Gateway to the World

10 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

Tags

Eastern Gate, Glory of God, Golden Gate, Jerusalem, Messiah Jesus

Gateway to a World of Peace

Have you ever opened a gate and passed through to the other side? Or entered an already open gateway or archway to get to your destination, to see the sights beyond? Of course you have. Gates come in all shapes and sizes; and I would dare say that anyone over the age of five has been through one kind of gate or another. There are ordinary gates that will allow access to someone’s front yard, or parking lots, or airplanes, or animal grazing pastures. There are famous gates that can yield admission to historical monuments, to beautiful estates of the rich and famous, to splendid castles of kings and queens, and to fascinating worlds of enchantment.

Some folks—like thieves, trespassers, and those up-to-no-good—don’t like the idea of locked gates and doors. Even some of our Old West (and modern-West) heroes such as the Cattle Ranchers had an aversion to fences and gates, except the archway that led to their home.

For most of us: gates, gateways, doorways, arches, portals … provide both literal and symbolic entrance to exotic places, interesting people, and special things (to see, hear, do, touch, and experience). We often brim with excitement when we pass through a gateway, because we’ve gone from being an outsider to being on the inside of wherever and whatever the gate brings us.

Brandenburg Gate, Germany

Disneyland? Paramount Studios? Downton Abbey? Golden Gate Bridge? Brandenburg Gate? India Gate in New Delhi? Graceland Estate (Elvis Presley)? Have you been through one or more of these famous gateways or others? How about the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri? Soaring 630 feet in the air, it is the tallest monument in the United States.

Entrance to Graceland Estate

Born in Lawrence, Kansas, and living many years in the Kansas City, Missouri area, I sometimes traveled across the state to take in the sights, including a trip or two to the top of the Gateway Arch. It is an awesome view from up there! In America’s days of progressive expansion, St. Louis, Missouri was considered: The Gateway to the West. And the nearby Mississippi River separated the east from the west, literally and figuratively. Technically, when someone in my current state of Arizona tells me they’re from “back east,” I take that to mean east of St. Louis.

Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri

Or the historical Jaffa Gate, one of the gates leading to/from today’s Old City of Jerusalem? Including several other memorial sites during my 2006 trip to Israel, I rode in a car through the Jaffa Gate, then walked back out of Old Jerusalem through the same gate. I’ll never forget the experience … for many reasons but mostly because of the ancient and modern significance of Jerusalem.

Built in 1538 by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Jaffa Gate is one of, if not the most used entrance to Old Jerusalem, with six of the other seven gates dating back to Biblical times. However, in Biblical days (for example during the time when Nehemiah wrote his Old Testament book in the 5^th Century B.C.), there were twelve gates in Jerusalem. There are eight gates in today’s modern Jerusalem, but only seven are open. What about the gate that is not opened? Why is it closed? What is the mysterious significance of this gate? Will it ever be opened again?

The other seven gates: The Zion Gate, Dung Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod’s Gate, Lion’s Gate, and (the focal point of today’s article), The Eastern Gate.

The Enigmatic Eastern Gate

Don’t think of a gate on hinges that is shut and locked. Or a gate that rolls back and forth in place when you press a remote control pad. This incredible gate is not only closed, it’s sealed … actually imbedded into thick stone walls on either side. In my estimation this unused, inactive, seemingly irrelevant gate was the most significant gate ever built; the most prestigious ever to be closed; and, one day soon, will be the greatest gate to ever be reopened.

Yes, I’m referring to the Eastern Gate, also called the Golden Gate, the Mercy Gate, and often referred to in ancient times as The Beautiful Gate. It is the oldest of the current existing gates in Jerusalem’s Old City Walls, having been built around 520 AD by Justinian I or perhaps (no later than) the 7^th Century by Byzantine artisans. However, the current Eastern gate was built on ground level (obviously) over the remains of the much older gate, dating to the times of the second Temple (Herod’s Temple) which, of course, was built over the original Solomon’s Temple.

Eastern Gate because it’s located on the eastern side of the Old City of Jerusalem. And what is the significance of the eastern side? Just keep reading and you’ll find out!

Golden Gate because of the sometimes golden glow and hue cast by the rising sun on the eastern wall and gate. Beautiful Gate in very ancient times because it was just that, both literally and figuratively considered the most sacred or holiest of the ancient gates of Jerusalem. Mercy Gate because Jews used to pray for mercy at this gate, in fervent anticipation of the coming of Messiah through the gate, which would lead to the restoration of the Shekinah Glory of God in the rebuilt Temple. For it was from the Eastern Gate that the glory of God left the Temple and through which God’s glory will return.

The Jews are absolutely correct that Messiah will triumphantly enter Old Jerusalem (which is really the historical heart of even modern-day Jerusalem) through the Eastern Gate. But other than Messianic Jews, they haven’t yet grasped or accepted the reality that Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is the Incarnate Glory of God himself, because he is God … The Son of God and God the Son! “…While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed” (Titus 2:13).

I vividly remember standing on the Mount of Olives gazing across the Kidron Valley at the eastern wall and the Eastern Gate; trying to envision our Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords commanding the gate to open and majestically striding into the Holy City of the Holy Land given by the very promise of God to his chosen people.

Let’s take a look at the remarkable historical and future significance of this unique gate, built near the very center of the eastern wall of Jerusalem … the only gate that led directly to the Temple on Mount Moriah. The double-arched edifice that protrudes from the main wall contains two gates, side by side. The southern arch is the actual Gate of Mercy. The northern arch (to the right when facing the gate complex) was called the Gate of Repentance, the closest entrance to the Temple of Solomon.

Eastern (Golden) Gate of Jerusalem

As a reminder, God’s glory dwelt in Solomon’s Temple until a short time before the Temple was destroyed. When Scripture speaks about the glory of God, it refers to God’s very essence, his attributes, who he is and what he’s like … as much as we can comprehend. The Shekinah glory represented and contained God’s very presence over the Ark of the Covenant in the inner sanctuary of the Temple, the Holy of Holies. In fact, as soon as the Levitical priests had carried the Ark of the Covenant into the inner sanctuary of Solomon’s newly built Temple and placed it beneath the wings of the Cherubim, they, “…could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple” (I Kings 8:11).

Tragically, after Solomon’s reign ended (actually a few years before he died), Israel slowly then more rapidly began to abandon their Sovereign Lord and worship false, man-made, non-existent gods. To the point where God’s warning through Moses hundreds of years earlier—that God would abandon them and withdraw his protection—finally came to pass in 722 BC when Assyria conquered the ten northern tribes of Israel, then Babylon defeated the southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah in 586 BC, including the sack of Jerusalem and complete destruction of Solomon’s Temple. Ezekiel was given a phenomenal real-life vision of God’s glory (God himself) actually leaving the Temple. Based on Ezekiel’s description, this was a literal, physical departure that even included how and where God left the Temple. Let’s read what happened.

God’s Departure From and Return to the Temple & Jerusalem

“Then the glory of the Lord moved out from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim. And as I watched, the cherubim flew with their wheels to the east gate of the Lord’s Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them” (Ezekiel 10:18-19). Then a few verses later: “Then the glory of the Lord went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east (Mount of Olives)” (Verse 23).

Although Ezekiel’s vision took place after the Jews were conquered and exiled to Babylon, we know that God withdrew his presence from the Temple before it was destroyed, because the Temple was still intact when Ezekiel observed this extraordinary event. Moreover, it’s decidedly significant that God left the Temple through the Eastern gate built into the mighty stone walls that surrounded the Temple. Because just as Messiah Jesus ascended back to heaven from the Mount of Olives (visible from the Eastern gate) after his spectacular resurrection, he will first set foot on the Mount of Olives when he returns to planet Earth (Zechariah 14:4), from where it is certain he will enter Old Jerusalem through the Golden (Eastern) Gate.

When Christ Jesus enters Temple Mount through the Eastern Gate, he will dramatically fulfill Ezekiel’s subsequent prophecy that the Shekinah Glory of God (God himself in the forever Incarnate Son of God) will return to Jerusalem. On April 28^th, 573 BC, some twenty years after Ezekiel witnessed God’s withdrawal from Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, Ezekiel was given an equally astonishing vision of the third Temple, even before the second Temple (called Herod’s Temple) was rebuilt and then destroyed. For many more details on the 3^rd Temple, please refer to Eye of Prophecy articles entitled, A Third Jewish Temple, Part I & II, published 4-26-14 and 5-3-14, respectively.

Read with me from Ezekiel: “After this, the man brought me back around to the east gateway. Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory. This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River, and then when he came to destroy Jerusalem. I fell face down on the ground. And the glory of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gateway (the Eastern Gate). Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple” (Ezekiel 43:1-5, italics for emphasis).

Just Inside the Eastern Gate

Let’s match this incredible last day’s prophecy with the magnificent return of Messiah, as described by Messiah Jesus himself: “For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:27).

Here, Jesus is not referring to the Rapture of the Church, which is a totally different event (see my series on The Rapture … What, Why, When, Who & How, published 7-26-13 through 8-24-13, respectively). Rather, he is describing his majestic return at the end of the Great Tribulation, which will usher in the magnificent Millennium. Later in this same chapter, Christ declares: “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth (including the Jews … Zechariah 12). And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). There will be global grieving and remorse; for most people alive at that time, it will be too late. They will have already chosen their eternal destiny by following the one who would dare to be Antichrist, taking his mark, and joining him in the futile battle against the true Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Revisiting John in Revelation, we read the triumphant conclusion: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies” (Revelation 19:19-21).

All these things are the Tribulation’s last day’s beginning of the end of this age … with the beginning of the beginning of the end taking place at the Rapture of the Church—followed by seven years of global cataclysmic and catastrophic calamity never before experienced (nor ever again) by mankind. And the last of the last days begins when Jesus steps foot on the Mount of Olives, then enters Old Jerusalem and Temple Mount through the Eastern Gate. Jesus is the Son of God, but also Son of Man (God incarnate); thereby, is the express image of God and his glory. (See Colossians 1:15-20). It is he who fulfills God’s prophecy through Ezekiel: the return of God’s glory (his very presence) to the earth, specifically in Jerusalem.

But Ezekiel also gave us another astounding prophecy, one that we’ve already touched on. After Ezekiel had the awesome privilege of receiving all the meticulous plans of the distant future rebuilt Millennium Temple; then watched the (future) glorious entrance of God (Messiah) through the Eastern Gate, this is what he was told: “Then the man brought me back to the east gateway in the outer wall of the Temple area, but it was closed. And the Lord said to me: ‘this gate must remain closed; it will never again be opened. No one will ever open it and pass through, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered here. Therefore, it must always remain shut’” (Ezekiel 44:1-2).

AND SHUT IT IS!

The Kingdom of God through the Eastern Gate … Not Once, but Twice!

In Israel, as I stood and stared from the Mount of Olives, I saw the Eastern Gate. Look again at the photos of the Eastern Gate. What do you see? You see two side-by-side gates that are as sealed as any gateway could be.

Eastern Gate of Jerusalem

Of course the Eastern Gate was opened in the time of Christ Jesus, because it was through the Eastern Gate that the first part of Ezekiel’s prophecy would be fulfilled … the triumphant Palm Sunday entrance of Jesus through the Eastern Gate into Jerusalem. Do you remember what happened? Read with me: “Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, ‘Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!’” (Mark 11:8-10). Ever so sadly, many in this same crowd who hailed Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, would shout again within the week … this time to crucify him!

Yes, the Glory of God had returned to the Temple through the Eastern gate; only to be snuffed out by cruel, hard-hearted religious leaders, a mob who saw him only as a deliverer from Roman oppression, and Roman soldiers who took pleasure in their crucifixion death squads. He arrived not as the mighty Messiah Lion from the Tribe of Judah (that will come later); rather as the Suffering Servant Messiah (Isaiah 53) who first came to deliver them/us from sin.

But we know what happened next, the rest of the story! In three days, Messiah Jesus arose from the dead, which ushered in the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men and woman and children the world over—to all who believe and receive him as personal Savior. To one day (soon) bring the Kingdom of Heaven physically to this earth, with the Messiah King of all kings ruling from Jerusalem.

For hundreds of years, I’m certain some Christians and Jews wondered about Ezekiel’s closed Eastern Gate prophecy. ALL of God’s prophecies as found in Scripture have or will come to pass. Some immediately … others a few days, weeks, months, or years afterward. And still others, hundreds of years later.

After the year 1541, they need wonder no more. The same Ottoman Sultan who built the Jaffa Gate and rebuilt some of Jerusalem’s walls and other gates, Suleiman the Magnificent, also sealed off the Golden Gate. And so it remains to this very day.

Why did this Ottoman Turk Monarch, endorsed by Arabs and Muslims the world over then and now, seal the Eastern Gate and then build a cemetery for Muslim graves in front of the gate? Answer: To prevent Elijah, the anticipated forerunner to the Messiah, from passing through the Eastern Gate, thus precluding the Messiah from coming and entering this same gate. Of course, Suleiman didn’t know or understand the Bible much at all. He had not a clue that John the Baptist was the foretold prophet who would literally fulfill the role attributed to Elijah—paving the way for one much greater … Messiah (Jesus). Even the Jews of the time and today, expected Elijah himself to return. And so, he will, but as one of the two witnesses during the Great Tribulation as found in Revelation Chapter 11. (See Eye of Prophecy articles for some amazing details about the two witnesses, the other being Moses, entitled The Two Witnesses, Part I, II, & III, published 6-7-14, 6-14-14 & 6-21-14, respectively).

Do you think Jesus Christ will be deterred from entering the Eastern Gate by a few graves or by the sealed gate itself? Hardly. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life as he boldly, but lovingly confirmed to Martha while she grieved over the death of her brother, Lazarus—just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to prove to the whole world that Jesus had power over life and death. (See John Chapter 11). Later affirmed even more amazingly, by his own resurrection from the dead.

Since the Eastern Gate was sealed tight in the 16^th century, the nearest it came to possibly being reopened by force was during the British campaign against the Ottoman Turk Empire (ally of Germany) during World War I. After a series of campaigns, British General Edmund Allenby (under whom T.E. Lawrence—Lawrence of Arabia—served by unifying Arab tribes to victory over the Turks in other battles) reached the walls of Jerusalem. He had been given orders to capture Jerusalem; thus, he was ready to do whatever necessary to take the city from the Turks, even if it meant heavy bombardment.

General Edmund Allenby

By the providence of God (Allenby was a Christian who knew both Biblical and secular history of Israel and the Middle East), the British didn’t need to fire a single shot to finally capture Jerusalem. Instead, the Ottoman commander surrendered the city, with one reason given that he didn’t want to see religious holy sites destroyed by a British attack on and Ottoman defense of the Holy City. In the process, the Eastern Gate was protected from damage through potential breach of the walls and gate to access the eastern side of the city.

General Allenby Entering Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate

But such is the sovereignty of our great God. What he says will happen, happens. What he declares will not happen (opening of the Eastern Gate until Messiah does so himself) will not happen. What he says he will do, he does. There is no one like the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. None but he can declare the end from the beginning.

Things to Ponder

Jesus will again enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate as a great Warrior King; but also as the Prince of Peace, the only one who can bring true and lasting peace to a hopeless, helpless world of evil and strife.

He not only enters through the Golden Gate; Christ Jesus IS the gate.

“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:2-3).

Then the Apostle John records: “Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved … I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep’” (John 10:6-11).

How good it would be for each one of us who know Christ, who are the sheep of his pasture, to be a gatekeeper to those around us. When the opportunity presents itself, to open the gate and show them the way to Christ. Or to be watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem and give our support to Israel and the Jews who have returned to the land given to them by the true and living God.

The next time you open a gate or walk through an archway or pass through a portal, remember that Jesus is The Gate. He is the only Gateway to peace on this earth and everlasting life with him and the host of heaven.

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!

To the Lion from the Tribe of Judah!

To the Great Shepherd who is the Gate of Salvation!

Where is the Temple? Part III

13 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Tags

Jewish Temple, Messiah Jesus

Where Is The Temple? (Part III … A New & Better Way)

As a rule, most people respond favorably to challenges in their life; as long as they are able to unscramble, manage, and otherwise adjust to whatever consequences or variations the challenges might bring. Whether adapting one’s lifestyle to include a new spouse, managing a sudden decrease in income, or just handling an unannounced visit from relatives, life is full of tests and tasks… of changes and conflicts.

The intriguing question posed in this article and the past two Eye of Prophecy articles relating to the fate of the Jewish Temples is designed as a challenge to explain what happened to them and why. To stimulate reflection about the repercussions of such a devastating time of Jewish history. To investigate the staggering impact on the entire Jewish faith WHEN Solomon’s Temple, then (hundreds of years later) Herod’s Temple, was destroyed. But also Gentile participation in this history pertaining mostly to religious systems that, to varying degrees, were patterned after and around the Mosaic Laws.

To once again come to terms with the rolling Premise of these articles: No Temple, no sacrificial offerings. No sacrifices, no atonement forgiveness of sins. No forgiveness, no redemption. No redemption, no right standing with God.

(1) Solomon’s Temple: God removed his very presence from this magnificent Temple; therefore, from among his people. Some six years before King Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem and tore down the Temple, Ezekiel witnessed God’s glory depart from the Temple. “Then the glory of the Lord moved out from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim. And as I watched, the cherubim flew with their wheels to the east gate of the Lord’s Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them” (Ezekiel 10:18-19). A short time later, “Then the glory of the Lord went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east” (Ezekiel 11:23).

The mountain to the east of Jerusalem is none other than the Mount of Olives. Amazingly—beyond mere coincidence—this is exactly where Messiah will step foot upon his spectacular (return) appearance to rescue Israel from annihilation during the Great Tribulation (Zachariah 14:4). Prophetically, Messiah will enter Jerusalem by the same Eastern Gate, currently sealed and impassable, through which God withdrew his presence. Thus, the Glory of the Lord that temporarily returned to the 2^nd Temple in the form of Messiah Jesus will reappear permanently to Israel and the whole world.

(2) Herod’s (the 2^nd) Temple: When this temple was razed to the ground by the Roman Legions, the Mosaic Covenant Sacrificial System ceased to function as the ongoing source of redemption.

Depiction of Temple Worship & Offerings (Can you guess which Temple?)

The loss of God’s glorious presence among his people followed by removal of sacrificial shedding of blood for atonement of sin dealt devastating blows to the heart of Judaism and the soul of the Jewish people. By and large, they have never recovered from this dual discipline; administered as a result of their continuous disobedience to God and denial of their Messiah sent by God to reconcile and restore them back to God. But one day (soon) all that will change!

They will recover and rejoice, because all of Israel will be saved … individually and nationally, physically and spiritually.

Speaking to the Gentile believers in Rome, the Apostle Paul cautioned them optimistically: “I want you to understand this mystery … so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, ‘The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins’” (Romans 11:25-27, italics for emphasis).

Please remember … Paul was a Jew, who’s zealous die-hard ambition to defend the Judaic Law of Moses had consumed him. That is until Messiah Jesus supernaturally appeared to Paul (Saul), and challenged him to explain why he was persecuting the Christians, which was a direct attack on Messiah Yeshua, himself. Paul’s heart, life, and destiny miraculously changed. Then, Jesus consumed and compelled him. As is sometimes said: The rest is history.

