The Narrow Path

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” Matthew 7:13-14

In the days when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee it was notable that the roads leading into the larger cities were broad allowing a huge throng of travelers to enter together. There were also narrow pathways with even narrower gates for entering such cities unobserved. According to Jesus’ statement, few enter in through that narrow gate. What Jesus is alluding to here is that many people will choose to travel the wide path; that’s those that are of the world. People who are unconcerned with God or their eternal salvation are who Jesus is talking about. They are only concerned with the daily grind of getting ahead, what they can glean out of this life, “what’s in it for me” type of attitude. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God,” 1 Corinthians 1:18. They are blinded from the truth of the Gospel of Christ. They see no benefit in following Jesus’ teachings. They pay no attention to the idea of dying someday. They only wish to pursue pleasures that keep them content for the day. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness,” 1 Corinthians 3:19.

The highway which leads to death is broad and multitudes travel that path. It is a great highway in which most people will never come to realize its destructive powers. They fall into following that destructive path easily and they are persuaded of its allure by others who have already made it their life’s path. Leaving that path takes a special kind of thinking. Those who are perishing for the most part have no concept what awaits them at the end of that wide path.

Christ has laid out for us in advance how we are to enter into Heaven. We must enter through Him and He tells us it won’t be easy to follow His path, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” 2 Timothy 3:12. Following Jesus won’t be a cake walk. We must understand that entering in through the narrow gate and following Jesus Christ will lead to persecution and hatred from those who are still on the wide highway, many of which may well be family members whom we love.

Everyday we are fed lies that are designed to keep us off the straight path and away from the narrow gate; this is in direct opposition to the Gospel of Christ. Through movies and television, the leftist news media, the internet, and our humanistic public schools, we are taught there is no such thing as God. In the view of secular scientists there is no other path to take other than the wide path. In their way of thinking the straight path and the narrow gate aren’t even an alternative. “There just isn’t any truth in the Bible” they say. “It’s antiquated and not reliable; stay away from it.” As you can see, people are programmed from an early age to travel the path that leads to destruction.

With Jesus’ words taken from Matthew 7, it is clear that for a huge multitude of people what awaits them is everlasting torment once they leave this world. Why? Because they couldn’t reconcile themselves to the truth and make a lane change. For a select few, in comparison, there will be everlasting life in Heaven with our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is so because we, as followers of Jesus Christ, persevered in the face of adversity. We are admonished to hold fast to the faith. “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;),” Hebrews 10:23.

There is a joy that goes along with our salvation which is frankly difficult to explain to nonbelievers. But, aside from that joy, we have God’s assurance that, for those of us who have elected to travel the straight path and enter in through the narrow gate, Heaven awaits.

Hell, on the other hand, doesn’t conjure up any joy whatsoever. Some foolish people make the comment, “Oh well, I’ll be with friends.” Nowhere in the scriptures are we told that Hell will be this huge everlasting kegger in the park. No, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew what Hell is: “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity… And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth,” Matthew 13:41, 42. Jesus uses this phrase (wailing and gnashing of teeth) six times in the Gospel of Matthew. Therefore it must be quite significant.

Hell is described as a lake of fire created for Satan and his angels. Hell was not created for man nor will God send anyone there. Those whose final destination is Hell will only have themselves to blame, not God. Adam and Eve’s rebellion led to God's creation being cursed and, because man sinned, God dealt with it. God gives everyone on the face of this planet ample advance notice of the two destinations of which one or the other awaits us all.

In Heaven we will be surrounded by indescribable beauty and a magnificence that is beyond our wildest dreams. There will be no sorrow or pain and, shortly after our arrival, no more tears. We’ll have no complaints, only pure joy and splendor with the one and only true God of the universe.

Hell, on the other hand, is the ultimate in everlasting suffering. It is a place where no one in their right mind would ever choose to go. Yet it’s a place where everyone, through their own resolve, will end up for eternity if there is no repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

For those who don't get the concept of an eternity in Hell let me explain. Going to Hell isn’t just a life sentence such as going to prison; it’s an eternal sentence with no possibility of a reprieve from the Governor, or in this case Jesus Christ our LORD. Since we’re told its everlasting that’s what I believe. Some will try to say that everlasting only means for a while. Jesus Himself uses the word everlasting four times in the Gospel of Matthew. The Greek word is aiōnios. When translated into English we get the following meanings: forever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity. Therefore there’s no reason to assume that those who find themselves in Hell for eternity, all because of their foolish pride, arrogance, lack of faith will ever be released from that horrible torment.

