Month: December 2022

The term ‘triage’ means to sort. In a hospital waiting room, they sort out who is most serious and needs to be seen first. Not all our theological or eschatological beliefs are of equal importance. Some are essential to salvation and others are speculative.

For example, one must believe in Jesus (John 3:16) and His sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection to be saved (Rom.10:9-10, 1 Cor.15:1-4). One’s end-time beliefs have nothing to do with the New Birth experience.

There are some Biblical beliefs that are of great importance but do not affect our salvation. For example, the formula used in water baptism, or whether or not one receives the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or laying on of hands for the sick. Important, yes; essential for salvation, no. 

JESUS IS COMING AGAIN

In the book of Revelation I found seven statements that Jesus is coming soon (Rev. 1:3, Rev.3:11, Rev. 22:6, 7, Rev.22:10, 12, Rev.22:20). But ‘soon’ is a relative term. This was said over two thousand years ago and it has not happened yet. But I am convinced that it is a true statement and may happen soon.

TIME, TIMES, HALF TIME, 1260 DAYS, 42 MONTHS, 3 ½ YEARS

These are terms found in the book of Revelation also (Rev.11:2, 3, Rev. 12:6, 14, Rev.13:5). Understanding how these times fit into the return of the Lord will affect when and how we believe He will return.

There are three major beliefs about when Jesus will return. They are premillennial, post-millennial, and amillennial, with some differences. Most of the early church fathers were premillennial such as Papias, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr with the caveat that Jesus was coming before the millennium but after the tribulation and before the wrath of God would be poured out. Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin were amillennial, believing the millennium was not to be taken literally. Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, and most of the leaders of the Second Great Awakening were postmillennial. Many modern theologians also hold the postmillennial position, such as F.F. Bruce, D.A.Carson, Robert Gundry, William Lane, George Eldon Ladd, J. Howard Marshall, Leon Morris, and Merrill Tinney. 

Each of these three positions has some merit and you can find Scripture passages that hint at it. We most often interpret end-time events by what we have been taught or how we interpret what is happening in our world today – which I believe to be one of the least accurate ways to interpret Scripture. Do you remember 88 REASON WHY JESUS IS COMING IN 1988? Date setting has always been wrong and continues to be so. The Bible is clear that no one knows the season, day, or hour when Jesus will come (Acts 1:6-7, 1 Thess.5:1-11).

It would probably be helpful if we would re-read the New Testament end-time Scriptures as if we were reading them for the first time without any preconceived notions. 

Some people have built their whole ministry on this one subject matter, and woe to the person who disagrees with their positions! Relax! Give others some grace on this topic. 

What we believe about the end times is important but should not be the basis for fellowship among Christians because there is much about it that we do not know. We could even call our beliefs of the end time as ‘tertiary’ or third-level beliefs.

Jesus is definitely coming again! Be ready! If He doesn’t come in our lifetime, He is still coming! If He comes before the tribulation, in the middle, or at the end of it, He will still come! If He comes for us in death, so be it! In any case, we will see Him face to face (Rev.22:4, 1 Cor.13:12).

God gave Adam & Eve a beautiful residence – the Garden of Eden in which to live. They would care for and guard it against intruders (Gen.2:15). There were two special trees mentioned, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). They were specifically told they could eat from all the trees except the fruit of the knowledge of the good and evil tree. However, Satan tempted them and they yielded to the temptation and ate from the tree (Gen.3:1-6). As a result of that, all humanity since has been born with a propensity to sin and desires to do our own thing (Rom.5:6-21). They never got to eat the fruit of the tree of life because they were driven out of the Garden (Gen.3:24). 

The Tree of Life

There are a few other mentions of the tree of life in the Bible. They include:

Wisdom is said to be a tree of life to those who take hold of her (Prov.3:18).

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Prov.11:30).

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life (Prov.13:12).

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life (Prov.15:4).

Overcomers will eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Rev.2:7).

In the New Jerusalem “In the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22:2).

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and enter through the gates into the city” (Rev.22:14).

Other Fruit of the Fall

Childbirth pangs (Gen.3:16).

Earn a living through toil (Gen:17-19).

Broken fellowship with God (Gen.3:22-23).

Murder (Gen.4:8).

Corruption and Violence (Gen.6:11-12).

Noah’s Flood (Gen.7-8).

Division of languages (Gen.11:6-8)

And all other types of sin that we are all too familiar with!

The Good News

Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to take our sin upon Himself and die for us and as us (John 3:16, Rom.5:8). The old man is dead and we are a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor.5:17-21). The Cross of Calvary has become our Tree of Life for through it we have eternal life in the present and the future.

To get a more complete view of our future, read Revelation chapters 21-22.

Some of the things waiting for us are: 

He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, sorrow, or crying. There will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. All things will be made new. Access to the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. There will be no more curse. The redeemed will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no night there. They will not need lights, for the Lord God gives them light and they shall reign forever and ever!

The thing we need to do now is to make sure that Jesus is our Savior and Lord!

