GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
07-27-2022
PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
PDF:
Christian Soldier 89, Doctrine Of The Rapture, 17.
Do you remember R.S.B.J. which is the order of the prophecy of events which is what we are waiting for?
R = Rapture
S = Silence of God
B = Big Genuflex
J = Judgment Seat of Christ
Therefore, the next event that we will study in relationship to our doctrine of the Rapture is;
Point 15. The Rapture and the Big Genuflex.
First of all, we will begin with our main passage that we will deal with verse by verse beginning in REV 1:7-16.
REV 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
REV 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
REV 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos [for the mentally disturbed], because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
REV 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,
REV 1:11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
REV 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
REV 1:13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
REV 1:14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire;
REV 1:15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
REV 1:16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
This passage describes the silence of God and the reason for the Big Genuflex.
Our first principle is:
- The Big Genuflex is where every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
The Big Genuflex is the interim event between the Rapture and the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Therefore,
It is both the glorification of the Father's plan and the recognition of our Lord's battlefield royalty which was bestowed at His session.
At this time, the entire royal family is present, and they confess to the battlefield royalty of Jesus Christ; COL 2:13-15.
COL 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
COL 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
COL 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
This explains the phrase "every tongue shall confess to God."
What is confessed is the fact that our Lord's royalty demands the resurrection of His Royal Family.
We must have a resurrection body as He does because we are His family.
In resurrection body, the entire royal family will identify the Head of the family, Jesus Christ, to the glory of the Father.
In our moment of the greatest happiness ever, we will be in awe of His presence as we behold His glory.
Remember there is silence in heaven but that does mean we are silent with our heads bowed.
We are silent because “as we behold His glory” we are speechless because of that glory.
What is this glory that we behold?
It is His appearance and His performance while our role is to manifest that glory to the world.
How do we do that?
The glorification of God is by means of the Church (Eph 3:21) and it occurs when the believer attains spiritual adulthood and moves to spiritual maturity.
In EPH 3:20, Paul writes, Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
EPH 3:21 to Him [God the Father] be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Notice that God is to be glorified "in the Church" just like He was glorified by means in TLJC.
And;
It is at this time that the believer is said to be "filled with all the fullness of God," Eph 3:19.
EPH 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.
Under the three categories of spiritual adulthood there are different manifestations.
- At spiritual self-esteem the believer has knowledge and self-confidence.
- At spiritual autonomy the believer has the strong independence, not from God but from depending on man..
- At spiritual maturity the believer has cognitive invincibility and can manufactured into an invisible hero.
This happens when the believer glorifies God as he parlays the life beyond gnosis (Eph 3:19) into the life beyond dreams (Eph 3:20).
The life beyond gnosis is epignosis, which is the consistent function of perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine.
(Maybe explain how gnosis is converted to epignosis by means of the GAP the grace apparatus of perception or resulting in PMA)
Learning doctrine in the Old Testament won't advance you in the life beyond gnosis.
You must understand the mystery doctrine of the Church-age which is found in the New Testament epistles, for it contains all the mechanics for the plan of God in this dispensation.
And the result is the attainment of spiritual adulthood.
Then you begin to gather fantastic and dynamic momentum.
Spiritual maturity parlays the life beyond gnosis into the life beyond dreams, which becomes the basis for glorifying God.
What does not glorify God?
All your Christian service, sacrifice, and works done in the flesh or the OSN.
All this is wood, hay, and stubble and it will all be burned at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The only Christian service and production that counts is the production that results from perception of doctrine.
Therefore,
Christian service and Christian works are not the means of attaining spiritual maturity or of glorifying God.
Spiritual growth is not measured in works; spiritual growth is measured in momentum.
And;
When there is proper momentum, there will be the production of gold, silver, and precious stones which will be rewardable at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
What is The Pattern for Glorifying God in the Church?
It is the pattern of perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine is the pattern of the three R's.
- Reception of Bible doctrine is the #1 priority.
Therefore, your #1 priority is the daily reception of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age.
