Ex-Muslim LEAVES her Faith to be a Christian
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Where Do You Get Your Strength?
Dennis Edwards
You see, I live by a set of ideas or principles contrary to
what secular society teaches. The secular world teaches "Be strong in
yourself. Dig down deep and find your own strength." The message of the
Gospel is that you don't have to try to find the strength in yourself. Gospel
actually means "good news." The good news is that God, the creator of
the universe, came into the world, lived as one of us, and won the victory over
our inability to save ourselves through our own strength. Through apparent
weakness, He was strong. But His strength came not from Himself, but from Him
spending quiet time with His Father in heaven. Jesus would get up early and go
out into a mountain and pray. Sometimes He would spend all night in prayer,
even desperate prayer. Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12-13, Luke 22:39-46.
Yes, we need to be strong, but where do we find strength? In
alcohol, drugs, on-line Podcasts, friends, books, music, nature works,
shopping, food? Secular studies show that people who spend time alone walking
in nature or who have a daily meditative walk are more likely to be creative,
are more likely to have strong convictions. The truth is we need time alone to
find the strength we need. But that strength actually comes from outside us.
The strength comes from the words we believe to be true. What makes us strong
is the words we believe, not ourselves. Therefore, what is important is, what
words are we believing and trusting to be true.
Am I trusting man's word that says, "Be strong in
yourself. Pull up your bootstraps." Or I am trusting the Creator of the
universe who says, "Be strong in Me. Let Me be your strength." That's
the difference. They are two opposing philosophies. One is, you try to be
strong in yourself. You seek for inner strength. The other says, I can't make
it, I'm not strong enough. I need help from my Creator and, therefore, reaches
out to Him and finds Him; and in finding Him, finds the strength He supplies.
Like King David of old wrote, "My strength comes from the Lord which made
heaven and earth," Psalm 121:2. We need to look to God for the strength we need. We'll
never be to strong enough in our own strength, no matter how much natural strength
we have.
We need the supernatural strength of God to help us be
overcomers. We can find that strength in Jesus. That's the secret. That's the
good news. That's the Gospel. In Him I can do all things. Philippians 4:13.Through Him I can
overcome every obstacle and fulfil my destiny. Romans 8:37. That's why He says, "Come
unto Me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn of Me because I am meek and humble, and you shall
find rest unto your souls, because My yoke is easy and My burden is
light," Matthew 11:28-30. But we have to do the coming. Isaiah 55:1-3. But if we do, He'll give us the
strength we need, and everything else in the bargain. Isaiah 40:28-31. Matthew 6:33. Seek Him while He may be
found. Jeremiah 29:13. Love and prayers. Dennis
God is our Help and Shield - Psalm 33
A Psalm of David Comments by Dennis Edwards
33 Rejoice
in the Lord, O ye righteous: for
praise is comely (appropriate) for the upright. 2 Praise
the Lord with harp: sing
unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing
unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
David often starts his songs with praise or admonitions for us to
praise God. We enter into God’s presence with thanksgiving and with praise. We
make a joyful noise with our song and prayers. We lift up our hands to Him
without anger or doubting.
4 For the
word of the Lord is
right; and all His works are done in truth. 5 He
loves righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of
the Lord. 6 By
the word of the Lord were
the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He
gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap: He lays up the depth in
storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants
of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke,
and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
In the above verses we see what separates the people of God from
those of the world. The people of God start with “God” as their first
assumption. It is not, “I think, therefore, I am,” but rather, “I think,
therefore, God is.” God is the Creator who spoke the world into existence. We
look at creation and stand in awe of the Creator. Augustine said, “Seek not to
understand, that you might believe, but rather, seek to believe that you might
understand.”
The “fear of the Lord,” or our belief in God gives the right
foundation to our thinking. Abraham Lincoln said, “I can understand how a man
could look down from heaven on earth and be an atheist; but I cannot understand
how a man can look up into a starry sky at night and say, there is no God.” God
must be the starting point of all our thinking. When we acknowledge Him in our
lives and thoughts, we are starting on the right foundation. “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and understanding,”
Proverbs 1:7.
10 The Lord brings the counsel
of the heathen to nought: He makes the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of His heart to all generations. 12 Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord; and
the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
The Jewish people were first chosen to be the messengers of God.
They rejected their calling and rejected God Himself in the nature of Christ
and chose a robber and murderer to be given unto them. They had no king but
Caesar. They denied their heavenly calling and chose an earthly one. They ended
up serving the god of this world, rather than the true God, the maker of heaven
and of earth. We who have accepted Jesus have inherited the calling of God. We
are His workmanship, His ambassadors, his emissaries of truth and love.
13 The Lord looks from heaven; He
beholds all the sons of men. 14 From the place of
His habitation He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He
fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their works.
