P1 Biblical Foundations for Marriage - Companionship

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Matthew 19:3-4 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

Setting the context for the show down between the Pharisees and Jesus in Matthew 19 
In a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees, the Pharisees ask Jesus this question in Matthew 19:3^:  “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”’  This was a loaded question, for the Pharisees were in continual debate among themselves as to whether people could divorce for any and every reason, or for only a handful of reasons (among which was adultery or marital unfaithfulness). 

 

The Pharisees debates about divorce, and the setting of a trap

 So what could had prompted the Pharisees and Jewish Leaders to engage Jesus in this line of questioning about divorce and marriage?  Bible teacher John MacArthur comments on this text, noting that John the Baptist was beheaded for denouncing of Herod Antipas' illigitimate marriage to his brother-in-law's wife. (Matthew 14)  With Jesus ministering in Herod's political backyard, the Jewish leaders saw an opportunity to trap Jesus and perhaps get him in trouble or worse.1 The Pharisees, when debating the issue of divorce, would appeal to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, where God through Moses permitted and regulated divorces in the nation of Israel.  In Deuteronomy 24:1 we read: “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,”.   The underlined phrase occupied the center of the debates about divorce among the Pharisees.2

 The Pharisees were expecting Jesus to follow the well-known debate of the day and respond from Deuteronomy 24:1-4. If Jesus said that divorce was allowable in all circumstances, the restrictive group of Pharisees (The Shammites) could accuse Jesus of being too liberal with the Bible.  On the other hand, if Jesus placed restrictions on divorce, the more liberal group of Pharisees (The Hillelites), could say that Jesus is in some way deny Moses teaching on divorce.  The trap was set, what would Jesus do?

Jesus sees the trap, and appeals to scripture

Jesus in His wisdom avoids the debate altogether and uses scripture for His response.  Matthew 19:4-6 records:

^4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ^5 and said,  ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and  the two shall become one flesh’ ? ^6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

 



Jesus appeals to God's original design of marriage: Considering the four foundations of biblical marriage
Jesus disarmed the trap of the Pharisees by appealing to Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:18-25.3   As you study those two passages and the more than 80 passages in God's Word on the subject of marriage, you find four fundamental foundations of marriage ordained by God: Companionship, Communication and Covenant and Conversion.  Today's blog will deal with the first foundation: Companionship.

First foundation of Godly marriage:  Companionship – Genesis 2:18-20

            God said in Genesis 2:19 - "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper fit for him.” .  Anytime we see God saying that something is not good in the first two chapters of Genesis, this indicates that God is not yet finished with that particular part of creation.  Genesis 2 is repeating and reminding us of various portions of the creation week in Genesis 1.  God is indicating that man needs a companion who will be his helper in his role as a king and shepherd over creation (Genesis 1:27-30).  In other words Adam needed Eve to help complete him, and Eve needed Adam to protect her. 
      In scripture we three fundamental types of companionship that come together perfectly and uniquely in marriage.  First of all the husband and wife share emotional companionship.  On the one hand, woman is described as a weaker vessel in need of love and nurturing by the husband. 1 Peter 3:7a states - "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel...".  However on the other hand, the wife is equal in value to the husband.  1 Peter 3:7b tells us - since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." 

      As emotional companions with one another, the scripture second notes how the husband and wife are physical companions of one another.  As Adam's equal and yet cherished companion, both Eve and he were to reflect the truth of who God is in and of Himself, namely an ongoing companionship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This idea of companionship still holds true today.  If anything, the only proper place for the intimacy and companionship among men and women is within the bonds of marriage.  Hebrews 13:4 asserts the purity and uniqueness of sexual intimacy within marriage -  "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."

      With the emotional and physical dimensions of marriages companionship unfolded, the scripture notices a third aspect of companionship in marriage - the spiritual.  People today often limit marriage to its physical or emotional dimensions.  Sexual intimacy is viewed merely as a physical act in our society.  It is cheapened and viewed one dimensionally.  Yet scripture reveals the fact that sexual intimacy between a husband and wife is as much of a spiritual act as a physical one.  The act of love is viewed only as an emotion.  However the love between a husband and a wife is as much spiritual as emotional.  Ephesians 5:25-26 "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." There we see how the emotional companionship is tied to the spiritual companionship between Christ and His church.  Furthermore Ephesians 5:28 "In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."  There we see the physical companionship is shown to be as much spiritual as physical.   In tying all of this together, we will finish today with 1 Corinthians 11:3 "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."

 

 More tomorrow.........

