The Last Days (2) - Confusion

Many readers will find this hard to believe that the "last days" are finished. The reason for the muddle is that the last days (plural) of the Jewish system are confused with the last day (singular), that glorious day when Jesus will return. The Last Days are really the period of time between the ministry of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The Last Day is the day when Jesus returns. They are very different. The first is a season, whereas the last day is an epochal event.

An examination of the Scriptures reveals five references to the last days (Acts 2:17; 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet 3:3) and two referring to the last times (1 Pet 1:20; Jude 18). In four of the seven, the author considered that he was living in the last days. Hebrews James and Peter's letters were written to Jewish Christians and that Timothy was a Jew, so all references to the last days were in epistles written to the Jews. They would have understood that they were living in the last days of their national system.

The term Last Days refers to the period between Jesus birth and the destruction of Jerusalem. The Last Day is in the future, but the Last Days are in the past.

The Last Days (1) - Old Order Gone

A new season called the last days began when Jesus arrived on earth.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son whom He has appointed heir of all things (Heb 1:1-2).

The Last Days ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. During this short season, the Old Testament religious system ground to a halt.

The letter to the Hebrews explains that the temple sacrifices only applied until beginning of a new order that began with Jesus.

The gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only… external regulations applying until the time of the new order (Heb 9:10).

The death and resurrection of Jesus marked the end of the Old Testament system and the beginning of a new order. Jesus ministry was the epochal event that brought in the Last Days of the Old Testament order. It struggled on for a while, but its days were numbered.

The ministry of Jesus ended Jerusalem’s role in God’s purposes.

1. The temple in Jerusalem had been the centre of sacrifice; but Jesus death on the cross put an end to sacrifice forever. Jesus became the only high priest that will ever be needed, so the animal sacrifices in a temple were redundant.

2. Jerusalem had been the throne of the King of Israel. When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, everything changed. When he was crowned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, a role of the King of Israel was finished.

When Jesus entered the presence of God as the perfect High Priest and was appointed as King of Creation, the old order was finished.

God sent the Holy Spirit into the church to do his work in the world.

He has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father (Rev 1:6).

The body of Christ became the new kings and priests who serve God in the world, so the old order was finished. It carried on as if nothing had happened, but its days were numbered. The old order was in its Last Days.

Change of Season (7) - Gods Plan

The following diagram shows how various events fit together.

+ Enlarge

Where Are We Now?
Christians who think that we are transitioning into a new season are correct, but they often misunderstand what this means, because they are confused about the next season. Before we can know what we should do, we need to know which season we are in. We also need to know which season comes next. And because the next season is a tough one, we need to know what comes after that too, or we will lose hope.

We really are at a pivotal time in human history. The Times of the Gentiles are coming to an end. The reason that Christians feel that the seasons are changing is that we are entering this Time of Distress. This is the short season that runs in parallel to the Times of the Gentiles during the final stages of this much longer season. We should be getting ready for this transition.

The Times of the Gentiles and the Time of Distress end together with the Fullness of Israel. This opens up the way for the glorious season when the Kingdom of God comes on earth as it is in heaven.

These five seasons are clearly visible in the scriptures, not hidden behind images or numerics. To help our understanding, the five seasons will be discussed in more detail in the following posts.

Change of Season (6) - Five Seasons

Christians who think that we are transitioning into a new season are correct, but they often misunderstand what this means, because they are confused about the next season. Before we can know what we should do, we need to know which season we are in. We also need to know which season comes next. And because the next season is a tough one, we need to know what comes after that too, or we will lose hope.

The New Testament age consists of five seasons of varying length. The first and the last are very short. The middle season is a little longer. The second has been long. The fourth will be really long.

The five seasons are:

Rock

1. The Last Days (Heb 1:2)
2. Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24)
3. Time of distress (Dan 12:1)
   
   Mountain
4. His Kingdom has come (Luke 11:2; Rev 11:15)
5. Little Time (Rev 20:3)

The pattern of a short season followed by a very long one and then a very short one is repeated twice. The second and fifth seasons are very long. The third and sixth are very short. The seasons on earth are followed by of eternity giving a total of seven seasons. This parallels the six days of creation followed by the day of rest.

