Year of Prophecy: © 701 BC (Isaiah 39)

Year of Fulfillment: 586 BC (2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36:15-19)

Time until fulfillment: ~115 years

The prophecy of the captivity of Judah by Babylon is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the fifth of ten.

As was noted in a previous post, even before this prophecy, Joel prophesied against Judah regarding the invasion by Assyria. Not long after the Assyrian conquest of Israel, the Assyrian general Sennacherib (the son of Sargon II) came to power in 705 BC and attempted the invasion of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 701 BC (130 years after Joel’s warnings). King Hezekiah of Judah attempted to buy him off with approximately 11 tons of sliver and 1 ton of gold, even stripping off the gold from the doors of the temple to obtain it (2Ki 18:13-16). Instead, this just made the king of Assyria want more and within two years returned to Jerusalem knowing that Hezekiah was building an alliance with Egypt. The key to this Assyrian attempt being unsuccessful was Hezekiah turning the problem over to God. Hezekiah’s prayer for victory was so that “all the kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God” (2Ki 19:19). In response, God smote 185,000 of the Assyrian army causing Sennacherib and the remainder of his army to return to Nineveh (2Ki 19:35-37). In Sennacherib’s personal account, there is no mention of the capture of Jerusalem, just the ancillary conquests and tribute.  But, of course, no mention of the defeat. Therefore, by this act of Hezekiah, Judah and Jerusalem never succumbed to Assyria.

Not long thereafter, Hezekiah had a fatal illness (2Ki 20) and Hezekiah prayed that God would heal him. God sent word through the prophet Isaiah that Hezekiah’s request had been granted (Is 38:4-8). Then, Merodach-Baladan of Babylon sent an envoy to Hezekiah to wish him well after his recovery (2Ki 20:12). Hezekiah received them and showed them all he had. When Isaiah heard of this, he told Hezekiah that one day everything Hezekiah and his descendants had would be carried to Babylon (2Ki 20:16-18; Is 39).

The Chaldean (or Neo-Babylonian) empire grew in power and eventually overthrew the Assyrian empire in 612 BC as prophesied by the prophet Nahum. The main power came when Nabopolasser became king in 626 BC and brought Babylon to world renowned status regaining control over Mesopotamia. During this time of the conflict between Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt, the kingdom of Judah became the pawn. Josiah tried to take the opportunity to gain back territory taken from Judah, but was defeated in a battle with Necho, king of Egypt (2Ki 23:29-30; 2Ch 35:20-26). King Necho deposed Josiah’s son Jehoahaz, caring him off to Egypt where he died, and made his brother Eliakim a puppet king, changing his name to Johoiakim (2Ki 23:31-35). Judah thus became a tribute state to Egypt. In 605 BC, Nabopolassar’s son, Nebuchadnezzar, defeated Egypt and completed the Chaldean dominance of the known world, and Judah then became a tribute state to Babylon (2Ki 24:1). However, when the Babylonians suffered a defeat in 601 BC, Jehoiakim defected his alliance back to Egypt. Jehoiachin became king of Judah after his father died and at the same time Nebuchadnezzar mounted an offensive against Jerusalem. Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. Nebuchadnezzar plundered the city and temple, took Jehoiachin captive, and made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king, changing his name to Zedekiah (2Ki 24:17). Nine years later, Zedekiah rebelled, and Nebuchadnezzar returned in 588 BC, besieged the city for 2 years, and caused its utter defeat in 586 BC, burning and plundering the city (2Ki 25).

During this time, God made several attempts through various prophets to get the people to repent and turn back to him and not suffer the fate of this judgment; however, they would not listen (2Ch 36:15-17). King Zedekiah treated many of these prophets harshly and accused them of treason (Jr 37:9-21) and not being patriotic (Jr 38:4-6). It is never a question of if God will fulfill his promise, but when.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Year of Prophecy: © 765 BC ,  (Book of Amos)

Year of Fulfillment: ©722 BC  (2 Kings 17:3-6)

Time until fulfillment: ~43 years

The prophecy of the captivity of Israel by Assyria is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the fourth of ten.

Although Amos was the first prophet to prophecy of the capture of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he was not the last. The prophet Hosea picked up where Amos left off. Other prophets like Isaiah and Micah also prophesied against Israel. The fall of Israel to Assyria occurred during the lifetime of these later three prophets.

Also, approximately 70 years before Amos, the prophet Joel prophesied against the Southern Kingdom of Judah similarly and compared the Assyrians to locusts. Joel first reminded Judah of the invasion of locusts they had encountered and how it occurred in four phases with each more destructive than the previous (Jl 1:4). Joel then calls the people to repentance (1:13-20) where he is probably thinking back to Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 11 where Moses stated that this type of punishment would come because of sins of disobedience. Joel then informed Judah that an army was coming “such as never was of old nor ever will be” (2:2). Joel contrasted this army with the locusts that had devastated the land earlier. The locusts left nothing; neither would this army (2:3). The number of the army would be just as vast as the locusts; one would be able to hear them coming from a far distance (2:5). As they came, all obstacles would seem futile to them: they would appear to leap over mountains (2:5), scale walls, and enter houses without resistance (2:9). The invasion would be relentless; it would keep coming, not swerving from their course (2:7). As the locusts blotted out the sun by their numbers, so would this army (2:10). Joel then again asked Judah to repent (2:12-17) so that the Lord would have pity on them and reclaim His land (2:18). Then the Lord would make food plentiful (2:19), drive away enemies (2:20), send the needed rain showers (2:23), and they would have plenty (2:24). But first, they must repent. This description that Joel gave shows just how relentless and cruel the Assyrians could be to those deemed enemies.

From the time of Jonah’s ministry (785-772 BC) when the king of Nineveh repented (Jh 3:6-9) until approximately 40 years later, Israel received no confrontation with Assyria. However, in 745 BC, when Tiglath-pileser III came to the throne, all that changed. King Menahem of Israel was able to buy off Tiglath-pileser with 50 shekels of silver for each man: 60,000 men for a total of 37 tons of silver! (2Ki 15:19-20). Less than a decade later, Pekah, a later king of Israel, tried to force Ahaz, the king of Judah, into an alliance against Assyria (2Ki 16). Tiglath-pileser then took more of Israel’s cities and people captive and set Hoshea up as a puppet king over Israel (2Ki 15:29-30). Five years later, Shalmaneser V, the king of Assyria after Tiglath-pileser, besieged the capital city of Samaria because Hoshea had failed to pay the customary tribute to Assyria and had tried to gain the help of Egypt (2Ki 17:3-6). The siege lasted for 3 years (2Ki 17:5) during which time Shalmaneser V died and Sargon II completed the conquest in 722 BC. Sargon then intermixed the remaining people of Israel with the people of several conquered countries (2Ki 17:24) thereby destroying national resistance and the people’s national identity. This resulted in the people of Samaria losing their Jewish identity and forever being classified as Gentiles by the people of Judah (Ne 2:20, Jn 4).

Although the Kingdom of Israel had time to heed prophetic warning, they did not. They were considered troublemakers and asked to leave the country (Am 7:12-13). However, just because the people did not want to hear the message or the prophets were considered unpatriotic did not change the truth of the matter. It occurred as prophesied and probably occurred more harshly than anyone would have predicted. Scripture is clear in that Israel fell because “they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated His covenant” (2Ki 18:12).

This fulfillment should be a sober reminder to us that we also need to heed what scripture tells us is part of our future. Our God has made a way of escape from impending apocalypse. The solution is simple, but requires a leap of faith. The Israelites here, did not do that. Don’t follow their example. Heed the words of the prophets and obey the Lord your God.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Year of Prophecy: ©1977 BC (Genesis 12)

Year of Fulfillment: ©1395 BC (near death of Joshua – Joshua 24:13)

Time until fulfillment: ~582 years

The promise of a nation to Abraham is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the second of ten.

As was seen earlier, when God made His covenant with Abraham (Gn 17), it included the promise of making Abraham into a great nation. Actually, this promise was given even earlier – when God called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldea (Gn 12:2). However, the fulfillment of this promise did not occur during Abraham’s lifetime. Both Abraham and his son Isaac seemed to remain somewhat Nomadic during their lifetime (Gn 20:1, 21:34, 24:62, 26:1, 17, 23) although they became very wealthy (Gn 26:13), another part of the promise (Gn 12:2-3). It was not until after the time of Moses and during the leadership of Joshua that the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham through the promise, became recognized as a nation. The life of Joshua was devoted to the conquering of the land of Canaan for establishing Israel as a nation. At the time of his death, Israel had rest from war (Js 23:1). Although other altercations later ensued, Israel had become a formidable nation with which to be reckoned.