God has put in each heart a need to be reunited with Him. We are
in a search, a quest to find our true purpose in life. We naturally call out, “Oh,
God, help me.” He promises that if we seek for Him in truth, we will find Him.
He is not far from any of us, “for in Him we live, and move and have our being,”
Acts 17:28.
16 There is
no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much
strength. 17 A horse is a vain thing for safety:
neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
It is God alone that gives us the victory over evil. It is God
alone that makes us triumph over our enemies, over our vices, over ourselves.
God is the one who saves. All other help is in vain.
18 Behold,
the eye of the Lord is
upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; 19 To
deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
We hope in His mercy for we know in our own selves, we are not
worthy. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sheep
who have gone astray and are totally dependent on His mercy, love, and truth
for our salvation and survival. We look to Him. Our eyes are upon Him.
20 Our soul
waits for the Lord: He is
our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall
rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let
Your mercy, O Lord, be
upon us, according as we hope in You.
God is our help and shield. Nothing in our hands we bring. Simply
to His cross we cling. In ourselves, we have nothing, but we rejoice in Him. He
is our saving shield and strength. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, according as we
hope in You.
Prayer: Lord, in ourselves, in our own strength, we can’t make it.
We fall short. We have not the strength we need. Therefore, we look to You,
today, Lord. May Your grace fall upon us. May we find mercy in Your sight. Give
us the strength we need for each difficulty we face. May You give us the wisdom
in our decision making. Help Your love and truth to overflow from our hearts
and lips upon those we meet. May we fulfil Your calling in our lives, today. In
Your precious name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Which Prophecies of Daniel Did Jesus Say We Need to Understand?
Dennis Edwards
Question: What was the ultimate sign Jesus gave for the
starting of the Great tribulation?
Answer: Matthew 24:15 that leads into 24:21-22.
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosoever reads, let him
understand:)”…“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those
days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake
those days shall be shortened.”
Question: What verses in Daniel speak of the abomination
of desolation?
Answer: “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily
sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and
the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and
three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,” Daniel 8:13-14.
In the passage above, the term “transgression of desolation”
is used. We are assuming here that the term “transgression of desolation” has
the same meaning as the “abomination of desolation.” Things that are abominable
in God’s eyes, are things that are a transgression in His sight. In the
prophecy, we are told that the time period of the daily sacrifice together with
the transgression of desolation shall be 2,300 days.
Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week: and in the midst of the week he (the Antichrist) shall cause
the sacrifice to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make
it desolate…”
We are assuming again that the verse is pertaining to the
same event. The word “week,” from the Hebrew word for seven, refers to a 7-year
period. Genesis 29:15-30, we see the “week” and “seven-years” are used
interchangeably. Look especially at verses 18, 20, 27-28. Our conclusion
concerning Daniel 9:27 is then that after 3 ½ years, the Antichrist
breaks the accord or covenant and places the abomination that makes desolate.
Daniel 11:31 “And arms shall stand on his (the
Antichrist’s) part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall
take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes
desolate.”
The verse specifically says the Antichrist shall “take away
the daily sacrifice, and place the abomination that makes desolate,” using
military strength to do it.
Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up,
there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
The verse tells us that the abomination of desolation shall
stand for 1,290 days after the daily sacrifice is taken away.
Jesus told us that the verses in Daniel about the
abomination of desolation were the key verses to understand, and were the key
to knowing when the Great Tribulation would begin. Reread Matthew 24:15
& 21-22.
How do we know that Daniel 12 is talking about the
same time-period of Matthew 24? If we read Daniel 12:1 we find,
“and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation even to that same time.” Matthew 24:21 seems to present the same
idea: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world, to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
So far, we believe the Antichrist will break a 7-year pact
or covenant made by many in the middle of the 7-year period of the pact. Eight
times in Daniel and Revelation God tells us the length of the Great Tribulation
period. Daniel 7:25, Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:7, Revelation
11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14,
Revelation 13:5.
Matthew 24:22 says that “except those days be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days
shall be shortened.” If God has told us eight times the length of the
tribulation period using different terminology, I think that’s what He means.
The 3 ½ years is the shortened time period. It will not be shorter.
Where does the Antichrist come from?
Daniel 8:8-9 “Therefore the he goat waxed very great:
and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four
notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth
a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the
east, and toward the pleasant land.”
We see the little horn, that we consider the Antichrist,
shall arise from the breaking up of the “he goat’s” kingdom, or Alexander the
Great’s kingdom. The four divisions historically are generally considered and
remembered by the acronym: EAT-Greece. Egypt, Assyria, Turkey, and Greece.
Daniel 8:10-12 “And it waxed great, even to the host
of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground,
and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the
host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his
sanctuary cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by
reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it
practised, and prospered.”
