A Study Of The Old Testament's Predictions Of The Coming Tribulation Period

Introduction:

    In today's post we are going to begin looking at one of the two major events which will follow the rapture of the church. Readers may consult my last two posts on the rapture of the church here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/introducing-christs-return-for-his.html and here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/the-major-bible-passages-on-rapture-of.html. 

Two major events that will follow the rapture of the church.

    The one event will involve the rewarding of Christians for how they lived their lives for Jesus while here on this earth. This event, called "The Judgment Seat of Christ" or "The Judgment Seat of God"  (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10) will occur in Heaven when all Christians, deceased and living, will be caught away by Jesus and given glorified, physically transofrmed bodies. The judgment seat of Christ will not be about whether someone has trusted in Christ as Savior (this of course is a pre-requisite in becoming a Christian). Rather, the issue at stake will be that of faithfulness to the Lord. This "Judgment of believers" or "Judgment Seat of Christ" will represent a heavenly theatre of God's activity following the rapture and will last the duration of the final seven years of world history.

    The second event, the Tribulation period, which we could refer to as an "earthly theatre", will feature God's Divine wrath poured out upon this world. This event will be contemporary with the rewarding of the saints spoken of in the above paragraph. Unlike the Judgment Seat of Christ, the focus of the Tribulation will not be the Church, since the Church will had been raptured prior to the Tribulation. Instead, Israel's preparation for her Messiah will be one of three foci (with the two other foci being Divine judgment of Evil and mass conversion of people to Christ from the nations) - see Zechariah 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; Revelation 7:9). 

    The Tribulation period is the focus of today's post. In particular, we want to understand how the Old Testament introduces and progressively reveals this important teaching of Bible prophecy. Author Tim Lahaye notes the following about the importance of gaining familiarity with the Tribulation period:

"In His masterful Olivet Discourse, our Lord warned that this world has yet to see a time of "great tribulation", such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21). And those who take the Bible literally find it signficant that the Tribulation period is given more space in Scripture than any other comparable event, There is more space allocated to the Tribulation than the 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom, heaven, hell, or any subject except salvation and the promise of Christ's second coming. It is mentioned at least 49 times by the Hebrew prophets and at least 15 times in the New Testament." (Tim Lahaye and Thomas Ice, Charting the End Times, page 56). 

    Even though I won't cover all 49 Old Testament texts on the tribulation period, what follows is a survey of nine of the more major passages to give us a sense of the Old Testament's progressive revelation on the subject. This is important to know, since Jesus and the Apostles refer often to the tribulation period in the New Testament. 

How the Old Testament progressively tells us of the future Tribulation period.

1. Deuteronomy 4:26-31 - The First Mention of the Tribulation Period.

   Note what Moses writes in Deuteronomy 4:30-31 

"When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them."

    The above text stands as perhaps the first mention in the Bible of a period of time that Jesus calls "the tribulation" (Mark 13:19). God lays out the prophetic history of Israel through the Old Testament and human history (4:26-28) with reference to her going through a time of great difficulty and deliverance by her Lord in 4:29-31. At this early stage in the Bible's revelation of this subject, Israel's whole history and the tribulation period are treated as one, seamless history.

2. Isaiah 13:6-18 - The day of the Lord is associated with the Tribulation

    The heart of this passage is expressed in Isaiah 13:9-11a 

"Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity." 

    Twice in this passage we find reference to what is called "the day of the Lord".  We are not told the duration of this "day" in the passage, only its character and purpose.  We often see the phrase "Day of the Lord" used in two respects. It can refer to a specific judgment of God, as in the case of God's use of the Babylonians in destroying the city of Jerusalem (see Lamentations 2:22-23). Such "Days of God"or "Days of the Lord" are spoken of throughout the Old Testament, and speak of God's temporal judgment on a nation. 

    The second sense we see usage of the term "Day of the Lord" has to do with what we call God's "eschatological wrath", that is, His wrath poured out upon the earth for the entire duration of the tribulation period or what will be the Great White Throne Judgment spoken of in Revelation 20.  

3. Isaiah 17:4-11 Israel will be prepared to meet her Lord

    Isaiah 17:7 notes "In that day man will have regard for his Maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel."

4. Jeremiah 30:4-11 The Tribulation is termed "The time of Jacob's distress or trouble"

    It is in this passage that we gain further evidence of God turning His attention back to Israel. During the Tribulation period God will prepare Israel to meet her Messiah through a process of chastening, purification, purging and protection. This is what we read in Jeremiah 30:7-9

‘Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it. 8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."

5. Ezekiel 20:33-38 The tribulation period will purify Israel to enter into the Lord's Kingdom

Ezekiel 20:38 states - 

"and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord." 

    Thus far in our study of the Tribulation period, we have discovered that the judgment of the earth will occur and that the preparation of Israel for her Messiah will be the specific focus. As we follow the theological breadcrumbs concerning the Tribulation period, we are getting a sense of its purpose in the plan of God. 

6. Daniel 9:26b-27 The duration and details of the Tribulation period

    When we turn to the prophet Daniel, we come upon Daniel 9:23-27, wherein we read of the so-called 'seventieth week of Daniel", yet another descriptor of the tribulation period. Daniel 9:26b-27 tells us the following about the Tribulation period:

"and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

    It is in this passage that we first gain access to the time frame of this period - seven years.  Daniel's prophecy also unfolds another chronological feature: that this seven year period will be at the end of a 490 year period of time prescribed for Israel by God with regards to His program for her (hence the term "Daniel's seventieth week").  The final "seven" in the prophecy will be divided into two parts of 3 1/2 years each, featuring a tyrannical ruler called "the prince", who especially in the latter half of this period will unmask his true intentions.

7. Daniel 12 reveals details about the latter 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, called "The Great Tribulation"

    We appeal again to Daniel's prophecy, this time in Daniel 12:1 

“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." 

