It’s hard to keep up writing when there is so much to do, and now that we finally have summer, one feels the need to get stuff done that couldn’t be done during the long winter. I apologize to those who were looking for something from me, I will write again as the Lord gives me something to write about.
Still, for those who feel the need to write, like me, here is a lesson from Weird Al Yankovic. It fits the music, and is in better taste than the original… enjoy!
Dan
ISIS Releases their 5 Year Territorial Plan
As I have said many times, I believe the next major biblical prophecy to be fulfilled is the Psalm 83 war, not the Rapture of believers. I still maintain, however, that the Rapture will occur before the seven year Tribulation period commences. I also maintain that the Gog and Magog war, of Ezekiel 38-39, is also a late-church-age event, which will occur after the Psalm 83 war, but still prior to the Rapture and the Great Tribulation.
So, how should we view the current, sudden, rise of the al Qaeda offshoot ISIS, in the Middle East?
It’s simple really; the rise of ISIS fits exactly with the End Times scenario as I have outlined above. It even answers the spacing of the two wars mentioned, and why the nations of the second are not a part of the first. The enmity between the Shiite and Sunni Muslim sects is so great that they cannot cooperate on anything, even when it comes to Israel, and that enmity is getting more intense by the day.
ISIS’ five year territorial expansion plan
ISIS’ recent release of their 5 year expansion plan would certainly not give the Iranians any reason to trust, or cooperate with them on anything. Notice that their goals include taking over all Muslim territories, even those controlled by the Shiites today including Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.
Not only is ISIS poised to take over all of Iraq, and large parts of Syria, they are already making moves in the direction of Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Jordanian ISIS supporters with suicide belt
Even inside Jordan there are large numbers of ISIS, and al Qaeda, supporters agitating for a change of government. Since ISIS is made up of Sunni Muslims, you will find that they already have a large base of support inside Saudi Arabia as well. In fact it appears that the Saudi government was one of their early backers, an action they are soon to regret.
The Jordanian airforce has already seen action against one ISIS incursion into their territory, and it won’t be the last. I would not be surprised to see an internal revolt by ISIS aligned groups in both Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, nor would I be surprised to see the same thing in Egypt, or an alliance between ISIS and the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood.
So who are the nations mentioned in the Psalm? Once we know who is being referred to, then we can see if it is indeed being fulfilled;
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. 5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: 6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. Psalm 83:4-8
Here is the list, and who they are today;
Edom; – One of the three founding peoples of Israel’s neighbor to the east, and the predominant tribe.
Ishmaelites; The Saudi Arabians, which may also include nations like Yemen, Qatar, the U.A.E., Bahrain, and perhaps Kuwait
Moab; another third of the nation across the river from Israel
Hagarenes; these have been mistakenly identified as Egypt, because Hagar came from Egypt. The bible identifies them as two tribes of Ishmaelites, who left their brethren in Saudi Arabia, and lived in Gilead, the area known today as the Golan. You can read about them in 1 Chronicles 5. While they lost that particular war to Israel, you can bet that they are still there, having moved back after the Israeli expulsion by the Assyrians. They were some of the early rebels against Assad, because he made threats to Israel, but didn’t follow up on them. It is this group that will drag Syria, or at least a part of Syria, into this war
Gebal; a city of Lebanon,
Ammon; the last third of the nation across the river. These people, along with Edom and Moab not only comprise the majority in this nation, but are also the majority of the Arabs living in Judea and Samaria, the area commonly known as the “West Bank” today.
Amalek; the inhabitants of the Sinai peninsula, and full of Muslim Brotherhood, and al Qaeda supporters. These people smuggle arms into Gaza today, through the terror tunnels. These people will drag Egypt into this war.
Philistines; The inhabitants of the Gaza strip, known as Palestinians today, and the true heirs of the name.
Tyre; another city of Lebanon
Assur; Assur was the patriarch of the tribes of the northern part of Iraq. These people made news recently when Mosul was taken by ISIS. Mosul is the capital of Nineveh province. Nineveh, who’s ruins are in Mosul, was the ancient capital of the Assyrian empire.
While ISIS’ map covers a larger area than these tribal territories, they will not be successful in uniting that many Muslims. Libya, Turkey, Ethiopia (Sudan) and Iran are not a part of the Psalm 83 war, and in fact neither are India, and Malaysia.
My conclusion is that the Psalm 83 war will occur before ISIS realizes the completion of their goals, and will take place in the middle of their conquests. Its result will cause ISIS to pretty much disappear as a political force. Israel will be left the dominant nation in the Middle East. From the map you can see that they intend to take Israel’s territory as a part of this plan. They are serious in this, and in all of their threats, but they are no match for the God of the bible.
ISIS is even threatening nuclear war against Israel I believe the evidence is that the Psalm 83 war will end in nuclear destruction of several cities, including Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad, Riyadh, and possibly other Middle Eastern cities. (Isaiah 17:1, Ezekiel 30:1-9, Zechariah 11:1-2) The seriousness of ISIS’ threats will not leave Israel any choice…they will act on them.
As I have stated numerous times, I still believe that the Antichrist, the Beast, will come from the royal family of Israel’s closest relatives, but this does not mean that their king must remain on the throne throughout these events.
In fact, I would highly doubt that he and his family will still be in power during the Psalm 83 war. I rather suspect that they will flee, and might even take refuge in Israel. There is no way that an Arab leader who publicly encouraged a major attack on Israel, like the Psalm 83 attack, would ever be trusted by the people of Israel, and Satan knows this.
If the false prophet is Jewish in background, (and he is) then the best place for him to meet the Antichrist would be in Israel. Who would ever suspect that a young refugee, fleeing from Muslim oppression, could turn out to be the most dangerous person the world has ever known?
Is it possible that a refugee from ISIS’ murderous campaign could actually be more dangerous than ISIS in the long run? I think so. It is not only possible, it is likely!
Dan Knezacek
I am often surprised at the things that people get worked-up over, and how the things that should work them up are so often ignored. This week a person who calls themself “boldncourageous” posted the following article as a response to my article Rapture? Of Whom? When?
Of course this is a very inappropriate pseudonym since the person will not identify him/herself, as if he/she is hiding something, but my main issue with him/her is their lack of skill in biblical hermeneutics;
“Everyone thinks their view is correct, but how can you really tell, and how important is it really?
Both Jesus and Paul tell us to be careful that no man deceive you concerning this issue… Matt. 24:4, 2 Thess. 2:3. Peter tells us that those who don’t get it correct, “..twist the scriptures as the always do…” 2 Pet. 3:16. So obviously the warning stipulates that there is a lot of deception and twisting of the Word.
