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IN GOD'S NAME WHAT IS HAPPENING?
` The Kingdom of Heaven is like . . . '
In the middle of a crisis God's Name is often to be heard in the conversation of the people of the world. Sadly it usually takes a crisis to use his Name and, even more sadly, if the crisis deepens the use of His Name often becomes blasphemous. Francis Schaeffer, writing in 1984 shortly before his death, described in simple terms a watershed. Looking at a snow-covered ridge in his beloved Swiss mountains he saw that when the heat of the sun came the snow would melt, and although the snow was all on the same ridge, with the melting there would come a clear demarcation line. There would be a clear line in the snow which would result in some snow (now turnd into water) ending up in the cold North Sea, after winding its way through the River Rhine, but similar snow which had lain on the other side of the same ridge would end up in the warm Mediterranean Sea, after completing its journey through the River Rhone.
This is a natural watershed. The same snow, on the same ridge, would end up in totally different places once the sun had melted it - its ultimate destination depending only upon which side of the ridge it lay. Francis Schaeffer developed the example of this natural phenomenon to point out the fact that the Christian Church in the West had indeed experienced its own watershed. He reasoned that its demarcation line was the acceptance of the Bible as the absolute, final and total revelation of God - revealing an absolute position on all matters concerning not only salvation through Jesus Christ but all matters concerning past, present and future history, creation of life, the earth and the universe, and all the absolute standards required by all mankind who have been made in God's image. If the words of this man are the words of a true prophet of God (and he would have been the last man to accept such a title), then the Church in the West has indeed experienced a watershed, one of the many in its long history but one which will affect our lives as disciples of the Lord Jesus in the time-scale in which we live.
We shall leave the words of Francis Schaeffer here. We only mentioned his description of a watershed in order to point us towards thinking of the `snow' that lies on the ridge of our contemporary Western culture `mountain' which is beginning its parting of the ways - one part will journey into the period of time which the Bible calls The Great Tribulation, the other will complete its journey when it is caught away (Raptured) out of the coming turmoil so as to be with the Lord for ever. This will indeed be the most dramatic watershed in this world's long history - and the `parting of the snow on the ridge' is already clearly to be seen. The snow on this final ridge looks the same, but its final destination is dependent (as before) on which side of the ridge it lies. The difficulty is that we, as part of `the snow' of the population of the western world in which we live and conduct our affairs (and that includes our religious lives), may find it difficult to see the ridge appearing as the sun of God's Word melts the snow! One thing is certain: A watershed means a parting of the ways, and with that parting there comes the certainty of different destinations for the same snow that had once lain together on the same ridge. On which side of the ridge will we find ourselves?
Before we can begin to answer this question we need to see this world and its historical timescale from God's perspective. The only place where this is revealed to us is in the Scriptures, and we will use the principle of the words of Festus, spoken to Paul when the apostle appeared before him and appealed to Ceasar: `You have appealed to (Scripture), to (Scripture) you will go'. But in `appealing to Scripture' we are looking not so much for the history of the world as for God's sovereignty over `the earth, the heavens and all that dwell in them'. In short, we are looking for what the Bible calls the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven. In talking of a Kingdom we are therefore talking of a King and of His right to rule . . of subjects and their acceptance of His authority . . of that King's absolute rule over every area and aspect of that Kingdom . . of a purpose and the will to ouwork that purpose . . and on all these points the Scriptures are quite clear:
Nehemiah 9:5-6
" Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.
Blessed is Your glorious Name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all
their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give
life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You. "
Psalm 145:12-13 continues the theme:
" . . . so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of
Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and Your domain endures
through all generations. "
Ephesians 1:11 tells of His will and purpose within that glorious splendour of His Kingdom:
" In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him
who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. "
However as we read these verses, and many more similar verses scattered throughout the Scriptures concerning this Kingdom of God, we find that, like a precious diamond, it has many facets or segments to it and we need to look at these various facets in order to understand and then begin to answer the question we posed at the beginning of this study. Like any precious gem that has been cut by a master craftsman each facet is quite unique and contains beauty in its own right, but to enjoy the full brilliance of it it is required that it is kept whole. Keeping this in mind we will catch sight of `the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will'. We shall find that this brilliant `diamond' of the Kingdom of God has indeed been fashioned by a Master Craftsman and has many facets, each one with its own peculiar beauty and yet still part of the whole Kingdom of God. A natural precious stone needs to be displayed to people for them to appreciate its beauty; so it is with the `precious diamond' of the Kingdom of God which the Master Craftsman has designed for people to enjoy, and as He `turns' it in order to reveal the beauty of the other facets of His Kingdom He allows the light of the Holy Spirit to show its brilliance to men in an allotted time-span of history.
The `diamond' of the Kingdom of God needs to be seen in this way - a glorious Kingdom of everlasting brilliance, yet containing many facets of great beauty, all shaped in conformity with the purpose of His will! It is only as we are able to see these various facets of the glorious Kingdom of our God that we shall be able to fully comprehend the brilliance of the particular facet within which we are called to live now as the redeemed people of God through acceptance of His Son Jesus. Failing to comprehend the full beauty of this glorious Kingdom could well lead us to say (like the Teacher . . the son of David . . the King of Jerusalem) `Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is just meaningless!' We would now like to look at the whole brilliance of the diamond of the Kingdom of God.
Being natural people we need to give it a title in order to understand it. It concerns the absolute and total rule of God over everything that He has made and purposed. We have seen in Psalm 145 that it is `an everlasting Kingdom, and Your dominion endures for ever'. We could therefore give it the title of `The Everlasting or Eternal Kingdom of God' - everything in it being conformed to the purpose of His will. No mortal man on earth . . no angelic being in the heavens . . can alter or change God's absolute will and purpose within this eternal Kingdom. Again, as the Teacher rightly says: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
" There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven. "
Those `times and seasons' in the eternal Kingdom of God are totally within the will and purposes of God. They are known only to Himself, and neither mortal man nor angelic beings can thwart those times and seasons, which will be outworked exactly as He has purposed. However, as the Master Craftsman turns this `diamond' we see the first facet appearing, in that God, through His sovereign will, choose to rule in His Kingdom through one nation - and we can identify the commencement of this facet of the Kingdom of God as the time when he called out of Egypt the children of Israel and forged then into a nation through whom He would reveal Himself to the nations of the world. When Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai there was established this different facet of the Kingdom of God - the direct rule of God over one nation on earth. This is described in Scripture as `a called-out people, separated unto God'. We read of this in Exodus 19:5-6 (KJV):
" Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My Covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me, above all the people: for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. "
We need to give this facet of the Kingdom of God a title, and we can do no better than to call it `a God-ruled Kingdom' or `a Theocratic facet of the Kingdom of God'. The children of Israel were chosen out of all the peoples of the earth to be a kingdom of priests under the direct rule of God - a Theocratic Kingdom was now in place as the `precious diamond' was turned for a period in history. This is again confirmed in Deuteronomy 14:2:
" For you are a holy people to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples
of the earth the LORD has chosen you to be His treasured possession. "
Here we see that within this Theocratic Kingdom the nation of Israel was called to be priests. We also know that a priest is called to act as a mediator between God and man, and here we have the primary reason for God calling out a people to be holy to the LORD. God had begun to work out His purpose and will - which was to draw all men to Himself. In His sovereign will He allowed men to appeal to Him only through the mediatory work of a priest, who first had to make atonement for himself and his family before he could appeal to God on behalf of other people! The nation was therefore called out to reveal a facet of God's Kingdom - with a direct responsibility to mediate as priests, separated unto God on behalf of the nations of the world - and as a chosen people they were required to assist the direct rule of God over their affairs as a nation. But this Theocratic Kingdom rule would not in any way disturb or distract from the working purposes of the Eternal Kingdom of God, which would . . and will . . continue without any interuption by the affairs of mortal men or fallen angelic beings!
This Theocratic segment of the Kingdom of God was to undergo a further development from that of a mediator on behalf of the nations - seen first in Moses and then on through Joshua and the Judges. We read in Scripture that the work of Samuel changed the means of the direct rule of God in a Theocratic Kingdom from a priest to a king, and with the anointing of Saul as king we see the change coming about whereby God now choose to rule His chosen people directly through a king. This was to last until the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and with the exile of King Zedekiah and the princes of Israel this Theocratic facet of the Kingdom of God was hidden from sight as the Master Craftsman turned the `precious diamond' of His glorious Kingdom away from the eyes of man.
Clearly then, this facet of the Kingdom of God was for a limited time-span, and with the nation of Israel being taken into captivity it would be hidden by the Holy Spirit from the eyes of man. Although still part of the whole `diamond', it would never again be turned to the light of the Holy Spirit, and, therefore, to the sight of man. Its time was ended within the purposes and will of God in the eternal facet of His Kingdom - but it would be used to point towards a more glorious segment of the Kingdom where God Himself would rule directly on this earth in the midst of His people during the Millennium rule of Christ Jesus. Its end came directly through the captivity of the nation of Israel, although this did not in any way disturb the outworking of the purpose and will of God in His eternal Kingdom, and it also opened up the way for God to reach out to the Gentile nations in an even more glorious way. Overlapping this Theocratic facet of the Kingdom of God we shall see another brilliant segment of His Kingdom which would cover the time-span from Adam until the last man to be born on the earth. This facet does not concern any particular nation - indeed this Kingdom transcends national boundaries and reaches into the hearts and lives of individuals. Jesus Himself gave the title for this facet of the Kingdom of God when He spoke to Nicodemus: (John 3:3)
" I tell you the truth: Unless a man is born again he cannot see the
Kingdom of God . . . . I tell you the truth: Unless a man is born
of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. "
Nicodemus knew that by being born a Jew he had been born into the Theocratic Kingdom of God . . `a chosen people belonging to God', as revealed in the Scriptures. What he could not grasp was the fact that this Theocratic Kingdom of God had only a limited time-span, and with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the Jews being taken into captivity in Babylon this facet of the Kingdom would end. Here Jesus was quietly telling Nicodemus that because he had been born a Jew this was his natural inheritance, through his natural birth, but the facet of the Kingdom of God now being revealed required a spiritual birth in order that he might receive his spiritual inheritance, and Jesus speaks clearly of a spiritual rebirth into the spiritual Kingdom of God through faith in Him as Saviour and Messiah. We can therefore call this facet of the Kingdom of God `the Spiritual Kingdom of God', which is open to all mankind - Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and freeman - and consisting solely of individuals who have experienced this new birth by a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, received by grace through faith.
