Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 70
ISRAEL’S GLORY IS STILL AHEAD OF HER – 2
Hosea 5:1 – 9:7
Okay, good to see everybody back. You’ve had your coffee. My, you folks out in television don’t know how these gals supply all of the goodies for the whole afternoon. It’s about like a banquet table back there, isn’t it? Anyhow, we always thank all the ladies here. Now, you know, way, way, way back when we first started, Iris did supply the cookies and stuff for it, but it got way beyond her. So, now she’s scot-free, and the rest of the gals have picked it up. But anyway, if you’re ever in the Mid-west and you can hit Tulsa on a first Wednesday afternoon of the month, stop in and spend the afternoon with us. It’s so interesting to meet people from out of state.
Okay, let us get right back where we left off. We’re going to start where we finished; then I’m going to jump right back up to the New Testament. So, if you’ll come back with me to Hosea chapter 5, the last verse and going on into chapter 6. Then we’ll have to jump up to Matthew 24. Hosea chapter 5 where we left in the last program–verse 15, and as I said, this is the Lord speaking through the prophet. He says:
Hosea 5:15
“I will go (to planet earth) and return to my place, (As we showed, to the Father’s right hand.) until they (the Nation of Israel) acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: (Which now, of course, we know was the crucifixion, the rejection of His offer to be their King.) in their affliction (In other words, they are still suffering because of it.) they will seek me early.”
Well, you know it’s been 2,000 years, but they certainly had no idea that it would be that long. Now, as we jump right down into chapter 6, you want to remember that in the original writings there were no chapter breaks, so this is still dealing with His having come and returned to Glory, now verse 1 of chapter 6.
Hosea 6:1
“Come, (The Nation of Israel is responding.) let us (the Nation) return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, (See, this is the coming chastisement that’s constantly prophesied.) and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” Now verse 2, this is interesting, and I’m surprised that hardly anybody ever makes reference to it.
Hosea 6:2a
“After two days…” Now we know that Peter says so plainly “with the Lord a thousand years is but (What?) a day, and a day is like a thousand years.” Well, I think we can legitimately use that here.
Hosea 6:2a
“After two days, (two thousand years) will he revive us:…” My, and isn’t that exactly what we’ve seen in the last hundred years now? They started coming back around the turn of the century. And like the bones in Ezekiel 37, they came together. It wasn’t long until the land became productive. The Nation began to prosper. In 1948 they declared to the world that they were now an independent state. Since 1948, it’s been nothing but an increase in their population and in their prosperity. God has blessed them materially. But, the future chastisement and judgment is still going to come because of all their unbelief and their idolatry back here. It’s all accumulating. But nevertheless, back to the text in verse 2.
Hosea 6:2
“After two days, he will revive us: (He will bring us back to a spiritual entity.) in the third day (or in the third thousand years) he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” Well, I think that’s a reference to the Kingdom, when finally they will see all the promises come to fruition. But before that happens, they’re going to go through 2,000 years of sorrow and heartache and oppression. That will culminate with the Great Tribulation. That’s what we’re going to look at next – what faces the Nation of Israel because of God’s wrath on their unbelief and their rejection. We’ll pick it up now in Matthew 24.
Now, we feel that Matthew 24 is all Tribulation ground. It’s the final seven years of Daniel’s 490 year prophecy in Daniel 9. In the middle of which Daniel wrote that this man anti-Christ will go into the then rebuilt temple and will defile it and will usher in those last three and one-half years, which are going to be as much hell on earth as the kingdom will be heaven on earth. It’s going to be beyond human description.
But let’s take the whole picture. We’ve got time. Start in verse 1 of Matthew 24. This, of course, is toward the end of His earthly ministry.
Matthew 24:1-2
“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings (or the complex) of the temple. 2. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Of course, that was fulfilled with the Roman invasion of A.D. 70. That’s when that happened. All right, now move on to verse 3.
Matthew 24:3-4a
“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, (Without a press of any multitudes, just Jesus and the Twelve, and they said–) Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Or the end of the Ages–next verse) 4. And Jesus answered and said unto them,…” Now, this is all appropriate for us, because I think we’re seeing the beginnings of all this even though we’re not in the Tribulation.
