P1 Living Godly lives in these last days

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

Introduction
The main point of Peter's first epistle is articulated in 1 Peter 5:12b ...."I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!" As Peter rounds out this first chapter in his letter, he is casting this main idea of standing firm in God's grace in the light of the times proceeding Christ's second coming.  Having laid out for us the truths of the Gospel and its revelation through scripture in 1 Peter 1:1-12, Peter is now going to switch the focus for a little bit from Christ's first coming to second coming.
In today's post we will consider a survival guide for living Godly lives for our individual Christian lives in these last days, with tomorrow's post dealing with the same thought in terms of how we relate to one another. 

So are we in the last days?
Often people will ask: "are we living in the last days"? Certainly the sands of God's hourglass on "the last days" began pouring the moment Christ entered from eternity into time. At bare minimum we can say that since the days of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to officially usher in the New Covenant church era, the "last days" had their beginning. (Acts 2:17) The writer in Hebrews 2:2, writing in roughly 75 A.D, speaks of "in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son", signaling the revelation of Jesus Christ communicated through the pens of the divinely inspired scriptures. Clearly we are closer to Christ's coming than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11) 

Peter's instructions for surviving in these last days - 1 Peter 1:13-25
As I said earlier, we will be considering today a more personal survival guide for the end times we are living, found in 1 Peter 1:13-21. The survival guide for us as Godly people relating to other people in these end times is found in 1 Peter 1:13-25, and will be the focus of tomorrow's blog. For our purposes today, we want to understand how we can personally not only survive, but thrive as Christians, making it our aim to live Godly lives in these last days. Note the following thoughts below:

1. Personal commands for Godly living. 1:13
Three commands are given in this verse:
a. "prepare your minds for action"
b. "keep sober in spirit"
c. "fix your hope completely on the grace"

Those commands are then given a proper motivational goal - "to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ".

2. How to live Godly lives in these last days. 1:14-15
Having dealt with the personal exhortations to live Godly lives in these last days, now Peter is going to put some flesh on the skeleton of these commands.  In other words, what does it look like when we are living Godly lives? How does one go about making this their lifestyle? Peter lays it out for us in the following manner:

a. "As obedient children...." Peter then explains this first "how to" of obedience negatively, that is, what "not to do": "do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance". Obedience carries with it both a negative and a positive.  

b. Negatively speaking, I know there are things I ought not to do.  Obedience aims at avoidance.  However if my obedience is going to be consistent, I need to reinforce it with a positive replacement.  In other words, what am I to pattern my obedience after? 

c. Peter writes on in 1 Peter 1:15: "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior."

So obedience is how I am to measure and carry out the aim of living a Godly life in these last days.  Negatively I am to avoid conformity to this world, and positively I am to conform myself to God's character.  With the "how" defined, the next question to ask is: "why aim to live a Godly life in these lasts days? 

3. Why live Godly lives in these last days. 1:16-21
Peter helps us to understand why we need as Christians to live Godly lives on a personal level:

a. Scripture says so.  1 Peter 1:16-17
b. Spiritual identity of the Christian. 1 Pet 1:18-21

P5 - Ezekiel's vision of the Millennial Kingdom - Conclusion

Ezekiel 48:35 The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘TheLord is there.’”

One final look at the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ in Ezekiel

As we close out Ezekiel's prophecies today, the main point of everything Ezekiel has been writing about in Ezekiel 40-48 is seen clearly: predicting what will be the place of worship in the Millennium - the Temple (47:1-12), the promises of God fulfilled to His people in the allotment of land (47:13-48:35) and the Person of the Messiah ruling from Jerusalem over the earth (48:21-22). 

Main reasons to believe why the Millennium will be a literal, future, 1,000 year reign

God had originally promised or covenanted to Abraham back in Genesis 12 that through Him God would bless all of the families of the earth. God keeps His promises and is ever faithful, even though we at times may be faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13) Israel had never came to full possession of Canaanland in the Old Testament. Undoubtedly her enjoyment of her relationship with God in the land was conditioned upon how well she obeyed His Word as given through Moses at the Covenant at Sinai. (Exodus 19-20) Nevertheless what brought salvation to the Jewish people was not law-keeping, but in believing on the promises of God given initially to Abraham, then repeated to David and then finally reaffirmed in the New Covenant as found in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 26-27. 

