We will continue the verse-by-verse study of Jeremiah chapter 30, starting at verse 12, then we will go on to a verse-by-verse study of Jeremiah chapter 31.

I want to repeat what I said at the beginning of Jeremiah chapter 30: This chapter is very important, so I didn’t want to skip it here, but the format used here (without my being able to use bold lettering for the verses that we are studying, or footnotes, italics, etc. may make it a little difficult to read for some readers. For one thing I had quite a few footnotes in the original paper, and I get into a lot of details. If you prefer you can go to my website and read this chapter (or the entire paper) in a format where I was able to use bold lettering, footnotes, italics, etc.

I’ll quote from the “New American Standard Bible,” 1995 edition, unless otherwise noted. Frequently I’ll make comments in the middle of quotations in brackets [ ] or [[ ]] to make them more obvious.

(12) ‘For thus says the LORD [Yahweh], “Your wound [see verses 14, 17] is incurable And your injury [see verse 15] is serious. [Verses 13-15 show that this "wound" and "injury" speak of the judgments God has inflicted on Israel and Judah as a penalty for persistent sin without meaningful repentance. Eventually, however, the end-time remnant of Israel/Judah will repent and submit to God and His new-covenant salvation in and through Christ Jesus, and they will be healed (see verse 17).] (13) There is no one to plead your cause; No healing for your sore, No recovery for you. [Compare Jer. 14:19. The healing/recovery cannot come in any full sense until the remnant of Israel/Judah repent and are healed of their rebellion by God's new-covenant salvation.]; (14) All your lovers have forgotten you [[The "lovers" here are the nations which Judah/Israel had looked to, and had improper relationships with, instead of God. And, significantly, these relationships with the nations often included worshipping the gods of the nations, instead of being faithful to God. As this verse shows, their lovers forgot them because they became undesirable after God had judged them intensely because their iniquity was great and their sins numerous. After Judah/Israel lost their fame, wealth, etc., they were no longer desirable to the nations.]], They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy [cf. Lam. 2:1-10], With the punishment of a cruel one ["I have struck you as an enemy would, and punished you as would the cruel" NIV.

Many of God's judgments against Israel/Judah came through cruel rulers of cruel nations, including the kings of Assyria and Babylon, and Antichrist is yet to come.], Because your iniquity is great And your sins are numerous. (15) Why do you cry out over your injury? Your pain is incurable. Because your iniquity is great And your sins are numerous, I have done these things to you. [[One key point that God makes in this verse, as He speaks to Israel/Judah, is that He is the One who has judged them severely. It wasn't the nations (or anyone or anything else, including blind chance) that had caused their serious wounds and injuries. He wanted to make it clear that He was the One who had been judging them (often judging them through the nations) for their great iniquity and sins. As the next verse shows, God can deal with the nations who had been devouring Israel/Judah at any time, and He will deal with them after Israel/Judah finally repents in the last days and is saved through new-covenant salvation.]] (16) Therefore all who devour you [cf. Jer. 10:25] will be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity; And those who plunder you will be for plunder, And all who prey upon you I will give for prey. [See under verse 15.] (17) For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds [cf. Jer. 33:6; Hos. 6:1],” declares the LORD [Yahweh], “Because they have called you an outcast, saying: ‘It is Zion; no one cares ["Lit. is seeking" (margin of NASB)] for her.’ ” [See under verse 15, and see verses 3, 7-11, 18-22. God always has cared for Zion (Israel/Judah - true Israel), and He will demonstrate this care in a very substantial way when He saves Zion at the end of this age. However, when Israel/Judah was being severely chastened by God it looked as if He didn't care for Zion.] (18) ‘Thus says the LORD [Yahweh], “Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob [cf. Jer. 30:3; 31:23] And have compassion on his [Jacob's] dwelling places [cf. Psalm 102:13; Isa. 60:10; and Zech. 1:12]; And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin [[((I had a footnote: "The word 'ruins' [The NIV translates "ruins"] is the well-known term tel (‘tell,’ ‘mound,’ ‘heap’), now used by Arabs for the ruined mounds of Palestine” (Charles Feinberg, “Expositor’s Bible Commentary,” Vol. 6, page 564). In a footnote Feinberg adds, “The Hebrew tel (tel, ‘mound’ of a ruined city) corresponds to the Arabic tell. New towns in the Near East were frequently built on the ruins of the previous settlements.

Notice how tel (tell) formed a part of place names: Tel Aviv (Ezek 3:15), Tell el-Amarna (in Egypt), Tel Assar (2 Kings 19:12), Tel Melah, and Tel Harsha (Ezra 2:59).”)) Compare Jer. 31:4-6, 12, 23, 38-40. Jerusalem was rebuilt after the return from the Babylonian exile (as were many other cities), but this prophecy looks (at least for the most part) to the end of this age when Jerusalem will be rebuilt, exalted, and glorified after God’s end-time judgment of the world (cf., e.g., Isa. 2:2-4; 60:1-22; and Zech. 14:8-21).]], And the palace will stand on its rightful place. [Apparently the "palace" is the dwelling place of the "ruler/leader" mentioned in verse 21. As we have seen, the Lord Jesus Christ is that ruler (the King-High Priest).] (19) From them will proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who celebrate [cf. Isa. 12:1; 35:10; 51:3, 11; Jer. 31:4; and Zeph. 3:14]; And I will multiply them ["I will add to their numbers" NIV]; and they will not be diminished [[For one thing, God will add large number of Gentiles to His true Israel (the Gentiles who become part of true Israel by salvation through faith in Christ Jesus). (I had a footnote: Apparently many Gentiles will answer the gospel call after the mid-week rapture; they will become part of God's true Israel; they will become part of the elect end-time remnant of God's true Israel.)]]; I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant. [These verses speak of the people of Israel/Judah after they have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ in the last days.] (20) Their children also will be as formerly [[It is probably better (with J. A. Thompson and the NEB, for example) to translate "sons" instead of 'children" here. Apparently children are not specifically mentioned in this verse. ((I had a footnote: Compare Isa. 60:22; 65:17-22; and Jer. 33:22. For the record (based on subsequent prophecy, especially the all-important book of Revelation), I believe all the members of God's true Israel will be glorified by the time the millennial kingdom begins. (Start with "A Study of Isaiah 65:17-25" at the end of the chapter dealing with Isaiah chapter 25 in my paper titled, "Verse-by-Verse Studies of Selected Eschatological Prophecies from the Book of Isaiah.") If that is true, the people of God's true Israel won't be having children in the millennial kingdom (cf. Luke 20:34-36), but (apparently) the remnant of the nations (e.g., Rev. 20:3) will continue to have children throughout the millennium.)) These verses are poetry in the Hebrew as indicated in the format of the NASB; NIV, for example, and the two lines "their sons also will be as formerly" and "And their congregation shall be established before Me" are parallel statements (with "their sons" being equivalent to 'their congregation'); parallel statements are very common in Hebrew poetry.]], And their congregation shall be established before Me [cf. Isa. 54:14]; And I will punish all their oppressors [cf. Jer. 30:11, 16, 23, 24]. (21) Their leader [the Lord Jesus Christ] shall be one of them [See verse 9.], And their ruler ["their ruler" is the equivalent of "their leader"] shall come forth from their midst; And I will bring him [Him] near and he [He] shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the LORD [Yahweh]. [From our new-covenant perspective, we can see that this particular Ruler has a right to approach God the Father like no other person in the universe, being deity Himself, God the Son, who became the God-man, the Lamb of God, the only Savior from sin and death, and our great High-Priest.] (22) You shall be My people, And I will be your God.” ‘ [Compare Ex. 6:7; 19:5, 6; Jer. 32:38; Ezek. 36:28; Hos. 2:23; Zech. 13:9; and Rev. 22:3-5.] (23) Behold, the tempest of the LORD [Yahweh]! Wrath has gone forth, A sweeping tempest; It will burst on the head of the wicked. [Compare Jer. 23:19, 20; 25:30-38. God's wrath will go forth in His end-time judgment of the world. All the people (including the people of Israel/Judah) who are committed to wickedness (the unrepentant) will be removed by judgment.] (24) The fierce anger of the LORD [Yahweh] will not turn back [cf. Jer. 4:8] Until He has performed and until He has accomplished The intent of His heart; In the latter days you will understand this.” [Compare Jer. 23:20. In the latter days, God's people will be able to fully understand His plans to save and to judge, because these things will have fully come to pass (in accordance with His prophetic word).]
JEREMIAH CHAPTER 31

I’ll quote the introductory paragraph that F. B. Huey has for Jeremiah chapter 31. “The main theme of this chapter is that a restored and reunited Israel [including Israel/Ephraim and Judah] would enjoy a new covenant relationship with God. The people would be spiritually as well as physically restored. The theme is expressed succinctly in the first verse, which serves as an introduction to the chapter. Verses 2-22 speak of the future of the Northern Kingdom. Verses 23-26 anticipate the Southern Kingdom’s restoration. Verses 27-40 describe coming days of blessing for both Israel and Judah” (“Jeremiah, Lamentations” [Broadman Press, 1993], page 268). I’ll also quote a sentence from what Huey says under verses 7-9 (page 272), “This was to be a new exodus on a grander scale in which God would judge the nations, deliver and regather his people from the ends of the earth, and shepherd them through the wilderness into the promised land of rest.’ Huey has a footnote here, “R. E. Watts, ‘Consolation or Confrontation? Isaiah 40-55 and the Delay of the New Exodus,’ TB 41 (1990); 32-35. Cf. Isa. 27:12, 13; 35:1-19; 43:14-21; 48:20-21; 51:9-11; 52:11-12; Jer. 23:7; Hos. 2:14-23; 11:5-11; Amos 9:7-15.”

