From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ This is the matter of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel [that came] by the hand of His messenger.

² ‘I have loved you,’ says Jehovah. ‘Yet you asked, How have You loved us? Wasn’t Esau the brother of Jacob? Yet,’ said Jehovah, ‘I loved Jacob ³ and Esau [his brother] I hated. So, I ordered an end to his borders, and gave him homes in the desert.

⁴ ‘Because Edom will say, Although we’ve been cut down, we’ll return and rebuild our desolate places,’ thus says Jehovah the Almighty: ‘Though they may rebuild, I’ll knock it down; so the Lawless Borders is what they’ll be called, and a People Opposed to Jehovah.

⁵ ‘Your eyes will see it and then you will say, Above the borders of Israel, the Lord was magnified.

⁶ ‘Fathers are glorified by their sons, and a servant gives glory to his master; but if I’m a father, then where is My glory; and if I’m the Lord, then where is [your] fear,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty?

‘You Priests treat My Name as having no value, then ask, How have we treated it as worthless? ⁷ By bringing [unholy] bread to My Altar. Then you ask, How have we made it unholy? When you say Jehovah’s table isn’t holy, and the things you place on it are treated with contempt. ⁸ For, if you bring a blind animal to offer, is this not a thing that is evil? And if you should bring the lame or the ill, is it not [also something that’s] evil? Why, bring it to [your king] who [rules over] you… will he show you favor when he gets it… will he [bestow honor] on your soul,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty? ‘No!’

⁹ ‘Now, atone before the face of your God… come before Him and beg! For, these things have been done by your hands. So, will I receive such things from your soul,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty? ‘No!’

¹⁰ ‘So, even among you the doors will be closed, and you won’t find My favor to light up My Altar. There is nothing of Me that’s lacking among you,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ‘So, no sacrifices will I accept from your hands.

¹¹ ‘From the rising of the sun to [the place] where it sets, among the nations My Name is glorified, and incense is offered in My Name everywhere… as well as sacrifices that are pure! For, among the nations My Name is great,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ¹² ‘Yet, you profane it whenever you say, The table of Jehovah isn’t [holy], and treat the food before Him with contempt.

¹³ ‘For you say, It’s just too much trouble, and then you just blow them away,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ‘So, you carry in game and the lame and the ill. Yes, these you’ve brought such things to sacrifice before Me. So, will I favorably receive them from your hands,’ asks Jehovah the Almighty? ‘No!’

¹⁴ ‘Cursed is the powerful man, who has a male among all his flock, and whose vow [that was promised] comes due, and then offers one that’s corrupt to the Lord! For, I am great,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and My Name is well-known in the nations!’

Chapter 2

¹ ‘Now, these instructions are for you, O Priests: ² If you will not listen and take it to heart, that you must give glory to My Name,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘then I’ll send upon you a curse; I will curse all of your blessings; I’ll curse it and it won’t happen among you, if you don’t take this to heart.

³ ‘{Look!} I’ve set aside the [lamb’s] shoulder as yours, but I’ll throw its dung in your faces… [I’ll give you] manure for your holiday feasts, and at that time I’ll take you away! ⁴ And then you will know it was I, who sent these instructions to you… it’s My agreement with Levi,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ⁵ Yes, my agreement was with him; and it’s one that brings life and peace. I gave him the fear to fear Me, and prepared him from the presence of My Name. ⁶ The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteous words were not on his lips. Straightforward in peace he traveled with Me, and many he turned from injustice. ⁷ So, from his lips the Priest should guard knowledge, and seek the Law from his mouth; for he’s a messenger of Jehovah the Almighty.

⁸ ‘But you’ve turned aside from the way, and you’ve turned many from following the Law… you’ve corrupted My sacred agreement with Levi,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ⁹ ‘So, I’ve given you to those who’ll you treat with contempt, and those disregarded by the nations. For, you haven’t guarded My ways, and you’ve led My people away from the Law.

¹⁰ ‘Why, don’t you each have one father? Weren’t you formed by one God? So, why have you each abandoned your brothers, to profane the agreement of your fathers?

