eBible Fellowship

Welcome

Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Question and Answer program. Tonight we are going to have a shortened “Q & A.” We are just going to take a couple of calls for about a half hour.

EBible Fellowship’s Plans for the Future

First of all, I would like to lay some things out regarding what EBible Fellowship’s plans are for the future, as much as I can. I wrote a note on Facebook and posted it in a few places and I would recommend that you read that note. I wrote it on October 8^th and it concerned the passing of the date of October 7, 2015.

Let me go over a couple of points made there. There is one thing I felt was necessary to point out, based on numerous responses from people in the world from people that heard about October 7^th and sent us comments rejoicing and celebrating as though it were some sort of victory for the world. To them, it was some sort of justification or vindication of the world itself. So in my note I stressed (because it is very important) that the people of the world should not think that the date of October 7^th passing is in any way “divine justification” for the world. The Bible is still very clear and definite and God says in many places that the world will be destroyed and the reason the world will be destroyed is because of its sin. Mankind’s sinful condition is especially in view today with the open rebellion of the people of the earth. They are involved in iniquity like never before in history and we can be absolutely certain that it will bring a final destruction of the world.

The only thing that passed on October 7^th was that specific day. It was not the day. We were incorrect concerning the day itself and I also want to point out that we consistently told people that there was a strong likelihood that October 7, 2015 would be the end of the world. We said this because there was a good amount of Biblical evidence that we had studied for some time and it pointed to that date in a strong way, so that is how we consistently presented it. We kept telling people there was a strong likelihood. There were people that wanted us to be more dogmatic and speak in a more absolute way, but we said, “No, we have to be humble and we have to say that based on all the evidence we believe there is a strong likelihood it will happen.” At the same time, there was an acknowledgement that there was a small likelihood that it would not happen, so it is important that this be stated: EBible did not lie or deceive anyone in any way.

We told people the facts and the truth of the situation throughout the time period we proclaimed this. We constantly said that it was a strong likelihood and it was a strong likelihood, based on all the evidence at our disposal, but it do not happen. We are disappointed and, yet, it is our plan to continue to study the Bible.

But before I talk about that, I would also like to point out that the churches and the world have their opinions of EBible about this sort of proclamation and it is not a flattering opinion. And, yet, to be straightforward, EBible Fellowship has no concern for the churches’ opinions of us. We do not care what the bishops, priests, ministers, elders, deacons or the individual members of the congregations think about us. We are not interested in any approval from them or, even, disapproval. It is insignificant either way, because God ended the church age and the Spirit of God has left all the churches of the world and the very existence of the churches is open rebellion against God, so what they think of us is really of no concern to us.

Likewise, it is the same with the world. The world today is in terrible sin and going deeper into sin and it is in “madness” as people pursue the things of the world and as they try to distance themselves more and more from God and His Word. There is a moral and spiritual insanity that is going on in the world, so we are not concerned with the world’s opinion as they say we are crazy or lunatics. We have to consider the source. It is not as if the world or any nation or city or town is “sane” today. The whole world is full of “madness” and full of evil. So we say, “Okay, you think we are crazy. You have a low opinion of us. That is fine. It is of no significance or concern to the child of God or to EBible Fellowship.” We are not interested in trying to please the churches or the world. Our only interest is to please God and to be faithful to what the Bible says and that is our desire going forward. We want to continue studying the Bible. This is what I pointed out in my note. Our “Plan B” or our backup plan is to turn to the Bible and to keep reading and studying and to keep looking to God for truth and guidance and asking God for His Holy Spirit to direct us. That is, and always has been, our plan and that is to keep going to the Bible.