Again, we see the Antichrist stopping the daily sacrifice,
along with some of the other attributes of the Antichrist such as “magnifying
himself” above all, and “casting the truth to the ground.”
From Ezekiel 38&39 comes the idea that the
Antichrist, who is called Gog in the prophecy, will come from the extreme north
of Israel, from the land of Magog. The Jewish Rabbis have considered the
extreme north to signify Russia.
How could the Antichrist fulfil the prophecies in Daniel that say he comes out of one of the four divisions of Alexander's empire and the prophecy in Ezekiel that say he comes from the extreme north of Israel, which the Jewish Rabbis have for centuries considered Russia? Others believe that prophecies in Isaiah 10 about the Assyrian pertain to the Antichrist. How could the Antichrist come from Magog (Russia), Assyria (greater Syria), and from one of the countries that Alexander's kingdom was divided into?
The answer is simple. How did Jesus fulfil the three prophecies about where the Messiah comes from? "Out of Egypt have I called my son," Hosea 11:1. "He shall be called a Nazarene," Matthew 2:23. "But you Bethlehem Ephratah,..out of you shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, Micah 5:2. That's three different locations, but Jesus did it without stress. He was born in Bethlehem. Escaped to Egypt for some years of his childhood and then returned to be raised in Nazareth.
Likewise, the Antichrist could for example be born in Syria as a child of a mixed Russian male and Syrian woman. The Russians sent down to Syria some years ago, Russian male pilots to train Syrian pilots to use the Russian jets. Many of the Russian male pilots married Syrian woman. During the Arab Spring "uprising" against Assad some years ago, many of those Syrian woman were seeking asylum in Russia during the unrest. If at the end they stayed in Russia, a child born in Syria, into a military family, could be raised in Russia and ultimately become the Antichrist. He could fulfil all three prophecies: come from Russia, be an Assyrian, and come out of one of the divisions of the break-up of Alexander's kingdom, Syria. Problem solved.
Ezekiel 38:14-16 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and
say unto Gog, Thus, says the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel
dwell safely, shall thou not know it? And thou shall come from thy place out of
the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon
horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shall come up against my
people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days,
and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I
shall be sanctified (or honoured) in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.”
At first God uses the Antichrist to punish Israel for her
sins. However, a third of the nation have a true repentance calling out to God
in their affliction and are saved. Zechariah 13:8-9. The prophesying of
the two end-time prophets in Jerusalem for 1,260 days has had an effect on them,
Revelation 11:3-13. The remnant of Israel come to repentance and call
upon the name of the Lord. As the two prophets are raised up and raptured into
the heavens, the whole 1/3 of the nation that is left from the terrible sword
of the Antichrist, call out to God. They believe on the Lord Jesus, whom they
can see in the clouds calling up His children at the rapture, Zechariah
12:9-14.
It is at this point, just before the battle of Armageddon,
that 1/3 of Jewish people are saved in mass, the other 2/3 having already met
their deaths under the Antichrist’s wars against them. “Then shall the Lord go
forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of
battle,” Zechariah 14:3. It is at that point Jesus returns at the
Battle of Armageddon and saves the repentant nation. “Wherefore do I see every
man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned
into paleness? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is the
time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it,” Jeremiah 30:6b-7.
The first and second century Rabbis put the prophecies in
the past.
In the time after Jesus’ resurrection, the early Christians
used the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus to show He indeed was the
Messiah. The church fathers also spoke about Jesus’ future return that would be
preceded by a period persecution under the Antichrist. The Jewish Rabbis at the
same time developed their own theory. They said that Antiochus Epiphanes IV was
the little horn who fulfilled the prophecies of Daniel 8 and of Daniel
11 concerning the abomination of desolation. Antiochus greatly persecuted
the Jewish people during the period of the Maccabean revolt. He also desecrated
the Temple by throwing a swine’s head into the sanctuary. In the year 164 BC,
during the space of three days, his forces killed some 80,000 Jewish people
including “women, virgins, children, and infants.” The first and second century
AD Rabbis believed that the Daniel prophecies were already fulfilled by
Antiochus. Some Christians today follow that belief.
The church fathers put the prophecies in the future.
If they are right, then why did Jesus refer to those
prophecies as futuristic? Could it be that Antiochus was a partial fulfilment
of the prophecies, and the Antichrist is the ultimate fulfilment. Antiochus is
a precursor, or antetype of the Antichrist. Jesus referred to the prophecies in
Daniel concerning the sacrifice and abomination, because they would yet have an
ultimate fulfilment. In the writings of the church fathers, who were disciples
of the first apostles and disciples, they quote from Daniel, 2nd
Thessalonians 2, and Matthew 24, as yet being futuristic. They
understood that the prophecies of Daniel were yet to be finally fulfilled.
