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A DOCTRINAL EXEGESIS A Compendium of Messianic Bible Studies By Norman Manzon PAGE 4 OF 6 MAJOR TOPICS IN SYSTEMATIC
PROGRESSION:
PLEASE NOTE:
The studies in this compendium are copied from Shofars 1 -
52. Updates to this Compendium have been discontinued and
not all Shofar studies by the author are in the Compendium.
For links to all studies by the author, please go to the
most up-to-date
Library page (of Shofar 53) and find the author's
studies under "NORMAN MANZON."
~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~
We’ll begin with the entire Association of Messianic Congregations' statement on last things, and then proceed with The Destinies of the Dead. AMC STATEMENT (1)
Hebrews 9:27 declares, It
is appointed for men to die once and after this
comes judgment.
We will now examine a number of scriptures and
establishing a few points.
The passage describes the rich
man as being in Hades,
a place of torment,
and Abraham and Lazarus being in a place of comfort.
Relative to Lazarus, the place of comfort was
called Abraham’s bosom,
a term denoting closeness of relationship and
security (John 13:23). Between the two places there is a great chasm
fixed. It would seem from the
passage that Abraham and Lazarus were not in Hades.
Nevertheless, on the basis of Psalm 89:48, which
we've just looked at, we can conclude that all
three were in Hades.
How can that be? New York City is in New York
State. The Hades
that the rich man was in is like New York City.
Some may find the similarity striking, but it is
strictly coincidental; and the Hades that all
three were in is like New York State, the
greater Hades,
so to speak, with Abraham and Lazarus living
comfortably out in the suburbs or in some other
pleasant part of the State beyond the City.
Matthew 12:40: For just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. From the Ephesians passage
especially, and others that we will examine, we
learn that our Lord’s Ascension marked a
significant dividing line in regard to the
destinies of saints. III. FROM THE ASCENSION TO THE RAPTURE Hades
was emptied of pre-Ascension saints upon Yeshua's
Ascension, but we can deduce that the souls of
the pre-Ascension unrighteous are still in the Pit portion
of Hades,
and that the souls of the post-Ascension
unrighteous who die right up to the end of the
Millennium will go there, because Revelation
20:14 tells us that, at the end of the
Millennium, Hades
[will be] thrown into
the lake of fire.
From these passages, we see that the souls of saints who die between the Ascension and the Rapture - the period of time in which Paul made the declarations, and in which we live - enter immediately into the presence of God in Heaven to join the souls of the pre-Ascension saints, whom Yeshua escorted there. After the Ascension, the
Rapture will constitute the next dividing line
in the destiny of the saints. The Rapture is an
event yet future that is alluded to in several
passages, but is described most clearly in 1
Corinthians 15:35-58 and 1 Thessalonians
4:14-18. Some key excerpts:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
Unlike the various ages we are considering, the Rapture takes place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Prior to the Rapture, the bodies of all saints remain somewhere in the natural world; but at the moment of the Rapture, in the twinkling of an eye, the bodies of those saints in Christ will be caught up (2) to join their spirits and become alive, resurrected, to always be with the Lord; and those saints who are alive on Earth at that time will not see death, but will be caught up, body and soul, also to always be with the Lord. The bodies of all who are caught up will no longer be the earthly bodies that we are familiar with, subject to decay and death, but will be glorified, transformed into bodies that are imperishable (not subject to decay) and immortal (not subject to death), fit for life in the presence of God in Heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, the dead in Christ will rise first. Only those in Christ will be raptured. In Christ, or in Messiah, is a term that is used in Scripture only of believers between Pentecost and the Rapture. Only the church saints, the saints between Pentecost and the Rapture, will be raptured.
It is not the Rapture that signals the beginning of the Great Tribulation, but the signing of the seven-year treaty between Israel and the anti-Christ (Daniel 9:27). If the Rapture and signing occur concurrently, then there will be no interim between the two events. If the signing takes place subsequent to the Rapture, then there will be an interim. If there will be an interim, then the spirits of believers who die during this period will go to Heaven, and their bodies will remain in the natural world. The spirits of nonbelievers who die will be sent to the Pit, and their bodies will remain in the natural world. VI. DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION The beginning of the Great
Tribulation will be marked by the signing of the
seven-year treaty, and the events leading to its
end will be initiated by the Lord’s Second
Coming (Zechariah 14:1-4; Matthew 24:30-31; Acts
1:11; Jude 14-15). The harbinger of the Millennium
(meaning, the Thousand Year Period) or Kingdom
Age is the Second Coming of the Lord, and the
end of the Millennium will be marked by the
passing away of our present heaven and Earth
(Revelation 21:1). No doubt the heaven referred
to here refers to the created heavens, the
atmosphere and outer space, for it is the
creation that bears the curse of Genesis 3, not
the Heaven where God dwells. As it says in
Romans 8:22, For we
know that the whole creation groans and
suffers the pains of childbirth together
until now. According to Revelation 21:1-2, after the Great White Throne Judgment, there will be a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God will rest upon the new Earth. It is here that the saints of all ages will dwell, body and soul, in the presence of God for all eternity.
IX. SUMMARY OF THE DESTINIES OF THE DEAD With the exception of those who experience death, resurrection and then death again, or who bypass death and are carried directly into Heaven or cast into the Lake of Fire, the great mass of humanity dies once and, at that time, discovers experientially whether their eternal fate will be one of blessing or of woe. From Adam until the Great White Throne judgment, the bodies of the unsaved who die will remain in the natural world, and their spirits will be in the Pit portion of Sheol or Hades. They will be resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment to hear the degrees of punishment that they have earned, and will then be cast alive into the Lake of Fire, to remain there for eternity. The Pre-Ascension Saints The Church Saints All church saints will receive glorified
bodies at the moment of the Rapture and will remain in
Heaven with the
Lord until His Second Coming at the end of the
Tribulation, at which time they will return with
the Lord to Earth for life in the Kingdom. Saints in the Eternal Ages It is rather obvious that one's eternal destiny is a concern of the greatest import. However, in God's eyes, there is an even greater concern: whether or not one has the humility to admit that he or she is a sinner that has offended God and man, and to run to God for salvation.
No one can enter the presence of God in Heaven with the stains of sin on their souls, but God loved us so much that He made a way for us. He sent His Son, Yeshua, to die in our place for our sins so that we would not have to pay the penalty for our sins for eternity, and Yeshua willingly paid the ultimate price for our salvation. There's only one thing left for us to do: believe.
Grace is a free gift. All we need to do is to believe in this great act of God's love on our behalf for the salvation that Messiah died for to become ours. Do you believe? Will you
believe? If you believe, thank God. If you are
not yet sure, spend some quiet time alone before
Him, and ask Him is this is true.
1. The entire We
Believe statement of the Association
of Messianic Congregations may be
found near the top of
Page 1 of this
compendium. The Destinies of
the Dead ~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~ 2. THE RAPTURE AMC STATEMENT
The two central passages on the Rapture are 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 and 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18.
Let us begin by examining some of the text. Asleep, used in both passages, is a euphemism for the state of those who have died, and is used in this manner in both Testaments by those who believed in the resurrection because of the obvious parallel between resurrection from death and awakening from sleep. For example, in Matthew 9:24, Yeshua referred to the synagogue official's daughter as being asleep before He resurrected her, and in John 11:11, to Lazarus as being asleep before He resurrected him, who had been in the tomb for four days (verse 17). Caught up, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, is translated from the Greek harpazo. It is the same word used in Acts 8:39, where the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The word rapture is derived from the Latin raptus, which itself is derived from harpazo, and means "to snatch up or away" and other similar meanings. Therefore, although the English word rapture is not found in Scripture, it has come to identify the event plainly described in the above passages. Now as to the meaning of clouds and air. It is more than reasonable to take air literally. After all, the Lord descend[ed] from heaven to catch up believers from the Earth to meet the Lord in the air and bring [them] with Him to Heaven, and literal air exists between Earth and Heaven. What about clouds? At times, Scripture uses clouds to refer to the clouds of the air, and at other times, to the Shechinah Glory cloud, as in Solomon's dedication of the Temple: then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God (1 Chronicles 5:13-14. Also, most likely, in Luke 21:27 and Revelation 1:7). All things considered, there doesn't seem to be a way to definitively determine which kind of cloud is referred to in the Thessalonians passage, but it is reasonable to believe that Yeshua will meet the saints in the literal air. Now, to summarize the key points of the Rapture: At one point yet future, the Lord Yeshua will descend from Heaven into the atmosphere. Then, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (twinkling. Gr. rhipe, rhee-pay'. A quick movement), He will resurrect those who have died in Christ, that is, deceased Church Age believers, into glorified, immortal, imperishable, heavenly bodies. An instant later, the bodies of those in Christ who are alive at that moment will likewise be translated2 or transformed into heavenly bodies, and will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air to always be with the Lord from that time forth. Though all of the events from the descent of the Lord through the catching up of the saints into Heaven may be thought of as the Rapture, the actual catching up of the saints is the Rapture proper. One thing we must note: Neither the passages we've already reviewed nor any other passage shows any indication that the Rapture is to be taken symbolically or allegorically. Scripture straightforwardly presents it as a literal event involving literal resurrections and translations and instant bodily removal of the saints to meet the Lord in the clouds. There is no passage that tell us exactly when the Rapture will occur. In fact, Yeshua declared, But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone (Matthew 24:36); but there are passages that locate it relative to other events or periods of time. A. PROPHETIC PLACEMENT IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL In Leviticus 23 and elsewhere, God enjoined Israel under the Law to observe seven annual feasts, each of which carries prophetic significance, and which together constitute a blueprint for God's plan from Calvary to the Millennial Kingdom. They are divided into spring and summer festivals with a significant summer hiatus between. Here they are in summary. The Spring Festivals
1. Passover or Pesach (Leviticus 23:5) The Summer Hiatus After prescribing the four spring festivals and before prescribing the three fall festivals to begin four months later, the Lord declared, When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 23:22). This seems completely out of context. What was the Lord up to here? Listen to what Yeshua said to His disciples: Do you not say, “There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest (John 4:35). Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Pentecost have all been fulfilled, and now is the season for us, Yeshua's disciples, to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19) and thereby bring in the harvest for Him. We see, then, that the four month summer hiatus is also prophetic and has its fulfillment in the sequence of events from Calvary to the Kingdom. It is prophetic of the Church Age. (See also the Parable of the Sower: Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9.) The Fall Festivals
5. Trumpets or Yom T'ruah
(Leviticus 23:23-25) The only biblical requirement for the keeping of the Day of Trumpets is the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. Scripture gives no reason for it; but does the blowing of trumpets ring a bell in regard to the Rapture? 1 Corinthians 15:52: the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable. 1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. We see, then, that Trumpets is prophetic of the Rapture, and in the sequence of prophetic events, it occurs after the Church Age.
6. Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur
(Leviticus 23:27) We see, then, most significantly, that the Rapture takes place at the end of the Church Age and before the Great Tribulation. But to complete our picture of the prophetic significance of the Feasts, we'll take a look at the seventh and final feast.
7. Tabernacles, Booths or Chag HaSukkot
(Leviticus 23:33-44) To conclude, the placement of the Feast of Trumpets between the summer hiatus and the Day of Atonement is powerful proof that the Rapture will take place at the end of the Church Age and before the Great Tribulation. B. TIMING IN GREAT TRIBULATION PASSAGES Some representative passages:
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Wrath is one of the terms used in Scripture to refer to the Great Tribulation. It does not refer to Hell in the passage: No believer is in jeopardy of being sent to Hell,4 and the thrust of the letter has to with the Great Tribulation, not Hell. Paul was pleased that the Thessalonians were wait[ing] for [God's] Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. It is obvious that the Thessalonians were waiting for deliverance before the Tribulation began, and we know that the Rapture is the deliverance that they were waiting for because in 4:13-18, Paul answered a concern that they had about the Rapture, namely, what happens to believers who die before it takes place. So this passage likewise shows that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
In this context, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ obviously refers to the Lord's coming in the clouds for the Rapture, not to His return to Earth, a subsequent event. In verses 2-4, Paul assures the Thessalonians that the Tribulation will not begin until anti-Christ is revealed. He had not been revealed at the time of Paul's writing, nor has he yet been revealed because Daniel 9:27 informs us that he will be revealed when he signs a seven-year covenant of peace with Israel, and no such treaty has yet been signed. In other words, the passage says that the church will be gather[ed] together to Him at the Rapture before anti-Christ is revealed - before the Great Tribulation. Revelation 3:10
Who say that they are Jews and are not may either be taken literally, just as many through the centuries have said that they are Jews and are not, (e.g., British Israelites) or it may mean literal Jews who are not fulfilling their calling as Jews by believing in their Messiah, Yeshua, as in Romans 2:28-29 as understood in the context of verses 14-29, particularly verse 17. In any case, those who have kept the word of My perseverance are distinguished from the obvious unbelievers referred to in verse 9, and the Lord promises that He will keep them from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. He did not say that He will snatch them out of the Great Tribulation, but keep them from it, necessitating a pre-Tribulation Rapture.
The Structure of the Book of Revelation C. TIMING RELATIVE TO THE 70 A.D. DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM In Luke 21:28, Yeshua said to His disciples, But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. This redemption is the same as the redemption of the body in Romans 8:23 and the day of redemption in Ephesians 4:30, namely, the Rapture. But what things? The main body of this (Olivet) discourse (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-6) consists of Yeshua's answers to three questions that His disciples asked: Tell us, when will these things happen? and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3b)? To paraphrase, "What will be the sign 1. of the destruction of Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 24:1-2), 2. of Your Second Coming, and 3. of the end of the world as we know it before the Messianic or Millennial Kingdom? But when will these things begin to take place? Chronologically, the first of the three events was the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. In addition, and significantly, Yeshua opened the discourse by saying of the temple, Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down (Matthew 24:2). His focus was not on the sign that the destruction was about to take place, which was the siege of the city in 66 A.D., nor on the flight of the believers which He commanded once the city became besieged (Luke 21:20-21) - and if He commanded them to flee, the Rapture certainly could not have taken place before their flight! - but on the actual destruction of the city, which was God's judgment on Israel for rejecting Him (Matthew 23:37-39). We can reasonably conclude, then, that the Rapture could have taken place any time after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. D. TIMING RELATIVE TO THE PRESENT MOMENT
First some verses, then conclusions:
In John 14:2-3, The Lord told His disciples,
2. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so,
I would
have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3. If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.
Before the Lord comes to Rapture His church, He must complete the
dwellings places for all church saints, and only He knows when they are
complete. James 5:8: The coming of the Lord is near.
Philippians 4:5b: The Lord is
near. The Lord says three times in Revelation 22, I am coming quickly (verses 7,12 and 20). According to Strong, one possible translation of quickly is (by surprise) suddenly. Even in common speech quickly doesn't always mean right away. It can mean suddenly: "When you cross that street, be careful. Traffic will be coming quickly." 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10: 9. For they themselves report . . . how you . . . 10. wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Yeshua, who rescues us from the wrath to come. Other verses exhorting believers to wait for our resurrection, glorification, and our hope of righteousness in state as well as in present standing are Romans 8:25 and Galatians 5:5. In all three of these verses, the Greek word for wait means to eagerly wait.
Conclusions 2. When it will occur, it will occur suddenly
- yes, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye! E. THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE: CONCLUSION The Rapture could have occurred immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Relative to the present moment, it will occur after the Lord has completed the dwelling places for His church saints, and it will occur at the very end of the Church Age and before the Great Tribulation. From our limited perspective, it can occur at any time: It is imminent. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states that those in Christ will be raptured. Also, 1 Corinthians 15:22-23: 22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming. Again, the Festival of Firstfruits is prophetic of Messiah's resurrection, and Trumpets is prophetic of the Rapture of those who are Christ's at His coming. In light of verse 22, the latter part of verse 23 refers specifically to the resurrection of the deceased in Christ. But who, exactly, is in Christ? Obviously, it includes only believers. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 distinguishes those in Christ from the rest who have no hope, and verse 17 states that they shall always be with the Lord. But believers since Adam? An examination of Scripture will show that in Christ and other such terms, in Yeshua, in Christ Jesus, in Him, in whom and in the Lord, are used, without exception, for believers from Pentecost through the Rapture - in other words, for church saints; for the Church Age began at Pentecost and will terminate with the Rapture.5 Remember: On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Spirit baptized two sinful “loaves” into one body: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles (1 Corinthians 12:13) that He might make the two into one new man (Ephesians 2:15). All pre- and post-church saints will likewise come to dwell with the Lord in Heaven,6 but the Rapture involves only those in Christ, the church, believers from Pentecost to the Rapture - and all in Christ. The church is raptured before the Great Tribulation; yet, there are many who believe that at least some believers who are alive at the time of the Rapture will be left behind by the Lord to remain on Earth during the Tribulation. We will now address this issue. The Scriptures say all:
1 Corinthians 15:51 1 Thessalonians 5:3-5
The Tribulation will not overtake the Thessalonian believers like a thief, because they are all sons of light and sons of day.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 In verse 18, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians, Therefore, comfort one another with these words. Now, if Paul had left any impression that some of the Thessalonians might be left behind at the Rapture, on what basis could they comfort one another? These all passages leave no loophole for "most" or "some." B. WHO IS THE GREAT TRIBULATION FOR? To emphasize the fact that no Church Age believer will miss the Rapture and be on Earth during the Tribulation, let us see who the Tribulation is for. 1 Thessalonians 5:3-5
The Great Tribulation is not for church saints, who are all sons of light and sons of day, but is for those who are in darkness, a reference to those who have not received the Lord as Savior. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-13
The Tribulation is not for those who have been chosen . . . for salvation, but is for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For what reason is the Tribulation for them? That they all may be judged who did not believe the truth. Can a passage be more exclusive of Church saints than this? Both passages clearly distinguish between believers, who will not experience the Tribulation, and unbelievers at the time of the Rapture who will be left on Earth to be judged during the Tribulation because they chose darkness and wickedness over light and salvation. IV. PASSAGES MISTAKEN TO SAY OTHERWISE All church saints will be Raptured and none will experience the Tribulation; yet, some passages have been misunderstood to mean that some church saints will be left behind for the sake of chastisement or sanctification. Often such misinterpretation is influenced by having observed some who claim to be believers but act as if they are not, and by the fact that believers are promised chastisement by the Lord as a means of sanctification (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:5, Hebrews 12:6-11). To begin with, personal observation ought never to be used as a basis for interpreting Scripture: Scripture ought to be used to interpret our personal observations! Let us now examine some relevant categories of Scripture. Not all who appear to be believers really are believers. They appear to the natural eye to be members of the church, but they have never, from the heart, exercised faith in the Lord to be saved (cf. Romans 10:9-10). In Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, the Lord metaphorically identifies such as tares. A tare is a weed that looks like wheat, but is not wheat. They are not believers, at all, and those who are alive at the time of the Rapture will be left behind. Tares are also the subject of Matthew 7:21-23:
Of course, tare "believers" will be left behind at the Rapture. They were never believers, at all: I never knew you. Carnal (KJV) or men of flesh (NASB) believers are to be distinguished from what 1 Corinthians 3:1 refers to as babes (KJV) or infants in Christ (NASB). Verses 1-3 describe carnal believers as ones who are no longer babes, but have not yet matured, who act as if they had never been saved. It is this class of believers that is truly the subject of the issue: Will they be left behind for the sake of chastisement and sanctification during the Great Tribulation? Let us examine some passages that are often taken to say that they will, and then a real eye-opener that shows who could have gotten raptured.
