Quoteworthy: The Church And The Kingdom

"There is very little in prophecy concerning the Church.  And yet, in these latter times, the Church has been regarded as the end, instead of the means, until it has almost eclipsed the Kingdom.

Surely the Christian world has forgotten, or else never knew, that the Church, as an organization, will disappear when the Kingdom is inaugurated under the Christ. The Church is only the assembly that is called out for the perfecting of the plans of the Kingdom. It is the scaffolding around the building. The Kingdom is the real structure that is to stand when the scaffolding is torn away. The Kingdom, as described by the prophets, and as taught by Jesus, is the all-conquering power that is to subdue the whole earth...

Every where the ministry and the laity are crying out in a piteous wail that the churches have lost their power. Is it any wonder? They have lost sight of the very object for which the Church was formed—the selection of the rulers of the literal Kingdom of Christ on earth—and they have spiritualized the Kingdom into a myth, and placed the Church in its stead as an end...

God never promised that the Church should conquer the world, nor that all men should be brought into it; but on the other hand, Paul tells us that the glorious coming of the King will not occur, until there is a great falling away first of the Church, and the man of sin is revealed.  Jesus told His disciples of the awful days of the tribulation that would precede the ushering in of His glorious reign.  Hence, it is a vain hope that the nations will be brought to Christ, and into the Church before the Lord comes.  

The evangelization of the world before the Lord comes is an ideal fancy without a Scriptural promise.  On the other hand, we are told that the fifth world Kingdom of Dan. 2:44 will subdue all other Kingdoms and that it shall endure forever.  Many, many times we are told of the final triumph of Christ's Kingdom over all; but not so of the Church."

From The Coming Kingdom by C.A. Rominger

Putting on the Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full 

armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Recently I made a recording of this Scripture passage so I could listen to it each morning for strength and fortitude.  It also spurred me to look deeper into a soldier’s armor during Biblical times and what each piece of the armor represents.

A soldier’s belt — or girdle — is a symbol of strength, activity, and power.  It also represents the exhortation to prepare ourselves for readiness for service.¹  In Luke 12:35-38, it is used to exhort us to be watching and preparing for the Lord’s return:

³⁵Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;³⁶And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. ³⁷Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. ³⁸And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. (KJV)

The breastplate protected the soldier’s heart and had to be supported by the girdle (the belt of truth).  As believers, we are not immune to spiritual warfare.  At times we groan with fear or feelings of defeat or doubt.  Those who look to Scripture as just a salve for soothing uncomfortable emotions may experience continued discouragement.  Our true strength comes from the promises in God’s Word concerning Christ Jesus’ return for us and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom.  Our emotions will falter, but His truth is unfailing.

The shield was the ancient soldier’s chief defensive weapon and was large enough to cover the entire body.¹  The first time shield is mentioned is in Genesis 15:1 and it speaks of God’s protection:

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:“Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.^” (NIV, emphasis mine)

The sword was suspended from the girdle and was the soldier's offensive weapon.¹  God’s Word — the sword of the spirit — is our offensive weapon against Satan.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, which was commonly carried by Greek and Roman soldiers.¹  Unlike a single-edge sword, a two-edged sword was primarily used for piercing (see Hebrews 4:12).²  When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, the Word of God was His strong weapon (Matthew 4:1-11).

David's helmet was made of brass when he conquered Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38).  Other times it was made of quilted linen cloth, iron, and bronze.¹  In Isaiah 59:17, Jehovah is represented as arming Himself for the defense of man:¹

¹⁷For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. (KJV, emphasis mine)

Some commentators believe that the helmet of salvation represents the crowning act of God.¹  I think it also represents our ability to understand and discern God’s Word, which is only possible when we believe in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. 

1 Samuel 17:6 describes Goliath wearing greaves of brass upon his legs, which led to a kind of half boot that was made of leather and studded with strong nails.¹  There are only two mentions of the gospel of peace in Scripture: Romans 10:15 and Ephesians 6:15.  Some say it represents the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ.  But I wonder if it represents spreading the message of the true and lasting peace that will only come when the Lord returns to establish His earthly Kingdom?

We are living in troubled times and the days are growing darker by the minute.  Despite knowing the end of the story — and God's ultimate victory over Satan — as long as we are still here, we are vulnerable to attack from the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   

God has lovingly given us His full armor for that very reason. 

1.  Merril F. Unger and R.K. Harris, ed.  The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary  (Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1988), 104-107.

