The Remnant Church Preparing for the Kingdom
[A]t the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace (Rom 11:5).
Mission Statement: Our mission is encouragement for the remnant church in these final days, praying earnestly for the Spirit to purify and prepare us for what soon lies ahead. Both components of the remnant, Jewish and Gentile, must come into full awareness of our respective standings and what God expects of us. That will enable a seamless merging to become what God intends: one spotless Bride, ready for eternal marriage to Jesus, our Bridegroom-King. At the same time, I’m coming to the opinion that as things develop in the very final years, church leadership will naturally shift to the Jewish component with the effect that, in full circle, the Church will conclude like it began.
The term, “Remnant Church” is not necessarily the name of a local church. It’s the designation for a Spirit-generated ideology that congregations rally around, a worldview that seeks to regain the operational outlook of the Early Church. The movement usually begins with church leadership who come to realize that we are beginning the approach to God’s Kingdom Age. Excitement rises as they become aware of the way God wants their church to be operating in our current time-segment.
Surveying God’s Kingdom
The Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven denotes God’s sovereign, royal authority—and the cosmic acceptance of His authority. We speak of “The Kingdom”, referring to the eternal spiritual entity created by God and over which He rules. We who are part of His special physical creation are also equally responsible to Him. In the Garden of Eden, Adam sinned, forfeited his Kingdom citizenship and passed the sin-tendency to all of his descendants. But Adam accepted the covering God offered and experienced His grace, mercy and forgiveness, and in like manner, God has also granted forgiveness and restoration of Kingdom citizenship to every repentant sinner joining the faith-family of believers. When you and I were redeemed, born again, we became citizens of the Eternal Spiritual Kingdom of God. Genesis 15:6 indicates that Abraham was a Kingdom citizen, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
But, notably, God started a new thing with Abraham. Abraham was called to be the father of a corresponding earth-linked track to the Spiritual Kingdom: the political, physical entity, Jewish National Israel. National Israel was later overlaid with the Kingdom of David. Davidic succession, however, was interrupted by the Babylonian captivity, but National Israel1 continued for several hundred years until, in due time, Jesus was born. All the royal lines of David precisely converged in Him—He was/is the King of the Jews, Messiah, God Incarnate, Greater Son of David, King over the Kingdom of Israel, Melchizedek-Order King-High Priest…and so much more! All glory and praise to Him!
The Restored Kingdom Offered
About AD 30 Jesus presented Himself to accept His rightful position as King-Messiah; He made an authentic offer to restore the Davidic Kingdom to Israel. But Israel’s leadership refused and instead pressured the Romans to crucify Jesus. So, God postponed the political Kingdom of David—although the Eternal Spiritual Kingdom continued throughout, as it does yet today. And…Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection served to validate and fund the operating principle of the Spiritual Kingdom—the area of it that relates to humanity. After Calvary, when believers are born again into God’s Kingdom, forgiveness of sin is no longer on credit awaiting deposit. With His own blood, Jesus fully paid the sin debt for all. Up to that point, awaiting that action, Paradise had been the holding area for the righteous dead; after the cross Jesus was free to carry Paradise with Him when He ascended to Heaven (see Eph 4:8–10). When we die now, we can go directly to Heaven.
Jesus’ redemptive work became the legal and foundational principle underlying all further Kingdom development. From the point of Jesus’ passion, the political Kingdom is no longer based solely on Davidic royal succession (although succession is still important!). Consider: Jesus is infinitely worthy of worship and every accolade including world kingship because He was slain and bought redemption for all (but it’s effective only for those who intentionally appropriate it by faith in Him). From Calvary forward the redemptive element took priority—Jesus became the Redeemer over God’s Kingdom of the Redeemed (another name that can be applied to humanity’s part of the Spiritual Kingdom). All subsequent Kingdom activity, both spiritual and visible, would proceed pre-eminently on the new foundation of Jesus’ finished redemptive work. De facto, Jehovah/Jesus has always been King-Redeemer of Israel, now He is clearly King-Redeemer of all humanity.
Looking Ahead…
But it’s not over. Jesus is coming back! Building on all the pivotal, life-changing, cosmos-changing accomplishments of His First Advent, His Second Coming will be The Big Event, the biggest event in human history since Calvary! In the future, at just the right time, Jesus returns, abruptly terminates the seven-year Tribulation, and sets up His Global Kingdom. It is a uniquely Jewish worldwide expansion of the Kingdom of David over which Jesus reigns, enforcing peace with a rod of iron, the Pax Messiah. During that time, much of the curse is suspended and the original-earth conditions of Eden are restored.
The impression conveyed in Isaiah 9:7 is that Jesus sets up His Kingdom with the understanding that it is to last forever on this present earth—no end, no hint of an expiration date. God’s good-faith intention is projected here and that is how it is prophesied (and indeed, when all comes to final culmination that is how it develops: an eternal, physical Kingdom). But in Revelation 20 we see another video of the same event, only this one describes a catastrophic rupture after just 1,000 years. Is this a textual disparity? No, not at all. Isaiah 9 lays out the original plan; it tells how it was intended to be and could have been. Then, Revelation 20 simply states what happens, how it actually works out—but there’s scant detail on why a calamitous break occurs.
How Great is Our God
So, how can God confidently declare an everlasting Kingdom on this earth and at the same time know that it will continue for only 1,000 years? We see in Scripture several such seeming conflicts relating to God. Well, the problem is with us. We are such limited beings; we are unable to grasp the infinite immensity of our God. On one level He knows all things from eternity. On another level He is surprised at what He sees. He is elated, pleased and rejoices when we do well. He is amused at our nonsense and ridiculous banter and actions. Then again, He is shocked at the displays of our depravity and wickedness—it leaves Him grieving and repenting that He ever made us. He offers us the best and we chase after the worst, and it hurts and angers Him. But at the same time, over the course of all His various responses to us (we can readily identify with such responses—we are made in His image), there remains His eternal omniscience (that’s beyond us). Somewhere in the unbounded vastness of who He is, it all comes together…perfectly. Our proper response to Him? Let go of it. Don’t agonize to understand Him, just fall down before Him, worship, praise, adore and love Him.
Again, Revelation 20:3 illustrates the principle outlined above: Satan could have been thrown directly into the lake of fire along with the beast and the false prophet—that would seem logical. Instead, God chains and imprisons him. Hmmm… Well, there we have it: God is actively preparing for what He knows will transpire a thousand years hence—even as He sets up His Kingdom projecting His genuine intension that it will continue unbroken on into eternity.
Why the Catastrophic Break?
So, what goes wrong? In short, Satan is released. We are not told why. It may be that God simply decides it’s time for testing. We know that when He deems it expedient, God tests people, individually and/or collectively, to reveal the true nature of our relationship with Him. Now, the element of testing may be a factor here, but recalling the pattern we see in most fulfilled prophecy, I’m inclined to think that a complex situation develops over time that enables or becomes the fulfilment.
To set up one likely scenario, project into the closing days of the Tribulation: Look at those pitiful people… They are subsisting in the midst of a perilous, horrific life under the Antichrist. Then…Jesus returns and takes control! The immediate reaction is screaming terror—oh no, another conquering despot, more powerful than the ones who have crushed us up until now! But then the suffering survivors slowly come to realize that they are being transitioned into a peaceful, bright and bountiful Kingdom Age—what a stunning contrast! Jesus displays His wise, good and marvelous leadership and they eagerly welcome and joyfully live under His authority. But, as the beautiful years spin by, even with their extended lifespans, eventually all of the Kingdom pioneers die out.