I’ll also quote part of what C. F. Keil says here. ” ‘All the families of Israel’ [verse 1] are the families of the whole twelve tribes – of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, separated since the death of Solomon. After this announcement of deliverance for the whole of Israel, the address turns first to Israel of the ten tribes, and continues to treat longest of them, ‘because, judging from appearances, they seem irrecoverably lost – for ever rejected by the Lord’ (Hengstenberg)” (“Commentary on the Old Testament,” Vol. 8 [Eerdmans, 1978 reprint], page 16).

” ‘At that time,’ declares the LORD [Yahweh], ‘I will be the God of all the families of Israel [referring to Judah and Israel/Ephraim], and they shall be My people [cf., e.g., Jer. 30:22; Ezek. 37:15-28].’ [[The words "at that time" refer to the time at the end of this age spoken of in the last verses of Jeremiah chapter 30. (I had a footnote: Some Hebrew manuscripts have this verse (Jer. 31:1) as the last verse of chapter 30.) God will have reduced the people of Israel/Ephraim and Judah to a repentant remnant (through a powerful end-time shaking that will begin about the time of Antichrist's abomination of desolation; through the ministry of the two prophets of Revelation chapter 11; etc.), and will have saved them (and He will have judged the nations and left a repentant remnant of the nations too). The time setting here is about the end of Daniel's 70th week (Dan. 9:27). I should point out that verse 1 is prose in the Hebrew and verses 2-22 are poetry, as indicated by the format of the NASB; NIV, for example.]] (2) Thus says the LORD [Yahweh], ‘The people who survived the sword [Compare "the remnant of Israel" in verse 7.] Found grace in the wilderness ["will find favor in the desert" NIV] – Israel, when it went to find its rest [cf. Jer. 16:14, 15; 23:7, 8; and Hos. 2:14, 15].’ [["The people who survived the sword" is the end-time remnant of Israel scattered across the earth. (Apparently the past tenses of verses 2, 3 are prophetic perfects in the Hebrew.) They are "in the wilderness" on their way to find rest in the land of Israel, building on the fact that Israel was "in the wilderness" after the exodus from Egypt on their way to the promised land.

Coming just after Jer. 30:1-31:1 and with Jer. 31:27-34, and considering verses like Jer. 3:18; 23:1-8; and 50:4, 5 (all five passages just cited speak of God's saving all Israel [Israel/Ephraim and Judah] at the end of this age), I expect “Israel” to refer to all Israel here in verse 2, but I have to agree with most of the commentators that verses 2-22 deal (at least for the most part) with God’s salvation of the northern kingdom (sometimes called Ephraim/Israel). (I had a footnote: Jeremiah 3:12-14 deal with God’s salvation of the end-time remnant of the northern kingdom.) Verses 4-6 (or at least verses 5, 6) are clearly addressed to (the end-time remnant) of the northern kingdom, and the name “Ephraim” (which is clearly associated with the northern kingdom) is used in verses 6, 9, 18, and 20. Furthermore, the fact that Judah (the southern kingdom) is given separate treatment in verses 23-25 further substantiates the idea that verses 2-22 deal (at least for the most part) with the northern kingdom. (I had a footnote: If it weren’t for the emphasis on the northern kingdom [Israel/Ephraim] in verses 2-22 and the use of Ephraim in verse 9, verses 7-17 would fit better with God’s end-time salvation of the entire nation [Israel/Ephraim and Judah].) “Zion” (a name associated with the temple mount and Jerusalem) is mentioned in verses 6, 12. It seems to be taken for granted that Judah will have been saved and God will be dwelling in Jerusalem when the end-time remnant of the northern kingdom come to Jerusalem to worship God, etc.

It was reasonable to put all the emphasis on God’s salvation of the northern kingdom in verses 2-22. The people of that kingdom (sometimes called Israel/Ephraim) departed from God first and were carried into captivity about a hundred years before Jeremiah’s ministry began, while Judah still existed as a nation dwelling in their land throughout most of Jeremiah’s ministry (before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/586 BC). Furthermore, the people of the northern kingdom did not return from captivity (at least not in substantial numbers) while many of the people of the southern kingdom did return from the Babylonian captivity after seventy years (as God had prophesied that they would). Then too, the northern kingdom embraced ten tribes while the southern kingdom embraced only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin (cf., e.g., 1 Kings 11:29-36; 12:21).]] (3) The LORD [Yahweh] appeared to him ["Lit. me" (margin of NASB); the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) has "to him"] from afar [probably meaning from Zion; cf. Jer. 30:10], saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love [cf. Deut. 4:37; 7:8; and Mal. 1:2];

Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness [Compare Psalm 25:6; Jer. 9:24; 32:18; Lam. 3:32; and Dan. 9:4. God draws them to Himself to save them spiritually and to take them back to the land of Israel/Judah (cf., e.g., Jer. 30:3).] (4) Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt [cf. Jer. 24:6; 30:18; and 33:7], O virgin of Israel! Again you will take up your tambourines [Compare Ex. 15:20; 1 Sam. 18:6. J. A. Thompson translates, "Once again you will adorn yourselves with timbrels," and regarding timbrels, he says, "adornment with small pieces that tinkled in the dance was common all over the Near East in ancient times and still is today" ("Book of Jeremiah," page 567.], And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers [cf. Jer. 30:19]. (5) Again you will plant vineyards [cf. Isa. 65:21; Ezek. 28:26; and Amos 9:14] On the hills of Samaria [[The "hills of Samaria" here and the "hills of Ephraim" of verse 6 refer to land of the northern kingdom. This viewpoint is confirmed by the fact that the last words of verse 6 speak of the people living in the north going up to Zion (they go up to Zion/Jerusalem because the city is some 2,500 feet above sea level; cf. "height of Zion" [Jer. 31:12]) to Yahweh, their God. The fact that they go up to Zion shows that Judah will have been saved through the Lord Jesus Christ too and that Israel/Ephraim and Judah will have been reunited (cf., e.g., Jer. 30:3, 7-9, 18-22; 31:1).]]; The planters will plant And will enjoy them. [In the past God's people would often plant but others would end up enjoying the produce.] (6) For there will be a day when watchmen [I had a footnote: "the watchmen who were posted on the mountains, that they might observe and give notice of the first appearance of the crescent of the moon after new-moon, so that the festival of the new-moon and the feasts connected with it might be fixed..." (C. F. Keil, "Commentary on the Old Testament," Vol. 8 [Eerdmans,1978 reprint], page 19).] On the hills of Ephraim call out, “Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD [Yahweh] our God.” ‘ [See under verse 5.] (7) For thus says the LORD [Yahweh], ‘Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob [The names Jacob and Israel (God changed Jacob's name to Israel) can be confusing in that both names can be used for the entire nation (in that Jacob/Israel was the father of all twelve tribes of the nation), and they can also be used of the northern kingdom, as they (apparently) are in this verse.], And shout among [The Hebrew preposition "b" translated "among" by the NASB here could also be translated "for" (NIV, NRSV); the Hebrew preposition "l" was translated "for" earlier in this verse.] the chief [or, head] of the nations [[(This double bracket continues for several paragraphs.) Compare Amos 6:1. The chief/foremost of the nations (from God's point of view) is Israel/Jacob, referring to the whole nation (cf. Deut. 26:19), but most agree that the northern kingdom is spoken of here. Note that Ephraim (referring to the northern kingdom) is called God's "firstborn" in verse 9 (being God's firstborn nation and being the chief/head of the nations is comparable in meaning) - see under verse 9.

But who is God speaking to here in verse 7? Who is He telling to "sing aloud with gladness for Jacob" and "to shout among (or, for) the chief of the nations"? It isn't all that obvious, but I assume God is speaking to the nations (or, more precisely, to the end-time remnant of the nations, not including Israel/Judah) that He has left after His end-time judgment of the world. Note that He speaks to the nations (the end-time remnant of the nations) in verse 10 and tells them to declare Israel's salvation "in the coastlands afar off."

God appointed Jeremiah a prophet to the nations (see Jer. 1:5, 10) and he (like Isaiah the prophet) frequently spoke to the nations and/or prophesied about the nations in his prophecies (cf., e.g., Jer. 3:17; 4:1, 2; 6:18-21 [In Jer. 6:18-21 God called the nations His "congregation" and spoke to them of His bringing disaster on Judah because of their persistent sinfulness; He also called the nations His "congregation" in Psalm 82:1; cf. Psalm 7:7]; 12:14-17; 16:19-21; 18:7-10; 25:8-38; 27:1-11; 33:9; 36:2; 46:1-51:64.)

