All Christians believe that Jesus Christ will return one day to establish His Kingdom on the earth.  The details surrounding this earth changing event are subject to much debate and controversy.  Following the biblical command to  "study to show thyself approved" I have spent many years attempting to sort through the various perspectives.  Knowing that Godly men disagree as to their conclusions I humbly offer my following perspective.  A study of the issues with prayerful attention given to the scriptures will definitely prove a profitable endeavor.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will bless you with understanding as you seek truth.  My intention in presenting these comments is not to persuade you to agree with my viewpoint, but rather that your relationship and fellowship with the Living God be deepened.

The Bible teaches that the return of the LORD is:

• Soon
• Sudden
• Surprising

Most likely it will be at least seven years until Jesus Christ stands on the Mount of Olives to physically take possession of this earth.  The events that immediately proceed this dramatic and unprecedented  event, grouped together by the LORD Himself into a period of time He called the Great Tribulation, the like of which the world has never seen.  To live during this time will be horrific; the closest thing I can imagine to it would be the Holocaust.  Jesus told us that during this time ¡°men hearts would be failing them with fear.¡±

But the good news, the reason I can rejoice is that I am not looking for the Tribulation, but rather for the rapture.  I am not looking and waiting for the AntiChrist, but rather Jesus Christ.  The next great event on God¡¯s prophetic calendar is not the Great Tribulation, but the rapture of the Church. 

The second coming of the LORD should be seen as a series of events.  The period of time begins with the Rapture and concludes with the whole world under the authority of the King of Kings.  The fact that the second coming is in stages should not be surprising when one looks at the events surrounding His First Coming. 

1.      An angel announces the upcoming birth to Mary

2.      An angel announces the birth of the Forerunner, John the Baptist to his father Zacharias

3.      The mother of Jesus has some interesting relational interactions as she reveals the supernatural conception to her betrothed husband Joseph

4.      The couple journey to Bethlehem

5.      The events surrounding the Birth

6.      The childhood of Jesus

7.      The beginning of His ministry

8.      His ministry

9.      His crucifixion

10.  His Resurrection

11.  His personal appearance to His followers

12.  His ascension

The First Coming consisted of a multitude of events that occurred over about 34 years.

Similarly the Second Coming should be seen as a series of events rather than a single event that occurs in a flash of time.  It is a fact that certain elements of The Return occur in a twinkling of an eye, but the Second Coming involves a series of events that happen over a time period.  The First coming involves a period of time.  There is a period of time referred to by Jesus as the Great Tribulation.  Why would we conclude that the Second Coming is anything other than a series of events?

This time period is referred to as ¡°The Day of The LORD¡±.  In this specific case, the term ¡°day¡± refers to a specific period of time rather than a twenty four hour period. The following list includes a few of the events that occur during The Second Coming.  I have included an estimate of the duration of each individual event when I have any evidence to back up my estimation.  Many of the events will consist of some time frame, but an estimate is just a guess.  For instance I do not know if the Judgment of the Nations will take minutes, weeks or months.

1.      The Rapture of the Bride of Christ. (twinkling of an eye)

2.      The Great Tribulation in all its phases. (seven years)

3.      The physical return of Jesus Christ to this earth. (Instantaneous, followed by a series of conquering events)

4.      The Harvest at which time the wheat and the tares(Godly and ungodly people) are separated (some short period of time)

5.      The setting up of the earthly Throne of God (instantaneous, with eternal duration).

6.      The temporary confinement of Satan (takes only minute and last 1000 years).

7.      The judgment of the Nations. (a period of time)

8.      The Millennium. (1000 years)

9.      The release of Satan to again tempt the inhabitants of this earth. (short period of time)

10.  The final and eternal judgment of Satan to the Lake of Fire. (short period of time)

11.  The Great White Throne Judgment, where the rest of the dead are judged, with the result that most (all) are sent to their eternal final destiny. (short period of time)

12.  The new Heaven and the new Earth ( a Eternal life of bliss for all followers of Christ).

Looking at the Second Coming from this perspective presents some interesting questions:

 ¤             Will people be saved during the Great  Tribulation? 

Absolutely they will.  But they will pay a high price for their obedience to God.  Most will pay with their lives.

¡¤         Will people who are alive and that heard and rejected The Gospel during their lifetimes have the opportunity to be saved?  I certainly hope so!  I am not absolutely sure, but I have a high confidence level that God will not turn away any who sincerely call upon Him for salvation.  This includes people who wake up one day and discover, to their horror that they are in the Great Tribulation because they resisted the grace of the LORD.  They heard and refused to obey.  They may have even thought people who believed in these things were kooks.  If you are reading this now and it is before the Rapture, do not delay, repent and turn to God at this very moment.  If you are reading this and it is after the rapture, cry out to God and decide to follow Jesus Christ even unto death.

