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Angels/Demons & the End Times -- Lesson #14    

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scroll down for earlier lessons in descending order

You can click on earlier lesson by date to the right "Blog Archive".

(Lessons are posted once a week on Friday afternoon

For Lesson #1 click on 5/31 at Blog Archive.

When studying the Tribulation, I don’t see how we can ignore the reality of Israel. Their relevance is questioned, even rejected, by those holding an Amillennial view, but God certainly has plans for Israel as we’ll see. 

Without the restoration of the State of Israel, interpreting the End Times Bible-verses in Revelation and Daniel 9 becomes ambiguity wrapped in an enigma of symbolism. 

Israel’s very existence and the odds against their survival as a nation is testimony that they are under God’s protection, and that He will redeem a remnant as He had promised Abraham (Gen, 13:14-15), next slide. 

“forever”? Did God actually mean forever? What about the adjacent Arab states of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and even a portion of Egypt’s Sinai? But of course, only God can figure it out and He will in total fairness and perfect justice. Don’t forget this would be during the 1,000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ. 

In today’s Middle East, Israel is located in a sea of Muslim nations, with over 100 million Arabs on their borders, yet they exist, and even prosper. Coincidence or God’s Providence? 

To help understand Israel’s place in the Tribulation, let’s step back to ancient Israel. Two key chapters in the book of Daniel, Ch. 2 and 9, outline the whole history of God’s dealings with His people Israel from hundreds of years BC, right through to the second coming of Christ and inauguration of His millennial kingdom at the end of the 7-year Tribulation. If none of this—regarding Israel—is relevant, why did God give us the Old Testament history and prophecies of Israel? Daniel’s 70-week prophecy focuses exclusively on Israel. The first 69 weeks addresses Israel up to the time of Christ; the 70th week is yet to be fulfilled. Will the Church suffer the full weigh of God's wrath as described in Revelation (Rev. 15-16) or raptured? 

We viewed a lot of charts during our study, but one chart is worth a 1,000 words. We are in the “Church Age”. The Tribulation is the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy—each week is equivalent to 7 years. Premillennialist believe Christians will be raptured before the Tribulation (as shown). Amillennialist believe Israel was replaced by the Church, and the Tribulation is for the Church, and that Israel has no relevance. If Israel has no relevance, why then is there even an Israel, especially against such odds: having been murdered and scattered by the Romans in 70 AD; persecuted in every era and by many nations; survived the Nazi Holocaust; and now attacks by Arab neighbors…. Yet, there is an Israel. 

This chart shows the Bible verses for each phase of the 7-year Tribulation going into the millennium. Something to look at in your spare time, which I haven’t done yet, but will. 

Most theologians believe Israel was punished for their rejection of the Messiah with the Jews being driven out of their homeland and scattered across much of the known world. The Church fathers, even the Protestant Reformers, believed the Church replaced Israel, and that Israel was cursed by God. As such most believed Daniel’s 70-week prophecy applies to the Church, since there was no Israel, and as such, believed Christians go through the Tribulation.  

Little did anyone know that God’s plan included the rebirth of Israel almost 1,900 years later in keeping with His promise to redeem Abraham’s descendants as stated in a number of places in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 11:13-25; Isaiah 11:11; Hosea 13-14).

All of the tribes and people that had previously occupied that land, have long since disappeared as a distinguishable group of people, but not Israel. 

Without Israel, the 70th week of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy would be left open ended and unfulfilled. When it was written by Daniel (chap. 9), there was no Church, and it focused exclusively on Israel. Since there was no Israel between 70 AD and 1948, it was natural for the early church fathers and church historians to apply the 70th week to the Church; before 1947-48 no one could even anticipate there would be the reestablishment of Israel in a 99.9% Muslim region. Without an Israel, it would seem natural to apply Daniel’s 70th week to the Church, or disregard it or just lock it away as a mystery. The reality is, there is an Israel! And, yes, God did bring them back. 

God keeps His promises. He will redeem a remnant of Israel (Jeremiah 31:1-5). Some will say those verses apply to ancient Israel, but they failed again and again, and consequently God is finished with them. V.3b “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Since God is immutable, He doesn’t change His mind. God saw all their failures when He expressed His everlasting love for Israel, none of which caught Him by surprise. 

