April 2014 – TRUTH VERSES RELIGION

THE 1000 YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST: Literal or Figurative

THE 1000 YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST: Literal or Figurative

Hello all,

I have read many articles and many studies about this topic, but the following “teaching” is by far the most extensive and conclusive. I know that once we become set in an idea, as it has been taught to us by dispensational preachers and teachers we figure we already know the truth and have no need to do further study.

Yet, when we study and find the truth about there being no pre-trib rapture and no 7 year tribulation, we must look also at the other false doctrines that dispensational churches have taught and find out if they too are corrupt. The doctrine of a literal 1000 year reign of Christ, on earth, is one such false doctrine that is woven in with the others, and learning the truth about this, opens so many other doors of perception into just how the Plan of God is going to play out.

Granted this study is long, and will most likely take a half hour or so out of your busy life, but unless you feel you already know the whole truth about this issue, it is a MUST READ. I know you will find much valuable and important information herein. I would recommend having your Bible handy, and your concordance too, as this author uses both a great deal in proving his position. This teaching would be considered a “meat” rather than a “milk” teaching, so it requires focus and eyes to see and ears to hear. Yet, once understanding what is covered here, you will be blessed with a greater understanding of so many other areas of truth.

Just to give you a rough outline of what this teaching includes:

The Kingdom:

Will not come with observation

Will not be a political kingdom

Is within the Believer

The binding of Satan is a past event (at the Cross)

Last Days began at Pentecost

God is restricting the activity of Satan during the New Testament Age

The moment one is born again he begins ruling and reigning with Christ.

The thousand year reign for each believer begins at the time of their Salvation

The first resurrection is something different than the general resurrection.

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http://www.scionofzion.com

The 1000 Year Reign of Christ

Is it Literal or Figurative?

By Dr. Ken Matto

Right up there with the rapture of the church is the teaching on the Millennium. In this study we are going to discuss the subject of the 1000 year reign of Christ or the golden age. The millennium is said to commence at the end of the great tribulation period, when Christ will return to earth to establish His earthly kingdom. At the same time Satan will be bound for the duration of the millennium till the end when he will be loosed to once again wage war against Christ and the Saints of God.

In this study we will allow the Bible to be its own spokesman on the subject. The millennium teaching stems from Revelation 20:1-7, but we are not going to start there. I am going to give many Scripture passages which make it absolutely impossible for there to be a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on the earth.

We will start with a passage from the gospels which is pertinent to the study of millennium theology.

(Luke 17:20-21 KJV) And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: {21} Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! or, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

In verse 20 we read the words of Christ who emphatically states that the kingdom of God will not come with “observation.” The word “observation” carries with it the meaning of “outward show, or in a visible manner.”

Right at the outset of this study God gives us a hint regarding the nature of the Kingdom of God, that it is not visible. Now logic takes over, if it is not visible, then it must be invisible. Now we have to verify if our conclusion is correct, so we will check it out in verse 21.

Christ states that the Kingdom of God will be neither here nor there, which is a synonym for saying that it will not be a political kingdom. His kingdom will not be established similar to that of a nation with a political rule.

Christ continues to say the Kingdom of God is “within you.” The word “within” may also be only one other place in the New Testament and that is in Matthew 23:26:

(Mat 23:26 KJV) Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Christ is making a specific distinction between inside and outside; thus, giving us a clue that the Kingdom of God dwells inside the believer and has no outside political nature.

These verses cannot be ignored; they must be included to see if we are on the right pathway to truth.

(Rom 9:28 KJV) For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.”

This verse has been a stumper but if we go back to the original language, we will see how it opens up. This verse lies in the middle of a quotation from Isaiah 10:22-23; 37:32. In Isaiah 10:22 we read that though there are many in national Israel, only a remnant of that nation will become saved. This same verse teaches there will be a destruction of national Israel. The word “consumption” in this verse means “a pining or destruction,” but then God declares that out of this destruction will come righteousness. The righteousness is the gospel that will come forth from the remnant. It was out of national Israel that Christ came but only a remnant would believe on Him.

The majority of national Israel disbelieved and rejected Christ, and therefore, Christ rejected the nation of Israel, and this rejection, except for a remnant, will stand until the last day. In Isaiah 10:23 God declares that the destruction will be total in that national Israel will cease to exist as the nation which was entrusted to send forth the gospel. Only a remnant will be chosen out of national Israel, the nation will lose its favored status with God.

In Isaiah 37:32, God again speaks of the remnant of believers which will be saved in national Israel. Now we may feel confident that the context of Romans 9:28 is dealing with the remnant of believers from Israel. Let us now approach Romans 9:28 with this thought in view. The word “finish” means “to complete entirely.” It is also translated “ended” in Matthew 7:28 and “fulfilled” in Mark 13:4.

So this word carries the meaning of an ending. This verb is in its active voice. The phrase “cut it short” also is an active voice verb which may be translated “cutting short.” It may also be translated “speedily.”

The words “short work” should be translated “having been cut short,” which means the work of salvation will not continue on for thousands of years. God is stating the work has already been completed and it will not be drawn out. In other words, there will be no long length of time, such as a span from Noah to Moses, or from Moses to the cross, or the cross to today. God is going to completely wrap it all up on a day which He has already predetermined, as we read in Acts 17:31.

When God saves the last person He intends to, that will usher in the last day, and no golden age will follow. In this verse, these phrases declare finality.

THE WORD “THOUSAND,” FIGURATIVE OR LITERAL

The word “thousand” is used both figuratively and literally in the Bible. We must learn to discern between the usages. First, let us look at the way the word is literally used. We will look at two because of the wide usage of the word in the Bible. (1 Sam 6:19 KJV) And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

This verse gives us an accounting of the number of men who were smote looking into the Ark of God. God gives a specific number of 50,070.

(Acts 2:41 KJV) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Here God tells us that Peter preached a sermon and about three thousand were saved. God gives us an approximate but literal number.

Now let us look at the figurative use of the word “thousand.” Here also we will use only two verses.

(Deu 1:11 KJV) (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) Here Moses tells the people of Israel that his desire is that they multiply to a thousand times what they are now.

(1 Chr 16:15-17 KJV) Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; {16} Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; {17} And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.

These three verses are probably the most open about the figurative use of the word “thousand.” In Vs 15, we read that God is stating that His covenant is commanded to a thousand generations. In Vs 16, He tells us that the covenant which is in view is the one God made with Abraham. Then in Vs 17 God continues to tell us that He confirmed the covenant to Israel as an “everlasting covenant.” Here in the same sentence, the covenant is described as both “everlasting” and “thousand generations.”

Do you see how figurative this language is as God equates “everlasting” and “thousand generations” as the same thing. Now out of these 4 verses, let us see if we may glean some principles on discerning between literal and figurative.

1 Samuel 6:19 & Acts 2:41 shows us:

A. A specific, literal event happening.

B. A specific number is mentioned in direct relation to the event happening.

C. A literal result happened because of the action. For a verse to be taken literally, these three principles must be present. Let us test our conclusion to see if we have hypothesized correctly. Let us dissect Exodus 32:28.

(Exo 32:28 KJV) And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

A. Specific Event – Levites were to slay all idolaters in the camp.

B. Specific number – About three thousand.

C. Specific Result – They were slain by the Levites. Let us test another verse: Job 42:12

(Job 42:12 KJV) So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

A. Specific Event – God’s blessing and replenishment of Job’s goods.

B. Specific Number – A thousand oxen and a thousand she asses.

C. Specific Result – Job had double in the end of his life.

Deuteronomy 1:11 & 1 Chronicles 16:15-17

A. No specific event happening.

B. The number covers an unspecified time period or unspecified amount of years.

C. Anticipated or unspecified result

Let us test the conclusion on Genesis 24:60.

A. No specific event happening – The number must be a specific part of the event.

B. An unspecified amount – Thousands of millions which if taken literally would mean billions of Israelites. This is a figure of speech because there were never billions but millions.

C. An unspecified amount as a result of the use of a general number. Now I am not claiming this to be a fool-proof system but a guideline to help in discerning the figurative from the literal. Bible study will be more truth revealing if we know what to look for. Revelation 20:1-7.

Let us turn to the passage of Scripture which is the hypothetical basis for the theory of the physical one thousand year reign of Christ.

VERSE 1

(Rev 20:1 KJV) And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

In this verse we will focus on the word “key.” It is the Greek word “kleis” and is used only six times in the New Testament. All six times it is figurative.

Matthew 16:19-Keys of the kingdom of Heaven

Luke 11:52-Keys of knowledge

Revelation 3:7-Key of David (open and shut)

Revelation 9:1-Key of the bottomless pit

Revelation 20:1-Key of bottomless pit

In these six uses, there is a reference to opening and shutting in a figurative sense. Since these are not a literal set of keys, we must be careful to interpret the passage in the light of its symbolic usage.

Now if the key is symbolic, we may safely conclude the chain is also symbolic. The word for “chain” is used eleven times in the New Testament and always with a sense of bindingaction. For example, in Acts 12:6, Peter was literally bound with chains between two soldiers.

The chain we read about in Revelation 20:1 is symbolic for the gospel itself.

VERSE 2

(Rev 20:2 KJV) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

Satan has not been bound in a literal sense but that he can no longer prevent someone from becoming saved. Satan was bound at the cross and is helpless to prevent God’s chosen elect from becoming saved. Before the cross very few were saved but since the cross Satan could no longer blind the minds of God’s elect, therefore, thousands were saved.

We see this principle in Matthew 12:29 where we see Satan represented as a strong man.

(Mat 12:29 KJV) Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Whenever a person becomes saved, they are in essence plundering the house of Satan. That person goes from becoming a child of Satan to a child of God. It is also important to note that the word “bound” is in the Aorist Active Indicative which means it is a past one time action and not a future event. Many espouse the belief that Satan will be bound with a big chain at a future date, but the Bible has revealed that the binding is a past action which continues on until he is loosed at the end of the New Testament period.

According to the Bible, if the binding was a past action, then one of the two following scenarios must apply: First, if it is a literal thousand years, then Satan must have been loosed already since it is about two thousand years since Christ; secondly, if the Aorist tense of the word “bound” is true, and it is if it is in the Bible, then the act of binding was a past event.

This can only mean that the thousand years represents the whole New Testament period, not a literal time period.

VERSE 3

(Rev 20:3 KJV) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Here we have the word “cast” in the Aorist Active Indicative (aai) form. The next word is “shut” which is a cognate of the word “key” in verse one. (Cognates are words that stem from a common root word.) This word is also in the (aai) form, which means the shutting up or binding was a past action. Remember, we previously saw that Satan cannot hinder those who will become saved because he is restrained by God.

The figure of casting, shutting, and sealing, are symbolic of this action. The word “seal” is also in the Aorist tense and carries with it the meaning of “seal up, stop, keep secret.” All of this confirms what we previously stated, that Satan was bound at the cross. This verse continues to say that this binding will remain till the thousand years are fulfilled. The word “deceive” is in the Aorist subjunctive active form, which indicates a past action which is conditional upon a situation.

God is restraining the activity of Satan during the entire New Testament period. Satan will be freed up once again as we approach the end of time. My personal belief is that we are at this stage in history at present as we witness a dramatic increase of satanic activity both inside and outside of the church.

VERSE 4

(Rev 20:4 KJV) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Now the vision of John switches from the devil to the Christian. The first part of this verse deals with the fact that Christians will be partaking in some type of judgment.

(1 Cor. 6:2-3) The verse states that the believer “sat” upon thrones. “Sat” is also in the (aai). Throughout the ages as people became saved, they began to reign with Christ at the very moment. Is that biblical?

According to Ephesians 2:6 it is:

(Eph 2:6 KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

They immediately began to reign in their soul essence, as verse 4 states, John saw the souls of these believers, not their bodies, and these souls were upon thrones. Maybe John saw the believers in their glorified state. This verse has two sets of believers in view. The first are those who lost their lives in the service of Christ; secondly, those Christians who were not martyred for Christ in a physical sense. But do you notice both groups reign on an equal basis and for a thousand years.

Now a serious question must be posed. If everything we have studied so far in these four verses points to a past action which is still in effect, then at what point does the thousand year reign begin if it is literal, since believers have been dying, every day, since the time of the cross?

The Bible will not allow a future millennium because all of its language points to a time past. Now if the believer is raised at the time of salvation, then this would mean that the thousand year reign for each believer begins at the time of their salvation and not a future golden reign.

We may also safely conclude that the spiritual reign of the totality of believers will end on the last day, in reference to the thousand year reign not eternity, because the believer will continue to reign with Christ throughout eternity.

If a Christian is saved the day before Christ returns, that believer is reigning with Christ in the thousand years as the believer who became saved in 113 A.D.

VERSE 5

(Rev 20:5 KJV) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

In this verse we read when the resurrection of all people will occur. The Bible is very clear that the resurrection of both the believers and unbelievers will be on the last day. So we see that the thousand year reign and the entire New Testament period are the same, since the resurrection is stated as being at the end of both.

This verse also points out the unbelievers, “the rest of the dead,” will not be raised till the thousand years are completed. So till that time, where do they go? Psalm 115:17 tells us

(Psa 115:17 KJV) The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

This verse shows us that the unsaved dead go to a place of silence until the resurrection. I do not know where this place is but God declares it is a place of silence. The word “silence” in the Hebrew means “to be dumb.”

It is figuratively used as “death.” So the unbeliever is in a place of silence which is comparable to the silence of death until the last day. The balance of this verse continues to speak of the first resurrection but I will include this study in verse 6.

VERSE 6

(Rev 20:6 KJV) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

In this verse we will discover what the first resurrection is. The Bible clearly teaches a single, general resurrection and we must seek to understand if the first resurrection is something different from a resurrection of believers.

Let us explore some unique characteristics of the first resurrection. The key to understanding the first resurrection is in the part of this verse which states, “on such the second death has no power.” Who is unaffected by the second death, which is a synonym for judgment and hell?

Only the born again Christian is unaffected by judgment because Christ has already paid for our sins. Therefore, our abode will be heaven not hell. Every born again Christian on earth has experienced the first resurrection.

I saw a famous Pre-trib theologian on a talk show mockingly put down this biblical view by saying something has to be dead before it can be resurrected. He offered no alternative teaching but just a pseudo-intellectual put down. I am glad he said it because it is based on truth, whether he knows or not.