1. Passages in
Question
Matthew 24:40-42 Which event does this refer to, the Rapture or the Second Coming? At the judgment of the sheep and goats immediately following the Second Coming, none will remain in the field or at the mill as the Lord said that He will gather them all for the judgment (Matthew 25:31-46, esp. v. 32); but in this passage, some will be taken and some left, a phenomenon consistent with the Rapture. Will any believers be among those who will be left? The passage simply does not say so, and we must be content to answer our question on the basis of the "all" passages: All believers living at the time of the Rapture will be raptured.
Matthew 25:1-13 The passage must be understood on the basis of the Jewish wedding traditions of the day, which those whom Yeshua was addressing knew well:
The passage does not refer to the Rapture, but to those survivors of the Tribulation who are and are not allowed entry into the Messianic Kingdom. It cannot be taken to indicate that some believers will be left behind at the Rapture.
2. The Corinthian
Man In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul spends thirteen verses taking the Corinthians to task. He begins, It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife (v. 1). Paul considered this man's offense so severe that he urged the local assembly to excommunicate him (v. 13), and he himself decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (The destruction of his flesh refers to the destruction of the body, even unto death, if necessary, if there is no repentance.) Now note: Paul did not know whether or not the man would repent; yet it was to this same assembly - in the same letter - that he wrote, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - even that Corinthian man. C. GENERAL TRIBULATION PASSAGES There are passages that refer to tribulation that is common to all believers, but do not refer to the Great Tribulation. Such passages may be thought of as general tribulation passages, and must be distinguished from Great Tribulation passages. Yet, some believers confuse the former with the latter and conclude that some believers will experience the Great Tribulation. Two such passages are John 16:33 and Romans 8:35. John 16:33: In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. Romans 8:35: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? On what basis shall we distinguish between the two classes of passages? If there is no direct or contextual reference to the Great Tribulation, it is only reasonable to view it as a general tribulation passage. D. PASSAGES IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION The Book of Revelation reveals that there will be multitudes of believers on Earth during the Great Tribulation. Some take this to mean that some church saints will miss the Rapture and experience the Tribulation. However, a simple, thoughtful reading of Revelation 7:4-10 will indicate that these people become saved during the Tribulation: 144,000 Jews will be sovereignly saved by God, and these, in turn, will lead multitudes to salvation. E. "WE MUST PRAY TO ESCAPE THE TRIBULATION" But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36) Does this mean that if believers don't pray for strength to escape all these things that they will be left behind at the Rapture to endure the Great Tribulation? Strength is translated be counted worthy in many other translations, including Young's Literal and the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible. Also, the same Greek word translated escape is found in Romans 2:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:3, and Hebrews 2:3; and in all of these cases, it clearly means "to avoid." Therefore, the verse cannot refer to believers escaping out of the Tribulation, but of avoiding it completely. Other than dying before the Tribulation, how may one avoid it completely? By receiving the Lord - the only way of being counted worthy (2 Corinthians 5:21) to be Raptured and to stand before the Son of Man at the Judgment Seat of Messiah in Heaven to receive their rewards (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Now, the disciples whose questions Yeshua was responding to were already saved; so when He used you, He could not have been referring to them: He must have been prophetically exhorting all of Israel to receive Him as their Messiah and to thereby be sure of avoiding the time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) - yet, He spoke it in the hearing of His apostles, for it was to be their commission to carry these and all of His words to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 1:16). He was not exhorting believers to pray to be counted worthy to avoid the Tribulation. He was prophetically exhorting unsaved Israelites to be counted worthy to avoid it by receiving Him as Messiah. V. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RAPTURE There appear to be three major points of significance in regards to the Rapture:
VI. BIBLICAL ATTITUDES CONCERNING THE RAPTURE A. WE ARE NOT TO DOUBT, BUT BELIEVE 2 Peter 3:3-4: 3. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4. and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." The passage is specific to the Lord's Second Coming, but it may easily said of the Rapture, as well. The Bible records events akin to the Rapture, and we believe that they actually happened; yet, when it comes to the Rapture, some wonder. Perhaps reviewing these events may strengthen faith where such strengthening is needed. It is suggested that the reader decide which elements of the Rapture are in common with these events, which are different, and which we cannot discern as not enough information is given. For example, the Rapture takes place in an instant, but we know that the Lord's ascension was gradual because it is recorded that His disciples watched Him rise.
Do we believe these things? If so, there should be no doubt about the Rapture, either. Speaking specifically of a pre-Tribulation Rapture, Paul exhorted, Therefore, my brothers, stand fast and hold the teachings which you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter (2 Thessalonians 2:15). B. WE ARE NOT TO BE TROUBLED OR AFRAID, BUT AT PEACE John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28. You heard that I said to you, "I go away, and I will come to you." This exhortation appears to make immediate reference to His resurrection, but it obviously has application to the Rapture, as well. C. WE ARE TO WAIT EXPECTANTLY AND THANKFULLY IN HOPE Romans 8:23: And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: 55. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57. but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:10: and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. Also Romans 8:25 and Galatians 5:5. Titus 2:13: looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ . . . . VII. BIBLICAL ACTIVITIES IN LIGHT OF THE RAPTURE These passages were all written in the context of the Rapture:
VIII. CHURCH SAINTS REWARDED
Once the body of believers has been raptured and in Heaven with Messiah, each of its members will stand before the Judgment Seat of Messiah. Romans 14: 10b. For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. . . . 12. So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God; 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad; and Luke 21:36, which we already addressed: But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. Here, at the Judgment Seat of Messiah, each believer will be rewarded for the quality of his or her service for Messiah while here on Earth. Paul declared,
Some passages shedding light on what the Lord will look for as He judges, and the rewards that He will bestow, are Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5, 4:8; James 1:12, 3:1-9; 1 Peter 5:1-6 and Revelation 2:10.
1. The entire We
Believe statement of the Association of
Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of
Page 1 of this compendium.
By Norman Manzon
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~
INTRODUCTION
This study is an attempt to convey the nature of the Great Tribulation, place it in its prophetic setting and present an outline of its key events; but even more so to explain the why of it. Why will the Lord bring such a terrible judgment? What purposes will He accomplish by means of it? May the reader be built up in his understanding and appreciation of this aspect of it especially. It is impossible in this brief study to prove the context of every passage presented or to connect all the dots in regard to the sequence of events. It is suggested that the reader remember these limitations when formulating his or her own doctrine - not rejecting what is presented, but holding it in abeyance until he or she gathers more information. For this purpose, I cannot recommend better sources than The Seventy Weeks of Daniel by Dr. David Cooper and The Footsteps of the Messiah by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, both of which are noted in the Recommended Reading section at the end of the study. Immediately preceding this study in our series on future things is a study entitled The Rapture. It is suggested that it be studied or reviewed before proceeding further as much foundational material for this study will be found there. We’ll begin with our entire AMC Statement on Last Things. Some details were covered our recent studies on this page, The Destinies of the Dead and The Rapture, some will be covered in this present study, and the rest will be covered in subsequent studies.
I. WHAT IS THE GREAT TRIBULATION?
Tribulation simply means "pressure (literally or
figuratively): - afflicted, (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution,
tribulation, trouble" (Strong), and can refer to anything from the daily
trials of life to very severe trials including persecutions for the
faith (1 Thessalonians 1:6; Revelation 1:9; 2:9-10); but what we refer to as the
Great Tribulation is derived from: A review of other designations for the Great Tribulation should impress upon us its essential character.
The nature of the Great Tribulation is summed up in the
following passages: How much of the world will the Great Tribulation encompass? Enclosing Matthew 24:21, just quoted, are these verses: 14. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come, and 30. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. Each places the Great Tribulation in a worldwide context. Isaiah 24 does the same: 19. The earth is broken asunder, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently. 20. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack. The Great Tribulation will be an event which encompasses the whole world. A. THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL
1. Historical
Placement in the Seventy Weeks
Seven weeks means seven groups of seven years, or 49 years, and sixty-two weeks means sixty-two groups of seven years, or 434 years, for a total of sixty-nine weeks or 483 years.3 Using the Bible’s method of counting “regular solar years"4 from the creation of Adam,5 Dr. David Cooper determined that from the year of the decree of Cyrus the Persian to permit the Jews who were captive in Babylon to return to Judea to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Jerusalem was rebuilt, was 49 years; and that 434 years later, Messiah was cut off. “From all the data, we see that the terminal date of the 483-year period is the time of Messiah's being cut off or executed for the sins of His people. From this conclusion there cannot possibly be any escape."6 Connected with the end of the sixty-ninth week (the sixty-second week after the first seven weeks) when Messiah will be cut off is the following event: The people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Who is this prince? He could not be Messiah as it was not Messiah's people who destroyed the city and the sanctuary . . . with a flood (a symbol of a military invasion [e.g., Isaiah 8:5-8 and Nahum 1:8]). It was the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. The Prince is the one we've come to know as the Antichrist, and he will be a Roman, for the people of the prince are Romans. Now, even to the end of the period between the destruction of Jerusalem and the beginning of the seventieth week, there will be war in the Promised Land. True to the prophecy, since 70 A.D. numerous wars have been fought over the trans-Israeli trade routes that join Egypt and the rest of Africa with nations north and east, and over possession of the entire Land; and because of the wars, desolations are determined. The Promised Land has been made desolate and will remain so until the end of the seventieth week. Despite the agricultural and industrial wonders that have taken place in modern Israel, one is still struck by the desolation of vast areas of it. To sum up, within the seventy weeks of Daniel, the Tribulation will begin at some point after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. during which the land of Israel will be decimated by warfare.
2. What
Specific Event Will Mark Its Beginning?
But how will he be revealed?
The verse reveals three things: 1. He will make a covenant with Israel. 2. It's duration is to be a full week, or seven years. 3. Its nature: We can determine from the but clause of the verse that the covenant is one by which Antichrist will guarantee Israel's security so that the Temple sacrifices and offerings may carry on unhindered: but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. In other words, after three and a half years, he will put a stop to that which he guaranteed. It is by virtue of this unique seven year covenant that Antichrist will be revealed and the Tribulation will begin.
3. Who Are the Many?
The entire passage has to do with
Daniel's people, the Jews, and focuses primarily on events in Jerusalem.
Therefore, the treaty must be with the nation of Israel; but is the nation of Israel the many?
Compared with the rest of the world, they
are the few. There are two other views that I am
aware of. One is that the many are
the Israeli leadership. At least today, any treaty that Israel
enters into must be made with the support of its Knesset (Parliament) -
but how can such a tiny percentage of Israel's population can be
considered
the many? The other is the view held by Dr. Cooper, that
the many are those Israelis who agree with
the treaty.7
Keil and Delitzsch agree with this. They comment, "the
many, i.e., the great mass of the people in contrast with the few,
who remain faithful to God; cf. Mat_24:12." (Matthew 24:12-13 reads,
Because lawlessness is increased, most people's
love will grow cold. But the one who
endures to the end, he will be saved.) Dr. Cooper writes,
"Should one speak of this section of the Jewish race in terms of
present-day phraseology, he would say that those making the covenant are
the modernistic crowd, which has given up largely the national hope and
has abandoned faith in the inspiration of the Scriptures and the plan of
God. One also comes to the conclusion that the faithful, orthodox Jews
who believe in the Scriptures as the Word of God are the ones who hold
aloof from such an alliance." To my mind, the best solution seems
to be a combination of the latter two views; but I would say that
the many will be those Israelis who
favor the proposed treaty after having rejecting any spiritual insight
that the Lord may offer. How can a treaty be made with them? Through
their representatives in the Knesset who would carry the vote.
1. Placement in the Prophetic Feasts of Israel
2. How Soon After the Rapture?
At first glance the passage seems to indicate that the Tribulation will begin right after the Rapture on the same day. The reasoning is thus: On the day that Noah entered the ark . . . the flood came and destroyed them all. . . . on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Therefore, the Tribulation will begin right after the Rapture on the same day. But there is a problem here: It is true that on the same literal day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven (Genesis 19:12-25. The day was reckoned from sundown to sundown); but it is not true that on the same literal day that Noah entered the ark . . . the flood came. Genesis 7:7-10 states that it was seven days after Noah entered the ark that the rain began. According to Strong, the Greek for day can refer either to a literal twenty-four hour period or "figuratively a period (always defined more or less clearly by the context)." As Genesis reveals, the Luke passage contains an example of each. The passage cannot therefore be used to prove that the Great Tribulation will begin on the same literal day as the Rapture, nor can any other passage. There may be a significant "period" of time between the two events. C. IN LIGHT OF RECENT WORLD EVENTS In light of certain events prophesied to
take place relevant to the Tribulation, at least these three things need
to be in place: It is easy to see how the Lord is setting the stage for the Great Tribulation. Two other signs are these: 2 Thessalonians 2:3: Let no one in any way deceive you, for [the day of the Lord] will not come unless the apostasy comes first. 1 Timothy 4:1: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. 2 Timothy 3:1-5: But realize this, that in the last days . . . men will be . . . holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. There are those who believe that the Great Tribulation encompasses only the last three and a half years of Daniel's week because it is during that period that Antichrist attempts to annihilate all Jews as well as all those alive who have come to believe the Gospel (Daniel 2:25, Revelation 12), but consider these key facts: 1. Tremendous judgments of God are exercised on all of mankind for the full seven years. An examination of the judgments of both halves of the week should convince anyone that what the Lord characterized in Matthew 24:21 as one of great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be, and is that which is called the great tribulation in Revelation 7:14, lasts for the full seven years. 2. The seventy weeks are concerned with your people, that is, the Jews.
3. This point alone should carry the day: Revelation 7, especially verses 9 and 14, reveal that a great multitude of martyred saints will come out of the great tribulation - and they will come out of it during the first half. This, combined with the fact that the Bowl judgments of the second half (Revelation 16) are more severe than the Seal and Trumpet judgments (Seal: Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1. Trumpet: Revelation 8:1 - 9:21; 10:6-7; 11:15) of the first half can hardly limit the designation, the great tribulation, to the first half. The seven years of unprecedented judgment coinciding with the seven years of the Lord's final dealings with Israel to fulfill the new covenant that He made with them (Jeremiah 31:31-34) should leave no doubt that the Great Tribulation encompasses the full seventieth week of Daniel. V. WHO IS THE GREAT TRIBULATION FOR? The Rapture made it abundantly clear that no church saint will miss the Rapture and endure the Great Tribulation; but whom does Scripture say the Great Tribulation is for?
The Great Tribulation is not for church saints, who are all sons of light and sons of day, but is for those who are in darkness, a reference to those who have not received the Lord as Savior.
The Tribulation is not for those who have been chosen . . . for salvation, but is for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For what reason is the Tribulation for them? That they all may be judged who did not believe the truth. Both passages clearly distinguish between believers, who will not experience the Tribulation, and unbelievers at the time of the Rapture who will be left on Earth to be judged during the Tribulation because they chose darkness and wickedness over light and salvation. Though multitudes will be saved during the Tribulation, all on Earth when the Tribulation begins will be unbelievers. VI. WHY SUCH A TERRIBLE JUDGMENT? This question will be addressed in two stages. The first will be an overview of the key areas of rebellion prior to the Great Tribulation, and the second will be with a view toward the goals of the Great Tribulation.
When one considers the epochal, dispensational (age-related)
dealings of God with mankind, he finds that they progress in a logical
manner. (This is not to judge what might have been God's best courses of
action, but we can see the
logical progression in what He has chosen to do.)
God began by giving our first parents every possible advantage to make the right choice. He created Adam and Eve without a sin nature and placed them in an Eden. Everything they needed for sustenance and enjoyment was at their fingertips and they had an untainted and glorious relationship with one another and with God. Nevertheless, they broke the one "thou shalt not" that He had given them to demonstrate their recognition of their dependence upon Him for all good things. God necessarily applied judgment, set in motion the process by which He would send His Son to die for the sins of the world, and consistent with their choice to lean on their own understanding, withdrew the sweetness of His fellowship and close guidance from them and left them and their descendants in a state in which they would be tested to see if they would obey Him on the basis of the dictates of their own consciences. But man refused to live by the dictates of his conscience. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). God therefore destroyed the entire race by means of a flood, sparing only righteous Noah, his wife, their three sons and their three wives. Having begun afresh with a righteous patriarch, God took the next logical step to bring the wild dog of man's sin nature to heel: He put the fear of capital punishment in them for murder: Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man (Genesis 9:6). In so doing, it is implied that God authorized the establishment of a police force to make arrests, a judicial system to conduct fair trials, executioners to carry out their duty, etc., and an overseer or body of overseers to manage these activities. In other words, to promote respect for human life because of the image of God in man, God authorized the establishment of human government or, shall we say, human governments, because He also commanded them to be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it (Genesis 9:7), repeating what He had commanded Adam and Eve before their Fall: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28). This "dominion mandate" was a commission to man to take stewardship of the resources that God had provided for the blessing of mankind and the glory of God. True to form, man defiantly spurned the command to fill the earth, and subdue it. "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4). The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:9) represented an active rejection of God Himself. It was an astrological observatory built for the purpose of seeking guidance from the stars instead of the Creator; and Romans 1:21-23 in conjunction with 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 tells us that it is only a step from the turning to creation for guidance to idolatry and the worship of Satan and demons.
The Tower of Babel, then, was the institutional fountainhead of all the false and demonic religions and philosophies in the world. (The woman of Revelation 17:3 is called BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Babylon and Babel are translated from the same Hebrew word, bavel, which means confusion; abominations is a common term for idols; and harlotry is a common term for idolatry.) God therefore confused their languages to scatter them for the purpose of restraining their collusion in evil and that the earth might be filled and subdued. This scattering also divided mankind into the first nations, which served another purpose.
