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ENDEAVORING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

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By Ken Blue

Ephesians 4:3-6 “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

There are two vitals that must exist for a church to remain healthy and productive. These are unity of fellowship and unity of doctrine. Local churches may differ, and survive. However, unity within individual churches is critical. The above text is about doctrinal unity.

THE ONE BODY. Although there are multitudes of local churches and denominations, and each differs in some way. However, there is in reality only one body of Christ. All believers are members of that one body.

 

ONE SPIRIT. There are many operations of the Spirit, yet it is the same Spirit. Every believer has the same Holy Spirit. It is important that believers understand how the Spirit works in each dispensation.

ONE HOPE. All believers have the same hope awaiting them. That hope is described in Paul’s epistles.

ONE LORD. In spite of the bleeding heart liberals, there is only ONE LORD. That Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ.

ONE FAITH. That faith is the body of truth of this dispensation. Most of the divisions exist because of a failure to rightly divide the Scriptures.

ONE BAPTISM. This is not water baptism. Rather, it is the baptism by the Spirit into Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection when we believed on Him. (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). All the saved have this one baptism.

ONE FATHER. There is one Father who rules over all, dwells in all, and acts through all.  What unity is this! It belongs to all believers, and is to be embraced by faith.

LET’S STUDY REVELATION # 27

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Revelation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE VISION IN HEAVEN – THE INNUMERABLE COMPANY OF GENTILES

 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”  (Revelation 7:9-12).

The scene shifts back to heaven and is still part of the parenthesis. It is assumed by most, that these are Gentiles who are saved during the Tribulation. The vision is in heaven and takes us forward to the return of Christ as King of kings and Lord of Lords. See verses 15-17. “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

The sealed Jews are protected, and go through the Tribulation. These Gentiles are saved during the same time period, but aren’t necessarily protected from torment and physical death. Obviously, these are righteous Gentiles who have received the Gospel of the Kingdom, or they were instrumental in the protection of Jews during the Tribulation. (See Matthew 25:31-46.) We are told in that text that Gentile nations will be saved because of their humane treatment of the Jews during those awful days.

If Gentile nations are to continue to procreate during the Millennium, then it stands to reason that not all Gentiles will be killed. The teaching that all who do not receive the mark of the Beast will be killed cannot be accurate, unless they are all resurrected in natural bodies as Lazarus was.

If the sealed Jews serve as evangelists and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the entire world, many of these Gentiles will be the fruit of their labors. Their Gospel will be a Gospel of faith and works. One must overcome and endure to the end. Their gospel is not the Gospel of grace by which believers are saved today.

It has always been God’s plan to evangelize the earth with His Good News. This He will accomplish through a converted Israel. In the following Scriptures Israel is blessed first, then that blessing extends to the Gentiles!

“…I will bless thee…and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3).

“He will be merciful unto his land, and to his people” “Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people:” (Deuteronomy 32:43).

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” (Psalms 67:1-2).

“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10).

The 144,000, no doubt, are the ones who will partially fulfill that plan.

The idea that the Bible contains more than one Gospel offends many of the brethren. We understand their concern. For many years we, too, held to the same belief. However, when challenged by others concerning this matter, it became clear that the Bible does have more than the Gospel of grace by which we are saved.

Luke 18:31-34 ought to help the reader understand that the twelve knew nothing of Christ’s upcoming death, burial, and resurrection. THEREFORE, none of them ever preached it as part of their gospel during His earthly ministry.  “Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:  And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.”

The reaction of the twelve, and of the women, after His death, ought to convince the greatest skeptic that the Gospel which we preach today was not the Gospel of the Kingdom, which was preached in the four Gospels and early Acts period. The Gospel preached in the Tribulation will be the Gospel of the Kingdom and will require both faith and works to enter the Kingdom. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

Jesus, John, and the twelve, all preached the same Gospel; and it did not contain one word about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Matthew 4:23). This is the same Gospel that will be preached during the Tribulation.

“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”  (Revelation 7:13-17).

It is said of these that they “washed their robes…” (v. 14). This washing resulted from their overcoming-faith in the crucified, resurrected, and returning King of Israel; and their rejection of the mark of the Beast. This is what is meant by, “washed their robes …in the blood of the Lamb.” This washing was something they did by suffering unto death as Jesus did.

When the writer of the Book of Job said Job was a righteous, upright, and a perfect man, he was not speaking of Job’s position in Christ. Job did not have the imputed righteousness of Christ as believers do today. He was speaking of Job’s practical righteousness.

