By DR. JAMES MODLISH
(Part Two)
Dr. James Modlish is pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Chehalis, WA.
This study from Dr. Modlish’s book entitled, “Mystery of the Ages,” ©
is an excellent study in Dispensational Truth.The Postponement of the Kingdom | The Days of the Prophets
The Apostolic Age | The Church Age |The Tribulation
The Great Tribulation or the 42 Weeks | The Millennium | Eternity
THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE KINGDOM
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INTRODUCTION: “It has been demonstrated that the Kingdom of GOD is totally absent from the scene, from Adam to Christ; and that the Kingdom of HEAVEN went from an individual (Adam) to an individual and his seed (Abraham), and from there to a nation (Israel), and from it the crown was snatched, under the leadership of Jeconiah (Jer. 22) to appear no more. When John the Baptist trudges out of the wilderness, kicking the dirt and sand off his sandals, there is NO KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (literal) on earth – and there is NO KINGDOM OF GOD (spiritual) either! All there is, is a bunch of religious perverts, dyed in Babylonian mythology, clothed in long robes, enjoying titles of “Father,” leading Israel to believe that the ONLY Kingdom which will come (if it does come) is the literal, visible, Messianic, Davidic, Jewish Kingdom of HEAVEN! Not one out of ten of these tradition loving, long-robed, tithing, fasting, bead-twiddling priests and Pharisees remembered (or cared to remember) that they had come from ADAM, as well as “father Abraham!” Adam was a man who had died spiritually and forfeited the Image of God, thereby producing a race of Bible rejecting, truth hating, religious KILLERS! (see Eph. 2:1; Matt. 23:9-36; Jn. 9).” – Dr. Peter S. RuckmanThe Jew had every right to expect the Davidic kingdom to be restored (he had over 1500 verses in the Old Testament promising it) but he had forgotten the preaching of the prophets which deals with moral righteousness, as it accompanies the successful kingdom (see Zech. 6:13; 8:16,17; Mal. 3:5; Hag. 1:6-9). Hence, the first thing which Jesus does, upon the official opening of His ministry is to sit down (Matt. 5-7) and emphasize the principles of moral righteousness to which a Jew must attain before there can be any “kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven”.
I. CHRIST’S QUALIFICATIONS TO GOVERN – (Isa. 9:6,7)
A. His Image – The king who shows up is the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” (Gen. 49). He has every qualification to occupy the throne of David. He is born in the “city of David.” His mother is one of David’s descendants; His foster-father is in Jeconiah’s line. Yet He was born of a virgin and was therefore not included in the curse upon Jeconiah’s seed (Jer. 22).B. His Victory Over Satan – Not only does Satan have power over the kingdoms of the world by virtue of the ruin of Israel (Jer. 22), but he has also the power of death (Heb. 2:14), by virtue of his victory over Adam. When Satan faced Christ on the Mt. of Temptation he faced an impossible opponent. His blood is not a man’s blood! Since the “life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:14), and the life in this Man is eternal life (I Jn. 5:20), then His “blood is “God’s blood” (Acts 20:28). If this Man dies it will have to be a voluntary “giving up” of His life (Jn. 10:18). This Man was different than Abraham, David, Uzziah, or Jehoiakim.
As an anointed Cherub over the throne (Eze. 28:9-16), Lucifer desires worship. His sphere is preeminently religious, not atheistic. As a “god” (2 Cor. 4:4) he desires to be worshipped. “If thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matt. 4:9). However, this Man has no desire to do anything except the “Father’s will”. (Jn. 6:38; 5:19,30; Heb. 10:5-8).
When the testing is all over, Jesus comes down from the mount with two glittering crowns intact – the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. As King over the Kingdom of Heaven, He will be in charge of leading Israel to a successful fulfillment of the original commission given to Adam, “to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” As King over the Kingdom of God, He will be able to restore the image which Adam lost, and there by enable the race to fulfill God’s requirement for entrance out into that vast, universal, “heavenly” kingdom which was destined to fill outer space.
C. His Works – Jesus works not only included a variety of unprecedented miracles that should have convinced the Jews (I Cor. 1:22) but His teaching was exactly in the mold of the prophets before him. Instead of mustering the troops, arming the militia, calling down fire on Rome and parting the Jordan, so they can all “flee to the wilderness” while 12 legions of angels come from Sinai to help (Jud. 5; Deut. 33:2; Hab. 3; Ps. 68), the popular Messiah goes about in the ordinary dress of His day and time, criticizing the “covenant children” and low-rating the religious councils! (Matt. 23; Jn. 9; Mk. 13:9).
II. ISRAEL’S WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE KING
From (Matt. 5 to Matt. 13) will be found warning after warning after warning, inserted into the discourses of the Lord Jesus; all of it falls on deaf ears. Here and there one or two people (amounting to less than 600 three years later) believe and receive His mission and message; but for the most part, the following truths of His First Coming are overlooked by the Jewish leaders, who were only waiting for ONE Crown to appear.A. Four Gentile women in the Kingly line! (Matt. 1:3-7).
B. Three Gentile Kings come to see Him (Matt. 2:2).
C. Abrahamic ancestry is worthless! (Matt. 3:9).
D. Legal righteousness unable to count (Matt. 5:20).
E. God’s righteousness mentioned in connection with the Kingdom of GOD – not the Kingdom of HEAVEN! (Matt. 6:33).
F. The Kingdom of HEAVEN to include Gentiles also, and not Jews only (Matt. 8:11-12).
G. Demonstrations of grace now take the place of legal restrictions (Matt. 9:10-13).
H. Rebuke of Jewish cities, comparing them unfavorably with Gentile cities (Matt. 11:20-24).
I. Warnings that the ceremonial observances of the Old Testament law have more than LEGAL meaning connected with them (Matt. 12:4-9).
J. Warnings that not only will Gentiles obey the message of the Kingdom better than a Jew (Matt. 12:40-42), but that they will also trust a personal Saviour (sent to Israel) to save them from their sins! (Matt. 12:21).
III. THE “MYSTERY FORM” OF THE KINGDOM
<>In Matt. 13 Jesus warns his audience that the Kingdom of Heaven is going to assume a “mystery” form. What follows is a series of teachings on moral relationships as they will affect the coming literal, visible, earthly kingdom. Notice that in these seven parables, the outstanding consideration is not the political line of power which was given to an earthly king over David’s kingdom, but rather the moral responsibilities and moral requirements of the people who think they are going to get into the kingdom! (See Matt. 13:15,19,22,37-41,49; 18:23,28,30,33,34; 20:13,15; 22:6,8,13; 25:12,23,26,30,40,41,46).This mystery teaching came on the heels of Christ’s official rejection (Matt. 12) after which Jesus promptly went “out of the house” (Matt. 13:1). Keep in mind the Jews were never rebuked for not expecting the kingdom. (See Acts 1). Those who crucified Christ were even given a chance to accept a different kingdom after they crucified Him, in lieu of the indefinite time which would precede the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven which they had been looking for (Acts 3:19-26; 3:17; Lk. 23:24; I Cor. 2:7-8).
