Chapter Twenty-two Posted

Dispensationalism and the Doctrine of Election
Refutation of Calvinism, Arminianism, and Covenant Theology

Chapter Twenty-two
The Synergism with The Lord of Hosts and the Soteriological Responsibilities of His Redeemed
(5,896 words)

http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/Pages/Dispensationalism/Synergism.htm

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Patterns of Commonality or Patterns of Peculiarity

“¹ But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: ² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. ³ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; ⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. ⁶ Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. ⁷ In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, ⁸ Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. ⁹ Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; ¹⁰ Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. ¹¹ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, ¹² Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ¹⁵ These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” (Titus 2:1-15).

We live in the age of feel good Christianity. It is the day of the feel good Christians who want a feel good Church with a feel good preacher. The feel good Christian wants to hear “for God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son” and that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” but they do not want to hear “he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” They want to hear “for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,” but they do not want to hear that this comes with the responsibility that is “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

The feel good preacher is the preacher that preaches what people want to hear while withholding from them the things they need to hear. We can easily distinguish the feel good preacher from faithful men of God, not by what he does preach about, but by what he does not preach about; not by what he says, but by what he does not say. This was the same phenomena of corruption that took place at the end of the Dispensation of the Law. God’s prophets and preachers/priests began to talk in language that did not offend or never spoke of God’s judgment. Although they were God’s appointed watchdogs over God’s sheep, God viewed them as “dumb dogs” and “greedy dogs” because they failed to preach the “whole counsel of God.”

“⁹ All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. ¹⁰ His watchmen {the prophets and priests of God} are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. ¹¹ Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. ¹² Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant” (Isaiah 56:9-12).

Every practice and aspect of the Christian’s life ought to flow from “sound doctrine.” The construction of our translation of Titus 2:1 is somewhat ambiguous. It does not say we are to “speak . . . sound doctrine.” The phrase is “speak . . . things that become sound doctrine.” The confusion comes from our failure to understand the meaning of the Greek word prepo (prep'-o), which is translated “become” in Titus 2:1. The idea of this word is about making something to fit. Our speech/communication is to fit or illustrate “sound doctrine.” Then, Paul goes on to characterize how that is to be done by giving examples of how this speech is communicated. Notice, he is not merely talking about our speech as it comes forth in verbal communication. He is talking about our communication of “sound doctrine” by the way we live our lives. Paul puts before us three models of this communication of the communicable attributes of God, which then are to teach immature believers these same life styles that manifest “sound doctrine:

1. Aged men; vs. 2; “sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience”

2. Aged women; vs. 3-5; “in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed”

3. The incarnation of the eternal Son of God; vs. 12-14; “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works”

These Biblical models of the Christian maturity are to live, dress, walk, talk, and exemplify the communicable attributes of God in such a radical way that they “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (vs. 10). Notice, it does not say in some things. Notice, it does not say in the things you think are important. What does this little Greek word pas (pas), translated “all things,” mean. “All things” means all, any, every, whatsoever, whosoever, thoroughly, completely, wholly, or without any exclusions. There should not be one single aspect of our lives and/or our mannerisms that we do not carefully consider regarding the message we are communicating about Christ.

Someone has rightly said, “We never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Although one of the most misunderstood and frequently quoted verses of Scripture might be “judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1), this statement by Christ is also the most frequently disobeyed. If we understand our own human natures, we will understand why it is such a difficult commandment. We live in a world filled with dangerous people. It is normal for us to evaluate them before we entrust to them the intimacy of a personal relationship. Until we can make an accurate and careful evaluation of a person’s character, we will naturally keep that person at a safe distance in any area of trust.

When we first meet people, or when see them for the first time, we naturally begin to formulate impressions and ideas about who they are and what kind of persons they are. We make our judgments based upon the way people dress, the way they comb their hair, the language they use in communication, the mannerisms they portray, and hundreds of other nuances that our psyche uses to evaluate a person’s character before we give that person the gift of trust. The vast majority of what a person says to us in our initial contact is nonverbal. We make a lot of evaluations of a person simply by their appearance. Many times the way a person dresses, wears his hair, or the way he portrays cultural nuances like tattoos, body piercings, or many other nuances tells us what this person thinks is important in life.

