spiritual warfare

15
Mar
2013

City of God and Church of the Firstborn

Heavenly Jerusalem“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem …

“… and to myriads of angels to the general assembly and church of the firstborn …  (Heb 12:22-24)

 

Journal,

The letter of Hebrews was written shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, in 70 a.d. It was written primarily to Jewish believers, but with cautions and warnings to the whole of the nation of Israel.

The scope of Hebrews includes –

[note color=”#d1def7″]That Jesus Christ fulfills all what God has made provision for with regard to man’s redemption … that He is truly the Son of God, was given the final and supreme authority over all that pertains to God … that He preexisted eternally, that He is greater than the angels, greater than Moses, greater than the prophets … that He is both the author and finisher of our faith, and that the covenant of Moses has been fulfilled entirely in the eternal covenant of Christ … and that the new covenant will have no earthly center as did the covenant of Moses; that the kingdom of God’s beloved Son is not simply an earthly kingdom, and has no need for an earthly center.[/note]

Hear the forewarnings …

 

The Warnings and Cautions

Jesus expressly says that His kingdom is not of this world, that no earthly institution could lay claim to being the kingdom of God, or to being the true Church. The church is a heavenly institution where the rule of God is fully expressed in the hearts of all who belong to Him.  

Listen to the warnings and cautions to the Jewish nation, both from the book of Hebrews, and from the Lord Jesus.

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” (Heb 13:13-14)

“Then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb 10:9-10)

Buddys Blog-001“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

“‘For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'” (Luk 19:41-44)

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.'” (Joh 18:36)

“Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or, “There it is!” For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.'” (Luk 17:20-21)

 

A Spiritual State of War

It is interesting to see how the world attempts to remove the name of Jesus, especially in regard to the political scene. How often do we hear politicians say, ‘And God bless America’, yet never make mention of the one name around whom all time revolves, the very One who became the heart and soul for the foundation of this great nation.

Think about it. Time is reckoned on the basis of a Man that appeared on our planet, 2013 years ago. ‘Anno Domini’ [a.d.] is Latin for, ‘in the year of our Lord.’  And politicians are afraid to speak His name?

There is much more to this than meets the eye. First, we must always keep in mind that the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world. Those who framed the constitution of our nation were wise in disallowing the establishment of a state religion. These men were fundamentally Christian, and well understood the tyranny that takes place when a religious institution gains power over the people.

The point being that the Church that came out of the cross has no visible boundaries. It is invisible, indivisible, transcendent in nature, and fulfills itself with the redeemed of all the ages. The church is not the whole of the kingdom of God, but it belongs to the kingdom of God.

The book of Hebrews provides the description of God’s ‘born-from-heaven’ people. Listen carefully:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24)

Most Bible-believing evangelical groups today have this understanding. And while there are many groupings of Christians, we generally accord with the knowledge that the church is not an earthly institution. We are a people born of heaven, who are living on earth as aliens and strangers.

Yet, I find it interesting how some religious groups set about to physically trace their heritage back to the day of Pentecost, 33 a.d. It seems to me that they are missing the point of what the church is truly about. The church has never been a physical institution.

However, most believers today are regaining this understanding that the church is not of this world, nor is it represented by any particular religious institution.

Our ministry is very careful to make this distinction. For you who are interested, here are our Tenents of Faith.

[note color=”#ccdcec”]

Seven Tenets of Faith

I – WE BELIEVE that the sixty-six books commonly accepted by the evangelical Christian church, without benefit of the apocrypha or any other extra-Biblical writing, make up the whole of the Sacred Scriptures, and that these Scriptures alone contain the full and accurate revelation of that which pertains to God and to His creation. [Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14-17]

II – WE BELIEVE that the Church of Jesus Christ is made up of true believers from every age, kindred, and Christian Challengetongue, and that this Church is transcendent in nature, being the body of Christ, existing without schism in its spiritual essence, and that the Church has only one Great Shepherd and Bishop, Christ Jesus Himself. [Matt. 16:17-19; Col. 1:18; Heb. 12:22-24; 13:20,21; 1 Pet. 2:25]

III – WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus meets with every true gathering of Christian believers in the person of His Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, and that He oversees each local church body by the Holy Spirit, and by those whom He appoints as overseers. [Matt. 18:18-20; Rev. 1:17-20; 2:1; Eph. 4:11-13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4]

IV – WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the head of every Christian man and therefore the true head of every Christian family, and that the universal Church, the local Church, and every Christian man and family are each under the direct Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Col. 1:18; Matt. 18:20; 1 Co. 3:21-23; 11:3]

V – WE BELIEVE in the security of the believer, and that every believer is made complete in Christ at the new birth; that in the new birth, believers receive the Holy Spirit as part of their inheritance in the Lord. [John 1:16; 14:16-18; Eph. 1:13,14; Col. 2:8-13]

VI – WE BELIEVE in miracles and healings, in the power and gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit, in the providence and provision of God, and that He has given both instructions and promises as pertaining to these things in the Holy Scriptures. [Matt. 17:19,20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 1 Co. 12:27-31; 2 Co. 1:19-22; Heb. 2:4; Eph. 1:18-23; 3:20,21]

VII – WE BELIEVE that all authority in heaven and on earth rests in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that believers have been commissioned to do all things in His name, from casting out demons, to water baptism, to asking and receiving in prayer, and that believers in every place should bear witness to Jesus Christ by whatever means possible. [Matt. 28:18-20; Rev. 4:11; 5:13; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46,47; Acts 2:37-40; Col. 3:17; John 14:12-14] [/note]

Perhaps we need a better understanding on what God meant, when He said…

 

Come Out of Her My People

The book of Revelation is often thought to chronicle what is called, ‘the times of Jacob’s troubles,‘ that is, the last seven wrap-up years of this age as we know it. These final seven years are fraught with political, government, and social upheavals, as well as Satanic influences rampant on earth, and includes the judgments that come from God.

There are varied opinions about Revelation, but there is one statement that I find very compelling. It is where the angel of God says…

” … ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.’

“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues…'” (Rev 18:2-4)

To define fully what and who mystery Babylon may be, is not a simple task. Her tentacles have overreached through the ages. She changes colors and adapts to each age very well. One thing we know is that the mystery Babylon represents an earthly government power that functions within a framework of religion.

Jerusalem4And why did God speak of mystery Babylon as, ‘Her’? There is a key there. Mystery Babylon has always had a pantheon of gods, with a primary worship to a female goddess.

Rather than taking up the task of trying to give an exact telling of this great mystery, let me simply draw attention again, to the one statement that let’s us know that mystery Babylon has some of God’s people in her. It is to His people who the Lord speaks through the angel, saying, “Come out of her, my people!”

What makes this even more interesting is that the statement, ‘Come out!’, carries a compelling that cannot be ignored. It models itself on the very command that God gave to Abraham, in telling him to come out of the land of the Chaldees (Babylon) –

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you’…”. (Gen 12:1)

So, is God calling His people out of governing religious systems that have replaced Him with their assemblage of gods? Yes – Jesus said that His sheep would hear His voice and would not follow another.

Think about it.

That leaves us with one last issue. If the church has essentially no single government representation on the earth, where then are we to look?

Wow, I’m glad you asked that. Take time to read through these Scriptures:

[box title=”My Sheep Hear My Voice” color=”#91b5c6″]

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (Luk 10:19-20)

“But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” (Gal 4:26)

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev 21:1-2)

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create [new] Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness.” (Isa 65:17-18)

[/box]

As a final note, always remember that the church is in the world but not of the world. With this in mind, we are to gather in our respective appointed places of gatherings. Each local church body belongs to the body of Christ.

Are you getting the picture? I hope so.

Think about it. The Lord will help you to read between the lines.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRTVHrlucNU[/youtube]

 

In Christ Always,

Buddy

 

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08
Apr
2011

The Battle of Temptations

“And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” (Mat 26:40-41)

 

Journal,

In this entry we want to look at what temptations are, how they work in a believer’s, life, and how to deal with issues of temptations.

