The prophet Daniel was an old man by the time Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Belshazzar, inherited the throne of Babylon. None the less, in Belshazzar’s first year as king, Daniel had a vision concerning the gentile nations destined to rule over Israel. He saw a lion, a bear, and a leopard which represented the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire and the Greek Empire, respectively.

Dan 7:4-6
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. (KJV)

Then Daniel saw a fourth beast which symbolized the Roman Empire.

Dan 7:7
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. (KJV)

The ten horns are like the 10 toes of Daniel chapter 2 in that they represent the 10 nations of the tribulation period who will make an alliance with the antichrist. The vision of Daniel 7, however, included an additional horn which specifically indicates the rise of the antichrist.

Dan 7:8
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (KJV)

Daniel ask for an explanation and was told:

Dan 7:24-25
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (KJV)

The antichrist will express his wrath toward God and those who are faithful to God for 3½ years. But then the Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven to destroy the empire of the antichrist and establish the New Covenant Kingdom through the nation of Israel.

Dan 7:13-14
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (KJV)

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Paul wrote to Titus with instructions for the Church which is the Body of Christ. In Chapter 2 he said:

Titus 2:11-15
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. (NKJ)

Paul was reminding Titus that the hope of Abraham had passed away and that the grace of God has now appeared to all men. No longer were believers to look for the heavenly city of God to come down to the earth (Heb 11:16), but believers were to rejoice in the hope of their calling, namely, the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus Christ. Paul taught the believers at Colosse that:

Col 3:4
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (NKJ)

Paul explained to Titus that all believers today share this same hope, but Paul knew that this message had to be taught with zeal for it was a new message. The program for the Church had been kept as a secret in the heart and mind of God since before the creation itself. Therefore, Paul told Titus to “speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority.” Paul told the Ephesians about this great hope and was very concerned that they understand the importance of the message.

Eph 1:15-18
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (NKJ)

Paul had just revealed this hope in very poetic terms as the redemption of Christ’s purchased possession.

Eph 1:13-14
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (NKJ)

According to Ephesians 1:7, we have redemption through His blood already, but we are waiting for our new bodies which we will receive at the rapture of the Church.

Phil 3:20-21
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (NKJ)

The Church which is the Body of Christ is the purchased possession which is now waiting for its final redemption. In the mean time, we live on this earth learning how to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, all to the praise of the glory of His grace.

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In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus spoke with his disciples of the end of the age. He said:

Matt 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (KJV)

The disciples may have thought the Lord Jesus was referring to the end of the world because they thought a new heaven and new earth would follow the coming of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13, Isaiah 65:17). However, God revealed to Paul that our present age of the Church which is the Body of Christ will have to run its full course before the appearance of the new heaven and new earth, and God revealed to the Apostle John that Christ will reign on this earth for 1000 years before the new heaven and new earth.

With these things in mind, it would appear that when Christ spoke of the end, He was actually referring to the end of Gentile dominion over Israel. This will coincide with the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation period.

God had promised Israel a worldwide kingdom. However, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the prophet Daniel to Babylon. There in captivity, Daniel had the opportunity to interpret a dream for Nebuchadnezzar which opened his eyes to the future.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the king saw a great statue with a head of gold, with breast and arms of silver, with belly and thighs of brass, with legs of iron and with feet of part iron and part clay. The dream included a great stone which struck the feet of the statue and caused the entire statue to crumble.

The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented the gentile nations which would rule over Israel from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of Israel’s promised kingdom. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he, as the king of Babylon, was the head of gold. History reveals that the arms of silver represented the empires of the Medes and the Persians while the belly and thighs of brass symbolized the Greek Empire headed by Alexander the Great. The feet of iron and clay stood for the Roman Empire, and the toes represented nations of the tribulation period.

Although Daniel chapter 2 does not mention the antichrist, his later prophecies and the prophecies of the Revelation confirm that the 10 toes represent the 10 nations of the tribulation period which will conspire with the antichrist to rule the world. Jesus Christ, the stone made without hands, will deal the final blow to Gentile dominion when He destroys the antichrist and his evil empire.

Dan 2:44-45
44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold-- the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." (NKJ)

Today, we live in the age of the dispensation of the grace of God in which God is calling out believers as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Paul said to Titus that being a member of the Church is a special calling.

Titus 2:14
14 (Christ) gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (NKJ)

The calling of the Church is separate and apart from God's calling for Israel. It began with the setting aside of Israel's program, and it will end with the rapture of the Church. After the rapture of the Church, God will once again call unto Himself the believing remnant of Israel as the antichrist rules the world in the final manifestation of gentile dominion over the earth.

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During the tribulation period the antichrist will rise to power through great deception. He will make a treaty with the Jews, but after 3½ years, he will break that treaty. He will turn on the Jews with all of the fury of Satan’s power. Paul warned the Thessalonian believers about the antichrist.

II Th 2:3-4
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (NKJ)

Paul said that, during the tribulation period, there will be a great falling away in which the religious world will be given strong delusion and will be deceived by the antichrist.

II Th 2:8-12
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (NKJ)

However, Paul told Timothy that there will be a Satanic plot to corrupt doctrine within the Christian churches even during our present age.

1 Tim 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, (NKJ)

I once heard a minister say that anyone who criticizes Christian churches has attacked Jesus Christ because the churches are the Body of Christ. In light of what Paul told Timothy, it would appear that we should be particularly critical of the earthly Christian churches. The earthly Christian churches have a long history of deception and tyranny. Are we to think that the earthly Christian churches of our time are immune to the demonic influences of the past? No. Paul says that those influences will increase in the latter times.