    Jesus refers to this text in His final public sermon - the Olivet Discourse - in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14. We can note the importance of Daniel 12 by what Jesus says about it in Mark 13:14 

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains."

    In so far as Jesus makes predictions of what was then the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., yet the international and global scale of the scene in Daniel 12:1 tells us that Jesus is using the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D as a template for understanding what will take place in the tribulation period. As you read on down through Daniel 12, you discover the specific time frame of this vision to occur in the future and in the same latter 3 1/2 year period that Daniel spoke of in Daniel 9:23-27.  Daniel's prophecies in 9:23-27 and chapter 12 form the foundation of Jesus' teachings on the tribulation period in His Olivet discourses of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. 

8. Amos 5:18-20 reveals the character and fearsome time that will be the Tribulation period.

    Amos'prophecy about the Tribulation period uses the phrase "Day of the Lord" to define this period. In one of the most descriptive passages, Amos gives us a taste of what this future period will be like:

"Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light; 19 As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him,
Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?"

9. Zechariah 14:1-4 The end of the Tribulation period witnesses the return of the Messiah to the earth. 

Zechariah 14:4 reads - "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south."

    This final look at the teaching of the tribulation period in the Old Testament reveals that this future era will close with Jesus coming back to earth to rescue the Jews from the Anti-Christ and warring nations. 

Conclusions

    In this fly-over of the Bible's teaching of the Tribulation period, we have attempted to look at the major Old Testament Prophecies that speak specifically about it. We have concluded the following:

1. It will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. Being that the Old Testament predicts its uniqueness, the likelihood of it referring to a general pattern of tribulation that covers the church age or some other broad period of history is pretty slim.

2. The Tribulation period's primary purposes include judging the world and preparing Israel to meet her Messiah

3. The Tribulation period's duration will be seven years. The first half is hardly mentioned, with the overwhelming focus on the events of the latter 3 1/2 years that Jesus calls later on "The Great Tribulation" in light of Daniel's prophecies.

4. A Tyrannical ruler, called "Anti-Christ", will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God. 

5. Christ's rapture of the church will precede this event. His return to earth to rescue Israel will close out this period of time. The rapture and His second coming constitute part one and part two of His overall return, with the tribulation nested in between both. 

    

P1 - The Judgment Seat of Christ - When It Will Take Place

Romans 14:10-12 "But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God. 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God."

Introduction

Anytime one watches an event like the Olympics, one of the most dramatic moments comes in the medal  ceremony. Not only are gold, silver or bronze medallions placed around the necks of the athletes, but what follows adds to the ceremony: namely, the raising of the flags represented by each participant receiving such rewards. Even though the athlete competed, trained and won the given event, yet it is the particular country that is made prominent. To compete for one's country justifies the years of hard training to perform for those few moments. 

How often do we read of the Christian life as mimicking an athletic competition? 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 states for example:

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable."

In Romans 14:10-12, Paul makes mention of standing before the "judgment seat of God". This phrase derives from the world of the courtroom, of the orator speaking from a raised platform or of ancient games such as the Olympics in Athens or Isthmian Games in Corinth. The word behind this phrase is that of "Bema Seat". The "bema-seat" or "judgment-seat of God" (or Christ) is to be the set-aside time when all Christians will stand before Christ. This time of examination, of reward, is distinguished from the Great White Throne judgment that we read about in passages such as Revelation 20. 

What occupies the interest of today's post is why the judgment seat of Christ (as it is so named in 2 Corinthians 5:10) is so important to believers. Why should I care about an event that is in the future, in heaven? Why should the judgment seat of Christ make a difference if one's salvation in Christ is not going to be in question in that time? Below we will explore, in brief, the answers to such questions as we explore the Christian's future reward ceremony.

When will the judgment seat of Christ take place?

Romans 14:10-12 is an island of eternity situated in a sea of time. Romans 14 is chiefly concerned with godly decision-making and how one lives their life for the Lord. The pressing matter of Romans 14:10-12 concern the Lord's overall evaluation of how each believer has lived their life. 

It is popularly held by many Christians that such a rewards ceremony - or time of evaluation - occurs postmortem. The Bible doesn't support such an opinion. For those dying in Jesus at this current time, the immaterial self or soul (with spirit) is separated from the body. Whenever we read texts such as 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, which speak on the judgment seat of Christ, we find Christians receiving their rewards as embodied persons. 

There is only one event in the New Testament that has the immaterial self, severed at death from the body, being reunited with that same-said body in glory and immortality. That said event is none-other than the "catching away of the church" or what is also called "the rapture of the church" (the term "rapture" derives from the Latin "rapio" meaning "to snatch"). Passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 explain this event of the rapture:

"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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."

In an undisclosed time, the Lord Jesus Christ will return in the clouds of heaven to perform the mass miracle of resurrecting dead Christians and translating the physical bodies of living believers. Consequently, both the "dead in Christ" and "those remaining and alive" will have glorified resurrected bodies in union with their perfected immaterial selves. Other texts such as 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 give us the setting for the Judgement Seat of Christ. This collection of texts point to the timing of the "Bema Seat" or "judgment seat of Christ" as none other than following the rapture of the church. 

We know for sure this is the case due to seeing a completely prepared church (i.e a prepared bride) returning with Jesus Christ at the end of the future seven year Tribulation period in Revelation 19:7-8. John records in his vision of Revelation 19:7-8 the following words - 

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

The particular passage just quoted provides the end point that marks the completion of the "bema-seat" of Christ spoken of by the Apostle Paul. Hence, while Christians are standing before Christ's throne in Heaven for reception of rewards and evaluation of their lives lived out in this present age, the justice of God will roll out upon the inhabitants of this planet that remain under the tyranny of Anti-Christ (see Revelation chapters 6-18).   

