CURRENT EVENTS - MUST READ!

[nChrist]

Israel and the Church: Two Great Days, Two Great Doctrines
From A Voice in the Wilderness - Page 2 of 6

-- Israelites became what they were by physical birth.

-- Believers become what they are by spiritual birth.

4) The Nationality Is Different.

-- Israel belonged to this earth and to the world system.

-- The church is composed of all nations and has no citizenship on  Earth; its members are strangers and pilgrims:

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly  lusts which war against the soul (1Pet2:11)

5) The Relationship With the Father Is Different.

-- God is never presented as the Father of individual Israelites in the  Old Testament.

-- God is presented as the Father of all New Testament believers:

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you  received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father"  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should  be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because  it did not know Him (Rom8:15; 1Jn3:1)

-- Israel is now under God's judgment:

But to Israel he says: "All day long I have stretched out My hands to a  disobedient and contrary people." just as it is written: "God has given  them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that  they should not hear, to this very day" (Rom10:21;11:8)

-- The church is free from all present judgment:

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your  flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all  trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was  against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the  way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and  powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it  (Col2:13-15)

[vw: interjection... The [C]hurch is free from judgment, but the [c]hurch  is under condemnation, as seen in Revelation chs2-3 with 5 of the 7  churches :]

-- Israel was God's servant:

But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the  descendants of Abraham My friend (Isa41:8)

-- The church, each born-again believer, is God's son:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become  children [sons] of God, to those who believe in His name (Jn1:12; cf  1Jn3:1)
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[nChrist]

Israel and the Church: Two Great Days, Two Great Doctrines
From A Voice in the Wilderness - Page 3 of 6

6) The Relationship With the Son Is Different.

-- Israel is pictured as an unfaithful wife:

They say, "If a man divorces his wife, and she goes from him and becomes  another man's, may he return to her again?' Would not that land be  greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with Many lovers; Yet  return to Me," says the LORD. "Return, 0 back-sliding children," says  the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and  two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. Surely, as a wife  treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously  with Me, 0 house of Israel," says the LORD (Jer3:1,14,20; cf Isa54:1-17;  Ezk16:1-59; Hos2:1-23)

-- The church is pictured as a chaste virgin bride yet to be married in  heaven:

For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you  to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.  "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the  Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was  granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine  linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, - Write:  "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!"  And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God" (2Cor11:2;  Rev19:7-9)

-- Christ was a stumbling stone to Israel:

But we preach Christ crucified, to the jews a stumbling block and to the  Greeks foolishness. And "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense."  They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were  appointed (1Cor1:23; 1Pt2:8)

-- Christ is the foundation and chief Cornerstone of the church:

Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus  Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building,  being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you  also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.  Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen  by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a  spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices  acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (Eph2:20-22; 1Pt2:4-5)

-- Christ is Israel's Messiah and King:

Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You  are the King of Israel!" (Jn1:49)

-- Christ is the church's Savior, Bridegroom, and Head:

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the  church; and He is the Savior of the body (Eph5:23)

7)  The Relationship With the Holy Spirit Is Different.

-- The Holy Spirit rarely came upon individual Old Testament Israelites.

-- The Holy Spirit actually lives inside each New Testament believer:

Or do you not know? that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who  is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1Cor6:19)
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[nChrist]

Israel and the Church: Two Great Days, Two Great Doctrines
From A Voice in the Wilderness - Page 4 of 6

8) The Temple Is Different.