 

End Notes______________________

1. John MacArthur preached a six-part series on Jesus' teaching on marriage and divorce from Matthew 19.  In this particular message MacArthur noted: "They (The Pharisees) don't want an answer, they want to discredit jesus.  They want him to articulate His hard-line, God-never-intended-divorce view and so alientate Himself from the people.  They also know that he was in the territory of Herod Antipas who already beheaded John the Baptist for his views on divorce and they think maybe they can even have Jesus eliminated.  So, they're after him.  So in verse 3 is the attack."
 

2. One group of Pharisees, the Hillelites, believed that the phrase “indecent about her” meant that men could divorce women for any and every reason, including the burning of supper or bad physical appearance!  The second group of Pharisees, the Shammites, taught that the phrase “indecent” was limited to cases of adultery or marital infidelity on part of the spouse. 
 

3. The Pharisees had become so knowledgeable about divorce, that they lost sight of God’s original design for marriage. As much as we could spend time dealing with scriptures and the knotty issues that swirl about the issue of divorce, it is preferable for this blog series to take Jesus' approach and focus on God's original design for marriage. 

 

 

Matt 24-25 Jesus & the End Times P3

Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

For the past couple of days we have been exploring Jesus' final words on final things in Matthew 24-25 - what Bible scholars refer to as His Olivet discourse.  In part 1 we did an overview of Jesus' teaching about last things (eschatology) in Matthew 24-25, noting that He aimed to answer three questions raised in Matthew 24:3.  In Part 2 we briefly sampled other scriptures used by Jesus from the Old Testament and ways in which Jesus' Olivet Discourse possibly set the stage for the New Testament teaching on eschatology (study of last things).  In today's blog we will explore parallel passages from Mark 13 and Luke 17 to see what the other Gospel writers recorded about Jesus' final sermon.

How people have interpreted Jesus' Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21
Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, a professor at Southern baptist Theological Seminary, has written a very helpful book entitled: "Rose Guide to End Times Prophecy".  In the book, Jones covers every conceivable subject in Bible Prophecy or Eschatology, including Jesus' Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13 and Luke 21.  He notes two prevailing interpretations of Matthew 24: futurism (viewing every predicted event as in the far future) and a combination of futurism and what is called "preterism" (meaning "past", a view which takes most prophecy to had occured in the first century shortly after Jesus' ascension).  I will mentioned a third position of this passage which views all or almost all of Matthew 24 as having taken place in the first century - i.e pure "preterist" and "moderate preterism" positions.

1. Matthew 24-25 has yet to take place (Futurist Interpretation). 
As the name implies, a futurist interpreter views all of Jesus' remarks in Matthew 24 to be taking place in the far future.1 

2. Matthew 24 is partially fulfilled in the 1st century and completely fulfilled when Jesus returns (futurism + preterist interpretation).
This second type of interpretation views Matthew 24:1-36 and part of Mark 13 and Luke 21 as being Jesus' prediction of events near to Him in the first century, with the remainder of Matthew 24 and 25 referring to events at the end of history when He returns.  As we mentioned before, those interpreters who take the events of prophecy to be referring primarily to the past events of the first century are called "preterists" (pre-ter-ist), a word meaning "past".  As we already saw, those who see prophetic events as dealing with events in the future are called "futurists".2 

3. All or most of Matthew 24 took place with the destruction of the Jewish Temple in  70 A.D (Radical Preterism and Moderate Preterism)
This third view of Matthew 24 tends to take a totally "preterist" or "past" tense viewpoint of Matthew 24, meaning that everything Jesus spoke in that chapter refers to what would be the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.3  If we were to visualize these various takes on Matthew 24, here is what we would have:

Futurism---------Partial futurism-----Moderate & Radical Preterism
                          Partial Preterism

So what are we to make of these prevailing options of interpretation? They all fit within the mane of conservative/Bible believing Christianity.  Obviously some (futurism) are more popular and well known than others (moderate and pure preterism).  The Bible student must never interpret scripture by polls, but rather by comparing scripture with other scripture.  When we consider the parallel accounts of Mark 13 and Luke 21, we find much aid in understanding Matthew 24-25. In my own study (below), I would contend that how one interprets the Olivet Discourse will regulate how one approaches the rest of Bible prophecy.4 

How we can interpret Matthew 24-25 in light of Mark 13 and Luke 21
Mark 13:1-37 is Jesus' Olivet discourse in Mark's Gospel.  In this version, we find Jesus not answering three questions but two questions raised by the disciples in Mark 13:4...

1. "Tell us, when will these things be?
2. "and what will be the sign when these things are fulfilled?"

In Luke 21:7-38 we witness the same sermon as recorded by Luke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  In Luke 21:7 we see the disciples raising the same two questions as we see in Mark's version....

