Copy of Personal Letter.
Comment on the meaning of various Greek words with reference to Otis Sellers views.
mustErion, kruptos, basilia, hegemonia, metanoia,
metamelomai, hupeikO, dexiOs, exousia
Dear Brother R,
You say that nearly a year ago I sent you "a fine letter which deserves a response". I do not call it fine but it is entitled to he acknowledged as a comnon courtesy - as was my letter of 18th December 1985 and enclosures, yet. I still do not know if it was received. At your own request I sent you a fine study on chronology "which deserves a response", since you had asked for it; otherwise I would not have sent it, as in my opinion you are not yet ready to profit from its content. But I have no right to withhold what has been given me as fruits of personal study.
I do not hold any "fixed opinions/views"; hut like yours, mine are ever subject to being amended, and my beliefs like yours could be faulty. Unlike you I do not advance my beliefs as a sufficient reason for their acceptance by others. The reader wants to know not what you may "firmly believe" but why you believe it, so that it can be verified from the written Word, and then it becomes that reader's findings and not your beliefs.
Adolf Knoch wrote much with which I cannot agree, but he did stand firmly for the full verbal inspiration of the Scriptures and I am glad to have his Concordant Version which recognises that the Holy Spirit uses precise words not Synonyms, and so translation must always convey this. I have no authority/right to accuse any person of denying verbal inspiration, nor have I done so. I only point out the published evidence by which they, and you, stand self accused.
mustErion cannot mean "secret" because that is the proper Engllsh word for kruptos; see Wigram pp 434/511, cf ICor 14.vv 2 & 25. The AV gives "In plain Scriptural terms just what these words actually mean". I believe it: So: Why don't you ?
The final paragraph of S & B 29 is one that. is true and acceptable. But the converse would be quite untrue, as basilia does not mean "Government", though involving it; cf. 1Pet:13/14.
There is only one occurrence of the Greek word for "Government" In our modem sense. This word is hegemonia In Luke 3:1 which is correctly translated by the CV, and a few other versions, using only basileia as Kingdom. It is distinguished by Luke as Augustus was Emperor and Tiberius then deputised for him. Tne l5th year of his government was 27ad, being the 62nd sabbatic year from 408bc; it was when the 29th Jubilee began, and Messiah's 30th year !
Why should I need to obtain the volumes of Seed and Bread since I subscribed to it, and I have everything (as far as I know) that Sellers published back to the first Issue of The Word of Truth ? It seems you have either never read items I sent you or have forgotten during the course of last year. Why else do you ask me to explain metanoia when I enclosed my exhaustive study on the subject ? You will find that I do not dispute "after-mind" as the sense of that Greek word, but I do argue that Repentance does give the best sense In English.
Such a memory lapse may explain why you state that I "need to correct" my chart "because it allows no room for the manifest Kingdom of God" - this In spite of it being clearly marked'as 441 years ! Rub your eyes and look again. I agree that Otis Sellers made great advances In dispensatlonal truth, and I concede that my own pursuit of Scripture study owes more to him than to any other Bible Teacher. I have not attacked him or even named him In "The Scriptural meaning of repentance", since he then was no longer living. But I do analyse the complex problem of the single Hebrew word and its three corresponding Greek words, all of which need to be identified by distinct English words for fidelity to the text. This Sellers did not do, (other than equating metamelomai with "Regret"), nor did he examine the usage of the word "Submit" before so hastily misusing it.
S & B 108 I read, "Submission to all who rule under God will be the duty of all when God governs the earth". This is a true statement in conformity with Heb.13:17 where fbe Holy Spirit uses hupeikO for "Submit". Therefore a different sense must apply to metanoia and, though not ideal, repentance is the closest english word, not meaning only "doing penance", as some misled folk believe. Goodspeed and others were discerning in retaining "repent", as they never supposed that word could only mean "doing penance".
You say, "Correct me If you think I am wrong". Well, I cannot correct you or anyone; all I can do is testify to what Scripture states; then it becomes your responsibility to read, to understand and to believe God's Word. If I misquote, then it becomes your obligation to demonstrate just what the Scriptures do state. Giving a mere opinion about what cannot be shown stated in biblical terms is pointless - for you or for me..
When Welch died in 1967 aged 87 - and I am now In my 84th year - I recall Stuart Allen saying he was relieved he had retained a sound mind, as he had been fearful of his becoming senile in his closing years. Sadly, the same merciful preservation was not granted to Sellers in his advanced years, thouqh he was less blameworthy than his devotees who failed to recognise his dotage. A correspondent, who once had considered his ministry, wrote to me saying of him, "I'm sorry to say that as he advanced in age, he published so much that was patently absurd", and later on, "Sellers 'went more astray the longer he stayed In writing !", and I could only agree. How tragic that such defects have deterred many from examining his positive ministry '
Because even the closest equivalents in two languages are usually inexact In meaning and scope that must ever be kept in mind, and translating back from English to Greek will produce errors. Yet that very tendency, no doubt unwitting, seems to recur in expositions of Otis Sellers.
In S & B 187 it is stated, concerning the many meanings of the Engtish word "Rtght", that this "multiplicity of meanings is also found in the Greek word dexiOs". But that is just not so.
A very careful examination of its 67 occurrences (not. 73, see Bulllnger's Lexicon p.937) in a Nestlé Text will show that the idea of right-handedness of location is ever inherent in dexiOs whatever the figurative context, as also is the idea of a position of honour.
But the sense of "Right", as "entitlement", was used by the AV, just in Heb.13:10. and In Rev.22:14 only. for exousia, normally meaming "authority". But reasoning In reverse, that "entitlement" = exousia = "right", so that "right" = dexiOs = "entitlement", is an erroneous procedure.
Thanks for the enclosures; some of which I had already. But with our considerable divergences, apart from space limitations, I can only comment briefly.
The term "sixty-nine weeks" is not in my Bible nor yours; there are only 70 sevens, 7 sevens and 62 sevens, with no units defined. It is not stated that the former period embraced the other two; see p6 of my "Chronology Rectified". I insist that this portrayal of Daniel's Weeks is proven by history, by Bibllcal Jubilee allusions, by eclipse records, by Jewish archives and by Josephus. I cannot deny there may be a later fulfilment also, but it could not then point to a lesser anointed prince than the Lord Jesus Christ, 'who fulfilled it the first time.
Faithfully yours In Him Maurice Lloyd March 22nd 2000