We often think we have Bible prophecy already figured out and we look for it to unfold just as we are so sure it will. Yet, God is not always predictable. While what God says will definitely come true, it just may not come true how we thought it would. That could cause us to miss something important if we aren’t really focused on how the Holy Spirit is guiding God’s prophecy to unfold. Let’s look at this though the eyes of Saul of Tarsus in Scripture.

Forty days after Christ’s resurrection was his ascension. During that time period, hundreds of people witnessed him alive after his resurrection (1Co 15:3-8). Just before he ascended, Christ told his disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised . . . in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Ac 1:4-5). Maybe Peter got restless and felt they should do something constructive, so he told the others it was necessary to replace Judas as one of them (Ps 109:8). It was only ten days until the Holy Spirit was to come, but perhaps Jesus did not tell them the Holy Spirit would come on Shavuot (Pentecost). At any rate, it seems Peter was impatient. Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias were nominated. Both had been with them from the time of John baptizing in the Jordan to the time of Christ’s resurrection. They drew lots which fell on Matthias, so he was included as one of the Twelve (Ac 1:26). We are not sure if this was approved by God or not because when drawing lots, one would be chosen whether God was in it or not. Yet, there is nothing in Scripture that says Peter was wrong in doing what he did. However, we do know that God chose Paul as an apostle (Ro 1:1; 11:13; Ga 1:1). So this has always begged the question of who is the actual twelfth apostle? Jesus had chosen the original twelve and we know Jesus chose Paul. Did he choose Matthias?

On Shavuot (Pentecost), the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 disciples who were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. We don’t know in whose house they stayed. It could have been the house of Mary, the sister to Barnabas, and mother of John Mark, as her house was used several times for Christ’s followers over the years. They all heard a rushing mighty wind, and the Holy Spirit descended on each of them as tongues of fire (Ac 2:1-4). They each began to speak boldly to many who were in the city for this festival in the language of the other person’s origin. After obtaining a wider audience, Peter preached to all those listening. From his preaching, and the witness of the others, 3,000 people became believers and were brought into the church that day (Ac 2:41). Over time, more people believed and received the Holy Spirit emboldening them to also speak without reservation. The Sanhedrin arrested Peter and John and reprimanded them trying to deter them from speaking further, but they continued to speak about Jesus and his resurrection (Ac 4:1-22). The believers decided to come together and pool their resources (Ac 4:32). Barnabas is one who is mentioned as an example of one doing this.

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, lied about doing the same and the Holy Spirit had them both die in the presence of others. This demonstrated to everyone the seriousness of their actions (Ac 5:1-11).

The apostles began to perform many signs and wonders which caused more and more to believe in Jesus. The Sadducees had many of them arrested and locked in prison. Yet, an angel of the Lord released them, and they went back to the temple and began to preach again, at the dismay of the Jewish leaders (Ac 5:12-26)-.

The church grew so large so fast that seven individuals, whom they called deacons, were selected to help with the administrative duties of the church so the apostles could devote themselves to preaching (Ac 6:1-7).

One of them, named Stephen, debated with many of the Jews who could not win against his insightful arguments. So, they stirred up the crowd to accuse him of blasphemy and had him stoned to death (Ac 6:8-8:1).

This is when Saul began persecuting Christians because he felt they were against the teachings of the Jewish Scriptures and were creating chaos for the Jewish leaders (Ac 8:3). Saul was a very zealous man, a Pharisee who studied under the tutelage of Gamaliel, a prominent Jewish Rabbi, was from Tarsus in Cilicia, a Roman province in what we would today call southern Turkey, and was born as a Roman citizen, something very uncommon for most people in his day. He was a rising star among the Jewish elite and took the Jewish Scriptures very seriously. He genuinely thought he was doing God’s will by persecuting what he considered a new heretical sect of Judaism. He saw them as someone teaching false doctrine. Because the teaching of Jesus was against the status quo of his teaching and understanding of Scripture, he had believers in Jesus thrown into prison and executed if possible. This caused many believers to flee Jerusalem, and they went to surrounding areas, going as far north as Syria.

A year later, in 34 A.D., Saul was on his way to Damascus to seek out Christians who had fled there due to his persecution. This is when he encountered Christ and was converted (Ac 9:1-19). He then began to preach and teach about Jesus Christ, but many believers were skeptical. His preaching caused an uproar in Damascus after his conversion. The Jewish leaders felt betrayed and tried to have him killed (Ac 9:23). It should be noted that Saul was his Jewish name while the name Paul was his Latin name. It just seems that he had a name change because after this time, the Scriptural text uses his Latin name. This is likely because he was the apostle to the Gentiles (Ga 1:1), so his Latin name would have been used more than his Hebrew name going forward from this point in time.

Paul escaped those in Damascus who were seeking to kill him and went into Arabia in the area at or near Mt. Sinai for about 3 years to seek counsel and instruction from the Lord (Ga 1:17-18). He then went to Jerusalem to visit Peter and James and then went back to his home in Tarsus (Ga 1:21).

Why did Paul seclude himself in Arabia for three years? He knew he needed to seek counsel and instruction from the Lord knowing he was at an inflection point in spiritual history. He had one of the best Jewish educations anyone in Israel could have had and yet he still missed that Jesus was the promised Messiah they had been waiting for. Let’s think about this for a second. He not only knew the scriptures, but, due to his religious training, he had them all practically memorized. Yet, he had missed one of the most important times where God had reached out to his people. How did he miss this? Of all people, he should not have missed this. He not only missed it, but he thought he was on God’s side in persecuting this new sect that, at the time, he felt was heretical.

He knew he needed new insight and a way to look at Scripture differently. The Jewish view of their Messiah and prophetic interpretation about him had been wrong and led Saul to reject Jesus and those who taught about him. The Jewish interpretation of prophetic Scripture was inadequate. He had accepted all the teachings of the past rabbis and knew they had led him astray. Not intentionally. They thought they were correct based upon their understanding of Scripture.