Because this promise to Abraham was unconditional, the actions of Abraham or his descendants did not change the outcome. This was probably a good thing, because the Israelites were not always appreciative of the journey to becoming a nation. Over the 2-year period it took the Israelites to reach Canaan, the Promised Land, from Egypt (Ex 13:17-18 states that they did not take the shortest way so as to avoid early war with other nations which would discourage them and have them voluntarily return to Egypt) there are 10 rebellions that are recorded in Scripture:

1. Complained at the Red Sea about being trapped (Ex 14:11): God performed a miracle by parting the Red Sea so Israel could go through on dry ground, but Pharaoh’s army was drowned (Ex 14:21-31)

2. Complained at Marah about water being bitter (Ex 15:24): God performed a miracle by showing Moses a tree to cast into the waters which then became drinkable (Ex 15:25)

3. Complained in Desert of Sin about no food (Ex 16:3): God performed a miracle by sending quail for food and sent manna every morning until they reached Canaan (Ex 16:4-15)

4. Disobeyed and tried to gather manna on the Sabbath (Ex 16:27): God had Moses re-explain the significance of the Sabbath and why a double portion was to be gathered on the sixth day (Ex 16:29-30)

5. Complained at Rephidim about lack of water (Ex 17:2): God performed a miracle by providing water from a rock (Ex 17:5-6)

6. Worshipped golden calf (Ex 32:5-6): Levites killed about 3000 people using their swords (Ex 32:27-28)

7. Complained at Taberah about their hardships (Nu 11:1-3): fire from the Lord consumed the outskirts of the camp (Nu 11:1)

8. Complained about the manna at Kibroth Hattaavah (Nu 11:4-6): God performed a miracle and sent quail, but also sent a plague among them (Nu 11:31-34)

9. Miriam & Aaron opposed Moses (Nu 12:1-2): Miriam was given leprosy and had to dwell outside the camp for 7 days at which point God healed her (Nu 12:15)

10. Complained at Kadesh Barnea about not being able to enter the Promised Land (Nu 14:2-3): God had them stay in the wilderness a year for each day the spies were spying out the land of Canaan (a total of 40 years) (Nu 14:34).

These incidences show the longsuffering of God to Israel and how the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham was not dependent upon their obedience. The first five instances above have no consequences attached to them. However, the last five have consequences, yet Israel still did not learn their lesson. Then, after the 10th rebellion, God stated that they would have to roam for another 38 years before the Israelites could enter the Promised Land (Nu 13:34, Dt 2:14) – to purge those that disobeyed (Nu 14:22-34) and allow them to learn to depend and trust upon God. As noted above, God fulfilled the promise through Joshua and his conquests with help from the Lord (Js 24:13).

Therefore, it took over 5 centuries for God’s promise to Abraham to be fulfilled. It seems obvious that the people of Israel did not necessarily remember this promise as evident by their complaints or was just too self-absorbed about their own comfort and desires at the time, God did not forget, and the promise came to fruition.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Year of Prophecy: ©1977 BC (Covenant with Abraham – Gn 15)

Year of Fulfillment: 1952 BC (birth of Isaac – Gn 21:2)

Time until fulfillment: ~25 years

The promise of a son to Abraham is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the first of ten.

Abraham was born as Abram in the land of Ur (Gn 11:27), which is in modern Iraq. Abraham had received a special call from God to leave his homeland (Gn 12:1). It is unknown why Abraham received such a call. However, the genealogical record in Genesis gives evidence that Noah may still have been alive during Abraham’s early years. Perhaps through his influence or other godly descendants of Noah, Abraham’s heart was softened to God’s direction and leadership. As is usually the case then as today, all around Abraham was ungodliness – even his own father worshipped idols (Js 24:2). God’s challenge to Abraham was to ‘step up to the plate’ and choose whom he was going to serve. Abraham chose wisely and reaped an everlasting benefit not only for himself but also for his descendants (Gn 17:7).

Abraham, as great as he was, was still human. As so many married couples do today, Abraham and Sarah desired a child. Not just a child, but one of their very own (Gen 15:2). Throughout history, being childless has often had a hurtful stigma to a Jewish couple. It was said that he who had no child was like one dead.  We don’t know exactly when the promise God made to Abraham that he would have a son occurred (Gn 15:4), but it was at least 10 years after they had reached Canaan that Sarah and Abraham began to compromise (Gn 16:3). Perhaps the reasoning went something like this: I believe what God said, but He stated that I would have a son from my own body, but he did not exactly state Sarah would be the mother, so perhaps it is okay to go with custom and have a son through my wife’s maidservant. It was God who instituted one man and one women to be together (Gn 2:24), so for what reason would God yield to man-made customs over His own declaration? Bottom line, man is weak. However, God did not give an exact date for Isaac’s birth until Ishmael, the son of Hagar (Sarah’s maidservant) and Abraham, was 13 years old (Gn 17:21) – one year after the establishment of the circumcision as the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, and the changing of Abram’s name to Abraham (Gn 17:5) and Sarai’s name to Sarah (Gn 17:15). Isaac was born at least 25 years after God’s first proclamation of the promise – a lifetime of wait for any couple, but just in time on God’s timetable. Isaac was born after the sign of God’s covenant to Abraham was established.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Once God’s Promised Kingdom, the Millennium is over, a new Jubilee is established. God creates anew. The earth is cleansed by fire (2Pt 3:10) and reformed. There is no longer a sea (Rv 21:1). This new earth is different from the old version. There is no longer a curse (Rv 22:3). Heaven comes to earth.

This time of earth’s future history has been compared to the Jubilee which God instituted with Israel.  It was a time when everything started anew. All debts were cancelled, all land returned to its original owner, and all slaves were freed (Lv 25). This was a time of great rejoicing. A lot can happen in fifty years. People can get into trouble, get financially bankrupt, and have to do whatever it takes to survive. God knew that. Therefore, he proclaimed Jubilee as a time of renewal, a time to start over. That is what this is for the earth. It is back to the beginning, back to the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden – before it all happened, before sin crept in and destroyed perfection. And that is what is presented here, the Garden of Eden reborn, but much better. Perfection reestablished.

There are two groups who enter into this Eternal State:

1.           Those who were resurrected or transformed at the Rapture, or resurrected just prior to Christ’s reign (and who had been serving/ruling with Christ during the Millennium). They will continue to serve/rule with Christ throughout eternity.

2.           Those who accepted Christ as Savior during the Millennium. Because the Bible does not indicate there is another resurrection, or another transformation, and the Bible does state that the Tree of Life will be used by the nations (Rv 22:2), it is likely these individuals will not be transformed into a body like Christ. It is more likely they will possess a body like Adam and Eve had at the beginning in the Garden of Eden but without a sin nature or the propensity to sin. They will eat of the Tree of Life and drink of the River of Life to sustain their eternal state. They may be able to have children since Adam and Eve were able to have children. These are probably those who are identified as “nations” (Rv 21-22).

Overpopulation will likely not be a problem. The earth could be larger than it is now. There will be less bodies of water. There could be up to eight times the present land mass because there will be no more sea. Also, the whole universe could be opened up for use and expansion of people. With God all things are possible.

Does this get you excited? I sure hope so, because this is the eternal hope we have when we trust in Christ as our Savior. Isn’t that what everyone wants: no more hardship, true peace, no more want, and freedom to live joyously? It can be your future, too. All it takes is a little faith and placing it in the one who can make it all happen. Jesus Christ has an extended hand waiting. Take it.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Before we talk and contract Jews and Gentiles in the future, we need to understand some of the differences in futuristic views held by many. The next era following our present time on this earth has been termed the Tribulation Period. There are four main world views of apocalyptic literature, like the book of Revelation, and then there are three main theological views of the future concerning the Millennium (or the earthly reign of Christ), although there are minor variations of these as well.

There are some who view the content of Revelation strictly from a historical perspective: all, or most, of the prophecies in the book have been completely fulfilled in the past. Proponents of this tenant believe all the descriptions in Revelation are referring to the downfall of the Roman Empire during and after the time of the apostle John, the book’s author.

Others are known as preterists and also believe that all, or most, of the prophecies in Revelation have occurred in the past but that they were prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem. Therefore, all the prophecies had to be fulfilled by the end of 70 AD.

Then, there are others who believe the majority of the prophecies within the book of Revelation should be interpreted more from an allegorical perspective. The prophecies and visions which John wrote about were not literal but communicate a moral or theological lesson about God and how he works in the lives of Christians and non-Christians in all phases of earth’s history. This is what makes the book relevant for each and every person no matter in which period of earth’s history they live.

The fourth category is known as the futurist view. People with this view believe that all the events from chapter four onward are in the future, describe events that will occur after the Rapture of the Church and during the Tribulation and Great Tribulation Periods, and beyond. The prophecies and visions the apostle John saw and spoke about are to be taken literally as much as possible, except where it is evident that the apostle is speaking metaphorically. For example, when John states that Satan was bound in the Abyss for one-thousand years with chains so he could not escape, the futurists’ view is that the removal of Satan from the earth for one-thousand years would be literal but the chain would be metaphorical in that God will prevent Satan from being released. He is chained in the sense he cannot escape but not in the sense that God was using a physical chain that would restrain him for this prescribed period of earth’s history. Or, at least, this is not literal in our view of a chain as we know that could not hold a spiritual being; yet, God was using something which John interpreted as a chain or the concept of such.