Epochal Events
Six epochal events mark the transition from one to season to another. They are:

• Jesus Ministry (AD 33)                               to 1
• The Fall of Jerusalem (AD 70)                  1 to 2
• Four Horsemen                                         to 3
• The Fullness of Israel                           2,3 to 4
• The Man of Sin                                       4 to 5
• The Parousia (Second Coming)                ends 5

Change of Season (5) - Times and Seasons

God is sovereign and is working out his plan for history. He knows the beginning from the end, and has determined times and seasons for life on earth. God has allotted periods and the boundaries for all nations and will decide their rising and falling (Acts 17:26). He expects his people to know his plans and understand what he is doing in every age (1 Thes 5:1).

The NASB translates the word "times" as "epochs". The word "epoch" is derived from a Greek word, which means pause. It is used to describe the breaks between the acts of a play. In God’s plan, each new season is started by an epochal event that marks the end of the old season and the beginning of the new one. God breaks in and changes the "state of the play" to start a new stage of history.

The key epochal events in the Old Testament were creation, the fall, the flood, the tower of Babel, the exodus, the kingship of David, the exile to Babylon and the return to Israel. The incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus was the ultimate epochal event that marked the beginning of the New Testament era. We should understand the times and seasons that were set into play by Jesus death, resurrection and ascension.

The New Testament era is a game of two halves. The first half began with Last Days of the Jewish religious system. This short season ended with the Fall of Jerusalem. This epochal event leads into a season that Jesus called the Times of the Gentiles. This long season dominates the first half of the New Testament age. The end of the Times of the Gentiles is marked by a relatively-short sub-season called the Time of Distress. The Times of the Gentiles and the Time of Distress both ended with the same epochal event.

Last Days =► Time of the Gentiles =► Time of Distress

The first half of the New Testament age is drawing to close and we are getting close to the half-time change over. The second half begins with an epochal event called the fullness of Israel, which opens the way for the Holy Spirit to give the saints the promised Kingdom. The glory of his Kingdom will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. God will enjoy his Glorious Kingdom, so it might remain on earth for a long, long time. The end of the season will be marked by an epochal event. The appearance of the Man of Sin opens a way for nations to rebel and reject the Kingdom. This Little Season of rebellion will be cut short by Jesus return, which brings the end of history as we know it.

Time of Distress =► Glorious Kingdom =► Little Season

Change of Season (4) - Plenty of Time

Christians always seem to be in a hurry for the second coming to come. God is generous and gracious wanting many people to come into his kingdom, so he is not in a hurry. Peter reminded us that God is not bound by our sense of urgency.

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:8,9).

These verses have used as a key to interpret biblical prophecy, but that totally misses the point. The real point is that time is different for God. A thousand years a like a day. The two thousand years that have passed since Jesus was crucified seems like a long time top us, but God it is just like two days. If only two days have gone by, God has no reason to wind up his show on earth. The opposite is true. He is not slow, but patient. He is willing to let many thousands of years so that more people can come to repentance and enter his kingdom.

Christians who want Jesus to return soon are out of touch with God’s heart. He did not send his son to die for just a hand full of people. He is gracious and generous and wants hundreds of billions of people to come into his kingdom. He will not establish his kingdom, and then immediately put it away like last years toy. He might enjoy watching his kingdom for thousands of years. God is patient, so he is quite happy to let several thousand more years go by, so he can keep his covenant for a thousand generations.

Here is a woe that should make us worry.
Woe to those who say, "Let God hurry,
let him hasten his work
so we may see it (Is 5:19).

God is not in a hurry. His people should be careful about making him hurry. He has many more promises to fulfil. His people should be as keen to see many billions more people coming into the kingdom. Those who want to rush Jesus coming do not understand his concept of time.

Ten thousand years is just like a few days to God. He will wait that long to fill his kingdom with billions of people.

God does not need to hurry. From his perspective this show has only been on the road for a couple of days. It makes no sense for him to close it down, because the opening day crowds were disappointing. He intends to establish his kingdom, so he will take as long as he needs to do it.

