The Kingdom
Will There Be a Pretibulation Rapture?
Introduction '89
Except for this 1989 introduction and a few minor changes, this study was completed by 1982. Then it waited for certain predictions to prove false, which they now have!
On September 14, 1988, a radio commentator reported that a prediction had been made that Jesus would return for the church on September 13, 1988. He also stated that this date was based on a book entitled "Eighty-eight Reasons Why the Rapture will Occur in 1988".
In 1989, I ran across a book that had been published before 1977, entitled, "Will Christ Return by 1988?".On the cover, in bold type, were these words; "101 REASONS WHY"! Reason number 96 is headlined "Behold the Fig Tree". On page 162 we read that the fig tree "symbolizes Israel throughout the Scriptures". Based on this assumption, the parable of the budding of the fig tree is interpreted as a reference to the rebirth of Israel as a nation.
The author wrote, "Christ said that the generation of people living at the time of the rebirth of this Jewish nation would see all the fulfillments of Luke 21, which included Christ's return...The Jewish nation of Israel was set up on May 14, 1948, and the fig tree taken as their national symbol, just as prophesied. Therefore, the generation (or time span) started in 1948.. .According to Jewish geneology...a generation is 40 years... we are that generation!" (Pages 162 and 163).
This bit of misinformation and misinterpretation produced the prediction that Jesus would return by 1988. The fact that Jesus did not return in 1988, is proof that the foundation upon which the author built his theory is flawed. He is not alone. Others have similar views, as we shall see. It is now time to re-examine long held views concerning fig-tree Israel, a seven-year tribulation, a pretrlbulation rapture of the church, and even a one-thousand year earthly reign of Jesus Christ. That's what this study is all about.
Chapter One- The Fig Tree Is Not Israel.
Dr. C.I.Scofield wrote, "The fig tree is everywhere and always a symbol of Israel" (p 97 Addresses on Prophesy). This teaching has led to considerable speculation relative to a pretribulation rapture of the church. By linking an illustration given by Jesus of the budding of the fig tree to the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, predictions have been made concerning the time that Jesus will return.
The illustration of the budding of the fig tree appears in Matthew, Chapter 24. This chapter begins with Jesus leaving the temple. His disciples were pointing out several unusual features of this structure to Him, when He surprised them by saying that some day it would be completely destroyed.
The disciples, assuming that this destruction had something to do with the end. of human history, said to Him, "Tell us when these things will happen and what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?" (Matt. 24:3 Lamsa). In answer Jesus spoke of wars and rumors of war, of famine, of persecution, and of great tribulation. These are the signs of His return just as the budding of the fig tree is a sign that summer is near.
"Now leam this lesson from the fig tree; as soon as its twigs get tender and. its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that the end is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (Matt. 24:32-34 NIV). Luke's account includes "all the trees" (Luke 21:29-30).
Hal Lindsey calls this an "important time clue". He wrote, "The figure of speech 'fig tree' has been an historic symbol of national Israel. When the Jewish people... became a nation again on May 14, 1948, the 'fig tree' put forth its first leaves. Jesus said that this would indicate that He was 'at the door, ready to return.' Then He said, 'Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place" (Matt. 24:34 NAS).
"What generation? Obviously, in context, the generation that would see the signs - chief among them the rebirth of Israel. A generation in the Bible is something like forty years. If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years or so of 1948, all these things could take place" (pp 53-54 The late Great Planet Earth).
Jesus said that "all these things" would take place "before" that generation passed away. A forty year generation which began in 1948 would end by 1988. But Jesus did not come in 1988, or 1989 or 2003 !
If we compare Matthew, Chapter 24, and Luke, Chapter 21, we see Jesus predicting tribulation. In Luke we read, "When you see all these things coming to pass lift up your heads for your deliverance is near."
The sign that tells us that Jesus' coming is near is tribulation, just as the budding of a fig tree (or any tree according to Luke's account) is a sign that summer is near. If a fig tree is not a symbol of Israel, to link the budding of the fig tree to the rebirth of Israel as a nation is fruitless.
According to the Encyclopaedia Judaica published in Jerusalem in 1972, two olive branches by the side of a candelabrum symbolize the state of Israel. (12:1365). That Encyclopaedia can be found in many public libraries. Look up both the Fig tree and the Olive tree and the word "symbolize' and you will find the truth about this issue! In Jewish tradition the tree of Life is considered to be an Olive tree. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is assumed to be a Fig tree!
David said of himself, "I am like a green olive tree in the house of God" (Psm. 52:8 KJV).
Jeremiah wrote, "The Lord called thy name a leafy olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit...The branches of it are broken. For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, has pronounced evil against thee, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah" (Jer. 11:16,17 Jewish Version).
Paul refers to the broken branches of this olive tree in Romans, Chapter 11. He calls Israel "a good olive tree" (v. 24). In Paul's illustration "some" of the "natural" branches are broken off and branches from a "wild olive tree" (the gentiles) are grafted in "among" the natural branches which still remain (Rom. 11:17-24).
The fig tree as a symbol of Israel is the fig-ment of someone's imagination. The date on which Israel became a state is not an "important time clue" as to the time when Jesus will return. It has nothing to do with a pretribulation rapture of the church. Jesus was saying that when you see and experience war, persecution, famine, and even great tribulation, lift up your heads for you know your redemption draws near.
The term "this generation" was used in reference to the generation then living. They were to experience the "beginning of sorrows". Jesus said to his disciples, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name' s sake" (Matt. 24:8-9 NKJV). Stephen, James, Peter and Paul were all slain in the line of duty before that generation passed away.
We see Jesus' first reference to "this generation" in the previous chapter. Even a casual reading of this passage tells us which generation he had in mind when he used that term.
Speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, "You say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets'.. .Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue them from town to town...I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation" (Matt. 23:29-36 NIV). AND IT DID!
Jesus said to his disciples, "In this world you shall have tribulation" (John 16:33 KJV). This was not a warning or a threat but simply a statement of fact. Those who heard these words suffered many things. They experienced beatings, imprisonment and death as martyrs. Isn't that "great tribulation"?
. Jesus gave no hint that his followers would escape such things. He was letting them know what to expect so that they would be better prepared for them when they did come to pass. Even if the end of this age reveals a more wide spread time of suffering, those early believers experienced the "beginning of sorrows". If the church was promised deliverance from "those things", then the pretribulation rapture is already nearly 2000 years over-due!
Chapter Two - Tribulation Is not Wrath or Judgment
There seems to exist a dogmatic confidence in a pretribulation rapture of the church because of a wide spread teaching that the great tribulation is a time of judgment which comes from God. It is often equated with the wrath of God.
Under the heading, "The Church Promised Deliverance From The Tribulation", John Walvoord wrote, "Deliverance from that period is assured, According to I Thess. 5:9 ... For God appointed us not unto wrath...The wrath of God will 'be poured out upon the world during the great tribulation" (p69 The Rapture Question).
Wrath and tribulation do not mean the same thing. My dictionary calls tribulation "distress" and "affliction", but calls wrath "extreme violent rage or fury; vehement indignation".
An unnecessarily disturbing picture is painted of the tribulation when Scriptures designed to portray the wrath of God are used instead to describe tribulation. False impressions are created for both wrath and tribulation. Tribulation can be endured but God's wrath cannot.
John Walvoord also wrote, "During the tribulation frightful judgments will be poured out upon the Gentiles, resulting in utter destruction of their cities and civilization" (p 257 The Millennial Kingdom).
Hal Lindsey calls the tribulation, "A judgment so terrible that God isn't going to let His church go through it" (p77 There's A New World Coming).
Tim Lahaye said, "Anyone who understands the awful days of the tribulation... can appreciate why Christ's deliverance of his people from these horrors is called the 'blessed hope'!..,The tribulation is a period of judgment on earth compared in Scripture to God's judgments in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot" (pp 81-82 The Beginning Of The End).
Tim Lahaye is, of course, referring to the flood and to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those two events are compared in Scripture only to the time when Jesus comes in power and glory, after the tribulation has run its course. The Scripture stresses two important points with these comparisons. Jesus' coming will catch many people unprepared and there will be an all-consuming judgment at that time; not a period of tribulation, but "sudden destruction" ( I Thess. 5:1-3).
That is what Jesus had in mind when he said, "About that Day and Hour, no one knows...For, just as in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood they went on eating and drinking, marrying and being married, up to the day on which Noah entered the ark, taking no notice till the flood came and swept them one and all away.. .Therefore watch; for you cannot be sure on what day your master is coming" (Matt. 24:36-42 The Twentieth Century New Testament).
Peter heard these words and wrote, "The world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But the present heavens and earth...are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men...The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up" ( II Peter 3:6-10 NAS).
References to Sodom and Gomorrah agree in every respect to the Biblical use of the flood as a type of a judgment which occurs after the tribulation.
Luke wrote, "...in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:28-30 NAS).
