It's Not the End of the World - Part VII - The Land Promise & Other Questions

The Land Promise & Other Questions

We have seen from parts I -VI of this study that the coming of the Lord was always used in scripture as a day of judgment; that the day of judgment spoken of in the New Testament was that coming upon Israel, Rome, and the surrounding nations culminating with the destruction of Jerusalem in  A.D. 70; and that the prevailing views of Revelation as foretelling some future coming are not only in error, but are deliberately planned, orchestrated, and promoted to suit the desires of an evil and wicked political agenda of the Zionist and Jesuit fronts for the international bankers.  I would encourrage you to review Parts I – VI at the link above for my contributor profile as often as possbile.  Deprogramming the mind form repeated brainwashing takes time and effort.

In this conclusion of our study of the time of the coming of the Lord, or It’s Not the End of the World, there are some questions often asked which I would like to discuss.

1. One of the first questions people ask is, “What about the land promise?”.  This is an Old Testament promise given to the tribes of the sons of Jacob (Israel), because of God’s promise to Abraham, to be a special people unto God, and to occupy the land of Canaan.  Canaan had been the land of the Phoenicians, an idolatrous people and the merchant bankers of the day.  The Israelites were promised this land conditionally, as long as they obeyed God, and kept His statutes and laws. (Deut. 7, 20:17)  God told the Israelites to sweep out, clean out, and destroy the peoples of the land of Canaan as they moved in, because the occupants of the land were wicked and evil, practicing idolatry, and child sacrifice.  God did not want His people to interact with, intermarry with, nor learn the bad habits from the unrighteous.  The land promise to Israel was a simultaneous judgment upon the wicked nations occupying Canaan.

The Israelites disobeyed God almost from the beginning of their occupation of the lands of Canaan.  Our readings of Joshua tell us that they took statues of idols (unclean thing) from conquered cities, were fooled into making a treaty with some of the inhabitants, and did not entirely kill off some of the others.  After some time, as recorded in the books of the Old Testament, they intermarried and began to turn away from God, adopting idols and idol worship, and other evil practices such as child sacrifice.  They had promised to obey God, to enter into a covenant relationship with him. (Ex. 19:5-8.) Their disobedience and spiritual adultery (forsaking God, to follow after idols) was finally rewarded with a bill of divorcement from God. He put them away. (Isa. 50:1; Je 3:8; Ez. 36:17-19)  The land promise had been fulfilled. He gave them everything He had promised, and nothing thereof that had been promised remained unfulfilled. (Josh. 21: 45)  Due to the disobedience of the Israelites, the land promise is no more. 

God maintained the land of Judah for  the appearance of the promised Messiah, the Christ.  Once Jesus had come in judgment, his second appearance, at the destruction of Jerusalem, the land promise was done.  The city, the temple, and the wicked people were destroyed.  The promise is not future; it is past. The families claiming to be Israelites who live there now have no true right or claim on that land, as the original property holders were forced off their property at gun point.  It was stolen property, which makes the current inhabitants receivers of stolen property!  The men who orchestrated the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 had no right to do so.   Imagine if they had taken over the occupied state of Baja, California.   They had no right nor claim to the land they now call the State of Israel.  Those actions were violently unlawful, immoral, and unethical. 

2. Another question which is frequently asked is, “What about the end of the physical world?”   The scriptures use the word “world” in several ways.  Often it refers to the political structure, the principalities in place, the society and customs, or people of the day.  Example: 2 Pet 3:6, “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:”   What perished?  The scripture is referring to the days of Noah, and the people who lived before the flood.  God destroyed the “world” with water.  But, some 4,000 years later, the physical earth is still here.  Therefore, phrases like “the end of the world” in scripture are not referring to the end of the physical cosmos, or the physical earth, but to the end of an age, or a group of people, or the nation He is addressing.  Their known and accepted “world”, their customs and practices, or society was under judgment.

There are several lessons regarding the days of Noah and the world-wide flood which should be considered.  God is patient and long-suffering, willing that none perish (2 Pet. 3:9), as he commanded that Noah preach to the people while he built the ark for 120 years.  This author is convinced that if anyone else had listened to Noah, and believed him, and had asked to be saved, he would have been allowed on board the ark.  Even though God knew that only eight souls would listen, that only eight souls were faithful, he gave the rest of the world a second chance, each and every day for 120 years.  Then, he saved the remnant for the lineage of Christ, to bring in the plan of salvation through the Messiah, Jesus.  Since that plan of salvation has been implemented, and has been operating for the last two thousand years, and is still functioning today through all of us who will preach His gospel, I suggest that, as in the days of Noah, God will wait until He knows that no other souls are coming to Him before He decides to end this physical world.

The new heavens and new earth, the new Jerusalem, are His spiritual kingdom and city, unto which all nations flow. (2 Pet. 3:13, Is. 2:2)  The people from all nations have been flowing to them through the blood of Christ for the last two thousand years.  They will continue to do so as long as He deems profitable.

And,….I think it a dangerous occupation to be trying to determine the time God may decide to end the physical earth.  Frankly, it just isn’t our job.  That is His job, His purview.  When we attempt to go around our boss, isn’t that insubordination?  Aren’t we stepping on the toes of the Lord, and questioning his judgment when we attempt that effort?

We have instructions from the Lord, and our duty is to tell everyone of the hope that is within us, to visit the sick and the fatherless, to raise our children up to know Him, and to walk in the light as He is in the light.  That is a huge job, and should keep us plenty busy.  The rest should be left to Him.