Concerning the Jewish Temples, the historical evidence is undeniable: Since the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, God’s Shekinah glory (his majestic presence) had been glaringly absent from the Temple. Then, the essence and substance of God’s forgiveness through the Atonement Sacrifices abruptly ceased with the loss of the 2^nd Temple. According to the Law of Moses—which to varying degrees is still practiced or at least recognized by millions of Jews the world over—without the God-ordained place and procedure for shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin … no acquittal for the penalty for sin.

Where, then, is the Temple?

Depicts Destruction of Herod’s Temple

Is There a Replacement Remedy for the Absence of a Temple?

God, in his supernatural sovereignty, would see to it that destructive removal of both Temples would be replaced with something and someone even better. Indeed, that was God’s plan from the very beginning—to provide a Messiah Savior who would restore the glory and presence of God because he, himself, is God. “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

As the King of all kings, he would reestablish King David’s dynasty. “His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity….” (Isaiah 9:7).

And, as we shall soon see, he would assume the High Priestly Order of Melchizedek by offering himself as the final, perfect sacrifice for all mankind. Thus, the lamentable loss of both Temples was—like an intricate tapestry—providentially woven into God’s stunningly brilliant plan for his chosen people AND for Gentiles, who were not originally God’s people, but would become his people; Jew and Gentile … one new creation, one new man. A new universal Temple built by God himself, in the hearts of men, women, and children from nations the world over.

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).

In this passage, God’s holy people are the Jews … with the word holy meaning set apart for a special purpose. We are his house (dwelling place) means both Jew and Gentile (We). And this new dwelling place is built equally on the foundation of the (Old Testament) prophets and (New Testament) apostles. Moreover, Messiah Jesus is the CORNERSTONE of this incredible building. This sensational spiritual structure has become a (the new) holy temple for the Lord. Both Jew and Gentile are part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

In times past, only the Jewish High Priest could approach God once a year in the Temple’s Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. A Gentile could never enter the Temple itself; only in the Court of the Gentiles. But with the New Covenant God graciously changed all that: “Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other (between Jew and Gentile) was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us” (Ephesians 2:16-18).

This is all possible because the Old Covenant configuration of sacrificial atonement that took place in the earthly temple was completed, perfected, and replaced by the New Covenant’s heavenly standard whose Temple and ultimate sacrifice is Messiah himself.

The Perfect High Priest, After the Order of Melchizedek

We find only a brief record of Melchizedek in the book of Genesis, but a detailed account of this mysterious man in the New Testament. The book of Hebrews daringly, but logically explains how Jesus ultimately fulfilled the priestly order of the first High Priest, which was Melchizedek, not Aaron. How and why Yeshua was qualified to become and remain the Eternal High Priest.

It’s also vital to understand that Hebrews was written by a Jew (as were nearly all of the New Testament books) who fully understood and accepted the fact that, “…We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands” (Hebrews 8:1-2).

The Jewish writer of Hebrews unveils the mystery of this extraordinary Priest/King: “Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. Now the Law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed” (Hebrews 7:4-7).

The author of Hebrews then contends, “…Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on “(Verse 8, italics for emphasis). From all the Scriptural evidence about Melchizedek, but especially this verse, many Bible scholars and commentators (including me) firmly believe that Melchizedek was not only the ultimate prototype of a High Priest and King, but that he was actually the pre-Incarnate Messiah (Jesus), who made several appearances before his actual birth in Bethlehem.

Listen closely as the writer of Hebrews contests the enduring effectiveness of the Levitical system by clarifying the contrast between the Aaronic priesthood and the Priestly Order of Melchizedek: “So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law is based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?” (Hebrews 7:11).

Then the author presents a conclusive challenge that justifies a New Covenant and a different, superior Mediator of that Covenant: “And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, ‘You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek’” (Hebrews 7:12-17). Psalms 110:4 is quoted here.

Next, “The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever” (Hebrews 7:28).

The author of Hebrews then explains the responsibilities of a high priest and The High Priest; why the functions of the earthly priests were meant only to be a shadowy prelude to the real (ideal) model. “And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning, ‘Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain’” (Hebrews 8:3-5).

Thus, it’s profoundly clear that the original Tabernacle, then the Temples were types or shadows patterned after the perfect Temple in heaven. A Temple not built by human hands; rather the Temple of God, himself, contained in the very body of Yeshua … the Incarnate Messiah. “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

In the following passage, we once again see the incomparable excellence of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant, the new Temple over the Old Temple, and the new Sacrifice over the old sacrifices.

“That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice” (Hebrews 9:23-26).

AMAZING! Permanent removal of sin, not just perpetual partial covering of sin. No need for continued animal offerings, nor an earthly temple in which to perform those sacrifices.

So, you see: God made something ultimately good and lasting out of the two greatest tragedies that ever befell the Jewish people … the horrific, humiliating destruction of the Temples. But that was his plan all along.

Why a New Covenant … A New Temple?

Because the Lord knew that his people (all people) never could and/or never would keep the first covenant at all times in all points. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious and holy standards and requirements (Romans 3:23).

The Lord fully understands the natural bent of mankind: That of trying to earn God’s favor, trying to merit salvation and eternal life by performance, by innate worth, by good works; instead of simply agreeing with God and accepting his grace … the wonderful, matchless gift of God’s own Son as a substitutionary sacrificial payment for all the wrong things we have done.

Thus, God gave the Law for two reasons: (1) as dependable as the conscience of man can sometimes be, it is not constantly adequate or endlessly reliable to unerringly distinguish right from wrong. Hence, it was necessary to establish universally objective moral and spiritual laws (summarized in the Ten Commandments) so that no one would excuse immoral behavior by saying they didn’t know it was (for example) wrong to steal. (2) To give men and women every chance possible to earn their salvation by obeying these laws perfectly. But because no one has ever kept the Law in every point, the Law ended up sentencing us to everlasting death.

How sadly ironic: the only thing earned is physical and then spiritual death (separation from God forever). “For the wages of sin is death….” (Romans 6:23a).

As asked and answered by Paul, “Why, then was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised….” (Galatians 3:19) Paul goes on to identify this ultimate child of promise as Messiah Jesus.

Listen again to the words of Hebrews: “If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said (Then the writer quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34): ‘The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people … And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:7-10, 12).

A New and Better Way

What about this New Covenant, which was announced by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah just a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple? Has the New Covenant arrived? If so, when? How? By whom?

Listen to these penetrating words spoken by Jesus to the Jewish Pharisees: “And haven’t you read in the Law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” (Matthew 12:5-8, Jesus quoted from Micah Chapter 6).

Astounding! Jesus refuted the unfounded allegations of the Pharisees that the disciples were breaking the Sabbath by eating some heads of grain still on the stalk … through the Pharisees legalistic interpretation that the disciples were harvesting the grain. With divine authorized authority, Jesus declared that he was greater than the Jewish Sabbath, greater than the Temple, greater than the Law of Moses. Jesus IS the Sabbath. Jesus IS the Temple. Jesus IS the Living Word of God (John 1:1).

There’s more: In answer to an argumentative question from the Jewish religious leaders as to who gave him the authority to drive out the money changers from the Temple, Jesus replied, “…Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, ‘It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of his body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken” (John 2:19-22, NASB).

Remember the startling statement by Jesus at the last Passover supper with his disciples. He announced that the New Covenant was about to begin.

“After supper he took another cup of wine and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you’” (Luke 22.20).

Here, I would like to quote an excerpt from my book, Out of the Abyss (pages 66-67).

Jesus proclaimed this unparalleled new covenant from Jerusalem, the God-ordained location of annual Passovers. In no uncertain terms, Christ explicitly announced that he himself would be the blood sacrifice required by God to start, satisfy, and seal the very covenant predicted by Jeremiah … The Son of Man who spoke these words would soon be nailed to a cross as the ultimate sacrificial Passover Lamb, exclusively selected and sent by God to redeem Israel and the whole world.

While he hung on the cross, the very Temple curtain that separated the sacrificial inner sanctuary (Holy of Holies) from the rest of the Temple was inexplicably ripped apart. Three days later Jesus arose from the dead to forever ratify the total efficacy of so great a sacrifice and so great a salvation that he purchased with his life’s blood. Those who have accepted his sacrifice and redemption can freely enter the very presence of God at any time from any place in the world. For not only is the Temple curtain gone, so is the Temple itself. Until the return of Messiah, the Temple of God is now the body of Christ. God the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of every believer. Those in Christ are the body and Temple of the living Triune God.

We love you Lord, because you first loved us! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!

Some thirty years later, the Apostle Paul would write his last two epistles to Timothy. In keeping with the main purpose of Paul’s writings—to encapsulate the entire life, death, and resurrection of Jesus into the eternal tenets of the Christian faith—he states: “For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5).

Hence, we have the incomparable, immeasurable, and irreplaceable New Covenant of Grace. “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins” (Ephesians 1:7).

Christ became the Temple of the Living God. We, who have placed our trust in his awesome once-for-all atoning sacrifice, need not search for a temple built by human hands. For we are part of a better Temple. Listen to this affirmation from the Apostle Peter:

“You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God” (I Peter 2:4-5).

Equally remarkable are Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (I Corinthians 3:16-17).

Temple Mount Today, But No Jewish Temple

Summary

Where is the Temple? The question must be answered because to dismiss it, to ignore it, to pretend that it doesn’t matter is to maintain that a person’s self-enabling obedience to God’s laws, meriting God’s favor through good works or charitable activities as the means of salvation, and earning a destiny in heaven can be achieved WITHOUT the parallel and equally significant mandated remedy for atonement of sin through the sacrificial offerings required by Almighty God. You simply can’t have one without the other.

So, does the question even have an answer? The answer to that question depends upon whether anyone earnestly and honestly searching for the truth will agree that a New Covenant is necessary and is in place. For, without the sacrificial offerings, the Law can only judge. Without a replacement to the Old Testament system of Atonement that ended with destruction of the Temple, the Law can only condemn.

However, for all who agree that Jesus is the Messiah who arrived on the scene of history as Biblically prophesied hundreds of years earlier saying Messiah would come before the (2^nd) Temple would be destroyed; that he died and rose again as the ultimate perfect sacrifice for their sins; then place their complete trust in his redemptive atonement thereby entrusting their eternal destiny to his finished work on the cross, they will have positively answered the question.

The New Temple is Christ and Christ is in every person who accepts him as personal Savior.

Let’s get personal: If you prefer to stake your eternal destiny on your ability to keep the law, then you still haven’t answered the question. Indeed, there is no answer to your dilemma. Why? Because the Law of Moses demands perfect compliance—with continual sacrificial offerings as a divine solution for noncompliance, either willfully or carelessly.

Which is why, “…the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, ‘The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: You are a priest forever.’ Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God” (Hebrews 7:18-22).

Things to Ponder

God still gives us free will, the option to choose. But concerning atonement, redemption, salvation: forgiveness is available only through the shedding of blood. The Old Covenant was a temporary shadow. It is gone, along with the Temple. Will you choose the Old or the New?

Then: The Presence of God only in the Temple; withdrawn before the Temple’s destruction, because of disobedience.

Now: The Kingdom of Heaven residing and reigning in the hearts of believers in Yeshua.

Soon: The Kingdom of God resting and reigning on the earth from Jerusalem, with Yeshua, himself, living among his people.

Where is the Temple? Can you answer? Will you answer?

Answer to Photo Question: Solomon’s Temple, because God’s Shekinah glory is still present as shown near the top of the picture

Where Is The Temple? Part II

06 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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9th of Av, destruction of the Temple, relationship with God

Where is the Temple? … Part II (Israel in Denial?)

Have you ever thought or said, “I feel so bad for her, she just can’t seem to accept reality.” Or, “he’s in complete denial.” Have you ever been in denial yourself? At one time or another, to varying degrees, I suppose we’ve all rejected the harsh reality of traumatic events or difficult times. We do our best (or worst) to suppress feelings that we don’t want to deal with … only to realize that the pain just won’t go away. The distressing death of a loved one, the lamenting loss of a job, a pitiful plunge into bankruptcy, or a brutal betrayal by a spouse or close friend. Things that are too agonizing to even think about.

Is it possible for an ancient race of people miraculously reborn as a modern nation to be in denial? For an entire religion to rationalize the reasons for and results of the foundational fragmentation of their faith?

That is exactly what has happened to the Jewish faith and Jewish people. Down through the centuries, even the most astute Rabbis and dedicated teachers of the Law have not been able to fully clarify why or how the God-given requirements for the sacrificial shedding of blood was so abruptly halted when the Romans ruthlessly destroyed the 2^nd Temple. The most common substitutionary explanation for the loss of life-giving sacrificial atonement is that perhaps God would accept those who strive to be worthy of redemption, who faithfully recite the Sh’ma (Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is One), and who commit to God’s commandments as faithfully as possible, including observance of Sabbath and Annual Festivals. In denial, however, that even the first High Priest, Aaron, had to offer sacrifices for his own sin before he could mediate between God and the people.

As detailed in last week’s article, the Law of Moses constitutes the heart and soul of Judaism. Yet, the Mosaic Law was based on two equal, co-existing foundations: (1) the laws, decrees, and regulations given by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as represented by and summarized in the Ten Commandments. (2) The Levitical Sacrificial System so absolutely vital for atonement and redemption. Had the Jews been able to keep God’s commandments, there would have been no need for the shedding of innocent animal blood as an atoning sacrifice for their sins.

Before Moses died, he predicted that his people would (soon) disobey and turn from God individually and as a nation; which is precisely what happened. Other than the Reign of King David and the early years of King Solomon, this departure from God became progressively worse until they fully exhausted God’s patience. First, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians; then the southern kingdom of Judah and the Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians.

Two Reasons for Building the Tabernacle, Then the Temple

A dwelling place for God’s glory, for his very presence among the Jews. First the Tabernacle: “Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34). Then, the Temple: “…At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God” (II Chronicles 5:13-14).

Obviously, God did not need an earthly dwelling place built by man. His principal abode was and always will be Heaven. His presence in the Temple was for the benefit of the Jews; to demonstrate that he was able and willing to live among his people. Not unlike when God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. This is exactly what Messiah did when he came to this earth as a man; he tabernacled (dwelled) among his people. Immanuel … God with us! And will do so again at his magnificent reappearance on the Mount of Olives to rescue his people from annihilation. Then to set up the Kingdom of God on earth.

The prescribed place for daily, monthly, and annual sin and peace sacrifices as a redemptive offering for the sins of the individual and the nation; culminating in the Yom Kippur sacrifices (Day of Atonement) once a year. Although sacrifices were permitted in designated places throughout the Promised Land, the Tabernacle and then the Temple were the ultimate, central sites for offerings. Also, the men of Israel were required to attend three of the annual festivals in Jerusalem, all of which involved sacrificial offerings.

“Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front it … Through this process, he will purify the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:15-16). Then in Verse 34: “This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the Lord once each year.”

To repeat the basic premise as set forth in last week’s article: No Temple, no sacrifices. No sacrifices, no forgiveness of sin. No forgiveness of sin, no redemption.

And, we can include one more principle: No redemption, no right relationship with God.

Jewish Adjustment to Loss of the Temple (Sacrifices)

Since the devastating destruction of their 2^nd Temple and the disastrous Dispersion of Jews throughout the world, they have been trying to figure out a way to deal with and compensate for the required atonement offerings that were such an integral component of their faith in and relationship with the Lord God. Consequently, even more sects of Judaism have developed since the basic Biblical division between Pharisees and Sadducees.

To a large degree, today’s branches within the Jewish religion are predicated on diverse reactions and adjustments to the loss of the Temple.

In Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Judaism, the Temple is frequently and fervently mentioned in their services and writings, including passionate preparation for the rebuilding of the third Temple.

Conservative Jews periodically talk about the Temple and its’ restoration, but pretty much exclude any reference to Temple sacrifices.

The Reform Movement of Judaism downplays the significance of the Temple and the need for any such thing as sacrificial shedding of blood.

Many liberal Jews actually resist the idea of a rebuilt Temple, citing adverse political and social repercussions with Arabs, but even among Israelis.

Likewise, the tenets of the Jewish faith expressed primarily through Halakha (the Jewish law, and the right paths to walk in that law) vary in intensity and observance based on the sect of Judaism. However, the common thread is that Mitzvah or good deeds through keeping Torah commandments revealed by God and Rabbinical interpretations and application of those instructions as found in the Talmud and Mishnah is really the only way to approach, appease, and otherwise please God. Yet, many laws pertaining to the Old Testament rules for holiness and purity are no longer practiced; because the Temple no longer exists and (therefore) neither do the Sacrificial Offerings that were irrevocably and unequivocally required by God, as the only means of cleansing and forgiveness—both ceremonially (externally) and spiritually (internally … the heart).

The 9^th of Av

What happened on the 9^th of Av, which is mid-July to mid-August on the Gregorian calendar? It is the exact day that Solomon’s temple was callously destroyed by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. AND, it was also the same exact day that the 2^nd Temple was systematically demolished by the Romans under General Titus in 70 AD. The fact that the two worst events of Jewish history occurred on the same calendar day does not escape their contemplation and certainly not their attention.

Ironically, nearly all Jews are aware of and some 75% of Jews solemnly observe Tisha B’Av (literally the 9^th day of the Jewish month of Av) in varying degrees of reflection and meditation. Thus, they are not so much in denial of the indescribable loss of the Temple itself; as they are in denial of the incredible consequence that cessation of the Temple sacrificial offerings caused in their relationship with God. There’s no getting around it: The individual and national Jewish interaction and standing with God was dramatically altered when the very presence of God left Solomon’s Temple; then the sacrificial altars and instruments were destroyed along with the entire 2^nd Temple. Preceded by the mysterious, miraculous splitting in two of the Holy of Holies curtain as a Jewish Rabbi died on a cross just outside of Jerusalem.

Destruction of the 2nd Temple

There are other catastrophic occurrences in Jewish history that took place on the 9^th of Av or days very close to that date. For example, the return of the 12 Jewish spies sent by Moses to check out the Promised Land of Canaan; only for ten of the spies to adversely persuade the Israelites to disobey God and Moses by not entering the land out of fear of the enemy. In short, they simply refused to trust the same God who had already performed mighty miracles in their deliverance from slavery and escape from Pharaoh’s pursing army. God’s ensuing punishment included 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, one year for each day the spies were in Canaan.

On the 9^th of Av in 1941, SS Chief, Heinrich Himmler, received approval orders for the Final Solution of the Jews, which began the worst genocide of all time … the Holocaust. Likewise, on that date in 1942, Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto were deported to concentration camps.

The point is: Even Jewish Rabbis, especially rabbis, recognize God’s hand of discipline and punishment in these events. How could they not? As difficult as the concept is to grasp and accept, the fact remains that God, himself, predicted and authorized severe judgment on his people if they failed to obey his laws and keep the Sabbath or Sabbath years of resting the land, and also the sacrifice of innocent animals without true repentance of the heart.

This dire warning from God actually came first with the Mosaic Law cherished so deeply by the Jewish people. Still, hundreds of years of Jewish disobedience elapsed before God’s patience finally ran out. Please refer to the entire chapter of Leviticus 26 for a step-by-step description of the progressive phases of Israel’s discipline, culminating in being conquered by and exiled to foreign pagan nations.