- Retention refers to the metabolization of Bible doctrine, so that epignosis doctrine in the right lobe is the basis of momentum in the PPOG.
- Recall is comparable to the concept of wisdom; it refers to the application of doctrine.
And this results in understanding the ten unique characteristics of the Church-age.
What are those ten unique characteristics?
- The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- This is the dispensation of the unique PPOG.
- There is a Unique Equality in the PPOG.
E-P-E-O
- The Unique Portfolio of Invisible Assets.
- The two Unique Royal Commissions for every Church-age Believer.
Priests and ambassadors.
- The doctrine of the Church-age is the unique mystery doctrine in itself.
- The body of the Church-age believer is indwelt by each person of the Trinity; EPH 4:6; 1CO 6:19; JOH 14:20.
Do you know and realize that all three members of the Trinity live inside of you?
God the Father lives inside of you; EPH 4:6.
EPH 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
God the Holy Spirit lives inside of you says;
1CO 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
God the Son lives inside of you says;
JOH 14:20 "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
- The Unique Availability of Divine Power.
- The Age of No Prophecy.
And then finally the tenth unique characteristic of the Church-age.
- The Church Age is the dispensation of invisible heroes.
Those ten characteristics are the basis for your SOP, your standard operating procedure.
This also results in the understanding of the ten problem solving devices for the Christian way of life.
The point is that with the right motivation to experience the glory of God, we are able to have momentum in the spiritual life.
So,
Doctrinal momentum is based on solving problems and it is based upon handling the problem of suffering, whether it is deserved or undeserved.
There is X-amount of suffering for blessing involved in momentum, because this is the way you apply doctrine to your experience.
Glorification of God is the execution of the PPOG through the advance to spiritual maturity.
This means advance through the three stages of spiritual adulthood.
The pattern for glorifying God includes suffering for blessing, not divine discipline or self-induced misery under the law of volitional responsibility.
Self-induced misery results in divine discipline, which is designed to cause us to rebound and recover life in the PPOG.
However, only suffering for blessing has momentum.
Therefore, when you pass these different tests, you are qualified for blessing and therefore glorification.
Glorification of God is related to the distribution of your escrow blessings for time.
Remember Eph 1:3 says not blessed but eulogetos which means "Worthy of praise and glorification"
EPH 1:3 Blessed (eulogetos = worthy of praise and glorification) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Ephesians 1 teaches that the first thing God ever did for us is the means of glorifying Him, which is to receive the blessings He has provided for us.
Billions of years ago, God the Father deposited into escrow, the greatest blessings that you and I can't even imagine.
And these fantastic blessings are tailored perfectly just for you.
Under the doctrine of election, God wills the highest and the best for you as a believer, and it’s only when you receive that highest and best that you glorify God.
This is why we have noted that every believer has a tremendous escrow account in heaven.
People often ask what is God's will for my life?
And the answer is very simple.
God's will is for you to glorify Him.
How?
Here’s a verse that gets right to the point!
MAT 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
God's will is for you to;
Withdraw from your escrow account as much as you can and that brings glory to the Lord as we are about to look at a passage that tells us WHY there will be a Big Genuflex right after our doctrine of the Rapture.
The point is that God has the highest and the best for you.
He has the greatest blessings, blessings that stagger the imagination.
And;
God's will for your life is for you to have the most phenomenal blessings.
And the very fact that;
Some of you don't believe that and you think God is fighting against you because of some area in your life reveals that you have bought a lie from Satan.
He will try to cause you to feel guilty and get on a works program and that does not glorify our Lord.
The fact that you do not have the most phenomenal blessings in time and eternity simply means that you're choosing to be a loser.
It is making choices that makes us losers.
It is making choices that makes us winners.
So,
God not only wills the highest and best for each believer but, at the same time, He provides equal privilege and equal opportunity to attain these blessings.
Equal privilege means that you are in union with Christ and His church.
Equal opportunity means that you have logistical grace support.
