The King is Coming :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: August 2, 2020 by RR7

This article is different from what I usually write, but I decided to present some Scriptures and comments that will hopefully help readers understand the situation.

I do have a reason for presenting these Scriptures.

First, concerning the signs of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus said, “Learn a parable of the Fig Tree” (Matt. 24:32-35).

There is wide agreement among prophecy teachers that the Fig Tree is Israel, and Jesus was saying, “Watch Israel” (Hos. 9:10; Jer. 24).

Jesus was talking to His Jewish disciples when He revealed the parable of the Fig Tree, and this was before the Church and the New Testament came into being, so I want to examine a prophecy from the Old Testament.

Second, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a child is born [first coming], unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder [Second Coming]: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:6-7).

The birth of Jesus and His first coming literally happened, so it is not unreasonable to believe that the Second Coming of Jesus will literally happen.

Isaiah even said, “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

God performed a virgin birth to make a physical first coming happen, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead makes a physical Second Coming possible.

Third, God promised to raise Israel from the dead in one day so Israel could go through the 70^th week of Daniel (so Israel can go through the Tribulation Period; Isa. 66:7-8; Dan. 9:25-27).

God showed Ezekiel a Valley of Dry Bones that He said represented the whole house of Israel (Ezek. 37:1-11).

God said He would bring those dry bones out of their graves among the heathen.

God would raise Israel from the dead (like Jesus at His first coming) and take Israel back to the land of Israel (Ezek. 37:12-21).

Fourth, God said, “I will make them one nation” (not a Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom) . . . “And David my servant shall be king over them . . . And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore” (Ezek. 37:24-28).

It looks like the Tribulation Period is shaping up; and according to the Bible, it will end with the return of the resurrected King of kings to the resurrected nation of Israel to take the government of the world upon His shoulders (Rev. 19).

Fifth, now let’s read something from the New Testament, “And the angel [Gabriel] said unto her [Mary], Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

This kingdom is mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

There will be 7 seal judgments and then 7 trumpet judgments.

Listen to what happens when the 7^th angel blows the 7^th trumpet “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

When the 7^th trumpet sounds near the middle of the Tribulation Period, God will begin to destroy the nations to take possession of this world.

He redeemed this world at the cross, and He will take it back during the last half of the Tribulation Period.

Then, He will come back at the end of the Tribulation Period to establish His throne.

God may be giving us a preview of some of the Tribulation Period events to let us know that it is getting close.

Sixth, notice God’s fulfilled promises up to this point.

God promised to raise Israel from the dead; to raise Israel from the dead before the Tribulation Period; to raise Israel from the dead in one day; to take Israel back to the land of Israel; to make Israel one nation (not two); to cause Mary to bear a Son, and that He should be named Jesus.

Seven, notice what must still happen.

God promised to give Mary’s Son the throne of David (an earthly throne in Jerusalem, different from being seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven); to make Mary’s Son the King of Israel; to sanctify Israel; to dwell in the midst of Israel; that Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever (the house of Jacob is not the Church; it is Israel), and that there will be no end to the kingdom that will be ruled by Jesus.

Eight, there is more about the King and Israel in the Old Testament, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5-6).

“I will take you [Israel] from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you [Israel], and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you [Israel], and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you [Israel] an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you [Israel], and cause you [Israel] to walk in my statutes, and ye [Israel] shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye [Israel] shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye [Israel] shall be my people, and I will be your [Israel’s] God” (Ezek. 36:24-28).

“And it shall come to pass in that day [at the Battle of Armageddon], that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the Jews], the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zech. 12:9-10).

“And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (Zech. 14:9).

Jesus is the King of the Jews, but He is also the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The government that will be upon His shoulders will include Israel and all of the nations (Jews and Gentiles).

Nine, the New Testament contains more about the salvation of Israel.

Paul wrote, “…blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Rom. 11:25b-27).

Israel’s blindness is temporary; all Israel will be saved; God will cause Israel to repent (give up her ungodliness), and God made a covenant to take away Israel’s sins.

Ten, Psalm 2 may be relevant for our time.