¹¹ ‘Judah [has now been] abandoned, for both in Jerusalem and in Israel, disgusting things have taken place. Why, Judah profaned the Lord's’s holy things (things that He [dearly] loved), then they [turned] to alien gods. ¹² So, Jehovah will destroy each man who has done this, and those in Jacob’s tents will be humbled… those bringing the sacrifices to Jehovah.

¹³ ‘Yet, you did these things that I detested, and the Altar of Jehovah you’ve covered with tears… weeping and moaning because of the trouble [you bring]. And you thought [I’d] consider your offerings, and take them from your hands as though they are worthy?

¹⁴ ‘Then you [dared to] ask, What is the reason for this? Because, Jehovah was a witness between you, and the wives of your youth whom you’ve left. Yet, they have [long] been your partners… they’re the wives of your sacred agreement! ¹⁵ So, [God] doesn’t send you what’s good, with even a small portion of His Breath.

‘Then you asked, What more than a seed does God seek? [He wants you to] guard your spirit, and not to abandon the wife of your youth! ¹⁶ Do not detest her and send her away, says Jehovah, Israel’s God, then cover the irreverence of your thoughts. For thus says Jehovah the Almighty God: Keep close guard on your spirit, and no way should you ever abandon [your wives].

¹⁷ ‘You provoke Jehovah with your words, and then you ask How have we done this? By your saying, Before Him, the wicked are good, and He thinks [kindly] of them… O where is the God of righteous ways?’

Chapter 3

¹ ‘{Look!} I will send out My angel, and he’ll prepare the way before My face. Then the Lord (the One for whom you are searching) will suddenly come to his Temple, with the messenger of the Sacred Agreement.

‘Look; Here he comes,’ says Jehovah the Almighty! ² ‘Now, who will endure the Day of his entry; and when he appears, who will stand? For, his entrance will be like the fire of a furnace, and as the lye to do washing. ³ So, a melting pot he’ll place in a furnace, as someone who refines silver. Then he will cleanse the sons of Levi, and pour them out like silver or gold.

‘And before Jehovah, they will then be, those who bring sacrifices that are righteous. ⁴ And thereafter the Lord will be pleased, with the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem, as in the days of the age, and as [He] was in past years.

⁵ ‘Then I’ll come against you in judgment; and against all those who make potions. I will be a swift witness, against those who are [guilty of] adultery, and those who swear false oaths in My Name; against those who don’t pay those whom they’ve hired; against those who tyrannize widows; against those who are [abusing] the orphans, and those who deny justice to foreign peoples; for, these are the ones who don’t fear Me,’ says Jehovah the Almighty. ⁶ I’m Jehovah your God and I never change!

⁷ ‘But you sons of Jacob just won’t stay away, from the sins of your fathers… you’ve turned aside and not guarded My Laws. So, return to Me, and then to you I’ll return,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

‘But you ask: In what ways must we return?

⁸ ‘Will a man be stomped on by God? No! Yet, you [are guilty] of stomping on Me! Then you ask, How have we been stomping on You?

‘By your keeping all your tenth parts and first fruits! ⁹ You turn and look away, and this is how you are stomping on Me!

¹⁰ ‘This year has come to an end, and you’ve carried your produce and put it in barns, but there will be ravaging in your homes!

‘Restore indeed what [is due],’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and see if I don’t open to you, the outpouring of rain from the skies… I’ll pour My blessings upon you, until you’ve received what’s enough. ¹¹ For you, I will set aside food, and not destroy the fruit of the ground, nor will I weaken your grapevines,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

¹² ‘Then all the nations will proclaim that you’re happy, and you’ll be a land that’s desired,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

¹³ ‘But you’ve put Me down with your words,’ says Jehovah, ‘and then you have dared to ask Me: How have we spoken against You in bad ways? ¹⁴ By your saying, Our service to God is in vain! And, Though we have kept His instructions, before Him we still must go begging! ¹⁵ So, we declare the aliens blest, as are those who do lawless deeds, for they oppose God and still live!