God’s miracle…. restoring Israel to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When the Jewish State was born in May 1948, Egypt and four Arab armies (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq) immediately invaded Israel. Leaders of the invading forces thought they were heading towards an easy victory; they had no difficulty obtaining all the arms they needed and even British RAF planes flew with Egyptian squadrons over the Israel-Egypt border. Israel was thought to be virtually defenseless. But they were wrong. The invading armies suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a combination of Jewish militias (there was no formal Israel Defense Force or IDF at the time).

https://www.factsaboutisrael.uk/god-protects-israel/ 

The map shows just how little of the land was allocated for the Jews when they arrived as Holocaust refugees from Europe with no home to return to in their respective European countries. There is no way they could have survived on that sliver of land (shown in blue). In 1948 they only had that allocated area to call home. By 1949, while defending themselves, they acquired additional land as shown on the index.  Acquiring additional land was literally a matter of life and death for Israel. Coincidence or Providence? My bet’s on Providence. 

We looked at the 1967 Six Day War in the last lesson, but it’s an important biblical milestone for Israel and worth repeating. I’ll let the headline speak for itself: “Total Israel Victory” against overwhelming military forces of several nations, who were determined to not only defeat Israel but exterminate them as a people. Why all this emphasis on Israel? The Amilllennial view is based on two factors: 1. That Israel was cursed by God for rejecting the Messiah, the proof being Israel’s destruction as a nation by the Romans. 2. That the Church replaced Israel, because they killed Christ, and therefore Daniel’s 70 week applies to the Church as God's people, not Israel. 

From man’s perspective there is no such thing as miracles, only the unexplainable and circumstantial. The newspaper headline shown is an excerpt from Messiah Magazine #16, Spring 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six Day War. As stated, it was every bit a miracle that clearly shows God doesn’t consider Israel irrelevant. Also stated in the same article was how Israel defeated its enemies and redeemed Jerusalem and in doing so, tripled the size of its territory. All of which shows the relevance of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy being related to Israel and not the Church. 

Israel troops at the Temple “Wailing Wall” after driving the Jordanian forces out and reclaiming all of Jerusalem placing it under Israel control after almost 1,900 years after it was destroyed by the Romans. 

I’ll let the slide speak for itself. 

Those six days were a major turning point for Israel’s survival as a nation. How does the world see it? … 

Some, perhaps even a large part of the world, blame a perpetual state of conflict in the Middle East on Israel’s taking of territory in the 1967 Six Day War. 

1967 wasn’t Israel’s last war for survival, there were more to come. In 1973, 1100 Syria tanks launched an attack against Israeli in the North, called the Yom Kippur War. After two days, Israel turned the tide and drove them back. It was also attacked by Egypt in the south by 2,000 tanks, but Israel stopped their advance to a standstill. 

The early Church didn’t need the O.T. to tell them that Jesus was the promised Messiah as stated in Matthew 1:16. In fact, every time someone says, “Jesus Christ,” he is referring to Jesus as the Messiah, since Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One” translated from Hebrew. Nevertheless, God gave us the Old Testament history and prophecies of Israel as God’s chosen people, and that there would be a Messiah, not just for Israel or the Jewish people but as Savior for Jews and gentiles (1 Cor. 1:22-24). 

Israel is still facing a constant series of conflicts for its very survival. 

Let those 2014 headline—spoken by a terrorist—give us a hint of Israel’s relevance. Another example of  God’s protective hand, which has been referred to as Israel’s “Iron Dome”—the name of their missile defense system.

Israel’s future? Israel will experience a time of trial like never before. A tribulation that born-again Christians will be spared. Following the Tribulation is Jesus’ Second Coming and His 1,000 reign on earth (the Millennium). What exactly takes place during the Millennium? Perhaps a future study?

Will the Antichrist be responsible for rebuilding of the temple? Will he negotiate a peace treaty that convinces the Muslims to allow rebuilding of the temple? Either way, it will get built. 

There are indications that within Israel, rebuilding of the temple is more than just some far fetched, abstract idea, as we’ll see in the next lesson. 

What the temple construction could look like. 

Is our study of the Rapture church doctrine? The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is doctrine. The Rapture is yet unfulfilled prophecy and as such is a matter of interpretation and not doctrine. Opinions differ, even between respected Bible scholars and teachers, based on a variety of factors. Dr. Godfrey is a church historian and his opinion rest on church history, that Israel was cursed by God and as such is no longer relevant. And Israel was not mentioned in church history. When Israel ceased to exist as a nation, church fathers concluded that the Tribulation was for the Church, since there was no Israel, and believed the Church was the new Israel, a belief that was held even during the Protestant Reformation. Much of the Church, including Martin Luther were anti-Semitic, considered Jews Christ-killers  …. but things have changed in 1948. 

Both men profess the Reformed faith.  Dr. Godfrey, a church historian was President of Westminster Seminary California, and is currently Chairman of Ligonier Ministries after the passing of R.C. Sproul. He holds the Amillennial view.  Dr. MacArthur is Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. He holds the Premillennial view. 

