Christ's Kingdom and the End Times

Category: Future (Page 4 of 4)

Blog posts about the future.

Prophecy is Predicting the Future

January 5, 2018 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #51 ~

All kinds of people try to predict the future, and they may guess right some of the time, but most of the time they are wrong. But God predicts the future and He is right all the time. Our primary subject on this blog site is Bible prophecy. But what is prophecy? In a general way it is defined as the speaking forth of God’s truth. It is also used to speak of the entire inspired word of God. More specifically, it is defined as God predicting the future, which is the way I’ve been using it in this blog site and will use it today.

As Christians we understand fulfilled prophecy as that which was predicted in God’s word and has already come true. For example, Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and about 700 years later He was (Micah 5:2). Jesus Himself predicted He’d be killed and raised up, and that came true a short time later (Luke 9:22). Then there’s unfulfilled prophecy, predictions which will be fulfilled in the future. My main objective is to explain to you and get you excited about unfulfilled prophecy. Today I want to share some verses to give you a better understanding of prophecy.

2 Peter 1:21 – “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Prophecy is from God – it is definitely not from man. It was God speaking to men through the Holy Spirit who then proclaimed it to the people. Many prophets began by saying, “The word of the Lord,” for they wanted their listeners to know it wasn’t what they were saying, but it was God Himself who was speaking to them and through them (Jeremiah 1:11, Ezekiel 28:1, Jonah 1:1, Micah 1:1).

2 Peter 1:19 – “Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart.” Prophecy predicts events that will take place in the future. This word “until” is a timing word telling us that “the day dawns” in the future. This prophecy was given at a particular time, and at a later time it will come true. Specifically, it is predicting that Christ will return in glory to rapture the believers, and then set up His kingdom on earth.

2 Peter 1:19 – “We have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” Prophecy is given by God to man, and we need to listen to what He’s telling us, and be looking forward to its fulfillment. It’s 2018, about 2000 years after Christ’s 1st coming, and many prophecies have already been fulfilled, but since we’re living in the end times then we know it won’t be long before His 2nd coming. It is those who pay attention to God’s prophetic word who will literally see His word being fulfilled in the world around us. Might we be like the “men who understood the times.” 1 Chronicles 12:32

Luke 24:44 – “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” As we now know, some prophecies about Jesus came true at His 1st coming which means the rest will be fulfilled at His 2nd coming. And there’s not one single prophecy about Jesus which will remain unfulfilled. “All things… must be fulfilled.” It’s imperative and important to take heed and pay attention to God’s prophetic word, and especially what it says about the return of Christ.

Isaiah 46:9-11 – “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.’” God purposed what He was going to do, God planned what He was going to do, and He predicted many of the things He was going to do. Our loving, holy, powerful, omniscient, wise and sovereign God knew exactly what He was going to do. Long before God made this world, He had determined His eternal purposes and made plans to fulfill them. And all that God planned to do, He has either already done, or will be doing in the future. I encourage you to seek the Lord and study His word, and find out what He wants you to know about the future. Revelation 22:7, 10, 12

Mark 13:23 – “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” Prophecy contains critically needed information about the end times. In a great number of prophetic passages, Jesus tells us every future end time event and detail that He wants us to know, as well as specific instructions as to how we are to live. Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, 2 Thessalonians 1-2 and Revelation.

Revelation 1:3 – “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it, for the time is near.” Do you see that you will be blessed as you read and believe the words of prophecy, and then live by what is written in it? What a great privilege and opportunity it is to be alive at this time in history. “Amen. Come Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20

P.S. Here is an informative and encouraging article that goes along with this post: A Summary of the Work of God, from the Time of Abraham to Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.