Let us look at Ephesians 2:1-3:

(Eph 2:1 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Let us look at Ephesians 2:1-3:

(Eph 2:2-3 KJV) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

We read in verse 1 that we were dead in our sins. It seems that something was dead, and it was us. Now were we physically dead or spiritually dead? The answer is simple, we were spiritually dead.

Paul tells us that we walked in the deadness of our sins, until something happened. We read in Ephesians 2:5:

(Eph 2:5 KJV) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved 😉

God made us alive or resurrected our dead souls. The phrase “quickened us together” may also be translated “to make alive together.” That theologian who mockingly discounted this truth should have done his homework and would have discovered that something was dead, and was made alive.

When you received Christ, did your physical body change? Of course not, but you did receive your resurrected soul, and before you did, you were dead to the things of God, whereas now you are alive to the things of God. Let us look again at Ephesians 2:6:

(Eph 2:6 KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

As a result of being made alive, we are raised up to sit together with Christ in heaven, as if we are already up there reigning with Him.

The rest of Rev. 20:6 tells us that we are on the right track since when a person becomes saved, they become: priests of God and Christ (1 Peter 2:5); blessed (Eph. 1:3); and holy (Eph. 1:4).

So as we see the believer is already reigning with Christ as a result of their position, and since this reigning is in effect at present, it also tells us that the thousand year reign is also in effect at present. The two cannot be separated.

VERSE 7

(Rev 20:7 KJV) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.

In the final verse of our study of millennium theology, it reveals that right at the end of time Satan will be allowed to continue his deceptions. He may blind the minds of the people of the world on a grander scale. Maybe this is how God will wind down His salvation program by saving less and less toward the last day.

When God saves the last one, then this will usher in the last day, and then the prophetic events will unfold and it will be the end of recorded history.

We are very close to the end as we see the increase in false gospels and New Age philosophies creeping into the church and are being embraced by both clergy and congregations. The church at present is becoming one of the greatest enemies of biblical truth. I need not expound on that.

INVIOLATE BIBLICAL EVIDENCE WHICH REFUTES THE LITERAL THOUSAND YEAR REIGN THEORY!

One of the most crucial hermeneutical principles is the interpretation of the obvious. Many times theologians glance at something and believe they understand something by simply glancing at it. This is totally illogical. We saw, in this study, that the binding of Satan was a past action; yet, theologians insist it will be a future event. This is what I mean by the glance method of interpretation. It sounds future but it is past.

As we continue in our study of the millennium, I wish to introduce some biblical passages which totally refute a literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth. I wish to introduce a biblical phrase which has been totally neglected by proponents of a literal thousand year reign. That phrase is “last days.”

We must first establish what the last days are according to the Bible and the time period this represents. This will open our understanding of this important subject.

(Heb 1:1-2 KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, {2} Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

This verse is the plainest account in the New Testament showing us that we are presently in the last days. Let us dissect the words in bold print and this will give us a foundation for our study: “These”- A demonstrative pronoun – This shows something which is comparatively near at hand in contrast to something which would be in the distance; for example, these rather than those.

It is a specific pointing out of something or someone. “Last”-“Eschatos” which means farthest, uttermost, or last.”Days”-“Hemera” which is a day. The writer of Hebrews is making a stern assertion that we are living in the last days. Now, let us use logic. If this verse is telling us that we are in the last days, then, how can there be another period of time to follow. The last days stretch from the time of the cross till judgment day on the last day.

There is no more time after the last day. If the Bible says we are in the last days, which do we believe, the Bible or misguided theologians. Let’s continue to see if we are on the right path.

(1 Cor 10:11 KJV) Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

This verse deals with the sins of Israel and her judgment by God to give us an example of what happens when we are disobedient. The part of this verse I want to focus on is “ends of the world.” Here the Bible gives us another indication of what time period we live in, namely, the last days. Again, we are living in the last days with no more time left after Christ’s return.

(Heb 9:26 KJV) For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

This verse is also very obvious in that Christ came to earth the first time to put away sin through His atonement. Notice how God describes the time period when Christ was here as the end of the world. Interesting isn’t it? Looking at verse 28 of the same chapter we read:

(Heb 9:28 KJV) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Look at this verse and see what it is saying. The first time Christ appeared it was for the purpose of saving His people from their sins. The second time He appears it will not be in reference to salvation but to judgment. If there is a thousand year reign, then two things must happen:

1. There will be universal salvation because who in their right mind will not receive Christ when they see Him sitting there in all His royal glory. Atheism will be defunct.

2. There must be a second resurrection at the start of the millennium, which would add up to three resurrections:

A. First, the initial rapture (believers).

B. Secondly, the saved dead who die during the great tribulation will have to be raised to reign with Christ.

C. Thirdly, the unsaved dead on the last day.

If people were becoming saved during the millennium, then Scripture is wrong and the prophecy books are right because the Bible teaches that the second time Christ comes it will have nothing to do with a further salvation plan. He will come to claim His elect as Mark 13:27 plainly states.

The Bible proclaims only one resurrection, and that is on the last day. In Matthew 25, we read about Christ separating the sheep from the goats. If there were separate resurrections, each one dedicated to a certain group of people, namely, one resurrection for the unsaved and one for the saved, then why is Christ separating the sheep from the goats.

The sheep would go to heaven and the goats to the lake of fire. Let me illustrate: If the principal of a school called a general assembly of students, then all students would attend and you would have both boys and girls in that assembly. You would then proceed to separate the boys from the girls, which typifies what Christ will be doing on the last day. If that same principal calls an assembly of only girls or boys, then no separation is needed, each group is a dedicated one.

As I continue to ponder, allow me to add another event which must happen if there is a literal thousand year reign of Christ on this earth. When He returns next time to earth, it will be in His glory and another dilemma will occur. In addition to universal salvation, there will be universal death of all unbelievers living during the thousand year reign. How do I arrive at that conclusion?

Do you recall when Moses wanted to see God’s glory? This episode is written in Exodus 33:19-21:

(Exo 33:19-21 KJV) And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. {20} And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. {21} And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Read verse 20 carefully and realize if unbelievers will die upon sight of God’s glory, then there can be no universal salvation because there will be universal death instead. God has qualified only the believers to see Him in His glory as stated in 1 John 3:2:

(1 John 3:2 KJV) Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Now back to the subject of universal death. The Bible teaches plainly that when Christ returns a second time every eye shall see Him as recorded in Revelation 1:7 and every eye will not see Him by means of television as some deep prophecy teachers tell us. (Lord deliver us from prophecy books and prophecy specialists) Are we on the right path that people will die if we see God in His glory? We sure are!

Let’s look at some verses which detail this line of biblical thought.

(Gen 32:30 KJV) And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Here Jacob is making the statement that he is actually alive after he saw God face to face. Why would he make this type of statement if any person can look at God and live?

(Exo 19:21 KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. God makes no parable here, any unqualified person who sees Him will die.

(Exo 24:17 KJV) And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

This verse tells us that the cloud is what the Israelites saw. If only the cloud is like devouring fire, then can you picture what the full glory of God would do to anyone that looks on it? We must always keep in mind that Christ is the “I AM” of Sinai.

(Deu 5:24-26 KJV) And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. {25} Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. {26} For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?

These three verses detail for us the experience of the Israelites in seeing the great fire on Horeb and believing that fire would consume them. In the same breath they feared the voice of God in that they believed by hearing His voice they would die. Here the Bible is stating again, that anyone who would behold God in all His glory would perish.

One more verse and we will return to our original study on the biblical impossibility of a literal thousand year reign of Christ.

(Rev 1:17 KJV) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

John in his apocalyptic vision fell as dead in front of Christ because he saw Him in his glory. Let me summarize this section by saying this. If Christ was to reign in all His regal splendor, do we honestly think because we live in modern times there would be a different effect on people. God is God, Christ is God and no way would we have a different response to God’s glory. We are as human as the Israelites were and as sinful, therefore, God’s glory would consume us in an instance. It is also interesting to note, that if Christ reigned in Jerusalem for 1,000 years, who would He reign over since every eye that saw Him in all His glory would be consumed to the point of death. So we have universal death before universal salvation, without 2 of the resurrections needed to maintain this teaching.

Absurd isn’t it! Let’s return to our study of the phrase ‘Last days” and see its usage in many verses. We have already extracted the fact from Hebrews 1:2 that we are living in the last days by means of the demonstrative pronoun “these” which points out something specific that is near at hand.

The date of the writing of Hebrews is unknown but we do know that it was definitely written after the cross and before the second coming which would place it in the last days, therefore, specifically pointing to the fact we are in the last days. Let us continue.

(Joel 2:28-29 KJV) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: {29} And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

(Acts 2:17-18 KJV) And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

There are only two major differences between the Joel and Acts passage. In Acts God includes the words “last days” giving further comment on the Joel passage and in Acts 2:18, God calls His servants and handmaiden “my.” This gives us further understanding of the Joel passage. God is stating in the last days (cross to second coming) His people will prophesy (declare God’s Word), in other words, they will send forth the gospel until the harvest time. (Matt. 3:24-30)

(2 Tim 3:1 KJV) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

Timothy details in this chapter what surroundings the Christian can expect to encounter. Since there is so much in this chapter, we must continue but keep the phrase in mind, “…in the last days…”

(James 5:3 KJV) Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

This passage speaks of someone heaping treasure for the last days. I do not believe this passage speaks only of money. “Gold and Silver” both speak of facets of God’s salvation plan. But you notice, God says, “Your,” it seems He is pointing to the fact there are those in the last days who will concoct their own salvation plan. Whenever man develops a salvation plan of their own, it is like cankered gold and silver (cankered literally means “eaten away”) and rust which is evidence of corrosion.

There are about 5,000 cults in the United States alone. Each of these has a cankered and rusted salvation plan. Not only the cults, but there are many self-made salvation plans in the church throughout the world. One such plan is just say a few words and accept Christ and you are in. The biblical truth is that Christ accepts us, we do not accept Him.

(1 Pet 1:5 KJV) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The word “time” in this passage is the Greek word “kairo” which means a distinct point in time. Placing “eschatos” and “kairo” in the same statement tells us that Peter is looking for the last distinct point in time. This would be judgment day because after judgment day will come eternity, which is not measured in time.

(1 Pet 1:20 KJV) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

The word “times” in this passage is the Greek word “chronon” which denotes a precise time of an event. This passage is telling us there is a last precise time for a certain event. In this case it would be the precise time for the second coming of Christ, since we have, up to this point, have so openly seen that we are in the last days and there is no more time after these days.

(2 Pet 3:3 KJV) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

Here we see the phrase “last days” which again affirms the fact that last is last. 1 JOHN 2:18(1 John 2:18 KJV) Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. The words “last time” may also be translated “last hour” as the Greek word behind time is “hora” which is translated “hour.” This passage tells that we, from God’s vantage point, that the time from the cross to the second coming of Christ is literally the last hour.

If it is the last hour, how can there be another one after it? This word “hora” can also be used to designate a period of time as we plainly see that God speaks of the whole New Testament period as the last hour.

(Jude 1:18 KJV) How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. The words “last time” may be translated “the last precise time of an event. It is the Greek word “chronos” which we have already studied. Here again God is telling us that we are in the last time.

Up to this point we have openly seen that God plainly states that we are in the last days. Now many may say, “Yes, they are the last days before the golden reign of Christ.” The problem with that is we have looked at many verses and the Bible nowhere adds anything to these verses alluding to a literal 1,000 year reign. If someone chooses to force that doctrine on these verses, they must use a method called “eisegesis” which is placing interpretations into the Bible, especially referring to doctrine or words.

The problem is that many theologians and pastors use interpolation instead of interpretation. In the area of prophecy, there is much false doctrine being spewed, and when these prophecy moguls are proven wrong, they do not retract their statements; they just write another book and sell a million copies. The longer I am saved, the more convinced I am that Christians want to be deceived because deceit is always more comfortable to live in than truth.

Allow me to end this monograph by just stating that if we do not return to true biblical hermeneutics which is laid out for us in 1 Corinthians 2:13, we will continue to abide in the following biblical exhortation which is:

(2 Tim 3:7 KJV) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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For all who cared enough to take the time to read and study this excellent teaching, I know you are glad you did. This teaching opens so many doors to spiritual understanding and reveals the truth about what the 1000 reign of Christ on earth really is. We are His kings and priests right now in this world and this life, as He rules through us. Satan has been let loose for his short time and is busy gathering all his followers for the final battle.

This is so very important to know, in order for us to realize our responsibility and the power the Lord has given us to fulfill His Great Commission…there are no left behind on the Last Day, and there are NO SECOND CHANCES!!! This is it!! Don’t be lulled into believing that this is all future, as Satan wants you to believe, and has been deluding the churches with for a long time.

I have done my part to share this, I pray that there are those out there that are getting this “meat teaching” and are no longer satisfied with just the “milk”.

With much love, for all my brothers and sisters in Christ,

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

PROPHECY AND PARANOIA

PROPHECY AND PARANOIA

Hello all,

There is such an overabundance of web sites, you-tube video sites, and DVD’s being put on the Internet that are filled with some new Bible Prophecy, or some old ones with a modern twist. Our churches, are selling prophecy books and movies, and raking in a ton of money selling the latest end-times information. It is almost overwhelming, and there are not enough hours in the day to read, listen, or watch even a fraction of them.

Our attention is pulled in so many different directions it is difficult to focus on serious Bible study without tuning them all out. As much as I hate to say it, all this instant communication of potential fulfillment of Bible prophecy seems to have become Big Business!! And churches as well as individuals are climbing on the bandwagon!! And they are touting that they are doing this in the name of God, and the Gospel. I thought the Gospel is supposed to be Good News!!

Talk about “Chicken Little”, the sky seems to be falling every day in some new and horrible way! We have become the culture of Doom!

Granted, we are in the end of days, and there is much evil in the world and it seems to be increasing daily, and there is much truth about wars, famine, disease and poverty overtaking the news, and much to consider. But we need to stop and take a breath and remember who is running this show, and what He tells us about fear, and worry and being so distracted by the world.

In fact, this idea of how being fearful can be extremely dangerous for a follower of Christ is plainly shown in Scripture as the number one offense for those who will take part in the lake of fire and the second death!

Rev 21:8

But the FEARFUL, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Anything that creates fear in us is a tool of Satan. Fear is the opposite of Love as doubt is the opposite of faith. It is good to be informed and to be watchmen on the wall, but when taken too far and when used to promote web sites and churches, and for monetary gain, it crosses over into the dark side. The following article is a good one about this issue. We must continually be overcomers, especially of fear and doubt.

