BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,” 1 Corinthians 10:32
ENCOURAGING WORD:
If we go back to the beginning of Mankind, there was only one classification of people. From Adam and Eve to the flood of Noah all that existed were Gentiles. Then quickly we move ahead to the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
We read in; Hebrews 11:18-19; “of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”
Abrahams son Isaac was the beginning of the Hebrew nation. Isaac was chosen by God to be the seed to His chosen people, “The Jews”.
Sarah was Abraham’s wife and the mother of Isaac according to the Bible. Sarah was originally known as Sarai before God changed her name. She was unable to conceive a child with Abraham for many years. However, God made a covenant with Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation, with as many descendants as the stars in the sky;
Genesis 15:5; “Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and told him that Sarah, his wife would give birth to a son and they should cvall his name Isaac;
Genesis 17:15-19; “Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”
One year later, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, Sarah miraculously gave birth to Isaac as God had promised;
Genesis 21:1-7; “And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Sarah’s miraculous conception and birth of Isaac in her old age demonstrated God’s power and fulfilled of His covenant with Abraham. As Abraham’s wife, Sarah was the mother through whom God’s promise would be fulfilled.
In; Genesis 21:12; God made a promise to Abraham that through the seed of Isaac the Hebrew nation would be born. “And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Notice, it was not through Ishmail as the Muslims believe.
As we read through the accounts of the life of Isaac, we get to the time in his life where he becomes the father of Esau and Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, along with his twin brother Esau where we read in;
Genesis 25:23-26; “And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.”
Jacob eventually left his home and went to the town of Padan Aram, where his uncle, Laban, lived. At the outset of his journey, near Bethel, Jacob was given a vision by God of Israel's future: that the Jews would establish their own nation. Through Jacob and Rachel, they had twelve sons. We read their names in Genesis, there was Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin, thus forming the Jewish nation of Israel. Through a series of events, Joseph ended up being second in command just behind the Pharoh of Egypt. Because of His power, Joesph was able to bring His family into the land of Egypt. Through the next four hundred years, the Hebrew nation grew in great numbers. Without getting into the fiur hundredyears of bondage and the whole Exodus scene, Israel, through a series if plagues were able to leave Egypt to the land of milk and honey which was promised to the Hebrew Nation by God. Let it be known, The Hebrews entered Egypt as a family and four thousand years later exited as a nation. At that time there were Jews and Gentiles, the church did not exsist yet.
Then we jump ahead to the time of Christ. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ a new entity came into existence—the church that Jesus Christ promised He would build.
Matthew16:18 tells us that on the confession of Peter, Jesus would build the church. Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock (Peters confession) (I) will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.)
As a result, there were then three different classifications of people: Jews, Gentiles and the church. It is absolutely essential to understand that these three groups exist side by side in today's world. We need to understand that God deals with each group differently. Each group has a separate destination according to Gods plan.
These scriptures make it perfectly clear that the church did not replace Israel, but came into existence as a new and third entity comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. As surely as unbelieving Gentiles continue to exist outside the church, so do those of Israel who rejected their Messiah. God also has unique plans for the church, differing from those for either Israel or the Gentile nations. Because of the Jews rejection of Christ, the church was built. This is where a very dangerous and Satan driven theology came into existence. There iare mainline sects of Christianity (Roman Catholisism, and the Reformation/Lutherans) that say God has cast of Israel and all the promises to the Jews now fall on the church. Let me say with certainty, this is a lie from the pit of hell. Every unconditional promise that God Made to Israel has come to fruition or is about to be fulfilled in the days ahead. Here what the Apostle Paul has to say about this.
Romans 11:1-2; “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,”
If you believe that the church has replaced Israel then you are calling the Apostle Paul a liar and that would discredit the Bible. You are also calling God a liar and a covenant breaker. Be careful whose name you slander. Also, if you believe all the lies of these two sects of Christianity, then you will not understand all the promises of Jesus’ second coming. This is an obvious and dangerous theory that leads to so many more misunderstandings of the Bible. This particular sect of Christianity (Roman Catholisism, and the Reformation/Lutherans) also rejects the Rapture of the church, the Seven year Tribulation and the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem from the throne of King David. They teach that all these things have happened in the past. You really have to have an incredible imagination to apply all theses things happening in the past. They also have to allegorize all of the end time promises and events that will soon take place in our world.
First of all, let me share what they believe about the Rapture of the church. Its because they believe in replacement theory that leads to every misunderstanding of what is about to come to our world. These two sects of Christianity believe that we, as a world will usher in a peaceful utopia so Jesus can return. This misunderstanding alone can be rebuked by so many scriptures in the Bible, the Bible that these two religious sects do not teach from. Here is one of many verses that came right from the mouth of Jesus that rebuke this belief.