Where Jesus says, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,” this statement is very telling with regard to temptations. It allows us to see up front that a temptation is not something we want to enter into . Secondly, it tells us that temptations have their strongest avenue through our flesh life. (The flesh life refers to that part of our lives that is not under the influence of the Holy Spirit.)

 

Solicitations to Evil

Solicitations to evil come in many forms, but the source is the same, and the goal is pretty much the same. The word ‘temptation‘ (peirasmos) speaks of an enticement to sin. The purpose of a temptation is to distort a believer’s faith, that is, to pull a believer away from the Lord’s spiritual oversight.

Keep in mind that a temptation is Satan’s working power. When we are in a temptation it means that Satan is seeking to bring us under his influence. A temptation from Satan, is his invitation to take part in what he has for us.

While it should be understood that a temptation of itself is not a sin, it should also be understood that a temptation can be very powerful. This is why Jesus said we must pray so that we won’t enter into a temptation.

In the Greek text, “enter into temptation” is ‘eiserchomai eis peirasmos.’ The ‘eis‘ denotes a movement from one realm of reality into another. When we enter ‘into‘ a temptation, we are actually passing into another reality. The reality in this case proves to be Satan’s doing. But once the temptation has completed its work, the one who has fallen into this ‘alternate‘ reality, and afterwards returns to their right mind, they then wonder how it could ever have happened. This shows the power of a temptation.

 

A false reality

Remember that a temptation has to do with a false reality. In the realm of darkness, black becomes white, and sin is not sinful. In the temptation there is a distortion of God Himself. It is in this realm of false reality that we find the false prophet. The false prophet manipulates and distorts the truths of God.

It cannot be emphasized enough – This false reality is an issue of spiritual warfare. Satan is trying to place chains on the believer’s life that will make the believer unable to serve the Lord in a worthy way.

Paul explained it this way:

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Rom 6:15-16)

The prophet Malachi gave the warning about believing what is not true about God:

“You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied Him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,’ or, ‘Where is the God of justice?'” (Mal 2:17)

Did you catch it? The false prophet and the false reality says that sin doesn’t really matter because everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? I hope so.

 

The process of deception

James gives us the process of a temptation. Listen carefully;

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted (tested) by God’ (or, ‘God is in this.’); for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (with evil). But each one is tempted when he is carried away (demonic allurement) and enticed by his own lust (strong desire). Then when lust has conceived (the door has been walked through), it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished it brings forth death. (Something always dies. Only God can restore life.) Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (James 1:13-16)

Where James says, ‘Do not be deceived,’ the word ‘deceived’ is ‘planao.’ It speaks of something that causes a wandering, or a misleading. The idea behind the word ‘deceive‘, in the Hebrew includes the thought of ‘stealing the heart.‘

Satan’s goal is to twist and turn a person’s heart. And Satan has a way of working a temptation where the person is convinced that the thing being offered is actually of God.

This even extends to the believer’s testimony. Paul tells us not to become like the world. The way to win the lost is to offer them something that they don’t already have. The strongest attraction that a Christian has is that sense of the holy that overflows throughout their life.

It was the sense of holy that drew people to the Lord Jesus.

The apostle Paul give us our instructions:

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:1-2)

 

Where nothing is sacred

As I shared earlier, a temptation is the working power of sin. Before the fall, Adam and Eve did not know about the power of sin. After the fall they became well acquainted. And through the fall the human race became even more acquainted with the working of sin.

My point is that Satan doesn’t always spring a temptation on us where we instantly fall. Most often he works the pieces together in a way that when the proper moment comes, we step right through the door. Satan reasons us into sin where the forbidden doesn’t really mean forbidden, and sacred doesn’t really mean sacred.

Remember the temptation of Eve? The serpent said to her,

“Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'”

Satan draws Eve into an area of reasoning, and by this process she comes under his power.