<>“You see, the leaders of Israel had made a mistake in 33 A.D. as great as their Roman Catholic successors did in 325 A.D. and 1963 A.D. They made the mistake of thinking that all they needed was a leader “like all the nations “round about them.” This is the same mistake they had made 1000 years earlier, in (I Sam. 8:5,20). It is the mistake that Germany made in 1930-1945. It is the same mistake that any and every individual and nation makes when they think that any kingdom on earth can be BROUGHT IN without the restoration of the original image of God. This image was God’s own Son (2 Cor. 4:4), and the only way on earth that men can receive this image is to be “born again” as Jesus Christ was born by the Holy Spirit (see Jn. 1:11,12). Christ could produce His image in no one without dying first (Jn. 12:24), for how could a sinless, Holy Spirit enter into fallen, sinful Man on even speaking terms till at least ONE man had lived a sinless, Holy life? (Rom. 3:24-26). The sinless, Man is present in (Matt. 13). The Holy life is there. The King is there; both Kingdoms are at hand, and just when it looks like things are going to come to a happy ending, Jesus warns that the physical, literal, earthly, visible Kingdom of Heaven is going into a stage where it will not be discernible to the Jew, and that until it becomes discernible (Lk. 19:11) the Jew will have only the Kingdom of GOD with which to deal (Lk. 17:20).There are two responses to this warning; the Nation of Israel stumbles at the parables, thinking that no holy, moral Kingdom has to accompany the expected Kingdom of Heaven; the Gentiles (in the church-age which follows) go back to these parables to prove that the Kingdom of Heaven came automatically with the Kingdom of GOD, and that it is not “spreading” without the restoration and preeminence of the nation to whom it was given!! Matthew 13 is the place for all Bible-rejecting Jews and Gentiles – who profess to believe the Bible – to develop a theological psychosis; they all do!” -Dr. Peter S. Ruckman
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THE DAYS OF THE PROPHETS
INTRODUCTION: The Prophets are the Rangers, Green Berets, Sea Bees, Marines, Paratroops, SS troops, and demolition experts of the Old Testament theocracy. They stormed through shot and shell, and strafed the enemy till he either had to kill them (Matt. 23:35) or ran for his life (I Kings 22:25). We must believe God’s prophets to prosper (2 Chron. 20:20), and certainly we should know a prophet of God (Deut. 18:22) from a prophet of the Devil (Jer. 23:9,14,15,16,21,25,26,28).The Majority of the prophets were contemporaries of the kings that were studied in the last lesson. Hosea, Micah, Amos, Elijah, and Elisha prophesied to the northern tribes of Israel. Although Jonah was evidently from the north he preached to the Gentiles. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah and Habakkuk cried out the messages of God to Judah. Ezekiel and Daniel were prophets during the days of Babylonian Captivity. Haggai and Zechariah proclaimed the truth during the days of Ezra-Nehemiah when the remnant was allowed to return to Jerusalem. Malachi stands alone probably written sometime after the return.
Along with a variety of contemporary messages written to Israel and Judah, one will find by studying the prophets that:
<[1]. Isaiah points to the same personality that will suffer and die for sins and yet rule the earth.
[2]. Jeremiah is a classic of a tribulation Saint who will suffer prior to the Second Advent.
[3]. Ezekiel prophesies against the Gentile nations of past, present and future.
[4]. Daniel gives a prophetic outline for the next 2500 years that has been absolutely correct without the slightest diversion.
[5]. Hosea lays an emphasis on Israel’s repentance and restoration at the Second Advent.
[6]. Joel lays the emphasis on the battle of Armageddon at the Second Advent.
[7]. Amos gives the route of the Second Advent and the nature of judgments as they fall on other cities besides Jerusalem.
[8]. Obadiah points out that Edom will be the location for the lake of fire in the Millennium.
[9]. Jonah stands as one of the greatest types in the Bible of a Tribulation Jew called to witness to the Gentiles (see Rev. 7).
[10]. Micah compares the first Advent with the Second Advent.
[11]. Nahum deals with Nineveh as a type of Babylon and shows the conditions that will prevail at the Second Advent.
[12]. Habakkuk lays the emphasis on the route of the Second Advent.
[13]. Zephaniah lays the emphasis on the negative nature of the Second Advent.
[14]. Haggai typifies the building of the temple that will take place in the next twenty years.
[15]. Zechariah compares the two Advents and gives the details of events after Armageddon.
[16]. Malachi gives the final warnings that precede the advent.>
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPHETS
A. To Preach Repentance – It is no coincidence that we read about the majority of the prophets during a time when God’s people were steeped in sin. Historically one of the first duties of God’s preachers is to identify and cry out against sin.B. To Utter Messages of Prophecy – Through such books as Daniel, nations were named, categorized, and identified years before they existed. Kings were named before they were born. However, by far the greatest prophetic thrust was aimed at the coming of Christ and His Kingdom. The Tribulation, the Second Advent and the Millennium, occupy a great deal of space in the prophets.
C. To Remind of Restoration – There are over 1500 verses in the Old Testament that point to the kingdom and its restoration. The majority of these appear in the prophets.<>
II. THE MESSAGE OF THE PROPHETS
The standard format for the Old Testament prophet was:A. He never preached revolution as a means of overthrowing the “established” social order.
B. He was a strong segregationist who opposed every form of religious integration.
C. He pointed to the sinful heart of man as the source of mankind’s’ woes-not the economic system.
D. He was never Utopian and never wasted five minutes preaching permanent “peace on earth” apart from the Millennial Reign of a Jewish Messiah in Palestine.
E. All of his messages were based on a Biblical concept of God and God’s Holiness; he knew nothing about “relative values” or “situation ethics” or “cultural exchanges”.
F. He emphasized God’s WRATH and God’s JUDGMENT on individuals and nations who thought that God would put up with anything.
G. He was quite able to predict events accurately that would take place 2000 years after he is dead.<>
THE APOSTOLIC AGE IN LIGHT OF AN IMPENDING KINGDOM
I. THE KINGDOM MESSAGE AND ACCOMPANYING SIGNS
When Nathanael exclaimed – “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel” (Jn. 1:49), Jesus did not disclaim the title. When Jesus entered on His own ministry His message was the same as John the Baptist’s – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17). The repentance called for was a “National Repentance.” The Old Testament scriptures clearly teach that the Messianic Kingdom cannot be set up until Israel as a nation repents. In (Matt. 4:23) we read – “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the ‘Gospel of the Kingdom’.” While this was attended with “signs of bodily healing” we are nowhere told that the “Gospel of the Kingdom” has anything to do with the salvation of the soul, and as it is to be preached again after the Rapture of the Church, for a “witness” unto all nations, that the time has come for the setting up of the Kingdom , the inference is that the “Gospel of the Kingdom” has nothing to do with “Salvation,” but is simply an announcement that the “Messianic Kingdom” is at hand.When Jesus sent forth the twelve disciples He commanded them, saying, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the “lost sheep” of the house of Israel, and as ye go, preach, saying – “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (demons)”…(Matt. 10:5-8) Note again that the works they were to perform were “Kingdom signs,” and had no reference to the salvation of the soul. They did not preach the “Gospel of Salvation,” but the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” And further the “Gospel of Salvation” is for the whole world, but the disciples were forbidden to go to any but the “House of Israel,” thus showing that what they preached was exclusively for Israel. That the disciples were expecting the setting up of a visible earthly kingdom is evidenced by the request of James and John that they might sit, one on the right hand, and the other on the left hand of Jesus in His Kingdom, (Mark 10:35-41.) If there was to be no earthly Kingdom Jesus would have disabused their minds of that idea, but He confirmed it by saying that the place of honor was not for Him to give, but would be bestowed by His Father. (Matt. 20:23)<>
II. OTHER POSSIBILITIES
