Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 74
CONNECTING THE DOTS OF SCRIPTURE – PART 8
Genesis through Revelation
Okay, for those of you joining us on television, just in case you’re catching us for the first time, we’re just an informal Bible study. I always make the point. I’m not trying to attack anyone. And hopefully we can just get people to see what the Book says! I don’t want anyone to go into a Sunday school class and say, “This is what Les Feldick says.” That doesn’t amount to anything. Be able to say, hey, this is what the Book says. Hopefully we’re making some headway.
All right, we’re going to keep right on with our subject of the physical attributes and the qualities of this Earthly Kingdom that’s coming. And now we’re going to move on up to the next of the Major Prophets, Ezekiel. So, those of you in the studio can be turning with me to Ezekiel chapter 47. We’re going to start reading at verse 1. And again, I’m going to do like I’ve been doing all afternoon. We’re going to do more reading than usual, but hopefully the Scripture can speak for itself if you understand what we’re trying to show: that these are all promises given to the Nation of Israel that’s in their future. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s going to happen! All right, verse 1.
Ezekiel 47:1-2
“Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, (He’s speaking of this millennial building in Jerusalem.) and the waters came down from under the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. 2. Then he brought me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.”
All right, now we looked at these before. But here is this river of water that’s going to come out from underneath the throne room there in Jerusalem during the millennium. The river will run out east to the Dead Sea, and it will totally cure the Dead Sea and make it fresh water. Everything that’s associated with the water that flows to the Dead Sea will cause life to come. That’s opposite of what the Dead Sea is now. Then the other half of the river will flow west to the Mediterranean. This is all during this 1,000 year reign of Christ.
All right, let’s move on a few verses, and then we’re going to go on into the Book of Daniel. All right, verse 7.
Ezekiel 47:7-8a
“Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8. Then he said unto me, (Now this, I think, is an angel speaking to Ezekiel.) These waters issue out toward the east country, and down into desert, and go into the sea:”
Now if you know Jerusalem, we can stand on the Mount of Olives and on a nice clear day you can almost see the Dead Sea. That’s east about 18 or 20 miles, if I remember right, from Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. All right, so this is what he’s talking about. From under the sanctuary this water or this river will flow east to the desert and into the Dead Sea.
Ezekiel 47:8b-9a
“…which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. (That is into the Dead Sea. These waters are going to be so pure that they will purify the salty, mineralized waters of the Dead Sea.) 9. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: (In other words, it’s going to be a water of life, or it’ll be life-giving water.) which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed;…”
If you’ve been to the Dead Sea, and many of you have, I’m sure. Absolutely nothing lives in the Dead Sea. Nothing, because it is so saturated with salt and minerals. That’s why you can’t sink in it. You float. I’ll never forget the time my dear little wife over here tried to swim in the Dead Sea, and it just flipped her upside down. She wasn’t quite ready for it. But, that’s what it is. This water from the mountain in Jerusalem is going to totally change the Dead Sea to a fresh water sea.
Ezekiel 47:10a
“And it shall come to pass, (See, it has never happened yet, but it’s going to.) that the fishers (fishermen) shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-egliam; there shall be a place to spread forth nets;…” Now, someone just asked me at break time: are we going to eat meat in the millennium? That is, if we’re there. I’m still not sure whether Church Age people are going to be in the millennium or not. Because after all, they’re so separated from Israel in so many ways; I’m not putting us automatically in the millennium. But anyhow, are the citizens of the millennium, the humans, the people who have come in at the front end (Israel as well as Gentiles), are they going to eat beef? I don’t think so. Because there’ll be no death, and you’d have to kill them to eat them. Here’s what made me think of it. What was my answer? We’ll probably eat fish. It’ll probably be the main diet, because the fishermen are going to stand on the shores of the Dead Sea, now made fresh. So we know they’re going to eat fish. They’re not going to catch them just for nothing.
Ezekiel 47:10b
“…to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.” The Mediterranean. In other words, every species of fish that is now in the Mediterranean will also be in the Dead Sea. Now that seems unbelievable, but the Scripture promises it. All right, then verse 11.
Ezekiel 47:11-12
“But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. 12. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for (What?) food, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” Now that doesn’t mean to cure disease, but it’s therapeutic to maintain good health.
