Delagrave Chips

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="040c8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B><U>Dan Delagrave</U></B></div> <div> <B>is a youth care worker at Wyalusing Academy, a residential treatment center for adolescent youths located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.  He and his wife, Debbie, have five children: two daughters at World Evangelism Bible College in Baton Rouge, Louisianna: a son at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota; and  two 11 year old twins at home. </B></div> <div> <B>Dan is the founder of </B><I><B>Fulfillment Ministries</B></I><B>. For more information and his newsletter, you can contact Dan at 807 S. Ohio St., Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin or call 608-326-6844.</B></div> <div> <B>E-mail: fulfill@mwt.net</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#003399" FACE="Arial" ><B>  </B></FONT></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Brush Script MT" ><B>Restoration Ministries</B></FONT>  | <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" >    <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Restoration Ministries"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="13b1c900.jpg" border=0 width="540" height="144" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>by Dan Delagrave</B></div> <div> <B>_________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> The importance of interpreting scripture with scripture cannot be overemphasized. False doctrine is usually the result of someone putting their own imagination to an isolated verse, instead of taking the time to compare related passages and "letting the chips fall where they may". Such proof texting is known as "isogesis", something altogether different than Biblical exegesis. </div> <bR> <div> From my experience, all are quick to agree in principle that "scripture interprets scripture." However, all are not quick to "let the chips fall where they may." Simply put, many are not truly willing to interpret scripture with scripture.</div> <bR> <div> Concerning eschatology, let's face it – people have certain cherished ideas about how it all pans out according to what they've always been taught, and no amount of "comparing scripture with scripture" is going to change their mind. In conversing with many pastors and others who love Bible prophecy, I've noticed a pattern. Whenever a futuristic viewpoint is threatened by someone appealing to "letting the chips fall where they may," the futurist suddenly resorts to saying in so many ways that "it's not nice to argue scripture," or "let's just preach the gospel," or "I don't have time for such interaction." In other words, "My mind is made up, now go away, please." </div> <bR> <div> Church, are we really willing to allow the scriptures to speak? It's going to require "letting the chips fall where they may." Ready to give it a go? I would ask that you carefully read all scripture references as we proceed.</div> <bR> <div> <B>THE DAY OF THE LORD</B></div> <bR> <div> God said through the prophet Malachi that he would send Elijah the prophet to Israel just before <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >"the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord"</FONT> (Malachi 4:5-6). 400 years later, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, preaching <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >"the kingdom of heaven is at hand"</FONT> (Matthew 3:2). No less than three New Testament verses tell us that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Elijah the prophet -- read Luke 1:16-17, Matthew 11:14, and Matthew 17:12. Thus, the life and ministry of John the Baptist earmarked the specific generation in history that would see the fulfillment of the great and terrible day of the Lord.</div> <bR> <div> John's message was consistent with his role as Elijah. In Luke 3:7, he proclaimed, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >"O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"</FONT> What about <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >"the wrath to come"</FONT>? The day of the Lord was known by Jews as "a day of wrath" - read Isaiah 13:9, Zephaniah 1:15, and Revelation 6:17. Thus, there can be no doubt that John the Baptist, as <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >"that Elijah which was for to come"</FONT> (Matthew 11:14), warned his generation of the impending day of the Lord.</div> <bR> <div> What about a "generation"?? A generation in scripture primarily referred to a <B>TIME PERIOD</B>. The Jews were quite meticulous in their documentation of generations, and this is seen throughout the Old Testament (read Genesis 4-36; Exodus 6; Numbers 1-3; 1 Chronicles 1-9; Job 42:16, etc.) Generations were always defined by a given lifespan, as seen in the scriptures above. Matthew introduced his gospel as "the generation (or geneology) of Jesus Christ" (Matthew 1:1), and documented 42 individual generations from Abraham to Christ, with each of those generations distinguished by a given name (Matthew 1:1-17). The Greek word for generations in Matthew 1:17 is <B>genea</B>, which is the same word used in Matthew 24:34, where Jesus said, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."</FONT> We must remain consistent. </div> <bR> <div> "This" generation implied two things: </div> <bR> <div> 1. That there were <B>OTHER </B>generations. </div> <bR> <div> 2. A <B>PARTICULAR </B>generation. </div> <bR> <div> Of course, those <B>OTHER </B>generations, are listed in Matthew chapter one. The question is, what <B>PARTICULAR </B>generation was Jesus speaking of? The word "this" means "pertaining to the present". In other words, present at the time of the original audience. This "present" sense is consistent with all other references, which clearly demonstrate that Jesus was speaking to and of his own contemporary generation - read Matthew 11:16; 12:39, 41, 42; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; Luke 11:50, 51; 12:25; etc. </div> <bR> <div> Surely, there was no confusion in the minds of the Jewish disciples as to both the meaning of a generation, and as to what particular generation Jesus was speaking of. Sadly, many today teach that the term "this generation" means either "the race of sinful people", which is the wrong meaning, or "the 1948 generation", which is the wrong time period. Such skewing is absolutely necessary to accommodate a futuristic perspective of the day of the Lord.</div> <bR> <div> What about the length of a generation? How long can we stretch that particular first century generation?? Again, the duration of a generation was known by Jews to be equal to a lifespan. It has been said that the average lifespan at that time was about 40-42 years. God himself equated a generation with forty years. </div> <bR> <div> Hebrews 3:9-10 says, "When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works <B>FORTY YEARS</B>. Wherefore I was grieved with that <B>GENERATION</B>." The Bible actually contains a long list of references demonstrating the typological significance of forty years - read Acts 13:21; 1 Kings 2:11; 2 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 9:30; 24:1; Acts 7:23,30; Hebrews 3:17; Genesis 25:20; Genesis 26:34; Joshua 5:6; 14:7; Judges 3:11; 8:28; 13:1; 1 Samuel 4:18; 2 Samuel 15:7; Ezra 29:11, 12, 13; Acts 7:42; 13:18, plus many more references to "forty days".</div> <bR> <div> 30-70 A.D. is <B>FORTY YEARS</B>. Coincidence? Not if we "let the chips fall where they may"!</div> <bR> <div> The day of the Lord's wrath was inseparably linked to the Temple's destruction, which happened in 70 A.D. How do we know this? Jesus placed the fulfillment of "all things", specifically his coming, the end of the age, and the Temple's destruction, in one and the same time-period, namely, "this generation" - read Matthew 24:3-34. </div> <bR> <div> In Luke 21, Jesus told his disciples that Jerusalem would be compassed with armies and desolated, and that there would be "great <B>WRATH</B> upon this people (the Jews)" (v.23). All historians agree that this was fulfilled to a tee in 70 A.D. Surely, the "wrath" Jesus foretold of was the same "wrath to come", or "day of the Lord", which John the Baptist preached about. </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >In Luke 23:28-30, Jesus, on his way to the cross, told the daughters of Jerusalem to weep not for him but for themselves, for </FONT>"the days are coming when they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck"<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (v.28-29). This is the same thing he said in Luke 21:23, which concerned the "great wrath" that would come upon the Jews in 70 A.D. Of that time, Jesus said, </FONT>"Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, <B>FALL ON US</B>; and to the hills, Cover us."<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Luke 23:30) Notice the words "Fall on us". This is exactly what Revelation 6:16-17 says the people say on </FONT>"the great day of his wrath"<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. All commentators agree that Luke 23:28-30 is pointing squarely to the horrific events that befell the Jews in 70 A.D. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The <B>UNAVOIDABLE CONCLUSION</B> is that the day of the Lord was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Interpret scripture with scripture and "let the chips fall where they may"! </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>