FUTURISM: FACT OR FOLLY? (Dating the Book of Revelation)

FUTURISM: FACT OR FOLLY? (Dating the Book of Revelation)

Hello all,

Please forgive me ahead of time because I know this topic is controversial. Truth be known, it was not something that I gave much thought to, and had never really considered until coming to my own conclusions about Bible Prophecy that there was a label that fit seeing much of prophecy already fulfilled. I see Daniel’s 70th week as fulfilled, I see the ending of the Old Covenant in 70AD, I do not see anything left to be fulfilled except the Second Coming, and to be totally honest I am looking into that!

All dispensationalists are Futurists, as futurism means seeing most of Bible prophecy being fulfilled in the future, and a generation far removed from the first century as the last generation that Jesus speaks about. Preterists believe that the generation Jesus was talking to at the time, was the generation that would witness the last days He spoke of. When I was into dispensationism and believed in a pre-trib rapture and a literal millennium and all that, I was a futurist.

Now it is interesting to me, that Futurists accuse Preterists of
going outside of the Bible to prove their position and relying on the studies of men. When in all actuality it is the futurist that does this by looking outside the Bible for future fulfillment in our day, when the fulfillment is right there within the pages of the Bible. Preterists use the Bible to interpret the Bible, and after studying what people like Gary DeMar has to present, and watching debates between Preterists and Futurists, I have come to the conclusion that the Preterists have much more biblical truth on their side, and show this by rightly dividing the Word. Futurist divide by dispensation, and put too much of their own preconceived notions into the Word. If you do not believe me, just watch a few debates between the two; it is very telling and eye opening.

That all being said, I am into the Truth and that may be wherever I find it, a little here, a little there. With this all in mind, I found another study into when the book of Revelation was written. This one is much more in-depth and therefore a bit longer. But, I think you will be doing yourself a service to read and consider what is being shown here. Don’t be frightened off by those who want you not to know this and tell you there is no proof that 70AD really happened, for there is much, right within the pages of the Bible that tells us it did, and how it did, and what was the results of it.

The Book of Revelation was written before 70AD and the churches were warned and many Jews were saved. The Jewish religious system was destroyed, and so was the Temple and the priesthood, and the whole of the Old Covenant relationship with God. Those were the end days of that old system. Find out for yourself…as it is the most important thing that we can do, and makes all the difference in how one offers all the glory to God, by honoring what He did for us, and ruling and reigning in His Kingdom.

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Dating the Book of Revelation

With the dating of Revelation, you establish the true historical prospective. If you date it early, you have its fulfillment in God’s judgment on Israel. If you date it late, you have every man’s idea. So dating plays a very important part in its interpretation.

There are differences of opinion as to when this book was written. These can be summed up as the “late date” and the “early date” theories. First, we’ll cover the late date theory. Then we’ll examine the facts which support the early date theory.

The Late Date Theory

Those who hold to the “late date,” have Revelation written during the time of Domitian Caesar (AD 95-96). This date is determined by the following statement by Irenaeus (AD 130 to AD 202), as quoted by Eusebius, the church historian, in AD 325: “We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign.”

There are things about this statement that need to be noted. First, Irenaeus did not witness this. He referred to Polycarp (who supposedly knew the apostle John). Secondly, the key part — “it is not long since it was seen” — is ambiguous. According to Irenaeus recollection, Polycarp saw “it” sometime in AD 95-96, during the last part Domitian’s reign. Thirdly, we do not know if the “it” Polycarp was referring to was John, the visions he saw, the name of anti-christ, or the book itself and we do not know if he meant that the book was written at that time or not. Furthermore, it comes to us through three people separated by three centuries. Simply put, this is hear-say.

This statement, even with all of this uncertainty, is the only evidence used to support the “late date” theory. It has been accepted by generations of people without really questioning it or examining it in light of the book itself. The late date has been passed on to us in the same way it was passed on to Eusebius, “…it [was] handed down by tradition…” Tradition is not the way to interpret Scripture.

Another statement by Irenaeus seems to indicate the earlier date also. In his fifth book, he speaks as follows concerning the Apocalypse of John and the number of the name of the Antichrist: “As these things are so, and this number is found in all the approved and ancient copies.” Domitian’s reign was almost in his own day, but now he speaks of the Revelation being written in ancient copies. His statement at least gives some doubt as to the “vision” being seen in 95 AD which was almost in his day, and even suggests a time somewhat removed from his own day for him to consider the copies available to him as ancient.

The Early Date Theory

So, where can we turn to find evidence for the dating of Revelation? Within the book itself! It will be shown, from internal evidence, that Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

John must prophesy again

The first point to consider in favor of the early date is the fact that John was told that he “must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” in Revelation 10:11. Now, if Revelation was written in AD 95-96, John would have been over 90 years old and it would have been very difficult for him to travel to the various “nations and…many kings” and preach. However, with Revelation written earlier, John would have been in his mid 60’s and at that age, his traveling would have been more feasible.

The Seven Churches in Asia

Another point is that John wrote Revelation to a specific group of churches in Asia (Revelation 1:4). The importance of this statement cannot be overlooked (even though it has been by many scholars). There is only one small window of time in which there were only seven churches in Asia. The early AD 60’s. The apostle Paul established nine churches in that area, but only seven were addressed in Revelation. The reason for this is that the cities of Colosse, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, were all destroyed by an earthquake around AD 61. Laodicea was rebuilt soon afterwards, but the other two cities were not. This left only seven churches in Asia during the five years just prior to the beginning of the Roman/Jewish war.

Of particular importance is the message to the church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). In verse’s 10 and 11, Christ told John to inform them that an “hour of temptation” was “about to come upon all the world,” i.e., the Roman Empire. Christ then told them that He was coming quickly and that they should hold fast. The reason this is important (besides the fact that this was directed to an actual church in the first century) is that the first persecution of Christians took place under Nero Caesar in AD 64. Therefore, Revelation must have been written before that time.

The Temple was still standing

One of the most compelling proofs that Revelation was written before Jerusalem was destroyed is the fact that the Jewish temple was still standing!

Revelation 11:1-2, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

How do we know that this was the temple of the first century and not some future one? First, there is not one verse in the entire Bible that speaks of a “rebuilt” Jewish Temple. Not one. That alone should be proof enough.

However, this passage is very similar to Luke 21:20-24. Notice that Jesus told the disciples that they would see this event. They had asked Him about their temple (verse 5), and Jesus told them it would be destroyed before their generation passed away (verse 32). Notice again what Jesus said in verse 24, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles.” This is the same thing Christ told John in Revelation 11:2. Therefore, since the disciples’ generation has long since passed away, Revelation must have been written before the nations trampled Jerusalem under foot in AD 70.

The Tribes of the Earth

Most writers consider the theme of the book to be Revelation 1:7. This verse is very similar in context to Matthew 24:30.

Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds [Greek word #5443] of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

Matthew 24:30, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes [Greek word #5443] of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

It may not be conclusive standing alone, but you can see that just based on the language, a case can be made that the two verses are speaking of the same event. Matthew 24:30 is a verse that speaks of the fall of Jerusalem. And that is just the case that I am making about the book of Revelation — it speaks of the fall of Jerusalem.

Notice also the language of Revelation 1:7. It speaks of those who “pierced him.” Although we know that the Romans crucified him and pierced him, the apostles accused the Jews of the act. In Acts 2:23,36, Peter says that they crucified Jesus. He continues to state this in his following sermons (Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30). Stephen, in Acts 7:51-52, calls them murderers. And Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:8, speaks of the Jews killing the Lord. And also in I Thessalonians 2:14-15, he speaks of the Jews that killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets. So perhaps the book concerns itself with the Jews.

This view is further reinforced with the phrase, “kindreds of the earth.” (“kindreds” is from the Greek word phule, which means “tribe”). This is a direct allusion to the Jewish tribal system. Now, we must identify, from Scripture, who those “tribes” were. To do that, we must keep in mind this simple rule of interpreting the Bible: let Scripture interpret Scripture. We can do that quite easily by looking at Zechariah 12:10-14.

Zechariah 12:10-14, “And I will pour upon the…inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son…In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem…And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”

Obviously, this is the foundation for John’s statement that “every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth (or land) shall wail because of him” So, in essence, Zechariah was saying that the “tribes of the land” would mourn for Him whom they had pierced. Who were those tribes? “The inhabitants of Jerusalem.” This also helps us identify the “earth” in Revelation 1:7. According to Zechariah, the “earth” is the land of Palestine, specifically, Jerusalem. Also, it is those tribes, i.e., the nation of Israel, who would “look upon Me whom they have pierced.” And because of that, “the mourning in Jerusalem” would be great. With all of this information, we can see that the “tribes of the earth” in Revelation 1:7 are the nation of Israel. The “earth” is Palestine. The land that would mourn is Jerusalem.

So, the main purpose of Revelation would be to reveal Jesus to the nation of Israel. The place of this revealing would be Jerusalem. Lastly, this revealing would be to those who pierced Him, i.e., the Jews. This is not a general reference to the Jewish nation, but to Christ’s contemporary generation. That generation was destroyed in AD 70, by the Roman Legions. Therefore, the book of Revelation must have been written before that event.

The Woman

The next thing that we need to look at is “the woman” found in chapters 17 and 18. John wrote that he saw a “woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (17:6). The “woman” had this name written on her forehead: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (17:5). The angel said that “the woman” was a poetic symbol of “that great city” (17:18); in whom “was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (18:24). Then John wrote, “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her… Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (18:20, 21). So who was this “woman?” This “great city?”

John gave us a clue in Revelation 11:8, where he wrote, “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” This shows us, as we saw above, that John was referring to the Jerusalem of his day.

To prove this assertion, Let’s look at the term “Sodom.” John wrote that this is a “figurative” name. That means it does not tell us the actual name of the city, but it’s spiritual condition. Once more, in letting the Bible interpret itself, we find this is a reference to Jerusalem. In Isaiah, chapter 1, after declaring that he had a “vision…concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (verse 1), Isaiah wrote, “Hear the words of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom.” In Jeremiah 23:14, because of the adulterous prophets, God said that Jerusalem and her inhabitants were “all of them unto me as Sodom.”

But what about “Egypt?” No where in the Bible is Jerusalem called Egypt. However, the first
Patti C.
May 24, 2014 – 2:16PM
Re: FUTURISM: FACT OR FOLLY? (Dating the Book of Revelation)

The Woman

The next thing that we need to look at is “the woman” found in chapters 17 and 18. John wrote that he saw a “woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (17:6). The “woman” had this name written on her forehead: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (17:5). The angel said that “the woman” was a poetic symbol of “that great city” (17:18); in whom “was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (18:24). Then John wrote, “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her… Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (18:20, 21). So who was this “woman?” This “great city?”

John gave us a clue in Revelation 11:8, where he wrote, “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” This shows us, as we saw above, that John was referring to the Jerusalem of his day.

To prove this assertion, Let’s look at the term “Sodom.” John wrote that this is a “figurative” name. That means it does not tell us the actual name of the city, but it’s spiritual condition. Once more, in letting the Bible interpret itself, we find this is a reference to Jerusalem. In Isaiah, chapter 1, after declaring that he had a “vision…concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (verse 1), Isaiah wrote, “Hear the words of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom.” In Jeremiah 23:14, because of the adulterous prophets, God said that Jerusalem and her inhabitants were “all of them unto me as Sodom.”

But what about “Egypt?” No where in the Bible is Jerusalem called Egypt. However, the first century generation was also in an exodus. While Old Testament Israel’s exodus was from the bondage of Egypt, the New Testament Israel’s exodus was from the bondage of the Old Covenant Law. The most recognizable passage that depicts this “new exodus” is found in I Corinthians 10:1-11. Paul wrote, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” His contextual foundation for this statement was the Old Testament exodus from Egyptian bondage. He wrote that they had passed through the sea (verse 1). They ate manna and drank from the rock (verse’s 3-4). He then relays how they wandered in the wilderness (verse 5), became idolaters (verse 7), tried the Lord and were destroyed by serpents (verse 9). This shows us that, just like the “type and shadow” of the Old Testament and their deliverance from bondage, the New Testament saints were undergoing the same exodus. The only difference was that Paul’s generation was the reality to which the Old Testament example pointed.

