Saturday, April 8, 2023

CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN POLITICS & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

 


In the Twentieth Century, especially the latter half of the Twentieth Century, it became normal or even typical for Christians in America to blame the displacement of the Christian worldview, the erosion of traditional family values, and alarming increases in divorce, unwed pregnancy, venereal disease, youth rebellion, and other social maladies on everything but the decline in Christian influence instead of recognising the responsibility of Christians to impact culture and community for righteousness. It became commonplace for Christians to obsess over pet theories about Bible prophecies and promote a neutrality or isolation that rejects or prevents interaction between Christianity and culture and encourages believers to withdraw from society and be neutral because of preoccupation with speculations about things which they obviously do not and cannot know while ignoring the implications of the teachings and arguments being used to justify the apathy being promoted: The longer you keep a sinking ship afloat the more time there is left to rescue the perishing.

Man is a natural-born sinner, inherently depraved. It is not human government that is sinful or wicked but rather those who comprise human governments, which is why Christian influence is essential. Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt cleanses, purifies, preserves, and makes people thirsty, and light dispels darkness. Christians are supposed to be a cleansing and illuminating influence, impacting society and culture for righteousness. (Matthew 5:13-16)

Should we interpret the words of Christ in Matthew 6:9-11 to mean that He was promoting laziness and idleness? No, a good job should be considered an answer to prayers for necessities. The exhortation to pray for all men and for all that are in authority does not imply neutrality regarding politics and community affairs; opportunities to influence society and culture and participate in politics and community affairs should be considered answers to such prayers. (I Timothy 2:1-2)

Many insist that the Bible doctrine of separation means that Christians must be neutral concerning everything outside of church activities, but the separation taught in the Bible is godly distinctions, conduct, and relationships within society, not isolation from society or neutrality concerning politics and community affairs. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:3-11; I Timothy 3:7; I Peter 2:11-12) The Christian worldview gives a comprehensive understanding of reality, and the Bible provides guidance in every area of human existence, including civil government. Consider that Joseph and Daniel served as public officials in civil government and exerted their influence to benefit the nations in which they lived, and Jesus cared for the spiritual and physical needs of people. (Healing the sick and feeding the hungry was an extension of the message of the Gospel.) The “good works” of believers should include every area of life, and since human government has a legitimate God-ordained role with significant real-life implications it is wrong for Christians to be neutral or uninvolved in politics and community affairs. (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:10) How can Christians claim to love and care about others while neglecting the arena with the most impact on basic rights, freedom, welfare, and justice?


Sunday, April 2, 2023

PROBLEMS WITH CHRISTIAN ZIONISM

PROBLEMS WITH CHRISTIAN ZIONISM

“Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43) Let us suppose that one of your neighbors began a building project and persuaded others to participate in this building project and let us suppose that when you asked what they are doing they explained that they are building an ark according to the instructions in Genesis 6:14-16 in preparation for a global flood. What would be your reaction if, after you told them this is unnecessary because those commands applied to Noah, they explained that this is in the Bible and they are being obedient to God’s commands?

Here are a few questions you should consider:

·        Where does the Bible say that the establishment of the modern state of Israel relates to the Second Advent or the end or fulfillment of "the times of the Gentiles?"

·        Why did God use singular pronouns instead of plural pronouns when addressing Abraham in the Hebrew text of Genesis 12:1-3?

·        Does a comparison of 1948 USA with modern America indicate that alliance with Israel brought blessings or curses?

·        Is the modern state of Israel a godly nation?

·        How do you reconcile the teaching that the land promise made to Israel is yet to be fulfilled with Joshua 21:43-45 & 23:14-15?

·        Where does the New Testament explicitly support the teaching that the land promise made to Israel is yet to be fulfilled?

·        If God has two different plans for Jews and Gentiles, why does the New Testament say there is no longer a distinction? (Romans 1:16; 10:12; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11)

·        Where does the New Testament say that Old Testament prophecies about Israel have their fulfillment in the modern state of Israel and not the Church?

