“Old Testament Picture, New Testament Teaching” - Author and Writer Ronald Nelson

BIBLE MEDICATION:

“And whoever does not fall down, and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:11. 

ENCOUARGIN WORD:

The book of Daniel, chapter 3 is an Old Testament picture of a New Testament teaching. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three young Jewish men that would not bow down to the image that Nebuchadnezzar built. Because Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, he had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown in the fiery furnace. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 

Daniel 3: 20-23; explains what happened. “And he (King Nebuchadnezzar) ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.”

Daniel 3: 24-25; tells us what Nebuchadnezzar saw; “then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like the son of God. 

One thing you will notice is that Daniel is conspicuously absent. It doesn’t really say where Daniel was, but it is certain that he wasn’t there. This is a perfect picture of the rapture and the tribulation. By Daniels absence we can assume that he isn’t thrown into the fiery furnace, just as the church will not be cast into the Great Tribulation. Daniel is certainly symbolic of the church. (The true born again belivers) We also know by scripture that the Bible describes a specific time as Jacob’s Trouble.

Matthew 24:21; tells us, “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.” 

Many mainline denominations put this even as if it already happened in 70 AD, however, that can be easily disputed. Although the event that happened in 70 AD was horrible, it was not the worst time in human history. Take the Holocaust, it took the lives of six million Jews. The event that Jesus spoke of in 70 AD took 1.6 million Jewish lives. Between all the wars such as World War I, World War II, The Korean War and the Vietnam War, to mention a few, these were much worse events than what took place in 70 AD. This event that is on the near horizon (The Tribulation) is going to make all the wars and the Holocaust look like a walk in the park in comparison.

Zechariah 13:8-9; tells us, “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, (a picture of the 3 Jewish men that were thrown in the fiery furnace and were unharmed in any way) and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” 

This verse clearly states that two thirds of the Jews will lose their lives during this terrible time compared to one third during the Holocaust. The remaining one third will be spiritually preserved through the second half of the tribulation, the last 3 ½ years.  

 

Paul tells us clearly in; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” 

 

Paul is talking to the Christians believers in Thessalonica. If you believe that the church is going to be cast into the Great Tribulation, then you don’t understand who the church truly is and what the purpose of the tribulation is for. The reason for the Great Tribulation is for God’s wrath to be poured out on an unbelieving world. He has never judged the righteous along with the wicked, why would He start now? A good reference is the story of Lot and his family, and the more well-known story of Noah’s Ark. God would not pour out His wrath on Sodom and Gomora until Lot and his family were removed. In the same way, God will not judge this world until the righteous are removed. Regardless of what you believe, He will accomplish this, the Body of Christ will not be here. 

The most wonderful thing about all this, is, you don’t have to be here either. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and join The Body of Christ.

Romans 10:9-10; confirms, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” It is your choice, choose who you will serve! 

I'm going to share another bit of information. Before a nation will declare war on another nation, the ambassadors are always removed from the nation that is going to be invaded. In the same way, God will remove His ambassadors before He wages war on the world. The born again believers are Gods ambassadors to the world. It would only make sense if we stick to the pattern, that God will remove His ambassadors from earth before the tribulation starts. The Bible is full of patterns and symbols of events that are going to take place in the near future.

I’m going to share a couple more Biblical accounts that mirror future events.

Let start out with Noah’s Ark. We start out by reading in; Genesis 6:9-13; “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.”

In todays world in which we live, corruption is running rampant as it was in the days of Noah. God found one righteous man among all those living on the earth. So because of all the corruption, God had told Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” Back then God destroyed the world with a flood. The days are coming when God will once again destroy the world because of all the corruption, only this time it will be with fire. Lets hear what Peter said in; 2 Peter 3:10-13; “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.”

Just like the days of Noah, Once again God has chosen His modern day messengers to declare to the world that the end is near. By the prophecies of old, God has warned us about the days in which we now live.

Matthew 24:37-39; “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

We are clearly living in the days of total corruption. God is sending us warning after warning that He is coming soon. I don’t believe He is speaking of twenty years from now, I believe He is speaking of the next couple years. When you hear what is taking place in Israel and line it up with end times prophecies, you would have to be blind not to see we are there. But then again, what does God say about those that don’t have a clue of what is happening.

2 Corinthians 4:4; “The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

If you are not born again into the Holy Spirit, there is no way for you to understand the days in which we live. First, you have to acknowledge that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then receive the Holy Sprit into your heart and if your profession of faith is true, then you will be able to see what is happening in our world today. The blinders on your eyes will be lifted.

Now, with that being said, let’s make the comparison between the days of Noah and today. Noah spent one hundred twenty years preaching that the end was near. All the people just laughed and mocked Noah for preaching the message of repentence. The same thing that todays messengers are proclaiming. Then when God asked Noah to build an ark in preparation of the world wide flood, they even laughed and mocked him all the more.

