Judging from some of the questions I’ve received lately, people are really getting impatient for the end times to begin in earnest. For years fringe groups have been claiming that the seal judgments have already begun, but it looks to me like this opinion is suddenly becoming more popular.

The Seal judgments are now being compared to the “birth pangs” of Matt. 24:4-8 by people who say the real end times judgments won’t begin until after the great multitude of Rev. 7:9 arrives in Heaven. They say these saints are the church, and claim that we’ll be raptured between the seal judgments and the trumpet judgments that begin in Rev. 8:6. There are several reasons why this cannot be correct, but perhaps the most obvious is that the destiny of these believers is not the same as that of the Church. According to Rev. 7:15 they will serve God day and night in His temple, but there is no Temple in the New Jerusalem where the Church will be (Rev. 21:22) and the Rev. 7 multitude is neither called kings nor priests.

What’s The Big Hurry?

Some of this impatience is undoubtedly prompted by the dissatisfaction people feel about the current condition of our world. In the US, a recent poll shows that only 32% of the population thinks our leaders are taking us in the right direction. People are beginning to realize that the lowest unemployment rate in 5 years doesn’t mean that more people are finding jobs. They know that the labor force participation rate, having been at or above 66% for most of the time between 2003-2008 has been dropping since 2009 and is now at 63.3%. Where is the rest of the workforce? Most have either accepted low paying and/or part time work or have simply given up on trying to find a job. Either way they’re no longer looking for work, so the government doesn’t consider them to be unemployed. People also understand from their own experience that the middle class is steadily losing economic ground, and that the dollars we have don’t buy as much as they used to.

And just this week one of our most highly respected prophecy scholars disclosed his belief that the time for praying the US out of our problems has ended. In effect, He said God gave us fair warning and we didn’t pay attention. He identified the recent presidential election as our response to God’s warning, and said it marked the point of no return for us. Citing passages from Jeremiah and Ezekiel where God told the prophets to stop praying for Israel because He had stopped listening, this scholar stated his belief that our judgment has also been irrevocably determined and prayer will no longer help. Based on these and other circumstances it’s no wonder that many people who read about the Seal judgments in Revelation 6 see indications that they’re already here.

Long time readers of my articles know that I don’t believe the United States can be prayed out of our situation either. For me it’s a matter of there being no place for a strong US in end times prophecy. I’ve said before that I believe people who are praying for America’s recovery are unknowingly praying against God’s plan for the end of the age. He never gave the Church a homeland on Earth and He never promised to save the USA, which He considers to be just another gentile nation.

But neither my esteemed colleague nor I believe we’re already in the Seal judgments. The circumstances we’re currently experiencing are certainly similar to the Seal judgments, although much milder, but certain specific conditions have not been met for them to have actually begun.

Now if you don’t believe that the Bible teaches a pre-tribulation rapture, and if you don’t believe that Israel and the Church have separate destinies, you may not see some of this the way I do. But based on my understanding of Bible prophecy, the events of the Book of Revelation will begin unfolding this way.

Have You Read The Book?

In Rev. 1:19 the Lord gave John instructions on writing the Bible’s most comprehensive prophecy of the End of the Age. He said, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later.” Many scholars believe these instructions effectively divide the book into three parts. The things John had seen are contained in chapter 1. The things that were in John’s present are described in chapters 2-3 and the things that will take place later begin in chapter 4 and fill the rest of the book.

Strictly speaking the seven churches of Rev. 2-3 were the only addressees of the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:11). Each one was an actual congregation that deserved both the commendations and the criticisms Jesus gave them. If you’ve visited the sites of these seven churches, as I have, you know that all them disappeared long ago. Why did Jesus choose them as opposed to other churches of the day?

Many scholars who have studied Rev. 2-3 see that with their particular challenges and viewed in the order in which they’re mentioned, these seven are not just a handful of long gone 1st century churches but are representative of the entire Church Age. They say the reason the Lord chose them was to provide this concise look at the Church’s past, present and future.

Accepting this view makes Rev. 2-3 instructive to the entire Church age, because the problems He identified there are still with us. It’s also consistent with the structure of the book, which is to render things in signs. In the Greek language of Rev. 1:1 John used the word “semaino”, which means “to give a sign, or signify”, to describe how he was commanded to write. It means that through out the book certain words and phrases are meant to signify something else. The dragon, the beast, and the woman who rides the beast are three obvious examples.

In his gospel, John used this same word on three occasions to explain that a particular phrase was intended to refer to something else. In John 12:33 Jesus used the phrase “lifted up” to signify his crucifixion. John 18:32 explains that one of the reasons the Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate is so he would be crucified, to fulfill the words He had spoken, signifying the kind of death He would die. (The Jewish method of execution was stoning.) And in John 21:19 Jesus told Peter he would stretch out his hands and someone would lead him where he did not want to go. According to John this was meant to signify Peter’s crucifixion.

Therefore seeing Rev. 2-3 as signifying the entire Church Age is a reasonable interpretation. That being the case, then the phrase “the things that will take place later” (literally, after these things) from Rev. 1:19 means that everything from Rev. 4 to the end of the book will come after the Church Age has ended.

After These Things

Rev. 4-5 contain a number of indications that these two chapters describe events that take place right after the rapture of the Church. First, the 24 elders of Rev. 4:4 don’t appear in any earlier description of the throne of God, so they’re new arrivals. In addition they’re sitting on thrones (meaning they’re rulers) wearing white (meaning they’re righteous) with crowns of gold on their heads. The word for crown John used is stephanos. It refers to a victory crown and is the crown of an overcomer.

In Rev. 3:11 Jesus cautioned us to hold on so that no one will take our crown, and in Rev. 3:21 He said, “To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my throne just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne.” Crowns and thrones.

Singing to God in Rev. 5:9-10 (NKJV) they declare, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

This is a song only the church can sing.

I agree it would be a bit of a stretch to base our pre-trib conviction on such circumstantial evidence alone, but by putting other clear verses like Isaiah 26:19-20, 1 Thes. 1:10, and Rev. 3:10 with it, the evidence becomes much more concrete, and makes the pre-trib position more consistent with a literal interpretation of Scripture than any other rapture view.

Also, in Romans 11:25-26 Paul made it clear that Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. Once that happens, Israel will have one final chance to receive the Lord’s salvation. We can also see this in Acts 15:13-18, where James explained that Israel was being set aside while the Lord took from the Gentiles a people for himself. After this He will turn His attention toward Israel again, their Temple will be rebuilt, and they’ll have a final chance to seek the Lord.

This final opportunity is known to us from Daniel 9:24-27 as Daniel’s 70th Week, the last half of which is called the Great Tribulation. Both Romans 11:25-26 and Acts 15:13-18 indicate that Daniel’s 70th Week will take place after the Lord has completed His plan to take for Himself a people from the Gentiles. There will be a certain number of Gentiles taken and when that number has been met we will be carried away to our ultimate destiny in the Lord’s house (John 14:2-3) After that, Daniel’s 70th week will begin. I believe Rev. 6-18 is a description of the events that take place during Daniel’s 70th Week.

So the first thing we see is that the rapture of the Church has to precede the Seal judgments. Since the Church is still here, the Seal judgments can’t have begun yet.

But Wait, There’s More

Rev. 6:1 tells us a rider on a white horse will appear after the events of Rev. 4-5 (the rapture). This rider is thought by most to be an early appearance of the anti-Christ. The world won’t recognize him as such, but will think of him as a great peacemaker. Daniel 8:25 says he will deceive many this way, and in 1 Thes. 5:3 Paul said the world will believe peace has arrived, but then destruction will come upon them suddenly. So at the beginning of the Seal judgments, there will be a short period of peace that the whole world will notice. That is not the case today and it hasn’t been the case for a number of years. I believe this peace will come right after Ezekiel 38-39, a war that God will use to draw Israel back into their covenant with Him. If so, then the Seal judgments can’t begin until after Ezekiel 38-39.

Suddenly peace will be taken from the world again, as Paul indicated, and people will be dying in large numbers (Rev. 6:4). Inflation and food shortages will become so acute that it will take everything an average person can earn in a day to buy one day’s worth of food (Rev. 6:6). One fourth of the world’s populated areas will suffer the effects of war, famine, and pestilence. Even wild animals will take part in the carnage (Rev. 6:8).

People will die for the Christian faith in large numbers. Their spirits will cry out to the Lord for vengeance but the death and destruction will get much worse before it’s over (Rev. 6:9). Finally there will be a great earthquake that sends the people of Earth running for cover. The Sun will turn black and the Moon will turn dark red (Rev. 6:12-14). Everyone from the world’s leaders to the humblest of men will look for a place to hide from God’s judgment (Rev. 6:15-17).

Please note that this doesn’t mean the coming wrath will begin at the end of the Seal judgments. The Greek words of Rev. 6:17 describe continuous and ongoing action. It means the post-rapture world will finally realize that what has been happening through out the seal judgments is that the great day of God’s wrath has already begun.

In Conclusion

So, while many of the conditions affecting the world today appear quite similar to those described in the Seal judgments of Rev. 6, they are in fact much milder previews of what lies ahead. The full impact of this first cycle of judgments won’t be felt until after the Lord has made good on His promise to rescue us from the time and place of their occurrence, and Israel has returned from their long estrangement from God to once again be a covenant keeping nation.

But take heart, you who grow impatient, because if you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 05-04-13

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?” (Ezekiel 38:13)

These questions will be directed at the leaders of Magog (modern Russia) by the uninvolved nations as they witness the surprise attack on Israel, prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39. Almost everyone agrees this attack is still in our future, and many have wondered what type of plunder would prompt Russia to undertake such an effort.

Since its reappearance on the world scene in 1948, Israel has not been known for its wealth. In fact, just the opposite has been true. Golda Meir, who was Israel’s Prime Minister from 1969 to 1974 is said to have complained that Moses led the children of Israel through the desert for forty years until he found the only place in the Middle East where there wasn’t any oil.

That Was Then

But the Lord is not constrained by a lack of knowledge of the future the way man is. 2,500 years ago He knew Israel would someday have sufficient wealth to make the tiny nation an inviting target, and it’s beginning to look like that day has come.

If you follow any energy related news sources, you know about the recent discovery of large natural gas deposits off Israel’s shores. The size of these reserves keeps being revised upward, but according to US Geological Survey estimates there could be as many as 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas beneath the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean. Much of it is in Israeli territory. This could not only supply all of Israel’s projected needs for the next 150 years or so, but could also make Israel a major exporter of natural gas to Europe.