Narrow path or wide highway, it's a choice we must make and there is no middle ground. It’s kind of like the television game show The Price Is Right only there are just two doors to choose from. There's door number 1 and door number 2. But, unlike the game show, what’s behind each door is in plain view for everyone to see. Not only that, everyone on the face of the planet will play.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” John 14:6. If we choose to travel that wide path, that worldly path, that path that will lead us to destruction, we have no excuse because it was our choice. Just like the game show above, we made our choice freely. Wouldn’t it be better to choose the strait path and enter in through the narrow gate that is Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we receive eternal life?

When we die our choices are over. The very instant we die we will either be with our Lord Jesus in Heaven or in Hell for all of eternity. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing that our paths are pre-determined; we must decide for ourselves which course we are going to take, and nothing is more important than our eternal salvation. Remember this: no one knows what tomorrow will bring. As fragile as these bodies of ours are, today could be the very day we enter into eternity.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” John 3:18. Which path will you take?

The wise choose Jesus. The foolish choose…well you know.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

Earthquake lights?

The two videos below, both of which were reportedly captured within 30 minutes of China's massive quake, show luminous clouds which some refer to as "earthquake lights."

I'd never heard of this before seeing these videos but, perhaps, those living in earthquake-prone areas should make note of how the clouds look in these videos as this could be a supernatural method the Lord is using to warn of impending mega-quakes. I'm not saying that's the case definitively but it's worth considering.

For those unable to view video due to dial-up connections, photos of the phenomena can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Sufficiency of the Cross

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” Philippians 2:8.

What is the significance of the cross of Christ? Well first of all we know that Jesus Christ came to fulfill His Fathers will “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done,” Luke 22:42. The prayer of Jesus is significant because Jesus is talking about redemption for man. He’s asking His Father in Heaven if it is possible. If what is possible? “If salvation for man is possible by any other means than the cross, let this cup pass from Me.” That's basically what He was praying. That is why the cross of Jesus Christ offends many people today, because they say Christianity is too narrow.

“All roads lead to God. It doesn't matter who you believe in, it doesn’t matter what so called religion you put your faith in.” But the cross of Jesus Christ declares that there is only one way to God, and that is through the shed blood of our perfect God Himself. If it were possible that man could be saved by being religious, the cross would be unnecessary. If he could be saved by keeping the law, the cross would be unnecessary. If he could be saved by being good, the cross would be unnecessary.

The Gospel declares that there is only one way by which a man can have forgiveness of sins and approach God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ, and it declares a narrow, one-way path. And that's why it offends a lot of people. And so the cross, the Bible says, is an offense to the Jews. To the Greeks, it's foolishness. “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;” 1Corinthians 1:23 “…for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16. So Jesus is praying about the cross, really asking the Father for a substitute way, if it is possible. The fact that He went to the cross declares it was not possible. There was only one way by which man could be redeemed.

The most important thing to remember is this: what Jesus did by willingly going to that cross was to create a way, a narrow way, for all mankind to be saved. Will all mankind be saved? Jesus’ next statement will answer that question “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:13. Many, that’s the operative word here, many will not believe in the sufficiency of the cross. Then He backs it up with His next statement “Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” Matthew 7:14. Jesus is the strait gate and the narrow way, and He’s made the proclamation that few will enter in by the only way possible.

What Jesus accomplished on that cross almost 2000 years ago is quite sufficient for anyone and everyone who wishes to spend eternity with God. The sufficiency of what Jesus did can not be added to or taken away from. As a matter of fact it is considered blasphemous to do so. Jesus didn’t die that horrible death to be a part of our salvation; He went through all that He did to be the one and only way we can be saved “…That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,” Romans 10:9. It really is that simple. Jesus’ death on the cross was not a tragedy; it was an accomplishment and a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

God designed and then fulfilled with precise completeness the sufficiency of the cross so everyone, everyone, could enter into a believing relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. But God won’t force anyone to chose Heaven if they would rather not, and entering Heaven through some alternative route is impossible. There are many religions and cults that believe they have the answer to eternal life and that one can enter Heaven from many avenues other than by that which the Bible proclaims. These groups are terribly deceived. Those who teach that there is another way to enter Heaven other than by Jesus Christ, will actually be in worse condition then others who just refused to believe, when they stand before the judgment seat of God, “…even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction,” 2 Peter 2:1. “MY brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment,” James 3:1.

Many people reject the truth of the Bible. They proclaim it to be a book full of myth, steeped in antiquity with no basis for factual evidence, so of course it can’t be trusted, besides the fact that it was written by men. These people have no idea of what the Bible is really all about, and furthermore they don’t really care. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned,” 1 Corinthians 2:14. Spiritually discerned means, only those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them are given, by God, the ability to understand the scriptures. For all others the Bible is foolishness. The very fact that these deceived people go out of their way to try and disprove the Bible is a testimony of just how true and inerrant we find the word of God. Although many have set their sights on a lifetime pursuit of trying to prove the Bible false, no one in all of history has ever been successful in their attempts at invalidating any part of the Holy Scriptures. All they’ve done is prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Bible is the complete and accurate truth.

