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Christ's Kingdom and the End Times

Category: God’s Kingdom (Page 5 of 5)

Blog posts about God’s Kingdom.

More on the Glory of God, The Most Important Thing of All!

August 11, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #30 ~

The glory of God! What a great and glorious subject! Might we desire to glorify God, to give Him all the glory! Before we were saved, we were sinners, and we weren’t giving glory to God. We “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man…” (Romans 1:23). But thanks be to God He saved us so we’d give Him glory. Then we are told that we are to “exult in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). One of the main reasons we are saved is so that at Christ’s coming we’ll be glorified, and then we’ll glorify God all the time, and with all our heart and soul. This is what we should truly be excited about and looking forward to!

But now we’re on earth, and the flesh oftentimes wants to be seen, recognized, applauded, famous, popular and promoted. And it’s Psalm 115:1 that again tells us our primary reason for being here: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, because of your love and because of your truth.” We’re to give God glory, and why? Because His love and His truth have wonderfully and eternally transformed us. What was David’s desire? “I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For your love toward me is great” (Psalm 86:12-13).

How do we give glory to God? Psalm 63:1-5 tells us that we are to seek God, and then we will see God, and specifically His power and His glory. Then we will be satisfied by His love, and then we will glorify Him. Again, as we seek God, we will see Him, we will know Him, we will be in love with Him – and then we will glorify Him by blessing Him, by praising Him, by singing to Him. And by the way, it’s better than a million sunsets, or anything else on this earth.

How else do we give glory to God? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says that our entire life is to give God glory. “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We glorify God by eating, by our jobs, by using our gifts, by serving in church, by our relationships, our family time, our work outs, our vacations, by “whatever you do.” We also glorify God by being strong in faith (Romans 4:20), by doing the work God gives us to do (John 17:4), by being thankful (Psalm 69:30), and by being holy (Isaiah 6:3).

Then there are the “glory” verses. 1 Timothy 1:15-17 says God is glorified because He saves us. Philippians 4:19-20 says God is glorified when our needs are met. 2 Peter 3:18 says God is glorified as we grow in knowing Christ. 2 Timothy 4:18 says God is glorified because He rescues us from evil attacks. Jude 24-25 says God is glorified by taking us from earth to heaven. Hebrews 13:20-21 says God is glorified because He equips us to do His will. Romans 11:36 says God is glorified because He saves a remnant of Jews. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Do you see this? By far, our supreme goal, our greatest joy, our most satisfying endeavor, is giving glory to God, now and forever!

But back to the coming of Christ: I have to tell you, I get real excited when I think about Christ coming in His awesome glory, splendor, power and majesty (Luke 21:27). For then I’ll be glorified, I’ll be fully saved, and I’ll finally be able to do what God chose me for, created me for, and saved me for – to fully and always glorify God and Jesus Christ. And it’s not just me glorifying God, but all the saints together glorifying God. “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God” (Revelation 19:1).

But one of my favorite glory verses is contained in Jesus’ prayer for us: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory…” (John 17:24). Can you imagine actually being with Jesus, seeing Him and seeing His amazing, magnificent and spectacular glory, and then giving Him glory? There is nothing better than this, and this is what we will be doing forever and ever and ever!

I pray that you’ll give glory to God as you live on this earth. But I also pray that you’re excited about seeing Christ return in glory, for then you’ll be glorified, and then you’ll appear with Christ in glory, and then you’ll give Him glory like never before – and you will be most encouraged, most satisfied, and filled with joy. “All the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Numbers 14:21). “From the ends of the earth we hear singing: ‘Glory to the Righteous One’” (Isaiah 24:16). “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13).

P.S. My latest article was just published a few days ago: Replacement Theology: It’s Not True – Part 5 (Why People Have Believed This Error.) This will help you to more clearly understand the history of this error. Next week we’ll be looking at North Korea, microchips, and the solar eclipse, and how all this relates to the end times.

The Glory of God – The Most Important Thing of All!!!

August 4, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #29 ~ 

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God is all glorious! That’s because of who He is – God is God, and He is the Creator of the world, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, and the Savior of sinners. “O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty God?” Psalm 89:8. God is glorious because of what He’s like – He’s supreme, holy, just, wise, loving, powerful, truthful, sovereign, forgiving, good, faithful, patient, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable and eternal. “His name alone is exalted; His glory is above heaven and earth.” Psalm 148:13. And God is glorious because of what He does, because of His awesome works. “On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” Psalm 145:5

God is always glorified! There’s never a time when He is not glorified. Every single thing that God has ever done, or ever will do, gives Him glory. Not only that, but as Revelation 4 tells us, the four living creatures are continually and eternally giving glory to God. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty… Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things…” But there’s been a big problem.

