Prophecies-Verses
We are not merely
to fix our eyes on Jesus and pray for His return. We are to study and live in
the Word of God (Mt 4:4), this includes prophecies (Ro 16:25-26). God Himself
put over 2,000 prophecies about the final days in His Holy Word (2Pe 1:19-21).
The Word of God is alive, is active (Heb 4:12), it continues to reveal new
truths to us (Gal 3:8). Scriptures must be fulfilled, they were sent for us to
use (Isa 55:11), and Scripture cannot be broken (Jn 10:35). This includes the 11th chapter of
Romans (Eph 6:19) and the 36th chapter of Ezekiel (2Ti 3:16-17). The
Bible covers the will of God from the beginning of creation to the end of our
earthly world (Eph 1:9-10). Because of the large time frame prophesies were
used to hide the meaning of the truth until they are revealed to us (2Thes
2:6-11). Jesus tells us we will be blessed as we read, hear and learn the
prophecies of Revelations (Rev 1:3). We will not understand prophecies until
the time is right, some our Lord will explain to us in Heaven (Lk 24:45-49). But that does not mean we should not be
familiar with them, not know they are there for us when we may need them (Eph
1:17-19).
Prophecies:
A. give us comfort to know our God is in command, that He has a
master plan, a plan of salvation for each believer. Our Lord loves us, will
protect all believers, has prepared a home in Heaven
for us.
B. wakes us up.
There will be a last day for all, all need to be
prepared to meet their Lord. You cannot have two masters, you must make a
choice. We have only two choices on where to spend eternity, Heaven or Hell. We
must love the Lord above all things, follow His commands.
C. prepares us for
what will happen. We must be prepared for many false prophets, false teachings
in the last days. Prepared for the many trials and troubles that will come
before Christ returns. Prepared for the last antichrist (1Jn
4:3) who will do miraculous signs, will fool many. Prepared to watch out
so we never come under his authority, not accept his mark (Rev 13: 13-18).
D. makes one
responsible for their own actions, their own life, their
own soul, what is going on around them. We alone are responsible for allowing
Christ into our lives, of being ready for His return. Making sure the truths of
the Scriptures are taught, responsible to follow these truths. We will be
judged and responsible for all our actions, unless Christ intercedes for us,
forgives all of our sins. Making our greatest responsibility easy, because God
first loved us, we should love Him above all things.
E. will bless us
as we read and study them. We may not be able to understand all of them, but
Scripture helps one look at the world as our God would have us look at it.
Prophesies make a vivid picture of the truth the Lord would have us see. The
glory one will attain or the devastation one will encounter when Christ
returns.
Romans 11
There will always
be a distinction between the physical nation of Israel and the Gentiles until
Christ returns. We are all spiritually one in Christ (Jn
14:20, 1Jn 4:13). Spiritually we are all heirs of Heaven (Gal 3:26-29). But
Paul also tells that in this physical world we should keep our own status in
life, we will all be different (1Cor 7:17-20, Col 3:18-25). When Jesus was consecrated at
the temple the Spirit through Simeon told all Jesus would enlighten the
Gentiles and bring glory to His people Israel (Lk
2:27-32). Jesus told us salvation would come from the Jews for He was born of
that nation (Jn 4:22). Jesus also told us that He
would call His sheep from two different pens, the Jews and the Gentiles. Then
Jesus would bring them together to spiritually feed as one flock (Jn 10:16). Paul elaborates on this telling us salvation was
first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Ro 1:16). That wrath would be first
for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Ro2:9), that glory was first for the Jew
then for the Gentile (2:10). Jesus and Paul tell us that because the majority
of Jews rejected Jesus, God made it impossible for them to find their Savior
(Matt 13:10-15, Ro 11:7-10). Salvation was then given to the Gentiles (Ro
10:20) because the Jews would not accept Christ (Ac 13:26), to make Israel
envious (Ro 10:19, 11:11). Only a remnant of Jews would be able to find Christ
during this period (Ro 11:5). Jesus tells us that the Kingdom
of God will be taken away from Israel
and given to the Gentiles (Matt 21:43-45). The Gentiles would be fulfilled when
the gospel had been preached to all nations (Matt24:14). Paul confirms this by
telling us a new revelation, a previous unknown mystery (Ro 11:25). After the
full number of Gentiles have been made children of God, then Israel will fill out the total
number that will receive salvation (Ro 11:25-26). All the Jewish Christians who
will accept Christ as their Savior, not all Israeli people (Ro 9:27). This is
because God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable to Israel (Ro 11:28-29). This will
happen because God promised to bring Israel back as a nation in the land
of their forefathers and give them the Spirit of the New Covenant (Eze 36: 24-28). Jesus will not return again until the
Jewish nation has accepted Him, when those who are in Jerusalem say, “Blessed is He who comes in
the name of the Lord” (Lk 13:34-35, same as triumphal
entry Lk 19:38).
Gentiles are wild
branches (Ro 11:17) who receive riches from Christ (Ro 11:12) through their
faith in Him (Ro 11:20). The Gentiles are grafted into Christ the root as
replacements for natural branches which produce no fruit, the Jews who reject
Christ (Ro 11:20). When God gives the Spirit to the Jews enabling them to
accept Christ, the Jews as natural branches will be re-grafted to Christ the
root (Ro 11:23-24). The branches will always remain physically different,
natural branches are Jewish, wild branches are Gentile. Yet all believers are
spiritually one, for all connect to the Root to become holy, l are all fed the
same spiritual food by Jesus Christ our Lord (Ro 11:16-18). The Gentiles were
blessed when the Jews rejected Christ, for His salvation was offered them. The
Gentiles will also be blessed as Israel fills out the tree of
eternal life in Jesus Christ. For the more branches, the more fruit will be
produced, the riches and glory through Christ will keep getting greater (Ro
11:12).
The
world will not end until the man of sin claiming to be God comes (2Thess
2:3-4). This end antichrist (1Jn 2:18), the beast (Rev 10:1-13), the man of
lawlessness will be able to do miraculous works that deceive many (2Thess
2:9-10). But the most important thing to remember is God will make all
unbelievers accept the antichrist as their God, the wicked at this time will
never again have a chance to be saved (2Thes 2:11-12). The time to accept the
Lord is running out. Over ninety percent of all countries have received the Gospel,
taking us closer to Christ’s return. The Spirit will be taken away well before
the last day from many who have not accepted Christ. Look at what is happening
around the world. God is taking the Spirit from the affluent, apathetic
countries and is pouring it out on the third world countries. Europe
is becoming a secular union that is turning to humanistic values as they strive
for peace. Man’s intellectual values are pushing religion, God out of their
society, and are limiting what Christians are allowed to say or do. In our
country we are following the European’s secular approach. We are about evenly
split on whether to include God in our society, or keep Him out of our lives.
We are beginning to use our God only symbolically, no longer really adhering to
Christian values or morals. Our churches are drifting towards secular
liberalism, believing what we do as a society is more important than what God’s
Word would have us do. The Spirit is being taken from the rich and given to the
poor. The Spirit is active in third world countries, especially Africa and Asia. Christianity is flourishing, growing, despite
poverty, hunger, disease, persecutions. More Christians are being put to death
for their beliefs than at any time in history. Our time is running out to accept
the Lord, to have the Spirit flourish within our borders.
Ezekiel 36
The Promised Land
in Palestine is
a physical piece of earth given by God everlastingly to Abraham and his
descendants (Gen 17:8). A land given to Israel when they were a great nation
and followed God (Duet 6:4+10-11). A land taken from Israel when then refused to be
children of God, when they were scattered over all nations (Eze
36:16-19). The Promised Land was given back to Israel once more when God
brought them back home together as a nation (Ex 36:12+28). God brought Israel
back again to show the holiness of His great name (Eze
36:22-24). There God will give them the Holy Spirit of the New Covenant (Eze 36:27). Israel
now has five million returning Jews who as one nation (Eze
37:15-28) are ruling the Promised Land. This is the first time the Jews have
ruled this land since before the time of Christ, the first time as one nation
since the times of Solomon. This Israeli nation is living on the Promised Land,
is growing crops upon it, as God rebuilds what was destroyed and replants what
was desolate (Eze 36:36). It is lush like the Garden
of Eden and filled with flocks of people (Eze
36:35+38). We should be able to understand Ezekiel 36:22-38 for it is happening
before us, but there are more prophesies about Israel listed at the end.
The Jewish
homeland in Palestine
will be the last bastion of Christianity as the Jewish nation is given
salvation, as it fills up Heaven (Ro 11:25-26). God tells us we are not to have
contempt for prophesies, but test them to see if they are true or false (1Thes
5:20-21). More truths are continually revealed to us as events happen that help
define and redefine prophesies. Jesus fulfilled prophesies (Jn
5:46-47), did miraculous signs (Jn 11:47) yet the leaders
of the Sanhedrin dismissed the Scriptures, the signs, the miracles. The leaders
wanted to keep peace with Rome
in order to protect their secular nation (Jn
11:48-49), and many would not accept Jesus as the true Messiah (Ac 28:25-28).
There are so many signs that Israel is filling the prophecies as they are
living on the land given their forefathers, that God has passed down to them.
Yet many in our nation are more concerned with the secular world view of
advancing peace in this region, are using human reason to interrupt God’s Word,
or are kept from seeing the truth happening right before their eyes (1Jn
4:4-5).
There
is a New Jerusalem that our Lord has prepared in Heaven for us at the end of
time (Rev 21:9-21). There is also a physical Jerusalem on this earth which was
destroyed, at its destruction the Jewish nation was taken as prisoners,
dispersed to all the nations, until the time of the Gentiles has been fulfilled
(Lk 21:24). This time came in 1967 when Israel took control of Jerusalem once more. Jerusalem will also be where the final
antichrist will make his headquarters in God’s temple (2Thes 2:4). This
antichrist will be overthrown at Christ’s second coming (2Thes 2:8), when Jesus
will return for all believers and be glorified in His holy people (2Thes
1:7-10), when our Lord returns in all His glory to take all believers home to
Heaven (Mk 13:27).
Christians must
learn how to use prophecies (Lk 24:25-27). One must
not be so impatient that they twist the context of God’s Word to fit their
times, their theories (1 Co 1:18-31). While at the same time we should accept
prophesies that are obvious, that can be proven (Ro 16:25-26, Eph 3:4-6, Col
1:26-27). We must as Christians be willing to open our minds as prophesies are
revealed to us, even those we previously had a different opinion on (1 Co 2:
6-16). All men’s theories wither and fall, but God’s word lasts forever (1Pe
1:24).
Other prophecies:
*Five million Jews
have returned – Isa 11:11-12, Jere
30:3, Eze 37:21-22, 38:8
*Migrated from
N,S,E,W- Russia, Ethiopia, Asia, Europe, Americas – Isa
43:5-6, Jere 31:7-10
*Nation born in
one day – Signed UN documents May 14,1948 – Isa 66:8
-
*Built over ruins
– Jer30:18
*Desolate bloom, Israel has used
drip irrigation to make land green, including vineyards, trees –
Isa 35:1-2, Jo
3:18, Amos 9:13-15, Isa 41:18-20
*Prospered
economically – Exe 38:12-13
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