Then, later generations who have grown up knowing only the luxurious Kingdom life may develop a sense of entitlement and begin to get jaded and agitate for more leniency, for more input and representation in government—and change…”anyone but Jesus!” (We know the scene before Pilate when they demanded that the murdering terrorist, Barabbas, be released, and Jesus be crucified.)
So, discontent begins to build. Again, it seems understood at the outset of the Kingdom that the original wonderful life will continue unbroken into eternity. But remember that most of the promises God makes to people are conditional: they must keep His commands and accept His authority. Bear in mind, at that time people will still be tainted with the fallen nature and it’s predictable that boredom with leadership —even perfect leadership—may begin to creep in and metastasize. Think about it: Israel in the wilderness became bored with Moses’ anointed leadership. King David’s leadership was uniquely blessed by God, but people got tired of that as well. It happens.
Antisemitism?
And…it’s possible that antisemitism may resurge for one last time. Consider: Prophecy indicates that when Jesus returns, the whole Jewish nation will be Spirit-transformed, radiating the selfless beauty of Jesus’ love and meekness—and they will be passionately committed to Him with eternal, unwavering loyalty (see Isa 59:20–21). Under Jewish Jesus, Jews will be the top ruling class. Not because they will manipulate or clamor for power and domination, but because Jesus assigns it to them. “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth” (Mt 5:5). They will be highly prosperous, likely controlling most of world finance and government.
Now, this prophesied elevation of the Jewish people has been lifted out of context and wickedly twisted to incite pogroms and the Holocaust in the past and antisemitism /anti-Israelism yet today, but in the Kingdom Age, Jewish prominence will become reality. In the early Kingdom years Jewish leadership and influence will be sought after and esteemed, but centuries later that may slowly rotate to deep resentment. As the Gentile world sinks into rebellion, envious antisemitism intensifies because the ruling class Jews will remain unyieldingly loyal to Jesus. That becomes an unbridgeable worldview clash that only gets more hostile with time.
The Unthinkable…And the End
If the above scenarios develop, it could set the stage for dissatisfaction that eventually mounts to where the unthinkable is happening: people are angrily demanding that Satan be released and be their representative. So, God relents…and Satan is released. Whoa.
The old dragon works quickly to deceive the nations—they are ready for it. As rage rises to the boiling point, all who have remained loyal to Jesus are evacuated to Jerusalem. Satan busily incites a global rebellion, but when the marching masses surround Jerusalem for the final siege, the whole operation is abruptly terminated by fire from Heaven which consumes all the attackers and every supporter worldwide—i.e., anyone not in Jerusalem (see 2 Pet 3:10–13).
So, the idyllic conditions of the Kingdom Age that could have continued with no end…will end, after only 1,000 years. We use the term, “the millennium” for that prophesied period. The millennial disaster ushers in the Great White Throne Judgement when the heavens and the charred earth are jettisoned and Satan, death, sin and sinners, are sentenced to spend eternity in The Lake…of unquenchable fire.
Now, admittedly, much of the last five paragraphs above can be labeled “speculation.” But consider: this view (without symbolizing anything away) ties the ends together, and it fits Scripture. On the other hand, for someone to deny that there even will be a millennium—that view that does not fit Scripture, it leaves things in divided confusion, and that view employs extensive speculation.
The Kingdom Resumed—and Even Better
So, a major break occurs at the 1,000-year juncture. But then God’s Global Kingdom resumes in a new setting, and from there it will continue forever, “no end.” That’s when the New Jerusalem comes down through the New Heavens to settle on a totally New Earth (See Rev 21). Jesus will victoriously deliver the Kingdom to His Father—Mission Accomplished (see 1 Cor. 15:24–28). That great celebration may also honor the complete merging of the Spiritual Kingdom and the Earthly Kingdom. We will enjoy eternity in the fully integrated Kingdom of God.
Jesus can, at last, be the Prince of Peace in the way He prefers—no more rod of iron needed. The authority of the Father and the Son will never again be challenged. For us, the Bride of Christ, redeemed and resurrected, the ruinous, adamic element of our human nature, the sin-taint predisposing us toward evil will be eliminated (thank you, Lord!). We will live in spiritual-physical bodies that are totally energized by the Holy Spirit. Father, Son and Holy Spirit will, as ever, constitute our One Triune God, and we will be His people in that gentle, joyous, perfect, never-ending Magnificent Kingdom—just as He always wanted. But…with all the billions gathered there exuberantly praising Him, He won’t consider it complete without you…and me. Each one of us is precious in His sight. How marvelous is that?
Another point…think about Jesus’ conquering intervention into the Tribulation to set up His Kingdom, and then the catastrophic rebellion at the end of the Millennium and all that will transpire at that time. How The Almighty moves at those times constitutes a monumental demonstration of how He can step into the most horrendous, tragic situation that sin and Satan can conjure up against God and His plans, and the Almighty can untangle every problem and create the ultimately good situation eclipsing anything done before. The results? The bright, perfect, eternal New Heavens, New Earth and New Jerusalem. All glory and praise to Him forever!
Seeking the Right Attitude
Comparing Isaiah 9 and Revelation 20 there appears to be two quite different scenarios. We have seen that after the Tribulation, Messiah Jesus will launch the Kingdom Age on this present earth. Now, Isaiah 9 presents that Kingdom as simply continuing on into the mists of eternity. Revelation 20:7–11, however, informs us that after only 1,000 years a catastrophic rupture occurs, planet earth is destroyed and discarded. (Several texts, particularly Revelation 21:24–27, lead me to conclude that after the Final Rebellion, the survivors and refugees from present-earth Jerusalem are transferred and resettled to populate the New Earth which God will create. It will be a major restart; life will resume much like it had been during the millennium. But one significant difference will be that for the first time in history, the great majority will be Jewish.) So, the question: How should we deal with what can appear to be a disparity? The question arises because there is no clear indication in Old Testament prophecy of any break in the coming Kingdom. I’m thinking that when Jesus returns, His Kingdom will be set up projecting the intention of its being continuous on into eternity. Accepting that assumption, it might be better if we presented the Kingdom in the same way.
It’s as if studying Revelation 20 gives us insider information that might need to be treated with some discretion. It calls for us to seek the mind of Christ and the Spirit’s wisdom about appropriately sharing the information about the catastrophic interruption that occurs on or about the 1,000-year point. We know it to be true. Denying it is not the right response. But it might be best in our preparing for the Kingdom to proceed as if we did not know it. That appears to be how God will be treating this and we always need to be in alignment with Him. It’s as if God is allowing us to have a taste of the way it is with Him: His cosmic omniscience is always coexisting with—and is balanced with—His actions and attitudes that are responding to developments and events as they occur in time (see Jeremiah 18:7–10; 19:5; 26:3,13,19). Think about it…it might be wise to lean toward emphasizing that Jesus’ Kingdom is eternal, and indeed it is.
Approaching the Kingdom Age
So…we’ve been surveying the long-range overview. But our pressing concern right now is gazing forward to Jesus’ return to set up His Kingdom. We should be striving to get ready and stay ready. You might wonder, "Why the urgency?" Well, there are indicators that we are already beginning the approach pattern which will land us in the Kingdom Age—and what will turn out to be “the millennium.”