The World is Now in Labor – This Means Christ is Coming Soon

September 22, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #36 ~ 

Image result for earthquake mexico city 2017

Has not God told us the future? Has not God told us what will be taking place in the years leading up to the coming of Christ and the rapture of the church? Has God not clearly told us in His word what we need to know? Yes, He most definitely has! And I’m so glad He has written it all down for us. We don’t need to guess or wonder, or worse yet, listen to false prophets and profiteers who aren’t telling the truth but are only tickling people’s ears. Please don’t be naïve, confused, misinformed or in error. Take heed to the word of God, and find out what your heavenly Father wants you to know.

Over the course of the coming months, I’ll be systematically going over many specific events that the Bible says will be taking place before the return of Christ to this earth. In the past few weeks, I’ve been examining the birth pains (birth pangs), and today I want to sum things up by sharing ten relevant points about them.
1. These “birth pains” are described as false Christs, wars, rumors of wars, plagues, famines, earthquakes, and financial distress.
2. These “birth pains” are spoken of in Matthew 24:4-8, Mark 13:5-8, Luke 21:8-11 and Revelation 6:1-8. The fact that God repeats them four different times gives a great deal of added weight to their truth and importance.
3. They are called “birth pains”, which is instructive, for it means they will increase in both frequency and intensity. That is, these end time “birth pains” will get nearer and nearer together and harder and harder as we get closer to the coming of Christ.
4. Matthew 24:6-7 tells us that “you will be hearing of wars”, and “in various places there will be famines and earthquakes”. Do you see this? These “birth pains” aren’t occurring in every city and country in the world, but only in “various places”. People on this earth will be “hearing” about them, but most will not be experiencing them.
5. To the discerning Christian it will be very obvious that these “birth pains” are increasing in frequency and intensity – those believers who are spiritually awake and alert will sense in their heart that Christ will be coming soon. Hebrews 10:25
6. Just like a mother experiences birth pains over a period of time, so too these earthly “birth pains” will occur over a period of time. Some believe they start at the beginning of Daniels’ 70th week and go on for only a few years, but the very nature of these events, and in particular, famines, wars and financial crisis, suggest they take place over a longer period. Personally, I believe they’ve already been going on for a long time.
7. One of the results of these “birth pains” is that people, unbelievers in particular, will desire and even be desperate for a global leader to bring order and peace to the world, this leading to the acceptance and worship of that most devilish Antichrist.
8. These “birth pains” are taking place before the coming of Christ, proving that the rapture of the church is not imminent, and cannot happen at any moment. Many other discernible prophesied events will also occur before the return of Christ.
9. Matthew 24:4-8 says, “all these things are the beginning of birth pains.” The “birth pains” happening at this present time do not mean that the rapture will be right away. “When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.” Luke 21:9. Many more things still need to take place before Christ’s return – a Jewish peace treaty, the revealing of the Antichrist, nations forming alliances, people taking the mark, great tribulation, etc.
10. People who say these “birth pains” are part of the “Day of the Lord’s” wrath, are wrong, are in error. Revelation 6:1-8 identifies these birth pains as the first four seals, and goes on to make it super clear (Revelation 6:15-17) that they will all take place before God’s wrath, the trumpet and bowl judgments of Revelation 8-9, 16. Revelation 6 speaks about birth pains, tribulation and the end of the age. Revelation 7 is about the sealing of the Jews and the rapture. Revelation 8-9 describes the wrath of God.

There’s no denying the truth of God’s Word with regards to these birth pains – you must not ignore or take lightly what God is telling you, for they are now occurring in the world around us (e.g., rumors of war with N. Korea, earthquakes in Mexico, and 20 million people experiencing famine in Africa), and will continue to happen until Christ’s coming. We should be very thankful that our Father told us these things ahead of time. We’re His kids, and He wants us to believe what He’s telling us. He wants us to trust Him and love Him and be looking for His Son’s return. Live for Jesus in these years before the rapture by being a faithful saint, a hard-working servant and a brave soldier. “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

P.S. – Jesus Christ  did not come back on September 23, 2017. Many things still need to take place before His return and the rapture of the church.

