In the last lesson Part I: Kingdom Ministry Through The Church, I taught you that the defining event that consummates the redemptive story of Christ, is what the prophets called the ‘day of the Lord’. It’s the icing on the cake of all the prophets foretold.
It’s the Jewish view of redemptive history with the arrival of the Messiah inaugurating the ‘day of the Lord’, splitting time between this age and the age to come. It’s the primary message that ties together the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. It’s the cohesive message of God’s redemptive history spoken through the Old Testament prophets and understood through the apostles.
The prophets of old and the apostles both taught inheriting the kingdom of God, the restoration of Israel, a resurrection of the dead, a judgment of the nations and the glory of God filling the earth along with a final restoration of the heavens and the earth. The prophets saw the 'day of the Lord' as a future event. The apostles taught that ‘the day’ had already started, as a result of the Messiah suffering and entering into glory, ascending to the right hand of the Father. Peter started his first epistle saying, concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
As you are looking through the view of redemptive history, ‘the day of the Lord, gives you what I call double vision. What I mean is that the prophets saw the high points, but did not understand the valley and space of time between these two events.
The prophets saw them as one event. On one mountain, you have the first coming of Christ as the suffering servant and on the other mountain, you have the second coming of Christ as the ruling king. It’s why the Pharisees had such a hard time reconciling these two aspects of the Messiah in one man. It was the apostles, who accurately interpreted what the prophets had declared, concerning the ‘day of the Lord’. The one thing that the teachers of Israel failed to understand was that the Messiah first had to suffer as the 'Lamb of God' before He could deliver them from their enemies as the ruling king.
The Pharisees knew the scriptures, but could not see the truth. The Pharisees didn’t have the spiritual insight to understand their times.
As I’ve previously said, prophecy can be complex and it’s many times like an onion that you peel off in layers. Interpreting prophecy is not easy, just go read the book of Revelation. Tread lightly because when you think you have it figured out, you might find yourself on the wrong side, just like many of the Pharisees did.
Prophecy is many times an enigma and it’s meant to be. It’s mysterious, puzzling and many times difficult to understand.
It’s intended to be that way, so you have to walk by faith. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse12, that now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. You have to be careful with prophecy because it’s in God's hand and he brings it to pass. His ways are not our ways therefore, humility of heart is a necessity to truly understand. The Pharisees misinterpreted the prophets because they failed to see that ‘the day of the Lord’ would be inaugurated by the Suffering Servant. What the Pharisees could not understand was that Jesus, as the final fulfillment of the seed of the woman, did deliver Israel and the world as foretold by the prophets. They just could not reconcile the fact that he first had to be the sacrificial lamb before he could be the ruling king.
The period of overlap between an already ‘day of the Lord’ and a future ‘day of the Lord’ is what Paul called ‘the mystery’ that was hidden.
In Christ’s first coming, the ‘day of the Lord’ has intruded in this present age and the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, initiating the new creation within the heart of man. Nevertheless, we are still waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, when our bodies will become like His resurrection body.
In the middle of these two events, we have the present heavenly reign of Christ through His body upon the earth, the church. It’s ‘the mystery’ that we spoke about in Lesson 33: Stewardship. In Section II of this discipleship course, we did a comprehensive look at the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews is the main book in the New Testament that clearly shows the transition from the Old Covenant established through Moses, to the New Covenant established, through the broken body and blood of Christ.
Now the book of Ephesians is the epistle that really shows us a view of the ‘mystery of the church’, its purpose and function in this age. Let me remind you of some of the things I mentioned concerning the mystery because it has everything to do with the church and the present age we are living in. The word translated mystery doesn’t mean mystery as we think of something mysterious, mystical, strange or weird. It means something previously unrevealed. A secret and something kept hidden until the appointed time by God. It’s what the prophets could not see, in between the two mountain tops of Christ first coming and Christ second coming.
The prophets could see the first mountain of the Messiah suffering and the second mountain of the glorified victorious Messiah, but they could not see the in between which is the ‘mystery of the church’.
Paul used the term mystery to describe the gospel that had been revealed to him. The mystery is that through Christ's death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, He has dealt with sin once and for all through the cross. Subsequently through the outpouring of His Spirit, the God who created all things, by the power of his word, has now taken up residence in those who identify with the blood, water and Spirit. It’s not just a cliche, but we are literally the body of Christ, the new temple, the place where God dwells in the earth, connecting us to the heavenly Christ, our head, our high priest and our coming king.