“Sixty-six books written by over forty men who for the most part didn’t even know each other, over a period of some two thousand years, and yet from Genesis to Revelation the Bible is one integrated design. The fingerprints of the Holy Spirit are all through it.”

Chuck Missler – http://www.khouse.org/

Many Christians aren’t even aware that the Bible is packed with fulfilled prophecy. And this fact is what authenticates God’s word. God is not restrained by space or time; He is actually outside of our time domain, but that fact doesn’t mean He isn’t totally involved in mankind’s existence. God sees the beginning that He created and the end of it all, and He sees all this at the exact same time. God knew who would accept the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who wouldn’t and He had this information at His fingertips before the creation of the world. God can’t learn and He can’t be surprised. He already knows everything, He’s the creator. God had already decided what He needed to do to save mankind before the first man ever set foot on the face of this earth. He knew all the sins we would commit before He even created us. So you can see that fulfilled prophecy is the most powerful of all proofs that the Bible is God breathed.

If people won’t accept the truth of what happened on that cross 2000 years ago, that’s their choice. Just because some won’t believe it, doesn’t negate the fact that the powerful completeness of the cross is undeniable. Jesus tells us in His word that many won’t believe and will remain lost. They will follow the path that leads to destruction, pray for them; on the other hand all who will put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and in the sufficiency of what He accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection will discover their future and eternal home is in Heaven.

As for me and my family we have made the decision to follow the Lord, striving to proclaim the Gospel even in the face of all persecution, giving thanks to God in all things, and living for His Glory. Amen.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

The Millenium: Now an Obsolete/Unimportant Doctrine?

By Edgar Meneses

The church I belonged to has made these statements: “Although [this church] has traditionally been premillennial, the church does not require its members to believe that Christ will set up a temporary kingdom after he returns . . . Millennialism is not a doctrinal point on which we must seek conformity . . . Raising premillennial dispensationalism to the level of primary doctrine causes division in the body of Christ . . . Neither Jesus nor the apostles preached a millennial gospel . . . No other scriptures [other than the Revelation] speak of a temporary kingdom to be set up when Christ returns . . . The Millennium was not a part of Jesus’ gospel” (insets mine).

Those are pretty bold declarations. But are they really Bible-based statements of facts? Is it true that neither Jesus nor the apostles preached a millennial gospel? Is it true that only the book of the Revelation speaks of a kingdom to be set up when Christ returns? Is it true that the Millennium was not part of Jesus’ gospel?

In this day of the social/prosperity gospel, ecumenism, and Dominionism, it is not a wonder that the doctrine of the premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His 1,000 – year reign on Earth is set aside and almost ridiculed by a growing number of Christians. Such charisma coming from such evangelical leaders as Joel Osteen, C. Peter Wagner, Rick Warren, and Eddie Villanueva is more than enough to lure unsuspecting Christians to place their hope on a reformed world that those leaders are trying to project and which they believe is feasible in the not-too-distant future. Belief in the Millennium under the reign of the Messiah is therefore being abandoned or relegated to the optional or “peripheral items” of Bible truths. As the above source further says, “Since the New Testament books do not emphasize the nature of the millennium [or so they think], we conclude that it is not a central plank in the church’s commission. People can be saved without any particular belief about the millennium” (inset mine).

The task before me is to show, from the Word of God, that the Millennium is indeed a “central plank” in God’s revelation of His plan to mankind; that the Millennium is not to be trifled with; and that the knowledge of the Millennium doctrine is critical and vital to a Christian’s growth to maturity.

THE PROBLEM OF POSTMILLENNIALISM AND AMILLENNIALISM

I forgo documentation of early Christians’ belief in premillennialism or chiliasm. Suffice it to say here that only in the fourth century was the belief begun to be abandoned with Augustine of Hippo as the famous and foremost advocate of amillennialism, although it could be said that Origen’s allegorical method of interpretation in the previous century was the origin of this particular departure from Bible truth.

I would not say that lack of faith is the root cause of amillennialism and postmillennialism today. In fact, people who hold on to these erroneous teachings are full of faith. The problem is that the objects of their faith are wrong, as far as eschatology is concerned. To put it another way, their faith is selective. They believe what they want to believe according to their preferred theology. They do not take the Bible at Its face value; I say this because if they did they would have to accept the premillennial view.

