EBible Fellowship News

Starting a New Bible Study in 1 Samuel

2012-05-05T00:20:00Z

A new Bible study in the book of 1 Samuel starts tonight at 9 PM EDT. This study will be held in addition to the ongoing study of 1 Peter and will take place Monday thru Friday at 9 PM EDT for about 30 minutes. In addition, every Friday night, there will be a live Q&A after the study.

Time: 9 PM EDT, Monday through Friday

Location: Online only.

Please join us by phone, Skype or through Paltalk:

Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone and Skype Information
To ask a question during the Q&A, see the Questions and Answers page.

Fellowship Gatherings Resume each Sunday

2012-04-01T05:20:00Z

Starting today, April 1, 2012 EBible Fellowship is resuming Sunday fellowship gatherings. There will be Scripture reading, a few hymns, prayer, and a short Bible study.

Time: 12 to 2 PM EDT

Location: This gathering is online only—we will not be meeting at the Union Hall.

The event will only be available via the internet and by phone:

Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone Information

The Passing of Purim

2012-03-10T18:56:00Z

The Blessing of Finding Faithful Friends

Before discussing this, I would like to say how thankful I am to the Lord for bringing into my life so many likeminded believers over the last few months. I’ve been impressed with the steadfastness of many people that have continued to trust and wait upon the Lord. It has also been very wonderful to see so many get involved with sharing information from the Bible (concerning Purim) once again with the world.

The information that we’ve seen in the book of Esther pointed to Purim (which just passed) as the return of Christ and the final end of all things. These things were not drawn out of a hat or forced in any way. The information we learned about Purim is similar to the information we learned concerning May 21, in that things locked in nicely and were derived directly from the Bible. I do not for a second think that God’s people followed this information for any reason except they saw it in the Bible. And yet, it has now become clear that we had some wrong conclusions in the study of the book of Esther.

One Obvious Advantage in Regards to “the setting of a date”

One advantage we have found when studying the Bible and seeing how conclusions focus in on a particular date, is that many of the results of our study can be viewed correctly, or incorrectly, as the date comes and goes. In other words, if our study indicated that Christ would come on Adar 15, the last day of the feast of Purim, and Christ did not come on that day, we can know that we had that incorrect. We were wrong about that particular date being the end of the world. The advantage is that our doctrine can be verified if it is correct or not. In this case it was not correct. On the other hand, this type of verification cannot be done with just about every other doctrine of the Bible. Why not? Well, we have one group of people that say the Bible teaches free will in reference to salvation; and then we have others that say, “no, God saves through predestination.” Of course the Bible, we know supports predestination (we know this through the internal means of comparing Scriptures). The other group holds a false teaching in this area. But there is no verifiable (external) proof that shows this while we are in this world. That is, it never becomes evident to all the world that the free will gospel is proven wrong and the gospel of election is proven right. This is why people continually hold onto free will and many other incorrect teachings, no matter how far out there ideas might be, because there is no danger while living in this world that there errors will be made manifest to all.

Let’s use another example: there are numerous eschatology’s (doctrine of end times) taught by seminaries and the churches. Each eschatological doctrine conflicts with the rest. Therefore it is obvious that these doctrines of the end times that many people hold to as truth have errors built into them. There can’t be more than one truth. But, the Premillenialist, and the Postmillenialist, and the Amillenialist (to name three) comfortably hold onto their end time theories as truth, even though they know that others disagree with them and think they are false. However, this does not trouble them too much as long as a certain number of people support them and think they are true. Churches have maintained their eschatological positions for centuries. Yet, these teachings face no ultimate danger of being exposed as error because it would take Christ’s actual coming to demonstrate to all exactly which one of these theories was closest to truth. This is not the case with the setting of a date. The setting of a date is quite risky because it means that the information which has been presented will be proven correct or incorrect as the date is reached.

We have studied the Bible and the passing of this date has shown us we were off in some areas. There are things that we have not understood correctly. This is the advantage we now have, which ultimately, should be a help in our ongoing study of the Bible.

A Cause for Thankfulness

Although the child of God longs to leave this sin cursed body, and the sin cursed earth, in order to be with the Lord; yet, we still have much cause to thank the Lord for allowing time to continue on earth. We can be thankful for our children’s sakes, and for our family members (as well as friends and neighbors) that God did not take them by bringing about the final destruction of this world. We love our families and the thought that they have been spared from death can only be a cause of joy and gratitude to the Lord.

Also, I would like to suggest, since we will be here for a while longer on this earth, that we continue to serve God in our families as much as possible.

The Difficulty

The problem we face is that we have followed the Bible’s guidelines as closely as possible in attempting to come to truth (with the May 21 proclamation and now Purim). We have compared Scripture with Scripture and tried to make sure all conclusions were in harmony with the entire Bible. Yet, we have made errors (such as no rapture or literal earthquake occurring on May 21, and no end of the world on October 21, or now during the feast of Purim). If, these dates were the result of having a dream, or some sort of methodology other than the Bible, we could pinpoint the problem and realize we must stick to the Bible only. Or, if we could point at something in particular as the cause of our errors we could correct them in order to arrive at the perfect conclusion. But, the difficulty for God’s people has been, as we have checked, and re-checked the biblical calendar of history, and many other things learned from the Bible, we cannot find the cause of the problem. And since we cannot find the cause of the problem in our methodology, we have not been able to correct the problem to avoid incorrect conclusions. Again, one benefit we have is that we know we have some incorrect conclusions: this is a mercy of God in that we do not have to continue maintaining a teaching that can never be ultimately verified.

Personal Difficulty as a Teacher of the Bible

Teaching truth is of supreme importance. Long ago, Family Radio and the teaching of Mr. Camping stood out to me because I could hear the sound of truth. I did not hear this distinct sound of truth anywhere else the way I heard it when I listened to Mr. Camping on Family Radio. Also, the way the truth was proclaimed was also very different than how teachings were proclaimed in just about every other ministry. The truth of the Bible was proclaimed with authority (years later I learned this is one of the characteristics of Christ, He spoke with authority the Bible says, unlike the teachings of the Pharisees). When listening to Mr. Camping, there was no doubt that a woman was not to teach men, and those that divorced were never to remarry; no doubt that elders should be married men with children (not single without children); no doubt that God did all the work in salvation; no doubt about many, many teachings of the Bible. I also received these things in the same manner as they were taught (that is, I knew without doubt this was so, and that was so, concerning various doctrines of the Bible). This clarity, in such a confused mass of religious teachings everywhere else, caused Family Radio to shine in a glorious way as a light in much darkness.

The same methodology which allowed Mr. Camping to develop such clear teachings of many biblical subjects was also applied to the end times teachings of the Bible. Soon, a crystal clear outline of end times events developed. Each step could be checked as to how it was arrived at, and for faithfulness to the Scriptures themselves. Eventually, a great deal of information was gathered together and zeroed in on the date of May 21, 2011 as Judgment Day!

As I review (and have reviewed) all the Bible’s information, concerning May 21, and now Purim. I see things that were wrong (again, no literal earthquake, no physical five months of torment on earth, no end of the world in October, and no end of the world and rapture of God’s people during the feast of Purim); but my problem is that I do not see why they were wrong. Based on the Bible’s evidence I do not see why the world did not end. Therefore I do not know where to make correction.

Years ago I have felt extremely sorrowful over the many false teachings of the churches. We first began as a ministry with the desire of being as faithful as possible to what the Bible says. I have never wanted to teach anything contrary to the Bible. There is enough error out there to last us all many lifetimes. EBible Fellowship existed to teach truth. And yet, without knowing how or where to make correction regarding a doctrine that impacts so much of the Bible itself I do not think it is possible to continue teaching at this time.

May the Lord’s Perfect Will be Done

Although we do not understand certain things, we do know that our presence here on the earth is not out of the will of God. It is most definitely the Lord’s will that the world continues on at this time. It is also most definitely the Lord’s will that His people remain in this world at this time. We may have many questions as to why these things are so, but the fact is they are so. May each one of us pray for wisdom concerning what the Lord would have us to do to continue to serve Him each day we our here. May we also accept His will wholeheartedly, thankfully, knowing that His will is always better and wiser, and more perfect than ours.

