Christian Essays

Signs of the end of the age

April 17th, 2010 - Prophecy

A brief check list

(Not in order of importance)

We are presently living in “The last days” or “The latter days”, a period which began at the Day of Pentecost and finishes at the return of Jesus.

References to “the last days” include the people of Israel and what conditions will be like for them.

1. The people of Israel will be in a position of ascendancy, i.e. national and international power. This will apply to the house of Israel, the house of Judah and the Jewish remnant.

Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days.

Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Micah 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

2. The coming of the Holy Spirit to all believers at the day of Pentecost will herald the beginning of a time of unprecedented grace to the world.

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

James 5:3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

3. The conditions on earth just prior to the return of Jesus will be very similar to those just prior to the great flood.

Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noah [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:38 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,

Matthew 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matthew 24:41 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

4. The fig tree, a symbol of the Jewish nation, was to put forth leaves but not fruit just prior to the return of Jesus. Old Testament references have been included to show how God uses the picture of a tree to depict a nation. Leaves represent nationhood, but the lack of fruit represents the lack of righteousness required.

Judges 9:10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us.

Judges 9:11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Isaiah 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling [fig] from the fig tree.

Jeremiah 8:13 I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: [there shall be] no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and [the things that] I have given them shall pass away from them.

Matthew 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

Matthew 21:20 And when the disciples saw [it], they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:

Mark 11:20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

Mark 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

Mark 13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

5. The trampling down of Jerusalem and Palestine by Gentiles was a temporary problem. When the “trampling” finished, the people of God were to see this as a signal that the return of Jesus is near. The “trampling” lasted 2520 years, from 604 BC when Nebuchadnezzar marched through to 1917 when General Allenby liberated the city from the Turks at the end of WW2. (One might argue that the Jews were not being “trampled” during the first advent, but even then the Romans were the dominant force.)

Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Luke 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

Luke 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Luke 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

6. When Jesus returns his coming will take many by surprise. One reason why this happens is the fact that just prior to his return the Church will be in a general state of confusion, ignorance and apostacy. (See point 6)

1 Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 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.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.

7. The Laodicean church represents the type of Church in general prevailing at the end of the age. It is described as “lukewarm” because it has become a mixture of godliness and ungodliness, worldliness and spirituality. We see this clearly in the way ecumenicalism, new Age teachings, false signs and wonders and heresy have become widely established.

Notice that Jesus is standing outside the door of the church (not some individual sinner’s heart) knocking to be let in. The reference to spueing out of the mouth refers to the role which the Church is meant to play i.e. the mouthpiece of God.

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Revelation 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

8. The Jewish nation would be established at the end of the Age, undefeated and undefeatable. Jerusalem the capital is to be protected, no matter how large the invading force. Since 1917, when the times of the Gentiles (non-Israelites) ran out, Jerusalem has withstood several major attacks, including the 6-day war, and continues to flourish.

Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Zechariah 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Zechariah 12:4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

Zechariah 12:5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem [shall be] my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

Zechariah 12:6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, [even] in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify [themselves] against Judah.

Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David [shall be] as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

9. The rise of the Pentecostal movement, has been the springboard for many deceptive ‘miracle’ events, in which signs and wonders have ocurred. The ‘Toronto manifestations, the Pensacola experiences and so on. Included in these events have been uncontrolled laughter, animal behaviour (i.e. barking, crowing, honking etc), birth-pangs, falling down, shaking, going into a trance, weird vocalisations, visions of angels and other things, glory clouds, gold dust and gold fillings replacing amalgam fillings, and oil dripping from hands. All of these strange events have an uncanny similarity to identical events connected with the worship and veneration of Mary in grottos and other places.

As a result of the false miracles, many thousands of sincere Christians have been led to accept heretical teachings. The miracles have confirmed the teachings, in the same way that visions of Mary have wiped out the clear Biblical teaching that the living have no communication with the dead. Christians are also seeking the same thing which followers of the occult seek, namely personal power.

Nobody is led astray all at once. The ‘signs and wonders’ movement is aimed at: leading astray God’s people, undermining the authority of the written Word, and at making fools of the saints.

