Prophecies- Blessed Is He That Reads.

 The prophecies for our day, right now, current time (2022) are important yet how many even care about them? Do you care about ancient prophecies that connect to our point in history? Only if they are wrapped up in exciting drama and mystery, like a movie that entices the senses with special effects and the latest technology. To have to read extensively of history to compare it to prophecy, to study so intensely to know something- many are NOT willing to do so, it's boring and not important. Yet our SAVIOR told us this of Revelation- Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

Daniel and Revelation- you hear of the two together because their prophecies go hand in hand. Written many, many years apart, they still are tied together.  

If you desire a blessing then read…study… delve into the truth. We are accountable for our neglect when given opportunity that we refuse. May God keep us in His truth, opening our understanding. May we receive the blessing as we read and keep what we read.

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR, now and forever! AMEN!!!!!!!

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CHAPTER VII. THE KINGDOM AND THE KING

Continued…

This dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar by the Lord, for the express purpose of making known what shall be in the last days. Dan. 2:28. 

The interpretation..

Verse 36. "This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king."

In verse 30, Daniel frankly declared that he had no wisdom above others to tell the dream; he gave all the honor to the God of Heaven. Here he says: "We will tell the interpretation," including his brethren in making known the interpretation. It was in answer to their united prayer that it was made known to Daniel.

Verses 37, 38. "Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold." 

Several interesting points are here presented for consideration. 

1. The God of Heaven had ordered the kingdom of Babylon for purposes of his own. He selected Babylon to chastise his people for their sins. He made it a surpassingly glorious kingdom, to represent the gradation of events and kingdoms in the world, even to the last days. It was the most glorious kingdom that has ever existed, being fairly represented by its capital city, the like of which never existed, either before or since.

2. Nebuchadnezzar was king over the kings of the earth. In describing his greatness and the extent of his rule, the words of Daniel, in a most striking manner, agree with the terms of the original gift of the dominion to Adam, namely, over the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven, wheresoever the children of men dwelt, that is, over all the earth. In this we get the first idea of the full intent of this revelation, as more clearly set forth in the interpretation in verses 44, 45, as will be noticed when we come to those texts.

3. By comparison of the Scriptures we learn that in all cases the king represents the kingdom over which he rules; and Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, inasmuch as he stood at the head of an empire which was well symbolized by the most precious metal. The distinction of empire and kingdom is not known in the Scriptures.

Verse 39. "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee."

The succession was not merely of a king, but of a kingdom. This next kingdom is represented in the dream by the breast and arms of silver. What this kingdom was may be easily learned from this book of Daniel's prophecy. In chapter 5 we read that Belshazzar, king of Babylon, made a great feast to a thousand of his lords; and while drinking wine before them, he commanded to bring the vessels which his father (grandfather) Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, "that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein." While committing this act, they "praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." The circumstances of that night, not related in the Scriptures, but well known in history, must be briefly noticed. The royal houses of the Medes and the Persians were united by marriage. There was war between the Medes and the Babylonians, and Darius, king of the Medes, was aided by the Persians under Cyrus, their prince, the nephew of Darius. Cyrus was an able general, and the whole empire had submitted to his arms, except Babylon, the imperial city. This he besieged. But the city was so well prepared for a siege, that it could have held out for an indefinite time if it had been faithfully guarded. History informs us that there were provisions within the city for a siege of twenty years, while the squares were so spacious that very large gardens were found everywhere. There was much land within the walls available for raising provisions, and it was exceedingly productive. The walls were very high and strong, the entrances being guarded by heavy gates of brass. From their high walls the Babylonians  laughed their besiegers to scorn, considering any means of defense useless, aside from the security offered by their walls, and believing that the besiegers would in time become convinced of the folly of their efforts. But wickedness almost invariably attends upon the steps of worldly prosperity; and Babylon had filled up the cup of her iniquity, and the Lord had spoken by his prophets, saying that it should be not only overthrown, but utterly destroyed. To all human appearance, no power could overthrow it. Infidels might scoff at the prophecy, but no word of the prophets of God has ever failed, however improbable its fulfillment appeared at the time it was given. While Belshazzar and his proud princes were in the midst of their drunken revelry, praising the gods of their own making, and insulting the God of Israel, defying him by the sacrilegious use of the vessels consecrated to his service in Jerusalem, suddenly they were startled by the appearance of the fingers of a man's hand writing upon the wall of the royal banqueting house. Instantly their boasting was turned to consternation, and the king was so affrighted that "his knees smote one against another." The astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers were called, but they could not make known that which was written. It appears that, in the changes of rulers, Daniel was neglected if not forgotten; but when the queen called attention to his having made known the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, he was sent for, and read the writing to the king. But first he uttered a most fitting rebuke to the proud and insolent Belshazzar. He reminded him of the benefits which God had conferred on his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, and of his having been driven from his kingdom because of his forgetfulness of God. 

"And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of Heaven." He then read the writing upon the wall, as follows:-- 

"And this is the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN." Dan. 5:25.