These also have that practical righteousness because they “washed their (own) robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The washing white of their robes, “in the blood of the Lamb,” means they suffered unto death, as did the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how they washed their robes and made them white in His blood. These words are action verbs and are figures of speech depicting their suffering unto death.

These, in verses 13-17, may be in the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21 and 22. Obviously, Gentiles will not serve in Ezekiel’s millennial temple; therefore, the temple in which these Gentiles stand is the eternal temple, which appears after the thousand-year reign of Christ, and the earth is burned up…  “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4). “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). It is true that Gentiles will serve Christ in the Millennium, but it is inconceivable that they will be in the temple, since the Kingdom is given to Israel.

LET’S STUDY REVELATION #26

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Revelation

The Sealing of the 144,000 –

This Vision is on Earth

 

 

 

Purchas my commentary on Revelation (232pages) https://www.opendoorbaptist.com/Bookstore/default.aspx
 

 

 

“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”  (Revelation 7:1-8).

T

his chapter is parenthetical and answers the question asked in chapter 6:17. The sealed ones are able to stand! John’s attention is now brought back to the earth where this scene takes place, prior to the Day of the Lord or before the opening of the first seal. The information here is part of the first looping parallelism; it takes us back to the beginning. The Tribulation is not underway prior to the sealing of the 144,000.

      The four angels standing at the four corners of the earth hold back the four winds so they cannot blow. These winds are symbolic of the judgment about to be unleashed under the seals, the trumpets, and the vials. (See Jeremiah 49:36; Daniel 7:2; 8:8.)  Not a leaf is disturbed while God’s servants are sealed for protection against the Beast and his armies.

      While the winds are restrained, another angel is summoned from the east with the seal of the Living God, with which he seals 144,000 of the twelve tribes of Israel. “East” speaks of those countries east of Jerusalem and is associated with the rising sun. The angel is sent by God from heaven to seal the 144,000. What the significance of it coming from the East is, we are not told. Perhaps it is the direction from which the Messiah will come.

      Chapter 14:1 tells us what the seal is. It is a seal of protection and ownership. It may be visible to man, although it need not be. The “locusts” of chapter 9:4 are able to identify those who have it.

      The sealed remnant cannot be killed. They will overcome all of Satan’s attacks and will be God’s mighty men during the Day of the Lord. If Luke 10:19 is to be taken literally, then it must apply to the 144,000. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”   

      There are those who believe this remnant will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout the earth and will perform miracles in Jesus’ name during that time. Like John the Baptist, they will be Christ’s forerunners who warn men of the wrath to come and to prepare for the King and His Kingdom.  If these survive the Day of the Lord and enter the Kingdom in natural bodies, we must assume that some women also are associated with them, or some other group. The Scriptures are unclear on this matter.

       Two of the original tribes are noticeably absent; they are Dan and Ephraim.Levi and Joseph take their place here. Most commentators believe these two tribes introduced idolatry into Israel and that is why they are not sealed (Deuteronomy 29:18-21). However, both tribes do enter the Tribulation and survive to have a possession in the Kingdom. (See Ezekiel 40:31, 46; 48:1-2, 32.) It is obvious that some, who are not sealed, will also survive the Tribulation and enter the Kingdom in their natural bodies. Women also must survive in order for the continued propagation of these twelve tribes.   

 

LET’S STUDY REVELATION # 25

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Revelation

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

Purchas my commentary on Revelation (232pages) https://www.opendoorbaptist.com/Bookstore/default.aspx

 Events under the sixth seal parallel exactly with our Lord’s message in Matthew 24:27-30. Note especially Matthew 24:29. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” This matches Revelation 6:12, “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;” The great earthquake is the one spoken of throughout Bible prophecy. 

       Notice also, the parallel between Matthew 24 and the six seals:

 
                                                          

Matt. 24

The Seals

  

Rev 6
4-5 1st The falseChrist 1- 2
6-7 2nd Wars 3-4
7 3rd Famines 5-6
7 4th Pestilences 7-8
8-28 5th Martyrdoms 9-11
29-30 6th Signs in Heaven of Advent 12-17

  Haggai speaks of these events in chapter 2:6-7, “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.” See also Revelation 16:18. “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” See Zechariah 14:1-5. This is the earthquake that will change the landscape of Israel. It may restore the Dead Sea area to the former glory of the Garden of Eden. As we have said, this event is just prior to the Second Advent of Christ.Vance Havner said, “The most expensive piece of real-estate will be a hole in the ground.”

