Seeing Jesus Christ: Part 6: The restoration of all things

michaelvpardo · Jul 30, 2011

We know from the gospel accounts that Jesus performed many miraculous signs and wonders. Luke tells us in his gospel of a few special signs and unique things which we could consider, but most of the miraculous works that Jesus performed fell into just a few categories which Jesus Himself defined: Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'' Luke 7:22-23

If we look at the last passage in its context, we find that Jesus made this response to two of the disciples of John the Baptist who enquired at his request: When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, `Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' Luke 7:20

The reason that John sent two disciples and not just one, was because the question addressed a matter of Jewish law and the law required a minimum of two witnesses for all matters which could involve a penalty of death: "Whoever is worthy of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Deuteronomy 17:6.

If Jesus was making the claim to be the Messiah and Son of God and was not true in His testimony, He would’ve been guilty of blasphemy and sin worthy of death. John also understood that Jesus came not only for salvation, but for judgment: John answered, saying to them all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.'' Luke 3:16-17

In both cases, two witnesses were appropriate for the establishment of the truth in the matter. Jesus’ responded not with simple verbal assent or declaration, but performed works as evidence to His person and His purpose and made John’s disciples witnesses of His works, not simply of His words: And that very hour He cured many people of their infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many who were blind He gave sight. Luke 7:21.

These works are given in prophecy as signs associated with the coming of the kingdom of heaven. The Prophet Isaiah probably wrote the most upon this topic and the clearest description of the purpose for the signs is given in chapter 35: The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.'' Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10

This passage identifies the miraculous works that Jesus performed with the coming of the kingdom of Heaven and in chapter 42 of the same book, Isaiah identifies the servant of God who brings with Him these works and establishes the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.'' Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it: "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:1-8

The “blind” in this passage is really a reference to the spiritually blind, the people of Israel, who were delivered out of bondage in Egypt through the working of many signs and wonders, given the land of Canaan, and delivered from enemies repeatedly through many more miraculous works and wondrous victories, yet turned their backs to the
God that blessed them to worship useless idols. The physical signs, however, of opening blind eyes, delivering from demonic possession, and other healings, are evidences that point to the source of all blessing, our God and Creator. The passage refers to the servant of God that would come to bring forth justice in the earth, but also clearly points to the fact that the servant is more than a man in that the Lord will not share His glory with another, yet has chosen to glorify His elect One.

veteran · Jul 31, 2011

Michael V Pardo said:
If Jesus was making the claim to be the Messiah and Son of God and was not true in His testimony, He would’ve been guilty of blasphemy and sin worthy of death. John also understood that Jesus came not only for salvation, but for judgment: John answered, saying to them all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.'' Luke 3:16-17

Whoah! The part I underlined is for Christ's SECOND coming which is not yet fulfilled. His first coming was to be sacrificed as the Lamb slain, coming meek as a Lamb. But His second coming, or return, is when He will rule with a rod of iron, as written, and that part about His judgment has not yet happened.

These works are given in prophecy as signs associated with the coming of the kingdom of heaven. The Prophet Isaiah probably wrote the most upon this topic and the clearest description of the purpose for the signs is given in chapter 35: The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.'' Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10

Whoah again!! Not all that was fulfilled at Christ's first coming. He was rejected and crucified, remember? Much of that Isaiah 35 Scripture is set specifically for the area of Jerusalem, and it is literal per Ezekiel 47. Literal waters of God's River coming out from the Millennial Sanctuary on earth at Jerusalem will flow into the desert, and the desert will blossom. And everywhere that River flows to on the earth, the earth's waters will be healed. It's the River of the waters of life our Lord showed John in Revelation. It's a literal River; God's River, the same River that was in God's Eden on earth in Gen.2 that flowed out of Eden to feed four other rivers on the earth. All that is part of this Isaiah 35 prophecy about Christ's future "thousand years" reign and the new heavens and a new earth timing.

Christ's Kingdom came in the 'spiritual' sense at His first coming, through His many-membered Body of believers by The Holy Spirit. It's LITERAL fulfillment at Jerusalem is still expecting, which is when those who remain faithful to Christ Jesus will be gathered there to Him with bodies of redemption.

Foreigner · Aug 2, 2011

Michael V Pardo said:
It seems as though you didn't actually read the entire posting when you wrote this.

-- Who in his or her right mind would?