¹⁶ ‘Yet, there were those who spoke to their neighbors, and told of their fear of Jehovah. So, Jehovah paid attention and He listened, and wrote [their names] in the scroll, of those honoring and fearing the Name of the Lord. ¹⁷ And in that Day, to Me they’ll belong,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘for I will prepare a procurement, and select them in the same way, as a man selects the son who will serve him.

¹⁸ ‘Then you will turn and you’ll see, what happens to those who do wrong… the difference between the one serving God, and those who choose not to serve Him.’

Chapter 4

¹ ‘For, look; the Day is now coming, and it burns like an oven, and against them all it will blaze. Then the foreigners and lawless will be stubble, to be lit on fire in that Day,’ says Jehovah of Armies! ‘And no way will a branch or a root still remain.

² ‘But, upon you who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness will arise, and healing [will come from] His wings. You will come and leap like young calves, who were spared from the bondage [of death]. ³ Then you will trample the lawless, and they’ll be like ashes under your feet, in the Day that I have prepared,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.

⁴ ‘Remember the Law of Moses My servant – all that I gave him in that dry place – all the orders and decisions, that I gave to Israel!

⁵ ‘And {Look!} I’ll send EliJah the Prophet, before the Great Day of the Lord. ⁶ He’ll restore the hearts of fathers to sons, and the heart of a man to his neighbor, so I won’t strike the whole earth.’

Notes

The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In the beginning, God created the sky and the ground.’

This is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. There was no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space… it just wasn’t necessary at the time! However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text.

This is why you’ll find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You’ll also find the Greek words ge and ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, ‘The thing that they don’t want to understand is this: That the ancient earth and sky were out of the water, but (in obedience to God’s instructions) they stood together between the waters.’ (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge and ges, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located ‘between the water.’ So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the sky. Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting ‘the earth; since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth,’ we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not land or ground. However, the words land and ground are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water, ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken in a celestial chariot, most people think he was taken to (as their Bibles put it) ‘heaven,’ where he went to live with God. This isn’t true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into the sky (the proper translation here), where he was then taken to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath’ are spoken of together) is found at Matthew 28:19, which appears to be spurious (See the Note in Matthew). All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is also spurious (something that was added to the Bible). So, there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits.’ Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God’s Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God’s] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life for all creatures… it’s what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God’s Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, ‘Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?’ As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God’s Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,’ or, ‘Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.’

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though; what God was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), ‘he hung his head and gave up the breath’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to ‘the breath of life,’ or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Why the Name Changes?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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Messengers of God

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was said in certain instances.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and had appeared at the door of some faithful Christians. In Greek, the latter part of this verse reads, ‘oi de elegon Ho aggelos estin autou’ and is often translated as, ‘They began to say, It is his angel.’

This rendering doesn’t sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, ‘So they said, It’s his messenger.’

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn’t always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, ‘Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou’ or, ‘Sent of Jacob angels ahead of him toward Esau the brother of him.’ Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.’ Then in verse 16, it says that ‘Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.’

Obviously, although the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used to speak of two different types of messengers here… those who are human and those who were sent from heaven by God. As the result, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, and we have rendered the word as messenger or messengers in each instance, because this proper translation of the word provides readers a better look at what position these heavenly sons of God held. For, angel isn’t a heavenly rank, it’s a duty.

Also, consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: ‘Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!’

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit.

Translating aggelos as messenger (when it truly means an ‘angel’) helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such spiritual sons of God play in His dealings with mankind. And it helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels.

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Scroll of Life

The first mention in the Bible of the Scroll of Life can be found in one of the songs of King David (Psalm 69:28), where he wrote, ‘From the Scroll of the Living may their names be erased, and among the righteous may their names not be written.’

So, we must assume that as early as the Eleventh Century B.C.E., God’s faithful worshipers had some concept of a record that God keeps of people who He counts among ‘the living.’ And as David pointed out, their names can be erased from God’s record once they are put there (so much for the concept of once-saved, always-saved).

