Come, Holy Spirit. My heart is heavy today with what is happening in Iraq, Syria and Israel. I know you cant wait much longer. I know that what is happening to your believers there must make you weep, and I know your justice wont sleep, nor will it be stayed forever. Help me to seek you, and strengthen my faith that I might stand. ESV Joshua 16 The allotment of the people of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel. 2 Then going from Bethel to Luz, it passes along to Ataroth, the territory of the Archites. 3 Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea. 4 The people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance. 5 The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, 6 and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is Michmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah, 7 then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Ephraim by their clans, 9 together with the towns that were set apart for the people of Ephraim within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns with their villages. 10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor. The borders of Ephraim and Manasseh. bibletrack.org/notes/image/Tribes.jpg Something I probably should have talked about yesterday, but it didnt occur to me until today, was to compare modern boundaries to these ancient boundaries. Events in the world are moving quickly, and I dont want to leave you without knowledge. The Gaza Strip, which is being fought over at this very moment, is wholly within the boundaries of Judah, which we read yesterday. biblehub/joshua/15-47.htm I find it rather interesting that the Palestinians have been given the territory of the Kingly tribe, the tribe of Jesus, dont you? Especially since, as Muslims, they claim Ishmael as their ancestor. There is symbolism in this that bears watching. Prophecy junkies who loudly proclaim the end of the world are a dime a dozen. Movies and novels have chimed in with their two cents until prophecy is almost meaningless. Ill be the last person to ever state that I know what a prophecy means, and Im really uncomfortable studying prophecy. The Jews of Jesus time knew prophecy, and they were looking for the Messiah. But their interpretation of prophecy was so far off that it prevented them from seeing him when he was standing right in front of them, performing miracles that only God could do. How can you miss him when hes feeding 5000 and 7000 people with only a few loaves and fishes, healing the lame and sick, making the blind see and the deaf hear? You miss him when you are so wedded to what you think prophecy means that you cant see God because he doesnt fit your image. However, prophecy also helped the disciples to see him. There are instances of the apostles quoting prophecy in the Gospels, because the meaning of something was suddenly made clear to them. All through the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew inserts prophecies about the Messiah into his narrative. He explains how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem, and inserts the prophecy about Messiah being born in Bethlehem. He tells of the flight into Egypt, and inserts the prophecy of Messiah being called out of Egypt. He talks of Jesus entering Jerusalem on an unbroken donkey who had never been ridden, and inserts the prophecy that says Messiah will ride on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He talks of the betrayal of Judas and inserts the prophecy of Messiah being sold for thirty pieces of silver. It seems to me that what these two groups, those who recognized Jesus and those who didnt, have to tell us is that we should have knowledge of prophecy, but should not try to interpret it. Knowledge and quiet trust that God will reveal the meaning seems to be the key to recognizing him. Interpretation seems to be the path to blindness: not seeing God when he is standing right in front of us. With that in mind, and with the knowledge that there are new Christians among us who have never read the whole Bible, I want to glance at prophecy as we are looking at these boundaries. There may be prophetic meaning in these boundaries, and that thought occurred to me this morning as I was reading this brief chapter. One big difficulty with prophecy is that time is different for God than for us. Remember that he created time and space, so necessarily and logically he is outside of time and space. Time and space dont have the same restrictions on him as they do on us. I think this shows in prophecy. Since he sees all time as eternal present, there is no structure of time on prophecy. There are vague hints, but there is no, First this happens, then this happens, then this happens and then finally this happens. There are no dates. There is no sequence. Time flows back and forth in prophecy. I suspect in some instances, the same event will happen several times. This is one of the places that the Jews got into trouble with their interpretation of prophecy. Prophecy speaks of a first and second coming of Jesus, but since there is no date stamp on anything, this wasnt clear until he came the first time. How do you reconcile prophecy of a Messiah who is both a suffering servant and a conquering king? Until he comes as a suffering servant, it isnt clear that there must be two comings. In this case, they chose the interpretation they liked better: the conquering king. As such, they missed the suffering servant right in front of them. The conquering king is coming, but this will be the second incarnation. I want to start by giving you this, from Matthew 24 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (This was fulfilled in 70 A.D.) 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. (This was not fulfilled in 70 A.D. It has been being fulfilled for the last century or so, but its not clear if it will last a century or ten centuries. We just dont know). 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my names sake. 10 And then many will fall away[a] and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (The Dome of the Rock has been standing on the Holy of Holies, the foundation stone, the altar Abraham built to sacrifice Isaac, since 691 A.D. The Muslims claim it was Ishmael who was sacrificed there, rather than Isaac. If it was Isaac, then it pre-enacts what his descendant Jesus would do for us, as well as pointing to substitutionary grace, God providing a substitute. If it is Ishmael, then what does it mean? Is the Dome of the Rock the abomination? I dont know. It may be. It may not be. It may be part of the abomination, with other parts to come. Im not going to issue an interpretation or settle on one, because I dont want to blind myself. However, Im keeping an eye on it.) 