The Second Coming Of Jesus

[parousia70]

No man comes to the Father but by Jesus and Jesus is coming back to gather His Church and to establish His Kingdom for a millennium upon the earth in Jerusalem, Israel.

Don't hold your breath while you're waiting for this..

Revelation 1:7

7"Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.

How will every eye across the globe see that? Only the Apostles in the exact vicinity were able to see Him ascend, so, how will a person on the ground, in a forest In Japan, for example, be able to witness with his eyes His physical physical feet touch down upon the mount of Olives in Jerusalem?

For those here like me who reject such fanciful Hollywood style sensationalist, speculative, eisegesis, in favor of Sober, reasoned, Scriptural exegesis, Here is the SCRIPTURAL Reality:

The cloud-coming of Revelation 1:7 that "every eye would see" is shown in Revelation 14:14-20 to be an event that occurs in the heavenly realms. As the passage reveals, Christ's actions and commands in the heavenlies result in various tribulation-period disasters that transpire on earth. Simply put, Revelation 14:14-20 is the cloud-coming that "every eye would see." This is significant, for St. John is not describing the coming of Christ as some visual spectacular with cumulus clouds in the skies overhead, but as the coming of Yahweh himself, making Christ equal with the Father. Jesus promised his apostles that he would return in their lifetimes "in the glory of the Father" (Matt 16:27-28; Lk. 9:26; Matt 24:33-34). Christ's return at AD 67-70 was precisely in the manner and tradition of Yahweh's Old-Testament-era comings. We have countless examples of the Father coming in His great glory during the Old Testamental period (be sure to note the graphic, physical descriptions and explicit "visual" connotations of Yahweh's comings):

[On Yahweh's coming to Egypt -- early 700s BC] Behold, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians (Isaiah 19:1-2)

[On Yahweh's coming during the Maccabean Period] For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and will make you as the sword of a mighty man. Yahweh shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south. Yahweh of Hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar. Yahweh their God will save them in that day (Zechariah 9:13-16)

[On Yahweh's coming to Israel for Babylonian Exile - 6th Century BC] Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you are turbulent more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my ordinances, neither have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you; therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments in the midst of you before the eyes of the nations. I will do in you that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all your abominations (Ez 5:7-9)

[On Yahweh's coming to Israel for Babylonian Exile - 6th Century BC] As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you: and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face...Hear the word of Yahweh: Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt thereby. All flesh shall see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it...Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: and all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath (Ez 20:33-35,47-48; 21:3-5)

Jehovah hath made bare His holy arm before the eyes of all nations (Isa 52:10)

These are just a few examples of the Father's Old-Testament comings, but there are many others: Yahweh came down and shot arrows at Saul and his armies, shaking the earth's foundations and the heavens at that time (2 Sam 22:8-16); Yahweh is depicted as having destroyed the universe when he judged Israel through Babylon (Jer 4:22-30), and did so again when he judged Egypt by Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar (Ez 32:1-16). The Father entered into judgments with Egypt and Assyria in a spectacular coming in Isaiah 31. Habakkuk's depiction of Jehovah's coming at Mt. Sinai is nothing less than apocalyptic (Hab 3:3-16). Were any of these OT comings visual, physical/literal appearances of Yahweh as the prophets describe in metaphorical prophetic language? Of course not (Jn 1:18; 1 Jn 4:12)--the Hebrews understood that no human could ever see Yahweh and live (Exodus 33:20).

Importantly, these comings of the Father form the entire backdrop for the doctrine of the "coming" of Christ, for it was in this manner of the Father's glory that Christ said he would come (Matt 16:27-28; Lk. 9:26; Matt 24:33-34).

As stated in Matthew 21:40-45, the Lord of the Vineyard came to the apostate leaders of first-century Israel and was The Stone that crushed them to powder, removing the Kingdom of God from them and giving it to a new Nation. Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, came in the glory of the Father and did so in the lifetimes of the apostles, exactly as he promised (Matt 16:27-28; 24:33-34)

 

[The Gryphon]

The one with the changing borders? Will God bring tape to mark off the wrong streets? Will God remove all the infidels by hand?

Jesus is coming back:

Revelation 19: 11-21
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.
20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” Isaiah 2:2-5 (KJV)

“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 14:16-21 (KJV)

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up…Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:8-10,13 (KJV)

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 21:1-3 (KJV)

 

[The Gryphon]

Apparently, they believe He will simply require them to be physically circumcised and render blood animal sacrifices directly at His feet for atonement of their sins and acceptance by Him, Per Ezekiel chapters 38-42

The will be dead. See above post.