The church fathers talk of a period of great persecution by
the Antichrist. The persecution would precede the coming of Christ, and then
the resurrection of the dead would occur. The church fathers do not talk about
a rapture, but rather a resurrection. We find the idea of a resurrection in the
Old Testament scriptures of Job 19:25-27, Isaiah 26:19-21, Ezekiel
37:12-14, and Psalm 16:9-10.
Apostle Paul brought in the idea of the “gathering together”
of the saints to Jesus at his coming, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1. In 1
Thessalonians 4:17, we find, “Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught
up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” Jesus had used the
phrase “gathered together” in Matthew 24:31, “And he (Jesus) shall send
His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The “gathering
together” is now expressed as the Rapture event. The word “rapture” was not
used by the church fathers. It became popular in the 1830s in England, which we
will talk about a bit later.
What about new revelation? How do we judge it?
In Amos 3:7 the Lord tells us that He will do nothing,
except He reveal His secrets to His servants, the prophets. As we get nearer to
His coming, it is natural that the Lord would give us more information
concerning the events that are to follow. However, any new revelation should
not contradict that which has been written. Apostle Paul wrote, “that you may
learn not to go beyond what is written,” 1 Corinthians 4:6. We use the preponderance
of Scripture to judge any new revelations. If the new revelation does not
follow and agree with previous revelation found in Scripture, then we should be
wary of it. New revelation may clarify, but not contradict previous revelation
found in Scripture.
Some of the new prophets of today have prophesised that more
than a billion souls will be saved before Jesus comes. They say the Gospel must
be preached, even more than it has been, before the Lord can come back. They
say the Bride of Christ is not ready, therefore, Christ cannot return. They say
the church must be about her business of saving souls before the end-time
events to begin.
The Chinese underground church is said to be growing rapidly.
Many souls are said to be getting saved in China through the underground church
movement. Being born in persecution, the Chinese underground church has said
that their goal is to bring the Gospel back to Jerusalem. They believe God is
calling some of them to bring Christianity to the un-evangelised nations from
China to Jerusalem. They say the western Christians have failed in their job to
preach the Gospel in all the world. The Chinese underground church Christians
who were born under persecution believe that they can reach the Muslim and
other pagan nations of Asia. What kind of success they are having, if any, we don’t
know. But some years ago, they voiced that vision.
Will there be a great revival before Christ returns? Let us
hope there will be. However, Scripture says that, “that day (Christ’s coming)
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and the man of sin be
revealed,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3b. Jesus Himself said, “And shall not God
avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bears long
with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the
Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8. Is
Jesus saying that there won’t be much faith in the earth prior to His coming?
In Revelation 13:3-4, after the Antichrist’s deadly
wound is healed, “all the world wondered (or followed) after the beast. And
they worshipped the dragon (Satan) which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make
war with him?” We see the world will be greatly deceived by the Antichrist.
Jesus himself warned in his end-time message three times that deception would
be great in the last days, Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24. Apostle
Paul also warned likewise, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:13.
Doesn’t the idea of the last 7-years come from a Jesuit
priest?
Some say that the idea of the 7-years and the rapture come
from a Jesuit priest in the 1500s. Supposedly, the priest invented the concept in
order to put the prophecies about Babylon the Whore into the future. The
reformers were calling the Catholic Church of Rome the Babylon of Revelation
17 & 18. To deflect the attack of the reformers from the church,
the Jesuit priest is said to have invented a futuristic eschatology. In that
way, the Church of Rome would not be the focal point of the interpretation of
prophetic Scripture. The ideas of the priest were published as a book and later
translated into English. A British clergyman on the outskirts of traditional
Christianity adopted into his eschatology the idea of a rapture of the church
at the time of Christ’s second coming.
The idea of the rapture then mutated in 1830. A young
Scottish woman claimed to have had a revelation that the church would not go
through the tribulation, but be raptured beforehand. John Nelson Darby, from
the Plymouth Brethren in England, travelled to Scotland to meet with Margaret
McDonald and confirm her revelation. He became convinced it was true and
adopted it into his developing eschatology. Another Plymouth Brethren Bible
scholar, Benjamin Wills Newton, a friend of Spurgeon and George Mueller, vehemently
opposed Darby’s ideas and thought them to be contrary to Scripture. The
division between Newton and Darby caused a split in the Plymouth Brethren.
Newton retreated to the Isle of Wright where he did much
studying and writing. He refuted Darby’s ideas in his books. He did an in-depth
study on the church fathers and their opinions on Bible prophecy. Over and over
again the church fathers, with a united voice, taught that the church would go
through persecution under the Antichrist before Christ’s return. Newton, also,
speculated on what nation could be the manifestation of Babylon the Whore. Much
to his dismay, London the city, and Great Britain the empire, seemed to Newton
as the most probable culprit of the great commercial empire of Babylon during
his lifetime and not the Vatican in Rome. It was C.I. Scofield and his Bible
concordance that brought the Pre-Tribulation rapture idea to America. But
that’s another story.