If you are interested in the truth, you must be willing to set aside all opinion, assumption, conjecture and speculation. If you can do this the truth will become available to you. This is not an easy task, especially if you have studied a lot of man’s opinion, and therefore see through those lenses. If you, however, are new to the study, let the Bible be your guide. Otherwise, you must be able to set aside all the movies, lectures, and ideas that may have bombarded you with man’s opinion over the years.”
Up to this point I have no problem with anything this person is saying, I have said much the same on this blog, and in The Spirit of Prophecy, myself. From this point on, however, “boldncourageous” falls off the rails, time, and time again;
“One certain way to understand that the Word of God has been tampered with is that certain ideas or doctrines create loose ends that must be tied up and therefore must be explained only by man. Like a child who has told a lie and must tell others to cover for the first on. These ideas create sub-doctrines that cannot be substantiated by the Word and must be explained by someone in order to be understood. You will not be able to find any explanation from the Word, because they are super-scriptural, and therefore added to the Word. For the truth to be found the idea must flow with the whole of Scripture and all “loose end” must be dealt with by Scripture, leaving no room for man to interfere.
Here is an example of a loose end or sub-doctrine: The pre-tribulation rapture view tells us that the bride is raptured seven years prior to the second coming. That is the initial idea. However it creates many loose ends that must be explained and must be addressed solely by man. One loose end is the sub-doctrine of the tribulation saints. The tribulation saint cannot be the bride, because the bride is in heaven (according to the view). This causes many problems with the whole of Scripture; “we are one body in Christ Jesus”, the promises that apply to the bride, don’t apply to the tribulation saints, etc. How can the saints be one body as a bride, and another as separate from the bride, and remain one body? Man’s explanation of this view, tells us that the tribulation saints must become eternal heavenly servants of the bride. This in effect makes the tribulation saints greater than the bride, because, “He who wishes to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven must become a servant of all.” If that is the case, it would be more desirable to be a tribulation saint than a member of the bride. There are a lot of other complications that this the concept of tribulation saints bring, and those who carry this particular view cannot agree exactly on how this all plays out. Here in lies the problem. It is super-scriptural in nature. Not explained by the Word and therefore the end result must be conjured to make sense of it all. As a result there will be many views concerning the sub-doctrines. This is a loose end that creates a sub-doctrine that is derived and conjured by man. Be careful that no man deceive you! This sub-doctrine is a secondary lie to cover the initial.”
Oh brother! Just because there are questions, it does not necessarily follow that there is an error. There is no place in the Old Testament where the two comings of the messiah are specifically stated. It does NOT say “the Messiah will come two times”, but the two visitations are clearly there. God left the Jews to figure it out, however, and they couldn’t. Some thought there would be two messiahs; the suffering Messiah, and the conquering Messiah, but this can’t be true, for only the suffering Messiah is worthy to also be the conquering Messiah.
After the resurrection, Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus and He had to personally explain to them (Luke 24:27) how He had fulfilled the OT prophecies of the Messiah. To this day many Jews still doubt that He was the Messiah, because he did not fulfill all the messianic prophecies at that time.
“boldncourageous” accuses Dispensationalists of creating doctrines without Scriptural support, and then uses the idea of the bride of Christ as being separate from the Tribulation saints as proof of this contention.
“The tribulation saint cannot be the bride, because the bride is in heaven (according to the view). This causes many problems with the whole of Scripture; “we are one body in Christ Jesus”, the promises that apply to the bride, don’t apply to the tribulation saints, etc. How can the saints be one body as a bride, and another as separate from the bride, and remain one body?”
Well, what he/she is doing is taking Scripture out of context, and also taking the contentions of Dispensationalists out of context as well.
Jesus said;
For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:28
This statement and its companion from Mat. 11:11 provide us with the answer to this person’s contentions. Wasn’t John saved, and in the kingdom of God? Aren’t all the saints “born of women”? Obviously then the “kingdom” Jesus was speaking of was a different kingdom than the one John was a part of. He was speaking of the Church-age. He was speaking of the phenomenon of the Church-age where all believers are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist was ONLY born of a woman. He was not “Born-again”, yet he was a saved man. Neither were all the Old Testament prophets, including such notable prophets as Abraham, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Elijah, and etc.
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) John 7:39
There are many instances in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit is said to come upon a person, and he prophesies a certain thing, but then the spirit leaves. In fact even the disobedient prophet Balaam, and the disobedient king Saul, prophesied by the Holy Spirit, but they were not permanently indwelt.
Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? Isaiah 63:11
The Holy Spirit, in the Old Testament, came upon people at times, but He did not stay their whole life. David cried out “take not thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11) when he had sinned with Bathsheba, because the Holy Spirit would not stay in a situation like that. David knew fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and also knew that He was not promised to stay permanently, at that time.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36:27
This promise, given through the prophet Ezekiel, is regarding a future time, when the Holy Spirit would stay and never leave; the Church-age. It was not fulfilled during the age of Israel.
“boldncourageous” says it is a problem if we don’t have all the answers! I don’t have all the answers, do you? In my experience those who think they have all the answers are usually relying on themselves. Even Paul admits that he does not have all the answers;
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. I Corinthians 13:12
The bible is a collection of books which were inspired by the most magnificent and complicated mind in all creation. There is no way that any fleshly human can understand everything in that book. Nevertheless, we are on a journey, and God gives us knowledge as we rely on Him in faith. He will never give us everything we want to know, but He does give us that which we need.
Suffice it to say that according to the lips of Jesus Himself, there is a difference between the Old Testament saints and the New. Can I spell out every nuance of every difference? No I can’t, but it appears to be a difference based on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the believer.
It also appears that as the Tribulation is a return to the last seven years promised to Israel through Daniel the prophet (Daniel 9:24-26), that the same Old Testament conditions will also prevail at that time. This must mean that the relationship the Holy Spirit has with his people will revert to the same as it was during Daniel’s time.
Neither I, nor John Darby, made this up; it is there in the Word of God, and “boldncourageous” fails to address this difference.
He/she quotes “we are one body in Christ Jesus”, but fails to mention that this is a statement of the Church-age. During the Church-age, believers of the Jews and Gentiles are one body in Christ Jesus. Nowhere in Scripture are we told that Old Testament believers are a part of the Church.
The illustration that is used is that of a graft in a fruit tree; When you graft a variety on to a root, the branch produces its own fruit. For instance, if you graft a Ida Red branch on a McIntosh trunk, you will not get McIntosh apples from it, but Ida Reds! So, when Gentiles are grafted into the tree of Israel, we produce Gentile fruit, not Jews, though we obtain our life from the same source.
Boldncourgeous goes on to say;
“Another issue is a doctrine changing the Word of God to be able to accommodate their view. Peter addresses this… 2 Peter 3:16. In order for the doctrine to be received it must be taught to those with a shallow understanding of the Word.
