Month: July 2017

Current events in Jerusalem over a seemingly benign change outside the gates of the Temple Mount show clearly the extent of Muslim authority over the government of Israel when it comes to the administration to the most holy site in Judaism. Yet, the Bible indicates that a powerful non-Jewish leader will make an agreement with the Jews who worship on the Temple Mount presumably at a new temple (Daniel 9:27). How could such a structure come to exist considering that the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain currently occupy the site?

Prior to the Jews return to Palestine the Temple Mount was open to all people except the Jews. Accounts and photographs document that the Temple Mount was lightly visited and in disrepair. It was after the formation of the state of Israel that the Temple Mount became a focal point for Muslim descent. When Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967 the Israeli government declared sovereignty over all Jerusalem but seeded the administration of the Temple Mount to Jordan. This agreement came with an understanding that there would be no unilateral changes to the status quo. What recent events show is that the real authority on the Temple Mount is firmly held by Muslims, in particular the Sunni Muslims of the Temple Mount Trust known as the Waqf. The destruction of any structures on the Temple Mount would only serve to strengthen Muslim belief that Israel is covertly planning to extend its authority unilaterally.  The consequences for any destruction would squarely land on the nation of Israel with devastating effects to its global influence and economy and would certainly weaken any chance of a new Temple. Only a small minority of Jews seek a return to Temple worship. The vast majority of Israelis are not interested in baring the consequences of replacing the Waqf on the Temple Mount. But what if the consequences were minimal?

Iraq recently announced it prevented attacks against Shi’a shrines, in particular those in Najaf by presumably Sunni terrorists. Najaf is the city where the third most holy site for Shiites resides after Mecca and Medina. If such a plot were to succeed it would demand a response by Shiites. Where would such a response occur? Perhaps the third most holy site of Sunni Islam, the Temple Mount. A strike against the Temple Mount would shatter the status quo and Israel would not hesitate to assume the administration of the site. With the Jews entrenched on the Temple Mount and the world facing much graver concerns, Muslims could lose their relatively new found interest in the Temple Mount thereby opening a doorway to a new temple.

A strike on the Temple Mount by Shiites is pure speculation but it is an Interesting thought.

May God bless you in your study of His word.

The premise of this blog to use the book filled with such a high concentration of metaphors as a Rosetta Stone for clarifying Christian eschatology my seem an oxymoron. Even so, using the metaphors of the Book of Revelation to distill metaphors on the same subject in other books has provided clarity and unity between scriptures written hundreds of years apart.

An unexpected example came recently while listening to a sermon by a well education and sincere minister where he called the Church the bride of Christ. There is no scripture in the Bible that calls the Church the bride of Christ but there is a scripture that names Jerusalem as Christ’s bride (Revelation 21:9-10). The question must be asked if the metaphor in Revelation refers to the city itself or those who dwell in the city, the saints. The rest of the chapter speaks only to the city itself and Jesus. There is nothing suggesting that the inhabitants of Jerusalem are intended. Indeed, a scripture from Isaiah describing the future Messiah, Jesus, as the father of those who dwell in Jerusalem and compliments the metaphor of Jerusalem being the bride (Isaiah 22:20-22; 2Corinthians 6:16-18). The parables showing that the saints are guests to the wedding feast also compliment the idea that Jerusalem is the bride (Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13). To ascribe the Church as the bride convolutes the meaning of the metaphors.

Where does the doctrine come from that the Church is the bride of Christ? It comes from the Apostle Paul’s use of the marriage relationship as a metaphor for the saint’s relation to Jesus. Three Epistles of Paul talks to the saint’s relationship with the Savior as being akin to marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33; 2Corinthians 11:1-2; Romans 7:4). In each of these Epistles it is the sanctity of the relationship between Christ and the saint and not the marriage being discussed. It is beyond the intentions of the Apostle to ascribe to the Church the role of the Bride of Christ.

The difference between the two understandings of the Bride may seem innocuous. Yet, to accept the Church as the bride elevates the Church to a position never intended. It replaces Old Testament saints with New Testament saints. It doesn’t matter whether the replacement is temporary or permanent, there is no Biblical bases for New Testament saints having precedence over Old Testament saints in this current age or at any time. Most Protestant ministers that ascribe the Church as the Bride of Christ would be gassed and offended at the suggestion they preach replacement theology. That is not the intention of this article. What has happened is, this doctrine slipped into the Church by ignoring the force of unity between scriptures.

All the scriptures sighted in this article harmonize with the metaphor of Jerusalem as the Bride of Christ without any word games or manipulation of the writers intent. To accept the Church as the Bride requires supposition not intended by the writer to connect the scriptures and dilutes the unity between them. A benefit from using the Book of Revelation as a Rosetta Stone is an awareness of the force of unity infused by the Holy Spirit into the scriptures. The force of unity brings clarity and a true understanding of the meaning of scripture.

May God bless you in your study of His word.

