Friends, we all need to pay close attention to the nation of Israel which many Bible scholars call God's Timepiece. It was created by God specifically to be His chosen people. After many periods of disobedience, God scattered the Jewish people for 1,900 years. Ezekiel prophesied the reformation of Israel would occur. It reformed as a nation on May 14th, 1948. It has been 72 years since then and so much has happened around the world.
The Bible says that before the 1948 generation passes, Jesus will return. While the length of a generation is assumed by many to be 70 years, in Psalms it is extended to as much as 80 years. Psalms 90:10: The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they be eighty years, yet is their labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. This may seem an over simplification but does fit nicely with all that we are seeing in 2020: Biblical lifespan of man: 80 years (with years of labor and sorrow) Israel rebirth: May 14th 1948 Years from May 14th 1948 to 2020: 72 years Years left in lifespan: 8 years The year for 1948 generation to be over (1948 + 80 years): 2028 Latest year for Jesus Christ to return: 2028 Latest year for the Rapture and the beginning of the 7 year tribulation (2018 – 7): 2021 We can take this as a guideline on how quickly the age of the Christian church can come to a close. This end of the age will be the Rapture of the church. Afterwards, the 7 year period known as the Tribulation will begin. The Tribulation is to test and punish both Jews and unbelievers. It will be the hardest time in human history. Millions of new believers will be saved during this period. For those who don't believe Israel is special, read on just how it was preserved over thousands of years. No other nation was scattered to the ends of the earth, brought back together and has flourished like Israel, God's chosen people. Christians were grafted onto God's family tree through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. But, in regards to the coming tribulation, Christians will be dealt with separately from the Jewish nation of Israel.
The Miracle of Israel
Morris, Henry M.. Many Infallible Proofs: Evidences for the Christian Faith . Master Books. The continued existence of the Jews, after centuries of dispersal and persecution unique in human history, is a mute but eloquent testimony to fulfilled prophecy. The restoration of Israel as a nation among nations in our own generation is merely the most recent in a long line of prophecies dealing with the Jewish people which finally came to pass. When the nation was first founded, through Abraham, God promised: "I will make of thee a great nation …And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:2-3). Not only did Israel become a great nation under David and Solomon, but it is destined for even greater days in the future. The nations that have befriended the Jews (notably the United States and, to a lesser degree, England, France, and others) have indeed been blessed. Those that have persecuted the Jews (Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Rome, Spain, Nazi Germany, and others — Russia's time is coming!) have eventually gone down to defeat and humiliation. Through the Holy Scriptures, almost all written by Jews, and through Jesus Christ, the seed of Abraham has indeed become a blessing to all families of the earth. Some from every nation have found salvation and blessing through faith in Him. God promised the children of Israel great blessing in the land of promise if they would remain faithful to Him. He also predicted great suffering, persecution, and worldwide dispersion when they forsook Him. These prophecies came to pass. Some of these warnings were as follows:
Even more impossible than that a people could retain its identity without a homeland for two thousand years is that they should then return and establish their ancient nation once again. Yet this is exactly what the Bible had predicted.
0 Comments
The Christian Life New Testament
MASTER OUTLINES & STUDY NOTES Compiled by Porter Barrington This work is published in conjunction with The Holy Bible, New King James Version – Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. FORWARD The Bible is the most important book ever written. It is God’s written Word to man. The New Testament tells about the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. It tells of His birth, His death, and His resurrection. These outlines have been put together by Porter Barrington, who has been an evangelistic pastor all of his adult life. The Word of God has been at the heart of his entire ministry. The Christian Life Study Outlines and Notes are the amplification of a ministry of over 35 years, both in the pastorate and in the field of teaching and evangelism. These lessons by Porter Barrington on the Great Doctrines of the Bible are simple without being ordinary, short without being shallow, brief without being dwarfed, positive without being over-formal and comprehensive without being complicated. They were produced to fill a need in the life of the average Christian, to provide an incentive to know more of God’s Holy Word. If diligently studied, they will help to establish you in the faith and give you spiritual confidence. It is suggested that you study the Master Outlines in the order given; one each day for fifteen days, and at the end of fifteen days, you will know more about the New Testament than you ever thought possible. This study is equal to an advanced course in Systematic Theology. If you review these lessons often, you will continue to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now begin your Bible study by clicking on Outline One below. Outline 1: The Bible Outline 2: God Outline 3: Jesus Christ Outline 4: The Holy Spirit Outline 5: Sin Outline 6: Judgments Outline 7: Rewards Outline 8: The Church Outline 9: Prayer Outline 10: Faith Outline 11: The Abundant Life Outline 12: Repentance Outline 13: The New Birth Outline 14: Salvation Outline 15: Witnessing
The Bible is The Word of God
It is important for a new or renewed Christian to start right; therefore, the first lesson is designed to help establish your faith in the Bible, for it IS the word of God. Keep in mind that the Bible is not a book of philosophy, although it is philosophical. Do not go to the Bible for a scientific argument. However, there is no discrepancy between ascertained facts of science and the Bible. The Bible is not a book of history, but is found to be accurate when recording history. The Bible was given to us from God, revealing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son, the only Savior John 14:6. He is the center and the circumference. It is Christ from Genesis to Revelation John 5:39. The Bible is as high above all other books as the heavens are above the earth. Someone has said of the Bible: “Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be right.” 1) The Bible claims to be the inspired word of God – (II Timothy 3:16-17): 16) “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Upon this statement of fact, evangelical Christianity stands. The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God. By “inspiration” we mean that the Holy Spirit exerted His supernatural influence upon the writers of the Bible. The writings were inspired – not necessarily the writers, for the Bible nowhere claims to have been written by inspired men.