This author also exposes so much false doctrine being sold as truth, and how the Holy Word of God is misinterpreted to increase fear and sell more self-promoting books, videos etc. He also exposes the mysterious number 666 for what it really is.

In all honesty, the only thing we should fear is God (meaning respecting His almighty power) and otherwise, fear itself!!

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Prophecy and Paranoia

http://www.scionofzion.com

by Dr. Ken Matto

(2 Pet 1:19-21 KJV) We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: {20} Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. {21} For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The word for “prophecy” in the New Testament is the Greek word “profhteia” (propheteia) which carries with it the meaning of “a speaking forth, exhortations, warnings, (which refer to the past, present, or future). These prophecies in Scripture were uttered forth by Prophets under the revelation or influence of God.

As we look at the Scriptures and the prophecies uttered in them, we see the majority of them have to do with judgment or impending doom, such as:

(Zep 1:1-3 KJV) The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. {2} I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. {3} I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

In the above Scriptural warning we see that God is prophesying through Zephaniah that He is going to consume or judge Judah, and their judgment will be a removal from their present location to Babylon. Their time in Babylon would be 70 years as prophesied in other areas of Scripture. We are seeing that prophecy fits into a certain course in Scripture and mainly deals with “something impending,” whether it be judgment or good. One of the most beautiful prophecies of Scripture for the believer is found in 2 Corinthians 5:8

(2 Cor 5:8 KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

This verse is a great comfort at a funeral for a TRUE believer. No one wants to die, but for the true Christian, once we do, we will be glad we did. (He who has ears to hear)

However, the subject of this study is not the real biblical prophecy which is contained in Scripture, it is what has been done to the end time biblical prophecies by the self-appointed prophecy pundits. These prophecy moguls have butchered the meanings of Scriptures and have caused many Christians to walk around in a state of paranoia. When I was a young Christian in 1980-81 I began my Christian walk listening to Jack Van Impe and his prophecy ministry. I sent for materials and I heard all about:

• The 10 Nation Common Market• The physical Antichrist• The Mark of the Beast• 666• The invasion of Israel by Russia• The physical persecution of the Christians• The restoration of the Jews• 2/3 of all Jews being killed• Armageddon in the Plains of Megiddo• The 1,000 year Reign of Christ• 7 year Tribulation Period• The judgment of the Believers• Pre-Trib Rapture• Dispensationalism• The Rebuilding of the Temple• Animal Sacrifices reinstated.

The prophecy moguls are just sensationalists and this is why they get to preach 250 times a year and are in demand because the prophetic illiterate love to hear their “doomsday prophecies” for the express reason that these same “experts” claim that good ole’ American Christians are going to escape it because of the “secret rapture” which will zoom them to Heaven while everybody else will be suffering on earth.

Convenient isn’t it? If you think about it, if their prophecies are true (which they aren’t) then millions of deceived Christians are actually rejoicing in the pain and suffering and death of others while they bask on the shore lines of Heaven. Here are some other embellishments which have been added to biblical prophecy by the prophecy pundits to make sure their books sell. These things have absolutely nothing to do with true biblical prophecy.

• Black Helicopters over America

• Noise barriers on major highways so UN troops can shoot at the motorists

• (From Prophecy, Eschatology, and Discoveries Web Site) The United Nations security council unanimously endorsed an agreement with Iraq that would allow U.N. weapons inspectors access to presidential palaces early on the morning of March 3, 1998, (Mideast time). This date is 29304 days into the New Age. 29304 is 44 times 666.

These prophetic intervals are particularly interesting since the 1991 Gulf War was fought during Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s 666th (Hebrew/Jewish) month of life. However, before rushing to the conclusion that this means Hussein is the “beast” of Revelation, remember that 666 has also been found in association with Mikhail Gorbachev and with efforts to secure a homeland for the Palestinians within the borders of Israel. It does, however, strengthen the argument that this date and this event hold significance in prophetic fulfillment.******

• Jack Van Impe Web site – THE MARK OF THE BEAST TECHNOLOGY DATA WAREHOUSING AND DATA MINING BRINGS VISIONS OF BIG BROTHER The Washington Post reported recently on the growing information service market where companies legally gather and sort electronic data 24 hours a day about 196 million Americans.

These data warehousing or datamining businesses assemble an array of facts from scattered sources from credit card transactions and magazine subscriptions to telephone numbers and real estate records to car registrations and fishing licenses to consumer surveys and demographic details. In a moment of time, such services can provide electronic dossiers that give marketers information into an American’s needs, lifestyle, and spending habits. Meanwhile, individuals have almost no control over facts that are assembled and disseminated about them. The report went on to say that “traditional American notions of personal privacy have become obsolete, outstripped by technology’s ability to peer into personal lives.” Jim Settle, formerly with the FBI said, “The whole thing is scary. It’s not the government you need to worry about. It’s private industry.” (Rev. 13:16-18)

• (From Texe Marrs Web Site) PROJECT L.U.C.I.D. BOOK OFFER – It’s frightening, and it’s real. In this stunning book, noted author Texe Marrs unravels the secrets of Project L.U.C.I.D., the covert government operation destined to devour the whole world. Soon, every person on Earth — even newborn babies — will be issued the universal biometrics I.D. card. Resisters will have a mind control biochip surgically implanted in their brains. The ISO 9000 program requires that all manufactured goods be controlled with the number of the beast, 666. Project L.U.C.I.D. empowers America’s hidden SS establishment to use its massively powerful, computer databases to control your bank accounts and purchases, and to monitor intimate details of your life. Spy satellites; hidden, miniature video cameras; and interactive TV sets will be watching your every move. Your telephone calls will be wire tapped and recorded by remote computers. All data on you is linked, networked, and processed by a Central Gestapo, where faceless bureaucrats give orders to police, military, and intelligence agencies. This is the new, global police state, made up of the FBI, KGB, CIA, DEA, DIA, NSA, IRS, EPA, NCIC, USDA, FDA, NRO, BATF, FINCEN, INS, DOJ, WTO, Europol, Interpol, Mossad, and the MAB.

If you notice I took 3 articles off the Internet from various Prophecy Ministries which all focus in on the number 666. They all claim the number of the beast or Antichrist is 666. Let us look at what the Bible teaches to see if they are correct. In Revelation 13:18 we read:

(Rev 13:18 KJV) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

All the Prophecy pundits have built their 666 theology and sensations around these 2 words “a man.” First of all, in the Koine Greek Language of the New Testament there is no such thing as an “indefinite article” as there is in English. There is only a “definite article” which is identified by “O” with a hard breathing sound over it making it sound like “ho.” In Revelation 13:18, ” a man” is the Greek word “anqrwpou” (anthropou) which is a Genitive Case which specifically defines. Anthropou is used throughout the New Testament and the same case is used to describe Jesus as the Son of Man. For example in Matthew 26:24:

(Mat 26:24 KJV) The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

Do you see the specific nature of the writing? He is the Son of Man, now what would that make Him if we added the indefinite article “a” to the sentence. “The Son of a Man.” Wouldn’t that make the Lord Jesus the son of a man on earth? Quite a difference isn’t it?

The Virgin Birth doctrine would be annulled. Maybe this is why God picked the Greek language with its “specifying attributes.” The term “anthropos” may be used to describe the entire human race. The same principle applies to Revelation 13:18. Since there is no indefinite article in the Greek, we cannot add one in English because instead of clarifying the passage, it clouds the true meaning.

It should not be translated “number of a man” rather the correct way is “number of man.” 666 is the number that God has applied to the unsaved people in all the world and “anthropos” is describing man in general as the entire human race. So the idea that Revelation 13:18 is speaking of a single man is erroneous and to be rejected. As I quoted from 3 ministries concerning 666 and how, on false teaching, they have built ministries which lead people astray.

Let’s look at it from a different perspective and see if everyone is going to get an identifying mark. When you became a Christian, did you receive a physical mark on your forehead? The following verses say that God has set a seal in the foreheads of His children.

(Rev 7:3 KJV) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

(Rev 9:4 KJV) And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

(Rev 14:1 KJV) And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

(Rev 22:4 KJV) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

(Ezek 9:4-6 KJV) And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. {5} And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: {6} Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

Here is a very interesting passage which talks about a mark given to those who have cried and wept over the sins of Jerusalem. Who cries and weeps over sins, the unregenerate or the regenerate? Of course, the only ones concerned with sin are those who are saved, the world continues on in sinful perpetuity until the last day.

Isn’t it interesting that God used the very same language approximately 600 BC when giving the command to Ezekiel to set a mark on the heads of the saved. Did Ezekiel walk around with a quill and put a mark on all the repentant? Here is a picture of the last day. Those who have the mark of God in their foreheads will not be touched by the final judgment but those who have the mark of the beast (666) a.k.a. the unsaved, shall be judged and cast into eternal hell, which here is symbolized by the physical slaughter of the disobedient in Jerusalem.

It is also interesting to note that a separation is in view which harmonizes with Revelation 9:4 above and Matthew 25:31-34 and John 5:25-29. God here is separating the believers from the unbelievers as He will on Judgment day after the resurrection of all mankind. If you also notice one thing in the Ezekiel passage, God begins judgment at His Sanctuary which harmonizes with 1 Peter 4:17 where God states that Judgments begins at the house of God. God will purge every unholy element from His true church as we see being done today. The rise of the Charismatic movement in almost every church shows the unholy and rebellious attitudes toward God right in plain sight but only the true Christian with open spiritual eyes will see this movement for what it truly is.

Let’s wrap this study up with a quick look at some of the other elements which are taught by these prophecy moguls and some of the Scriptures which refute their Fantasy Island theology:

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Rebuilding of the Temple – Ezekiel 40-48 is used to justify this but a physical temple is not what is in view:

(1 Cor 3:16-17 KJV) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? {17} If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The Believers are the Temple

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Animal Sacrifices Reinstated – OT Sacrifices used to justify this:

(Heb 10:12 KJV) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

I think it is reprehensible that Christians think that reinstatement of Animal Sacrifices is wonderful. That is an affront to the cross of Christ and a denial that He came and finished the sacrifice once and for all. Too many Christians have been so indoctrinated into Judaism by their clergy that they begin to think in terms of that Christ rejecting false religion. Judaism is not Old Testament rather it is a maintained rejection of Christ. If it was Old Testament based, they would recognize Christ immediately.

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10 Nation Common Market – Daniel 7:7, 20, 24 used to justify this.

I remember when the European Common Market went to 11, then 12, then 13 and some prophecy expert made a statement (I forgot who but not what) that God was just setting everything up for the final number of 10. Well, of course God had to redo everything; He made a mistake because it didn’t fit into paranoia prophecy.

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Armageddon in the Plains of Megiddo – Revelation 16:16 used to justify this.

(Rev 16:13-16 KJV) And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. {14} For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. {15} Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. {16} And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Notice the sequence of events concerning Armageddon:

1. Unclean Spirits go out over the whole world

2. They gather them to battle (Armageddon not mentioned yet)

3. The Return of Christ

4. Gathers them to Armageddon

What is the event that happens right after Christ’s return? It is judgment day. Armageddon is a synonym for judgment day. Satan’s kingdom has always been at war with God’s kingdom, and they will be at war until the last battle, where Satan and his host of demons will be cast eternally into hell.

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Pre-Tribulational Rapture – 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 & Revelation 4:1 used.

(John 6:39 KJV) And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

This is one of six verses which show the rapture is on the last day.

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Thousand year reign of Christ – Revelation 20:1-8 used to justify

Notice the wording here, it talks about seeing the “SOULS” not the physical bodies on physical thrones in Jerusalem. The thousand year reign is supposed to be a physical reign, right?

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The Physical Invasion of Israel by Russia – Ezekiel 38:2 is used to justify.

(Ezek 38:2 KJV) Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

This is an absolute butchering of Scripture. The words “chief prince” in this verse is the Hebrew word “Rosh” and guess how the prophecy moguls interpret it? You got it, Russia! The word “rosh” means “head or chief, whether in place, rank or time, or an individual head.” What, tell me what does that have to do with Russia and how do you get Russia out of a word that simply means “Chief?” The word is used 97 times in the Old Testament. All translated with a meaning of “chief or head.” So why does Ezekiel 38:2 mean Russia and the other 96 something different?

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Well I think you are getting my point that prophecy has gone out of control and the underlying factors for it are greed and fame. Let me give you my assessment of false prophecy teachers:

1. Liars – They consistently misinterpret the Bible to make their case. If someone disseminates false information on a consistent basis, I deem this an act of lying.

2. Cheaters – When you buy one of their books, you could have used that money for something necessary or worthwhile.

3. Sensationalists – Always inventing new ways to captivate their ignorant disciples.

4. Sinful approach to Scripture – The Bible says we are to compare Scripture with Scripture not newspapers and other worldly publications.

5. Prideful – When their prophecies do not come to pass, they never retract their statements instead they write another million best seller like the false prophet Hal Lindsey et al.

6. Deceivers – They cause people to look outside the Scriptures for understanding of Scriptures. This is deceptive hermeneutics and causes people to misinterpret the Word of God and are left with the wrong understanding which eventually they will defend.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Prophecy preachers are one of the most dangerous elements in Christianity because they are consistently wrong yet are the most admired and sought after. These specialists go from church to church peddling their political assumptions and call it biblical prophecy. I am not saying that groups like the Trilateral Commission or Council on Foreign Relations do not exist nor do I deny the existence of Black Helicopters over the USA. I have seen them fly over my area but as for the sake of the gospel, they have nothing whatsoever to do with it. If we are to understand prophecy, it must be understood by means of interpreting Scripture with Scripture. That is God’s method! When I tossed all my prophecy books and stopped reading that trash, my understanding of Scripture began to elevate and the Holy Spirit now had a clear mind to teach. That is what you need to do.

Probably the worst thing that it does is it turns Christians into paranoid androids in that everything that happens in life is now linked to some prophecy book. How do I know this? In 1981 I received a credit card statement from a bank and the statement number had 666 on it. I showed it to everybody and even sent a copy to the Southwest Radio Church. The next statement didn’t have it on there so I guess they got off the Antichrist system. That was nothing more than paranoia on my part. As Christians we need to be people of the Book not people of the prophecy books. Lord, save us from prophecy preachers.

