Kingdom Come

“The Pharisees also [allied] with [normally their rivals] the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven…”

• Symptoms are self-reported by a patient such as “I feel sad/pain of 6 on a scale of 1-10″, or “like I’m going to throw up”,
• Signs are observed by the professional assessor such a hot and swollen joint, or a broken bone.

Obviously, signs are much more reliable than reports by someone who may be trying to sway the listener to give them what they want, or avoid giving them what they need. When I was 10 years old I falsely claimed not to be in any pain because I didn’t want to be left at the hospital overnight then have surgery in the morning. My rigid abdominal muscles, temperature, and facial grimacing were the reliable signs of appendicitis on which the doctor took action.

Informed followers of God’s Chosen Savior are supposed to recognize the signs of the End Times!

Recognize! Not interpret symbolically!

“He answered and said unto [the rulers of the Jews]…O ye hypocrites…can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:1-3)

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? ” (Matthew 24:3)

I have no doubt that Jesus was just as frustrated with his disciples as he was with the religious leaders, because the signs that Jesus recited to the disciples are taken straight from scripture and they should have known them. As should we.

From Daniel 10:

“a thing was revealed unto Daniel…what shall befall thy people in the latter days…that which is noted in the scripture of truth.

1. there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia
   • historically validated fact that has been fulfilled
2. [In] the realm of Grecia a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion
   • historically validated as Alexander the Great (the original billionaire) that has been fullfilled
3. his kingdom shall be broken,
   • historically validated as Alexander’s will being ignored, his son and mother assassinated, and his quarreling generals splitting up the empire between themselves
4. and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven

1. • historically validated as, after much infighting with assassinations, Cassander ruling Alexander’s home base Macedonia and much of Greece,
   • Seleucus taking over the majority of the territory from Babylon / Iraq into Asia Minor
   • Ptolemy took rich Egypt,
   • Antigonus took “Coele-Syria” i.e. southern Syria and Palestine briefly until he lost it during the Syrian Wars, (3rd century bce), fought between the Seleucid kingdom and Ptolemaic Egypt. 
2. And the king of the south [of Israel] i.e. Ptolemy in Egypt shall…have dominion…[until] the king of the north [of Israel, i.e. Seluceus…and the arms of the south shall not withstand
   • historically validated as the Seleucid domination of Egypt which has been fulfilled.
3. But [this won’t last] he that cometh against [an enemy general] him [Seleucid ruler] shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land which by his hand shall be “consumed”
   • historically validated as Roman general Pompey conquering and destroying the Seleucid Empire in 63 BC, remaking what had been a major center of Hellenistic culture from Anatolia into Afghanistan into a Roman province. 

This should look familiar to anyone who tracks the nightly news.

At this point in the narrative we are in Daniel’s fourth, last empire, during which prophesied events aren’t fulfilled, but come to pass over and over in a wheel of time until God’s people get their act together and collaborate as required as ministers in the government with King Jesus to bring this phase of history to a close.

These repeating past occurrences provide a template for recognizing future, i.e. current at some point in time, recurrences.

1. Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes
   • historically validated fact of republican governments modeled after the Roman, just one example being Caesar Augustus, (Luke 2:1)
2. And in his estate shall stand up a vile / lying, alliance-breaking person, to whom they shall not give the honour / from winning a war of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries
   • historically validated by the succession of political adepts who were raised to power by their supporters rather than war as
     • Roman Emperors / transformed into a god / Augustus
     • and claimants to be heir to the throne via family name of Caesar, Kaiser, Tsar, and actions of autocrat regardless of type of government.
3. and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:
   1. Following as it does the accurate fulfillment of all previous prophecies in this series, this is a reliable and credible prophecy, one to which the wise person will take heed.

The following exposition of Daniel 12 is from a Back to the Bible teacher. Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp, By the mid-1950s, it was being broadcast somewhere in the world in any given minute, and by the time of Epp’s retirement in 1981, the Back to the Bible program was on more than 800 radio stations worldwide.

So I realize that I’m going up against the big guns when I disagree with his explanation. Why should you listen [get the pun?] to what I have to say when I contradict his version of Last Day prophecy? 

“Now we have received…the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (I Corinthians 2:12-13)

Does the following accurately compare scripture with scripture, or does it follow new doctrine that JESUS never taught?

Daniel Chapter 12: The Time of the End: Trouble and Deliverance by Keith Chuvala,

12:1-3, Trouble, Deliverance, and Resurrection!

There shall be a time of trouble: This refers to (yet another!) time of persecution for
Israel, likely the same one called the “time of distress for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:4-7
(remember, Daniel had been studying the prophecies of Jeremiah):

“Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob;”

this foretells the time that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24:21: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”

This prophecy reaches to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 68-70, and beyond.

Revelation 12:17 tells us that “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

The “woman” referred to in that passage is the church.

I’m nearly rendered speechless. The utter lack of any consistency in basic literature analysis for a 5th grade book report, let along spiritual, is by itself reason to discard this teacher’s exposition of Daniel’s prophecy.

He just said a few sentences earlier that the prophecy refers to a(nother) time of persecution for Israel!