Here is an example of this: Luke 21:36 tells us to pray always that we may be counted worthy to escape all that is coming upon the earth… The pre-tribulation view tells us that the word “escape” in this passage refers to the rapture. Okay if that is the case, what does this concept do with the rest of the verse? “…Pray always that you may be counted worthy…” Most have the understanding that the prerequisite to being raptured is being saved. We are saved by grace and not by works or being worthy… Eph 2:8,9. However, for the word “escape” to be the rapture, we must be raptured by our worthiness and pray always accordingly. So now we are told that only some Christians will be raptured because not all are worthy, although saved. To continue this thinking, they would also loose any bride status in order to become tribulation saints. Perhaps even having to have to face martyrdom to earn their way into heaven because Christ died for the bride, and not for them. This verse creates division among those who hold the view. Some believe there is no division of those who are saved that get raptured at the rapture and some do. Overall the understanding of salvation equating those “assigned for rapture” must be severed, otherwise we would have to be saved by works, contrary to the Word.
It seems to me that those who are truly saved will be the ones counted worthy to be raptured. Pray to be accounted worthy? Maybe that prayer ought to be about something else;
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13
There will be many church members who are left behind, because they don’t have the Holy Spirit. The oil in the parable of the virgins is the Holy Spirit. Those left behind at the rapture are apparently Christians, but they don’t have the Holy Spirit. Revelation 2:22 tells us plainly that there will be disobedient church members who will experience the Great Tribulation for themselves.
In the same vein, the Church of Philadelphia is told that they will be kept “out of” the time of testing which will come upon the whole world. (Revelation 3:10) The word that is translated as “from” is “ek” which means “out of” and not “through”. “ek” is never translated as “through”. God is not going to keep the true Church through the Tribulation, but “out of” it.
Jesus also uses “ek” in John 12:27 where He prays “and what shall I say? Father save me from (ek) this hour?” (speaking of the crucifixion) He was not talking about being saved through the crucifixion, that was a given, but He was talking about not having to go through it at all!
Jesus told us the parable of the 10 virgins in Matt. 25. The five foolish were not only told, “depart from me, I never knew you,” but “go to hell” as well. What they were not told is that they would get a second chance as a tribulation saint. As you can see the Word gets changed (twisted as Peter states) to accommodate the view.
Here, boldncourageous actually does the exact thing he/she is accusing us of doing!
Here is the pertinent verse from Matt. 25. See if you can find “hell” in it;
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Matt 25:11-13
What boldncourageous, and most Post and A-millennialists do is they read Hell into thispassage, as he/she does here, and they don’t even realize they are doing it!
The unwise virgins are actually left in the same place they were when they were waiting for the bridegroom. That would have to be on the earth!
Later on, in the same chapter, Jesus tells the parable of the talents, and the lazy servant is cast “into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Even here, this does not have to be Hell, although it could be. Nevertheless, there is no warrant for equating the five unwise virgins with the disobedient servant.
It appears that the parable of the ten virgins takes place at the end of the Church age, and the next parable takes place on judgment day at the end of the Millennial kingdom.
“You must ask yourself, is your own desires clouding your view? Often I get asked, “Why would you want to go through the great tribulation?” As if what I want as anything to do with God’s plan. The obvious conclusion to those who ask this question is that their personal desires have clouded their perception of the truth. Is it foolish to walk directly in the direction of persecution? Peter rebuked Jesus for walking into His crucifixion. Jesus in turn stated, “Get thee behind me Satan.” Today the church spends much of their time running from taking up their cross.”
Good advice. He/she is certainly correct that we must guard our heart from reading our own desires into Scripture. My concern with this person is that when he/she sees something that is like the Great Tribulation in their mind, they will think they are experiencing it. When someone comes along who promises “peace and safety”, and because they already think the Tribulation is over, they will be inclined to accept them as “a man sent from God”. Because they have a tendency to allegorize Scripture they will also have a tendency to allegorize the return of Christ. They already do.
If Peter tells us that those who do not get it right concerning the view of eschatology (end times), “twist the scripture as they always do.” The “as they always do” is huge. That means that your perceptions of truth concerning your “end time” beliefs exemplifies your perception of the Scriptures as a whole. This puts great importance upon the study of eschatology. We must be lovers of the truth, if not God Himself will send a delusion upon us as stated in 2 Thess. 2 at the end of chapter.
Those who are truly born-again are not susceptible to the delusion, but it will be so powerful that if not for the witness of the Holy Spirit they actually could be. That is the complete issue we have been talking about. We can’t understand Scripture without the witness of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:14) “boldncourageous” is correct that the study of eschatology is far more important than most Christians imagine. Unfortunately boldncourageous takes Scripture out of context, and reads his/her own ideas into it, so I am confident in saying that such a person cannot be counted on to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
The Transition
Going back to the beginning of this period, I want to focus on the transition between the Tribulation and the Millennial reign. As has happened throughout human history, the events of one age have consequences in the next. The first couple ate fruit that they should not have eaten, and as a result every age has suffered the consequences of sin.
The sins of early humanity resulted in judgment and destruction, which led to billions of fossils being embedded in the rocks, which are still here to this day. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not resign the day Jesus died on the cross, nor even at His resurrection. In fact Israel, as a whole, is still as far from God as they were during the life of Isaiah, and Elijah.
While the Jewish disciples of Jesus, who saw Him after his resurrection, made the transition into the Church age, most of their countrymen were left behind. The people who were born during the closing days of the age of Israel, lived on into the Church age, and their choices followed them from one age into the next. The same will be true in the early years of the Millennial Kingdom.
Those who have truly received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour during the Church age, will be raptured before the return of the last seven years of the Age of Israel. They will be with Christ as the judgment of the Antichrist falls on the world.
The same will be true of the transition period between the final seven years, and the Millennial age.
Zechariah 13:8 speaks of 2/3 of Israel dying during the war with the Antichrist. I cannot say how many of them will die at the hands of the Antichrist, for following Jesus, and how many will die for rebelling against him. Jesus told us that when the Abomination of Desolation occurs in the Temple, all His followers are to flee to the wilderness, where He will protect them. Fighting the Antichrist with guns and bombs is not obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The problem is that men, being men, almost always seek to be heroes. When the Abomination of Desolation is set up, most of the men of Israel will realize that this man is the Little Horn, and they will rebel against him. I can’t say for certain, but human nature being what it is, I would not be surprised if there will be some professing Christians/Messianics in Israel who tell their wives “Go on ahead, and I will join you after we defeat this Little Horn”.
They have been raised on the stories of Hanukkah, where the Maccabees defeated Antiochus Epiphanes, the first little horn, and it will only be natural to think they can do the same with this second Little Horn. This man, however, cannot be defeated by carnal means, as was Antiochus.