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Amen to that!!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

THE WHO AND WHEN OF THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE

THE WHO AND WHEN OF THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE

Hello all,

I have searched far and wide for a study that puts the “who and when” of Jacob’s Trouble together in a complete and truthful way. Once we know who Israel is we can plainly see who will be facing this terrible time of struggle and persecution, and when. Most modern churches teach that this time of trouble will be for the Jews in Jerusalem after the Gentile church has been raptured off the earth. This is the height of deception, and why so many Christians are still blinded to the truth, and have fallen for this a strong delusion.

This study deals first with who Israel truly is, and then when this time of trouble will occur. One revelation reveals the other, and I hope that those who have come to the understanding of Israel being the true followers of Christ, from both the Old and New Testaments, will see that we, as His people, are the ones that are, and will be, experiencing this “time of Jacob’s Trouble”.

I will present another study that speaks how we will experience this time on a personal level, individually, but this study speaks of it corporately, as the Body of Christ, and how it plays out on the world stage. Even if you disagree with the first part of this study, I urge you to read the second, as I am confident you will relate to how the author proves that this time of trouble is happening now.

To all those who are coming to this same revelation, I pray this study blesses you. To all those that are opposed to this and see this as something else altogether, please understand, that I must continue in the light the Lord is shedding on my path, and do my upmost to share what I have learned from His Holy Word. I come to my own conclusions before I search for studies that explain, what I have found, in the best possible, most biblically supported, way. In this instance, it took we weeks to find this one.

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Link of article or video : [url] http://www.scionofzion.com/jacobs_trouble.htm[/url]

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

By Dr. Ken Matto

(Jer 30:7 KJV) Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

For many years the idea that a nation called Israel would once again rise from obscurity and become a nation among the nations of the world has been taught and is continually being taught in dispensational circles. This teaching came to a political fruition in 1948 when Israel became a nation.

There is nothing in Scripture that teaches that a nation will rise with the direct descendants of true ancient Israel. The only reason that the present nation of Israel is so popular among the dispensational crowd, is because of the faulty hermeneutic which is found in prophecy books. For example, Ezekiel 37 is being erroneously taught that this is a prophecy of the formation of the nation of Israel but when you get to the latter portions of that chapter, you will see that this nation that God is speaking of will have the Lord Jesus Christ ruling over them.

(Ezek 37:24-25 KJV) And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. {25} And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

Christ is represented by David. David had been in glory for about 300 years, so how could he rule over the physical nation of Israel? Some dispensational theologians believe that David is going to be raised to rule over Israel. Need I say there is nothing in Scripture that teaches a future rule of any man. The eternal ruler of His people will be the Lord Jesus Christ as we see in the above verse, Ezekiel 37:25. In that same verse which speaks of eternity, we see that the land was given to “Jacob my servant.” The name “David” means “beloved” which is also attributed to the Lord Jesus Christ. The term “my beloved” is found 22 times in the Song of Solomon.

(Isa 5:1 KJV) Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

(Mat 3:17 KJV) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Why would God contradict Himself in Scripture concerning the fulfillment of a prophecy that He has already fulfilled. The problem is that the dispensational theologians skip the following verses because it doesn’t make their case.

(Josh 21:43-45 KJV) And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. {44} And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. {45} There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

(Neh 9:7-8 KJV) Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; {8} And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:

(Neh 9:23 KJV) Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.

(1 Ki 8:56 KJV) Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

(Deu 28:63 KJV) And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

When we look at all these verses, except Deut. 28:63, we read that God had kept His promise to Abraham concerning the land of promise. When Israel went into the land, there was a requirement of them for the purpose of remaining in the land. That requirement was obedience to the law of God. Now when we read Deuteronomy 28:63, we see that God had already told them that they would be plucked from off the land. God already knew that Israel could not keep the law nor the Sinaitic covenant.

The covenant that God made with Israel was conditional. It was based on their obedience but we see that when they came into the land with Joshua as the head, there was order. When Joshua died, that ushered in the period of the Judges whereby Israel was beginning to be disobedient by playing the harlot with surrounding nations. Once they did this, they abrogated the covenant of obedience they made with God, and that violation of the Covenant meant that God was now going to judge them and part of the judgment was to be removed from the land forever.

In 721 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity with Assyria and they were never heard from again. They assimilated into the population of the world. In 587 BC, Judah went into captivity with Babylon. Judah received only a temporary sentence of 70 years. She needed to be revived because it was through Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ would come. Once the Lord Jesus Christ came and became the final sacrifice of sin for His Elect, that ushered in the culmination of the Temple system. In 70 AD, the final destruction came for Judah, and Judah, like the northern kingdom was never to rise again because the Lord Jesus Christ had come and went back to Heaven. God was now dealing with the entire world and no longer with just one nation. This is how it will be until the Lord returns on the last day.

The true nation of Israel as God began forming it about 2000 BC was really a family tree, in reality it was the blood line of the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel did not became a nation until they came out of the land of Egypt in 1447 BC which was about 600 years after Abraham. The blood line of the Lord Jesus Christ started out with God promising Abraham a land and an eternal covenant. It must be delineated that the temporary covenant of Sinai was made with the nation if Israel while the eternal covenant, Grace, was made to the spiritual descendants of Abraham. (Gal 3:16 KJV) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

That covenant was then passed on through Isaac, and then to Jacob. Jacob’s name was then changed to Israel which means “prince with God.” Jacob went down into Egypt and stayed there 430 years when God brought them out in the great Exodus. After they left Egypt and settled in Canaan, they were then a bona fide nation among the nations. There was constant disobedience on their part in both the times of the united monarchy and the divided kingdom, which finally ended up with their separate captivities.

Since God has fulfilled His commitment of the land to Israel and the Bible clearly states this without any guesswork, since they lost it by disobedience, it is outright blasphemy to say that God owes this disobedient people anything. God owes no man anything. Dispensational theologians forget that Israel and Judah were two of the most evil nations on earth. All one has to do is read the books of Samuel, Chronicles, and Kings.

They were already to the point of doing child sacrifices to the false gods of the surrounding nations and someone is going to tell me that God owes this type of people anything? It is a miracle He just didn’t wipe them off the face of the earth. They had the truth of God and chose to go against it at every opportunity they had. There were brief periods of obedience, but they went right back to evil works as soon as they could.

The present nation of Israel that was formed in 1948 is not a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. It is a political formation by the United Nations. While God allowed it to happen, it is not of divine origin. As we saw in previous verses, God had fulfilled His word in giving them a land but they lost it by their disobedience. The people who live in Israel have come from many different countries and are bound by one thing, the religion of Judaism. It cannot even be said that they are a single race since they have come from many different races. The first Israel was a race of people and were Semitic in origin, being Hebrews.

The present inhabitants of Israel are not Hebrews but the majority are Gentile converts to Judaism by their descendants which was a result of the many diasporas. I speak English, but if I was to learn the Swedish language as good as a native of Sweden speaks, and then I moved there, does that make me a Swede and a descendant of Sweden? The answer is no. If I go to church does that make me a Christian? In the same manner, because one speaks Hebrew does not make them a Hebrew. Languages and customs when taught from childhood become second nature and can be mistaken and taught for lineage. When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, all the temple records were destroyed with it, which means that no one living today can trace their lineage back to the true Israel.

The focus of prophecy is not on the modern day nation of Israel, rather it is on the body of Christ, which is called Jacob.

I want to go back to Ezekiel 37:25:

(Ezek 37:25 KJV) And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

God injects the eternal element in this verse. First, He states that David will be their prince forever. Whenever God introduces the word “forever” we can instantly look for His eternal salvation program and can discount any notion of a physical land location.

Notice, that God speaks of generations of children are going to dwell in the new land. Is He speaking of physical children? I think we need to investigate it a little bit and the Bible gives us our definition of children. Keep in mind these children are in the realm of everlasting and not temporal.

(1 John 2:12-13 KJV) I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. {13} I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

(1 John 2:18 KJV) Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

(1 John 3:18 KJV) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

These four verses reveal that God is speaking of His children as little children. These are the believers in Christ not little children on a playground. God uses this as an endearing term toward His redeemed.

(Gal 4:26-31 KJV) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. {27} For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. {28} Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. {29} But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. {30} Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. {31} So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

We see in these passages that we are children of the free woman who is Sarah in conjunction with the New Jerusalem who is the mother of us all. What is meant here is that the body of believers being the New Jerusalem continues to bring children into the spiritual land of Canaan. Whenever we witness to someone and that person becomes saved, in essence, we as the new Jerusalem, have mothered another child for the Kingdom of God. God calls us children of promise. So the children that God has in view in Ezekiel 37:25 are the believers in the future that will continue to bring new believers into the Kingdom through the sending forth of the gospel. It is a spiritual reproduction not a physical reproduction in view. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God only spirit can.

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

It took us a while to get here but we had to define who the true Jacob was. We had to define which descendants were in view, the physical descendants of Jacob, of which no one can truly tell who they are, again, language and custom does not define lineage. Yet, we can easily tell who the spiritual descendants of Jacob are, these are the believers, the body of Christ.

(Jer 30:7-10 KJV) Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

8} For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

{9} But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

{10} Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

When we look at these four verses, we are not looking at a physical realm, instead we are looking at the verses of salvation. Notice in verse 7, we read that Jacob is going to suffer some great trouble yet, Jacob will be saved out of it. In verse 8, we read a great promise that the bonds, or the slavery of the true believer will be removed by God Himself. No longer will the world have any effect upon the true children of God. Then in verse 9, we see that Jacob is going to serve the Lord God and David their king.

Now Jeremiah was written about 630 BC which means that David was dead for about 330 years, yet in this verse we are told that Jacob is going to serve the Lord God and David. We have seen that David was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here we have the people of Jacob, the true believers, serving God the Father and God the Son. Then in verse 10, we read that God says to Jacob, they should not fear because He is going to bring them out from all over the world and will return them unto their own land, where they will have rest, quiet, and no fear. This is the language of salvation.

(Psa 23:2 KJV) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

(Psa 23:4 KJV) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The land that the true believer is going to return to is not a physical land on earth in this present age, it is the land of Canaan which God promised to Abraham. (Gen 13:15 KJV) For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

(Gen 17:8 KJV) And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. Whenever God adds the words “everlasting” or “for ever” it means that what is in view is not a temporary land but it is the language of salvation or the covenant of Grace. The land that we go back to from every corner of the world, is Heaven. That is the dwelling place of the true believer.

(Mark 13:27 KJV) And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Mark 13:27 gives us the answer that the people who have been scattered all over the earth are His people, the redeemed Elect of God, and on the last day they will be gathered and brought into their own land, which is Heaven.

(1 Th 4:16-17 KJV) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: {17} Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

(Isa 14:1 KJV) For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

Isaiah 14:1 is one of the best salvation verses. Notice in this verse that God is going to have mercy on Jacob which is the language of salvation. (1 Pet 2:10 KJV) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. God then goes on to repeat that He is going to place them in their own land, and we already saw what the gathering of the believers were. Then God adds something different to this verse. He says that, “strangers shall be joined to them.”

(Isa 11:10 KJV) And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. The strangers were the Gentiles who did not know God. (Eph 2:19 KJV) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Isaiah 14:1 is telling us that the Gospel of Grace is going to be preached in the entire world, which means that the Gentile countries are included and that God’s children are now going to be found in every country on earth. Notice that it also says they will cleave to the house of Jacob. This is because the House of Jacob in view is the body of believers.

(Deu 10:20 KJV) Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. The only ones who are going to cleave to the Lord is the ones He has redeemed. Isaiah 14:1 is a beautiful verse which teaches us about God’s wonderful salvation plan. The Israel that he will choose is another term for the body of believers. (Gal 6:16 KJV) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

(Rom 11:26 KJV) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: Here is another salvation verse. When God forgives and removes the sin of the believer, He Himself is turning away ungodliness from Jacob or the body of Christ. The Deliverer is Christ Himself who cleanses His people from their sins by means of salvation.

(Ezek 36:24-28 KJV) For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. {25} Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. {26} A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. {27} And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. {28} And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Here are five verses that are dripping with the promise of salvation of the body of believers. First of all, God starts out in verse 24 again stating that he is going to bring all the believers out of the countries where they reside. Now when we look at verses 25-27, they are some of the most popular salvation verses in the Old Testament. God is saying that He will cleanse, after the cleansing comes a new heart and a new spirit. Then in verse 27 God defines what spirit He is going to give His children, it is going to be the Holy Spirit. Since the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross and fulfilled the requirements of God’s holy law, the Christian is going to be viewed by God as one who will be walking in His statutes and keeping His judgments and doing them. This is because those people who are in Christ, have satisfied the requirements of keeping God’s holy law in Christ. Salvation is the fulfillment and keeping of the law of God which is imputed to the believer.

Then after God speaks of granting salvation to His people, He once again states that they will dwell in the land that God gave to the fathers but He adds another dimension. He states these people will be His people and He will be their God, which is the language of salvation. We already saw that the land God is speaking of is not a physical land, but an eternal land, for that is the only suitable dwelling place for His children.

(Amos 9:15 KJV) And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. Here is another salvation verse in that God is going to permanently plant His children in their eternal home. They are secure in Christ and can never be pulled out of Heaven. If this verse was speaking of national Israel, then we have a problem, first of all, they lost the land by disobedience and secondly, there was never to be another land of true Israelites to rise among the nations again.

The present land of Israel is based upon the Talmud and not upon the true Scriptures. This is why it is a fraudulent nation and not borne out of biblical prophecy. God is now dealing with the entire world and not a single country again. It is absolutely reprehensible when Zionist Christians rejoice at the idea of another temple with animal sacrifices. These Zionist Christians are so retarded in their belief systems, they are actually an affront to God and are spitting in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ who was the final sacrifice for sin for His Elect.

God destroyed Judah in 70 AD for the reason that her mission was done and the temple/ceremonial system was now voided, never to have any purpose again. To try and say that God is the one who is going to bring about this temple is to make God a liar and that is exactly what Zionist Dispensationalism does. Why would God ordain another temple when the work of His Son was completed and accepted totally? This idea of another temple is just born out of political Zionism with the help of the ignorant clergy, seminaries, and sheep. (Rev 21:22 KJV) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

The Period of Time for Jacob’s Trouble

(Jer 30:7 KJV) Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

The words “the time” in the Hebrew do not refer to a single day but rather it speaking of a period of time. The word “trouble” in the Hebrew carries the meaning of “distress or affliction.” So we see here a period of time when the body of believers is going to be facing much distress or affliction.