¡¤         Why would a loving God put people into great tribulation?  It is actually an act of His Great Mercy.  When God decided to end this earth as we currently know it, He has at least two options:

            1.  Stop it suddenly.  Call it off at a specific second (like a buzzer in a sporting event,        except no one knows how much time is left on the clock.)

            2.  Send a series of increasingly devastating events to warn people and encourage them to repent before it is too late (sorta like a two minute warning in a football game).

 Think about it this way.  Imagine a Godly, loving and Christian father who has a son that is separated from God and in danger of being lost for all eternity.  Which of the following options would he choose?

1.      Wait for his son to die suddenly and go to a Christless eternity in hell?

2.      Bless his son to live a long, peaceful and relatively happy life before he dies and goes to hell?

3.      Allow his son to experience a period of trials that gives the lost son an opportunity for repentance, faith and eternal life?

Which option would you choose for those people you love?

¡¤         Is there any evidence that we are living in the Last Days?  Haven¡¯t people been saying that for centuries?  The answer to both questions is ¡°yes¡±.  There is evidence that we are living near the end of The Last Days.  The evidence is the re-establishment of the nation Israel in May of 1948.  The nation was totally conquered in 70 AD and dispersed throughout the world.  Can a nation be born in a day?  Yes, and it occurred after almost 1900 years of dispersion into all the nations.  Show me another nation that could survive this long period of time without being absorbed into the various cultures of their land of residence.  And add to this the demonically inspired hatred for the Jewish people manifested in awful persecution.  How can you come to any other conclusion except their continued existence and their resurrection as a nation is attributable to anything or anyone other than God?

¡¤         How do we know that the Church has not replaced Israel in the economy of God?  We know because God has told us so in numerous passages of Scripture that predict the dispersal and return of His Chosen People to His land.  The first advent of The Messiah was predicted in numerous passages from The Old Testament.  The existence of the nation during the Great Tribulation is clearly outlined in the Scriptures.

Washington D.C. is not the center of the earth from the perspective of God.  Jerusalem is.  We are to look to Jerusalem and the Promised Land in order to determine where we are in the prophetic timetable of God.  A proper understanding of the nation Israel and how it relates to the Church and the Gentile nations is essential to a proper understanding of the Last Days. The Hebrew prophet Zechariah, writing about 500 years before the time of Christ, reads like today¡¯s newspaper.  Read Zechariah 12:1-3 and 14:1-2.  This prediction is being fulfilled 2500 years later before our very eyes. Can a rational person presume that this prediction could be made by any being other than God? 

¡¤         Is God justified to choose one nation over the rest?  Of course He is.  As creator, He has authority over His Creation.  God has chosen that the entire world will be judged based on their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ, His Son.  You can argue with Him if you wish, but it will be to no avail.  People determine their eternal destiny based on their acceptance or rejection of God¡¯s choice, Jesus the Messiah.  God, as God, can utilize His sovereignty by choosing to choose whomever He wills and then judging individuals based on their acceptance or rejection of His choice.

In the same way that Jesus is God¡¯s choice, the nation Israel is God¡¯s choice from among the nations.  Did God not tell Abraham in Genesis 3:3 that ¡°And I will bless those who bless you and the one that curses you will I curse.  And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.¡±  See verse 2 for the context of the making of a great nation.  Christians become partakers of the promises given to Abraham by the exercise of faith in Jesus Christ.

¡¤         Do our views on the last days really matter?  Of course they do.  Choices in this life have eternal consequences.  Who we choose to follow, the way we choose to direct our life, and choices as to how we spend our time all affect, not just this life, but the one to come.  The way we view the immediacy of the LORD¡¯s Coming affect our thought processes.  I am concerned that most people spend an inordinate amount of time concerned with this life rather than the next one.  A proper view of The Return will help us to place all things in their proper order and priority. 

Short Definitions of Key Terms

Amillennialism:   Literally means no Millennium.  {Gk, ¡°a¡± means no, ¡°Millennium¡± means 1000)

The Pocket Dictionary of theological terms defines as:  ¡°The belief that the thousand years mentioned in revelation 20 do not represent a specific period of time between Christ¡¯s first and second comings.  Many Amillennialists believe instead that the millennium refers to the heavenly reign of Christ and the departed saints during the Church Age.  Amillennialists usually understand Revelation 20 to mean that the return of Christ will occur at the end of history and that the Church presently lives in the final era of history.

 AntiChrist / The AntiChrist

1.      AntiChrist:  In a general way the definition will large and inclusive of many things, for it means everything which is opposite to Christ.  So in a sense everything that is opposed to Christ is antichrist. 

2.      The AntiChrist:  used when referring to a future person who attempts to assume the place of ultimate authority over this earth. 

Christian:  A name given to the disciples, or followers of Christ.