A. The Jews – But someone may ask, “What would have happened if the Jews, as a nation, had repented, and accepted Jesus as King, would the earthly Messianic Kingdom have been set up?” Certainly, but not necessarily immediately, for certain Old Testament prophecies as to Jesus’ death and resurrection had to be fulfilled, for He had to die for the redemption of the race, before He could assume His office as King. But this could and would have been fulfilled by the Roman Government seizing Jesus and crucifying Him as a usurper, and with Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, Daniel’s 69th week would have terminated, and the 70th week begun without a break, and at its close Jesus would have descended and set up His earthly Kingdom.B. The Church – But you ask, “What about the Church? If it was God’s eternal purpose to form the church (Eph. 1:4), how could it have been formed if there was no break or gap between Daniel’s 69th and 70th week, and how therefore could there have been a ‘bona fide’ offer of an earthly Kingdom to Israel?” The question is hypothetical and based on the supposition that something might have happened that God foresaw would not happen. God’s foreknowledge that the Jewish nation would not at that time heed the announcement that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand and repent, does not militate against the sincerity of the announcement any more than the offer of spiritual salvation by a preacher of the Gospel to an audience of sinners who he has every reason to believe will refuse his offer, is not a sincere and “bona fide” offer.<>
III. THE RECONCILIATION
God’s plan and purpose in the Ages is based upon His foreknowledge. If God had not foreseen that the Jews would reject the King and therefore the Kingdom. He would have planned for the formation of the Church at some other time than this present Dispensation. As the Church was to be purchased by the precious blood of Christ (Acts 20:28, 1 Pet. 1:18-21), it was necessary that Jesus should be rejected and crucified, and that by His own nation, for the Prophet Zechariah (Zech. 12:10) foretold that the Jews should look upon Him whom they had pierced. But God’s foreknowledge did not require or compel the Jewish nation to reject Jesus, any more than Jesus’ foreknowledge that Judas would betray Him compelled Judas to so do. The possibility of the Church being crowded out by the repentance of the Jewish nation did not enter into the “Plan of God,” who foresaw the refusal of Israel to accept Jesus as King, and that Israel would not nationally repent until after the Church had been formed and taken out of the world.In expounding the Scriptures we are not to take something that belongs to a “PAST” and a “FUTURE” Dispensation and put it in the “PRESENT” Dispensation. For instance, “THE KINGDOM.” The “PAST” and “COMING” Dispensation have to do with “THE KINGDOM,” but the “Present” has to do with the CHURCH. The “Kingdom” is an outward, visible and earthly “POLITICAL ORGANIZATION,” and is to be “set up” on the earth (Dan. 2:44); while the “Church” is an invisible and heavenly “SPIRITUAL ORGANISM” that is to be “caught out” (1 Thess. 4:16-17.) The “Kingdom” was prepared FROM the “Foundation of the World.” (Matt. 25:34) The “Church” was chosen in Him “BEFORE the Foundation of the World.” (Eph. 1:4) The “Church” then is not the “Kingdom.”<>
THE CONCLUSION OF THE APOSTOLIC AGEThe Apostolic age came to a conclusion in harmony with the conclusion of the Apostolic signs. As the book of Acts is studied it is discovered that God slowly shuts down the signs in one place after another where the Jews reject the message. (Jerusalem – Acts 7: Asia Minor – Acts 13:45,46; European mainland – Acts 18:6; Rome – Acts 28:28) In (1 Cor. 1:22) the Jews require a sign, but by the time Paul comes to the end of his ministry he says “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek” (Rom. 10:12). As a matter of fact, Paul was not even able to heal his faithful friend Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20) by the conclusion of his ministry.<>
THE CHURCH AGE
INTRODUCTION: It is not until Acts 8 that any man hears of Christ’s death as a blood atonement for Sin. It is not until (Acts 9) that a man realizes that Christ indwells the bodies of Christians, and it is not until (Acts 10) that Peter wakes up to the fact that WATER BAPTISM is NOT essential to salvation! The tentative commission is, “Never mind worrying about the literal, physical, visible Kingdom, which someday I will restore to Israel – (I will restore it, but not right now). Now, you get busy and get out there and tell them about ME, and I will bear witness to your testimony by giving you power to do signs and wonders in My name” (Acts 1,2,4,15).They go. They perform the Apostolic “signs and wonders.” Sidestepping the doctrinal and historical involvement’s of the Book of the Acts, as it is related to the Pauline ministry and epistles, one thing becomes very clear; a spiritual Kingdom is being preached to Jews and Gentiles, and the Gentiles are taking to it better than the Jews! (see Acts 13, 16,18,28). The last verse in the Book of Acts is a clear, didactic, dogmatic statement that until the Kingdom of God appears visible on earth with its supernatural beings (Lk. 19:11), there is NO KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Paul was “preaching the Kingdom of GOD, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him” (Acts 28:31). This Kingdom is said to be “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17) It does not become synonymous with the Kingdom of HEAVEN until the One who rules both of them returns (see Rev. 11:15; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rom. 8:17-25). In this age, the two Kingdoms are different, and one of them is not even here; this “absent one” (the Kingdom of HEAVEN) is the one that Rome and the National Council profess to control, guide, and spread. Without making them the same, there would be no authority to “establish a Kingdom”. With the postponement of the Kingdom till the seventh millennium, in steps a Harlot Woman (Matt. 13:33, Rev. 17:4) with a fist full of leavened doctrine (Matt. 13:33). This woman usurps the position of the “Virgin daughter of Israel” (Zeph. 3:14; Jer. 14:17), taking for granted that her cast off mother (Hos. 1) can no longer “bring forth children” (Isa. 54:1-9; 66:5-10). Thus, with the postponement of the Kingdom, there comes the inevitable counterfeit.
For the sake of clarity we shall consider what the church is not and then what it really is in the light of the word.
I. WHAT THE CHURCH IS NOT
<>A. It is not a continuation of the “Jewish Dispensation” under another name –
The Jews have been shunted to a sidetrack that the “Main Line” may be clear for the passage of the church. Jesus said – “The Law and the Prophets are until John.” If the Scriptures put Moses and Law in one Dispensation and Christ and Grace in another let us respect the Divine order and not join together what God has put asunder.It is because some religious bodies believe that the Christian Church is but another phase of what they call the “Jewish Church,” that they insist on a “ceremonial ritual” and retain the Priesthood with its altar, vestments, etc., and Temple-like buildings; and call the ordinances of the Christian Church “Sacrifices” and Sacraments.” They also go further and advocate a “State Church,” with the Church as the head, and claim that all the Old Testament promises of riches and glory have been transferred from the Jew to the Church. This we shall see is unscriptural.<>
B. It is not “The Kingdom” –
John the Baptist came preaching that the “Kingdom of Heaven” was “at hand” and Jesus sent out the Twelve and the Seventy to do the same, but the Jewish people rejected their King, and the setting up of the Kingdom was postponed. There cannot be any Kingdom until the “Nobleman Farmer” who has gone into a “far country” to receive the Kingdom returns (Lk. 19:11-27).The Church is never confounded with the Kingdom in the Scriptures. The Church is compared to a “House” (1 Tim. 3:15) to a “Temple” (1 Cor. 3:16,17), to a “Body” (1 Cor. 12:27-31), but never to a Kingdom. Christ is the “HEAD” of His Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; Col. 1:18), but He is never spoken of as its King. The Church’s relation to Christ is to be that of a “Bride.” (Eph. 5:23-32; Rev. 21:2,9,10)<>
II. WHAT THE CHURCH IS
A. It is a “mystery” –
The Kingdom was no mystery. The Old Testament prophets describe it in glowing terms. But there was something that was a “Mystery” to them, and that was what was to come in between the “Sufferings and Glory” of Christ. (1 Pet. 1:9-12) That is, between the Cross and the Crown. Jesus intimated that there was to be something that He called the “Church,” but He did not say when it should appear, or what it would be like. (Matt. 16:13-20)The “Mystery of the Church” was first revealed to Paul.
