Month: May 2017

“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive,” (John 5:43).

Jesus said that one day there would come a man— not as a Jew—but “in his own name”, who would be received by Israel as her great hope.

In Daniel 9:27, the final years of this age begin with a world leader who helps bring about a treaty “with many” countries (& involving Israel) for 7 years.  People will be saying, “Peace and safety.”  Also, inherent in this final 7-year period is a rebuilt Jewish temple, which is desecrated 3 1/2 years into the treaty.  The desecration of the temple occurs when the world leader enters the temple and declares himself, savior to mankind.

We are currently watching on t.v. a dramatic scene in the Middle East.  The most powerful man in the world is being embraced by both Israelis and Arabs.  There is burgeoning hope that a true peace agreement will be made in the Middle East.

At the same time, the Temple Institute, with its active Sanhedrin, has been preparing for the rebuilding of the Jewish temple.  They only lack official permission in order to build.  That permission could be part of a treaty.

The coming “prince” alluded to in Daniel 9:26-27 makes his appearance on the scene of world history when he enacts a 7-year treaty with Israel and “many” other nations. The book of Revelation IS the unfolding of Daniel 9:27.  Many Christians do not understand that.

With the breaking of the first seal in Revelation chapter 6, a rider on a white horse is released.  This rider is carrying a large bow, but no arrows.  He has the potential of great power, but comes peacefully.  In the Bible, a bow can be a sign of a covenant or treaty (see Genesis 9:13).

“A crown was given to him,” (Revelation 6:2).  The rider of the white horse is embraced by the world as the leader to solve the world’s problems.

But, what starts out as “peace and safety” rapidly unravels into war (seal 2), famine & inflation (seal 3), death over 1/4 of the earth (seal 4), and martyrdom (seal 5).

During the economic breakdown that accompanies these seals, a new system of the “mark” will be instituted.  This is a sign of allegiance to the world leader, by accepting a “mark” in one’s right hand or forehead.  This mark will be tied into the ability to buy and sell.  In all likelihood, it will be a computer chip.

Buying and selling with a computer chip inserted into the hand is a fact of life in some countries today!  And the rest of us carry that exact, same chip in our debit and credit cards or smart phones.  The technology of the “mark” is already in operation in our world!

We may be watching the beginnings of something unprecedented in the Middle East:  a decision to cooperate in some type of peace initiative between Israel and the Arab countries.  The current peace talk is being brought about by a powerful world leader, while plans for a Jewish temple are nearing completion, and the technology of the mark is already operating.

I find myself in the peculiar position of having voted for a man, who could usher in the fulfillment of end time prophecy.  Or not.  But, if caught between two allegiances, I choose the One who came in His Father’s name.

A car can have a huge windshield with side and rear windows allowing for excellent visibility, but as any experienced driver knows, there can also be an area called a “blindspot.”  This is an area of the vehicle where it looks clear and safe, but in reality, where true visibility is suspended.  And that can be dangerous.

There are two blindspots in the church today regarding the nation of Israel.  Both blindspots are birthed in anti-Semitism!  One arrogantly dismisses Israel as no longer important.  The other feigns concern for Israel, but would desert her during her greatest hour of need.  Neither view is Biblical.

1)  ISRAEL AS NO LONGER IMPORTANT – Part of the church today believes Israel no longer matters.  They believe the church has replaced Israel in God’s affections.

In the Old Testament, there were hundreds of prophecies given about the coming Messiah.  Of the prophecies concerning Christ’s birth, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection, all were literally and historically fulfilled. The remaining prophecies concerning His second coming, judgment, and millennial kingdom will also be literally and historically fulfilled.  The blindspot ignores the fact that these prophecies revolve themselves around the nation of Israel. 

A serious study of the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 reveals a remaining 7-year period of significant Jewish history yet to be fulfilled.  Jesus Himself referred to Daniel’s prophecy in Matthew 24:15-31.  Read this passage carefully.  It has not yet been fulfilled.  We know this, because Jesus ties it into His second coming!

In order for the final 7-year period of Daniel’s prophecy to run, the Jews have to be in their land as a nation; Jerusalem must be their capital; and a temple must be standing.  The prophecy is “determined upon” these things being in place.

From 70 A.D. until 1948, it looked as though Daniel’s prophecy needed a re-interpretation, because there existed NO nation of Israel.  For almost 2000 years, Israel had been dead.  She was long dead, as the dry bones of Ezekiel’s prophecy.  But, on May 14, 1948— just as Isaiah prophesied— Israel became an official nation “in one day” on the scene of history.  In 1967, Israel regained Jerusalem as her capital.  And today, she stands on the cusp of rebuilding her temple!

