Nathele Graham
There’s a lot happening in the world that causes people to wonder about the future. Disease is on everyone’s mind, and the wars and rumors of wars that Jesus spoke about are happening in real-time. Middle East has erupted in war and the news is filled with evidence that Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled rapidly. Most people who listen to the news don’t know that Scripture talks about the times in which we live, but everyone can see that there’s something different about what’s happening. Jesus knew what was going to happen in the near future as wells as the far future. When His disciples asked about the end, He had answers. Their question wasn’t about the Rapture, but about the end. The first thing Jesus told them to be not deceived. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4. Those words are important for us today. Deception from the pulpits as well as the secular media makes it hard to know what to believe. To find truth, we must look to Scripture. Prophecy will help us to understand these perilous times.
Many pastors today teach “purpose driven” rather than Scripture driven and are interested in preaching a “prosperity gospel” or “name it and claim it” deception. Those who don’t teach line upon line through Scripture, leave their congregations wide open to be deceived. I can’t stress enough how important it is to study Scripture in order to know God’s true word. Another deception many pastors is that the ekklesia (the Church) has replaced Israel. The promises God made to Abraham are as valid today as they were when they were given. The Jewish people have been regathering in their Promised Land, and that’s a sign that prophecy is coming to a head.
Let’s take a quick look at Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. Daniel was young when he was taken captive to Babylon. Daniel never forgot that he was Jewish, and although he lived in a very pagan country, he never turned away from God Almighty. One day while he was in prayer the angel Gabriel paid him a visit. Daniel was given a prophecy that discloses the end times, but many people don’t read and understand the first part. “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make and end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24. Look at the first few words carefully. This isn’t about Christians. Daniel lived long before Jesus died for our sins. Gabriel was specific when he said “thy people”, and “thy holy city”. Daniel’s people were Jewish and his holy city is Jerusalem. The “seventy weeks” are 70 weeks of years. When Daniel had been taken captive, Jerusalem was destroyed, so it must have been encouraging for Daniel to learn that his beloved Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Then Gabriel connected the coming Messiah to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:25. Read Ezra and Nehemiah to learn about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the troubles they faced in doing that. Gabriel said that there would be a decree to restore Jerusalem and that would start the countdown to when the Messiah would come.
The Messiah would come, but He would be “cut off” (crucified). “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” Daniel 9:26. Then, Jerusalem would be destroyed again. Indeed, it was destroyed in 70 A.D., long after Daniel’s life. Then, the prophecy moves forward to the final week of history. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27. It’s all about the Jewish people. Jerusalem would be rebuilt, Messiah would come and be cut off, Jerusalem would be destroyed again, but also rebuilt. There’s no temple there right now, but this verse tells us that there will be a temple. The Man of Sin, commonly called “the anti-Christ”, will stop the worship in the Temple and set up an abomination in the Temple. Jesus talked about it when He answered the disciple’s question about the end. “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:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:15-21. Once again, this is very Jewish. The Temple is Jewish and the restrictions of travel on the sabbath is restricted under Jewish law. Neither of these things are an issue to Christians. This will begin the final 3 ½ years of history; the last half of Daniels 70th week. Christians will have been raptured before the final seven years of history.
Some people claim that Christians have replaced Israel, or they think that we will have to endure the Great Tribulation in order to purify the church. Really? That’s saying that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough for our salvation. There will be tribulation saints, people who come to faith during that final seven years, but they will have a horrendous time maintaining their faith. If they don’t take the mark of the beast and serve Satan, they will be beheaded. Christians of today have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. Today, our salvation is secure. “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, 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, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:12-14. Today, Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit and we are not appointed to face God’s wrath. The final seven years of tribulation is also called the Time of Jacob’s trouble. Its purpose is to bring the nation of Israel to the point where they cry out to Jesus as their Messiah. At that point, their Messiah will return and fight for them.
There is a picture of this pretribulation rapture contained in Genesis. The world had become totally corrupted. Women had been taken by the fallen angels, had babies, and the human genome was corrupted so most people were no longer fully human. Enoch was a man who walked with God. With so much evil in the world, he was unusual. “And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:23-24. God’s judgment was coming and Enoch was raptured prior to that judgment. He is a “picture” of Christians who will be raptured before God’s judgment. The flood came and all who rejected God’s ways were killed. They had been warned, but refused to listen. Enoch’s great-grandson Noah had been directed by God to build the Ark. This Ark would take Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives safely through the judgment. They represent the Jewish people who will be taken safely through the time of Jacob’s trouble.
In Jesus’ words to His disciples, He said the end would be like the days of Noah. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37. There was much wickedness in those days, but what distinguishes them from other wicked times in history was the corruption of the human genome. Since plants and animals were also corrupted and no longer as God had created them, everything had to be destroyed. Do we see that happening today? Yes, we do. Transhumanism is an issue today. Look it up on the internet. The genome of humans, animals, and plants are all being tampered with. Most, if not all, vaccines contain DNA from aborted fetuses, animal DNA, and chemicals that are poison to people. Is it any wonder that people are becoming more and more violent? Is it any wonder that autism, ADHD, neurological disease, auto-immune disease, Alzheimer’s, and other problems are on the rise? We are in the very last days. Things will continue to become worse as we approach the final seven years, but Christians won’t be here for those final years when God’s wrath is poured out upon the world. Where will we be? We’ll be in Heaven.
When Jesus described the end of time to His disciples, He talked of things from a Jewish perspective. He would soon be crucified, which would make way for the Church to be established. Today we are living in the time between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks. This time will last until the final Gentile comes to salvation through Christ. When the final Gentile is saved, all Christians will be Raptured. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” Romans 11:25. When Christians are Raptured, God will turn His attention back to Israel. This is also seen in the Book of Revelation. Jesus dictated seven letters to seven congregations. Those letters give a history of Christianity beginning with the “persecuted church” and ending with the “apostate church”. We are in that last church era. These apostate congregations have riches but are poor. They have put Christ outside of their doors and Scripture is a secondary teaching. When the final Gentile opens the door for Christ to come into their heart the Rapture will occur. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1. The last Gentile accepts Christ for salvation, then Jesus calls us Home. Daniels 70th week won’t begin until Christians are called Home. Whether it begins immediately or if it will be delayed isn’t clear, but we won’t be here to see.
Today we need to make witnessing a priority. The happenings of today, such as wars, rumors of wars, genetic tampering, wickedness, and much more, all point to the fact that the end is very near. Be a witness for Christ. Live your life to honor Him, study Scripture in order to have answers when people ask questions, and keep listening for His call to “Come up hither”. Remember, the tribulation is coming, but we won’t be here.
No comments:
Post a Comment