Why would the remnant of the nations rejoice because God (judges the world and) saves the repentant end-time remnant of Ephraim (and Judah)? Because at that time the end-time remnant of the nations will realize that the God of Israel/Judah (the God of true Israel) is God and that He has removed the unrepentant rebels (who were committed to continue in rebellion forever) from the earth and is offering salvation to the repentant remnant of the nations too. There are many prophetic verses that speak of God’s saving the repentant end-time remnant of the nations after His end-time judgment of the world and of their having a place in His millennial kingdom. ((See, for example, Psalm 47; Isa. 2:2-4; Jer. 3:17; 4:1, 2; 16:19-21; 33:9; 48:47; 49:6 [God calls Ammon a "backsliding daughter" in 49:4], 11, 38, 39; 50:2-8 [There is widespread agreement that Jer. 50:8 (cf. Jer. 51:9) shows that the peoples of other nations will be set free too (not just Israel/Judah) when God judges Babylon/the world and that His people will be able to lead them (eventually lead them to God). Verses like Jer. 50:4, 5, 20 demonstrate that God's end-time judgment of the world is in view.], Zech. 2:11; 8:22, 23; 9:10; and 14:16. [I had a footnote: Prophecies like Isa. 2:2-4 (and Mic. 4:1-5) had been given long before the days of Jeremiah. Three of my papers are especially relevant to the topic of God's salvation of the end-time remnant of the nations: "Verse-by-Verse Studies of Selected Eschatological Psalms"; "Verse-by-Verse Studies of Selected Eschatological Prophecies from the Book of Isaiah" and "A Verse-by-Verse Study of Six Important Eschatological Chapters of the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15; Matthew 24, 25; and Revelation 20-22; this Paper Deals Extensively with the Topic of God's Ultimate Salvation Plans for the Nations." This last paper is split up into several parts on my internet site (Google to Karl Kemp Teaching).])) In fact, quite a few prophetic verses even speak of the repentant end-time remnant of the nations bringing the scattered sons of Israel/Judah to God at Jerusalem after His end-time judgment of the world (cf. Isa. 14:1, 2; 49:22 [cf. Isa. 11:10-12]; 60:4-9; 66:20-23; and Zeph. 3:8-11).]]; Proclaim, give praise and say, “O LORD [Yahweh], save Your people [[I prefer the translation, "The LORD [Yahweh] has saved His people.” The “Amplified Bible” has, ‘The Lord has saved His people”; the NEB; RSV have, “The LORD has saved his people”; J. A. Thompson and the “Jerusalem Bible” have, “Yahweh has saved his people”; and the NAB has, “The LORD has delivered his people.” ((I had a footnote: J. A. Thompson (“Book of Jeremiah,” page 568) has a footnote for the word “his,” “MT [The Hebrew Masoretic Text] has ‘your,’ LXX [the Septuagint] and Targ. [Jewish Targum] ‘his.’ ” Gerald Keown, Pamela Scalise, and Thomas Smothers (“Jeremiah 26-52″ [Word, Inc., 1995], page 11) have two footnotes regarding the text here. The first footnote mentions the LXX and Targum readings (that were mentioned by Thompson), then says, “Therefore, BHS ["Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia"] recommends revocalizing to the perfect…’saved’ [instead of the imperative "save"]. ….” The second footnote reads, “BHS follows LXX and Tg [Targum] again, recommending … ‘his people,’ as the object of the perfect [Hebrew] verb.”))]], The remnant of Israel.” [This is the repentant end-time remnant of the northern kingdom that is scattered across the earth (see verse 8). On God's saving the end-time remnant of Israel/Judah, compare, for example, Isa. 11:11, 16; 10:20-23; Jer. 3:14-18; 23:3; 30:3, 11; 50:20; Mic. 2:12, 13; and Rom. 9:27-29; 11:25-27.] (8) Behold, I am bringing them from the north country [cf., e.g., Jer. 3:18], And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth [Compare, for example, Deut. 30:1-5; Jer. 23:8; 30:3; and Ezek. 34:13.], Among them the blind [cf. Isa. 42:16] and the lame [cf. Mic. 4:6], The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great company, they will return here [to the land of Israel/Judah]. (9) With weeping [tears of repentance and joy] they will come [cf. Jer. 50:4], And by supplication I will lead them ["they will pray as I bring them back" NIV]; I will make them walk by streams of waters [cf. Isa. 35:6-8; 43:20; and 49:10], On a straight path in which they will not stumble [cf. Isa. 63:13]; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.’ [[See on "the chief [head] of the nations” under verse 7. Compare Deut. 7:6; 32:6-9; Isa. 64:8; Jer. 3:4, 19; and Hos. 11:1. Exodus 4:22 says, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘thus says the LORD [Yahweh], “Israel is My firstborn.” ‘ ” It is clear that “Israel” refers to all the tribes of Israel/Ephraim and Judah in Ex. 4:22, but it seems that both names, “Israel” and “Ephraim,” are used here in Jer. 31:9 of the northern kingdom. The northern kingdom (with its ten tribes) was an important part of the people of God. The point here is that Israel/Ephraim is God’s “firstborn son” in that is has a privileged position with respect to all the other nations, not that it was born or existed before all the other nations. And, significantly, Israel/Ephraim was not God’s firstborn son over, or apart from, Judah. ((I had a footnote: There is a sense in which Ephraim could be called the preeminent tribe of the twelve tribes (or thirteen if you include the tribe of Levi), but I don’t believe that sense is relevant here in Jer. 31:9. Judah became the dominant tribe.

I’ll quote 1 Chron. 5:1, 2, “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel [Reuben was the firstborn son of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel (see Gen. 29:31, 32)] (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed [Gen. 35:22; 49:4], his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph [Joseph's firstborn son was Manasseh, then Ephraim was born] the son of Israel; so that he [Reuben] is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph [and therefore to his son Ephraim]).” Genesis 48:13-20 explain how Ephraim (the second-born son of Joseph) came to be exalted over Manasseh, the firstborn son of Joseph.))]] (10) Hear the word of the LORD [Yahweh], O nations [See under verse 7.], And declare in the coastlands afar off [cf. Isa. 66:19], And say, ‘He who scattered Israel [the northern kingdom] will gather him And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock [cf. Isa. 40:11; Jer. 3:16-18; 16:14, 15; 23:7, 8; 31:8; 50:19; Ezek. 34:11-16, 23, 31; and Mic. 2:12; 5:4].’ (11) For the LORD [Yahweh] has ransomed Jacob [the northern kingdom] And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. [[Compare Isa. 43:1; 44:23; 48:20; Jer. 15:21; and 50:34. God redeems Jacob/Israel/Ephraim through the Lord Jesus Christ (based on His atoning death). God redeems him [Jacob/Israel/Ephraim (ultimately all the members of God's true Israel) from the hand of him [the ruler(s) of the kingdom(s) of this world (including the devil, the evil angels, and Antichrist) who was stronger than he (stronger than Jacob/Israel/Ephraim; cf. Psalms 18:17; 142:6).]] (12) ‘They [the repentant and saved end-time remnant of the northern kingdom] will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion [cf. Isa. 2:2; Jer. 3:14-18; 31:6; Ezek. 17:23; and Mic. 4:1], And they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD [Yahweh] – Over the grain and the new wine and the oil [cf. Jer. 31:5; Hos. 2:22; and Joel 3:18], And over the young of the flock and the herd [cf. Jer. 31:24; 33:12, 13]; And their life will be like a watered garden [cf. Isa. 58:11], And they will never languish again. [Compare Isa. 35:10; 60:20. The last words of this verse confirm that God's saving of (the remnant of) Israel/Ephraim (and of Judah) at the end of this age is in view, which will eventually culminate in the eternal state of eternal glory with its new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem. The scene here shows that the people of Zion, Jerusalem, Judah (the southern kingdom) will have been saved at this time.] (13) Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance [cf. Psalm 30:11], And the young men and the old, together, For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow [cf. Isa. 51:11; 61:3; 65:19]. (14) I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness [cf. Jer. 50:19],’ declares the LORD [Yahweh].

We’ll continue with this verse-by-verse study of Jeremiah chapter 31 with verse 15 in Part 4.

Copyright by Karl Kemp

http://www.karlkempteachingministries.com Karl Kemp worked as an engineer in the space field throughout the 60s. He became a born-again Christian in 1964. He received an MA in Biblical Studies in 1972. He has been a Bible teacher for 45 years. See the website for more info on his books, papers, etc.

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To be a true believer, as a Christian should, you cannot place conditions on God. Serving God cannot be accomplished on your terms. You can’t decide to serve Him today but not tomorrow. You don’t get to pick and choose when, where and how to serve God. The many religions of this world will tell you otherwise. A convenient god is a man made god. A convenient god is a god created in man’s image. It is a god that is only here to serve you. You bring him down from the shelf when you need his help, then return him when you don’t. He places no demands on you or your time. He is more like a magic genie than a god. You only think of him when you are in trouble or when you want something. You think that by doing some good deeds from time to time you will earn “heavenly points” that will all be added up when you die to help get you into heaven. That is the kind of deception that will keep you out of heaven, out of your blessings that God has for you and land you in hell instead.