It will be just the same on the day the Son of God is revealed. This is not a description of tribulation, but of a sudden, unexpected, violent end. Paul wrote, "While people are saying, 'Peace and safety', destruction will come on them suddenly...and they will not escape" ( I Thess. 5:3 NIV).
The judgment spoken of here is the wrath of God. To an unbelieving world Paul wrote, "You are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed...on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ" (Rom.2:5,16 NIV).
The wrath of God will not be "revealed" until Jesus comes in power and glory. "The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay everyone according to his deeds" (Matt. 16:27 Good News for Modem Man).
The world will not see Jesus until after the tribulation. When they see Him they will say to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Rev. 6:16-17 ).
The wrath of God will not be revealed until Jesus returns to this earth. The tribulation, therefore, cannot be the wrath of God. "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand.. .That day is a day of wrath. . .For he shall make a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land" (Zeph. 1:7,15,18 KJV)
"When the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven in blazing fire... He will punish those who do not know God...with everlasting destruction...on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people...This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you" (II Thess. 1:7-9 NIV).
In a vision John saw our Deliverer coming on a white horse and leading the armies of heaven. He is on His way to conquer the earth. "His eyes are like blazing fire...Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations...He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty" (Rev. 19:12-15 NIV).
The only Scripture which connects wrath with tribulation is speaking of Satan's wrath, not God's. "The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has only a short time" (Rev. 12:12 KJV) .
Satan's wrath is not a judgment from God. We are to fear the judgment of God but we are not to fear what Satan can do to us. "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you in prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev. 2:10-11 NAS).
"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...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" (Matt. 24:29-30 KJV). When? "Immediatly after the tribulation" .
Watch for the heavenly signs! "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of heaven...shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened...and the moon shall not shine...I will shake the heavens, and the earth...in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger" (Isa. 13:9-13 KJV).
Here again are the heavenly signs: "There was a violent earthquake, and the sun became black, like coarse cloth, and the moon turned completely red, like blood; the stars fell...The sky disappeared, like a scroll being rolled up...men...hid themselves...They called out to the mountains ...'Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb!" (Rev. 6:12-13 Good News For Modem Man).
In spite of the fact that our last quotation from Revelation, Chapter Six, begins with the heavenly signs which come after the great tribulation; and even though the people of the earth are seen to cry out in fear because they see Jesus coming on the great day of his wrath, some still insist that this chapter speaks of tribulation. The only reason they have for doing so is that they have come to believe that the tribulation is God's wrath.
Hal Lindsey wrote, "During this seven-year period known as 'the Tribulation', the human race will witness the most terrible judgment ever to fall on God's creation. Chapters 6 through 19 of Revelation describe in detail the unprecedented horrors of this time" (p 89 There's A New World Coming).
No one who lives on earth during the tribulation will be able to look up into the heavens and see the One who sits on the throne. Only after He enters our atmosphere will those on earth see Him coming, "He is coming in the clouds and every eye shall see him, even those who pierced him, and his coming will mean bitter sorrow to every tribe upon the earth. So let it be!" (Rev. 1:7 Phillips).
For those who are not ready to meet Jesus His coming will bring a fate worse than death. But for those who know and love Him it will be a time of joy and happiness. His coming will bring both joy and sorrow, as we find in the book of Joel:
"The nations should rouse themselves and come up to the valley of the Lord's judgment, because there I will sit to judge all the nations.. .trample the grapes -the winepress is full. The vats over-flow- their wickedness is great...the day of the Lord is near in the valley of judgment. The sun and the moon will turn dark, and the stars will stop shining. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem so that heaven and earth will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people" (Joel 3:12-16 Beck).
Tribulation is not judgment, nor is it the wrath of God. It is trouble and sorrow, grief and pain, hunger and poverty, and even imprisonment and death. It is anything that comes against us from Satan and his followers. The coming of Jesus and the wrath of God will bring the tribulation to an end.
Paul wrote, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord" (Rom. 12:19 NAS).
Chapter Three - No Secret Coming
Tim Lahaye wrote, "One passage tells us that his coming is to be a secret, 'as a thief''; another tells us 'every eye shall see' him...The only way to correlate these teachings regarding Christ's coming is to understand that his coming is in two stages. The first stage is the rapture, or taking away of the church; the second is the Glorious Appearing to the whole earth" (p21 The Beginning Of The End).
Hal Lindsey says the same thing: "One passage of Scripture speaks of Christ's coming in the air and in secret, like a thief coming in the night. Another part of the Scripture describes Christ's coming in power and majesty in the earth, with every eye seeing him" (pp 77-78 There's A New World Coming).
Ray Stedman, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, teaches that Christ's coming "will begin with a secret arrival, when he will come like a thief in the night.. that presence will continue...behind the scenes...invisible to the world" (p 64 What On Earth's Going To Happen?).
All three of these men use the comparison Jesus made of His coming like a thief to teach a secret pretribulation rapture (visible only to the church), as opposed to a later coming when every eye shall see Him.
Thieves usually do sneak in quietly at night hoping to avoid detection. They do their best to keep their presence a secret. However, we have no right to compare the coming of Jesus with that aspect of thievery unless we find that comparison made for us in the Scriptures.
Jesus was not describing a secret coming when He used the term "as a thief". He was giving a warning that His coming was to be an unexpected one, and therefore, we must always be ready to meet Him. There's a great deal of difference between an unexpected coming and a secret arrival visible only to the church.
"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming...if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matt. 24:42-44 NKJV).
The Spirit's message to the church in Sardis contained the same thought. "If you will not watch, I shall come upon you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I shall come upon you" (Rev. 3: 3 NKJV).
The time element is the only thing that is a secret regarding His coming. The Scripture makes no other comparison as to His coming as a thief. For instance, both Peter and Paul speak of His coming like a "thief in the night", but neither of them implies that Jesus will come at night or secretly; only that His coming will catch the world unprepared.
"You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'peace and safety', destruction will come on them suddenly... But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief" (I Thess. 5:2-4 NIV).
His coming like a thief is not our hope of a secret rapture but a warning to be ready for His coming. His coming will not be a secret arrival, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God..." (I Thess. 4:16 KJV).
Jesus said, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5: 28-29 NKJV).
The Apostle John says, "Look, he is coming with the clouds; everyone shall see him, including those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the world shall lament in remorse. So it shall be. Amen" (Rev. 1:7 REB).
In their zeal to prove that there will be a secret pretribulation rapture, some have used. the Greek word"parousia" as a code word for such an event. They falsely assume that any verse which speaks of Christ's coming in which the word "coming" is translated from "parousia" is a reference to the rapture.
Ray Stedman who sees a secret arrival and a presence invisible to the world, also wrote that in the "parousia" Jesus will come "stealthily, without warning, and a select company will be removed from the earth" (p 137 What On Earth's Going To Happen?). Can't you just see Jesus sneaking up on us "stealthily" with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God!
Ray Stedman includes Matthew 24:27 in such a secret arrival, even though in that verse Jesus compares his coming to lightning. He wrote, "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man...' The word the Lord uses for 'coming' here is the now familiar 'parousia'. It is quite a different word than he uses a few verses farther on when he speaks of 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.' It is easy to confuse these two comings because of his reference to lightning..." (p 106 What On Earth's Going To Happen ? ).
If we review the verses preceding Matthew 24:27, we find that Jesus was warning against the teaching of a secret coming or an invisible presence. He said that if anyone would say, "Here He is in the desert, 'do not go out to see, or 'Here He is in some secret place,' do not believe it. For just as the lightning starts in the east and flashes clear to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be" (Matt 24: 26-27 Williams).
This is the antithesis of an invisible presence, a secret arrival or a stealthy coming. Ray Stedman also wrote, "his coming 'as a thief in the night" accomplishes a "silent resurrection" and a "silent departure" (p 139 What On Earth's Going To happen?). Perhaps we will quietly sing "Silent Night" as we depart!
Seriously, the Scriptures are silent regarding any secret coming. Every eye shall see Him and every ear shall hear Him as He suddenly appears, unexpectedly, as a thief in the night. His will be a glorious appearance worthy of the King of Kings.
Paul encourages us to live holy lives as we wait for such an appearance. "We should, live soberly, righteously, and. godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12-13 NKJV).
Tim Lahaye divides this last quotation into a two-stage coming. He wrote, "The "blessed hope is a reference to the Rapture of the Church...The Glorious Appearing, however, refers to the public coming of Christ" (P 24 The Beginning Of The End).
We wonder what Paul would think of that interpretation. Would he call it "rightly dividing" the word of God, or just dividing it?
Williams' translation would have Paul's approval. "We are waiting for the realization of our blessed hope at the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus" (Titus 2:13). Paul refers to our hope two other times in his short letter to Titus. In both instances the hope in view is "eternal life". "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2 KJV). "...heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7 KJV).
The Kingdom is also a promise made "from the foundations of the world" (Matt. 25:34 KJV). The hope of eternal life and the promise of a kingdom are one and the same. In Jesus' discourse with the rich young man, three kindred expressions are used; "have eternal life", "enter into life", and "enter into the kingdom" (Matt. 19:16-24).
