“When is the End not the
End?”
Confusion arises over whether Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews is
Tribulation
doctrine or not.
An
explanation of this interpretation can be found in Dr Ruckman’s Bible
Believers
Commentary on “The Book of Hebrews” (1986) with the main pillar of his
theory
being “the end” (Heb 3:6, 14; 6:11).
SETTING THE SCENE
The phrase ‘the
end’ has various meanings in the scriptures with ‘the end’ of
Noah’s flood;
‘the end’ of a field; ‘the’ end of the year; ‘the end’ of the mercy
seat; ‘the
end’ of a purpose; ‘the end’ of the earth, ‘the end’ of the
Tribulation
and ‘the end’ as found in the Book of Hebrews.
Dr Ruckman
equates ‘the end’ in the Hebrew epistle, to ‘the end’ of
the
Tribulation.
WELL ISN’T HE RIGHT?
He is
correct when he states that the Jews will need to have faith and works
to endure
to ‘the end’ of the Tribulation and this can be found in the chapters of
(Matt chapter 24, Mk chapter 13, Lk chapter 21, Rev chapters 11 and 12) but can he establish this fact from
Paul’s
Hebrew epistle?
BUT SURELY “THE END” IN HEBREWS MEANS “THE END” OF THE
TRIBULATION?
Having left
Moses by becoming Messiah believing Jews, Paul’s Hebrew epistle urges
them to “the
end” by faith alone (no works) in the blood of Jesus for
salvation,
and not to return to animal blood for their sins, which they were doing.
“The end” for the Tribulation Jew is to endure and overcome the
seven years of affliction, persecutions, tribulations and
hatred,
and as result of their faith and works, they will be saved.
The question
is “If these two ends are different events, how can they be the
same?”
I’M STILL NOT CONVINCED…
The two
lots of scriptures are as follows:
The Messianic in Book of Hebrews |
The Jew in the
Trib |
“… hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of
the hope firm unto the end.” (Heb 3:6) |
“But he
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved.” (Matt
24:13) |
“…if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast
unto the end;” (Heb 3:14) |
“… but he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved.” (Mark
13:13) |
“.. the same diligence to the full assurance of hope
unto the end:” (Heb 6:11). |
“…keepeth my works unto the end..” (Rev 2:26) |
SO WHAT?
The Bible
word “endure” is associated with certain words in the
Bible such
as famines, affliction, pestilences, false
prophets,
betray, earthquakes, persecution, tribulation,
hated, slain, death, overcome and kill
(Matt
24:7-10,11-13)
In Paul’s
epistle, the word “confidence” is associated with the
words rejoicing,
hope, full assurance, hold fast, partakers of
Christ,
diligence, stedfast and anchor of the soul.
These two
words represent two entirely different sets of circumstances
leading to two entirely different conclusions, with the
former
leading to the end of the Tribulation and the latter leading to
salvation in
Jesus. It is clearly seen that these two different pathways
with two
different “ends” require two vastly and
completely
different approaches as the following chart shows:
THE TWO PATHWAYS for the Jew to “the end” |
|
“The end” being salvation in Jesus (found in Paul’s Hebrew Epistle) |
“The end” of the Tribulation (Matt, Mark, Luke, Revelation) |
confidence (Heb 3:6, 14; 10:35) |
endure (Matt 24:13; Mk 4:17; MK 13:13) |
rejoicing (Heb 3:6) |
affliction (Mk 4:17) |
hope (Heb 3:6; 6:11, 18,19; 7:19) |
persecution (MK 4:17) |
full assurance (Heb 6:11; 10:22) |
tribulation (Matt 24:21; 24:29) |
partakers of Christ (Heb 3:14) |
hated (Mk 13:13) |
diligence (Heb 6:11) |
slain (Rev 6:9) |
stedfast (Heb 3:14; 6:19) |
death (Rev 12:11) |
anchor of the soul (Heb 6:19) |
overcome (Rev 11:7; 12:11) |
hold fast (Heb 3:6) |
kill (Rev 11:7) |
MMMM….MAYBE?
The dispirited
unsaved Messianic Jew, halfway between Moses and Jesus, is not
told
to endure, but to be diligent and hold fast their
confidence
with full assurance of hope stedfast
unto the
end in Jesus.