2) The Bible is a difficult book (I Corinthians 2:14-16): 14) “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16) For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” The Bible is a difficult book because it came from the infinite to the finite – from the unlimited, all powerful God, to limited man. Therefore, you cannot understand the Bible as you would understand the writings of Plato or Socrates. You can study the great philosophers with the natural mind, and by diligent application, grasp their profound meanings. If the Bible could be understood by natural man, it would be a natural book and could not be the Word of God. Since the Bible is from God, and therefore spiritual, before you can receive its teachings, you must be born of the spirit John 3:6 and filled with the Spirit Ephesians 5:18. Always approach the Bible praying that the Spirit will be your teacher and will guide you to a better understanding of His Holy Word, or it will remain a difficult, closed book John 16:12-15 3) The Bible is a book of oneness (2 Peter 1:21): “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The oneness or unity of the Bible is a miracle. It is a library of 66 books, written by over 35 different authors, in a period of approximately 1,500 years. Represented in the authors is a cross section of humanity, educated and uneducated, including kings, fishermen, public officials, farmers, teachers and physicians. Included in the subjects are religion, history, law, science, poetry, drama, biography and prophecy. Yet its various parts are as harmoniously united as the parts that make up the human body. For 35 authors, with such varied backgrounds, to write on so many subjects, over a period of approximately 1,500 years, in absolute harmony, is a mathematical impossibility. It could not happen! Then how do we account for the Bible? The only adequate explanation is: “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 4) The Bible claims special power (Hebrews 4:12): “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” “For the word of God is living and powerful…” The Bible claims:
5) The Bible commands the believer to study the scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15) “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” “Study to show thyself approved unto God” is a command. As you study the Bible, you will discover that it does not just contain the Word of God – it IS the Word of God. You must also keep in mind that the Word of God contains the words of God, as well as the words of Satan, demons, angels and man – both good and bad. God is truth and cannot lie. Satan “is a liar and the father of it” John 8:44. Man is natural and is therefore limited, and does not always speak the truth. To illustrate: Matthew 22:15-46. In this portion of Scripture, we have the words of Jesus, of the Pharisees, of the Herodians and of the Sadducees. The Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees were trying to entangle Jesus in His teachings, that they might accuse Him of breaking God’s law. Their words were spoken with evil intent, revealing the thinking of the natural man, along with the words of God that came from the lips of Jesus. As you study the Bible, ask yourself these questions:
GOD
The Bible reveals God as the only infinite and Eternal Being, having no beginning and no ending. He is the Supreme Personal Intelligence, and Righteous Ruler of His universe. He is life, and therefore, the only source of life (John 5:26). Man is natural and cannot know God by wisdom (Job 11:7). God is a person and can be known only by revelation. In the Old Testament He revealed Himself to and through His prophets? In the New Testament He reveals Himself through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3) 1) The existence of God (Hebrews 11:6): But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
2) The Bible reveals God as personality. He is called “the living and true God” – One possessing self-consciousness and self-determination. His personality is shown in what He does, such as:
Only a personality can love, hate, care and grieve; therefore God must be a living, eternal and personal being. 3) The Nature of God (I John 4:8): He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God is described 4 ways in the Bible. Since God cannot be defined, they are incomplete. However, they do throw light upon the nature of God. They are:
4) The attributes of God reveal His nature. Do not think of His attributes as abstract, but as vital mediums through which His holy nature in unveiled – attributes ascribed to Him, such as:
God is everywhere but not in everything. If God were in everything, man could worship any object and he would be worshipping God. God is spirit. (John 4:24) 5) Grace is the love and mercy of God in action. Mercy is negative, and love is positive; both together mean grace. To show mercy in love is grace. God showed mercy in love when He sent His Son to bear our sins in His own body on the cross (John 3:16).