Jesus was saying: `The wind blows where it wills. You don't know where it comes from or where it goes to, but it brings a spiritual birth into the spiritual Kingdom of God'. The Kingdom has been open to all men from Adam onwards, until the birth of the last man born naturally on this earth, but not all will enter this spiritual Kingdom because the entrance is the narrow gate of a new birth, through belief in the faithfulness of God as revealed in His Son Jesus and through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Truly, the `precious diamond' of the Kingdom of God with all its many facets could only be the work of God, and we have not yet finished turning the Gemstone fashioned by the hands of God Himself. There is coming a time in the history of the Jewish nation when the full brilliance of this Kindom will be offered to them - this time not through a mediator or a mortal king - but in the form and Nature of God Himself, revealed in His only beloved Son Jesus. This is recorded for us in Luke 2:9-11:
" An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and the Glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, `Do not be afraid. I bring you tidings of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord. "
We merely remember this event as Christmas. Some gather with the world to sing carols and remember a holy baby, born in a stable. Others, perhaps more `spiritual', gather together to give thanks to God, and sing carols. Others, perhaps even more `spiritual', refuse to recognise Christmas as a festival at all because they keep the real `festival of Christmas' every day in their hearts! But whilst we squabble over such fine points perhaps we miss the central point of what happened on that night nearly two thousand years ago. The `precious diamond' of God's Kingdom was turned yet again, and for a moment the flashing brilliance revealed the Glory of God with the angelic hosts singing out their delight and joy: (v13-14)
" Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared
with the angel, praising God and saying:
` Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men
on whom His favour rests'. "
Another facet of the Kingdom of God was now revealed on earth - God Himself in the form of a little child - `a Saviour has been born to you; he is Messiah the Lord' - the Hope of Israel, the long-awaited Messiah: (Isaiah 9:6-7)
" For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and with righteousness from that time on and for ever. "
With that introduction we can now give you the name for this segment, this facet of the Kingdom of God now revealed to us. It is `the Messianic Kingdom' - a Kingdom ruled over by the Messiah, the long-awaited Hope of Israel who will rule from David's throne over the nation of Israel! We know this promise, for in the Second Book of Samuel 7:16 God promised David:
" Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever
before Me. Your throne will be established for ever. "
The Old Testament prophets continually spoke of the Messianic Kingdom which was to come in the form of what we have already described as the Theocratic Kingdom of God. That is, God ruling directly over the nation of Israel through a mediator - beginning with Moses and then on through a kingly line which commenced with Saul. It went into decline and then destruction, but there were prophets raised up by God to confirm His intention that there would come a time when a more glorious facet of His Kingdom would come. There was a time set in the future when there would come One whose `throne shall be established for ever' and `of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end'. God Himself `Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace' would `reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with justice and with righteousness from that time for ever'.
This is what Jesus offered to the Jewish nation - the long-awaited Messianic Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. This was the cry of John the Baptist when he said; (Matthew 3:2-4)
" Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. For this
is He who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
The voice of one calling in the desert:
` Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make His paths straight'. "
Finally, when the time came and Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into His Kingdom ministry, it was this Messianic Kingdom of God that the nation of Israel rejected. Even after authenticating His Messianic claims with signs and miracles (those that even the religious leaders taught could only be performed by the Messiah) they still rejected Him, and in rejecting the Messiah that generation of the Jewish nation also rejected the Messianic Kingdom that He offered. That is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit for which there is no forgiveness! That sin was committed two thousand years ago by the Jewish nation, and for that generation of the Jewish nation there was no forgiveness - and we see the outworking of that rejection when in AD 70 there came the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish nation by the armies of the Roman Emperor Titus. This in no way disturbed the outworking of the will and purposes of God in that facet of His `Eternal and Everlasting Kingdom' because this rejection by the Jewish people opened up the way for all the nations of the world to be blessed, revealing yet another glorious facet of the Kingdom of God. But even if the Jewish nation had not rejected this offer made by Jesus He would still have been required to suffer death by crucifixion in order to bring salvation to all men through His death. God had planned no other way to bring sinful man to Himself except through the substitutionary death and blood of His Son Jesus! Nevertheless, this rejection happened and the Jewish nation faced the consequences of that rejection. The rest, as they say, is history.
However, this has been looking at these events through the eyes of man, and we need to remind ourselves that this rejection was limited to `this generation' only. The purposes of God stand eternal, and the events we see unfolding about us in what we call `current events' are but the lead-up to the beginning of the fulfillment of the Messianic Kingdom which will last for one thousand years (Revelation 20) - the Millennium Kingdom Rule of Messiah Jesus upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. That past generation of the Jewish nation most certainly rejected their Messiah and the Kingdom He offered them, but the Millennium Kingdom is rooted in and centered on a Covenant made by God to David: (1 Chronicles 17)
" Your house and your kingdom shall endure for
ever before Me. This shall be established for ever. "
This same passage goes on to give us the understanding that on this throne there will be:
" . . . on of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
He is the one who will build a house for his throne for ever. "
Here the Spirit of Prophecy was speaking of Solomon - and beyond him to David's Greater Son, King Jesus. The Millennium Messianic Kingdom of God had, so to speak, been placed `on hold' or merely postponed (and that is said with a natural man's mind, which is limited in finding words to express the un-expressable). Through this initial rejection by the Jews God had once again turned the `precious diamond' of His Kingdom to reveal yet again the brilliance of another facet of His Kingdom. The time will come (and by the signs around us it will come soon) when Jesus will return, and with His return as Messiah Israel will once again be offered the Messianic Kingdom of God, and this time (at the end of the Time of Jacob's Trouble, the period known as the Great Tribulation) the offer will be accepted and so `all Israel will be saved'!
To see this next facet of the Kingdom of God we need to turn to Matthew 13. Up to this point John the Baptist, and later Jesus Himself, had come to Israel with the Good News of the Kingdom of God. First, John had come heralding the coming Kingdom and calling all men to repent in order to be ready to receive the coming Messiah. Then Jesus came announcing Himself as the long-awaited Messiah, confirming that claim with signs and miracles and authorative teaching and offering the Kingdom of God to the nation:
Luke 4:18 records:
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind; to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. "
This was no social gospel so beloved by evangelicals today. This was a Messianic Gospel proclaiming the Kingdom of God . . proclaiming `the year of the Lord's favour' to the nation of Israel. But the Messianic claim and the Messianic offer was rejected, and the words of Jesus rang out: (Matthew 12:39-41)
" An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and none will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise in the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. "
From the time of the rejection by this generation of the Jewish nation the ministry of Jesus changed, and from Matthew 13 onwards `He told them many things in parables'! His disciples were very clearly puzzled. Before this His teaching had always been clear to the people and His miracles were open for all to see, but now there came a dramatic and irreversable change in His ministry:
" The disciples came to Him privately and asked Him, `Why do You speak to the people in parables?' He replied, `The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you but not to them. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing, they do not hear, nor do they understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says:
` You will be ever hearing, but not understanding,
You will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused.
They hardly hear with their ears, and they have
closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with
their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with
their hearts and turn, and I would heal them'. "
No doubt many have pondered on these words of Jesus: `I will only speak in parables from now on, otherwise they might hear and understand and turn in repentance and I would heal them'. They could not do that because of that generation's rejection of the offer of the Kingdom of God and of His Messiah! They had spoken `against the Holy Spirit and would not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come'. From then on Jesus spoke in parables, and even when He performed miracles He told the people not to tell anyone (because of the rejection of Himself as Messiah). Jesus knew that the offer of the Messianic Kingdom of God had, so to speak, been postponed until another generation of the nation of Israel. The Master Craftsman, God the Father, was now turning the `precious diamond' yet again to reveal another facet of the Kingdom of God. We take the title for this facet from the words of Jesus in Matthew 13:11 (KJV):
" Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. "
With these words we shall now call this facet of the `precious diamond' `the Mystery Kingdom'. Any Greek Lexicon will give the meaning of the word `mystery' as `musterion, knowledge which is hidden from men but now revealed to the initiated'. From Matthew 13 onwards Jesus sets out to teach His disciples the secrets of the `Mystery Kingdom' of God which had been hidden from the eyes and ears of men in past ages. There had been no prior knowledge of this facet of God's Kingdom - it is not shown or revealed in any way in the Old Testament Scriptures. The revelation of it only came after the nation of Israel had rejected the Messianic Kingdom, and from this point onwards Jesus uses the time left before the crucifixion He knew would come to apply Himself to teaching His disciples the mysteries of the Kingdom and preparing them for the future when they would be bereft of His physical presence! Reading the Gospels with this understanding will bring fresh revelation from the Living Word and greatly enrich our walk in the Spirit.
