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KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES

“Teaching the things concerning the kingdom of God...”

THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE AND THE DAY OF THE LORD

Part 2 (Olivet Discourse #5)

Originally published around March 1974

Long ago God had a man in the earth in the midst of unparalleled wickedness. Noah was a preacher of righteousness in a time when “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). They went right on their wicked way until the flood came and destroyed them. What was the result? The wicked were destroyed but the righteous ones were LEFT UPON THE EARTH and stepped forth into a new dispensation, and new day of God! Can this happen again? Hear the Word of the Lord! “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the WORLD THAT THEN WAS, being overflowed with water, PERISHED: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT and perdition of ungodly men. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein DWELLETH RIGHTEOUSNESS” (II Pet. 3:3-13).

We are warned of a recurring of the VERY SAME CONDITIONS that prevailed in Noah’s day at the end of this present age. In Mat. 24:37-39 we read: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came AND TOOK THEM ALL AWAY.”

It is important to note in these verses that it was not righteous Noah, but THE WICKED, who were taken away. “And (THEY, the wicked) knew not till the flood came and TOOK THEM ALL AWAY; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be!” Many sincere Christians are foolishly looking to be “taken away” in a “rapture” just before this great and terrible day of the Lord comes. But if we can trust the word of Jesus, and we know we can, then we can be assured that EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED IN NOAH’S DAY is how the day of the Lord shall be. In the time of the flood it was clearly the wicked who were TAKEN AWAY by the flood and the “remnant,” Noah and his family of righteous, was LEFT UPON THE EARTH. In view of this I must say to you, frankly, that I have no desire whatsoever to be among those that are “taken” when two are working in the field and one is taken and the other left. I want to be a part of that company of people that is LEFT UPON THE EARTH after the judgement has passed! The day of the Lord is graphically set forth in Zech. chapter 14, and in conclusion the Spirit says, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is LEFT of ALL THE NATIONS which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year TO WORSHIP THE KING, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zech. 14:16). If you want to enter the Kingdom age you must be one who is LEFT! And of the wicked God declares: “The wicked are estranged from the womb… Before your pots can feel the thorns, He shall TAKE THEM AWAY as with a WHIRLWIND… in His wrath” (Ps. 58:3, 9). And again, “It is HE (the Lord)… that bringeth the PRINCES to NOTHING: He maketh the JUDGES OF THE EARTH as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted… He shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and THE WHIRLWIND SHALL TAKE THEM AWAY, as stubble” (Isa. 40:22-24). Yet again, “In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings… for then I will TAKE AWAY OUT OF THE MIDST OF THEE them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty… I will also LEAVE in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and THEY SHALL TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” (Zeph. 3:11-12). Of the Day of the Lord Isaiah says, “And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit SHALL BE TAKEN in the snare… the Lord shall punish the kings of the earth upon the earth” (Isa. 24:18, 21).

Let us emphasize again that in contrast to “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” which was the time of God’s punishment upon Israel, “The Day of the Lord” is the time of God’s punishment upon ALL NATIONS. There is a pattern in the Word by which God raised up nations to become His “rod,” which “rod” He used to punish and correct Israel. Then, when the work of correction was completed, God proceeded to PUNISH THE ROD because of their own failure to humble themselves before the Lord. A classic example of this is found in Isaiah chapter 10 where the Lord speaks thus to Assyria: “O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the staff in their hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will PUNISH THE STOUT HEART OF THE KING OF ASSYRIA, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength of MY HAND I have done it, and by MY WISDOM…” (Isa. 10:5-19).

God spoke the same word to Babylon and accomplished the same end. “Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land (Israel), and against the inhabitants thereof… and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. And it shall come to pass WHEN SEVENTY YEARS ARE ACCOMPLISHED, and I will PUNISH THE KING OF BABYLON, and that nation, for their iniquity…” (Jer. 25:9-14).

