TEXT: I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18

SUBJECT: Joyful Anticipation of the End Times

INTRODUCTION:

Recently, someone told me about a couple of ladies that they were talking with about the Blood Moons.[1] One of the ladies was excited and wanted to hear more. But the other lady had the opposite reaction. She said that this kind of talk made her afraid and fearful. And I believe that those two responses are typical of how many people view the end times. Some are very excited about what is coming, but many are fearful about the future. And of course, there are those who are completely unaware or are oblivious to the times in which we are living—at least for now. I believe that will change as events continue to unfold!

My desire as a pastor, with a prophetic gift, is to move you squarely and confidently into the people-group who are excited about the end times. I want you to have a joyous attitude of expectation and anticipation about what is coming in the future, and not one of fear or dread. And the best way that I can accomplish that is by giving you Biblical knowledge about what God’s Word says will take place in the coming days. When you know the truth about what’s coming in the end times, then you will be free from fear. As the scripture says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”[2] In this case, that will mean being set free from fear. When you begin to really grasp what God has planned for the future, you will be able to move into the coming days in faith and in victory.

In the coming weeks, I am going to preach and teach on four scriptures[3] that reveal God’s end time plan which is centered in the Rapture and Second Return of Jesus Christ. As we lay out these scriptures for you, two things will emerge. First will be the timing of the Rapture and Second Return; secondly, and equally important, will be what the Rapture and Second Return of the Lord will mean for the Church.

As we move forward, allow me to encourage you to pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God so that you will be a person who is moving into the end times with joyful anticipation and not in fear. For this is God’s will for you.

I. The first scripture that we will begin with in our study is I Thessalonians 4:13-18:

1 Thess 4:13-18

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

(1). The first reason why you can be excited and have a joyous anticipation of the end times is because it will be the happiest family reunion of all times!

a.) The Apostle Paul included this truth in his letter to the Thessalonians because fellow believers had died and those who were still alive were concerned about what had happened to them. Where were they? Did their death mean that they would miss out on what God had planned for the future? Paul took away their fears and concerns by sharing with them the revelation that he had received from the Lord Jesus Himself.[4]

1.) First of all, notice the tender words of the Great Shepherd of the Church as He speaks through the Apostle about those who had died: “Brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant about those who have “fallen asleep.” He referred to those who had died as having simply  “fallen asleep.” And we all know what happens when someone is asleep: They will wake up! And when they wake up, then we will be able to once again talk with them, be with them and enjoy being with them. What an amazing thought: One day in the future, according to the revelation of the Word of God, we will once again see and know our loved ones who have awakened from having “falling asleep” in Jesus!

Beloved, does this truth encourage you? Inspire you? Excite you? Cause you joyful anticipation? I can almost feel my Dad’s hand on the back of my neck and hear him saying, “It’s going to be okay bud.” And I can envision me and my Momma dancing around the room like we did so many times before she fell asleep in Jesus. Dear Church, no matter what may come in the future days, you can rest assured that at the end will come the happiest family reunion of all times for all of those who have “fallen asleep” in Jesus!

Illustration: I can remember as a boy how much I enjoyed waking up on a Saturday morning after a good long sleep. There was Dad, Mom, my grandmother (who lived with us), and my brother and sister. That little four room house that we lived in was so full of amazing joy because we all had and loved each other. How much more and greater and happier will be that great family reunion day when all of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus are reunited with those who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord?

WHAT A DAY THAT WILL BE! IS NOT THE FUTURE LOOKING BETTER AND BRIGHTER ALREADY?

SHOULD WE NOT, AS CHRISTIANS, BE EXCITED ABOUT THE COMING DAYS? NOT FEARFUL, BUT FULL OF FAITH AND JOYFUL ANTICIPATION FOR THAT GREAT AND HAPPIEST OF ALL FAMILY REUNION DAYS!

IF YOU CAN ANSWER YES, WOULD YOU SAY A GOOD AMEN?[5]

2.) In verse 14, Paul goes on to say, “we believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”

As proof of life after death, Paul refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus. And what an amazing and comforting truth to those Thessalonians who were wondering about loved ones who had died or had “fallen asleep.” Paul powerfully connects the two together when he says in verse 14, “we believe that Jesus died and rose again, AND SO, (based on His death and resurrection from the dead) we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” Paul is telling the Thessalonians, and subsequently us too, that just as sure as Jesus is alive after death, so too are your loved ones who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

Beloved, your hope of being reunited with your loved ones who have fallen asleep in Jesus is not based on anything less than the historical, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The hope, our hope of life after death, is not just wishful thinking. A thousand times no! Quite the contrary, it is rooted and grounded in the central truth of scripture: The resurrection of the Son of God from the dead! And I have been to the tomb; it’s still empty!

Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes

He arose a victor from the dark domain

And He lives forever with His saints to reign

He arose, He arose, hallelujah Christ arose!

Fearful of the future? No way! Rather, joyfully anticipating the future!

