The Rapture and His Glorious Appearing
No one disputes that Jesus will come again; the dispute is whether His Second Coming will be in one phase or two and when He will come for His Church. Here, I will show why I believe His Second Coming will be in two phases: the Rapture and His Glorious Appearing.
Waiting
Most of us don’t wait well. I know I struggle with “the wait.” The waiting is not something any of us look forward to. At least no one I know.
The Church
When people hear the word “Church,” they often think of a brick-and-mortar building or an institution of some kind. But the Church is much, much more than that. It is not just a collection of churches across the world; it is also a body of Jews and Gentiles who know Christ and whose sins are forever forgiven by God. Because Israel rejected Jesus at His First Coming, God paused His program for Israel for an undetermined period, which we call the Church Age. This Age encompasses the period between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel, as discussed in Time of the Gentiles: Daniel’s Prophecies. During this Age, the Church was established as the “called of God” with a specific destination and purpose. In this post, we will discuss the anticipation and beginning of the Church. We will also explore how the Church is an heir of God and partakes of the New Covenant. God’s Plan From the beginning, God’s plan of salvation included the entire world. God chose the nation of Israel to bring the message of light to the world. From Israel came Jesus, the Light God had promised, yet his people, Israel, rejected Him. This rejection was no surprise to God; it was part of His ultimate plan to save us all. Because the Jews rejected Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, He extended His invitation to all who would follow Him, Jews and Gentiles alike. God’s plan that both Gentiles and Jews who believe in Jesus share equally in His inheritance was not made known in the Old Testament. It was only after Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit that this mystery was revealed. When either a Jew or Gentile trusts Jesus as their Savior, they become a child of God and are part of the Church. Promise of the Holy Spirit Jesus had been ministering with His disciples for nearly three years. He tried to prepare them for what was to come by telling them He wouldn’t be with them much longer. He said that He was going somewhere and they couldn’t come now, but not to worry because He was preparing a place for them in His Father’s house and would return for them (John 13:33-35, John 14:1, John 14:2-3). He told them that after He leaves, He will send a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will be with them and in them forever (John 14:15-17). He promised that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things, help them remember all that He has taught them (John 14:26), and guide them into all truth (John 16:12-13). The disciples’ hope died with Jesus on the cross – only to be resurrected with Jesus three days later. Jesus appeared and instructed them to wait for the Father’s promise, the Holy Spirit. He told them that when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they would receive power and be His witnesses worldwide (Acts 1:4-8). Not even Jesus’ words could prepare the disciples for the reality of the moment the Holy Spirit appeared: they were gathered together under one roof when suddenly they heard a loud noise like a violent wind filling the house. Next, what seemed like tongues of fire rested on each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking languages previously unknown to them. Because it was Pentecost, Jews from every nation had gathered in Jerusalem. When they heard the noise of the rushing wind, they came to investigate. They were “amazed and astonished” because they heard “mighty deeds of God” spoken in their language! Emboldened by the Spirit, Peter, the same Peter who had denied Jesus three times, stood before an audience of Jews and preached the Gospel for the first time. He explained that Jesus, whom they had crucified, was now exalted to the right hand of God; He had received the gift of the Holy Spirit and now poured the Spirit on the disciples (Acts 2:33). Peter then told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). He went on to tell them that the gift of the Holy Spirit was not just for them and their children but for all who are far off, as many as the Lord will call to Himself (Acts 2:39). 3,000 were baptized that day: the Church was born! The Church is for Jew and Gentile Alike The Jewish Christians soon learned that the Messiah and the gift of the Holy Spirit were not just for the Jews but also the Gentiles. This truth became apparent to Peter when he went to Cornelius, a Gentile, and began to tell him and his family and friends about Jesus. The Holy Spirit fell on them as he spoke, and they started to speak with tongues exalting God. Peter then baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:44-48) By revelation through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul was given wisdom concerning the Church. The Church was a mystery hidden in the Old Testament and only made known after Jesus’ first coming. The mystery revealed to Paul was that “the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). Both Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God through Christ. Both have access in one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:14-18). The Church’s Inheritance The word “Church” is a translation of the Greek word Ekklesia, which comes from the verb “Kaleo,” which means “to call.” The Church is the “called” of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6). As the called of Jesus, we are citizens of heaven and not earth. Our spirit testifies with the Holy Spirit that we are children of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). Our inheritance is imperishable and undefiled; it won’t fade away and is reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4-5). We eagerly await Jesus
Control