Church:  An assembly of saved people (Christians) who are called out of the world into a living                  union with Christ.

Day:     Used four ways in scripture:

1.      Daylight  (Gen. 1:5, Gen. 8:22, Joshua 1:8)

2.      A twenty-four hour period of time (Mt. 12:40, Gen. 1:3-31, Mt. 17:1)

3.      A period of Time (2 Cor. 6:2, Jer. 17:17, Joel 2:1-2, Rev. 6:17)

4.      Used figuratively as opportune time (John9:4, I Thess.5 :5-8)

Day of the LORD:  A period of time that begins with the rapture of the Church,  continues through the Millennium and concludes with the final rebellion and judgment of Satan.  The new Heaven and new Earth immediately follow.

Dispensation:  A specific divine economy, a commitment given by God to man as a responsibility to discharge that for which God has appointed him.

Economy:  A system in place to administer the rights and responsibilities of an entity.

First Coming of Jesus Christ:  Also referred to as the Advent.  The first Coming of the Lord speaks of His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension.  The result of the First Advent is the availability of salvation to all who believe.  Christians now anticipate a Second Advent when Christ will return to the earth in bodily form to receive the Church and judge the nations.

Gentiles:  All mankind who are not either Jews or Christians.  All mankind can be separated into one of only three groups:  Jews, Gentiles and the Church.

Grace:  It is typically defined as unmerited favor.  It is that, but it is also more than that.  The NT concept builds on the one presented in the OT, where grace is portrayed as the compassionate response of one who is able to help another person who is in need.  The NT word Charis also means to show kindness or favor.  The good news of the gospel is that God stoops to help undeserving and helpless sinner and provide for him what he could not provide for himself.  Every human being is helpless, trapped in sin and unable to please God or winning His favor.  God gives His grace to such undeserving creatures.

Great Tribulation:  A period of global suffering which will occur just prior to the LORD¡¯S Return.

Harvest:  This was a familiar term to the Israelites whose economy was based on agriculture.  The word is used in both a literal and figurative sense.  It is used figuratively as a picture of the final judgment, which can be either positive or negative, depending upon the spiritual condition of the one being judged.

Israel:  The history of the nation Israel begins in Genesis chapter 12 with the call of Abraham.

Jesus Christ:  Jesus is the human name of the Son of God.  Christ is His title which means ¡°the Anointed One¡± and refers to the long awaited Jewish Messiah who was to come and deliver the nation Israel from their bondage.

Kingdom:  The area where the jurisdiction of the King is recognized and enforced.

King of Kings:  The King above all other Kings.  Its usage is similar to Holy of Holies, Lord of Lords, Song of Songs, and vanity of vanities.

Last Days:  This phase was understood by the Jews to means ¡°The Days of the Messiah¡± or ¡°In Messianic times¡±.

   Messiah:  A Hebrew word meaning the Anointed One, sent from God who would deliver them unto their prophesied national destiny.  He would be the final and greatest:

¡¤         King

¡¤         Priest

¡¤         Prophet

Millennium:  Comes from the Latin word for ¡°thousand¡± and refers to the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.

Parousia:  A Greek word (Strong¡¯s # 3952), which means presence, arrival, coming to a place. 

Premillennial:  The Coming of the Lord is prior to (pre)the 100 yr. reign of Christ on this earth.

Rapture: The catching up of the Church to meet the Lord in the air.

Return:  The Second Coming of the Lord to this earth.

Salvation:  The deliverance of humans from the effects of sin and the fall.  It is made available to mankind based on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the LORD Jesus Christ.

AntiChrist / The AntiChrist

1 John 2:18 (KJV)  (Many antichrists before The AntiChrist)

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 4:3 (KJV)  (The spirit of AntiChrist)

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Revelation 13:1-10 (KJV)  (A Beast with seven heads and ten horns)

¹ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. ² And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. ³ And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. ⁴ And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? ⁵ And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. ⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. ⁷ And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. ⁸ And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ⁹ If any man have an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.


Ezekiel 28:1-10 (KJV) (The one who declares himself to be God ¨C the original sin of Lucifer)

¹ The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, ² Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: ³ Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: ⁴ With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: ⁵ By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
⁷ Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
⁸ They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. ⁹ Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. ¹⁰ Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 (KJV) (The Man of Sin)

³ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  ⁴ Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.  ⁵ Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?  ⁶ And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.  ⁷ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. ⁸ And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:  ⁹ Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Daniel 7:19-28 (KJV) (The horn of the Beast)

¹⁹ Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; ²⁰ And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. ²¹ I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; ²² Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. ²³ Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. ²⁴ And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. ²⁵ And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. ²⁶ But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. ²⁷ And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. ²⁸ Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

Daniel 9:24-27 (KJV) (The Wicked Prince)

²⁴ Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
²⁵ Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  ²⁶ And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  ²⁷ And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

John 5:43 (KJV) (The one who comes in his own name and the Jews will receive)

⁴³ I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

Do not be discouraged if this seems a little confusing to you.  That is one reason the Bible instructs us to ¡°study to show thyself approved¡±.  Do not try to understand it all until the big picture begins to take shape.  Read the scriptures, get the gist of it and move on to the next piece of the puzzle. 

