Some months ago, a Bible scholar stated that as the return of the Lord draws near, several observable trends are reversing back to where they were 2,000 years ago at Christ’s first coming. First, Israel is back in the Land as they were then. Second, the world is reverting to paganism as Paul encountered. What then, would be the reverting trend for the Church?
I cannot recall his name, but he reminded that the first century church met in homes, there were no church buildings or cathedrals, and that in the future that might become more common. It is remarkable that within this stunning coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown affecting almost 3.5 billion today that churches are meeting in homes once again, more often than not aided by online broadcasts, or video conferencing. This week as we celebrate the Resurrection one cannot help but note the number of communion services being conducted online as members partake of the elements within their homes.
Some have cited that there is even a more remarkable parallel in Israel, Jews are more or less stuck in their homes as we are, waiting out the isolation of a deadly biblical plague, and observing the Passover in a similar manner as the first Passover 3500 years ago as recorded in Exodus 12-13. At that time, they applied the blood of an unblemished lamb over their doorposts to avoid the destroying angel.
The message of the Passover and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ could not be clearer than today in the midst of this pandemic.
Have we claimed the Blood of the Lamb -Jesus Christ- over our homes and family? Have we applied it symbolically? Psalm 23 tells us He is the Good Shepherd who loves us. We have a God who has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus said He would be with us always (Matthew 28:20), thus we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.” (Hebrews 13:6) And we know that no tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword will separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 38-39)
Yet, we are reminded that there are lessons we can learn from the Old Testament.
“For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 9b)
Amos, whose name means “burden-bearer,” is the third of twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament and he prophesied in the 8th century B.C. against the northern 10 tribes of Israel. Much like the Western world of today, Israel had turned away from God over the course of time and in receipt of his prophesying, they considered Amos to be a “burden.” Despite God’s chastening, Israel refused to turn from her sinful ways and depravity. In the fourth chapter God lists 5 disciplinary actions He had taken and each time He concludes, “yet you have not returned to Me.”
“I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword,
Along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils;
Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. (Amos 4:10)
On a second occasion, God appeared to Solomon after he had dedicated the Temple. Acknowledging his prayers, God advised Solomon that in the days ahead if Israel fell back into its worldly ways and rejected Him as they had done so many times in the past, He would afflict them with natural calamities and pestilences. “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,” (2nd Chronicles 7:13) But He goes on to offer an opportunity for repentance and reconciliation: “ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (verse 14)
In so many ways here in the United States and throughout much of the West we have rejected God, His Son, His ways, His laws, His word instead clinging to our idols of wealth, power, sex, entertainment, sports, technology, and pleasure. If ever there was a time to place our faith, trust and hope in God, confessing our sins and repenting of them, casting down our idols it would surely be today.
But today we live in the Age of Grace, and yet God has allowed this pandemic to occur. Why? Because He is calling upon the peoples of the earth to turn to Him for salvation.
Interestingly, it was Amos who also prophesied about the last days saying “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.” (Amos 9:11)
What is your point in raising this old prophecy? How does this relate?
One of the most exciting developments in Israel today is the continued progress and discovery of the twelve caves at Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls excavations. Amongst the archaeologists, historians and staff of the Israeli Antiquities Authority there is strong belief that with recent deciphering of the Copper Scroll that not only do they think they know where ancient Temple treasures are buried but they also believe they now know where the Tabernacle of David is buried. This has greatly whetted the appetite of Jews in Israel who seek the rebuilding of a Third Temple in Jerusalem.
I still don’t follow, please make your point.
For it was James filled with the Holy Spirit who stood at the Council of Jerusalem and addressed the apostles and elders:
“And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” (Acts 15:13-17)
Speaking in the Spirit, James is not only quoting the Amos 9:11 prophecy in interpretive manner, but he has added a key phrase in place of “In that day.” He invoked “After this.” So, what is “THIS?” It is the calling out of the Gentile Church, the Bride of Christ. What James is saying is that before the ruins of the Tabernacle of David are raised, that the calling out of the Gentiles will have been completed.
Moreover, this is amplified by Paul, the “Apostle to the Gentiles,” who after likening the Gentile Church as a “wild olive shoot” grafted into “the olive tree” introduces one of the eleven key mysteries of the New Testament:
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25)
In other words, “until” means there is a totality of the “fullness of the Gentiles” before the partial hardening of Israel is lifted, and it is this specific time period (Age of Grace) that James and Amos reference before the Tabernacle of David is raised. To put it bluntly, there is an end date, a final number that is only known by God. When the “fullness of the Gentiles” is reached the Church Age will end with the Rapture of the Bride of Christ. Revelation 3 ends the Church Age and chapter 4 begins.
So, we were on the topic of the coronavirus, shutdown, etc. How does this tie in?
Shortly before Jesus was crucified, He told his disciples the signs of His return. “And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (labor pains). (Matthew 24:7-8 emphasis added) Given the unprecedented nature of this global pandemic within just a 90 day window literally shutting down half of the nations of the world, one cannot help but mark this event as very real evidence of increasing labor pains that ultimately lead to the Great Tribulation.
Archaeologists suggest that the raising of the ruins of the Tabernacle of David may be close at hand that go hand in hand with the Bible’s timeline of events.
But the Bible does seem to also suggest that the world will recover from this pandemic for a time based on what Jesus spoke, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark.” (Matthew 24:37-38) These verses seem to infer that at His return, life on earth will be normal if not prosperous, that eating, drinking and weddings will continue as they always have. Thus, a recovery from this unprecedented pandemic event would seemingly follow.
In American football it is known as the “two-minute warning,” a brief pause signaling there is not much time left in the game and subsequently, teams enact an aggressive, time efficient offensive game plan to score quickly in the time remaining.
Assuming this global coronavirus pandemic begins to ease, the hope is life will return to normal. The signs of Christ’s impending return are abundant, and this virus is a major wakeup call to the nations of the world. But, unlike society the Church needs to do anything BUT return to “business as usual.” We need to pray for a major revival among the nations that only God can author.
Jesus chastised those hypocrites who studied the signs of the seasons but did not recognize the time of their visitation (Luke 12:56). Likewise, the Church needs to acknowledge the signs of our times especially in light of this pandemic…….and respond.
No one knows the day, time or hour but know this: that the time will come soon when no one can work (John 9:4).
Awaken Church.