Life applications from Revelation's teaching on the future tribulation period

Revelation 6:1 "Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”
Introduction:

The Apocalypse of John (also known as "the Book of Revelation"), details the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ with respect to present realities and future events. We explored in the last post what we can expect to take place as we move forward in history. We noted in particular an event called "the rapture of the church" and distinguished it from its closely related larger event: "the second coming of Jesus". Readers may click on the following link to review the last post here:

http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2019/02/grasping-future-events-of-rapture-and.html 

In that last post, mention was made of another future time period that, per this author's understanding of eschatology or "doctrine of last things", occurs in between "the rapture of the church" and "the second coming of Jesus", namely, "the tribulation period". One could define the tribulation period as follows:

"The tribulation describes a time, yet future, in which God will pour out wrath to judge the nations, defeat Satan's kingdom and prepare Israel for the arrival the Lord Jesus Christ."

In past posts on this site, I have written more detailed posts on the subject of the tribulation period, which the reader can click on here:

http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2013/11/a-biblical-overview-of-tribulation.html

also, readers may click on another post-link concerning Jesus and Paul's teaching on the tribulation here:

http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2013/11/a-biblical-overview-of-tribulation_13.html

How can a Christian find any encouragement for godly living or any relevance from the doctrine of the tribulation period. As noted in the last post, those believers who hold to a "pre-tribulation" view of the relationship of the rapture to the tribulation, assert the church's absence during that future cataclysmic event. Revelation 6-19 contains the most detailed description of this future seven-year period, expressed in a series of cyclical descriptions that retell the sequence of predicted events. How can Christians apply such texts to their lives to bring about godliness and encouragement today? Below are some thoughts on how one may apply the teaching of the tribulation period as it is expressed in the Book of Revelation.

Drawing applications from Revelation's teaching on the Tribulation

1. God's plan for dealing with the problem of evil. 

Revelation 6-19 is undoubtedly the fullest treatment we know of regarding the Tribulation period. The whole period is future, representing God's prophetic clock for executing final judgment on this world and, as seen in Paul's writings, the destruction of evil forces as personified by Anti-Christ. Revelation 6-19 unfolds a repetition of this time period in four prophetic visions that function as transparency slides on top of one another to complete a very detailed picture of the tribulation period. With respect to how God will deal with the problem of evil, we can note the first three of these visionary sequences....

a. Vision #1 - Revelation 6-11. 

The tribulation will be Jesus Christ's theater through which He will conquer the evils of the world. This particular depiction of the tribulation period is important because God, in His Ultimate Will, has ordained that time to deal with the world in justice. Acts 17:30-31 states:

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

b. Visionary sequence #2 - Revelation 12-14

Revelation 12 is the introduction to John's next revelatory sequence of the events of the tribulation. The tribulation will be Christ's way of preparing Israel to meet Him. In Revelation 12-14, Satan and his man, Anti-Christ, will conspire against Israel by leading a rebellion of unbelieving nations during the tribulation period. Like a set of transparency slides, Revelation 12-14 fits on top of the same time frame portrayed in Revelation 6-11.

c. Visionary sequence #3 - Revelation 15-19  

The tribulation (especially the final 3 1/2 years or Great Tribulation) will be the time in which Jesus brings an end to Anti-Christ and the system of evil which will had gripped the future world.  This fully functioning future world system, described in Revelation as: "Babylon the Great", will function in the tribulation as the religious, economic and political web spun out by Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet of Revelation 12-14. After the half-way point of the tribulation period, the world system will begin to grow hostile toward the Anti-Christ and his regime. A final war, (known as "Armegeddon"), will feature all the forces of evil arrayed against Jesus during His second coming at the end of that period. Like a transparency slide once again, Revelation 15-19:10 fits over the previous visions of Revelation 6-11 & 12-14, completing for us the most detailed treatment of the tribulation period in the Bible.

2. God's promises are true

We have observed how God will deal resolutely with the problem of evil and suffering which plagues the greatest minds and hearts in this current age. So what guarantee do Christians have in the "nasty-now-and-now" that God will keep His promises? One only has to look at how He will bring to pass His promises to Israel. 

In an Old Testament prophecy about the tribulation period, Ezekiel 20:38, we find the following promise:

"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." 