This is what Jesus had in mind when he said, "And in the world to come eternal life" (Mark 10:10 KJV). This is the blessed hope. It will be fulfilled in the life to come at His glorious appearing.
"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him; I beg you, brothers, do not be easily confused in your thinking or upset by the claim that the day of the Lord has come" ( II Thess. 2:1-2 GN).
We will read further on into this passage, but first let us get hold of Paul's theme. His subject is "our gathering together to be with him." Don't lose this thought.
Those to whom Paul was writing had heard that Jesus had come already. Perhaps someone had been preaching a secret arrival or an invisible presence. Paul is dealing with this issue. He goes on to say, "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed.. .whom the Lord will overthrow...and destroy by the splendor of his coming" (II Thess. 2:3.8 NIV).
Which coming? The coming that Paul mentions at the very beginning of this passage; "concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to be with him."
Jesus asked, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'a little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy" (John 16:19-20 NKJV).
We have a considerable amount of inquiry among ourselves today relative to his coming. Jesus wants us to know that our days spent during his absence will be days that include weeping and sorrow, but joy will come in the morning.
Jesus lives in us now by his Spirit to strengthen, guide, and keep us. That Spirit is the only invisible presence that we or the world shall know. When He comes every eye shall see Him and every ear shall hear Him. We shall rejoice, but the world will mourn when they see that One whom they have rejected as their Lord and Savior.
The hope of a secret pretribulation rapture cannot deliver anyone from the pain and sorrows of this life, for that must be; we shall have tribulation.
Some of us will be called upon to die for our Lord and we ought to prepare ourselves for that possibility.
Chapter Four - Jesus Will Come With Angels Not Saints
It is recorded several times in the King James Version of the Bible that Jesus will return with saints. These statements are assumed, by many, to refer to the church returning with Jesus before the great tribulation begins.
As we examine our first verse from the King James Version which states that Jesus comes with saints, we see that He is coming for His church when He comes with His saints. That would be impossible! Paul wrote, "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love... so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (l Thess. 3:12-13 NKJV).
Will Jesus come with all His saints for His church? Paul was not confused, when he wrote those words. The word he used could be translated "angels" or "saints" because it means "holy ones". The New International Version, the Berkeley Version, and the Beck Version all have "holy ones" instead of "saints" in this verse.
For example, "May He give you inward strength to be holy and without a fault before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones!" (l Thess. 3:1-3 Beck). Holy ones can refer to holy people or to holy angels. Angels are called holy in Revelation 14:10.
In the Scripture we are considering, if "holy ones" refers to people, then we have Jesus coming with "all" His holy people. If this is true, then for whom is He coming? I Thessalonians 3:13 speaks of Jesus coming for His church, not with His church.
"May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones" (I Thess. 3:13 NIV). We must live holy lives in order to be ready to meet Him when He comes with all His "holy ones". "The Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with him" (Matt. 25:31 NKJV).
The Scriptures declare that Jesus will come with angels to gather His people. These same Scriptures do not even hint that anyone else comes with Him at that time.
"He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His. elect FROM THE FOUR WINDS, FROM ONE END OF THE SKY TO THE OTHER" (Matt. 24:31 NAS). The New International Version has "from one end of the heavens to the other."
John saw a multitude too large to number and was told, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation " (Rev. 7:14 NIV).
John has the church in mind when he speaks of those who are washed in the blood. He dedicated his book, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Rev. 1:5 KJV).
John calls himself our "brother and companion in tribulation" (Rev. 1:9 KJV). He addresses his Revelation to the seven churches in Asia. He is encouraging the church to live victoriously even in great tribulation.
When Jesus returns with all His holy angels He will be coming for all His holy people; all the elect saints of God, everyone who has been washed in the blood of the Lamb.
The next Scripture from the King James Version which speaks of our Lord coming with saints is found in Zechariah 14:5. "The Lord our God shall come, and all the saints with thee."
Again we find the word saints translated from a word which means holy. This time it is the Hebrew word "quadosh". The Revised Standard Version, The Beck Version, The Berkeley Version, The New International Version, and a Jewish Version all have "holy ones" rather than "saints" in Zechariah 14:5. Moffet has "angels", The Living Bible has "saints and angels", and the Amplified Bible has "holy ones (saints and angels)"! All from the one Hebrew word "quadosh".
To have both saints and angels here is reading into this verse the modern day theory of a pretribulation rapture of the church. Did this Old Testament prophet see the New Testament church coming with the Messiah to deliver Israel?
The prophets would have expected angels to come with their Deliverer. They knew nothing about a New Testament church or a pretrlbulation rapture. Angels are God's right hand. God sent two angels to destroy Sodom. They said, "The Lord has sent us to destroy it" (Gen. 19:13).
Angels came with God to Mount Sinai in the wilderness. Stephen said to his fellow Jews, "Angels were ordered to give you the Law, but you didn't keep it!" ( Acts 7:53 Beck).
The angels are God's heavenly army. When Judas came with soldiers to betray Jesus, Peter was ready to fight, but Jesus said to him. "Put your sword back in its place... do you not think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more that twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:52-53 NAS).
David wrote, "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among as, in Sinai, in the holy place" (Psm. 68:17 KJV).
When Old Testament prophets saw God coming to deliver His people, they saw Him coming with angels, not saints. In Zech. 14:5 the prophet was speaking about the day of Israel's deliverance and the destruction of her enemies. "Now comes a day for the Eternal...for I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem,..the Eternal will sally forth to fight against these nations...The Eternal your God arrives, with all his holy angels" (Zech. 14:1-5 Moffett).
These Old Testament Scriptures are the basis and inspiration for Jude 14. Jude 14 is the last reference from the King James Version which speak of Jesus coming with saints. "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints" (Jude 14 KJV) .
As we look at the context we see Jude, like Zechariah, was seeing the Lord. coming to destroy the wicked. Jude, as his forefathers, would expect God to bring his angels to do the job; just as John saw visions of angels pouring out the vials of God's wrath.
Jude compares the future judgment of God with events of the past, "The Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe... Sodom and Gomorrah... serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire...Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men; 'See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone" (Jude 5-15 NIV). The King James Version has to "execute judgment upon all."
This is not a New Testament revelation of the raptured church returning with Jesus; it is an Old Testament prophecy of Jesus our Lord coming with all his holy angels to judge the world for its sin. The New English Bible has, "I saw the Lord come with his myriads of angels, to bring all men to judgment" (Jude 14 NAB).
"It was Enoch...who long ago prophesied...'See! The Lord will come with many thousands of his angels, to bring judgment on all" (Jude 14 G.N.).
The King James translators were not promoting a pretribulatlon rapture of the church. This doctrine was conceived after that translation came into being. Every translation has its strengths and .weaknesses. Many of us love the King James Version, but no Bible student should consider it the last word. We know without a doubt that Jesus will return with His angels. Far less certain is the belief that He will come with saints also.
Chapter Five - We Are Not To Fear Tribulation
Revelation 3:10 in The Living Bible reads, "I will protect you from the time of Great Tribulation and temptation, which will come upon the world to test everyone alive".
Before we authoritatively declare, "Thus saith the Lord", we will look at several other translations of this verse:
"I will also keep you from the hour of trial" (NIV).
"I will keep you safe through the hour of trial" (Moffett).
" I will keep you in the hour of trial" (The Twentieth Century N.T.).
Our three comparisons have one thing in common; rather than "Great Tribulation and temptation", they all have "the hour of trial".
The Greek word for tribulation is "thlipsis". In Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 7:14, where we read of "great tribulation", the word "tribulation" is translated from "thlipsis". The church of Smyrna was told, "You will have tribulation (thlipsis) ten days. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).
In the Greek, Revelation 3:10 has "peirasmos", not "thlipsis". Peirasmos is generally translated trial or temptation. The King James Version has, "the hour of trial".
In The Living Bible the "ten days of tribulation (thlipsis)" of Revelation 2:10 is only persecution, but "the hour of trial (peirasmos)" of Revelation 3:10 becomes "the time of Great Tribulation and temptation."
Revelation 3:10 was not written to promise anyone an escape from tribulation, or to frighten them of it, but to prepare them for it. John called himself our brother and companion in tribulation (Rev. 1:9).
We have already seen that the great tribulation is not a judgment from God but a time of trouble that comes from Satan. "The Devil...is filled with rage, for he knows he has only a little time left" (Rev. 12:l2 GN).
We are not to fear anything that comes directly or indirectly from Satan, "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you in prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life" (Rev. 2:10 NKJV).
"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10: 28 NKJV).
Regardless of how long the tribulation lasts, nothing is said of the tribulation that has not been experienced at one time or another by someone. We find nothing so horrible that God cannot bear to see His people go through it.
"Great Tribulation" is not a reference to some new and unimaginable form of agony, but rather to the extent of the tribulation. Instead of a local or individual experience it will be a universal time of trouble.. The early church saw the "beginnings of sorrow" but at the closing days of this age the church will see the full scope of the tribulation. Individually, it will be no worse for those who suffer the troubles of the last days than it was for the early church.
"Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short" (Matt. 24:22 NAS).
The history of the church is the history of trouble and sorrow. Paul describes some of his experiences for us.
He wrote, "Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; three times I was whipped by the Romans, and once I was stoned; I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water...I have been in danger from floods and robbers, in dangers in the cities, in dangers in the wilds, in dangers on the high seas, and in dangers from false friends."
"There has been work and. toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and. thirsty; I have often been without enough food., shelter, or clothing. And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches" (II Cor. 11:24-28 GN).
Through all these things Paul could write, "We glory in tribulations" (Rom. 5:3 KJV).
Today some people glory in the belief of a pretribulation rapture which will deliver them from a future time of trouble. Paul not only experienced all those things we read, and more, he also sealed his testimony with his own blood, dying as a martyr for his Lord. That is what God permitted to take place in his life. Does God love us more than He did Paul?
Our next testimony comes to us from Eusibius who witnessed the persecution of the church during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletion c A.D. 285. It carries with it a solemn warning for those who are not ready for severe tribulation.
"Vast numbers of the prelates of the church endured with noble resolution the most appalling trials... vast numbers, however, of others broken and relaxed in spirit, by timidity before the contest, voluntarily yielded at the first onset. But of the rest, each encountered various kinds of torments; here was one that was scourged with rods, there another tormented with the rack and excruciating scrapings, in which some at that time endured the most terrible death" (p 320 Ecc. Hist.).
A relatively recent example is found in Harlan Popov's story of his thirteen years spent in communist prisons. His book is entitled "Tortured For His Faith". Thirteen years in a communist prison is nearly twice as long as a seven year tribulation.
The road to the holy city is stained red with the blood of those who have gone before. We would be walking on holy ground if we should be called upon to suffer in this way for our Lord.
"0 Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to the people, You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace and justice in this country. Then the Lord said to me, 'The prophets prophecy lies in my name" (Jer. 14:13-14 Larnsa).
The greatest threat to the believer is not physical suffering but spiritual decay when he is compromised by sin and the false philosophy of this world.
Jesus said, "Watch out that no one deceive you...at that time many shall turn away from the faith... many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matt. 24:4-13 NIV).
If we are ready and willing to die for Jesus, we are ready for great tribulation.
Many of us have memorized the verse, "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37 KJV). Now its time to leam the rest of this Scripture!
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or peril, or sword? As it is written; 'For your sakes we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. 'Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us", (Rom. 8: 35-37 NKJV).
Today we hear of peace and prosperity for the faithful, not to mention the promise of the great escape! If the words Paul wrote are true, we can expect great tribulation instead.
Chapter Six - Why There Will Be No Pretribulation Rapture
Jesus told us why there could be no pretribulation rapture two thousand years ago. This is what Jesus said, " There is only one harvest"!The gathering of God's people for their rewards and the gathering together of the wicked for their judgment, will take place simultaneously. Jesus told a parable to explain this important truth:
A farmer planted wheat in his field but an enemy came at night and planted weeds. When the weeds came up the laborers asked if they should pull up them up, but they were told not to lest some of the wheat would be pulled up before it was ready to harvest. He said to them, "Let both grow together until the harvest." He explained that at harvest time, both would be brought in. The wheat would then be put in his barns, but the weeds would be burned (Matt. 13:24-30).
Later Jesus told His desciples that the Son of Man is sowing the good seed, which represents His children. The devil's children are weeds. The harvest is the end of the age. The angels will throw the weeds into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:36-43 N.I.V. ).
Finally, there is another very important reason why there will be no pretribulation rapture of the church. The work Jesus gave the church to accomplish will not be finished until He returns in power and glory. Jesus gave the task of world-wide evangelism to His church and to no one else.
"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20 NIV)
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"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" (Matt. 24:14 KJV).
Does this sound logical to you? First, the church carries out the great world-wide missionary task given to it by Jesus, then the church is removed. Immediately thereafter a new world-wide missionary effort is launched by 144,000 Jews. Once more we see the great commission carried out and completed, except that this time it takes only seven years.
If the church were removed these Jews would have to be converted, trained, organized, and sent out with no help from the present great missionary organizations. This in a time too "horrible" for the church to endure! Hal Lindsey wrote, "These 144,000 Jews will do in only seven years what their nation failed to do in all its history - evangelize the world!" (p 116 There's A New World Coming).
Some evangelicals look up to the Jews in ways God never intended for us to do. Dr. C.I.Scofield wrote, "Did you ever think how well prepared that magnificient people is for worldwide preaching?...My friends, the Jew is everywhere now; the Jew knows every language now; the Jew is acclimated in every country now; the Jew knows the habits of every people now, and not only is he the ablest, most sagacious man in the world, but the Jew has the money to do it!!
"How long would it take Israel to evangelize the earth? A sober and very conservative estimate which has been made shows that it would be possible for the living Israelites to carry any particular message to every creature on this earth in three years if they wanted to. I have always loved. God's ancient people..." (P 99 Addresses on Prophecy).
"God. is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34 KJV).
Jesus personally selected and trained the first leaders of the New Testament church. It took Him three years just to prepare them to go out and evangelize the world. They had everything going for them; they were even Jews. But that was not enough.
He said to His disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8 NAS). It was the church that received this command, and it was the church that was promised the power to accomplish it.
The church is the God-ordained missionary movement designed to evangelize the world. It will perform its task inspite of all that Satan can do, including any last gasp effort called the Great Tribulation. "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18 KJV).
The following quotation is from a tract by Oswald J. Smith. He wrote, "I am absolutely convinced that there will be no rapture before the tribulation ...I believed the other theory simply because I was taught it by W.E.Blackstone in his book 'Jesus Is Coming', The Scofield Refereference Bible and Prophetic Conferences and Bible Schools; but when I began to search the Scriptures for myself I discovered that there is not a single verse in the Bible that upholds the pretribulation theory" (p 68 The Late Great Pretrib Rapture by Dave MacPherson).
Another important issue is the fact that Jesus will not leave the Father's side until all of His enemies have been made a footstool for His feet. (Heb. 10:12-23).
"Jesus Christ, who has gone to heaven is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers" (I Peter 3:22 GN). "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool" (Psm. 110:1). For he must reign until...all his enemies are under his feet.The last enemy to be destroyed is death..." (I Cor. 15:24-28 NIV).
Jesus will not leave heaven's glory to come and rule over a kingdom that is destined to fail. His coming will destroy every power other than His own. He will accomplish two things in one coming. He will destroy His enemies and bring all of His people into their eternal reward!
The coming of Jesus is going to be the greatest event that will ever take place in our world. When Moses wanted to see God, he was told, "No man can see Me and live" (Ex. 33:20 NKJV). As Jesus was preparing His disciples for that great day when He would return, He said to them, "The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels..." (Matt. 16:27 NKJV).
Six days later, "Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them.His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light...behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him!" (Matt. 17:1-5).
" As they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, 'Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead" (Matt. 17:9 ).
After Jesus' resurrection and His ascension into heaven, Peter wrote, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God... saying 'This is my son...with him I am well pleased" (II Peter 1: 16-17 NIV).
John was also there with Peter; now John lived after all the other disciples had perished. He ended his days as a prisoner on the Island of Patmos. It was there that God gave him many visions regarding the future. John had been there when Jesus ascended into heaven. He saw the two angels who appeared at that time. He heard them say, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven", (Acts 1:11 NKJV).
John had both seen and touched the resurrected Jesus. He had a close fellowship with his Lord. He had listened carefully to all that Jesus had taught them. Now he could say confidently, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him" (Rev. 1:7 NKJV).
Now those who pierced Him have been dead for about 2000 years. Obviously, they will also be resurrected from the dead at that time! John had heard Jesus say, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29 NKJV).
So John, who had seen and learned so much about the future, was about to receive another vision of His Lord, which would bring him to his knees! He wrote, "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice...which said: ' write... what you see'... His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters...His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then... he said 'Do not be afraid..." (Rev. 1:9-20 NIV).
This incomplete quotation is well worth reading in all its entirety. These words are enough to help us realize the glory that all of God's people will someday behold when our Savior returns to fulfill all of those things that He has promised us!
The next person who can describe Jesus in all of His heavenly glory is the Apostle Paul; he learned His lesson the hard way! He could say that he was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6 NKJV). As a dedicated Pharisee he stood by watching Stephen being stoned to death. Those who were doing the stoning laid their coats at his feet! His name was Saul at that time. We read that he was, "trying to destroy the church. Going into one house after another, and dragging off men and women, to put them in prison" (Acts 8:3 Beck ).
When Saul was on his way to Damascus in order to take more prisoners, "A light from heaven flashed around him, blinding him.. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul! 'Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?" When Saul asked the voice who it was, the reply was, "I am Jesus...whom you are persecuting". Jesus told him to continue on to Damascus where he would receive further instruction. Saul's companions took him by the hand and led him to the city, where he fasted for three days.
