You may be asking yourself what sort of things am I talking about and I will share my thoughts on this but some of them may be bitter pills to swallow. Our old man believes these things are our earthly rights as citizens and may infringe upon our rights as free men. We must come to realize, however, that we are no longer free men and women. We have been bought with a price, we have surrendered our will and self-determination to Christ and we now trust Him with our lives and have become His bond servants.
The first issue to deal with is our sense of self. The world has it’s mottos like, “if it feels good do it”, “you only live life once so live it to its fullest”, we are taught to please ourselves first and that “looking out for number one” is the only way to go. If you go to any book store or library and look in the “self help” aisles you will find hundreds of books dedicated to the topic of self but in Christianity we put ourselves last. Jesus said in Mark 9:35 - …"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (NIV). There is an old Sunday school song which says it best, “Jesus, then Others, then You, what a wonderful way to spell Joy...”
We start by putting away all our selfish desires and seek ways in how we can bless and help our brothers and sisters in Christ. This isn’t easy but it gets easier as we put it into practice. This way of thinking is extremely contrary to our human nature. Generally speaking, the process from being an unsaved person to a follower of Christ affects all our relationships: family, personal, business, how we act at our place of occupation, the way we treat and interact with the general public and even the educational and political aspects of our lives must change. Let me offer a couple of specific examples.
One area we should consider is education. It’s easy not to make waves and continue to let our schools teach our children lies and philosophies that are different from our Christian beliefs. We must, at some point, make a stand and fight for our rights as citizens not to have our children force fed things we disagree with like evolution, abortion is OK and tolerance towards sinful behavior and that certain sexual behaviors are as normal as God’s design of marriage being between a man and a woman. They are not; but let me clarify here that while the bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, it is not a “worse” sin, then adultery or sex outside of marriage or pornography, etc. They are all sin and man is the one that categorizes one sin as being worse then another. In God’s eyes “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and that “there is none righteous, no not one“. In fact He goes on to say that “our righteousness is as filthy rags to him.” It is only through the shed blood of Jesus and His righteousness that covers us that we have any hope at all of eternal life.
The hardest area to come to terms with is our political views. In my opinion, Christians should be neither Democrats or Republicans. We should be independent, conservative voters who vote for the party or person who will most likely keep this nation as attuned to God’s ideals as they can. Sometimes it’s a matter of the lesser of two evils, but we must make our political decisions not on the worldly aspects of government such as social security, government programs, war, taxes, medical benefits, etc. but on whether or not this person or party will make attempts to stop the murder of the unborn, protect our right to self-defense, not allow liberals to legislate sin as being ok and acceptable, allow Christians to home school their children if they desire to, allow creationism be taught alongside evolution, not make agreements with evil nations who seek our destruction, continue our national support of Israel and not try to re-write the constitution to eliminate our Christian outlook on society, to name a few. War, while undesirable is not sinful if undertaken to bring freedom to oppressed peoples or as a matter of self-defense.
All these thoughts and ideas that I laid out for a Christian’s political viewpoints are unpopular but that is how it must be. Jesus tells us that we will be hated and persecuted for His name’s sake. Christians are unpopular politically because we call sin, sin and that angers people. They don’t like to be told that they will have to justify their accepted behavior before a holy and righteous God, especially if they don’t believe in Him. But the fact is that their belief or unbelief is irrelevant because as we all know, they will have to stand before God and give an account of their lives and we as Christians will too. We will have to stand before Him and explain why we, for example, thought our social security checks were more important then the life of the unborn or why we supported a party who lowered our taxes but outlawed discrimination in churches against homosexuality.
Consider these two verses…
Col 3:10 - “…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (NIV) and Gal 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (NIV)
Living the Christian life is one of the hardest things to do in this world of self-indulgence and those who think Christianity is a crutch for the weak, children and the old obviously have no idea of what they’re talking about. The bible calls us a “peculiar people” and since we believe far differently from what the world thinks it is understandably so. We are peculiar because of our faith in Christ and the aspects of life that go along with that faith and the bible tells us that in the last days we will be persecuted tremendously for our beliefs but we must endure that persecution until the end. Christ taught that “if they hate me they will hate you also” and that even our families will turn against us, so it is important to take these warnings seriously and determine if we are willing to stick our necks out to that degree. Hard times are coming and if we can’t stand with Christ in the simple things of life like our children’s education and our political views then how can we stand with Him when our lives and the lives of our children depend on our willingness to pay the ultimate price? Think about it!
Another term to describe us is found in Rev 1:6 “and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (NIV) We are called priests and as such we have a priestly duty to serve God. We do this by doing what the OT priests did but in a new way. They interceded on behalf of their people by accepting and offering sacrifices. Since Christ became the ultimate sacrifice, we no longer have to perform that function but we still have a responsibility to intercede on the behalf of others. We can offer intercessory repentance which is praying for the forgiveness of sins for those who are on their death beds or are otherwise unable to ask for repentance on their own. We can intercede on behalf of those who are plagued by demons or have a serious addiction they need to overcome. We can intercede for other believers to help them attain the position that Gods desires for them and for physical or emotional healing.
We also must realize that we are heirs according to Rom 8:16-17 - “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory“ (NIV). As joint-heirs with Christ we must take on that attitude in our faith. We, as children of a holy and righteous King, are Princes and Princesses of the Kingdom of Heaven and we should begin acting like it. No longer should we put up with the actions of our enemy, Satan. He has been defeated and we need to claim the authority that we have in the name of Jesus Christ over the Devil and his minion’s influence in our lives as God’s word shows us in Luke 9:1. Getting the backbone we need to wage spiritual warfare successfully is hard work but being able to live a victorious life and to receive the overcomer’s crown is well worth all the time and effort the Lord requires of us.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Cp. 1 Understanding Who We Are in Christ pt.1
To fully understand our relationship with God we must realize that He is the author and creator of our emotions and He has emotions towards us. What are His emotions? Let’s try an experiment! Take out a pen and a piece of paper. Now I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to write down your first response without thinking about it… If you were to meet God in the next ten seconds; how do you think He would feel about your life? If you wrote down sad, mad, disappointed, or any other negative feeling you are not alone. Most of us have a negative opinion about our relationship with God. The reason for this is that many of us see God as emotionally sterile. Oh sure, we intellectually acknowledge His love for us and we easily admit that He can feel negatively about us because of our own feelings of inadequacy and low self worth. We fail to understand that as His children, He loves us better than we love our children, as our heavenly Father, we fail to realize that He loves us better than our parents do. As our eternal friend and companion who sticks closer than a brother, we fail to acknowledge that He can love us better than anyone else we have ever known or will know.
We either picture God as a Zeus-like figure waiting to cast lightning bolts towards us for any infraction or a God who is eternally frustrated with the poor performance of His children, but God is neither. The bible tells us that “He delights in those whose way is blameless”, He “delights in men who are truthful”, “the prayer of the upright pleases Him”, “The Lord rescues us because He delights in us”, “He delights in those who fear Him” and “He delights in those who put their hope in His unfailing love” and finally that He rejoices in His works and we are part of His works. As we are able to show caring, kindness, compassion and patience towards those we love, He also extends those same emotions towards us, but in a more infinite capacity.
As you read the verses above you may have been saying to yourself, “but I’m not blameless, I’m not always upright or truthful so I am deserving of His wrath, aren’t I?” By asking those questions you are already falling into Satan’s trap. You are looking at yourself through your eyes instead of God’s. When God looks at the born again believer, He is seeing you washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Yes, you are guilty but the penalty for your guilt has been “paid in full” through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. Don’t forget that in God’s timing, while we may have been Christians for many years we are still growing and maturing and He also knows that while we are new creatures, we still have our sin nature and will always fall short of His glory. If we could attain perfection on our own He never would have had to sacrifice His Son on our behalf. So give yourselves the same kind of break that God is willing to give you and come to the absolute understanding that any negative feelings that you suspect God of having towards you is a lie from the devil. One of Satan’s tactics to bring defeat into our lives is through our relationships, not only our personal ones but the relationship we have with God most of all.
We need to understand how the devil works in our lives to bring us to the point of stagnation. If we are stagnate then we are not going forward and are of no effect. We become incapacitated by focusing on our own problems of feeling lost, helpless and alone or other spiritual hurts which results in being ineffectual in helping others. Our relationship to each other as the Body of Christ is vital towards our ultimate success in defeating Satan in our lives and the effect he has on our loved ones. There is a book out there that can really bring this point home and that is “The Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis. In this book, Lewis shows how demons can work in our lives to make us ineffectual as believers.
The conclusions we come to by understanding all this is that we are at war! There are demons and spirits out there whose job it is to prevent us from being all that we can be as spiritual warriors for God. Every one of us is better then an “army of one” because each of us is an “army of four” ourselves and the Holy Trinity. When each one of us combines in unity as members of His Body with one another then our army grows exponentially. Realizing that we are part of an army with a spiritual battle before us; it behooves us to become familiar with our armor and weapons of warfare. As recent history has proven it doesn’t matter how spiritual you are or whether you’re a famous Christian personality or just a common man, Satan will seek to destroy your efforts to become an effective believer.
One of the ways to understand our relationship to God is to understand who our “old man” was in regards to the “new man” we’ve become. Eph 4:22-24 - “That ye put off concerning the former conversation (life) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (KJV)
The word conversation here is not speaking of the way we communicate but is talking about our general behavior, how we conduct our life. In close association with this verse is Rom. 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV) The word “conform” in this verse, means to “shape or fashion one like another”, in other words, we are not to base our patterns of thought around what the world thinks or believes but on what God’s Word has to say about any particular issue.
Many of us read further on in Eph 4, vs. 25-32...
"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (NIV)
…and believe that by obeying these actions; our old man will be “put off”, but that is not the case. These are things that our old man did, not how he thought or believed. While we must obey the above verses, they are only the beginning, the cleaning up of our outer laundry, so to speak. The real chore and the problem that most Christians have is in changing and cleansing our inner laundry, the way we think and believe; in fact our whole thought process has to be conformed to the word of God and our previous philosophies and lofty ideas about our earthly lives must be redrafted into the patterns that God desires.
We either picture God as a Zeus-like figure waiting to cast lightning bolts towards us for any infraction or a God who is eternally frustrated with the poor performance of His children, but God is neither. The bible tells us that “He delights in those whose way is blameless”, He “delights in men who are truthful”, “the prayer of the upright pleases Him”, “The Lord rescues us because He delights in us”, “He delights in those who fear Him” and “He delights in those who put their hope in His unfailing love” and finally that He rejoices in His works and we are part of His works. As we are able to show caring, kindness, compassion and patience towards those we love, He also extends those same emotions towards us, but in a more infinite capacity.
As you read the verses above you may have been saying to yourself, “but I’m not blameless, I’m not always upright or truthful so I am deserving of His wrath, aren’t I?” By asking those questions you are already falling into Satan’s trap. You are looking at yourself through your eyes instead of God’s. When God looks at the born again believer, He is seeing you washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Yes, you are guilty but the penalty for your guilt has been “paid in full” through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. Don’t forget that in God’s timing, while we may have been Christians for many years we are still growing and maturing and He also knows that while we are new creatures, we still have our sin nature and will always fall short of His glory. If we could attain perfection on our own He never would have had to sacrifice His Son on our behalf. So give yourselves the same kind of break that God is willing to give you and come to the absolute understanding that any negative feelings that you suspect God of having towards you is a lie from the devil. One of Satan’s tactics to bring defeat into our lives is through our relationships, not only our personal ones but the relationship we have with God most of all.
We need to understand how the devil works in our lives to bring us to the point of stagnation. If we are stagnate then we are not going forward and are of no effect. We become incapacitated by focusing on our own problems of feeling lost, helpless and alone or other spiritual hurts which results in being ineffectual in helping others. Our relationship to each other as the Body of Christ is vital towards our ultimate success in defeating Satan in our lives and the effect he has on our loved ones. There is a book out there that can really bring this point home and that is “The Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis. In this book, Lewis shows how demons can work in our lives to make us ineffectual as believers.
The conclusions we come to by understanding all this is that we are at war! There are demons and spirits out there whose job it is to prevent us from being all that we can be as spiritual warriors for God. Every one of us is better then an “army of one” because each of us is an “army of four” ourselves and the Holy Trinity. When each one of us combines in unity as members of His Body with one another then our army grows exponentially. Realizing that we are part of an army with a spiritual battle before us; it behooves us to become familiar with our armor and weapons of warfare. As recent history has proven it doesn’t matter how spiritual you are or whether you’re a famous Christian personality or just a common man, Satan will seek to destroy your efforts to become an effective believer.
One of the ways to understand our relationship to God is to understand who our “old man” was in regards to the “new man” we’ve become. Eph 4:22-24 - “That ye put off concerning the former conversation (life) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (KJV)
The word conversation here is not speaking of the way we communicate but is talking about our general behavior, how we conduct our life. In close association with this verse is Rom. 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV) The word “conform” in this verse, means to “shape or fashion one like another”, in other words, we are not to base our patterns of thought around what the world thinks or believes but on what God’s Word has to say about any particular issue.
Many of us read further on in Eph 4, vs. 25-32...
"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (NIV)
…and believe that by obeying these actions; our old man will be “put off”, but that is not the case. These are things that our old man did, not how he thought or believed. While we must obey the above verses, they are only the beginning, the cleaning up of our outer laundry, so to speak. The real chore and the problem that most Christians have is in changing and cleansing our inner laundry, the way we think and believe; in fact our whole thought process has to be conformed to the word of God and our previous philosophies and lofty ideas about our earthly lives must be redrafted into the patterns that God desires.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Introduction
Introduction
Today’s modern church does not have a good reputation among the non-believers in this country. We have been accused of making hate speeches, encouraging the murder of abortionists and of trying to create a theological society of the USA. We also have been accused of hate-mongering, intolerance, child abuse and of being harshly judgmental. Unfortunately, many of these charges are true, to one degree or another, from several of our churches and modern day church leaders. Many people absolutely hate and fear Christians because they believe that we are trying to force an unwanted theocracy on them just as some Islamic terrorists are trying to do. They accuse us of using political methods to accomplish our devious purpose through legislation, politically trying to force our beliefs on them and some Christian leaders are trying to do just that! We as a church must realize that our job is not to stop people from sinning but to show them in a loving way, that if they so desire, there is a remedy for their sinful behavior. We must never forget that God gave all of us free will and they have the right to reject God’s teachings although they will pay a heavy price for doing so. The good news is that most believers are not guilty of these claims but many do not know or are not being taught the Christ-centered way of reaching today’s world.
Let’s face it, being a Christian is tough in this sin-laden world and each generation experiences temptations that the previous generations never encountered! So the question becomes, How can we reconcile our beliefs and the commission to spread the gospel and not offend anyone? The bible clearly shows us that we can’t. The very nature of salvation and the fact that there is a God we will all be accountable to is offensive to many non
believers. Knowing what the bible has to say about a particular issue within the context of His whole word and then learning how to share that knowledge with unbelievers in a Christ-like manner should be the goal of every Christian. The fact that the unbelieving world hates us should not come as a surprise because Jesus told us that it would be that way in John 15:18-19 - “ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (KJV)
Today’s church has been embarrassed by the actions of a few noteworthy leaders. We are all judged by the actions of a few and while unfair, it is the reality. How can we overcome the stereotypical worldview that is considered what and who Christians are and what we believe?