Paul said that God helped him see the emergence of the Church. How? Through prophecy. But it was through scripture the Jewish Leaders had interpreted to be about what would happen after their Messiah set up his rule on the earth. While this is likely still true, after all God is multidimensional, it was these prophetic scriptures that Paul recognized were about Christ’s church and not just about Christ’s reign. At the Council Meeting in Jerusalem, James made the same confession as he quoted from the prophet Amos concerning the rebuilding of David’s fallen tent for Jews and Gentiles which he now saw as God building his church in their current day (Ac 15:13-19; Am 9:11-12). How were they able to see this? Because of where they were in history. They had emerged on the other side of the inflection point of temple worship to Jew and Gentile now worshiping together with each person being a temple indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1Co 3:16). These men could only have interpreted Scripture this way based upon what the Holy Spirit was doing in their current day. This could not have been interpreted prior to their day and their recognition of what the Holy Spirit was doing: something completely different than he had done before. They came to realize that God’s word is continuously unfolding. It is never stagnant and it all points to Jesus Christ.

What about us? We also need to see scripture in light of our current history as well and how the Holy Spirit is leading. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to interpret God’s word, not only with what it says but with what is occurring in our day, especially when we have reached an inflection point, a paradigm shift. This was true for the Jewish people as they had just had a paradigm shift through the coming and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was leading in a new direction and most of the Jewish people had missed it. Rather than trying to understand it, they doubled down on their traditions. Why? The Idumeans and Romans were trying to wipe out their heritage. They felt they did not have time to listen to another upstart, like Jesus, whose teachings affected their delicate balance with the powers that be, and they only wanted him to go away, not upset the apple cart, so to speak, not realizing they were missing the very thing they were trying to preserve.

Could the same mistake be made by the upcoming church that was forming? Join me next time and find out.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

I read a verse which I had read many times before, but the words suddenly stunned me. This was when Moses was interceding for the Israelites asking God to forgive them for their sin of rebellion by not entering the Promised Land due to the bad report ten of the twelve spies gave when they returned from spying out the land which God had promised them. “The LORD replied, ‘I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised an oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it’” (Nu 14:20-23).

Now the word translated here as “fills” in the Hebrew means “will be filled.” So, it seems to be a future action and not a present action. It seems God is making a contrast here. While the Israelites experienced God’s glory through the various miracles he performed for them, they did not esteem him and trust him to carry them through. Yet, at some future point, God’s glory will become so profound that it will seem to fill the entire earth and will not be able to be denied as the Israelites had done.

Now, to my knowledge, that has not yet been fulfilled. As we saw in the last post, God’s glory is displayed constantly for us to see. Yet, this particular verse seems to imply something different, something more dramatic. Are there other references for this within Scripture? Yes. Yes, there is.

In Psalms, we read, “Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen” (Ps 72:19). Again, this seems to indicate some event to occur at a future time.

In Isaiah, when he experienced God and the seraphim surrounding God’s throne, we read, “And they [seraphim] were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Is 6:3). Since this is occurring in heaven where there is no time element, this is an exclamation in the present even though as we see from other verses, this will be an event in our future.

Then in Habakkuk we read, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Hk 2:14). Again, Habakkuk seems to imply a time in his future which this would occur and just how impactful it will be. And, so, it seems, it is still a time future for us as well. Yet, it may be closer than you think.

Some may claim this proclamation of God’s glory filling the earth is referring to Christ’s millennial kingdom when he will be the King of kings reigning over the entire earth from Jerusalem. Yet, there are additional verses within Scripture that talk about this time in our future describing it to be somewhat different from this time described by the verses we have identified above. The timing seems to be tied to what is described in Daniel chapter 7 where one of the verses states, “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High” (Da 7:27). This is in reference to the fourth beast which Daniel saw in a vision that was different from any beast he had ever seen. God stated he would destroy this beast and turn its rule over to “the holy people,” that is, those who follow him. You can learn more about this aspect from a previous post I did (Kingdom Age).

Now if there is a time coming where God will reveal his glory in a miraculous and marvelous way, wouldn’t it be at least implied in the New Testament? Well, I think it is there. I think many times we gloss over its reference because many of us haven’t been taught about such an event occurring. Perhaps Jesus was implying such a time when he taught his disciples how to pray. He first says, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). Many say Christ is referring to his millennial rule here. Yet, that would be Christ’s kingdom, not necessarily God’s kingdom. Perhaps Christ is referring to this time where God’s glory will be spread out over the entire world in a tangible way, just like his glory is spread out over the entire heavenly realm. So, maybe our view of what Jesus was praying needs a little re-thought on our part.

Another aspect to consider is that when God’s glory was experienced by anyone, it brought them to obeisance and a feeling of unworthiness causing one to bow in reverence. Yet, when Christ rules, God’s spirit will instead empower individuals. We’ll talk more about this in a future post.

In addition, it seems Jesus prophesied about this aspect of God’s glory filling the earth as well when he was telling his disciples about future events. He says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be peached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Mt 24:14). Many claim this is Christ speaking of the evangelism that will occur during the Tribulation period through the leadership of the 144,000 evangelists that Christ will raise up to evangelize the whole world (Rv 7, 14). Yet, after speaking about this time, Christ goes on to talk about what will occur after this time, so it seems the time spoken of here is before the Tribulation period and may likely be the time of God pouring out his glory over the earth.

Why did the apostle Paul not talk about such a time occurring? I addressed this in a previous post (Church Age). He likely assumed he was already in such a time because God had poured his spirit out and much of what will occur when God pours out his spirit again was already occurring. Yet, one of the things he said to Titus likely helps us to understand that he began to understand this time of God pouring out his glory was not yet occurring (Empowerment of the Holy Spirit). He told Titus to teach what Jesus had taught them until God’s glory has manifested itself to purify a people for his very own (Tt 2:11-14).

So, it seems we are on the cusp of something wonderful that God will bring upon our world and upon us. Are you ready for it? Are you excited about it? I’m reminded about a scene from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey where the question was asked, “What’s going to happen?” The simple response was, “Something wonderful.” Well, that’s what’s going to happen here: something wonderful. Do you plan on being around to experience it? I trust you will.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

For many of you, I’m sure the last several posts have been like being on a roller coaster. It has been new, somewhat exhilarating, yet riddled with much caution. I get you. I was there for a long time. Let me get a little personal and show how the Lord has led me here.