As you know, we did not have a (new) Bible study tonight. It was a recording and we will also have a prior recording broadcast on Sunday. I will do a short segment of live “Q & A” on Sunday because some people listen to that segment that may not listen Friday night or during the week, so I will go over some of these things again on Sunday. But this weekend and next weekend, we are going to spend it studying (the Bible). We are going to go to the Bible and just see what we can learn and what way God would have us to go. There is a good verse in Proverbs that speaks of the righteous (all those God has saved). It says in Proverbs 15:28:

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

This really says a lot. God’s people do not try to say things “off the top of our heads.” We do not pull information “out of the blue,” but we speak after we study. We go to the Bible and we search the Scriptures, praying for wisdom and guidance. We put in the effort, by God’s grace, to find out what God is teaching in a verse, a passage or a Book. After doing that, we typically learn and are able to speak. This is the process that God has set in place. We did study and we searched the Bible and it did point to a particular date. We had a good expectation that it would be the end and, yet, time goes on and it did not happen, so we have to review. We have to go back and look at the things that pointed to October 7 and we have to look at other Biblical information to see what is going on. Will God help us and open our eyes to some information that can help explain these things? Therefore, it is necessary to go back to the Bible and study, so we are going to take a week or two off and we are going to study and make preparation.

Then, Lord willing, the plan is to go to the Book of Genesis, in a verse by verse study, beginning with Genesis 1, verse 1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Then we will go through Genesis and we do not know at this point how long it will take, but we will continue to go, verse by verse, for as long as we can and for as long as the Lord wills it.

Also, I think there is special significance to Genesis, chapter 8 which may help us with understanding what has been going on concerning our present time period, but it is a difficult chapter, so we would appreciate prayer that the Lord would give us wisdom. Someone else reading it might have a thought they can share. They can send an email or post it on Facebook. You know, that is often how we learn. It is certainly better to have a hundred or a thousand people looking at a passage and God could work through any one of them, so we need to keep praying for wisdom, for guidance and for patience. We are going to need patience. We always need patience at all times, but we are still here. This is the situation and the Bible says we have to “gird up the loins of your minds,” and it is not going to help any of us if we begin to feel sorry for ourselves and say, “I do not want to be here. I want to go be with the Lord.” Yes, we know it is far better to be with the Lord and the Bible recognizes that, but the Word also says through the Apostle Paul, in Philippians 1:21-24:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

As far as the individual child of God is concerned, it would be best if we departed to be with the Lord, either in death or in rapture at the end of the world, but we are still here. And we are still here because it is “more needful for you.” Paul was moved to say those words concerning other believers in Philippi. We must remember that we still have the task Christ commanded: “Feed my sheep.” So, here we are, still in the world during a time that God gave us the task to feed the sheep and, therefore, we can only conclude that it is the will of God that we still be here. The will of God is always done and it is always the correct thing. Secondly, it is “more needful” for us to be here at this time for the sakes of the elect, that great multitude that is out there.

I remember thinking that since there were so many thousands coming into our groups on Facebook lately but time was getting short to October 7^th, “Wow, if we were to continue and we had any length of time in which people could come in, our audience in these groups could be really large.” For the most part, we still have all those people that had come into the groups and we need to minister and feed them. Among them are certainly some of God’s elect and, yet, more may come in. I had really been wondering why God allowed this news of October 7^th to explode the way it did in just the last couple of days leading up to October 7^th and afterwards. I do not know the answer, but I do know that the EBible Fellowship website and Facebook groups are out there as a ministry that is associated with May 21, 2011 as Judgment Day and with (more recent) information about the end of the world. Yes, it was incorrect, but people are going to remember us, especially if they are part of that great multitude and now they may be able to find us a little easier and to have their questions answered about Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 or other things. So that could be one reason the Lord allowed that to happen in the manner it did as it spread so far and wide and so quickly.

You know, that does not happen all that often, although it was nothing like prior to May 21, 2011 with its intense, ongoing worldwide attention for a long period of time. This was more of a “quick blast” over a period of a couple of days, but the information spread to hundreds of media sources all over the world and many people heard about October 7. The Lord has a purpose and a reason: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” Now each one of us, by God’s grace, have to “gird up the loins of your mind” and hope to the end and wait on the Lord and trust Him. We will wait, as we study the Bible and see where He would direct us.