Mankind again proved himself unwilling to seek or obey God, so God took the next logical step. He called out one nation, Israel, to be His channel of revelation to all the nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Yet even Israel rebelled against Him continually, sinking even into Baal worship, which required them to lay their children in the red-hot metal arms of the idols of Baal where they burned to death. God expelled them from the Land for this by the hand of cruel conquerors, but returned them to the Land that they might receive their incarnated Messiah and be saved from their enemies and from their sins. True to form, however, they turned Yeshua over to the Romans to be crucified; and yet, this was the next logical step that God took to shock Israel and mankind into the conviction of sin and repentance toward God. However, Israel hardened their hearts even after the miraculous events surrounding the crucifixion, not the least of which was Messiah's resurrection; and these same Romans whom the Israelites turned to for deliverance from their Deliverer proved to be the rod of God's judgment upon them. They destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple with a great slaughter and scattered the survivors from the Land. If Israel would have received Yeshua during His earthly ministry He would have established His earthly Kingdom (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 23:37-39) and Israel would have been His ministers to the rest of the world (Zechariah 8:23), but they did not; and though God did not reject Israel as His chosen nation (Romans 3:6; 11:1,11) and will yet fulfill all His promises to them and purposes for them, He orchestrated the crucifixion and resurrection and then took the next logical step beyond that. On the Day of Pentecost He began to call out a new man (Ephesians 2:15), the body of Messiah, the church, composed of all believers, whether Jews or Greeks (1 Corinthians 12:13), to be His ministers to the world. He commanded, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Corollary to this command to the church is this command to the hearers of the Gospel: God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent (Acts 17:30); but despite the fact that the Gospel has already penetrated most of the world, only a small percent of the world's population has received it. Indeed, major world religions and numerous national governments oppose it. As for the visible church, its history is rife with self-aggrandizement and has engaged in such horrors as military conquests, forced conversions, mass persecutions of Jews and true believers; and, as has been pointed out, gone apostate to a great degree, denying the very basics of the Gospel. Two other principles need to be addressed:
1. The integrity of the family unit. A healthy family
unit is necessary for the optimum well-being and spiritual influence of
its members, and is most conducive for the bearing and
nurturing of future generations who can, by number and spiritual health
and maturity, best fulfill
the dominion mandate and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The family unit begins
with one man and one woman committed to be sexually and emotionally
faithful to one another and to bless one another "for as long as they
both shall live." While monogamous marriage is not explicitly mandated
in Scripture, it is that form of marriage that God established in Eden,
honored when He selected four monogamous couples to board the ark, upheld as the
picture of marital happiness in Psalm 128:1-6 and Proverbs 31, honored
by the births of John the Baptist and Yeshua, upheld as the picture of
Messiah and His church in Ephesians 5:22-31, and is, without exception, that form that
is
upheld as ideal by Yeshua and the New Testament writers (Matthew 19:8-9;
Ephesians 5:22-27; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6). In contrast, Deuteronomy
17:17 says that a king shall not multiply wives
for himself, and Scripture
graphically reveals the strife that is so easily engendered in polygamous or
polygamy-like relationships in the story of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah
(Genesis 16-18, 21) and in the childbearing olympiad between Rachel and
Leah (Genesis 29:31 - 30:24).
Has man adhered to the ideal model of marriage and of wholesome child-rearing? Of course he hasn't. The world is filled with fornication, homosexuality, adultery, polygamy, divorce, abortion and infanticide, all of which are destructive of the family unit and the carrying out of the dominion mandate and Great Commission, and all of which are denounced by Scripture or, in the case of polygamy, shown in a negative light. It should be noted that God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities of the Dead Sea valley because of widespread homosexual practice (Genesis 18:16 - 19:29), and that by May 14, 2013 (the day that this paragraph was written), fourteen nations of the world had legalized same sex marriage.8 2. The necessity of blessing Israel. God declared to Abram, I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. Scripture records that God did bless and curse individuals and nations according to the manner in which they treated Israel and individual Jews (e.g., Genesis 39:1-5, 41:55-57; Obadiah 1:10; Zechariah 12:9), and Yeshua prophesied that He will judge the sheep and goat Gentiles on the basis of how they will treat these brothers of mine (Matthew 25:31-46). How have the nations treated Israel? Egypt tossed Israeli male newborns into the Nile, and Israel was invaded by Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Rome and was dispersed by Rome to the four corners of the earth where it has, in turn, suffered persecutions unmatched by any other nation in scope and frequency. Since Israel's reestablishment as a nation in 1948 they have fought four major defensive wars and are continually defending themselves against attacks of lesser scope. At the time of this writing (Spring, 2013), virtually the entire Arabic and Islamic world is in favor of Israel's disappearance, and a significant portion of that world is actively pursuing that end. Anti-Semitism is rising at a rapid rate in Europe and other parts of the world and is manifesting itself in forms ranging from insults to lies to physical attacks to academic and economic divestitures and boycotts. In one week in December of 2012, the United Nations General Assembly issued twenty-two resolutions condemning Israel, and only four for the entire rest of the world while all the while, in Syria alone, forty thousand people have been killed, more are being killed, and millions of Syrian refugees are suffering the cold of winter.9 Surely the overall level of anti-Semitism through the ages will be a factor in God's judgment of the world.
Note the last phrase in light of today's
political efforts to further divide the Land of Israel. As a whole, man has rejected every opportunity that God has given him to demonstrate his trust in Him by obedience to Him.
So what will be the next logical step? God delayed Israel's exodus from Egypt, return to Canaan and conquest of its inhabitants because the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete (Genesis 15:16). The day will come when the iniquity of our present world will be complete and man will have demonstrated that he is hopelessly wicked and incapable of establishing anything approaching an edenic earth without God - yet, he will not repent. Then will come the Great Tribulation, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). It will be a judgment so severe as to destroy every ungodly man-made institution and humble mankind to the point where multitudes will to turn to God, including every Jew alive at the end of it. Therein lies the why of the Great Tribulation. VII. GOD'S GOALS FOR THE GREAT TRIBULATION
1. For the Nations in General
God's goals for the nations in general may be summed up as follows: 1) The destruction of every ungodly man-made institution, philosophy and religion.
2) That they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness (2 Thessalonians 2:12. Also Isaiah 13:11).
3) The humbling of the proud and the exaltation of
Himself. The pride of man will be humbled and
the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted
in that day (Isaiah 2:17).
4) The completion of the Great Commission. Matthew 24:14: This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 5) The salvation of multitudes.
Also
Revelation 5:9 and 14:6.
Daniel 9:24 declares the six purposes of the 490-year
period for your people
- Daniel's people - the Jews:
1) The third mentioned purpose, which laid the foundation for all the rest, has already
been accomplished: to make atonement for
iniquity. Iniquity refers
to the sin nature. In the context of your
people, the phrase refers to the atonement made for the sin
nature of Israelites after the sixty-two weeks
following the first seven weeks when the Messiah [was] cut off.
The other five will be completed either during, or as
a result of, the events of Daniel's seventieth week. They are: VIII. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION I am no expert on Tribulation prophesies. Therefore, with bibles, commentaries and the very scholarly studies of Drs. Cooper and Fruchtenbaum in front of me, I have compiled the following sequence of Tribulation highlights with as much critical judgment as I could muster. Both men point out that chapters six through nineteen of the Book of Revelation describe those Tribulation events that Revelation deals with. In addition, Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes,
and Dr. Cooper writes,
The following sequence is not to be taken as "gospel," but as a best effort.
IX. TRANSITIONAL PERIOD BETWEEN THE TRIBULATION AND THE KINGDOM There will be a brief transitional
period between the Tribulation and the establishment of the Kingdom.
During this period, Notice how events involving Israel provide the framework of the Great Tribulation and its aftermath. Antichrist's treaty with them; the two witnesses in Jerusalem; the salvation and ministry of the 144,000; Antichrist's proclamation of his divinity in the Jewish Temple; his attempt to annihilate the Jews; the salvation of Israel, which triggers the Lord's return; the Lord's ascent up the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem; His destruction of Antichrist, the arch enemy of Israel; the Judgment of the Sheep and Goat Gentiles on the basis of whether they did or did not aid the persecuted Jews. Among the earth's nations, Israel is still the apple (pupil) of God's eye (Deuteronomy 32:10). XI. WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES
The passage originally appeared
in Proverbs 3:11-12, where it is addressed to the sons of human
fathers, and was
quoted in Hebrews for the benefit of the sons of God by the new birth.
However, it has an application for all who will endure the Great
Tribulation, for all people are sons of God in another sense, by
virtue of the fact
that He created our first parents. It was to an audience of
non-believers that Paul made this statement on Mars Hill:
Whom does the Lord scourge? He scourges every son whom He receives. Whom does the Lord discipline? Whom the Lord loves He disciplines. Whom does the Lord love? For God so loved the world (John 3:16). Though God will severely chastise all on
Earth during the Great Tribulation, it will be because He loves them
that He might turn them to the Truth. He will appeal to them
thrice by preaching of such quality and power as perhaps only the
Lord Yeshua Himself displayed: by the two witnesses, the 144,000,
and the angel from Heaven. This principle of the chastisement of an
entire people for the purpose of turning them to righteousness is
seen in Hosea 5:15, which refers to God's chastisement of Israel for
the purpose of turning them to Himself: I
will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their
guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek
Me. In the passage, the Lord prophesied that He would
leave Earth because of Israel's rejection of Him, and will return
when Israel seeks Him because of their affliction; and indeed that
is what will happen at the end of the Great Tribulation. Cf. Matthew
23:37-39. ~ ADDENDUM: DEFENDING THE TRIBULATION SCRIPTURES A. DEFENDING THE LITERALITY OF THE PROPHECIES There are those who believe that the Tribulation is to be taken as an allegory of the continued persecution of believers since the crucifixion. Yet, just as the decree of Cyrus, the subsequent return of the Jews to the Land, the 49-year rebuilding of Jerusalem, Yeshua's crucifixion and the continued warfare and desolation of the Land all took place literally, it is perfectly consistent to believe that the prophesies of the Great Tribulation and all of its details will likewise take place literally. If the first sixty-nine weeks and the subsequent period of desolations have been fulfilled literally, it defies logic to believe otherwise concerning the seventieth week. There are three reasons that I am aware of for believing that the Tribulation prophecies are to be taken allegorically: being taught that they should; refusing to accept the fact that Israel is still God's chosen people according to natural generation; and because the Tribulation accounts, especially in the Book of Revelation, seem so inscrutable, containing such a multitude of symbols. Yet, the only cure is to realize and accept that each symbol is explained somewhere in Scripture and is representative of a literal thing or event. According to Dr. Fruchtenbaum, "The Book of Revelation has no direct quotations from the Old Testament, but it has about 550 references back to the Old Testament. The majority of the things found in the first twenty chapters of the Book of Revelation are found elsewhere in the Old Testament. Only the last two chapters deal with things totally new."14 God wrote the Bible to be studied and understood. It therefore behooves the student of prophesy to search out the literal meanings of the Bible's symbols wherever in Scripture they may appear and wherever their meanings may be found. For example, Revelation 12:1 introduces a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. The passage may seem that it is open to a variety of interpretations until it is realized that Genesis 37:9-10 makes it clear that the woman represents the nation of Israel. B. DEFENDING THE CHRONOLOGICAL PLACEMENT OF THE PROPHESIES It is important to know the prophetic placement of the Tribulation as there are those who hold impossible views. For example, some believe that the Tribulation was fulfilled with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. Yet it is impossible for the Tribulation to have already taken place because many of the events unique to it have never taken place. No world leader has ever signed a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, no group of 144,000 Jews has ever preached to the world, no group of Jewish evangelists has ever had the success that the 144,000 will have - nor has the Lord returned yet! It is also important to get a grip on the sequence of Tribulation events as such lessons can be learned from it as the extent to which the Lord will go to destroy the evil in the world, keep His promises with Israel and vindicate all who are His.
1. The entire We
Believe statement of the Association of
Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of
Page 1 of this compendium.
Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. Available at Ariel Ministries in various formats. Dr. David Cooper. “The Seventy Weeks of Daniel.” http://ariel.org/dlc/dlc-bk-swd01.htm, esp. chaps. 4 and 5. Dr. Henry M. Morris. God and the Nations. (Green Forest: Master Books, 2002).
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~
4.
THE SECOND COMING
OF THE LORD In our Last Things series, we have thus far seen that every member of the church, whether living or deceased, will be lifted from the earth and given a glorified body in an event called the Rapture. At some point after the Rapture, the Lord will bring judgment upon the earth during a seven-year period of time called The Great Tribulation, which the prophet Daniel described as a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time (Daniel 12:1), and which the Lord described as a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will (Matthew 24:21). During this period, the Lord will destroy every ungodly human institution, and all who will not repent will be killed. Multitudes from all over the world will repent in response to the preaching of 144,000 Israelites, and multitudes from among that multitude will be martyred. In mid-Tribulation, Antichrist will claim divinity, prohibit all Temple worship, and engage on a campaign to destroy every believer still alive, every Jew, and even the Lord Himself. His persecution of the Jews will continue almost until the end of the seven years by which time he will succeed in killing two-thirds of them. (Psalm 2:2; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 20:36-38, 36:22-27; Zechariah 13:8; Matthew 24:15-28; Acts 4:26; Romans 11:26-27; Revelation 12:1-17, 17:14) We'll review our AMC Statement, and then pick up from there.
"Second Coming" is not a term that is found in Scripture. For that reason, a theological definition of the term cannot be found there. It is a term whose meaning must be agreed upon by those engaging in conversation about the event or events that they have in mind. Unfortunately, many use it to include two significant future events, and many use it to refer only to the second, breeding confusion. There are at least three good reasons
for viewing the
coming of the Lord in the air for
the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and the actual feet-on-the-ground
Return of the Lord to Earth, as two aspects of the Second Coming: Dr. Chafer takes this view:
There is also good reason for viewing only the second of the two events as the Second Coming because it is the only event of the two in which the Lord will actually touch down on earth as He did for His first advent. It also conveniently distinguishes it from the Rapture. For clarity's sake, then, let it be known that for this study what will be referred to as the Second Coming will solely be the actual feet-on-the-ground Return of the Lord. It is not the intent of this study to parse every scripture relevant to the Second Coming. However, we will examine its prophetic placement, situational trigger, manner, location and significance. We will also do some comparisons and contrasts between the First Coming, Rapture and Second Coming. II. THE PROPHETIC PLACEMENT OF THE SECOND COMING With the Law of Moses, the Lord chose to highlight seven epochal events from the cross to the Kingdom in the seven annual prophetic feasts of Leviticus 23, namely, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. The first four have been fulfilled by the crucifixion, the sinlessness of the sacrificed Lamb of God, the Lord's resurrection, and the formation of the church on the Day of Pentecost. Yet to be fulfilled are Trumpets by the Rapture, the Day of Atonement by the Great Tribulation, and Tabernacles by the Millennial or Messianic Kingdom.3 Inasmuch as the Lord's Return will bring the Tribulation to an end, it will, of necessity, be "pre-millennial," as our Statement declares. III. THE TRIGGER OF THE SECOND COMING We have seen that the Lord will Return very near or at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation; but what specific event will be His cue, the "trigger," for His Return? 1. The Promise of Salvation to All Israel The Lord made a covenant with Israel that has come to be known as the New Covenant.
The New Covenant was not made with mankind in general, but specifically, with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, that is, with all Israel. Even after the crucifixion and the formation of the church at Pentecost, Paul spoke of my kinsmen according to the flesh who are Israelites, to whom belongs - present tense - the covenants . . . and the promises (Romans 9:3-4). Though God opened the door of salvation and membership in the body to individual Gentiles as Paul explained in Ephesians 2:12-13 and 3:16, there can be no question that, in Romans 9:3-4, that same Paul was speaking specifically of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. There is a promise in the Jeremiah passage that God has not extended to the Gentiles in general or to any Gentile nation: they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, which Paul reiterated in Romans 11:26-27:
Speaking specifically of Israel, Paul declared to the Romans believers in the next verse, From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. Why were they, at that late date, still beloved for the sake of the fathers? Verse 29: for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable - speaking specifically of Israel. To sum up, there is a promise that God made solely to Israel that He has yet to fulfill: they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. See also Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:25-29.
2. The Offer of the
Kingdom to Israel Mark 1:14-15: 14. Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15. and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."4 Both John and Yeshua announced to
Israel that the Kingdom is at hand,
or as other translations have it, is near.
It was this literal, physical Kingdom of God on earth that John and Yeshua preached to Israel, and it was offered to Israel on condition.
b. The Condition for the
Kingdom Matthew 3:2: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mark 1:14-15:The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. Yeshua offered to establish His Kingdom if only Israel would receive Him as their Messiah. This is brought out clearly in Matthew 23:37-39 in His rebuke to the spiritual leaders of Israel:
They were unwilling to allow Him to gather them, and their house, their temple, their heart and hearth of national life, would be left desolate until they receive Him as Messiah, saying, "BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!" And indeed, instead of Yeshua establishing His Kingdom, He allowed the Romans to destroy both the Temple and the political nationhood of Israel in the dual military blows of 70 and 135 AD. What did Peter say to Israel in his sermon shortly after Pentecost?
He called upon Israel to repent of its sin of having rejected Yeshua so that their personal sins may be forgiven in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, that is, so that the Kingdom would be established for which purpose God will send Jesus . . . whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, that is, until it was time for Him to establish His earthly Kingdom. However, Israel as a nation did not repent. Chapter 4 begins with the priests and the Sadducees arresting Peter for preaching Yeshua. The condition for the Lord's Return is brought out again in Hosea 5:15, where the preincarnate Son prophesied, I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face. To sum up, the condition that Israel must meet for the Lord's Return to establish His Kingdom is the acknowledgment of their guilt in rejecting of Him, and in their plea for His forgiveness and favor. c.