In 2019 my son, only 28, died from cholangiocarcinoma. This is somewhat of a rare autoimmune disease where the body attacks one’s own bile ducts. By the time it was discovered, the tumor had already spread beyond the liver itself. Therefore, surgery, the only sure form of treatment, was no longer possible. He quickly went from working full time, to being in the hospital, to being placed in hospice, to entering eternity. While we knew he was in heaven as he had accepted Christ as his Savior, it was still devastating to live through. My wife went through a type of crisis wanting to really understand for sure that our son was where we knew Scripture stated he now dwelt. It wasn’t a crisis of hope or not believing, but one of reassurance. She read books about the experiences of those who had died and came back to life as well as listened to several prophets, one being one who claimed to have been in heaven many times.

I, of course, was extremely skeptical, but knew I needed to listen as I wanted to be supportive of my wife and at the same time ensure she was not getting trapped into anything contrary to Scripture. There were several of these “prophets” who seemed to refer to scripture with their claims. So, I had to reconsider some of the things I had thought my entire life. During this time came the lockdowns, the mandates, and the chaos. This made me rethink what I had been taught about many aspects of end-time prophecy. The more I read Daniel chapter 7, the more I felt we were living through the very pages of Scripture as I read and reread them.

I then began to hear about another outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was coming which we should prepare for. I then learned how our country turned from a Republic to a Corporation in 1871 and how our enemy, Satan, had been scheming for way longer than I ever realized to rebuild our world into his image. But I knew that prophecy, if from God, always had a message of hope within its message of doom. That’s where Daniel 7 first came into play for me. I saw the message of hope there. The kingdoms of the world would be turned over to the holy ones, i.e., the followers of Christ. I then began to see all the other scriptures that supported this and are the ones we have covered over the last several posts. I encourage you to go back and review those.

So, the bottom line is that it seems we are on the verge of God doing something wonderful—bringing about the biggest revival the world has ever experienced. Does this excite you? Are you ready for something like that? But we also have a responsibility. Paul gave that to us. He said, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Tt 2:11-12). I grant you; this is easier said than done. We live in a world where feelings have been equated with truth. But if we follow what Paul has said, what is the outcome? “The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Tt 2:13-14). Again, the prophet Habakkuk tells us, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hk 2:14). Can you imagine it? The outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will make Acts 2 look small and insignificant in comparison. Buckle up. It’s coming. I hope you’ll be ready.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last few posts, we have talked about how the Old Testament references the Earth being filled with the Holy Spirit again, post Acts chapter 2. This time, we want to see if the New Testament also supports such a claim.

The account in Acts was a localized outpouring of the Holy Spirit but then spread quickly and widely due to the evangelism of those who accepted Christ as their Savior and then received God’s Spirit. We found out in the book of Habakkuk that the next outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be far more reaching and be like a flood over the Earth. Is such a thing possible? And is there other proof of this event occurring?

First, I think we need to look at how the differences between Christ’s first and second comings were ascertained. Prior to Christ coming the first time, there was much confusion to which Scriptures pointed to his first coming and which to his second coming. After all, much of the religious leader’s resistance to Jesus being the Messiah was that he was not fulfilling all the prophesied claims of the coming Messiah, which, today, we realize will be fulfilled at his second coming.

But, are there any doctrines today that even teach of such an outpouring. Once we get the Holy Spirit, we have him, and he is with us forever. While I can’t say there are no denominations today that teach otherwise, I do know there are many prophets today who are teaching about a greater outpouring coming and do bring in scripture to support their claim. Let’s see what they say about this claim in the New Testament.

One such claim is the gospel message that Jesus taught when he first began his ministry. He taught, as did John the Baptist, to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt 3:2; 4:17). To which kingdom were they referring? I was always taught he was referring to Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, but John seems to indicate something else. John told the Jewish leaders that he baptized with water for repentance, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt 3:11). Christ was not going to fulfill his kingship at this time because that would limit who all would have a chance to accept him.

It seems Jesus’ ministry was a transformative ministry to prepare people for the coming filling of the Holy Spirit. This would give them the power to also become transformative in the lives of others (Jn 14:12-14). Paul explained this further stating that by what Jesus did on the cross was more significant than we could even imagine. The power of the Holy Spirit which allowed Christ to be raised from the dead also dwells in us (Ep 1:20-21) and will allow all the miracles that Jesus performed to also be performed by those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them (Jn 14:12-14).

So, what happened? That doesn’t seem to be happening today. Well, it did happen in the beginning. Likely Paul felt he was living in this time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit because he observed God working many signs and wonders which served as a testament to the power of God and led many to believe in Christ.

Yet, it seems over time, the church became hierarchical and then those in elite positions did not have the Holy Spirit but coveted power and wealth over the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. While accepting Christ as one’s Savior was still taught, the power of the Holy Spirit was not. We discussed some of this previously (Kingdom Age). Christianity became societal transformative and not spiritually transformative. People became good and moral but not necessarily transformative with the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others.

Over time, this led the church to become more and more inept and allow the enemy, Satan, to develop a stronghold that became stronger and stronger. Our enemy has been patient and we have seen how he has ravaged our societies over the last several years. We also discussed this aspect earlier (Will God Show Up Today?).

Just as Israel missed its charge of being priests to the world (Ex 19:5-6), the church has missed its charge to be transformative in the lives of others via the Holy Spirit. Israel will fulfill its charge in the coming Millennial Kingdom of Christ (Kingdom of Priests). It seems that the church will fulfill its charge of the Great Commission when the Holy Spirit’s outpouring comes over the Earth like a flood. A great time to be alive, for sure.

The book of Titus was written later in Paul’s ministry. I think due to the infiltration of false teachers within the church, he likely concluded that they were not living in the time when the Spirit of God would become like a flood over the Earth as Habakkuk had prophesied. He told Titus to teach what Jesus had taught them until God’s glory has manifested itself to purify a people for his very own (Tt 2:11-14).

Maybe this has been a lot for you to understand and process. After all, it is not what many of us have been taught in regard to our future. Me included. Stay with me and I’ll try and summarize next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Some prophets today are claiming that a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit is upon us. Let’s explore that and see if there are scriptures that would support such a claim. We looked at the passage in Daniel chapter 7 last time but now want to see if there are other passages that support God doing such a work.

This time I would like to explore a passage that is often quoted, but typically without context. Joel 2:27-28 says, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

What is meant by “and afterward”? It seems, based on the verses prior to these, that a type of restitution has occurred. Today’s prophets have also mentioned this aspect that is also coming in which everything that has been stolen from us by certain privileged elites of this world will be coming back to us. Then, it seems God will pour out his spirit again in large measure and many will prophesy and have visions of what God has planned for us during this time. We can know this is not referring to the Millennial Age because the verses after these seem to be talking about that aspect of our future. This time is very near for us. That’s rather exciting, isn’t it?