Many conjectures, all quite useless, have been indulged in, as to the character in which these words were written. Implicit reliance upon the record must lead us to believe just what it says, "This is the writing that was written;" the words set down in the record must have been the identical words upon the wall. The words are Chaldaic, but this is so closely related to the Hebrew, that the words, very much alike, are found in both languages. If they were written in the same form in which they are transmitted to us, it would make the truthfulness of the interpretation more directly apparent to all who heard Daniel speak. As in the case of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, where the test put upon the wise men was such as to make sure to the king that the interpretation was correct, so here, if the words were those which were common to the Chaldeans, it would show to all present that the interpretation had a close relation to the words that were written. On the other hand, if they were written in some form not at all known to those present, the interpretation would lack the certainty, in their minds, which would attach to it if they had a knowledge of the words. The wise men were unable to explain them, which is the sense in which their inability to read them should be taken. No one, except he were inspired of the God of Heaven, could possibly tell what was meant by the words themselves. Certainly, Daniel, by his own wisdom, could no more tell that MENE, which simply means "he hath numbered," meant that God had numbered and finished the kingdom, than he could tell what the divisions meant in the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And the same may be said of TEKEL, which only means weighed, or, "he has weighed." Inspiration was necessary to determine that it meant, "Thou are weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." And no less difficulty attends the word UPHARSIN. The prefix U (sound of oo), is the conjunction, and Pah-ras means, he divided; parsin is the same word, with the Chaldaic plural termination. The change in the form of the words which Daniel made in the interpretation would certainly lead to the conclusion that is here adopted, namely, that he was examining words in their own language, just as they are written. With a different pointing, and thereby with a different pronunciation, this last word means the Persian. But there was no reference, by any construction, to the Medes, though there was to the Persians. Yet the hearers could readily see the force of the interpretation when it was said the kingdom was numbered, and finished, and divided, for they all knew that the united forces of the Medes and Persians were at that moment surrounding the city. And thus, as has been remarked, the interpretation was much more forcible and convincing if the words were written with the characters known at least to the wise men who were present; and of course the more generally they were known, the more effect would the interpretation have on the minds of the vast assembly Now turn again to the facts of history. Cyrus caused a new channel to be made for the Euphrates, and made excavations on the plain, to receive the waters when he wished to divert them from the channel that ran under the walls and through the city. Yet all this labor would have been useless to him had the city been continually guarded with diligence and care; for, inside the city, walls were built on the banks of the river, so that if any passed the outer wall and followed the bed of the river inside the city, they would still be as effectually shut out from communication, with the city or from entering it, as if they were entirely outside, unless the gates were open which led to or across the river. But the prophet of God had spoken the word that Babylon should be destroyed, and Providence was on the side of the besieging army. An occasion was soon offered to Cyrus to take advantage of the preparation that he had made. Rollin, in his "Ancient History," thus speaks of it:--

As soon as Cyrus saw that the ditch, which they had long worked upon, was finished, be began to think seriously of the execution of his vast design, which as yet he had communicated to nobody. Providence soon furnished him with as fit an opportunity for this purpose as he could desire. He was informed that in the city a great festival was to be celebrated; and that the Babylonians, on occasions of that solemnity, were accustomed to pass the whole night in drinking and debauchery." Vol. 1., p. 30, Harpers, 1865. 

Knowing all this, Cyrus judged that diligence in guarding the city would be relaxed; and those within deemed it impossible for the enemy to pass the main or outer walls. Turning the waters into the new channels that he had cut, the river bed under the walls and through the city was soon dry enough for the soldiers to pass within. Xenophon, quoted by Dr. Barnes, Notes on Dan. 5:30, said that Cyrus and his generals had an idea that the gates inside the city would be left open, as all inside the city would naturally join in the revelry. He said:--

"And indeed those who were with Gobryas said that 'it would not be wonderful if the gates of the palace should be found open, as the whole city that night seemed to be given up to revelry.' He then says that as they passed on, after entering the city, of those whom they encountered, part, being smitten, died, part fled again back, and part raised a clamor. But those who were with Gobryas also raised a clamor as if they also joined in the revelry, and going as fast as they could, they came soon to the palace of the king. But those who were with Gobryas and Gadates being arrayed, found the gates of the palace closed, but those who were appointed to go against the guard of the palace fell upon them when drinking before a great light, and were quickly engaged with them in hostile combat. Then a cry arose, and they who were within having asked the cause of the tumult, the king commanded them to see what the affair was, and some of them rushing out opened the gates. So when they who were with Gadates saw the gates open, they rushed in, and pursuing those who attempted to return, and smiting them, they came to the king, and they found him standing with a drawn sword. And those who were with Gadates and Gobryas overpowered him; and those who were with him were slain--one opposing, and one fleeing, and one seeking his safety the best way he could. . . . When it was day, and they who had the watch over the towers learned that the city was taken, and that the king was dead, they also surrendered the towers."

The result is thus briefly stated in Dan. 5:30, 31: "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom." Thus ended the kingdom of the Chaldeans, the empire represented by the head of gold in the great image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The overthrow took place b. c. 538--sixty-five years after the dream was given; sixty-eight years after the captivity when Daniel and others were brought to Babylon; sixty-one years after Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah king of Jerusalem; and fifty years after the temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed. Thus wondrously does God fulfill his word, and thus plainly do the Scriptures and history agree in giving the succession of empire, showing that the breast and arms of silver, in the image of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, represented the united houses of the Medes and the Persians.

Interpretation to be continued…

(From Eden to Eden-A Historic and Prophetic Study. By J. H. Waggoner. 1890.)

The Choice Not to Choose Is A Choice.

 Created. Rebelled. Redeemed? 

Those who know the plan of redemption and accept the plan of redemption fully are changed and will live eternally. Those who are incapable through mental incapacities whatever form they may take, of course, will be granted life eternal automatically. If they are incapable of choosing, the choice is then made for them and they will take their innocence to eternity. If a person is capable of choosing they are expected to choose- one way or another. In fact, no one capable will escape the choosing. If they believe by not making a choice they are exempt they are sadly wrong. The choice not to choose is a choice to choose not to accept the redemption plan. 

The Bible gives us prophecies right from the start and that's what we are discussing in our recent studies. These prophecies begin with the first two human beings and continue on down to the Apostolic Age, when John, the Apostle of Jesus finished the very last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelations of Jesus Christ. These prophecies are for our learning, for our understanding.  A refusal to even consider looking into these prophecies is incredibly sad. Depriving yourself of knowledge is awful. 