Some experts are convinced that Russia, the world’s largest exporter of natural gas, will try to prevent Israel from entering the market in Europe. Having recently failed in their bid to acquire a financial interest in the gas field itself, it’s believed that Russia will work to strengthen its monopoly in Europe by building another pipeline to augment the one that currently runs direct to Germany. The new pipeline, called South Stream, is already under construction and will terminate in Austria. Russia looks unfavorably on competition of any sort and will likely do whatever is necessary to protect its market. The fear is that this could include taking by force of arms a resource they’ve been unable to acquire legitimately.

Hydraulic Fracturing

On their own, Israel’s gas discoveries could be enough to justify Russia getting involved with the Muslim coalition that Ezekiel said will attack Israel. But there’s more. Through a process known as hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking), previously inaccessible deposits of shale oil and gas can now be tapped.

Here’s how it works. A vertical shaft is drilled to a point below the deepest aquifer containing fresh water. Steel casing is inserted into the shaft and concrete is poured around the casing. This prevents the fresh water sources from being disturbed or contaminated. Then the drilling continues down into the shale formation. A combination of explosives and high pressure water is used to fracture the shale to open cracks through which the gas or oil can flow to the main well and from there to the surface. Horizontal wells can also be drilled off the main vertical shaft to further increase the release of gas and oil from the shale. According to EPA studies, over 1 million existing wells have been subjected to the fracking process in the US since 1947 without a single case of fresh water contamination.

The US has used this technology to effectively become independent of imported natural gas in the last 5 years while substantially reducing the price American consumers pay for it. If not for the current political climate, experts believe we could duplicate this effort with oil within 7 years, given our proven reserves of shale oil. Imagine what unlimited supplies of cheap domestic oil could do for our economy, not to mention our national security. But with the consumption of fossil fuels no longer being politically correct, only time will tell whether these reserves will be accessed.

Who Else Could Do This?

But there are other countries that will benefit from this technology, and one of them has estimated reserves of 250 billion barrels of shale oil. That makes them a very close second to Saudia Arabia in the Middle East. That’s right, it’s Israel.

If they can master the technology, and Israel is very good at such things, they could soon stand beside OPEC as a major Middle Eastern oil producing country. The OPEC nations would still be rich, because their oil will be less expensive to produce, but as a major competitor, Israel could break both their monopoly and their political hold over much of the world. Observers say the Middle Eastern nations most seriously impacted by this would be Iran and Turkey, two of Israel’s major antagonists in the coming Battle of Ezekiel 38.

It would take Israel a few years to accomplish this, but wars are fought over what nations are afraid will happen as often as over what has happened. Every one of Israel’s enemies will want to steal this potential wealth before it can be used against them.

You can see how this could play right into the Lord’s hand. If Israel is allowed to exercise its full military might, no coalition of neighboring countries can currently stand against it. If the Battle of Psalm 83 becomes a reality, Israel will win and for the first time in 60 years will have secure and uncontested borders. A strong and secure Israel could begin working toward becoming a major player in the oil and gas industry. It wouldn’t take long for two things to happen, because they’re both consistent with human nature. First, Israel would become more confident and less vigilant, and second, Israel’s enemies would exploit their relaxed vigilance, seeking to win by conquest what they have not been able to acquire by legitimate means. Just when Israel has become a peaceful and unsuspecting people, they’ll attack (Ezek. 38:10-11).

For Russia the prize will be Israel’s oil and gas. For its Muslim partners it will be the long promised destruction of “the Zionist entity” as well. They will advance against Israel with such a mighty force it will be like a cloud that covers the land (Ezek. 38:16). For all intents and purposes Israel’s defeat will be a foregone conclusion.

But the God of Israel will have been waiting for just such a time as well. In fact He will have orchestrated it. With His signature weapons of earthquakes, torrential rain, hail and burning sulfur, and by turning his enemies against each other, He will decimate the enemy forces. Listen to Him describe it.

This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel (Ezek. 38:18-19).

I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man’s sword (weapon) will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him (Ezek. 38:21-23).

I will strike your bow (launcher) from your left hand and make your arrows (missiles) drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD (Ezek. 39:3-5).

What Israel’s enemies will have thought to be an easy victory will quickly turn into a devastating defeat.

Who Is Gog?

Throughout Ezekiel 38-39 God exclusively addresses Gog as the leader of the enemy coalition. Long time readers will know that I believe Gog is a supernatural figure, perhaps Satan’s commander in chief. I say that because while all the other parties in the Muslim coalition have their origins in the genealogies of Noah’s sons, no such claim can be made for Gog.

He appears three times in the Bible. The first one is in the first two verses of Amos 7, but you have to be reading Amos from the Septuagint translation to see it. There, Gog is identified as the king of a swarm of locusts. To further shroud him in mystery Proverbs 30:27 states that locusts have no king, and observers of locust swarms agree that no obvious leader directs them, as a queen would direct a hive of bees for example. The swarm of locusts led by Gog in Amos 7:1-2 was symbolic of a judgment  that was scheduled to come upon the Northern Kingdom, but the Lord stayed His hand because of Amos’ intercession.

The next time Gog is mentioned is in Ezekiel 38:2, where he is called by name as the leader of the coalition of Muslim nations attacking Israel.

His final mention comes from the Book of Revelation where he will again lead the people from Magog against the Lord’s army at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:8). That’s a span of nearly 4,000 years. Far too long for any human leader.

The Bible clearly states that behind the human seats of government stand supernatural figures manipulating the thoughts and actions of the world’s leaders.   We can see this in Daniel 11:13 where an angel sent to speak with Daniel was delayed 21 days by “the Prince of Persia”. The angel told Daniel he was not finished fighting against the Prince of Persia and soon be fighting against the Prince of Greece as well (Daniel 11:20). Only the archangel Michael was sufficiently powerful to free him, so we know he was not speaking of contending with human rulers.

These supernatural figures are in Satan’s employ, helping him in his effort to wrest the ownership of Planet Earth from its Creator. (In Isaiah 14:3 Satan himself is called the King of Babylon, and in Ezekiel 28:11 he’s called the King of Tyre.) Gog is at least the supernatural figure behind the throne of Russia, and perhaps is even Satan’s counterpart to Michael, who commands the Lord’s armies (Rev. 12:7). This could be a clue that the Battle of Ezekiel 38 won’t be undertaken for purely human reasons, although it will look that way to the human world. It will really be one more in a long string of attacks Satan has mounted against God’s people in his ongoing effort to destroy them. I believe this is the reason the Lord addressed only Gog in Ezekiel 38-39. He’s talking to and about the one who is really in charge.

From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God (Ezekiel 39:22).

But this time Satan’s effort will produce the opposite effect. Where in the past the Jewish people have credited their own superior ability for their victories, this time they’ll see that they couldn’t have survived without the Lord, and it will open their eyes to the fact that He’s still their God and is still fighting for them. This realization will lead to the reinstatement of their Old Covenant relationship with Him, and they’ll immediately set about rebuilding their Temple, a requirement for Old Covenant worship. The clock that has been stopped for 2,000 years will start ticking again and Daniel’s missing 70th Week will begin.

Time will tell whether this view is correct. But one of the great advantages of living in our day is that it won’t be long until all our questions will be answered. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 02-09-13

(Note: this is an update of a previous study originally posted in 2008)

Hezbollah has said that Israel’s disappearance after their next war is an established fact. Iran’s President has called Israel a dirty microbe and a savage animal that will soon disappear in a flash. The commander in chief of Iran’s army predicts that millions will soon receive the joyous news of Israel’s destruction. Today Israel is on high alert after bombing a Syrian chemical weapons factory outside of Damascus and a weapons convoy heading into Lebanon. Russia is upset by this, and Syria and Iran have both vowed to retaliate, saying Israel’s attack gives them the right to do so.

With all the rhetoric flying around the Middle East about a major war coming, and with multiple countries rapidly beefing up their military preparedness, a quick review of Psalm 83 is in order to refresh our minds on the prophetic details of this coming attack against Israel.

Psalm 83 was probably written some time after the end of King Solomon’s reign (about 900 BC)  but the Bible contains no account of such a coordinated effort by all of Israel’s neighbors to destroy them, either during that time or since.  A partial fulfillment may be in view in 2 Chron. 20 which describes Moab, Ammon, and parts of Edom invading Judah during King Jehosophat’s reign (872-848 BC).  Interestingly, Jahaziel, a Levite who prophesied Judah’s victory in that battle was a descendant of Asaph, who wrote Psalm 83.  Applying one of His favorite tactics, the Lord set Israel’s enemies against each other and they defeated themselves. (Ezekiel 38:21 tells of a future use of this same tactic.)

But the Battle of 2 Chron. 20 doesn’t fully meet the requirements of Psalm 83, having many fewer antagonists, so on that basis we can assume it was a partial fulfillment at best and the ultimate fulfillment is still in the future, perhaps the very near future. If so, it could be the bridge between the current state of affairs in Israel and the conditions necessary for the Battle of Ezekiel 38 to happen.  Let’s find out.

Psalm 83

O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you- the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. (Ps. 83:1-8)

The language is out of today’s headlines and the countries lined up against Israel in this Psalm inhabited the lands of Israel’s current neighbors. Edom and the Ishmaelites were in land occupied by southern Jordan today while the territories of Moab and Ammon make up the rest of that country. Ahman, the modern spelling of Ammon, is the capital of Jordan.

(While the government of Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel, we should remember that some 70% of Jordan’s population is “Palestinian” and in fact the country was originally formed to be the Palestinian home land. Currently there’s a proposal in the works that would join the Palestinians and Jordan in a federation.  This would give the Palestinians almost every advantage of statehood without having to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.)

The Hagrites were part of Aram, whose capitol was Damascus in modern Syria.  Some have tried to link the Hagrites to Egypt, saying they were the descendants of Hagar.  She was the Egyptian slave woman Abraham and Sarah acquired there who became the mother of Ishmael.  But according to 1 Chron. 5:10 the Hagrites occupied the area east of Gilead in today’s northern Jordan.