Chris McCann

Day in the Word, Sunday, March 4th

2012-03-04T02:58:00Z

This Sunday, March 4, 2012 EBible Fellowship is hosting a “Day in the Word.” There will be a series of Bible studies and one Q&A session.

Time: 10 AM to 5 PM EST with a break for lunch

Location: The union hall where EBible Fellowship meets. See these Directions.

Speakers: Chris McCann, Robert Daniels and Reuben Tubbs

For those who are not able to attend in person, the entire event will be available via the internet and by phone:

Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone Information

POST IT!

2012-03-01T17:41:00Z

STRONG BIBLICAL EVIDENCE POINTS TO JESUS’ COMING DURING THE FEAST OF PURIM, MARCH 7, 8, 9!

Please share this message with your friends and encourage that it be re-posted!

Esther 8:17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

The publication of this news is entirely for the comfort and encouragement and blessing of the people of God.

For more information, visit: http://www.ebiblefellowship.com.

No Salvation? NO! Great Salvation!

2012-02-29T19:26:00Z

The Bible has taught us that the Lord brought Judgment Day to pass on the day that He told the world He would, May 21, 2011. The Bible has revealed that on that day a spiritual judgment began. An horrible judgment in which God shut the door to heaven. A day in which God ceased to actively save people in this world any longer. Some, after hearing these things deride this information as a, “no salvation gospel.” But is it? Let’s consider the events that took place which brought about this enormous occurrence:

First, God sent forth the gospel in a tremendous way during a period of time the Bible identifies as “the latter rain”. During this wonderful outpouring of God’s Word upon the world, the Word of God declares that a great multitude that no man can number became saved. We read about this in Revelation 7:9:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

A little later in this chapter the question is asked in Revelation 7:13,

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

Of course, God intentionally wanted this question to be asked in order to link this great multitude of people He intended to save with a particular point in time, and in His overall salvation plan. Below we see the response to the question in Revelation 7:14:

…These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The great multitude that became saved and suddenly appeared in heaven, came out of, “great tribulation.” The same great tribulation that Jesus referred to when He was answering the disciples questions in Matthew 24 regarding, “what shall be the sign of Thy coming and the end of the world?” As part of a detailed response, we read in Matthew 24:21:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

There is no question then, that the great multitude of saved people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, were saved during the time of great tribulation which would come right at the very end of the world.

By God’s provision, He has opened up to His people the biblical calendar of history. This calendar (based on the genealogies of Genesis) shows very precise time patterns between key events in biblical history. Once laid out the pattern revealed that God would begin the great tribulation simultaneously with bringing judgmetn upon the unfaithful churches and congregations of the world. This judgment began on May 21, 1988. The first 2300 evening mornings of this “great tribulation” were most grievous. Virtually no one was being saved anywhere in the world. But God had a plan to pour out His blessings upon the world during a period known as “the latter rain.” Therefore God shortened the days (for the world only) of this most awful first part of the great tribulation. We also read about this in Matthew 24:22:

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

After 2300 days God began a program to save a vast multitude of people from all around the world. The door to heaven was flung wide open, and all those outside of the churches were encouraged to seek the Lord for His Salvation. Sadly, during this time of glorious salvation out in the world, still no one was being saved in any church. The judgment upon them would continue unabated throughout the entire 23 year period. But for the elect’s sakes, those outside of the congregations in the various nations of the world, it was shortened after the first 2300 days.

The Bible indicates that God saved more during the little season of the great tribulation than He had saved throughout all previous history. The Bible shows that the great multitude numbered in the tens of millions of people from many lands. God’s people proclaimed this glorious news to the world in the days leading up to May 21. Now is the time to boldly approach the throne of grace, for now God is saving like He never has before. The proclamation of this great salvation disturbed some people. They didn’t see any great multitude with their eyes. Therefore they did not believe it. They would rather the information of God saving a great multitude during the great tribulation be tampered down (isn’t it amazing how when God instructs His doorkeepers to fling the door wide open, some do not like it; and once God instructs His doorkeepers to shut the door they also do not like this).

Who is it that really has a, “gospel of no,” or “little salvation?” Is it the people of God that believe the Lord has done a mighty work all around the globe? That He has set untold millions of captives free out of Satan’s dungeon? Is it the people of God who believe the Bible when it says God has saved a great multitude which came speak every tongue? Is it a “no salvation” gospel that proclaims that the Lord Jesus Christ has triumphed and has completed His salvation plan. That He has saved everyone whose name was writen in the Lamb’s book of life. That these people are presently alive upon the earth. And it may be anyone (outside of the churches) in all the world. We don’t know who these people are. We have no idea who the elect multitude might be. What great hope for billions of people exists in this so called “no salvation” gospel.

And yet, what are the critics of God’s program proclaiming? Where is the salvation in their gospel? Many would not acknowledge that God saved a great multitude over the 23 years of the great tribulation. Yes, they believe salvation is continuing today; but it is a pittance. One here, and one there they think.

Is the Bible’s teaching that God has saved ALL that He intended to save from before the foundation of the world a “no salvation gospel?” Or, is it the most glorious declaration of the gospel of salvation that mankind has ever had the priviledge to hear?

We read in Ezekiel 37:7-10:

7) So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8) And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9) Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10) So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

After 23 years the great tribulation ended on May 21, 2011. Therefore the great multitude which Revelation 7:9,14 assures us came out of great tribulation, has already been gathered.

The Spiritual Judgment God Brought Upon the Churches Parallels the Spiritual Judgment the Lord has Brought Upon the World

2012-02-29T18:36:00Z

God revealed that the churches were under judgment. The judgment God brought upon them was a “spiritual judgment.” The language of the Bible was horrible, “woe unto them that give suck in those days,” “not one stone left upon another,” “a famine in the land,” “a desolate wilderness,” were all ways God used to describe this judgment upon the churches and congregations of the world. Believers, understanding that Christ spoke in parables warned those in the churches to get out before it was too late. The people in the churches looked around and saw nothing had changed from the many years before. Their church wasn’t desolate. They were enjoying the ministry like always. Certainly their church building was not brought down to the ground. Not only were all the stones in place, but they had managed to add an extra building recently.

Those of us outside of the churches told them that they were under judgment, and, that that judgment was completely spiritual in nature. And they not given eyes to see thought it was ridiculous. They could not see the Holy Spirit depart. They could not see Satan enter in. They could not see that God was no longer saving in their midst for the 23 years of the great tribulation. They mocked. They scorned. They said we had a gospel of the devil. All because we said the Bible reveals a spiritual judgment, upon the churches during the time of the great tribulation, and all because they could not see it with their naked eye.

The judgment on the churches was the test for the congregations. We realized this. And if they did not depart out before the period of great tribulation ended, oh, how tragic it would be for them. We realized God was testing them before He would bring the judgment upon the world. Jeremiah 25 told us that God would first give the cup to Judah to drink, and then all the nations of the world would likewise drink. This is exactly what God has done.

Some of those outside of the churches recognize the fact that a spiritual judgment came upon the churches; but now are faced with the same idea of a spiritual judgment coming upon the world outside of the churches and mock.

The Lord has brought about a time of testing for all of us outside of the congregations (now numbering a great multitude). And what is the test? Why it is a spiritual judgment. On May 21 God brought judgment upon the world. The language of the Bible was horrible: a great earthquake. Desolation everywhere. Dead bodies coming out of the tombs and littering the earth. We made a mistake of thinking this would be literal. But it wasn’t. God has given us an identical test as He gave the churches. And an identical judgment. A spiritual judgment is upon us God’s people share with the world. What is the reaction? Right. Sure it is. Mocking. Scorning. And disbelief. The very same reaction of those in the churches when they were informed that the judgment of God was upon them.

Why such a reaction from people, who themselves were intimately involved with warning others (those in the churches) of a very real judgment upon the congregations? How could those that shook their head in sorrow at people in the churches, because they just couldn’t see the truths of the Bible concerning the judgment of God beginning at the house of God, how could they so easily, and so quickly dismiss the idea of a spiritual judgment day? Especially when there was much biblical evidence to prove it? And what is the nature of the judgment upon the world? God has shut the door. That was proclaimed to all the earth prior to May 21.