It would behoove each believer to question every doctrine taught in the Christian churches to see that the word of God is faithfully taught. As the Apostle Paul went preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, he found resistance in every city, but he praised those in Berea because they searched the scriptures to see if the things he taught were true.

Acts 17:10-11
10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (NKJ)

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The 70th week of Daniel is often called the tribulation period, and because each week in Daniel’s prophecy represents 7 years, we say that the tribulation period will last 7 years. However, Daniel never referred to the 70th week as the tribulation period. He simply said that in the middle of the week the antichrist would break his treaty with the Jews, destroy Jerusalem and prohibit the offering of sacrifices in the temple.

We refer to the 70th week of Daniel as the tribulation period because of the Lord’s description of the 70th week in Matthew 24. In that description, He referred to the time when the antichrist will prohibit the offering of sacrifices and called it the abomination of desolation.

Matt 24:15-16
15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),
16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (NKJ)

The book of the Revelation concentrates more on the last 3½ years of the 70th week of Daniel, and the Lord, Himself, indicates that the greatest tribulation will occur after the abomination of desolation.

Matt 24:21
21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (NKJ)

Daniel said the antichrist will rise to power through a promise of peace and prosperity.

Dan 8:23-25
23 "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people.
25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. (NIV)

Though the antichrist preaches peace and prosperity, his promises will all be lies. In the middle of this 7 year period, he will turn on his subjects and will try to destroy all who do not worship him.

Rev 13:5-8
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (KJV)

The antichrist will consolidate his power on earth to such an extent that no human power will be able to oppose him. He will rule unopposed until Jesus Christ returns with the clouds of heaven, followed by his army of immortal saints. When Christ returns at the end of the tribulation period, He will destroy the antichrist and cast him into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

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A little more than 2500 years ago, a man named Nebuchadnezzar ruled the Babylonian Empire, which was then the greatest empire in the world. He ruled from the city of Babylon which was about 30 miles south of present day Baghdad, Iraq. The prophet, Daniel, had been captured in Jerusalem and taken to Babylon, but Daniel was aware of Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the return of the Jews to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity (Daniel 9:2, Jer 25:11). Daniel must have also known about Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Israel's New Covenant Kingdom (Jer 31:31) because he asked God when that kingdom would come. In Daniel 9:24 the answer came.

Dan 9:24-27
24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
25 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." (NKJ)

It would be 70 weeks from the Jews' return to Jerusalem to the New Covenant Kingdom. Daniel also found out that it would be a total of 69 weeks before the Messiah would come and be killed. After 69 weeks and the "cutting off" of the Messiah, a dark prince would come who would destroy Jerusalem and the temple. This evil prince would make a treaty with the Jews for one week and rule until the consummation or until the kingdom was established.

Did Daniel know how long each week would be? We do not know. But from the time Cyrus the Persian made the decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem until Jesus Christ was killed was 483 years. This would make 69 weeks with each week being 7 years. Following the same time scale, the evil prince (the antichrist) was to make a treaty with the Jews for 7 years before the New Covenant Kingdom was established.

This 7 year period is known as the 70th Week of Daniel, and, based on Matthew 24, it is also called the tribulation period. Daniel 9:27 is the only scriptural reference to indicate that the tribulation period will last 7 years. As John wrote about the tribulation period in the book of the Revelation, he never mentioned this seven year period, but in three different ways, he referred to a 3 and 1/2 year period of tribulation. He referred to "time, times and a half time" (Rev 12:14). He referred to 42 months (Rev 11:2, Rev 13:5). And he referred to 1260 days (Rev 11:3, Rev 12:6 - The Jewish calendar had 360 days per year). Daniel said the antichrist would break his treaty with the Jews in the middle of the 70th week, and it seems that the Apostle John's prophecies in the Revelation concentrate more on those last 3 and 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week.

As one reads Daniel's prophecy, it is clear that the 70th week is set apart from the other 69 weeks, but there is no indication of a break in time between the 69th and the 70th week. It has now been nearly 2000 years since Jesus Christ was killed and neither the antichrist nor the kingdom has appeared.

It is obvious that Daniel did not see the age in which we now live. Our present age is a parenthetical age with a unique program which God did not reveal to the Old Testament prophets. This program was revealed to the Apostle Paul as a special stewardship concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Col 1:24-26
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. (NKJ)

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The disciples may have thought the world was about to come to an end as they asked the Lord Jesus about the end of the age in Matthew 24.

Matt 24:3
3 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?" (NKJ)

One has to wonder why the disciples would ask about the Lord's coming when the Lord was already there. It seems apparent they understood that the coming of the Son of Man was going to be a grand and glorious event which was yet to come. The Lord had told them in Matthew 10:

Matt 10:23
23 "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (NKJ)

The disciples may have known that Daniel said the Son of Man would come with the clouds of heaven to establish the kingdom.

Dan 7:13-14
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. (NKJ)

The Lord used similar terms as He described the coming of the Son of Man in Matthew 24.

Matt 24:29-30
29 "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.
30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (NKJ)

Questions about the glorious coming of the Son of Man may have served to increase the mystery concerning the Lord's announcement that He was going to be killed and raised again. The mystery surrounding these questions may have added to their sense of sorrow as they learned of His eminent death.

Matt 17:22-23
22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,
23 "and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. (NKJ)

We know now that it was His death, burial, resurrection and ascension that will bring to fruition the coming of the Son of Man.

