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
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Dream Of Nebuchadnezzar
The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar laid his first siege of Jerusalem in 605/606B.C. A group of Israelites were taken captive to Babylon. Amongst them was a young nobleman named Daniel. He showed no compromise in the midst of persecution, remained faithful to the Almighty God and to the administration of three kings - Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius.
In a dream one night, Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a huge statue in human form with different type of metals, albeit of descending quality. The image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2: 32-33). Obviously shaken, Nebuchadnezzar seek the help of his wise men for answers.
After a time of 'prayer and praise' with his friends, God reveals the secret to Daniel in a vision, the dream and its intrepretation (Dan 2:19). Daniel gave glory to the God of Heaven who alone gave the dream and the meaning thereof. He intrepreted the dream as of different world empires to follow after the Babylonian Empire.
1. The head of gold was the Babylonian Empire (606-538 B.C.)
2. The chest and arms of silver was the Medo-Persian Empire (538 -333 B.C.)
3. The belly and thighs of bronze was the Greek Empire, bursting forth under Alexander the Great (333 B.C.-63 A.D.)
4. The legs of iron was the Roman Empire and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay was the revived Roman Empire (63 A.D. onwards).
Subsequent to these empires, after the times of the end (of which we are currently living in the midst of it), God will raise up His Kingdom under the rule of His chosen One -the Lord Jesus Christ. The God of Heaven would shatter all earthly kingdoms on earth with the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven through the ROCK (the Lord Jesus Christ) as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).
Because of the disobedience and rebellion of God's chosen people against His commandments, the Almighty God allowed the sovereignty of the world to be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, to be known in theological term as the 'times of the Gentiles' (Luke 21:24). After when this had been fulfilled (in 1948/1967), the epoch is then known as the 'times of the end', of which we are currently in.
The dream of Nebuchadnezzar and the vision of Daniel in chapter 7 seems to be similar. What Nebuchadnezzar saw in the natural, Daniel visualised in the spiritual. Though the mighty fourth beast in Daniel 7 with its ten horns (verse 7) matches with the ten toes (Dan 2:42), there is a subtle difference. There is a 'little horn' coming up from among the ten horns which plucked out the roots of the first three horns (Dan 7:8). The image of a man with proud eyes and wagging tongue projects an image of the Antichrist. This is affirmed in Daniel 7:25 when this 'little horn' shall speak pompous words against the Most High and persecute His saints.
Looking at history, the ruthless dictator Adolf Hitler subdued three countries in Europe - Austria, France and Italy - during World War II. He also massacred six million innocent Jews without any good cause other than their ethnicity. Could the coming Antichrist rise up from within Europe - the ten horns of the revived Roman Empire? It remains to be seem, as we wait with bated breath.
Whatever the interpretation, it looks like the emergence of the Antichrist whose pride and power derived from Satan himself, will one day with his followings attack the nation of Israel at Megiddo. It will be the battleground for Armageddon which finally usher in the Second Return of Christ with His saints to save Israel and mother earth from destruction. Subsequently, the government of God -The Millennial Kingdom of Heaven - will then commence to rule for one thousand years on planet earth!
Adrian Fah is the author of the book The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
In a dream one night, Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a huge statue in human form with different type of metals, albeit of descending quality. The image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2: 32-33). Obviously shaken, Nebuchadnezzar seek the help of his wise men for answers.
After a time of 'prayer and praise' with his friends, God reveals the secret to Daniel in a vision, the dream and its intrepretation (Dan 2:19). Daniel gave glory to the God of Heaven who alone gave the dream and the meaning thereof. He intrepreted the dream as of different world empires to follow after the Babylonian Empire.
1. The head of gold was the Babylonian Empire (606-538 B.C.)
2. The chest and arms of silver was the Medo-Persian Empire (538 -333 B.C.)
3. The belly and thighs of bronze was the Greek Empire, bursting forth under Alexander the Great (333 B.C.-63 A.D.)
4. The legs of iron was the Roman Empire and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay was the revived Roman Empire (63 A.D. onwards).
Subsequent to these empires, after the times of the end (of which we are currently living in the midst of it), God will raise up His Kingdom under the rule of His chosen One -the Lord Jesus Christ. The God of Heaven would shatter all earthly kingdoms on earth with the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven through the ROCK (the Lord Jesus Christ) as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).