Gebal (also called Byblos) and Tyre are cities that can still be found in present day Lebanon, home of Hezbollah.  The Amalekites lived in Israel’s southern desert and Philistia settled in Gaza on Israel’s southern border, where Hamas currently reigns.  Assyria would conquer Aram shortly after Psalm 83 was written and the descendants of Lot is another reference to Jordan.  Remember, Moab and Ammon were the sons of an incestuous union between Lot and his two daughters and settled in land the Lord  gave them east of the Jordan River (Deut. 2:9).

So here we have all of Israel’s next door neighbors, all of them sworn to Israel’s destruction, and all of them preparing for war because of what’s  happening in Syria.

In a couple of surprising side notes, the US, which has traditionally maintained a strong naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, abruptly withdrew its fleet just as the Russian navy showed up off the coast of Syria.  It’s being reported that President Obama has told Turkey, Israel, and Jordan that it’s up to them to make sure Syria doesn’t try to widen the war. (As evidence of this, he gave Israel the green light to execute their bombing raids on Syria.)  Some analysts also believe Iran is actively considering the benefits of having Syria and Hezbollah provoke a limited  war with Israel to deflect any attempt by Israel to attack their nuclear facilities.  If so, it should soon become apparent, but for now let’s go back to Psalm 83.

Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”

Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:9-18)

Asaph, the Psalm’s writer, can’t resist telling the Lord exactly how he’d like Israel’s enemies to be dealt with. In that sense he’s just like you and me.

Midian was defeated by a vastly outnumbered force under the command of Gideon. It was another case of the Lord turning Israel’s enemies against each other and causing them to defeat themselves (Judges 7).

Jabin was a king of the Canaanites and Sisera was the commander of his army. The Lord lured the Canaanite army into a trap and the Israelites destroyed them (Judges 4).  The commander of Israel’s army was named Barak, just like Israel’s recent Defense Minister. Probably a coincidence.

Oreb, Zeeb Zebah, and Zalmunna were all leaders of the Midianite army defeated by Gideon.

Asaph’s prayer was that Israel’s current enemies will be just as soundly defeated as were the Midianites and the Canaanites, their armies scattered and their leaders executed.

Israel estimates that in excess of 50,000 short range missiles and rockets located in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza are positioned to strike strategic targets everywhere in Israel.   in addition, Syria has moved hundreds of long range missiles into firing positions, placed them on combat readiness, and given them updated target coordinates.  To avoid duplication in targeting, Iran has created and will direct a unified command center in Damascus to coordinate the massive simultaneous deployment of these weapons upon the outbreak of hostilities.  Their thought is that the Israelis will not be able to fend off such an all out attack and will be effectively disabled.

But Israel might pick this opportunity to launch a preemptive attack against the command center, wiping out Damascus in fulfillment of Isaiah 17.  Losing their command and control abilities  could cause the enemy attack to degenerate into a confused and chaotic effort that Israel could  quickly defeat just like Gideon defeated the Midianites.

Should this be the case, Israel will become larger, not smaller, with the contention over the ownership of Gaza, the West bank and the Golan put to an end. Israel will become stronger, not weaker, its military reputation vastly enhanced. The divided land would be divided no more, and Jerusalem would remain a unified city. The controversial security fence would likely come down, since the borders on all three sides would be considered to be safe and the threat of terrorist attacks diminished. In most people’s minds 60 years of war will have finally ended. It will be the perfect opportunity for Israel to be lured into a false sense of security and become a peaceful and unsuspecting people living in a land of unwalled villages as Ezekiel 38:11 requires. This is a critical condition that must be met prior to Ezekiel’s battle and the final fulfillment of Psalm 83 would go a long way toward meeting it.

Meanwhile, the Russians and Iranians, who would have fought this battle primarily by proxy, would study their defeat and learn from their mistakes, lying in wait for the next opportunity to strike. It won’t be long in coming. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 02-02-13

Table of contents for From Here To Eternity

1. Judging Planet Earth
2. The Second Coming
3. Restoring Planet Earth

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt. 19:28)

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” Then He said, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 21:5-6)

The end times judgments will be devastating in the extreme, and the Lord warned that if He didn’t bring them to a close at the appointed time, not a single soul would survive (Matt. 24:22). But for the sake of the elect, He will bring them to a close and when He does the restoration of Earth will begin.

I believe one of the ancillary functions of the end times judgments will be to begin the process of returning Earth to the condition it was in just after the creation.  It’s as if the Great Tribulation is the demolition phase of the restoration. This is hinted at by phrases like “every island fled away and the mountains could not be found” (Rev. 16:20) and “there was no longer any sea” (Rev. 21:1).  And speaking of the Lord’s current whereabouts,  Peter told the people, He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:21)

Comparing verses like these with the return of long life spans indicated in Isaiah 65:20, I think most of the present seas will either return to their underground origins or rise into the upper atmosphere to re-establish the water vapor canopy that once surrounded Earth (Gen. 1:6-7) and helped enable the long pre-flood lives.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.  In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow (Isaiah 35:1-2, 7).

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.(Isaiah 41:18-20)

The mountains will be lowered, and the sea floor elevated.  Streams and rivers will flow through lands that have been parched for thousands of years. The great desserts will become verdant plains again.  The current tilt of the Earth’s axis causes extreme differences in the world’s weather and makes large areas uninhabitable. I believe this will be corrected at the time of the 2nd Coming. The axis will become upright again and the year shortened to its original 360 days. Earth will once again enjoy a world wide sub-tropical climate like it did before Adam lost it and the terrible effects of sin were loosed upon it. This is something the creation has been waiting for ever since.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

And this restoration won’t be limited to the Earth alone.  A massive spontaneous healing will correct all the imperfections of fallen mankind.  

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.  And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall (Malachi 4:2). The eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  The lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy (Isaiah 35:7)

When the Lord returns in glory the wait will be over, and soon afterward the creation will once again resemble a lush garden. He will make her deserts like Eden, her waste lands like the garden of the Lord (Isaiah 51:3).

Some people are troubled by all this because they’re so in love with the creation as it currently appears. I remember reading about a person asking God to leave her behind at the rapture because she can’t imagine anything being more beautiful than this present Earth, not even Heaven.  People like this are limited in their thinking.  They’re basing the future on the past instead of on the promises of God.  They don’t stop to think that if the Earth is this beautiful while under a curse how much more so will it be when the curse is lifted and it’s restored to its original condition?

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:2-3).

Besides, people who think like this don’t realize that the Lord has spent the last 2,000 years “preparing a place for us” in His Father’s house. He’s not coming back to be with us here where we are, He’s coming back to take us there to be with Him where He is. The Church will no longer call Earth home but will dwell with Him in His Father’s house.  Do these folks really think that after the rapture, when we see all eternity spread out before us, we’ll be disappointed with our future and long to return to this fallen creation?

But our focus here is the restoration of Planet Earth, where Israel will once again be the most favored nation. One of the clues we get that the Kingdom Age on Earth features Israel and not the Gentile nations, or even the Church, is that almost all of its descriptive passages are in the Old Testament, and for the most part center around Israel.

From them we learn of the desert bursting into bloom (Isaiah 35:1-2), of the land being so fertile that before they can complete the harvest it will be time to begin planting again (Amos 9:13). Peace will flow like a river and the wealth of the nations like a flooding stream (Isaiah 66:12).  In Jerusalem men and women of ripe old age will sit in streets filled with playing children (Zechariah 8:4-5). And in the country side, “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.” (Micah 4:4)

Peace will prevail in the animal kingdom as well. Predators and prey will live side by side, and their young will lie down together, all of them existing in perfect harmony with each other and with mankind again (Isaiah 11:6-8). This will be another reversal of a post-flood condition, when fear and dread of man fell upon all the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air (Gen. 9:2-3).

And so the time of restoration will have come, and in every way Earth will be like it was in the beginning. Where ever one goes there will be peace on Earth and good will toward men, like the angel Gabriel promised to the shepherds so long ago. The Lord Himself will rule, and people will come from all over the world to learn from Him.

The mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law (Torah) will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:2-4)

But like it has always been, the seed of rebellion will still reside in the heart of natural man.  He’ll be given every conceivable advantage in this, his last best chance to live in peace with God.  But within a generation or two that seed will begin to germinate as the children of Tribulation survivors come of age. Some will choose to follow their parents to the foot of the cross and receive their personal redemption. But with each generation an increasing number won’t. This will happen even though Satan will be bound, the Lord Himself will be their King, and God’s Law will be their law.

You see, there is no condition or circumstance that will allow natural man with his sin nature to live in peace with God. As the end of the Millennial Kingdom Age approaches, unbelievers will vastly out number believers again, especially among the nations. When Satan is released they will rise up as one and march across the breadth of the Earth to surround the camp of God’s people and the city He loves in a final attempt to kick the Lord off the planet. But fire from Heaven will devour them, and Satan will be captured again, this time to be thrown into the lake of fire forever. (Rev. 20:9-10)

After the Millennium, God and man will enjoy a new beginning, called Eternity. We’re not given any information about this because the Bible effectively ends at the end of the Millennium.  A careful reading shows that in Rev. 20, John skipped ahead after verse six to describe the final destinies of Satan and all unbelievers while he was on the subject. (Rev. 20:7-15) Then in Rev. 21:1-27 he went back to the beginning of the Millennium to show us the New Jerusalem, and in Rev. 22:1-5 gave us a glimpse of Millennial life on Earth.  We know this because Rev. 21:1 is a direct quote from Isaiah 65:17 where the context is the Kingdom age in Israel and Rev. 22:1-2 is a summary of Ezekiel 47:1-12, also a millennial passage.

As part of the Church we’ll effectively have a head start on Eternity, as will resurrected believers from both Old Testament times and Daniel’s 70th Week. But we’ll have to wait at least until the rapture to see what it’s going to be like. All we know for now is that it’ll be the greatest adventure ever designed for mankind, and we’ll be first line when the time comes to begin enjoying it.  You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.  01-19-13

12th Annual Update January 2013

There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming, and currently all of them are in some stage of fulfillment.  As in years past, I’ll list the seven with their primary biblical references and offer commentary from current events.

1. Israel Will Be In The Land … Ezekiel 36:8-12, 37:21

Speaking to the Land God said,
“You, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.  I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,  and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.  I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.

And to the people,
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.