Once in a while I get a phone call or a letter, “Are we in the Tribulation?” Oh, heavens no! We’re not in the Kingdom either. Some people think that. No, Satan is out there alive and well, and the world is getting more wicked by the day. This cannot be the Kingdom, but it’s nothing like the horrors of the Tribulation that’s coming.
I read an article last night. I don’t even want to repeat it to anybody. It was by somebody who has supposedly been in the middle of a lot of this government in the last five to ten years. When he prognosticates–I think that’s a word–when he prognosticates what is coming, I tell you what, it’s enough to give you goose bumps and shake you to your toe nails. I keep hoping the Lord will come before it gets that bad. But listen, it’s going to get awful. The world is getting set for it.
You know, I’m an optimist. I’m not a pessimist. I’m an optimist. I have been ever since I was a kid. But on the other hand, I have to recognize that our American economy is the proverbial house of cards. It could collapse in twenty-four hours. And if it collapses, I don’t even want to think of what it’s going to be like. You don’t even have to try. You know what it’s going to be like. All you have to have is a power outage for twelve hours, and it is pandemonium. But what if it’s nationwide? What if it gets worldwide? That’s what the world is getting ready for. But as an optimist, I say it’s not going to happen until after we’re gone.
But, whatever–here is a description of the Tribulation. The Lord is speaking of it in terms and all we can do is say, well, if that’s what it’s going to be after it starts, hey, we’re already seeing a lot of it being laid out as previews of it. In fact, in some of my seminars lately I’ve started out with the question that the Pharisees asked Him, and He said, “O you hypocrites, you can look at the sky and predict tomorrow’s weather (you know the verses) but you can’t discern the signs of the times.” Well, this is what I’m trying to get people to realize. We are now at a point where we should be able to read the signs of the times that the end is near. Now, we don’t set dates, but we’re getting close. Of course the number one sign of the end time is the Nation of Israel. After being disbursed for 2,000 years, they’re back in the homeland. They’re in the news everyday. Well, it’s screaming at the world that that’s the sign that the end of this Age is near. All right, so now back into Matthew 24 verse 4.
Matthew 24:4
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” Well, that should immediately stop you in your tracks. What does that mean? There’s going to be tons of deception. And, oh, we’re seeing it. The TV and the internet is full of it. Most of it is total deception. There is very little truth anymore.
Matthew 24:5
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; (I’m the Messiah) and shall deceive many.” Well, now I read here a while back that there is something like a thousand men–a thousand men around the world that are claiming to be Christ. And the Tribulation hasn’t even started yet. So, you can imagine what it’s going to be like. All right, verse 6.
Matthew 24:6-7
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” Now, we’re just seeing the beginnings of it. But, once the Tribulation starts, they’re going to be compounding day by day.
Matthew 24:8-9
“All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Or travail, the horror that’s still coming.) 9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Now, that’s Israel’s future. The day is coming when they aren’t going to just have anti-Semitism pop up here and there. It’s going to be worldwide. It’s going to devastate the Jewish people.
Matthew 24:10-12a
“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (That’s just a repetition of up there in verse 4.) 12. And because iniquity shall abound,…” We have no idea how gross it’s going to get. Because you have to realize that even in other areas of the world there are still decent, moral people that are keeping the brakes on the outflow of wickedness. Even though they may not be believers, they’ve got enough good sense of morality that they still act as a brake to it. But once the Tribulation starts, that’s all going to collapse, and wickedness is going to come in like a flood.
Matthew 24:12-13
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Now, I feel that that’s physical, not spiritual. If someone has the wherewithal to survive all these horrors, and they’re fortunate enough, they can come to the end of the Tribulation and still be living physically. We know there will be some. There will be a third of Israel and there will be a smattering of Gentiles. So, we know that there are going to be survivors.