In the writings of the church fathers, we do see them
mentioning a last 7-year period, the prophecies of Daniel, the
prophecies of Apostle Paul, and the prophecies of Jesus. They especially cite 2
Thessalonians 2, and Matthew 24. Jesus had spoken that an
understanding of the Daniel’s prophecies was the key to deciphering the time of
His return. Some Christians today believe that Matthew 24 has already
been fulfilled. They believe in 70 AD the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and
the Temple was the fulfilment of those prophecies. They say that Jesus returned
and collected His saints at that time in the spiritual realm, as they were
being killed by the Roman troops. The church fathers were writing after 70 AD. If
Matthew 24 is already fulfilled, why did the church fathers put Jesus’
return, His coming, as a future event and not something in the past?
Let’s go back to Daniel.
Daniel 8:13-14 gives us the 2,300 days of sacrifice
and the abomination of desolation standing.
Daniel 9:27 gives us the 7-year covenant period and
cessation of the sacrifice and the placing of the abomination of desolation at
the 3 ½ year mark, half way through the 7-year period.
Daniel 11:31 gives us the Antichrist using military
force to pollute the temple, stop the sacrifice and place the abomination of
desolation.
Daniel 12:11 tells us that after the sacrifice is
stopped, the abomination shall stand 1,290 days.
What can we deduce from the information given us?
If we interpret Daniel 8:13-14 as being the total
amount of time of the sacrifice together with the Great Tribulation period,
then we can make the following calculations: 2,300 days of sacrifice and
tribulation, minus, 1,260 days of tribulation (according to Revelation 11:3
and Revelation 12:6), would give us a total pf 1,040 remaining days of
only sacrifice. To bring the 1,040 days of sacrifice up to 1,260 days for the
first 3 ½ years, we need to add 220 days. 1,040 plus 220 equals 1,260. That
would mean there would pass some 220 days or a little more than 7 months from
the beginning or signing of the last 7-year pact, until the Jewish sacrificing
on the Temple mount would take place.
However, Daniel 12:11 gives us more information and
shows that our calculations above may be wrong, as we assumed the abomination
of desolation would stand for the 1,260 days of the tribulation period. Daniel
12:11 tells us that the abomination shall stand for 1,290 days or 30 days
after the great tribulation is over. From Matthew 24:29-31, we know that
Jesus comes back and raptures His elect immediately after the tribulation of
those days. If the tribulation is 1,260 days long, then the abomination will
still be standing after the rapture for about a month.
In Revelation 19:7-9, we get the idea of the Marriage
Supper of the Lamb. Could it be that during that 30-day period after the
rapture that the church is celebrating, and getting their rewards, in heavenly
places at the Marriage Supper? Could Daniel 12:2-3 be talking about the
same event in the heavenlies? While, the vials or bowels of the Wrath of God are
beginning to be poured out on the earth, we, the elect, will be feasting with
Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and then preparing for our return
with Him at Armageddon, Revelation 16:12-16; Revelation 19:12-21.
Daniel 12:11 tells us that the Abomination will stand
for 1,290 days or 30 days more than the Great Tribulation period. Daniel
8:14 confirms that after the 2,300 days, “then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed.” Could that be referring to the removal of the abomination of
desolation at Christ’s return with the saints at Armageddon? We speculate that
the thirty-day interval may be the time of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and
us going before the judgment seat of Christ to receive our rewards for a job
well done. Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10.
Earlier we calculated 220 days from the time of the
beginning of the last 7-years to the beginning of the Jewish people starting
their sacrifice. Now, with the additional information from Daniel 12:11,
we see we need to add 30 more days to 220 to come to 250 days before the
sacrifice begins. That would mean, if we count an average month as 30.5 days, about
8 months and 6 days would pass before the sacrificing would begin.
What happens at the 1,335th day?
In Daniel 12:13, we find that they are blessed who
live to the 1,335th day. Why? Because they have lived through the
most horrific time of life on earth, the day of God’s great wrath. See Isaiah
2:10-21, 13:6-13, 24:20-23, 26:20-21, Zephaniah
1:14-18, Revelation 16:12-21, and many others. We conclude, that the
1,335th day is the beginning of a new dispensation, which Bible scholars
call the Millennium. At the 1,260th day, the great tribulation ends
and the rapture takes place, Matthew 24:29-31. After the rapture, begins
the wrath of God, (Revelation 16:1), which lasts until the 1,335th
day, a total of 75 days. Then commences the Millennium.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall
feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and a lion shall eat straw like
the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the
weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. They shall not hurt
nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,” Isaiah 11:6-9. “And He shall
judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore,” Isaiah
2:4.
“Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he has
made in the earth. He makes the wars to cease unto the ends of the earth; He
cuts the spear asunder; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know
that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen (or nations), I will be
exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Selah,” Psalm 46:8-11.
“And I will set My glory among the heathen (or nations), and
all the heathen shall see My judgments that I have executed, and My hand that I
have laid upon them. So, the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord
their God from that day and forward,” Ezekiel 39:21-22. “So will I make
My holy name (Jesus) known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let
them pollute My holy name any more: and the heathen (or nations) shall know
that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel,” Ezekiel 39:7.
“O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the
voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible; He is a great King over
all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our
feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us…God is gone up with a shout, the
Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises unto our
King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing praises with
understanding. God reigns over the heathen: God sits upon the throne of His
holiness,” Psalm 47:1-8.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Are the Jewish People Still God's People? - Part 2
Dennis Edwards
To go back to Part 1
What about the
prophecies to the Jewish people and state of Israel which we seem to find in
the Old Testament?
Yes, there are
prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the state of the nation of Israel in
the latter days. Many of the prophecies concerning Israel have been fulfilled
or are being fulfilled. These prophecies include the following:
The people would
return to the land in unbelief;
Isaiah 11:11-12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord
shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people
which shall be left,…And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
Jeremiah 30:3 For, lo, the days come, says the Lord, that I will
bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, says the Lord: and I
will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it.
Ezekiel 20:33-38 33 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out
arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: 34 And
I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries
wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and
with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the
wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness
of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, says the Lord God. 37 And I will cause you to
pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38 And
I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against
me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they
shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 36:22-24 22 Therefore say unto
the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but
for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye
went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which
was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them;
and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Zephaniah 2:1-2 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O
nation not desired (the Jewish people), before the decree bring forth, before
the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.
A nation would be born
in one day;
Isaiah 66:8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at
once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
They would make the
desert blossom like a rose;
Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad
for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like a rose.
And fill the nations
of the earth with fruit.
Isaiah 27:6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root:
Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
Even Jesus may have
made a prophecy concerning the Jewish nation. In the Old Testament the nation
of Israel is sometimes symbolized as a fig tree. In Jesus’ end-time prophecy
about the last seven years before His 2nd coming, we find the
following words:
Matthew 24:32-35 Now learn a parable of the fig tree (Some think Jesus
is speaking about the nation of Israel.); When his branch is tender, and puts
forth leaves you know that the summer is nigh: so likewise, ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Some Christians
interpret the above prophecy as meaning that the generation that sees Israel
become a nation in the last days, is the generation that will see the
fulfilling of the rest of the Bible prophecies concerning the last seven years.
Since Israel became a nation in one day in 1948, and since a generation in the
Bible is alluded to as being between 70 and 80 years in Psalm 90:10,
many are anticipating the fulfilment of Bible prophecy to take place very soon.
The year 2,028 would be 80 years since Israel became a nation.
Because these prophecies have been and are being fulfilled in our lifetime, many Christians have come to believe that the Jewish people are still God’s special people. They believe it is God’s will for them to help Israel and believe God will bless them for blessing Israel. They believe that since it was God’s will for the Jewish People to return to Palestine, then it must be God’s will for the Jewish people to control it.
The Western Christians, therefore, give special
favour to Israel and do not hold Israel accountable for her sins. After all,
they are God’s people and He has promised them the land. Because of these
end-time prophecies concerning the nation of Israel, people have become
confused and make a special category for Israel. They consider Israel God’s
covenant nation, God’s special people, therefore, we must bless them, if we
want God’s blessing on our lives. But they haven’t really thought through what
they are believing.
The truth is, God
loves all nations and peoples as they are all part of His creation. He would
that all would repent and come to Him. He loves the Jewish people, and in His
word, He has promised a remnant shall be saved in the latter days. However, as
nations and as individuals, we are accountable for our behaviour before God and
before our fellow man. Each man, each nation, shall give an account and shall
be judged by their actions for or against the ways of God.
In conclusion, as much of Bible prophecy in the last days revolves around the nation of Israel, many Christians have come to believe that the Jewish people are special in God’s sight. The temple sacrifices will be held on the temple mount in Jerusalem once again and then stopped. The Antichrist will place the abomination of desolation in the holy place in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27, 11:31) and say that he is God as he sits in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
The two
end-time prophets will prophesize in Jerusalem for 1,260 days (Revelation
11:3), and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of Jerusalem for three
and a half days (Revelation 11:9&11). When Jesus comes back at
Armageddon His feet will stand on the mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah
14:4). With all these Bible prophecies in and around Jerusalem in the last
days, it seems that the Jewish people are still God’s people.