Therefore;
There is no excuse for any believer in all of the history of the Church-age for not receiving phenomenal blessings and to bring glory to the one we will see one day in all His glory.
The reason is just plain old negative volition toward doctrine.
It takes perseverance and positive volition toward doctrine.
And,
You can't be positive if you submit to negative feelings and depressions.
Or;
If you allow someone's personality to get in the way of your momentum.
And so, when you think doctrine doesn't work and you start to peel off and begin to miss vital doctrines, you've had it.
All you do is cut yourself off from being able to withdraw from your escrow account in heavenly places.
So, the question is obvious?
Why are you here?
Only the believer who stays with doctrine can really answer that question!
You are here to glorify God through the glory that our Lord received for finishing the work that God called Him to do.
As most of you have heard so many times before and a verse you should never become familiar with;
REV 4:11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
Why did God create you?
He tells us why in Isa 43:21.
ISA 43:21 "The people whom I formed for Myself, Will declare My glory."
Now, the next question you should have is;
"How can I glorify God?"
Glorifying God demands understanding.
And you will be kept alive by God long enough to have the opportunity to understand.
You will be kept alive by God to fulfill His plan.
Unless you're a cosmic believer and you reach the point of divine discipline and become a loser.
The principle is that;
God's will for your life as a member of the Family of God is to bless you.
It is to give you prosperity in the midst of all adverse situations.
Therefore,
In eternity past, God provided a fantastic plan which included His highest and best just for you.
And you glorify Him when you live in that plan and receive all the blessings, He has designed for you!
So,
EPH 1:3 again says (eulogetos) Worthy of praise and glorification be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Eph 1:4 just as He (God the Father) elected us in Him before the foundation of the world,
Now verse 5 begins with the last phrase in verse 4, it should begin verse 5.
EPH 1:5 In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
EPH 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In EPH 1:12 we read to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
It should read Eph 1:12, "In order that we should be for the praise of His glory."
In Eph 1:14, the corrected translation says;
EPH 1:14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."for the release of your assets for the praise of His glory."
Notice once again, it is for His glory!
God had a reason for all He has done for you and this reason gives purpose to your life.
Remember that;
Anything God does results in His glorification.
God does not depend on us for His pleasure or His glory.
He enjoyed these things in eternity past when no one else existed.
God doesn't depend on us for His pleasure and glory but instead He expresses His pleasure and glory toward us.
Therefore,
Because God is to be glorified you and I are the beneficiaries of His blessings and divine provisions.
Prin-God is not glorified by our system of human works but is glorified by meeting our every need.
ISA 26:15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified;
ISA 60:21 "Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.
PSA 50:15 And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will glorify Me."
God is glorified when He rescues us!
Moses found out what God's glory was all about in Exo 33:18-19.
EXO 33:18 Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!"
The Lord said, you want to see My glory, here it is.
EXO 33:19 And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."
Notice that His glory is revealed by His graciousness and His compassion.
It is not manifested by miracles being performed by heaven and thunder and lightning come down from the heavens.
No….
His glory is revealed by being gracious and compassionate toward ALL believers whether in the OT or NT.
So,
God's glory that we will see one day, experientially is manifest in time by His grace and compassion.
God's pleasure is to give to His creatures!
And;
This is why Elihu (the doctrinal friend of Job said in JOB 36:11 that, if we obey God and serve Him, we will spend our days in prosperity and our years in pleasures.
The Big Genuflex in the doctrine of the Rapture begins when we see Him for the first time as the apostle John literally describes for us by means of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at the main passage now and then break it down verse by verse.
Beginning in REV 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
REV 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
REV 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos [for the mentally disturbed], because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
REV 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,
REV 1:11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
REV 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
REV 1:13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
REV 1:14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire;
REV 1:15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
REV 1:16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
We begin in verse 7 where TLJC is the key to prophecy.
Look at REV 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
The exegesis or the original language is rather difficult at the start of this verse.
Without going into great detail on the passage, I will just tell you what the original language has to say.
When we see Him for the first time, the original language says that He commands us to behold His glory.
