The Triumph of the Redeemed: An Eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times :: By Jonathan C. Brentner

 

My good friend Jonathan Brentner has produced yet another volume that gives us God’s perspective on living the Christian life in these darkening times so near the end of the Age of Grace. With all the unknowns that the immediate future holds, such a guide is one much needed. I will let Jonathan explain his excellent book and his reason for writing it.

Summary

My purpose for writing The Triumph of the Redeemed was to show how the specifics of Bible prophecy intersect with our daily lives in a way that calms our fears and encourages our hearts during the perilous times in which we live. The “blessed hope” of the gospel points us to the glorious moment when eternity begins for all who know the Savior (Titus 2:11–14). However, few believers today focus on the joy of meeting Jesus in the air. Instead, they endure affliction and heartaches with a shortsighted perspective that fails to look beyond their earthly existence.

The divorce of the Rapture from the message of the gospel has resulted in a near blackout of teaching about it. This negatively affects new believers as well as seasoned saints, as it leaves them ill-prepared to live in a fear-ridden society. In addition, this neglect, or even denial, of Bible prophecy provides no context into which a follower of Jesus can place the violence and lawlessness of our day or the push for a New World Order or what the World Economic Forum calls the “Great Reset.”

It’s a focus on the joy that lies ahead that calms our hearts amid our daily struggles as well as when reports of disconcerting world events fill our newsfeeds. This mindset enables us to put today’s widespread wickedness and thwarting of justice into a perspective that brings inner peace. The biblical teachings regarding our future are where we find relief from the anxious thoughts that so easily creep into our minds during these perilous times as well as when we suffer affliction.

In Section I, I build a case for the necessity of a two-world perspective; the one that the Apostle Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 and Romans 8:18. The heart of the message in this section is learning to value eternal realities above the fleeting things of this life.

I discovered the necessity of maintaining a firm grasp on a two-world perspective the hard way. Although I knew biblical prophecy and loved to preach about it as a young pastor, I didn’t value eternal joy above my temporal goals. When my life fell apart, I grasped for fleeting earthly aspirations rather than seize the Lord’s promise of His appearing and of my future reign with Him in His kingdom. The Lord used a renewed focus on my eternal hope to deliver me from the chains of PTSD.

Section II is all about defending premillennialism, which I call “The Foundation of Living with An Eternal Perspective.”

Premillennialism provides the key foundation for placing our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11–14) before the start of the seven-year Tribulation. If one dismisses what the Bible says about the literalness of the Tribulation and Jesus’ thousand-year reign over the nations as do amillennialists, it doesn’t matter what one believes about the placement of the Rapture in regard to the Tribulation.

In this section, rich in rehearsing many Old Testament promises to Israel, I argue for Israel’s continuing place in God’s prophetic program. A key argument that I develop is this: The certainty of the Lord fulfilling His oft-repeated promise to restore the fortunes of Israel is a necessary component of the Lord’s righteous character. Israel’s future restoration vindicates His holiness and character as a covenant-keeping God.

Section III builds on the previous one with many arguments for the pretribulation Rapture based on the assumption of premillennialism and that we must interpret biblical prophecy according to the intent of the author at the time he wrote rather than retrofit it with an understanding based on human wisdom.

I begin by demonstrating the uniqueness of the Rapture and build upon that with other arguments such as imminency, the expectation of the Thessalonians of being alive at the time of the Rapture, the surprise beginning to the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11), and even how the panic of the Thessalonians in Paul’s second letter to them verifies their expectation to miss all of the Day of the Lord, which includes the Tribulation period. In one of the chapters, I select several passages from the book of Revelation that point to our pre-Tribulation departure from this world.

Another chapter shows how the Jewish wedding customs of the first century AD fit with the pre-Tribulation Rapture and provide a perspective that removes fear regarding its suddenness.

I conclude with a review of church history that shows credible evidence of early beliefs in the Rapture as a separate event from the Second Coming as well as a very early quote that is definitely pre-Tribulational in nature.

Section IV is The Triumph of the Redeemed. I start the section with these words:

“Why have I put so much effort into establishing the biblical truths of premillennialism and the pre-Tribulation Rapture? It’s because these teachings not only honor the intent of the words of Scripture, but they alone provide the specifics of our hope that result in a gospel-driven, two-world perspective, one that mimics that of the Apostle Paul (see 2 Corinthians 4:17–18; Romans 8:18). These truths confirm the splendor of the future triumph we will someday share because of our union with Jesus Christ.”

This section has five chapters devoted to one aspect of how we as believers will share in Jesus’ triumph:

1. We Will Receive Immortal Bodies
2. We Will Celebrate with Great Jubilation
3. We Will Take Part in Jesus’ Glorious Return
4. We Will Reign with Christ
5. We Will Spend Eternity in Paradise

In the Conclusion: One Minute to Midnight, I point out several signs of Jesus’ soon return and end with a strong Gospel message for anyone who happens to be reading and does not yet know Jesus as their Savior.

I conclude with these words:

“Our exciting eternal adventure starts with the Rapture, and it’s coming soon. We will surely share in Christ’s triumph over all His foes and forever reign with Him in the Millennium—and after that in the eternal state where the joys of exploring God’s creation will never end and our amazement of seeing the New Jerusalem and our God will continue for all eternity.”