The prophet Isaiah tells us what will happen to those who fight the Beast and his armies;
And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground. Isaiah 3:24-26
As has happened in so many wars throughout history, the young men march off to war, and perish in the battle field.
There is a cause-and-effect between this passage and the next verse;
1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. Isaiah 4:1
Some pastors, and scholars, believe this is an indictment against Israel; that this is the cause of the previous statements, but it is not. This is the result of her men perishing in the war of the previous chapter, verse 25 to be exact.
Israel’s indictment occurs earlier in chapter 3, from verse 16-23. The pride and haughtiness of the women of Israel, at the beginning of the Tribulation will be replaced by holiness, humility, and faith.
These seven women are representative of all the women of Israel, and indeed all the women of the world, for as their men are fighting each other, some of their women will be seeking the Lord. And, they will find Him!
Isaiah 4:1 takes place after the Lord Jesus returns, and after the dust of battle has settled. People are not thinking of having a family as death and destruction rains down on their heads, they are only thinking of survival. This verse occurs after Jesus has set up His government, and after he is done destroying His enemies with the sword from His mouth.
Now that peace is finally here, and now as they can look forward to a long life during the reign of Jesus Christ on earth, these women find that there are only enough men for one in seven women to marry!
Imagine yourself being one of these young women, many of whom will be only in their teens. You are carried aloft by angels (Matthew 24:31, Mark 13:27) and watch as the earth changes beneath your feet. You watch as Jesus destroys His enemies, and then as the earth changes with the biggest earthquakes in history. You are let down to earth with nothing left to fear, with a thousand year life span beckoning, and then you realize that the majority of survivors are young women, like yourself!
This presents a problem for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He has declared that it is His plan to populate the earth, and now He has inherited a world full of women, with only one man for every seven women.
Should He demand that only one in seven women marry and have a family? Should these women live throughout the Millennial reign as spinsters? What of the “desire of women” that He has put in their hearts?
Should the children of the one-in-seven be required to support six other old women, as well as their own parents?
This is what most Christians teach about marriage, and this is what would happen during the Millennial reign if God were to follow the teachings of most Christian churches. If God were to follow this ideology the Millennial reign of Christ would be a time of extreme hardship for those who live through it, and a time of extreme loneliness for six out of seven women who survive through the Tribulation.
This is what would happen if God were to follow the teachings of most Christian churches, but God has already provided His solution to the problem in Isaiah 4:1. The men and women of this verse are spoken of later in verses 3 and 4
And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
These men and women are survivors of the Tribulation and are 100% believers in Jesus Christ. They are holy men and women of God, and the request they are making in verse 1 is not only by permission, but inspired by their God!
Look at verse 2
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Jesus is the Branch, and this event takes place in the early days of His reign! This is why God never said polygamy is wrong; Because He has a plan for it for the Millennial reign of Christ!
Here’s the amazing thing; This is only for one generation! These people will have children in the same male/female ratio that the human race has always had, roughly 50/50. Since there will be no more war, and the earth will experience prosperity as never before, there will not be a need for polygamy after this generation!
For every boy there will be a girl born, and every man will have enough money to support his family. There will be no more poverty.
This generation, however, will live throughout the Millennial reign, like Methuselah, and even longer. They will be a witness to their descendants of the events of the Tribulation. They will warn their them about the dangers of rebellion against the Lord, as witnesses who have seen the Lord’s wrath first hand.
Their eight person families will stand-out like a sore thumb to their descendants. The strangeness of it will prompt many a young person to ask his ancestor something like; “Great, Great, Great, Great Grandpa, why is it that you have seven wives when every other man I know has only one?” This will give the old man the opportunity to tell his descendant about the events of the Tribulation, and hopefully some of them will be saved. The others, however, will take part in the final rebellion at the end of the thousand years!
The Tie-In with the Antichrist’s Kingdom
Satan has a counterfeit for everything, including the Tribulation, the Messiah, and the Millennial reign. God knew this from the beginning, and this is why He gives us a multitude of warnings throughout the Scriptures.
In order to discern the counterfeits we need to know the original.
Since God has a plan for polygamy, Satan has been working overtime to delegitimize this practise. As I studied the biblical teachings on this practise, I also had a look at its role throughout history. Funny thing, though, I was not actually looking for polygamy in history, but simply reading about history, and the nations of the world.
While I found that virtually every nation, including those in Europe and Britain, practised polygamy at some point in history, the Greek and Roman empires actually outlawed the practise.
This fact should give us pause to think; Were the Greeks and Romans more moral than Israel?
The very same reason that God will allow this practise in the Millennial Kingdom, are the same reasons that He has allowed it throughout history. The human race has been at war throughout recorded history, and the majority of the victims of those wars are the young men.
God is the one who has given women the desire to have a husband and children (Genesis 3:16), and He didn’t give it to them so they would be frustrated, and disappointed, because their men would be killed in mankind’s wars.
It is God’s love, and provision, that permits women to have children to love, and to care for them in their old-age. This is why He gave them this desire, and it is also because He loves people and desires to see the world full of them. All people were created for God’s glory, even those who reject Him!
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18
Jesus Christ will inherit the planet immediately after the greatest war in human history, and while the whole population of earth will be devastated, the male population will suffer the lion’s share of His wrath!
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. Isaiah 13:11-13
“I will make a man more precious than fine gold” is not a reference to men being good, but rather to men being rare, the way gold is rare, in relation to iron.
The Antichrist, who will attempt to convince the world that he is the Messiah, will inherit the world in a very similar way to Jesus Christ. He will take over after a huge war, which many will think is the same war as Armageddon; the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39. Indeed this war is so similar to Armageddon that many today still think it is the same war, but it is not!
Notice how the armies of Gog are devastated in a similar way to the Tribulation wars;
And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: Ezekiel 39:2
Notice that only one sixth of the attacking armies will survive the war, to eventually return home. This will leave six women for each of these men. Since the Gog/Magog armies are primarily Muslim, the natural solution for this problem would be that each man would marry six women, and this way each woman can have a husband and a family.
This will be the time of the rise of the Antichrist, and Daniel tells us that His response to this problem will be the exact opposite of Jesus Christ, when confronted with the same issue;
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things Daniel 11:36-37
Polygamy has been enshrined in the Qur’an, as a practise that is sanctioned by Islam’s God. The Antichrist, coming from a Muslim background, could be expected to continue with the practises of his ancestors, but instead, he will prohibit both Shariah (Islamic law) and polygamy.
Because most Christians follow their own traditions on this subject, rather than the biblical teachings, most professing Christians will take this action as a sign that this man is a Christian!
Thus, Satan is able to take this clear sign of the Antichrist, and make it into something that most professing Christians will take as an indication that they should support this man!