During the tribulation period, judgment of the earth will occur while God prepares and purifies Israel to anticipate her Messiah - Jesus Christ - right before the end of the tribulation. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament affirms this promise of Israel's restoration as a proof for the assurance of God's promises to Christians in Romans 11:25-26 - 

"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”

 

The Great Tribulation will be a time in which the evils of man and the Anti-Christ's regime is brought to a close, with Christ's return marking the end of the tribulation -i.e "the day of the Lord". The church will be with Jesus in the marriage supper of the Lamb, protected from wrath and return with her Lord who Himself will fight and defeat the armies of the world in the battle of Armegeddon. We can therefore trust God's plans and promises. Now let's consider one final application for understanding the doctrine of the tribulation as found in Revelation 6-19....

3. God's powerful motivation to do missions

Revelation chapters 7 and 14 feature a group of Jewish evangelists called "144,000" who will share the Gospel with all the nations. In Revelation 7, we find multitudes of people getting converted during the tribulation. The consequence of converting to Christ will lead to their deaths for Jesus. Both chapters have statements that tie present motivation for sharing the Gospel to what will be that innumerable throng of people getting converted out of the nations. Revelation 7:10b records: "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb". Revelation 14:13 records an even more remarkable statement that has clear application to the church now and to the future tribulation martyrs: 

"And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”  

For those who evidence no concern about the pending tribulation period or spiritual matters in general, this truth can expose their false profession. The motivation to carry the Gospel to as many people as possible is reinforced by what the world can expect when it comes to the final moments of world history. We may wonder why God delays such events as He urges us to have an awareness about them. We know that God delays the return of Jesus to grant people everywhere the time and space to repent and turn to Him in faith (2 Peter 3:9). We also are told by Jesus Himself that the course of history is regulated by the amount of people that get to hear the Gospel in every nation (see Matthew 24:14).  

Closing thoughts

Today's post aimed to provide life-application of the Biblical doctrine of the tribulation period to current Christian living. We focused in particular on Revelation 6-19, since the Apostle John provides for us the most detailed treatment of the subject. We reached the following three applications:

1. The tribulation period reminds us that God has a plan for defeating evil and suffering.

2. The tribulation period reminds us that God's promises are true.

3. The tribulation period reminds us that God has provided a powerful motivator for sharing the Gospel.

P3 - The Judgment Seat of Christ - Why It Matters To You

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

Introduction:

Over the last few posts, we have explored the topic of "the judgment seat of Christ". This future event will feature Christ evaluating each Christian's post-conversion life. This event, as we discovered, will occur right after the rapture of the church. For those wanting to review the first post in this series, click here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2018/03/p1-judgment-seat-of-christ-when-it-will.html
We also took the time to survey the types of rewards that Jesus will hand out to those persons demonstrating faithfulness to him in this life. For those interested in reviewing that post, please click here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2018/03/p2-judgment-seat-of-christ-what-will.html

In this third and final installment of our series, we want to explore why there must be a judgment seat if the Christian's salvation is a settled matter. We will also suggest two life-practical reasons why Christians ought to take more seriously the kinds of rewards they'll receive while living their lives for Jesus.

Why the judgment seat of Christ, if the Christian's salvation is already a settled matter?

We've looked at when the judgment seat of Christ will occur and what we can expect from it. However, why would Jesus have each of His people stand before His throne for a time of examination and reward, whenever the issue of salvation is not in question? After all, isn't the point of salvation to simply save us from present and future wrath (see Romans 5:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10)? 

Hopefully, the reader has already understood that Christianity is much more than "fire-insurance". Christians are not only saved "from something", but "to something". The Gospel not only provides "fire insurance" but "life assurance". Think about how grateful every Christian will be when they stand before their Lord? Or, think about how much it can motivate present faith to hear the commendation of their Lord: "well done thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21,23). 

Two reasons come to mind as to why Jesus would have Christians stand before him at the "Bema-seat" to give an account.

a. Motivation for godly living. 

Think of someone going to school to get a diploma or a degree. How motivating it is to reflect on that time they step across a stage to get that piece of paper. Or, think about how athletes will train for months to get a medal? Again, motivation is a big factor in how well they train and perform. Motivation is more than appropriate as to why rewards are handed out in either case. Think about how much motivation the Christian needs to live the Godly life. I myself often think about "is it worth it"? 

Whenever I think about seeing the Lord Jesus, hearing his commendation and receiving rewards for having "lived the life well", the virtues His Spirit is working forth in my life are made all the stronger. Passages such as 1 John 3:1-3 connect the Lord's return to how much of a godly life the Christian will lead.

b. Majesty of Christ.