The Triumph of the Redeemed—An Eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times

Author: Jonathan C. Brentner

Publisher: Defender Publishing

ISBN: 9781948014557

To order: From the SkyWatch TV Bookstore

The Triumph of the Redeemed: An Eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times – SkyWatchTVStore.com

 

Just about three years ago, I submitted a message called “Feeling the Urgency.” This was before the so-called pandemic started, which now is a concern for the whole world. At that time, there was a definite shift in attitudes against anything that had to do with Jesus, and believers were already being labeled as “haters.” I can remember thinking that if it were to get any worse, we’d be in the wrath. Well, Guess What! It is worse, but the tribulation hasn’t started yet. (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Today, the intensity of hatred toward believers has launched into overdrive. There are so many different “alphabet” groups that it seems just breathing offends someone. What has been a part of America’s history from the beginning is now hateful, racist, bigoted, and whatever other misguided attitudes the groups declare. Even my favorite pancake syrup is going through a name change.

Some evangelical churches that used to follow and teach God’s Holy Word faithfully now claim those ideas are outdated and don’t apply to our modern world. They are proclaiming that what God called abominations were meant for the ancient “uncivilized” society, not what we have today. Would this not be covered in Matthew 24:10-11; “And then many will fall away and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray”?

Satanic activity is out in the open as never before. It seems as if our government “Of the people, By the people and For the people” is now the government of the new world order. The stage is being set to welcome a new world leader and to bring all nations under the control of that Satan-influenced evil person. End-time prophecy is totally up to date, and the few remaining major events are at the very threshold of being fulfilled.

Israel is condemned almost worldwide, while they are just trying to live in peace in their own land. There was a short lull in the negativity from the United States during the previous administration’s time in office. However, our government today is back to the idea that the land of Israel needs to be divided with the Palestinians, who never had a country of their own before. Israel is the only nation on earth that was given their land by the Lord God Jehovah.

Amos 9:14-15 states, “I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities, and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine; they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God.” When God uses the words “I Will,” it is a divine covenant that He will keep forever.

This started with the May 14, 1948 declaration that Israel was once again a sovereign nation after being absent for almost 2,000 years. The land was desolate with hardly any real vegetation growing there. Since that time, Israel has worked hard to rebuild its cities; develop irrigation systems to turn desert into fertile soil to grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables; they have become wealthy and have developed a powerful military force. They have discovered vast oil and natural gas deposits.

There have been costs involved with this as they have been attacked by other nations several times. The first was the day the announcement was made of their sovereignty, and they were attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. It can be said they received divine protection as it’s difficult to imagine a very small nation surviving such hostilities with the limited resources they had at that time.

The same can be said of the June 5, 1967 – June 10, 1967 “six-day war.” They were attacked by Jordan, Syria, and Egypt, and again it was a miraculous win for them against those nations. Israel gained valuable land, including control of Jerusalem, which has since been recognized as their true capital.

Ezekiel tells of a coalition of Russia, Turkey, and Iran that will attack Israel. That coalition exists today, even though these nations historically never really liked each other. The attack has not taken place yet, but as Ezekiel 38:4 states, God is putting “hooks” in their mouths to make them believe they can overwhelm and conquer Israel. The sabers are rattling today, and the members of the coalition are all hurting financially. They see this nation, about the size of New Jersey, sitting there with all that wealth that could bring them new prosperity. They are being led to believe Israel is ripe for the taking.

Whether this attack takes place before or after the Rapture is unknown. We do know through the prophet Ezekiel that God will ultimately be the “winner” of that conflict. It is an end of this age event that is as prominent as the Rapture and the 7-year Tribulation. These are the last remaining prophecies that will take place just prior to the physical return of Jesus to this earth to rule and reign for a thousand years.

The Rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. This event is the removal of all true believers who have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior. They are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and will be removed to meet Jesus in the air before the evil one can come forth. That is God’s promise to keep us from the horrible wrath.

The tribulation will be the worst 7-year period of time this earth has ever experienced, and the casualty count will be enormous. For the Jews alone, 2/3 will be killed during that time (Zechariah 13:8).

We are now at our Luke 21:28 time, which means the final three major events are ready to happen at any moment. Jesus said that when these events “begin” to happen, look up for our Redemption is drawing near. The “begin” time was at least three years ago, as evidenced by the messages prophecy experts were giving. As stated earlier, the intensity of end-time activity is gaining speed daily. For non-believers, it’s a time of fear and worry. For the Lord’s flock (John 10), it’s a time of anticipation of our going Home to be with the Lord forever.

The time to decide the address of your eternal home is right now. Heaven or Hell; there are no other options. Each person makes their own choice as the Father will force no one to accept His Son. However, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13). At the same time, all who reject the Savior will end up in the lake of fire with Satan and all his demons (Revelation 20:11-15).

It’s very obvious by the direction this world is turning that we are very near the introduction of the antichrist and false prophet. That means the Rapture is even closer. This is not something to take lightly, as God’s word is faithful and true. By delaying, you will be subject to a very hard time that you can absolutely avoid.

Call on Jesus today; admit you are a sinner, which we all are (Romans 3:23), believe and have faith that He is the only way to eternal life with the Father (John 14:6), and by calling, your eternity will be amazing. No one can do this for you. As stated, it’s an individual choice and the most important one you will ever make. He’s waiting for your call and will send the Holy Spirit to be within you until He comes to take us Home.

Come, Lord Jesus!

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