We can also know that this is not talking about the Millennial Age because Peter quoted these verses after the Holy Spirit was given in Acts chapter 2. Certainly, he did not see this time as being after Christ returns, but before. He even believed it was at least partially fulfilled during his lifetime as the Holy Spirit came upon them (Ac 2:16-21).

The prophet Habakkuk speaks of the intensity of this outpouring of the Holy Spirit: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hk 2:14). He states that this is for “an appointed time” and even though “it lingers,” it will come to pass. It seems the world has been waiting and, according to the prophets, the time is nigh.

Many have grown weary because of all that has transpired over the last few years and the moral decay that has occurred worldwide. They believe the only answer is the return of Jesus Christ to receive his bride. Yet, many prophets today say this is not the Lord’s answer to our current problem. The answer is a return to the power the early Church possessed through the Holy Spirit. God will once again bless us with the empowerment of his Spirit.

But why would he not come for his bride now rather than empowering her? Think about it. Would a bridegroom want to come and receive an battered and torn bride who is all but lifeless? That is not the dream of a bridegroom for his bride, is it? A bridegroom wants a bride who is fresh and eager for his coming and ready to receive him with open arms. He wants her to run into his arms because of love and adoration, not out of desperation and heartbreak. I think Paul summed it up nicely: “I am jealous for you [the church] with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2Co 11:2).

If the prophets are right, then the church will once again become pure and powerful in the Spirit and reunited in Christ with an expectancy as we fulfill the great commission with which we have been charged (Mt 28:18-20).

Now, if such a great event is indeed upon us, wouldn’t there be at least clues in the New Testament as well. I think there are. We’ll explore that next time. Join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In my previous post, I discussed what modern prophets should be focused on if they are indeed prophets of God. In this post, I want us to focus on the main topic that has been brought forth and for us to consider if such is true or not. So, what is this message that has stirred up so much controversy within Christian circles: a new outpouring of God’s glory on the earth.

Prophets in the past tried to warn their fellow citizens of the error of their ways and to focus on what they could not see rather than what they were seeing all around them. Many believed they were doing nothing wrong and that all was in order. Yet, the prophets stated that was not the case and they were living in sin. If they didn’t repent, then God was going to bring doom to them (in their case, captivity). Many did not listen, but for those who were true followers, the prophets also gave a message of hope to those who would hear. Isaiah prophesied and warned of the kingdom of Israel being taken captive by Assyria (Is 8:7-8) but also prophesied of their coming Messiah (Is 7:14), Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be under Babylonian rule for seventy years (Jr 25:11) but also prophesied of their divided kingdom one day being reunited (Jr 30:3) even more glorious than the way it had been in the past (Jr 31:38-40), and Ezekiel prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple (Ek 24:29-21), but then prophesied of a new and glorious temple that God would have built so they could worship God once again (Ek 40-48). Each of these prophets wanted their people to come back to God but warned of consequences of not doing so. Yet, they also made sure everyone knew that God would never abandon them and would bring wonderful things for them in their future.

Is this what modern prophets are doing as well? It seems some are. What is the message of hope some are giving to us? I have talked about this somewhat in a previous post (Kingdom Age). As I mentioned in that post, while some are saying we are on the cusp of the Kingdome Age, I see this as a fourth and final component of the Church Age. What are the Scriptural bases for such a thing to come about?

One such passage of Scripture is Daniel chapter 7. I have spoken about this passage as to what has been going on in our world recently (Will God Show Up Today?), but let’s focus on what was told Daniel that would come about after this. We find this in verses 26-27: “But the court will sit, and his [i.e., the fourth beast’s] power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.” It would seem this is not Christ’s Millennial Kingdom because he will be sovereign at that time, not the holy people themselves. Perhaps this is to what Paul alluded to when he said, “Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?” It seems Paul is comparing the Christians in Corinth to how they will be before Christ’s Kingdom, otherwise, it would not be such a straightforward comparison as to how they would be able to judge others.

Some have stated that this passage is referring to Christ’s Millennium Kingdom because the next sentence states that the kingdom of the Most High will last forever. While this is true, it is not necessarily implying that this kingdom is the same as the kingdom of the previous sentence. The consistency between the two sentences is the “Most High” not the “kingdom” of each sentence. While it is the holy people, or followers of Christ, who will be the rulers of this kingdom, it is under the leadership of the Most High as will the Millennial Kingdom be under his direction as well.

So, it would seem that our hope is not the return of Christ as this time, but the return of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. While this is not saying that all Christians don’t have the Holy Spirit living within them, we must admit that we are not operating in all the power of which we have access to through the Holy Spirit. Paul does tell us that because of what Christ did on the cross, we have access to the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Who can say we are operating with that same power?

If this is the only passage of Scripture about this, we would perhaps gloss over it. Yet, there are others we should review before we make a final consensus on this topic. Join me, and we’ll discuss this topic next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We know there were prophets in the past who God used mightily. After all, there are whole books of the Bible that were written by these prophets who God told to do certain things and to speak certain words. I have mentioned in a previous post how the messages these prophets spoke, typically of impending doom, were peppered with messages of hope (God's Prophecy of Hope) and that hope is not hope unless it is actually tangible and will come to be in the physical as prophesied.

Do such prophets exist today as well? One of the arguments by many against this tenet is that today we have all Scripture from God so there is no need for prophets today. But did God only use prophets to provide his scripture to us? As I pointed out in another post (Church Age), there were many other prophets who God used but their words did not become part of our canon of Scripture. It would seem it was not the office of prophet that determined the use of their words, but God’s intended purpose of their inspired words which the Holy Spirit gave them. Yet, the common denominator seems to be that all those whom God called to be a prophet pointed their audience to God and to God’s scripture. Their main purpose was to help prevent God’s people from going astray or to help them understand the error of their ways so they would return to God wholeheartedly.

So, if there are prophets today, they should be doing the same. I think there are three criteria they would be fulfilling based on what I just stated above: (1) they provide God’s inspired words, but not adding to what the Bible already has told us; (2) they point people back to God and his precepts; and (3) while they may be speaking about what God will be doing or is doing, they are not adding to Scripture, but utilizing Scripture for us to focus on to either teach us some aspect of Scripture we have not, or are not, abiding by or recognizing.