The Christians of today can’t define ourselves because we are all divided by denominationalism, which is an ecumenically correct way of saying division. According to the average non-believer we can’t agree on simple foundational truths like baptism, the Holy Spirit, the timing of His return, salvation, the keeping of the Sabbath and a host of other divisive topics. No wonder they hesitate to become believers - they can’t figure out what to do after they become Christians. They ask themselves, what teachers should I be listening to? What version of the bible should I read? Is sprinkling okay for baptism or is total immersion necessary? Which denomination should I join? How do I know if I’ve been baptized by the Holy Spirit?
These are all good questions and I’m sure there are many more decisions that confront the new believer upon salvation that I haven‘t touched on. The bible really does answer all of these clearly but today’s teachers interpret all these issues in different ways. I know it’s an unrealistic aspiration but it would be nice if we could all go back to the basics, forego all our denominations and create one belief system that we all can agree on and stop sweating the small stuff that plague our denominations and create division in His body.
I have news for you! There aren’t going to be any Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Congregationalists, Universalists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church of Gods, Church of Christs, non-denominationals, inter-denominationals or any other identifying denomination that you can think of in Heaven. We will all simply be believers of The Way, sinners who have washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb, confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord and repented of our sins and acknowledge that He paid the penalty for our sins and that we tried to live our lives as His servants, seeking not that our will be done but that His will be done in our lives.
All the other denominational stuff that divides us is just so much nonsense and egotistical baloney that tries to usurp true worthiness from each other and instead of building up and edifying each other we create conflict by waging a war of spiritual one-up-man-ship. If we truly believe we are the last generation church then we must purify ourselves of all this denominational dogma and come together as never before to overcome the evil that is going to come upon this earth. We are God’s army and His voice to this world and it is imperative that we speak as one voice and not a thousand. We, as the last generation church, have a greater responsibility to the unsaved world then the first century church did. We are humanity’s last chance to reconcile themselves to God before His wrath is spent on those that refused to hear His witnesses. Do we as a church really want to stand before God and give an account of our actions as the Body of Christ on this earth in the state of division that we are presently living in?
I am a simple man, who desires to be a lover and servant of God, and a man who wants to be able to hear “Well done, My good and faithful servant, come and share your master’s happiness”. I want to be able to stand before Him with my head held high, not staring at the ground wishing I could escape from His presence. I don’t have a college degree, have never pastored a church, but neither did the disciples. You might ask, who are we to question the great church leaders of today? We are children of God who are instructed by His Word to test the spirits of those that teach us. I don’t doubt their sincerity or their desire to serve God but I find that some of them are caught up in the spirits of denominationalism and ego, that fails to consider another teachers viewpoint of having merit. Many of today’s teachers when confronted with opposing viewpoints attack the opposition as heretics and do not accept the possibility that both could be right or that they could be wrong. We must realize that they are only learned men and are as prone to scriptural error as we all can be.
How can we as ordinary men and women be effective examples of Christianity to our world today? I believe it can be done utilizing these three simple steps: Understanding of Who We are in Christ and in Relationship to God, Applying the Armor of God in our daily lives and finally, Wielding our Sword which is the word of God.
The divisions in the church of today are the result of centuries of satanic attacks. He wants to rob us of our effectiveness in leading the lost to salvation by creating confusion. Since we are under attack as Christians, we should know how to defend ourselves and spiritually counterattack using our sword, the word of God.
Today’s modern church does not have a good reputation among the non-believers in this country. We have been accused of making hate speeches, encouraging the murder of abortionists and of trying to create a theological society of the USA. We also have been accused of hate-mongering, intolerance, child abuse and of being harshly judgmental. Unfortunately, many of these charges are true, to one degree or another, from several of our churches and modern day church leaders. Many people absolutely hate and fear Christians because they believe that we are trying to force an unwanted theocracy on them just as some Islamic terrorists are trying to do. They accuse us of using political methods to accomplish our devious purpose through legislation, politically trying to force our beliefs on them and some Christian leaders are trying to do just that! We as a church must realize that our job is not to stop people from sinning but to show them in a loving way, that if they so desire, there is a remedy for their sinful behavior. We must never forget that God gave all of us free will and they have the right to reject God’s teachings although they will pay a heavy price for doing so. The good news is that most believers are not guilty of these claims but many do not know or are not being taught the Christ-centered way of reaching today’s world.
Let’s face it, being a Christian is tough in this sin-laden world and each generation experiences temptations that the previous generations never encountered! So the question becomes, How can we reconcile our beliefs and the commission to spread the gospel and not offend anyone? The bible clearly shows us that we can’t. The very nature of salvation and the fact that there is a God we will all be accountable to is offensive to many non
believers. Knowing what the bible has to say about a particular issue within the context of His whole word and then learning how to share that knowledge with unbelievers in a Christ-like manner should be the goal of every Christian. The fact that the unbelieving world hates us should not come as a surprise because Jesus told us that it would be that way in John 15:18-19 - “ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (KJV)
Today’s church has been embarrassed by the actions of a few noteworthy leaders. We are all judged by the actions of a few and while unfair, it is the reality. How can we overcome the stereotypical worldview that is considered what and who Christians are and what we believe?
The Christians of today can’t define ourselves because we are all divided by denominationalism, which is an ecumenically correct way of saying division. According to the average non-believer we can’t agree on simple foundational truths like baptism, the Holy Spirit, the timing of His return, salvation, the keeping of the Sabbath and a host of other divisive topics. No wonder they hesitate to become believers - they can’t figure out what to do after they become Christians. They ask themselves, what teachers should I be listening to? What version of the bible should I read? Is sprinkling okay for baptism or is total immersion necessary? Which denomination should I join? How do I know if I’ve been baptized by the Holy Spirit?
These are all good questions and I’m sure there are many more decisions that confront the new believer upon salvation that I haven‘t touched on. The bible really does answer all of these clearly but today’s teachers interpret all these issues in different ways. I know it’s an unrealistic aspiration but it would be nice if we could all go back to the basics, forego all our denominations and create one belief system that we all can agree on and stop sweating the small stuff that plague our denominations and create division in His body.
I have news for you! There aren’t going to be any Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Congregationalists, Universalists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church of Gods, Church of Christs, non-denominationals, inter-denominationals or any other identifying denomination that you can think of in Heaven. We will all simply be believers of The Way, sinners who have washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb, confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord and repented of our sins and acknowledge that He paid the penalty for our sins and that we tried to live our lives as His servants, seeking not that our will be done but that His will be done in our lives.
All the other denominational stuff that divides us is just so much nonsense and egotistical baloney that tries to usurp true worthiness from each other and instead of building up and edifying each other we create conflict by waging a war of spiritual one-up-man-ship. If we truly believe we are the last generation church then we must purify ourselves of all this denominational dogma and come together as never before to overcome the evil that is going to come upon this earth. We are God’s army and His voice to this world and it is imperative that we speak as one voice and not a thousand. We, as the last generation church, have a greater responsibility to the unsaved world then the first century church did. We are humanity’s last chance to reconcile themselves to God before His wrath is spent on those that refused to hear His witnesses. Do we as a church really want to stand before God and give an account of our actions as the Body of Christ on this earth in the state of division that we are presently living in?
I am a simple man, who desires to be a lover and servant of God, and a man who wants to be able to hear “Well done, My good and faithful servant, come and share your master’s happiness”. I want to be able to stand before Him with my head held high, not staring at the ground wishing I could escape from His presence. I don’t have a college degree, have never pastored a church, but neither did the disciples. You might ask, who are we to question the great church leaders of today? We are children of God who are instructed by His Word to test the spirits of those that teach us. I don’t doubt their sincerity or their desire to serve God but I find that some of them are caught up in the spirits of denominationalism and ego, that fails to consider another teachers viewpoint of having merit. Many of today’s teachers when confronted with opposing viewpoints attack the opposition as heretics and do not accept the possibility that both could be right or that they could be wrong. We must realize that they are only learned men and are as prone to scriptural error as we all can be.
How can we as ordinary men and women be effective examples of Christianity to our world today? I believe it can be done utilizing these three simple steps: Understanding of Who We are in Christ and in Relationship to God, Applying the Armor of God in our daily lives and finally, Wielding our Sword which is the word of God.
The divisions in the church of today are the result of centuries of satanic attacks. He wants to rob us of our effectiveness in leading the lost to salvation by creating confusion. Since we are under attack as Christians, we should know how to defend ourselves and spiritually counterattack using our sword, the word of God.
Waging the War Within - Foreward
Foreward
The purpose of this book is to provide the Christian with most of the information needed to become a spiritual warrior. You will find many scripture verses used to explain the ideas and concepts of spiritual warfare. My goal is to provide a handy reference manual so that much of the information and scriptures needed to be an effective Christian in spiritual combat are right at your fingertips. I pray that believers at all maturity levels will find this book helpful and that it will become an important reference for your continued spiritual growth and that you will find it useful as you wage the war within.
The purpose of this book is to provide the Christian with most of the information needed to become a spiritual warrior. You will find many scripture verses used to explain the ideas and concepts of spiritual warfare. My goal is to provide a handy reference manual so that much of the information and scriptures needed to be an effective Christian in spiritual combat are right at your fingertips. I pray that believers at all maturity levels will find this book helpful and that it will become an important reference for your continued spiritual growth and that you will find it useful as you wage the war within.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Fight, Flight or Faith - Part 2
Emergency Preparedness
Trying circumstances can affect everyone in our country at any time. They come in many guises and forms such as: Floods, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Terrorist Attacks and many other smaller scale social upsets like: Work strikes, Bank closings, Riots, etc.
It is the wise person who prepares for and plans action to avert serious events from affecting their friends and family in a negative manner. The number one action you can do to help your family is to store up food and water and items to trade so that you and your loved ones can survive a short term emergency without panicking.
If you believe like I do, that our nation is in for some hard times, I would like to offer some suggestions to help you and your loved ones survive the events that the future may bring about.
FINANCES:
1.) Liquidate all your stocks, bonds, mutual funds and treasury notes into cash or easily portable items such as gold and silver coins. A stock market crash is definitely going to happen, but no one knows when. It could happen any day. The market is supported by air and empty promises. Get out while the getting is good.
2.) Try to keep at least three months cash expenses on hand so you won’t get caught " a day late and a dollar short".
3.) Buy emergency items now while you still can. Camping equipment, extra food & water, guns, knives and ammo for hunting and protection. One needs to realize that society as a whole has changed from the people that lived through the Great Depression. People are more ruthless and uncaring then they were back then. In hard times today, as witnessed by the L.A. riots, people will kill and steal at the slightest provocation.
FAITH:
1.) Come to realization that no matter how well you plan, if you don’t take God into consideration, you will fail. The events that will eventually happen were prophesied long ago by Biblical authors. God warned His people of these things to come so they would trust in Him for guidance and protection and most of all for salvation. When it comes right down to it, what’s the point of surviving if you’re going to spend eternity apart from God. Let’s face it, many people will die in the coming events, so the most important thing that should be on your mind is: Where will you and your loved ones spend eternity?
2.) Have a Bible on hand and memorize scriptures for those times your Bible may not be on hand. In the near future, Christians will be very unpopular and will most likely be blamed for the hardships that will fall upon our beloved country. Martyrdom is a definite possibility that you should take into consideration. The Book of Revelations tells us that many people will die for their belief in Christ in the last days.
GEOGRAPHY:
1.) If you are financially able to do so, you should consider selling your city or suburban dwelling and find a place in the countryside with land for farming. If you farm already, try to plant hybrid seeds that regenerate themselves year after year.
2.) If like most of us, you can’t buy a house in the country, try to find a place in the country that you are familiar with and feel comfortable in. Places like a favorite camping spot or a relatives home or somewhere you go hiking frequently. You will need a spot like this because inner city neighbor-hoods will not be a safe place to stay during hard times and the problems will quickly escalate outside to suburbia.
3.) The optimum places to be are at least 200 miles away in every direction from major cities, military bases and coastal areas.
COMMUNITY:
1.) Family members, friends, neighbors and fellow believers can be a source of inspiration and unity in hard times. These people make up your personal community.
2.) Try to plan and coordinate with those in your inner circle, where to meet, what to bring, and who’s responsible for what in an emergency situation.
3.) An important thing to remember is that the more people that are in your personal community, the more items that will need to be set aside, but as in the best circumstances, "many hands make the work light," so it can be in difficult times. Everyone in your personal community should plan and store for their individual families and some extra items to share within their personal community. Co-ordinate these items so that for example, three families are saving candles, two families are saving flashlights, but no one is saving batteries or matches, doesn’t happen!
Remember that God is in control and you can depend on Him to assist you when you need it most. The sooner you start building a base of supplies, the easier it will be to survive the hard times and the longer they will last. Just begin by adding a couple of extra items to your shopping list every week and watch for good sales that you could utilize to stock up your pantry and shelves.
No one is able to afford everything or has space to store it all. Just pick out a few items that everyone could use at one time or another and stock up on it. Every house-hold should have an emergency plan when things start to go wrong in our society. The people that lived through the L.A. riots can give strong testimony to the fact that stores that weren’t looted sold out of most items in a matter of hours and were unable to be re-supplied by their distributors. Don’t let this happen to you!
As events start to escalate in their frequency and seriousness, Don’t panic! Watch them closely because timing will be important. If you evacuate too early, your supplies won’t last as long and you’ll miss out on opportunities to get more needed items, but if you wait too late then traffic jams will make it harder and more dangerous to get to where you’re going safely. May God bless you and keep you in these times that are about to come!
Trying circumstances can affect everyone in our country at any time. They come in many guises and forms such as: Floods, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Terrorist Attacks and many other smaller scale social upsets like: Work strikes, Bank closings, Riots, etc.
It is the wise person who prepares for and plans action to avert serious events from affecting their friends and family in a negative manner. The number one action you can do to help your family is to store up food and water and items to trade so that you and your loved ones can survive a short term emergency without panicking.
If you believe like I do, that our nation is in for some hard times, I would like to offer some suggestions to help you and your loved ones survive the events that the future may bring about.
FINANCES:
1.) Liquidate all your stocks, bonds, mutual funds and treasury notes into cash or easily portable items such as gold and silver coins. A stock market crash is definitely going to happen, but no one knows when. It could happen any day. The market is supported by air and empty promises. Get out while the getting is good.
2.) Try to keep at least three months cash expenses on hand so you won’t get caught " a day late and a dollar short".
3.) Buy emergency items now while you still can. Camping equipment, extra food & water, guns, knives and ammo for hunting and protection. One needs to realize that society as a whole has changed from the people that lived through the Great Depression. People are more ruthless and uncaring then they were back then. In hard times today, as witnessed by the L.A. riots, people will kill and steal at the slightest provocation.
FAITH:
1.) Come to realization that no matter how well you plan, if you don’t take God into consideration, you will fail. The events that will eventually happen were prophesied long ago by Biblical authors. God warned His people of these things to come so they would trust in Him for guidance and protection and most of all for salvation. When it comes right down to it, what’s the point of surviving if you’re going to spend eternity apart from God. Let’s face it, many people will die in the coming events, so the most important thing that should be on your mind is: Where will you and your loved ones spend eternity?
2.) Have a Bible on hand and memorize scriptures for those times your Bible may not be on hand. In the near future, Christians will be very unpopular and will most likely be blamed for the hardships that will fall upon our beloved country. Martyrdom is a definite possibility that you should take into consideration. The Book of Revelations tells us that many people will die for their belief in Christ in the last days.
GEOGRAPHY:
1.) If you are financially able to do so, you should consider selling your city or suburban dwelling and find a place in the countryside with land for farming. If you farm already, try to plant hybrid seeds that regenerate themselves year after year.
