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Commentary on Dave Hunt's book, “How Close are We?” (Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1993)

Souhaila A. Richardson

#1:    On page 120, Rev. Hunt stated, “Though the sworn enemy of God, he (Satan) is to this day still granted access into the very throne room of heaven.  There he continually accuses those who trust and obey their Creator (Job 1:6-12; Revelation 12:10).”

Question for Bible Student:

          Do you believe that Satan still has access to God’s Throne?

          In Rev 12:5-8, after the child (Jesus Christ) “was caught up unto God,” Satan and his angels were expelled from God’s throne: “neither was their place found anymore in heaven.”  About 2000 years ago, after Jesus Christ’s ascension, Satan lost his job as mediator, which he acquired by default from Adam after the fall.  Reverend Hunt referenced Rev 12:10, which states: “the accuser of our brethren is cast (thrown) down.”  Revelation 12:5-10 happened 2000 years ago.  Since then, Satan does not have access to God’s throne.  Satan is no longer our mediator and accuser.  Jesus Christ is now qualified to be our Redeemer, Mediator, Advocate, and Intercessor.  We all should rejoice because we no longer have to be concerned that while Jesus Christ is interceding for us, Satan would pop in and say, “I object your Honor!”

#2.    On page 127, Hunt states, “It is likely, however, that Adam and Eve had children before their fall.”

Question for Bible Student:

          Is it likely that Adam and Eve had children before their fall?

          If Adam and Eve had children before their fall, those children were born without a sinful nature.  Our sinful nature is inherited (passed on in our genes) through Adam and Eve after the fall.  Romans 6:23 states that “the wages of sin is death,” and Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”  If Adam and Eve had children before the fall, those children would be sinless, would not need a Redeemer, and would still be alive today!  However, according to Romans 3:10,23, all have sinned and none is righteous.  Therefore, before the fall, no child was born from Eve. 

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
(Romans 3:10,23)

#3.    On page 156, “Precisely 69 weeks of years (483 years) to the very day after the command (Nisan 445 BC) to rebuild the Jewish capital from the ruins left by Nebuchadnezzar’s army, Messiah the Prince made His historic entrance into Jerusalem!  It was the very day which Daniel had foretold – and in the manner which Zechariah had prophesied. …  As we have noted, it was Sunday, April 6, AD 32. …  More significantly, however, it was Nisan 10.”

Question for Bible Student:

Did Daniel foretell the Baptism of Jesus Christ or did he foretell Palm day?  Was Nisan 10th a Sunday?

          Daniel 9:24,25 states “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah (the Anointed) the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”  This verse states that there will be 69 weeks of years (a prophetic day = one year) or 483 years from the decree to build the city of Jerusalem to the anointing of the Prince.  The decree to rebuild the city was given in the year 457 BC by Artaxerxes in the 7th year of his reign.  457 BC plus 483 years is 27 AD, which is the year Jesus Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit as his Baptism, not Palm day, which occurred 3½ years later.  The date 444 BC is coincident with the command to rebuild the walls of the city (see Chronology of important events in the life of Jesus Christ). 

Jesus Christ resurrected on the consummation of the Feast of First Fruits on Nissan 17.  Since Palm day occurred on Nissan 10, the same day of the week applies to the resurrection and Palm Day.  Nissan 17, AD31 occurred on a Sabbath; therefore, Palm day is Palm Sabbath, not Palm Sunday (see Chronology of important events in the life of Jesus Christ).

#4.    On page 167, the gospel of Matthew 28:1-2 is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible to prove that Jesus Christ resurrected on Sunday; however, the first part of this verse (italicized) was omitted.  Matthew 23:1,2 states, “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.  And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” 

Question for Bible Student:

          Did Jesus resurrect on the Sabbath or on Sunday?

          This verse in the KJV clearly states that the Sabbath was not yet over.  As you probably know, in the Jewish calendar, the day begins at sunset and ends at sunset the next day.  It was nearing sunset on the Sabbath day.  Therefore, the resurrection occurred on the Sabbath.  It is very important that one does not add or remove anything from God’s Word as Revelation 22:18-19 warns.