Do you like to put together a puzzle?  Remember how you would see the picture on the box and then begin to put the pieces together?  The final picture on this puzzle is the face of Jesus.   The main point of this study is to see Jesus more clearly. 

Jesus tells us clearly in Matthew 13:10-17 why He speaks in parables.  He speaks in terms that can only be understood by those to whom the Father has chosen to give the supernatural revelation.

Christians

The Greek word Christianos (Strong¡¯s # 5546) is derived from the root word Christos or Christ, the anointed one.  The word appears only three times in the NT:

Acts 11:26       And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Acts 26:28:      Then Agrippa said unto Paul, ¡°Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.¡±

I Pet. 4:16        If any man suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed.

Church

The Greek word ¡°ekklesia¡± means a called out assembly and is used describing a mob in Ephesus (Acts 19:32 and 41) and the congregation of Israel in the wilderness, but it is most pointedly used with reference to the assembly of saved people called out of the world into the body of Christ.

It is distinguished from the ¡°synagogue¡±, which refers to Israel, rather than the Church.

The issue is complicated by the fact that there is a visible church, which is made up of both true believers and pretenders.  Jesus taught that this visible church would consist of wheat (true believers) and tares (make-believe believers) and that they would grow up together until the harvest. 

The work ekklesia is used 118 times in the NT.  You can go to a concordance and run the references to see the various ways the word is used.  The following three scriptures will give you an idea of its meaning.

Matthew 16:18 (KJV):   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  

1 Corinthians 10:31-32 (KJV):  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Hebrews 12:23 (KJV):   To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,               

Day of the LORD

2 Peter 3:8 (KJV) ⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

A period of time that begins with the rapture of the Church, continues through the Millennium and concludes with the final rebellion and judgment of Satan.  The new Heaven and new Earth immediately follow.  This phase was used by both Old and New Testament (Covenant) prophets to point to a future event or era (not necessarily a 24 hour day) where God would judge the whole earth.  This judgment will determine acceptance and eternal salvation for the righteous and condemnation and eternal damnation for the wicked.

Hebrews 10:25 (KJV) ²⁵ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

1 Corinthians 3:13 (KJV) ¹³ Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Isaiah 34:8 (KJV) ⁸ For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

Isaiah 61:2 (KJV) ² To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Amos 5:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

Malachi 3:2 (KJV) ² But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

Dispensation

It is unfortunate that in some Christian circles this word and concept has become controversial and divisive.  It is true that some Godly and sincere teachers have gone to the extreme in their understanding of this biblical truth.  And is often the case, people have responded to their extreme position by having an extreme reaction in the opposite direction.  Let¡¯s try to look at this in a balanced way that is accurate and profitable.

Webster¡¯s dictionary definition:  An administrative system; management.  In a religious sense, it refers to the ordering of events under divine authority.

The Greek work is oikonomia (strong¡¯s #3633).  Like many Greek words oikonomia is a compound word that combines oikas (house)+ nomos (managing.  Thus the concept is that of a management of a household.  Dispensation refers to a specific divine economy, the method by which God manages His household.   From man¡¯s perspective it is a responsibility that God given to him to discharge.  From God¡¯s perspective, it is a commitment on His part to man.  He will hold man accountable for his responsible for the fulfillment of that duty.  A related word is stewardship.

Luke 12:42 (KJV)  And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

Luke 16:1-8 (KJV)
¹ And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
² And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
³ Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
⁴ I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
⁵ So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
⁶ And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
⁷ Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
⁸ And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Romans 16:23  Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city salutes you, and Quartus a brother.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (KJV)
¹ Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
² Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 9:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.

Galatians 4:2 (KJV)
² But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

Ephesians 1:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Ephesians 3:2 (KJV)
² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Colossians 1:25 (KJV)
²⁵ Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Titus 1:7 (KJV)  For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

1 Peter 4:10 (KJV) ¹⁰ As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

This is a very important concept with regard to the individual.  The question naturally arises as to your personal performance of the assigned duties.  How are you doing with stewardship?  Unfortunately, many church leaders have made stewardship almost entirely about money.  While money is an important element of the discharging of our duties, it is only one of several.  If a household manager balanced the books perfectly to the penny but did not manage the children of the household well, how would the steward¡¯s performance appraisal read?  It has to do with the management of all the gifts, talents and resources that the LORD has made available to us. 