3.) With the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead as proof of life for all of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, Paul adds this thought in verse 14, “. . .we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”

In the last part of this verse that we just read, Paul is giving us the first link to the Rapture and Second Return of the Lord which we will look in our next message. He says, “. . . God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” Jesus is coming back to this earth again, and He is not coming alone.

You say, I know Pastor; He is coming with the angels. Yes, that’s true. But also coming back with Him, at His Second Return to the earth, will be those who have fallen asleep in Him! He is bringing them “with Him” the scripture says.

Did you get that Beloved? When Jesus comes back to this planet the second time, He is bringing my Dad and Mom with Him; my grandparents and my little brother who fell asleep in Jesus when he was only two weeks old.  And He is bringing back your loved ones who are now with Him in Heaven.

It doesn’t get any more real or exciting than that! So how then should we be living as we enter into the last days? Fearful of the end of this age? Afraid of the end times? Anxious about the future?

Are you kidding me? Afraid of seeing the face of the King of Glory? Afraid of being reconciled with loved ones who have been asleep for such a long while? Afraid of the happiest family reunion of all times?

Beloved, it should be just the opposite for those who are in Jesus! We have everything to look forward to. We should be filled with joyful anticipation as we see THE DAY approaching.  It is no cliché when we say, “for those who are in Jesus, the best is yet to come!”

Therefore, when we see or hear about the Blood Moons, or the Shemitah[6], or ISIS or Vladimir Putin, we should be excited and full of joyful anticipation because these are signs that we are getting closer to the Great Day of God and all the amazing promises that will become reality for the Church! And one of those promises is the happiest reunion day of all time!

Consequently, if you are not excited about the end times and the future, it may mean that you need to make sure that you are right with God.

You need to make sure that you are ready for the end times by being born again, by putting your faith in Jesus Christ who died, rose again, and is coming back to this earth.

CONCLUSION

The end times are not the end for those who are in Jesus as we have seen from I Thessalonians 4. Rather, for those who are in Jesus, the end times literally mean a new beginning! And a major part of that new beginning will be the happiest family reunion of all times! It will be the reuniting with all of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. So the end times mean, for those who are in Jesus, that the best is truly yet to come!

Beloved, let’s make sure that in these last days that we are living in that we are the kind of witnesses who are filled with such joyful anticipation of what is yet to come, our testimony and our lives will be irresistible in drawing others to Christ!

PRAYER

O LORD, PLEASE LET THE REVELATION OF THE PROMISE OF THE GREAT FAMILY REUNION AT THE RAPTURE AND SECOND COMING OF JESUS BECOME WHO WE ARE IN THESE EXCITING DAYS IN WHICH WE ARE LIVING!

IN JESUS NAME, AMEN!

FOOTNOTES

---

[1] Blood Moons have occurred with regard to significant events in the history of Israel. For more information, visit my blog: warriorprophet.blogspot.com and reference the post from October 2, 2013, “A Prophetic Event Is on the Horizon.”

[2] John 8:32

[3] I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:50-55; Matthew 24:15-31; Revelation 20:1-6

[4] I Thessalonians 4:15 “According to the Lord’s own Word. . .”

[5] If you have unsaved family members, God will one day wipe away all your tears. (See Revelation 21:4)

[6] Please reference: http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/shemitahs-first-2-weeks-bring-ominous-signs/

 

 I felt the need to post this prophetic  word from October 5, 2009. What was prophesied about the shakeup in the House of Representatives has already happened. It happened in 2010. 

October 5, 2009 (Warrior Assembly of God, Warrior, Alabama)

 

At our men’s prayer meeting on October 5, 2009, the Holy Spirit gave us a very definite word concerning the city of San Francisco, California. The meeting began with the Spirit telling us that He was soon to act in a very significant way in the earth. A brother present then said that he saw himself looking across the Golden Gate Bridge, not really knowing what that meant. I then remembered what my wife had told me that she had seen on Sunday morning during worship. She said that she saw an angel flying through the sky releasing fire. Immediately, having related that to the men, I saw an angel standing at the Golden Gate Bridge with a drawn sword. I knew that this meant judgment!

 The word that the Lord spoke to me next is direct and may not be received by very many, even those in the Body of Christ. However, I must speak it nonetheless. I saw a cup, and it was almost full. I knew in the spirit that this was the cup of iniquity in the city of San Francisco. The Spirit said that the cup of iniquity is almost full in this city and judgment is soon to come. This judgment is necessary, because the evil in this city is like a cancer on America, and it must be removed. San Francisco is a portal, and through it every kind of foul, demonic spirit is being released into our country. Consequently, this

evil must be excised. I know that there are many more cities which are extremely wicked, but San Francisco is where judgment will begin.