As Jesus said : Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The coming of the ‘signs and wonders’ movement is permitted by God, as a means of sorting out those who adhere strictly to the written Word and those who do not.

1 Corinthians 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

One prevalent heresy in the ‘signs and wonders’ movement is the idea that the Holy Spirit can be imparted through the hands (or an inanimate object) into another believer like some sort of fluid, transferred from one bucket to the next. This makes nonsense of God the Spirit who is not at any preacher’s beck and call, neither is He transferable this way. As a Person He does what He wills, not what some preacher wants.

Another heresy is the teaching that there are categories of Christian : those who are ‘slain in the Spirit’ and those who are not. If a Christian does not receive some sign or wonder, they feel inferior to those who do. Not only that but this heresy negates the clear Biblical teaching that all believers have received the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.

Jerusalem and the fig tree

March 21st, 2010 - The Bible

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Mat.24:15-23 with Luke 21:20-24

The context: Jesus is explaining to his disciples what to look out for, as the signal that Jerusalem is about to be destroyed. He uses, as always, the language of the prophets, which should send us running back to the Old Testament to find the passages he is referring to, or the symbols he uses which the O.T. also uses. (Sadly, many Christians today are so unfamiliar with the style or language of the O.T. prophets that they are unable to refer back to them, and so misunderstand what these same words and expressions mean in the New Testament. Instead of using the O.T. as a manual, they make up their own interpretation, and construct all sorts of imaginative meanings, which of course have no relation to the actual meaning. The Bible interprets the Bible.)

The “abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel” is a reference to Dan.12:11, where the arrival of the abomination is part of a time-line of 1290 prophetic day/years. Christians in the time of Jesus, who understood what the prophet Daniel was speaking about, would have known exactly where they were in history, and they would have known what was about to happen too. The irony (or sad thing) is, after about 2000 years, Christians today are still generally unaware of what Jesus was talking about!

Some background information:

In AD 66 Cestius Paulus was sent by Caesar to surround Jerusalem, and to warn the Jews that their political restlessness was annoying Caesar. The Jews were to be informed that if the trouble didn’t settle down, Caesar would punish the little Jewish nation – as he had punished many other rebels against Rome. Informed Christians would have seen the Roman soldiers lined up around the walls of the City and remembered the words of Jesus.

In 68 AD Vespasian again surrounded the City, but the Jewish hostility continued. The Zealots however, trapped inside the City, seized the Temple and City, and set up their own guard at the gates to prevent people from leaving. Jesus had already foreseen this event, which is why he forewarned his followers to flee the city when the soldiers came. Many Christians heeded the warning and left before they were trapped inside.

Jesus said “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled” Notice that Jesus said THESE be the days . . . and ALL things which are written . . .” He pointed his disciples at the present, during their own lifetime – not to some time away off in the distant future. Jesus wanted his followers to know that the wrath of God was about to be poured out on the Jewish nation, right then, rather than later.

In Luke 21 Jesus also foretold the captivity of the Jews (21:24) and the time period for Jerusalem’s “treading down”. This time period, known as the “Times of the Gentiles” is clearly given in other places in Scripture. It is 2520 years long.

Returning to the armies of Rome, they were commanded by the emperor Vespasian’s son Titus. Eusebius says “But the members of the church in Jerusalem, having been commanded before the war in accordance with a certain oracle given by revelation to the men of repute there, to depart from Jerusalem, and to inhabit a certain city of Perea called Pelia, all the believers in Christ in Jerusalem went thither, and when now the saints had abandoned both the royal metropolis itself and the whole land of Judea, the vengeance of God finally overtook the lawless persecutors of Christ and His Apostles”.

The “sign” of the armies compassing (surrounding) Jerusalem was fulfilled – Luke 21:20 – and the ABOMINATION arrived – the Roman desecrators. The Romans desolated the City and Temple, just as Jesus (and Daniel in chapter 9) had predicted.