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[b] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. I think the lesson of these last two passage is exactly what Ive been saying here: be aware, but dont put a dogmatic interpretation on it which will leave you blind. You can see what is in the news daily. Much of it, but not all of it, seems to echo these passages. However, bear in mind that there will be people who come first, trying to lead us astray. Test everything. Wait on the Lord. Test it against scripture. Pray over it. Dont allow yourself to be lead astray, and for that purpose, ask God what it means. Dont decide for him. If youve been watching the Ray Comfort videos Ive been posting, test yourself to see whether you are a false convert or a true convert. What are the scriptural tests he gives you? Are you bearing fruit? If not, what do you need to do to be sure you are in the faith? This prophecy of Jesus is repeated in Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 12. As weve discussed before, nothing is in Gods word by accident. If he says something twice, its important. If he says it three times, its really, really important. So take this passage quite seriously. This passage establishes that there will be a second coming, and there will be an end to the world. What comes after, according to Revelation, is the destruction and confinement of Satan, along with all his followers, and the creation of a New Jerusalem (heaven) where those who worship God will all dwell in the presence of God and at peace with one another. There will be no more weeping or pain or sorrow. There is a time line there that I do not fully understand either, but I choose to trust God that it will be okay. All through the Bible, there is discussion of an anti-Christ. Here is a listing of scriptures. kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Antichrist/ Sometimes he is called AntiChrist, sometimes the scripture simply describes how he will be the opposite of Christ or against Christ. I think its important that we remember that anti can mean either. Something that is anti can be set against, as in at war, but something that is anti can also be mirror image as in clockwise and anticlockwise. Fantasy novels are almost always an exposition of biblical prophecy. I think Jo Rowling did an excellent job of this with Harry Potter. All through the seven books, Voldemort is depicted as being a mirror image of Harry Potter. The are both orphans. they resemble one another, they are both half Muggle, they both had Dumbledore for a mentor, they are both gifted, they are both parselmouths. Over and over she draws out their similarities. The only difference in them is the ability to love (Harry) or not love. Remember that the opposite of love is not hate, its evil. I would correct her a little, because clearly Harry has the dual attributes of God, love AND justice. Voldemort represents not law and not love, which is destruction, chaos and evil. I suspect this is going to prove to be the nature of Christ/Antichrist. Christ is love, law and justice. Antichrist will be not love (evil), not law (chaos) and not justice (arbitrary destruction). Again, Im not settling on this definition, because I dont want to blind myself, but I think it can be supported from scripture, and Im keeping an eye out. It may be that the antichrist will be one person. It may be that it turns out to be a sect or government or group of people of some sort. It may be an antichurch, or it may have an antichurch. It may be more than one group. Again, I dont want to blind myself by only accepting one possibility. If it draws people from Christ or forces them from him, it may be the antichrist. Now, how does this relate to what we are studying? Remember that there is going to be an abomination that brings desolation that is the sign of the antiChrist. It will be on the holy place and let the reader understand. It doesnt tell us what any of these will be, but we are supposed to understand it. Its a key to understanding everything, or that caution wouldnt be there. The Bible is not about us. Its about God and his plan to save us. The Bible is not about the US, Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia or Antarctica. The Bible is about that tiny region in which God chose to enact his plan for salvation of all mankind. All of it takes place in the Fertile Crescent, Israel, Sinai and Egypt. Its all centered around present day Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt and the tiny countries around them. Granted, some of the New Testament extends into Greece, Rome and surrounding areas. Where we should be looking for this to happen is precisely in the middle of the present day chaos in Syria, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. And what is happening there right now? ISIS, Hamas, Al Qaeda, the slaughter of Christians and the bombardment of Israel from Gaza, which is in the heart of the Kingly territory of Judah, the tribe of Jesus. Maybe that abomination is the Dome of the Rock squatting on the foundation stone. Maybe that abomination is the slaughter of Christians and Jews in Gods holy land. Maybe that abomination is the presence of Islam in the Kingly territory. Maybe that abomination is ISIS driving Christians from Nineveh, where Jonah brought repentance and a turning to God over 2500 years ago, and where there has been a church for almost 2000 years. Im not sure exactly what is happening here, but I didnt set out to write this today. I didnt set out with any message from this little passage on boundaries, and this case upon case upon case has just flowed through me. Again, Im not settling on an interpretation, but I think that as we study these boundaries, we need to internalize them, and keep prophecy in mind. I think they might be important for this reason. I think understanding what this holy place is might require understanding boarders and their meanings, the prophecies attached to the tribes and where those tribes were located. The territories of Gad, Manasseh and Reuben currently lie within the boundaries of Syria and Jordan. This is also the Decapolis, where Jesus healed the Demoniac and sent him to preach the good news, and where Paul was struck down on the Damascus Road, and where he was trained in the faith and began his ministry. The slaughter of Christians is happening within these ancient boundaries of Israel, and in the location of some of the oldest converts and oldest Christians in the world. Another location of this slaughter, as previously mentioned, is Nineveh, where Jonah preached. These boundaries are important, and have meaning, or God would not have devoted this space to them.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 16:30:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015