Who is the Prince of this Word?

The following article was written by Pastor Ivan L Burgener and mailed out to me. I believe Ivan's article is erroneous and have therefore also put up my response. In the interests of the saints, I've also putting up Ivan's full article so that you may judge for yourself if he has written truly.

                        WHO IS THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD?

It might surprise the reader that one would even question the identity of “the prince of this world” when it has long been assumed that this title refers to Satan. Why bother to question that which has been taken for granted by so many for so long?

To state that the bible teaches that “the prince of this world” is the Lord Jesus Christ, and not the devil, might, at first, seem almost irreverent. An explanation is therefore in order.

Great caution must be observed so as to not confuse our terms. It must not be assumed that terms or titles which seem to be similar refer to the same person. Care must be exercised to identify all the words which make up any title under consideration. For example, the rather lengthy title, “the prince of this world,” has five English words (four in the Greek), but this term is often confused with the longer title, “the prince of the power of the air,” which has eight English words (six in the Greek). Ephesians 2 clearly identifies this prince as the devil, “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.”

Paul wrote of “the god of this world...” who blinds the minds of those who do not believe

(2 Cor. 4:4). Clearly this title also refers to Satan, but it should properly read, “the god of this age [not world]”! Thus any similarity imagined between this phrase and our subject title diminishes greatly when it is translated correctly.

Just as “world” is better translated “age” above in “the god of this age,” the same must be said of the title “the princes of this age [not world]” from 1 Corinthians 2:6 & 8. Those princes or rulers of this age, whether governmental or angelic, are the leaders who crucified Christ as the text plainly shows. The term here is plural, not singular, as in the title we are considering.

But what about “the prince of the kings of the earth” found in Revelation 1:5? There is no confusion with Satan in that verse when we read the preceding words, “...from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness...the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.” Thus whether the title “prince” (which means ruler) refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the devil, or some other person, the context must determine to whom the title belongs. In all these titles the Greek word “archon” is translated prince.

THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD

This exact title in question is found only in the Gospel of John and in only three verses: 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11. We shall examine each occurrence in its context, taking them in the order most helpful to understand the title’s true owner.

In our first passage, John 16, the Lord was in the upper room preparing His disciples to face tough opposition. He warned that people will think they were doing God service if they killed the disciples. Of course, this would be the aftermath of Israel’s imminent rejection of Jesus as Messiah. In His “upper room discourse,” the Lord said,

5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asks Me, Whither goest thou?

6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Clearly the Lord is referring to His being rejected by Israel and His sending the Holy Spirit back to minister in His place. The Lord said the ministry of the Spirit would involve a three-fold rebuke, reproof, or conviction.

John 16:8-11

  8        And when he is come, he will reprove (convict) the world of sin,

            and of righteousness, and of judgment:

  9        (He will convict the world) of sin, because they believe not on Me;

10        (He will convict the world) of righteousness, because I go to My Father,

            and ye see Me no more;

11        (He will convict the world ) of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

This will be the ministry of the Spirit. He will convict (or convince or reprove) the world, that is, Israel, of the three things stated in verse 8: “...sin...righteousness, and...judgment.”

THE FIRST ISSUE, convicting the world of “sin,” is relatively easy to explain and understand. Their sin would be pointed out such that the offenders could unmistakably realize their involvement and be faced with their need of repentance. Verse 9 gives the Lord’s explanation why the Spirit would be convicting the word of sin, “Because they believed not on Me.” The world here is clearly Israel. Their rejection of Christ and demand for His crucifixion prove they “believed not” on Christ as their Messiah. This was the sin the Spirit of God would be pressing on the Jewish nation (here called the world) during His ministry recorded in the early chapter of Acts.

THE SECOND ISSUE: convicting the world of “righteousness,” is not as easy to understand. One might easily convict another of sin, but how might we “convict someone of righteousness”?

Is not righteousness what they are supposed to have? How then could one convict the world of it?

The Lord’s explanation in verse 10 does not seem at first to be much help, but that is all we have t work with. He said, “...because I go to My Father and you see Me no more.”

How does this help “convict the world of righteousness”? It sounds almost backward, does it not? Can you imagine someone coming to you to convict you of righteousness? Would you not respond, “Say on, dear friend, this sounds great”? Obviously this cannot be what the Lord had in mind.

