Monthly Archives: September 2018

Israel in Bible Prophecy, Reasons to Believe

Promises to Israel and End Time Events-Part I

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They rejected Jesus just as Daniel and the other prophets predicted.  God used that very rejection for our salvation.  Romans 11:11 says, “By their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles.”
But that did not negate God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others.  Those promises began to be fulfilled in the 19th century when Jews started returning to the land in large numbers.  They were returning to the place deeded to them by God Himself — the Promised Land.  That led to the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948.  They would regain control of Jerusalem in 1967.-Hal Lindsey

This statement above is this true or not?  How do we know?  Were God’s promises conditional or non-conditional?  Is the literal city of Jerusalem the promised land of God?

The Jewish Nation in End Time Events-The Element of Faith and Obedience

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Hebrews 11:13

In that great faith chapter of Hebrews 11, we learn very much about the true identity of the people of God. Connected to each name is the experience of faith.

The Faith Hall of Fame starts with Abraham the father of the literal nation of Israel and the Jews. This chapter goes on to mention Isaac, Jacob, Esau and other great men of faith.  All desiring a “better country.”  This better country is not on this earth but in heaven where God is not ashamed to be called their God.

 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:16

Here is the prize of all believing sojourners on earth; a heavenly city dwelling with the Creator of the universe! There is no city, building, or place on earth that is eternal. God has prepared a city for those who are not ashamed to call Him God!  It is not limited to only literal Jews and a little strip of land in the Middle East.

The passage in Hebrews 11:6  sounds much like the promise of Jesus.  It is the ultimate promise!

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 

John 14: 1-3

For the follower of Christ, including those who looked forward to the appearance of the Messiah,  the ultimate promise is to live forever where Jesus has gone to prepare a land for them…the promised land.  It is one that the patriarchs and disciples died not having received the promise.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Hebrews 11:13

Throughout the Old Testament is the story of God raising up a people based on a promise to Abraham.  His offspring were to become His people with a specific purpose, but we see a pattern of failure, judgment,  repentance, restoration and then it starts over failure, judgment, repentance, restoration.

The questions before us are this: Will God finally restore literal Israel?  Will the temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem? During the 7 years of tribulation as taught by Lindsey and others be a period where all Jews accept Jesus and take the gospel to the world as indicated in many of the popular teachings?

It all comes down to how you answer these two questions: Are God’s promises conditional or unconditional?  Were they meant only for the literal nation of Israel?

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The Importance of Faith

All followers of the true God live their life by faith.  True faith is rare.  Faith (aka trust) is sadly lacking when Jesus returns as described by His rhetorical question:

“…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:8

 When faith is exercised, it pleases God.  When faith is absent, it is impossible to please Him.  Someone once said that God cannot be pleased by any actions on our part.  This is false.

But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

God makes a way (a condition) for faith to grow inside the heart of the weak follower.  God’s word produces faith.  Little time with God and His word produces little faith, but much time produces great faith.

faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

The ultimate promises are all future i.e., resurrection, eternal life with a healed body and mind, the new earth, eternity with Jesus.   Of course, there are many promises that can be appreciated and realized now, but it too is by faith.  For example, here are a couple of promises you can experience today, but please notice the condition:

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

Think about it.  God will keep you and me in perfect peace.! The condition is to manage our mind by faith so that is “stayed” on Him.  It requires that the mind be constantly focused on God.  However, many Christians fail at perfect peace because the world clamors for the mind and they give in. The voice of God cannot be heard for the loud shouting of the daily life.

A struggling follower of Christ often wonders why their trust in God is not stronger.  They pine that they have no peace.  The answer is by keeping the mind “stayed” (focused) on God.  The way to keep it stayed on God is to fill it up with His voice…His words, His creation! When a person replaces doubt with the lofty thoughts of God, faith or trust in Him will grow.

faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17 (NIV)

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As we will see in this study, God has two types of promises: conditional and unconditional. A good example of an unconditional promise is the sure word that God will never destroy the earth again with a flood.  The rainbow signifies God’s unconditional promise.