“For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of ‘the dispensation of the grace of God’ which is given me to you ward: How that by revelation He made known unto me.
“THE MYSTERY”
…which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that<>
THE GENTILES
<>should be fellow heirs and of<>
THE SAME BODY,
and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel …according to the “Eternal Purpose” which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Eph. 3:1-11)
From this we see that the Church was unknown to the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets. That the Gentiles were to be saved was no mystery. (Rom 9:24-30) The “Mystery” was, that God was going to form an entirely “NEW THING,” composed of both Jew and Gentile, to be called “THE CHURCH.”<>
B. It is a “called out” Body –
While Israel is a “called out body” it is a “National Body”, composed exclusively of the descendants of Abraham, but the Church is not a national body for it is composed of people from every kindred and kind.That Israel and the Church are distinct and separate and cannot be blended, is clear from the fact that their “election” was made at different dates, and that the “election” of the Church antedates the “election” of Israel, for Israel was chosen in Abraham from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34), while the Church was chosen in HIM (Jesus) BEFORE the Foundation of the World, (Eph. 1:4-6). Israel was elected to bring forth a physical seed while the church was elected to bring forth a spiritual seed.<>
C. It is the “Body of Christ” –
The fact that the Church is a “Body made up of “living members” shows that it is not an “Organization,” but an ORGANISM.” An “Organization” is made up of distinct units like the doors, windows, roof, floors, etc., of a building, that may be removed and replaced by new parts without destroying the integrity of the building; but a human body is an organism. You cannot remove an eye, or ear, or arm, or foot, or even a finger nail or tooth, without destroying the integrity of the body and causing a mutilation. So, we see from this for Christ to lose One Member of His Body (the Church) is to MUTILATE it.Neither can the Church, as the “Body of Christ” die, for who ever saw a dead body attached to a living head. Christ the Head is ALIVE and can NEVER DIE AGAIN, for He tells us in (Rev. 1:18), “I am He that liveth and was dead (on the Cross), and behold, I am ALIVE FOR EVERMORE.” It follows therefore that “when Christ, who is our LIFE, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Col. 3:4) Jesus Christ not only gave His life for the Church, but to the Church.
But why call the Church the “Body of Christ?” What is a body for? It is for the Manifestation of a Personality.
A person can exist without a physical body, as the soul exists without a physical body between death and the resurrection of the body, but that existence cannot be made manifest. So the only way Christ, who is now in glory, can manifest Himself to the world is through His Body – THE CHURCH. The only way the world can see Christ today is in Christian believers. This is probably what Paul meant when he wrote to the Philippians, “For to me to live is Christ.” (Phil. 1:21). That is, for Christ to live again in Paul, so that the world might see Christ manifested in Paul.
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THE TRIBULATION
INTRODUCTION: The emphasis of the Bible during the Church Age is on a man, but a God man, God made manifest in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. The emphasis of the Tribulation is also upon a man, but this man will be Satan made manifest in the flesh or Satan incarnate, the Antichrist.In (1 Tim. 3:16) Christ is spoken of as the “Mystery of Godliness.” That is, that He was God manifest in the flesh. How did He become “manifest in the flesh”? By being born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. Thus, it was that Jesus was the “Son of God”, (Lk. 1:35).
In (2 Thess. 2:7), the Antichrist is referred to as “the mystery of iniquity.” As Christ was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, so Antichrist must be born of a woman by Satan. Hence, Gen. 3:15 comes into full light, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between “thy seed” and “her seed”. The woman’s seed was Christ, then the Serpent’s seed must be Antichrist.
By closely comparing scripture with scripture it can be readily seen that the Antichrist will be none other than Judas Iscariot.
Consider the following facts:
[1]. Jesus called Judas a devil – (Jn. 6:70,71)
[2]. Jesus called Judas the “Son of perdition” – (Jn. 17:12)
[3]. Paul refers to the Antichrist as “the Son of perdition” – (2 Thess. 2:3)
[4]. Perdition is a place – (Rev. 17:8,11)
[5]. Judas went to his own place – (Acts 1:25)
[6]. According to (Rev. 17:8) the beast or Antichrist is someone who:
- “was”
- “is not” (at the time John was writing)
- “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit”
- “go into perdition”
I. THE CHARACTER OF THE ANTICHRIST
<>He will be a “composite” man. One who embraces in his character the abilities and powers of Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus. He will have the marvelous gift of attracting unregenerate men, and the irresistible fascination of his personality, his versatile attainments, superhuman wisdom, great administrative and executive ability, along with his powers as a consummate flatterer, a brilliant diplomatist, and a superb strategist, will make him the most conspicuous and prominent of men. All these gifts will be conferred on him by Satan, whose tool he will be, and who will thus make him the Superman.He will pose as a great humanitarian, the friend of men, and the special friend of the Jewish race, whom he will persuade that he has come to usher in the “Golden age” as pictured by the prophets, and who will receive him as their Messiah.
He will intoxicate men with a strong delusion and his never varying success. And when he shall be slain and rise again he will have lost none of these powers, but will be in addition the embodiment of all kinds of wickedness and blasphemy.
(See Dan. 7:25; 8:25; 11:36; 2 Thess. 2:3-9). Because he will come in peace, he is pictured on the white horse in (Rev. 6). Of course this is an imitation of Christ in (Rev. 19).<>
II. THE REIGN OF THE ANTICHRIST
<>He shall reign for seven years, or during the whole of Daniel’s “Seventieth Week.”“And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for ONE WEEK (Daniel’s Seventieth week) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” (Dan. 9:27)
After the Church has been caught out the Jews will be gathered back to their own land unconverted. About this time ten of the Nations occupying the territory of the old Roman Empire will enter into a Federation. Among the Ten Kings of those nations will arise the Antichrist. He will soon prove himself to be a Great Ruler and will be made PRESIDENT. The Government will be a Democratic Monarchy.
The President will make a “Covenant” with the Jewish people. It may be a Covenant restoring to them their own land. Whatever its character, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of it as a “Covenant With Death and Hell.” (Isa. 28:15)
For 3 1/2 years the President of the Federation will keep the Covenant. Then he will break it. For the balance of his reign, 3 1/2 years, he will cause an awful persecution of the Jews, called “The Great Tribulation.”
We are told in (Rev. 13:3), that one of the “SEVEN HEADS,” or “KINGS,” received a deadly wound. Which one is not stated. The inference is that it is the last, for the Beast has all of his “HEADS” before one of them is wounded. In (Rev. 17:11) he is called the Beast that WAS, and IS NOT even he is the “EIGHTH,” and is of the “SEVEN,” and goeth into PERDITION. The only clear explanation of this passage is that the “SEVENTH HEAD” – THE ANTICHRIST, is the one who receives the “deadly wound,” probably at the hand of an assassin, and as his body is lying in state prepared for burial, he rises from the dead (Rev. 13:14) and thus becomes the “EIGHTH” though he is of the “SEVEN.” By this resurrection of the Antichrist, Satan imitates the Resurrection of Christ and makes the world “wonder after the Beast” (Rev. 13:3), and this adds to his prestige and power. If this happens at the “Middle of the Week,” at the time the Dragon is cast out of Heaven, it will account for the great change that takes place in the Antichrist, for before receiving his “deadly wound” he will be sweet and lovable, but after his resurrection or recovery he becomes Devilish, the result of the Dragon incarnating himself in him. It is at this time that he breaks the Covenant with the Jews and desecrates the Temple by setting up the “Abomination of Desolation” which is an “Idol Image” of himself – the “DESOLATOR.”<>
III. THE ANTICHRIST’S PROPHET
Satan is the “God of this World.” (Age.) (2 Cor. 4:4)As the God of this world (Age), he aims to “ape” God. As God sent His Son (Jesus) into the world, so Satan shall send Antichrist into the world. As God was in Christ, so Satan will incarnate himself in Antichrist.