2.) If like most of us, you can’t buy a house in the country, try to find a place in the country that you are familiar with and feel comfortable in. Places like a favorite camping spot or a relatives home or somewhere you go hiking frequently. You will need a spot like this because inner city neighbor-hoods will not be a safe place to stay during hard times and the problems will quickly escalate outside to suburbia.
3.) The optimum places to be are at least 200 miles away in every direction from major cities, military bases and coastal areas.
COMMUNITY:
1.) Family members, friends, neighbors and fellow believers can be a source of inspiration and unity in hard times. These people make up your personal community.
2.) Try to plan and coordinate with those in your inner circle, where to meet, what to bring, and who’s responsible for what in an emergency situation.
3.) An important thing to remember is that the more people that are in your personal community, the more items that will need to be set aside, but as in the best circumstances, "many hands make the work light," so it can be in difficult times. Everyone in your personal community should plan and store for their individual families and some extra items to share within their personal community. Co-ordinate these items so that for example, three families are saving candles, two families are saving flashlights, but no one is saving batteries or matches, doesn’t happen!
Remember that God is in control and you can depend on Him to assist you when you need it most. The sooner you start building a base of supplies, the easier it will be to survive the hard times and the longer they will last. Just begin by adding a couple of extra items to your shopping list every week and watch for good sales that you could utilize to stock up your pantry and shelves.
No one is able to afford everything or has space to store it all. Just pick out a few items that everyone could use at one time or another and stock up on it. Every house-hold should have an emergency plan when things start to go wrong in our society. The people that lived through the L.A. riots can give strong testimony to the fact that stores that weren’t looted sold out of most items in a matter of hours and were unable to be re-supplied by their distributors. Don’t let this happen to you!
As events start to escalate in their frequency and seriousness, Don’t panic! Watch them closely because timing will be important. If you evacuate too early, your supplies won’t last as long and you’ll miss out on opportunities to get more needed items, but if you wait too late then traffic jams will make it harder and more dangerous to get to where you’re going safely. May God bless you and keep you in these times that are about to come!
Fight, Flight or Faith - Part 1
There are many aspects to end times theories and probabilities, but one area that is most often neglected is how should we, as christians, behave and what do we do when we find ourselves actually living in the midst of the latter days? Should we hoard food or stockpile guns and ammunition? Should we find a cave to hole up in and just wait for Christ’s return or should we be defying the powers that be via armed resistance or sabotage? These are all very good questions and it would be wise to dwell briefly on these things so that we may not be caught off guard.
This is one area of christian living that the bible doesn’t really seem to address. There are no physical offensive or defensive strategies mentioned except for the one verse in Matt. 24:16, which instructs the residents of Judea to flee to the mountains. Those who believe in dispensationalism use this verse as proof that only the jews are being spoken to in the Olivet Discourse, but of course we know this isn’t the case. Events just begin there and He is informing the believing remnant to go into hiding to fulfill Rev. 12:13-14. Some might argue that the lack of instruction concerning these days is further proof of a pre 70th week rapture but as you’ll see that argument is very weak.
Believers must come to realize is that there are two aspects to end times living. One is survival in the first 3 ½ yrs. plus and the other is enduring the persecution of believers that begins at the great tribulation of Satan’s wrath upon the church as pictured in Rev. 12:17 & 13:7-10. Each one will require a different response on the part of the latter day christian. Every local body of believers may very well have to go underground. It is my opinion that one of the reasons why the word "church" isn’t used in the main body of Revelations is because the focus has changed from the Body of Christ having a corporate responsibility to the world; to more of an individual responsibility in regards to relationships, witnessing, etc.
While the bible doesn’t have much to say on how to survive until the persecution begins, it does have some information on how we as believers should handle persecution. Luke 21:34-36 says, "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation ( literally, a hangover), drunkenness and the anxieties (cares/worries) of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." (NIV) (words in parenthesis mine)
The anxieties spoken of here are those things which can choke out the spiritual fruit in a believer’s life. (Matt. 13:22) There are several things the Lord warns us to not worry about. They are: How long a person’s life is, Matt. 6:27, the necessities of life (food, water, clothing, shelter, etc.) Matt. 6:19-34, and what you should say if brought before authorities during times of persecution, Matt. 10:19. If you’re not concerned with these areas in your life, it frees you to remain focused on witnessing and proclaiming the righteousness of God to this last generation. It is not inconceivable that one way God will provide these necessities of life would be to prepare you beforehand; to "ready" yourself for times when these things may not be easily available.
Now that we know what not to concern ourselves with. What shall we do concerning persecution? We are told to live holy lives, to be watchful at all times, pray without ceasing, and to resist temptation. The major thing that we need to pray for, is strength. The strength to resist the temptation to compromise if we are being persecuted. The strength to be able to escape (come through unscathed) the events of the last days and most importantly the strength to stand (with moral correctness and holiness) before God at the Bema Seat judgment.(2 Cor. 5:10) Jude tells us how to receive a positive judgment in vss. 21 and 24 - "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life...To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy." (NIV)
We are given the specifics on how to perform our christian duty in Eph. 6:10-18 - “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)
God has provided us with everything we need for faithful living in the latter days. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God are all the equipment necessary to successfully see us through the persecution of the end times.
BUT
Jesus affirms for us in Luke 22:35-36, that there is a time for walking in faith and a time to realize the practicalities of life. “Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"
"Nothing," they answered. 36He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” (NIV) The book of Proverbs also offers a couple pieces of advice on preparation. Prov. 30:25 - “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer” (NIV) and Prov. 27:12 - “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (NIV)
We know that for the most part, persecution won’t really get intense until the latter half of Daniel’s 70th week. So, how do we survive until that time? Of course, we must always rely upon God and His leading, but since He has graciously given us ample warning to prepare for the hard times to come, how should we prepare?
This is one area of christian living that the bible doesn’t really seem to address. There are no physical offensive or defensive strategies mentioned except for the one verse in Matt. 24:16, which instructs the residents of Judea to flee to the mountains. Those who believe in dispensationalism use this verse as proof that only the jews are being spoken to in the Olivet Discourse, but of course we know this isn’t the case. Events just begin there and He is informing the believing remnant to go into hiding to fulfill Rev. 12:13-14. Some might argue that the lack of instruction concerning these days is further proof of a pre 70th week rapture but as you’ll see that argument is very weak.
Believers must come to realize is that there are two aspects to end times living. One is survival in the first 3 ½ yrs. plus and the other is enduring the persecution of believers that begins at the great tribulation of Satan’s wrath upon the church as pictured in Rev. 12:17 & 13:7-10. Each one will require a different response on the part of the latter day christian. Every local body of believers may very well have to go underground. It is my opinion that one of the reasons why the word "church" isn’t used in the main body of Revelations is because the focus has changed from the Body of Christ having a corporate responsibility to the world; to more of an individual responsibility in regards to relationships, witnessing, etc.
While the bible doesn’t have much to say on how to survive until the persecution begins, it does have some information on how we as believers should handle persecution. Luke 21:34-36 says, "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation ( literally, a hangover), drunkenness and the anxieties (cares/worries) of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." (NIV) (words in parenthesis mine)
The anxieties spoken of here are those things which can choke out the spiritual fruit in a believer’s life. (Matt. 13:22) There are several things the Lord warns us to not worry about. They are: How long a person’s life is, Matt. 6:27, the necessities of life (food, water, clothing, shelter, etc.) Matt. 6:19-34, and what you should say if brought before authorities during times of persecution, Matt. 10:19. If you’re not concerned with these areas in your life, it frees you to remain focused on witnessing and proclaiming the righteousness of God to this last generation. It is not inconceivable that one way God will provide these necessities of life would be to prepare you beforehand; to "ready" yourself for times when these things may not be easily available.
Now that we know what not to concern ourselves with. What shall we do concerning persecution? We are told to live holy lives, to be watchful at all times, pray without ceasing, and to resist temptation. The major thing that we need to pray for, is strength. The strength to resist the temptation to compromise if we are being persecuted. The strength to be able to escape (come through unscathed) the events of the last days and most importantly the strength to stand (with moral correctness and holiness) before God at the Bema Seat judgment.(2 Cor. 5:10) Jude tells us how to receive a positive judgment in vss. 21 and 24 - "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life...To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy." (NIV)
We are given the specifics on how to perform our christian duty in Eph. 6:10-18 - “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)
God has provided us with everything we need for faithful living in the latter days. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God are all the equipment necessary to successfully see us through the persecution of the end times.
BUT
Jesus affirms for us in Luke 22:35-36, that there is a time for walking in faith and a time to realize the practicalities of life. “Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"
"Nothing," they answered. 36He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” (NIV) The book of Proverbs also offers a couple pieces of advice on preparation. Prov. 30:25 - “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer” (NIV) and Prov. 27:12 - “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (NIV)
We know that for the most part, persecution won’t really get intense until the latter half of Daniel’s 70th week. So, how do we survive until that time? Of course, we must always rely upon God and His leading, but since He has graciously given us ample warning to prepare for the hard times to come, how should we prepare?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Problem with Dispensationalism - Part 3
I think this adequately shows that dispensationalism stands on shaky ground. The pre-trib rapture belief stands on the two legs of dispensationalism and imminence. If one or both can be shown as an inadequate understanding of scripture than the honest christian searching for a truthful understanding of bible prophecy must reconsider their stance in the face of all the evidence that is shown to be contrary to their understanding.
I have one final question for all the dispensationalists to consider. If the O.T. is a Jewish testament with Jewish prophecies and no gentile believers in sight, What would you call all those who had faith in God prior to Abraham? There was no Jewish nation, so they must have been Gentiles. In fact, Abraham, the Father of the Jewish nation was not Jewish by blood, he was a gentile and only became a Jew spiritually because God chose him.
I do not claim that all pre-wrath adherents believe the way I do about dispensationalism. What I believe on this issue are the results of many hours of personal study and they are my personal opinions. I do not believe that one group, the church, will be part of a Heavenly Kingdom while the Jews will stay here on earth in an Earthly Kingdom. What Scripture is used to determine this separation of people?
It boils down to the prophecies given to Israel in O.T. books like Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, the minor prophets, etc. One that stands out, however, is Dan. 9:24 - "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place”. (KJV)
I agree with most dispensationalists on this one issue, that there is a prophesied period of seven years that is still to come but I disagree with them on what the 70th week consists of and the timing and details of various prophetic events within the context of the 70th week. This is an important scripture for dispensationalists but because world events will be happening to the gentile nations as well, and not just the jews, I do not give this the separatist authority that they give it.
I do not say I don't believe in any dispensation what-so-ever. What I am trying to point out is that pre-trib rapturists take dispensationalism to such an extreme ideal that it has taken on a meaning that was never intended or, in my opinion, taught in the bible. Let me give you a couple of scriptures that you are probably familiar of within the context of the "church" but I believe there is more to them than meets the eye, and from what is normally taught from the pulpit.
Rom. 12:4-5 - "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and indi-vidually members one of another." (NIV)
I believe that there is a partial separation between national "earthly" Israel and the church. For example, if a Jew converts to christianity, he maintains his nationality as an Italian or a Japanese person would do, but spiritually they become members of the Body of Christ and their nationality has no special significance nor has it ever since Christ was crucified. I do not believe that a Jewish christian has any more or less standing before God than a gentile christian does. I believe all the old testament saints and all Jewish believers, dead or living prior to the rapture, will rule and reign with us in heaven and there is no special earthly kingdom for them. I believe this because of the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard found in Matt. 20: 1-16.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' 7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' 9 "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 "When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered and said to one of them, ' Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last." (NIV)
I equate the "early morning" to "prior to Noah". The "third hour" from Noah to Abraham. The "sixth hour" from Abraham to Christ. The "ninth hour" from Christ through the 70th week and the "eleventh hour" to those saved within the millennial era.
All will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven equally, however the rewards we receive because of our obedience and faithful work performed for God will vary with each individual. What about the promises to Israel regarding the land of Israel? The Israelites are still God's chosen earthly people and He will set up His millennial kingdom in Israel with Jerusalem as His capitol. Those Israelites who survived Daniel’s 70th week and Armageddon, will retain their humanity entering the millennium (Rev. 12:14) along with the 144,000 and will be the base of the earthly kingdom for the Jews that was promised by God. God always fulfills His promises. But that is all it is; a promise fulfilled.
The gentiles who retain their humanity and survive the sheep and goat judgment of Matt. 25 will be envious of them because Jesus is reigning in their homeland but Jesus will rule both Israel and the gentile nations equally with an iron scepter. The Israelites and gentiles of this millennial era who commit themselves to Christ will become part of and not separate from the Body of Christ and when they die and are resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment, after the millennium, they will join the church as part of His eternal body because God sees us as all one, united to Him through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They are part of the Body of Christ but have a different function (Rom. 12:4-5) in their time than we do in ours.
I have one final question for all the dispensationalists to consider. If the O.T. is a Jewish testament with Jewish prophecies and no gentile believers in sight, What would you call all those who had faith in God prior to Abraham? There was no Jewish nation, so they must have been Gentiles. In fact, Abraham, the Father of the Jewish nation was not Jewish by blood, he was a gentile and only became a Jew spiritually because God chose him.
I do not claim that all pre-wrath adherents believe the way I do about dispensationalism. What I believe on this issue are the results of many hours of personal study and they are my personal opinions. I do not believe that one group, the church, will be part of a Heavenly Kingdom while the Jews will stay here on earth in an Earthly Kingdom. What Scripture is used to determine this separation of people?
It boils down to the prophecies given to Israel in O.T. books like Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, the minor prophets, etc. One that stands out, however, is Dan. 9:24 - "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place”. (KJV)
I agree with most dispensationalists on this one issue, that there is a prophesied period of seven years that is still to come but I disagree with them on what the 70th week consists of and the timing and details of various prophetic events within the context of the 70th week. This is an important scripture for dispensationalists but because world events will be happening to the gentile nations as well, and not just the jews, I do not give this the separatist authority that they give it.
I do not say I don't believe in any dispensation what-so-ever. What I am trying to point out is that pre-trib rapturists take dispensationalism to such an extreme ideal that it has taken on a meaning that was never intended or, in my opinion, taught in the bible. Let me give you a couple of scriptures that you are probably familiar of within the context of the "church" but I believe there is more to them than meets the eye, and from what is normally taught from the pulpit.
Rom. 12:4-5 - "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and indi-vidually members one of another." (NIV)
I believe that there is a partial separation between national "earthly" Israel and the church. For example, if a Jew converts to christianity, he maintains his nationality as an Italian or a Japanese person would do, but spiritually they become members of the Body of Christ and their nationality has no special significance nor has it ever since Christ was crucified. I do not believe that a Jewish christian has any more or less standing before God than a gentile christian does. I believe all the old testament saints and all Jewish believers, dead or living prior to the rapture, will rule and reign with us in heaven and there is no special earthly kingdom for them. I believe this because of the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard found in Matt. 20: 1-16.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' 7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' 9 "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 "When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered and said to one of them, ' Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last." (NIV)
I equate the "early morning" to "prior to Noah". The "third hour" from Noah to Abraham. The "sixth hour" from Abraham to Christ. The "ninth hour" from Christ through the 70th week and the "eleventh hour" to those saved within the millennial era.
