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Prophe-Zine Issue 083
PropheZine #83
Aug 15, 1999
Bob Lally Publisher
Mimi Nila Senior Editor
Rick Woodcock Asst. Editor
Abraham George Asst. Editor
Lori Eldridge Asst. Editor
Bob Ippolito Asst. Editor
ARTICLES
Bob Ippolito...................The Significance Of Biblical Prophecy
Prof. Johan Malan............Tremendous Prophetic Significance of the Olivet Discourse
Dr. Jack Van Impe.........The Heavenly Jerusalem
BIBLE STUDY
Nancy Missler...Faith in the Night Seasons Are Night Seasons Part of God's Will?
POEMS, etc
Author Unknown............God Whispers
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Hi Everyone!
For the next 2-3 months we may be publishing only once each month. Our Senior Editor, Mimi, will be taking classes and will be very busy. As I mentioned before we are returning to solid biblical teachings and I think you will find this issue puts us back on track. Don't forget to view the archives at: http://www.prophezine.com/search/database/archives.shtml
We have added a lot of material to the Prophecy Alliance (http://www.prophezine.com/alliance) so be sure to stop by often. All of this information is included in the search engine (http://www.prophezine.com/search/search.shtml )
I have been adding additional audio messages to the site and we are now somewhere around 400 audio messages. Our audio connection to the net has improved and we should be able to handle about 10 concurrent connections. My Pastor, Lorenzo Agnes, has numerous messages on PropheZine (http://www.prophezine.dyndns.org/web2/prophezine/realaudio/caltab/index.html) The Prophecy Alliance is growing with Jack Van Impe Ministries is our most recent member of the Prophecy Alliance (http://www.prophezine.com/alliance/)
Our Discussion Board is very active (http://www.prophezine.com/BBS) with many excellent ongoing end time discussions. We have moved our prayer board due to the number of prayer requests (http://www.prophezine.com/prayerboard/).
Remember, tell your friends about PropheZine! (http://www.prophezine.com)
Bob Lally
bob@prophezine.com
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| THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY
| by Bob Ippolito 8/14/1999
|
THE PROPHETIC CONTENT OF PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE
Prophecy is so important to God that between the Books of the Prophets from Isaiah to Malachi plus the Book of Revelation, He has dedicated about 25% of His Word exclusively to prophecy alone! Major prophesies are also contained in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Letters. In addition, the rest of the Bible is permeated with prophesies throughout - in every book. In fact, if one rightly divides the Word of God into history, law, wisdom, songs, prophecy, gospels, and letters, it would become apparent that God devotes more of His Word to prophecy than to any other category!
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
It occurs so often in the Christian experience that one runs into statements like "but I'm not into that prophecy stuff" or "he/she is one of those End Times doomsday prophecy fanatics". So often, the unacceptable counterposition is illiteracy on prophecy. Such people will typically say "I care more about doctrine" (or application) than about prophecy". How sad! Your DOCTRINE is based upon your THEOLOGY and regulates your BEHAVIOUR (APPLICATION)! (or, "as a man believes, so he is".)
Does your theology include the Coming of God to earth in the human form of Jesus the Christ? If so, that was 'prophesied' throughout the Scriptures before it happened. That was how people were supposed to know what was happening when it did happen. How about His 'prophesied' death of self-sacrifice on our behalf? Therein lies the foundation of our Salvation.
Does your theology include the Second Coming of Christ? That's 'prophesied'.
How about "judging the quick and the dead"? That's the 'prophesied' White Throne Judgement.
What about a New Heaven and a New Earth? That's 'prophesied'.
All that our theology embraces, both completed and yet to come - was first in prophecy - because it first occurred in the mind of God, and then He speaks it - and it comes to pass.
And what about "APPLICATION"? Why are there so many backslidden and/or ineffectual Christians in the Body of Christ? Maybe it's because they don't read prophecy enough, or believe it. If someone reads often about the 'prophesied' downward slide of morality and love in the last days, maybe it would cause them to frequently compare their lifestyles to God's unchanging standards in His Word, to make sure that they themselves are not to be counted amongst those who are sliding downward. One thing about the slippery slope of moral relativity is that if you're not looking at the standard (Jesus), you won't even notice your movement (away from Him). Maybe that's why the statistics for divorce and for living together outside of marriage are as high within the Church as they are outside of the Church.
And how about "APOSTASY"? The Scriptures speak of a "falling away from the Faith" in the Last Days as people "gather about themselves speakers who tell them things they want to hear" (like the health and wealth prosperity gospel, or that homosexuality is acceptable), or believe the lies of false prophets who tell them that the world must be evangelized and the Church must be purified on Earth before Christ will return (Kingdom Now theology). People who indulge themselves in a frequent and healthy dose of Biblical prophecy would again be measuring their beliefs against the Truth itself and making sure that heresy has not invaded their beliefs and thereby degenerated their doctrine.
ASPECTS OF PROPHECY FROM THE WORD ITSELF:
IT IS IMPORTANT
Rev. 22: 10 And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
IT IS SACRED
Rev. 22: 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
IT IS CERTAIN
Mat.24: 35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
Isa. 55: 11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Isa 46: 9 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.
THAT YOU MIGHT BELIEVE
John 14: 27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
28 "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.
29 "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it comes to pass, you may believe".
TO KNOW CHRIST
John 7: 41 Others were saying, "This is the Christ." Still others were saying, "Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?
42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"
THEY KNEW CHRIST
Mat. 2: 2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him."
3 And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,
6 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER, WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"
THE ULTIMATE PROPHET
Heb 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Mat. 21:11 And the multitudes were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."
Mark 6:15 But others were saying, "He is Elijah." And others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."
Luke 13:33 "Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
JESUS IS THE SPIRIT OF:
Rev. 19: 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
IT CONTAINS WARNINGS
And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.
Mat 24:24 "For false Christ's and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
2 Pet. 1: 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
THAT YOU MAY EXPECT
I Tim:3:2 ...to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,
3 so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.
4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.
GOD SPEAKS... AND IT HAPPENS!
Ezek 12: 25 "For I the LORD shall speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days, O rebellious house, I shall speak the word and perform it," declares the Lord GOD.'"
THE VERY WORD OF GOD
2 Pet. 1: 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
EVERY WORD OF IT
1 Kings 8: 56 "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.
WILL BE FULFILLED
Mat. 5: 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.