Rather than encouraging women to live holy lives, prohibiting polygamy will have the effect of making many women into “man hunters”, attempting to steal a man from his wife, or having illicit affairs! This way the Antichrist will actually cause sin to increase, all the while appearing pious to undiscerning “Christians”!
The peaceful majority are irrelevant! Bridgitte Gabriel hits the nail on the head!
The peaceful majority were irrelevant in Germany in the 1930s! It was the minority Nazis that drove the agenda, not the peaceful majority!
The peaceful majority were irrelevant in Communist Russia, and the Communists killed between 20-60 million of their own people! What did the peaceful majority do? Nothing!
It was the same in China! And another 60 million Chinese were killed by their own government! What did the “peaceful majoriy” do? Nothing! They just hunkered down and attempted to ride out the storm! It’s what they always do! They don’t get involved!
It does not matter that some 75% of Muslims are “peaceful”, when the Jihadists attack they will do nothing!
My one disagreement with Ms. Gabriel is her characterization of the peaceful majority as being “irrelevant”. She is actually incorrect in this; The peaceful majority in any society are actually the worst element of that society! What these people are essentially saying is “leave me alone”, and “let others fight for me”.
This is the height of selfishness! The “peaceful majority” are actually the people that Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and every dictator in history uses to back-up their regime! In their quest to avoid conflict, the cowardice of the “peaceful majority” is a tool that dictators use to gain and maintain power!
Edmund Burke has been quoted as saying “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing”. I would have to reflect Jesus who said “there is none good, but God”, and note that those who do nothing are complicit with evil, and thus are evil themselves!
Religion and Faith in the Millennial Kingdom
The bible indicates that the Old Testament sacrificial system will be reinstated during the Millennial Kingdom. Those who believe that God has done away with this system have a hard time with this idea. I would suggest that they really don’t understand the purpose of it then, and thus still don’t understand its purpose for the future.
And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. Isaiah 19:21
Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 14:21
17 For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; 18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually. Jeremiah 33:17-18
For a lot of Christians this is just too hard to get their head wrapped around. After all the New Testament says that Jesus is a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek.
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Psalms 110:4
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 6:20
I don’t pretend to know everything that is at work here, but I also know that the bible never contradicts itself. The writer of Hebrews goes on to elaborate on this point, and we do well to take it all into consideration;
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. 14For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. Hebrews 7:12-16
For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Hebrews 8:4
This verse is the crux of the matter. Jesus’ priesthood is not here on the earth, but in the Temple in Heaven. Now, during the Church Age, Jesus is our priest in Heaven, but one day soon He will return to the earth, not as priest, but as conquering King, and Lord of Lords!
Notice that Hebrews 8:4 speaks of earthly priests in the present tense “there are priests that offer gifts according to the law“. No doubt this passage was written before the destruction of the Temple, but it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, who knew He was about to stop the sacrifices, but that He would one day begin them again.
Israel shall shortly rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and shall begin to offer sacrifices again, and this verse shall be as true in that day, as it is today.
Since the rapture of the Church will occur shortly before the Tribulation begins, and the Tribulation saints themselves will be resurrected at the end of the Tribulation, all the saints from the age of Israel to the end of the Tribulation will be in glorified bodies during the Millennial Kingdom.
Those in glorified bodies no longer sin, and thus no longer have the need for an intercessor, or a priest.
It looks to me that there is room here for a restored Levitical priesthood for the duration of the Millennial Kingdom.
Will Jesus travel back and forth from earth to Heaven, to serve as a priest there, or will He spend the entire Millennial reign on earth?
I would tend to think that He will spend the MK here on earth, and the Levitical priests will act as His surrogates. The people will take it on faith that the sacrifices they make will ultimately make their way to Heaven as they are presented to the Father by Jesus there. Those sacrifices will have the same effect as the Old Testament sacrifices;
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Hebrews 10:4
“Not possible” means “not now, and not ever”. Though David offered Sacrifices in his day, and Abraham, Abel, and all the OT saints, all of those sacrifices were only pointing to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would one day make on the cross. It will be the same for the Millennial saints, only they will be looking back on the complete work of Christ.
The difference is that He will be living, and walking among them, as their King.
As we have seen, there will be very little death during the Millennial reign. Animals will not eat each other, and since Garden-of-Eden conditions will be restored throughout the earth, it is likely that people will be vegetarian as well, for the most part.
Only those who eat of their sacrifices will get an understanding of the enormity of sin. Those who see the suffering of innocent animals, and then eat the meat, will understand that even the smallest sin required the Son of God to die in their place.
Continuing from my last post, it is interesting that Amillennialists, Post-millennialists, and Preterists all claim that we are in the millennial reign today, and claim it is the purpose of the Church to reign NOW in Christ’s place! This has the effect of lifting up men, and not Christ, protests to the contrary notwithstanding. The bible however has much to say about the future reign of the saints on this earth, with Jesus personally living and reigning from Jerusalem.
The Multi-Faceted, First Resurrection
Revelation 20 tells us that the saints who die during the Tribulation will be resurrected and will reign with Jesus throughout the millennium;
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Here is the thing; The first resurrection has already begun. Jesus Christ is the first of the first resurrection, and His resurrection occurred almost two thousand years ago.
Colossians 1:18
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
In addition to Him, there were others who were resurrected at the same time;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Matthew 27:52-53
I have heard prophecy scholars state that these people were resurrected in natural bodies, like Lazarus, and that they eventually died again. The problem is that we hear nothing from any of these saints again. It is like they arose and then disappeared!
And, that is exactly what happened.
If they were resurrected in their natural bodies, we would expect that they would have joined the Church, and we would have heard of them in the history of the early Church. The passage says “many” of them arose, and so we should have heard many stories from them, unless they were not resurrected in natural bodies.
This is what I think happened, and this is what the evidence supports; These saints, who arose shortly after Jesus‘ resurrection, were resurrected in their eternal bodies, and they accompanied Him when He ascended to Heaven. No one ever saw them on earth again, because they went to Heaven. Though they are a part of Israel, and not the Church, they are also a part of the first resurrection.
This event shows us that the first resurrection is a multi-faceted event, and not a one-time only event, which onlyoccurs after the Tribulation. It has already begun! Thus, when the Tribulation saints are raised, it is a continuation of the first resurrection, which began right after Jesus was raised, and will resume when the Church Age saints are raised, before the Tribulation period begins at the time of the rapture.
You should note that the resurrection of Revelation 20:5 comes AFTER the armies of the saints in Heaven mount their horses, and return with Jesus to wage war against the Antichrist in chapter 19. Those armies will have already been resurrected from immediately before the time of the rapture, at the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Revelation 19:15
I am not convinced that the sharp sword is allegorical. I think it may be literal (see Isaiah 28:21), but note the next statement: “He shall rule them with a rod of iron.” Jesus is not going to put up with any funny business, or hanky panky when He rules the earth. By “funny business” I mean sin. People who break His law will be put to death!