Furthermore, in Luke 13:33-34, Jesus said, ” oday and tomorrow, and on the following [day], I must travel on, because it is not possible [for] a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The [one] killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her.” Then, in Matthew 23:29-37, Jesus blasted the Jews of His day for killing the prophets and the apostles. He declared that they are the children of their fathers who also killed the prophets. Then in verse 32, Jesus said that they would complete the sin that their fathers started. But the most crucial evidence is found in verse 35, where Jesus said, “upon you (i.e., the Jews of His day) may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on the earth.” Then He said, “I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now. Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you” (verse’s 36-37). In both passages, Jesus told the Jews of His day that they were guilty of “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth” (see also Acts 7:51-52).

Therefore, since both of these passages deal with the same crime and the same judgment, the “great city” of Revelation must be the Jerusalem of Christ’s generation. Which further proves that Revelation was been written before Jerusalem fell in AD 70.

The Sixth King

So far we have seen that Revelation deals with the revealing of Jesus to first century Israel As noted above, “the woman” John saw was first century Jerusalem. The “kings,” therefore, were the rulers of the known world of John’s day, i.e., the Roman Empire. The “kings” were not ruling at the same time, for the text stated “five fell,” meaning that five of those kings had come and gone. Then “one is,” meaning the “king” who was ruling at the time Revelation was written. Here in this verse, we have one of the clearest proofs for dating this book. If we simply examine the list of Roman Emperors, we will be able to determine who the sixth king was, and the time Revelation was written.

Here are the Roman Emperors: Julius Caesar; Augustus; Tiberius; Gaius (Caligula); Claudius; and the sixth emperor was…Nero. Nero reigned from 54AD to June of 68AD, with Galba to follow who reigns but six months. Here we find the terrible persecutors of the Christians (at whose hand Peter and Paul were martyred), whom God used to destroy the Jews. Nero was in power and he gave the command to Vespasian to destroy Jerusalem. This was the sixth king, proving beyond any doubt that Revelation was written before the Roman/Jewish war.

Historically, Nero is the one that persecuted Christians beyond all comparison. St. John’s banishment to Patmos was itself a result of the great persecution of Nero. The apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. The apostle Peter, who was crucified upside down, was another victim of Nero.

The Song of Moses

To anyone familiar with the Law of Moses and Jewish tradition, Revelation 15:2,3 will have meaning. It says that those martyrs “who had come off victorious from the Beast” were singing “the Song of Moses.”

Question: if these martyrs are Christians living 2,000 years after Christ, why would these Christians be singing the Song of Moses? Does any Christian alive today know how to sing this song? Deuteronomy 32:1-43 is the song that John has reference to.

The Jews were to sing this song to remind themselves of what would befall them “in the latter days” (Deuteronomy 31:29). the song talks about “their end” – the Jews (verse 20), and details their destruction by a consuming “fire” (verse 22), “famine” (verse 24), “plague” (verse 24) and “bitter destruction” (verse 24). God calls them a “perverse generation” (verses 5 and 20), and says He will “render vengeance” upon them and “vindicate His people” (verse 41 and 36 respectively). Why would Christian martyrs of the 21st century be singing this song about the Romans, when the song had reference to the Jews living in the 1st century? It wouldn’t make much sense.

Aren’t these the same martyrs who cried out earlier, “How long, O Lord, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood” (Revelation 6:10)? Who was it who had all the “blood of the righteous” martyrs imputed against them? Clearly, it was Christians who had kept their faith in Jesus, in spite of the intense persecution, and “had come off victorious from the Beast.” (See Matthew 23:35 and Luke 13:33)! This passage (Revelation 15:2,3) points very clearly to followers of Christ living in the first century.

In Revelation 16:10,11, it says that the people in the Beast’s kingdom “gnawed their tongues because of pain.” They had great sores on their bodies along with other plagues that had been poured out on them. We know from Josephus when the Jews literally gnawed their tongues for lack of food during the siege of AD 70! And, it is interesting that Josephus even calls the Jewish Zealot forces a “wild beast” in several places (Wars V.1.1; IV.7.4; IV.9.8; V.2.5)! This point is emphasize d even more by the fact that the whole context of the Song of Moses is full of references to “beasts,” “serpents,” and “dragons” (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-32; Deuteronomy 32:24,33).

The Time Element

Next consider the expectations of the author, Jesus Christ. He tells John to expect the fulfillment of the prophecy soon (Revelation 1:1,3; 2:16; 3:11; 22:6,7,10,12,20).

In Revelation 1:1,3, right off the bat, John informed his readers, the seven churches of Asia (verse 4), that the contents of this volume “must shortly come to pass.” Please note, that John did not write that some of the events, or even most of the events must shortly take place. He wrote that all of the events contained in Revelation “must shortly come to pass.” Why? Why must those things “shortly come to pass?” Because “the time (was) at hand.” At hand for whom? The seven churches of Asia, specifically, and to the church of the first century in general. The time for what was at hand? “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Remember, as we saw above, this is the main episode of Revelation.

In Revelation 22:6, John wrote that the Lord sent an angel to John “to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.” Here, at the end of the book of Revelation, John recorded the exact same message that he did in chapter 1. This again emphasizes that all of the events contained in Revelation were about to take place in the first century — not stretched throughout time, and certainly not for any future generation.

In Revelation 22:10, the angel of the Lord said to John, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” Once more, we have proof that the events of Revelation were about to take place in the first century. However, another element was added to thithis warning. The angel told John not to seal the Scroll. Why is this important? To answer that, let’s look at the book of Daniel.

After Daniel had received visions concerning his people (the nation of Israel), he was told, “thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (12:1). Daniel is then told how they would be rescued — by resurrection, some would be rewarded with “everlasting life” and others with “everlasting contempt” (verse 2). But then, Daniel is told something very peculiar. In verse 4, Daniel was told, “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.” Please note that this verse says the “time of the end”, and not “the end of time”. There is a huge difference between the end of time and the time of the end. Now, we must ask “Whose time of the end?” Verse 1 told us that Daniel’s visions concerned the nation of Israel, not mankind in general.

Next, Daniel saw two angels talking about the fulfillment of all that he had seen (verse 6). One asked the other, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” The answer was, “when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” (verse 7). But Daniel could not understand what they meant, so he asked again, “When?” The angel answered “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Now that we have looked at this passage, how does it relate to Revelation 21?

Did you know that there is only one other place in the Bible where a sealed book is referred to? Revelation, chapter 5. How Daniel relates to Revelation is that Revelation is the opening of Daniel’s sealed book!! Remember, Daniel’s visions were concerning the “time of the end” of Israel, and Revelation is about God’s judgment on Israel. They are one and the same. The reason this has direct bearing on Revelation 21, is that Daniel was told to seal his book concerning the end “for it pertains to many days in the future” (Dan.8:26), but John was told not to seal his book “because the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10). The end of Old Covenant Israel was at hand. All things written had to be fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in AD 70 (see Luke 21:20-22). Therefore, since Revelation is the opening of Daniel, then it must have been fulfilled by the summer of AD 70.

Our next time statement is found in Revelation 21:12. There, Jesus told John, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Notice that Jesus did not say that “when I come, I will come quickly,” He emphatically said that He was coming “quickly.” But He also said something else. He said that His reward was with Him to give every man according to his works. Now some state that this has not happened yet. However, we must let Scripture interpret Scripture, and turn to Matthew 16:27-28 and Mark 8:38-9:1 and Luke 9:26-27.

Jesus said the exact same thing in these three verses that He did in Revelation 21. In Revelation 21, He said He was coming and “he shall reward every man according to his works.” These are the exact same “comings” with the exact same “rewards.” But, Jesus also said in these three verses, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” Notice that Jesus tied His coming to the lives of His disciples. He said that some of his listeners would not die until He came. But to whom is He coming? And what will be their reward? Jesus said that the “coming” would be to the first century generation of Israel (Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32). Daniel told us that the “rewards” would be that some would be resurrected to “everlasting life” and others to “everlasting contempt”. Now, let’s put these two passages together. Jesus said He was coming and He was going to reward each according to his works, and that some of the disciples wouldn’t die until they saw this take place. Therefore, since all of the disciples are dead, Jesus must have returned and rewarded each according to his works. Furthermore, in Revelation, He said the same thing, therefore it must be fulfilled!

Conclusion

If a person doesn’t believe the first three verses of Revelation (i.e., the near expectation of the events), neither will he believe the rest of the book. For if a person is unwilling to accept the time constraints of the text, the rest of the document can mean anything that the reader desires.

If the Apostle John was banished to Patmos under the reign of Nero, as the internal evidence indicates, he wrote the book of Revelation about AD 68 or 69, which was after the death of that emperor; but the gospels and epistles some years later. One of the oddest facts about the New Testament is that what on any showing would appear to be the single most datable and climactic event of the period — the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 — is never once mentioned as a passed fact.

The inscription to the book of Revelation, in the Syrian version, first published by Deuteronomy Dieu, in 1627, and, afterwards in the London Polyglot, is the following, “The Revelation which God made to John the evangelist, in the Island of Patmos, to which he was banished by Nero Caesar.”

This places it before the year of our Lord 69AD.

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Wow!! This gives a whole new meaning to when Jesus tells us “Behold! I come quickly!”. This message went out to the churches just in time!!

I am going to end this by quoting the beginning of this study:

‘If you date it early, you have its fulfillment in God’s judgment on Israel. If you date it late, you have every man’s idea. So dating plays a very important part in its interpretation.”

Dating it early brings all of the Revelation back within the pages of the Bible, where one can read the Word and find each and every fulfillment of it. This is major! It is important to understand the implications of this and how it affects “rightly dividing the Word”.

May the Lord Bless each of you in your search for Truth.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

What About Wrath?

Hello all,

This is another MUST SEE teaching! Everyone should listen to what this man is conveying, and accept or reject it, but at least expose yourself to it. I have learned so much in such a short time, and although I was dealing with conveying the importance of understanding the difference between the Old and New Covenant, these teachings have opened my eyes to so much more!! Now I have even more reason to make sure this is a major focus of my studies.

We need to understand when the Old Covenant was totally destroyed, to the point that its entire system was literally burned up!

The Old Covenant did not end at the Cross, even though the New Covenant was established at that time. It took 40 years for it to completely crumble. No more Temple, no more records of lineage. no more priesthood, no more Judaism…no more Religion of the Jews,the whole system of relating to God was demolished and totally ended at that time.

The remnant of God’s people being all those born again Jews and Gentiles that fled the city of Jerusalem before it was destroyed. Just like Jesus warned them ahead of time to do.

If we don’t see this truth we will keep mixing the two Covenants together and getting all confused, and that is what has been happening since 70AD! Going backward to the Old Covenant is the most dangerous move a Christian can make, as it is FINISHED, OVER AND DONE, and in seeking to reinstate it means we nullify the plan Of God, and reject what Christ did for us at the Cross.

This is major stuff!! I am so excited to understand exactly when this Old Covenant completely ended. I had always thought it ended at the Cross when the New one started…but what happened in 70AD is the final piece of that puzzle, because it took 40 years to die out completely. And, during those 40 years was the biggest stumbling block to Christianity because of Judaisers in the Church.

I actually left a Church of Christ because they said the Book of Revelation was fulfilled in 70 AD…I thought that was the most absurd concept I had ever heard and I thought they were totally deluded. I have to laugh at that now…the more I learn and grow in Truth.

Until we realize this truth about when the Old Covenant ended completely, we will continue to debate about racial issues and Sabbath issues and dietary issues and on and on. These Old Covenant issues need to be left behind to fully dwell in the New Covenant, and fully comprehend what this means.

God’s wrath ended with the Old Covenant, the Church is not appointed to wrath and never will be. We will have tribulation but not wrath, as Grace has come and God’s wrath has ended. The Law and wrath of God went together, and when the Law ended, so did His wrath. This is so important to know!

No matter what position you take on this matter, you owe it to yourself, especially if you consider yourself a “truth seeker”, to listen to what this man is teaching. And, take what he is showing in the Bible and find out for yourself. I am not saying there is no Second Coming and no rapture or any of that, but that it was an earthshaking event when the Old died and the New had come, and much that we see as happening in the future was fulfilled to a tee within the Chapters of the last book of the Bible.