Many have written in such a way that a break is indicated at the thousand-year point of the Kingdom Age (it agrees with Revelation 20). Prominent among them is Rabbi Eliyahu (1720 – 1797), also known as the Vilna Gaon (genius of Vilna, Lithuania). He prophesied that there would be 7,000 years of history for this present earth. He made history sound like it reflected Creation Week: six “days,” (6,000 years) of work and then the Sabbath, a “day”, a millennium, of Rest under the reign of Messiah—total: 7,000 years. (This drew from the Jewish teaching [quoted by Peter in 2 Peter 3:8], "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.") Granted, we don’t actually find a 7,000-year prophecy in Scripture, but it makes good biblical sense, it has the ring of revealed truth and current history as is now unfolding does seem to affirm it.
Closer Than We Might Think
Consider: The year of this revision is AD 2024. October 3-4 is Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of Jewish year 5785. Jewish rabbis derived their calendar from Scripture genealogy starting with Adam and tracing the messianic line. Assuming they used the Jewish-favored Masoretic text, we encounter a problem: In Genesis 11:12–13, Shem’s grandson, Cainan, is missing from the family line—we don't know why. Restoring Cainan to the genealogy adds 130 years to the total, so this is really year 5915, just 85 years away from the pivotal “Year 6,000.” If we spread that 6,000-year timeline around a clock face, each minute representing 100 years, look where we are…85 years is less than a minute from midnight. Apparently, we are just 80 to 100 years away, give or take a few—that’s close! By the timeline of eternity, 2,000 years can be referred to as “soon” (see Rev 22:20). And a mere 100 years rates as “soon and very soon.” (On a purely math basis, it comes out to AD 2109/2110.) (Add 3890 to the current calendar year to see where we are on the prophetic 6,000-year timeline.)
Actually, the whole of creation and all of present earth history is a 7,000-year Kingdom Project. This current phase of God's Physical Kingdom plays out on a linear timeline upon which God’s purposes and ultimate Kingdom goals are brought into reality. All earth-activity is regulated and shaped to serve and advance His Kingdom goals. This has been God's ongoing plan since He invented measurable time by creating our rotating earth with an offside light source. That first day of God's creation was the first tangible step toward the Kingdom He envisioned. God's Kingdom timeline started on day one. We are now within sight of the 6,000-year marker, the general time-area when I fully expect to see Jesus return to bring in His glorious Kingdom! Informed believers are aware of these things—the world is not, and will simply scoff if we try to explain it to them.
Still, you may be thinking, “Eighty to 100 years from now? My great-great grandchildren may still be alive but I'll be long gone, why should I get excited?” Make no mistake, we will be there to witness, experience and participate in all of it. Consider: At the last, the seventh trumpet during the Tribulation, we will be resurrected with our new Jesus-type bodies (1 Cor 15:51–52). As for the believers who are surviving at that point (the final Remnant who still will be carrying the baton we have passed on to them), they will be instantly changed and together we will all ascend, be raptured, caught up to meet Jesus in the air. “And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1Thes 4:17). (All this occurs just before the full measure of God's judgmental wrath is poured out with the bowls [see Revelation 16]— God’s full wrath does not smite the true Church, Jesus bore God’s wrath for us.)
Living in oneness with Jesus (we are His Bride) means that when He returns, we return with Him. But we won’t be just wandering around, enjoying ourselves and watching the action. There will be duty assignments. Suddenly, it will be our job to build on the results of what we are doing now. We have a personal stake in this. We need to set up training for those generations ahead so they can finish strong and be ready when Jesus comes for all of us. Avoid the Hezekiah attitude (Isaiah 39:8).
From a different angle, AD 2018 marked the 70th year since Israel declared independence in 1948; I’m sensing that this was a highly significant juncture in God’s thinking. Consider: The facts on the ground were accumulating and strengthening over those seventy years. We witnessed Israel's miraculous rebirth and survival despite three major wars when Arabs attacked them on multiple fronts with overwhelming strength intending to exterminate the Jews and their nation. (By all standard military assessments, Israel should not have won those wars.)
Look also at Israel’s growth, development, and wildly disproportionate world influence—all in the face of continuous existential threats. God is obviously working His long-range Kingdom purposes there. Foundational elements for the Jesus Kingdom are, right now, coming together as the Nation of Israel continues to grow. And, sooner or later, more attacks will force them to expand out and hold the strategic borders laid out in Ezekiel 47. All this aligns with what we have seen above.
But to circle back to the proposition touched on above, 2018 was a celebratory, landmark year for Israel. But, when the celebration was completed, it seems that in 2019 a new phase was launched in the spirit realm. Worldwide statistics on all types of crime suddenly spiked radically and have roughly maintained that level since. What happened? I’m convinced that the Holy Spirit ceased to operate in His administrative role as restrainer of sin, the role He assumed after the Flood because it was clear by then that allowing fallen humanity to go unchecked was unsustainable. But look at us now—we have been taking credit for our level of virtue, we have claimed that people are basically good. The truth is that we have been reigned in when things threatened to get too far out of control; we sorely need a theocracy where God Himself rules. To bring us to that awareness, God, as prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12, has lifted his restraining hand allowing unleashed anarchy, and we are shocked as we witness how evil we really are. Jesus warned us, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Mt 24:37). It’s another identifiable evidence that we are indeed seeing “…the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25). (We will expand on the Restrainer concept in a later section.)
Times Have Changed
We are entering an era of transition: It’s essential that we be preparing2 for our involvement in God’s Earthly Kingdom. We need to be sensitive and obedient as the Spirit reveals to us how to prepare ourselves, personally—then, corporately, by molding the Church into a cooperative unity, a working, purified Bride. This can be accomplished as we work under the leadership and empowering of the Lord of the Church to bring the Church to a victorious finality. Until now, if churches were not fully on board with God in His Kingdom Project, He seems to have viewed it with leniency. But now His Kingdom plan has visibly advanced far enough that His attitude seems to have changed—God wants His people to join Him and change their attitude. He wants us to acknowledge what we are seeing, to recognize what He is doing, and to awaken into awareness that the times have indeed changed.
Continuing to do church as we have been is likely to prove disappointing. Operational techniques that may have worked in the past may be noticeably diminishing in their effectiveness. Our worldview needs updating. Ask God for insight about where we are on His timeline and the new element that has been added to our mission: We are called to partner with Him in the process of merging this current Church Age into His developing Jewish Kingdom Age. For some believers, even churches, it has already begun. There is rising awareness of Israel and its implications for the Church, some even celebrating Jewish feasts and festivals. Pray for the Spirit’s leadership in how you should embrace the Church’s revised mission and what operational adjustments might be appropriate for your situation.
Consider: Jesus will return to claim His Bride, a unified Bride. Jesus is Jewish, He is from Israel, and His Bride will be Jewish/Spiritual Israel, comprised of believing Israel and adopted, faithful, grafted-in Gentile believers, naturalized citizens of believing Israel. Jesus is not a polygamist. He will not be married to two brides, one Jewish and one Gentile—there will be just one unified, purified Bride. Paul wrote a significant section in Ephesians 2:13–22 showing that in Christ, God is bringing both segments of His Church into one beautiful, unified body. It is definitely in order that we concern ourselves with seeking and following the Spirit’s directives so as to allow Him to make unity happen, then He can mold us into the Bride prepared for eternal marriage to Jesus.
The Character of the Remnant Church
The Unified Bride concept does not mean that Gentiles should seek to become Jews or vice-versa. For the most part, God made us the way He wants us to be. There may be some minor differences in how the Spirit leads Jews and Gentiles to live and/or worship, but there should always be an overriding, solid unity in our foundational faith in Messiah Yeshua, in His redeeming blood shed for us, and our loyalty to the truth as revealed in all of His inspired Scriptures. Study the early mixed Jewish/Gentile churches that Paul established; study how he, the quintessential Jew, lived among them and led them. That pattern needs to be recovered and reentered into practice as directed by the Spirit.