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Shortly before the Lord Jesus was crucified, the disciples ask Him the question recorded in Matthew 24:3.

Matt 24:3
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (KJV)

The word translated world is aion which means age. The disciples knew that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and that with the kingdom would come a new heaven and a new earth.

Isa 65:17
17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (KJV)

The Apostle John revealed in Revelation 20 that the Lord Jesus will rule the present earth for one thousand years before the new heaven and new earth is established.

Rev 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (NKJ)

Since John did not reveal this information until 30 years after Christ’s death, the disciples would not have been aware of it. Neither did the disciples know about the age of our present dispensation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul said that the dispensation of the Church was revealed to him but had been kept secret even from the prophets of other ages.

Col 1:24-26
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. (NKJ)

Therefore, as the disciples asked about the end of the age, they may have thought that the world as they knew it was about to come to an end.

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In our present age, when a person accepts, by faith, that Christ died for their sins, a spiritual union takes place between that person and Jesus Christ. At that moment of faith, the believer is spiritually united with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph 2:6) as a member the Church which is the Body of Christ.

God’s earthly program, on the other hand, has always been administered by the nation of Israel, and Israel has always been required to perform certain earthly rituals in their worship. Circumcision was given through Abraham in Gen 17, and the Passover was given through Moses in Exodus 12. As the children of Israel prepared to eat the first Passover and leave the land of Egypt, God instructed them that no uncircumcised male could partake of the Passover.

Three months after leaving Egypt, the nation of Israel came to the foot of Mt. Sinai. There Moses received the Old Covenant Law, and both the practice of circumcision and the Passover became required observances of the law. Ten months after they arrived at Mt. Sinai, they partook of the second Passover feast, and one month later, the nation of Israel left for the promised land.

The Lord led them to the border of the land of Canaan, and there at Kadesh Barnea the nation of Israel refused to enter the land. Their lack of faith brought the judgement of God, and they were sentenced to wander in the wilderness for forty years. After forty years, they came back to the land of Canaan, crossed the Jordan River and, by faith, entered the promised land.

While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they did not practice circumcision.

Josh 5:5
5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised (KJV)

After forty years in the wilderness, the nation of Israel entered the promised land, and there on the plains of Jericho, the men were circumcised. Only then could they partake of the Passover, which they did immediately after being circumcised.

Josh 5:10
10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. (KJV)

Obviously, Israel’s Old Covenant Kingdom was set aside as she wandered in the wilderness, and the rituals, which were designed for kingdom worship, were not observed.

John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus and the disciples went to Israel preaching that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. After the Lord’s death, Paul revealed that this kingdom was to be none other than the New Covenant Kingdom promised by the prophets. As God offered the New Covenant Kingdom, the Jews witnessed many miracles as they continued their observance of the Old Covenant rituals and water baptism. This time Israel was on the border of an even greater promised land, but, again, they refused to enter because of their unbelief.

When Israel’s kingdom program was set aside, God began to reveal, through the Apostle Paul, His heavenly Church and its associated program or dispensation. The Church of our present dispensation has no association with any earthly kingdom and, therefore, has no earthly rituals of worship.
.
Col 2:10-12
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (NKJ)

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The antichrist of the tribulation period and his false prophet will support a powerful Satanic religion. The false prophet will do great miracles to deceive the people, but murder will be in his heart.

Rev 13:13-15
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (NKJ)

He will make every person worship the image of the antichrist and receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead to buy or sell. The false prophet and the antichrist will be cast into the lake of fire when Christ returns to establish the New Covenant Kingdom.

Rev 19:20
20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. (NKJ)

The religion of the antichrist and false prophet will be a blood thirsty religion which is centered in the city of Babylon.

Rev 17:3-6
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (NKJ)

It is interesting that the 10 nations who align themselves with the antichrist will hate his religion.

Rev 17:16-18
16 "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
17 "For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
18 "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." (NKJ)

Apparently, their loyalty to the antichrist will be based solely upon political convenience.

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In today’s message, I want to compare the Lord’s description of the end times in Matthew 24 with Paul’s thoughts concerning the last days in II Timothy 3. In Matthew 24, the Lord is clearly describing the tribulation period. He said that believers of that time should be looking for the abomination of desolation.

Matt 24:15-16
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: (KJV)

Daniel taught that the “vile person”, the antichrist, will make a treaty with Israel during the 7 year period that immediately precedes the kingdom. He also taught that in the middle of that 7 year period, the antichrist will break that treaty, capture the Jerusalem temple and prevent the daily sacrifices from being offered. The temple will, therefore, become desolate, and that will be an abomination to the Lord. In Matthew 24, the Lord said that this period of time would include the greatest tribulation the world has ever or will ever see. Therefore, this period of time is commonly called the tribulation period.

However, in 2 Tim 3:1-5, Paul speaks of the last days but does not include any mention of the antichrist, the abomination of desolation, or the extreme tribulation that the Lord Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24..

2 Tim 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (KJV)

In this passage, Paul was actually speaking of the last days of the Church age. This is clear evidence that the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ is separate and apart from God’s program for Israel and that the Church age will end before God resumes His dealings with Israel in the tribulation period.

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The Lord told Martha that He, Himself, is the resurrection and the life. He said that those who believe and then die, shall live again, while those who are alive at the time of the resurrection will never die.

The Lord Jesus said, and Paul confirmed, that there will be a resurrection and rapture of believers toward the end of the tribulation period just before the Lord comes to rule the earth.

Paul also taught that there will be a catching up of believers toward the end of our present dispensation, when Christ shall appear in the glory of heaven, and believers will in an instant appear with Him in glory.

