CALL TO AWAKE - September 19, 2017

HEAVENLY SIGN 2017 ^ | September 19, 2017 | Steve Sewell

[MHGinTN]

More precisely: Judges 21:25 KJV

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

In second Kings that becomes 'no God in Israel'

[Larry Lucido]

There will be more "end of the worlds;" I'm confident.

[SaveFerris]

[ No, even if the Rapture happens, the world will not “end.” There is the 7 year Tribulation, the Millennial kingdom, and then a new heaven and a new earth.

The ignorance of the world to God’s Word is stunning. ]

Yep.

[unlearner]

“The Ekklesia have been tasked with spreading the Gospel of The Grace of God in Christ... God seals 144,000 ‘Jewish virgins’ to preach the Gospel of The Kingdom during the Tribulation.”

Again, speculation is not the same thing as exegetical teaching. There are two passages that specify the identities and activities of the 144,000. These are Revelation 7 and 14. Neither passage describes them preaching the Gospel—of the kingdom or otherwise.

Chapter 14 does say that an angel brings the “everlasting Gospel” and makes a proclamation. Interestingly it appears that the 144,000 have already entered into the presence of God at this point.

And chapter 7 makes no specific connection between the 144,000 and the uncountable multitude in Heaven. The common explanation that the 144,000 are evangelists or latter-day “apostle Pauls” who convert these multitudes is speculative. While it may be completely preposterous to suggest this, why not speculate that in order for them to fit the model of apostle Paul, they are persecutors of believers like Paul was of Stephen, and the 144,000 caused all these believers to die and go to Heaven? Again, I am being preposterous. But I am illustrating that speculation is dangerous when it starts being treated on the same level as scripture itself. Very dangerous.

The only basis to infer that the 144,000 might be specifically preaching the “gospel of the kingdom” is to start with the assumption of a pre-trib rapture and then speculate that these must be the ones by whom the Gospel is preached to every nation before the end. However, the great multitude could as easily be those who take this Gospel of the kingdom to the world. Further, these things occur after a great many people have been killed for their witness of Jesus. Where do these martyrs come from when the Church has been supposedly raptured and the 144,000 are not around to preach the Gospel? And when is the strong delusion going to occur in which it is too late for people to believe? Lots of problems with the assumptions about the ministry of the 144,000. We can explore assumptions and speculations, but these are NOT the basis of Bible doctrine or a means to prove one point of view over another. You can not prove a pre-trib rapture by forcing a pre-trib assumption upon the unspecified meaning of the text.

Revelation 6:9
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Matthew 24:9
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Now concerning the so-called Gospels of Grace and of the Kingdom, there are not two or more Gospels. There is only one. Unless you count false Gospels. Just because the Gospel in the Old Testament did not contain all of the information we have today does not mean that the means of salvation was by anything other than grace. Salvation has always been by grace. It has never been by works. The Law has never saved a single solitary soul. Only grace has.

Romans 10:15
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Romans 3:21
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.

When Paul calls the Gospel, “the gospel of grace,” he is simply personalizing the nature of his presentation. When he calls it “my gospel” it is not because it is a different Gospel than that of the other apostles. Otherwise then Paul would have been cursing the very apostles into whose care Christ entrusted the Gospel and the Church. It is just as ridiculous as making the 144,000 into persecutors of believers. Yet some go around promoting such nonsense.

Romans 2:16
In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

2 Timothy 2:8
Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel.

The distinction between the forms of the Gospel in the Old Testament, during the earthly ministries of Christ and John the Baptist, and during the Acts of the Apostles is one of revealed knowledge. There is a progressive expansion of knowledge. But there is never a reverting backward to things that have been done away with.

The Gospel goes all the way back to God’s promise for the “seed of the woman,” i.e. Christ, to crush the head of Satan.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.

There was always repentance and faith. There was even a form of baptism. Although, in the Old Testament it was a type, where New Testament believer’s baptism is the anti-type. That is, it is the real baptism that was foreshadowed before. Salvation was always through the blood of Christ. The blood of animal sacrifices, whether by Abel, Moses, David, or anyone, never took away sins.

Hebrews 10:4-5
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.”

1 Corinthians 10:2
All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

1 Peter 3:21
There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Gospel also included the Gospel of the Kingdom message. That’s because the kingdom message is not about the dispensation, but about the King. Christ is the King. He is Lord. Paul preached to confess Jesus as Lord. He taught how the Church was a manifestation of God’s coming kingdom. He preached a Gospel that was not merely about salvation, but also about service.

Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14:21-22
And when they [Paul and Barnabas] had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

“IF the Ekklesia were sharing the Gospel of Grace while the evangelization of the 144,000 is being proclaimed, it would cause confusion.”

More than that, it would cause a curse. Because any different Gospel is cursed because it is a false Gospel. Just because Paul presented the Gospel in a different manner to the Gentiles than he did to Jews, does not mean it is a different Gospel. It is just a different way to relate the message to folks from different backgrounds.

Galatians 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

But since the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of Grace refer to the same message, the early church (including Paul) preached that one and same Gospel.

Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.

Acts 19:8
And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

Acts 28:23
So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.

And the Gospel that Christ preached is only different in the economy of what had been revealed. His substitutionary death, His burial, His resurrection, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, the eye witness testimonies of those who saw the risen Christ — none of these had happened yet. But the message to repent and believe were the same. The means by which the propitiation and forgiveness of sins happened were the same.

1 Peter 1:10-12
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.