Well, those are all statements concerning this glorious Earthly Kingdom. Now, let’s skip over to Daniel chapter 2. This is the fourth Major Prophet that also speaks of this glorious Earthly Kingdom. And remember, in Daniel’s previous verses he has seen the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which was prophetic of all the Gentile empires that would be coming up through history from 600 B.C. as we had it on the board. Again remember, that Daniel writes from this exile to Babylon in 600 B.C. All right, so from Daniel’s time on, all these Gentile Empires will be holding forth and will be occupying and controlling the city of Jerusalem—first the Babylonians, then the Medes and Persians, and then the Greeks, and then the Romans.
All right, so that takes us on up past the time of Christ until the Roman Empire disappears. Now again, just for a quick review, remember that this is the only timeline that the Old Testament and the Four Gospels, the first eight chapters of Acts, and then the little epistles at the end of our Bible including Revelation, this is the only timeline they understand. Because Paul doesn’t appear until Stephen is martyred. We’ll see that in our next taping. When Stephen is martyred, as I just talked to somebody at break time, who are we introduced to? Saul of Tarsus. And what does that mean? A whole change of modus operandi. Instead of Christ and the Twelve holding forth, all based on these prophecies that we’ve been looking at all afternoon, all of a sudden all this is put on hold. We go into something totally different that no other portion of Scripture has any knowledge of. And that’s why it’s referred to over and over as a secret held in the mind of God until He revealed it to the Apostle Paul.
And that’s why I’ve become more Pauline with every day that I get older. Because if Paul doesn’t teach it; then you have to careful, because he alone is the Apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). And that turns people off. Tough luck. I mean, you’d better accept it, because that’s the way it is. And if Old Testament promises agree with some of the things that Paul gives, great. But if they don’t, then they’re not valid. Because he alone is the Apostle of the Gentiles.
But here we’re still dealing with the Old Testament, so back to Daniel 2, again, verse 44.
Daniel 2:44a
“And in the days of these kings (That is, starting with Nebuchadnezzar and those other four great empires leading up to the time of Christ’s earthly ministry.) in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed:…”
In other words, after all these Gentile empires have come and gone and the Tribulation unfolds. Now remember, there’s nothing in here of the Church Age. Keep that out of your thinking. This is all part of the prophetic scriptures. After all these empires have come and gone and the Tribulation has passed, then “shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”
And I always maintain that the 1,000 year millennium will slip right on into the eternal, somehow or other. I can’t explain it, but evidently it’s going to go into eternity.
Daniel 2:44b-45
“…which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Why?) 45. Forasmuch as thou sawest (Now remember, this is God speaking to Daniel, and Daniel is in turn interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.) that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, (So, it’s a reference to Christ’s Second Coming.) and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God (the God of Creation) hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
Now, what it really amounted to is that these great empires that had come and gone were depicted in this huge image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The stone would strike it on its feet. It would roll it down like a steam roller until there was nothing left but dust and chaff, and it would blow away into the dust bin of eternal history. And Christ’s Kingdom would become a reality.
Well, now let’s move on over in the Book of Daniel to chapter 7. Now, instead of interpreting a dream of someone else’s, Daniel has his own. He has his own vision in chapter 7. Let’s jump in at verse 9. He sees the same series of empires, only he sees them as carnivorous beasts of prey. But he still sees the Babylonian, the Medes and the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans; and how they would occupy Jerusalem over various periods of time. All right, but now you come up to verse 9. In his vision, in his dream–
Daniel 7:9
“I beheld till the thrones (of these Gentile Empires) were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, (I feel this is a reference to God the Father who is on the Throne.) whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.” Then come all the way over to verse 13.
Daniel 7:13
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man (That’s Christ again in an Old Testament analogy.) came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, (That is, to God the Father.) and they brought him near before him.” Now, anytime I teach verse 13, I can’t help it even though we’ve done it not too long ago, come all the way with me up to Revelation chapter 5, because it’s a perfect parallel. Just see how beautifully this corresponds. Daniel sees the Son of Man coming before God the Father. John the Revelator sees almost the same thing.
Revelation 5:1
“And I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne (in the hand of God the Father) a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” Now for sake of time, I’m going to take verse 3.