In each case, those caught up and those resurrected will be given an immortal body, a glorious body like that of the Lord Jesus. But what happens to the believer between the time of death and the resurrection? Paul talked about that in his epistle to the believers at Corinth.

2 Cor 5:1-8
1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (KJV)

He said that if we die and this body returns to dust, God has prepared for us a new, eternal body. Since the resurrection of Christ, the spirits of believers who die go directly into the presence of God, but those spirits go without a body. Paul essentially said he would much rather go to be with God in the rapture because then he could go into heaven with a body (being clothed upon). However, Paul said that he was more than willing for his spirit to go to heaven without a body if that was God’s will, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Later, Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi and seemed much more at home with the idea of entering glory without a body.

Phil 1:21-24
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. (NKJ)

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That day when Christ returns to defeat the antichrist and rule the earth is often called the “Day of the Lord”. In II Thessalonians 2, the Apostle Paul instructed the believers that the antichrist has to be revealed before the Day of the Lord can occur. As he spoke of the rule of the antichrist, he said that something is holding the antichrist back until God’s appointed time.

II Th 2:6-8
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. (NKJ)

The devil resists any authority other than his own, and it would appear that Paul was saying it is the power of civil laws that restrain the lawlessness of the devil. The terrorism, pestilence and disease of the early years of the tribulation period will make people more than willing to give up the liberties that are guaranteed by law in exchange for the security that is offered by a leader who promises to eliminate their suffering.

Some have suggested that the restraining force of verse 7 is the Church which is the Body of Christ. However, this epistle was written about 52 A.D., and Paul did not reveal the institution of the Church which is the Body of Christ until about 62 A.D. The first hint of the Body of Christ was in I Corinthians 12 which was written about 57 A.D. With this point in mind, Paul said in verse 6 of II Thess 2 that whatever was restraining the devil was something they already knew about. Therefore, Paul could not have been talking about the Church.

Is it possible that Paul was referring to the catching up of the believers of the tribulation period? That is not likely because that rapture will occur at the sound of the last trumpet which is described in Revelation 11 and will occur at the end of the antichrist’s reign of terror. The believers of the tribulation period can not be taken out of the way before the antichrist is revealed because they will be the primary target of his wrath. However, they will be protected from his wrath because God has not appointed them unto wrath (I Thessalonians 5: 9).

It has also been suggested that the force to be removed is the Holy Spirit. However, we know that the Holy Spirit will be very active in the lives of the believers of the tribulation period, especially during the intense persecution they will experience at the hands of the antichrist.

Therefore, it seems most reasonable that Paul was saying that it is the power of civil law that will be taken out of the way before the antichrist is revealed. Other noted scholars agree. In their Bible commentary, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown quote Olshausen who said:

. . . the power that has restrained the man of sin from his full and final
development, is the moral and conservative influence of political states.

They also quote Alford who said:

. . . He who (now restrains) refers to those who rule those (political states) by which
the great upbursting of godlessness is kept down.

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During the tribulation period, there will be a great religious apostasy which will allow a religion from the depths of hell to rise to power while the protections of human government are obliterated. These things do not apply directly to those of us in this dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Before the tribulation period begins, our dispensation will end with the appearing of the Lord in heaven and the catching up of those who believe.

However, there is every reason for us to be on guard for many of the same dangers that will exist during the tribulation period. Paul wrote to Timothy about the last days of the Church age and said,

2 Tim 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (KJV)

Obviously, the evil of the last days of the Church will not be as extreme as the evil of the tribulation period, but things will be moving in that direction.

Paul wrote Timothy about the seducing spirits of the latter times of the Church age.

1 Tim 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (KJV)

Again, this is but a foreshadowing of what will happen in the tribulation period when God will send “strong delusion” upon the people (II Thess 2:11).

To combat this evil in our dispensation, we are to study God’s word, rightly divided.

2 Tim 2:15
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

We are to preach God’s word.

2 Tim 4:2
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (KJV)

We are to turn away from all that is not consistent with the truth of God’s word.

2 Tim 3:5
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (KJV)

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Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians were among his first epistles. During the time he wrote these letters, he was preaching the gospel of the New Covenant Kingdom to the Jews, while he was preaching the gospel of the grace of God to the Gentiles. Paul knew from Daniel’s prophecies that there would be a period of great tribulation before the kingdom was established. He assurred the Thessalonian believers that their tribulation did not escape the notice of God, for Jesus Christ would return to earth with great vengeance on those who were causing their suffering.

II Th 1:5-8
5 (Your persecution and tribulation are) a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (KJV)

However, Paul instructed these believers that the antichrist would have to be revealed before Christ’s return.

II Th 2:3-4
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (NKJ)

Paul indicated that the antichrist would rise to power during a time of great religious apostasy which he called “the falling away”. In the book of the Revelation, the Apostle John described the murderous religion of the antichrist.

Rev 17:5-6
5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (NKJ)

Paul said that, during the tribulation period, the forces which restrain this murderous religion will be taken out of the way, and the antichrist will be revealed.

II Th 2:7-8
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. (NKJ)

The devil has such great opportunity within the realm of religion because he can hide his sinister deeds behind a veil of piety and self-righteous works. From an historical perspective, human government has often protected God’s people from religious tyranny. Martin Luther was protected by a German chancellor while the Catholic Church sought to kill him for preaching the grace of God. The Constitution of the United States was written to ensure, among other things, that no injustice such as the Salem witch trials would ever again take place in our country. It is likely that society’s commitment to the rule of law is what will hinder the devil in the early years of the tribulation period.

Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians while he was in a Roman prison after Israel’s promise of the New Covenant Kingdom was set aside. In these epistles there is no discussion of the antichrist or the return of the Lord to the earth to punish the ungodly and exalt the righteous. Our present dispensation will end with the rapture of believers, and then God will once again offer the New Covenant Kingdom to Israel. When that happens, the scenario of the tribulation period will become very real to the believers of that time.

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Not long before the Lord Jesus was crucified, His friend, Lazarus, died. Jesus went to Bethany to comfort Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, and as the Lord arrived, Martha went out to greet Him. They had the following conversation:

John 11:21-26
21 Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (NKJ)

It is interesting that Martha was aware of the fact that the Old Testament scriptures teach that there is life after death. I have heard secular scholars say that the Old Testament says nothing about life after death. Although the resurrection of the dead is rarely talked about in the Old Testament, the fact of the resurrection is certainly taught. One of the most famous resurrection verses is found in one of Job’s discourses.

Job 19:25-27
25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him with my own eyes-- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (NIV)

As you may recall, the subject of the resurrection was one of the hotly debated topics of Jesus’ day. The Sadducees said there would be no resurrection, while the Pharisees believed in the resurrection. Apparently, the Pharisees were more conservative and interpreted the scriptures more literally. Clearly, Martha had been given the benefit of exposure to a literal interpretation of the scriptures.

However, Martha is a good example to us all that we should never become complacent in our understanding of the scriptures in that, regardless of our understanding of the scriptures, we always have a lot to learn. In John 11, the Lord Jesus shared with Martha something that would not become general knowledge for another 20 years or so.

In verse 25, the Lord confirmed the resurrection of the dead, but in verse 26, He taught that there would be some believers who would never die. About twenty years later, the Apostle Paul taught the church at Corinth about the catching up of believers who would never die.

1 Cor 15:51-52
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (NKJ)

The Apostle Paul hoped that he would be among those who would never die. All believers since the resurrection of Christ have been able to rejoice in the fact that they may be one of those who never taste of death.

Phil 3:20-21
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (NKJ)

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Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians just before he was killed. They are among those epistles known as the prison epistles because Paul wrote them from his prison house. In all of scripture, the Church which is the Body of Christ was spoken of only in these letters. It is also true that only in these letters did he speak of the event known as the appearing of the Lord. Paul said that, at the time of the Lord’s appearing, the Church will be caught up to be with Christ in heaven. In Colossians, he wrote:

Col 3:4
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (KJV)

In the books that Paul wrote before he was imprisoned at Rome, he never spoke of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and he never spoke of the appearing of the Lord. In these pre-prison epistles, he spoke of a catching up of believers which will occur at the time of Christ’s second coming to the earth. In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus made it perfectly clear that His second coming will take place at the end of the tribulation period.

Matt 24:29-31
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (KJV)

In his pre-prison epistles, Paul spoke several times of this event.

1Thes 4:15-17
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (NKJ)

Matthew 24 and I Thessalonians 4 both refer to the trumpet sound which will occur at the second coming of the Lord, but in I Corinthians 15, Paul says this event will occur at the sound of the last trump.

1 Cor 15:52
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (KJV)

The events of the last trump are recorded in Rev. 11.

Rev 11:15 and 18
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." . . .
18 The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth." (NIV)

After Christ takes the Church which is the Body of Christ to heaven, many people will put their faith in Jesus Christ as great tribulation shakes the foundations of the earth. At the sound of the seventh trumpet, all of the believing Jews and Gentiles will be caught up to meet Christ in the air as He descends from heaven to rule the earth. At that time, all Israel will be saved, as Paul had prophesied in Romans 11: 26. The nation of Israel will at last receive her inheritance as she rules with Christ in a world-wide kingdom of righteousness.

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Sometimes it is not enough to follow the culture of your religion. Jonah is a great example of a man caught between the corrupt Jewish culture of the Old Covenant Kingdom and the call of God. God told Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Besides his own personal prejudice against Gentiles, he, being a prophet, may have known that the Assyrian Empire would in a couple of hundred years destroy the nation of Israel. And almost certainly Jonah had heard that the King of Assyria was just beginning his military conquest of the Middle East. In Jonah’s eyes and the eyes of his fellow countrymen, preaching to Nineveh could have been seen as an act of treason. Jonah thought he would rather die.

He bought a ticket to board a ship headed for Spain, the end of the known world. Jonah was thrown overboard and ended up in the belly of a fish. After God miraculously saved Jonah from the belly of the fish, Jonah finally agreed to preach to Nineveh. After the city repented, Jonah went to the east side of the city even though Israel was to the west. Maybe Jonah did not want to go home. What if his fellow citizens heard about his ministry to Nineveh? Maybe he thought he would not be the most popular prophet in Israel.

The first lesson for us is that we must be careful about putting our patriotism above the Word of God. Jonah’s fellow countrymen would have considered him a hero if he had been willing to die rather than save Nineveh. But Jonah was willing, after some not-so-gentle persuasion from God, to be a hero for the cause of Christ. Not only did he bring the entire city of Nineveh to its knees before God, but his experience in the belly of the fish became the greatest picture in all of the Bible of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees of His day:

Matt 12:39-41
39 . . . “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. (NKJ)

The second lesson for us is that we must be careful about valuing our religion above the word of God. The people of Nineveh were not just saved from physical destruction, but they were saved for all of eternity. We know they were saved in a spiritual since because Jesus said they will one day rise up in judgement against the Jews who rejected the Lord Jesus. It is also true that the people of Nineveh will rise up in judgement against the Jews of Jonah’s day, because the Jews of Jonah’s day and the Jews of Jesus’ day were victims of their own religion. Their religion made the false assumption that God hated other people as much as they did. If they had known God’s Word, they would have known about God’s love for the Gentile nations. They would have known that God intended for the nation of Israel to be a testimony to the nations concerning God’s love and grace.