Read, study, pray for understanding, seek the Lord's guidance, let the Holy Spirit give you understanding- it's eternally important. 

May God continue to bless us with truth and understanding so vital to our very existence now and eternally.

All through Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior, now and for eternity!

Amen!!!!!!!

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CHAPTER VII. THE KINGDOM AND THE KING

Continued..

This dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar by the Lord, for the express purpose of making known what shall be in the last days. Dan. 2:28. 

The king was reflecting upon the future, with a strong desire to look into its secrets; and the Lord caused him to understand according to his desire: The interpretation of this dream was given under very peculiar circumstances. The dream troubled the king, though he could not remember it. This resembled a freak of the mind with which we are all acquainted. We are often troubled or perplexed over our inability to call to mind that which seems so near to our remembrance, but still eludes its grasp. 

In this dilemma the king resorted to his wise men, many of whom professed knowledge which, if they had possessed it, should have served them in this emergency. He demanded that they should both tell him the dream, and give him the interpretation. Some have denounced this as a most unreasonable demand. But when we consider the pretensions of the astrologers and soothsayers, for such were some of them, we cannot call the demand unreasonable. They asked him to tell them the dream, promising then to give the interpretation. The king was apparently so disappointed in them, that he lost all confidence in their professions and promises. Perceiving the character of their pretensions to superior wisdom, he accused them of having " prepared lying and corrupt words;" for if he should tell them the dream, it would not require any great amount of ingenuity to invent some kind of interpretation. "Tell me the dream," said he, "and then I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof." Dan. 2:9. If they failed to do this, he decreed that they should all be put to death. The alternative was terrible, but they were compelled to confess that they could not do it; that it required a wisdom greater than was possessed by any that dwelt on the earth. There was no chance for them to practice their wonted deception; they well knew that they could not invent anything that the king would recognize as his dream.

Daniel and his brethren had not been directly appealed to by the king, but inasmuch as they were counted among the wise men of Babylon, the officer who was appointed to execute the king's decree sought them to put them to death. But Daniel desired time, which was granted, and the young captives betook themselves to prayer, and the Lord revealed to Daniel both the dream and its interpretation. This saved not only the lives of Daniel and his brethren, but of all the professedly wise men; for the matter being revealed, the king was content to let them all live.

The dream was related to the king in the following words:-- 

"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his sides of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Dan. :31-35.

The test that the king put upon the wise men was a severe one, but here it was perfectly met. How must the great king have been struck, as the young Hebrew captive--a mere boy--stood before him and declared to him his secret thoughts, and every particular of his dream, which he had forgotten. Now it all flashed clearly upon his mind; he knew that that was what he saw in his dream, and he had all confidence that this young captive was capable of giving him the correct interpretation.

But Daniel disclaimed having any wisdom to reveal the king's secret. He said also that neither astrologer, magician, nor soothsayer, could make it known. "But there is a God in Heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." "But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart." Dan.2:28, 30. 

The margin of the English Version is here copied, it being the correct reading. Dr. Barnes says: "The margin is the more correct rendering, and should have been admitted into the text." The Revised Version has adopted it. The common English rendering of verse 30 is not only incorrect, but it does great injury to the prophecy as being a revelation from God of what shall be in the last days. The common reading implies that the matter was made known for the sake of those who should interpret it, which is altogether a wrong idea. It would effectually make it of private interpretation. Prophecy is not given to answer any personal ends. The whole matter, both the dream and the interpretation, was for the purpose of making known what shall be in the last days, and when the kingdom of Israel, that was being subverted, should be restored, and the throne and the crown given to him whose right it is. 

And being such, it was not for Nebuchadnezzar alone, nor for those of that age. It is the beginning of one of the most important chains of prophecy in all the Bible. All the circumstances give the most undoubted assurance that the Lord has therein made known to all his people what shall be in the last days. In examining the interpretation each particular will be noticed as we pass.

((We will continue tomorrow with the interpretation… God willing.))

A 1.910 year-old Prophecy- One of Many.

 Unfailing Prophecies.

The Bible is filled with prophecies. You'd think people would be amazed at the accuracy of Biblical prophecies, instead they dismiss them with lies that they aren't real, that they've been fabricated after the fact. Well, let me tell you, the Bible predicted that Jerusalem would once more be in the control of the Jewish people and this did not happen until 1980 when Jewish controlled Israel placed the seat of their government in Jerusalem for the first time in 1,910 years.  The prophecy was given by Jesus Christ Himself, as He ministered upon earth before His death and resurrection.  A 1,910 year old prophecy fulfilled and still people would say the Bible is not real, not truth, that there is no God, no Savior. The Bible has had many prophecies come to pass throughout our history and Satan has blinded the understanding of people with the fables and lies of mankind. The fables they believe readily because of their arrogance, their self-serving, their hatred of the love of God. 

The animosity between God and Satan is reality that many simply do not believe is real. People would rather believe there is no hope of eternity just so they can cling to their lusts now. Temporary lusts are preferred above eternal salvation, just as Satan desires. Satan knows his own days are numbered until his existence is blotted out, and he wants to take as many people with him as possible. Satan wants to steal from God every last person he can. 

All by the grace of our LORD- may we NOT be won by Satan!

Please, open your hearts to the truth of our Savior's love! Our Savior would give you an eternity in the joy of the purest of all loves that make any earthly lust pale in comparison. You crave the satisfaction of fulfilling lust pleasures right now, I know, I KNOW how powerful those lusts are! Those lusts are NOT worth depriving yourself of the unspeakable, unknowable -as of now- wonders and glories that await us!