May 21’s underlying Hebrew date was the 17th day of the 2nd month. This was the equivalent date 7000 years earlier to when the flood began and God shut the door to the ark (note: God shut the door to the ark, not Noah. Just like God has shut the door to heaven, not His people). What is the significance of the shutting of the door? Christ said in John 10, “I Am the Door”. This and many other Scriptures show us that God shut the door of salvation on this world.

This is the horrible nature of Judgment Day. And, it is a judgment that cannot be seen with the human eye. But can only be seen with the eyes of faith. Exactly parallel to the judgment brought to pass on the churches that also had to be seen with eyes of faith. Eyes of understanding in the Word of God. The same judgment brought to bare upon the churches (the removal of salvation from their midst); is the identical judgment brought to pass now upon the world (no more salvation for mankind anywhere in this world).

We read in Jeremiah 25:15-18, 27-29:

15) For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
16) And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
17) Then took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
18) To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
27) Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
28) And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
29) For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

Is Date Setting a Sin?

2012-02-28T02:01:00Z

We read in Esther 3:13:

And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

We read in Esther 8:11-13:

11) Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
12) Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
13) The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

The book of Esther is a book that is dedicated to the setting of a date. From chapter 3, all the way through the end of the book in chapter 10, the focus is waveringly upon a date: the 13th day (#13 pointing to the end of the world) of the 12th month (#12 pointing to fullness of time).

Who is it that wrote the book of Esther? The man God used to write is is unknown. But we do know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, etc. God is the author of the book of Esther. God, therefore is the One that has given us a book of the Bible (Esther is just as much a part of the Bible as Genesis or Matthew), in which the main and unceasing focus is on a date. A date that has been selected by lot, “the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord,” Proverbs 16:33). A date that has been set aside especially for destruction. And a date that turns out to be a date of deliverance for the Jews (God’s people) and a date of destruction for ALL the enemies of the Jews (those opposed to God’s people). This language, of course, matches up very well with Judgment Day and the end of the world. The end of the world is a time when God’s people are delivered (although apart from the grace of God we surely should have died); and a time when all of the enemies of God and His kingdom (i.e. all of the unsaved of the world) do perish.

Is date setting a sin? Then why has God given us a book like Esther that completely focuses upon a date?

Day in the Word, Sunday, February 12th

2012-02-12T15:00:00Z

This Sunday, February 12, 2012 EBible Fellowship is hosting a “Day in the Word.” There will be a series of Bible studies and one Q&A session.

Time: 10 AM to 5 PM EST with a break for lunch

Location: The union hall where EBible Fellowship meets. See these Directions.

For those who are not able to attend in person, the entire event will be available via the internet and by phone:

Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone Information

Fill the Cup Double

2012-02-04T05:51:00Z

In Revelation 9:3-5 we read:

3) And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4) And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5) And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

In this study we are going to discuss some things related to the five months of torment that we had thought would take place between May 21 and October 21, 2011. As we do so, we will find that we were correct in our understanding that God intended to judge the world for a period of five months. But we will also learn that we were incorrect regarding one of our assumptions about the dating of the five months period of torment. In this study we will attempt to correct this misunderstanding, and afterwards also see how God’s timeline extends from:

May 21, 2011 (the beginning of Judgment Day) until the last day of Judgment Day.
Five months of torment from May 21 until a date in October 2011, during the feast of tabernacles.
From the end of the five months in October 2011 until the feast of Purim in March, 2012.

In other words, we will show from the Bible a tie in from the conclusion of the five months referred to in Revelation chapter 9 until the end of the feast of Purim. This will give us additional supporting evidence concerning God’s plan to spiritually fulfill the feast of Purim (as we have learned previously that the book of Esther joins the 17^th day of the 2^nd month to the date of May 21, 2011). As a result of this information we have a direct time path that goes from the date of 2/17 in Esther until the twelfth month feast of Purim. In this study, we will examine a second link with May 21^st and the five months of torment that also reaches the feast of Purim.

Overview for Arriving at the Date of October 21, 2011 as the End of the World

Back in the year 2005, Mr. Camping published the book entitled: “Time Has an End.” In this book it was pointed out that the year 2011 A.D. was the 7000^th year from the flood of Noah’s day. It also was explained that the feast of tabernacles was the one main feast yet to be spiritually fulfilled.
In addition, it was mentioned that the phrase, “last day” was found eight times in the Bible. This was significant because the phrase “last day” seemed to identify with the end of the world. And since the phrase “last day” was also used twice in connection with the feast of tabernacles, the conclusion was arrived at that the last day of the feast of tabernacles in the year 2011 would be the probable last day for the world to exist. Early on, the date selected as the last day for tabernacles was October 20^th in the year 2011. But then it was realized that the Bible speaks of an additional day of travel (a 9^th day related to tabernacles), as a result of this the date was moved one day to October 21^st, 2011. This date was selected as the probable date for the return of Christ and the end of the world primarily because it was the last day of the feast of tabernacles in the 7000^th year from the flood of Noah’s day.

Independent of the date for the last day of the feast of tabernacles was another important date: it was the date of May 21, 2011. May 21^st had to be significant because the 23 year great tribulation period (which had begun May 21, 1988) concluded on that day. It was also an exact 8400 day period for the great tribulation. For a little while the two dates of October 21^st and May 21^st could not be reconciled. The year 2011 seemed certain—but it was not known upon which of these two likely dates Christ would return.

Regarding May 21^st, it was soon noticed that the underlying Hebrew (biblical) calendar date for that day was the 17^th day of the 2^nd month. This was highly significant because that was the very date found in the Genesis account for the shutting of the ark’s door and the beginning of the flood. Let’s take a look at that verse once again in Genesis 7:11:

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

This provided further assurance that May 21^st was indeed the day to focus upon for the Day of Judgment. But still the question lingered—what about the last day of the feast of tabernacles on October 21^st? How did October 21^st relate to this very important day of May 21^st? Eventually, it was noticed that there was a five month space of time between May 21 and October 21, 2011. This was promising because the Bible’s record of the flood also spoke of a 150 day period that the flood waters prevailed:

Genesis 7:24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

This was five months of time mentioned immediately after the flood began on the 17^th day of the 2^nd month. Also, it was learned that verses found in Revelation 9 went into some detail concerning an awful period of five months. Revelation 9:5,10:

5) And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
10) And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

Soon it became apparent that the five months was a period of time God had established in which He intended to bring judgment upon mankind. May 21^st would be the beginning of the Day of Judgment; but “Judgment Day” (it was concluded) would be five months in duration.

May 21, 2011 Locked in as the Day of Judgment in Three Major Ways

God confirmed May 21^st was the beginning of the Day of Judgment in three major ways:

The underlying Hebrew/biblical calendar date was the 17^th day of the 2^nd month identifying it with the flood which occurred 7000 years earlier on the same date.
May 21, 2011 also happened to be exactly 23 years from the start of the great tribulation (May 21, 1988).
The date of May 21, 2011 was the 722,500 day since Jesus had gone to the cross in 33 A.D. (Family Radio produced a tract entitled, “Another Infallible Proof” showing how 722,500 broke down to: (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17)).

We have since found additional biblical proof supporting the truth that May 21, 2011 was truly the Day of Judgment. However, no substantial evidence has developed to support the idea that October 21, 2011 was the end of the five months period. The main evidence supporting October 21^st was the assumption that the Lord would return during the last day of the feast of tabernacles. Yet, the feast of tabernacles has come and gone and Christ did not return on October 21^st as expected.

Time to Make a Correction

Since the main evidence pointing to October 21^st as the last day of the five months period was the assumption (based on biblical evidence) that it would be the last day of earth’s existence; and since the world did not end on that day thereby disproving that assumption, it is now necessary for us to make a correction regarding the actual duration of the five months period of time. Let’s turn to the flood account in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 7:11:

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Let’s ask the question: what was one of the major ways in which the Lord verified that May 21, 2011 would be Judgment Day? The answer is that God put His finger on that particular day once we realized that the underlying Hebrew (or biblical) calendar date was the 17^th day of the 2^nd month. This was an amazing thing! It was noticed that in the year 2011 (exactly 7000 years from the flood), on the exact day that the 23 year Great Tribulation period came to an end, on that very day, the Hebrew calendar was on the same date as recorded in the book of Genesis when the flood began and God shut the door to the ark.