Most religions are steeped in traditions, routines, duty and respect for their religion. Very little if any importance is ever placed on serving God rather it is placed on serving your religion. Mark 7:6-8 6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ” ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” In these verses Jesus gives the best definition of religion and their followers.

When you treat God like a god of convenience you are treating God with casual indifference. Casual indifference lacks respect and fear of God. It brings God down to the same level as man. God then is treated worst then someone would treat their own casual friends. Lack of time, lack of priorities, lack of caring, lack of interest in your God will cause lack of spiritual growth, lack of wisdom, lack of prayer and lack of faith. Then when you do pray in the middle of your troubles your prayers just don’t seem to get through, I wonder why?

Casual indifference towards Christ existed in His day as well as today as these verses point out. Luke 7:39-48 39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she isthat she is a sinner.” 40Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41″Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgivenfor she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Simon the Pharisee had invited Jesus over for dinner but didn’t bother to show Jesus the common courtesies shown regular guests. Simon didn’t like the attention that the woman was giving to Jesus. Jesus used the parable to show the difference between the way Simon had treated Jesus and the way the woman had treated Him. Simon treated Jesus with casual indifference. The woman treated Jesus with respect, fear, adoration and with grateful love.

Don’t let religion be your source of Biblical truth and how to act as a Christian, trust your reading and studying of the Word. Don’t let friends and relatives tell you how to treat God. In your daily time with God in prayer let the Holy Spirit guide you into all truth and let the love of the Father guide you in how to love and fear God. Are you ready?!?

My name is Steve and I was born and raised in a good Christian home in Phoenix Arizona. In 2004 God spoke to me to let me know that He would start sharing things with me that I would share with others. Little did I know how powerful and meaningful those things would be! Thank you Lord!!

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Vs1:

Treasure Jesus above all things

Let Him be the Lord of your all

Let Him be your heart’s sweet delight

Be not ashamed to lift Him up

Refrain:

Treasure Jesus, treasure Him

Anywhere your treasure is

There will your heart also be

Treasure Jesus, so love Him!

Vs2:

Treasure Jesus before all men

Rev’rence Him, Oh, adore Him

Make Him the anchor of your soul

Let the world know that you’re His own

Vs3:

Treasure Jesus of Highest Price

Cling unto His relationship

Walk daily as before His eyes

Serve Him with a heart of worship

Vs4:

Treasure Jesus above this world

Treasure and tremble at His word

Take pleasure in doing His will

Take pleasure in suffering for Him

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“7. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could again Christ.”

- Philipians 3:7-8 (NLT)

Is Jesus your treasure?

“If the sweet Lord Jesus is your treasure; the sweetness of your heart; the delight of your soul, you will not be afraid to lose anything or anyone because of Him, to still have Him. Make Him your permanent treasure. If He becomes your treasure, He will not bother to ask you for love and devotion because in Him will your heart be (dwell, settle, abide, and lay strong hold on).”

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Sixtus Onyeanusi is passionate about hymn writing, sharing God’s word, practically helping and simply being a Fool for God…to please Him.

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E-mail: esixtusw@yahoo.com

Mobile:+2348178485544

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There are many types of altars erected by demons and devils, and some of us find ourselves worshipping at those altars. There are “Media Altars” erected on mountains of the internet on Facebook, other social networks, video platforms. They range from porn to horoscope, private immoral chat, and so on. There are also “Media Altars” on our television stations and movie theaters; demonic temptations designed to lure us to sacrifice ourselves. Even ungodly music, upon which many have sacrificed their minds and emotional feelings.

We must decide as believers not to sacrifice our minds, bodies, soul, and spirits on the “altars of the world”. We only worship at the altar of God. Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We must refuse to sacrifice our time, resources, imagination, souls to the altars that the world has erected. Instead, give ourselves away body, mind and soul at God’s altar. Humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God, turning from our own ways, giving ourselves away completely to God’s glory. Our lives must be dedicated as living sacrifices on the altar of God; sending up a sweet smell that pleases God, and draws others to his glory. Let us tear down the altars of the world, and keep our knees at the altar of God. Learn more from the sermon below.

Senior Pastor at Harvest Army God’s Revival Arena in Brooklyn, New York. Our website is at http://www.godsrevivalarena.org

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Vs1.
As you go by the road and street
Heaven sends men for you to meet
Don’t you see the mercies of God?
It does show that the Lord is true
It does show that Heaven needs you

Vs2.
As you wake up in each new day
Heaven sends men to show the way
Won’t you now just try to obey?
Taste and see that Jesus is true
You need Heaven; Heaven needs you

Vs3.
As you look round you’ll see the saints
Who love Jesus and keep the faith
Don’t you see how they shine as lights?
In Heaven’s path they lay their hearts
Join their chariot; Heaven needs you

Vs4.
As you pay heed, the gospel sounds
Of how God’s love and grace abound
Will you lay hold on this favour?
It’s free, it saves without labour
See now how much Heaven needs you

Vs5.
Many are no where to be found
Many got killed without a chance
Don’t you still want to be His child?
Now you have life, call Christ; He’s true!
Hell is not yours; Heaven needs you

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Sixtus Onyeanusi is passionate about hymn writing, sharing God’s word, practically helping and simply being a FoolforGod…to please Him.

E-mail: esixtusw@yahoo.com

Mobile:+2348178485544

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Knowledge that is derived from truth that feeds our spirit; which is our source of life, is referred to as “the bread of life”.

John 6:47, 48 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

I am that bread of life.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Our tendency, as Christians, is to feel as if we already have a “full knowledge” of truth, when the reality is that we may have only experienced truth in an “introductory phase” of God given knowledge. This is exemplified extremely well in the story of Nicodemus.
The Deception Lurking In The Phrase “I Know.”

John 3:2,3 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou

art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God

be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus tells Jesus that He is a teacher from God and that God is with Him. By stating,

I know who you are, where your from and why you can do these things, Nicodemus is claiming this, I know where you came from, where you are, and where your going; I know you. Jesus replies by letting Nicodemus know he doesn’t know what He thinks he does:

John 3:10 “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things”?
How Much Are We Willing To Give?

Nicodemus is being challenged by Jesus to know what he didn’t know, but thought he did.There is a deeper truth to be seen from the question in verse 10, that will most definitely challenge us. When we choose to be the master of our lives, we cannot conform to the winning formula that gives us life, and the knowledge of God. What is that formula? It’s this:

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.

Notice that the first part of this formula has the knowledge of the truth. Knowing the truth is God inspired and is a miracle in its development. Having spiritual knowledge and God given insight is an awe inspiring thing for which our inclination is to say, I know it now Lord, put me in the game! However, the formula suggests a metamorphous requiring and challenging us to give of ourselves. The words “truth shall make” requires an adaptation from a role where Gods truth was more of a receiving connection, to an affiliation of “being made”, which may feel like we’re receiving very little. This altering often feels like leaving what felt like being a master, to being a servant. The reality is that Jesus is graduating us from knowledge, to the application of that knowledge, which requires we draw on more of Gods truths and less on self. In this process its important to note that our relationship with the Lord is strengthening through the truth strengthening us. Gods truth doesn’t always line up with our reasoning, so to receive the freedom in truth we must exercise self denial and a “make over ” we can trust. The outcome, both here and in heaven, are crowns of life containing blessings we wouldn’t have thought to ask for; and an abundance of true knowledge!

To Know Truth; Truth Must Know You

Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Being “known of God” has in His character and design, a transfer of supernatural knowledge through a relationship with His Son. This supernatural knowledge begins in an awareness of entering a relationship and knowing someone who we previously did not. Being “of the truth” is a good expression of this awareness, meaning we have relationally entered into Gods family. Saying we are “of” Gods family is to say we are of the truth. A relationship with Jesus, containing the gifts of His love, has only one requirement to accept His proposal; we must see ourselves as needing Jesus to be willing to accept Him. The Christian journey needs to be a continuing of a willingness to accept Him by being willing to hand over our will, and receiving His will. The more we are persuaded do this within the relationship with Jesus, the more we are known of God. Being known of God generates a supernatural knowledge, which is the knowledge of His truth that increasingly enlightens us into His spiritual guidance and a knowledge of our purpose in Him.

To know our God given purpose in life, our purpose must be allowed to know us.

I have a desire to see the body of Christ edified. Within the broad spectrum of edification I feel there exists a great need and opportunity for spiritual education at foundational levels. Please contact me about speaking at your church. Dale Linton 410-378-5035 or dale@agapesolutions.org

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Matthew 18:2-4 – He (Jesus) called a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Imagine you were the child who Jesus summoned. Here is this man of whom you had heard your parents speak. You had heard of the wonders he had performed and might of perhaps witnessed one yourself. When you arrive to where he will be teaching, you hope that you might be able to get a glimpse of the great Teacher that some proclaim to be the Messiah. All of a sudden, you hear the sound of a calm baritone voice calling for a child. Before you can realize what is going on you are met face to face with Jesus. He places you in his lap and smiles a gentle smile at you. He then tells the crowd the words of Matthew 18:3-4.” You think to yourself, “He is using me as an example, he must be mistaken! No one even acknowledges me. I have no say in decisions. I must trust in my Father’s plan for me and follow in obedience.” Jesus looked down at you with a warm smile, kisses your forehead and leads you back to your parents. You know your life will never be the same.