Satan is good at using words to paint a picture or working a puzzle. He does it stroke by stroke, piece by piece, thought by thought. All the while Satan is undermining the believer’s sense of the holy. This is why the apostle warns us about the “schemes of the devil.” (A scheme is a well thought out plan. ‘Methodeia‘ means to use craft.)

Making a defense

There is a principle in hermeneutics that says the first time you see a word or concept in Scripture, that setting will carry the definitive idea of what that word or concept means throughout Scripture. The first time we come across the word ‘deceive’ in the Scriptures, is when Eve says to the Lord,

“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen3:13)

The temptation of Eve, can serve as sort of a background for how temptations work in our lives.

The Scriptures tell us how to deal with temptations with regard to the power that we have in Christ Jesus:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:11-12)

Then we have this with regard to our thought life. Remember that all temptations begin with our thought life. If the enemy can gain control over our thinking, he can gain control over the rest of our life.

Listen to Paul:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2Co 10:3-5)

 

And finally we have the most important element in learning to live out our victory of Jesus Christ. It all has to do with the heart.

Peter gives us this remedy:

“Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,

“…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” (1Pe 3:13-15)

Are you ready to take the high road of faith and sanctification?

Here is your song. As you listen to this song, use the words that you see as your prayer to the Lord. Make it personal.

It is never too late to sanctify your heart before the Lord. This moment is for you.

 

Much love to you in Jesus,

Buddy

 

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26
Jul
2010

When the Nations Shutter and Shake…

Lion and Lamb“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

“And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.’” Heb12:25,26)


Readers,

The eyes of the world remain focused on the Middle East. We are seeing an uncontrolled fire storm that began working its way out from the environs of ancient Babylon. The fire continues to break out here and yon. Right now the fire is burning intensely in Afghanistan. Break outs continue in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Somalia, not to speak of all the ‘***istan’ nations of the former Soviet Union. The fire in Iran continues to smolder.

What’s it all about? Believe it or not, the final thrust of anti-Christ Islam will be on Jerusalem. It all ends in Jerusalem. That is where the story of redemption had its beginning and that is where it has its ending. Jesus Christ is returning to Jerusalem.

As I have often said, the Bible is the only book under heaven that records history before it happens. As for Christians, we have our instructions. Jesus said that men’s hearts would began to fail because of the things coming on the earth. Not so with God’s people.

Jesus said,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (Joh 14:1-3 NASB)

And again,

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.” (Joh 14:27-29 NASB)

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The war over souls

You can be sure that all the wars fought on this planet have a spiritual backdrop to them. From time immemorial warfare has always been about the minds and souls of men and women. So while believers are told to remain focused on Jesus, the fact remains that we are engaged with spiritual forces. In the midst of all this we are told to keep ourselves aligned with the victory of Christ.

With this in mind I want to share part of a counseling session I had with a brother in Iraq. The enemy was playing with his mind. I was able to help him regain his footing.

Bob: I know the enemy is the “prince of the air” and I try to keep myself covered in prayer because of all the Muslim prayers that are broadcast over P.A. systems all around me 5 times a day.

Buddy: You are most correct that the enemy is called ‘prince of the air.’ Your situation is unique because of where you are. Islam is actually antichrist. Most people do not realize this. Satan has been preparing his antichrist armies for 1400 years in preparation for the count down.

I don’t mean to begin on a negative note, but it is very important that you understand this. Where you are, the ‘thoughts’ of darkness will be everywhere. This is why you are having battles in your mind. To ‘hear’ Muslim prayers 5 times a day is certainly a downer.

Bob: Lately I’ve started having troubling questions pop into my mind, even when I’m in prayer or reading the Bible. Basically, I find myself thinking, “How can this be true? Does God really exist? Is Christ a reality?” Now, mind you, this all happens while I am in fervent prayer to God or reading about Christ. I try to tell myself “If you didn’t believe you wouldn’t be praying to Him so intensely and talking to Him so much.”