One of the areas that most people fall short in is that of time management.  How are you doing managing your allotment of this limited resource?  As I write this I have just turned 60.   This means that if I live to be 70, I will have about 500 Saturdays left.  Am I doing a good job of maximizing the positive impact that my life has on others?  And even more importantly, how am I doing in the discharge of the responsibilities that God has gifted me to accomplish?   As I have worked on this minor epistle, I feel like 1 Peter 4:10 (above) is a new verse for me to apply to my life.  If I am privileged to hear ¡°Well done, My good and faithful servant¡± at the judgment, I certainly hope that I discharge my duties well in spite of my human flaws and frailties.  My prayer for you is that you will strive for the same result. 

But we need to progress further into the exploration of this concept because it has a tremendous impact on how we view the events of the end-times.  Most people do not need to be a theologian to fulfill their divinely appointed duties, but if a person wants to act like a theologian there are certain doctrinal concepts which they must understand.  The Household of God is managed based on Biblical principles.  Many people want to rush into doctrinal positions based on warm fuzzy feelings.  Being a good theologian does not mean that you will agree with other theologians, even if you both are Godly, sincere and well-studied believers.  But it does mean that you have invested the time and effort to ¡°study to show thyself approved¡±.

Let¡¯s look at that verse together as it is important to the idea of dispensations.  2 Timothy 2:15 states ¡° Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)  Here is a place where the King James is more literal than some other newer translations who accurately project the idea, but miss the picture that is painted in the original text.  They translate rightly diving as accurately handling.  This is correct, but it seems that the Greek verbiage of rightly dividing is most instructive.

The question concerns the original Greek text.  What does it say?  It is not a matter of which is right or wrong ¨C they are both correct.  Rightly dividing and correctly handling are similar enough as to mean the same.  The Greek word is:

Greek Strong's Number: 3718  Greek Word: ὀ¦Ñ¦È¦Ï¦Ó¦Ï¦Ìέ¦Ø Transliteration: orthotome¨­

Root: from a compound of <G3717> and the base of <G5114>  Part of Speech: v

Vine's Words: Divide, Divider, Dividing, Handle

Usage Notes:  English Words used in KJV:  rightly divide 1  [Total Count: 1]

from a compound of <G3717> (orthos) and the base of <G5114> (tomoteros); to make a straight cut, i.e. (figurative) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message) :- rightly divide.

                                                                        Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

This indicates that there are parts of the scripture which must be separated in order to be a workman that needs not be ashamed.  For instance the combination of grace and law has created much misunderstanding in the Christian world.  That is another discussion, but we are instructed to divide where God has divided while being careful not to divide what He hasn¡¯t.  We are called to be separate from the world and joined with other Christians.  How does that seem to be working for us? 

It is at this point of rightly dividing that the doctrinal approach based on dispensations gets very controversial.  Generally people with a dispensational view of scripture see God working in distinct ways (dispensations) throughout history.  That theological template (all of us have one) views a progression in the method that God uses to reveal Himself to mankind, or a portion of mankind.  His revelation deals with man¡¯s responsibility in light of His revelation concerning some aspect of His dealing with man.

God enters into a covenant with man. by which there are fresh (or hereunto unrevealed) promises made to man and fresh responsibilities required of man.  There are mild disagreements among those of a dispensational perspective on the exact number of dispensations and often passionate, almost violent disagreements with those who do not see dispensations as correct biblical interpretation.  I respect many who see it differently from me, but I am committed to the dispensational viewpoint as being a reasonable way to interpret the totality of scriptures.

We all have a template which we apply to scriptures.  All of them are wrong to some degree or other, but we are held responsible to ¡°study to show thyself approved¡±.  It is a distinct possibility (almost sure probability) that all our templates will be utterly destroyed as we stand in the presence of the Living God.  But it is a fact that a dispensational template is either somewhat accurate or it is totally inaccurate.  Thankfully, our eternal salvation is not based on our being right, but our having (exhibiting) faith and trust in our Savior.  But the template we use is definitely important because it will influence our worldview; and it will definitely determine our eschatological (last days) position.

One of the extremely successful tactics of the enemy is to get people frustrated over the real fact of sincere differences of viewpoints over methods of biblical interpretations, and I fear that many people have decided that if studied men disagree they should just shrug their shoulders and give up.  Others decide to follow some man¡¯s teaching and let that stand as their justification before the throne. Both those approaches are exactly what the enemy intends.  It is good to know that the enemy has a wicked purpose in and for your life.  Once you identify it ¨C resist it.  It is your responsibility to resist the devil and his schemes.

As you resist what the devil wants for your life then it is also your responsibility to find out what God is attempting to accomplish in and through your life.  ¡°All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose¡± (Romans 8:28).   The question becomes Are doctrinal disputes included in ¡°all things¡±?  Of course they are.  God is wanting you to dig in, not give up.  You may not need to become a scholar, but keep these issues in mind as you seek God¡¯s face in the study of His letter to you.  The Bible is God¡¯s instruction manual and in it are numerous love letters to His Bride.