I am not sensing that Gentile churches embracing the Remnant vision should necessarily feel the need to take on the aspect of a Messianic Jewish congregation. Some may want to, and that’s fine, it’s their choice. I’m thinking that most churches will change very little; mainly it will be a matter of church members expanding their worldview to include awareness of how far we’ve progressed on God’s Kingdom timeline, how near we are to the advent of His glorious Kingdom. This is about diligently finding and filling our proper place in support of His activity in Israel and with His Jewish people, and each group learning from and strengthening the other. So, in general, each congregation needs to be sensitive to the Lord about whatever adjustments are right for them. Our aim is to live prayerfully and submissively under Jesus’ Lordship as the Head of the Church Universal and the Head over each individual church. That, of course, is the way it should always be.
Are We On Board?
There is evidence that, going forward, God is monitoring whether or not a church is zealously supporting Him in His Kingdom Project—in the way He’s doing His Kingdom…the Jewish way. My observation is that this new issue of our promoting Jesus’ coming Earthly Kingdom has become a deciding factor in God’s thinking as to whether or not He will pour out His full blessing on any given local church.
Those already on board are testifying to God’s singular blessing on their work. Conversely, many who don’t see the importance of this issue, and thus are not involved, find themselves struggling against a gradual downward trajectory in their church as numbers and resources slowly shrink—and they wonder why. Think about it: Should God feel obligated to lavish special blessing on those who don’t share His passion for the Kingdom, the concept that has been in His heart since He planned it back in eternity? The vision, the dream that He pondered from infinity about that… ”Kingdom”—God’s Kingdom-dream was the point, the motivation for all His Creation.
God’s dream: The earth was to be His Kingdom-territory, the people He would bring to life, His Kingdom-citizens. And…He, of course, would be the King. But then…sin… But then again, redemption was provided and offered to those who would believe and once again qualify for Kingdom-citizenship. And now, after six thousand years of gathering His believing, loyal citizens, God’s Kingdom is within sight!
The Kingdom is for His Glory
Let’s clarify a bit: As wonderful as all of life will become, the Kingdom per se is not an end in itself. The Kingdom Age will be about glory—when God can begin to display His stupendous glory to mankind, and, at last begin to receive from the nations expansive glory to Himself. Of course, we, as Kingdom citizens, can never generate all the glory our Infinite Triune God deserves—not even in eternity. But can we achieve close to the maximum possible for us here and now? I like to think so.
Consider: In the final, New Earth reality and throughout eternity we will never tire or become bored with praising and glorifying God. Our praise will be ever pouring out to Him, and His overflowing joy and fulfilment will be ever flooding into us. What a marvelous prospect! And here we are, approaching a major milestone toward seeing that final reality unfold. Understandably, God is passionate about the progress being made; He yearns for His people to join Him in the intensity of His anticipation.
The elements above delineate a Remnant position: Our Lord’s return, His coming Kingdom and our personal participation in it—these are more than items of our accepted end-time view as might appear on a doctrinal statement, they are a major part of our operating system. It is how we think, it is our worldview, it is how we live.
Remnant Membership
Remnant members today are much the same as the Early Church members described in Acts and the epistles. Scan how it was with them: Each one chose to trust Jesus personally; they lived in spiritual dependence on all He accomplished in His suffering as the Passover Sacrifice at Calvary, the sin-forgiving, cleansing power of His shed blood. God responded to their faith by crediting them with Jesus’ righteousness and holiness, and they were born again by the transforming redemptive indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Then, following the Lord, they obeyed His command to be water baptized—their enacted testimony portraying vicarious identity with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus who saved them and washed their sins away by His blood.
After their water baptism, the usual pattern was to receive the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and thus they were Spirit-indwelt on another, more powerful level. That was most often imparted with laying on of hands, possibly while still in the water. Energized with that second experience they were enabled to share their new faith with powerful convicting persuasion; each one was specifically gifted and equipped to carry out their God-ordained life-mission. They embraced the Early Church imminent view of Jesus’ soon return—they fully expected, any day, to hear His commanding call, “Come up here!” Indeed, they viewed themselves as the last generation before His second coming.
Consider: The Lord wants us to love His appearing and to live in expectancy—it’s an impelling, purifying lifestyle. At the same time, Jesus had informed them in Matthew 25:5 that “The bridegroom was a long time in coming…” (see also Luke 12:45). Maintaining keen expectation is totally correct, but that needs to be balanced by the fact that prophecy calls for numerous background conditions to be in place prior to His coming. Still, with that Early Church high wave of anticipation, the Spirit moved mightily with signs, wonders and healings—which only further charged the atmosphere.
And now, approaching the end of the Church Age, with ever-growing evidence that Jesus’ appearing in royal power is most certainly on the horizon, the time has come when God is scanning for those who will recapture the anticipation, the vision and passion of our brothers and sisters in the Early Church. As He did then, He again wants to pour out His blessings and bring His Church to a closure that will be more dramatic than when He introduced it at Pentecost.
Assemblies may coalesce around these principles and become hubs of blessing, but individuals also can come into heart-membership as a Remnant believer while still active in a fellowship that has not yet caught the vision. One might be led to remain involved there and serve as a missionary of the vision—or maybe there is no Remnant-minded church in that area. Either way, he/she is linked in spirit with all others who hold the Remnant worldview.
The Requirement of Spirit Baptism
We have touched on the Baptism with the Holy Spirit—we need to enlarge on that. The going will most certainly get tough as we approach the end. To remain fully faithful until the crowning day, we desperately need the additional empowering of Spirit Baptism. Persecution will become intense; there will be mounting pressure and demands for us to compromise, apostatize and, eventually accept the fatal “mark.” Then, shortly before Jesus returns, we will be hunted like wharf rats and we’ll sorely need the Spirit’s shielding and deliverance—and, if the Lord allows that we be captured, we’ll need His boldness to make the good confession…our final testimony (see Rev 7:9–14). It will become mandatory to live in the resource of Baptism power—there is no way we will cross the finish line in true faith without that reserve of ‘extra oil’ (see Mt 25:1–13). In the face of the fury, we must stand firm and shine like stars displaying the peace, love and joy of the Lord. Our humble, holy tenacity must be characterized by purity, power and praise. That can authentically happen only when we are moving in Pentecost and the fullness of His Spirit. Anything less will leave us unequipped and doomed to failure—with grave and eternal consequences.
The only way to be reliably ready for crunch time is for us to enter that glorious second empowering as soon as possible (as noted above, the New Testament pattern was at water baptism right after being born again). Delaying our entry can be dangerous. (The moment you enter, you’ll wonder why on earth you ever hesitated.) After end-time pressure has fully descended, it may well be too late.
The foregoing deals with the personal level. Corporately, a Remnant Church will continuously operate in Spirit Baptism power, adhering to Paul’s inspired guidelines in I Corinthians 12–14, adapting as the Spirit directs to appropriately address any given situation. In the latter days of assault and attack, churches may need to judiciously and protectively disperse into smaller groups. But instead of being scattered into oblivion, they will become colony-forming units, similar to what happened with the Early Church.
A Praying Church
A Remnant Church is a praying church. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for God’s protection, prosperity and blessing on Israel and the Jewish people. We pray for the lost, both Jew and Gentile, for missions local and worldwide, and that God will choose, prepare and send out yet more laborers into His overripe harvest fields. We lift up believers who are enduring persecution because they love Jesus; we entreat for healing, for national leaders—and so much more as needs become apparent. But a permanent emphasis will be to follow the Lord’s Prayer and continually implore God to bring His Kingdom into reality, “...your kingdom come” (Mt 11:2).