In seeking to define this Mystery Kingdom facet of the Kingdom of God we need to understand that this is not referring to the Church. The Church (and by that expression we mean all those who through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit have been born again, born from above by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, from the day of Pentecost right up to the catching away of the saints in the Rapture `to be with the Lord for ever') lives out its life in the mystery Kingdom of God but the Church is not the actual Kingdom. Clearly, this facet of the Kingdom of God also has a fixed time limit, and historically it can be seen to be outworking in the time-span when Jesus is not physically present on earth. This is the period from the time of Acts 1 when `He was taken up before their eyes and a cloud hid Him from their sight' until He returns in His Glory at the end of the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 14). `On that Day His feet will stand again on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem' when He comes to usher in the Kingdom of God on earth - and to understand this more fully we need to briefly look at the parables that Jesus taught from Matthew 13 onwards. The parable of the Wheat and the Tares is well-known:
" The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares amongst the wheat . . . . His servants asked him, `Do you want us to go and gather them up?' He answered them, `No . . . . let them both grow together until the harvest'. "
Another parable portrays the Kingdom of Heaven as like yeast (a Biblical expression for sin) that a woman took and measured into a large amount of flour, until it worked all through the dough. Another parable tells of a merchant looking for fine pearls: `When he found one pearl of great price he went and sold all he had and bought it'. Another parable with an un-named servant tells of the master returning and dealing with that `wicked servant'. In yet another parable Jesus tells of workers in His vineyard and of His right to hire them and reward them with the same pay (of salvation) regarding the amount of work that He has chosen for them to undertake. Any diligent Bible scholar will be able to recall them and many more besides. All of them were teaching the disciples of Jesus the principles of the Mystery Kingdom which He would initiate by His death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven and which would last until His return in Glory, for from just the few parables we have recorded here we can see that this Mystery Kingdom would be for a limited time `until the owner of the vineyard returns'. It would include those who are `good seed' and are `sons of the Kingdom' - but it would also include `the tares' who are `the sons of the evil one' and this is again emphasised in describing the Mystery Kingdom as dough mixed with (sinful) yeast! Within this Kingdom Jesus will call many who will work for Him whilst He is away, and He will reward all who are equally called to receive salvation according to His good will and purpose!
From these examples we can see that this facet of the `precious diamond' is quite unique and distinctive from the other segments. It clearly is not `the Everlasting Kingdom . . . (whose) dominion endures throughout all generations'. Neither can it be the facet which we described as the Spiritual Kingdom, for that segment of the Kingdom consists only of those who have been born from above through the work of the Holy Spirit, and again has a precise timescale during which people can enter it. This Mystery Kingdom is also clearly not the one we have described as the Theocratic Kingdom, which was limited to the nation of Israel and was completed with the last of the kings of Israel. The Mystery Kingdom is open to all people drawn from the nations of the world, but it cannot be the Messianic (or Millennium) Kingdom that will be established with the return of Jesus, for we know from reading the Old Testament that the prophets were continually pointing forward to that great and glorious Kingdom to come:
Isaiah 52:1
" Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength;
Put on your garments of splendour, O Jerusalem. "
Isaiah 60:1
" Arise shine, for your light has come,
and the Glory of the LORD rises upon you. "
Isaiah 62:1
" For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's
sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness
shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a burning torch. "
Ezekiel 37:23-24
" They will be My people, and I will be their God.
My servant David will be king over them,
and they will all have one Shepherd. "
Hosea 2:16
" `In that Day, declares the LORD, `you will call Me
`Ishi' (my Husband). You will no longer call Me
`Baali' (my Master)'. "
Zechariah 14:9
" The LORD will be King over the whole earth.
On that Day there will be one Lord,
and His Name the only Name. "
Jeremiah 33:16
" In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem
will live in safety. This is the name by which it will
be called, `Jehovah Tsidkenu" (the Lord our Righteousness). "
This brilliant facet of the `precious diamond' of the Kingdom of God (more commonly known under man's title of the Messianic Kingdom) was no mystery to the Jewish nation for it was the longed-for hope of all Israel! These Scriptures ache and throb with the sure and certain hope of a Messiah who would come! The prophets of the Old Covenant most certainly did not consider it a mystery. Mary (Miriam) cried out her hope when she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth: `My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour' (Luke 1:47), and Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) knew it also: (Luke 1:68-69)
" Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, because He has come and redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. "
Faithful Simeon saw Him . . . and knew what it meant: (Luke 2:30-32)
" For my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of Your people Israel. "
Clearly the Messianic Kingdom was no Mystery Kingdom for it was the sure and certain hope of all Israel! But Israel did not know the time and the purpose of the Mystery Kingdom that Jesus began to teach of to His disciples. From the time that the nation of Israel rejected Him, the Messiah of God (which, therefore, was for that generation of the Jewish nation and for a set time) the Messianic Kingdom He offered was held in abeyance . . and the Kingdom of God was now opened up to people of all the nations of the world. But the day will come when that same Messiah will again offer the Messianic Kingdom to the nation of Israel `and so all Israel will be saved'. Even so, it was not until the Holy Spirit called Paul into His service - one `who was of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in regards to the Law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the Church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless' - that the secrets of this facet of the Mystery Kingdom were revealed in all their fulness so that we, with `New Testament eyes', could enter into that full life, in Christ Jesus, within the Mystery Kingdom. We, who are the `good seed'. . we, who have responded to the Master's call, may now work within His Vineyard until His return! When writing to the Ephesians Paul tells them: (Ephesians 3:4)
" In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one Body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. "
Writing to the Church in Colosse Paul tells them: (Colossians 1:25-27)
" I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in its fulness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. "
Paul, and all those who would follow on from him until the return of the Lord Jesus, would proclaim the Good News of God within this Mystery Kingdom - `good seed' who would use their talents to gain five and ten-fold rewards in the coming Kingdom as those who respond are brought into the Spiritual Kingdom of God by grace through faith. It is at this point that we can catch a glimpse of the whole of the `precious diamond' of God's Kingdom, its different facets gleaming and glittering with their own distinctive brilliance. To see the full glory we have to step back lest we become blinded by the brilliance of the wonder of God's perfect work. Those who crowd around and attempt to draw God into their narrow perception of the Word of God will only be able to see with the narrow eyes of prejudice as they gaze upon one facet alone of the `precious diamond' of the Kingdom of God. Here, at a distance, we can see the Eternal Kingdom, which is an Everlasting Kingdom, but neither mortal man nor angelic being can interupt the will and purpose of God `who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will'. We can see the beauty and purpose of the limited time of the Theocratic Kingdom - preparing people as priests and kings separated unto Him, yet pointing forward to another glorious facet. We see the bigness of God's Spiritual Kingdom as He draws all men of faith into a personal relationship with Him through Christ Jesus. We see too the Glory of the Messianic Kingdom which is yet to come, where Christ will rule and reign wth His Bride and enter into His joy as He sits on the throne of David, where He will:
" Rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in My people;
the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. "
Perhaps we can now understand more fully the purpose of the Mystery Kingdom in which we live . . a time-span allowed so that the Spiritual Kingdom of God can be offered to all men in all nations . . that all people who have `longed for His appearing' down the ages may be with Him for ever. No doubt other facets of this `precious diamond' can be spoken of but enough has been set out to give us an understanding of the times in which we find ourselves. A watershed has occurred . . the warm sun of the Holy Spirit has melted the snow . . and the ridge on which the snow has been laying could be likened to the Spiritual Kingdom of God which is now being seen more sharply and which will increase in size and scope until it merges with the Messianic Kingdom of God, and then: (Habakkuk 2:14)
" The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the
Glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. "
Perhaps the snow could be likened to the mystery Kingdom, which is approaching the end of its life-span as the Lord of Glory prepares for His return. The watershed that has occurred will be completed with His coming when some `snow' will find itself in the cold waters of the `North Sea', whilst other `snow' will journey into the Messianic Kingdom of perpetual peace and joy - and beyond that we look to a new heaven and a new earth, and a neew Jerusalem where there is: (Revelation 21:22-23)
" . . no temple in the city, because the Lord Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the Glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. "
Here we shall close the first part of this study in which we have set out the brilliant facets of the Glory of the Kingdom of God, with the understanding that we shall return in the second part of this study to answer the question, `In God's Name, What is Happening?'
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IN GOD'S NAME WHAT IS HAPPENING?
` In the beginning God created . . . '
We opened our first study of this three-part series on the question `In God's Name What is Happening' by quoting the words of a much-admired evangelical Christian writer, who had long been warning the Church in the West as he saw it moving almost, it would seem, deliberately towards the apostacy which the Scriptures foretell for the days before the return of the Lord Jesus. He spoke plainly of a watershed that had occurred in the Western Church over the final, absolute and total revelation of God's purposes - as revealed in the Scriptures concerning every part of mankind's life, both social, moral and economic, and the history of the world. To bring home the reality of this watershed he used a picture of a well-loved scene in the Swiss mountains near to his home. Deep snow lay covering a high ridge, to the point where the ridge was unseen, and it was not until the heat of the sun melted the snow that the clean, clear line of the ridge appeared. The snow, now turning to water, drained down each side of the moutain - the water on one side ending up, after a long journey through rivers, in the cold North Sea, whereas the water that drained down the other side of the mountain ended up in the warm Mediterranean Sea. It was the same snow, on the same ridge, but under the fierce heat of the sun it was destined for entirely different destinations. This, he said, was a watershed, and an equally dramatic one had occurred within the Church in the West concerning the absolute authority of Scripture in the life of the Church. We then left these thoughts of Francis Schaeffer for we were not intending to write on the same subject, merely using his description of a watershed to give understanding to the question, `What in God's Name is Happening' in the society, and indeed the world, in which we are called to outwork our lives as we are led by the Spirit as sons of God whilst we wait for the Coming of the Lord.