Now the last days began at Pentecost but when we read this verse we are seeing that within the confines of those last days, there is going to be a period when the body of believers is going to face an elevated level of affliction. Now it is not saying here what type of affliction but we know that the method which Satan will be using in the last days is going to be deceit. (2 Cor 11:13-15 KJV) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. {14} And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. {15} Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

There is no doubt that Jeremiah 30:7 is a prophetic passage speaking about the affliction of the body of believers in the last days, and that is what I want to look at in the rest of this study. I believe deeply that we are in that period when Satan has been loosed. (Rev 20:3 KJV) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

(Rev 20:7-8 KJV) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, {8} And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. The evidence for this is overwhelming as we look at the condition that Christianity is in, while all the other worldly religions are seemingly untouched by any affliction.

Never before in history has Christianity been assaulted the way it is being assaulted today. We are definitely in a period of trouble or affliction and I want to bring to light some of the ways that we are being attacked and I believe that you too will see that we are living in that period of time known as Jacob’s trouble.

False Bible Versions

One of the most prevalent attacks on Christianity is the attack on the Bible itself. Never before in history has there been new versions of the Bible coming out about one per year. The final translation that God gave was the King James Bible in 1611 and never again was God going to give a new translation. It was in 1871 when Hort & Westcott, two Catholics and occultists, took the ancient Egyptian manuscripts from Alexandria, and under the Vatican’s authority created the Revised Version which became the predecessor for all the modern corrupt versions. These corrupt modern versions were never sanctioned by God since these modern versions have been corrupted and with each new one, the true Gospel is more heavily obscured than in the last version. God never gave His Word to sodomites, Catholics, Cultists, Occultists, and unbelievers to correct and translate.

(Psa 50:16-17 KJV) But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? {17} Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.

If you go to any church you will find at least 10 different versions of the Bible in use in the congregation. When the pastor uses one version and the people use different versions, then you are going to have no understanding of the passages being taught, since it will say something different. These versions are causing massive confusion in the church and among Christians. It is the tower of Babel all over again, except at the tower of Babel, it was God who confused the languages. With the attacks on the Bible mounting, all the new versions are being created by unbelievers which means that Satan is behind the new move of false versions which has watered down Christianity and removed the power from the churches.

More Physical Martyrs

It has been said that there have been more Christian martyrs in the 20th century than in all the centuries of the past. With Muslim countries adding more capital punishment laws to their books concerning Christianity, the amount of physical martyrs will only increase as we head toward the last day.

Homosexual Invasion

Never before in history have the homosexuals been attempting and gaining positions in the churches. God condemns homosexuality, as He does all sin, but He openly mentions this one as a sign that we are close to the end. Recently the Episcopal Church has voted in an openly sodomite bishop. What can anyone in this sin teach people about the Bible. It is a condemned man teaching other condemned people that their sin is okay. Wait till they wake up on Judgment day, none of them will be gay.

In Canada they are trying to get the Bible declared as hate literature so if a pastor preaches against it, the pastor can then be removed and indicted under hate crime laws. Almost every TV program is an endorsement of sodomy and it is not for fun, but to desensitize you to accept their perversions. With the sodomites gaining ground in churches, pretty soon the real church is going to go underground.

Dead and Dying Churches

Another attack on true Christianity is the fact that churches are dying all around us because their failed leadership has accepted all the worldly philosophies of the day and have weakened the people in the pews. As a result of unqualified and overpaid leadership in most churches, the true sheep of God have been scattered, simply because they cannot sit under the teachings of a sold-out leader. A good leader will remove the worldly teachings at the point of their beginning. This means that false brethren will have to be removed from the churches. One of the biggest barriers to truth in the church is the leadership.

Amalgamated Gospels

Another attack on the body of Christ comes when the true Gospel is diluted with the false sciences of today. Many preachers have taken up the mantle of the political gospel which cannot save a soul and has yet to save a country. God does not bless the ministries of those who pollute the true Gospel. There is nothing wrong for a Christian to be involved in politics but the Gospel cannot be mixed with the worldly principles of politics. There are many, like Jerry Falwell, who has taken up the political gospel only to fail in ministry. His university went millions into debt and he even took money from Sun Myung Moon.

Whenever we depart from the true Gospel, we will wind up spiritually famished and sometimes even asking Satan for money. Those who teach political or psychological gospels, after a while, begin to lose the distinction between the true Gospel and their gospel additions.

Christ replaced by Israel

One of the main diversions that Satan has thrown into the church is the icon of Israel. Israel has become the deified nation in the majority of churches. If people would only study the history of this nation and their terrorist activities toward the Palestinians, of whom many are Christians, they would not blindly support this nation. The reason that this imposter nation of Israel enjoys such high status is because the ignorant clergy and seminary professors have blindly accepted dispensationalism as truly biblical, when not one tenet of dispensationalism can be proven without hyperbole and allegory.

If your church sponsored a prophecy conference about Israel and one about Prayer, guess which one would fill up? The lie that the Jews are God’s chosen people has been accepted blindly, when the Bible clearly teaches that God has only one chosen people, and that is those who were chosen for salvation in Christ. The Bible teaches plainly that it was written about the Lord Jesus Christ and not to elevate the modern nation of Israel to god-status, as it is in the majority of churches. Those who live in Israel are not the direct descendants of the Hebrews, they are a people bound by a false religion called Judaism. When Christians ascribe all the promises of a land and the other promises to this nation of false religion, they are prostituting the truths of Scripture based on prophecy books written by well-paid Zionist sympathizers.

(Psa 40:7 KJV) Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

(Heb 10:7 KJV) Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

These two verses teach us that the Bible was written about the Lord Jesus. Christians need to get their eyes back on Christ and off of Israel. Turn off those prophecy programs which are just a source of lies, deceit, and diversion.

Attacks on Christ

Another aspect of end time attacks are the ones coming against the Lord Jesus Christ. A special aired on TV called, “Jesus, Mary, and the Da Vinci Code” tried to get people to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was married. It was a resurrection of an old 2nd century lie. The deity of Christ is being attacked, not only by those outside the church, but by those inside the church.

The modern versions aid this by removing much of the deity of Christ from their pages. The new age movement has taken the Lord Jesus and placed Him on the same level of false teachers like Confucius. They claim that the Lord Jesus is on the 7th plane with the other ascended masters of wisdom. The blasphemy is that these ascended masters are nothing more than demons who trance channel their deceit through willing subjects. Even in many churches Christ is looked on as only a great teacher and prophet.

Signs and Wonders

Never before in history has every church been plagued by the infestation of signs and wonders. Almost every congregation has been menaced by tongues and many Christians who do not speak in tongues, endorse them. Tongues are supposed to be a message from God, just as modern day visions and dreams are. These charismatic congregations are all seeking prophetic words and supernatural healing.

These things divert from the real reason the Christian is here and that is to send forth the Gospel. When people concern themselves with health, wealth, and prophecies, they have been derailed in their Christian walk. Every Christian has faced this problem and it is only a good study of Scripture on this subject which will help them to walk away from it unscathed. The modern tongues are not the tongues of Acts since they were legitimate, established languages, in fact, God even names those people who were represented on the first Pentecost.

The tongues of today are just evil babblings with no meaning. Yet, we see Christians running after this because they feel that this is a great move of the Holy Spirit. This is untrue because the Holy Spirit is going to bring us into all truth and He couldn’t do that if we can’t understand instruction.

Christianity Soon to be Outlawed

A very serious situation which true Christians are facing now and will escalate is the outlawing of the very Faith which founded this nation. In the public schools (which were originally founded to teach children the Bible) you are allowed to discuss any world religion such as Islam or Hinduism. The names of Allah or Shiva are permitted in the schools but the name of Jesus Christ is not permitted. The cross is to be removed from every place it has been placed in, yet the Menorah is allowed to stand anywhere, even on Government property. This is because we have been placed under law 102-14 signed into law March 26, 1991 which was the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson who was head of the radical, anti-Christian Lubavitch Movement.

They have imposed upon the people of the United States the Noahide laws which state that anyone who worships the Lord Jesus Christ is guilty of idolatry and according to their Torah is punishable by death. They have seven Noahide Laws and the 7th is a requirement that courts be set up to enforce the first six laws, one of them being idolatry laws. This law 102-14 was signed into law by President George Bush Sr. Basically, it is saying that every true Christian who worships the Lord Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures, has a reigning death sentence on them which can be enacted at any time.

These laws are nothing more than hate crime legislation against Christians and the church still exalts these anti-Christian people as God’s Chosen People. This just shows the high level of stupidity in the majority of Churches. (sic) http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/gentiles.htm This is the website which claims Christians are punishable by death for worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ.

They also list the 7 Noahide Laws. According to them, these laws were supposedly given to Noah and are binding upon the entire human race. Idolatry is number 1! I wonder why? Whenever you see some facet of Christianity being attacked, such as Judge Moore and the Ten Commandments, just look for the ADL funded ACLU behind it. Those who are attacking and vilifying Christianity are the ones being glorified in the church. Go figure!

Governments all over the world have passed laws outlawing Christianity. Over half of the world has laws on the books which prohibit Christians from free exercise of their Faith. We think that because we live in the USA that this can’t happen. Look around. The IRS imposes penalties on churches who speak out in any politically incorrect manner. The IRS holds the removal of tax exemption over the heads of every church. So a church would rather compromise with the world just so they can give out receipts at the end of the year. What a pitiful, cowardly tradeoff, when the churches are already protected by the First Amendment. Most clergy and media preachers are so neutered that they have become only useful idiots for the one world order crowd. If all the true churches would start preaching and teaching the truth around this country, the government would back off of its attacks and think twice.

Time Stealers

As we approach the end times never have we had as many time stealers as there is now. We have so many things which can divert us from Bible Study such as TV, Radio, Internet, DVD’s, Walkmans, Video games, etc. 100 Years ago radio didn’t even exist yet, therefore, Christians had utilized much time in their day for studies. This is why there have been so many writings from past years. Today, there are many books out there, but if you look at the theology in them, you will see there is a shallowness and compromised atmosphere in them.

Man’s books are becoming increasingly man-centered instead of Christ-centered, which means they are of no spiritual value to the true Christian. Isn’t it amazing that without the help of a computer that Martin Luther could put out over 40 volumes of studies. When was the last time you seen a true Christian author put something together like Luther’s commentaries or the Calvin’s Institutes? Today, somebody writes a book of 100 pages and fills it with psychobabble, and then they receive invitations to speak at 100 churches as if they are some expert.

Summary

We have biblically concluded that Jacob is the body of believers because of the salvation language that surrounds it. It is not the modern nation of Israel since God does not detail any gathering of Talmudic Jews into a land because God fulfilled all the promises of a physical land in Joshua‘s time. Ancient Israel lost the land by reason of their disobedience and this is seen in many places in the Scriptures.

Since the Lord Jesus Christ came and died for His Elect, the ceremonial system has been abolished and since there is not going to be any more animal sacrifices, then there would be no reason for God to make another nation similar to ancient Israel, since the Lord Jesus Christ came and fulfilled all the true meanings of the Feasts and ceremonies, plus God is now dealing with His Elect world wide and in every country.

To focus only on one country and animal sacrifices is to denigrate the final sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures that deal with re-gathering are speaking only of God re-gathering His Elect on the last day into Glory. The Israel that God has in view in these final days is the Israel of God which is the Redeemed body of Believers.

We are seeing constant attacks on the body of Christ and we are also seeing the prohibition of the Christians to practice their faith, while every false religion in America is granted the right-of-way to practice theirs. Attacks against Christianity are on the rise, whether they are from the media or world religions. Governments all over the world, including the USA, fear the truth telling of Christians and is doing everything, even building concentration camps, to suppress the truth. There will come a time in our world when the Christian witness may be silenced and that time is fast approaching but it will only be for a very short time, and then all the Anti-Christian religions and governments will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account for their hatred.

(Rev 20:9 KJV) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

As we see in this verse that the Christians will be silenced but right on the heels of that event will be the second coming of the Lord Jesus and the judgment of the nations. All those in false religions and their puppet governments will be brought before the Lord Jesus Christ and will stand for their crimes against Christ and His Body.

(Rev 11:14-15 KJV) The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. {15} And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

(2 Th 1:7-9 KJV) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, {8} In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: {9} Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

(Mat 25:31-32 KJV) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: {32} And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

May this study provoke you into a deeper study of Scripture.

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Just as Jacob struggled with the Lord to overcome his self-rule and become a new man under the rulership of the Lord; we as born again Christians, who have had a face to face encounter with Christ, and have given rulership of our lives to Him, also have a new name, and that name is Israel. We are the target of all of Satan's wrath, and the elect "chosen ones" he so desperately wants to keep in darkness.

The time of Jacob's trouble is NOW and Satan has been loosed for His short time and is working overtime in the end time churches using his weapons of confusion and deceit, within each member, and within the Body of Christ as a whole. We must overcome this deceit, personally first, and then do our best to spread the truth, of the real Gospel of God, to all nations.

May the Lord find each one of us, that are citizens of New Jerusalem, standing until the last day.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

Author kinz2allPosted on April 24, 2014April 24, 2014Categories UncategorizedTags End-times, Jacob's Trouble. Who is Israel2 Comments on THE WHO AND WHEN OF THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE

ISRAEL WAS SPIRITUAL FROM THE BEGINNING

ISRAEL WAS SPIRITUAL FROM THE BEGINNING

Hello all,

Is there really a division between national and spiritual Israel? Before Jacob wrestled with the Lord his name was Jacob, which means “the deceiver”, but afterward his name became Israel. Was this a physical battle that changed his name, or was it all about a spiritual battle, that he, after having fought, became a new man?

Is this similar to what all “born again” believers face when they experience the tribulations of becoming new creatures in Christ. If this is so, then all Israel is spiritual in nature, and it has always been about Christ being the head of His people, and not about nationality or bloodlines.

I realize this maybe an extremely controversial look at this issue, but one that has much merit when considering that the whole of the Bible is about Jesus and those who become His people. When we look at this bigger picture, we can see that many problems, that have issued forth from dividing Israel into physical and spiritual, melt away, and we find that it has always been about the spiritual, even in the Old Testament and the Old Covenant, and that Jesus is the center of it all, right from the foundation of the world.