 How will this judgment come? I don’t know exactly, but I did see fire rising up from the ground. Will it be some sort of terrorist attack, or will it be a colossal earthquake? I am not sure, but I have the sense that it will be an earthquake. However it may come, the Spirit impressed upon me that this judgment would be very, very decisive and destructive. To put it in simple terms, the judgment coming to San Francisco is going to be bad, really bad, and will include a lot of collateral damage. I’ll say more about that a bit later.

I then saw Nancy Pelosi, who is a House Member representing the city of San Francisco in Washington. She also is the Speaker of the House, meaning that she has been entrusted with a great deal of authority. In this vision or spiritual impression, Speaker Pelosi was walking away from me, yet looking back. Her face was grim. The whole scene began to shake, including Speaker Pelosi. It was evident that the Lord was saying that not only will San Francisco be shaken but that there would also be a shakeup of power in the House of Representatives. You can draw your own conclusions as to all that may mean. At that point, we felt impressed to pray for the will of God to be done concerning Speaker Pelosi.

After the Spirit revealed His heart to us concerning this coming judgment, we then felt impressed to intercede.  Listed below is how the Spirit led our intercession:

 

 1. Intercession that God would awaken and speak to the believers in that city to be delivered from the coming judgment. Even as Abraham interceded concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord sent an angel to lead Lot and his family out of that place. So likewise, may angels be sent to deliver the believers in San Francisco.

2.  Secondly we interceded, that in judgment God would remember mercy--the very thing He is eager to do.  We prayed that the collateral damage would be minimized as much as is possible.

3. Third, our intercession led us to pray that after this judgment has come, the Christian leaders who will be given a platform to speak will not acquiesce and be passive and misleading as to what has occurred. We prayed that they would have the courage to speak the truth in love. What is going to happen in San Francisco will be unequivocally the judgment of God and it must not be explained otherwise. To do so will only bring more judgment on our country.

4. Fourth, we then prayed that the result of this judgment will be repentance. Our prayer is, like that of an aftershock from an earthquake, repentance will reverberate from West to East and South to North. And by this repentance America will be turned back to God. Truly this could be the impetus for the Third Great Awakening in this country! This intercession, we believe, is crucial. If America refuses to genuinely repent and turn back to God, then there will be another judgment, and another and another, until we repent!

 

 What will happen in the city of San Francisco will not be by the hand of man. It will be the hand of God. This judgment is absolutely necessary or it would not happen. God does not delight in the death of the wicked, He never has. But in order for Him to fulfill His will in America, judgment must come. God loves this country, and He is not finished with her yet. It’s not "God damn America" as some Chicago preacher has said, rather it is God bless America. Yet, this blessing cannot come without judgment.

I ask you to join me in the spirit of intercession listed above. Although God’s judgment will come, it can result in our country turning back to God if we will pray. What is at stake is the future of this great country. America will not be saved by the hands of politicians; it is too late for that. Our future and the future of our children and grandchildren will be determined by the faithfulness of a praying church. So I ask you dear watchmen, please take your place on the wall and let’s intercede according to God’s will. If we pray, we will be victorious.

Revelation 12:1-6; 13-17 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. ¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

In the following of only 820 words, I will give you a very simple paradigm of how to interpret the things that have happened, the things that are happening now, and the things that will happen in the future. If you please, it is the big picture of what is really going on behind what is being played out in the natural world. In order to understand it better, think of what happens at a puppet show. What everyone sees are the puppets, but as we all know, the reality is the personalities behind the puppets! What is written in the above scripture is the reality of what has happened in our world, what is happening in our world, and what will happen in our world! It is imperative to understand this truth if you are going to be victorious in the days that are ahead.

The “Red Dragon” is the devil; “the woman” is the nation of Israel; and “the woman’s offspring” is the Church. The question that must be asked is this: why does the devil desire to destroy Israel and the Church? For one reason: to keep himself from being judged and banished forever (Revelation 20:1-10). Let me say this in the simplest terms possible. THE ANSWER is found in two scriptures. The first is Matthew 23:39, “For I (Jesus) tell you, you (Jewish leadership) will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” The devil hates Israel and has tried and will try to annihilate them so that this scripture cannot be fulfilled. If there is no nation of Israel then Jesus cannot be welcomed back; and if Jesus does not return, then God is liar and the devil wins and will not be banished. This is why the devil worked so violently and maliciously through Hitler and Nazism in attempting to destroy the Jews! And that is what he is trying to do through Islam today—destroy Israel! The second scripture is Matthew 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” It is predicted that by the year 2015 the whole world—all peoples—will have heard the Gospel! Consequently, the devil is seeking and will seek to destroy the Church because he doesn’t want “the end to come.” Only the Church is capable of preaching the gospel to the whole world, and by so doing bring about the end. This is not the end of the world but rather is the end of the age and the beginning of the end for the devil! So there it is in plain language. So the next time you see Israel or the Church being attacked, you know who is really behind it and why. The good news is that the devil will lose and God and His people, Israel and the Church will win. It is written!

I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord!