In comparison to today, there are many that God has chosen to preach that the end is near once again. Just as in the days of Noah, most of the world population is laughing and mocking Gods messengers for doing the same thing that Noah was called to do.

Then one day, Noah and His family entered the ark, and it began to rain. Rain is something that they had never seen before, so that was their reason for not believing what Noah was teaching. All those that didn’t listen to Noah were now on the outside, screaming and yelling for Noah to let them in. Once the door was closed, their opportunity to be saved was over, in the same way that once the rapture happens, the door to being saved by grace will be closed. God lifted Noah and his family high above the waters of the flood, while the rest of the world suffered and die because of their unbelief. This, I believe, is symbolic of the rapture of the church. Jesus is going to lift up the believers off the face of this earth, when we meet Jesus in the clouds, while all hell is breaking out on earth, just like the world below the ark. The flood is symbolic of the great tribulation period.

There is another way to look at this, which makes a lot of sense as well. During the second half of the tribulation, God is going to spiritually protect 1/3 of the Jews while all hell is breaking loose on earth. The ark could be symbolic of God protecting Noah and his family during the flood just as He will protect the remnant of Israel through the tribulation. I believe the ark is symbolic of the rapture because the ark went up and so will those that are saved by grace through faith. I wouldn't really argue either way.

The story of Noah is truly symbolic of the rapture and the tribulation period. We go up, the world goes through horrific tribulation and then we come down with Jesus after the tribulation period just as the ark came down on the mountains of Ararat. When the ark landed on Mount Ararat, the sons of Noah were instructed to go out and populate the earth.

Here is a little side teaching that should wake people up, especially in these days in which we live. Genesis 9: 8-17; “Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:  I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,  I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Side note: The rainbow that is being flown around today has 6 colors; Gods rainbow has seven colors. So, for those of you that support the gay pride movement and wave the gay flag, you are on the wrong side of Gods covenant, but that is your choice. They are slapping God in the face with their blasphemy. Unless they repent, they will therefore parish into etyernal darkness, God’s word, not mine. 

So, now lets go onto another Biblical account that mittors a future event. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a perfect example of what is soon coming to the world. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were living in adulterous and evil lifestyles. So once again, God called on Abraham to remove Lot and His family before God would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. All throughout the Bible God, did not destroy the righteous with the wicked. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, God would not destroy them until Lot and His family were removed. Once they left the city, God rained down brimstone and fire as we read in the following Bible verse.

Genesis 19:22-29; “But flee their quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)  By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities, and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. (Side note; God told us in the scriptures that once we become born again, we are not to look back at our past, and I believe that is what Sara is representing when she turned into a pillar of salt) Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.”

In the same way, God will remove the righteous before He judges the world during the tribulation. More obvious evidence of a pre-trib rapture. The tribulation is for two reasons. God will bring judgment to an unbelieving world and the second half of the tribulation, God has to bring the Jews down to their knees in repentance, so He allows them to go through another holocaust, but mush worse than the first one. Those that have accepted Jesus before this time will not be on the earth for these seven years. Also, when you read the book of revelation, the first three chapters are about the church, the rest of the book of revelation is all about the wrath of God being poured down on the earth until the 20th chapter and then the church is mentioned once again. The church is absent from verses 4-19 in the same way, the church will be absent from the beginning of the tribulation to the end, and then the church returns with Jesus to judge the world and set up His one thousand year millennial kingdom. The church is not hear to suffer the wrath of God. Hear what the next verse says if you doubt what I just said.

1 Thessalonians 5:9; “For God did not appoint us (The Born Again Believers)  to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is no place in the Bible that even suggests that the believers are here during the tribulation if you read the Bible in the context in which it was meant to be understood.

One more story in the Old Testament that is very symbolic of the end days. That happens to be the book of Ruth. When you read the story, there are three main characters, Ruth, Naomi and Boaz. When you understand the symbolism of these three people, it tells the story of Jesus Christ as our Kinsman redeemer, marries the church, and redeems Israel back to its promised land. Ruth is symbolic of the Gentile bride (The Born again Believers) Naomi (Israel) and Boaz, the kinsman redeemer (Jesus Christ)

The account of Ruth is a profound narrative of redemption, loyalty, and God’s providence. Found in the Old Testament, the book of Ruth not only recounts the journey of a Moabite widow who finds favor in the eyes of Boaz but also foreshadows the ultimate redemption through Jesus Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer. First we have to understand that Ruth is a Moabite or Gentile by our terms. Boaz is a Jew and Naomi is symbolic of Israel.

The role of Boaz in Ruth’s life foreshadows the work of Jesus Christ as our ultimate Kinsman Redeemer:

A Willing Redeemer: Boaz willingly took on the responsibility of redemption, even when it involved personal cost. Similarly, Jesus willingly laid down His life to redeem us.