Whether you agree or disagree on this issue, I think you will find the following study has some incredibly interesting and valid points. Looking at Israel as representing just the people of God, and not dividing them into categories by nation or race, brings a unity to the Word that can be very enlightening, and explain the Plan of God in a complete and united way, that includes each individual experience and also encompasses the whole of the Body of Christ that must worship in spirit and in truth.

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Link of article or video : [url] http://www.israelofgod.net/The%20Israel%20of%20God.htm[/url]

THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD

By Joe Domingo

Introduction

It was Christ who began teaching the transformation of a national Israel to a spiritual Israel. It was Christ who chose men of mixed Israeli bloodlines for his Apostles, instead of pedigreed Jews.   It was Christ who defied the Pharisees’ Jewish customs and traditions. It was Christ who resolved the Samaritan woman’s religious and ethnic argument by revealing the essence of worship in spirit and truth. It was Christ who revealed the true nature of the Sabbath of Israel, by healing and performing miracles and demonstrating with power how he is the Lord of the Sabbath.

It was Christ who told certain descendants of Abraham that they were not of the house of Faith but of their father the Devil. It was Christ who revealed to his apostles that there were other sheep which were currently not a part of national Israel, but that they also would join the Kingdom of the Israel of God. It was Christ who prayed that his followers would be one nation of believers, even as he and his father are one. It was Christ who revealed the true purpose of the Feast Days of Israel and how they pertained to him and his ministry of redemption. It was Christ who was crucified as the King of the Jews. But was he the King of the Jews of the flesh or of the Spirit?

This teaching of a faith based Israel is not popular within today’s Church. Since the ascension of Christ, Satan has been busy distracting the Church from its ultimate objective – to mature into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ.

Scriptures teach the believers of Christ are to one day In the future uniting in faith. But how can it be accomplished in our time with so many opposing denominations, doctrines and faiths? The answer is found in our ability to come together as a nation of believers and become a worldwide faith based Israel of God. I am convinced that this will be the last great revival before the return of the Lord.

Israel was spiritual from the beginning

From Syrian to melting pot

Not long ago I embarked on a study regarding the ethnicity of the Patriarchs of Israel and found Deuteronomy 26:5. After generating a chart, using that scripture as my base, I learned that all of the patriarchs and their wives were all Syrian, including the sons of Jacob. However, upon further study I soon realized that the sons of Jacob began to marry outside of their Syrian ethnicity. Simeon and Judah produced children with Canaanite wives and Joseph had two sons with his Egyptian wife. Further down the ancestry Moses married a Midianite and Boaz married a Moabite. These are just some of the relationships that are recorded in the Bible. Now just imagine what has not been recorded.

Ultimately, God was making good on his promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. But how could such a promise have been kept if the nation of Israel would be comprised of just one ethnicity? Thus the biblical evidence reveals that God’s promise to Abraham was never intended to be made of just one chosen race. No more than three generations removed from Abraham and Israel’s Syrian ethnicity was no longer pure. By the time the Israelites left Egypt they were a conglomerate of several ethnicities that were now divided into twelve tribes, thirteen if one includes the Levites.

God who is all knowing allowed the sons of Jacob to marry outside of their ethnicity because it would be necessary to diversify bloodlines before their Egyptian isolation in the land of Goshen. It is understood that Jacob’s grandchildren would have had to intermarry. Thus without the genetic diversity that the Egyptian and Canaanite wives brought to the group, their children could very well have been subjected to birth defects.

The Bible does not document who the other sons of Jacob married. To assume they married Syrian wives does not appear to be supported by the biblical timeline of Jacob’s sojourning in Canaan. It is also recorded in Genesis that all the person’s that came from Jacob’s body numbered 70. This did not include the wives of Jacob’s sons. Therefore it can be assumed some of them may have married woman of various ethnicities in the land of Canaan at the time.

Interesting to note how God allowed the sons of Jacob to marry outside of their Syrian ethnicity before entering Egypt, but forbade their descendants to marry those ethnicities when returning to Canaan. Some do err in thinking that God was trying to preserve purity of race by commanding the children of Israel to not marry the inhabitants of Canaan. However this does not make sense when put in the light of their history. Many of the descendants of Jacob were already part Canaanite and whatever other ethnicities they may have shared.

So why then did God give Moses such an instruction for the children of Israel? The instruction to not marry the inhabitants of the land of Canaan was given to preserve purity of faith. In the Torah God warned the children of Israel with clarity, that they if they married women of the ethnicities found in Canaan, their sons would turn to worship other gods. God was not preserving ethnic purity, he was preserving religious purity. But take note that the Torah made provision for any stranger of any ethnicity to join the children of Israel and become one of them if they converted to their religion.

Beginning with the fourth generation from Abraham, the nation of Israel had already begun to become a melting pot. By the time they entered the land of Canaan, the argument for a “chosen race” was biblically unsupported. God was already proving that Israel was not a nation of race but of spirit.

Scattered tribes – God’s assurance of no boasting in the flesh

After the twelve tribes settled in the land of Canaan and named it after Jacob’s spiritual name – Israel; not more than four hundred and eighty years had passed before a major rift occurred between the tribes, resulting in two groups and dividing the land of Israel. The two groups became known as the House of Israel and the House of Judah. Ten tribes of the House of Israel occupied the north including Samaria and Galilee, while two tribes occupied the south which is called Judea. This division spanned from the time of the reign of King Rehoboam until the destruction of Jerusalem and its second Temple.

After the conquests of northern and southern Israel by the Assyrians and Babylonians respectively, the tribes began to become scattered throughout the Middle East. The tribes never reunited! Hence why the Samaritan woman questioned why Jesus asked her for water. When the second Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., all records of tribal lineages were destroyed as well, leaving no ability to identify the pedigree of any Israelite thereafter. By 135 A.D., the land of Israel was decimated of its Israeli inhabitants, as a result any and all persons identifying themselves as Jews do so without irrefutable evidence of their ancestry.

With no real way to physically trace anyone’s lineage back to the Patriarchs of Israel, we begin to understand why God allowed the sons of Jacob to marry outside of their ethnicity from the start. God, knowing all things before they take place, intended from the beginning to make a nation out of faith and not of flesh. This is why I am convinced that Israel has always been a faith based nation. Today, we are given no choice but to accept that Israel is a spiritual nation.

Carnality distracts spirituality

Carnality and spirituality are both a reality for the children of God. We know that we exist as a person of flesh and we know we exist as a person of spirit. God is more concerned with our spiritual nature more than our carnal nature, for God is a spirit. Now he is calling out a spiritual revival amongst the followers of Christ. God is doing a new thing. He is going to resurrect the dry bones of Israel and unite the tribes again unto a spiritual nation. Thus the followers of Christ mature to the place that God has promised Abraham. That place is found in spirit, it is the Kingdom of Israel. The Kingdom of Israel is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of heaven, they are synonymous and spiritual. Jesus is the King and these three names represent his Kingdom.

The biggest and most powerful stumbling block the enemy has perpetrated on the followers of Christ is the notion that God has a “chosen race”. Once believers in Christ allow themselves to believe in the ruse of a “chosen race”, a major distraction occurs in the thought process. Carnality distracts spirituality. This hinders the Church and has her falsely thinking that she is a gentile and prohibits the Church of Christ to unite under the one umbrella of Israel. I can only hope by now that the reader discerns the futility in this delusion.

No proof – no pedigree, no blind acceptance

We know that the Ashkenazi Jews are not descendants of Jacob or Judah. We know that there are a few small communities that date back to Jewry of antiquity; however they cannot be proven by genealogy. We know that the Arab Christians share the ethnicity of the Patriarchs of Israel but they also cannot be proven by genealogy. Neither can any other person irrefutably claim a lineage back to the ancestral patriarchs of Israel.

Whether we realize it or not, we have been indoctrinated into accepting by faith, that Jewish people of any sort have descended from Jacob. There is something wrong with this picture. How can we accept that someone has descended from Jacob showing no proof and blindly trusting their claim because they are Jewish? Doesn’t it take a level of faith to do that? Faithfully believing that someone is a Jew or an Israelite in the flesh without proof is a contradiction to pedigree. Lineages and pedigree require proof, otherwise they are unfounded. If you have no proof of your Israeli pedigree dating back to Jacob, I cannot accept through blind faith that you are his descendant.

The unfinished work of the Apostles

I have concluded that there is only one acceptable understanding of the Israel of God. Because no Jewish person can show the proof of their lineage back to Jacob, I argue that all roads lead to just one way to understand the Israel of God – it is a spiritual nation. Any and all persons of any race can join the Israel of God, it happens every time someone gives their life to Jesus.

Jesus commanded his Apostles to go and teach the nations, but what would they teach them? Were they to teach the nations to believe in Jesus as outsiders looking in? Were they to teach the nations that they were saved but only as gentiles? Is this biblical? Or, were they supposed to teach the nations that when they accept Jesus and are saved that they become a part of the nation of Israel? The latter teaching seems to be the case, since it is exactly what Paul was teaching in Romans 11 and the entire book of Galatians.

I would like to expound on a portion of the disciples’ a prayer that concerns the Kingdom, I quote, “your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven”. Every time we say the disciples’ prayer we are charged to work on the Kingdom. Every time that we say the disciple’s prayer, we invoke the work of the Kingdom. This is the work of the great commission that Jesus charged his Apostles with – to build the Kingdom.

Every soul delivered to Jesus joins the Kingdom. When we minister to the unsaved, we are inviting and ushering them in to the Kingdom. We are the subjects of our King and we belong to his Kingdom. When Jesus was crucified he was officially titled “The King of the Jews” by the Romans. This was the divine will of God at work, for Jesus is indeed a King and he does indeed have a Kingdom. We are supposed to be advancing the Kingdom on earth as it is being advanced in Heaven. The Bible reveals that the Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Israel, because its capital, New Jerusalem will descend from Heaven when Christ reigns over the new Earth.

Old Jerusalem was the capitol of the carnal Kingdom of Israel, but New Jerusalem is the capitol of spiritual Israel. Its twelve foundations have the names of the twelve Apostles which were the founding fathers of the Israel of God, which is spiritual. Also found in Heaven are the 144,000 leaders of the Israel of God who will preside over the multitudes that follow them – these are all Israel, indeed all of the believers who have been saved by God. It is now time for God’s Church to embrace her heritage, time to embrace who she really is and to reflect her identity so that the World may know that God’s Kingdom is soon to come.

The Israel of God, definition of spiritual Israel

While the term “spiritual Israel” is not found in the Bible, Paul alludes to it in Galatians 6:16 “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God”. Paul is calling special attention to the words “Israel of God”. The entire letter to the Galatians is written to contrast Law versus Grace, faith versus works and flesh versus spirit. Paul makes his argument clear to the converts in Galatia who received Jesus Christ as savior that they are spiritually born as children of the promise. This is the same promise that was made to Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations.

Now Paul speaks specifically in this letter about Abraham’s spiritual seed which is found in Isaac and not in his other son Ishmael. Paul uses a revealing analogy and compares Ishmael’s mother Hagar to the Old Covenant, while Isaac’s mother is compared to the New Covenant. Paul also makes another analogy in reference to the two women. He compares Hagar to the present state of Jerusalem which is in bondage and Sarah to the New Jerusalem which is in Heaven and is free. One is in bondage to the flesh while the other is free in the spirit.

The letter to the Galatians demonstrates Paul’s superior understanding of Genesis 32:28, “And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” This renaming of “Jacob” to “Israel” was done to define the spiritual character of Jacob as the chosen seed. But not just Jacob, it would become the principle character defining all of the chosen seed of Abraham. When we accept Jesus and are born again, we inherit the struggle against evil. We do not fight against evil on our own. We fight as partners with the indwelling Holy Spirit against evil. And since we are a part of the body of Christ’ we share this fight alongside each other as well.

As a chosen nation of God, we will also prevail with God at the end of this fight. And so the believer in Christ is to understand that he has enjoined himself to the chosen nation of Israel. Not of the flesh but of the spirit. Paul’s main purpose for writing the letter to the Galatians was to reveal to them that they are the Israel of God if they follow the rule of spirit over flesh. I invite you to embrace your true identity in the Lord Jesus Christ – you are a part of the Israel of God if you walk according to the spirit.

The Jew, definition of spiritual Jew

Colossians 2:11, In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. Romans 2:29, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. A spiritual Jew – is one who practices the doctrine of the Israel of God. A spiritual Jew has the circumcision of Jesus Christ – that is, because Jesus Christ was circumcised in the flesh as a Jew and because he now lives in you, you are also circumcised and made a Jew.

No other person in the World has the ability to live in you but Jesus, and therefore no other person has the ability to infuse his personality into you but Jesus. That is why this spiritual quality is unique and only given to those who have Jesus Christ on the inside. If Jesus lives in you, then you have the right and ability to become a Jew in the Israel of God.

Why the Israel of God

One might ask, what’s this Israel of God thing all about? Why the Israel of God? Why can’t the Church just be the Church?

Unity always requires common ground. While some will argue that Jesus is our common ground, they are not entirely correct. The Apostles have mentioned in their letters that there would be other gospels and other Jesus’ being taught and preached in the Church. Sadly, many of you have seen this for yourselves all too often. One Church preaches a Jesus of anything goes and another preaches a Jesus of condemnation and bondage. There is even a white Jesus and a black Jesus. This is why the unity of God’s Kingdom will not be found just in Jesus. But rather, the unity that Jesus requires of his followers will be found in Jesus and his Kingdom – which is spiritual Israel. This is the only way unity can be established in God’s people. You must have Jesus as your savior and enter his Kingdom – the Israel of God.

Isms and Schism have no place in God’s Kingdom

When Christ ascended back to heaven and left his Apostles, they were on one accord and of the same mind. Christ left a united Church and he is coming back for the same thing. It was not until several years after Christ ascended that men teaching false doctrines began to creep into the Church. By the time they had their way, the Church was no longer united. The Apostles taught the Gentiles of their time that they were joining the household faith after receiving the Gospel of Christ. The gentiles observed the Sabbath and the Holy Feast Days of Israel. Paul considered the gentiles as ‘grafted in” to Israel. Paul even went so far as to say that if they were circumcised in their heart, they were as a Jew. Paul taught that all believers in Christ were now the Israel of God. This was the Church. But through time and with much false doctrine and traditions, the Israel of God that Paul taught was buried.