Whenever we turn to Revelation 4:10-11, we find reference to 24 elders, which represent the saints of God in every age. Notice the description of what believers will do when they see their Lord in Revelation 4:10-11,

"the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Closing thoughts:

In these last couple of posts, we've considered the subject of the "judgment seat of Christ" or the matter of the Christian's future rewards. We considered the timing this examination of the Christian (following the rapture of the church, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 2 Corinthians 5:5-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 19:7-8). We also looked at the particular areas and rewards Christ will give to each believer. We then considered why the judgment seat of Christ will occur. What final thoughts can we offer as we close out our survey of this vital area of Biblical revelation?So many thoughts could be offered, but for sake of time, let me mention a handful to tie our study to a close. 

All of the crowns we looked at earlier are not designed for the Christian to wear around in eternity to boast and say: "look what I've done!" Rather, the purpose of the rewards or crowns is to ascribe glory to Jesus Christ and say, in effect, "look what He has done"! The theme of heaven is the glory of God in Christ. The Christian is destined to reign with Jesus as an heir of God and co-heir with Him (Romans 8:14-16). To point the glory to Jesus Christ is much like Olympic athletes that gladly yield their accomplishments for the raising of the flag of their country while on the podium. The ultimate reason for the Bema-seat or Judgment-seat of Christ is for His church to shine forth and point to Him that made it possible for each Christian to stand before His throne. 

P2 - The Judgment Seat of Christ - What Will Take Place

2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

Introduction:

In our last post we began considering the subject of the Christian's future rewards. For those desiring to review the previous post, click here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2018/03/p1-judgment-seat-of-christ-when-it-will.html.

We noted that this event, called "the judgment seat of Christ", will occur following the rapture or "catching-away" of Christians by Jesus from this planet before or near the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period. Quite frankly, the subject of future rewards doesn't get mentioned much in pulpits. The value of such a study and the preaching of it is in how it can motivate Christians to more godly living.

As Paul writes in Romans 14:10-12, each Christian will stand before the Lord to "give an account". The opening text in today's post, 2 Corinthians 5:10, indicates that during the judgment seat of Christ examination, believers will be evaluated on the basis of what they did with respect to "deeds done while in the body". Paul's remarks in 2 Corinthians 5:5-10 provide the logic behind why believers must have their physical, glorified resurrected bodies re-united with what will be their perfected, immaterial souls following the rapture of the church. In today's post, we aim to answer the question about the kinds of rewards Christ will issue at His judgment seat or "Bema-seat". 

What kind of rewards will believers receive at the judgment seat of Christ?

As we consider the cluster of texts that discuss the judgment seat of Christ, we discover three particular areas and five particular rewards handed out once every Christian is with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The three main areas in which each Christian will be examined are the following:

a. The ways in which we conducted our lives following saving faith. Romans 14:10-12

b. The works we did will be examined as to whether they subtracted (i.e. wood, hay, or stubble) or contributed (i.e. gold, silver, precious stones) to the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

c. The witness of the Christian will be scrutinized with respect to words said and opportunities to share their faith (2 Corinthians 5:5-10)

In the above three areas, the New Testament bears out five main rewards or "crowns" that represent areas of responsibility each Christian has in the course of daily Christian-living. The late Bible scholar J. Dwight Pentecost notes the following headings for these rewards:

a. Incorruptible Crown, given for the mastery of the old-man or the flesh (1 Corinthians 9:25).

b. Crown of Rejoicing, given to soul-winners (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

c. Crown of Life, given for enduring trials (James 1:12).

d. Crown of Righteousness, for loving His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).

e. Crown of Glory, for feeding the flock (1 Peter 5:4). 

Whenever I scan over the above five rewards and three main areas, I'm immediately convicted, challenged and comforted all at once. The conviction comes when I find myself not doing as well as I ought often-times. I sometimes neglect witnessing opportunities or choose to follow the flesh rather than the Spirit. Some days are "wood,hay and stubble" days for sure. 

The above scriptures challenge the Christian to strive all the more to live a life that is pleasurable to God. After-all, the Christian is saved not only from wrath, sin and hell; but also to to good works (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 2:9-12; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Hebrews 10:24-25). It is then I find comfort in knowing that all the good works that I am expected to do post-conversion are as a result of the Holy Spirit empowering me to do such (again, Philippians 2:12-13). Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that such works were "prepared in advance". Thus, in that glorious time in heaven, right after the rapture, whenever I stand before Christ, the glory will not be in my rewards. Rather, the glory will manifest in the raising of the banner of His glorious name. It is in Jesus' accomplishments on the cross that believers derive any credit to live this life and to stand blameless before His throne. 
More next post....

