On March 31, 2012, Robb Harris will give the sermon, titled, respectively, “Hunger for Righteousness”.
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
Annual Conference and Trip
Our annual conference has begun on Thursday, March 15, 2012, and will continue until Tuesday, March 20, 2012. Your continued prayers are requested for God’s guidance and inspiration.
On Monday, March 26, 2012, Norbert and Johanna Link will be flying to Germany to conduct lectures and Church services; to counsel with prospective members; and to observe the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread with the German brethren. Your prayers for a successful visit will be appreciated.
New Video Programs
A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “The Bible and the Mahdi.” What do Muslims believe regarding a future Mahdi? Does the Bible teach the coming of such a Mahdi? How do the Koran and the Bible differ on the personages known as the beast and the false prophet, or the Masih al Dajal and the Sufyani? Do the Muslims believe in Jesus or Isa, and if so, in what way? Do Muslims believe that Jesus will die again after His return?
Norbert Link’s video-recorded sermon, “God Will Provide,“ was posted on YouTube and on our Website, www.eternalgod.org .
A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Das Zehntengesetz” (“The Law of Tithing”).
by Eric Rank
Mondays have a bad reputation. They serve as a stark reminder of the burden of responsibility after the joy of a relaxing weekend. While I am extremely happy to have the blessing of a job to go to, Mondays can easily become overwhelming. Today was one that fit the mold perfectly.
With the time off I have scheduled for the Church Conference, there is a lot of work to do beforehand. Indeed, there is simply more work to do than I can possibly cram into the two days that I’ll work this week. Because of the lack of time available, I have to prioritize at nearly every step, carefully choosing what I will leave undone. Since I work closely with a team of others, the pressure is magnified by knowing that allowing my responsibilities to slip will directly impact the work of others. It’s frustrating to know that there are things I am leaving out of control that I would normally manage with much more order; or at least a little more order.
Just when I become overwhelmed with the volume of things I can’t handle, I am reminded of how little I really can control. Taking a step back, bowing my head in prayer, and trusting in God to take care of my problems makes this Monday, and every hard day, a gift that I am thankful for, no matter how impossible it may seem.
The Bible shows that at the beginning of the Millennium, after Gog’s armies were destroyed (compare Ezekiel 38 and 39), God will reinstitute animal sacrifices at a newly built temple in Jerusalem. It is possible that the Jews will build a third temple PRIOR to Christ’s return, which will survive the partial end-time destruction of the city of Jerusalem and which will be identical with the millennial temple, described in the book of Ezekiel (compare our Q&A https://www.eternalgod.org/qa/5352 , answering the question whether the Jews will build a temple in Jerusalem prior to Christ’s return. Compare also another Q&A on the same topic, https://www.eternalgod.org/qa/782 ).
Our free booklet, “The book of Zechariah–Prophecies for Today” https://www.eternalgod.org/qa/782, discusses at length the possibility of the existence of a third temple in Jerusalem, prior to Christ’s return. When explaining the ninth vision (Zechariah 6:9–15), and especially verse 13, we stated:
“It is also possible that the reference to a future temple, which will be built by the BRANCH, could relate to a physical temple still to be built in Jerusalem—just prior to the return of Christ. We know from Scripture that the Jews will bring sacrifices to Jerusalem. If there is a physical temple, then these sacrifices would be brought to that temple, until they are—temporarily—abolished by a European power… strong biblical evidence exists for the rebuilding of a temple in the modern Jewish nation of Israel. It would also be possible that it is THAT temple which will survive the partial end-time destruction of the city of Jerusalem, which is described as the millennial temple in the book of Ezekiel.”
It is very possible that the sacrifices will only be given during the remaining 3 ½ years of Christ’s public ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (compare our Q&A, “What will Jesus do after Satan has been banished?” https://www.eternalgod.org/qa/11294 ). Note that the millennial temple and the sacrifices are only mentioned in relationship with the house of Israel.
We read in Ezekiel 43:10: “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel…”
Ezekiel 44:6, 9 states: “Now say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “O house of Israel, let us have no more of all your abominations… No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary [the temple], including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel…”
When addressing the millennial sacrifices, Zechariah 14:21 adds: “In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts [the temple].”
It is important to understand why the people of Israel will give animal sacrifices for a while, and why they brought them in ancient times.
