This new friend of mine was briefly in our parking garage, and then settled near me long enough that I was able to take three photos.
I suppose, biblically, with a new creation (Revelation 20-22), wild animal-human contact would be much more typical. In whatever ways the human fall (Genesis 1-3. Romans 8) impacted the animal world, the results would be reversed.
Romans 8: 19-23
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, [a]in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. a. Romans 8:20 Or in hope; because the creation.
Photo 1
Cranfield suggests that the Apostle Paul here in verse 19, is explaining 'the whole-splendid theatre of the universe and all the manifold sub-human life within it as eagerly awaiting the revelation of the sons of God.' Cranfield (1992: 195). Humanity are the sons of God, in the context of regenerated, believing Christians having the atoning and resurrection work of Jesus Christ applied to them, which includes the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans, Galatians). In the atonement, which is multifaceted, believers are justified and sanctified. In the future resurrection, believers are restored to physical, finite, sinless, perfection. (1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4).
Bruce explains in regards to verse 22 ...'it carries with it the hope of new life for all creation.' Bruce (1987: 164).
Mounce is his Romans commentary opines in regards to verse 20-21 that 'As sin brought the curse of death to the physical universe, the day is coming when a new heaven and earth will be in place (2 Peter 3: 13; Revelation 21: 1).' Mounce (1995: 185).
From Orthodoxy: In regards to verse 22, 'the transformation of all creation to be eternally in harmony with God's sovereign rule.' (The Orthodox Study Bible: 357).
Photo 3
BRUCE, F.F. (1987) Romans, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
CRANFIELD, C.E.B. (1992) Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1995) The New American Commentary: Romans, Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers.
The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.
The text uses the New King James Version (NKJV) based within the Greek, majority text tradition.
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[d] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
d. I John 2:18 NU omits the
The Orthodox texts also acknowledges that 'NU omits the' (572).
The Orthodoxy bible states: 'The last hour is the era of the New Covenant...' (572). There are deceptions in view, as opposed to a specific prediction of the end of the world. (572). 'Many antichrists are the heretics, through whom the Antichrist of the end time (see 2 Thessalonians 2) is doing his spadework.' (572).
Note, this Orthodoxy text assumes that there is a futurist aspect of Antichrist and not simply a preterist take that would take place entirely in the New Testament era. Second Thessalonians 2, indeed in my opinion supports a futurist approach. However, the 'lawless one' is not necessarily 'the Antichrist', as in Satan incarnate as some deduce, but would be an antichrist. One among many, at least.
2 Thessalonians 2: 7-12
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His [f]coming; 9 that is, the one whose [g]coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and [h]signs and false wonders, 10 and with [i]all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God [j]will send upon them [k]a deluding influence so that they will believe [l]what is false, 12 in order that they all may be [m]judged who did not believe the truth, but [n]took pleasure in wickedness.
f 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Or presence
g 2 Thessalonians 2:9 Or presence
h 2 Thessalonians 2:9 Or attesting miracles
i 2 Thessalonians 2:10 Or every deception
j 2 Thessalonians 2:11 Lit is sending
k 2 Thessalonians 2:11 Lit an activity of error
l 2 Thessalonians 2:11 Or the lie
m 2 Thessalonians 2:12 Or condemned
n 2 Thessalonians 2:12
Or approved
I take it this event, the second coming of Jesus Christ, should be interpreted with a significant level of literalness. However, I admit that the Lord slaying the lawless one with the breath of His mouth is quite possibly significantly figurative language. But the second coming of Christ is a literal, biblical and theological event of the future.
In my mind, the potentially figurative nature of Christ's breath and the slaying of the opposition does not cancel out the literalness of the second advent. Actual (non-fiction, non-mythological) historical events can be described with degrees of literal and figurative language. Jesus Christ literally destroys the lawless one at this point, in some context to do with breath from his mouth. Possibly, it may also be quite literal language, as Jesus Christ as the God-man would be quite capable of destroying an opponent that way. Regardless, it does not appear this event occurred in the New Testament era.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
First Thessalonians is important on this subject as well:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep [a]in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [b]and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a [c]shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive [d]and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Footnotes
a 1 Thessalonians 4:14 Lit through
b 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Lit who
c 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Or cry of command
d 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Lit who
The second coming of Jesus Christ, also known as the second advent and the resurrection of the dead in Jesus Christ and the transformation to resurrection of those alive, is futuristic and requires a futurist interpretations of sorts. These things are mentioned with the New Testament and will take place in the future. (see also 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 20-22).
