Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 3 * BOOK 11

PROPHECY: THE WHITE HORSE OF REVELATION 6

We left off in Revelation Chapter 5 with Christ ready to take the scroll out of the hand of God the Father. He was qualified to do that because of His finished work of the Cross – because of who He is, the Eternal, the Creator God of the universe. And He is the One we might say instituted that mortgage in the first place (we will point that out in just a bit). He alone is fulfilling all the requirements to pay off the mortgage. He is the Next of Kin; He is able, and He is going to show Himself willing. We like to tie the Old and New Testament together as much as we can, so come now to Daniel Chapter 7. There are two verses that speak almost the identical language that John uses in Revelation:

Daniel 7:13a

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man…”

Notice that Son is capitalized? Sometimes I shock people by telling them the Son is mentioned in the Old Testament. Here is one of them. Psalms 2 mentions the Son twice in that one Chapter. We don’t call Him Jesus in the Old Testament, because that’s the name of His body of humiliation. But nevertheless, as a personage, He is certainly referred to as the Son back here in the Old Testament.

Daniel 7:13b

“…came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days (God the Father), and they brought him (The Son) near before him.” And now verse 14. As a result of all that took place in Revelation Chapter 5.

Daniel 7:14a

“And there was given him (God the Son) dominion…”

Who had dominion back in Genesis 1, and then lost it in Chapter 3? Adam. He had dominion and was to take care of all of God’s creation. But he lost it when he sinned. Who picked it up when Adam dropped it? Satan did. So Satan is the mortgage holder, or the one who has the planet under his control, and that’s the mortgage we are dealing with – the same mortgage that God is going to pay off in full by virtue of the judgments and events of the seven-year Tribulation. The end of it will bring the world to a delivery from the curse. And that is why Jesus in Matthew 24 refers to it as the beginning of travail. We are talking about a delivery from the curse. Now verse 14 again:

Daniel 7:14

“And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom (isn’t it amazing how often that word kingdom pops up? It is a visible, political, viable, governmental kingdom on the earth that we are referring to. It is also a Spiritual Kingdom. I pointed out in a previous class that you and I, as Grace Age believers, have our citizenship already in heaven, according to the Book of Colossians. We have been translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son, which is in heaven. But when God the Son leaves heaven and brings the heavenly Kingdom with Him to set up the earthly Kingdom, we will be with Him. And He will be King of kings and Lord of lords), that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him (The King of kings): his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Coming back to Revelation we find in verse 8:

Revelation 5:8

“And when he had taken the book (or scroll out of the hand of Him Who sat on the throne), the four beasts (or creatures) and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”

Whenever you pray, don’t ever think that your prayers are lost. The prayers of the saints I feel are accumulating up in glory as sweet smelling fragrances before the God of heaven.

Revelation 5:9

“And they sung a new song, saying, `Thou (The Son, The Lamb) art worthy to take the book (or scroll), and to open the seals thereof (now here are the qualifications): For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood (we are living in a day and age where many people don’t like the Blood aspect of the Gospel, but we can’t compromise that. It is one of the absolutes of the program of God from day one. Remember there are two absolutes in Scripture you can’t compromise or detour around; they must be faced head on. Number 1: “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.” Number 2: “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Both are found in the Book of Hebrews.) out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;'”

Revelation 5:10

“`And hast made us unto our God kings and priests (of course, this is the future of the believer. We will indeed rule and reign under the King of kings and Lord of lords and will have a Kingly priesthood.): and we shall reign (where?) on the earth.'”

A lot of people don’t like to believe that. But we are going to rule and reign with Him in an earthly Kingdom, promised all the way back to the Book of Genesis. Now verse 11:

Revelation 5:11

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (or creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”

I believe this angelic host, so often referred to in Scripture, are the clouds. Do you remember at the ascension, a cloud received Him out of their sight. I don’t think it was a moisture cloud, but a very heavenly host escorted Him into glory. And other times when you speak of the clouds of heaven, unless the text is definite that it is weather clouds, you can just about rest on the fact that it is the very multitude of the heavenly host. And that certainly is depicted here. They are there by the millions. And they all say in verse 12:

Revelation 5:12,13a

“Saying with a loud voice, `Worthy is the Lamb that was slain (who was crucified) to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth,…”

Look what the Book says, not just humans but every creature. Turn to Romans 8 for a moment. It’s a perfect parallel that every creature is aware of the Creator. You drive along the road and see a little cottontail rabbit or bird and we think of them as just another wild animal. But they are all God’s creatures and they are all aware of Him. Beginning in verse 18, Paul tells us as believers:

Romans 8:18,19

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (or to us. That’s our future), For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation is a better translation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons (or children) of God.”

I have explained the word manifestation for many years. The other night I saw a book written by a very famous man and it seemed he was using my illustration. He said manifestation meant “to be brought into the spotlight.” That is what I always use when using that word. It’s like taking a glass slide with just a drop of pond water, slipping it under the microscope, and turning on that powerful light. All of a sudden that slide just begins to move. But it wasn’t manifested until you put it under the spotlight; in this case under a microscope. So when you see the word “manifested” in Scripture, that is what it really means. When you are brought under the bright light of a magnifying situation; things appear that are not ordinarily seen. Now verse 20:

Romans 8:20

“For the creature (or creation) was made subject to vanity (to the curse), not willingly (in other words, it wasn’t the creation’s fault that the curse fell, it was Adam’s. It was man’s fault. So the curse came in.), but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,”

As soon as Adam sinned back in Genesis Chapter 3, what did God come right back and promise in Genesis 3:15? A Redeemer who would be the Seed of the woman, who would be The Christ.

