The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 8

To what extent is the Kingdom of God manifest today?

It's taken a while (longer than I originally anticipated) but so far a foundational truth has been established: The Word of God divides the course of God's redemptive purpose into two ages: This Age and The Age to Come. These two ages are separated by the Second Coming of Christ and the first resurrection. The fullness of the Kingdom of God belongs to The Age to Come, and if that were all there was to the Kingdom, then the gospel of the Kingdom would be strictly that of promise. Salvation would be little more than an insurance policy to provide against a future day of trouble. It's present value would be little more than to provide a sense of security for deliverance on the day of judgment.

However, the bible makes it clear that there is a transition from This Age to The Age to Come which lasts 1000 years, called the Millennium. At the beginning of the Millennium, Satan will be bound and thrown into the abyss. The earth will then enjoy a new measure of the life and blessings of the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 65:20-25). At the end of the Millennium, the devil is released from the abyss, and amazingly he again deceives multitudes and incites them to rebel against God. God visits the earth with fire and devours all His enemies and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, joining the beast and the false prophet where the unholy trinity will be tormented forever (Revelation 20:7-10).

Then the fullness of the Kingdom of God will finally be realized in a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21). Again, if this were the complete program of redemption, we would have merely a religion of hope and promise. Please don't get me wrong - Christianity is full of hope and promise, but Christianity (The Gospel of the Kingdom) is not a religion, but a relationship, so it goes beyond hope and promise. There is a further overlap of the two ages, beyond the Millennium. The New Testament is full of explicit statements compelling us to conclude that the blessings of The Kingdom are not exclusive to He Age to Come. The theology of the New Testament as a whole supports this as well. Hebrews 6:5 speaks of those who "tasted.....the powers of the coming age." Something has happened causing the powers of The Age to Come to penetrate This Age. And while a "taste" is not a seven-course banquet, a taste is still real; more than a promise it is something to be experienced.

Paul says in Galatians 1:3-4 "Grace and peace to you (virtually every epistle begins this way; grace first, followed by peace) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Hallelujah! Satan may still be the god of this world (This Age) but the power of The Age to Come has projected itself back into This Age in the person of Jesus Christ, so that we might be delivered from this present evil Age. "Glory to God forever and ever! Amen!" (Galatians 1:5). Paul gives an amazing theological exposition in his letter to the Roman Christians, and the last verse in chapter 11 reads, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36).

He then begins chapter 12 with the words "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy...." What are we to do? Present our bodies as living sacrifices.....Do not be conformed to the patter of this world (This Age) but be transformed by the renewing of our mind... It is only by undergoing an inner transformation, which is the result of the power of The Age to Come penetrating back into this present evil Age that we can keep from being conformed to This Age. By this new power we are able to test and approve that which is God's perfect will.

What does this mean? The follower of Christ is now caught up in the conflict of the ages, as the Kingdom of God which belongs to The Age to Come has overlapped with This Age. Therefore, we may be delivered from This Age and no longer live in conformity to it. This is not easy, and it is not complete and it is a struggle. It helps to know that God has a plan and a purpose. The plan (which includes the order of things) is outlined in 1 Corinthians 15:22-26. This passage declares that the Kingdom of God is the reign of God through Christ destroying the enemies of God's reign. The highest expression of the Kingdom is the defeat of death. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (v. 26). This does not happen at once, but in three stages: "Christ the first fruits; after that they which are Christ's at His coming. After that comes the end, when He delivers up the Kingdom to God the Father." (v. 20-24 paraphrased).

This all begins with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is history; not something to be anticipated in the future. That is our assurance of our own resurrection (or sudden transformation) - a resurrection has already happened. Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also" (John 14:19). This is the meaning of the power of His resurrection, in that it enables us also to partake of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). Jesus in His human body, died for our sins and rose on the third day, "so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14-15). It is only when we enter into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that we experience the power of The Age to Come in This Age. When we no longer fear death, to paraphrase William Carey, the "Father of the Modern Missionary Movement," there is nothing we won't attempt for God, nothing we won't expect from God.

Take a look at Galatians 2:20, for that is where we will begin the next time. Good stuff with which to end one year and begin another. Be encouraged in Christ.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 7

Last time we ended by pointing out the stark contrast between "this age" and "the age to come," or, to put it another way, the present "kingdoms of this world" which shall become, at God's appointed time, "the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ..." (Revelation 11:15). Until that time, while there is a manifestation of the Kingdom of God in the church, in the present, it is primarily one of the Kingdom being within the life of the individual believers who make up the church. "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, 'The Kingdom of God does not come with careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within you.'" (Luke 17:20-21).

And so we must point out here that it is the coming (parousia) of the Lord Jesus Christ that will separate This Age from The Age to Come. And further we must say that before the final consumption of God's redemptive purpose, Scripture teaches that the earth is to experience an extended period of our Lord's glorious rule, a literal 1,000 year period known as the Millennium. (Revelation 20:1-9; Isaiah 65:17-25). If The Age to Come is thought of as existing beyond history, then the Millennium will witness the triumph of God's Kingdom within history.

This is made easier to see when one understands the "Biblical prophetic perspective." The prophets of old often described the distant future, not only as a single although complex event, but the immediate future and the distant future were often described as a single act of God. The same can be said of Jesus' prophetic utterances recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. History makes it clear that the Lord was not only describing the historical destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (A.D. 66-70), but it was against the backdrop of the eschatological Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. The Old Testament makes no clear delineation between the Messiah coming as a suffering servant (Isaiah 53, Zechariah 9:9-10) and the Messiah coming as a conquering King (Isaiah 9, 11).

George E. Ladd, in his book "The Gospel of the Kingdom" states, "The Old Testament makes no effort to synthesize the prophecies; and the effort to decide which prophecies apply to the church age, which apply to the millennial era, and which belong to the Age to Come ignores this basic fact of the prophetic perspective." Further study of Revelation and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 make it clear that there are at least two eschatological stages in the future establishment of God's Kingdom. There are at least two resurrections. There are stages in the defeat of Satan. Death and the grave are not destroyed until the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:14). Jesus possesses the keys of Hades and death now (Revelation 1:18) but the prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," will not be fully answered until the close of the Millennium.

So what can we conclude from our study thus far? 1) We shall never experience the full blessings of God's Kingdom in This Age. 2) The perfected Kingdom of god belongs to The Age to Come. 3) When God's people are called upon to pass through severe sufferings and tribulation, they should remember that God has not abandoned them, but that their sufferings are due to the fact that they no longer belong to This Age and are therefore the objects of its hostility. 4) Finally, the Kingdom of God will never be fully realized apart from the personal, glorious, victorious Coming of Christ. Men cannot build the Kingdom of God; Christ will bring it!