Daniel said the City would continue to be desolated (9:26) and that the desolation would begin soon after the crucifixion. Daniel also said the City would be desolated UNTIL the consummation, as did Jesus, in Luke 21:24, when the desolator himself would be judged. Romans, Turks, Arabs and others with them, moving over the land of Palestine, judging the land with each occupation, and then in turn being judged by some other invasion . . . until the “times of the Gentiles” were fulfilled – Luke 21:24.

These “Times of the Gentiles” ran out in 1917, when General Allenby, leading the Allies against the Africa Corps and Hitler, drove the Turks from the City and took possession. From then on the land began to recover. The Jews started to return. Eventually the flag of Zion flew over the City and the Jewish nation was established.

The story of the fig tree.

Luke 13:6 – 10.

In this story, a man has a fig tree in his vineyard. E looks after it for three years, but then decides, because it bears no fruit, to destroy the tree. He gives it one more chance, with the intention of cutting it down if it still refuses to bear.

As we already know, from Daniel 9, the ministry of Jesus was planned to last for 7 years, but he was “cut off” or crucified, in the “midst of the week”. The three years of Jesus’ ministry correspond to the three years in the story.

The fig tree represents the Jewish nation, which was planted in God’s vineyard, that is, within the territory of Palestine, the covenant land. The Jews regarded the fig tree as so valuable that to cut them down was a crime which should be punished by God. The death penalty was not thought too harsh for the destruction of fig trees, palms or olives. And this attitude was held even if the trees produced a tiny crop, since they thought any crop was enough to justify keeping the tree.

There is a species, called the Benoth Shuach, which takes 3 years – so the Jews believed – to ripen fully. They might have thought of this particular species of fig when Jesus was telling the story to them.

The fig tree was also considered the most fruitful of all trees, and was normally planted inside the vineyard enclosure, where it would have the best, well-cared-for soil. The Jews believed in regular manuring of their gardens and orchards.

The Jews regarded a barren fig tree harshly because:

1. Its roots undermined the soil, taking the goodness, but leaving nothing,

2. It filled valuable space where vines, or better trees could grow,

3. It bore no fruit, so all the effort spent on it was wasted.

It was in fact considered a duty to cut down barren trees.

The fruit of the fig tree appears before its leaves begin to open, so, when Jesus cursed the leafy tree in Mat.21:19, he was indicating how the Jewish nation, for all its outward growth was not showing or bearing any fruit. The Jews had their City and Temple, their communities, commerce, clothes and other fashions. Outwardly they appeared to be prospering – but this was all leaves. They lacked the inward fruit of righteousness and a love for God.

Another allusion to figs is in Jer. 24:5 where God calls the Jews who are in captivity “figs”. He says that the “good figs” are the ones whom God gathers back to meet the Messiah, which they did some 400 years later. Unfortunately figs have the tendency to go rotten over time, so 400 years later the “good figs” had become “bad figs”.

The three fig tree passages:

1. Here, as a symbol of the barren Jewish nation, on the brink of judgment, but with the offer of restoration and forgiveness,

2. In Mark 11:12-14, when Jesus left Bethany towards the end of his ministry, and found “nothing but leaves” on a certain fig tree. He then pronounced a curse on the tree and said that it would not yield fruit for ever (Greek = for the age),

3. In Mat.24:32-34 where Jesus said “Now learn a (Greek = the) parable of the fig tree . . .” Jesus told this story to give us a sign of his imminent return. The re-establishment of the Jewish nation, starting in 1917, was the great sign, warning people of this generation that the return of Christ was very close.

Coupled with the third sign just listed, Jesus added : “when you see all these things . . .” referring to the generation alive at the time, which means this present generation. The promise is that the generation which sees the Jewish State appear, will live to see “all these things fulfilled”. Just how long “a generation” is we are not told. Of course, if there was a Biblical “generation” all we would need to do is count from 1917 on and we would know the day when Jesus was coming back, so the Bible gives us no definite clues on this. Moses lived 120 years, the Psalms give us three score years and ten, and maybe a few more. We can hardly go on an average age because we don’t know all the ages when people died. We can only go on the general idea of one generation passing and a new one taking its place.