We must inquire why the Lord was going away to His Father. Was it not because the nation Israel, in unrighteousness, was refusing His claim as their Messiah? Thus He would send the Spirit of God back to convict that nation of their unrighteousness in rejecting him and sending Him in exile to His Father!

It may sound backwards, but this passage truly means that the Spirit of God would convict Israel of their “lack of righteousness” that is, of righteousness they did not have, because they rejected Christ and they sent Him back to His Father! By no means are we to think of the Holy Spirit convicting the whole wide world of the righteousness of Christ. That does not fit the context at all.

THE THIRD ISSUE is the most difficult of the three. Here the Spirit of God would “convict the world of judgment.” Why? Because “the prince of this world is judged”! Once again, how do you convict someone of judgment? We admit this wording is strange to our modern vernacular. There is a way someone could convict you or judgment, especially if you exercised or displayed poor judgment”! This is the key, for the idea of judgment is a two way street!

Judgment might be received by someone such as the judgment we receive in performance reviews, appraisals of our behavior or work ethic, or in a court room, etc.

Judgment might also be rendered by people as they make choices every day. Do we always use good judgment in the issues we decide? You decide – or judge.

In the setting of this verse, Israel was rendering their judgment of Christ. Had they not called Him a deceiver? (See Matthew 27:63.) Did they not take the position He was a fraud, and not their true Messiah at all? Had not Israel rendered their judgment of Christ, the Prince of this world, such that the Holy Spirit would indeed press this bad judgment upon them and call for their repentance? And would not this understanding or interpretation be in harmony with the first two issues above?

There can be no doubt about it. The Lord’s three-fold statement about the Spirit’s convicting ministry of this world concerns the things the world (Israel) was doing wrong! This is a three-fold statement:

of their sin, not believing on Christ;

of righteousness they did not have, because they rejected Christ and sent Him back to the Father, and of their wicked judgment refusing to own Him and His rightful title,

the true “Prince of this world.”

To suggest that this is some sort of judgment upon the devil is totally foreign to the passage. Surely we cannot interpret these words of our Lord in the Upper Room by the teaching of the Apostle Paul years later, that Christ triumphed over Satan in the cross, etc. Nor would any allusion of Satan’s judgment, perhaps prefigured in God’s judgment of the “prince of Tyrus” in Ezekiel 28:17-18, make any sense in this passage. Furthermore, the devil is nowhere mentioned by John in the near of distant context of our passage.

What sense could it possibly make to “convict the world of judgment” if the devil is the one receiving the judgment? Would we not say “THREE CHEERS!” How glad should the disciples have been to learn that the devil would be finally getting his due!? At last that old serpent would be receiving the judgment which he rightly deserves! Even so, what part would the world have played in this judgment of the devil? Would it make any sense for the Spirit of God to convict Israel of this? Are not such thoughts totally out of place in this passage in John 16?

The above explanation will be helpful as we turn to our SECOND PASSAGE, the Lord’s words in John 12, beginning in verse 27:

27        “...Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?

            Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28        Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying,

            I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29        The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it,

            said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

30        Jesus answered and said,

            This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31        Now is the judgment of this world: [the world will express their judgment of Christ]

            now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

            [their judgment: Cast Him out! See how beautifully the next verse fits,

            for when Christ is cast out, where does He go? To be with His Father!]

32        And I, if I be lifted up from the earth (to heaven), will draw all men unto me.

33        This he said, signifying what death he should die.

The comments in brackets in the above verses make additional explanation unnecessary.

Our THIRD AND FINAL PASSAGE: John 14:30 is worded a bit more awkwardly than the others. Before we examine this passage, is it possible that our title, “the prince of this world,” cold refer to the Lord Jesus Christ in John 12:31 and also in John 16:11 and then refer to the devil in John 14:30? – a verse in between? Unthinkable indeed! What then, do these verses say?

Beginning at John 14:27:

27        “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28        Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you.

            If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father:

            for my Father is greater than I.

29        And now I have told you before it come to pass,

            that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

30        Hereafter I will not talk much with you: (Why will He not talk much with them?)

            for (because) the prince of this world comes, (Christ, this prince comes...) and

            has nothing in me

            (because Israel refused to give Him His true title, Prince of this world!).

