Category: Articles (Page 3 of 5)

Article 30

By Steven J. Hogan

The Antichrist is coming, and this is the truth, this is what God has planned, this is what He clearly tells us in His Word, and this is surely going to happen. It won’t be long now before this evil and ruthless man will be ruling this world. This Antichrist, this Christ-hater, will unite his diabolical forces in opposing the plans and people of God like no person has ever done before. That’s why it’s imperative that all Christians living in these days of the end times understand what the Bible says about this most wicked man.

This Antichrist, this royal impostor, will not succeed in his plans – he will not win for he is a big time loser, and he will in the end be utterly and totally defeated by God. But with that, we must know that we are winners, that we are victors, that we will overcome all the forces of evil, including this devilish enemy of God, for “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b). Revelation 12:10-11, in speaking of our victory over the devil, and therefore of the Antichrist, says it this way, “The accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” 

The Bible has a lot to say about the Antichrist, for he will be a key instrument, a critical player in the time before Christ’s return. Therefore, God wants you to know who he is, what he is like, what he will be doing, and that he will be seized, defeated, and then forever punished in the lake of fire. Many passages speak about him – Daniel 7:8-25, 8:9-12, 9:27, 11:36-37; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; 1 John 2:21-22, 4:3; and Revelation 13:4-18. Since God talks about him so much, then we should desire to know what God wants us to know. And what do we learn from God’s word? That this Antichrist will be proud, arrogant, lawless, evil, powerful, a blasphemer, a slanderer, a destroyer, a deceiver, an impostor, a truth-hater, a liar, a persecutor, a murderer, a devilish man, a Satanist.

There will be a great number of Christians living on this earth when the Antichrist is revealed at the middle of Daniel’s 70^th week. Anyone who tells you otherwise is in error and does not understand the truth of the Bible with regards to the general timing of the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:15, 17 tells us that the rapture of the church is the first thing to take place at Christ’s coming. Then 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 tells us that Christ’s coming is after the Antichrist’s coming. Therefore we must conclude that the rapture takes place after the Antichrist’s coming, which means that Christians will be living on this earth during the time of this evil man’s rule. And since the Antichrist is revealed at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week, we know that the rapture will take place sometime after the midpoint, at a “day and hour no one knows… but the Father alone.”  Matthew 24:36

I say this at the outset because God wants you to know, with certainty, that Christians will be on this earth when the Antichrist is here. That’s why this article about him is so extremely important for you, your family and your friends to understand. Who are you to argue with the truth, to question God’s word, and to object to God’s plans? Might you accept and believe this fact, and be a ready soldier for your Lord during this time of great distress and tribulation. Might you not shrink back and go a.w.o.l., shirking from your responsibility to serve your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is and will be a high honor and great privilege to be part of God’s special forces, being able to fight for Him during these most difficult days. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13

To better understand the Antichrist, we need to see the big picture, which means we need to go back to before this world was ever made. It all began when that “star of the morning, son of the dawn” (Lucifer) became proud, when he wanted to be like God (Isaiah 14:11-15). Lucifer then fell from heaven and became Satan, and has since that time been God’s chief adversary, aided by millions of evil angels who joined him in his fierce and devilish rebellion of creature against Creator. The devil’s work was first seen on earth when he tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, where they sadly succumbed to his temptation, resulting in deadly, universal, and eternal consequences. It was their sin that enabled the devil to take charge of the world, and for the entire earth to come under his power and influence (1 John 5:19). Adam’s sin and disobedience at that time also resulted in all mankind becoming sinners, all mankind becoming children of the devil. Romans 5:12

Since his initial temptation and evil in this world, Satan has continued his wicked work. Uniting with sinful men and women, he has viciously and unrelentingly been fighting against God by fighting against His people. But never forget that it’s only by God’s sovereign hand that Satan has any power at all. Throughout this evil age, since that first sin of Adam and Eve, we have continually seen the devil doing his dirty work, but he has never thwarted God’s purposes and plans. Smallish and sinful Satan never has been a match for almighty and holy God, and therefore he will never succeed in his war against Him in the end-times.

You must realize that Satan has already been defeated. At times it may not seem so, but you have to remember that Jesus Christ conquered the devil at the cross. God’s eternal, complete and crushing victory over Satan, sin and death was realized at that time (Colossians 2:15), and the outworking of the devil’s defeat is now being seen during this church age, and will continue to be seen, leading up to that time when he will finally and forever be cast into the lake of fire. “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to your name.’ And He said to them, ‘I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning’” (Luke 10:17-18). “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Revelation 20:10

Revelation 12 accurately summarizes Satan’s war against God. When you read this chapter, you see that Satan has been, and still is, fiercely fighting against God, but he never wins, he is always defeated. Satan is a loser, a big-time loser, a total loser, the greatest loser this world has ever seen. Yes, it’s true that Revelation 12 describes how Satan has diabolically influenced seven earthly and evil “beast” empires in an effort to keep Christ from carrying out His purposes; but he has never been victorious, he has been beaten every time, he always gets soundly defeated. It was Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, the Roman empire, and then Hitler’s Germany. Through God’s just and Christ crucifying work, through the Holy Spirit, through God’s angels and His soldiering saints, Christ’s victory over the devil is assured and will continue to be seen on earth in these years leading up to Christ’s return. I must say it again – this archenemy of God always has been and always will be stopped, defeated, and finally, be destroyed for good.

But in the end times there will be an 8^th “beast” empire, and this one will be the most powerful and evil empire this world has ever seen. Again the devil will attempt to prevent God’s purposes from being carried out, and he will be working through this final “beast” empire, one that is led by a man who is actually called the “beast”, but in other verses is referred to as the little horn, the man of lawlessness, or the Antichrist. It is at this time that the devilish work of Satan will be displayed on this earth like never before, for he will be deceptively and wickedly working in and through this evil “beast” of a man, this Antichrist. He will come after the woman, the Jews, but again being thwarted, he will then attack the Christians. Without a doubt, he will be the most unrighteous man this world has ever seen, carrying out Satan’s fiendish work on earth in those last few years before the return of Christ, hopelessly and foolishly fighting against God and His people.

It is God Himself who will raise up the Antichrist for His divine and eternal purposes. But think of it this way – the Antichrist will be like a dog on a leash, and he may feel like he’s free to do whatever he wants, but His Master, the all supreme and sovereign God, will be in complete control, for God will always be reigning, always reining in the devil’s man on earth. It is absolutely essential for Christians who are alive during the time of the Antichrist’s rule on earth to understand God’s ultimate rule, this peace-giving sovereignty of God. “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate my power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.’” Romans 9:17

Let me describe for you what I believe will be the Antichrist’s ascendancy to power. Sometime, and I believe most likely during this 21^st century, this future world leader will be growing up and living in either Europe or in the Middle East. He will be a well-educated and very intelligent man, one who is learning both the ways of the world and the ways of the devil. He will be politically inclined, very much aware of the geopolitical condition of the world. He will see that the world is a very unstable and tumultuous place, an earth filled with wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, economic problems, and death. He will be fully aware of the regional and global conflicts in the world. He will also be well versed in the world’s major religions, and in particular, the one called Christianity. But he will by no means ever become a Christian. Certainly, it will be obvious that he was not chosen by God for salvation, but rather was chosen by God to do the work of the devil. “For God has put it into their hearts (the ten horns) to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.” Revelation 17:17

During this most troubled time on earth, people will be looking for a person to lead the world, to solve the world’s problems, and to bring peace. And so it is, that this wicked and godless man, this future Antichrist, being groomed by the devil, will be rapidly growing in power and influence. But in all this, you must again see that God Himself is sovereignly raising up this evil man to help fulfill His righteous plans in the end times.

It is also during this time that the vast majority of people in the world will be hating the Jews. Antisemitism will be increasing, and if you are alive at this time, you will see that this global hatred of the Jews is much worse than it was during the 1930’s – 1940’s when Adolph Hitler was in power. The time will come when Israel will be completely surrounded by her enemies, and for fear of being wiped out, the Jews will be looking for someone to provide and guarantee them security and protection.

This future Antichrist will prove to be a major player in brokering and confirming a peace agreement between Israel and other nations. The Jews, unbeknownst to them, will then sign a deal with the devil. A most likely and enticing feature of this treaty is that they will be allowed to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem, and again offer sacrifices, something that present day orthodox Jews have been wanting and planning to do for a long time. This treaty will be signed at the very beginning of the 70^th week of Daniel, a seven year period of time ordained and designed by God for the testing and purifying of the Jews. It is exactly 7 years later, at the very end of this 70^th week, that God will bring about the salvation of a large remnant of these Jews. Daniel 9:24-27, Isaiah 45:17

During the first half of Daniel’s 70^th week, problems in our world will greatly increase in intensity, seen in these birth pangs – wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues and economic problems. The need for a person to take control of the world will now be obvious, for at this hour of history, peace is desperately needed on this very disturbed and troubled planet. The Antichrist will continue to grow in power, and it so happens that he and his country will become part of a ten nation block or caliphate, becoming the most powerful kingdom on this earth. Daniel 7:24 says, “As for the ten horns (nations), out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will rise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.” This other king who will rise up after them is the “little horn”, the Antichrist. We read that he will be unique and different than all the others, for he will have immense influence, and that’s because Satan will supernaturally empower him, raising him up for his ungodly purposes. This coming Antichrist will want to be in control, want to be in charge, want to rule the world, and he will then subdue three of the ten kings. At this time, he will be the most mighty man in the world.

Revelation 13 gives us specific details about this devilish man, this Antichrist. It is this chapter, more than any other, that describes the work and character of the Antichrist during his time in power. It says “the dragon (the devil) gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” Then it is written that this evil man will suffer some type of wound, and it will seem to be fatal, but this apparent deadly wound will seem to be miraculously healed. Because of modern day communication the entire world will quickly know this, for we read that “the whole earth was amazed, and followed after the beast.” Revelation 13:4a.

Then we go on to read that no one could stand against him. We read that he spoke proudly, and that he blasphemed God, and spoke out against the Christians. We read that he was given authority for 42 months, for 3 1/2 years. We read that he had the ability to make war against the saints, against the Christians, and to overcome them. We read that he had authority over every tribe, people, tongue and nation – that is, he was ruler of the world, a devilish dictator over the entire earth. We read that he will be worshiped by all the people, that is all the non-elect unbelievers on this earth, those “whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who had been slain.” And we read that his number “is that of a man, and his number is 666.” It is Satan himself who will inspire this man and give him great power, and therefore this Antichrist will, without question, be the worst man, the most wicked man this world has ever seen.

But right in the middle of this chapter, there is a particular instruction given to the Christians. Revelation 13:9 says, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” God wants us to listen up, to hear what He has to tell us. In verse 10 He talks about believers going into captivity, and being killed, being martyred. And He says to us, “Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” God is telling us that we will need to persevere, to endure, to be steadfast, to not give up, to not quit, but to keep going for Him until Christ’s return and the church. With perseverance there needs to be faith – we will need to keep trusting the Lord, keep relying on Him, keep believing His promises. This important instruction from our Lord harmonizes with what He says in Matthew 24:13 – “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved (raptured),” and with Hebrews 12:3 – “Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”  

Now we come to the midpoint, the 3½ year mark of Daniel’s 70^th week. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 tells us that the restrainer of Satan, most likely Michael the archangel, will step aside, allowing this evil devil to have a much greater influence on this earth. At this time it is obvious that Satan has possessed and energized his man on earth, this one we know as the Antichrist. As 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 goes on to say, this is the coming of the Antichrist, and his coming is before the coming of Christ. Again, this makes it clear that Christians will be living on this earth when this devilish man, this beast, this Antichrist, is revealed for the whole world to see. At this point in time, Jesus Christ has not yet come to rapture the saints, but it will take place very soon, at His coming, sometime during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week.

At this 3½ year mark, this devil-inspired Antichrist will be in Jerusalem and will be revealed and seen for who he really is. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 tells us, “the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as God.” Both Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15 describe this event as the “abomination of desolation”, that time when this godless, blaspheming, diabolical Antichrist will publicly and proudly take his stand against God, showing forth his true colors. Christians and discerning Jews around the world will see what is happening, and will know that what had been prophesied by Daniel over 2500 years earlier, has finally come true. And now their worst enemy on earth, this God-hater, this Christ-hater, this Christian-hater, this Jew-hater, will be in charge and will be ruling the world.

During this time, and sadly so, there will be a great increase in lawlessness, wickedness and immorality, with the result that unbelievers all over the world will love this lawless man who is letting them do whatever their evil flesh desires. The devil’s goal is for the world to worship this evil man, for in effect, it will then be worshiping him. And so, we read that “they worshiped the beast.” The devil does not now, and will not in the future, want any person to worship Jesus Christ, for he hates and despises Him with the greatest passion – and he will do whatever he can to get the world to worship him, or else. The devil then will get people to worship him by worshiping the Antichrist.

This Antichrist, the first world dictator in modern times, will be a beast, a wicked, powerful, and ungodly man, for he will be anti Christ, against Jesus Christ, and his main purpose will be to usurp Christ’s position as Lord and King. 1 John 2:18 describes him by saying, “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.” He will be so deceptive, so slick, and such a smooth talker, and to the unbelievers he won’t seem like he’s a bad person. “There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for 42 months was given him.” Revelation 13:5. The world will have never seen such an able and powerful man as this – one who is leading the world politically, militarily, economically, and spiritually. “They (unbelievers) worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war against him?’” Revelation 13:4

Great tribulation will now begin, and it is this Antichrist who will initiate this great persecution against both Jews and Christians. But this tribulation is not wrath. It is brought on by Satan, but is that which is allowed by God.  It is Satan persecuting the saints, but the coming wrath is God punishing the sinners. Now this tribulation, this persecution, will start in Jerusalem against the Jews, and then spread out from there to the entire world. This Antichrist will go after all the elect on this earth, those who are true believers and those who will become true believers, both Jews and Christians. “It was also given to him (Antichrist) to make war against the saints and to overcome them.” Revelation 12:17, 13:7

The hatred, persecution and death that the Christians will be experiencing at this time will be much more intense and difficult than they have ever encountered before. Yet, as Christians, we are to still love our enemies, and to lovingly tell them the truth of the gospel. Now most unbelievers don’t want to be told that their sin is wrong, that they are guilty, and that they deserve to be punished. These sinners will love their sin, and therefore will hate the Christians who tell them that they are sinners in need of a Savior. Now I must say that most unbelievers because a few unbelievers will get saved during this tribulation time. Matthew 24:14, 28:19-20

The church has always undergone persecution, and no doubt millions of believers have died for the Lord Jesus in the past 2000 years, but there’s been nothing like what will be taking place during this time of great persecution. This tribulation will be great in scope, because it is all over the world, on every continent, in every country, in every province, in every state, and in every city. This tribulation will also be great in severity – it won’t just be a matter of being thrown in jail and being tortured – it will in many cases result in death, for the Antichrist’s objective is for all believers to be killed, exterminated, and wiped off the face of the earth. Psalm 119:86-87; Matthew 24:9, 21; Revelation 12:17

All over the world the Antichrist and his forces, his armies, his militia, his police, his people, will be chasing after and tracking down Christians, seizing them, persecuting them, and having them killed. Not only that, but many unbelievers will be turning in their own parents or children or brothers or sisters to the Antichrist and his armed forces of evil. Now this may be the hardest part of all, for this will be most heart-wrenching if your own family members, people you loved, people you thought loved you, turn against you and turn you in to the authorities to be killed. And yes, God will enable many believers to escape, and to endure to the end and be saved, that is, be raptured by Christ. It is also true that some unbelievers will not take the mark of the beast, and will not give in to the demands and threats of the Antichrist, and will repent of their sins and become believers in Christ. Matthew 24:9-13, Luke 21:12-19

What about the godless unbelievers? What will they be thinking? What will they be doing? You have to realize that the result of the Antichrist’s rule will be fewer wars, less famines, more economic stability, and a greater calm in the world. People will be getting jobs, getting married, buying and selling, planting and building; and they will be saying “peace, peace,” but this is just a pseudo-peace, for there will be no real peace apart from Jesus Christ. The world, at this point in time, will be absolutely amazed and astounded by the activity of the Antichrist, and so excited to have one so seemingly powerful, wise, and competent, now ruling the world. They will love his character, his personality, his godless ways, and his “freedoms”, and consequently this world will become an even more evil and wicked place. The unbelieving and unrighteous world will be getting an ungodly leader, for this will be just what they wanted, and just what they deserve. Psalm 11

The unbelievers, the followers of the Antichrist, will be strongly outspoken in their hatred towards Jesus Christ and His followers. Emboldened and energized, they will finally have their man, their god, leading this world – and they will love it so. The Bible tells us, “They did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). These ungodly sinners will reject the truth of God, and so God will send a deluding influence upon them – they will be more deceived than ever before; and this great deception is another reason why they will love the Antichrist, and love wickedness. Their minds will be darkened like never before for “God gave them over to degrading passions… God gave them over to a depraved mind.” Romans 1:26, 28

The Antichrist has a partner joining him in his horrific crimes against the Christians, and he’s another beast called the false prophet. He’s the Antichrist’s assistant, and he will do all he can to get the world to worship the first beast. Revelation 13:12 – “He exercises all the authority of the first beast… he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast.” How will this second beast, this false prophet do this? How will he get people on this earth to worship the beast? How will he further establish the Antichrist’s control over the world? He will do three main things:

First, he will perform great and miraculous signs that are seen all over the world, and the result will be that people are in great awe of him and the Antichrist. People nowadays are so naïve, so gullible and so easily led astray by even little things, little so-called “miracles” that take place on this earth; and in the future, this false prophet will do these amazing wonders and spectacular miracles, but these will only be false signs further authenticating this false leader and his false message.

Second, this other beast will set up an image of the first beast and give life to this image, and people will be told that they need to worship this image or else they will be killed. But how exactly will he do this? We don’t know for sure, but just think about it – in this information age where you have all this incredible technology, I believe this “image of the beast” will somehow be connected to computers, to the internet, and to smart phones. Most everyone in the world, in one way or another, have or soon will have access to the internet. I believe this second beast will require all people to worship the Antichrist via this technology, and then will be able to identify, track down and kill those who don’t worship him. As you probably know, our government is becoming increasingly sophisticated in it’s use of surveillance equipment, phone taps, electronic devices, listening devices, satellites, drones, and hidden cameras, with the result that they are able to monitor people all over the world. They have the ability to quickly locate and track down about anyone in the world, but in the future, this Antichrist’s ability to surveil, to track people, to seize people, will be greatly increased and globally effective.