Change of Season (3) - Rock and Mountain

If we want to be part of what God is doing in this time, we must understand his plans. The key is understanding that human history this side of the cross has two halves. We are involved in a game of two halves (see the Rugby Parable). During the first part, the focus is on the church. During the second stage, the Kingdom of God grows to fulfilment.

These two stages are explained in Daniel 2. The Babylonian king dreamed about a great statue. God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel. He explained that the statue represented four kingdoms. The head of gold symbolised the Babylonian empire. The feet of iron and clay represented the Roman Empire, which would come 300 years later. Nebuchadnezzar also saw a great rock smash into the feet of the statue and destroy it.

While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace (Dan 2:34-35).

When the Roman Empire has come to power, God would set in process his plan to destroy the empires of world.

The Hebrew word for stone (eben) is etymologically linked with the word for Son (ben). God sent his son into the world as the servant messiah. After his ascension, Jesus will send the Spirit from heaven to build the church on earth. This first part of the New Testament age is centred on the church, which is represented by a Rock.

Daniel explained that the second stage of history will be more like a Mountain. This is what Nebuchadnezzar saw.

But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth (Dan 2:34-35).

During the second stage, the Rock is transformed into a huge Mountain. Daniel explained its meaning.

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever (Dan 2:44).

God will establish a kingdom that can never be destroyed. The Church will inherit the Kingdom of God, which is the great mountain that fills the entire earth. God will crush all other kingdoms of the world and bring them to an end. They will be like chaff that is swept away without a trace.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14).

God has promised that the glory of his kingdom will fill the entire earth. This promise has not yet been fulfilled, so we are still in the age of the Rock.

The Kingdom of God has not yet filled the whole earth, so even if we are getting close to the transition from rock to the mountain, we are still in the age that focuses on the church.

Change of Season (2) - Not the Last Days

Many Christians believe that we are in a season called the Last Days. This is a mistake. The Bible teaches that the Last Days began when Jesus was walking on earth.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son whom He has appointed heir of all things (Heb 1:1-2).

The Last Days had already begun when these worlds were written. The explanation is that the term refers to the Last Days of the Jewish religious system. It is the season between the ministry of the Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. In this year, the temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were scattered among the nations. The end of this season ushered in a season called the Times of the Gentiles.

We are still in the Times of the Gentiles. It will not be ended by the Last Days, because they came before the Times of the Gentiles, not at their end. Those who are looking for the Last Days are looking for the wrong season, because it has already been completed.

Change of Season (1) - End of the World?

Many Christians believe that we are getting close to the second coming of Jesus and the end of the world. Those who believe that the end of the world is near tend to believe that we have entered the “end times” or “last days”. They are right to think that we are getting close to a season change, but because they do not understand the times and seasons, they are looking for the wrong event. The problem is that most Christians just assume that God’s plan has the following steps.

Jesus ministry =► Church age =► End times =► End of World

This outline is incorrect. It produces confusion about what is happening in the world.

Firstly, the end of the world is not the next big event on God’s timetable. He has many things to do before his plans for this earth are complete, so the end of the world is a long way off. A far more important and more significant epochal event is much closer.

Secondly, a season called the “end times” is never mentioned by the scriptures as part of God’s plan. The only place where the words “time” and “end” are used together is in Daniel 12:9.

Daniel has asked, if he would see if he would see the things that he prophesied.
Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up
and sealed until the time of the end.

Daniel’s was told not to expect his vision to be fulfilled during his life time, as they were for a time way in the future. This time is called the time of the end. This leaves a big question: the end of what. The answer can be found in the content of Daniel’s vision. He did not see the world coming to an end, so it is not the world that is ending. Daniel sees the end of the season when empires dominate the world. He also sees the end of the season when his people are shut out of God’s blessing. It follows that when Daniel refers the time of the end, he is not referring to the end of the world, but to the end of the times of the Gentiles.

War gets Personal

The death of Osama bin Laden marks a change in the nature of warfare, but for a different reason than most people think.

