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CHURCH LETTER
'All this took place to fulfil what the LORD spoke through the prophet '
The title for this Letter comes from the opening chapter of Matthew's Gospel, verse 22. There are two parts to this verse: Firstly, `all this took place to fulfil' and secondly, `what the LORD spoke through the prophet'. The opening verse of this first chapter begins with the words, `The Book of the generations of Jesus Christ the son of David' and then the next 17 verses go on to list those generations in three sections of fourteen named historical persons. The first group of fourteen lists Abraham through to David - these are the natural ancestors. The second fourteen lists from David to Josiah - those kings of Judah are the royal ancestors. The third group of fourteen then lists the remaining natural ancestors from Jehoiachin to `Jesus, who is called Christ'. This constant use of the number fourteen has its own significance for it is a use of the sacred number `seven' increased by itself to form the number fourteen - this number has a meaning of `David' from the Hebrew root word `Dodi', itself meaning `well beloved David' and pointing forward to David's Greater Son, Jesus the Christ. This can be seen in verse 17 where it says:
" Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. "
All of which brings us back to verse 1 and `the Book of the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David'. And so it can be seen in verse 22 that the words `all this took place to fulfil' are centered on the Person of the Messiah of Israel, in Whom the word `fulfil' means `to accomplish all its purpose' - for all is completed in Him. The second part of verse 22 says this was `what the LORD spoke to the prophet'. This takes us back to the prophet Isaiah who `spoke the words' to King Ahaz.
As we have said on previous occasions, prophecy is the Word of God spoken through men by the Holy Spirit, and as God is the One `Who was and Who is and Who is to come' so true prophecy will be given in the same three-part sequence - of the past, the present, and the future, an event that has happened before, which is now happening again and which will be finally fulfilled in what will happen. In the case of `the Word the LORD spoke through the prophet', this is taken from the Book of Isaiah 7:14 where we find Isaiah speaking the LORD's Word to King Ahaz. The king was in a great crisis but he had refused to ask for the sign the LORD had offered him. Nevertheless it was still given to him by the LORD:
" Behold, a virgin will be with child and bring forth a son,
and they shall call His name Emmanuel (God is with us). "
So here we have the first sign of a son concerning a deliverance, that is, salvation, for Ahaz from the hands of his enemies. But there was to be a second sign concerning a son, which is seen in chapter 8. The son born to the prophetess was to be called Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, with the meaning of `to spoil a prey', and shortly after this Ephraim and Syria, the enemies of Ahaz, would be `spoiled' by the King of Assyria! The opening words of chapter 8 begin with `moreover', indicating that these two signs involving sons were two parts of the one sign concerning sons. This then becomes Isaiah's past prophecy.
Next we look at Isaiah's present prophecy concerning the words `the LORD spoke through the prophet'. The sign is seen in the following verses of chapter 8:17-18:
" I will wait upon the LORD Who hides His face from the House of Jacob.
I will look for Him. Behold I and the children the LORD has given me
are signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of Hosts Who dwells in Zion. "
The preceding verses show that although the past Word of the LORD had now come to pass Ahaz was still determined to seek an alliance, and so we see in verse 17 the Face of Emmanuel would be hidden from the House of Jacob. From this prophecy (of three parts, past, present and future) Isaiah spoke there comes the question: What is this stone of stumbling, this rock of offense to both the Houses of Israel (v14) that causes the LORD to hide His face? These words point clearly to the `rejection' of the wonder of the son who was born, whose name was Emmanuel (meaning `God with us) but pointing forward to the rejection of the Son Emmanuel Who would be the saving Messiah of Israel. Thus does the Holy Spirit take this prophecy beyond the son born of a virgin, conceived by Ahaz, to the Son born of a virgin, conceived by the Hoy Spirit! Truly the Word of Prophecy is seen in verse 18: `Behold, I and the children the LORD has given Me as signs and wonders in Israel'.
It can be seen therefore that this `rejection' of the wonder of the son born to Ahaz was fulfilled at that time, whilst the Son hidden in the prophecy was taken forward into Isaiah's future - which takes us with the son Emmanuel of chapter 7 to the future Son of chapter 9. The opening word of this chapter is written as `Nevertheless . . . the gloom will not be upon her who is in distress'. This word `nevertheless', joins with the opening word `moreover' of chapter 8, for both emanate from the opening words of chapter 7 `and it came to pass', revealing this to be one prophecy which is written in these three chapters - all concerned with `the children the LORD has given for signs and wonders in Israel'.