What is this Scroll, how does a person get his or her name written in it, and what does this mean for them?

Although God surely needs no actual written book to remember His faithful, the phrase ‘the Scroll (or Book) of Life’ is mentioned enough times in the Bible to assume that God does remember or record the names of those righteous who He counts among ‘the living,’ as opposed to those He numbers among ‘the dead.’

Who are ‘the living?’ They are likely the same as the ones who Jesus spoke of at John 5:24, when he said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

So, we must assume that some conscious act of faith by each individual causes him or her to cross over ‘from death to life,’ and that is likely the time when a person’s name is written in the Scroll of Life. Then, as Jesus said, ‘He won’t have to be judged’ thereafter.

What is this act of faith? Today, it would surely be the conscious act of choosing to be baptized. However, since baptism wasn’t practiced during the time of David, it appears as though all Israel had their names written in that Scroll when they were born into that nation which was chosen by God; and their names remained there for as long as they were faithful. For, notice how this concept fits into David’s words about their names just being erased, but not recorded.

Then in the Revelation, we read of several ‘scrolls’ being opened and of the ‘dead’ being judged by the things that are written in those scrolls. Who are these ‘dead?’ Well, remember that those whose names are written in the Scroll of Life will not be judged. And that; by following the order of the series of events in the later part of the Revelation, all the resurrections will already have taken place (see Revelation 20:4-6); so these individuals aren’t physically dead any longer, for they are seen to be standing. As the result, this must mean that; although they are no longer literally dead, they are still counted as dead (or dying) and needing to be judged, for their names have yet to be written in the Scroll of Life.

So with this understanding, notice again the exact words of Revelation 20:12: ‘Then I saw the dead – the great and the small – standing before the throne, and several scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, which was the Scroll of Life. And the dead were then judged by the things that were written in the scrolls, according to the things that they did.’

Therefore, we must assume that those who remain faithful worshipers of God have their names permanently sealed in God’s Scroll of Life upon their deaths, and are considered ‘the living’ by Him. Then, when they are resurrected, there is no need for them to be judged thereafter.

As for ‘the dead’ who the Revelation says are ‘judged by the things written in the scrolls,’ this likely means that they too will be resurrected, but they will be judged by the things they do after the resurrection and during the thousand-year period that the Slanderer is bound and in the pit (See Revelation 20:2-6).

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The Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to ‘the Day of Jehovah,’ and ‘the Day of the Lord.’ Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), ‘This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of his Anointed One began.’

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God’s Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the authorization for Jesus (the Lord) to rule appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord’s Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John’s words (at Revelation 1:10), ‘Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord’s Day.’

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of ‘The Great Babylon’ (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ (acceptance of the rest of the Anointed ones to heaven?), the Battle of Armageddon, the abyssing of the Opposer and his messengers, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and which is thereafter followed by the descent of ‘New Jerusalem’ to the earth, and the making of the ‘new earth and sky’ (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, ‘the Day of the Lord’ appears to start with the destruction of Jerusalem by worldly armies (the destruction of The Great Babylon?), and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). And in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God’s Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

Peter wrote in length about this period, and at 2 Peter 3:7 he wrote: ‘What’s [now] in store for the earth and skies is fire, which [will come] during the Judgment Day, when godless men will be destroyed.’ And although many misinterpret these words as describing just the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon, the context shows that he was looking at a much longer period of time, the total ‘Lord’s Day’ or ‘Judgment Day’… the ‘thousand-year’ period spoken of at Revelation Chapter Twenty. For, what he said about the burning of the earth and sky and of the ‘new earth and sky’ corresponds exactly with the end of the thousand years and the promises found at Revelation 21:1.

So, from the periods described in the Revelation; near the end of Jesus’ thousand-year reign, there will be a judgment of the wicked (those who join with Gog of Magog) and they will be destroyed. Then there will be a ‘new earth and a new sky.’ What does that really mean? Perhaps we’ll all have to live to see it to be sure.

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