There are three major views of the one-thousand-year reign of Christ on earth in the future, known as the Millennium: Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism. The reason for the Millennium determines one’s main view of its importance and if it will be literal and actually occur. I believe the Premillennial viewpoint is the more accurate one for the following three reasons:

1. The Premillennial view allows the Bible to be broken into dispensations or periods of time where God deals with mankind for a specific purpose. Most of these dispensations have been about Israel as prophesied by the Feasts of Israel; yet, only four of these feasts have been fulfilled (Pesach or Passover – death of Christ; Matzah or Feast of Unleavened Bread – Christ’s sinless death and burial; Feast of Bikkurim or First Fruits – Christ’s resurrection; Shavuot or Pentacost – Holy Spirit uniting all believers, both Jew and Gentile, into his fold).  Since the current age is about God bringing Gentiles into his fold, there must be a time when He works with Israel as a nation again to fulfill the remaining feasts (Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement, and Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles).  The Tribulation is a time when He can begin doing that once all current Christians have been taken out of the picture. God can then remember his covenant, which is the theme of the original Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets): to ask God to remember His covenant with Israel. These points would speak against the view of Amillennialism which does not even believe in the existence of a Millennium or in a special period of time that is any different from the current time in which one lives.

2. The Rapture is an event that allows all current Christians to be removed from the earth to allow God to focus on Israel, as well as the remaining Gentiles on earth. This event also fits well into an analogy of a Jewish bridegroom coming for his bride: she did not know when he was coming so she had to be prepared at all times; he went to where she was and brought her back to his home. A shout or call (e.g. by shofar) would be made to alert the bride and her attendants (SS 3:11). Christ’s church has been equated to, or alluded to, the bride of Christ who has been set apart for Him (2Co 11:2, Ep 5:22-23; Hb 10:10; Ja 4:4; Rv 19:14). These points would speak against both Amillennialism and Postmillennialism as both do not believe in a Rapture or not one that occurs before the Tribulation starts. If the Tribulation is about God remembering His covenant with Israel, then the Rapture could not occur after the Tribulation begins.

3. Because Satan took the world from mankind and is currently the ruler of it (Mt 4:8-9), Christ must take the current world back, re-establish his theocratic kingdom and reverse the curse that resulted from Adam’s rebellion so Christ can show He alone is sovereign. Therefore, the Millennium is a key period of future history that must occur. This point would also speak against Amillennialism since a literal Millennium would be necessary to prove Christ’s sovereignty over Satan. It also speaks against Postmillennialism as it would be necessary for Christ to reign on the earth with its curse removed to prove His sovereignty.

The time in which everyone currently lives will continue until the full number of Gentiles have accepted Christ as their Savior (Ro 11:25). That time will end at what is known as the Rapture or being “caught up” where believers receive a glorified body (Jn 14:1-3; 1Co 15:51-53; Pp 3:20-21; 1Th 4:17; 1Jn 3:1-2). This will occur before the Antichrist appears and the Tribulation Period begins (2Th 2:2-3). It appears the time shortly before the Antichrist comes on the scene will be marked by teachers teaching false doctrine that will lead many astray (2Pt 2:1-3); however, it seems that the beginning of false teachings will occur even prior to the Rapture – even in the present day (Ju 1:4). These “teachers” will have no scruples (Ju 1:8), and their ungodly acts will only escalate after the Rapture and prior to Christ’s second coming (Ju 1:15). Any of these peddlers of false information could be labeled “antichrist” (1Jn 2:22; 2Jn 1:7) because their teachings are against Christ. However, scriptures indicate that there will be one individual who will culminate the spirit of deceit and lead the world in rebellion against God (2Th 2:9-10; 1Jn 2:18). Once the Rapture occurs, there will no longer be any Christians on the earth for a time. Even the restraint of the Holy Spirit will be removed (2Th 2:7).

These events sets Israel up for God to work with them as a nation again and for every nation to be evangelized and make a final decision of their relationship with Christ. You don’t have to wait to do that. You can do that now. Have you? Do you want to? Just talk to him. He’s waiting – always waiting – just for you.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The Bible is well known as a book containing much prophecy. Usually, the focus is on Israel and what God says about Israel: its past, present, and future. Most of the book was written by Israeli and Jewish authors and many times requires a look at things from a Jewish perspective. And rightly so, since it was the Jews who were entrusted to bring forth the very words of God (Ro 3:2). However, these Jewish authors did not just write about themselves, but God also led them to also write about Gentiles. Therefore, just as God had a plan for Israel, and still does today and into the future, so He has a plan for Gentiles. This must be understood in the light that there is a link between Israel and Gentiles, as both of their futures are linked together. God has a timeline for the world, and it is a Jewish timeline. Everything must be observed from a Jewish perspective, not only because the authors of the Bible were Jewish but because God has set it up that way.

Israel is on a timeline that has been preset. God told Abraham when his descendants would be given the land of Canaan (Gn 15:13-14), God gave Jeremiah the timeline for how long Judah would be in Babylonian captivity (Jr 25:11-12), God gave Daniel the timeline for when Israel’s Messiah was to come (Dn 9:25), God also gave Daniel the timeline for when God would work with Israel in the future (Dn 9:27), and God gave the apostle John the timeline for how long their long awaited Messiah would reign on David’s throne among them (Rv 20:4). Into this timeline God has placed the Gentiles and his plan for them, but this cannot be looked at without Israel being in the picture. God even gave us details about the present age. God had provided to Daniel a “gap” in the timeline He was providing about Israel (Dn 9:26), which the apostle Paul later revealed was the Age of Gentiles (Ro 11:25). It seems that this “gap” has no defined period of time as Paul stated it would end when this period of time had reached its “fullness” (Ro 11:25). Because the present period of earth’s history is focused on Gentiles and not on Israel, the timeline is suspended until the Rapture of the church occurs. At that point in time, the Jewish timeline will pick back up and what has been termed “the seventieth week of Daniel” will then continue as prescribed and described in scripture.

The definition of “Gentile” has morphed somewhat over time as God has dealt with mankind and with the nation of Israel. These discrete packets of time have been labeled “dispensations” where God’s plan has not changed but the degree of the revelation of Himself to mankind has expanded over time. The table below presents these dispensations in relation to how the definition of Gentile has evolved over and during these dispensations.

It has been observed that God has worked with Gentiles in each of these dispensational periods and has not left them out of His care, His interest, as well as His justice. God always gave warnings before His justice was administered. Before the flood, God announced coming judgment and the need for repentance (Ju 1:14-15) and announced a flood was coming during the time of Noah (Gn 6:3). He gave the Amorites time to repent before administering his justice (Gn 15:16). God announced his plans to the king of Nineveh (Jh 3:4-5), to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Dn 2), to Cyrus, king of Medo-Persia (Is 45:1-13), gave visions to Alexander the Great, and had Paul give the gospel to Caesar’s household (Pp 4:22) during the time of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, it seems that most of these did not heed his warning.

Yet, God was still glorified among the Gentile nations. The king of Nineveh did respond to Jonah’s preaching (Jh 3:5) and gave Nineveh another one-hundred years before it was finally destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar did finally recognize the authority of God (Dn 4:37), and several times did announce to his entire kingdom that the One True God was to be respected (Dn 2:47; 3:28-29). Several of the kings of Persia did the same (Dn 6:26; Er 1:1-2), and many of Caesar’s household in Rome accepted Christ as their Savior (Pp 4:22).

Over the millennia, God has used the Gentile nations to administer justice to Israel because of their disobedience and to get them to repent. Yet, God has always held these same Gentile nations accountable for their treatment of His chosen people, Israel. This helps us to see that Israel and Gentile nations have always been uniquely linked. The timeline that God had established for Israel also affects the Gentile nations.

Although not clearly seen in the Old Testament prophecies, God had a plan for Gentiles in His future kingdom as well. This was likely not truly understood by these Old Testament prophets who prophesied that Gentiles would accept the coming Messiah (Is 56:6-7; Ho 2:23; Ro 9:25) and would even help to rebuild Jerusalem in the future (Is 60:10). It became clear in the New Testament at the first Pentecost (Shavuot) after Christ’s resurrection and ascension how this would come about. God had a plan for both Jews and Gentiles to become part of His flock. These individuals would become the Church, His Bride, while Israel as a nation was put aside for a time (Ro 11:25).

God does not forget His chosen people indefinitely. When the Age of Gentiles reaches its “fullness,” God takes His Bride, the Church, to be with Him and then concentrates His attention back on the nation of Israel. God “remembers” His covenant. Although Satan works through the Antichrist, this does not thwart God’s plan. God actually uses the persecution that the Antichrist inflicts upon those of Israeli and Jewish descent to bring His people back to their homeland (Is 11:11-12; Jr 16:14-15). They come back in great numbers. Most of the Gentile nations are under the influence and sway of the Antichrist; however, God does not leave the Gentiles out of His final plan. God raises up one hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish evangelists who preach not only to their own people but to the Gentiles as well and many Gentiles also accept Christ as their Savior (Rv 7:9). God’s mercy knows no limits – and neither does His justice.