When you get down to it, I would definitely prefer to stand before My King at the Judgment Seat and give account of my mistakes in Biblical interpretation than to have to admit that I didn¡¯t care enough to even read and study His Word to me.  Honest mistakes will probably be more easily overlooked than laziness or doubt and disbelief.  One of our current responsibilities is to seek the face of God and develop our relationship with Him, as He initiates and leads.  Just like any human relationship, this relationship can be nurtured and developed, or neglected and atrophied.

The study of end times has been a recurring interest that God has used to help me seek Him.  It may be different for each one of you.  Some may want to primarily study God¡¯s plan for marriage, or childbearing, or ministry, or healing.  But all of us must not get so centered in one aspect of God¡¯s revelation as to ignore all others.  I could have made that mistake with respect to this subject, but fortunately God restrained me. 

Now, let¡¯s go back to the subject of dispensations.  St. Augustine is quoted as saying ¡°Distinguish the ages and the scriptures harmonize.¡±  Ages is a word that is another way of speaking of dispensations.  Ephesians 2:7 (NASB) states ¡°so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus¡±.  Matthew 24:3 (NASB)  As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Distinguishing the ages is to rightly divide time from creation to the new Heaven and new Earth into a number of unequal time periods, which can be called dispensations.  Most see seven distinct time periods and are summarized as follows:

Does God address different people in different ways?

There are several valid questions to ask during the study of the bible.  Among them:

¨¹  Who is doing the speaking?

¨¹  To who are the words addressed?

¨¹  What is the time period of the conversation?

The Bible is The Word of God.  As such it is always accurate in what it reports.  But note carefully, all the statements contained in the bible are not truthful ones.  Some are outright lies.  The devil speaks and while his words are accurately related, they are not truthful. Always take notice of who is doing the talking. 

When God is speaking, it is always truthful.  God is consistent, always the same and always true to Himself.  This fact does not negate the fact that He addresses different people in different ways at differing times.  The instructions given to Moses under the administration of The Law may be different to instructions given to an N.T. apostle.  To misapply these type of instructions can lead to confusion.

God¡¯s Word addresses different people and even different people groups.  He also addresses the same people in different way according to the time frame of the discussion.

Matthew 17:9 (NASB) As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

Matthew 21:43 (NASB)   "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.

Matthew 10:5-6 (NASB)   These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; ^but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 15:24 (NASB) But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Matthew 19:21 (NASB)  Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Matthew 21:43 (NASB)  "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.

Matthew 4:19 (NASB)
¹⁹ And He said* to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 28:19 (NASB)  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 22:8-9 (NASB)  "Then he said* to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.'

Matthew 23:37-39 (NASB)  "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.  "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!  "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' "

Romans 11:30 (NASB)  For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,

A failure to properly distinguish between dispensations leads to:

¡ì  A mingling of Law and Grace, which puts sincere followers in the untenable position of attempting to live simultaneously in accordance under two different systems.

¡ì  A misunderstanding of the relationship between Israel and the Church.  As people chosen by God for Himself, the two are similar in many ways, but different in some very important ones.

¡ì  A lack of clarity and peace as to the day to day conduct of a life committed to the pleasing of God.  For example, some sincere and devoted followers of Jesus attempt to please God by insisting on a sixth day Sabbath worship.

¡ì  An embracing of Theological templates which either teach that The Church has replaced Israel in the plans and purposes of God (Replacement Theology) or that the Church is the same as Israel (extreme factions of the Jewish roots movement).  Both of these errors (from my perspective they are serious, but not necessarily Eternal Life-threatening errors).  Both errors stem from a blurring of the distinctions between the nation Israel and the Church.

¡ì  The rejection of a pre-tribulational rapture.  One¡¯s view on this controversial issue is important, but not essential to eternal life.  But if a person is consistent with their template, the failure to see the scriptures in from a dispensational viewpoint will render the pre-tribulational rapture merely a confusing and illogical theory.  I have spent much time passionately debating the rapture with sincere Godly people who see it very different than I do.  It seems highly unlikely that one can overcome opposing viewpoints by a scripture by scripture discussion.  The reason for this is that the template determines the way the details (individual scriptures) are interpreted. 

¡ì  Potentially, a lack of living in the clear expectation of the return of the Lord for His Church at any moment.  Of the various pre-millennial viewpoints (pre, mid, post tribulational rapture) only the pre expects the coming of the Lord to be imminent, or possible at any second.  The others are awaiting something to be fulfilled before the Lord can return.  The amillennialist template allows for the any second return, but since it sees the whole millennial concept to be fatally flawed, it generally passes off the pre-tribulational rapture as bad doctrine from the get-go. The subject of immanency requires further discussion as it becomes one of the strong points in favor of a pre-tribulational rapture.