Paul teaches this same message to the church in Ephesus. He tells them in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 2 thru 10 that assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs. Fellow heirs with whom? Fellow heirs with the natural sons of Abraham, the children of Israel. Gentiles whom the Jews consider dogs have been brought into the family of God through Christ. Jew and Gentile have been reconciled through the cross and made members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
The mystery is Christ in us. It’s what I’ve been teaching you about in this school of discipleship concerning the cruciform life.
You’ve heard me teach Galatians 2:20 over and over which says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The cruciform life is to be no longer us living, but us living our lives by faith working through love. It’s this message that revolutionizes our lives to live from the inside out. The mystery is that you can’t do it, but God did it for us. All we have to do is surrender, die and let the resurrection power of Christ live in us. It’s the message of the cross which includes Christ's death, burial, resurrection, ascension and outpouring of his Spirit upon us, but it also includes His return to this earth.
Now let’s look at the words of Christ because he is the first one who uses the word church in God’s redemptive story. Matthew chapter 16 verse 13 thru 18 in the Message Translation says: when Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, What are people saying about who the Son of Man is? They replied, some think he is John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. He pressed them and how about you? Who do you say I am? Simon Peter said, you’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Jesus replied back, God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church. The rock is not Peter, but what was revealed to Peter by the Spirit, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus said, you didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.
The church is built upon those who truly have a personal encounter with the living Christ who changes them from the inside out.
He will build a community of living stones that is so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. The word used for church in the original Greek language is ekklesia and it literally means ‘called out ones’. The double-k in the word gives it a two-fold meaning, which is called out of the world and called unto God. The church then, is a group of people who have been called out of spiritual darkness through the gospel of the kingdom and brought into fellowship with the King of the kingdom. The church is a group of people who have come under the present reign of Christ’s rule through spiritual rebirth. The church is not the kingdom, but it is the vehicle of the kingdom on the earth today. Jesus chose an interesting word to denote the type of organization his body would be and how it would function.
The ekklesia was first developed as a ruling assembly of citizens in the Grecian democracy to govern its city-states. The Greek and Roman versions of the ekklesia appeared in different forms and sizes, the assemblies were not a one size fits all. In like manner, there are no cookie cutters when it comes to establishing the ekklesia that Jesus is building. We will be looking at certain practices and guidelines the apostles established, but when it comes to planting and expanding the church, we have been given a lot of flexibility.
The ekklesia or a ruling assembly of citizens could be as small as two or three gathered anywhere in the world. That’s an interesting point in reference to what I taught you in the last lesson concerning the kingdom of God. It only took 2 or 3 citizens for the ekklesia to be considered a local expression of Rome. Even though geography separated the ekklesia from the capital of the empire and the emperor, their coming together as fellow citizens automatically brought the power and presence of the Roman ruling authority into their midst. This was indeed the Roman ekklesia in a microcosm. In like manner, the kingdom of God created the church and works through the church in the world.
The ekklesia is made up of followers of Christ who have received the life of the kingdom and are dedicated to the task of using the keys of the kingdom, under the authority of Christ, to unlock those who are bound by Satan.
I want to share with you the last words that Jesus spoke before He ascended to the right hand of the Father, to begin His heavenly rule. Jesus said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
In this present evil age, in which Satan is the god, we are called to take the authority of Christ and through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, to enter the very gates of hell to set the captives free.
Jesus instructed the disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom. When he sent out the Twelve, he said, ‘As you go, preach this message ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’. The Seventy-two were sent out with similar instructions. In acts chapter 8 verse 12 we see that Philip went to Samaria preaching ‘good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ’. Then in Acts chapter 28 Paul went to Rome and preached first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles, the kingdom of God. The teaching of the kingdom is also found in the writings of Peter, James, John and the writer of Hebrews. As the ekklesia or as I like to call it the community of the faithful, goes forth preaching the ‘good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ’ with the power of the Holy Spirit, people will be delivered from the oppression of the devil and enter into eternal life.
Entering the kingdom is simple, yet very demanding. The basic demand of the kingdom is a response to man’s will. Men must receive it. They must yield to it. God’s kingdom does not ask us to find in ourselves the righteousness that it demands, God will give us the righteousness of His kingdom. God’s kingdom does not ask us to create the life that it requires, God’s kingdom will give us that life. God’s kingdom does not set up a standard and say, when you achieve this standard of righteousness, you may enter the kingdom.
