Answer To Rebuttal Concerning Parable of Ten Virgins by Pastor C. Covert
This is an answer to a Rebuttal to a Prophecy paper I posted a couple of days ago [by Sister Cathian]. I felt that it was important to clarify certain issues, and since others may have the same questions, I decided to go ahead and place my answer here, in the same forum I first published my paper. I hope this helps. Pastor C. Covert
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Hi Mark,
Thank you for your comment on the original article I posted here, “Deciphering The Meaning Of The Parable Of The Ten Virgins”, which you placed as a reply to my article under your first name, and then posted as an article under the name “Anonymous”. Since you used the same post in both places, I am assuming that the same person posted both articles. Forgive me if I am wrong in this.
I used to believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture, as you do. I was terrified of the prospect of being here on earth when all the terrible prophecies began to come true. But the Bible is not, as you say, of private interpretation, and when we do violence to the text of the scriptures in our attempts to see ourselves elsewhere, we are simply lying to ourselves.
I was raised (after becoming born again) with the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine, and heard the same story from teachers of eschatology as you just told me. I finally had to throw out extra-biblical teaching and stick to the text because all the years that I sat under that teaching, and when I began to teach it myself, there were just too many contradictions, and I could never find peace. But once I undertook to read the Bible in a straightforward manner, not adding anyone else’s traditions or paradigms into it, I had great peace. The Blessed Hope of the Church is not to escape the Tribulation! The Blessed Hope of the Church is to be with Jesus forever and ever, Praise His Holy Name!
If we must suffer for Him, then we are not to think that is strange! Because we are called to the Fellowship of His suffering. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize us in the Holy Spirit and FIRE! It’s the FIRE we always forget about while we are, many of His children, naming and claiming our blessings while the rest of the lost souls of the world are drowning in sin.
Remember that anyone who adds to the words of the prophecy will have added to him the plagues that are written in the book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the prophecy, his name will be taken away from the Book of Life. The story of the bride and groom in Jewish culture is one I have heard many times, being of Jewish descent and having attended Messianic fellowship for years; but it is an extra-biblical teaching, just as the teaching of the “rapture” of the Church, which only came about in the 1800s, and was pushed by Darby.
You are right that the Wrath of God will never fall on His Children! He kept the Children of Israel safe when He poured out the plagues upon Egypt. He promises in Revelation to open a place in the wilderness for the mother of the male-child, to keep her safe. He tells us that the dragon, in a fit of frustration, will persecute the Church for a time – calling for patient endurance on the part of the saints. That is the dragon’s wrath, not the wrath of God – and believe me, there is a HUGE difference.
If Jesus doesn’t take His Church out of the world during the Tribulation period, but only takes her out just before the Battle of Armageddon, then many followers of Jerry B. Jenkins, Hal Lindsay and Tim LaHaye will think they missed it! There will be mass suicide! There will be hysteria among the believers, and there are many who will say, “I might as well take the mark so I can live it up until I die and go to hell!” It is private interpretation exactly that these people are guilty of. The rest of the historical Church of Jesus Christ all over the world NEVER subscribed to any coming to catch away the believers until the Second (and Final) Coming of Jesus Christ.
How many people who are screaming for the UFOs to come and take them away, thinking that aliens are their gods, will convince the non-raptured Christians (the ones who are here past the middle of the night, when their oil runs out) that the aliens must really be their god? Could this be the great falling away? The great apostasy? I am very much inclined to think so.
I am watching and waiting, praying for the Church, looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ to the world, to gather up His Church, and to establish His visible Kingdom. I read Revelation nearly every night, and I always see new things in it related to current events, but the Bible needs no other traditions of humans to help it. The Bible interprets itself.
What I have shared with everyone else by posting this paper about the parable that Jesus taught is not a “private interpretation” of scripture at all. I have merely pointed out the error that is being taught in so many pulpits, and has been taught over the past few decades because leaven has entered into the pure Word of the Lord, and it is time to call it for what it is.
But the secret Rapture (a word and doctrine not even in the Bible), however, is a perfect definition of a private prophecy that led to private interpretation of scripture! It does violence to the Word of God, it deceives His children, and it gives the devil a foothold in the minds of believers who should be preparing to “overcome” as Jesus warned them to.