·        Why do all the New Testament passages that compare Israel to a fig tree point to Jerusalem’s destruction (not restoration)? (e.g., Luke 13:6-9)

·        How do you reconcile the teaching that the Second Advent will bring about the establishment of an earthly kingdom of Israel with the New Testament teaching that the Second Advent will bring the sudden destruction of the heavens and the earth? (II Peter 3:10-12)

God's covenant with natural Israel was a conditional covenant. “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. …I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. (Deuteronomy 4:23, 26-27) “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: …The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee.” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 49-53) “If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.” (Jeremiah 31:36) “Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.” (Micah 3:9-12)

The Old Testament requirement of the obedience of faith and genuine repentance removed Israel as a special nation, as natural Jews as a people cast off God's Word for their human traditions and rejected Christ. “But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.” (Numbers 15:30-31) “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:1-9) “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43) “They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. …He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (John 8:33-44, 47)

In the first century many Christians were unfairly judging one another on the basis of the observance or neglect of circumcision, the seventh-day Sabbath, Jewish holidays, dietary restrictions, and other aspects of the Old Covenant that separated or distinguished natural Jews from Gentiles as a result of the teaching that Jewish priority and privilege is perpetual; those laws were based on principles and truths that did not change, but their application changed under the New Covenant. (Consider Matthew 5:17 & Romans 3:31) The New Testament makes it clear that the real issue was whether anyone should really be considered a Jew without first becoming a Christian as the Church is a continuing body in the Old Testament and the New Testament and the New Testament Church is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning Israel. “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:16-21) “And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” (Acts 15:15-17) “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 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.” (Romans 2:28-29) “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” (Romans 9:6-8) “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. …Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 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. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. …Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:7,16-19,24-29) “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 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. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.” (Galatians 4:21-31) “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:15-17) “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 speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24) “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9. Note that while in the New Testament a church normally means a local body of Christians, the redeemed are also collectively referred to as the church. -Matthew 16:13-18; Hebrews 12:22-23; etc.)

 Old Testament prophecy about restoring Israel was fulfilled by the calling of the Gentiles to be God’s people. Compare Amos 9:11-12 with Acts 15:13-17: “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.” (Amos 9:11-12) “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” (Acts 15:13-17)  Compare Hosea 1:10 & 2:23 with Romans 9:22-26: “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. …And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” (Hosea 1:10; 2:23) “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.” (Romans 9:22-26)

The prophecy of the New Covenant that is made with the house of Israel is fulfilled in the New Testament Church. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34) “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25) “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6) “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:6-13) “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:14-18)

The modern teaching that Jewish priority and privilege is perpetual, and that God is working through two distinct bodies of people, natural Israel and the Church, and that Old Testament prophecies about Israel have their fulfillment in the modern State of Israel is contrary to Scripture.

Saturday, April 1, 2023

THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

          Does the Olivet Discourse provide signs or conditions to indicate to people of our generation that the end of the world or the Second Advent is near?  Let us take another look:

The Olivet Discourse is a reply to the inquiry about the end of the Jewish world, which centered on Jerusalem and the temple, and the Second Coming (Greek: Parousia): "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:1-3)

There were many deceivers claiming to be Christian (saying that Jesus is Christ) and there were many false prophets and false messiahs in the years preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5) “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11) “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17-18) “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision.” (Titus 1:10)

Wars, famines, and pestilences characterised the years preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matthew 24:6-7)

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14) “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20) Matthew 24:14 is not the Great Commission given in Matthew 28:18-20. In any language words often have various possible meanings which depend on context. Matthew 24:14 is part of a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and is saying the gospel would be preached throughout the Roman Empire before the destruction; compare the use of word "world" elsewhere. For example, did Caesar Augustus tax everyone on the entire inhabited earth or just everyone in the Roman Empire? “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1) Matthew 28:18-20 refers to the entire inhabited earth and verse twenty refers to the Second Advent as Christ began with "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore ...." Matthew 24:14 was fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” (Romans 1:8) “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” (Romans 16:26) “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.” (Colossians 1:6) “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister. (Colossians 1:23)

Matthew 24:15 is an obvious reference to the earthly temple in Jerusalem then in operation. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)" (Matthew 24:15; compare Hebrews 9:11-12, 24-25) In 66 A.D., Roman forces surrounded Jerusalem and made a thrust up to the temple walls and then withdrew for no apparent reason, and then the Christians in Judea fled to the mountains as instructed. “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.” (Matthew 24:16)

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) This verse is preceded by “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” (Matthew 24:16-20) If the “great tribulation” will be worldwide, why did Christ tell Christians to flee into the mountains?

