenty of time to make any man look like a beast.

But by what mathematical formula can the Bible’s cryptic term “seven times” be shown to equal 1,000 years? And if “seven times” were intended by God to represent 1,000 years, shouldn’t the Bible’s other cryptic term “a time, times, and half a time,” or “three and a half times,” represent 500 years? No, not according to this same mathematical formula, which I might discuss here later.