When God made promises to the literal nation of Israel, they fall into one of these categories.  They are easy to see in their context and the sentence itself.

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Two Types of Promises and Faith

The literal nation of Israel is a lesson on failure.  They often failed to believe and to exercise faith.

For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Hebrews 4:2

But the Gentiles that did not pursue it believed the message:

But Isaiah is very bold and says:

“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” But to Israel he says:

“All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”

Romans 10: 20-21

Often well-meaning teachers/preachers try to separate faith and obedience because of the fear of legalism. But obedience is not legalism IF the obedience comes from a heart changed by the love of Christ.  Jesus proclaimed this when He said,

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:15

As we study the covenants of God, we will see that the failure of the old covenant relates to the heart and a failure to love God back! Real faith in God produces obedience to Him based on a heart of love.

For us to understand the promises of God and the failed faith of Israel, we must go back to the beginning and move forward.  The promises of God were either conditional or non-conditional. In this study, we will look, briefly, at the major promises of God to the literal nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament.

Unconditional promise #1 The promise of victory over Satan through The Messiah.

The first promise (long before there was a Jew or a nation of Israel) comes right after creation when perfect Adam and Eve succumb to the temptations of Satan.  They failed because they did not believe God when presented with contradictory words.  God said to them, they would begin to die and lose their right to the tree of life if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil  But, they listened to the enemy:

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis  3:4

God made a promise to give the fallen couple hope.  It had no strings attached and it was for all of mankind, not just the literal nation of Israel:

And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.’

Genesis 3:15

From that point forward there would be a conflict between the offspring of the woman (symbol of the church) and the offspring of those who would purse evil and set themselves up as the enemy to the woman (church).  In the end, the serpent ( Satan) would receive a deadly wound by the crushing of his head by the woman.  Notice that the gender designation changes in this promise.  The woman is described as a “He”.  “He: would receive a strike at “his heel” (only an attempt to kill). Here is the first promise of God dealing with the sin problem and ending the life of Satan in the future by the coming of the Savior.

But there is an unfavorable promise God gives to the human race. The earth is cursed and man must toil and fight elements to obtain his food, then he will return to the dust of the ground.

By the sweat of your brown
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.’

Genesis 3:19

Unconditional Promise #2-God Will Never Destroy the Earth By Flood Again

It did not take long for the “seed” of Satan to become exceedingly wicked.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:5

Image result for images of Noah's day

The people of the earth had become so wicked that God seemed to have regrets for making man.

And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Genesis 6:6

The only person that found favor and grace was Noah. He “walked” with God, which is an expression of obedience.  Noah was commanded to build an ark to save himself and his family from the destruction soon to come upon the earth by flood.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord…Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6: 8-9

And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopher wood;

Genesis 6:14

Covenants are similar to promises.  They either have an unconditional promise from God or the human side of the agreement will fail to live up their end of the agreement. Often God gives a sign as His promise, but He never fails on His part of the agreement.

God made a covenant with Noah and all of creation as found in Genesis 8 and 9. A whole study could be made on this covenant, but it is important to notice that this covenant was unconditional.  Man does not have to enter into an agreement to obtain the benefits of the pronouncement of God.

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:  I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Genesis 9: 12-13

When man enters into the covenant with God, their promises are faulty and often not kept.

 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

Hebrews 8:6

A non-contextual reading of this verse makes it sound like God had good promises at first, but things didn’t work out so He established better promises. But, let’s read on:

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.  Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says 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 did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded (neglected-stopped caring-turned my back) them, says the Lord. 

Hebrews 8: 7-9

The first covenant made with the house of Israel and Judah had a problem.  What was it?  “…they did not continue in My covenant…”  Because of this, what did God do?  “(He) disregarded them.”

It was God’s covenant that the people agreed they would obey:

Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Exodus 19:5, 6

Notice that God said, IF… Their charge was to obey…They agreed to obey, but as Hebrews and the rest of the Bible, they failed to obey.

 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.