Biblical faith is simply believing what God has to say about a matter. On this matter of the Millennium God says that it will come after -- not before – the Lord’s Second Coming. Either we believe that or we don’t. Now, many will protest the literal approach to Bible interpretation which leads to premillennialism. But like it or not, literal interpretation has been proven to be the best and primary way to do it. The rest of this article follows this rule.

THE MILLENNIUM IN PLAIN BIBLE LANGUAGE

It is supposed that the Millennium is mentioned in the Bible only in Revelation 20:

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison” (verses 1 – 7).

The above scripture mentions “the thousand years” six times in seven verses. I believe the Holy Spirit would not have caused it to be written that way if “the thousand years” meant “an indefinitely long period” as amillennialists and postmillennialists say it does. Obviously, God means exactly what He says here. I think that if one would not take this passage for what it plainly says it is almost certain that he will also wrongly allegorize the many Messianic-Millennial scriptures that are scattered throughout the whole Bible.

If one would not accept the fact of the Millennium from Revelation 20, other scriptures may not also convince him because he has made the decision not to believe in it; otherwise, he needs a personal repentance or conversion over this matter. Such a person needs to realize that the Millennium is also referred to in the New Testament as:

1) “the kingdom of heaven [or, the heavens]” (Matthew 5:10)

2) “the regeneration” (Matthew 19:28)

3) “the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14)

4) “”the last day” (John 6:40)

5) “the times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19)

6) “the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21)

7) “the world to come” (Hebrews 2:5).

THE CERTAINTY AND PURPOSES OF THE MILLENNIUM

The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 24:36, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” How certain can we get? One of the things that He predicted was the establishment of His kingdom on earth (Matthew 4:17; 16:27,28; 19:27,28; 20:20 – 23; Luke 22:28 – 30; Acts 1:3, etc., etc.). Therefore, the millennial kingdom is sure to come. But what are some of the reasons/purposes for its coming?

1) To restore ruined creation –

We know from the book of Genesis that the Devil was quick to ruin man at the foundation of the world. Not only was man ruined, but the earth also was cursed because of the introduction of sin. The Millennium will be the time to restore that which was ruined (Matthew 19:28; Romans 8:19 – 23; Acts 3:19 – 21).

2) The septenary structure of Scripture –

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 has set the pattern for the 7,000 – year history of man. The six days of creation/restoration of ruined earth correspond to the 6,000 – year Age of Man to be followed by the 1,000 – year Sabbath, the Age of the Messiah, which is the Millennium. Just as God rested on the Sabbath day after six days of labor, He will rest on the 7th thousand year after working on man’s restoration for six thousand years (2 Peter 3:8; Hebrews 4:9 – 11; Matthew 16:28 – 7:1).

An ancient document explains it this way: “And 6,000 years must needs be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day ‘on which God rested from all His works.’ For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future kingdom of the saints, when they ‘shall reign with Christ,’ when He comes from heaven, as John says in his Apocalypse: for ‘a day with the Lord is as a thousand years.’ Since, then, in six days God made all things, it follows that 6,000years must be fulfilled” (Hippolytus, On the HexaMeron, Or Six Days’ Work, from Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture).

3) To fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant –

“I will make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) is still waiting to be fulfilled. This particular promise from God to Abraham will come to pass in the Millennium when Israel will be the leading nation in the world (Isaiah 2:2 – 4).

4) To fulfill the Davidic Covenant –

Second Samuel 7:16 was confirmed by God through the angel Gabriel saying to Mary : “. . . Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30 – 33).

5) To complete the New Covenant –

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD; But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive them their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31 – 34).

In case the reader has got the notion that God is finished with Israel (replacement theology) he is advised to continue reading verses 35 to 37 which dispels such an idea. Israel has yet a great future ahead – in the Millennium. Thus saith the LORD.

6) The answer to the model prayer –

Matthew 6:9 – 13 and Luke 11:1 – 4 contain the Lord’s model prayer that He gave the disciples when they asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” “Thy kingdom come” will at last be answered when the Lord Jesus returns to establish His millennial rule on earth.

7) The gospel of the Glory of Christ –

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ [lit. the gospel of the glory of Christ], who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).

When will the Glory of Christ be revealed to all nations? At His return, of course, and during the Millennium. Who says Christ and the apostles did not preach a millennial gospel? If we take away the millennial reign of the Messiah from the Bible we throw away the whole purpose of God for His Son. I dare not think of it.

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27). What kind of reward do you suppose are in store for those who religiously deny (unbelief) the Millennium?