A. Christ has a Church – the “Ecclesia,” Antichrist will have a church, the “Synagogue of Satan.” (Rev. 2:9; 3:9)
B. Christ will have a Bride, the “Church,” (Eph. 5:25-27); Antichrist will have a bride, the “Mystic Harlot Church.” (Rev. 17:1-16)
C. Christ has a Cup, “The Communion Cup,” (1 Cor. 10:16; 11:25); Antichrist has a cup, the “Cup of Devils.” (1 Cor. 10:21)
D. Christ’s earthly ministry lasted for three and a half years, and Satan shall reign in Antichrist for the same length of time.
E. Christ died at the age of thirty-three years, and for ought we know Antichrist shall be smitten at the same age; the age at which Alexander the Great, the “Great Horn” of the He-Goat, died.
F. The Godhead is a Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and Satan proposes, as the “God of this Age,” to manifest himself as a Trinity. In contradistinction to the Divine Trinity we call this manifestation a SATANIC TRINITY.
The members of it are -[1]. “The Dragon” – the Anti-GOD“
[2]. “The Beast” - the “Anti-CHRIST.
[3]. “The False Prophet” – the “Anti-Spirit.”
Again the “Antichrist” is to be a KING and rule over a KINGDOM. He will accept the “Kingdom of this world” that Satan offered Christ, and that Christ refused. (Matt. 4:8-10) He will also EXALT himself, and claim to be God. (2 Thess. 2:4) But the “False Prophet” is not a King, He does not exalt himself, he exalts the “First Beast” (Antichrist). His relation to the “First Beast” is the same as the Holy Spirit’s relation to Christ. He causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the “First Beast.” He also has power to give life, and in this he imitates the Holy Spirit. And as the followers of Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the “Day of Redemption” (Eph. 4:30); so, the followers of Antichrist shall be sealed by the False Prophet until the “Day of Perdition.” (Rev. 13:16-17)
The False Prophet will be a “Miracle Worker”. While Jesus was a “miracle worker,” He did all His mighty works in the “power” of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:38) Among the miracles that the False Prophet will perform, he will bring down FIRE FROM HEAVEN. As we have seen under the work of the “Two Witnesses,” (Rev. 11:1-14) there will probably be a “FIRE-TEST” between Elijah and the False Prophet, and the test as to who is God of Mount Carmel will be repeated. That Satan, who will then energize the False Prophet, can do this is clear from Job 1:16, where Satan, having secured permission from God to touch all that Job had, brought down “fire from heaven” and burned up Job’s sheep and servants.
The False Prophet then commands the people to make an “IMAGE OF THE BEAST.”<>
INTRODUCTION: During the first half of the Tribulation the first four seals (Rev. 6:1-8) are opened. During this time there will be a false peace instituted by the rider on the white horse (Rev. 6:2). The next three seals indicate that in spite of this peace the economic and political conditions of the world will rapidly disintegrate.The last half of the Tribulation is often called “The Great Tribulation”. In this study we shall try to outline the major events in the best chronological order possible.<>
1. The “Sun-Clothed Woman”
In the “middle of the week” two “wonders” shall appear in heaven. The first wonder is a woman described in Rev. 12:1. This “Woman” is neither the Virgin Mary, nor the Church, she is Israel. We have only to be reminded of Joseph’s Dream of the “sun” and “moon,” and the “eleven stars” (Gen. 37:9), to see that this “Sun-Clothed Woman,” with the “moon” under her feet and upon her head a crown of “Twelve Stars,” is Jewish in character. Joseph was the twelfth star. Israel is again and again compared to a “married” woman in the Old Testament, but the Church is a “virgin,” and only an “espoused virgin” at that. (2 Cor. 11:2) This “Woman” is described as being “with child” and “travailing to be delivered.” When was the Church in such a condition? Paul says of Israel, “Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came.” (Rom. 9:4,5) And Israel looked forward to the time when she could say – “Unto us a Child is Born, unto us a Son is given.” (Isa. 9:6,7) But before that could happen Israel had to pass through many sore afflictions and judgments. These were her “Travail Time.”As the result of her “travail” the Woman brought forth a “Man-Child” who was to rule the nations with a “Rod of Iron.” There can be no question as to who is meant by the “Man-Child”. The second Psalm settles that. He is Christ, who at His ascension was caught up and seated on His Father’s throne.
After her child is delivered, the Woman “flees into the Wilderness” where she hath a place prepared of God, and where she is fed for 1260 days. Here is where many interpreters make a mistake. They overlook the fact that between the “fifth” and “sixth” verses of this chapter the present “Church Period” comes in. Here is the “gap” between the “Sixty-ninth” and “Seventieth” Weeks of Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks.” John jumps over this “gap,” from the ascension of Christ to the casting out of Satan, because he is not dealing in these Tribulation chapters with the Church but with Israel, and wishes to continue her history without a break. Here is further evidence that the “Woman” is not the Virgin Mary, for she does not flee into Egypt, but into the Wilderness, neither does she flee “with” her child, for that was caught up to the throne of God; neither does she flee for her child’s “protection,” but for her own.
2. The “Great Red Dragon”
(Rev. 12:9) removes all doubt as to who the great red dragon is – It is none other than Satan who is the second wonder of (Rev. 12).When the “Dragon” is cast out, knowing that his defeat has been brought about by the elevation of the “Man-Child” to the place of power, he will concentrate his hatred and malice on the “woman” (Israel) who gave Him birth. To the “Woman” will be given the “wings of a great eagle,” that she may fly into the “Wilderness,” into “her place,” where she shall be nourished for a “Time, Times, and Half a Time,” or 3 1/2 years. This takes us back to the flight of Israel from Egypt, of which God said – “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on ‘Eagle’s Wings,’ and brought you unto myself.” (Ex. 19:4) As the “Woman” and the “Dragon” are symbols, so are the “Eagle’s Wings” (B-52’s). They speak of the rapid and safe flight of the “Woman” (Israel) into the “Wilderness,” where she shall be safely kept and nourished for 3 1/2 years until the “Dragon” is bound.