-- Israel had a Temple:

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Ex25:8)

-- The church is a temple:

In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy  temple in the Lord (Eph2:21)

The above contrasts should make it crystal clear that the church is not  Israel. Paul carefully distinguished these two separate entities when he  wrote, "Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks [Gentiles]  or to the church of God" (1Cor10:32)

THE SECOND DAY

"Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, she  delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such  things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a  nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth  to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause  delivery." says the LORD. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?"  says your God (Isa66:7-9)

At sunrise on May 14, 1948, Great Britain's flag, the Union Jack, was  hauled down from its staff over Government House in Jerusalem. The  presiding British high commissioner, Lt. Gen. Sir Allen Gordon  Cunningham, then left the Holy Land for the last time amid a 17- gun  salute. That same day, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion drove to  16 Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv -- a white, modern, two-story art  museum. There, at exactly 4 p.m., before some 400 individuals who  included Jewish religious and political leaders plus members of the  worldwide press, he read Israel's Declaration of Independence. Britain's  28-year rule of the Holy Land would end at midnight, and the modern  State of Israel would be born.

In an adjoining room, a symphony orchestra played "Hatikvah", Israel's  national anthem, while people wept.

At 5 p.m. on that same day in New York City, the UN General Assembly  hastily convened an emergency meeting to consider the war clouds due to  unleash their fury in the Middle East at 6 p.m. New York time (midnight  in Israel). The UN had one hour to do something.
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[nChrist]

Israel and the Church: Two Great Days, Two Great Doctrines
From A Voice in the Wilderness - Page 5 of 6

Suddenly, an amazing and unexpected news bulletin arrived from  Washington. President Harry S. Truman had bestowed official U.S.  recognition on the new Jewish state. The time was 6:11 p.m. in New York,  but six hours later in Jerusalem. The British Mandate had just expired.  Truman thus recognized the Jewish state 11 minutes after it had come  into existence. His message read as follows:

This Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been  proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the  Provisional Government thereof. The United States recognizes the  provisional government as the de facto authority of the new State of  Israel.

Three days later, on May 18, Russia recognized Israel. Thus, for the  first time since September 8, A.D.70, the Holy Land, by official Gentile  action, again belonged to the Jews.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grand Summary of these Two All-Important Days
http://www.a-voice.org/tidbits/2days.htm#summary
In table/chart form

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God's Prophetic Time Out   

The question is often asked concerning how the church fits into the  prophecy of the 70 weeks in the book of the Jewish prophet Daniel. Here  is that prophecy:

Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to  finish the transgression; to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation  for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision  and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and  understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and  build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and  sixty-two weeks,- the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in  troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut  off, but not for Himself,- and the people of the prince who is to come  shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a  flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined Then he  shall confirm a covenant with many for one week,- but in the middle of  the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the  wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the  consummation; which is determined, is poured out on the desolate  (Dan9:24-27)

Six questions must be answered:

1) To whom does this prophecy refer?

It refers to Israel.

2) What is meant by the term seventy weeks?

The expression literally means "seventy sevens of years." In other  words, God told Daniel He would continue to deal with Israel for another  490 years before bringing in everlasting righteousness.
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[nChrist]

Israel and the Church: Two Great Days, Two Great Doctrines
From A Voice in the Wilderness - Page 6 of 6

3) When was the 70-week period to begin?

It was to begin with the command to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. The first  two chapters of Nehemiah inform us that this order was issued during the  20th year of Artaxerxes' accession. The Encyclopaedia Britannica sets  the date at March 4, 444 B.C.

4. What are the two major periods mentioned within the 70 weeks (490  years)?

The first period was to consist of 69 weeks (483 years): from 444 B.C.  to the crucifixion of Christ in A.D. 33.

The second period was to consist of one week (seven years): from the  Rapture to the earthly return of Jesus. Thus the 70th week of Daniel is,  in reality, the Great Tribulation.

5) Do the 70 weeks run continuously?

That is to say, is there a gap somewhere between these 490 years, or do  they run without pause until they are completed?

Dispensational Theology teaches that these "weeks" do not run  continuously and that there has been a gap, or parenthesis, of nearly  2,000 years between the 69th and 70th weeks. The chronology may be  likened to a 70-minute basketball game. For 69 minutes the game is  played at a furious, continuous pace. Then, for some reason, the referee  calls time out with the clock in the red, showing one final minute of  play. No one knows for sure when the action will resume; but at some  point, the referee will step in and blow his whistle. [vw: around here  we have often spoken of the "starting gun" :] At that moment the  teams will gather to play out the last minute of the game.