 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

Exodus 19: 7, 8

Right after this, the new covenant is explained:

But this is the new covenant I will make
    with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
    and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.

Hebrews 8:10

In the new covenant, it is a relationship (which was missing in the old,) I will be their God and they will be my people. The law of God is in their minds and hearts.  So the new covenant is much like the first except that God writes His laws on the heart and mind of those that are His people.  It is a better promise.

If you have entered into the new covenant, you will hear the voice of God and obey.  In fact, the last group of people on earth before Jesus comes has faith (trust in God) and they are obedient to the same words delivered to the children of Israel. But, it is love for God that stimulates obedience.

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:10

Jesus said the same words about the same law:

If ye love me, keep my commandments

John 14: 15

The last day people will have patience. They will obey the commandments of God.  They will have faith like Jesus.

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 14: 12

Next time we will look at the conditional commandments of God and how his promises are fulfilled in a people that are not literal Israel but are Israel in the heart.  Literal Israel failed in the covenant by disobeying.  In the new covenant, the people of God are identified as those who are in Christ, not by birth.

 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

And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:29

In summary, God has both conditional and unconditional promises.  When we enter into a conditional promise or covenant, we must be careful to not become legalistic, but rather humble….knowing that we can do nothing, including obeying, without Jesus and the new heart he gives us. Literal Israel failed by entering a covenant with God and attempting to keep a promise through their own carnal strength.

The promises of God to Israel were conditional.  They failed.  Now God has raised up a people from the Gentiles and we are grafted in and benefit from the promises intended to Israel first and then to the Gentile.

And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,  do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”  Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 

Romans 11: 17-21

 

 

 

 

Death and Resurrection

Beyond the Cross-The Complete Gospel

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As I watched the body of my friend laid to rest, I thought of the cross, the second coming, and the resurrection of the dead. My hope in seeing my friend and all my family members who have died in Christ…is based entirely upon the truth of God’s word and the good news (gospel). Then it occurred to me; the good news goes beyond the cross. Why don’t teachers talk about this more? Why are they not talking about the resurrection and the second coming in the light of the cross? All three of these topics make a complete gospel (Cross, Second Coming, Resurrection).
 
The death of Jesus provided a way out; a way to escape the penalty of sin i.e. eternal death. The punishment for sin is nothing more or nothing less than death.
“The wages of sin is death.”
Romans 6:23.
Only those with a saving relationship with Christ have eternal life. The lost have death.
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,
John 3: 36.
 
Jesus paid the penalty by dying the death of a sinner who has no hope of ever living again. As he hung upon the cross bearing the sins of the world, He could not see any hope or look through the portals of the tomb. As gruesome as this was, it is good news (gospel) for those who desire to live for eternity. Jesus paid the price for our sins. If we believe it and accept, by faith, His sacrifice atones for our sins regardless of how gruesome the cross appeared physically. The prophets foretold through the sacrificial system and direct prophecies of the day the Messiah would die, but they also went further…
 
If we stop at the cross, we only hear part of the gospel. It is not complete unless Christ was raised from the dead. Without the resurrection, we have no hope, and our faith is useless. I didn’t say this; Paul did:
 
” And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” 1 Corinthians 15: 14.
Also, all those who have died in Christ have perished.  Again Paul says,
“Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”
1 Corinthians 15:18
 
Belief in the resurrection of Jesus is the basis of a saving relationship:
“if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9
 
The oldest book of the Bible proclaims the hope of the resurrection. Listen to Job. Where was his hope? It was in the coming of the Lord on the last day!
 
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! Job 19: 25-27
 
 
“For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18
 
But well-intentioned ministers give a false gospel when other words are used to “comfort.” They skip over the plain words of death being like sleep when the next moment of conscience, they see the coming of the Lord (Every eye shall see Him come). Instead, they proclaim that the dead are conscience with eyes and ears to see and hear the things of this sinful world. They falsely say that the reward of immortality is given at death. But the scripture is plain that the reward of immortality (eternal life) is given at the time of Christ’s return:
 
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me.”
Revelation 22:12
 
“For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15: 52,53.
Notice that immortality is given when Christ returns…not before.
 