There is much to be learned here!!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

REST OR NO REST?

REST OR NO REST?

Hello all,

I have been thinking and studying and commenting much about the commandments and the sabbath and how these are now spiritual commandments that only by resting in Christ, spiritually through the Holy Spirit, can one keep them. I see that many want to see this as a natural rest on Saturday, and thus we must not break this natural commandment, as our salvation is at stake. This to me is a terrible misconception of the Truth of the New Covenant, and needs to be dispelled.

I was curious to see if the word “sabbath” was used at all in the book of Revelation, and was not surprised to find that it was not used even once. Now, one would think that if it was crucial for ones very salvation it would be mentioned in this book of the Bible. What is mentioned several times is the word “rest”, and those who have it and those who do not.

I think this is very telling, and just want to share a few thoughts about some interesting verses in Rev.14 that is addressing what this “rest” or “no rest” entails.

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14:11
“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Those who have chosen the Beast (the flesh) will have no rest day or night. It does not say “will have no Sabbath rest, or rest just one day a week. No, it says no rest day or night. This certainly is the state of affairs for all worldly people, they have no rest.

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Rev 14:12

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Here is where many try and prove that the Commandments of God are referring to the Old Covenant, but these verses are clearly about the New Covenant, because no one is considered a saint unless they are born again, and Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, lives inside of them. The Commandments are now written on their hearts, and the faith that comes from resting in Jesus day and night.

***
Rev 14:13

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

What time henceforth is this verse speaking of? Anytime after the Cross, after the bringing of the New Covenant, for now, we rest in the “Finished Work” of Christ, and because He does His work through us, those works will endure and follow the saints.

Whereas, if one chooses flesh over spirit, they do not have rest in Christ, and any “works” they do of their own strength are filthy rags, and mean nothing.

Ah! Also here, in this verse, is where we see what the Spirit says; “that they, (the saints), may rest from their labors in Jesus Christ, and because they do this day and night whatever works they do are in His name, and therefore are eternal and good works.

There is nothing in any of these verses that say we are resting in His Commandment to keep the Sabbath, for that is of the flesh and became “spiritual” in Christ. We keep the commandments of God by being in Christ, as that is absolutely, positively, the only way we can keep them.

Sabbath keeping of the Old Covenant is a personal choice and should not be considered a requirement by the Lord, nor have anything to do with our salvation. That is very misleading and gets one hung up on a tree instead of seeing the whole forest. First the natural, then the spiritual…the New Covenant that Christ gave His life to give to us, is through the Spirit.

Just some thoughts….always find out for yourself!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

 

Hello again,

I just wanted to add this here. I got to thinking about the meaning of the word “sabbath” and how I see it as meaning “rest” and how many see it as meaning the seventh day of the week, or Saturday.

I did find that used as a verb it means to cease, to stop and to rest, as in no works. But, when used as a noun it means the seventh day, or seven.

Then I wondered if there were any “sabbaths” in the Bible that did not fall on the seventh day? And yes there are, in fact the best example is the Last Great Day. Here is what I found out about that:

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[url]http://www.antipas.net/6_shemini.htm

“Since the first-day-Sabbath of Sukk’ot and this “EIGHTH DAY” Sabbath could fall on any day of the week, along with the routine, weekly, Saturday Sabbath, there could be up to three Sabbaths during this eight-day-period.”

****

So, for anyone that says that the word “sabbath” only means seven, or the seventh day, they are not being entirely truthful. It also means “rest”, as in “ceasing to work”. So, Sabbath rest is not just a Saturday thing.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

UNDERSTANDING MATTHREW 24 ( A MUST SEE!!!)

Understanding Matthew 24

Hello all,

What a great way this has been to spend a Sunday morning! Watching and listening and taking notes from this wonderful lesson in Truth. I cannot recommend this highly enough!

The information provided here is earth shaking and extremely sobering in regards to how far from the truth most end time prophecy has become!! If you want to cling to your old way of knowing, don’t waste your time, you will not be able to after watching this. But if you want to wake up and smell the coffee about what Scriptures really mean, this will be a big day for you! It was for me!

I know how important it is to distinguish between the Old and New Covenants, but had no idea what destruction came about because of the Old passing away and the New Coming!! Also no idea of how this impacts Bible eschatology!! This is major!! And just as major is how this information proves we are living in the Kingdom that Christ established right NOW!

I am just going to include my raw notes from watching this, in hopes that some of the subject matter will grab attention and stir up curiosity as to what this whole study is about.

Topics and discussions covered in this teaching:

Finished at the Cross…..What was finished?

Simple and Clear…. the difference between understanding Scripture in a simple way or a clear way.

17 min mark joke…..he is telling how clear the Bible is to understand up until Jesus comes and then it gets really confusing. So most Christians think that as Christians all we do is hang around during this 2000 years and then something really bad is going to happen.

Why are we here?

This man will make you laugh…great sense of humor, jokes
that make us laugh at ourselves and our own understanding.

Major Point!! Reader Relevance : Made sense to those who are reading it at the time it was written. What value does Revelation have to those reading it at the time it was written?

Matt 24: Will take place in the generation He is speaking to….end of Old Covenant.

Was Jesus a false prophet? It did take place in 66-70 AD. Futurists say that generation means “race”. And these things will happen at the end of the race of people.

What’s at stake is how we live our lives. Freedom!

Freedom worth dying for…not about our death but His death…I will walk in the Kingdom that He died for.

Matt 24 not about end of the world….but end of the Age….and the end of the age that began with Moses that happens at the destruction of the Temple.

The disciples asked when Jesus was coming to destroy the Temple, not when His Second Coming is. The disciples did not even know that He was going to die yet, so why would they ask about His coming at the end of the world?

Earthquakes and famine were going on in 30-70 AD, in a big way! This is not about our time now.

The difference between the “Abomination of Desolation” and the “Abomination that causes Desolation” and how it throws off such diverse connotations. He jokes that the “Abomination of Desolation” sounds like the name of a professional wrestler!

The correct understanding is about the abomination that causes desolation and Luke 21 tells us what that abomination is. When armies surround Jerusalem…is the “abomination” where they will know the desolation is near.

Those in Judea flee to the mountains…local desolation, not the whole world. On the rooftop…that is also localized, who now a days hangs out on their rooftop? Also, the Sabbath was being practiced in Jerusalem at that time…it is not being kept, in this time, all over the world. People fleeing would be up against getting arrested for breaking the Sabbath, this would not happen now a days! When one is pregnant it is difficult to run for their lives.,,,all fits perfectly in 70 AD.

Context is crucial to understanding!

Matt 24 is about what an amazing prophet Jesus is, as he describes exactly what happens 40 years later to the Temple and to Jerusalem.
It is not about our day and things that will happen at the end of the world!!

There are those that try to say that the Book of Matthew was written after 70 AD because His prediction was too accurate, and this was not possible. Should we trust Bibles scholars or the Bible?
Not one Christian died in the destruction of Jerusalem…when the armies came every Christian fled the city, because they were so clearly warned by Jesus.

False Christ named John Levi convinces the Jews that he is the Messiah and tells them to burn all their storehouses of food to prove their faith in how he will deliver them from the Romans!! They had 3 years worth of food, and they burned it all, so when walled in by the armies they died of hunger, and disease. The four horsemen rode into that city, but that is another study.

This man, the false Messiah, was still in the Temple with 20,000 of his followers when the Romans set fire to it! Those who tried to escape, swallowed precious jewels and gold etc. to take it with them out of the temple, and the Roman Army caught on to this and actually cut these people in half to find and take what they had swallowed!!

I had never heard about this man John Levi, but sure wish I had, because this opens the gate to understanding what all took place during this destruction, and how exact the warnings of Jesus were!!
Believe me, I will be looking into this now. Incredible!

Heaven and earth will pass away,but His word would never pass away. That generation witnesses heaven and earth passing away as heaven and earth was the Temple system. The Temple being where heaven and earth meet in the Holy of Holies.

Jesus replaces the Temple and now, all those who have Jesus living inside them, their body is the temple where heaven and earth meet.
The Law was fulfilled and faded away, the New Covenant has replaced the Old. The Kingdom, that He brought into the world is eternal and will never pass away.

2 Peter chapter 3 tells of the whole world being burned up…destroyed by fire…this is not about the end of the world;it is describing what happened to the Temple. Elements will burn by fire means the elements of Judaism will be burned, that system will be completely destroyed. Judaism revolved round the Temple, so modern day Judaism is not the same system at all as there is no longer a Temple!! And all linage is destroyed with it. Only the Jews that became Christians are the remnant that is saved.

The Last Days refer to 30 to 70AD…..we are living in the Kingdom right now! The Old Covenant passed away completely in 70AD.

This is such an educational teaching on the Bible interpreting the Bible. I learned so much in this 157 minutes!! So much more that I want to learn having now been exposed to this. Very exciting for me, as I feel I am being led in this direction, and have been for several months now. My passion for the New Covenant vs the Old…my passion for how it was Finished at the Cross, although I realize now I was not stating that correctly by not explaining it was the Plan of Salvation that was finished, not the Old Covenant. And,my passion for the fact we are living in the Kingdom of God, right now.

I encourage every believer to watch this video, as there is so much Truth being put forth, it will richly bless you. Even if it blows many misconceptions out of the water for you…it will still be a blessing as it will lead you to hunger for more Truth.

Forgive my rather disjointed note taking, but I wanted to give an idea of what major subjects are being covered in this MUST SEE teaching!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

ISRAEL AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Dispensational Beliefs)

ISRAEL AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Dispensational Beliefs)

Hello all,

There is much discussed on this site about dispensational beliefs and how these beliefs, and the doctrines that stems from them, have caused much confusion and division among Bible scholars, as to rightly dividing the Word of God, and the timeline of events.

This confusion involves many issues such as the timing of Rapture, the fulfilling of Daniel’s 70th Week, the Millennium now or later, and other components of God’s plan of Salvation. The topic I would like to present a study on today is the Kingdom of God, and how dispensationalists view this kingdom, and when they see it as coming. In doing so, the above issues will also be discussed as they play into when the Kingdom of God was, or is to be established.

As you might guess from reading my other posts that I believe Jesus succeeded in all He attempted to do, and that God’s plan of Salvation was FINISHED AT THE CROSS. The Kingdom of God has been established and is what many consider to be a future millennium, and as born again believers we are already citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

This particular study offers many good insights into what the Kingdom of God truly is, and how Israel fits in, in regards to timing and fulfillment. As usual, I encourage each one to find out for yourself, as I know you will be glad you did!!

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Link of article or video : [url] http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/eschatology/dispensationalism/%5B/url%5D

Dispensationalist Beliefs – Israel and the Kingdom of God

By William E. Cox

According to dispensationalists, God has two distinct bodies of people with whom he is working: Israel and the church. There is a separate plan for each of these two peoples. Israel is said to be an earthly people, while the church represents a heavenly body. National Israel’s expectation is an earthly kingdom; the church’s hope is eternal bliss in heaven. While the church realized her goal through belief in the finished work of Christ on the cross, Israel’s goal will finally be realized through legal obedience.

Whereas historic Christianity has held that the purpose of our Lord’s first advent was to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world, the dispensationalist teaches that his real purpose was to establish an earthly kingdom. This, they say, was to have been an earthly, political kingdom over which Christ would have ruled from the literal throne of David, and in which all Old Testament prophecies were to be literally fulfilled. That is to say children would have played with ferocious animals, lions would have eaten hay while oxen ate lion’s food, and Jesus would have ruled over all with a rod of iron. This kingdom would have been a perfected continuation of the Davidic kingdom of the Old Testament with David’s greater Son, Jesus, ruling in his place for one thousand years.

Before continuing in a further description of dispensational teaching with reference to this alleged earthly kingdom, we should like to state that this teaching (that Christ aspires to sit on the literal throne of David) is one of the many evidences of the weak Christology in the dispensational system. Even if God should resurrect the throne on which David sat, which throne has long since decayed and turned to dust, it would indeed be a demotion of the lowest order for our Lord, who occupies the throne of heaven, to be a successor to a throne once occupied by an earthly king! And yet this is one of the very highpoints in dispensational eschatology. Jesus, they say, failed once to sit on the throne of David, but at the second advent he is to have that high honor! Our Lord has for nearly two thousand years occupied the throne of which David’s throne was a mere type. Peter depicts this in Acts 2:29-36.