There seemed little point in launching into another study on the dangers of the New Age Movement, or to write on the possibility of Europe emerging as `the Beast of Daniel 7', or to `positively' identify the Pope as the Antichrist through a careful examination of his name which would produce the dreaded numbers 666, for surely enough has been written about these things to fill another `Bible' (which simply means `a collection of books'). We therefore used the first study in this series of three to set out Scripturally what is so easily called the Kingdom of God. We believe that it is only as we see (however inadequately) `the heavens and the earth and all that is therein' from God's perspective that we may begin to answer that question. To do less than this is to write from a newspaper or current affairs exegesis point of view - which would give relative opinions based on a narrow sectarian (or even a nationalistic) point of view. Without wishing to denigrate prophecy or condemn earnest and sincere fellow-disciples we know that many `words of prophecy' have been given over the years concerning revival, usually starting with the speaker's particular area and eventually spilling out into the world. Sadly, many of these words are quickly forgotten when the foretold revival fails to occur, because they were well-meaning words spoken from the relative position of a person's earnest desire to see many lost people brought into the Kingdom of God. In order to move out of this obvious danger, we need to keep our thoughts centered on God's Word, and through it seek understanding of what Paul was writing about in his Letter to the Ephesians, where he speaks of God's will: (1:9-11)
" . . . according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment - to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one Head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him Who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will . . . "
Understanding the will of God will ensure that all history . . all current affairs . . all the world's wisdom . . must be made subject to that will, which is clearly revealed in Scripture. Therefore, with the understanding that God has a will and a purpose - which we set out in our first study of this series - we can now approach the events that are happening in our world and line them up with God's Word, which will itself answer the question posed, `What in God's Name is Happening?'
In our first study of this series we likened the Kingdom of God to a `precious diamond', gloriously brilliant, with many facets to it but needing the light of the Holy Spirit to reveal the different segments as the hand of the Master Craftsman turned it so that each facet might be revealed in all its glory. God is indeed a Master Craftsman - but we can only begin to appreciate the brilliance of His handiwork as we step back to see what He is outworking within His glorious Kingdom. We designated titles to the various facets of this Kingdom to give them meaning: We saw the Everlasting or Eternal facet of the Kingdom of God, within which everything is in His hands, and the timing of His purposes are known to Him alone outside of the interference or interuption of mortal man or fallen angelic beings. As He turned the `precious diamond' of His making we then saw the Theocratic Kingdom, within which He called to Himself a people from out of Egypt to be a chosen people, a peculiar people, separated unto Himself for His purposes. It was Theocratic, in the sense that God choose to reveal Himself to, and speak directly with, the nation of Israel - first through Moses and the priestly line of Aaron, and finally through the anointed kings. This facet of the Kingdom came to an end with the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, with the nation of Israel being taken into captivity. Therefore the Theocratic period is now completed, and although it is still part of the whole `precious diamond' of God's Kingdom it is now hidden from the sight of man.
We then saw the brilliant facet of the Spiritual Kingdom, made up of all people who have entered into a personal relationship with God by believing and trusting in His faithfulness. The entrance into this Spiritual Kingdom (right from the time of Adam) was by trusting in the faithfulness of God, Who would one day provide a Saviour . . One Who would save the people from their sinful ways and bring them into a lasting relationship with God. Over many centuries countless numbers of people have indeed trusted and believed in God's faithfulness and been rewarded with the coming of Jesus, Who through His death and resurrection broke the chains of death and `having disarmed the powers and authorities He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross' (Colossians 2:15). God has now revealed His Messiah (His Christ) and ever since His glorious resurrection all people can enter fully into this Spiritual Kingdom through belief and trust in Him. This is done through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, which enables those who in simple faith repent and turn to Him to be born again into the Spiritual Kingdom of God. We then saw that with the birth of Jesus the `precious diamond' had been turned again, and in the fulness of time Jesus the Messiah came offering the Messianic Kingdom of God to the Jewish nation. But because they rejected Him as their Messiah this facet of the Kingdom of God was, so to speak, delayed for a time, and because of this rejection the way was then open for the Mystery Kingdom of God to be ushered in - thus opening the way for all people of all nations to enter into this Spiritual Kingdom of God until `the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled'. Then Jesus will come again as Messiah to offer again the Messianic or Millennium Kingdom to God's Covenanted people the nation of Israel, and `so all Israel will be saved'. Then will come the long-awaited Messianic Kingdom with Jesus ruling as King `over the whole earth'!
All these facets need to be held in place as they begin to merge together into the glorious brilliance of the Kingdom of God, but the dazzling sight of it will cause the sharpness of the edges of the different facets to become blurred in the light of God's purposes. Then we shall indeed see `what is happening'! It is not only about the Church . . although she is called to be the Bride of Christ! It is not only about the Jews . . although God's Covenant with these people will be fulfilled! Neither is it only about God's concern for the poor and oppressed, or the despoiling of the world He created . . although His Messianic Kingdom will see justice, peace and mercy available to all who enter this Kingdom and `the trees of the fields will clap their hands'. In his letter to the Church at Ephesus Paul gives us an understanding of this when he writes, `. . to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one Head, even Christ' (Ephesians 1:10). He continues with this theme:
1 Corinthians 15:24-28:
" Then the end will come, when He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For `He has put everything under His feet'. Now when it says `everything' it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ. When He has done this, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put everything under Him - so that God may be all in all. "
These Scriptures help us to understand that there are enemies . . that there is a battle . . that there is the destruction of demonic `authority and power' and `the last enemy to be destroyed is death'. To see what this means we need to go back to the beginning - to Genesis 1:1 - and we shall see that the culmination of God's purpose and will in this Dispensation is now approaching its climax and will finally usher in His Kingdom here on earth in all its brilliance in fulfillment of His promises revealed in Scripture. In this study we do not need to go beyond this into the Eternal Order, into the new heavens and the new earth, as it was only revealed in the New Covenant and recorded by John in the Book of Revelation 21:22, but we know that we have one thousand years in which to enjoy the presence of the Bridegroom before the new heavens and the new earth appear. Genesis 1:1 records perhaps the most dramatic `first line' ever written: `In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth'. They are simple, almost stark words, yet they are throbbing with Divine life. Verse 2 continues: `Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep . .'. The King James Version uses the words `without form and void', which spring from the Hebrew words meaning `to lay waste' or `desolation' or `indistinguishable ruin'. We find these same words in Isaiah 34:11 where the prophet talks of `the measuring line of chaos and the plumbline of desolation'. Jeremiah also says it:
Jeremiah 4:23)
" I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form and void. "
In both these readings the same Hebrew words are used as in Genesis 1:2 - describing a desolation, an indistinguishable ruin - for in both passages the words are used in connection with the judgement of God falling upon great wickedness, putting an end to the form and shape of the world and all the population upon it. With this understanding we can now look again at Genesis 1:1 and see that when `in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth' there followed a `time-gap' during which great wickedness was outworked, causing God to judge that wickedness and causing the earth to be `without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the water'. To find out what caused that judgement to fall, and to understand what the great wickedness was during that time-gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 we need to briefly look at two passages of Scripture, and from them we can begin to answer the question `In God's Name What is Happening?'
The two passages of Scripture are well-known and we shall look first at Ezekiel 28 where he talks of the ruler of Tyre. This was an historical figure, who because of his great authority and ability had considered himself to be a god: (v2)
" In the pride of your heart you say, `I am a god,
I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas'. "
The passage goes on to say what the Sovereign LORD says about the ruler of Tyre: (v 6-8)
" Because you have set your heart to be a god, I am
going to bring foreigners against you. They will bring
you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death. "
However, from verse 11 onwards the passage changes from describing an historical mortal ruler of Tyre and begins to talk of the `King of Tyre', revealing a mighty created angelic being who was the real power behind the throne of the ruler of Tyre - and who today is still the controlling force operating in the heavenly realm over the affairs of this world through proud and ambitious men. The other passage of Scripture is to be found in Isaiah 14. In chapter 13 Isaiah recorded what he saw as `an oracle concerning Babylon' and in verse 6 he goes on to describe the coming judgement on that proud city State:
" Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near.
It will come as destruction from the Almighty . . . "
As with the passgae in Ezekiel, from verse 12 onwards of Isaiah 14 the wording changes from describing the judgement against historical Babylon and begins to describe the judgement of a mighty angelic being called `star of the morning, son of the dawn' (the King James Version calls him Lucifer . . the shining one). In harmonising these two passages of Scripture we now have a clear understanding of what happened in an Age before the creation of the world, as described in Genesis 1:3 onwards, and why judgement was pronounced on the earth God had created in Genesis 1:1. They describe a created angelic being of the highest order in creation, a cherub, who at some point in time was Lucifer ` the model of perfection, full of wisom and perfect in beauty', who was `anointed a covering cherub, for so I ordained you'. Here we see Lucifer, not only as one of the highest angelic beings but also anointed as the covering cherub - thereby giving him a position higher than all the angelic beings. We read of him being on `the Holy Mountain of God' - which in Scriptural language depicts not only a place or a throne of ruling authority but also `the Holy Mount' where God Himself reigns in total authority. Lucifer is described here as `the anointed one' . . `the messiahed one' . . a covering angel of God's absolute authority . . and not only was he anointed as a covering cherub on God's Holy Mount but he was also given authority over the world as God created it in Genesis 1:1. We see this in Ezekiel 28:13 where God says: `You were in Eden, the Garden of God. Every precious stone adorned you'. Verse 16 describes how Lucifer `walked amongst the fiery stones' which covered the earth - telling us how the earth was originally formed, a place of great beauty and covered in every conceivable precious stone, full of brilliance, with Lucifer (the shining one) walking amongst the fiery stones of his domain!