During the nearly 2000 years when Israel was gone off the scene of history, Christian theologians began to theorize that Israel had been replaced by the church.  Once that idea took root, then the difficulty of explaining the book of Revelation happening only to the bride of Christ, was dealt with by spiritualizing or allegorizing the events of end times as just spiritual struggles Christians encounter in life.  Armageddon became a battle between good and evil fought within one’s heart and not on a literal battlefield on the plains of Jezreel in Israel.  Some major denominations embraced this view and still espouse it to this day.

But when the Jews’ restoration to the land of Israel actually started taking place (beginning in the late 1800’s), it forced a more literal re-interpretation of end times among evangelicals.  Since it was Israel who figured significantly in end times, where did that leave the church?

2)  THE CHURCH WILL NOT UNDERGO THE END TIMES WITH ISRAEL-  The pretrib rapture theory emerged as a theological explanation for what happens to the church during the end times.  It teaches a triumphant, empowered church, bringing the kingdom of God to this fallen world, and then being miraculously removed just prior to the ax falling on Israel.  This is the viewpoint of many evangelicals.

BOTH BLINDSPOTS ARE SCRIPTURALLY FLAWED.

The Bible teaches a literal unfolding of the events of end times, centered around the resurrected nation of Israel.  But, the church will also enter the 70th week with Israel, just as the Gentile Ruth entered the land of Israel with her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, during a season of hardship for them both.  It was only when the Jewish kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, took note of Ruth’s faithfulness toward Naomi that salvation came to both women.  To Ruth, she became the bride of Boaz.  To Naomi, she became the adoptive mother of Ruth and Boaz’s offspring.

In Romans 11, Paul unfolds God’s wise and unsearchable plan for both Jew and Gentile.  And that plan was this:  out of Israel would come a Redeemer for the whole world.  But, Israel would experience a partial blindness in accepting this Redeemer, in order that the fullness of the Gentiles could also come in.  Once that fullness was accomplished— with the gospel going out to “all nations”— then the end of this age would wrap up.  Redemption will come full circle, back to Israel once again!  The final seven years of this age will once again center upon Israel, whose blindness concerning Messiah will be taken away during this period! 

And what will Israel’s acceptance of Christ mean for the church?  “Life from the dead,”  (Romans 11:12-15).  Read this passage carefully, so you can grasp the correlation Paul lays out between Israel’s actions on one hand, and its benefit to us on the other.  

Like Ruth and Naomi, the church will enter the final seven years with Israel.  The true church will be a faithful companion to Israel during her great tribulation.  Then things suddenly change for both when Israel’s Messiah and the church’s Bridegroom appears in the clouds.  At that point, Israel will look upon Him whom they pierced and repent.  And the church will be taken into the presence of her Groom.  Israel’s enemies will then undergo trumpet and bowl judgments that resemble the ancient plagues poured out on Egypt.  Satan will, once again, be forced to “let My people go.”  Then the triumphant Groom, His bride, and His people will travel to Armageddon to dispatch Israel’s great enemy, Antichrist and his forces.

In the story of Ruth, the Jewish mother, Naomi, had a second daughter (in-law) named Orpah.  Like Ruth, Orpah expressed her love for Naomi in a willingness to accompany her back to the land of Israel.  But, when faced with a bleak picture of the future with Naomi, Orpah chose to leave.  Orpah is not heard of again.

Yet, the faithfulness of the Gentile daughter, Ruth, will forever be celebrated in eternity:  

“Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” 

May the church remain as faithful to Israel as Ruth was to Naomi.

Jesus’ response to a man who had just lost his father, but wanted to become a disciple of Jesus:  “Follow Me and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus’ comment to His own disciples, caught in a raging storm and fearing for their lives:  “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

Jesus’ instructions to His disciples concerning cities and towns that reject Him:  “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

Jesus’ view on bringing “peace” to this present world:  “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Jesus’ words on the place of family in our affections:  “He who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

Jesus’ view on God’s “wonderful plan for your life”:  “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Jesus’ words to Peter after Peter faltered in walking on water:  “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Jesus’ opinion of the religious leaders of the day who had gotten away from scripture and were “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”:  “They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Jesus’ words to one of His closest friends after that friend expressed deep horror that Jesus should suffer and die:  “Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus’ comment to His disciples after they failed to heal an epileptic boy:  “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?”