Jesus calls us to be like children, in that we are to have the humble attitudes of the heart of a child. A child is utterly dependant upon their caregiver and understands that need. Therefore, they recognize that their greatness is reliant upon someone greater than themselves. Small children innately understand the concept of respect because they are physically smaller and weaker than others, thus making humility an easier concept to grasp.

As we grow into adulthood, we inevitably become more independent. That independence usually leads to pride. Pride is the antithesis to the kingdom of God. To admit we are sinners that need God’s grace and forgiveness (that is brought through Christ) takes humility. It takes humility to abandon our own wants and desires of this world and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Yet, when we are able to recognize what our true position is as humans compared to the glorious nature of God, humility can be found.

The challenge today is to evaluate where you are spiritually. While we were created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27) and we were able to have a relationship with Him, once sin entered into the world, that relationship was broken (Isa. 59:2). However, because God loved us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to die for our sins, even while we were still sinning against God (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). Jesus lived a perfect and holy life in order to be a proper sacrifice (Romans 5:12). We must therefore, humbly admit that we are sinners and that we need Jesus to intervene for us and mediate our relationship with God. We must then turn from our life of sin and turn to God. (Luke 13:5) It is by our faith that we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8-9). God guarantees that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

Where are you spiritually? Do you have a personal relationship with God? Christianity is not about going to church or placing money in an offering plate or following a bunch of rules. It is about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Once you trust in Christ as Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit as a Helper to guide you in your walk with the Lord. Repenting and believing are the first two steps to a lifestyle of discipleship.

Cortney Whiting graduated from Berry College with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters of Theology, concentrating on New Testament Studies.

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Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. We who are called His children, His church and who Christ is the Head are also known collectively as the bride of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom who is coming back to get His bride that has been promised Him by God the Father. That will only happen when the bride is prepared and ready.

God’s unified church will be different than what the world sees and knows as church and religion today. Gone will be all the petty differences. Gone will be all teachings, theologies, beliefs, doctrines, prophecies and any thing that contradicts, takes away or adds to the infallible Word of God. There will be alignment and agreement between churches, pastors, preachers, teachers, shepherds, church leaders and all church congregations across different denomination lines. It has already started! Cooperation, support, understanding and God’s love will all be part of the fruit of God’s unified church. The only thing that will matter is “do you attend God’s church?”

Matthew 3:11-17 11″I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” John baptized for repentance symbolizing death to the old flesh and sin nature as you are submerged and raised in new life as a new creation in Christ. That being said, why was Jesus Christ baptized? He had no sin to repent of or a sin nature to leave behind. The difference is that Jesus was not only baptized by water to confirm John’s ministry but by fire of the Holy Spirit when Jesus came back up out of the water. That is why the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove landed on Him. It was after Jesus was baptized that His ministry started for He was now empowered by the Holy Spirit to work miracles, signs and wonders.

Likewise, Jesus’ disciples started their ministry after they received the Holy Spirit in the upper room. They were empowered with the Holy Spirit to perform miracles, signs and wonders. Part of the preparing of the bride is that the bride must be baptized with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Only then will each of the children of God be empowered, authorized, infused and saturated with the Holy Spirit to perform miracles, signs and wonders. Acts 2:15-21 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 6No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17″ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. All people means all people. People from around the world will experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit by fire. Contrary to some beliefs the baptism of the Holy Spirit doesn’t happen at the time of salvation. Just as the disciples were believers before they received the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost. This is not a baptism for salvation for the dead as some religions teach. For you can only be saved unto salvation while you are alive not after you are dead. God is God of both the living and the dead.

Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is a very important part of who you are in Christ and Christ in you. It is important to your ability to be a powerful witness for Christ. It is important to your faith, trust and hope as you witness the Shekinah glory of God working through you. It is important to you, His child, for the things to come. Haggai 2:9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” It is the destiny that God the Father has for His children to fulfill. The bride is prepared in unity, alignment and agreement in God, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. All you have to do to receive and be empowered by the Holy Spirit is talk to your pastor or a friend who attends a Holy Spirit filled church to find out how. Are you ready?!?

My name is Steve and I was born and raised in a good Christian home in Phoenix Arizona. In 2004 God spoke to me to let me know that He would start sharing things with me that I would share with others. Little did I know how powerful and meaningful those things would be! Thank you Lord!!

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Romans 8v37 begins, Nay,in all these things. all these things is saying something,1 Peter 4v12 Beloved,think it not strange concerning the fiery trials which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.Not if, but when trials come, know that we are more than conquerors because of our LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST and his victory at the cross.

When I was in the world there was nothing I couldn’t conquer, I believed I could do anything and everything. Now that I am a born again believer the same principles should apply, I not talking about reckiess abandoment, becaue we have a guide, John 16v13 Howbeit: when he the Spirit of truth is come,he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:and he will show you things to come.

Who is he hearing from? John14v26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,Whom the Father will send in my name ( Jesus Christ ).he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever Ihave said unto you. With assistance like that how can we fail, the sad part is we do, the apostle Paul in verses 38,39 of the eight chapter of Romans, say’s that there is nothing that will separate us from GOD’s love,which is in Christ Jesus, that being the case let’ take our rightful place. The Bible say’s in Ephesians 2v6 And hath raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Come on Saints let’s take our rightful place.

not applicable at this time

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Nothing can separate you from the love of God. God who cares enough about you that He not only knows you better than you know you but God wants to be involved in EVERY decision you make. Not just the big ones but ALL of them. When Jesus lives within you it is in every day living. It is the habitation of the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the Father. Not visitation like on most Sundays but a daily habitation. “But I’m not worthy of God’s habitation?” Jesus makes you worthy and deserving. Sin and un-forgiveness are the two things that will remove you from God’s presence in your life. I said His presence not His love. The truth about removing God’s presence is that God doesn’t remove Himself from us but by our sin and un-forgiveness that we remove ourselves from His presence.

Holding un-forgiveness or staying offended in your heart against someone means that God can forgive you your sins but you cannot forgive others whom have sinned or wronged you. By doing so you elevate yourself to be higher than God. Mark 11:24-25 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.” God never leaves us. In fact He is always there waiting for you to turn back to Him with His arms wide open.

To really grow in the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you, you must establish a daily walk with God, study His Word and rid yourself of sinful habits and all un-forgiveness. That is what I experienced back on 2004 when I was teaching a John Bevere’s “Bait of Satan” series class which is all about holding un-forgiveness/offense and how you must forgive and release people who have wronged you. That is when God showed me an old offense in my life that I had never addressed. God couldn’t work through me, as He wanted until I got rid of ALL of my trash, offenses and obstacles that were in the way. “whatever you ask for in prayerand when you stand prayingforgive him” will help get your prayers through and allow God to work through you!

It has to be a “natural” thing to try to figure out and visualize what the moving of God’s Spirit should be like when He pours out the Holy Spirit on all flesh. There seems to be so much that needs to happen first before that can happen. That is the flesh talking. We serve a God of the impossible, God who makes possible out of the impossible. The church body, that is all of us His children, will be in perfect unity, agreement and alignment with God’s Word, the Holy Spirit and God’s perfect will that will usher in the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit world wide. My spirit knows that I don’t have to see it with my natural eyes to know when or how it will happen. My God said it will and I know it will. It will happen so quickly that regardless what petty differences we may have between all of the Christian religions, we all have one thing in common and that is that we serve and love the one and only true God and believe on Him!

“Wait upon the Lord.” “Wait” doesn’t mean to go to sleep or to become useless or dormant. “Wait” means to wait on someone as to serve them in this case to serve the Lord continuously. Pray, declare and read out loud His Word every time you read it, for there is power in the spoken Word! The world is starving for a supernatural encounter. The problem is that they are looking in the wrong places and at false gods/demons for an encounter. The harvest is great but the workers are few. We are God’s representatives of His kingdom. When people see and hear you they should know by your actions and your words that there is something totally different about you. You have a peace and joy when all other “normal” people are full of fear and doubt.

You always show mercy and compassion when helping others. You never “bad mouth” others or spread rumors about friends or co-workers. You always get upset at injustice, immorality and sinfulness with righteous indignation. You never condone in silence bad behavior when it is made known to you. You always encourage and support others who are in need of helpful advice. You have no problem praying for someone when you feel the Spirit nudge you. You lay hands on the sick and they are healed. You cast out demons. You help to disciple others who are new in Christ. Your ministry is wherever you go or happen to be. You are always responsive to God’s voice in total obedience. You are a child of the Most High God! So remove ALL of the obstacles that are in the way of God working mightily through you today. It is time to stand!

My name is Steve and I was born and raised in a good Christian home in Phoenix Arizona. In 2004 God spoke to me to let me know that He would start sharing things with me that I would share with others. Little did I know how powerful and meaningful those things would be! Thank you Lord!!

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THE WORLD HAS BEEN OVERCOME

The most astonishing statement ever made was when Jesus said to His disciples, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

What did He mean by that? It certainly begs an analysis for it has far-reaching consequences.