Now, in the end of the age, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, that DIVINE PRINCIPLE remains the same! In A.D. 70 Israel was “led away captive into ALL NATIONS.” During the 1900 years of their dispersion, the Jews settled in large numbers in most of the nations of Europe, in Russia, North Africa, Arabia and many other areas of the world. For long centuries they suffered in all these countries. They were not allowed equal privileges with the citizens of the lands, were treated harshly and cruelly, were forced to live in ghettos, and restricted in the kind of work they could do and limited in their liberties. Often they were not accepted in an area and were forced out of countries in which they had settled. The most recent, and the most terrible, of these persecutions occurred before and during World War II, when the German Nazis killed nearly six millions of Jews and drove millions of others from their homes and families. Thus we see that during the past nineteen centuries, the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” ALL NATIONS have been the “rod” in the hand of God against Israel. The attitude of all these nations has been the same bigoted attitude of Assyria and Babylon (and Rome) of old! NONE have humbled themselves before the LORD GOD to walk in His ways. Therefore, now in the end of the age, when God has turned Israel’s captivity, when the times of Gentiles have expired, the Lord God shall rise up to PUNISH ALL NATIONS – the “rod” with which He punished Israel!

And so, the Lord declares, “Come near, YE NATIONS, to hear; and hearken ye people: for the indignation of the Lord is upon ALL NATIONS, and His fury upon their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain shall also be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood… for it is the DAY OF THE LORD’S VENGENCE, and the year of recompences FOR THE CONTROVERSY OF ZION” (Isa. 34:1-4, 8). And again, “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at My hand, and cause ALL THE NATIONS… to drink it. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. For, lo, I being to bring evil on the city with is called by My name, and should YE BE UTTERLY UNPUNISHED? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I shall call for a sword UPON ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH, saith the Lord of hosts. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a CONTROVERSY WITH THE NATIONS, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword… Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation… and the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, not buried…” (Jer. 25:15, 27-33).

The prophet Zephaniah declared, “Therefore wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is to GATHER THE NATIONS, that I may ASSEMBLE THE KINGDOMS, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even ALL My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be consumed with the fire of My jealousy” (Zeph. 3:8).

The purpose of this Day of the Lord is further revealed by Isaiah: “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty. THE LOFTY LOOKS OF MAN SHALL BE HUMBLED, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and THE LORD ALONE SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY. For the Day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty” (Isa. 2:10-22). And again the Lord says, “For the Day of the Lord is near UPON ALL THE HEATHEN; as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine head. For as ye have drunk upon My holy mountain so shall all the heathen… be as though they had not been. But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of JACOB (natural Israel) shall possess their possessions” (Obadiah 15:17).

THE SONS OF GOD IN THE DAY OF THE LORD

The scriptures establish the great truth that there shall be a people of God upon this earth in the day of the Lord who shall not be touched or harmed by any of its judgement or destruction. The 91^st Psalm prophesies of this people, and they are those who are “hidden in the secret place of the Most High,” of whom it is witnessed, “A thousand shall fall at thy right side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation.” The secret place of the most High, the place of refuge and safety in the Day of the Lord, is not some geographical location on earth nor is it some spot in some far-off heaven somewhere, but it is a PLACE IN GOD, in the Spirit! “Because thou hast made the LORD… THY HABITATION (dwelling place).” You would do well to pause long enough in the reading of this Study to read the entire Psalm, and meditate upon its message.

Paul states in I Thes. 5:1-3: “But of the times and seasons brethren, ye have no need that I should write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that 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.” In contrast to the manner in which the Day of the Lord comes upon an unbelieving world, Paul continues, “But YE brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake YOU as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. For God hath NOT APPOINTED US TO WRATH, but to obtain salvation (deliverance) by our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thes. 5:4-5, 9). Hear it! THAT DAY shall NOT come upon US as a thief! If we indeed are walking in the Spirit of our God, we shall be prepared for it. And note: We are NOT APPOINTED UNTO WRATH, but to obtain salvation in that Day of the Lord! These verses clearly establish the relationship of the overcoming Sons of God to the Day of the Lord. That day will not overtake us as a thief, nor shall we experience the WRATH OF GOD poured out in that day – for WE are NOT appointed unto WRATH!

There is a divine principle here. You see, the “time of Jacob’s trouble” was the time period in which God poured out HIS WRATH upon the house of Jacob. Similarly, the “Day of the Lord” is that time in which God shall pour out HIS WRATH upon all nations of earth. But now the Spirit introduces a THIRD GROUP which is NOT APPOINTED TO RECEIVE ANY EXPRESSION OR EXPERIENCE OF WRATH FROM GOD. These are those prophesied of in the 91^st Psalm! These are the end-time saints of God, the matured and perfected body of the Christ, those who, in the Day of the Lord, are walking in the Spirit of God. These CANNOT experience the horrors of a world under judgement for God DOES NOT POUR OUT HIS WRATH UPON HIS OWN SPIRIT-LED SONS! “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God” (Rom. 8:14).