These prophetic warnings were summarily repeated by God to Solomon after Solomon built the magnificent Temple. This Temple was one of the ancient wonders of the world. God said to Solomon:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart” (II Chronicles 7:12-16).

Then God imposed legitimate and reasonable (from a human viewpoint, as God’s stipulations are always reasonable!) conditions on the continuance of Israel’s Davidic dynasty of kings and the continued existence of the Temple. Said God to Solomon:

“As for you, if you faithfully follow me as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with father, David, when I said, ‘One of your descendants will always rule over Israel.’ But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’ And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshipped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why he has brought all these disasters on them’” (II Chronicles 7:17-22).

The “One” descendant of David who (someday) will always (forever) rule and reign over Israel, indeed, the entire world, is Messiah. When he returns, he will bring the heavenly Temple with him … himself. Though temple sacrifices resumed when the 2^nd Tempe was rebuilt, the Shekinah Glory of God never returned. That is, until the essence and image of God’s glory was placed in and on God’s Son, Yeshua HaMashiach—who walked, taught, prayed, and healed others in the 2^nd Temple. When Jesus returns he will come in power and great glory (Luke 21:27). There will be a 3^rd Temple in Jerusalem before Christ returns, but Messiah himself will be the center of attention and attraction.

Nearly all Jews, both religious and secular, long for the coming of Messiah. In fact, many Jews believe that the 3^rd Temple won’t be rebuilt until Messiah appears. Orthodox Jews long for the resumption of redemptive sacrifices in the Temple, and return of the Shekinah Glory of God to the Temple. Even the Reform movement within Judaism recognizes that without a rebuilt Temple, the very essence of sacrificial atonement for sin has been compromised, if not lost entirely. Thus, they and the more liberal Jews downplay the importance of a rebuilt Temple; because to overemphasize the Temple’s significance would be to endorse the need for divine rescue from sin, which has been replaced almost exclusively with keeping the Mosaic Commandments as the only means of right standing with God.

Preview of 3rd Temple on Temple Mount

Summary

The question must be asked and answered: If anyone’s belief system and life conduct is predicated on earning God’s favor or forgiveness by adhering to the Law of Moses (to whatever degree it is followed), then the ENTIRE Mosaic covenant must be kept. This includes animal sacrifices to cover sins and ensure an ongoing relationship with God. There’s no indication, whatsoever, in the Mosaic Law or anywhere else in Scripture that the Law itself could save even those who did their very best to keep it. Thus, God’s remedy of the shedding of innocent blood for remission of sin is the only answer to breaking God’s laws.

Yet, as we’ve seen, God, himself orchestrated the destruction of the Temples, just as he told Solomon he would do, and as he warned Israel through other prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

When the first and then the second Temple was destroyed, it’s conceivable the Jews could rightfully plead that the only recourse left to them was trying to do the best they could; hopefully God would accept good deeds over the wrong things they had done. But to fall back on that rationale is to deny the very reason that the Solomon’s Temple was destroyed: Israel’s “detestable sins” as so graphically depicted in Ezekiel Chapters 8 & 9.

Why would God drastically change the pathway of atonement and salvation that he made even before the foundation of the world, to accommodate the loss of the Temples? The fact is: He didn’t. What he did replace was the temporary, on-going covering of sin by the innocent blood of animals, with the actual removal of sin through the permanent, once-for-all greatest Sacrifice of all time: The shed blood of God’s very Son … The Perfect Sacrifice by the Perfect High Priest.

For those Jews who understood and accepted the reasons for destruction of the first Temple, the obliteration of the 2^nd Temple was virtually unfathomable. Explanations such as disunity among 1^st century Jewish groups, or a premature, poorly planned uprising against Rome led by disorganized zealots are frequently cited as reasons that led to the heart-rending loss of their 2^nd Temple. Worse: the expulsion of Jews from Israel, scattered to the four-winds, living under suppression and oppression of Gentile nations for nearly two thousand years. With complete denial (Messianic Jews excepted) that this destruction was predicted by Jesus, himself, less than forty years before it happened. That this Great Dispersion was a resumption of God’s discipline of Israel, this time for rejection of her Messiah.

Still today, other than tens of thousands of Messianic Jews all over the world, Jesus is not recognized in Judaism as the Messiah. This, despite dozens of Old Testament prophecies that were meticulously fulfilled with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Yeshua. One of these prophecies spectacularly announces that Messiah was to arrive before the destruction of the 2^nd Temple. Moreover, this amazing prophecy came from Daniel before the 2^nd Temple had been built!

Read with me this phenomenal prediction: “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple” (Daniel 9:26a).

This verse and others in Daniel have been the subject of several past Eye of Prophecy articles, focusing primarily on the ruler whose armies would destroy the Temple. Here, the emphasis is on the Anointed One (Messiah) who would be killed (with obvious implication that he was alive) BEFORE the Temple was destroyed. The very birth of Jesus Christ separated time itself (BC … AD); then his death and resurrection around 32 AD, some 38 years before the Temple was utterly demolished by the Roman legions … which had been ordered specifically by the ruler (Nero) to crush the revolt in Israel.

Sadly, so many Jewish rabbis and teachers of the law have missed, dismissed, minimized, ignored, or denied these historical facts. Yet, if Messiah didn’t arrive when Daniel said he would, then the 2^nd Temple wasn’t destroyed. It would still be standing. To say that the Temple is still with us would be an obvious illogical denial of what actually happened or that the Temple was even built in the first place. Which, in turn, would be a complete denial of Biblical, historical, and archeological evidence. Jewish scholars are among the best in the world. They see things that many of us don’t see. But when it comes to Jesus, they can only twist and turn the Torah to fit their ancient and modern rejection of Jesus as Messiah.

If they would only read the New Testament with an open mind, then match it and history with so many Old Covenant prophecies of Messiah. Then, as gut-wrenchingly difficult as it would be: To somehow set aside the horror of the Crusades, Inquisitions, and Holocaust—perpetrated not by true believers in Jesus; but by those who diabolically used the name of Christ or Christians to achieve their warped goal of persecuting and destroying the Jewish race or by replacing Biblical promises made exclusively to Israel with the Church.

Things to Ponder

Anyone who has read my books or Eye of Prophecy articles, will clearly see that I love and support Israel and her people. But in the vein of the Apostle Paul, this love for the Jews compels me to ask this poignant and probing question. Unless it is answered by both Jew and Gentile, the Jewish faith and trust in the Mosaic Law remains incomplete; indeed, inadequate to accomplish the ultimate goal of a redemptive relationship with God. This, of course, is also true for all peoples, but it was the Jews who were chosen by God to be a light to the Gentiles. As Jesus said to the Gentile Samaritan woman: Salvation comes through the Jews. (John 4:22).

Where is the Temple? Where is the God-ordained place of sacrificial atonement for the sins of the people and nation of Israel, for the whole world?

Would God allow the Temples to be destroyed and, thus, the very means of sacrificial redemption to be abolished, without remedy? To leave the Jews and all men and women without hope of eternal salvation?

Stay tuned for next week’s article. These questions will be answered by considering the following:

The sacrifices of animals was not designed to remove sin, only to cover it day-to-day and year to year.
The Tabernacle and later the Temple was a prototype reflection of the heavenly pattern, a temporary means to prepare the way for the real heavenly Temple.
There would be a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31) to replace the old. A new and much better way of redemption … a once for all permanent removal of the penalty of sin.

In short, to fully realize that there was a Divine purpose, a providential sovereignty in making something good (better) out of something so devastating as the very destruction of the Temple and subsequent loss of half of the Mosaic Law … the means of atonement for sin.

The Old Covenant has been replaced by a New Covenant!

“So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever” (Hebrews 9:11-12).

AMEN!

Where Is The Temple? Part I

29 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Mosaic Law, Temple sacrifices

Where is the Temple? Part I (Why This Question Must Be Answered)

Last week’s brutal killing of four Jewish Rabbis and an Israeli Druze policemen by two Arabs living in East Jerusalem generated outrage and condemnation from Israelis and from citizens and leaders of nations throughout the world. It was the subject of news reports and articles from a myriad of sources, including the Eye of Prophecy article entitled, And Justice for All. Sadly, the murders also produced celebrations by thousands of Palestinians who praised the killings and the killers.

In a general historical context, this merciless atrocity was yet one more manifestation of the deep hatred harbored by Arab Muslims in Israel and by Muslims the world over for the Jews, and for the very existence of a Jewish nation. Yet, there was a narrower purpose behind the murders. Like several other Palestinian lone wolf attacks against Jews in recent weeks, it’s all too clear that the incitement instigated by Palestinian leaders, not the least of whom was the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, motivated the assassins to strike.

Ostensibly the attack on the Har Nof Synagogue worshippers was in retaliation for the death of a Palestinian bus driver, because of lies disseminated throughout the West Bank and Gaza that Jews killed the man. This despite overwhelming evidence that the driver committed suicide. But there was a deeper underlying motivation: None other than President Abbas’ not-so-veiled threat against the Jews—by encouraging all Palestinians to do whatever possible to counteract Jewish “contamination” of the Al-Aqsa mosque complex on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Equally evident is that Israelis have absolutely no interest in setting foot inside the Dome of the Rock or otherwise contaminating Muslim shrines.

Abbas knows this; thus, his bellicose statement was intended to incite Palestinians to harass and even prevent Jews from visiting the Temple Mount for any reason whatsoever, certainly not to pray or worship. Despite recapturing all of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of June, 1967, the Israelis gave supervisory administration of Temple Mount back to the Jordanians, who detest any Jewish worship or prayer on this Jewish holy site.

For Americans reading this article, especially Texans, can you imagine Sam Houston, after reclaiming the Alamo, giving it back to Mexico for administrative purposes or any other reason? But even more presumptuously … Mexican authorities refusing permission for Americans to set foot in the Alamo? I think not!

Under those conditions why does any Jew, even the Orthodox, bother to set foot on Temple Mount? Their second Temple was destroyed long ago by the Romans. When they finish their ascent to Temple Mount, all they see are Muslim shrines. Even some Israelis including leading politicians discourage Jews from visiting Temple Mount, to appease those who seek their very destruction. Yet, the question is rhetorical: The religious and national heritage established and perpetuated by this ancient sacred site of the 1^st and 2^nd Jewish Temples is reason enough.

Neither is Abbas oblivious to the ongoing movement of the Jewish Temple Mount Faithful and other organizations that have gained momentum in recent months to reclaim this ancient Jewish Holy Site as belonging exclusively to the Jews. Knesset Members are listening more intently to those calling for annexation of Temple Mount as part of Jerusalem proper … with the ultimate goal of rebuilding the Third Temple.

Some Tough Perplexing Questions

Some, including me, have championed the Israeli/Jewish right to the Promised Land and also their authority to rebuild the most sacred edifice ever erected in Jewish history—Solomon’s Temple. Plus the Biblically predicted fact that a Third Temple will one day be rebuilt. Please see Eye of Prophecy posts, A Third Jewish Temple, Part I & Part II, published 4-26-14 and 5-3-14.

But with this article, a reverse twist meant to dutifully challenge (with consideration, courtesy, respect, and even reverence) the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with a poignant but probing question: Where is the Temple?

What happened to it? How can any Jew embrace and practice Judaism without the ancient sacrifices, which is the fundamental reason the Tabernacle and then the Temple was built in the first place? Did the loss of the Temple affect the very core of the Jewish faith? If so, how and to what extent? In light of clear Scripture evidence that God, himself, orchestrated the destruction of Solomon’s Temple (through a pagan nation, Babylon, to punish Israel for their grievous transgressions … likewise Roman demolition of the 2^nd Temple because of Israel’s unbelief), has God also done away with the very heart of his redemptive plan for mankind through Israel—reconciliation and salvation by the sacrificial shedding of blood?

Please continue with me today and for the next two articles. I believe you’ll find this to be a fascinating journey beginning some thirty-three hundred years ago at Mount Sinai. We will closely examine and follow the hallowed unerring map of Scripture that will lead us to our destination. Then decide for yourself if the question has been answered and what it really means.

But first an (obvious) disclaimer: The question, Where is the Temple, isn’t meant to be answered by a literal location. Because we know that the Temple isn’t (anywhere). It’s gone. But why? Was there a more far-reaching purpose why God allowed the Temples to be obliterated? What was/is God’s ultimate purpose for the Temple? Can that purpose be fulfilled if there is no Temple? Who, if anyone; or what, if anything, has replaced the Temple for two thousand years?

In short, how can the Jewish faith function without adhering to the entire Mosaic Law; which clearly was an equally balanced two-tier foundation of: (1) Obedience to God’s Word … pillars of laws, commands, decrees, regulations. (2) Sacrificial Offerings … the cornerstones of atonement by, blessing from, and relationship with God. Moreover, the God-ordained location for the animal sacrifices was first the Tabernacle and later the Temple, which were built on Mount Moriah, the ancient site of today’s Temple Mount. Among other requirements, only the physical entrance into the inner sanctuary (Holy of Holies) once a year by the High Priest would ensure God’s ultimate forgiveness of Israel’s sins, individual and national.

Putting it bluntly: Keeping the Ten Commandments and other regulatory decrees is only half of what is required by the Law of Moses. There must also be strict observance of the Sacrificial System as a means of reconciliation to God for breaking his law. How can God remove or even cover sin without the required sacrificial offerings commanded by God through Moses? If the Temple is rebuilt, will the reinstated burnt offerings once again certify forgiveness of sin and restoration to God?

The entire Jewish faith hinges on the Law of Moses. But without the Sacrificial System that reached its annual peak on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) to include the sacrifice of one goat in the Holy of Holies within the Temple itself for forgiveness of sins; then the release of the second (scape) goat into the wilderness to symbolically carry away the sins of the people, how can a Jew or anyone be reconciled to God.

Regarding the Day of Atonement: “On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord’s presence from all your sins” (Leviticus 16:30). Then a few verses later: “This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the Lord once each year” (Leviticus 16:34).

We will, therefore, begin with the basic premise of the Mosaic Law: No Temple, no sacrifices. No sacrifices, no forgiveness of sins. No forgiveness of sins, no redemption.

In the Beginning

God activated his extraordinary plan of salvation for the entire human race immediately after Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. Because God is omniscient, he knew that the man and women he created would misuse the free will he gave them, by deliberately choosing to disobey him; thus, he conceived a remarkable remedy that would satisfy his attributes of holiness and justice. Because the very life of mankind is sustained by blood, the sacrificial substitutionary shedding of blood would be the source of a redemptive purchase from the penalty of sin … of restoration to God.

Many know the story. Shamed by the guilt of their sin, Adam and Eve suddenly realized they were “naked.” Before they ate the fruit of the one tree that God forbade them to touch, they thought nothing of wearing only their “birthday suit” in the Garden. But when they took the fruit from the tree and ate it, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Genesis 3:7).

But from God’s vantage point, Adam and Eve’s choice of fig leaves or any other botanical covering was totally inadequate to hide their nakedness, which now was a source of culpability before God. Meaning that their nakedness was a whole lot more than skin deep. Their very soul and spirit had been exposed before God, an exposure that revealed the ugliness of their sin and accountability for their rebellion.

Do you remember what the Lord did? First, he pronounced the penalty on Satan, then Eve, then Adam. Only after sentencing Adam and Eve did the Lord make both a literal and symbolic provision to cover their dishonor and disgrace. “And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife” (Genesis 3:21).

As many Bible commentators and teachers have correctly said: In order to provide the animal skins, God had to kill (shed the blood of) innocent animals. Thus began the fundamental source of and prerequisite to man’s redemption, which would subsequently become an essential, eternal life-giving principle and practice that began in the time of Moses—the substitutionary shedding of innocent blood in exchange for forgiveness of sin.

Not the warped child sacrifice that some depraved ungodly people have practiced down through the ages; rather the sacrifice of otherwise innocent animals. An absolutely vital truth that would eventually culminate in the greatest sacrifice of all time; one that would forever bridge the unbridgeable chasm between man and God. The sacrifice of lambs, goats, and bulls was only a temporary prototype depicting the once for all atonement of the Righteous for the unrighteous, the Just for the unjust.

“In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

Why shedding of blood? Because God through Moses said: “…the life of the body is in the blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (Leviticus 17:11).

First, the (Ten) Commandments

The entire Levitical sacrificial system was an inseparable facet of the meticulous Tabernacle design, construction, and function imparted by God to Moses. But first came the Ten Commandments … then more commandments, decrees, and regulations. Followed by detailed instructions of what to do about violations, both intentional and inadvertent, of these moral, spiritual, social, and ceremonial laws. Thus, the shedding of the blood of innocent animals accompanied with true heartfelt repentance of wrong things done constituted the remedy … the ongoing solution for breaking God’s laws.

If asked how and when the Ten Commandments were first given to the Hebrews, many Jews and even Christians who read the Bible on a regular basis would answer that the Commandments were written by the hand of God on two solid stone tablets during Moses’ forty day sojourn on Mount Sinai. And they would be correct. Well not quite, but almost!

No, it was not when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets, then smashed them on the rocks in anger at what some of the people had done in his absence … the golden calf. Only to return to the mountain for a second set of tablets. It was before that.

“Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai … Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians … Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation. This is the message you must give to the people of Israel’” (Exodus 19:1-6).

Moses then relayed God’s words to the people who agreed that they would, “…do everything the Lord has commanded” (Verse 8). But then God did something entirely unexpected. Up to this point, God had spoken audibly only to Moses.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you’” (Verse 9). Moses then relayed specific instructions to the people to get them ready for this spectacular encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the true and living God.

“On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply” (Exodus 19:16-19).

“Then God gave the people all these instructions: ‘I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind….’” (Exodus 20:1-4).

The passage continues with God’s majestic powerful voice naming each one of the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Israelites first received the Commandments directly from the voice of God. What was their reaction?

“And they said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!’” (Exodus 20:19).

“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” (Verse 20).

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven’” (Verse 22).

Following the Ten Commandments, many more instructions concerning their relationship with God and interpersonal relationships with each other were given to Moses.

“Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, ‘We will do everything the Lord has commanded’” (Exodus 24:3).

All of God’s Covenants have been sealed with blood, including the Covenant with Adam, Noah, and Abraham. So, too, with Moses and the Hebrews. “Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, ‘Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions’” (Verse 8).

Another incredible thing happened: “Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders climbed up the mountain again. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!” (Exodus 24: 9-11).

Amazing! More than once in Scripture, we are told that no one can look upon God and live. In this case, the Lord made an exception. However, I’m convinced that this face to face encounter with the living God was possible because God appeared in the form of the pre-Incarnate Messiah, the second Person of the Godhead, who made other appearances before he actually came to this earth, born of a Virgin.

Only after all these remarkable events did Moses actually receive the Ten Commandments in written form … the tablets. “Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:18).

Then the Tabernacle

Not until the Law was given to Moses, then to the people, did God issue orders to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. Yet even the Covenant of the Law had to be ratified with blood. This Mosaic Law was and still is the bedrock core essence of Judaism. It is practiced with a good deal of diligence and passion in today’s world, especially by Orthodox and Conservative Jews. Even liberal Jews innately recognize that being a Jew is more than genealogical; it’s identification with and (to varying degrees) participation in these sacred beliefs that ultimately define them as Jewish.