Jimmy Hammock

Basic Rules of Interpretation

When handling the Word of God, there are rules of interpretation that must be followed. This is important so that what you end up with is exegesis: “leading out” what is in the text. If these rules are not followed, then what you will end up with will be eisegesis: reading something “into” the text that is not there—such as your own presuppositions or preconceived ideas. Although there is always some subjectivity in Bible interpretation, the goal of the interpreter is to be as objective as possible. II Peter 1:20-21 says, ^“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” With that said, I will list below some of the basic rules for interpreting the Word of God.

1.      Have at least a working knowledge of the original languages the Bible was written in. The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, (a few chapters in Ezra and Daniel, and one verse in Jeremiah, was written in Aramaic); the New Testament was written in Koine Greek (“the common” language of the people). The importance of being able to understand the original languages is that when you translate from one language to another you can lose some of the original meaning of a word or words. For example, the Greeks had several words for love that we translate as only one word in English. In Greek, there is “philos,” meaning “brotherly love,” (Philadelphia is the combination of the Greek words for love and brotherly, hence “the city of brotherly love.” And then there is “agape,” meaning the “unconditional, willful love of God.” Therefore, a working knowledge of the original languages of the Bible is an invaluable tool in the exegesis of the scriptures.

2.      A second rule of interpreting the Word of God is to give careful attention to what the text meant in its original setting. This would require an understanding of who the author of the text was as well as the people to whom he was writing. For example, understanding that Matthew was writing to a first century Jewish audience to convince them that Jesus was the promised Old Testament Messiah would explain why he quotes so much from the Old Testament. That would obviously be very important to a Jewish audience and important to the one interpreting the text of Matthew.

3.      A third rule of interpretation is to understand the Jewish culture and mind set. With the exception of Luke, who was a Greek, the entire New Testament was written by Jews! It is important then to think like a first century Jew. How do you do that? First and foremost, learn to love the Old Testament. The Jews who wrote the New Testament did. It is very difficult to understand the person of Jesus the Messiah without understanding God’s revelation of Him in the Old Testament. The Old Testament was the prophecy and preparation for the New Testament. Therefore any serious interpreter of the New Testament must know the Old Testament.

4.      A fourth rule for interpreting the Word of God is to compare scripture with scripture. Or said another way, let scripture interpret scripture. For example, when you are studying the end times, it is essential to get a complete view of what the Bible teaches on this subject. Study what Jesus taught about the end times as well as what the Holy Spirit also said through the other Old Testament and New Testament writers. For example, it has been said that Daniel is essential to interpreting the book of the Revelation. Consequently, a sound New Testament theology and exegesis on the Second Coming of Jesus is dependent on this rule of interpretation. If this rule of interpretation is ignored, then you are likely to have a wrong as well as a dangerous end time theology!

5.      The fifth and final rule of interpretation that should never be ignored by anyone desiring to  properly interpret and exegete the Word of God is to always pray and be dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Although written over a period of 1600 years by forty different writers, The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Author of the scriptures. It is He and He alone who can take what is written and make it life and revelation to your soul!

The above list is not all inclusive, but is the basics of exegetical, Bible Interpretation. I hope this will help you in some small way to better know and understand “The Greatest Story” ever told! Shalom friends.

When I was back in Israel last November, I took this picture of the old city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. You can see the old city wall as well as the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is currently located. As I thought about the history that had happened here, Abraham attempting to offer Isaac as a sacrifice; Jesus being rejected, crucified and raised from the dead, the Holy Spirit reminded me that although there were foundational, historical events that had happened here, the best was yet to come! This would be the place that Messiah would return to and make His Capitol for His millennial reign on earth. At that moment, as a believer in Messiah, I knew why that I felt at home here! I love Israel, because as one who has been grafted into the natural vine of Israel through faith in Messiah, I too am part of Abraham's offspring! Consequently, I am an Hebraic Christian. My roots are not pagan but are Jewish. Shalom