Those who do drink of God’s wrath in this last hour are identified in Rev. 14:9-10. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the WRATH OF GOD which is poured out WITHOUT MIXTURE (dilution) into the cup of His indignation.” The NATIONS are recipients of His wrath according to Rev. 19:15; “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the NATIONS: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the WINEPRESS OF THE FIERCENESS AND WRATH of Almighty God.” Paul admonishes: “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting… For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, hath an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: For because of these things COMETH THE WRATH OF GOD upon the CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE” (Eph. 5:3-6).

In contrast to all this, the Spirit says of God’s Elect: “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we SHALL BE SAVED FROM WRATH through Him” (Rom. 5:9). And again, “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from THE WRATH TO COME” (I Thes. 1:10).

God has always brought a faithful remnant through His judgements in every generation from the foundation of the world. And He has NEVER accomplished this by rapturing people up to heaven! When judgement was in the earth God’s order always was to preserve a remnant IN the judgement and thus carry them over beyond the judgement and INTO THE NEW ORDER, even into the new day, to establish the purposes of God for the new day! Thus we see that Noah was preserved IN THE FLOOD and then LEFT RIGHT HERE UPON EARTH to bring in a new age. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, but while still in Egypt the most destructive plagues did not touch God’s Elect people of that day. Said Moses: “Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are, And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which MY PEOPLE DWELL, that NO SWARMS OF FLIES SHALL BE THERE; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth” (Ex. 8:21-23). Now let us turn to Ex. 9:24-26: “So there was hail, and fire mingled with hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; Only in the land of Goshen, WHERE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE, there was no hail.” When finally the death angel passed through all the land of Egypt, he passed over all the people of Israel who were covered with blood! In each case, all, both Israelite and Egyptian, were IN THE LAND OF EGYPT, but the judgement was designed for the people of Egypt, even God’s wrath, and GOD’S ELECT CAN NEVER BE PARTAKERS OF HIS WRATH!

This doesn’t mean that we cannot suffer anything. God does indeed allow us to suffer THE WRATH OF MEN. “Yea, ALL that live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION” (II Tim. 3:12). Jesus Himself, the pattern Son, the Son of all Sons, suffered the wrath of MEN. And He has given a word to us: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world YE SHALL HAVE TRIBULATION: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33)! Of this the apostle Peter admonished, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also SUFFERED for us, leaving us an example, that YE SHOULD FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS” (I Pet. 2:21). And of Paul we read, “And there came thither certain Jews… and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.” Shortly after this Paul is seen in Antioch, “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that WE MUST THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:19, 22). So God has not promised us a flowery bed of ease with deliverance at all times from the WRATH OF MEN. But God has most assuredly promised us salvation from HIS WRATH! From HIS JUDGEMENT. From HIS INDIGNATION. The Day of the Lord is nothing other than the day of GOD’S WRATH upon a godless and God-rejecting world. From this wrath we are exempt – IF we are walking in union with the Father! IF we are, indeed, “dwelling in the secret place of the most High.”

Another example of how God delivered and preserved a remnant of His people through a period of His judgement is found in Luke chapter 21. In verses 20-22 of that chapter we read: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst it depart out… for these be the days of vengeance.” The Jewish historian, Josephus, records for us how the Christians in Jerusalem and Judea WELL REMEMBERED THIS COUNSEL of the Lord and fulfilled it. Ecclesiastical historians also record that when the Roman armies were advancing toward Jerusalem ALL WHO BELIEVED IN CHRIST fled the city, and removed to a little town named Pella, and other places beyond the Jordan. One million Jews died in that war, and, to the knowledge of the historians, NOT ONE SINGLE CHRISTIAN WAS AMONG THEM! These Christians who escaped the destruction of Jerusalem spread out carrying the gospel with them and played their part in establishing the NEW CHURCH ORDER in the earth!

Truly, I say unto you, SO SHALL IT BE IN THIS DAY OF THE LORD!