Third, the false prophet will force people to take a mark on their forehead or hand, and all who don’t take it won’t be able to buy or sell on the open market. The technology to do this is very close to being perfected. We already have what are called embedded chips being used in animals, and even by some people. An individual’s personal, employment, financial and medical information will be on this little rice sized chip that can be placed under his skin. All this will be part of the devil’s plan to exert his control and authority over the world, with the result that God’s people, those who don’t and won’t take the mark, will have a very hard time working, eating and surviving. But do not fear, for God will miraculously take care of His elect during this tribulation time, and those He wants to rescue and rapture from this earth, will by His grace, stay strong to the end. Matthew 6:11 says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 promises us, “He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

These will undoubtedly be the darkest and most difficult days on earth for the elect, but there is hope, for the Christians will be raptured, and the Jewish remnant will be saved at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week.  Yet through this entire time we must not forget that God is in control of the Antichrist and the false prophet, and they will only be able to do what God allows them to do. Don’t forget that God is sovereign over your life, as well as over all the people and events on this earth – He will be doing exactly what He wants to do, what is good, just and true, and in line with His purposes. “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:9-11

How then should we live for the Lord in these days when the Antichrist is ruling the earth? It is during this time of the Antichrist’s rule that we will need to remember God’s instructions about how we are to live for Him. That is, love God and love one another. Do all that God has commanded you. Preach the gospel and make disciples to the end of the age. Remember the truths about Christ’s coming, and especially that He’s coming very soon. Persevere. Be holy. Have hope. Be faithful to the end, to the rapture of the church. Finally, encourage one another, and all the more, as you see the day of Christ drawing near. Mark 12:30, Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:19-20, Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 10:37, 1 Peter 1:13

In these days when the Antichrist will be ruling the world and there’s great persecution, we will need to remember the words from Revelation 6:9-10 – “I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained, and they cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘How long, O Lord holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ And there was given to them a little white robe; and they were told that they should wait a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” God will be holy, true and faithful.

Yes, there will be great tribulation. There will be untold and unfettered lawlessness. There will be an intense and global hatred of the Christians, and many of them will experience hunger, confusion, sadness, and at times, loneliness and discouragement. Many will be betrayed by family and church members, and then be taken to ungodly authorities where they will undergo suffering and torture. And yes, many will have the honor of dying for their Lord. “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.” Matthew 24:9, 21; Matthew 10:16-39

And again, what are we to do? We are to keep loving one another, which means even our enemies. We are to have hope. We are to keep believing the promises God has given us about our glorious future, expecting and looking for His soon return. In every situation, in every trial, we are to have faith, to keep trusting the Lord. In Luke 18:7-8 Jesus said, “Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth.” Might we have faith in our Lord and be faithful to Him. And I remind you to keep praying, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”  – Matthew 6:9-10.

These difficult times of great tribulation will only go on for a little while, somewhere, I believe, between one and three years, but of course we don’t know exactly how long, for only God knows the day and hour of His Son’s return. But then suddenly, and hopefully not surprisingly to you, there will be these great signs in the heavens, and the sky will instantly go dark. Then there will be the sign of Christ’s coming, and all believers on earth will see Christ’s magnificent and brilliant Shekinah glory, the sky suddenly being lit up by the glorious return of Christ. Then we will hear the shout of Christ, the trumpet sound and the voice of the angel, and immediately all the saints living on earth will be raptured, joining all the other believers from times past in the skies above this earth, being glorified and then gathered to Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and King. Mark 13:27

All Christians living on earth at that time will, by either death or by rapture, be quickly and mercifully delivered from the Antichrist  and his persecution. They will be overjoyed, thrilled and ecstatic at what is wonderfully taking place, for they will be forever changed, and forever with the Lord Jesus Christ. But for the unbelievers on earth and the Antichrist too, the day of the Lord will be a sudden and terrifying surprise, for it will come upon them like a thief in the night. One second they will be saying peace and safety, and the next second they will see the skies grow dark, and they will know that “the great day of their wrath has come” (Revelation 6:17). Minutes later, destruction will unmercifully and devastatingly come upon them. First, there will be the Trumpet judgments – fire, hail, water turning to blood, skies turning dark, demonized locusts tormenting everyone, and then 1/3 of the ungodly unbelievers in the world will be suddenly and justly killed. Revelation 8

But the Antichrist and many other unbelievers, by God’s sovereign working, will survive to the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, but these hardened sinners still won’t repent and worship God. Their power and influence will have been greatly diminished by this time, but they are still not completely defeated. In fact, Revelation 11:7 tells us that the Antichrist, at the end of the 70^th week, will kill two of God’s greatest witnesses, many believing these to be Moses and Elijah.

Then there will be the Bowl judgments, and more darkness, blood and death. The Antichrist and many others will providentially survive this, for God has planned all this out for His purposes and glory. Revelation 19:11-21 describes what will then take place, that Jesus Christ, with great power and glory, will quickly come down from heaven. Riding on a white horse and clothed in a robe dipped with blood, He will come with His heavenly armies to judge and wage war against the Antichrist and his weak and worthless earthly armies. This is the Antichrist’s last battle on earth, this great, Christ glorifying battle of Armageddon.

With Jesus Christ are a great multitude of saints, clothed in fine linen, and they are following Christ on white horses. “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘King of kings, and Lord of lords.’” Do you see what will be taking place? At this great battle, we will be with Jesus Christ when He comes to earth to finally defeat the Antichrist. And the Antichrist and the false prophet will quickly be seized, at which time they will meet their Maker, and then be thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone forever and ever. This greatly deserved everlasting pain and punishment is just beginning for these evil, diabolical and most wicked enemies of God. They will be the first of billions to be cast into this torturous lake of fire, and they will be there all alone in unrelenting torment for 1000 years (Revelation 19:20). Then they will be joined by Satan and all the other unbelievers who have rebelled against God, hated Jesus Christ and rejected the truth of His gospel. Revelation 20:10, 15 – “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

What I am telling you is the absolute truth of God – it is not fiction, not fantasy, not a myth, and not a script for some movie – this is straight from the holy and true Word of God. What I’m telling you will most definitely take place. Might you be awake.  Might you be alert. Might you be ready soldiers for Christ, serving Him to the very end. And yes, might you be willing to suffer for the Lord. Might you never fear the one who has the power to kill the body, but has no power to kill the soul.

Might you remember the truth of Romans 8:35-39, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Might you know and believe this truth, and might it be so deeply embedded in your soul so that you never doubt the Lord’s great love for you. Might you be continually convinced that He is doing what is good, right and true. Then at the perfect time, He will take you from earth to forever be with Him in heaven, and on earth in the ages to come. Amen! Hallelujah! To God be all the glory! Psalms 47, 67, 72; Revelation 22:20 – “Come Lord Jesus”

Article 29

By Steven J. Hogan

1. Jesus Christ is coming – this is the truth, straight from the pages of God’s Word. About 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ came the first time, and He is coming again. The first coming of Christ lasted about 33 years, and the second coming of Christ, when it begins, will go on forever. “Christ also, having offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28, Luke 21:27

2. Jesus Christ is coming back soon. We know this because we live in the end times, evidenced by the fact that the Jews, as promised by God, have gathered back to their land, to Israel. But let me clarify something – soon does not mean tomorrow, the next day, and probably not even in the next few years; but in view of all of human history, Christ’s coming is very soon, is very near. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming, will come, and will not delay.” Hebrews 10:37, Revelation 22:20

3. The word “coming” is a singular noun and it “denotes both an arrival and consequent presence.” (Vines Dictionary). The meaning of the word coming is not referring to a simple single event which occurs at one point in time, but instead refers to a period of time, during which many events will take place, and many purposes of God will be fulfilled. Christ’s coming begins with the rapture, followed by the Day of the Lord, the salvation of a remnant of Jews, and then culminates in Christ’s reign over the earth. Since the word coming is a singular noun, then we also must conclude that there is only one second coming of Christ, not two or three. “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father.” 1 Corinthians 15:23-24; Revelation 7-9, 15-20

4. The first event to take place at Christ’s coming is the gathering of the believers to Himself. When Christ comes back in the clouds, then all the believers who have ever lived, those in heaven, and those still living on earth will be gathered to be with Him, the One who is their Savior, Lord and King. “Then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” Mark 13:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:1

5. At the coming of Christ, all believers, those on earth, and those in heaven, will be glorified, receiving brand new, powerful, immortal, glorified and spiritual bodies. “We eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has to subject all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

6. At the coming of Jesus Christ, a believer’s salvation will be complete. A believer is justified when he is born again, is sanctified during his life on earth, and then is glorified, not when he dies on earth and goes to heaven, but only at the coming of Christ. All believers from all time, those already in heaven, and those still alive on earth, will be glorified at the coming of Jesus Christ. “Now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” 1 John 3:2, Romans 8:30

7. Believers who have already physically died will be resurrected and glorified at the coming of Christ. There are millions and millions of believers already in heaven, and their salvation is not yet complete. That’s because they do not yet have their glorified bodies, but they will receive them at the coming of Christ, a split second before the believers on earth will receive theirs. “So also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in His own order: Christ the first fruits, after that, those who are Christ’s at His coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

8. There will be a number of Christians remaining on earth until the coming of the Lord, which means that the church will be on earth at that time. The fact that 1 Thessalonians 4:15 is a parallel verse to 1 Thessalonians 4:17 makes it very clear that those who are alive and remain until the coming of Christ will be raptured at the coming of Christ. “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep… then we who are live and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15, 17

9. Jesus Christ will appear, and be visibly seen at His coming. In 1 John 2:28 we read that “He appears”, and “at His coming”, and therefore we know that the appearance  of Christ will occur at the coming of Christ. “Little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” 1 John 2:28, 1 John 3:2

10. At Christ’s coming, all Christians on earth will be given relief from tribulation, from persecution. The great tribulation is cut short by these dramatic signs in the heaven, marking the end of this age; and then Christ will appear in the clouds, rapturing and redeeming the believers on the earth, taking them out of all tribulation, and bringing them quickly and safely to Jesus Christ. “To give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.” 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8, Matthew 24:29-31

11. The Christians on earth at Christ’s coming will be rescued from the wrath of God that is to be poured out upon this earth. Christians living on earth during Daniel’s 70^th week will go through great tribulation, but they will not experience God’s wrath. “… and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9

12. All believers will be gathered to be with Jesus Christ at His coming, and then will be with Him forever and ever. Christ, our Husband, loves us very, very much, and wants us to always be with Him, and to see His great glory. What an encouraging truth that, at Christ’s coming, He will take us to Himself so we can be with Him forever. “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17, John 17:24

13. No one knows the exact day or hour of Christ’s coming, no one can predict when it will be, but we do know that it will take place sometime during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week. “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32

14. The coming of Jesus Christ is not imminent, and that’s because there are many discernible prophesied events that need to take place before His return – birth pains, the signing of a treaty, the building of a Jewish temple, the revealing of the Antichrist, great tribulation, signs in the heavens, etc. “Tell us, when will these things take place, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3, Matthew 24:32-33

15. As Christians we can know the general time of Christ’s coming, for the Bible tells us many events that still need to take place before His return to earth. For example, Matthew 24:3-41 spells out over 15 specific things that need to occur before the return of Christ and the rapture of the church. “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and then puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” Matthew 24:32-33, Luke 21:7-36

16. The coming of Christ begins sometime during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week. Christ’s coming does not start at either the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week or at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, but it starts sometime during the last 3½ years of this time period, between the sixth and seventh seals of Revelation 6, 8. “Now we request you brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to Him…” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Revelation 7:9-14

17. The coming of the Antichrist, which occurs at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week, begins before the coming of Christ and the Day of the Lord. Therefore, the rapture of the church, which is the first event at Christ’s coming, will be after the coming of the Antichrist, sometime after the midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week. “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9, Matthew 24:9-27

18. The coming of Christ begins after the great tribulation and before the wrath of God. The rapture of the church, the first event at Christ’s coming, will occur after the persecution of the Christians, but before the punishment of the unbelievers. “But immediately after the tribulation… He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and will gather together His elect…” Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 6:9-9:21

19. Christ’s coming begins right after the end of this present evil age. Marked by great signs in the heavens and a great earthquake, the end of this age will immediately be followed by the return of Christ and the rapture of the church. “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars… then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21:25-27; Matthew 24:3, 29-31

20. The coming of Christ begins after the end of this present evil age, but before the start of the glorious millennial kingdom age. It is the Day of the Lord, God’s judgment of unbelievers on earth, that separates these two ages, an evil age ruled by the devil, and a good age ruled by Jesus Christ. “The one who endures to the end (of the age) will be saved (raptured).” Matthew 24:13; Revelation 6-20

21. At the coming of Christ, there will be a great reunion of believers in the skies above, for those on earth will be wonderfully and immediately reunited with believing family members and loved ones who had passed away and gone on before them. “We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 4:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

22. At the coming of Christ, the Antichrist will be defeated, dethroned, and cast into the torturing lake of fire where he will be greatly, rightfully and eternally punished for his great and devilish rebellion against God. “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:11-19

23. At the coming of Christ, the devil will be defeated, captured and then chained, cast into the abyss for a 1000 years, then let loose, then captured again, and finally be cast into the lake of fire where he will be eternally and most severely punished. Hallelujah! “He laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years… and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone…” Revelation 20:2-3, 7-10; Colossians 2:15

24. Before the coming of Christ, the believers on earth will be unmercifully mocked by the unbelievers. This is similar to what happened to Noah when he was building the ark, which too took place before God’s judgment was suddenly poured out upon a most wicked world. “In the last days, mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’” 2 Peter 3:3-4, Luke 21:12-19

25. Immediately before the coming of Christ, the Christians on earth will see His brilliant Shekinah glory light up the sky. The glory of Christ will be visibly and brightly shining before Christ Himself will appear. “Just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:30

26. When Jesus Christ comes to rapture the church, He will be accompanied by a great multitude of angels. Next to the death and resurrection of Christ at His 1^st coming, the 2^nd coming of Christ will be the most dramatic, most climactic, most exciting event to ever take place on this earth. The skies will be filled with angels as Jesus Christ makes His return visit to earth. “So that He (the Lord) may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints (angels).” 1 Thessalonians 3:13, Luke 2:13-14

27. At His coming, Jesus Christ will be revealed for all the world to see, appearing in His glory in the sky above, manifesting Himself to the entire world. “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.” Revelation 1:7, 1 John 2:28-3:2

28. Jesus Christ is coming as a Savior, Judge, Redeemer and King. He will save believers, rescuing them from the wrath of God. He will judge unbelievers who are still on earth during the Day of the Lord, except the protected and elect Jews. He will redeem a remnant of Jews at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Then He will begin His rule and reign as King over the entire earth. “Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth.” Psalm 98:9, Romans 11:25-26

29. The glory of Christ will be greatly manifested at the coming of Christ. Jesus Christ is always glorified, but at His coming, His glory will be displayed like never before, and therefore be seen like never before. Shortly thereafter, the new millennial kingdom age will begin, and the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21:27, Habakkuk 2:14

30. Christ is coming again! Are you excited, are you looking forward to seeing Christ and being with Him forever? Are you praying, “Come, Lord Jesus.” As you await Christ’s soon return, might your heart be overflowing with love for your Lord, Savior and King. “Behold, I am coming soon.” Revelation 22:20

NOW MAY THE GOD OF PEACE HIMSELF SANCTIFY YOU ENTIRELY;
AND MAY YOUR SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY BE PRESERVED COMPLETE,
WITHOUT BLAME AT THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
FAITHFUL IS HE WHO CALLS YOU, AND HE WILL ALSO BRING IT TO PASS.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Article 28 

By Steven J. Hogan

Our primary subject in this blog site is eschatological prophecy, what God predicts will be taking place before, during, and after the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. God’s Word gives us a great deal of extremely profitable and relevant information that we need to understand, believe, and proclaim to the church. But sadly, many Christians don’t know what the Bible so clearly teaches regarding the future for Jews and Gentiles, and for believers and unbelievers. And those who don’t know or who are in error, need to be properly instructed and / or corrected. Since we live in the end times, then now’s the time to discover and tell others what God says in His Word about our future.

For the Christian there needs to be an understanding of God’s purposes and plans for the Jews. In the Old Testament there is a whole lot said about their past, but also about their future. In fact, close to 1500 Old Testament verses tell us about God’s future for the Jews. These prophecies were given to the Jews between 2000BC–450BC, and have never been changed or nullified. But many people believe these promises have been changed, reformulated or re-categorized, and are no  longer relevant to the Jews, but are only applicable to the church. That is, the church has replaced the Jews in terms of being recipients of these Old Testament promises. This belief is what many call Replacement Theology, but this is an error – it’s wrong, is not true, and is a lie of the devil.

With regards to prophecy, Jesus said, “See to it that no one misleads you” (Matthew 24:4). Paul said, “Let no one in any way deceive you” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). You need to make sure you’re not misled, mistaken or in error with regard to God’s promises to the Jews. That’s because it relates to your understanding of God and His plans for His people, both Jews and Gentile believers, both in the past and the future. In my four previous articles, I’ve not focused on why this error is wrong, but rather on the enormous amount of evidence that shows why what God says about the future of the Jews is right. There is, without question, an overwhelming and incontrovertible number of Bible verses proving that God will fulfill His promises to the Jews.

But today I want to talk about why people would think this way? Why would people believe this error of Replacement Theology? Why would they believe the lie of the devil? How and when did this erroneous thinking with regard to the future of the Jews begin? Let me list six major reasons:

1. The devil is chiefly responsible, for he’s the author of the lies that deny the truth of God’s Word, and specifically this error that God nullified His promises to the Jews.
2. Proponents of this error wrongly say that since the Jews killed Jesus, since they crucified Christ, since they were such wicked people, they had to forfeit the promises God had given them.
3. Those who believe this error say that the Jews being driven from their homeland in 70 AD, and being led captive to all the nations, is solid and substantiating evidence proving that God has revoked His promises to the Jews. This is wrong thinking.
4. Many Christian leaders throughout the centuries have believed and publicly promoted this lie that God has taken away His promises to the Jews and given them to the church. Their false teaching about the Jews has been written up in many position papers and doctrinal statements in various denominations and churches all over the world.
5. Many Christians leaders in the first four to five centuries were allegorically and symbolically interpreting the Bible in a way that made it possible for them to redefine these Jewish promises, and transfer them to the church. This was their “Biblical” means by which they and the church could replace the Jews as recipients of these Old Testament promises.
6. The Jews were not in the land of Israel from 70 AD up until the late 1800’s, further strengthening and buttressing, and wrongly so, the position of those who believed in Replacement Theology, that God’s plans for the Jews were finished.