3.  Another question which troubles many people is about the day of judgment, specifically their judgment day.  There is nothing to worry about.  It is very simple.  One of the things that the Lord took care of at the judgment of Israel, and the destruction of Jerusalem was Hades.  Hades had two components, two areas: Paradise, for the saved;  and, Tartarus for the wicked.  Luke 16:23, 24; II Cor. 12:4; II Pet. 2:4.  The dying souls could not enter Heaven before the atoning sacrifice of Christ, so the dead were held in Hades until the general resurrection.   Death and Hades, are thrown into the lake of fire in Rev. 20:14.  The general resurrection of all the souls that had been waiting in Hades occurred at that time. Dan. 12:1, 2 ties the resurrection to the “great tribulation”, which Jesus references in Matt. 24:15-21.  We have seen from Part V of this study that Matt. 24 is answering the disciples question of when the temple would be torn down.  So, the great tribulation of Dan. 12 is the period of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the judgment against Israel in  A.D. 70, and was also the time that Hades and death was thrown into the lake of fire.  Since then, every soul that dies in the Lord goes home to Heaven.  See a more complete explanation here:  The General Resurrection

The old covenant and the Mosaic Law were the earthly, physical, carnal covenant, and was a type, or foreshadow of the spiritual heavenly things.  The new covenant, confirmed and sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, was the fulfillment of the old carnal covenant in the spiritual perfection.  Moses was a type and foreshadow of the Messiah, a savior to his people who led them out of slavery.  Christ is our savior today, leading everyone who will obey out of slavery from sin and death.  Jonas’ entombment in the great fish for three days and three nights was the foreshadow of Christ’s entombment. 

Consider another fore type:  the Passover.  In the plagues of Egypt, the blood of the lamb painted over the lintel of the door was the sign to the angel of death to pass over that household.  Just so, now being covered by the blood of Christ through water baptism is the sign that death, i.e. judgment, passes over us when we leave this earthly house of our carnal body.  Judgment is the sentence of death, caused by sin.  The only way out of that is to be covered by the blood of Christ.  I suggest to you that all who are covered by the blood of Christ, and are faithful to death, experience the spiritual Passover upon our bodily death and hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, …” Matt. 25:21.

We seem to intuit this at the funerals of our loved ones, comforting each other with the words, “They are home now.”  But, we go back to church and listen to “last days” sermons, and put those same loved ones back into Hades Paradise.  Revelation 20:14 tells us that Hades was thrown into the lake of fire.  The general resurrection of all of those souls who had been waiting in Paradise happened at that time.  Jesus took the saved, the saints, home at that time.  Every Christian who has died in the Lord since that time is taken up one by one, changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52), and taken home to Heaven.  “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.“  Rev. 14:13.

4.  Another question often asked is “What about the accounting we are to give?”  God has promised He will forgive our sins and remember them no more.  What good is it, then, to stand before God, and give an accounting for the sins He has forgiven and blotted out from his memory?  Isn’t it, rather, that the accounting we will give is whether or not we are covered by the blood of Christ?  Isn’t that enough?  We either are covered, or we are not.  And, the moment that moment we die, it is sealed. No more chances; no more opportunity.  Those who are not covered by the blood of Christ at their physical, bodily death will be subject to the judgment according to their sins, and they are the ones who will have to give an account of the deeds done in the flesh.   I recommend a careful study of Ezekiel Chapter 18, specifically vs 21, and 22:

“21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

Ezek. 18:21,22 is the foreshadow of the forgiveness of the sins of those who repent, confess, believe and are baptized for the remission of their sins.  In this Christian age, under the new covenant, the New Testament, the righteousness that we are credited with is Christ’s righteousness.  By being baptized (immersed in water for the forgiveness or our sins; the symbol of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection), we have been covered by the blood of Christ and have put on His righteousness, and are in Christ.  (Gal. 3:27)  Therefore, being cloaked with Christ’s righteousness, all of our sins are forgiven by God, and are forgotten.  I get a mental image of the angel of death checking off a list – covered by the blood of Christ?  Yes, go to Heaven;  No, this way to judgment / sentencing.

In conclusion of this study, patterns repeat. Many prophecies in the Old Testament had an instant application and a future meaning.  As people are the same, have been the same since time began, they continue in the same patterns of sin.  Over and over, we fall into greed, lust, lies, theft, murder, adultery, fornication, idolatry, because of our proclivity to give in to sin.  The cycles of righteous leaders and sinful leaders repeats throughout history.   We know that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9).  God has put up with our failings, our short-comings for a long time. 

The warnings in Revelation to the seven churches of Asia, who were undergoing great persecution, are warnings we should take to heart today.  I believe that the judgment pronounced in Revelation, and carried out against Jerusalem and all of Israel in A.D. 70 for crucifying Christ, and persecuting His church are sufficient warning for us today. The book of Revelation is preserved for our edification.  If God could pass judgment upon his promised people in such a way, how much more will He judge us if we do not return to Him?  America, indeed much of the world, stands in great peril and danger of God’s judgment.

There is much evil in our world, and those who ignore the gospel of Christ are coming under judgment each day.  Christ is ruling now, and will continue to judge the nations to prune and refine, to purge and redeem His people.  “Even so, come Lord Jesus“. Rev. 22:20.