A disciple named Ananias was told to go and lay hands on Saul for his healing. He was afraid of Saul. But he was told by the Lord that Saul was a chosen vessel, "To bring my name before the Gentiles, before kings, and the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for Me" (Acts 9:1-15 Beck).
As Saul became active in the Christian faith, his name was changed to Paul. His letters to the various churches and to some individuals are very important to us today.
In his letter to Titus, Paul wrote of "the hope of eternal life which God ...promised before time began" (Titus 1:2 ), and for which we are waiting ; "The blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). His glorious appearing is our only hope!
He urged Timothy to live a holy blameless life as he waits for His appearing..."He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see" (I Tim. 6:13-16 NKJV ).
Chapter Seven - The Kingdom
Intro. During a casual reading of the Bible many years ago this verse of Scripture caught my eye, "Every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old". (Matt. 13:52 NKJV). Here was Jesus encouraging his disciples to study the kingdom, and I determined then to make such a study as well.
As the years rolled by, I began to see the kingdom from a point of view not in harmony with the footnotes of my faithful companion and guide, the Scofield Reference Bible. What the prophets were saying seemed to be opposed to a thousand-year earthly reign of Christ; a kingdom which ends in rebellion and flames. The more I studied, the more questions I found.
For instance, will Jesus leave heaven's glory to come and reign over a kingdom destined to fail? After describing his understanding of a millennial kingdom, Dr. C.I. Scofield wrote, "Now, in conclusion, are you asking me to tell you what is the end of all this? Alas, dear friends, one shrinks from opening that page" (pll7 Addresses on Prophecy).
"That page" includes the fire of II Peter 3:10 which the Scofield Reference Bible footnotes place at the end of that ill-fated kingdom. "The elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will bum up." If the new heaven and earth appear after such an earthly reign, isn't that kingdom then a part of those things unworthy of our rememberance? "Lo, I create new heavens and a new earth! The past shall be forgotten, and never come to mind" (Isa. 65:17 Moffett).
Will the peace of the Prince of Peace be shattered by a call to arms? Not according to Isaiah; he wrote, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end" (Isa. 9:7 KJV).
Will a great multitude gather for "battle" (Rev.20:8), at the close of an earthly kingdom in the land where its inhabitants will not "learn war anymore" (lsa.2:4 NKJV ).
Can the thousand years fulfill the prophecies of a kingdom and a throne which are to continue forever?
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to the virgin Mary who was engaged to Joseph of the house of David. The angel said to her, "You have found favor with God. You will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of David forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:26-33 NKJV).
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end" (Isa. 9:6-7 NIV).
The last two quotations close with these words, "There will be no end." The following quotation agrees with those words:
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming in the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13-14 NIV).
Peter wrote, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" (II Peter 3:10 NKJV).
Peter goes on to say, "Nevertheless we according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (II Peter 3:13 NKJV).
"We", according to Peter, should be looking for "New heavens and a new earth" instead of a one- thousand year earthly kingdom which will be destroyed by fire sent from God!
"When the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations...to gather them together to battle...they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (Rev. 20:7-9 NKJV ).
If Jesus were reigning in Jerusalem for one thousand years and that's the way His earthly kingdom ends, there must be a better way to explain Revelation, Chapter Twenty. I believe that the Holy Spirit has given us such a better way.
Jesus, "having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET" (Heb. 10:12-13 NAS).
Contrary to this verse, an earthly reign of Christ which would end in rebellion has Jesus leaving the Father's right hand and coming to this earth a thousand years before His enemies have been made His footstool.
1t is assumed that Satan will be given an opportunity to deceive those over whom Jesus has reigned for one thousand years. In this scenario a multitude numbering in the millions will attempt to overthrow their King. (Rev. 20:7-8 ).
Questions arise; would Jesus come to this earth to reign over those whom He knew would rebel against Him; could Satan deceive those who had lived in the very presence of Jesus, those who had been eye-witnesses of His glory? Dr.C.I.Scofield ends his chapter on the millennium with these words, "The long. strange, tragic drama of earth finished - eternity begun" (P 119 Addresses On Prophecy).
If an earthly millennial kingdom ends in rebellion, it would be a part of that "strange tragic drama"! But that is not what the Scriptures teach! They tell us that Jesus will remain in heaven with the Father until His enemies are all under His feet. Seven times in the Bible we read these words, "The Lord said unto my Lord, 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool" (Psm. 110:1 KJV).
"And 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...When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him...so that God may be all in all" (I Cor.15:24-28 NIV).
When Paul wrote, "The last enemy to be destroyed is death", he was referring to our resurrection. It is the resurrection which conquers the "last enemy" death. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed...this mortal must put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed, up in victory. 0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?" (I Cor. 15:51-55 NKJV).
Chapter Eight - Jesus Will Return As God the Father
Those who look for a thousand year "earthly" reign expect mortals to live on into the kingdom. They assume that these mortals will be able to live in the presence of Jesus, the angels, and the resurrected saints of ages past.
John Walvoord wrote, "The objection frequently raised that any comingling of resurrected with nonresurrected beings is impossible is of course denied by the simple fact that our Lord in His resurrection body was able to mingle freely with His disciples" (Pp329-330 The Millennial Kingdom).
This line of reasoning is valid only if Jesus returns in the very same form in which He appeared to His followers after His resurrection. That will never happen!
Jesus reigns now in heaven by the Father's side, and on the Father's throne, where He will remain until that day in which he will return in all the Father's glory. "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev.3:21 NKJV).
A much different Jesus will return than the one the disciples saw ascend into heaven. As Jesus contemplated His return to His heavenly home, He prayed, "Now glorify Thou Me, Father, with Thine own glory which I had in Thy presence before the world existed" (John 17:5 The New Berkeley Version).
Jesus belongs more to heaven than to this earth, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1 KJV)."Who was made a little lower than the angels...so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9 NIV).
He was a little lower than the angels, but He is not now nor will He ever be again. "He comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26 NIV).
It might be good for us to compare the appearance of Jesus after His resurrection, with that of the angel who came to roll away the stone from the door of His tomb. "An angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men" (Matt. 28:2-4 NAS).
As Mary stood weeping by the empty tomb, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know that it was Jesus. She thought He was the gardener! (John 20:11-15 ).
Even His people in the kingdom will have more glory than Jesus had after His resurrection. "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43 RSV).
No one will mistake Jesus for a gardener when He returns. He said, "The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels" (Matt.16:27). Then Jesus told His disciples that some of them would not see death before they would see Him "coming in His kingdom" (Matt. 16:28).
Six days later Jesus took three of His disciples to a mountain top where He was transformed into the glory of His coming. "His face became as bright as the sun, and his clothes as white as light" (Matt.I7: 2). This was a preview of a future event; coming down from the mountain Jesus told them not to tell the "vision" to anyone until after His resurrection. (Matt.I7:9).
Later, Peter would write, "We did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.. .when we were with Him on the holy mountain" (II Peter 1:16-18 NAS).
John, who also witnessed that transformation, had another vision of Jesus while he was on the Isle of Patmos. Remember, John had both spoken with and touched the resurrected Jesus, but now he wrote, "His eyes were like a flame of fire...and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead" (Rev. 1:14-17 RSV).
Ezekiel also saw Him in a vision: "The glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth did shine with His glory...and He said unto me; 'Son of man, this is the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever" (Eze. 43:2-7 JV).
To this day, those who have seen God's glory, saw it only in a vision. Moses wanted to see God but was told, "No man can see me and live" (Ex. 33:20 Lamsa).
Mortals will not be able to inherit the kingdom because Jesus will return in all the glory of God; a glory which would be fatal to any physical body. "Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven...Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God"(I Cor.15:49-50 NIV ).
In another vision John saw Jesus coming to conquer the nations of this earth. "On His garment... He has a name written; King of Kings and Lord of Lords!" ( Rev. 19:16 Beck ).
Paul said about the One who has that exalted title, "He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see" (l Tim. 6:15-16 NAS).
John saw Jesus after His resurrection, he saw Him ascend into heaven, he had two visions of his heavenly glory, and yet he wrote, "It has not been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be in his likeness" (I John 3:2 Lamsa).
David said, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness" (Psalm 17:15 NKJV ). Some versions have a different meaning here. Three versions that do have this meaning are the King James Version, The Berkeley Version, and a Jewish version.
To live in His presence, we will have to be in His likeness. Immortality is a must for entrance into that eternal kingdom over which He will reign. "This mortal must put on immortality" (l Cor.15:53 NKJV).
There will be a glorious kingdom, a glorious ruler, and a glorified people. "He will take these dying bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own" (Phil. 3:21 LB).
"Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11 NKJV).
"For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (lsa.9:6 KJV).
As stated at the beginning of this chapter, Jesus will come as God!
Chapter Nine - The Everlasting Kingdom
Someday the King will say to His people, "Come and receive the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world" (Matt. 25:34 GN).