In regard to the millennial sacrifices, we state the following in our free booklet, “The Sacrificial System and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness”:
“… we read… in Ezekiel 43:18, 22, 27: ‘And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it… On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering… When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priest shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar…’”’”
“Another passage that describes the time of the Millennium is Ezekiel 44:15, 29–30. It refers to the offering of fat and blood, as well as grain offerings, sin offerings and trespass offerings. Describing the same time setting, Zechariah 14:21 says that ‘Everyone who sacrifices shall come’ to the LORD’S house—a new Temple in Jerusalem.
“From these Scriptures, we see clearly that burnt offerings, peace offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings and trespass offerings will be given in the Millennium. We also understand that the Jews will give offerings again, for a while, just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. In Malachi 3:2–4, these offerings, which apparently may not be pleasing to God, are compared with the offerings that will be given in the Millennium, which WILL be pleasing to God.
“Yes, in the future, sacrifices will be reinstated—at least on a temporary basis—but GOD will NOT reinstate the Old Testament sacrificial SYSTEM. That is, the sacrifices that will be given before Christ’s return (Daniel 12:11), and those given in the Millennium (compare Ezekiel 40:38–43, which describes the preparation of burnt offerings, sin offerings and trespass offerings during the Millennium), are not the same as those that were part of the old covenants with the nations of Israel and Judah. The New Testament tells us that the sacrifices—as part of the Old Testament system—are no longer valid. The Levites will still officiate over sacrifices, but these sacrifices will not be given pursuant to the same system that existed in the Old Testament, under Moses.
“The Bible also indicates that, at the beginning of the Millennium, new moons will be kept in conjunction with the bringing of sacrifices (Ezekiel 45:17, 46:1, 3, 6; Isaiah 66:20–23). However, there is no Biblical injunction for us today that would compel us to either celebrate new moons or bring sacrifices.
“It is important to understand that the millennial sacrifices will NOT be brought for the purpose of forgiveness of sin! Only Christ’s shed blood accomplished this—once and for all! But God introduced the sacrificial system to ancient Israel because Israel had sinned and the sacrifices served as a reminder of their sins. Apparently, for the same reason in the Millennium, sacrifices will be brought so that carnal, unconverted people can begin to appreciate the awesome purpose and meaning of Christ’s Sacrifice and how God looks at sin.
“Animal sacrifices, especially, illustrate what sin does to us and others, as well as what Christ did for us. They teach us one reason for the suffering of innocent and righteous people: Even Jesus Christ suffered, although He was totally innocent. The killing of innocent animals points at the suffering and ultimate death of Jesus Christ…”
It is very important to understand that animal sacrifices, which will be brought at the beginning of the Millennium, will not be brought for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness of sins. Animal sacrifices—whether past or future—did not and will not have that goal in mind.
Notice what we wrote in our Q&A, asking the question whether animal sacrifices provided for forgiveness of sin. The same can be said for future animal sacrifices in the Millennium:
“We read in the New Testament that animal sacrifices did not forgive sin, nor did they clean or purify the ancient Israelites from an evil conscience. That was never the purpose of the animal sacrifices. Forgiveness of sin and the opportunity to inherit eternal life was only made possible through the supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 3:14-17).
“Hebrews 10:1-4 makes it very clear that animal sacrifices were just reminders of sins, but that they could not take away or forgive sin… Hebrews 9:9-10 confirms that the sacrificial system was only of a temporary nature, to be superseded by the death of Jesus Christ…
“Paul elaborates in the book of Galatians (Galatians 3:19, 24-25) that the sacrificial law was added because of transgression… but only until the Seed—Jesus Christ—would come…
“Animal sacrifices provided a means of permitting the ancient Israelite who had sinned unintentionally, to remain in the community of the nation, under God’s rule, and to be spared from physical punishment. In case of an unintentional sin by the entire congregation, animal sacrifices prevented that God would turn His back on them and forsake them. They did not provide spiritual forgiveness, and later, Israel misused and abused animal sacrifices in a terrible way, so that God had to remind them that He did not desire animal sacrifices, but an upright and humble heart.