1. "Teacher, when therefore will these things happen?"
2. "And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"

In Mark and Luke's accounts, we see two questions recorded, whereas in Matthew's account, we witness three questions, with the first two virtually identical to Mark and Luke's, but with the third asking about the end of the age.  In studying Mark 13 and Luke 21, we can discern a two-fold or two-point outline of Jesus' sermon as recorded by those Gospel writers:

1. Prediction of the Destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. (Mark 13:1-23; Luke 21:7-23)

2. Prediction of future events surrounding Christ's return. (Mark 13:24-37; Luke 21:24-36)

So with these observations from Mark and Luke, what can we conclude about our understanding of Matthew's fuller rendering of Jesus entire sermon in Matthew 24-25?  It would seem to this blogger that Jesus is predicting both the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D and the events of His future second coming in Matthew 24 (i.e option #2).  Being that Jesus' full sermon is recorded by Matthew for his purposes in Matthew 24-25, the third question about "the end of the age" can be included as referring not merely to the end of the Old Testament nation of Israel, but rather the end of history.  As we close today, the following outline of Matthew 24-25 could be rendered as follows:

1. Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D as a warning to his hearers and disciples.   I believe he answers the first question as posed by the disciples in Matthew 24:3.  (24:1-14)

2. Jesus then transitions, using the impending destruction of the temple as a pattern for what will be the future tribulation and events leading up to His second coming. This corresponds with the second question posed by the disciples in Matthew 24:3 (24:15-25:30)

3. Jesus answer the third question of Matthew 24:3, focusing entirely on the fact that His second coming will bring an end to this current age, as well as emphasizing the fact He will be the Judge. (25:31-41)

End Notes____________________

1. As Dr. Jones notes on page 200 of his book: "Instead of addressing the destruction of the temple, Jesus taught his disciples about a future tribulation, near the end time as we know it. His focus was on: 1. The calamaties at the beginning of the tribulation; 2. The Anti-Christ's sacrilege in the rebuilt Jewish Temple; 3. The return of the 'Son of Man' to earth."

2. According to Dr. Jones' book, those who avoid totally putting all of Matthew 24 in the future tend to be a combination of both futurists and preterist. As Jones notes on page 201: "This first century judgment pointed forward to the judgment that will come when Jesus returns to earth."  

3. I have a book in my library written by Evangelist John L. Bray entitled "Matthew 24 fulfilled" - which by the name alone summarizes a purely preterist view of Jesus' words - i.e every single word of Matthew 24 was fulfilled in the first century. The more well know Bible teacher R.C Sproul wrote a book entitled "The Last Days According to Jesus" wherein he proposes a more softened form of preterism. 

4. As a Southern Baptist I have read all three of these various interpretations as existing under the umbrella of Baptist life.  John Gill, the great 17th century Baptist minister would had been a pure preterist.  The First Pastor at 1st Baptist Dallas, whose name escapes me at this moment, would had been perhaps a moderate preterist.  His successor, W.A Criswell, was no question a futurist when it came to interpreting Matthew 24 and other prophetic passages.  

Matt 24-25 Jesus & the End Times - P2

Matthew 24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

An Illustration - working one of the largest warehouses in the world
Nearly fifteen years ago I worked at UPS shipping at a major U.S City.  The warehouse where I worked had over 300 employees handling over 1 million packages a day.  When the packages came in, our job was to load them into trucks going to their intended destinations.  I can remember conveyor belts running everywhere, up high and on ground level.  The building was enormous, stretching almost half a mile in each direction and spanning 200 feet from floor to ceiling.  Quite literally we handled all things coming in and out.  When I look at Jesus' sermon "The Olivet Discourse" in Matthew 24-25, I picture it in much the same manner.  All themes on last things (eschatology) meet in Jesus' sermon.  Packaged truths about the end times from the Old Testament find their fulfillment in this one sermon.  Furthermore, truths that will later be developed by the Apostles in the New Testament have their beginning in Jesus' sermon. Yesterday we outlined Matthew 24-25, today we want to see how much this sermon is central to the Bible's teaching on end times events.

Seeing how Matthew 24-25 is central to the Bible's discussions on the end times
1. For one thing, you may have noticed in the opening verse of today's blog that Jesus quoted from Daniel.  Daniel was a prophet who lived some 600 years before Jesus.  He was only 15 years of age when he and the Southern Kingdom of Judah were carried off to the Babylonian exile.  For 70 years he would live, all the while receiving timely and timeless visions from God about events near to his day and events yet to come.  Jesus refers to Daniel several times: quoting Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11 in Matthew 24:15; Daniel 7:13 in Matthew 24:30 and quoting Daniel 12:1 in Matthew 24:21.  Daniel's series of visions and predictions are important in the study of Bible prophecy, and Jesus uses Daniel almost exclusively for much of what He communicates in Matthew 24-25.