Matthew 24:14a
“And this gospel of the kingdom (The very Gospel that Jesus and the Twelve were preaching to Israel–that He was the promised Messiah and King.) shall be preached in all the world…” Now, I maintain that this is when the Great Commission will be fulfilled. This is when the 144,000 young Jews will literally circumvent the planet. They’re going to preach the same thing that Jesus and the Twelve preached, and that is that Jesus is the King and He’s coming to set up His Kingdom. And indeed He will be, and so that’s what will be preached.
Matthew 24:14b
“…shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come.” They’re going to succeed in penetrating every nation, tribe, and tongue with their gospel of the Kingdom, before the Tribulation ends. All right, now in verse 15 we jump up to the mid-point. He qualifies it with the word back in Daniel.
Matthew 24:15
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Let’s know what he’s talking about.
Now, I think for benefit of our newer listeners, let’s go back to Daniel. Let’s show folks what Jesus is confirming and what He’s talking about. After all, if the Creator of the universe says it, we should be able to believe it. Daniel chapter 9 and let’s see, that’s verse 27. Daniel has delineated the first 483 years, which would take place up until Christ’s first advent or His crucifixion, when He satisfies and makes the end of sin and so forth. But now comes the final seven years of that 490 year prophecy. Here is where we get our teaching of the Tribulation’s final seven years. And Jesus confirmed it.
Daniel 9:27a
“And he (The anti-Christ, this prince that shall come) shall confirm (or make) the covenant with many for one week:…” Or seven years. Now, logic tells us today that this is going to be a peace treaty between Israel and the Arab world. Finally the Middle East will have a semblance of peace. All right, it’s going to be a miraculous thing. No human element could ever bring it about, because the hatred runs too deep. But when God moves in, even the Arabs are going to be willing to make peace with the little Nation of Israel. All right, it’s going to be a seven-year peace treaty. Now, here it comes.
Daniel 9:27b
“…and in the midst of the week (or the middle of the seven years) he (the anti-Christ) will cause the sacrifice and the oblation (That is, the ritual of Temple worship. He’s going to cause it–) to cease,…” Now, I always stop there and I ask the question–before something can stop, what does it have do? It has to start.
And we know there hasn’t been any Temple worship for 2,000 years, which means, that this peace treaty will allow Israel to rebuild a Temple. Now, it won’t be gold and silver and cedar like Solomon’s. I think, personally, and this is my own idea, I think it’s already pre-fabbed and standing in a warehouse in Israel. They’ll set that thing up in two or three days time and it’ll be functional. It won’t be beautiful, but it will be functional. Israel will suddenly be back under the Law and Temple worship. Three and a half years later, the anti-Christ goes in and defiles it.
Daniel 9:27c
“…he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblations to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations (Just to make it so horrible that the Jews can’t stand it.) he shall make it (the Temple) desolate, even until the consummation, (that is the end of the seven-years) and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (or the desolator.)”
In other words, all the prophecies concerning that final three and a half years will be fulfilled. All right, so there’s what Jesus is referring to. Now, come back to Matthew 24, again. Now He’s giving a little indication of what these last three and a half years are going to be like. The first three and half are certainly no Sunday school picnic. Don’t ever think that for a minute, because Revelation tells us that by the end of the first three and a half years, one fourth of the world’s population will die. And that’s a bunch of people. That’s almost two billion people who will lose their life in three and a half years. But, it’s nothing like the second half. All right, reading back in Matthew 24, drop down to verse 16.
Matthew 24:16
“Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” Now remember, Jesus is speaking prophetically to the Nation. When you see this event, when you hear it, when you see it on television that the anti-Christ has gone into the Temple and has defiled it–I think he’ll be copying what Antiochus-Epiphanies, the Greek General, did back in 300 and so BC. He went into the Temple of Israel and poured hog’s blood on the altar, which is a good indication of what this guy will probably do. But whatever, he’s going to defile it somehow, and it’s going to infuriate the Jews. But Jesus said, don’t try to fight him, don’t try to do anything but flee. Run for you life. All right, verse 16 again.