He commands us to see and He demands perception.
It is a call for concentration on the subject.
We must remember that;
Behind the translation is a command for concentration under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, and that is utterly impossible unless you are residing inside the PPOG.
The point is that:
All future history revolves around our Lord Jesus Christ because;
In a moment of time, at the Second Advent, our Lord accomplishes what all of the men of genius were not able to accomplish in the history of the world.
He provides the regathering of Israel and the re-establishing of Israel as a client nation to God.
He fulfils the four unconditional covenants to Israel which man cannot fulfil.
At the same time;
He provides perfect environment on the earth which is absolutely impossible today.
The only thing that is accomplished in every generation of history is the fact that;
Since the beginning of time, there never has been since the beginning of time a generation which was not evangelized.
That is the most certain thing we can say about history.
But,
The Lord Jesus Christ is going to make the most radical change in history at His Second Advent.
He supersedes Satan as the ruler of this world at the second advent when there will then be 1000 years of perfect environment.
There is no way that the world can be destroyed by man’s use of nuclear weapons.
When REV 1:7 says Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him,
The phrase “every eye will see Him” indicates the entire human race alive at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
While the earth is a sphere rotating on its axis (the reason for the perfect environment on the Millennium)
every eye which is capable of sight will see the return of TLJC.
And;
While on the surface this appears to be impossible but as LUK 1:37 says "For nothing will be impossible with God."
It is a dogmatic fact that every eye will see Him.
How is this possible?
The real answer is found in eleven passages of the Word of God that I would give you if we were studying the Doctrine of the Big Genuflex.
REV 1:7 is a specific reference to the mourning of Israel at the Second Advent which is why every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.
For, and this is why we repeat and why we look at every word in every verse.
For in:
PRO 30:5 Every word of God is tested;
And, is all the word of God meaningful to us or not?
Should we say that;
We will only follow the rules and commands of the dispensation we are a part of.
The word of God says otherwise.
2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
So, in Rev 1:7, it is not the mourning of the entire world.
These are Jewish tribes and the occasion is the regathering of Israel by our Lord Jesus Christ who they now realize was and is their Messiah.
It refers to the land of Israel and the regathering of Israel in the land as they “will grieve” because of him.
This is just the beginning of why there is a Big Genuflex after we see Him and all His glory for the first time ever.
Now. look at the next verse, REV 1:8 where there were offered sacrifices which are actually recorded in Revelation 1:8 under the phrase “Omega.”
REV 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
The Alpha and the Omega," says that they offered all five of the sacrifices in the book of Leviticus which speak of our Lord’s work on the cross.
Each offering would portray some aspect of redemption, reconciliation, or propitiation, which is the gift of eternal salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
He says that He is the “Alpha and Omega,”
Alpha is the designation of our Lord’s deity and a reference to the glory of Jesus Christ is related to the fact that Jesus Christ is God.
It is related to His divine essence plus the fact that Jesus Christ is the creator of the world.
Omega, on the other hand refers to our Lord Jesus Christ in hypostatic union.
Therefore,
The Omega glory of Christ is related to the First Advent which is what the Jews have ignored; JOH 1:10-11.
It refers to the fact that historically He has come.
But in JOH 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
JOH 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
Remember that;
The First Advent of Christ includes His virgin birth, the hypostatic union, the residence of our Lord inside the PPOG, His impeccability, His saving work on the cross, His resurrection, Ascension, and session.
At that time, because He fulfilled the Father’s plan, He received His omega glory.
It is the royal patent which He received under the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Our Lord’s first royal patent is related to His deity and
His title is Son of God, His Royal Family is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord’s second royal patent came at the point of His physical birth.
He was Born a son of David.
His title is Son of David, it is the title of royalty, the Davidic dynasty is the Royal Family of Israel, but that is not like the Royal Family of the Church-age.
When He was seated at the right hand of the Father after His resurrection, He was given a royal patent but it did not carry with it a Royal Family.
Therefore,
We have the discontinuing of the Age of Israel and the insertion of the Church-age and the Royal family of God called Theologically intercalation.