The Delusion of the Millennial Residents
This will lead to a time of unprecedented prosperity on earth. The side effect will lead many of those who are not put to death, to believe they are not sinners! The biggest sins of the millennial reign will be sins of the mind, but they are still sins, and those who commit them are still lost, though it might not appear so from the outside!
It is not hard to convince a murderer that he is a sinner, or a drunkard, but imagine how hard it will be to convince someone who’s only sins are sins of the mind, that he is a sinner. While the millennial reign of Christ will be the best time this world will ever experience, there is a deep undercurrent of unbelief that will spoil it for many. This is why Paul says;
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) II Corinthians 6:2
I don’t believe that one person who goes through the Tribulation, and makes it into the Millennial reign, will ever abandon the Lord. They will have seen such horrors, and such amazing things, that they will cling to the Lord for dear life, but their descendants will be a different story. Many of them will grow up at a time when the evidence of the Tribulation will be fading. The world will be an amazing place, and it will get harder and harder to believe the stories the old people will be telling, of the Tribulation, and of Christ’s victory over the Beast.
What else do we know about the millennial reign? Jesus will spend most of it in Jerusalem.
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. Isaiah 24:23
Yes, Jesus is the Lord of Hosts!
Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. Zechariah 8:3
He spoke of this return in Hosea 5:15-6:3.
People will live a long time during the millennial reign, and earth’s population will explode;
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Zechariah 8:4-5
I think that when it says “every man” it means “every man who enters the millennial reign” will survive throughout this period. Not only is their purpose to repopulate the world, they are also here to be witnesses of the events of the Tribulation, to their descendants, for the duration!
When the Lord is ruling the earth in person, things will finally be done His way;
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18
Notice that His creation of the earth is for the purpose of filling it with people! His will shall be done. The modern earth with seven billion will seem like a small village compared to the earth of the millennial reign! Don’t listen to those who tell you the earth is overpopulated! It is actually quite empty! But, more on this later.
Earthquakes and their End
Several notable prophecies of the End Times speak of an increasing frequency of earthquakes as the Day of the Lord approaches (Mat. 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11, Rev. 6:12, 8:5, 11:13, 11:19, 16:18). These earthquakes are preparing to reshape the earth. As the Lord returns, the mountains will fall, the continents will expand, and the oceans will shrink. This will take the planet back to its pre-flood condition, it will provide millions more square miles of inhabitable land.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:3-5
These prophecies are literal… not allegorical, and not merely poetic! The Rockies, and the Himalayas, and the Alps, and Andes will all come down! Those who tell us the mountains took millions of years to form, will be astonished as they fall before their eyes (and maybe, on top of them!)! Those who build bunkers in the mountains will find themselves crushed by falling rocks;
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Revelation 6:15-16
Who’s afraid of a lamb? But the great men of the earth, and all those who worship the Antichrist, will be hiding themselves from this Lamb! The only safe place is to be in Christ! So does the phrase “I come as a thief” mean that He is coming without warning? These and many other passages indicate that there will be warning enough!
The Millennial Earth
This is all leading up to His reign;
The deserts shall blossom;
1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Isaiah 35:1-2
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. Isaiah 35:6
The whole world will become a paradise,
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:6-10
(Note: Isaiah 14:29 associates a “cockatrice” with a “fiery flying serpent”, and while many believe this to be a mythical creature, I think it is a reference to a pterodactyl-type of dinosaur. The word “fiery” probably is a reference to its appearance. It could actually be telling us that extinct species of animals may revive, or may not be entirely extinct, as is commonly supposed.)
The exception to this paradise will be the lands of the Antichrist; Idumea, or Edom, and Babylon, which will be desolate, and earthly prisons for the demons. (Isaiah 13:19-22, 34:6-17)
The world will experience a time of peace that has eluded it since the Garden of Eden;
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Micah 4:3
In a world where guns, tanks, and armored cars have replaced swords, how will they “beat swords into plowshares”? Not only will Israel use the material from these weapons to make tools and consumer products, but so will the rest of the world. This will be the situation for the Millennial reign, and all the energy that today goes into weapons research and production, will be channelled into producing useful products, and engineering marvels.
The picture Scripture paints of the Millennial reign is a most beautiful picture. It is no wonder that Hitler and New Agers today talk about a millennial reign as if it were theirs! But it isn’t It belongs to Jesus Christ!
But what of the time as the end approaches? The bible says that the millennial reign will only last one thousand years, so what of the unsaved people who live in year 989 of the millennium? What will be their reaction to the fact that the Lord is preparing to end it all? Like people throughout history, they will have a greater love for the works of their hands, than for the Lord Himself! They will look at the beautiful cities they have built, and at the amazing technology they have developed, and they will realize that it is all about to disappear and they will be aghast!
This is the time which Revelation 20 speaks about;
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
These people are descendants of believers, and have lived with the physical presence of the Lord on the earth throughout their lives. They have heard the stories of the Tribulation, and of Christ’s defeat of the Little Horn and his armies, they may have even seen the resurrected saints walking and talking in their neighbourhood, yet a little word from Satan, and they are ready to rebel again!
Living in a perfect world, living a holy lifestyle, is not enough to change the hearts of mankind. While the lifestyle of these generations will be more squeaky-clean than the most ardent fundamentalist legalists today, these masses of humanity will be just as lost as western secular society today, and probably more so.
This is why the Lord allows us to live in a sin-stained world. This is why we suffer hardship, disease and death today. While it doesn’t work this way for every one, there is a much greater chance that our sin will prick our conscience, and we will seek the Lord today, than in that day.
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) II Corinthians 6:2
Come back soon for the third instalment of this topic, there is much more to discover!
Dan Knezacek
The Old Testament has a lot more information about the second coming of Christ than it does His first coming, so to do the subject justice it would take at least a whole book. Even what I hoped would be a concise article has become a small book, so I will break it up into segments, this being the first.
It is amazing to me that with all the information available, Amillennialists, and Post-Millennialists still insist that we are in the millennial reign of Christ today! They also insist that this time period is an indefinite period of time, in spite of the many statements in Scripture which state that it will be a thousand years long. As we go through the bible’s teachings on the Millennial reign, ask yourself if we see any of these characteristics in the world in which we live today.
Why a Millennium?
Rather than start with Revelation 20, which states six times that the reign of Christ on earth will last one thousand years, I want to examine some curious statements in the book of Hebrews, chapter 4;
4For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.5And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Here the author is comparing the sabbath rest of the saints with the seventh day of the week, which God set apart at the Garden of Eden. Notice verse 12; This verse is quoted frequently, but notice that the immediate context is the seventh day.