Because of the disobedience and rebellion of God's chosen people against His commandments, the Almighty God allowed the sovereignty of the world to be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, to be known in theological term as the 'times of the Gentiles' (Luke 21:24). After when this had been fulfilled (in 1948/1967), the epoch is then known as the 'times of the end', of which we are currently in.
The dream of Nebuchadnezzar and the vision of Daniel in chapter 7 seems to be similar. What Nebuchadnezzar saw in the natural, Daniel visualised in the spiritual. Though the mighty fourth beast in Daniel 7 with its ten horns (verse 7) matches with the ten toes (Dan 2:42), there is a subtle difference. There is a 'little horn' coming up from among the ten horns which plucked out the roots of the first three horns (Dan 7:8). The image of a man with proud eyes and wagging tongue projects an image of the Antichrist. This is affirmed in Daniel 7:25 when this 'little horn' shall speak pompous words against the Most High and persecute His saints.
Looking at history, the ruthless dictator Adolf Hitler subdued three countries in Europe - Austria, France and Italy - during World War II. He also massacred six million innocent Jews without any good cause other than their ethnicity. Could the coming Antichrist rise up from within Europe - the ten horns of the revived Roman Empire? It remains to be seem, as we wait with bated breath.
Whatever the interpretation, it looks like the emergence of the Antichrist whose pride and power derived from Satan himself, will one day with his followings attack the nation of Israel at Megiddo. It will be the battleground for Armageddon which finally usher in the Second Return of Christ with His saints to save Israel and mother earth from destruction. Subsequently, the government of God -The Millennial Kingdom of Heaven - will then commence to rule for one thousand years on planet earth!
Adrian Fah is the author of the book The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Prophecy of Daniel's Seventy Weeks
The Old Testament prophet Daniel was a young man - probably of royal descent - when he was taken into captivity by the Babylonian army of King Nebuchadnezzar. A younger contemporary of prophet Jeremiah, Daniel read and understood the writings of Jeremaih that the Jews of the southern state of Judah would be exiled in Babylon for seventy years as God had revealed to Jeremiah.
God, however, had given Daniel a prophecy of a different kind - one of 'seventy weeks of years' and the fulfillment thereof right up to the time of tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27). Bible scholars and theologians are generally agreed on the 'one day equals one year' principle (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6). Base on this principle, Daniel's seventy weeks is actually referring to a time period totalling 490 years, divided into three epochs of 7, 62 and 1 week (total 70) known as the 'Jewish Age' - as they revolve around God's dealing with the Israelites.
The prophetic clock starts from 444 BC when King Artaxerxes 1 issued a decree allowing Nehemiah (his cupbearer) to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The first epoch ends 49 Hebrew years (7 weeks) later when the Old Testament canon was sealed in 396 BC with the last book of Malachi. The second epoch of 62 weeks is 434 (62 x 7) Hebrew years. The total of these two epochs is 483 (49 + 434) Hebrew years which is 476 solar years (360/365.25) from 444 BC to 32 AD when the Messiah Jesus Christ was crucified.
The third epoch of 1 week is the seven-year tribulation which has yet to be fulfilled. This seven year tribulation is the time of Jacob's trouble when God will judge the unbeliving world and the remnant nation of Israel. All born again believers would have been raptured earlier at the beginning of the tribulation to face the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The tribulation will be a time of great sufferings and catastrophe as judgments came upon the earth in unprecedented measure.
Daniel 9:24 was largely fulfilled with the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. He came to earth to 'finish the transgrsssion', 'make an end of sins' and 'make reconciliation for iniquity' with His atoning Blood. In 396 BC with the closing of the Old Testament, the vision and prophecy was sealed up. The church age is the beginning of the time of righteousness which will consummate in the One Thousand Year reign of Christ during the Millennial Age.
Interestingly, bible scholars have discovered that the Ark of the Covenant - the holy place where the glory of God dwells in the Old Testament days - was hidden inside a cave right under the cross where Jesus was crucified. His Blood flowed through the fissures on the ground right into the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat was, hence 'anointing the Most Holy' (Daniel 9:24).
Consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2: 2-4, Daniel 9:27 refers to the Antichrist making peace treaty with Israel at the start of the seven year tribulation but only to break it in the middle of the tribulation. There could probably be some desecration of the holy temple worship by the Antichrist which is sacrilegious to the Jews.
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
For Some Useful Resource to Transform Lives, click the link below:
Teach The Bible To Change Lives.