This means that the dispensation of Israel was halted and the Lord inserted the Church-age.
As a believer, you are not just a child of God, you are a member of the Royal Family of God.
Being in this dispensation therefore carries great responsibility.
And in the doctrine of the Rapture, it is extremely important that we understand all these doctrinal principles as they are related to each other.
The Omega glory of Jesus Christ mentioned in REV 1:8 indicates that Jesus Christ controls history.
REV 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
This means that;
The Church-age is the dead spot as far as prophecy is concerned because it is the historical dispensation in which the Royal Family of Christ is being formed to return with Him at the Second Advent.
We live in a dispensation of no prophecy.
Instead of prophecy, we have something of great significance: historical trends that bless the nation that you live in because the pivot is large enough to spare the nation. MAT 5:13-14.
Church-age believers reside between the two greatest prophetic events of history, the First and Second Advents of Christ.
The First Advent = Jesus Christ in His omega glory becomes the key to our interpretation of history on a daily basis.
We receive enough of this information from the media and ignore the slant they give to it and interpret the facts in relationship to the historical trends.
Historical blessing is administered through the client nations to God.
Whereas; Historical disaster results from a maximum number of believers living in the cosmic system.
Historical disaster is usually administered through some evil nation.
This is called;
God using evil one to discipline evil two.
Evil one is an evil ungodly nation that God allows them to discipline evil two who are believers in apostasy or reversionism.
Some call it backsliding.
Now, the next verse that describes the reason why we have a Big Genuflex is;
So, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,
Principle:
- From His Alpha glory, which is the beginning, Jesus Christ is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Therefore;
- The Jews have certain privileges related to their founding as a race since they are the last pure race of history.
There is no such thing as a pure race any longer, including the Jewish race.
The first privilege, believe it or not, was the 400 years of slavery which gave them the necessary discipline and character to exist as a client nation.
- As the Alpha and the Omega glory, Jesus Christ is the future ruler of Israel. He was born the ruler of Israel, He was born the Son of David.
This is why we noted all those passages that dealt with our Lord’s Royal Family.
- The Jewish race was founded on recognition of the alpha glory of Christ, for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all believers in TLJC and were able to relate their animal sacrifices to His future work on the cross.
- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were born again through faith in Jesus Christ whom they recognized as their God, their Savior, and their King.
- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob set a precedentfor the Jewish race in their recognition of both the alpha and the omega glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This precedent was perpetuated by Moses the founder of the client nation to God when he wrote in;
DEU 6:4 which says “Shama (Hear) Israel, Adonai (Lord) Elohenu (God), Adonai (Lord) echard (unique).
The verse is recited every Saturday in the orthodox Jewish Temples.
The key word here is echard translated unique.
And….
The Lord is unique because He is different than God because He is also Human forever.
He is also unique because He is different than man because He is also God or deity forever.
He is not half man and half God; He is 100% Human and He is 100% Deity or God.
Translation of DEU 6:4 is Hear, O Israel! Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one (unique)!
Again, notice the two verses we note so far;
REV 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
REV 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Many thousands of people will reject Christ during the Tribulation even though they hear the greatest and soundest and most lucid gospel message of all time.
And;
What a shock it will be to reject Christ as personal Savior and then see Him return to the earth.
As the key to prophecy Jesus Christ will be observed by the entire population of the earth at the Second Advent.
We should also notice that;
As the eternal ruler of client nation Israel Jesus Christ will restore Israel as a nation or people He has chosen.
All the Jews will be gathered in the land for the fulfilment of the unconditional covenants to Israel and they are going to grieve.
Why?
Israel failed to believe in Christ for salvation and lost their client nation status during the times of the Gentiles, which includes the Church-age.
There are certain parables which describe this grief in terms of the baptism of fire, like the wheat and the tares, the ten virgins.
In view of the great evangelism of the Tribulation there is no excuse for any Jew rejecting Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The rejection of Jesus Christ results in divine judgment and the removal of all unbelieving Jews from the earth.