31        But that the world (Israel) may know that I love the Father;

            and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

The Lord was talking about His going to the Father, a theme that greatly occupied His mind in the upper room. The disciples were sad, very sad. We must remember that the reason He was going to the Father was His rejection by Israel, here called the world.

John had written earlier,

“He came unto His own (meaning He came to claim His own things including His royal titles)

but His own received Him not” (meaning that His own people refused His claims) (John 1:11).

In our passage the Lord’s words might be freely translated thus:

30        “After this time, I will not talk much with you for Israel refuses to give Me My rightful place as the Prince of this world, the Prince of their nation, they see nothing in Me.”

This free translation shows the intended sense. It certainly fits the context and the consistent recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ as the true Prince of this world, a title He so richly deserves! Can there be any doubt?

It also bears notice that the Apostle John’s only other use of this term, “prince,” is in Revelation 1:5 (cited above) where it cannot be questioned that it pertains to the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we rightly divide the word of truth we do not need to be ashamed. But what should be our response if we now understand that, however well intentioned, we have miss-assigned one of the titles the Lord ascribed to Himself to the devil? Something to consider, “What will we say to Him?”

Ivan L. Burgener

NT Words that describe our Lord's Second Coming

There are 24 verses in the NT where the word parousi,a is used. The following is a list where this word is used in its 4 forms found in the NT.

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

1 Corinthians 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1 Corinthians 16:17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.

2 Corinthians 7:6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

 7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

2 Corinthians 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

[Here the word is translated presence and rightly so. Hence the word obviously means the coming and presence of someone; not just the fact that someone is coming or is on the way]

Philippians 1:26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

[see the above note]

1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence (before our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming – Darby) of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

1 Thessalonians 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear (manifested – Darby fanerwqh/| ), we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

[The word translated appear is manifested and is again used in the NT 1John 3:2 – “…but we know that, when he shall appear…”  Darby however translates this as “…we know that if it is manifested we shall be like him,…”]

Please note that we are drawing these conclusions based on the fact that the word for ‘coming’ used in the above verses is the same and that the definitely refer to the same event. So even if anyone should argue that since the NT uses 3 different words and they each refer to different aspects of the Lord’s Second coming, the following considerations should suffice to convince them that Holy Spirit has used this very word (coming) to describe all phases of our Lord’s Second Coming. To sum up with regard to this word (coming) used in the above mentioned verses in the NT, we can conclude the following

•     All believers that have died in Christ and those that are alive and remain, will be on the earth when the Lord comes (notice Paul says NT Church age believers will remain on earth unto i.e. till Christ comes again) Now whether the Lord at this coming comes to the earth visibly or no will have to be determined comparing other verses
•     The resurrection occurs at Christ’s coming. Christ was the first to rise from the dead – He is the firstfruits, afterwards those that are Christ’s at His coming. Notice there will be no other resurrection after His coming. It will be at His coming
•     Paul tells the Thessalonians that they were his joy and crown of rejoicing in the Presence or before the Lord Jesus Christ (the sense obviously is that it is in His presence) at his coming
•     Believers are to be established, unblameable in holiness before God at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
•     Paul prayed that God would preserve the believers wholly – body, soul, and spirit – blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
•     It is at the coming of the Lord that all saints are to be gathered together unto Him.
•     In talking about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the gathering of the saints unto Him, Paul plainly tells us (2 Thess 2.1-4) that that day would not come or arrive “except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, and sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” In other words, Christ would not come unless there first takes place an apostasy from the faith (see 1 Tim 4:1), the man of sin – probably the Antichrist – is revealed or is manifested for who he really is. This will be clear when he usurps the place of worship in the temple of God, which worship only God is entitled to (This also means that the temple should be standing in Jerusalem). It is at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (and this coming here is surely spectacular and visible) that He shall “consume with the spirit (or breath) of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (appearing) of His coming...”
•     The above point makes clear that at the coming of the Lord the wicked one will be destroyed and this obviously will not be invisible. Obviously, there will be nothing secret about this coming.
•     James exhorts believers to be patient unto the coming of the Lord.
•     Believers are to look for the coming of the day of God
•     Believers should so live their lives in Christ that they be not ashamed before Him at His coming when He shall appear (or be manifested)

Taking the above considerations together, it would be impossible to assume or make the aforementioned verses to mean that Christ’s coming for His saints occurs years prior to His Coming to the earth. Notice at this point of time we are limiting ourselves only to verses that use the word parousia translated often as ‘coming’. Since the Holy Spirit would not have used words arbitrarily, but with a good intention, it is only fair and wise too that we consider all the verses above referred to and count them to refer to the same event, viz. the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when He comes, the resurrection of those who belong to Him takes place, the man of sin that wicked one is destroyed by the brightness of His coming, ministers will be able to rejoice at the fruits of their labour (those they were instrumental in bringing to Christ and shepherding), believers will be established unblameable before God our Father, nevertheless believers should so live their lives in Christ that they be not ashamed before Him at His coming.