Let’s truly go back to the Bible where Revelation 12:13 tells us that “when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child / God’s Chosen Savior / Seed of the Woman (Genesis 3:15).

The Bible very clearly and in detail presents the Woman as JEWISH at the time of the birth of YHVH’s Savior. See Matthew 1:1-18.

Disinformation is spread by not reading the primary documents.

Satan’s attacks will continue until the very end. This is why God has provisioned protection for the church in the opposition of the great archangel Michael.

Aha! Men’s doctrine just reared its ugly head! The Gentile Christian Church’s ingrained antisemitism justified against The Christ Killers! 

This man-made, not scriptural, doctrine is why this and virtually every Christian denomination can’t get future prophecy straight, because they refuse to accept the clear statement of scripture that Gentiles are grafted in to The Israel Of God.

We are One. The Gentile church is not a separate entity.

“remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time

• ye were without [the promised Jewish Christ,
• being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
• and strangers from the covenants of promise,
• having no hope, and without God in the world:
• But now in [the Jewish] Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
• For he / Jesus Christ is our peace, who hath made both one,
• and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us…
• to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
• And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
• For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
• Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God…
• In whom ye [Gentiles] also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Dispensationalism takes separation of Church and State of Israel to the extreme, claiming that the Gentile Church gets raptured out prior to this time of trouble because we don’t deserve to share the intense punishment God is going to pour out on Israel for rejecting Jesus back in the day. See relevant post for details.

• And at that time your people shall be delivered…Everyone who is found written in the book: many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake

Notice that this promise of deliverance is for believers; those whose names are found written in the book. As Paul wrote in Romans 11:25-27, “Israel” won’t be complete until all the chosen Gentiles have been grafted in:

Note the quotation marks surrounding the name Israel, indicating this is not the same entity as when there are no quotation marks. And yet “the book” is clearly reported as the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the earth, not a Gentile Christian document.

Clearly reported as resurrection of the body, the final step in the Seed of the Woman’s salvation from death initially promised to Adam and Eve, “your people” include all who trust in YHVH’s promise of salvation from sin and death from Adam onward. Not an exclusively Gentile Christian event.

“For I (Job) know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:” (Job 19:25-26)

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:52)

This is surely looking forward to first, Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to his followers – i.e. proof on which to base, then, our own faith in our own resurrection.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

12:4-13, Conclusion of the Vision (and the Book!)

Shut up the words, and seal the book: Until the time of the end:

The time of the end almost certainly is when Daniel understood that he was near death; he
needed to be sure the prophecies and histories he recorded survived for the benefit of
God’s people.

It makes no sense to me that this “time of the end” is referring to the end of the age,
as some teach. It’s not that Daniel has revealed enough to us so that the book really can be sealed
until the last day; he kept and preserved the message that would reveal God’s foreknowledge, and comfort His people, regarding the tribulations to come.

I’m stunned. This is this Back To The Bible’s teacher’s conclusion, that Daniel’s lengthy prophecy boils down to “God’s people, the Gentile Church,” can be comforted that they won’t experience the tribulations to come?

At this point we can surely throw away this false teacher’s exposition and call into question everything else promoted by Back To The Bible, i.e. the new doctrine of Dispensationalism that was sweeping the Christianity at that time.

Applying simple common sense – To “seal” is to guarantee the outcome of what is written despite adversaries’ attempts to sabotage the planned action.

Guaranteeing through sealing can be accomplished in three ways:

1. through the seal closing off to view the knowledge of the future planned action,
2. through empowering the agents with the ruler’s resources,
3. by preventing the ruler himself from changing his mind and voiding the orders.

“the king sealed it with his own signet…that the purpose might not be changed.” (Daniel 6:17)

The fate of human beings are also sealed – guaranteed.

“ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest / guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

If we attribute internal consistency within God’s word rather than invent our own definitions from our changed cultural experiences, then the same definitions apply to sealing Daniel’s book of prophecy – guaranteeing its occurrence once spoken into existence, as at Creation.

And exactly as predicted, the words are unsealed during a terrible time of trouble being experienced by a Jewish believer in Jesus as the Christ.

“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation...was in the isle that is called Patmos…After this…a door was opened in heaven: And immediately I was in the spirit…in heaven…And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” (Revelation 1:9-10, 4:1-5:1)

behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof…

• for thou wast slain,
• and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” (Revelation 5:5-9)

Prevailed. That’s the key word here. The definition of prevail is “to defeat an opponent, especially after a long struggle.”

“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Isra-el / God Contends: for as a prince hast thou power with God, and with men, and has prevailed. (Genesis 32:28)

Put this in context of the whole point of mankind! Against tremendous opposition throughout his entire life he struggled to achieve God’s #1 goal for mankind “make man in our image and likeness and let them have dominion”! (Genesis 1:26)

When we stop taking our beliefs from popular – translate well-liked so well-funded – teachers, we are appalled at what the unpopular scriptural teachers like Jesus and Paul actually taught – like Jeremiah in the previous post – through their life-style, not just words. 

“I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:18-20)

“And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them / Paul and Barnabus despitefully, and to stone them, They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe…And there they preached the gospel. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch [where they had been assaulted!!] Confirming the souls of the disciples,

and exhorting them

1. to continue in the faith,
2. and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14)