When Israel Will Meet the Condition In their affliction. During the terrible time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7, ASV) - they will earnestly seek [His] face. In mid-Tribulation, Antichrist will launch a furious campaign to annihilate all Jews once and for all, and will succeed in killing two-thirds of them. They will be the rebels of Ezekiel 20:36-38 who will reject the spiritual insight that the Lord will offer in regard to the seven-year treaty of protection that Antichrist will propose to make with Israel. They will successfully lobby for its passage in the Knesset (Parliament) and, in mid-Tribulation, take the number of the Beast (Antichrist). The remaining third will receive the insight that the Lord will offer, lobby against the treaty, though unsuccessfully, and will refuse the number of the Beast. Whereas the Lord will allow Antichrist to kill the rebels, He will protect the non-rebels from Antichrist's slaughter, and will, near the end of the Tribulation, reveal His messiahship to them, and they will believe in Yeshua. They will acknowledge Israel's guilt in their rejection of Him at His first advent, and will earnestly seek [His] face. (Ezekiel 20:36-38; Zechariah 13:8-9; Matthew 24:22. Also, The Great Tribulation, above.) Immediately following Hosea 5:15 is 6:1-3:
Also Zechariah 12:10:
And their lament shall be
He who spared them physically from the wrath of the Beast will now save them spiritually. In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity (Zechariah 13:1). He will save every last one of them: "for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more"; and He will return. Let us return to the Zechariah 12:10 passage. The clause, they will look on Me whom they have pierced implies that they are looking on the Lord's physical Person, meaning that He had already returned. But the Lord said He would not return until after they repent - so how could they look on Him before they repent? The answer is in the translation of the word often translated on (as in the NASB) or upon (as in the King James). Dr. Fruchtenbaum points out that it should be translated unto,5 which does not necessitate His presence on earth; and indeed, that is how the acclaimed American Standard Version and the Revised Version have it: they shall look unto me whom they have pierced. Also Young's Literal Translation: they have looked unto me whom they have pierced. The Jewish Publication Society Bible: they shall look unto me because they have thrust him through. The Complete Jewish Bible, the Easy to Read Version and the International Standard Version render it they will look to me, which also does not necessitate His presence on earth. Thus, the "trigger" that will move the Lord to return to earth will be the national repentance of Israel for having rejected Him at His First Coming, and their longing for Him to return and be reunited with Him. He left when they rejected Him, and He will return when they embrace Him. They will look unto Him in repentance, and He will return. IV. THE MANNER OF THE SECOND COMING Manner is a rather tame word; yet it is used in certain translations of Acts 1:11 to describe certain aspects of the Lord's Return. However, the word lacks the drama and the passion that so many passages exude when describing His Return. Manner, though, seems to be the best English word to cover all the bases. In our use here, it will certainly include the "mechanics" of His Return, but my prayer is that, by the grace of God, through the descriptions of His Return in the passages presented, the reader may be captivated by those intangible aspects of Scripture that theological studies often fail to convey. May this presentation impress upon the reader the dignity, the deportment, the regality, the glorious bearing, the divine demeanor of the Lord upon His Return. May we not smother ourselves in the dry nuts and bolts of this amazing event and render ourselves impervious to its vigor, its vibrant life and its fiery spectacle. The anticipation of the Lord's Second Coming should move us to our core. Grasping the "mechanics" of the Lord's Return is important. It's like locking oneself into a roller coaster. As one must not allow himself to be thrown out of a roller coaster, neither must he allow himself to be thrown out of the safety of sound theological thinking. For this, the nuts and bolts are important. Yet, one rides a roller coaster for the enjoyment of it. As servants of the Lord our priority is not enjoyment, but service. Nevertheless, Scripture does say, for the joy set before Him [He] endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). Therefore, in our effort to grasp the "mechanics" of the Second Coming, let us also be swept above the mundane cares of our present world system by the drama and the passion of the Lord's Second Coming and by its song of hope. Before the Lord's Ascension, He met with His disciples on the Mount of Olives and gave them their final instructions before His departure.
The Lord will return from Heaven in just the same way that His disciples saw Him ascend into Heaven. In what way (or manner, ASV, KJV, etc.) did He ascend?
One thing to note is that the passage makes it clear that the Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives, but it does not say that He will touch down on the Mount of Olives. It merely says that He will come in just the same way. He will, indeed, stand upon the Mount of Olives, but it will not be the location at which He will touch down. Where He will touch down will be examined shortly. The following passages will be presented in groups. At the end of each group comments will be made.
The Lord will come for the purpose of fiery purging and purification. One of the objects of His purifying fire will be the members of the tribe of Levi, those Levites who are among the non-rebel survivors at the end of Jacob's Trouble, so that when the new order of Temple worship is instituted in the Kingdom, the Levitical priesthood will be in place to serve. (cf. Isaiah 66:20-23; Ezekiel 40:1-46:24) Parallel Passages Matthew 24:27-30 and Luke 21:25-27:
Matthew 25:31: But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him . . . . Matthew 26:64: You will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Revelation 1:7:
BEHOLD, HE
IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who
pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it
is to be. Amen.
2 Thessalonians 2:8: Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming. From the vantage point of Antichrist's will, it will be he who will gather the world's armed forces on the vast plain known today as the Jezreel Valley near Mount Megiddo (Hebrew: Har-Magedon), some sixty miles north of Jerusalem (Revelation 19:16), and it will be for the purpose of destroying the Jews; but from the vantage point of the divine will, it will be God who will gather Antichrist's forces (Zechariah 14:2), and it will be for a different outcome altogether. It will be God, not Antichrist, who will orchestrate the outcome. The Lord will come as a conquering king to strike down the armies of the nations gathered against Israel and Himself. He will be coming not only with the entire company of the holy angels, but with His raptured saints, as well: And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. Though myriads of angels and saints will accompany Him, Scripture provides no description of them assisting Him. There will be no "contest" between the combined forces of puny man and the omnipotence of God, and He will handle Antichrist like a rag doll. He will slay him with the mere breath of His mouth. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. He will resurrect Antichrist, and throw him and the False Prophet alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. He will rain down great hailstones on human populations to the accompaniment of lightning and thunder, and will strike the planet with an earthquake so great that the cities of the nations will be leveled. Jerusalem itself will be split in three, and Antichrist's world capitol, Babylon the great, was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. When the forces of Antichrist are vanquished, the Lord will ascend the Mount of Olives in victory. Thus, with the outpouring
of this last series of Tribulation judgments, the Great
Tribulation comes to an end. Then
the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a
loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying,
"It is done,"
a cry that is reminiscent of the Lord's final cry on the
cross: It is finished
(John 19:30). Though the Greek words are different, the
basic concept is the same: In each case, the Lord declares
the completion of an epochal work for which He had waited
and prepared for millennia of earth time. Indeed, the first
purchased the second, and the second will constitute a major
portion of the fulfillment of the purposes of the first. We are now in a position to examine where the Lord will first touch earth upon His Return. To the east of Israel across the Jordan River is a long series of mountain ranges that extends far beyond Israel's northernmost and southernmost points and passes through the territories that touched Israel's eastern biblical border, namely (from north to south), they are Bashan, Ammon, Moab and Edom. In regard to the prophesied destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the Lord warned, But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains (Luke 21:20-21). It was to these mountains that the Judean believers fled in 68 AD during a break in the Roman siege of Jerusalem, specifically to Pella, a city of the biblical Decapolis in northern Jordan, between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. In a manner similar to which He warned that former generation of Israelites, the Lord also warned the Tribulation generation through His apostles,
It will be to these same mountains to which the Judean non-rebel Jews will flee for refuge from Antichrist, but it will not be to Pella. It will to be to a place called, in Scripture, Bozrah. It is known today as Petra, in southern Jordan, half way between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Eilat (Israeli name) or Gulf of Aqaba (Arabic name). It is here to which the Lord will return to save the believing Israelites from the hand of Antichrist. (Isaiah 34:1-7; 63:1-6; Habakkuk 3:3; Micah 2:12-13 and Judges 5:4-5) VI. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SECOND COMING Three major points come to mind. A. THE DELIVERANCE OF THE WORLD SYSTEM Since the Fall, the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Satan has been the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4); but the Second Coming of the Lord will mark the deliverance of this world system with all of its grievous evils from the hand of the evil one. When this happens it will be joyously declared, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15). B. THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE LORD'S FAITHFULNESS With the Lord's Second Coming, God will prove to be a keeper of His promises to Israel, to the church, and to every believer from Adam to the last believer in the Millennium. C. THE PREPARATION OF THE WAY FOR THE KINGDOM His Coming will prepare the way for the establishment of His thousand-year Millennial or Messianic Kingdom on Earth, for the form of this world is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31).
The Lord came to earth before His conception in Miriam's
womb. He came as the Shekinah Glory in the form of a light, a fire or a cloud
(e.g., Exodus 13:21-22). He also came as the Angel of the Lord on a
number of different occasions, as with Abraham (Genesis 18:1-3). But the
Lord's comings via the womb of Miriam, the Rapture and the Second Coming
are comings in human form, and are of immense significance in the
outworking of God's plan for ages. We will therefore do some comparisons
and contrasts regarding the three.
1.
The entire We
Believe statement of the Association of
Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of
Page 1 of this compendium.
By Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum * All of Dr.
Fruchtenbaum's publications are available at
Ariel
Ministries in various formats, many for free
listening and reading.
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~ 5. THE MILLENNIAL OR MESSIANIC KINGDOM AMC STATEMENT: KINGDOM EXCERPTS [1]
In our Last Things series, we have thus far seen that every member of the body of Messiah, whether living or deceased, will be lifted from the earth and given a glorified body in an event called the Rapture. At some point after the Rapture, the Lord will bring judgment upon the earth during a seven-year period called The Great Tribulation during which He will destroy every ungodly human institution, and all who will not repent will be killed. Multitudes from all over the world will repent in response to the preaching of 144,000 Israelites, and multitudes from among that multitude will be martyred. In mid-Tribulation, Antichrist will claim divinity, prohibit all Temple worship, and engage on a campaign to destroy every believer still alive, every Jew, and even the returned Lord Himself. His persecution of the Jews will continue almost until the end of the seven years by which time he will have succeeded in killing two-thirds of them. Those Jews whom the Lord will preserve alive will be those who have proven receptive to spiritual truth, and He will bring eternal salvation to them all. Upon Israel's reception of the Lord Yeshua as their Messiah, He will return to earth, destroy the army that Antichrist has gathered from around the world to destroy the Jews, crush all satanic world power and mode of operation, and slay Antichrist. These events will bring the Tribulation to a close after which a brief transitional period will follow before the commencement of the Millennium or Messianic Kingdom. During this transitional period,
three significant events will occur: Some assume that these brothers of mine are those who are already saved, but consider: During the second half of the Tribulation, Antichrist will launch a tremendous campaign to annihilate all Jews; and in the Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats passage it is obvious that these brothers of mine is a distinct group from the sheep, who are already saved. If the saved will provide aid to a group distinct from themselves, who else can these brothers of Yeshua refer to but the Jews? There is no other group. Therefore, these brothers of mine must refer to the persecuted Jews. The "goats" will be those who refuse to aid the Jews, and will be killed and cast into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. The respective salvation and condemnation of the sheep and the goats will not be on the basis of their works, but their works in regard to the persecuted Jews will evidence the state of their hearts. See James 2:17-18. Having thus cleansed the earth of all satanic influence and human opposition, the Lord Yeshua will assume His earthly throne and thus mark the beginning of His Messianic or Millennial reign. The remainder of this study will concern itself with the Messianic Kingdom. Inasmuch as a compilation of the Bible's passages concerning the Kingdom would constitute an entire volume, what is herein presented must be recognized as a much abbreviated outline and summary. II. DESIGNATIONS FOR THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
1. The
Millennium or The Thousand Years
2. The Kingdom, The Kingdom of God, The Kingdom of Heaven, The Kingdom
of Our Lord and of His Christ Though, in different places in Scripture, "the Kingdom of God" refers to different realms over which God reigns as King, one of its meanings is the future earthly Messianic Kingdom. This is seen in Luke 22:17-18: 17. And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; 18. for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes." (Also Matthew 3:2; 4:17, et al. Matthew uses kingdom of heaven where other Gospel writers use kingdom of God.)
3. The Messianic Kingdom
4.
Olam Haba, The Age to Come or The World to Come The Kingdom is also called by other names in Scripture: the regeneration (Matthew 19:28); the wedding feast (Matthew 25:10), the times of refreshing (Acts 3:19); the period of restoration (Acts 3:21); the dispensation of the fullness of times (Ephesians 1:10, KJV); perhaps others.
III. THE
PROPHETIC PLACEMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM
There are many passages which place the Kingdom in a particular time frame. Here are some major indicators, which the author has attempted to set in chronological order: A. THE COMING IN OF THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES In Romans 11, Paul instructed,
This passage indicates two things that must occur before the Millennium. The first is that the fullness of the Gentiles must come in. When will this occur? Although multitudes of Gentiles will receive salvation between the time that the church is removed from the earth at the Rapture and the Return of the Lord, the period of the calling out of the fullness of the Gentiles appears to be limited to the Church Age. Consider:
What this means is that the Rapture must precede the Millennium. The second thing that must occur before the Millennium is that THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM [or to or for] ZION, which will be addressed below. The Parable of the Ten Virgins places the wedding feast, a metaphor for the Kingdom, at some period after the Rapture, the Judgment Seat of Messiah in Heaven, and the marriage of the church, the Bride of Messiah, to Messiah, in Heaven. For background, let us turn to this explanation of The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-25), which must be understood on the basis of the Jewish wedding traditions of the day, which those whom Yeshua was addressing knew well:
The garments of the church saints will be cleansed after the Rapture at the Judgment Seat of Messiah where all their unrighteous deeds will be burned as "wood, hay and straw," leaving only their righteous deeds, their "gold, silver and precious stones" (1 Corinthians 3:10-15), thereby preparing the Bride for her marriage to Messiah in heaven.
At some point after the marriage of the church to Messiah in heaven, Messiah and His Bride will return to earth where He will set things in order for the Kingdom. C. THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THE WHOLE WORLD In Matthew 24:14, the Lord declared, This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. The completion of worldwide evangelism during the first half of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7) will prepare the way for the end of satanic rule over the world and the commencement of the Kingdom. D. THE SALVATION OF ALL ISRAEL In Romans 11, Paul instructed,
This passage indicates two things that must occur before the Millennium. The first, that the fullness of the Gentiles must come in, which was addressed above. The second is the salvation of all Israel when THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION and REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. This second requirement seems to say that the Lord will first return to earth and then, at some point, proceed from Mt. Zion in Jerusalem to bring Israel to salvation. This calls for discussion.
Out of
and to are opposite directions. Why
the discrepancy between the Old and New Testament translations? Well, perhaps the New Testament
translators should have translated it to
in conformity with the Old Testament translation. The point is that the valid to or for translation allows for what has been demonstrated in previous studies, namely, that the salvation of Israel will precede the Lord's Return which, in turn, will precede the Millennium.
E. THE
RETURN OF THE LORD
The salvation of all Israel will trigger the Return of the Lord. (Hosea 5:15; Matthew 23:37-39) F. THE FULFILLMENT OF THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES In Luke 21:24, the Lord declared, and they [the Jews] will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Israel will experience military invasion, enslavement and scattering, and Jerusalem will undergo major periods of Gentile control, until the last period of Gentile domination that the Lord has determined will be fulfilled. These times of the Gentiles began with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., and will last until Yeshua purges Jerusalem of Gentile rule, which will occur after the His Return. After this, Israel will no longer experience Gentile persecution and scattering, but will be returned to her Land and be under the protection of the Lord in the Kingdom. G. THE CRUSHING OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S STATUE BY THE STONE In about 601 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, had an amazing dream that was interpreted by his advisor, Daniel. The dream and its interpretation revealed the succession of the world empires that have oppressed Israel and are central to Bible and world history and prophecy: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Rome split into eastern and western divisions, and a coalition of ten kingdoms which will, in turn, be crushed by a stone, which represents Messiah.
All but the ten-kingdom coalition have come and gone. Once it has arisen, the Lord will destroy it upon His Return, and thereby bring down the whole edifice of Gentile empires that have oppressed Israel; and the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. In Leviticus 23, the Lord chose to highlight seven epochal events from the cross to the Kingdom in seven annual prophetic feasts that Israel was to observe under Mosaic Law, namely, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. The first four have been fulfilled respectively by the crucifixion, the sinlessness of the sacrificed Lamb of God, the Lord's resurrection, and the formation of the body of Messiah on the Day of Pentecost. Yet to be fulfilled are Trumpets by the Rapture, the Day of Atonement by the Great Tribulation, and Tabernacles by the Millennial or Messianic Kingdom. The Millennium will occur after the Great Tribulation. In regard to the Lord's first coming, John said, And the Word became flesh, and dwelt (literally, tabernacled) among us (John 1:14). During the Millennium, the Lord will again tabernacle bodily among us, thus fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles. [3] In chronological order, then, the Millennium will occur after the Rapture, the Judgment Seat of Messiah and the marriage of the church to Messiah; after the completion of world evangelism, which will take place in the first half of the Tribulation period; after the salvation of all Israel; after the Return of the Lord; after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, when the Lord will purge Jerusalem of Gentile rule; after the Lord completely crushes and brings down the age-old edifice of Gentile rule over Israel and the world. After having accomplished these tasks, the Lord Yeshua will again tabernacle among His people in the Kingdom. This polemic is given much space in this study because of the devastation brought upon the church and the Jewish people due to the prevalence of unwarranted allegorical interpretation of much of Scripture by church theologians and other teachers. A major early church thrust of unwarranted allegorization was directed at the great multitude of passages concerning the Second Coming and the ensuing Messianic Kingdom, and this thrust was of tidal proportions leading to tidal devastations to this day. Thus the placement of this polemic here. An allegory is an extended or continued metaphor, a story in which characters, places and events are symbolic or representative of ideas, principles or concepts. John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is a perfect and familiar example. There are multitudes today who believe that the biblical descriptions of the Second Coming and the Millennial Kingdom are not to be taken literally, but allegorically, that is, that the Lord will return to rule and reign - not literally, but in the hearts of believers. (The belief that there will be no literal Millennium is called amillennialism.) A recent survey has revealed that one significant reason that millions have left the church in England is because the allegorization of Second Coming and Kingdom prophecies have left them with a sense of hopelessness concerning the future of the planet. [4] As concerns the Jews, allegorization is the parent of Replacement Theology, the belief that Israel has forfeited its position as God's chosen people because of her rejection of Messiah, and that God has replaced Israel with the church as the "new Israel." [5]. In turn, Replacement Theology has led to great persecutions of the Jews by the church and has, for more than seventeen hundred years, caused Jews to abhor the thought of calling Yeshua their Messiah. [6] Normal, logical thinking demands that, if a literary work states that something will take place, it is reasonable to take it literally unless there is good reason to take it symbolically or figuratively. In regard to Scripture, Dr. David Cooper stated it this way:
I must add that, even when "the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise," all such figurative or symbolic phrases or passages ought not to be interpreted fancifully or whimsically, but by means of logical principles of research, with the understanding that their interpretations are grounded in unequivocal literal realities. For example, in Revelation 22:16, Yeshua figuratively refers to Himself as the bright morning star. Simple logic dictates that He did not mean that He is a literal star, or the planet Venus, but that He is the bringer of divine light in a spiritually dark world. Another example is Revelation 12:1, which introduces a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: symbolic language, to be sure; but its concrete, literal meaning is discovered in Genesis 37:9-10. The woman represents the nation of Israel. Three points to consider:
Of the more than thirty translations that I examined, all are unanimous in declaring that all true prophecies are conveyed to the prophet by the Holy Spirit (verse 21). As concerns verse 20, two literal translations emphasize that no true prophet fabricated his prophecy, giving the verse the same basic meaning as verse 21. 20. . . no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition (YLT. Similarly, LITV), which implies that the interpreter of a prophecy must seek its interpretation with godly fear, for its source is God. On the other hand, the great bulk of the translations, including various authoritative ones, place the focus of verse 20 on the interpreter: But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation (NASB. Similarly, ASV, KJV, ISV). If one takes this to be the proper translation, then it implies that Scripture is not a ouija board, and that digging out its meaning it is not akin to reading animal entrails: It is not to be interpreted in a mindless, intuitive state, but by means of sound research carried out under the illumination of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:11-13). To quote the full passage again in a translation that represents the most favored understanding of verse 20, But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21. for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (NASB). To sum up, one must interpret prophecy with a reverence for God who authored it, and seek out the single literal meaning of it that the Spirit intended when He first delivered it. Inasmuch as no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, one must forsake human intuition, and search out its meaning through the use of logic and reason [8] under the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Another important and related principle is that we do not begin with the outcome we desire and then place, force or allegorize the Scriptures into that mold. Examples of where this principle must be held fast are: determining whether the moderate drinking of alcohol is permissible, whether women may teach in the plenary meeting of the church and, to bring the matter to our present focus, whether the Second Coming and Millennium are to be taken literally or figuratively. To do otherwise is to put the cart before the horse - and when the horse pushes, the cart rolls into a ditch dragging the horse in after it. Unwarranted allegorical interpretation forsakes reason and feeds on wishful thinking, whimsy and bias. It invites wholesale eisegesis, the reading into a passage one's own fancies, presuppositions, biases and agendas. It can open the door to doctrines of demons, as it most certainly has (See 1 Timothy 4:1)! Literal interpretation, on the other hand, demands exegesis, the drawing out of a passage that which logic demands is already in it, and nothing else. During the time of Luther, the Protestant Church formulated this very valuable rule: "Do not carry a meaning into [the Scriptures], but draw it out of [the Scriptures]."