The detailed description of the land, the temple and the Messiah Prince in Ezekiel 47-48 cannot be spiritualized or symbolized away. The question is: when will all these things take place? The only answer that can satisfy is what the Bible reveals to be the future 1,000 year reign of Christ on this earth - what Bible teachers call "The Millennium". In the Millennium, earth will be refurbished, Christ will had returned to set up His Kingdom, the nation of Israel will had been saved upon her reception of the Messiah by grace-given faith, and Christians in glorified resurrection bodies will be reigning with Messiah on thrones. (Revelation 20:1-6) 

Such a reality will take place following the close of this age in the Great Tribulation, which will entail Christ's catching away of His church, judgment of this world and salvation of Israel at His second coming. 

Christ's second coming will be a pre-millennial return
The sequence of events that I am suggesting in this blog corresponds to what is called a "pre-millennial" view of Christ's second coming.  The prefix "pre" means before.  Before what? The Millennium or 1,000 year reign that we have been discussing this past week.  In Pre-millennial thought the idea is that the millennium is yet to come and characterizes what will be the earthly stage of Christ's reign in Jerusalem.  Among Pre-millennialists there is difference of opinion as to whether or not Christ is reigning spiritually now in heaven with that reign being brought to earth to begin the millennium or whether the official beginning of His reign will occur when He returns. Other viewpoints on the millennium exist and I have put them in the footnotes below for the reader to peruse.  For this writer, though Pre-millennialism has its own challenges to overcome in the interpretation of Ezekiel's prophecies, yet it seems to best explain the material we find in Ezekiel's prophecies. More could be written, but the point is that Ezekiel 40-48 helps us understand many of the events that will be occurring following the literal, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ to this planet after the great tribulation period. 

Conclusion
We have spent the past five days exploring Ezekiel's prophecies about the Millennial Kingdom.  Among the fascinating details that we have explored, the value of such a study is being able to see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in another section of scripture that we may not otherwise study.  Truly getting to know Jesus better and understanding what He is going to do to bring about the completion of God's purposes is supremely valuable.  My prayer is that these past several posts have been both edifying to you as a Christ-follower.  If you are not a Christian and are reading this post, now is the time to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and acknowledge Him as your Savior, Lord, Treasure and soon coming King.  

Endnotes
We could certainly mention two other viewpoints real briefly. A-millennialism teaches that Christ's reign on David's throne is right now and is all spiritual, with His return taking us straight into the final judgment and eternity. The reason for the name "A-millennialism" is because there is no belief in a literal 1,000 year reign (as the prefix "A" usually signifies the meaning "no"). 

The other viewpoint is what is termed "post-millennialism" and teaches in similar fashion that Christ's reign is mainly spiritual, however it believes that through the church's evangelistic efforts - the vast majority (not all) of people in every nation will be converted and that Christ will return at the end of a yet to come golden age.  In that golden age of Post-millennial thinking, the vast majority of the world will be Christianized - hence Christ will return at the end or "post" the predicted millennial period that will had come upon the earth.  

P4 - Ezekiel's vision of Millennial Kingdom - keys to interpretation

Ezekiel 46:12 "When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a freewill offering to the Lord, the gate facing east shall be opened for him. And he shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he does on the sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he goes out."

Challenges in understanding Ezekiel's vision of the Millennium

In today's post we once again see further details given to Ezekiel about the Millennial temple. One may wonder why this section of Ezekiel is so important for the Christian life, being that it speaks of an age yet to come (the Millennium) and secondly, it speaks of the Millennial temple that will exist in the age to come. To compound the challenge of interpretation, we see sacrifices being offered in this temple and the Prince, the Messiah, offering even His own sacrifices. 

Admittedly it is difficult to understand Ezekiel's vision in light of the Bible books such as Hebrews, which tell us that Christ's once and for all sacrifice did away with the ceremony and ritual sacrifices of the Old Testament. Many scholars have tried to resolve this by suggesting these sacrifices are memorial sacrifices that Jews will be offering to celebrate and picture what Jesus accomplished for them on the cross, or perhaps the offerings may serve as a means of ritual purification. 

The Key to understanding Ezekiel's vision of the Millennium

To me the best way to see the application of this passage is to focus on the Prince, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We see Him walking in and among the courts of this Millennial temple in Ezekiel 46:11-12. Wherever you see Jesus in these prophecies, focus on Him, and soon all the other details serve like a picture frame for the exquisite portrait that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Comparing scriptures like Ezekiel 40-48 with other scriptures such as Isaiah 11, Zechariah 12-14 and Revelation 19-20 can aid greatly in resolving some of the interpretive details of the prophecy. In future posts we may revisit the interpretive challenges of these chapters in light of the above statement.  

2 Peter 3 functions perfectly to aid in seeing the relevance of Ezekiel 45-46 by how it emphasizes the second coming of Jesus Christ. The whole theme of 2 Peter 3 is "know the Lord": know Him by the scripture (3:1-2); know Him by faith (3:3-7); know He is coming again (3:8-13) and know Him by growing in Him (3:14-18). The whole chapter centers on Christ's second coming, which serves to motivate us to Godly living. His coming is certain, and the reality of His Millennial reign to follow that coming is also certain. 