In the Old Testament, there were other days of the week designated as Sabbath’s, such as the High Holy days like Passover, Which was declared as a special Sabbath regardless of which day of the week it cel upon. Here, however, the author specifically states that the day of rest for the Church is the seventh day.
I don’t believe he is saying that Christians must set aside the Sabbath as their day of worship, though it is not wrong to do so. What he is saying is that God has set aside His seventh day as the day of rest for the world, and along with Him, the Church will enjoy this day of rest. God’s seventh day; the seventh thousand-year-day of earth’s history.
Moving the Sabbath to the first day of the week is not wrong necessarily, as long as it is not made into a law, but it does destroy the picture of earth’s future, that God created in the Garden of Eden.
This is actually a reference to Psalm 90, the psalm of Moses;
For a thousand years in thy sight are butas yesterday when it is past, and asa watch in the night. Psalm 90:4
and to 2 Peter;
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3:8-10
I am not the first to think so, (Luther for instance) but the Lord is telling us here, that God has agreed to give fleshly humanity one week, with the last thousand years comprising the Sabbath rest of the saints, and the millennial reign of Christ.
Notice that this day comes in like a thief in the night, when people are not expecting it, and it ends with the destruction of the heavens and the earth, some thousand years later. This is one day, and it is the Lord’s day, the seventh day of earth’s history. This is a day from the Lord’s perspective, as defined by Psalm 90, and 2 Peter 3.
Those who believe in long ages, and evolution, will never understand the bible’s End-Times prophecies, because they allegorize everything to death.
The Lord speaks through Hosea of days in the same way;
5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
6:1Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.2After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3Then shall we know, ifwe follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
So, when did the Lord return to His place? There is only one possibility in history, the ascension of Jesus to Heaven on the fortieth day after the resurrection, in Acts 1:9. That was the day he ended his personal mission on earth, and he will pick it up again during the Day of the Lord.
The “days” here are not 24 hour days, but thousand year days. In verse 15 the “affliction” is the Tribulation period, and early in it, Israel will again seek the Lord, but His return will be during the third day. This should tell us that His return will not be imminent until the second thousand years is over, although it is still possible that the Tribulation period could straddle the divide between the second and third days, and thus the rapture could very well be within seven years of the end of the second day.
But, what of the Millennial reign itself? What are its characteristics?
Come back soon and we will get into some of the characteristics of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
When I was a kid, I remember Christians talking about the European Union as if it was the fulfillment of prophecy. Specifically, they claimed it was fulfillment of the ten nations of Revelation 17.
Well, it had just slightly less than ten nations at the time, but then more nations were added, and then still more until now there are twenty-eight member nations.
Then the scholars claimed that “it must mean ten prominent nations”.
I was a kid at the time, so what did I know? So, I just assumed that the scholars must be right.
Later on I found that Jesus had said “man does not live by bread alone, but by EVERY word that proceedeth from the mouth of God”, and I realized that these scholars were looking at the “big picture” but failing to take into account every word of the passage in question. They were, and are, failing to pay attention to details.
Revelation 17 states that the ten kings would rule “one hour with the beast”. Now, if a day with God is a thousand years, then an hour must be a somewhat shorter period of time. One twenty-fourth of a thousand years is 41.666 years, but I don’t think we need to take it quite that literally.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. Revelation 17:12
Notice that the kingdoms in question did not exist at the time Revelation was written (no kingdom as yet). These ten kingdoms are new nation-states, who’s rulers show up at the same time as the nation itself. This would seem to rule out old nations that have been with us for hundreds or thousands of years.
Of course there is very little new geography being created on the earth at this time, rather, these new nations are conglomerates of older nations, super-nations if you will. The European Union could end up being one of these nations, but it is definitely not the whole ten.
No, this is a reference to new entities like the EU, NAFTA, and the African Union, and another seven, spread around the world.
The ten nations of Revelation 17 encompass all the nations of the world.
So why do some prophecy scholars still point to Europe as being the fulfilment of Revelation 17:12?
I think the answer comes from the fact that Satan always has his counterfeits. If it is in his interest, Satan is quite capable of producing a counterfeit of almost anything, including the ten nations of Revelation, the Antichrist and the false prophet. He has to, if he is going to make the world believe that his Antichrist is a hero, and a Savior!
So, what we are seeing today, in the European elections, is the beginnings of a break-up of the European Union into smaller parts. I am equally sure, however, that one of those components which spin-off from the EU is a ten-nation confederacy. This confederacy will be identified, by false teachers, as being the rebuilt Roman Empire and fulfilment of Revelation 17.
The Italian elections are the exception to the trend.
Like most other prophecy scholars, I too would recommend that you pay attention to what is going on in Italy, but for another reason. While the others are thinking that a powerful political leader from Italy could be the Antichrist, I disagree. A powerful political from Italy could actually be Satan’s stand-in for the Antichrist.
Mateo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy since 22 February 2014
The winner of the Italian elections, one Mateo Renzi, is a young, up-and-coming Italian politician, and one to watch. Let me be clear, the Antichrist will NOT come from Italy, but some Italian politician is likely to be identified as the Antichrist by sloppy biblical scholars, Satan’s useful idiots!
Could Mateo Renzi be the person Satan has chosen as a patsy, to distract attention from the real Antichrist? I don’t know, at this point, but all Italian politicians are in the running. Another prominent Italian politician to keep your eyes on is Nichi Vendola, whom I mentioned last year.
Nichi Vendola, President of Apulia region
Vendola is the president of Apulia province of Italy, and is an outspoken LGBT activist as well as a Roman Catholic, and communist. To my mind he would make a better candidate for Antichrist, based on many prophecy scholars interpretations. As I showed in one of my recent posts, Daniel 11:37 does NOT mean the Antichrist is gay.
We are talking, however, about a deception of the devil, and since so many professing Christians believe the Antichrist will be gay, it would be very surprising if Satan did not provide them with one!
These are interesting times.
Dan Knezacek
There is a verse that haunts me. It has haunted me for years. I see so many men and women who take their position in Christ for granted, and it haunts me. I see so many of my friends, professing Christians, who live like the world, and it haunts me.
My family, almost all professing Christians and missionaries, has no problem reading occult based books like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter, and I am haunted.
I was on a friend’s Facebook page the other day and I see he has “liked” Rick Warren. This is a friend I have known since my second year in high school, some 37 years ago. We played trumpet in the church orchestra together. Now he rejoices when he gets a chance to see the Steve Miller band in concert.