2. Other prophetic books are background to the parables used by Jesus in his sermon.  For example, the prophets Jeremiah (5:17) and Haggai (2:19) utilize figs or fig trees in their prophecies of judgment.  Isaiah chapter 58:7 is used quite a bit in describing the actions of the righteous in Matthew 25:35-36

3. With the Old Testament used as the background for Jesus Sermon, it is clear He is the fulfillment and completion of the Old Testament predictions.  But what of the New Testament?  Paul speaks about the end of the age and the abomination of desolation in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-11, a major point made by Jesus in Matthew 24:5, 14, 15 & 21. We also see the theme of "being alert" which comprises Jesus' closing point in his sermon is utilized by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, 6-8.  Then of course the theme of judgment figures prominently in 2 Peter 3 and Revelation 19-21.  What are "seeds of thought" spoken of her by the Master become fully mature trees of thought in the book of Acts, the Epistles and Revelation. 

I hope that has whetted your appetite to want to study Jesus' words a little more closely.  May the Lord richly bless you dear friend as you continue to study His word. 

Matt 24-25 Jesus & the End Times - P1

Matthew 24:1-2 1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

  

Jesus final words on final things

In Matthew 24:3, Jesus is answering three main questions from the disciples on Bible prophecy or what is sometimes called "eschatology" (study of last things) 

1. "Tell us, when will these things happen"

2. "and what will be the sign of your coming"

3. "and of the end of the age?"
 

What prompted this line of questioning was the disciples admiration of the seemingly indestructible grandeur of Herod's temple.  They had witnessed The Master enter into Jerusalem days before in Matthew 21, presenting Himself as Israel's King.  By His parable about the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22, it was clear that the nation had rejected their invitation to come and be the Messiah's bride.  Further actions from Jesus  led to the denouncement of the Pharisees and temple system in Matthew 23, with the journey from the temple to the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24.  Undoubtedly the disciples were thinking that their Master had come to overthrow Rome and to deliver both they and the nation from its tyranny.  Furthermore, looking at the grandeur of the temple overwhelmed them.

As Jesus would deliver his "last words on last things", it is important to realize that this message, called "The Olivet Discourse", provides the cornerstone for understanding what Bible teachers call "eschatology" or "study of last things" (i.e Bible prophecy).  What Jesus was going to do was to bring together the major themes of eschatology from the Old Testament and show how all history and prophetic fulfillment is culminated in Himself. 

For today at least, I want the reader to consider the three questions raised by the disciples in Matthew 24:3 as an outline of this majestic sermon by Jesus here in Matthew 24-25.

Understanding the flow and outline of Matthew 24-25

1. "Tell us, when will these things happen"  Matthew 24:1-41
The "these things" refer to Jesus' comments in Matthew 24:2 of not one stone of Herod's temple being left upon another.  What Jesus aimed to do in Matthew 24:1-41 was to answer when and how that was going to happen.  To the disciples, Herod's temple seemed indestructible, since it had taken over 40 years to build.  Yet Jesus predicts in Matthew 24:4-14 what would be the historic destruction of that very temple in 70 A.D.  Then with a seamless transition, Jesus uses the prediction of the temple's destruction as a template to point his disciples and us to the farther future in Matthew 24:15-20.  By the time you reach Matthew 24:21-31, you realize you are no longer in the first century times following Jesus' ascension and the Temple's destruction, but now you are witnessing the yet to come tribulation period. As Jesus finishes out answering this first question, He uses the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32-41 to summarize both His near prediction of Herod's Temple's destruction in 70 A.D and the future Great Tribulation. 
 

2. "And what will be the sign of your coming" Matt 24:42-25:30
The answer to this second question has Jesus the Master preacher moving onto his second point concerning His second coming.  Matthew 24:1-41 is the warm-up and first point to what is the central theme of Jesus' final sermon: Readiness for His Second Coming.  As you read Matthew 24:42-25:30, you see statements about "readiness":

a. Matthew 24:42 - "Therefore be on the alert"
b. Matthew 24:44 - "be ready"
c. Matthew 25:10 - "who were ready"
d. Matthew 25:13 "Be on the alert then"

