Archive for kingdom

WHAT IF THE SABBATH IS FAR MORE THAN A DAY OF REST? -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Creation, Mark Wilson, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 21, 2026 by paulthepoke

Again, At this time, I would like to introduce Mark Wilson to the website!

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

An infographic exploring the significance of the Sabbath through biblical references, with visuals depicting creation, covenant, exile, prophecy, and the kingdom.

What if it is one of the greatest prophetic themes in all of Scripture?

What if the Sabbath is actually a window into:

  • Creation…
  • Covenant…
  • Exile…
  • The Tribulation…
  • And the coming Kingdom of Messiah?

“The Sabbath is woven into the fabric of redemption itself. To profane it was to reject God’s order. To honor it was to trust His provision, His timing, and ultimately His promised rest.” — Arnold Fruchtenbaum

Most people think of the Sabbath as merely a command about resting one day a week. But in Scripture, it becomes much bigger than that. The Sabbath is about God’s order for time itself.

~

The Sabbath was established before Sinai, before Moses, and before Israel even existed.

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” Genesis 2:2–3

Notice carefully:
God did not rest because He was tired.

The Creator of heaven and earth does not grow weary.

The Sabbath was a divine pattern.

Work.
Completion.
Rest.

Humanity was created to live under God’s rhythm, not endless striving.

The world belongs to Him.
Time belongs to Him.
History belongs to Him.

~

❖ THE SABBATH BECAME A COVENANT SIGN

When God entered covenant with Israel, the Sabbath became one of the defining signs of that relationship.

“Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations…” Exodus 31:13

The Sabbath separated Israel from the nations.

Egypt never stopped working.
Babylon never stopped striving.
Pagan empires trusted productivity, wealth, and power.

But Israel was commanded to stop.
Every seventh day they declared:
God is our provider.
That required faith.

Imagine refusing to work one full day every week in the ancient world.
Imagine letting farmland rest every seventh year.

That was not economic logic.
That was covenant trust.

~

❖ THE LAND ITSELF WAS TO KEEP SABBATH

This is where the theme becomes even more profound.

The Torah commanded Israel not only to observe weekly Sabbaths, but Sabbath years for the land itself.

“But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land…” Leviticus 25:4

Every seventh year the land was to rest.
No planting.
No harvesting for profit.
Dependence upon God.

But Israel repeatedly violated this command.

And eventually God judged the nation through exile.
“He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword… until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths.” 2 Chronicles 36:20–21

This is astonishing. The land was owed rest.

For centuries Israel ignored God’s Sabbaths, and finally the land “collected” what had been denied. Many believe the 70 years of Babylonian exile corresponded to roughly 490 years of neglected Sabbath years.

One missed Sabbath year every seven years. Seventy missed Sabbath years. Seventy years in exile.

Suddenly the prophecy of Daniel 9 becomes even more fascinating.

~

❖ DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS

While reading Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 years of exile, Daniel receives a larger revelation:

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city…” Daniel 9:24

The word “weeks” literally means “sevens.”

God places Israel back onto a prophetic timetable measured in sacred sevens.

The exile was not random history. It was covenant history.

Time itself was being accounted for. And according to the futurist understanding of prophecy, one final “week” of years still remains: the future Tribulation period.

A final seven-year period connected to Israel, Jerusalem, covenant, desecration, repentance, and ultimately the return of Messiah.

~

❖ THE SABBATH WAS ALWAYS POINTING FORWARD

The Sabbath is not merely about physical rest.
It points toward restoration. Toward completion. Toward the Kingdom.

Scripture repeatedly connects future redemption with rest.
“There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…” Hebrews 4:9

The prophets describe a future age where Jerusalem is exalted, the nations stream to Zion, war ceases, and Messiah reigns from David’s throne.

That is ultimate Sabbath-rest. Creation itself longs for it. The earth has never truly rested under righteous rule since Eden. But the coming Kingdom changes that.

~

❖ EVEN THE STRUCTURE OF HISTORY REFLECTS THIS PATTERN

Many Bible students throughout history have noticed something remarkable: God often works in patterns of six plus one. Six days of labor. One day of rest.