Photo Depicts Temple Mount. Plenty of Room for 3rd Temple!

The written Law of Moses is of vital importance to the Jewish faith; it is the heart of the Torah … the first five books of the Bible. Indeed, the Ten Commandments provide the most excellent moral foundation known to mankind. Strategic, enforceable laws are built on it. Time tested values and customs thrive on it. Healthy family and social relationships depend on it. But without the ensuing Festivals and particularly the Sacrificial Offerings, any spiritual interaction and relationship with God was impossible. Because no one could or can keep every point of the Law. You break one law, you break them all.

Then the Temple replaced the Tabernacle as a much larger, more glorious, permanent building in Jerusalem; that nevertheless possessed the same blueprint design consisting of, for example, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

But the question cannot be skirted or flippantly brushed aside: Where is the Temple? Which then begs the question: What happened to the Sacrificial Offerings sovereignly instituted by God?

If a Jew or if any Gentile is going to stake their eternal destiny on successfully keeping/following the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments, or even related man-made moral/religious rules of conduct, then they must comply with two cornerstone requirements articulated and demonstrated throughout Scripture by the true and living God who issued these decrees.

The laws must be kept perfectly and continually, without exception. (God’s Holiness)
If anyone sins by breaking even one law, then they must internally—from their heart— confess their sin, ask for forgiveness; and externally demonstrate their repentance by an appeal to the High Priest for a substitutionary shedding of innocent blood to remove the guilt and stain of these sins. (God’s Grace and Mercy)

In other words, the Law without Grace can only condemn. It cannot save. Right standing with God comes only through faith in God’s sacrificial provision for every man, woman, and child.

Anticipating the Hebrews’ questions on who would succeed their High Priest, Aaron, God told Moses: “In future generations, the purification ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron….” (Leviticus 16:32).

But there was a High Priest who predated Aaron and Moses by hundreds of years—Melchizedek. A priest who gave Abraham the first High Priestly blessing ever given, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:18). A priest who was also a king, which superseded the Aaronic priesthood; because after Moses’ time priests could not be kings, nor could kings be priests.

Eventually there would come a High Priest who was sinless, who didn’t need to make a sacrificial purification offering for himself. Indeed, this High Priest was a descendant from the tribe of Judah because he is also the King of Israel, who would sacrifice himself for the sins of the people … ALL people, Jew and Gentile alike.

“And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God who said to him, ‘You are my Son, Today I have become your Father … You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek’” (Hebrews 5:4-6).

Things to Ponder

Because the Temple and, therefore, the sacrificial system of sin and peace offerings were eradicated by the Romans in 70 AD, Halacha (keeping the Jewish law, the complete body of rules that Jews are bound to follow, including biblical and rabbinical commandments and binding customs) is the only viable facet of Judaism applicable to contemporary Jews.

But according to the Scriptures (Torah itself), this is not enough. God knew that no one could ever keep the law in its entirety, because every person is born with a sin nature and a nature to sin. Thus, the law was not meant to be the source of salvation. It was intended only to show us God’s perfect standard of righteousness, and how no person ever has or ever will live up to that standard. That trust in God’s marvelous plan of substitutionary sacrifice (first with animals and finally, for all time, with his Son) was the only way of salvation.

This was true long before God gave the Law and the Sacrificial Offerings to Moses and the people. “And Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6, italics for emphasis).

Let’s Celebrate … Forever!

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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2nd coming, Immanuel, Messiah Jesus, reign of Christ

Festival of Tabernacles … Part II

“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago….” (I Corinthians 10:1).

There are some things that must never be forgotten; but always remembered as examples for us, for our children, and for their children. Whether things precious or things dreadful. Be they helpful or hurtful. Whether a child’s cheerful appeal, “Remember, daddy, you promised;” or whether the ominous refrain of an entire nation that lost six million of its own during the 2^nd World War: “Never again. We must always remember … this can never happen again.”

The triumphs and tragedies of the past become lessons for the present and patterns for the future. History does repeat itself, especially if we fail to learn from past mistakes and failures. The future is much brighter and our expectations and hopes much stronger when we anticipate and then celebrate milestone events of human history and of our very lives. That’s why we honor birthdays and anniversaries … our own, friends, family, and influential people that helped shape the world we live in. That’s why we commemorate life-changing episodes of our human existence.

That’s why we remember times of great turmoil, that ended victoriously … such as Independence Day and Veterans Day. Or birthdays of great leaders that changed the course of history—such as Presidents Washington and Lincoln and civil rights champion Martin Luther King. And certainly the miraculous birth, horrific death, and awesome resurrection from the grave of Messiah Jesus … at Christmas, Good Friday, and Resurrection Day (Easter), respectively.

The apostle Paul challenged the Jewish believers in Corinth to remember what happened to their ancestors in the wilderness … much of which was covered in last week’s article on the Feast of Shelters. Specifically the attitude and actions of the recently delivered Hebrews (from Egypt) and God’s protection and provisions for them even when they were unfaithful to him. Yes, and God’s correction of them, because the Bible tells us that God disciplines those whom he loves.

“I don’t want you to forget … about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground … All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ” (I Corinthians 10:1-4, italics for emphasis).

It’s crystal clear in the Old Testament record that the food (manna) was actual physical food and the water was real thirst-quenching water, miraculously delivered by God. But Paul shares something with the Corinthian believers even more amazing: Christ was literally with the Hebrews in the wilderness and it was he who supplied both their physical and spiritual sustenance.

After his spectacular encounter with the risen Jesus on the Damascus Road and his equally astounding conversion, Paul knew full well that Yeshua was not only the Son of God, he was God the Son; and that Christ was also fully human, the Son of Man. He understood that the Messiah had made several pre-Incarnate appearances throughout the Old Testament; and Paul fully comprehended that this Jewish born Messiah from the tribe of Judah, from the lineage of King David, had existed with God from the very beginning.

Listen to Paul’s magnificent description of Jesus: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20).

WOW!

Do you care to know who Jesus Christ really is and what he has done for you, for me, and for the whole world? Then read this passage again and know beyond any doubt that he is God, Creator, and our Savior. If you believe that he is Creator God and your personal Savior, you will be saved from your sins and the Wrath of God, and you will live forever with Him in heaven.

“God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son, Jesus. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:2-4).

Warnings and Examples

Paul continues with the epic saga of the Hebrews in the wilderness: “These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did … Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snake bites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age” (I Corinthians 10:6-11, italics for emphasis).

As indicated in last week’s article, the Jews were commissioned to bring to mind all the things that happened to them in the wilderness, most importantly the magnificent ways that God protected them and provided for them after he miraculously delivered them from Egypt. One of the more meaningful methods to never forget the sovereign providence of the Lord is by periodic observance of these monumental events. The last, but certainly not the least, of the seven Festivals to be kept by the Jews is the Festival or Feast of Shelters.

Folks, more than ever before, we are living at the end of the age. We are contemporary, modern-day witnesses to the fulfillment of powerful prophetic signs and events recorded throughout Scripture, the most significant of which is the divinely orchestrated rebirth of Israel, followed by the ever-increasing boasts of terrorist groups and entire nations to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. Yet, just last week in the midst of imminent threats from terrorists, regional conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, Iraq and other nations that threaten to entangle the United States, Russia, and the EU, millions of Jews and tens of thousands of Gentile Christians celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles.

Why is this Holiday so important? What makes it unique in comparison to all of the other Jewish and Christian Holy Days?

One of a Kind

The Bible tells us this Festival that remembers the remarkable providential protection and provision of God in the lives of his people is the only Holiday (Holy Day) that individuals and even nations are required by God to observe at the end of the age … known as the Day of the Lord. As alluded to in past Eye of Prophecy articles, the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture (transformation, transference, transfiguration of earthly to heavenly bodies) of dead and living believers in Christ. Followed by the seven-year treaty/tribulation that culminates in the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon. Ending with the majestic return of Messiah Jesus to save the Jews from annihilation and the world from extinction. Then the one-thousand year reign of Christ and believers on the earth. From there … eternity, infinity, and beyond!

The Old Testament Prophet Zechariah who tells us more about Messiah that any other of the Minor prophets declares: “In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters” (Zechariah 14:16).

What plague? In the preceding verses, Zechariah graphically describes this affliction. “And the Lord will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will fight their neighbors hand to hand. Judah, too, will be fighting at Jerusalem….” (Zechariah 14:12-14).

Some Bible scholars believe this passage is describing nuclear warfare, i.e. what could happen to human bodies when a nuclear device explodes. Although there very well may be a nuclear exchange during the Great Tribulation, I don’t believe it applies to this passage. With the primary reason that the Lord, himself, will (supernaturally) inflict this catastrophe on the nations that attack Jerusalem as opposed to other nations including Israel launching nuclear missiles. On the other hand, the very power that Christ wields by the Word of his mouth could very well unlock molecules and unleash the power of the atom that essentially holds all things together.

Revelation vividly tells us more about this final battle, as do a handful of other Scripture passages, both Old and New Testament. “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords” (Revelation 19: 11-16).

It gets even more explicit: “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: ‘Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great’” (Verses 17-18).

Back to Zechariah and the Feast of Tabernacles. “Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will have no rain. If the people of Egypt refuse to attend the festival, the Lord will punish them with the same plague that he sends on the other nations who refuse to go. Egypt and the other nations will all be punished if they don’t go to celebrate the Festival of Shelters” (Zechariah 14:17-19).

The reason why the Festival of Shelters is a divine requirement for all time, with the corresponding harsh punishment if people and nations deliberately and arrogantly refuse to attend this Holy Day once a year, is found in the text … which is the very purpose of celebrating this memorial. “To worship the King…”

And who is the King? The King of all kings? Among other New Testament books, the final book of the Bible tells us exactly who the king is and will be. The very first verse of the first chapter in the Book of Revelation boldly declares: “This is a revelation from Jesus Christ….” Then we read about Jesus: “…He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He had made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6, italics for emphasis).

Immanuel … God with us.

What makes this celebration so different from all other holidays, both Jewish and Gentile, different even from the contemporary observance of Tabernacles? The Answer: Messiah Jesus, himself, will be there! It’s all about Jesus! As well it should be. For he is our Way, our Truth, and our Life. (John 14:6). Once again, the purpose for keeping the Feast of Shelters by traveling directly to Jerusalem during the Millennium is to, Worship the King.

The Festival of Shelters will be celebrated not just in remembrance of the past, but also in reverence of the present and in anticipation of the ongoing glorious future of God’s people. And what does that future presence hold? Just like the small shelters (sukkah) constructed for the Feast of Shelters symbolize God’s sovereign protection and provisions, the Cloud by Day, Pillar of Fire by night, the Tabernacle, and later the Temple contained the very divine presence and glory of God … the Shekinah glory.

This same glory—the very essence of God—visited the human race through … a Child born to us and a Son given to us (Isaiah 9:6) prophesied by Isaiah; fulfilled when the angel confidently announced to Joseph: “…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:20-23).

Upon his glorious reappearance, Jesus of Nazareth will once again be among us on earth and then in the New Jerusalem forever and ever. IMMANUEL! God with us!

Yes, one day soon will see the once-for-all permanent fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy, God with us, take place when Christ returns to Israel. The nations will travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and to worship the King who first came as a child to Bethlehem to tabernacle (live) among us. But his sojourn was all too brief … only thirty-three years. But, oh what a visit! When he ascended to heaven after he arose from the grave, he left God’s mighty plan of salvation on the earth, available to all who call upon the name of the Lord.

Yes, Messiah will return for all time as Immanuel. This is why so many will gladly make this wonderful pilgrimage to Jerusalem: to show their eternal gratitude that God is with us. “I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever’” (Revelation 21:3-4).

“And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city” (Revelation 21:26).

They will come to, Worship the King.

Festival of Shelters … Worship of and Gratitude for a Divine Solution to the World’s Problems

What do we do when we worship something or someone? According to Webster’s Dictionary, worship is: “to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power; to regard with great, even extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.”

Undying loyalty and extraordinary respect goes hand in hand with deep awe and reverence, but also perpetual gratitude for what Christ has done and what he will do to set things right when he returns to the earth.

Those who survive the Great Tribulation, including even those who were fighting against the Jews and against Christ himself will recognize, respect, and revere Jesus Christ as the one who:

In fact, wages a righteous war. The One who utterly defeats an immoral, unrighteous, ruthless enemy much like we see with today’s terrorists and the ungodly, wicked, shocking slaughter of innocent civilians perpetrated on entire populations as occurred during Hitler’s evil Third Reich. So will it be when the Antichrist beast of Revelation unleashes his unholy alliances against those who refuse to take his mark. Messiah Jesus will deal harshly and decisively with tyranny and oppression to the extent that, “Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end” (Proverbs 22:8).
The One (and only one) who will bring true and lasting Peace to a destructive world filled with unrestrained corruption, unbridled immorality, unchecked violence, and the horrors of death. He is the, “…Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end….” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The One who can and will bring pure justice with him and administer this justice fairly to all peoples. “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:12). And, “…He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:7).
The One whose way and ways are built on absolute truth and righteousness, which all people long for in a ruler. “… Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways O King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed” (Revelation 15: 3-4).
The One whose decisions and judgments surpass any human magistrate or Supreme Court known to man: “…Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just” (Revelation 16:7).
The One who is the “Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). The One who has conquered death itself. “I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:18).
The One who will make everything brand new, better than ever before, surpassing even the Garden of Eden. The only One who can be fully trusted to do what he says he will do. “…Look, I am making everything new! And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:5).

The overwhelming price paid by Jesus Christ for our sins—his agonizing painful death on the Cross—is far too great to trivialize or overlook. His majestic return to the earth is far too glorious and benevolent to ignore or minimize, both before and after the fact. The awesome price of peace with God and peace among men paid for by Jesus blood must always be remembered, not just during the Feast of Shelters but all through the days and years to come. Those who refuse to accept the very presence of God in the form of his Son, Yeshua ha Mashiach; and, thereby, refuse to attend the Festival of Shelters, will also pay a heavy price. Because they (like so many today who will never see the light of Heaven) will not acknowledge what the Lord has done and will do on that day and forever more.

“The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: The Lord is Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:15-16).

Things to Ponder

On the Jewish calendar, the Festival of Tabernacles is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The number five signifies Grace … the grace of God that bestows blessings and his very presence in all hearts who invite him in. That is the way of it now … the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of men, women, and children the world over; those who have believed and received the Son of God, the Son of Man.

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:19-21).

One day soon, Jesus Christ will tabernacle among us. He will be Immanuel, God with us … forever. He will restore all things. As it once was long ago, so shall it be again. He will establish the Kingdom of God on the earth and will, thereby, bring lasting Peace to a troubled world—a planet teetering on an axis of evil, ready to plunge into an Abyss of hopelessness and helplessness.

“…The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

“He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Festival of Tabernacles … Part I

18 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Feasts, Shelters, Sukkot

Feast of Tabernacles

Who doesn’t like and look forward to a holiday? A few perhaps, but Christian and non-Christians the world over spend extraordinary sums of money in preparation for Christmas and Easter; although these time-tested traditions have different meanings for those who celebrate them. For two thousand years Christians have rejoiced in the birth of our Savior at Christmas time and the resurrection of that same Savior and Lord from the grave on Resurrection Sunday. However, for the die-hard secular among us, it’s no longer Merry Christmas … instead they wish you Happy Holidays. And Easter … well it’s just Easter: watching children hunt for hidden eggs and feast on chocolate Easter bunnies. For many, the most appealing attraction of Christmas or Thanksgiving or Labor Day or the 4^th of July is a day or two off from work. We need all those days we can get! Right?

For the observant Jew, there are seven Holy Days throughout the year, with some of these more hallowed than others … High Holy Days. Jews call these special times Festivals or Feast Days, which is the same description given by the Scriptures from long ago. For the more secular Jews who pick and choose which holidays to observe, they tend to concentrate on the first festival of the year, Passover, held in the Jewish month of Nisan (March-April); then the three back to back to back memorials in the month of Tishrei (September-October) of Rosh Hashana (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles or Booths or Shelters).

So what’s this Feast of Tabernacles or Shelters all about? And, what makes it totally unique in comparison to the other six Jewish Holidays? The annual festivals are first presented in the Torah book of Leviticus, Chapter 23; then in meticulous detail in Numbers, Chapter 29; and once again in summary fashion from the book of Deuteronomy. “You must observe the Festival of Shelters for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain has been threshed and the grapes have been pressed … For seven days you must celebrate this festival to honor the Lord your God at the place he chooses, for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work. This festival will be a time of great joy for all” (Deuteronomy 16: 13-15).

In Leviticus and Numbers, more instructions are given such as cessation of all ordinary work on the first and last day of this seven-day celebration. Actually the last day is an eighth day … which is a literal translation (8^th day) from the Hebrew, Shemini Atzeret. That 8^th day is given the name Simchat Torah, which means rejoice in the Torah (Word of God).

Other requirements plus the major reason for the Feast of Tabernacles can be found in Leviticus: “On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees—palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days … This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed in the appointed month from generation to generation. For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live in shelters. This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 23: 40-43). The little shelter(s) are called a sukkah in Hebrew, which means a makeshift hut. In English, we might even use the word shack.

Many reading this article might ask, “What possible relevance does the Jewish Festival of Sukkot have in today’s world?” And, “do you mean to tell me that Jews still keep this tradition.” Answers: All the relevance in the world, as I believe you will see in this week’s and next week’s Part II article. Yes, millions of Jews and even tens of thousands of Christians celebrate this remarkable holiday, which began at sunset this past October 8^th and ended on the 15^th, a day of complete rest. Then the extra 8^th day of Simchat Torah took place on the 16^th of October.

Let’s Celebrate!

Jews all over Israel and in many countries of the world construct their own version of a temporary sukkot booth or hut in their backyard or on balconies or in open fields. There, for a week, they eat (mostly evening) meals, relax, sing songs, and entertain family and friends; some go so far as to actually sleep in the makeshift shelter at night. Included in their ceremonies are times of prayers and waving a bouquet—a collection of mostly leafy branches from the etrog (citrus type tree), palm and willow branches, and myrtle (boughs of thicker branched trees).

Through a warm-hearted invitation from Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, children throughout Israel helped him furnish his own sukkah. The youngsters hung decorations, all the while singing holiday songs. Although the Israeli office of President is mostly ceremonial (the Prime Minister is the actual head of government), this presidential interaction with Israeli children and citizens was truly remarkable.

I suppose it would be equivalent to the US President inviting a sampling of children in America to decorate his Christmas tree; to truly remember that Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus Christ, the divine light that shines brilliantly in a dark world. Do you suppose our President would ever do such a thing!? Or for the President to summon a cross-section of America to wave sparklers and flags at an Independence Day festival in front of the White House, in remembrance of our deliverance from a tyrannical English king? Personally, I think it would be a great tradition for the next President to institute.

Listen to the words of President Rivlin: “Dear children, you are fulfilling an important task by decorating our sukkah. It’s important that everyone who comes to the president’s sukkah feels he is at home, a home which is a symbol. We have disagreements, but we are one nation and celebrate the holidays together.” Then he continued, “The sukkah symbolizes what we were before we became a nation. We are now celebrating to remember our exodus from Egypt; that we were slaves but now we have a country of our own, and that we must not treat others like we were treated in Egypt.”