God's Perfect Timing

Galatians 4:4 "when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law".

Introduction
It always astonishes me how much time and effort is expended in preparing for the celebration of Christmas. People spend months preparing for the big day. Churches will spend months in choir rehearsals, newspaper ads and sermon series to make way for the focus on Jesus. These two observations pale in comparison to the great lengths God took in preparing for the entry of the Son into history. Sometimes Biblical theologians refer to the 400 year period of time between the Old Testament and New Testament eras as the "silent years". This term is used due to God not revealing further written revelation between Malachi and Matthew. As will be seen today, much activity was underway as God worked behind the scenes and in history to prepare the way for the first coming of Jesus Christ. Lets consider today God's preparation for the arrival of the Son into time. 

1. God prepared the way for Jesus by way of a particular nation - Israel
We can sketch out how God was working from the beginning of history to bring about the nation of Israel, which in turn would be responsible for providing the humanity of Jesus through Mary. In Genesis 5, we find that from Adam to Noah = 1656 years. Then, in Genesis 6-12, we discover that from Noah to Abraham = another 350 to 400 years.  Genesis 12-50 then records that from Abraham to the end of Genesis = around 250 or so years. When we turn to the book of Exodus and trace Biblical history all the way to 1 Samuel, we find that from Moses' day in Exodus to David's time in 1 Samuel is around 400 years.  Then in rounding out our survey of the Old Testament, from David's days in 1 and 2 Samuel to the prophet Malachi's day in the Book of Malachi (the last Old Testament book in our English Bibles) is roughly 600 years.  

2. God prepared the way for Jesus' first coming by the provisions of history outside of the nation of Israel

From Malachi to Matthew we see no new written revelation.  Just because God hid His face did not mean His hand was not at work behind the scenes.  As we noted already, three world empires rose and fell.  The Book of Daniel in chapters 2 and 7-11 would focus mainly on the events that would unfold between Malachi and Matthew. 

Not only was God working in and through the nation of Israel (which is the chief focus of His Old Testament revelation), but He was also working in the surrounding nations to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. God orchestrated the rise and fall of at least four world empires in between the Old and New Testaments (Babylonia, Persia, Greece and Rome). Amazingly, from each of these pagan empires would come detailed contributions that appear in the life and crucifixion of Jesus.


At the end of the Old Testament, Babylon was in power. It would be from the Babylonians that would derive the Aramaic language, the common language of Israel spoken in the days of Jesus.  In 539 b.c Babylon would fall to the Medo-Persia Empire led by Darius the Great.  This empire, predicted and spoken of in Daniel 2 and 7, was the first to begin the practice of crucifixion. 

Next came the Greeks, under Alexander the Great in 333 b.c.  After conquering Persia, Alexander began his program of making the whole world like the Greeks.  Everyone under his domain would speak Greek.  This language would be the language of the New Testament.  The Jews also made the world's first Bible translation - the Septuagint, in 275 b.c.


Greece gave away to Rome and the Roman empire devised the 50,000 mile roadway system throughout the Mediterranean world called "The Roman Road". It would be quite useful, especially when the early church would come to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

3. God prepared the way for Jesus' arrival through prophetic fulfillment

We've seen thus far how God used a particular people (Israel) and the provisions of history to set the stage for Messiah's first coming. Unmistakably these two theaters of Divine preparation were not hermetically sealed off from one another. Israel was situated in a specific context and place in history. Her exiles and historic battles would lead her path to cross with those of the other nations. God's program for Israel and the nations not only included their historic circumstances, but also their prophetic ones. 

When you count up all of the prophecies that predict the first coming of Jesus Christ, the grand total comes to 109!  Some of these are so extraordinary, they are worthy of mention.  Genesis 49:10 tells us what tribe in Israel the Messiah would derive - from Judah.  Isaiah 7:14 tells us He would be virgin born, with Isaiah 9:6-7 revealing Him as both human and Divine.  Isaiah 53 reveals He would suffer and die, with Zechariah 12:10 using the term "pierced" to describe the marks on his hands and feet.  Psalm 22 unfolds the words He would speak on the cross and Micah 5:2-4 uncovers the place of His birth. 