  Up to this seal, the plagues and persecution has been man made, but at this point, the wrath of God is displayed. This is the Great Tribulation. At the Second Advent, all men will be reduced to the same level. Man will discover that his wealth, possessions, power, prestige, titles, and rank will be of no avail against the wrath of God.

 In the first four seals, the Antichrist pursues the righteous Jews to remove them from the earth. The souls of those whom he martyred because of their faith are under the fifth seal. However, everything changes under the sixth seal, and the Son of Man returns in power and great glory to execute judgment on Satan and his followers.

  The chapter ends with this question, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (v. 17).  The answer is given in the next chapter. 

 

LET’S STUDY REVELATION #24

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Revelation

 

“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”  (Revelation 6:7-8).

 

 

 

 

 

  Verse 8 makes it clear that these riders and horses are personifications. Each personifies events and conditions that will take place in the seven year period of the Tribulation. The white horse representation will take place during the first three and one-half years. The other three personifications transpire during the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation.

 In Matthew 24:7, Jesus says pestilences will be associated with the last three riders. Pestilences are described as a usually fatal, epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague. 

            As people are airlifted from one ravaged region of the earth to another, these plagues are only hours away from any nation. Disease and plagues have never been destroyed. AIDS is worldwide. Mad cow disease is taking its toll on the North American economy. The beasts of the earth are major carriers of plagues and disease. Fleas and mosquitoes are known carriers of many plagues. Rats are notorious for the diseases and the filth they carry. This may explain why the Philistines made images of mice as an offering for their trespass, which led to their plague. We are now hearing of the deadly Bird Flu epidemic, which may threaten the world. Each day’s news report informs us of a new and horrific disease.

            The fourth part of the earth is destroyed as this final rider comes through. If these plagues are worldwide, millions will die in every nation.

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”  (Revelation 6:9-11).

            The fifth seal is set apart from the others. In it, John is shown those who were martyred for their testimony and witness. This is in keeping with the order given by the Lord in Matthew 24:9, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.”

            This prophecy has nothing to do with the church of this dispensation. These that are martyred are Jews who will be killed because of their faith and hope. They will be martyred in that period which takes place under the seals.

            The prayer for judgment on one’s enemies is not appropriate in this dispensation. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).

            However, under the Law and in that which is to follow, calls for judgment on Israel’s enemies are right and acceptable. (See Psalms 74:9-10; 79:5-6; 89:46; 94:3-4.) “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention” (Habakkuk 1:2-3).

            These events will transpire following the Rapture of the church. Many Jews will repent and accept Jesus as their resurrected Messiah. There will be a reorientation to the truth and they will realize that Jesus was their Messiah.  Isaiah 53 will become a reality to the remnant.

            They will realize their own blindness and rejection of Christ at His first advent. “…we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised… we esteemed him not…he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows… he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him… the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. …for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (Isaiah 53:3-8).

            Isaiah wrote this prophecy some seven hundred years before Christ was ever born. It speaks of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah at His first coming and their realization and repentance. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10).  It is not speaking of individual Jews who are saved during this church dispensation. 

            The martyred are seen in the imagery of being under the altar. They have given themselves a living sacrifice for the Lord Jesus Christ. These are given white robes and told to wait a while longer until others give their lives as they have. The purpose of this vision was not for the dead, but for the living. This is a promise of their resurrection.

            This view of the altar, with souls under it, should not be taken literally. We need not think of beheaded souls piling up under an altar in heaven or on earth. Souls are not beheaded. “Souls” are used for “bodies” here. It is bodies that will be martyred for Christ. Thus “bodies” are used for “souls.” The altar typifies the sacrifice which these made. 

            This imagery is called a metonymy and is a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another, of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated. Hebrews 13:10 is one example of this, “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.”

            The altar of which these believers were privileged to eat was not the literal altar, but was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The altar is used for the sacrifice. Likewise, in Revelation 6:9, the sacrifice of the martyrs is used for the altar. The vision was not for the sake of the dead, but to comfort the living. The imagery is clear. The resurrection of all the Tribulation martyrs will transpire at the same time.

            The parable in Luke 18:1-8 should be read in connection with this seal. “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8). Israel is the widow, and the adversary is the Antichrist who persecutes the (woman) remnant. God is about to avenge her of her adversary.

            Psalms 79:1-5 fits the scene on earth during the days of these martyrs, “O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.  The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.  Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?”

 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”  (Revelation 6:12-17).

            This sixth seal takes us to the end of the Tribulation and the events which accompany the Second Advent of Christ. Therefore, in these six seals you have been given a general overview of the entire seven years. The description of the actual details of the return of Christ is reserved until chapter 19.