Please consider the fact that a person¡¯s view on the subject of Biblical Dispensations is not essential to salvation; however it will determine how you view most of the prophetic scriptures.  Since a large portion of the written Word was predictive prophecy at the time it was written, the way one views predictive prophecy is important.  It has been said that close to one quarter of scriptures were predictive at the time they were written.  Some of those prophecies have already been fulfilled, some are being fulfilled and some await a future fulfillment.  We can study the ones that have already been fulfilled to get instruction on how to anticipate those to be fulfilled in the future.  To dig into this is not easy, but much of life that is extremely profitable is not easy.  It is definitely a profitable study to those who are led by the Holy Spirit to do so. 

Gentile Nations

God’s Word reveals four categories of rational, created beings in the universe.  They may be more, but the revelation of God definitely sheds light on:

1.      Jews

2.      Gentiles

3.      The Church

4.      Angels

Each of the four classes differs with respect to their:

Ø  Origin

Ø  Purposes

Ø  Responsibilities

Ø  Current estate

Ø  Future destiny

The Gentile nations have a destiny in the plans and purposes of God.

Acts 15:13-19 (KJV)
¹³ And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
¹⁴ Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
¹⁵ And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
¹⁶ After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
¹⁷ That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
¹⁸ Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
¹⁹ Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

the residue  Greek Strong's Number: 2645  Greek Word: κατάλοιπος  Transliteration: kataloipos

English Words used in KJV: residue 1  [Total Count: 1]

from <G2596> (kata) and <G3062> (loipoy); left down (behind) i.e. remaining (plural the rest) :- residue.                                                            Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

Verse 17. That the residue of men. This verse is quoted literally from the Septuagint, and differs in some respects from the Hebrew. The phrase, "the residue of men," here is evidently understood, both by the Seventy and by James, as referring to others than the Jews—to the Gentiles, the rest of the world—implying that many of them would be admitted to the friendship and favour of God.              From:    Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical.

Verse 15. to this agree the words of the prophets -- generally; but those of Amos (Am 9:11) are specified (nearly as in the Septuagint version). The point of the passage lies in the predicted purpose of God, under the new economy, that "the heathen" or "Gentiles" should be "called by His name," or have "His name called upon them." By the "building again of the fallen tabernacle of David," or restoring its decayed splendor, is meant that only and glorious recovery which it was to experience under David's "son and Lord."

From:  A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV) ⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Ge 49:10 — "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Ps 22:27 — All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

Ps 67:1-3 — God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us—Selah. ² That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. ³ Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.

Isa 2:2 — Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

Isa 2:3 — And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Isa 11:10 — Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.

Isa 19:23-25 — In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. ²⁴ In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, ²⁵ whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."

Isa 24:15 — Therefore glorify the Lord in the east, The name of the Lord, the God of Israel, In the coastlands of the sea.

Isa 49:6 — He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

Isa 49:7 — Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, "Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

Isa 66:18-21 — "For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. 19 "I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. 20 "Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the Lord, "just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21 "I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites," says the Lord.

Jer 16:19 — O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of distress, To You the nations will come From the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, Futility and things of no profit."

Hos 2:23 — "I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!' "

Joel 2:32 — "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

Mic 4:1 — And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.

Mic 4:2 — Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Mic 5:7 — Then the remnant of Jacob Will be among many peoples Like dew from the Lord, Like showers on vegetation Which do not wait for man Or delay for the sons of men.

Zec 2:11 — "Many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.

Zec 8:20-23 — "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 'The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I will also go." 22 'So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.' 23 "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.""'

Mal 1:11 — "For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of hosts.

Ge 48:16 — The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

Nu 6:27 — "So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them."

Isa 43:7 — Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

Isa 65:1 — "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here am I, here am I,' To a nation which did not call on My name.

Amos 9:11-12 (KJV)
¹¹ In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
¹² That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

Hebrew Strong's Number: 1471                     Hebrew Word: ‏גּוֹי‎        Transliteration: gôy

Phonetic Pronunciation: go'ee    

English Words used in KJV:  nation 374 ,  heathen 143, Gentiles 30, people 11
                                                                                                         [Total Count: 558] rarely (shortened)

-a foreign nation; hence a Gentile; also (figurative) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts :- Gentile, heathen, nation, people.         From:   Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

Israel

The history of the nation Israel begins with the call of Abraham in Genesis chapter 12.  It is an elect nation chosen by God from among the other nations that came into being through a miraculous birth as the seed of Abraham.  Abraham’s son, Isaac then became the father of Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel.  The story is found in Genesis 32:24-32.  Israel means “he who strives with God or God strives”. 