All will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven equally, however the rewards we receive because of our obedience and faithful work performed for God will vary with each individual. What about the promises to Israel regarding the land of Israel? The Israelites are still God's chosen earthly people and He will set up His millennial kingdom in Israel with Jerusalem as His capitol. Those Israelites who survived Daniel’s 70th week and Armageddon, will retain their humanity entering the millennium (Rev. 12:14) along with the 144,000 and will be the base of the earthly kingdom for the Jews that was promised by God. God always fulfills His promises. But that is all it is; a promise fulfilled.
The gentiles who retain their humanity and survive the sheep and goat judgment of Matt. 25 will be envious of them because Jesus is reigning in their homeland but Jesus will rule both Israel and the gentile nations equally with an iron scepter. The Israelites and gentiles of this millennial era who commit themselves to Christ will become part of and not separate from the Body of Christ and when they die and are resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment, after the millennium, they will join the church as part of His eternal body because God sees us as all one, united to Him through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They are part of the Body of Christ but have a different function (Rom. 12:4-5) in their time than we do in ours.
The Problem with Dispensationalism - Part 2
A promise to Israel -
"On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; - Amos 9:11
Fulfilled by the church -
"Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. "And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' "Known to God from eternity are all His works. - Acts 15:14-18
In the same manner there are many Old Testament passages referring to Israel that are in the New Testament applied directly to the church.
Spoken of Israel -
"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. - Joel 2:28-32
Fulfilled in the church -
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place..."But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.' - Acts 2:1,16-21
Spoken of Israel -
'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." - Exodus 19:6
Fulfilled in the church -
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1 Peter 2:9
Spoken of Israel -
"My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. -Ezekiel 37:27
Fulfilled in the church -
“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." - 2 Cor 6:16
Spoken of Israel -
"Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. - Lev 19:2
Fulfilled in the church -
“…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:15-16
Spoken of Israel -
"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- - Jer 31:31
Fulfilled in the church -
“Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. - Luke 22:20”
Dispensationalists, determined to cling to their false distinction between Israel and the church are forced to abandon the new testament's application to the church.
Albertus Pieters, however, representing non-dispensational commentators in general, explains:
"This is entirely correct [that Israel is meant in Jeremiah 31], and it is to the house of Israel that the fulfillment came. The objection arises from a failure to perceive that the Christian church in its origin was an Israelite body, fully qualified to claim the promises made to Israel.... The Christian church, once having been established, had many Gentiles come into it, but that did not make it a "church from among the Gentiles", any more than the naturalization of many Italians in our country makes this a nation from among the Italians.... they were all Israelite members of the Old Covenant people of God, to whom the promise had been made. Strictly in line with the promise and with the prevailing principle of the covenant history, to them, the believing remnant, the promise of the New Covenant was fulfilled. That promise was, "To the House of Israel and the House of Judah," and to the designated parties the fulfillment came; to all who were, in the sight of God and according to a just interpretation of history, still worthy of the name: "Israel and Judah.".... In all this, are we spiritualizing the prophecy as some allege? Not at all. We are stating a historical fact, clearly contained in the sacred records, that in or about the spring of the year 30 A.D., the mass of those who then called themselves Israelites ceased to be such for prophetic and covenant purpose, having forfeited their citizenship in the common-wealth of Israel by refusing to accept the Messiah, and that after this event all the privileges of the Abrahamic Covenant and all the promises of God belonged to the believing remnant, and to them only; which remnant was therefore and thereafter the true Israel and Judah, and the Seed of Abraham, the Christian church. Thus the promise was fulfilled strictly and definitely to the designated parties."
"On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; - Amos 9:11
Fulfilled by the church -
"Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. "And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' "Known to God from eternity are all His works. - Acts 15:14-18
In the same manner there are many Old Testament passages referring to Israel that are in the New Testament applied directly to the church.
Spoken of Israel -
"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. - Joel 2:28-32
Fulfilled in the church -
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place..."But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.' - Acts 2:1,16-21
Spoken of Israel -
'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." - Exodus 19:6
Fulfilled in the church -
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1 Peter 2:9
Spoken of Israel -
"My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. -Ezekiel 37:27
Fulfilled in the church -
“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." - 2 Cor 6:16
Spoken of Israel -
"Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. - Lev 19:2
Fulfilled in the church -
“…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:15-16
Spoken of Israel -
"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- - Jer 31:31
Fulfilled in the church -
“Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. - Luke 22:20”
Dispensationalists, determined to cling to their false distinction between Israel and the church are forced to abandon the new testament's application to the church.
Albertus Pieters, however, representing non-dispensational commentators in general, explains:
"This is entirely correct [that Israel is meant in Jeremiah 31], and it is to the house of Israel that the fulfillment came. The objection arises from a failure to perceive that the Christian church in its origin was an Israelite body, fully qualified to claim the promises made to Israel.... The Christian church, once having been established, had many Gentiles come into it, but that did not make it a "church from among the Gentiles", any more than the naturalization of many Italians in our country makes this a nation from among the Italians.... they were all Israelite members of the Old Covenant people of God, to whom the promise had been made. Strictly in line with the promise and with the prevailing principle of the covenant history, to them, the believing remnant, the promise of the New Covenant was fulfilled. That promise was, "To the House of Israel and the House of Judah," and to the designated parties the fulfillment came; to all who were, in the sight of God and according to a just interpretation of history, still worthy of the name: "Israel and Judah.".... In all this, are we spiritualizing the prophecy as some allege? Not at all. We are stating a historical fact, clearly contained in the sacred records, that in or about the spring of the year 30 A.D., the mass of those who then called themselves Israelites ceased to be such for prophetic and covenant purpose, having forfeited their citizenship in the common-wealth of Israel by refusing to accept the Messiah, and that after this event all the privileges of the Abrahamic Covenant and all the promises of God belonged to the believing remnant, and to them only; which remnant was therefore and thereafter the true Israel and Judah, and the Seed of Abraham, the Christian church. Thus the promise was fulfilled strictly and definitely to the designated parties."
The Problem with Dispensationalism - Part 1
If you’ll notice in Rev. 1:4, it is addressed to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Not synagogues, not temples but churches. The whole book is written to us and for us, the church, the Body of Christ. This brings us to the topic of Dispensationalism. This is the belief that Israel and the church are eternally separate and God will always deal with each group separately.
It is important when studying Bible Prophecy to begin with a correct understanding of God’s dealings with humanity. It is my opinion that dispensationalism, as it is commonly understood today, distorts the historical picture which leads some scholars to make false conclusions based on an inaccurate understanding of God’s plan. Now I am not saying that I have a better understanding than anyone else or that God has let me in on the secrets of the universe. I just look at things differently than dispensational pre-tribulation rapturists.
I was raised Pentecostal and learned and believed in those theories since childhood. However, I read a book called "The Pre-wrath Rapture of the Church", by Marv Rosenthal, that challenged what I was always taught. I did not instantly change my theology because of that book. I devoted myself to studying biblical eschatology for myself with no pre-conceived notions and asked myself, “What if dispensationalism was wrong? Does the bible really teach a pre-trib rapture?” I studied for several months the various end-times theologies and the results were life changing. I found that what I had always been taught as "truth" stood on very shaky ground.
Dispensationalists see God pursuing two goals throughout history. An earthly kingdom for the Jews and a heavenly kingdom for the church. Membership in Israel is by natural birth while one enters the Church by supernatural birth. They believe that in the O.T., God promised the Jews an earthly kingdom ruled by Messiah ben David and that when Christ came, He offered that prophesied kingdom to the Jews. When they rejected Him and His earthly kingdom, the promise was postponed and a "mystery form" of the kingdom was established, the "church". The church according to dispensational doctrine was unforeseen in the O.T. and constitutes an interruption but not a discontinuation of God’s plan for Israel. In the future, the separation between the "church" and the "Jews" will be re-established and this separation will continue for all eternity. They believe this interruption, aka, the "church age" will end at the rapture when Christ takes away all living and dead believers (but not the O.T. saints) to heaven to celebrate the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb" for seven years. God’s program for the Jews will then resume with the Anti-Christ, seal, trumpet and bowl judgments and a 144,000 Jewish preachers spreading the gospel (calling the 144,000 preachers is strictly a pre-trib doctrine. No where in scripture does it say they do anything except get sealed for protection. What they fail to realize is they are acknowledging that God will not leave the earth w/o a witness, but that witness will be the still here church) and concluding with Armageddon. Then the Second Coming, the instantaneous conversion of the entire Jewish population, the resurrection of the tribulation and old testament saints and of course the millennium and all that goes with it. Modern dispensationalism varies from older pre-millenialism in several ways. Older pre-millennialism taught:
1. The church was foreseen in the Old Testament.
2. The majority of Old Testament prophecy foretold the coming of Christ to die for our sins followed by a second coming to reclaim His earthly kingdom.
3. The present age of grace was designed by God and predicted in the Old Testament.
4. That one could divide the biblical timeline any way they chose as long as they allowed for a millennial era after His second coming.
5. That specific signs must precede His second Coming.
6. There are two resurrections, the righteous before the Millennium and the unrighteous after the Millennium prior to the Great White Throne Judgment.
Modern Dispensationalism teaches the only way to divide biblical time is in seven dispensations. The church era is the sixth dispensation and the last one will be the millennial age after the second coming. It is from this division of time that Dispensationalism gets its name. They also teach that no signs precede the "rapture-stage" of the Second Coming, which according to their theology may occur at any moment. However, they state that there are signs that precede the "revelation-stage" of His second coming. They believe that the first stage is undated and not announced but the second stage is dated and announced.
Dispensationalism has introduced a third resurrection. The so-called tribulation saints after Armageddon. It has taken a far more rigid standpoint and several new approaches to prophetic interpretation that the church hadn’t heard of until just a couple of centuries ago. In contrast, Christian theology has always seen the unity of Israel and the church. The elect of all the ages are seen as one people, with one Savior, one destiny. This can be shown by examining a few Old Testament prophesies with their fulfillment.
If the church is found fulfilling any of “Israel's” promises as contained in the new testament or anywhere else in scripture, then modern dispensational theology is refuted. (The following scripture quotes are all from the NKJV)
A promise to Israel -
"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living God.' - Hosea 1:10
Fulfilled by the church -
“What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God." - Romans 9:22-26
A promise to Israel -
“Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'" - Hosea 2:23
Fulfilled by the church -
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. -1 Peter 2:9-10
It is important when studying Bible Prophecy to begin with a correct understanding of God’s dealings with humanity. It is my opinion that dispensationalism, as it is commonly understood today, distorts the historical picture which leads some scholars to make false conclusions based on an inaccurate understanding of God’s plan. Now I am not saying that I have a better understanding than anyone else or that God has let me in on the secrets of the universe. I just look at things differently than dispensational pre-tribulation rapturists.
I was raised Pentecostal and learned and believed in those theories since childhood. However, I read a book called "The Pre-wrath Rapture of the Church", by Marv Rosenthal, that challenged what I was always taught. I did not instantly change my theology because of that book. I devoted myself to studying biblical eschatology for myself with no pre-conceived notions and asked myself, “What if dispensationalism was wrong? Does the bible really teach a pre-trib rapture?” I studied for several months the various end-times theologies and the results were life changing. I found that what I had always been taught as "truth" stood on very shaky ground.
Dispensationalists see God pursuing two goals throughout history. An earthly kingdom for the Jews and a heavenly kingdom for the church. Membership in Israel is by natural birth while one enters the Church by supernatural birth. They believe that in the O.T., God promised the Jews an earthly kingdom ruled by Messiah ben David and that when Christ came, He offered that prophesied kingdom to the Jews. When they rejected Him and His earthly kingdom, the promise was postponed and a "mystery form" of the kingdom was established, the "church". The church according to dispensational doctrine was unforeseen in the O.T. and constitutes an interruption but not a discontinuation of God’s plan for Israel. In the future, the separation between the "church" and the "Jews" will be re-established and this separation will continue for all eternity. They believe this interruption, aka, the "church age" will end at the rapture when Christ takes away all living and dead believers (but not the O.T. saints) to heaven to celebrate the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb" for seven years. God’s program for the Jews will then resume with the Anti-Christ, seal, trumpet and bowl judgments and a 144,000 Jewish preachers spreading the gospel (calling the 144,000 preachers is strictly a pre-trib doctrine. No where in scripture does it say they do anything except get sealed for protection. What they fail to realize is they are acknowledging that God will not leave the earth w/o a witness, but that witness will be the still here church) and concluding with Armageddon. Then the Second Coming, the instantaneous conversion of the entire Jewish population, the resurrection of the tribulation and old testament saints and of course the millennium and all that goes with it. Modern dispensationalism varies from older pre-millenialism in several ways. Older pre-millennialism taught:
1. The church was foreseen in the Old Testament.
2. The majority of Old Testament prophecy foretold the coming of Christ to die for our sins followed by a second coming to reclaim His earthly kingdom.
3. The present age of grace was designed by God and predicted in the Old Testament.
4. That one could divide the biblical timeline any way they chose as long as they allowed for a millennial era after His second coming.
5. That specific signs must precede His second Coming.
6. There are two resurrections, the righteous before the Millennium and the unrighteous after the Millennium prior to the Great White Throne Judgment.
Modern Dispensationalism teaches the only way to divide biblical time is in seven dispensations. The church era is the sixth dispensation and the last one will be the millennial age after the second coming. It is from this division of time that Dispensationalism gets its name. They also teach that no signs precede the "rapture-stage" of the Second Coming, which according to their theology may occur at any moment. However, they state that there are signs that precede the "revelation-stage" of His second coming. They believe that the first stage is undated and not announced but the second stage is dated and announced.
Dispensationalism has introduced a third resurrection. The so-called tribulation saints after Armageddon. It has taken a far more rigid standpoint and several new approaches to prophetic interpretation that the church hadn’t heard of until just a couple of centuries ago. In contrast, Christian theology has always seen the unity of Israel and the church. The elect of all the ages are seen as one people, with one Savior, one destiny. This can be shown by examining a few Old Testament prophesies with their fulfillment.
If the church is found fulfilling any of “Israel's” promises as contained in the new testament or anywhere else in scripture, then modern dispensational theology is refuted. (The following scripture quotes are all from the NKJV)
A promise to Israel -
"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living God.' - Hosea 1:10
Fulfilled by the church -
“What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God." - Romans 9:22-26
A promise to Israel -
“Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'" - Hosea 2:23
Fulfilled by the church -
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. -1 Peter 2:9-10
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Sequence of revelations - Part 3
Rev. 13 introduces the a/c as the Beast out of the Sea and the False Prophet, as the Beast out of the Earth. This chapter is just verifying the characteristics of these two men so that the church will be able to identify them. This covers the period from their arrival in the seals through the trumpet judgments. The Beast of the Earth is described as resembling a leopard w/ feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion with seven heads, and ten horns w/ ten crowns. (remember this description). One of the heads will suffer a fatal wound and will be healed. (copying the death and resurrection of Christ in vs. 3). The Beast of the Earth is described as having two horns and he spoke like a dragon.
I picture the scenario going something like this: Satan arrives on Earth as an angel of light. (2Cor. 11:14). He could be in the form of a human-like highly advanced alien species or maybe a new age Guardian Spirit, probably claiming he is either God or was sent by God. He deceives most of mankind into believing this false identity. He appoints a man whom he has been in communication with to receive his authority, power and throne (vs.4) and he is granted the period of 42 months to reign.(vs.5). The a/c in turn grants to the false prophet the right to exercise his authority and the power to perform miraculous signs. (vss.13-14). This helps to continue the charade and further delude mankind. God will send a powerful delusion to the unbelievers so that they will believe the lie. (2 Thess. 2:11) Verses 15-18 inform us about the Mark of the Beast.