This alone is enough reason for the grief expressed by unbelievers.
The grief of Jewish believers is different for they are expressing lamentation for the failure of Israel as a client nation to God.
They are expressing not only their occupation with the person of Christ but patriotism also.
And just as REV 1:7 expresses the fact that Jesus Christ is the key to prophecy so the next verse expresses the doctrine that Jesus Christ is the key to history.
REV 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Principles:
- No prosperous nation or client nation to God, as Israel was, even in prosperity, perpetuates its spiritual life because they did not obey the commands or doctrines of God.
- Prosperity, for the carnal believer, inevitably results in neglect of truth or doctrine.
Therefore;
- Many believers take the prosperity they received from the PPOG and seek to enjoy what they gained from living in the plan of God by taking their prosperity to live in the cosmic system.
- In the cosmic system the believer becomes preoccupied with the results of prosperity rather than the origin of where it came from.
His life is wrapped up in pleasure, promotion, success, status symbols, social life, sex, wealth, material things, etc.
- The issue is are you focused on the gift or the Giver.
- The prosperity test is the most subtle and difficult of all tests for both the individual and the nation involved.
That what this grieving is about in verse seven.
People have selected the wrong thing and now they are grieving because they have made an irreparable mistake.
That is the Tribulation.
If you are still alive there is no such thing as an irreparable mistake for you as a believer.
You will pay for it and you will suffer for it but it isn’t irreparable as long as you’re alive.
- It is subtle because it requires as much if not more doctrine for both capacity and perpetuation of prosperity.
It is subtle because it takes more doctrine to pass the test than anything else, and the prosperity test is difficult because you forget the origin of the prosperity.
- Too often prosperity becomes the enemy of right priorities or true scale of values.
- This ties in with manifest destiny where there is a struggle for freedom, then there is the establishment of freedom through military victory.
There is capacity for freedom and the enjoyment.
There is the test of freedom — prosperity.
- The prosperity of the nation eventually destroys the nation. (take ours)
- When people are prosperous, they start looking for pleasure and doctrine takes a back seat and so does freedom.
So,
- The true expressions of prosperity are freedom and doctrine but the inevitable expressions of prosperity come from the cosmic system, and that means pleasure with problems.
It is possible to perpetuate prosperity under freedom but it is not probable for any length of time.
Start with the old sin nature and you have your first cause, but it requires a large pivot of mature believers.
It requires consistent positive volition toward doctrine for that prosperity to be perpetuated.
As goes the believer so goes the client nation.
In the course of this it was decided by western European culture that;
Since these things were so significant, we must have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and freedom through military victory.
Why do the Jews suffer periodically the most terrible persecutions?
We know through Genesis 12:1-3 and other passages of the Word of God that anti-Semitism will always be punished.
Gentiles often suffer a counter holocaust because of their attitude toward the Jews.
We have no right to punish the Jews.
The right to punish Israel belongs to God, and in His wisdom only God can do it in perfect justice.
Therefore, we accept Jews into our land and they make wonderful citizens on the whole.
Now in REV 1:8, Jesus Christ is the key to history and the principle of Omega glory: the issue is do you accept it or reject it?
The omega glory of Jesus Christ enters history and becomes the key to history for us as a nation collectively and the key to your destiny individually as a person.
In REV 1:8, it is Israel’s failure collectively to recognize Omega glory that led to their removal as a client nation.
The Alpha glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is related to the fact that Jesus Christ is God, coequal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
The Alpha glory of Jesus Christ is related to His divine essence, His integrity, plus the fact that Jesus Christ is the creator of the world.
All of the attributes of deity belong to our Lord Jesus Christ and none of them were in any way compromised by the hypostatic union.
So,
When Jesus Christ says, “I am the Alpha” He is referring to the fact of His deity.
Omega, on the other hand, refers to our Lord Jesus Christ in hypostatic union and is related to the first advent.
The Omega glory is what the Jews have ignored.
It refers to the fact that historically He has come.