#5.    One page 171-172 of the book Rev. Hunt states, “Some scholars claim Christ was crucified on Wednesday.  Since it was late afternoon when he died, they don’t count that day.  So Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights give three nights; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday give the three complete days.  It is thus concluded that He must have risen from the dead at motze shabbot, the end of the Sabbath just before sunset on Saturday.  That theory won’t work for several reasons.  First of all, the Scripture is clear that the angel rolled away the stone to expose the empty tomb ‘very early in the morning [Sunday]…at the rising of the sun’ (Mark 16:2).”

Question for Bible Student:

          Is Mark 16:2 the earliest account of the resurrection and did the angel roll away the stone in Mark 16:2?

          First of all, Mark 16:2 is a different account of the resurrection than in Matthew 28:1-2.  Matthew 28 is the earliest gospel account of Christ’s resurrection because it is before sunset on the Sabbath (Saturday, late afternoon), the stone is in front of the tomb, and the guards are still there.  In Mark 16:2, the stone is already removed from the entrance to the tomb, the guards are no longer there, and it is Sunday morning.  There is no mention of the angel rolling the stone in Mark 16:2 as Rev. Hunt stated.  The angel did not remove the stone from the tomb on Sunday morning, but on Saturday before sunset, which agrees with a Wednesday crucifixion

#6.    One page 174, we read, “In his investigation of the prophecy of Daniel’s 70 weeks, Sir Robert Anderson consulted the Astronomer Royal at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.  That expert’s astronomical calculations determined that in A.D. 32, Nisan 14 was from Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset.  We have already noted, or course, that it had to be on that day in order to conform to the biblical account.  Everything hangs together as it must.  It is agreed that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a Sunday.”

Question for Bible Student:

          What day of the week was Christ greeted with Palm leaves when entering Jerusalem?

          As mentioned in point #4 and #5, according to the gospels, Jesus resurrected during the end of the Sabbath, which required a Wednesday crucifixion to fulfill the 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb (sign of Jonah).  Because the Sabbath resurrection was on the consummation of the Feast of First Fruits (Nisan 17), then simple arithmetic will show that Passover was on Thursday Nisan 15, that the crucifixion was on Wednesday Nisan 14, and the Palm “Sunday” was really on the previous Sabbath, Nisan 10. 

#7.    On page 175, we read, “It makes considerable difference whether He rose from the dead on Saturday or Sunday.  Seventh-day Adventists, for example, insist that Saturday is the day on which we should gather to worship Christ because it was the Jewish Sabbath instituted by God.  Those who claim a Wednesday crucifixion and a motze Shabbat resurrection late Saturday afternoon believe in worshiping on that day as well.  We have seen, however, that He actually arose from the dead early Sunday morning, which is why Christians worship on that day.”

Question for Bible Student:

          Do disciples of Jesus Christ keep the Sabbath because this was the day of the resurrection?

          As mentioned previously, Jesus Christ resurrected on Saturday before sunset, which is the Sabbath, not on Sunday.  However, the day of Christ’s resurrection does not change the day that disciples of Jesus Christ should sanctify.  The Ten Commandments are as valid today as they were when God gave them to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  In Matthew 5:18-19, Jesus states, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  Jesus said that not one jot or one tittle of the ten commandments shall be removed until heaven and earth pass.  This includes the Fourth Commandment stated in Exodus 20:8-11, “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all they work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor they maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”  Jesus Christ stated: “If you love me, keep my Commandments.”  By keeping the Sabbath, Christ’s disciples are making a statement that they worship the Creator of the universe who rested on the seventh day after his six day work week.  The early Christians worshiped on the Sabbath, not Sunday.  (See Chronology of important events in the life of Jesus Christ).

It seems like this book was written with the purpose to deceive the disciples of Jesus and make them exchange Sabbath keeping for Sunday keeping.  Is there a Jesuit hiding behind the Reverend?