There are allegories in Scripture. Galatians 4:22-31 is a good example. Hagar, the bondwoman, represents bondage to the Law, and Sarah, the freewoman, represents the freedom that believers have under the New Covenant. Verse 24 plainly declares, This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants. Pharaoh's dreams of the cows and ears of grain are other allegories as are Nathan's "You are the man" story to King David, and Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue. However, wholesale allegorization is like the stone that brought down Nebuchadnezzar's statue; only in this case, the statue is faith in the written Word of God, and the caster of the stone is the Devil. If one can allegorize away a volume of plainly stated passages regarding the Kingdom, then what is to prevent the allegorization of the Creation and Exodus accounts? Indeed, these accounts have been allegorized. Even the virgin birth has been allegorized. [10] After gutting the Word of God of its literal meaning - after divesting the Son of God of His divinity - what solid ground is left for the seeker or believer to stand on? Unwarranted allegorization is a destroyer of the true meaning of the Word of God and is a hindrance to, and destroyer of, the faith of millions - a destroyer of the church of God. The objections presented here are representative of others and are limited to the issue of the literality of the Millennium. Objection: In Luke 17:21, Yeshua said, the kingdom of God is within you (KJV) or in your midst (NASB). The Kingdom, then, is not an earthly kingdom with a physical King sitting on a physical throne. Response: Whether Yeshua meant that the Kingdom is the reign of God in the hearts of believers, or that the fullness of the Kingdom was within Him who was in the midst of His questioners, it certainly could not refer to a full-fledged earthly Kingdom. Yet, that does not preclude that there are other facets to God's Kingdom. In 1 Samuel 8, Israel desired to replace the LORD with a human king to rule over them in an earthly, governmental sense. The people besought Samuel, 5. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations, and 7. The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Thus we have established that the Kingdom of God can refer to at least two realms of God's kingship: the aspect that is within you or in your midst, and the aspect of God's kingship over ancient Israel known as the Theocratic Kingdom, which began with the giving of the Law and lasted until the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. [11] Therefore, since the Kingdom of God can refer to more than one realm of God's kingship, such passages as Luke 17:21 should not be a stumbling block to believing that there could be a future, literal, earthly kingdom with Yeshua on the throne. Objection: 2 Peter 3:8 says, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Therefore, we cannot take the thousand-year length of the kingdom as a literal millennium. Response: What Peter is saying is, though the Second Advent may seem a long way off to us, it is not far off in the Lord's perspective, and we need to be patient. The thousand years used here is merely representative of a long period of time in our perspective, which does not preclude the possibility of it being used literally in Revelation 20. There is no good reason to take the thousand years in Revelation 20 as having the same representative meaning that it has in 2 Peter 3:8, or as taking it any way other than literally, for Revelation 20 is not narrated from the Lord's time perspective, but from man's. Revelation 20:2-7: 20:3: and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. This verse directly follows verse 2. Why take this same thousand years to be symbolic? The thousand years in each of the following verses obviously refer to the same literal thousand years.
20:5: The rest of the dead did not come to life
until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
Note the phrase the thousand years in verses 3, 5 and 7. The definite object the lends weight to the argument that the thousand years is to be taken literally. Note how the entire passage describes a sequence of events, begging the clarity of a specific, literal time span. Note also how the phrase is repeated six times in rapid succession. In Genesis 1:10-25, and God saw that it was good is repeated five times, and in verse 31, God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Why does Genesis 1 state God saw that it was good six times, once for each phase of creation, and not just once for the whole process? Obviously, for emphasis. Why, in Revelation 2 and 3, does the Lord admonish seven times, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, not just once? Obviously, for emphasis. And there are other such examples. Why does the Lord repeat the phrase a (or the) thousand years six times in Revelation 20? Obviously, for emphasis; and when one seeks to emphasize something, it serves his purpose to state his case as clearly as possible - another reason to believe that the thousand years is to be taken literally. To sum up, the points of evidence for believing that the thousand years in Revelation 20 is to be taken literally are:
1.
The entire We
Believe statement of the Association of
Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of
Page 1 of this compendium.
By Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum* * All of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's publications are available at Ariel Ministries in various formats, many for free listening. By Dr. David L. Cooper "The Millennial Reign of Christ" section of "What We Believe." Cooper, Dr. David L. "Biblical Research Studies Group-What We Believe." Biblical Research Studies Group. Web. 27 Dec. 2013. http://biblicalresearch.info/page792.html.
By Dr. Louis Sperry Chafer
The Messianic Kingdom ~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~ THE MILLENNIAL OR MESSIANIC KINGDOM B. THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM RECAPITULATION OF PRIOR FUTURE EVENTS In our Last Things series, we have thus far seen that every member of the body of Messiah, whether living or deceased, will be lifted from the earth and given a glorified body in an event called the Rapture. At some point after the Rapture, the Lord will bring judgment upon the earth during a seven-year period called The Great Tribulation, which will be followed by a brief transitional period before the commencement of the Kingdom. During the Tribulation and transitional period, the Lord will destroy every ungodly human institution, and all who will not repent will be killed. Multitudes from all over the world will repent in response to the preaching of 144,000 Israelites, and multitudes from among that multitude will be martyred. In mid-Tribulation, Antichrist will claim divinity, prohibit all Temple worship, and engage in a campaign to destroy every believer still alive, every Jew, and even the returned Lord Himself. His persecution of the Jews will continue almost until the end of the seven years by which time he will have succeeded in killing two-thirds of them. Those Jews whom the Lord will preserve alive will be those who had proven receptive to spiritual truth, and He will save them all. Upon Israel's reception of the Lord Yeshua as their Messiah, He will return to earth, destroy the army that Antichrist will have gathered from around the world to destroy the Jews, crush all satanic world power and mode of operation, and slay Antichrist. These events and others to be mentioned below will bring the Tribulation and the transitional period to a close, which will be followed immediately by the dawning of the Messianic Age or Millennium. The 75-Day Transitional Period That such a period will exist, and that it will last for seventy-five days, may be shown thusly:
In the middle of the week [literally, seven; seven years, the Great Tribulation period] he [the prince of verse 26, Antichrist] will break his treaty with the many [the majority in Israel], take over the temple by force, cause worship to cease, and persecute the Jews for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (Revelation 12:6) until he is slain at the Lord's Return (2 Thessalonians 2:8), which brings the Tribulation to a close. Based on thirty-day months, one thousand two hundred and sixty days is equal to three and a half years. Daniel 12:11-12: 11. From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12. How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! In mid-tribulation, Antichrist not only prohibits all Jewish Temple worship, but the wing of abominations (9:27) or the abomination of desolation (12:11) is set up. In the Old Testament, abomination is often used in reference to an idol (e.g., Deuteronomy 27:15). Now according to Daniel 12:11, the Abomination of Desolation will remain standing thirty days beyond the end of the Tribulation (1290 minus 1260), and 12. How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days, which must certainly refer to the commencement of the Kingdom Age. The Kingdom Age begins 1,335 days after the midpoint of the Tribulation, and the Tribulation ends 1,260 days after the midpoint. Thus, there is a transitional period of seventy-five days from the end of the Tribulation until the commencement of the Kingdom (1,335 minus 1,260). 2. Significant Events during the Transitional Period We have seen thus
far that during this transitional period, three
significant events will occur: Other significant
events will occur, as well. To place them all in a
logical order, though not necessary the actual order
in which they will occur, they are: Having cleansed the earth of all satanic influence and human opposition and gathered together all who are His since Adam, the Lord will assume His earthly throne and thus mark the beginning of His Messianic or Millennial reign. Part 2: THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM Part 2 will address the inhabitants of the Kingdom; and Part 3, our next study, key aspects of Kingdom life. Inasmuch as a compilation of the Bible's passages concerning the Kingdom would constitute a book, what is presented must be recognized as a much abbreviated outline and summary. AMC STATEMENT: KINGDOM EXCERPTS (1)
V. WHO WILL INHABIT THE KINGDOM? Scripture makes in plain that there will be human, animal and plant inhabitants, and we will address the possibility of holy angel inhabitant. There will be demons present on earth in two restricted areas, but we will deal with that in our next study. The human inhabitants of the Kingdom may be categorized into three groups based on time periods:
1. God's People on Earth at Tribulation's Close God's people on
earth at Tribulation's close will be Yeshua Himself,
the body of Messiah which had returned with Him, the
saved Jews and the sheep Gentiles.
c. The Jews Saved During the Tribulation 2. Those Returned Alive to Earth During the Transitional Period This group is
comprised of those who will be resurrected and those
who will be returned to earth, body and soul, from
Heaven. The bodies of the resurrected will already
be on earth in some form and will be joined with
their spirits, which are now in Heaven. Those who
will be returned to earth, body and soul, from
Heaven are Enoch and Elijah, who had been raptured
in Old Testament times, and the two witnesses, who
will have been raptured in mid-Tribulation.
1) The Old Testament Saints Context indicates that His elect refers to Israelite saints. The Lord will send forth His angels to gather the bodies of deceased Israelites from the earth to join their spirits gathered from Heaven. Daniel 12:1-2 provides the timing.
Your people, Daniel's people, are the Jews. After the time of distress, the Tribulation, those deceased Israelites worthy of everlasting life will be resurrected to dwell in the Kingdom. That they will remain on earth to dwell in the Kingdom is made plain by passages we are yet to look at. Those unworthy will be resurrected at the very end of the Millennium to face the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11).
b) The
Old Testament Gentile Saints
There are
three groups, all of which include or are
comprised solely of Gentile saints, that Yeshua
must have had in mind when he said,
many will
come from east and west, and recline at the
table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven. An important thing to note is that the gathering must be from outside of Israel to Israel because Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, being Jews, will dwell in the Land. Numerous passages declare that all Jews in the Kingdom will dwell in the Land, e.g., Ezekiel 36:24-28:
2. The Body of Messiah 3. The Sheep
Gentiles I cannot conceive of Yeshua not having any of the three groups in mind when He made the declaration; and for the Old Testament Gentile saints to enjoy the Kingdom, they must be resurrected prior to Kingdom; and Scripture does not indicate, nor is there any reason to believe that they will be resurrected during the grim time of the Great Tribulation. The only reasonable conclusion is that they will be resurrected during the transitional period at or about the same time as the Old Testament Israelite saints. Apart from the passage, another way of looking at it is this: The Old Testament Gentile saints will certainly need to be resurrected in time for the Eternal Ages that will follow the Kingdom, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:50), and no resurrection of any these groups is said to occur after the Millennium begins;and again, there is no reason to believe that they will be resurrected during the grim time of the Great Tribulation. The only reasonable conclusion is that they will be resurrected during the transitional period at or about the same time as the Old Testament Israelite saints.
c) The
Martyred Tribulation Saints
b.
Those Returned to Earth from Heaven
2) The Two Witnesses 3. Those Born into the Kingdom As we will see further, some will enter the Kingdom with glorified bodies, and some with natural bodies; and according to Matthew 22:28-30, no one with a glorified body can bear children: For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. However, those who enter the kingdom with natural bodies will bear children who, like their parents, will have natural bodies; and they too will bear children. B. WILL HOLY ANGELS DWELL ON EARTH IN THE KINGDOM? Angels will return to earth with Yeshua and the body of Messiah (Matthew 25:31), an angel will bind Satan in the abyss for the duration of the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-3) and angels will gather all Old Testament Jewish believers to the Promised land (Daniel 12:1-2; Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27); but will the angels remain on earth beyond these events? These passages and Hebrews 1:14 may be indicators, as well as the fact that the angels worship Him (Hebrews 1:6); but I have searched in vain for a passage that states plainly that they will. I must therefore conclude that Scripture simply does not say. Such passages as Isaiah 65:25a and Micah 4:4 show that there will be animals and plants in the Kingdom: Isaiah 65:25a: The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. Micah 4:4: Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. VI. THE NATURES OF KINGDOM INHABITANTS A. THE BODILY NATURES OF KINGDOM INHABITANTS
1. The Bodily Natures of People in the Kingdom
c. Those Resurrected During the Transitional Period
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life: The passage refers specifically to the bodies of the deceased faithful in Daniel's day. Not only will their spirits experience eternal life, but their bodies will awaken to everlasting life. If these saints will arise in their natural bodies, which would die again, it could not be said that their bodies will awaken to everlasting life. The passage must certainly refer to resurrection in glorified bodies. 1 Corinthians 15:23 speaks of Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming. Messiah is the first fruits of those who will receive their glorified bodies. These will include all the righteous who will be resurrected during the transitional period, namely, the Old Testament saints and the martyred Tribulation saints. From these passages we can conclude that not only will those who return from Heaven possess glorified bodies, but also all of the righteous who will be resurrected during the transitional period will have glorified bodies, as well.
2. The Bodily Natures of Animals and Plants in the
Kingdom Micah 4:4: Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. If lions will be eating straw, there must of necessity be modifications in the bodies of at least some animals: Perhaps lions will have flat teeth, which are common to herbivores today, and modified digestive systems; also of some plants as well, such as the presently flesh-eating Venus flytrap. In addition, the thorns on at least some plants are thought to be modified or unopened leaves. If all plants and animals will be benign in the Kingdom, then perhaps what are now thorns will open to become beautiful leaves, evidencing the lifting of the thorns and thistles aspect of the Adamic curse (Genesis 3:18). Even so, we can assume that plant and animal bodies and structures will be natural and not glorified as Scripture simply does not say that they will be glorified. Further, the serpent must of necessity have a natural body as the Isaiah passage declares that the curse of Genesis 3:14 will still be residing upon it. B. THE SPIRITUAL NATURES OF KINGDOM INHABITANTS
1. The Spiritual Natures of Those with Glorified
Bodies
2. The Spiritual Natures of Those with Natural
Bodies
3.
The Nature of Plants and Animals
Isaiah 65:25a: The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. At the time of the renovation of the earth for the Kingdom, the behaviors of animals and of at least some plants will be changed. Animals will not devour or harm one another or harm even a little child. Further, if the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den, then it follows that the Lord will not allow any poisons that animals or plants may retain to harm anyone. More likely, animals and plants that are now poisonous will be purged of poisons.
1. The entire We Believe statement of the Association of Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of Page 1 of this compendium. 2. For the nature of glorified bodies, see 1 Corinthians 15:36-50. By Dr. Arnold G.
Fruchtenbaum* * All of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's publications are available at Ariel Ministries in various formats, many for free listening and reading. By Dr. David L. Cooper By Norman Manzon
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~
THE MILLENNIAL OR MESSIANIC KINGDOM
We will begin with a restatement of those declarations in the AMC statement that have relevance to the Kingdom. Those aspects of it that have not yet been addressed will be addressed in this and subsequent studies. AMC STATEMENT: KINGDOM EXCERPTS [1]
Beyond all other factors, two will dominate the Kingdom: the renovation of the heavens and the earth, which will determine the physical environment of the Kingdom, and the divine presence, which will determine its spiritual environment. VIII. THE RENOVATION OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind (Isaiah 65:17). Also 2 Peter 3:13, which references the Isaiah verse: But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. A. WILL THE HEAVEN OF GOD BE RENOVATED? It is clear that the earth will be renovated, but not so clear as to which heavens will be renovated. This may be illustrated by John Gill's comment regarding the word heaven in the Genesis 1:1 creation account: "By the heaven some understand the supreme heaven, the heaven of heavens, the habitation of God, and of the holy angels." [2] If some "understand" that the heaven of creation is God's Heaven, then some may also understand that the heavens of the Isaiah and Peter passages may include God's Heaven. Let us consider the matter. There are those who believe that Scripture speaks of two heavens. One is the Heaven where God dwells: He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God (Matthew 16:16), and the other refers to all of the universe that is above the surface of the earth, which we commonly refer to as the atmosphere (atmosphere-stratosphere-ionosphere) and outer space. If it is true that there are but two heavens, then it would seem that one of the heavens that will be necessarily be renovated is the Heaven where God dwells - but there are other factors to consider. Firstly, in 2 Corinthians 12:2, Paul writes of a third heaven: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago - whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows - such a man was caught up to the third heaven. The People's New Testament comments, "The third heaven. A Jewish expression for that heaven which was beyond (1) the air, and (2) beyond the sun and stars; the secret place of the Almighty." Albert Barnes (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible) agrees:
This being the case, then the heavens of the Isaiah 65:17 and 2 Peter 3:13 could easily refer to the two heavens of the atmosphere and outer space, exclusive of the Heaven where God dwells. Secondly, heaven in the Hebrew is always in the plural even when it is used in such phrases as birds of heaven (1 Kings 21:24) - and birds can exist only in the atmosphere, one heaven; and the stars of heaven (Genesis 26:4) - and the stars of the night sky exist only in outer space, one heaven. It is because heaven in the Hebrew is always in the plural that Genesis 1:1 is often translated, In the beginning, God created the heaven (singular) and the earth, and often, In the beginning, God created the heavens (plural) and the earth. Therefore, even if one holds the two heaven view, heavens can still refer solely to the single heaven of the natural world, the atmosphere-outer space heaven, exclusive of the Heaven of God. To sum up thus far,
whether one holds the two-heaven or three-heaven view, the
renovation does not need to include the Heaven where Yet, the question remains unanswered: Will God's Heaven be among those heavens that will be renovated? But why would it have to be renovated? Can it even be defiled or corrupted? Hebrews 9:11-12 tells us that, after His crucifixion, Messiah cleansed the tabernacle in Heaven with His own blood:
Whether Heaven itself was actually defiled by Satan's rebellion and subsequent activity there (such as his slander of Job or accusation of the brethren in our present age) or whether Hebrews 9:11-12 is a picture of the acceptance of Messiah's sacrifice by God, one thing is certain: When Messiah cleansed the heavenly tabernacle through His own blood, He cleansed it of all possible satanic defilement there whether by sins committed by Satan past or future to that event - just as He cleanses us of all defilement through His own blood at the moment of our salvation whether by sins committed by us past or future to that event. The point is this: Whether Heaven is impervious to defilement or whether it was cleansed of defilement, it will not need to be renovated because of defilement. Romans 8:22-23 lends clarity to what will be renovated:
It is the matter-energy-space-time creation that groans and suffers because of the curse of sin, and it will do so until our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body, meaning that after the saints receive their glorified bodies at the Rapture, the Lord will move to bring about those conditions that will set the stage for the renovation of our present curse-ridden physical universe. The Heaven where God dwells will not be included in the renovation. What will be renovated will be the physical universe that now bears the curse of sin, which leads us to consider an important distinction. These new
heavens and new earth
must be distinguished from the new heaven
and new earth introduced in
Revelation 21:1 and described in chapters 21 and 22, for two reasons:
C. WHEN WILL THE
RENOVATION TAKE PLACE?