Let me go through each one of these errors:

1. The devil is one of the principal reasons for this error of Replacement Theology. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 tells us that the devil uses “deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” to wrongly influence people who then go on to proclaim his errors. There’s no doubt that the devil is behind this lie of Replacement Theology, for he doesn’t want the promises regarding the Jews to be believed. The fact that the devil wants people to believe that a massive volume of Old Testament verses regarding the future of the Jews have been rescinded shows the great magnitude of this error. The devil is largely responsible for deceiving so many people in this area. Not only that, but Revelation 12, the primary chapter in the Bible describing the devil’s opposition to the Jews, makes it very clear how he has tried to destroy the Jews throughout the millennia. The devil is the chief enemy of the Jews, and we’ve seen this in the past, we see this in the present, and we’ll see it in the future.

2. The Jews killed Jesus, and therefore forfeited their rights to inherit the Old Testament promises God had given them. The Bible clearly tells us that the Jews, aided by proud Jewish leaders, were all screaming for Jesus Christ to be killed, “Crucify, crucify Him” (Luke 23:18-25). Peter himself indicted the Jews, “You nailed Him to the cross” (Acts 2:23). There’s no question that the Jews were guilty of murdering Jesus. Here’s the Creator, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, and He was rejected by His own people (John 1:11), with the result that many Gentiles, and Gentile Christians at that time, began to think that the Jews were the absolute worst people on earth. They were thinking that these Christ killers deserved the wrath that God was pouring out upon them, and they did, but only for awhile. Therefore, many people believed that the church was permanently replacing the Jews, and would therefore inherit their Old Testament promises.

As time went on, it was obvious that more and more Jews were rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ. The book of Acts gives numerous accounts of how the Jews vociferously and violently opposed the Christians and the gospel of Christ. But you also need to understand that during this time more Gentiles were getting saved than Jews, and many Gentiles were beginning to develop wrong attitudes towards the Jews, with the result that a huge rift was growing between the two.

Many Gentiles thought that the Jews’ horrific and heinous sin of crucifying Christ, along with their continued unbelief, had forced God’s hand and made Him forever turn His back on those who were once His chosen people. They believed that the Jews had just killed their chance of any future blessing from God. These Gentile Christians could see the Jews’ widespread rejection of Christ. They could see the Jews holding on to the Old Testament priesthood, their offerings and sacrifices, which were now all but shadows. Therefore, they believed God had completely rejected the Jews as a national entity, and had permanently taken away their Old Testament promises, and had given them to the church, to the Christian believers.

Many Christian scholars used Matthew 21:43 as their primary text for why they believed God had rejected the Jews. There it says, “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” Yes, this was true for a time, but they did not understand the unconditional and eternal love of God, and that He would faithfully keep His Old Testament promises to the Jewish people, regardless of their great sin and rejection of Christ and the gospel. In fact, it is just two chapters later, in Matthew 23:38-39, where Jesus is speaking about the Jews, telling them, “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” Until. Until is a timing word, and it’s just a matter of time before a remnant of Jews will say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

3. A major event that cemented the wrong attitude many Gentiles had toward the Jews was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple in 70AD, the killing of hundreds of thousands of Jews, and the Diaspora, the dispersion of a great many Jews to all parts of the world. In the minds of many Gentiles, the fulfillment of God’s predictions about His punishment of the Jews (Luke 19:41-44, 21:20-24, 23:27-31) was unmistakable evidence that He was forever finished with them. They couldn’t believe and didn’t believe God would keep His promises to the Jews. They believed the Jewish state had been eliminated, that the nation of Israel had been forever destroyed.

In previous posts and articles we have talked extensively about the gathering of the Jews back to their land, and we see that this has now happened. Luke 21:20-24, a passage in which Jesus predicts the desolation of Jerusalem, also makes it clear that the Jews will return. These five verses sum up the history of the Jews for the past 1940+ years. In particular, verse 24 says, “They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Do you see what this says? That there’s a time limit to this trampling of Jerusalem, for it will end when the “the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Now this trampling of the Gentiles is still going on, for the times of the Gentiles won’t be fulfilled until the end of Daniel’s 70th week, and then all the Jews will be saved. Romans 11:25-26 also talks about this, speaking of the fullness of the Gentiles coming in, and then “all Israel will be saved.”

The apostle Paul also spoke of God’s vengeance upon the Jews: “wrath has come upon them to the utmost” (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). But Paul knew that God’s wrath upon the Jews and their being scattered to the nations was only for a time, for in Romans 11, he makes an airtight case for the future salvation of a Jewish remnant. This was not just Paul’s word, but more importantly, this is God’s word which will come to pass at the coming of Christ. The desolation, destruction and trampling of Jerusalem was not permanent, but only temporary. “Israel has been saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated to all eternity.” Isaiah 45:17

4. Many leading Gentile Christians, throughout the church age, have come out openly in their opposition to the Jews. Justin Martyr (160 AD), an early church father, was very strong in his condemnation of the Jews. In speaking to a Jew, he said, “The Scriptures are not yours, but ours.” Some of his writings were instrumental in the origin of Christian anti-Semitism. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon (177 AD), spoke against the Jews by saying, “Jews are disinherited from the grace of God.” Tertullian (160 AD-230 AD), another leading Christian of the day, was teaching that God had rejected the Jews in favor of the Christians. Origen (185 AD-254 AD), an outspoken Gentile said, “We say with confidence that they (the Jews) will never be restored to their former condition, for they committed a crime of the most unhallowed kind, in a conspiracy against the Savior of the human race.” And Jerome (347 AD-407 AD) described the Jews as “serpents, wearing the image of Judas, their psalms and prayers are the braying of donkeys.” Around 400AD, a famous theologian named Augustine said, “Judaism, since Christ, is a corruption; indeed Judas is the image of the Jewish people; their own understanding of Scripture is carnal; they bear the guilt of the Savior, for through their fathers they have killed Christ.”  It was also in the 4^th century that Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion in the Roman world. While the persecution of Christians had for the most part come to an end, the persecution of the Jews was only increasing.

At the end of the 4^th century, John Chrysostom, another critic of the Jews, wrote this: “The synagogue is not only a brothel and a theater, it is also a den of robbers and a lodging for wild beasts. No Jew adores God… Jews are inveterate murderers, possessed by the devil, their debauchery and drunkenness gives them manners of the pig.” There’s no doubt that the Jews were sinners and had rejected Christ, but it was sad to see so many Christians hating them instead of loving them. Their animosity towards the Jews only fueled their thinking that God had altogether nullified His promises to them. And yes, the church was growing, but anti-Semitism was also growing, among both Christians and non-Christians.

This wrong attitude towards the Jews gave rise to anti-Semitism in both Christian and Catholic churches. Moving through the centuries we come to Martin Luther and John Calvin and other reformers. And yes, they were reformed in their teaching of soteriology, of salvation in Christ alone, by faith alone, and through grace alone. But they held on to the baggage of the early church fathers and of the Catholics when it came to eschatology and the future of the Jews. Martin Luther, a man zealous for God, was wrongly zealous in his animosity towards the Jews, for he wasn’t loving his enemies, those Jews opposed to the cross of Christ. He was in error in his heart and in God’s word when it came to the Jews, and he turned out to be one of their fiercest critics.

Church history tells us that this hatred of the Jews has now been going on for about 2000 years, since the early days of the church, and on up to the present day. But God’s word sheds some needed light on what has been taking place during this church age, not excusing the Gentiles’ hatred toward the Jews, but explaining the Jews’ hatred toward God. “If their (Jews) transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be?” “If their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” “Behold, then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness.” “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Romans 11:12, 15, 22, 25

Paul tells us that we are to expect this hardness of the Jews and their rejection of Christ, for God had predicted it. But in the same chapter God also promised their future salvation, and this is what many Christians have failed to see. They haven’t understood God’s overall working with the Jews, that His plans for them were never canceled, but only temporarily suspended, and that in the end times, He would renew His work with them, saving a remnant of them at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. “And so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them when I take away all their sins’” (Romans 11:26-27). The Jews’ sin, their turning away from Christ, was necessary for the Gentile’s salvation, their trusting in Christ. After the end of this age, God will again show forth His great power and glory by again pouring out His mercy upon the Jews.

5. In the first few centuries Christians began to interpret the Bible symbolically, allegorically and figuratively, with the result that they were coming up with deeper spiritual meanings of the texts, many of which were wrong. This new method of Bible interpretation was the primary means by which many thought they could now negate God’s promises to the Jews and then transfer them to the church.

But you first need to understand the literal method of interpreting the Bible, which means interpreting the Bible in a natural, normal and customary sense, in what is also called a face value hermeneutic. This literal method was and is the correct method of interpretation, and is the only way you can truly discern the historical meaning of a passage, the meaning the authors intended at the time of its writing. This method of interpretation doesn’t mean you ignore obvious figures of speech, but it does eliminate trying to come up with some symbolic or deeper spiritual meaning.

Now the early church leaders were often contrasting the literal sense with the spiritual sense, debating then the real and true meaning of a word, verse or passage. During this time there were two main schools of interpretation, the Alexandrian school which favored allegorical interpretation, and the Antiochene school, which favored a more literal interpretation. This resulted in a growing confusion and conflict in the early church as to how to interpret the Bible.

As time went on, many early church leaders were moving towards this allegorical means of interpretation. Clement, an early church father, wrote, “Finding the deeper meaning is the process by which God gradually, by means of parable and metaphor, leads those to whom God would reveal Himself from the sensible to the intelligent world.” Dan McCartney in his survey of Origen’s interpretative methods said, “It should be clear from this survey that Origen lived in a complex hermeneutical environment… Certainly, it is not surprising that Origen allegorized the Bible.” John Franke said this about Origen, “Origen inherited a strong belief in allegory as a tool to communicate the deepest and most profound philosophical and theological truths, as well as the assumption that the Bible, the inspired word of God, must be subject to such allegorical interpretation in order to grasp it’s spiritual significance.”

You also read that Augustine was increasingly allegorizing parts of the Bible, particularly as it related to the Jews. In his paper, Against the Jews, Augustine wrote, “Christ, then, did not change the ancient signs to come by censoring them – He changed them through their fulfillment.” Augustine went on to explain his “theory of substitution whereby the new Israel of the church be a substitute of ancient Israel”. From church history, it’s obvious that Augustine and many other early church fathers believed that God’s promises to the Jews had been permanently transferred to the church. By means of allegorical interpretation, they could now validate their belief that the church had inherited the Old Testament promises to the Jews. Consequently, replacement Theology was rapidly becoming an official position in the church.

We are talking about principles of interpretation. Literally interpreting a passage versus spiritualizing it, makes all the difference when it comes to understanding the true meaning of a Bible passage. For example, this new allegorical and symbolic way of interpreting the Old Testament meant that there were times when the word Israel in the Old Testament didn’t mean Israel anymore, it meant church. This word Israel appears about 700 times in the Bible, and it always means Israel. But you’d find these Bible interpreters going through the Psalms and Prophets saying Israel meant the church, and that’s error. They’d also talk about the word Jerusalem and say its meaning had been changed. And they’d talk about the word forever, and say forever didn’t mean forever with regard to Israel and Jerusalem, but that it meant forever with regard to the church. Again, their thinking was inconsistent and wrong.

It was during these early years of the church that this new way of interpretation was getting lodged in the minds of many Christians. But dismissing the Jews for the church in this way was, and is, error. God didn’t change His mind concerning His promises to Israel. He cannot and did not lie. Old Testament promises given to the Jews were not changed one iota – they most definitely will be fulfilled in the future, and it won’t be long from now. “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth'” (Genesis 13:14-16). Descendants means Abraham’s physical descendants, land means land, and forever means forever.

J.C. Ryle, a great Christian pastor, scholar and teacher in the 19^th century, had much to say about God’s promises to the Jews. In his message, Scattered Israel to be Gathered, he said this about Bible interpretation as it related to the Jews: “What I protest against is the habit of allegorizing plain sayings of the Word of God concerning the future history of the nation of Israel, and explaining away the fullness of their contents in order to accommodate them to the Gentile church. I believe the habit to be unwarranted by anything in Scripture, and to draw after it a long train of evil consequences… Cleave to the literal sense of Bible words… Beware of that system of allegorizing and spiritualizing, and accommodating, which the school of Origen first brought in, and which has found such an unfortunate degree of favor in the church.” Ryle is right.

We know that the Jews were primarily responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. We’ve seen that the Jews were defeated in Israel and scattered all over the world. We’ve seen that the attitudes of the Gentiles were changing towards the Jewish people, that there was increasing hatred towards them. We’ve seen that many church leaders were speaking out against the Jews, saying that God’s promises to them were no longer valid. We’ve seen that there was a major change in how the Bible was being interpreted, from a literal sense to an allegorical sense. You put all this together and it’s not hard to see why many Christians were no longer believing God’s promises to the Jews were true. But they were wrong in their thinking back then, and they are wrong in their thinking today.

The people who falsely declared that the promises from God to the Jews were null and void had both the motive and the means to do it. There was the motive, the wrong attitudes they had towards the Jews, their hatred towards them, their anti-Semitism. And now there was the means, an accepted way to redefine the Old Testament promises for the Jews. Their wrong attitude plus a wrong method of interpretation made it relatively easy for people to dismiss, displace and disregard the Jews. With regard to Jewish prophecy, these error-minded Gentile Christians had both the desire and the method and the motive and the means to replace Israel with the church. And that’s exactly what happened in their own minds and words, but not in the mind of God and not in the word of God.

6.  The Jews were not in their land from 70 AD to the late 1800’s, and that must have meant these Jewish promises were now the church’s promises. Wrong again.  Can you imagine what the Replacement Theology people were thinking during this period of close to 1800 years? It wasn’t just that the Jews were not in their land but the fact that it went on and on and on – from the 1^st century to the 2^nd century to the 3^rd century to the 4^th century to the 5th century, and finally to the end of the 19^th century. During this entire period of time, the Jews were not in their land. This, no doubt, had to have strengthened and solidified the position many Christians and unbelievers had, that God was done with Israel as a nation, and that the Jewish promises had been totally and forever transferred to the church.

Then the Jews started coming back. It was the late 1800’s. I wouldn’t doubt that many Christian leaders wondered what was going on, but most were so stuck in their thinking that they just couldn’t change, and they weren’t going to change, and they didn’t change. They had taught that the Jews had no future; their articles and doctrinal statements had been written and printed; their positions had publicly been made known. But God, in fact, was once again working with the Jews. “‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.” (Ezekiel 37:4-5). God’s promises to the Jews were finally starting to be fulfilled, and they will be fulfilled.

Up to this very day there are many mainline denominations – Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Mennonite, Church of Christ, Episcopalian, Orthodox, as well as thousands of independent Protestant churches that still hold on to these erroneous and heretical teachings regarding the future of Israel. There are also many good Bible-based churches and reformed churches rightly preaching the gospel, but they’re not rightly teaching the truth about the future of Israel, for they don’t believe the promises of God with regard to the Jews. Estimates are that the majority of all true churches and so-called churches in this country don’t believe there is a future for the Jews. This is one of the main reasons I’m taking the time to correct this terrible error, for it is presently affecting many people and many churches. But you know what? I’m convinced that God is going to change the thinking of many of those caught up in this error as we get closer to the return of Christ. Do you think God would let His people, the Christian believers, stay steeped in their error concerning the Jews? I don’t believe so. Just like God is going to change the minds of many Jews in the end-times, leading them to repentance and forgiveness, so too, I believe He will change the minds of many Christians to believe that many Jews are going to get saved. By the grace and truth of God, might you be one who believes that God will fulfill all His promises to the Jews.

Since the Jews are back in their land, then we know we live in the end-times, and that the words of the prophets are no longer sealed and concealed (Daniel 12:4, 9). More than ever before, now is the time to find out what God, over 2500 years ago, predicted and promised to the Jews. This is the time to clearly understand God’s prophetic word, for it is relevant to the Jews, but also to the Christians. Don’t be lazy, don’t be ignorant, don’t be deceived, and don’t be in error. Ask God for wisdom, discernment, for insight, and then go to His word, and learn about the Jews from the Law,  the Psalms, the Prophets and the New Testament (Luke 24:44-45). Romans 15:9-10 sums it up well, “Therefore I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Your name… Rejoice, Gentiles, with His people… There shall come the root of Jesse, and He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles hope.” Do you see it? Jewish and Gentile believers praising God together, Jewish and Gentile believers together being ruled by Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. This is our future. “Praise the Lord, all nations; laud Him all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117

Article 27

By Steven J. Hogan

 

Over twenty years ago, I attended a church conference, and the speaker’s main message was about having a correct view of God, a Biblical understanding of God’s character. That message really struck me at that time, and has stuck with me ever since. Knowing God rightly is the most important thing in life. If you don’t have a true knowledge of God’s character, then you won’t have godly character, you will be unsteady, you will fall prey to error, your life will go off track, you will not grow properly, and you will not be able to do all that God desires. I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing God, of knowing the living, true, holy, and loving God.

I love to read the songs in the Bible, the song of Moses, the song of Hannah, the song of Mary, and the songs of David (the Psalms). They all are just filled with truth about the character of God, a clear evidence of the believer’s knowledge of God and close relationship with Him. I think of Enoch and how he walked with God. There’s no doubt that Enoch knew the Lord, and had a close relationship with Him. I love the passion in Paul’s prayer in Philippians 3:10 – “I want to know Christ.” Clearly this was the reason why Paul was such a godly man, for he knew the Lord in a very intimate way. Is this your heart cry, your desire, your pursuit, what you really want in life – to know the Lord?

In John 17:3, Jesus prays to the Father, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” What is eternal life? It’s knowing God and Jesus Christ – that’s it. And there’s nothing better and more essential than knowing God. You know people, you know family and friends, and people in your church. But knowing God and having a relationship with Him is by far what’s most important in your life. Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee.” If you want to have faith in the Lord, then you need to know the Lord, for your personal and experiential knowledge of God is the basis of your faith, and the energy behind your faith. If you want love, love for God and love for people, then you need to know the love of God. “I have come to know and have believed the love that God has for me.” 1 John 4:16.