Man is made to glorify God. But as Romans 1:18-32 says, man is worshiping the creation instead of God, His Creator, and this is his main sin, his root problem, resulting in all kinds of other sins. Yet, in His kindness, God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to save man from his sin, to redeem those who believe He died and paid for their sins and then rose again. And why did God do this? For man’s eternal good, and so he would glorify God. The Westminster Confession sums it up, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” 

As a Christian you are to glorify God – to worship, to extol, to exalt, to praise, to bless, to honor, to thank, to fear, to love Him. This is your main purpose, your primary duty during your life on this earth, and forever and ever. “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31. “To Him who loves us… to Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever.” Revelation 1:5-6. O might you see this! O might your heart, soul and life be filled with praise to God, for He is worthy!!!

God made the heavens and the earth, the angels, plants and animals, mountains and hills, and men and women, to praise and glorify God. But as was said, man sinned and didn’t give Him glory. But God has reconciled people to Himself, and the Bible and all of history tells us stories of selected men and women giving glory to God. The Jews, for example, were a chosen people, and many of them worshiped God. As David said, “I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God… and will glorify Your name forever.” Psalm 86:11. But overall, the Jews did not honor God, and so He punished them, for “they worshiped a molten image. They exchanged their glory for an image of an ox.” Psalm 106:19-20. Yet God never gave up on the Jews, for though He exiled them and later scattered them all over the world, He promised to gather them back to their land (and now they are there), so they would give Him glory. “I will be glorified in the midst of Thee.” Ezekiel 28:22. “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.” Habakkuk 2:14

But now we’re in the church age, and the time for the revival of a remnant of Jews, and these promises to be fulfilled, is still to come. This is our opportunity and time to serve the Lord and give Him glory. Many verses tell us this – Romans 16:25-27, Galatians 1:4-5, Philippians 4:19-20, 2 Peter 3:18, Jude 24-25, Revelation 1:5-6, Ephesians 3:21 – “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Since we live in the end times, we know it won’t be long before Christians on earth “will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27), and before we will be “raised in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:42), and before all believers “will be revealed with Christ in glory” (Colossians 2:3). Do you realize what’s going to happen? And do you see that our primary message is God’s glory, and that our main purpose is to glorify Him, and to “tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among the peoples… to ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name?” Psalm 96:3, 7

It’s so joyful, exhilarating and fulfilling to glorify God with the saints during this church age, but I’m looking forward to glorifying Him in the next age with all the believers from the Old Testament and church ages, and from the millennial kingdom age. It won’t be long before “every knee will bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” and before we’re saying, and I believe singing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” Philippians 2:10-11, Isaiah 6:3

P.S.  I plan to have my new article posted early next week: “Replacement Theology :  It’s Not True – Part 5.”  Look for it then!

The Divine Timetable, Daniel’s 70 Weeks

June 23, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #23 ~

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What really amazes and encourages me is how much God has told us in His Word about the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. I’ve recently written about an enormous number of Old Testament prophecies that are particularly relevant to those of us living in the end times. It’s necessary that we rightly interpret these prophecies so we can have the understanding God wants us to have about His plans for both the Jews and the church.

Today, I want to focus on one prophetic passage. It’s Daniel 9:24-27, and it speaks of a divine schedule, a timeframe that’s absolutely essential to help you see the sequence of events in the end times. This timeframe is the 70 weeks of Daniel, where 1 week equals 7 years, and 70 weeks equals 490 years.

Biblical scholars believe these 70 weeks started in 445BC. Now Daniel 9:26 predicted that the Messiah would be cut off after the first 69 weeks, or 483 years. What’s so amazing is that mathematicians have calculated that God’s timetable was perfect, for these 483 years take us right up to 30BC, the exact time when Christ was crucified. Again we see that God’s prophetic Word is to be taken literally, and is completely, 100% accurate.

But what about the 70th week? Has it started yet? No, it hasn’t. Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:9-26, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, and Revelation 13 all tell us of specific events that need to take place during this 7 year timeframe, but they’ve not yet occurred, meaning the 70th week is still future. It’s obvious that this church age has now been going on for close to 2000 years, meaning there’s a long gap between the 69th and 70th weeks.

Yet, over the past 130 years, the Jews have miraculously regathered back to their land, and this is a clear sign from God that we now live in the end times, and that the start-up of the 70th week is not far away. In fact, Daniel 12:4 first used the phrase, “the end time”, which is the time period when these 70 weeks will come to an end. The fact that God is again actively working with the Jews means He’s wrapping up His work with the church, and it won’t be long before Christ’s return. Of course only God knows when the 70th week will start. But when it does, we’ll see a great deal of prophetic activity, and the glorious fulfillment of many of God’s promises to both the Jews and the church.