Unique Features of the Feast of Shelters

It comes as no surprise that there are seven Jewish feasts ordained by God; this in keeping with the divine number seven replete throughout Scripture. They are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Harvest, Harvest or Pentecost, Trumpets or Rosh Hashana, Atonement or Yom Kippur, and Festival of Shelters or Sukkot.

Let’s first look at some of the aspects of the Festival of Booths that are distinct, but not necessarily exclusive. In next week’s article we’ll examine the incredible feature of this Holy Day that is entirely unique in comparison to all of the other sacred holidays, both Jewish and Christian.

It is one of two festivals that specifically emphasizes celebration for the entire family. The other feast is the Festival of Harvest. “You must observe the Festival of Shelters for seven days at the end of the harvest season … This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters….” (Deuteronomy 16: 13-14a).
But there’s more: “…happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns” (Deuteronomy 16:14b, italics for emphasis). Along with the Festival of Harvest, the Feast of Tabernacles explicitly addresses the inclusion of foreigners or Gentiles. Plus it stresses attendance of non-family orphans and widows, i.e. the poor among them. Even servants are included.
It is one of two festivals that lasts for seven days … the other being that of Unleavened Bread. The remaining five festivals are a one-day event. I believe there is a reason for this. The one-day festivals represent astounding events in which God decisively and conclusively intervened on behalf of his people, such as overnight Passover deliverance from Egypt, abrupt and authoritative forgiveness of sin on Yom Kippur, or resounding announcement of the New Year at the Feast of Trumpets. Whereas, the Unleavened Bread and Tabernacle festivals are meant to remember the ongoing provisions and protection of God throughout the long (eventually) 40-year journey to the Promised Land.
It is one of the three festivals in which the Lord requires the men of Israel to physically attend and participate as a group in the place designated by the Lord, which in due course became Jerusalem. The pilgrimage of women and children were optional. “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses…” (Deuteronomy 16:16).

Two of these conditions—travel to Jerusalem and participation of the Gentiles—will be highlighted through a fascinating prophecy found in Zechariah, which we will cover next week. But already God, through Moses, is preparing his special possession Israel to grasp the significance of the Festival of Tabernacles’ application to all peoples and the very purpose for annual observance of this vitally important event. If the Jews were going to be a light to the Gentiles, then select Holy Days should be shared with foreigners. Thus, the Feast of Shelters looks both to the past and the future.

*Note: A handful of times since Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948, Jews have made pilgrimages to Jerusalem to keep the Festival of Shelters. The most recent was just this past week. Thus, this tradition has made a come-back for both religious and secular Jews.

Primary Purpose for Keeping the Festival of Tabernacles

The physical means and spiritual purpose for Israel’s celebration of Shelters is summarized as follows: “For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live in shelters. This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 23: 42-43). Extraordinarily remarkable is the fact that the Hebrews were still living in these makeshift temporary shelters when God through Moses gave them the Law, the Sacrificial System of Atonement, and the Festivals.

Thus, God is assuring them that they would one day dwell in permanent houses, and otherwise fulfill their destiny in the Land promised to them as an eternal inheritance. In God’s plan and sovereignty it was a done deal. The Lord is telling his people to keep this festival as though they had already reached their destination and were looking back in remembrance of the arduous and perilous journey.

Had the newly delivered Hebrews fully trusted the Lord, they would have entered the Promised Land a year from the Exodus. Instead, it took an agonizing forty years of wandering in circles through the Judean wilderness. They made it far too difficult on themselves. It’s quite evident: When they finally reached the Promised Land (again), they had learned resolute reliance and deferred dependence on the Lord God the hard way. For those who still had some doubts, God convinced them during their first major battle that victory over their enemies and inheritance of the land was possible only when they trusted and obeyed the Lord. The Battle of Jericho clearly taught them this principle. It was a simple but awesome victory. By the time the walls came tumbling down, the battle had been won. And what did the Hebrews do? Exactly what they were told to do: March around the walls seven times, blow the trumpets, and shout. That’s all? Yes, that’s all they needed to do, i.e. trust and obey the Lord their God.

When they finally took possession of the Promised Land, they ate food that they neither planted nor harvested, drank wine that they didn’t produce, wore clothing that they didn’t weave, and lived in houses they didn’t build. All because of God’s sovereignty, grace, and bounty.

In addition to the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—before and during the great trek through the wilderness—the Psalms and many other Old Testament books frequently refer to the miraculous delivery of the Hebrews from Egypt after the fact. And there are several review type references in the New Testament. Through all of these passages we can vividly see two distinct reasons why God wanted his people to keep this Festival for all time: To remember God’s faithful Protection of and Provisions for his people.

PROTECTION:

God’s divine sovereignty in keeping his people safe while horrifying things were happening in front, behind, and all around them is truly stunning:

From the plagues in Egypt, including the most deadly of all—the Angel of Death’s killing of all Egyptian firstborn males. All ten judgments were miraculous displays of God’s power and providence, while protecting his people.
With their backs to the Sea and facing certain destruction at the hands of Pharaoh’s chariots, God majestically split the sea into dry land, allowing all of the Israelites to cross over; then drowning all the Egyptians who had the audacity and arrogance to pursue them. This is the most talked about miracle in Scripture, and the most recognized supernatural deliverance of all time. All of God’s miracles are blockbusters, but the parting of the Red Sea, along with the Virgin Birth of Jesus and his Resurrection, are off the charts.
Divine deliverance from marauding hordes of bandits and murderers, and from attacks by and against mighty armies before, during, and after entrance into the Promised Land. Though the Jews were required to fight, all of their victories were directly attributed to the Lord’s protection and enablement. For example: The astounding victory over a much better armed and trained Amalekite army while Moses held his staff over his head for an entire day. Moses became so weary that Aaron and Hur helped Moses hold his arms up. As a symbol of Israel’s dependence on the Lord, as long as the staff remained elevated the Israelites prevailed, until the victory was finally won (Exodus 17).
Through prayerful pleading by Moses, the Israelites were protected from annihilation by God, himself. This after showing their “gratitude” for their liberation from Egypt by building a despicable and detestable golden calf idol.
From even more (massive number of) deaths by ultra-poisonous snakes, because of their constant complaints, continuous ingratitude, and ceaseless distrust of God. “…But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. ‘Why have your brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?’ they complained. ‘There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!’” (Numbers 21: 4-5). Those familiar with this part of the wilderness saga will recall the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole and miraculous recovery of those bitten by snakes; if they would simply look at the bronze replica and believe that God would heal them by such a simple childlike act of contrition and obedience.

PROVISIONS

The supernatural ways in which the Lord provided for the delivered Israelites is nothing short of astonishing. Such as:

Manna from heaven… the food of angels! Gathered every morning, enough for each day. If they gathered too much, it spoiled. “So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed. Then Moses told them, ‘Do not keep any of it until morning.’ But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them” (Exodus 16: 17-20).
Before the manna appeared the next morning, “That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp…” (Verse 13). For anyone who has ever hunted quail, it’s not all that easy, at least not without a bird dog. Here, the birds flew directly into the Israelites’ cooking pots! (Paraphrasing). Yum … all the meat they could eat!
The same staff that Moses used to strike the Nile with blood and held aloft to part the Red Sea, he also used to smite solid rock. When he did, streams of water gushed out to quench the thirst of hundreds of thousands of Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 17). This happened again as recorded in Numbers Chapter 20, and water poured from the rock.
The very finger of God that blazed the Ten Commandments onto stone tablets on Mt. Sinai, providing the very essence of the Law to God’s people and ultimately standards of morality and right and wrong for all humanity.
For forty long years wandering through the wilderness the Israelites’ “…clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell” (Deuteronomy 7:4). Amazing!
The ever-present cloud by day and the majestic pillar of fire by night continuously pointed the direction to go. That was the best GPS ever known to man! Right there in front of them. When the cloud moved, they broke camp. When it stopped, they stopped and set up their shelters (sukkah). The next morning they gathered more manna! Hey, for you wilderness junkies, it doesn’t get any better than that!

Time and time again God was faithful when his people were not; when they doubted him, complained against him and Moses about what they didn’t have, and even grumbled over what they did have. But not without consequences, the most obvious of which was forty years of God’s discipline that confined them to the Judean desert.

During which time they had no permanent dwelling places, no real home and hearth to retreat after a long day of work or wandering. Some had tents that they carried in carts or on the backs of their animals or on their own backs. However, most of the people undoubtedly erected a lean-to type shelter made from whatever branches or material they could find or carry. But through it all, God supplied their physical needs … whether through a miracle or through natural provisions along the way of their seemingly never-ending expedition to the Promised Land.

Summary

Because the adults who were delivered from Egypt disobeyed God and refused out of doubt, fear, and lack of trust to enter Canaan, only those less than twenty years began the 40-year passage. When they finally arrived at the threshold of Canaan, here is what Moses reminded them, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good” (Deuteronomy 10: 12-13).

The Bible’s inherent definition and meaning of fear of the Lord is not running scared or being frightened. Rather it means reverent respect and deep awe that leads to worship. It also implies complete trust in the Lord … that he is who he says he is and does what he says he will do.

Included in the Lord’s commands would be, of course, to celebrate the Festival of Shelters—which above all the other festivals depicted the awesome protection and provision God lavished on his people, even though they didn’t deserve it and certainly didn’t earn it. The Feast of Tabernacles would remind them of God’s faithfulness to protect and provide; that he could and should be trusted at all times, for all things, no matter what.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

The all-inclusive lesson(s) to be learned by the ancient Israelites regarding the unnecessary generation they spent in the wilderness and how this is part and parcel of the need to always remember what happened, and this remembrance should be summoned at least once a year by observing the Feast of Tabernacles, is powerfully expressed in Psalms Chapter 78.

“Yet they kept on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved. They even spoke against God himself, saying, ‘God can’t give us food in the wilderness. Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he can’t give his people bread and meat.’ When the Lord heard them, he was furious. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel” (Psalms 78: 17-21).

And what exactly was it that made God angry, the opposite of which is the very thing that pleases God? The very next verse in this chapter answers that question and provides a succinct summary of just how the Lord places all of the things we do or don’t do in a box (so to speak). And this box has a label with but two words: Trust Me.

The Lord’s anger rose against Israel because, “…they did not believe God or trust him to care for them” (Psalms 78:22).

In verses 23 through 31 we read a summary of the Exodus account of the miraculous provision of quail and manna. Followed by: “But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him” (Psalms 78:32).

Despite miracles he performed equal to those in Egypt, the greatest of which was Resurrection from the dead, Messiah Jesus was still rejected by his own people. For this reason, The Lord withdrew his protection of and provisions for Israel. In less than a generation after Christ arose from the dead, they were crushed by the Romans and exiled to nations all over the world, just as Moses said would happen (Leviticus 26).

Not until the rebirth of Israel in 1948 and especially the recapture of the Holy City of Jerusalem in 1967, did God restore his prophetically promised protection of the Jews. Many Israelis are beginning to see and understand that God once again is demonstrating his love and mercy for the Jews and for Israel. Defeat of their enemies against all odds in four major wars and several other clashes with terrorist groups have proven that.

The next step is for all Israel to embrace their Messiah! Stay tuned for next week’s article.

Things to Ponder

“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble” (Psalms 9:9, italics for emphasis).

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” (Psalms 91: 1-2, italics for emphasis).

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3: 5-6, KJV).

Webster’s Definition of Trust: “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something” (italics for emphasis).

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6).

Russia & Iran versus Israel

04 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Great Tribulation, Islamic Caliphate, World War III

Magog and Israel

Check. According to Webster’s Dictionary there are multiple definitions of this oft used English word: “To slow or bring to a stop. To block the progress. To restrain or diminish the action or force of, as in hold the enemy in check. To investigate conditions, as in check out. To correspond point for point. To mark with a check as examined, verified, or satisfactory” (√).

US President Obama has authorized air strikes against the Islamic State (IS). Check. Despite his growing isolationist foreign policy, even President Obama could not ignore the beheading of two American citizens and the ominous international threat of this barbaric terrorist cell whose goal is blatantly obvious: destruction of Israel, killing innocent people, and ultimately establishing their version of an Islamic Caliphate—first in Iraq and Syria, then the entire globe.

Western allies Great Britain and France agreement to participate in this latest war on terrorism with bombing raids against ISIS (another acronym for the Islamic State) alongside of the United States. Check. They are two of the three most powerful European Union nations. Whether out of shame if they didn’t participate or out of obligation as members of NATO, they dare not remain neutral.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates lending various means of support in the fight against ISIS. Check. Even Muslim Arab countries recognize the danger posed by this ultra-radical terrorist army that has seized control of much of Iraq. They couldn’t care less about the Christian casualties, but they don’t like Sunni ISIS killing fellow Shi’ite Muslims in Iraq and Syria.

Iran and Turkey joining the war against ISIS! Check? Yes, a strange bed-fellow type of check. But with vastly different motives. These two large nations that sponsor and export terrorism themselves, primarily through Hezbollah in Lebanon (Iran) and Hamas in Gaza (Turkey), do not appreciate an up-start gang of mercenaries from countries all over the world—headed by a fundamentalist Sunni faction in Iraq—declaring themselves to be THE Islamic Caliphate. Why? Because the leaders of both Iran and Turkey have declared their respective nations as the headquarters for the Global Caliphate which the Mahdi, the 12^th Imam of Islam, will establish. And the ultimate irony: though Muslim, neither Turkey nor Iran are Arab nations.

Russia agreeing in principle that ISIS poses a threat to the Middle East with tacit approval of US and EU airstrikes against this terrorist organization. Check! Really, a check? Yes, but not the kind you can take to the bank knowing it will be cashed. It’s a check that could bounce. It’s not the box checked at the end of a signed hard-copy document that agrees with all of the stipulations and conditions. Rather, it’s the kind of check found in a small box on a computer screen that can be unchecked with the click of a mouse. Now I agree, now I don’t.

Meaning that the only reason that Russia has (reluctantly) endorsed certain tactics against ISIS is because Syria’s still viable government under Assad and even the moderate rebel freedom fighters who initiated the war against Assad are both fighting against radical Muslims—mostly terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS—for supremacy in Syria. And Iran supports both Assad in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And, of course, Russia is a staunch ally of Iran.

The reason that Russia’s check (mark) can be deleted at the click of a key or a phone call is because of a very recent low-key, behind-the-scenes warning by the Putin-led government that was not so secretly directed against the United States. The Threat: If the US or its Allies target the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in addition to raids against ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Syria, Russia will retaliate. Whether this retaliation would be directly from the Russian military or by means of assisting the Syrian air force remains to be seen.

Already, Russia has been humiliated and infuriated by economic sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western nations for Russia’s interference with Ukraine. Not since the Cold War with the then Soviet Union—and before that the Cuban Missile Crisis—have diplomatic relations between the US and Russia been so tenuous. It is a political bubble that could burst with a belligerent word, a diplomatic balloon that could explode from an errant missile at any time. An all-out military confrontation between Russia and the United States would be tantamount to World War III. Conflict between two super-powers (some argue that Russia is no longer a super-power, but it’s still strong enough to do serious damage even to the US) would by treaties and alliances guarantee the participation of dozens of other nations … which is what world wars are made of.

But that will not happen!

Really? “How do you know that Russia and the US will not go to war with each other?” you might reply. Is it some hunch or some off-the-wall speculation? No. It’s based on careful examination of Ezekiel Chapters 38 & 39 and credible correlation between current conditions in today’s world with the Gog/Magog battle.

To varying degrees, I have covered this great end-times battle in at least three previous Eye of Prophecy articles. However, because of the recent disputes between Russia and the United States, and to further demonstrate that the God/Magog campaign will take place in the early part of the Tribulation after the Rapture, this article will provide more details to include, for the first time, a parallel with two of the seven seal judgments of Revelation.

Three Reasons Why There Will Not be a War between the US and Russia before (or after) the Rapture

(1) Russia knows that it could never win a conventional war with the United States, let alone the US and its European, Canadian, and Australian Allies. And Russia isn’t any more suicidal than the US when it comes to nuclear warfare. Moreover this third world war would, indeed, be a war to end all wars; it would shatter international economies and infrastructures, even if fought as a conventional war. It would demolish entire cities. It would be the kind of apocalyptic devastation found only in the Great Tribulation.

(2) Armageddon, the Tribulation, and World War III are virtually synonymous. With modern weaponry, you can’t have one without the others. But Revelation is clear: It will not pit Russia against the US and its Western Allies. If there was such a war and even if Russia defeated the Western nations, she would pay a heavy price to the point of being unable to militarily or economically fulfill the Gog/Magog prophecy that says: “You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud” (Ezekiel 38:9). Here, Ezekiel is describing the Russian alliance to include Iran that will sweep over the Middle East and Israel. Instead, World War III will feature the ten-nation confederation led by Antichrist (Nero) against all the nations that oppose him, primarily the Oriental countries of the east. Culminating in the Battle(s) of Armageddon in which the Antichrist and even his enemies will unite against the King of kings, Jesus Christ. This will take place during the latter part of the Great Tribulation.

(3) Russia’s last-days war will not be with the US or the EU; rather it will be against Israel. Which leads us back to the Gog/Magog attack on Israel.

Why the Russian Coalition Assault on Israel Will Take Place after the Rapture

Let’s scrutinize the Ezekiel prophecy and see exactly what will happen and when; but also examine two events described in Revelation during the Tribulation that dovetail with Ezekiel. Among other things, we’ll see that “the distant future” (Ezekiel 38:8) of the God/Magog prophecy is unfolding now; that the Gog alliance is developing right before our eyes, providing more evidence that the Rapture is just around the corner.

The Russian Alliance: Nearly all Bible scholars recognize that the land of Magog is Russia and Gog is the Russian leader who will spearhead the operation against Israel. Moreover, several other nations, the most prominent of which is Iran, will be part of this coalition. (Ezekiel 38:5-6). Only in the past few years did Russia and Iran form an alliance which is a 21^st century fulfillment of this prophecy.

Israel is the Target: Speaking to Gog, Ezekiel says, “…you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 38:8). Two conditions describe Israel when this attack takes place. One of them has been fulfilled: Although not all Jews world-wide, millions of them have returned to the Promised Land. Yet, Ezekiel’s prophecy doesn’t state nor imply nor require that all Jews have returned to Israel. Not until the end of the Tribulation and into the Millennium will that happen. The most important feature of this verse and the entire Gog/Magog prophecy is that it refers to (the nation of) Israel. The very fact that Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948 and later captured and established Jerusalem as its capital again (1967) means that this prophecy applies to today’s Israel.

However, the second conditional status before Gog attacks Israel is not quite yet in place: Israel “…enjoying peace after recovering from war…”

When Is Israel Attacked? God through Ezekiel continues his prophecy against Gog: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: …You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! I will capture vast amounts of plunder…’” (Ezekiel 38: 10-12). Then the Lord tells Ezekiel precisely when the Gog/Magog hordes will be unleashed. “Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will arouse yourself. You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel…” (Ezekiel 38: 14-16).

Here, it’s crucial to understand the relevant conditions that entice Russia, Iran, and other nations to march against Israel. One is the fact that Israelis are “living in peace.” Second, because of this peace Israel has much more confidence than ever before; to the extent that she lets down her guard and protection. Israel will be surprised and unprepared.