Next time we will be encouraged as we begin to study the extent to which the Kingdom of God today.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 6

"Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16) It's an age-old question. Maybe a drink from the fountain of youth will do it. Maybe slaying the dragon will do it. Maybe going out in a burst of heroism will do it. What good deed.......?? What would you give for the answer to that question? The answer is there in the text, but it may not be what you think it is. It's not specifically about selling everything and giving the proceeds to the poor. Oh, it was for this rich young ruler, but it may be something different for you or I. Jesus in essence told him, "Rid yourself of every restraint that hinders you from becoming (and being) my disciple."

Jesus' remark a few verses later, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:23-24) Jesus was declaring an absolute impossibility, which only God can reverse. Only God can bring the sincerely seeking heart to the place where it trusts in nothing but His grace demonstrated on Calvary's cross. It takes the working of God the Holy Spirit to bring one to the place where the words of the old song become personal" "Nothing of myself I bring, only to the cross I cling..."

In passing, I would like to point out that Jesus in this passage uses the terms "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of God" interchangeably. More to the point, it probably has to do with the language in which Jesus taught (Aramaic) and the language in which the New Testament was written (Greek). In any event, they are interchangeable, and include eternal life, which is also interchangeable with salvation. Jesus says that this is not attainable by man's efforts, and anything which is pursued and/or held on to as a substitute will disqualify one from the true prize. If you will remember in Jesus' parable of the sower, both the rocky soil and the thorny soil represent people who have received the Gospel of the kingdom. In one case, persevering faith is interrupted by persecution and affliction, both of which produce fear. In the latter case, the deceitfulness of riches (the rich young ruler's problem) materialism, and the cares of the world (the cosmos or world system over which Satan temporarily rules) choke out seed's ability to produce fruit.

So it is a miracle that anyone, rich or poor, to have his affections turned from the things he either desires or worries about so that he may become a disciple of Jesus, and thus be prepared to enter the future Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus goes on to say that those who have experienced this miracle, and have abandoned those things they once trusted in, will experience in this life great blessing along with persecution [present Kingdom benefits] and in the Age to Come, eternal life. (see Mark 10:30) If these parallel passages were the only biblical teaching we had about eternal life, we would have to conclude that it (and the Kingdom of God) will come only when Jesus returns. This occurs following the resurrection. As Paul says, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 15:50). Only in transformed, resurrection bodies will we enter the Kingdom of God.

In the parable of the tares, we find that the Kingdom of God will be introduced by the day of judgment (Matthew 13:39). In the parable of the net Jesus says, "So it will be at the close of this age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire." (Matthew 13:49-50). Thus we find that the Kingdom of God belongs to the Age to Come and is set in stark contrast to This Age. This Age is dominated by evil, while the Age to Come will witness the fullness of God's Kingdom and the perfection of His reign. The simplicity of this is interrupted by something called the Millennium, about which we'll speak next time. Then we will transition into the "now' aspects of the Kingdom of God. As we sort this out, be encouraged to trust Christ always. He is the key to the Kingdom!!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 5

In Part 4 we introduced the fact that the Kingdom of God is Tomorrow. Today we will continue with that concept, and a troubling concept it can be, especially when you look at the sample list of those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:19-21). Every one of us on the planet who has reached the age of accountability is guilty of practicing such vile things. And then Jesus comes along and makes it worse by saying that lust is as bad as the act of adultery or fornication, and anger without cause is as bad as murder. He goes on to tell his amazed audience that they need to love their enemies; turn the other cheek; and this catch-all statement: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20).

Jesus is not adding one impossible standard after another to 513 that the people could not keep already. If anything, Jesus is making it absolutely clear that no one will enter the Kingdom by keeping the Law.

We find that the Bible frequently contrasts the tomorrow aspect of the Kingdom of God with the spirit of This Age. The spirit of This Age is portrayed as hostile to the Gospel of the Kingdom. Matthew 13 tells us what happens when the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached. Now remember; this is the Good News of the Kingdom. For there to be good news, there must be bad news. The bad news is that nobody can keep all 513 of the Jewish Laws to get into the Kingdom. The bad news is that nobody can maintain all of the right attitudes that must accompany the keeping of the Law to get into the Kingdom. The bad news is that by our (sinful) nature we are objects of God's wrath and cannot enter the Kingdom. The good news is that there is a way into the Kingdom.

When this good news is preached to some people, because of a lack of understanding, the words are like seed bouncing off the cement. They neither sprout nor take root, but are snatched away by the evil one. When preached to others, the Gospel is received with joy, but when persecution arises because of the Gospel, these people wither like plants with shallow roots under a scorching sun. There is yet another group of people who hear the gospel, but the care of the age and the delight in and the deceitfulness of riches chokes out the word and it proves unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22). This is common in the advanced and prosperous western cultures. The care of the age goes beyond the challenge and anxiety of making a living; it is the entire spirit which characterizes This Age: worry and anxiety about physical life, the pressure and drive for wealth, success, prosperity and power. All of this is involved in the care of This Age. The spirit of This Age is hostile to the Gospel, and by persecution or pressure for possessions and prosperity, it causes the Gospel to be unfruitful in the lives of those unwilling to pay the price of following Christ.

The inspired writings of Paul reveal a core truth: "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). In God's judicial righteousness, Satan has been permitted to exercise much authority and power throughout This Age. While all the pain, suffering, conflict and evil originate from Satan, man cannot cop to the "Devil made me do it" excuse; man remains a free moral agent. As such he is answerable to God and to his fellow man. We also discover that the root of evil is blindness or religious unbelief. Sin is primarily religious and secondarily ethical. Satan's objective in all of this is to keep men from Christ. It is obvious then that the Kingdom of God is opposed to and does not belong to This Age.

Next time we will pick up the story of the rich young ruler and and his attempt to secure eternal life (in the Age to Come). Until then, don't worry about tomorrow.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 4

The Kingdom of God is Tomorrow. This is not meant to encourage you to adopt the slogan of the grasshopper as your own: "Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?" Remember our basic description of the Kingdom of God? It is basically the rule of God; or divine sovereignty in action. It is helpful, however, to remember that God's reign is manifested in several realms, and the Gospels speak of entering into the Kingdom of God both today and tomorrow. There is both a future realm and a present realm in which men may experience the blessings of God's reign. For the moment, we are going to focus on the future realm.