THE APOSTLE PAUL’S ESCHATOLOGY

1 Corinthians 15:23-26 “ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.  Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”

1. He is coming for his own.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

1. He is coming quickly – in the twinkling of an eye.

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

1. No wrath for the believer.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 3:13-17  “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

1. Dead saints raised, living saints taken up.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you, yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.  For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes 

upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

1. His coming as a thief in the night to unbelievers.

2.  To the saints it will not be as a thief.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,  not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

1. Falling away first.
2. Man of sin to be revealed.
3. Mystery of lawlessness already working.
4. Lawless one consumed when He returns.
5. Strong delusions on non-believers.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 “4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

1. Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits.
2. Seared conscience.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 “3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

1. Perilous times.
2. Lovers of self.
3. Having a form of godliness but denying its power.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

1. Many will not endure sound teaching.
2. Be watchful.
3. Do the work of evangelism
4. Fulfill your ministry.

 SHEPHERDING IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTY

When we look at Psalm 23 we see a good picture of how a relationship should exist between sheep and the Good Shepherd.

Now we will look at Ezekiel 34 which will give us a picture of some under-shepherds who are not doing their job of caring for God’s sheep and how He will respond to them.

Irresponsible Shepherds

Ezekiel 34:1-6 “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?  You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.  The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost, but with force and cruelty, you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.  My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, my flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

The Word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel pointed out several things that revealed how irresponsible these shepherds were.

• Selfish. They feed themselves instead of the sheep.
• You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with their wool.
• You have not strengthened the weak.
• You have not healed the sick nor bound up the broken.
• You have not brought back those that were driven away. 
• You have not sought out the lost.
• You have used force and cruelty on the sheep.
• The sheep were scattered because you did not shepherd them.

These are serious indictments against Israel’s shepherds. But it does not stop there. Many of those statements could be said about the shepherds who pastor God’s people today. And if that is true, it helps to explain much of the division that exists in the Body of Christ. It also explains why the church is so weak and sickly. Many are fighting for their spiritual life and have few resources to do the work of God assigned to them. Many good pastors spend most of their time with the sick sheep with very little time to do anything else to advance God’s kingdom.

What is God going to do about it? Listen to verse 10. “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God is going to judge them in this lifetime. God says He is:

• Against these shepherds.
• I will require the flock at their hand. The shepherd is held responsible for the sheep.
• I will take the flock from them.

I get the idea that Jehovah is serious about His flock! He is equally serious about how His shepherds treat them.

The True Shepherd

Ezekiel 34:11-16 says, ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.  As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.  And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.  I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.  I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.  “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Listen to what Jehovah says He is going to do about it:

• I will search for my sheep.
• I will deliver them from the places where they were scattered.
• I will bring them back to their own land.
• I will feed them on the mountains of Israel.
• I will feed them in good pasture.
• They will lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
• I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away.
• I will strengthen what was sick.

You know it is serious when God steps in to displace those He has called and anointed to be His shepherds.

This is not only applicable to those shepherds and those of today but includes a prophetic element about how God will restore the nation of Israel in the end times.

The Sheep have Responsibility too.

Ezekiel 34:17-24 says, ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”  ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.  I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.  And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The sheep do not get by with their rebelliousness either. Notice some of the things He says to them:

• I will judge between sheep and goats.
• You have eaten the good pasture and trampled the rest down. 
• You have drunk the clear water and fouled up the residue with your feet.
• You have pushed with your side and shoulder and butted the weak ones and scattered them.
• I will establish one shepherd over them and he shall feed them. 
• He calls David His servant and a prince. Which no doubt is prophetic of Jesus Himself.

Perhaps some of the sheep’s behavior has been learned from the shepherds, but much of it reveals their own rebelliousness also.

Having been a Pastor for over 57 years, I have seen many church members get upset over something and sow further discord in the Body before they left to go somewhere else and do the same thing there.

God help us!

God’s Promises.

Ezekiel 34:25-33 says, “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land, and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing, and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.  Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; they shall know that I am the Lord when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.  And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.  I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’  “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.”

Notice the promises Jehovah makes to His people:

• I will make a covenant of peace with them.
• I will make them a blessing.
• There shall be showers of blessing.
• Trees will yield their fruit,
• They shall be safe in their land.
• They shall no longer be prey to the nations.
• I will raise up for them a garden of renown.
• They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them.
• They shall know that they are my people.
• You are my flock, the flock of my pasture. And I am your God.

Some of these promises have already come to pass, but more are slated to occur in the future – specifically in the last days. 

So, how does this relate to sheep and their shepherd? God is a God of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. If the shepherds have sinned, there is forgiveness and restoration. And the same is true of sheep. If they have been rebellious, they can repent and be restored. None of us are flawless. Just forgiven! Jehovah is Lord of His sheep and His shepherds. Each of them has a part to perform in His kingdom. We should be working together to do the work assigned to each of us to do.

copied from my book THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP available on Amazon