The mannerisms and cultural nuances we accept and portray reveal our social construct. A social construct is the cultural influences that we allow to shape our character and the influences that really lead us into making the vast majority of the decisions we make in life. For Bible believing Christians, our social construct should be purely Biblical and radically different than the world. True Christians should be truly peculiar people. We should look radically different than the rest of the world. We should talk radically different than the rest of the world. We should live radically different than the rest of the world. We should be radically preoccupied with different things than the rest of the world. The very first moment someone looks at us and our lives, they should be able to know that there is something radically different about us. When someone walks through the doors of our local church for the first time, that person ought to know he with people who love the Lord Jesus more than their own lives before anyone even utters a word to them.

Do not be confused here. Your communication begins long before you ever open your mouth to speak a word. The degree that we fail to portray a genuine, heartfelt peculiarity of Christ likeness in this communication is the degree it might be said that a Christian is worldly. The degree that we fail in this communication is the degree we pervert a Biblical social construct. Worldly cultures or worldly social constructs establish worldly standards. As Christians, we must be extremely careful to avoid the pressures of social sophistication (another phrase for adulteration of Biblical norms or for worldliness) by adopting cultural mores (customs, styles, fads that become cultural Laws). A cultural mores is what we must do to be accepted by the culture we live in. It is the opposite of being peculiar.

The things that make us peculiar are the things that keep Christians from becoming common. The word common as used in the Bible means the opposite of that which is holy. The word common is used to describe a person that is like everyone else, or has practices that are common to everyone. The word common is often used to communicate the idea of being profane or defiled before God. That is why Christians are commanded to be peculiar. There ought to be nothing common about us, except that which should be common to all Christians, i.e. PECULIARITY. Being peculiar will always require inconveniences and extended efforts to avoid commonality. Being with it should be viewed as a vulgarity in the peculiar Christian’s life.

The way we act and live in this world should be obviously peculiar. The music we listen to should be peculiar from the music the rest of the world listens to. The things that we preoccupy ourselves with and of which we find enjoyable should be normally and naturally peculiar from the things commonly practiced in society. The way we dress should be markedly peculiar from the way the world dresses. We should purposefully avoid following the fads that identify us with the social construct of a worldly culture.

Worldliness is not just defined by sinful practices. There are many ways to be worldly while not be involved in practices of moral turpitude. Worldliness begins with a desire to be accepted, followed by a willingness to conform to cultural mores in order to receive that acceptance. Worldliness is simply about identifying with the world in anyway that makes you common, rather than peculiar.

What does the woman who wants the world to desire her (she wants to be sexy or hot) really want according to God’s view? She wants to be common or worldly.

What does the teenager who wants to be cool really want according to God’s view? He wants to be common or worldly. This is all just another form of prostitution. This is a prostitution of your peculiarity in order to achieve cultural acceptance. The tragedy is that in getting cultural acceptance, you lose your peculiarity and become common in the eyes of God. This is the sin of Esau.

“¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. ¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; ¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. ¹⁴ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: ¹⁵ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; ¹⁶ Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Hebrews 12:11-17).

What was this horrible sin of Esau that resulted in God rejecting him? He prostituted his peculiarity for that which is common. He hungered for the things of this world and gave that desire a place above his desire for the things of God. What did Esau's prostitution of his peculiarity make him in the eyes of God? According to Hebrews 12:16, Esau became a “profane person” in the eyes of God. Do you think that following the fads and looking and living like the world are innocent things in the eyes of God? Do you think that the way you dress, the priorities you give to recreation and pleasure, or the priorities of your life on planet earth are inconsequential to God? Think again! These things defile your peculiarity and make you common/profane in the eyes of God.

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There Is No Genuine Conversion Without Genuine Conviction of Sin

“5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: 6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; 9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. 10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. 12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. 15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:5-16).

There is a deep, unsettling shallowness within much of professing Christianity. The depth of this shallowness goes much farther than the mere ignorance of the Word of God and apathy towards the things of God. This ignorance of the Word of God and apathy towards the things of God manifested in this shallowness are merely symptoms of a much more serious spiritual problem. That problem is the problem of self-deception regarding pseudo conversions and false professions of faith in Christ. The primary reason for this shallowness is the reality that many people have prayed a prayer, walked an isle, and been dunked in some water when in reality they are still lost in trespasses and sin. The problem is a false sense of conversion because there was no real heartfelt spiritual conviction of sin.