It is a clear teaching of the New testament that God's will (and the accompanying enjoyment of blessings) is not to be perfectly realized in this realm. Central to Biblical Theology is the doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This doctrine, and what Scripture says what must transpire on planet Earth before the Lord's return is central the ministry of Encouragement for End-Times Endurance http://www.endtimesencouragement.com/ Just as there are two advents of Christ, one in the flesh which we call the Incarnation, and the other in glory, which may be called the Parousia, so there are two manifestations of God's Kingdom: one which is present now because God's Son has appeared among men, and one in power and glory when Christ returns. For now we will look at the final realization of God's Kingdom in the realm "beyond history"

Properly understood, the Bible does not present a view of time, and then eternity. The Bible really presents the linear concept of eternity simply as unending time. There are two Greek word in the New Testament translated by the single English word "world." The first is kosmos, which in its most common usage means the world as the sum and total of everything constituting an orderly universe. (Oscar Cullmann, Christ and Time, S.C.M. Press, London, 1951). The other Greek word translated "world" is aion, which is better translated "age" as in a period of time. The entire sweep of man's existence is set forth in terms of this age and the age which is to come.

In Ephesians 1:21, Paul speaks of the exaltation of Christ, not only in this age (aion) but in the age to come. The blessing eternal life Christ speaks of for those who have left earthly comforts for His sake will come in the age to come. Over and over the New Testament speaks of two different ages, separated by the Second Coming of Christ and the First Resurrection. This present age will end with the Parousia and it will be followed by the age to come. In Luke 20:34-36 Jesus speaks of "those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead...." Reading through the passage you discover that in this age, marriage is a necessary (and honorable) institution, but that a different state of affairs will exist in the age to come. The "sons of the resurrection" will be immortal, and thus this present age will be separated from the age to come will be separated by the First Resurrection.

We read that Christ "gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father," (Galatians 1:4). A more detailed presentation to the order of this present evil age is given in Ephesians 2:1-2, and all believers once walked in accordance with this order. The New Testament is full of non-exhaustive lists describing our attitudes and activities as we walked in ways displeasing to God. For example: "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).

Whew! Is there any hope of inheriting the Kingdom of God; is there any hope of ever entering it? I know this is rather a down place to stop; but I promise you: It is not the end of the story. Please keep in mind that the title of this blog series is "The Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom. So stay tuned..........

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 3

To understand the Kingdom of God, we must understand the biblical meaning of the word, "kingdom." The archaic definition from Webster's dictionary gives us a clue. "The rank, quality, state, or attributes of a king; royal authority; dominion; monarchy; kingship. The primary meaning of both the Hebrew Old Testament word and the Greek New Testament word translated "kingdom" is the rank, authority and sovereignty exercised by a king. We have already ascertained that the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14) meant the Gospel of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Now we are ascertaining that, first of all, a kingdom is the authority to rule, the sovereignty of the king. So when it is written in Ezra 8:1 of the return from Babylon "in the kingdom" of Artaxerxes, it refers to his reign. Likewise, when the Scriptures refer to God's Kingdom, it refers to His reign, His rule, His sovereignty and not the realm in which it is exercised. (George Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom, [Wm. B. Erdmans, Grand Rapids, 1959] 20).

In Hebrew poetic expression, God's Kingdom is also His power. (Psalm 145:11). "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations." (Psalm 145:13) It is God's rule which is everlasting, not the realm of His rule, for the Scriptures also declare that this heaven and this earth will pass away. (Mark 13:31) So when Jesus said that we must "receive the kingdom of God" as little children, (Mark 10:15) He wasn't speaking about receiving the church, or heaven, but God's rule. So here we begin to see a condition of the Kingdom: to enter the future rule of the Kingdom, one must submit, in complete trust, to God's rule in the here and now.

How many times have you heard it said at a funeral, "Well, so-and-so is in a better place now"? For that to be true, so-and-so had better have already submitted to the rule of God in his former life. It is not written for nothing, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness." (Matthew 6:33) When we pray, "Thy kingdom come," we are not praying for heaven to come to earth, really. Apart from the reign of God, heaven is meaningless, so we pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10).

Now we've dealt with the primary meaning of the word "kingdom," but let's face it; a reign without a realm in which it is exercised is meaningless. So we find that the Kingdom of god is also a realm in which God's Kingdom may be experienced. In this regard, the Bible sometimes speaks of the Kingdom as a realm to be entered at the present; sometimes as though it were future. In passages such as Matthew 7:21; Mark 9:47, 10:23, 14:25 the Kingdom is equivalent to that aspect of eternal life which will be experienced only after the Second Coming of Christ. Other passages, such as Luke 16:16, 11:52; Matthew 21:31, the Kingdom is spoken of as being present, capable of being entered now.

So we are faced made up of three facts: 1) Some passages of Scripture refer to God's Kingdom as His reign; 2) Some passages refer to it as the realm into which we may now enter and experience blessings; 3) Others refer to a future realm which will come only with the return of Christ, into which we will enter and experience the fullness of His reign. So, the Scriptures must be studied to determine by context which meaning is correct for the particular passage. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Fundamentally, the Kingdom of God is God's sovereign reign; but God's reign expresses itself in different stages throughout redemptive history. On occasion, God has entered human history and has abruptly changed it's course (the flood, the exodus). He has also entered human history and changed human destiny, but the manner of change has been much quieter, although no less real. I'm speaking here of the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, speaking to us, and expressing in human form the image of God. (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-3) Thus man has been able to enter the kingdom of God at various stages of its manifestation, where they experience today, enjoying in part but in reality, the blessings of God's reign, while they await the fullness of those blessings to manifest when Jesus returns as King of Kings.

So when you pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," pray with thankful confidence that His Kingdom is coming, and it will fill the whole earth. But when you pray that, also ask that God's will be done in the here and now (in you, in your family, in your church, town, state, country and the world). The church especially ought to be a fellowship of people among whom God's will is being done all the time. Our lives, our churches should be a sneak preview of the Kingdom of God.

"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-11)

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 2

Some theologians have reduced the Kingdom of God to the subjective realm of "here and now" describing it in terms of the human spirit in relationship to God. Others interpret it as the absolute "wholly other" which entered space and time in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Still others confine the Kingdom of God to the apocalyptic realm which will be inaugurated by the supernatural act when Jesus comes again, history is broken off and a new heavenly order begins. And to confuse things even further, since the days of Augustine, the Kingdom of God has been identified with the church: as the church grows, so grows the Kingdom. Some have extended this "Kingdom Theology" so far as to believe that the church will actually establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and then Jesus will come. This last view coincides with another theology called "Post-millennialism." It also fits, to some degree, with those who place great emphasis on the social gospel, whereby man builds the ideal social order by solving problems such as poverty, sickness, labor relations, etc. Unfortunately Marxists, Fascists, and Progressives hold similar views, totally bereft of God.