“Animal sacrifices were a means of maintaining a relationship between God and man, by ‘forgiving’ the physical transgression and allowing the transgressor to remain within the community of Israel. They were never meant to provide spiritual ‘forgiveness’ of sin. They never abolished or superseded the spiritual penalty for sin, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23), nor did they make possible the means of inheriting eternal life. Only the Sacrifice of Christ can bring about such spiritual forgiveness and allow us to continue on our righteous path (1 John 1:8-9; Romans 8:3-4), to ultimately being given eternal life…”
To elaborate further on the issue of millennial sacrifices, we would like to quote a lengthy section from our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” discussing God’s covenant with Aaron and his descendants:
“At the time of Moses, God chose to make… [a] covenant with a part of the nation of Israel—Aaron, of the house of Levi, and his descendants (Numbers 18:19; Leviticus 24:5, 8–9; compare Numbers 25:11–13; Nehemiah 13:29–30)…
“God utters a very strict and stern warning in the prophetic book of Malachi, addressing specifically the failure of the Levites—both the physical descendants and the spiritual ministers of God—to stand strong for God’s law in the sight of adversity and compromise (Malachi 2:4–9). Beginning in verse 4, ‘Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue, Says the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; so he feared Me And was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, Says the LORD of hosts. Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law.’
“This prophecy for our day tells us, in verse 4, that God’s covenant with Levi will continue. This means that it is still in force and in effect today. We find this confirmed in the 33rd chapter of the book of Jeremiah where there is an unconditional promise for the perpetual validity of God’s covenant with Levi (Jeremiah 33:18–22): ‘…nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually… Thus says the LORD: If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken … with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply… the Levites who minister to Me.’
“These passages clearly tell us that God’s covenant with Levi was to continue—that it is therefore still in force and effect today—and that it will remain so in the future… as long as and whenever biblical sacrifices are being brought to God in Jerusalem, they will be brought through the descendants of Aaron and [ his son] Phinehas… at the beginning of the Millennium sacrifices will be brought again in Jerusalem. The 44th chapter of the prophetic book of Ezekiel explains this in great detail. Verses 15 and 29–30 tell us that ‘the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok,’ will bring and eat from the sacrifices…
“The millennial rule of Jesus Christ will be administered by spirit beings—those who are part of the first resurrection. Satan and his demonic followers will no longer be able to influence mankind. World government will emanate from Jerusalem. In addition, there will be an ongoing physical priesthood serving at that time. The physical sacrifices extant at that future time, which will be brought in Jerusalem at the temple, will be part of the new administration that God’s Kingdom will usher in.
“The covenant between God and Levi, then, does continue to exist, that is, the Levitical priests will continue to offer sacrifices in Jerusalem for carnal, unconverted people, both prior to and subsequent to the return of Christ. But as we read, Jesus Christ became the High Priest for converted people. Unless one accepts the sacrifice of Christ, one has no part of that priesthood. However, once we do accept Christ’s sacrifice, our High Priest will then live in us, intervene for us, and lead us to perfection. The Levitical priesthood was not given the function or responsibility to lead carnal people to spiritual perfection. Rather, they presided over the administration of the sacrificial system as a reminder of sin—not for the purpose of forgiving sin…”
In conclusion, Israelites will bring animal sacrifices at a new temple in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Millennium. These sacrifices will not be given for the purpose of obtaining spiritual forgiveness, but just to remind the people that they had sinned, and help them to focus on the ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As it was the case in Old Testament times, these sacrifices will be temporary and administered by physical Levites to physical unconverted people, to allow the transgressor to remain within the community of Israel.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
On March 17, 2012, Rene Messier will give the sermon, titled, “Your Treasure.”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
NOTE: Due to our annual conference, there will be no Update next week. We will resume publishing our weekly Updates, commencing on Thursday, March 29, 2012.
New Video Programs
A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Warnings of a Great Crash in 2012.” In spite of optimistic viewpoints, some experts warn that a recession or a depression may be inevitable and could strike as early as by late summer of 2012. US government debt is worse than Greece, while Europeans pour bailout money into a bottomless barrel. Many Americans live far beyond their means and become vulnerable to financial catastrophe. Gas prices and water bills are on the rise, and a more than likely attack on Iran will make a bad economic situation more painful. The British Government has run out of money. Is there any hope for us in light of these grim realities?
You might also want to view our StandingWatch program on the same topic, titled, “New Great Depression in 2012?”, which was recorded and posted on YouTube in June of 2011, warning of these frightening developments.
A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Warum das Opfergesetz?” (“Why the Law of Sacrifices?”)
New Radio Programs
Two new radio programs (Numbers 18 and 19) were recorded this week, titled, “The Next Great Crash” and “Is a Mahdi Coming?” They will be broadcast, respectively, beginning Sunday, April 29 and May 6, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.