Now for the second word used in the NT to describe the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

There are 6 verses in the NT where the word evpifanei,a| is used. The following is a list where this word is used in its 3 forms found in the NT.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (appearing – Darby) of his coming:

[In the above verse, both words appearing and coming (evpifanei,a|  parousi,aj) are used. Hence Darby’s translation.]

1 Timothy 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Once again based on the above verses, we may conclude the following

•     Ministers of the Word are to keep Paul charge without spot and unrebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ
•     The Lord Jesus Christ appeared the first time in this world physically, He will appear the Second time too bodily
•     The Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead at His appearing
•     At His appearing will able be His kingdom, ie, the manifestation of His kingdom. He will reign at His appearing
•     Believers are to love His appearing and for all such there is laid up a crown of righteousness
•     This crown of righteousness will probably be given out at His appearing. This is not stated explicitly, but Paul seems to imply so. At least Paul doesn’t say this will be at his death or departure from this world. He seems to anticipate a future day
•     The Glorious appearing of our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ is called the blessed hope of the believers
•     We are to look forward to that blessed hope

Taking the above considerations together we can safely conclude that servants of Christ are to serve the Lord until the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord will appear in this world bodily as He did the first time, at His appearing the Lord Jesus will judge the living and the dead, at His appearing the Lord Jesus Christ will manifest or usher in His kingdom, we are love His appearing which is our blessed hope for which we are to eagerly look forward, viz. the appearing of our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Now for the third word used in the NT to describe the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

There are 18 verses in the NT where the word VApoka,luyij| is used. The following is a list where this word is used in its 6 forms found in the NT.

Luke 2:32 A light to lighten (for revelation of – Darby) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Romans 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation (revelation – Darby) of the sons of God.

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

1 Corinthians 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming (revelation – Darby) of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 14:6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

2 Corinthians 12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Ephesians 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation – Darby) of Jesus Christ:

 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

From the above mentioned verses, we can conclude that

•     Believers are to exercise their spiritual gifts for the Lord waiting for the revelation of the Lord
•     Believers who are now troubled by those who persecute them will find rest when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with the angles of His might
•     The tried faith of the saints will be found unto praise, glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ
•     We are to be sober and hope to the end for God’s grace towards us
•     This grace will be given us at the revelation of Jesus Christ
•     Suffering saints can afford to wait until the Lord’s Glory is revealed. Then they will have joy

Putting the above considerations together, we may safely say that believers will be on this earth using their spiritual gifts for the Lord until the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saints who are now persecuted by unbelievers will find rest when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven, therefore they are to wait soberly and hope to the end for God’s grace that will be given them at the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, they faith, though severely tried and tested and more precious than gold will be found to be unto praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, and then they will have joy.

Finally, in summing up all that we have looked into.

Believers will be upon this earth unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto His revelation. This is our blessed hope and we ought to be soberly waiting for His appearing. Nowhere are we told that we are to look for a secret coming of the Lord into the mid-air to be caught away. Paul tells us that the Lord will descend from the heavens. He did not say, the Lord will descend into the heavens or into the mid-air. And when He descends from the heavens the dead in Christ will rise first and then living believers will be changed and caught up together with those who were dead, but have now be made alive.

AN EVALUATION OF CHARLES H WELCH’S WRITINGS

Charles H Welch was the editor of, and the primary contributor to, ‘The Berean Expositor’ a bi-monthly magazine ‘Devoted to Bible Study’. And in many respects the magazine wonderfully fulfils its aim towards serious Bible study in providing stimulating articles on various subjects.

Personally, I have benefited much from Welch’s writings and he, no doubt, sincerely labours to render much needed service and help to Believers. Nevertheless, as the Scriptures enjoin us to prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good, it becomes us to examine Welch’s writings and, as he would have it, in the spirit of the Bereans, search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. And if they are, we are bound to abide by what he teaches, but if they are not, it is our bounden duty to state where and why we differ.