Revelation 5:3-4
“And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereupon. 4. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.” Now you remember when I taught this, this was a mortgage, in type. Satan is holding the mortgage on planet earth and only one can pay it off. And that is Christ the Son of God. All right, verse 5.
Revelation 5:5
“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, (which is Jesus the Christ) the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
Revelation 5:6a
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four creatures, in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God…” Which is another description of God the Son—who has now finished the work of the Cross. He’s ascended back to Glory. And now it’s time to fulfill prophecy. Verse 7.
Revelation 5:7
“And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat upon the throne.” Now verse 9.
Revelation 5:9-10
“And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, (or this mortgage) and to open the seals thereof: (And to be able to start paying it off, which of course Christ will do with the seven years of Tribulation. And this is why He can do what He’s doing.) for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
All right, now come back to Daniel chapter 7 and we’ll start at verse 14. Remember, these are all the promises given to the Nation of Israel. So, after God the Son comes before the Ancient of Days, put in what He did in the Book of Revelation where He took the mortgage, and He paid it off, and Satan is totally defeated. Paid off, and he’s imprisoned in the abyss and in comes the Kingdom. Verse 14.
Daniel 7:14
“And there was given him (God the Son) dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, (and in this kingdom) that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion,(Here, again, it makes it sound like this Kingdom is going to go beyond the 1,000 years.) which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” And it’s a visible, earthly, political monarchy, benevolent kingdom, animal kingdom with humans: children, babies, and adults. No death. No suffering. No sickness. It’s going to be Heaven on earth. Why is that so hard to comprehend? Well, let’s look some more.
Hosea, I want to go to chapter 4. I might as well start at verse 1. Oh goodness, time’s just about gone again. Hosea chapter 4 verse 1.
Hosea 4:1-4
“Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: (Now, is there any doubt who this is written to? This has nothing to do with us Gentiles. This is God dealing with Israel.) for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. 3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. 4. Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with priest.”
Hosea 4:5-6
“Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night. and I will destroy thy mother. 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no more priest to me: seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” All right, now we come all the way down, and I want to bring you over to the chapter where—I was thinking chapter 10. Come all the way over to Hosea chapter 10. Now again, we’ve backed up a little bit into Israel’s time of chastisement and wrath, but here comes their final blessing.
Hosea 10:12-13
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: (In other words, it’s been out of production.) for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity: ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, (in other words, their human understanding) in the multitude of thy mighty men.”
Hosea 10:14-15
“Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all they fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. 15. So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.”
But now we come all the way down to the ultimate blessing in chapter 13 verse 9. Remember, all the way through the prophets it was chastisement and blessing. Chastisement followed with blessing. And here comes the final, the setting up of this glorious Kingdom in verse 9 chapter 13.
Hosea 13:9-10a
“O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; (in other words, because of their unbelief) but in me (The Lord is speaking.) is thine help. 10. I will be thy (What?) king:…” All the way through Scripture we’ve got this coming King ruling over this glorious Earthly Kingdom.
Hosea 13:10-11
“I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes. 11. I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.” Then come down to verse 14.
Hosea 13:14-15a
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. 15. Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up:…”
Hosea 13:16a
“Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God:…”
Hosea 14:1
“O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.” Let’s move on to Zephaniah, if I can find it, chapter 3 verse 14. And this will take us, I imagine, to the end of the half-hour. Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 14, what’s the first word? “Sing.” That’s the opposite of oppression and wrath.
Zephaniah 3:14-15
“Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 15. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy; the king of Israel, even the LORD (See that? That’s Jesus of Nazareth. The God of Glory.) is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.”
Zephaniah 3:16-17
“In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 17. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” All right, now I think for sake of time I almost have to skip a verse or two here. Come down to verse 19.
Zephaniah 3:19-20
“Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, (or the lame) and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. 20. At that time I will bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.”
Okay, now if you can turn real quickly to Zechariah chapter 14. This is a verse that we’ve used over and over through the years where it makes it as plain as language can make it. If I had time, I’d like to start at verse 1, but we can’t do it. We’ve got 30 seconds left.
Zechariah 14:9
“And the LORD (That’s God the Son, that’s Jesus of Nazareth, that’s Jesus the Christ.) shall be (at some future time) king over all the earth: in that day there shall be one LORD, and his name one.”