For most of history, war was a personal affair in which a king and his colourful knights would attack another political leader and his retinue. Most kings could not afford a large number of troops, so the armies involved were quite small. Battles could last for several years, but were usually quite localised.

The ordinary people were not affected, unless they lived close to the battlefield, and they would be given plenty of time to flee. Kings often had to borrow from banks to pay their soldiers, so they were often quite stingy. The greatest threat to the lives of ordinary people came from looting by soldiers who had not been paid or supplied with provisions.

The nature of warfare changed dramatically changed during the nineteenth century when the concept of total war emerged when entire nations began to join in battle with another battle. War ceased being a contest between two kings and became a struggle between nations. Kings fight over territory. Nations tend to fight over causes, and everyone is drawn into the cause.

Huge armies were formed as ordinary people commit to the cause, because they are persuaded that life and security depended on security. Non-combatants were expected to support the war effort by reducing their consumption and manufacturing weapons and equipment for the army. Civilians became target for artillery and bombs. In total war, the number of civilian casualties far exceeds the number of military casualties.

The American Civil War started the trend toward total war, but it really came to fullness in the first and second world wars. The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the futility of this type of war and we will see a switch back to much more personal wars. Conflicts between nations will be replaced by more focussed personal struggles between political or military leaders, as sophisticated military equipment makes personal warfare feasible.

We have just seen personal warfare being worked out in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Whereas a hundred thousand troops have failed to achieve their objective, a small team of loyal followers directed by the president has been able to take out the leader of the enemy force.

The same thing will probably happen in Libya. Britain, Italy and France do not want to invade the country, because the cost would be too great, but they hope to change the situation on the ground by killing Muammar Gadhafi. A couple of attempts to bomb his compound have failed, but they will eventually succeed. If not an American drone will do the job.

In the next few years, personal warfare will become more common. They deaths of Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gadhafi will make the killing of wicked dictators and evil military leaders morally acceptable. The development of unmanned predator drones and mobile strike teams will make it an efficient way to remove evil leaders from the world. Personal attacks against undesirable political leaders will become an effective tool for projecting American force in the world. The fear of a personal strike will cause many hostile leaders to submit to American policies.

In the film Waterloo, General Wellington refused permission to an artillery officer wanted to fire long range shot at Napoleon. He is heard saying, "Leaders of armies have better things to do than fire at each other!" That has now changed. Many political leaders believe that best thing to do is to kill the leader of a troublesome nation.

A return to personal wars fought between kings will not bring peace to the world. Total war may decline, but Fourth Generation War will increase, producing massive casualties throughout the world.

Suffering and the Kingdom (11) - Too Long

One reason that the Kingdom of God has taken so long to be established is that Christians have to often taken the wrong response to evil. When we try to overcome evil with military force and political power, we sometimes achieves a temporary victory, but the Holy Spirit is cramped and the Kingdom of God is hindered. The Holy Spirit cannot operate at his full potential in a church that grasps at political and secular power.

When order breaks down, Christian will be tempted to step in and use political power to bring order back to the world. The church did this through Christendom after the collapse of Rome. A new order was created, but the Kingdom of god was not advanced. Christians should resist the temptation to seize power to restore order, as that would postpone God’s plans for the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God will come in fullness when his church is willing to follow Jesus all the way and take up the cross in the face of evil. Suffering in tribulation will release the Kingdom of God.

This full series is at Suffering and the Kingdom.

Suffering and the Kingdom (10) - Bride come First

The Bride of Christ is persecuted for resisting state control. The opening of the first Four Seals releases a time of terrible trouble on earth, leading the people of the world to look to their governments to rescue them. This will produce a huge increase in state power and open the way for the Terrible Beast, the ultimate form of state control. The Bride will speak prophetically and warn of the futility of trusting in human government, but the truth will be rewarded with persecution.

Persecution will transform the church. Christian political and administrative structures will be torn down and destroyed by hostile political forces. Churches that depend on professional leadership, well-managed organisation, big meetings and church buildings will be easily to shut down, so Christians that depend on them will struggle to survive.