Although Ezekiel wrote these words while the Israelites were in Babylon, they were not fulfilled in the nation’s return from exile there.  Like Isaiah before him (Isaiah 11:11) Ezekiel was speaking of the second and final return, not the one after the Babylon captivity.  We know this because in Ezekiel  36:12 the Lord said His people would possess the mountains of Israel, and they would never again deprive His people of their children.  That means from then on there would always be Jewish children born in Israel.  And yet in the first century, the nation ceased to exist altogether.  Therefore in 1948, when Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us.   Jesus said that some from the generation being born when this happened would still be alive when He returns (Matt. 24:34).

2. Jerusalem Will Be In Jewish Hands… Luke 21:24

They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land, and indeed the world, was coming to an end (Luke 21:24). Fulfillment of this prophecy began in 1967, when Jerusalem became an undivided Jewish city again, and scholars saw it as another major sign that the End of the Age had begun.  The almost world wide effort to re-divide the city is in essence a battle of wills.  Nearly every Israeli leader has stood firmly on a pledge to keep Jerusalem united forever as Israel’s capital, but the unbelieving leaders of the world are just as resolutely determined to divide it with the Palestinians.

The Lord said that at the End of the Age He will make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling, an immovable rock for all nations.  All who try to move it will injure themselves. (Zechariah 12:2-3) This past year  much of the talk against Israel has been focused on Jerusalem.  American leaders, traditionally some of Israel’s most loyal allies, have publicly called East Jerusalem occupied territory and demanded that no more Jewish homes be built there.  They’ve even tried to halt construction in undisputed neighborhoods.

Throughout the year a number of countries worked with the Palestinians to force UN recognition of  a Palestinian state in the Promised Land.  At year end, they succeeded in having Palestine declared a “non member observer state”.  Now there’s apparently a movement afoot for Palestine and Jordan to become a federation.  If successful this would allow Arab states to bypass Israel’s demand to be recognized as a Jewish state while giving Palestine almost all the benefits of becoming an independent state themselves.  While the Palestinians would eagerly settle for this, so far Jordan’s King Abdullah is flatly opposed.  Behind all this of course is a spiritual battle of massive proportions, and while there’s no doubt as to the out come, the battle continues to be a fierce one.

I’ve come to believe that Jerusalem won’t really be free of Gentile “trampling” until the Lord returns.  Daniel’s prophecy that Gentile Dominion would not end until the Lord establishes His kingdom (Daniel 2:36-45), Zechariah’s prophecy of the city being captured and divided just before the Lord’s return (Zech. 14:2), and John’s observation in Rev. 11:1-2 of the gentiles trampling the outer court of the Temple during the Great Tribulation all confirm this. But even so, the fact that Jerusalem is back in Jewish hands is another big sign that the End is coming soon.

3. A Moslem Coalition Armed And Led By Russia Will Attack The Holy Land… Ezek. 38:2-6

“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army–your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops–the many nations with you.”

Numerous historical references make it plain that Magog stands for modern Russia, and the other countries named here form a coalition based on their common religion, Islam.  Among them are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern European countries along the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia Minor.  A quick look at a world map will reveal that these areas are home to some of the most radical Islamic groups.  (For a detailed explanation of the modern nations to which these Biblical names refer, read “An In Depth Look At The Modern Equivalent To Biblical Names in Ezek.38″)

Directly or indirectly, the Russians are already a supplier of arms for the nations who will form this coalition, just as Ezekiel prophesied, and will be drawn into joining in this battle by God Himself. Russia’s barely disguised policy of becoming the major outside force in the Middle East is playing right into the Lord’s hands.  Russia has moved part of its Black Sea fleet, including its only aircraft carrier, into the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Syria and has recently deployed shore to ship and anti-aircraft missile batteries in Syria as well.  Russia and Iran are well into the implementation of a $50 billion deal to provide Iran with nuclear power. The 10 reactors called for in the deal are supposedly for electrical power generation, but most western leaders are convinced they’ll be used to create material for bombs, too. So far, only the one in Busheir is on line.

Various experts had claimed that Iran would become a nuclear power in 2012, but despite the continuing damage caused by the mysterious Stuxnet computer virus and several unexplained explosions, some still think a bomb is possible in early to mid 2013.  Israel and the US have both vowed to prevent that ever happening and after a period of vacillation the language coming out of Washington at year end seems to be getting tougher again.

It’s important to remember that if either the US or Israel or both attack Iran it would not be a fulfillment of Ezekiel 38.  The prophecy calls for a sneak attack on Israel, not the other way around.   Currently that’s the major obstacle to an early fulfillment of this prophecy.  It has to occur at a time when Israel is “a peaceful and unsuspecting people” (Ezekiel 38:11) and this certainly is not the case today.

But Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 are yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies that taken together appear to involve all of Israel’s next door neighbors in another attempt to wipe the Jewish nation off the map.  A victory by Israel would explain why none of them are named in Ezekiel’s list of antagonists, although you’d expect them to be at or near the top of the list.  It would also explain how Israel could soon be living in a perceived state of safety as Ezekiel 38:11 requires.

Syria could possibly be in the early stages of fulfilling Isaiah 17 and surrounding nations are preparing for the worst.  Recent  UN estimates indicate 60,000 or more Syrians have already died since March 2011 when the uprising began.   Hamas and Hezbollah continue to make frantic preparations for war, insisting there will be one very soon.  Not surprisingly, these preparations are being directed and funded by Iran. Through out 2012 experts on both sides publicly announced their conclusions that a regional war is imminent, but at year’s end it hasn’t happened yet.  I think there’s a better than even chance that if the situation in Syria deteriorates into a fulfillment of Isaiah 17, it will trigger Psalm 83 as well.

One pre-requisite for Ezekiel’s battle is clearly being met.  Till now Israel really hasn’t had any wealth to speak of, but recent oil and gas discoveries, said to be worth billions of dollars, could provide the wealth necessary to make Israel an attractive target for attack.  This could fulfill the precondition of  Ezekiel 38:13 that Russia will be looking for plunder.  There could be enough natural gas to supply Israel’s needs for more than 100 years while turning the country from a net importer to a net exporter.  Russia is already looking for ways to get involved in bringing this gas to market, and according to Ezekiel they’ll go to war in what will turn out to be a failed attempt to do so.

I believe the removal of the US as Israel’s powerful ally is also necessary to pave the way for Ezekiel’s battle, because I don’t think the Moslem coalition will attack until they’re sure the US won’t retaliate.  Any one of several scenarios currently being played out could accomplish this, especially since our national policy toward Israel is not what it once was.  A double dip recession could turn the nation inward again and cause us to lose interest in defending Israel.  Further decline of the dollar on world markets could even render us financially unable to do so.  The threat or actual occurrence of a major terrorist attack could cause us to stand down.   And finally, the Rapture of the Church could deprive the US of the ability to respond.  Any one of these would mean serious trouble for the US and all of them have a better than average probability of coming to pass in the year ahead.  In summary, it’s a becoming a whole lot easier to see the US abandoning its commitment to Israel.

When the time is right, having recently taken His church to Heaven, the Lord will use this battle to orchestrate His reconciliation with Israel, and on its heels the anti Christ will emerge with a peace plan that includes a Jewish Temple. So once this battle takes place, end times prophecy will really go on fast forward.

4. The Ancient Roman Empire Will Re-Emerge As A Political Force… Rev 17:9-10

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.”

This one is a little obscure if you don’t know your history. When John was writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All had been conquered and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age.

About 600 years earlier, the Prophet Daniel had spoken of a period of time theologians call Gentile Dominion that gives us added insight into Rev. 17:9-10.  Daniel 2:36-45 describes it as being symbolized by a giant statue that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, had dreamed about.  Egypt and Assyria had recently been defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, and  Daniel said the statue represented the four remaining Gentile kingdoms, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.  In the dream, Babylon was the head of the statue and was made of gold.  Persia was the chest and arms, made of silver.  Greece was the belly and thighs of bronze, followed by the two appearances of Rome, two legs of iron (Biblical Rome) and two feet of iron mixed with clay (the revived Roman Empire). After that God would set up His own, eternal, kingdom.

There are some interesting details in the description of the two feet upon which the statue stands.  Remember, they represent the end times version of the Roman Empire.  Let’s read it.

Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay (Daniel 2:41-43).

In the first place iron and clay don’t mix. We can imagine sticky clay serving as glue that holds pieces of iron together, but the language describes a clay that’s already baked, hard and brittle like shards of pottery.

You can’t make random pieces of iron and pottery adhere, and according to Daniel 2:41-43 this will be the end times empire’s insurmountable problem.  Today the western leg is known as Europe while the Eastern leg consists of the Islamic nations of the Middle East.  Although the world is currently focused on the economic challenges Europe faces, ultimately the number one issue of this end times empire will be that of integrating the vastly dissimilar  cultures of the western and eastern legs. They are just too different to be blended and already the failure of the social experiment called multi-culturalism has become evident.  Throughout the end times the revived Roman Empire will be partly strong (eastern leg) and partly brittle (western leg) and will not adhere.  I’m convinced the aggressive culture of the eastern leg (Islam) will overtake the dying culture of the west and eventually become the dominant voice of Europe.  Nevertheless the prophecy clearly shows both divisions present until the Lord returns to set up His Kingdom, putting an end to Gentile Dominion forever (Daniel 2:44).

 5. The World Will Embrace A Single Religion… Rev 13:8

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Make no mistake about it. Islam is the major religious force in the world today and the goal is nothing less than world domination, by any means necessary. It’s the world’s fastest growing religion and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Already nearly one out of every four inhabitants of the world is Muslim, and like most Christians and Jews they don’t really know what they believe or why.  I’m no prophet, but as I look into the future, it’s much easier for me to see Islam riding its current wave of momentum to fill the void left by the departure of the Church than it is to imagine some watered  down mix of apostate Christianity and New Age Mysticism doing so.

By now most serious students are aware of Muslim prophecies of the one they call alMahdi and their striking resemblance to Christian prophecies of the anti-Christ. For example, both show a leader coming on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth.  Both depict him as man of peace who will have a seven year reign, head up a one world religion and one world government, and claim supernatural origins.  Both prophecies culminate in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth’s final judgment.  It’s as if they’re pointing to the same person. The difference is that in Islam he’s a good guy, while the Bible calls him evil.

Take this charismatic political and religious leader with his supernatural power, add the widely held but incorrect belief that God and Allah are the same, and that Islam is a religion of peace, and then subtract the spirit of discernment that will disappear with the Church and you can see how this charismatic Islamic leader could unite a frightened world on the brink of disaster.