During the seventy-five day interval between the Great Tribulation and the Kingdom Age, the Lord will purge the earth by the removal of the Abomination of Desolation from the Temple, the casting of the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the Lake of Fire, the casting of Satan into the abyss, and the casting of the goat Gentiles into the Lake of Fire; and the Lord's pattern throughout Scripture is to first purge by judgment and then rebuild. Evidently then, the renovation will take place at some point or duration of time after this purging. However, this does not clarify whether the renovation will take place before the end of the seventy-five day period, during the Kingdom, or begin before the end of the seventy-five day interval and continue on into the Millennium. But let's consider further. Every indication in Scripture is that the entire thousand years of the Kingdom will be characterized by a marvelously renewed earth. Consider, for example, Micah 4:4: Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. Can it be imagined that conditions during any part of the Millennium would be otherwise? It would appear, therefore, that the renovation must be completed before the Millennium begins. From these clues we can safely
conclude that the
renovation will take place at some point or duration of time after the Lord purges the earth during
the seventy-five day interval and before the beginning of the Millennium.
To clarify, regeneration here does not refer to the regeneration of human spirits, but to the renovation of the heavens and the earth. (According to the IVP Bible Background Commentary, "'Regeneration' was a term used for the future renewal of the world in Greek circles and naturally applied to Jewish expectations of a new world order.") But does the regeneration refer to the period when the regeneration would take place over a period of time, or does it refer to the period when the regeneration will already have taken place? Of the thirty or so translations I have examined, many are ambiguous, as the NASB translation of Matthew 19:28, above, and a few would cause one to believe that the renovation will take place during the Kingdom; but far more translate it as referring to the period after which the renovation had already taken place, that is, the Kingdom. For example, in the new age (AMP); in the future world (CEV); in the regenerated world (CEJ); the time of the new world (ERV); in the New Age (GNB); in the world to come (GW); in the renewed creation (ISV); in the new world (Murdock). Consistent with these translations, John Gill refers to the regeneration as "the new state of things." It is safe to say that the renovation of the new heavens and the new earth will take place at some point or duration of time after the purging of the earth during the seventy-five day period, and before the commencement of the Kingdom Age. As the renovation of the earth will characterize and determine the physical environment of the Kingdom, so will the nature of the divine presence on earth - specifically, the overwhelming and dominating influence of the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach (Messiah Yeshua) and the Holy Spirit - characterize the Kingdom's spiritual environment. Various aspects of the presence and sway of these two divine Persons will be addressed in due time, as will aspects of the renovated earth, but now we'll look at some chief passages that prophesy their presence. A. THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD YESHUA HAMASHIACH (MESSIAH YESHUA) Although the Lord had been physically present on earth in various appearances as the Angel of the LORD (Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23; 2 Kings 19:35; et al) and during His sojourn as Yeshua, He had never on any of those occasions reigned as King; but in the Kingdom He will reign as King over Israel and over the whole earth. Some of the passages that prophesy the kingship and sway of the Lord during the Kingdom Age are as follows. The sequence of events in these passages overlap, but I have set them in chronological order according to their key thrusts: God Promises the Son the Throne of David
From the Great Tribulation to the Kingdom
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
The King Will Sit on His Throne
B. THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Though the Spirit had been present on earth both before and during the days of Yeshua, He will be present in an overwhelming way in the Kingdom as prophesied in these Old Testament passages presented in the order in which they appear in Scripture: [4]
Technically, the Zechariah event will take place near the end of the Tribulation; but we can be sure that the Spirit poured out upon Israel then will remain with them throughout the Kingdom because during that period and beyond they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them (Jeremiah 31:34). These two Persons, who hold the authority of Creators of the earth, will exercise their authority in the Kingdom in marvelous ways. The result of their sway? The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). The renovation of the heavens and the earth and the presence of the Lord Yeshua and the Holy Spirit operating in their full authority are the two foundational realities that together will constitute the physical and spiritual environments of the Kingdom and set the tone for all else that will take place on earth during the Kingdom Age.
1. The entire We Believe statement of the Association of Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of Page 1 of this compendium. 2. Gill, John. Exposition of the Whole Bible.
3. Compare formless and void
in Genesis 1:2 with the its uses in Jeremiah 4:23-24 and the use of
desolation and
emptiness in Isaiah 34:11. For a complete discussion, see Dr.
Fruchtenbaum's Messianic Bible Study 186: The Seven Days of Creation, listed
below.
By Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum All of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's publications are available at Ariel Ministries in various formats, many for free listening.
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~ THE MILLENNIAL OR MESSIANIC KINGDOM
The Messianic Kingdom is part of an extended series of studies in support of the We Believe statement of The Association of Messianic Congregations. Much groundwork for this present study has been laid in the three prior studies of the series, links to which are located below the title above. It might be good for the reader to review them so that the present study might be more fully understood in its historical and other contexts. For an even firmer foundation, the following studies by the author, all on this page, might likewise be reviewed: The Destinies of the Dead, The Rapture, The Great Tribulation and The Second Coming of the Lord. Much of what has been examined in these studies will be touched on here, but not treated as fully as before. It is worth stating again that it is extremely important to realize that the prophesied Kingdom is a literal, earthly Kingdom in which Yeshua will reign bodily as king over Israel and the world. A polemic in support of this is presented in section IV of The Messianic Kingdom - Part 1: Introduction, above. Also as previously mentioned, a compilation of the Bible's passages concerning the Kingdom would constitute a book. It must therefore be recognized that what is herein presented is, of necessity, a much abbreviated outline and summary. Before we begin, credit must be given where credit is due. The works of a platoon of scholars have supported my research for this and other end time studies, but I must cite the works of Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum in particular, especially The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. Footsteps is an 800-page easy read considered by many to be the clearest and most convincing exposition of end time prophesies available. It has served as an invaluable resource in my personal studies over the years and in my composition of this and other end time studies, and I cannot close this paragraph without thanking Dr. Fruchtenbaum for the tens of thousands of hours that he has dedicated to study and production of the body of works that he has which, on a broader scope, has enabled me to get a stronger grasp of the broader body of biblical truth. Having said all of that, I hasten to add that I have not played the part of the talking parrot, but have regularly and laboriously followed the path of the "noble-minded" Bereans of Acts 17:11, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so, and have composed my studies accordingly. As in previous Kingdom studies, we will begin with a restatement of those declarations in the AMC's We Believe statement that have relevance to the Kingdom. AMC STATEMENT: KINGDOM EXCERPTS [1]
What will be the spiritual condition of our planet during the Millennium? What will be the determining factors? A. THE PRESENCE OF YESHUA AND THE SPIRIT Above all other factors, the overall spiritual condition of the Kingdom will be determined by the bodily reign of Yeshua over the world and by the superabundant presence of the Spirit. The reality of these factors was addressed in Part 3: The Two Foundational Realities, above. B. THE CONFINEMENT OF SATAN AND HIS DEMONS In stark contrast to the overwhelming presence and spiritual influence of the Son of God and the Spirit of God is the confinement of Satan and his demons, rendering their destructive, tormenting and deceptive influences null and void. Satan himself will be bound in the Abyss (Revelation 20:2-3), and his demons will be confined to two locations on earth, addressed below. To sum up thus far, the powerful influence of Satan will be eliminated while the far more powerful influences of the God-Man Yeshua and the Spirit will be released. C. THE NON-DIVINE PERSONS IN THE KINGDOM 1. The Groups
in General Those in glorified bodies will be in a state of confirmed creaturely holiness: The sin nature will have been purged from their spirits, they will think only holy thoughts, perform only holy acts, and be absolutely incapable of sinning. Those in mortal bodies, though saved, will retain their sin natures, will be able to sin, and will parent mortal children who themselves will have sin natures and be able to sin (Isaiah 11:8, 65:20; Zechariah 14:17-19; Revelation 20:7-9), which explains why it will be necessary for the Lord to rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 12:5 and 19:15, based on Psalm 2:9). [2] On the basis of such passages as 2 Peter 3:9 (The Lord is . . . not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance), and the fact that He will have applied that principle to every mortal since Adam, we can be sure that all unsaved mortals in the Kingdom will likewise be given the opportunity to either receive the Lord and be saved, or to reject Him and be eternally condemned. 2. The
Jews
"They will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD. Ezekiel also declares the salvation of Israel, and adds that they will walk in holiness:
All Jews in the Kingdom will be saved from the least of them to the greatest of them, and every one of them will walk in holiness. 3. The
Gentiles
D. THE ABSENCE OF INSTITUTIONALIZED Although unbelief and sin will reside in the hearts of many, no false religion or philosophy will be allowed to become institutionalized. The Lord destroyed the false church and the worship of Antichrist during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 17:16, 19:20-21), and we can be sure that He will never allow a glimmer of such to arise again, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). E. THE ABSENCE OF IDOLATRY AND OCCULT PRACTICES Not only will the institutionalization of false religions and philosophies be disallowed, but idolatry and occultism will be disallowed, as well.
The government in the Kingdom will not be a democracy. It will be a monarchy, and an absolute one, at that. (This says nothing about what may or may not be the ideal form of government in any of today's political entities.) The God-Man will be its Head, making it a theocracy, a government in which God is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. (God, of course, has always been absolute Ruler over everything. He had absolute authority over Israel in the days of the kings, but He was not recognized as the supreme civil ruler: the kings were.) B. GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITIES AND POSITIONS There will be a chain of governmental command over the whole earth. 1. Participants in the First Resurrection: Priests of God and of Messiah
All saints of all previous ages who had heretofore been resurrected will reign with Messiah in some capacity for the duration of the Millennium. This group is comprised of all Old and New Testament saints, both Jewish and Gentile, the two Tribulation witnesses and all martyred Tribulation saints. Surely, Enoch and Elijah, who had never seen death but had been drawn up directly into Heaven, will reign, as well. Most of the following authorities, including Jesus, are part of the first resurrection group.
2.
Messiah Yeshua: King of the World Zechariah 14:9: And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. Revelation 11:15: The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever. In Revelation 19:16, He is entitled King of kings, which is a Hebrew way of saying "the greatest of all kings." [5] (John, the author, was a Jew). The passage also reveals Him as King of kings in another sense, as the divine King taking dominion over all of earth's mortal kings. Other passages are Psalm 2:6-8, 72:1-19; Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-10, 16:15; Jeremiah 33:14-17; Revelation 12:7, 19:15. 3.
Messiah Yeshua: King of Israel
4. David: King
of Israel
which means, "David, King of Israel, lives, lives, and continues to live!" According to Wikipedia, the song's origin is rabbinic and expresses the hope of the coming Messiah, born of David's line. [6] Nevertheless, it is true that literal David will reign over Israel along with Messiah, Son of David. Surely it will be a joyous occasion when saved Israel in the Millennium will see their resurrected King David reigning over Israel from his glorious throne. He will obviously reign as king under King Messiah. Jeremiah 30:9: But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
If there is any doubt as to whether David may be taken as a symbol of Messiah the Son of David (Matthew 1:1, 21:9, et al), identifying the Speaker in the verse clears it up. In verses 11-22, the Speaker declares that He will search for His sheep; seek them out; care for His sheep; feed His sheep; lead them to rest; bring back the scattered; bind and strengthen the sick. In John 10:7-18, Yeshua identified Himself as the good Shepherd Who lays down His life for the sheep, and the Gospels portray how He carried out all that the good shepherd was prophesied to do in Ezekiel 34. Then, in verse 24, the Speaker, Yeshua, the one we have identified as King over Israel, declares that he will set a second person, My servant David, to be prince among them: Two separate people.
Again to distinguish between the LORD their God and David their king: Two chapters later, in 5:15, Hosea identifies the LORD whom they will seek as the One who has left earth and will return: Yeshua.
In the passages cited, David is referred to variously as king and prince. He will be king over Israel, but in relation to Yeshua, Israel's Arch-King, he will be a prince.
5. The Twelve Apostles: Over the Twelve Tribes of Israel
The regeneration in the Matthew passage refers to that period during which earth will have been renewed, namely, the Millennium. Though today it is impossible to know with absolute certainty which tribe any Jew belongs to, it will be made clear in the Kingdom; and a territory will be set aside for each tribe over which one of the apostles will rule under David, king over all Israel. Twelve apostles? Judas, the son of perdition, was never saved - so who will be the twelfth apostle: Matthias (Acts 1:26)? Paul? Someone else? We will find out for certain in the Kingdom.
6. Princes,
Judges and Counselors: In Israel The princes in Ezekiel 45:8 appear to be the twelve apostles, each of whom will rule over a tribe: My princes shall no longer oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes. As a whole, though, the three designations will likely include others, as well.
7.
Zerubbabel: Like a Signet Ring
A signet ring was worn by kings and others in high authority to impress their seal in wax. The Lord was pleased with Zerubbabel and promised him a position of high authority on that day, meaning, in the Kingdom. What position he will hold and over whom he will hold it is not stated. 8.
Israel: Over the Gentile Nations
Israel will rule over her former oppressors and will also take individuals from among them as male servants and female servants . . . as an inheritance in the land of the LORD, namely, Israel.
In verse 11, Gentile kings will be led in procession to bring tribute to Israel. Note, in particular, verses 12 and 16: For the nation and the Kingdom which will not serve you will perish, and the nations will be utterly ruined. . . . You will also suck the milk of nations and suck the breast of kings. Though the following passage does not apply directly because it is contingent upon obedience to the Mosaic Law, which was rendered inoperative at the cross, [7] yet it sums up very nicely what the Lord will bring about upon Israel's future obedience to the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:17-20, 36:24-28; Zechariah 13:1; Romans 11:25-27, et al).
9. The Church and the Tribulation Martyrs: Over the Gentiles
Two groups are mentioned: those to whom judgment was given and those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus. As to the identity of the first group, consider what Paul said to the Corinthian assembly in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3: 2. Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? . . . . 3. Do you not know that we will judge angels? Those to whom judgment was given refers to the church. As to when the church will judge angels will be taken up in a future study, but Revelation 20:6 shows that the saints will judge the world during the Millennium. This is stated again in 2 Timothy 2:12: If we endure, we will also reign with Him. As to the identity of the second group, those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus refers to the Tribulation martyrs. As concerns both groups, they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. A great many from both groups, if not all, will rule over the Gentile nations, as will be made clear immediately.
10. Kings:
Over the Gentile Nations In the context of the Millennium as a whole, a great many of these kings, if not all, will be Gentiles. We know this because there will be rebels among them, and every Jew in the Kingdom will be serving the Lord in holiness (Ezekiel 36:27). Another conclusion that can be drawn is that Israel, the church and the Tribulation saints, all being true servants of the Lord, will be placed in authority over the kings of the Gentile nations. Thus far we have seen that Israel, the church and the Tribulation martyrs will rule over the Gentiles. How these groups will interrelate in their mutual rulership remains to be seen. XIII. CIVIL LAW IN THE KINGDOM There will be civil laws and judgments that must be obeyed. There will also be laws relating to Millennial Temple worship, which will likewise be taken up in a future study; but for now, we'll establish the fact that there will be civil laws.
Micah 4:1-2 reads exactly the same, except where Isaiah says, For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem, Micah says, For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3. And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. The law that will go forth from Zion will include both Temple law and civil law. The declaration, He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations shows that many of the civil judgments rendered by Yeshua will be on an international scale. All of His judgments will carry the force of law; and when necessary and called for, He will enforce them with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27, 12:5, 19:15). He will likewise render judgments concerning the poor: But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked (Isaiah 11:4). Inasmuch as there will be civil laws and judgments proceeding from Yeshua, there must certainly be the same proceeding from David, the apostles, and those serving under them.