Christ comes to the aid of His people just before the Antichrist completely wipes them out of existence (Zc 14:2-3). None of the Antichrist’s forces can withstand Christ, and all of Israel’s enemies are wiped out of existence (Zc 14:12-13). God then puts Satan into the Abyss for one-thousand years and ushers in the long-awaited time of His Millennial reign where He sits on David’s throne and rules the earth from Jerusalem (Rv 20:3-4). Although Israel leads the world in the worship of God during this time (Is 61:6), it is the Gentiles that form the many nations who live their lives in a state of peace and follow Israel in their worship of their King (Is 2:3). Those born during this time will have to make a personal decision of faith, and, unfortunately, there will be many who will not (Is 11:4; 65:20). When Satan is released from his imprisonment at the end of the Millennium, those who refused to accept Christ as their Savior will follow him and try to overthrow Jerusalem and Christ’s rule. They will try in vain to set Satan up as the world ruler. God does not allow this and annihilates them all (Rv 20:9). This was not done earlier because Christ had to bring the world back to a non-cursed state to show that He is sovereign and is indeed the rightful ruler of the earth.

Both righteous Jews and righteous Gentiles enter the Eternal State on a newly created heaven and earth (Rv 21:1). Not only does Jesus Christ dwell with them on this new earth but so does the entire Trinity (Rv 21:3). God is now truly with His people. The Gentiles again make up the nations of the earth and they will continuously bring their glory and honor to God on a continuous basis (Rv 21:24). Many have wondered whether all of this could really be true. However, Jesus Christ who is “Faithful and True” (Rv 19:11) assures us “these sayings are faithful and true” (Rv 22:6); therefore, all Christ has spoken cannot possibly fail. All one can do is repeat with John, “Even so come, Lord Jesus” (Rv 22:20).

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Unfortunately, life in the Millennium will also have a sad side. Hard to believe, but there will be many born who grow up and refuse to put their faith in their King. They will think Him cruel because they can’t do as they please.

A thousand years is a long time, but it is still a finite time. It will one day come to an end. It will be both exciting and solemn. Exciting because even better things await. Also, somber, because Satan will be released into the world again (Rv 20:7-8).

When Satan is released, he will likely be headquartered back in Babylon (Mi 5:5-6), back where his initial plan for world domination began with Nimrod (Gn 10:8-12, 11:1-9). Over time, it will look like he is becoming very successful. He will accumulate hundreds of thousands of individuals from all the nations (Rv 20:8). As he does today, Satan once again appeals to mankind’s vanity and human nature, and they believe a lie (Ro 1:25). Satan takes their pride and seals it with his own.

It is possible that this phase of Satan’s recruitment will go on for several years, due to the number of recruits he finally manages to obtain. More than likely, he will go to many of the towns throughout the world and tell lies, or likely twisted half-truths, against the Messiah. This continues until, as scriptures state, the number following Satan could no longer be numbered (Rv 20:8).

However, the King will not be entirely complacent, and true to His character, will make a final plea to all those who follow Satan. The King sends out leaders throughout the nations to rally His people to evangelize and to take back as much territory as possible (Mi 5:5-15). They find the Messiah’s name is a force unequal to any weapon. No one will be able stand against it; however, each person still holds the key to their own heart. Not resisting and surrendering are two different things. Control of Satan’s homeland, Assyria, will be taken (Mi 5:6). It is likely that some of this effort will be fruitful, but in the end, this culminates with Satan gathering many thousands of his people to march against Jerusalem and attempt to take the city (Mi 5:6; Rv 20:9). They march against Jerusalem thinking they can overtake the city, but in one swoop they are gone: fire comes down from the sky and destroys them all (Rv 20:9). God kills them, but their pride had already consumed them long before. Pride started it all (Is 14:13) and pride will end it all (Rv 20:9). Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Rv 20:10).

It is no wonder that scripture states Christ will wipe away every tear (Rv 21:4). All these people who have remained faithful to Christ have gone through a lot of heartache. Many tears will be shed, and many hearts will be broken due to loved ones turning their backs to their beloved King. However, heartache will soon turn to ultimate joy.

One further solemn duty must be performed. This is known as the Great White Throne judgment (Rv 20:11). Everyone, from the dawn of time, who never placed their faith in the Messiah, the Promised One, Jesus Christ, the Eternal King, are brought before Him. Where this takes place is a mystery because even the earth and sky cannot stand before a holy God (Rv 20:11). Books are opened as well as the Book of Life (Rv 20:12). It seems, because they did not trust in Christ as the Hope for their future and the payment he made for their sins, each person is judged by their deeds as recorded in these books. Yet, the final element is whether their name is recorded in the Book of Life. If not in the Book of Life, they will pass into the Lake of Fire and be forever where Satan was cast. Since their alliance was with him in this life, they will be with him forever in the next. There is nothing from this passage in Revelation which indicates any were not sentenced to an eternity in the Lake of Fire. If their names were in the Book of Life, they would have been part of the first resurrection (Rv 20:5-6). Here, it seems the Book of Life was opened to prove they were unworthy to enter eternity with Christ.

So, the final reward for pride is revealed. Pride caused Satan to fall from a very special place where he was before God always – a place of great honor (Ek 28:14). However, pride caused him to feel he could become just like God (Is 14:14). This was a very great defiance as God has declared Himself holy (Lv 11:44; 1Pt 1:15), that is, he is unique and there is none like him. Lucifer, disagreed, fell, and became the Adversary, Satan, the devil. Now he is forever separated from the very one he was created to be before.

We today, still have the opportunity to change our destiny. Which will you choose? The choice is yours. Choose wisely. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll walk into the arms of love which will never let you go – neither in this life or the next.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Life in the Millennium will be ideal for those of Israel. Individuals belonging to Israel will have specially assigned territories within the Middle East and around Jerusalem depending upon which tribe they belong, and the overall territory of Israel will be what God originally promised Abraham (Ek 47:13 – 48:35). This territory will be for Jews and Israelites but there will be Gentiles allowed to live there as well (Ek 47:22-23). Who are these Gentiles living within the assigned territory of Israel? Scripture does not say, but perhaps these are Jewish proselytes who have no “official” Jewish or Israeli DNA, but because they have lived as being Jewish their whole lives, they are allowed to continue to do so. Although not an “official” Jew, they will be treated as though they are Jewish (Ek 47:22). Therefore, it would seem there is no real downside to not being an ethnically pure Jew as long as they are followers of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. This shows that God is always just and He is always more concerned about individual obedience than national obedience, even though both are important. God always rewards individual obedience which has already been shown in many examples provided in past posts.

There is another possibility in identifying those Gentiles who would be living within the borders of this New Israel. While this is speculative, it is consistent with God’s character and what He has promised in scripture, even though scripture does not explicitly state these activities. God has made each man and woman unique (Ps 139:13-16) and He treasures this about His creation. One’s uniqueness, one’s identity, will not be lost as one moves into the Millennium and the Eternal State.  Since the Millennium will be a time of great joy, then human beings being able to achieve and excel in their God-given talents, creativity, and personalities will most likely be highly encouraged by God Himself. One will then use these talents as one seeks to praise Him and seek to know Him better, which will be an adventure for many lifetimes over (Jb 36:26). Science has always been about understanding the unknown and the natural processes which occur on a day-to-day basis. There is no reason to believe this will end once mankind dwells with Christ. Since He has made mankind to be very inquisitive, and many have pursued this in a professional manner and have specialized in specific scientific areas, it is likely God will allow such to continue. After all, it seems God wants mankind to search out and discover things about Him (Pr 25:2). While in this present society many try to ignore God in this process of discovery, at this future time in earth’s history, it will be evident to whom all the glory for discoveries made should go. Bringing these scientific discoveries before Him and presenting these findings to all of earth’s inhabitants will further give glory to Him and help those who have not yet received Him as their Savior to have an even better appreciation for Jesus Christ, their King, Lord, and potential Savior.

Since Jerusalem will be the center for all things of the world during the Millennium, the oversight and administration for all these activities will likely also be centered in Jerusalem. Just as the Jews and Israelites will be the leaders of the worship of God during this time, those from the Gentile nations will likely be leading the world in these other avenues of praise to God through science, art, and other forms of creative expression since the Gentile nations are the ones to bring glory into Jerusalem and present this before Jesus Christ (Ps 86:9; Rv 15:4). It would make sense to have those who oversee such activities to also be in or near Jerusalem during this time. These may also be part of Gentile inhabitants to whom Ezekiel alluded when God showed him a vision of this time of earth’s history.

One can never outthink God and everything He has promised will most certainly come true, even if one cannot fathom how. It is likely one will be very astounded at the actuality of this time in earth’s future and will wonder why they limited their own thinking to its possibilities.

This reminds me of what Paul stated in 1st Corinthians: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who live Him” (1Co 2:9).