To return now to the dispensational teaching about the kingdom for Israel, they teach that Jesus came to earth the first time fully intending to establish an earthly millennial kingdom with his chosen people, Israel.

Clarence Larkin (Rightly Dividing the Word, p. 51), in describing the ministry of John the Baptist as a forerunner to Christ, said: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord for what? Not for the Cross but for the Kingdom.’

M.R. DeHaan, well-known radio preacher, made the following statement with reference to the first advent of our Lord (The Second Coming of Jesus, p. 98): … the kingdom of heaven is the reign of heaven’s King on earth. This Jesus offered to the nation of Israel when he came the first time, but they rejected it and he went to the cross..

W.E. Blackstone (Jesus is Coming, p. 46), who is said to share the honor with C.I. Scofield as one of those who did most to perpetuate dispensationalism in this country, said concerning the first advent: ‘He would have set up the kingdom, but they rejected and crucified Him.’

On page 998 of the Scofield Bible we read that, when Christ appeared the first time on earth to the Jewish people, the next order of revelation as it then stood should have been the setting up of the Davidic kingdom.

Lewis Sperry Chafer (Systematic Theology) said:

The kingdom was announced by John the Baptist, Christ and the apostles. The Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt 4:23; 9:35) and the proclamation that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) consisted of a legitimate offer to Israel of the promised earthly Davidic kingdom, designed particularly for Israel. However, the Jewish nation rejected their King and with him the Kingdom (Quoted from George Ladd, Crucial Questions About the Kingdom of God, p. 50).

Why did the Christ fail in his attempt to establish a kingdom during his first advent? Dispensationalists say it was because his success depended on the consent of the Jewish nation. S.D. Gordon (Quiet Talks About Jesus, p. 131) says: ‘Everything must be done through man’s consent.’ Commenting further on this he said (sec. 4):

“God proposes man disposes; God proposed a king, and a worldwide kingdom with great prosperity and peace. Man disposed of that plan, for the bit of time and space controlled by his will.”

The question immediately arises in our minds: If the Jews were able to frustrate God’s plan at the first advent of our Lord, then what assurance have we that his second advent will not also somehow be thwarted? We say this rather facetiously, but the fact still remains that our hope of the second coming is built on the success of his first advent; ‘Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.’

When the Jews rejected Christ’s legitimate offer of the kingdom, say the dispensationalists, that kingdom was then postponed until the second coming of Christ. Then the same earthly Davidic kingdom which they are supposed to have refused will be established in the form of the millennium. During the millennium all the plans which were supposedly thwarted by the Jews at the first advent will be carried out in a literal manner.

The importance played in dispensational theology by the alleged kingdom which was offered, rejected, and postponed until the millennium, can be seen in the following lengthy doctrinal statement:

The Magnum Opus of dispensational eschatology will be found in Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology, where the entire range of theology is interpreted in the light of dispensational eschatology. From this work we extract the following interpretation of the kingdom of God.

“Two specific realms must be considered: The kingdom of God, which includes all intelligences in heaven or on earth who are willingly subject to God, and the kingdom of heaven, which is the manifestation of the kingdom of God at any time in its earthly form. Thus the kingdom of God appears on earth in various forms or embodiments during the centuries.

1. There was first of all the kingdom in the Old Testament theocracy in which God ruled over Israel in and through the judges.

2. The kingdom was covenanted by God as he entered into unconditional covenant with David and gave to Israel its national hope of a permanent earthly kingdom (2 Sam 7).

3. The kingdom was predicted by the prophets as a glorious kingdom for Israel on earth when the Messianic Son of David would sit on David’s throne and rule over the nations from Jerusalem.

4. The kingdom was announced by John the Baptist, Christ, and the apostles. The Gospel of the kingdom (Matt 4:23; 9:35) and the proclamation that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) consisted of a legitimate offer to Israel of the promised earthly Davidic kingdom, designed particularly for Israel. However, the Jewish nation rejected their king and with Him, the kingdom.

5. Because of Israel’s rejection, the kingdom was postponed until the second advent of Christ. The millennial kingdom was offered, and postponed; but it will be instituted on earth after Christ’s return. Since the kingdom was postponed it is a great error to attempt, as is so commonly done, to build a kingdom on the first advent of Christ as its basis, for, according to the Scriptures, the kingdom which was offered to Israel was rejected and is therefore delayed, to be realized only with the second advent of Christ.

6. The kingdom, because it was rejected and postponed, entered a mystery form (Matt 13) for the present age This mystery form of the kingdom has to do with the Church age when the kingdom of heaven is embodied in Christendom. God is now ruling on the earth insofar as the parables of the mystery of the kingdom of heaven require. In this mystery phase of the kingdom, good and evil mingle together and are to grow together until Christ returns.

7. The kingdom is to be preannounced by a Jewish remnant of 144,000 in final anticipation of Messiah’s return. At the beginning of the great tribulation, which occurs immediately before the return of Christ, the Church will be raptured, taken out of the world, to be with Christ. An election of Israel is then sealed by God to proclaim throughout the entire world the Gospel of the kingdom (Matt 24:14), i.e., that the Davidic kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, is about to be set up.

8. The millennial kingdom will then be realized as Christ returns in power and glory at the conclusion of the tribulation. Then Israel, which has been gathered from its dispersion through the earth to Messiah, will accept Him as such, and will enter the millennial kingdom as the covenanted people (George E. Ladd, Crucial Questions About the Kingdom of God, pp. 50,51).

Noting again that dispensationalists teach the kingdom to have been offered, rejected, and postponed until a later age, we pose the question: What if the Jews had accepted Jesus’ offer to establish an earthly Davidic kingdom at his first advent?

According to dispensationalist teaching, people would then have been saved by legal obedience. In the light of this fact, dispensationalism would also teach – when carried to its logical conclusion – that the cross would not have been necessary as a means of salvation.

Let the dispensationalists themselves speak at this point. S.D. Gordon (Quiet Talks About Jesus, p. 114) says:

“It can be said at once that His dying was not God’s own plan. It was conceived somewhere else and yielded to by God. God has a plan of atonement by which men who were willing could be saved from sin and its effect.

That plan is given in the Old Hebrew code. To the tabernacle or temple, under prescribed regulations, a man could bring some animal which he owned. The man brought that which was his own. It represented him.”

In the above statement a dispensationalist has been consistent at least. If, as he says, God offered a plan other than the cross, and if men had accepted that plan, then they would have been saved thereby. Since the proffered kingdom was alleged to have been an Old Testament kingdom then men would have abided by Old Testament sacrifices. It needs to be said here, however, that the Old Testament sacrifices were never intended as a method of salvation. They pointed to the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. The Scriptures plainly teach that the blood of bulls and goats could not bring about salvation, but that they were a type of the cross of Calvary.

What if that legal kingdom had been accepted? Let Lewis Sperry Chafer answer (The Kingdom in History and Prophecy, p.56): ‘It was a bona fide offer and, had they received him as their king, the nation’s hopes would have been realized’ (italics mine).

Dispensationalists make two assertions concerning the kingdom:

1. The kingdom of heaven is Messianic, mediatorial, and Davidic (Scofield’s footnote, p.1003); it also signifies the Messianic earth rule of Jesus Christ, the Son of David (footnote p.996).

2. Although there is a present kingdom in the world, this is the kingdom of God and is not the same as the kingdom of heaven.

Now here hangs the entire dispensational position. They look for a future Davidic kingdom, i.e., a future millennium, based on an alleged distinction between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. If the fact can be scripturally established that the kingdom of heaven is synonymous with the kingdom of God which the dispensationalist admits is present already – then two things are true:

1. The Davidic kingdom has already been established, and;

2. There will be no future millennium, but it too began at the first advent. This we believe the Bible teaches.

In Matthew’s Gospel we have the inspired record of our Lord’s teaching concerning John the Baptist. He clearly states that John preached a kingdom message following the time of the law and the prophets.

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied unto John” (Matt 11:12,13).

We should note two things about the above statement: (1) the content of John’s message is called by our Lord the kingdom of heaven, (2) in order to suffer violence a thing must be in existence; so that the kingdom existed already during the earthly ministry of John.

Luke also records a conversation of our Lord during which He spoke of John the Baptist in these words:

“The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it” (Luke 16:16).

These could well have been two separate messages delivered by our Lord. The important thing to note is that in both messages he fixed the time as being the same; he said that John took up where the law and the prophets left off and that he preached the gospel of a kingdom. In one message (Matt 11:12) our Lord referred to that kingdom as the kingdom of heaven, while on the other occasion (Luke 16:16) – in speaking of the same man, same time, and same message – he referred to that same kingdom as the kingdom of God.

Scriptural evidence that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are synonymous terms is found in two accounts of the sending out of the Twelve. Two inspired writers, ‘speaking as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,’ give the accounts.

One of these inspired men chose to use the term kingdom of heaven, while the other preferred the kingdom of God. No doubt this difference in wording is owing to the fact that the Gospels were addressed to separate groups. The Jews hesitated to use the name of God, so the one who addressed them would respect this custom and substitute the name ‘heaven’ in place of the name ‘God.’ But the important thing for us to consider is the fact that these men could use either term, proving to us that both terms indicated the same reality.

“And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 10:7)

“And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2).

Matthew and Luke record the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry. And, while there can be no doubt that both refer to his opening message; one uses the term kingdom of heaven, while the other refers to the kingdom of God. Would dispensationalists have us believe Jesus preached two different kingdoms as being at hand at the same time?

“From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17).

Compare verse 12 for the time element in Matt 4:17. Like the following passage, it refers to the time immediately following John’s death.

“Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14,15).

If further proof be needed to establish the fact that these two terms are synonymous, let us turn to Matt 19:23,24. In this passage we have a case of Hebrew parallelism in which our Lord says the same thing twice, for effect. The interesting thing to observe is that our Lord himself, without changing subjects, refers to the same kingdom in two different terms.

“And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God”

These scriptures show conclusively that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are one and the same. Therefore, dispensationalists are looking for a future kingdom which in reality has been in existence since the first advent of our Lord. They admit that, whenever the Davidic kingdom is set up on the earth, Israel’s hope will have been realized; they also admit that one kingdom of God came into existence with the birth of the Christian church. To prove that the New Testament knows only one kingdom, called by two different names, is to prove by the dispensationalists’ own arguments that the kingdom is a present reality, identical with Christianity.

And, since the dispensationalist teaches that the kingdom is to come about during the millennium, his own argument must also lead to the conclusion that the millennium is the inter-advent period. This, we believe, the New Testament clearly teaches. One clear description of the Messianic reign of Christ (the millennium) is recorded in Matthew 11:1-6. It is to be noted that this reign began with our Lord’s first advent, not at the second coming.

John Calvin, the great theologian of the Reformation, counted as heresy the idea of an earthly establishment of the Davidic kingdom. The following quotation is from the pen of Heinrich Quistorp (Calvin’s Doctrine of the Last Things, pp.123,158).

“The fact that Christ as the Son of Man will appear on the clouds of heaven is a plain indication that His divine glory and the glory of His kingdom will be no earthly phenomenon, as the disciples had supposed. He who in His incarnate If He had hidden His heavenly majesty under the form of a servant will then be manifest with all the tokens of the power of that kingdom which is from heaven because it is the kingdom of God.”

This kingdom of Christ will be an eternal kingdom because it is the kingdom of God.

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I will end this with the same question that the author asked at the beginning of this study:

“The question immediately arises in our minds: If the Jews were able to frustrate God’s plan at the first advent of our Lord, then what assurance have we that his second advent will not also somehow be thwarted? We say this rather facetiously, but the fact still remains that our hope of the second coming is built on the success of his first advent; ‘Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.’

To me, Jesus did everything necessary to fulfill all the purposes of Daniel 9:24, and to fulfill Daniel’s 70th week. He equipped His disciples by the sending of the Holy Spirit enabling them to preach the Gospel to the Jews first, until the Gospel was also rejected by them, when they stoned Stephen; and then to the Gentiles.