We fail to believe in the pure joy to come because we are blinded by the world we live in now. Satan has pulled a covering over the eyes of people that keeps them from choosing to believe in the unseen, it keeps them from the hope of faith and all its evidences. Satan has taken millions upon millions, billions captive in his evil snare. Please DO NOT BE ONE OF THEM! PLEASE!

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(From Eden to Eden-A Historic and Prophetic Study. By J. H. Waggoner. 1890.)

CHAPTER VII. THE KINGDOM AND THE KING

God made the earth to be inhabited by the children of men. Isa. 45:18; Ps. 115:16. 

Isa 45:18  For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. 

Psa 115:16  The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. 

When the intention was expressed to make man, it was said: "And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Gen. 1:26. More may have been implied than is here expressed. There is order in Heaven; some are appointed to higher stations than others, but all is harmony, for all delight to do the will of their Creator. When the earth is freed from the curse, there will be different orders among the children of men. Rev. 21:24. 

Rev 21:24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 

How natural to suppose that, had Adam remained innocent, as the earth was filled with his posterity, great respect would always have been shown to him, the head of the race. But now that glory and honor will be borne by the second Adam.

In addition to the gift of the land, and the blessing of the nations, the Lord said to Abraham: "And kings shall come out of thee." Gen. 17:6. The same words were repeated to Jacob. Gen. 35:11. And the idea of royalty is incorporated into the covenant at Horeb. "Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests." Ex. 19:6. In the days of Samuel the prophet the people asked for a king. The motive that actuated them was not good; they wanted a king that they might be like all the nations. 1 Sam. 8:19, 20. The Lord had given directions for their conduct, with a view to keeping them separate from, and unlike, the nations. He was their ruler, their guide, and protector. Doubtless the heathen who knew not God, held them in derision because they had no king, no visible ruler; and this may have had an ill effect upon them. But God, while he disapproved of their request, listened to them, only reserving to himself the right to choose their king for them. He did not resign the right to rule over them; he was still their actual sovereign, guiding and directing their kings in the government of the kingdom. Samuel was directed to anoint Saul, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. When Saul had reigned sixteen years, he disobeyed the word of the Lord, who had before appointed Amalek to utter destruction for their sins. Ex. 17:8-14; Deut. 25:17-19. Therefore the Lord rejected Saul, and took the kingdom from his house. Samuel was sent to Bethlehem, and there anointed David, the youngest son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah. This was about seven years before the end of Saul's reign. In the year 1055, b. c., David was made king over Judah, and reigned in Hebron seven years. At the end of that period all Israel sought after him, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years. In the thirteenth year of his reign, David expressed his intention to build a house for the ark of the Lord, which had always rested under curtains from the time the tabernacle was made by Moses in the desert of Arabia. But the Lord would not suffer him to build a temple to his name, because he had been engaged in many wars; but the promise was then made that his seed should build a house for the Lord, and should be established upon his throne forever. 

The language of the promise was very expressive:--

"I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me an house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son; and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; but I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established

forevermore." 1 Chron. 17:11-14.

Thus the Lord said to David, he shall be thy seed and my son. As in the promise in Gen. 3:15, and also in that to Abraham, we shall find in this to David, that this promise to his seed does not refer to his posterity in general, nor to his immediate son, but to one remote, namely, to Christ. He alone is at once the seed of David and the Son of God. But even as the children of Israel possessed the land of Canaan, so Solomon built a temple for the sanctuary of God. This, of course, was a type of the real temple, " the true tabernacle " (Heb. 8:2), which the seed of promise was to build. 

This promise, dwelt upon in Ps. 89, is as follows:--

"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations." "His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of Heaven." "His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me." Ps. 89:3, 4, 29, 36.

Solomon enjoyed a peaceable reign of forty years, but when his son, Rehoboam, took the kingdom, there was a revolt, and the kingdom was divided into two branches of Judah and Israel. This was 975 years b. c. The kings of Israel, in order to separate themselves entirely from Judah, and thus maintain a separate supremacy, corrupted their worship, and during its entire existence there was not one truly pious king in Israel. Nearly two hundred and sixty years after this division took place, the king of Assyria utterly overthrew the kingdom of Israel, taking the people captive and scattering them in his own dominions, and peopling Samaria with strangers. 2 Kings 1:7. About forty years after this, 677 b.c., the king of Assyria took Manasseh, king of Judah, captive, and carried him to Babylon, for he had done very wickedly, and the Lord delivered him into the hand of his enemy. And thus in 677, b. c., the twelve tribes were without a king in either

house.

To those who cannot look beyond this present state or dispensation for a fulfillment of the promises to David, this seems to be a sad commentary on those promises of everlasting glory to his throne and kingdom. There was temporarily a change in the condition of the kingdom of Judah. Manasseh humbled himself, and they restored him to his throne; and kings reigned in Jerusalem about the space of seventy-five years longer, when the king of Babylon took Jerusalem, and put kings over Judah according to his own mind. He exalted Zedekiah to be king, but Zedekiah rebelled against him, and the king of Babylon took him captive and put out his eyes, and destroyed the temple and the chief houses in Jerusalem. This was 588 years before Christ. 2 Kings 25:4-10; 2 Chron. 36:14-20.

The temple built by Solomon stood 417 years, from 1005 to 588 b. c. But before the utter destruction of the city, in the days of Jehoiakim, b. c. 606, Nebuchadnezzar came and took the king captive, and carried away some of the vessels of the house of God, and some of the goodliest of the children of Judah he took to Babylon, to be instructed in the learning of the Chaldeans. Compare Dan. 1:3, 4; 2 Kings 20:16-18; Isa. 37:5-7. Among the captives were Daniel and his three brethren, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, of the children of Judah. It was only about five years before the captivity of Zedekiah, and the destruction of the temple and the city, that the prophet Ezekiel spoke of the utter subversion of the kingdom, and also of its future restoration, as follows:-- 

"And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him." Eze. 21:25-27.