God, however, had given Daniel a prophecy of a different kind - one of 'seventy weeks of years' and the fulfillment thereof right up to the time of tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27). Bible scholars and theologians are generally agreed on the 'one day equals one year' principle (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6). Base on this principle, Daniel's seventy weeks is actually referring to a time period totalling 490 years, divided into three epochs of 7, 62 and 1 week (total 70) known as the 'Jewish Age' - as they revolve around God's dealing with the Israelites.
The prophetic clock starts from 444 BC when King Artaxerxes 1 issued a decree allowing Nehemiah (his cupbearer) to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The first epoch ends 49 Hebrew years (7 weeks) later when the Old Testament canon was sealed in 396 BC with the last book of Malachi. The second epoch of 62 weeks is 434 (62 x 7) Hebrew years. The total of these two epochs is 483 (49 + 434) Hebrew years which is 476 solar years (360/365.25) from 444 BC to 32 AD when the Messiah Jesus Christ was crucified.
The third epoch of 1 week is the seven-year tribulation which has yet to be fulfilled. This seven year tribulation is the time of Jacob's trouble when God will judge the unbeliving world and the remnant nation of Israel. All born again believers would have been raptured earlier at the beginning of the tribulation to face the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The tribulation will be a time of great sufferings and catastrophe as judgments came upon the earth in unprecedented measure.
Daniel 9:24 was largely fulfilled with the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. He came to earth to 'finish the transgrsssion', 'make an end of sins' and 'make reconciliation for iniquity' with His atoning Blood. In 396 BC with the closing of the Old Testament, the vision and prophecy was sealed up. The church age is the beginning of the time of righteousness which will consummate in the One Thousand Year reign of Christ during the Millennial Age.
Interestingly, bible scholars have discovered that the Ark of the Covenant - the holy place where the glory of God dwells in the Old Testament days - was hidden inside a cave right under the cross where Jesus was crucified. His Blood flowed through the fissures on the ground right into the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat was, hence 'anointing the Most Holy' (Daniel 9:24).
Consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2: 2-4, Daniel 9:27 refers to the Antichrist making peace treaty with Israel at the start of the seven year tribulation but only to break it in the middle of the tribulation. There could probably be some desecration of the holy temple worship by the Antichrist which is sacrilegious to the Jews.
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
For Some Useful Resource to Transform Lives, click the link below:
Teach The Bible To Change Lives.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Who Will Go Up In The Rapture?
The Battle of Armageddon will take place towards the close of the Great Tribulation. This will be the decisive battle between the forces of good and evil, when the Antichrist will rally forces from many nations to attack Israel. The battlezone will be set at Megiddo, between Mt Carmel and Mt Gilboa south of the Kishon River.
Those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be spared the bloodshed as His blood had already been shed for them, so theirs would not have to flow.
Rapture is the time when the Lord comes for His saints but the world shall not see Him. In fact, most of the world don't even know what happened after rapture had occurred. Some may even conclude that aliens had descended upon earth and snatched some poor souls away!
When the first seal of the title deed of the earth is opened, believers will hear the trumpet of God and be 'snatched away' to heaven, leaving behind all their personal belongings, even the very clothes they are wearing! Those who are 'asleep' in Christ will rise first, followed by those believers who are living at the time of the rapture to meet the Lord in the clouds.
All those who have missed the rapture will be given a 'second chance' to call upon the name of the Lord for help. Those who are saved during the tribulation - known as tribulation saints - will be delivered from condemnation (Daniel 12:1), every one whose name is found written in the Book of Life.
Some writers are of the view that only overcoming Christians belonging to the Philadelphia church will be in the rapture, while the lukewarm and backslidden kind found in the Laodicean church will be left behind , as they are lukewarm and indifferent to the things of God (Revelation 3:7,14). However, I am of the view that all born again believers, regardless of their spiritual maturity, will be raptured up into the heavens to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10). Those who are found faithful and had put their faith and trust in the Lord will yield good fruits that will attract reward to rule and reign with Christ during the Millennial Age (2 Timothy 2:12). These are the saints who will return with the Lord at His Second Coming (1 Thess 3:13). This Second Coming will occur towards the close of the tribulation.
Believers who failed to earn any reward will lose the privilege and honor of inheriting the kingdom of heaven during the Millennial Age. The Millenial Age is the one thousand year reign of Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Nevertheless, they are saved as their salvation is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, they will face the grim prospect of life in chastisement at the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) so that we will not be found wanting and ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28).
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be spared the bloodshed as His blood had already been shed for them, so theirs would not have to flow.