Hi, my name is Shahla and I’m a control seeker, freak, craver and am in recovery for my tendencies. I wish I could say that’s a joke or meant to be funny, but the truth hurts sometimes. There are areas of my life that I still desperately try to hold on to. Anyone else? In reality, there is very little I have control over. I’ll share more on that below, but first let me share where you could mostly like find my name in the dictionary. There are five definitions for control. Here are two that I could stick to my forehead. -to exercise restraining or directing influence over-to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous (harmless) levels Let me know if this resonates with you like it does me. The first definition is the one where I give my opinions and/or lists of reasons for or against something, sometimes (or maybe a lot of times) without being asked. This is also where I tell God my multiple ideas on how He could/should solve a problem. The second definition is one where I put on my ‘fixer’ hat. I try to solve the problem without seeking God first. I think if I just do this or that it will help or minimize impact. I try to fix and sometimes (or maybe a lot of times) I enable or delay. If I really think about either scenario noted above, I chuckle and groan thinking God must do the same. He must chuckle at me and think “sweet girl, why do you not trust Me? Have I not proven faithful? I don’t need your opinion or solutions, I knew the answer before you were even aware. Now let go.” He must groan at me and think “sweet girl, why are trying to fix what only I can? If you accomplished or fixed all this you would receive the glory not I, plus don’t I have the better plan? Now let go.” How can something be so hard and yet so easy at the same time?!?! Let go. Recognize how little control I have in the grander scheme of things. For those of you that are like me there are a few things we can control, albeit not the long list of areas we would like. And for those of you who have no issues with control, here’s some gentle reminders you may be able to share with the control seeker, freak and craver in your life. Here are three things I have control over- My effort- don’t quit, keep praying, keep being obedient, keep circling the wall. Remember on the 7th day the wall fell because the Israelites kept their effort and obedience despite not seeing anything days 1-6. “So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to camp. They did this for six days.” Joshua 6:14 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 My attitude- be humble, be kind, be patient; have an attitude like Christ…Don’t forget, trusting God is a choice. It’s a yes or no answer. It’s an attitude of the heart. He tells us to not look at our understanding. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:3-5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 My thoughts- don’t let my thoughts get out of control (see what I did there); recognize underneath the desire to control is usually fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the ‘what if’, fear that God won’t do what needs to be done (or what I think is best.) All of these usually start when that one thought pops up in our mind. “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 Lord, thank You for always being present, for always being powerful and in control of every detail.Lord, forgive me for wanting control and for allowing fear to take hold. Give me gentle reminders that I should trust in You always, that nothing shocks or surprises You and that Your plan is always, always, always the better one. May my effort, attitude and thoughts be surrendered to You. In Jesus Name. Amen. This weeks playlist:
Time of the Gentiles: Daniel’s Prophecies
The prophecies in the Book of Daniel are integral to understanding the prophetic timeline that begins with Judah’s deportation by Babylon and ends with Christ’s Second Coming. Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 predicts successive Gentile kingdoms that will dominate the earth until Christ returns and establishes His eternal kingdom. Jesus refers to this period of Gentile domination as the “Time of the Gentiles.” Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy in Daniel 9 further enhances our understanding of the prophetic timeline by giving us more details on God’s plan for Israel and the world. Let’s explore in more detail these two prophecies. Statue Prophecy During Judah’s 70 year exile in Babylon, Daniel, a Jewish exile, served King Nebuchadnezzar, who consulted with Daniel about every matter of wisdom and understanding (Daniel 1:20). King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream and asked his magicians, conjurers, and sorcerers to first tell him his dream and then interpret it. When they responded that he was asking the impossible, he ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be killed, including Daniel (Daniel 2:12-13). Daniel, hearing of the King’s plan, went to the Lord in prayer, knowing that only the God of heaven could reveal and interpret dreams. And God did just that; He revealed the mystery of the King’s dream to Daniel through a night vision. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar his dream was about what would take place in the future and gave him the details of his dream: “You, O King, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35) Daniel interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar. He told him that each body part of the statue represented a different kingdom that would replace the one before it. Through the lens of history, we can name the world empires Daniel described. We can also tie these Gentile empires to Jesus’ reference in Luke 21:24, which is the Gentile nations trampling underfoot Jerusalem until “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” In addition to each body part representing a successive world kingdom, the type of metal comprising each of these parts/kingdoms is progressively less fine but somewhat stronger than the previous metal, just like the actual empires the metals represent. The head of gold on the statue represents the first kingdom, the Kingdom of Babylon, which conquered the southern kingdom of Judah and took its citizens captive for 70 years. The Babylonian empire was known for its luxury and contained one of the seven wonders of the ancient world: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The second kingdom, the Persian empire represented by the breast and arms of silver, was not as “fine” as the Babylonian empire, but it was stronger. It was during the Persian rule that the last six books of the Old Testament were written. The Persian Empire ruled over Israel until Alexander the Great conquered much of the world. The belly and thighs of bronze represent the third kingdom, the Greek empire that trampled over and ruled Jerusalem during the silent years of the Bible, between