We also knew from the start of the flood on the 17^th day of the 2^nd month until five months later the Bible emphasized a 150 day period in which the waters prevailed upon the earth. The Bible gave us a second date for this period of time in the very same flood account that had given us our first date for the beginning of the judgment. We read about this in Genesis 8:3-4:

3) And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
4) And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

We see from the flood account itself that 150 days are mentioned, and a date is given for the end of the 150 days (17^th day of the 7^th month). Due to the date given of the 17^th day of the 7^th month, we can see that the 150 days cover a period of exactly five months. Of course upon hearing “five months” our ears perk up. We’ve already seen how there was a five months period of time between May 21^st and October 21^st. And we’ve also seen that the Bible speaks of five months of torment in Revelation chapter 9.
At this point, we have to note that neither the 150 days nor the date of 7/17 (17^th day of the 7^th month) were factored into the date of October 21^st. October 21^st happened to be 153 days from May 21^st. But as we’ve discussed before, October 21^st was not the last day of the end of the world. So now the big question is: was October 21, 2011 the end of the five months period of torment?

The need for correction comes in once we see that the Lord utilized the date of 2/17 (17^th day of the 2^nd month) in a major way in confirming the date of May 21. He also gave us another date five months later in the very same flood account, of 7/17 (the 17^th day of the 7^th month). After receiving the confirmation that May 21 would be the Day of Judgment, due to the underlying Hebrew/Biblical calendar date aligning with the date in Genesis 7, we made the mistake of switching calendars to our Gregorian calendar and confirming the five months later on the basis of seeing May 21 align with October 21. Instead of this, once God confirmed the date of 2/17 through the use of the Hebrew calendar (thereby directing us back to the book of Genesis) we should have continued with the same calendar and dated the end of the five months also according to the date found in Genesis 8 of 7/17 (17^th day of the 7^th month in the Hebrew calendar).
Once we make this correction we find the following in the Hebrew calendar:

2/17 Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011.
7/17 Five months period of torment came to an end on October 14, 2011 (Tishri 16/17—Hebrew calendar days overlap two of our Gregorian calendar days).

May 21^st through October 14, 2011 (2/17 until the beginning of 7/17), was the space of the five months of torment as described in the book of Revelation. It was exactly 147 days in duration.

What Difference Does it Make?

Someone might wonder, since apparently nothing happened on October 14^th or October 21^st, what does it matter? What possible difference could it make where the five months of so called torment landed?
This is a good question. The answer can be found once we more closely follow the Bible’s own dating for the flood and the duration of the five months period of time. After making the correction that the five months of torment came to a conclusion on Tishri 16/17 (October 14^th), we will find a connection with the feast of Purim in the biblical 12^th month of Adar. But before we go to discuss this connection, we first need to consider what the Bible has to say about “double payment” for sins.

He Shall Pay Double

Did you know that in some cases God’s law requires a “double payment” for wrong doing? Let’s turn to the book of Exodus to see some examples of this in Exodus 22:4,7,9:

4) If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
7) If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
9) For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.

Clearly, here in the book of Exodus we find the Bible laying down laws requiring (in some instances) that the payment for wrong doing (sin) is to be doubled. This isn’t out of the ordinary, even today in our modern world we see road signs in a construction zone announcing the warning, “Fines doubled”. We recognize it is the right of the authorities to double the normal payment for wrong doing in certain areas or at certain times. They are perfectly within their rights to do so.

Likewise, God has placed laws within His law book (the Bible) stating that in some instances the penalty for sin can be doubled. Alright, some might concede, but what does the doubling of the penalty for sins have to do with the topic at hand, which was the “five months of torment?”

In order to answer this properly we have to keep in mind that the judgment of five months of torment was God’s penalty upon this world (the kingdom of Babylon) for their sins. God’s law stated that the world would be judged, and Revelation 9 went into detail describing the nature of that judgment, which would be carried out over a period of time five months in duration.

We find our answers to what God has done concerning the five months of torment, and also to what God has been doing the entire period of time since May 21^st in Revelation 18:2:

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Notice the phrase, “Babylon…is fallen, is fallen” repeated twice. This repetition of the phrase, “Babylon is fallen” is found a few times in the Bible. Isn’t it interesting that we have learned about God doubling the payment for sin in some instances; and here we find when it is time to announce the judgment upon Babylon God doubles the pronouncement. It is not typical of the Bible to double a statement like this. For instance, we do not read of Egypt, “Egypt is fallen, is fallen.” Nor do we read this of Assyria. But of Babylon in particular, their fall is doubled.

Before proceeding, we need to remember two important things. First, the fall of Babylon came after a 70 year period of awful judgment upon the nation of Judah. It is fairly well documented that this 70 year period (from 609 BC, until Babylon’s fall in 539 BC) is an historical type and figure of the great tribulation period. God raised up the king of Babylon in order to use him as a weapon to destroy and bring judgment upon the rebellious nation of Judah. Spiritually, this typified God’s judgment upon the rebellious churches and congregations of the world during the actual period of great tribulation (23 years from May 21, 1988 until May 21, 2011). Therefore, the phrase “Babylon…is fallen, is fallen” identifies with the conclusion of the historical 70 year period Jeremiah wrote about; but it also identifies spiritually with the conclusion of the actual 23 year great tribulation period which ended on May 21, 2011.
Secondly, we also need to remember that “Babylon” is a synonym for the kingdom of Satan. In the context of Revelation 18 it encompasses the world as well as the churches under Satan’s rule.

Let’s continue on in Revelation chapter 18 to see what else God has to say concerning Babylon’s fall and judgment. Revelation 18:5-6:

5) For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6) Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

In the above verses we find it is Judgment Day! It is the time for God to exact payment for the sins of Babylon (i.e. all the unsaved in the world). Please notice the strong emphasis upon the payment being DOUBLED! Three times the Lord uses the word “double.” The cup is to be filled double.

The Cup of God’s Wrath—The Cup of Torment

The language found in Revelation 18:6 concerning Babylon drinking of a “cup” is not unusual in itself. The Bible often makes reference to the wrath of God in terms of the drinking of God’s anger from a cup. We can see this in the following verses:

Psalm 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

Jeremiah 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

We can quickly see from the Scriptures given above that the “cup” of God’s wrath is without question the wrath of God that comes upon the sinner at the time of Judgment Day. It is significant to point out the context of the verse from Revelation, chapter 14. It is in that same chapter just a couple of verse earlier that we read the following statement in Revelation 14:8:

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Once again we see the doubling of the phrase, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” This leads into verse 10 wherein the Lord refers to the wine being poured out into the cup of His indignation. But it is the next thing we read in that verse which we need to consider at this point: “…and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…”

The cup of God’s wrath is described as something which “torments” the one given to drink it. This is the idea behind the “five months of torment” that we read about in Revelation chapter 9. The same Greek word translated as “torment” in Revelation 9 is also found in Revelation 18:6-7:

6) Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7) How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her:

God is commanding that Babylon (those within the kingdom of darkness in this world) is to be given the cup of His wrath (the judgment upon them for their sins) double. And, then He further elaborates “so much torment and sorrow give her.” That is, God is measuring out the amount of torment that is to be filled in the cup of His indignation. It is to be doubled. God’s perfect justice requires and demands a double payment from Babylon because of all her sins. This payment normally would be five months in duration. In Revelation 9:5:

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

However, since it is to be doubled, it must be twice that of five months.

Doubling the Judgment Brings us to the Feast of Purim

Earlier in this study we saw that we had to make a correction regarding the actual time duration of the five months period of time. Basically, this correction enabled us to more closely follow the biblical dates given. Now instead of focusing on just the underlying date of 2/17 (17^th day of the 2^nd month) for May 21^st, we also continue to follow the next date given in the historical record of the flood, which was 7/17 (the 17^th day of the 7^th month). Since initially, our date for October 21^st did not follow 150 days or the date of 7/17 found in the Genesis account, we can be sure that the correction we have made is much more aligned with the biblical account itself. In other words, we did not pull the 17^th day of the 7^th month out of a hat to make it fit a scenario we have developed; but rather it is found right on the pages of the Bible (Genesis 8:3,4); just as the 17^th day of the 2^nd month, was also found on the pages of the Bible itself and could be pointed to as biblical evidence (Genesis 7:11). Also, the date of 7/17 has everything to do with the duration of the five months as God very carefully tells us that between 2/17 and 7/17 there was a space of 150 days in which the flood waters prevailed upon the earth. Therefore God is giving us the date of 7/17 as the end date of a five months period of time. As a result of this we have all the biblical warrant necessary to make our correction for the duration of the five months from October 21^st, to October 14^th (16^th and 17^th days of the Tishri, the 7^th Hebrew month). We now follow both key biblical dates for the beginning of Judgment Day (2/17) and for the end of the five month period (7/17).

