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The Signs of the Times

Dec 29, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: Misc

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Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

A message today I'm conjunction with the season, in readiness for our return to the series, 'The Beginning and the End' next week.

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Sunday December 29th 2024
The Signs of the Times

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

These are the final verses that conclude the OT Scriptures, completing the Word that would become flesh, recorded within the Gospel accounts. And in these verses is a promise, a promise found throughout the OT Scriptures, of redemption and restoration for the Jews. And these verses from Malachi are directly referenced in Luke’s Gospel – Lu 1:17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

These are the words spoken by an angel of the Lord to Zacharias the father of John the Baptist, prior to John’s birth - Mt 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand!"

It is John the Baptist ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah’, who first preached the message of repentance to a disobedient nation because ‘the Kingdom of the heavens is at hand.’ And Jesus said this of John the Baptist in - Mt 11:13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 
So then, for those with ears to hear and eyes to see, having the Book 
of Malachi as well as the rest of the OT in their possession, the events surrounding the ministry of John and then Jesus should have been easily recognized. But, as we know, this was not the case – 
Mt 16:1Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';3 "and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

‘The signs of the times’ for the Jews, were to be found firstly in the ministry of John the Baptist and then in the miraculous signs that Jesus performed by the power of the Holy Spirit, after John was imprisoned, that all pointed to the redemption and restoration promised at the conclusion of the OT Scriptures. But these signs of the times began much earlier, from the time of the Lord’s birth – Lk 2:6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 ¶ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

Christ was born in the City of David, Bethlehem, just as the Scriptures said He would be - Mic 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
 
And the last part of this verse will take us back into the foundation to an event to be placed within the purpose laid out in the first thirty-four verses of Genesis - Ge 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

God the Father spoke this to the serpent, Satan, the present ruler of this world, following the sin that came through Satan’s deception, and God the Father, promised not only a Redeemer for fallen Man, but also, as a result of the coming of the Redeemer and His redemptive work, the overthrow of Satan’s kingdom and the establishment of a new order of rulers.

Christ is the promised Seed of the Woman and is the One to be Ruler in Israel. He is the One whose goings forth are from everlasting, the One in whom and by whom, God’s plans and purposes for the Age to come in fulfillment of the statement of intent in Genesis 1:1 and the promise of Genesis 3:15 will be accomplished – Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

And it is of course the birth of God the Son, the Seed of the Woman, whose going forth is from old, from everlasting, that was announced to the shepherds, as recorded in Luke Chapter 2.

Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 
 
As we know, Christ’s birth was not at an arbitrary time, nor in an arbitrary place, nor entrusted to a randomly selected couple. Rather, we see from Galatians that it was when ‘the fullness of time had come.’ Precisely at the time God had set in foundation in Genesis and through the prophet Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy. 
 
We have already seen from Micah that the location of His birth would be Bethlehem, the House of Bread, to which the living Bread from heaven would come. Bethlehem is the city of David, and the angel of the Lord in making his announcement to Mary about Jesus, spoke concerning David – Lu 1:32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

The angel’s words to Mary draw directly from that which God had promised David recorded in - 2Sa 7:12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. 
 
With further commentary on this found in - Isa 11:10 "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 [glory] glorious." 
 
And again, here in - Jer 23:5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

And through Mary and Joseph, both of whom are descendants of David, we see Christ’s right to David’s throne within the human realm. Through His adopted earthly father, Joseph, came Christ’s legal right to the throne through Solomon, as Joseph was from Solomon’s lineage, and through Mary, Christ is in the bloodline of David through David’s son Nathan.

Therefore, at the time of His birth His Kingship was already established. It had been proclaimed by the angel, and then attested to by the Wise Men, - Mt 2:2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." 
 
And later confirmed by the Lord Himself in - Mk 15:2 Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."

Now here is the interesting thing for us concerning ‘the signs of the times.’ Everything surrounding Christ’s birth was exactly according to Scripture and the event itself declares both regality and rulership. But we will notice that Christ’s confirmation that He is ‘King of the Jews’ recorded in Mark came shortly before His crucifixion. That which began in Bethlehem amidst angelic exaltation did not end at this time with the King on His throne – Jn 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.

It ended with the Sacrificial Lamb on the cross exactly as the Scriptures foretold. For Christ to be the Savior of Israel, to redeem His people from bondage and to deliver the material creation under a curse,  the Passover Lamb had to be slain within the boundary of time, having already been slain from the foundation of the world, and the blood has to be appropriated in fulfillment of the type, set in Exodus 12 – Jn 1:36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" 
 
The Seed of the woman would have to have His heel bruised in accord with Genesis 3:15 if the serpent’s head is to be crushed – 
Isa 52:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

The type for this had already been set in the Scriptures through Cain’s killing of Abel, through the account of Joseph who, having been rejected by his brothers, would then deliver them from tribulation and bless them at their second encounter, having first married a Gentile bride. And set through Moses, who, rejected by his brothers, then went to a far country before returning a second time to be Israel’s deliverer, having first married a Gentile bride.

And this ‘rejection’ by His brothers had been signified through the detail of the angel’s announcement on the night of the Lord’s birth - Lu 2:12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 
 
That signified in this verse pointed to an event on the day of the Lord’s crucifixion - Jn 19:40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

That signified concerning His death, also found confirmation through the Wise Men – Mt 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold attested to His deity. Frankincense is a spice placed on the shew bread, which would then be eaten by the priests as it was most Holy, which itself is a type of Christ. And frankincense together with myrrh was used as an incense, as an offering to the Lord. And used together, frankincense and myrrh, were spices used for embalming the dead. These would be the spices referred to in John 19:40.