Rapture is the time when the Lord comes for His saints but the world shall not see Him. In fact, most of the world don't even know what happened after rapture had occurred. Some may even conclude that aliens had descended upon earth and snatched some poor souls away!
When the first seal of the title deed of the earth is opened, believers will hear the trumpet of God and be 'snatched away' to heaven, leaving behind all their personal belongings, even the very clothes they are wearing! Those who are 'asleep' in Christ will rise first, followed by those believers who are living at the time of the rapture to meet the Lord in the clouds.
All those who have missed the rapture will be given a 'second chance' to call upon the name of the Lord for help. Those who are saved during the tribulation - known as tribulation saints - will be delivered from condemnation (Daniel 12:1), every one whose name is found written in the Book of Life.
Some writers are of the view that only overcoming Christians belonging to the Philadelphia church will be in the rapture, while the lukewarm and backslidden kind found in the Laodicean church will be left behind , as they are lukewarm and indifferent to the things of God (Revelation 3:7,14). However, I am of the view that all born again believers, regardless of their spiritual maturity, will be raptured up into the heavens to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10). Those who are found faithful and had put their faith and trust in the Lord will yield good fruits that will attract reward to rule and reign with Christ during the Millennial Age (2 Timothy 2:12). These are the saints who will return with the Lord at His Second Coming (1 Thess 3:13). This Second Coming will occur towards the close of the tribulation.
Believers who failed to earn any reward will lose the privilege and honor of inheriting the kingdom of heaven during the Millennial Age. The Millenial Age is the one thousand year reign of Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Nevertheless, they are saved as their salvation is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, they will face the grim prospect of life in chastisement at the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) so that we will not be found wanting and ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28).
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The End-Time Roadmap
Every now and then, we read and hear of news about wars and rumors of wars, strife, plagues. famines, pestilences and earthquakes. Crimes and lawlessness abound with terrorist acts occurring so frequent these days that they are no longer worthy of the headline news.
The world has gone mad with all kinds of weirdos appearing on the world's stage! Satan knows that his time on earth is short and he is trying all means to extract maximum damage to mankind and planet earth before his destimy is shut hell-bound and later the lake of fire.
As Christians we should not be alarmed or disheartened because the Word of God prophesied that all these things must come to pass before restoration comes. The concluding end-time story is one of restoration - for mankind and for planet earth. Man lost the ownership of the earth due to sin. However, through the events of the Tribulation and Armageddon, God will return planet earth to the rule of man with the return of Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Planet earth could well be restored to its perpendicular axis with freak and extreme weather patterns assigned to history.
As a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, man lost control of three main areas of his life.
* his spirit and soul are alienated from the Almighty God
* his body is subject to decay and death
* his dominion of the earth is lost to Satan by default
However, through the mercy and grace of God, His plan of redemption and restoration can be summarised in three areas.
* Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13). Hence, anyone who believes and accepts Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord will have his spirit and soul redeemed from the demands of the law, whose penalty for sin is death.
* Man's physical body will be transformed at the point of rapture. Romans 8:23 tells us that we groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. One day, all born again believers will be raptured with a brand new glorified body that will neither decay nor die.
* Christ will return to repossess the earth which is currently under Satan's control. Man is the rightful heir who will one day hold the title deed of the earth under the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The valley of Megiddo is the assembly area where the Antichrist will gather his forces to wage war against the nation of Israel. The army of the Antichrist will march south heading towards Jerusalem. It will be in the Valley of Jehoshaphat that the Battle of Armageddon will take place.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He paid the full price to redeemer us from all our sin as well as to repossess our inheritance of the earth. But before He can reclaim possession of the earth, He has to break open the seals to the title deed of the earth. Revelation 5 tells us that Christ receives the title deed of the earth. Following that in Revelation chapters 6 to 11, He opens all the seven seals and hence has the mandate to evict Satan from the face of the earth. This event will happen at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:14, 16). Satan is then cast into the pit of hell for a thousand years during the Millennial Age. He is subsequently released for a season before having his destiny sealed forever in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
The Battle of Armageddon will be devastating as it culminates in the wrath of God upon the sin of this world. However, God in His mercy and grace will save those will are His, who have placed their faith and trust in His Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Him during the tribulation will also be saved from condemnation, just like those who believe during the church age. So be prepared and be counted as those who are His - and secured your destiny well ahead of time!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
The world has gone mad with all kinds of weirdos appearing on the world's stage! Satan knows that his time on earth is short and he is trying all means to extract maximum damage to mankind and planet earth before his destimy is shut hell-bound and later the lake of fire.