The kingdom, the crown, had passed under various changes. After many wars it was taken by the king of Babylon, who set rulers in Judah according to his will. But under Zedekiah, a most rebellious prince, the prophet said, " it shall be no more"--it shall be utterly cast down, " until he come whose right it is." And whose is the right to the kingdom and throne of David? It is the right, by an unfailing promise, of that certain one of the seed of David, who, said the Lord, "shall be my son." In his right it shall endure as the sun, even as the days of Heaven. And more than a hundred years before this time, another prophet spoke of this:--

"And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Micah 4:8.

The first dominion was that which was given to Adam--dominion over all the earth. The tower of the flock is no other than the seed of the woman--the seed of Abraham. He is heir of the world, and through him shall the kingdom come to the daughter of Jerusalem. This is a most interesting prophecy, connecting the first dominion--the original gift of the earth-with the kingdom which the seed of David shall inherit. All prophecy, all promise, all hope, centers in the stronghold, the tower of the flock. As the seed of the woman, he will bruise the head of the serpent, and recover the lost dominion. As the seed of Abraham he is the heir of the world, and a blessing to all nations. As the seed of David, he will possess the kingdom forever, and his throne shall endure as the sun, even as the days of Heaven. As the Son of God, he will save his people from their sins, and restore life to the race of Adam; to all who accept his salvation. All blessings come through him. Let all blessing and honor and glory be paid to him. About fifteen years before the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple, in the third year of the captivity of Daniel and his brethren, a prophecy of the restoration of the kingdom was given by means of a dream to Nebuchadnezzar, and its wonderful interpretation by Daniel. This is of greater interest than the prophecies that had preceded it, inasmuch as it gives a series of events easily understood by all, thereby beginning to open to us the time of the restoration of the kingdom and throne of David. 

To be continued…

Warnings. (From Eden to Eden continued)

 We can shrug off warnings, we do it all the time. Is it good to shrug off warnings? No, it's a decided, definite no, it is not good to shrug off warnings. We are meant to heed warnings when we get them. If I warn you bad weather is on the way, it's a good thing because it gives you time to prepare. If I warn you something is bad for your health and you ignore me and things get worse, that warning I gave was a good thing, but you chose to ignore it. Face it, warnings are good things because they give us time to alter our behavior, or things, in some way. Without warnings, a lot of tragedies would not be averted. 

God is no stranger to warnings, He has given us many throughout our human history. Many times those warnings have gone unheeded and always to the detriment of those didn't listen to them.  Are there warnings for us living today, from God? Yes, And we must listen to them. May God open our eyes to the warnings He wants us to heed, and may we then heed them!

We must remember God's warnings are very real. 

 

May Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior forever be ours! All through His amazing love and grace, through His mercy and forgiveness!!!!!!! Amen.

*******

The Lord Jesus said directly to the Jews:

"The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matt. 21:43. 

The words of the forerunner of Christ to the Jews were: "Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Matt. 3:9.

CHAPTER VI. AN IMPORTANT QUESTION SETTLED

Continued…

In all this it is not denied that there were conditions made to Israel in the covenant at Horeb, and by the mouths of the prophets, which were never fulfilled. 

But the scriptures herein quoted show that by their transgressions they forfeited the blessings expected, so that their bestowment was impossible. 

The only promises now remaining to be fulfilled to the children of men are those set forth to Adam, found in Gen. 3, and fully presented in the covenant with Abraham.

Not to be fulfilled to any people by reason of their natural descent, but to all of all nations who are Abraham's seed by faith in Christ.  

Conditional promises were given to them by Ezekiel, especially in the latter chapters of his book; but the conditions were NOT regarded, and of course they could NO more be fulfilled than those noticed. 

So the Lord promised to bring the Israelites, who were suffering in Egypt, into the land of Canaan. But the whole generation, with barely two exceptions, fell in the wilderness because of their unbelief and rebellion. For an illustration of God's method of dealing with the subjects of his promises, take the case of Eli. The Lord sent this message to him:--

"I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever; but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." 1 Sam. 2:30.

The principle upon which the Lord acted towards the Jews set forth in Jer. 18:7--10.

"At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them."

Now to Israel the Lord said he had all the day long stretched out his hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people. And as he spoke by the mouth of Jeremiah, so will he do by Israel, and by all people. The Lord Jesus said directly to the Jews: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matt. 21:43. The words of the forerunner of Christ to the Jews were: "Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Matt. 3:9. It is not accident of birth which finds favor with God, it is not because of honored ancestors that his blessing abides with us. He prizes above all things "the upright heart and pure," and his blessing abides with those whose characters are forming by faith in Jesus Christ according to his revealed will. And all will find their labor vain who try to make void the word of the Lord.

To be continued…

Broken Covenants - The Faith of Abraham Pt. 9

 If you make a deal with someone based upon conditions that are to be met, and those conditions aren't met is the deal forfeit? Yes. All the time we have contracts and deals and such that have conditions applied to them based upon those conditions being met. We have courts filled with people suing other people because they've not met conditions set forth in their contracts. A lot of times the people who failed to meet the conditions will have many reasons why and a judge has to determine if those reasons for their failure to uphold their end of the contract are valid and warrant their breaking the contract. 

God had a deal with those He chose to be His people. God wanted the people He chose- to agree to this deal. He wanted them to sign the contract willingly, they were not forced to sign. The offer was made, they had a chance to refuse. Did they refuse? We know they did not. They accepted the contract with all its conditions, every single one. When accepting the contract with God they accepted a contract made by the Judge Himself, they would have no one to turn to plead their case should they break the contract and they knew this before they agreed. 