It truly was finished at the cross; there is no further concern with the shedding of blood, or even bloodlines. The bloodline of Christ was maintained in purity until He was born…after this miraculous event, bloodlines make no difference, for the plan of salvation is the same for all mankind.

His Kingdom did come!! His will is being done!! We are His servants right Now!! This Kingdom is not future, it is ETERNAL!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

 

 

THY KINGDOM COME?

THY KINGDOM COME?

Hello all,

I find that there are so many people who call themselves “Christian” and even consider themselves to be Bible scholars, who teach that the Kingdom of God is a future kingdom, and that Jesus did not bring in this kingdom at His first advent. This just does not fit in with what the Bible clearly teaches.

We must see this kingdom for what it truly is, and understand its “spiritual” nature and what this means for each one of us. I have put on many articles about what was finished at the Cross, and the following study fits in nicely with those, and is a good continuation of that theme.

So, without further adieu….

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http://www.goodnewsarticles.com/Mar05-2.htm

Thy Kingdom Come?

By David A. DePra

Thy kingdom Come, Thy will be done,” is a part of the Lord’s prayer, and as that, certainly indicates that God not only wants us to pray it, but also wants to answer us. God WANTS to bring His kingdom and His will. The question is, do we really mean what we are praying? Do we truly want GOD’S kingdom to come? And for HIS will to be done?

Everyone immediately shouts, “YES!!!” And I do hope we all mean it. But it might be a good idea to understand what we are asking when we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” It might mean much more, and carry with it many ramifications, then we realize.

What is the Kingdom of God?

We are praying that God’s kingdom would come. But what IS His kingdom? And where are we praying that it come? Well, the kingdom of God is simply this: The RULE of God. The sovereignty of God. Period. That is all it is.

Most of us have thought that the kingdom of God is a place or a thing. We have thought that it is heaven, the church, or the reign of Christ in the millennium. No. Those are included IN the kingdom, in the sense that all three are under the RULE of God. But the kingdom of God isn’t a place or a thing. The kingdom of God is the rule of God over ANY place or ANY thing. Again – it is the rule or reign of God, period.

You cannot see RULE. You cannot see sovereignty. You can only see the effects. Even when men have authority, you can’t see the actual authority. You might see the badges, the throne, or the effects of their rule. But you cannot see the rule itself.
This fact about the kingdom of God accounts for Jesus’ explanation of it. Note closely His words as to the NATURE of the kingdom:

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God comes not with observation: (in a way that can be seen with the eyes) Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)

Jesus said you cannot SEE the kingdom of God coming – that is – it was not going to be a matter of God coming down and taking over nations. Not at that time anyways. No. The kingdom of God would come in a way that, in fact, could not be pointed to at all. No one could say, “Lo here!” Can we see how clearly Jesus stated that the kingdom of God cannot be seen, pointed to, or limited to a place, person, group, or anything else that we commonly think of as a kingdom?

No. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU.” The kingdom of God is the RULE OF GOD which God wants to set up IN A PERSON. To use, “kingdom language,” God wants to set up a whole new government or kingdom in our hearts. If you examine this, you will find that this requires a new KING – Jesus Christ. It also requires that the person who is now under this kingdom, be adjusted completely to a new realm or rule. This is a whole new life altogether.

This is, of course, nothing more than another way of stating the Truth about salvation and the new birth. Jesus told Nicodemus that in order to enter the kingdom of God you had to be BORN AGAIN – born from above all over again.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God….Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:3-7)

Being, “born of water,” means to be buried in the death of Christ – as symbolized by baptism. Nicodemus understood baptism, which is why Jesus used that picture. For us, it means that to be born again, you must first come to the Cross. Then, you will be, “born of the Spirit” – made alive with the resurrection of Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

Take note that to be born again, you must come to Jesus, and SURRENDER your life. You must, in other words, surrender the throne of your life, surrender self-ownership, and self-rule. In other words, you must surrender YOUR GOVERNMENT and rule over yourself to HIS. Thus, we see that salvation and the new birth really is a matter of entering the kingdom of God. It really is a matter of the kingdom of God entering YOU. You are no longer your own. You belong to HIM.
The kingdom of God is God’s RULE. Anyone surrendering to God’s rule through Jesus Christ is IN God’s kingdom because God’s kingdom is in him or her. This, immediately we see that Christianity – if it is real – always carries the reality that Jesus is our Lord. We are in His kingdom, under His rule.

A Change

All of that being said, we must stop for a second, and realize the ramifications of what coming under God’s rule means. Certainly at the top of the list of what it means is the fact that OUR RULE must end. Or, to put it another way, our kingdom and our government – everything that has governed our lives – must be dismantled. We have come under a brand new rule.

If we limit this merely to the FACT or EVENT of our salvation, it won’t seem like a big deal. But the event of our salvation is only the surrender of our rule to the government of God. At that point, it is true that we are no longer in charge. If we have given our lives to Christ, He has taken us. We have new life in us – His life – and this is a finished victory. However, this is only the changing of the RULE. We must spend the rest of our lives being ADJUSTED TO the kingdom of God – being adjusted to our new Lord.

What I am saying is this: You and I, in Adam, are not constituted to the kingdom of God. We might think we are. But we are not. There is nothing about us which is compatible with the rule of God, or the Truth of God. And the moment after we are saved, yes, we do have a brand new attitude and motivation. But we still aren’t all that constituted to the new kingdom which has been set up in us.

When one country takes over another, the moment the terms of unconditional surrender are accepted, the battle is over. But the adjustment has just begun. The conquering country must now invade and occupy. It must take the country it has conquered and begin to adjust it over to the new rule. And the country which is conquered must surrender to this – which is nothing more than a working out of the total surrender that begins it. This is never easy.

This is exactly what we are up against when we surrender our lives to Christ. Despite our total and unconditional surrender to Christ, which hopefully, we really mean, we have no clue as to what it is all about. God must, from that point, begin to do a work in us which will ADJUST us to the new government. The problem is, we are used to the old one – it is all we have ever known. It is natural for us to govern ourselves, and unnatural for us to walk under God’s rule. Thus, there will be confusion as to what God is doing. And there will be struggle. It is inevitable.

We MUST see this: In order for the kingdom of God to freely reign and rule in our lives, OUR KINGDOM must be dismantled. Surrender to Christ at salvation does not do this. It simply puts our kingdom out of business and into the hands of God. But we must unlearn our ways, and learn His. This won’t be easy. The kingdom of God will clash with most everything about our kingdom.

If we would understand what God is doing in this matter, it would explain much. It would possibly explain why we think God is doing one thing, but He is doing another. Most of all, it would explain why it often seems as if God is working against us. He is – in a manner of speaking. The reality is that we are working against Him, and He isn’t going to budge or concede. God is working against our old pattern of walking according to our old kingdom. He is trying to break us of that, and usher in the reality of the new.

Don’t think I’m talking about outright rebellion. No. I’m talking about the fact that you and I do not know what it means to live in the rule of God. In so many ways, it is OTHER THAN everything we have known – and we may have little frame of reference for the Truth in this matter. Oh, we may know the doctrines, mind you, and congratulate ourselves that we know the Truth. But, “knowing the Truth,” is really living IN the Truth. And it is really tough to get there.

Read Matthew 6:33. Jesus says, “Seek you first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added.” That seems so clear, doesn’t it? Something everyone would agree is a good thing, right? Yes. But then it comes time for God to get us to the place where that verse represents our thinking, our motivation, and what makes us tick. That isn’t so easy. In fact, to get us there will strike at the heart and core of what makes us tick; of our entire constitution for living.

It is easy to believe that, “all these things will be added,” when you already have plenty of, “all these things.” It is easy to believe you are, in fact, seeking first the kingdom, when there is nothing of a life and death issue before you that mandates that you actually FIND the rule of God. Talk is cheap. But the reality of what Jesus is saying requires a complete change about how we think and live.

The point is this: To seek FIRST the kingdom of God means that MY kingdom must be dismantled. To pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” means that I am asking God to bring HIS RULE, and DO HIS WILL – to the complete disregard of mine. Am I prepared for that?

Well, I need to get prepared, because that is really all God offers us: His kingdom and His rule. In the end, it is going to be that. We had better make up our minds on that, and begin warming up to the idea that God intends to set aside completely OUR will and OUR kingdom.

When we pray, “They kingdom come, Thy will be done,” God will answer. We can know that because Jesus told us to pray it – so it isn’t as if God would not answer the prayer He, Himself, told us to pray. But once God begins to answer, we need to expect that we will need a great deal of adjustment to His kingdom and His will. We are spiritually constituted for it through the new birth, but not naturally constituted for it. The choice for us will be as to which wins out.

The Rule of God

Not only did Jesus tell us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” He added, “on earth, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.” And how IS God’s will done in heaven? Totally. Without opposition. Thus, when we pray that, we are asking God to do His will in our lives – to the complete disregard of our ignorance, and of our own will.

Again – are we prepared for that? Are we willing to say to God, “Lord, I have no idea what this might lead to. I have no clue as to what it will mean. But I am asking you to bring into my life YOUR RULE, and YOUR WILL – no matter what it takes. Do it – and adjust me for it.”

If all we were talking about were keeping rules and laws, this probably wouldn’t be any big deal. Anyone can do that. But we are talking about a kingdom that starts WITHIN US. Thus, we are talking about a drastic change of everything internal. We are talking, not only about God taking our lives completely out of our hands and doing with it what He chooses, but we are also talking about us getting to the point where we are in harmony with that. Can anyone see a big upheaval here? You bet it is.

Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (2 Thes. 1:5)

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22)

To be a subject in the kingdom of God – as mere fact through salvation – is one thing. But to function and move in harmony with the rule of God – with the realm of the Spirit – is quite another. When the Bible talks about entering the kingdom through tribulation, this cannot mean we must suffer to be saved. No. We must suffer – have our kingdom dismantled – in order to be able to function in the rule of God. Sure. We are not constituted for the rule of God as natural human beings.

The only way in which God can adjust us AWAY from living like we are still on the throne, over to living in the reality of the rule of God, is often to confront, oppose, and dismantle OUR ways, OUR thinking, and OUR religious ideas. This might, for a time, seem like God is against us. But He is only against our patterns. He is actually for us.
When the only thing we know is the thing God must dismantle, and we have no frame of reference for what God wants to do in us, it may seem as if every promise of God is false, and every hope of true freedom is a mirage. But it only seems like that because we don’t see the other side – the goal that God sees. We must hang in and believe. The fog will eventually clear and we will see.

One of the most amazing things about the spiritual walk is how astounded we are once we finally do see that God has been faithful all along, and how ignorant we have been. In the beginning we CANNOT SEE – we just can’t. And God seems to cut right across our feelings, hopes, and expectations. Well, He does take great care about this, but after all, isn’t this what we asked Him to do when we prayed, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done?”

Unconditional Surrender

In any given situation of life, we can pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” This will mean that we are inviting God into the situation – to bring in HIS RULE and HIS WILL. By definition, it therefore means that we are opening ourselves up to the dismantling of OUR rule and OUR will in the matter, and putting aside us having any say so over it from that point forward. That is unconditional surrender, and as it involves God, is the only kind of surrender there is!

Now, perhaps most of this sounds scary. It may sound morbid. But that is only because we haven’t a clue as to how far off the track our thinking and living are with regards to the rule and will of God. Coming to see and experience the will of God in our lives – in any situation – is the most wonderful thing imaginable. But while we are in the period of adjustment, it is going to seem as if we are losing everything. No. We are only losing CONTROL – we are losing our kingdom over the thing. And for a human being, that is really counter to how we are constituted in Adam. Thus, it’s scary.

Are we prepared to relinquish completely our say so over our lives – over even our internal makeup? Are we prepared to open ourselves up to God so that He can usher in HIS KINGDOM over us in that way? If we do relinquish this to God, I can promise TWO THINGS for certain. Number one: You will go through hell. I promise you that. Number two: You will get through hell and be set free into a relationship with Jesus Christ which comes in no other way.