True, Jesus’ Kingdom is prophesied, so we know it will become reality. At the same time, I’m sensing that a contributing factor in its coming into being is that it is prayed into being. The Lord intensely wants to bring in His Kingdom, and will do so when the conditions are right, but He prefers that it be achieved in answer to our praying—He wants us to cooperate with Him by praying for it. Remnant-hearted believers are determined to be in the forefront of those who fervently pray so that Jesus can be pleased to answer and bring His marvelous Kingdom into full bloom, and then our joy, as well as His, will be complete and overflowing.
If we are confronted by demonic possession, attachment, influence—any type of dark spiritual activity, it will be prayerfully opposed by the Holy Spirit’s power in accordance with the principles of response that the Father honored in the ministries of Jesus and the Apostles. Applying those principles resulted in full deliverance—to the resounding glory of God.
Another prayer concern is to always maintain honesty and eagerness for truth and full disclosure—it’s an operating principle of the Remnant Church. Transparency avoids misunderstandings, disappointments and a Spirit-grieving, power-stifling, church-troubling situation such as occurred in Acts 5:1–11.
Maintaining Our Zeal
Apathy is out of character for the Remnant. We dare not settle into perfunctory church routines where tradition controls the program and hinders freedom to adapt as we operate in the Spirit and seek to sustain our forward-moving sense of adventure. It’s imperative that we remain zealous (see Rev 3:15–16). I’m seeing several factors that can help in retaining our freshness, our zeal: First and most important is worship—vibrant worship of Jesus as our soon-coming King, and the prospect of the unbounded joy of seeing Him personally. It’s freely worshipping our infinite, eternal, Triune God in the new reality. It’s coming to know Him as He is right now, the God who is preparing the updated Promised Land, and preparing us for whatever may be our role in His Project—it’s pouring out praise to Him Who, even as we sing, is visibly laying the foundations for His earthly Kingdom.
Proper, godly zeal motivates us to stay informed. Selecting an ‘Israel Watch’ might be helpful. Reporting regularly on Israel, they can select news items which have prophetic significance such as the expanding return of Jews back to The Land (Aliyah). Follow the progress as Israel plants, builds and innovates, molding Zion into The Central Nation and Jerusalem into The Capital of Jesus’ Kingdom-Empire. The Sanhedrin has been reinstituted and is issuing new regulations. The restored priesthood is preparing items for a Temple and relearning Temple ceremonies as mandated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. (A Temple is prophesied [see Dan 9:27; Mt 24:15; 2Thes 2:4], so one will be built—in unbelief. The proposed Temple is referred to as the Third, but actually it will be the fourth, after those built by Solomon, Zerubbabel and Herod. It will not survive. Jesus will build the fifth/final.) The Israel Watch will report on items like these as we chart God’s moving in Israel. Indeed, we see new Kingdom-related information occurring nearly every week. And…we can pray for their security and the strong arm of God’s defense in that region where Israel is surrounded by hostile forces utterly committed to completing Hitler’s final solution.
Other Zeal-Retaining Factors
There are other zeal-retaining factors, like maintaining an emphasis on the certain return of Jesus/Messiah Yeshua to rule His Global Kingdom from Jerusalem. That should inspire us to bless Israel with resources and encouragement—Israel is currently hard-pressed and very much in need of both. As we stay informed, specific needs will surface relating to The Land and the people, issues that call for pointed prayer. Fervent praying leads to rejoicing when we see God answer and advance His Kingdom purposes. Note the last prayer in the Bible: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20). Let that simple petition become a permanent part of your “pray without ceasing” prayer life. Celebrate His reassuring response: “Yes, I am coming soon” (Rev 22:20).
Being passionately committed to Jesus can awaken in us a desire to assist Jews who want to return to Israel—as was prophesied would happen (see Jer 30:3; Ezk 11:16–17; 28:25–26; 27:21–22). That’s an exciting development! The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem is sponsoring flights for all Jews, including Messianic. We can support missions and missionaries who are upholding Israel in their struggles and actively winning Jews to Messiah Jesus. On that note, attitudes are beginning to shift among Jews, particularly in Israel; historic Jewish hostility against Jesus and Messianic Jews is softening. Many young Israelis are intrigued and curious about Jesus, maybe even warming up to the idea that the Messianic movement should be accepted as a legitimate entity under the broad umbrella of Judaism. We need to be praying into that promising trend and praising God as we see it strengthen and advance.
And, we can study. There is a large body of prophetic Scripture relating to our time and what lies directly ahead. A well-presented prophecy-themed Bible study series can raise keen interest in the congregation and maybe beyond. It builds enthusiasm and a sense of purpose to become aware of what has already been fulfilled, elements that are being fulfilled, and to watch for movement in Israel that add more pieces to the prophetic puzzle.
As we retain zeal in our Remnant mission, maintaining our Kingdom emphasis, we can expect a strong sense of the evident pleasure of God and testify to His blessing us in unique ways. As He begins to move in our midst, kindred believers in whom the Lord is cultivating a Remnant heart may hear and take notice. Even unbelievers may be drawn to our forward-looking sense of purpose; we’ll joyfully lead them to Jesus, praying with them for repentance and salvation, including them into our fellowship and the Kingdom family.
Persecution—It’s Coming…
Sooner or later, persecution will happen. Even now, holding a Remnant worldview includes attitudes and actions that are scorned in some circles. Critics may fault us for several issues, such as our favorable view of Israel. Resistance could come even from segments within the Church, but expect it mainly from the outside. Rejection, hostility and persecution of the global Church have risen steeply over the past few years due to developments behind the spiritual curtain: (1) we are approaching the crisis 6,000–year mark; Satan knows that soon he will be seized and chained. He is enraged and rushing to inflict as much damage as possible in these closing years, either directly or through the deluded, captive people who serve him. (2) The prophesied lifting of the Restrainer is now in process (see 2 Thes 2:7). There is evidence that after the Flood3 the Holy Spirit began the ‘Restrainer-of-Evil’ aspect of His administration. Today, He is once again retreating from that suppressive activity (See 2Thes 2:7). With that lifting of the Spirit’s restraint, we are returning to the wildly wicked conditions that prevailed before the Flood. Jesus warned us about this time: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Mt 24:37). Paul prophesied in 2 Timothy 3:13 that “…evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” But, praise God, we are witnessing how the world’s escalating resistance is actually strengthening the unity and resolve of committed believers who share the vision of the Remnant Church.
It is my conviction that these Remnant-related matters are indeed true, and if we, in obedience, mold our lives and church operation in accordance with these truths, God will grant us grace that our joy and zeal be not only enduring but intensifying as our years of prepared watchfulness proceed. This won’t be carried on hype (hype fades quickly), but rather a combination of rest in the Lord…and joy in the Lord. You can see how it is in the world: Satan fosters either ignorance/deadening apathy or, even worse, polarizing hate and frantic extremism. That is wrong thinking. Instead, pray that your mind be infused with the mind of Christ. In the midst of escalating chaos in this world, live in the secret place of resting in Jesus, a state of wisdom-informed zeal wrapped in perfect peace. It’s the path of long-term productive service and fruit-bearing that will endure and bring glory to God.