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

While Gentiles certainly benefit from the Millennial Kingdom, this time is prophetically about Israel fulfilling their original commission of being a kingdom of priests. From the beginning of Israel’s covenant with God at Mount Sinai, they were to be a kingdom of priests to the world. They did not fulfill that command the first time. Therefore, God is going to allow them the honor of fulfilling that command by leading the world in the worship of their King, their Savior. This will also include sacrifices. It is important to note that the purpose of sacrifices has always been about atonement, which is the act of cleansing. Of course, that meant the atonement, or cleansing, from sin, but also included the act of cleansing the implements that were a part of the ceremony.  This would still be true. Everything, including the altar itself, must be cleansed before it can be used in worship (Ek 43:13-27). All these things will, at least in the beginning, be a reminder to all of what Christ did for them.

While Israel will lead the world in the worship of God, there will still be many nations on earth. During this one-thousand-year reign, there will be many, many children born (Zc 8:4-5). They, too, will have to decide about putting their faith in Jesus Christ. It might seem obvious that in such a utopian society it would be a natural thing for people to do. However, even in the present world it is pride that leads to destruction (Pr 16:18); it will be no different in the Millennium. Although Satan will not be present, mankind’s nature is still present. Pride itself does not come from Satan, but he uses it to his advantage. Also, the children born during this time will not be aware of how bad and troubled the world was before Christ came and lifted the curse on both mankind and the earth. They will only know, according to them, that Christ has always been the ruler. While the teaching of their parents and other teachers will tell them of what Christ did and show that the sacrifices reveal the work that He did on the cross for everyone, these will not be experiences for them. These are things they will have to accept by faith just as their parents had done. Unfortunately, as time goes on, not everyone will put their faith in Jesus Christ, their king. This period of history will force mankind to admit that its biggest problem is mankind’s spirit itself. It is not Satan who creates the rebellion in one’s heart, but it is generated by one’s own pride.

The Bible also states that Jesus will reign with an iron scepter (Ps 2:9; Rv 12:5). That means all turmoil will be squelched immediately. After all, when the king knows one’s very thoughts, it is easy for Him to pass judgment quickly. Therefore, anyone who dies less than one-hundred years of age is considered cursed (Is 65:20). This is likely reflecting the seriousness of the acts by those who do rebel. Rebellion will not be tolerated. However, that does not mean internal, deep-seated animosity will not still occur. Some believe these scriptures teach that only those from the Gentile nations may reject Christ as their Savior while all the Jews will accept Him.

While the verse in Isaiah does not explicitly state death will not occur to anyone who does not rebel, it can be implied since the first resurrection has already occurred, and the second resurrection is only for the non-saved (Rv 20:4-6). The Bible does not speak of any further resurrection of the righteous. This suggests that those born during the Millennium and accept Christ as their Savior will never die.

As you can see, this will be quite an awesome kingdom. You, too, can be a part of it. Don’t miss it!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Many have stated that one cannot know if these events as described in the Bible, and especially in Revelation, are literal events or if they are allegorical and could thereby mean something completely different. There are three important points that should be noted before one makes a final decision on this point:

1. The context of these events: The Old Testament prophets when prophesying to the people of their day were referring to this time as a warning for Israel and Judah to repent and turn back to their One True God. However, in the midst of this there was also hope (Jr 30:7-24). Hope is hardly ever given in an allegorical manner; otherwise, it is not hope. Hope must be on something that is tangible. Therefore, it seems that to these prophets, it was a literal occurrence because it brought hope to them and to their people. They did not see God’s revelation of this period of time in an allegorical manner. Since there are many parallels between the events described by John in Revelation and the events described by these Old Testament prophets, it would seem logical that the events in Revelation are also literal and not allegorical.

2. The purpose of these events: God promised He would restore both Israel and Judah back to their homeland (Is 11:11-12; Jr 16:14-15). What better way to have this occur than the world-wide events and persecution described in Revelation? They will flee to the only place on earth where they will not be persecuted: Israel.

3. The early church belief of these events: The early church leaders believed these events to be literal. Three of the Gospel writers all record Jesus talking about these future events that parallel those of the Old Testament prophets and the events outlined in Revelation (Mt 24:4-42; Mk 13:5-37; Lk 21:8-36). Paul believed in a literal interpretation (1Co 15:24; 1Th 2:12; 2Th 1:5) as well as did Peter (2Pt 1:11) and James (Ja 2:5). All these early church leaders believed Jesus to be speaking of literal events and that they coincided with Old Testament prophecy.

Therefore, based upon these three points, a literal interpretation as presented in these posts seems relevant. These events are literal and still future to us today. If they are then literal, let’s understand them and take them to heart. We get a glimpse of a beautiful future awaiting us!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Why does the Tribulation Period cause a definition change for Gentiles? Let’s get an understanding of what happens.

Although there are many Gentiles who turn to Jesus Christ during the Tribulation, the Antichrist will hold his sway over the majority. The nations look to him as their savior from the chaos which erupts after the Rapture, and he seems to be just that for the first few years. As conditions on earth start to get worse and worse, the Antichrist, just like Nero during the Roman Empire, makes Jews and Christians the scapegoat and punishes them severely. Many will blindly believe what the Antichrist tells them and cling more tightly to him because they feel he is their only hope.

The Antichrist brings almost all the armies of the world to the Middle East and the battle of Armageddon is fought which was described in previous posts. This leads to their ultimate destruction when Christ returns, as none of them can stand up to him.

Of course, this does not mean everyone on earth is in the Middle East for this battle. The ordinary men and women of all the earth’s nations are still going about their normal daily routine. The Bible states that what occurs is a reversal of the events which occurred previously at the Rapture. Now, all of those who are not believers in Christ will be taken while those who are left on the earth will be Christians (Mt 24:40-41; Lk 17:34-35). The nations will then be judged for how they treated Christ’s followers (Mt 25:32-46).

This pattern has been observed throughout history. God uses the animosity of nation against nation to achieve his desired plan. In this case, God uses the Antichrist and the earth’s nations to drive all the Jews and those of Israeli descent back to Israel forcibly so that He can in the end save them. Yet, these nations are then held accountable for their hateful actions.

Future Passovers from this time forward will not look back to the time God brought Israel out of Egypt but will look back to this Tribulation Period where God brought all of his chosen people back to their homeland (Jr 16:14-15). Both Israel and Judah will once again be reunited (Jr 30:3). Gentile nations will also partake in these Jewish feasts as well, but the Feast of Tabernacles will have a judicial ordinance attached to it to require attendance in Jerusalem (Zc 14:18).

This return of God’s chosen people to their homeland is comprised not only of Jews but also of Israelis. It was previously mentioned that those of Israeli descent were scattered throughout Europe and even to America. Over time, of course, no pure Israeli remained as they were integrated into the cultures of those nations. It has always been a mystery how those of Israeli descent will be driven back to Israel if they don’t even know they are of Israeli descent. This mystery may be solved. Today, one can more fully explore their ancestry by opting for a DNA test which will reveal their ethnic background and know from which countries and/or ethnicities their forefathers originated. It is possible that the Antichrist will utilize either this type of database or force everyone to take such a test. Then all those with Israeli or Jewish DNA will be persecuted and/or killed. That will force a mass exodus of these individuals to Israel for safety. It is likely many Gentiles will be surprised they are not truly Gentile after all. However, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, it will become a great blessing to them as they move into the Millennium as all the people of the earth will hold them in great esteem during that time.

The definition of Gentiles, therefore, changes back to the first century definition of Gentiles comprising anyone who is not an Israelite (non-Jewish and non-Israeli). This definition now continues into eternity.

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The second half of the Tribulation Period is known as the Period of Great Tribulation. The Antichrist sets himself up as the one who should be worshipped by all (Rv 13:8). He has a death, or near-death, experience and recovers which only drives more loyalty to him by those on earth (Rv 13:14). He even sets himself up in Israel’s temple as the one to worship (Dn 9:27; Mt 24:15). He puts a mark on those who show their allegiance to him and only they can buy or sell (Rv 13:16-17). Without the mark, no one can buy anything and anyone without the mark is immediately sentenced to die.

Many Jews flee to a more southern region (Mt 24:16; Rv 12:14) which many believe will be Petra, which is located south of the Dead Sea and in today’s country of Jordan. Many Christians and Jews who have converted based upon the evangelistic campaign by the one hundred and forty-four thousand will likely be there to greet these refuges as they would have already searched the scriptures and know that Daniel and John prophesied God’s protection of this area (Dn 11:41; Rv 12:14) and that Isaiah had prophesied of Christ’s triumph in this region (Is 34, 63). The Antichrist is now also against the Jews and is determined to wipe them out. Satan, through the Antichrist, had to first gain the confidence and loyalty of all. Once he has that, and has gained sufficient power, he then follows through with this original plan. If he can wipe out the Jewish nation, then Christ cannot fulfill His final mission of ruling over His chosen people. Therefore, total Jewish annihilation is the only goal he will accept.

