Category Archives: Teaching

Who Were The Wise Men From the East?

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Wise Men or Sorcerers?

The word for ‘wise men’ in the Greek is magian, [#3097]. It is translated ‘wise men’ in the KJV, RSV, and NKJV. In the NIV it is translated magi and in the Amplified it is translated ‘astrologers.’

This same Greek word is also found in Acts 8:9 and 13:6, speaking of sorcerers. We know that sorcery was strongly condemned by the Old Testament law, and was dealt with accordingly by Peter, Paul and Barnabas. Yet, do we have ‘sorcerers’ witnessing to Jesus and being led of God in Matthew 2? I think not!

Astronomers or Astrologers?

This confusion in translating the words here reflect the common error of equating ‘astrology’ with ‘astronomy.’ ‘Astronomy’ is the science of studying the patterns and movements of the heavenly bodies for the purpose of time-telling and for global positioning, whereas ‘astrology’ is the practice of witchcraft and sorcery, often using what they call the ‘zodiac’ to make predictions and false prophecies. They are as different as daylight and darkness.

When God created the sun, moon and stars He said:

“Genesis 1:14-18 KJV – 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good.”

We can note that Herod “gathered all the chief priests and scribes together” to find out where the Christ should be born. From this we know that this knowledge was expected of them. Throughout the Old Testament, the priests and scribes were learned in time-telling for the purpose of keeping the Sabbaths, feasts, and holy days. This required a precise understanding and knowledge of the movements of the heavenly bodies; they were scientists, astronomers, not astrologers. This same knowledge of the time-telling heavens was also the means for global positioning in navigating the deserts and oceans.

Was Babylon ‘The East’?

So we see that these “wise men” from “the East” also were trained in this same priestly knowledge and knew the Biblical prophecies of the time of the arrival of the Christ Child. How did they know these things?

It seems clear that they were from the Jewish colony in Babylon. After the Babylonian captivity, a remnant of the Jews returned to rebuild Jerusalem and occupy the land until Christ should come. This remnant may have been only ten percent, and the ninety percent stayed in Babylon, among which, some were priests and scribes, often called “sages” or “wise men” by the Pharisees. These would have also been familiar with the Jewish Scriptures of the Old Testament and their prophesy of the coming of the Christ Child.

Babylon was “the East” in relation to Judea. It was approximately 500 miles east of Jerusalem. So the “wise men from the east” could well refer to those who came from Babylon. They were not astrologers, practicing some kind of occult sorcery, but rather were students of the Scriptures, worshipers of God, and astronomers, knowing how to read the time-telling and global positioning heavens. So they recognized from the stars that the Christ had come, and were able to navigate the desert by following that star. And they were able to evade Herod by hearing and obeying the directions of God.

Did God Fulfill the Promise of the Land to Abraham?

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Did God Promise the Land to Abraham?

Yes! God promised Abraham and his Seed the geographical territory from the Nile River to the River Euphrates.
• Genesis 12:6-7 KJV – 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite [was] then in the land. 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
• Genesis 15:7, 18-21 KJV – 7 And he said unto him, I [am] the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. … 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Was this promise fulfilled in the Bible?

Yes! Some ministries are teaching that this promise was never fulfilled and so must yet be fulfilled. This mistaken teaching is causing the wars in the Middle East, and the unimaginable suffering, death, and destruction they are causing. Unless it is quickly refuted and corrected it will continue to steal, kill and destroy throughout the world.

The following Scriptures give absolute proof that these promises were fulfilled:

• Joshua 21:45 KJV There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. –
• Joshua 23:14 KJV And, behold, this day I [am] going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, [and] not one thing hath failed thereof. –
• Nehemiah 9:7-8 KJV Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give [it, I say], to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou [art] righteous: –
• 1 Kings 8:56 KJV Blessed [be] the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. –
• 2 Chronicles 9:26 KJV And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

Were these promises conditional?