The Joy Factor
Joy is inherent to who God is, He is a joyful God. He makes Heaven a joyful place. Jesus intends for us—like Him—to be full of joy: “…that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11). ‘Completed joy’ was part of Jesus’ prayer for us: “…that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (Jn 17:13). God wants us to display His joyous nature. Many around us clamor after happiness in their quest for joy; our lives should demonstrate that Jesus is the sole source of true joy. Authentic Jesus-joy shines brightest and testifies to its authenticity in the darkest, most deprived and dangerous happiness-killing situations. Consistently displaying peace and joy at such times constitutes a powerful, attractive and convincing presentation of our redeeming and transforming gospel. Witnessing such a life in those circumstances, many have come to salvation.
God wants us involved to where we take ownership of His Kingdom Project; He wants us to share in the joy He is experiencing right now as He’s bringing it into being. Why is Jesus so intent, so joyful about His Kingdom? Consider: He knows the kind of Kingdom He’s building—a Kingdom wondrous beyond words! “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived…” (1 Cor 2:9). For Him it was worth unthinkable personal pain and death to attain it—any cost. “For the joy before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame…” (Heb 12:2).
Think about it: As Jesus pondered and dreaded the ghastly prospect of His looming Passion, He could see beyond the suffering, through the mists of time to when, if He succeeded at the cross, He would someday be King over His global Kingdom-Empire. (He would be King on His terms, not the sickening shortcut Satan had offered Him.) He could sense the indescribable joy that will erupt and flow and spread out over the vastness of His restored earth. “The joy set before Him.” Eventually, joy at an intense, ultimate level will permeate all of life on the eternal New Earth. But for right now, to experience Jesus’ developing-Kingdom joy, let’s heed the call to be fully immersed and heart-committed to His Project. (Today, many seem content with a casual assent to the Kingdom concept. They are missing so much.)
Spirit of the Living God, as you did for Jesus, may you place before us the vision of that powerful Kingdom joy, may we be incentivized to strive for holy living, serve you with zeal, and bravely endure persecution for loving and being loyal to Jesus, should that be unavoidably forced upon us. Amen.
God’s Remnant are those who have ears that hear, eyes that see, hearts that understand. This is the Body that God is putting together. We will see His glory when we capture His vision and are walking in His priorities. It’s good to know these things—blessed are those who do them.
Reaching Out
We live to see people transformed by God’s redeeming, life-changing love, leading them to repentance, to faith in Jesus, into the expansive liberty of blood-bought forgiveness of sins. New believers will be broadly trained in the faith. So, outreach will be emphasized, not with the idea of enlisting supporters to help us maintain a hamster wheel of self-perpetuation, but rather to lead converts into a quest for godliness, and a goal-oriented, forward-looking, forward-moving expectancy as we share our mission of preparing the way for our Bridegroom-King.
Studying the section from Acts 2:36–6:7, principles emerge that underlie the rapid expansion of the Early Church: There was overflowing joy generated by the Holy Spirit—authentic joy is attractive. There was total confidence in the truth and rightness of their doctrine and message—they knew their gospel had transforming power. They had a genuine Spirit-spawned groupthink; they were unified in spirit, belief and action. Common ideology can have a strong appeal. When disputes arose they openly addressed them with a Spirit-guided solution, quickly resolving the internal contentions which can make any group unattractive. These elements produced holy boldness to preach and witness in the face of dangerous persecution. They retained a firm sense of family, a generous interdependence and responsibility to each other.
The joy, unity, courageous faith, and holiness of life in the Early Church allowed the ungrieved Spirit to move freely among them in power with dramatic miracles, signs and wonders—and healings. People were experiencing God’s healing, and the news spread. Without the use of public relations expertise or promotional techniques, crowds gathered, responded and were added to the Church. When God authentically moves, growth spontaneously happens. I sense that God is ready to do it again in our time. Such a church tends to find favor with common people—but some in government may view it as a threat. Thankfully, God’s grace abounds to properly respond to challenges from either direction: rapid church growth, or official resistance, or both.
The Quest for Truth
The Remnant Church seeks the truth, even when truth may not be politically correct, or may challenge someone’s cherished tenet. We don’t allow trendy doctrines to influence our beliefs; we strive to stand before the gaze of God holding to positions that are the truth. The Spirit inspired the Scripture4 and He knows the full and correct meaning of every text and what constitutes proper responses and doctrinal positions. That’s what we want and we pray earnestly that He will fully reveal those things to us. Our doctrine and practice arise out of the entirety of God’s Word, or is in complete alignment with His Word—we learn, teach and preach the whole Word of God. Conservative, biblically faithful prophecy is a prominent interest in keeping with our emphasis of a Kingdom-destination.
Doctrinal fidelity is important because we are committed to being an assembly where God’s Spirit is unhindered and free to manifest His power in our midst, which occurs best when the Spirit is pleased—not just by our conduct but by the doctrinal positions we hold. Every doctrinal position held personally or corporately that is not entirely true, will, to some degree, diminish the Spirit’s freedom to move in power. We want to remain a powerful church and that aim is enabled as we remain united around teachings that are true, and we employ operational methods that are birthed in prayer, biblically principled and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Moral Purity
The Remnant Church must remain a morally pure church. Any hidden sin stifles God’s power (like Achan at Ai—see Joshua 7). Known sin in the church which is ignored is even more weakening; worse yet is sin or moral perversion which is applauded or celebrated as inclusiveness, open-mindedness or held up as a manifestation of ‘how wide and accepting is the love of God.’ Such blatant reproaches not only quench the Spirit and stifle His power, but they usher in “other” spirits who are purveyors of a warm, delusive, softly glowing “love” which links people together at a lower level. Such “love” gathers adherents into its smiling circle; it’s totally accepting of everyone and everything—until confronted with the requirements of the authentic holiness of God. And then it suddenly flashes into hostility; whoa…where did that come from?
Missions is Inherently Multicultural
The Remnant Church maintains a strong emphasis on missions. We are committed to praying, staying informed and being supportive of missions. We reach out with the Gospel—locally, nationally and globally to everyone everywhere, Jew and Gentile alike. In our churches and our personal lives, our doors are open with a warm welcome for all who come—our lifestyle is inherently multicultural. So, multiculturalism is not something we are inclined to separately stress, that would seem to be an awkward restating of the obvious in view of who we are and our strong missions emphasis. (The Bible teaches, beginning in Genesis, that there is only one race of humanity—and science now affirms it.)
But again, a Remnant church is more than a mission-minded church; it is a church on a mission. It is a church with a sense of mission in its DNA. Granted, a congregation may meet at a location with a fixed address, but our mindset is forward-moving, we are going somewhere and we are clear about the destination: We are headed for the eternal Jesus-Kingdom, and we are committed to being prepared to enjoy it with Him—and bringing as many as we can with us.
Our Way of Life
We render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar—we pay our taxes. We vote biblical values and participate in government however the Lord may lead. We fulfil our military obligations to the best of our ability—unless we are ordered to participate in action against Israel, or any persecution. When the Antichrist’s identity is revealed, we will not serve under him or in any forces allied with him.
We extend proper honor to whom honor is due, to God-appointed/God-allowed leadership, but we respectfully decline to recite, endorse, bow or kneel in a religious way to anything, any idol or image, any ideology or anyone but our Triune God, particularly our divine-human representative in the Godhead, Jesus. He is our crucified, risen Sinbearer/Savior, our Redeemer, our King, our Creator God before whom, eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will acknowledge that Messiah Jesus is Lord of all, to the glory of God the Father (see Phil 2:9–11). We exuberantly bow before Him now, and worship with tears of gratitude and joy.