HOW shall God deliver and preserve His elect people in this Day of the Lord? Does it sound incredible to you that God should do this strange thing? Shall God lead us out into some desolate “wilderness” area, away from the power of the Beast? Shall the Spirit direct us to some “safe area” within our own land? Or, shall we remain where we are, expecting to receive our “bomb-proof” resurrection body? God preserved Noah in the ark, He preserved Israel in Egypt, Daniel in the lion’s den, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, the Jewish believers in Pella. How then, shall He deliver US? The answer is, of course, that we have only to WALK IN THE SPIRIT… to learn how to HEAR the voice of the Lord, becoming quick to OBEY all that the Father directs us. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to be walking in the Spirit in this hour! Your very life depends on it! But be not quick, my brethren, to join some “movement,” or jump on someone’s “bandwagon,” which will convince you to sell your home, uproot your family, and move off to some unknown area for “safety.” I can say to you by the Word of the Lord that all such moves in this hour are instigated by a spirit of FEAR and NOT BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD! “For GOD hath not given us the spirit of FEAR; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Tim. 1:7). Whenever you are urged to flee, or to horde up food, or to make any number of other provisions for tribulation and trouble, always seek DISCERNMENT FROM THE LORD to DISCERN whether the motivating influence in the thing is FEAR, or, if you know that you know that you have received a word from the Lord! As we thus walk in the spirit, trying the spirits, looking unto the Lord, the Spirit shall surely lead us in paths of deliverance. When the time comes for us we shall KNOW WHAT TO DO and WHERE TO GO (if anywhere) at all times in the purposes of God. It will not be the same path, or in the same way, for everyone. But as we walk in the Spirit in this last hour we cannot miss God’s way! “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Of course, many of the Lord’s people today don’t have any prophets for God to reveal any secrets to! And many are lulled into sleep, believing that nothing is going to befall this old world. Many others are in a state of unpreparedness for the testings that lie before us, being deceived by the false doctrines of Babylon, believing that there is really nothing to prepare for since all “saved” people are going to be “raptured away” just before that great and dreadful day of the Lord. Most Christians today are not even looking for the COMING of the Lord! They are looking, rather, for the GOING of the saints!

In closing this Study, we want to go back to the truth we considered in the beginning. We have now seen abundant scriptural evidence that “the time of Jacob’s trouble” was the time of God’s punishment and correction of Israel for 2,520 years (see THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON, Part IV). This punishment of Israel was consummated in the horrible pogroms against the Jews by Hitler before and during the second World War. God’s indignation against Israel has now ended. This is the day of ISRAEL’S RESTORATION as a nation and their eventual Spiritual Salvation (see Eze. 37:1-14). This work of restoration is now well under way. This also means that “the times of the Gentiles” have NOW ENDED. This heralds the long awaited DAY OF THE LORD, in which Day God’s judgement shall come upon all nations. The power and pride of the Gentile world powers shall soon be broken and the Lord shall bring all their abominations to an end. This prepares the way for the greatest display and manifestation of the glory and power of God that this old world has ever witnessed, a glory through which “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” The KINGDOM OF OUR GOD AND OF HIS CHRIST is at hand!

Thank God that He shall save Israel! Thank God that He shall also save ALL NATIONS and pour out His Spirit upon ALL FLESH. And so shall be fulfilled that which is written: “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isa. 45:22-23). And again, “ALL NATIONS whom thou hast made shall come and WORSHIP BEFORE THEE, O Lord; and shall glorify Thy name” (Ps. 86:9).

Let us not have our understanding distorted. Many are loudly proclaiming that the ending of the times of the Gentiles heralds the beginning of THE SUPREMACY OF THE JEWISH NATION as the instrument of God’s kingdom on earth during the kingdom age. This is a most serious ERROR! The national salvation of Israel DOES NOT MEAN that THEY shall occupy some privileged position in the Kingdom. Truly I say to you, it is not given to the fleshly Israel to rule the world in righteousness or administer the affairs of God’s Kingdom on earth. Jesus announced to the Jewish nation 1900 years ago, “Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be TAKEN FROM YOU, and given to a NATION bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Mat. 21:43). Peter identifies this “nation” to which the kingdom of God is given when writing to the New Creation saints in the Body of Christ. “But YE are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, AN HOLY NATION, a peculiar people” (I Pet. 2:9). He calls the Church a NATION. He also calls them a RACE, for the word “generation” is from the Greek word “genea” which means “race.” The Amplified Bible renders this: “But ye are a chosen race.” Nations are generally built up after ethnic lines. The true body of Christ is both a race and a nation because it is composed of people who have been BEGOTTEN and BORN OF GOD! Born of the Spirit! The off-spring of GOD! And God has formed this new race of men into a NATION. God Himself is thus the head of an entirely new ETHNIC GROUP, the body of the Christ, the SONS OF GOD. This is not “God’s nation.” He is the king of this nation. It is from this nation that the rulership of the Kingdom must come.