THE CAMP OF THE ENEMY

Firstly, what was there about the world to overcome? His statement seems to label the world as a place that needed serious attention, as if the world was an enemy camp – in which case, anyone living in this world was under serious threat of being detected and swallowed up by the enemy. We know that Jesus was sent by God. He had a mission. And by stating that He had overcome the world for us must surely mean that He had accomplished His mission.

Perhaps we should look at what God thinks of the world in order to grasp the meaning of this statement.

1 John 2:15,16 reads, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

We see here that the lust of the flesh is of the world. Let’s look at the definition of this. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contention, jealousy, wrath, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelry, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I have also told you in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21)

And if the world is an enemy camp, then these “works” must be the works of the enemy and it must have something to do with Jesus’ mission. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

That’s it! The works of the devil is sin and Jesus came to destroy his works, which means he has overcome the world and what it represents.

So, if we are living in the enemy camp which is the world – and we cavort with the enemy, then we are in an adulterous relationship and no longer in relationship with our Heavenly Father. It actually means that we are living in sin. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4.)

BE OF GOOD CHEER

Jesus said that He had overcome the world and, therefore, we should “be of good cheer”. Obviously, if Jesus had destroyed the works of the enemy, then we should not fear living in the enemy camp, but why leave us here if the world all around us is dancing with the enemy and tempting us to follow suit? Jesus said He had overcome the enemy so that “ye might have peace” and be cheerful about it. What kind of peace can be had living with the enemy?

Well, to put it bluntly, those that are indulging in the things of the world (in an adulterous relationship with the enemy) are going to perish and God does not want them to spend eternity in hell. There’s a reason for it and that reason is His love for the man he created. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ( John 3:16)

As for leaving us in the enemy camp, Jesus passed on a mission to us and that is to convert followers of the prince of this world (the devil) so that they may also inherit the Kingdom of God. We are in this world but no longer of this world and that is what gives us the peace mentioned by Jesus. The world is waiting for the Good News of Jesus Christ who has overcome the world. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mt 28:19,20)

WE ARE ONE

Those who have stepped over to the Kingdom of God are now one with the Father and Jesus Christ. While still in the enemy camp they will suffer persecution, but they are of good cheer, for they have also overcome the world through Him.

The prayer of Jesus puts it in a nutshell.

John 17:13-23. “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Are you still in an adulterous affair with the world?

Jack has a background in marketing and advertising and has been a student of the Bible for over 30 years. His Christian eBooks may be downloaded at

Website: http://www.earthboundlife.com

CONTACT AT Email: jackv357@gmail.com

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“It’s interesting how God defines himself. He told Moses that he is the God of your fathers; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He did not define himself by his omnipotence or his omniscience but by his personal relationships with these common men.” (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=11747)
So reflected Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, leader of the Roman Curia’s Lenten retreat in 2008. I think that is absolutely fascinating because for many skeptics, God’s omnipotence and omniscience are not only God’s defining characteristics, but the logical basis by which many of them reject him. The presence of an omnipotent and omniscient being can only lead to fatalism in their minds, regardless of the number of times that I’ve seen Christians refute this notion.

Because the skeptic cannot conceive of how an omnipotent and omniscient being could exist simultaneously in a universe that has free moral creatures, they conclude no such being exists. Therefore, God does not exist.

That’s called argument from incredulity. The Counter-Creationism Handbook states that most creationist arguments against evolution fall into that trap. Because the creationist cannot conceive of evolution possibly doing something, they dismiss it as impossible. As the Handbook points out, this isn’t a valid argument.

But it cuts both ways. Simply not understanding how a being with perfect omniscience can coexist with beings that have moral freedom is not a rational basis for rejecting the notion, particularly in light of the fact that such reasoning against evolution is soundly rejected by the same folks. And so we expose another double standard from the skeptical camp.

Interestingly, according to Cardinal Vanhoye, God doesn’t identify himself on the basis of his attributes. He identifies himself on the basis of his relationship to creation. How much more should we, then, identify ourselves on the basis of our relationship to him. I think that the real problem is that the skeptic is ruled by his sinand his sin is how he defines “fun.” Drinking, gambling, drugs, premarital sexall of these things are “fun,” but all of these things have consequences.

Defining oneself on the basis of one’s relationship to God will have consequences, too. One must focus one’s thoughts on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Phil 4:8)and it is easy to conclude even without a Bible (cf. Gal 5:16-24) that those things I just defined as “fun” from a secular point of view do not fit with that mode of thinking.

Defining oneself on the basis of a relationship with God brings with it freedom from sin (cf. Rom 6:14). Paul exhorts us not to use that freedom for sin, “but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” (Gal 5:13-14).

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, if God identifies himself on the basis of a relationship to his creatures, why do the creatures not identify themselves on basis of a relationship to him?

Cory Tucholski is a passionate defender of the Christian faith. He is the husband of one amazing woman and the proud daddy of two fantastic children. Cory runs the apologetics blog Josiah Concept Ministries (http://josiahconcept.org).

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I heard a sermon recently by my pastor. He talked about the imagery of God in the Old Testament as a God who disciplines whereas the God of the New Testament is seen as a God of Love. He also stated that surveys reveal that those over fifty tend to see God as a God who disciplines. We need to focus more on the God of Love.

Jesus came among other reasons to reveal to us the reality of God, what He was like and He revealed to us a God of Infinite Love. God is a God of Infinite Love. He always has been and always will. Even the Old Testament discipline was administered out of love because He knew what was best for Israel. God loves us and He loves us with an infinite love.

There is no more important concept to understand. We serve a God of Infinite Love and it is that infinite love that motivates God’s actions towards us. He loves us infinitely and wants us to open ourselves to His Love and Mercy. In His love He has given us the free will to open ourselves up to that love, to accept His love or reject it. He will not force His love upon us.

For many of us our biggest problem is believing that God actually loves us as much as He does. Too many of us believe that God loves us with a generic love for all mankind but He couldn’t possibly love us personally as individuals with an infinite love. I’ve done too many wrong things in my life. I’m lucky that God would love me at all. I’m lucky He even lets me live. He can’t possibly love me with an infinite love.

That’s the way most of us think in our hearts. We may not say it that way exactly but it is what we believe. I even know ministers who seem to believe the same way. They don’t expect God to use them or other people to perform miracles. They don’t really believe in miracles because while they believe in the mercy of God and His willingness to forgive sins in their hearts they believe there are limits to God’s love.

Unfortunately, we all believe this way. We believe that with God all things are possible, that He is all powerful but we doubt His willingness to act on our behalf for our good because we put limits on His love. We are created in His image so we think that God will act like us. We can’t conceive of loving people infinitely. We always have limits to our love. People can go too far.

God is not like us. His ways are not our ways. He is infinite a concept that is so far beyond our power to understand it isn’t funny. There is no comparison we could make that would adequately convey the infinity of God. If we were to consider ourselves the size of a single drop of water compared to God all of the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and streams on this planet still would be inadequate to express the infinity of God.

God is infinite. Everything about Him is infinite, His power, His wisdom, His mercy and His love. God’s love is Infinite. He loves each individual on this planet all seven billion and the billions who’ve come before us with an infinite love. His love knows no limits except the limits we impose on Him with our free will, our faith or lack of faith.

He wants us to have faith in His love, to believe that He will do what is best for us. We need to have faith in Him in His love and mercy not in formulas. Too often we get caught up in formulas that are supposed to work. Say this prayer six times a day and leave nine copies in church each day. We shouldn’t trust in formulas like that but put our faith in our loving God who loves us with an infinite love and who wants what is best for us and wants us to open ourselves to His loving power.

Lord, help me to really believe that You love me with an infinite love, no matter what I’ve done and to open myself up to Your love. Amen

I am a former Catholic School teacher, now working as a caregiver in South Carolina. I have written pieces for Catholic Exchange and Catholic Lane including God’s Valentine and A Faith Worth Dying For.

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So the early Christian church was divided into two “camps”, unlike today.The followers of Jesus, led by his brother James, in one that took the very Jewish message to the Jews and the diaspora of Israel, proselyting Gentiles on the way; whereas Paul carried a very simple message of the Christ to the Gentiles and accepting Jews..no special observance of the Law, no circumcision, no special keeping of the sabbath, no concern for “unclean” food..making it easier for Gentiles to accept his teaching.

The gospel was essentially the same..the Kingdom of God would be established with the Christ at its head, and those who believe would be saved and look forward to great times and happy days. An aside, once in awhile in his writings you realize that Paul thought the Kingdom’s arrival was imminent. But, for that matter, so apparently did Jesus. Barnabas “separated” himself from Paul, claiming that he didn’t like the way his cousin, Mark was being treated..no details, but apparently Mark forgave Paul, because around ten years later he was with him in Rome. So, Paul set out on his own to bring his gospel throughout the Roman Empire to the Gentiles (used generic term “Greeks”). Now, here is where it gets a little tricky. True, they were essentially agreed on the message, even though their requirements differed. BUT, the Disciples of Jesus believed that there was the need to “do things” to earn their place in the Kingdom. James declared that faith by itself is “dead”, if there is no “works”. And that represented the general nature of the approach of all the other Apostles. Paul states very emphatically that we are saved through FAITH and faith alone. Paul states further that this is accomplished through the GRACE of God.