The subject of the Christian's future rewards is unfortunately rarely heard in today's pulpits. The immediate profit gained from the subject of future Christian rewards is the way such a topic gets people to thinking about eternity. How one lives in the here and now does matter. W.A. Criswell, the great Baptist preacher of yesteryear, preached once on the subject of the judgment seat of Christ and the Christian's future rewards. He made the following comments in a sermon:

"And as I walk to the throne of grace, and the Lord looks in the Book and He reads the Book of Life and my name, and He reads the book of the works, and He sees what I’ve done, may the Lord have cause to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant [Matthew 25:14-30]; pastored that church down there; preached My gospel to those people down there; tried to comfort their hearts down there; tried to be an exponent of the message of Jesus down there.  Welcome, welcome, thou blessed of My Father.  Well done thou good and faithful servant.  Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Criswell later remarks:

"That’s the way to do.  That’s the way to build.  That’s the way to live.  Now, I’m not preaching to you.  I’m preaching to me. O God, help me to be a better Christian.  Lord, help my tongue to say blessed things, good things, helpful things, encouraging things.  Help my tongue to name the name of Jesus.  Help me toward my family and toward the circle of my home, and help me among the people with whom I work."

That is what makes a study on the judgment seat of Christ so invaluable to the Christian life. Each Christ-follower is caused to examine how they ought to live for their Lord today, since how they lived for their Lord will be examined in that day each stands before their Lord to give an account. In our next post, we will explore this topic further by answering the question: "what kind of rewards will believers receive at the judgment seat of Christ?"

More in the next post....

Spiritual Boldness - A Character Study on the Prophet Nathan

2 Samuel 7:1-3 "Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of Goddwells within tent curtains.” 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

Introduction: The prophetic office in the Old Testament

According to Dr. Gleason Archer in his book: "A Survey of the Old Testament Introduction", three main words are used to define a prophet in the Bible. The first term of course is the Hebrew word (Na-bi) translated "prophet", meaning a bearer of God's news, one who announces, summons or calls God's people to follow after God. The second term mentioned by Archer is the phrase "man of God". If the purpose of the prophet's office is defined by the title "prophet", then the one occupying the office itself is indeed a "man of God" or one who is devoted to God and personal fellowship with Him. The third term typically used to describe the prophetic office is that of "Seer". This term refers to the activity of the prophet. 

Prophets do not see things like most people see. A good example that comes to my mind is 2 Kings 6, where the prophet Elisha "saw" the armies of angels protecting he and his servant who could only see what was before him. According to Bible scholar Harold Wilmington, there are roughly 40 prophets, both writing prophets and non-writing prophets. 

The prophet Nathan - a spiritually bold prophet
As we just observed, there are roughly 40 prophets mentioned in the Bible. One of those prophets, Nathan, is used of God to bring forth the prophetic Word to two of Israel's greatest kings: David and Solomon. Nathan's name literally means: "He gives". Without a doubt, Nathan demonstrates courage and boldness in specific moments where such things were in short supply. Nathan was also priveleged by God to be the mouthpiece to deliver one of the the most important prophecies in all of the Bible - the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16). When we look at Nathan's career and ministry, we find 2 main episodes in 2 Samuel (parallel accounts are also found in 1 Chronicles) and one main episode in 1 Kings:

1. Nathan's prophecy of the humanity of the ultimate King, the Lord Jesus Christ, coming through David's bloodline (i.e The Davidic Covenant). 
2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15

2. Nathan's confrontation of David over his sin with Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 12:1-25; Psalm 51

3. Nathan, along with other court officials, boldy anointed Solomon as King in opposition to a well publicized attempt by a rival brother of Solomon, Adonijah, to ascend to Israel's throne. 
1 Kings 1:1-45. 

There are some valuable lessons to learn about spiritual boldness from these three episodes of Nathan's life. Let's briefly list them...

1. Boldness to hear God. 2 Samuel 7:1-17
When David told Nathan of his desire to build a temple for Yahweh, Nathan responded with the natural assumption that it would be no problem for the King to pursue such a project. However, God later told Nathan that it would not be David, but his son who would build the temple. Moreover, God had greater plans for David that included the bringing about of the humanity of the ultimate King. 

Imagine what it must had been like the next time Nathan saw the king. The day before he told the king it was o.k to build the temple. Now he was going to tell David that God said "no", and that God had a far greater plan. We know of course David's response of praise from hearing Nathan's prophecy (2 Samuel 7:18-29). 

Nathan had the Holy Spirit-given boldness to hear God and speak for God. When we see his boldness, we need to remember that it is God we must aim to bring pleasure, not men (1 Thessalonians 2:4). Nathan was willing to forego the fear of the moment for what God in faith was showing him concerning the Divine destiny of the King. Thus we see the first lesson in being bold for God, namely the spiritual boldness to hear God. But now let us notice a second lesson about spiritual boldness from Nathan the prophet....

2. Boldness to hate sin. 2 Samuel 12
Imagine if you will being not only the King's prophet, but one of his closest friends. Word has reached your ears concerning God's planned judgment on the King. As you begin to understand what took place, it is discovered that King David has been emeshed in a conspiracy that entailed murder and forced impropriety on the wife of the man he had murdered! If you were Nathan, how would you respond? In 2 Samuel 12:1-7, we see Nathan tell a parable to King David, with David's response: "Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said,
“There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 “But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children.
It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man,
And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him;
Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 6 He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.” 

As you see the tension mounting, the ring of inevitability is about to strike. The hammer will soon fall on David's heart. Nathan's terse response to David is one of the most penetrating sentences in all of sacred scripture, notice 2 Samuel 12:7 "Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul." 

The Prophet risked his life to deliver God's stinging indictment to King David. It took spiritual boldness to deliver God's Word. Hatred of sin is necessary if we expect to be spiritually bold for God and boldness to hear God is a requirement. Jude 1:20-23 states - But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear,hating even the garment polluted by the flesh." In spiritual matters, only when we know what we love more than anything will equip us to despise and put away from ourselves those things that get between ourselves and the object of our affections. Now let's consider one more trait of spiritual boldness from Nathan's life...