Pastor Courson opines that in verse 18, these antichrists are 'against Christ', or are 'in the place of Christ'. (1620). In verse 19, these antichrists state 'Forget the church'. (1621). 'I can experience Christ on my own'. (1620). These types are accountable to no one. (1621). These types deny the faith. (1621).
I basically agree with Pastor Courson, but I would add that some antichrists would not state to 'forget the church' but instead would seek to transform the church, theologically in order to suit some agenda.
R.W. Orr explains that I John documents that the spirit of antichrist was already in the world. (1577). Courson also notes that the spirit of antichrist was in existence, and he cites I John 4: 3 where the spirit of antichrist is already in the world. (1621). These false teachers have the spirit of antichrist. (1577). Their teachings and doctrines are demonic as opposed to being guided by the Holy Spirit and scripture, in context.
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
ORR, R.W. (1986) I John, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.
The Orthodox Study Bible: Non-exhaustive on I John 2: 18-19-Part One
The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.
Preface
My extended book review of this bible from Orthodoxy continues, with my reflections within the Reformed tradition and also at times via philosophy of religion.
I John 2: 18-19 (NKJV)
The text uses the New King James Version (NKJV) based within the Greek, majority text tradition.
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[d] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
d. I John 2:18 NU omits the
The Orthodox texts also acknowledges that 'NU omits the' (572).
NU-Text
These variations from the traditional text generally represent the Alexandrian or Egyptian type of text [the oldest, but sometimes questioned text]. They are found in the Critical Text published in the Twenty-sixth edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and in the United Bible Society's third edition (U), hence the acronym "NU-text."
I John 2: 18-19 (NASB)
As example from the minority texts:
I John 2: 18 from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that [d]it would be shown that they all are not of us.
d. I John 2:19 Lit they would be revealed
The NASB is based on the older minority texts, as opposed to the newer majority text, the Greek manuscripts of the Byzantine text-type.
The two Cambridge professors, B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort, preferred to label the ancestor of the Alexandrian text type the “Neutral text,” meaning that it was relatively unchanged and successively became the more corrupt type of text that they identified as the Alexandrian text. The so-called Neutral text, chiefly represented by the fourth-century codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, formed the basis of their The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881). This edition—which in Westcott and Hort’s view represented the most accurate and authentic version of the New Testament in the original language available in their day—furnished the death blow to the traditional text published by Erasmus in 1516, also known as Textus Receptus (the “received text”), which had dominated Greek editions and, indirectly, Bible translations (most famously the King James Version) for hundreds of years.
(I still have trust in the majority text as a viable manuscript (s) option)
Although the theory of text types still prevails in current text-critical practice, some scholars have recently called to abandon the concept altogether in light of new computer-assisted methods for determining manuscript relationships in a more exact way. To be sure, there is already a consensus that the various geographic locations traditionally assigned to the text types are incorrect and misleading. Thus, “Western text” is not the only misnomer: the geographical labels of the other text types should be considered with suspicion, too. Some scholars prefer to refer to the text types as “textual clusters.”
This Byzantine manuscripts provide the basis for the Textus Receptus and the King James Version (KJV) and the New King James Version (NKJV).
There is a great deal of misinformation regarding the origins of the Textus Receptus. This is especially true of the manner in which Desiderius Erasmus gave us his original Greek New Testament which was published in 1516. It was this work which went on to become the foundation of the Textus Receptus. Erasmus did not invent the Textus Receptus, but simply put together a collection of what was already the vast majority of New Testament Manuscripts in the Byzantine tradition. The first Greek New Testament to be collated was the Complutensian Polyglot in (1514), but it was not published until eight years later, Erasmus' was the second Greek New Testament which was printed and published in (1516).
Wenham, page 257: 'the' masculine, feminine and neuter.
'The' antichrist is in these manuscripts within the majority text presented on Greek New Testament.com.
Stephens 1550 Textus Receptus
Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus
Byzantine Majority
"The' is not within these manuscripts within the minority texts presented.
Alexandrian
Hort and Westcott
The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.
WENHAM, J.W. (1991) The Elements of New Testament Greek, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
To be continued...
The textual background research work has taken more time than I expected. But it is, for the sake of the truth, good to acknowledge textual variations, while the essential gospel and New Testament message remains consistent. I will look into the text and theology, in my next article.
1. An initial thought when I saw this image on Facebook was that it was cruel to take that shark out of the water. That is extremely well-done. (Originally video was deleted from Facebook)
2. My later thought is that this would be a good pet for Arne. Yes, his online girlfriends will be wanting to visit Norway. That is so cuddly. Arne can claim that it is from the Norwegian sea...