veteran · Aug 2, 2011

Michael V Pardo said:
It seems as though you didn't actually read the entire posting when you wrote this. Christ's second return is addressed in the body of the posting. I haven't added anything to scripture, nor denied any part of it. I've only given what the Lord has been teaching me over the course of the last month or so since I began the process of rewriting a previous message. I was struck by the fact that the word adjudication came to me while spending time in scripture, as I know that it isn't ever used in the translations that I possess (and I have quite a few in electronic form.) For that matter, I've never used the word myself in any way, shape or form. I discussed this with a brother in the Lord that I work with and he seemed to believe that the Lord was very concerned that we understand the judgment and with regard to the things which are happening now. He wasn't the least bit suprised that the Holy Spirit was showing me such things; His pastor had just given a message on the two witnesses found in one portion of scripture and it dealt with some of the same issues. My original message spent much more time on the signs performed by Jesus at His first coming, but the Lord wanted to expound upon the two witnesses and took some time showing me the things that I should understand, ( and that it would be best if the body understood as well.) The Lord called me to the office of prophet, but this was never for the purpose of some new revelation or strange doctrine. I'm called primarily to magnify the scripture, to show what it plainly says when you have the eyes to see it. If you examine biblical prophecy, you'll find that much of it is from God's perspective and not ours. God is not bound by time, nor by space, nor by anything except possibly by His character: e.g. He will not deny Himself. Sometimes the prophets spoke or wrote things which spanned the course of all history in just a few sentences. The Song of Moses is one such text, but not the only one.
The Lord has sometimes given me such gestaltic views of His word and these things aren't given for me to hide away or prize as some hidden treasure. All who are called according to His purpose have a stewardship over that which they've been given. (The stewardship actually applies to those who aren't called as well, but as they don't acknowledge Him, this is another thing that they must answer for.) The problem with being the bearer of such visions is always the lack of ability to communicate them in words which can be readily understood or received.
Within the context of the church, it's best not to receive things which are not found in scripture. In my experience, I find that most people are unwilling to receive things which are plainly said in scripture, even when they are in the simplest terms. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." This is about as plain as can be, yet many thousands of so called "christians" want to deny this simple truth or at the very least, add some other ways. The history of the largest church on the planet is full of extrabiblical revelation which commonly fails the test of agreement with the body of scripture (and with the body of Christ.) I'm not sure whether your posting is intended to clarify or object to what was given in the study. Either is actually fine, but please take time to look over the entire posting and perhaps go back and look at the quoted scripture as well in it's context before jumping to any hasty conclusion. Nothing in my series was done in haste. The last part took rather a long time as I had to wait on the Lord to clarify things to me. If it took so long for me to receive, and I've witnessed more things than most people ever have or should, I would never expect anyone to be able to swallow this all in one bite or in one sitting. I could've included many more passages and expounded at much greater length than I have in this last message, but what would be the point when everything that needed to be said, has been said. My testimony is not complete and won't be until I'm called home, but the study is, to the extent that I'm offering it. Again, you, or anyone else is free to make comment or add to the exposition of the scripture on the topic. All that I ask of you is that you stay on point and be clear as to your own.
By the way, I'm a walker, not a rider. "Wait" would be more appropriate than "Whoah". The truth of the matter is that I can only go as fast as the Lord leads. If I've run ahead, I might as well be blind, but my steps are ordered by Him.

I'm not denying that our Lord may be giving you to 'see' something there, but He also commanded that we speak plainly. And if someone is given a prophecy by The Holy Spirit, it will always... align with God's Holy Writ, no exceptions. Now what some do in trying to claim The Holy Spirit gave them something new, is try to misdirect God's Holy Writ to try and make His Word fit... their supposed new prophecy.

Just as with many prophecies God gave His OT prophets, much in them is yet to be fulfilled today. And this Isaiah 35 prophecy has portions still expecting today. The Holy Spirit would never go against that, so my advice is to verify what you think you're being given by first understanding what all that Isaiah 35 prophecy involves, including what portions (like what I mentioned) is still expecting today. Most likely, you're not receiving any 'new' prophecy about that, but only more understanding of a prophecy already written in God's Word.

And yes, please consider my Whoah! as Wait!, as it does the same thing.

veteran · Aug 3, 2011

Well then, let us consider what you were saying. I'll mark problem areas in red.

Michael V Pardo said:
We know from the gospel accounts that Jesus performed many miraculous signs and wonders. Luke tells us in his gospel of a few special signs and unique things which we could consider, but most of the miraculous works that Jesus performed fell into just a few categories which Jesus Himself defined: Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'' Luke 7:22-23

If we look at the last passage in its context, we find that Jesus made this response to two of the disciples of John the Baptist who enquired at his request: When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, `Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' Luke 7:20

The reason that John sent two disciples and not just one, was because the question addressed a matter of Jewish law and the law required a minimum of two witnesses for all matters which could involve a penalty of death: "Whoever is worthy of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Deuteronomy 17:6.

If Jesus was making the claim to be the Messiah and Son of God and was not true in His testimony, He would’ve been guilty of blasphemy and sin worthy of death. John also understood that Jesus came not only for salvation, but for judgment: John answered, saying to them all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.'' Luke 3:16-17

In both cases, two witnesses were appropriate for the establishment of the truth in the matter. Jesus’ responded not with simple verbal assent or declaration, but performed works as evidence to His person and His purpose and made John’s disciples witnesses of His works, not simply of His words: And that very hour He cured many people of their infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many who were blind He gave sight. Luke 7:21.

These works are given in prophecy as signs associated with the coming of the kingdom of heaven. The Prophet Isaiah probably wrote the most upon this topic and the clearest description of the purpose for the signs is given in chapter 35: The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.'' Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10

This passage identifies the miraculous works that Jesus performed with the coming of the kingdom of Heaven and in chapter 42 of the same book, Isaiah identifies the servant of God who brings with Him these works and establishes the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.'' Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it: "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:1-8

The way you're assigning all that prophecy suggests that it all took place at Christ's first coming to die on the cross. It did not all happen then. Some of it did, but not all of it. Leaving out that point is to suggest that the kingdom of Heaven 'literally' came then at Christ's first coming. It did spiritually, but not yet literally in the physical on earth. We still await the physical establishment of Christ's Kingdom on earth at Jerusalem with His second coming. Our Lord Jesus has already paid the price, but He has not gathered us to Him yet, which is what the redemption is literally about.