God’s kingdom makes one demand: Repent! Turn! Decide! The demand of the kingdom is not only repentance, but it’s also a life of discipleship.
If you will look through the gospels and then the book of Acts, you will see that those who make up the ekklesia or as I like to call it the community of the faithful are called disciples. It says in Matthew chapter 11 that from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of God is forcibly entered and violent men seize it for themselves. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
The prophets predicted the ‘day of the Lord’. John said, that day in the redemptive story of God’s plan, has arrived.
The message of salvation is life and death, but you have to decide to make that choice. You must lay aside your life, take up the cross and forcibly grab hold of eternal life. Jesus said you must take up your cross and follow him. It’s not a one time action, but a continuous walk of faith to fulfill the purpose of God for your life.
It’s a perplexing thing in the scriptures that Jesus speaks so little about the church. The apostles give pretty much no specific instructions on how to plant, expand or even when, where or how we are to meet together. I believe the silence is to give us liberty and creativity to flow with the Spirit’s design for the times we are living in. It’s the image of the wine skin that Jesus used in the expansion of the kingdom, which must have flexibility so it can flow with the new wine of the Spirit.
I do believe the apostles gave us some common practices for the community of the faithful.
The ekklesia is a community of disciples joined together to fulfill the Great Commission empowered by the Spirit of God. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 that, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them and some would say that two or three constitute the church. I would agree that it’s a microcosm of the ekklesia in the same way that when 2 or 3 Roman citizens gathered it represented the authority of Rome. However, the ekklesia is mainly about a community so you need to have a mindset of cooperation with others in the community of faithful.
The goal of this school of discipleship is first of all, to help you grow up into Christ, but secondly the goal is to expand the kingdom of God through church planting.
In defining church planting, you will find I’m not going to give you a pattern. I’m not going to give you a plan. I’m not going to tell you how to do it or what it should look like. You have house churches, marketplace churches, networks of churches, churches that meet in large buildings and many different forms of gatherings. However, no matter the size or location we still have common practices for the community.
Leadership is important as I said in Lesson 34: Relationships. Leadership is essential to fulfill mission. Leadership is about supporting and undergirding the members of the body, so that they can fulfill the mission of the church. When we receive the spiritual kingdom into our hearts, we become a part of the body of Christ. In Matthew chapter 18 before Jesus said where two or three are gathered, I am in your midst he talked about accountability in a community. In Matthew chapter 18 verse 15 thru 17 Jesus talks about dealing with conflict.
You know what’s going to happen when you get a community together? You’re going to have conflict and part of the reason for leadership is to help with conflict resolution.
Jesus said if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen, then tell it to the community of the faithful.
As Jesus is talking about the ekklesia He definitely shows us that the community of the faithful must have some type of accountability structure to effectively deal with conflict resolution. Paul talks about this same subject in many of his epistles. Jesus and Paul both give leadership of the ekklesia the authority to allow individuals in and out of the community. This authority has nothing to do with salvation, but with the unity, safety and protection of the community.
It takes mature leadership to handle conflict resolution in a godly manner because long suffering, love and mercy is the method.
I see four main practices for the New Testament church. Number one is teaching the pure doctrine of the word, which includes discipleship and equipping believers to do the work of the ministry. Number two is the practice of water baptism which is a public demonstration and a sign or witness that you are a member of the body of Christ. Number three is the partaking of the body and blood of Christ on a regular basis among the community of the faithful which is essentially fellowship. Number four is having some type of leadership structure which is accountability.
Leadership is for the unity, safety, protection and guidance of the community, so that the mission of the gospel is fulfilled. It’s pretty simple and it’s what the apostle’s did in establishing the community of the faithful wherever they went.
In Acts 2:42 it says the disciples devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 21 tells us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Leaders are not separate from the body, but just another part of the one body of Christ. Leadership is like the rudder on the ship that guides and directs the ship. Though it is only a small part of the ship it’s essential to have so, you stay on course. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 7 says remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Leaders are mature facilitators and Peter along with Paul called them elders.
When Jesus commissioned His disciples in Matthew 28, He said, “I am with you always even to the end of the age”. Since the day of Pentecost Jesus has been working through His church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has been reigning from the throne of David in heaven at the right hand of God for the last 2,000 years. He has been extending His rule through His ekklesia by disciples in all generations. This has been a spiritual rule over the hearts of men. Let’s now take a look at what is going to happen at the end of the age.