Buddy:You are describing the battle of ‘thoughts’ perfectly. Two things are going to be very important for you in this regard. Foremost, recognize where all these doubts are coming from. (Remember Eve’s battle.) Knowing this is the key to knowing how to do spiritual warfare correctly. Here is your foundation Scripture:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing [thoughts, etc.] raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2Co10:4,5)

The second thing is going to come straight from you. This is the time to make quality decisions. I cannot stress this enough. Until you make a consistent, firm, and resolute decision that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, and that God’s Word is true, regardless, your whole thinking process will be honeycombed with doubts. Indecision is the path of failure. This is why you find so much in the Bible about making choices. The Lord does not remove our ability to choose for Him. Also keep in the background of your faith that the Lord will reinforce every decision you make for Him.

Bob: I’m troubled by even entertaining these questions. God has been so merciful to me and blessed me so greatly. Jesus has redeemed me from the darkness into the Kingdom of Light by paying for my sins by His sacrifice upon the cross. I do NOT like these troubling thoughts.

Buddy: If you are going to doubt anything, doubt your doubts. Do not allow even for a moment any thought to remain that speaks against your faith in Jesus.

Other things you can do are:

(1) Each morning as soon as you have time, reach for your Bible and pray the prayer of David; “Open my eyes, Lord, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law.”

(2) Join yourself to another believer and began to extend your fellowship circle. Ask the Lord to lead you in this.

(3) Keep writing me. I will support you in all that I can. Ask questions. Share your thoughts. I will never stop being your friend.

…. End of Exchange….

Consider this news report from Washington  (Military brief. July 26, 2010): “Suicides among Army and Air National Guard and Reserve troops have spiked this year, and the military is at a loss to explain why. … Suicides among military personnel and veterans are at an epidemic rate, and it’s getting worse,” said Tim Embree, a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and is now a legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.” – Don’t think for a moment that there isn’t a spiritual component behind this.


The intricacies of endtime events

Now let’s continue on with the study on the shuttering of the nations. The intricacies of endtime events go much further than this study can cover and certainly beyond my own limited understanding. But there are some things in the Scriptures that speak pretty conclusive to what we can expects as the days of redemption grow shorter.

Jesus was accosted by the Pharisees and Sadducees in their asking Him for a sign. He said,

“Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:3)

The Lord was saying that while they claimed to understand the elements of nature, they were blind in regard to what was happening before their very eyes. The Messiah was present. Redemption had come and they did not recognize it.

Does this have any relevance to the church today? Most assuredly. The church is now in a very special phase of redemptive history. As a relevant sign in the count down God give us a fixed point. Both Jesus, the prophets of old, and the apostles all pointed to the rebirth of the nation of Israel as a prominent fixture that the times of the Gentiles was closing. That sign was fixed May 14, 1948.

The apostle Peter told the Jewish peoples that Jesus had been received into heaven and would remain there, but would send ‘refreshing(s)’ [special moves of the Holy Spirit] until the period of restoration of all things.

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. “ (Act 3:19-21 NASB)

What did Peter mean by the term restoration? The Greek term ‘apokatastasis‘ means a restitution of a thing to its former condition. This expression denotes the times spoken of as ‘the fullness of the Gentiles,’ and would then include conversion of the Jews to Jesus.

This was a primary concern for the Lord’s Hebrew apostles. In Acts 1:6, they asked Him,

“Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus responded,

“It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”

Thus while we cannot know the exact moments for the unfolding of events, we do have one fixed sign. This is why May 14, 1948 is so important to redemption history.

Israel who had lost her nationhood in the year 70 a.d., was brought forth again as a nation among other nations. Thus we have Isaiah 66:8, fulfilled;

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a LAND be born in one day? Can a NATION be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.” (Caps always for emphasis only.)

Then we have this from the Lord:

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles [other nations] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24 – Until the gospel has gone into all the world. Cf. Mat24:14)

Point at hand is that the nation of Israel today is not the nation she is going to be. Jews returning to the land is at the heart of Old Testament prophecy. Israel today is largely secular, with Talmudic Judaism in charge of her religious affairs. The fact that Israel is largely secular is not a bad thing in comparison to the Christ-hating Talmudic religion.