Some early Jewish and Christian interpreters connected this pattern to human history itself: six thousand years of fallen human rule followed by a thousand-year Messianic Kingdom.

Whether one accepts that framework fully or not, the symbolism is undeniable. The Millennial Kingdom in Book of Revelation 20 looks remarkably like the fulfillment of the Sabbath principle on a global scale.

The King reigns. Creation is restored. Jerusalem is central. The nations come up to worship. The curse is restrained. The earth rests under righteous government.

~

❖ THIS TRUTH SHOULD CHANGE HOW WE LIVE

The modern world glorifies endless striving.
More work.
More noise.
More anxiety.
More control.

But the Sabbath principle reminds us that we are not sustained by frantic human effort.

We are sustained by God.
Sabbath teaches trust.
Dependence.
Worship.
Perspective.

It reminds us that our identity is not found in productivity, achievement, or exhaustion.

And spiritually, it points us to the greatest rest of all: rest in the finished work of Messiah.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

The Sabbath theme begins in Genesis.
It moves through Sinai.
It echoes through exile.
It shapes Daniel’s prophecy.
It points toward the Kingdom.

And one day, under the reign of the Messiah, the world itself will finally enter its promised rest.

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All the Way Up! Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , , , on September 30, 2020 by paulthepoke

John 16:28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.

Jesus went to be with the Father where He is today at the Father’s right hand—as the Father’s right hand. He is the King of glory siting on the throne of glory in the Kingdom of Glory—the Kingdom of Heaven. Everything that Jesus did along the way to His destination, the Father, was all a part of the Father’s plan to restore us to Himself by placing us in Christ.

Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:6). He came down from the Father and went back up to the Father. He finished the work the Father gave Him to do (John 17:4). He lived a perfect, sinless, obedient life as a Man born under the Old Covenant (John 8:46). He restored the glory of the Old Covenant and released the glory of the New Covenant which is greater. He proved the Father sent Him and was working through Him by the words He spoke and the works He did.

As the Lamb of God, He took all of our sins and sicknesses upon His own body as He was crucified until death on the cross. He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. He ascended to heaven as our High Priest presenting Himself to the Father as the Wave Sheaf offering. He preached the kingdom of heaven on earth for forty days afterward. And then He ascended in His glorified body to the Father to sit at the Father’s right hand where He is now. Those of us who put our faith in Jesus are there now too with Him where He is. Not if or when we die, but now.

From the position of the Father is where Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father upon us and gave the same glory He had with the Father since the foundation of the world to make us One with the Father as He is One with the Father (John 17:5, 22-23). When we know that we are seated in Christ and Christ is with the Father, we can operate in “greater works” which come from the Father. We do the works that we see Jesus do and greater works because He is with the Father (John 14:12).

Our minds are being transformed into the image of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are promoted from one level of glory to another level of glory as we overcome one suffering to another turning all darkness that we face into light as we are taught and led by the Holy Spirit in each experience (Romans 8:18). So, learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and to “separate the precious from the vile” is extremely important (Jeremiah 15:19, 2 Timothy 2:15).

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Gabriel: Jesus Is Coming

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2020 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

To add to Mary’s intense anxiousness and confusion, Mary is being told she is the chosen vessel for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Mary is going to be the promised sign.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

A couple of word studies on His name. In the Hebrew of Isaiah 7, Immanuel means: with us is God.

The New Testament Greek name is Ἰησοῦς/Iésous. The Greek name is translated from the Hebrew Yehoshua or Yeshua which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”.

In English, we call Him Jesus or Joshua.

Behold… The English translation of ἰδού/idou does not grab the intensity of the term in the Greek. This is an imperative verb. Look! See! Gabriel is attempting to further gain Mary’s attention.

…you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Gabriel is going to give Mary four points of information.

  • You are going to get pregnant.
  • You are going to give birth.
  • The child will be a boy.
  • Name Him Jesus.

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David,

Then Gabriel goes on to explain the character of her Promised Son.

He will be great or μέγας/megas. This Greek term is where we get the English prefix “mega”. For example, lottery players hope to win “mega” millions. Jesus will be great in the grandest sense.

…will be called the Son of the Most High.