In his 2^nd epistle, Peter makes a sweeping statement, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory.” 2 Peter 1:3. Do you see that? Everything in your Christian life, “everything pertaining to life and godliness” relates directly to knowing God, to having a “true knowledge of Him.” Peter knew the extreme importance and worth of knowing God. And then at the end of his epistle, Peter exhorts us, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18. Do you have “knowledge of our Lord?” Do you know Him, do you love Him, do you trust Him, are you walking with Him?

Many people ask me about living for the Lord in the end times. What am I to do? How should I live? How can I keep going for the Lord when there’s great tribulation? What you need to do today, tomorrow and the next day, and for the rest of your life is this – know God and keep growing in your knowledge of God, your relationship with Him. It’s not complicated. Now I’m not saying it’s not a struggle at times, that you won’t be tested to believe Him for who He says He is. But you need to determine to know and believe the truth about God as you go through the day, as you go through life. You need to see His power, His mercy, His faithfulness, His sovereignty, His holiness, His goodness, and the many other facets of God’s character that make Him who He is. You need to rely on the character and life of God, and see it as a source of strength in your life. You need to be like Moses, “for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” Hebrews 11:27. Make this your chief aim in life, to know God. And from your knowledge of Him, you will grow in your relationship with Him, you will have more faith, more love, more joy, more peace, more wisdom. And you will be more obedient, and you will be more blessed.

Not long after that conference of 20 years ago, I wrote up my ABC’s of God’s character. I immediately memorized them, and I must say, that I’ve recited them and thought about them hundreds of times over the years. I can’t tell you how much the truth of God’s character has brought refreshment to my soul, has stirred me, strengthened me, and encouraged me to keep on going for the Lord.

I encourage you to get to know the Lord. Go over these ABC’s. Read the songs in the Bible. Read books on the attributes, on the character of God. Pray to God that He would reveal Himself to you (Ephesians 1:17 – “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”) As you do these things, I have no doubt that God will enlarge your heart for Him, increase your love for Him, and strengthen your faith in Him. And you will bring more glory to God. “To Him be the glory, both now and in the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

ALMIGHTY GOD – Exodus 15:1-18, Job 42:1-5, Psalm 77:14, Ephesians 1:19-22, 1 Peter 5:6

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR – Psalm 18:19, Psalm 34:17; Isaiah 43:3-7, Daniel 3:17, Jonah 2:1-2, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:13, Titus 3:5

COMPASSIONATE FATHER – Nehemiah 9:28-29, Psalm 102:13, Lamentations 3:22-23, Matthew 9:36-38, Mark 1:40-42

DIVINE DIRECTOR – Psalm 33:10-11, Isaiah 46:8-11, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Romans 8:28, Acts 2:23, Acts 4:27-28, Ephesians 1:4-5

ETERNAL GOD – Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalm 90:2, Psalm 102:27, Jeremiah 10:10, Micah 5:2, 1 Timothy 6:15-16

FAITHFUL FATHER – Psalm 89:1-2, 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, 2 Corinthians 1:18-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, 2 Timothy 2:13, Revelation 19:11

GOOD SHEPHERD – Psalm 23:6, Psalm 31:19, Ezekiel 34:1-16, Nahum 1:7, John 10:11, 1 Peter 2:25

HOLY GOD – Exodus 15:11, Leviticus 11:44, 1 Samuel 2:2, Isaiah 6:3, Habakkuk 2:18-20, Acts 3:14, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 15:4

IMMUTABLE GOD – Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Job 26:5, Psalm 33:11, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17

JUST GOD – Psalm 33:5, Psalm 98:9, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Daniel 9:14, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:21-26, Revelation 15-16

KINSMAN REDEEMER – Ruth 3:9-13, Job 19:25, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:14, 1 Peter 1:18-19

LOVING LORD – Psalm 103:8,11; Isaiah 54:10; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; Romans 5:8, 8:38-39; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 John 3:16

MERCIFUL FATHER – Psalm 32:1-2, Psalm 103:10-12, Mark 2:1-12, Colossians 2:13, Hebrews 8:12, 1 John 1:9

NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES – Psalm 92:1, Psalm 145:1-2, Luke 1:31-33, Matthew 1:21-23, Philippians 2:9, Hebrews 1:2-5

OMNISCIENT GOD – Job 23:10, Psalm 33:14, Psalm 139:1-6, Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 16:17, Matthew 24:3-31, John 21:17

PATIENT FATHER – Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 145:8, Romans 2:4, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Timothy 1:15, 2 Peter 3:9

QUINTESSENTIAL KING – 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Psalm 47, Proverbs 21:30, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 33:22, Philippians 2:5-11, Revelation 19:16

RIGHTEOUS GOD – Genesis 18:25, Psalm 75:2, Psalm 85:10, Acts 10:34-35, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:9-26, Revelation 15-16

SOVEREIGN LORD – Genesis 50:20, Job 1:9-12, Daniel 2:20-21, Acts 17:26, Romans 8:28-29, Romans 9:18, 1 Timothy 6:14-15

TRUTHFUL GOD – Psalm 33:4, Psalm 119:142, Isaiah 40:8, Luke 21:33, John 1:14-17, John 8:32, Hebrews 4:12

UNCHANGING GOD – Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Psalm 33:11, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 1:10-12, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17

VICTORIOUS LORD – Joshua 10:10-12, Psalm 18:50, Romans 8:31, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Colossians 2:15, Revelation 19:1-3

WISE GOD – Job 12:13, Proverbs 2:1-6, Jeremiah 10:12, Daniel 2:20, Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:8, Colossians 2:3, 1 Timothy 1:17

XTRA PROTECTING GOD – Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Proverbs 18:10, Isaiah 25:4, John 10:27-29

YOUR PERSONAL FRIEND – Exodus 33:11, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24, John 15:13-15, James 2:23, Hebrews 13:5

ZEALOUS WARRIOR – Exodus 15:13, 2 Kings 19:30-31, Isaiah 37:32, John 2:17

Article 26

By Steven J. Hogan

One of my purposes in teaching eschatological prophecy is to help you see the plans God has for your life. Way too often we trudge through life, lost in our own little worlds, and we don’t see the big picture. And it’s God’s word that enables you to know why you are really here, what life’s all about, and where you are going. In particular, it’s important to understand God’s prophetic word as it relates to your future, and the future of the church and of the Jews. It’s also important to see that God’s plans for the Jews directly relate to God’s plans for the church. And there’s no doubt that seeing God’s plans for the Jews gives you a bigger, better and more comprehensive picture of God’s plans for the church.

But there’s a problem in that many people, both Christians and non-Christians, believe in an error called Replacement Theology. This is a lie the devil has foisted upon the church for over 1900 years now, saying that God negated and nullified His Old Testament promises to the Jews about their land, salvation and King, and then to some degree, gave them to the church. But the church did not replace Israel when it came to God’s Old Testament promises. I have shared many arguments from God’s word, proving that His promises to the Jews are still valid, and will be fulfilled in the future. Today, I will share a few more.

1. Christ Himself Affirmed That the Promises to the Jews Are True. Luke 24:44 – “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Jesus Christ told His disciples that all things written about Him in the Old Testament were to be fulfilled, things related to His suffering and His glory, to His first coming and His second coming, and to His reign over the world.

Jesus came to visit His frightened disciples, for He wanted to reassure them, and give them evidence that He was the Messiah, the Savior and the King. And so what did Jesus do? He immediately goes to God’s word, to the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. These Bible passages had much to say about Jesus, about who He was, what He had done and what He was going to do. This must have been a most enlightening Bible study, for here’s Jesus, God in the flesh, opening up the Word, using it to instruct and confirm His identity and purpose, and thereby encourage His disciples.

Jesus uses the phrase “all things”, to say that He was going to share “all things” about Himself with the disciples – He was going to tell the disciples what the Word said about Himself. This would include His relationship and dealings with the Jews, that He was their Savior and coming King. This verse helps us to see that God’s promises to the Jews have never been negated, but that they’ll come true in connection with His plans for the Messiah. You can’t separate the truth about Jesus from God’s promises to the Jews. Since Jesus was affirming the truth about Himself, then He was also affirming God’s promises about the future of the Jews. Jesus will be the Savior of the Jews, and He will be the King of the Jews. For example, look at Psalms 47, 67, 72.

I want you to notice that Jesus tells us the same thing in Matthew 5:17-18 – “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter stroke shall pass from the Law until all is all is accomplished.” Do you see that? Jesus is coming to fulfill the Law and the prophets. And all that is predicted about Him will come to pass, which, as I just said, includes all things as it relates to God’s promises for the Jews.

It’s 2017, and we now live in the end times. At the end of this church age believers will be raptured, unbelievers will be judged, a remnant of Jews will be saved, and Christ will begin His reign over the Jews and over the world. Especially at this time in history, might we see that “all things which are written about Me” are true and will come true. Might we not be “foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken.” Luke 24:25. Let’s pray that God opens our “minds to understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:26

2. God’s Character Demands that He Carry Out His Promises to the Jews. If God, in His Word, says something is going to happen, and then He backs down or changes His mind, or somehow says that’s not what He meant, then that’s a terrible blemish on His character, for He would not be truthful, but He would be lying. But God cannot lie, otherwise He would not be God, for God is always truthful and holy. You must understand that God did not lie when He communicated His promises to the Jews about their future. In fact, if God has lied about His promises to the Jews, then maybe He has lied about His promises to the church. If God’s “forever” and “eternal” promises to the Jews aren’t true, then maybe Christians don’t really have eternal life. But we know that’s not true. God did not lie! He has always told the truth, to the Jews and the Christians! “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19. “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.” Romans 3:4.

Another important aspect of God’s character is His faithfulness, which means that God will carry out what He has promised to do. In His Word, God predicts that many things will happen, and because He’s faithful, then He will most definitely bring them about. The best chapter in the entire Bible that declares God’s faithfulness is Psalm 89, for there we read about His faithfulness eight different times. And what is God going to be faithful to do? He will faithfully fulfill His promise to David, that one of his descendants will be the Christ, and will forever reign as King over the world. Psalm 89:2-3 – “I have said, ‘Lovingkindness will be built up forever; in the heavens You will establish your faithfulness. I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever, and build up Your throne for all generations.’ ” Now it is 2 Samuel 7:13-16 that originally gives us this promise, but it is Psalm 89, along with other passages, that repeat it and reestablish the fact that it will be fulfilled. “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with Him, and in My name his horn shall be exalted.” Psalm 89:24. Indeed God will be faithful to His Word and His character – you can count on Him to completely carry out His promises to the Jews, to the church, and to you. “The Lord God will Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom shall have no end.” Luke 1:30-33

 3. The Gathering of the Jews to Israel Proves that God’s Promises to Them Are True. The Jews first came to their God promised land around 1400 BC. They lived there for about 800 years, but because of their terrible sin, they were taken captive and exiled to other countries. Then after 70 years, a remnant of Jews returned to their land. A little over 500 years later, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, and then was raised in Nazareth. During his 3 ministry years, He traveled throughout Israel, and then He died in Jerusalem for our sins, but was raised from the dead. Shortly before Jesus died, He predicted the departure of Jews from Jerusalem and their return to it (Luke 21:24 – “They (Jews) will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”). Lo and behold, about 1850 years after Jesus said this, Jews from all over the world started to come back to the land of Israel. Jesus’ prophecy about the Jews was 100% right. He told the truth, and we have been seeing His prediction come true right before our very own eyes.

But it’s not just what Jesus said in Luke 21:24, it’s that many Old Testament prophets, from around 740BC-490BC, had already predicted this second gathering back to Israel. Isaiah 11:11 – “In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of His people…” Jeremiah 32:37-38 – “I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in My furious anger and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be My people and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 36:26 – “I will gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land… I will give you a new heart and spirit.” Ezekiel 37:21-23 – “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land… and one King will be king for all them… and they will be My people and I will be their God.” Hosea 1:11 – “Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head and they shall come up out of the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.” Micah 4:6-7 – “In that day, I will assemble the lame and gather the outcasts, even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant and the outcasts a strong nation, and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever.” Zechariah 8:7-8 – “I will save My people from the countries of the east and the west and bring them back to Jerusalem and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

It was in 1867 that JC Ryle, one of my favorite prophecy teachers, spoke about the return of Israel to their land. He believed what these Old Testament prophets had already predicted concerning the future of the Jews. From his book, Are You Ready For the End of Time?, and in his chapter titled, “Scattered Israel to Be Regathered”, he says, “Out of the 16 prophets of the Old Testament, there are at least ten in which the gathering and restoration of the Jews in the latter days are mentioned.” He goes on to say, “There is one common remark that applies to them all. They all point to a time which is yet future. They all predict the final gathering of the Jewish nation from the four quarters of the globe, and their restoration to their own land.”  Here is this godly man, living at a time when the Jews were still scattered all over the world, and when the vast majority of Christians believed there was no future for the Jews. But JC Ryle was convinced of God’s truth regarding the future of the Jews, and he was right. Therefore he rightly and boldly preached that the Jews would be gathered back to their land.

Well, it was about 15 years after JC Ryle was teaching these things that the Jews started returning to their homeland, just like God said they would. From all over the world they came, and they kept coming, and they kept coming, and they kept coming back to their land. What’s so amazing and so sovereign of God is that all these prophecies about the Jews coming back to their land have been coming true, just like He promised in His Word. For over the past century, we’ve been seeing the fulfillment of God’s Jew gathering prophecy.

Since around 1880, the Jews have been returning to their land, from a few thousand to over six million strong. This is truly a miracle of God! Nothing like this has ever happened before, where a people group this prominent, have been defeated, taken from their land, dispersed all over the earth, and have then come back to their own land, and that after over 1800 years being apart from their land! But what’s really incredible is that the Jews returned with their same language, same culture, same religion, and same identity. This is unbelievable! Indeed, this has been a work of God, for the predictions from over 2500 years ago have now been coming true, and no one can deny it. If you don’t believe this, then google “Israel.” Or, better yet, go to Israel and see for yourself what God has done, how He has miraculously brought back millions of Jews to the promised land.

Now many people still say God’s future plans for Israel are no longer valid. Then why are the Jews back in their land? Did they just come back for no reason? Is it a fluke, sort of a strange phenomenon that has taken place? Is this something that happened that was beyond God’s control? Is there any meaning to their return to Israel? Of course there is. Plain and simple, this is God’s work, and the fulfillment of His promise to the Jews that He’d bring them back to their own land. The prophets’ predictions have come true just as they had written them down. And so we’ve been seeing this amazing journey back, this incredible and seemingly impossible event taking place with regard to the Jews. Back in 70AD, they were defeated, scattered, and taken captive to the nations. But now they’ve come back to their country. This is a flat out miracle of God – the likes of which has never taken place before. Ezekiel says it this way – “As I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone (the present)… and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army (the future).” Ezekiel 37:7-10. Let me encourage you to read all of Ezekiel 36-37, the most descriptive chapters in the Bible about the return of the Jews back to Israel.

But why have the promises about the Jews’ coming back to their land now come true? Because God wants to get His end time plans going (Daniel 12:4,9). Because God wants the church age to come to a close, and then send His Son back to earth (Matthew 24:4-31). And because the Jews returning to their land is the precondition that needed to be met so that the rest of God’s promises to them could come true. (Ezekiel 37:21-23). Since God has brought the Jews back to their land, then surely He will fulfill the rest of His promises to them. And when you look at the entire context of the aforementioned verses about the Jews gathering back to their land, it’s obvious that they were coming back so that God’s promises to them about their King, their land, and their salvation would also come true.

It’s important that you see the connection between the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Jews about regathering to their land, and the fulfillment of the other promises He made to them. You can’t separate the Jews’ return to Israel in these prophecy passages from all their other promises – they go together. The regathering of the Jews is one of the greatest proofs there is that God’s promises to the Jews are still true, and will, in the near future, be fulfilled. It all fits, it all makes sense, it’s God’s Word. The Jews are now back in the land, and therefore God will soon begin to carry out the rest of His Old Testament promises to them.

4. New Testament Jewish Prophecy Passages In Conjunction With Church Prophecy Passages. There are many New Testament prophecy passages that talk about both the Jews and the church. I am not, at this time, going to write them all out, but I encourage you to look at them yourself. Here, I will only mention them, and then make a few observations.

First, there’s Matthew 24:9-26, and verses 9-14 are about the church, and verses 15-26 are about the Jews. There’s Mark 13:9-23, and verses 9-13 are about the church, and verses 14-23 are about the Jews. There’s Luke 21:12-24, and verses 12-19 are about the church, and verses 20-24 are about the Jews. There’s 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9, and it’s about the church and the Jews. There’s Revelation 7, and verses 1-8 are about the Jews, and verses 8-17 are about the church. Finally, there’s Revelation 12, and verses 1-6, 13-16 are about the Jews, and verses 10-12, 17 are about the church.

Here are some observations:
a. These are all passages about the future. Now I know they may be metaphorical in the minds of those who misinterpret prophecy portions in the Bible. But the truth is, these prophecies are about the end times, about what will be taking place in the future with regards to both the Jews and the church; and they will literally and completely come true, and it will be soon.
b. God’s work with the church is in the same time frame as His work with the Jews. The fact that these Jewish passages are adjacent to these church passages is significant. It is obvious that God’s work with the Jews in the end times is coinciding with and in conjunction with His work with the church, and that God will not do His prophetic work with the Jews apart from His prophetic work with the church.
c. You can’t say that the prophecies for the church will be fulfilled, but not the prophecies for the Jews. If these passages about the church will be fulfilled, then won’t these passages about the Jews also be fulfilled? Do you think, like some, that there is no future for the Jews? If not, then why in the world are these Jewish passages sitting right next to these New Testament church passages? And why all this Jewish talk in these verses? Why does it talk about the abomination of desolation in Jerusalem? (Matthew 24:15). Why does it talk about the trampling of Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled? (Luke 21:24). Why does it talk about the Jews trying to escape the clutches of the Antichrist during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week? (Revelation 12:13-16). Why does it talk about the newly built temple in Jerusalem? (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The reasons are obvious. Because God will actively be working with the Jews in the end times, and his promises and His plans for them will be carried out and fulfilled in the same general time period as His work with the church.
d. The fact that the Jews have been returning to Israel means we’re in the end times. God’s prophetic work with both the Jews and the church is in high gear, going full speed ahead. It won’t be long before many of the predictions, promises and plans with regards to both the Jews and the church will be fulfilled. You need to see and understand this, for it is undoubtedly and unquestionably true. Now is the time to know what God’s word says about these days, to wake up from your sleep, to be alert, to be aware of what’s going on in the world, and to know how you should then live for the Lord.