And so the future of Isaiah's word is written in chapter 9: `For unto us a Child is born; Unto us a Son is given'. The Child of Isaiah's future is clearly named as `Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace'. This Child takes us beyond the time of the son Emmanuel of Isaiah's present to his future - God with us is the Son. The prophecy closes with the proclamation that His Kingdom shall have no end and this Son will sit upon the Throne of David and over His Kingdom. Therefore we see that of the four children set for `signs and wonders in Israel' two were only signs but two were for wonders:
Shear-Jashub (7:3) the son of the prophet . . . a sign.
Emmanuel (7:14) `God with us' . . . a wonder.
Mather-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:1-3) the son of the prophet . . . a sign.
Wonderful, Prince of Peace (9:6-7) . . . a wonder.
And with this we return to the beginning of this Letter: `All this took place to fulfil (to accomplish all its purposes) what the LORD spoke through the prophet' and look at the closing words of the last part of Isaiah's future prophecy: (verse 7)
" Of the increase of His Kingdom and peace there shall be no end.
He will reign on David's Throne and over His Kingdom . . . . .
from that time forwards and for ever. "
For the past two thousand years all Israel, both natural and spiritual, has been standing in this future Isaiah spoke of, for the present spiritual Israel comes from the past word Isaiah spoke, and together with the prophet Isaiah natural Israel looks forward to its future and final fulfillment on earth. So now we look for those signs which tell us of the final fulfillment of the LORD's word spoken through the prophet.
Unless there is a clear understanding of what we are looking for we will not see it when it happens, for looking back to Isaiah's time we see that the LORD gave signs to point to what we are now watching for. As we have written earlier, the signs and wonders Isaiah wrote of were concerning the children the LORD had given in Israel. Simply put, as we watch for the future there will be signs given regarding the fulfillment of what the LORD spoke of through Isaiah - the coming of His Son, Emmanuel, the Prince of Peace! But unless our watching is based on what has been spoken by the LORD through the prophet our watching will become an endless round of religious excitement coming from religious words not grounded in Scripture. Unless our watching is based on an expectancy of what has been announced in Scripture to Israel, to whom the Covenants were given, we will slip into social activity and spiritual `apathy', leading on to apostacy because of the unfulfilled signs and wonders of man's rhetoric.
Turning to chapter 2 and verse 8 of Luke we find the shepherds watching over their sheep. These were no poor lowly shepherds but those who were watching over the sacrificial sheep on their way to the Temple in Jerusalem! They were guarding and watching over the purity of those sacrifices, and when the Angel of the LORD spoke they listened and wondered at the sign, then they went to Bethlehem to see the sign the Angel had spoken of. They were watching and therefore went with expectancy! Again in Luke chapter 1: 36-37 we find Elizabeth (her name meaning `God remembered His oath', the oath given to her husband Zechariah, that he would have a son) waiting for the sign, the promised son whose name would be John. Mary (Luke 1:26-38) in her situation of being a betrothed bride but not yet a wife, accepted the words of the Angel Gabriel that `you will be with child'. Mary, with her response `how will this be since I am still a virgin?' accepted the sign and watched with expectancy for the wonderful Child conceived by the Holy Spirit. In chapter 2:252-38 we find that Simeon and Anna heard of the sign born of Mary and knew when this wonderful Child must be presented at the Temple, so they went there with expectancy that they would see Him. The wise men too (Matthew 2:1-2) had been waiting and watching over many long years for a sign, so when that sign they were expecting appeared, where did they go? They went to King Herod, who with evil in his heart believed them and sent them out expecting to see the sign.
The priests and teachers of the Law, whom Herod called together to help him in his search, believed the Scriptures, but they were not looking for a sign or even expecting one! They were more concerned with religious activity, which led to religious apathy and finally into apostacy. John the Baptist also understood, being told what had happened by his parents, and he knew his part to play in the fulfillment of the given promise. Removing himself from outward religious activities he too waited for a sign to point towards the One for Whom he was waiting expectantly - that sign came (Luke 3:2-6 and 21:22)! These people believed and were watching with expectancy for what had been `spoken by the LORD through the prophet'. The LORD, Who was, Who is and Who is to come has spoken (written down) His Word for those who have followed on, who are believing and are looking with expectancy for the signs of His Coming, and as we wait, preparing for and proclaiming that Coming! But we too, as we stand waiting and watching for the signs, need to look beyond the signs, important though they are, to His Coming to call His own to Himself and to the coming Kingdom of Heaven where He will rule over His people Israel on earth. We in our day must also look for those signs that will close this Age of Grace and bring to fulfillment `the word the LORD spoke through the prophet' lest we too return to the present round of religious activities, fall into apathy and not look for that glorious future.