This passage cannot be describing the Garden of Eden in which Adam was placed, which is described in Genesis 2:8 as a Garden in Eden with `all kinds of trees to grow out of the ground'; neither can it be a spiritual or heavenly Garden of Eden because Ezekiel 28:16 tells of how he, Lucifer, was expelled `in disgrace from the Mount of God, and I expelled you, O covering cherub, from among the fiery stones'. We read of the reason for this disgrace in Ezekiel 28;17. Because of his great beauty and wisdom . . because of the authority given him as the covering or guardian angel of God's Holy Mount . . because of his authority over the earth, which was covered in brilliant fiery stones . . Lucifer wanted more:
" Your heart became proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour. "
Lucifer had said: (Isaiah 14:13-14)
" I will ascend into heaven;
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit enthroned on the Mount of the assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred Mountain;
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myslf like the Most High. "
This great wickedness . . this total rebellion against God Himself . . brought judgement upon everyone and everything under his (Lucifer's) authority: (Ezekiel 28:17)
" So I threw you to the earth, I made a spectacle of you before kings. "
The judgement of God falling upon everything under Lucifer's authority resulted in the earth being made a place of desolation, empty, formless and void - `and darkness was over the face of the deep'. However, from Genesis 1:3 onwards we read that God again created the earth, and the heavens above the earth, in a form more familiar to us. He then formed Adam from the dust of the earth and took Eve from Adam's side to be a helpmeet for him, and they were given authority by God to rule the earth and subdue it: (Genesis 1:28)
" God blessed them and said to them, `Be fruitful and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion
over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and
over every living thing that moves over the earth. "
and from Genesis 2:15 we know where God placed Adam:
" Then the LORD God took the man and put him
in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. "
Lucifer now appeared as Satan . . the Accuser . . the Devourer! In Ephesians 2:2 we read that `he is the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who now works in those who are disobedient'. From this position in the heavens immediately above the earth he rules over the affairs of the earth through disobedient mankind. His forces of evil are two-fold: First, there are the angels who were under his authority when he rebelled against God and were cast down with him. Luke 10:18 records the words of Jesus, who said: `I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven', and in John 12:21 Satan is described as `the prince of this world', signifying not only Satan's power but also revealing that he still has under him other fallen spiritual angelic forces. These are described in Ephesians as: (Ephesians 6:12)
" Rulers of the darkness . . authorities . . the powers of this
dark age . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. "
We are told in Matthew 12 that the spiritual kingdom of wickedness is well organised and effective, and Jesus Himself acknowledged this. Speaking of Beelzebub, the prince of darkness, He said: (v25-26)
" Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out. "
The title `Beelzebub' tells us there are other dark forces at the disposal of Satan, for the word has a meaning of `Lord of the Flies' or `Lord of the Dungheap' - and in this passage of Scripture Jesus was answering the Pharisees' accusation against Himself as He brought deliverance to a man who was blind and dumb.
These Scriptures give us an understanding of the forces of evil under the authority of Satan, who as leader of the dark world is now situated in the heavens above the earth. First there are the fallen angelic beings who seek to control the affairs of the nations. They are described as `rulers of darkness, authorities and powers, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm'. Second, there are demons who are active on the earth, who seek to control people through the possession of their bodies. These demons are clearly not the angelic beings who have their station in the heavenly realm. Jesus Himself warned that these demons (or evil spirits) are earth bound and seek entrance into people living on this earth:
Matthew 12:43
" When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes
through arrid places seeking rest and not finding
it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left'. "
There are therefore these two forces of evil under the authority of Satan - the fallen angelic beings who control the nations of this earth through oppression, and also the demons (evil spirits) who seek to control the affairs of individuals through possession of their bodies. With this background we can now see that Satan is still continuing an unceasing and relentless battle to regain total control over the world which was originally under his authority, but which he lost through his wicked rebellion against God. This caused God's judgement to fall, not only upon Satan himself and all under his authority, but on the world as it was originally created - covered in `fiery stones' of great beauty. Then in Genesis 1 and 2 we saw that the earth which God created after this judgement was placed under the authority of Adam, but Satan, coming in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve. Through Adam's subsequent disobedience and rebellion Satan was then able to usurp Adam's authority and now he rules the earth from the heavens just above the earth as a usurper in direct conflict with God. This gives us a deeper understanding of the relentless war being waged, for Satan is not only determined to regain what was originally under his authority but he also wishes to raise himself up in the heavenly realms `above the tops of the clouds', saying `I will make myself like the Most High'.
With this background in place we can now piece together the purpose of the many facets of the `precious diamond' of the Kingdom of God. Rebellion and great wickedness had broken into God's Kingdom through a created angelic being: (Ezekiel 28:12 and 15)
" . . . the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect
in beauty . . . . You were blameless in your ways from the
day you were created till wickedness was found in you. "
But in the Eternal or Everlasting Kingdom of God not even this rebellion interupted or disturbed the will of God `who works out everything in conformity with the purpse of His will'. With the facet of the Theocratic Kingdom of God being revealed and turned towards us we see a major step towards restoration of peace and harmony in God's created heaven and earth. With the forging of a nation with whom He would deal directly - through its priests and (later) its kings - God commanded Moses to build a Tabernacle . . a place where He would dwell above the Mercy Seat with its covering wings of the two cherubim in the Most Holy Place. David, whom God later chose to be king over the nation of Israel, understood the heart of God, and by bringing the Ark of God's Covenant to Jerusalem and placing it in the Tent he had made, David prepared the way for the glorious Temple to be built by his son Solomon. The Ark of the Covenant of God was placed in the completed Temple and God's Presence was again confirmed when the Glory of the LORD descended on the Temple. It filled the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenent was placed under the outstretched wings of covering and the watchful eyes of the cherubim. However, through the disobedience and rebellion of the nation of Israel the Theocratic facet of the Kingdom of God came to an end with the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. No longer would we see this facet in God's purposes!
We can however fit into this framework the facet of the Spiritual Kingdom of God, which consists of all people since Adam who have died believing in the faithfulness of God - that He would send a Saviour Who would save them from their sins and in the fulness of time resurrect them into the long-promised Messianic Kingdom. This Spiritual Kingdom will continue until the return of the Messiah (whom we know to be the Lord Jesus) and ever since His death and resurrection countless thousands have been added to this Kingdom through believing in Him. They now await His return to call them, with those who wait for Him now, into His Everlasting Kingdom. We can also fit into this same framework the facet of the Mystery Kingdom of God, which commenced with the rejection (by that particular generation of Jews) of the Messianic Kingdom which Jesus their Messiah offered them. Within this Mystery Kingdom are all those who through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit are being built into a Temple made with `living stones' where the Presence of God dwells. The sure and certain hope of these `living stones' is the return of Jesus as Messiah, Lord and King, Who will usher in the long-awaited Millennium Kingdom of God and Who will sit upon David's throne and rule His Kingdom.
Within this glorious Messianic Kingdom in the land of Israel there will be the Temple, as recorded in the Book of Ezekiel. Chapter 43 records that Ezekiel saw in a vision: (v2-5)
" . . . the Glory of the God of Israel coming from the east . . . . The Glory of the LORD entered the Temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the Inner Court, and the Glory of the LORD filled the Temple. "
To complete our understanding we would briefly refer to Revelation chapters 21 and 22 which describe the Eternal Order following on from the glorious Millennium Kingdom. Here we find recorded: (Revelation 21:2-5)
" Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the Throne saying: `Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them'. "
This new world has such beauty that it is recorded: (v11)
" It shone with the Glory of God, and its brilliance was like
that of a very precious jewel, like a jaspar, clear as crystal. "
Verse 16 tells us that its walls are made of jaspar and the city of pure gold, pure as glass, and the foundations of the city walls are decorated with every kind of precious stones. We note that these stones are similar to those described in Ezekiel 28 - which tells of `Eden, the Garden of God' of Genesis 1:1 But this time God does not entrust the world to any created being, no matter what his beauty or his wisdom might be, and we also find in Revelation 21 that there is no Temple in this new City: (v 21-22)
" . . . because the LORD Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple.
The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it,
for the Glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. "
It is here that we see the purposes of God coming to completion. The total restoration of His glorious Eternal Kingdom, filled now with those who have freely acknowledged Him as God through their belief in and acceptance of His Messiah (His Christ) the Anointed One, the Lamb of God, King Jesus! (Revelation 21:6)
" He said to me, `It is done! I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the Beginning and the End'. "
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He gave great authority to a beautiful cherub over His earth, which He created and covered with `fiery stones' of great brilliance. But because of Lucifer's rebellion God's judgement fell on him and all that were under his authority, including that beautiful earth which was covered with fiery stones. And it became formless and void! God's purposes of His glorious Kingdom were then outworked, with the many facets of the `precious diamond' of that Kingdom revealed from time to time! But at last there would come a new heaven and a new earth, where His Anointed One would no longer be a magnificent cherub, `the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty', but God Himself . . Jesus the Lamb . . Who would be its lamp reflecting the light of the LORD God Almighty. As in the beginning, the new earth is covered with `fiery stones' in all their beauty!