The Remnant Church accepts the inevitable: As time goes on, the world’s leadership will become enraged at our quiet disregard for their obsession to control us. For our part, we will obey all laws that do not contradict God’s laws, but if and when conflicting legislation is enacted we are duty bound to ignore and possibly resist such laws. When the Lord indicates that resistance is necessary we pray for grace and guidance to conduct ourselves in a polite, wise and Christ-honoring way. If our non-compliance brings severe response, we humbly accept official reaction against us if it cannot be avoided. We may suffer loss, possibly incarceration. In extreme cases, it could lead to our being bloodied; maybe even leave us coping with bereavement...even martyrdom. But we are committed to remaining faithful and loyal to God, to His miraculous new life in us, to the commission for service He has given us and the promises He holds out before us of a shining eternity of joy in His presence. These are incentives with certainty that render every trial facing us now to be no more than a passing inconvenience.
Remnant Involvement and Ministry
This document lays out suggestions relating to Remnant Church operation. What is the proper level of urgency regarding these suggestions? Consider: The Remnant Church needs to be promoted as a time-sensitive issue with an element of urgency (which is true), but we also accept that it might work better for some congregations to come into full involvement by an incremental process. This calls for each church to be prayerfully perceptive to the Spirit’s leading and intentions for them.
As a church makes adjustments in their worldview, it will also lead them to consider alterations in outreach and ministries. Caution: Don’t try to manufacture ministries. God will reveal what He wants done and how best to do it—assuming we sincerely ask with no preconditions or competing agendas and are sensitive to His voice and His directions. Be committed to doing God’s work God’s way.
Make no allowance for conformity to expectations from any direction other than the Holy Spirit and the Word which He inspired. Who are we trying to please? Obviously we should be striving to please God, not man, but…in the practical outworking of that principle, things may not always be straightforward. Trying to please God does not give us the license to be brusque and insensitive to people around us—God loves them and wants to patiently lead them also into a place of productive truth. Remember: God first, others second, yourself last. Pray for a gentle spirit and awareness to operate by that familiar standard until it becomes a holy lifestyle—it enables us to relate to others with friendly firmness clothed in graciousness and humility.
Occupying until the Circle is Complete
The primary concern of the Remnant Church will not be unending perpetuation but rather preparation. Consider: When King Jesus returns, He will assume full administrative oversight; our current mission will be completed. (Dear Lord, grant that we shall have finished well.) In the meantime, we will occupy until He comes—and worship and praise Him as though He were already here, which, actually He is here. He is our unseen King over the Spiritual Kingdom; He is Head of the Church and presides over every assembly of His own, even down to two or three. By the Comforter, the Spirit of Jesus, His Presence indwells, empowers, directs and provides for each one of us according to His perfect wisdom. Jesus is here. In His unfailing strength, we resolve to retain our zeal, to prepare ourselves and our children, who will teach their children successively…until, with our resurrection-physical eyes, we see our glorified Jesus and He sets up His Eternal Kingdom (see Ps 78:4–7). That’s worth all the patience and persistence needed—His grace is wondrously sufficient.
I’m sensing that Church history is close to completing a full circle. This means that as it was in the days of the Early Church right after Jesus left earth for Heaven, so it will be in the End of Days Remnant Church just before Jesus returns from Heaven to earth. We find ourselves approximately where the Church was at the close of New Testament writing. Things had tapered down from the stupendous beginning and were settling in for the long trek which has run about two millennia. Now we are starting to taper back up and my sense is that farther on, when we are coming up close to Jesus’ appearing, maybe 80 to 100 years from now, there will be a steep increase in healing, miracles and manifestations of the Spirit—all part of the completion of the full circle.
As Jesus’ earthly reign nears, we may be increasingly blessed with God’s vibrant Presence and even house-shaking responses. The vision I’m getting is that He wants to begin pouring out His Spirit once again, displaying His power in the midst of those who are joined with Him in the establishment of His Kingdom Project. As it was in early Acts, we can be looking for Him to perform widespread healing, particularly in cases that remain beyond the reach of advancing medical science.
But…God wants to meet us in worship and fervent prayer right now; we can and should be calling on Him for the authentic moving of His Spirit among us—moving that can come even without amped-up musical performance or eloquent presentation. We pray for Spirit-responses that extend beyond the momentary and produce persisting life-changes in us—because we have truly been with Jesus.
The Root of Israel and the Gentile Church
When Jesus rode the young donkey, He was presenting Himself as the authentic King-Messiah of Israel—He was ready to restore the Kingdom of David. Just a few days later, Israel’s Jewish leadership (“the Jews”), intent on maintaining their political control, sent and had Jesus arrested in Gethsemane. That constituted the official rejection of Jesus, the repudiation of His deity, royalty, messiahship and offer of a restored kingdom—"the Jews” said “No!” Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection were the trio of immediate visible results (see Acts 3:13–15).
There were also three results in the spiritual realm: 1) the Messianic restored Kingdom of David was shelved for the long term. 2) The emphasis reverted back to the Eternal Spiritual Kingdom. 3) The door of salvation opened unhindered to all, Jew and Gentile alike; we simply trust Messiah Jesus…and we’re saved! (see Eph 3:6). Now, these new realities can be viewed as allowing new independence for Gentiles and Gentile churches. But how far does that independence actually go? Is there still a linkage between the Gentile Church and the root of Jewish Israel? Paul says, “Yes!” in Romans 11:11–24. The key ideas in that text underlie much of this section.
But, the questions above were first addressed in two declarations from Jesus, the first one to the Samaritan woman: “…salvation is from the Jews” (Jn 4:22), then the other: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Jn 12:32). The first declaration identifies the ethnic source of salvation: the Jews. The second narrows it down to which Jew is the Source: Jesus. The second declaration also declares the breadth of the offer of His salvation: all—Jew, Gentile, or any mixture. All.
Let’s scan the background and the nature of the root of Israel: The essential, redemptive fiber of that root is Jesus. Who called and walked with Abraham? It was Jehovah, the pre-incarnate Jesus. Who was symbolized by the sacrifice of Isaac—and the ram? Jesus. Indeed, Jesus was the One guiding the selection of Jacob over Esau, of the acceptance of Jacob’s twelve sons as tribal heads. Think of the imagery surrounding Joseph who was specially loved by his father, rejected by his own family, ‘slain’ by his brothers, and went away for a long time. Finally, he was appointed top executive ruler over all of Egypt, and was reconciled with his family who then were elevated to prominence. It combines to portray the experience and destiny of Jesus (…and Israel).
Recall about David, son of Jesse: Jesus was depicted in David’s life history. David was a rather unnoticed lad, but one who had a unique heart for God. Eventually he was made king over united Israel, and he conquered surrounding Gentile nations. God promised him a royal line that would never end. Again, it laid out a forecast of what Jesus did and will yet do.
Jesus-imagery permeates Israel’s history—it’s His story, Jesus’ story. Jesus is the fiber that makes up the root of Israel. The patriarchs of Israel, the laws, the Jesus-portrayal in the feasts and fasts, and most certainly, the destiny of Israel—Jesus is the substance of it all. Jesus is the Redeemer of Israel; in Him is the personal salvation that transforms Jews who trust Him. But not just Jews, He is the Salvation-Redeemer of anyone who entrusts their entire being to Him. But although non-Jews may be grafted in and born again, Jesus, in whom we trust, always retains His Jewishness and is always the fiber of the root of Israel. The spiritual sustenance for everyone is drawn from the Root of Israel, from Jewish Jesus. We are eternally indebted to Jesus, to the Jews, to Israel. In Jesus, Jews and Gentiles are all related—one spiritual family.