Matthew 24:20-22; “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
This verse alone is proof positive that if Jesus doesn’t return at the end of the tribulation, no flesh would be saved, because there will be so much violence that mankind would destroy each other, and no life would exist. By the way, that has been Satan’s plan from the beginning of time. Here is where they are going to be deceived. After the Rapture of the church, a one world leader will appear on the scene with all lying wonders and deceptions. He is going to deceive the world by ushering in a false peace. He will have a very convincing reason as to why the Christians have been removed from society. An example could be as simple as this. He may say; “The Christians have been taken away to judgement because they were in the way of bringing peace to our world, when in reality, the Church will be taken away in the Rapture to be forever with the Lord.” Most of the world will believe this lie (Especially those that believe in replacement theology) and they will get sucked into this false peace that this one world leader will usher in. This is when all those that are left behind to face this horrible time will believe that the Christian body was wrong all the time and Jesus Christ was a false Messiah. Once again, he will be so convincing that even the Bible says the following,
Matthew 24:24; “24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
The question is, if you have rejected Jesus before the Rapture of the church, will you have another opportunity to be saved? I believe by the scriptures of the Bible, the answer is “NO” This is a very controversy topic among the Christian leaders of today.
Before I go on, let me explain something that obviously has not been taught in the mainline denominations of today. God made many covenants with Israel, some conditional and some unconditional. Let me give you an example of each one, though there are many more.
The Abrahamic Covenant. This unconditional covenant, first made to Abraham in;
Genesis 12:1-3; “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This covenant also promised God's blessing upon Abraham, to make his name great and to make his progeny into a great nation. The covenant also promised blessing to those who blessed Abraham (Gods chosen people) and cursing to those who cursed (Gods chosen people) Further, God vowed to bless the entire world through Abraham's seed. (Isaac) There was no condition attached to this covenant. It is forever!
Circumcision was the sign that Abraham believed the covenant; Romans 4:11; “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,”
The fulfillment of this covenant is seen in the history of Abraham's descendants and in the creation of the nation of Israel. The worldwide blessing came through Jesus Christ, who was of Abraham's family line.
Mosaic Covenant. This conditional covenant, found in Deuteronomy 11 and elsewhere, promised the Israelites a blessing for obedience and a curse for disobedience. Much of the Old Testament chronicles the fulfillment of this cycle of judgment for sin and later blessing when God's people repented and returned to God. If they were obedient, they would receive a blessing, if they were disobedient, they would receive a curse.
Covenants are an important feature of the Bible's teaching. Seven specific covenants are revealed in Scripture. These seven covenants fall into three categories—conditional, unconditional, and general. Conditional covenants are based on certain obligations and prerequisites; if the requirements are not fulfilled, the covenant is broken. Unconditional covenants are made with no strings attached and will be kept regardless of one party's fidelity or infidelity. General covenants are not specific to one people group and can involve a wide range of people.The conditional covenant mentioned in Scripture is the Mosaic Covenant; the blessings it extends are contingent upon Israel's adherence to the Law. The unconditional covenants mentioned in the Bible are the Abrahamic, Palestinian, and Davidic Covenants; God promises to fulfill these regardless of other factors. The general covenants mentioned are the Adamic, Noahic, and New Covenants, which are global in scope. The Jews are Gods chosen people forever!!!!
Now, Let’s move onto what will happen during the time leading up to the tribulation and during the tribulation.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11; We read; “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,”
Paul wrote that when the anti-Christ is revealed, Satan will empower him to do all kinds of counterfeit miracles. These miracles will deceive those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and be saved.
Going back to the question, can people be saved during the tribulation if they rejected Jesus before the Rapture of the church? To me, these three verses in 2 Thessalonians mean that those who have heard the gospel and willfully rejected it will not be able to reverse their position at that time. God knows the motives of everyone’s heart, so He knows those who have hardened their hearts against the gospel. Verse 11 says that He will send them a powerful delusion so that having rejected the truth they will believe the lie.
But I don’t believe that includes the millions of “fence-sitters” who have heard the gospel, but neither said yes or no to it. I believe they will still have a chance to give their lives to the Lord. I think many will do so right after the Rapture, and while they won’t be part of the Church, they will have changed their eternal destiny from death to life. A note that should be of interset to all of us who cliam to be Chrsitian. I've heard it said that only 3% of the Christian Body still hold to a literal teaching of the Bible. That makes a lot of sence when you rread the following scripture.
Matthew 7:14; "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
There are aproximatle 2.18 billion Christians in the world. Now, assuming thsi is correct, that would be 65,450,000. would be saved. Now this doesn't include all thsoe that have passed on before us. Now, of course, this is just speculation, but according the the Bible, it could be dead on.
Remember, God wants all men to be saved; 1 Timothy 2:4; “The raging waters of God's wrath are furiously pounding against the dam of His mercy. And one of these days, the dam of God's mercy will give way to God's judgment, and the day of the Lord will come. Our Lord is coming!”