This problem of pseudo faith and false professions is not new to the Church Age. It has been the problem that is the distinguishing characteristic of failure at the end of every dispensation of God. Each Dispensation ending with the transitioning of God’s people from low expectations to no expectations. This is what ultimately defines apostasy resulting in the reprobation of succeeding generations of people who call themselves children of God without any real conviction of sin, no connection to His expectations of how they live, or having owned the responsibilities that belong to those who have been redeemed.

We fine this to be true at both the endings of the Dispensation of the Law and the Dispensation of Church Age. We find this to be a spiritual constant throughout Scriptures of the dynamic of apostasy as Christ answers the question why He spoke in parables. We also find it is this same dynamic of apostasy that will exist at the end of the Church Age with the “lukewarm” apostate church of Laodicea. In both cases, we see some readily recognizable characteristics of apostasy.

“10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (those who had rejected the gospel in the Law and apostated themselves} it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Matthew 13:10-17).

“14 And unto the angel {messenger or pastor} of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:14-22).

There is an obvious pattern that we can see in Matthew 13:10-17 and Revelation 3:14-22 regarding the primary condition of professing believers who are false believers at the end of these two Dispensations. The reason this shallowness, that manifests a false profession, continues to go unchecked is primarily the fault of well meaning preachers who tend to prop up people living obviously shallow lives by giving them a false assurance of salvation by teaching them the doctrine of eternal security when they should be teaching them to “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates (II Corinthians 13:5)? Every dispensation of God seems to end with the leaders of God’s people progressively lowering God’s standards of separation and holiness allowing for ever decreasing expectations of those who call themselves children of God.

This is clearly what the Apostle John does in his first epistle. He, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives a number of ultimatums regarding the reality of a person’s profession of faith and the resulting regeneration. These statements of the Apostle John are not intended to add Moralism or Ritualism to the requirements for salvation. They are intended to provide us with spiritual evidences of the manifestation of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8).

“3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (I John 2:3-4).

“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now” (I John 2:9).

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15).

“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (I John 2:23).

“4 Whosoever {habitually} committeth sin {habitually} transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him {habitually} sinneth {linear present active indicative} not: whosoever {habitually} sinneth {linear present active articular participle} hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man {habitually} deceive {present active imperative} you: he that {habitually} doeth {present active participle} righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that {habitually} committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth {linear progressive present active indicative, “he has been sinning from the beginning”} from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not {habitually} commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever {habitually} doeth {linear present participle} not righteousness is not of God, neither he that {habitually} loveth {present active participle} not his brother” (I John 3:4-10).

The Scriptures are permeated with warnings regarding false faith, hypocritical professions, false teachers, and false believers. The purpose for these hundreds of warnings regarding these issues is the warning about self-deception and about being deceived by others. If Satan can accomplish a false sense of security in someone’s live through deception, he has accomplished more than he ever could through causing doubt. When someone doubts, they continue to look for security. When someone is deceived into a false security, that person rests in that false security. He wrongly thinks he is safe from God’s judgment. The Apostle Jude warns of these false teachers and three patterns of apostasy.

“11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:11-23).

In Jude 1:11, we find three revealing characteristics of those who live in the pretense of a false profession of faith. These three characteristics reveal in detail what defines spiritual apostasy.

1. “gone in the way of Cain”: murderous hatred for all those that stand for Truth and who are true to the Word of God (this is manifested by attitude more than actions; these people to not like believers whose beliefs are anchored to the literal interpretation of the Scriptures intent upon living those Truths in a jot and tittle manner before the Lord)
2. “ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward”: Balaam covetously used his position and calling as a prophet of God to advance his own agenda and gain wealth for himself (these are the Mega Church gurus of fluff & stuff Cotton Candy Theology; these jokers see people as merchandise and Church services as their personal harvest field)
3. “perished in the gainsaying of Core”: Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their company, in Numbers 22 is the rebellion against the way God wants things done and putting one’s own way of doing things in place of what God commands (this is the pragmatism that measures God’s approval by the results/numbers produced rather than by unity in doctrine, purpose, and practice)

What can this kind of pseudo-Christianity expect from the Lord? It can expect the same response to apostasy that God had patterned for thousands of years. It can expect judgment. We are standing upon the horizon of a repeat of history. We can expect that God will soon separate the wheat from the tares and begin with a new remnant of faithful believers.