Once God's people broke the contract they could not expect God to continue on as if they hadn't. A promise broken results in no longer having the benefit of the promise. Yet, God's chosen continued on as if they were still the chosen and beyond ever losing that favor. Time and again they were told, they were warned, they were given chances to redeem themselves, and yet time and again they could only keep their end of the promise for so long before they inevitably broke it once again. 

Yet, still today, right now, the Jewish people believe without a doubt they are God's chosen. They've refused to believe that Jesus was God's only begotten Son, sent to redeem God's people with the new covenant of His blood, His sacrifice. 

A covenant made, a covenant broken… over and over.. A new covenant made…. And by the Jewish people not accepted.  By not accepting the new covenant with Jesus, they have none of the promises of that covenant. These are truths, God's truths. 

May God open the hearts and lives, the understanding of all who long for Him. All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever! Amen!!!!!!!

*******

The Faith of Abraham Pt. 9 

CHAPTER VI. AN IMPORTANT QUESTION SETTLED

Continued…

4. The whole nation of Israel broke the covenant made with them at Horeb, by which means they forfeited all blessings promised to them under it. And for this reason that covenant was entirely done away. Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8: 6-12. 

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Heb 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 

Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

It is a manifest absurdity to say that they have any claim to promises under a covenant that was abolished because they had forfeited all rights under it.

5. It must be admitted that if the Israelites have any claim to the fulfillment of special promises, or if special blessings remain to be conferred upon them, by virtue of the covenant made at Horeb, then the abolition of that covenant was derogatory to their rights and privileges. If there are unfulfilled promises and national rights still existing under that covenant, then it should not have been abolished until these were honored. That is to say, that they who teach that the Jews have national rights and special privileges by virtue of that covenant, virtually charge God with the injustice of abolishing an instrument in which their rights were vested. But if there was no injustice done to them in abolishing that covenant--if they had no claim under it when it was abolished; if they had forfeited all the promises in that covenant by disobedience,--from what source have they derived the rights and privileges which are now claimed for them? We confidently affirm that the whole Judaizing system is as contrary to the principles of justice as it is to the facts of the Bible; it is as unreasonable as it is unscriptural.

6. This conclusion may not be evaded by saying that the promises to be fulfilled to them as a nation, are not matters of rights that they can claim, but of gracious promises which the Lord made to them. But the covenant at Horeb was based solely on obedience, as has been shown; and when they disobeyed, the promises were a nullity, for the covenant itself was made void. See Heb. 8:8, 9:-- 

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord."

God had said that they would be a peculiar treasure above all people and a holy nation, if they would obey. But they did not obey, and he regarded them not. There is no work of grace for any people except in the gospel, and the gospel is not national. But two covenants were made with Judah and Israel--the covenant at Horeb, and the new covenant. But the first is done away, and in the second there is no national work of grace known; and it is by faith alone that the promises of the new covenant may be inherited.

7. Nor can it be said that the promises will be fulfilled to the Jews as a nation, by their turning to Christ, and accepting him as the Messiah and their Saviour; for in Christ all are on an equality. When the apostle Paul said: "And if ye are Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise," he also said: "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. . . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:26-29. It is in respect to this very point of being Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise, that all national distinctions and privileges are obliterated. For he says in another place: "That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." Eph. 3:6.

See also Eph. 2:11-19; Matt. 3:9; John 8:38-44.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 

Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 

Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 

Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 

Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Mat 3:9  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 

Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 

Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 

Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 

Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 

Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 

Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

To be continued…

Fact Not Fiction- The Faith of Abraham Pt 8

 Fact, not fiction, that leads to conclusions.  How many facts do we need to make a conclusion about something? Sometimes a single fact is enough to make a case for or against something. Other times a multitude of facts don't seem to be enough. When we are dealing with an important topic surely a multitude of facts is understandable. Irrefutable facts, hard facts, indisputable facts, we need these when we are dealing with the topic of salvation, of eternity. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important than our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. A salvation that will give to us an eternity with our Lord, our Creator, our Redeemer, the eternity that we were created to live at God's pleasure.

As we continue to study the Faith of Abraham we do so knowing that it is with the faith of Abraham that we are all to belong to our Lord and Savior. We need to comprehend what it means to have the faith of Abraham. This in-depth study is for the serious student of God's truth. And shouldn't we all be serious students of God's truth? If we can't be serious students when our eternal life is the subject, when should we be such students? 

Priorities. God first. Others. Self last. But the world would have us twist them around and put Self first, others, and then God.

God first.  Study the following with that in mind- it is truth revealed. Truth, if known then revisited. 

Pray, and study- not simply, read, but study! All by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever! Amen!!!!!!!

*******

The Faith of Abraham Pt. 7 

CHAPTER VI. AN IMPORTANT QUESTION SETTLED

That covenant stands secure.

And inasmuch as their covenant has passed away, and their national system of worship is abolished, and Jerusalem is no longer the place where men must go to worship the Father, we cannot possibly believe that any special promises or blessings are in reserve for the Jews as a nation; neither promise nor blessing remains for them, except such as are common to all the children of Abraham by faith in Christ. And they can inherit the promises on the same condition and in the same manner that other children of Abraham shall inherit them, and in no other. 

We will notice some of the facts which lead us to this conclusion.

Continued…

1. The declaration of Jesus, already referred to, that that arrangement has passed away by which Jerusalem was made a special place of worship, involves the abolition of their national system of worship. To restore this system would be a transgression against the gospel, according to the principle stated by Paul in Gal. 2:18. (Gal 2:18  For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.)