THE MILLENNIUM AND THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS

I am really amazed at how some ministers can have the audacity to declare that the Millennium is not a part of the Lord Jesus’ gospel. The fact is, proclaiming the millennial kingdom was the thrust of His message to the Jews. And He commissioned the apostles to give the same message to the Israelites first and then to the Gentiles as well. “The kingdom of heaven,” or more accurately, the kingdom of the heavens, is a prominent phrase in the book of Matthew. Let me quote C. I. Scofield as to the meaning of the phrase:

“The phrase, kingdom of heaven (lit. of the heavens), is peculiar to Matthew and signifies the Messianic earth rule of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. It is called the kingdom of the heavens because it is the rule of the heavens over the earth (Mt. vi.10). The phrase is derived from Daniel, where it is defined (Dan. ii.34-36,44; vii.23-27) as the kingdom which ‘the God of heaven’ will set up after the destruction by ‘the stone cut out without hands’ of the Gentile world-system. It is the kingdom covenanted to David’s seed (2 Sam. Vii.7-10, refs); described in the prophets (Zech. xii.8, note); and confirmed to Jesus the Christ, the Son of Mary, through the angel Gabriel (Lk. i.32-33).”

It is by “spiritualizing’ the Lord’s statements about the kingdom that the meaning is changed. I wonder why it should be difficult for many to take literally the plain words of the Lord’s and His disciples’ such as the following:

1) “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand [had drawn near]” (Matthew 3:1,2). “The kingdom of heaven” that the Baptist was talking about is not a kingdom in heaven. Rather, it is the same Messianic kingdom to be established on earth as prophesied by the prophets of Israel. John was Christ’s forerunner announcing or preaching the millennial kingdom.

2) “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Having proclaimed the millennial kingdom, the Lord Jesus proceeded to elucidate the laws of the kingdom. Hence, the Sermon on the Mount. It is to be noted that the offer of the heavenly rulership of the kingdom was conditioned on repentance and recognition of the Messiah. But the Jews rejected and crucified Him. Thus the kingdom was postponed and the heavenly rule offered to another “nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (more on this later). There remains a program for Israel. Israel is not finished, or God is not finished with Israel. At the Second Coming of the Messiah, the people will finally believe (Zechariah 12-14), and the millennial kingdom will be set up (Matthew 23:39).

3) “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:27,28). The regeneration of the world will begin with the onset of the Millennium.

4) “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30). The twelve tribes of Israel are on earth, not in heaven.

5) Matthew 20:20-28 relates the story of John’s and James’ mother requesting the Lord for top positions for her sons in the coming kingdom. The Lord did not question the validity of the request. There was indeed a kingdom coming; only, He said that “to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given for whom it is prepared of my Father” (verse 23).

6) “These twelve [apostles] Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:5-7). The kingdom rulership was offered to Israel until the time of Acts 28. Thereafter it was given to the Church.

7) “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) From the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry, no clarification was needed as to what the “kingdom” was. It was the Jews’ hope of a coming Messianic (millennial) kingdom foretold by their prophets. Again, the Lord did not censure the disciples’ question; it was a valid question. His answer: “It is not for you to know the times and seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (verses 7,8). Because of the Jews’ rejection of the offer of the kingdom rulership, judgment must first come, the kingdom being postponed (all the while the “New Man” being prepared) until the Second Coming when Israel at last will accept Him (Matthew 23:39; Romans 11:26).

THE MILLENNIUM AND THE WORD OF THE KINGDOM

Recently I have begun to attend in a small church in Manila composed of former Seventh-Day Adventists. Without fail a subject of conversation during and after lunch (conducive to digestion?) is the deteriorating morality in Philippine government – big time corruption, bribery, unabashed greed of government officials, orchestrated cheating, etc. And they would ask, “Where is it all leading to?”

Well, it might have sounded defeatist if I said that the situation will only get worse, and we would have to just throw up our hands in resignation and hopelessness. That is, if we did not know better. We know that a change is coming, and we Christians had better prepare ourselves if we want to have a part in that soon-coming change in the Millennium. “The word of the kingdom” is the message for us.

Israel was God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22); therefore the nation should have received double portion of the Father’s inheritance. That is why the kingdom of the heavens was proffered to Israel when the Messiah first appeared. But the Jews (“Jews” and “Israelites” are synonymous, by the way) despised the offer, the people having been deceived by their spiritual leaders the Pharisees. “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:42,43).

The word of the kingdom was still being preached to the Jews during the first few decades of the Church’s existence until shortly before the Temple was destroyed by the Romans (Acts 28:25-30). Israel being set aside for a whole dispensation, the word of the kingdom has had relevance primarily to the Gentile members of the Body of Christ for the past almost-2,000 years. But, tragically, as things are, and as depicted in the parables in Matthew 13, the word of the kingdom is virtually forgotten in Christendom today. As the Lord Jesus said in Luke 18:8, He will come to a Christendom which has not “the faith.” No wonder because Satan will do all in his power to block the message coming to Christians because it has to do with a government change in the world. “The word” (Matthew 13:19-23) has to do with replacing Satan and his angels by the Lord Jesus Christ and His co-heirs in ruling over the nations (Ephesians 3:10; Hebrews 2:5).