History is barreling towards the consummation of the ‘day of the Lord’. It’s the second mountain that we talked about. It will happen when the Son of Man comes in His glory. It will be an outward rule in the affairs of men bringing Christ kingly rule to the nations, through the city of the king, Jerusalem. At this point I am sure some of you are wondering, when is the rapture of the church? The rapture of the church is a greatly debated topic. I view the rapture of the church, happening simultaneously with the second coming of Christ, so that would make me a believer in the post-tribulation view.
I see the scriptures teaching that the final requirement for entering the kingdom of God, consummating the ‘day of the Lord’, will be the gift of a brand-new body.
It will be a resurrection body, uncontaminated by our sinful past, unlimited in its expression of the spirit within, unaffected by disease, decay or death. This will be the third stage of the kingdom when we will receive a new body at the last trumpet, heralding the second coming of Christ. The Bible says: that we know, that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is and that’s in I John chapter 3 verse 2.
In I Corinthians chapter 15 verse 50 thru 52 in speaking about resurrection from the dead, Paul says to the Corinthians, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Our new bodies will be ‘like His glorious body’. Paul, said in Romans chapter 8 verses 18 thru 23 that: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
I am going to attempt to answer a few questions that I believe are important concerning the end of the age. What role does the nation of Israel play? What are the signs of the end of this age? What about the millennial reign of Christ? Books have been written on each of these subjects. Theologians are still debating these topics and probably will be until the second coming of Christ. I’m going to give you my views on these topics and how they relate to the second coming of Christ which is the consummation of the 'day of the Lord'.
At the end of this school, I am going to do a lesson on the four main views used to interpret the book of Revelation. The school of thought that I most align with is what’s called, the futurist premillennial view along with a post-tribulation view concerning the return of Christ. In a nutshell it’s a belief that the church will be on the earth during the 7 years of tribulation, spoken of in Daniel and the book of Revelation. Then Jesus returns to this earth and rules from the nation of Israel, inaugurating his millennial reign through the church, in what Peter called, the restoration of all things.
Let me first address the role of the nation of Israel in the last days? If you are one who studies history, then you will quickly discover that it’s only by God’s hand that the Jewish people have survived over the centuries. If you study the Bible, you will discover that it’s because God made a covenant with Abraham and his children. The Bible is history, but it’s telling us the story of God’s redemptive history in time. It’s God’s love story to humanity showing us His redemptive hand through the Hebrew people his chosen vehicle to redeem a fallen humanity bringing us back to Himself.
A lot of controversies and confusion surround the Jewish land and its people.
People have hidden prejudices and misunderstanding because the ‘god of this age’ has muddied the waters on the Jewish people’s purpose since it’s part of God's plan for this earth. The enemy has purposely created a lot of extreme views and sidetracks around the Jewish people. Paul opened the book of Romans showing Christ as David’s successor. Romans chapter 1 verse 2 thru 4 says that the Messiah was promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness: by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The book of Revelation shows Jesus returning to this earth as the ruling king and successor of king David ruling from his throne in Jerusalem.
The book of Acts opens up with Jesus about to ascend to the Father. Acts chapter 1 verses 6 thru 11 says that when the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, it’s not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes and said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
Two things I want to focus upon. Number one is restoring the kingdom to Israel and number two that Jesus, who was taken up into heaven will come in the same way. Romans chapter 11 shows the place of Israel and the Jewish people at the end of the age. The consummation of the ‘day of the Lord’ is when Christ returns and restores the kingdom to Israel. This will take us into the millennial reign of Christ where he rules upon this earth from the city of Jerusalem.
Listen to what Paul says in regard to Israel and its restoration at the end of this age.
Paul warned the Gentile believers in Romans chapter 11 verse 25 to not be wise in their own significance. Paul said, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery. Again, Paul is using the word mystery and then he says a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. It’s important that we understand a time is coming, at the end of this age, when the redemptive story that we are living through will focus on the chosen nation of Israel and its people to fulfill God’s prophetic promises to them. Paul called this 'a mystery' and it’s part of the gospel because it’s tied to the second coming of Christ to this earth, the summing up of God’s redemptive story in time.