3. The Fifth Seal – (Rev. 6:9-11)
When the Fifth Seal was broken John saw the “souls of martyrs” under the altar. These martyrs, whose “souls” John saw are not the martyrs of “past ages;” that were taken up with the Church, but the martyrs who will be killed for the “Word of their Testimony, and who love not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:11), during the Tribulation. After the Church is caught out, the preaching of the “Gospel of the Kingdom” will be resumed. (Matt. 24:14) As it is a proclamation that Christ is about to set up an “earthly kingdom,” it will be exceedingly distasteful to Antichrist and his followers, and a “Great Persecution” will follow. (Matt. 24:9-13) It is the “souls” of the martyrs of this persecution that John saw under the altar.They asked that their death should be avenged, but were told to rest for a “little season” until they were joined by their fellow servants and brethren who should die as they did. The promise is fulfilled in (Rev. 20:4).<>
4. The Sixth Seal – (Rev. 6:12-17)
When the Sixth Seal is broken great “physical changes” will occur on the earth. (Joel 2:30,31; Matt. 24:29; Isa. 13:9-11) So terrible will these changes be that men will call upon the mountains and rocks to fall and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. The twenty fourth chapter of Matthew should be compared with (Rev. 6:1-17).Between the breaking of the “Sixth” and “Seventh” Seals there will be a pause or interval, during which 144,000 of the Children of Israel, 12,000 from each of the Twelve Tribes, will be “sealed.” As there were 7000 in Ahab’s time who would not bow the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18), so in the Tribulation there shall be 144,000 of Israel who will not bow the knee to Antichrist. They are “sealed” by an angel, and the “Seal” is the imprint of the “Father’s Name” on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1; 22:4).>
5. The Seventh Seal – (Rev. 8:1)
At the breaking of the “Seventh Seal” there will be “silence in heaven” for a limited period. This will be a period of preparation for the greater conflict to follow. Following the “Silence,” seven angels in succession sound upon seven trumpets.<>
6. The First Trumpet – (Rev. 8:7)
When the “First Trumpet” sounds “hail” and “fire mingled with blood” will be cast upon the earth and a “third part of the trees” and “all green grass” will be burnt up.” This will be a fulfillment of (Joel 2:30,31). This is a repetition of the “Seventh Egyptian Plague.” (Ex. 9:22-26) That was “literal.” Why should not this be?<>
7. The Second Trumpet – (Rev. 8:8,9)
When the “Second Trumpet” sounds a “burning mountain,” probably a meteor, will fall into the sea (Mediterranean) and will destroy a “third part of the creatures of the sea” and a “third part of the ships,” probably some fleets assembled for a naval battle. A third part of the sea turns to blood.
8. The Third Trumpet – (Rev. 8:10,11)
When the “Third Trumpet” sounds a “great burning star,” called “Wormwood,” will fall from the heavens and poison the streams of fresh water. (See Jer. 9:13-15)
9. The Fourth Trumpet – (Rev. 8:12)
When the “Fourth Trumpet” sounds the “third part” of the sun, moon and stars will be smitten and their light diminished a “third.” This is one of the “signs” spoken of by Christ. (Lk. 21:25,26)An angel will then fly through the midst of heaven announcing “Three Woes” that are to follow the sounding of the three trumpets yet to sound. (Rev. 8:13)
10. The Fifth Trumpet “First Woe”. “The Plague of Locust.” – (Rev 9:1-3)
When the “Fifth Trumpet” sounds a “Star” will fall from heaven to the earth with the “key” of the “Bottomless Pit.”This is not a real star, but an angel who will look like a star, for “to him” was given the key. When the “Bottomless Pit” is opened a cloud, like smoke, of “locusts” will emerge and cover the earth. They will be a combination of horse, man, woman, lion and scorpion. These “Scorpion Locusts” have a king, which ordinary locusts have not. (Prov. 30:27) This king’s name in the Hebrew is “Abaddon,” but in the Greek is “Apollyon.” The word means “destroyer.”
11. The Sixth Trumpet “Second Woe”. “The Plague of Horsemen.”- (Rev. 9:13-21)
When the “Sixth Trumpet” shall sound a voice from the “Golden Altar” will command the Trumpeter to loose “four angels” which are bound in the great river Euphrates. That they are “Bad Angels” is seen from the fact that they are “bound” and that they are the leaders of an army of 200,000,000 “Infernal Cavalry.”This Cavalry will not be composed of ordinary men and horses. The horses will have the “body” of a Horse, the “head” of a Lion, a “tail” like a serpent, with the “head of a serpent” at its end. Out of their mouths will issue “fire,” “smoke” and “brimstone,”and by these three the “third part of men will be killed,” and the sting of their “serpent tails” will cause great pain. The riders upon these horses will have “breastplates of fire and brimstone” to match the breast of the horses.
12. The Appearance – (Rev. 10)
Between the sounding of the Sixth and Seventh trumpets there will be an interval. During this interval a mighty angel will come down from heaven having a “little book” in his hand. This mighty angel will be Christ Himself for the description of Him corresponds with (Rev. 1:12-15), and as His voice is like that of a lion, this identifies Him as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” (See Rev. 5:5; 10:3). This appearance will cause Israel to be converted by seeing Him, exactly as Paul was converted by seeing Him. There will be a brilliant light, brighter than the sun (exactly as the Transfiguration) when Jesus appears sometimes in the Tribulation. (Ex. 43:2; Ps. 50:2) We do not know when in Daniel’s 70th week this will take place. But a good guess would be about four months before the second Advent based on the book of Job which has forty-two chapters and the Lord appears to Job in the thirty-eighth chapter. (Rapture of Tribulation Saints Matt. 24:36-44)
13. The Two Witnesses
In chapter (11:1-14) we are given a description of “Two Witnesses” who are to prophesy during the greater part of the last half of the week. Who they will be is very clear. One has “power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy.” This can be no other than Elijah who was translated that he might come again before the “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5,6), and who will shut up the heavens for 42 months, or 3 1/2 years, which is exactly the length of time he did it in the days of Ahab. The other Witness will “have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as he will.” This identifies him as Moses, for he is the only person mentioned in the Scriptures who had such power, and it was for this purpose that he was raised from the dead. (Jude 9) As Moses and Elijah appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ and as they probably were the two “men” in “white apparel” (angel-like) that testified at the Ascension to Christ’s coming again (Acts 1:10,11), what more probable than that they are the “Two Witnesses” who will return to the earth to announce that Coming? During their “witnessing” they will have power to destroy their enemies with “fire that shall issue from their mouths, but at the end of 1260 days they will be slain and their bodies lay exposed in the streets of the city of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days, when they shall rise and ascend to heaven, to the amazement of those who see them go. Their ascent will be followed by a destructive earthquake, which completes the Second Woe.
14. The Seventh Trumpet “Third Woe.” – (Rev. 11:15-19)
The “Seventh Trumpet” includes all that follows down to the end of chapter nineteen. We must not forget in our study of the Book of Revelation that the “Seventh Seal” includes the “Seven Trumpets” and the “Seven Vials,” and that the “Seventh Trumpet” includes the “Seven Vials,” for the Seventh Seal,” and the “Seventh Trumpet,” and the “Seventh Vial” all end alike with “voices,” “thunderings,” “lightnings” and an “earthquake,” (Rev. 8:5, 11:19; 16:18).
15. The Vials – (Rev. 16)
The first five vials find great similarity either in the seals and the trumpets or the Egyptian plagues. The sixth vial (Rev. 16:12-14) is poured out upon the river Euphrates so that its waters dry up and the armies of the east are allowed to come westward to prepare for the battle of Armageddon. (Isa. 11:15,16).When the Seventh Vial is poured out a great voice, probably the voice of the One who cried on the Cross – “It is Finished,” will cry – “It is Done,” and there will be a “Great Earthquake” that will divide into three parts the “Great City” and the cities of the Nations (the ten Federated Nations), London, Rome, Paris, etc., and “Great Babylon”, that shall be rebuilt by that time, and whose destruction by an earthquake is foretold in chapter eighteen, will fall. This earthquake is foretold by the Prophet Zechariah. (Zech. 14:4,5)
In the “Great Hail,” every stone of which shall weigh a 100 pounds, that will fall on men, we have a repetition of the “Seventh Egyptian Plague.” (Ex. 9:13-35) Hail has been one of God’s engines of war. He used it to discomfit the enemies of Israel at Beth-horon in the days of Joshua. (Josh. 10:11) The law required that the “blasphemer” should be “stoned” (Lev. 24:16), and the “Blasphemers” of the “End Time” shall be stoned from heaven.
In the Book of Revelation, between the pouring out of the Vials and the “Battle of Armageddon,” which ends the “Tribulation Period,” in chapters seventeen and eighteen, there is an account of the destruction of a “religious system” called “Mystery, Babylon the Great,” and a city called Babylon.