How long will that kingdom last, a thousand years or forever?
From the time of Adam and Eve to Abraham was about 2000 years; from Abraham to Christ, another 2000 years, and the church age has lasted over 2000 years. By comparison a thousand years doesn't seem very long. Methuselah lived 969 years, and there is no statement in the Bible to the effect that he was the oldest man who ever lived.
To an eternal being a thousand years is a relatively short period of time. "From all eternity thou hast been God... thou to whom a thousand years are like the flight of yesterday, like an hour passing in the night" (Psalm 90:1,4 Moffett).
Peter was well instructed in the things of the kingdom and he wrote, "Make your calling and election sure...for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 1:10-11 KJV ).
Daniel was also knowledgeable concerning the kingdom. He had this dream: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Dan.7:13-14 KJV).
If the fire of II Peter 3: 10 bums at the end of a thousand year earthly reign of Christ, wouldn't that fire destroy such an earthly kingdom? Peter wrote, "Both the earth and the works that are in it will be bumed up" ( II Peter 3:10 NKJV ). If Jesus reigned on earth during that time, whose works burn up?
Wouldn't an angel have the correct view of the kingdom? The angel Gabriel said to Mary, "The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke Is 32-33 KJV).
From the very beginning of Israel's history God's promises to her involved an everlasting future. God said to Abraham, "I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant... I will give to you, and to your descendants after you...all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting inheritance" (Gen. 17:7-8 Lamsa).
The promise of land and the promise of a kingdom are one and the same. This is a forever promise. For Abraham to receive it would require his resurrection from the dead. For this promise to come to pass the kingdom land and those who inherit it must continue forever. This promise is the hope of eternal life. David believed in an eternal hope. He wrote, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalm 23:6 KJV). He also wrote, "The Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore" (Psalm 133:3 KJV).
Earthly bodies cannot inherit an everlasting promise. Only those who have received a heavenly transformation will enter His kingdom. Only the righteous will experience this transition. "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands, and a pure heart" (Psalm 24:3-4 NKJV). "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever" (Psalm 37:29 NKJV ).
The promise of land, and of a kingdom, and of eternal life cannot be separated.
One came to Jesus and said, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" (Matt. 19:16 KJV). When this person discovered that he would have to put Jesus ahead of his wealth "to enter into life", he turned away.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man can hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:17-23 KJV). Three kindred expressions are used in this situation:"have eternal life", "enter into life", and "enter into the kingdom of heaven". Other related terms which speak of Israel's future promises are: "in the regeneration", "in the world to come" and "in the resurrection".
Jesus said, "In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven" (Matt. 22:30 KJV). To be "in the resurrection" is to be in the kingdom. The end result for both the living and the dead will be exactly the same. They will both be changed to fit into that eternal life to come. "Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end" (lsa.45:l7 KJV).
Abraham and thousands of his descendants held on to this eternal heavenly hope all their lives through. "From one man, and him as good as dead, were bom as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--- innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off...embraced them, and. confessed that they were strangers and. pilgrims on the earth... now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country" (Heb. 11: 12-16 NKJV).
"All these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us" (Heb. 11:39-40 NKJV).
We will all receive immortality at the same time. And that time is when the King and the kingdom will appear - a kingdom which will last forever. "For the life of this world men are made like the material man; but for the life that is to come they are made like the one from Heaven...I assure you, my brothers, it is utterly impossible for flesh and blood to possess the kingdom of God. The transitory could never possess the everlasting" (I Cor.15:48-50 Phillips).
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus describes His coming. Before Him are gathered all the nations and He separates them one from another as one would separate sheep from goats.
The wicked go into "everlasting punishment" but the righteous into "eternal life" (v46). This is a future event, not a present reality. The king will say to the righteous, "Inherit the kindom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" ( Matt. 25:34). To enter the kingdom is to enter into eternal life!
"The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away"(Isa. 51:11 KJV).
The promises that God gave Israel and to all His saints are not only everlasting, they are also heavenly, as we shall see in the next chapter.
Chapter Ten - The Heavenly Kingdom
A Jewish Bible scholar named Paul wrote, "The Lord will rescue me from all evil, and take me safely into his heavenly Kingdom" (lITim.4:18 GN).
Paul is looking forward to his Lord's "heavenly" kingdom. Those who live in hope of that future kingdom, also have a heavenly hope, not an earthly one, as, C.I.Scofield taught. He wrote, "The Jew was promised an earthly inheritance, earthly wealth, earthly honor, earthly power. The church is promised no such thing, but is pointed always to heaven..." (p 39 Addresses on Prophecy).
Every eternal promise is of a heavenly nature. All those who enter the kingdom will receive eternal life. Jesus said to His disciples, "When the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundred fold and inherit everlasting life" (Matt. 19:28-29 NKJV).
Peter, who was one of those promised a throne in that kingdom, wrote, "We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (lI Peter 3:13 NKJV). Peter shows no interest at all in an earthly kingdom which precedes the new heaven and earth. He seems to believe that righteousness will not prevail until there is a new heaven and earth.
One of the problems we have with the future is that we have come up with too many kingdoms. The Scofield footnote for Matt.6:33 contains this statement, "The kingdom of heaven is the earthly sphere of the universal kingdom of God." The truth is they both mean the same thing. Hillel wrote, "The phrase 'the kingdom of heaven' is taken from the second chapter of the book of Daniel... 'And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven, set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed (P 217 The Archko Volume). The reference to that Scripture is Daniel 2:44.
It is the kingdom of heaven because the "God. of heaven" will bring it to pass, and it is the kingdom of God for the same reason.
Matthew used the term "kingdom of heaven" more than thirty times. Luke never used that term. He used the expression the"kingdom of God" at least thirty times. The significance of this is that they were both bearing witness to the life and teachings of the same ministry. Luke wrote that Jesus, "went journeying from town to town and village to village, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1 NEB).
The only way the gospel of Luke and the gospel of Matthew can harmonize is if the terms "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" mean exactly the same thing.
As Jesus and the disciples kept the Passover together, He said to them, "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom" (Matt. 26:29 NKJV). Is Jesus referring to an earthly kingdom as "My Father's kingdom"?
In Luke's account Jesus said, "And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29-30 NIV).
Jesus will not eat with his disciples again until they are in his Father's kingdom, sitting at the Son's table, in the Son's kingdom! The fact that we can't understand it is a point in favor of a heavenly kingdom. Jesus preached the "mysteries of the kingdom", not the mystery of the kingdoms.
The kingdom land is to be an everlasting possession. All that can be included within the frame work of land; houses, vineyards, etc., belong to that eternal promise. That some of the promises sound earthly is because earthly words and earthly illustrations are used to describe a heavenly future.
There is an old saying, "Take a Dutchman by what he means, not by what he say." This can apply to a Jewish prophet as well.
Many prophecies are a blend of heaven and earth. Isaiah, Chapter Sixty, is a good example. Here are three quotations taken at random from this chapter. They all speak of land:
"Herds of camels will cover your land" (v 6 NIV).
"No longer will violence be heard in your land" (v 18 NIV).
"Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever" (v 21 NIV).
Sandwiched between these seemingly earthly statements are predictions that the Apostle John applies to the new heaven and the new earth in Revelation, Chapter Twenty-one. Let us compare Isaiah and John. Isaiah - "Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations" (Isa. 60:11 NIV). John - "On no day will its gates ever be shut...The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it" (Rev. 21:25-26 NIV).
Both John and Isaiah see a city. John sees a city called "the Bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev. 21:9). Isaiah's city is Israel. "The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you.. .and will call you The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel" (Isa. 60: 14 NIV).
Isaiah - "You will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and. your God will be your glory" (Isa. 60:18-19 NIV). John - "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on. it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp" (Rev. 21:23 NIV).
The city John saw coming down from God out of heaven had twelve gates upon which were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve foundations upon which were written the names of the twelve Apostles (Rev. 21:12-14). The promise of land belongs to the heavenly forever. Isaiah spelled it out loud and clear, "Your people...will possess the land forever" (Isa. 60:21).
This mixture of heaven and earth is also found in Isaiah, Chapter Sixty-five. "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind...I will create Jerusalem to be a delight ...the sound of weeping and the sound of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant that lives but a few days...he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses.. .they will plant vineyards.. .they will not toil in vain" (Isa. 65:17-23 NIV).
There is no break between the new heaven and earth and houses and vineyards ( i. e. the land). There will be no more tears, yet he speaks of death. Can there be death without tears? "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4 KJV).
The prophets described the future kingdom in terms of the best of earthly conditions made better; riches instead of poverty, safety instead of fear, joy instead of sorrow, a long life instead of death. And always there was more.
"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, 0 God, besides thee, what he has prepared for him who waits for him" (Isa. 64:4 KJV).
Paul quotes this Scripture and. applies it to the church, but he clearly points out that it was given first to Israel: "As it is written; 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (l Cor. 2:9 NKJV). Even though Paul goes on to say that God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, this does not rule out the fact that the future is still shrouded in mystery. In this same letter Paul says, "We know in part and we prophecy in part" (I Cor. 13:9).