The evidence in the above end time passages clearly shows us that God is now working with the church and the Jews. The verses in these important prophecy passages prove to us that God’s plans for both the Jews and the church will be carried out. Once the church is raptured, then God’s wrath will be poured out upon the world, and then the Jews will be redeemed. Jesus Christ will then begin His reign over the world, with both Christians and believing Jews.

But what’s the conclusion? Let’s look at Romans 11:33-36. Some say these great, glorious and God exalting verses are the conclusion to Romans 11, that great chapter about the salvation of the Jews in the end times. Some say it’s the conclusion to Romans 9-11, three chapters primarily about the Jews and the gospel. Some say it is the conclusion to Romans 1-11, the greatest passage in the entire Bible speaking about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that is for both Jews and Gentiles. Regardless of what you believe, we know that the work of God, the grace of God, and the love of God for His people, both Jews and Gentiles, brings Him great, great glory. “O, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God… For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

Article 25

By Steven J. Hogan

This is not so much an article to read as it is a resource to use. A long time ago, back in the early 70’s, God taught me the importance of feeding my soul with His Word. I have to admit, I am so thankful that He got me into the habit of daily reading His Word, of thinking about it, praying over it, doing it, and it then becoming a part of my life. There’s no doubt that one of the main reasons I am going on for Christ is because of God’s Word. I love God and I love His Word and I couldn’t make it in life as a Christian without it. Through it, God teaches me, leads me, comforts me, motivates me, instructs me, warns me and protects me. By God’s grace, I have learned to believe His truths, obey His commands, heed His warnings, and hold on to His promises. Every morning I’ve learned to get up, and first get into God’s word, and have my most important meal of the day.

What follows is a long list of verses. These are most of my favorite verses, and ones I’ve read and thought of time and time again for the past 45 years. I first wrote this list for myself, so that I could more easily remember the word God had given me. But then I made it available to my friends, and then to my church. Then this past week, I thought it would be good to make it available to you. (You will notice that I like the Psalms).

When you start reading it, you’ll see that it is a randomized list of verses. I did this on purpose. There have been times in my life when I’d read a section of these verses every day, and I’d go through the entire list, and then I’d start all over again. There have been times when I was spiritually lethargic or discouraged, and then I’d start to read through some of the verses. And invariably, I wouldn’t get very far in the list before God would quickly spiritually pick me up and get me back on my feet. By His Word, He’d encourage, refresh and energize me. I can’t tell you how many times God has used these verses to help me get up and keep on going for Him. And if God can use this list to be a help for your own life, and for the lives of others, then I say “Amen.”

My prayer is that God’s word becomes a part of your soul. “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being” (Psalm 51:6). You need God’s word – you have to have it. You can’t make it, you can’t survive without it. God’s Word needs to become a part of your life. You need to learn to go to certain books, certain chapters, and certain verses in the Bible, trusting God to use His word to build you, to instruct you, to lead you, and to protect you. And sometimes you will go back to the same verse or same passage. And that’s fine, that’s good, if that’s what you need to do.

One more thing – I believe you all know that we’re in the end times, and that it won’t be long before the return of Christ. And I hope you realize that there’ll be some rough days ahead before Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church. Paul said it simply, “Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). But then we’ll come to “great tribulation” days, and the road will be even rougher, and life will be even tougher. Now’s the time to get God’s word in your life, and for His word to become a part of your life. Now’s the time, in the calm before the storm, to learn the key truths, commands, promises and warnings found in God’s word. Don’t wait, please don’t wait. Finally, remember the Lord’s instruction to Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Joshua 1:8

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Psalm 145:1 – I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Psalm 23:1-3, 6 – The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul… Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Mark 12:30-31 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength… Love your neighbor as yourself.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Psalm 27:7 – One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.
Matthew 6:33-34 – Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow.
Lamentations 3:20-23 – My soul is downcast within me; yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.
Psalm 18:1-2 – I love You O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 18:28, 30 – You keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light… as for God, His way is perfect; His Word is flawless; He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

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1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
John 5:24 – He who hears My words, and believes in Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Psalm 119:105 – Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 26:3 – Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in Your truth.
Psalm 86:12-13 – I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. Great is Your love towards me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of the grave.
Psalm 100:4 – Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 28:2, 6-7 – Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help… Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to Him in song!
Nahum 1:7 – The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.
Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

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Exodus 15:11 – Who among the gods is like You, O Lord? Who is like You – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?!?!
Isaiah 6:3 – Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory!!!
Deuteronomy 10:13 – What does the Lord ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
Matthew 28:19-20 – Go therefore and makes disciples of all the nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, even to the end of this age.
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work in the Lord is not in vain.
Hebrews 11:6 – Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Psalm 71:19-21 – Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? Though You have made me see troubles many and bitter, You will restore my life once again… You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
Romans 8:28-29 – We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who have been called according to His purpose. For those whom God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Psalm 31:19 – How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You.
Psalm 55:22-23 – Cast your burden upon on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

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Psalm 57:10-11 – For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory be over all the earth.
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.
Lamentations 3:31-32 – For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love.
Psalm 126:3-5 – Restore our fortunes O Lord… Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy… The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 15:7-9 – If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, and prove to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.
Proverbs 16:9 – Man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.
Job 23:10-12 – God knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed His steps. I have kept His way without turning aside… I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Psalm 31:7, 9, 14 – I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul… Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief… I trust in You, O Lord and say, “You are my God.”
Psalm 73:23-26 – Yet I am always with You. You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel. Afterwards, You will take me into glory… My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

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Psalm 118:24 – This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Proverbs 2:6-7 – For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose way is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.
Hebrews 7:25-26 – Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Psalm 143:8-10 – Let the morning bring me word of Your love, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalm 46:10 – Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 – We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not despairing; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body.
Psalm 62:5, 8 – Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. My hope comes from Him… Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
Deuteronomy 33:12 – Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields Him all day long; and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.
Psalm 34:4-6 – I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

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Psalm 40:11-12 – May Your love and truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see… and my heart fails with me.
1 Samuel 12:23-24 – As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord, and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.
Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead to an advantage, as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Romans 8:1 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 90:14 – Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us.
Psalm 103:1-5 – Praise the Lord, O my soul; praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion.
Psalm 80:7, 18 – Restore us, O God Almighty; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved… Return to us, O God Almighty… Revive us, and we will call on Your name.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 – May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
James 1:2-4 – Consider it all joy my brothers when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Psalm 147:3-5 – He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars, and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

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Proverbs 4:4-5 – Let your heart hold fast My words; keep My commandments and live. Get wisdom, get understanding. Do not forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.
Ezra 7:10 – Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Romans 11:33 – Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His paths are beyond tracing out.
Psalm 84:1-2 – How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our trials so we will be able to comfort those who are in any trial with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Romans 7:20, 21, 24 – Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me… What a wretched man that I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Psalm 119:75-77 – I know O Lord that you are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant. Let Your compassion come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight.
Deuteronomy 13:3-4 – The Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him and cling to Him.
Nehemiah 4:14 – Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.
Matthew 11:28-29 – Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

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Psalm 91:14-16 – Because he loves Me, I will rescue him. I will protect him for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
Joshua 5:13-14 – Joshua lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said, ‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?’ And he said, ‘No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.’
John 14:27 – My peace I give to you… Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.
Daniel 3:17-18 – We do not need to defend ourselves. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know O king that we will not serve your gods.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 – We were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.
Psalm 36:7-8 – How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house.
Daniel 4:35 – God does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: “What have you done?”
Matthew 6:9-11 – Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
Isaiah 26:3-4 – You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is the Rock eternal.
Mark 13:27 – Then He will send forth His angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

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Esther 4:14 – Who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?
Job 22:21-22 – Yield now and be at peace with God; thereby good will come to you. Please receive instruction from His mouth and establish His words in your heart.
Philippians 1:21-23 – To live is Christ, and to die is gain… Yet what shall I choose? I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ which is better by far.
Psalm 77:13-14 – Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display Your power among the peoples.
2 Timothy 4:18 – The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 21:4 – He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Psalm 52:8-9 – I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done; in Your name I will hope, for Your name is good.
Mark 1:15 – The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.
2 Corinthians 9:8 – God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good deed.
2 Peter 1:2-3 – Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

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1 John 2:15, 17 – Do not love the world, nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him…. The world and its lusts are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Psalm 31:21 – Praise be to God, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city. In my alarm I said, “I’m cut off from your sight”, yet You heard my cry for mercy.
Psalm 119:50 – My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Philippians 3:10 – I want to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Psalm 139:16-17 – Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 56:3-4 – When I am afraid I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
2 Chronicles 14:11 – Lord, there is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, You are our God; do not let mere man prevail against You.
Psalm 66:8-12 – Praise our God, O peoples… He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping, for You, God, tested us and refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs, and let men ride over our heads. We went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance.
1 Peter 5:10 – After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Psalm 119:71 – It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees.

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Philippians 1:6 – I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it on the day of Christ Jesus.
1 John 2:12, 14 – I write to you children because your sins are forgiven… I write to you young men because you’re strong, and God’s word lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Psalm 103:11-12 – As high as the heavens are above the earth so great is His love for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.
Ecclesiastes 7:2, 4 – It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart… The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the  house of pleasure.
Colossians 3:12-13 – As God’s chosen people, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another… Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Colossians 3:17 – Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Matthew 4:10 – Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.
Hosea 6:3 – So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.
Psalm 16:9, 11 – My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices… You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in Your presence and eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
1 Peter 1:6-7 – In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, may be proved genuine, and result in praise, honor and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed.

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Psalm 77:8-9, 11 – Has God’s unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has He in anger withheld His compassion… I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes I will remember Your miracles of long ago.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so Christ’s power may rest on me… For Christ’s sake I delight in weakness… when I am weak, then I am strong.
James 1:9, 12 – The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position… Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
2 Kings 6:16 – Do no fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.
Isaiah 40:29 – God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 – I know the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Chronicles 31:21 – In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
1 John 4:16 – We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.
John 11:40 – Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?

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Jude 1b-2 – To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: may mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
Psalm 107:6, 8 – They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress… Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love, and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Romans 5:3-4 – We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Luke 21:27 – At that time they will see the Son of man coming with power and great glory.
Jeremiah 10:10 – But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God, the everlasting King.
John 11:24-25 – I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though He dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?
Jude 24-25 – To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy – to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time, now and forever.
2 Corinthians 5:7, 9 – We live by faith and not by sight… For we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Psalm 138:8 – The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord endures forever.
Exodus 33:14 – The Lord replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

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Philippians 2:1-2 – Since you have encouragement from being united with Christ, since you have comfort from His love, since you have fellowship with the Spirit, since you have tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded.
Psalm 34:17-18 – The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those crushed in spirit.
Psalm 63:2-4 – I have seen You in the sanctuary, and beheld Your power and glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live.
Psalm 119:132-133 – Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love Your name. Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me.
Psalm 119:159 – I love your precepts; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your love.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – We do not lose heart. Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. Momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Colossians 3:3-4 – For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory.
James 5:11-12 – We consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance, and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Psalm 86:4-5, 7 – Bring joy to your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me.
Psalm 145:14, 17 -The Lord upholds all those who fall, and lifts up all who are bowed down… The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call on Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

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Malachi 2:5-6 – He revered Me, and stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity.
Psalm 136:16, 23, 25, 26 – To Him who led His people through the desert, His love endures forever… to the One who remembered us in our low estate, His love endures forever… who gives food to every creature, His love endures forever… Give thanks to the God of heaven.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – May the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
1 John 4:10-11 – In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 Corinthians 6:19 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.
Hebrews 12:22-24 – You have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands and thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.
Psalm 103:8 – The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.
Ephesians 3:16-19 – I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so Jesus Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is love of Christ – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Psalm 40:1-2 – I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run, and not grow weary, they will walk, and not grow faint.

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Psalm 103:13-14 – As a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are but dust.
1 Peter 4:10-11 – Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms… so that in all things God may be praised.
Psalm 143:11 – For Your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In Your righteousness bring me out of trouble. In Your unfailing love, silence my enemies, for I am Your servant.
Hebrews 12:10-11 – Our heavenly Father disciplines us for our good so that we may share in His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Psalm 13:1-2, 4-5 – How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts, and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?… But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me.
Psalm 146:5 – Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord.
1 Peter 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Romans 3:23-24 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of His blood, to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His justice.
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ according to the kind intention of His will.

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Deuteronomy 8:2-3 – You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you, and let you be hungry… that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but on everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
John 14:15-16 – If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth.
Psalm 71:18 – Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.
Psalm 119:1-2 – Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 33:18-19 – The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 118:17-18 – I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
Romans 8:31-32 – If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His Own Son, but delivered Him over for all of us, how will He not also freely give us all things?
Jeremiah 32:38-40 – They will be My people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear Me so they will never turn away from Me.
Psalm 121:7 – The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.
Romans 8:36-39 – In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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2 Timothy 4:7-8 – I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord will award to me.
John 17:4 – This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.
Colossians 2:9-10 – For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Psalm 116:1 – I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.
Psalm 116:6-7 – The Lord protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, He saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
Psalm 16:5-7 – You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; I have a delightful inheritance.
Isaiah 50:10 – Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the Lord and rely on His God.
Ephesians 5:1 – Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us, and gave Himself up for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:17-18 – So then do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is… Be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 6:10 – Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the schemes of the devil.

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Psalm 3:3-4, 8 – You are a shield around me, O Lord… To the Lord I cry aloud and He answers me from His holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.
Genesis 50:20 – As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about the present result, the saving of many lives.
Psalm 142:6-7 – Listen to my cry – I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison that I may praise Your name.
Psalm 27:13-14 – I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and take heart, and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 51:10, 12 – Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Romans 6:13 – Offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
Isaiah 57:1-2 – The righteous man perishes, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands, that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace.
Job 19:25-26 – I know that My Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 – It is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing the future.
2 Corinthians 13:14 – May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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Psalm 57:7 – My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Philippians 2:10-11 – At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Peter 1:16 – Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.
James 4:6, 8, 10 – God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble… Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up. Come near to God and He will come near to you.
2 Chronicles 15:7 – As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
John 17:24, 26 – Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given me because You loved Me before the creation of the world… I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I Myself may be in them.
Psalm 116:8-9 – For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us then approach the throne of grace of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
Psalm 119:92 – If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 – Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches. Let him who boasts boast that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.

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1 John 2:13-14 – I write to you fathers because you have known Him from the beginning. You young men are strong because the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Proverbs 20:24 – Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord. How then can anyone understand His way?
Isaiah 50:6-7 – I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. The Sovereign Lord helps me, and I will not be disgraced. I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
Hebrews 12:1-2 – Let us run with endurance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Romans 4:19, 20 – Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead… yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He promised.
John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 14:6 – I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.
1 Peter 3:18 – For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.
Hebrews 1:3 – The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Philippians 2:12-13 – Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will, and to work, according to His good pleasure.

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2 Timothy 4:1 – I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His Kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and careful instruction.
Psalm 115:1 – Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your lovingkindess, because of Your truth.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 – Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the Kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now our God we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.
Philippians 3:8 – I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him.
Proverbs 8:17 – I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me will find Me.
Joshua 1:8 – Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Psalm 119:159 – See how I love Your precepts; preserve my life according to Your love.
Psalm 119:28 – My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word.
Philippians 1:9-11 – This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Hebrews 11:26, 27 – Moses regarded disgrace for Christ’s sake as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to His reward… he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.

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Romans 10:9, 13 – If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved…. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Job 1:21 – The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Jeremiah 10:23 – I know that a man’s life is not his own, it is not for man to direct his steps.
2 Chronicles 20:12 – O our God, will You not judge them? We have no power to face this vast enemy that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
Galatians 6:9 – Do not grow weary of doing good, for in due time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up. As you have opportunity, do good to all people, especially to the believers.
Job 10:12 – You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.
Ephesians 6:18 – With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this  in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
Psalm 43:3, 5 – Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me… Why are you downcast O my soul? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
2 Corinthians 5:2, 8 – We groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling… we are confident and would be prefer to be away from the body, and at home with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 – May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Psalm 47:6-7 – Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth. 
Matthew 25:21 – Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of Your master.
Romans 12:1 – I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your body a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you can prove what the will of God is.
Revelation 1:5-7 – To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen! Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.
Revelatio­n 5:13 – To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 21:7 – He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son.
Matthew 4:4 – Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Revelation 4:8 – Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.
Revelation 22:20 – He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord be with you all. Amen.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.

Article 24

By Steven J. Hogan

As Christians our desire should be to clearly understand the prophecy passages in the Bible that speak of the future God has for us. And one thing necessary for this understanding is to know the promises God gave to the Jews, particularly about their land, their King and their salvation. Unfortunately, many in the church are confused about this, and in fact, there are those who actually negate and nullify these promises to the Jews. For different reasons, they say there’s no future for national, ethnic Israel.

Those who believe these promises have been nullified, and have then been reformulated for the church, are in error. This false view, my friend, one that is often called Replacement Theology, is an attack against the credibility of Scripture and the character of God. It is also an attack against Bible prophecy, the future of Israel, and the common sense literal approach to Scripture. 2 Thessalonians 3:3, in a passage about prophecy, says, “Let no one deceive you in any way.” My desire is to make sure you are not deceived by this error, to help you see that those who believe this error are wrong. Their faulty arguments can be refuted and corrected by the overwhelming number of Old and New Testaments verses that clearly and powerfully proclaim God’s future plans for the Jews. The primary purpose of this particular article is to look at some New Testament verses to prove to you the truth of God’s promises to the Jews, that they have not been changed, but will indeed come to pass.

1.  LUKE 1-2  ~  FIVE STAR WITNESSES TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH OF GOD’S PROMISES TO THE JEWS

Luke 1:30-33 – “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you shall conceive in your womb and will bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary was a young and godly lady. As an Israelite, she had been schooled in the synagogue and no doubt understood the Davidic covenant, that one of David’s descendants would someday reign as King over the Jews, and over the entire world. And here is Mary the servant, and she is shocked to hear from this angel that she would be the mother of this Messiah, this Son of the Most High. But she believed him, for she believed the promise God Himself had already given in His word.