Neither of these conditions currently exist in Israel. For sixty-six years since their rebirth as a nation, the Jews have constantly been at war with Arab nations and more recently with Muslim terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and now the Islamic State. Peace has been as elusive as a morning mist, despite the Oslo Peace initiatives in the early 1990’s and despite much rhetoric over a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian dilemma. Israel continues to build her military and is ever-ready to defend against attacks from Arab armies as well as Muslim terrorist cells. With the greatest threat of all looming constantly like a dark cloud over the land … a nuclear armed Iran. In fact, the recent battles with Hamas and the advances of ISIS have created a huge diversion of the world’s attention on Iran. Even the US has seemingly put their efforts to keep Iran from developing a nuclear warhead on a back burner. After all, what do you do with an enemy who is suddenly your ally against ISIS? Only Israel fully realizes that Iran is still the greatest threat, not Hamas and not ISIS.

When will these prophetic conditions of (false) peace and (fleeting) security exist in Israel? The answer is found in the book of Daniel … a passage that most scholars and many Christians are familiar with. “The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings…” (Daniel 9:27).

Most students of prophecy know that this ruler is the Antichrist; that this treaty will be with Israel and will take place soon after the Rapture. Furthermore, the ruler will break the treaty after 3 ½ years and put an end to the Jewish sacrifices that have been resumed with the rebuilding of the Temple soon after the treaty is ratified. Short of a massive attack by Arab nations against Israel, there is no other way that the Third Temple could be erected without this treaty. There is no other way for Israel and her Muslim neighbors to be at peace except for this (peace) treaty. Without such a treaty, there is no other condition of security available in Israel unless she is assured by the Antichrist and his ten-nation confederation that they will guarantee Israel’s safety.

Why the United States Cannot Challenge Russia and Will Not Come to Israel’s Defense during the Gog/Magog Assault

International Response When Russia Attacks Israel: “But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’” (Ezekiel 38:13). Often in Scripture when certain countries are identified—especially in a prophetic setting—these nations existing at the time of the prophecy are prototypes of many other nations that will interact with Israel during the last days. In this case Sheba and Dedan represent Arab nations in today’s world. Tarshish denotes leading Western nations including, I believe, the United States; and, by strong implication or connotation, the EU (Tarshish was ancient and modern Spain). Moreover, Antichrist’s ten kings/kingdoms coalition will be major nations of Europe to include countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Great Britain, and probably even the United States—one of the three kings/kingdoms that Antichrist will force to join his ten kingdom confederation.

What is the Context & Meaning of this International Response to Gog’s Campaign against Israel? Because the beast of Revelation (Nero) will not yet have increased and consolidated his power base, the most he can or will do is to voice disapproval of Russia’s assault by doing nothing more than challenging Russia via political rhetoric. This challenge is in the form of questioning whether Russia is really capable of winning this war against Israel, either because Israel herself is a mighty military to be reckoned with or because the US and the EU just might come to Israel’s aid, or both.

Most importantly, why doesn’t the United States actively come to Israel’s defense as soon as America realizes what’s happening? For example, if Russia were to attack Israel today or in the very near future (prior to the Rapture), I firmly believe that America would take on Russia. For one, we currently have the military superiority to defeat even a nation as powerful as Russia. Two, despite President Obama’s specific dislike of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his general animosity toward Israel, the American people primarily through Congress would overwhelmingly support Israel, economically and militarily, should Israel be attacked.

But that is not the case after the Rapture! Why? Because the United States will be decimated by sheer loss of people … born again Christians. No one knows the number, but the numbers will be substantial, enough to deplete our military and our leaders to the point where Americans simply won’t have the capacity to defend themselves, let alone other nations like Israel. One recent statistic showed that one of every three people in the US claims to be a Christian of some sort. Although a large number of these are undoubtedly Christian in name only, there will be enough people in this country taken at the Rapture to make a significant impact on the entire nation; more so than any other nation on the earth.

On the other hand, the mostly godless nation of Russia will easily recognize the overnight catastrophic weakening of America, as well as the yet fragile, still-growing, and by and large ineffective coalition of the Antichrist and his followers. What better time for Russia and Iran to launch a massive attack against Israel than a few months after the Rapture? Thus, Ezekiel makes it clear that the opposition to this attack is with rhetoric only. Equally evident is that Russia and Iran ignore these verbal challenges and continue to march against the Holy Land.

Which is why the Lord, himself, will rescue Israel with a mighty display of omnipotent retribution. Moreover, I believe this divine reckoning is part of the seal judgments of Revelation! Let’s examine the correlation.

Matching Ezekiel with Revelation: God’s Crushing Defeat of Gog, but also Punishment of Those Nations Complicit in the Attack

In several prior Eye of Prophecy articles, I have emphasized the fact that God’s discipline of Israel (the Jews) ended in 1967. See the Seven Times Seven articles. Once Israel was reborn as a nation and captured the Holy City of the Holy Land, God no longer abandoned his special possession. Conversely, he once again protects Israel, which is not to say that Israel is exempt from hostility and aggression by her enemies. Evil people and nations still exist and Messiah’s final triumph over Israel’s enemies is still a (near) future event.

Which is why God, through Ezekiel, announces in no uncertain terms exactly what God’s response will be to this multi-national attempt to destroy Israel: “…When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day … all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth … I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38: 18-23, italics for emphasis).

My purpose for emphasizing the italicized words is to point out that all people on earth will recoil in terror; further, that mountains, cliffs, and walls will crumble not just in Israel, but the world over. Though God’s power displayed against the hordes of Gog will indeed be impressive, people living far from the heat of the battle in Israel would have no reason to quake in terror unless they themselves were directly exposed to mountains, cliffs, and walls falling around and on them. Moreover, they will quake in terror at God’s very presence … meaning his presence in causing catastrophic natural disasters all over the earth. Does that sound a lot like what happens in Revelation? If you answer yes, you are correct, as we shall soon see.

I say this with a great deal of certainty, based on what comes next in Ezekiel Chapter 39. Let’s read it: “You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains … You will fall in the open fields…” (Ezekiel 39:4). Previously in Chapter 38, Ezekiel declared that God will, “…punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed: I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur!” (Verse 22). Obviously, this is referring to the mountains and fields of Israel, as that is where Gog (Russia) and its armies have arrived to annihilate Israel. But what comes next is often overlooked by scholars, including me at one time.

Immediately after telling Gog that his armies and allies will perish within Israel itself, the Lord declares: “And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:6). This is an extraordinary disclosure, one that plainly and emphatically refers not to just the destruction of Gog’s armies in Israel, but also the very motherland of Russia and citizens of other nations who were otherwise living and watching safely on the coasts.

We need to remember that Gog is the ruler who will lead multi-national armies against Israel. But Magog is the land itself from where Gog originates. (See Ezekiel 38:2). Thus, during this awesome display of divine intervention, God will simultaneously “rain down fire on Magog.” Russia itself will be devastated. But not just Russia. Who else? Her allies? Yes, but not the nations and armies who are directly participating in the attack against Israel. Rather, the text states, “your allies who live safely on the coasts.”

Do you see what’s going on here? These same nations who stood idly by while Russia (Gog) arrogantly marches against Israel, nations whose leaders could or would do nothing more than challenge Russia with mere words (did Russia really think they would succeed), will also suffer the wrath of God. There are several examples in the Old Testament where God punishes not just nations that were overtly hostile against Israel, but also those who condoned these attacks and who were complicit by refusing to help Israel, i.e. silent allies.

Matching Ezekiel’s Gog/Magog Destruction with Seal Judgments in Revelation

“I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood … The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks. ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?’” (Revelation 6: 12-17).

In order, this is the sixth seal, but the first of twenty-one judgments (seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls) in which the entire earth fully realizes that the increasing apocalyptic events on earth are now directly from God and Messiah Jesus. Which is exactly what God is telling us when Ezekiel writes: “I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

That and the other correlations already discussed have convinced me that God’s mighty judgment of Gog, Magog, AND many other peoples/nations who directly or indirectly conspired against Israel is an integral part of the sixth and or seventh seal judgments. When Christ breaks the seventh seal, here’s what will happen: “Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lighting flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake” (Revelation 8:5, italics for emphasis).

Once again, this descriptive language closely matches what Ezekiel says, with the extremely strong connection that the 6^th and/or 7^th seal judgments are the world-wide catastrophes taking place at the same time that the Lord crushes the Gog invasion of Israel. “Fire will rain down on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:6, italics for emphasis).

The quaking and shaking in Israel caused by God will not devastate Israel; but that same quaking (two massive earthquakes back to back in the 6^th and 7^th seal calamities) will move mountains and islands the world over. Israel will be partly damaged, but not overwhelmed, as Israel is not subject to God’s wrath. To the contrary, Israel will be protected—with the exception when Christ sets foot on the Mount of Olives, and a regional earthquake strikes Jerusalem after the two witnesses of Revelation 11 are raised from the dead and taken to heaven. In other words, why would God destroy the land of Israel all the while protecting it and the Jews from annihilation at the hands of Russia and Iran?

The apocalyptic imagery used in Ezekiel regarding the means of God’s divine vengeance against Russia, Iran, and the other nations that actively participate in the assault against Israel, and those countries that passively, apathetically, and indifferently look on, is remarkably similar to what we find in Revelation.

Things to Ponder

I trust that you’ve gleaned more insight on the Gog/Magog invasion against Israel. When it will occur, who will be involved actively and passively, what God will do in response, and how it correlates with two of God’s astounding judgments on the entire earth, all of which takes place during the Great Tribulation. The additional fact that the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments are chronologically successive coupled with the decimation of the United States by the Rapture and the still growing empire of Antichrist; tell us that the Gog/Magog war will occur within the first year or two of the Tribulation. But certainly before the Antichrist increases his authority.

For me, it brings the “distant future” Gog attack against Israel right down to the present time. Contemporary alliances of certain nations, the dizzying pace of world events unfolding one after another further demonstrates just how close we are to the breathtaking transformation of both the living and dead in Christ (Rapture). Followed by the greatest calamity the world has ever or will ever experience; ending with the majestic triumphant return of the Prince of Peace and King of all kings to put a stop to the carnage.

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!

The Child of Promise (Part II)

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Abraham and Isaac, Jewish Messiah, Promises

The Child of Promise … a Jewish Messiah

When my mother died in 2011, each of the children claimed for our own some of her possessions, which is universally quite normal and customary. One of the things I ended up with was her Bible … The Scofield Reference Bible, King James Version. It was one of the first study Bibles, which contain hundreds of commentaries on and cross references to select passages throughout Scripture. My mother was an ardent reader and student of the Bible, and she loved to underline her favorite passages. Hundreds of verses are underlined. Even some of the commentary is highlighted along with dozens of hand-written notes in whatever open space she could find in her Bible!

This Bible is decades old. Exactly how old, no one seems to know. But on the very first page that includes such things as: THE HOLY BIBLE… Old and New Testaments, Authorized Version and other credits and acknowledgements, my mother wrote, “Saved and Baptized (Nov. 29-1953). Obviously that’s the date when she accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. Presumably, she purchased that Bible shortly thereafter.

Although I don’t touch her Bible too often, when I do, I handle it ever so delicately; as an archeologist would upon discovery of a long-lost artifact or treasure. In fact, that’s what her Bible looks like … a priceless literary heirloom that has rested on some dusty book shelf for a hundred years. Obviously, it was just the opposite. Nearly every time I saw my mother, her Bible was open at one time or another. Still, when I turn the pages, it occurs to me that it might just crumble into dust if I don’t caress each sheet with tender loving care!

Many students of the Bible make it a practice to underline select passages, which is perfectly appropriate. I’m not one of those. Long ago I decided not to underline or highlight favorite passages, because my tendency would be to lock into those verses and, thereby, overlook or minimize the importance of all the verses that were not underscored. But that’s just me … underlining is strictly an individual preference. In that sense, all of the books and verses of the Bible are my favorites.

Still, if say my life depended on it, or even if someone pressed me to identify my favorite passage with the statement, “Oh, come on, everyone has a special verse or two. You’re not being practical or honest to say that you don’t have a favorite;” I would be compelled to say, “I suppose you’re right.”

John 3:16 comes to mind: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (NASB). It is, in fact, the most quoted verse in the Bible, and probably the favorite of millions of Christians. I’m sure many have been redeemed through that verse alone. And rightfully so, as no other verse so systematically or succinctly summarizes who and what salvation is all about than this direct quote from and about Jesus himself. Even many unbelievers have heard of the verse.

Yet, as magnificent as that verse is and always will be, it’s not my single most favorite. That belongs to a passage in the Old Testament that I have on occasion quoted in a handful of previous Eye of Prophecy articles. It is an incredible prophecy of the second Child of Promise, which is the subject of this week’s post in continuation of last week’s article on the first child of promise, Abraham’s son, Isaac. As was documented through various Biblical passages, Jesus Christ was a direct descendant of Isaac, who was the child promised to Abraham, the child who would be the progenitor and prototype of THE CHILD who would alter the course of human history.

A Wonderful Promise

Here it is: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9: 6-7).

This was neither the first not the last great announcement of the Promised One, but it is a proclamation that compresses both the first and second coming of Messiah, written some 700 years before the birth of Christ, and now encompassing nearly two thousand years before his soon-to-be glorious return. Just two verses that integrate the awesome plan of God, first for spiritual salvation and then for the physical establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth, that will last forever.

Here are just a few of many insights that these verses provide for the whole world:

“For a child is born to us….” This is the ultimate Child of Promise. The present tense verb is demonstrates that this child was part of God’s timeless plan from the very beginning. That it was only a matter of time until the child would actually be born. This birth was that of a human being, but a child unique like no other, because he would also be God Incarnate … flesh and blood. The genealogies of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels trace the birth of Jesus back to Abraham and Adam, respectively; to confirm that Jesus was to come through Isaac, through the Jewish people. But that his heritage also goes back to the first created man (and woman). In fact, the first announcement of a Savior is found in Genesis 3:15.
“A son is given to us.” Showing us that the child was, indeed, a gift from God to the human race. “For God so love the world that he gave his only Son…” Truly, this son was none other than the Son of God. But it was imperative that the Son would also be a man, for only another man would qualify to be a sacrificial substitute for the human race. A man tempted in every way as we are, but without sin.
“The government will rest on his shoulders.” Here we have a time-warp panoramic view of the future (both when the prophecy was given and even to this day). People all over the world long for someone who is willing and able to govern the planet and accomplish the highest human aspirations possible such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a well-documented historical reality that the very best form of human government is achieved through a benevolent king, who serves and judges his people equally. Not a government where might is right, but Might through or by Right. From Isaiah’s prophecy, we see that the government will rest upon Messiah’s shoulders, with the unmistakable context and connotation that this is a world-wide reign of the highest order of honor, integrity, and truth. (Kingdom of God). Christ will give a whole new meaning to benevolent ruler; beyond anything we’ve ever seen, experienced, or hoped for in the world’s dismal state of current affairs and the abysmal condition of the human race from time immemorial.
“And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Once again we see that the child that is born, the son that is given is God himself, for these names belong only to divinity. More directly, this child is Messiah Jesus, the Son of God and God the Son. This statement in Isaiah unequivocally declares that the Messiah is coequal to God, as he bears the very names of Almighty God, plus the additional title of Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace).
“His government and peace will never end.” This incredible kingdom of incomparable peace is truly eternal. Peace—not just the absence of war—but a world of wholeness and tranquility never before experienced on this earth currently plagued with corruption, greed, suppression, evil, natural disasters, disease, and death. Try as we may, there will never ever be true harmony on this earth unless it comes through Messiah Jesus.
“He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David…” Jesus will be the greatest King and Judge of all time. There will be pure absolute justice on this earth, the kind we can only dream about. An unadulterated fairness, with crystal clear standards of right and wrong never before experienced or practiced by mankind. Jesus will rule with a righteous firmness, but with evenhandedness that only a perfect Judge could administer one hundred percent of the time. Indeed, he will forever be Immanuel—God with us on this earth.

Why is it vitally important to understand the genealogical roots of Messiah Jesus? To fully grasp why he is the Promised Child that descends directly from Abraham, and even more specifically from the first child of promise, Isaac … as opposed to Ishmael? Isn’t it enough to know that he is the Savior of mankind? Do we really need to know his ancestral lineage? Through whom he was born and why from that family?

I believe the answer to these questions is a resounding, yes. For both Jew and Gentile. For both to comprehend that God’s covenant with Abraham required two dynamic disclosures. (1) The descendants of Isaac would be given possession of Israel as an everlasting physical inheritance. (2) Through the promised child, Isaac, the Jewish light to the world (Christ) would come, and bring with him eternal spiritual salvation to both Jew and Gentile.

For the Gentiles: Most Gentile believers in Christ know that Jesus was born of a virgin, Mary, in the town of Bethlehem in the country of Israel. But a lot of Gentile believers forget or pay little attention, to the point of making it almost incidental, that Jesus was, in fact, Jewish through and through. That he descended from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David, just like the Scriptures said he would. Accordingly, many Gentile believers place little emphasis on the Old Testament or on Jesus’s Jewish heritage. This, despite the fact that there are hundreds of Old Testament prophecies about both the first and second coming of a Jewish Messiah.

Consequently, they minimize or even ignore the significance of the Jews and their relationship to the Land of Israel that leads to many unfortunate repercussions such as Replacement Theology … which was discussed at length in two previous Eye of Prophecy articles published on July 19^th and 26^th, 2014. The tragic error that emerges from this totally unbiblical viewpoint is that the Church has replaced Israel in every single Biblical passage that contains prophetic promises clearly intended only for Israel. As a result, some of these Christians even question who has the right to the land in the context of the on-going conflict between Arab Palestinians and Israelis (the Jews).

And, in clear contradiction to several passages in the New Testament (such as Romans Chapters 9-11), Gentiles, both believers and unbelievers, have been falsely led to believe that the Jews forfeited their eligibility to all of the promises found in Scripture, which includes their right to possess and live in Israel; even to the absurd extent that Jews do not have access to the same salvation through Jesus freely given to the Gentiles. That God will deal with them separately, based on whether they keep the Law of Moses, like they were supposed to do thousands of years ago … but didn’t. Actually, they couldn’t, any more than any Gentile can keep all of God’s laws.

On the contrary, God wants Gentile believers to understand that their blessings and benefits spring directly from the heritage of God’s eternal plan for the chosen people, the Jews, as well as the physical ancestry of the very Messiah who would make this heritage possible. Yes, as a whole, but not entirely, Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah. But God made good come out of such a tragic denial that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. So much so that the Lord inspired the apostle Paul to explain it this way:

“…I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!” (Romans 11: 13-15). To me this is amazing. For centuries, the main underlying and disturbing reason that Gentiles the world over harbor deep resentment (even hatred … Anti-Semitism) against the Jews is all too obvious: They are jealous of the sometimes spectacular accomplishments and general success of many Jews in so many fields of endeavor—medicine, science, architecture, construction, the arts and entertainment, philanthropy, and government.