When determining what message applies to you, it’s simple..if you are a Gentile, the teaching of Paul is meant for you. There’s a passage that helps to understand better how this is accomplished..2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to rightly divide the truth (some bibles say “handle”, but that’s not what Paul intended). So Paul encourages us to read and enjoy any and all scripture, but when it come to determining the “truth” and what we should believe in..look to his writings. So, Paul says it is by the Grace of God that we are saved. What must we do to earn this Grace? By whose Faith are we saved?

An actor who wrote and has performed in a one-man play on the life of the Apostle Paul over 1100 times. He’s also portrayed Jesus over 300 times. His book, JESUS: THE FINAL JOURNEY seeks to discover His mind-set to determine the “why” of His actions during His last year on earth.

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Holy Father, we humble our hearts before you. We want to understand your word, and we want to live in line with your word. We want to be fully ready to stand before you at the end of this age. We pray in Jesus’ mighty, holy name! Amen!

I’ll always quote from the “New American Standard Bible,” 1995 edition unless otherwise noted. When I quote from my book, “The Mid-Week Rapture,” it uses the 1977 edition.

When we stopped last time, we were discussing “the nations” of Rev. 20:3. I’ll read Rev. 20:1-3; then we will further discuss “the nations.” “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old [see Genesis chapter 3], who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; (3) and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after that he must [according to the plan of God] be released for a short time.” Revelation 15:2-4 is an important cross-reference for God’s salvation of the remnant of the nations that He will leave at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. We will look at those verses when we discuss verse 4.

It is quite significant, but somewhat unexpected, based on most of the teaching of the New Testament, that “the nations” will still exist on the earth after God’s end-time judgment of the world, at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. See the section titled, “A Brief Discussion on what the Rest of the New Testament, Apart from the Book of Revelation, Has to Say Regarding the Millennial Kingdom and God’s Ultimate Salvation Plans for the Nations”; that section is in my paper on Revelation chapters 20-22 on my internet site. Based on a large number of prophecies in the Old Testament, however, God’s salvation of the remnant of the nations after His end-time judgment of the world is very much to be expected. For many examples of such prophecies, see my paper titled, “More Regarding God’s Salvation Plans for the Nations” on my internet site; and see my papers on the internet that deal with selected prophetic psalms and selected prophecies from the book of Isaiah. Matthew 25:31-46 is another important cross-reference that deals with God’s end-time salvation of the nations; see my paper on Matthew chapters 24, 25 on the internet site.

The end-time remnant of the nations will be awakened by the things that take place on the earth in the last days, including the ministry of the two prophets; the coming of Christ with the clouds of heaven and the rapture; God’s salvation of the end-time remnant of Israel after the rapture; His judgment and removal of Babylon the great harlot and His judgment and removal of Antichrist and the false prophet and the gigantic multitude who follow them to wage war against the Lord Jesus Christ and against His army; and very much including the fact that He (in His mercy) has left them as a remnant and is now offering them salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. They will be repentant (at least most of them will be repentant), and they will submit to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They will become believers, but (as I understand it) they will not become part of God’s true Israel. Apparently that door will be closed by the end of Daniel’s 70th week.

Like I mentioned in the last article, the Bible doesn’t tell us everything we would like to know about God’s salvation plans for the nations. For one thing, we don’t need to fully understand this topic at the present time. God will take care of the details, and we will know more as time goes on. There is much room for difference of opinion on some of the details. One important detail is that true Israel will be distinct from the nations throughout the millennial kingdom (of Revelation chapter 20) and in the eternal state (of Revelation chapters 21, 22). All the members of true Israel will be glorified by the time the millennial kingdom begins, and true Israel will be reigning, including reigning over the nations throughout the millennial kingdom and in the eternal state.

The people of the nations will still be living in natural bodies in the millennium, and apparently they will still be having children at that time. Apparently they will live very long lives, but the potential for sin and for death will still exist for them, and we know that there will be a major rebellion by a very large number of the people of the nations at the end of the millennium. That rebellion may involve only the offspring of the remnant of the nations who enter the millennial kingdom. The people of the nations who stay faithful to God throughout their lives in the millennial kingdom will enter the eternal state in glorified bodies, and they will have a glorious existence as people of God. Revelation 21:27 makes it clear that the nations will have access to salvation and God’s new Jerusalem through the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning death: Their names will be found written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The people of the nations will experience God’s glory in a very full dimension in the eternal state, but their glory will be on a lower level than the glory that God has prepared for the people of true Israel. This is not a matter of one group of people being superior to another group, or of inferiority or superiority complexes. Everything will work together for good because everything will be in divine order, including the worship, attitudes, motives, and priorities of all the beings in His eternal kingdom.

Let’s go on to Rev. 20:4. We’ll discuss this important verse in some detail. The time setting here is the end of Daniel’s 70th week. “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony to Jesus and because of the word of God, and those [[I'll stop for a minute. The second use of the word "those" here confuses the meaning of this sentence. I would omit this word in the translation. The Greek doesn't have the word for "those" here, and the KJV, NKJV, and the NIV do not include this word. The entire sentence is speaking of the souls of the Christians who will be martyred because they stay faithful to God throughout the second half of Daniel's 70th week. I'll start the sentence again and omit this word.]] And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony to Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast [Antichrist] or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

Let’s discuss the words at the beginning of verse 4, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them.” The words “I saw thrones” probably build on Dan. 7:9. (Daniel 7:18, 22, and 27 go on to speak of the saints reigning. Daniel chapter 7 is discussed in some detail in chapter 6 of my book, “The Mid-Week Rapture.”) Ultimately all the saints (all the people of God’s true Israel) will reign on these thrones, and John sees many glorified saints seated on these thrones already, but as this verse continues it shows that some of the saints haven’t been resurrected and glorified yet, or begun to reign with the Lord Jesus Christ. The saints must be resurrected and glorified before they begin to reign.

The saints who are seated on the thrones and who are reigning already are the ones who were resurrected, glorified, and raptured in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week. (Of course the saints who are living on the earth when Christ returns in the middle of the seven-year period will not need to be resurrected.) As we have discussed, the book of Revelation shows that these saints have been reigning with the Lord Jesus Christ since the time of their glorification and rapture. But the book of Revelation also shows that some of the people of God’s true Israel (centering in the end-time remnant of the nation Israel) will not become Christians until after the rapture. They will go through three and one-half very difficult years, and there will be many martyrs, but the martyrs will be resurrected and glorified and begin to reign with the Lord Jesus Christ by the time the millennial kingdom begins. John goes on to speak of those martyrs as he continues with verse 4.

I’ll read the first part of the verse again, but this time I’ll give a more literal translation of the Greek, “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them, and the souls,” and he goes on to speak of the souls of the saints martyred during the second half of Daniel’s 70th week because they stayed faithful to God and would not worship Antichrist. The Greek (which just has the verb “I saw” once in this verse) shows that the glorified saints on their thrones are different people than the souls of the saints who haven’t been resurrected and begun to reign yet. As this verse continues, John tells us that these souls come to life (that is, they are resurrected and glorified), and he mentions that they begin to reign. After those members of God’s true Israel are resurrected and glorified at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, they will begin to reign along with the other members of God’s true Israel who began to reign in the middle of the seven-year period.

We still need to discuss another important group of people, the Christians (the members of God’s true Israel) who will still be alive on the earth at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. There is no doubting that the devil, Antichrist, and the false prophet would kill every Christian living on the earth during the second half of Daniel’s 70th week if they could (see Revelation chapters 12 and 13, for example), and we know that there will be many martyrs, but God will substantially limit the number of Christians they will be able to kill. See Rev. 12:6, 14-16 and 13:10. I’ll read those verses, Revelation 12:6, “Then the woman [The woman is God's true Israel. In this context, right after the birth and rapture of the male child in the middle of Daniel's 70th week in Rev. 12:5, the woman represents the Christians converted after the rapture.] fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days [which equals the second half of Daniel's 70th week].” I’ll read Rev. 12:14-16, “But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place [which builds on the fact that God enabled Israel to escape from Egypt into the wilderness on her way to the promised land (see Exod. 19:4, which mentions God's bearing Israel on eagle's wings at the time of the exodus).], where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time [for three and one-half years], from the presence of the serpent [the devil]. (15) And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. (16) But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.” And I’ll read Rev. 13:10 from the NIV, “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Our sovereign God is the One who determines such things as who will be killed and who will not be killed. The fact that He permits some to die as martyrs does not at all mean that He cares less for those Christians, not at all. It isn’t defeat to die as a martyr in the will of God. God is glorified and it will work for good, including the good of the Christians martyred.

There are two cross-references that are especially helpful to show that all the members of God’s true Israel will be glorified by the time the millennium begins, very much including the saints who will still be alive on the earth at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. First we will look at Rev. 15:2-4; then we will look at Isa. 66:7, 8. (Revelation 15:2-4 are discussed in some detail in my book and in my paper on Revelation 14:6 through chapter 19 on my internet site; Isaiah 66:1-8 are discussed in chapter 16 of my book.)