Rev. 14:1-5 brings us back to the 144,000. Verses 6-13 introduces three angels. The first proclaims the eternal gospel and announces the judgments (the bowls of wrath) about to come. The second warns about the fall of Babylon and the third warns about receiving the Mark of the Beast. At this point the rapture will already have occurred but there will be an unknown amount of people persuaded about the truth of God and vs. 13 promises "Blessed are the dead who die in the lord from now on." They will be resurrected in a couple of months. Verses 14-20 show a picture of two harvests. The first harvest could be another picture of the rapture, but the second harvest is the reaping of mankind into the winepress of God‘s wrath.
Rev. 15 introduces the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. Verses 2-4 shows the raptured victorious church including the 70th week martyrs in heaven singing.
Rev. 16 contains the seven bowl judgments that will be poured out in a 30 day period. This 30 day period is the extension of time mentioned in Daniel 12: 11-12 which reads, "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, (which we know is at the mid-point of the 70th week) there will be 1290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1335 days." The remaining 45 days will be explained a little later. God‘s wrath will be completed with the seven final plagues.
The first bowl is poured out on the land and those who have the mark of the beast receive ugly, painful sores. The second bowl is upon the sea and every living thing in the sea dies. The third bowl is poured out on the rivers and springs and there is no more fresh water to be had. The fourth bowl is poured upon the sun and the sun scorches people with fire and intense heat. The fifth bowl is poured out upon the beast (a/c) and his kingdom and plunges it into darkness. Men gnaw their tongues in agony and curse God but still they do not repent. The sixth bowl dries up the river Euphrates to make way for the 200 million man army of China to march towards Armageddon. At this time three frogs come out of Satan, the a/c and the false prophet and the frogs gather the remaining three kings to Armageddon. The kings of the north, south and the forces of the a/c. The 7th bowl is poured out in vs. 17, "and a loud voice from heaven proclaimed, IT IS DONE!" There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and the greatest earthquake the world has ever known. Verse 19 reads, "The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with wine of the fury of his wrath." Just who is Babylon the Great and what part does she play in the latter days? The following two chapters Rev. 17 & 18 answers these questions and more.
Rev. 17 is about the Woman on the Beast. Do you remember the description of the beast back in Rev. 13? Rev. 17:3 & 8-12 describes this beast. This beast is scarlet with seven heads and ten horns and it was covered with blasphemous names. This beast "once was, now is not and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction." Verse 8 tells us that the unbelieving world "will be astounded when they see the beast because he was, now is not and yet will come." This leads me to believe that the world will recognize him as someone that had died. Would you recognize Alexander the Great, Napoleon or any of the Caesars if they were to walk by you on the street in modern day clothing. I think not. Verse 9 goes on to describe "the seven heads as seven hills on which the woman sits.” (some think this may be Rome but I‘m not sure about that yet). If you look at a topographical map of the US in an atlas, you will see in most of them seven mountain ranges listed. Verse 10 says, "They are also seven kings, five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come...". The first five were historical figures in John‘s day, the sixth was the ruler in his day and the 7th is a future king. Verse 11 adds, "The beast (of vs.8) that once was, and now is not, is an 8th king." Verse 12 describes the ten horns as ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom. For one hour they will receive authority to give their power and authority to the beast.
The woman in chapter 17 is described as "sitting on many waters" (vs.1). She is sitting on the scarlet beast. Verse 4 reads, "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries." She has a title written on her forehead, "Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Prostitutes, And Of The Abominations Of The Earth". This "woman is drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus" (vs.6).
In verse 15 it tells us that the waters the woman sits upon "are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages." The next verse is very important. "The beast and the ten horns will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire." The chapter concludes with this description, "The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (vs. 18). I am firmly convinced that this woman is the USA, which means at some point in time this nation will become very anti-christian and will be part of an attack on Israel as pictured in Rev. 18:24. With this chapter the cast of characters for Daniel’s 70th week are completely revealed except for the greatest of them all, the Rider on the White Horse of Rev. 19:11-16, which is our lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
One thing that is important to notice in this chapter is that the beast mentioned here is not the same beast of Rev. 13, although they are similar. The beast in Rev. 13 looked like a leopard with seven heads and ten horns w/ ten crowns on his horns. This beast is scarlet with ten horns and seven crowns upon his seven heads. We can only imagine that they are as yet an unformed on the world‘s political scene. Some folks believe one of them may come from the European Union and that is possible, but it won’t be the EU as we see it today. Some significant event, most likely the seals, will change the world#‘s political scene into something far different then we see it today.
Rev. 18 describes the fall of Babylon. I believe this is a picture of a major nuclear strike upon the USA by the forces of the beast and ten horns as described in Rev. 17:16. The description can only be the USA. In vs. 18, it is asked, "...Was there ever a city like this great city?" As a nation the USA is one of a kind and anything that might resemble it in the future would take far more time then a portion of seven years to create.
Rev. 19 opens with a time of great rejoicing in heaven over the destruction of Babylon and vs. 7 tells us that the wedding between Christ, the groom and His bride, is at hand. You may be wondering what the church has been doing in heaven since the rapture. I feel that it is during this time we have been taking part in what is known as The Bema Seat Judgment of Christ, where believers will be judged by their works according to 1 Cor. 3:12-15. Vs. 11 introduces the Rider on the White Horse, who is Jesus in his role of King of Kings and Lord of Lords, preparing to come to earth for the final battle at Armageddon. I believe that immediately after the battle of Armageddon, the additional 45 days mentioned earlier begins. This time will most likely be used for the Wedding Supper of the Bride and the Lamb, the sheep and goat judgments and for the Feast of Tabernacles with the true Messiah. The Feast of Tabernacles - aka Sukkot: is the most joyous and festive of all Israel‘s feasts. It is the most prominent and is mentioned more in scripture than any other. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri, the 7th month. It lasts seven days and is a reminder of God‘s provision during their 40 year wilderness journey. It is also known as The Feast of Ingathering and is after the fall harvest. It corresponds on our calendar to late September/early October. The day after, the 8th day is a Sabbath. This feast depicts the Harvest of His people. Mal. 4:1-2, Is. 27:12-13, 11:11-12 and Jer. 23:7-8. That He will tabernacle with them is foretold in Ez. 37:27-28 and Rev.21:3. I believe this is also a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and of His final harvest of His chosen people who will enter the Millennial age and repopulate the earth. The end of the chapter shows the final victory of Christ and the beast and the false prophet being tossed into the lake of fire.
Rev.20 opens with Satan being thrown into the Abyss and locked in for a thousand years. Verses 4-6 shows us the thrones upon which believers are sitting because we have been given the authority to judge as told in 1 Cor. 6:2 and the first resurrection. Who is in this first resurrection? I believe it consists of those last minute believers who died after the rapture but refused to take the Mark of the Beast from as told in Rev. 14:13. The chapter closes with Satan being released at the end of the millennium for a short time and the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation closes with a description of the New Jerusalem and the final words of Christ in which He promises his soon return.
In closing, I would like to say that regardless of your rapture belief it would behoove you to prepare for hard times. Also, try not to make this a divisive issue amongst the Body of Christ. As stated in the beginning these are just my thoughts on the subject and are not to be taken as a personal revelation or the gospel according me. I would like to leave you with this blessing.
May you and your household find peace and safety in Him. May you be a beacon of light to the lost and the fearing. May the Holy Spirit bathe you in understanding, and may all your family and friends rejoice with you in heaven and bless you with their presence for eternity. Amen!
I picture the scenario going something like this: Satan arrives on Earth as an angel of light. (2Cor. 11:14). He could be in the form of a human-like highly advanced alien species or maybe a new age Guardian Spirit, probably claiming he is either God or was sent by God. He deceives most of mankind into believing this false identity. He appoints a man whom he has been in communication with to receive his authority, power and throne (vs.4) and he is granted the period of 42 months to reign.(vs.5). The a/c in turn grants to the false prophet the right to exercise his authority and the power to perform miraculous signs. (vss.13-14). This helps to continue the charade and further delude mankind. God will send a powerful delusion to the unbelievers so that they will believe the lie. (2 Thess. 2:11) Verses 15-18 inform us about the Mark of the Beast.
Rev. 14:1-5 brings us back to the 144,000. Verses 6-13 introduces three angels. The first proclaims the eternal gospel and announces the judgments (the bowls of wrath) about to come. The second warns about the fall of Babylon and the third warns about receiving the Mark of the Beast. At this point the rapture will already have occurred but there will be an unknown amount of people persuaded about the truth of God and vs. 13 promises "Blessed are the dead who die in the lord from now on." They will be resurrected in a couple of months. Verses 14-20 show a picture of two harvests. The first harvest could be another picture of the rapture, but the second harvest is the reaping of mankind into the winepress of God‘s wrath.
Rev. 15 introduces the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. Verses 2-4 shows the raptured victorious church including the 70th week martyrs in heaven singing.
Rev. 16 contains the seven bowl judgments that will be poured out in a 30 day period. This 30 day period is the extension of time mentioned in Daniel 12: 11-12 which reads, "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, (which we know is at the mid-point of the 70th week) there will be 1290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1335 days." The remaining 45 days will be explained a little later. God‘s wrath will be completed with the seven final plagues.
The first bowl is poured out on the land and those who have the mark of the beast receive ugly, painful sores. The second bowl is upon the sea and every living thing in the sea dies. The third bowl is poured out on the rivers and springs and there is no more fresh water to be had. The fourth bowl is poured upon the sun and the sun scorches people with fire and intense heat. The fifth bowl is poured out upon the beast (a/c) and his kingdom and plunges it into darkness. Men gnaw their tongues in agony and curse God but still they do not repent. The sixth bowl dries up the river Euphrates to make way for the 200 million man army of China to march towards Armageddon. At this time three frogs come out of Satan, the a/c and the false prophet and the frogs gather the remaining three kings to Armageddon. The kings of the north, south and the forces of the a/c. The 7th bowl is poured out in vs. 17, "and a loud voice from heaven proclaimed, IT IS DONE!" There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and the greatest earthquake the world has ever known. Verse 19 reads, "The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with wine of the fury of his wrath." Just who is Babylon the Great and what part does she play in the latter days? The following two chapters Rev. 17 & 18 answers these questions and more.
Rev. 17 is about the Woman on the Beast. Do you remember the description of the beast back in Rev. 13? Rev. 17:3 & 8-12 describes this beast. This beast is scarlet with seven heads and ten horns and it was covered with blasphemous names. This beast "once was, now is not and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction." Verse 8 tells us that the unbelieving world "will be astounded when they see the beast because he was, now is not and yet will come." This leads me to believe that the world will recognize him as someone that had died. Would you recognize Alexander the Great, Napoleon or any of the Caesars if they were to walk by you on the street in modern day clothing. I think not. Verse 9 goes on to describe "the seven heads as seven hills on which the woman sits.” (some think this may be Rome but I‘m not sure about that yet). If you look at a topographical map of the US in an atlas, you will see in most of them seven mountain ranges listed. Verse 10 says, "They are also seven kings, five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come...". The first five were historical figures in John‘s day, the sixth was the ruler in his day and the 7th is a future king. Verse 11 adds, "The beast (of vs.8) that once was, and now is not, is an 8th king." Verse 12 describes the ten horns as ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom. For one hour they will receive authority to give their power and authority to the beast.
The woman in chapter 17 is described as "sitting on many waters" (vs.1). She is sitting on the scarlet beast. Verse 4 reads, "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries." She has a title written on her forehead, "Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Prostitutes, And Of The Abominations Of The Earth". This "woman is drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus" (vs.6).
In verse 15 it tells us that the waters the woman sits upon "are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages." The next verse is very important. "The beast and the ten horns will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire." The chapter concludes with this description, "The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (vs. 18). I am firmly convinced that this woman is the USA, which means at some point in time this nation will become very anti-christian and will be part of an attack on Israel as pictured in Rev. 18:24. With this chapter the cast of characters for Daniel’s 70th week are completely revealed except for the greatest of them all, the Rider on the White Horse of Rev. 19:11-16, which is our lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
One thing that is important to notice in this chapter is that the beast mentioned here is not the same beast of Rev. 13, although they are similar. The beast in Rev. 13 looked like a leopard with seven heads and ten horns w/ ten crowns on his horns. This beast is scarlet with ten horns and seven crowns upon his seven heads. We can only imagine that they are as yet an unformed on the world‘s political scene. Some folks believe one of them may come from the European Union and that is possible, but it won’t be the EU as we see it today. Some significant event, most likely the seals, will change the world#‘s political scene into something far different then we see it today.
Rev. 18 describes the fall of Babylon. I believe this is a picture of a major nuclear strike upon the USA by the forces of the beast and ten horns as described in Rev. 17:16. The description can only be the USA. In vs. 18, it is asked, "...Was there ever a city like this great city?" As a nation the USA is one of a kind and anything that might resemble it in the future would take far more time then a portion of seven years to create.
Rev. 19 opens with a time of great rejoicing in heaven over the destruction of Babylon and vs. 7 tells us that the wedding between Christ, the groom and His bride, is at hand. You may be wondering what the church has been doing in heaven since the rapture. I feel that it is during this time we have been taking part in what is known as The Bema Seat Judgment of Christ, where believers will be judged by their works according to 1 Cor. 3:12-15. Vs. 11 introduces the Rider on the White Horse, who is Jesus in his role of King of Kings and Lord of Lords, preparing to come to earth for the final battle at Armageddon. I believe that immediately after the battle of Armageddon, the additional 45 days mentioned earlier begins. This time will most likely be used for the Wedding Supper of the Bride and the Lamb, the sheep and goat judgments and for the Feast of Tabernacles with the true Messiah. The Feast of Tabernacles - aka Sukkot: is the most joyous and festive of all Israel‘s feasts. It is the most prominent and is mentioned more in scripture than any other. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri, the 7th month. It lasts seven days and is a reminder of God‘s provision during their 40 year wilderness journey. It is also known as The Feast of Ingathering and is after the fall harvest. It corresponds on our calendar to late September/early October. The day after, the 8th day is a Sabbath. This feast depicts the Harvest of His people. Mal. 4:1-2, Is. 27:12-13, 11:11-12 and Jer. 23:7-8. That He will tabernacle with them is foretold in Ez. 37:27-28 and Rev.21:3. I believe this is also a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and of His final harvest of His chosen people who will enter the Millennial age and repopulate the earth. The end of the chapter shows the final victory of Christ and the beast and the false prophet being tossed into the lake of fire.
Rev.20 opens with Satan being thrown into the Abyss and locked in for a thousand years. Verses 4-6 shows us the thrones upon which believers are sitting because we have been given the authority to judge as told in 1 Cor. 6:2 and the first resurrection. Who is in this first resurrection? I believe it consists of those last minute believers who died after the rapture but refused to take the Mark of the Beast from as told in Rev. 14:13. The chapter closes with Satan being released at the end of the millennium for a short time and the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation closes with a description of the New Jerusalem and the final words of Christ in which He promises his soon return.
In closing, I would like to say that regardless of your rapture belief it would behoove you to prepare for hard times. Also, try not to make this a divisive issue amongst the Body of Christ. As stated in the beginning these are just my thoughts on the subject and are not to be taken as a personal revelation or the gospel according me. I would like to leave you with this blessing.
May you and your household find peace and safety in Him. May you be a beacon of light to the lost and the fearing. May the Holy Spirit bathe you in understanding, and may all your family and friends rejoice with you in heaven and bless you with their presence for eternity. Amen!