Christians will be stripped of their attachments to the world and the religious systems they have relied will be ripped away. Communities defined by love and strong relationships will emerge in their place, as Christians will be forced into deeper relationships with each other in order to survive. The Holy Spirit will flood these communities with love and power, while teaching them to do the will of Jesus. As they take up the cross and following Jesus, they will begin to love one another, as Jesus loved us (John 13:34).

God cannot bring in the Times of Distress until the Bride of Christ has made herself ready. When she has prepared, she tells Jesus bring in a new season.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come" (Rev 22:17)!

The Greek word “Come” is “erchomai” and not “Parousia” The former refers to the a coming in judgment against evil, whereas the latter refers to coming in judgment against to Beast to bring in the Time of Distress. When the Bride is ready, the Holy Spirit tells Jesus to bring in the season in which the world system will be destroyed opening the way for the Kingdom of God to come. When the Bride is ready, she says “Come”, because she is ready and willing to go through the Times of Distress to get to the Fulfilment of the Kingdom.

When the Bride is prepared, Jesus open the seals and release the events described in the Book of Revelation. The Bride enables him to fulfil his plans, because she gives the Holy Spirit freedom to do his work on earth, even if it means pain for his people. She follows Jesus in suffering, because she knows how he defeated evil.

• He gave up his place in glory, he emptied himself to became a man.
• He allowed himself to be killed on the cross.

The Holy Spirit can use the Bride to defeat the powers of evil, because she is willing to follow his example.

They overcame the dragon
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death (Rev 12:11-12)!

Jesus needs a church that is willing to suffer to the point of death without pleading to be rescued. The Bride of Christ frees the Holy Spirit to destroy the principalities and powers by suffering in the face of persecution.

Suffering and the Kingdom (9) - Tribulation

Tribulation destroys evil. The multitude in white robes are willing to sacrifice their lives for Jesus.

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said,
"These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14).

Many Christians talk of a tribulation of purposeless destruction when evil has a free hand on earth. This view is wrong. John saw something, a great multitude who had come through a “great tribulation” to experience victory.

These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14).

This is not a tribulation to escape. That happened in AD 70. Christians should embrace welcome the great tribulation prophesied by John, because it leads to a great victory. This suffering of this multitude in the face of persecution leads to the collapse of evil empires and the emergence of the Kingdom of God.

Suffering and the Kingdom (8) - Bride of Christ

Bride of Christ
The book or Revelation has been badly misunderstood by the church.

• It is not time line for the second coming, as many think.
• It is not a promise of a time when evil takes hold on the earth.

This wonderful vision explains how God will establish his kingdom on earth, but the story has an unexpected twist. God’s kingdom will not be established by a church that triumphantly expands its authority and control. The opposite is true. The Holy Spirit will give the Kingdom of God to the church when it has learned to serve and suffer. John refers to the church that embraces suffering as the Bride who has made herself ready. This is the climax of his Revelation.

Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready (Rev 19:7).

All of heaven and earth were looking for to the time when the bride would be ready. Those who live at this time are truly blessed.

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God” (Rev 19:9).

The next scene is not the second coming, but wonderful a description of the kingdom of God coming on earth, as the enemies of the kingdom are defeated and the work of God is victorious (Rev 19:11-21). The Bride does not get ready for the second coming of Jesus. She gets ready to receive the Kingdom of God as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

John explains how this bride can be recognised.

Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people) (Rev 19:8).

The Bride that has made herself ready is wearing fine linen. John explains that this is fine linen is the righteous acts of holy people. This can be misunderstood. All Christians are made righteous in Jesus, but this vision goes further. The meaning of the Bride’s garments had already been explained earlier in the fifth seal. The seven seals mark the end of the Times of the Gentiles and the beginning of the Times of Distress.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number were killed just as they had been (Rev 6:9,11).

The white garments are given to Christians who Christians who are persecuted for their testimony and their obedience to the word of God. Their emergence marks the beginning of a season of suffering, following the opening of the first four seals. They are told to wait for the Lord to do his work and bring in the kingdom. They will have to suffer until the time is right. Those who suffer for the gospel during this season will not be rescued. On the contrary, as they persist, their suffering releases the Spirit to do his work.