Christians in America, and many others around the world influenced by American Christian theology, therefore, tolerate the state of Israel’s actions and justify whatever Israel does. They condemn the Arab peoples. They fail to see Israel’s sins against humanity, and against the poor Arabs that once lived in the land. They fail to see Israel’s sins against God and His Son Jesus. Israel uses the promises to Abraham to justify their removal of the Arabs peoples from off the land.
God’s
word, however, clearly states that the Jewish people have forfeited their right
to the promises of Abraham. As they have forsaken God, God has forsaken them,
though He has not cast them off completely. The Jewish people are, therefore, usurpers
and should not be given special privilege above other peoples or nations.
Judgment is coming for all nations. Even the prophecies about the Jewish
people’s return say that God brings them back to judge them as we have seen
earlier.
Ezekiel 20:33-38 33 As
I live, saith the Lord God,
surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured
out, will I rule over you: 34 And I will bring you out
from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are
scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury
poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness
of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like
as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will
I plead with you, saith the Lord God.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I
will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38 And I
will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me:
I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall
not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
The prophecies in Zechariah seem to indicate that in
the last days, two-thirds of the Jewish people who have returned to Israel will
die in the wars of the Antichrist, and only one-third shall survive. That
one-third survives because they repent of their evil deeds and unbelief and find
true faith in Jesus the Christ, the true Messiah.
Zechariah 13:8-9 And
it shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts therein
shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring
the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear
them: I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
Only those that truly
repent and come to Christ in truth shall be saved. Elsewhere in Scripture
during the time of the great tribulation period we see that not only in Israel,
but in other parts of the world, most likely the northern hemisphere where the
nuclear weapons remain, some one-third of humanity shall die.
Revelation 9:13-15
& 17-19 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard
a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying
to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound
in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four
angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month,
and a year, for to slay the third part of men…17 And
thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having
breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the
horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and
smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the
third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone,
which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their
power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto
serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
In the vision of the Great Tribulation, Apostle John sees the sixth trumpet of tribulation resulting in the death to one-third of mankind. The imagery may be of present-day military machines, which Apostle John in 90 AD did his best to describe, using vocabulary of his day. Not only Israel will suffer, but the nations of the world shall suffer for their sins.
Those nations that knew the Gospel and
disobeyed God’s word will get judged more severely than those that had less of
an understanding. God is a just God and will judge mankind accordingly. Our
only hope in face of the events that may soon take place is to believe on the
only begotten Son of God and follow His commandments, which themselves, are not
grievous.
John 3:16, 18-19 For God so loved the world, (all the nations of the world), that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son. And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved and thy house.
Romans
10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.
1 John 4:14-15, 19, 21 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God… We love Him, because He first loved us… And this is the commandment have we from Him, That he who loves God love his brother also.
To Back to Part 1
Credits to Sam Shamounian. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvWrjCDn2KQ
Are the Jewish People Still God's People? - Part 1
Dennis Edwards with Sam Shamounian
I have heard a lot of arguments for and against the Jewish people being God’s people. A friend of mine has asked me to get together some verses to show what the New Testament says on the subject. The first section will look at is Jesus’ parable about the wicked husbandmen, that Jesus gave to the chief priests and elders of the people, when he spoke to them in the temple, a few days before His arrest and death.
Matthew 21:33-43 The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen:
33 Hear
another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and
hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let
it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34 And
when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen,
that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he
sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37 But
last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But
when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir;
come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And
they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what
will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those
wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall
render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the
scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head
of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore
say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And
whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall
fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his
parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. 46 But
when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they
took him for a prophet.
Jesus is plainly
saying that the leaders of the Jewish nation are no longer worthy to be leaders
of the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, God will raise up another nation
more worthy of the commission. That new nation is true Christianity. I say, “true
Christianity,” because much of today’s Christianity is similar to Judaism at
the time of Christ, more interested in religious ceremonialism than in bringing
the Good News of the Gospel to nations of the world. Jesus has said that the
kingdom was taken from the Jewish people and given to a nation which will bring
forth the fruits thereof. That nation is the true living church of God made up
of true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. It is not the nation of
Israel.
Matthew 8:5-13 The Centurion Soldier: 5 And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lies at
home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And
Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The
centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under
my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For
I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man,
Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do
this, and he does it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them
that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come
from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the
kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion,
Go thy way; and as you have believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant
was healed in the self-same hour.
Again, we see a
similar comment by Jesus in relation to the Jewish people or nation of Israel.
We find the Roman Centurion being complimented for his great faith. Jesus in
fact says that He hasn’t found such faith as the centurion’s in all of Israel.
He finishes up saying that many shall come from the east and the west, in other
words from Gentile countries, and sit down with the Fathers of faith, while the
children of the kingdom, the Jewish people, will be cast out into outer
darkness. Jesus is prophesizing what will happen to the unbelieving Jewish
people if they continue to walk in unbelief and rejection of Christ.