The fact is, only God is qualified to rule your life. If you and I want to stay on the throne, God will let us – and we will get everything that comes with the package. The trouble is, in the end, all of the kingdoms of this earth – including the personal ones – are going to become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. Thus, if we expect to be able to live with God forever in that arrangement – which is the only one there is going to be for the saved – we had better get started now. Indeed, this is WHY God begins now. He is preparing us for the eternal ages.
Truth vs. Error

There are many today who teach the gospel of prosperity, the gospel of health, or the gospel of God making you a better person. Many speak of how Jesus wants you to be successful, to become a whole person, and how Jesus wants to build you into something for His glory. There are also those who teach spiritual growth and character development. But despite the fact that all of these things have Truth to them, and do speak of the ultimate goal of the Holy Spirit, teaching such things can become misleading if we do not preach the whole counsel of God on the matter.

And what IS the whole counsel of God on this matter? Just this: Before God can build us up, He must tear us down. The old must be dismantled before the new can be built. Our kingdom, and our will, must be set aside – in a way that WORKS IN LIFE – so that He can reign and rule in our lives. Or, to put it another way, there is no real, functional, power of resurrection life unless there is a work of the Cross.

Paul the apostle was not talking about his desire to get saved when he spoke of the need to, “be made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Phil 3:11) Paul WAS saved. He was talking about being made conformable to everything carried in that salvation. Thus, if you want to manifest the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, there is only one way – be carved into the shape of His death. Then you will fit into His kingdom through His resurrection.

Failure to see this leads us into error. Christians by the thousands try to function in resurrection power and end up functioning in soul power, personality power, and religious flesh. They think that what they have is IT – but it isn’t it unless they got it through the Cross. It is highly probable that this is the real reason why so many today are deceived. When is the last time you have heard the message you are reading in this article preached on Christian television, or from the pulpit. Yet read the Bible. It is there everywhere.

I say again: You cannot have resurrection life unless you are in the process of being made conformable to Jesus’ death – through the on-going work of the Cross. You cannot truly live under the rule of God, and in His will – unless there the Cross is put to your rule and your will. There are not shortcuts around this, or bypasses under it.

Note Paul’s words on this subject in only one of the places he writes about it:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death works in us, but life in you. (2 Cor. 4:7-12)

God cannot do much through people with His resurrection power until He deals with them through the Cross. I’m not talking here about dealing with SIN. I’m talking about dealing with SELF. I’m talking about the fact that you and I, without even knowing it, will take the things of God and use them for our own religious agenda, unless God dismantles our kingdom. I’m talking about the fact that without the humility that is brought by the Cross, we would eventually take credit – all the while denying it, of course – for all of the wonderful things God would do by His Spirit.

It is little wonder that the Cross is the greatest target of the Devil. You hear less and less of it among Christians today. It is, at best, a doctrine. Not a dynamic. This is deception, and accounts for much that is amiss in the church.

God’s Will

To be able to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” is not only a great responsibility, but a wonderful privilege. Do we realize that it means that we can, at any time, and regardless of any sins or mistakes we have made, always pray that prayer, and ask God to come in and take over – right where we are? God takes us right where we ARE, not were we AREN’T. And he simply beckons us to ask Him to bring in His kingdom.

God wants to come into a situation and take over. But He won’t barge in – at least not anywhere near to fully – unless we ask Him to come in. We can be sure of this, otherwise why would Jesus tell us to ask Him? The key here, I believe, is that we usually aren’t ready for Him to come in UNTIL we actually ask. By definition, asking means we have reached the place where we really want God’s will – although we probably have little idea of what that means.

It is not possible for us to want God’s will more than He wants it. After all, it is HIS will, isn’t it? And if He did not want to do it, then, well, it wouldn’t BE His will, would it? See what I mean? Thus, even if we don’t know what God’s will is in a situation, we can ask Him do bring it – and in doing so take our wills out of the picture. If we do, we will find out that God knows better than we do, and that by the time He is finished, our wills shall have been adjusted over to HIS.

Herein we see why this process of God bringing in His kingdom may seem to take forever. It is because this isn’t a matter of God just doing a THING called, “His will.” No. It is a matter of God bringing US into conformity with His will and kingdom. God is in the process of shaping us spiritually FOR His will. Then He will do it. Until then, He cannot do it.
The kingdom of God is first to be setup in the hearts of people. That requires INWARD adjustment. This will then make us fit to be compatible with any outward will of God that He wants to bring.

Spiritual Growth

When you and I hear the term, “spiritual growth,” we often think of US becoming better people – with Christ-like traits. We read the list of the fruits of the Spirit, and think that we will grow to practice them. We add terms like, “building righteous character,” and, “becoming conformed to Christ,” which are Biblical terms, and we think we know what they mean: God wants to do things to us and in us, and in the end, we will be like Jesus.

Well, let’s not quibble about terms. But the trouble here is that this whole concept, the one I just described, really isn’t what God is doing. It isn’t how God works, and it isn’t what spiritual growth is at all.

Spiritual growth is NOT me growing to possess Christ-like traits. No. It is me coming under the power of the Cross so that Jesus might shine through me. Righteous character is NOT me becoming more righteous. No. It is me coming under the power of the Cross so that the righteousness of Jesus might shine through me. “Building character,” is actually nothing more than ME BEING TORN DOWN, so that Jesus might be built up in, and through me. Go back to II Corinthians 4, quoted above. This is the Truth that is there.

Now, of course, this doesn’t mean we are passive. We have to live and believe and obey. The Holy Spirit doesn’t sort of, “take us over,” and live through us. No. All of this must happen as controlled under the power of our free will – but as subject to the Holy Spirit; the kingdom of God. But again – this is OTHER THAN what we imagine. It is the product of having my kingdom dismantled, and HIM exalted.

Let’s look at a couple of more passages which state this Truth:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Cor. 1:30-31)

Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Col 1:27)

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Col 3:3)

Jesus Christ is actually living in every converted person. Indeed, the life of Christ in us is really the kingdom of God – His life is that rule and kingdom. Not only that, but because His life is in us, everything we call, “Christian character,” is HIM – we merely manifest HIM. Thus, we see that it isn’t that we develop a THING called, “righteous character,” or a THING called, “holiness.” No. We are set aside by the Cross, and then JESUS CHRIST – not a THING, but a PERSON – shines through. This is a Truth and a reality which can be stated through a teaching, but which must be experienced.

Now ask: In order for Jesus Christ, the personification of the rule of God, to shine through me, does that not infer that everything about me which is contrary to Him must be set aside? Does this not infer that MY kingdom, MY will, and MY rule, and MY character, and MY religiosity, and MY thinking, and MY ways, and MY patterns, must be dealt with? Sure. That is the only way Jesus can be free to move through me. And it is really the only way I can be free.

Through the dismantling of our kingdom, and the invasion of His, God is bringing us back to the original design of relationship He built into human beings. Man was never made to be on the throne. God alone belongs there; when He is there, then man benefits.

May God bring His kingdom and His will into each one of our lives – both internally and externally, and may He do whatever is necessary to make that more than a theological concept, but rather a reality. We will never regret it. It spells freedom and everything the Bible talks about when it describes true Christianity. *

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Amen!!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

 

 

JESUS FULFILLED ALL THE PURPOSES OF THE 70TH WEEK

JESUS FULFILLED ALL THE PURPOSES OF THE 70TH WEEK

Hello all,

I am well aware that there are many out there that think either all or half of the 70th Week of Daniel is yet to be fulfilled. I have found that one reason most do not see this as true is because they see some of the purposes mentioned in Daniel 9:24 as still future, and see the people that will fulfill them to be the Jews. In fact, this is what most pastors preach and churches teach, but does that make it so?

In an attempt to add to the good studies that have been presented here, and to reinforce what they are teaching, I found a study that deals exclusively with the purposes of Daniel 9:24, and proves, biblically, how Jesus fulfilled every one of them. To me, it is of major importance that we garner the import of what this means, and how it aids our understanding of the end-times and what is yet to be fulfilled, and what is already finished.

But, as always, I encourage each one to find out for yourselves, as I know you will be glad you did.

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 http://www.christianitybeliefs.org/end-times-deceptions/an-end…

Jesus Fulfilled the Purposes of Daniel 9:24
During The 70th Week of Daniel

This 70th week of Daniel Bible study focuses on how Christ fulfilled all that was purposed in Daniel 9:24

The reason this is so important is that many Pastors teach that because the Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, and because they did not fulfill God’s requirements in verse 24; then they must be given more time to do it, which they teach will happen during the supposed 7-year tribulation period.

Let’s look at the purposes for the 70th week of Daniel, to see that it’s impossible for the Jews, or anyone, to fulfill the demands.

You will see that only Messiah the Prince, the Lamb of God, could fulfill them; which invalidates Pastors argument that the Jews will do it.

Here are the purposes of the 70th weeks of Daniel prophecy that are given in Daniel 9:24.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, (1)to finish the transgression, (2)and to make an end of sins, (3)and to make reconciliation for iniquity, (4)and to bring in everlasting righteousness, (5)and to seal up the vision and prophecy, (6)and to anoint the most Holy.”

Before we go through these purposes to see how Christ fulfilled them, let’s look at the proper context.

Prior to this prophecy, the Israelites had failed to keep God’s commandments to them, which resulted in His punishing them:
Solomon worshiped the false gods of his foreign wives, which caused God to split the kingdom in two, the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

The northern House of Israel fell into worshiping the false gods of the Assyrians, so God caused the Assyrians to attack and scatter them.

The southern House of Judah (the Jews) fell into worshiping the false gods of the Babylonians, so God caused the Babylonians to kill those who resisted, and take captive those who cooperated. They were in captivity for 70 years, which is when the 70 weeks of Daniel prophecy was given.

Through all of these calamities, there was always a faithful remnant who believed in God by faith, such as Daniel and Isaiah.

But the majority sought to fulfill the law out of their flesh and they always failed, for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” 1 Corinthians 15:50

So now God was giving the Jews 490 years to reconcile with Him and accept their coming Messiah.

God had punished them for 70 years, but His compassion caused Him to give them 490 years to reconcile with Him.

The simple context of the 70th week of Daniel is that the coming Messiah would offer salvation through the New Covenant to the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Jeremiah 31:31

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Romans 11:26

Those who accepted Him as their Messiah, the true Israelites of God would be saved. They would be saved to eternal life, but they would also be saved when they escaped the desolation of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., fulfilling the prophecy “so all Israel will be saved.”

Those that rejected Him as their Messiah would be lost in their sins, and they would be desolated at the hands of the Roman army.

With the proper context in mind, let’s go through the purposes of the 70 weeks of Daniel prophecy.

To finish the transgression:

A remnant of Jews returned to rebuild the temple and the city, but a majority did not repent of their sins and stayed in Babylon even after they were set free.

During his ministry, most of them rejected Jesus as their promised Messiah.

In Jesus condemnation of the Jewish leaders He said, “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” Matthew 23:31-33

The ultimate transgression of the Hebrew people is expressed by Peter: “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” Acts 3:13-15

In what marked their final rejection of Jesus as their Messiah, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem killed Stephen after he proclaimed, “You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” Acts 7:51-52

In Matthew 21:33-46 Jesus told the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers. In verse 43, Jesus told the Jews, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

This was fulfilled after the New Covenant was preached to the Jews for 7 years, then after Stephen was stoned to death, the message of the Gospel went to the nations (Gentiles).

Thus we see that the “thy people” of Daniel 9 24 included the very ones who were responsible for the death of their Messiah. The National transgression was complete.

Let’s now look at how Christ fulfilled the demand to finish the transgression.

Isaiah 53:5 foretold Jesus fulfillment, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

“And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15

To make an end of sins:

No man can stop sinning, so it’s impossible that the Jews could make an end of sins.

Let’s now look at how Christ made an end of sins.

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,” Romans 8:2-3

“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.” Hebrews 9:26

“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:11-12

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18

To make reconciliation for iniquity:

No man can make reconciliation for their sins, so this can’t apply to the Jews, only to our Savior.

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:10-11

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17

Reconciliation for iniquity was accomplished by the sacrificial death of Christ as the Lamb of God.

To bring in everlasting righteousness:

No man could ever bring in everlasting righteousness, so this can’t apply to the Jews, only to our Savior.

Everlasting righteousness was what our Lord manifested in His sinless life, and by His life, death, and resurrection, Christ has made everlasting righteousness available to all who accept it by faith.