In The Berean Expositor volume 64 number 4 for July 2007, Welch examines the various usages of the Greek word huperano in an article entitled ‘The Psalms in the Ministry of Paul (part 8) under the subdivision ‘The Epistle to the Ephesians’ (the article is a continuation of the previous issue of the magazine).

Mr. Welch says, “Let us observe the way in which huper is used in combination,...”, and then he goes on to list 6 words in the Greek NT which have huper as a prefix. The words given are as follows.

Huperairomai              ‘Exalted above measure’                     (2 Cor. 12.7)

Huperauxano              ‘Groweth exceedingly’                         (2 Thess. 1.3)

Huperbaino                 ‘Go beyond’                                         (1 Thess. 4.6)

Huperballo                  ‘Exceeding’                                         (Eph. 1.19; 2.7; 3.19)

Huperbole                   ‘Far more exceeding’                           (2 Cor. 4.17)

Huperupsoo                 ‘Highly exalted’                                  (Phil. 2.9)

To the above list he adds a comment ‘see also 2Cor.10.14; Luke 6.38; 1Tim. 1.14’. So in all Mr. Welch lists out 9 words.

But in truth in the Greek NT there are more than 9 occurrences of words which have huper as a prefix. Of course, Welch might not have intend to give out all the occurrences of the words, nevertheless, he at least seems to have given this impression in not making it clear that there were other words besides the ones he mentioned.

For example, the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Louw & Nida gives 31 entries for words with huper as a prefix.

Thayer’s Lexicon gives 29 entries for words with huper prefixed.

The Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint by Johan, Erik and Katrin gives 59 entries for words with huper as a prefix.

It will be to no purpose to list out every occurrence of the words as they may be easily looked up in the dictionaries mentioned.

The Greek work huperano occurs 3 times in the NT and 22 times in the OT Septuagint. The word itself means, “above, far above; used as an improper preposition with the genitive; (1) of location (Heb. 9.5); (2) of superior status (Eph. 1.21)” – Analytical lexicon of the Greek NT by Friberg.

In the present volume of ‘The Berean Expositor’, Welch quotes from a previous issue of the magazine (vol.32, pgs. 148-150)

“As the word in question only occurs three times in the NT it is a matter of importance to ascertain whether it occurs in the Septuagint, and if so, in what connection.”

Then after a brief quotation from his critic who listed out all the occurrences of the word in the LXX, Welch goes on to say,

‘But when we consult the Septuagint, we discover that out critic omits the first occurrence, and upon examination we further find that this first occurrence is antagonistic to his contention that huperano means position, but never distance. The omitted reference is Genesis 7.20: “Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.”’ (italics in the original)

Welch is right in pointing out his critic’s view that, in Hebrews 9.5 where the word occurs, huperano cannot denote near, as says his critic. His critic’s words are “Huperano, in this case, may denote near rather than far” (italics in the original quotation of Welch). On this point we agree with Welch. Huperano cannot mean near as already seen.

However, Welch is in error when he gives Genesis 7.20 as the first occurrence of the word huperano in the LXX. In fact, the first occurrence of this word huperano in the LXX is in Deut.26.19 where it is translated ‘high above’ in the KJV. The word used in Genesis 7.20 is epanoo. Besides, this is not the first occurrence of the word in the LXX. This word epanoo is first seen in Genesis 1.2 where the word occurs twice and is translated ‘above’ or ‘over’.

Whereas it is true that the word huperano has been translated ‘far above all’ and should not be translated ‘among’, a translation none would rightly agree to, we believe Welch has pushed his argument to an unnecessary limit. And in doing so he has been led to give Genesis 7.20 as the first occurrence of the word, besides omitting various other occurrences of combinations of words with huper as its prefix, and therefore missing out on the complete picture.

In commenting on the third and last occurrence of huperano in the NT, in Hebrews 9.5, Welch says quoting his critic – “In the ark of the covenant we have the best possible illustration of the force of this word. Surely the Cherubim were not ‘far above’ the ark.” With these words of the ‘critic’, Mr. Welch of course disagrees.