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29) Here Christ used an Old Testament figure of speech for national disaster. “For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” (Isaiah 13:10) “And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.” (Ezekiel 32:7) “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” (Joel 2:10) “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” (Joel 3:15)

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he 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.” (Matthew 24:30-31) Christ used figurative language to say that people would see the evidence or sign of His coming (Greek: Erchomia) in judgment against Jerusalem in 66-70 AD. Followers of Christ were destined to occupy all nations and gather the elect from all peoples. Christianity did spread and prevail after this period. (Note the use of the word Erchomia instead of Parousia)

"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:34; compare the use of the word "generation" in Matthew 11:16; 12:39; 17:17; 23:36; etc...) Matthew 24:4-34 was fulfilled within the lifetime of people living when the prophecy was given. After verse thirty-four the subject changes to the Second Advent (Parousia) and from there the discourse does not give us any visible signs or verifiable events except people carrying on with their lives unaware. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:36-39)

The Last Days


 

         

          References to the “last days” do not give signs or conditions to indicate to people of our generation that the end of the world is near, the term "last days" refers to the Christian era. Compare Joel 2:28-32 & Acts 2:16-21: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew 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 great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:28-32) “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:16-21)

          The Old Testament served as the “days of old” and “former years” that gave way to the “last days” that started at the First Coming of Christ. “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” (Malachi 3:4)

Christ was upon the earth during the “last days.” “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. … The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:1 & 10) “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:26)

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) The instruction "from such turn away" indicates that the previously described conditions in chapter three of Second Timothy existed at the time this epistle was written. (2 Timothy 3:5)

If 2 Timothy 3:2-5 is a list of signs or conditions prior to the rapture, then how many times has the rapture occurred over the last two thousand years?

If God wanted 2 Timothy 3 to be a warning or reminder that the advance of Christianity would be accompanied by efforts of enemies of the Gospel to thwart the Lord’s work, through persecution from without and corruption from within, and a warning of perilous times resulting from conditions that have been characteristic of the world in greater and lesser degrees throughout Christian history, how would he have changed the wording of II Timothy 3?

Old Testament prophecies foretold that during the “last days,” the age between the First and Second Advents, the Christian era, God’s holy law, standards of righteousness, will go forth from the church of Jesus Christ, along with the word of the Lord (an obvious reference to the whole Bible), and there will be a Golden Age of Christian dominance and prosperity and worldwide peace prior to the Second Advent. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:2-4) “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Micah 4:1-3) In the New Testament the church of Jesus Christ is Mount Sion {Zion} and heavenly Jerusalem, and while in the New Testament a church normally means a local body of Christians, the redeemed are also collectively referred to as the church. “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.” (Hebrews 12:22-23)

THE PROPER VIEW OF KNOWLEDGE


 

      The attitude that we are right, that we know, causes pride, which is why we are admonished to put a priority on love. (I Corinthians 8:1; Proverbs 13:10) If someone seeks God and searches God's Word it is inevitable that truths will be revealed to him. There is a danger of a believer assuming that receiving revelations of truth means that he has a special enlightenment or illumination that makes him the authority on everything and puts him and his assertions above scrutiny, or means that truth is determined by his assent, or means that personal Bible study is unnecessary. (Proverbs 25:14; 26:12; Isaiah 5:21; Jeremiah 8:8,9; Romans 12:16; Galatians 6:3) This can easily lead to replacing sound Scriptural teaching with empty rhetoric and unscriptural assertions. (Consider I Timothy 1:5-7; 4:1-7; II Timothy 4:2-4; Jude 10; etc.)

      We must always remember that any knowledge that any of us has is incomplete and the Holy Bible is the final authority. (I Corinthians 8:2; Psalm 33:4; 119:130; Proverbs 2:3-6; 3:5-7; Jeremiah 9:23-24; II Timothy 2:14-16; 3:16)

 

 

 

      

CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN POLITICS & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

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