Many different teachings exist on many different Bible subjects in the world. The aim of this series is to look at various doctrines, and decide whether they be from God or man. Once again, as always, I am a man and fallible. Check scripture with me for yourself to see if these things are so. This is the third sermon in this series.
Part III of this series is too long to place on the web in one piece. I have therefore seperated it into sub-parts "a" and "b" that I may remain somewhat consistent in size, allowing people to get the most out of these sermons. Sub-part "b" will deal with the three main prophecies used for the "end times."
For purposes of this sermon, as with all I write, I will use bible names for Bible things. If someone does something else, I will simply take the thing of which they are speaking, see what the Bible says about it, and if it is there, I will give the correct name and usage for it.
Many people find prophecy to be a fascinating subject. Some will study it to discern its meaning. Some will ignore it rather than grow, as it is a difficult subject. Others will fantasize and apply all types of unintended events as evidence to prove a fallacy. A few bold ones will create their own prophecies. Why? The answer is most ignore a very plain verse of scripture; II Peter 2:10. With this scripture conveniently tucked away, or even hidden, people are able to justify any number of things by lifting prophecy out of its context and its history. If we allow the Bible to interpret itself, there will not be this problem. How can we do this with prophecy? We must look at other prophecies, see to whom they are directed, see how they are worded, notice under what circumstances they were penned, and see how they are fulfilled. With this knowledge, since God doesn’t change, if the prophecies are directed to the same type audience, are worded the same way, we can rest assured they will be fulfilled the same way. Are these teachings important to our salvation? Many argue against such. Yet, if a particular religion teaches something in error, and will not fix it when shown the way of God "more perfectly," can you trust them with other matters that pertain to salvation of your soul? This you must decide for yourself. Very few are in agreement, and there is no way that all can be correct.
All of these things have a direct dealing with the kingdom. Let’s look at the plain scriptures concerning the kingdom first. This way, we can rule out some things a prophecy might mean, since we will know if that assigned meaning contradicts scripture. I will list the scriptures first. Then, in my comments on each, I will refer directly to the passage, thereby making it easier to follow. There are many more, but none are contradictory; carrying the exact same thoughts as these.
NOW HEAR YE THE WORD OF THE LORD as recorded in Matthew 16:18-19.
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
John 18:36, "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Matthew 3:1-2, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matthew 10:7, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Luke 9:27, "But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God."
Matthew 26:29, "But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom."
Collossians 1:13, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son:"
Revelation 1:9, "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Matthew 8:11-12, "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
II Timothy 4:1, "I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;"
In Matthew 16:18-19, we find Jesus’ promise to build the church. Here, He promises Peter its keys. (Later, in Matthew 18:18, we find the same power {use of those same keys} promised to all of the apostles.) Notice with me, the kingdom is also called the church by Jesus; they are synonyms (at least while the church remains on earth).
In John 18:36, we have Jesus telling Pilate His kingdom (Greek basileia {bas-il-i’-ah} - which according to the Greek Lexicon is "not to be confused with an actual kingdom, but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom") will not be on earth (Greek kosmos {kos’-mos} - try it with the English "c" in place of the "k," and you have its meaning). To put it in simpler terms, Jesus told Pilate He would not rule over His kingdom from earth, as it was a different type of kingdom: His reign will always be from heaven. Many will point to the word "now" and try to show a time contrast with the future. Not so, as the word carries a meaning of "henceforth" indicative of "from this time, forward." (Note the last word, "hence," which demands the meaning of the word "now.")
This is further evidenced by I Thessalonians 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."
The alive and the dead shall be caught up in succession at the same coming of Christ, and from that time on, we will be "so" (in the same manner; i.e., off this world) with the Lord. Did you see that? We will be forever in the air with the Lord! Friends, we just do not find anywhere in scripture where there will be more than one future coming of Christ. To say more is speculation, and adding to His Word, condemned under Galatians 1:8-9. Likewise, we have nothing anywhere saying we will return to this earth once we leave, but rather have Biblical evidence that such a claim is patently false. If you hear this from anyone you are either being sold a bill of goods from someone who is mistaken, or someone is lying to you.
Many will, by teaching this doctrine say, "Lord! You have no idea what you just said (in John 18:36)! We believe your kingdom (reign) IS (going to be) of this world (at least temporarily). It simply has to be, or our application of prophecy is wrong. We know we are not wrong since ourselves and our teachers are sincere, therefore, YOU MUST BE!" Sadly, they do not think about what this doctrine says to the Lord: it either calls Him an outright liar, or they think themselves (or their teachers) more wise in the ways of God than God’s own Son Himself. Why they do this, I am not here to judge (Matthew 7:1, dealing with interior motives); for what they do, I am (John 7:24, dealing with visable actions). Whether they dare or care to admit it or not, teaching this doctrine says exactly this, as actions speak much more loudly than do words.
In Matthew 3:1-2. 4:17, and 10:7, both John the Immerser and Jesus agree the kingdom is within reach (at hand). This simply means it would make its appearance soon, not thousands of years later (considering the audience’s understanding). Jesus defines this further in Luke 9:27. If the kingdom was not going to come for thousands of years, we have some awfully old people wandering around on this earth! I have heard it said (many times as a regular teaching to justify this positiion), "This promise was made before Christ failed to establish His kingdom: man (supposedly, MRH) thwarted His plans with the crucifixion. He therefore had to change His plans." Do you really believe Christ failed to do something? If He had not the power to do a thing, despite man’s interference, He is not much of a God! Besides, the crucifixion was proven in my fourth archived sermon. Let’s get real here! As the old saying goes (in my region of the country), "That dog just don’t hunt!"