The Sequence of Revelations - Part 2
Pestilence & earthquakes: Matt. 24:7c Mark 13:8c Luke 21:11 Rev.6:7-8
This is the fourth seal. The rider on pale horse signifies death and pestilence. This probably signifies Satan when he is cast out of heaven in Rev. 12:9. He is followed closely by Hades/Hell which could be considered the home for the destruction of the soul. And who brings destruction, the Destroyer which is what the names Abaddon & Apollyon mean in Rev. 9:11. All these things are the beginning of sorrows, and the birth pangs but not the wrath of God. This most likely occurs prior to the mid-point of Daniel‘s 70th week and before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Other events that may occur around this time are the arrival of the two witnesses (Rev.11), the A/C sitting on the throne and demanding to be worshiped as well as the erection of his image found "standing" in the holy place. This is pictured in Matt. 24:15, Mark 13:14, and Rev. 12:13, 13: 6 & 14-15. But wait, the comparison doesn’t end here as a lot of folks would like it to.
Martyrdom: Matt. 24:9-28 Mark 13:9-23 Luke 21:12-13-24 Rev. 6:9-11
The fifth seal portrays the partial results of the time known as the Great Tribulation where believers will be martyred because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained. This is also shown in Rev. 12:11 & 17, 13:7-10 & 15 and 14:12-13. The martyrs are told that judgment won#‘t begin until the appointed number of martyred dead has been reached. If a pre-trib rapture had occurred, this would be considered part of God‘s wrath but this scripture clearly shows that this is a separate time from judgment. In verse 10, the phrase "the inhabitants of the earth" is used ("those who dwell on the earth" in the KJV). This phrase is used consistently throughout Revelations to signify those that support Satan & a/c and oppose God and his elect who are still on earth at this time.
Cosmic Disturbances: Matt. 24:29 Mark 13:24-25 Luke 21:25 Rev. 6: 12-13
The sixth seal is evidenced by much cosmic disturbance and signs in the sun, moon and stars. This is the sign spoken of back in Matt. 24:3. When we see these signs in the heavens, Luke 21:28, tells us to, ..."stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near."
Now it is just after this point in time where a couple of events happen almost at once at the opening of the seventh seal. In Rev. 6:17 it says, "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand." This should utilize the aorist tense. The literal translation of "has come" is "the day of their wrath began to come." Also known as the Day of the Lord, the arrival is described in Joel 2:28-32, Is. 13:6-10 and Zep. 1:14-18. The most important event occurring at this time is the rapture of the saints as pictured in: Matt. 24:30-31, Mark 13:26-27, Luke 21:27-28, Rev. 7:9, 14:14-16 and 19:6-8. They all show our gathering/arrival in heaven. The rapture might occur somewhere before or just after the 5th year of Daniel’s 70th week. As mentioned earlier this where the significance of Rev. 5:11 comes in. We see in Rev. 7:9, "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count..." This is the rapture, not a separate set of "tribulations saints" as the pre-trib believers like to think of them. A group by the way that is nowhere alluded to in scripture. This group is so large they can’t be counted, but John was able to number thousands and thousands and ten thousand upon ten thousand angels in 5:11. According to the pre-trib theory, these so-called trib saints will be trickling into heaven one at a time or in small groups as they are killed. Obviously this verse doesn’t show that. They all appear suddenly, at the same time. They are called Tribulation saints because that is what was occurring on the earth just prior to the rapture.
Rev. 8 begins with the opening of the 7th seal. There is silence in heaven for about half an hour. This happens to fulfill the scripture found in Zep. 1:7. "Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited." The 7th seal contains the seven trumpets that begin the Day of the Lord/Wrath of God. The first four trumpet judgments appear to occur in rapid succession. This could be a picture of a meteor storm with a couple of large ones striking the earth or parts of a comet. The fourth trumpet could be the result of the first three trumpets. The first four trumpets affect 1/3 of nature. The announcement of the "three woes" which are the last three trumpets about to plague the inhabitants of the earth close the eighth chapter. These trumpets will affect 1/3 of mankind.
Rev. 9 begins with a star that had fallen from the sky. I believe this star is Abaddon/Apollyon one of those that will be swept from heaven by the dragon‘s tail in Rev. 12:4 and he is king over everything that comes out of the Abyss. This is the first woe/fifth trumpet. The second woe/sixth trumpet releases the four angels that were bound at the river Euphrates to set loose a 200 million man army (China). They will eventually arrive at Armageddon but they will probably make some strategic nuclear strikes first. China is known as the kings of the east.
Rev. 10 mostly remains a mystery because what the seven thunders said was sealed up. However vs. 7 is important in the sequence of Revelations. It reads, "But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished..." The mystery of God here is the miracle of gentiles being grafted into Israel.
Rev.11 introduces us to the two witnesses and goes back to the mid-point of Daniel‘s 70th week. There is much debate over their identity but I won‘t get into that because it has no bearing on the issue at hand. Some of the facts of their ministry is important though. They are given 1260 days or 3 1/2 years. They will begin their testimony at the mid-point of Daniel‘s 70th week. They will focus mainly on the jews but may have a word or two of encouragement for us Christians who will still be on the earth at the beginning of their ministry. They suffer a martyr‘s death and are raptured up to heaven after 3 1/2 days. Their rapture and the great earthquake in Jerusalem that follows will end the second woe/sixth trumpet. There is one thing I would like to point out in vs. 2, the gentiles are given 42 months to trample on the holy city. This verse when combined with Dan. 9:24 and Luke 21:24 make clear that the 70th week of Daniel and the times of the Gentiles must conclude at the same time, somewhere between the 6th and 7th trumpet. Rev. 11:15 is the 7th trumpet which contains the seven bowl judgments and the verse states, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." AT THIS POINT IN TIME DANIEL’S 70TH WEEK IS OVER. JESUS HAS RECLAIMED THE THRONE OF THE EARTH. This is also backed up by Rev.11:19 which speaks of "flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. This is the same picture as given in Rev. 16:18-21.
This 7th trumpet is not the last trump of 1 Cor. 15:52 as is commonly believed. The last trump is the following. The Feast of Trumpets - aka Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year". This holiday is celebrated on the 1st & 2nd of Tishri, the religious 7th month and the first month of their "civil" new year. It is celebrated alongside Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The interval between the last of the spring feasts - Pentecost and the first of the fall feasts - Trumpets corresponds to this present age. Pentecost began the Church age and Trumpets, which will signal the Messiah#‘s Second Coming will end it. This is the last "trump" spoken of in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:16, not the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelations.
The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had three primary functions. The first was to call a solemn assembly, the second, when Israel under Divine direction was to go to war and the third was at the coronation of a new king. There are two major themes associated with The Day of the Lord. The first is deliverance of the righteous and the second is the judgment of the wicked. In connection with His Second Coming, Jesus will first call His own to Himself, the Rapture, and then will go to war against His enemies, concluding with His Coronation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This date corresponds on our calendar to September/October. It is also known as Israel‘s "Dark Day". It is the only feast that occurs at the new moon when the primary night light of the heavens is darkened. Amos 5:18-20, Zeph. 1:14-16. As the new moon is darkened so will the heavens be divinely darkened at the future Day of the Lord. Joel 2:31, 3:15 and Rev. 6:12-17. God‘s wrath will be on both the world and Israel to prepare her for repentance and her National Day of Atonement, the 6th feast. At the "last trump", the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, Zech. 9:14 and not an angel as depicted in Revelations. This last time that God blows the trumpet will signal the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord‘s wrath upon the earth. 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1 Thess. 4:16-17. What follows is the first act of his reign. This will be the rapid succession of the bowl judgments beginning in Rev. 16 which will purify the earth. All will occur in the span of thirty days.
Wait a minute! What about chapters 12-15? Ok, ok, here is what they are about!
Rev. 12 opens with "a great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven". The first part of this chapter gives us a quick overview of what led us to this point in time. The sign is the Star of Bethlehem. The woman w/ a twelve star crown is Israel. The dragon in vss. 3-4 is Satan. The time the dragon is waiting to devour the child is when Herod caused all the children under two to be killed. The son in vs. 5 is Jesus. Verse six brings us back to the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week. The woman in vs. 6 is believing Israel who flees when they recognize the a/c is not the messiah. The following verses describe the a/c#‘s attempt to destroy believing Israel and when he fails at that, he turns his wrath towards the church which is still on earth at this time. This is the inauguration of the Great Trib. This section of scripture puts another kink in the pre-trib rapture theory. Satan doesn‘t get banished from his role of accuser in heaven until the 70th week is half over. If there were a pre-trib rapture, that would put Satan up there accusing us while we the supposed bride are being wed to the groom Jesus. Somehow I don’t think Satan is invited to the wedding. Do you?
This is the fourth seal. The rider on pale horse signifies death and pestilence. This probably signifies Satan when he is cast out of heaven in Rev. 12:9. He is followed closely by Hades/Hell which could be considered the home for the destruction of the soul. And who brings destruction, the Destroyer which is what the names Abaddon & Apollyon mean in Rev. 9:11. All these things are the beginning of sorrows, and the birth pangs but not the wrath of God. This most likely occurs prior to the mid-point of Daniel‘s 70th week and before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Other events that may occur around this time are the arrival of the two witnesses (Rev.11), the A/C sitting on the throne and demanding to be worshiped as well as the erection of his image found "standing" in the holy place. This is pictured in Matt. 24:15, Mark 13:14, and Rev. 12:13, 13: 6 & 14-15. But wait, the comparison doesn’t end here as a lot of folks would like it to.
Martyrdom: Matt. 24:9-28 Mark 13:9-23 Luke 21:12-13-24 Rev. 6:9-11
The fifth seal portrays the partial results of the time known as the Great Tribulation where believers will be martyred because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained. This is also shown in Rev. 12:11 & 17, 13:7-10 & 15 and 14:12-13. The martyrs are told that judgment won#‘t begin until the appointed number of martyred dead has been reached. If a pre-trib rapture had occurred, this would be considered part of God‘s wrath but this scripture clearly shows that this is a separate time from judgment. In verse 10, the phrase "the inhabitants of the earth" is used ("those who dwell on the earth" in the KJV). This phrase is used consistently throughout Revelations to signify those that support Satan & a/c and oppose God and his elect who are still on earth at this time.
Cosmic Disturbances: Matt. 24:29 Mark 13:24-25 Luke 21:25 Rev. 6: 12-13
The sixth seal is evidenced by much cosmic disturbance and signs in the sun, moon and stars. This is the sign spoken of back in Matt. 24:3. When we see these signs in the heavens, Luke 21:28, tells us to, ..."stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near."
Now it is just after this point in time where a couple of events happen almost at once at the opening of the seventh seal. In Rev. 6:17 it says, "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand." This should utilize the aorist tense. The literal translation of "has come" is "the day of their wrath began to come." Also known as the Day of the Lord, the arrival is described in Joel 2:28-32, Is. 13:6-10 and Zep. 1:14-18. The most important event occurring at this time is the rapture of the saints as pictured in: Matt. 24:30-31, Mark 13:26-27, Luke 21:27-28, Rev. 7:9, 14:14-16 and 19:6-8. They all show our gathering/arrival in heaven. The rapture might occur somewhere before or just after the 5th year of Daniel’s 70th week. As mentioned earlier this where the significance of Rev. 5:11 comes in. We see in Rev. 7:9, "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count..." This is the rapture, not a separate set of "tribulations saints" as the pre-trib believers like to think of them. A group by the way that is nowhere alluded to in scripture. This group is so large they can’t be counted, but John was able to number thousands and thousands and ten thousand upon ten thousand angels in 5:11. According to the pre-trib theory, these so-called trib saints will be trickling into heaven one at a time or in small groups as they are killed. Obviously this verse doesn’t show that. They all appear suddenly, at the same time. They are called Tribulation saints because that is what was occurring on the earth just prior to the rapture.
Rev. 8 begins with the opening of the 7th seal. There is silence in heaven for about half an hour. This happens to fulfill the scripture found in Zep. 1:7. "Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited." The 7th seal contains the seven trumpets that begin the Day of the Lord/Wrath of God. The first four trumpet judgments appear to occur in rapid succession. This could be a picture of a meteor storm with a couple of large ones striking the earth or parts of a comet. The fourth trumpet could be the result of the first three trumpets. The first four trumpets affect 1/3 of nature. The announcement of the "three woes" which are the last three trumpets about to plague the inhabitants of the earth close the eighth chapter. These trumpets will affect 1/3 of mankind.
Rev. 9 begins with a star that had fallen from the sky. I believe this star is Abaddon/Apollyon one of those that will be swept from heaven by the dragon‘s tail in Rev. 12:4 and he is king over everything that comes out of the Abyss. This is the first woe/fifth trumpet. The second woe/sixth trumpet releases the four angels that were bound at the river Euphrates to set loose a 200 million man army (China). They will eventually arrive at Armageddon but they will probably make some strategic nuclear strikes first. China is known as the kings of the east.
Rev. 10 mostly remains a mystery because what the seven thunders said was sealed up. However vs. 7 is important in the sequence of Revelations. It reads, "But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished..." The mystery of God here is the miracle of gentiles being grafted into Israel.
Rev.11 introduces us to the two witnesses and goes back to the mid-point of Daniel‘s 70th week. There is much debate over their identity but I won‘t get into that because it has no bearing on the issue at hand. Some of the facts of their ministry is important though. They are given 1260 days or 3 1/2 years. They will begin their testimony at the mid-point of Daniel‘s 70th week. They will focus mainly on the jews but may have a word or two of encouragement for us Christians who will still be on the earth at the beginning of their ministry. They suffer a martyr‘s death and are raptured up to heaven after 3 1/2 days. Their rapture and the great earthquake in Jerusalem that follows will end the second woe/sixth trumpet. There is one thing I would like to point out in vs. 2, the gentiles are given 42 months to trample on the holy city. This verse when combined with Dan. 9:24 and Luke 21:24 make clear that the 70th week of Daniel and the times of the Gentiles must conclude at the same time, somewhere between the 6th and 7th trumpet. Rev. 11:15 is the 7th trumpet which contains the seven bowl judgments and the verse states, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." AT THIS POINT IN TIME DANIEL’S 70TH WEEK IS OVER. JESUS HAS RECLAIMED THE THRONE OF THE EARTH. This is also backed up by Rev.11:19 which speaks of "flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. This is the same picture as given in Rev. 16:18-21.
This 7th trumpet is not the last trump of 1 Cor. 15:52 as is commonly believed. The last trump is the following. The Feast of Trumpets - aka Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year". This holiday is celebrated on the 1st & 2nd of Tishri, the religious 7th month and the first month of their "civil" new year. It is celebrated alongside Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The interval between the last of the spring feasts - Pentecost and the first of the fall feasts - Trumpets corresponds to this present age. Pentecost began the Church age and Trumpets, which will signal the Messiah#‘s Second Coming will end it. This is the last "trump" spoken of in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:16, not the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelations.
The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had three primary functions. The first was to call a solemn assembly, the second, when Israel under Divine direction was to go to war and the third was at the coronation of a new king. There are two major themes associated with The Day of the Lord. The first is deliverance of the righteous and the second is the judgment of the wicked. In connection with His Second Coming, Jesus will first call His own to Himself, the Rapture, and then will go to war against His enemies, concluding with His Coronation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This date corresponds on our calendar to September/October. It is also known as Israel‘s "Dark Day". It is the only feast that occurs at the new moon when the primary night light of the heavens is darkened. Amos 5:18-20, Zeph. 1:14-16. As the new moon is darkened so will the heavens be divinely darkened at the future Day of the Lord. Joel 2:31, 3:15 and Rev. 6:12-17. God‘s wrath will be on both the world and Israel to prepare her for repentance and her National Day of Atonement, the 6th feast. At the "last trump", the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, Zech. 9:14 and not an angel as depicted in Revelations. This last time that God blows the trumpet will signal the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord‘s wrath upon the earth. 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1 Thess. 4:16-17. What follows is the first act of his reign. This will be the rapid succession of the bowl judgments beginning in Rev. 16 which will purify the earth. All will occur in the span of thirty days.