6) The Trinity of God (Matthew 3:16-17): 16) “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17) And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” By the Trinity of God we mean His tri-personal existence as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – three distinct persons in one God.
Even creation implies the doctrine of the Trinity.
JESUS CHRIST
Christianity is unlike any other religion, because it is more than a religion–it is the story of the life of the Son of God. Christ is Christianity is Christ. He is the main subject of each book of the New Testament, and fulfills all the promises of God in the Old Testament. From His incarnation to His Second Coming (Revelation 17:14), He is the God-man, Christ Jesus in glory, exalted above all creatures, having “all power in heaven and in earth”. Matthew 28:18 During His earthly ministry, He claimed to be God in human flesh. He is what He claimed, or He is not. (Revelation 1:8). Before His claim can be denied, there are some things that must be accounted for:
1) The Deity of Jesus Christ (John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The deity of Jesus Christ, or His God nature, is established in the New Testament. Some of the facts are:
2) The Humanity of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:3) 3)“concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,” The Humanity of Jesus Christ is seen in His human parentage (Matthew 2:11)
Jesus is man, and yet He is more than man. He is not God and man, but the God-man. He is God in human flesh. His two natures are put together in such a way that the two natures become united in one person, having a single consciousness and will. 3) The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ – (Luke 1:26-35) 26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28) And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29) But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30) Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31) “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32) “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33) “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34) “Then Mary said to the angel “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35) “And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is without duplicate in history. It was by virgin birth that God became man, one person but two natures: God nature and the nature of man-man without sin (Hebrews 4:15). The union of the two natures became the God-man Christ Jesus.
4) The Death of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:8). And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. The death of Jesus Christ is mentioned more than 120 times in the New Testament and is spoken of many times by the prophets in the Old Testament.
Only God in the form of man could die a vicarious, natural, unnatural, preternatural, and supernatural death. 5) The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:1-20): 1) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2) And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3) His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. 4) And the guards shook for fear of him, and became as dead men. 5) But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6) “He is not here; for He is raised, as He said. Come; see the place where the Lord lay. 7) “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8). So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9) And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10) Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid, Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” 11) Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12) When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers. 13) saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14) “And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15) So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 16) Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17) When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18). And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20) “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the doctrine of the disciples, the faith of the true believer, the courage of the martyr, the theme of every sermon, and the power of every evangelist. Luke tells us that we have “many infallible proofs” of His resurrection (Acts 1:3). Let us look at some of these “infallible proofs”:
Many of these eye witnesses died martyr’s deaths because they preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were glad to die for a living Christ. They had the “infallible proofs.” When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, all of His disciples “forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). From this time until after His resurrection, the disciples lived in fear. They did not believe that He would rise from the dead (John 20:9). Without the Resurrection, the cross would have been the end of Christianity. After the death of Jesus, we see His disciples dejected, discouraged, and defeated. The death of Jesus meant the end. How do we account for the great change that came into their lives three days and three nights later? The only logical explanation is that they had the “infallible proofs” that He had risen from the dead, and was alive forevermore. They saw Him, talked with Him touched Him, and ate with Him. Now look at some “infallible proofs” according to circumstantial evidence:
First, the disciples were afraid. If they stole His body, then how do you account for the fact that they all suffered, and most of them died martyrs’ deaths? Would not one of them reveal the hiding place to save his own life? Second, no one was ever arrested or tried for stealing the body of Jesus. It is evident that the governing officials did not believe the story of the guards. Third, the guards could have been put to death for sleeping while on watch. Fourth, if they were asleep, how could they known who “stole” the body? Fifth, had the enemies of Jesus moved the body, they could have produced it and ended Christianity!! The linen clothes found in the empty tomb are proof of the Resurrection (John 20:1-10). Had anyone stolen the body, they would not have removed the linen clothes from a three day old dead body. When John saw the linen clothes, he knew that a miracle had taken place. Jesus came out of the clothes, and they collapsed without disturbing the folds. They were left in the empty tomb; and when John saw and believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. 6) The Ascension and Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:9-11): 9) Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of sight. 10) And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11) who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go up into Heaven.” After forty days of instructing His disciples, the risen Christ ascended up on high and is seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). Two men brought the message of His second coming to the apostles (Acts 1:11). The message of the second coming of Jesus is so important, that it is mentioned over 300 times in the New Testament.
|
AuthorHas over 30 years experience in Information Technology and, more importantly, 30 plus years as a believer in Jesus Christ. Archives
February 2024
Categories |