3. Boldness to full obey. 1 Kings 1
We have learned from Nathan the need to boldly hear God and hate sin in the quest for spiritual boldness. But what about full obedience? In 1 Kings 1, the proverbial sun is sinking into the horizon of David's reign. For over 30 years the prophet Nathan had stuck by his master's side. We saw him near thebeginning of David's reign in Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 7 - boldly hearing God. Then somewhere approaching the middle of David's reign, perhaps near the zenith of his power, we see Nathan boldly hate sin and confront his erring King. 

However in this final scene, we find the same King David on his bed of affliction. The throne of Jerusalem was in the cross-hairs of David's overly-ambitious son - Adonijah. David's other son - Solomon, was to be the rightful heir. Adonijah had presumed upon the moment and set up a public coronation of himself. The sound of crowds gathering could be heard. Nathan and a few of David's closest family and friends were in a dangerous position. 

To oppose Adonijah's meteoric rise to power would mean possible death. However, Nathan recalls God's Word to David that he spoke to Solomon as recorded in 1 Chronicles 22:6-12. In that passage, David promised Solomon that he would be his heir. Nathan took that to be the Word of the Lord and thus he knew he had to heed the Word and fulfill his responsibilities, along with the remainder of David's court. As you read on down through 1 Kings 1, Nathan and the rest of David's court hasten to put together a public coronation of Solomon, with shouts of "Long Live the King". The ceremony is accompanied by a Divine quaking, causing the rival Adonijah to quake in fear.  

What would you and I had done? Is full obedience to God only popular when it seems to benefit our cause. What happens when circumstances are less than ideal and the prospect of failure, ridicule or even death looms overhead? Then what? Will following through in obedience to God be so eagerly embraced? Nathan finished well. He saw Israel's next - true king - crowned. What a life of spiritual boldness! To hear God, hate sin and fully obey! Would it be that each of us, dear readers, be a spiritually bold generation for God.

An outline and brief exposition of the book of Isaiah

Isaiah 6:1 "In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple."

Introduction:

Yesterday we considered Isaiah 1:1. Today's post aims to dig further into the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah has been called by preachers and teachers the "Prince of the Prophets". Among the writing prophets, other than Moses, no other prophet enjoys the influence that Isaiah has on the minds and thoughts of the New Testament authors. Jesus Himself read from Isaiah 61 at the beginning of His public ministry and fulfilled Isaiah 53 to the letter in his crucifixion. Following Jesus' resurrection and ascension, the sending of the Holy Spirit is in some fashion connected to the prophecies of the pending Messianic age in Isaiah 12. Today's post is aimed at presenting to the reader a working outline of Isaiah that can be used in teaching or preaching situations. 

1. Chapters 1-5 First set of oracles against Judah

2. Chapters 6-12 Judgment upon Ephraim and the first glimpses of Christ reign here on earth 

To pause here for just a moment, the outline of Isaiah reveals what will be an ever increasing focus of God from Judah and its surrounding regions to ultimately the nations of the world. Isaiah's prophecy is international in its scope. Here is a map for the reader's reference:

3. Chapters 13-23 God's judgment on the nations and glimpses of hope for Israel

4. Chapters 24-35 Glimpses of Christ's earthly kingdom to show Judah how she will be restored

As one reads on in Isaiah, the pattern of judgment/hope/kingdom is repeated. God will pronounce judgment either on His people or a particular set of nations, and then end that given section with a glimpse of Christ's millennial kingdom. This at least characterizes the pattern in Isaiah 1-35. The threat of the Assyrian Kingdom destroying Jerusalem was very near and real, since in Isaiah's day (722 b.c) Assyria had taken the Northern Kingdom of Israel, particularly Samaria, into exile. God used Isaiah to first chide Judah for her sinfulness and then give her the hope of being restored in Him. The fact that Isaiah 24-35 is bookended with views of Christ's earthly reign and ultimate Kingdom reminds us that all the kingdoms of this world will bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ (compare Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 11:15; 19:1-21)

5. Chapters 36-39 God uses King Hezekiah as the tool for revival in Jerusalem

It is at this point that the first part of Isaiah, dedicated mostly to pronouncing judgment, switches to the second great theme - comfort. Isaiah 40:1 starts out - "Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God." 

6. Chapters 40-53 Yahweh is Judah's Sovereign God and Savior

7. Chapters 54-66 Judah is given the hope of restoration through a glimpse of the Messiah and His earthly reign

These final two sections of Isaiah's prophecy deliver home the theme of comfort or hope. Is it no wonder why Isaiah is among the top prophets referenced in the New Testament? For years scholars have noted how often Isaiah is quoted for instance in the four Gospels:

Matthew 3:3 quotes Isaiah 40:3

Matt 8:17 quotes Isaiah 53:4

Matt 12:17 quotes Isaiah 42:1

Matt 13:14 quotes Isaiah 6:9,10

Matt 15:7 quotes Isaiah 29:13

Mark 1:2 quotes Isaiah 40:3

Mark 7:6 quotes Isaiah 29:13

Luke 3:4 quotes Isaiah 40:3-5

Luke 4:17 quotes Isaiah 61:1,2

John 1:23 quotes Isaiah 40:3

John 12:38 quotes Isaiah 53:1

John 12:39 quotes Isaiah 6:9,10

John 12:41 quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 & 53:1

Conclusion:

Today's post was all about delivering a basic outline of the Book of Isaiah with some brief exposition. It is hoped this proved encouraging and can be used by others to proclaim God's Word. To God be the glory!

The value of the opening verse of Isaiah 1:1

Isaiah 1:1  "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah."

Introduction:

Today's post is a quick overview of the opening verse of the book of Isaiah. It is amazing what you can learn of a Bible book by just considering the first verse. 