We will take a couple of calls and then we will end our “Q & A” for tonight. Again, the reason for having a shortened Question & Answer program is that it is necessary when we have a doctrine or teaching in place (like the 10,000 days or the 1,600 days) that impacts other things that have to be reviewed and checked out. We have to study. It does not help to just start speculating, “Could it be this? Could it be that? Could it be the other thing?” Yes, there are possibilities, but we are not to minister questions. Questions are good and I have a lot of them, but we need answers and in order to find answers, we need to put some time into study. Then it is up to the Lord if He wishes to give us understanding. Do not get me wrong—there is nothing wrong with questions or thinking of various possibilities. I am doing the same thing. But, as far as airing it and having a “group think session,” I do not think that is good at all, so we are just going to limit the questions tonight until we have more information, if it is the Lord’s will, at a later time.

Questions and Answers

Question #1 - 00:23:59

Let us take our first question tonight. Let us go to our first caller tonight. Welcome to our Friday night “Question and Answer” program.

Caller: Made a statement of encouragement quoting a portion of Nehemiah 8:10.

Question #2 - 00:25:12

Caller: In light of what you said a minute ago, I do not know if it is fair to ask this question. The Feast of Tabernacles of 2011 and the one that just passed, we were taking it as a high likelihood that it would be the end of the world because that feast has not been fulfilled yet. Do you think that is something that you think still holds true, that the “Last Day” is tied in with the Feast of Tabernacles and the resurrection and rapture? Is there any other future Feast of Tabernacles that you have looked at?

Answer: There are a few things that make us think the Feast of Tabernacles identifies with the end of the world. This feast was said to be held at the “end of the year” and, yet, it was actually held in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar and not the twelfth month, so the “end of the year” language pointed to the end of the world. Also, the phrase the “Last Day” is used only eight times in the Bible and six times it is used in relationship to being raised up on the last day, the resurrection of the last day and the Word judging in the last day. And two times it is used in relationship to the Feast of Tabernacles and its last day, so that is good evidence and it is part of the reason we were looking at October 7^th as the likely last day. We even named a website, October 7^th, the Last Day.com and, yet, it was more than that. There was other Biblical information that supported and pointed to that as the last day, so we can keep that in mind as look in the future at these things.

By the way, some people might think that we are just looking for a “date,” but we are not. We are looking for explanation concerning the “time and season” we are living in and it all relates to significant things like the Great Tribulation, the end of the church age, the teaching of no salvation in the churches, the teaching of Judgment Day as May 21, 2011 and no more salvation in the world, and so forth. These things are all related to the timeline and information is derived through knowledge of the Biblical timeline, so it is extremely important that we know where we are in “time” because the language of the Bible fits “times and seasons.”

For instance, we know that God is no longer using national Israel. That time is past. So when we read Scriptures where God addresses national Israel, we know that it has either been fulfilled or it is pointing to the churches which were represented by Israel or to something else. Likewise, we know the church age is over, but we only know that because of the Biblical timeline of history and God’s program of times and seasons. That is why I think it will be very helpful to us to do a study in the Book of Genesis. Lord willing, if we are here that long and as we go through Genesis, chapters 5 and chapters 10 and 11 (where the genealogies are listed), we can go slowly and carefully through the Biblical calendar and lay it all out. We can dismantle it, piece by piece, and put it back together and see, again, how accurate it is. I am sure that as we do that and we pray for wisdom, God is going to guide us and help us in learning more about how it projects into our day. It is going to require some patience on our part, until the Lord opens up further information.

Closing

Thank you for calling and sharing and I would like to thank everyone for joining us tonight. Thank you for spending some time with us. Lord willing, this Sunday afternoon we will have a recorded study, followed by a live “Question & Answer” program and we will take a couple of questions, so please join us Sunday. Also, over the next week, or so, it would be a good thing for all of us to go the Bible and study and pray for wisdom and pray that God would help us. Thank you for joining us. Have a good night and may the Lord’s perfect will be done.