Jesus came establishing justice in the earth, revealing God’s heart in providing us with a salvation which we don’t deserve, while also providing the standard against which the lives of men are to be judged. Jesus came not for condemnation, but for salvation, yet the process of adjudication of sin is based upon the words that He gave us. God, knowing the end from the beginning has judged the earth and revealed His judgment through the books of the Law. The first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis tells us plainly: And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:13

Our Lord Jesus said He did not come to bring peace on the earth, but a sword, in order to divide people (Matt.10). God's justice on this earth is still yet to come with His judgment, beginning with Christ's return on the day of The Lord. Thus we need to be careful what we try to assign at His first coming.

While Noah feared God, he certainly wasn’t a sinless man. Chapter 9 of the book of Genesis tells us that Noah indulged in alcohol, having gotten drunk on the produce of a vineyard that he planted after the flood, and it wasn’t long before his descendants were again engaged in violence, making war upon each other, committing murders in the earth, and performing abominable sacrifices to foreign gods with their own children. It was such acts that condemned the inhabitants of the land of Canaan when God gave the land to Abraham’s descendants: "Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, `Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land'; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. "It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 9:4-5

The event of Gen.9 with Noah getting drunk and what happened with Ham bears a traditional myth in may Churches today. Per Leviticus 18 & 20, the expression of uncovering thy father's nakedness means to have sexual intercourse with one's own mother. A man's wife is considered as the husband's nakedness per the Hebrew expression. This reveals that Ham had something to do with getting his father drunk, so Ham could go into his own mother. This is why Noah's other two sons turned their back to cover their father's nakedness, which actually meant their own mother's nakedness per Lev.18 & 20. The result of the incestuous event by Ham with his own mother was the offspring Canaan. That's why it's written that Noah woke up and knew what Ham had done, and Noah then cursed Ham's offspring Canaan.

When Paul refers to “the fullness of the Gentiles,” he is referring to the fullness of their transgression, as we find in the book of Daniel in a passage speaking about the end times: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. Daniel 8:23

So you might ask, “what exactly does this ”fullness” of the “transgressors” refer to?” Transgressors are those who violate commandments, and the implication is that they know the commandments that are being violated. In our society, judges say that ignorance of the law is no excuse, meaning that the penalty stands whether ignorant or not. However, given our sinful nature, God has always provided a means of obtaining mercy and forgiveness to those who were ignorant of their wrong doing. From the fall of man through the sin of Adam, to the final judgments against the earth seen in the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ, God has always given men opportunity to confess their sin to Him and to seek His mercy in repentance. Men are convicted for their transgressions, but their condemnation lies in their rejection of God and His free gift of mercy: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:17-19

I believe the fullness of the Gentiles refers both to Gentiles who would believe, and also to those who will continue to do wickedness, all the way up to Christ's return.

In the book of Ephesians we have a short passage about predestination, a contested subject, but the Apostle Paul wrote: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

If you can accept this to be true, then logically the converse is true as well, which is to say that those not predestined for salvation are predestined for condemnation. In this sense, all history has been and still is the process of the adjudication of sin and the justification of life. The scripture tells us that God created man in His own image; His purpose wasn’t to create us for condemnation, but rather to create a “peculiar” people for Himself, to treasure and to be treasured by: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9

We cannot go quite that far. John 17 shows us why. Christ's elect were sent to preach The Gospel, and were already sanctified and justified in order to do that. Those are predestined chosen elect. But Christ prayed also for those who would come to believe on Him through the word of His chosen ones, so that both might be one body in Him (John 17). Many are called, but few are chosen. His elect were predestinated to preach The Gospel showing they were already sealed as His elect, the rest are predestinated in being 'called' to hear and believe and then become part of His elect. It means Christ's elect chosen cannot be taken away from Him, nor turned to become apostates. But for those called only to hear and believe through their word (preaching), those can still turn away and become apostates.

Now let’s consider what will be the sign of His coming when the testimony is completed. When addressing the concerns of some in the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul spoke of the return of the Lord and of the gathering of His church to Himself: Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

This “gathering together to Him” of His church is generally referred to as the rapture of the church, which Paul also described in 1[sup]st[/sup] Thessalonians while addressing concerns about those among the church who had died: For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Where Paul wrote that “the dead in Christ will rise first” prior to the “rapture” of the church, he is speaking of the first resurrection, identified as such in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ: And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5

If you're referring to the idea of a Pre-trib 'rapture' with that, then that is not Biblical. The "trumpet of God" in the 1 Thess.4 Scripture is about the same trumpet in Rev.11, and 1 Cor.15, and Rev.10 that will sound on the very last day of this present world, which is when Christ's second coming and our gathering to Him will occur. That's when that "first resurrection" will occur. Christ is already reigning on earth at that Rev.20 first resurrection event.