As we approach the Passover season, it might be a good time to analyze exactly what Christ did for mankind, and how we can reciprocate, and what we ought to do for God.
We need to understand that God is a Family. God consists of two Beings–the Father and the Son—and has always consisted as such. At some time in the past, prior to the physical creation, God and Christ devised a plan to enlarge the Family of God through man. We are not told when exactly the plan was developed. What we do know is that the plan existed before time began, and we also know that Satan rebelled against God and tried to implement a plan which he felt was better than God’s. However, his coup failed. We are not told to what extent he was to participate and to further God’s plan to enlarge His Family through man.
After the creation of Adam and Eve and their subsequent sin under the influence of Satan, God revealed to man His way to redeem him from the penalty of sin which is death.
Romans 6:23 tells us: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Death is the penalty for sin and since all men have sinned, a human being could die only for his own sins. Unfortunately, such a death does not redeem mankind. There had to be a greater sacrifice for all the sins of mankind. That ultimate sacrifice was the Sacrifice of Christ. God the Father created EVERYTHING through Jesus Christ. As the Creator of mankind and of all spiritual and physical beings and things, His Life was greater than the sum of all of the creation.
What Christ was willing to do for sinful man was to give up His divinity as the Son of God—as an eternal God being–and become flesh, as it were, to die for the sins of mankind. But He could not stay dead. We are saved by His LIFE. God the Father had to resurrect Christ to become our living Mediator and High Priest, so that we could inherit salvation and eternal life.
Acts 2:22-24 quotes Peter as follows: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
That was quite a sacrifice to give to man. As a God being, Christ had never experienced physical pain, the limitations of the human body and the temptations we have to endure from Satan the devil, society and self–our own human nature. But when Christ became a Man, He was tempted in all things, but He never sinned.
Hebrews 2:18 states: “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”
Hebrews 4:15 adds: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Although He was tempted in all things, He remained sinless. He experienced human suffering that He had never experienced before. Although He never lost a spouse or His mother, He did lose His stepfather Joseph at some point. Although He never lost a limb or had any bones broken or suffered from horrible diseases, He did suffer tremendously throughout His life and prior to His death. He had to experience the consequences of sin. He did not sin, but He became sin for us. The sins of mankind, and the consequences of those sins, were placed on His shoulders. These sins were mind-blowing.
In fact, as the God of the Old Testament, He was surprised at how corrupt and degenerate mankind had become.
Jeremiah 7:31 quotes Christ’s words as follows: “And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.”
Notice, it did not even enter into God’s heart (mind) to do such abominations as sacrificing one’s own children to the terrible idol Baal. There is no evil thought in God’s mind.
James 1:13 explains: “ Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”
Christ gave up His divinity for a season, to walk among His creation and to suffer and be killed through the shedding of His blood to atone for the sins of man. God the Father resurrected Him as a God being—the same God being that He had been prior to His human life on earth — so that we could also be resurrected to eternal life in the future. Christ was willing to put His eternity on the line for His creation to redeem them from eternal death and to give them eternal life in the very Family of God. And God the Father was willing to GIVE His Son so that the world could be saved.
What can we do, in return, for the Father and for Christ?
The most basic and fundamental thing we can do, if we have been called to salvation in this life, is to remain true to our calling. We know that salvation is not being offered to the world in this day and age. God has preordained to call a few now to rule and serve with Christ in the Millennium and during the Great White Throne Judgment, to help others to obtain salvation as well.
There can be no greater joy for Christ and God the Father than for us to remain faithful to the end, as Matthew 24:13 says: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” The “end” refers to the time of our death or the return of Christ, if we are still alive by then.
Furthermore, the most important words for a true Christian to hear from Christ would be something to this effect: “Well done, My true and faithful servant, enter into the Kingdom and the joy of your Father” (compare Matthew 25:21).
In order to remain faithful and endure to the end, we have to be engaged in the responsibility of the commission given to God’s Church of preaching and publishing the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness or testimony. For those not in direct line of that responsibility (which is predominately given to the ministry), they are to support that effort through prayers, tithes and offerings and through whatever practical assistance they could provide to the Church so that this most important Work is carried out. It is also important that their example reflect their calling to show true Christianity in a positive light and to encourage others to want to know more about God’s Way of Life.