His return will be to the Mount of Olives outside the city of Jerusalem, the same place from which he left the earth.
In Matthew chapter 24 while Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, he made a series of predictions concerning the ‘day of the Lord’. He spoke of things that were about to happen and things that were far off in the future. Earlier I said, prophecy is like an onion, that you peel off in layers.
In Matthew chapter 24 verse 1 thru 2 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. In 70 AD some 40 years later the city of Jerusalem was overthrown and the temple was completely destroyed by the Roman armies. The Jews were scattered and the nation of Israel ceased to exist. Jesus’s prediction was fulfilled and it was a day of judgment upon the nation of Israel.
The preterist interpretation of these events saw this as a fulfillment of the ‘day the Lord’. The Latin word for preterist means past and it’s a view that sees the book of Revelation as having already been fulfilled except for the Second Coming of Christ, Final Judgment, Resurrection of the dead along with the New Heavens and New Earth. I do not agree with their view, but I do see the events of 70 AD as a peeling back of the layer of the onion when it comes to prophetic events.
The judgment upon Israel in 70 AD and the end of the age when God comes to judge the nations have quite a lot in common.
The events of 70 AD when judgment came upon the city of Jerusalem foreshadows the events of the end of the age when Christ comes to judge the nations. It was a dramatic event that broke the cord between Mosaic law and the sect called the Way. The church was no longer tied to the physical nation of Israel and its Temple. What started out as a mustard seed in Israel grew into a great tree that eventually filled the nations.
In 313 AD the Roman Emperor Constantine granted Christianity legal status. It was basically the end of the Roman Empire and the birth of the Holy Roman Empire when the church replaced the Roman Empire. We refer to these days as the Dark Ages because institutionalized Christianity controlled much of the world through the force of religion.
The Protestant Reformation set the redemptive story on a whole new trajectory.
The Protestant Reformation officially kicked off with Martin Luther in 1542. The vast majority of the Reformers were what's come to be called historicist, in their view of the book of Revelation. It’s a view that sees the seven seals and the Four Horsemen representing the decline of the Roman Empire, the 144,000 represent the spread of Christianity, the locust invasion is the rise of Islam and Babylon is the Roman Catholic Church with the beast being the Pope. There are a lot of problems with this view and method of interpretation, but it had a lot of relevance to the Reformers times. Again, I see this as another layer of the onion when it comes to prophetic events.
The next great event along the redemptive story was the realigning of the nations through WWI and WWII. Hitler was definitely an antichrist and his attempt to annihilate the Jewish race spurred one of the most Biblical events since 70 AD and that’s the restoration of the nation of Israel in 1948. Again, I see this as another layer of the onion when it comes to prophetic events because what Hitler did, foreshadows the events of the final Antichrist.
The ekklesia began in Jerusalem, but it has largely been made up of Gentiles throughout the nations over the last 2,000 years.
Jesus commissioned his disciples to take the ‘mystery of the gospel' and spread it throughout the nations. The expansion of the gospel has been happening at an accelerated pace over the last 70 years since the ending of WWII. The ending of WWII realigned the nations and much like the Roman Empire.
God has used the American Empire as a springboard to spread the mystery of the gospel to the four corners of the earth.
I want you to listen to the words of Paul in the book of Romans. Romans chapter 11 verses 11 thru 16 Paul starts by asking a question? Did Israel stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean, but life from the dead?
It seems that Paul is tying together the deliverance and salvation of the nation of Israel, to the resurrection of the dead.
Paul is showing us that both events happen, at the end of the age in concurrence with the second coming of Christ and the consummation of the ‘day of the Lord’. Then later in this chapter verse 25 Paul says don’t be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
In saying this, I see the Jewish people and nation of Israel as being an essential part of the end of the age. Jesus is going to come back just as he left and at that time, he will restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus will reign upon this earth as the ruling king when he returns.
The next great event on the calendar of the redemptive story will be the second coming of Christ consummating the ‘day of the Lord’ and wrapping up this age.
The cross was a fatal blow to the power of the devil, but the final victory is not yet complete. There are now two kingdoms on earth - of God and Satan, good and evil, light and darkness. They are both growing side by side. The kingdoms will not continue together. Jesus said that the wheat and tares will be separated at the time of harvest, which is the end of the age. The wheat are the sons of the kingdom and the tares are the sons of the evil one.