He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance; 2 Peter 3:9; “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
If the door to a person’s heart is open even a crack, Jersus will keep knocking until they let Him in.
So, with this being said, don’t think that sitting on the fence is a good idea. If you enter the tribulation and you become a believer at that time, you will most likely be killed for your faith. Here is something for you to think about. If you can’t live for Christ now, what makes you thing you will die for Him later. This is a very serious question because it will be the difference between life and death on earth. If you still decide to reject Jesus, you will be cast into the second half of the tribulation, which will be worse than anything that you could imagine. Here what Jesus has to say about this.
Matthew 24:21; “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Think of all the horrible times in our world since the beginning. The Holocaust, World war I, World war II, Korea, Vietnam and many more. The tribulation will make these events look like a walk in the park. Is this something that you want to be a part of?
Revelation 16:2; tells us; “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.”
This is what will happen to all those that still rejected Jesus and took the Mark of the Beast. Revelation 9:6; tells us this; “In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.”
If you take the Mark of the Beast, you will suffer for five months with the most horrific and the most foul and loathsome sores, and there will be nothing that you will be able to do to escape it..
The second coming of Christ becomes very confusing if we fail to remember that the Lord comes in a different and specific manner for "Jews, Gentiles and the church of God." For His bride (The Church) He comes secretly to "Rapture" her to His Father's house of many mansions, where He has prepared an eternal dwelling place for her. For Israel, in the midst of God's judgment for their rejection of their Messiah, during the tribulation they will be surrounded by the armies of the world bent on destroying Israel. Jesus comes visibly in power to rescue her, to judge Israels Gentile enemies, and to establish the millennial kingdom which will be headquartered in Jerusalem.
The rapture and the second coming are clearly two separate events. Once again, the Reformation teaches that these two separate events are the same. It is Impossible if you read the Bible and understand it the way it is meant to be understood. The rapture comes like a thief in the night where only loving eyes Wii see Him. The second coming is where all eyes will see Jesus coming on a white horse. How can these be the same event. They can’t if you believe the Bible. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells of the exact day that Jesus will return to set up His Millennial Kingdom at the end of the tribulation. In the same way that Daniel the prophet prophesied the exact day that Jesus would proclaim himself to be the Messiah, The Bible also predicts the exact day that Jesus will return the second time. You may say, no way, but if you are hear during the tribulation period and you know anything about what the Bible teaches about this time, you will know the exact day that Jesus will return. I’ll share the following verse that teaches this doctrine, but if you are not Born-Again into the Holy Spirit, you will not understand.
The Coming of the Son of Man
Matthew 24:29-31; “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The following verse validates the exact day that Jesus will return; Daniel 12:11; “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.”
If you are hear when the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet happens, you can count down 1290 days and you can expect Jesus to return on that day. The Bible doesn’t give approximate, it give absolutes. It doesn’t say that Jesus will appear approximately about 1290 days, it says Jesus will return exactly 1290 days after the Abomination of Desolation. For those that do not understand what the Bible means by “The Abomination of Desolation” let me explain.
The abomination of desolation is also mentioned in Matthew 24:15-16; "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." this is one of the signs of the end, when the antichrist sets up an abomination in the holy place and will command the people to worship it. This object of disgust, an idol, will cause desolation, causing those in Judea to flee to the mountains.”
In the middle of the tribulation, the Antichrist will stand in the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple and proclaim Himself to be God. That is when all hell will break loose. But that event will also be the trigger point that starts the 1290 days until Jesus will return. So, you see, the Rapture and the second coming cannot be the same event. This is just oner example that proves that the Rapture and the Second coming are separate events.
May God help us to "love His appearing" and to witness with a clear voice concerning these soon-coming events. This is why it is so important to be watching the signs of the times as Jesus Christ is clearly at the door knocking. Are you going to open the door and let Him in, or are you going to continue to live your life outside of His loving promises to those that believe on Him and accept the Holy Spirit into your heart? Your answer will determine where you spend eternity.
I hope this clearly explains the difference between the Jews, Gentiles and the Church. Three different groups of people, three different destinations. Be careful that you do not Mock God, you will be held accountable for what you believe, regardless of who taught you.
You can believe in religion, or you can believe the Bible, they are contrary in many ways, it’s up to you to find the truth, remember what the Bible said,
John 8:31-32; “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
The truth will set you free from worry. When you know the truth, and trust in Jesus, you will see that you have nothing to fear, which includes the seven year tribulation that is on the near horizon. If you are truly Born-Again, you will not be present during this horrible time known as “The Great Tribulation” Deny it and find out the hard way, or study the Bible and let the Holy Spirit guide you through all truth.
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
May God bless you in wisdom and knowledge and bring you to the saving grace of Jesus Christ!
(May you) grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Comments