Once we make this correction we find something very interesting. The number of days between May 21^st (2/17) and October 14^th (Tishri 16/17) is 147 (The number 147 breaks down into the significant numbers of 3 x 7 x 7). The number of days arrived at are due to the two dates the Bible has given us. We cannot change the number of days between the dates of 2/17 and 7/17. God has given us these dates and therefore the number of days in between them. Also, we are given an end date for the five months but we are not given another date for a second five months period of time. If we simply go to 12/17 (the 17^th day of the Hebrew 12^th month) the number of days would not be the same as the first five months of time. And if the number of days were not the same, it would not be a perfect doubling of the judgment. The only way we can get an exact double of the first five months of time is by doubling the number of days we found between the two key dates given to us. The number of days was 147. We then double this number of days and extend Judgment Day from five months of 147 days to Judgment Day of 10 months encompassing 294 days (2 x 147). The second period of five months goes from October 15^th (Tishri 17/18) through March 9^th (Adar 15^th).

In our study of the book of Esther we have seen how the feast of Purim has everything to do with the end of the world. It is a feast that extends over a three day period: Adar 13, 14, and 15. Let’s go to the book of Esther, chapter 9 to read about the events that took place during the biblical feast of Purim. Esther 9:1,17-18,20-22:

1) Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
17) On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
18) But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
20) And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
21) To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
22) As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

The 15^th day of Adar (March 9, 2012) identifies with the last day of the feast of Purim. The 15^th day was to be a day of rest to celebrate the fact that all the enemies of the Jews had been killed. What a perfect landing point for the doubling of the five months of judgment upon this world! For it is after God has poured all the fullness of His wrath doubled that He will then bring His people into the eternal rest of the new heavens and the new earth.

The Timeline for Judgment Day

Given what we have learned, we can now lay out a timeline for the duration of Judgment Day:

The 17^th day of the 2^nd Hebrew month (May 21, 2011), Judgment Day begins.
The 16^th/17^th day of the 7^th Hebrew month (October 14^th, 2011) ends the first period of five months (147 days).
The 15^th day of the 12^th Hebrew month (March 9, 2012), concludes the second period of 147 days and a doubling of five months.

Revised 23-Feb-2012 with many minor edits

Day in the Word, Sunday, January 8th

2012-01-06T08:32:00Z

This Sunday, January 8, 2012 EBible Fellowship is hosting a “Day in the Word.” There will be a series of Bible studies and one Q&A session.

Time: 10 AM to 5 PM EST with a break for lunch

Location: The union hall where EBible Fellowship meets. See these Directions.

Speakers: Chris McCann and Gunther von Harringa, Sr.

For those who are not able to attend in person, the entire event will be available via the internet and by phone:

Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone Information

New Phone Conference Number

2011-12-04T09:15:00Z

The dial-in number and access code for the EBible Fellowship Phone conference has changed.
For more information, see the Phone Information and Schedule page.

Fellowship Gathering Tomorrow

2011-10-30T00:00:21Z

There will be a fellowship gathering tomorrow beginning at 10:30 AM EDT with Scripture reading and a hymn sing only. Lunch will follow afterwards depending on availability of food.

The Fellowship Gathering will be broadcast over Paltalk, web stream and phone.

If you live locally or otherwise wish to attend in person, directions are available.

May 21, 1988 to October 21, 2011 Evening-Morning Correction

2011-10-22T10:03:00Z

The audio from the Question and Answer from yesterday evening along with notes has been posted making a correction to our understanding of May 21, 1988 to October 21, 2011 to use evening-mornings instead of morning to evening. Also, the delay of one day in the appearance of the new moon as an indicator of the start of the new month in both 1994 and now in 2011.

The audio and video are also available at http://fridaynightstudy.com/archives/1209.

May 21, 1988 to October 21, 2011 Inclusive/Non-Inclusive counting

2011-10-22T00:26:00Z

One of the brethren with great understanding of the Biblical calendars created a spreadsheet showing every day from May 21, 1988 to October 21, 2011 using both inclusive and non-inclusive methods of counting. This shows that the 153^rd day ends on sunset October 22^rd (Tishri 23) Jerusalem time.

This spreadsheet is available in several formats:

HTML (2.6 MB)

Microsoft Excel (1.3 MB)

Adobe PDF (18.8 MB)

Open Office Calc (277 Kb)

Having Had Mercy, Have Mercy!

2011-10-20T22:30:00Z

We are living in a most unusual time. On May 21, of 2011, mankind entered into the Day of Judgment. This “day” will last for 5 months (153 days) until October 21, 2011. The Bible is teaching us that this period of time is Judgment Day!

The Completion of God's Salvation Plan

The Bible declares that it was God’s plan to save 200 million people out of all those who would ever live upon the earth. Just prior to May 21 of this year, God finished the work of applying the redemption Christ had purchased for His people before the foundation of the world. Just prior to May 21, 2011, the Lord finished saving all of those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life. This act of God in finding all of His lost sheep and then finally gathering them and leading them safely into the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd was accomplished right before May 21. On May 21, God then shut the door to heaven, also known as the door to the sheepfold:

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

John 10:7-9 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

May 21, 2011 also happened to be the 17^th day of the 2^nd Hebrew month. And that was the equivalent date to the beginning of the flood of Noah’s day 7000 years earlier:

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 7:16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

God shut the door to the sheepfold after finding the last lost sheep. Another way of saying the same thing is that God shut the door (Christ) to heaven on May 21, the beginning of Judgment Day! Once the door shut, it cannot ever open again for a sinner to become saved and enter in.

Sadly, as we have earnestly studied the Bible over these five months, we have found verse after verse that supports and strengthens the conclusion that the Lord is no longer saving sinners. He has finished that glorious work.

Does this mean that we are no longer to pray for people’s salvation? No! It doesn’t mean that at all. Some have misunderstood or mischaracterized the teaching of the Bible at this time to indicate that we’re teaching that man should no longer beseech the Lord for mercy. This is not true. God encourages us to cry to Him for mercy. He actually has given us a parable specifically designed to encourage people to go to Him and pray for themselves and others during this five-month period of time (Lord willing, we’ll take a look at that parable a little later).

May people pray for God’s mercy in granting them salvation at this time? Yes. But, the manner in which individuals approach God beseeching Him for His mercy ought to be carefully considered.

This is nothing new really. All throughout history, the Lord was pleased when men approached Him in a right way. That is, when a person went to God on God’s terms, correctly understanding that there was nothing he or she could do to get themselves saved, and also understood that God had predestinated an elect company of people before the world began to become saved.

Armed with this knowledge, individuals boldly approached God’s holy throne and asked Him to graciously save them, hoping that maybe, just maybe, they, too, might be numbered amongst one of those elect whose names were recorded in the Lamb’s book of life.

In other words, these people that approached God in such a humble manner were recognizing that it was necessary for their present request (of salvation) to fit into God’s overall plan and past action of actually saving all those whom He had made provision for in Christ.

The salvation of men throughout history has always been dependent upon a past action. This past action of God was finished before the world was created:

Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

True believers have always prayed that their children, or other family members, or their neighbors, or anyone they happened to meet in their lives might be counted amongst the elect people of God for whom Christ had already made payment and finished the faithful work of dying for their sins before this world began. “O may it be,” the child of God has cried to the Lord, “that Christ might have died for my poor son’s sins? O Father, could it be that my daughter might be one of those few who have been predestinated to your wonderful salvation?”

God’s people have long been aware of this verse in the book of Ephesians, chapter 1:

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Of course, many in the churches do not understand election and therefore do not teach these things. However, the failure of understanding election is a crucial mistake. Failing to understand this doctrine has led untold numbers of individuals and churches into the path of a works gospel. That is, many have developed doctrines that teach that it is up to man to accept Christ and bring salvation to one’s self.