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The spirit of grace

Now let’s combine two Scriptures, one from the old and the other from the new. Both with the same objective.

First Zechariah 12:10:

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me [This is Yahweh speaking] whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him [Jesus the crucified One], and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him [Jesus] like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

Now Romans 11:25-27:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel [the Christ-rejecting nation group] until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved [nation group looks to Jesus]; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

“This is My covenant with them, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.'”

The sins of the Christ-rejecting Israel can only be taken away when they come to faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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The coming restoration

Let’s come back to what Peter said about the times of restoration:

“…that He [the Father] may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:20,21)

The Greek term for ‘period’ is chronos. It speaks of a particular time or space or season of events. This takes in various things that belong to the season of restoration.

The Greek term for ‘restoration’ is a double compound. It is only used here. Interestingly enough it is also used by the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, for the return of the Jews from captivity, and for the restoration of the year of Jubilee. That is the how the term was understood during the time of Christ.

Of course the Jewish people in the time of the apostles would understand this much better than the ‘Johnny-come-lately’ folk of today’s western Christianity, who think they have the answers for everything.

The period of restoration has a dual focus. I believe it includes the Church restored to her lost heritage in preparation for her departure. More and more Christians today are breaking free of sectarian separations and from religious yokes of bondages, and are rediscovering their true freedom in Christ.

The second focus is the land of Israel. (As I’ve already shared.)

What makes the period of restoration so unique is the overlap of focus in the kingdom of God. At the same time the Church is being prepared for her departure, the Jewish peoples are being gathered to the land of Israel to fulfill her prophesied purposes. In this sense God is working with the Jews and with the Christians. The Jews are being prepared for their Messiah.

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A time of special insight

The prophet Daniel was told that there would be a time of special insight given God’s people in the latter days. This would certainly apply in part to the Christian church, but it would especially apply to Jewish peoples during the tribulation. (That insight was to be locked up until the time came. I see it as belonging to the book of Revelation.)

As for the Christian portion, Paul elaborates on this in 1 Thess. 5:1-3,9-10 and 2 Thess. 2:1,5-13. (You may wish to view these Scriptures.)

For the Jew there is a period of tribulation they must endure before the Savior comes out of Zion. The Bible also gives place for a pseudo-Church during the final hours of this age. (Pseudo refers to something that appears to be true but is not. A false pretender.)

The true church refers to those who are inborn of the Spirit of truth and will not follow anyone other than Jesus, in spite of signs & wonders. However, the pseudo Church will follow after lying wonders.

Let’s listen to some of the final words that Jesus spoke over Jerusalem.

“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)

And again,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me UNTIL you say, ‘Blessed is He [Jesus] who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matt23:37,38)

So, will the kingdom of God be restored to Israel? Will Israel really turn to the Lord Jesus and become part with His people? Can it be proved by the Scriptures? I believe it can. For your extra study consider these Scriptures: (Isa1:26; Jer23:3-6; Hos3:4,5; 5:15; 6:1-3.)

Yes, it is all there. But the point remains as I said at the beginning of the study, Christians are not to let their hearts become troubled over all these things. Our eyes are to remain focused on Jesus alone.

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Can nature be speaking

Have you considered the oil situation in the Gulf of Mexico. China is fighting the same thing.  In addition to the anti-Christ armies making their way towards Jerusalem, you have hurricanes, tsunamis, earth quakes in various places, along with weather doing strange things.

Consider these Scriptures:

“…and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Rev 8:9 NASB)

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” (Mar 13:7-8 NASB)

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Rom 8:19-22 NASB)

 

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The shuttering and shaking

Are the nations beginning to shutter? What do you think? Is the time of giving birth close at hand?

Consider once again this warning from the book of Hebrews concerning a shaking to come:

 

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.’

“This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:25-29 NASB)

OK children of the Lamb. Here is your song…

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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCxU8QGCFX0[/youtube]

Much love in Jesus,

Buddy

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