1. The nature of Isaiah's ministry as a prophet

When you read the above verse, what is it that is being communicated about the prophecy of Isaiah? Isaiah was going to write out what he saw by way of vision from God. As a prophet, he was able to see things from God's point of view. The idea of "vision" literally refers to someone given the God-given ability to see things supernaturally. Throughout scripture, though not everyone who saw a vision per se was a prophet in the strictest sense, yet the prophetic office included the idea of seeing, hearing and experiencing God's Word first-hand. The prophet was charged with communicating God's will to the people (see Amos 3:7). The older title for prophet, "Seer", expressed the perspective of the prophet as being one who could look at things the way God did (see Numbers 12:6; 1 Samuel 9:9)

2. Isaiah's audience

The audience to which Isaiah wrote were the Jews occupying Judah and Jerusalem. During the time of Isaiah's ministry, the land of Israel was divided into "two kingdoms", namely "Israel" to the North and "Judah" to the South. Roughly 250 years prior to Isaiah's time and during the end of King Solomon's reign, Solomon's heir Rehoboam had not heeded God's voice and as a result, ten of the twelve tribes of Israel followed after his then army general Jeroboam, with the two remaining tribes - Benjamin and Judah - staying in and around the city of Judah. Throughout the remainder of time, Judah to the South came to be the object of God's loving covenant purposes. Though Israel to the North was given promises of restoration with Judah in the future (Ezekiel 47), Judah to the South would have the favor of God as being the redemptive cradle of Jesus' humanity (Genesis 49:10; Matthew 1:1-17). For convenience sake I have included a map to illustrate the particular geographical locations just discussed (from biblecity.org).

3. Isaiah's time and circumstance - seeing everything go from prosperity to ruin

Isaiah loved his people and within his long, four-decade plus ministry (740-698b.c), saw his nation go from near the height of its glory under Uzziah 783-742b.c) and Jotham (742-735b.c) to near destruction under Ahaz (735-715b.c) to revival and compromise under Hezekiah (715-687). Adam Clarke's commentary relays the situation in which Isaiah wrote. Though the quote is long, it is worth the time to read. If the reader is pressed for time, the quote can be skipped and the conclusion of today's post will then be given. Here is the quote: "The kingdom of Judah seems to have been in a more flourishing condition during the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham, than at any other time after the revolt of the ten tribes. The former recovered the port of Elath on the Red Sea, which the Edomites had taken in the reign of Joram. He was successful in his wars with the Philistines, and took from them several cities, Gath, Jabneh, Ashdod; as likewise against some people of Arabia Deserta, and against the Ammonites, whom he compelled to pay him tribute. He repaired and improved the fortifications of Jerusalem; and had a great army, well appointed and disciplined. He was no less attentive to the arts of peace; and very much encouraged agriculture, and the breeding of cattle. 

Jotham maintained the establishments and improvements made by his father; added to what Uzziah had done in strengthening the frontier places; conquered the Ammonites, who had revolted, and exacted from them a more stated and probably a larger tribute. However, at the latter end of his time, the league between Pekah, king of Israel, and Retsin, king of Syria, was formed against Judah; and they began to carry their designs into execution.

But in the reign of Ahaz his son not only all these advantages were lost, but the kingdom of Judah was brought to the brink of destruction. Pekah king of Israel overthrew the army of Ahaz, who lost in battle one hundred and twenty thousand men; and the Israelites carried away captives two hundred thousand women and children, who however were released and sent home again upon the remonstrance of the prophet Oded. After this, as it should seem, (see Vitrinpa on Isaiah 7:2;), the two kings of Israel and Syria, joining their forces, laid siege to Jerusalem; but in this attempt they failed of success. 

In this distress Ahaz called in the assistance of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, who invaded the kingdoms of Israel and Syria, and slew Rezin; but he was more in danger than ever from his too powerful ally; to purchase whose forbearance, as he had before bought his assistance, he was forced to strip himself and his people of all the wealth he could possibly raise from his own treasury, from the temple, and from the country. About the time of the siege of Jerusalem the Syrians took Elath, which was never after recovered. 

The Edomites likewise, taking advantage of the distress of Ahaz, ravaged Judea, and carried away many captives. The Philistines recovered what they had before lost; and took many places in Judea, and maintained themselves there. Idolatry was established by the command of the king in Jerusalem, and throughout Judea; and the service of the temple was either intermitted, or converted into an idolatrous worship.

Hezekiah, his son, on his accession to the throne, immediately set about the restoration of the legal worship of God, both in Jerusalem and through Judea. He cleansed and repaired the temple, and held a solemn passover. He improved the city, repaired the fortification, erected magazines of all sorts, and built a new aqueduct. In the fourth year of his reign Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, invaded the kingdom of Israel, took Samaria, and carried away the Israelites into captivity, and replaced them by different people sent from his own country; and this was the final destruction of that kingdom, in the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah."

Closing thoughts
The point of today's post was to unpack the opening verse of the Book of Isaiah to gain insight into the prophecy. The hope was that the reader could see what an opening verse of scripture contains and how one verse can give insight into what a particular Biblical author is going to write under Divine inspiration. As a matter of practical application, to know that Isaiah's day and age mirrors our own encourages us to seek God's will as we read, meditate and apply Bible books like Isaiah to our lives. 

Prophets in the New Testament

Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John."

Introduction:
We have spent that last several days trying to understand the value of studying the prophets in the Bible. In our study thus far we have defined what they are, listed some examples and looked at what the New Testament had to say about the Old Testament prophets. The four main purposes of the prophetic ministry in the Old Testament was discovered to be:
1. The prophets shed light on our salvation

2. They point to Jesus Christ

3. They predict the future

4. They unfold God's will

Today we consider prophets in the New Testament. Are they the same? Who are they? Do they function in the same manner as the Old Testament prophets? Let's go and discover the answers.