Their descendents are the object of covenants and promises from God on their behalf.  Israel stands alone among the nations.  All the other nations are Gentile nations.  In the plans and purposes of God these Gentiles were to be reached by the nation Israel or the expansion of His Kingdom on this earth.  This is fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who came first to the nation Israel.  It is now being fulfilled (partially and unsuccessfully) by the Church.  It will be finally, completely and perfectly accomplished during the Day of the LORD.  The 144,000 Jewish evangelists begin the work during the tribulation (Rev. 7:4-8) and it will be completed during the Millennial reign of Christ (See Zechariah 14:16).  The time period known as the great Tribulation is Jewish in nature, as is the Millennium.

God is not through with the nation Israel.  The promise to Abraham’s natural seed, found in genesis 12:3 remains valid today.  Though the nation Israel remains in a state of rebellion to their God and out of alignment with His will, they remain the nation of His choosing.

Listed below are some of the scriptural promises made to the nation Israel concerning the land. Note especially the first one where the Lord God through the mouth of Joel the Prophet calls the Promised Land His land.  This is important because the world today is attempting to force the nation Israel to divide up that very land.  The way a person understands prophetic scriptures goes a long way in determining his politics concerning their view of the nation Israel.  Note also that the LORD is bringing the nations of the world into a conflict with Israel in order that He might judge them on behalf of His people Israel.

-------The LORD GOD declares the Promised Land to be His Land-------

  -------God will bring the Jews back into their land. -------

  -------He will bring the nations into the valley of Jehoshaphat to judge them. -------

Joel 3:1-2 (NASB) ¹ "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.

Ezekiel 36:24 (NASB)  "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.

Ezekiel 28:25 (NASB)  'Thus says the Lord God, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob.

Ezekiel 34:11-15 (NASB)  For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. ¹² "As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. ¹³ "I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴ "I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ "I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God.

Zechariah 8:2-8 (NASB) ² "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.' ³ "Thus says the Lord, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.' ⁴ "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. ⁵ 'And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.'
⁶ "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?' declares the Lord of hosts. ⁷ "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; ⁸ and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.'

-------The Nation of Israel will be like a banner to the nations. -------

Isaiah 11:10-12 (NASB) ¹⁰ Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious. ¹¹ Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea. ¹² And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 43:4-7 (NASB) ⁴ "Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
⁵ "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. ⁶ "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, ⁷ Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

-------The LORD will send fishermen and hunters to gather His people to the Land that He has given them. -------

Jeremiah 16:14-16 (NASB) ¹⁴ "Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when it will no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' ¹⁵ but, 'As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. ¹⁶ "Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares the Lord, "and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks.

Jeremiah 23:7-8 (NASB) ⁷ "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when they will no longer say, 'As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,' ⁸ but, 'As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.' Then they will live on their own soil."

Jeremiah 30:1-3 (NASB) ¹ The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
² "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. ³ 'For behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.' The Lord says, 'I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.' "

Jeremiah 46:27 (NASB) ²⁷ "But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear, Nor be dismayed, O Israel! For, see, I am going to save you from afar, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be undisturbed And secure, with no one making him tremble.

Ezekiel 11:16-17 (NASB)
¹⁶ "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone."' ¹⁷ "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God, "I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'

-------Note this powerful prophecy. -------

Ezekiel 37:1-12 (NASB) ¹ The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
² He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. ³ He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, You know." ⁴ Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.' ⁵ "Thus says the Lord God to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ⁶ 'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.' " ⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.""' ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. ¹¹ Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.'
¹² "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

Amos 9:14-15 (NASB) ¹⁴ "Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit. ¹⁵ "I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them," Says the Lord your God.

Isaiah 52:8-10 (NASB) ⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the Lord restores Zion. ⁹ Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. ¹⁰ The Lord has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God.

-------The nation born in one day – declared to be a nation in May of 1948.-------

Isaiah 66:7-9 (NASB) ⁷ "Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. ⁸ "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? (KJV – one day) As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. ⁹ "Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?" says the Lord. "Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God.

--------Straight from today’s headlines, written over 2500 years ago.-------

 Zechariah 12:1-3 (NASB)  The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, ² "Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. ³ "It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.

Zechariah 12:6 (NASB) ⁶ "In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.

There is a template which does not see things in this manner.  Basically, any person who is knowingly or unknowingly an advocate of replacement theology will apply all these references in a symbolic way to the Church.  These folks do not see modern day Israel as any different from any other nation and thus do not apply the blessings and curses of Genesis chapter 12 to modern Israel.  That is why some bible believing Christians refuse to support modern day Israel on Biblical grounds. From the dispensational viewpoint, support for the nation Israel is not based on their merit, but on God’s choosing.

See discussion on “Litmus Test” found on page 5.

All Things are Mortal but the Jew  (by Mark Twain)

“If statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.

His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and had done it with his hands tied behind him.

He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it.The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed; and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.

The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind.

All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”