And it haunts me…
Jesus said;
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14
So many Christians are on the broad way, and yet because they said a prayer and asked Jesus to come into their heart, they think they are “good to go”. ‘It’s okay to read books like Harry Potter, or C.S. Lewis, because “I’m good to go”!’ “It is all covered by the cross, and so we can live as we please”, and we please the flesh.
When the bible says “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) it does not mean those who say a prayer one time in their lives. It is a reference to those who make calling on the name of the Lord, their lifestyle. It includes repentance from sin and our own righteousness, and even from the idea of works salvation.
John expanded on the concept;
Love not the world, neither the things that are in theworld. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I John 2:15
If the Steve Miller Band, or Harry Potter isn’t the world, then there is no such thing.
He followed it up with;
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
One of the reasons, it bothers me, is that the flesh does not change. Old pastors are tempted in the flesh just as much as young men, but even in those who appear to have mastered the flesh, we still see the pride of life showing its ugly head!
In fact, if we were to pinpoint the greatest sin that afflicts men of God it is most often the pride of life. The pride of accomplishment; “It is my Church… I built it”! And they forget that the Holy Spirit built it, and they were just a tool in His hand. Oh pastor, it is NOT your Church, it is His Church! Never forget that!
The bible is an all encompassing book. It is not to be taken one verse at a time, but we need to develop a view based on the whole Word of God.
The God who gave us the New Testament also spoke through Moses the prophet, and this God never contradicts Himself.
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2
Here’s an interesting fact about this verse; Deuteronomy is one of the books of Moses, the first five books of the bible, and yet the majority of the bible’s books were added AFTER this statement was made.
Very clearly then this passage does not mean that books could not be added to Scripture after this, but rather men must not add their own thoughts to Scripture, nor take away anything that Scripture commands, or gives permission, to do. We are clearly taught NOT to add our own commandments to the Word of God.
No doubt that by extension, books that are clearly the thoughts of men, such as the Apocrypha, the Shepherd of Hermas, or the Gospel of Barnabas, must not be added, but these are not the only subjects that are covered by this command.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19
No doubt John was specifically thinking of the book he had just written, Revelation, but we can see from Deuteronomy 4:2 that this command covers the whole Word of God.
I can hear many pastors saying “Surely we can add things for the sake of Holy living?” “Surely we can add things for the sake of righteousness?” This is the good-cause syndrome. I know pastors who might not articulate it that way, but this is exactly how they live their lives, and I shudder at the thought that these Church leaders may not actually be saved at all!
They are just moralists wanting to clean-up society, and using the gospel to do it.
I’m not talking about leaders of the liberal mainstream Churches, they are a lost cause. I’m talking about conservative and fundamentalist pastors! Rather than allow the Holy Spirit to mould you into the image of Christ, these people seek to mould their proselytes into their own image!
They would not be happy if you were truly moulded into the image of Christ, in fact many would ask you to leave!
In exactly the same way as the Pharisees added thousands of commands to the bible’s 613, many Church leaders today regularly add to Scripture‘s commands, and think nothing of it! If you question them about it, then you are the bad guy!
Regarding tithing, God told the people of Israel through the pen of Moses;
And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORDthy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, Deuteronomy 14:26
So God gave Israel permission to drink wine, or strong drink, as an act of worship, as a part of their feasts of the Lord. So what are pastors saying when they say that it is a sin to drink wine, or alcohol? They are saying that they know better than God, and they are inducing a contradiction into Scripture.
Would a saved man do this? This is a direct contravention of Jesus’ commands in Revelation 22:18-19; they are adding laws into Scripture, and are taking away permissions that God has given his people!
Jesus is the God who gave Moses this law. The God of the Old Testament is the same God as the God of the New.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26
The troubles that beset Moses were a direct result of him following Christ! Jesus is Yehovah!
I was in a church where the pastor read I Timothy 3:8;
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
His response was to say “We can do better than that! If there is a deacon sipping a little wine on the side, I want his resignation on my desk tomorrow morning!”*
Amazing! He is actually saying that it is possible to do better than the Word of God says! Here we have a clear passage that gives deacons permission to have a little wine, and the pastor, a “man of God” plainly and openly contradicts Scripture! Such arrogance!
Could such a man be saved?
It reminds me of what Israel said to God so many years ago, shortly before God brought judgment upon them. Here is what Israel said to God;
(The people of Israel) Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Isaiah 65:5
Christians, who are supposed to have the Holy Spirit, are doing the same thing today!
Don’t think that God will not bring judgment upon Christian Churches. He can and will!
The Christian world today is full of such people, and while they may not do this on the same subject they show the same contempt for the Word of God on a number of issues, such as gay marriage, tithing, divorce, and etc.
While one man may add commands such as in our example, another takes away commands and allows gay marriage, in fact they are both showing the same contempt for God!
Their attitude is “Poor God, He didn’t know how to say what He really meant, and so He needs me to say what He couldn’t”! And the God they preach is a creation of their own imagination, which is idolatry! The wrath of God rests on these men! They need to repent now, before it is too late!
I do not know what is in a man’s heart, so I do not know whether any of these men are saved, but I do know that when we have Churches following men like these, we have a generation of Christians who are apostate from the truth!
If it makes no difference to you that your pastor takes away the commandments against homosexuality, or if he adds commandments against the consumption of substances, then do you really care about truth? If we add commandments, or take them away, do we really care about the Lord?
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: II Timothy 3:16
All scripture means “the whole bible”, and it does not mean that we can ignore some Scriptures as irrelevant. We must study the law, and the prophets, just as we study the epistles, and gospels. You cannot really understand the New Testament unless you are comparing it to the Old, and vice versa!
So where did the idea come from, that it is acceptable to add commands to the Word of God? Well, the Pharisees did it even before Christ came along, and Paul wrote many of his epistles to combat errors that were seeping into the Churches during the first century. The truth is that these types of errors have been with us from the beginning, but they gained steam during the victorian era of the 1800s.
Many Christians found it difficult to argue with the “good cause” of preventing people from getting drunk, as if people would go to Heaven if they didn’t drink alcohol. What they actually succeeded in doing, however, was to create generations of professing Christians who thought they were “good people” because they didn’t drink. These people thought they could attain Heaven by their own righteousness, and of course, none of them made it… Not one!
This is what I call the “Good Cause Syndrome”. Of course, it is not God who defines what is “good” here, it is the subjective opinions of men. If God does not say something is wrong, it is not up to you to put words in His mouth!
And so we are left exactly where we started;
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Are you one of the few? I hope so. Keep on searching the Word. Don’t accept what anyone says about God, or the bible, without first searching the Scriptures carefully. Your life depends on it! Your eternity depends on it!
Dan Knezacek
*He may have actually said “I want his resignation on my desk tonight”, I can’t remember, but he did indeed make the statement.
Daniel Knezacek, author of The Spirit of Prophecy
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