IT IS A BLESSING
Rev. 1: 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
SOME PROPHETIC "TIMES" TO BE INFORMED ABOUT:
The End of the Age - Dan 12:13
The end of time - Dan 12:4
The end times - Dan 11:35; 12:9
The appointed time - Dan 11:27, 29, 35
The time of Jacob's Trouble - Jer. 30: 4-9
The Great Tribulation - Mat. 24: 20
The 70th week - Daniel. 9:26-27
SOME SPECIAL CHAPTERS FOR PERSONAL STUDY:
Some interesting and notable chapters of prophecy would include:
Gentile history from Babylon to the dispersion of the Jews - Dan. 2
Gentile history from the return of the Jews until the Tribulation - Dan 7
Alexander the Great - Dan 8
The Persian Gulf War - Isa. 11 to 21; Jer 43 to 51; Ezek 25 & 26
The Gog of Magog invasion of Israel - Ezek. 38
The New World Order - Gen 3: 15-16; Dan. 12:8-10; Ephes. 6:12; 2 Thes. 2:2-4,7-10; Rev. 3:10; 13:10; 16:14,16; 17:8,12,17
Perhaps the most profound statement is found above in Isaiah 46:9 where God explains to us how He PROVES to us that He exists:
"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'.
I'll print it again with caps for emphasis:
"For I am GOD, and there is no other; I am GOD, and there is no one like Me, DECLARING THE END FROM THE BEGINNING AND FROM ANCIENT TIMES THINGS WHICH HAVE NOT (YET) BEEN DONE, Saying, 'My purpose WILL be established, And I will accomplish ALL My good pleasure'.
If God be God (and He is), He will not obey OUR commands in order to prove Himself to satisfy our faithlessness. He is not a dog, that we can collar Him, nor a vending machine, that we can push His buttons. He is outside of Time and Space which He Himself created IN THE BEGINNING (He created Time itself).
Therefore GOD and GOD ALONE can foretell the end from the beginning and what He says will come to pass, EXACTLY as He says!
As He says, in Jeremiah 29:13,14a:
13 'And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
14 'And I will be found by you,' declares the LORD,
And He may be found by observing fulfilled prophecy, about his intervention in our affairs, and in the course of history foretold.
May GOD bless you in your adventure to search for Him and to find Him in His Word, and in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
Bob Ippolito - Asst. Editor - PropheZine
Founder and editor - The Watchman's Trumpet - http://pages.prodigy.net/hippolytus
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| Tremendous Prophetic Significance of the Olivet Discourse
| by Professor Johan Malan, University of the North, South Africa
|
The Lord Jesus made various cogent statements about the future of Israel and the nations in His Prophetic Discourse, also known as the Olivet Discourse. These facts are often disregarded in prophetic analyses, or misinterpreted because of a number of reasons. This important discourse will be considered within its appropriate dispensational framework, from which its great prophetic significance will be evident.
Different perspectives of the Gospels
As an introduction to this article, I would like to explain the reasons for the different presentations of the Olivet Discourse by Matthew and Luke (Mark's version of the Olivet Discourse is virtually the same as that of Matthew). Appreciation of these facts will hopefully keep one from only reading the version in Matthew and to wrongly contemplate the prophetic future of the Church in the typical Jewish scenario described by Matthew.
An intensive study of the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) reveals the fact that they have complementary theological perspectives. Although the basic message of salvation is described by all three of them, the Gospel of Matthew was written for the Jews. It has a decidedly Jewish orientation in which the preference that should be given to Israel in proclaiming the Gospel message is strongly emphasized. In the period before the official rejection of Jesus by the Jews, the disciples were ordered to concentrate on Israel and not to go to the Gentiles such as the Samaritans (cf. Mt. 10:5-6; 15:24). Quotations from the Old Testament predominate in Matthew to demonstrate to a skeptical nation that the life and works of Jesus in minute detail fulfil the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. A Jewish genealogy is quoted for Jesus, which starts from Abraham, and His descent from David is often mentioned. He is specifically described as the King of the Jews.
In the presentation of prophecies, including the Olivet Discourse, the Jewish perspective is maintained. The destruction of Jerusalem is clearly foretold, as well as the fact that Jesus would leave His people who rejected Him until the time when they will accept Him and bless Him in the Name of the Lord (Mt. 23:37-39). The hardships of the tribulation period and also the desecration of the temple are recorded by Matthew in chapter 24 since Israel, as a nation, will go through the tribulation period. In this Gospel, clear instructions are given to the Jews on how to flee from Judea in the middle of the coming tribulation, by making use of typical Jewish terms such as the Sabbath (Mt. 24:15-22).
A strikingly different perspective is offered by Luke in his Gospel. This Gospel was written for non-Jewish believers and has a much more universal orientation in that the position of the Christians as well as the unsaved Gentile nations is specifically described. The genealogy of Jesus is reckoned back to Adam (Lk. 3:38) as Jesus has come for all the descendants of Adam "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Lk. 19:10). The Jews are rebuked for their intolerance towards the Samaritans (Lk. 9:51-56), while it is also indicated that with the healing of the ten lepers only one, a Samaritan, turned back to glorify God (Lk. 17:11-19).
In his prophetic review Luke not only discusses the fate of the unbelieving Jewish people, but he also records prophecies for the Messianic believers, the non-Jewish Christians and the nations. The escape from the destruction of Jerusalem, which has been promised by Jesus to believers, is mentioned by Luke (Lk. 21:20-22) but not by Matthew. Likewise, the promise of the rapture to Jewish as well as non-Jewish believers is recorded by Luke (Lk. 21:34-36) but not by Matthew. On the other hand, Luke only summarizes the events of the tribulation period and does not refer to the desecration of the temple by the false messiah, as does Matthew. It is also conspicuous that Luke clearly indicated the times of the Gentiles that would expire between the first and last generations (Lk. 21:24). Mathew makes no mention of this period.
The Olivet Discourse
In the Olivet Discourse, the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples clear signs pointing to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, as well as signs related to His Second Coming:
Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Mt. 24:1-3).
Two questions were posed to the Lord: (1) "When will the temple be destroyed?" and (2) "What is the sign of your coming at the end of this age?" In the discourse following these questions, various important events of contemporary significance to the Jews of the first generation after the rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah were discussed, as well as events related to the last generation before the Second Coming of Jesus. In these prophecies, a clear distinction must be made between first generation and last generation events as they relate to the two questions asked to Jesus. It is also significant that the beginning and end of both generations are linked to events in and around the city of Jerusalem.