Yet, we need to recognize that prophecy can be tricky for us to validate before we jump in wholeheartedly. After all, the enemy has his prophets also. Our enemy, Satan, uses them to distract, divide, and confuse us so that we focus on the division their words cause us rather than on the message the true prophets are trying to get us to understand. It seems this has been his modus operandi from the very beginning. Maybe a few examples will help us. During the time of Jeremiah, there were those who opposed his prophecies as being untrue and unfounded and even publicly ridiculed him (Jr 28:1-11), and God proved the false prophet to be untrue as he met an untimely death (Jr 28:12-17). God revealed these false prophets’ true motives as being from the enemy (Jr 23:13-14). Almost all God’s prophets had to deal with false prophets who tried to make the people believe their words null and void. This was true of Isaiah (Is 8:20) and Ezekiel (Ek 22:28) as well.

We find similar cautions in the New Testament also. Jesus warned people of this issue even in his day (Mt 7:15) as well as what would happen in their future (Mt 24:24). John (1Jn 4:1), Peter (2Pt 2:1-3), and Paul (Cl 2:8) also provided this same warning.

So, if we know there will be false prophets among us, wouldn’t that suggest we would also have true prophets of God in our midst as well? Why would we need them if we have all of God’s scripture? Well, it seems the false prophets are using scripture (or, rather, misapplying scripture) to support their false theories and teachings (2Co 11:13). We need true prophets to cause us to focus on the true meaning of scripture and not fall for such false teachings. While, yes, we can accomplish the same on our own, we also know most of us do not dive into scripture and personally pray to understand its true meaning. True prophets will (and should, if they exist today) cause us to focus correctly on what God is telling us through Scripture.

If this was not true, then why would John say to test the spirits to tell if a prophet is true or false (1Jn 4:1)? What was the litmus test? “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God” (1Jn 4:2-3). So, listen to several messages from those who claim to be prophets. Are they consistent in their messaging? Do they talk about other prophets and demean them? Do they point you to Scripture or focus you on what they say? Does their message align with all Scripture or just the point they are making with a specific scripture reference (which may be out of context if it doesn’t align with all scripture). And, as John told us, is Jesus Christ the center of their teaching?

So, what are these prophets telling us that is putting so many people in a quandary? We’ll get into that in my next post. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Scientists have sought for a long time to find a theory that unites gravity and quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics provides a description of atomic and subatomic particles into either zero-dimensional particles or as waves. Gravity, on the other hand, could not be explained in this same manner. The unification between them was sought with the development of different versions of superstring theory which looks at these subatomic particles as one-dimensional strings where their frequency of vibration defines each type of particle. Yet, the inclusion of the graviton or gravitational force was not achieved until the development of M-theory which some have called the Theory of Everything since it is inclusive of the graviton in its theorical predictions.

There were at least five versions of superstring theory before M-theory was conceived and developed. This theory was able to not only combine all the other forms of string theory into its model but also explain the graviton as well as other troublesome quantum areas which these other theories were unable to include.

I present this introduction because I think we can do something similar to the area of theology around the different doctrines of “end-time” prophecy. There was something missing in the five superstring theories that M-theory was able to unite. I think the same holds true for “end-time” prophecy regarding what many call the Rapture – the snatching away of God’s elect at some point in our future just before God’s wrath is poured out upon the Earth. Currently, there are five views of the Rapture as well:

1.      The Rapture will occur just before the seven-year Tribulation Period.

2.      The Rapture will occur half-way through the seven-year Tribulation Period.

3.      The Rapture will occur three-fourths through the seven-year Tribulation Period.

4.      The Rapture will occur at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period just before Christ’s Second Coming.

5.      The Rapture will not occur at all.

In understanding end-time prophecy, there are several events we need to consider and be sure our understanding includes all of them in a logical and orderly manner. I have provided a short description of each, but we will go into more detail with each of these in future blog posts.

1.      Church Age: This began forty days after Christ’s ascension on Shavuot (Pentecost) and will last until the beginning of the Tribulation Period. I’ll later show that I think this Age can be divided into four phases.

2.      Kingdom Age: This is actually the fourth part of the Church Age which many have not considered in their discussion of end-time prophecy. Yet, it will likely play a key role in the unification of the various views of the Rapture. A future blog post will discuss this topic more thoroughly.

3.      Rapture: This is the return of Christ in the atmosphere to receive his elect, his bride, his Church (those alive and those who are dead).

4.      Marriage Supper of the Lamb: This is an important future event for the bride of Christ, his Church, to further help us understand important aspects of the Rapture and put events in their proper order.

5.      Tribulation: This is the beginning of hard times on the earth and will lead to the reunification of Judah and Israel.

6.      Great Tribulation: This is when hardships on the earth will be excruciating on those who live on the earth at this time. Understanding the order of the events mentioned here will help to put this one in its proper perspective and we’ll add to this in a future post.

7.      Second Coming of Christ: This is an event not really in controversy, but putting this event in its proper order will help us to better understand it.

8.      Millennial Kingdom: A future post will give more insight into this event and how wonderful it will be.

We will look at each of these in more detail in future blog posts. If we understand the order of these events and what each of these events entail, then I believe it will show how these different views of the coming Rapture will merge into only one view. I’m sure many feel that one must situate themselves into one of these camps defining the Rapture and reject the others. Yet, I believe they are all one and the same. Just as scientists thought they had to choose which of the five versions of superstring theory they believed in and then reject the others, I see the same thinking about the concepts of the Rapture. As scientists came to see their version of superstring theory was actually only one piece of the whole within M-theory, perhaps what many are predicting is coming upon us and the world in the very near future—even at our doorstep—will bring the same unification of our views of the Rapture as M-theory did for superstring theory.

I hope you will join me in this look at what God is going to bring to our world and to us individually as well. I’m always amazed at what God tells us and how he is such a uniting force for us. It is us humans who divide us. It is God and his wisdom who unites us once again.

All praise to God who is all knowing. Let us forever allow his wisdom to guide us.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last several posts, we have looked at examples of how God showed up in a big way. In the last post, I asked whether we expect him to show up for us today. Do you? Are you expecting him to show up in a big way?