Then at His birth the Lord was laid in a manger, which is literally a feeding trough, pointing to that to be offered by the Bread from heaven – Jn 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" 53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

And none of this would really be a surprise to us as these are the 
‘signs of the times’, signs pointing to the outworking of God’s purpose for His Son, Man and the material creation and the Seventh Day. These are the markers on the pathway to regality and rulership in the Age to come - Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Re 13:8…..the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Only through His death and shed blood can there be redemption for man and the material creation. Only because of His death and shed blood can many sons be brought to glory and Israel redeemed. And His death and shed blood and the coming of His Kingdom necessitated His birth when the fullness of the time had come.

Although a multitude of the heavenly host declared, ‘peace on earth’ at the Lord’s birth, Jesus Himself declared in - Mt 10:34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'

And in His declaration the Lord quoted from Micah 7:6, which contextually, has to do with the righteousness of God towards His people Israel in the Day the nation is restored.  And this quotation from Micah takes us to the Lord’s response to His disciples’ question in Matthew 24 - Mt 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

V10 provides the commentary on Matthew 10:34-36. So, the events described here take place during the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation. And the many who will be offended, and betray one another, and hate one another are Jews.

Christ’s birth, when the Word became flesh, moved the world closer to the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week and the time of Jacob’s trouble described in – Mt 24:21 "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 although this most awful time of tribulation will be a horrifying reality, we should remember – Re 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

And from this we can know that the purpose for this extraordinary judgement is redemption. Redemption for Israel and the material creation.

The announcements made by the angels surrounding the Lord’s birth concerning the King and His Kingdom are an absolute reality, but they would not be accomplished at His first advent, the end of Daniel’s sixty-ninth week, but signified through His first advent what will be accomplished at His second, following the end of Daniel’s seventieth week. From the foundational pattern set in Genesis onwards God is working within a timeframe of seven days. Six-thousand-year days of work, to be followed by a seventh-thousand-year day of rest.  And the Lord came to the earth, born of a virgin in the full assurance of His plans and purposes being completed within this exact pattern that had been set in foundation. And with respect to this, the writer of Hebrews referenced both the Psalms and 2 Samuel - Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, for this day [the Seventh Day] I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son"?

The Word made flesh came into the world through the natural process of being born of a woman, He was begotten, taking on a human body of flesh and bone and blood in a subordinate position to the god of this world for the sole purpose of accomplishing that which is necessary to bring about the Seventh Day, the fulfillment of His plans and purposes for the Age to come.

He came as the Word of 2 Samuel Chapter 7 made flesh, to bring the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to Israel, an offer which He knew would be rejected. He came as the Seed of the Woman to have His heel bruised for the purpose of bruising the head of the serpent. He came in the fulfillment of Exodus Chapter 12 as The Passover Lamb whose blood must be shed for redemption. He came as the Seed of Abraham to be the sinless sacrifice so that those who believe on Him might have eternal life. He came to die in the flesh that He would be raised by the Spirit that through His resurrection those who are eternally saved would have a living hope, an inheritance, a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, the offer of a position of rulership with Him in His Kingdom to come. He came so that He could return to the Father and send the Holy Spirit to us as our Helper. He came as a man, that as a man He would prove Himself worthy to take the kingdom from Satan, to return man to the position for which he had been created, to have dominion. He came to make possible another day when another miraculous birth would take place - Mt 24:8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. [lit. ‘travail’ – that suffered by a woman in child birth] - Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and His throne.

That seen here is located at the mid-point of the Tribulation where we see the Woman, the nation of Israel, the fiery red dragon, Satan, who in verse four is cast out of heaven, and the male child who is born in verse five. And this ‘male child’ is not Jesus but the one-hundred and forty-four-thousand Jewish evangelists. And just as Christ was born of a virgin, so this male child will be born of barren Israel.
 
And just as Christ, following His birth, escaped into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, to return to Israel after an unspecified time to preach the Word of the Kingdom, so the one-hundred and forty-four-thousand Jewish evangelists, the first fruits of  a reborn, repentant nation, will be caught up into heaven, to escape the wrath of Satan, to return after an unspecified period of time to proclaim the message of the King and His Kingdom to the Gentile nations during the last three and one half years of the Tribulation - Mt 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 
 
Then will come the end of the Tribulation, the end of Gentile world power, the end of Man’s Day, the end of Daniel’s seventieth week, the end of the four thousand years from Adam, the end of this age.

The inheritance, the material creation, will be redeemed, Israel will be redeemed and will be placed at the head of the nations to rule them with a rod of iron, and in accord with the promise made to Abraham, all the nations of the earth will be blessed through her. 
 
The Lord’s Day will be manifested in the earth, His Kingdom will be established, and He will sit on the throne of His father David -  
Isa 66:7 "Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children. 9 Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?" says the LORD. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?" says your God. 10 "Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; 11 That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her `abundance of her glory." 12 For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem." 
 
Is it any wonder that a multitude of the heavenly hosts praised God that night when God the Son was born of a virgin? Is it any wonder that the Lord rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for not discerning the signs of the times? - Lu 2:30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

And what about us, as we have once again seen the end declared from the beginning by the One who is the beginning and the end? The prophetic Word has been confirmed through the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord. The Judge is at the door and His Kingdom beckons to those whose hearts yearn for it. Let’s pray that we will have eyes to see and ears to hear, that our faith will not fail, that we may believe to the saving of our soul.

The Signs of the Times

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The Signs of the Times

Dec 29, 2024

Speaker: John Herbert

Series: Misc

Category: Sunday Morning

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A Recap from the Sermon