Another sign:

Coupled with the fig tree sign, Jesus added yet another clear sign. He was addressing the Jews in his prophecy when he said “You shall not see me again until you begin to say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” – Luke 13:34,35. The context is important. The destruction of the City is foretold, then the restoration, then the words of the Jewish nation as they say that Jesus is blessed. This can be best interpreted to mean that during the last generation, after the Jewish nation has been re-established, a certain proportion of the Jews will begin to accept Jesus as Saviour – in other words, become Christians.

And yes, it is true, that after nearly 2000 years, a proportion of Jews are realising that Jesus is the Messiah. There are many Jewish outreach ministries going on today, many of them run by Jews, and the proportion of Christian Jews is growing.

If you are reading this, you are assuredly part of the fortunate generation which will be alive when the might Lord Jesus returns in his full glory.

Daniel Chapter 9

March 17th, 2010 - The Bible

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Before I go any further, I would like to first say that I am approaching this chapter from the Historicist point of view. There is another view, called the Futurist, which interprets this chapter in quite another way. If you are a Futurist, please bear with me. My intention is only to present an alternative view, not to attack other views.

As we read this chapter we see that Daniel understood something through the reading of some other prophetic books. He even tells us what he understood, and we may also understand the same thing if we read the same books. One of these books was the collection of prophecies made by the prophet Jeremiah, namely Jeremiah 29:10. Daniel understood that the seventy years of captivity had nearly finished, so Daniel prayed that God would remember the captive people in Babylon and bring them back to Jerusalem, just as He had promised to do.

As a result of his prayer, an angel came to Daniel and told him that there would be a time “determined” or severed, or cut off, for: the city, and those who returned to it. (Daniel made this prayer about 600 BC)

Now in the Bible, prophetic time is measured in different ways. In this case days equal years, so one week equals 7 years. See Ez.4:6 and Num.14:34.

The overall time given in Dan.9:24-27 is seventy weeks, which means that the time would equate to 490 years. This time span was to cover : the city and the people. Nothing else. There is no suggestion that the time or the details are to be transposed to any other point in history, or separated into sections and fulfilled at different times and places. The prophetic seventy weeks are just one single, seamless period of time. I am stressing this heavily because the Futurist point of view is to chop this seventy weeks into pieces and shift parts of them about – completely without warrant.

The seventy weeks are divided this way:

v.24 70 weeks = 70 x 7 = 490 day/years

v.25 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 49 day/years = 483 day/years

v.26 1 week = 7 day/years

v2.7 1 week cut in the midst = 3 and a half day/years

v25. See Ezra 7:11-13. This was the third decree of Artaxerxes in the 7th year of his reign, 457 BC. For 7 weeks (49 years) the Jews worked at rebuilding. The book of Nehemiah describes this time of rebuilding. By 408 BC things were ready, so the long wait of 62 weeks (or 483 years) began. This long silence is the gap between Malachi and Matthew, as the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah to come. Mal. 3:1 gives the warning that the Lord would suddenly come to his Temple – exactly as history shows, because Jesus suddenly rode into Jerusalem and went to the Temple. He rode a white donkey to signify his kingship. But perhaps his sudden arrival could be dated from about 27 AD when he began his public ministry.

V26. After 62 weeks (or 483 years) Messiah was to be “cut off” which is another way of saying “crucified”, and then, after that, the people of the prince are to come and destroy the city and Temple (sanctuary). Exactly as foretold, Titus, the son of the Emperor Vespasian came soon after the crucifixion and laid siege to the city, subsequently destroying it. (Jesus also spoke about this event in a parable – Mat.22:7)

V27. Details of the last week are given. (The last seven years of the whole 490 year period). “he” that is the Messiah, did in fact “confirm” a covenant with his people, but instead of continuing for the full week (7 years) he was put to death. Jesus died in the midst of the week, that is, about the middle of the 7 year period he had allotted to his ministry to the Jews. By his death Jesus caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease, because he himself became the sacrifice and oblation.