God stepped in and stopped the clock of prophecy at Calvary when Jesus  gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. This divine "time out" has  already lasted 20 centuries. But soon the Redeemer will blow His  trumpet, and the final "week" (seven years) of action will be played on  this earth.

6) Does the Bible offer other examples of time gaps in divine programs?

It does, indeed. There are at least three places where gaps of many  centuries can be found in a single, short paragraph: Isaiah 9:6-7;  61:1-2; Zechariah 9:9-10.

Thus the answer to the original question is that the church has occupied  that "timeout" period between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel's  prophecy for the past 2,000-plus years.

from "Israel My Glory" (magazine) September/October, 2007
Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry  (www.foi.org)

by Harold L. Willmington
Dean of the Willmington School of the Bible and
Liberty Home Bible Institute at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

"..knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep;
for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. Let us
walk decently, as in the day...putting on the Lord Jesus Christ..
...redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Romans 13:11-14~ Ephesians 5:16

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From A Voice In The Wilderness
Free E-Mail Subscriptions: http://www.a-voice.org/mail

[HisDaughter]

The media's Iraq con job

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: November 3, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern


By Matt Sanchez

I'm convinced that when the United States went to war in April of 2003, the media drew arms as well, and although professional neutrality is key to reporting the news, I'm not always sure how many members of the press have chosen sides.

When I first got to Iraq six months ago, I had my fingers crossed. I literally had no idea what I would find. My biggest fear was that I'd see a group of very discouraged men and women trying to implement a failing policy. I thought I'd see Iraqis poorly coping with an oppressive American military.

What made me more anxious is that I swore I'd tell the full story, the good, bad and ugly. That's what the press is supposed to do. They're supposed to tell the stories of the events that happen. The job of the press is to explain what's going on in places where most readers will never be able to go.

The fact that I am a student of history gave me an additional responsibility. Primary sources, or eyewitness to events, are highly valued resources for historians to interpret history.

Years from now, when the world looks back on Iraq, historians and academics will rely heavily on the first-person accounts of events on the ground.

It's hard to explain the shock I got when I finally got into Iraq. Unlike what I had read in the newspapers, I didn't find demoralized troops complaining about a dangerous quagmire in Iraq, and believe me, I asked.

I found men and women who complained because they weren't allowed to leave the safety of big bases and meet Iraqis. I met Iraqis who trusted American troops more than they trusted their countrymen. I met Iraqi policemen who were risking their lives to fight religious fanatics.

Sure, there were problems, but I was shocked by how the reality of Iraq was so different from what I had read back home.

Even more surprising was how poor the reporting back home has been. Time magazine writer Tim McGirk reported on a Haditha massacre while leaving out huge important facts that were pertinent to the credibility of his sources.

As a result of the research or omissions, Marines have been arrested and charged, and although most have been exonerated, the consequences of the report have ruined careers and lives.

What has been the consequence for McGirk or Time magazine? McGirk himself refused to support his own words under oath.

I learned just how different points of view were while hanging out in the Green Zone and listening to reporters complain about the waits at check points, which exist only to prevent suicide bombers and bad guys from carrying out a destructive mission.
Meanwhile, I had been living 24 hours a day with soldiers who did not complain and were risking their lives to secure those check points so that the reporters, among others, could complete their mission.

So often, the business of reporting seemed to deal less with what was happening in Iraq and more with what was happening outside of Iraq.

Every time I met an Iraqi, I always asked about Abu Ghraib, the prison abuse scandal that sent a shockwave throughout the "international community." To my surprise, most Iraqis knew little or nothing about the prison scandal and cared even less. The most important topic was security.

A sheik from Ramadi put it best: "We have our own bad people and they are much worse than yours." I was surprised to learn many Iraqis were angry the prison had been closed down, because it showed American weakness.

The big con job the media has inflicted on the American people, by systematically distorting so many details about the conflict in Iraq, does more than skew politics back home; it makes Americans distrust the sources of their information and is an assault on democracy.