When referring to the immediate future of Jerusalem and its inhabitants of the early first century, Jesus addressed the skeptical Jewish leaders who rejected Him just as their fathers rejected and killed the prophets. They filled up the measure of their fathers' guilt and would inevitably have to bear the consequences of their actions:
"Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!'"
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near... For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Lk. 21:20, 23-24).
When Jesus refers to the last generation, it is done in the context of a restored Jerusalem which is in the midst of the great tribulation with its unprecedented distress, wars and natural disasters that will culminate in His Second Coming. This generation would start after the long period of the trampling of Jerusalem has come to and end:
"And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And [after that] there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift your heads, because your redemption draws near... Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things are fulfilled" (Lk. 21:25-32; see also Mt. 24:34).
The parameters of the first and last generations of the present age (the dispensation of the church) are clearly defined in the above quotations from Scripture. The first generation started when the inhabitants of Jerusalem rejected their Messiah-King and delivered Him to the Roman authorities to be crucified. The end of the first generation was marked by the destruction of Jerusalem and the beginning of the Diaspora.
The last generation commenced with the recapturing of Jerusalem (the Old City) by the restored people of Israel. Please note that with the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948, Biblical Jerusalem (Mount Zion and the Temple Mount) was not under their control. They only recaptured it during the Six Day War in June 1967, thereby ushering in the last generation. This generation will end when the inhabitants of Jerusalem receive and accept their Messiah-King when He will suddenly appears on the Mount of Olives at the end of the tribulation period. They will look on Him whom they have pierced, and say: "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Mt. 23:39).
The last generation will end where the first one started: The inhabitants of Jerusalem will again be given the opportunity to accept Yeti as their Messiah-King and to bow down before Him for salvation. On the first occasion they rejected Him, but on the second occasion they will fully accept Him.
A very conspicuous characteristic of the inaugurating and concluding generations of the Church dispensation is the coexistence of Israel and the Church. During the first generation the Church was gradually phased in while Israel was in a process of being phased out as a nation by way of the approaching Diaspora. During the last generation modern Israel is gradually phased in while the church must prepare itself to be phased out by way of the rapture.
Prominent events of the first generation
A matter that receives great emphasis in the Olivet Discourse is that the true believers would be excused from the divine judgements over Jerusalem in the first generation. The same Biblical principle is also applied to the last generation in that true believers will again be removed from the disaster area of divine judgements. This is a long-established principle, as God never pours out His divine wrath over believers when He judges the wicked. Noah, Lot, and their families were also removed to safety before God judged the wicked generation of their time.
The following promise was given to the believers of the first generation:
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are days of vengeance, that all things that are written may be fulfilled" (Lk. 21:20-22).
This promise was literally fulfilled to the believers in November and December of the year 66 AD. The occasion was the siege of Jerusalem by the forces of the Roman governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus. After realizing that he was not well enough prepared for a long siege of Jerusalem, which was a strongly fortified city, he withdrew to Syria.
The Jewish leaders wrongly concluded that God was giving the enemy into their hands, and pursued them. In their pursuit the Jewish forces killed 5300 of the retreating Roman soldiers, while sustaining virtually no loss themselves.
At the same time, the Messianic believers observed the promise of Jesus and fled the city in a north-easterly direction. They crossed the Jordan and took refuge in Decapolis, in the city of Pella, where they were safe from the impending doom of Jerusalem and its inhabitants.
At this time Nero, one of the greatest tyrants in history, was the emperor in Rome. He was outraged when he learned of the humiliating defeat of his Syrian army at the hands of the Jews. He ordered one of his best generals, Vespasian, to subject the Jews by brutal force. The end of Vespasian's bloody campaign was the siege of Jerusalem that started on 10 May, 70 AD. His son, Titus, joined him with his soldiers who were stationed at Alexandria. When Vespasian was called to Rome to succeed as the new emperor, Titus took command of the forces in Judea.
Contrary to what Jesus ordered in Luke 21:20-24, great numbers of Jews flocked to Jerusalem after various Jewish towns and cities were captured and destroyed by the enemy. They thought that they would be safe in Jerusalem, but Jesus described an opposite scenario:
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build and embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation" (Lk. 19:41-44).
During the siege of Jerusalem, 1,1 million people died - half of them of hunger. The temple was set alight and all its walls broken down to the rock foundation to retrieve the molten gold that flowed into the cracks in the floor. All the buildings in the city were burned and demolished. On 26 September in AD 70, the once famous City of David died. Only one wall (the present Western Wall on the Temple Mount) was left standing to serve as a shelter for Roman soldiers who remained behind to ensure that the Jews did not rebuild the city. The 97 000 surviving Jews were taken as captives of war. Many of them were sold on slave markets in other provinces of the Roman Empire.
The long time of Israel's international dispersion and the trampling of Jerusalem by the Gentiles had dawned in AD 70. The subsequent period is described as the times of the Gentiles (Lk. 21:24), that is the time of world evangelism. It was not until late in the 20th century that Jerusalem would revert to Jewish control.
Prominent events of the last generation
The physical restoration of Jerusalem to the Jewish people occurred in June 1967. Israel had to be established in the surrounding country for a number of years to become strong enough to capture the Old City and the West Bank area. That happened in the Six Day War, when they achieved remarkable victories on three different fronts - fighting Egypt, Syria and Jordan at the same time. The control over the entire Jerusalem ushered in the last generation and paved the way for the declaration, in August 1980, of Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of Israel.
There are striking similarities between Israel and Jerusalem in the last generation, and the situation that prevailed during the first generation:
By far the greatest majority of the Jews still reject Jesus as Messiah, as their counterparts did in the first generation.
The Messianic Jews constitute a small minority group who are threatened in various ways, should they continue to preach in the Name of Yeshua.
The nation waits for a Messiah who will liberate them from their enemies, ensures a peaceful future for Israel, and allows them to continue (or reinstate) the temple service. Jesus warned them against accepting a false Messiah (Jn. 5:43) who will pose as a religious and political leader and will arise from a desert area in the Middle East (Mt. 24:26).
The rejecting of Jesus in the first century led to the destroying of Jerusalem and the Diaspora of the Jews. The renewed rejection of Jesus by members of the last generation will give rise to the time of Jacob's trouble in the tribulation period (Jer. 30:7), during which the false messiah will severely persecute them.