Application and closing thoughts

You and I must remember that we don't live on the basis of make-believe, but true, genuine revealed truth that speaks of realities more real than even the current age in which we live. Let's keep our eyes fixed on the horizon, for He is coming again!

P3 - Ezekiel's Vision of the Millennial Kingdom - The King enters His temple

Ezekiel 43:1-2 "Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east; 2 and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory."

Getting to the heart of Ezekiel's vision of the Millennium

In today's post we end up seeing in Ezekiel's vision the main purpose of the Millennial temple and a warning about false teachers in these last days. Ezekiel's grand vision of the temple is about the one that will be in existence during Christ's Millennial reign.  One of the crown jewels of this vision is where we witness the the entryway where the King will actually enter into His Millennial temple to assume His earthly reign at the beginning of the Millennium (Ezekiel 44:1-4).   

Dr. John Walvoord, a late prophecy teacher, writes these words about Ezekiel's prophecy in Ezekiel 43-44: "Climaxing the tour of the temple, Ezekiel prophetically saw the return of the Lord and the glory of the Lord filling the temple (43:1-5). God declared that this temple will be His residence and His throne (vv. 6-7). Ezekiel was instructed to describe the temple to the people of Israel, including its various aspects of design, that they may be faithful in building the temple when the time comes (vv. 10-11)." 

As you read through these wonderful chapters of Ezekiel, the glory of God and the Messiah entering into His temple is truly breathtaking. Imagine what that will be like at the beginning of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ. To hear His footprints echoing on the ground as he in Divine glory and in glorified humanity walks up to assume His rightful place as central to the worship of His people. 

In contrast to this glorious vision of the Millennial age, we find Peter's description of those false teachers that pollute this current age of human history. Until Christ returns, the church here on earth will be the church militant, fighting the good fight of faith. 2 Peter 2 is all about defending against the enemies of grace: false prophets (2:1-3); fallen angels (2:4); foul world (2:5-9); the flesh (2:10-16); false teachings (2:17-19) and false faith (2:20-22). 

Closing thoughts

As we look forward to Christ's second coming, let us be faithful and remain firm and steadfast in the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

More tomorrow....

P2 Ezekiel's Vision of the Millennial Kingdom

Ezekiel 40:4  "The man said to me, “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.”

Why God revealed the Millennial Kingdom to Ezekiel - and ultimately to us

As we once again journey into Ezekiel's vision of the Millennial temple that will be standing during the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, we must ask why God is revealing this vision? According to Ezekiel, the vision was granted on the 40th year after the city had been taken. The people needed to know that God's glorious Kingdom promises to them was going to come to pass. 

God deals with His people based upon His finished work

We could go into all the details, but the one theme that weaves its way throughout this vision is that the work is already done. When you see the details of this temple, the impression is that in God's plan, it’s a done deal. God always views things from the end back to the beginning. When He deals with you and me, His dealings with us are from the vantage point of seeing us and His purposes as finished. 

Faith operates on the expectation of God's finished work

Now you and I as Christians are quite the opposite. We can't see the finished product. We operate from the beginning to the end. Faith is necessary to trust God for the end. As you open up 2 Peter 1, we find one of the most informative sections on the Christian life. I call this section of Peter's epistle the "A,B,C's" for diligent Christian living: 

1. Add to your faith (2 Peter 1:1-9)

2. Base confidence in God's Sovereign choice (2 Peter 1:10-15) 

3. Consider the scriptures (2 Peter 1:16-21). 

Conclusion & Application

Truly only when we carry out the prescription as given in 2 Peter 1 will we then be able to align ourselves with God's plan and purposes for our lives. What He begins, He will finish.

P1 Ezekiel's vision of the Millennial Kingdom

Ezekiel 40:1-2 "In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was taken, on that same day the hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me there. 2 In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city." 

Defining the millennium 

As we enter into the final section of Ezekiel's prophecy, we begin to see one of the most detailed and unusual prophecies in all of scripture - the prophecy of what will be the millennial temple. What is the millennium and to what temple are we referring? The millennium refers to the 1,000 year period following Christ's return wherein He will rule and reign for 1,000 years.1  The temple in Ezekiel's vision will be a literal temple in this future time period that will be used by Christ as the site of His throne and the center of worship of Him and the Father and Spirit with Whom He shares in the same Divine glory.