In Matthew chapter 24 where Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, he then proceeded in response to a question from the apostles about the end of the age. Jesus gave us a list of signs that would proceed to the end of this present age and His return to this earth.
The first sign is disasters in the world. Jesus specifically mentions three disasters which are wars, earthquakes and famines. The list is not exhaustive. You will see that many others are mentioned in the book of Revelation—for example, polluted rivers and oceans, outsized hailstones. The ‘four horsemen of the apocalypse’ cover expanding wars and the bloodshed that follows along with famine, disease and death.
Wars and rumors of wars have been happening since the day of Jesus' prediction, but the 20th and 21st centuries has seen an increased death toll worldwide as a result of war. WWI it’s estimated that 17 million people died and that’s not even including the millions that died from the Spanish flu in that same time period.
In WWII there were 80 million dead. You had 6 million Jews annihilated not to mention the communist revolutions in Russia and China where their populations were decimated by the millions through starvation, execution and slave camps. There have been over forty international conflicts since World War II alone and at the moment of this recording the nation of Ukraine is being destroyed through war. In addition to war, America has had major civil disturbances like the riots of Black Lives Matter and the January 6th assault on the United States capital in Washington D.C.
The number of earthquakes has been doubling in number every ten years. Famine has been widespread in Africa and even looking like a possibility in other parts of the world. How long can this continue and how much worse can it get? We don’t know, but Jesus called these signs just the beginning of birth pangs.
It’s the birth pangs of a new age and just like natural birth, it’s going to be bloody and painful. Just like a woman in labor we will continue to see these events grow closer together in frequency, but these events are just the first major sign of the end of the age.
The second sign is that the followers of Jesus will be hated by all nations, which will bring a corresponding increase in martyrdom. There are approximately one hundred and ninety-five political ‘nations’ in the world today. Christians are under pressure in all, but about thirty and that number shrinks annually. The main audience I am speaking to is an American audience and we need to prepare the ekklesia in America to understand the sacrifice of following Christ.
It’s what Jesus and Paul taught us which is a focus on the message of the cross. It’s why the main theme of teaching in this school of discipleship has been about being crucified with Christ because the message of the cross is about sacrifice.
The first three chapters of Revelation provide a curriculum for such schooling indeed, the whole book is designed as a manual for martyrdom and covers every crisis likely to be encountered by the community of the faithful. Pressures will quickly reveal the difference between genuine and nominal Christians. You know people who just go to church and are religious will give up when the pressure hits because they do not have their identity in Christ. Jesus predicted that many will turn away from the faith, betraying Christ and those who truly follow Him. However, at the same time a church purified under pressure becomes a church that expands exponentially.
We will see two things happening at the same time during the end of the age. Jesus talked about a great falling away from the faith. Paul called it apostasy and the rebellion. In 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 thru 2 Paul prophesied that in the latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared. At the same time the ekklesia will advance into the gates of hell rescuing a great harvest of souls. We will see the greatest harvest of souls come into the kingdom of God during this time.
Peter in speaking about the ‘day of the Lord’ says, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. It’s the Fathers desire for all to be brought into the freedom of the sons of God.
Jesus said that the wheat and tares will be separated at the time of harvest, which is the end of the age.
The expansion of the ekklesia under persecution and great pressure is confirmed throughout history. Now if you look at the expansion of the gospel in China today it serves as an example of expansion under tremendous persecution from a technocratic totalitarian government. At the end of the age with the rise of Artificial Intelligence the entire world will experience a technocratic totalitarian government.
The third sign is a dictator in the Middle East. World events are accelerating at phenomenal pace. One thing is for certain in today’s world and that is constant change. As I said, China seems to be setting the example of the end time technocratic authoritarianism model that the final world ruler will implement. John in his epistles calls this final world leader the Antichrist. Paul talks about the man of lawlessness, who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped and even sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Again, the book of Revelation gives us the most information, particularly in chapter 13. Here he is described as a beast and his religious colleague and co-conspirator as the false prophet. Together they set up a totalitarian regime in the Middle East which only those who submit to this authority, by being branded with their mark, are allowed to buy and sell.
It does seem that the authority of this tyranny will be universal rather than just local, the ‘distress’ upon the nations will be unprecedented. Nothing like it will have been experienced before or will be experienced after.