Individually, we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in order to reach the goal of our salvation, and this can only be accomplished with the tools of prayer, Bible study, meditation and occasional fasting. There are no shortcuts. To the degree that our hearts are in the Work of God, we will grow spiritually. If we get weary of actively participating in the Work, we will soon experience that we are becoming spiritually lazy and lukewarm. We might want to justify our lack of participation or even withdrawal from assembling with one another with all kinds of reasons, and we might even deceive others or ourselves for a while, but God knows our heart, and we can never deceive Him.
We know the time is shorter than it was a year ago. There is still a job to do, and we have to be engaged in that job. That is what we can do to please God and Christ and to ensure safe entrance into the future Kingdom.
As we have seen, God the Father was willing to give His Son for the world, and Christ was willing to give up His divinity for a while to die for sinful man and redeem us with His precious blood. His Sacrifice was greater than the sum of creation, since He was the Creator. He was resurrected by God the Father, giving us an opportunity to be resurrected in the future at the return of Christ.
What a tremendous act of selflessness that was! We should be eternally grateful for what God the Father and Jesus Christ did for us.
What we can do for God which would also be pleasing to Him is to remain engaged in the process of the responsibility of bringing the gospel of the coming Kingdom to the world, and to individually grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ, by using the tools God has given us. If we do these things, we will never fail, and we will be able to receive eternal life and also our reward of rulership as kings and priests, which Christ is anxiously and patiently awaiting to give to His faithful servants at His return.
Lead Writer: Rene Messier
On March 10, 2012, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “God Provides.”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
New Video Programs
A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Religious and Scientific Deceptions.” In a recent public debate on the origin of life between the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and the most famous atheist, Richard Dawkins, both gentlemen presented utterly false ideas. The wrong concept that man has evolved from non-humans, whether by accident or with godly involvement, rejects God’s Word and has contributed to a world without true moral and ethical standards.
A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Weinen Hat Seine Zeit!” (“A Time to Weep”).
New Radio Programs
Three new radio programs (Numbers 15, 16 and 17) were recorded this week, titled, “Why Did the Father Forsake Christ?”, “Was Christ a Hippie?” and “Why No Moral Standards?”
They will be broadcast, respectively, beginning Sunday, April 8, 15 and 22, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.
The events described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will occur after Christ’s return, at the very beginning of His rule over mankind—not 1,000 years later. In a previous Q&A, we discussed the fact that Jesus Christ will have to complete 3 ½ years of His public ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, before His rule over all nations in the Millennium can really begin to flourish. We saw that Christ will free the modern descendants of the houses of Israel and Judah from captivity and bring them into the Promised Land. They will build the waste cities and inhabit them, live in peace and safety, and God will forgive all their iniquities and enter with them into the conditions of the new covenant.
To live God’s way of life is a learning process. For instance, we read in the book of Isaiah, that Gentile nations will hear about the law of God which will be taught by Christ in Jerusalem, and they will flock there to learn God’s laws as well (Isaiah 2:1-3). They will reach the point when they do not want to learn war anymore (verse 4). We also read that some nations will at first refuse to live by God’s law to observe His annual holy days (Zechariah 14:16-19). So Jesus will have to deal with all these problems.
We must view the events described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 in this light. We read that a great army from mostly Far Eastern countries will try to fight against the modern descendants of the houses of Israel and Judah who had returned to the Promised Land and who will be living peacefully. God will allow those Gentile nations to advance against Jerusalem for several reasons. He will show these nations that He is LORD and that war and rebellion will not be permitted under Christ’s rule—so He will deal with those hostile armies very quickly. Also note that these events will apparently take place during the remaining 3 ½ years of Christ’s public ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This ministry will include, first and foremost, the important teaching that man is not to fight in war—ever. Before Israel can become an example of peaceful coexistence with other nations, it has to learn and embrace this understanding itself. After all, Israel has been a war-waging nation throughout most of its existence, without ever really trusting in God that He would fight their battles for them. Christ told Peter to put his sword away (Matthew 26:52), and this is the same teaching which Christ will bring to all of the survivors of Israel and Judah, as well as to the rest of the world.