The Antichrist, however, is determined. He is able to muster most of the world’s military to the Middle East and sets up to go against both Jerusalem and, likely, Petra (Rv 16:14-16) for what has been termed the Battle of Armageddon (Rv 16:16). The reason is that many Jews fled to this area south of the Dead Sea and the Antichrist is very determined to annihilate all Jews. The Antichrist’s armies are therefore placed from Jerusalem down to Petra. Jerusalem is attacked, ransacked, and brought to the verge of annihilation (Zc 14:2). Petra is surrounded (Is 34:1-6, 63:1-6).

Then the long-awaited promise occurs. Those in Jerusalem finally say the very words Christ stated must be spoken before he would return: blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Mt 23:39). This is important because the context of these words is from one of the psalms (Ps 118:26), a psalm of deliverance. By saying these words, they are agreeing with the psalmist in asking for deliverance, a deliverance that results in their salvation and ushers in their Messiah’s reign. Jesus does not disappoint them. Descending from Heaven, He comes with all of those who had previously put their faith in him (Rv 19:11-14).

Just as Christ touches down on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem, the biggest earthquake that mankind and the world have ever experienced occurs (Rv 16:18-20). This is likely the fourth earthquake mentioned in the previous post. It topples cities, moves mountains and islands from their places, and changes landscapes. The whole earth convulses and responds to the King’s touch. It causes all the faults in the area to separate. It has been found that the Arabian fault extends from the Afar Triangle (where the Arabian, African, and Somalian plates meet) up through the Gulf of Aqaba and through the Jordan River basin (called the Great Rift Valley) northward. In addition, there is a fault zone, called the Palmyra Belt of Faults and Folds extending from the Jordan River north of the Sea of Galilee to the Euphrates River. All throughout this area are subterranean riverbeds. A fault scarp (when land at the fault zone is thrown upward forming a cliff face on one side of the fault and a more level area on the other side of the fault) between Geba (about five miles north of Jerusalem) to Rimmon (about thirty-five miles south of Jerusalem) is formed which causes the area east to become a plain (Zc 14:10). The rift in the Mount of Olives will go westward to the Tyropoean Valley in Jerusalem (Zc 14:10-11) as well as eastward forming a scarp face which allows a subterranean river to flow from beneath the temple mount in Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea (Zc 14:8; Ek 47:1-12). Also, the Palmyra Belt of Faults will separate forcing the Euphrates River to flow into the Jordan River causing the remainder of the Euphrates River to dry up (Rv 16:12). Water from the Euphrates will then flow into the Jordan River as well as from other subterranean rivers now exposed from the scarp face. These fresh waters will flow into the Dead Sea making it vibrant for fish and vegetation (Ek 47:9-10); water will then flow out of the Dead Sea to the sea of Aqaba while another part of the Jordan will flow along the newly developed scarp face into the Mediterranean Sea (Zc 14:8). While all these events are to bring judgment, it seems they are also preparing the earth for the coming Millennial Kingdom.

Jesus first touches down on the Mount of Olives as was stated and then goes immediately to Bozra where the Antichrist’s armies were set against Petra and defeats the foes there. Defeating the enemy is not a hard task for him. It is, though, a very bloody task. A single word from Christ and the enemies’ flesh begins to disintegrate; there is panic and confusion and the army that the Adversary has brought starts fighting each other (Zc 14:12-15). The number of the enemy who fall is so great that blood spatters all the way up to a horse’s bridle (Rv 14:20). Jesus then heads up to Jerusalem in his blood-stained garments (Is 63:1) where he defeats all of his foes along the way and comes to Jerusalem victorious and enters Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate (Ek 43:1-5). This gate has long been closed (since 1541 AD by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent) representing the hopelessness of the Jews and their lost promises. Yet, such a closure is no barrier for the King of kings.

Christ will fulfill everything he has promised. Time is immaterial. What is a long time to use is not for him. All will work out as he has ordained. We can bank on that. Don’t you want a sure thing? Who doesn’t? This is a sure thing. Trust him. You’ll be glad you did.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

God is always at work spiritually – even during the future time known as the Period of Tribulation. Not long after the Rapture happens, although the restraint of the Holy Spirit is removed, the Holy Spirit will be very active in creating an evangelistic force which God will use as His witnesses during this dark and horrific period of history. Many Israelites will put their faith in Christ and begin to evangelize the world (Rv 14:1-5). These one hundred and forty-four thousand individuals are protected so that the Antichrist cannot harm them, and their work can continue (Rv 7:1-8). However, not everyone who listens to, and accepts, their message are as protected, as there will be many martyrs during this time (Rv 6:9; 7:9-17). It seems that times of persecution actually help spread the gospel message much like it did during early church times. These Jewish evangelists will also evangelize Gentiles during this Tribulation Period as these martyrs will include people of all nations and languages (Rv 7:9).

Because these one hundred and forty-four thousand individuals are from almost all the identified tribes of Israel (Rv 7:4-8), some believe this could not occur as described here in Revelation because the ten tribes that composed the northern kingdom of Israel were lost to history after their captivity by Assyria (2Ki 17:5-6). However, as stated in earlier posts, there is profound evidence that the kingdom of Israel was larger than most think, and the ten northern tribes of Israel were not lost, but many from these tribes settled in and around Armenia and later became a significant force of the Parthian Empire. When that empire crumbled, many crossed the Caucasus Mountains into Europe. This helps to explain why there is an Armenian quarter in Jerusalem. There are two religious components: Christian and Muslim; then there are two ethnic components: Jewish and Armenian (representing the two components of the split Israeli empire: Judah and Israel, respectively).

Despite all of these disasters, the Antichrist tries to make the best of it to keep the world together and on his side. At the same time, he persecutes not only Jews, but Christians as well causing many to be martyred (Rv 6:9). As the Jewish evangelists are showing many how to be saved, the Antichrist uses religion to help unite his followers as well. Up until the middle of this seven-year period, a unified religion has been implemented that suits his unification purpose. It has been suggested that the worship of a deity mother could be this unification factor to appeal to almost all with different religious backgrounds. Ever since the time of the tower of Babel, a counterfeit religion of a mother and son has existed and has manifested itself into most religions of the world. Therefore, this is certainly a plausible scenario as people would not have to drastically change their belief system to fit into the new world-church order. This will meet the Antichrist’s initial needs as he unifies the nations of the world into ten regions that are in allegiance to him (Dn 7:24; Rv 17:12). However, once he is in control, this counterfeit religion and his treaty with Israel become hindrances to his lust for total domination. These restrict what he can do. Therefore, he attempts to get rid of both (Dn 9:27; Rv 12:17, 17:16).

About mid-way into the seven years, Satan’s access to heaven is denied (Rv 12:9). It seems that Satan has always had access to heaven (Jb 1:6). Satan was created as Lucifer, the cherub that covers (Ek 28:14), the one who was the closest to God Himself – before he rebelled. As a created being, he has always been subject to God’s control and the limitations God imposed upon him (Jb 1:12). However, that has not seemed to deflate his ego or his belief that he can get out of these restrictions. Since the dawn of time, he has tried to prevent God’s prophecies from coming true – and will try until the very end. He knows that if he can destroy all of Israel, then God’s promise cannot come true. Now with his access to heaven taken away, he intensifies his efforts. The second half of the Tribulation period is known as the Great Tribulation because of both the heightened intensity of Satan’s actions through the Antichrist as well as the more intense judgments that befall the earth.

In the next post, we will investigate what occurs during this time of Great Tribulation.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

With so many disappearing all at once with the occurrence of the Rapture, there will likely be fear, panic, terror, chaos, and disinformation occurring. Therefore, Satan works in an individual who exudes charisma, is confident, wants power, and is one whom he can control. This one, the Antichrist, comes on the scene, likely working behind the scenes for many years prior to this time, and now surfaces as the one with the answers, the one everyone turns toward. His actions, his words, make sense and begin to calm fears. Many on the earth will feel putting him in charge will make sense and solve many of their problems. Satan has always desired to rule the world and have subjects who will worship him. He, therefore, works through this individual toward that end.

This period of time has become known as the time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jr 30:7) or the Tribulation Period (Rv 7:14). It is a seven-year period of time between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ; also known as Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Dn 9:27). It is also part of what Old Testament prophets called the Day of the Lord (Is 13:6; Ek 30:3; Jl 1:15; Am 5:20; Ob 1:15; Zp 1:14; Zc 14:1; Ml 4:5). The term ‘Day of the Lord’ includes this period of time, but also includes the individual judgment that will occur at the time of Christ’s second coming (Mt 25:31-46).

God has always stated Israel as a nation could know if they are in God’s favor. This statement is found back in Deuteronomy (Dt 27-28). God stated He would bless Israel if they were obedient: plenty of rain, plenty of crops, no enemies could overtake them, and they would be the ones taking care of other nations financially and provisionally. However, if the nation of Israel did not obey God, then a series of misfortunes would follow suit getting progressively worse and worse: disease, lack of rain, failed crops, overtaken by enemies, taken into captivity, and those in the land that are non-Israelites would overtake those living there. In ancient times, Israel as a nation was confined to a geographic region. However, today, Jews are everywhere around the globe and not in one geographical region. God could only get their attention if He acted where all Jews live. Therefore, today, this would involve the whole world.