Bible study is more than reading your Bible, it is also a matter of study notes, a concordance, and in today’s world, even searching the world wide web. And of course, blogs like this help. 

Dr. Godfrey’s 46 minute lecture (2015) highlights 5 errors in studying God’s Word. What does that have to do with our study? As he states, we can’t do it alone, in addition to the Bible, he recommends input from others and commentaries to avoid concluding by personal opinion alone. Which is exactly the path we have been on throughout this study. He opens his message with ancient Israel history, seeing it fulfilled in Jesus. So it is. But, I believe automatic rejection of the pre-tribulation Rapture because it hasn’t been part of church history falls into that category—but things change. History often evolves over time, and opinions need to consider those changes. One such change is the rebirth of Israel in 1948 and their very survival as a nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl-J9Fh5-28 

John MacArthur’s 21-minute sermon begins with the Pre-tribulation Rapture (2018). Again, the basis of his conclusion is predicated on what I believe the Bible clearly states, when viewed within light of the history of Israel. John MacArthur holds the Premillennial view and is every bit Reformed as anyone professing the Reformed faith including Dr. Godfrey, whom I also have the greatest respect for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCt3LbINLs0 

I had previously stated this would be out last lesson, BUT, I need to stretch it out to another lesson as a better option than overloading this lesson, including videos from Israel on the rebuilding of the temple. 

END OF LESSON #14

 

Covenant Presbyterian Church

God's Positioning System (GPS)

Sunday morning Foundations Classes

Angels/Demons & the End Times -- Lesson #13     

(press or click on a slide to enlarge it)

scroll down for earlier lessons in descending order

You can click on earlier lesson by date to the right "Blog Archive".

(Lessons are posted once a week on Friday afternoon

For Lesson #1 click on 5/31 at Blog Archive.

Revelation 7:14b: "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

As we approach the end of our study (1 more lesson to go), I want to emphasize once again that I am presenting this study as I see it unfold, as I listen to the sermons and lectures, study various views and read the associated Bible verses, look at current events, and not from a preconceived opinion. So, if one view is emphasized at the exclusion of another, it is only because I feel compelled to do so as that particular point in our study, as the study material itself unfolds. 

Let’s begin with Israel, which only exits today because of God’s providence and protection. The greatest evangelist the world has ever known is the Apostle Paul (Saul is his Hebrew name) a Jew. The Apostles were Jews; Jesus was a Jew; the first Christians were Jews. The Jews are still relevant and will be redeemed during the Tribulation, when the wrath of God pours out on a sinful, unrepentant and rebellious world. 

Almost from the time they were a distinct people, and just as God told Abram (Abraham) in Genesis, the world has continued to persecute and even try to exterminate the Hebrew people, as with the Holocaust. After 400 years of exile in Egypt, Moses led them to the land promised by God and which they reclaimed as a Jewish nation in 1948.

From their 400 years of exile and slavery in Egypt…. they struggled for survival and were delivered by God (Exodus 6:1).

    

Ex 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses , "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." 

History of the Jews was one of a deep-seated hatred and persecution, yet God preserved them as a people. Satan was behind it all. If they lost their relevance after the rejection and crucifixion of Christ, why weren’t they exterminated over the years? We can’t believe that it was a coincidence that they still exist as a distinct people, unless God preserved them. If so, why? That is why the Amillennial view seems to have a giant disconnect with the reason for the Tribulation, believing that God only uses it to punish sin, but not to redeem a remnant of Israel who will accept Jesus Christ as their promised Messiah. Why would any Bible scholar just ignore Israel because the church did not address Israel. The reason, as I see it is that there was no Israel between 70 AD and 1948, and there was nothing for the Church to discuss or debate until now. 

Nazi concentration camps and the Holocaust, were part of Satan’s goal to destroy the Jewish people. Their very survival through all of it was by the hand of God. A new Israel state came into existence in 1948 with its very survival being assured in 1967….

Why is any of this relevant to our study? Because there are two distinct reasons for the Tribulation. To punish sinful, rebellious and unrepentant man, and to redeem a remnant of Israel as God promised when He made a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:15). 

After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD the Jews were dispersed across much of the world. And almost 1900 years later they returned as a people to establish a nation in their ancestral homeland that God gave them thousands of years earlier, as He promised Abraham in Genesis 12 & 13. 