Transitional prophets from Old to New Testament
Between Malachi and Matthew lied 400 years period of time with no prophecy, with no prophets and no inspired books being written. According to Harold Wilmington in his book: "The Complete Book of Bible Lists", four people represent the end of the Old Testament line of prophets and thus set the stage for the New Testament prophetic ministry:

1. Zacharias. Luke 1:67-69
2. Simeon. Luke 2:25-25
3. John the Baptist. Matt 11:9; Luke 1:57-80
4. Anna. Luke 2:36-38

In quickly meditating on these four figures in regards to the four marks of the prophetic office in the Old Testament, all four were used of God to shed light on our salvation, point to Christ, predict the future and unfold God's will. In reading the key texts for each figure, some tend to emphasize one or two of the traits more so than other traits, thus fitting with the purpose of God's calling on their lives. These observations demonstrate that at least from an Old Testament into New Testament perspective, the prophetic office did not vary. Moreover, the line of unity and continuity in the message, purpose and function of the prophetic office did not waver from Old into New Testament. The only thing we can say in terms of distinction would be that New Testament prophets saw the same Jesus from a fulfilled perspective. Jesus Himself clarifies for us these observations in Matthew 11:13 and 23:37. 

Are the New Testament Prophets the same in function as the Old Testament prophets
It would seem that if there is direct continuity between the prophets stretching from the days of Abel to John, then their must be similar continuity with full-blown New Testament prophets. When I say full-blown New Testament prophets, I am referring to those people who prophesied in the early church following the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. 

1. Agabus. Acts 11:28; 21:10
2. Philipp's four daughters. Acts 21:8-9

As well as the prediction of prophets speaking forth in the tribulation period leading up to the days of Christ's second coming in Revelation 11:3-12. 

As I said a moment ago, quick reflection on the distinctions between Old and New Testament prophets show that New Testament prophets operate from a fulfilled perspective versus the perspective of anticipation of their Old Testament counterparts. If we consider the four main functions of the prophetic office as defined above (shed light on Jesus; our salvation, unfolding God's will and predicting the future), we can say for certain that Agabus and the Tribulation prophets function in all four areas, with Agabus' ministry chiefly concerned with predicting the future and unfolding God's will, whereas the tribulation martyrs will emphasize the need to repent. We don't have enough information regarding Philip's four daughters to make any substantial comment. If the other prophetic figures can be used as a baseline for interpretation, then the four daughters of Phillip would had functioned to provide a supporting role in the early church. 

Closing thoughts
So when we consider prophets in the New Testament, there is a line of continuity running from Old to New Testament. A shifting of priority occurred due to the perspective each type of prophet had in viewing Christ's work. The prayer is that these last few posts have whetted the appetite to know Jesus and His word better with respect to the prophetic office. 

What the New Testament says about the Old Testament Prophets

Matt 13:17 "For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

Introduction:

In yesterday's post we considered the following reasons why studying the prophets of the Bible is valuable: 

1. The prophets shed light on our salvation

2. They point to Jesus Christ

3. They predict the future

4. They unfold God's will

These four main observations were gleaned from 1 Peter 1:10-12. I felt since we were able to understand practical reasons for studying the Old Testament Prophets from one New Testament passage (1 Peter 1:10-12), it might be beneficial to consider what other New Testament passages teach us about the importance of studying the prophets of the Bible. 

The main meanings of the word prophet and identifying the prophets themselves

According to Dr. Gleason Archer in his book: "A Survey of the Old Testament Introduction", three main words are used to define a prophet in the Bible. The first term of course is the Hebrew word translated "prophet", meaning a bearer of God's news, one who announces, summons or calls God's people to follow after God. The second term mentioned by Archer is the phrase "man of God". If the purpose of the prophet's office is defined by the title "prophet", then the one occupying the office itself is indeed a "man of God" or one who is devoted to God and personal fellowship with Him. The third term typically used to describe the prophetic office is that of "Seer". This term refers to the activity of the prophet. Prophets do not see things like most people see. A good example that comes to my mind is 2 Kings 6, where the prophet Elisha "saw" the armies of angels protecting he and his servant who could only see what was before him. According to Bible scholar Harold Wilmington, there are roughly 40 prophets, both writing prophets and non-writing prophets. We won't name them, but a few remind us of just how significant a study of the prophets can be in understanding the Bible (people such as Moses, Samuel, Daniel, David, Isaiah, Malachi). 

What the New Testament says about the Old Testament Prophets

In taking the time to better understand what a prophet did, we can now consider some of the key New Testament texts that shed further light on this very important subject. I will simply list out the key verses with no exposition so that readers can use them for their own personal study.

1. Matthew 13:17 "For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."


2. Luke 10:24 "for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”


3. Luke 24:25-27, 44 "And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”


4. Acts 3:22-24 "Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. 23 And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days."

5. Acts 7:52 "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become"


6. Acts 10:43 "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

7. Acts 13:27-29 "For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers,recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

8. Acts 28:23 "When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening."

9. 1 Peter 1:10-12 "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

10. 2 Peter 1:19-21 "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

11. Jude 1:14-15 "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

The value of studying the prophets in the Bible

1 Peter 1:10-12 "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look."

Introduction:

As Peter wrote his first letter, the Holy Spirit reminded him to reflect on those Old Testament counter-parts that set the stage for what would be the coming of Jesus Christ and the New Testament era - namely the prophets. Over the past couple of weeks I have been think upon the prophets and the prophetic ministry in mainly the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. Each part of our Bible is extremely important in developing Christian faith and better acquaintence with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law points to Christ, the historical books prepare for Christ and the poetic books ponder on Christ. The Gospels portray Christ, Acts preaches Christ, the Epistles explain Christ and Revelation places Christ right before our eyes. 