Jesus’ comment to a man who had suffered for 38 years with an infirmity:  “See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Jesus’ comment to a woman who had been living with a guy:  “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,” for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband.”

We are living in a generation of politically-corrected speech.  The truth is watered down, so as not to offend.  And lies are represented as half-truths.  No where is this more apparent than in our social media today.  And it is being practiced by some who have become so divorced from actual Bible teaching that a new gospel has come about.  That is the gospel of non-offensiveness, “Luv, luv, luv.”  We’ve become the generation of John Lennon instead of Jesus Christ.

Jesus would not receive a “like” today on Facebook even from some Christians!  He is too blunt, too honest, and always, always, holds His people to a high standard.

We have become a generation that is more concerned about feelings than truth.  “Speak the truth, in love,” one is always taught.  Yet, if truth be told, Jesus managed to offend even His closest friends and family on occasion.

God’s truth can hurt at times.  If it offends, it is because there is something in us that doesn’t like what He is saying.  Facebook would throw out the truth to spare the feelings.  God proclaims the truth and bids us to be crucified with Christ.

In the garden of Eden, God gave man one blunt command:  “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.”

But, Satan the serpent was cunning.  Satan saw an opportunity to deceive God’s people by appearing kinder and more sympathetic to them and questioning God’s motives.  “And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” 

The generation of today is one with pleasures and material possessions in abundance.  We have become narcissistic.  God has become an add-on to our lives and not the center of our lives.  Other things have usurped His place.  Our technology has puffed us up.  We are making the fatal mistake of equating intellect with wisdom; man’s teaching with the word of God.

We are seeing a different gospel being touted today.  It is the gospel of facebook.  A mindset that sees the old way as the wrong way; that sees the Bible as needing a radically new interpretation and presentation.  We have swallowed the lie of the garden, in its 21st century package.

It is becoming increasingly apparent to those who actually read the Bible and take it at its word, that Bible truth is being squelched in our society today.  Even some church services starting out with scripture are tending to launch out far, far away to the sea of man’s theology and his “hip” take on things.  A word of warning to all pastors and teachers out there:  One day you will stand before Almighty God and account for what you fed the sheep.  With all diligence, you’d better be sure you are preaching what the Bible actually says.

Jesus described the end time condition of the church in no uncertain terms.  It is“rich, increased with goods, having need of nothing.”  Yet, in God’s estimation, it was “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”  The very generation that might see the great tribulation of Antichrist, is also the most unprepared for it.

How does the military prepare men and women for the rigors of war?  It is not through some non-offensive, easy-listening-music program.  The military toughens its soldiers up, both physically and mentally.  The military equips and trains its soldiers how to survive and how to do damage to the enemy.  But, when was the last time you heard a really good sermon on sin, Satan, or the great and terrible Day of the Lord?  For the most part you won’t, because the facebook generation has blocked it.

The early Christians faced terrible persecutions, beginning with the crucifixion of their own Leader.  Both Jewish and Gentile believers faced imprisonments, arenas of wild animals, burnings, and crucifixions as they stood true to the Lord Jesus Christ— refusing to bow down to the emperor-worship that Rome required.

However, as has rightly been said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.  Despite hundreds of years of persecution by the government of Rome, Christianity spread like wildfire.  Something had to be done.  Satan, who was the mastermind behind these persecutions, had to change tactics.

In 313 A.D., there was a sudden reversal of attitude of the Roman government toward Christianity.  Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, better known as Constantine the Great, claimed conversion to Christianity.  Whether his conversion was genuine or not, the end result was that overnight, the persecuted church of Jesus Christ became the legitimate and favored religion of the Roman Empire.

However, this legitimatizing of the faith by the Roman Empire proved more successful in undermining the purity of Christianity, than centuries of outright persecution.  Satan had stumbled upon a winning formula.

The pagan religion of Rome with its Babylonian roots merged with the newly legalized Christian faith.  Idol worship flooded into the church.  Salvation by works and offerings of money became the rule.  Gradually the people became divorced from the pure word of Scripture as headship of the churches fell into the hands of a few, ambitious men.  Quickly, a separation became instituted between clergy and laity, with only the clergy able to teach and discern “truth.”

This compromise of the pure, early Christian faith with paganism would require multiple reformations later on.  Today, we are still reeling from this influence and some dross still remains.