On the contrary, here Paul is telling the Gentiles that he wants the Jews to become jealous of so great a salvation purchased by a Jewish Messiah freely given even to the Gentiles. But this is a different kind of jealousy. It’s not a destructive type of envy; it’s the kind that makes them want what the Gentiles who believed in Jesus had … forgiveness of sin, a personal relationship with Messiah, and everlasting life with God in heaven.

Paul then uses the metaphor of an olive tree and its branches. “But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. ‘Well,’ you may say, ‘those branches were broken off to make room for me.’ Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches he won’t spare you either” (Romans 11: 17-21).

This is Paul’s emphasis: Gentile believers should not feel superior to Jews in general and Israel is particular just because some (not all) Jews have rejected Jesus as Messiah. Rather, both Jew and Gentile can receive the wonderful blessings and promises given to Abraham, which ultimately is God’s righteousness given to them through faith in Christ, and Christ alone. Paul continues:

“I want you to understand this mystery … so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles come to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved … Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy” (Romans 11: 25-31, italics for emphasis).

In the 20^th and 21^st century, Jews are coming to Messiah Jesus in greater numbers than since the first century when for decades the greater number, by far, of Christian believers were Jews. And one day all Israel will be saved … meaning those killed for their faith during the Great Tribulation and those alive who have placed their trust in Christ upon his glorious reappearance on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

For the Jews: It’s equally important for the Jews to recognize that the New Testament is simply a continuation of God’s Word to the human race, every bit as historical, accurate, reliable and God-inspired as the Old Testament. That it contains meticulous records of the life of Christ to show how he fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. That Yeshua descended from King David and even further back from Abraham and Isaac. To understand why God spared the first child of promise from sacrifice, but not the second child of promise.

For the first child of promise, Isaac, was to be the physical ancestor of the coming Messiah, thus God would not allow Abraham to follow-through with God’s test of Abraham’s love. But that God’s love for his chosen people and for the entire world (Gentiles) meant God could not and would not spare the second child of promise, God’s own precious Son. Because it was the God-man, Christ Jesus, who would die for the horrible sins of all people and the eternal punishment of those sins in hell forever separated from God. That it’s a historical fact that Jesus arose from the dead to prove that he was the divine Son of God, the very child to be born and son to be given, who is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. To acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth is, indeed, their beloved Messiah.

To remind Jews that Jesus was a Jew. That he met all of the qualifications and stipulations spoken of the Messiah as found in the Old Testament. Many Jews to this very day do not know or have placed little emphasis on the fact that Jesus was one of their own; that he descended through the tribe of Judah from where the Messiah would originate. From the loins of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David. I personally know a Jewish Rabbi who, after much searching and doubt, found Jesus as his Savior. Before he accepted Jesus as Messiah, this Rabbi used to think that Jesus was a Gentile and that his last (surname) name was Christ! He had no clue that Christ is a title, which is the English version of Messiah in Hebrew.

For Jews and Gentiles Alike

When we comprehend the historical distinction that God himself makes between Isaac, his chosen child of promise, and the child birthed from a servant woman, we better understand the enormous distinction between God’s divine plan of salvation and man-made religious systems that vainly tell God what man will do to gain his favor. It is a concession to our Creator and Savior that his marvelous remedy for our sin-nature and rescue from the penalty of our sins (both physical and spiritual death) is far superior (indeed the only means of reconciliation) to anything that man could invent to solve the sin problem. It is a life-changing recognition of the challenging difference between Law and Grace. Let’s see just how this works as found in the Book of Galatians. Here’s what the Lord tells us through the apostle Paul:

“Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave-wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave-wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother” (Galatians 4: 21-26).

*Note: This illustration is timeless … we see the exact same phenomenon in today’s world: With the exception of thousands of Jews who have trusted in Messiah Jesus, we still see millions of Jews who believe observance of the Mosaic law is the only way to satisfy God’s demands. Or Gentile religions such as Islam, Mormonism, Catholicism, Hinduism, and many others that share one common denominator: hoped-for salvation through keeping of laws and performance of good deeds, or obligatory tithing, or church membership, or baptism, or all of the above. But let’s read Paul’s optimistic conclusion to the Galatians:

“And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit … So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman” (Galatians 4: 28-31, italics for emphasis).

The essential core truth of the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate Child of Promise, is that all who place their trust in him will be granted the same inheritance promised to Isaac—to be children of the Most High God. A spiritual birth from above that entitles us to a resurrected new BODY when Christ comes again. A body that will live forever in the New Jerusalem and also on the new earth. With complete freedom from sin, sorrow, and death.

The great mystery of God’s salvation revealed through Messiah Jesus is that both Jew and Gentile will be one new person in Christ. We both will share in the awesome inheritance granted to Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, then all Jews who believe in the 2^nd Child of Promise, Yeshua. And all Gentiles who believe in Jesus will be grafted in to this tree of life forever and ever!

And don’t forget: This also includes the perpetual existence of Israel and Jerusalem occupied by God’s chosen people, the Jews. But as in days of old, there will be foreigner Gentiles living in the Promised Land as well as all over the millennial earth.

Things to Ponder

Some Striking Similarities between Isaac and Jesus

Isaac: A miracle birth. Sarah was ninety years old when she conceived and bore Isaac. That just doesn’t happen!

Jesus: An even more miraculous birth. Born of a virgin! That says it all.

Isaac: The promised child (not Ishmael), whose progeny would be the children of Israel, with a perpetual inheritance to the Promised Land of Israel. Both Abraham and Jacob lived part of their lives outside of Canaan (Israel). Only Isaac lived his entire life within the geographical boundaries of Israel. Coincidence?

Jesus: The Promised Son whose death, burial, and resurrection would bring countless (spiritual) children of God into the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God coming to this earth.

Isaac: A foreshadow to the coming Messiah, Isaac was the child of Promise spared as a sacrifice when God substituted a ram, so that God’s promise to Abraham would spiritually and physically come to pass.

Jesus: The very Son of God, whom the Father did NOT spare as the once for all sacrificial substitute for the sins of the whole world. He was and, indeed, still is: “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Are you ready for the greatest feature attraction of all time, coming soon to the theatre of your life? Stay tuned for the blockbuster return of the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords!

The Child of Promise (Part I)

23 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Abraham, Isaac

The Child of Promise

No religious book or set of books, no so-called sacred texts for any religion or cult on earth compares to The Book, the very Word of God … The Bible. None of these non-Biblical writings including the Koran, contains the incredible meticulous details of people, places, and events found in the Bible. Not one offers a sweeping plan of salvation that reconciles man to God and, thereby, rescues man from both the permanency of physical death and the ensuing eternal separation from his Creator and Savior.

None claims to predict the future, because they can’t. Only the God of the Bible dares to declare the end from the beginning, resulting not in just one or two, but hundreds of prophecies. And not predictions that merely have a 50% chance of fulfillment, but historically fulfilled prophecies of people not yet born, kingdoms not yet formed, buildings and monuments not yet built, battles won or lost not yet fought, events thought impossible at the time, and the Messiah who would come at a precise date set by Scripture. These astounding prophecies included the place of Messiah’s birth, the means of his birth, the kind of miracles he would perform, the method and details of his execution, and the amazing announcement of his resurrection before he arose from the grave.

God’s Word is eternal. According to Jesus: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35, NASB).

Jesus said that: “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). This is a direct quote from the Old Testament passage of Deuteronomy 8:3.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16, NASB).

All Scripture is beneficial, which means even the genealogies. Genealogies? Yes, even those seemingly tedious lists of who begat whom bear much more truth and insight than we might suspect. Granted, even for the most ardent reader of Scripture, it’s an imposing task to read every name in a genealogy such as listed in the Book of Numbers or I Chronicles and other Old Testament passages, or even the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. For example the genealogies in Matthew and Luke trace the lineage of Jesus Christ as the Son of Man back to Abraham and as the Son of God back to Adam, respectively.

When I read these ancestral records, I am utterly amazed at the detail … how generation after generation of God’s people methodically preserved this information first by verbal then by written records. And these are just a small portion of the dozens of ancestral or tribal leaders or other facts and figures of Israel’s (and many Gentile Nations) history, as precisely recorded in the Bible. Just read the book of Numbers to see what I mean.

Genealogy is making a comeback, especially since the advent of the computer. Lately, we seem to be bombarded with TV and Internet commercials from such sources as Ancestry.com.

Many are enthusiastically searching for 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th (and beyond) generation ancestors to see if they really are Italian, or German, or Spanish, or English, or Irish, or all of the above. They want to know just how authentic they really are! Heritage is suddenly important. Where did I come from? Who am I? What is my place in the world? Legacy and birthright and culture does matter.

Years ago, before the advent of computerized ancestry charts and sources, I discovered that there was royal blood in my family! Apparently I belong to some sort of nobility, by virtue of my great-aunt to the 6^th or 7^th generation removed reigning as the Queen of Holland … I think it was on my mother’s side. I mean shouldn’t that entitle me to a discount on a dam that I’d like to build near some land I own in a remote part of northeast Arizona! You remember don’t you … the Dutch boy who stuck his finger in a dike and saved his town from drowning should the dam have ruptured?

“So what!” you say. And, I agree. For all I don’t know, my blood-line Queen of Holland could have been the wicked witch of the west. When someone else proudly tells us about their ancestry, we normally will respond with something like, “That’s nice.” But when we tell someone about our heritage (with all the embellishments we can get away with) such as “Daniel Boone was my great, great, great, great-uncle, we expect them to reply, “Wow! that’s impressive.” Such is human nature.

Yet, there is one genealogy that universally transcends all other ancestral heritage, one that has supernaturally impacted the human race by altering the past, present, and future of every person on this earth who has recognized the royal lineage that brought us the first child of promise, and then accepted as personal Savior the Divine second child of promise.

The First Child of Promise

The Book of Genesis gives us a detailed account of the life of Abraham, beginning with God instructing him (at the age of seventy-five) to abruptly, “…Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12: 1-3). Then, God said, “I will give this land to your descendants” (verse 7). Actually, the story of Abraham begins with a genealogy that starts with Adam’s son, Seth, all the way to Abraham’s father, Terah. (See Genesis 11: 10-26)

Later, despite more assurances from the Lord, Abram (God changed his name to Abraham which means, “father of many”), expressed apprehension bordering on doubt as to just how God’s promise could possibly come about. “But Abram replied, ‘O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son … You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir’” (Genesis 15: 2-4).

Next, comes one of the most astounding declarations ever made by God, who is well-known for an abundance of amazing announcements throughout Scripture! “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6, italics for emphasis).

That is incomprehensible. For one thing, it goes against the grain of every religious principle or precept or even non-religious self-conceived notions of what it takes to find favor with the true and living God or some other man-made god—that good works and right conduct is the ticket to eternal salvation.

It says, “Abram believed the Lord.” And then what happened … what did God do in return? The text is crystal clear. It says that: God declared Abraham righteous (which throughout Scripture means forgiven, justified, and reconciled to God for eternity) simply because Abraham trusted God’s promise … that Abraham would father a child of this unique promise. This child of promise would be the progenitor and prototype of the second child of promise, who would be the very source and fulfillment of all the blessings promised to Israel and the Gentile nations. Hebrews 12:2 confirms this prophecy by stating that, “Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.”

This very same faith (in the second child of promise) is what makes you and I right before God. No ritual keeping of spiritual or ceremonial laws, no performance of good deeds that hopefully outweigh the wrong things we’ve done, no observance of all the man-made requirements of so many religions that seek to merit God’s favor and pardon. None of these … only simple child-like faith that says, “I believe you Lord.” Amazing!

Well, many of us know what happened next. Still no child of promise as Abraham approached the age of eighty-five; and his wife, Sarah, was nearing seventy-five years of age (past child-bearing). Sarah persuaded her husband to do what was totally accepted and customary in those days if a couple could not bear children: to conceive a child with Sarah’s Egyptian servant, Hagar.

Was this a decision not based in faith and trust? Yes, it was, which demonstrates that even the giants of faith (Abraham) sometimes take matters into their own hands and help God along with his plans! That’s another astonishing feature of the Bible. It records dozens of examples of men and woman of God who, through moments of weakness and doubt, made mistakes and failed to fully trust the Lord their God. You won’t find this in other religious writings, such as the Koran. You will find only the exemplary things that their prophets or religious leaders do, or should I say, a pretentious portrayal that they essentially can do nothing wrong. That they are the most noble of men or woman.

And so, Ishmael was born. Would he, therefore, be the child of promise? What do you think Abraham and Sarah thought about Ishmael? Well, for another twelve years or so, we don’t know for sure. But there’s no indication in the Genesis account that Abraham or Sarah didn’t think that Ishmael was the answer to God’s promised child. For one thing, it was already an established practice that the firstborn would be given the main birthright inheritance (a double portion) by his father. This in no way reflected a greater love for the firstborn over his siblings or parents playing favorites. Rather, it was a legal, positional, and traditional heritage given to the firstborn.

However, the birthright blessings of the firstborn was not an automatic divinely guaranteed inheritance, particularly if God (through his foreknowledge of what would happen) had selected another child to carry out his plan(s). We see two monumental examples of this with Esau and Reuben. Esau and Jacob were twins, but Esau was born first, which entitled him to the first and most prominent blessing. But we know he forfeited that right. Rueben was the oldest of Jacob’s twelve sons, but he also forfeited his firstborn rights by some very wicked behavior. Thus, God chose Jacob over Esau and Judah over Reuben as the direct ancestors of the second child of promise.

Subsequently, it was necessary for God to once again remind Abraham that this first child of promise would be borne not by a handmaiden, but by Sarah herself. By the time of this reminder, Abraham was almost one hundred years old and Sarah ninety years of age. Most students of Scripture remember the remarkable story of this renewed promise that also included the Lord’s disclosure that he was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

Three men suddenly appeared at Abraham’s dwelling (tent). It’s clear from this encounter and from the following account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, that two of these men were angels and the third was the Lord, himself. Whenever we read in the Old Testament of “The Lord” appearing to someone, it is none other than the pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, himself. The Bible is clear that no man has ever seen God the Father. Instead, he is seen (all of his glorious attributes and personage) through his very Son, who is also God the Son.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). “So the Word became human, and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:14). Jesus also said, “For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me” (John 12:45). He, of course, was referring to God the Father.

After Abraham and Sarah had fed the three men, they were told, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” (Genesis 18:10). Do you recall what happened next? Of course, you do. Sarah laughed at such a promise. “Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’” (Genesis 18:13-14).

God said it … case closed. “…The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does” (Psalms 145:13). “He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever” (Psalms 146:6). The very author of the universe and of life, itself, had no problem opening the barren womb of a ninety-year old woman, from whom the child of promise would be borne. Would you agree?

Yet, how supernaturally ironic! Prior to this remarkable visible encounter with the Lord, himself, Abraham had been told that he would, indeed, be given a son through Sarah, and the son was to be called Isaac, which means “laughter” or “he laughs.” Not in the facetious, doubting, questioning, or even sarcastic sense, but in the full positive connotation of the laughter of joy.

What most of us forget is that before the supernatural pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ to Abraham and Sarah, God had previously spoken just to Abraham about Isaac.

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am El-Shaddai—God Almighty … This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! … I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! I will confirm my covenant you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation … I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God’” (Genesis 17: 1-8).

Then beginning in verse fifteen God said to Abraham, “…Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name with be Sarah. And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”

And what was Abraham’s response? Well, it was a godly physical display of reverence encased in an all too human shell of uncertainty. Read with me:

“Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. ‘How could I become a father at the age of 100?’ he thought. ‘And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?’ So Abraham said to God, ‘May Ishmael live under your special blessing!’ But God replied, ‘No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants … But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year’” (Genesis 17: 17-21, italics for emphasis).

So, all you men out there who would scold Sarah for laughing at the Lord’s renewed promise that she would bear THE child of promise, we need to remember that Abraham was the first to laugh! But his and Sarah’s laughter of skepticism would soon turn to sheer laughter of delight, upon the birth of Isaac. Once and for all, Isaac and only Isaac would be the child of promise.

World-Wide Repercussions of These Promises

By far, the most incredible feature of this just quoted passage is the beginning of a family tree that set in motion a genealogical prophetic heritage which would forever alter the course of human history, with its repercussions unfolding right before our eyes in the 21^st-century. It has steadfastly transformed the eternal spiritual destiny of both Jew and Gentile (all who believe in Messiah Jesus), as well as tangibly predetermined who has the eternal right to the Promised Land of Israel.

It is the fact that the first child of promise, Isaac, would be the direct ancestor of the second Child of Promise, who is none other than Messiah Jesus. We will continue that premise in next week’s article, Child of Promise (Part II).

This week’s article emphasizes that God’s covenant with Israel would forever belong to the Jews, confirmed through Isaac, not Ishmael. This is extraordinarily important to grasp especially in light of the perpetual disagreement over birthright inheritance of the Promised Land … Israel. A dispute that is once again manifesting itself through the tenacious terrorism and abhorrent anti- Semitism waged against Israel in particular and world-wide Jewry in general.

Arabs and Muslims claim exclusive right to Israel mostly because they have fraudulently changed the historical record. They accurately claim Abraham as their original ancestor, but then presumptuously substitute Isaac with Ishmael as the lawful, rightful descendant of Abraham. This is a blatant contradiction of God’s promise thousands of years before Mohammed introduced a whole new religion to the Arabs, Islam. The original promise was rejected and replaced with a false claim that Ishmael inherited Abraham’s birthright which included ownership of the Promised Land, simply because Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn.

Never mind that God later corrected and clarified Abraham and Sarah, by stipulating that it was indeed, Sarah’s own child that was the Child of Promise. That was the original covenant promise with Abraham, and would not be changed, especially by an act of (temporary) disobedience in which Sarah gave her servant to Abraham to bear a child.

Things to Ponder

This unilateral Abrahamic covenant—meaning God would unconditionally keep this covenant with Abraham specifically carried on though Isaac, not Ishmael—was to be the very God-given promise that the Jews would inherit the Promised Land, but that they also would be a light to the Gentile Nations. This especially included the descendants of Ishmael, who have indeed been blessed (as God also promised) with a huge number of descendants, far outnumbering the Jews. But God did not intend that this promise would grant Israel’s land rights to Arabs, Palestinians, or Muslims. Furthermore, the Light to the nations would be illuminated and shine brilliant in none other than the appointed Messiah, because salvation was destined to “come through the Jews” (John 4:22).

As Messiah, Jesus rightfully proclaimed: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12). In that same passage, Jesus, in no uncertain terms claimed that he was the Messiah when he said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I AM he…” (Verse 20). The “I AM” part of that astounding declaration was none other than the sacred name of God, himself … Yahweh. Later in that same discourse with the Jewish religious leaders, he again made the amazingly bold statement, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” (John 8:58).

The very fact that Jesus arose from the dead fully validates his claim of who he is and what he will do upon his glorious reappearance.

Read with me the last two verses of the entire Bible:

“He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen, Come Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people” (Revelation 22: 20-21).

Replacement Theology (Part II)

26 Saturday Jul 2014

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Holocaust, Martin Luther

REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY (Part II)

If you read last week’s Eye of Prophecy article on Replacement Theology, you might have said, “Okay, I understand that it’s Biblically wrong to believe that the Church has replaced the people and nation of Israel including the erroneous conclusion that God has abandoned his plans for Israel and the Jews in favor of the Church; but does that really make a difference in today’s world or the future?” Or if you didn’t read the previous article or know very little about Replacement Theology, you might be thinking: So, what’s this about? Why is it such a big deal? What harm has it done or will do? In the end God will make all things right.