Currently there are two main ideas that are currently prominent as to how God will show up for us today:

1.      Rapture (1Th 4:13-18; 1Co 15:51-52; also called Receiving of the Bride): God will come in the sky and receive to himself those who have placed their trust in him, and we will ever be with the Lord. This is the ultimate hope of all believers.

2.      Revival (Da 7:26-27; Mt 24:14; Rv 17): Before that ultimate hope of all believers is realized, God will send a final and most glorious revival which will sweep the whole earth.

Both of these events seem to be recorded in Scripture. Neither are direct, yet neither are they hidden. Yet, some believe in neither, some in one or the other, and others in both. I will not debate the Rapture in this post as the idea of a coming revival is somewhat newer to many than the idea of a Rapture. Let’s see if there is evidence for Revival to come first.

In Daniel Chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a vision of a statue composed of gold (head), silver (torso), bronze (loins), iron (legs), iron & clay (feet & toes). Then a stone came and crushed the statue to dust. God revealed to Daniel that Babylon represented the head of gold and other kingdoms would come after him. History tells us the silver portion of the statue was the reign of the Medes & Persians, bronze portion was the reign of Greece, and iron portion was the reign of Rome. So far, no kingdom has seemed to represent the iron mingled with clay. Yet, is it possible that iron mingled with clay is actually a representation of today?

Why do I suggest this? There is another vision given to Daniel in Chapter 7 that many biblical scholars say represents the same kingdoms as the vision given to Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, perhaps this is not about the entire statue, but about the feet alone to give more details for Daniel to understand this period of history that would be in his distant future but may be at our doorstep today. Perhaps we are even on its threshold with the door already open.

Why iron and clay? It means such a kingdom is authoritarian in its demands but lacks cohesion and stability to always carry them out.

Daniel was extremely curious about the fourth beast that God revealed to him in his vision in Daniel Chapter 7. Let’s look at part of how God interpreted the fourth beast that Daniel saw: “He gave me this explanation: ‘the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are then kings who will come from this kingdom. After them, another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set time and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him’” (Dn 7:23-27, NIV).

Now, let’s think about what has been happening in our world over the last three years or so. The World Economic Forum has been very active, acting almost like a government even though it isn’t a government. Despite this fact, this organization has influenced and affected the entire world almost like the empires of old but has done so in a way totally different from any previous empire. One could say it has had a unique influence: almost as if it was higher than governments by utilizing its influence alone through various individuals trained in its philosophies. As this passage of Scripture above indicates, it has indeed crushed the entire world with many of its decisions and forced mandates for a little over 3 years now. It is strong in its claims and mandates (iron) but weak in maintaining complete control of the narrative (clay).

In addition, one of its top advisors, Noah Yuval Harari, has become very brazen and some say, even blasphemous, in his talks. He has given many talks, has several books, and has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It is obvious his philosophy has shaped his view of history and the world at large. He seems to believe all religions are composed of myths without fact and truth. He speaks almost like a prophet would speak. While he seems to point out warnings and potential concerns of the fast rise of Artificial Intelligence, it seems the World Economic Forum and those around the globe who follow their polices are trying to enact the very things he warns about. Some of the things he has said include the following:

“And every technical problem has a technical solution. We don’t need to wait for the Second Coming in order to overcome death” (Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 2018, Harper Perennial, New York, 2018, p. 23).

“Many of the big changes in history were unlikely. If you think for example the rise of Christianity, if you go about the Roman Empire third century then you have so many different religions and cults and philosophies or whatever, you have this esoteric Jewish sect that believes that a Jewish preacher who was crucified by the Romans two hundred years ago is actually the Lord of the Universe and it’s a very tiny esoteric sect. Nobody would imagine that within a couple of decades this sect, Christianity, will take over the Roman Empire. But it happened.” (Chanel 4 News, Ways to Change the World, interview with Yuval Noah Harari, Will artificial intelligence create useless class of people? YouTube video, Oct 20, 2021).

“Biological knowledge multiplied by computing power multiplied by data equals the ability to hack humans. If you know enough biology and have enough computing power and data, you can hack my body and my brain and my life, and you can understand me better than I understand myself. You can know my personality type, my political views, my sexual preferences, my mental weaknesses, my deepest fears and hopes. You know more about me than I know about myself. And you can do that not just to me, but to everyone.” (World Economic Forum, Yuval Noah Harari: How to Survive the 21st Century – Davos 2020, YouTube video, Jan 24, 2020)

“The only thing God managed to create was organic beings, trees, giraffes, and humans. If we succeed, then very soon we will be beyond the God of the Bible" (Excerpt from a talk given by Yuval Noah Harari, Frank: The Voice of Free Speech, Clay Clark, Dec 19, 2022).

“Within the next century or two, we humans are likely to upgrade ourselves into gods and change the most basic principles of the evolution of life. Traditional mythologies depicted gods as powerful beings that could design and create life according to their wishes. In the coming two centuries we will probably learn how to engineer and manufacture various life forms according to our wishes. We will use bioengineering in order to create new kinds of organic beings; we will use direct brain-computer interfaces in order to create cyborgs (beings that combine organic and inorganic parts); and advances in machine learning and AI might even allow us to set in motion the creation of completely inorganic beings. The main products of the future economy will not be food, textiles, and vehicles but rather bodies, brains, and minds” (Our Nonconscious Future, written by Yuval Noah Harari, published in Britannica, 2018).

Yet, we also see he has not just warned about the effects of AI and transhumanism, he has begun to embrace the very things he has warned us about:

“Humans are now hackable animals. The whole idea that humans have this soul or spirit, and have this free will and no one knows what goes on inside me so whatever I choose, whether in the election or whether in the supermarket, this is my free will. That’s over.

“We are really upgrading humans into gods.

“The test of AI is not whether it is perfect, but whether it is better than humans.

“We don’t have any answer in the Bible what to do when humans are no longer useful.

“You need completely new ideologies, completely new religions, and they’re likely to give people visions based on technology and everything the old religions promised: happiness and justice and even eternal life.