2. The promise that the new covenant should be made with Judah and Israel, has been fulfilled. The covenant was made and confirmed in the blood of Christ, and by the preaching of Christ and his apostles. But the confirmation of the new covenant was the opening of the gospel to the Gentiles, and it placed all on an equality, making but one body of Jews and Gentiles. See Eph. 3:6

Eph 3:6  That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel

3. And this leads us to notice that the house of Israel and the house of Judah were in Palestine when the covenant was made. The promises of the restoration of Israel to their own land were twofold: 

(1.) Those which were made to the tribes of Israel, the children of Abraham according to the flesh, referring to their restoration after the Babylonian captivity. These have been fulfilled. It is nothing to the purpose that they who claim that literal Israel will be restored again to Palestine, quote a great many prophecies; but the truth depends, not in the number of texts quoted, but in the correct application of them.

It is of no possible avail to quote scripture unless it is correctly applied. 

We mean no disrespect to any, but illustrate our remark by referring to the fact that Satan himself quoted the scriptures correctly, but that which he quoted had no reference to that time or occasion. 

The Saviour repulsed him by quoting texts which had an application then and there. We will briefly notice some of the evidences that the twelve tribes were there when the new covenant was made.

a. The prophets, except Malachi, all wrote between the years 534 and 800b.c. The decree of Cyrus for the return of the children of Israel was made in b. c. 536, and that of Artaxerxes in 457. Hence, there is no chronological necessity for referring to any future time or event, those prophecies which speak of their returning to Palestine. In truth the whole weight of chronology is against that

view.

b. The decree of Cyrus was liberal, and was proclaimed throughout all his realm.. He said:--

"Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem." "And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts." Ezra. 1:1-4. Artaxerxes, in his decree, said:-- 

"I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own free will to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee." Ezra 7:13. Further, that the prophecies referred to a restoration from the captivity in Babylon, is proved in the most positive terms:--

"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. . . . 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." Jer. 29:10-14. 

While many declare that ten tribes were lost, and never returned from the captivity of Babylon, the word of God declares that he gathered them from all nations and from all places whither he had scattered them. We cannot reject the word of God, and therefore cannot receive the theory of those who teach that they were not returned. Of the time of their restoration there can be no doubt, for

the Lord said it should be after seventy years were accomplished at Babylon. 

c. It is assumed that only two tribes returned from that captivity, and that ten tribes were dispersed and lost. But that is only an assumption, for which there is no shadow of foundation in fact. 

The Persian empire, in the days of Ahasuerus, was divided into one hundred and twenty-seven provinces (Esther 1:1); and the Israelites were scattered throughout the empire; and the decree for their defense and deliverance from the malice of Haman went to every province in the empire. Esther 9:17. The decree of Cyrus for their return was proclaimed throughout his whole realm. Artaxerxes, also, addressed his decree to all the people of Israel in all his kingdom. All returned who were willing to return. And they were not hindered by reason of any disability on their own part, for the king commanded the people to assist them with money, goods, and beasts. Thus did the Lord, in his providence, make every provision for the fulfillment of his promise. There is no promise that he would bring them back against their will. 

d. Although critics mostly discredit the statement of Josephus in regard to the origin of the Septuagint, it seems that his testimony is entitled to more consideration than is generally given to it, inasmuch as their objections are solely of a critical, and not at all of a historical, nature; while he sets it down as a historical fact, even giving the very words of the correspondence between the parties. He says that Ptolemy Philadelphus sent a request to the Jews to send six men out of every tribe for the purpose of translating the law into the Greek. When they were sent, word was returned to Ptolemy thus: "We have chosen six men out of every tribe, whom we have sent, and the law with them." He says that seventy-two were sent, seventy being engaged in the work, from which number of translators the name of the Version is derived. Thus twelve tribes were represented. See Josephus' Antiquities, B. 12, chap. 2, sec. 4-7. 

e. This evidence of the presence of the twelve tribes is corroborated by the Scriptures. 

That the tribe of Levi was represented in the return from the captivity is evident, for all the priests and servants of the temple were of that tribe. Of the priests alone, of the family of Aaron, Ezra gives the number who returned to Palestine under the decree of Cyrus, 4,289. Ezra 2:36-39. And he further says:-- "So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and

the porters, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities." Ezra 2:70. "And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in their cities, the people gathered themselves as one man to Jerusalem." Ezra 3:1; Neh. 7:73. 

And most decisive is the testimony of Ezra concerning the dedication of the temple, built after the return from Babylon. "And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy; and offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel." Ezra 6:16, 17. "The children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt-offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin-offering." Ezra 8:35. If ten tribes were absent, it is truly strange that no mention was made of it, when a sin-offering was made for the twelve tribes; for "all Israel" which dwelt in their cities. And is it not strange that people will persist in setting forth the idea that all Israel were not in their cities, when the proof is so strong that they were, and not a hint in all the Scriptures to the contrary? 

There is also another class of promises concerning the gathering of Israel, but these are not spoken of "Israel after the flesh," but, of the true Israel, who are the seed of Abraham by faith in Jesus Christ. These promises are found in both the Old and New Testaments. Thus spoke the Lord:--

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." Isa. 27:12, 13.

With this compare the words of the Saviour:--  

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt. 24:30, 31.

The time of the gathering of the elect of God is fixed by these words of the Saviour; it will take place at his coming. He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather them,--when the great trumpet shall be blown, as Isaiah says. 

Compare 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. 

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

With these agree the following words of the apostle:-- 

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him." 2 Thess. 2:1. 

But one may inquire, Can the gathering of the elect, the Israel of God by faith, at the coming of Christ, consistently be called the gathering and the return of Israel unto their own land? Most assuredly it can; and it is so called by the express word of the Lord himself. That the resurrection of the just will take place at the coming of Christ, all will admit. Then we read the following:--

"Prophesy and say unto them, 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. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." Eze. 37:12-14.