Wait a minute! What about chapters 12-15? Ok, ok, here is what they are about!
Rev. 12 opens with "a great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven". The first part of this chapter gives us a quick overview of what led us to this point in time. The sign is the Star of Bethlehem. The woman w/ a twelve star crown is Israel. The dragon in vss. 3-4 is Satan. The time the dragon is waiting to devour the child is when Herod caused all the children under two to be killed. The son in vs. 5 is Jesus. Verse six brings us back to the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week. The woman in vs. 6 is believing Israel who flees when they recognize the a/c is not the messiah. The following verses describe the a/c#‘s attempt to destroy believing Israel and when he fails at that, he turns his wrath towards the church which is still on earth at this time. This is the inauguration of the Great Trib. This section of scripture puts another kink in the pre-trib rapture theory. Satan doesn‘t get banished from his role of accuser in heaven until the 70th week is half over. If there were a pre-trib rapture, that would put Satan up there accusing us while we the supposed bride are being wed to the groom Jesus. Somehow I don’t think Satan is invited to the wedding. Do you?
The Sequence of Revelations - Part 1
I would like to preface this article with the statement that I do not claim this to be the gospel according to me. This is just my understanding of the Book of Revelations that I have derived from many hours of bible study and the reading of many books and articles relating to end-time events. I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit may reveal more end time truths as we get closer to the Day of His appearing, that may have been concealed to our minds and spirits until we, this last generation of believers, will be ready to accept it. How many times have you read the same scripture several times and then at some moment a light clicks on in your mind and you say to yourself, "Aha, that‘s what this verse means!" In this same vein, is how I feel we should approach end-times scripture. While we may have pre-conceived ideas about the latter days, at some point the Holy Spirit may show us an additional truth or something different than what we always believed to be the truth. We should not let pride or the possibility of realizing we may have believed something in error, stop us from accepting what our spirit is showing us to be truth.
I was a pre-trib. rapture believer for several years before I read a book that revolutionized what I understood about the end-times. Now, I believe in the pre-wrath rapture of the church theory and credit must be given to Marv Rosenthal who wrote the book titled, "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church" and to "Parousia" a newsletter of "The Sign" ministries. Much of the information to follow was gleaned from these two sources. Other bits and pieces were taken from other sources as well as my own studies. I believe this is a part of the knowledge that would be increased as mentioned in Dan. 12:4.
One of the problem that occurs when studying eschatology is what to do with Dispensationalism. The essence of dispensationalism is the distinction between Israel and the church. The failure of it is to believe they are so radically different that God can’t deal with both at the same time. This belief leads to an assumption based on an incorrect conclusion drawn from a biblical truth. The church is not Israel but God can, does and will work with both at the same time. As a result of that misunderstanding, many people assume the term elect as used in Matt. 24: 22 refers only to the jews, but the fact is, every time it is used to denote a group of people, it is speaking of the church. Using that same scripture reference, the elect here could not mean only Israel because Israel will be deceived into believing the a/c is the messiah for a while. Another misinterpretation by those who believe in a pre-trib rapture occurs in Matt. 24:14. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." The word gospel here does not mean the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It refers to the specific outline of the end-times and the literal fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse. The word gospel originally meant the reward given to the messenger of good news. Later, in Jesus‘s day, it had come to mean just good news itself. In Paul‘s writings he changed it to mean the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, of which the belief in gives us forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Jesus Himself does not know the timing of His return but as prophesied in the Olivet discourse He knows the sequence of events that would lead to His return and He shared them with us. Prior to A.D. 325 the church fathers held what can be called a "post-persecution" rapture belief which leads us to another misunderstanding by those who believe in a pre-trib rapture. Many of them feel that the time of Jacob’s trouble as used in Jeremiah 30:7, refers to whole 70th week of Daniel. It does not mean that at all but refers only to that portion of the 70th week which contains the Lord‘s wrath or The Day of The Lord. This Day follows the Great Trib persecution which begins prior to the midpoint of the 70th week and begins immediately after the rapture.
Why should we concern ourselves with end-times teaching? Because they will be the most significant events to happen in the world since the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. This is His last written word that He gave to John for us. We, the last generation of the church age, have as great a responsibility to the world and the spreading of the gospel, as the apostles did in the first generation of the church age. The promise of blessings is given to those that read, believe and take to heart the book of Revelation. Rev.1:3, (all scripture references will be NIV unless otherwise noted), "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." A key verse to understanding Revelations is found in Rev. 1:19, "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later". Revelations is in sequential order but there are many areas which pause to explain what has been happening, to introduce characters for identification or to explain what happened in the past to give us a greater understanding of these events as they unfold in the world around us. I will not deal with chapters 2 & 3, the letters to the churches, in this article because they are worthy of a separate one by themselves. I will say this, they may be representative of the various states of the church throughout the ages, but that is not all they are. Many Pre-trib rapture believers use Rev. 3:10 as proof they won‘t enter Daniel‘s 70th week but they are reading into it what they want to hear. The word "from" does not necessarily mean before but could also mean in the midst of, or kept separate from the events as they are occurring as used by Jesus in the example of The Lord’s Prayer and for example while Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the midst of the fiery furnace, God kept them safe. Dan. 3:19-27.
The 24 elders in Revelation 4 are often interpreted as representing the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles, thus signifying for some that the church is in heaven at this time. There are two problems with this reasoning. One, the author of this book, John, one of the 12 apostles is not dead. Two, there is a specific point in time that can be pointed to for when this is occurring. In verse 2, it shows one who is sitting on the throne. God is alone at this point. Jesus is not at His right hand. This tells me that we are glimpsing into the past. In chapter 5, vs.6, we see the arrival in heaven of the Lamb of God, looking as if it had been slain. I believe the idea behind this, is he looks freshly slain, so this is most likely occurring right after His death. It is also interesting to note that in vs. 11, John can number thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand angels that are singing. This will be important later on.
Satan is not a creator but he does copy or mimic the things of God to deceive people. Much of his and the a/c‘s time on earth will be spent duplicating as closely as possible Jesus Christ in order to convince the world that he is Christ and to convince the jews he is their messiah. The anti in antichrist does not mean against Christ, it means the opposite of Christ, ( for those who are Star trek fans, similar to matter and anti-matter), he wants to replace him. We christians have our Holy Trinity consisting of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Satan has his unholy trinity. In this unholy trinity, Satan wants to replace God, the a/c will be the acting god the son (even mimicking his death and resurrection in Rev. 13:3) and exercising the power of the Holy Spirit will be the false prophet, (compare Acts 1: 8 with Rev. 13:14). Satan will even have an equivalent archangel to Michael, his name is Abaddon or Apollyon as given in Rev. 9:11. They will excel at it as Matt. 24:24 points out. Only the elect, those who are born again with a knowledge of what to look for in the latter days will be able to see through this deception. The events during Daniel’s 70th week will occur like a train leaving from the station. It will start out slowly and then gain in speed and intensity as it picks up steam, roaring towards the climatic end at Armageddon.
Now we come to Rev. 6, the starting point of the seven year covenant that the Anti-Christ (a/c) will sign that begins the 70th week as mentioned in Dan. 9:27. In Matt. 24:3, the disciples ask this question, "...What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The word "coming" here, is the Greek word parousia. This term is also used in Matt. 24:27, 1 Thess. 4:15, and 2 Thess. 2:1. When used in these instances it is not a verb speaking of a movement but it‘s a noun speaking of an event. Two other Greek words are used to denote coming. The word heko means a person’s presence as in Rev. 2:25 and erchoma, which is a person‘s movement as in Matt. 24:30. The sign will be explained later on.
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke parallel Rev.6 with amazing accuracy. Consider these scriptures:
False Christs: Matt. 24:4-5 Mark 13:5-6 Luke 21:8 Rev. 6:1-2
This is the first seal. The rider on the white horse signifies the false religion personified by the Anti-Christ who conquers by deception. Dan. 7:20 in various translations describe him as one "whose look was more stout" and possessing a "fierce countenance". In all he will be an imposing figure. Definitely not someone you would want to cross, but cross him we shall. There is one area in which he will differ from Christ. His spokesman, the false prophet, will come after him and will build him up, much like an athlete’s/actor‘s agent does. A type of John the Baptist but after the fact and not before.
Wars/rumors of wars: Matt. 24:6-7a Mark 13:7-8a Luke 21:9-10 Rev. 6:3-4
This is the second seal. The rider on the red horse signifies the power to conquer with a sword and to take peace from the earth.
Famines: Matt. 24:7b Mark 13:8b Luke 21:11a Rev. 6:5-6
This is the third seal. The rider on the black horse brings famine. This could be the false prophet because it speaks of things financial in the midst of famine
I was a pre-trib. rapture believer for several years before I read a book that revolutionized what I understood about the end-times. Now, I believe in the pre-wrath rapture of the church theory and credit must be given to Marv Rosenthal who wrote the book titled, "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church" and to "Parousia" a newsletter of "The Sign" ministries. Much of the information to follow was gleaned from these two sources. Other bits and pieces were taken from other sources as well as my own studies. I believe this is a part of the knowledge that would be increased as mentioned in Dan. 12:4.
One of the problem that occurs when studying eschatology is what to do with Dispensationalism. The essence of dispensationalism is the distinction between Israel and the church. The failure of it is to believe they are so radically different that God can’t deal with both at the same time. This belief leads to an assumption based on an incorrect conclusion drawn from a biblical truth. The church is not Israel but God can, does and will work with both at the same time. As a result of that misunderstanding, many people assume the term elect as used in Matt. 24: 22 refers only to the jews, but the fact is, every time it is used to denote a group of people, it is speaking of the church. Using that same scripture reference, the elect here could not mean only Israel because Israel will be deceived into believing the a/c is the messiah for a while. Another misinterpretation by those who believe in a pre-trib rapture occurs in Matt. 24:14. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." The word gospel here does not mean the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It refers to the specific outline of the end-times and the literal fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse. The word gospel originally meant the reward given to the messenger of good news. Later, in Jesus‘s day, it had come to mean just good news itself. In Paul‘s writings he changed it to mean the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, of which the belief in gives us forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Jesus Himself does not know the timing of His return but as prophesied in the Olivet discourse He knows the sequence of events that would lead to His return and He shared them with us. Prior to A.D. 325 the church fathers held what can be called a "post-persecution" rapture belief which leads us to another misunderstanding by those who believe in a pre-trib rapture. Many of them feel that the time of Jacob’s trouble as used in Jeremiah 30:7, refers to whole 70th week of Daniel. It does not mean that at all but refers only to that portion of the 70th week which contains the Lord‘s wrath or The Day of The Lord. This Day follows the Great Trib persecution which begins prior to the midpoint of the 70th week and begins immediately after the rapture.
Why should we concern ourselves with end-times teaching? Because they will be the most significant events to happen in the world since the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. This is His last written word that He gave to John for us. We, the last generation of the church age, have as great a responsibility to the world and the spreading of the gospel, as the apostles did in the first generation of the church age. The promise of blessings is given to those that read, believe and take to heart the book of Revelation. Rev.1:3, (all scripture references will be NIV unless otherwise noted), "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." A key verse to understanding Revelations is found in Rev. 1:19, "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later". Revelations is in sequential order but there are many areas which pause to explain what has been happening, to introduce characters for identification or to explain what happened in the past to give us a greater understanding of these events as they unfold in the world around us. I will not deal with chapters 2 & 3, the letters to the churches, in this article because they are worthy of a separate one by themselves. I will say this, they may be representative of the various states of the church throughout the ages, but that is not all they are. Many Pre-trib rapture believers use Rev. 3:10 as proof they won‘t enter Daniel‘s 70th week but they are reading into it what they want to hear. The word "from" does not necessarily mean before but could also mean in the midst of, or kept separate from the events as they are occurring as used by Jesus in the example of The Lord’s Prayer and for example while Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the midst of the fiery furnace, God kept them safe. Dan. 3:19-27.
The 24 elders in Revelation 4 are often interpreted as representing the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles, thus signifying for some that the church is in heaven at this time. There are two problems with this reasoning. One, the author of this book, John, one of the 12 apostles is not dead. Two, there is a specific point in time that can be pointed to for when this is occurring. In verse 2, it shows one who is sitting on the throne. God is alone at this point. Jesus is not at His right hand. This tells me that we are glimpsing into the past. In chapter 5, vs.6, we see the arrival in heaven of the Lamb of God, looking as if it had been slain. I believe the idea behind this, is he looks freshly slain, so this is most likely occurring right after His death. It is also interesting to note that in vs. 11, John can number thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand angels that are singing. This will be important later on.
Satan is not a creator but he does copy or mimic the things of God to deceive people. Much of his and the a/c‘s time on earth will be spent duplicating as closely as possible Jesus Christ in order to convince the world that he is Christ and to convince the jews he is their messiah. The anti in antichrist does not mean against Christ, it means the opposite of Christ, ( for those who are Star trek fans, similar to matter and anti-matter), he wants to replace him. We christians have our Holy Trinity consisting of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Satan has his unholy trinity. In this unholy trinity, Satan wants to replace God, the a/c will be the acting god the son (even mimicking his death and resurrection in Rev. 13:3) and exercising the power of the Holy Spirit will be the false prophet, (compare Acts 1: 8 with Rev. 13:14). Satan will even have an equivalent archangel to Michael, his name is Abaddon or Apollyon as given in Rev. 9:11. They will excel at it as Matt. 24:24 points out. Only the elect, those who are born again with a knowledge of what to look for in the latter days will be able to see through this deception. The events during Daniel’s 70th week will occur like a train leaving from the station. It will start out slowly and then gain in speed and intensity as it picks up steam, roaring towards the climatic end at Armageddon.
Now we come to Rev. 6, the starting point of the seven year covenant that the Anti-Christ (a/c) will sign that begins the 70th week as mentioned in Dan. 9:27. In Matt. 24:3, the disciples ask this question, "...What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The word "coming" here, is the Greek word parousia. This term is also used in Matt. 24:27, 1 Thess. 4:15, and 2 Thess. 2:1. When used in these instances it is not a verb speaking of a movement but it‘s a noun speaking of an event. Two other Greek words are used to denote coming. The word heko means a person’s presence as in Rev. 2:25 and erchoma, which is a person‘s movement as in Matt. 24:30. The sign will be explained later on.
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke parallel Rev.6 with amazing accuracy. Consider these scriptures:
False Christs: Matt. 24:4-5 Mark 13:5-6 Luke 21:8 Rev. 6:1-2
This is the first seal. The rider on the white horse signifies the false religion personified by the Anti-Christ who conquers by deception. Dan. 7:20 in various translations describe him as one "whose look was more stout" and possessing a "fierce countenance". In all he will be an imposing figure. Definitely not someone you would want to cross, but cross him we shall. There is one area in which he will differ from Christ. His spokesman, the false prophet, will come after him and will build him up, much like an athlete’s/actor‘s agent does. A type of John the Baptist but after the fact and not before.