Don't get me wrong. We need a critical press. Government, policy and soldiers should be scrutinized. The question I ask the reader is: Who will hold the press responsible?

The New Republic tried to play the "soldier as victim" card when it printed the Scott Beauchamp stories under the Baghdad Diarist. Beauchamp was supposed to have committed near war crimes, but it turned out he made up most of the story. Nevertheless, the New Republic printed the stories and insisted they were true.

Recently, telephone transcripts revealed New Republic editor Franklin Foer was caught in a flagrant lie when he claimed the military was censoring his writer, Beauchamp.

Call me naïve. I always thought if you lied in the public forum, a red light flashed somewhere and some really important official came by to give you a ticket while the public shunned you. Franklin Foer continues to publish the New Republic and is simply ignoring the evidence of his deceit.

Today, the news from Iraq is increasingly positive – deaths among troops are down by over 70 percent, and Iraqis have largely rejected al-Qaida. But while sectarian violence has plummeted, too many media have stopped reporting on what is, by far, the most defining event of this century.

A free people need a free press, but through omission, exaggeration, bias and just flat-out deceit, the American public has been taken for a ride – and we will all be paying a price.

[HisDaughter]

A free people need a free press, but through omission, exaggeration, bias and just flat-out deceit, the American public has been taken for a ride – and we will all be paying a price.

Exactly!

[nChrist]

Most people don't know that the nearly ALL LEFT mainstream news media feeds us only what they want us to know. It must fit their agenda before they will share it with us. We are like mushrooms in the dark being fed garbage. Anything remotely bad for the current administration is jumped on and becomes BIG NEWS. Anything remotely good is either forgotten or given very little attention.

We need more Christian News sources that will tell it like it is. WND and a few others are beginning to fill the void. Network and other far LEFT news sources don't get close to telling us the TRUTH. It's amazing how well mass brain-washing works for whole populations. BUT, we are beginning to catch on and turn their garbage off.

[HisDaughter]

I totally agree with you.  I quit watching main stream news back in the early 90's!  Nothing but garbage, hype and Hoo Ha Ha.  With them just giving you the news like in the day of Walter Cronkite, etc. are just a dim memory.  Making mountains out of mole hills doesn't impress me either.  Just to get their ratings.  And you are so right about the brainwashing aspect.  It's really sad that so many are fooled.  And it amazes me to that people are so fooled and so blind.  But they are.

[Shammu]

We need more Christian News sources that will tell it like it is. WND and a few others are beginning to fill the void. Network and other far LEFT news sources don't get close to telling us the TRUTH. It's amazing how well mass brain-washing works for whole populations. BUT, we are beginning to catch on and turn their garbage off.

AMEN brother, you wouldn't believe all the trash I have to go through for Biblical news. And as the Bible tells us, the truth shall set you free.

John 8:32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

[nChrist]

AMEN brother, you wouldn't believe all the trash I have to go through for Biblical news. And as the Bible tells us, the truth shall set you free.

John 8:32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

Brother Bob,

You're right - I really don't know. WND appears to be very good from many of the articles that I've read. I have free email subscriptions to several Christian news sources that are excellent but limited in the number of things that they cover (i.e. Voice of the Martyrs, The Patriot Post, The American Family Association, and a few others). I say limited because they usually focus on limited subject matter, and many of them only send something out once a week or less frequently. Broad coverage that can be trusted consistently is what we need. I don't mind honest mistakes from the news media - it's intentional lying that I can't stand or putting out things only when it fits their agenda.

Love In Christ,
Tom

   

[Shammu]

Brother Bob,
I don't mind honest mistakes from the news media - it's intentional lying that I can't stand or putting out things only when it fits their agenda.

Love In Christ,
Tom

   

Thats what I am talking about, the lies that are told. Trying to cover something up, when people need to know.

[nChrist]

The Day of the Lord

What is it?

