Category: prophecy

A Prayer According to God’s Will

Thursday, May 7, 2015

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;” (1 Timothy 2:1-3 KJV).

On this United States’ National Day of Prayer, we pray you pray according to the Lord Jesus Christ’s will for today!

Today, religious people—the general public, clergy, and government officials—will assemble nationwide, like they do every year, and pray for spiritual and moral revival of the “Christian” (?) United States of America. We commend their noble efforts, but God’s Word says there will be no godly revival of any of the world’s Gentile nations until Jesus Christ returns to earth at His Second Coming (Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 59:20–60:3; Zechariah 8:20-23; Revelation 11:15; et cetera).

The LORD’s words to King Solomon are often quoted on this day: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Friends, this is certainly God’s Word, but has nothing to do with Gentiles in the United States in the Dispensation of Grace. This verse has a context often overlooked—the nation Israel under the Mosaic Law, praying in relation to God’s Temple in Jerusalem (verses 15,16). Actually, that Temple was destroyed over 19 centuries ago! Unlike Israel, the United States was never a divinely-founded nation. The American people as a whole are not God’s people like Israel was.

Rather than praying 2 Chronicles 7:14, remember today’s Scripture (God’s Word to us Gentiles). The verse following today’s Scripture says, “[God] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Pray for those in authority, that they would trust Jesus Christ alone as their personal Saviour, and then grow in His Word to them so they can make wise decisions on behalf of the people they govern.

Pernicious

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

“And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:2 KJV).

What does “pernicious” mean?

The New Oxford English Dictionary defines “pernicious” as “having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.” Our King James translators rendered that Greek word apoleia elsewhere as: “destruction” (Matthew 7:13; Romans 9:22; Philippians 3:19; 2 Peter 3:16), “waste” (Matthew 26:8; Mark 14:4), “perdition” (John 17:12; Philippians 1:28; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 10:39; 2 Peter 3:7; Revelation 17:8,11), “die” (Acts 25:16), “damnable” (2 Peter 2:1), and “damnation” (2 Peter 2:3).

We read today’s Scripture in context: “[1] But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. [3] And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

Apoleia appears thrice in 2 Peter 2:1-3 (once per verse). The Holy Spirit emphasizes this very serious matter in Israel’s program. The worst of all heresies in Israel’s program, chiefly during the end-time portion, is to deny Jesus as Christ and to accept Antichrist. Throughout Matthew through John and Hebrews through Revelation, Israel is recurrently warned about deception, especially regarding a counterfeit Messiah (Matthew 24:23-26; Mark 13:21-23; John 5:43; 1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:1-4; 1 John 5:1-5; 2 John 7-11; Jude 4). What is most destructive to a Jew living in Israel’s program is to accept the wrong Messiah. Participating in Satan’s policy of evil will qualify that Jew for God’s righteous wrath at Jesus Christ’s Second Coming (Matthew 3:7-12; Hebrews 10:25-31).

Dear friends, “pernicious” doctrine and false teachers are not unique to Israel’s program. Let us be on guard today in the Dispensation of Grace, and flee those who do not “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). If they do not preach Jesus Christ as found in Romans through Philemon, avoid such “false teachers” and “pernicious ways!”

The Common Prison and The Extraordinary Message

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

“Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison” (Acts 5:17,18 KJV).

Oh, man’s shameful treatment of God’s faithful apostles!

For several months now, Peter and the 11 other apostles of Israel have been preaching to their Jewish brethren, pleading with them to trust Jesus as their Messiah, that they not be consumed in His wrath when He returns. The Holy Spirit has been working mightily in and through these 12 men: they have performed various healing miracles, confirming the kingdom message that they are preaching (Mark 16:17-20; Hebrews 2:3-5; et al.).

Israel’s religious leaders know the apostles’ activities threaten their organization. In the chapter previous to today’s Scripture, Israel’s religious leaders “commanded [the apostles] not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (verse 18). Peter wisely answered, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (verses 19,20). The apostles were further threatened but not imprisoned.

Today’s Scripture is some time later, after many other healing miracles occurred, after many other sermons about Jesus Christ have been preached. Israel’s religious leaders arrest the apostles and throw them into prison. Not the prison for political or elite wrongdoers, but the “common prison.” The apostles are thrown into a dangerous environment. The worst criminals—the murderers, rapists, et cetera—are in the “common prison” with them! God certainly had His eyes on these dear Israeli apostles. In fact, they miraculously survived that “common prison” until the angel of the Lord came by night to release them (verse 19)!

Israel’s apostles went on from the common prison to preach again to the common people. Praise God that they were not bitter or slack. Despite their persecution, they preached their hearts out. Nothing could keep them from talking about the Messiahship of Jesus. They eventually gave up their lives for Him! Beloved, surely, in light of what these men faced for Jesus Christ, we can endure name-calling and ostracism! 🙂

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #12

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

The Mosaic Law declared that if Israel broke God’s laws, He would punish her with five accumulative and successive courses of judgment. That last round of chastisement was banishment from the Promised Land. Because of her national sins, Israel became increasingly open to Satan’s influence. Contractual agreement forced God to curse His beloved people!

As the Gentile armies led the Jews away captive, Israel mourned. They died in those foreign lands. As long as Israel was scattered globally, she could not be in the land that God had promised her. Furthermore, she could not accomplish His will in His land. That will all change when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and establishes His earthly kingdom. Israel will rejoice with the establishment of the New Covenant!

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 126:1-6: “[1] When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. [2] Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. [3] The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. [4] Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. [5] They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. [6] He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

As Romans chapter 11 makes so plain, God still has a plan and purpose for Israel. In due time, He will fulfill it. For now, however, He is operating our mystery program. He will take care of Israel and her enemies in due course. For now, however, He is graciously offering salvation from sins, to all who simply believe on His Son.

“Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad” (Psalm 53:6). 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What part of us is justified at salvation?”

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #11

Monday, April 27, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

Earlier in these studies, we looked at Exodus 19:5,6, God’s Word to Israel just out of Egyptian bondage. We will look at these verses once more: “[5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: [6] And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

Israel failed to be God’s people. They had religion, but not righteousness. Israel had just escaped Egyptian slavery, and now they set themselves up for more captivity. By agreeing to do everything the LORD commanded them, and entering into the Covenant of Law, they ended up breaking that covenant and not becoming His people! Like all us sinners, they failed miserably. They never came close to God’s righteousness (Romans 2:17–3:20).

We read of Israel’s sin dilemma in Isaiah chapter 49: “[24] Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? [25] But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. [26] And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.”

Israel, even to this day, is not only scattered amongst the Gentiles, but she is also in Satan’s captivity. The Messiah is coming to not only redeem Israel from the nations, but from the very depths of sin and hell (Romans 11:26-29)!

We can now summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why does the Bible say Jesus was hanged on a ‘tree?’”

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #10

Sunday, April 26, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

Yes, God was quite angry at Israel for her many centuries of spiritual adultery, her serving and worshipping silly idols. It was righteous indignation, and He was fair in carrying out Israel’s deportation. But, He promised Israel that He would not utterly destroy her that she pass off the scene forever. He would punish her (as per the Law Covenant that she agreed to!), but He, in His grace and mercy, would also forgive, cleanse, and restore her.

We read such a marvelous promise God made to Israel in Jeremiah 30:3,10,11: “[3] For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. [10] Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. [11] For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”

As the Prophet Jeremiah pointed out above, God will also judge the Gentile nations He used to punish Israel (since those nations treated Israel excessively harsh… and they still mistreat the Jews today). He will utterly consume all the Gentiles nations who have united against Israel, He will greatly punish Israel (Daniel’s future 70th week), but He will not leave Israel completely hopeless. He is coming back for her, to turn back her captivity….

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #9

Saturday, April 25, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

Jeremiah 32:37-44 is one greatest summaries of the reversal of Israel’s captivity: “[37] Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: [38] And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: [39] And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: [40] And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. [41] Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. [42] For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. [44]… for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.” A thrilling passage!

Not only will God bring Israel (that is, believing Israel) back into their land to dwell forever and ever with Him (Jesus Christ Himself dwelling with them in that literal kingdom), He will give each Jew a new heart, that they may serve Him forever in that kingdom. He will permanently cut them off from Adam, and give them a new nature in Christ (their physical circumcision was to represent this righteousness; Romans 2:28,29; Romans 4:11). This return to the Promised Land will be possible through the New Covenant, which cancels the sin debt Israel accumulated under the Old Covenant (Ezekiel 36:16-38; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Romans 11:26-29; Hebrews 8:8-13; Hebrews 10:15-17). Israel has a most marvelous future….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Is ‘Jerusalem’ my hometown?”

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #8

Friday, April 24, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

The Lord Jesus Christ summarized Israel’s glorious re-gathering and restoration in Mark 13:26,27: “[26] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. [27] And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven” (cf. Matthew 24:30,31).

At His Second Coming, the Lord Jesus will send His angels to gather Israel’s believing remnant scattered around the world. They have physically survived the horrors of the seven-year Tribulation. While they have endured the Antichrist’s tyrannical reign, he has killed many believing Jews (Revelation 7:9; Revelation 20:4). As Revelation 19:11–20:7 teaches, Jesus Christ slays the Antichrist, whisks his soul off to the Lake of Fire, and slaughters the anti-Israeli troops poised throughout the Middle East. Satan is bound in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. Israel’s believing remnant will be physically brought to the Promised Land; the Jewish saints of old, and those the Antichrist executed, will be bodily resurrected, entering that 1000-Year Reign of Christ.

As God sees it, there is no Israel today; Israel is fallen (Romans chapter 11). The “Israel” today is not the Israel of God. Men created it. Israel is in unbelief today. God is not forming Israel today; God is making the Church the Body of Christ. When we see the disarray and conflict in the Middle East today, we know that God is not involved there. If He were, there would not be a single enemy of Israel in the Middle East! There would be no such war, no such hostility against Israel. In His own time, God will move in, and take care of the Middle East, but not until He has finished our dispensation!

After God chastens Israel for breaking His Covenant of Law, He will bring them back into His land, forgiven, redeemed, and permanently….

*By the way, if you are interested, Grace School of the Bible will be hosting a three-day grace Bible conference this weekend in Chicago. It will be streamed live online, beginning tonight (7PM Central U.S. time) and ending Sunday evening. You can find more info at http://understandgrace.com/conference/gsb-soldiers-training-for-service/.

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #7

Thursday, April 23, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

We will survey other Old Testament prophets concerning Israel’s re-gathering and restoration. For example, Jeremiah 33:11: “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.”

Jeremiah 46:27: “But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.” Psalm 126:1: “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.” And Joel 3:1: “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,”

Amos 9:14: “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.” Zephaniah 3:20: “At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.”

Now, let us see what the Lord Jesus Christ had to say about it all….

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #6

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

The Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel repeatedly describe God’s “turning away [Israel’s] captivity” and “bringing again the captivity of [His] people Israel and Judah.” For example, Jeremiah 29:14: “And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

Or, Jeremiah 30:3: “For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” And Jeremiah 30:18: “Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.” Israel is scattered around the world but God will regather them in His own time, to enjoy their own land!

“And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country” (Ezekiel 34:13). “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24). “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:12).

Let us see what else the Old Testament prophets say in affirmation of Moses’ prediction in today’s Scripture….