Isn’t it so clear that the good news (gospel) is that Jesus died but was raised again to become the “first fruits” of the resurrection promised to all who “die in Him?” It places a different perspective on the second coming because He brings His reward of immortality with Him.
 
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” 1
Corinthians 15:20
 
“to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26: 22-23
 
Teachers and ministers fail to give the complete gospel if they stop at the cross. The coming of Jesus to bring immortality to those who have died in Christ is good news indeed! Without it, we have no hope and our loved ones have perished.
 
To me it is comfort to know that my death will seem like a twinkling of an eye. The passage of time will be imperceptible. It will seem like I had just closed my eyes for a moment, and then I awake to the glorious appearance of the Lord! Even though my body may have turned to dust, I know the Lord can create it again out of the dust…like He did when he created Adam from the dust. This is the gospel too!
 
 
Israel in Bible Prophecy

What Advantage Then Has The Jew…?

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Part 1 The Jewish Nation in End Time-Events
Advantages and Disadvantages Among Jews and Gentiles

Paul is quick to point out the advantage a Jew has over a non-Jew (Gentile)

What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?  Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles (Scripture) of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?  Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar…

Romans 3: 1-4

Not only did they have scripture…the writings of Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah to name just a few, but they also had a school teacher in the sacrificial and ceremonial laws.  These laws were designed by God Himself to teach them about the nature of sin and the atoning sacrifice of their Savior and Messiah.

Therefore the law was our tutor (schoolmaster) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Galatians 3:24

The sacrificial and ceremonial systems were object lessons shadows pointing to Jesus and His ministry:

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect

Hebrews 10:1

Note: The Greek word is paidagōgos, it means instructor.  According to Dr. James Strong:

“Among the Greeks and the Romans, the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood.”

Paul talked to the carnal Corinthian Christians being taught. The experience with Christ is one that is upward and not static:

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able

1 Corinthians 3:1

To the Hebrews, Paul mourned over the lack of progress the Christians were making.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the [a]oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

Hebrews 5:12

Paul encouraged that the Hebrews, and all followers of Christ, to continue their journey upward

 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection

Hebrews 6:1

Both Jew and Gentile are on the same ground when it comes to understanding.  Both would benefit from being taught and moving to stronger food.

The point is this, the Jewish leaders old failed to learn and to teach the lessons of the schoolmaster through its daily sacrifices, feast days and ceremonies.  It became a mere round of tradition and nationalism.  The ones who connected the dots became strong followers of Jesus, but even then they had a journey of growing in Christ.

The same could be said of the modern Christian today.

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A careful reading of Galatians 3 described above puts the context of the schoolmaster with the giving of the law “after sin”  It is not referring to the giving of the ten commandments written by the “finger of God.” Sin, as a principal and enumerated in the ten commandments, appeared from the beginning in the garden, but the schoolmaster was given to the people of God much later to teach them about the plan of salvation and Jesus.  Sin had brought with it a penalty of death. Its precepts are universal from the beginning and will always be the will of God even when the Lord returns, but to the sacrificial law and ceremonial laws ended when their purpose was realized in Christ.

 They were a chosen people who had a great responsibility of proclaiming the true God to the world.  It was through Abraham’s literal seed that the nations of the earth would be blessed. They were heirs of the promises given to Abraham.  But, they failed to understand from the prophets that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. What effect did this have on the promises of God?

The prophets had a tough job of pointing out their shortcomings, sins, and then calling for repentance.  The prophets described their Messiah in a way that was different than what they wanted.  Many of the prophets were killed.  Murder became the preferred method of dealing with those who cut across their beliefs and their national pride. Although the prophets were clear about Jesus, they decided to crucify Him because He did not fit into their desire of a Messiah who would free them from the Romans and all the other nations who opposed them. But, it was much deeper and included the work of Satan himself.  Pride, tradition, selfishness, prejudice, and many other factors all brought the death of Jesus.  However, we must remember that Jesus willingly laid down His life for us.  He could have stopped it at any moment and left us to be trapped by the wages of sin.