To reinforce the readiness necessary for His Second coming, Jesus uses several parables:

a. Wedding attendants of a Jewish bride (called virgins, comparable to bridemaids) who were awaiting for the arrival of the Bridegroom coming for the bride.  Five were ready and five were not, revealing that truly saved people will be eager for Christ's return, whereas those who are pretenders and not saved will think they have plenty of time. (Matthew 25:1-13)

b. Another parable about a group of three servants given a certain responsibility over oversight to the Master's money.  Two of the servants made their master's money gain interest, since they were anticipating His immediate and imminent return.  The last servant was not expecting His master, and thus demonstrated his lost condition.  (Matthew 25:14-30)

c. It is worth mentioning that Jesus also tells the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32-41 with this same general sense of "being ready".  Though those verses occur in a different part of his sermon, yet as only Jesus the Master Preacher can do, all parts of His final message has a unity and purpose.  Be ready!

 

3. "And of the end of the age?"  Matthew 25:31-46
With the first two questions answered with some necessary overlap in the points, Jesus moves onto answer the disciples third question from Matthew 24:3.  By this point in His message, Jesus is in the far future, near the end of time and history itself.  I won't get into too many details on this final part, however we can make a couple of quick observations:

a. There are two groups of people gathered before Jesus: the Sheep and the Goats.  The Sheep are believers and the Goats are unbelievers. 

b. Because God progressively reveals His truth in greater and greater detail as time goes on, what we must understand is that Jesus is summarizing the theme of judgment.  No mention is made for example of His 1,000 year reign - a period of time that is more specifically dealt with in Revelation 20.  For Jesus' purposes in His sermon, the Millenial reign is not the focus, in so much is His answering of the final question: "and the end of the age"? As the master preacher, Jesus kept zeroed in on His main points, and did not deivate.

c. What amazes me about this final section is how personal Jesus is going to be in the judgment of believers and in the judgment of unbelievers.  Every word, deed and action will be reviewed.  When you consider the billions of people who have ever lived, you would think that such a judgment would take almost an eternity.  Yet Christ is demonstrating the fact He is truly omniscient, being able to handle such information with ease, effort and accuracy. 

Tomorrow we will take a closer look at this sermon of Jesus in understanding how it enables us to understand other scriptures that deal with end times (eschatology).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The situation that prompted the disciples to ask Jesus these three questions stemmed from their admiration of the grandeur of Herod's temple. Undoubtedly in the wider context of Matthew 21-25, Jesus had entered into Jerusalem to present Himself as Israel's King and the casting out of money changers in the temple. (Matthew 21) Matthew 22 has Jesus presenting the parable of the Marriage feast, where He illustrates the people's true attitude towards Him in rejecting His invitation to them to be His bride and subjects. With the prophetic/eschatological overtones thick in Jesus' words and actions, He then denounces both the temple system and the Pharisees with a series of woes in Matthew 23. With all of these words and activities preceeding the conversation in Matthew 24, it is no wonder the disciples thought that maybe Christ had came to deliver them from Roman Tyranny and usher in the Kingdom.

As we think further on prophetic themes in scripture, I felt it necessary to introduce the reader to Jesus' sermon on the subject - what is commonly referred to as "The Olivet Discourse" in Matthew 24-25.  When we speak about the subject of Bible prophecy or "last things", Bible teachers use the term "eschatology" ("eschatos" = final or last things and "ology" = study of).  In eschatology, questions about such subjects as Christ's return to what happens to people when they die to the future state of Israel, the church, the millennium and Eternity are raised. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poem: From Age to Age

Poem: From Age to Age

The Trinity existed before the time He invented

He alone was not alone, and in Himself was contented

The Father thought of ages to come and the Son in turn agreed

The Spirit worked forth life, hovering over what had been decreed

The Beginning age was creation when existence suddenly became

God began history's march with His glory being the aim

The first couple were created and then rebelled, choosing a tree over Him

The curse pronounced, death set in with the future looking

grim

God granted coats to cover nakedness caused by sin and shame

Thus began the second age: The Old Covenant age by name

The Patriarchs and Prophets foresaw the promised hope to be

By faith they believed the promise from God who reigns eternally

Silence passed from Malachi to Matthew with hope fading fast

Would the promise made by God ever come to pass?