The opening of the graves of all Israel shall take place "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear." It is his voice that will raise the dead. When the Son of man comes, the great trumpet will be blown, and the elect of God will be gathered from the four quarters of the earth. 

This is the only gathering of Israel that remains to be fulfilled. And, all ye saints of God, partakers of the faith of your father Abraham, rejoice, for that day is near to come, and the angels will gather every one who, by living faith, is united to Christ, the heir of the promise.

To be continued…

The Faith of Abraham Pt 7 - Covenants

 Covenants.  Have you ever entered a covenant with anyone?  That's a slightly unusual word isn't it, covenant. 

Definition of covenant 

1: a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement

2: a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action the deed conveying the land contained restrictive covenants

A formal, solemn, binding agreement. A written agreement, promise… 

Most of us have entered covenants, some legal, some not, some that we hold dear and others we've broken without much of a thought.  One covenant people enter commonly is the marriage covenant. I won't go into any long detailed explanation of keeping and breaking that particular covenant, I merely mentioned it because it's one we can understand readily as existing in our lives and the lives of people around us.

The covenant between man and God is one we need to comprehend. Some believe that any covenant between man and God before our Savior was born, lived, ministered and died for us only to rise again, have all been made null and void. This is a belief that is untrue and we need to comprehend this as God intends. If you desire truth, and seek to know the deep things of God, you can study the following, and the previous studies leading up to this one. Or, you can study as God leads you otherwise, just do not neglect the study of the Word of God for all the truth. May the Lord bless and keep us in HIM and all HIS truth, through our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, now and forever! Amen!!!!!!!

*******

The Faith of Abraham Pt. 7 

CHAPTER VI. AN IMPORTANT QUESTION SETTLED

'Jesus was on his way into Galilee, and as he came to Sychar, being weary, he sat down by Jacob's well. A woman of Samaria came to draw water, and she was surprised when the stranger, whom she perceived to be a Jew, asked her to give him water to drink. The Samaritans were a mixed people, and had introduced the practices of their several nations into their worship. 2 Kings 17:24-41. Therefore the two nations were at variance, and the Jews had "no dealings with the Samaritans."

In her conversation with Jesus, the woman soon discovered that he was no ordinary man; and when he, a Jew, and an entire stranger, showed to her that her life was known to him, she confidently declared that he was a prophet. And then there immediately arose to her mind a question that had long vexed the people, and she said:--

"Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." John 4:20.

This was a declaration intended as a question.

The woman had shared in the anxiety of the godly of her nation, to have this question settled. As a question Jesus received it, and in reply he laid down a principle which corrected the erroneous ideas of both parties, both Jews and Samaritans. But in defining this principle he did not set aside any facts which had been developed concerning the plan of salvation. He very distinctly declared that "salvation is of the Jews." Not that the Jews were better than other people, or that they needed salvation more than other people, or that they of themselves had anything to confer on other people which was necessary to salvation. But it was necessary in the development of God's promise to Abraham that his posterity should be kept a separate people, for the manifestation of Messiah to the world, and salvation by Abraham's seed must come through them. 

Paul, speaking of the Israelites, said:--

"To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came." Rom. 9:4, 5. 

All the things here enumerated were committed to them, and whosoever partakes of these blessings must receive them as coming through that channel. To them were committed the oracles of God. Rom. 3:1, 2.

Rom 3:1  What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 

Rom 3:2  Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

And not for their own sakes alone were these oracles committed to them. Stephen, in that memorable sermon which cost him his life, said that Moses, who stood in behalf of the people, "received the lively oracles to give unto us." Acts 7:38. 

Act 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us

But these facts do not exhaust the subject, nor do they make necessary the perpetuation of the forms and ceremonies which were given to them. As has been seen, the great object of the hope of the people of Israel was the manifestation of the Messiah to the world, and the law of ceremonies was to illustrate his work; but the Messiah having come, the time had arrived when the principle above referred to could be declared. 

Therefore Jesus answered the woman of Samaria thus:--

"The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." John 4:21.

He certainly did not mean that the Father should not be worshiped in those places; but he did mean that it was not necessary to go to those places to worship the Father, for thus he continued:--

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:21, 23.

And this was the settlement of the question thus far; the worship of God is no longer to be considered a matter of localities, nor of nationalities. In all places, and by all peoples, he may be worshiped to acceptance, wheresoever and by whomsoever he is worshiped in spirit and in truth.

But in the minds of some, the question may arise: How can it be that this is not a question of nationalities, if it remains true that salvation is of the Jews? 

Now whatever shape this query may assume, we must continue to insist that salvation is of the Jews, for the facts in reference to them can never be set aside. The Messiah came of them, and the new covenant was made with them, according to the promise. But as Jerusalem has ceased to be the special place where the Father must be worshiped, their national system must also of necessity have ceased, for they could present their offerings in no place but Jerusalem. Lev. 17:1-6.

Lev 17:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

Lev 17:2  Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, 

Lev 17:3  What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 

Lev 17:4  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 

Lev 17:5  To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. 

Lev 17:6  And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 

No one who believes the gospel will dispute the fact that that covenant has passed away. But we must always bear in mind that, as the making of that covenant did not annul the covenant with Abraham, so its abolition had no effect upon anything that was peculiar to the Abrahamic covenant. 

That covenant stands secure.

And inasmuch as their covenant has passed away, and their national system of worship is abolished, and Jerusalem is no longer the place where men must go to worship the Father, we cannot possibly believe that any special promises or blessings are in reserve for the Jews as a nation; neither promise nor blessing remains for them, except such as are common to all the children of Abraham by faith in Christ. And they can inherit the promises on the same condition and in the same manner that other children of Abraham shall inherit them, and in no other. 

We will notice some of the facts which lead us to this conclusion.

To be continued…