The Jews of Jonah’s day were destroyed by the Assyrians, and the Jews of Jesus’ day were destroyed by the Romans, but there is a greater judgement that is yet to come. It is a judgement which will bring eternal separation from God to those who refuse to believe what God has said in His word.

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Abraham believed what God told him, and God counted Abraham as righteous. Paul said that God has always dealt with mankind upon this very basis.

Rom 4:5
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (KJV)

Much of the hatred we see in our world today is caused by the different religions of the world. Many times Muslims in Muslim communities simply follow the customs taught by their Muslim leaders. Many Hindus just follow the teachings of their Hindu leaders. Many Christians base their lives on the doctrine of the Christian traditions. On judgement day, God will not judge people on the basis of their compliance with their religious culture. He will judge on the basis of their faithfulness to what God has said.

That is why the Apostle Paul told Timothy,

2 Tim 2:15
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

It is obvious that God deals with people differently in different times. How can we find out what God expects from us? We must rightly divide the word of truth. In the Old Testament, God gave the nation of Israel a kingdom which would bring great physical blessings to its citizens. To live in that kingdom, the Jews were required to live according to the Old Covenant Law.

During the period of time covered by the book of Acts, God offered Israel the New Covenant Kingdom. During that dispensation, God did many miracles as a sign to the nation of Israel that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah. During that dispensation, Jewish believers continued practicing the Law, while Jews and Gentiles alike practiced water baptism.

During the Acts period, water baptism was especially important for the Jewish believers because the nation of Israel will function as a nation of priests in the New Covenant Kingdom. As such, they will perform the priestly duties for the nations of the world just as the Levites did for the tribes of Israel in the Old Covenant Kingdom. The priests of both kingdoms were to be set apart by ceremonial washings in water.

Today, we live in the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Paul revealed the truths of this dispensation in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. In these books, we find that the Church, the Body of Christ, has no earthly kingdom, and we have no physical ceremonies or rituals to bind us to the earth. Paul said,

Col 2:20-22
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (KJV)

Phil 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJ)

After the believers of our present dispensation are caught up to be with Christ at His appearing, God will offer the New Covenant Kingdom to Israel once again. At that time He will once again perform many miracles, wonders, and signs as he protects the nation of Israel from the wrath of the antichrist.

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In John 4 the Lord Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan woman. He offered her living water, of which, if she drank, she would never thirst again. She was very interested, but then the devil distracted her with one of the political issues of the day. Was it acceptable to worship God without going to Jerusalem? Jesus said,

John 4:23-24
23 . . . the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (KJV)

I have heard interpretations of this verse which assert that God wants believers to worship in a spiritual and a physical way. This would equate spiritual with spirit and physical with truth. This is an unfortunate interpretation in that it goes against the context of the passage. The Lord Jesus was emphasizing that it really does not matter to God where a person worships in the physical world. The spiritual reality of the heart is where real truth lies. Therefore, “in truth” simply gives further definition to “in spirit”.

John 4 continues developing the concepts expressed by the Lord Jesus in John 3. As you may recall, the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again because

John 3:6
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (KJV)

The physical world will always have a tendency to draw believers away from the Spirit of God. The natural human body is at war with the Spirit of God. Paul wrote:

Rom 7:23
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (NKJ)

The Spirit of Christ is the only hope believers have of overcoming the destructive pull of the physical body.

Rom 8:2
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (NKJ)

Even the things of the physical earth have a tendency to draw the believer away from God. Therefore, Paul said:

Col 3:1-2
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (KJV)

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The first time the word righteous is used in the Bible is in the Lord’s description of Noah in Gen 6:9.

Gen 6:9
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. (NIV)

Hebrews says that Noah’s righteousness was the righteousness of faith.

Heb 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (KJV)

The first time the word righteousness is used in the Bible is in Gen 15:6.

Gen 15:6
6 And (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and (the LORD) counted it to him for righteousness. (KJV)

Paul quoted Gen 15:6 as he wrote to the believers in Galatia.

Gal 3:5-7
5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
(KJV)

Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians during the time that God was offering the New Covenant Kingdom to Israel. During that time many miracles were done as a sign to the nation of Israel. Paul’s point was that these miracles were not done through the power of the law but through the power of faith. His proof of the superior power of faith lay in the fact that Abraham’s righteousness came through faith 430 years before the law was ever given.

Paul quoted Gen 15:6 again as he wrote to the Romans.

Rom 4:1-5
1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (KJV)

From the very beginning of the Bible we see that righteousness is a gift from God and is given in response to faith.

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Abraham grew up in Ur of the Chaldeans worshiping the various pagan gods of that culture. But the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to Abraham and said,

Gen 12:1-2
1 . . . "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (NIV)

So Abraham left and the Lord was with Abraham as he traveled to the promised land. One day Abraham mentioned to the Lord that he did not have any children in spite of the promise of Gen 12:2. The Lord Jesus confirmed the promise and said that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. Then one of the great events of human history occurred.