From here, we will go
to the Epistles.
Romans 2:26-29 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness
of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And
shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge you,
who by the letter and circumcision do transgress the law? 28 For
he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh:29 But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the
letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Apostle Paul is making
the point the real follower of God is the one that truly follows the ways of
God, whether or not he is fulfilling certain religious or ceremonial laws.
Being a “Jew” is not a matter of observing certain religious and ceremonial
laws and, therefore, having an appearance of righteousness. Being a real “Jew”
is having our hearts and lives circumcised by the Spirit of God, so that we
walk in obedience to His commandments, in that we love God with all our heart,
soul, and mind; and that we love our neighbour as ourselves.
Apostle Paul goes on
to clarify to the early church who the true seed of Abraham was.
Galatians 4:21-31 21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not
hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two
sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But
he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman
was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for
these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which genders to
bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to
Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But
Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For
it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bears not; break forth and cry, thou
that travails not: for the desolate has many more children than she which has a
husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh
persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless
what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of
the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So
then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Apostle Paul is showing
the difference between the two seeds of Abraham: the seed of Hagar which was
after the flesh, and the seed of Sarah which was after the promise of God. He
equates the Jewish people after the flesh, the flesh and blood descendants of
Sarah and Abraham, as the seed of bondage, and in reality, being the seed of
Hagar. He equates the new Christian believers as the true seed of promise, the
true seed of Sarah and Abraham born after the Spirit of God. In other words,
Apostle Paul is equating the unbelieving seed of Abraham, the Jewish people,
with the unbelieving seed of Hagar. They are both under bondage and not free.
Let us look quickly at
Genesis 21 where Sarah asks Abraham to remove Hagar and Ismael from
their camp.
Genesis 21:8-12 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a
great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham,
mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out
this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir
with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very
grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12 And
God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad,
and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken
unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Here is the historical
event that Apostle Paul was making reference to. It is literally an allegory of
what is to take place. The true seed of Abraham is the seed of promise, the
seed of faith, and not the seed of the flesh. Jesus Himself said to the
Pharisees:
John 8:39b-40 If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works
of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth,
which I have heard of God; this did not Abraham.
In the book of
Revelation Jesus has a similar condemnation to the leaders of the Jewish nation
who rejected Him.
Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan,
which do say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them
to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Jesus is giving that
message to the Philadelphian church, the church that has kept His word and has
not denied His name. The Philadelphian church represents the true and obedient
followers of God.
The leaders of the
Jewish people who have rejected Jesus will receive condemnation unless they
repent and bow before the Son of Man. Ultimately, all mankind will bow to Jesus
and confess Him as Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given
Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
In the passage in
Galatians above Apostle Paul mentions “Jerusalem that is above,” which is the
same new Jerusalem we find in Revelation 21. Though Jesus may return on
Mount Zion in physical Jerusalem according to Zechariah 14:4, our home
is in heavenly new Jerusalem, for we look for a city that is not made with
hands.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a
heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He has
prepared for them a city.
That’s not earthly
Jerusalem, but new Jerusalem that is from above.
Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of
angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written
in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.
We that believe on and
follow the words of Jesus the Christ are destined for new Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And
I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
That’s the Jerusalem
we are living and dying for, a heavenly city, eternal, cut out without hands
where God will dwell with His creation.
Let us go back to
Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul makes the point that Jesus is the
One Seed of Abraham that would bless all families of the earth (Genesis 12:3).
Galatians 3:15-18 15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it
be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannuls, or adds
thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the
promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy
seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the
covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four
hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the
promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Apostle Paul is
reaffirming that Jesus is the Promised Seed of Abraham that would bless all the
families of the earth. “But as many as received Him to them gave He the power
to become the sons of God, even to those that believe on His name,” John
1:12. As a side note, Jesus is also the seed of Eve that would crush the
head of the serpent found in Genesis 3:15. Apostle Paul goes on to say
that the seed of Abraham are the true believers in Christ and heirs of all the
promises of God to the Fathers.
Galatians 3:26-29 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye
are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's,
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God told Abraham that
He would bless them that blessed him, and curse them that cursed him: and that
in him all the families of the earth would be blessed, (Genesis 12:3). It
is in Abraham’s seed, Jesus Christ, that all the families of the earth are
blessed. We that believe and follow Christ are also Abraham’s seed. We should
be a blessing to the world for as Jesus has said, we are the light of the
world, and salt of the earth. Let men, therefore, see your good works and
glorify God.
The Jewish people,
though bright and blessed mentally and in many ways above their brethren, have
failed in being a blessing they were ordained to be. They rejected the true
Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. We Christians should take note and not fall from
our faithfulness through the deceitfulness of sin which results in unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.
To go to Part 2
Credits to Sam Shamounian.
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvWrjCDn2KQ