The Bible will not allow for this type of understanding. God is very jealous of the truth that He is to get all the glory in the matter of salvation. The following verse in the book of Galatians, chapter 2, shows exactly how it was that God saved sinful people:

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

After reading this verse, we come to realize that baptism never saved anyone. Partaking of the Lord’s table never saved anyone. Giving to the Lord’s work never saved anyone. Accepting Christ never saved anyone. Any type of action on man’s part is insignificant of itself. All actions of obedience or attempted obedience to the law of God are defined by God as a work and, therefore, these actions are unable to justify any man.

The only way a sinner can have his sins forgiven and get right with God is through the action of Christ’s faithfulness in dying and paying for that person’s sins. No man can ever get right with God through any action of his own. And, the important thing for us to remember is that Christ’s action of justifying His people is a past action. It was not done yesterday. It was not done even a thousand years ago. As a matter of fact, it was accomplished before time itself, before God created the sun, the moon, and the stars to keep track of times and seasons. The people of God have always been required (by the Bible’s teaching) to look back into the far reaches of the past in order to understand the salvation of God.

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Lord’s long past work of salvation is also why Jesus made the following statement in the gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The King James translation is the best English translation there is. The translators did an outstanding work, for the most part. However, there are a few instances where they could have better translated a word or a passage. This is one instance. The better translation of this verse would read as follows:

”…whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall having been bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall having been loosed in heaven.”

The Greek tense is important here because it indicates that the prior action of binding and loosing (which has everything to do with the gospel that sets spiritually bound sinners loose from their sins) is an action that took place in heaven. Of course, the rest of the Bible reveals to us that that action was the work of Christ done on behalf of His elect people before the world began.

God's Application of Redemption

Some may question why it was necessary for believers to carry the gospel into the world if all the work of salvation was finished long ago? The answer to this question is that while it is true that Jesus paid the penalty for sin before the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8), it was still necessary for God’s messengers to carry the Bible’s information concerning the gospel to mankind in order that the Lord might apply His work of grace to those He had elected to become saved. That is, even though Christ chose all those whom He intended to save before the world began, and even though Christ died for their sins before the world began, there was still the necessity of applying the Word of God to the hearts of these chosen people according to the perfect timetable of God. This is explained in Galatians, chapter 4:

Galations 4:3-5 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

One way of viewing the entire history of the world (up until May 21 of 2011) is by looking at it as the time period in which God was applying the words of the Bible to the hearts of the elect unto salvation.

All over the world, in every generation God’s elect people were born and lived their lives. Since Christ had died for their sins before time, He had obligated Himself to save them at some point during their lifetime before they died. At times, God saved an elect person early in life (John the Baptist was saved in the womb for example); or, at other times, God saved an elect person late in life (the thief on the cross was saved at the last moments of his life). Either way, it was guaranteed that the one whose sins were already forgiven could not die unsaved. Through the act of paying for their sins, God guaranteed that He would save them at some point before their lives ended.

The Great Multitude Saved out of Great Tribulation

The Lord saved His people throughout history in every generation, but the Bible also reveals to us that God’s application of salvation towards people of the Old Testament and towards people alive during the days of the New Testament church age was not as great or as widespread as we might have thought.

A careful examination of the Bible shows that relatively few people became saved for the first 13,000 years of earth’s history. We do not have actual figures but we can estimate that perhaps several million became saved leading up to the end of the church age in 1988 A.D.

It was during that year that God began judging the churches and congregations of the world. The Bible identifies this time as a time of “great tribulation.” We read of this time period in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24:

Matthew 24:20-21 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

The Bible teaches us that the great tribulation period would last for 23 years. On May 21, 1988, the church age ended and the great tribulation started. It continued for 23 complete years and ended on May 21, 2011. Judgment Day began at this point and we are presently within the five-month period of judgment that Revelation chapter 9 describes.

May 21, 2011 not only ended the great tribulation period but it also ended God’s work of applying salvation to His elect people. It was no accident that the message of “May 21—Judgment Day!” spread across the face of the earth and people from all nations heard this declaration of judgment coming from the Bible. It was God’s plan to send one final warning to mankind from His Word. Through the sending forth of this message, the Lord would bring His Word to the ears of men everywhere on earth. This was vitally important because the Bible tells us that it is through the hearing of the Bible that people were able to become saved:

Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God poured out His Word in a glorious way. The message of judgment coming from the Bible was carried via radio, internet, literature, messengers of the gospel on tract trips, and by word of mouth from person to person. Billboards and various sorts of advertising went up in nation after nation. The news media of many countries began to cover this unusual story of an approaching Judgment Day!

Through these means (and probably many other we have no knowledge of), the God of the Bible blew the trumpet and warned the people. Also included in the message broadcasted to the world was that the door to heaven would be shutting. May 21, 2011 would be the last day for a sinner to get right with God. God used this warning tremendously and saved a vast number of people. We are not hoping that was the case. We know it was from what we read in the Bible. In the book of Revelation, chapter 7, it says:

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Revelation 7:13-14 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

We see from this passage in Revelation 7 that God saved a great multitude of people “out of great tribulation.” Again, the great tribulation ended on May 21, 2011. It was prior to that point that God saved the great multitude referred to in Revelation 7. We now know the following facts:

May 21, 1988—The 13,000th year of this earth’s existence; God began a 23-year judgment on the churches known as great tribulation.
May 21, 2011—God ended the 23-year judgment on the churches/great tribulation ended.
May 21, 2011—God finished saving the great multitude out of great tribulation.
May 21, 2011—God finished His work of applying redemption (salvation) to the elect. All the elect were now sealed.
May 21, 2011—God began Judgment on the whole world for five months.
October 21, 2011—God completes the five months of judgment on the world.

New Born Lambs All Over the Earth

The Bible tells us about its own incredible spiritual power in many places, but one place in particular stands out as an apt description of the Bible’s ability to change the hearts of men. This verse is found in the book of Hebrews, in chapter 4:

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit…

The English word “quick” is an Old English word that means alive or living. The Bible’s pages or the physical bound volume are not living at all. They are simply ordinary paper and ink; but spiritually, the Bible’s words are alive. And, since these words are spiritually alive, they have the power to bring spiritually dead sinners to life.

God has established this as the way in which He would save His elect people. He sent forth His Word into the world and it fell on the hearts of men. According to the Lord’s own timing for each individual and according to His own good pleasure, He blessed the seed of His Word sown on an elect sinner’s heart and made them a new heart. This is how God made people born again.

Since the entire Bible is spiritually alive, it did not require that a great deal or even much of the Bible be heard in order to bring the spark of spiritual life to the dead sinner. We read of this aspect of the Word of God in 2 Timothy, chapter 3:

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

All Scripture—the entire Bible—is God-breathed and able to bring life to the spiritually dead. This is why when the news concerning Judgment Day coming on the date of May 21 spread all over the nations, God was able to do a glorious work of salvation. Of course, the language of Judgment Day comes right out of the Bible. The Lord used this terrible information to save the great multitude of people, from, as Revelation 7:9 says:

”…all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…”

Mankind heard the Word of God and God blessed His Word to quicken the remaining ones of His elect. He completed His saving work. All those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life became saved at some point prior to May 21.

This leads us to the realization that there are now scores and scores of people all over the world who have become saved and are spiritually as newborn sheep. Many of them know little to nothing about the Bible. There is no way for the more knowledgeable true believers to know which person/s out there in the world God saved prior to May 21, and which person/s out there in the world did not become saved (the only exception to this would be those who remained in their churches).

The Lord wonderfully saved tens of millions of people. He saved His best work of salvation for the very last. All the child of God can know is that God saved many people across the face of the earth. But, we cannot know if, perhaps, one of those whom God saved might be in our own family; or, perhaps our neighbor; or, our co-worker. This information is critical at this time to our understanding of how to approach God in prayer for our loved ones and for others whom we desire the very best for.

Trouble Me Not: The Door Is Now Shut!

Let’s return to our original discussion. Yes, it is true that the Bible is declaring at this time that God has completed His salvation plan, in the sense that the last of the elect have had Christ’s atoning work applied to their hearts and they have indeed become born again. This glorious event took place sometime just prior to May 21, 2011.