Gabriel is announcing Jesus is the Son of God or Most High or Highest. The point is, there is none above Him. He is Deity.

Definitions and translations provided by Strong’s Concordance.

~

And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David…

Gabriel connects the dots from Mary back to King David. The prophets foretold of a coming time when a ruler would come from the line of David. The boy to be named Jesus, who is about to be born, is the fulfillment of the promise God made to King David.

2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom.

Mary herself knew she was of the line of David. Luke points this out in his documented genealogy of Jesus from Mary back to David. See Luke 3:23-31.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

~

Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

Gabriel makes the point two times to Mary. When your earthly son assumes the role of King, it is His non stop. His kingdom will be without end.

The eternal nature of Christ’s kingdom is promised to King David in 2 Samuel 7 and multiple places in Psalms 45 and 89. The prophet Daniel in chapters 2, 4, 6 and 7 makes multiple, definitive and emphatic statements. His kingdom will never end.

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever…

The same promise Gabriel made to Mary over 2,000 years ago is true for us today. Jesus is coming. And when He comes back the second time, He will be firmly planted as King for eternity.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

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Straight Talk, Tag You’re It!!! Featuring Rodna Epley

Posted in Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , on October 10, 2018 by paulthepoke

Rodna LightThe Kingdom of Heaven is a Family first, and then a Family Glory Business with an open-door policy allowing anyone in who agrees to put on proper shoes (Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.) and shirt (Matthew 22:11-12 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say.) to come and dine at the Father’s table where there is much laughter, joy, peace, healing, and life.

The world might call it: No Shoes, No Shirt – No Service

But our Father in heaven calls it: Here’s some clothes kids. Come on in. Dinner’s ready and I love you!

As we enter, we are assigned a private Tutor (the Holy Spirit again) who will show us the ropes. We get to pick what we want to do in the Family Glory Business. The Holy Spirit works with us in a type of tag-team intimate relationship where He assigns us a realm or a sandbox to play in. He gives us the Father’s tools that Jesus used. The Spirit teaches us how to use them in the world to help others, flipping all darkness into light, just like Jesus.

tag

Either one of us can tag first. We can start or we can let Him start, depending upon our level of confidence. We build what we can. When we don’t know what to do, we say, “Tag, you’re it Holy Spirit.” So, He takes a turn building. When He’s done, He says, “Tag, you’re it _______”.

We go back and forth with Him until our individual assignment in the Family is revealed and we know how to do things. If we make a mistake it is okay. We can just tear down that side of the sand castle and build it up stronger. Or crash the whole thing and start over.

Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

 

 

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Straight Talk… The Vine, Rodna Epley

Posted in Rodna Epley, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , on August 30, 2018 by paulthepoke

Rodna LightThis revelation came in to me recently by the Holy Spirit about the Vine pattern in the Word itself. It takes stepping back and looking at the Word as a whole. There is a much bigger picture that God has for us although all the contextual parts are also very important for focusing in on specific areas. I can see many topics that have this vine pattern from the holistic perspective, but since I love the glory topic and it’s the very purpose of the Gospel according to 2 Thessalonians 2:14 my focus here is the glory!

2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Vine&Glory Rodna

From Yahweh in the old covenant to the prophecy in Isaiah, God would share His glory with only one other – The Messiah…

to Jesus demonstrating for all of us how to operate in the glory through the Father’s works He performed…

to Jesus giving us the same glory He was given by the Father before the world was, so that we could be restored to the Father through Himself…

to know the Father’s love…

to become one as a church…

to believe the Father sent Jesus, so that we could do the works He did including raising the dead, casting out demons, healing the sick, etc., and “greater works” than those too because “we abide in Him and His Word abides in us we can ask whatever we desire and it will be done” according to Jesus. Part of these greater works is taking dominion over creation itself which are the works of His hands.

And this all gives the Father glory Jesus said.

I love the Word ❤️. It’s simple and very complex at the same time. The knowledge of God is inexhaustible. The Lord has been working on opening up my imagination lately. This is necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said we all must become like little children. While we continue to grow in the knowledge of God, knowledge of His glory, we wholeheartedly believe that all things truly are possible. Learn to do the works that Jesus did and “greater works”. This is what it means to be part of being in the family of God, to be in His kingdom. His kingdom is saturated with the Presence of the Father’s Glory.