Gen 15:6
6 And (Abraham) believed in the LORD, and (the LORD) accounted it to him for righteousness. (NKJ)

Years later the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3 that God can not give salvation to those who do good works because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but after quoting Genesis 15:6, Paul said that God will save anyone who has faith like that of Abraham. When people simply believe what God says, God counts that for righteousness.

What has God been saying since Jesus died on the cross of Calvary? Before Paul was saved, the apostles simply preached that Jesus had come back from the dead, and was, therefore, still Israel’s Messiah. During the Acts period, the Apostle Paul revealed that Jesus Christ died for our sins to bring eternal life in accordance with the hope of the New Covenant Kingdom.

1 Cor 15:3-4, 50-52
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (NKJ)

In Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, Paul revealed the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ and said that members of the Church receive salvation and experience all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

Eph 1:3,7
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (NKJ)

Eph 2:4-7
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NKJ)

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Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came to Jesus by night. Presumably, he came by night because he was afraid of what the other Pharisees would think if they knew he was with Jesus. He told Jesus that he and all of the Pharisees knew there was something special about Jesus because the miracles Jesus did showed that God was with Him.

Jesus did not enter into that debate with Nicodemus for He could see that Nicodemus did not need intellectual clarification concerning His identity. Jesus saw immediately that Nicodemus needed to be born again.

John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Nicodemus was dumbfounded. He must have thought this was the strangest thing he had ever heard, and he challenged the Lord.

John 3:4
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (KJV)

John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Certainly one has to be born as a human being before they can enter the kingdom, but Jesus told Nicodemus that one must experience another, spiritual birth to qualify for the kingdom. As Jesus spoke of being born of water and born of the Spirit, He was drawing a contrast between physical birth and spiritual rebirth. That is clear from verse 6 where Jesus said,

John 3:6
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (KJV)

When people believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins, the Holy Spirit brings them into spiritual union with Jesus Christ, and they are forever changed.

2 Cor 5:17
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)

The Holy Spirit seals the believer in Christ and becomes the life-force within the believer. He reveals the Word of God. He gives guidance. He convicts of sin. He gives the joy of the Lord. In Ephesians, Paul says, we must do everything possible to maintain unhindered fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:30-32
30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (KJV)

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In Genesis 6, we read that God looked upon the earth and saw the wickedness of men, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. By faith, Noah believed that great judgement was coming upon the earth. By faith, Noah built an ark according to the instructions of the Lord. God told Noah,

Gen 6:14
14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. (NKJ)

Noah sealed the ark with pitch so that the ark would be waterproof and none of the judgement waters would touch those who were sealed inside the ark. Before the rains came, the Lord brought Noah and his family into the ark, and the Lord shut the door.

Gen 7:16
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. (KJV)

The ark is a picture of the Lord Jesus in that those who by faith are spiritually baptized into the Lord Jesus are protected from the fiery judgement which is to come in the next life. The pitch is symbolic of the Holy Spirit for it is the Holy Spirit of God Who seals us inside Jesus Christ.

Eph 1:13
13 . . . ye also trusted (in Christ), after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
(KJV)

Eph 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
(KJV)

The day of redemption is the day when we stand before the Lord Jesus and plead the shed blood of Christ as our atonement for sin. The seal of the Holy Spirit will protect not only in that day of judgement, but it seals and protects us in Christ until that day. From the day we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, we are protected in Christ by the Holy Spirit of God.

John 3:36 says,
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (NKJ)

Notice that John did not say that believers will have everlasting life. Believers have everlasting life. The moment they believe, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God unto the day of redemption.

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After the first sin of Adam and Eve, the population of human beings rapidly increased, and mankind became more and more sinful. The people on the earth were very much like Cain in that they had no respect for the desire of God. They wanted what they wanted when they wanted it. God, in His mercy, delayed His judgement, but in Genesis 6 we read:

Gen 6:3
3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." (NKJ)

God decided to destroy all of mankind with a great flood, but a man named Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God instructed Noah to build a huge boat. When the boat was finished, God brought Noah and his family into the boat to save them from the impending flood.

Gen 7:1
1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. (KJV)

The righteousness of Noah was not based on his own human perfection but was based on the grace of God.

Gen 6:8
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (KJV)

Grace is getting something that is not deserved. Therefore, Noah did not deserve to be saved from the flood, but Noah found grace because he was a man of faith. God told Noah that a great flood of water was coming which would destroy all the people on the face of the earth. Noah believed God and did what God told him to do. Noah told this same message to his neighbors but not one of them believed his warning.

The writer of the book of Hebrews made the following observation.

Heb 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (KJV)

Even though Noah had never seen rain, he still believed that what God had said was true.

God will accept anyone who is sinlessly perfect, but the problem is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God in His mercy decided to offer Jesus Christ as the full payment for all sin so that faith could be the determining factor in salvation.

The ark that Noah built was a picture of Jesus Christ. Those who were in the ark were saved from the judgement. When we accept Christ by faith and believe that He died for our sins, we are spiritually baptized into Christ. Those who enter into Christ by faith find salvation from the judgement to come. It is important to remember that people must accept Christ before they die. There will be no second chance in the after life.

Heb 9:27
27 . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (KJV)

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Today I would like to revisit the book of Hebrews and its relationship to the Church which is the Body of Christ. I want to do this because I have had to reconsider some of my thoughts of a few weeks ago. To begin with, let’s review some of the facts regarding the 70th week of Daniel.