Truly, He is the Beginning and the End . . the Alpha and the Omega. It is this we must fix our eyes on . . this is our sure and certain hope! The words of Jesus are clear:
" Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who
keeps the words of prophecy in this Book. "
Here we have to close the second part of this series on answering the question `What in God's Name is Happening?' We shall complete the answer to this question in the third study which sets out the purposes of God for His people in the time that is left before His return:
" `Yes, I am coming soon'.
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus. "
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IN GOD'S NAME WHAT IS HAPPENING?
` The ten horns are ten kings . . . . '
It is recorded that Martin Luther said: (Our emphasis)
" If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Wherever the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all other battle fronts is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point. "
This brings us back to a watershed, a demarcation line, on `precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking'. If we can place `the point of attack' within our understanding of the time in God's Kingdom wherein we are living, we shall have to answer the question in our title, `What in God's Name is Happening?' Unfortunately, `precisely that little point' of attack is where we too will be called to `profess and confess Christ'. But once we see where the battle rages, there too, as soldiers of Christ, `the loyalty of the soldier is proved'. We therefore need to understand that there is indeed a battle raging at this time, and it is to gain understanding of that battle which is the purpose of this series of three studies in which we ask . . and answer . . the question, `In God's Name What is Happening?'
In the first study of this three-part series we set out the Scriptural basis for our understanding of the Kingdom of God, and we used the allegory of a precious diamond in order to reveal the many brilliant facets of this Kingdom which, we believe, is `held in the hand of God', the Master Craftsman. And as it is held up, the edges of the different facets seem to merge and blur and the overwhelming brilliance of the whole precious stone of the Kingdom of God is being revealed in the timescale within which we live. In the second study of this series we offered a Scriptural basis for the creation of the heavens and the earth, and we saw that there was an unspecified period of time between the judgement of the first earth, following the fall of Lucifer, and the creation of the new earth, when Adam was formed from the dust of the earth. `In the beginning God created' an earth covered with precious stones of great beauty and brilliance - the King James Version describes them as `stones of fire' - and this earth was placed under the authority of Lucifer `the covering cherub, the shining one'. We also saw that Lucifer's heart became proud `on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour'. We traced Lucifer's rebellion against God, which resulted in God's judgement being pronounced upon Lucifer and upon all those under his authority, and also upon the earth which was also under his authority, and he was cast down out of Heaven into the heavens above the earth along with his rebellious angels.
That brilliant earth, which once had been covered with fiery stones, became `formless and empty, and darkness was on the surface of the deep' for God's judgement had caused its complete desolation! We then read in Genesis 1:3 of the creation of the heavens and the earth in a form more familiar to us, and when Adam was formed from the dust and placed in the Garden of Eden God gave him authority over this newly-created earth - now covered with `vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds' (v12). We read of this authority in Genesis 1:27:
" God blessed them and said to them, `Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves over the ground'. "
The unfolding of the Scriptures are now more familiar to us as we read again of Lucifer (named Satan after his rebellion) coming in the form of a serpent to continue his rebellion against God: (Genesis 3:1-4)
" Did God really say . . .? You will not surely die.
For God knows that when you eat of it (the fruit)
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God'. "
The root of the rebellion was still the same - `I will ascend up to heaven . . I will raise up my throne . . I will make myself like the Most High' - and because of Adam's rebellion and disobedience Satan was able to usurp the authority that had been given to Adam. Now he is recorded in Ephesians 2:2 as:
" The ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit
who is now at work in those who are disobedient. "
This, then, is the battle that rages within the facet of the Mystery Kingdom of God - the time in which we now live - and we need to always keep in mind the intensity of this battle! Within the facet of the Mystery Kingdom of God are those who, through the work of the Holy Spirit, are `born from above' into that part of the Kingdom known as the Spiritual Kingdom of God: (Colossians 1:13)
" For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves. "
Ephesians 2:6 goes on to say that once we had entered into this Spiritual Kingdom, through belief in and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour, `God raised us up with Christ, and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus'. Colossians 1:15-18 tells us:
" He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn
over all creation . . . . He is before all things, and in Him
all things hold together. And He is the Head of the Body, the
Church; He is the Beginning and the Firstborn from among the
dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. "
Colossians 2:9-10 continues:
" For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in
bodily form, and you have been given fulness in
Christ, Who is the Head over every power and authority. "
There are many other such Scriptures to show that now all authority over all things in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ Jesus, and that authority has been delegated to the Church, that is, His Body. The Church is made up of `living stones': (Ephesians 2:20-21)
" . . . built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief
corner-stone. In Him the whole building is joined
together and rises to become a holy Temple in the Lord. "
We need to understand the profound truth contained in such Scriptures as these. The Church of the Firstborn . . meeting together into the Name of Jesus . . in lawful assembly . . submitted together as the Body of Christ seen visibly in a town or city . . is the only place where God has now given His authority to rule over the earth. There is no other people on this earth who have the authority as priests to intercede on behalf of fallen mankind, and as kings to rule over the spiritual powers who have usurped the authority given to Adam through his rebellion - which caused God's judgement to fall on all who have come from the line of Adam. John 3:8 tells us that `the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work'. The devil's work was rebellion against God . . the devil's work is still rebellion against God, and it will be so until the end. However, we have the sure word of Scripture that the work Jesus completed was the legal destruction of Satan's work, and all authority has now been given to Him and through Him it has been vested in the Church of the Firstborn.
We are now moving rapidly towards the complete fulfillment of God's purposes as the Messianic or Millennium Kingdom of God approaches. The closer to its coming the more fiercely the battle will rage, but the more certain is the total victory won for us by Jesus. The Messianic Kingdom will eventually give way to the final and eternal `new heavens and new earth' where there is a City without a Temple: (Revelation 21:21-22)
" . . . because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are its Temple. The City does not need the sun or
the moon to shine on it for the Glory of God gives
it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. "
Perhaps now that we have this understanding we can put into perspective the Gospel of the Kingdom of God which has become so man-centered. Yes, Jesus came to bring salvation to all mankind through His Blood . . but it is so much more! That first beautiful world, covered in brilliant fiery stones and under the authority of a glorious cherub is still in God's heart, and with the eventual creaton of a new heaven and a new earth with `the foundations of the City walls decorated with every kind of precious stones' He will delight in His total restoration of all things. No longer under the authority of a beautiful cherub, it will be a place where He will dwell together with His Lamb, and His redeemed people will enjoy Him for ever. Perhaps this understanding gives new meaning to such Scriptures as John 3:16: `For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son'. Yes, He was given for the salvation of man, who will enjoy the new heaven and the new earth together with Him, but God so loved the world - and this should not be taken to mean only an expression of His love for mankind. God's total creation is an expression of His heart, and within the facet of the Eternal or Everlasting Kingdom He is working towards a total restoration of that world which was made formless and void because of the rebellion of Lucifer the covering cherub!
Listen to the words of Proverbs 8:30 - no doubt talking of Jesus working with His Father:
" Then I was the craftsman at His side. I was filled
with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His
presence, rejoicing in His whole world and delighting
in mankind. "
Job 38:6-7 also conveys the same delight and joy:
" On what were its footings set, or who laid its
corner-stone - while the morning stars sang
together and all the angels shouted for joy. "
God's love is certainly for all mankind, but it is also for all of His creation - including the new world - and the perfection He first created will be re-created in `the new heaven and the new earth' to come!
With the understanding of a total conflict that is fast approaching its climax, we need to bring our thoughts to an area which is more comprehensible to us in order to finally answer the question `In God's Name What is Happening?'. You will notice that the illustrations introducing the three studies of this series are all slightly different. The world (that is, mankind) is looking on in every picture, and God's hand is certainly predominant in every illustration, but that which He is holding changes form - a precious diamond to a disintegrating world - and finally focusses on the part of the world we know as Europe and the immediate areas around it. We know, of course, that the Church was birthed in Israel, in the city of Jerusalem at the Feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on believers who had gathered there in obedience to their Lord Jesus. But it is also true to say that although the Church was birthed in Jerusalem it found its cradle in what we loosely call Europe. This covers a vast area of territory, touching Constantinople, reaching north to Moscow and Kiev and then west to the Americas (for even this move into America came about through the colonizing work of Europeans). Through missionary thrusts over the years the Good News of Jesus was constantly being taken out into the whole world, but until comparatively recent history the main centre of control and authority lay in the cradle of the West with its heart in the many and varied countries of Greater Europe: (Genesis 9:27)
" May God extend the territory of Japheth;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem . . . "
We know that the great European tribes sprang from the tribe of Japheth. We also know that the Semite tribes - and the nation of Israel, with whom God has a Covenanted purpose to outwork - came from Shem. And so from this Scripture we would expect to find that the nations springing from Japheth would find blessing through association with the Jews, and through the God of the Jews. Indeed history records this fact, and we will now move on to more familiar ground. We have set out in detail an overview of the Scriptural history of this great land mass and its people in our study entitled `Daniel's Vision', and as we do not have the time and space to set it out again in any great detail we shall briefly bring out certain passages in the Book of Daniel in order to give the background to `current events' that are rapidly moving into place in the prophetic programme of God's Eternal Kingdom.