Closing thoughts

We saw how God's perfect timing worked in preparing for the first coming of Jesus. In today's post we noted three areas used by God:

1. Particular bloodline of Israel
2. Provisions of history 
3. Prophetic fulfillment

All in all, God alone can cover the scope of the timing of events, peoples and places - for He alone is Big enough, Powerful enough and knowing enough to accomplish it.  If anything, the timing of Christmas shows us that salvation is of the Lord! 

Summarizing the "Bridegroom" theme in the Bible

John 3:27-29 "John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full."

Introduction:

John 2:1-11 and John 3:22-36 represent bookends that expose readers to the theme of Jesus Christ as the Heavenly Bridegroom that came to redeem His bride. The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes this point about Jesus and the "bridegroom" theme:

"In Jesus’ growing influence, John found his own joy fulfilled. He illustrated this for his disciples by referring to a custom at Near Eastern weddings. The friend of the bridegroom was only an assistant, not the main participant in the marriage. The assistant acted on behalf of the bridegroom and made the preliminary arrangements for the ceremony. His joy came when he heard the bridegroom coming for his bride. John the Baptist’s work was to prepare for the arrival of Christ, the “Groom.” John baptized only with water, not with the Spirit. Therefore Jesus must become greater and John must become less. This was not merely advisable or fortuitous; it was the divine order. John willingly and with joy accepted Jesus’ growing popularity as God’s plan."

The Biblical theme of the Divine Wedding as used by God to portray His redemptive purposes in the Bible will be the focus of today's post. In a more specific way, we want to see how this overall theme applies specifically to understanding the identity of Jesus Christ in John 3:22-36.   

1. The Old Testament's use of the "bridegroom theme"

It is no accident that the most famous passage on salvation in the Bible - John 3:16, occurs in the same chapter with John the Baptist's declaration of Jesus as the Bridegroom for the people. In the Old Testament, God planned to marry Israel as His wife, as portrayed in His promises to the patriarchs, His covenant with them on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-20) and His repeated appeals for them to be faithful as a spouse to her husband (see  Hosea 2:20-23). 

Books of the Old Testament like the Book of Ruth tie in the marital language of the Old Testament with the concept of a "Kinsman Redeemer" who takes on a bride that has no way of redeeming herself. As the Old Testament unfolds this "marital" language describing God and His people (see Psalm 45 and Song of Solomon); the reader is faced with the abrupt theme of divorce representing the breach of covenant by the people to God (see Isaiah 50:1; Jeremiah 3:8; Hosea 2:2). The sad treachery of Israel is thankfully not the final word. Glimpses of promises of restoration sit on the horizons of the prophets. Through prophetic predictions of a new Covenant and coming Messiah (Ezekiel 36:25-26; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 2:28-31), Yahweh revealed His plan to restore unto Himself His people (see again Hosea 2:20-23). What all this means is that God's Sovereign purposes to restore His people was not going to fail. The Old Testament tells us what Yahweh intended to do, and yet it does not reveal how.  

2. The appearance of the Heavenly Divine Bridegroom to achieve salvation for His people

John the Baptist's remarks about Jesus being the "bridegroom" begins to unfold how it is God is going to restore unto Himself a people.  With a surprising twist - that God Himself in the Person of the Son was going to be incarnated as the Groom who would offer Himself to Israel as her Messiah. Redemption is pictured among other things in the New Testament as God's desire to restore broken fellowship with a people who rejected Him! 

3. The Tragedy and Triumph of the Bridegroom in redeeming His people
As the reader journeys throughout the Gospels, we see the following thoughts developed regarding the presentation of the Son as the Groom for His people:

1. The Divine Groom rejoices in coming for His people. Matthew 9:15; John 2:1-12

2. The Divine Groom rejected by His people. Matthew 22:1-5

3. The Divine Groom renders His life on behalf of His people. Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25-27

4. The surprising climax of the Bridegroom redeeming His people

The New Testament's unfolding of this amazing theme centers almost exclusively on the Groom - The Son.  However there is another twist, a surprise unforeseen by the Old Testament and faintly unfolded in the Gospels - the mystery of the church.  The Son who rejoiced, was rejected, rendered His life and who will return, is now looking forward to coming to receive the bride that is being called forth, one choice person at a time, by the Holy Spirit, resulting in freely made decisions that say: "I do" to Jesus Christ. When we put together all that we have considered up to this point, and then consider how the remainder of the New Testament explains this theme, we discover the following:  