With that short background, many will say, "Enough, already! Let's go to the Word of God and see what it has to say." That's a wonderful idea, except if you were to look up every reference to the Kingdom of God for the Kingdom of Heaven in the New Testament (some 120-130, depending on the translation used) and wrote down a short summary of each verse, you would end up with a complexity of teaching. The Kingdom of God is a lot of things:

A Present Spiritual Reality: "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

An Inheritance Yet to be Bestowed: "Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'" (Matthew 25:34).

A Realm Into Which Believers Have Entered: [God] "has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).

A Future Realm to be Entered When Christ Returns: [there] "will be provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11).

A Future Kingdom Attended by Great Glory: [angels] "will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:41, 43).

A Kingdom Without Signs: "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed....... for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:20-21).

Is it any wonder so many different interpretations have arisen over the ages concerning the Kingdom of God. It's a present reality and a future blessing; an inner spiritual redemptive blessing, yet has to do with the government of the nations in the world; it's a realm into which men enter now, and a realm into which they will enter in the future; it is a gift which God will bestow in the future but must be received in the present.

I hope this has captured your attention while captivating your imagination. There is a key to understanding these varied definitions and applications of the Kingdom of God. It all has to do with this question: "What is the meaning of kingdom?" In our western thinking, a kingdom is primarily a realm over which a king exercises his authority. We don't have too many examples on the world scene today. The second meaning is the people belong to that particular realm. To exclusively apply either of these two ideas to the Scriptures leads us astray. Even the dictionary definition "the spiritual realm of God" is misleading. We will stop at that point, allowing us to complete our definition of "kingdom" and thus "the Kingdom of God."

Until then, keep praying......"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 1

The teaching series, "Birth Pangs and Fig Trees" ended last time at an interlude recorded in Revelation 10:1 - 11:14. Since it was an interlude, and since the series was evolving into a commentary of Revelation, it was probably as good a time as any to stop for a while. Additionally, God has been impressing on me more and more a need to study and teach on the subject, "The Gospel of the Kingdom." This does not represent a departure from focusing on "End-Times" matters; rather it focuses on one of the most important topics of the end-times. One of the questions most frequently asked concerning the end-times is, "When will the end come?" or "When will Christ return?" The date-setters have always failed when answering this question, but did you know that Jesus (Who, along with the rest of us does not know the day or the hour - Matthew 24:36) gave a very definitive answer to the question, "When?"

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

While we, along with Jesus, don't know the day or the hour, we do know the times and the season and by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit have the ability to walk in light so that the Day of the Lord will not take us by surprise. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). I doubt seriously that anyone will know precisely when the task mentioned in Matthew 24:14 is completed, but it does behoove us to know the gospel of the kingdom. We are told that "Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom...." (Matthew 4:23, NASB). The gospel of the Kingdom of God was the central message of Jesus' ministry. The phrase "Kingdom of God" appears in the New Testament 84 times - NIV and 90 times - KJV. The phrase Kingdom of Heaven appears 38 times - NIV and 40 times - KJV.

The Kingdom of God is basically the rule of God - the action of God's divine sovereignty and reign. It belongs to the present as well as the future. It is both limited and comprehensive. It can be resisted, and it is also absolute. It can take place in a nation, city, home or individual heart. The Hebrew-Christian faith expresses its hope in terms of the Kingdom of God. Biblical hope is not a pipe dream, but is an essential element ion the revealed will and redemptive work of the living God. The hope of the kingdom of God was seen by the Old Testament prophets as a day when men would live together in peace as described in Isaiah 2:4. (This Scripture is engraved on the walls of the UN Headquarters in New York - except the UN sees man as the one who will implement such peace, and not Almighty God.) The prophet saw a time when not only would all of the problems of human society be solved, but the present evils of man's physical environment would be no more (Isaiah 11:6)

Then came Jesus on the scene, announcing, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at

hand." (Matthew 4:17 NASB) Yet most of the Jews saw nothing of what was prophesied in Isaiah 2:4; 11:6. And today when you ask the Christian Church, "What is the Kingdom of God? When and how will it come?" you receive a bewildering array of answers. I doubt sincerely that I possess what it takes to give and answer to these questions that is both exhaustive and absolutely correct. But as we go through the study together, I am confident that the holy Spirit will give us a better understanding of this important subject than we started with.

In addition to trying to properly define the Kingdom of God, we will be looking for answers to some of these questions. Is the Kingdom just for the future; just for today; or both? What is the mysterious element of the Kingdom? What is life like in the Kingdom? Is there a righteous standard for the Kingdom? What are the demands of the Kingdom? Who gets in the Kingdom. Does the Kingdom concern just Israel, just the church, or both? What are we really praying when we pray "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven?" By God's grace I hope to stay at this to the tune of at least one blog (hopefully two) per week. Until then remember, "....unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5, NASB)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 28

When we ended last time, we were at the interlude of Revelation 10. This interlude, which continues through 11:14, does not advance the narrative in an obvious, chronological manner. John sees in his vision a mighty angel who comes down from heaven, awesome in appearance, and holding a little, opened scroll in his hand. The contents of the scroll are never revealed in the revelation. Whatever it says (and it may be nothing more than documentation of the angel's authority), the angel, by planting one foot on the earth and the other on the sea, indicates that the destiny of the whole world is involved. As the angel shouts with a lion-like roar, seven thunders speak. No doubt, the number seven here again represents divine perfection or completion. John is instructed to not write what he heard the seven thunders say. This is an example of a biblical truth revealed in the Old Testament. "The secret things belong to the lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)


Do you remember the promise given at the beginning of the Revelation? "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (Revelation 1:3) So I encourage you to read, to study, and to discuss with your children the things in the book. As you continue, understanding will increase. Don't let the secret things or the things which mystify cause you to neglect the book and so miss out on the promised blessing. It's not necessary, yea - it's not possible, to know in advance, without error, everything that will happen during Daniel's 70th week, in order to be blessed.


The mighty angel then, by the authority of "the Causeless Cause of All Things" announces that there will be no more delay. When the seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet (which contains the 7 bowl judgments) then all the prophecies that God revealed to His prophets about the final days will come to pass. It will accomplish the revealing of the "mystery of God." Then John is told to take the scroll from the mighty angel. As he does so, the angel commands John to eat the scroll.


I believe that what happens next is that John experiences on a grandiose scale what all people experience when they have an encounter with the Living Word of God. The scroll tasted sweet in his mouth, yet made his stomach turn sour. This quickly brings to mind this description of God's Word: "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) There is sweet blessing in the Word of God to all who hear, trust and obey; there is the curse of judgment on sin and evil which all who reject God's Word must face. Even for the believer, following the sweetness of salvation there is often the persecution and affliction which arises because of the word (Matthew 13:21). The believer often languishes in the face of injustice, crying out "How long, O Lord?" But when the time is right, the Lord will right every wrong, heal every hurt, and wipe away every tear. The double-edged sword will accomplish this, bringing everlasting joy to some and everlasting torment to others. (Why even entertain the thought of petty paybacks?)