P.P.S. – Be praying for the people and families so catastrophically affected in Mexico City by the earthquake, and in Puerto Rico by the hurricane, for both their physical and spiritual needs.

Clear New Testament Confirmation of God’s Plans for the Jews

July 14, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #26 ~

Does God say anything in the New Testament about the future of the Jews? Of course He does, and that’s because He wants us to know for certain that His promises to the Jews are still true. Here are some key verses:

Luke 24:45 – “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Jesus needed to remind His disciples, and us, that all the things written in the Old Testament about Him would come true, which would include reigning as King over the world, and carrying out His promises to the Jews.

Romans 11:25-26 – “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved.” These are the most crystal clear verses in the entire New Testament about the salvation of the Jews in the end times. It’s going to happen, and it’s after this church age is over, after the salvation of a great number of Gentiles.

Hebrews 11:10,13,16 – “He (Abraham) was looking for the city which has foundations… All these died in faith without receiving the promises.” These verses once again prove that God’s promise to the Jews about their land will be fulfilled, and this will take place after the end of this church age.

Luke 1:54-55 – “He (God) has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and His descendants forever.” All the Jews knew about God’s promise to Abraham, and now through Mary, God lets us know that He’s not going back on His word – He will most definitely keep His promise!

Acts 3:20-21 – “that He (God) 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.” Here’s another verse validating the truth of God’s Old Testament promises to the Jews, that they would be blessed with land, and with a Kingdom that would be ruled by Christ Himself.

Revelation 11:15 – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” God made this promise to David that one of His descendants would be King over Israel, and over the entire world, and it will finally be realized at the 7th trumpet, at the very end of Daniel’s 70th week.

Luke 1:31-33 – “You will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” This is another confirmation of God’s promise about His Son being the eternal King over this earth. And it was Mary’s first-born son, Jesus, who would be the Son of God, in fulfillment of His promise to His people.

These verses were placed in the New Testament because God wants Christians living during this church age to know and be convinced of His future plans for the Jews. All these verses are clear confirmation that God has not nullified His plans for the Jews, but will faithfully carry them out. And there is nothing in the New Testament that negates God’s promises to the Jews. Those who say there’s no future for national, ethnic Israel are in error, for God never says that the church replaces Israel when it comes to the Old Testament promises. And in fact, here are some other New Testament verses that specifically relate to this subject of the Jews and their future: Matthew 23:37-39. Matthew 24:15-27. Mark 13:14-23. Luke 21:20-24. Luke 22:29-30. Luke 24:25. Acts 1:6-11. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9. Revelation 7:1-8. Revelation 11:1-13. Revelation 12:5-17. As we look at the world around us, and as we closely examine the above passages, it’s obvious that God’s end time work with the Jews will soon be moving full speed ahead.

At this time, Christians should focus on the church. We are to also have our eyes open to what God is doing around us, and to know that the future of the church relates directly to the future of the Jews. God will not do His prophetic work with the Jews apart from His prophetic work with the church. Old Testament believers had promises for their land, their King, and their salvation, but they wouldn’t see them realized apart from the New Testament saints. Hebrews 11:39-40 says it well, “All these (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.”

Let me conclude by giving you the big picture perspective: Christ’s 1st coming was transitioning God’s work from the Jews to the church, and Christ’s 2nd coming will be transitioning God’s work from the church to both Old Testament believers and New Testament saints. That takes us into the next age, the millennial kingdom age.

P.S.  I’ve just published a short article about the importance of the Word of God with a long list of some of my favorite verses:  The Instructive, Commanding, Comforting and Encouraging Word of God!!!

A Jewish Reading Lesson

June 16, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #22 ~

It was about seven years ago, that by God’s grace, I finally figured out how to read the Old Testament. I was so excited! For the first time in my life, I could see the whole big scheme of things, how everything in the Bible fits in with God’s future plans. My prayer and desire is to help you know how to read the Old Testament, so you can more clearly understand God’s plans for the Jews, the church, and the ages to come.