Yes! Every “If” in the Bible states a condition. These promises were conditional based on their keeping the Covenant.
• Deuteronomy 28:1-68 KJV – 1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. 4 Blessed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed [shall be] thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]: 14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
• 15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16 Cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. 17 Cursed [shall be] thy basket and thy store. 18 Cursed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19 Cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out. 20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 23 And thy heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron. 24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray [them] away. 27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: 29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee]. 30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. 31 Thine ox [shall be] slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass [shall be] violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep [shall be] given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue [them]. 32 Thy sons and thy daughters [shall be] given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail [with longing] for them all the day long: and [there shall be] no might in thine hand. 33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: 34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. 36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. 38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it. 39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress [them], but shalt neither drink [of] the wine, nor gather [the grapes]; for the worms shall eat them. 40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint [thyself] with the oil; for thine olive shall cast [his fruit]. 41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. 42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. 43 The stranger that [is] within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. 44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: 46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 47 Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all [things]; 48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all [things]: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. 49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; 50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: 51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which [also] shall not leave thee [either] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: 54 [So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: 55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. 56 The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 57 And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all [things] secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 59 Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, [even] great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which [is] not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. 63 And it shall come to pass, [that] as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] wood and stone. 65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy [you].
• Joshua 24:20-21 KJV – 20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
• 1 Kings 9:6 KJV – 6 [But] if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments [and] my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
• 1 Kings 9:7-9 KJV – 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 8 And at this house, [which] is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.
• Daniel 9:24-27 KJV: 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an 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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 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.”

• This was fulfilled in 70 AD.

The eternal promises are now fulfilled in Christ, the Heir to all things: Hebrew 1:1-2:

• Luke 1:32-33 KJV – 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
• Luke 1:54-55 KJV – 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of [his] mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
• Luke 1:68-75 KJV – 68 Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy [promised] to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
• Luke 24:27 KJV – 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
• Luke 24:44-45 KJV – 44 And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.
• Hebrews 1:1-2 KJV – 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

Should Christians Support Israel?

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If you are a Christian who supports “Israel,” you MUST read this:

The old Israel was destroyed, never to rise again:

Those calling themselves “Israel” today are NOT the Israel of the Bible. If you believe the Bible, you know that the 10-tribe nation ended in 723-22 B.C. “Never to raise again,” 2 Kings 17:18-23; Hosea 1:4, 6; 8:8; = Romans 9:25-29; Amos 5:2; 7:8; 8:2, 14. This was in fulfillment of the Covenant, Deuteronomy 31:19-30 and 32:1-43.

Regarding the end of the nation of Judah:  It was carried into Babylonian captivity for 70 years: Jeremiah chapters 25-29; only a Remnant returned.

Return of the “Remnant” from this captivity: Jeremiah chapters 30-44; 2 Kings 21= 2 Chronicles 33:11-19; 2 Kings 23:27: “And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

Jeremiah 24:3-4: “Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.”

Daniel foretold the final end of the fleshly nation of Judah and gave the time that it would happen: Daniel 9:24-27; and chapter 12. This was fulfilled in 70 AD, according to the time foretold by Daniel. Judah ended as a fleshly nation almost 2000 years ago.

The Old Covenant having been violated and the curse fulfilled, God promised a New Covenant, Jeremiah chapter 31. This was fulfilled in Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Galatians 3:16-29; Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:15-28.

Jesus is the Heir, the only Heir of all the promises of the Covenant: Hebrews 1:2-4. Jesus is Israel: Matthew 2:15 in fulfillment of Hosea 11:1. Christians should support the true Israel, Jesus Christ and His Body, the Church.

Those calling themselves “Israel” today are impostors. If we continue to support them, we become partakers of their evil deeds, II John, verse 11. 

Thy Kingdom Came

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“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign for ever and ever,”

Revelation 11:15 RSV. He was not speaking here of the earthly kingdoms established by men but the “kingdom of the world,” singular.

In the beginning God gave Adam, (as Mankind), dominion over all the earth, Genesis 1:26. Adam, (as Mankind), surrendered this kingdom to the devil, Satan, the serpent, Genesis chapter 3. Satan became the ‘god of this earth,’ 2 Corinthians 4:4. He offered this kingdom to Christ, but Christ overcame him, Matthew 4:8-10. Immediately, Jesus began to preach: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He was taking back the kingdom from Satan. Jesus became a man to restore the kingdom to mankind, under God. It happened, Revelation 11:15.

When Did The Kingdom Come?