Then in time The Champion was conceived in a virgin to

bless

Born in a stable, veiled in fraility, this God in human flesh

He lived, He taught to His cross, was raised and then ascended

In His Name the Spirit came, from the Father the Dove descended

The Old Covenant, former age closed, the work forever done

The church was born, hope rekindled, the present age begun

2,000 years has come and gone, and we lift our eyes on high

Awaiting the Savior to return, our redemption draweth nigh

When He comes, this age will end, the church will defy the ground

To Him resurrected saints will be gathered, with glory rushing around

Then comes wrath, the cosmos shakes, the earth a darkened mass

Quaking, shaking, fearsome sounds, Christ is coming fast

Hording armies will raise their swords to fight the Eternal King

With one swipe of His terrible sword their defeat in history will ring

The Kingdom Age, a millennium long, Christ will reign alone

He'll judge the nations, reign with peace, with majesty on His throne

As that fourth age ends and the sun is setting, the enemy will be let

loose

To lead a final war against the King, with the nations 

in his noose

The Final Judgment will then commence, unbelievers raised to

contempt

Sadness will swell, tears wiped from those who by

faith are exempt

Heaven and earth will be made anew, Christ and His church shall be

The glorious saints, in resurrected form will praise Him eternally

Top 12 Scriptures in Bible Prophecy

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Genesis 3:15 is significant for three reasons: First, it is the first mention of the Gospel; secondly, it contains the first promise and thirdly, it is an example of the first Bible prophecy.  On that last point I want to focus our attention today as we consider what I believe to be the top twelve verses, sections of scriptures or even Bible Books for studying Bible prophecy.  I recognize that my listing here is more my own list, and should not be taken to be "The Official Top Twelve".  Second, I recognize that more able Bible Students and Scholars than I may have a different list of candidates in their own "Top Twelve".  Frankly, I welcome the interraction and always desire to learn and know how to communicate God's Word better.  Then finally, with there being over 800 Bible prophecies in God's Word, there is no shortage of material when it comes to what God has to say about End Time events. 

With that said, I will for sake of space simply list the top 12 passages with some minimal commentary. May this list enable the student of scripture to start their study in Bible prophecy. For convenience's sake I will list the passages in their order of appearance in the Bible (i.e their canonical order).

A Listing of the Top Twelve Scriptures in Bible Prophecy

1. Genesis 3:15.  This one verse is the first prophecy in scripture and lays out the entirety of redemptive and prophetic history - the cosmic conflict between Christ and His Sovereign Kingdom versus the defeat of Satan and his secondary kingdom.

2. Genesis 12:1-7.  God's promise to Abraham sets the stage for God's program for bringing Christ in to the world in His first coming, as well as His Second coming.  God promised Abraham a "seed", which refers to Israel, ultimately Christ and then all of those redeemed in saving faith.  Second, God promised Abraham a "land", which refers to the nation of Israel, and of which will be the focal point of many prophetic events.  Then God promised Abraham a blessing, whereby through Him all of the nations would be blessed. 

3. 2 Samuel 7:13-16.  God's Covenant to David is an extension of the "seed" promise to Abraham, and bridges the distance between Abraham and Christ.  Not only is it vital for understanding Christ's identity in His first coming, but even more importantly is a cornerstone passage for what will occur when He returns to set up His Kingdom following His second coming.

4. Psalm 2 and 110.  I put these two passage together, since they occur in the same Bible Book and are referred to by scholars as "Enthronement Psalms" or "Messianic Psalms".  These two chapters depict the prophetic (or sometimes called eschatological) intent of God's covenant with David.  Psalm 110 is the most quoted passage in the New Testament, making it a cornerstone passage in the study of Bible prophecy. 

5. Jeremiah 31-33.  These three chapters in Jeremiah outline the predicted New Covenant Age, and correspond to the "blessing" aspect of God's promise to Israel.  Some Bible teachers believe that the New Covenant has been inaugurated or spiritually initiated in this current church age, with the full physical manifestation expected at Christ's return, when He restores the nation of Israel. 

6. Daniel 9:23-27.  I refer to this as the Bible's most amazing prophecy, simply because of its depth and range of coverage - spanning from the days of Jerusalem's Exile to Babylon, through to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ all the way to His second coming.  More could be said, however we also see prophecy's villain - the Anti-Christ and of course the Reigning Hero - Jesus Christ.

7. Daniel 11-12.  These two chapters cover all of history from the close of the Old Testament up until the time of Christ's return.   Daniel 11 details the time between the Testaments and then the final rebellion prior to Christ's return. The doctrines of resurrection receive their greatest treatment in all of the Old Testament in Daniel 12.

8. Matthew 24-25.  Jesus' Olivet Discourse, where He preaches His series on major Prophetic themes, is perhaps the true heart of what will be the New Testament's explanation of Prophecy from the Old Testament.  

9. 1 Corinthians 15:20-58.  This masterful section of verses gives what is perhaps the most concise chronology of major prophetic events in the New Testament.  The value of this passage is in how Eschatology or Prophecy is practically and doctrinally shown to connect to what Jesus accomplished in His First coming.  Furthermore, Bible prophecy is shown to be integral to the over all message of the Gospel.

10. 1 Thessalonians 4-5. It is in these two chapters we come to understand the doctrines of Christ's catching away his church - or what is better known as the rapture of the church.  Christ's second coming is spoken of extensively in these two chapters.  Another chapter that can be read in concert with these two chapters is 2 Thessalonians 2.

11. 2 Peter 3. This grand chapter in Peter's second letter helps the reader tie together the events of Genesis to the Prophetic Events of the New Testament.  We see God's heart for unbelievers, evidence for the worldwide flood and the prediction of the final closing of history in preparation for the New Heavens and New Earth.

12. The Book of Revelation.  I put the whole book, since it is God's final word on prophetic themes.  No study of Bible Prophecy is complete without seriously considering the interpretation and message of this Book. 

I could had listed other passages, however the aim of today's blog is to give you a sample of what is in God's Word when it comes to studying Bible prophecy.  I am sure as you do your own study, you will find other passages that you can add to your own list.  Remember, it is our privilege and duty as Christians to give reason for the hope that is in us. (1 Peter 3:15)   

Picturing Calvary's Alphabet - Deuteronomy 19-21

Hebrews 2:14-15 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Christ's work pictured and predicted in the Old Testament
The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the central acts of history and the Bible.  When we look at the Old Testament - we can divide all the 39 books of that part of the scriptures in the following ways:

1. Genesis - Song of Solomon (Pentateuch, Historical Books and Poetic Books) picture the work of Christ

2. Isaiah to Malachi (Major and Minor Prophets) predict the work of Christ

Thus the Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy) picture the work of Christ in Abraham's giving of Isaac (Genesis 22), the tabernacle (Exodus 25-40), the sacrifices (Leviticus 1-7), the brazen serpent on the pole (Numbers 21) and the cities of refuge (Deuteronomy 19). 

The Historical books (Joshua - Esther) picture Christ in disguise by such episodes as when He appeared as the Angel of the Lord to Joshua (Joshua 5:23) and Gideon (Judges 6:11-18).  Christ is pictured by the life of David in regards to his kingship or by Solomon in terms of his royalty (Matthew 12:42).

Then in the Poetic Books (Job - Ecclesiastes), we see Christ pictured as the bridegroom (Psalm 45, Song of Solomon), The mediator (Job 9:33) and the Divine Son (Proverbs 30:4-5). 

In the Major Prophets (Isaiah - Daniel) we see Christ predicted as the Lamb of God (Isaiah 53), the Son of Man (Daniel 7). 

Whereas in the Minor Prophets (Hosea - Malachi) we see predictions of His birth (Micah 5:3), His entry into Jerusalem on the week of His crucifixion (Zechariah 9:9), His crucifixion (Zechariah 12:10), His resurrection (Isaiah 53:10) and Return (Malachi 4:1-6). 

Christ's work portrayed & explained in the New Testament
In like manner, we can take the 27 books of the New Testament and discover how they portray and explain Christ's completed work:

1. The Gospels portray Christ as King (Matthew), Servant (Mark), Perfect Man (Luke) and God in Human Flesh (John).

2. Acts, the Epistles and Revelation all serve to explain the outworkings and accomplishments of Christ's finished work.  In Acts for example, we see nearly 20 sermons preached in the early church, with half of them centering around the resurrection.  The 21 New Testament letters describe Christ's work as providing justification (Romans), Sanctification (1 & 2 Corinthians), Forgiveness and Adoption and New Life (Galatians-2 Timothy), as well as salvation having been planned before time began (Ephesians, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2).  Revelation of course tells us that Christ's second coming is made possible only because He was the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 5)

Tracing how the Bible communicates the centrality of Christ's cross and resurrection will enable us to understand the pictures of Calvary given to us in Deuteronomy 19-21.

Deuteronomy 19-21 pictures four reasons for the cross
In Deuteronomy Moses is preaching his final sermon series to a generation of Israelites ready to cross over to Canaanland.  What he is writing about in Deuteronomy 19-21 provides pictures of the four reasons Christ came.  As you will see, some of these passages are actually spoken of in the New Testament.  So why the cross?  As we will see, the pictures of Christ's accomplishments will be presented in alphabetical order: A,B,C & D: 
Asylum from Wrath.  Deuteronomy 19:4-7
The cities of refuge were revealed originally in Numbers 35 as six cities where those who accidently killed a fellow Israelite.  The one who did the unintentional taking of a life was called "the manslayer".  By the laws of that day, a relative of the one slain to claim the right to exact vengance on the manslayer, pursuing him or her to kill her (thus that relative was termed "the avenger").  To curb what would be the killing of people who didn't mean to kill another person, God ordained "cities of refuge" whereby the manslayers could flee and be protected from the legal right of the avenger to "avenge" the death of their relatives.1 

Hebrews 6:18 uses this imagery in its description of Jesus Christ - "so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us."  Numerous other New Testament texts describe Christ as the only refuge to whom the sinner can flee to escape the avenging wrath of God. (such as Romans 5:9-10 and 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9).2 

Bearing of our sins. Deuteronomy 19:15-19
Deuteronomy 19:15 tells us - “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed."  As you go down through the text, you discover details of how a Jewish court proceeding is supposed to go, and penalties that follow if protocol is not followed.  Amazingly, this text shows the injustice that Christ suffered in His three Jewish Trials and three Gentile trials.3   Thankfully Jesus came to bear our sins, in our place, upon Himself. (Isaiah 53:3-4,7; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Peter 3:18) He paid the ransom for sin to the Father. (Mark 10:45; Romans 5:8-10)

Conquering of Satan.  Deuteronomy 20:1-4
In a seemingly obscure passage on rules for warfare, we see a beautiful picture of how Christ our High Priest was brought to us at salvation in Deuteronomy 20:2-4.4  Christ came to destroy Satan's work and tyranny, thus setting free all who by grace through faith believe. (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8)  Christ defeated the devil at the cross and rendered ineffective the power of his bondage and cruelty over Christians. (Colossians 2:11-15) 

Delivery from the Curse.  Deuteronomy 21:23
Galatians 3:13 actually quotes Deuteronomy 21:23 with these words - "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”.  Here is a question: "Why didn't Jesus just come down on a Friday, get his finger pricked to put blood in a vial, and then go back up to Heaven by Sunday?  Why did He have to come, live, die and raise from the dead?  One reason: to reverse the curse.  The Old Adam by his disobedience brought a curse upon all humanity and our world. (Genesis 3)  However the New Adam, Christ, brings life and exemption from the curse of spiritual death upon all who by grace through faith believe. (Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:21ff)5

Would you and I praise the Lord this day for the reasons He came!

End Notes_______________________

1.  The place of the Avenger in ancient Biblical history had its beginnings in the Covenant spoken to Noah in Genesis 9:6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man."  Undoubtedly man had taken this principle and exploited it to exact vengence in both just and unjust ways.  God spoke to Moses in Exodus 21:14 of how He was going to make provisions of refuge for manslayers among the Israelites.  According to Deuteronomy 19 and the more detailed passage in Numbers 35, the manslayer would live in the city of refuge until the death of the then reigning high priest. Once that occured, the avenger no longer had legal right to kill the manslayer, and thus the manslayer was "free" to return home.  I put "free" in quotes, since there could always be the fear of retaliation from the Avenger even though the Law of God prohibited him from pursuing the manslayer any further.  As commentators have noted, being that Jesus Christ our High Priest ever lives, we thus have an eternal safe refuge in Him protecting us from the wrath of a Holy God and Just God.  Amazingly, the One in whom I find refuge is that Holy One who because of His death, is the basis for the Father's declaration of my innocence in the Divine Refuge of His Son. (Romans 8:1)   

2.  Unlike the unintentional sinner in Deuteornomy 19, we all sinned intentionally, and deserved the penalty assigned by God's law - death. (Romans 6:23) However Christ came and died as the believer's high priest, meaning that the penalty of the law is arrested at the gate of grace wherein the sinner enters by faith into Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 6:18) Inside Jesus there is safety and outside of Christ there is wrath waiting. (John 3:16, 36)

3. We know that the Jewish priests and Sanhedrin tried to get false witnesses to testify against Jesus - resulting in their testimonies contradicting one another. (Matthew 26:25-29) Furthermore, the Jewish people themselves gladly exchanged a known criminal for Jesus, gladly accepting the curse of innocent blood in order for their wishes of crucifixion of Jesus to occur. (Matthew 26:25-26) Then of course when Pilate washed his hands of Christ in Matthew 26:24, he represented every Gentile. If Christ had not uttered on the cross in Luke 23:34 "Father forgive them", the wrath of God would had been poured out on them and us rather than Him.

4. Deuteronomy 20:2-4 reads -  2“When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. 3“He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, 4for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

5. The Curse had to be reversed for all who believe in God, by the shed blood of Christ through the drawing of the Holy Spirit at Mount Calvary, otherwise we born into this world would still fall under the curse demanded by the Law revealed at Mount Sinai. (Hebrews 12:18-24)