The following passage in the book of the Revelation has the 7[sup]th[/sup] Angel declaring that the kingdoms of the earth have become the kingdoms of Christ. This Angel, called the 7[sup]th[/sup] Angel, is one of the Angels which stand before God, and an Angel of the church. While the order of the churches addressed may not reflect the numbering of the Angels, the last church identified in chapter 3 of the book of the Revelation is the church of Laodicea: "Because you say, `I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:17-20

The poor condition of this church, the lukewarm church, is the condition of Apostasy. We know this because we find the condition described in Deuteronomy when Moses describes the Apostasy of Israel: "When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. Deuteronomy 31:20

The song of Moses, found in the following chapter of Deuteronomy, addresses the same issue, the rejection of God born out of the deceitfulness of riches: "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are covered with fat; then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear. Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you. Deuteronomy 32:15-18

Others here have tried to preach that same idea of our Lord's Messages to the seven Churches in Rev.2 & 3 being about separate Church 'ages'. It does not work, because 1) at the end of Rev.1 Christ said the seven candlesticks in the heavenly are the seven Churches, meaning those candlesticks exist throughout this present world time, and 2) two of those seven Churches are given Messages that involve the coming great tribulation for the last days, and they would be omitted from relevance for the end if those seven represented literal Church ages.

It is this time, the gathering of the church to the Lord, which is also the time of the restoration of the nation of Israel: Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7

The Prophet Zechariah wrote about the same event: "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. "And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; "the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; "all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. Zechariah 12:10-14

The event of the return of Jesus Christ with His church will inspire repentance upon the whole nation of Israel and even upon the whole earth, upon the survivors of the plagues and terrors of the Great Tribulation, which will institute the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. So what did Jesus mean by the "sign of the son of man"? Jesus performed many signs and wonders, but when He spoke to those who opposed Him, He mentioned only one sign, the sign of Jonah. Jesus referred to His own death and resurrection as the sign offered up to His enemies, but nothing in scripture tells us that He appeared to those enemies when He rose from the grave. On the contrary, His only appearances where to His disciples, yet He said to His accusers: "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.'' Matthew 26:64

That idea is to preach men's tradition of the Pre-trib rapture theory, which is not Biblical. You almost... stayed with Holy Writ about the signs of Christ's coming and our gathering, but then wholly left Scripture with that idea in red. Christ's Church on earth today is not going anywhere during the great tribulation. And even when Christ does return AFTER the tribulation, our gathering to Him will be to Jerusalem on this earth, as written in Zechariah 14. The Heavenly realm is going to be revealed to all upon this earth at that time. Furthermore, that relation with "the whole nation of Israel" is a Dispensationalist tradition from John Darby in 1830's Britain. The unbelieving Jews today do not make up the majority of the peoples of Israel. That myth is maintained among the Pre-trib Dispensationalists in order to support their Pre-trib rapture theory. The majority of the people of Israel (ten tribes) were scattered by God and lost their heritage as Israel, becoming as Gentiles among Gentiles. Many of them have believed on Christ Jesus, along with believing Gentiles, and will be gathered to Christ as one body with believing Gentiles. Believing Jews will be gathered as Christ's Church at His second coming also, which is after the tribulation per the Matt.24 and Mark 13 Scripture.

It would appear that the sign of the Son of Man that Jesus spoke of was the same sign that He promised to His enemies: The resurrected Lord will return, but with His body, the Church, for all to see. It's hard for me to imagine a greater or more awe inspiring wonder than the return of our Lord. There is some confusion in doctrine about the timing of these events, some believing that Christ will return for His church prior to His return to judge the earth, but I believe this is born out of a misunderstanding of the nature of eternity. When we exit this world as believers we enter into the presence of God. Two thousand years could've passed on earth, but to us the time would be immediate, and for the same reasons, we could spend what seemed like a thousand years with God, and still return to this earth an instant after we left it. We are bound by time, but God isn't, yet in some ways we shall be like Him, and while these things are beyond our power to understand, they are not beyond His power to accomplish.

Once again, that idea that Christ Jesus will return 'with' His Church is supposition, and not Biblical. It wrongly suggests that Christ will rapture His Church to Heaven prior to the great tribulation, which is not written. Our Lord Jesus will return with His saints that had already died, at the sound of the trumpet, and the saints still alive on earth then will be joined to them, all in Jerusalem on earth, all being changed to the resurrection body. That is what Paul was teaching in 1 Thess.4, 1 Cor.15, and in 2 Thess.2, and our Lord in Matt.24 and Mark 13.

You kept to God's Word on a lot of your post, but then completely fell through when covering the signs of Christ's coming and our gathering to Him.

veteran · Aug 5, 2011

Michael V Pardo said:
You seem to have gone to great lengths to prove the points that I was attempting to make. eg. that the Church will remain on earth until the return of Jesus Christ in Judgment or at least until the anti-christ is revealed and consumed with the breath of His coming. Of course this isn't what the study is about, but rather about signs and wonders and their purpose, the adjudication of sin, and the greatest sign which is still to come.

With regard to the rapture, the Lord has taught me for many years that I'll be here to witness the judgments (and the scripture calls this a gift to His saints.) I don't particularly want to be here, but I'll accept that I have to be. Yet the scripture does teach of a rapture which will happen at the return of Christ and after the 1st resurrection. Many preachers like to split up Christ's return into 2 parts, but the bible doesn't support such a doctrine. However, It does support the notion that He will bring His church with Him, as the word says that He will bring His saints with Him. Holy ones (Hassidim) could refer to His Holy Angels, and I have no doubt that the Lord will be accompanied by them. However, at the rapture, the word says that we will be with Him forever; that would be difficult if He left us somewhere in eternity while He came back to the earth in judgment.

We have a responsibility, especially in today's times, to not be deceived and not to deceive. Just by using the word "rapture" today is enough to fan people's understanding of it in many directions that aren't Biblical. Nor should the 1 Thess.4:17 verse by itself or just that chapter only be the sole Bible basis of how Christ returns to gather His Church. Our Lord Jesus gave us several descriptions in other Books and chapters, as did His Apostles, which go along with that verse. They all must be put together for it to be revealed.

Specifically, the "caught up" idea (Greek harpazo) in 1 Thess.4:17 is not the only Scripture example of what it means to be caught up or caught away. The one in 2 Cor.12 Paul spoke of had his spirit caught up to Paradise, Philip was caught away to another location on earth, Elijah was taken to Heaven, etc. All those are examples that help us define what that 1 Thess.4:17 caught up idea is about. Paul in 1 Cor.15 covers it in more detail linking it with the Isaiah 25 prophecy too, an OT prophecy that not many have even read.

With regard to the notion of church ages, I never made any claim to the age being Laodicean, because all the messages to the churches are for those who have an ear to hear, however, I was pointing out that the Laodician church meets the conditions of apostasy as seen in the book of Deuteronomy (and in other places), and the apostasy of the church is one of the great signs of the times of our Lord's return. Those evil things that happened to Israel spiritually are the dangers faced by the church, and the warnings given in both the Old Testament and the New are for us. Wealth, personified as Mammon, is a deceitful master, and if you don't think prosperity doctrine is a problem, then there isn't any point in further discussion.

I'll partly admit that, but you specifically used the Church at Laodiciea as the one to represent the Apostasy. In reality, four others given in our Lord's Revelation also represent the endtime Apostasy. All seven Messages are in effect all the way up to Christ's return. And yes, I definitely agree the OT events and prophets teach us much as to how the end is going to occur, often even in more detail than Revelation.

You seem to be well trained with regard to various doctrines taught by theologians through church history, but I have very little of such training, nor have I received my doctrine from some group with a convenient theological label. I've read the bible with interest for about 47 years, but only began to understand what it says about 16 years ago, when I trusted Jesus Christ as my savior and submitted to Him as Lord. I stopped counting readings after about 7 times through the book, but each time that I go back to read the scripture and spend time with the Teacher, the Holy Spirit, He shows me things that I haven't seen before. I don't know if this will continue in eternity, but I'm convinced that He reveals what we need to know, not just for the seasons of our lives, but for the edification and guidance of the church. I've noticed for many years that when the Lord is teaching me something, He is also teaching others the same things, as I will hear preaching from diverse books of the scripture all about the same subjects that I am engaged in studying. This is because we have received the same Spirit, and He will teach us what the church needs to know regardless of what books we happen to be studying or spending time in. This is how the head of the church, our Savior Jesus Christ, gets His body to do things that they need to do as a whole. It's also why we don't need some spiritual leader to interpret and guide us as the cults do. I'm not saying that those who don't hear the teacher aren't His. Sometimes we are preoccupied with what we want to believe, our preconceptions, or for some reason are unwilling to hear what He has to say (a sin issue.) When it comes to the return of Jesus Christ in judgment, I think that you'll find many professing Christians who will say that they look forward to His coming, but just not today. I don't need to convince you that anything I say is true. The Holy Spirit speaks for Himself, convinces us of sin, and shows us the way that we should go. However, I would be unfaithful in my calling if I did not tell people those things which God has told me. I'm not a theologian, and I'm not sure that being a theolgian is a calling at all. The pharisees where theologians and they, by and large, missed the coming of God in the flesh.
The main job of the prophet is to point out to the congregation that they're turning away from the truth and to remind them what God has said and is saying through the scripture, the only document which is genuinely alive and made that way by the Spirit who gave it breath.

Good for you if you haven't realized all the false traditions in the Churches today, you'd be better not getting into that and staying in God's Word like you seem to be. But inevitably, you're going to be faced with it, because of the Apostasy remember?

I too had struggled to understand God's Word in my younger years, many have. God has been opening up His Word to those who study in these last days like never before. Many are only now beginning to realize a lot of prophecy in the OT is starting to come to pass, and yet another cycle of prophecies about Israel in rebellion is happening again too. Understanding Revelation never has been as easy as it is today. I'm not a theologian either, but just a Christian Bible student, and not a prophet. There really are no new prophets today for all is already written in God's Word through His chosen ones. Most of Christ's Body at different times may be given a specific edification for their Church which will always align with God's prophets in His Word. But that doesn't mean there are any new prophets today like those in God's Word. But 'watchmen', there's to be plenty of, and there is today.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

Nun
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

At least some of the Pharisees understood that the works Jesus performed clearly demonstrated that He was sent by God: There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.'' John 3:1-2

Yet they were, for the most part, unable or unwilling to receive the truth of Jesus’ equality to God, though they understood this to be His testimony as we see from His trial before the Sanhedrin: But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?'' And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.'' Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?'' And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death. Mark 14:61-64

If we accept and hold these scriptures to be true, then there are some points from the prophecies of Isaiah that we need to clarify. Isaiah speaks in chapter 35 to the coming of the kingdom of Heaven, the establishment of Justice in the earth, and to the redemption of Israel. We understand from the New Testament epistles, as well as from the gospels, that Jesus did establish the kingdom of God in providing the atonement of sin for those who would receive Him as Lord and Savior, making propitiation for sin through His own blood. We look for a further redemption of our bodies, and a full manifestation of the kingdom of Heaven with the return of Jesus Christ, but how is justice established in the earth and where is the restoration of Israel?

We understand that God’s justice is satisfied by the work of Christ upon the cross for those who receive Him, but where or how is justice satisfied for those who have rejected Him or have remained blind to Him?

Jesus implied that spiritual blindness was forgivable or left one unaccountable, but He also identified those who rejected Him as responsible for their sin: And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.'' Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?'' Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, `We see.' Therefore your sin remains. John 9:39-41

It would seem from Jesus’ own statement, that to see Him for who He is, and to still reject Him is that which condemns a man and leaves him to die in his sin.

This conclusion is born out in the statement made by Jesus to Nicodemus, the same Pharisee who came to Jesus by night and in the third chapter of John’s gospel: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:17-19.

Jesus came establishing justice in the earth, revealing God’s heart in providing us with a salvation which we don’t deserve, while also providing the standard against which the lives of men are to be judged. Jesus came not for condemnation, but for salvation, yet the process of adjudication of sin is based upon the words that He gave us. God, knowing the end from the beginning has judged the earth and revealed His judgment through the books of the Law.

The first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis tells us plainly: And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:13

Now, we tend to look at this passage and interpret it, thinking that before the flood men were exceptionally evil, so God judged the earth with water and then started over again with Noah, whom God accounted as righteous in his generation, along with his family and the animals which were saved within the ark.

Yet, the scripture says “The end of all flesh has come before Me,” not “some flesh” or “most flesh,” and “behold, I will destroy them with the earth,” not “save some and repopulate the earth.” With the flood, God judged the earth with water, but His judgment against all flesh was not completed in this act.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

While Noah feared God, he certainly wasn’t a sinless man. Chapter 9 of the book of Genesis tells us that Noah indulged in alcohol, having gotten drunk on the produce of a vineyard that he planted after the flood, and it wasn’t long before his descendants were again engaged in violence, making war upon each other, committing murders in the earth, and performing abominable sacrifices to foreign gods with their own children.

It was such acts that condemned the inhabitants of the land of Canaan when God gave the land to Abraham’s descendants: "Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, `Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land'; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. "It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 9:4-5

We even see in chapter 8 of the book of Genesis that God didn’t consider Noah and His descendants to be free of the corrupting influence of their evil hearts: And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. Genesis 8:21

And at that time the Lord made a covenant with all flesh regarding judgment for the shedding of blood: "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man. And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.'' Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, "and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.'' Genesis 9:5-11

We need to note that these passages give us God’s promise not to destroy all flesh or the earth by another flood, but don’t say that He changed His judgment against all flesh that was previously given in chapter 6 of the book of Genesis, or somehow changed His mind. A god who changes his mind is not one in whom we could ever place our trust: "For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Malachi 3:6

The unchanging character of God assures us of two things. First that He will judge all flesh, because He has said so. And second, that He has justified all who have believed Him, accounting them as righteous, by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf and specifically for this purpose.

In establishing His justice in the earth God has given us two things. First the covenant of law given through Moses which reveals the righteousness of God and the unrighteousness of man, both confining man under sin and condemnation and pointing to the salvation to be found in Christ.

The law was given to Israel, not as a covenant made with all men, but to Israel as a people, holy and separated to God for the purpose of revealing God’s holiness to the earth. Moses tells us that the law was given as a witness against Israel: So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: "Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; "for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death? Deuteronomy 31:24-27

The judgment of Israel under the law was meant to be a warning to all peoples of the earth so that they might understand the consequences of disobedience to the Lord: "All nations would say, `Why has the Lord done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?' "Then men would say: `Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; `for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them. `Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book. `And the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.' Deuteronomy 29:24-28

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

The second part in the adjudication of man’s sin is the New Covenant which is not made with the nation of Israel, but with all men. In fulfilling the covenant of law, satisfying God’s righteous requirement of the shedding of blood for the remission of sin, Jesus instituted the New Covenant, that of mercy and grace, the gift freely given to those who would believe Him. Jesus’ requirement of us, belief, was not that of mere assent, but one of keeping His word: "But why do you call Me `Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Luke 6:46

Jesus explained that the righteous would do righteous things just as the wicked do wicked things: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:16-23

You’ll notice in the last passage that when Jesus sends away the unrighteous, it is because He “never knew” them. Salvation comes through knowing God: "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3. The fact that the righteous will do righteous things is not because they have a righteousness of their own, but because they have believed God, know Him and abide in His word: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

The Word that the saints abide in is also the Word by which the whole earth is judged: Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. "And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.'' John 12:44-50

As the covenant of law was a witness against Israel, so the covenant of mercy and grace is also a witness against the world. Taken together, both are witnesses against mankind. As we saw earlier, in matters of law in which capital punishment is prescribed, a decision requires the corroborating testimony of two or more witnesses: "Whoever is worthy of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Deuteronomy 17:6.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

Since God has judged the earth, as we have seen from chapter 6 of the book of Genesis, it is only just that God provides two witnesses for the adjudication of sin, the covenant of law and the covenant of mercy (or grace).

Yet because God’s character is defined by more than His justice, but also by His love and kindness, the same witnesses that condemn us also extend to us the offer of His grace through the revelation of His Son in the person of Jesus Christ.

God will indeed judge the entire earth and make an end of all flesh as we find in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but in Him he has provided a haven, a place of safety from the storm, like the ark in the days of Noah. This haven is not for the preservation of the flesh, but for the preservation of the soul to eternal life in his presence.

Now, some think that things will go on upon the earth in the same way that they always have, and that the judgment of God is accomplished at the time of each man’s death, but in creating the earth, God also created spiritual beings that were given authority over the earth as ministers of His grace and of His justice.

Since the ruler of this world was cast down and a third of the heavenly host with him, then there also remains a judgment against them for their guilt in the deception of mankind.

We each have a responsibility for our own actions, but there is a greater judgment against those who caused the fall of man and especially against those who have caused believers in our Lord to sin: "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9:41-42

These spiritual beings may die in the sense of being separated from God, but they don’t suffer a physical death as we do. They may be imprisoned, as we see Satan himself held in chains during Christ’s Millennial reign, but their final judgment can’t be enacted until the work of adjudication of sin is complete.

There is an end to every process of law and God has promised to make a short work of things upon the earth: For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.'' Romans 9:28

The question remains as to when these things will come to pass and where is the restoration of Israel?

The Apostle Paul addressed this issue in the book of Romans, giving an explanation as to why Israel was allowed to “miss” the coming of their Messiah: For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.'' Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Romans 11:25-32

When Paul refers to “the fullness of the Gentiles,” he is referring to the fullness of their transgression, as we find in the book of Daniel in a passage speaking about the end times: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. Daniel 8:23

So you might ask, “what exactly does this ”fullness” of the “transgressors” refer to?”

Transgressors are those who violate commandments, and the implication is that they know the commandments that are being violated. In our society, judges say that ignorance of the law is no excuse, meaning that the penalty stands whether ignorant or not. However, given our sinful nature, God has always provided a means of obtaining mercy and forgiveness to those who were ignorant of their wrong doing.

From the fall of man through the sin of Adam, to the final judgments against the earth seen in the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ, God has always given men opportunity to confess their sin to Him and to seek His mercy in repentance.

Men are convicted for their transgressions, but their condemnation lies in their rejection of God and His free gift of mercy: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:17-19

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

In the book of Ephesians we have a short passage about predestination, a contested subject, but the Apostle Paul wrote: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

If you can accept this to be true, then logically the converse is true as well, which is to say that those not predestined for salvation are predestined for condemnation. In this sense, all history has been and still is the process of the adjudication of sin and the justification of life.

The scripture tells us that God created man in His own image; His purpose wasn’t to create us for condemnation, but rather to create a “peculiar” people for Himself, to treasure and to be treasured by: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9

God’s desire for us is expressed in the great commandment given in the law and found in the book of Deuteronomy and identified as such by Jesus in Matthew’s gospel: Jesus said to him, " `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

We already saw that the condemnation was described by Jesus in similar terms: "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19

Given these legal points, the fullness of the transgressors isn’t referring to a time when the behavior of men has reached some point where God finally considers it intolerable; History has been full of times when the behavior of men has been deplorable and it would be difficult to say that one such time was better or worse than another.

However, there will be a time when the name of Jesus will be known throughout the world and that the gospel of the kingdom will have been preached throughout the world, and the world for the most part will have rejected it.

If we consider that the judgment of man is a predetermined thing, this might seem unjust if God didn’t provide the due process which we expect for justice to be genuine.

God has provided faithful witness through His word of His own nature, which is good (and defines good,) and of our nature which is evil and largely defined by our opposition to God. God has provided His Spirit to convict us, so that we may understand the charges. God has visited us in the person of His Son to provide atonement for sin, that we may be spared the consequence due us for sinful thoughts and actions, and transformed into a new creation, again after His own image. And God will again visit us in the person of His Son to enact judgment, once the testimony is complete and offered throughout the earth.

Given our own fallen nature and the idea of predestination, it might seem as though the process is set up against us. However the process of the adjudication of sin is not for God’s benefit, but for ours.

God would be just in His judgment whether He provided due process or not. One of the defining qualities of our existence is the ability to make choices and God truly demonstrates to us that He is Just by permitting us to make wrong choices and to see the consequences of them. There would be no point to the process at all if we were unable to understand His response to our actions.

At the same time, God demonstrates His love for us in allowing us to avoid the eternal consequences of even the most heinous of sins, if we would but turn to Him in repentance and receive the gift given to us in the person of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

Jesus shows us something of the meaning of the “fullness of the transgressors” when He addressed the religious leaders on the day before the Passover and His arrest: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, "and say, `If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.

"Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. "Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Matthew 23:29-36

These men knew the scriptures and recognized the truth about Jesus, yet still rejected Him. Jesus said, "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.”

They knew full well that Jesus was sent by God, performed the works of God, and made claim to the inheritance of the throne of David, yet they refused to receive or to honor Him and plotted to kill Him so that they might retain their own place and position.

And what does the author of the book of Hebrews tell us: Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:28-29

We saw in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus proclaimed about God’s judgment: “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:36. While Jesus spoke to a generation of rulers who would witness the destruction of the temple and the fall of Jerusalem, He spoke to more than just them.

As there is a “generation” of men who receive Him and are accounted as righteous for their faith, so there is a “generation” of those who reject Him and will receive the condemnation of hell: There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. Proverbs 30:11-14

Jesus spoke directly to those who remained under the covenant of law, but He also addressed those who would come after, under the covenant of peace, and knowing the truth still reject Him.

Jesus said that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin: "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; "but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation'' Mark 3:28-29.

The only way that a man may know the truth is by the working of the Spirit of Truth. So if a man knows the truth and rejects it, that is to say rejects God, there remains nothing left for him but condemnation.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

Now let’s consider what will be the sign of His coming when the testimony is completed. When addressing the concerns of some in the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul spoke of the return of the Lord and of the gathering of His church to Himself: Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

This “gathering together to Him” of His church is generally referred to as the rapture of the church, which Paul also described in 1Thessalonians while addressing concerns about those among the church who had died: For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Where Paul wrote that “the dead in Christ will rise first” prior to the “rapture” of the church, he is speaking of the first resurrection, identified as such in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ: And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5

The same book of the “Revelation” also tells us in chapter 6 that God’s witnesses ask Him when their blood will be avenged upon the earth: When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?'' And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 6:9-11. This last passage suggests that the testimony of the saints is completed and the execution of judgment is due after the death of the last martyrs.

In chapter 11 of the same book we find a description of the last martyrs, the two witnesses that God empowers to destroy all their enemies until their testimony is completed.

These two witnesses are beheaded and then resurrected after 3 and a half days, and then taken up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watch. This is the end of the testimony.

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

The following passage in the book of the Revelation has the 7th Angel declaring that the kingdoms of the earth have become the kingdoms of Christ. This Angel, called the 7th Angel, is one of the Angels which stand before God, and an Angel of the church.

While the order of the churches addressed may not reflect the numbering of the Angels, the last church identified in chapter 3 of the book of the Revelation is the church of Laodicea: "Because you say, `I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:17-20

The poor condition of this church, the lukewarm church, is the condition of Apostasy. We know this because we find the condition described in Deuteronomy when Moses describes the Apostasy of Israel: "When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. Deuteronomy 31:20

The song of Moses, found in the following chapter of Deuteronomy, addresses the same issue, the rejection of God born out of the deceitfulness of riches: "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are covered with fat; then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear. Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you. Deuteronomy 32:15-18

Now, the apostasy of the church is clearly a sign of the times preceding the return of our Lord, but what is the actual sign of his coming?

I think that this may be the most debatable question with regard to the scripture, but there are a few verses that speak to the question. When Jesus spoke about His return, He said, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:30-31

This statement by the Lord clearly describes the same event that Paul wrote about to the Thessalonians and was quoted earlier: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

It is this time, the gathering of the church to the Lord, which is also the time of the restoration of the nation of Israel: Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7

The Prophet Zechariah wrote about the same event: "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. "And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; "the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; "all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. Zechariah 12:10-14

michaelvpardo · Apr 12, 2022

The event of the return of Jesus Christ with His church will inspire repentance upon the whole nation of Israel and even upon the whole earth, upon the survivors of the plagues and terrors of the Great Tribulation, which will institute the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. So what did Jesus mean by the "sign of the son of man"?

Jesus performed many signs and wonders, but when He spoke to those who opposed Him, He mentioned only one sign, the sign of Jonah. Jesus referred to His own death and resurrection as the sign offered up to His enemies, but nothing in scripture tells us that He appeared to those enemies when He rose from the grave.

On the contrary, His only appearances where to His disciples, yet He said to His accusers: "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.'' Matthew 26:64

It would appear that the sign of the Son of Man that Jesus spoke of was the same sign that He promised to His enemies: The resurrected Lord will return, but with His body, the Church, for all to see. It's hard for me to imagine a greater or more awe inspiring wonder than the return of our Lord.

There is some confusion in doctrine about the timing of these events, some believing that Christ will return for His church prior to His return to judge the earth, but I believe this is born out of a misunderstanding of the nature of eternity. When we exit this world as believers we enter into the presence of God. Two thousand years could've passed on earth, but to us the time would be immediate, and for the same reasons, we could spend what seemed like a thousand years with God, and still return to this earth an instant after we left it.

We are bound by time, but God isn't, yet in some ways we shall be like Him, and while these things are beyond our power to understand, they are not beyond His power to accomplish.

I struggled to complete this study. I had it in mind to follow the pattern of an earlier study on the subject and to rewrite and add to it what I'd learned since my first understanding, but the Lord had something else in mind.

While I've looked forward to the return of Christ and the full establishment of His righteous kingdom, I would have to be heartless not to feel sorrow for the lives of so many children in the world that would face the times of tribulation and judgment that will come prior to His return and find their culmination with it.

I don't believe that there are any saints who don't have loved ones who remain unrepentant and unbelieving and this should also certainly grieve our hearts. The Lord had to bring me to a place where I can say, even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Abraham asked the rhetorical question "shall not the judge of the earth do right?" and He did what was right with respect to Sodom and Gomorrah and will do what is right with respect to all the earth.

We can't hasten the day of the Lord, nor can we delay it. God is sovereign over all creation and everything that happens is done with His foreknowledge and according to His will, regardless of the plans or actions of men. Yet, there is a season for all things, and blessed are those who recognize the seasons and make preparations for the times. Amen.

michaelvpardo · Apr 13, 2022

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22:12-13

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Seeing Jesus Christ: Part 6: The restoration of all things

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