Verse 1: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?”

Why are the Gentile mobs raging and imagining worthless things?
Why are people rioting, looting, stealing, and imagining things that won’t do anyone any good?

Verse 2: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,’

The mobs are not doing this by themselves.
The world’s political leaders have hardened their hearts and conspired with others against God and against His anointed, Jesus Christ.

Verse 3: ‘Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.’

These mobs and political leaders have come together to say we intend to fundamentally transform the world.
We intend to break the restraints of the Scriptures and the Judeo-Christian ethic.
We intend to weaken the Church and Israel.
We intend to get rid of the Bible and the Ten Commandments.
We intend to silence those that say abortion and same-sex marriage are wrong.

Verse 4: “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”

God is laughing at their foolish idea.
God is so powerful in comparison to these mobs and the foolish political leaders of the world that He looks at their plot to break the restraints of the Scriptures, weaken the Church and Israel as a lot of hot air.
The idea that anyone can oppose God and get away with it is preposterous.

Verse 5: “Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

God will speak to the mobs and world’s political leaders with anger and afflict them with His obvious displeasure (Trib. Per.)
He is not pleased with those that are trying to establish a world government whose goal is to legislate Him and Jesus out of existence.
It is impossible to marginalize God and Jesus or to make them irrelevant.

Verse 6: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

Despite what they are doing, God will still move forward with His plan to put Jesus on the throne.
The effort of the mobs and world’s political leaders to get rid of the Bible, weaken the Church and Israel will not stop God or even slow Him down.
God’s plan to set Jesus on the throne in Jerusalem will go forward on His schedule.

Verse 7: “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”

God declared to the world that Jesus is God’s Son when God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 13:33).
It is a mistake to try to ignore the God that raised Jesus from the dead.

Verse 8: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”

God told Jesus to ask of Him and He [God] will give Jesus the people on earth for His possession.
Satan is the prince of the power of the air, but all Jesus needs to do is ask, and the God that raised Jesus from the dead will give Jesus absolute rule over this earth.

Verse 9: “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is coming to judge this earth.
He will take over the world.
He will break the rebellion on earth with a rod of iron and smash the nations like an angry person smashes a vessel of clay.

Verse 10: “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.”

God has a message for the world’s political leaders and others.
Be wise; Take this advice.

Verse 11: “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

Serve God with respect and rejoice with an understanding of how powerful He is.

Verse 12: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

Love on Jesus because He could be angry, and it would only require a little of His anger to destroy everyone on earth.
Know that Jesus will bless everyone that puts their trust in Him.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

Does God Care? :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: August 2, 2020 by RR7

We live in very trying times. I admit that sometimes I get overwhelmed by what I see and hear on the news. Everything is bad and nothing is good. Doom and gloom. The hearts of men have grown cold, violence is everywhere, and evil is made to seem good. Many people blame God for all of this and question if He even cares. Does He care? The answer is in Scripture.

Yes. God cares more than we can even imagine. Christians just might see God’s love clearly if we stop focusing on the mega-media, left-wing lies and start looking at Scripture.

How did people like Noah cope? He lived at a time when pure evil was all around, but instead of focusing on that evil, he obeyed God and built the Ark. Because he was obedient to God, he and his family were protected through God’s judgment.

We can also look to the many prophets who lived in violent times but obediently served God and spoke His truth even if it caused them to suffer. Those brave and God-fearing men didn’t have CNN or MSNBC to tell them what to think, so it was easier to hear God’s voice.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of some facts. God saw the future and gave prophecy so we can understand what’s happening. Man’s sin and Satan’s lies cause the evil, but God’s love brings forgiveness. If we look to Him, we will find peace. God created everything, and all of creation is evidence of His love.

[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.] “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1).

King David is an example of a man who saw God’s glory and praised Him instead of seeing the troubles around and becoming discouraged. When David was young, he spent many hours tending sheep. This gave him time to observe God’s creation. David was overwhelmed that God created such magnificent beauty. Try to imagine looking up into the night sky and seeing the stars twinkling. There was no light pollution nor air pollution to hide their brilliance as David looked into the heavens. The fresh light of dawn was glorious without chemtrails covering the glow, and the setting sun had its own beauty. He praised God for His creation. David had a gift of song, and he wrote of the beauty he saw.

