THIS IS NO TIME TO FALL AWAY FROM THE FAITH – Part 1
December 7, 2012
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
Mid-East conflict Within Islam, As In Syria & Egypt, Will Continue
During The Next Four Years Of President Obama’s Administration.
Religious and Governmental Differences between Them are Great,
And Will Continue To Be So In All Islamic Nations For Next 4 Years.
Islam Cults Will BE SO Preoccupied With Their Own Internal Fights
That there WILL NOT BE a Major Middle East War in Obama’s Term
But after internal struggles 10 horns will have huge weapon Stores
Then Daniel’s 11th Horn WILL Unite And Lead Them Against Israelis
After Obama’s Term A Middle East War Is NEAR, EVEN At The Doors!
Last Chance to be a FAITHFUL local Church Member
II Timothy 3:1 – This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
II Thessalonians 2:3 – Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
John 4:24 – God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
II Timothy 4:3,4 – For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Hebrews 10:25 – Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Faithful Church Members Working in the Millennium
This Series pertains ONLY to what Faithful Church Members in one of the Lord’s local visible New Testament Churches will be doing in the Millennial and Final Heaven Ages.
Almost 10 years ago I received a query from a Pastor and his wife asking the question, what will WE be doing in the 1000 year reign of Christ on the present earth, and in the age of the New Jerusalem, which continues eternally. I am very glad they said WE, because that will allow me to answer the question in a narrow, more defined, manner. Why? Because I do not feel qualified to address the broad subject of how Christ intends to use the much, much, much greater number who will be there, that were never members of one of the Lord’s local New Testament Churches. That vast throng of believers will make the local church members look like one pearl among the sands of an ocean. I was not born in the days of Enoch, or Abraham, or the tabernacle, or the temple. I became a part of a huge family, the family of God, when I was saved at age 12. I united with one of the Lord’s local New Testament Churches by baptism at age 23, and have been the pastor of the church at Dardanelle for 38 years. As you read this Update, please bear one thing in mind constantly – I WILL BE REPLYING ONLY TO THIS QUESTION: “WHAT WILL THE MEMBERS OF THE LORD’S NEW TESTAMENT CHURCHES BE DOING IN THE MILLENNIAL AND HEAVEN AGES?” I WILL SPECIFICALLY DISCUSS ONLY FAITHFUL CHURCH MEMBERS ACTIVITIES IN TWO PERIODS, NAMELY THE MILLENNIAL AND FINAL HEAVEN AGES.
The word disciple or disciples appears more than 270 times in the first five books of the New Testament. They appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts. The word disciple or disciples never appears in the 22 books that follow these five books. Why? Because the mistake of redundancy is only made by humans, never by the Holy Spirit, and it would have been redundant to use the word in any of the Epistles. Why? Because all of the 22 Epistles were written to churches or members of churches, and church members were supposed to live as disciples. All men and women benefit from the entire New Testament, and all should read it, but the last 22 Epistles were addressed either to churches or church members, and should be interpreted in that context.
Since the Book of Revelation will be the source of much of my accounting of what church members will be doing in Christ’s Millennial Reign, I will point out that we are told in Revelation 1:4 that it was addressed to the seven churches of Asia.
Revelation 1:4A – John to the seven churches which are in Asia:
And, also please take note that the following expression occurs seven times in Chapters 2 and 3.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Then, in the last Chapter of Revelation, we find once again it was written to churches.
Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.
Please keep this in mind, since I only intend to deal with what the Spirit indicates church members will be doing during the Millennium.
What is a faithful church member? It’s most simplistic outline is found in the fifth book that frequently uses the word disciple or disciples.
Acts 2:41,42 – Then they (1) that gladly received his word (2) were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [42] And (3) they CONTINUED STEADFASTLY in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
(1) They were eternally saved by putting their faith in God’s word.
(2) Then they were added to the membership of the local church at Jerusalem by baptism.
(3) Then they continued steadfastly in a local body that presented what the Lord had taught the apostles, assembled together in loving fellowship, observed the Lord’s Supper ordinance, and prayed for one another plus the work of the Lord.
These same characteristics for church members are also echoed by Paul and Jude.
I Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye STEDFAST, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Jude 1:3 – Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should EARNESTLY CONTEND for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
In this series I will deal with what the church member that overcomes will be doing in heaven. The one who is classified as overcoming meets the criteria of the three previous verses. The one overcoming will have freedom of access to the immediate presence of Christ, who is the tree of life, and paradise is where he positions himself in his millennial reign. He will position himself in the temple and city described by Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 40:2 – In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
Ezekiel 48:35 – It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.
Ezekiel 43:1-7 – Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: [2] And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. [3] And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. [4] And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. [5] So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. [6] And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. [7] And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile,
The Son of God has always been represented by the tree of life from the beginning of creation, and it has always been the desire of the Godhead that we partake of him.
Genesis 2:9A,16 – And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; THE TREE OF LIFE also in the midst of the garden, [16] And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
When we repent of our sins and put our faith in the tree of life, Jesus Christ, we spiritually eat his flesh and drink his blood, accepting them as the total offering for our sinful condition, and thereafter we are expected to continue to feed on him through his word as the source of our spiritual strength.
Acts 20:21 – Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 6:53-58 – Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. [58] This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Jesus, as the tree of life, was not talking about literally eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He spoke of the spiritual partaking of him as Savior through acceptance of his sacrifice as the total atonement for all sins. He made this very clear by informing them he would soon ascend back to heaven, and, after having done so, he would not be available for them to eat his flesh or drink his blood.
John 6:62,63 – What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Eleven of the members of the first church, who were with him at the time he gave this discourse, were saved, had met the criteria of having been properly baptized, had continued as steadfast church members, and still desired to continue feeding on his word of life.
John 6:68 – Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
The tree of life, Jesus Christ, initially gives eternal life to the believer, then desires the believer to feed on him to grow in spiritual strength. This is the abundant life promised to a faithful church member. The church member, who has the characteristics of Acts 2:41 & 42, will continue to follow the Lord as his shepherd, daily letting the Lord lead him in and out while feeding on the word he provides each day.
John 10:9,10 – I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. [10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The millennial reign of Christ is going to be a time of great learning by all of God’s children, and the closer a believer is positioned to the place where the tree of life, Jesus Christ, positions himself, the more he will learn from the lips of the Master, growing like a spiritual leaf on the tree, and the leaves will go out to share what they learn with the believers located outside the millennial city foretold by the prophet Ezekiel, as well as during the eternal heaven age of the New Jerusalem city that follows, which I will cover in detail in a future Update. The “paradise” of Revelation 2:7 is wherever the “tree of life” positions himself. During his millennial reign he will position himself in the city foretold by Ezekiel, and during the final heaven age he will sit on his throne in the city known as the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 2:7 – He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Ezekiel 40:2,35 – In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. [35] It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.