16. The Great Harlot
The woman of (Rev. 17) can be none other than the Roman Church. She is a religious system riding upon a political vehicle. The revived Roman Empire of Daniel 2 will provide the necessary tool for the confederation of church and state which the Antichrist will rule. It’s interesting that the old Roman Empire is essentially the same as today’s European Common Market which includes ten nations that are all predominately Catholic. – Just a coincidence – eh? The woman will find her destruction within the very political machine she chooses to ride – (Rev. 17:16-18).
17. The Battle of Armageddon – (Rev. 19:11-21)
The “Tribulation Period” will close with the great “Battle of Armageddon.” As we have seen the armies of the East and the West will be assembled in the Holy Land by the “Demon Spirits” that shall be sent forth from the mouths of the “Satanic Trinity.” The field of battle will be the “Valley of Megiddo,” located in the heart of Palestine, the battlefield of the great battles of the Old Testament. The forces engaged will be the “Allied Armies ” of Antichrist on the one side, and the “Heavenly Army” of Christ on the other. The “time” will be when the “Harvest of the Earth” IS RIPE, (Rev. 14:15), and at the “Psychological Moment” when the “Allied Armies” of Antichrist are about to take the city of Jerusalem.The Prophet Zechariah says – “Behold the ‘Day of the Lord’ cometh.” When – “I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle… Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations”. (Zech. 14:1-3).
This “going forth” is graphically described in (Rev. 19:11-21). When He came the first time to Jerusalem as King, He rode on a “colt,” the foal of an ass, (Matt. 21:1-11), this time He shall come on a “White Horse.” His eyes will be as a “flame of fire” and on His head shall be “many crowns,” and He shall be clothed in a vesture “dipped in blood.” Not His own blood, but the blood of His enemies. The Prophet Isaiah foresaw that day:
“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?” And the answer comes back – “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Then the Prophet asks, “Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?” And the response is – “I have trodden the wine press alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.” (Isa. 63:1-6)
INTRODUCTION: This earth is going to be here (before the new earth) 7000 years, and the seventh period of 1000 years is a time of rest (Isa. 14:7). God made this earth in six days and rested the seventh (Gen. 2:1). So, this earth will have 6000 years of war and bloodshed, and the last 1000 years will be a 1000 year period of rest “a Sabbath of rest”. Just to make sure that the literal meaning is not missed, the Holy Spirit has written “thousand years” six times in (Rev. 20) so you wouldn’t miss it.Eight is the number of new beginning in the Bible. It follows that the eighth day (II Peter 3:8) will be a new beginning – the new heavens and earth. Noah was the eighth person (2 Peter 2:5) and his family consisted of eight persons (1 Peter 3:20), and they populated the new earth after the flood. David was the eighth son of Jesse, and he introduced a new order in Israel. (1 Sam. 16:10,11). The leper was cleansed on the eighth day from his leprosy, thus proclaiming a new man, (Lev. 14:11).
I. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM
A. The King – Jesus Christ will rule the entire earth from Jerusalem with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:27; Isa. 11:1; Ps. 110). That is to say, it will be a peaceful (Micah 4:1-4) military dictatorship.B. The Judges of Israel – These will be the faithful original disciples of Jesus (Matt. 19:27-30).
C. The Rulers of the Cities of the World – These will be church age saints who have been judged to be faithful during this present age (Lk. 19:12-27). Their right to rule will be judged upon the basis of their willingness to suffer. (Rom. 8:17,18; 2 Tim. 2:12; 2 Cor. 1:5-14).
D. The Results of This Government -
[1]. Peace - (Isa. 2:4; 9:4-7; 11:6-9; 33:5,6)
[2]. Justice - (Isa. 9:7; 32:16; 42:1-4)
[3]. Protection – (Isa. 41:8-14; 62:8,9; Amos 9:15)
[4]. Freedom from oppression – (Isa. 14:3-6; 42:6,7)
[5]. Labor - (Isa 62:8,9; 65:21-23; Jer. 31:5)
[6]. Economic Prosperity – (Isa. 4:1; 35:1,2,7; Amos 9:14,15)
[7]. Unified Language – (Zeph. 3:9)
II. THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM
<>A. Church Age Saints – These saints will of course have new bodies, and they will walk about as 33 year old reproductions of Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Jn. 3:2).B. Converted Israel – The Jew will be back in the land of Palestine. The type of the reign of Jesus Christ in the Millennium is found in (1 Kings 2-10). Solomon, the son of David, is the anti type of Jesus, the Son of David (Matt. 1), reigning over the piece of land the Lord Jesus Christ will have access to in the Millennium. (Deut. 4:31; Rom. 11:25,26; Rev. 12:14).
C. Tribulation Remnant –
>[1]. Those who don’t take the mark and escape the Antichrist (Dan. 11:41,42)
[2]. Those who come through the Tribulation and help the Jews (Matt. 25:31-46).
D. Those Born in the Millennium – People will reproduce during the Millennium (Jer. 30:20; Eze. 47:22). (Isa 65:20 indicates there will be a return to the pre-flood aging process. (see also Zech. 8:4,5)
III. WORSHIP IN THE MILLENNIUM
A. Temple Worship to be restored in the Millennium – Israel will have the entire strip of land that was originally promised to Abraham (Ps. 105:9-12) and Solomon reigned over (1 Kings 4:21). It will be divided up into strips, for the 12 tribes of Israel (Eze. 48). It will have a “holy portion” in the middle of it where the temple will be built, where Jesus Christ will reign.B. Bloody Sacrifices re-instituted – (Eze. 43:18-46; Zech. 14:16; Isa. 56:6-8; 66:21; Jer. 33:15-18; Eze. 20:40-41), all teach the restoration of a priesthood and the reinstitution of a bloody sacrificial system during that age. The sacrifices during this time will be for national atonement (Eze 45:17) looking back to the cross. The new moons and the sabbaths are observed exactly as we are told they would be, in (Isa. 66:22-24) and as Paul warned in the New Testament (Col. 2:16,17).
C. The Worship of the Nations - One unique thing about the Millennium is that the nations are told to come up to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts (Isa. 2:2,3). So in the future, the “law of the Lord” – sabbaths, new moons, etc. – will go out from Jerusalem and from Mr. Zion (Isa. 11:10- 13; Zech. 8:21-23; Mic. 4:1,2).
Zechariah 14 is about the Millennium. The Lord comes back (Zech. 14:9), and the nations are told to go up to Jerusalem to worship the King “year to year” and to keep the “feast of tabernacles” (Zech. 14:16), showing that the “feast of tabernacles” in September or October, is connected with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. If the nations do not honor the King at Jerusalem, they are plagued (Zech. 14:17-19). (Compare this with Isa. 26:10; 60:12; Ps. 68:6; 72:9).
D. Individual Salvation – There is no faith in the Millennium! The plan of salvation for the Millennium is (Matt. 5,6,7).
In the Millennium, if a man calls another man a fool, he is in danger of going to hell right on the spot. In the Millennium, if a man is angry with his brother without a cause, he is dragged before a “council.” In the Millennium, if a man takes you to court, you are to give him everything you have. Salvation by works! (Matt. 5:24-26). In this dispensation, you are saved by grace through faith plus nothing, and you couldn’t get to heaven with the Sermon on the Mount if you stayed up all night and prayed over it.