It is a curious condition of Church doctrine that eschatology is not more consistently preached with the return of Christ. It is a core concept that we who accept Jesus as the Christ and as our personal Lord and Savior will one day rise from the dead and live forever with Him. So, to some extent, it is understandable that the eschatological portion of Christ’s return has little exposure in Church life since the majority of the Christ’s disciples have died and their spirits reside in heaven. Even today, many will die before He calls the Church out of this world. For that majority, the events leading to the return of Christ are events observed from heaven. For the rest of the Church, the approach of the return of Christ will be a sever challenge to a believer’s willingness to follow Jesus. In fact very few Christians live their lives as if they believed this is the generation that will witness Christ’s return. It is a curious case of perspective.

Eschatology is more than the study of the actual event of Christ’s return. It is the study of the events that lead up to His return prior to and during the tribulation. No being is capable of carrying the assurances, for three millennia, that God will restore His kingdom on this earth with the return of His Messiah and that the life of this age has no comparison with the life of the one to come, along with the encouragement to persevere even unto death, no one except the Omniscient God . Eschatology is a message for the few, for a particular generation. For the generation that will witness the approach of the Tribulation and the return of Christ, the encouragement of the eschatological message to persevere through the dramatic changes and challenges that are prophesied to come and that the Apostles John and Paul believed were occurring in their time, should be given renewed attention by the saints.

Someday, perhaps soon, the Church will seek the scriptures for an understanding of what is happening in the world. I hope that revealing the continuity of the end-times message from Isaiah to Revelation at RevelationRosettaStone will give the Holy Spirit an opening to encourage that generation, the generation destined to witness the events of the return of Christ on earth.

May God bless you in your study of His word.

 

The book of Daniel describes the prelude to the rise of the antichrist and the great tribulation. At no other time in history have people been able to watch world events unfold as they happen. The rise of four dominions preceding the return of Jesus and the characteristics by which they can be identified are subjects of the visions given Daniel. The question for us is, do the visions apply to our generation?

God chose not to give us a direct answer. His decision requires that His disciples believe His words by faith, unlike the world which requires proof before believing. Even then the world does not accept God’s word. God does give His disciples encouragement that they would recognize the season of the end-times (Matthew 24:32-35) and He does give the gift of discernment by the His Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 12:4-11).

Today it is not difficult to identify three dominions that qualify as beasts of Daniel seven. The news headlines daily proclaim the growing hegemony of China, Russia, and Iran. No other nations are seen rising except one. The great powers of the past and present generation are subsiding. An unavoidable financial collapse is rolling onto the European Union and the United States leaving Middle East nations aligned with them alienated. Not even the vast oil wealth of Saudi Arabia can carry the enormous weight of a twenty one trillion dollar debt. The world will flock to China, Russia, and Iran to sustain their economies while turning a blind eye to the economic collapse of the nation that once stood as a beacon of hope and prosperity as it wans into the pages of history. Do not despair, all is as it should be.

What nation is the one exception that appears to be rising with China, Russia, and Iran? Turkey, given the unaffectionate nickname by Europeans as the “sick man of Europe”, has become the transit hub for energy passing from Russia and Asia Minor to Europe. Even Israel is considering a pipeline through Turkey. Why? Because Turkey has the largest military in the Middle East and is not shy at using force to insure its security; as it has demonstrated in Syria and Iraq. Remember that Turkey shot down a Russian military jet violating its air space. Yet today they are allied with Russia and Iran as guarantors of a plan for the governance of Syria following the defeat of ISIS.

Still, Turkey is not the fourth beast of Daniel seven but it is the nucleus of that dominion. The visions of Daniel eight and eleven describe the rise of the fourth beast occurring from a war started by the fourth Persian king against the land of Javan. Turkey occupies the land of Javan today and Iran the land of Persia. The vast dominion created from that war will be the fourth beast and from that beast the antichrist will rise. News articles concerning Turkey and Iran may appear unrelated but they clearly indicate that the two are on a collision course as they vie for the hearts and minds of Muslims to become the undisputed leader of the Muslim world. Their support for the Muslim Brotherhood and for Qatar in the recent crisis with Gulf States are examples. For those who think that Iran and Turkey do not have kings, the modern state of Iran is governed with the permission of a Supreme Leader; I believe the title is an apt description of his role. To date Iran is ruled by its second Supreme Leader. Turkey has voted for a new constitution giving the President’s office authority unfettered with the checks and balances of secular law. That constitution will be implemented in 2018. While the confrontation between the ram and goat of Daniel eight, synonymous with the kings of Persia and Javan in Daniel eleven, is not imminent, the leaves are appearing (Matthew 24:32-33).

Are the visions of Daniel for our generation? It is difficult to imagine that the prophecies concerning the establishment of the nation of Israel in a day (Isaiah 66:8-9) and the rising of the four beasts (Daniel seven) are for a future generation. We cannot know the day or the hour of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:36-37) but we are to recognize the season (Matthew 24:32-35). God gives us these prophecies so that we are not caught unaware and can prepare our hearts for the tribulation we face because of the commitment to our hope in Jesus the Christ (Matthew 24:25-27). Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:16-17).

May God bless you in your study of His word.