6. The World Will Accept A Single Government… Rev 13:3

The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.

When you look at the deteriorating shape of the world today, it doesn’t take much to imagine conditions getting to a point where people will cry out for a leader who can bring order out of chaos.   Whether the issue is climate change, the decline of the US dollar,  the economic collapse of Europe, or war in the Middle East, the one solution most leaders agree on is the need for some form of world government. With the things that already threaten world stability getting worse by the day, how much more frantic will people be after millions of their neighbors suddenly disappear in the rapture without warning or explanation, and there’s been a war that brings destruction from Europe through the Middle East and into Russia? When people become convinced that their problems cannot be solved by human means alone they look to the supernatural for answers.  In this regard, Paul wrote:

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing (2 Thes 2 :9-10)

A leader who promises to restore peace and safety and demonstrates miraculous power that astonishes everyone will quickly be given the reins of world government.  By many accounts, this lawless one is standing in the wings as you read this, awaiting his cue.

7. Babylon Will Re-Emerge As A Prominent City In World Affairs… Rev 18:2-3

With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

You may not know it, but Babylon is being made ready to accept its destiny as a city of power in the end times.  It’s just a ceremonial city right now, but 20 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates River.  Today there’s a concerted effort underway to complete what Saddam Hussein began and  return Babylon to world prominence.  The government of Iraq has decided that making Babylon an international tourist destination is in the country’s best interest, and the US is sponsoring a feasibility study to see how this can be accomplished.

Because of Babylon’s current lack of importance in the world, some students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of its destruction described in Rev. 18, and of course many see the USA or some American city as a logical candidate.  But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes “mystery Babylon” as seated on seven hills, a prophecy in Zechariah 5:5-11 shows it being moved “to the plains of Shinar” a reference to ancient Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can’t switch from literal to allegorical interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and where Babylon is concerned no such direction exists. In fact the opposite is true.  Almost from the beginning, the Bible has been a tale of two cities.  Jerusalem is the city of God while Babylon has always been the city of man.  Both disappeared from the world stage for many centuries, but when Jerusalem came back it was to its original location.  The Bible says the same will be true of Babylon.

Birth Pains … Matt. 24:6-8

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Experts say the big things to watch for in 2013 will be the actions of nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. The first of these will likely take place in the Middle East and will center around Syria.  NATO, the USA, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and several Arab countries have troops standing by on Syria’s borders waiting for the signal to move in and take over.  Some are actually “in country” already.  The possibility of this spilling over into Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel is thought to be very high and could easily bring the fulfillment of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17.

There will also be big problems in the EU if the more stable countries try to expel those whose financial instability would otherwise threaten to bring the whole Union down. World financial leaders have warned that Europe’s failure to resolve these difficulties will plunge the world back into an even worse recession than the one we’re supposedly just coming out of. Predictions are being made of widespread civil unrest  as the consequence of failure.  These same observers consider a workable solution to be unlikely and speculate that 2013 could very well begin the world’s time of payback for years of overspending.

Food prices remain uncertain and experts warn us not to relax.  The price of food will continue to be volatile and among the poor will still consume more than 45% of household income.  Already 1 out of every 6 people in the world goes to bed hungry every night. Experts have said it would only take one or two years of poor crop production to bring a serious famine to the world and in the US we’ve just completed the first one.  Some experts are predicting that 2013 won’t be any better. Here in America, participation in the food stamp program continues to set records with one out of every 6 citizens now receiving regular help. Combined with higher food prices the continuing growth of this program will further stress a fragile economy.

Earthquakes are now an everyday occurrence with an average of  almost 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or higher somewhere in the world every day.  It sounds like a lot, but at 1450 total, 2012  had the lowest annual occurrence of any year since 2003.  2011 holds the record with 2495 earthquakes registering 5.0 or greater.

The Lord said these birth pangs would be the early warning signs of the approaching End of the Age,  so I have included the above examples to confirm my belief that we’re very close to our last days on Earth.  While predictions of what 2013 may bring are all over the spectrum, Christians needn’t worry because we walk by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).  Our citizenship is in Heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20).  Therefore, when we see these things begin to take place we’re to stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).  These promises have never been more important to us than they will be in 2013.  Happy New Year!  May all the Lord’s blessings be yours. 01-05-13

The Day Of The Lord

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:1-6)

These are the last six verses of the Old Testament. They warn of two coming events, the last of which is given first. It’s the Great Tribulation, where the evil and arrogant will perish but those who revere God’s name will experience His healing and freedom. Elijah’s return is the other one, foretold in Malachi’s last paragraph.

Most scholars believe the writings of Malachi were God’s final word to the people of Israel before the birth of John the Baptist, who came about 430 years later to announce the coming of the Messiah. This confirms an earlier prophecy from Micah 5:2-5 that Israel would be abandoned for a time until she who is in labor gives birth (Micah 5:3).

Two Possibilities

John’s identity as the Elijah who was to come is the subject of some controversy, but as we’ll see it’s easily proven. More important is how this last prophecy in the Old Testament was written.  It reveals two possibilities.  One would have Elijah’s appearance cause reconciliation among the families of Israel and prepare them to successfully endure the coming judgment, after which they would enter the promised Kingdom. The other would result in the Lord striking the land with a curse and the End of the Age being delayed.

The key to understanding this is to realize that the judgment accompanying the Day of the Lord is a given. The Israelites would either be prepared, in which case they would have accepted both John and the Messiah he was sent to prepare them for.  This would have resulted in the fulfillment of all End Times prophecies and the establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth.

Or they would reject John and Jesus and the land would be cursed.  In that case the End Times judgments would be delayed and the establishment of the Kingdom would be put on hold.  Therefore Malachi’s prophecy was like several others we’ve discussed that were given with two possible fulfillments depending on Israel’s response.

Three New Testament passages speak to this issue. The first is in Luke 1:11-17 and tells of the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah, the man who would become John’s father.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

When Gabriel appeared to Zechariah outside the Holy of Holies, He said that John was coming to minister in the spirit and power of Elijah, and used similar language to that of Malachi 4:5-6. According to Hebrew tradition the mantle that Elijah had worn was stored beneath the incense altar near where Zechariah was standing. He retrieved it and took it home for the time when his son would need it.

The second is John 1:19-23.
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ “

Why Did He Say That?

If Gabriel had specifically referred to Elijah in giving his prophecy about John’s life, why did John deny being Elijah when confronted by the priests? Of course he wasn’t the Messiah. Nor was he the prophet promised by Moses in Deut. 18:15, which was also a Messianic prophecy.  But why didn’t he admit to being Elijah? Or at least say he was called to minister in the spirit and power of Elijah? Surely  Zechariah had told him of the angel’s visit and the information he had imparted concerning the purpose of John’s life.

The fact that he wasn’t literally Elijah (although 2 Kings 2:11 tells us that Elijah went live into heaven) is too simple an answer. He could only have been speaking from the understanding that he would not be accepted as Elijah, knowing in advance that the people would reject his ministry.

The Lord clarified this in the third passage, Matt 17:10-13.

The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Just as the Lord would not be accepted as the Messiah, neither would John be accepted as Elijah. Both would have to come again. The proof of this is that the second possibility of Malachi 4:5 ended up being fulfilled. The land was cursed and the prophecies of a kingdom for Israel were put on hold.

Don’t get me wrong. Many people were prepared for the Lord when He came and were reconciled to Him at the cross. But the nation officially rejected him and that’s what matters in the context of the prophecy. Had they officially accepted him, there would have been a national revival and they would have been prepared for their coming King. He would have judged their enemies, and ushered in the long awaited Kingdom.

When they rejected John as Elijah and Jesus as the Messiah the second possibility of Malachi 4:5 came to pass.   The End Times judgment was delayed, Israel’s clock was stopped and the door was opened to the gentiles, who would now precede Israel into the Kingdom. Hear the Lord’s own words on the subject at the end of the Parable of the Tenants.

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ” ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet (Matt 21:42-46).

I Knew That Would Happen

Of course God knew before He created Adam that He would be rejected as Israel’s Messiah, and often spoke through the prophets of bringing salvation to the Gentiles. But His own promises required that Israel have a bona fide offer of the Kingdom to accept or reject. Both John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-2) and Jesus (Matt. 4:17) presented that offer and both were rejected.

Scriptures speak clearly of Elijah’s return in Rev. 11:3-6 where as one of the two witnesses, he performs miracles unique to the Old Testament Elijah right down to their duration. And of course they also speak clearly of Messiah’s return in ways that cannot be allegorized away or attributed to history.

And so the stage is once again set for the return of Elijah before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord.

But before that can happen, the Church, for whom the door was opened in part by Israel’s rejection of John the Baptist as Elijah, must exit. Hear Paul’s words.

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”(Romans 11:25-29)

As the End of the Age approaches, three supernatural events will combine to bring Israel officially back into God’s forever family. First, God’s “impossible any other way” victory over a coalition of Moslem armies will move them to reinstate their Old Covenant relationship and build a Temple in Israel. (Ezek. 39:28-29) Then Elijah will appear along with Moses and with signs and wonders they’ll prepare Israel to expect their soon Coming King. (Rev 11:3-6) And finally, the Holy Spirit will come to remove their spiritual blinders and soften their hardened hearts to finally receive their Messiah. (Zech 12:10) He’ll judge their enemies and usher in their long awaited Kingdom, just like Malachi said He would. If you listen closely you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 12-08-12

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2).

Everyone who has ever received a Christmas card is familiar with Micah 5:2. But here’s something you might not know about it.

Beyond the common understanding that it’s a prophecy of the Messiah’s birth place, the way Micah described Him is unique, to say the least, and contradicts the Jewish thought prevalent at the time of His birth that he would be an ordinary man. The English phrase “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” is remarkable in itself but only tells part of the story. A literal translation from the Hebrew shows that the promised ruler of Israel existed before time began, and would continue to exist forever. He wouldn’t just be a human descendant of King David with a human life span, but would be a man like no other. A man from eternity.

Later John would say the following about Jesus. Calling Him “The Word” He wrote,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

So we wouldn’t misunderstand who “The Word” is, John followed up with,

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

And Jesus Himself made the point that if the Messiah was just a son (descendant) of David’s why did David, speaking through the Holy Spirit, call Him Lord? For David said,

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under under your feet” (Matt. 22:43-44)

In our English translation the meaning isn’t clear, and even if you look up the Greek text of Matt. 22:43-44 you can miss it. But in the Hebrew text of Psalm 110, from which Jesus was quoting, the difference was obvious to them and it’s obvious to us.