Before Abraham, people simply believed in the promised One (see Gen 3:15) and God accepted them and granted them righteousness/salvation. After Israel was instituted through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, it became clear that the coming One would be of the root of Israel. People then believed unto new life/redemption through the coming Jewish One, the hope of Israel. Finally, after He was born, the world learned who He was: His name was “Jesus.” He was the greater, royal Son of David.
Finally, after His own people Israel rejected and crucified Him, it was revealed that to be saved, one need only to trust Messiah Jesus, the One who bought redemption by His death, by the total shedding of His blood. To a great extent, the basis of salvation reverted back to where it had been before Abraham: believe and be saved. But along with the reclaimed simplicity of salvation there was a new factor: we ought to carry a sense of thankfulness and obligation to the root of Israel out of which Jesus came. He is Jewish, and when He returns to reign over all, He will elevate His family.
So, we have Jesus’ ethnic background and the implications that go with it. Granted, acknowledging and accepting these realities is not a requirement for salvation, but joyfully doing so will greatly enrich the salvation and redemption we walk in. There are special blessings reserved for believers who affirm and are grateful, not only for Jesus’ bearing the punishment of our sins on the cross, but for Jesus and His Jewishness. Don’t miss out; God is glorified as we appropriate every blessing He offers us.
Loving Jerusalem
God loves Jerusalem. In the Kingdom Age, Jerusalem will be called, “The Throne of the Lord” (Jer 3:17). He regards Jerusalem as the Center of His Land, the city where He has chosen to place His Name. If you are Jewish you likely have an unrelenting love-gravitation, a genetic sense of belonging—you belong to Jerusalem and Jerusalem belongs to you. For Gentiles, love for Jerusalem may be more academic: We love Scripture, and Jerusalem stands out prominently. It was the crisis location of Jesus’ ministry and redemptive work, He wept over Jerusalem. Its’ prophetic profile is huge. When Jesus returns, it will be to Jerusalem, and from there He will rule His Global Kingdom-Empire. Yes, we love Jerusalem…but God’s love for Jerusalem is a visceral thing, a longing that burns in His heart like a devoted mother for her baby. God’s passionate connection clearly carries an expectation that we elevate our attitude and also become devoted to Jerusalem. Pray that the Holy Spirit will create in us the kind of love for Jerusalem that is right for us and pleases the Father (see Isa 66:10–14). Our strong loyalty and love for God calls us to love what He loves: His Holy City, His dream. We choose to make it our dream.
Closing Summary
The time is short. Given the magnitude of the mission assigned to us for completion before Jesus returns, we do well to be concerned and challenged. The gospel must reach every nation, tribe and tongue. Churches must be established and disciples trained to reproduce other churches until their whole area is evangelized.
But, praise God, much has already been done and by His grace amazing progress is being made: There is wide-spread Bible distribution. Translation technology linked with print-on-demand has exploded to where the seemingly impossible task of getting the Bible into every language may now be just a few decades away from completion. There is film/video and touchscreen technology, radio and TV programming, call-in ministries, and so much more. Transportation and aircraft tech is overcoming travel and transport challenges like never before. These are just some of the means the Spirit is using to spur evangelism in amazing ways.
But there is still major work to be done in several areas. Jewish and Gentile believers need to be merging into a united body prepared for Jesus’ coming to transition us into His glorious Kingdom—but Spirit-led moves are already beginning to enable that process.
This is an enormous, multifaceted, multigenerational mission that we endeavor, by the grace, power and love of the Spirit to finish by Jesus’ return. Considering the immensity of the project, it calls for the involvement and intentional dedication of every believer. And we need to work efficiently with a sense of urgency because with only 80 to 100 years remaining, we can see the glow on the horizon, His coming is soon and we don’t want to be caught with the assigned task incomplete.
In the parable of the virgins Jesus tells us that “they”—clearly speaking of the Church—are “all” sleeping at His return (Mt 25:5). In this context it seems in order to regard the word, “all,” as a generalization. Even as Noah was the exception to the “all” who were corrupt in the pre-Flood world (Gen 6:9–12), let’s hold tightly to the commitment that the Remnant Church will be the exception to the sleeping-Church generalization, that we will remain awake, alert and faithful until the moment we can joyfully lay our crowns at Jesus’ nail-pierced feet.
This prophecy was given to my wife, Gayle, on November 19, 2018:
Are you fully involved in the live-streaming of My Eternal Kingdom priorities? If not, why not? Identify My priorities; identify the hindrances to being in the stream of My priorities. When this begins to happen I will open the windows of Heaven and you won’t be able to receive all the blessings. I will forgive sins and heal the land. These are packaged promises—packaged, ready for delivery. This is for individuals, churches, church groups and nations. I mean this for your good and My glory. You will see My goodness in the land of the living.
Operate in the real. Let this be your operating system in the realm you are now in. Don’t put this on the back burner. I want to be foremost in your thoughts; if not, your thoughts become idolatry—and I allow no other gods before Me. Choose this day who you will serve: There are two choices, My priorities, or the idolatry of your thoughts.
You can’t make this happen, it’s a work of the Holy Spirit, but you have to buy into it. I will show you how to do that. This is not a work of the flesh, I Myself will flesh it out.
After the Jewish leadership rejected Jesus, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70 and even National Israel was put on hold. (Attempts to revive it afterward were also crushed.) Almost 1900 years passed. Then…National Israel was reborn on 14 May 1948 and is still growing today. It was/is a move of God and it will continue until Jesus returns. Israel is obviously the Jewish National Home, but it also carries enormous significance for the world, and particularly for the Church. This will be addressed below in more detail.
Our part of Kingdom-preparation is limited. Beyond preaching the life-changing, culture-changing Gospel, it will be rare indeed for the Spirit to direct any of us to engage in political engineering, trying to arrange and reshape international affairs into what we think to be best for Jesus’ coming Kingdom. Trust God to bring about such global adjustments—He can and He will.
After Creation, the Fall of Man injected the alien element of aggressive sin and rebellion into the human makeup. In spite of that, God still sought to operate in accordance with His delegated-dominion policy which granted humanity broad latitude to shape their culture and lifestyle. But, taking advantage of God’s grace, evil ran amok until finally the Flood had to happen. It became painfully obvious: virtually-unchecked freedom for humanity was not sustainable due to inbred sin. After the Flood, God instituted new policies, apparently one being that He would generally and/or actively restrain evil when He determined that restraint was expedient; He did not want to be faced with needing to destroy all unregenerate life again—until the final time of His choosing.
We are devoted to the Bible, the Word of God. Respecting the book, we realize that the physical book is not an end in itself; we are cautious about edging over into book worship or scroll worship. That can become a form of idolatry that God hates and will judge. Now, the Law is the unparalleled pathway for good moral living, but Paul added that “…the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Gal 3:24 KJV). The hymn writer framed it: “Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord.” As one reads, God uses the inspired message on the page to bring to life the wonder and majesty of the Person, Jesus. Salvation is in Jesus. Even a rather poor translation can convey the crucial knowledge of Jesus’ substitu-tionary, sacrificial death, the bloody, offensive horror that He suffered as He bore the punishment, the Father’s wrath and retributive justice for our sins—because He so loved us. When a sinner reads/absorbs those words in his/her heart language and the Spirit reveals the enormous importance of what God is offering them, they can repent, believe, and be not merely restored, but gloriously, miraculously regenerated, born again, redeemed. The page has led them to the Person, and their name is added to the Book of Life—they become new citizens of The Kingdom. The Law has fulfilled its primary purpose and the angels rejoice!