All of which takes us to the rebuilding of the temple and fulfillment of Bible prophesy, Matt. 24:9-15, 2 Thess. 2:4; and the 70th week of Daniel 9. Without the Jews’ return to Israel, none of this would even be remotely possible. It is only because the Jews returned to their ancestral homeland that these prophesies even make sense. God has not forgotten the Jews nor are they irrelevant. The Tribulation is the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel's 70-week prophesy that was focused on Israel. Unless one recognizes the significance of this, then all of it becomes a blur, or just symbolism that is somewhat impossible to understand without an Israel and temple. 

Why is there so much focus in recent years on rebuilding of the temple?

I think this slide sums it up pretty well.  You can click on the slide to enlarge it. Hit esc to return to a normal view. 

The dispensational premillennial view is that the rapture is just before the 7-year Tribulation. Some Amillennialists and Postmillennialists place it, if at all, at the Second Coming of Christ. It all points to the question, what can we expect when the Antichrist comes to power, especially if there is no Rapture? The next few slides will give an example of what I anticipate could happen if we are not raptured away. This slide explains the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, defined as two separate events. Remember, you can click on the chart to enlarge it. Then hit esc to return to normal viewing. 

I wanted to cover the variances for those who believe in a Rapture. The Mid-Tribulation view sees it a little differently. The rationale behind this is that mediocre Christians will grow into steadfast and devoted Christians under the initial rein of the Antichrist. It also provides an opportunity for those in the liberal mainline denominations to repent and return to the Gospel of grace. It may also purge the church of those who profess to be Christian, but in name only, who will leave the Church rather than suffer for their faith—those who are not “born-again”. The rationale against it is that Christ paid the full price for all our sins and there is nothing more we can contribute by going through the Tribulation. Even mediocre Christians go to heaven. But, can a born-again Christian be mediocre? 

Again, a chart explains it better than words alone; this one shows Daniel’s 70 Weeks prophecy, and the three Rapture views: Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation and Post-tribulation.    

Let me give a personal example. I was raised in the Amillennial view through my entire church life and rarely, if even, gave the pretribulation rapture any thought. But, having said that, my current belief is based on reading and listening to the various views by respected pastors and scholars, even when they disagreed with each other. Sticking to or switching views is not a matter of doctrine. In regard to my own view, certain things stand out that I cannot ignore, including the relevance of Israel in the Old Testament, which we took a lot of time to look at, and in the Tribulation. Many have heard only one view. In studying an issue, I do my best to look at what the evidence is showing and always take it into consideration. I hope this study served its intended purpose to present all the views adequately and objectively. Did our study change your mind or reinforce it? 

Even though belief in a pre-tribulation rapture is labeled Dispensational, we can’t lump everything together under a label, because individual views vary. Pastor John MacArthur is Reformed, yet he professes a pre-tribulation rapture. It doesn’t make his theology dispensational; it is still Reformed. 

https://www.gotquestions.org/dispensationalism.html

In giving a definition of Dispensationalism, it seems appropriate to give a somewhat simplified definition of Reformed theology.

https://www.gotquestions.org/reformed-theology.html

This chart shows the key points of what’s defined as Traditional Premillennialism, which does not include a pre-tribulation Rapture, or any rapture for that matter. 

Chart shows the Premillennial view described as Dispensational which includes a pretribulation Rapture. It’s rejected by Amillennial and Postmillennial adherents, and even Traditional Premillennial adherents. This particular view is rejected principally because it did not become popular until 1830, being accepted by many evangelical Christians. It is rejected principally because it had not previously been identified in church history. Yet, the rebirth of Israel in 1948 speaks volumes as to why it needs to be reconsidered. Many will consequently stick to church history.  Of course, church history is a good yard stick, but it also needs to be held within context of what we have learned or seen over the years, especially a rebirth of the State of Israel. Also, there was no Israel following Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, nor during the Reformation period. And the early organized Christian Church—i.e., Roman Catholic and Easter Orthodox—saw the Christian Church as the new Israel, in that God rejected Israel because they crucified Christ. Even Martin Luther had no love for the Jews, referring to them as Christ killers. No one throughout church history could ever even imagine a rebirth of Israel, but in fact that’s the reality and warrants consideration.

This version differs a little from the Dispensational view in that the rapture is moved from just before the Tribulation to the 3 ½ year mid-point. Variations in every view is all a matter of individual interpretation, none of which is pinpointed in the Scriptures, much of which is like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Without a picture on the box it would be difficult to determine exactly what a puzzle looked like from the individual pieces alone, which is what the End Times looks like in the Bible, via verses in both the Old and New Testaments. Like the finished puzzle, it’s only when the individual pieces start coming together that the picture becomes clear and consistent. I believe as time and events unfold it will become more and more clear and apparent. 