Prior to the election of 2016, the church was the underdog in America.  For eight years we were assaulted with unjust laws, morals, and attitudes that were in opposition to our Christian beliefs.  The persecution helped to unite and purify us.  But a sudden reversal happened in November when a man,  openly supportive of Christianity, was elected into office.  Since Donald Trump’s election, the Christian has found itself back in favor in government, with some unjust rulings being turned back.

But, like Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., the church now faces some danger.  Because the good will and protection by the current administration obligates Christianity to other faiths. The religious freedom act of the Rose Garden was heralded by all faiths, pagan and otherwise.

In the President’s address in the Rose Garden, there was announced his first upcoming foreign trip.  On that trip, he will visit the capitals of the world’s major monotheistic religions:  Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s Mecca and Medina; Jerusalem, center of Judaism; and Rome, headquarters of the Catholic church.  The President already has the full support and cooperation of evangelical leaders in the U.S.  The upcoming trip is a decided political move toward gaining cooperation among the major religions of the world.  Peace and cooperation among religions, which hopefully will help forge a peace in the Middle East.

The Bible says that this will happen one day.  If a 7-year treaty of peace for Israel results from these overtures, allowing for the rebuilding of Israel’s temple, then we will have just stepped over into the final seven years of this age preceding the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

If you are not being led and guided by the word of God, this treaty could fool you.  For it will start out looking like one of the greatest feats of negotiated cooperation among nations and religions in the history of the modern world.  But Paul the apostle warned concerning this:  “For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety’; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape,” (I Thessalonians 5:3).  It behooves us, the Christian church, to be very discerning in this day and hour.

During the National Day of Prayer in the Rose Garden at the White House, President Trump signed into law a religious freedom act.  The ceremony was attended by many well-known Christian leaders who applauded the President’s efforts to renew and protect the religious liberties of Americans, including easing IRS rules on houses of worship.

Behind President Trump stood representatives of many faiths:  Christian, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Eastern faiths.  They were all assured that their religious liberties will continue to be protected by the U.S. constitution.

In the middle of his speech, President Trump made mention of his first foreign trip which would take him to the religious capitals of the world’s major monotheistic religions:  Saudi Arabia (home of Islam’s Mecca and Medina), Jerusalem (home of Judaism), and Rome (home of Roman Catholicism).  President Trump already has the full support and cooperation of evangelicals, who are headquartered in the United States.

The goodwill and cooperation of the religions of the world in the name of “peace” is a first step to a much greater goal.  President Trump hopes to garner support for his declared plan to bring peace to the Middle East.  It was just this week that Trump met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  Abbas’ reaction to the meeting:  “Mr. President, with you, we have hope.”

All of this sounds good on the surface. But it behooves the Bible-believing Bereans out there to be wary.  Why?

1. The Bible teaches that the final 7-years of this age begin with a treaty or covenant between Israel, a world leader, and other nations (Daniel 9:27).  Inherent in this prophecy is the existence of a rebuilt Jewish temple. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has everything ready to erect this temple in record time, including the training of the temple priests.  They only lack official permission to build.  This permission could be part of the treaty’s stipulations.  Revelation 11:2 seems to hint that a shared arrangement of the Temple Mount will be negotiated.  The area outside the temple will be “given to the Gentiles.”
2. The unity or cooperation of the religions of the world marries Baal with God Almighty.  Where in your Bible has this ever resulted in good for God’s people?  Co-existence has always necessitated compromise of one’s faith first.
3. In the end times, religious freedom will still be in place… for a time.  Reading ahead in Revelation 13, we see where there will eventually be some type of “mark” placed on or in the hand or forehead of people for the purposes of buying and selling.  This mark will be the world leader’s way of ensuring the cooperation of people.  The real game-changer will be economic control of people.  Many prophetic teachers see the computer chip being used as the mark of the beast, allowing for control of the world’s economic systems.  An implanted chip in the hand for the purposes of buying and selling is now a fact of life in several countries of the world.   The rest of us carry that same chip in a debit or credit card, or an iphone.
4. As I write this, Air Force jets have intercepted Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska, and North Korea has just fired a ballistic missile.  Syria is a mess.  And huge famines are wiping out populations of people in Africa.  The world is heating up.  The groundwork may be being laid for the necessary second coming of Jesus Christ, before mankind does himself in.
5. THE CHURCH— FOR THE MOST PART— IS CHOOSING TO IGNORE THE GATHERING STORM CLOUDS.  We should be proclaiming the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!  But, how many churches are?  And have any of President Trump’s ministers warned him of Bible prophecy concerning Israel?  Or are they even aware of it?