Here are some of the major prophesied events that will take place during Daniel’s 70th week:
1. At the very start of Daniel’s 70th week, there’ll be the confirmation of a covenant (or peace treaty) between Israel, the Antichrist and other nations (Daniel 9:27). Obviously, for many years now, the United States and other nations have been trying to get a peace treaty signed. Even this week we have been seeing the pursuit of a peace treaty over in Israel.
2. At the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel, the 3½ year mark, the Antichrist will be revealed, and he will desolate the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:27). True Christians and many Jews will discern that this is the Antichrist, this most wicked man who will then begin greatly persecuting them all over the world. (Revelation 12:13-17)
3. At the very end of Daniel’s 70th week, the 7 year mark, a great many Jews will be saved (Daniel 9:24, Romans 11:25-27). At this time, the kingdom of the world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15).
4. Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church will take place sometime during the last half of this 70th week, but no one knows exactly when (Matthew 24:31-36). The day of the Lord, God’s judgment of unbelievers still alive on earth, will begin right after the rapture.

Only as you understand this 70th week timeframe will you be able to clearly figure out “what happens when” in the end times. I can’t stress enough the importance of knowing this divine schedule, for then you’ll be able to know how to put the prophecy pieces in their proper place. Otherwise you’ll be blind, and you won’t be able to see what God wants you to see about the future God has for you, your family, and for your church.

After Daniel wrote these prophesies, he was instructed to “seal up the book until the end time.” (Daniel 12:4, 9). Well, about 2450 years later, with the regathering of the Jews back to their land, this book was unsealed. How exciting and encouraging to be living in the end times that Daniel predicted. I’m sure he would’ve loved to be alive now, but God meant it for us. This is our time! It won’t be long now before the start of Daniel’s 70th week, and not many years later, the wonderful rapture of the church, the devastating wrath of God on earth, the promised redemption of the Jews, and then the glorious reign of Jesus Christ on earth. Psalm 72:18-19

P.S. I have just posted an important new article explaining why replacement theology, which believes God’s promises for the Jews are no longer valid, is wrong: Replacement Theology: It’s Not True – Part 1.

Looking Back and Looking Forward, But Now is Our Time to Live!

February 4, 2017 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #3 ~ 

Throughout the years, I have loved to get up on top of hills, and on the top floors of big buildings and parking ramps. I have loved to look out over the land and get some perspective, for too easily I know that I can focus on my own life and my own little world. As Christians, we need Biblical perspective, spiritual perspective – we need to see things from God’s point of view. But I’m not talking about what is presently going on in the world – I am talking about a historical and prophetic perspective. And it’s what the Bible says about our past and our future that gives us this big picture, and should then motivate us to live for Him in the last years of this church age.

Let’s break down the past, the present, and our future into four parts:

– First, there was the time of Adam and Eve, and they were perfect, and they were perfectly ruling over a perfect world. This is Genesis 1-2.

– Second, there’s the present evil age, an age that began with the sin of Adam and Eve. During this age, Satan, the most wicked and sinful being ever, has been ruling over an evil and corrupt world. This is our time to live! This is Genesis 3 – Revelation 19.

– Third, there’s the next age, the 1000-year kingdom age, when Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and King, will perfectly rule over a far better, though still not perfect world. This is Revelation 20.

– Fourth, there will be the eternal kingdom, when God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will perfectly, wonderfully, and forever be ruling over a perfect heaven and a perfect earth. This is Revelation 21-22.

Do you see this? Do you see where this world has come from, and where this world is going? Do you get the big picture? And do you see where you and I are at right now? This present evil age (Galatians 1:4), that started with Adam’s sin, is now in its “last days” (Acts 2:17), the church age. Not only that, but with the Jews back in their land, we know that we are at the very end of this evil age, this church age. This means that Jesus Christ will soon return to rapture the Christians who are on earth and take them up to heaven. At that time all believers saved during this evil age, both Old and New Testament saints, will join together to worship and serve the Lord, and reign with Him over this earth. Hallelujah!!!

This future is our hope, and we should be extremely excited and looking forward to it. We are so close to this monumental juncture in the history of our world when this evil age will end – when we will see the return of the King, and the beginning of the next age. Our salvation will be complete, we will be glorified, and the good age, Christ’s kingdom age, will begin. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 summarizes this by saying, “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 delivers up the Kingdom to God the Father.” Ephesians 1:21, speaking of Christ’s rule and authority says, “in this age, but also in the age to come.”

But this is 2020, and this is our time, our time to live for the Lord! To think that God purposed and planned for you and I to be alive, not back in the days of Moses or David or even at the time of Christ’s 1st coming, not in the Dark Ages or at the time of Luther or out in the wild west, but now in the end times, and so very close to Christ’s 2nd coming. In all of human history, this is the time God wants us to be alive on this earth, and this should greatly motivate us to want to live for Him, and be a part of what He is doing in this world. The parable of the minas (Luke 19:11-27) instructs us, “Do business until I come back.” Might we be living all out for the Lord, using our time, talents, and treasure for Him, building up the church, encouraging the believers, and reaching out to the lost. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

PS – Always notice the little man in the charts. That’s you and me. Do you see where we are? And do you see where we are going? It won’t be long before Christ returns to rapture the church and takes us home to heaven.

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