But now what have I missed? Ah yes, the prophets. The prophets are immensely important, since they comprise more of the Old Testament than any of the other sections. Moreover, there are more prophetic books than any other type of literature in the Bible, save the letter or New Testament Epistles. Amazingly, the prophetic books seem at times to wear all of the hats of the other sections. The Apostle Peter gives us an authoritative word on the value of studying the prophets and their writings in the Bible. In brief, I want us to look at 1 Peter 1:10-12 and discover the value of studying the prophets.

1. The prophets shed light on salvation. 

That as to say, Peter places the purpose of the prophetic office as expounding upon and urging human beings to believe, repent and be saved. As Peter writes: "concerning this salvation". (1 Peter 1:10)

2. The prophets predict future events

Peter goes on in 1 Peter 1:10b "the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries." This particular function of the prophetic office is what most think of when defining the prophet. Undoubtedly there is a large part of the prophetic books that predict future events. Among the traits pointing to the Bible Divine revelation, none perhaps demonstrates more its character as Divine revelation than predicted fulfilled prophecy. Furthermore, to read the prophecies of the Bible serves to warn, clarify and most important of all, comfort the saints of God. (see for instance 1 Thessalonians 4:18)

3. The prophets point us to Jesus

Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:11 "seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow." The same Holy Spirit Who indwells every Christian today and Who inspired the scriptures was at work in the prophets. Not only was He working in the writing prophets of Moses, Samuel, David and Isaiah to Malachi, but also in other lesser known prophets such as Enoch and Nathan. The prophets wrote or verbalized about arks, tabernacles, priesthoods, sacrifices, nations, kings, physical objects and did miracles all for the sake of picturing or predicting something about Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself stated in Luke 24:44 that the Law and the Prophets spoke concerning Him. Peter, Paul and the other New Testament authors quote or allude to the prophetic books on numerous occassions in demonstrating and further unfolding the wonder of Jesus. So the value of studying the prophetic books is to shed light on salvation, future events and Jesus Christ. Now lets consider one final reason...

4. Prophets unfold God's will for our lives

1 Peter 1:12 states - "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look." Prophets served the people by bringing to them God's will and revelation. Amazingly, Peter brings home the main life-application of this text by plainly stating that the prophets were not serving themselves - but you. How? They announced. They unfolded, explained and made known the will of God for God's people in all ages at all times. Amos 3:7 reminds us that God does not make known His will save through the prophets. Hence this is why we need to become more acquuainted with the prophets, being that we can gain a better understanding of how God would have us to live our lives for Him today. 

Conclusion

Today we considered four reasons why it is valuable to study the prophets in the Bible: 

1. They shed light on salvation

2. They predict future events

3. They point to Jesus Christ

4. They unfold God's will for our lives

P10 Why the Bible? Proof of inspiration - Dr. John MacArthur illustrates how accurate the Bible is in its prophecy

Ezekiel 26:1-6 "Now in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste,’ 3 therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord God, ‘and she will become spoil for the nations. 6 Also her daughters who are on the mainland will be slain by the sword, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Introduction

Today's post features an extended explanation on God's prophecy of Tyre through the prophet Ezekiel. Why this prophecy? It gives the reader an opportunity to see firsthand how amazingly accurate the Bible is in historically verified fulfilled prophecy. To see prophecy fulfilled in history demonstrates the Divine inspiration of the scriptures. 

It wasn't long ago I heard a sermon by Bible teacher Dr. John MacArthur on the prophecy of Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28. His unfolding of it was so well done that I felt like what he said needed to be included in today's post. The excerpts quoted below is from a transcript of his sermon that can be found on his website "Grace to you" at: http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/55-17/our-godbreathed-bible. The audio of this sermon by Dr. MacArthur can be heard at this link, also on his website at gty.org: http://webmedia.gty.org/sermons/High/55-17.mp3 

I encourage the reader to read the excerpt below and to see how accurate the Bible is in the things of prophecy and why it evidences the earmarks of Divine inspiration. 

Excerpt from Dr. John MacArthur's sermon: "Our God-Breathed Bible", where he describes the amazing prophecy of Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28
"The Bible is accurate on everything it talks about. It says, “He hangeth the earth on nothing.” Whether you’re talking about geology, geodesy meteorology, physiology, biology, anthropology, astronomy, hydrology – I don’t care what you’re talking about, when the Bible speaks, it’s accurate.

Then you look at things in the Bible like prophecy. For example, maybe we have time to show you at least one. Look at Ezekiel, chapter 28, and I’ll just give you this one insight, which is so great, to show you the accuracy of Scripture historically. Ezekiel 26-28. We’ll go back to 26. Here comes a prophecy to Ezekiel about the destruction of the city of Tyre. Tyre was a Phoenician stronghold. Tyre was a fairly significant city, large city, on the coast of Phoenicia, now known as Palestine. The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel in verse 2 of chapter 26 telling about the destruction of the place."

Dr. MacArthur then reads Ezekiel 26:2-14 in the sermon to set the text before the audience, and then delivers the following explanation:

"Now, that’s pretty detailed stuff, folks. I mean that is not some kind of general prophecy, very specific. This is a great Phoenician city. From the seventh century B.C., it controlled Phoenicia. It had strong walls. About 150 feet high was the wall. That’s very high. Fifteen feet thick, and it was flourishing when Joshua led Israel into Canaan. Hiram the first was its king. He helped David build the palace, and according to 1 Chronicles 22, he helped Solomon build the temple.

Three years after this prophecy was given, Nebuchadnezzar came and laid a 13-year siege on that city. See, they were walled cities, so all you had to do was if you couldn’t get in the city, you just cut off anything coming into the city, and they eventually starved. It took him 13 years from 585 to 573. Finally, the city surrendered because they were all dying. Nebuchadnezzar broke down the walls and the towers, destroyed the city, did every single thing Ezekiel said he would do. 