“1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah” (Isaiah 1:1-9).

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Chapter Twenty is Posted

Dispensationalism and the Doctrine of Election
Refutation of Calvinism, Arminianism, and Covenant Theology

Chapter Twenty
The Debilitating Façade of Hope in Legalism
(Romans 10:1-11 - 4,372 words)
http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/Pages/Dispensationalism/Facade.htm

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Eternal Thanksgiving for Dominion Restored

“¹³ And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴ The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. ¹⁵ And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. ¹⁶ And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, ¹⁷ Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. ¹⁸ And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. ¹⁹ And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:13-19).

The original plan of God was that mankind was to have dominion over the earth.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26).

When Adam willfully sinned, he lost that dominion to Satan. Adam chose to sin because he loved Eve more then he loved God.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (I Timothy 2:14).

Once Adam sinned, Satan became the “god of this world.”

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (II Corinthians 4:4).

“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

Prophecy spoke of a time when Messiah would restore the dominion of the earth to mankind by His incarnation. The Son of God would become the Son of man in order to do so.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8).

“⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:54-57).

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Philippians 2:10).

In Revelation 11:15 we finally have the transfer of that dominion back to mankind in Jesus Christ, Who then will transpose that dominion to the Church in the Kingdom Age.

“²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: ²⁷ And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (Revelation 2:26-27).

Once the seventh Trumpet is sounded, Revelation 11:15 relates the rapidity that the seven bowl judgments will take place in that this is viewed almost synchronously with the second coming of Christ at Armageddon. The second coming will take place immediately after the seven Vial (Bowl) judgments.

“¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ¹² His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. ¹³ And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11-16).

The fact that this will finally take place was the statement of faith of the saints throughout the ages to the praise of His glory.

“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:25).

When this historical moment finally rises upon the horizon of time, the 24 elders (representing the saints of all ages) fall down in praise, worship, adoration, and thanksgiving before the throne of God and before God.

“¹⁶ And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, ¹⁷ Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned {lit., hast begun to reign}” (Revelation 11:16-17).

At Revelation 11:13 we are chronologically very near the end of the Tribulation period. It is less then one hour after the ascension of the two witnesses as the whole world watched as they are raised from the dead. Within that hour, a great earthquake will destroy one tenth of the city of Jerusalem and kill 7,000 people. Great fear will come on those remaining alive (the “remnant”) and they will recognize this is all from the hand of God (“give glory“).

One of the reasons these people will recognize a greater power than the “beast” is revealed to us by a little word in verse 12. The words “a cloud” should be “the cloud.” This refers to the Shekinah glory cloud that will descend out of heaven and take the two witnesses up. This is similar to what happened to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“⁸ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ⁹ And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:8-9).

The “remnant” of those in Jerusalem will recognize this to be the glory of God. Some of this remnant may repent and be saved. Others will recognize the source of all these things as supernatural, but continue without repentance. This will end the sixth Trumpet judgment (second woe) of the seven Seal judgments. The third “woe” will be the seven Vial judgments from the seventh Trumpet judgment.

In Revelation 11:15-19 it is evident from the way this is written that there is very little time left before the return of Christ (the second advent). There are four major historical paradigms in the history of the world.

1. The creation and fall of man

2. The incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God

3. The second coming of Jesus Christ to establish His Kingdom and dominion over His creation

4. The final consummation and creation of a new Heaven/Earth where God will dwell with His redeemed forever.

In Revelation 11:15-19 the excitement centers on the fact that the world stands on the threshold of the third great event in history. The seventh angel sounding refers to the seventh Trumpet judgment which results in the seven Vial judgments at the very end of the Tribulation just prior to the second coming of Christ. In these five verses, it is as if John’s vision jumps rapidly back and forth from earth to heaven and from heaven to earth in anticipation. It is that close!

Yet we will not see what happens in these seven Vial judgments (the seventh Trumpet) until chapters 15 and 16. However, it is just moments (perhaps weeks, days or hours) away. As soon as the seventh Trumpet sounds “great voices” make proclamation. “Great” refers to volume. All of heaven will hear this proclamation. Heaven breaks loose in celebration, praise and worship.