In closing, if you are right, then Hallelujah! I will be happy to go up early, and I’ll come and give you a big hug and tell you that you are right!
But if I am right, then all I wish for my brothers and sisters in the Lord to do is to make sure they are ready when the call doesn’t come at the time they have been taught to expect it, and that they are ready for the call to come after the middle of the night.
God bless you brother.
Pastor C. Covert
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Dear Pastor C. Covert,
Thank you for your candid response, and courtesy. We are both contending for the Word as in Jude 9. I respect you as my brother, in our Lord Jesus Christ. And, God bless you !
Well, I know I am in account for every word, or thought I have. Truly the Lord will judge me, and I thank Him, and Praise Him now for His righteous judgment.
I don’t believe what I believe; because, I am afraid. I am not afraid. I believe what I believe, after prayer and a careful study of commentators, such as Dr. Benware, Dwight Pentecost, Dr. Walvoord, Dr. Lindsey, Dr. Ice, Dr. Grant Jeffories, Dr. Gundry, Dr, Ryrie, Clarence Larkin, et al.
Truly, each one laboriously have attended to the harpazo, or the (catching up or snatched up) as from the original Greek Texus Recptus. All found in John 14:3; Titus 2:10; 1 Corinthians chapter 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; and in 2 Thess 2: 1. In Thes 2:1 where Paul speaks of our being gathered to Jesus.
Now, the word “rapture”: We know the Latin Vulgate says of the rapture, or the catching, or the snatching up, as raptus, in Latin. which means the same thing as harpazo, in koine Greek.
Basically, I believe that 1Thess. 1:10; and, 5:9 says the “rapture” will deliver believers from the wrath, which is part of the “Day of the Lord.”
You say I take my understanding from Darby, and try to make a point that the rapture belief is a recent and conjectured idea. You are mistaken.
Hippolytus, who was the disciple of Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was the disciple of Apostle John, held for the rapture.
Irenaeus taught the rapture, see: “Against Heresies”, it is true that Hippolytus taught Theophilus, the oral tradition of the Apostles. The early church fathers, taught the rapture, and you can read what they taught. Read the “Dissertations of the Prophecies”, by Bishop Newton, October 5, 1754.
The point I am trying to make here, is the concept of the rapture, didn’t just pop up with Darby in 1830. And, there are many Generals of the Church of Jesus Christ, who have confirmed through the centuries, that the concept of the historic pre-tribulation rapture, as valid.
You speak of the falling away, as in 2 Thess. Ch. 2. The concept falling away was written in the 1611 KJV; however, please tell me why, the 1384 Wycliffe Bible says: “Departynge first”; the 1536 Tyndale Bible says “Departynge first”; the 1535 Coverdale Bible says “Departynge first”; the 1539 Crammer Bible says “Departynge first”; the 1576 Breeches Bible says “Departing first”; the 1583 Beza Bible “Departing first”; and the 1608 Geneva Bible says “Departing first.”
Therefore, 2 Thes ch. 2 was to be interpretated that, first we will be gathered up, and DEPART with Jesus, and then the Man of Perdition will appear; because the restrainer of the Holy Spirit, residing in the believers of Jesus Christ, will be removed.
I know you have your viewpoint based on your KJV. However, you are mistaken. But, if you can refute the authors of the first (7) seven bibles in their “departing first” translations, I, sir, beg to hear it.
Finally, at OSU library you can obtain photocopies, or look upon the earlier Bibles mentioned, herein. I want to say that I truly believe that I am correct in this. If I am wrong then, I would see the Antichrist making a seven year covenant with Israel. And, later (3 ½ years) I would see him in the rebuilt temple, declaring himself God.
Well, I am not going to take the mark of the beast, if it comes to that. And, I don’t care if a flying saucer lands on the front lawn: Jesus is the creator, Colossians 1:16, and at 65, I am not going to change my belief. I confess Jesus is Lord, the Word made flesh, and the Son of God, and He is God. So, that is who I am waiting for. I hope I get raptured, before I die naturally. Only my God, my Savior, the Lord Jesus, has my worship and love, and He loves me. So, I believe in pre-tribulation because it literally makes sense. And, I accept our Lord’s judgment, as righteous, if I am wrong. But, the Bible says we are to comfort each other with these words. So, the concept is not a hidden, contrived, private interpretation, at all. If anything, if I am wrong, then it is that, I bring comforting words. If you don’t, then that is your free will choice, who am I to judge another man’s servant, as Paul said.