This chart lays out biblical history from the O.T. Israel, through the Church Age ending at the Rapture, followed by the Tribulation, then Christ reign for the 1,000 millennium, and followed by the White Throne Judgment. Got all that? Chart doesn’t show the New Heaven and New Earth in Rev. 21:1. 

This chart is handy in that it shows the Bible references for the Tribulation timeline. 

1 Tim 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 

As Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy, some will abandon the faith, in that they turned away from God’s Word, and if we judge by today, many, even those professing to be Christian, embrace cultural standards in the areas of sexual preference and abortion on demand, and what is proclaimed as social justice, in lieu of the Gospel message that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation warned the churches of the very same things, as being a form of idolatry.  

History provides examples of how a dictator rises to power, peacefully at first, just as the Antichrist will do. Adolf Hitler rose to power by proclaiming he could fix all of Germany’s post World War I (WWI) problems: Germany was hit hard after WWI with high unemployment, and doubly hard by the 1929 depression. It had massive reparation debts being paid to the victorious WWI allies; it lost large portions of its territory in 1919 to the European allies, especially France and Poland. The German people were demoralized and a lot poorer.

Hitler promised to restore Germany to its former glory, and he did exactly that as Fuhrer. First he had to find a scapegoat. He accused the Jews of being Communist sympathizers that sabotaged Germany during WWI. That they were undermining German culture and must be purged from everything German. He began by restoring German pride and after having full authority and power, his reign of terror began, just as the Antichrist will do, but on an even larger scale with greater intensity.  To sum it up, Hitler gave the German people hope before dashing their dreams with tyranny and destruction. 

One of the things he will do is propose an ingenious Middle-East peace solution that would not only reduce but eradicate tensions between Jews and Arabs. We are seeing examples of how he would gain power, right now and right here in the USA, under the COVID-19 shutdown, which is totally unprecedented in American history and much of it a violation of the Bill of Rights. If there is no rapture, you can be certain, churches will be closed, and public worship banned. Last year, no one would have agreed that this was even possible. But, how quickly things change. During COVID-19 many places would only take credit or debit cards and refused cash. This same practice under the Antichrist, anyone who would not accept the mark of the beast (666) would be denied even the basic essential including food. 

I can’t help but look at history and world events whenever I study certain topics in the Bible, especially the End Times, and ask, what is this all about, and why? “Why” is what I find myself asking in regard to constant attacks against our president, even a full force assault by the news media. All because he is not part of the establishment. Another name for the establishment could very well be proponents of a “one world government”. Which of course is Satan’s goal to lay the groundwork for a central government to be ruled by the Antichrist. They will do anything to destroy anyone who stands in their way. 

Dr. Ed Hindson is professor of O.T. studies and eschatology at Liberty University.

Dr. John Piper served as pastor and teacher at Bethlehem [Reformed] Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is also chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis. Both videos are rather long but worth you listening time, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown.

I am posting opposite views so that you can compare them—pretribulation Rapture vs. no Rapture. 

John Piper’s 1 hour sermon on the second coming of Jesus Christ—"wrath and rescue!" His argument is that the Second Coming is Jesus returning because His church is suffering the Great Tribulation, and that it’s normal to be persecuted, and abnormal not to be persecuted. In other words, the Church goes through the Tribulation and there is no pre-tribulation Rapture.  The Church in every generation has always gone through some degree of persecution and suffering. One thing to keep in mind when watching the video, we are made worthy by the shed blood of Jesus Christ who paid our sin debt in full. There is absolutely nothing else we can add to it to be worthy of eternal salvation. Why then would we have to undergo the Tribulation? I remember very vividly as a Roman Catholic that we were taught that we had to suffer with Christ to be worthy of Christ. Really? Wasn't that what the Reformation was all about? Didn’t He pay our sin debt in full, which makes us worthy before a Holy God? If the Jews are irrelevant, then the verses have to be applied to Christians. If the Jews are relevant, and are being redeemed in these verses, than that would be the answer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ilEyczPr4A

Dr. Hindson’s 43-minute lecture is on the pre-tribulation Rapture, that the wrath of God in the Great Tribulation isn’t for the Church. The Church has suffered down through history by the wrath of man and Satan, and not by the wrath of God. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYJdXGHXwgQ

I think it is readily apparent by now, for those who have not participated in our Sunday morning classes, our studies are diversified with an "eclectic" integration of Scripture, Church History, Doctrine and current events, seeing God in every aspect of life, with His Word being foundational in and through it all.

It doesn’t look like we will be returning to Heritage Lounge any time soon for our studies. So, we will continue with our blog. I would appreciate your feedback on the lessons so far, going back to angels and demons, and then the End Times. Until next week, blessings to each and every one. 

END OF LESSON #13