a. The bride is being prepared for her groom, (with Israel being set aside at this present time). Romans 11

b. The Bride will be presented to the Son as His bride in heaven the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:6-7

c. The Bride will be presented here on earth at His second coming (at which point He will restore Israel). Matt 25:1-13; Rom 11:25-26; 1 Thess 4:13-16

d. The Groom will reign on earth with His Bride the church, along with Israel who will be folded into His bride to be at the end of His reign on earth. (Revelation 20)

e. The Groom and Bride will be married for all eternity, thus completing God's purposes in presenting a bride, composed of all of those whom He chose, called and were converted by faith to His Son. 

Closing thoughts

So when we consider all of the above observations with what John says in the opening text of John 3:27-29, we can see why he was so excited. Truly the promises of redemption and restoration were decisively revealed in the life of the incarnation of the Son in Jesus. In the next post, we will feature a brief outline of John 3:22-36 that incorporates what we learned in today's post. 

Why the New Covenant is relevant to what it means to be a Christian

Hebrews 9:15 "For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."

1 Peter 3:8-9 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic,brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving ablessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Introduction

As you read Ezekiel 36-37, you are getting into the section of Ezekiel where the focus is becoming more and more on what God is going to do for His people - the nation of Israel. God is speaking forth what the Bible calls "The New Covenant".  Whenever God enters into agreement with His people, we call that God making Covenant with them.  Covenants involve parties, exchanging of words and vows and the all important part of who will fulfill what obligation sin the covenant.  Whenever you see God using the statement "I will", that means the covenant's blessings and fulfillment will be completely His doing.  Bible teachers call such a covenant an "unconditional covenant", meaning that there are no strings attached and that God is making a covenant with His people not for their sake, but for His own sake.  Whenever God made similar covenants with Abraham and David, the promises and fulfillment depended not on them, but God.  Roughly 35 times do we find God saying "I will" in Ezekiel 36-37.  God's promise to Israel to restore and save her did not depend on her performance.  If anything, she was unwilling and had done nothing to deserve such grace from God.  God did it for His own namesake.  God chose Israel (Ezekiel 36:21) and promises to  call her out from among the nations  (36:24), bring about her conversion whereby she will believe on the Messiah and be saved (Ezekiel 37:11-14) and cleanse or sanctify her (37:28). God will do all these things for Israel at His second coming when He initiates His 1,000 year reign or what is also called "the millennium."   Does all this activity from God mean Israel can act anyway she wants in the future. No. Because God's "I will" leads to "you will".  God's willingness to select, save, and sanctify sinners includes the purpose for them becoming willing participants in His Covenant.  Their participation depends upon God making the first move.  

1 Peter 3 echoes these New Covenant promises which we as Christians in this present age are getting a spiritual foretaste of the New Covenant.  Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant, paid for such promises with His blood.  In 1 Peter 3:8 we are told to be kindhearted toward one another, being that Christians are those people who are called by God to Himself to inherit a blessing. God's will contains our will.  He accomplishes the work of our salvation from beginning to end, with the understanding that our level of enjoyment of His Relationship with us hinges on our faithfulness and obedience.  The lengths to which God went through in securing the believer's redemption ought to be the grounds for motivation to obedience in the Christian walk. We are saved by grace through faith alone, with the saved life proceeding onward in faith that is never alone.

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.

The relevance of Christ's 2nd coming to you

Revelation 22:20-21 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Introduction:

Over the past couple of days we have been focusing our attention on the second coming or advent of Jesus Christ and comparing it to the rapture of the church. Such studies are important in clarifying what the Bible teaches. However if we're not careful we can make the study of Bible prophecy (eschatology) to be only about charts and graphs. Studying the Bible's teaching on endtimes is so much more! In focusing on such future events as the Lord's second coming (or advent), I discover the Biblical truth of His return that gives direction for the Christian faith and that warns sinners to believe and repent to escape God's coming wrath. Today's post aims to sketch out three relevant reasons why the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ is important to you:

1. Purpose to life.

To know that Jesus Christ is returning at the end of history to set up His Kingdom reveals that history has a purpose.  History as we know it has been determined by five major events: Creation, The Incarnation, The Cross, Pentecost and the Resurrection.  Two major events have yet to occur that will signal the ending of history: the rapture and Christ's second coming. What does all of this mean? History and life has a direction, a purpose.  Life is not and endless circle but a line with a beginning (creation) middle (incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection & pentecost) and end (rapture & second coming). Acts 17:31 states - "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He hasappointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

