God's plan for mankind has not changed since He created Adam and Eve. His plan is to have man ruled over His creation (Genesis 1:26). God's program for mankind is divided into different time dispensations. Christian author Lewis Chafer sets forth the point succinctly as he writes:
The dispensational study of the Bible consists in the identification of certain well-defined time-periods which are divinely indicated, together with the revealed purpose of God relative to each.
The unrestrained, sovereign purpose of God is seen in the ordering of the succession of the ages. That God has a program of the ages is disclosed in many passages (see Deut.30:1-10; Dan. 2:31-45; 9:24-27; Hos.3:4,5; Acts 15:13-18; Rom.11:13-29; 2 Thess.2:1-12; Rev.2:1-22:31). Likewise, there are well-defined periods of time related to the divine purpose. The Apostle Paul writes of the period between Adam and Moses (Rom 5:14); John speaks of the law as given by Moses, but of grace and truth as coming by Christ (John 1:17). Christ also speaks of the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24), which are evidently to be distinguished from Jewish "times and seasons" (Acts 1:7; 1 Thess.5:1). Likewise, He spoke of a hitherto unannounced period between His two advents and indicated its distinctive features (Matt. 13:1-51), and predicted a yet future time of "great tribulation" and defined its character (Matt 24:9-31). There are "last days" for Israel (Isa.2:1-5)as well as "last days" for the church (2 Tim.3:1-5). The Apostle John anticipates a period of one thousand years and relates this to the reign of Christ, at which time the Church, His bride, will reign with Him (Rev.20:1-6). That Christ will sit on the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever is declared by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:31-33), and that there will be an ever abiding new heaven and new earth is as clearly revealed (Isa.65:17; 66:22; 2Pet.3.13; Rev.21:1). In Hebrews 1:1-2, sharp contrast is drawn between "time past" when God spoke to the fathers by the prophets and "these last days" when He is speaking unto us by His Son. Similarly, it is clearly disclosed that there are ages past (Eph.3:5; Col.1:26), the present age (Rom.12:2; Gal.1:4) and the ages to come (Eph.2:7; Heb.6:5). In Ephesians 1:10, the future age is termed "the dispensation of the fullness of the times".
The Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of all ages. This truth is marked out in many New Testament verses (1 Cor.2:7; Heb.9:26; 2Tim.1:9;Titus 1:2; Rom.16:25) This shows that God has planned for His Son Jesus Christ to take centre-stage in the history of mankind even before time began.
This present age is evil (Gal.1:4) as Satan has dominion over the world, and he is known as "the god of this age" (2 Cor.4:4). Hence, this age is marked by darkness and wicknesses (Eph.6:12) in which there is no light. Instead, the wisdom of the world has blinded the people to ungodliness and lusts (Titus 2:12).
In the midst of all these darkness and evil, God is calling out a group of believers to form His church - the body of believers. Such called-out people will bear the characters of Christ-likeness and be led by the Holy Spirit to bear fruits for the Kingdom of Heaven/God. They will form His family as the children of God (Rom.8:14). This coming Kingdom is the Millennial Kingdom of Christ which is the government of God upon planet earth with Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords ruling and reigning with His saints for one thousand years (Rev.20:4-6).
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel
The story of Israel is one of tragedy, one after another. This is because the Israelites failed to fulfill God's given purpose for the chosen people to be a witness unto the nations around them.
After the reign of King Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms - the northern kingdom known as Israel and Ephraim and the southern kingdom known as Judah. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom are known as the Israelites while the two tribes of the southern kingdoms are called the Jews. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom turned to idolatry and paganism right from the very start under its first King named Jeroboam 1.
Because of their disobedience, God pronounced judgment upon the northern kingdom through the prophet Ahijah, even before the death of Jeroboam 1. 'For the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger (1 Kings 14:15). The River here is in reference to the River Euphrates.