Then the man in the Millennium is saved by works without faith. Consequently, he has an unregenerate nature that is left unchanged, and if he does not follow the works, he is lost. At the end of the Millennium, when Satan comes up, he finds a mass of unregenerate people who are tired of a military dictatorship, and who are griping under the authority of Jesus Christ. They do not like His harshness, discipline, or power, and therefore, they follow Satan. (See Rev. 20:7-9; Ps. 72:8,9; Isa. 26:9-11; Ps. 66:7)
IV. CHANGES IN NATURE DURING THE MILLENNIUM
Even as man needs to be regenerated (Titus 3:5) so does the earth (Matt. 19:28; Rom. 8:22). Today it still feels the effect of a curse that has been in effect since (Gen. 3).When the earth is born again some of the results will be:
<[1]. Wild beasts will be tame – (Isa 11:5-8)
[2]. The sun and moon will be seven times brighter – (Isa. 30:26)
[3]. The Dead Sea will be healed – (Eze. 47:8)
[4]. The desert will bloom – (Isa. 35:1-2)
[5]. Four crops a year – (Amos 9:11-15; Lev. 26:2-6)
[6]. Thorns and briers eliminated – (Isa 55:12,13)
[7]. Fruit bearing will multiply – (Eze. 36:3)
ETERNITY
INTRODUCTION: The last dispensation in the Bible is Eternity which is given the greatest amount of attention in the last two chapters of Revelation. The Bible is a circle, an infinite Book. The Book of Revelation leads us right back into the Book of Genesis. In Genesis there was “a tree of life” and it shows up again in (Rev. 22:2). Abel’s lamb is slain as a sacrifice in Genesis and “the Lamb” is in (Rev. 21:23). In Genesis it is “paradise lost” and in Revelation it is “paradise restored”. In (Gen. 1:1) you read “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” and in (Rev. 21:1) you read, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” God begins with man in Genesis 1 and ends with man in Revelation 22. The Bible is a circle so infinite in scope that no finite mind can totally comprehend the completeness of it. There are three distinct dwelling places in eternity that need to be discussed according to (1 Cor. 10:32).
I. THE NEW JERUSALEM – (Rev. 21:9,10)
The New Jerusalem is said to be the “mother” of every born-again believer in the Church Age (Gal. 4:26).This city is pure gold (Rev. 21:18; 21:21), and it is shaped like a double pyramid. It is “squared” four times. In plainer words, it is not just a cube, but a double cube, each cube having five sides.
The city is so set up that when you put it together, it has eight sides, with the two bases together (which makes ten sides in all). It makes a “city” with a foundation that points down underneath it, and it balances like a gyroscope on whatever it sits on. The foundation underneath is as big as the city, and the city above is “twelve thousand furlongs.” The wall is about 264 feet high. (This is a tremendous city. When John said that he saw that “great city,” he meant “great city”!) This gold crystal is a double pyramid, containing jasper (carbon), which is the chief constituent of all living things, and it is transparent. This city stretches from Boston, Massachusetts, to Miami, Florida; from Miami, Florida, to Denver, Colorado; and from Denver, Colorado, to Buffalo, New York. So, this city is 1200 miles long, 1200 miles wide, and 1200 miles high. Think of a city whose top is 1200 miles in the air, each mile being 5,280 feet!
This city has 5,000,000 apartments every cubic mile; there are 41 trillion rooms, 15 feet square, or 207 trillion rooms, 10 feet square.
There are more than ten rooms for every saved person who dies between Pentecost and the Second Coming of Christ, if 100 million Christians died every year. In plainer words, when you get to heaven, you will settle down in a house that has at least 10 rooms, 10 feet square, out of solid gold.
The streets are to be lined with trees, as are also the banks of a wonderful river. These trees are not mere shade trees, but beautiful fruit trees, called the “TREE OF LIFE,” that bear twelve kind of fruit, a different kind each month. The fruit of these trees is for overcomers only.
“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7)
The leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations that shall occupy the New Earth. Not that there will be any sickness, but to preserve them in health, as Adam would have been preserved in health if he had eaten of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:22- 24).
The wonderful river is called the river of the “Water of Life,” because of its “life giving” properties. Earthly streams have their source in the Throne of God. (Rev. 22:1)
Whoever heard of an earthly city without some place of worship, be it heathen or Christian? But the wonderful thing about the New Jerusalem is that it has no temple. Why would you need a temple when the object of worship is present, for “The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.” In fact the whole city itself will be a temple.
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their GOD. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Rev. 21:3,4)
II. THE NEW EARTH
By studying (Isa. 66:22) it appears that the new earth will principally be for Israel. Notice the context of (Isa. 66:22-24), the “new moon” and the “sabbath,” and all “flesh” coming into New Jerusalem to worship the Lord on the “new moon” and the “sabbath” in the new heavens and the new earth. The Jew is still on the earth. (Eph. 1:10; Isa. 65:17; Jer. 33:21, 17,18; Eze. 46:3; 44:24; 37:25-27). In connection with these nations on the earth in eternity (the ones that were saved in the Tribulation and the Millennium), you need to study (Isa. 66:2; Ps. 68:29; and 2 Chron. 23:19). In connection with the Jew ruling the earth in eternity you should study (Gen. 17:8; 17:20-21 Ps. 24:7; Isa. 66:22,23; 9:6,7).However, there will be 12 nations on the earth in eternity (Deut. 32:7-9; Rev. 21:24,26). So, the Bible plainly teaches that there are twelve boundaries on this earth, matching twelve months. These twelve “boundaries” have twelve nations in them, and these nations match the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. (If you could find out which tribe matched the United States, you would have more information available about the future of the United States than any history book contains that has ever been published!)
According to (Rev. 22:14), the tree of life enters into the picture of individual salvation for earth bound people in eternity. We might assume that if the people who are born do not partake of the “tree of life,” they die. But in Revelation 20, we read that “death and hell were cast into the lake of fire,” so this conclusion may not be the truth. Therefore, we will alter it just a little and say this: for 33,000 years (This is the period that Larkin calls the “Age of Ages” before eternity begins. (See Deut. 7:9 and 1 Chron. 16:15-19), or a period that only God knows, people will have to take of the “tree of life.” There is a possibility that once a man partakes of the “tree of life,” and reproduces seed, his seed receives eternal life and the offspring does not have to take of the “tree of life.” This means that people in the Tribulation and the Millennium who “keep His commandments” will be able to partake of the “tree of life” in their month – the month of their birth – and from then on their offspring are born with eternal life. However, at best, it is impossible to figure for certain. But somebody is going to partake of that “tree of life.” We are left with two alternatives.>[1]. The flesh-and-blood nations on the earth all have to take of the “tree of life” sometime after they are born, or in eternity they die.
[2.] The generations that came through the Tribulation and the Millennium must take of the “tree of life,” and from then on their progeny is secure, for they are born with eternal life.
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III. THE NEW HEAVENS>An examination of (Isa 9:7; Lk. 1:30-33) reveals that not only is Christ coming back to rule over a political, visible, Davidic, earthly, kingdom, but this kingdom is going to branch out – with its branches named after the sons of Jacob – and go out to the solar system and galaxies, infinitely, and go out to the stars forever (Heb. 11:14-16).(2 Peter 3:12,13) indicates that righteousness is not just going to dwell on a new earth, but in the new heavens also. The implications are staggering. It means God is going to spread mankind out and fill out the whole universe indefinitely.
When (Isa. 45:11-18; Rev. 22:3-5; and Dan. 7:14,18) are put together it becomes clear that the saved nations that can go into the city to partake of the “tree of life” to get eternal life, spend eternity reproducing and multiplying infinitely and going out into outer space, and populating first the 12 constellations that make up the Zodiac (12 signs-12 nations), and then from there they move on out into outer space.
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