Paul, as a
Jew, knows their confidence, albeit lacking at this
time, lies in
the LORD God “…of our salvation; who art the confidence…” (Ps
65:5)
where “… the LORD…thy confidence…” (Prov 3:26). Like a
good coach
of a flagging football team, he coaxes and urges them forward.
BUT YOU DO AGREE THAT THE TRIBULATION JEW NEEDS WORKS FOR
SALVATION?
Of course!
- “…slain for the word of God, … testimony which they
held:” (Rev
6:9) and “And when they shall have finished their testimony,
the
beast … shall overcome them, and kill them.” (Rev 11:7)
and
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
(Rev 12:11) and “And the dragon … went to make war … which keep
the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
(Rev
12:17).
But these
can’t be positioned into Hebrews. Revelation and Hebrews are like oil
and water
– they don’t mix. They both have an ‘end’ but they’re completely
different ends.
A SUMMARY OF THE TWO GROUPS …
1. The Messianics are urged not to endure,
but be diligent and hold fast their confidence
with full
assurance of hope unto believing in Jesus.
However,
should they get saved, they will then have to endure as Christians. If
not
saved, they will have to endure as Jews to the Tribulation end.
2. The Tribulation Jew will endure affliction,
death, betrayal, persecutions, tribulations,
hatred,
and famines without the qualities listed for the first
group,
WHY CAN’T THEY?
1. They
will be incapable 2. God will open their eyes 3. He’ll protect the
fearful
Petra fleeing remnant 4. There is no mention of these qualities in
Matthew 24.
BUT
AREN’T YOU SPLITTING HAIRS?
Firstly, it’s not my interpretation but what the scriptures SAY
for “…we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the
Holy Ghost teacheth …” (1Cor 2:13). Surely we are to study to
show
ourselves approved unto God? (2Tim 2:15)
Secondly, the word of God doesn’t split hairs. It is “…sharper
than any twoedged sword, … and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of
the heart.” (Heb 4:12). There are those when they find “.. some
things
hard to be understood… wrest … as they do also the other scriptures” (2 Pet 3:16). Dismissing
God’s salvation for the Messianic apple of his eye, with Tribulation
relegation, is serious indeed.
WON’T THE TRIBULATION JEW STUDY THEIR EPISTLE FOR FAITH
+ WORKS DOCTRINE?
Firstly, it’s not there and secondly, they
already have enough overt warning in Matthew, Mark, Luke and
Revelation, as to
the required upcoming perseverance. Studying Paul’s epistle for
pointers on
Tribulation endurance will be futile, as there are no instructions
concerning this. The only Tribulation material in Paul’s epistle,
concerns God
making “….a new covenant with the house of Israel…” (Heb 8:8,10)
Straight after the rapture,
the Jew will be bewitched by the
antichrist’s deception until God opens their eyes (Zech 12:10) and
what’s more,
under pain of death, “...they shall not teach..” (Heb 8:11;
Zech 13:3).
There’ll be no diving into the Book of Hebrews after the rapture, for
instructions on endurance. Why? There aren’t any!
Gnawing their tongues with regret when God opens their
eyes, they’ll know they were one dispensation too late for Jesus’
blood salvation
minus works. They were lied to by the doctors of the
Tribulation
Relegators, who told them that Paul’s Hebrews salvation wasn’t for them.
THE REAL CRIME?
In the obscuring of the obvious salvation meaning, Rome
and satan, are more than happy with the doctrinal allocation of
Paul’s
Hebrew epistle into the Tribulation.
Emerging from the stables of Rome, and backed by German
higher criticism, this Jew Replacement horse runs a
devastating race
with eternal consequences. By re-placing it into
another
dispensation, Christian scholars ought to be horrified if they knew
that their
interpretation, was robbing the Messianic Jew of salvation in
this age. REPLACEMENT
THEOLOGY has many faces, and here, God’s perfect method of
salvation for
the Messianic has been denied and re-assigned to
another
dispensation. As the result of faulty cross referencing, the
Tribulation
Jew will find the salvation doctrine of Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews,
as
useful as an umbrella in a tornado.
In the light of Proverbs 18:13, may I suggest the following four html articles
Harley Hitchcock
This
website’s front page is:
www.
“Hebrews… Doctrine
for which
Dispensation?”