The mystery will be how God has used centuries of Satan, and demon-inspired men, to have their way (that is to say, the wonder of evil prospering and good being trodden underfoot). God has partially checked this through governments, but governments become so corrupt that the idea of them accomplishing this to God's high standards is ludicrous. God's purpose in all this will ultimately be clear to all. John himself was experiencing the sweetness of God's Word (assurance of salvation and that God is in control) while experiencing the bitterness of being exiled to a labor camp because of that same Word. Yet in the end, John's commission (and ours as well) is clear - deliver the Word as it is given and revealed. "Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.'" (Revelation 10:11) This book applies to everyone.


I have experienced personally the privilege of standing on God's Word, and then being allowed to present it before people in high places of leadership in our nation. Whether leaders accept God's Word as authority on all matters, including politics and government, or whether they reject it, the Word is spoken as a witness (Matthew 24:14). That's one way in which we hasten the day of the Lord's return. So be encouraged my friend. God has called you to be a part of His End-Times plans.

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 27

"Woe! Woe! Woe! to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels." (Revelation 8:13) Woe unto me if I should have to face any of the 3 woes contained here in Revelation 8 or any of the 7 woes of Matthew 23. Trusting in my own righteousness, that is all I would merit. But, "Nothing of myself I bring, only to Thy cross I cling." "O Jesus Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, for Thou in Thine atonement, didst give Thyself for me. I owe no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne, my live I give henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone." "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)


Because of Christ, the wrath of God is not our portion. So it is that "in Christ" and from that exalted perspective, we view these three woes which befall those who still inhabit the earth. In quick order, the fifth trumpet is blown and a star falls from heaven. We know that this is allegorical language, because the star is given a key to the shaft of the Abyss (Revelation 9:1). This is reminiscent of Jesus words, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). Thus the star here in Revelation 9:1 is probably Satan, although it could be some other angel sent to do God's bidding. Smoke from the Abyss darken the light of the sun and out of the smoke appear locusts, who can sting like scorpions, and who look like armor-plated horses, and who, unlike natural locusts (see Proverbs 30:27) have a king over them, named "Destroyer." His name is given in both Hebrew and Greek, indicating that both ungodly Jew and Gentile are subject to them. The locust sting and torment men, but do not kill them, for five months. From this, we know that no matter how rapidly the trumpet and bowl judgments are meted out, the Day of the Lord's wrath lasts at least five months. There is nothing to say that this tormenting judgment does not overlay all the rest of the trumpet and bowl judgments.


The sixth trumpet is now blown and a voice speaks to the angel with the 6th trumpet telling him to release the 4 angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates for this very moment in time. (Revelation 9:15). They are released to kill 1/3 of the remaining humans on the planet, by means of a huge army, 200,000,000 strong. It is obvious that the army moves from the east, towards the holy City, and that the Euphrates River factors greatly into the troop movements. Look at a map of the Middle East and this becomes clear. What follows next is a man who lived 1900+ years ago trying to describe modern, even limited nuclear, warfare. The details of the battle are not nearly as important as is the following description of people at this time. I hope this does away with the romantic myth of some huge tribulation force developing on the earth after the Rapture of the church. Listen carefully.


"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts" (Revelation 9:20-21). At this point, just before the seventh trumpet is blown (which contains the totality of the 7 bowl judgments) there is a significant interlude and backflash in the order of events, which will prove significant.....so stay tuned until next time.


Be encouraged. Although things will get much worse on planet Earth, especially in the west, they will not get so bad that in Christ they cannot be endured. Go to Voice of the Martyrs website (http://www.persecution,com/) and see how Christians endure in North Korea, China, Etruria, et al. They know the sufficiency of Christ. They know that to live is Christ and that to die is gain. They know experientially that, "No temptation [test, trial] has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted [tested, tried] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted [tested, tried] He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 26

Just for practice, why don't we just give one another a "high-five!" Why? Because I might be wrong in my understanding of when the Rapture occurs, and if I am, I think the worst consequence will be that we all give one another a "high-five" while we're on our way up to meet the Lord in the air. If a generation of Christians is not going to be tested by the first 5 seals of Revelation 6, or the persecution of the Antichrist and the False Prophet of Revelation 13, then having prepared ourselves to face those possibilities will surely have prepared us to be ready for the imminent (any moment/with no preceding signs) return of Christ. On the other hand, if we buy into a "Your Best Life Now," or "Health and Wealth" gospel, we will be ill-prepared to face such tests and trials. If we have embraced a social gospel, which includes the idea of the church having replaced Israel completely in God's plan for the ages, we will miss the signs and again be ill-prepared to be purified as the Bride of Christ. If we embrace a dominion theology, we will be caught up in the Utopian myth that things will just keep getting better and better.

That having been said, I should point out that a few theologian still look at the Book of Revelation as being non-literal or allegorical. Another group, called Preterists, view the book as a record of conflicts of the early church with Judaism and paganism. As such, they view the Revelation as symbolic rather than prophetic. Still others view the Revelation as a symbolic presentation of church history, culminating with the second advent. This last interpretation refutes itself because of the multiplicity of identifications of the personnel of Revelation with a variety of historical characters. (Walvoord, John, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, pgs 16-20). The last approach to the Revelation is the futuristic approach, where everything in Revelation 4 onward is subject to future fulfillment, with the events in chapters 4-19 preceding the Second Coming of Christ. My view of Revelation is futuristic.

For two thousand years, Christians have been following the model of the Lord Jesus Christ in their prayers, saying, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Here in Revelation 8 we read, "Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints,went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake." (v. 3-5) God's Kingdom is about to come to earth in answer to the prayers of the saints, but first the earth must be cleansed.

John is about to give us a brutal, blow by blow description of what this cleansing entails. Peter, on the other hand, gives us just the big picture. "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [Remember Paul said the same thing, stating that that day would not catch the alert believer by surprise (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)]. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." (2 Peter 3;10) And so the destruction (cleansing) begins. The first trumpet is blown and hail and fire mixed with blood burn up 1/3 of all the earth's vegetation. Notice that there is no pause or further explanation, just a rapid transition to the second trumpet. At this judgment, a huge blazing mountain is thrown into the sea, turning it to blood, wherein 1/3 of all the ships and sea creatures are destroyed. Immediately the third trumpet is blown and a blazing star named Wormwood falls from the sky, affecting 1/3 of the earth's fresh water supply, making it bitter and deadly. As an aside, the Ukrainian word for Wormwood is Chernobyl. Also, have you noticed the constant reference to fire in these three judgments, matching up squarely with Peter's big picture?