#8.    On page 176, the book states, “First of all, the Sabbath was for the Jews only.  It was part of that special covenant, to which we’ve already referred, between God and Israel involving the land and their relationship with Him.”

Question for Bible Student:

          Is the Sabbath only for the Jews?

          Galatians 3:29 states, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  The promises and commandments that were given to the Israelites still apply to disciples of Jesus Christ, the spiritual Israelites. 

For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly;
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
(Romans 9:6; 2:28,29)

After Christ’s ascension, the importance of Sabbath keeping was still emphasized.  Hebrews 4:3-4 states, “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.”  God emphasized keeping his commandments throughout scripture.  Revelation 14:12 states, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”  Jesus Christ called “saints” those who have faith in Him and keep His commandments.  Jesus stated in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  Jesus wants us to show our love for Him by keeping His commandments, which includes keeping the Sabbath.  Revelation 22:14 states, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”  What does Reverend Hunt have against Sabbath keeping??

#9.    One page 177, Rev. Hunt stated, “Again we see how important the precise timing of prophesied events is.  Saturday, which is associated with the old creation, is the last day of the week.  It would have been inappropriate for Christ to rise from the dead on that day.”

Question for Bible Student:
         
Would it have been inappropriate for Jesus Christ to resurrect on the Sabbath?

          The Sabbath is the only day that Jesus Christ rested after creating the universe in 6 days and is the only day that He gave a name.  Who has the authority to tell the Creator of heaven and earth what day of the week would be appropriate for Him to resurrect from the dead?  It sounds like ascending above God, just like someone else attempted to achieve (Isaiah 14:12-15). 

#10.   On page 295, “Christ’s thousand-year reign upon David’s throne is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Israel and to David--but it is more than that.  It is the final proof of the incorrigible nature of man’s sinful heart.  Christ is present in Jerusalem, ruling the world, and the saints of all ages in resurrected bodies administer the kingdom righteously under His direction.”

Question for Bible Student:

          Where will Christ reign during the millennial kingdom here on earth?

          From the book of Ezekiel, it is obvious that the Messianic Temple will be in Shiloh, which is 20 miles north of Jerusalem.  Shiloh was the resting place of the ark of the covenant during the time that the Creator ruled Israel for 400 years, from the Exodus of the Israelites in 1446 BC to the reign of Saul in 1047 BC.  Isaiah 24:23 states, “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”  In this verse it is clear that Mount Zion and Jerusalem are different places.  (See Appendix II in Chronology of important events in the life of Jesus Christ, for details).  The administrative center will be in Jerusalem, but the place of worship will be in Shiloh.

#11.   On page 225 under the heading Effect of a Pre-tribulation Rapture on the World, Rev. Hunt states “All of the chaos described above is eclipsed, however, by the horrifying fact that hundreds of millions of infants suddenly vanished as well.  If we believe that babies who die are covered by Christ’s atonement and taken to heaven, then it would seem likely that at the Rapture all who are too young to be accountable would also be taken. … This fact that missing babies and young children far outnumber adults who vanished gives the event its most ominous tone.”

Question for Bible Student:

          Will all babies be taken up at the rapture?

          I Corinthians 7:14 states, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.”  This verse clarifies that children are only sanctified, or covered under God’s grace, if at least one of their parents is a believer.  Therefore, not all the babies and children in the world will be taken up at the rapture, but only those who are covered by the blood of Christ through faith of one or both of the parents.  Reverend Hunt is not behaving like a Berean, but more like a Jesuit.

BIBLE STUDENTS, SEARCH THE SCRIPTURE DAILY LIKE THE BEREANS.  TEST ALL THINGS AND HOLD TO WHAT IS TRUE.  DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THE REPUTATION AND LITERARY ACHIEVMENT OF MORTAL SINNERS, NO MATTER WHAT TITLES THEY POSSESS.  THERE ARE SO MANY WOLVES OUT THERE, COVERED WITH SHEEPSKIN.