We published a Q&A on the timing of the events, as described in the 38th and 39th chapters of the book of Ezekiel. Let us quote here from this Q&A:
“Ezekiel 38:8, 16, tells us that the events will occur ‘in the latter years’ or in the ‘latter days.’ Verse 8 emphasizes that it will happen at the time when those living in the land have been ‘brought back from the sword and gathered from among many people.’ We are also told that ‘they were brought out of the nations’ and led to ‘the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate.’ It is emphasized that they are NOW dwelling ‘safely.’ Verse 12 also reiterates that these former ‘waste places’ are ‘again inhabited,’ and that the people of Israel, who were gathered from the nations, ‘have acquired livestock and goods.’ Since there will be no desolate mountains of Israel throughout the Millennium, and since the people of Israel have been living in safety during the Millennium, and since they were gathered out of the nations and brought to the Promised Land at the time of Christ’s return, it is clear that the events described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 do not occur 1,000 years AFTER Christ’s return.”
At the same time, it is evident that these events do NOT take place PRIOR to Christ’s return. Continuing with our Q&A on Ezekiel 38 and 39:
“We read in Ezekiel 38:11 that the people of Israel will live in ‘unwalled villages’; that they are a ‘peaceful people, who dwell safely,’ ‘without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.’ This shows that the events will not occur PRIOR to Christ’s return, as the modern descendants of the houses of Israel and Judah — mainly the USA, Great Britain, Canada and the state of Israel–do not live in peace today, and they will not live in peace, without walls, bars or gates, prior to Christ’s return (For proof, please read our free booklets, ‘The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,’ and ‘The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.’)… Also, Ezekiel 38:8 refers to the ‘mountains of Israel’ where the modern houses of Israel and Judah will live at that time–but the modern house of Israel does not presently reside there at all, nor will they live there prior to Christ’s return.”
To fully grasp the importance of the events, which are described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, we must realize that God will be intervening very mightily. He will show mankind that He does not need their help in fighting against His enemies, as Moses told the Israelites at the time of their Exodus from Egypt: “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).
We say in our Q&A on Ezekiel 38 and 39:
“Ezekiel 39 emphasizes in numerous places that God will destroy the invading army, and that because of God’s intervention, the nations, and especially the nation of Israel, will know that He is the Lord. Verse 22 states: ‘So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.’ This is clearly a reference to the BEGINNING of the Millennium–not to the END when God has ruled over the world and Israel for 1,000 years. Verses 23-29 add that the Gentiles will know by then that ‘the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity’–a reference to the coming slavery of the modern house of Israel, prior to Christ’s return. Christ will free the modern nations of Israel and Judah out of their slavery when He returns–not 1,000 years later (compare verses 25, 27-28). It is THEN that God will begin to convert the survivors of the modern houses of Israel and Judah (verse 29)–not 1,000 years later.”
In our Q&A on the timing of the events in Ezekiel 38 and 39, we also identify the Gentile nations mentioned in these passages which will build a coalition against Israel and Judah. They include peoples from China, Russia, Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, as well as peoples from the vast regions in northern Eurasia extending from the Baltic to the Pacific. As we put it in our Q&A, “But when they attack, GOD will do the fighting for His people… He would do the same for our peoples today, if we would only let Him do so, submit to HIM and be obedient to His commands.”
We also briefly allude to another attack of hostile armies against the camp of the saints in Jerusalem at the very END of the Millennium, stating the following:
“A similar… attack on Jerusalem will occur about 1,000 years later, after Satan has been ‘released from his prison’… He will ‘go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea’ (Revelation 20:7-8). As they did 1,000 years earlier, they will try to conquer Jerusalem, but God will destroy them (verse 9). Again, no human being will fight against those warring and attacking nations–it will be GOD who will do the fighting for His people. This is the last time that we read that humans–deceived by Satan the devil–will fight. Satan will be removed forever, unable to deceive humans anymore to fight and kill in war. Ultimately, ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’ (Revelation 21:4).”
At the beginning of the Millennium, after Christ has returned and while He is fulfilling the remaining 3 ½ years of His public ministry, hostile nations will try to attack Israel and Judah because they still have Satanically-inspired feelings and habits to contend with. When moving ahead 1,000 years, the peoples in the Millennium did not know Satan and his demons who were imprisoned during that time. They were unaware of Satan and his evil devices. Once he is released from prison for a short while, he goes out to deceive the nations, as he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. And as Eve fell for Satan, so will those people, choosing to believe Satan rather than God. Having lived all this time in a peaceful “Garden of Eden,” they still want to believe Satan. This shows us how powerful Satan is, and we must never underestimate him. Today, he is still very much free, roaming around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour (1 Peter 5:8). But God will make a quick end to Satan’s influence then, as He promised to do for us now, if we are submitting to God and let Him fight our battles (James 4:7; Romans 16:20).
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