XIV. LIVING CONDITIONS
IN THE KINGDOM
Earth's present condition bears the scars and devastations of sin on every hand: in extremes in weather, earthquakes, lava flows and tsunamis, in crop damage due to locusts and other infestations, in the injuriousness of mankind on personal and international levels, in the destruction and poisoning of the environment by careless humanity, and in the countless illnesses, diseases and injuries that afflict the human race and all living things. However, in the renewed earth under the personal stewardship of King Yeshua, none of these conditions will prevail nor even be remembered: For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind (Isaiah 65:17). The following passages are a few among the many that reveal living conditions in the Kingdom:
Many Kingdom passages describing a bountiful earth and copacetic social conditions are actually specific to Israel. For example, the Arabah in Isaiah 35:1,6, often translated desert, is the name of a desert area south of the Dead Sea; Carmel and Sharon in verse 2 are places in Israel; the mountain of the house of the LORD in Isaiah 2:2 is Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, a literal mountain on which the Millennial temple will be built. However, although such blessings will exist in Israel, there are plenty of indications that similar conditions will exist throughout the earth, not counting areas of localized judgments. To begin with, the entire earth will have been renovated (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13); similarly, the blessings of peace, security and prosperity described in the Micah passage are in the context of many nations (verse 2), and the reason given in the Isaiah 11 passage for the docility of animals is in the context of the earth (verse 9). Areas that were formerly deserts will be bountiful botanical gardens (Isaiah 35:1). Yahveh Tsid-KE-nu, Jehovah Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6), will teach the nations to walk in His paths (Micah 2:2). As such, they will normally resolve their differences peacefully between themselves; but when necessary, the Lord will personally resolve their disputes. If any choose to rebel against His judgment, with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked (Isaiah 11:4) when necessary so that armed conflict will be a thing of the past. He will likewise bring justice to the poor and afflicted. No longer will some be basking in a surfeit of luxury while others suffer in poverty and want. The Lord will see to it that each person will enjoy a comfortable, bountiful, beautiful, secure place in which to dwell: Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid (Micah 4:4). [8] He will also heal all physical maladies: 5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. (Isaiah 35:5-6) Isaiah 35:5-6 is specific to Jews that will recently have been ransomed at the end of the Tribulation and be returning to Israel (verse 8), yet it is hard to imagine that such healing and health will not be the condition of all the ransomed in the Kingdom. Due to the abundance of nutritious food, a healthy environment and greatly improved human relationships, the overall health of the human race will greatly exceed what it is today as evidenced by the fact that one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed (Isaiah 65:20). But how is it that there will be the poor and physically afflicted in the Kingdom to begin with? Those who enter in glorified bodies will have been lifted to the pinnacle and epitome of human health and vitality and will be living on a plane far above such physical needs as food and sleep. But those who "walk into" the Kingdom from the Great Tribulation will be in their natural, mortal bodies and will have endured the great devastations of that terrible time, as well as persecutions, being either Jewish, or being Gentiles who withstood the dictates of Antichrist and offered succor to the persecuted Jews (Matthew 25:31-45). Surely, many from both groups will be in poverty and poor health when they enter, and surely, it seems, the passages of healing and prosperity will apply to them all, not just the Jews. Furthermore, they will bear descendants who will likewise be in their natural bodies; but the passages that speak of the bountifulness of the earth and of economic well being seem to declare that, as with war, hunger and want will be a thing of the past as a general rule. (There will be national and familial judgments: Droughts, plagues and fire from Heaven are mentioned [Isaiah 60:12; Zechariah 14:16-19; Revelation 20:9].) Isaiah 65:20 tells us that there will also be death in the Kingdom, at least for unbelievers, who will die at the latest at the age of a hundred. Isaiah 11:4 also shows that there will be death by capital punishment. Isaiah 65:20 also declares that there will be no infant mortality and implies that believers will live far beyond a hundred, possibly not dying at all. XV. IMPERFECTIONS IN THE KINGDOM The Kingdom will be a paradise compared to our present state, but it will not be a pre-Fall edenic paradise. Certain of the aspects of the Adamic curse will be eliminated (such as the violence of animals) and others mitigated (such as the devastations of the planet's geography), but it will not be totally devoid of the curse or of judgment for sin.
Please note that the following have reference only to those in their natural bodies:
Though these sin-based phenomena will be present in the Kingdom, yet, the overall level of holiness and quality of life will be breathtakingly closer to perfection than they are in our present age. Absolute perfection must await the Eternal Ages beyond the Millennium. ~ In our next Kingdom study, we will focus on Israel in the Kingdom and on Kingdom worship. Shalom,
1. The entire We Believe statement of the Association of Messianic Congregations may be found near the top of Page 1 of this compendium. 2. Here is an interesting contrast: Whereas Adam and Eve succumbed to sin via the Devil's temptation before they had the sin nature, those in the Kingdom in natural bodies will have the sin nature; and though the Devil and his demons will be bound and cannot tempt, they will be tempted of their own sin nature to sin, and will sin. 3. Assyria is now "primarily Iraq and parts of Syria." Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 1982. P. 498. 4. Asherim are idols of the false goddess Asherah. 5. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. Biblical Lovemaking: A Study of the Song of Solomon. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 1983. P. 1. 6. "David Melech Yisrael." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, n.d. Web. 30Nov.2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Melech_Yisrael>. 7. See The Abolition of the Law on Page 2 of this compendium. 8. The phrase under his vine and under his fig tree is not to be taken literally, though it may be the actual case for many. It is an idiom for personal prosperity. In 2 Kings 18:31, the Assyrian general Rabshakeh shouted to the people of Judah,
9. Also, see "Esau" in The Satanic and Human Aspects of Anti-Semitism on Page 2 of this compendium. Babylon
Babylon will burn throughout the Millennium. (Forever and similar translations in Scripture often mean until the end of a person's life or until the end of an era. See different translations of 1 Samuel 1:22. Also Exodus 21:6; Psalm 89:1; Proverbs 5:19.) It will be a place where no earthly creature can exist. What, then, will be the nature of the creatures that will dwell there?
Just as the creatures that will inhabit Edom throughout the Millennium will actually be demons in the form of earthly creatures, the same will be true of Babylon. Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Dr. Fruchtenbaum's publications
are available at
Ariel Ministries in
various formats, Also, Premillennialism in the Old Testament, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum: http://www.ldolphin.org/otpremill.html (27/10/2012). Norman Manzon Cooper, Simmons, Wales Simmons, Thomas P. "Chapter 42 - The Millennium." Providence Baptist Ministries. http://www.pbministries.org/Theology/Simmons/chapter42.htm. Wales, Ronald E. "The 1,000 Year Messianic Kingdom called The Millennium | Biblical Future Events." http://www.biblicalfutureevents.com/5-1000-year-messianic-kingdom-called-millennium.
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~ THE MILLENNIAL OR MESSIANIC KINGDOM E. ISRAEL IN THE PROMISED LAND "I will
restore them to their own land ~ Jeremiah 16:15 ~ INTRODUCTORY REMARKS The Messianic Kingdom is part of an extended series of studies in support of the We Believe statement of The Association of Messianic Congregations. Much groundwork for this present study has been laid in the four prior studies of the series, links to which are located above. It is urged that they be reviewed so that the present study may be more fully understood in its historical and other contexts. For even firmer foundation, it is suggested that the following studies be read or reviewed. Links to them may be found in the Table of Contents at the top of this page: The Destinies of the Dead, The Rapture, The Great Tribulation and The Second Coming of the Lord. Some of what has been examined in these studies will be touched on here, but not treated fully. It is worth stating, once again, that it is of particular importance to realize that the prophesied Kingdom is a literal, earthly Kingdom in which Yeshua will reign bodily as king over Israel and the world. A polemic to this effect is presented in section IV of Part 1: Introduction, the link to which may be found in the Table of Contents at the top of this page. As has been previously mentioned, a compilation of the Bible's passages concerning the Kingdom would constitute a book. It must therefore be recognized that what is herein presented is, of necessity, a much abbreviated outline and summary. As in previous Kingdom studies, we will begin with a restatement of those declarations in the AMC We Believe statement that have relevance to the Kingdom. AMC STATEMENT: KINGDOM EXCERPTS (1)
In this study, we will focus on three facets of Israel's blessedness in the Kingdom and the significance of their blessedness for the rest of humanity; but before we do, we will review key aspects of the Kingdom that have bearing upon Israel or that speak of Israel directly. By the end of the Great Tribulation and the seventy-five day interval between the Tribulation and the Kingdom, the Lord will have utterly destroyed the evil world system and purged the earth of all unbelievers, including the armies of Antichrist which will seek to destroy Israel. Having done this, the Lord will renovate the Earth, making it a beautiful, edenic, safe place in which to live. Although not perfect because certain aspects of the Adamic curse will continue (most significantly, the sin nature and death for those in mortal bodies), many who will be born into the Kingdom will reject the salvation and Lordship of Yeshua, and because Edom and Babylon will be cursed to become utterly desolate habitations of demons, yet, the planet, as a whole, will be edenic compared to the way it is today. The Kingdom environment will be characterized by divine presence. The Lord Yeshua will reign supreme over the nations from His throne in Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit will fill the earth with the splendor of the Lord's glory. No false religion, philosophy or occult practice will be allowed to flourish, and the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). All who enter the Kingdom, whether as "walk-ins" from the Great Tribulation, or by resurrection, or by being returned, body and soul, to earth from heaven (Enoch and Elijah), will be saved. This glorious throng will be composed of all believers since Adam. According to Revelation 20:6, all who had been resurrected in immortal bodies will reign with Messiah in some capacity for the duration of the Millennium. This group is comprised of all Old and New Testament saints, both Jewish and Gentile, the two Tribulation witnesses and all martyred Tribulation saints. Surely, Enoch and Elijah, who had never seen death but had been drawn up directly into Heaven, will reign, as well. Yeshua will reign over the entire earth in general, and will exercise special kingship over Israel with resurrected King David reigning as king over Israel under Him. Under this dual kingship, the twelve apostles will reign over the twelve tribes of Israel, and there will be judges and counselors in Israel, as well (Isaiah 1:26). Zerubbabel, post-exilic governor of Judah, will be placed in some unnamed position in Israel (Haggai 2:23). The Gentile nations of the world will be ruled by Gentile kings, but Israel will have authority over them and their nations (Isaiah 14:1-2; 60:10-61:5). The body of Messiah and the Tribulation martyrs will rule over the Gentiles, as well (Revelation 20:4-6). How these different rulerships over the Gentiles will coordinate with one another remains to be seen. Civil laws will be rendered in the Kingdom (Micah 4:1-2) from Yeshua on down, and there will be laws regarding worship, as well, as we shall see in our next Shofar. We will now address three key facets facets of Israel's blessedness in the Kingdom, and follow that by addressing the significance of Israel's blessedness to the nations of the world.
XIII. EVERY SAVED ISRAELITE SINCE ABRAHAM Every saved Israelite since Abraham will be gathered not just into the Kingdom, but specifically into Israel, to dwell in their Promised Land.
The passage describes a worldwide gathering of Israel from the four corners of the earth. The phrase the second time identifies this particular gathering as the second worldwide gathering. The first gathering of Israel from the four corners of the earth began in the latter decades of the nineteenth century and culminated in the birth of the modern State of Israel in 1948. As was shown in previous studies, the first worldwide gathering, which is ongoing, is for the purpose of bringing judgment upon Israel in the Land during the Great Tribulation (see The Great Tribulation). The second worldwide gathering will be for the purpose of blessing the nation whose remaining members will universally have welcomed Yeshua as their Messiah at the end of the Tribulation. Isaiah 43:5-7:
Note again, from the ends of the earth. Also note, everyone who is called by My name. The Isaiah context limits this everyone group to Israelites. Every Israelite alive at that time will be called by My name as all Israelite rebels will have been killed during the Tribulation - two-thirds of the nation - and the remaining third will receive Him (Zechariah 13:8-9). Every Israelite will dwell in their promised homeland, and ever other person will dwell in their own homeland outside of Israel. Note that the above passages speak of a regathering of Israelites from the farthest reaches of earth; but Mark 13:26-27 extends the reaches of the regathering beyond earth. Yeshua declared,
Which Israelites will be in heaven? Every deceased saved Israelite since Abraham. To sum up, every saved Israelite since Abraham will be gathered from heaven and from earth to dwell in the Land of Israel. Whereas the above passages emphasize the regathering of Israel, Ezekiel 37:15-22 emphasizes their being united into a harmonious, organic whole. Ezekiel lived in Jerusalem in the Kingdom of Judah until he was he was taken captive to Babylon during the great Babylonian captivity of Judah. He was well aware that just 125 years prior, the northern Kingdom of Israel had been destroyed by Assyria, and multitudes of Israel's inhabitants had been taken captive to the Assyrian Empire. Prior to that, Israel had been judged and split into the two kingdoms due to the idolatry of Solomon in his latter years, and now the two kingdoms themselves had been judged. In Ezekiel 37:15-22, God likens the two kingdoms to two separate sticks which, in the latter days, He will join into one stick, and they will be one in My hand (verse 19).
God spoke to Ezekiel of the uniting of the divided Kingdom, but the chapter makes it plain that He was speaking in a much broader context. He was speaking of the day when He would reunite an Israel that had been splintered and shattered into countless slivers as the wineglass under the heel of a groom at a Jewish wedding. Indeed, the shattering of the wineglass commemorates the destruction of the second Temple in 70 A.D., the central aspect of a subsequent judgment and scattering of Israel, brought upon her for rejecting her Messiah (Matthew 23-39, esp. verses 37-39). Israel will not only be regathered after receiving her Messiah, but will be made organically whole, unified by the Spirit of the Lord. Among other passages speaking of the worldwide gathering of Israel into their Promised Land in the Kingdom are Isaiah 11:11-12:6; 27:12-13; 43:5-7; Jeremiah 16:14-15; 23:3-4, 7-8; 31:7-10; Ezekiel 11:14-18; 36:24-28; Amos 9:14-15; Zephaniah 3:18-20; Zechariah 10:8-12; Matthew 24:31. The apostles likewise believed in the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel. See Acts 1:6-7. XIV. THE BORDERS OF THE PROMISED LAND
The Jeremiah emphasizes two things: that the delivery of Israel into their own Land will be of far greater magnitude than the delivery of Israel from Egypt, for God will bring up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them, and that He will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers - not to the ever-shrinking borders set aside for them by Britain, nor to the sliced and diced parcels allotted to them by the United Nations, nor to any of the shifting borders arrived at since then, or will be arrived at, by means of war or international pressure - but to their own land which I gave to their fathers - to the full allotment that God promised to the patriarchs. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers. ~ Ezekiel 36:28 ~ What Are the Full Borders?
Dr. Fruchtenbaum's email left
me with some questions, which he subsequently answered. In my
own words, here are his answers: The Wadi El Arish is referred to as the river of Egypt in Genesis 15:18, and is often mistaken as the Nile River. It is not the Nile River. What this means is that the Promised Land will not include the Sinai Peninsula. Note, as well, from Dr. Fruchtenbaum's description, that the eastern border will not extend down the length of the Euphrates River to connect with the Tigris near the Persian Gulf, but "only for a few miles."
On the left is a map of the Promised Land with borders drawn by Dr. Fruchtenbaum. On the right is a comparable map found in the Wikipedia article, Promised Land, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promised_Land. An excellent study with borders that approximate the above is found at http://www.torahresourcesinternational.info/pdf/2PL.pdf. XV. THE BLESSEDNESS AND PROMINENCE OF ISRAEL IN THE KINGDOM Much has been said already on the blessedness and prominence of Israel in the Kingdom, but this study would be incomplete without addressing it, at least cursorily. We have seen that every saved Israelite from Abraham through the Tribulation will be gathered into the full borders of the Land that God promised to the fathers. What a glorious reunion that will be!
This passage reminds us that, in addition to all Israelites at the end of the Tribulation period being brought to salvation, all Israelites from that time forward will be saved. There will be Israelites born in the Kingdom, and every one of them will receive the Lord - to enjoy fellowship with every saved Jew since Abraham!
This passage likewise promises Israel's national salvation, and also promises unbroken abundant and fruitful harvests. Isaiah 27:6: In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, And they will fill the whole world with fruit. Israel will not only enjoy abundant harvests for their own enjoyment, but will fill the whole world with fruit. Similarly, Isaiah 51:3: Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody. And Zephaniah 2:7: And the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah, they will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon [near the Mediterranean] they will lie down at evening; for the LORD their God will care for them and restore their fortune. A few more representative passages:
Isaiah 10:20: Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. In our present time, Israel is continually humiliated by needing to curry the favor of powerful nations that often treat her disdainfully; but in that day it will not be so. They will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
Israel will receive honor and praise and a superabundance of material blessings and service from the nations of the earth. Zephaniah 3:20: At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD. A detailing of the previous passages is hardly necessary. Suffice it to say that the Lord Yeshua Himself, true God and true man, radiant as the sun in His glorified body, will dwell in the midst of His people Israel, and they will have the LORD for an everlasting light. Every Israelite entering and born into the Kingdom will be saved, and they will live in unprecedented peace, abundance and honor. Jerusalem will likewise be central in Kingdom worship, but we will address this in our next Shofar.