An escape route was promised to first generation believers from the judgements of God (Lk. 21:20-21), while last generation believers are also promised an escape from the judgements of God in the tribulation period (Lk. 21:36).
The devil deceived Israel in the first generation to rebel against God by rejecting and killing His Son, and consequently to forfeit God's favour and be killed or exiled from their city and their land. The same spiritual blindness induces last generation Jews to also rebel against God by rejecting Jesus and His followers. They will come very close to be driven from their city and their land, and also to be annihilated (Zech. 14:2), when Jesus will come back to save the remnant and enter into a new covenant with them.
The phasing out of the Church is a very prominent event of the last generation. The judgements and testing that Israel as well as the Christ-rejecting nations need in order that a remnant may be saved, are not meant for the true Church:
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Lk. 21:36).
Please note that nominal believers will not be counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation period. True Christians are vigilant and praying witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. The others only have a form of Godliness. Jesus says:
"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Mt. 15:8).
After the rapture, the Antichrist will reveal himself and be accepted by Israel and all the other nations (Jn. 5:43; Dan. 9:27). At the middle of the tribulation period he will enter the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, stop the sacrificial service, declare himself to be God, and institute the forced worship of an image of himself (Dan. 9:27; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:15). When the Jewish leaders refuse to accept and worship him in his new capacity, he will try to annihilate them. Jesus warned the Jews against this very serious turn of events and advised them to flee hastily from Jerusalem when it happens:
"Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies in those days! 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" (Mt. 24:15-21).
This escape will occur 31/2 years after the rapture, and will be aimed at preserving a remnant of the Jews during the dark days of the great tribulation, that they may live to see the coming of the true Messiah 31/2 years later and be saved.
At the end of the seven-year tribulation period, the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus will take place. The surviving Jews will go to the Mount of Olives where He will stand on the mountain after having descended from heaven. "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east" (Zech. 14:4). They will then say to Him: "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Mt. 23:39).
The spiritual restoration of the remnant of Israel will conclude the events of the last generation of the present age (Zech. 12:10; 13:1).
In the light of these very clear prophecies in the Olivet Discourse of Jesus it should be obvious to everybody that the last generation is far advanced. The rapture of the church is very near, and will be followed by the revelation of the false messiah and the beginning of the tribulation period. Jesus warned against the deception that will coincide with the coming of the false messiah (Mt. 24:4-5).
Prophetic turning-points in the history of Israel and the Gentiles
In the Olivet Discourse it is clearly stated that during the Diaspora the position of Israel, their land and their city, Jerusalem, was never meant to be one of permanent rejection. The word until is used a few times to underscore the fact that at some future time their fate will certainly change and take a turn for the better. Likewise, the times of the Gentiles will also not continue indefinitely:
* "Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Lk. 21:24). In this verse the word until (Gr. achri) carries the idea of a terminus. The situation described will, therefore, not continue indefinitely but come to a certain end. From the evidence of recent history we know that the physical trampling of Jerusalem by Gentile nations was terminated in June 1967. On that date the last generation took effect. However, the present restoration of Jerusalem is only partial. Before the Messiah comes, the city is destined to become a furnace and a place of great distress to Israel for the spiritual purification of a remnant (Ezek. 22:18-22). As an indication of the nation's spiritual blindness, the trampling of the Temple Mount continues right through the last generation. This situation will partially be changed in the tribulation period (the 70th week of Daniel) when the third temple is built, and only permanently changed at the end of this generation when the Messiah comes back to completely restore Jerusalem. The entire city will be rebuilt after the disasters of the great tribulation (Jer. 31:38-40; Is. 2:2-3; 52:1-2; 60:1-18). Part of the final restoration of Jerusalem and the land of Israel will be the rebuilding of the fallen throne of David and the construction of the fourth temple (Acts 15:16-17; Ezek. 40-48). We all need to earnestly pray for the realization of this coming glory (Is. 62:6-7).
* "You shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Mt. 23:39). The word till (Gr. heos) may be rendered until, or even unto. It will be during His coming at the end of the present generation, which will also be the end of the tribulation period, that the remnant of Israel will see Jesus and bless Him in the name of the Lord. Jesus also linked His public appearance to the end of the coming tribulation period: "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 great power and great glory" (Mt. 24:29-30).
* "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till (Gr. heos) all these things are fulfilled" (Mt. 24:34; see also Lk. 21:32). The last generation of the present age will also reach its point of consummation, but not before very significant events have come to pass. These events include the present (partial) restoration of Israel and their capital, Jerusalem, and all the deception and disasters of the tribulation period.
Supporting prophecies
There are also other prophecies about the future of Israel and the nations in which the word until is used in the same way as in the Olivet Discourse. Paul said:
"For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until (Gr. achri) the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins'" (Rom. 11:25-27).
The national conversion of the remnant of Israel will occur right at the end of the present generation, which will also be the end of the great tribulation. By that time, the aftercrop among the Gentiles will have been gathered during the preceding tribulation period; then "all Israel" will be saved (Jer. 31:7, 31, 34).
Through the prophet Hosea, the Lord rebukes Israel for their spiritual revolt against Him and indicates the implications of their consequent rejection of the Messiah:
"For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place till (Heb. ad) they acknowledge their offence. Then
they will seek My face; in their affliction they will diligently seek Me."
"Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight" (Hos. 5:14 - 6:2).
The time will certainly come when Israel experiences great distress because they have rejected their Messiah during His first coming. However, the full realization of their national rejection of the Messiah will only take place after "two days". These prophetic "days" of a thousand years each (2 Pet. 3:8) are the same as those used by Jesus when He referred to His own ministry: "I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected" (Lk. 13:32). After the "two days" (2 000 years) of the ministry of Jesus to save people from the bondage of Satan, He will reign as King in the third millennium (also referred to as "the Day of the Lord" - Zech. 14:8-9). The first of these three "days" started with the coming of Jesus to the world, which was the beginning of the time of the Messiah.