“The kingdoms of this world {KOSMOS; Satan’s stolen dominion} are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ {Messiah}; and he {the Messiah} shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, central to their prayer life was to be their desire for the Kingdom of Christ to come. Every trur Christian should not just be waiting for the Kingdom of Christ to come. We should be waiting in eager anticipation. We should be looking for the Kingdom of Christ to come with great enthusiasm and preoccupied with the possibility of its any moment occurrence.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

At the end of the Tribulation the only thing between the second coming of Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom is these last seven Vial judgments of the seventh Trumpet. These verses record that Trumpet is now being blown. Nothing can hold it back. Nothing can stop it. The final dam holding back God’s wrath will be released in these seven Vial judgments.

This is so overwhelming that the twenty-four elders (Rev. 11:16) come out of their thrones before God and fall prostrate on their faces in worship, adoration and thanksgiving. These elders represent all the redeemed of all ages. They address God in His full Name; ADONAI ELOHIM SHADDAI (Rev. 11:17), LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.

Adonai refers to His relationship as Master (Lord) and Leader. Elohim refers to His character of strength and faithfulness. Shaddai is the Hebrew word for a women’s breast and refers to God as the Nurturer and strength giver. He is the Satisfier of man’s need. He is their source of nourishment and strength.

The redeemed give thanks, recognizing each aspect of Who God is to them. They do so “because” dominion is restored to mankind through Jesus Christ. Yes, the victory was won 2,000 years ago on the Cross of Calvary. That victory was sealed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the spoils of the victory were never claimed . . . until now! At the sounding of the seventh Trumpet, only moments await the second coming of Christ to reclaim dominion over creation for all mankind (the redeemed).

The word “power” of Revelation 11:17 refers to dominion or authority. The first Adam’s lost dominion is about to be “taken” back by the “last Adam.” . “Hast reigned” is better translated hast begun to reign. It is a new beginning that will last forever.

In Revelation 11:18 the scene comes back to earth. “And the nations were angry.”

Of course they were. This reveals the continuing hatred of fallen mankind for God’s control over their lives. Satan has deceived mankind into hating God’s control over their lives. Humanism has made man to be his own god.

“¹ Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? ² The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, ³ Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. ⁴ He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. ⁵ Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. ⁶ Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. ⁷ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. ⁸ Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. ⁹ Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. ¹⁰ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. ¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalms 2:1-12).

After all these years of political subterfuge, those led by the evil one thought they had won control over this world for themselves. They thought they could establish their own standards of right and wrong without the interference of the Biblical absolutists. In this case, the game isn’t over until the last trumpet sounds. With the seventh Trumpet, the last Trump has just sounded!

The lost man (and the carnal Christian) resents God’s interference in his pursuit of pleasure and power through unbridled desires. Lost men do not want God sticking His nose in their business. When Jesus steps out of glory this time, He is coming claiming His dominion and demanding obedience. For the rebels of this world it will be like slapping a mad dog.

When we read Revelation 11:18 it relates wrath and rewards. For the remaining lost upon the earth “thy wrath is come.” As horrible and devastating as these last seven Vial judgments will be, they will seem insignificant to the horrors for the lost in the second coming of Christ.

“⁹ And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. ¹⁰ All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. ¹¹ And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. ¹² And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zechariah 14:9-12).

It would appear that not one lost soul would remain alive on the earth. The next time you hear someone pray the Lord’s Prayer (so called) in vain repetition, ask him if he really understand what will happen just before His Kingdom comes.

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The Evolution of Soteriological Reductionism

This new fourteen (14) Chapter series is available at the link below.

http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/Pages/Soteriological/SoteriologicalIndex.htm

This link will bring you to the Table of Contents with links to all 14 chapters.

The total series is 37,699 words.

If you would like to use this series for a Sunday School class or to teach, you can request the syllabus in a Microsoft Word file or PDF by sending me an e-mail. Simply state which format you would like the series in.

There is no charge for the use of this series.

Please let others know of the availability of this series.

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New Chapter Posted

Dispensationalism and the Doctrine of Election

Refutation of Calvinism, Arminianism, and Covenant Theology

Chapter Nineteen

How a National Israelite Becomes a Spiritual Israelite

(3,463 words)

Link Below:
http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/Pages/Dispensationalism/Israelite.htm

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