09/03/2026
Allowing the Bible to Define the Word "Here"
An atheist commented on EBF's YouTube channel:
"you pick and choose, Miss translations, contradictions, cruelty in all made up over 400 different denominations of Christianity because you don’t agree with yourselves over 50 different versions of the Bible because you wanted to say what you wanted to say, and when all that sudden done the only way it works is when words don’t mean words. And Jesus said, talking to his followers that he would return before some of them would see death didn’t happen or there’s some very old people walking the Earth. But you’re spitting out apologist talking points words don’t mean words for Christian."
EBF reply:
One God. One truth. One Word of God the Bible. Satan comes against that truth and seeks to muddy the waters so to speak by multiplying religions, religious writings, multiplying translations of the one true Word of God and forging gospels. To the point people wonder if any of them are true. Yes it is agreed that there is much religious hay out there (as a matter of fact E Bible Fellowship teaches all organized religions today are false and not of God-including all the world's churches); but the presence of abundance of hay does not mean there is not a needle of truth under it all. You recognize the lies and distortions as we (God's elect) do-but your error is to draw a conclusion that is also a lie and distortion-that of no God and no true Word of God. It is your over stepping on this point that makes you like the rest that you point your finger at. No difference between the atheist and the Muslim, or the Buddhist, or the Christian church goer insofar as following and believing lies is concerned.
Natural man's problem with the Bible is that Christ spoke in parables, and without a parable He did not speak (Matthew 13:34). The natural men of the churches do not understand this concept either. What it means is that God wrote the Bible in order to hide its truth. It is not apparent and lying there on the surface for the casual reader to find. In other words it is not fool's gold. But the true nuggets of wisdom and knowledge lie beneath the surface and must diligently be searched out. For example, you refer to Jesus' statement regarding men not seeing death until His return. Its found in this verse:
Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
To begin with, the Bible is its own dictionary. We do not define Biblical words by Webster's dictionary. But we define Biblical words as God has used them in the Bible. Jesus taught this principle in His parables-He would speak of a field and then in interpreting the parable for His followers He would say, "The field is the world" (Matthew 13:38). Webster's dictionary will not tell you that the field is the world. It will give you a worldly definition for field. That's why we must use the Bible to define its own terms. Now back to tasting of death.
Christ speaks to "some standing here". The one's standing would represent the elect people of God. But what does "here" mean? Yes we have our natural understanding of that word. But what does "here" mean in the Bible? Let's turn to the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
We find the same Greek word translated as "here" that is found in Matthew 16:28. Does "here we have no continuing city" mean that spot the statement is made at that time? No. It is contrasting 2 cities. The first which is here. And the second which is to come. Revelation 21 reveals the city of heavenly Jerusalem coming down from above. That city relates to the new heaven and new earth God is going to create at the end of this world.
Alright. But what is the city we have "here"? It is this creation. This earth. This world. Now let's take our Biblical definition for here back to the verse in Matthew.
For there be some standing "here"-that is, God's elect people will be alive and standing on the earth at the Jesus Christ comes with His kingdom to judge the world. Some think that the elect would be raptured out of the world prior to Jesus' coming. But Christ is saying that is not the case. When He comes to judge the world (which He is actively doing at this present time) then the elect will be present "here" or on earth at that time.