Luke 1:54-55 – “He has given help to His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and His descendants forever.” In these verses Mary references the Abrahamic Covenant, and she knew this too to be God’s promise to the Jews, that through Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed. She believed that this promise, like the Davidic covenant, was an eternal promise that would never be changed.

Luke 1:67-79 – “… (the Lord) has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old, salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to show mercy to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our Father.” Zechariah the priest, the father of John the Baptist, understood these promises to Abraham and David. Over the years, he had continually heard and believed the prophets’ messages about salvation, redemption and forgiveness. Without question, Zechariah was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.

But let’s not forget the shepherds. What did the angel tell them? “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord… ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of goodwill.’” Luke 2:10-14. Yes, the shepherds also knew and believed these promises God had given to their ancestors, about this King who would bring peace to the world. You see, most Jews had heard them time and time again, from their parents, from the priests, and from the words of the prophets.

Then Luke 2:25-32 tells us about a devout man named Simeon, and he was “looking for the consolation of Israel.” And in Luke 2:36-38, we read that the prophetess Anna was “looking for the redemption of Israel.” They too knew the promises about the land, their King, the salvation of the Jews, and the glorious future of Israel, and they really wanted to see this King, this Messiah. Now they didn’t know there’d be a 1^st and 2^nd coming of the Messiah, that a church age would take place between the two, and that only at His 2^nd coming would all these promises be fulfilled. But they believed what they knew, and then in God’s kindness, He let them see His Son with their own eyes.

What can we sum up from these accounts, from these five star witnesses for the Messiah?
1. The people God picked to be His witnesses were all Jews, and they all believed these promises, and were convinced that they’d be coming true.
2. These Jewish witnesses were testifying to the truthfulness of these promises, that a Messiah was coming who would be King, who would bring salvation and great blessing to the Jewish people, and to the entire world. They were agreeing with the promises that had already been given, were affirming them, and then publicly declaring them.
3. God could have chosen just one person to testify to the truth of the Messiah’s coming and these promises to the Jews. But He picked four people, all godly witnesses, but even more than that, for these shepherds were also testifying about the Messiah, the Chief Shepherd. God, through these witnesses, and now to us through His word, is emphatically making the case that these promises are true, are legitimate, and will be fulfilled.
4. In Luke 1-2, in the context of the most Biblically detailed story about the birth of His Son, God wants us to know that it’s not just about the baby Jesus. Embedded in these two chapters are a number of reminders of the key promises directly related to Jesus, and divinely given to the Jews. Right at the beginning of Luke’s gospel, God wants to make sure we remember the big picture, the overall purposes concerning His Son, yes, that He will be a Savior, but also a King, and that He will reign over the Jews and the entire world.
5. Nothing is said in these verses or later verses that counters and contradicts these witnesses’ understanding of these promises. Nothing is said to them that they were wrong in what they believed, or that God had changed His mind and nullified these promises, or that He had something new in mind, and that this entity called the church, would be the new recipients of the Jewish promises. Nothing at all is ever said to deny, to negate these promises. In these verses, God is not only validating His promises to the Jews, but He is not invalidating them.
6. What a pity it would be, as some must believe, that these five star witnesses had been deceived, that even Jesus’ own mother had been tricked, and that the promises were going to be changed. Why would God want His godly people to repeat these promises if He knew He was going to change His mind? How deceptive, how cruel that would be. But these witnesses weren’t deceived, they were telling the truth, and nothing but the truth. To go even further, what a pity it would be, as some must believe, that millions and millions of Old Testament Jews were misled, were mistaken, were deceived with regard to the promises about the Messiah, and the promises about the future of their own people. They thought they were believing the truth, but it really was a lie. But no, they were not deceived, they weren’t lied to, they were told the truth. “The plans of the Lord stand firm forever.” Psalm 33:11
7. These godly witnesses were given to us by God to affirm and validate the truth about Jesus, the Messiah, and the truth about the promises to the Jews. Nothing had changed, and nothing had been changed – all that God had said in the past, all that had been written in the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets, was 100% true, and would always, would forever be 100% true. 

2.   ROMANS 11  ~ GOD’S PROMISE TO THE JEWS ABOUT THEIR SALVATION WILL COME TRUE

Romans 11 is the best chapter in the New Testament that speaks about the salvation of a remnant of Jews in the end times. In the Old Testament we read that God preserved His people, the nation of Israel, even in spite of their continual sin and rejection of Himself. And God didn’t in those days nullify His promises to them, but only kept on reaffirming them. Then the New Testament gospels tell us how the Jews turned against the Messiah, the Christ. But would their rejection and crucifixion of Christ cause God to change His mind with regard to His promises, and specifically the future salvation of a remnant of Jews? No, not at all.

My desire is to help you see how Romans 11 confirms God’s plans for the salvation of the Jews in the end times. The key question is given to us in verse one: “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He?” And right away, Paul answers it. “May it never be!” Now when Paul says, “His people,” we know he is talking about the Jews. We also know God is saving some Jews during this church age. But what Paul goes on goes on to say is that God has not reneged on his promise to save a remnant of Jews at the end of this age.

First, Paul says that their salvation relates to God’s foreknowledge (verse 2). That God would save a remnant of Jews at the end of this age is because God had foreknown them. Since eternity past, God has desired and planned to save this great remnant of Jews. That’s what He foreknew, that’s what His Word says, and nothing can or ever will change His eternal plans for them.

Second, it is by God’s grace. Of course, the Jews as a people, have sinned and rejected Christ. But it is not by their good works that they received these promises, and it is not by their sin that they will forfeit these promises. The Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants, the three primary promises, will not be obtained by works, but rather are unconditional, guaranteed by God, granted by grace, and given freely to the Jews. “There is a remnant chosen by grace” (verse 5).

Third, we understand that the Jews, as a whole, are not very receptive to the gospel during this church age. In reference to the Jews, it says, “the rest were hardened” (verse 7). But why? It’s important to realize that in a general way, God has sovereignly hardened the hearts of the Jews during this church age. “God gave them a spirit of stupor” (verse 8). But let me assure you, this does not take away their responsibility to repent of their sins and believe in Christ.

Fourth, the Jews have stumbled during this church age (verse 11), but they haven’t fallen. That is, they are not permanently out of the picture, for God has not canceled His plans for the Jews, but only suspended them. As a people, the Jews have been set aside now for about 2,000 years, but this long but temporary interruption of God’s plans for them will soon come to an end, for now we are living in the end times, and therefore in a very little while, Christ will return to fulfill His promises to them.

Fifth, “By their (the Jews’) transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous” (verse 11). The Gentiles are clearly more open to the gospel during this church age than the Jews. But “If their (Jews’) rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead” (verse 15). God is telling us that He’s not finished with the Jews, for there’ll come a day when they will accept the Messiah, and spiritually be made alive.

Sixth, in speaking of the salvation of the Gentiles, God says they are like wild olives branches grafted into a good olive tree. But then in speaking of the Jews, God says, “God is able to graft them in again… how much more will these who are natural branches (the Jews) be grafted into their own tree (verse 23).” By saying this, God is speaking of a great number of Jews who will be grafted into this good olive tree, who will be saved at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week.

Seventh, the most telling verses in Romans 11 with regards to the future salvation of a remnant of Jews are these: “I do not want you, brethren, (Gentiles) to be uninformed of this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.’ This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins (verses 25-26).” You can’t miss this. You can’t read this any other way but to say that it is telling us about the salvation of a number of Jews at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Let me explain a few other things about this verse:
a. The hardening of the Jews is not a complete and permanent hardening, just a temporary and partial hardening during this church age, “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” God is focused on the salvation of the Gentiles during this age, but once “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”, once all the Gentiles to be saved, are saved, then all Israel will be saved.
b. Luke 21:24 tells us that the Jews were scattered (about 70AD), but now they have gathered back, an important precondition that had to be met before these Jews could be saved.
c. Luke 21:24 also tells us that the trampling of the Jews will continue “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”. This trampling, this Jewish persecution, this Anti-Semitism continues even today. But when will it come to an end? Only when “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” only when Christ becomes King over the world at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, will a great remnant of Jews will be saved.

“All Israel will be saved”, means that all the Jews alive on this earth at that time will be saved, will be forgiven of their sins. What God had promised to the prophets will then most assuredly take place. God is faithful to His word, and His promise to the Jews will finally be fulfilled. This is one of the clearest affirmations of God’s commitment to His chosen people, to an elect remnant of Jews. There is no question that Romans 11 is one of the most important passages in the New Testament regarding His promise to save a great number of Jews at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. “To Him be the glory,” and that my friend, concludes this chapter. These final verses, in this context, are speaking of the working and ways of God with regard to the salvation of the Jews. And all the glory goes to God. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments, and unfathomable His ways… For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:33-36

3.  HEBREWS 11  ~ GOD’S PROMISE TO THE JEWS ABOUT THEIR LAND WILL COME TRUE

Hebrews 11 is about faith, but it’s also about hope. Verse 1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” When we have faith for the future, then that is hope. If you believe in a promise from God about the future, then you have hope. You see, Hebrews 11 is just as much about men and women who had faith, as it is about men and women who had hope. What was their hope? It related directly to the promises God made to the Jews in the Old Testament. With reference to Abraham it says, “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise… for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10). In Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 13:14-16, we read that God had promised Abraham that he would be blessed with land and many descendants. And Abraham believed God, and it was his faith in God’s promise that gave him hope.

But we must note Hebrews 11:13-16 – “All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were exiles on the earth… they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” Do you see what this is saying? All these Old Testament believers mentioned in Hebrews 11 knew the promises God had given them – they all had faith and hope, and were looking forward to these promises being fulfilled.

Hebrews 11 again confirms God’s promises to the Jews. God did not nullify His promises to them, and then make them available to the church. He is keeping His promises, He is keeping His word. And the beginning of the fulfillment of these promises takes place at the end of this age, when Christ returns, when all believers from all time, both Old Testament and New Testament saints, will be gathered to be with Christ.

But I believe the best verses in the entire Bible that bring it all together, that summarize a key aspect of God’s grand and glorious plans for the saints, are found in Hebrews 11:39-40. “All these (referring to the Old Testament believers), having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us (New Testament believers), so that apart from us (New Testament believers) they (Old Testament believers) would not be made perfect.” I love these verses, for they help us see how everything comes together at the end of this church age with respect to both Old and New Testament saints. Old Testament believers had hope for the future, hope for their land and for a new heaven, but they wouldn’t see the realization of their hope apart from the New Testament saints. That’s how God planned it. And when Christ returns, Hebrews 11:39-40 will come true, for then all believers from all time will be gathered together to be with Christ. “He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matthew 24:31). How wonderful, how amazing. Thanks be to God!

4. REVELATION 11  ~ GOD’S PROMISE TO THE JEWS ABOUT THEIR KING WILL COME TRUE

The fulfillment of a key promise is given to us in Revelation 11:15. There we read, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” The promise given to David about a future king (1 Samuel 7:13-16), repeated many times over in the Old Testament, finally comes true. “The Lord will be King over all the earth.” Zechariah 14:9.

At the very end of Daniel’s 70^th week, the seventh trumpet is sounded, and then Jesus Christ becomes King over the world, and He will reign forever and ever. It is at that time that all the Jews alive on this earth will be saved (Romans 11:25-26, Isaiah 45:17). And Christ the King will be there with them, loving them, rejoicing over them, and then reigning over the world. “God is the King of all the earth… God reigns over the nations” (Psalm 47:7-8). The promise given to David over 3,000 years ago finally comes true at this point in time, and because we live in the end times, then we know that it won’t be long before this takes place.

IN CONCLUSION ~ THE OLD TESTAMENT PROMISES TO THE JEWS ARE TRUE, NOW AND FOREVER

I hope this helps you to see that many New Testament verses affirm and prove the truth of God’s Old Testament promises to the Jews. I pray that you have a greater understanding of these promises, and a conviction that they will all be carried out. God’s word is true. God’s word is eternal. God’s word will be fulfilled. By the Lord God, and through His promises to His people, great blessing will come to the entire world. More importantly, great glory will be given to God the Father, and to the Lord Jesus Christ. “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 72:18-19

Article 23

By Steven J. Hogan

In the previous article I spoke about this great debate with regard to God’s plans for the Jews. Here is the issue: many people, believers and unbelievers, say there’s no future for national Israel, for the ethnic Jews. They say that many of God’s Old Testament promises for them are no longer valid, and that the church has replaced national Israel when it comes to His future plans for this world. But that’s not what God’s word says – this kind of thinking is wrong, is an error, and it needs to be addressed and refuted. God does not want there to be confusion on this issue. He wants there to be clarity, and especially in these days, for now that the Jews have come back to their land, we know we live in the end times.

A common name for this error is Replacement Theology. This name is used because those who hold this view believe the church has replaced Israel as the recipients of many Old Testament promises. It’s also called Covenant Theology, Dominion Theology or A-millennialism. Of course there are differences in their beliefs depending on how they interpret specific Bible verses. But the main thing they have in common is that they believe God’s promises for the Jews have been changed or nullified, and for the most part then have been transferred to the church.

Now there are many good arguments refuting this error, and proving the truth of God’s word with regard to the future of the Jews. My purpose, over the course of the next few weeks is to go over a number of them, hoping they help you see the validity and truthfulness of God’s gracious and eternal promises to the Jews.

1. The Word of God is at stake. The Old Testament is God’s word, and it is filled with promises to the Jews about their future. When reading the prophets, we often see the phrase, “The word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:4, 1:11, 1:14, 2:1, 2:4, for example). The word of the Lord is God’s word. God spoke to the prophets, and then they spoke God’s word. Now I’m not here to give reasons why God’s word is His word. But it is, and this truth that God’s word is His word and not man’s word should by itself weigh heavily on our mind as evidence that His word is not to be tampered with or be taken lightly, but is to be examined, studied and believed. This is true with regard to all of God’s word, and in this particular context, with respect to God’s prophetic word, for it is that which also concerns the church at this time. “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 119:89-90.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure,’… Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11. What is the context of these verses? It is the salvation of Israel. “My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, My glory for Israel.” Isaiah 46:13. All God’s promises to Israel will indeed be fulfilled.

2. The sheer volume of Old Testament verses regarding God’s promises to the Jews proves they are true. THE LAW: Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 13:14-16, Genesis 15:17-18, Genesis 17:2-8, Genesis 22:15-18, Genesis 26:2-5, Genesis 28:13-15, Genesis 32:12, Genesis 49:9-12; Exodus 2:24; Leviticus 26:42-45; Numbers 24:17-19, Numbers 25:12-13; Deuteronomy 4:31-40, Deuteronomy 7:6-9, Deuteronomy 33:26-29; Joshua 1:6-7; 1 Chronicles 17:10-14; Nehemiah 9:7-8. THE PSALMS: Psalm 2:6-9, Psalm 22, Psalm 33:10-12, Psalm 37, Psalm 45, Psalm 46, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 67, Psalm 68:15-18, Psalm 68:28-35, Psalm 72, Psalm 89:20-36, Psalm 89:34-37, Psalm 96, Psalm 98, Psalm 99:1-3, Psalm 102:12-28, Psalm 105:8-11, Psalm 106:44-48, Psalm 110, Psalm 111, Psalm 115:9-18, Psalm 117, Psalm 122, Psalm 125, Psalm 130, Psalm 132:13-16, Psalm 136:21-22. THE PROPHETS: 2 Samuel 7:11-16, 2 Samuel 23:3-5; Isaiah 1:26-27, Isaiah 2:1-5, Isaiah 4:2-6, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-12, Isaiah 12:1-6, Isaiah 25:1-9, Isaiah 32:15-20, Isaiah 33:5-6, Isaiah 33:17-22, Isaiah 35:1-10, Isaiah 40:1-11, Isaiah 42:5-13, Isaiah 43;1-3, Isaiah 44:1-8, Isaiah 45:17-25, Isaiah 46:8-11, Isaiah 49:1-26, Isaiah 51:1-6, Isaiah 52:1-12, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 54:1-17, Isaiah 55:1-3, Isaiah 59:15-21, Isaiah 60:1-22, Isaiah 61:2-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, Isaiah 65:1-25, Isaiah 66:7-24; Jeremiah 3:16-17, Jeremiah 7:7, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Jeremiah 23:3-8, Jeremiah 30:1-24, Jeremiah 31:1-14, Jeremiah 31:31-38, Jeremiah 32:37-41, Jeremiah 32:6-44, Jeremiah 33:6-25, Jeremiah 50:4-5; Ezekiel 11:17-20, Ezekiel 16:60-63, Ezekiel 17:22-24; Ezekiel 20:40-41, Ezekiel 34:23-31, Ezekiel 36:1-38, Ezekiel 37:1-28, Ezekiel 38:1-23, Ezekiel 39:1-29, Ezekiel 40-48; Daniel 2:40-45, Daniel 7:28-27, Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel 11:36-45, Daniel 12:1-18; Hosea 1:10-11, 2:16-23, Hosea 3:5, Hosea 14:4-7; Joel 2:27-32, Joel 3:12-21; Amos 9:13-15; Obadiah 15-21; Micah 2:12-13, Micah 4:1-8, Micah 5:1-5, Micah 7:14-22; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 1:14-18, Zephaniah 3:14-17; Haggai 2:4-9, Haggai 2:21-23; Zechariah 1:14-17, Zechariah 2:1-12, Zechariah 3:8-10, Zechariah 4:11-14, Zechariah 6:12-13, Zechariah 8:1-23, Zechariah 9:9-17, Zechariah 10:1-12, Zechariah 12:1-14, Zechariah 13:1-9, Zechariah 14:1-21; Malachi 1:5, Malachi 11, Malachi 3:16-18, Malachi 4:1-6.

In this article we’re focusing on three specific and primary promises God made to the Jews regarding their future. These promises are also called covenants – there’s the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3 – the land), the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:13-16 – the King), and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34 – salvation). God, through His spokesmen, has communicated these promises to the Jews. And in the Old Testament, we see that they are repeated again and again, being explained in great detail.

In one of my articles, “Hidden Treasure in the Old Testament”, I spoke extensively about these promises, these prophecies, these predictions regarding the Jews (listed above). It is imperative that you see the great volume of these verses. My rough count is that there are close to 1400 Old Testament verses relating directly to these three promises, and therefore to the future of Israel. It’s not that they are stated only three times in the Old Testament and never stated again – it is that they are restated, reproduced and repeated time and time again.