First we must go back to the past and to the land-mass known as Eurasia, this colossal land mass which can truly be called a super-continent for it covers a huge area of land bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West, the Pacific Ocean to the East, the Arctic Ocean to the North and the Indian Ocean to the South. It possesses 75% of the world's wealth, both in its intellectual and innovative skills and also the natural wealth that lays on or beneath its surface. This is to say nothing of its vast population, and therefore whatever happens in Europe will impinge, touch upon the surrounding island nations in some form or other. Even the Americas, both North and South, need to be aware of what happens in Eurasia. Within this vast land-mass there are large groupings: In the north, communist Russia; in the east, communist China; and in the west there are squabbling `democratic' nations trying to form themselves into an economic-trading union under the domination of Germany, which itself is seeking to re-establish its `zollereign' system of political power. In the south lays the `hunting grounds' of all three, but predominantly Russia which seeks entrance to the warm water ports of the Mediterranean Sea. Traditionally China has never desired to have much contact with an `inferior people' but recently it has begun to be more aggressive through both trade and military developments, but they are limited through a demographic problem of a huge ageing population. In its past history there have been constant frictions and military skirmishes with its neighbour Russia as well as more serious wars which are always concerned with border problems. However its deeply embedded communist regime ensures that such occurrences with its neighbour communist Russia are ` family matters' and they are still seen to be one group.
This then leaves Eurasia with the dominant political groups of Russia to the north and the democratic nations of the West. The Russian national culture was formed early on when the Duchy of Moscow was a vassal Duchy of the Tartar Empire. The Duchy came to power through alternating positions of servile submission when the Tartars were strong and becoming belligerent and aggressive when they were weak - and in the periods of aggression it slowly expanded its power and possession of land. In doing so, by the mid-14th century the Grand Duchy of Moscow came to be recognised as a powerful dynastic entity when its Princes were given the title of `Grand Princes' by their Tartar overlords. This authorised them to collect the `Tartar Tribute', thereby strengthening their own economic and political power. These Grand Princes pursued a policy of `gathering the Russian lands', thereby extending their power over a larger area of land. Grand Prince Vladimir won a victory over the Tartars in 1380 and by the end of the reign of Grand Prince Ivan 3rd (Ivan the Great) the Prince of Moscow became the ruler of all the Russias.
The Tzars of Russia ruled, and still rule, albeit with a different title, but always they rule with their past psychological nature outworking itself in their political dealings - aggressive when they see weakness in their neighbours, servile when they see strength, and devious in thought and practices when in contact with the other dominate group of Eurasia, the Western nations. Since the 16th century all the Continental wars have had their origins in Western Europe, not necessarily because of its power, limited always by factions and alliances within it, but by its position for trade because of the warmer and more accessible ports of southern Europe. Western Europe was formed by a different psychological process for its culture was formed by the Merovingian and Carolingian Franks of the 8th century through their intrigues and continual conflicts. These continue to this day, with the French `Merovingians' continually seeking to regain their position which was usurped by the German `Carolingians'!
In 1871, through the political intrigues of Bismark, the Princes of the German States were brought together into one unified Nation State with the Prussian Wilhelm 1st as its Emperor. This powerful Nation State at the centre of Western Europe has always been threatening because of its earlier usurping intrigues to gain power, for it lays like a `strong lion' waiting for its prey, and as the opportunity arises it strikes, seeking by expanding its territorial area to protect itself. And so we have within the land-mass of Eurasia two powerful `imperial powers', both with entirely different `political mind-sets' on how to achieve hegemony over the whole of Eurasia. The Thirty Year War of Europe which ended in 1945 was inevitable, as is the soon-to-come World Wide War which will, when the devastation ends, see the Kingdom of Heaven established in Jerusalem with the Prince of Peace ruling in Righteousness and Equity upon the Throne of David. That too is inevitable at God's appointed time!
