The Seven Dispensations: The Great Tribulation Edition

Hello Friends!

In this special closing edition we will consider the Tribulation period as an integral and very important final aspect of our series The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace.

 

The Holy Scriptures divide time – the entire period from the creation of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the "new heaven and a new earth" promised to all believers in the book of Revelation – into seven unequal periods, usually titled dispensations (see Ephesians 3:2). These periods are also referred to as “ages” (see Ephesians 2:7). They are also referred to as “days” as in "day of the Lord".

This week we will investigate the horrible seven-years of “hell on earth” known in the Scriptures as the as THE GREAT TRIBULATION…

The Great Tribulation

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Some Bible teachers and scholars number the Great Tribulation period of God's judgment and wrath upon the unbelieving world as one of the Dispensations, while combining the Dispensations of Promise & Law. However, I see the Tribulation as a period of culmination, during which human civilization crumbles under the weight of the combined features of its ages long rejection of God - Sin and rebellion of the heart. The Lord will graciously limit this period to a short 7 years to prevent wicked man's self-destruction.

Summary Principle:

I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive – John 5:43

Opening Event – The man of sin is revealed ~ Antichrist:

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened – Matthew 24:21-22

Man’s Responsibility, Man's Failure & Man's Tendency

In the Great Tribulation, man's failure comes to awful fruition:

INNOCENCE- Men live the lie of Satan calling evil good & good evil (fall of man Genesis 3:5).
CONSCIENCE- Corrupt unbelieving minds ignore God's Word (see Matthew 24:37-39).
GOVERNMENT- The world unites with the Antichrist to fight against God.
PROMISE- Israel is in the promised land, but remains in unbelief.
LAW- The rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem given over to Antichrist for false worship as God.
GRACE - The apostate false church is ecumenically aligned with the Antichrist.

Closing Event – Judgment:

~ Jesus Christ casts out Satan & his false leaders

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh – Revelation 19:11-21

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while – Revelation 20:1-3

Personal Salvation:

~ Even in this terrible time, many find salvation by Grace through Faith in the blood of the Lamb

And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb – Revelation 7:14

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death – Revelation 12:10-11

Thank you for reading! It is our hope that you now have a better understanding of what the Scriptures refer to as The Great Tribulation.

AN URGENT PLEA FOR THE UNBELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST:

To our unbelieving friends, I urge you to repent now, before it is too late... 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” – Romans 1:16-17

Time is running out. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now before your heart is so hardened, you are unwilling – or unable – to hear His voice. Please take heed to this warning! Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to the Father! These are His Words:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me – John 14:6

Without Jesus Christ's substitutionary death on the Cross of Calvary for your iniquities, you will die in your sins and face the Wrath of God at The Great White Throne Judgment. You will then receive your just sentence – a literal, physical and eternal place of torment – a place known in the Bible as Hell. Heaven will NOT be your final destination apart from Jesus Christ! Please heed this warning – time is running out!

If you have any questions about how to become a true follower of Jesus Christ, please contact us here at Daily Devotions, another born again Christian friend or Pastor. Please do not delay... Today is the day of Salvation!

 

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

How We Should Smell

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  Ephesians 5

Saying that we're to be fragrant offerings doesn't mean that we need to smell good for God, but I'm sure those around us would appreciate it 

It hearkens back to the Old Testament books, especially when the rules for offerings were discussed.  The instructions for the offering were given and then it was described as "a pleasing aroma to the Lord."

That's what we're called to be - pleasing to the Lord.  The focus isn't on the smell, but rather on how we give ourselves to God and if he is pleased with our word and deed.

It's a short one today.  I'm going through something difficult, so I've just got these verses on repeat in my mind so I can keep Christ's love as the focus for all my actions.  Do you have any verses on repeat that are helping you through your own struggles?

Not Alarmed

Do you get worried or alarmed when you watch the news or read about current events? I do, at times. The floods in Florida hit a little too close to home since my youngest sister and her husband live there. The road to their base (where they both fly) got completely washed out and doesn’t exist anymore. Also, parts of their apartment complex had the ground wash out from under part of some of the buildings. Thankfully, they live on the 2^nd floor and didn’t lose anything.  

Jesus told us not to worry (Matthew 6:25-34) and also told us not to be alarmed at natural disasters, wars, etc.

Matthew 24:3-8                ³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” ⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

What is worrying or alarming you right now? Will you and I take our worries to God and go to His Word for clarity, comfort, and confidence? God is sovereign over all, and He has given us what we need to be prepared for whatever He knows we will face. If we truly know Him and His Word, we won’t have any reason to be alarmed!

Recognizing Purpose

The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.  For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.  1 Corinthians 3:8-9

People have said that I am a tireless worker.  I’m the person who hardly ever calls off and struggles at times to use all his leave time.  This is not a badge of honor.  It is just what I feel I must do, and it does not make me any better than anyone else.  In fact, people who take time off to stay home with their children or have great vacations during their leave time have a lot of my admiration.  That being said, my parents instilled this strong work ethic in me, and to a degree, it drives one of my God intended purposes in life; to be there for others in need.