2.  Arms and Armor.  Holman Bible Dictionary.  Available at: www.studylight.org.

Thy Kingdom Come

“The Old Testament prophets in plain language, and in glowing terms, foretold an era or age of universal righteousness and peace on this earth, under the reign of “Messiah the Prince.”  That the disciples were not mistaken in their belief in such an “Earthly Kingdom,” ruled over by their promised Messiah is evident from the fact that Jesus never reproved them for holding such a belief.  And after His resurrection, and previous to His Ascension, when they asked him if He would ‘at that time restore the Kingdom to Israel’ (Acts 1:6).  He did not say — ‘You are mistaken in your idea of an Earthly Kingdom, but He said — ‘It is not for you to know the Times and Seasons.  That is, when it should be set up.”  Clarence Larkin, Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purposes in the Ages.

Jesus himself tells us that He will return to set up His millennial kingdom:

Matthew 25:31-32:

³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  ³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (KJV)

Larkin also writes:

“The Apostolic Church was Pre-Millennial, and for over 200 years no other view was entertained.  The writings of the “Church Fathers” abound in evidence of the fact.  But about A.D. 250, Origen, one of the Church Fathers, conceived the idea that the words of scripture were but the “husk” in which was hid the “kernel” of scripture truth.  At once he began to “Allegorize” and “Spiritualize” the Scriptures, and thus founded that school of “Allegorizing” and “Spiritualizing” interpreters of Scripture, from which the Church and the Bible have suffered so much.  The result was that the Church largely ceased to look for the Lord to return and set up an earthly kingdom.” 

“Kingdom now” proponents often use Luke 17:21 to support their point of view, but it may be based upon a mistranslation that has been carried forward from the KJV to the NIV.

“nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (NIV, emphasis mine)

Compare that with the NET translation:

“nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or “There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (NET, emphasis mine)

And the NASB:

“nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."

Context is everything when studying Scripture.  In the previous passage, Luke 17:20, we read:

“Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,” (NET)

The NET translators point out that Jesus was talking to a group of hostile Pharisees.  He would never have told them that the kingdom of God was within them!

Perhaps the strongest piece of evidence is how Jesus instructs us to pray in Luke 11:2:

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” (KJV, emphasis mine)

Only Christ Jesus can bring His kingdom.  Let us pray that He brings it soon!

A Little Leaven...

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9 ESV)

As a writer, words are extremely important to me.  Many times I am at a loss to find the right word.  When studying Scripture, however, I am keenly aware when a change in just one word distorts God’s Word.

For example, today I was listening to an audio version of Luke 22. 

When the speaker got to verse 31, he said:

“Simon, Simon!  Listen!  Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff.” (Good News Translation, emphasis mine)

Immediately I thought, “That doesn’t sound right!”  I looked up the same passage in the King James Version:

 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Then the New International Version:

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.

And the New King James Bible:

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

Then the New American Standard Bible:

 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;

Satan “desiring” to take Simon down is far different from “receiving permission.”   I cannot help but think of Genesis 3:1, which offers evidence of Satan’s first leavening of God’s Word:

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (KJV, emphasis mine)

Several years ago I watched a DVD of pastor Mike Hoggard, who profoundly and powerfully illustrated how Satan works.  Hoggard was standing on a stage and he took a tiny step to the right, then another tiny step, and then another.  Satan has been subtly corrupting God’s Word since the beginning of eternity past, and will continue until he finally leavens the whole lump (read this previous post if you have been taught to believe that leaven represents something good concerning the Kingdom of God in Luke 13:21).

Satan has deceived man so effectively that we are seeing more water-downed translations of the Bible — or paraphrases like “The Message” — that are being used to support whatever man wants to believe (read this article, which highlights numerous deceptions within "The Message"). 

I did a quick search for “Bible” on Amazon.com and a few titles that jumped out at me were: the Everyday Life Bible, True Identity: The Bible for Women, The Life Recovery Bible (for people in 12-step recovery), The NIV Pink Bible: An Invitation to Hope, A Cup of Comfort: Women of the Bible Devotional, Bible by Anonymous, NIV Faithgirlz Bible (“Connect more deeply with God, the Bible, and your friends!") and the God Girl Bible.  To be fair, I could only view a few pages of most of these titles.  But they appeared to be subjective self-help missives wrapped inside a Bible, rather than the systematic revelation of God’s plan for ruling and reigning with His bride in the millennial kingdom. 

When I read Scripture today, it is only through the lens of Christ Jesus' coming kingdom and what is revealed about it.  I run from Bible studies that are slanted toward making my life better now because my sole focus should be preparing for that future day when I will stand before my Lord at the judgment seat of Christ:

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15, KJV)

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

He Has Risen and He Will Return!

This Easter, many will hear that Jesus died for our sins, and that He has risen.  But how many will shout with joy that He is coming again?

What would you do if the Lord were to return tomorrow to rapture His church?  Would you be ready to stand before Him at the Judgment seat of Christ?  Would you hear Him say, "well done, good and faithful servant?"  Would He would put you in charge of many things in His Millennial Kingdom? 

