Soon, and very soon, the world will be faced with a test from the God of heaven and earth. The world will treat it like a pop quiz, but it will actually be the first question of His final exam. It has to do with an altar to be built in Jerusalem. The book of Revelation describes this test and the altar.
An old proverb says, "May you live in interesting times." It appears, brethren, that we are about to learn what that means. The pieces to the end time puzzle are becoming fewer and those remaining are taking their places quickly.
Church is one of those words that has changed in its meaning with time and usage. For most, church is a religious building. For others, church is the people in the religious building. Further, “church” is just the people, whether there is a building or not. The actual Greek word for church is “ekklesia” and it means “called out assembly.” The Apostle Paul's definition of the “called out assembly” (church) is given in Romans chapters 9 through 11.
Behold, the storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, even a whirling tempest; it will swirl down on the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it.
Jeremiah 23:19-20
The modern Messianic Movement is composed of Jews who believe in Yeshua (Jesus) and a host of non-Jewish and Gentile believers. This collection of believers are Christians but they prefer to call themselves “Messianics.” The only difference in the terminology is the origins of the particular words. Christian originates from the Greek “Christos.” Messianic originates from the Hebrew “Meshiach” or Messiah. Christ and Messiah mean the same thing, but the latter emphasizes the Hebraic. Some call it Messianic Judaism; but it is not really another division of Judaism like orthodox, conservative or reform.
Spring time is my favorite season. The trees begin to bud and produce their cool shade. The mornings are warm and inviting. Everything begins to grow again. Spring time is a favorite of many; but the reason it is my favorite time of year is because of the holiday called Passover. God calls it the “beginning of months.”
The pattern of the exodus from Egypt is the pattern that we, the end time believers, will follow to leave this present age and world. The children of Israel left the cities of Egypt with God for the “promised land.” We will leave this world with a promise from God for the “millennial kingdom.” The sons of Israel went to a great wilderness to be tried and tested. We will go to the great tribulation to be tried and tested. They crossed the river Jordan to enter the land. We will cross over mortality to immortality at the resurrection and rapture. The pattern is simple and yet profound.
Patterns are the evidence of a creator. Whether it be a fabric or a flower, someone decided to develop a design into reality. Our world is filled with these patterns, things created both by God and man. Whether it be the image of mankind itself or the construction of a house, the pattern of the item tells us a lot about the creator.
The flag should be lowered to half staff in honor of its demise. From the beginning of this nation, it has served us through thick and thin. Now, unceremoniously it has fallen before our eyes. Is it a past president or statesman? No. It has been here since the beginning of the nation. It has been the guiding friend for all our peoples and, in times of crisis, our last line of defense. It is truth. No longer does truth hold a stable position with the majority of the United States of America. The very foundation of our form of government and the bulwark of our society has slipped into the mire and muck of disregard and apathy. Truth has been abandoned.
Keeping Sabbath is usually the turning point. It is the turning point to obey the Lord in the face of others who would say, "Don't obey the Lord." Mind you, they don't say it quite that direct. That alone would be the confirmation that you are doing the right thing. Instead, they say, “You don't have to do that now” or, “all that was done away with when grace came.” Whatever the counter, when a person starts keeping Sabbath, interesting spiritual things begin to happen.
The Torah tells the story of ancient Israel coming out of Egypt and going to the Promised Land. Genesis gives us a beginning for all things including mankind. The story of Genesis walks us through many generations until we are introduced to Abraham. Abraham becomes the father of us all by faith. God establishes a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Genesis concludes with Jacob and his family living in Egypt. The book of Exodus describes how Israel leaves Egypt and the formation of the Tabernacle. The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy explain the events and teaching of Israel transitioning from Egypt to the promised land. Most of the setting is in the wilderness and the Torah concludes with Moses prophesying the future of Israel. Moses also prophesies to a future generation (the last generation) with a song.
The Children of Israel fled from Egypt and slavery by the powerful hand of God. They were going to the promised land, a land of milk and honey. Before they could reach the promised land, they had to endure the wilderness and a series of tests. God wanted to prove them, to transform them from slaves to free men. Instead of submitting to the tests, Israel rebelled and began testing God. We should take particular note of these tests. Our destiny and future is like Israel going through the wilderness to the promised land. We will soon be going through the Great Tribulation (the wilderness) on our way to the Millennial Kingdom (the promised land). According to the prophets and the Apostle Paul, we will face these same tests prior to entering His kingdom. It is God's way of preparing His bride.
Do you remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper? The grasshopper goes out and eats galore like there is no tomorrow while the ant stores up a little bit at a time. The ant makes it and the grasshopper goes without. The ant knew the secret; the grasshopper did not.
Hollywood's latest disaster movie pits (no pun intended) a comet against the earth. Unlike billiard balls bouncing off each other, the comet collides with the Earth causing a “DEEP IMPACT” into the ocean with a great tidal wave and other explosive effects. It is what the scientists call an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event). They have an acronym for everything. An E.L.E is when the planet as we know it ends.
“No one knows the day or hour of the Lord's return.” This is the most often quoted instruction concerning the Lord's return. For some, it has been a warning not heeded and much speculation has led to embarrassment. For others, the instruction has been a license for ignorance, to claim that no one can know anything specific concerning the Lord's return. Somewhere between these two misunderstandings, speculating the date of return and believing no one can understand anything, is the proper prophetic stance. Contrasting the Scripture about the “day and the hour” is the passage about the “times and the seasons.”
There is a rumor that the Apostle Paul was not an observant Jew. It is also said that he spoke against the Law and called upon Jewish believers to abandon the customs of Moses. This rumor originated in the first century and is still with us 1900 years later.
When the Lord comes, He comes with a reward for us. Rewards by simple definition are good things. The mere mention of the word will perk our attention with the obvious questions, “What is it?” If you were to ask the average person what is the reward, you would most likely get a blank stare and shrugged shoulders. We tend to think of rewards in materialistic terms. However, we know that God is bringing something far better than materialistic things.