But what should we do in order for us to be worthy of a position in the coming kingdom? The answer is also in the Parable of the Sower: “But he that received seed [lit. he that was sown] into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23).

Right here we can see that the word of the kingdom has to do with . . .

THE MILLENNIUM AND THE SALVATION OF THE SOUL.

I believe God is a Trinity. And I believe man is also a “trinity” – “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

The unregenerate person cannot begin to appreciate the word of the kingdom. He is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). He must first be “born again” (John 3:3). It is his spirit that must be born again (verse 6). When that is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, he is “passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). He can now understand spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:11).

Salvation of the spirit is by grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8,9). Our works have absolutely nothing to do with it; it is a gift from God. “Once saved always saved” is true. God cannot “unsave” us anymore because He has given to us eternal life (1 John 5:11-13). There is such a thing called “assurance of salvation” (John 6:37; 10:27-29; Romans 8:1,35-39, etc.).

But the salvation of the soul is another matter. Haven’t you wondered why there are warnings in the Word of God addressed to Christians concerning “death” (Romans 8:13; 1 John 5:16,17; James 5:20), “loss” (1 Corinthians 3:15). “fall away” (Hebrews 6:6), “fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31), “the terror of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:11), “draw back unto perdition” (Hebrews 10:39), and many other such like warnings and admonitions to the Church (the saved)? It is because of the possibility of us not realizing the salvation of our souls!

Soul salvation has to do with our overcoming self, the world, and the Devil in relation to the promised inheritance in the kingdom (Romans 8). In Revelation 2 and 3, it is to him that “overcometh” that God will grant to have the reward of reigning with Christ in the Millennium. We work (overcome) for rewards and for the salvation of our souls:

“Receiving the end [goal] of your faith, even the salvation of your souls”(1 Peter 1:9).

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted [implanted] word, which is able to save your souls (James2:21).

“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:39).

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:24-27).

Let me dwell a bit on the last passage. The soul of a man is his life – the seat of his emotions, affections, desires, the flesh. His character is developed by control of his soul or lack of it. The tendency of the soul is to sin because of the sin nature in man. The born-again spirit must exercise the will to control the soul if the person is to avoid sinning. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The Lord Jesus is saying that if one is living it up in this world in a carnal way, or living after the flesh (Romans 8:13), enjoying his life of sin, then he will lose it in the age to come, resulting in the death of his soul – loss of soul salvation – because “to be carnally minded is death” (Romans 8:6). Whereas if he “through the Spirit do[es] mortify the deeds of the body . . . [he] shall live” (verse 13), thereby saving his soul for the future age, the Millennium. This will be determined at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) which will take place immediately after the Rapture of the Church. “For . . . judgment must begin at the house of God [the saved]” (1 Peter 4:17).

Having been saved from eternal death, the Christian should not rest on his laurels. Spirit salvation is only the beginning of a journey to maturity. Salvation is in three tenses: Past salvation, which is based on the Blood of the Lamb, the present salvation that is going on – present progressive – and the future redemption (Romans 8:23). Our part in the present salvation is the subject of Paul’s injunction when he said, “ . . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

It is to be noted as well that the salvation of the soul is the emphasis in the New Testament, not the salvation of the spirit. (The latter is the restoration of man to have a fellowship with God, to be spiritually alive first, the passing from death unto life. The former is the realization of the purpose of God in creating man.) This is demonstrated in the book of Jude. Notice: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (verse 3). Jude had thought first of writing about the common salvation, i.e., the salvation by grace through faith in Christ. But the Holy Spirit guided him to write about something else. He was led to write about the apostasy that would come in the last days. The apostasy has to do with perverting “the faith.” In the first century, Christians were universally taught about the kingdom of the heavens (Colossians 1:6). This particular message – the word of the kingdom, the gospel of the Glory of Christ, the coming Reign of the Messiah on earth – would be corrupted or altogether forgotten, Jude warned. The doctrine of the Millennium and how the saints are to become co-heirs with Christ in ruling over the nations have been the subject of Satanic attack ever since. Co-heirship with Christ has to do with . . .

THE MILLENNIUM AND THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:7,8).

The setting is just before the Second Coming. The Lord Jesus Christ has determined the composition of His Bride at the Judgment Seat. The Bride will be His Consort Queen in ruling over the earth from heavenly realm. The 24 Elders (angelic rulers) had relinquished their crowns, Revelation 4:10,11, and Satan’s and his angels’ crowns are about to wrested from them.

I used to believe that the whole Church will compose the Bride of the Lamb. But further study has made me see that that is not so. Even from a practical point of view it should be obvious that not all saved people will be the Bride. Would it be just to have both the carnal and spiritual Christians in rulership positions in the Millennium? The Bible, stressing the principle of rewards, is not vague about this matter.

We have mentioned some scriptures that talk about the possibility of the saved “dying” and “losing.” The loss of soul means not qualifying to be included in the Bride. The Parable of the Sower is about fruit-bearing of the saved. Only one group among the four groups of Christians is seen as bearing fruits, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Only they qualify for positions in the kingdom; the others do not. And there are other parables that teach the same thing: the parable of the evil servant (Matthew 24:45-51); the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30); and the parable of the ten pounds (Luke 19:12-27).

Second Peter, the first chapter, also talks about fruit-bearing in connection with entering the kingdom “abundantly” (verse 11) and with making the Christians’ calling and “election [out-calling]” sure. It is evident here that only the out-called among the called who will compose the Bride. “For many be called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16).

Why did the apostle Paul “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14)? Verse 11 is very revealing: “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” “Resurrection” here does not mean the first resurrection that all the dead saved are going to experience. The word actually is “out-resurrection.” Exanastasis in Greek, as distinguished from Anastasis. Exanastasis means “to stand up out of.” Therefore, Paul was talking about a selection from among the saved. Some Christians are to be elevated from the rest. The Bride of Christ is in view here. And this separation of the Bride from the Body of Christ has to do with the Millennial Age to come.

Being part of the Bride of Christ is the “so great salvation” referred to in Hebrews 2:3 and the “better things . . . that accompany salvation” in 6:9. How do we attain it? The answer is in Romans 8:16-18: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us [in the Millennium].”

I could go on talking about the Millennium. It is a huge Biblical topic (e.g., the lengthy warnings in the book of Hebrews against ignoring the Millennium). In fact, the eschatological emphasis of the Bible is the Tribulation Period – Millennial Age, not the Eternal Ages. The Word of God reveals very little on the past ages and the ages past the Millennium.

Now, who says the Millennium is a peripheral doctrine?

Days of Noah Follow-up: UFO videos

In a recent commentary, I discussed the possibility that there is more to UFO phenomena than meets the eye. Below are a number of UFO-related videos that offer opinions, both pro and con, concerning a number of high-profile UFO cases.



The Phoenix Lights above were a hot topic in the late 1990s and remain so even today in terms of UFO-related phenomena. Little over a year ago, during a period similar to now when UFOs were a hot topic in the news, I wrote a commentary on the topic.



The Stephenville, Texas UFO sightings were the topic of several commentaries I wrote because the official explanations? Suffice to say they were weak when compared to the testimony of numerous Texans.

On January 15, 2008 I wrote a commentary wherein the military's official explanation of what the residents of Stephenville saw was two commercial airliners flying in close proximity to one another. By January 31st, as I documented in another commentary, the military, in Roswell-like fashion I might add, had reversed course completely. By then the citizens of Stephenville, as it turned out, had seen military aircraft in the area. I didn't buy it at the time and I can't say that I buy it now for the reasons stated in the commentary.



In the video above, we are told a large UFO was seen in Belgium, where both NATO and the parliament of the revived Roman empire we today call the European Union are headquartered. The large object seen by hundreds showed up on radar as triangular in shape which corroborated eyewitness accounts. Not only that, the object, whatever it was, dropped from 10,000 feet in altitude to 500 feet in mere seconds when military jets approached its position after being scrambled. "Wow!" said an investigator. "That's not like, you know, super technology. That's Star Trek!"

At the end of this commentary are some more NBC News videos for you to review, a number of which I believe you will find quite interesting.

Saucers flying everywhere

Recently, there has been an influx of UFO-related news that, in light of other events taking place of prophetic significance, has captured my attention. Why all the renewed interest in UFOs all of a sudden? Perhaps one answer is because the Vatican's chief astronomer, Reverend José Gabriel Funes, said recently that "there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations perhaps more evolved than humans."

Not only did Funes make that assertion, he also implied that the human race might actually be the "lost sheep" of the universe, implying in no uncertain terms that our 'extraterrestrial brothers' could be beings who, unlike fallen mankind, "remained in full friendship with their creator."

If you're not sensing that a potential satanic deception of galactic scale may be in the works, it's time to 'wake up and smell the coffee' so to speak! We may well be witnessing the setting of the stage for the strong delusion spoken of in 2nd Thessalonians 2:11 to fall upon mankind in the aftermath of the Rapture of the Church! If the recent UFO mania isn't THE strong delusion referred to, it may well be a component of it.