From this prophetic context it is clear that two millennia after the first coming of the Messiah, a time of great affliction and distress will dawn for Jacob (Jer. 30:7). As indicated by Jesus in His Olivet Discourse, Israel will first worship the false messiah. After he will have set up his image in the temple and declared himself to be God (Mt. 24:15:21; Dan 9:27, 11:31, 36, 12:11), Israel will realize that he is a false messiah and break their covenant with him. This action will greatly infuriate the false messiah and induce him to try and annihilate the Jewish people. That will be the time of great distress, when Israel will realize their past sins of having rejected Yeshua ha Mashiach. Their meeting with Him at the Mount of Olives will lead to their national conversion (Zech. 12:10 - 13:1). After the false messiah has set up his image in the temple during the middle of the tribulation, the remnant of Israel will know that severe suffering is awaiting them. They will also, by studying prophecy, know how long it will be before the true Messiah will come:
"...there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered... And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1290 days" (Dan. 12:1, 11).
The last 42 months of the tribulation period, referred to as the "great tribulation" by Jesus (Mt. 24:21; Rev. 11:2, 13:5), will elapse between the self-deification of the false messiah in the temple and the coming of the true Messiah on the Mount of Olives. That will be followed by a month of mourning by the Jews while they are reconciled to Yeshua ha Mashiach (Zech. 12:10-14; cf. their mourning for Moses in Deut. 34:8). By then, 43 prophetic months of 30 days each (1290 days) will have passed since the day that the false messiah
desecrated the temple and forced people to worship him as God.
The meaning of a generation
A further concept that needs to be properly defined to gain a better understanding of the Olivet Discourse, is that of a generation (Gr. genea). This word has two related meanings as it may refer to a specific period in the existence of a group of people, or to the people themselves. In some cases Jesus used this word to indicate a group of people, for instance when He called the Scribes and Pharisees "an evil and adulterous generation" (Mt. 12:39). However, in other cases a specific period of time in a group is singled out for the occurrence of certain events. In that case only the members of that particular generation will be directly affected: "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled" (Mt. 24:34).
It is obvious that in the chronology of a group, such as the nation of Israel, there may be many generations. These generations come and go, and therefore all have a starting-point and a terminal point. The one generation is succeeded by another. Whereas a group of people may have a relatively continued existence, chronological generations are periods of limited duration.
Since the three living generations of a group (grandfather, father, and child) overlap, a single generation may be equated with the adult life of a person - not his entire life span. In the history of Israel, a generation in their chronology represents a period of about 40 years. This is not a rigidly defined period, as a generation may be a little more or a little less than 40 years. The 28 generations from David (born in 1052 BC) to Jesus (Mt. 1:17) represent an average of 38,75 years per generation.
There are three generations in the history of Israel that are of immense prophetic significance. They are associated with (1) the exodus and founding of the nation in their land; (2) their international dispersion; and (3) their end-time restoration. The Lord said the following about the generation (adult persons) of the people of Israel who were delivered from Egypt:
"Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... So the Lord's anger was aroused against Israel, en He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone" (Num. 32:11, 13).
It is obvious that not the entire nation, but only one specific generation, died in the wilderness during the 40 years of their wanderings.
The other two generations, associated with the Diaspora and end-time restoration of Israel, were both mentioned by Jesus in His prophetic discourse. The generation that elapsed between the rejection of Jesus as Messiah in AD 32 and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was 38,5 years long. The last generation started with the recapturing of Jerusalem in June 1967. Given the fact that the 7 years of the tribulation period are part of the last generation, the time of the rapture of the church must surely be very near.
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| THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM
| by Dr. Jack Van Impe
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"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain." Isaiah 66:22
Two Jerusalems
When we speak of "Jerusalem" in the study of Bible prophecy, we need to remember that we are referring to two Jerusalems: the city that exists in the Holy Land and the New Jerusalem which hovers over the earth. Same name; two entities. Now the Jerusalem "on earth" is the city captured by the Jews in 1967, an event prophesied in Luke 21:24 as one of the signs that Christ's return is at hand. On the other hand, there is another city hovering above the earthly city of Jerusalem called the holy city or the New Jerusalem. (see Revelation 21:10-11 and Revelation 22:5) This is the place-the suspended city over the "earthly Jerusalem" where God's Raptured people-those who returned with Christ-dwell (Jude 14). It is a city where the nations of them which are saved [on earth] shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there (Revelation 21:24-25)
Physical bodies on Earth and Glorified Bodies in the Holy City
So we observe two Jerusalems. The heavenly Jerusalem for those with new, translated bodies that are unable to sin, and the earthly Jerusalem where the inhabitants still have fleshly weaknesses because of possessing old Adamic natures that are able to sin. Let me expand this thought.
Remember that the next major event on God's prophetic clock is the Rapture, that moment when all believers heed the call to come up hither (Revelation 4:1). We know the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with the dead in the clouds to meet our Lord in the air. This will all happen in the twinkling of an eye (I Corinthians 15:51-52). As we sweep through the heavenlies to meet our Savior, we will be changed to be like him, for at that moment we will receive glorified bodies. David the Psalmist said, I will be satisfied when I awaken with thy likeness (Psalm 17:15). Paul adds in Philippians 3:21 that Christ will change our vile bodies so they might be fashioned like his own glorious body. That's why I John 3:2 states, When we see Jesus, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. What a glorious day that will be.
A Literal City
This spinning, heavenly city is for real, and at the appointed time, believers will become inhabitants of this sublime, celestial place. First, during the one thousand year reign of Christ as it hovers over the earth as announced in Revelation 21:9 - 22:15, then eternally as this heavenly palace descends to earth and becomes situated on terra firma as recorded in Revelation 21:1-8. The heavenly Jerusalem is the eternal habitation of our Lord God. It will also be the capital of the New Creation. It has built into its very foundations the glory and majesty of God (Revelation 21:11, 23; 22:5). Within its boundaries will be housed the great throne of the almighty. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: (Revelation 22:3) It will be a place of intimacy with God. He will see us and know us, for we shall see his face in this city of splendor that will be the place of God's rest for all time to come. Revelation 22:5b tells us...and they shall reign for ever and ever. This is after the thousand-year reign of Christ when our Lord is recommissioned to continue His reign on earth eternally (Revelation 11:15), and we are also allowed to continue with Him in ruling the world for all eternity.