The Lord (YHWH) said to my Lord (adon), “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under under your feet” (Psalm 110:1).

Notice two different Hebrew words are both translated Lord. The first one, called the tetragrammaton (four letters) is the closest the scribes could legally come to writing the name of God. These four letters later came to be pronounced first as Jehovah and then as Yahweh and are used only of God the Father. The second word, adon, means lord or master and can refer to men as well as God.

The Lord’s point was that if the Messiah was only a son of David, why would David call Him Lord? In the human context a father is superior to a son and would not call him Lord. The answer no one dared give (Matt. 22:46) was that the Messiah was not just the son of David, but was also the Son of God.

King Of The Jews

By the way, here’s another interesting point. After the Lord’s birth, the Magi came to Jerusalem and inquired of King Herod as to the child’s whereabouts. Herod appeared not to have heard about the Lord’s birth, which probably happened a year or two previously.  When he asked some of the chief priests where the Messiah was supposed to be born, they told him it was Bethlehem, based on their knowledge of Micah 5:2. But they also seemed unaware that this prophecy had been fulfilled.

Herod tried to trick the Magi into revealing the Lord’s exact location so he could have the boy killed. The Magi were well known figures in their day, and were thought of as kingmakers. Herod immediately saw their arrival as a potential threat to his position.

Herod wasn’t even Jewish, but had been appointed to the throne because of his connections in Rome, and now these kingmakers were inquiring about the one who was born king of the Jews. Someone like that could legally challenge his right to rule. In his mind, he resolved to eliminate this potential rival as soon as possible.

But God thwarted his plans by sending the Magi home a different way and warning Joseph to escape to Egypt with Mary and Jesus until it was safe to return. Furious at being outplayed, Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under (Matt. 2:1-18).

But in my opinion the strangest part of the story is that there’s no record of the chief priests making any inquiry of their own. The Jews had been looking for their Messiah King for 500 years, and yet the testimony of these famous kingmakers that He had come apparently didn’t excite enough curiosity to cause an investigation. It’s an example of the kind of things we can miss when we ignore the clear prophecies of the Bible.

Back To Micah

Now let’s look at the verses immediately following Micah 5:2 for some additional discovery.

Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. (Micah 5:3-5)

Even though the opening word of Micah 5:3 (therefore) identifies these three verses as part of the same thought, most people have never read them. Taken together they reveal incredible secrets from beyond the veil of time.

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea and served as a prophet between 750 and 686 BC. In addition to prophesying the fall of both Samaria (the Northern Kingdom) and Jerusalem (the Southern Kingdom) in chapter 1, Micah was allowed to foretell the birth of the Messiah in chapter 5.

A straightforward reading of Micah 5:2-5 would indicate that because of His promise to send a ruler to Israel, God would leave the Jewish people alone for a period of time ending when she who was in labor gave birth to Him. His birth would bring the divided kingdom back together and they would live securely. His greatness would spread through out the world, and He would be their peace.

If you read last week’s feature article you’ll see this is as another case of a prophecy’s fulfillment being open ended based on Israel’s response to the Messiah’s coming. They did experience a 400 year long time of silence between the Old and New Testaments. She who was in labor did give birth to the ruler God had promised and His greatness has spread through out the world.

But since those to whom He was sent rejected Him, the kingdom was not reunited, He did not become Israel’s shepherd, they have not lived securely, and peace has eluded the world. Instead Israel was well and truly abandoned, disappearing from among the nations of Earth for 19 centuries, and the prophecy remains unfulfilled. In addition, the promises of this and other prophecies would hence forth be hidden from their eyes (Luke 19:41-42).

Return To Me, And I Will Return To You

Ezekiel 38-39 tells of a battle scholars agree has not happened yet. According to Ezekiel 39:22 God will use it to open Israel’s eyes and from that day on they’ll know He is the Lord. This will bring them back into their Old Covenant relationship with Him. But once more they’ll be fooled. Thinking he’s their Messiah many will follow the anti-Christ and there will be terrible times for Israel and the world. Jesus called this time the Great Tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world and never to be equaled again (Matt. 24:21).

But according to Lamentations 3:22-23 the Lord’s mercies are new every morning, and He promised Israel that when they seek Him with all their heart they’ll find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Toward the end of the Great Tribulation the time will come when they will seek Him, and as He promised they’ll find Him.

“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 have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (Zechariah 12:10)

The Spirit God, promised in Ezekiel 39:29, will be poured out on the people, their eyes will be opened and their hearts will be softened, and they’ll finally recognize the One who has been their Messiah all along.

All Is Forgiven

On the day of the Lord’s crucifixion, Pilate tried and failed to convince the crowds of His innocence. Finally in frustration he symbolically washed his hands indicating he was done trying.

“I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility.”

All the people answered, “Let His blood be on us and on our children” (Matt. 27:24-25).

And so it has been for nearly 2,000 years. But on the day their eyes are opened they will realize the enormity of their of their sin. They will grieve bitterly and seek His forgiveness. And what will the Lord’s response to this be?

Their blood guilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon (Joel 3:21).

Finally the balance of Micah 5:2-5 will be fulfilled.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 12-01-12

When you boil it all down there are only three schools of thought for interpreting prophecy. There are idealists, who interpret prophecy symbolically and don’t expect any of it to be fulfilled in the literal sense. Then there are preterists, who see the complete fulfillment of prophecy in past events culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And there are futurists who see the fulfillment of prophecy in events still to come. All the major views fit under one of these headings.

In this study, I’m going to focus on preterists and futurists because they both claim to interpret prophecy in terms of a literal fulfillment, whereas idealists treat it allegorically, symbolic of the ongoing struggle between good and evil. Because of that there are many opinions among idealists as to what it all means, with about the only areas of universal agreement being that none of it will really happen as written, and the “good guys” will eventually win. When you read an idealist’s interpretation of prophecy you’re reading what someone wishes the Bible did say, instead of what it does say.

For the most part preterists and futurists both agree on the basics of the Gospel. But when it comes to prophecy it’s hard to imagine how any two groups could be farther apart. Unlike idealists, both preterists and futurists look for the fulfillment of prophecy in actual events, but as I said preterists see its fulfillment in events long past, while futurists look for it in events to come.

Preterist comes from the Latin word praeter, a prefix that defines something as being in the past. Think of the “pre” in preterist as standing for previous, as in previous to 71 AD. As an example, let’s take one of the Bible’s most important prophecies, Daniel’s 70 Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27). Preterists believe the entire prophecy has been fulfilled. According to the preterist interpretation, after Jesus was crucified, the Romans desecrated the Temple, and the Roman Emperor Nero fulfilled the prophecies of the coming prince, also known as the anti-Christ.

Preterists believe the day of the Lord took place in 68-70 AD with the Roman conquest of Israel. The Millennium was actually only 40 years long and took place from 30-70 AD. The Earth will last forever and there will be no coming judgment and no rapture of the Church. Since there’s no prophecy left to fulfill we’ll simply transition from time into eternity on a future day of the Lord’s choosing.

On the other hand, futurists believe there is a gap of time between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel and all of Daniel’s 70th week is yet to be fulfilled. According to the futurist view the rapture of the Church, the rebuilt Temple in Israel, the Great Tribulation, the 2nd Coming, the Millennium and the Great White Throne judgment are still to come.

How Could This Be?

God knows the end from the beginning so He always knew the Israelites would reject the Messiah and open the door for the Gentile Church. But in order to preserve Israel’s first right of refusal regarding God’s Kingdom offer, all end times prophecy had leave Israel’s options open. If Isaiah or Daniel or any of the others had come right out and said that Israel would reject the Messiah and forfeit the Kingdom, the Lord’s instructions for the disciples to preach that “the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matt. 10:7) would not have been legitimate.

But if the prophets had clearly confirmed Israel’s acceptance then there would have been no place for the Church and history would have invalidated prophecy. The prophecies had to be given in such a way that both possibilities could legitimately exist in their fulfillment.

The way Daniel’s 70 Weeks prophecy reads allows both Preterists and Futurists to defend their interpretation. Someone who has only heard the Preterist interpretation can see how it fits the prophecy. Every event Preterists use to support their claim that the 70th week is in the past actually happened. Jesus was crucified, the Romans did destroy the city and the sanctuary and they did bring judgment upon Israel. You can even come up with a form of Nero’s name that has a numerical equivalent of 666.

Likewise someone who has only heard the Futurist position can see how it fits, too. Every event that Futurists use to support their claim that the 70th Week is yet to come has also happened. In fact both camps use some of the same historical events in support of their positions. Here’s why.

I’m convinced that had the Jews accepted Jesus as their Messiah so He could die for their sins like Daniel 9:26 prophesied, there would have been no gap in the 70 weeks prophecy. The 70th Week would have begun immediately after the resurrection and would have culminated in the Risen Lord leading His armies against Rome to restore the Kingdom to Israel and usher in the time we know as the Millennium. All the 2nd Coming prophecies would have been fulfilled at that time. (From Acts 1:6 we know this is how the disciples expected it to happen.)

By the way, the idea that that Jews should be condemned as Christ killers for putting the Messiah to death misses the point. Both the Old and New Testaments clearly show that Jesus had to die for the sins of the people. He came for that reason, to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Everyone knew that lambs were sacrificed as an offering for sin.

Their problem with God is not that they put the Messiah to death. Their problem is that they refused to allow His death to pay for their sins, and in so doing rendered His perfect sacrifice as being of even less value to them than the actual lambs that could only temporarily set their sins aside. It was an unbelievable insult to God that has left them dead in their sins and out of fellowship with Him for nearly 2000 years.

Because of this, James announced that Israel was being set aside while the Lord took for Himself a people from the gentiles. When He has finished doing that, He’ll turn His focus again to Israel and fulfill the remaining 70th Week (Acts 15:13-18). This was the first time on earth that a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy had been revealed. This is what gave gave rise to the idea that God is not finished with Israel and there’s a lot of Bible prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Paul confirmed this in Romans 11:25.

But Wait There’s More

There are other prophecies that confirm the idea that Israel’s options were open. For example, 750 years before the fact, Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah.

 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).