Revelation 20:4 gives us this clear definition - "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." 2 

The significance of the future millennial temple in Ezekiel's vision

In Ezekiel 40-48 we see a highly detailed prophecy about a temple that will be built in Jerusalem from whence Christ will reign. Prophecy Scholar Dr. Tim Lahaye explains further: "The Millennial Temple, discussed in detail in Ezekiel 40:5-43:27, is destined to be perhaps the most beautiful and magnificent temple in human history. This will be Israel's final Temple, the focal point of the 1,000 year reign of the Messiah. Since the Millennium will be a time in which Israel will be exalted and Christ will rule the world through a theocracy from Jerusalem, it makes sense that worship of Messiah will revolve around a temple." 

Application to you and me

Now as fascinating as all that may be, what's the point? The point being that God's promises to His people are not only literal and certain, but detailed and centered around Jesus Christ. God's promises to Israel are linked to demonstrating His faithfulness to us as Christians in this present age. When you read 1 Peter 5, the overall thrust of the chapter, and really of the book of 1 Peter is found in 1 Peter 5:12 - Stand firm in God's grace. Here is a question: can you rely on God and His grace? 

Closing Thoughts

Undoubtedly God's promises are sure. Just as sure as Ezekiel's prophecies are to Israel, so are the promises Christ has made to His church. As this current age closes out, we need to be faithful to the end. Thankfully we have the grace of God in which and through which we will be able to do all that God has called us to do.

Endnotes:
1. The reason this period of time is called "millennium" is because of its duration, 1,000 years, and the Latin word "millennium" has been used since the early days of the church and is translated "milli" (thousand) and "annum" (years). 

2. Other scriptures, such as 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Isaiah 11 and Zechariah 12-14 gives us clues as to the physical aspects of Christ's coming Kingdom that will begin after the end of this current age in which we live. 

P2 - It's a joy to g.i.v.e

2 Corinthians 8:10-11 "I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. 11 But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability."

Review
In yesterday's post we began considering the fact that it is a joy to give from 2 Corinthians 8. In our study yesterday we employed the acrostic g.i.v.e to aid in our navigation through the text.  So far here is what we have discovered:

Grace reveals the joy to give. 
2 Corinthians 8:1-6

Imitating Jesus explains the joy to give 2 Corinthians 8:7-9

In today's post we continue on in our exploration of 2 Corinthians 8 to discover why it is a joy to g.i.v.e.

Variety of blessings flow in the joy to give. 2 Corinthians 8:10-15
We read these words in Acts 20:35 "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Throughout the pages of scripture, God uses the promise of blessing to motivate believers to exercise the joy of giving.  In this text of 2 Corinthians 8, and by extension chapter 9, we can note the following blessings that represent what typically occurs when we give to the Lord's work:

1. The grace is there to finish what you begin to give.  2 Corinthians 8:11-12

2. You will have more if you give. 2 Corinthians 8:15; 9:6

3. Your every need will be supplied. 2 Corinthians 9:8

4. Other people will benefit and the Gospel will go out to more people, bring glory to God. 2 Corinthians 9:12-13

Throughout 2 Corinthians 8-9 we see this tone of joy running like a mighty stream through the verses.  As authors Bobby Eklund and Terry Austin note: "Grace giving should be an enjoyable experience.  Giving is pleasurable because it is an experience of grace. There is nothing painful about grace."1

Energizing outcomes of joyful giving. 2 Corinthians 8:16-24
As we have consider the joy of giving in stewardship, we have noted that grace supplies the joy to give, imitating Christ explains the joy to give and a variety of benefits flow in the joy to give.  But as you travel through 2 Corinthians 8-9, you can note how giving to the Lord's work energizes the faith walk:

1. 2 Corinthians 8:2; 9:7,11,15 = Abundant joy to give

2. 2 Corinthians 8:7,24 = Abundant love to give

3. 2 Corinthians 8:8-12,16; 9:2 = Abundant eagerness to give

We know that the giving of the churches energized the work of God. The Corinthians, along with the churches in Macedonia had joyfully completed their task.  How do we know? Paul's comment in Romans 15:26-27, written a few years after 2 Corinthians, testifies: "For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things."

Conclusion
So is it a joy to give? That is the question we have endeavored to answer in these past couple of blogs.  Having explored 2 Corinthians 8, here is what we concluded:

Grace reveals the joy to give. 
2 Corinthians 8:1-6

Imitating Jesus explains the joy to give 2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Variety of blessings flow in the joy to give. 2 Corinthians 8:10-15

Energizing outcomes of joyful giving. 2 Corinthians 8:16-24



Endnotes:
1. Bobby Ecklund and Terry Austin. Partners with God - Bible Truths about Giving. Convention Press. 1994. Page 96