Here again the Futurists meddle with Scripture. The Living Bible for one actually changes the word “confirm” to “make” and totally changes the meaning. There is a huge difference between confirming – which implies the ratification of something already in existence, and “making” which implies starting something new. Jesus confirmed the terms of the New Covenant by shedding his own blood. The Futurists suppose that some future leader will draw up a treaty with the Jews – something which cannot possibly be extracted from this verse.

What about the remainder of the week – the other 3 and a half years?

After Jesus rose from the dead the Great Commission continued towards his people for the rest of the seven years, and ended when Stephen was stoned to death by the Jews. From then on the gospel went out to the Gentiles. This dramatic change in direction was impressed upon the Church through the vision of the sheet, which God gave to Peter – Acts 11:18.

As mentioned before, some Bible teachers mistranslate, or use a paraphrase to pervert the meaning of Daniel 9:27. They try to make the “he” into some future Antichrist, but this view does not stand up to scrutiny, for the following reasons:

1. The context. The flow of the prophecy is focussed on the Messiah and no-one else,

2. The structure of the passage. It would violate good grammar to read it any other way.

3. The link between “he” and the “Messiah” is very strong. For other examples of a similar link see 2Chron.21:5-8, 1Kings 13:1,2, Mark 2:13, 14 and 7:34-36.

Where did the Futurist teaching come from?

To find the origin of the Futurist teaching we have to go back over a hundred years to the time when the Jesuits were very busy trying to win Protestants back to the Roman church. The Jesuits were ‘invented’ by the Pope as a sort of Secret Service, some say a Mafia, to do the worst jobs. Unfortunately they became so bad even the Pope told them to leave!. Because of their encouragement of, and involvement in, treachery and violence, the Jesuits were expelled from almost every civilized country in the world including Chile. One of these Chiliean Jesuits was a man called Emanuel Lacunza (pronounced Lacuntha), a Chilean by descent, who had become a member of the Order in 1747. Beginning his service at the age of 16 he had risen through the ranks and become a superintendent of the Noviciates. He spent his time training the others in the principles of the Order of Jesuitry.

At the close of his life he wrote a book called “The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty”. He, of course, was steeped in Romish teaching, and utterly faithful to the Papacy, who at that time was being called “the Antichrist” by the Reformers. He did not like to hear so much criticism aimed at his beloved Pope and church, so he decided to contrive a way of shifting the accusing finger away from the Papacy. He consequently changed his name to “Rabbi Ben Ezra” – a suitably Jewish name, and in the preface he claimed to be a converted Jew. The Jews, who knew all their Rabbis were not fooled for a moment, but the Protestants were not so knowledgeable, so they accepted the book at face value. Before the book began to circulate widely in Protestant England, it was printed on the island of Leon, Spain, in 1812, in two volumes, and then it was placed in the index of prohibited books in the Vatican Library. There was a plan behind the placing of the books there. The Protestants concluded that if the Vatican included any books in its index, they must be prohibited, or anti-Catholic. The Protestants fell for the trick. In 1816 a complete edition was published in London by the Diplomatic Agent of the Republic of Beunos Aires, and a copy was put into the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Now if the book had been examined carefully in the light of Scripture it would have been recognised for what it was – a fraud and a false teaching – but the Jesuit had done his homework well. The appearance of a book by a converted Jew was enough to get the false teaching right past the noses of several men of God.

For ten years the book sat on the shelf unread. Then, in 1826 Dr. Maitland the librarian read it and decided it was an interesting and believable theory. He started to teach it. Unwittingly he was expounding a theory which the Jesuits had taught some 250 years earlier, namely that the whole book of Revelation refers to some distant future time. The Jesuits had taught it to take the focus away from the Pope – now a Protestant was doing it for them.

Following almost immediately after Dr. Maitland’s work, a Dr. Burgh in Ireland published an identical book on the “future Antichrist”, and 7 years later in 1833, when the Tractarian Movement started, the book by ‘Ben Ezra’ was used to help shift the blame off the Papacy. The Tractarian Society was also called the Oxford Movement, and in Ireland it was called the Brethren movement, because its aim was to win back the Protestants to the Roman fold. One of its main teachings was that the Papacy was not the Antichrist, and that the Antichrist was yet to come.

