Monthly Archives: February 2015

How To Counter Terrorism

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Suddenly now, the big issue is how to counter “terrorism.”

Can we resist evil with evil?

That is defeat within itself. Romans 12:21: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

This war is an “ideological” war, a war of religions, of ideas, morals and ethics. Can we fight it with guns, tanks, bombs, drones, planes, ‘boots on the ground’? Certainly not. The “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” approach can only lead to an escalation of hostilities. It only skims the surface of the issue and makes it worse.

Begin With Repentance

We the people of the United States of America must begin by repenting of our sins. Until we do, we have defeated ourselves by incurring the wrath of God.

We must repent of fornication and adultery which are the root causes of abortions, broken homes, abused and neglected children and all of the other consequences of our vile entertainment and media abuse. We are guilty of the blood of more than 60 million aborted babies. How can we self-righteously accuse others of having “blood on their hands”?

We must repent of our idolatry in supporting the establishment of the anti-Christian nation calling itself “Israel” which has been the festering thorn in the sides of the Middle East. We must also call them to repentance and restitution for all their atrocities during their occupation of Palestine.

We must repent of our covetousness in wanting the cheap resources of oil and gas from the Middle East to satisfy our greed for more and more luxuries and self-indulgence.

We Must Repent of Unjust Wars

We must repent of the unjust wars we have engaged in because of our covetousness: James 4:1-4:
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come thy not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

This would be only the beginning of our “Counter Terrorism.” But there is no other effective way to begin. In Jesus’ Name, let us begin.

Revelation 1:1 – He Sent and Signified It By His Angel

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1:1. “And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” (KJV)

There are some forty-two references to angel/s in the Book of Revelation. It is therefore important to understand the term. The following references will make clear what angels are and what their ministry is:

“And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire,” (Hebrews 1:7 quoting Psalm 104:4).

“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14).

“Bless the LORD, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word,” (Psalms 103:20).

Angels are spirits and ministers who go forth ministering and doing God’s word. They are mighty in strength, do His commandments and obey His voice. These spirits/angels/ministers are made a flaming fire, which makes them appear as burning stars. Now we see these same relationships exist in the Book of Revelation.

It might help to clarify these relationships as: (1) On the material, physical level they were the Ministers in the literal Churches; (2) On the cosmic level, they were burning stars as lamps of fire in the heavenlies; (3) On the spiritual level, they were obedient emissaries of God to express and interpret God’s will to the physical, material world.

Stars Are Angels

Revelation 1:4. “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.” (The seven spirits before the throne are the seven lamps of fire, as stated in Revelation 4:5 quoted below):

Revelation 1:16: Jesus is holding the seven stars/seven spirits in his hand: “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Revelation 1:20. The seven stars are the seven angels: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

Angels of the Churches

The “angels” of the seven churches were the ministering spirits of those churches. These ministering spirits indwelt the pastors, prophets, and others who were filled with the Holy Spirit. The messages to the Churches are addressed to these “Angels,” for example:

Revelation 2:1: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”

Revelation 3:1: “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”

Revelation 4:5: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

Revelation 5:6: The seven eyes of the Lamb are the seven spirits: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

1:1. And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel, (KJV)

Why did he send the Revelation by this Angel, and who was the Angel?  This and the next two lessons will answer this question.

This Angel was the interpreter. As in Nehemiah 8:5-8, Ezra read from the Book and the interpreters gave the “understanding,” the “sense.” The Hebrew language of the Scriptures was like a foreign language to them at this time.  In Revelation 1:1, the Angel is the interpreter; he “signified,” or ‘interpreted,’ what God was saying to John.

The “Angels of the Churches” were the interpreters as in the synagogues of that day throughout the Roman world, where the interpreter stood by the reader and interpreted in their mother tongue what was read from the Hebrew text.

Next Lesson: Who Was The Signifying Angel of Revelation 1:1?

Grace Versus Works?

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Seeing and hearing so much teaching that the Grace of God offered in the New Testament has canceled the requirement for the moral law and its good works, please consider the following exhortations to good works:

Works Matter

God judges our work: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (14) For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. See also Psalm 28:4; 62:12. Proverbs 24:12, 24. Ezekiel 7:3; 36:19.

The final judgment will be of our works: Revelation 20:11-12: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

God’s message to each of the Seven Churches  starts by saying: “I know thy works.” Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.

1Peter 2:11-12: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (12) Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak evil of you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Hebrews 10:24: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.”

Titus 2:6-8: “Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. (8) In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works; in doctrine, shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, (8) Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”

1Timothy 6:17-19: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (18) That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; (19) Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Women should adorn themselves with good works: 1Timothy 2:9-10: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

Grace and Works Again:

Titus 3:1, 2, 8: “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. (2) To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men…. (8) This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

Grace teaches good works: “(11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (12) Teaching us that, denying ugodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world: (13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (15) These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee, Titus 2:11-15.