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Revelation: Philadelphia, Key of David

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Pηιλαδελπηεια/philadelphos: “Brotherly love” in the original Greek (Strong’s Concordance).

Philadelphia is a city of Lydia in Asia Minor. It is located near the eastern base of Mount Tmolus approximately 25 miles southeast of Sardis. Historically, the city has been hit by multiple significant earthquakes. This is the modern day city of Allah-Shehr, Turkey. To the Muslim, this means “city of God”.

 

Jesus Christ is going to define a couple aspects of His character.

Holy or ἅγιος/hagios: It means set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred. Jesus Christ is different.

True or ἀληθινός/aléthinos: It literally means made of truth. Substantially true, real, or genuine. Jesus Christ is the real deal. He is the essence and integrity of truth.

Definitions provided by Strong’s Concordance.

 

…the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

The remainder of the verse is a reference to Isaiah 22:22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

old keyIn ancient times, officials in charge would literally carry keys tied to a kerchief on their shoulder. Who knows, we may see Jesus with keys tied to his shoulder at some point in the future.

Figuratively, Jesus is the sole authority in charge of the kingdom of Israel. The kingdom lineage goes through the line of David. Responsibility and burden of leadership goes through Him. Christ has the ultimate say and He is control. His decisions are final and He is ultimately responsible.

The same concept is communicated by Jesus to His disciples within the context of the church. Believers or church members will be fellow heirs in the kingdom.

Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

 

Oh, it is coming…

Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

 

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Rapture compressed

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Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot: Messianic Psalm

Posted in Fall Feasts, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 6, 2017 by paulthepoke

Psalm 118:25-26 Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.

Psalm 118 is known as the Messianic Psalm. As part of the Feast of Tabernacles Psalms 113-118 are sung and read. These are called the Hallel prayer (https://www.templeinstitute.org/tabernacles.htm).

About 2,000 years ago when Jesus made His triumphal entry in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Sanhedrin freaked out. The Sadducees and Pharisees understood. The people were recognizing Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. All of the pieces were in place. The people were waiving palms. Jesus was claiming to be a direct descendant of King David. He was claiming to be the Son of God. The crowds were calling on Jesus to be their Savior. The term Hosanna is noted twice in the verses below. Hosanna is a cry. Save us now!

Matthew 21:8-9 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

corner stone Jesus knew He would not be accepted as the Messiah at His first advent. Jesus is the rejected stone.

Psalm 118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

The apostle Peter makes it crystal clear who the rejected stone is in the book of Acts and in his self-named epistle.

Acts 4:11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

1 Peter 2:7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…”

 

Later in the text of Matthew, Christ would lament of His rejection as Messiah over Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

sukkot palmAnd we wait for His people Israel to recognize Him as the Messiah…But before He returns to Earth, this scene will be done in Heaven. Recall the words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Revelation 7:9-10 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

 

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Trend Update: Jewish Archeological Evidence on Temple Mount

Posted in Prophecy, Temple, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on October 29, 2016 by paulthepoke

1 Chronicles 22:9-10 ‘Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

The Lord God of Israel is talking to King David. He was kept from building the Temple of the Lord because of war and bloodshed in the land (1 Chronicles 22:8).

October 27, 2016: Artifacts from the Solomon Temple era were found on location of the Temple Mount. King Solomon built the first Temple in approximately 960 BC. This is the first time evidence has been found on top of the Temple Mount. Previously in the Ophel excavations, items were found off the southeast wall of the Temple Mount near the Kidron Valley.

Evidence unearthed included: olive pits, animal bones and pottery fragments. One of the largest finds occurred when a trench for a power cable was dug. The find was located approximately 400 feet southeast of the Dome of the Rock. Carbon dating confirmed the time era of the pieces.