This is in line with the promise of God given millenniums ago through the prophet. “These great beasts… are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But THE SAINTS of the most High shall TAKE THE KINGDOM, and possess the Kingdom forever… judgement was given to THE SAINTS of the most High; and the time came that THE SAINTS POSSESSED THE KINGDOM… and the Kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to THE SAINTS of the most High” (Dan. 7:17-27). Who are the SAINTS? The New Testament identifies them as the overcoming body of the Christ. We are called to be saints “in Christ Jesus,” and according to Paul it is these saints who shall “judge the world” (I Cor. 6:2).

The destruction of this present evil world system does not mean that the nations shall then be subjected to the rule of the state of Israel, the fleshly seed of Abraham. The coming world government is not the rule of the Jews from the earthly Jerusalem. Isaiah, speaking of Jesus, said, “And the government shall be upon HIS SHOULDER” (Isa. 9:6). When something is upon the shoulder, the WHOLE BODY SUPPORTS THE WEIGHT OF IT. Isaiah is speaking the glorious truth that it is the BODY OF CHRIST, under its all-glorious HEAD, Jesus, which shall minister the power and authority of the KINGDOM OF GOD! Jesus Christ shall reign! And He shall reign IN and THROUGH His many-membered body.

So, let every Jew and every Gentile alike know that there is a vast difference between being “saved” and “ruling” as a Son of God in the Kingdom. Salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. “And so, All Israel shall be SAVED.” Yes, Israel shall be SAVED! “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… In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for SIN and uncleanness” (Zech. 12:10; 13:1). Salvation shall come to Israel, indeed to ALL NATIONS. But the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus is not a free gift of grace; it is a PRIZE. There are qualifications involved in winning the prize! The scripture never says, “To him that gets saved will I grant to sit with Me IN MY THRONE.” The qualification is “To him the OVERCOMETH will I grant to sit with Me IN MY THRONE” (Rev. 3:21). Again, “To him that OVERCOMETH… to HIM will I give POWER OVER THE NATIONS: and he shall RULE THEM with a rod of iron” (Rev. 2:26-27). “If WE SUFFER (with Him), we shall ALSO REIGN WITH HIM” (II Tim. 2:12). Israel, through the 2,520 years of God’s displeasure have never SUFFERED WITH HIM. Therefore, they won’t REIGN WITH HIM. They have suffered, alright, but because of their REBELLION AGAINST HIM. They have flunked every test, every opportunity ever given them, to QUALIFY for world rule. Therefore, in the coming age, they SHALL NOT REIGN OVER ANYTHING. “These shall make war with the Lamb: and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they (the kings) that are with Him are CALLED, and CHOSEN, and FAITHFUL” (Rev. 17:14). Israel was indeed CALLED and CHOSEN, but, alas, THEY WERE NEVER FAITHFUL! They shall not reign. This is given to the SONS OF GOD, through whom, Paul says, the whole creation shall be delivered.

WHO shall REIGN? “He that OVERCOMETH shall INHERIT ALL THINGS; and I will be his God, and he shall be My Son” (Rev. 21:7). “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded FOR THE WITNESS OF JESUS, and for the word of God… and THEY LIVED and REIGNED WITH CHRIST a thousand years… and they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and SHALL REIGN WITH HIM” (Rev. 20:4, 6). “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God BY THY BLOOD out of EVERY KINDRED AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE AND NATION: and hast MADE US unto our God kings and priests, and WE SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH” (Rev. 5:9-10). “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the LORD JESUS shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, When He shall come to be GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS” (II Thes. 1:7, 10).

Press on, dear ones, for we are on the winning side! We are on the way up, the kingdoms of this world are on the way down! Israel is on her way to salvation! All nations are on the path to deliverance, peace, and reconciliation to God. The Sons of God are destined to receive that glory which is reserved for them, even the glory of Jesus Christ, who is LORD OF ALL! Hallelujah! He reigns, now! We shall REIGN WITH HIM! The time is at hand.

J. PRESTON EBY

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