In the events leading up to the last World War we can see the pattern which has been repeated in one way or another - to the north Russia, weakened by its internal revolution, was facing a resurgent Germany, with the rise to power in 1930 of National Socialism under its leader, Hitler. In 1933 Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and in 1934 he took to himself full and absolute power with the declaration of himself as President, Chancellor, Head of the armed forces, and at the same time declaring himeself to be Fuhrer. This dramatic increase of total power came not through what happened but what he did to make it happen. The old Carolingian spirit of political intrigue was once more at work! In 1939, true to form, a weakened Russia entered into a Non-Aggression Pact with Germany and also an additional `secret pact' which was a political and territorial re-arrangement of the Baltic States, and also Poland which had threatened the fledgling `new Russia' during the 1914-18 conflict. The Non-Aggression Pact was broken in 1941 by an aggressive German invasion of Russian lands to the east through Operation Barbarosa. The `Lion', sensing the weakening of its prey, struck into the heartlands of the weakened Russian Bear.
The object of Operation Barbarosa was not principally the destruction of Russia but it lay in the heart of National Socialist ideology. It went by the name of Lebensraum, meaning `living space' and was a variation of Social Darwinism, - a word coined by a German geographer, Friedrick Ratzel, in the mid 19th century. His theory was that in order to remain healthy a superior race needs `living space' through `migration' into the space of its neighbours, thus colonising the land and displacing the original people. This twisted ideology led to the enslavement or destruction of the `inferior' Slavic people, for its object was to dominate the people of the Continent by a superior Ayrian race using enslavement or destruction. With the failure of Operation Barbarosa, which was to fatally wound the `Lion' of Germany, servile Russia, true to form, became aggressively belligerent and became the main force of the Allied nations which finally destroyed Nazi Germany.
America, with no understanding of European history - which has been described as a chess game writ large - had no interest in restoring the European Nation States, which they saw as the cause of this European confusion, and they worked towards their vision of the Continent of Europe ruled by the three dominant Powers of the world, America, Russia and China. This allowed the Russians to infiltrate deeper into Western Europe with their own form of Social Darwinism, or universal Communism, which came to dominate much of Eurasia. Finally America woke up to the facts that Russia was a survile ally until it sensed weakness in its `allies' and that the European nations lay broken and bankrupt after a devastating war. It was therefore unable to be America's `market place', for in a few short years America had emerged from being an arable/rural economy into a gigantic manufacturing economy which needed to export its surplus goods which could not be absorbed by its own people. It was then that the American Marshall Plan came into being to rebuild the Western nations, using as its centre the powerful political and industrial `corporations' of Germany! Russia's ambition for Continental hegemony was stopped and the Iron Curtain closed down, separating Eurasia into the East and the West and forming the `two legs' of the statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2). In 1949 twelve nations of the Western `leg' signed a document proposing to form NATO. Simply put, if one of the twelve nations was attacked all of the twelve would be deemed to be under attack. The Eastern `leg' was contained, and finally in 1990 its power was broken when `the Wall' came down and Russia once more became servile and submissive in the face of the growing power of Western Europe with its German-led European Union.
Without wishing to prolong this shortened history of Eurasia it can be seen that the old animosities are coming into play once again. As America's power and influence fades, how it `manages' Europe is critical to its position as `the policeman of the world', (which it is actually rapidly retreating from) for 75% of the world's population live in Eurasia as well as most of the world's `intellectual wealth' and the natural wealth beneath its surface. With America's diminishing influence and a weakening Western Europe (as individual nations of the European Union seek more independence) we now see a more belligerent Russia rising up again. This will lead to a stronger, reformed European Union which even now is actively forming a strong military force, all under the domination of Germany. This makes the coming World War certain, causing the need for a Non-Aggression Pact between Russia and the Western powers of NATO, together with another secret pact-cum-covenant of a `territorial re-arrangement' of the troublesome Middle East. This will lead to the establishment of an international `city of peace' under the benevolent oversight of a `man of peace' through his embassy in the heart of Israel.
Is America's forthcoming Peace Plan its crowning achievement before it disappears from the stage of His-story, all leading up to the Glorious Kingdom of Heaven on earth which will be established on the ashes of man's attempts to bring peace to the world - `All this took place to fulfil what the LORD spoke through the prophet'? Then the past, the present and the future become one as the King of Israel takes up His Throne in the Eternal Undivided City of Jerusalem.
Selah
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