In Matthew 26:29, we find Jesus will not partake of His last Supper with us till it is done in His kingdom. He now does this with us each time we commune with Him in the Lord’s (last) Supper. The kingdom is now in existence, and not a future event.
In Collossians 1:13, we find Paul and the church at Collosse are already in the kingdom. Again, it is already in existence.
In Revelation 1:9, we find John is already a companion in the kingdom with the seven churches of Asia. The kingdom is proven yet again to already be in existence. Notice, also, the tribulation was occurring in John’s days. It was already in existence, too, and is not a yet future event. They were future to the time of Christ’s prophecies, but, as the church was to be hated by the world (John 15:9) when built in accordance with Jesus’ promise, the tribulation (and the kingdom with it) began at this time.
In Matthew 8:11-12, we find the prophecy of the Gentiles coming into the kingdom. We find the fulfillment of this in Acts 10 with the conversion of Cornelius. My friends, Cornelius could not have come into a kingdom which was not yet in existence. We also find that Israel (as a nation; there are individual exceptions) will be lost (also future to the time of Christ’s prophecy, but fulfilled with the conversion of Cornelius). Nothing anywhere is said of their being saved later (required by the doctrine of the millineum), save in the wishes of Paul (Romans 10). No, Romans 11 is not speaking of Israel as a nation, or all nations would be grafted in the same way. Since all nations are not saved (some people from all may be), this is speaking of individuals. What man has done by placing them back where God had removed them (in an attempt to "help" God fulfill His prophecy) was against the will of God, and as sin, we must now deal with the consequences.
In II Timothy 4:1, we find the living and the dead judged at the same time (when the kingdom becomes 100% spiritual and is no longer synonymous with the church), not a thousand years apart. Therefore, there are not going to be the two judgments required by the millineum doctrine. This is backed up by Matthew 25:33, which says,
"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
My friends, it is plain from scripture there is not going to be a thousand year reign with Christ on earth. That is man’s invention and wishes. To take a single passage out of a book (Revelation), which itself says it is figurative (c.f., the root sign of signified in 1:1), assign it and it alone a literal interperetation, and leave the rest as figurative is madness! What we actually have is a numeric representation (sign) of 10x10x10. Three (a very strong number, set by God) times is the number 10 (an even and therefore closed, unchangeable number) multiplied by itself. Therefore, the number 1000 is merely showing that the church (on earth), with Christ already reigning, has a definitely fixed amount of time (how much is unknown to all, including Christ) before the judgment when Christ will present His bride to His Father. Why did John write this way? The answer is quite clear from a study of scripture and history. John was in exile on Patmos. His mail (this was a letter) was censored by the exilers; the Roman government (as was their regular practice at the time). As for what John wanted all Christians to know, with the help of their Jewish bretheren, and still remain hidden from Roman interference, we will cover next month, Lord willing.
The tribulation has already been underway for almost 2000 years. People who believe it is yet future, or that it will last only 7 years, or 1000 years, have been seriously misled by men desiring preiminence (serving their own belly), or else they erred not knowing the scriptures. Once the truth is known, the inventors of these fantasies are to be marked and avoided if they won’t repent; in my opinion, just like the plague.
So, what of the rapture? It is also plain from scripture that it does not/will not exist in the manner ascribed to it, or even by that name. So, we need a Bible name for the rapture. To do this, we need a definition of this "event" from its adherents. I have asked people such as this what the word means. I have been told it simply means, "those called out from the world to be in the kingdom of God."
They have it right that it is the kingdom. "the called out" (Greek ekklesia {ek-klay-see’-ah} is simply the church (or kingdom as they have been proven synonymous) and is translated only as church or churches in all 118 uses of the word. "Church," then is the appropriate Bible name for "rapture" according to their own definition of this unscriptural word. If you invent (or accept) the doctrine as presented, you must do likewise with a name for it. Having invented both a doctrine and a name, they think the kingdom’s realization (they say "rapture") is a yet future event, when in reality, it has already happenned. I would rather stick with the bible name, and therefore, arrive at the proper understanding. It is also interesting to note, many people claim the church was in existence in the Old Testament, beginning at Mount Sinai. However, the word is not used once before Matthew 16:18, and at that time, it was still to be a future occurrence. It was never used in the present tense until Acts 2.
God said to hear Jesus. Hear Him will you? Don’t shut His words out at the behest of men like Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Zwingli, Smith, Smyth, Rutherford, Lucado, and Spurgeon. Don’t listen to the self-proclaimed "god-men". All popes claim to be Christ (God) on earth when they claim to be vicar (which only meant substitute or replacement when they first used the word). God spoke to you already. He isn’t going to say more.
Will you listen?
In His Service,
Marvin Howard
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My friends, there are many different and confusing teachings (doctrines) out there. Some say, "Faith only saves you." I invite you to look at James 2:24, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and NOT by faith only." (emph mine, MRH)
The Bible mentions six different things we must "DO" to be saved. Proving any one of them in no way disproves another. I will list them here, and ask you to check them whether they are so.
1. You must first hear in order to be saved: Romans 10:17
2. You must believe Jesus is the Son of God in order to be saved: Romans 10:17 Luke 8:13 John 1:12 John 8:24 John 20:31
3. You must repent in order to be saved: Luke 13:3,5 Acts 3:19
4. You must confess that Jesus is Christ in order to be saved: Luke 12:8 Romans 10:9 I John 4:15 Acts 8:37
5. You must be baptized (not rhontized) in order to be saved: John 3:5 Mark 16:16 Acts 2:38 I Peter 3:21 Galatians 3:27
6. You must remain faithful unto death in order to be saved: Revelation 2:10 I Timothy 4:16 I John 2:24,25
My friend will you not consider the way of God rather than the way of man? If I can assist you in finding someone to help you do this, please write me. It would be an honor.