Wars/rumors of wars: Matt. 24:6-7a Mark 13:7-8a Luke 21:9-10 Rev. 6:3-4
This is the second seal. The rider on the red horse signifies the power to conquer with a sword and to take peace from the earth.
Famines: Matt. 24:7b Mark 13:8b Luke 21:11a Rev. 6:5-6
This is the third seal. The rider on the black horse brings famine. This could be the false prophet because it speaks of things financial in the midst of famine
Prophecy Guidelines
There are eighteen chronological periods of Bible prophecy fulfillment.
Period 1. Creation - 1843 B.C. : the Primeval - Patriarchal era
Period 2. 1843 - 1446 B.C. : the Egyptian period
Period 3. 1446 - 1406 B.C. : the Wilderness period
Period 4. 1406 - 1382 B.C. : the conquest of Canaan period
Period 5. 1382 - 1043 B.C. : Era of Judges
Period 6. 1043 - 930 B.C. : the United Kingdom of Israel
Period 7. 930 - 586 B.C. : the Divided Kingdom era
Period 8. 586 - 538 B.C. : the Babylonian Exile period
Period 9. 538 - 332 B.C. : the Persian era
Period 10. 332 - 168 B.C. : the Greek era
Period 11. 168 - 63 B.C. : the Maccabbean period
Period 12. 63 - 5 B.C. : the Roman period
Period 13. 5 B.C. - 30 A.D. : The Life of Christ period
Period 14. A.D. 30 - the 2nd advent of Christ (rapture) : the Church age
Period 15. Christ’s Second Coming: the Day of the Lord (wrath) through to Armageddon
Period 16. The Millennium
Period 17. The Final Judgment: the post-millennial release of Satan - the departure of the godless into the lake of fire.
Period 18. The New Jerusalem and the new heavens and earth.
The following is a summary of the basic principles via 22 characteristics for the interpretation of prophecy. The verses listed are from Isaiah, unless otherwise noted, and are offered as examples.
The NATURE of Biblical prediction is:
1. Historical - Prophecy arises out of real situations. 32:9
2. Transcendent - God’s guiding inspiration surpasses human capacities 24:22
3. Moral - Prediction relates closely to contemporaneous preaching 32:6-15
4. Evangelistic - Prophecy motivates men toward commitment to God 31:6-7
5. Predictive - Foretelling occupies a major place in it Cps. 24-35
6. Messianic - Prophecy attains its goal in Jesus 35:4
The FORM is:
7. Literal - Most prophecy is straightforward in its declaration 30:22
8. Poetic - Exalted feeling may produce Oriental hyperbole 32:14
9. Figurative - Context may use some language as intentionally nonliteral 30:26
10. Symbolical - A prediction may be acted as well as spoken 20:2
11. Typical - An event may symbolize to its contemporaries a truth later achieved by Christ 36:7
The FULFILLMENT is:
12. Necessary - Prophecy is inspired and therefore, when non-contingent must be fulfilled 30:19
13. Contingent - Fulfillment may be modified, provided it is near at hand and subject to conditions affected by its contemporaries 38:1
14. Analogous - Other scriptures are determinative for interpretation 25:8 & 1 Cor.15:54
15. Preferably Near - The closest adequate fulfillment is the best Cps. 28-34
16. Simple - Most prophecies do not have near/far applications 31:9 - 32:1
17. Progressive - One context may advance through a series of predictions 29:14-18
18. Similar - Prophecies may show resemblance w/o being equivalent 32:15 = Acts 2:4
19. Telescoped - Prophecy advances directly from a near to a far horizon 31:9 - 32:1
20. Cyclic - Major blocks within a book may have parallel climaxes Cps. 24-27 & 34-35
21. Eventual - If a prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, it shall be 32:5
22. Occasionally Ambiguous - Prophecies vary in clarity 32:5
*excerpts taken from: The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne
Period 1. Creation - 1843 B.C. : the Primeval - Patriarchal era
Period 2. 1843 - 1446 B.C. : the Egyptian period
Period 3. 1446 - 1406 B.C. : the Wilderness period
Period 4. 1406 - 1382 B.C. : the conquest of Canaan period
Period 5. 1382 - 1043 B.C. : Era of Judges
Period 6. 1043 - 930 B.C. : the United Kingdom of Israel
Period 7. 930 - 586 B.C. : the Divided Kingdom era
Period 8. 586 - 538 B.C. : the Babylonian Exile period
Period 9. 538 - 332 B.C. : the Persian era
Period 10. 332 - 168 B.C. : the Greek era
Period 11. 168 - 63 B.C. : the Maccabbean period
Period 12. 63 - 5 B.C. : the Roman period
Period 13. 5 B.C. - 30 A.D. : The Life of Christ period
Period 14. A.D. 30 - the 2nd advent of Christ (rapture) : the Church age
Period 15. Christ’s Second Coming: the Day of the Lord (wrath) through to Armageddon
Period 16. The Millennium
Period 17. The Final Judgment: the post-millennial release of Satan - the departure of the godless into the lake of fire.
Period 18. The New Jerusalem and the new heavens and earth.
The following is a summary of the basic principles via 22 characteristics for the interpretation of prophecy. The verses listed are from Isaiah, unless otherwise noted, and are offered as examples.
The NATURE of Biblical prediction is:
1. Historical - Prophecy arises out of real situations. 32:9
2. Transcendent - God’s guiding inspiration surpasses human capacities 24:22
3. Moral - Prediction relates closely to contemporaneous preaching 32:6-15
4. Evangelistic - Prophecy motivates men toward commitment to God 31:6-7
5. Predictive - Foretelling occupies a major place in it Cps. 24-35
6. Messianic - Prophecy attains its goal in Jesus 35:4
The FORM is:
7. Literal - Most prophecy is straightforward in its declaration 30:22
8. Poetic - Exalted feeling may produce Oriental hyperbole 32:14
9. Figurative - Context may use some language as intentionally nonliteral 30:26
10. Symbolical - A prediction may be acted as well as spoken 20:2
11. Typical - An event may symbolize to its contemporaries a truth later achieved by Christ 36:7
The FULFILLMENT is:
12. Necessary - Prophecy is inspired and therefore, when non-contingent must be fulfilled 30:19
13. Contingent - Fulfillment may be modified, provided it is near at hand and subject to conditions affected by its contemporaries 38:1
14. Analogous - Other scriptures are determinative for interpretation 25:8 & 1 Cor.15:54
15. Preferably Near - The closest adequate fulfillment is the best Cps. 28-34
16. Simple - Most prophecies do not have near/far applications 31:9 - 32:1
17. Progressive - One context may advance through a series of predictions 29:14-18
18. Similar - Prophecies may show resemblance w/o being equivalent 32:15 = Acts 2:4
19. Telescoped - Prophecy advances directly from a near to a far horizon 31:9 - 32:1
20. Cyclic - Major blocks within a book may have parallel climaxes Cps. 24-27 & 34-35
21. Eventual - If a prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, it shall be 32:5
22. Occasionally Ambiguous - Prophecies vary in clarity 32:5
*excerpts taken from: The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Prophetic Feasts of Israel
Fifteen hundred years before the birth of the Messiah. The seven feasts foretold, in type, the major redemptive works of His life. The four spring feasts relate to His first coming . His death was depicted in Passover. That His body would not decay in the grave is seen in Unleavened Bread. His resurrection is illustrated in First Fruits and the commencement of the church and the new covenant is typified in the Feast of Weeks. The three fall feasts portray events to be associated with His Second Coming. The Feast of Trumpets depicts the rapture of the church. The Day of Atonement points to a large number of people, both Jew and Gentile who will be saved when they see Him coming. The Feast of Tabernacles speaks of the day when the Messiah Himself will tabernacle among men and usher in the millennium.
I will give a brief overview of the first four spring feasts which were fulfilled in the earthly life of the Messiah and go into more detail with the three fall feasts which depict specific events related to His Second Coming and form the basis of the "Blessed Hope"and relate to Bible prophecy.
1. Passover - This is the foundational feast. The other six are built on it. It begins on Nisan 14, the start of the Jewish "religious" new year. The dates on our calendar do not directly correspond with their calendar so the actual date they fall on, in March/April of our calendar changes from year to year. This feast began just before the Jews began their 40 year Exodus journey through the wilderness after their escape from Israel when they were told to cover their doorposts with lamb‘s blood so the angel of death would not take their first born son as he did the Egyptians. This is aka Redemption.
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread - proclaims that Messiah’s physical body would not experience the ravages of death within the grave. It is on the 15th of Nisan. This is aka Sanctification.
3. The Feast of First Fruits - typifies that Jesus was the First Fruit of Resurrection. This event occurs on the 16th of Nisan.
4. The Feast of Weeks - comes 50 days after First Fruits on Sivan 6 and is aka Pentecost. In the sacrifices, two loaves were offered, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. This feast symbolizes the Origination of the Coming of the Holy Spirit.
5. The Feast of Trumpets - aka Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year". This holiday is celebrated on the 1st & 2nd of Tishri, the religious 7th month and the first month of their "civil" new year. It is celebrated alongside Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The interval between the last of the spring feasts - Pentecost and the first of the fall feasts - Trumpets corresponds to this present age. Pentecost began the Church age and Trumpets, which will signal the Messiah‘s Second Coming will end it. This is the last "trump" spoken of in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:16, not the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelations.
The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had three primary functions. The first was to call a solemn assembly, the second, when Israel under Divine direction was to go to war and the third was at the coronation of a new king. There are two major themes associated with The Day of the Lord. The first is deliverance of the righteous and the second is the judgment of the wicked. In connection with His Second Coming, Jesus will first call His own to Himself, the Rapture, and then will go to war against His enemies, concluding with His Coronation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This date corresponds on our calendar to September/October. It is also known as Israel‘s "Dark Day". It is the only feast that occurs at the new moon when the primary night light of the heavens is darkened. Amos 5:18-20, Zeph. 1:14-16. As the new moon is darkened so will the heavens be divinely darkened at the future Day of the Lord. Joel 2:31, 3:15 and Rev. 6:12-17. God’s wrath will be on both the world and Israel to prepare her for repentance and her National Day of Atonement, the 6th feast. At the "last trump", the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, Zech. 9:14 and not an angel as depicted in Revelations. This last time that God blows the trumpet will signal the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord’s wrath upon the earth. 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1 Thess. 4:16-17.
6. Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement, arrives on the 10th day of Tishri, the 7th month. On a future day, this feast will see its fulfillment as prophesied in Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." After that Zech.14:9 tells us that, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name the only name." This is also depicted in Rom. 11:26, "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; and he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
7. The Feast of Tabernacles - aka Sukkot: This is the most joyous and festive of all Israel‘s feasts. It is the most prominent and is mentioned more in scripture than any other. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri, the 7th month. It lasts seven days and is a reminder of God‘s provision during their 40 year wilderness journey. It is also known as The Feast of Ingathering and is after the fall harvest. It corresponds on our calendar to late September/early October. The day after, the 8th day is a Sabbath. This feast depicts the Harvest of His people. Mal. 4:1-2, Is. 27:12-13, 11:11-12 and Jer. 23:7-8. That He will tabernacle with them is foretold in Ez. 37:27-28 and Rev.21:3. I believe this is also a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Another holiday that isn‘t in scripture but may have significance in the future is Hanukkah, which is on the 25th day of Kislev, the 9th month and is 75 days after Yom Kippur. While this is held in remembrance of the time in the Maccabean period when one days worth of oil lasted for eight days in the temple, it could also come to symbolize the time when Jesus will become the Light of the World as stated in Rev.21:23, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
*some excerpts taken from, "The Feasts of Israel" by Marv Rosenthal
I will give a brief overview of the first four spring feasts which were fulfilled in the earthly life of the Messiah and go into more detail with the three fall feasts which depict specific events related to His Second Coming and form the basis of the "Blessed Hope"and relate to Bible prophecy.
1. Passover - This is the foundational feast. The other six are built on it. It begins on Nisan 14, the start of the Jewish "religious" new year. The dates on our calendar do not directly correspond with their calendar so the actual date they fall on, in March/April of our calendar changes from year to year. This feast began just before the Jews began their 40 year Exodus journey through the wilderness after their escape from Israel when they were told to cover their doorposts with lamb‘s blood so the angel of death would not take their first born son as he did the Egyptians. This is aka Redemption.
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread - proclaims that Messiah’s physical body would not experience the ravages of death within the grave. It is on the 15th of Nisan. This is aka Sanctification.
3. The Feast of First Fruits - typifies that Jesus was the First Fruit of Resurrection. This event occurs on the 16th of Nisan.
4. The Feast of Weeks - comes 50 days after First Fruits on Sivan 6 and is aka Pentecost. In the sacrifices, two loaves were offered, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. This feast symbolizes the Origination of the Coming of the Holy Spirit.
5. The Feast of Trumpets - aka Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year". This holiday is celebrated on the 1st & 2nd of Tishri, the religious 7th month and the first month of their "civil" new year. It is celebrated alongside Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The interval between the last of the spring feasts - Pentecost and the first of the fall feasts - Trumpets corresponds to this present age. Pentecost began the Church age and Trumpets, which will signal the Messiah‘s Second Coming will end it. This is the last "trump" spoken of in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:16, not the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelations.
The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had three primary functions. The first was to call a solemn assembly, the second, when Israel under Divine direction was to go to war and the third was at the coronation of a new king. There are two major themes associated with The Day of the Lord. The first is deliverance of the righteous and the second is the judgment of the wicked. In connection with His Second Coming, Jesus will first call His own to Himself, the Rapture, and then will go to war against His enemies, concluding with His Coronation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This date corresponds on our calendar to September/October. It is also known as Israel‘s "Dark Day". It is the only feast that occurs at the new moon when the primary night light of the heavens is darkened. Amos 5:18-20, Zeph. 1:14-16. As the new moon is darkened so will the heavens be divinely darkened at the future Day of the Lord. Joel 2:31, 3:15 and Rev. 6:12-17. God’s wrath will be on both the world and Israel to prepare her for repentance and her National Day of Atonement, the 6th feast. At the "last trump", the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, Zech. 9:14 and not an angel as depicted in Revelations. This last time that God blows the trumpet will signal the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord’s wrath upon the earth. 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1 Thess. 4:16-17.
6. Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement, arrives on the 10th day of Tishri, the 7th month. On a future day, this feast will see its fulfillment as prophesied in Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." After that Zech.14:9 tells us that, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name the only name." This is also depicted in Rom. 11:26, "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; and he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
7. The Feast of Tabernacles - aka Sukkot: This is the most joyous and festive of all Israel‘s feasts. It is the most prominent and is mentioned more in scripture than any other. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri, the 7th month. It lasts seven days and is a reminder of God‘s provision during their 40 year wilderness journey. It is also known as The Feast of Ingathering and is after the fall harvest. It corresponds on our calendar to late September/early October. The day after, the 8th day is a Sabbath. This feast depicts the Harvest of His people. Mal. 4:1-2, Is. 27:12-13, 11:11-12 and Jer. 23:7-8. That He will tabernacle with them is foretold in Ez. 37:27-28 and Rev.21:3. I believe this is also a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Another holiday that isn‘t in scripture but may have significance in the future is Hanukkah, which is on the 25th day of Kislev, the 9th month and is 75 days after Yom Kippur. While this is held in remembrance of the time in the Maccabean period when one days worth of oil lasted for eight days in the temple, it could also come to symbolize the time when Jesus will become the Light of the World as stated in Rev.21:23, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
*some excerpts taken from, "The Feasts of Israel" by Marv Rosenthal
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