There’s no indication of a gap in the middle of this prophecy’s fulfillment. Absent any other information a rational person would conclude that the two paragraphs are connected, with the second immediately following the first.

Likewise, when Gabriel announced the Lord’s coming to Mary, he promised that her child would be called the Son of God. He would sit on David’s throne and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:30-33). Gabriel didn’t mention a 2,000 year gap between the child’s birth and His ascension to David’s throne either.

Both of these prophecies have only been fulfilled in part. The child was born, the son was given and He is called the Son of God by many. But because Israel rejected Him, He hasn’t been seated on David’s throne, He is not Israel’s King, and the Earth is not experiencing everlasting peace. By inserting a gap between the part that has been fulfilled and the part that hasn’t, you can see that what could have been the past to us has become the future and the meaning of the prophecy remains just as clear as it would have been with out it.

Can You See It?

Only when we really dig into these prophecies with supernatural insight can we see that the preterist view requires a departure from a strict literal translation. I say we need the assistance of supernatural insight because as far as we can tell not one of the Jewish scholars “saw” the gap between the 69th and 70th weeks into which the Church Age so neatly fits. The Apostle Paul was arguably the most intellectually gifted of the New Testament writers, and had been educated by Gamaliel, who was revered as a pre-eminent Hebrew scholar (Acts 22:3). Yet even Paul did not understand this until it was revealed to him by God Himself. He said it was a mystery not made known to men in other generations (Ephes. 3:2-6).

Futurists who adhere to a literal interpretation of Scripture accuse preterists of spiritualizing some prophecies in order to give them a historical fulfillment. For example, most preterists cling to the opinion that God is finished with Israel. They say prophecies that futurists see as pertaining to Israel’s future have been inherited by and fulfilled in the Church. In this they are like others who embrace replacement theology. (Replacement Theology is the false teaching that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan.)

And to those who ask for evidence that the 2nd Coming has already occurred, preterists have several responses. Some say that 2nd Coming prophecies were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the 2nd Temple in 70 AD. It’s based on their belief that when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Matt. 24:34) He was speaking of the people alive at the time. Since the phrase “all these things” includes the 2nd Coming, then it had to have been fulfilled in the judgment that came upon Israel through the Roman conquest.

But in the context of the passage it’s also possible to see a future fulfillment. Matt. 24:34 can be interpreted to say, “The generation that sees these things begin to happen will not pass away until they have all happened.” Believing the second coming has already happened, preterists use the first interpretation of Matt. 24:34, and believing the second Coming has not happened, futurists use the second one.

Some preterists say that while the judgment part of the 2nd Coming was fulfilled that that time, the Lord’s actual appearance, the resurrection that accompanies it, and the gathering of His elect are still in our future. (Those who hold this view call themselves partial preterists.)

What Does It All Mean?

In essence then, while futurists look forward to the ultimate fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, preterists look back and find its fulfillment in history. As you can imagine, while people are looking in opposite directions it’s almost impossible for them to have the same view.

So which one is more consistent with God’s word? If you adhere to a strict literal interpretation of His word a careful study of prophecy will lead you to the inescapable conclusion that there has to be a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 and the Church Age is filling that gap. There’s no other way to make everything fit without having to reinterpret parts of it.

For example, preterists have to assume that what the Bible calls End Times judgments involved only the Middle East and not the whole world. That way they can see the fall of Jerusalem as the fulfillment of Armageddon, the Roman legions as the armies of Heaven, etc.

Likewise they see the representation of the Roman Eagle that King Herod affixed to the Temple wall as “the abomination that causes desolation” of which Daniel had spoken (Daniel 9:27), even though it doesn’t match the description of the only event in history to be known by that name.

In 168 BC Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes invaded Israel and took over the Temple, using it to worship the Greek god Zeus, and by extension himself. (The title epiphanes means manifestation, so in effect Antiochus was claiming to be the manifestation of Zeus in human form.) He set up a statue of Zeus in his own likeness which he required the Jews to worship on pain of death. This rendered the Temple unfit for worshiping God, so Jewish historians called it the abomination that causes desolation. (source: 1 Maccabees, Josephus, New World Encyclopedia)

200 years later Jesus (Matt. 24:15) Paul (2 Thes 2:4) and John (Rev. 13:14-15) said that a coming event that does fit the above description will be a sign that the end of the age has come. Jesus even referred to it as the abomination that causes desolation. There has never been a repeat occurrence of the one recorded in Jewish history. Therefore it has to be still in our future.

And finally, in order to have it apply to the fall of Jerusalem preterists have to date the Book of Revelation prior to 70AD to fit the time of Nero’s reign, even though the most reliable estimates place it around 95AD, 25 years after the fall of Jerusalem.

History Repeating Itself

Theologians often speak of a dual fulfillment in end times prophecy. They point to partial fulfillments in history as God’s way of validating that a complete fulfillment will take place in the future. This has proven to be a reliable tool for predicting how end times fulfillments will take place, since they’ll be a more complete version of the earlier partial fulfillment.

The abomination that causes desolation is a good example. When Jesus said to look for another one to come as a sign that the end of the age is upon us He was giving His only specific answer to the disciples’ question, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3). It was something people alive at the end of the age can identify with confidence because it happened once before, and Jewish historians recorded all the details.

I’m convinced another purpose of this dual fulfillment concept was to keep Israel’s option open. If they accepted the Messiah there would be an immediate complete fulfillment. If not, there would only be a partial fulfillment with the complete one coming in the future.

I believe the preterist position is built on the belief that what turned out to be a partial fulfillment in history, caused by Israel’s rejection of the Messiah, is the only fulfillment of end times prophecy and there isn’t a more complete fulfillment to come. Holding this view requires that preterists mold events to fit the prophecies in some cases and mold prophecies to fit the events in others.  Only the futurist position remains true to the complete, literal sense in which the prophecies were written. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-24-12

Table of contents for The Gospel Of The Kingdom Vs. The Gospel Of Grace

1. The Gospel of the Kingdom Vs. The Gospel of Grace
2. The Gospel of the Kingdom Vs. The Gospel of Grace, Conclusion

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Part 2. The Gospel Of Grace

The word “grace” appears 170 times in the English translation of the Bible, 37 of them in the Old Testament. Of the remaining 133, only four are contained in the gospels and they all refer to the Lord Jesus (Luke 2:40, John 1:14, 16, 17). The Book of Acts contains 10 appearances, and 2 others can be found in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:4, Rev. 22:21) where they essentially open and close the book. That leaves 117 references to grace in the various Epistles.

As it’s used in the New Testament, grace is clearly a word that is meant for the Church. It comes from the Greek word charis, which is defined as “the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.”

Much has been written about the different approaches taken by Peter and Paul in presenting the Gospel of Grace to their audiences. Some claim that Peter didn’t mention having our sins forgiven by the Lord’s sacrifice but instead preached a message of repentance and baptism.

But Paul emphasized the redeeming power of the Lord’s blood, shed on the cross. He didn’t say much about baptism, claiming the Lord hadn’t sent him to baptize but to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17), and spoke even less about repentance.  From this some have concluded that Peter and Paul preached two different gospels.

Let’s take a closer look at this opinion. We’ll use Peter’s first public message after the Ascension as an example. Remember, he was talking to the crowd on the Temple Mount during their observance of the Feast of Pentecost. All of them were Jews and many of them were well versed in their scriptures. Let’s join the conversation.

“Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:36-38)

To repent actually means to change our mind about something. While it can bring about a change in behavior, none is necessary to fulfill the meaning of the word. In the case of Peter’s audience the Jews had to change their minds about what it takes to be saved. They had been taught that obedience to the law is what makes one righteous and that was wrong. Peter said it’s believing in Jesus that brings forgiveness. It’s exactly what he had heard the Lord Himself say on numerous occasions (John 3:16, John 6:28-29, John 6:38-40). Later Peter would say, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Believing in Jesus means believing He was the Son sent by the Father to die for the sins of the people. He was both Lord and Christ.

Then Peter told them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. According to my concordance, the Greek phrase translated “in the name of” invokes every thought or feeling that is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, or remembering the name being referenced. It can be used to establish one’s rank or authority, and to convert a request into a command. A servant acting in the name of his master had the authority of the master himself.

To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is to recognize His authority to do what He came to do and promised to do (to save us from our sins). It means we believe He has such authority and has exercised it on our behalf. That’s why John’s baptism didn’t bring either salvation or the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7). He had no authority to save us from our sins. Only Jesus had that authority (Mark 2:6-12).

And finally Peter promised them the Holy Spirit. There’s only one way to receive the Holy Spirit and that’s to believe that the Lord’s death paid the full price for all our sins as confirmed by His resurrection. The Holy Spirit was not given to anyone until the Lord’s atoning sacrifice had been perfected in His victory over death (John 7:37-39, John 20:19-23) .

Somewhere in our past, legalistic preachers began teaching that repentance means to change our behavior, and with out a change in behavior there was no repentance. But if that was the case, the phrase “repent and be saved” would require us to stop sinning before we could ask God to save us. It amazes me that some of the same preachers who preach this also lead their congregations in singing “Just As I Am” while issuing an altar call.

In his answer to their question, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter did not invoke the Law or their traditions, nor did he set forth any other pre-conditions. He simply said, “Repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.” To his Jewish listeners these few words carried the full impact of the Gospel of Grace.

A Matter Of Perspective

I’m convinced that the whole debate over whether Peter taught a different Gospel than Paul can be resolved by a clearer understanding of the vastly different perspective of their two audiences.

Peter didn’t speak of the blood because the Jews already understood the idea of shedding innocent blood for the remission of sins. Untold thousands of innocent animals had shed their blood in the previous two millennia to set the sins of the people aside and stay the hand of judgment against them. Their Temple was called a house of blood because at times blood had flowed like a river from beneath the altar. They needed to change their minds and understand that all those animals they sacrificed were but a temporary substitute for the sacrifice the Messiah made on their behalf, and while the blood of animals had set temporarily aside the peoples’ sins, the blood of Jesus washed them clean forever (Hebrews 10:1-4, 11-14).

On the other hand, Paul didn’t speak of the need to repent because Gentiles didn’t need to change their mind about the way to salvation. They had no way to salvation. They needed to learn that there is a God and they were sinners destined for His judgment. They needed to know that this God had made a way for them to be saved from the penalty of their sins, and that way was the blood shed by the Lord Jesus for the remission of their sins.