As Christians we should not be alarmed or disheartened because the Word of God prophesied that all these things must come to pass before restoration comes. The concluding end-time story is one of restoration - for mankind and for planet earth. Man lost the ownership of the earth due to sin. However, through the events of the Tribulation and Armageddon, God will return planet earth to the rule of man with the return of Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Planet earth could well be restored to its perpendicular axis with freak and extreme weather patterns assigned to history.
As a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, man lost control of three main areas of his life.
* his spirit and soul are alienated from the Almighty God
* his body is subject to decay and death
* his dominion of the earth is lost to Satan by default
However, through the mercy and grace of God, His plan of redemption and restoration can be summarised in three areas.
* Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13). Hence, anyone who believes and accepts Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord will have his spirit and soul redeemed from the demands of the law, whose penalty for sin is death.
* Man's physical body will be transformed at the point of rapture. Romans 8:23 tells us that we groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. One day, all born again believers will be raptured with a brand new glorified body that will neither decay nor die.
* Christ will return to repossess the earth which is currently under Satan's control. Man is the rightful heir who will one day hold the title deed of the earth under the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The valley of Megiddo is the assembly area where the Antichrist will gather his forces to wage war against the nation of Israel. The army of the Antichrist will march south heading towards Jerusalem. It will be in the Valley of Jehoshaphat that the Battle of Armageddon will take place.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He paid the full price to redeemer us from all our sin as well as to repossess our inheritance of the earth. But before He can reclaim possession of the earth, He has to break open the seals to the title deed of the earth. Revelation 5 tells us that Christ receives the title deed of the earth. Following that in Revelation chapters 6 to 11, He opens all the seven seals and hence has the mandate to evict Satan from the face of the earth. This event will happen at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:14, 16). Satan is then cast into the pit of hell for a thousand years during the Millennial Age. He is subsequently released for a season before having his destiny sealed forever in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
The Battle of Armageddon will be devastating as it culminates in the wrath of God upon the sin of this world. However, God in His mercy and grace will save those will are His, who have placed their faith and trust in His Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Him during the tribulation will also be saved from condemnation, just like those who believe during the church age. So be prepared and be counted as those who are His - and secured your destiny well ahead of time!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Major Prophetic Events To Come
As time marches on towards the calamitous close of the church age, the scripture reveals a series of events that will unfold from the rapture through to the new heavens and the new earth. Even though Satan will attempt to thwart the order of these events, however, the plan and purposes of God will prevail.
Hebrews chapter 11 reveals in typological terms, the order of events to come for Christians in regard to the consummation of the age. Let the truth be known that these events will affect everyone regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religious affiliations or status in life.
1. Crucufixion of Jesus Christ
Hebrews 11:4 speaks of Abel (son of Adam) who offered up the blood sacrifice to God. This signifies the atoning blood of Jesus Christ on the cross for all who would place their faith and trust in Him. Hence, the beginning of the age of grace was born.
2. Rapture of the Saints
The next prophetic event that affects Christians to take place will be the rapture of the saints to heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first, follow by those born-again Christians who are still living at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The translation of Enoch (Hebrew 11:5) typifies this event for those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
3. God's Judgment Upon the World
After Enoch comes Noah (Hebrews 11:7), a time of flood that brought destruction to the whole world. This signifies that after rapture comes the tribulation - the time of God's judgment upon the whole world. It is a time when the age of grace is over and God is dealing with His chosen people - the nation of Israel - and the world who had rejected His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
4. Judgment Seat of Christ
The first thing to happen to believers who are raised and translated (Christians being given new bodies) will be to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every Christians will be required to give an account of their lives to Jesus Christ from the time of their initial salvation to the time of death or rapture (Ecclesiastes12:14; Jeremiah 17:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:12; Hebrews 4:13)
There will be crowns of rewards, honor and inheritances to positions of privileges and prestige for the faithful stewards of the Lord. For those who failed to earn any reward, there could be shame and even temporary punishment for the unfaithful believers.
5. Marriage Supper of the Lamb
After the Judgment Seat of Christ, those who are found faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord will form the Bride of Christ. Revelation 19:7-8 stipulates that only those with righteous good deeds will form the Bride of Christ. Note that the marriage of the Lamb is only for the New Testament saints of the church age. The marriage of the Lamb is followed by a wedding feast. All those who are invited to the feast are blessed (Revelation 19:9).
The Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth probably at the time of the battle of Armageddon to save the remnant of the Jews from destruction (Rev 19: 11-16; Zechariah 13:6-9).
He will then gather all the Gentiles before Him and divide them into two groups - the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-34). The sheep are those who received the gospel of the kingdom that was preached by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the time of tribulation as prophesied in Revelation chapter 7. The goats are those Gentiles who rejected the gospel of the kingdom. The sheep had demonstrated good deeds by their kind treatment of the Israelites (the Lord's brethren - Matthew 25:35-40). These sheep who are saved will then enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ as God's earthly people.
The New Testament saints and some of the faithful saints of the Old Testament era are God's heavenly people who will dwell in the New Jerusalem located in the heavens during the Millennial Age. During this period of one thousand years Satan will be bound in hell and unable to deceive the nations in the Millennial Kingdom. (Rev 20:1-3).
At the end of the Millennial Age, God will gather all the unsaved and the fallen angels to be judged at the Great White Throne, with their final destiny in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).
When all these are over, the old heaven and old earth will passed away to be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1). Therein will dwell three groups of God's people - the New Testament saints, the redeemed nation of Israel and the redeemed Gentile nations - in perfect harmony for eternity!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Hebrews chapter 11 reveals in typological terms, the order of events to come for Christians in regard to the consummation of the age. Let the truth be known that these events will affect everyone regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religious affiliations or status in life.
1. Crucufixion of Jesus Christ
Hebrews 11:4 speaks of Abel (son of Adam) who offered up the blood sacrifice to God. This signifies the atoning blood of Jesus Christ on the cross for all who would place their faith and trust in Him. Hence, the beginning of the age of grace was born.
2. Rapture of the Saints
The next prophetic event that affects Christians to take place will be the rapture of the saints to heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first, follow by those born-again Christians who are still living at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The translation of Enoch (Hebrew 11:5) typifies this event for those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
3. God's Judgment Upon the World
After Enoch comes Noah (Hebrews 11:7), a time of flood that brought destruction to the whole world. This signifies that after rapture comes the tribulation - the time of God's judgment upon the whole world. It is a time when the age of grace is over and God is dealing with His chosen people - the nation of Israel - and the world who had rejected His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
4. Judgment Seat of Christ
The first thing to happen to believers who are raised and translated (Christians being given new bodies) will be to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every Christians will be required to give an account of their lives to Jesus Christ from the time of their initial salvation to the time of death or rapture (Ecclesiastes12:14; Jeremiah 17:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:12; Hebrews 4:13)
There will be crowns of rewards, honor and inheritances to positions of privileges and prestige for the faithful stewards of the Lord. For those who failed to earn any reward, there could be shame and even temporary punishment for the unfaithful believers.
5. Marriage Supper of the Lamb
After the Judgment Seat of Christ, those who are found faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord will form the Bride of Christ. Revelation 19:7-8 stipulates that only those with righteous good deeds will form the Bride of Christ. Note that the marriage of the Lamb is only for the New Testament saints of the church age. The marriage of the Lamb is followed by a wedding feast. All those who are invited to the feast are blessed (Revelation 19:9).
The Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth probably at the time of the battle of Armageddon to save the remnant of the Jews from destruction (Rev 19: 11-16; Zechariah 13:6-9).
He will then gather all the Gentiles before Him and divide them into two groups - the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-34). The sheep are those who received the gospel of the kingdom that was preached by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the time of tribulation as prophesied in Revelation chapter 7. The goats are those Gentiles who rejected the gospel of the kingdom. The sheep had demonstrated good deeds by their kind treatment of the Israelites (the Lord's brethren - Matthew 25:35-40). These sheep who are saved will then enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ as God's earthly people.
The New Testament saints and some of the faithful saints of the Old Testament era are God's heavenly people who will dwell in the New Jerusalem located in the heavens during the Millennial Age. During this period of one thousand years Satan will be bound in hell and unable to deceive the nations in the Millennial Kingdom. (Rev 20:1-3).
At the end of the Millennial Age, God will gather all the unsaved and the fallen angels to be judged at the Great White Throne, with their final destiny in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).
When all these are over, the old heaven and old earth will passed away to be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1). Therein will dwell three groups of God's people - the New Testament saints, the redeemed nation of Israel and the redeemed Gentile nations - in perfect harmony for eternity!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
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