Dwelling Place of the Bride; Destiny of the Church
Revelation 21:9, 10 says, And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. I hope you are becoming as excited as I am as we work through the intricacies of life in the New Jerusalem, especially when we realize that an angel reveals this city to be the location of the bride, the Lamb's wife. What a joyous announcement: the bride has come, be prepared to shout with joy at her entrance. And what else might we discover in this heavenly place? Hebrews 12:22-23 speak eloquently of the promise that the heavenly Jerusalem is the ultimate destiny of the church also called Christ's Bride. This truth is further affirmed in Revelation 3:12 where we read, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. New Jerusalem. New name. New people. New life. This is surely the place Jesus referred to in John 14:1-3, Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
My friend, has the significance of all this hit you yet? You, as a believer, will be an active, joyous participant in the activities of the heavenly Jerusalem, a city inhabited by the eternal God and by those who have been redeemed by the blood of the spotless, sinless Lamb.
Entrance to the New Jerusalem
How will we make our entrance through the city's portals? In only two ways: through the Rapture of the church, and by resurrection. Once the judgment seat of Christ and the Marriage of the Lamb have been accomplished, the bride of Christ makes the New Jerusalem her final, eternal home. However, since the resurrection of the redeemed of Israel occurs at the Second Coming of Christ, it is impossible for the "saved of Israel" to enter the holy city until after their resurrection (Daniel 12:2). The great prophecy scholar and teacher Dwight J. Pentecost writes, "Living Israel and living Gentiles on the earth at the second advent do not enter this city, but they enter the millennial reign of Christ. The same Old Testament saints, who are looking for the city with foundations, enter this city by resurrection. Thus all the redeemed of the ages who enter the city do so by resurrection. The city thus becomes the abode of all the resurrected saints, who enter it at the time of their resurrection."1 And what of this city's relationship to the millennial age? Again, Dr. Pentecost, "When the church has been joined in marriage to the Bridegroom and is installed in her prepared place she will never be moved out of it again. The church enters her eternal state at the rapture. When the Lord returns with His bride to reign, her dwelling place is not to be left unoccupied for a thousand years. Rather, the place of occupancy is transferred from heaven to a position over the earth. Thus John sees the 'great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.' This dwelling place remains in the air, to cast its light, which is the shining of the effulgence of the Son, onto the earth so that 'the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor unto it' (Rev. 21:24). At the second advent, the time of the descent of the city into the air over the earth, the church saints are joined by the Old Testament saints, who are resurrected and who take up residence at that time."
Life Without End in the New Jerusalem
I wish I could give you a detailed account of how life will be lived in this heavenly city, but unfortunately there is no such specific information within the pages of Scripture. We can only read with care the inspired words of God's manifesto to determine what lies behind the divine expression of life in the New Jerusalem. Although not privy to details, we can surmise the following.
Life with the Lamb in the New Jerusalem will be . . .
* A life of eternal service. Many believers on earth have, with God's help and in his strength, done their best to serve God and their fellow citizens during their span of days on Earth. However, in the New Jerusalem, it will be a service to God as never before as proclaimed in Revelation 22:3 which states: the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. We are those servants!
* A life of righteousness. There will be no evil, no sin, no gossip, no filth, and no iniquity of any kind because there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 21:27).
* A time of rest from our labor. Many of us grew up listening to the plaintive song, "Peace in the Valley." Well, in the New Jerusalem, it will be more than peace in the valley. It will be peace everywhere, and it will be a peace and repose that lasts forever. (Revelation 14:13).
* A life of Bounty and Abundance. The spirit of poverty, and the debilitating terror of want will be absent from life in the holy city and we will eternally enjoy the delicacies of life (Revelation 22:2).
* A life of glory and worship. We will finally be done with the troubles and heartaches experienced in today's world. While we once looked through a glass darkly, as earthlings, we now see our Savior face to face. Once we lived by faith; now we live by sight. Though it was a struggle on earth as we, God's people, experienced bodily affliction, discouragement, pain and distress, we persevered by faith because we knew that a new day was coming and that our suffering would be rewarded (James 1:12). This is confirmed by 2 Corinthians 4:17, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. What we have endured on earth is minimal compared to the weight of glory that we'll share in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords in that rapidly approaching and glorious day. And what about worship in the new, heavenly city? It will be a praise-a-thon such as none of us has ever known during our earthly sojourn. There will be nonstop services of adulation to the Lamb. That's the spectacular announcement of Revelation 7:9-12. I suggest that you read this text repeatedly until goose flesh begins to appear over your entire body. Read the words over and over again with joy, excitement, and anticipation, realizing, if one knows the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she will participate in this great, never-ending celestial celebration.
In the heavenly Jerusalem, we will have the party of our lives. However, our ultimate preoccupation will not just be our enjoyment of this great city and all it has to offer. Instead, the focus of our attention, the locus of our praise, and the center of our awareness will be the supreme glorification of our almighty Lord as we see His face (Revelation 22:4). In that day, we will give our undivided attention to the Lord of Glory, the One who loved us, gave himself for us, washed us in his blood and made us kings and priests unto God and his Father (Revelation 1:5-6). On that great day, we will take the music from Handel's Messiah and sing it as we never could vocalize it on earth, even if we were in the finest choir, chorale, or musical group ever assembled. We will lift our voices and lustily sing, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing (Revelation 5:12).
1 Dwight J. Pentecost, Things to Come, p. 577.
http://www.jvim.com/
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Bible Study
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Faith in the Night Seasons Are Night Seasons Part of God's Will?
by Nancy Missler
God's Basic Will
What is God's basic will for our lives as Christians?
If I asked you this question, what would your answer be? In this third article in our series, entitled Faith in the Night Seasons, I would like to explore the answer to this question, and also, how God implements it in our lives. I believe Romans 8:29 tells us that God's basic will for each of us, as Christians, is to be conformed into the image of His Son. Once this transformation begins to occur in our lives, we not only will experience God's abundant Life in our soul, but we'll also enjoy intimate fellowship with Him in our spirit.
In other words, we'll begin to "know" the fullness of Christ.
God wants us to know Him so intimately and so completely that we won't be moved away from Him when difficulties arise in our lives. As David said, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved [away]." (Acts 2:25)
Kingdom of God
If you have longed, as I have, for greater intimacy with the Lord and to see Him always before your face, the journey you must take is an inward one. As believers, we don't have to travel far to find the kingdom of God, because Luke 17:21 tells us that it lies "within" us. This is where God now makes His dwelling. "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:15)
Thus, in order to really experience intimacy with God and His moment-by-moment presence, we must learn to live in that inner chamber of our spirit where God now dwells. This is the place where God teaches us, guides us and communes with us, and also, the place where we worship, praise and love Him. In other words, it's only through our spirit that God's presence can be known.