Even NASA astronauts have gotten in on the UFO buzz recently as seen in an AFP article.

"If we push back boundaries far enough, I'm sure eventually we'll find something out there," said Mike Foreman, a mission specialist on the Endeavour, which returned to Earth in March.

Recently, Thomas Horn of Raider's News Network wrote a commentary wherein he explored, in part, the potential correlation between extraterrestrial activity as related to demonic activity which is what I thoroughly believe to be true as I have detailed in the past.

A portion of Horn's commentary poses the following question: If a portion of "flying saucer" activity is in the biblical sense demonic, what nefarious purpose would be served by the stealthy nature of UFO phenomena?

The answer to that question is presented as follows:

According to some, the answer is diabolical. UFO-ism, they say, is aimed at preparing the earth for an extraterrestrial "return of the creator gods." To put it bluntly, some believe we are being prepared for the collapse of man's dominant religions. This will happen in two ways:

First, alien religion--as reported in hundreds of abduction cases--is one of evolutionary humans "on the verge of extraordinary telepathic and technological emergence" in which transhumanism will pave the way for harmonic and spiritual convergence to the community of space brothers.

Second, from a technological standpoint, UFO sightings challenge the claim of human superiority and dispute our unique role in the universe. We are made to feel shallow, undeveloped, unenlightened if we consider rejecting the new universal religion.

ETs bearing this message often point out that "they" will be reappearing at any moment to assist us in this--our next big evolutionary, spiritual, and technological step forward.

Horn offers the following advice, based on 2nd Thessalonians 2:11's promise of strong delusion coming upon mankind in the prophetic future:

Beware if world authorities begin "disclosure" by pointing to ancient mysteries, megaliths, pyramids, the Face on Mars, UFOs or anything else as proof of an ancient visitation of planet earth by creator ETs. Deception, we are told, will follow. We will be instructed to believe that ancient astronauts--not God--created the human race, and a great "falling away" of the earth's major religions will follow.

While no one knows with certainty what God's prophetic plan is going to see transpire, there is potentially, at the very least, evidence that ancient mankind could have been assisted by beings of a higher level of architectural knowledge than we possessed to construct structures that many say mankind couldn't even build with today's technology, such as Stonehenge and the pyramids in Egypt for example.

Mankind would do well to bear in mind, at any moment that extraterrestrial visitation to our planet is officially declared as having occurred in the past or as occurring now, what we see described in Scripture taking place leading up to the Great Flood when "the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them.." Genesis 6:4

The "sons of God" or ben 'elohiym are not only seen in Genesis 6 but in the book of Job as well, chapters 1 and 2.

In the Job accounts they, along with Satan, appear before the throne of God and boldly declare that they have been traveling about the earth. Satan is the prince of the power of the air according to Ephesians 2:2. He is also a lair and the father of it, according to John 8:44. Thus, one had best think with his mind and not his eyes in the event a flying saucer arrives to announce that mankind is about to enter a new era of peace and prosperity - or anything else for that matter, even if it's only to announce that gas prices are going to drop below $4.00 a gallon.

I don't care what comes spinning through the air, climbing out of a test tube, warping in via a time machine or anything else! If it directs mankind away from God as Creator and the Almighty, it is of Satan. Period.

Keeping the information presented here in the back of one's mind, if no place else, may prove to be of tremendous spiritual benefit in the prophetic future.

While I wholly believe that any purported ET contact would occur after the Rapture of the Church based on 2nd Thessalonians 2, we could see more stage-setting taking place in the future if this is to be a component of the strong delusion to come. For that reason, it is my heartfelt prayer that my readers will prepare their nonbelieving family and friends of what may lie ahead just in case it comes to pass.

Given the amount of attention UFOs and ETs are getting lately, I sense a satanic deception may be in the works - one rebellious and unrepentant mankind might latch right onto, particularly if it was perceived to be a salvation of sorts without the need to come to any sort of faith in God.

Atheists like Richard Dawkins who make fun of born-again Christians for believing in the God of the Bible, likening Him to an imaginary flying spaghetti monster and the like? They will be lining up, in my humble opinion, to buy a lie of epic proportions and that because they took pleasure in unrighteousness. 2nd Thessalonians 2:12

UFOs and the end times. Right now I feel 70% certain flying saucers are going to play at least a limited role in end times prophecy which is 100% why I feel led to bring these matters before my reading audience. As I have often said, a great deal of Bible prophecy's teachings, particularly where the Tribulation Period is concerned, will be best understood by those here to see it. Nonetheless, if those of us here now see even the slightest hint that our fellow mankind may be susceptible to being deceived by something that mankind already has a fascination with, we'd be remiss not to raise a red flag now. After all, Jesus Christ could come for His Church at any moment.

God bless you all!