Dr. MacArthur goes on to make further remarks about Nebuchadnezzar's historic conquering of the city, but in effect the events transpired just as Ezekiel had predicted. MacArthur then transitions into talking about how the Greeks would be used by God to complete the process of fulfillment of this prophecy:

"The island then became the new city and it flourished for 250 years out on that island. Only part of the prophecy was fulfilled, the part about Nebuchadnezzar, the part about destroying the wall, smashing it down, slaughtering the people, not getting the spoil. But not all of it was yet complete. The ruins were still on the old site. The rubble was still there.

After 250 years, a 24-year-old guy came by the name of Alexander the Great. He had 33,000 infantrymen. He had 15,000 cavalry. He had just defeated the Persians, and he was on his way to Egypt. He needed supplies, so he came by the now island city of Tyre, and he sent word, “I want you to supply all of my men and all of my horses and all of my army,” and they said, “Forget it, buddy. You don’t have a navy and we’re on an island. We’re not going to help you at all.” He didn’t like that, and it wasn’t good to get Alexander mad. He didn’t have a fleet, so he decided he had to get a way to go to that island. So he did what Ezekiel, the prophet, said would be done. It said the place would be scraped bare as a rock and all of the rubble would be thrown into the sea.

Well, what conqueror in his right mind would ever do that? Why waste your time once you’ve conquered the place, picking up everything and throwing it in the ocean, all the stone and all the rest of it? But that’s exactly what had to happen, so Alexander did it. He took all of the debris and built a 2,000 foot long, 200 foot wide causeway all the way to the island with all the debris."

In the sermon Dr. MacArthur gives more details behind exactly how Alexander the Great went about conquering Tyre, again correlating the history with the prophecy. Dr. MacArthur proceeds onward:

"It took him seven months. He went in and murdered 8,000 people over a period of a few months. Executed 7,000 more, and sold 30,000 into slavery, and fulfilled every single detail of the prophecy. Though the city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt 17 times, Tyre has never been rebuilt. That’s exactly what God said. “You will be built no more.” You know what they do? Go there today. You’ll find out what they do. They dry fish nets there, just what it said. What’s the probability in that? About 1 in 75 million happening by chance."

As we close today's post, we will consider the closing remarks of Dr. MacArthur on this prophecy:

"So, when you see the Bible speak scientifically, geographically, historically, or whatever it is; it’s accurate. This is the Word of God, and what is the benefit of it? Let’s go back our original text and end up there, 2 Timothy 3. What’s the benefit of it? “All Scripture is inspired by God, profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, fully equipped for every good work.” What a tremendous thing!" 

An overview of the Bible's teaching of the rapture

Acts 1:9 - And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 - Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

What is the "rapture"

    What do we mean when we speak of the believer's catching away by Christ or what is called  "The Rapture"?  The word "rapture" comes from a Latin term "rapturo", which in turn is a translation of the Greek word from the original language of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 - "to be caught up".  A general overview of the Bible's teaching on the rapture will be the focus of today's post.

The reality of the rapture

    Almost no one disputes the reality of the rapture or "catching away" of Christians at Christ's return.  With His return will come the total and unmingled wrath of God on this world.  1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9 remind us that Christians do not have to worry about enduring God's wrath.  Clearly the rapture, much like our physical resurrection, has direct connection to the Lord ascending into Heaven in Acts 1:9.  

No doubt the miraculous ascent of Christ will be repeated corporately in the life of every Christian.  If a Christian has already went to be with the Lord in death, then that saint will be resurrected in a new body and then raptured, followed immediately by the living saints' bodies being transformed and raptured upon Christ's return. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 gives us the fullest treatment of this mass miracle.  Other passages too give hints to the details surrounding this event in passages such as Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 5; 2 Thessalonians 2 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.

The question about the rapture's timing and occurrence

    The more fundamental doctrine of the Christian's involvement in the resurrection of the righteous is what makes the rapture teaching so important. Though everyone agrees that there will be Christians' bodies raised or transformed at the rapture, we do have one area of which there is no consensus - namely the rapture's timing. 

When studying Bible prophecy or eschatology three headings can be used in categorizing Bible doctrine: definites, positions and opinions.  Definites include those teachings which determine salvation, positions have to do with those areas or distinctives that entire denominations or church groups teach. Opinions of course refer to those areas of Biblical teaching that though important, yet because of relative lack of information result in allowances for legitimate disagreement. In regards to the timing of the rapture, we would have to state that a number of opinions exist as to when it will occur. 

Pre-trib, Mid-trib or post-trib?    

    Three major opinions exist as to when the rapture will occur.  Many Bible teachers point to a period of time in which God's wrath will be unleashed upon planet earth that is called "The Great Tribulation".  From texts such as Daniel 9:23-27, we come to realize that this period will last 7 years.  
Questions of course center around whether or not the church will be raptured "before", "mid-way" or "towards the end" of this period.  The opinions are respectively referred to as "Pre-trib", "mid-trib" and "post-tribulationalism". The diagrams below summarize these positions (from website link: en.wikipedia.com)

   

If space permitted, we could appeal to many texts to rally support for each of these opinions.  Being that the Lord has purposely inserted a "mystery" element into the chronology of prophetic events, piecing together the sequence of events on Bible prophecy can prove challenging.  The reader is encouraged to look at passages such as Matthew chs 13 and 24-25; Daniel 9:23-27; Jeremiah 30; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and ch 5; 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 3,6,7,14 for further study.  

So why does the rapture matter?

    1 Peter 3:15 states - "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear".  Every Christian should have a good enough understanding of what they believe to help unbelievers see the hope of Christ.  This includes where one stands on the rapture.  Whether or not I believe the next big event is the rapture, the revelation of the anti-Christ or some major war does have immediate bearing on how I will live.  Being able to grapple with questions about the problem of evil and suffering, tsunamis and starving children are examples as to why it is our responsibility to live out our theology and have a living theology.