WARRIOR ASSEMBLY OF GOD JULY 11, 2012 THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION “THE UNVEILING OF JESUS CHRIST” OVERVIEW/BACKGROUND I. GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN A. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOD’S PLAN TO HAVE A PEOPLE AND DWELL WITH THEM FOREVER. THEREFORE, AS I HAVE SAID MANY TIMES, GOD BEGAN IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION AND NOT IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS. SAID ANOTHER WAY, GOD BEGAN WITH THE END IN MIND. THE BOOK OF GENESIS WAS THE CREATION OF THE TIME AND SPACE UNIVERSE FOR THE PURPOSE OF MOVING ALL THINGS TO GOD’S DESIRED END IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION. ONCE AGAIN, THAT DESIRED END WAS THAT GOD WOULD HAVE A PEOPLE WITH WHOM HE WOULD DWELL FOREVER. 1.REVELATION 21:1-5 “THEN I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, FOR THE FIRST HEAVEN AND THE FIRST EARTH HAD PASSED AWAY, AND THERE WAS NO MORE SEA. I SAW THE HOLY CITY, THE NEW JERUSALEM, COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN FROM GOD, PREPARED AS A BRIDE BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED FOR HER HUSBAND. AND I HEARD A LOUD VOICE FROM THE THRONE SAYING, LOOK! GOD’S DWELLING PLACE IS NOW AMONG THE PEOPLE, AND HE WILL DWELL WITH THEM. THEY WILL BE HIS PEOPLE, AND GOD HIMSELF WILL BE WITH THEM AND BE THEIR GOD. HE WILL WIPE EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES. THERE WILL BE NO MORE DEATH OR MOURNING OR CRYING OR PAIN, FOR THE OLD ORDER OF THINGS HAS PASSED AWAY. HE WHO WAS SEATED ON THE THRONE SAID, I AM MAKING EVERTHING NEW! THEN HE SAID, WRITE THIS DOWN, FOR THESE WORDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY AND TRUE.” II. THE PLAN BEGINS TO UNFOLD WITH THE FIRST MAN. A. AFTER GOD HAS CREATED THE TIME AND SPACE UNIVERSE, AND THEN FASHIONED THE EARTH TO BE HABITABLE FOR LIFE, HE BROUGHT FORTH THE CROWNING ACT OF HIS CREATION. 1. GENESIS 1:26-28 “THEN GOD SAID, LET US MAKE MANKIND IN OUR OWN IMAGE, IN OUR LIKENESS, SO THAT THEY MAY RULE OVER THE FISH IN THE SEA AND THE BIRDS IN THE SKY, OVER THE LIVESTOCK AND ALL THE WILD ANIMALS, AND OVER ALL THE CREATURES THAT MOVE ALONG THE GROUND. SO GOD CREATED MANKIND IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE CREATED THEM; MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM. GOD BLESSED THEM AND SAID TO THEM, BE FRUITFUL AND INCREASE IN NUMBER; FILL THE EARTH AND SUBDUE IT. RULE OVER THE FISH IN THE SEA AND THE BIRDS IN THE SKY AND OVER EVERY LIVING CREATURE THAT MOVES ON THE GROUND.” a. IT IS CLEAR FROM THIS SCRIPTURE THAT GOD GAVE MANKIND DOMINION OVER THE EARTH. AND THIS WAS A DOMINION THAT GOD WOULD NOT REPEAL OR RESCIND EVEN THOUGH MAN WOULD REBEL AGAINST HIM. 2. GENESIS 3:1-7 “NOW THE SERPENT WAS MORE CRAFTY THAN ANY OF THE WILD ANIMALS THE LORD GOD HAD MADE. HE SAID TO THE WOMAN, DID GOD REALLY SAY, YOU MUST NOT EAT FROM ANY TREE IN THE GARDEN. THE WOMAN SAID TO THE SERPENT, WE MAY EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREES IN THE GARDEN, BUT GOD DID SAY, YOU MUST NOT EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREE THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN, AND YOU MUST NOT TOUCH IT OR YOU WILL DIE. YOU WILL NOT CERTAINLY DIE, THE SERPENT SAID TO THE WOMAN. FOR GOD KNOWS THAT WHEN YOU EAT FROM IT YOUR EYES WILL BE OPENED, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. WHEN THE WOMAN SAW THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD AND PLEASING TO THE EYES, AND ALSO DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM, SHE TOOK SOME AND ATE IT. SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE IT. THEN THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED, AND THEY REALIZED THEY WERE NAKED; SO THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES TOGETHER AND MADE COVERINGS FOR THEMSELVES.” a. IF YOU READ THE REST OF GENESIS CHAPTER 3, ALTHOUGH YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS SIN HAD DISASTOROUS CONSEQUENCES, GOD DID NOT TAKE FROM MANKIND HIS PLAN FOR THEM TO HAVE DOMINION OVER THE EARTH. b. HOWEVER, THE SERPENT OR THE DEVIL HAS NOW ENTERED THE PICTURE CONCERING THE RULERSHIP OF THE EARTH. 1. LUKE 4:5-8 “THE DEVIL LED HIM UP TO A HIGH PLACE AND SHOWED IN AN INSTANT ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. AND HE SAID TO HIM, I WILL GIVE YOU ALL THEIR AUTHORITY AND SPLENDER; IT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME, AND I CAN GIVE IT TO ANYONE I WANT TO. IF YOU WORSHIP ME, IT WILL BE YOURS. JESUS ANSWERED, IT IS WRITTEN; WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.” a. THIS SCRIPTURE INDICATES THAT THE DEVIL USURPED THE AUTHORITY OF THE EARTH AWAY FROM MANKIND BY GETTING HIM TO SIN AGAINST GOD AND JOIN HIS REBELLION. 2. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 “THE god OF THIS AGE HAS BLINDED THE MINDS OF UNBELIEVERS, SO THAT THEY CANNOT SEE THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL THAT DISPLAYS THE GLORY OF CHRIST AS LORD, AND OURSELVES AS YOUR SERVANTS FOR JESUS’ SAKE.” a. IN THIS TEXT, THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYS THAT THE DEVIL IS THE god OF THIS PRESENT WORLD SYSTEM. AS SUCH, HE CURRENTLY HAS DOMINION OVER THE EARTH AND NOT MAN AS GOD ORIGINALLY PLANNED. b. THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS GOD’S ANSWER TO THIS APPARENT DILEMMA? GOD GAVE AUTHORITY TO MAN TO HAVE DOMINION OVER THE EARTH FOREVER, BUT SATAN USURPED THAT DOMINION AWAY FROM MAN BY GETTING HIM TO ENTER INTO HIS REBELLION AGAINST GOD. HOW THEN CAN GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN NOW BE CARRIED OUT? III. JESUS CHRIST—THE GOD MAN (THE SECOND MAN) A. GOD’S SOLUTION TO THIS APPARENT DILEMMA WAS THE GOD-MAN, THE SECOND MAN WHO CAME FROM HEAVEN. GOD THE SON WOULD COME TO EARTH AND BECOME A MAN. AS A MAN HE WOULD DEFEAT SATAN; REDEEM MAN BACK TO GOD BY SATISFYING GOD’S JUSTICE FOR MAN’S SIN BY DYING ON THE CROSS; RISE FROM THE DEAD AS THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW CREATION OF GOD! ASCEND BACK TO HEAVEN, BACK TO THE GLORY OF GOD; AND ONE DAY RETURN TO THE EARTH TO FULFILL GOD’S PLAN BY FULLY TAKING BACK THE DOMINION OF THE EARTH AS A MAN; AND SETTING UP THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF THE FATHER WHERE GOD WILL DWELL WITH MAN FOREVER! 1. PSALM 2:7 “I WILL PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DECREE: HE SAID TO ME, YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BECOME YOUR FATHER.” a. IN THIS MESSIANIC PSALM, A PSALM ABOUT THE MESSIAH-JESUS, THE FATHER SAYS TO THE SON, “TODAY I HAVE BECOME YOUR FATHER.” THIS DID NOT HAPPEN 2000 YEARS AGO BUT RATHER SOMETIME IN THE ETERNAL PAST. THERE WAS A TIME, ONLY THE LORD KNOWS WHEN, THAT THE ETERNAL FATHER BEGOT THE ETERNAL SON! 2. JOHN 1:1-2, 14, 18 “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. HE WAS WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING.THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND MADE HIS DWELLING AMONG US. WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY, THE GLORY OF THE ONE AND ONLY SON, WHO CAME FROM THE FATHER, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH. NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN GOD, BUT THE ONE AND ONLY SON, WHO IS HIMSELF GOD AND IS IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER, HAS MADE HIM KNOWN.” a. THESE VERSES MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD LEFT THE GLORY OF HEAVEN AND CAME TO THE EARTH AND BECAME A MAN. HE BECAME, IF YOU WILL, THE GOD-MAN. THIS IS RECORDED IN LUKE 1:26-35. 3. COLOSSIANS 2:13-15 “WHEN YOU WERE DEAD IN YOUR SINS AND IN THE UNCIRCUMCISION OF YOUR FLESH, GOD MADE YOU ALIVE WITH CHRIST. HE FORGAVE US ALL OF OUR SINS, HAVING CANCELED THE CHARGE OR OUR LEGAL INDEBTEDNESS, WHICH STOOD AGAINST US AND CONDEMNED US; HE HAS TAKEN IT AWAY, NAILING IT TO THE CROSS. AND HAVING DISARMED THE POWERS AND AUTHORITIES, HE MADE A PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF THEM, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM BY THE CROSS.” a. GOD SATISIFIED HIS JUSTICE FOR SIN BY NAILING OUR SINS TO CHRIST ON THE CROSS, THE GUILTLESS DYING FOR THE GUILTY, AND AT THE SAME TIME DEFEATED THE SATANIC POWERS THAT HELD US IN BONDAGE BECAUSE OF OUR SIN. 4. I CORINTHIANS 15:20-28 “BUT CHRIST HAS INDEED BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. FOR SINCE DEATH CAME THROUGH A MAN, THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD CAME ALSO THROUGH A MAN. FOR AS IN ADAM ALL DIE, SO IN CHRIST ALL WILL BE MADE ALIVE. BUT EACH IN TURN: CHRIST, THE FIRSTFRUITS; THEN WHEN HE COMES, THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM. THEN THE END WILL COME, WHEN HE HANDS OVER THE KINGDOM TO GOD THE FATHER AFTER HE HAS DESTROYED ALL DOMINION, AUTHORITY AND POWER. FOR HE MUST REIGN UNTIL HE HAS PUT ALL HIS ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET. THE LAST ENEMY TO BE DESTROYED IS DEATH. FOR HE HAS PUT EVERYTHING UNDER HIS FEET. NOW WHEN IT SAYS EVERYTHING HAS BEEN PUT UNDER HIM, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE GOD HIMSELF, WHO PUT EVERYTHING UNDER CHRIST. WHEN HE HAS DONE THIS, THEN THE SON HIMSELF WILL BE MADE SUBJECT TO HIM WHO PUT EVERYTHING UNDER HIM, SO THAT GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL.” a. JESUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD AS THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW CREATION OF GOD. HE IS THE FIRST OF MILLIONS WHO WILL BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD WITH NEW BODIES. 