2. Hope. 
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the source of hope in both its related but distinct doctrine of the rapture and the fact that Christ's second coming plays such a huge role in scripture.  Titus 2:13 reminds us - "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus."
Is it worth living for and serving the Lord? Do the dissapointments of life and opposition of the enemy determine the horizon of faith? Certainly not! The horizon of the faith life is the fact that Christ has risen and coming again! At the end of what is perhaps the most important chapter in the Bible on the subject of Christ's resurrection and second coming, we read in 1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
The second coming of Jesus Christ gives us purpose for living, hope for tomorrow and finally the tone of preparation in our evangelism.


3. Preparation.
The tone of preparation reverberates like a might echo through the cavernous truth of Christ's second coming in the scriptures.  This idea of "being prepared" or "being alert" supplies the chief evangelistic component to our Christian faith.  Note Matthew 24:44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will." Also too, Hebrews 2:3 "how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard." 

Though the above reasons are only a thumbnail sketch, the hope is that the reader has seen the practical, relevant meaning of the truth of Christ's second coming to the 21st century Christian.  I close with the familiar, one worded prayer at the end of 1 Corinthians 16:22 "maranatha" ("Come Lord"! or "the Lord cometh!").

Next Big Thing #3: Earth's tribulation and Christian rewards

Revelation 19:1-2 "After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; 2 because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.”

Revelation 19:7-8 "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."

Introduction:
We have been doing a periodic series called; "Next Big Things" - that is to say - events that will impact every person living or who has ever lived.1 In the two passages we just looked at above, we see two simultaneous events that will take place following the rapture of the church: the tribulation period, culminating in the judgment of the world system that is typified in what is called "Babylon the Great" in Revelation 19:1-6. As the tribulation is occurring, the scene switches up to heaven and a raptured church getting ready to be wedded to Jesus in Revelation 19:7-10. On earth the final seven years of history will experience tribulation, with the church up in heaven undergoing reward and preparation. In today's post we want to understand this "Next Big Thing" following the catching away of the church, namely "Earth's Tribulation and
Christian Rewards". 

Earth's tribulation following the rapture and preceeding the Lord's Return to earth.
When one scans through the chapters of Revelation 6-18 leading up to the crescendo of hallelujahs in 19:1-6, the rejoicing is over the fact that the enemies of God have been soundly defeated. The late Dr. W.A Criswell notes: "What a passage! What a consummation! What an anticipation! The passage begins with four Hallelujah choruses. Two of them are retrospective, two of them are prospective. The first Hallelujah is over the destruction of .... Mystery Babylon, the scarlet woman with the golden cup in her hand. When she is destroyed, all heaven says, “Hallelujah!” 2

In a series of repeated cycles we see the seven year tribulation period described in Revelation 6-18.3 All these chapters of course lead up to the reason as to why all of heaven is praising God for the fact that God's purposes on planet earth have been fulfilled in the tribulation period. The chart below summarizes what we are talking about:

________      ^    _________________________
Now           Rapture?  First 3 1/2 years  Second 3 1/2 years  Return
                                               7 year tribulation period         of Jesus
                                       Rev 6-11; 12-14; 15-18; 19:1-6
         

As we scan the nearly 20 passages of scripture in both Old and New Testaments regarding this time of earth's tribulation, here is what we discover:

1. Extreme. It will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21

2. Judgment. Over five times we see reference to the wrath of God on this world in Revelation 6-19.

3. Preparation. The preparation of Israel to meet her Messiah. Revelation 1:7

4. Rebellion.  A Tyrannical ruler will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God. Revelation 13

5. Intensity. It will be divided into two equal halves, with the latter half called the "Great Tribulation" and ending in a most intense way called "The day of the Lord", which will occur when Christ returns to earth. Revelation 19:1-6.

6. Warning. For those who evidence no concern about the impending coming tribulation, this truth can expose their false profession and be used of the Spirit of God to grant them repentance whereby they may believe and be saved. Romans 5:8-9

This is what will be taking place on earth during the tribulation period.  But what about the events in heaven? What will be occurring simultaneously in heaven during this same time period? It will be during this period that the church, having been raptured or caught up by Jesus, will be standing before Him to receive heavenly rewards.