The 70th week of Daniel is a 7 year period of time occurring after the death of Christ but before Christ’s return to set up the kingdom. The 70th week of Daniel is known as the tribulation period because it is a time in which the antichrist will rule the world and persecute the Jews. Daniel did speak of the 70th week separately from the other 69 weeks, but he never gave any indication that the 70th week would be separated from the death of the Messiah by 2000 years.

In Paul’s early writings he warned believers of the coming of the antichrist and the tribulation period. However, this subject was not included in Paul’s revelation of the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ. In Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, Paul wrote that the believers under this dispensation would be caught up into glory to be with the Lord but never mentioned the tribulation period or the antichrist. Paul spoke of the perilous last days of this dispensation but, again, never mentioned the antichrist or the tribulation period. This indicates that the period of time dedicated to the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ will end with a rapture of believers before the tribulation period begins. Accordingly, the believers who live under this dispensation have no expectation of the tribulation period or the earthly kingdom.

But one must ask why Paul would write the book of Hebrews to confirm the New Covenant Kingdom to the Jews even after he revealed the mystery of the Church which is the Body of Christ. If Paul was writing to the Jews of his day, then he must have seen two groups of people on the earth at that time. One group would have been the Church which was to be raptured before the tribulation period, while the other group would have included the kingdom saints who would be left on the earth after the rapture of the Church to endure the tribulation period and inherit the New Covenant Kingdom.

However, the scriptures indicate that Paul did not write the book of Hebrews to the Jews of his day. First, Paul’s reference to the perilous last days of the Church (II Timothy 3:1) seem to be pointing to a time in the distant future. Second, Paul said in Ephesians that his mission was to teach all men about the fellowship of the mystery concerning the Church. Therefore, Paul’s goal was to teach the truths of the Church to the Jews of his day while, at the same time, writing the book of Hebrews to confirm the New Covenant promises to the Jews of the future who would inherit the kingdom after enduring the tribulation period.

Some people believe that there are two groups of believers on the earth today. They teach that only those who understand the truth of the Church which is the Body of Christ have received the high calling of Church membership. This would mean that the average believer who just believes that Christ died for his/her sins would not be part of the Church and would not be caught up with the Church at the rapture. This is false doctrine.

Paul was called to teach all people about the mystery of the Church because the Church is the only program for our present age. As Paul revealed the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ, he said there is only one body and only one faith.

Eph 4:4-6
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (NKJ)

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In Genesis 4, Cain and Able both brought sacrifices to God. Able brought an animal sacrifice while Cain brought an offering of produce he had harvested from the field. Cain’s fruit represented the things of the earth which perish with the using (see Colossians 2:22). The animal sacrifice of Able represented the gift of life which is given from heaven. God accepted the sacrifice of Able but refused to accept the offering of Cain. However, He did give Cain some advice along with a warning.

Gen 4:7
7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (NKJ)

Anyone in a position of authority should learn from the example God has set. In this passage we see that God is a believer in due process. First, He told Cain that what he did was unacceptable, and then He warned him that consequences would follow for continued disobedience.

The Apostle Paul describes the fleshly fruit of the earth in his letter to the Galatian believers.

Gal 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Cain’s heart was full of envy, strife, and murder. His offering was rejected, and his response was to kill his brother. Able’s sacrifice was accepted because his animal sacrifice was an acceptable picture of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ would make upon the cross of Calvary.

Today, many Christians think that God will be satisfied with an offering of Church attendance and 10% of their income, but God wants much more than that. We today are called upon to present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God.

Rom 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)

As we experience spiritual union with Jesus Christ in His death, our bodies become a living sacrifice. Our responsibility is to offer that sacrifice to God so that God can fill our hearts with the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. In this way, we become an offering which is holy and acceptable unto God.

Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

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The Lord Jesus Christ was Jehovah God of the Old Testament. Therefore, it was Jesus Christ who formed Adam out of the dust of the ground, and it was Jesus Christ who created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. Adam and Eve enjoyed constant fellowship with Jesus Christ in the Garden of Eden and had only one rule to live by. They were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The devil was determined to destroy Adam and Eve for he was jealous of their position of dominance over all things within the garden of God. The devil was very cunning and full of deceit, and with his power of persuasion, he convinced Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Immediately, Adam and Eve knew what sin was, and they knew their own sinfulness. They made clothes of fig leaves for themselves to cover their nakedness.

As the Lord Jesus came walking through the garden, they hid from Him. He confronted them with their sin and pronounced a curse upon them, upon the earth, and upon the devil. The sentence of death came upon Adam and Eve, for God had said that in the day they ate of the fruit, they would surely die.

However, Jesus Christ had mercy on them, and He made coats of animal skin for Adam and Eve.

Gen 3:21
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (KJV)

This is one of the earliest events of human history, and in it we find that the shedding of blood was required to cover sin. This animal sacrifice was a pictured of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus upon the cross of Calvary, but it could never effectively take away sin or its consequences. Therefore, Adam and Eve did eventually die, and all of the descendants of Adam and Eve inherited death as a result of their mortality. However, when Jesus Christ gave His blood for the sins of the world, it provided a permanent solution for sin. The Lord Jesus said that faith in Christ would result in everlasting life.

When Christ was resurrected from the grave, He took the spirits of Old Testament believers such as Adam and Eve with Him into heaven.

Eph 4:8
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (KJV)

Since that day, when believers die, their spirits enter directly into heaven to dwell in the presence of the Lord. The spirits of all believers who have died, from Adam and Eve to the present, are waiting in heaven for the resurrection of their bodies. Resurrection day will be a great day of rejoicing for all believers, and it will be a great victory over death.

1 Cor 15:54
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (KJV)

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Other church links:
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