By Cornelius R. Stam

The Scriptures have much to say about "the day of the Lord," but precisely what is the day of the Lord?



Generally speaking, of course, it refers to the time when the day of man, or "the times of the Gentiles," will be brought to an end and "the Lord alone shall be exalted" (Isa. 2:11,17). But will it include more than the actual return and reign of Christ? Will it include the prophesied tribulation period, during which God will bring Gentile rule to an end? We believe it will.



One pastor who teaches that the Body of Christ will go through the tribulation and that its Rapture to be with Christ will follow the tribulation, writes:



"The day of the Lord follows the tribulation and it is the day of the Lord's wrath upon those who `know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ' (II Thes. 1:8 ). It comes as `a thief in the night,' which is not so with the tribulation."



But this interpretation does not take into account all that is said in Scripture about the day of the Lord - and contradicts some of it.



When our Lord returns to earth in person, "in flaming fire taking vengeance" and "punishing" with "everlasting destruction," He will evidently dispatch His enemies forthwith. There is no evidence that this will cover a protracted period of time. Paul, describing the arrival of the day of the Lord in I Thessalonians 5:1-3 says nothing about the personal return of Christ, but he does describe a protracted period of suffering and trouble. Read this statement carefully:



"The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night, for when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."



First, note that the phrase "thief in the night" is not used to describe suddenness, but unexpectedness. The thief plans his visit for the time when he will be least expected. This phrase is so used of our Lord's return to earth in Matthew 24:43,44. But I Thessalonians 5:1-3 states that the "destruction" of "the day of the Lord" will also come as "a thief in the night."



The Antichrist will have made a seven-year covenant with Israel and the world will enjoy three and a half years of "peace and safety." Then, unexpectedly, he will break the covenant and defile the temple, plunging the nations into the most terrible time of trouble they have ever experienced (See Dan. 9:27; 12:1; Matt. 24:21).



Actually God



Next, note the phrase, "as travail upon a woman with child." When Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel "in the midst of the week"1 (Dan. 9:27), "destruction" will break out suddenly. This does not mean, however, that it will run its course in a moment. Rather, it will "come upon them" suddenly, and run its course "as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."



The travail of a woman with child takes time. The birth pangs increase both in frequency and in intensity until the child is born.



This, we suggest, illustrates the "great tribulation" far more accurately than it does the actual return of Christ, for during the great tribulation the world's troubles will indeed increase both in frequency and intensity "and they shall not escape." This "destruction," to take place during "the day of the Lord," will overtake the world of the ungodly unexpectedly, just when they are congratulating themselves as having attained "Peace and safety" (I Thes. 5:3).
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[nChrist]

The Day of the Lord - Page 2 of 4

What is it?

By Cornelius R. Stam

Now please think carefully. Will anyone be saying, "Peace and safety" at the close of the "great tribulation"? Will anyone rejoice in "Peace and safety" as the battle of Armageddon rages? How, then, can this passage about "the day of the Lord" refer only to the return of Christ after the tribulation?



But when we see that "the day of the Lord" begins with, rather than after the tribulation, all is in order.



As we know, the seven years of the tribulation will begin with the rider on the "white horse" (Rev. 6:1,2 - evidently Antichrist cf. Rev. 19:11 - the true Christ), who goes forth "conquering and to conquer." Like Antiochus Epiphanes, he will "come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (Dan. 11:21). All will go well for him and he will bring to the world a kind of peace that will win him universal allegiance. "Peace and safety"! the world will exclaim.



But of the rider on the next horse we read: "and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth" (Rev. 6:4). Then follow war, famine and death (Vers. 3-8 ).



This "destruction" will come suddenly when, after three and a half years ("in the midst of the week"), Antichrist will betray Israel and break his seven-year covenant with them (Dan. 9:27), and will, like Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrate the temple (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; Matt. 24:15; II Thes. 2:3,4).