[To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.] “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1).

English translations of Hebrew words don’t always make the meaning clear. The word “LORD” is from the Hebrew word “Yehovah” and means “the existing One.” It’s considered the proper name of God Almighty. The second word translated Lord is ‘adown and can mean “a strong master or king,” but we know it refers to God because it follows Yehovah. Essentially, David is saying “Yehovah our Master, how great and majestic is Your name everywhere!” If we would be mindful of His glory, which can be seen everywhere, we would understand how much He cares.

David recognized that it isn’t always the big, mighty people who make grand declarations of God, but even a child can bring us strength in the face of adversity. “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2).

Babies are the epitome of innocence and weakness. We are like those “babes and sucklings” when it comes to the spiritual battle against our adversary…Satan. With Christ we are able to stand against that evil with no fear. We need to understand that. When fear threatens to take our joy away, if we just take time to see God’s glory in everything, our spirit will be strengthened, and joy of the Lord will be restored. God cares enough to be our strength and shield.

With all the evidence of God’s might and majesty to be seen in the heavens and the earth, it’s a bit intimidating to think that He also created man. Adam was created in God’s own image.

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour” (Psalm 8:3-5).

We read the creation account in Genesis, and it seems as if it took very little effort to create the splendor we see today.

“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16).

Almost as an afterthought it’s mentioned that He made the stars! Scientists are just recently discovering how many stars and galaxies there are. Although David couldn’t see as far as the Hubble Telescope can, he was overwhelmed by the beauty he could see. No wonder David felt insignificant and wondered how God could even be mindful of sinners such as we humans. Even more amazing is that God did visit us in the form of Jesus Christ.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

If God didn’t care, He would have left us to our sin, but He chose to humbly dwell among us and show us the way to salvation. He chose to sacrifice His life to purchase our salvation. He is the only way to eternal life.

Not only does God care about mankind, but He has entrusted us with the care of His creation.

“Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:6-8).

We are to care for the environment and the animals, but we aren’t to worship the creation. We are only to worship God Almighty. The troubles in this world happen because people have stopped worshiping and honoring the Creator and worship the creation instead. That leads to unbounded sin. We see that sin unfolding today. Brothers and sisters, don’t be led astray by what you see on the news. Every life matters to God, and He gave His life for every person who has ever lived. Bow before Him only.

“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (Romans 14:11).

Paul quoted that from Isaiah 45:23, and it’s still true today. Humbly bow before the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Saviour. He cares about you and me and is worthy of all our praise.

David ends this Psalm of wonder and praise by once again focusing upon God and who He is.

“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9). “Yehovah our Master, how great and majestic is Your name everywhere!”

We need to have reverence for Jesus and marvel at the wonders He made. More than that, we need to marvel at the salvation He offers. He humbled Himself and left the Heavenly realm to enter this fallen world. Why? To save mankind from certain eternal death. Faith in Him is the only way to gain eternal life.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:8-11).

God cares about you. He cares more than any human can fully understand. God Himself humbled Himself to become human, and He sacrificed His life on the cross. That’s more than caring; that’s pure and perfect love.

Yes, God does care. When Adam sinned, there was a vast gulf created between God and humans. God had a plan to bridge that gulf.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Do you believe in Him? If not, why? He loves you and gave His life to purchase your salvation. Without faith in Him now, there will be no glorious eternal life for you when you die. Prophecy tells us that life as we know it is about to come to an end. Christians will soon be Raptured, and after that, there will be hatred and violence on earth like never seen before. Only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will allow you to escape that final seven-year time period. If you haven’t accepted His free gift of salvation, then you need to do that today. If you have, then you need to care enough about Him to live your life to honor Him.

Instead of letting fear guide you and cause you to be angry with God because you think He doesn’t care, think again. God cares….do you?

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

All original scripture is “theopneustos” – God breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.