Please hang in there a little longer; chapter 8 is almost over. Immediately the fourth trumpet is blown and 1/3 of the sun and moon are turned dark and 1/3 of the day and night were without light. I take this to mean that the Sun, Moon and stars did not "shine" for 1/3 of the time that they normally do. Revelation 8:13 continues the rapid progression, John stating, "As I watched, I heard an eagle flying flying in midair call out in a loud voice: 'Woe! Woe! Woe! to the inhabitants of the earth because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels." God in His mercy announces that things are about to get even worse. Unfortunately, we see no signs of man repenting during the outpouring of God's wrath. Brothers and sisters, take comfort and courage in the fact that no matter how difficult things get, we are not appointed to face the wrath of God, but rather to enjoy His salvation.

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 25

The birth pangs are over, and the baby has been born. The fig blossoms have become fruit. Sorrow and great tribulation have become joy and peace. That is if you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. At this point it is important that we distinguish between certain groups of people. We can begin with those who have trusted Christ (the saved) and those who have rejected Christ (the lost). Within each of those two groups are those who have already died at the time of the Rapture (followed by the Day of the Lord) and those who are still alive at that time. When the signs described by the following Scriptures appear, Jesus will return. Those who have died believing in Him will be resurrected and will be given new, incorruptible resurrection bodies. Immediately after that, those who are alive and are trusting in Him will have their old bodies changed in "the twinkling of an eye" into those same incorruptible resurrection bodies.

"For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days, 'the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' [Joel 2:10, 31] At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, [1 Thessalonians 4:16] and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:27-31) Notice how this compares with the revelation given to John. "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black, like sack-cloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain was removed from its place.....For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Revelation 6:12-14, 17)

So the day of the wrath of God and of the Lamb, a/k/a "The Day of the Lord" has come, ushered in by the Rapture. Some well respected scholars mistakenly label the entire 70th Week of Daniel as "The Day of the Lord." The Day of the Lord is confined to a relatively short portion of the latter part of the seven year period. Since no man knows the day or the hour of Christ's return, no man knows the day or the hour that "The Day of the Lord" begins or exactly how long it will last. For those who have to endure it (those who have rejected Christ and who are alive at the time of his return) every hour will be filled with agony and terror. We do know that this period will not commence until some time into the last 3-1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week. We know that the Rapture does not happen until after the Antichrist is revealed. There has to be a period of time when believers are tested by the Antichrist and his policies (see Revelation 13:7-10, 15). We also know that "The Day of the Lord" has to last a minimum of five months, because that is the length of the fifth trumpet judgment (Revelation 9:10).

Now the stage is set for us to view from the vantage point of heaven what is taking place on the earth during "The Day of the Lord." Revelation 8 begins with the opening of the seventh seal, followed by thirty minutes of silence, because what is about to happen on the earth is so momentous. The seventh seal contains all of the trumpet judgments, and the seventh trumpet judgment contains all of the bowl judgments. So this is it; with the opening of the seventh seal there is no turning back. The wrath of god is about to be unleashed on planet earth. The events will unfold in trip-hammer fashion. Those who have been removed from earth will truly be grateful for this promise: "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 24

The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, continued

To understand better the details of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, it is important to see how Jesus' discourse on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24) parallels the vision which He gave to John, as recorded in Revelation 6. Because this has been touched on previously, I will present only a brief outline here. Matthew 24:5 compares to Revelation 6:1-2; Matthew 24:6-7a compares to Revelation 6:3-4; Matthew 24:7b compares to Revelation 6:5-6; Mathew 24:7c-8 compares to Revelation 6:7-8; Matthew 24:9 compares to Revelation 6:9-11; Matthew 24:29 compares to Revelation 6:12-13; Matthew 24:30-31 compares to Revelation 6:15-17. To compliment this, may I remind you that Jesus, quoting the prophet Daniel (Matthew 24:15-16), places the event called "the abomination which causes desolation" BEFORE the sign of the Lord's coming and the Rapture. Daniel places this event squarely in the middle of his 70th week (Daniel 9:27). Paul, states clearly: "Concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him........Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion (apostasy) occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed...." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). Then in verse 4 Paul describes how he is revealed - by committing "the abomination which causes desolation" which he describes.

As Revelation 6 closes, we are on the brink of the Coming of Christ and the Rapture (which includes the resurrection of the saints), and the unleashing of God's wrath on the planet. Before that happens, one other event must take place - the sealing of 144,000 Jews who will be left on earth during that time. You see, the closing verse in Revelation 6 is a rhetorical question. "....who can stand?" The answer is, "No one!" Without God's intervention, no one will be able to successfully stand against the wrath to come. For the Christians of all ages, He intervenes with the Rapture; for these faithful Jews, He intervenes with this seal of protection (Revelation 7:1-8)

Revelation gives no details about the Rapture. For that one must look to Matthew 24:26-44 and 1 Thessalonian 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 for those details. We know that the rapture has taken place in Revelation someplace between 6:17 and 7:8 because of what we see in 7:9 and following. Here we see a great multitude out of "every nation, tribe, people and nation.....wearing white robes.....crying out in a loud voice: salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (v. 9-10) The description is that of humans and may I remind you that only humans, created in the image of God are the recipients of salvation. Also those in white robes are identified as "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation..." (v. 14) If you will remember, the first 3-1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week are correctly identified as "the beginning of sorrows (or birth pangs). From the mid-point on is called "The Great Tribulation" which is cut short (amputated) for the elect's sake. The Great Tribulation is cut short by the Rapture. So, here we are, ready to look at the rest of Revelation from heaven's vantage point, except for a parenthetical insertion or two which goes back to a time when the saints are still on the earth.

This is where we will begin next time. Until then, be encouraged by this Word of the Lord: "Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:15-17). It will be worth it all my friends, so remain strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 23

The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord

The last two posts in this series have had to do with the subject of false teachers. Perhaps we will devote an entire series to that subject at some other time; suffice it to say here that part of the false teaching will involve those who declare that there will be no literal fulfillment to the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord." It will involve declaring that things will only get better and better until the Lord returns. However, for those who love the truth, it is important to understand what is coming, what believers (mainly in the west - for Voice of the Martyrs http://www.vom-usa.org/ has listed at least 35 nations in the world where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is restricted and where Christians are persecuted for their faith on a regular basis) may have to face, and what believers will be delivered from.

To date, most of the postings in this series have been dedicated to proving from Scriptures that the last days are very near, if not upon us; and that the church (Christians) will enter the last seven years in history known as Daniel's 70th Week. There they will face the false peace, the unravelling of society and culture, the revealing of Antichrist, and the persecution of Antichrist and his one world government, economy and religion. But true followers of Christ, those who remain true to Him in spite of great deception and opposition, will not have to face the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord."