These three promises are the very word of God. That should be enough for you. But it is the enormous, overwhelming number of verses about these three promises that should be should be striking and shocking! You can’t help but see that it’s a tremendous weight of truth, irrefutable evidence, absolutely proving these promises to be true. This means they are very, very important, and are to never, in any way, be changed, disregarded, negated, nullified or overturned. Now If you think they are not true, then you need to clearly show that each one of them is not true, and that every one of them is not true. God’s prophetic Word is true, and it is all true, and it is always true, and these promises will be fulfilled, and sometime in the near future. God tells the truth. “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.” Romans 3:4

3. God never changed His mind about His promises to the Jews. God made three major covenant promises to the Jews with regard to their land, their King and their salvation. As I just said, there are, in addition, hundreds and hundreds of auxiliary verses enhancing and explaining these promises. But where in the Bible does it say God changed His mind, that He went back on His word, that His truth is no longer truth? Where does it say this? You can’t find one single verse that counters God’s plan for the Jews and then reformulates it for the church.

O, I know that people who believe in this false theory of replacement theology have their little verses, but they do not at all stand up to the greatness and the entirety of God’s truth, the massive number of prophecies and promises that proclaim this truth. In fact, their little verses that they say change God’s promises do not change God’s promises at all. God Word is true and therefore counters any error, any bit of man’s wisdom that so weakly and impotently tries to come against it.

I’ve heard people make one sweeping statement that these promises aren’t true for the Jews, but are true for the church. But they are greatly mistaken, and let me say, foolish as well. They may have their thoughts on this subject, but do they have the mind of God, the word of God in their hearts? The word of God is the word of God, and it cannot and will not be changed or altered. Listen to what God says about the nation of Israel and their future. “The word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in faithfulness… The counsel of the Lord stands firm forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:4, 11-12

4. Jesus never changed or nullified God’s promises to the Jews. Where in the gospels does it say that Jesus changed His mind with regard to these promises to the Jews? Give me one verse where Jesus Himself actually says that the Jews aren’t going to be the recipients of God’s promises to them? There aren’t any. You can’t find a single verse ever stated by Jesus where He negates and nullifies, or to even a small degree, alters God’s promises to the Jews. In fact, you can’t find any verse in the entire New Testament. If Jesus didn’t change His mind about these promises, then why should we or anyone else exchange God’s truth for a lie, saying they’re different from how they were originally given to Abraham, David and Jeremiah, and to all the prophets, and to all the Jews.

5. Jesus Christ affirmed the truth of God’s covenant promises to the Jews about their future. In the gospels Christ regularly confirmed that the promises made to the Jews were true and still valid. Let me give you some examples of this:

a. Acts 1:3-10. “He also presented Himself to them alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things concerning the kingdom of God… When they (apostles) had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He (Jesus) said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:3, 6-7). In this passage Jesus is telling the disciples that He will set up His kingdom in the future, but in the meantime, they need to carry out the great commission, they need to preach the gospel to the “remotest part of the earth.” Then He will come back in the same way that He left them.

In verse 3 we understand that Jesus had been talking to His disciples for forty days about the coming kingdom. In that verse it doesn’t explicitly say that it was the future kingdom on earth, but verse 6 makes it clear that it was implied, for here the disciples are talking about the future kingdom for Israel. This was what was on their mind at that time. It was also on their mind when they had previously asked Jesus about “the sign of your coming and of the end of the age.” (Matthew 24:3). It is also clearly talked about in Acts 3:20-21, when Peter says, “and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” There is no question that the Jews in the time of Jesus were looking forward to His kingdom being set up on earth.

But back to Acts 1, what is Jesus’s answer? He never denies there’s a future kingdom for Israel, but rather affirms it by saying that they are not to know when it will be appearing. It’s like He’s saying, “It’s going to happen, but I’m not going to tell you when. And in the meantime you got some work to do.” And then right after Jesus ascends into heaven, two angels appear, telling the disciples that Jesus will be returning to earth – and why? Of course, to set up His kingdom on earth. This is what the disciples had been talking about, this is what Jesus had been talking about, and this is what He was going to do. Surely Jesus was not deceptive, was not lying to them, was not misleading them. And surely He wasn’t saying that all the promises to the Jews were now being transferred to the church, but in fact, He was making it clear that the promises were true, that they were the same as they had always been. In these verses in Acts 1, Jesus is affirming the truth of His future kingdom on earth, but before His return, He wanted His disciples to know that they were to be reaching out to the entire world with the good news, His gospel message.

b. Luke 19:12-27. “A nobleman went to distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.” In this parable Jesus illustrates how He will be leaving His disciples, but then will be coming back to set up His kingdom on earth. And in the meantime, (that is, during this church age), they are to be faithfully serving their master.

In this parable, we read that a nobleman, referring to Christ, was going away to receive a kingdom for himself. In fact, this is how it worked back in the days of the Romans with those who wanted to be a ruler over Israel. A person had to go to Rome to get the authority to be a ruler. Jesus then was going away, was going to heaven, and would then come back and establish His kingdom on earth. Now verse 13 tells us that they were to “Do business with this until I come back.” They were to faithfully use their minas, the money the nobleman had given them, until he came back. And so too we are to use our abilities, our gifts, our money in serving the Lord during this church age, until He comes back. Not only that, but note the commendation given in verse 17. Some of the slaves had been faithful with what He had given them, and therefore they would be given authority over a number of cities. Surely this is in reference to the future kingdom on earth when Jesus will be reigning, and when we will be reigning with Him. Again we see Jesus affirming God’s promises for the Jews, that He would come back, and then set up His kingdom on earth.

c. Matthew 19:27-28. “Truly, I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.” In this passage Jesus talks about the future kingdom when He’ll be reigning on the earth, and His disciples will then be rewarded by reigning with Him.

Peter was talking about how he and the other disciples had been following the Lord during their time with Him on earth, but this is for all of us who are serving Him during this church age. The disciples wanted to know their reward, the benefits of being His disciples. Jesus then tells them about the future, the “regeneration”, and this is not referring to a spiritual rebirth, but a physical rebirth – it is referring to the “restoration of all things” spoken of in Acts 3:21. This is referring to the millennial kingdom. We go on to read that Jesus will be sitting on His glorious throne, which is of course, referring to His earthly throne in Jerusalem, and His reign on earth during the coming kingdom age. In Vines Dictionary (Regeneration – page 260), we read, “This restitution will not, in the coming Millennial age, be universally a return to the pristine condition of Edenic innocence previous to the Fall, but it will fulfill the establishment of God’s covenant with Abraham concerning his descendants, a veritable rebirth of the nations, involving the peace and prosperity of the Gentiles.” Once again, Jesus is speaking about His future kingdom, when He will be reigning over the earth, and when they, and all true believers will be reigning with Him. (Revelation 5:10, 20:6)

d. Matthew 23:37-39. “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.’” In this passage Jesus is making it clear that He is leaving Israel, that Jerusalem will be desolate, but that He is coming back again for the Jews, for those who receive Him as Lord and King, and then He will set up His Kingdom on earth.

Jesus knows that His earthly ministry is coming to an end, that His death on the cross is but a few days away. What is He then saying to the Jews and to us? He wants us to know that His desire had been to gather the Jews, to be their “mother hen”, to be their King. And then He speaks of their rejection of Him, but it is not just that He would be rejected, but that He would be killed, just like many prophets in the past had been killed. Yes, Jesus knows He is leaving, but He doesn’t want to leave, yet He also knows it is part of God’s sovereign plan.

With much emotion, Jesus goes on to tell them that Jerusalem will be desolate, will be left all alone, for He won’t be with them anymore. Jesus wanted to be with them – He loved them, He felt a deep compassion for them, but for the most part, they didn’t love Him, and so He had no choice but to leave them. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus repeatedly warns the Jews of this upcoming destruction and desolation of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44, 21:20-44, 23:27-31). But again we know this is part of God’s overall plan, that the Jews would be scattered, but then later, in the end times, they would be regathered to Israel.

Now we come to this clear promise from Jesus to the Jews about their glorious future, one that connects us with many of God’s Old Testament promises to the Jews. Jesus isn’t saying here that “if” you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” He is saying “until” you say…. “Blessed is He…” The word “until” is a timing word meaning that the Jews would not see Him before they say, “Blessed is He…” This is important to see this, to understand this, to realize that Jesus was reaffirming to the Jews, and to us, that He’d be coming back in the future, and that would take place when the Jews would be saying this, when they’d receive Him as Lord and Savior. And then He’d reign as King over them and over the world.

e. Luke 24:25 – “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” This is one of my favorite passages proving that Jesus never changed His mind or His Father’s mind with regards to the promises God had made to the Jews, but that He actually affirmed them. The key for them and for us is “to believe in all that the prophets have spoken.” (Emphasis is mine)

These two men are on this road to Emmaus and Jesus joins up with them. He goes on to tell them that they are foolish because they aren’t believing all that the prophets had spoken about Himself. In Jesus’ time with these disciples, He wasn’t pressing the delete key with regard to the Jewish promises. He didn’t say they were being reformulated for the church. He wasn’t saying, “You Jews rejected Me, and now I am done with you.” He was saying that you need to believe “all that the prophets have spoken.” (Emphasis is mine.)

The gospels make it very clear that the Jews wanted Jesus to be their physical King over Israel – they understood the promises that spoke of the future kingdom when the Messiah would reign over Israel and the entire earth. They had heard it repeatedly and rightly taught in the synagogues over the years. But there’s no doubt Jesus was wanting them to also know He was the Savior, the Messiah, the One to die for their sins, and then be resurrected. I can’t help but think that He used Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 and Psalm 16, and many other passages, to show and prove these things. But the point I want to make is that He used the word “all” in reference to what the prophets had spoken. Jesus wanted them to understand “all” that the prophets had spoken, whether it related to His suffering or His glory (1 Peter 1). Jesus was telling them that He would have to suffer as a Savior, and then He would reign as King.

Jesus was reaffirming the truth of the Jewish promises that showed Him to be Savior, Lord, Judge and King. O, might we not be foolish and slow of heart to believe “all that the prophets have spoken”. Might we believe the truth of Christ’s 1^st coming, that He came as Savior and Lord, but might we also believe the truth of His 2^nd coming, that He will come as Judge and King. Might we believe His promises for the church, and might we believe His promises for the Jews. Might we believe that Christ is coming again for the church, and also that He is coming again for the Jews.

There’s no doubt that all God’s promises to the Jews, given to us time and time again in the Old Testament, will be fulfilled. But there is much more to say, from the gospels and from the rest of the New Testament, that gives us evidence, and without question, prove the truth of God’s promises to the Jews. Next week, we’ll look at more of these, and specifically at Romans 11 (salvation of the Jews), Hebrews 11 (the land of the Jews), and Revelation 11 (the King of the Jews). “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory.” Isaiah 62:1-2

Article 22

By Steven J. Hogan

Throughout church history there’s been a great and intense debate about the place, purpose and future of the Jews. There have been many people, both Christians and non-Christians, who have said that there’s absolutely no future for national Israel, for the ethnic Jews. They say that many of the Old Testament promises regarding Israel’s future are no longer valid, and that the church has replaced national Israel when it comes to God’s future plans for this world. They would say that these promises that were for the Jews will be fulfilled by the church.

This is incorrect, this is an error, this is not what God’s Word says, and this error needs to be addressed and refuted, and especially so in these days, for we now live in the end times. And we know this because the Jews have miraculously been regathering to their land, and we can clearly see that God is directly dealing with them. This then, is the time to know what God says about the future of the Jews and, of course, about the future of the church.

A common name for this error is Replacement Theology. This name is used because the adherents of this false view believe that the church has replaced Israel as the recipients of many Old Testament promises, that God’s promises for the Jews have been nullified and transferred to the church. Of course there are variances in the beliefs of those who hold this view, depending on their interpretation of specific Old and New Testament prophecies.

This thinking that God canceled His plans for the Jews began during the first few hundred years of the church age. It started out as a wrong attitude towards the Jews, for “they killed Christ”, and this resulted in a growing anti-Semitism in the hearts of many Gentiles. But something else was taking place in the early church, and this was that some Christian leaders, like Origen and Augustine, were beginning to allegorically interpret the Bible. This non-literal and figurative interpretation of the Bible led them to reformulate these Old Testament promises that were for the Jews and then transfer them to the church. There was then the motive for the Gentile’s opposition to the Jews – “they killed Christ”; and now they thought, the revision of these Old Testament promises would be the means to exclude the Jews from being the recipients of them.

This opposition to the Jews continued through the centuries, primarily being promoted by the Catholic Church. David Ettinger, in his article (Zion’s Fire magazine; May-June 2013) entitled Replacement Theology: Disdaining God’s Character said this, “Tragically, centuries later, the Reformers of the 16^th century embraced Augustine’s allegorical views of prophecy and subsequent condemnation of the Jewish people.” Ettinger goes on to say, “Sadly, this mindset has carried on through the centuries. Subsequently, most of today’s mainline denominations trace their origins back to the Reformation, erroneously adhering to the Augustinian / Reformist view of Israel and the Jewish people.” This is no doubt true, and you see this with the World Council of Churches, and with many denominations – Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans, as well as thousands of other independent Protestant churches.

These adherents of Replacement Theology would say that these promises, these covenants for the Jews are invalid, are null and void. They would say that they no longer pertain to the Jews, and are now for the church, for the new Israel. Most of the followers of this “Replacement” type thinking also say the following:
– They say that there’s no Biblically promised future for Jerusalem or for the nation of Israel.
– They say that when the New Testament speaks of the kingdom of God it is only speaking of the kingdom in the heart of a man, and not the kingdom that will be established on this earth by Jesus Christ.
– They say that 1000 years does not mean 1000 years. (Revelation 20). They say that there will be no millennial kingdom, that is, a 1000 year period when Jesus Christ will reign over the world. Those who believe this view are often called A-millennialists.
– Many say that Christ already came the 2^nd time, this taking place in 70AD at the time when Israel was ransacked, and when close to one million Jews were killed. They say this was not a physical coming of Christ but a spiritual coming. Those who believe this are called Preterists.
– They say that Christ now reigns over the world, that the transfer of power from the devil to Christ has already occurred (Revelation 11:15), and that it took place in 70AD.
– Some say the church will greatly influence this world, and so much so that this world will become an increasingly righteous place, and then Jesus Christ will physically return. This is often called Dominion Theology, and this too is error.
– There are those who say that many of the Old and New Testament references that use the word Israel now refer to the church. God’s blessing, they say, will not come through the Jews, but that the church is the means by which blessing will come to the world both now and forever.

This teaching that disregards God’s promises for the Jews is not found in the Bible, and so it is not true, it is false, it is error. It needs to be corrected and refuted, and the truth about God’s future for the Jews need to taught and clearly understood, especially in these days of the end times. There are many different points that prove that God’s promises to the Jews are still true, and that they will be fulfilled in the future. My plan is to just list these different points today, and then to expound on them over the course of the next few weeks. They are as follows:
1. God’s character is holy – He didn’t change His mind about the Jews. Numbers 23:19
2. God’s word is true – He will fulfill His promises because He said so, He gave His word. Jeremiah 1:4
3. The sheer volume of Old Testament verses regarding God’s promises to the Jews proves that they are extremely important and unquestionably true. Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, etc.
4. God never changed His mind about His promises to the Jews. Psalm 33:11-12
5. Jesus Christ never once voided God’s promises to the Jews. Luke 24:25, 44
6. Jesus Christ continually affirmed God’s promises to the Jews. Matthew 5:17
7. Jewish history during the church age, and in particular, the recent regathering of the Jews back to their homeland, proves that God’s promises are true. Luke 21:20-24
8. God’s work with the church in the end times is dependent on and in conjunction with His work with the Jews. Therefore, the Jewish promises need to be fulfilled. Matthew 24:9-26
9. The literal, face value interpretation of the Bible proves that God’s promises to the Jews are still valid. Isaiah 46:8-11
10. God’s promises to the Jews are true, and that’s because after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then a number of Jews will be saved. Romans 11

Let me conclude by sharing some of my favorite Old Testament verses on this subject, what I call “forever verses.” That is, in a verse that speaks about God’s promise to the Jews, the word forever is used. These  “forever verses” are some of the clearest and strongest reasons why I believe that God’s promises to the Jews will come true – God gave His word that they would last forever, not just for a few years or even a few hundred years, but forever.
Genesis 13:14-15 – “The Lord said to Abram… ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are… for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.’”
2 Samuel 7:16 – “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
Psalm 33:11-12 – “The counsel of the Lord stands firm forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”
Psalm 37:29 – “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.”
Psalm 72:19 – “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders, and blessed be His name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory.”
Psalm 105:8 – “God has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham.”
Psalm 111:9 – “He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name.”
Jeremiah 32:39-40 – “I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good…”
Ezekiel 37:25-26 – “They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob, my servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons forever; and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them.”
Daniel 7:18 – “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.”
Hosea 2:19 – “I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and compassion.”
Joel 3:20 – “But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for all generations.”

Amen.

Article 21

By Steven J. Hogan

There’s no greater subject than the love of God. As Christians, we’re extremely blessed to know God and to be loved by Him. But God is not just the Lord, the Creator, the Ruler of all things – He is our heavenly Father, a perfect Father, an eternal Father, a most loving Father. In Psalm 63:3, David speaks of the supremacy of our Father’s love when he says, “Your lovingkindness is better than life.” Did you get that? The love that our heavenly Father has for us is greater than anything else in this world, greater than a good meal, greater than a good friend, greater than marriage, greater than a good job, greater than going on vacation, greater than watching your favorite movie, and greater than anything you possess or could ever own.

My concern for the church is that we don’t know and believe the love of God like we should. Now I’m not talking about knowing it in your head, but knowing it in your heart, knowing specifically what God’s Word says about His love, and knowing it in such a way that it dramatically, totally, and forever changes your life. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and then you are to love one another. But only as your heart is filled up with the love of God will you then be able to rightly and passionately do this. “We love because God first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

It is important to know that it is only through God’s Word that you can know about God’s love. Your understanding of God’s love does not come from your own thinking or your own ideas. It does not come from the world, and it’s wrong ways of thinking. It does not come from some false religion, and it does not come from the book of Mormon, or the Koran or some other false teaching. The truth about God’s love comes only from God’s Word. That is why it’s imperative to read God’s Word, God’s love letter to you. Let me share some thoughts about the love of our heavenly Father.