Daniel foretold that the Kingdom of God would come in the time of the Roman Empire, the ‘fourth kingdom,’ Daniel 2:40, 44. This Kingdom of God was to rule over all other kingdoms and last forever, Daniel 7:18, 22, and 27. It came as foretold during the time of the Roman Empire and is recorded in the New Testament.

John the Baptist came preaching it: Matthew 3:2. Jesus preached it, Matthew 4:17, 23; 9:35.

In Matthew 12:25-28, Jesus has been accused of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Jesus answers them that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Then He says: “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you,” verse 28. It was obvious that He had cast out devils, and so, it was equally obvious that the power of “the kingdom of God” was being manifested.

The Specific Time When Christ Took Over the Kingdom:

In Matthew 26, Jesus is celebrating the Passover supper with His disciples, teaching them of the true meaning of the Passover. The Bread was His body, and the Cup was His blood. Then He said: “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom,” verse 29.

When did He drink with them again? After His resurrection. John 21:13-14: “Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed Himself to his disciples, after that He was risen from the dead.”

Acts 10:40-41: “Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly: Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead.” So Jesus took over the Kingdom of God at His resurrection, defeating Satan and fulfilling the purpose of God that Mankind should have dominion!

He Offers the Kingdom to His Disciples:

Jesus taught His disciples to submit their will to God’s will in the prayer: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Also Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 22:29-30: “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me: That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Colossians 1:13: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” This is in past tense: it had happened.  Read also the rest of this chapter.

Ephesians 1:19-23 and 2:6: “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all…. (2:6) And hath raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Jesus has been enthroned and has taken us with Him!

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire,” Hebrews 12:28-29.

“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” James 2:5.

The Kingdom Was a Present Reality to John the Revelator:

“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ…,” Revelation 1:9.

Revelation 11:15: “… ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever…. (17) We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign…” RSV.  Past tense. It is done.

Revelation 22:10: “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” The Book of Revelation was not to be sealed for a future time, but was to be fulfilled soon, quickly. It happened! Praise the Lord!

THE HOLOCAUST

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The word ‘holocaust’ in Hebrew originally meant “A great slaughter of burnt offerings.” [Strong’s #5930. Akin to #5766 with the implication of ‘unjust’ or ‘wicked.’]

Lessons From History

To understand what is now being called “The Holocaust,” we need to understand the history of Hitler’s awful wars, that triggered World War II, and the horrible destruction and slaughters he committed throughout Europe and even up into Russia. He not only killed Jews, but created the wars that also killed more than 50 million people worldwide, including my only brother and many multitudes of other innocent people. He justified his actions by claiming that the ‘Aryan’ race was superior to all others; in other words “the chosen people.”

There have been many “wicked, unjust great slaughters” since the days of Hitler’s Germany. For example, the slaughter of innocent Palestinians in Deir Yassin, Gaza, the Sabra and Shatila Refugee Camps, just to name a few. These too, were “holocausts,” unjust slaughter of innocent victims, again justifying their actions by claiming to be the “Chosen People,” and this slaughter is still continuing daily by denying the Palestinians the right to the basic necessities of life. Our wars are also the cause of the millions of other refugees who have been killed and bombed out of their homes.

We need also to remember that our own US of A has committed ‘holocausts,’ for example the slaughter and robbery of the Indian tribes as the pioneers went throughout the West, proclaiming “manifest destiny,” and using their superior weaponry, [the Remington rifle], to destroy multitudes of innocent Indian victims. [The doctrine of “manifest destiny” meant that they were doing “God’s will.”]

We Are Making History Now

Understanding history should teach us how to avoid making the same mistakes. “He who disregards the lessons of history is bound to repeat them.” And here we are engaged in wars of unjustified legitimacy. Here we are, still waging unjust wars and putting a price on justice that denies it to the poor.

Oh, yes – many tears are being shed for the awful ‘holocaust’ victims that Hitler caused. But our tears will not correct those horrible historical events. No amount of reparation money can atone for those past sins and those who were responsible for those sins are dead and gone to their judgment.

However, this is the here and now; this is where we live and where our responsibilities lie. We are here, now, being called to repent and to stand for justice in our own time and place. This is our day and our responsibility. For this we, too, will face the judgment of God.