The size of this group wearing white garments is revealed in the next chapter.

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb" Rev 7:9-10).

A huge multitude in white garments will be called to suffer for Jesus during a time of trouble on earth.

Suffering and the Kingdom (7) - Two Witnesses

Persecution will almost destroy the church. John saw two witnesses, two olive trees and two lampstands.

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth (Rev 11:3-4).

The lampstands and the witnesses represent the church. The church is Jesus witness in the world. The olive trees represent the Holy Spirit. The odd thing about this vision is that their only two lampstands. Earlier John had seven lampstands.

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches (Rev 1:20).

Seven represents perfection or completion. The perfected, completed church is represented by seven lampstands. A church with only two lampstands is a truncated church. The church is truncated because the Jewish people have hardened their hearts and are missing from it, so it cannot provide a complete witness for Jesus.

In the latter part of this vision, John explains how the political powers persecute the church so severely, that it appears to be dead.

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them (Rev 11:7).

The people of the world celebrate joyously, because a minor irritant is gone, but God has a surprise for the world. When the church seems to be dead, he breathes the life of the Spirit onto it and raises it up to victory.

The breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them (Rev 11:11).

A radical church that has survived underground and prepared while no one has noticed will burst onto the world stage, knowing that in Christ, it is seated at his right hand of the Father in heaven (Rev 11:12). The people of the world will be shocked when they realise that church is not dead, just different and far more powerful.

The church must get to the stage where it is nearly dead, before victory will come. At the end of the Times of the Gentiles, the church will almost die, but when it is just about dead, it will be purified, and rise to victory.

Suffering and the Kingdom (6) - John

Commitment to enduring through suffering is a major theme in the Book of Revelation. John understood that endurance of suffering brings in the kingdom.

Your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus (Rev 1:9).

The kingdom does not come through Christians gaining political power. Rather, as Christians follow Jesus example and take up the cross of suffering, the political powers will collapse, allowing the Kingdom to emerge. This is a mystery that few Christians understand. Patient endurance in the face of evil opens the way for the destruction of evil.

John’s main reason for writing the letters to the seven churches was to encourage them to endure through their suffering. When modern readers focus on the faults of the various churches, we miss something important. Jesus is encouraging his people to endure suffering in the face of hostility from the greatest manifestation of evil that will ever appear on earth.

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary (Rev 2:3 Letter to Ephesus).

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 2:10-11 Letter to Smyrna).

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels (Rev 3:5 Letter to Sardis).

I know your deeds…. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown (Rev 3:8,11 Letter to Philadelphia)

Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God... I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 3:8,12-13 Letter to Philadelphia)

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 3:21-22 Letter to Laodicea).

This last is an amazing promise. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God’s throne. As Christians persevere through suffering, they are seated at the right hand of God.
John explained that Jesus overcame evil by dying on the cross. The Holy Spirit will bring in the kingdom through a church that follows Jesus example.

They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them! (Rev 12:11-12).

This seems like a paradox, but the people of the Lamb experience victory, when they are willing to die for their faith, and do not shrink from death. The fullness of the Holy Spirit dwells in such a church that rises to the right hand of God by suffering.

Suffering and the Kingdom (5) - Paul

Paul embraced suffering, because he knew that it advances the Kingdom.

All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering (2 Thes 1:5).

Join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God (2 Tim 1:7-9).

We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom 5:3-4).

Rome was a dangerous city for Christians. Paul’s letter explains the way to respond to persecution and evil. His advice is challenging.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. (Rom 12:14,17).

This is easy to read, but hard to do. We must bless everyone who harms us. We must not repay those who bring evil against us. There is a good reason for this instruction.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath (Rom 12:19).

We must always leave room for God to act. If we respond with curses or violence towards those who harm us, we shut down God’s freedom to act. On the other hand, if we bless those who harm us, we release the Holy Spirit to work in their lives.

When facing evil, we must not take the situation into our own hands. We want the Holy Spirit to be active, so we must guard against words and deeds that would restrain him.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21).