GOD IS LOVE
“God is love.” 1 John 4:16. Love is who God is, it is His very essence. When we talk about God, we have to first know that He is love. To say that love is who God is, that God is love, is I believe, the most important way to define love. In this verse love is a noun, and because God is love (a noun), then He loves (a verb), and He is loving (an adjective). God is love, and this is who He is. God loves and that is what He does. God is loving and this is what He is like.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S LOVE
As believers we need to know that God’s love is foundational to and specifically related to His attributes. That is, God’s love is the heart, the reason, and the motivation for other aspects of His character. Let me share some examples:
– God is powerful and He uses His power to show you His love.
– God is omniscient, He knows everything, and He uses His omniscience to love you.
– God is omnipresent, and He uses the fact that He is always present with you to love you.
– God is patient, and He uses His patience to love you.
– God is compassionate, and He uses His compassion to love you.
– God is wise, and He uses His wisdom to love you.
– God is forgiving, and He uses His forgiveness to love you.
– God is truth, and He uses His truth to love you.
– God is holy, and He uses His holiness to love you.
We could also say it this way, that God’s love is the reason and motivation for His power, for His omniscience, for His patience, wisdom, forgiveness, truth, etc.

We see then this intimate relationship between the fact that God is love with other aspects of His character. And it is these other attributes that help to further describe the love that God has for you. They are like adjectives giving you more details about God’s love. We can speak of God’s powerful love, His patient love, His compassionate love, His truthful love, His wise love, etc. And all these attributes harmonize together, expressing themselves in God’s loving work in your life, and in the entirety and the eternality of your salvation, your past justification, your present sanctification and your future glorification. Might it be abundantly and supremely clear to you that God does nothing for you apart from His love for you.

THE LOVE OF GOD IS BASED ON THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
There is this great distinction between God’s love and God’s justice. Before you were saved you couldn’t experience your Father’s love, for you weren’t His child, for you were a sinner deserving of God’s wrath. But “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16. God’s Word tells you that Jesus Christ experienced God’s justice and wrath for you. Therefore, because God is loving, because Christ died for you, because you repented of your sins and believed in Christ alone, then you are forgiven of your sins, and you will never then experience God’s justice and wrath. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10. God could then forgive you because He was satisfied with what Christ did for you. God’s justice was poured out on His Son so He could then pour out His love on you. The love that God wanted to bestow upon you could only be obtained through the death and resurrection of His Son. Only through Jesus Christ can you know God and His love for you. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

THE INFLUENCE OF GOD’S LOVE ON YOUR LIFE
God’s love for you is to be a controlling and constraining influence in your life, and this is a very good thing. This love, this central and most important part of His being, relates to everything that He does for you. Let me give you some examples: God’s love for you moved Him to save you – Ephesians 1:4. God’s love for you moved Him to have His Son, Jesus Christ, die for you – Romans 5:8. God’s love for you moved Him to make you a child of God – 1 John 3:1. God’s love for you moved Him to give you eternal life – John 3:16.

This great and awesome love of God affects everything He does for you, and should then affect everything you do. God’s love for you should motivate you to love others – 1 John 3:16. God’s love for you should affect how you use your time – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. God’s love for you should affect the decisions you make and the things you do – Philippians 1:9-11. God’s love for you enables you to be fruitful, to have a positive effect on the lives of other people – John 15:1-7. It is God’s love that influences and impacts your life more than anything else in the world.

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S LOVE
God’s love is eternal. You have eternal life, and this means that you will be loved eternally by God. You can’t really grasp this truth, but it is true. There is no end to this love that God has for you. It is a love that is forever and ever, and that is because God is eternal, and therefore He will eternally love you. The One who is the Lord of all, the God who made this universe, and the One who made you, eternally loves you. Psalm 136 – “His love is everlasting.”

God’s love is continuous. It is not just that God’s love for you is eternal, but that God’s love for you is continuous – there are no gaps or breaks in His love for you. God does not love you for just eight hours a day, or for just three days a week. He does not love you one minute and then not love you the next minute. God loves you all the time. In geometry you can talk about a series of points, but God’s love for you is not defined by a series of points, even though you may sometimes think and feel that He loves you that way. God’s love for you can be illustrated by a line, by a solid, continuous and never ending line. God loves you every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year… God never stops loving you. He always loves you. And He will always, continually love you. Psalm 136 – “His love is…”

God’s love is unconditional. The love that God has for you is based on God’s will to save you and His work in saving you –  it is not at all based on your will or your work. In fact, there’s nothing you did to deserve God’s love, and so there is nothing you can do to cause God to take His love away from you. God’s love for you is by grace and not by works. This is a wonderful and amazing truth, that God will always and forever love you, and there is nothing you can do to change it, for it’s not what you did but what God did for you and will continue to do for you. God loved you and He will always love you. And that is because of Jesus Christ, because of what He did for you in taking away all your sins. Therefore, God is completely satisfied with Christ’s payment for your sin, and therefore has all the reason to love you, and no reason not to love you. You are not only forgiven but you are also righteous, and righteous as Christ, and therefore you are loved like God the Father loved Christ His Son. Not only that, but God forever sealed you with His Holy Spirit. This is truly good news, the best news there is. “It does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy… So then He has mercy on whom He desires.” Romans 9:16, 18. “Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” John 15:9

God’s love is sufficient. I mean by this that you don’t need any more love than that which God gives you. You don’t need love from anyone else. You should not look for love from someone else. You should not seek to be loved by anyone else. You may think you need love from others, but you don’t. And if you think you need love from others, then it is because you have not sufficiently received love from God. God is always showing you His love, and wants you to experience His love and to receive His love all the time. You may want to be loved by others, you may desire the affection, kindness and compassion of others, but you must not seek it – you must seek love from God, and see then that God’s love will do. It is truly sufficient. You need to ask for God’s love and expect His love, and not because you deserve it, but because God really wants to give it to you. This does not mean God will not show His love to you through the lives of others, for as you are involved with other believers, then God will usually show His love to you. The point here is that God wants you to see that His love for you is sufficient, however you may receive that love. “The Lord is my portion… may your love comfort me… may your compassion come to me that I may live.” Psalm 119:57, 76-77

God’s love is satisfying. God has loved you and He will love you, for you are His child, and He wants you to be satisfied, to be content with His love, to be enjoying His love, to be filled up with love. As an unbeliever you went after things and people in the world to be satisfied. And you always came up empty, unsatisfied, unfulfilled and disappointed. Might you not go back to your old ways – might you not be deceived by the world, the flesh or the devil. By faith, might you go after God and seek Him and His love day after day. The Psalmist prayed it well, “Satisfy me in the morning with Thy lovingkindness, and then I will sing for joy and be glad all my days.” Psalm 90:14. You need to ask God to satisfy you with His love, and He will answer your prayer.

God’s love is perfect. There are no flaws, no blemishes, no imperfections in God’s love. God’s love is altogether pure and holy, perfect in every way. And because God’s love is perfect, then it is sufficient for you, and can satisfy you, and your greatest spiritual needs. God’s perfect love is perfect for you. In His wisdom, God knows how to perfectly love you now and forever. This means that God’s love for you is never deficient, never lacking, and is always able then to comfort you, encourage you, sustain you, and satisfy you. This too is a wonderful and marvelous truth, that God’s love for you is always perfect, and always perfect for you. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of hosts.” Isaiah 6:3

God’s love is holy. The love that God has for you is holy in that it is unique, different than any person’s love for you. You must see this or else you will easily seek the love of man. God’s love is so great, so supreme, so wonderful, so perfect, so good, so satisfying – it is a heavenly love and not an earthly love, and you need to know this heavenly and holy love of your Father while you live on this earth. The love of God for you is also holy in that you need to be holy to fully know the love of God. Hebrews 12:6 talks about how the Father disciplines His child. “Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines.” And why? Because the Father loves you and knows that only as you are holy will you be able to know the full expression of His love. “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14

God’s love is infinite. There is no limit to God’s love, to the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love for you. It surpasses knowledge, it surpasses comprehension, for it literally is infinite. You never need to fear that there is not enough of God’s love for you. You never need to think that there are too many people in the world for God to love, and that His love will run out when He gets to you. There’s more than enough love for you and for everyone else in the world. Just as there is more than enough water for a child’s little pail at the ocean’s edge, so too there is more than enough love for you and everyone else in the world. “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:11

God’s love is personal. God knows how to personally love you. The love God has for you is tailored for you – it is designed and personalized for you – it is just what you need. God knows you inside and out. God knows your past, the things you went through growing up. He knows of any deficiencies in your upbringing. He knows your personality, your weaknesses, your sins and temptations. There is no one else like you in the world, and He knows just how to love you. His love for you today is what you need today. His love for you tomorrow is what you will need tomorrow. Might you be thankful that God’s love for you is both personal and perfect. “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” John 13:1  

SOME WAYS THAT GOD SHOWS HIS LOVE TO YOU
God’s love for you is shown in so many ways. I want to share some of the ways God manifests His love to you. This is important that you are fully aware of His love for you, that you know this love, that you see this love, that you experience this love, that you feed on this love, that you are encouraged and strengthened by this love that God has for you.

Forgiveness: One of the greatest ways you are loved by God is that He has forgiven you of all your sins. Because of the work of Christ on the cross in paying for your sins, because of the work of the Spirit in your heart, and because of your faith in Christ and in what He did for you, then you are forgiven. You are forgiven of all your sins, past, present and future. You are forgiven of little sins and big sins. You are forgiven of sins in your thoughts, words and actions. You are forgiven of unseen sins, of unknown sins. You are forgiven of sins of commission and omission. This truly is one the most amazing and refreshing aspects of God’s love, that He completely and totally forgives you. Therefore, you have no reason to ever feel distant from God, or think God is against us, for God is always a forgiving and loving Father. “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

Adoption: We live in a world where there are many dysfunctional families, and where there are many dysfunctional fathers, fathers not functioning in a godly and righteous way. And oftentimes children have no fathers, or their fathers are absent. Therefore, one of your greatest needs is to have a heavenly Father, to have One who is never absent, who is always with you, who deeply loves and cares for you, who protects you and who provides every one of your needs. This is a most wonderful way that God shows you His love, for as a Christian you have been adopted by God into His own family, and have become His child, His precious child. Now you have a heavenly Father, a spiritual Father, an eternal Father, a perfect Father, the most loving Father. “In love, God predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself.” Ephesians 1:4-5

Compassion: Each of you have trials and temptations, physical problems and spiritual problems, internal struggles and relational struggles, and sickness and illnesses. Your Father knows that you are needy, that you are living in this physical body that is but flesh, that gets weak and tired, that is daily tempted to sin, that gets worn out with age. A good mother has a strong love and strong feelings for her child, but how much more so is your heavenly Father like this to you. You don’t realize the great feelings and emotions God has for you. And so God shows His love by being compassionate towards you. He feels when you are hurt; He’s concerned when you are troubled, when you go through trials, when you are tempted; He sympathizes and empathizes with your weaknesses. Indeed this is a very important aspect of God’s love for you, that He is genuinely concerned for you, that He really cares for you, and that He has great compassion for you. “Just as a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:13

Protection: As a Christian you are in a great spiritual battle, a great spiritual fight against a wicked, ruthless and unseen enemy, one who hates you and is against you much more than you realize. God is fully aware of every aspect of your spiritual battles, of how you are being attacked, of the specific temptations you are encountering, of the schemes Satan is devising against you. And He’s watching over you, protecting you in ways that you don’t even realize. This protection is by means of God’s Word, by means of the Spirit, by means of the angels, and by means of the church. This protection also results from the fact that Jesus Himself is personally praying for you. He prayed for Peter when he was being viciously attacked by Satan, and He also prays for you. Don’t be naïve about the battle that rages around you and against you, and don’t be a casualty. Be humble and look to God to help you, to protect you, to be your strength, to energize you in this spiritual battle. And please put on your spiritual armor. “Be strong in the Lord … our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12

Provision: It is true that you need to do all you can to provide for your own needs – you need to work and make money because you don’t want to be dependent on others. But it is also true that you need to depend on God, to be looking for Him to meet your daily needs. In the Lord’s prayer you are instructed to pray for your daily bread, to be looking to Him to provide for your needs. Know that ultimately it is God Himself, who in His great love for you, provides for all your needs. He is the One who gives you your food, shelter and clothing. He gives you your health, your job, your friends, and everything else that you need. You need to realize that God Himself is watching over you every day, with the goal to make sure that all your true needs are met. But you must also know that God doesn’t just provide your physical needs, but He also provides your spiritual needs. He gives you the Holy Spirit, His Word, the church, godly believers, His grace, His wisdom, His peace and His joy. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1, Ephesians 1:3

Goodness: God is good to you, and in fact, is very good to you. Throughout your life God has consistently shown His love to you in that He has given you so many good things. He has given you a wonderfully designed body, a body that can see and hear and talk and touch and taste. He has given you a body that has arms and legs, a body that can get you places. God hasgiven you a world to live in, with the sun and the stars, with the land and the seas, with the wind and the rain, with plants and animals, and with beaches and mountains. He gives you a place to live and a car to drive. He gives you good food to eat. He gives you family and friends. He may have even given you a wife or husband, and with that, children. And He gives you weekends off and vacations for rest and relaxation. God is very good to you, and this goodness is an expression of His great love for you. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” Psalm 100:4-5

Patience: God loves you by being patient with you. None of you do everything right, and in fact, as Christians, you do quite a few things that are wrong. But when you do something wrong, when it’s your bad, God doesn’t always correct you right away, He doesn’t always discipline you right away. Can you imagine what it’d be like if God corrected you right on the spot for everything you did wrong? But God is so patient with you – He puts up with you much more than you realize. Part of the reason for this is that there are many areas in your life that are still deficient, and for your sake, God usually only works on one or two things in your life at a time, and then is patient and forbearing with the remaining areas in your life. Just like good parents are patient with their children, so too God is patient with you, and let me say, very patient. “Love is patient.” 1 Corinthians 13:4, Nehemiah 9

Wisdom: God shows His love by being wise in His dealings with you, and in fact, perfectly wise in His dealings with you. God knows exactly what He is doing in your life and through your life. God is supremely smart, infinitely intelligent, and is therefore most wise in dealing with every aspect of your life. God’s wisdom relates directly to the purposes and plans He has for your life. His wisdom relates to how He trains you, corrects you and disciplines you, and helps you become what He wants you to be. His wisdom relates to the mind He has given you, and the work He wants you to do. His wisdom relates to the family He has given you, the church He has given you, and the relationships and friends He has given you. Everything that God does in your life relates to His perfect wisdom, to His perfect love for you. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

Purpose: God loves you by giving you a purpose, a reason for living. Now it is true that God gives each one of His children the same general purpose in life, that we are to love Him and love one another. But God has made you a certain way, a unique way, and has given you particular abilities, talents and desires, and with that, a very special purpose and very specific plans for your life. And these plans for your life are good plans, great plans, the best of plans. They may relate to a job, a task, a ministry, a marriage, a relationship or to children. And these plans are for your good, your usefulness, and for the good of others, and for the glory of God. Be excited, be overjoyed, and be thankful for how God shows His love for you by having great purposes and plans for your life. “I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:13-16

Fellowship: One of the main ways God loves you is through the lives of other Christians. As you are involved in the church family, then you will be loved by other believers. This love may be seen in their compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness or gentleness towards you. It may be seen in their commitment and loyalty to you. It may be seen in that they pray for you, or that they share God’s Word with you. It may be seen in that they want to spend time with you. But if you’re not involved with the church family, if you’re not fellowshipping with other believers, then you’ll miss out on all the love that God desires to give you. I hope you can see why this area of fellowship is so important, for if relates directly to the love God wants to give you through the lives of other Christians. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” Romans 12:10, Hebrews 10:25, Ephesians 3:14-18

Communication: God loves you by communicating to you. If someone says they love you but they don’t talk to you or rarely talk to you, then you have to wonder if they really love you. But God loves you by communicating to you, and His primary way to communicate to you is through His Word. It’s important then you for to daily and carefully read the Word, for God has a great desire to speak to you and to share His truth with you. More than you realize, He wants to use His Word to encourage you, comfort you, instruct you, correct you, and tell you how to live your life in a purposeful, meaningful and God-glorifying way. There is no doubt that the one who reads and heeds God’s word will know and experience God’s love more than the one who does not. You also need to realize that God is not vague or imprecise in His communication with you – His communication to you is clear and specific. That’s why God’s Word is His main means of communication, for it has been carefully and precisely written out. Of course, God will also teach you through trials, and through the lives of other people, but first and foundationally, it must be through His Word. “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end.” Psalm 119:32

Prayer: God shows His love to you by talking to you, but He also shows His love by letting you talk to Him. What a wonderful blessing that you can talk to God anytime you want, anywhere you want, and as long as you want. You have the Holy Spirit who is the Person and the means by which you can talk to your Father. And what is so encouraging is that God understands you, knows exactly what you are saying and exactly what you mean, and is concerned with what you are saying, and then will respond to all your prayers. Whether you are the youngest or the oldest Christian, you can talk to God. You can share your joys, or share your sorrows; you can cry out for help; you can ask for wisdom; or you can intercede for others. But the most important thing in prayer is that you worship God and tell Him that you love Him. “I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1

Hope: One of the greatest ways that God shows His love to you is that He gives you hope, and this hope is His future love for you, a future reality not yet realized. Hope is God’s promise, God’s guarantee to you of what He will give you in the future, and in particular after you die or are raptured, and leave this earth. You all know how you can be excited about something taking place in the future – it may be that you are looking forward to the weekend, or to Christmas, or to going on vacation. But most importantly, God wants you to be looking forward to the great future He has for you – when you’ll be in heaven, a perfect place, a perfect home, when you’ll be with Jesus, the perfect person, your Savior and friend, when you’ll have a new body, a perfect body, a beautiful, powerful and immortal body, and when you will be with all the other believers in heaven. “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5

APPLICATION
1 John 4:16 – “We have come to know and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God and God abides in Him.” I can’t think of anything more important than knowing, believing, understanding and experiencing the great love God has for you. Please take the time to be with God, to worship Him, to read His loving Word, to know and believe the love He has for you, to abide in this love, and to then love Him. Every day think specifically about how God greatly loves you, and thank Him for His great love for you. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, to declare your lovingkindness in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.” Psalm 92:1-2. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5