“For the first time in history it is possible to completely eliminate privacy. It was just never possible before, and it is possible now. Something fundamental has changed. When dictators always dreamt about completely eliminating privacy, monitoring everybody all the time and knowing everything you do, and not just everything you do but everything you think, and everything you feel. Whether it’s a tyrant in ancient Greece or whether it’s Stalin, they always dreamt about it and never do it because it was technically impossible. Now it’s possible.” (Excerpts from various talks given by Yuval Noah Harari, Thrivetime Show: The Reawakening versus The Great Reset, Rumble video, 2022)

It seems Satan has tried to push up the timeline to bring about his One World Government before it is time for him to do so. Granted, he has tried this before, but he has been preparing this time for at least one-hundred years or more. He has been very subtle this time but is now becoming brazen again. Satan is trying to bring his time on his schedule and prevent this generation from accepting God as their Savior. While he has always tried to do this, this is the first time in history that standing for right is considered wrong and actively suppressed. We have reached a “do or die” moment in current history.

It would be in God’s character to bring a revival for a great harvest of souls before he gives Satan his time. Satan doesn’t want a revival and is doing all he can to ensure that doesn’t happen, but God is the one in control of the timeline.

How should we pray for God to manifest himself today? We should ask him to reveal himself as Jehovah Nigelah, the Lord who Reveals, and pray for God to reveal himself mightily in our time. We need him as El Emet, God of Truth. Let’s pray for his truth to be revealed and reign supreme. Pray for him to come as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who Heals, and pray for God to heal us physically and spiritually so we can live for him. He tells us, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2Ch 7:14). And we should ask him to reveal himself as Elohim, God Eternal, and pray for God to reveal himself as the One True God to all the world.

Through all the examples presented, we have seen how God shows up when things become the darkest– but not necessarily in the way expected. This gives us hope for today because the characteristics of God manifest themselves when mankind has almost given up, and God loves us despite how we often seem to not even love ourselves. Satan has always tried to control the timeline, but God has never allowed him to do so.

I found this motivational saying: If you want something different, you gotta do something different. While this is a good saying to stir up an audience, and there is some biblical truth to it, perhaps the better question to ask is to rephrase it slightly: If you want something different, you gotta be something different. We should ask ourselves: How does God want us to change to accomplish that? And, what is God asking us to do that perhaps we are not doing?

Not only do the unsaved need revival, but the church as a whole also needs a revival. Many, many denominations not only exist, but so many of them are antagonistic to each other. Are we really performing as Paul stated the Bride of Christ should perform? He said in 1st Corinthians, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body . . . (1Co 12:13). And in Philippians, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and of one mind” (Pp 2:2). Are we as the Church really in one Spirit and like-minded?

So, how do we prepare for God to show up for us today? Well, whether you believe it is time for the Rapture or time for a great harvest of souls, our response should be the same: lift our fellow believers up to God in prayer and ask God to empower all his children. Let’s pray within the armor of God, resist the devil, and pray for God’s favor. We know our battle is a spiritual one and we fight such a battle on our knees. We should pray for God’s will to be done and not what we wish to have done and ask for our expectations to match his – and that we will be ready for however he manifests himself. Let our hearts be open to however he desires to work and whatever character of his he wishes to express.

Believe it or not, prayer is the most powerful weapon. Christ used it a lot. And if he needed to pray, then we most definitely need to do so. Let’s all be united in order to allow God’s will to work through each of us so we’ll be ready for him stepping into our world in a mighty way.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Have you ever thought your job was done only to find out you’re really not? I’m sure that is how Ezekiel felt. He had been prophesying for a long time that Jerusalem, his home, was going to be destroyed by Babylon. Yet, even though many of his countrymen were already in captivity in Babylon, they could not come to grips with the fact that God would allow their beloved city and temple to be destroyed. It finally happened. Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to Jerusalem for nearly two years and then destroyed the entire city and its temple (Ek 24).

At that point, I’m sure Ezekiel thought his job was done. He had tried to warn his people and get them on the same page as God. He had remained faithful as God’s Watchman (Ek 3:16-27). He had gone through a lot of hardships to remain faithful as a watchman. He even had to endure the death of his wife as a topical lesson for his people (Ek 24:17-18). You can sympathize, right? After a long hard day, or physically demanding or mentally draining job, you are exhausted and just want to rest and rejuvenate. That is how Ezekiel felt, I’m sure. But, God had other plans for him.

God reminds Ezekiel that even though Jerusalem has fallen, he still has the duty of a Watchman (Ek 33:7). Ezekiel’s task is to now tell Israel that God does not delight in their destruction but desires for them to repent (Ek 33:11). An escapee from the destruction of Jerusalem came and told the people there in captivity that Jerusalem had fallen. At that time, God allowed Ezekiel to speak again (Ek 33:21-22). God had made him mute for almost two years—ever since Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem. Can you imagine what the people thought of Ezekiel during this time? Maybe many thought it served him right to be mute. God had finally shut him up because of his unpatriotic sayings. Are we any different in being too quick to judge rather than allowing a disconcerting message to penetrate our hearts and allow God to see if there are any seeds of wickedness in us?

The people were now mad because God had allowed this destruction to happen. They had the misconception that the land was theirs—God had given it to them, and they felt God had no right to take it away. Yet, God, through Ezekiel, told them all the destruction was due to their disobedience (Ek 33:25-16). It seems people are people no matter in what time they live. Are we any different? We always have excuses for our behavior: it is never as bad as others claim, we have a justification for what we do, and we feel what we do is not really that bad after all. These people felt no differently.

As their watchman, Ezekiel kept to his task. He accused the shepherds of Israel, their leaders (kings, princes, priests, and false prophets) of looking out only for themselves rather than the needs of their people (Ek 34:2-4). This is one of the pitfalls of lifelong service that someone in such a position must be aware. Since this is now their job, their livelihood, and not just a short-term profession, they must temper their desire for ambition, wealth, and prosperity for their family. While it is not wrong to have these things, they have a higher responsibility to the people for whom they serve. It’s often too easy to lose sight of that fact. These leaders in Ezekiel’s day had done that. They had lost sight of their greater responsibility. Ezekiel tried to get them to see that. He warned them that God would remove them from leadership (Ek 34:10).