This archeology dig was completed quietly with the Muslim Waqf who is in charge of security on the Temple Mount. Multiple surveys have taken place between 2007 and 2016.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-reveal-first-solomons-temple-era-artifacts-ever-found-on-temple-mount/

October 13, 2016: The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted to deny recognition of religious sites on the Temple Mount to the Jewish people. The UN stated the Temple Mount belongs to the Muslims.

https://paulthepoke.com/2016/10/14/trend-update-unesco-rejects-jewish-ties-to-temple-mount-october-2016/

Crack squad over at the UN…

The verses from 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 were prophetic to David and Solomon approximately 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. And they came to pass. But the verses also foreshadow the future of our day in October 2016.

David’s son will establish His kingdom. He will establish peace and quiet. He will build a house.

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Revelation 1:6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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Isaiah 9:7 Kingdom of Peace

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on July 15, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Peace in the kingdom will be limitless. Never ending peace is a constant concept in the Old Testament prophecies of the kingdom. The peace granted is complete. There will be absence of war. And peace will exist with nature and the environment.  Ezekiel 34:25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.”  See also Hosea 2:18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety.”

The Isaiah verse states this leader will come from the throne of David. This message was communicated and confirmed to the Virgin Mary from the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:31-33. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Once the Kingdom is established, it will be eternal. This same concept is noted in Daniel 2:44. “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

The military commander will do this by His zeal. The Hebrew word for “zeal” is qin ‘ah. Per Strong’s Concordance, this means: ardour, jealousy, jealous disposition of God for His people. God is committed to establishing peace on Earth.

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Jesus Post Resurrection Resume

Posted in Gospel with tags , , , , , , , on May 10, 2012 by paulthepoke

Key Theme: Jesus is coming again. The career of Jesus following His resurrection: rapture, wrath, return, and reign.

Rapture: Jesus comes for His church. He is the head of the church (Matthew 16:18). For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The term rapture is from the Latin translation of the Bible. The Greek word is harpazo. It means to snatch, seize, or take away by force. At this point, the dead in Christ will be resurrected. The dead will be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:52).

The second part of the rapture event is those who are alive will be changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52). This is new information revealed by Paul, a mystery (1 Corinthians 15:51a). We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (resurrected dead) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Wrath:  The tribulation will begin with a covenant or treaty of seven years between the false messiah and Israel. He will break his promise at the half way point of the covenant (Daniel 9:27). The seven year period is broken into a series of judgments in the book of Revelation. The initial series is contained in the seal judgments of Chapter 6. After a brief pause, the seventh seal is noted at the beginning of Chapter 8. The seventh seal contains seven trumpet judgments. The first six judgments are initiated in Revelation 8:7 and continue through 9:21. The seventh trumpet is sounded in Revelation 11:15-19. The initiation of the bowl judgments occurs in Revelation 16. These events lead up to the return of Jesus.

Return: Acts 1:11b, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” There are over 300 references in the New Testament alone regarding the second coming of Christ. His return is chronicled in Revelation 19. The beast and false prophet are seized and thrown into the lake of fire. Satan is bound by chain in the abyss and has his own personal guard.

Rule and Reign: It is mentioned six times in Revelation 20:2-7 that the period of the earthly kingdom is 1,000 years. References in Daniel 2:44-45, 7:27 indicate that this kingdom will not be overcome and it is everlasting. Jesus will rule as king of the world (Daniel 7:14, Revelation 19:15). The church will rule and reign with Christ as kings and priests (Revelation 1:6, 5:10).  Characteristics include joy, justice, peace, no more war, holiness, glory, comfort, full knowledge, instruction, removal of the curse, no sickness, healing, protection, freedom from oppression, no immaturity, plenty of work, prosperity, increase of light, one language, unified worship, fullness of Spirit (Things to Come, Pentecost, pp. 487-490, scripture and verse noted for textual support).

At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released to deceive the nations. He gathers the people of the nations for war against Christ in Jerusalem. They are consumed by fire and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10).

Next is the judgment of the great white throne. This is the judgment of the dead who are judged according to their deeds. If one’s name is not found in the book of life, they are thrown into the lake of fire with death and Hades (Revelation 20:11-15).

Eternity: The new heavens and the new earth emerge. The old heavens and old earth have been burned. New Jerusalem descends from heaven. It is described with 12 different jewels. The size is great. There is no darkness. The water of life is there with the trees of life. The Father and the Son are present with man. Their reign is forever and ever (Revelation 21 and 22).

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