 

[The Gryphon]

parousia70 said: Don't hold your breath while you're waiting for this..

I for one plan on being there so I will not have to hold my breath. Yeshua HaMashiach, the Savior of the world (Jesus) will perform all He said he will!!!

Romans 11

1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me” a ? 4And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” b 5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

7What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

9And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.

10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”

11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26and in this way e all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

27And this is f my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now h receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and i knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

34“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”

35“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”

36For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

 

[parousia70]

The will be dead. See above post.

Then who are these living people outside the gates of the New Jerusalem on the New Earth?:

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:15)

 

[The Gryphon]

Then who are these living people outside the gates of the New Jerusalem on the New Earth?:

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:15)

Not everyone is going to Heaven.

In contrast to those who receive rewards from Christ are those who remain on the “outside.” Those without Christ are like “dogs.” Dogs in the first century were not domestic animals as they are in our day. They were scavengers who ate garbage. Many were wild. Generally, they were hated creatures. The people of this verse are bestial who live like dogs. They know little more than what they taste, feel, hear, see and smell. They cannot see eternal things.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith gives sight to eternal things. It reaches out to the future and brings it into the present.
Notice the nasty crowd here. They are described as those who practice sorcery (9:21; 18:23; 21:8) and the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters and those who love and practice a lie. These practices typify the lost. Those that do not accept the shed blood of Christ for them do not have that right.
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

 

[SkyWriting]

Apparently, they believe He will simply require them to be physically circumcised and render blood animal sacrifices directly at His feet for atonement of their sins and acceptance by Him, Per Ezekiel chapters 38-42

I wouldn't look forward to that.

 

[The Gryphon]

The Role of National Israel in the Plan of God
Source: The Role of National Israel in the Plan of God - from eParousia #4, May, 2003
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Reprinted from eParousia #4, May, 2003

In the last issue of eParousia, we looked at the various views of the Millennium - Amillennialism, Postmillennialism and Premillennialism. One's position on the millennium often stems from one's ecclesiology - what a person believes is true about the church. In this issue I thought it would be good to examine the underlying theological viewpoints which undergird these various views. Namely, who is Israel? What is the Church? What is God's plan for Israel? Is there a future for national Israel? For answers to these questions, we'll need to examine the Scriptures.

There are two main views concerning the role of the nation of Israel in God's plan. One view holds that Israel was God's chosen people, but has now been set aside because of their disobedience and rejection of Christ. Israel was judged in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, and the Church has replaced Israel as the new people of God. The Church inherits the blessings promised to Israel in the Old Testament, and these blessings are not to be understood literally, but spiritually. This view has been called Replacement Theology.

The other position believes that, though Israel was judged and set aside by God for their disobedience and rejection of the Messiah, this judgment is not permanent. The Church has a role to play in the plan of God, but it is not as a replacement for Israel. Rather, Israel does have a future in the plan of God, and the promises given to Israel will be fulfilled in Israel. This view is part of what has been called Dispensationalism.

Amillennialism and Postmillennialism are based on replacement theology. Since Israel no longer has a role in God's plan, there is no need for a future 1000-year kingdom where Israel will be the chief nation on earth. Premillennialism, however, believes that God's promises to Israel, as of yet unfulfilled, will be fulfilled to Israel in a future time called the Millennium. The question for us is, "What does the Bible teach?"

GOD'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL

First of all, we must recognize that God has a special place in His heart for Israel and Jerusalem. In Deuteronomy 7:6 we read, "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." God calls Jerusalem the "apple of His eye" in Zechariah 2:8. For a reason known only to God, He chose Israel to be His people, to reflect His glory, and to receive His blessing, and He chose Jerusalem as His dwelling place. It was God's eternal plan that Israel would be the conduit for His blessing and grace to spread to the entire world.

God's relationship with Israel is based on covenants. The Old Testament speaks of several covenants that God made with His people, Israel. The foundation of all of these covenants is the one made with Abraham, called the Abrahamic Covenant. Genesis 12 gives us the first encounter with the covenant:

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen. 12:1-3)

Was this a temporary covenant that one day would be set aside? No. The Scriptures clearly state that this covenant (promise) from God is "everlasting" (Gen. 17:7-8). The Abrahamic Covenant involves three elements: A land, a nation, and a blessing. These three aspects of this covenant are enlarged in subsequent covenants, called the Palestinian (or land) covenant, the Davidic covenant, and the New Covenant. These covenants are also stated to be eternal covenants.

Over and over God promised to give the Promised Land to Israel "forever" (Gen. 13:15; Ex. 32:13; Is. 60:21; Ezek. 37:25). God promised David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne. God says that this throne will be established "forever" (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 1 Chron. 17:11-14; Ps. 89:35-37; Is. 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33). And the New Covenant is called an "everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20). God has made it very clear what He intends to do.