About that day, the Scriptures declare, beginning in the Old Testament: "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord" (Joel 2:30-31). Joel's language is very similar to the Lord's when He spoke of end-of-the-age events. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days [He has just described events that occur during the first 3-1/2 years-plus of this 7 year period. The Antichrist has been revealed midway, and his persecution of faithful Jews and Christians has begun] the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:29-31). Both Joel and Jesus speak of heavenly disturbances. Jesus goes on to say that these will happen just before He returns. He then goes on to describe in some detail, what we know as the Rapture: the coming on the clouds and the trumpet call (similar to Paul's language in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Then in Matthew 24:36-44, He gives further details concerning the Rapture, specifically: 1) how it will come at an unknown hour, catching many by surprise; 2) how one will be taken and another left behind.

Those who are left behind - what are they left to face? Why it's "The great and Terrible Day of the Lord." In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus says very little about this. We are left with Joel and Jesus, both speaking of heavenly disturbances, followed by both the Rapture and the coming of "The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord." This is also referred to as "the great Day of His wrath" (Revelation 6:17) and "the Day of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Next time we will pick up with the parallels in The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which He gave to John, and hopefully see how it all fits, and then see just what it is that the believer is NOT destined for. In the meantime, so that we can again end on a note of encouragement: "But you brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day [the Day of the Lord] should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness....For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him" (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, 9-10).

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 22

AND THE WARNINGS ABOUT FALSE TEACHERS continues, because they will be with us until the very end. Underscoring this point are these comments concerning the worse threesome to ever walk the face of the earth. "Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?' The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander His name and His dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:5 - 8)

That speaks of Satan and the person known as the Antichrist. The third member of this unholy, false trinity is another beast, known as the false prophet. "Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs... " (Revelation 13:11-13) Do you notice here a reference to a false resurrection even? The delusions will be powerful. That is why it is so important, no matter how astounding the signs and wonders, no matter how powerful the rhetoric, to check the walk and the talk with the whole counsel of God. Paul's concern for the Corinthian church is still valid concerning the church today. "I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough." (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

There are two biblical principles that should show up sooner or later (usually sooner) when the Gospel of the Kingdom is being preached: repentance and suffering. The false teachers seldom if ever mention these things. True repentance involves a change of heart, a change of affection, a change of direction. It is evident by the fruit which is produced, according to the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist. "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8). Jesus confirmed this principle. "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:15-16). James puts the lid on the issue with this statement. "But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18).

One of the signs of genuine faith in the Gospel of the Kingdom, is a willingness to suffer. The principle of suffering is so prevalent in the New testament, some have called it the doctrine of sufferology. In the New International Version, the word "suffer" appears 83 times in the New Testament, and the word persecution 14 times. In this post, I am going to mention only 2 or 3. "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41). "Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory" (Romans 8:17) And so that we might end on a note of encouragement: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 21

ONE OF THE MOST REPEATED WARNINGS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT is the warning against false teachers/teaching. Last time we mentioned the Acts 20:20 initiative and we looked at Acts, Chapter 20 in some detail. I must correct an error though: the Acts 20:20 initiative is a part of Jerry Robinson Ministries International and the correct website is www.jrmi.org His most recent book is entitled Bankruptcy of Our Nation. That said, we return to Paul's warning against false teachers in Acts 20. This warning was given after Paul had been in ministry for probably 20 years and the Ephesian Church was about 5-6 years old. About 10 years later, Peter wrote his second epistle in which we find these scathing words concerning false teachers: "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.........Of them the proverbs are true" 'A dog returns to its vomit,' and 'A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.'" (2 Peter 2:17-18, 22)

The warnings have been with us for 1950-1960 years, and they are probably as pertinent in 2010 as they have ever been. Remember Jesus' words concerning these last days. "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ' and will deceive many....At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and false prophets will appear and deceive many people....For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible. I am seeing these things take place right before my eyes. I hear (with my own ears because of the wonder of the Internet, mp3's, downloads, windows media player, etc.) powerful words being spoken about fresh streams of water flowing in and through the church, when at the same time clear mandates of Scripture and the church's own by-laws are being ignored. It brings to mind the words of James: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." (James 3:9-10)

I see that the Lord has put me on a roll here, and that the subject of false teachers and false doctrine should be addressed in more detail than has been done here. By His grace, it will be done, but it will require restraint of tongue which only the Holy Spirit can bring. I do not have the ability to tame my tongue in my own strength. James exhorts us to not slander one another by speaking about someone that which we should speak to someone. (James 4:11-12) I pray that I will be able to point out things which are true and things which are false. Sometimes a name will be named as a caution, or as something in particular which should be examined. Then perhaps someone with ears to hear will hear and judge the matter themselves. I make no claim at being another man's judge. However, I leave you now with this exhortation which should help to bring things into balance. "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 20

THE ACTS 20:20 INITIATIVE IS one of the ministries of Jerry Robinson Ministries International (http://www.jrmi.org) and is something about which I will be speaking more about on this site. Paul spoke these word to the Ephesian elders on his way to Jerusalem, where he would ultimately be arrested. "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house." (Acts 20:20) A few verses later, Paul says "For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." (Acts 20:27) And then he says, "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from among your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears." (Acts 20:29-31)

The Acts 20:20 model includes both public and home gatherings of Christ-followers for the purpose of being taught the "whole will" or "entire counsel" of God. Paul's concern is that soon false teachers (described as "savage wolves") will come in from the outside and arise from the inside. He doesn't say what they will teach but when you read this entire 20th Chapter of Acts, the strong contextual implication is that the false teaching will: 1) disregard the importance of turning to God in repentance, 2) not emphasize faith in the Lord Jesus (not just fire insurance faith, but entering the kingdom where new rules for living, sacrifice and suffering are the order of the day), 3) avoid the whole counsel of God (often emphasizing one particular aspect, such as "Love."), 4) be devoid of warnings accompanied by tears.

Many of the "wolves" that have infiltrated the church today are purveyors of blatantly false doctrine. Two prime examples in the west are where the church has chosen to embrace that which the culture has embraced as legitimate in the areas of abortion and same sex marriage. Entire denominations have either gone on record supporting such blatant violations of the Word of God, or have actually pushed the agenda. Other denominations have chosen to be either "wishy-washy" or silent on the issues. While I am grieved by the huge number of people who have been so deceived, at least the issues are pretty clear; issues which I have addressed often over the years.