We all have a purpose that is God intended.  God has watched and prepared us through situation and circumstances so that when the time comes, we would know what His purpose for our life is.  Many of us are fearful of that very thing.  I truly understand that belief because my greatest fear is of the unknown.  However, our God is truly amazing, and He has proven time after time after time that He knows better than us.  So while we may be fearful of what God’s purpose for our life is, we must be courageous to act on it for as today’s verse points out, we are in God’s service.

God has a plan for us all!  My mom finished her Master’s Degree from an Ivy League school writing theses from a hospital bed and raising a thirteen year old child through his freshman year of high school.  How you might ask?  She would tell you it was because God willed her to do it.  God’s purpose for our lives centers on our understanding that as Rick Warren says, “It’s not about you.”  Don’t just accept God’s purpose for you.  Embrace it.  What is God prompting you to act on?  How are you living out God’s intentional purpose?  My prayer is that we have clarity to recognize the purpose God has for our lives.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Seen it?

1 John 4:11-13 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (NASB)

Hello,

Whenever videos go viral on social media, it is common for the viewer to be entertained – and then immediately ask if that is real. We look for little clues here and there, and then evaluate the person who shared it as we make our judgment. With the advances in technology it just doesn’t always seem to be a sure thing….unless we have seen it, or something close enough, ourselves. Then we extend the trust that yes that video is true based on what we have seen.

So what about God? No one has seen Him – is He real? How are we helping to provide evidence that He is? John here tells us that the key is our love. We know as believers that God lives in us through the Holy Spirit – but the evidence and proof of that reality is found in how we love others.

I find this very important. Many might think that proof ought to come in something that is impossible for anyone to do – but love that everyone claims to be able to do? I believe it shows a couple things about the love of God - first is that the love of God is different than anything else – and that is noticed. Secondly, that His love is real and personal….a miracle that you see, that is external and memories can shift and move – but love experienced is personal and long-lasting.

Be the light – let God’s love come flowing through no matter the cost….it is the way others know He is real.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace (Part 7 of 7)

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part seven of The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace.

 

The Holy Scriptures divide time – the entire period from the creation of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the "new heaven and a new earth" promised to all believers in the book of Revelation – into seven unequal periods, usually titled dispensations (see Ephesians 3:2). These periods are also referred to as “ages” (see Ephesians 2:7). They are also referred to as “days” as in "day of the Lord".

This week we will investigate the seventh Dispensation known as KINGDOM…

The Seven Dispensations: #7 – Man in the Kingdom

KINGDOM

After the purifying judgments (The Great Tribulation) which attend the personal return of Jesus Christ to the earth, He will reign over restored Israel and over the earth for one thousand years. This is the period commonly called "The 1000 Year Millennial Kingdom". The seat of His power will be Jerusalem. The saints, including the saved of the dispensation of grace, namely the church, will be associated with Him in His glory (see Isaiah 2:1-4, Isaiah 11, Acts 15:14-17, Revelation 19:11-21 & Revelation 20:1-6).

But when Satan is "loosed for a little season", he finds the natural heart as prone to evil as ever, and easily gathers the nations to battle against the Lord and His saints. This last dispensation closes, like all the others, in judgment. The Great White Throne Judgment is set and the wicked dead are raised and finally judged. And then come the "New Heaven and a New Earth". Eternity is begun (see Revelation 20:3,7-15, 2 Peter 3:10-14, Revelation 21 & 22).

Summary Principle:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this – Isaiah 9:6-7

Opening Event – Jesus Christ returns to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords: 

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world – Matthew 25:31-34

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years – Revelation 20:4-6

Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore – Isaiah 2:1-4

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they shall plunder the people of the East; they shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; and the people of Ammon shall obey them. The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; with His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, and strike it in the seven streams, and make men cross over dry-shod. There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt – Isaiah 11:1-16

And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’” Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: “Praise the Lord, call upon His name; declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!” – Isaiah 12:1-6

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy. Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David – Isaiah 55:1-3

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles – Zechariah 14:16-18

Man’s Failure & Man’s Tendency ~ Even in the age of Righteousness, man turns away from Christ to follow Satan when given the opportunity:

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever – Revelation 20:7-10

Closing Event – Judgment:

~ The final rebellion is crushed and eternal destinies are decreed

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire – Revelation 20:10-15

Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith:

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life – Revelation 21:22-27

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

During the Millennial Kingdom, the disorder of previous ages is fully corrected:

Innocence - God's truth is known by all men (see Jeremiah 31:34).

Conscience - God's people have holy hearts to serve Him (see Jeremiah 31:33).
Government - Jesus Christ rules from Jerusalem and His Righteousness covers the earth.
Promise - Israel is back in her land. Abrahamic & Davidic covenants are fulfilled.
Law - True temple worship declares that Christ has fulfilled the Law.
Grace - The true church is with Christ in His glory.

Thank you for reading! It is our hope that you now have a better understanding of God’s time-table of events as discovered throughout the Holy Scriptures.

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><