Respectfully submitted, as your brother, in our Lord Jesus Christ.,
Mark Emerson Cline, Stilwell, OK, USA
Submitted by: Mark Emerson Cline, Stilwell, OK, USA
This is a response to your erroneous comment about Israel not fulfilling prophecy.
Ezekiel’s prophecy of the 430 years declaring the end of Israel’s punishment and their final restoration to the land would be accomplished in 2530 biblical years of 360 days. Now, all the Jews did not return from Babylonian captivity, about 95% stayed there. For this God increased their punishment seven times, read Leviticus chapter 26:v.26-28. So, 490 years minus 70 captivity years in babylon (already served) = 360 years. Seven times (the punishment) of 360 lunar biblical years times 360 biblical days (in one biblical year) = 907,200 days.
Now, converting this to our modern julian calendar days, where one year equals 365.25 days, we then divide 907,200 by 365.25 to reach a total of 2483.8 of our modern calender years.
So, Ezekeil prophesised that the captivity would end would occur precisely at the end of 2,483.8 of our years from the spring of 536 B.C. of the 14th day of the month of Nissan.
Read it in: Ezekiel 4: 3-6.
In all these calculations keep in mind we must keep in mind that there was no year Zero. That there was one (1) year between 1 B.C. and A.D. 1.
Moreover, for clarity, I will calculate it again for you:
The Babyloian captivity ended in the spring of 536, 14 day of Nissan. 536.4
minus
The duration of Israel’s captivity: 2,483.8 calendar years
__________________
1,947.4 years
To adjust for the fact there was no year zero between 1 B.C.
and A.D.1, we adjust one year. Therefore; the end of Israel’s
captivity would occur: 1 year
__________________
The REBIRTH OF ISRAEL 1948 May14
So, Israel became a nation again after 2530 years exactly to the day. God brought Israel back exactly as He prophecized, or “LITERALLY”.. The prophet Isaiah said: “Who hath heard of such a thing ? Shall a nation be made to bring forth in a day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”
In closing, the God of Israel, has shown His Mighty Hand, and so, as it is written in Deut. 33:24, and Genesis 49:26 also states that Israel, will in the latter days. discover oil. They have, according to the USGS verification, so, God has favored Israel in the latter days, and they are in position to fulfill the additional prophecies of Daniel 9:27. My suggestion is this, believe it, or you are on your way to the everlasting fire. God said in Ezekiel that He would raise His people up, and the promise of land is from the River Egypt to the River Euphrates, from the Sea to the deserts of Ishmael. Issac was given the promise of blessing and land.
Greetings Mark,—- Thank you for your kind answer in your first post. —- In your second reply, I confess it made me sad to see that you said, “My suggestion is this, believe it, or you are on your way to the everlasting fire.” Let us always remember that arguments and strife among believers, especially when conducted in front of those who do not know Him, do not edify the Body or further the Kingdom of God; laboring together and contending for the faith of Jesus Christ brings forth good fruit. Iron sharpens iron, and if we reason together in a loving way, and you prove something to me that I may not have realized, then even if I am mistaken, I may graciously say so without feeling ashamed – and vice versa. —- Differing on eschatology is not what I call a “Salvation Critical” issue. Therefore, we have a certain bit of latitude for disagreement in a Godly manner, and it does not mean we will go to Hell if we are wrong. —- I just read both of your answers, and want to give a proper answer to both posts. However, I have only a short time to answer at this particular moment, now, so I’ll just address the issue of my comment on Israel. —- I believe you misinterpreted me, because I am sure that I never said Israel would not fulfill prophecy. I wouldn’t say that because that is not what I believe. The paper on the Ten Virgins does not say it either. —- Where I believe you are misunderstanding me is here: the emphasis should be on the fact that although traditional teaching tries to bundle Israel into Jesus’ statement about the fig tree, the fact is that He was speaking to His disciples about how to discern the times (end times) and he was likening it to understanding the seasons. —- Neither at any point have I said, nor do I believe, that the End Times would not have a direct bearing on Israel. The entire Bible is centered on Israel, the Children of Israel, Prophecies about and the coming of the Messiah – His virgin birth, His miraculous life, His unjust but voluntary sacrificial