Daniel 2 tells of Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a large statue. It had a head of pure gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet partly of iron and partly of clay, which were smashed by:
" . . . a rock cut out, but not by human hands. It
struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and
smashed them . . . But the rock that struck the statue
became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. "
Daniel gives the interpretation of this dream as the four great Empires that would emerge during the course of history - we know them to be the Babylonian Empire, the Medes and Persian Empire, the Greek Empire and finally the fourth Empire described as `another beast which was different from the others and most terrifying'. This `Fourth Beast' is the predominant empire within which we now find ourselves living, and for the sake of brevity we shall call it the `Roman Empire' - although, as we set out in our study `Daniel's Vision' this title means far more than the word `Roman' suggests. With this brief comment on Nebuchadnezzar's statue we can expect to find the Fourth Beast, the fourth great empire of world history, changing its form and substance without changing its predominant character. It had two legs and ten toes, and because of its make-up of a mixture or iron and clay we would expect it to be brittle and, therefore, changeable. Finally a rock cut but not by human hands destroys it - pointing to Jesus and His coming as King to bring in His Messianic Kingdom which will fill the whole world. It is therefore obvious that this fourth empire is the one we shall find in existence at the return of Jesus, and it will go through terrible convulsions as it is broken by the Rock. As this fourth empire is seen to be predominantly centered in the European countries (that is, European in the wider sense) it surely points to a continuing turmoil in the political, social and economic systems which compose this fourth empire which has its heart situated in Europe.
Daniel 7:23 goes on to say that this kingdom (empire) `will devour the whole world, trampling it down and crushing it'. Verse 24 also tells of `ten kings who will come from this kingdom' and of `another king (who) will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings'. If we may paraphrase these verses we shall see that if these are indeed the times before the return of the Lord Jesus - who is the Rock that smashes the feet of Nebuchadnezzar's statue - we shall see a fourth system of political power which has two distinct power centres (as seen in the legs collapsing as the feet are smashed). Until this happens it cannot emerge as one political system of a ruling empire which `devours the whole earth'. In the history lessons of earlier days the balance of power was called Pax Britannia (or, earlier, Pax Romana) but in modern days various political treaties have sought to keep a balance of power in operation in order to keep the peace. In contemporary history we have seen this balance of power in the Super Powers of America and the old Soviet Union, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union we can clearly see that one leg of Nebuchadnezzar's statue has been broken and the consequential collapse of its whole political and economic system is underway. The turmoil we see around us is but the falling apart of Nebuchadnezzar's statue and the fourth empire has yet to undergo several more changes before the Rock smashes its ten toes and we see and enjoy: (Daniel 7:27)
" The sovereignty, power and greatness of the Kingdom under the
whole heaven (which) will be handed over to the saints, the
people of the Most High. His Kingdom will be an everlasting
Kingdom, and all the rulers will worship and obey Him. "
These changes are beginning to happen: American Presidents, although losing interest in a New World Order, will continue to outwork their `destiny' over a disintegrating society! Europe will continue to strive in vain for a European `Community'! People will look feafully at the Colossus rising in Asia - which historically has always looked with disdain upon the `inferior' Europeans - and there will be continual `stirrings' of the Russian Bear! And yet we know that out of that turmoil the Fourth Beast will continue to develop and will finally `devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it'. The framework for this development is already in place - we call it `the United Nations'! At present it cannot successfully enforce the many `cease fires' it negotiates, but already its members are becoming increasingly concerned and are determined to put `teeth into its mouth'. Since the break-up of the old Soviet Union many other countries have demanded admission to the Security Council, including Germany and Japan, and these facts alone will quickly change the face of the United Nations.
If these thoughts are correct and can be substantiated with contextual Scriptures, we shall also begin to see the `ten kings' emerging - and surely this can already be seen in the formation of what are at present called `Trade Blocks'. These are forming around the world and the European Union will probably become one of the ten. We see other `kings' emerging in the form of the North American Trade Community and also the emergence of the Asian Tigers - which the Australians are anxiously trying to join. We find another `king' arising in the Trade Block which has recently been formed in the southern Republics of the old Soviet Union - to say nothing of the troubled `Union' of Arab countries! When the Scriptures talk of ten kings, do not be surprised if indeed ten kings do actually arise in time, possibly within these various Trade Blocks that are forming. It is said that France wants to see the European Union transformed into an economic and political entity in order to `tie Germany in' to avoid that country's dominance over Europe. Canada wants to see the North America Treaty become a reality so that it can join in the `security' which America would provide. Certainly out of these Trade Blocks one will emerge as a dominant `king', but these are merely the `birth pangs' of that which will form into the `ten kings of Daniel'. These will emerge from the break-up of the final development of the fourth empire, which will `devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it'.
We then note that out of these ten kings: (Daniel 7:24-25)
" . . another king will arise, different from the earlier
ones; He will subdue three kings. He will speak
against the Most High and oppress His saints . . . "
The Scriptures reveal this other king to be `the man of lawlessness, the man doomed to destruction' - or to use the more familiar name, the Antichrist! He will emerge during these coming unsettled days and be used by Satan in his final effort to take back total authority over this earth as he works through unregenerate and rebellious mankind.
This is the point in history in which we now find ourselves. We have been `redeemed from the dominion of darkness and brought into the (Spiritual) Kingdom of the Son' and are now called to administer spiritual authority in the Mystery Kingdom of God as the Body of Christ Jesus, who has been given all authority over all things. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul very clearly tells us:
" Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, (against
people and systems) but against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms. "
This world's systems lie under the usurped authority of Satan and his spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, who work through rebellious mankind. And as we move into the final stages of the climax of God's will and purposes in His Eternal or Everlasting Kingdom, the Church is therefore in direct conflict with these spiritual forces of evil. These final aspects of the Fourth Beast of Daniel's vision, which we are beginning to see, must outwork themselves - the `Beast' must devour the whole world so that Satan can make one final attempt to rule over what he considers to be his by rights. Still in rebellion, he refuses to accept the judgement God poured out on that `beautiful jewel' of the earth, removing him from authority and causing it to become `formless and void, and darkness was over the deep'.
Two peoples stand in Satan's way: First of all, the Jews, who stand in the eternal Covenant of God. If they can be destroyed then God's Covenant with them is to no avail, and in Satan's eyes, therefore, God could not be God and he (Satan) could then indeed `ascend above the clouds and be like the Most High'! The other people are those who are redeemed by the Blood of Jesus and called to be His Body on this earth, in whom is vested His authority to stand against the spiritual powers of evil in heavenly places. But they also have a special responsibility for the Jewish nation, who, because of their unbelief and apostacy, have a veil over their hearts at this stage and cannot exercise any authority over the spiritual powers for themselves. And in view of the predominant blindness of the Church in this matter we should praise God all the more for His protective angelic covering over the nation of Israel, for under the authority of the mighty arch-angel Michael these angels watch over the nation of Israel - `the apple of His eye' - day and night without ceasing!
However we shall now consider the Church - who stands in the way of the emergence of the last development of the Fourth Beast of Daniel 7 - and see the terrible danger which confronts her. From a Scriptural basis we take our understanding that what we see in the world is but a reflection of what the Church is as she passes through her allotted timescale in the Mystery Kingdom of God. If the world becomes a dark place of rebellion it is because `the light of the Glory of God, seen in the face of Christ Jesus' is not seen in the Church as she passes through her contemporary setting. We are called to be a light on a hill and the salt of the earth, and it is no good pointing the finger at the ills of society unless the Church first repents and `trims her lamps' so that the light of Jesus Christ can shine into society around her. We often wonder what would happen if the world came to understand that the troubles it faces are in some measure caused by the disobedience of the Church and her lack of understanding of her role as she passes through the world on her way to meet her Bridegroom `decked with precious gifts' that give light to all she touches on her journey. When the Bride has finally passed through, total darkness will close behind her, but if her light has grown dim whilst she is still on this earth, the darkness will become even darker. With this understanding in mind we shall take the events unfolding in the world as a reflection of what is happening in the Church and then look at the subsequent danger that faces her on the last part of her journey - and what we see is disturbing!
We have concentrated our thoughts on Europe, or rather Greater Europe, not because it is the centre of God's will, nor because we are unable to see beyond our own culture, but because (as we said earlier) for the past two thousand years it has been `the Citadel of Christendom' - that is to say, its entire economic, social and moral framework has been based upon Christian principles. As such, it stands in the way of the formation of `the beast that devours the whole earth', and before it can be merged with the remainder of the world system the principal foundations of its entity have to be broken down! In simple terms, `Christianity' has to be removed from the underlying foundation of Europe and it has to be replaced by Humanism . . One World . . One People . . all working together to save mankind. Europe, and by that we mean the nations formed from the tribe of Japheth, has to be thoroughly secularised and all traces removed of the God to Whom it owes its very existence. This has been the predominant feature of contemporary trends in Western culture in recent decades, and it has gathered pace in our own lifetime. It will not have been so noticeable in other countries of the world, however closely they were tied together by their own cultural backgrounds, because they were never so thoroughly `Christianised' in their past history as were the `Western countries'. A form of Western culture may have been grafted on to them through the colonisation of their people in the days of Western empire-building, but this was only grafted on and could easily be shrugged off, leaving behind only desire for the wealth and prosperity that Western countries symbolised. The predominance of Europe in our thinking should therefore be seen in this context.