Put another way, Peter summarized the Gospel like this.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1 :18-21).

While Paul said it this way.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

It sounds like the same gospel to me. Please remember that although these two men certainly had their differences in the flesh, when they preached or wrote about the Gospel they were both under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, who cannot contradict Himself. The idea that Peter and Paul taught different gospels is not supported in Scripture.

A New Race Of Human

Whether Jew or Gentile, here’s what the Gospel of Grace means to us.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (Ephes. 2:14-16).

In building His Church, God was taking some from among the Jews and some from among the Gentiles to create a new race of mankind. We’re saved only by His grace, through faith (Ephes. 2:8-9), for the purpose of demonstrating the manifold wisdom of God to the heavenly beings (Ephes. 3:10-11). All the sins of our life have been forgiven (Colossians 2:13-14) and we’ve been invested with the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephes. 1:13-14). We’ve also been given the authority to become the very children of God (John 1:12-13) and heirs with Christ in His inheritance (Romans 8:17).

Being in Christ, we’ve become a new creation in God’s eyes. The old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17). From His perspective we’re already seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, in order that in ages yet to come He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephes. 2:6-7). To this end God has taken ownership of us and accepted responsibility for making us stand (1 Cor. 6:19-20, 2 Cor. 1:21-22). There’s no power in Heaven or on Earth that can do anything to change that (John 10:27-30, Romans 8:38-39).

Soon he’ll descend into the upper atmosphere and with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God, He’ll call us up to His side (1 Thes. 4:16-17) and carry us off to our mansions in His father’s house (John 14:2-3). From that time on and forever we’ll always be with Him, joint heirs with Him in the inheritance His father has given Him (Psalm 2:8).

Meanwhile, Back On Earth

At the time of our departure the Gospel of Grace will see its fulfillment and the pause between the 69th and 70th Weeks of Daniel will come to an end.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matt. 24:14)

By saying the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world again the Lord provided us with another confirmation that the Age of Grace will have ended and Daniel’s 70th Week will have begun.

In the New Jerusalem, the incredible home our Lord has been preparing for us, the Church will be enjoying the first chapter of our eternal life with Him, hidden away like a bride in her bridal chamber. But on Earth Daniel’s 70th Week will bring horrific judgments as God prepares the creation for its restoration.

Then the Times of the Gentiles will end, the creation will be restored to its original splendor. The Lord will assume His rightful place as King of the whole Earth, and the Kingdom Age will begin. The New Jerusalem will descend out of Heaven to take its place as the source of light for the world (Rev. 21:24). The Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of Grace will have both found their fulfillment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Selah 11-03-12.

Table of contents for The Gospel Of The Kingdom Vs. The Gospel Of Grace

1. The Gospel of the Kingdom Vs. The Gospel of Grace
2. The Gospel of the Kingdom Vs. The Gospel of Grace, Conclusion

Last Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley

Part 1. The Gospel Of The Kingdom

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matt. 3:1-2)

Prophecies of a Messianic King appear throughout the Old Testament and many in the Jewish leadership saw John’s arrival on the scene as their fulfillment. They sent representatives to the place where John was baptizing to see if he was the promised Messiah. He said he wasn’t, but that the one they had been expecting was even then in their midst (John 1:19-28).

750 years earlier Isaiah had said when the Messiah came He would reign on David’s throne forever (Isaiah 9:6-7) but the throne of David had been vacant for 600 years. John had come to tell them the time was finally at hand and they had better get ready for Him.

When Jesus began His ministry, John introduced Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:8) and publicly testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:34). Right from the beginning Jesus began teaching that the Kingdom of Heaven was near (Matt. 4:17), and sent His disciples through out the land to alert the people to this fact as well (Matt. 10:7-8).

But even with Isaiah’s prophecies, John’s testimony, and the Lord’s teaching, the Jewish leaders refused to accept the fact that Jesus was the Messiah. They questioned His claims, His doctrine, and His miracles in spite of the fact that all were clearly foretold in their prophecies.

Isaiah had also said when He came the Messiah would have no beauty or majesty that would attract them to Him and that nothing about His appearance would make them desire Him (Isaiah 53:2). The fact that Jesus was not like they expected Him to be was a big problem for them.

Just before John was executed, He had sent a delegation of his disciples to confirm for themselves that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

In reply Jesus said, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Matt. 11:4-6)

Jesus fed the multitudes, walked on water, healed the sick and raised the dead and still they asked for a miraculous sign. Finally in frustration He responded, “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:38-40). They would get their sign, but only after they had executed Him.

Later, just a few days before His execution, He warned them again. “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matt. 21:43). He was speaking of the coming Church.

After the resurrection, having performed the miraculous sign they asked for, Jesus waited 40 days for them to acknowledge it. But upon being informed of the empty tomb the Jewish leaders bribed the soldiers to keep them quiet and refused to recognize the Lord’s fulfillment of the sign of Jonah (Matt. 28:11-15).

At the end of the 40 days His disciples asked if He was now going to restore the Kingdom to Israel. Jesus said it was not for them to know the times or dates (Acts 1:6-7) and after telling them to wait for the Holy Spirit to appear He ascended into heaven.

An Ambivalent Answer?

Some have criticized His response as being ambivalent, but I disagree. The disciples knew 69 of Daniel’s 70 weeks had passed, and there was one week (7 years) left to fulfill. They knew the Messiah had been cut off (put to death) like Daniel had prophesied (Daniel 9:26) and from His teaching they knew why. It was to fulfill three of the six objectives the angel had set forth when he gave Daniel the 70 weeks prophecy over 500 years earlier.

“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy”. (Daniel 9:24)

The purpose of the Lord’s death was to finish transgression, put an end to sin and atone for wickedness. What was left was to bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy. Bringing in everlasting righteousness is a reference to Isaiah 9:7 which says the Messiah will reign with justice and righteousness forever. Sealing up vision and prophecy means to bring them to their conclusion by fulfilling them. Anointing means to consecrate or sanctify, and the Most Holy probably refers to the Temple.

By telling the disciples it wasn’t for them to know the timing of the kingdom’s restoration and immediately changing the subject to the coming Holy Spirit, I think the Lord was saying the offer of the kingdom was still on the table, but His focus was about to change. Obviously God knew they had rejected the kingdom at that time, but He was leaving the door open for them to accept it at some point in the future.

This is borne out by a prophecy He spoke through Hosea 750 years earlier.

“Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me” (Hosea 5:15). Please note the word “until” because it conveys the notion of “not now” rather than “not ever.” The door was still open.

A Parenthetical Statement

10 days after the Lord’s ascension, the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and the Church was born. For about 20 years the Church remained mostly an offshoot of Judaism until James, the Lord’s half brother, revealed that the Lord was first going to take from among the Gentiles a people for Himself before moving to restore Israel (Acts 15:13-18). This was a clear promise of a future for Israel.

But shortly after that Israel ceased to exist as a nation and has been absent for most of the past 2000 years while God’s focus has been exclusively on the Church. Because of this many scholars began to express doubt that Israel would ever return, even asserting that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan and all the unfulfilled promises to Israel have been inherited by the Church. As far as they were concerned, there was no longer a reason for Israel to exist.

I’ve been going to church all my life but I was nearly 50 years old before I realized that the Age of Grace, aka the Church Age, only exists in a parenthesis between Daniel’s first 69 weeks and the coming 70th one. It began when the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost after the Lord’s Ascension and will end with the Rapture. Once the Church is gone the Lord will turn back to Israel to fulfill Daniel’s 70th week and implement the kingdom Daniel prophesied.

“In the time of those kings (the Gentile powers who control the Earth) the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44).

In Daniel’s time it was already understood that this kingdom would be headquartered in Israel, but would have authority over all the Earth. Speaking through David, God said, “I have installed my King on Zion, My Holy hill” (Psalm 2:6).

He was referring to His Son, to whom He said, “Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the Earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8).

Have You Forgotten Anything?

Those who teach that there’s no future for Israel have forgotten that James had foretold of one that would begin after the Lord finished with the Church (Acts 15:13-18). They have also forgotten that Paul confirmed this in Romans 11:25-27. And they’ve forgotten (or ignored) all the unconditional promises God had made to Israel.

This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name:

“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me” (Jeremiah 31:35-36)

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms” (Ezekiel 37:21-22).

I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God (Amos 9:14-5).

There are probably dozens of others, but I’m sure you get the idea. Only by refusing to read these promises as they’re written can one deny that they are meant for Israel.

The Offer Still Stands

So the offer of a Kingdom to Israel was never rescinded, it was only set aside while the Lord builds His Church. Following that, He will turn His attention once again to Israel for the final segment of Daniel’s 70 Weeks prophecy. To say this will be a difficult time would be a gross understatement because Israel has to atone for the sin of rejecting the Lord’s earlier offer. Jesus called it the worst time of trouble the world ever has or ever will see (Matt. 24:21) but just as Hosea had prophesied, in their misery they will earnestly seek Him.

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence” (Hosea 6:1-2).

God will hear their prayer and pour out His Spirit of grace and supplication, allowing their hearts to be softened and their eyes to be opened to the fact that the one they put to death was their promised Messiah (Zechariah 12:10-14). After a period of intense mourning, they will admit their sin, and the blood guilt that He has not pardoned, He will pardon (Joel 3:21). It will be national conversion and it will change everything. Remember, it doesn’t matter who you are, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6).

Thy Kingdom Come

Then the Lord will appear over Jerusalem and fight against all the nations of the Earth, who have gathered against His people (Zech. 14:3). He will strike them with a plague that causes their flesh to rot while they’re still standing. Their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths. Those who survive will be stricken with great panic and actually begin attacking each other (Zech. 14:12-13). At the end of the day the victory will belong to the Lord, and He will be King over the whole Earth. There will finally be only one Lord and His name the only name. (Zechariah 14:9).

After that, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it (Isaiah 2:2).

From all over the world people will say “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

 The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore (Isaiah 2:3-4).

This will be a time of rejoicing for Israel such as the world has never seen. The creation itself will join in the celebration.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God (Isaiah 35:1-2).

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12).

The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away (Isaiah 35:10).

For this is what the Lord says, I will extend peace to her like a river and the wealth of the nations like a flooding stream. When you see this your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass (Isaiah 66:12,14).

The promised kingdom will have come to Israel, and the world will finally be at peace. Next time, the Gospel of Grace. 10-27-12