5. ACTS 3:21 “HEAVEN MUST RECEIVE HIM (JESUS) UNTIL THE TIME COMES FOR GOD TO RESTORE EVERYTHING, AS HE PROMISED LONG AGO THROUGH HIS HOLY PROPHETS.” a. JESUS WILL REMAIN IN HEAVEN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO FULLY TAKE BACK DOMINION OF THE EARTH. 6. REVELATION 5:1-7 “THEN I SAW IN THE RIGHT HAND OF HIM WHO SAT ON THE THRONE A SCROLL WITH WRITING ON BOTH SIDES AND SEALED WITH SEVEN SEALS. AND I SAW A MIGHTY ANGEL PROCLAIMING IN A LOUD VOICE, WHO IS WORTHY TO BREAK THE SEALS AND OPEN THE SCROLL? BUT NO ONE IN HEAVEN OR ON THE EARTH OR UNDER THE EARTH COULD OPEN THE SCROLL OR EVEN LOOK INSIDE IT. I WEPT AND WEPT BECAUSE NO ONE WAS FOUND WHO WAS WORTHY TO OPEN THE SCROLL AND LOOK INSIDE. THEN ONE OF THE ELDERS SAID TO ME, DO NOT WEEP! SEE, THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, THE ROOT OF DAVID, HAS TRIUMPHED. HE IS ABLE TO OPEN THE SCROLL AND BREAK ITS SEVEN SEALS. THEN I SAW A LAMB, LOOKING AS IF IT HAD BEEN SLAIN, STANDING AT THE CENTER OF THE THRONE, ENCIRCLED BY THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES AND THE ELDERS. THE LAMB HAD SEVEN HORNS AND SEVEN EYES, WHICH ARE THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD SENT OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH. HE WENT AND TOOK THE SCROLL FROM THE RIGHT HAND OF HIM WHO SAT ON THE THRONE.” a. GOD HIMSELF COULD NOT OPEN THE SCROLL BECAUSE IT MUST BE A MAN WHO TAKES BACK THE DOMINION OF THE EARTH. AND THE ANGELS COULD NOT OPEN THE SCROLL BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PART OF MANKIND. THAT IS WHY THAT ONLY JESUS WAS FOUND WORTHY TO TAKE THE SCROLL AND OPEN IT! b. IN VERSE 9 OF REVELATION 5, THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES AND THE 24 ELDERS SANG A NEW SONG DECLARING WHY THAT JESUS WAS WORTHY TO OPEN THE SCROLLS. “. . .YOU ARE WORTHY TO TAKE THE SCROLL AND TO OPEN ITS SEALS, BECAUSE YOU WERE SLAIN AND WITH YOUR BLOOD YOU PURCHASED FOR GOD PERSONS FROM EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.” c. JESUS WAS FOUND WORTHY TO NOT ONLY TO TAKE THE SCROLL BUT TO OPEN IT! HE ALONE COULD BE TRUSTED TO RIGHTEOUSLY AND JUSTLY RELEASE THE JUDGMENTS CONTAINED IN THE SCROLL. ONLY HE WOULD HAVE THE LOVE, WISDOM, HUMILITY, COURAGE AND TENACITY TO DO WHAT HAD TO BE DONE AND TO DO IT PERFECTLY! d. BUT COULD JESUS BE TRUSTED TO RULE AND REIGN OVER THE EARTH AS A MAN, FOREVER AND EVER, WITHOUT EVER MISUSING HIS POWER FOR SELFISH PURPOSES? WHAT WOULD CAUSE THOSE IN HEAVEN TO KNOW THAT? IT IS STATED IN THE NEW SONG THAT WAS SONG ABOUT HIM, “. . .YOU ARE WORTHY. . . BECAUSE YOU WERE SLAIN AND YOUR BLOOD PURCHASED FOR GOD PERSONS FROM EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.” e. LET’S PROBE A LITTLE DEEPER TO DISCOVER WHY JESUS’ DEATH MADE HIM WORTHY TO OPEN THE SCROLLS AND THEN RELEASE THEM. 7. PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 “IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH ONE ANOTHER, HAVE THE SAME MINDSET AS CHRIST JESUS: WHO BEING IN VERY NATURE GOD, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD SOMETHING TO BE USED TO HIS OWN ADVANTAGE; RATHER, HE MADE HIMSELF NOTHING, BY TAKING THE VERY NATURE OF A SERVANT, BEING MADE IN HUMAN LIKENESS, AND BEING FOUND IN APPEARANCE AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF BY BECOMING OBEDIENT TO DEATH—EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS. THEREFORE GOD EXALTED HIM TO THE HIGHEST PLACE AND GAVE HIM THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY NAME, THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH AND UNDER THE EARTH, AND EVERY TONGUE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.” a. IT THE SIMPLEST TERMS THAT I CAN THINK OF, JESUS WAS FOUND WORTHY TO TAKE THE SCROLLS AND OPEN THEM BECAUSE HE CAN TRUSTED FOREVER TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND PERFECT. IF HE WAS WILLING TO HUMBLE HIMSELF AND GIVE UP HIS PLACE OF GLORY THAT HE HAD WITH THE FATHER—NOT HAVING TO DO SO— AND THEN DYING ON A CROSS SO THAT WE COULD SHARE IN THE FATHER’S ETERNAL PLAN--THEN IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT HE CAN ALWAYS BE TRUSTED TO RULE AND REIGN OVER THE EARTH IN PERFECTION! HE ALONE IS THE PERFECT MAN WHO WILL FULFILL THE FATHER’S ETERNAL PLAN TO LIVE AND DWELL FOREVER WITH HIS PEOPLE ON THE EARTH! b. SHOULD NOT THIS UNFATHOMABLE HUMILITY OF THE ETERNAL SON WHO GAVE UP HIS EQUALITY WITH GOD THE FATHER TO BECOME A HUMAN BEING AND DIE FOR US SO THAT WE CAN SHARE HIS GLORY THAT HE HAD WITH THE FATHER BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN MOTIVATE US TO KNOW HIM, LOVE HIM AND PURSUE HIM AS THE DESIRE OF OUR HEART? THERE IS NO ONE LIKE HIM. HIS BEAUTY AND WISDOM AND POWER SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF OUR WORSHIP AND OUR PRAYERS. WE SHOULD ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REVEAL HIM TO US. AS PAUL SAID IN COLOSSIANS 2:3 “IN WHOM (CHRIST) ARE HIDDEN ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE.”