Over the past centuries the Western nations have used the blessings which stem from these Christianised principles for their own selfish ends, believing that what they enjoy is the result of their own abilities, but as we see God's restraining hand now being withdrawn for the outworking of His purposes within His Eternal Kingdom we see the disintegration of these Western nations. However, instead of seeking the God Who has blessed them in the past, they now attempt to create large Trading Blocks which in time will develop into full political, social, and finally military entities for their own protection - but still within the framework in which God is working out His purposes, as revealed in Scripture. We now see this same pattern emerging in the Church in the West. Not understanding the move of the Holy Spirit in the `Ecumenical wind' that has blown through the churches during recent times, the Western Church has allowed herself to become thoroughly secularised - and what she has become is reflected in the world in which she lives! Already we see the forming of `spiritual trade blocks' within the Western churches as they come under the `covering' of different ministries who are more and more outspoken in their criticism of each other's `authority' and their sincerely-held doctrines and beliefs. The `Trade Wars' are certainly not limited to the world's system, and now they have a spiritual dimension to them so unless there is wholesale repentance we would expect to see this development continue as each grouping becomes `protectionist' for its own survival - so deep has the secularisation of the Church become!
We would point out, however, that the underlying predominant purpose of the world's Trade Blocks will be to completely destroy the ability of individual nations to ever function again as individual nations, for they will be absolutely dependent on the total structure of their Trading Block for their survival. In the initial stages it makes sense to re-locate certain strategic industries within certain countries, for `why fight against each other when you are within the same Trade Block'? It makes sense to leave the growing of crops to the countries which can do it more efficiently! It makes sense to centralise the political will of these new relationships, but each step of `sense' weakens the ability of individual countries to survive outside the collective whole, and so they become totally dependent upon the Trade Block to which they belong. Finally, out of each Trade Block there will emerge a dominant force -described in Daniel 7 as `ten kings'. We see this emerging in the churches as strong and powerful `covering ministries' emerge and develop. At first they too make sense - after all they have the knowledge and experience - but slowly and surely they will take hold of the individual church's will and ability to survive as a Scripturally-based autonomous church in the town in which they are called to outwork their lives as they journey to meet their Lord. They will then become dependent on the `covering ministry' for their survival when a dominant force arises out of their `spiritual trade block', and they will become more and more isolationist in order to protect the `dominant ministry' around which the churches are now grouped. This framework is clearly being formed in some of our churches at this time, and therefore the Church faces the same dangers that the world will face - as set out in Scripture concerning these last days.
We have no wish to point a judgemental finger at any particular type of Ministry within the Body of Christ, and to that end these notes have been kept in general form to avoid this problem. We are merely attempting to set out in general terms what is particularly forming in the Church in the West, but it will spread throughout the world because many of these `covering ministries' have international aspirations. Those who read these notes will have the necessary discernment to understand the contemporary trend running like an underground stream throughout the Christian Church and the secular world's systems, and they will see the danger the Church now faces. The battle that rages for her destruction is directed by Satan himself, for he has to destroy the Church if he is to succeed in gaining total authority over the world - and he has the unshakeable belief that he will succeed! But a direct frontal attack rarely wins a battle, and what is more difficult to discern and repulse is a steady stream of destructive work within the walls of a city. God allows a reflection of this battle for the soul of the Church to be seen in the world's systems, and it requires the work of the Holy Spirit to help us understand that what we see is a reflection and not the substance - the problem lies within the Church, not the world! What, then, is the answer? To understand this we need to narrow our vision to what is happening in this country, where there is a battle raging for its national survival as a country (should it submit to becoming a `common European State?). This country . . with the destruction of its manufacturing base . . with its farm land lying fallow and farmers being paid for it to remain so . . with the threatened closure of energy resources . . with its national Parliamentary authority increasingly being submitted to the greater political will of Europe . . is in grave danger of becoming a zone, one of many zones, finally losing its ability to function as an independent nation.
We now need to turn from the reflection and look at the substance in the Church. Because of a misunderstanding of the moving of the Holy Spirit through what we call the Charismatic Movement, individual disciples threw off restraint and were free to roam from church to church as they desired. Authority and discipline to a large extent disappeared from local churches as each one strove to increase their membership, usually at the expense of others! Prior to this the Church had been thoroughly prepared through a constant and steady pollution of its doctrine and beliefs in its Seminaries and Theological Colleges. An unmistakeable secularisation of the mainstream churches had occurred, and countless thousands of people who were destined for leadership were taught in some cases to even question the historical, physical person of Jesus Himself - it was enough, they were told, to believe in the spiritual truth of the Bible. This, however, was but a short step towards discarding Scripture as being the Church's sole authority and turning it into a `cultural guide' which was subject to anyone's opinions. It is little wonder, therefore, that with the glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit over the past fourty years individual disciples of Jesus have wanted more than the historical churches could offer. Little wonder that `ministries' seemed to spring up overnight, and now they have become a dominant factor of mainstream `live' Christian work. Unfortunately the danger of what could happen (if it has not already happened) is that these `ministries', which were raised up to serve, will end up controlling, and finally destroying the ability of the local churches to survive as Scripturally based, autonomous churches in the towns and cities where they are situated.
These ministries must grow in order to survive and have their needs met . . they have to become the dominant force in the `grouping' that grows up around them. It follows, therefore, that the local churches they were called to strengthen will be weakened because of those needs! More and more we shall see the allegiance of many disciples of Jesus being given to these large `covering ministries'. They will receive their teaching, their spiritual food and the outworking of their spiritual lives from these sources instead of giving allegiance to the local churches `so that the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work'. No doubt these ministries were necessary at first in order to teach and encourage the disciples in their new-found life, for the churches to which they belonged had been largely weakened by secular forces, to the point where the shepherds could not feed the sheep. But now the danger is that more and more disciples are needed to `feed' and maintain these ministries, and this will weaken the local churches to the point where they will not survive unless they join the covering ministries. And so we will enter into a period of `spiritual trade wars' until the Antichrist appears and `wages war and subdues them'.
If this is the danger, what, then, is the Scriptural answer to `the wiles of the evil one'? If we take one of the current events of this country (for example regarding further integration into Europe) as `the shadow of the substance', we shall see that no matter how the Government twists and turns in its attempt to ratify agreements there are always obstacles to their implementation. There are always sound reasons . . good reasons . . sensible compromise . . but almost a sense of relief that delay has occurred. If we then look at the substance - in this case we will call it `the Church' - we may then understand what the Holy Spirit is trying to say to her. To be drawn deeper into `covering ministries', no matter how attractive they might seem, is to be drawn in a `spiritual trade block' that will decimate the local churches' ability to survive as a Scriptural, self-governing autonomous body. Therefore we need to more clearly define the title `covering ministries'.
Within this title we would include the many ministries that have been spawned over the past few decades. They may well have been required by God for a season in order to bring fresh life to weary disciples, but their continuation beyond what was required will produce self-perpetuating ministries which could well draw the life out of the Body of Christ they were called to serve. Every time disciples look to these ministries for their teaching or direction, every time the call goes out for financial needs to be met, every time disciples look to these mnistries for their life or food, life is sucked out of the local churches. Then they too may seek the protection of a ministry in order to survive, and slowly but surely the shadow merges with the substance and the Church is destroyed as the `nation' it is called to be. This is not to suggest that the `local Church' is a grouping together of Anglicans, Methodists, Catholics - and all flavours in between - only to remain separated by `our traditions' or `our preference of worship'. Neither can it be a collection of `holiness groups', calling themselves the true Church but locking themselves into `spiritual laagers' and cutting themselves off from the whole Body of Christ. Nor can it be so abstract that it is of no practical use. It needs a determined effort on the part of disciples who will understand the dangers and will respond and work unceasingly in prayer, in speaking and in action, to see this Scripturally based local Church emerge. It will therefore be in direct conflict with the spirit of the age . . Satan himself . . but the words of Jesus are very clear. He will give the keys of the Kingdom to His disciples, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church! Such a Church may appear to be weak - it may well sometimes long for the protection of a `spiritual trading block' - but in its weakness the power of God will be manifest and the Glory of God will be seen in its presence.
Surely this is the answer to the question asked in the title of this series of three studies: `In God's Name What is Happening?' We must point to the reality of the shadow as a warning to the substance, for these matters are clearly foretold in Scripture and are already being outworked in our own lifetime. The difficulty has been that the Church, now so thoroughly secularised, has looked at the shadow believing it to be the substance, and has forgotten and lost hold of its spiritual dimension. We have been given a glimpse of the coming Messianic Kingdom . . we have talked of the Eternal Kingdom of God towards which we are journeying . . but the Church has let go of the sure and certain hope of its ultimate destination and is now in danger of being used by secular powers controlled by demons and the spiritual powers in the heavens, who are seeking to bring a kindom into being on this earth without the King of kings being given His rightful place!
Will we see this Scripturally appointed Church emerge? The Bible clearly foretells her final emergence . . a pure and spotless Bride! Many could be forgiven for crying out, as Elijah did, `there is no-one left in all Israel'! But there is no doubting that the same answer would be given: `I have reserved for Myself . . ' This True Church will be seen to be weak and helpless, and no doubt it will be ridiculed and mocked and opposed, but as they sit in `the city gates' of their spiritual town and conduct their business with the King `as He passes in and out of the city' the saints will experience a foretaste of that glorious Millennium Kingdom of God, and on the lips of those `seven thousand' will be the continuous prayer:
" Father in Heaven, all glorious, all hallowed
is Your Name. Your Kingdom come now,
here, in this place, amongst Your people,
as it is for ever established in Heaven . . . "
They will surely experience it . . in their weakness . . in their helplessness . . and the people of the world will know, for they will see, in part, the life of the Kingdom of God amongst them . . and they will be afraid!
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You may E-mail us at: derek@northernstyletrust.com or Telephone (01493) 444494 (UK)
Our Web Address: www.northernstyletrust.com
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