Heavenly rewards to raptured Christians
We read in Revelation 19:7-8 "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." It would seem then that the church will be raptured for two main purposes spelled out below: 

Christians' rewards in the future serve to motivate Christians in the present
Christians being rewarded for the works they did following their salvation is revealed in scripture to provide motivation for Godly living in the present. I recall one night we had a talent night for the children at the church. All of the adults had gathered together on one side of the gym, with the other half reserved for the various talents to be displayed. A table full of ribbons & rewards was situated next to the event.  As soon as a child would perform their talent, the crowd would cheer and the children would run over to claim their prize. No one could fault neither the church nor the children for receiving rewards for their willing participation in that event. 

1 Corinthians 3:14-15 states: "If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." What will be entailed in these rewards? Scripture describes the rewards in various ways. One way is through the notion of various "ornaments" or "crowns" that Christians will be given to cast at the Savior's feet as represented by the actions of the 24 elders in Revelation 4:10.4 Just as we saw in the case with the children above, it should not be thought improper for Jesus to want to use rewards to motivate His people unto godliness.  Ultimately we discover that the true reward behind the rewards will be to see Him as He is. (1 John 3:1-3)

A Heavenly wedding in the future should increase the Christian's love in the present

As we mentioned a moment ago, one of the terms used to describe the reward system at the judgment seat of Christ is that of "crowns"  or "ornaments". Quite interestingly enough the word for "crown" in the passage listed above can refer either to an award received at an athletic competition or ornaments worn by a bride and groom in a Jewish wedding. As the church is brought up to heaven in the rapture to the Father's house (John 14:1-3), she appears before the judgment seat of Christ to be prepared and "decked out" in wedding garments befitting her completion of redemption won for her by her Bridegroom.

I can recall years ago watching a wedding show with my wife where the wedding exceeded a million dollars.  The people were so opulent that the father of the bride had hired a person called a "bride dresser", whose job was to put expensive jewelry on the bride herself and her dress.  Why the expense? To prepare the bride for the meeting of her groom. 

The reason why the scriptures combine the imagery of rewards with that of decking out a bride is that in-as-much we are being rewarded for good works done here on earth, the energy used in performing those works is provided by the Father of the bride. Each Christian in their glorified resurrected body, having been rewarded, will shine in various levels like sequins on the gown of the bride - the church.  All will be enjoying Christ's presence in differing measure and yet be loved all equally by Him both as individually chosen people and corporately as His chosen bride. Knowing that we will be escorted out of this world into heaven should motivate us to live for and love Jesus Christ. 

Conclusion:
We have considered today the earth's tribulation and heavenly rewards for Christians following her rapture into heaven. To picture what we have discussed, we can now add to the diagram we had mentioned earlier:
                -----Christians rewarded & prepared------
                                      for what will be their marriage to Jesus
                                                  Revelation 19:7-10


________        ^    _________________________
Now           Rapture?  First 3 1/2 years  Second 3 1/2 years  Return
                                               7 year tribulation period         of Jesus
                                       Rev 6-11; 12-14; 15-18; 19:1-6


As the reader can see, both events will occur simultaneously following the rapture event. The earthly tribulation, when studied throughout the scripture, can be described in six words: extreme, judgment, preparation, rebellion, intensity & warning. The simultaneous heavenly rewarding or Bema Seat for raptured Christians will aim at reward and preparing the church for her eventual wedding to Christ. Knowing such truths should motivate Christians to both live for and love their Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Endnotes:
1. http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-next-big-thing-death-hell-or-heaven.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/02/p1-next-big-thing-catching-away-of.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/02/p2-next-big-thing-catching-away-of.html
2. http://www.wacriswell.com/transcript/?thisid=5A34409B-6D50-4E1F-A9A91A14A924E25C

3. From Revelation 6-11 we see Christ acting forth to unfold the seals and trumpets in his conquering of the world's kingdoms. Then in Revelation 12-14 we see more focus on the same time period yet again, with the emphasis being upon Jesus' decimation of Satan's plots and his rulers the Anti-Christ and false prophet. Then once more we see in Revelation 15-18 the same period, particularly the latter half, being the time of God's judgment upon the world system or regime Anti-Christ, Babylon the Great.

4. Five such crowns are mentioned throughout the New Testament: imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:25); crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4-5); crown of life (Revelation 2:10); crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) and a soul-winners crown (1 Thessalonians 2:19). These "good works" are those deeds done by believer's post-conversion up until the time of death.