All of God's promises to Israel, which began with the Abrahamic Covenant, will finally be fulfilled in a future kingdom. As God states through the prophet Ezekiel:

"And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them. And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever" (Ezek. 37:24-28).

We must note that all of these covenants were with the nation of Israel. Even the New Covenant is specifically stated to be "with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (Jer. 31:31). God never made a covenant with the Church. Rather, the church now shares in the New Covenant. The New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus in the upper room with His disciples, is the same New Covenant spoken of in the book of Jeremiah, and the only covenant mentioned by the New Testament.

Paul, when speaking of the Church's relationship to Israel, never says that the Church has usurped Israel's place, or replaced Israel as the covenant people of God. Rather, Paul speaks of us as being "grafted in" (Rom. 11:17), "brought near" (Eph. 2:13), "descendants of Abraham" by faith (Rom. 4:16), "heirs" of Abraham's promise (Gal. 3:29), and as "sharing" in Israel's blessings (Rom. 15:27). Because of God's grace and his plan to extend His blessing to all peoples, we have been included with the Jews into the New Covenant.

HAS GOD REJECTED HIS PEOPLE?

But, you may ask, "Didn't God reject the Jews because of their disobedience?" I'm glad you asked. Some had asked this same question of the apostle Paul, and his answer was unequivocal: "May it never be!" (Rom. 11:1). Indeed, the 11th chapter of Romans is Paul's treatise on the role and future of Israel in God's plan of redemption. Rather than teaching replacement theology, the apostle Paul reasserts what was the clear teaching of the Old Testament - God is not through with Israel, and He has a grand plan for their future.

To summarize Romans 11, Paul tells us that God has not finally rejected His people, Israel. Rather, because of their disobedience, God has given them a "spirit of stupor", a "partial hardening". They have been broken off from the root, but will be grafted in again. During this time of Israel's blindness, the gospel has gone to the Gentiles in order to make the Jews jealous. We Gentiles, the wild olive tree, have been grafted into the root of the natural olive tree (Israel). Once the "fullness of the Gentiles" has come in (to salvation), then "all Israel will be saved." Regarding Israel, Paul states, "For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29). That is, God's covenant with Israel in the Old Testament has not been revoked. Israel will inherit the blessings promised to them and one day in the future they will be grafted back in and "all Israel will be saved."

Paul is merely repeating what God had already said in the Old Testament. He has promised to never cast off Israel:

Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done," declares the LORD. (Jer. 31:35-37)

I just looked out my window here in Central Florida and saw the sun. I guess God still has plans for Israel.

SALVATION OF ISRAEL

Throughout the Old Testament God promised that one day salvation would come to Israel (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:24-28, 37:21-28; Hosea 3:4-5; Joel 3:16-21; Zech. 10:6-12, 12:10). Though they had rebelled and sinned against God, He would one day have compassion on them, and bring them to salvation. Paul knew his Bible, and this is what he is speaking of in Romans 11.

KINGDOM RESTORED TO ISRAEL

One of God's promises in the Old Testament was the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel. He had allowed them to be conquered again and again because of their disobedience. But, consonant with their future national salvation would come a restoration of their kingdom as well. Again, there are a multitude of verses that promise this restored everlasting Kingdom (Jer. 23:5-6; Ezek. 37:24-28; Dan. 2:44; Amos 9:11-15; Obad. 17-21; Zech. 14:9-17).

The New Testament also reiterates the restoration of Israel's kingdom. When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary, and told her that she was to have a child by the Spirit of God coming upon her, he said of this child: " He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." (Luke 1:32-33). What would these words have conveyed to Mary? Undoubtedly that her son would rule the nation of Israel, as her ancestor David did.

Later in His ministry Jesus promises his twelve disciples that, "…in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt. 19:28). What could this mean except a restoration of the Kingdom to Israel?

In His Olivet Discourse recorded in Luke 21, Jesus spoke of the coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the dispersion of the Jews. He said, "… and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). This is a prophecy of the destruction by Rome of literal Jerusalem and its subsequent domination by Gentile powers. However, a time limit is placed on this domination by the word "until". Jesus says that one day the domination will end. What can this refer to but the restoration of Jerusalem to Jewish rule?

And finally, after the resurrection of Christ, His disciples ask him a pressing question: "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" It would have been simple for Him to say, "No. You don't understand. My kingdom is spiritual, not physical." But how did He answer His disciples? He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority…" (Acts 1:6-7). Had they misunderstood? Hardly. Jesus in no way diminishes their hopes of a restored kingdom; rather He says that the restoration of the kingdom to Israel will come in God's own timing.

CONCLUSION

Replacement theology does a disservice to the Church, Israel and the Word of God. The substitution of the Church for Israel runs counter to the expectations of the prophets, the expectations of Jesus' disciples and the clear teaching of both the Old and New Testaments. If God will not fulfill His promises to Israel, what guarantee do we have that He will fulfill His promises to the Church? Has God rejected Israel? May it never be!

This article was originally published through eParousia, Sola Scriptura's monthly end-times e-newsletter.

 

[The Gryphon]

What is the purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ? It comes after Jesus Second Coming.
Source: What is the purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ?
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Question: "What is the purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ?"

Answer: The Millennium (also known as the Millennial Kingdom) is the 1,000-year reign of Jesus after the Tribulation and before all the people of the world are sent to either heaven or hell. Jesus will reign as king over Israel as well as all the nations of the world (Isaiah 2:4; 42:1). The world will live in peace (Isaiah 11:6–9; 32:18), Satan will be bound (Revelation 20:1–3), and, at the beginning, everyone will worship God (Isaiah 2:2–3). The purpose of the 1,000-year reign is to fulfill promises God made to the world that cannot be fulfilled while Satan is free and humans have political authority. Some of these promises, called covenants, were given specifically to Israel. Others were given to Jesus, the nations of the world, and creation. All of these will be fulfilled during Jesus’ 1,000-year reign.

The Palestinian Covenant, also called the Land Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10)
God has already fulfilled the personal aspects of the Abrahamic Covenant; Abraham did go to the Promised Land, he did have many descendants, and he is the forefather of many nations. Several hundred years after Abraham, Joshua led the Israelites to claim ownership of the Promised Land. But Israel has never possessed the specific boundaries that God promised in Genesis 15:18–20 and Numbers 34:1-12. Not even Solomon ruled over this particular area (1 Kings 4:21–24). Although he did reign from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates, he did not hold the area from Mount Hor to Hazarenan (Numbers 34:7–9)—into present-day Lebanon and Syria. In addition, the covenant God made with Abraham was that he and his descendants would have the land for eternity (Genesis 13:15; 17:8; Ezekiel 16:60). The current Israeli state may be a step in this direction, but they still do not possess the boundaries God laid out.

The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7)
God’s covenant with David was that his line would never die out and that David’s heir would sit on the throne of Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Biblical scholars agree that Jesus is the fulfillment of this covenant—one of the reasons His genealogy is given for both His step-father (Matthew 1:1–17) and His mother (Luke 3:23–38). The Jews understood this when they laid down palm branches and their cloaks as Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–17). They expected Him to be a military/political leader that would liberate them from the Romans and make Israel a great nation again. But they didn’t understand the nature of Jesus’ work at the time was for the New Covenant, not the Davidic Covenant. The 1,000-year reign will be the beginning of Jesus’ eternal reign over Israel and the earth (Revelation 20:4, 6).

The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The work of the New Covenant—Jesus’ death and resurrection to reconcile hearts to God—has been accomplished. But we have not yet seen the complete fulfillment. Jeremiah 31:33 says, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Ezekiel 36:28 gives more specifics: “You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Isaiah 59:20–21 explains that this covenant is possible because of the Redeemer, and the reconciliation He provides will last forever. This covenant does not mean that every Jew will be saved. But it does mean that Israel as a nation will worship their Messiah. The Old Testament prophets who spoke of this covenant, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Ezekiel, all wrote that it will be fulfilled in the future. From their time on, Israel has yet to be an independent nation that worshiped its Messiah (Romans 9—11). They will be in the 1,000-year reign of Christ.

Other Promises
Those are the covenants God made with Israel that are to be fulfilled in Jesus’ 1,000-year reign, but the Bible lists other promises that will be fulfilled, too. God promised Jesus He will make His enemies a footstool, and that Jesus’ followers will worship Him freely (Psalm 100). God promised the nations of the world that they would live in peace with Jesus as their ruler (Daniel 7:11–14). And He promised creation that the curse would be lifted (Romans 8:18–23), animals and the earth would be restored to peace and prosperity (Isaiah 11:6–9; 32:13–15), and people would be freed from disease (Ezekiel 34:16). These, too, will be fulfilled during the 1,000-year reign.

The main purpose of Jesus’ 1,000-year reign is to fulfill the prophecies given to Israel and the promises made to Jesus, the nations, and the whole earth. God’s covenants were voluntary and one-sided. He promised He would bless Israel and restore the world in specific ways, and He will.

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