As the Antichrist starts out on the heels of the great disappearances, the world is in chaos, and he seems to be the savior with answers for the nations of earth. He makes a treaty with Israel (Dn 9:27) and promises their protection. However, not everyone is in agreement with this, and a league of nations come against Israel. Likely, nations between and above the Caspian and Black Seas and northeastern Turkey, along with Georgia and Russia, will align with Iran, Sudan, and Libya to attack Israel (Ek 38:1-12). Peoples from the north, south, and east of Israel will attack. These nations have a 4-fold agenda: (1) obtain the wealth of Israel (Ek 38:11-12), (2) control the Middle East, (3) destroy Israel, and (4) challenge the authority of the Antichrist (Dn 11:40-44). The Antichrist as well as the nations in southern Arabia and Western Europe are against this invasion (Ek 38:13).

God intervenes and uses several natural disasters to hinder the invasion: (1) a great earthquake, (2) infighting among the troops of the various nations doing the invading, (3) disease, and (4) torrential rain, hailstones, fire and burning sulfur (Ek 38:19-22). There are four key events which follow this invasion: (1) birds and beasts are called to gorge on the dead bodies (Ek 39:4-5, 17-20), (2) burying of the dead takes seven months to complete (Ek 39:11-12, 14-16), (3) the weapons left from the invasion of the dead army provide enough fuel to last seven years (Ek 39:9-10), and (4) blessings, restoration, and salvation are provided to Israel (Ek 39:21-29). Although it is God Himself who actually saves Israel (Ek 38:21-23), the Antichrist claims credit and gets further respect from the other nations of the world and they see him as one dedicated to peace.

As the Antichrist is trying to set up his world-wide domination, there are natural disasters of epic proportion that also occur (Rv 6:12-14). There are four earthquakes that occur - each one more impactful than the previous: (1) the first marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation, i.e., the last half of the seven-year period (Rv 8:5); (2) God will send two witnesses who will preach from Jerusalem and be able to withhold rain and cause all sorts of plagues to occur on the earth as a way to get people’s attention. However, the Antichrist will be set against them and will eventually have them destroyed after three and a half years and will institute a celebration of their demise. However, after three and a half days, these two will be resurrected and ascend to heaven. At that point, a severe earthquake will occur. It will destroy a tenth of the city of Jerusalem, and seven thousand people will be killed (Rv 11:13). (3) Another earthquake occurs, along with a great hailstorm, not long thereafter (Rv 11:19). (4) The fourth earthquake is so severe that it breaks the city of Jerusalem into three parts and collapses cities all around the world. Mountains are leveled and islands submerged, or both are relocated and/or re-sculpted (Rv 16:18-21). This is likely the same earthquake that occurs at Christ’s second coming when he touches down on the Mount of Olives (Zc 14:4).

Many scientists proclaim today that space debris hitting the earth is not a matter of if it will happen but when it will happen. Apparently, the when is during the Tribulation period. The frequency and intensity of meteor showers will increase drastically (Rv 6:13). A massive hail and lightning storm occur which damages and burns a third of the earth’s vegetation (Rv 8:7). The removal of crop prosperity was one of the curses provided in Deuteronomy (Dt 28:18). Then come two large asteroids that land in the sea and on land which causes a third of the earth’s seas to become toxic so fish die and cause the fresh water supply to become too toxic to drink (Rv 8:8-11).

God then allows even more evil to be released on the earth. There will be a plague that lasts for five months on those who have not put their faith in Christ where the pain of their infliction will be excruciating but will not lead to death (Rv 9:1-6). Then there is another type of plague that kills one-third of mankind (Rv 9:13-15). However, even after all of this, most do not see a connection between these events and God’s wrath. By the end of the seven-year period almost one-half of the earth’s population will have been destroyed (Rv 6:8, 9:15). During the second half of the Tribulation the judgments intensify (Rv 16). Painful sores will break out on individuals. The seas become like blood causing the sea creatures to die. This then spreads to the fresh waters, the rivers, and springs. The sun becomes intense, and its heat kills many, and this is then followed by total darkness. The Euphrates River also dries up. This could be tied to the fourth great earthquake which could divert the flow of the Euphrates River.

Despite all of these events, the main purpose is a spiritual one. We’ll look at that aspect next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We mentioned in our last post that most times God presented a prophecy of hope to the very same nations about which he prophesied a prophecy of doom. When the Old Testament prophets prophesied about future events they were not necessarily concerned about the chronology of those events. Their main message was to help the people understand the seriousness of the coming destruction and captivity God had prophesied and encourage the people to repent.

The prophecy of future prosperity was a message of hope and an answer to the concerns the various prophets had at the time as well as to help the faithful have and maintain their hope. For example, God showed Ezekiel His presence leaving the temple in Jerusalem (Ek 10-11) because He was going to remove His protection and allow the city to be conquered by the Babylonians. Of course, Ezekiel would be concerned and wonder if God’s presence would remain removed forever. So, God revealed to Ezekiel His presence would one day return and He helped Ezekiel to know that by the specifics which were provided (Ek 43:1-12). The point of this vision to Ezekiel was not to put it into a historical timeline; it was to provide the answer to his questions and to provide the hope he needed to hear.

The earth will always have nations, so many of these prophecies in the Old Testament will continue or be realized even in our future. Once Christ returns the second time to earth and sets up His Theocracy, the earth will still be divided into many nations (Rv 20:3). However, nations will no longer serve themselves but serve the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Although Israel has suffered much ridicule and abuse over the centuries, she will then be the one nation which all other nations will revere (Is 60:14-15). Many of the nations mentioned earlier which have received God’s judgment will now seek to come to Jerusalem to worship the Messiah, now their King (Is 11:10-16). Members of these nations will help to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, but the gates will never need to be shut again (Is 60:3-16).

God’s promises are not bound by time. One day, God will restore the tribes of Jacob and they will be a light to the Gentiles (Is 42:6, 49:6). The mission which God gave the children of Israel at Sinai to be priests to the nations (Ex 19:6) will come to fruition. Israel will be the one to proclaim to all the nations how to worship their God. They will be known as priests and ministers to all the nations (Is 61:3) and those who proclaim the glory of God (Is 66:19). The members of all the nations, as well as the rulers of these nations, will revere every Israelite (Is 62:12). Members of nations will be eager to worship the King and will even carry children of Israelites in their arms and on their shoulders with reverence and joy so they can travel with them to Jerusalem to worship the Lord (Is 49:22-23).

These prophecies still have meaning for us today just as they will for our future. It is a constant reminder to us that God’s word is truth. What God says will come to pass because time is irrelevant to the fulfillment of these prophecies. At the end of God’s longsuffering comes justice (usually interpreted as wrath). Our current age will end with the Tribulation. It’s a matter of when and not if.

We have seen God has a plan for nations. The Bible speaks of those nations in the Middle East because they are the most associated with Israel. Yet, it has always been true that nations who bless Israel are blessed and those who curse Israel are cursed.

We have also seen God has a plan for individuals. An individual‘s response to God trumps God’s plan for a nation. We have seen many examples of this in scripture which have been presented here and in previous posts. God’s words of doom always come with a word of hope. Our hope today is in Jesus Christ who will save us from God’s wrath to come. Aren’t you glad we have a God who plans for us like that?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last post, we discussed the gifts the Magi gave to Jesus. But when were these gifts actually given? Even though most Christmas stories have the Magi arriving with the shepherds to view the baby Jesus, we find from Scripture that the Magi actually came much later (Mt 2:11). We also know that the early Catholic Church recognized this distinction by celebrating Epiphany (the arrival of the Magi, the three kings) in January. How much later did they actually arrive? Well, let’s see if we can piece all the clues together.

Many say that Christmas was created to provide a Christian alternative for a pagan holiday, but is that the whole story? Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s investigate.

Frederick Larsen (1) has given a lot of evidence on specific dates for the events of Jesus’ early life. I won’t go into all that he has done. It’s fascinating, so I hope you check it out in more detail.

Based upon several Biblical passages, (Gn 49:9; Rv 12:1-5) and the conjunction of specific planets or stars (Jupiter, Regulus, and Venus), it is likely that Jesus’ conception was in September of 3 BC. This puts the event around Rosh Hashanah of that year. Very apropos, don’t you think? This holiday is also called Feast of Trumpets in Scripture (Lv 23:24-15) and was a memorial feast of the blowing of trumpets to ask God to remember His covenant with Israel.2 The conception of the Messiah would indeed represent God remembering his people after the 400 years of prophetic silence.

If this is true, it would put his birth nine months later in June of 2 BC. This also coincides with a triple conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus, and Jupiter then continuing its journey for a rendezvous with Venus, noted as the Mother planet. With the naked eye, these stars would appear as one star – one very bright star. In addition, this would put Christ’s birth near the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (or Pentecost). This holiday has marked many paradigm shifts in scripture: (2) e.g. giving of the Law, and the beginning of the church. And now, we see this fits with his birth as it was certainly a paradigm shift for Israel. We don’t have time to get into all of that here, but look at his teachings and the Jewish leaders’ response as well as his initial gospel to Israel.