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God–and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Is there any doubt that He ushered in everlasting righteousness?

To seal up the vision and prophecy.

Man cannot seal up the vision or prophecy, so this can’t apply to the Jews.

The Mosaic Law and covenant pointed to Jesus. He sealed them up, that is, he accomplished them, answered to them to a tittle; all things that were written in the law, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning the Messiah, were fulfilled in him.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17

To anoint the Most Holy:

Only God can anoint the Most Holy. The returning Jews rebuilt the temple, but it was never anointed by God, the Ark of the Covenant was never placed there, and God’s presence didn’t fill the temple.

Jesus fulfilled this when He came in the flesh and our High Priest was anointed.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38

In summary: All six of these purposes were fulfilled during the 70th week of Daniel. Jesus has fulfilled everything that He commanded the Jews to do.

In the words of the Messiah, “it is finished” John 19:30

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Clearly what was finished at the Cross is much more than most understands! I feel that not seeing this is a hindrance to rightly dividing the Word, and leads to all sorts of false prophecies and end time scenarios that are just not correct. In all honesty, it seems that man and his traditions and propensity to place these traditions into the Plan of God, have made complex that which is plain and simple.

As always, the discovery of one truth leads to the finding out of so many others. Surely this treasure hunt produces priceless jewels, which enlighten us, and encourage us to keep digging.

With love for all my brothers and sisters in Christ,

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

 

EZEKIEL 37: OF WHOM DOTH THE PROPHET SPEAK?

EZEKIEL 37: OF WHOM DOTH THE PROPHET SPEAK?

Hello all,

This is the study I promised about Ezekiel 37, and it is a good one!!
We speak of dry bones arising and most see these passages as representing National Israel. I used to see it that way before I really started looking into it. There is only one Body of Christ made up of His people throughout all time, there is no division into two different groups, for all is united in Christ and what He did at the Cross.

This is a verse by verse study/teaching that uses the KJV of the Bible, and biblical proof abounds as support for Dr. Matto’s comments. Therefore, including all the Bible passages that he uses does make this study rather long. I hope each one interested in learning the truth about Israel; will take the time to study along in your own bibles, as this study goes into detail about each verse, and how it relates to other passages throughout the whole of the Bible.

We will find out about how the dry places are the entire world that needs the living water of the Gospel and how the Lord is seeking His elect. Mankind is made up of dead bones before salvation, and only God can give them life. And much more about the how God’s elect are united in Christ.

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http://www.scionofzion.com

Ezekiel 37
Of whom doth the prophet Speak?
The church or national Israel?

By Dr. Ken Matto

For many years as I studied prophecy I would always come across a study of Ezekiel 37 and every prophecy book I read told me that Ezekiel 37 was a prophecy of the reestablishment of national Israel in 1948. As a good pre-tribber I accepted this theory for many years, since each prophecy mogul kept quoting their prophecy mentors.

But I don’t want to get into every phase of prophecy just what pertains to Ezekiel 37 and as always we will let the Bible be its own interpreter.

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Ezek 37:1
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

Keep in mind that Ezekiel, as John who penned Revelation, is in the Spirit. (Rev. 1:10; 4:2; 17:3 ) God is giving Ezekiel a vision. No specific valley is being mentioned therefore it is a spiritual neither political nor historical truth being taught. If this was national Israel, then the valley in view would have to big enough to envelop the entire nation of Israel. Notice the passage “midst of the valley.” Notice it is “the valley” not “a valley.” There are quite a number of specific valleys mentioned in Scripture such as: Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2); Eshcol (Deut. 1:24); Hinnom (Josh. 18:16). But in Ezekiel 37:1 there is no specific geographical valley in view.

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Ezek. 37:2
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

(Psa. 63:1 KJV) O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

(Isa 53:2 KJV) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

(Mat 12:43 KJV) When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

The dry represents all those whom God plans to save. Where does God save His elect out of? The dry places where there is no water of the gospel. (Isa 35:6 KJV) Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. When a person becomes saved they become as a stream in the desert. What is the condition of the desert and wilderness? It is a very dry place where water is very scarce.

As we see in Ezekiel 37:2, this valley is replete with dry bones. Is the world a dry place when it comes to the gospel? Absolutely! This is why the psalmist in Psalm 63 seeks the Lord from a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. It is the water of the gospel he seeks. He seeks to be bathed in the waters of Christ. (Psa 105:41 KJV) He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

When Christ went to the cross for the sins of His people the Rock of God was opened and then the waters of the gospel gushed forth in the dry places after He was resurrected the third day. Those dry places are the entire world to seek out His elect in all the nations. This Ezekiel passage also points out the fact that a person is a dead bone before salvation and only God can make them live. Salvation is through grace and not free will! Do these bones have the free will to make themselves live?

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Ezek 37:3
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

(John 6:37 KJV) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

(John 6:40 KJV) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

(Rom 11:34 KJV) For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

Here God asks Ezekiel a question as to whether these bones can live or not. Ezekiel answers in the correct fashion that only God knows if they will or not. It is the same with Christianity as only God knows who will be saved and not us and this is why we take the gospel to the world, to seek out the elect. As we see in our 3 passages that God gives the believers to the Son and as a result of salvation, they have eternal life. Ezekiel knew he could not know the mind of God on such a great issue as the building up of the church but left the entire matter in God’s hands. Ezekiel was just a willing participant in the scene which was about to unfold.

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Ezek 37:4
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

(Rom 10:17 KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Here God is using Ezekiel in a figure to prophesy over these bones. What is the method which God uses today and throughout the ages to bring His elect out of the nations? It is the preaching and proclaiming of the Gospel. As the believers are typed here as dry bones and are commanded to hear the Word of the Lord. Only those who are named from the foundations of the world will respond to that command and the one in Acts 17:30. (Acts 17:30 KJV) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

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Ezek 37:5-6
Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: {6} And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

(Gen 2:7 KJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

(Gen 3:21 KJV) Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Here God is likening the forming of the church to the intimate construction of a human being. For a human being to live they must be clothed in skins. For a Christian to be a Christian they must also be clothed in skins. Genesis 3:21 is a foreshadow of the clothing of the believer in the Robe of Christ’s righteousness. (Isa 61:10 KJV) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Then God says that He is going to place breath in us. As Adam became a living soul with the physical breath of life, the believer becomes a spiritually living soul when we receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. (Rom 8:14 KJV) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (1 Cor 3:16 KJV) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? Here we plainly see that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit at salvation, we then become a great part of the temple which God is building. The temple is a spiritual one and not a physical temple based on a biased misinterpretation of Ezekiel 40-48.
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Ezek 37:7
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

(Eph 5:30 KJV) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. The body of Christ is so intimately related to Christ that we are considered to be members of His physical body. The Bible gives us a little insight into this mystery. Do you remember Saul’s encounter on the road to Damascus? What did Jesus say to him? (Acts 26:15 KJV) And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. Well Saul wasn’t persecuting Jesus personally yet Saul was accused of doing just that. These passages give us insight into the intimate relation between Christ and the Church. Notice Jesus says “whom thou persecutest” which means when a slander or other persecution comes to a true believer, the persecution is actually railed against Christ Himself.

Another interesting peculiarity about our verse in Ezekiel is that it says, “bone to his bone.” Why not “bone to bone?” or why not “bone to her bone?” I believe we are gaining another insight into the intimacy between Christ and His church. When we become saved, our bones are members of His bones and where are bones in reference to the body human? They are inside! Where does the believer dwell? IN CHRIST!

(Rom 12:5 KJV) So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Here is another example of the intimacy of the body of believers as we are members of one another.

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Ezek 37:8
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

Here we see the sinews which are the tendons and the muscular system being placed upon the bones as they began to come together. Sinews is a term also used to describe strength. Whenever we see a strong person, they are normally one of a muscular physique. In the spiritual realm one of the names of God is “The Strength of Israel.” (1 Sam 15:29 KJV) And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

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Ezek 37:9
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

Even though these bones now had sinews and a muscular system to allow them to walk, yet there was no breath in them. God is commanding Ezekiel to prophesy over them that their breath should come from the four winds of the earth. Four is the number of universality which means the wind (in this verse is a type of the Holy Spirit) will come from all areas of the world. (John 3:8 KJV) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will begin to save God’s chosen elect from out of all the nations of the world and that evangelization of the world will come about only through the preaching of the Word. This is why we see that no one knows where the wind begins and where it ends because we do not know who God’s elect is and our responsibility is to keep preaching the Word so they will come. The four winds also play a part on the last day as Christ will send His angels to the four winds of the earth and bring in His elect.

Another interesting phrase in this passage is “upon these slain.” Apparently there once was life in these bones and this was a valley of death. When was the human race slain? In the Garden of Eden! After the sin of Adam and Eve, the whole human race was plunged into spiritual death because sin was now the legacy of all humans to the next generation.

(Luke 11:49-51 KJV) Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: {50} That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; {51} From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Here is the reality of human history. All the sins that were done before our time will still be judged on the last day. Notice the length of time from Abel to Zacharias which would be a couple of thousand years. Jesus refers to the generation of evil as all of humanity from the first sin of Adam to the last sin on the last day.

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Ezek 37:10
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

(Joel 2:11 KJV) And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

(2 Tim 2:3-4 KJV) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. {4} No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

God speaks of His church as an army. He calls individual Christians “soldiers.” Notice in the Joel passage the Bible tells us that “His” camp is very great. (Rev 7:9 KJV) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; This passage is telling us that a great multitude is in Heaven praising the Lord. This great multitude is the church as you notice they have come out of every tribe, nation, and people of the whole world. Until the last day, God will continue to save out of the world.

Let us look at an interesting passage which we find in 1 Samuel 17. David comes to the site where Goliath is taunting the Israelites. David had great spiritual insight as the others viewed the army opposing the Philistines as the army of Israel. Note how David viewed the army.

(1 Sam 17:26 KJV) And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

David viewed the army of Israel as the armies of the living God. As we become saved, we join the great army of God and we oppose the army of Satan, which is represented by the Philistines. In Revelation 19 the believers which return to earth with Christ are symbolized mounted upon horses and following the King of Kings. When speaking of the armies of Israel, the Israel in view becomes clearer in the next passage with supporting Scripture.

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Ezek 37:11
Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

When discussing the understanding of the above term “whole house of Israel” it behooves us to see what the Bible says on that term. In other words, who is the Israel in view? I want to offer quite a number of Scripture which teaches us that the Israel in view is the church and not national Israel.

(Isa 45:17 KJV) But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

(Rom 2:28-29 KJV) For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: {29} But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

(Rom 9:6 KJV) Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

(Rom 11:25-26 KJV) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. {26} 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:

(Gal 3:7-8 KJV) Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. {8} And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

(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.

(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.

(Eph 2:12 KJV) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

(Phil 3:3 KJV) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

As we have seen in these many verses that the whole house of Israel is not confined to one nation rather it’s borders reach into the entire world. The whole house of Israel contains both the saved Gentiles and Jews, otherwise known as the church universal. Abraham’s descendants would reach throughout the entire world. (Gen 17:6 KJV) And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. Here is a little insight about who will be the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. Notice the Bible states that “kings” will come out of her. Who are these kings? For the answer we must go back to the Bible and find our answer.

(Rev 1:5-6 KJV) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, {6} And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Notice in these two revealing verses who the kings of the earth are? They are another name for the believers. How do I know this? What does a king do? He reigns! (Rev 5:10 KJV) And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

(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.

(Rev 22:4-5 KJV) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. {5} And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

So here we see that those kings, the believers, are going to reign with Christ for 1,000 years which is a figure is representing the whole New Testament period which will culminate on the last day. We will reign on the earth and that reign will be forever and ever. As to what we will reign over, God has kept that to Himself and will be revealed in His timing which will probably be after the last day of recorded time. What a marvelous future for the believer.

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Ezek 37:12-13
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. {13} And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
Before we broach the subject of graves in these two verses, let us look at the term “land of Israel.” We have already seen that Israel comprises all the saved of both physical Jews and Gentiles. To give us a basic understanding we must go back to Genesis 17:8 which gives us insight of the land of Israel.

(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.

Let us go to a passage which details for us the term “stranger” that we find in Genesis 17:8.

(Heb 11:8-10, 13 KJV) By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. {9} By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: {10} For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. {13} These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Here we see that Abraham and the other Patriarchs had the spiritual insight to realize that their real home was not on this earth. Here we Christians are all strangers and pilgrims. How do we know that we are strangers on earth? Because your philosophy of life is different. Be honest on the job and see if you get promoted. Decry any form of sin, even in the church, and see the reception you get. I think you know what I am getting at. To be obedient to God is to rebuke the world’s ways. Another reason we know that the Patriarchs were seeing earth as a strange land is because of the following Scripture:
(Gen 25:8 KJV) Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Here Abraham was gathered to his people after he died and not before. We see here plainly that “his people” and ours are those who are already in heaven which means our people are God’s redeemed.

The second term I want to look at in Genesis 17:8 is “Land of Canaan.” We gain some insight into the Land of Canaan from Romans 4:13 “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

Notice the Bible states that the land of Canaan is an everlasting possession and when we look at Romans 4:13, we see that Abraham was to be heir of the entire world. Now we must ask the question, is Canaan limited to national Israel or is it limited to the entire world? The answer of course is the entire world as we have already seen that God is saving millions out of the entire world. Therefore, anyone who becomes saved has entered Canaan as they receive everlasting life.

Those who are of faith are Abraham’s seed and the world that he will be heir of are those who are being saved throughout the entire world. Then when God remakes the heavens and the earth, the ultimate fulfillment of the Canaan prophecy will be complete as only believers will dwell in the new heavens and new earth, thus making Abraham the heir of the entire world.

Now let us return unto Ezekiel 37:12-13 and deal with the term “graves.” Whenever we look at a term we try to harmonize it with the rest of the Bible. Let us look at some explanations of this term. Whenever we speak of graves we must ask the question, what does a grave hold? The answer of course is a dead body and how does God view the unbeliever and the pre-salvific believer? The answer is very simple, He views us as DEAD in our sins and we will look at a number of verses which teach this truth quite openly.

(Isa 65:1-5 KJV) I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. {2} I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; {3} A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; {4} Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; {5} Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Now here God is telling us that these people are remaining among the graves. Is He telling us they literally remain among the graves or is He using this as a figure? He is using it as a figure as he points out the character of these people. The traits He points out are the ones associated with unsaved people: rebellious, idolatrous, eating unclean foods, holier than thou mentality, etc. God lists traits which are associated with those who are dead in their sins

(Eph 2:1-6 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: {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: {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. {4} But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, {5} Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) {6} And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Here God plainly states that the believers were once dead in their sins as we followed the wickedness of Satan, which made us spiritual corpses. But God who named His elect before the foundation of the world quickened us or made us alive unto God and even raised us up and made us sit in heavenly places with the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, God has already seen the end of wickedness and His children reigning in the new heaven and new earth.

(Col 2:13-15 KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; {14} Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; {15} And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Here is another great verse of triumph for the believer. We were once spiritually dead but Christ took every penalty for every sin we committed, past, present, and future. Now because of Christ, there is nothing which can prevent the believer from going to heaven since every sin has been atoned for. This was the first judgment day, where Christ died for the sins of His people. The second judgment day will be the Great White Throne judgment where the unbeliever dies for his own sins.

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Ezek 37:14
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

I would like to offer a preliminary observation on this verse. If Ezekiel 37 was a prophecy of national Israel then something is wrong. God says He was going to place His Spirit in them. Who is God’s Spirit? He is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who bears witness with our spirit to the person and work of Christ. The nation of Israel is still in rebellion against God as they still reject and hate Christ. Since this condition persists today, it is obvious that God did not place His Spirit in the unsaved Jews or else they would be walking in Christ and not rejecting Him as they continuously do. (1 John 2:23 KJV) Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. So since they reject the Son, they are also rejecting the Father. (Rom 8:9 KJV) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Here God returns to the land again emphasizing that the land is not a physical land but it is the kingdom of God.

(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 God says that He is going to bring them into their own land and then sprinkle “clean water” on them. What is the clean water he is going to sprinkle on them? (Heb 10:22 KJV) Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. The water which is sprinkled on us is the water of the true gospel. This is how we are given a new heart and a new spirit. Our old dead spirit is made alive through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 5:26 KJV) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, Here we see that the washing of water comes by the word of God which brings the true gospel to its hearers.

Let us now return again to the term “your own land,” as so many choose to attribute this to the nation of Israel. Let us go back to the beginning and see where the idea of a land for Israel came from and how it has been misinterpreted and misapplied.

(Gen 12:1-3 KJV) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: {2} And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: {3} And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

(Gen 12:7 KJV) And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Based upon these 2 sets of verses we can safely conclude that national Israel will have a homeland and that came to pass when they left Egypt and the land of Israel was divided among the 12 tribes which as a whole became one nation. Now let us ask the question, is this what God had in view? Again we must let the Bible be our guide.

(Gen 13:15 KJV) For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Here is another insight as we see two words which must be factored into the equation and they are” for ever.” God is now beginning to add an eternal dimension while simultaneously speaking in the physical dimension. The only people in Scripture that will be dwelling in an eternal land will be the redeemed of God, therefore God does not have national Israel in view when He speaks of eternal things. Now of course, there are those who God saved out of national Israel and he is still saving many physical Jews today and bringing them into the Spiritual Israel. Let us look at one more verse which enforces this teaching and we have already looked at this verse already but it does bear repeating.

(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.

Any time you see any of the covenants in Scripture which have words in them which speak of eternity, you will automatically know that God is not speaking of a physical covenant but is speaking of the gospel which is an eternal covenant. God has already fulfilled His promise to Abraham in connection with the physical land. Here are some Scriptures which reveal this.

(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.

(Josh 23:1-5 KJV) And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. {2} And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: {3} And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. {4} Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. {5} And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.

(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.

(Neh 9:7-8, 23 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: {23} 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.
We see that the Scriptures teach that God fulfilled His word to the Patriarchs concerning the promised land. The Israelites went in and possessed the land according to the promises of God. When prophecy preachers and teachers write books and say that God still owes Israel a land, they err greatly because they are calling God a liar by evading these passages. God promised them the land, they received it but what happened?

(Ezek 33:25-29 KJV) Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? {26} Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land? {27} Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. {28} For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. {29} Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

God simply removed them because they became wicked and ran after false gods. This is why their land was taken from them and their disobedience does not constitute a debt of land being owed to them. They broke the covenant which resulted in the penalty of losing the land. Therefore, God owes them nothing and prophecy moguls who produce these false beliefs in their books are simply lying and are taking flight from the truths of the Scripture which we have seen.

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Ezek 37:15-17
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, {16} Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: {17} And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

Here we see that Ezekiel is commanded to take two sticks which represent the southern and northern kingdom of Israel. He is also commanded to take both sticks in his hand and as he does they shall become as one. Now for us to understand the spiritual meaning behind this we must look further in the Bible to give us understanding.

(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.

Notice in this passage that “strangers” will be joined to Jacob. Jacob is a biblical reference to the redeemed of God. Now what strangers are going to be joined to Jacob? When we go to the New Testament, we find in many places that God is going to save the Gentiles also not only a remnant out of national Israel will be saved but many Gentiles will be saved also. We read in Romans 11 about how the Gentiles were grafted into the natural tree. The truth of the Gospel came to national Israel first and many believed and into that tree were the wild olive trees or the Gentiles grafted in to salvation. The melding of both Gentiles and physical Jews to form the Israel of God is set out at the end of Romans Chapter 11

(Rom 11:25-26 KJV) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. {26} 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:

This verse has probably been the most misunderstood and misapplied verse in the New Testament. The prophecy moguls continue to use this verse as their prooftext that the entire nation of Israel will become saved at a future time. Even those who believe in free will apparently believe in predestination in that the whole nation of Israel is going to become saved. The key to understanding this verse is simple “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” We saw in Ezekiel that God is going to make one nation of Israel out of the two sticks, the southern and northern kingdoms. The spiritual principle is simple. When God begins to save the Gentiles out of many countries and when the last one is saved that is to be saved , then “ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED.” The all Israel is the Church of God and not the physical nation of Israel as we have already defined who Israel is.

(2 Pet 3:9 KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

(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.

Here are two verses which harmonize in meaning. In 2 Peter 3:9 we read that God is “not willing that any should perish.” Who are these that God does not will to perish? They are His elect and He has committed Himself to save everyone which He named before the foundation of the world to salvation. In John 6:39 Jesus states that all of those the Father gives Him will come to Him and He will not lose one single soul. 2 Peter 3:9 in no way means that God does not want any to perish in hell and that He is waiting for them to accept Christ. This has nothing to do with that type of thought. If God wills something, do you think created man has the ability to abort God’s will? I think not but there are many who propose free will who believe they can command God when they want to be saved. How about this one “I gave God permission to be Lord of my Life.” Arrogance, Blind Arrogance!!!!

Let us continue and look at a few more verses which give us a better understanding of the idea of combining two to make one.

(Eph 2:13-22 KJV) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. {14} For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; {15} Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; {16} And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: {17} And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. {18} For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. {19} Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; {20} And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; {21} In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: {22} In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Here we read that Christ is our peace who made one out of two, both Jews and Gentiles will be brought into the Church and as a result He makes one new man out of us. Notice the verses also state that He preached to those who were far off and near. This is another indication that the Gospel will go to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Also the Scriptures teach we both have access unto the Father by one Spirit. The teaching tells us that we all stand on the same footing and that no single race stands before God with a most favored status. We see that those who become saved are being built into a holy temple in the Lord. A while back I had mentioned the fact that Ezekiel 40-48 was not describing some “Millennium Temple” but it was describing the perfection of the church in building terms. Verse 22 reveals to us that the temple is a spiritual one and not a physical one.

(Rom 5:1 KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

(Psa 46:9 KJV) He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

The covenant of peace is the Gospel itself which brings peace between God and man. Unsaved man is at war with God until a person becomes saved then there is peace. (Eph 6:15 KJV) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; The wars that God makes to cease are the wars between Himself and unsaved man. When God saves someone, He ends the war and He does this all over the world as he saves His elect out of every nation and tongue.

Notice the Ezekiel passage emphasizes that the covenant of peace will be an everlasting covenant. If God was speaking about physical wars between countries or individuals, then something is wrong because as soon as one war ends another one starts somewhere. Since this is a perpetual covenant, we are on safe ground viewing this covenant as the Gospel itself.

(Rev 21:3 KJV) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The Ezekiel passage speaks of the sanctuary of God being in the midst of the believers forever. This seals the understanding that this Chapter is not speaking of the physical Jews but rather of the Redeemed of God.

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Ezek 37:27-28
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. {28} And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

(2 Cor 6:14-18 KJV) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? {15} And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? {16} And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. {17} Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, {18} And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God is saying that when we come out of the heathen and sinful practices, He will redeem us and be our God and Father forever and we will never be forsaken. Remember Isaiah 62:4? God continues to build the tabernacle of David or otherwise known as the church as we see in the Acts passage. The result of this building will be those who will seek the Lord, whom the Lord has called.

(Acts 15:15-17 KJV) And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, {16} After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: {17} That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

(Rev 21:1-5 KJV) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. {2} And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. {3} And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. {4} And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. {5} And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

What a beautiful passage to end up the study of Ezekiel 37. The heathen knows when God has sanctified Israel because every born again believer is a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Remember, “I once was lost but now am found.” We are found in the sanctuary in the midst of the New Jerusalem. God is our refuge and our strength.

Summation

We have come a long way in the study of Ezekiel 37 and we have safely concluded that this chapter is not speaking of the founding of Israel in 1948 nor does it apply to a future golden reign where all the physical Jews will become saved. This chapter deals specifically with the church as it is built one bone at a time. So the next time you read about Ezekiel 37 referring to national Israel, see if they go in depth as we did or if they just do a cursory “pick and choose” to make their prophecy fit into their personal molds.

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I hope this verse by verse study has shown those who see this chapter as referring to national Israel, that this simply is not the case when held up to close examination and Biblical scrutiny. It is about the building up of all the members of the Body of Christ, which becomes God’s chosen people, Israel. All Israel will be saved!! Everyone who accepted the free gift of living water from the Creator, and are born again, from above; all, no matter nation, race or color.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.