My additional observation concerns the false teachers who avoid the four things listed above. These are harder to spot. How do you know what someone has left out of their theology unless: 1) they openly tell you, or 2) you stay around for a considerable time and notice that it never comes up? I wish that I could give you an easy litmus test. You can begin by looking at a church's or ministry organization's statement of faith, purpose, constitution & by-laws, etc. This is only a start, because I have had the unpleasant experience of personally dealing with a faith community which blatantly has disregarded such documents in dealing with such issues as membership, annual meetings and finances. When such things occur, good preaching and teaching may still be the order of the day, hiding from the view of the average church-goer that there are some cracks in the foundation. Paul warned with tears, implying that the warnings were serious, were hard to stomach, and applied to Paul as well as everyone else - no exceptions. I can still remember the parental admonition, "Do as I say, not as I do." Such an admonition should not come from the pulpit.

In the next installment we will take the Acts 20:20 concept a little further, and connect Paul's warnings to those of Jesus' in the Olivet Discourse. But to close on an encouraging note, I leave you with these words of Paul, also in Acts 20. "Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 19

THE END-TIMES CHURCH IN REVIVAL is coming, but I doubt seriously that it will be institutionalized. The real revival will occur in the face of increased persecution. Book deals, rock stars and video clips will not be involved, for the church will be driven underground, and the revival will take place among a remnant (a word that occurs 91 times in the Bible - KJV). God is used to dealing with remnants. Sometimes the remnant refers to that portion of Israel which remains faithful and will be saved (Romans 9:27). Sometimes the remnant refers to the true church as compared to the rest of the population, and the word remnant isn't even used. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Not that it hasn't been going on for centuries, but division between these two roads is becoming blurred, the more that ungodly agendas infiltrate the visible, institutional church. There is no attempt here to judge any particular church or denomination, but observations will be made as clearly as possible. On February 24, 2010 www.lifesitenews.com reported that the U.K. House of Commons passed a sex-ed bill forcing schools to promote sex outside of marriage, homosexuality and abortion. The sub-headline read, "Head of Catholic bishop's conference and the Catholic Education Service thanked for supporting bill." This enabled the provisions of the bill to apply to all schools, secular and faith-based. Parental opt-out provisions will apply only to students age 15 and younger. The article goes on to say that faith-based schools may introduce their theologically based position as "preferred" but all of the other options must be taught as "normal" and students must be given all information pertaining to these, including where and how to obtain an abortion.

The above is cited as only one of many clearly visible examples of the church compromising on biblical standards. Perhaps even more dangerous are instances where the church compromises in the area of false teaching. There is considerable warning in the New Testament against false prophets and false teachers. Two years ago, a questionable revival broke out in Lakeland, Florida under the ministry of Todd Bentley. Suffice it to say here that many strange phenomena accompanied this "revival" and, although I have looked, not one proof was forthcoming concerning the hundreds that were miraculously healed. In the midst of all the publicity, Bentley took up with a female member of his staff and divorced his wife. Rather than reconcile with his wife, within months he was remarried and recently has been proclaimed restored and fit for ministry by the leaders of Morningstar Church. This has produced an outcry from some evangelical leaders which has fallen on deaf ears at Morningstar.

Again, please let me reiterate that these observations are given as examples. No attempt has been made to wring out as many details as an investigative reporter might, but enough investigation has been made to convince this writer that these reports are essentially true. And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. All the while God is raising up men and women of God who are not afraid to take the Gospel (which includes the standards) of Jesus Christ to the streets. Smaller groups of believers are meeting here and there to be encouraged in the Word and to then to bring it by proclamation and by deed to places like abortion mills, high schools, and mosques. What a stark contrast to wild parties being held on mega-campuses where the music includes lines like: "Let go of your heart; Let go of your head; Just feel it now."

One of the 6 hour seminars which Encouragement for End-Times Endurance brings to the body of Christ is entitled, "A Thessalonian Model for End-Times Living." I don't intend to compress that seminar into one paragraph here, but perhaps you can get a taste of it from these few verses. "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you because you believed our testimony to you. With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our god may count you worthy of His calling. and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 18

APOSTASY AND REVIVAL. Last time we looked at how both of these phenomena can occur at the same time. The fact that they can presents a clear and present danger, calling for discernment on the part of the saints. Let me give you an example from about 27 years ago. My wife was recently saved and I had just returned from several years of wandering in the wilderness. One Saturday afternoon, my wife suffered one of those horribly painful back injuries which are brought on by nothing more traumatic than lifting a newspaper. The only way she could move from the bed to the bathroom was to crawl. We both prayed, but the pain persisted through the night. The next morning, with my wife's approval, I went to church. It was a good church with good people, but denominational through and through. I went to some of the deacons after service (there were no elders) and asked if they would come to the house and anoint my wife with oil and pray in accordance with James 5:14-15. I was told that we didn't do things that way here; that Scripture was for the early church. We now have good doctors, and we should consult one.

Some young people who were part of a travelling drama ministry overheard the conversation and dared to interject their thoughts. They believed the Scriptures were true and applicable today, and that even though they weren't elders (I think the oldest was about 22) there were other Scriptures, such as Mark 16:18 we could stand on. So, they came to the house, laid hands on my wife and prayed - believing that God would honor His word and confirm it. Six hours later my wife and I were at our couples bowling league. I think she bowled a 224 that night. Praise God!

I use that story to illustrate the time of crisis that is about to visit us. I'm told that in the Chinese language the word for crisis consists of two connected symbols, one meaning danger and the other meaning opportunity. Danger lurks around every corner; danger that is common to all men, and danger that is specific for the Christian. If the government takes over the health-care industry (and there are rumors that it will be forced upon us within the week) it poses a certain danger for everyone in the USA. Oh some will see it as an opportunity to gain something they never had, but in the long run, health care will deteriorate, become more expensive, and will be mired in the muck of bureaucracy. For the Christian, the immediate crisis may be caused by the inclusion of tax-payer funded abortion coverage in the government plan. What should a Christ-follower do? There is a danger if one cannot reconcile such a plan with their faith. I know I couldn't, and Scripture says: "...everything that does not come from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23) Opinions will be divided in the church, both among individuals and denominations, just as it is now concerning the matters of abortion, gay rights, etc.

Where's the opportunity in all of this? It is simply to stand on God's Word as Plan A, with no Plan B in sight. Pressure to fold and compromise will come from every quarter. Your own church and your own church friends may not support your decision. Your child may be running a fever of 103 and answers to prayer may be delayed. Now is the time to begin seeing yourself facing the pressure of the enemy and not folding. Now is the time to begin being vocal and demonstrative in your faith, and as such begin aligning yourself with others of like precious faith. It will be hard when support will not be forthcoming from the deacons, but God will send the young Christian actor, or some other such "weak and foolish" vessel to bring about your deliverance. And the church will begin to look more and more like the church of Acts 2:42-47 and beyond.

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-30)