He also said, "At present we are men looking at puzzling reflections in a mirror. The time will come when we shall see reality whole and face to face! At present all I know is a little fraction of the truth, but the time will come when I shall know it as fully as God now knows me!" (I Cor. 13:12 Phillips).
John was not allowed to pass on to us all that he heard. "When the seven thunders had spoken, I was going to write it down. But I heard someone say from heaven; 'Keep secret what the seven thunders have said, and don't write it down" (Rev. 10:4 Beck).
"In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God will be fulfilled" (Rev. 10:7 Lamsa).
The use of earthly illustrations is the only way we could catch a glimpse of things beyond imagination. Don't miss the earthly in our next quotation: "As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me ...so shall your seed remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me" (Isa. 66:22-23 KJV).
Will "flesh" enter the eternal state? Will the new moon once more signal the beginning of a month after the sun and moon have ceased to shine? Will a weekly Sabbath be observed in the land where time is not reckoned anymore?
No! Flesh will not inherit the world to come, "I assure you, my brothers, it is utterly impossible for flesh and blood to possess the kingdom of God. The transitory could never possess the everlasting" (l Cor. 15:50 Phillips).
We, together with the saints of old, look for a heavenly place. It is called a city. Abraham "looked for a city...whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10 KJV).
"Come near to mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb.12:22 Lamsa).
"I, John, saw the holy city New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven... And he who talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall" (Rev. 21:2,15 NKJV).
"I saw what appeared to be a city...Going nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze, standing besides the Temple gate, holding in his hand a measuring tape" (Eze. 40:2-3 L.B.).
"I looked up - and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! I asked, ' Where are you going?' He answered me, 'To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is" (Zech. 2:1-2 NIV).
"And there was given to me a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, 'Rise, measure the temple of God, the alter, and those who worship there" (Rev. 11:1 NKJV).
"Walk about Zion, and go around her: tell (count) the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following" (Psa. 48:12-13 KJV).
"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge" (Psa. 48:2-3 KJV).
"Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off...thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken" (Isa. 33:17-20 KJV).
Did you measure the city? Can you see it there beyond the vineyards in the better land?
Chapter Eleven The Kingdom Nation
Those who expect mortals to inhabit a millennial kingdom assume that nations will maintain their national identity with Israel above them all. Heaven's view of nations does not agree with the idea that nations will have any place in the kingdom. "Behold, the nations are as a drop in the bucket and are reckoned as a speck of dust on scales.. .All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted as less than nothing and worthlessness" (Isa. 40: 15,17 Berkeley).
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great man-like image which represented earthly kingdoms, his own being the head of gold. A great stone, not cut by human hands, crushed the image and it became "like chaff on a threshing floor...the wind swept them away without a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:35 NIV).
Daniel interpreted the dream for the king. "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.. .It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end" ( Daniel 2:44 NIV)".
There will be only one kingdom nation when Jesus comes to reign - His.
"Fear not...0 Israel...I will save you from afar...! I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will chasten you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished" (Jeremiah 30:10-11 RSV, also Jeremiah 46:28).
For all practical purposes, the nations where Israel was scattered include every nation on earth. "The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of earth to the other" (Deut.28:64 NIV). The only nation on earth that will not come to a "full end" when Jesus comes is Israel, and she will have only a partial deliverance.
"For though thy people, 0 Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return" (Isa. 10:22 JV). "I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion" (Jer.3:l4 KJV).
The regathering of Israel will not be a national gathering that includes every Jew, as some seem to think.
John Walvoord wrote, "While unbelieving Jews are blinded now, their present blindness will be lifted and replaced by sight and faith. When this glad day comes 'all Israel shall be saved' (Rom. 11:26), meaning a group or national deliverance in contrast to the individual salvation offered now" (pp 172-173 The Millennial Kingdom).
To the church Paul wrote, "We walk by faith not by sight" (II Cor.5:7). When referring to the coming of Jesus for the church more than one preacher has said, "Then faith will become sight." But for Israel John Walvoord speaks of "sight" becoming "faith". Does it take faith to believe what you already see and know? Do the Jews get a second chance?
Those Jews who have not made their peace with God prior to the coming of Jesus will be dealt with in exactly the same manner as all the rest of the human race. "Today" is the day of salvation; after Christ's return it will be too late.
Jesus warned the Jews that they must be ready when He comes. He told them a parable of ten virgins who waited for the bridegroom (Jesus) to arrive so that a wedding (the kingdom) could take place. He arrived unexpectedly after dark. Five virgins had oil in their lamps and. they were ready for his coming, but five were foolish; they had to go buy oil before they could go to the wedding. When they finally came to the wedding the door was shut. The five foolish virgins were told, "I never knew you" (Matt. 25:1-12).
"All Israel" will be saved - but not every Jew.
Paul's reference to "all Israel" must be taken in the context of all that he says in Romans, Chapter Eleven. The question in this chapter is really, will all Israel be lost? Paul begins this chapter by asking, "Has God cast away his people?"
In his answer Paul refers to Elijah who thought he was the only faithful one left in Israel, but God revealed to him that there were still seven thousand men who had. not bowed the knee to Baal. Paul, an apostle in the church, associated himself with this faithful remnant of Israel's past. "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Romans 11:5 KJV). It was grace then and it is grace now. There has always been just one way of salvation.
Still continuing his thought that not all Israel was cast away, Paul illustrates his message with an analogy of the olive tree. Jeremiah had written, "The Lord called thy name a leafy olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit... and the branches of it are broken. For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 11:16-17 A Jewish Version).
Paul explains that "some" of the branches have been broken off of the good olive tree and that Gentile branches from a wild olive tree have been grafted in "among" the branches which remain (Romans 11:17-20).
It is this combination of Jew and Gentile which forms the true Israel of God. Those Gentiles who do enter the kingdom will do so as the children of Abraham. Other nations will have come to a "final end". Those who enter the kingdom will constitute "all Israel".
"The minds of a part of the Jews were dulled until the full number of the non-Jews comes in. And in this way all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:25-26 Beck). The Good News Bible, reads, "And this is how all Israel will be saved."
"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. 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" (Rom. 9:6-8 KJV). "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" (Gal.4:28 KJV).
Those who make a fetish of separating the Jew, the Gentile, and the church, forget that God's plan of redemption always included the entire human race. Gentiles were always welcomed, in Israel, if they bowed the knee to Israel's God.
Ruth was one who came as a Gentile into Israel's ranks. It is not an accident that she became an ancestress of Jesus. Her full acceptance could hardly be illustrated in a better way. Ruth, the Gentile, had said to her mother-in-law, "Your people will be my people, and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16).
Israel is not yet being gathered. The gathering that initiates the kingdom will be preceded by the blast of a heavenly trumpet. The stone that smashes the image is not cut out with "human hands". The Zionist movement, or the new state of Israel, is not part of God's harvest, it is the result of human effort.
"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" (Matt. 24:31 KJV). As yet, this trumpet has not been heard!
The modern day State of Israel cannot possibly bring to fulfillment the promises of God. Her continuing efforts to do so will only bring the nations of the world closer to Armageddon.
Elias Bickennan of both Columbia and Princeton Universities, in his book "From Ezra to the Last of the Maccabbes" wrote,"The shoot of David, the promised Messiah, would one day crush the rulers and drive the heathen out; but not by earthly means, as the Maccabees wrongly thought they could do, but by the hand of God".
"I will have compassion upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen" (Hosea 1:7 JV). The Living Bible has, "I will personally free her from her enemies without any help from her armies or her weapons".
"When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory" (Psalm 102:16 KJV). This gathering or building up of Zion involves both Jews and Gentiles. "My temple will be called a house of prayer for all people. The Lord God, who gathers the scattered people of Israel, says this; I will gather others to them besides their own people" (Isaiah 56:7-8 Beck).
A spiritual gathering has been in progress from the beginning. Who these are will be revealed at the "manifestation of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19). Those who enter the kingdom will do so by resurrection and/or transformation. All will receive heavenly bodies.
God's promises to Abraham were of a spiritual and a heavenly nature. God said to Abraham, "I will give to you, and to your descendants after you...all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; andI will be their God" (Gen. l7:8 RSV).
Every true son of Abraham and Abraham's God is an heir to that promise. No one can steal Israel's blessings, but we can enter in and share them.
"If you belong to Christ, then you are real descendants of Abraham, and heirs in accordance with the promise made to him" (Gal. 3:29 Williams). And that promise was land! The promise of land is not necessarily an earthly promise, for God's promises to Israel were always even better than they sounded.
"The promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith...to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not only to that which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of. us all", (Rom. 4:l3,l6 KJV).
"Sing, 0 barren...break forth into singing...Enlarge the place of thy tent... for thou shall breakforth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles...thy maker is thine husband...The God of the whole earth shall he be called" (lsa.54:l-5 KJV). This combination of Jews and Gentiles.make up the one nation over which God the King will rule in his heavenly kingdom.