For the teaching about the future Antichrist to succeed, it was essential that people be totally ignorant of history, and especially church history. All the expounders of Futurism made sure that details of the Dark Ages and so on were left out. Futurism came under many disguises. It was called Romanism, Anglo-Catholicism, Tractarianism, Brethrenism, and the Oxford Movement. If the true career of the Papacy was known it would not be so easy to convince people that the Roman church was good. Its history of wars, persecution, cruelties, torture, abuse of power, greed, love of wealth, robbery and so on identified it too clearly as quite the opposite.

J.N.Darby, a Romanist who later in life became an Anglican Curate, and who also founded the Brethren Movement, drew on Lacunza’s book for his ideas and interpretations of Scripture. He was also in agreement with Cardinal Newman (who was also part of the Tractarian Movement, and who also published a book which expounded the heresy known as Arianism in the 4th century. The Arians, among other things, taught that Jesus was not God in the flesh.)

Summary of the timeline:

1747 – Lacunza joins the Order of Jesuits

1812 – Lacunza’s book reaches Spain

1816 – Lacunza’s book reprinted in London

1826 – Dr. Maitland, librarian, uses Lacunza’s book to teach erroneous interpretations

1833 – the Anglo-Catholic Movement uses Lacunz’a book

Today – the Futurist teachings are widespread, being taught by virtually all Protestant evangelists. It has become the prevailing view and has so saturated the Western world that virtually every Christian believes it, whether they are aware of its name or not. Futurism has become the theme behind many Christian movies, hundreds of books and lies behind the accepted teaching of whole organisations (such as Radio Rhema).

The six things which Jesus the Messiah undertook to accomplish:

1. “To finish the transgression”

Transgression is sin, or wrong-doing, but it is also more than that – it is also the breaking of a known law. The only people who had the Law given to them were the Israelites. They were the transgressors of the Law. Is.53”8 – “For the transgression of my people was he stricken”. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came to make an end of transgression by being “stricken” or “smitten” of God, and “afflicted”. On the cross He died for the transgression of “My people” and also of the whole world. Jesus is the Saviour, and Redeemer of Israel, and Saviour of the whole world – John 4:42, Is.54:5.

2. “To make an end of sins”

Not only did Jesus atone for transgression – the breaking of the known laws of God, he also atoned for all sins, whether sins of commission or sins of omission. Heb.9:26, John 1:29, Is.38:17. Jesus has atoned for ALL sin. There is now only one barrier which stands between sinners and God – unbelief. John 16:9 – “of sin, because they believe not on me”.

3. “To make reconciliation for iniquity”

2Cor.5:19. Here we have reconciliation for iniquity, not for transgression. This means that all Mankind is embraced, potentially, by Grace. ALL who sin can now be reconciled. We have the gospel of reconciliation to all Mankind – 2Cor.5:18-20. Our commission : Mark 16:15,16.

4. “To bring in everlasting righteousness”

Is.51:6-8. God says here that his salvation shall be for ever, and his righteousness shall not be abolished. 1Cor.1:30 – Christ is “made unto us . . . righteousness”. Mankind, apart from God, has no righteousness – Is.64:3-6. Righteousness is imputed to us – Rom.4:6-11.

5. “To seal up the vision and testimony”

This means that Christ would confirm the message of the prophets, and seal, or end the old dispensation of the Law, opening a new dispensation – that of Grace – Mat.11:13, John 1:17, Mat.5:17-20.

6. “To anoint the most holy”

This anointing of the Most Holy, that is Christ, took place at his baptism, when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit – John 1:32,34. This event is linked with the fact that at this age the priests in Israel were anointed and consecrated for their work As soon as Jesus was anointed, he declared his work openly – Is. 61:1 and Luke 4:18.

This anointing, at the end of the 69th week, left the 70th week still to run. This was the last seven years of the whole 490 years. In the “midst of this week” Jesus was “cut off” – Is.53:8, or crucified. At the end of the “week” Stephen was killed – Acts 7 - and the gospel began to go out to other nations. Acts 13:45, 46 and Is.42:6 foretold this.