Category Archives: The World

The Kingdom of Glory: Jesus Decides the Boundaries of Nations, Using Whom He Pleases, 8 of 15

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The prophet Amos makes some general statements of how God operates.

“Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to me, children of Israel?” says Yahweh. “Haven’t I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?”
Amos 9:7

David calls on God to punish wicked nations.

“You, Yahweh God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Rouse yourself to punish the nations.
Show no mercy to the wicked traitors.”
Psa 59:9

Further, if you look at the context in Psalm 59, David included the wicked among God’s people to also be destroyed for they are plotting to murder David for no valid reason. In this psalm the wicked among God’s people are counted as among the nations (Psalm 59 introduction, and verse 5, etc.

God uses even the wicked, to wipe out evil nations

God’s very own people had sinned against Him, and turned to wickedness, deceit, adultery and blood shed. God’s own people now deserve judgement and punishment. So how does God act in these things.

“For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.”
Hab 1:6

The Lord speaks at length about the strength and wickedness of the Chaldeans / Babylonians.

“9 All of them come for violence. … 10 Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it. 11 Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.”
Hab 1:8-11

When mankind deserves to have nothing
but an animal rule over them,
how will God act?

God Himself will raise up the “beast” Revelation. God Himself will give this animal authority.

“It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.”
Rev 13:7.

God helps this monster deceive the entire world, because they reject the truth of God.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”
2Thes 2:11.

And when the prophet Zechariah speaks of this “beast,” calling him “the foolish shepherd,” or “the idol shepherd,” he specifically says that God is the one who will raise him up.

“For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those who are cut off, neither will seek those who are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces.”
Zech 11:16 KJV

The word “land” here is the Hebrew word eretz and can mean either a land, or the earth (as in Genesis 1), and probably should be translated “earth” here. This foolish shepherd will be killed, but not by men, but will have some sort of resurrection, by God’s allowance.

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB),
a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

The Kingdom of Glory: Jesus Rules and Decides the Boundaries of Nations, 7 of 15

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Jesus rule is not just “pie in the sky” heavenly things. It is also down to earth every day things also, and the massive changes in history also. As has been demonstrated, all of God’s rule and authority has been handed to Jesus, Mtt 28:18. So what is this power, and to what ends does it work?

Paul gives a good summary in speech to the scholars at the Areopagus in Athens

The Areopagus could be called the ancient “University of Athens.”

“Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.”
Acts 17:21

Paul soon in his speech gets to the point:

“The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands,”
Acts 17:24

The images of the so-called “gods” are pointless and worse are deceptive. Of the true God Paul says,

“neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.”
Acts 17:25

The true and living God does NOT need us. Rather we need Him. Then Paul makes a biological point about men.

“He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, …”
Acts 17:26a

Biologically we are ALL of the same descent. Further, God,

“… having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,” Acts 17:26b

God determines the “seasons” of nations, that is to say their rising and their falling. It God who overrules the kingdom of men.

“He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings, and sets up kings; …”
Dan 2:21a

“7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; 8 if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.”
Jer 18:7-8

On the other hand, God may decide to build up a nation. However,

“9 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good, with which I said I would benefit them.”
Jer 18:9-10

Some of this incredibly far ahead of time.

Some where around 1800 BC, God told Abram that his descendants would be slaves for four hundred years, and then He would give them the land of Canaan, because,

“In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
Gen 17:16

Further, it not just about God’s own people.

God rules the nations.

“Yahweh is King forever and ever!
The nations will perish out of his land.”
Psa 10:16

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt, 5 of 5

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An audio lesson.

How the end of the world is in many ways like when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. They were going to the earthly promised land of Canaan, and we are going a heavenly promised land in the New Heavens and the New Earth, Isa 65:17, and Isa 66:22, and 2Pe 3:13.

Listen to this audio lesson here, or click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.

The basics of how Bible prophecy works is discussed in detail in Prophecy Principles.Available from you bookseller.

Psalm 22 makes an excellent example of how prophecy works, and it more fully discussed in “Prophecy Principles” in the section “Time and Image in Prophecy,” and in “Revealing the Christian Age” in the section “Balking at the Symbolism.”

The Kingdom of Glory has Territory, 5 of 15

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“38 the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom; and the darnel are the children of the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.”
Mtt 13:38-39

The owner of this “field” is the man who sowed good seed “in his field,” Mtt 13:24. Jesus said plainly that He was that man, Mtt 13:37 Further it is more than this present world, for once again Jesus said,

… “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”
Mtt 28:18

For Jesus is source of ALL things

“For by him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.”
Col 1:16

Everything is “for him.” If we serve Him we have only fulfilled our original purpose, and He is the only source of life.

“3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.”
Jn 1:3

You see, sin is not just an earthly thing.

In fact it started in the spiritual world before it started in the material world. It was a powerful renegade from the spiritual world who first seduced mankind into sin. I am speaking of Satan himself. The angels are not perfect, as has been noted repeatedly in these blogs and in my books.

“Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones;
Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight:”
Job 15:15

Or again,

“Behold, he puts no trust in his servants.
He charges his angels with error.”
Job 4:18

The angels, although much more powerful than men 2Pe 3:11, are moral being like us. Evidently most of the angels are still faithful to God. When Revelation describing the war in heaven in symbolic terms, it puts it this way.

“3 Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns. 4 His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky, and threw them to the earth.”
Rev 12:3-4

We are told clearly that this great red dragon is “… is called the devil and Satan,. …” Rev 12:9. So Rev 12:3-4 is telling us that Satan was able to draw a third of the angels in all creation into his revolt. That means that two-thirds of them are still faithful to God.

Faithful … but not perfect beings!

And Jesus is not just reconciling mankind to himself.

“19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; 20 and through him to reconcile ALL things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.”
Col 1:19-20

Jesus is the true Master of the Universe.

His territory includes ALL that exists, Mtt 28:18, both this universe and the one to come.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt, 3 of 5

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An audio lesson.

How the end of the world is in many ways like when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. They were going to the earthly promised land of Canaan, and we are going a heavenly promised land in the New Heavens and the New Earth, Isa 65:17, and Isa 66:22, and 2Pe 3:13.

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt, 3 of 5

Listen to this audio lesson here, or click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.

The basics of how Bible prophecy works is discussed in detail in Prophecy Principles.Available from you bookseller.

Psalm 22 makes an excellent example of how prophecy works, and it is more fully discussed “Prophecy Principles” in the section “Time and Image in Prophecy,” and in “Revealing the Christian Age” in the section “Balking at the Symbolism.”

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt 1 of 5

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An audio lesson.

How the end of the world is many ways like when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. They were going to the earthly promised land of Canaan, and we are going a heavenly promised land in the New Heavens and the New Earth, Isa 65:17, and Isa 66:22, and 2Pe 3:13.

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt, 1 of 5

Listen to this audio lesson here, or click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.

The basics of how Bible prophecy works is discussed in detail in Prophecy Principles.Available from you bookseller.

Psalm 22 makes an excellent example of how prophecy works, and it is more fully discussed in “Prophecy Principles” in the section “Time and Image in Prophecy,” and in “Revealing the Christian Age” in the section “Balking at the Symbolism.”

The Kingdom of Glory: Is Real, 3 of 15

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The Mystery of Lawlessness, and Mystery Babylon the Great is studied in some detail in Revealing the Christian Age. These are really competing secret religions, which oppose and try to use each other. Available from your bookseller.

It starts here in the hearts of men.

“20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The Kingdom of God doesn’t come with observation; 21 neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Lk 17:20-21

Many kingdoms and powers exercise great authority without the source of the power being visible, or noticed, at least by most. The occult powers are especially aware of many powers exercising their influence and control without being seen. Two great mystery religions of the Christian Age exercise considerable influence and control all through the Christian Age. Some call these the “Deep State.” They are the Mystery of Lawlessness of 2Thessalonians 2, and Mystery Babylon the Great of the book of Revelation.These are important world swaying powers. The Mystery of Lawlessness is basically a Satanic group. I call Mystery Babylon the Great a “a religio-commerical entity” in Revealing the Christian Age.

So also the Kingdom of God Exercises
Power to Transform ALL.

“He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”
Mtt 13:33

So once again we have a verse of this Kingdom in time influencing this entire world to the point that (which is yet in the future for you and me) the leaven of this Kingdom is an influence all over this world “until it was all leavened.” There is to come a world-wide influence of Christianity which has not been seen so far.

The present time is the selection of the chosen,
the elect, to live and rule in a world
which is yet to come.

The author of Hebrews speaks of these things, and says,

“For he didn’t subject the world to come, whereof we speak, to angels.”
Heb 2:5

You see this present universe will pass away. In Hebrews 1 it picture God as rolling up this present universe like an old coat and putting it away, Heb 1:10-12. Peter tells us of,

A New Universe Will be Without Sin and Death

“But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which dwells righteousness.”
2Pe 3:13

Isaiah also speaks of this perfect place.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
Isa 65:17

What will it be like?

“23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Yahweh, and their offspring with them. 24 It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, says Yahweh.”
Isa 65:23-25

A real world, without decay or things running down. A world which some call “heaven.”

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory: Everyone MUST Submit to Jesus of Nazareth, 2 of 15

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All powers, all individuals, must submit to Him.

Psalm 22 describes in detail Jesus death.

It was written about a thousand years before Christ by the prophet David, written in the first person of a Roman style crucifixion which happened centuries later. Only very subtly does it deal with His resurrection. Psalm 22 also says.

The book Prophecy Principles gives a detailed study of Psalm 22 and how Bible prophecy actually works. Avaialble from your bookseller.

“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.”
Psa 22:27 KJV

But in our day of course, we are still sending out missionaries, and have by no means reached the “ends of the world.” Then it says of this one who dies and yet lives, whom all the world will remember,

“All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship.
All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him,
Even he who can’t keep his soul alive.”
Psa 22:29

Who will bow down before this One? Even the rich (the KJV says “All they that be fat upon earth”). And “All those who go down to the dust”? That would be everyone who has to die! And all of us have to die.

“Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,”
Heb 9:27

So that means all of mankind, and that is also emphasized in the final phrase in Psa 22:29: “Even he who can’t keep his soul alive.”

Paul gives an even wider statement of these things.

He says in Philippians chapter two that we should also the mind of Christ, who was willing to humble Himself all the way to death on the cross, Phil 2:5-8.

“Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;”
Phil 2:9

How so Paul, how wide is to be Jesus power and dominance?

“10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ”
Phil 2:10-11

So it is just those on earth who have bow
and worship Jesus the Christ?

It is also everyone who is heaven, and everyone that is under the earth. We are not really fighting against other people.

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Eph 6:12

We are actually fighting “the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Some of them are presently under the earth, although they will be released for short time just before the end of the age (Revelation 9, Rev 16:14, Rev 20:7, etc.).

But every king, every ruler, every spiritual power good or bad will have to bow before Jesus the Christ, and admit He is the supreme Lord to the glory of God the Father.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripures are from the WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Psalm 46, A Synopsis of Revelation, Part 9 of 9

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“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psa 46:10a

With Jethro, Moses father in law, we need to understand,

“Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them.”
Ex 18:11

Perhaps the greatest tribute to God in all of Scripture is by David toward the end of his life.

“… You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come of you, and you rule over all; and in your hand is power and might; and it is in your hand to make great, and to give strength to all.”
1Chron 29:10-13

“I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psa 46:10b-c

He will indeed be treated in holy ways by all that come near Him. When the sons of Aaron treated lightly the rules for worshipping God, fire cam from before the Lord and killed them.

“Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying,
“‘I will show myself holy to those who come near me, And before all the people I will be glorified.’””
Lev 10:3

As David wrote,

“Stand in awe, and don’t sin.
Search your own heart on your bed, and be still.”
Psa 4:4

At the end of his life David told his son Solomon,

“… if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.”
2Chron 28:9

“Yahweh of Hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge.”
Psa 46:11

Revealing the Christian Age is a discussion of how to approach the book of Revelation. Revelation does in fact reveal, not conceal, the Christian Age. Available from your bookseller.

When Jehoshaphat went to fight agains a large force of Moabites and Ammonites, the prophet told him,

“You shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand you still, and see the salvation of Yahweh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed: tomorrow go out against them: for Yahweh is with you.”
2Chr 20:17

And God arranged, as He often does, for their enemies to destroy each other. As Paul put it,

“31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?”
Rom 8:31-32

God is a sure refuge in a time of trouble. It has been that way from the beginning, and it will be that way all the way to the very end … no matter how bad it looks from a fleshly point of view. Even when the earth begins to melt.

Psalm 46 is indeed a very abbreviated
description of the same story told
in the book of Revelation!

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Psalm 46, A Synopsis of Revelation, Part 6

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Always remember that prophecy, much like our day to day conversations, is not strictly chronological. God helps His people when the dawn comes, but part the evil darkness that precedes the dawn, is when,

“The nations raged.” Psa 46:6a

There is a complete discussion of the “rage of the nations” in my first volume, Prophecy Principles, which is available from your bookseller.

The nations in raging, in an uproar, is described in more than one passage. The Hebrew word used here is hama. This word is used of city being in an uproar in 1Kgs 1:41. It is used of being disturbed in passages like Psa 42:11, and Psa 43:5. It used of the water of the sea roaring, earlier in Psa 46:3. It uses this same word as being “stirred up,” and speaks of this same period time, when it says,

“For, behold, your enemies are stirred up.
Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.”
Psa 83:2

In the book of Proverbs this word is often used of being loud and boisterous. It seems to be speaking of riots. Seeming to speak both of the end of Damascus and the end of our age, Isaiah tells us,

“12 Ah, the uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! … 14 At evening, behold, terror; and before the morning they are no more.”
Isa 17:12, 14

Other Hebrew words are also used of these times.

1 Why do the nations rage,
And the peoples plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take a stand,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against Yahweh, and against his anointed, …”
Psa 2:1-2

The Hebrew word translated here as “rage,” of “uproar” is ragash, and could be used of a tumult or a commotion or a riot.

These passages are speaking of the great rebellion that precedes the coming of the man of sin / man of lawlessness / the beast. The ESV, the NET, the 1984 NIV all correctly translate this as “the rebellion,” in 2These 2:3. Following on the heels of this giant world wide rebellion against all law and order and rule of God, will the greatest antichrist of all time will be revealed “in the temple of God, setting himself up as God,” 2Thes 2:4

We are speaking of a world wide revolt against God and against all law and order, much like the more localized BLM and Antifa riots in the United States in 2020. It is clear that some rulers are involved in this giant rebellion against everything which is good. In Psalm 2 it is the “kings of the earth” that “plot” against God. In Revelation it is the beast and ten kings who are center of this revolt against everything which is good.

“The kingdoms were moved.” Psa 46:6b

This beast, this corpse, is “given” “Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation,” Rev 13:7. Such authority hasn’t happened, yet! David asks the Lord,

“Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
From the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;”
Psa 64:2

These will be very stressful times for ALL men.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901