I’ll read Rev. 15:2. “And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.” The time setting is the end of Daniel’s 70th week. The victorious, now-glorified saints pictured here in heaven came off victorious over Antichrist by staying faithful to God to the end: to the time of their martyrdom, or to the end of seven-year period for those still alive at that time. There is no basis to limit the saints pictured here in Rev. 15:2 to martyrs. It will be very obvious that these saints were victorious over Antichrist when the scene pictured in 15:2 comes to pass. They will be in heaven before the throne of God, and Antichrist and his followers will have been removed by God’s judgment. Revelation 4:6 helps us understand that the “something like a sea of glass” that John saw here in 15:2 was before the throne of God. The fact that the sea of glass was mixed with fire probably pictures the refining fires that these believers had just come through. On the refining fires that these saints will endure throughout the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, see Dan. 12:7, 10; Zech 13:9, for example.

I’ll read Rev. 15:2 again, and this time I’ll also read verses 3, 4. Verses 3. 4, and especially verse 4, are important verses to confirm that God will leave a repentant remnant of the nations at the end of Daniel’s 70th week to enter the millennial kingdom. I won’t comment on verses 3, 4 here, but these verses are discussed in my book and in my paper on the internet site. “And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name [the number 666], standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. (3) And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! (4) Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, BECAUSE YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED [my emphasis].’ ” God’s righteous acts of saving and judging will have been revealed.

I’ll read Isa. 66:7, 8 (These verses also demonstrate that all the members of God’s true Israel will be glorified by the time the millennial kingdom begins), “Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. (8) Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.” These verses are extremely important! We have already discussed Isa. 66:7 when we discussed Rev. 12:5. The birth of the male child in Rev. 12:5 is the same glorious event as the giving birth to a boy here in Isa. 66:7. The male child embraces all the members of God’s true Israel who will have become believers before the time of that glorious birth. True Israel, the glorious woman of Revelation chapter 12, gives birth in the sense that those believers (those members of God’s true Israel) will be born into the fullness of the eternal life and glory of God’s eternal kingdom. All the believers (including the believers from Old Testament days and all true Christians) who will have died before the time of that glorious birth will follow the Lord Jesus Christ in that birth. He is called the “first born from the dead” in Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5. The believers who will be living on the earth when the Lord returns will not need to be resurrected, but we will need to be born into the fullness of God’s eternal life and glorified. Galatians 4:26 says that Jerusalem above is our mother. As born again Christians we have already been born of heaven in a preliminary sense, but we will not be born into the fullness of the eternal life and glory of God until the Lord returns.

What do the words “before she travailed” and “before her pain came” here in Isa. 66:7 refer to? As we have discussed, many verses prophesy of the very difficult times that the saints living on the earth will have to endure throughout the second half of Daniel’s 70th week.

I’ll read the last line of Isa. 66:8 again, “As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.” For Zion (true Israel) to bring forth her sons at the end of Daniel’s 70th week refers to her sons being born into the fullness of the eternal life and glory with a birth exactly like the birth of the boy in Isa. 66:7. As we have discussed, the people who become Christians after the rapture will center in the elect end-time remnant of the nation Israel. They will be glorified at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. Those who have died before the end of the seven-year period will be resurrected and glorified (as pictured in Rev. 20:4). The Christians who will still be alive will be glorified. Many verses prophesy of the city of Jerusalem’s also being transformed and exalted (glorified) at the end of Daniel’s 70th week in preparation for the millennial kingdom (see, for example, Isa. 2:2-4; 11:1-10; 60:1-22; and Zechariah chapter 14).

Let’s go on to Rev. 20:5, 6, “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

First let’s discuss the words, “the rest of the dead.” The time setting here is the end of Daniel’s 70th week. All the believers (all the people of God’s true Israel) who will have died before the end of Daniel’s 70th week will have been resurrected. The “rest of the dead” embraces all the people who will have lived and died from the days of Adam and Eve until that time who were not part of God’s true Israel. As I have mentioned, true Israel embraces all the believers from Old Testament days and all true Christians. Gentile Christians have been grafted into God’s true Israel.

As verse 6 continues, it informs us that the “rest of the dead” will not come to life until the end of the millennium. For them to come to life means that they will be resurrected bodily; it does not mean that they will begin to partake of the life of God. Revelation 20:11-15 show that they will be resurrected at the end of the millennium to stand before God to be judged according to their works at the great-white-throne judgment. Those verses show that those whose names are not found written in God’s book of life will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.

Now let’s discuss the words at the end of verse 5, “This is the first resurrection.” These words refer to the resurrection of the believers, the people of true Israel. They will be resurrected first; that is, they will be resurrected before the “rest of the dead” are resurrected at the end of the millennium. The first resurrection is contrasted with the resurrection at the end of the millennium. There is no way we can limit the first resurrection to the resurrection of the martyrs at the end of Daniel’s 70th week that we read about in verse 4. The first resurrection definitely includes the resurrection of the very large number of saints who will be resurrected in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week. Those resurrected saints are seated on their thrones in verse 4. Those seated on the thrones in verse 4 also include us believers who will still be alive when the Lord returns. We will not need to be resurrected, but we will be glorified and raptured when Christ returns in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, and we will begin to reign at that time.

In a fuller sense the first resurrection includes the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the select number of saints who were resurrected shortly after He was resurrected (see Matt. 27:52, 53). I’ll read 1 Cor. 15:20, 21, and 23, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. (21) For since by a man [Adam] came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. (23) But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

I’ll read Rev. 20:6 again, “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” I’ll read Rev. 20:14, 15 (These verses explain the second death of Rev. 20:6.), “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (15) And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

The people of God’s true Israel will be functioning as priests to the nations, along with reigning, throughout the millennium (see Rev. 1:6; 5:10). We probably will continue to function as priests to the nations to some extent in the eternal state, but the people of the nations will be glorified when they enter the eternal state, and apparently they will have direct access to God. Revelation 22:5 makes it clear that we (true Israel) will reign forever and ever in the eternal state.

Let’s go on to Rev. 20:7-9, “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, (8) and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth [in other words, worldwide], Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. (9) And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem], and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.” And I’ll read Rev. 20::3 again, “and he threw him [the devil] into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”

It is hard to understand how so many people could be so sinful after having the opportunity to learn of God in the millennial kingdom, but it is clear that people who are willing to follow the devil in rebellion against God don’t love Him, His truth, or His righteousness. They wouldn’t want to be part of His heavenly kingdom on His terms, not that they will want the alternative (the lake of fire). It is easy to see why verse 3 said that the devil (according to the plan of God) must be released for a short time at the end of the millennium. God knew what was in the hearts of these people, and He lets them be tested to manifest that they are rebelsthey don’t love Him, His truth, or His righteousness. The devil tempts people and deceives them with clever lies, but there is no excuse for rejecting God and His truth and righteousness for the lies, rebellion, and wickedness of the devil. We must always reject the devil’s lies and temptations.

From the beginning to the end, the Bible emphasizes the serious depth of the sin problem in the heart of man. We must humble ourselves before Him and submit to His plan of salvation. He paid an infinite price in the sacrifice of His Son to sanctify the hearts and lives of those who submit to Him and the gospel in faith.

Verse 9 shows that the devil-inspired rebels will come from across the world to attack “the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem].” It also shows that God will quickly deal with those rebels with fire from heaven. This has much in common with the enemies of God who were gathered to Har-Magedon (or, we could say, Armageddon) near the end of Daniel’s 70th week to wage war against the Lord Jesus Christ and His people. They too were quickly dealt with by the judgment of God. I agree with the widespread viewpoint that this war at the end of the millennium builds on Ezekiel chapters 38, 39. It is significant, for one thing, that those chapters speak of “GOG of the land of MAGOG” and Rev. 20:8 mentions “GOG and MAGOG.” On the fire from heaven, see Ezek. 38:22; 39:6. Ezekiel chapters 38, 39 are discussed on pages 144-146 of my book, “The Mid-Week Rapture.”

I’ll read the first part of verse 9 again and comment on a detail that has caused some confusion. “And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.” It seems that “the broad plain of the earth”it would probably be better to translate “the broad plain of the land”refers to the broad plain around Jerusalem, but there is no broad plain around Jerusalem, at least not at the present time. Apparently this verse anticipates the transformation of Jerusalem and the land around Jerusalem that will take place about the time the millennial kingdom begins (see Zech. 14:10). That verse prophesies of a rather large amount of land around Jerusalem being changed into a plain and of Jerusalem being raised up.

We’re finished with this article, and this is the last article in this series on the Mid-Week Rapture. We have covered many very important passages of Scripture in these articles, and many more passages (including the entire book of Revelation) are discussed in my book, “The Mid-Week Rapture,” and/or in my papers on my internet site. I recommend getting a copy of the book and spending some time on my internet site (Google to Karl Kemp Teaching). I also recommend reading these 24 articles (or hearing the 24 audio files that contain the same information, which are available on my internet site) before you read the book; they serve as a good introduction for the book, which is packed with important details. God bless you!

Copyright by Karl Kemp

http://www.karlkempteachingministries.com Karl Kemp worked as an engineer in the space field throughout the 60s. He became a born-again Christian in 1964. He received an MA in Biblical Studies in 1972. He has been a Bible teacher for 45 years. See the website for more info on his books, papers, etc.

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