death as a propitiation for our sins, His resurrection after conquering death, hell and the grave, His return to His disciples for a short period before ascending to Heaven, sending the Holy Spirit to believers as the Comforter and our great Counselor, and giving the apostle John a road map (The Revelation) of His Return to establish His Kingdom after gathering up His children and making war on Satan and his minions at the battle of Armageddon. —- I simply took issue with so many reading into Jesus’ particular words (Mark 13:28-30) about the fig tree. The entire first portion of the 13th chapter of Mark witnesses Jesus Prophesying about things to come, but then He explicitly said “Learn the PARABLE of the fig tree. —- Therein lies the common error of modern eschatologists: they miss the entire point of that passage, wherein Jesus is teaching us about the times and seasons because they miss the transition from PROPHECY to PARABLE (forgive me, I’m not yelling, but there is no way to underline or use italics to emphasize the words here that I feel need emphasizing). —- This faulty exegesis is what I take issue with: using the Parable of the fig as a Prophecy that symbolizes Israel is an error that has produced errors in teaching about the Last Days. Not the least of these errors is for many Christians who do not truly care for the souls of mankind as Jesus did, to proclaim a false love of Israel, when truly many such people are merely hoping for the temple to be rebuilt so that the Lord comes back and destroys the world while they watch from heaven, or join in the fight (depending upon which Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory one subscribes to). —- Making Jesus’ Parable into Prophecy does violence to His words and misconstrues His intent by forcing the fig tree to symbolize Israel: thereby inferring that when Israel became a nation in the year 1947, we could simply count the days until the end. The error, as was pointed out in the paper on the ten virgins, is that a generation has already passed since Israel became a nation. Now, either Jesus told the truth, and the interpretation (that the fig tree represents Israel ), is faulty (this idea gets my vote), or Jesus didn’t tell the truth because He has still not returned, and more than a generation has passed since Israel became a nation (let God be true and every man a liar). —- I believe that Jesus was simply teaching us how discern the season of the end times. In fact, to save time, here is the quote from the paper: —- “Some people have made the mistake of claiming that the fig tree spoken of in verse 28 is symbolic of Israel, and that the establishment of the political nation of Israel in 1947 was the fulfillment of this “prophecy.” However, if that were true, then Jesus would have had to return already, because that generation has passed away. But all of the “things” that Jesus spoke of have not been fulfilled, so obviously he was speaking in metaphor about watching the season that is approaching, and did not mean for people to think he was speaking of Israel as the fig tree. Verses 28-33 should be taken as a metaphor for a season, as Jesus intended. Then we will be able to view the rest of the passage in the light of things to come, as is proper.” —- As to your mathematics concerning the prophesies Israel becoming a nation, I have no real problem with it. And yes, Israel is very important to God, and since we, the wild olive branches, have been grafted into the cultivated branch, we also join Israel through the new Covenant in Yeshua’s blood. Israel’s Messiah is our Messiah, by the grace of God. —- I naturally expect the World to have questions, to disagree, or to flame me. It always grieves me when it comes from a brother or sister in the Lord. If you still feel that we do not understand one another, I do invite you to go to my web site to find my email address. If you wish, you may write to me, so that we may continue this discussion out of the public eye. —- However, if you prefer, we can continue in this arena, as long as we both retain the love of Christ, by which sign Jesus said we are truly known as His disciples. I believe that, even in our disagreement, we need to avoid being divisive, which would bring shame to the name of our Precious Lord Jesus. —-
In the love of Jesus Christ, Pastor C. Covert
Correction: I said, “and giving the apostle John a road map (The Revelation) of His Return to establish His Kingdom after gathering up His children and making war on Satan and his minions at the battle of Armageddon.” — There should have been a comma after the word “children”. The comma makes a difference in the sense of the sentence. Pastor C. Covert