Election, Grace, and the Historical Continuum of Jew-Hatred

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Election, Grace, and the Historical Continuum of Jew-Hatred Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:31 AM PDT Below is an excerpt from an email exchange with Reggie Kelly on election, grace, Israel, and anti-semitism: There is a root that is deeper than anti-Semitism; it is anti-election! Israel represents the “Godness of God” in the freedom and sovereignty of a divine choice not made on the basis of human merit. It is His wise use of the ‘scandal of particularity’ that tests and exposes the presumption of claim on God by anything in man, of man, or generated by man. Israel exists to demonstrate and enforce God’s continual war on the pride humanism, the belief, secret or spoken, that there is something, anything, in man that can commend one over another to the holiness (‘apartness’) of His free gift. … There is no crisis until one is favored in some particular way more than another, but when this happens, something is exposed in the natural heart. It is the presumption of claim upon God, as though a special favor towards one sets up an obligation to do the same for all others equally (the question of ‘fairness’). However, logically, the presumption of obligation presupposes a debt based on justice, which is antithetical to the principle of grace. There was not a crisis until Jacob’s act of special favor towards Joseph. Special favor, as in the special election of Israel, sets up the occasion for envy. It evokes and surfaces something deep in the fallen hearts of men, as though a special gift or act of favor binds the giver to some imagined law of equal distribution. Inherent in our fallen nature from earliest childhood is a perverse expectation and demand. It is a driving force behind all revolution. The crisis begins when there is a perceived supply that is not distributed equally to all. There is no complaint of injustice or deprivation until something is done for one that is not done equally for the other. God is committed to the destruction of this ill-conceived presumption that cannot comprehend the true nature of grace, and He has especially ordained Israel’s election to that end. Until there is the word of election, there is no crisis, but when God speaks, whether it be concerning an individual, a people, or a chosen location, it immediately sets up a war with the principalities and powers who invariably raise the question that forms the great contest of history, “has God really said?” Such envy quickly turns to contempt and hatred. We see this in Satan, in Cain, in Esau, in Joseph’s brethren, in Saul, and on we could go. The very fall of Satan in the five “I wills” of Isa 14:13-14 can be traced to the envy that was stirred when God announced His prophetic purpose to establish the Elect Son as ruler over all nations from Jerusalem (compare Ps 2:6-8; Ps 48:2; with Isa 14:13; noting the key connecting phrase, “the sides of the north”). The freedom of the giver is especially called into question when the gift is by divine design impossible to associate with any virtue or quality in the recipient (Ro 9:11). This is the offense that is contained in that great defining statement of redemptive history, that will become a divine touchstone of testing in the crisis that concludes the age, namely, “Jacob have I loved.”