Mr. Welch goes on to say, “Whoever used the word huperano in Genesis 7.20 and elsewhere, had no hesitation in using it for a measurable distance, whether for the height of the water above the mountains, or the height of the wings of the overshadowing Cherubim. Doubtless he would have been surprised to have learned that huperano contained no idea of ‘distance’, and that in the reference to the Cherubim, it might mean near rather than far.” (However, in Mr. Welch’s ‘Dictionary of Dispensational Truth, An Alphabetical Analysis’ Part 2, under the heading of huperano, he says, “The question of how ‘far’ huperano indicates is not answered by the word itself, but by the context. The cherubim of glory were not ‘far’ above the mercy seat, the nature of the case limiting this superior position to a matter of inches, but the exaltation of the Lord’s house to the top of the mountains, and so far above the hills, may indicate thousands of feet (Isa.2.2)...”. Here Mr. Welch rightly admits that the word itself cannot indicate just how ‘far’ above a thing is, the context would have to decide. If only Mr. Welch remembered this in this place too. Besides, Mr. Welch clearly contradicted himself on the one hand disagreeing that the cherubim was not near but was far above, and on the other hand admitting that it was not ‘far’ above the mercy seat! He says two different things in different places! Something we would least expect from one such as Mr. Welch.)

Furthermore, Welch says, “Maal is translated in the LXX by huperano, and so provides an infallible authority for the usage and meaning of the word. Maal occurs in such passages as ‘In heaven above’ (Exod.20.4); ‘From his shoulders and upward’ (1 Sam.9.2); ‘The clouds above’ (Prov.8.28).” (italics in the original)

However, in looking up these references we notice that the Greek word used for maal in Exodus 20.4 and Proverbs 8.28 is not huperano but anoo and the word in 1 Samuel 9.2 is epanoo.

Mr. Welch himself, I suppose, would not tolerate such carelessness. He is himself rather intolerant of his critic who, according to him, had failed to give out the first occurrence of the word huperano in the LXX. This is how Mr. Welch expressed his shock at his critic’s research. “If we are investigating the usage of a particular word, and we profess to have given ‘all of the occurrences’, then the omission of one reference, especially one that militates against our own conclusions, is serious.” I suppose in the present context, Mr. Welch’s own carelessness is far more serious, given the circumstances.

Later in another article entitled ‘The Cross’, Welch says in ‘The Berean Expositor’ volume 64 number 4, pg.78, “To any who see special meanings in numbers (and the numerics of the Bible are a wonderful fact), the number of occurrences of stauros, ‘cross’ in the New Testament, namely 28 or 7 x 4, will be suggestive.” But when we look up the Greek word stauros in the NT, we find it occurring not 28 times, but only 27 times. It does appear 28 times in our English KJV. But I suppose Mr. Welch would here be giving out the number of times the word ‘cross’ appears in the original, in order to draw any such significance. The occurrence of the ‘cross’ in Mark 10.21 is doubtful. Darby, in his translation, has put the last words ‘taking up the cross’ in italics as not being part of the original, as can be verified by checking any critical edition of the Greek NT. So if we exclude the English reference to the ‘cross’ in Mark 10.21, we end up with only 27 references to stauros in the NT.

In pointing this out we do not wish to take sides with those who see no significance at all in the numbers in Scripture; far from it. We would gladly own and admit that God has indeed hidden away very many precious truths in the Biblical numerical system, waiting only for the eye of faith to discover them. Interestingly, the number 27 is 3 raised to the power of 3.  And in Appendix 10 of The Companion Bible, EW Bullinger gives “27 = 3³ Divinity intensified”.

In any case, for Mr. Welch to be so careless so as to state what he does with regard to the number of occurrences of stauros in the NT, is admittedly most lamentable. We would have least expected such oversights, to say the least, from such an one, who for exegesis and research, had a respected name, among others. We wish Mr. Welch was not so intolerant with oversights in others, which when seen in himself, is for this very reason, the more inexcusable.

One wonders if, when Welch’s research in giving out, what any college freshman could do without much difficulty, a list of words occurring in the Greek NT is found to be faulty and unreliable, there would remain any assurance to accept his interpretation or the spiritual insight of his writings?

Herein we see the wisdom of the apostle’s injunction to the believers at Thessalonica, to “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” Brethren, may the Lord enable us so to do and thus only will be found, guarding His Own Glory and Honour, our safest ground of richest blessing and comfort.