First, here are some basic, Biblical ground rules that you need to know:
1. The Old Testament is true, and it needs to be taken literally. For example, Israel means Israel; Jerusalem means Jerusalem; and forever means forever.
2. God’s promises to the Jews regarding their land, salvation and King have not been changed or nullified. They are still true, and God will most definitely carry them out.
3. Israel has not been replaced by the church with regard to God’s plans. Promises made to Israel are not figuratively being fulfilled by the church, but will literally be fulfilled by the Jews.
4. You can’t understand the future of the church if you don’t understand the future of the Jews, for God’s work with the Jews in the end times is in conjunction with His work for the church. Daniel’s 70th week is a key time frame for both Jews and Christians.
5. Old Testament prophecies can usually be placed in one of four time periods: (1) The prophecy relates to the writer’s time period, and shortly thereafter. (2) The prophecy relates to Christ’s 1st coming. (3) The prophecy relates to Christ’s 2nd coming. (4) The prophecy relates to Christ’s kingdom age. (A prophecy may have both a near and far fulfillment.)

Here are some examples of how Old Testament prophecies fit in one of these four time periods – (1), (2), (3) or (4). Psalm 22:1-21 speaks about Christ’s suffering on the cross, and this refers to Christ’s 1st coming (2). Then Psalm 22:28 says, “The kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations” and this refers to Christ’s coming kingdom age (4).

Psalm 37:29 says, “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” This Psalm tells us about the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Jews that they will inherit some land, and this too is speaking about the coming kingdom age (4).

Psalm 98:2-3 tells us, “The Lord has made known His salvation… He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel.” This verse is talking about the house of Israel, and so this is not referring to the salvation of people during the church age, but to the salvation of the Jews at the 2nd coming of Christ (3).

Isaiah 9:6 is a classic, for the first part of the verse, “A child will be born to us, a son will be given us” is referring to Christ’s 1st coming (2), and the very next part of the verse, “and the government will rest on His shoulders” talks about the kingdom age (4).

Ezekiel 37:21-23 is one of my favorite prophetic passages, for right here in these three verses we read about the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jews with regard to their land (verse 21), their King (verse 22), and their salvation (verse 23). These prophecies are clearly referring to Christ’s 2nd coming (3), and His kingdom age (4).

Micah 5:2-5 tells us two different things, that the coming Messiah will be born in Bethlehem which takes place at Christ’s 1st coming (2), and that “He will be great to the ends of the earth”, and this no doubt is speaking about the kingdom age (4).

Christians living in the end times of this church age have a distinct advantage. We can look at a particular prophecy, and then look back in history, and see if it has taken place or not, if it is a past or future event. We can see where everything fits, in time periods (1), (2), (3) or (4). It’s essential to learn how to rightly read the Old Testament, to properly interpret God’s prophetic word, and then you can understand His future plans for both the Jews and the church. I believe you’ll be thrilled as God gives you understanding, and then enables you to Biblically visualize the future God has for you, and for all His people on this earth.

There are 100’s and 100’s of verses in the Old Testament that predict God’s plans for the Jews. Here are some others I’d encourage you to check out in your spare time: Psalm 47, Psalm 67, Psalm 102:12-28, Psalm 105:5-8, Psalm 130, Isaiah 2:1-5, Isaiah 60, Isaiah 61:1-2, Jeremiah 32:6-44, Ezekiel 37:24-28, Daniel 12:1-13, Hosea 1:10-11 (the triple play), Joel 2:27-32 (Jews and church), Haggai 2:4-9, Zechariah 2:10-12, and Zechariah 14:9.

P.S. I encourage you to look at the charts (links) which we have in the above post, for they will help you to understand this lesson.

P.P.S. We have also just published a new article that I believe will help you understand our heavenly Father’s great love for us: The Father’s Love for His Children.

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