Now, when I say "inward journey," I do not mean a "self-ward" journey, or detachment and flight from the world, but rather a process of sanctification by which we can meet with God in our spirit and experience His fullness. However, because this realm of the spirit operates outside the reach of our human understanding, those of us who want this deeper relationship with God will find the inward journey towards intimacy much different than any other spiritual path we have ever been on. And, because of our ignorance, our journey inward can often turn out to be a night of confusion and darkness.
We cannot approach God's presence logically or emotionally. There is no introspective technique we can use, no seminar we can attend, and no instruction manual we can study in order to reach this place of spiritual intimacy. We cannot see, hear, smell, taste or feel our way along this narrow path, thus the journey inward can sometimes be dark and confusing. We must learn to walk purely by "faith" and through the eyes of our spirit, not by our feelings or the eyes of our own understanding.
Most of us (even as mature Christians) still walk by the "flesh"-by our own feelings and through the eyes of our own natural understanding. This is why so many of us don't know God intimately and why we have such a "lukewarm" relationship with him. God, on the other hand, loves us too much to allow us to remain in this neutral or middle of the road state. He knows that the only way we will ever attain immovable intimacy with Him is by our learning to walk in naked faith-a faith that is not dependent upon sight, feelings or experience, but on Him alone. Thus, the classroom He uses to teach us this lesson is called the "dark night" or "night seasons."
What are "Night Seasons?"
Trials come to all Christians. They come because of personal sin, the sins of others, the schemes of the devil and the fallen state of the human race.
According to the Bible, a true "night season" is none of these! A true Biblical night season is a God-sent, Father-filtered period of time where He specifically strengthens our faith and teaches us to walk only by His Spirit, not by our flesh. It's a time where God lovingly removes all our natural and comfortable "support systems" (inside and out) in order to replace them with total and unshakable faith in Him.
It's a time where He leads us away from depending upon "self," to depending totally upon Him. It's a time where He allows circumstances into our lives that darken our understanding, that negate our feelings and that put to confusion all our own plans and purposes.
Listen to how Madame Guyon describes this period of time in her book Final Steps in Christian Maturity:
"There comes a time in the believer's life when the Lord withdraws the joy. He will seemingly withdraw the graces. At the same time, the Christian may also find himself in a period of persecution-persecution, no less, than that coming from Christians in religious authority. Further, he may find much difficulty in his home or private life. He may also be experiencing great difficulties with his health. Somewhere there will be a great deal of pain or other losses too numerous to mention.
"The believer may also be undergoing experiences which he feels are totally unique to himself. Other Christians, in whom he has put his trust, may forsake him and mistreat him. He may feel that he has been very unjustly treated. He will feel this toward men and he will feel it toward his God, for-in the midst of all this other pain and confusion-it will seem that God, too, has left him!
"Even more believers give up the journey when the Lord seems to have forsaken them in the spirit and left their spirit dead-while the world and all else is crashing in on them, friends forsaking them, and great suffering and pain abounding everywhere in their lives. But, the true land of promise always lies beyond a vast wasteland. Promise is found only on the far side of a desert.
"When you can go beyond that place and, not seeing your Lord, believe He is there by the eyes of faith alone; when you can walk further and further into Christ when there are no senses, no feelings, not even the slightest registration of the presence of God; when you can sit before Him when everything around you and within you seems to be either falling apart or dead; and when you can come before your Lord without question and without demand, serene in faith alone, and there, before Him, worship Him without distraction, without a great deal of consciousness of self and with no spiritual sense of Him, then will the test of commitment begin to be established. Then will begin the true journey of the Christian life."
Trusting God in the Darkness
Since most of us are unable to learn these lessons though our reason, our intellect or our emotions, God must teach us these things by darkening these areas of our soul and forcing us to rely totally upon our faith and the eyes of our spirit. Thus, the name The Dark Night.
Remember Isaiah 50:10, "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?" Notice something important here: this perso
n not only fears the Lord, but he also obeys His voice. In other words, there is no disobedience or sin involved, and yet, this person still walks in darkness.
Although it's hard for us to imagine that God, who is light, could ever dwell in darkness, the Bible tells us that at times God does dwell in the dark. This is His "secret place." (Psalm 18:11) In 1 Kings 8:12, it says, "The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness." And in Exodus 20:21, Moses approached "the thick darkness where God was." The Bible tells us that God not only "forms the light," but He also "creates the darkness." (Isaiah 45:7) Darkness and light are the same to Him.
This is simply saying that the "things of God" are far beyond the human eye and the human ear. They are "dark" to us, because they are beyond our human understanding. Thus, if we are to continue our inward journey towards intimacy with God and experience His fullness, we must choose to walk purely by faith in the darkness, clinging to the assurance that God has allowed whatever is happening in our life for a purpose and that His will is being accomplished. Being able to unconditionally trust God in the darkness is essential, because if we give in to doubting His Love and care at this time, we can easily lose our way.
(This is what almost happened to me, as I shared in last month's UPDATE.)
Many of us will struggle in this new realm of faith, just as a swimmer fights the powerful current that draws him into deeper water. The swimmer will drown unless he quiets his fear and calmly rests in the water. The believer, likewise, will drown in this dark time unless he learns to be still and to quiet his soul. God is simply using the darkness to accomplish His will: to form Christ in us so that we might enjoy not only His abundant Life, but also intimate fellowship.
Yet, many of us completely misunderstand this aspect of discipleship. And because we cannot grasp God's mysterious ways, we often distrust His motives. When God allows painful circumstances into our lives, we hastily assume that He is punishing us or that He has forsaken us, yet nothing could be further from the truth.
He is simply attempting to "free us" from our "soulish" limitations and lead us into the wider realm of His Spirit. But, because so many of us lack understanding of this spiritual discipline, we naturally assume the darkness has come forth from the enemy, and that it is intended for our destruction.
As Alan Redpath, the notable English writer, assures us, "The devil has nothing to do with (these dark times).
God has brought us to this experience. He wants [simply] to replace us with Himself." I love that! God uses these dark times to simply "replace us with Himself." This is the whole Christian life in a nutshell! This is God's will: to empty us of ourselves so He can simply replace us with Himself.