While it is true that God has finished saving people at this time, it is not true that as a result of this grand act that the Lord would no longer have us to pray for mercy either for ourselves or for others. As a matter of fact, God specifically encourages us to go to Him in prayer during this five-month period of judgment in the parable of the man going to his friend at midnight:

Luke 11:5-8 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

There are a few elements in this parable that tie it in very directly with the Day of Judgment. For instance, the man goes to request bread from his friend at “midnight”. Midnight is used as a figure of Judgment Day in the book of Exodus:

Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

We see that it was at midnight that the Lord brought judgment upon Pharaoh (type of Satan) and Egypt (type of the world). Also, notice what else is stated by the man’s friend within the house in Luke 11’s parable:

“Trouble me not: the door is now shut…”

The “friend” within the house is a picture of God Himself. Due to the lateness of the hour (midnight), he has gone to bed and “shut” the door.

We saw earlier that May 21, 2011 was the 17^th day of the 2^nd Hebrew month, the equivalent date to when the flood began 7000 years earlier and when God shut Noah and his family within the ark. The act of shutting the door to Noah’s ark guaranteed the safety of all the passengers within, but it also guaranteed the destruction of all with the breath of life without.

On May 21 of this year, God shut the spiritual (that is unseen) door to heaven. Luke 11’s statement by the man’s friend within the house fits perfectly with what spiritually took place on the Day of Judgment. It is as if God (the friend within the house) is saying to the friend visiting at such a late hour: “Look, don’t you know that it is now Judgment Day! That the day of salvation has come and gone! That I am no longer saving people! Can’t you see that the door to heaven is shut at this time?”

Furthermore, the friend within the house makes one more statement that fits exceedingly well with our present understanding of our spiritual circumstances:

”…and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.”

The Bible refers to God as the believers’ Father. In many places, God speaks of those He saves as His children:

Galatians 4:5-6 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Actually, the truth that God is His people’s “heavenly Father” is pointed out a little further down in the same chapter of Luke 11:

Luke 11:11-13 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

We can see then the implication of what we have read in Luke 11:7. “My children are with me in bed” by itself would not lead us to draw much of a conclusion; but once we take note that the time is midnight and that the door is now shut, we then realize that, of course, God has finished His salvation plan and has gathered all of His elect children. All are safely with Him in His bedchamber for this five- month period of time:

Isaiah 26:20-21 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

This is all describing a spiritual reality. God’s elect are still physically wherever they happen to be in the world; but spiritually, He has gathered them all together by the act of saving them and He has brought them into His bedchamber—awaiting the very last day (October 21, 2011).

The Past Action of the Application of Redemption

We saw earlier in our study that the children of God have always been directed by God to look back into time past (before the foundation of the world) in order to rightly understand God’s salvation program.

The Lord chose His people before this world began. He also took upon Himself their sins and died for them before the world began. This information that the election of all those chosen to salvation was a completed past action never hindered God’s people in any age from praying for others in order that that past action might be applied to their family and others.

Our present situation of God having already saved all of the elect has not changed this backward looking of God’s people at all. The only difference is that in addition to properly recognizing that the Lord has chosen and paid for the sins of His elect before the world began, we now include the information that the application of that redemption has now been applied. God applied what Christ had done for His people to all of the elect prior to May 21, of 2011.

In recognition of the Day of Judgment, we now look back beyond May 21 and realize that all to be redeemed were redeemed before that day. Yes it is a past action, but this is in keeping with all of God’s saving work being a past action. We still do not know which ones became saved and which ones did not; therefore, we can continue to pray for each person we encounter.

No Shame!

Returning to our parable in Luke 11, we can say that we have found the following information:

a. It is midnight (Judgment Day!) b. The door is shut (No more salvation is taking place) c. All of the friend’s children are with him in bed (God has saved the last of the elect)

If the parable ended here, we might be able to come to the conclusion, as some have been saying, that we are not to pray for mercy or for the salvation of others at this time. However, the Lord Jesus goes on to make one last remarkable statement concerning this parable of the friend requesting bread at midnight. Let’s read on:

Luke 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Before we go on to explain what the Lord is teaching here, we first need to understand some things about this request for loaves of bread. We must understand this request in the light of all the other information that this parable gives us and in the light of all of the other information that the Bible itself gives us concerning the Day of Judgment.

We know so far that the parable’s information is aligning perfectly and harmonizing with all of the information from the rest of the Bible that once God brings judgment He will have completed His plan of saving all those predestinated to become saved from before the foundation of the world.

Since the friend within the house is saying that all of his children are now with him in bed, spiritually, this is declaring that there are no more sons or daughters of God to be found out there in the world. Therefore, as we look for the spiritual meaning of the request for three loaves, we must realize that the request for bread at that late hour is not and cannot be a request that involves the Lord granting salvation to save a person that is not saved. We know this is not possible during the five months of torment that have come upon the earth.

The Bible indicates in Revelation 22 that the spiritual condition that a person is found in upon entering the Day of Judgment is the same spiritual condition that person will remain in:

Revelation 22:10-12 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Once we correctly understand the spiritual circumstances of the Day of Judgment, we quickly begin to realize exactly what is going on with the man’s request for three loaves of bread for a friend of his that has come to him in his journey.

In asking bread for another, God is showing us in this parabolic demonstration that He would have us come to Him at the time of judgment to request that gospel blessings (typified by the loaves) be given to others we are in contact with. In giving us this parable, Jesus is greatly encouraging us to continue to approach His throne of grace and beseech Him for mercy throughout the entire five-month period of judgment.

But how can we beseech God that He might save others if we know that He is no longer saving? How can we cry out to God that He have mercy upon our child if we know that He is no longer bestowing the scepter of His grace?

Having Had Mercy, Have Mercy!

The solution to properly understanding Luke 11’s parable and to rightly realizing how we are to come to God crying out to Him for mercy at this time is found in the realization that the work of redemption is a past work. That is, the Lord has already done the final application of applying His Word to the hearts of all the elect. He has already given them all new born again souls. But, since a new soul is invisible to the naked eye, we cannot know which ones out there in the world have been blessed by God in this way and which ones have not been blessed in receiving their new souls.

This lack of knowledge on our part concerning which ones have been redeemed and which ones have not been redeemed permits us to go to the Lord beseeching Him that He might have mercy on our sons and our daughters. We are in effect praying this way: “O Lord, could it be that you might have done a work of salvation in my son’s life while it was the day of salvation (prior to May 21)? Could it be, Father, that you have already had mercy on my husband in saving him, but, O Father, I do not see any evidence of this in his life to this point—O please, Father, may You have mercy upon my husband and may Your Spirit begin to shine in his heart more and more unto the coming day?”

Since we do not know exactly those whom God saved, we can honestly pray for the salvation of our loved ones. However, our prayers should always be tempered with the information given to us in this parable. “O Father, I know that it is the Day of Judgment, and O how merciful You are that you have allowed me to come before You even at this late and dark hour. O Father, how gracious You are that You have permitted me to come and beseech You still for my family members, even after the door to salvation has been closed. O Father, Your mercy knows no bounds. Could it be, O Lord, that even now, You might hear the prayer of such an unworthy sinner and grant Your grace to my dear children?”

Can we not see how absolutely amazing and merciful this is on the Lord’s part, to allow for even the slightest bit of hope for someone coming to Him in prayer at this time? And also, can we not see how daring and brash it is on our part to approach the Infinite God of the Bible, the God that has already begun to pour out His furious wrath upon rebellious sinners, and to dare to ask Him for grace and mercy and salvation at this time of the very Day of Judgment? This is beyond boldness.

Once again, this is why we read:

Luke 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

The Greek word translated here as “importunity” (#335 in Strong’s concordance) is not a very common word. It is only found in this one verse. It is a compound word. Perhaps we can better understand what this word is pointing to if we take a look at the two words that make up this word. The Greek word translated as “importunity” has an Alpha prefix (#1 in Strong’s), which in the N.T. Greek acts as a negative particle. It negates what is in view. In this case, the 2nd part of this compound word, is a word that has been translated elsewhere as “reverence” or “shamefacedness” (Strong’s #127). This Greek word is found in only two places in the New Testament:

1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness (Strong’s #127) and sobriety;

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence (Strong’s #127) and godly fear:

Since the Alpha prefix is attached to the word translated as “importunity” in Luke 11’s parable, I think we can understand this word to mean: “No shamefacedness” or “No reverence”.