Now, if we follow Larsen’s logic of when the star was over Bethlehem and appeared to “stay” (i.e., as Jupiter entered retrograde motion), it would put their visit at Bethlehem on December 25, 2 BC. Isn’t that interesting? The first gifts were given when we actually give gifts to each other. Somewhat serendipitous? Maybe.

This also helps us understand why Herod killed everyone in Bethlehem two years old and younger. While the above information would show that Jesus was only six months old at this time, we need to realize the signs in the stars occurred nine months earlier which would make the total time to be slightly under two years. Herod, and the wise men, may have been unsure if the initial signs were of conception or of birth. Herod was making sure of either in case it was the later.

I find it interesting and awesome that all that happened in the birth of Christ match the meaning of the different Jewish festivals upon which they occurred around, and although December was chosen to celebrate his birth as an alternative to a pagan holiday, it still has a Biblical significance showing us when those first gifts were actually given. Sometime serendipity isn’t serendipity at all.

Have a joyous New Year.

1Frederick A. Larsen, “The Star of Bethlehem.” Sound Enterprises, Inc., http://www.bethlehemstar.net/

2Robert R. Congdon, An Appointment with God: The Feasts of the Lord (Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks, 2009).

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

You may have heard the story many times about the three wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. We’ve had previous discussions about was it really three, when they came, and how much of an uproar did they really cause when they met Herod. Yet, I want to focus on the gifts they gave. We read the following in Scripture: “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Mt 2:11).

I’m sure those are not really the gifts you’re hoping for on Christmas morning. Although, gold wouldn’t be so bad, right? But what would you do with frankincense and myrrh? Maybe you’ve heard, “gifts for a king” as the explanation. But why? True, they are all expensive and that is what one would expect someone to give to a king – expensive gifts. Yet, there is more to it than just that. Gold, of course, can, and does, represent his kingly stature. For indeed, he was to become the King of kings (Rv 17:14; 19:16). Frankincense was a spice used in incense and was used in the preparation of the incense used by the priests for worshipping God in the temple (Ex 30:34). Myrrh was a spice used for many things, but also commonly used on the dead for burial (Jn 19:39).

These gifts represented the three stations Christ would fulfill: prophet, priest, and king. Well, this is the order that we normally think, and it is the order in which Christ fulfilled these stations. Yet, this is the reverse order the Magi gave the gifts. Is that significant? I think so. Christ was a prophet at his first coming (Dt 18:15; Mt 13:57, 14:5, 21:11; Lk 1:76, 4:24; Jn 4:19, 6:14, 7:40), and like most prophets, he was killed. Myrrh was used to anoint his dead body for burial. Today, he is our high priest (Hb 4:14-15; 8:1 – 9:28). Therefore, frankincense was a very suitable gift. He is coming back as a king and will reign (Rv 17:14; 19:16). Gold was a very suitable gift to represent this.

Yet, as we stated, the gifts were given in the reverse order of how Christ fulfilled, and will fulfill, them. That is because the gift of king was given first. That is what the angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary (Lk 1:31-33), that is what John the Baptist proclaimed and offered to the people (Mt 3:1-2), and that is what Christ first offered at the beginning of his ministry (Mt 4:17). Gold – his kingship – was offered first. It was rejected by many people and the leaders of Israel. Therefore, what was offered first became what will be given last. But that did not alter God’s perfect plan because we still benefited as he offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins and now intercedes for us. Yet, this first offer is still offered to us. Yet now, we must first accept the myrrh and frankincense in order to have the gold. Are you willing? Will you accept the myrrh – his sacrifice for your sins? Will you accept the frankincense – have him be your high priest to intercede for you before God the Father? It is only then you can accept the gold – have him as your king and watch him become the King of kings. Christmas is touted to be about peace. That can only happen when you accept the gold, but you must first accept the myrrh. The order of the gifts was important, but the fulfillment of those gifts are even more important. Will you accept them?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

It would seem life in the Eternal State may be similar to what life was like during the Millennium: Christ will continue to rule, Israel will continue to lead in worship, those glorified will continue to help rule, nations will still exist, and the people will continue to worship Christ with tribute of his glory. It is possible that now the whole universe will be open for exploration and bringing praise to God. All the talents and skills of each individual will be used to bring glory and honor to our King. However, there will also be key differences. The propensity to sin will be removed, the entire Trinity will dwell with mankind, and a New Jerusalem will descend out of heaven to earth and there will be no need for a temple (Rv 21-22).

This New Jerusalem will be huge and magnificent. It is possible that the new earth will be much larger than the earth today. That we don’t know, but we have been given the dimensions of this fabulous city: 1500 miles square. On today’s earth, if the current Jerusalem is its center, the city would stretch from the northern boundary of Turkey to the southern boundary of Egypt, and from Greece to parts of Iran. It would take up about two-thirds of the area of the continental United States. Some say it is cube shaped. Others, it is pyramid shaped. It may even be shaped like a ziggurat. No matter its exact shape, it will be magnificent.

Its streets will be of pure gold, a river (termed River of Life) will flow from God’s throne and the Tree of Life will be back again. Both the water from this river and the fruit of this tree will be the life sustainer of the nations of the earth. The city is composed of many precious stones, and most will be clear as crystal. The streets are of gold so pure they are transparent. God’s throne will be at the peak of the city. God’s Shekinah glory will radiate from there and through all the crystalline structures and streets of gold creating a glorious, colorful, and wondrous beauty. It is likely the river flowing from God’s throne will be like a huge waterfall through the middle of the city. Spray from it will create rainbows of color as the light refracts through the water droplets. It will truly be a wonder of the new world. If on today’s earth, and assuming no obstructions of the horizon, the city’s light would be seen from Alaska to South Africa, and from the east coast of the Americas to Japan. Of course, with God’s Shekinah glory being there, its light could extend much further.

As you can see, this will be the epitome of wonderful and this brief description will pale in comparison to how wonderful it will really be. Yet, I think you would agree this is not something to take lightly. Therefore, if you have not made Christ the Hope of your eternal future, you still have time. Don’t waste it but make haste. Such a glory should not be missed!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

So, what happens when Christ’s Promised Kingdom, the Millennium, his 1,000-year reign, is over? We saw the initial part of that in our previous post: Satan is released (Rv 20:7) and he, along with those who have rejected Christ, wages war against Christ in Jerusalem. They are utterly defeated (Rv 20:8-9). The Great White Throne Judgment is held and Satan and all those who have rejected Christ are cast into the Lake of Fire (Rv 20:10-15). The current heaven and earth are destroyed with fire, and God creates a new heaven and earth (Is 65:17; 2Pt 3:10; Rv 21:1). Sin is thereby removed forever (Rv 21:27). The sea is no longer part of the new age (Rv 21:1). God dwells with his people.

When God states he will create a new heaven, what exactly is he meaning? There are three types of heavens referred to in scripture. The first is the atmosphere (Is 55:10), the second is outer space where the stars and galaxies reside (Dt 4:19), the third (also called heaven of heavens) is where the omnipresent God’s presence is perfectly displayed (2Ch 6:18; Ps 11:4; 2Co 12:2). It is possible that God creates an entirely new universe, but since the first heaven is tightly bound to the earth, saying “new heaven and earth” likely means the earth and its atmosphere.

So, who will enter the Eternal State? There are two main groups. First, those who were part of the 1st resurrection will enter. These include those resurrected or transformed at the Rapture, Old Testament saints, and Tribulation saints (and who had been serving/ruling with Christ during the Millennium). They all will continue to serve/rule with Christ throughout eternity. The second group are those who accepted Christ as Savior during the Millennium. These will not be transformed into a body like Christ, but into a body like Adam and Eve had at the beginning. They will eat of the Tree of Life and drink of the River of Life to sustain their eternal state. They may be able to have children since Adam and Eve were able to have children. While this is not explicitly stated or explained in scripture, it may likely be implied since “nations” still exist during the Eternal State (Rv 21:24, 26; 22:2).

What will people do for an eternity? Because of the large number of people, there will be the need for a lot of administration. Who is specifically identified? The Bride (New Testament Saints, i.e., the Church) will assist in administration and offer eternal testimony to God’s attributes of grace and love. (Rv 2:26-27; 3:21; 20:6). The Resurrected Saints (Old Testament and Tribulation) are identified as friends and attendants of the Bridegroom (Mt 25:1, 10). They will rule over Israel and the nations. Israel itself will be the head of the nations and be God’s witness helping the nations worship the Lord (Jr 31:36; 33:17-26). Then there are kings & nations identified. Administered by kings, the nations will carry on activities and productions throughout eternity and bring the glory and honor they find in their daily tasks and discoveries back to God for display when they visit the new Jerusalem (Rv 21:24-26).

These are the people identified, but what will they actually do? Let’s explore that next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens