Apocalyptic Visions Part II
God is silent today. There are those who say they hear God but really they must be questioned as to whom it is that speaketh to them. Is it God or something else masquarading as God? Our understanding of the future rests entirely with the written canon of scripture. Some day we will see God and we will hear God and we will touch God but it isn't today.
Jesus Christ spoke of a parable about a rich land owner who goes "far away for a long time" and leaves his estate with his tenents. However, over a period of time the land owner sends servants to inquire about the estate and receive its production. However, the Lord's servants are beaten and leave empty-handed. The Lord then sends his son as the heir-representative of his estate, for surely the tenents will recognize him for who he is. When he arrives, however the tenents think to themselves that they can murder the son to inherit the Lord's estate. They cast him off the estate and murder him. The Lord returns to the estate and destroys the tenents who have usurped his authority, stolen his property and murdered his son. This parable spoke of the Jewish rejection of the Messiah and its consequences for Israel, however, this same story is easily applied to all of mankind for all have come short of the "glory of God".
The Book of Revelation is the grand central station of eschatology and just as all roads lead to Rome so all prophecies in the Old Testatment lead to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. We must remember that when it comes to prophecy its all about Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament the predictions given by the prophets was primarily in regards to our Lords FIRST advent in which he came as a lamb to the "slaughter". The cross was the first objective of Jesus Christ which is spiritual in nature and invisible. His second objective is the crown which is political in nature and quite visible. There are numerous passages in the Old Testament regarding the second objective which the desparate Jew by the time Christ had arrived in 30 A.D. had so much yearned for and this was the expectation from them who did not understand or refused to understand his stated "first" objective as the sin-bearer for humanity. We must remember there were many Jews who believed in Christ and many Jews who did not. So it is with the rest of us. Man is divided by those whose allegiance is with the "estate holder" or whose alligence is with the "tenents". To whom do you give your fealty?
The second objective of Jesus Christ will be violent and unforgiving, open warfare between angelic and human characters and massed armies with multiple campaigns both strategic and tactical. It will be open and plain for all to see just as the lightening flashes before the skies and the resultant thunder is heard by all. Many things will occur that will seem otherworldly to say the least, men with superhuman abilities able to wreak havoc with fire and weather control, angelic visitations both elect and fallen, ancient creatures used as warhorses that should have died out with the dinosaurs, stellar destruction of the earth's surface the likes of which haven't been seen by mankind. Earthquakes, famine, destruction of whole cities, wars and of course, the return of Christ. Billions will perish.
Is this the end of the world? No, it is not. The return of Christ is the restoration of the Garden of Eden but on a global scale, a Pax Christi Mundi if you will. An era of peace, prosperity and cooperation will be imposed upon the world at the Second Advent by the armies of God, Angelic and Human. Indeed the saying shall come to pass that swords will be turned into plowshares. But that time has not arrived, obviously. Ironically but it should not come as any surpise, after a long time man will revolt against the Christ seated upon his throne in Jerusalem. Mankind will be able to commissurate with the God-Man during his future earthly reign and yet we know from prophecy that seeing is not believing! Doubts will remain and these doubts will be the ground by which Satan will plant and ultimately cultivate his last great revolution once he is paroled after a 1000 year prison sentence. Once again, even in "perfect" environment, the "tenents" will seek to usurp the throne. Lucifer as he was once called, ever the master of his own destiny, will once again present to the world the knowledge of good and evil. And he will have a receptive audience to those who have quietly neglected the injuction to believe in Jesus Christ.
Once the masses of people, revolutionaries if you will, converge upon Israel and the world capitol in Jerusalem they will attempt a palace coup and install their own enlightened and glorious leader, the man who would be king, his diabolical majesty, Satan the Devil. A being of intense beauty and oratory skill, an angel of God. The masses will prefer the creature over the Creator. One can only imagine how they will rush the gates and pound the doors open into the old city and take what is not theirs. It will be a sight to behold. The hatred and jealousies exposed for all to see and manifested with fits of violence befitting a revolution. They will hate the Man seated upon the throne. And the response by God?