Personal Examples
Even though we all long to have the kind of intimacy that Jesus had with His Father, many of us have instead settled for a pale imitation of Christianity. We have become imprisoned by our "soulish" (and emotional) understanding of God. We declare that we are willing to pay the price for a deeper relationship with Him, yet we writhe in agony when He begins to rearrange our lives. Until we are willing to let our precious alabaster boxes be completely broken and Jesus' Life formed in us, we will never fully experience the intimacy, the fullness and the oneness with God that He desires.
As I travel around the country, speaking and sharing with other believers, I hear about so many devastating situations that God has allowed. I receive hundreds of letters and phone calls from Christians all over the country who are in night seasons. As these precious people attempt to sort through the wreckage of their broken dreams, hopes and plans, they feel weighted down by bitter disappointment, doubt and even a sense of abandonment.They feel much like Job when he uttered in pain and ignorance, "What have I done to Thee, O watcher of men? Why hast Thou set me as Thy target?" (7:20 nas) "Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps..." (Psalm 88:6)
The following are a few examples of the confusion and the desperation that these people are feeling. Are we somehow missing God? Are we hearing Him incorrectly? Are we jumping to conclusions, or are the "night seasons" that God allows into our lives truly part of His will towards us?
First of all, there is the story of a dear friend who had fallen in love with a beautiful young woman. This man had not only prayed consistently about the relationship, but he also had searched the Scriptures and sought counsel from other believers. When he was absolutely convinced the Lord was in it, he asked the young woman to marry him. She readily accepted, but the night before the wedding, she unexpectedly walked out on him. Our friend was totally devastated and, as a result, he went into a spiritual and emotional tailspin. Did this man somehow take a wrong turn, or was God's will at work in these painful circumstances?
Then, there was the situation of our friends who'd spent their life savings to buy a restaurant. It had been their lifelong dream to own a diner, and after praying and seeking the Lord, they felt sure He was prompting them to move ahead. However, a year and a half after putting everything they owned into that restaurant to make it succeed, it went bankrupt. Was God in this situation?
Next, there is the letter I received from a gentleman who told me about the lucrative job offer he'd accepted in another state. After the Lord confirmed the move in many ways, he and his wife confidently sold their home and took the kids out of school. After buying a new house and even relocating their in-laws, the "job of promise" suddenly fell through and this man was unable to find work for months. Again, did this man somehow miss God's voice?
Then, there is the incident of the devout Christian parents whose teenage son, afflicted with cerebral palsy from birth, was suffering with severe pain in his back. After several medical opinions and months of constant prayer, these parents felt God directing them towards a specific surgical procedure for their son. Instead of relieving the pain, however, this surgery only compounded the problem and even created physical complications that hadn't existed before. Thus, the parents were left emotionally "shell-shocked" by this unexpected turn of events. Did they somehow not hear God correctly?
And finally, there is the woman who prayed for and wanted, more than anything else in the world, to have children. She loved God with all her heart and yet, after the miscarriage of three babies, she was left devastated and feeling totally abandoned by Him. Listen, as she expresses her disappointment, "...when you have been a Christian for 15 years, where do you go? (Who do you turn to?) You know that everything else is false, intellectually and experientially, and yet the God you thought you knew was not who He turned out to be...After our heartfelt pleadings were met with stony silence and a closed door, I had to face the fact that God could, but was choosing not to, act."
Why It's So Important to Know God's Will
Are we somehow missing God? Was He in all of these tragedies? Would a loving Father really allow situations so devastating? Are these events truly part of God's will towards us?
Ten years ago, I would have said, "No way!" But, as I search the Scriptures for understanding, I find passages like Job 30:26, "When I looked for [or expected] good, then evil came unto me." And, Lamentations 3 says, "He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, [but] not into light...He hath broken my bones...He hath set me in dark places...He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out...He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone; He hath made my paths crooked." (verses 2, 4, 6-7, 9) And Isaiah 59:9-10, "...We wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as in the night..."
And finally, Job 19:8, "He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and He hath set darkness in my paths." (In the back of our book, Faith in the Night Seasons, we have listed over 200 such Scriptures.)
All of the people in the above personal examples were absolutely convinced that God had been involved in their decisions. They had prayed the whole way and felt assured that He had given them specific direction to step out in faith. Yet in the end, many of them were left with emotional (and often financial) heartbreak and chaos...
Are you also one of these people?
I cannot answer for all the people listed above, I can only answer for Chuck and me. But, I can say for us that all the devastating things that God allowed in our lives over the last seven years (as I shared in detail in last month's Personal UPDATE) have turned out, like Job said, to open our eyes and enable us to intimately see Him in ways we never had before. "[We] had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now [our] eyes seeth Thee." (Job 42:5)
"Seeing Jesus" means sensing His presence continually-knowing He is always there beside you, no matter what is going on in your life (Acts 2:25); it's constantly fellow-shipping, talking and communing with Him; it's hearing His still, small voice and even His correction when a thought or motive is not of Him; it's seeing Him lead and guide you and give you supernatural discernment in things you never would see on your own; it's experiencing continual worship and praise flowing from your inner being as never before; and, it's knowing, without a shadow of doubt, that He will never leave you or forsake you, no matter what you see, hear, think, feel or experience.
God loves each of us so much that He will do whatever is necessary in each of our lives to accomplish His will-to replace us with Himself, so we might experience this kind of unshakable intimacy. If we can understand what God is trying to accomplish in our lives and if we can "see" our circumstances as sent directly from Him in order to implement His will, then we can, at least, receive them as part of His plan, find the faith we need to get through them and remain at rest in them.
God is teaching us all to have "faith" like Job: "Though You slay me, yet will I trust You." (Job 13:15) He wants each of us to be able to say and mean (by faith, not feelings), "Though everything in my life is upside-down and I don't understand a thing You are doing, I still choose by faith to unconditionally abandon myself to You and trust You."
This is the kind of faith that overcomes the world and this is the kind of faith that brings with it a "peace that passes all understanding.
Chuck and Nancy Missler's Website is at http://www.Khouse.org
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POEMS, etc.
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God Whispers
Not long ago I heard a story about a young man and an old preacher. The young man had lost his job and didn't know which way to turn, s he went to see the old preacher. Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to say something to help me, preacher, why doesn't God answer?"
The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply, something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper.
So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair.
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more.
"God sometimes whispers," he said, "So we will move closer to hear him."
This time the young man heard and he understood. We all want God's voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God's is the still, small voice... the gentle whisper. Perhaps there's a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with his. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer. Better still I find myself closer to God.