You got the last part right. The Bible is explicitly clear: God will conquer evil and restore justice and peace to this corrupt and crazy world we live in. But until that time, the Lord also expects his true followers to proclaim the good news of the Gospel, to defend the truth of God’s Word, to resist and expose false teachings, to fully understand that his plan for Israel is embedded in everlasting and irreplaceable Covenants that he made with Abraham and David. God will make good on these eternal promises to Israel. We’re watching these things unfold before our very eyes, in this generation.

Last week we looked briefly at one of history’s most horrendous crimes (The Holocaust) in which evil leaders—Hitler and the Third Reich—of an entire nation used Replacement Theology to, in part, justify genocide of the Jewish race. They cunningly cited Martin Luther’s misguided, misunderstood, and misapplied theology that God had forever abandoned the Jews.

To wit: The Jews were not only a forgotten people, but they fully deserved all the bad things that had happened to them or would happen to them. Moreover, the Church was the only thing that mattered to God; thus, the Church would inherit all of the blessings that had been previously promised to Israel and the Jews. Never mind that Hitler and his cronies also hated Christianity and persecuted most pastors and churches that in any way, shape, or form spoke out against the Third Reich. Those who supported or protected the Jews would suffer the same horrific fate in the concentration camps.

After all, Israel as a nation was no more, having been destroyed by the Romans some fifteen hundred years before Luther came on the scene. The Jews had been scattered to the four winds, wandering throughout the earth, settling in countries that barely tolerated their presence. Worst of all according to advocates of Replacement Theology: The vast majority of Jews in Germany and elsewhere refused to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah and convert to Christianity. Luther considered this an affront to God and the Church; thus, in a display of appalling intolerance he turned on the Jews and hounded them in no less fashion than the Catholic Church had persecuted him and the fledgling Protestant movement.

In a strange but perverse twist of fate, Martin Luther and those who championed his departure from the Catholic Church became bedfellows with the Catholic Church in their oppression of the Jews. They endorsed the tactics of the very institution that Martin Luther defied when he proclaimed the real truth of the gospel … salvation by the grace of God apprehended by faith, and faith alone. Luther knew all about the mostly catholic Crusades against Islam which also included slaughter of thousands of Jews on the way to Jerusalem and in Jerusalem. And he certainly knew about the Spanish Inquisition in which the Catholic Church murdered thousands of Jews, before, during, and after Martin Luther’s lifetime. Yet when it came to Judaism, Catholics and Protestants set aside their differences to harass, deprive, oppress, and even eradicate God’s chosen people … in an effort to make sure the Jews got what they deserved.

The Risk of Taking on Israel

Yes, it’s true that God again withdrew his protection of the Jews that led to the Roman conquest of 70 AD. Because of the lapse of some fifteen hundred years, I suppose it was somewhat natural or humanly logical for Martin Luther to surmise that the Jews would never be restored to the land of Israel or fulfill their God-appointed destiny. This may have been even truer with the passage of another four hundred years leading to the 20^th century. But there’s absolutely no excuse for anyone today to ignore the incredible Birth of a Nation as demonstrated by Israel’s rebirth in May, 1948. The Jews return to the Promised Land signaled a homecoming to the place given to them by God as an everlasting possession. Hence, they should no longer be replaced by the Church; in fact, this replacement was a grievous error to begin with.

There’s no excuse to any longer support the twisted theology that Israel will be forever supplanted by the Church, with the disturbing results such as nations and even churches boycotting, sanctioning, divesting, and delegitimizing (even demonizing) Israel in today’s world. Or the new emerging spin of Replacement Theology, given the term Christian Palestinianism. In a few words, that term means (illogically and unreasonably) taking sides with the Arab Palestinians in Israel against Israel itself for two reasons: (1) Endorsement of the core tenants of Replacement Theology; (2) total ignorance of the history of Palestine and Israel since 1917, but especially since 1948. Indeed, Anti-Semitism has begun to rear its ugly head all over the world, unlike anything we’ve seen since the Holocaust.

There are some who even compare the State of Israel to Hitler’s Third Reich. That is the absolute height of hypocrisy, hatred, and ignorance, given the fact six million completely innocent Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. In past wars and in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Israelis go so far as to warn Palestinian civilians to vacate certain areas, before the IDF targets those areas to attack terrorists (who blatantly use their people as human shields). Are these the tactics of a nation bent on genocide? Hardly. Conversely, Hamas and other Muslim terrorist groups deliberately target Israeli civilians with their rockets, missiles, and suicide bombers. They even use their own people as human shields. Truly in today’s world: Evil is good and good is evil.

They have no idea what they’re doing. They have no clue as to the enormous risk taken when people, cities, and countries denounce Israel. Do they think that God’s promise that those who curse Israel will, in turn, be cursed was an idle threat? (Genesis 12:3). Or maybe they do know what they’re doing! Perhaps they like to play with fire.

The very fact of Israel’s return from the fires of Nazi death camps and the floods of dispersion precludes and refutes the notion that the Jews have no place in God’s design for the human race. So what, if it took nearly 2000 years … it could have taken 4000 years but it still would have happened. A thousand years is but a day in God’s cosmic calendar.

That was Luther’s monumental mistake, and the grave error made by so many so-called Christians today and even by true, well-meaning believers in Christ: That God has only one plan and it involves only the true Church, the body of Christ. WRONG! WRONG! Not that the Lord doesn’t have a wonderful plan for the Church, the bride of Christ … most assuredly he does. But he has an equally marvelous future for the very people he called out from the nations beginning with Abraham; the Jewish race who gave us our Messiah.

Israel’s destiny is certain. Her time of discipline by banishment to the ends of the earth is over. God has restored his protection of Israel, though there are still tough times ahead. She is being and will continue to be reestablished to her rightful place of prominence among the nations of the earth. She has a fervent hope and a glorious future guaranteed by none other than the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who gave his name to Moses as I AM. No other god can predict the future, because there is no other god besides the true and living God … Yahweh.

We will continue to hammer this point home: God’s original purpose for Israel will be accomplished. This is not just a wish or a whim. Why? Because there are literally hundreds of Scriptural passages that dogmatically assert with absolute certainty that Israel will be reinstated as a nation and the Jews will return physically to that land and spiritually back to the God of Israel; and will one day (soon) recognize and passionately embrace their Messiah, Yeshua. There are far more Scriptural references to Israel’s future than that of the Church.

Passages such as: “See, my people will return from far away, from lands to the north and west and from as far south as Egypt. Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, ‘The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.’ Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:12-15).

The proponents of Replacement Theology can try as hard as they like to substitute the Church for Israel in these verses (and many other similar passages) but they will fail miserably. Just look at the passage again and try to squeeze the Church into the text. It can’t be done. There’s nothing whatsoever symbolic in this text. Just one example: the literal directions of the compass—north, west, south—in proximity to Jerusalem. From lands all around Israel, “my people will return from far away…” Nowhere (else) in Scripture do we learn that the Church will be returning to Jerusalem from distant lands or from lands surrounding Israel. Frankly, that’s absurd. The Church is not geographically centered anywhere (certainly not in Rome). It’s comprised of multiple Peoples, races, languages, and ethnic groups from every nation on the face of the earth.

Also, the last I heard, a mother’s deep love for her child is just as strong today as it was when Replacement Theology claims the Church replaced Israel … at Pentecost. Thus, the analogy with God’s immense love for Israel and guarantee that Israel will never be forgotten is just as true today and tomorrow and forever. But the Lord declares in this passage that even if a mother could forsake her child that the Lord would, “not forget you!” (Israel). Either God lied when he said this (and all the other passages that declare God’s eternal love and destiny for Israel) or the Church did not, in fact, replace Israel at Pentecost or any other time in history.

Replacement Theology … Back to Its Beginning

As alluded, the idea of the Church displacing Israel certainly didn’t begin in Martin Luther’s time. It was long before that, going all the way back to the first century. By the time that Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome around 57 AD, some Gentile (and even some Jewish) believers were already entertaining the idea that the Jewish people in general and Israel in particular no longer had any meaningful place in God’s ultimate plan for the human race. That Israel’s time had come and gone; she had served her purpose as a chosen people. Accordingly, Israel must be cast-off in light of God’s unveiling of a great mystery—the synthesis of Jew and Gentile into one new creation.

In part this may have been attributed to their misunderstanding that the spiritual truth of the one new man in Christ also extended to the physical existence of Israel and the Jews … as presented in last week’s article by quoting from Galatians, which was written some seven-eight years before the book of Romans. “There is no longer Jew or Gentile… For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham….” (Galatians 3: 28-29).

And later when the gospels were written (although many alive at that time may have remembered the words of Jesus, himself … even before the gospels were written), some believers may have misunderstood and misapplied the parables of Jesus as found in Matthew 21 & 22. There are three parables: Parable of the Two Sons; (Matthew 21: 28-32); Parable of the Evil Farmers (Matthew 21: 33-46); Parable of the Wedding Dinner (Matthew 22: 1-14).

Each of these parables are addressed primarily to the Jewish religious leaders who had just tried to trap him again with a blunt confrontational question: “By what authority are you doing all these things. Who gave you the right? (Matthew 21:23). Jesus’s reply and handling of this question is remarkable … but so are all of his responses to the religious leaders. If you’re curious, go ahead and read it!

Each of the three parables contain the same theme/truth: Essentially that the Kingdom of God/Heaven will be removed from the Jews and given to the Gentiles. This is best summarized in the second parable when Jesus concludes: “I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit” (Matthew 21:43). At face value, then, it would seem feasible that 1^st century Christians—especially Gentile Christians—would resolve that the new creation in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) of each believer as individual members of the whole (the body of Christ) should supersede everything contained in the Old Covenant, including the very nation of Israel.

Note that Jesus was referring to the Kingdom of God exclusively in the context of the Jewish religious leaders (representing all of Israel) forfeiting their role and participation in accomplishing the very purpose for Israel’s existence, i.e. to be a light to all nations by sharing the Word of God and recognizing and accepting the Jewish Messiah at the appointed time of his arrival. The Jewish leaders did none of these things. More than that: In light of the overwhelming evidence (Jesus’s teaching and miracles), they still rejected their Messiah and eventually handed him over to be killed by the Romans.

Yet, the Kingdom of Heaven was not Israel itself, nor would it be confined to the Jews. That’s the pivotal point missed by those who say Israel is a nonentity … totally abandoned by God, completely cut off from all future prophecies and promises. It would not be Israel, herself, that would be forever thrown away; rather, it was the Kingdom of God—temporarily established in the hearts of individuals all over the world—that would be taken away from Israel.

Of course, Israel and the Jews would suffer the consequences, pay the penalty for once again disobeying God and his Word (specifically as applied to their Messiah); which was no less than future judgment placed on Israel by the Lord during the time of Moses … see Leviticus Chapter 26. The ultimate phase of that four-part declaration (Seven times over) entailed the destruction of Israel and exiled captivity to the Gentile nations. That’s exactly what happened in 70 AD; as well as the Babylonian Captivity in 586 BC, one that the Jews would tragically not learn their lesson.

Again, the pivotal point missed by Replacement Theology: Even the devastating loss of the Jews beloved land, Israel, and forced exile for nearly 2000 years was not a permanent consequence of their disobedience. In fact that was impossible, if for no other reason than all of the Old Testament promises of Israel’s restoration and eternal destiny as God’s chosen people, one of which was quoted earlier in this article.

For that matter, if God could renege on his promises to Israel, then couldn’t he conceivably do the same with promises made to New Covenant believers (the Church)? For example: What if the Lord decided not to Rapture the Church after all (I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15), because the Church had in the last days strayed so far from God that it was hardly recognizable?

Yes, how unfortunate that millions of people in today’s world prefer to ignore or even reject God’s magnificent plan for Israel and the Jews (remnant), because they simply cannot and will not grasp the fact that God’s discipline of Israel was only temporary. But already in the Apostle Paul’s time, this sinister half-truth had stealthily crept into the Church. Which is why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write Chapters 9, 10, and 11 of Romans. Why Martin Luther and so many others have arbitrarily chosen to ignore these chapters found in the same book that Luther used as valid evidence against the practices of the Catholic Church, will be forever beyond my comprehension of such things. Except to say that even giants of the faith can be misled and deceived if they don’t study and compare all of Scripture … to all of Scripture.

Any passage/topic in the Bible can be interpreted and understood by using two criteria: (1) The Bible itself … either by context or by allowing one or more other passages to support, magnify or clarify a certain passage; (2) by historical events that verify the accuracy of Biblical prophecy and/or the validity of the existence of people, places, and events recorded in Scripture.

Time/space doesn’t permit an in-depth examination of these three marvelous chapters in Romans concerning Israel and how the Jewish people continue to fit into God’s timeless plan of the ages. Please read them for yourself and/or read the Eye of Prophecy article entitled, The Heart and Soul of Israel, published on 1-4-14, under the category of Current Events … for a more comprehensive understanding that God will never abandon what he calls his Special Possession.

Romans 9-11: The Enduring Legacy of the Jews and Israel

Paul had not yet been to Rome, thus he wasn’t personally involved or responsible for establishing the fellowship (church) of believers in Rome. His letter to the church in Rome was written from Corinth near the end of his third missionary journey throughout many provinces of the Roman Empire. Sometime before the letter was written Paul had significantly reduced his evangelistic efforts to the Jews. For two reasons: (1) Jesus had specifically selected Paul to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles; (2) Frequently, in his early preaching to the Jews, he had been severely persecuted by the Jewish religious leaders, some of whom were undoubtedly the very ones who took part in handing over Jesus to the Romans for crucifixion.

Nearly all of the early Christians were Jews; but in no small part attributed to Paul’s efforts, many Gentiles were accepting the Jewish Messiah as their Savior. And, as indicated: by the time that Paul wrote Romans, it’s evident that many believers were questioning whether God had or would eliminate Israel from her original prophetic inheritance; a birthright graphically depicted by Jewish prophets long before, particularly Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah.

Yet, Paul was still utterly passionate for and compassionate to his Jewish brethren. So much so, that he begins these three chapters with the most incomprehensible, unfathomable statement ever made by a human being (in my opinion). I say that in the context of how knowledgeable Paul already was about so great a salvation that Christ had made possible through his sacrificial death.

“My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned…” (Romans 9: 2-5)

After making this astounding statement, Paul then explains that Israel and the Jews are here to stay. And keep in mind, this was only some thirteen years before the tragic devastation of Jerusalem and total destruction of the Temple, as predicted by Jesus some twenty-five years earlier. Paul was fully aware of Jesus’s prediction.

“Well, then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!” (Romans 9:6). Paul goes on to explain that the authentic children of Abraham would be those Jews who recognized that Isaac was the true Son, “…through whom your descendants will be counted, though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children” (Verses 7-8).

By the end of Chapter 9, Paul had already gotten to the heart of the matter; by synthesizing and reconciling the dilemma of the New Covenant (that both Jew and Gentile are redeemed alike by faith in Messiah Jesus) with the Abrahamic covenant that the Jews would forever possess the land of Israel. This is possible because, “only a remnant (of the Jewish people) will be saved” (Verse 27). He goes on at the end of this Chapter and much of Chapter 10 to explain that both Jews and Gentiles are made right with God the same way, because, “…all who believe in him (Jesus) are made right with God” (Romans 10:4).

Not until Chapter 11 does Paul answer the final million dollar question of whether Israel itself would be utterly and inevitably disowned by God.

“I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel! Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning….” (Romans 11: 1-2).

Then, “Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it” (Romans 11:11-12, italics for emphasis).

This is nothing short of an astounding statement. Think about what’s being said here. Not only will individual Jews and Israel as a nation be restored to God, but the whole world (what’s left of it after the Great Tribulation) will receive God’s blessings beyond belief, i.e. global justice, prosperity, true brotherhood, unity, safety, peace … without wars and corruption and greed. The beginning of this great revival of the Jewish people is already beginning all over the world. More Jews have come to Christ in the last seventy years than in all of history. And it will culminate at the end of the Great Tribulation when, as a Nation, the Jews will cry out as one voice for Messiah Jesus to save them—both physically and spiritually. When they do so the entire world will receive a blessing of unrivaled and unheard of proportions.

“I will strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will restore them because of my compassion. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries” (Zechariah 10:6).

That my friend, is what the Second Coming of Christ—his physical return to Jerusalem at the end of the Great Tribulation—is all about, to be followed by the magnificent rule and reign of Jesus during the Millennium. Until and unless the Jews (which they certainly will) look up to see that redemption is near and, thereby, reach out and embrace Jesus as their Messiah, the Great Tribulation would continue until no one on the earth would be left alive. Jesus says as much during the Mount of Olives discussion with his disciples. “For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones” (Matthew 24:21-22).

The chosen ones are the Jews, NOT the tribulation saints. Chosen ones is exactly the same terminology in Romans that Paul used for the Jews. There are other Bible passages to support application as the Jews (Jewish nation of Israel and Jews all over the world) not the least of which is a companion verse in Matthew 24. “And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones (some translations say “elect”) from all over the world….” (Verse 31). This verse clearly follows/succeeds Jesus’s physical return to the earth … read the preceding verses for confirmation. And this verse echoes numerous Old Testament passages that talk about the gathering of Jews from all over the earth, such as Isaiah Chapter 49, cited earlier in this article.

What is it, then, that will cause Christ to shorten the greatest calamity of all time … the Great Tribulation? None other than when the Jews shout their acknowledgment of Yeshua as Savior and King. When they say, Baruch, haba, beshem Adonai. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In that very day, the King of all kings will personally put a stop to the world-wide carnage reaching such a terrible crescendo that would destroy civilization as we know it. Were it not for Messiah’s compassionate love for his people and his hearken to their desperate plea for help, and cry for salvation; the entire earth would be destroyed.

“And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, ‘The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness’” (Romans 11:26).

Because God does, indeed, make all things work together for good to them that love him (Romans 8:28), he will turn the sadness and badness of Israel’s rejection of Messiah and rejection of Israel by the nations into a glorious victorious rescue of his people from utter annihilation at the hands of the Antichrist. And then pour out blessings of monumental proportions to those Gentiles who supported and sustained the Jews.

Things to Ponder

Most people who actively or tacitly support Replacement Theology don’t even know that’s what they’re doing; in fact, many have never even heard the term. They don’t know enough about the Bible to understand the significant difference between the Church and Israel, and even less about God’s two distinctly separate plans for these two groups of God’s people(s). Instead, they see through the eyes of misguided church leaders and listen to equally misguided and misinformed secular politicians and journalists who themselves ignore the true history of the Middle East concerning Israel and its Arab neighbors. Just look at the dozens of United Nations sanctions against Israel, while at the same time minimizing and virtually ignoring the brutality of what Muslims are doing against fellow Muslims (and Christians) in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt and other countries.

When will they ever learn?

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Category Archives: Prophecy in General

Gateway to the World

Where is the Temple? Part III

Where Is The Temple? Part II

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Let’s Celebrate … Forever!

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The Child of Promise (Part II)

The Child of Promise (Part I)

Replacement Theology (Part II)