XVI. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ISRAEL'S BLESSEDNESS
Micah 5:7: Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on vegetation which do not wait for man or delay for the sons of men. Zechariah 8:23: Thus says the LORD of hosts, "In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" It is the national salvation of Israel that will prompt the return of the Lord (Hosea 5:15; Matthew 23:39), and it is their centrality as the Lord's ministers in the Kingdom that will draw those who are the Lord's, or who seek the Lord, from among the nations to them for ministerial blessing. What shall their salvation and blessedness be to the nations of the world? Life from the dead. 1. The entire We Believe statement of the Association of Messianic Congregations may be found at http://www.messianicassociation.org/believe.htm. Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum All of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's publications are available at Ariel Ministries in various formats, many for free listening. Dr. David L. Cooper
Thomas Paul Simmons
Norman Manzon
~ ~ THE FUTURE, THE AFTERWORLD AND ETERNITY ~ ///
THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
INTRODUCTORY
REMARKS
The Messianic Kingdom is part of an extended series of studies in support of the We Believe statement of The Association of Messianic Congregations. Much groundwork for this present study has been laid in the four prior studies of the series, links to which are located above. It is urged that they be reviewed so that the present study may be more fully understood in its historical and other contexts. For even firmer foundation, it is suggested that the following studies be read or reviewed. Links to them may be found in the Table of Contents at the top of this page: The Destinies of the Dead, The Rapture, The Great Tribulation and The Second Coming of the Lord. Some of what has been examined in these studies will be touched on here, but not treated fully. It is worth stating, once again, that the prophesied Kingdom is a literal, earthly Kingdom in which Yeshua will reign bodily as king over Israel and the world. A polemic to this effect is presented in section IV of Part 1: Introduction, the link to which may be found in the Table of Contents at the top of this page. As has been previously mentioned, a compilation of the Bible's passages concerning the Kingdom would constitute a book. It must therefore be recognized that what is presented herein is, of necessity, a much abbreviated outline and summary. As in the previous Kingdom studies, we will begin with a restatement of those declarations in the AMC We Believe statement that have relevance to the Kingdom. AMC STATEMENT: KINGDOM EXCERPTS (1)
By the end of the Great Tribulation and the seventy-five day interval between the Tribulation and the Kingdom, the Lord will have utterly destroyed the evil world system and purged the earth of all unbelievers, including the armies of Antichrist which will seek to destroy Israel. Having done this, the Lord will renovate the earth, making it a beautiful, edenic, safe place in which to live. Although not perfect because certain aspects of the Adamic curse will continue (most significantly, the presence of the sin nature in those with mortal bodies, and death for many, if not all, in mortal bodies), because many who will be born into the Kingdom will reject the salvation and Lordship of Yeshua, and because Edom and Babylon will be cursed to become utterly desolate habitations of demons, yet, the planet, as a whole, will be edenic compared to the way it is today. The Kingdom environment will be characterized by divine presence. The Lord Yeshua will reign supreme over the nations from His throne in Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit will fill the earth with the splendor of the Lord's glory. No false religion, philosophy or occult practice will be allowed to flourish, and the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). All who enter the Kingdom, whether as "walk-ins" from the Great Tribulation, or by resurrection, or by being returned, body and soul, to earth from heaven (Enoch and Elijah), will be saved. This glorious throng will be composed of all believers since Adam. According to Revelation 20:6, all who had been resurrected in immortal bodies will reign with Messiah in some capacity for the duration of the Millennium. This group will be comprised of all Old and New Testament saints, both Jewish and Gentile, the two Tribulation witnesses and all martyred Tribulation saints. Surely, Enoch and Elijah, who had never seen death but had been drawn up directly into Heaven, will reign, as well. Yeshua will reign over the entire earth in general, and will exercise special kingship over Israel with resurrected King David reigning as king over Israel under Him. Under this dual kingship, the twelve apostles will reign over the twelve tribes of Israel, and there will be judges and counselors in Israel, as well (Isaiah 1:26). Zerubbabel, post-exilic governor of Judah, will be placed in some unnamed position in Israel (Haggai 2:23). The Gentile nations of the world will be ruled by Gentile kings, but Israel will have authority over them and their nations (Isaiah 14:1-2; 60:10-61:5). The body of Messiah and the Tribulation martyrs will rule over the Gentiles, as well (Revelation 20:4-6). How these different rulerships over the Gentiles will coordinate with one another remains to be seen. Civil laws will be rendered in the Kingdom (Micah 4:1-2) from Yeshua on down, and there will be laws regarding worship, as well, as we see in our present study. In our last Shofar, we addressed three key facets of Israel's blessedness in the Kingdom and concluded with a look at the significance of Israel's Kingdom blessedness for the nations of the world. We will now follow with a look at worship in the kingdom which, incidentally, brings out another aspect of Israel's blessedness in the Kingdom, namely, their service as priests and Levitical helpers in the temple. Another aspect of their blessedness in the Kingdom that has been touched on, but will be developed a bit more here, will be their primacy in broadcasting the Word of the Lord to the nations of the world, consistent with their role under Moses, in the Person of Messiah, in the Church Age, and in the Great Tribulation. ~ PART 6: WORSHIP IN THE KINGDOM
We
have already seen how the Lord will renovate the planet. With a
specific focus on Israel, cataclysmic geographical changes will
be wrought in the Land, centered in Jerusalem, which will be at
the world's capitol city, center of worship and dwelling place
of the Lord -
the city of our God. The Korahite
who wrote Psalm 48 lauded the praises of the future Millennial
Jerusalem even in his day:
The city of the Great King
will be breathtaking in beauty in the day when Yeshua takes up
His royal residence there. The scope of rebuilt Mount Zion
itself will be a marvel to behold. This
is brought out in Isaiah 2:2-3:
Today, Mount Zion is a hill in Jerusalem just outside the walls of the Old City; but in the Kingdom, it will literally be raised up to be the tallest mountain in the world. The sheer mass of the mountain is brought out in Ezekiel 48:8, 20, which describes the plaza at the peak of Zion, on which the temple and its environs will stand, as an area of 50 miles X 50 miles, 2500 square miles. (2) If that's how big the plaza will be near its peak, it boggles the mind to imagine how big this world's tallest mountain will be at its base! One who has visited modern Jerusalem will readily understand that such great physical changes as are described in the Isaiah and Ezekiel passages must certainly come to pass before a mountain with such a plaza could be possible. Modern Jerusalem covers an area of only 48.3 square miles. (3) One can readily conclude that the base of this great mountain will go far beyond the boundaries of modern Jerusalem! The square mileage of Israel, including Gaza, the Golan heights, Judea and Samaria, is only 10,062 square miles. (4) Just the plaza on the mountain will cover an area 25% the area of modern Israel. There are those who claim that mountain here is merely a symbol for a kingdom as is true in Daniel 2:35 and Revelation 17:9. However, it ought to readily be apparent that in this case it cannot be so. We already pointed out the necessity for such a literal mountain to serve as the pedestal for the temple and its environs. If mountain is symbolic here, then what are we to do with the great number of details in the description of the temple itself, which stands on it, which we shall summarize shortly? If the mountain that the temple stands on is to be interpreted symbolically, then this highly detailed temple, its priesthood, and the detailed instructions concerning worship within it must be interpreted symbolically; and if that is the case, then what is each of the details supposed to symbolize? If we interpret this mountain, temple and detailed worship symbolically, then should we not follow suit and interpret all of the various detailed descriptions of Mosaic worship in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy symbolically, as well? Why not? The two situations are a perfect parallel. But if we interpret the details of the Mosaic tabernacle with all of its furnishings, the priesthood, the detailed sacrifices and all other elements of worship literally, as we universally do, then logical consistency demands that we should interpret the detailed descriptions of the Millennial temple and its worship requirements literally, as well. In fact, each detail presented adds more weight to a literal interpretation as biblical symbols tend to be simple, not detailed, intricate and complex! Let's take another look at verse 3 of the Isaiah passage just presented:
If mountain is symbolic of a kingdom here, then will these many peoples be saying, "Come, let us go up to the Kingdom"? Absurd! They are already in the Kingdom! As concerns the believability of the great cataclysmic changes that are prophesied to take place in the Land, even unbelieving scientists believe that the earth has undergone even greater cataclysmic changes in the past (e.g., the separation of the continents from one continuous land mass and the lifting up of mountain ranges due to the convergence of the earth's tectonic plates) - so why not believe that such changes may take place in the future? It would behoove the doubter to consider, once again, this admonition of Dr. David L. Cooper, called The Golden Rule of Interpretation:
Mount Zion will contain on its plaza not only the House of the LORD and its environs, but all of rebuilt Jerusalem. Based on descriptions in Ezekiel 47 and 48, Dr. Cooper calculates that the dimensions of rebuilt Jerusalem will be ten miles by ten miles, 100 square miles. (6) It can therefore easily be contained on Mt. Zion's plaza with 2400 square miles to spare! Will Jerusalem actually be on the plaza at the peak of Mt. Zion? Consider: The law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. If Jerusalem were next to Mount Zion as opposed to being at its peak, the Lord would have to commute from His home in Jerusalem to the top of the tallest mountain in the world, and then, at the end of His work day, commute back down to His home deep in the valley below. In between, He'd have to decree His law from Zion, run down this huge mountain to declare the word of the LORD from Jerusalem, and then, perhaps, run back up again to declare more law from Zion. - Of course, I'm being humorous. The God-Man in His glorified body would be able to transport Himself in an instant from place to place; but we're still left to deal with the relative sizes of Zion and Jerusalem and the positioning of the two in relation to each other. Therefore, let's consider one more thing: The law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. The obvious tenor of the passage is that Zion and Jerusalem are at the same location. How could they be at the same location and yet be different places? Easy. The smaller is contained in the larger. It makes absolute sense especially when one considers the fact that the lifting up of Mount Zion will surely lift up modern Jerusalem.
It is necessary to distinguish the Millennial temple from the
one that will precede it.
For quite some time in Israel, and still in process today, is the development of plans and crafted items for the construction of a third Holy Temple on the present Temple Mount. A model of the temple has been constructed, the Golden Menorah and many of the implements to be used by the Kohanim (priests) have been crafted, the Levitical and priestly garments have been designed and created, the breastplate containing the twelve precious stones and the musical instruments for the Levitical choir have been created, steps have been taken to acquire or breed a ritually pure red heifer for the purification of the altar (Numbers 19), and rehearsals for the proper carrying out of all the priestly and Levitical functions are under way, including rehearsals for the proper carrying out of sacrifices. (7) This, plus the shaping up of prophetic conditions in the world today, particularly the fact that an increasing number of nations appear to be aligning themselves against Israel (see Zechariah 14:2), it is likely that these preparations will find their fulfillment in the construction of Israel's third temple - but this will be the temple that Antichrist will protect once it's built and perhaps even pave the way for the Jews to build, and it will be the temple in which he will declare himself to be God and demand worship in. It will be the Tribulation temple, and it must certainly be distinguished from the Millennial temple as the descriptions of the two temples are vastly different. The former will certainly be destroyed, either by the Lord's judgment in the Great Tribulation or in the cataclysmic uplifting of Mount Zion, to clear the way for the latter. The Millennial temple, which will differ from all previous temples, is detailed in Ezekiel 40:5 - 43:27 with all of its various walls, gates, courtyards, pavements, chambers, the table for preparing the sacrifices, the Altar, the porch, the Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, and descriptions of the interior and exterior of the temple. Dr. Fruchtenbaum points out,
Both Jews and Gentiles will serve in official functions in temple worship. The Jewish functionaries will be members of the tribe of Levi just as it was the sons of Levi who served as priests and Levitical helpers under the Law of Moses. God has promised to perform a thorough spiritual cleansing in all Israel and fill them with His Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-29), but one tribe in particular is named:
The Lord will enter His Kingdom temple after His return,
and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and
silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in
righteousness. He will work a special work of purification among them in
preparation for Temple service.
Gentiles will assist in the return of Israelites to their Land, and God will also take some of them for priests and for Levites." Not only will Jews serve as temple priests, but Gentiles will, as well. Not only will some of the physical sons of Levi serve as Levitical helpers, but some Gentiles will likewise be taken, figuratively speaking, for Levites. (They will not, of course, be physical descendants of Levi.) Just as temple functionaries will consist of both Jews and Gentiles, so will temple worshipers. In fact, every nation in the world will be expected to send a contingency to Jerusalem to worship during the Feast of Tabernacles. Ezekiel 46:3 is one passage that states clearly that, besides the Jewish priests and Levites, ordinary Jewish people will worship in the temple: The people of the land shall also worship at the doorway of that gate before the LORD on the sabbaths and on the new moons. As for Gentile worship in the temple, no passage makes it plainer than Zechariah 14:16-18:
Let us recall it was all the nations of the world that God will have brought against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2). Therefore, a contingency from every nation among whom some will survive the Great Tribulation, namely, the sheep Gentiles, and their descendants (Matthew 25:31-40), will be required to worship the Lord in the Kingdom during the Feast of Tabernacles. At the Jerusalem council in Acts 15,
But why is Tabernacles specifically mentioned in the Zechariah passage? Consider: Just as at His first coming the Word became flesh, and dwelt - [literally, tabernacled] - among us (John 1:14), so in the Kingdom the Lord will again tabernacle, or pitch the physical tent of His body, among us. And John continued in verse 14, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth - and so shall we! Furthermore, the Kingdom itself is the fulfillment of the prophetic Feast of Tabernacles, the seventh and final festival in the annual cycle of the Mosaic feasts of Israel.
At first glance, it may seem that Millennial
worship may be a return to the Mosaic system. In fact, a reading
of Ezekiel 43:18-27 and 45:13-25 show that there will be blood
sacrifices, just as under Moses. However, Kingdom worship will not be a return to the
Mosaic system. There are many differences.
During Kingdom worship, from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me (Isaiah 66:23). Here are three differences already: Firstly, under Moses, the Sabbath was enjoined strictly on Israel; but in the Kingdom, it will be enjoined on all mankind. Secondly, under Moses, the Sabbath was not required to be a day of worship as in the Kingdom, but a day of rest. And thirdly, it is obvious from Isaiah 66:3 that Sabbath Kingdom worship will take place in the temple; but under Moses, no part of the Sabbath was to be spent in the tabernacle or temple, but in homes: a sabbath of complete rest . . . in all your dwellings (Leviticus 23:3). Another major difference is, in the Kingdom, the combination of annual feasts required to be observed is different. Under Moses, it was seven feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles; but in the Kingdom, it will be four: New Year's Day (the first of Nisan, the month that the biblical cycle of feasts begins), Passover, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles. Notice, too: Under Moses, New Year's Day was not part of the cycle of feasts, but in the Kingdom, it will be. There are many other differences, as well. Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes,
Obviously,
Kingdom worship will not be a return to Mosaic worship. Yet,
all of that still begs the question . . .
While the Law was still in effect, Yeshua told the Samaritan woman that the day is coming when true worshipers will worship neither in the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim nor even in the authorized temple in Jerusalem, for the Father is not concerned about outward things and forms such as the place of worship and outward rituals, but in inward matters, namely, worship from the spirit, one's innermost being, and truth, quality of worship based on biblical understanding and carried out with a pure heart. The rigid, formalized, place-based worship under the Law was to give way to spirit-based worship in the Age of Grace.
During our Church Age, each believer is a temple, being indwelt
by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and the body of Messiah is
the believers' corporate temple, likewise indwelt by the
Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:9,16) - but in the Kingdom, a massive
physical structure will be the temple!
Why this monumental reversion in the Kingdom to a mandatory place of worship and a ritualized form of worship as in the days of Moses? To my knowledge, Scripture does not plainly say, but I think we can take some pretty good guesses: 1. Whereas the Mosaic sacrifices were types, copies and shadows of the once for all Sacrifice to come (Romans 6:10; Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 8:3-6; 9:24; 10:1), Kingdom sacrifices will memorialize the once for all sacrifice that took place in the past at Calvary. 2. In this day and age when bloodshed and carnage is so common that people can easily identify with the physical abuse that the Lord endured at Calvary, in the Kingdom it will not be so.
It will be a time when nations will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war (Isaiah 2:4).
One can easily imagine how hard it will be for people in such an environment to
relate to the physical suffering of Messiah at Calvary. It is therefore likely
that the blood sacrifices of Kingdom worship will serve to sensitize the
multitudes to the sufferings endured by Messiah on their behalf.
3. Mandatory worship of the Lord on His throne will solidify submissiveness to His rule, uniting the peoples of the world under His rulership. (Contrast that with the fighting for supremacy among nations and factions today!) This will be especially significant in light of the fact that there will still be unbelievers in the Kingdom, and even nations that will resent His rule. Let us recall the prophesied resistance of at least some nations to His authority brought out in Zechariah 14:16-18, quoted above.
4. Requiring the families of the earth to
gather in Jerusalem for worship will reinforce in the minds of all the
ascendancy that the Lord has given to His people Israel among the nations in
fulfillment of His promises to them, and despite the age-old hostility of
nations to them.
XXIV. WHAT OF OTHER FORMS OF
WORSHIP
A. WILL THERE
BE MEETINGS
COMPARABLE TO
Based on the Bible's descriptions of the
functions of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers, and the necessity for congregational members to
exercise their spiritual gifts in corporate settings, and for
the necessity of partaking of the Lord's Supper corporately, it
is obvious that God expects every believer in this day and age
to be a member of a local congregation, and for every local
congregation to meet regularly. Corporate worship in the local
congregation of the Church Age is vastly different from the required forms of
worship under Moses. It should therefore not be surprising that
worship forms in the Kingdom - even apart from temple forms,
which we saw will be different - may be vastly different from
the forms and functions we are familiar with in the local
congregation of today.
Will regular, local
gatherings of believers be required in the Kingdom? If so, will they in any way resemble
what the Lord expects of local congregations today?
Scripture mandates no comparable meetings of
local believers in the Kingdom. However, there are no
prohibitions against such meetings, either. We must be very
careful here. There are no descriptions of five-fold ministries
for the Kingdom, no mention of elders and deacons, no
descriptions of spiritual gifts that need to be exercised corporately, no mandates to carry out the
ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper or anything similar,
and no prescriptions for congregational discipline.
We do not know much about what the Lord may require, authorize
or prohibit during such meetings, or even if He would require
them. However, we do know this: that
the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3. Also Micah 4:2).
The words of the Lord concerning both spiritual and mundane matters will proceed from Jerusalem outward to the ends of the earth. The first wave of messengers will be Jewish (Zechariah 8:23). From there it will be Gentile to Gentile until the words of the Lord reach the ends of the earth.
Certainly there will be local civic meetings
to discuss judgments of the Lord having to do with earthly
matters (And He
will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty,
distant nations [Micah 4:3]), and such meetings would
involve both believers and unbelievers. Similarly, one would
think that there would also be localized meetings of believers
to discuss spiritual matters proceeding from Jerusalem.
(Consider the wealth of revelation disseminated to believers
after the cross. Surely we can expect an immeasurable wealth of
spiritual revelation to be disseminated by the Lord after His
return!) These types of meetings would, of course, be conducted
by mature overseers, and would be focused on the words of messengers.
Perhaps teachers and exhorters will follow up.
Furthermore, I cannot see how the Lord would look askance at the
lifting up of corporate praise. Even under the Law,
From the rising of the sun to its
setting the name of the LORD is to be praised (Psalm
113:3); and surely prayer will take place at many or all of
these meetings, as well, even as spontaneous prayer took place
under Moses (Daniel 3:10) and is authorized and expected today
(Acts 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). However, I must emphasize
again: We
must be careful to not paint the picture with too fine a brush,
as Scripture doesn't!
B. WHAT OF INDIVIDUAL WORSHIP? Even under the Law there was informal, spontaneous, individual worship apart from anything required at the tabernacle or temple:
Surely, in the Kingdom, the Lord would smile upon spontaneous, informal, individual worship just as He did during the Mosaic era and as He does during our present Church Age. Yes, there will be a reversion to Temple-based worship, but not in place of spirit and truth worship, in addition to it. We will not lose anything in the process. We will only gain. Temple-based worship in the presence of the resurrected and glorified King of Kings and Lord of Lords will be filled with a glory we can only begin imagine!
FOOTNOTES
1. The entire We Believe statement of the Association of Messianic Congregations may be found at http://www.messianicassociation.org/believe.htm. 2. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 1982. P. 455.
3. Passages speaking of the Millennial Mountain of the LORD, also called the
Holy Oblation, are Isaiah 2:2-4; 27:13; 56:6-8; 66:20; Micah 4:1-2; Ezekiel
17:22-24; 20:40-41; Ezekiel 40:1-4; 45:1-8; 48:8-20. Those passages
providing descriptions of the mountain are 4. Information Regarding Israel's Security. "Size Comparison Map of Israel and New Jersey." IRIS: Information Regarding Israel's Security. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2015. <http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps/new_jersey.htm>. 5. Cooper, Dr. David. Biblical Research Society. http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page7.html. 6. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 1982. P. 456-458. 7. According to Ezekiel 47 and 48, based on the calculations of Dr. Cooper. http://ariel.org/dlc/dlc.htm 8. Two groups are at the heart of the movement: The Temple Institute, http://www.templemountfaithful.org/, and The Temple Mount Faithful, http://www.templemountfaithful.org/. 9. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 1982. P. 462-464. Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum All of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's publications are available at Ariel Ministries in various formats, many for free listening. Dr. David L. Cooper
Thomas Paul Simmons
Norman Manzon Manzon, Norman A. "The Prophetic Feasts of Israel." http://www.biblestudyproject.org/feasts-of-israel-messianic.htm.
PLEASE NOTE: The studies in this compendium are copied from Shofars 1 - 52. Updates to this Compendium have been discontinued and not all Shofar studies by the author are in the Compendium. For links to all studies by the author, please go to the most up-to-date Library page (of Shofar 53) and find the author's studies under "NORMAN MANZON."
The
We Believe Compendium
More of Norm's
studies may be accessed at
Norman Manzon is a Bible teacher in Hawaii
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Dahveed, melech Yisrael, chai, chai,
vekayam!