In; John 10:18; “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Jesus says, “No one takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” It wasn't the nails that held Him to the cross, it was Hid love for you and me. At anytime, Jesus could have said "Enough is enough, I'm out of here." but lucky for us that He didn't.

A Close Relative: To qualify as a kinsman redeemer, Boaz had to be a close relative. Jesus, by taking on human flesh, became our brother and fulfilled this requirement. The writer of Hebrews declares, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same” Hebrews 2:14; “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil”

Redemption through Payment: Boaz redeemed Ruth and Naomi by paying the necessary price to secure their inheritance. Jesus, in a far greater act, redeemed us by paying the price of sin with His blood. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

Restoration and Inclusion: Boaz’s redemption of Ruth restored her and Naomi to a place of security and honor. We, the church, have been adopted into the covenent of Grace. Just because Gentiles have been adopted into God’s family does not mean they are superior to the children who have wandered away. Jews have rejected God, and God has taken this opportunity to save Gentiles. Gentiles are no better than the Jews. Jews are no worse than Gentiles. All of humanity needs salvation, all men are sinners. Even more, Ruth, a Moabite, was brought into the covenant community of Israel (Just as the church has) and became part of the lineage of the Messiah; Matthew 1:5; “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

In Christ, we too are brought into the family of God, no matter our background, as Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Remember, there are Jews, Gentiles and the Church. The church is made up of Jews and Gentiles together that came to grace through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Once the church is raptured there we be once again, only Jews and Gentiles. Those are the two groups that God will deal with during the tribualtion. The church is gone!

The book of Ruth foreshadows the redemptive plan of Jesus to take a gentile bride and then restore Israel back to their original land. The book of Ruth is rich in theological truths. First, it underscores God’s providence. From Ruth’s arrival in Boaz’s field Ruth 2:3; “So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.”  to Boaz’s willingness to redeem, every step of the story reflects God’s hand. Second, it emphasizes God’s inclusive grace. Ruth, a Moabite, becomes part of the covenant people, prefiguring the inclusion of the Gentiles in Christ’s salvation;

Ephesians 2:11–13; “ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands), remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Finally, the Book of Ruth reveals God’s redemptive love. Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth, Jesus redeems us from sin, restoring us to fellowship with God and securing an eternal inheritance.

These examples that I have given you are just a small portion of how some Old Testament teachings come alive in the New Testament, specifically mirroring the end of days. Every word or as Jesus put it (jot and tittle) will be fulfilled right down to the last  period and comma as we refer to it as. Matthew 5:18; “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

A wise man would say, “Gee, if this is all true , maybe I better read and understand the history of the world from Genesis through Revelation” That would be the smartest thing you could do in light of the days in which we live. But unfortunately, that isn’t the case as we read in the following Bible verse.

Matthew 7:13-14; “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Saying that you believe in God, and really believing in God are two totally different avenues. Sure, we all believe there is some kind of mighty force in the universe, and then people may say, okay, maybe there is a God. Believing that way means nothing. Even believing In God and not knowing Jesus as your personal Savior also means nothing. Listen to what we read in the next verse. James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that, and shudder.” Did you read this, Satan and his demons know Jesus and they are not saved. In the same way, if you say you believe, saying so doesn’t mean anything, Its when you put your belief into action, that makes the difference. This is where the rubber meets the road. Its when your confession of faith joins your heart, that is when you are truly saved, and not until.

I’ll end this teaching with a couple verses to think about.

Matthew 7:21-23; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I (Jesus) will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Is this what you want to hear? It is your choice. Some people think, if they don't hear the truth, than they won't be held accountable, very ignorant way of thinking. God is just God and whether you hear the truth or not judgment will come, but you will still be judged on what you believe. Don't ignor Gods word and His warnings. There are millions of Bibles printed andwhen you stand before Jesus at the "White Throne Judgment" there will be no excuse for not knowing the truth.

In case you don’t understand what is being said in Matthew 7:21-23, I’ll explain. There are those that are being taught that good works can save you. These three verses rebuke that teaching. If you are taught that good works can save you, and you believe that lie, I can tell you by the written authority of Gods word, you will stand before Jesus and you will be judged for every sin that you ever committed, and you will be condemned to the Lake of Burning Fire for all eternity.

Ephesians 2:8-9; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” If you belong to a church that tells you different, get out! Or you will be judged by the lies that you believe. I know this sounds harsh, but this is very important when it comes to your salvation. You will either hate me and go on living the way you want, or you will understand how much I love you to tell you the truth even though I know I will be despised for telling the truth. Good works does not save you! Good works is the condition that takes over, once you are saved and not before.

I know I said that would be the last verse I would share, but I have to share one more to put my reasoning into perspective.

John 15:18-25; “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.”

So, with this being said, I am proud to be in the same category as Jesus as far as being despised. So, Now its up to you to decide which road you will take. The wide road that leads to death and destruction or the narrow road that leads to everlasting life. God gave us a free will so we can make the choice where we want to spend eternity. The choice is yours!

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”