This shows us just how brazen it is to come to God for salvation at the time of the final judgment of mankind. The act of coming to the friend within the house at midnight is described as an act of “importunity,” not so much because the man is coming again and again and again (as we find described in the parable of the widow going to the unjust judge for justice in Luke 18); but rather, the thing that makes this man’s plea one of importunity is the fact that he is daring to come at all. And spiritually, we can see it is as if we have no shame to come to God even now after the Day of Judgment has begun. O how kind and merciful our heavenly Father is to allow us this tremendous comfort at this most sorrowful time!

”…because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

We cannot conclude our look at this parable without making a final observation of the great words of encouragement that God is giving His people in this last statement of verse 8. It is as if the Lord is saying, on the one hand, “How irreverent of you to dare approach Me at this time. Do you not know it is Judgment Day! A time of fire and brimstone! A time of fiery wrath! How dare you to approach My throne of grace after the door of salvation has been shut to make request for the salvation of sinners!”

And yet, on the other hand, at the same time, it is as if the Lord is also saying, “I Am pleased with your recognition of the truths of My Word. I Am also pleased that you are coming to Me at this time of judgment, and even though you understand that I have shut the door to heaven, you are still making request for others which can only mean that you realize the enormous depths of My capacity to be merciful. Therefore, I will grant your request according to the purposes of My perfect will.”

Of course, we cannot say that approaching God in such a humble manner and in coming to Him in full understanding of the day in which we live will guarantee that God will hear our request and grant it. But, we can say from this verse that God is greatly encouraging us to come to Him and to make our request known at His throne of grace and that it is very possible that He might hear us and grant our request for our loved ones.

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

No Change, or Evidence of Salvation in Those Prayed For

Some have rightly understood these things and have been praying throughout this five-month period of judgment for their loved ones. However, as the 153 days of the five-month period of Judgment Day has elapsed to the point of their being only a few hours remaining, so, too, has the hope of God’s children begun to dissipate. “Oh”, the child of God sighs, “if the Lord had done a work of salvation in my wife, it would have become evident by now. But I see no change in her at all. The only conclusion I can come to is that the Lord did not save my wife prior to His closing of the door of salvation on May 21^st. Therefore, she is not now saved and cannot ever become saved.”

On the surface, this sort of analyzing of things may seem to be done humbly; but if we look a little deeper, the truth is that this believer’s conclusions concerning his wife are not humble at all. This believing husband is basically saying that if God had saved his wife, then she would begin to behave and act in certain ways in which he could know for a fact that she had become saved.

But is that true? Can we know for a certainty that a person has become saved or not when the outworking of salvation only has a short period of a few months to work itself out? I think that if the child of God looks back on his own personal spiritual journey he would quickly realize that the outworking of salvation is a very mysterious thing. So much so, that it is practically impossible for the true believer to pinpoint the time when he or she did indeed become saved.

There is no possible way that any one of us can conclude with absolute certainty that another individual could not have become saved by the hearing of the Bible’s message of Judgment Day (except, of course, for the problem of those in the churches leading up to May 21, but that is not the subject for this particular study).

But another might say, “I understand what you are saying, but wouldn’t God have begun to produce fruit in my loved one since the Lord is fully aware of the shortness of the time we have left?” Again, the implication found in this question is that since no fruit has become visible in my loved one it means that God has not done any work of salvation.

We do have to realistically admit that in most cases it is true that God has not saved our loved ones. Yet, in cases where God has saved someone, there is no constraint on the Lord’s part to manifest fruit within that individual before the last day arrives. God is under no obligation to make sure that others can see He did a work of grace in this one or in that one’s life.

For instance, God could have saved a very young child or even a newborn baby. There is no way that the parents or anyone else could discern that these young ones became saved. The Lord might also have saved some severely mentally disabled people who are unable to express the change that has taken place within them. It is also possible that the Lord saved a young man or a young woman and placed His Spirit within that person but that the fruit of the Spirit has not yet made itself apparent.

It could also be that the Lord Himself is holding back the moving of His Spirit in a person’s life in order that the outward evidence of His work of salvation not become evident in that person’s life. But why would the Lord not make it very clear to all (especially to the praying true believer) that He had already saved the one being prayed for?

We could ask the same question as to why it was during past generations that a wife prayed for her husband year after year and there never was even the slightest indicator that he was a child of God. But then, as she dutifully continued to pray day after day, perhaps even in the last year of that man’s life, salvation occurred. The man became saved and then soon after died.

The fact that he became saved revealed that he was always one of God’s elect. But just because he was one of God’s elect did not mean that it was manifested early on. The Lord for His own purposes and unto His own glorious end determined to test the wife and others as they prayed for this man.

Likewise, God is trying us to the end in a similar way. Will we continue to pray and beseech Him for our loved ones, even as we enter into the last few hours of Judgment Day itself? What a test for each child of God. May each one of us continue to persistently approach God’s throne of grace, and with importunity make our requests known to Him on behalf of those we care for. May we be encouraged to pray to our merciful Father in heaven, “O Father, could it be that You may have had mercy upon my loved one before our entering into this time of judgment, therefore Father, having had mercy, have mercy!”

Luke 18:1-7 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Series of articles, "Let my People Go!" and site updates

2011-10-18T11:55:00Z

A series of articles entitled, Let my People Go! has been posted. It is based on excerpts from the series, The End of the Captivity to Sin and Satan.

Many other site updates have been made such as a new Spanish home page with translated studies, transcripts for recent studies and some studies in Job. Also, many studies now have their associated videos attached.

Day in the Word, Sunday, September 25th

2011-09-20T17:00:00Z

This Sunday, September 25, 2011 EBible Fellowship is hosting a “Day in the Word.” There will be a series of Bible studies and one Q&A session. In addition, Paul Gallagher will give a slide show presentation of his experiences in many countries with Project Jonah.

Time: 10 AM to 6 PM EDT with a break for lunch

Location: The union hall where EBible Fellowship meets. See these Directions.

Speakers: Guy Berry, Kevin Brown and Chris McCann

For those who are not able to attend in person, the entire event will be available via the internet and by phone:

Live video stream
Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone Information

Day in the Word, Sunday, September 4th

2011-09-01T18:30:00Z

This Sunday, September 4, 2011 EBible Fellowship is hosting a “Day in the Word.” There will be a series of Bible studies and one Q&A session.

Time: 10 AM to 6 PM EDT with a break for lunch

Location: The union hall where EBible Fellowship meets. See these Directions.

For those who are not able to attend in person, the entire event will be available via the internet and by phone:

Live video stream
Paltalk and web streams Broadcasts, Live
Phone conference Broadcasts, Phone Information

New Audio, Transcripts and Videos Added

2011-08-16T08:30:00Z

Audio for many new studies, questions and answers added.
Transcripts have been added to many studies, questions and answers.
Friday Studies area has many studies added with all having links to videos.

Many Updates to the Site

2011-07-27T00:55:00Z

Retired the old server used by the site for more that eight years and replaced it with several virtual servers improving performance and also cutting costs. As part of this transition, we haven’t posted anything to the website for the past few weeks while new processes are developed. Lord willing, we’ll get caught up soon.

While we work on getting new content published, the following changes have been made:

New section on home page that shows all recent studies, questions and answers no matter where they have been published on the site.
All new Sunday studies will be published in a Studies, Sunday area.
All new Sunday Open Forums will be published in a Questions, Sunday area.
New Friday studies and questions areas have been created as a place to post many of the Friday studies and Open Forums.

Donations via the web site are now being accepted again

2011-06-20T03:29:00Z

Donations via the web site are now being accepted again. They can be made via PayPal or credit card on a one-time basis or with a subscription.

What Happened on May 21?

2011-06-14T15:58:47Z

Family Radio has requested this article be removed from our site.

New studies on 153 days and Did God lie to Adam and Eve?

2011-06-13T04:00:00Z

Two new studies have been posted, God’s Purpose for 153 Days parts 1 through 3 and Did God Lie to Adam and Eve? parts 1 through 5.

Open Forum Press Event with Harold Camping on May 23, 2011

2011-05-24T03:00:00Z

Open Forum Press Event with Harold Camping on May 23, 2011

Family Radio has requested that we remove this post from our site.