The nation bom in a day will be made up of the resurrected saints of all ages as well as the transformed saints of God who are living when He comes. These will be the real sons of Abraham who will come from every nation on earth. "You are not real Jews just because you were bom of Jewish parents...no, a real Jew is anyone whose heart is right with God" (Rom. 2:28-29 LB).
In The Theocratic Kingdom we read, "The Jews represented a resurrection under the figure of a birth...Isa.26:19, 'the earth will again bring forth her dead" (Vol.2 p 259). "Who has heard, such a thing?.. .Shall the earth 'be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once?...Shall I bring to birth, and not cause to bring forth?...behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream" (Isa. 66:8,9,12 KJV).
This mixture of Jews and Gentiles is the mystery of which Paul wrote in Eph.3:6, "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ" (NIV).
Some day those Jews who inherit the kingdom will look around them in wonder and amazement at the tremendous number of the children of Abraham. "Lift up your eyes round about and behold; they will all gather themselves together and come to you...the land of your destruction shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants...the children which you shall have during the time of your bereavement shall say again in your ears, 'The place is too narrow for us; make room for us to dwell.' Then you shall say in your heart, Who has borne me these?...these children, where have they been?"(lsa.49:18-21 Lamsa).
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"(John 1:11-12 KJV).
John the Baptist had the international view. He said to the Jews, "Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father. 'For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham"(Luke 3:7-8 NIV). Pointing to Jesus, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29 KJV).
The idea that God could produce children for Abraham from stones, meant that God would raise up people from out side of the ranks of Israel. Peter wrote, "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house...acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in the Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion.. .and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame" (I Peter 2:5-6 NIV).
Isaiah seems to have realized that God's promises to them were just too good to keep for themselves alone. He wrote, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters...Give ear and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promise to David... Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel" (Isa. 55:1-5 NIV).
The promise of an everlasting covenant is the promise of eternal life. It comes from the one God. To know Israel's God, is to be a part of Israel's future. There will be one king, one kingdom, and one people. "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one lord, and his name one" (Zech. 14:9 KJV). God will be "all in all". "I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see my glory" (Isa. 66:18 KJV).
"Then I will turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent" (Zeph. 3:9 KJV).
Racial and national distinctions will be no more. The confusion of tongues which dates from the tower of Babel will end. So will the confusion and division which separates good and earnest folks from each other. Happy day when we all worship Him with one consent.
And then Paul's benediction to the church will become a reality, "Peace be upon...the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16).
Chapter Twelve Revelation Chapter Twenty
The background to this chapter is in Chapter Twelve where we find the following account:
"...there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him... Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down'...When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child" (Rev.12:7-14 NIV). That male child which had already been born was Jesus!
Jesus sent seventy of His followers to every city and every place where He was going to go, to let them know that He was coming see them. "The seventy returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.' Then Jesus said, ' I saw Satan falling as lightening from heaven" (Luke 10:1-18 NIV).
Now, in the year of 2004 we need to give people that same message: "Jesus is coming"!
"... I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time " (Rev. 20: 1-3 NIV).
A dictionary definition for the word "abyss" is a "bottomless gulf" or "the bottomless pit".
The New King James Version reads; "And he cast him into the bottomless pit...and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished" (Rev. 20:3 ).
About two thousand years ago, when our spiritual forefathers read these scriptures, they must have understood that the thousand years of Satan's confinement to this earth, was, for them, a present time event. Satan and his angels had already been cast out of heaven and down to this earth.
John wrote, "Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Rev. 12:12 NKJV).
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Those who were living at the time of John, those who read his words, understood that Satan was on this earth in their day! And that the thousand years and Satan's confinement are inexplicably joined together!
There are instances in which the Scriptures must not be taken literally if we would understand the word of God properly. Types, symbols, and figurative language are an important part of the Scriptures. In no other book of the Bible has there occurred a greater use of such representations as in the Book of Revelation. The question is, do the thousand years belong to this imagery?
If there is any place, any subject, that we cannot see eye to eye with God, it is the issue of time. Moses once prayed, "From all eternity thou hast been God...thou to whom a thousand years are like the flight of yesterday, like an hour passing in the night" (Psm. 90:1,4 Moffett).
Peter wrote, "Do not forget one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day" (II Peter 3:8 NKJV).
The Apostle John uses the term "bottomless" for the sea. He saw a beast with seven heads and ten horns which rose up out of both the sea and the bottomless pit. (Rev.l3:l, 17:8 RSV). An angel told John that the heads and. horns of the beast represented kings. He also said., "The waters.. .where the harlot is seated., are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues" (Rev.17:12-15 RSV).
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The point here is that these kings and. nations are human beings. They live on this earth. They are not evil spirits who come out of some dark hole which has no bottom, and neither are they some sea monster which rises up out of a literal sea. All the evil of the bottomless pit is a by-product of the evil one who is now confined to this earth. The earth is Satan's bottomless pit. The bottomless pit and the thousand years cannot be taken literally. The bottomless Pit has a bottom! And the thousand years began when Satan was cast to this earth. John was still alive when that took place. That is when the thousand years begin and it will not end until Satan and all of his follows are consigned to their endless days.
At one time Satan had access to all that we know exists. He once stood in the very presence of God. But he was cast down to this earth and it has become his prison. Figuratively speaking, Satan and his angels are now under lock and key and they have been in their prison now for over two thousand yeas!!
Wherever Satan's angels are, there you will find him, and vice versa. If his angels are said to be in chains now that would hold true for their master as well. "Angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds (many versions have 'chains') under the darkness for the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6 NAS).
"God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment" (II Peter 2: 4 GN). The word hell in II Peter 2:4 is translated from a word which is used only one time in the Bible. We find this explanation in Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words; "The verb tartaroo, translated 'cast down to hell' in (II Pet.2:4 GN), signifies to consign to Tartarus, which is neither Sheol nor Hades nor Hell...the region is described as 'pits of darkness,' RV" (p 553).
The darkness spoken of in these quotations is not the darkness of a pit that has no bottom, but rather, the spiritual darkness of those far from God. The destiny of the fallen angels is sealed. There is no way out of this darkness for them. From that place of eternal light, Satan and his angels were cast down to this world of darkness.
Paul wrote, "Your conflict is not only with flesh and blood, but also with the angels, and with powers, with the rulers of this world of darkness, and with the evil spirits under the heavens" (Eph. 6:12 Lamsa).
Satan can do less damage now than he could when he was able to appear before God as a witness against the saints. The limitations of Satan and his fallen companions are much greater than they were before their incarceration. Angels are powerful beings; it took only two angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Who knows what rebel angels might do if they were not under considerable restraint.
"Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God" (Rev. 12:10 RSV).
The bottomless pit, the thousand years, the confinement of Satan to this earth, the present reign of Christ in heaven, and the first resurrection are all part of the same period of time. The first resurrection is the spiritual transformation which takes place when we turn to the Lord in repentance and faith. "While we were spiritually dead...he brought us to life with Christ...In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world" ( Eph. 2:5-6 GNB).
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Peter wrote, "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who has called you out of. darkness into His marvelous light" (I Peter 2:9 NKJV).
"When the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four comers of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to. battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea" (Rev. 20:7-8 NKJV).
Figuratively speaking, Satan is in a bottomless pit now. The thousand years, therefore, are in progress now. The great army which gathers for battle does so in the closing days of this age in which we now live. The people of Gog and Magog do not gather together for battle both before and after the thousand years. They appear only once on the world's stage. The real leader of this army is Satan, the deceiver of nations. "And he gathered them together into a place called...Armageddon" (Rev.16:13-16 KJV).
Future events come into focus better when we understand that the thousand years end when Jesus comes in power and glory. Then we need not explain why the peace of his kingdom which will never end - does. Then we need not explain why the people who do not leam war any more (lsa.2:4) - gather together for battle (Rev. 20: 7-8). Then we need not explain why the "righteous" people follow after Satan by the millions, after having lived in millennial spendor for a thousand years (lsa.6o:21).
Jesus will not come to rule amid the debris of thousands of years of human failure. From deep in the oceans where the nuclear submarines make their way, to the new weapons of war high in the sky, a fire will bum and leave no trace of them. From grave yards and garbage dumps, to run-down cities, the fire of II Peter 3:10 will do its cleansing work. "The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will bum up". These are our works not His.
Dr. C.I. Scofield wrote, "When the prophets paint the picture of the Millennial earth, they dip their pencils in the rainbow... Now in conclusion, are you asking me to tell you what is the end of all this? Alas, dear friends, one shrinks from opening that page, but it must be" (pp 115,117 Addresses on Prophecy).
"It must be" only if there is such an earthly kingdom. Otherwise, "We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (II Peter 3:l3).
With the prophets of old we hold to an unending future for them and for us. "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fulness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16: 11 NKJV).
HOPING TO SEE YOU THERE!
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