John in Revelation chapter 7 verse 24 calls it the ‘great tribulation’ and Jesus here in Matthew 24 said there will be ‘great tribulation', such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now and never will be. It will be the greatest pressure his followers have ever known, terribly fierce, but it will also be mercifully brief.
In this lesson it’s not my goal to give a detailed interpretation of Revelation, but to show you the summing up of all things consummating the ‘day of the Lord’ at the second coming of Christ. The final sign of the consummation of the ‘day of the Lord’ will be unmistakable. All natural sources of light will be extinguished, leaving the whole sky as black as ink. Whatever the time of day, it will be the darkest night. Sun, moon and stars will be shaken out of their orbits, no longer able to shine upon planet Earth.
The Hebrew prophets foretold this cosmic event which would proceed the coming of the ruling Messianic king. Peter quoted the prophet Joel when he said the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the 'day of the Lord' comes, the great and magnificent day. Jesus said, immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The sky has already reflected key events in the life of Christ. The brilliant star at his birth and the eclipsed sun at his death are foreshadowing of the cosmic event that will be displayed at Christ's return to the Mount of Olives. In a theater, when the house lights are turned off it’s a signal that the drama is about to begin. The excited audience knows it will not have to wait long before the curtain goes up on a brightly illuminated stage and the main actor enters. So, it will be on ‘that day’.
We see that Paul taught this in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 when he said: the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the 'day of the Lord' will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape.
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
Paul is using similar language as Christ used in his parable of the virgins, parable of the talents, parable about the absent master, parable of the homeowner and the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants. These five parables all reference how we should be expectantly waiting for Christ's return and faithfully carrying out his desires during this age.
Believers will not know the exact hour or day, but we will know the season of Christ's return, however the unbeliever will be taken by surprise.
Christ's second coming will be a time of great shaking of the earth and the heavens themselves. His return will also bring a consuming fire that will purify the believer. A fire that will transform the heavens along with the earth while consuming his enemies at the same time. The church age which inaugurated the 'day of the Lord' was opened with tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost and the church age will be closed with fire consuming the earth.
The Gospels introduce John the Baptist warning the people of Israel about the wrath to come, with the unrepentant being thrown into the fire and the Messiah coming to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Jesus likewise warns the crowds concerning the day when every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. And later he declares, just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Peter likewise proclaims, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly that’s in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 7.
Paul adds, each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. Indeed, this age will end when Jesus appears in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God. The unrepentant have only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Now what about the millennial reign of Christ?
It’s only mentioned in Revelations chapter 20 verse 2 where we see what will happen to Satan, when the King of kings returns to set up His kingdom on the earth, ruling from the city of Jerusalem, upon king David’s throne. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years...I saw thrones and they sat upon them...and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. It is here where we see two events, Satan being bound and Christ reigning with His saints for a thousand years upon the earth.
Out of all the conflict and chaos that happens at the end of the age, the return of Christ to the earth is going to herald in an age of restored justice, peace and the glory of God covering the earth bringing about the restoration of all things.
It will be a time when the earth will be covered with the knowledge of the Lord. No longer will we struggle against death. No longer will pride and oppression prevail. No longer will anxiety, fear and shame blanket our existence. Out of Jerusalem from the throne of the lamb will flow the river of the water of life and everything will be restored wherever the river goes. It will be paradise restored for the tree of life will bring the healing of the nations. The creation itself will breathe life since it will be released from the curse of sin and death.
The Spirit and glory of God flowing from the heavens will cover the earth and the reuniting of man and God will be complete.
I want to end this reminding you of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse12. He said that now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known. You have to be careful with prophecy because it’s in God's hand and he brings it to pass. I do find it interesting that some of Jesus' last parting words were to tell us not to get caught up in trying to figure everything out. I will be quite honest and tell you I do not understand everything. I don’t know exactly how everything is going to happen nor what it’s actually going to look or be like. I do know it’s going to be glorious, but I’m not going to assume and speculate going beyond what scripture clearly teaches.
Jesus said the fulfillment of the prophetic promises is fixed by the Father’s authority. I’m what you would call a panologist. What is a panologist? Well, it means things are going to pan out as God decides. We don’t have to have it all figured out, we just need to finish the mission. Jesus said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. I am going to focus on the main thing and I encourage you to do the same thing, which is living the cruciform life, centered on Christ, preaching the mystery of the gospel where both Jew and Gentile have been redeemed through the same eternal covenant.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 38: The Demand Of The Kingdom
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