Matthew 24:16-18
“Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: 17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: (Time is of the essence, so don’t try to take along some heirloom or some beautiful piece of furniture. Get out of town. Run for your life.) 18. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”
Now again, we always have to bring Scripture up to date. At the time that Jesus is speaking, Israel is what? It’s an agricultural country. They’re sheepherders. They’re orchard keepers. They’re farmers. Very few were metropolitan. But now, of course, the working class isn’t out there in the countryside. It’s in the city. But it’s still the wage earning area. That’s what he’s addressing here. As field workers are now the scientists, the Silicon Valley in Israel, all the electronic engineers and all your manufacturing and all of the things that are associated with an economy today, they are instructed – leave your work place. Run for the mountains. Don’t go back home to your condo and pick up an extra set of clothes. You haven’t got time. So, time is of the essence. All right, reading on:
Matthew 24:18-20
“Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19. And woe unto them that are with child, (Young pregnant women.) and to them that are nursing in those days. (It’s going to be a hard go for those gals.) 20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:”
Now remember, at the beginning of the Tribulation they went back under the Law and Temple Worship. What did the Law include? Well, they couldn’t walk over what? The couldn’t walk over ¾ of a mile on the Sabbath day? So, the Lord takes that into consideration. He says pray that this won’t happen on a Sabbath day or your religion won’t let you leave town. Interesting, isn’t it?
Matthew 24:21-22a
“For then (Beginning with that mid-point of the seven years) shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world (All the way back to Adam, there’s never been three and a half years like this.) no, nor ever shall be. 22. And except those days should be shortened,…”
Now, I can take that word shortened and find enough Greek to mean that it’s not going to go beyond twenty-four hours. It’s going to end at the end of the seven years with the return of Christ. It’s not going to go a week over. It won’t be a week short, because God is meticulous in His timing. I’ve always made that statement. Same way when Galatians says, “in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Was it a week late? No. Was He a week early? No. He came on the exact day that God specified. Well, the same way here. All right, so verse 23.
Matthew 24:23-24a
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,…” That’s again repetition. But this is the setting for Israel in the seven years Tribulation. The first three and a half they’ll go back under Temple Worship. They’re going to be invaded, of course. Now, I don’t know if I’ve got time to go into all that or not. Only three minutes left? Hardly!
In that case, let me take you back to Revelation chapter 12. Now we pick up John’s account of this escaping remnant, as I refer to them. In Revelation chapter 12 and the woman, of course, in this chapter and all the way through is a reference to the Nation of Israel. I’m going to bring you all the way down, because of our time to verse 5.
Revelation 12:5-6a
“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: (That’s looking forward to His Kingship. Now we come back to the time of His first advent.) and her child was caught up unto God, and his throne. (That is when God said sit at my right hand until…) 6. And the woman fled into the wilderness,…”
That’s the group of Jews we talked about in Matthew 24. So, the woman flees into the wilderness. We don’t know where it’s at. Some thinks it’s Petra. I don’t argue the point. But it’s going to be someplace where God is going to put them under an umbrella of safety. She’s going to go to the wilderness.
Revelation 12:6b
“…where she hath a place prepared of God,” Now you want to remember, we’re into the realm of the supernatural again. This is beyond the human element. God is going to take care of this fleeing remnant of Israel. The ones we just read about in Matthew 24.
Revelation 12:6c
“…that they should feed her there (God is going to feed her there) a thousand two hundred and sixty days.” That’s three and a half years. All right, now you come on down, or over, to verse 13.
Revelation 12:13-14
“And when the dragon (That’s the anti-Christ, indwelt now by Satan.) saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14. And to the woman (again this remnant of Israel) were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished (God will take care of her.) for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” For three and a half years He’s going to protect this remnant of Israel. All right, then I’ve got to bring you all the way down to verse, well, I guess verses 15 and 16.
Revelation 12:15
“And the serpent cast out of his mouth waters as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Now, I feel that that’s just simply a command from the anti-Christ, who’s headquartered in Jerusalem, to send a military contingency after this escaping remnant of Israel to destroy them. And then the earth opens up and swallows the anti-Christ’s army and protects Israel. And then verse 17:
Revelation 12:17
“And the dragon was angry with the woman, (This escaping remnant.) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” I feel that’s the 144,000. So, the remnant will go into a place of safety. The 144,000 will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to every nation.