Eventually, the Roman Catholic Church would monopolize the people of God with her doctrines and traditions. Nevertheless, there were still Christians dispersed throughout the Middle East and Africa that were not Catholic, but they were of no effect to that church’s world dominion. After a while, through the moving of God’s Holy Spirit, certain men dared to opposed the grip of the Catholic Church and began what is called the protestant movement. Through Protestantism the Kingdom of God was released from the grip of the Catholic Church and men were free to worship outside of its doctrines. While this was a good work of revival in the Church of Christ, it would ultimately lead to a world of isms and schisms.

We cannot begin to count the various Christian denominations and doctrines that abound throughout the World today. And while the situation may appear to be dismal, it is the perfect opportunity for the Church of Christ to move to mature into the Israel of God. The protestant movement is an unfinished work. While many believe that the freedom of religion was the ultimate achievement for the body of Christ, it was just the beginning of the ultimate end time revival for God’s Church.

Jesus said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus prayed that his followers would be one even as he and his father are one. My friends, you and I both know that the body of believers in Christ is more divided now than ever before. These isms and schisms have no place in the Kingdom of God. It is time to remove the Isms and Schisms from the body of Christ.

Identity crisis – Revival through Personification

The Church today is suffering from an identity crisis. There are so many denominations competing with one another. So many at odds with one another, Catholics versus Protestants, Methodists versus Baptists, Seventh day Adventists versus Sunday Churches and there are so many more contrasting doctrines that are too many to mention. At the surface, they all try their best to portray unity in Christ, but at their core doctrinal positions, they are divided. While we think we do a service to one another by keeping the peace and fronting skin deep smiles, the fact is that the Devil has the Kingdom right where he wants it! And to add salt to the wound, the World is not blind, they see how divided the followers of Christ remain. My friends, this ought not to be.

The Church has an identity crisis! The Church of Christ has not been able to come together in unity as Christ prayed for in the 17th chapter of the gospel of John. But if Christ prayed for it, then it must come to pass. My friends this is the age that it will come to past. We are at the cusp of the most supernatural revival to ever occur in the Kingdom of God, and here is how it begins.

It is not enough for you to acknowledge that you are spiritual Israel, you must personify it. You must act like it, you must accept its culture, and you must accept its observations and celebrations. The Israel of God has its own doctrine, its own set of rules, its own laws and bylaws. The Israel of God has its own Commandments, Statutes and Judgments. The Israel of God does not need the standards and traditions of men.

God himself has already ordained our standards. He himself has already given us his measure by which we must all be accountable to meet. They are found in the Word of God and not in the code of anyone’s church or religious organization. My friend’s do you know what these rules of God are today? Well some of you may very well know them and some of you may not. They are the same rules that God gave to Israel. Except now they are a spiritual set of rules, for Christ himself said that if you were to even lust after a woman in your mind you have already committed adultery in your heart. Yes, they are an even better set of rules for Israel to day, for he said that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice.

God declared it futile for sheep and lamb to be sacrificed for an unrepentant soul. After all, what was the use of sacrificing a lamb if you never repented from your sin in your heart? And what was the use of stoning one to death if others would still go on to sin again. The objective of capital punishment is to discourage others from repeating the same mistake. But God made the law of Israel a better law; he gave us grace and forgiveness through our King, grace to get it right and forgiveness to accept our repentance.   And what was the use of keeping a group of priests who monopolized the service and worship of God? But God provided us a better approach to his throne; he made us a nation of priests and a royal priesthood.

He gave us a High Priest in whom we can trust, one we would not have to fear of dying in the Holy of Hollies. He gave us Jesus Christ the mediator of his New Covenant. He even gave us a better Sabbath. One in which we don’t have to worry about not cooking and lifting and one that we can look forward to healing and deliverance. Yes he gave us a New Covenant, a spiritual covenant for a Spiritual Israel, which was sealed by the shedding of his own blood, the blood that washes our sins away once and for all eternity.

We have a new identity. We are no longer black, white, Indian, Hispanic, Chinese or any other race. These are all carnal and not spiritual. Paul said there is neither Jew no Greek, bond nor free, these were all carnal as well. But we are a spiritual house and a spiritual nation. We are the Israel of God, who daily struggle with God and with our fellow man in our fight against evil.

My friends I ask you today to seriously consider the words that I’m sharing with you today. Give the scriptures a good reading and consult with the Holy Spirit of God. Let him guide you and lead you into all truth. Jesus is coming and that right soon. The Kingdom of God is near. And he is coming for a Kingdom united.

It’s naive to think that a God who has taken nearly six thousand years to work out his will among men will just instantaneously convince us all to unite at the sound of the last trump. That’s not reality. The ten bridesmaids had time to prepare for the bridegroom. Some were ready and some were not, but they all had time to gather enough oil. My friends this is our time to gather our oil, and prepare for the coming of the Lord. Start now by personifying yourself as the Israel of God.

May God bless you and keep you, may he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, and may he lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

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The Israel of God is a spiritual race of His people. Although many of us see this as true in the New Testament, we find it difficult to consider when reading the Old Testament, and yet, when we really research and look at it, it becomes something important to consider. It unites the whole plan and purpose of God from Genesis to Revelation and ceases to show the Children of God as a divided people, one by blood and one by spirit. We are all one in Christ and that is what matters. Also, we need to remember that a house divided falls, and stop dividing up the Plan of God into separate plans for different people.

The Lord has been laying this on my heart much lately, and I am trying to do justice to what He is showing me. There is union in His plan, about our union with Christ and a union of His Body; untied as one people in His name.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

Author kinz2allPosted on April 21, 2014Categories UncategorizedTags Spiritual Israel, True Israel of God, Truth1 Comment on ISRAEL WAS SPIRITUAL FROM THE BEGINNING

BLASPHEMY VS BLESSING ( the feast of Ishtar)

BLASPHEMY VS BLESSING ( the feast of Ishtar)

Hello all,

On this feast of Ishtar I am sickened once again to think that the vast majority of people who call themselves Christians are defiling themselves with the worship of other gods and doing it in the name of Jesus. It would not be so bad if they just call it what it is, and celebrate spring and the rebirth of nature or whatever, but to tie it in with the Resurrection of Christ is blasphemy in the first degree!

They do it in the name of Jesus, yet their hearts are far from Him. We are to worship in Spirit and in Truth, and the spirit of this celebration is the spirit of antichrist, and there is no truth found in what they do. Most do not want to know the truth, even when one tells them how these holidays are pagan and are on the satanic calendar straight from Babylon. Even when they see there is nowhere in the Bible that tells us to celebrate “Easter”. They do not want to know, they want to stay blind and let wolves in sheep’s clothing keep pulling the wool over their eyes!

They say they do it for their children; the bunnies and easter egg hunts and the eating of a pig. It is fun for them and they do not want to spoil their fun. Even when they know the evil roots of all this they say they are not worshiping the bunnies or eggs, and as long as they acknowledge Christ on this day, it is alright and good.

They teach their children that is is good to dishonor God, as long as you do it in His name. I think this is a form of passing your children through the fire that the Lord warns us about not doing.

Not only that, it is a violation of the Greatest Commandment of loving the Lord with all ones heart, soul and mind; in word, thought and deed. How can they not know that by their deeds they will be judged, and saying they love the Lord and then doing these pagan deeds is a willful disregard of the Word of God, and a willful regard for the lies of Satan. They choose this, even when they know the truth…they choose to wilfully disregard it. And, not only disregard it, but hate the one who told them this truth.

By not celebrating this “unholy day” real followers of Christ are thought of as deserters of the faith and troublemakers that are upsetting the applecart of Christian fellowship, and of course this so called”fellowship” has become more important than Christ and the Truth. There is strength in numbers and if they all believe the same things, then of course the few who disagree are outcasts. They love the wide way as they have plenty of company and are never alone. The narrow way is too lonely and not popular and who wants to risk losing all their friends in this world.

This brings me to the question of whether or not they have a personal relationship with Christ. How could they continue in this manner if they truly knew the Lord? This really hits home the fact that “the Way is narrow and only a few will find it”. How sad that these are the people that attend church and are pillars in the community that are to represent Christ in this world. They have become lovers of self, and of fame, and of power, and of the populous opinion. Yet, they are but pillars of salt, as they have known the truth and turned back to the world and to the worship the gods, thereof.

We are to love these people and forgive them, for in most cases they know not what they do. Yet, even when informed of what they are doing they turn their backs and return to their pagan ways. They do not want to know, as knowing is too much of a burden and too unpopular. The modern church is filled with people like this, because anyone seeking truth and preaching it is not welcome in their “circles”.

I guess the reason I am compelled to write this “rant” is because Christians whom I love dearly, and are like family to me, are celebrating this unholy day in all the pagan ways that I have mentioned. They are aware of how I feel about it, and have honored the fact that I want no part of it, which I appreciate. Each time I have tried to expose what this holiday is all about, they want no part of what I am trying to convey, and defend their position with the excuse of it’s for the children and we do not worship the easter bunny. That may be all good and well as a way to silence me, but my concern is what will they tell Jesus at the Judgment Seat.

Sometimes love is not all goodness and light, sometimes it is all about exposing darkness and evil. A love that uncovers the ugliness of what one calls beautiful, a love that attempts to snatch from the fire those who willingly desire to be burned.   A love that is all about giving up the world and not joining in its pleasures. A love that Jesus showed the whole world when He died on our behalf.

So, on this day, I want to thank and honor all my brothers and sisters in Christ who have come out of this world and are doing their best to expose the lies of Satan to those they love in an attempt to help them wake up to truth. All those who are willingly giving up the pleasures of this life, and taking the cold rejection by their fellowman knowing that their reward awaits in heaven. All those giving up their lives here in this world, and taking on their duties as watchmen on the wall with the responsibility to keep warning, even if no one is taking heed. Those who are willing to be hated by all men to gain the love of the Lord.

This is our tribulation in this world. To give up all worldly pleasures, fame, and popularity to gain Christ, and know it is the only reason we were born. To count every other gain as loss in regards to knowing our King, our Lord and our Savior!!

To all dedicated to Truth and Love, and sharing both so selflessly, may the Lord continue to bless you with more and more truth and love. Surely He is coming soon.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

Author kinz2allPosted on April 20, 2014Categories UncategorizedTags Feast of Ishtar (Easter), Satanic Calendar, Truth and SpiritLeave a comment on BLASPHEMY VS BLESSING ( the feast of Ishtar)

THE BOTTOMLESS PIT Part2

If Satan Is Now Bound, How does He Still Rule this World? (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 6:12)

If Satan is now bound and in Hell, how is it that he can still roam around in this world?

He is here with us!

Perhaps you remember that we find in the first Epistle of Peter, 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.

The Devil is seeking whom he can deceive. But God has His protective shield around everyone of His elect. They may be deceived for a while, but when they have become Born Again they can no longer be deceived. And so, the Devil is here on this earth with us.

If Satan and his angels have been cast out of heaven, and they have been cast into Tartarus, and they have been cast on this earth, and they have been cast into the “Bottomless Pit”, and they have been bound with chains of darkness, but nevertheless they are still able to roam around and deceive those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads, what does that tell us about the location of the Bottomless Pit?

Of course, the Bottomless Pit is here, on this sin cursed earth. This earth is a round sphere, but in God’s terminology it is a Bottomless Pit. You may believe that this earth is beautiful, and that it is worth saving, but God does not share your opinion. God will destroy this earth because it has been contaminated with sin, and God calls it a Bottomless Pit. Presently we may admire the lilies of the field, and we may admire God’s handiwork in all that He created on this earth, but all that is just a manifestation of the wisdom and power of Christ who created it all. The fact is that in the midst of all the beauty that we can see with our eyes, lies hidden the evil spirits that were angels at one time, and whom we cannot see with our eyes. Thanks be to God that He has given us His Word wherein we can read and understand the true situation that this world is in. God says in Ephesians 2:2,

Ephesians 2:2

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

It means that everyone of us that was born in this world, was actually born in The Bottomless Pit where Satan rules. Everyone of us was at one time a slave of Satan, because we were born in his kingdom. Just like the children of Israel at one time were slaves in Egypt, and were born as slaves in the Egyptian kingdom, and were unable to wrest themselves out of their enslavement, so the entire human race was born in the Bottomless Pit, and is unable to climb out of the Bottomless Pit by their own strength, because it is a Bottomless Pit. It is a Pit without walls and with an infinite depth, out of which no one can climb, not even Satan. But God, who is rich in mercy, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, has made us alive to Him, even while we are living in the midst of death around us here in the Bottomless Pit.

And it is here, in the Bottomless Pit where we are called to serve God by letting our light so shine before men, in the darkness of the Bottomless Pit, that men may see our good work and glorify our Father which is in heaven. Here in the pitch-dark blackness of this kingdom of Satan we must function as little lights here and there, and in this way be the soldiers of Christ who will rob the house of Satan.

And be not afraid, for we have Christ’s armor.

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

What Does It Mean to Be in the Bottomless Pit? (Ephesians 2:1-3, John 8:43-44, Romans 3:10-12)

What reminder does God have for His saints, His elect?

God says to us in Ephesians 2:1-3,

Ephesians 2:1

And you (hath he quickened), who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:2

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 2:3

Among whom also we ALL had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Paraphrased, God says, “Remember that at one time you all were under “the prince of the power of the air”, Satan, who presently still is at work in the children of disobedience. But you all had your conduct among them, and you were happily fulfilling your desires of the flesh and of your carnal mind, so much so that you were by nature children of the wrath of God, even as others who never become saved”.

This is what it means to be in the Bottomless Pit. But God had mercy upon us.

What reminder does God have for those who are not elect, those who scoff at the words of the Bible, those who ignore the commandments of God, those who live entirely for themselves, those who know not God, those who turn a deaf ear to the words from God brought to them by evangelists?

The Lord Jesus says to them,

John 8:43

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Clearly, from verse 43 we see that election is in view. Those who have not been elected unto salvation are not able to understand the words that Jesus spoke. Those who have not been elected unto salvation have the Devil as their father. And then Jesus said: “Satan was a murderer from the beginning”.

Where in the Bible do we see Satan commit a murder?

He probably instigated Cain to murder his brother Abel. But this was Cain’s sin, not Satan’s sin. Besides, this happened many years after Adam and Eve were tempted into sin. The Lord Jesus said, “Satan was a murderer from the beginning”.

The beginning was when he tempted Eve and then Adam to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Was this a murder?