There we have it! Our "post-tribulation" brethren say that "the day of the Lord follows the tribulation." Paul, in I Thessalonians 5:1-3, makes it clear that the day of the Lord includes the tribulation. They have men in the closing, most terrible hours of the tribulation saying, "Peace and safety"! They have the Lord's speedy judgment of the ungodly described by "travail upon a woman with child"!



No, the Rapture of the Body of Christ to be with Him will not follow the tribulation; it will precede it. Thus the Apostle Paul, after writing about the Rapture of the Body in I Thessalonians 4, continues in Chapter 5.



"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thes. 4:18 ), and "be not soon troubled" (II Thes. 2:2), for like the Thessalonian believers we are to "serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven...who hath delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thes. 1:9,10).



THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS



As we have demonstrated, the prophesied day of the Lord takes us back to the middle of the Tribulation when the "peace and safety" that Antichrist brings, will be suddenly broken, and the horrors of the "great tribulation" will come upon this world "as travail upon a woman with child."



With God's help, we will seek further to show from Scripture that the "day of the Lord" takes us back even to the beginning of the Tribulation period, for the first three and a half years of the Tribulation are the introduction to the rest.



Here we must ask what will cause men to say "peace and safety"? II Thessalonians 2 gives us light on this.



In Verse 7 the Apostle says:



"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only He who now letteth [hindereth] will let [hinder], until He be taken out of the way."



We take this to be the Holy Spirit in the Church. Not that the Holy Spirit will not be operating on earth during the Tribulation, but He will be taken out of the way as a restraining force when the Church is caught up to be with Christ.



Verse 8: "And then shall that Wicked [one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming."
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[nChrist]

The Day of the Lord - Page 3 of 4

What is it?

By Cornelius R. Stam

The "then" of Verse 8 is also used in a broad sense, for it is obvious that while the full manifestation of Antichrist will take place in the midst of the seven years of the Tribulation, his destruction will take place at the end of the seven years. Doubtless his manifestation will be a gradual matter, for when he sits in the temple of God, posing as God (Ver. 4), he will already have held sway for three and a half years. See what the Apostle says about this deceiver in Verses 9 and 10:



"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders,



"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved."



It should be observed that not all wars begin with a battle, and God here begins to wage war on this Christ-rejecting world by simply letting them believe the big lie that they have always wanted to believe. How could God state more clearly that He will begin to judge this wicked world than by removing the restraining influence and giving men up to Antichrist? And, as we say, this takes us back to the beginning of the Tribulation. This first part of the Tribulation ushers in the judgments of God for grace rejected.



Though God has sent a message of grace to all nations, they have turned a deaf ear to it.



"Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life."



"I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."



And this is exactly the case. The world has never received Christ, but when Antichrist comes they will go wild over him. He is described in the Book of Revelation as the rider on the white horse, going forth "conquering and to conquer."



Well do we remember the days of Hitler as one nation after another fell before his armies. He indeed went forth conquering, and many feared that he would continue "to conquer" until the whole world was under his sway. This, thankfully, did not take place, but with Antichrist his conquests will continue until he dominates all mankind.



It is of the utmost importance here to notice that this is God's judgment upon "them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved."



"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thes. 2:10-12).



This, then, is included in "the day of the Lord" in its broadest sense, for this is how God will begin to bring the day of man, or "the times of the Gentiles [nations]," to an end.



Thus we do not agree that "the day of the Lord follows the Tribulation" and that only His return to earth is "the day of the Lord's wrath upon those who `know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.'" God begins to judge man by giving him up to Antichrist; then comes the "great tribulation," the latter half of the seven years, and then our Lord's return to bring to a speedy end that which began as "travail upon a woman with child."



Thus, the day of the Lord, as it is spoken of in Scripture, may be referred to in a narrow sense, or in a broader sense. In its narrowest sense it refers to the reign of Christ on earth, but in its broader sense it includes the whole Tribulation period. As some theologians might put it, we have the day of the Lord proper, and the day of the Lord general, the latter including the reign of Christ and the Tribulation, when God begins to intervene in man's affairs by giving him the Antichrist, the big lie men have always wanted.
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