Lesson 20 of Series – The Pattern Fulfilled

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The End of the “World”/ “Age” Came in 70 AD

The “end of the world” (KJV, “end of the age,” NIV, RSV, etc.), as spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24 was fufilled in the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish nation, and the destruction and dispersion of the Jews as a people. The “end of the age,” of the fleshly Israel established the pattern for the end of any nation who has known the commandments of God and has refused them. God is no respecter of persons in judgment. The fact that there was an immediate, literal fulfillment only confirms the general reference and the future eschatological fulfillment upon the wicked.

The Gospel Fully Preached

The immediate reference that the gospel must be preached to “all the world” was fulfilled in the sense that the Roman Empire was called “all the world,” (Luke 2:1), and “to every nation” was fulfilled in the sense that the tribes of Israel were “the nations,” as in Acts 2:5. Therefore, the gospel was fully preached, according to Colossians 1:23, before the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the “end of the age” for the fleshly Israel.

Christ’s Prophetic Identity Proven True

Christ’s signal predictions in the Gospels were fully realized in the events of the destruction of Jerusalem, serving also as a sign of the yet future end of any nation that forgets God. Thus the Book of Revelation shows that the morally imperative fulfillment of Christ’s prophecies did come to pass, proving that He was indeed a true Prophet.

Just as God’s word by Jeremiah was fulfilled, so also was the prophecy of Jesus fulfilled in the utter desolation of the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. The fact that Jeremiah’s and Jesus’ predictions came to pass should have the effect of striking Godly fear into the hearts of the world, for their words are surety of the pending judgment upon those who reject the Gospel, even when the Gospel has been fully preached to all nations and the whole world stands accountable before God. Rather than being a source of racial pride and/or bigotry, it is proof that God is indeed “no respecter of person in judgment.”

End of Series: Revelation 1:1 – ‘Must’ The Moral Imperative. If you have followed this series, you will understand fully that the Book of Revelation cannot be interpreted as to yet be fulfilled in some future time. It was morally imperative that these events happen quickly, soon, shortly. Please follow the future lessons on my blog to understand how, when, and why these things did “come to pass” shortly. This is often referred to as the “preterist” interpretation.

Next Lesson: Angel(s)

Lesson 19 of Series – Forty Years of the Messiah

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The Historical Record

The Church historian, Eusebius, says: “After the Saviour’s passion, and the cries with which the Jewish mob clamoured for the reprieve of the bandit and murderer and begged that the Author of Life should be removed from them, disaster befell the entire nation. There is no need to add anything to the historical records. But it would be right to mention, too, certain facts which bring home the beneficence of all-gracious Providence, which for forty years after their crime against Christ delayed their destruction,” (Eusebius, 3.7.3).

The Biblical Record

There was indeed a space of time of 40 years, (as in Numbers 14:34), after the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, (about AD 30), to the destruction of the nation, (about AD 70). That this period of time was considered analogous to the 40-year wilderness experience is confirmed by Hebrews 3:7-4:11 and 1 Corinthians. 10:1-11. This was the period of time in which the gospel was preached throughout the Roman Empire to all the Jews, Colossians 1:23. This space of time, however, was not a “breach of promise” but was a demonstration of God’s mercy, as Eusebius says.

The Jewish Tradition

In fact, the ‘forty years of the Messiah’ was a tradition amongst the Jews, as attested in their writings. Lightfoot quotes R. Eliezer from Sanhedrin:

“The days of the Messiah are forty years, according as it is said, ‘Forty years…shall I be grieved with this generation.’ The Gloss is, ‘Because it is …(in the future tense) it is a sign the prophecy is concerning the time to come.’ It is ingenuously done, however, of these ‘Jews’, that they parallel that faithless generation that was in the days of the Messiah with that perverse and rebellious generation that had been in the wilderness: for they will, both of them prove a loathing and offence to God for the space of forty years. And as those forty years in the wilderness were numbered according to the forty days in which the land had been searching [Num. xiv.34]; so also may those forty years of the Messiah be numbered according to the forty days wherein he was conversant amongst mankind after his resurrection from the dead.”

The passage in Numbers 14 speaks of the long-suffering of God by waiting forty years while the doubting generation died. This is also referred to in Hebrews 3:7-19 and is applied to the contemporary audience: “Today!” There is a serious problem, however, with the interpretation that “God stopped the clock for a ‘time out’ which has not been called back in yet,” (after 2,000 years!) The forty years of God’s merciful patience with the fleshly nation, Israel, ended in 70 AD.

Next Lesson: The Pattern Fufilled