We would call this a lie, but God says that it is a murder. Satan caused the spiritual death of Adam and Eve. This is the reason why the whole human race came into the world dead to God and in rebellion to God. But let us not pass the buck to Adam, for we would not have done better than Adam. Adam was righteous to begin with, and we are not. And so:

Romans 3:10

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:11

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Romans 3:12

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Is There a Hell Now, or Is Hell Created Later? (Matthew 12:40, John 3:36, Romans 1:18, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Hosea 4:6, Revelation 20:15)

What is Hell?

Hell is to be under the wrath of God. There are presently many people who are under the wrath of God, but they are not in a flame of fire. Thus we have to make a distinction:

A. Hell now is a condition.

1st example:

The Lord Jesus was under the wrath of God. We read in:

Matthew 12:40

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The prophet Jonah prayed these words, “Out of the belly of Hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice”. The atonement of the Lord Jesus took three days and three nights.

2nd example:

People who do not believe on the Lord Jesus are already under the wrath of God. We read in John 3:36,

John 3:36

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Thus, those who will remain unbelievers are under the wrath of God right now. God does not love them, and if they die in this condition there will be a real Hell to pay.

A 3rd example is shown in Romans 1:18,

Romans 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.

The wrath of God is revealed right now: God gave them up to vile affections, and God gave them over to a reprobate mind. God does not plan to save them, because God gave them up. When people are so addicted to their sin that they refuse to give it up, that is already a manifestation of the wrath of God . And so, Hell now is a condition of being under the wrath of God.

B. Hell later is a place.

We learn about this place through many warnings the Lord Jesus uttered to warn us from the consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death, and the death that God has in view is to spend an eternity in Hell, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. God says in 2nd Thessalonians:

2 Thessalonians 1:7

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

2 Thessalonians 1:8

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Thessalnians 1:9

Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

God is taking vengeance on them that know not God. In our eyes, they may be very nice, law abiding citizens, but if they do not know God it is a certainty that they will end up in Hell. The clearest words that speak about Hell as a future place are found in Revelation 20:15, where God says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. And thus we can see that Satan is not now in a place called Hell, but he is in the Bottomless Pit under the wrath of God.

Is There a Way Out of the Bottomless Pit? (Matthew 16:18, Colossians 1:13, Ephesians 4:7-8)

For Satan and his fallen angels there is no way out. Their doom is sure. For mankind there is a way out, and that way out is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This call to salvation goes out to all the world.

But who will believe?

The only ones who will believe are those whom the Father has chosen from before the foundation of the world and who were in Christ when He atoned for their sins. And to them the Lord Jesus says in Mathew 16:18,

Matthew 16:18

…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What does it mean that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the building of Christ’s church?

It means that the elect of God initially are born in a state of rebellion against God, but the gates of Hell, or the gates of the Bottomless Pit, are not able to hold them back, but they will be drawn by God past the gates of Hell, into the Kingdom of His dear Son. That is why we read in Colossians 1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”. The mercy and the grace of God, and the love of Christ will accomplish this.

Who will escape from the Bottomless Pit?

Only those on whom the grace of God is poured out. And then we read in Ephesians 4:7,

Ephesians 4:7

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ephesians 4:8

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Do you see who “US” are?

Everyone of US are those on whom grace is given.

How much grace is given?

According to the measure of the gift of Christ, and that is infinite. Christ gave the equivalent of an eternity in Hell. Christ gave everything He had. And when He ascended up into heaven He led captivity captive, which means He provided for the souls of those who were held captive in the Bottomless Pit to be led out of the Bottomless Pit and into heaven. This is what Christ accomplished in His atonement.

How can anyone claim that they have come to Jesus by their own free will?

They do not understand the meaning of the Bottomless Pit.

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Wow! That is an eye opener…I think this world is becoming more like the bottomless pit everyday!! Praise the Lord that He sent His Son to give us a way out of this evil place!!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.



Author kinz2allPosted on April 11, 2014Categories UncategorizedTags Bottomless pit, End Days, Hell, Satan1 Comment on THE BOTTOMLESS PIT Part2

THE BOTTOMLESS PIT Part 1

Hello all,

The following study is a “mind blower” and certainly a very interesting take on the “bottomless pit”. I will not say that I agree with this author’s findings, but they are certainly food for thought.

Could this sin filled world be the “bottomless pit”?  Will this world become “hell”? If Satan was thrown out of heaven to the earth and bound here, would this not be his domain, that he rules spiritually, until Christ lets him out ,to rule physically, near the end of days? If that is so, then when all born again Christians, no longer of the earth spiritually as they are born again from above, are taken out of this world, then this world would become “hell”. Those remaining would all be possessed by the evil one and playing out every lust of their flesh and evil deed of their hearts.

This is something that is beginning to make sense the closer we get to the Lord’s Second Coming as evil and perversion increase daily, and the darkness descends. Just something to ponder, and all the more reason to give one’s life to Christ, asap!

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THE BOTTOMLESS PIT

By Alfred J. Chompff

http://www.biblicaleschatology.blogspot.com/2011/11/bottomless-pit.html

Revelation 9:1

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

Revelation 9:2

And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Here in Revelation 9:1-2 the words “Bottomless Pit” are mentioned for the first time in the Bible.

We cannot understand this chapter unless we first have a good understanding of that concept, “the Bottomless Pit”.

Let us first ask the question:

Was Satan Ever Locked Up? (Luke 11:21-22, Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14, John 12:31, 2 Peter 2:4)

Ever since the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden Satan dominated this world. The Lord Jesus called Satan “a strong man”.

When Jesus said that He will overcome Satan, what did He mean?

Jesus referred to His crucifixion as the time when He will overcome Satan, and He will rob the house of Satan. We read in Luke 11:21-22,

Luke 11:21

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

Luke 11:22

But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, He taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

All the spiritual armor that Satan trusted in would be removed and the Lord Jesus would take from Satan all those individuals whom He intended to save. Satan and all his fallen angels would not be able to frustrate God’s plans. All those whom God wishes to save will be saved.

And is this not what we also read in the Epistle to the Colossians?

Colossians 2:15

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Past tense!

When we read verses in the Bible which state that at the cross Satan was defeated, we find that they often state it in the past tense.

Satan’s defeat is stated in various ways.

In Luke 11 Satan will be overcome.

In Colossians 2:15 Christ is triumphant over him.

In Hebrews 2:14 Satan was destroyed at the cross.

This tells us that when we see the word “destroy” in the Bible it does not mean annihilate or incinerate. When the Lord Jesus spoke of His impending crucifixion and resurrection, He also spoke of casting out Satan. We read in John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out”.

If Satan is overcome, and defeated, and destroyed, and cast out, all at the time of the cross, we need to ask:

He was cast out from where to where?

In 2nd Peter 2:4 God says that He has cast Satan down to Hell, and God has bound Satan with chains of darkness.

2 Peter 2:4

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

These angels that sinned were formerly in heaven. This strongly suggests that Satan and his fallen angels were cast out of heaven and cast into Hell. Let us see how we can understand that.

Where Was Satan Before He Was Cast Out? (Romans 9:20, Job 1:6-7, Luke 10:17-18, Revelation 12:7, Revelation 12:10)

Job was a just and upright man. God loved Job, but Satan believed that he could corrupt Job and draw him away from God. And so the contest began, which cost Job a great deal of suffering. For 31 chapters long Job asked himself why God did this to him. But in the end God’s answer was very much like what we read in Romans 9:20, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?” God does not need to justify His actions to mortal man. Here in Job 1:6-7 we read:

Job 1:6

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

Job 1:7

And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

In other words, throughout the Old Testament time Satan was free to go in and out of heaven whenever he wanted.

But did this situation continue?

No!

In Luke 10:18 the Lord Jesus spoke about the casting out of Satan as if it had already happened, because His work at the cross was sure to come and thus Satan’s defeat was already a certainty. We read in Luke 10:17-18, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”.

Let us now focus on this event.

Here in Revelation 12 we read about a war in heaven. We should not try to imagine what this war looked like, since this is a spiritual war. But it is certain that in the Old Testament time Satan was in heaven. We read in Revelation 12:7, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.”

When was this war going on?

This was not a war that was fought before the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, because Satan was still able to go in and out of heaven, according to Job 1:7. This is not a war that will be fought at the end of time, because in Revelation 12:13 Satan is continuing to persecute the woman on this earth. The only possibility is that this was a spiritual war that was fought all throughout the Old Testament time. It began immediately after the death of Abel, and it ended with the glorious victory of Christ in His completed work and His exaltation at the right hand of the Father.

What was this spiritual battle about?

It was for the possession of the souls who had already entered into glory when Christ had not yet come to atone for their sins and Christ had not yet crushed the head of Satan. But then we read in verse 10,

Revelation 12:10

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

In heaven Satan continually accused the Old Testament saints before the throne of God that they must be in Hell for their sins. Satan was the accuser of our brethren. But when Christ completed His atonement for their sins Satan’s armor wherein he trusted was taken from him, and he was cast out of heaven.

Where Was Satan Cast Down to? (Revelation 12:9, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6, Revelation 20:1-3)

Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

This verse says that the Devil was cast down to the earth.

Here in 2 Peter 2:4 God says that He has cast Satan down to Hell.

2 Peter 2:4

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

The word Hell in 2 Peter 2:4 is not the Greek word that that is usually used for Hell, but it is the Greek word “Tartarus”.

And where is Tartarus?

Revelation 12:9 says that it is on this earth.

It is significant, though, that these spirits were delivered to Tartarus “in chains of darkness”.

What does this mean?

The word darkness in the Bible indicates “no understanding”. Satan and his fallen angels, or demons, were cast to Tartarus, on this earth, and without wanting to speculate too much, we believe they were struck with little or no understanding how to frustrate the plans of God. It is significant that this is repeated in Jude 1:6.

Jude 1:6

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The angels who kept not their first assignment, but joined Satan in his rebellion, God has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, reserved unto Judgment Day, at which time they will be cast into Hell, the real Hell. And so, we come to the conclusion that the fallen angels are cast onto this earth, but they are held on this earth in chains of darkness, in chains of no understanding how to frustrate the plans of God.

In the first three verses of Revelation 20 God summarizes events spanning about 2000 years.

Revelation 20:1

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Revelation 20:2

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Revelation 20:3

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Who is the angel who has the key of the bottomless pit?

In Revelation 1:18 the Lord Jesus says, “I have the keys of Hell and of death”. This Angel, or better translated “Messenger”, can only be Christ. And it was Christ who bound Satan when He atoned for sins of His people at the cross. And because Satan was bound, Christ could plunder his house.

For how long was Satan bound?

He was bound for a long time, which symbolically is given here as a 1000 years. This cannot be a literal 1000 years because we are already about 2000 years after the cross. At the cross Christ cast Satan into “the bottomless pit”; there is that word again. And for all that long period of time Satan was spiritually bound in order “that he should deceive the nations no more”.

It does not say that Satan could no more deceive individuals, but that he could no more deceive the “nations”.

At the end of the long period of time, symbolized by the 1000 years, Satan will be loosed from his spiritual chains of darkness, and he will be again as powerful as he has been before Christ came and bound him. And the fraction of true believers will again be as small as it was before Christ went to the cross.

That is scary!

Why Was Satan Cast Out? (Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23, Revelation 12:11)

Satan became the enemy of the human race and Satan became the enemy of God. Satan was cast out of heaven because God promised to crush the head of Satan way back in the Garden of Eden, and to cut down his rulership on the earth.

Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.

By tempting Eve and Adam into sin Satan had temporarily won the battle for the rulership of the earth and for the enslavement of mankind. Now mankind was worshipping him. This he wanted all along. God disclosed to us Satan’s intentions in the prophecy of Isaiah 14:12-14,

Isaiah 14:12

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah 14:13

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Isaiah 14:14

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

This was Satan’s ultimate desire; to be worshipped like God. And therefore he committed the perfect crime, by tempting Eve and then Adam into sin. On the one hand that was a very clever plan, but on the other hand it was not smart of him to think that he could be wiser than God.

And Satan did not figure on the wrath of God on every sinner. God says in Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”. In the New Testament God says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death”. And the death that God has in view is not annihilation, but it is the second death of spending an eternity in the Lake of Fire.

But HOW was Satan cast out of heaven?

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

This is HOW they overcame Satan: By the blood of the Lamb. When Christ had atoned for the sins of all the Old Testament saints it had become plain, so plain that even the Devil cannot contradict it that all the Old Testament saints had a right to glory on the basis of Christ’s atonement of their sins and guilt. And now it is plain to everyone in heaven that the New Testament saints are also included in the atonement of Christ. Therefore the conflict must end here. The Devil is defeated. He cannot continue.

And how is Satan continually defeated on this earth also?

We read here: “By the word of their testimony”.

When the Gospel is preached, and people are converted in their souls, the Devil’s plans for these individuals are frustrated.

What Was the Result From Casting Him Out? (Revelation 12:10, Romans 10:17, Acts 2:41, Acts 2:47, Revelation 20:3)

Revelation 12:10

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Now has come salvation for all those for whom Christ suffered and died. The Devil has no power to hinder the salvation of all those people. God the Holy Spirit causes the Gospel to be heard by all those for whom Christ suffered and died, and God the Holy Spirit makes them “Born Again”, or “Born from Above”. They in turn bring the Gospel to others who will be converted, and so on. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

And this is how the Kingdom of God is established on this earth. This is how the church gains strength, by preaching the Gospel. Not just by talking about it, but by actually doing it. This is how the accuser of our brethren is cast down. When the Apostle Peter preached one sermon at Pentecost, about 3000 souls were saved. We read in Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls”.

And not long thereafter we read in Acts 2:47, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”. Those who should be saved were saved. God’s elective program and God’s irresistible grace were mightily at work in those days. These are the manifestations of the power of Christ. It was because Satan was bound. Satan could not frustrate the furtherance of the Gospel, and Satan could not frustrate the building of God’s Kingdom on this earth.

So when we read the words: “And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Revelation 20:3, we understand that Satan was cast to the earth, but had no power to prevent people from becoming saved. Whatever persecution Satan tried to stamp out the Christians and the Gospel, it did not work. He tried to throw them to the lions, burn them at the stake, torture them in prisons, and so on, but the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. Saints were going to heaven in droves.

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Continued in Part 2…

Author kinz2allPosted on April 11, 2014Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on THE BOTTOMLESS PIT Part 1

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