Malachi and Matthew. The legs of iron represent the fourth kingdom or historical Rome, which occupied Israel’s land, eventually pushing them out of their homeland in A.D. 70. The Roman Empire was stronger, more extensive, and longer-lasting than all the other empires. It was the Roman empire that ruled over Israel during New Testament times. These first four empires represented by the statue’s head down to its legs are historical empires. However, the figure’s partly iron, and partly clay feet and toes represent a future revived Roman Empire that the Antichrist will rule over right before the Second Coming of Christ. Like the iron and clay, part of this revived empire will be strong, but part of it will be weak. Daniel then tells King Nebuchadnezzar that there will be a fifth kingdom, a kingdom that God will set up “in the days of those kings” which will never be destroyed and “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44). This fifth kingdom is represented by the stone cut out without hands that struck the statue on its feet, crushing them. This stone ends not only the revived Roman Empire over which the Antichrist rules but the days of the Gentiles’ dominion over Israel. The fact that the stone was not cut from human hands represents that the stone was not of human origin. The stone that destroys the Antichrist and sets up an eternal kingdom is Jesus Christ! The first four kingdoms are real kingdoms. This is significant because some believe that the fifth kingdom will not be a literal kingdom but only a spiritual one. Since the first four kingdoms are literal, we can expect that the last kingdom, the Kingdom of Christ, will be too. Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks During Judah’s captivity in Babylon, Daniel, while reading the Jewish scrolls, found Jeremiah’s prophecy setting the number of years of Judah’s captivity in Babylon at 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10). Realizing that Judah’s Babylon captivity was coming to an end, He began to speak and pray to God about what was
Israel, the Divided Kingdom
God sovereignly set apart Israel as a nation to enter into covenant with so that all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1). God gave Israel the Word of God to guard, protect, and deliver to the world, not only through the Prophets but through the promised Messiah, the Word made flesh (John 1:1). In Israel and Her Covenants, we began to discuss God’s plan for Israel and His covenant relationship with the nation from whom the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come. We learned how God passed His promises through the patriarchs from generation to generation and how these covenants of land, seed, and blessing were unconditional, eternal, and literal. We followed the bloodline of Jesus from Abraham, through the tribe of Judah to David, who was crowned the King of Israel. Here, we will fly through history and briefly examine what happened to Israel after King David’s death. From David to Solomon David sat on the throne of Israel for 40 years. His son Solomon ruled Israel for another 40 years. This period is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of Israel because Israel flourished during this time. However, toward the end of Solomon’s life, he began to turn away from God. Even after God’s repeated warnings to not follow other gods, Solomon allowed his foreign wives, through their pagan practices, to influence him and to turn his heart towards their gods.As a result, “his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4). Because of his disobedience, God told Solomon that he would strip his kingdom away, but not yet. Out of God’s love for David, He would wait until after Solomon died and take the Kingdom from Solomon’s son instead. Division of the Dynasty After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam reigned over all of Israel (1 Kings 11:41-43). However, as God had previously warned Solomon, He had other plans for the Davidic dynasty. God spoke through the Prophet Ahijah to Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam, and told him that the Kingdom of Israel would be divided because of Israel’s disobedience. He went on to say that Jeroboam would rule over the ten tribes of the northern kingdom but that “for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel,” Solomon’s son, Rehoboam would hang on to one tribe (1 Kings 11:32). Ahijah’s prophecy was soon fulfilled. King Rehoboam acted foolishly. He would not listen to the people of Israel, and they rebelled against him. Only one tribe, Judah, remained loyal to the house of David (1 Kings 12:20). The tribe of Benjamin split its loyalties between the Northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and Judah’s southern kingdom. In an attempt to restore the Kingdom, King Rehoboam gathered 180,000 men to fight against the ten tribes now called Israel. Some Benjamites joined King Rehoboam in this effort. However, God intervened. He sent word through Shemiah, a man of God, saying do not “go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel” (1 Kings 12:24). From that point on, Israel was a divided kingdom, with Judah’s capital, Jerusalem, and Israel’s capital, Samaria. Northern Kingdom of Israel Because Israel did not keep God’s law and sinned against Him, God allowed Israel to be invaded by the Assyrians and scattered throughout the surrounding nations (2 Kings 17:6-7). Israel’s lands were resettled by foreigners (2 Kings 17:24). The ten tribes of the northern kingdom have mostly disappeared from history, although their descendants continue to exist. Southern Kingdom of Judah Unlike Israel, Judah managed to fend off the Assyrian invasion. However, eventually the Babylonian empire conquered Judah and deported the Judah citizens to Babylon. Before God allowed this to happen, He time and time again sent word to them “by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people until there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:15). The people of Judah were held captive in Babylon for 70 years. During this time, Persia conquered Babylon, and Cyrus, the King of Persia, allowed them to return home to Jerusalem. Just as God promised that he would scatter Israel throughout the nations for their disobedience, He also promises that He will bring them back to their homeland and make them dwell in safety (Jeremiah 32:37). God is faithful. Israel will never stop being a nation. The time is near (Revelation 22:10).