Is God a bigamist? Today was our fourth installment dealing with marriage and divorce, and how God's marriage to Israel was fraught with spiritual adultery on many occasions. Today, we read in prophecy, how Israel finally assumed the position of lead nation in the millennium. The Gentile nations will look to her to come to God to worship.
Zechariah 8:20-23: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
The events that lead up to the reconciliation of God to his wife Israel will be the worst time in the history of the world. Jesus declared it as the great tribulation. More people will die in the last half of Daniel's 70th week, known as the time of Jacob's trouble, than any other time in human history. Matthew 24 – 25 is known as the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus describes the events leading up to and including the tribulation, as well as the judgment of the sheep and the goats at the 2nd Advent. The Church Age is not mentioned in these chapters because it is a mystery. It was kept secret by God the Father until after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. His plans for mankind must come to fruition through the dispensation of the grace of God. After the rapture of the Church Age saints, bringing to a close the Mystery program, the prophetic program will start ticking down to Armageddon. Daniel's 70th week, a seven year period that must be fulfilled, will be the last seven years of the rule of mankind on the earth. The great tribulation is the last half of the seven years.
Matthew 24:21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
God's wife will repent. Her spiritual blindness will be healed when she sees the abomination of desolation in the temple, and flees to the wilderness. Matthew 24:13-15, Revelation 12:6-17
Romans 11:25-27: For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Romans 11:29 reminds us that God's promises to Israel are everlasting. It also reminds us that, in this Church Age, His gifts and promises to us who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ do not require repentance as a prerequisite. We are saved by grace through faith, believing in the finished work of Christ for our salvation.
Romans 11:29: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
This coming Sunday we will be unpacking our relationship to Christ as the body of Christ. As God the Father has a wife – Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ has a bride – the body of Christ. It will be a great study. Ephesians 5:23-33 is a cornerstone passage that helps clarify our relationship to Christ. V.32 states:This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
We must remember that a mystery is a secret that the Lord reveals to Paul to deliver to us. It is a Bible doctrine you can believe, but you cannot always understand. There are some mysteries we are given detailed understanding, and some do not as the same amount of details. This mystery, Paul states, is a great mystery – the relationship of Christ and the Church!