Fire from heaven. The revolution will be consumed in the flames of God's wrath leaving behind the charred bodies of its fanatical adherents in a funeral pyre deserving of a lost people who have embraced a rebel without a cause.
Behold, the future!
Jesus Christ spoke of a parable about a rich land owner who goes "far away for a long time" and leaves his estate with his tenents. However, over a period of time the land owner sends servants to inquire about the estate and receive its production. However, the Lord's servants are beaten and leave empty-handed. The Lord then sends his son as the heir-representative of his estate, for surely the tenents will recognize him for who he is. When he arrives, however the tenents think to themselves that they can murder the son to inherit the Lord's estate. They cast him off the estate and murder him. The Lord returns to the estate and destroys the tenents who have usurped his authority, stolen his property and murdered his son. This parable spoke of the Jewish rejection of the Messiah and its consequences for Israel, however, this same story is easily applied to all of mankind for all have come short of the "glory of God".
The Book of Revelation is the grand central station of eschatology and just as all roads lead to Rome so all prophecies in the Old Testatment lead to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. We must remember that when it comes to prophecy its all about Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament the predictions given by the prophets was primarily in regards to our Lords FIRST advent in which he came as a lamb to the "slaughter". The cross was the first objective of Jesus Christ which is spiritual in nature and invisible. His second objective is the crown which is political in nature and quite visible. There are numerous passages in the Old Testament regarding the second objective which the desparate Jew by the time Christ had arrived in 30 A.D. had so much yearned for and this was the expectation from them who did not understand or refused to understand his stated "first" objective as the sin-bearer for humanity. We must remember there were many Jews who believed in Christ and many Jews who did not. So it is with the rest of us. Man is divided by those whose allegiance is with the "estate holder" or whose alligence is with the "tenents". To whom do you give your fealty?
The second objective of Jesus Christ will be violent and unforgiving, open warfare between angelic and human characters and massed armies with multiple campaigns both strategic and tactical. It will be open and plain for all to see just as the lightening flashes before the skies and the resultant thunder is heard by all. Many things will occur that will seem otherworldly to say the least, men with superhuman abilities able to wreak havoc with fire and weather control, angelic visitations both elect and fallen, ancient creatures used as warhorses that should have died out with the dinosaurs, stellar destruction of the earth's surface the likes of which haven't been seen by mankind. Earthquakes, famine, destruction of whole cities, wars and of course, the return of Christ. Billions will perish.
Is this the end of the world? No, it is not. The return of Christ is the restoration of the Garden of Eden but on a global scale, a Pax Christi Mundi if you will. An era of peace, prosperity and cooperation will be imposed upon the world at the Second Advent by the armies of God, Angelic and Human. Indeed the saying shall come to pass that swords will be turned into plowshares. But that time has not arrived, obviously. Ironically but it should not come as any surpise, after a long time man will revolt against the Christ seated upon his throne in Jerusalem. Mankind will be able to commissurate with the God-Man during his future earthly reign and yet we know from prophecy that seeing is not believing! Doubts will remain and these doubts will be the ground by which Satan will plant and ultimately cultivate his last great revolution once he is paroled after a 1000 year prison sentence. Once again, even in "perfect" environment, the "tenents" will seek to usurp the throne. Lucifer as he was once called, ever the master of his own destiny, will once again present to the world the knowledge of good and evil. And he will have a receptive audience to those who have quietly neglected the injuction to believe in Jesus Christ.
Once the masses of people, revolutionaries if you will, converge upon Israel and the world capitol in Jerusalem they will attempt a palace coup and install their own enlightened and glorious leader, the man who would be king, his diabolical majesty, Satan the Devil. A being of intense beauty and oratory skill, an angel of God. The masses will prefer the creature over the Creator. One can only imagine how they will rush the gates and pound the doors open into the old city and take what is not theirs. It will be a sight to behold. The hatred and jealousies exposed for all to see and manifested with fits of violence befitting a revolution. They will hate the Man seated upon the throne. And the response by God?
Fire from heaven. The revolution will be consumed in the flames of God's wrath leaving behind the charred bodies of its fanatical adherents in a funeral pyre deserving of a lost people who have embraced a rebel without a cause.
Behold, the future!
posted by Bruce R. McConnell | 11:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home