In the comings studies, we will see that despite their advantage, they became foolish in their thinking”…”Having begun in the Spirit, they attempted to be perfect by the flesh.”

But, don’t let us think any higher of ourselves as non-Jews because Paul warned us a few verses after the one above:

 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

 As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Romans 3: 9-12

It might also be asked are they any better than us?  No! Despite their advantage.  All (Jew and Gentile) are under the death penalty of sin!

Ironically, as 21st century Christians, we have an advantage too!

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Romans 15:4

While they had the “schoolmaster” of the sacrificial laws and the word of God (Scripture) was in their possession to guide them, we have another type of advantage.

We can study their history and learn from their mistakes and hopefully not make the same.  We have the Tanakh (Old Testament Scripture), but we also have the writings of the apostles who very elegantly demonstrate that Jesus was all that He claimed to be and is the Messiah who promises to return as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Never in earth’s history has the word of God (Scripture) been so plentiful.  The entire Bible, in many different translations and language, is here in my hand on my smartphone!  I have Greek and Hebrew Lexicons at my fingertips: It is on computers CDs DVD’s, and even VHS! Books have been written about each book of the Bible.

Despite all this, the world (including church-going Christians) by and large remain ignorant of God and His word.  Even fewer people use it as a guide or schoolmaster in their lives. So many skeptics who see life is meaningless and very short. The theme of the day is to “eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Eccl. 8:15

In these last days before the return of Christ, many sincere believing Christians have become sign-watchers and rightly so. For Jesus said,

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 

Matthew 24: 32-33

What are the things we are to be watching?  Many sincere believing Christians believe we should be watching the nation of Israel. But, in the context of what Jesus spoke above, it is something altogether different and much wider in scope.  Could it be that our eyes are looking in the wrong direction and we will be surprised as we would if we came home and noticed our house had been ransacked by a thief?

There is a popular movement brought on my books like the Late Great Planet Earth and subsequent writing and movies that have muddied the water.  Below is an example of an article by Z3 News who advertise as “End time news before it happens.”

In the article entitled Recap of 10 Things that Come Before the Rapture, the second event on the list is “The third temple must be rebuilt and it uses 2 Thessalonians 2:4

 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

There has to be a significant amount of twisting of scripture and commentary to make this verse fit into the sign of “rebuilding of the temple.

But, it should not be so.  Jesus and the prophets were meant to be read and understood by the common everyday person who don’t have a degree in theology and a magnificent voice and/or a gigantic church.

The popular teaching today revolves around the literal nation of Israel and the promises given to Abraham and his seed (Israel).  Over the next several weeks, we will go back to the beginning of the promises and covenants, God gave to Abraham, and come forward to modern Israel to see if our eyes are looking at the right place for the signs.

The first words that came out of Jesus’ mouth about the signs of His coming were:

“Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.  Matthew 24: 4-5

It is clear that the first sign is confusion and deception about His coming!  This we have today despite the advantage of so many Bibles and the history of God’s people.  It is the responsibility of each person to know for themselves what God’s word says and not to rely on those handsome men and women in nice clothes and white teeth.

So what advantage does the Jew have?  Everything spiritual, but truth can be missed if tradition and pride get in the way.  That is exactly what happened to this nation and God turned to the Gentile. But, we should not be puffed up and think ourselves any better, lest we fall into the same trap of pride and tradition. In fact, if we belong to Christ, there is no difference between a gentile or a Jew.

Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you, all the nations shall be blessed.”  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Galatians 3: 7-9

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:29

Indeed, the ground is level at the foot of the cross.  There is no temptation that is not common to all men.

As we will see in the coming weeks, we play a dangerous game of watching for the return of Christ and making assumptions about watching literal Israel forgetting that the heirs of the promise are those who are in Christ.  Being a literal Jew without Christ does not guarantee salvation from eternal death.

 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 

1 Corinthians 7:19

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Romans 2: 28-29