To better help them understand, Ezekiel gave an analogy of a coming Good Shepherd who will take good care of his people (Ek 34:12). Ezekiel turns to a future time, a time we refer to as the Millennial Kingdom, where God will gather his people from every distant land (Ek 35:12-13). He will judge between the goats and the sheep (i.e., between the righteous and the unrighteous), between one sheep and another (the act of receiving rewards), and he will shepherd them with justice (this may be referring to his ruling with an iron scepter (Rv 2:27)) (Ek 35:20-22). Their Good Shepherd, their Messiah, will make David their shepherd and their prince (Ek 35:24). This is likely referring to David’s position in relation to Christ, their Messiah. David will be subservient to him. In addition, the land will be made to be fruitful to meet all their nutritional needs, they will live in safety without the threat of war, and he will be their God (Ek 35:25-31).

Ezekiel then restates the prophecy against Edom (Ek 35). This was to contrast the choices made by Jacob and Esau, the ancestors of Israel and Edom. God used Esau (Edom) as a topical lesson as to what Israel could be like, but how God is going to instead reward Israel. This was not because of Israel’s goodness, but because of God’s goodness and how he will keep his promises to them.

In contrast to what God said about Edom, he would give great blessings to Israel: mountains, hills, rivers, valleys, and cities will become fruitful and prosperous (Ek 36:4, 8, 10). Yet, he reminds them that God will do this for his own Name sake (Ek 36:22) and not because of anything they have done. Despite what Israel had done in profaning God to the surrounding nations, God would make his Name great and holy again (Ek 36:23). God’s plan will not be rescinded because of what mankind does. God would do this by taking Israel and cleansing her and putting his Spirit within her (Ek 36:26-27). This was a new concept for them. The Holy Spirit will come upon them, and they will seek him and morn for their actions toward him (Zc 12:10).

This is also our promise from God, both now and for our future. If you turn to him, realize his death on the cross was payment for your sin (past , present, and future), accept that and realize nothing you can do can earn this for you except depending upon him completely both now and for your future, you too will receive the Holy Spirit to guide you on your journey through this life. Then, in the life to come you will receive all these blessing that God promised to his people through Ezekiel. Isn’t it exciting?! Come join us. You’ll be glad you did!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Have you ever noticed that God usually deals with us with a light touch, but our neglect of his promptings can come with heavy consequences? He wants the best for us, but our stubbornness is what gives us second best. This was the same with those Ezekiel was trying to get to follow God’s promptings.

God gave them several parables to try and get their attention (Ek 17:1-21). Let’s see what he told them. First, God gave them a parable of two eagles. The first eagle takes the highest branch of a cedar of Lebanon and carries it off. It is planted in the soil and grows into a healthy vine. In this instance, Nebuchadnezzar is the eagle and king Jehoiachin of Judah is the vine. He was a very wicked king and God had him removed from being king after he reigned for only three months. Jeremiah even prophesied against his wickedness. He was taken to Babylon and placed in prison. Yet, a future king of Babylon took him out of prison and placed him in a place of prominence (2Ki 25:27-30).

Ezekiel then talked about a second eagle. This second eagle also took a branch, but this branch did not prosper. Those who remained in Judah reached out to this second eagle who represented king Hophra of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar’s forces reached as far south as Egypt. When Nebuchadnezzar deposed Jehoiachin, he put Zedekiah on the throne in Jerusalem. Because Zedekiah looked to king Hophra of Egypt for help and defied paying taxes to Babylon (2Ch 36:13), Nebuchadnezzar had Jerusalem captured, the temple burned, put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and brought him to Babylon where he later died (2Ki 25:1-21).

God then contrasts what he will do as opposed to what these human kings have done for the Israelites (Ek 17:22-24). He stated he would take the highest branch of the cedar, plant it on the heights of Israel, and it will become a large cedar bearing much fruit where all kinds of birds will use it as a habitat and find shade within its branches. This represents the prosperous reign of the coming Messiah. God stated this was his promise to Israel. This shows us two things: God’s way is always superior to ours, and he always provides a message of hope during his prophecies of destruction.

God went further. The people quoted the following proverb: The parents eat sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge (Ek 18:2). The people used this as an excuse not to change as they stated their circumstances were not their fault. They were just reaping the judgment of the acts of their ancestors. Ezekiel stated God was now going to hold each individual accountable for their own actions and it would not matter what one’s ancestors had or had not done. It would only matter what an individual did, and an individual would stand or fall on his own merit. While they then stated that was not fair, God stated he was offering them a new heart for their positive response to him (Ek 18:31-21). This brings us to the point that God has never claimed to be fair. This is not a concept you find in scripture. Remember Christ’s parable of the talents (Mt 25)? It was the one who had the most that got the talent of the foolish servant. It was not about being fair but about doing what the master required of his servants.

Ezekiel then proclaimed a lament for the two kings of Judah who each reigned only three months and were taken captive (Ek 19). The first was king Jehoahaz who was the successor and son of Josiah. After reigning for only three months, king Necho of Egypt deposed him and took him to Egypt. The second was king Jehoiachin who we talked about earlier. After reigning for three months, Nebuchadnezzar had him deposed and took him to Babylon.

Despite reigning for only three months, Jehoiachin was so wicked Jeremiah prophesied against him stating no descendent of him would sit on the throne of David (Jr 22:30). Yet, Jeremiah also stated there would never cease to be a king on the throne of Israel (Jr 33:17). Hosea also prophesied that Israel would be innumerable in the land where they were not his people (Ho 1:10). So, it is likely that once Jehoiachin was taken out of prison, he was made ruler over the Israelites who had been taken into Babylonia, although his job would be to make them remain loyal to the throne of Babylon. Yet, history tells us that it is likely these Israelites were the genesis of the Parthian empire since it has been found to have Semitic origins and language.

This also set the stage for Christ being able to fulfill such a convoluted prophecy, as only he could fulfill such a prophecy where he would have legal rights to the throne of David and not be a descendent of Jehoiachin through whom the bloodline of the throne resides. You see, Christ was not the son of Joseph who was a direct descendent of Jehoiachin, as Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit. Mary was his mother, and she was a descendent of David through Nathan and not through Solomon, and thereby not a descendent of Jehoiachin. When Joseph took Mary as his wife, he claimed Jesus as his own son which then gave Jesus the legal inheritance of the throne of David even though he was not a direct descendent of Jehoiachin. Only God could have choregraphed such a deed.

So, let’s take notice of this. We may balk at what God is trying to get us to do, yet what we can’t see at the time is that his plans are so much more wonderful that we could ever imagine them to be. Let’s let go and let God. It is truly the best way.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens