As we come to the close of this series, the articles that are scheduled for the month of March are in many instances reposts of articles I have previously written. They have been edited and expanded for this platform and bear repeating. They are written to illustrate why I believe that a futurist interpretation of prophetic literature in the Bible is not only the correct position, but it is also apostolic and Wesleyan.
Now as we turn to our closing thoughts on the Kingdom Come series, there remain so many more things that could be said. While the warning of a strong delusion or deception is the primary warning for the church during this final time frame of history, there are some other warnings we ought to pay attention to as well:
Luke 21: 26 (there will be) people fainting (losing hope) with fear (fleeing and withdrawing) and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
I don’t think I need to cite for you the negative consequences of the Covid years upon the psyche and health habits of global populations. Beyond the massive increase in self-medication and suicide, people are indeed withdrawing both from life in general and especially from participation in church.
2 Thessaloninas 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him . . . 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion (apostasía - “away from” literally, "a leaving, from a previous standing.”) comes first.
These are all things the bible predicted in advance for this time frame, as well as growing hatred, division, sinfulness, and false information.
Matthew 24: 9 and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away (get tripped up, enticed by sin, fall into a trap) and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness (iniquity, disobedience, sin) will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Expect all of these things to increase and metastasize. But there is a bright side to this season. God is going to provide an unprecedented outpouring of his Holy Spirit in power upon his people who remain faithful during this great time of unrest.
As the great loyalty test of the mark of the beast plays out, and with it the intense pressure that will come upon global populations to make a decision (Joel 3:14), it is clear that many believers will get discouraged, grow weary and cave in to the pressure. But it is also clear that the same pressure will cause many to run away from evil and to Jesus Christ and the church in a coming great harvest of believers:
Revelation 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
What might be the catalyst for this great harvest? Keep in mind the lesson from Episode 9 of this series, the “already not yet” principle. There is a near and far aspect to the fulfillment of most Bible prophecy. Take for instance a prophecy from the book of Joel chapter 2. The context of the chapter is what is known as “the day of the Lord”, the time when God finally and permanently judges evil and rewards the righteous. Here is what is prophesied at the end of the chapter:
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
In the NEAR term this prophecy was fulfilled in Acts 2 with the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the newly formed church. But do you see the problem? The bible doesn’t record any wonders in the heavens or on the earth occurring with this event. No columns of smoke, no darkening of the sun or bleeding moon. And the context of the prophecy is immediately before the great and awesome “day of the Lord”, which can only be the return of Jesus Christ described in Revelation 19 among other places.
There remains yet a FAR term fulfillment of this prophecy preceding the return of Jesus Christ. The Acts 2 outpouring was only upon a few thousand Jews gathered from the nations of the Roman diaspora. To me, this clearly falls short of the “all flesh” referenced in v. 28. Furthermore, the heavenly signs mentioned in Joel are the exact same signs scripture predicts will happen at the return of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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.
There is coming an unprecedented outpouring of the Holy Spirit on “all flesh” which will result in amazing wonders on the earth coming through believers who are faithful and enduring being empowered in mighty ways. The two witnesses of Revelation 11 are only the ultimate example of what will be happening globally on the entire church to both wage war against satan’s movement and to bring in the great harvest:
Revelation 11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
Joel 2 makes it clear, that the trajectory of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is so that everyone who wants to be saved will be saved (v. 32). There will be multitudes from all nations, and there is absolutely nothing that satan can do to stop it.
The final message of Revelation is the maranatha cry:
Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
God is allowing everything to transpire so that the true people of God would become exasperated with the political schemes of man. God is going to allow the frustration to build until his church completely gives up on worldly politics in order to get in complete agreement with God the Holy Spirit, abandoning every other hope, which in the end is only a false idol. The Spirit knows, there is only one solution to the problems of this world facing humanity. It is the return of the God man Christ Jesus to take his rightful place as the ruler of the kings of the earth, as has been prophesied from of old:
Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel
The Spirit is simply waiting on the global church to awaken to this realization and join in the Spirit’s longing cry for God to send forth the blessed hope of the church. My hope at the end of this series is that you will agree with me in prayer for God’s agenda for his end-time church saying, “come Holy Spirit, and come Lord Jesus!” AMEN.
As a final bit of news signaling conditions being met for the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, preparations for the third temple have already been under way for some time. Find out about the progress being made here:
The Temple Institute
“The Temple Institute is dedicated to all aspects of the Divine commandment for Israel to build a house for G-d's presence, the Holy Temple, on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.”