Christ Jesus IS coming.  I feel compelled to say it again and again because the Word of God boldly proclaims it!  Yet the world has practically shut up the message of Christ's return and His visible Kingdom. 

A.W. Pink sums it up so eloquently in his wonderful book The Redeemer's Return:

"...this Age began with a ringing testimony to the truth of our Lord's Return.  Each of the apostles, of whose writings we have any inspired record, taught their converts to look for their Saviour's appearing.  Alas! that this testimony was not maintained.  Alas! that this Blessed Hope should ever have become dim.  Alas! that it should, for more than a thousand years, have been almost totally lost to the Lord's people.  Yet so it was.  The immediate successors of the apostles turned their attention to other things: as it was with the Pharisees in the days of our Lord, so these tithed anise and mint but omitted the weightier matters. 

Instead of expounding the Prophetic Scriptures and setting before the Church its one great Hope, the early 'Church fathers,' for the most part, spent their time in wrangling among themselves.  Even before the apostles themselves had left the earth, false teachers crept in and began to devour the flock, and within three centuries the whole professing Church had become paganized.  Then followed the Dark Ages—aptly named, for the lamp of Prophecy had ceased to shine and the prospect of the speedy return of the Morning Star had completely disappeared.  As our Lord Himself had foretold, the virgins all slumbered and slept: no longer were His people looking for the Coming of the Bridegroom.

...There are still great numbers of the Lord's people who know next to nothing about this precious theme.  Notwithsanding the fact that the Second Coming of Christ occupies a prominent place in the Holy Scriptures, notwithstanding the fact that this subject is a most practical one having, as it does, some bearing on every phase of our present and future life, and notwithstanding that it is calculated to awaken a deep interest in "things to come" and lead to definite heart-searching, nevertheless, the vast majority of our pulpits entirely ignore the subject and in consequence great numbers of our church-members are in almost total ignorance concerning those things which God's Word declares will shortly come to pass."

This Easter, I pray that you have ears to hear that He is coming!  Christ's return is our blessed hope, in fact our only hope in this dark and sinful world.  May this knowledge fill you with great anticipation and much joy.

Quoteworthy: Christ’s Return in Leviticus

“…Leviticus is of use to us now as a revelation of Christ… The book is thus a treasury of divinely-chosen illustrations as to the way of a sinner’s salvation through the priestly work of the Son of God, and as to his present and future position and dignity as a redeemed man.

…Leviticus is still of use to us as embodying in type and figure prophecies of things yet to come, pertaining to the Messiah’s kingdom.  We must not imagine with some that because many of its types are long ago fulfilled, therefore all have been fulfilled.  Many, according to the hints of the New Testament, await their fulfillment in a bright day that is coming. 

Some, for instance, of the feasts of the Lord have been fulfilled; as Passover, and the feast of Pentecost.  But how about the day of atonement for the sin of corporate Israel?  We have seen the type of the day of atonement fulfilled in the entering into heaven of our great High Priest; but in the type He came out again to bless the people: has that been fulfilled?  Has He yet proclaimed absolution of sin to guilty Israel? 

How again, about the feast of trumpets, and that of the ingathering at full harvest?  How about the Sabbatic year, and that most consummate type of all, the year of jubilee?  History records nothing which could be held a fulfillment of any of these; and thus Leviticus bids us look forward to a glorious future yet to come, when the great redemption shall at last be accomplished, and “Holiness to Jehovah” shall, as Zecharian puts it, be written even “on the bells of the horses.”’

From The Book of Leviticus, by Samuel Henry Kellog

Dividing, Selecting, and Electing

 

Tom Bradford speaks of God’s pattern of dividing, selecting, and electing in Scripture.  He runs a wonderful website called Torah Class, which offers free lessons on the first five books of the Bible.  It provides bible studies and Scripture research for Christians, Messianic Jews, and all seekers of truth. 

This spurred me to find examples in Scripture where God divides, selects, and elects:

• Enoch is credited for walking faithfully with God and God removes him from the earth prior to the flood, which is a type of the rapture of the saints before the tribulation.
• God tells Noah to build an ark and enter it and thus only eight souls are saved from the flood (1 Peter 3:20, KJV), which is a type of the 144,000 who will be sealed and preserved through the tribulation.
• Abraham is told to separate from his people and his country to go to the land of Canaan. But Abraham never actually occupies the land flowing of milk and honey, which is promised to his descendents.
• God leads Lot and his two daughters out of Sodom and Gomorrah before its total destruction, which is an example of the danger of being yoked with unbelievers.
• Moses is told to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 12:37 tells us they eventually numbered 600,000), yet only Joshua and Caleb are allowed to enter the promised land.

I know that many have been led to believe that when Christ Jesus returns all believers will be rewarded equally in His Kingdom. But I believe that God’s pattern of dividing, selecting, and electing in Scripture tells us otherwise.