God's mercy delayed the sentence for more than two hundred years, until the siege of the Assyrians that took the Israelites captive to places in Assyria and Media, over the other side of the Euphrates River. The banishment of the ten tribes of Israel beyond the Euphrates River effectively caused them to lose their Hebrew identity as it reversed God's calling of their forebear patriarch Abraham out of Ur beyond the River Euphrates into a land God will give to him and his descendants forever.
The banishment of the ten tribes of Israel caused them to lose their unique Hebrew identity until after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Since we are now living in the times of the end (end times), the diaspora of the lost ten tribes of Israel began to make their way back to the land of Palestine.
Could the 'kings from the east' mentions in Revelation 16:12 referred to some of the descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel? The drying up of the River Euphrates could well paved the way for easy crossing back to the motherland in large numbers for the remnant of God's chosen people who will be saved during the time of the Great Tribulation.
The Jews are direct descendants from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who are currently holding on to the land. The Apostle Paul in Romans 11 relates to Israel's future restoration. The present 'casting aside' of the nation of Israel is only temporary. This blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles (primarily Gentile church) has come in. And so all Israel (the remnant) will be saved (Romans 11:25-26).
The remnant refers to those Israelites whom God has preserved who will turn from their trangressions (Isaiah 59:20-21). These will make up of the lost ten tribes of Israel plus the two remaining tribes from the southern kingdom who will return to their homeland during these last days.
Interestingly, a book written by Steven M. Collin attempt to prove that the lost ten tribes of Israel can actually be found among the inhabitants of Britain and America -the modern descendants of the Hebrew race. He argued that the ten tribes, after being uprooted by the Assyrians, headed northward to start colonies all over the world. They eventually migrated to Britain and many move on to America, and subsequently some to Australia and New Zealand.
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
After the reign of King Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms - the northern kingdom known as Israel and Ephraim and the southern kingdom known as Judah. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom are known as the Israelites while the two tribes of the southern kingdoms are called the Jews. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom turned to idolatry and paganism right from the very start under its first King named Jeroboam 1.
Because of their disobedience, God pronounced judgment upon the northern kingdom through the prophet Ahijah, even before the death of Jeroboam 1. 'For the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger (1 Kings 14:15). The River here is in reference to the River Euphrates.
God's mercy delayed the sentence for more than two hundred years, until the siege of the Assyrians that took the Israelites captive to places in Assyria and Media, over the other side of the Euphrates River. The banishment of the ten tribes of Israel beyond the Euphrates River effectively caused them to lose their Hebrew identity as it reversed God's calling of their forebear patriarch Abraham out of Ur beyond the River Euphrates into a land God will give to him and his descendants forever.
The banishment of the ten tribes of Israel caused them to lose their unique Hebrew identity until after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Since we are now living in the times of the end (end times), the diaspora of the lost ten tribes of Israel began to make their way back to the land of Palestine.
Could the 'kings from the east' mentions in Revelation 16:12 referred to some of the descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel? The drying up of the River Euphrates could well paved the way for easy crossing back to the motherland in large numbers for the remnant of God's chosen people who will be saved during the time of the Great Tribulation.
The Jews are direct descendants from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who are currently holding on to the land. The Apostle Paul in Romans 11 relates to Israel's future restoration. The present 'casting aside' of the nation of Israel is only temporary. This blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles (primarily Gentile church) has come in. And so all Israel (the remnant) will be saved (Romans 11:25-26).
The remnant refers to those Israelites whom God has preserved who will turn from their trangressions (Isaiah 59:20-21). These will make up of the lost ten tribes of Israel plus the two remaining tribes from the southern kingdom who will return to their homeland during these last days.
Interestingly, a book written by Steven M. Collin attempt to prove that the lost ten tribes of Israel can actually be found among the inhabitants of Britain and America -the modern descendants of the Hebrew race. He argued that the ten tribes, after being uprooted by the Assyrians, headed northward to start colonies all over the world. They eventually migrated to Britain and many move on to America, and subsequently some to Australia and New Zealand.
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)