When we do good to those who inflict evil upon, we open the way for the Holy Spirit to do good to us and to them. If they reject the Holy Spirit, they put themselves under God’s judgment.

Suffering and the Kingdom (4) - Peter

The first letter of Peter has been called an epistle on suffering. Peter reiterates Jesus message about responding to evil by doing good.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult,
but with blessing, because to this you were called
so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Pet 3:12).

Those who follow Jesus must respond to evil with blessing. This is the way that we inherit blessing. When we respond to evil with insults and violence, we lose God’s blessing and block the Holy Spirit.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Pet 3:12).

The Lord looks out for those who respond to evil by doing good, bit his face is set against those who do evil. We must not resist people who inflict evil upon us, even if it means suffering. God will deal with them.

Suffering defeats the power of the enemy.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:8-10).

Suffering by Christians will lead to God’s victory.

Suffering and the Kingdom (3) - Politics and War

Political power cannot defeat evil.

• When Christians rely on political power, the Holy Spirit flees.
• When we use coercion against evil, God is squeezed out.
• Whenever we resist evil by with force, anger and hatred are empowered.

When the Christians takes up the cross follows Jesus, the Holy Spirit is released, and he is able to defeat the principalities and powers will be defeated.

The Kingdom of God will be established by the Holy Spirit working through the church. Unfortunately, he has been hamstrung by our tendency to rely political power to deal with evil.

When we fight evil with violence and war, the Holy Spirit retreats. This creates a vacuum that is filled by evil spiritual forces. The kingdom of God cannot be established by war, because when war starts, the Holy Spirit withdraws and the principalities and powers move in. This is why war invariably makes the situation worse, even if the cause appears to be good. Evil wins, because the Holy Spirit has to withdraw.

In the struggle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness, the Holy Spirit will always be the winner, if he he has freedom to move. When the church commits to suffering in the face of evil, the principalities and powers will be defeated.

Service is the key to the Kingdom. It often leads to suffering. Suffering releases the Holy Spirit, allowing him to achieve victory.

Christians often misunderstand the Holy Spirit. We have these false assumptions.

• We must resist evil, or be overcome by evil.
• Violence must be destroyed, before it destroys us.
• If we do not defend our way of life, we will be forced to surrender our faith.
• We must use force against those who hate the gospel, or it might be lost.
• We must defeat those who would harm us, before they destroy.

At the physical level, these statements appear to be true. Violent people often harm good people. Evil nations sometimes invade peaceful nations. However, this is only half the picture.

When the spiritual dimension is taken into account the shape of the struggle is different. First of all, Christians have eternal life, so they cannot be destroyed by evil. More importantly, what happens in the spiritual dimension determines who gets victory on earth. When Christians use force and political power, the Holy Spirit is constrained. When Christians choose love, compassion and service, the power of the Holy Spirit is released.

Giving the Holy Spirit freedom to act is the key to the victory of the Kingdom. Anything that restrains the Holy Spirit holds back the kingdom of God. Using force to protect lives or to protect our nation, may make sense at the physical level, but it hinders the coming of the Kingdom of God. Before the Kingdom can be established, God will have to shake our faith in human power, and teach us to trust the Holy Spirit. Given the immensity of his power, any other course of action is foolish.

We must trust the cross. Jesus went to the cross to defeat the principalities, abolish the political powers and establish the kingdom of Gods. We must follow his example. The Kingdom comes when we take up the cross and follow Jesus.

Suffering and the Kingdom (2) - Defeating the Powers

God intends to defeat the principalities and power through his church.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 3:10,11).

The church will defeat the spiritual powers, but the process is not what we expect. Jesus achieved his greatest victory when he suffered and died on the cross. The powers of evil will not be defeated by force, but by suffering. When the church gets serious about suffering, the Holy Spirit is released to drive out the evil powers.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is peace, so peace can overcome anger and wrath.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Prov 15:1).

When we respond to evil with anger, we stir up more anger, which grieves the Holy Spirit and releases the powers of evil. When Christians give in to anger and hate, spirits of anger and hatred gain control of the people they are resisting.