Romans 8:21-23

“Because the creature (or creation) itself (not just the creation itself, but all of creation) also shall be delivered (keep that in mind. A delivery) from the bondage of corruption (which is the curse) into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they (not only all aspects of creation, but we humans as well, especially those of us who believe.), but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

What’s that? When we shall be ushered into that glorious rule and reign. All creation is waiting for that day, for the curse to be gone. In other words, when that little cottontail rabbit hops across your lawn and stops for a second, does he ever relax? There is always an enemy he is aware of. He can’t relax because of the curse.

But when the curse is lifted, all the animals, as we see in Isaiah Chapter 11, are going to cohabit peaceably. The wolf and lamb will lie down together, and the bear and the cow are going to feed together. And all of creation is looking forward to the day. The curse is lifted. Today, all of the animal kingdom must fight for their own existence, and many times starve for lack of food. That is not the way God intended it. The curse brought all of that on. How sad that so many people are not aware of that. When you watch the masses of people, do you ever ask yourself how many of them are aware that someday all of this is going to end. Most of them never let it enter their minds. Totally unconcerned; totally indifferent. But listen, it’s coming just as sure we are sitting here today. Now back to Revelation. Let’s read verse 13 once again:

Revelation 5:13,14

“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, `Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ And the four beasts (creatures) said, `Amen (so be it).’ And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

The stage is set. God the Son has taken the mortgage with the seven seals on it. And now He is going to open it and begin the process of paying it off. Now we come to Chapter 6, and the first thing we are introduced to is the four horsemen of the apocalypse; most have heard of it. They are very interesting. Verse 1:

Revelation 6:1a

“And I saw when the Lamb (God the Son) opened one of the seals,…”

He will take them off one at a time. And these seven seals are going to take us up to the mid-point of the Tribulation. Now the best way to understand the Book of Revelation is to realize that there are a whole series of sevens throughout the Book. The part we skipped was the seven letters to the seven churches. Now we will see the seven seals; the seven seal judgments. They will introduce the seven trumpet judgments. The seventh trumpet judgments will introduce the final seven bold judgments. Interspersed between, there are seven distinct persons, and seven woes.

The whole Book of Revelation is a breakdown of sevens. And seven is God’s perfect number. The whole Book is not a book of myths and legends; it is a perfectly tuned Book that is definitely a part of the Word of God. What we have is the beginning of this final seven years. Several lessons ago from the Book of Daniel, we showed that this seven-year period of time, which we call Daniel’s seventieth week, or the time of wrath and vexation, or primarily the Tribulation, will be opening when the Anti-christ signs that seven-year treaty with the Nation of Israel. That’s back in Daniel Chapter 9. And when he signs that seven-year treaty, this is the beginning of the opening of the seals we see here in Revelation Chapter 6.

The first 3 ¹/2 years are not so much the wrath and vexation, although they will be bad enough. The last 3 ¹/2 years are going to be terrible for those who must go through it. Remember, as you study Revelation, that all through Scripture these seven years are divided 3 ¹/2 and 3 ¹/2; 42 months and 42 months; 1260 days and 1260 days. And as we come through the Book of Revelation, I suppose we should look at our timeline again, beginning with the creation of Adam and mankind as we know it. About 1500 years later we have the flood. Then we have the Tower of Babel.

At about 2000 B.C., God does something totally different. Out of the mainstream of Adam, of course, He now pulls off one separate nation by promising Abraham that out of him will come a nation of people (the Nation of Israel who would come by virtue of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). The Nation of Israel that we now refer to as the Jews. All through the Old Testament economy God is speaking predominately to Jews with exceptions. I say with exceptions because God is Sovereign and He can make His exceptions. But other than His few exceptions, He deals with the Nation of Israel; bringing them to the place according to His Old Testament program where the Messiah would come. They, of course, crucified Him. Following, the Tribulation was to have come on the scene for seven years (or Daniel’s seventieth week). Then Christ would return and set up His Kingdom. But what did Israel do with it? They rejected it. They had a tremendous opportunity.

All the Old Testament prophecy refers to this as a steady flow with no interruptions. But we know that it was interrupted, because the Tribulation did not come in after the Crucifixion. In the Book of Acts, none of this happens. So in essence, God doesn’t give up on the Nation of Israel. Paul tells us that so plainly in Romans Chapter 11, that they have not fallen out of God’s program. They have merely gone into a period when God is going to set them aside and turn to the Gentiles. And so Paul tells us in Chapter 11, that by their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

I like to picture it as a parenthesis. The Book of Acts takes us up to 70 A.D. At 70 A.D., Titus destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. Israel was sent into her dispersion as we saw in the Book of Ezekiel a couple of lessons ago. They were dispersed out in the Gentile world. After Israel is dispersed, we came through that period of time that is totally out of a time frame. I’ve taught that prophecy, as you come out of the Old Testament, is prophetic statements concerning God and the Nation of Israel (but always in a time frame). Remember 490 years are determined upon the people of Israel.

It’s always in a time frame. But as soon as Israel loses her Temple, loses her national state and her sovereign government, and is dispersed; then God’s time clock utterly stops. We then enter into what we call the Church Age or the Age of Grace, or the age where Christ is calling out the Body of Christ, and there is no time frame. No one knows when Christ will return. We call it imminent. He may come before the day is over. It may be years down the road; however, the way things are going, we don’t see how it can be much longer. So never, never subscribe to anyone who says that on such and such a day the Lord will return. We don’t know that. And I have told my classes over the years when someone sets a date, then you just cast him off as a false teacher, because there is nothing in Scripture that gives us the ability to set a date.

So now the Church Age has been coming down the pike these 1900 plus years, ever since 70 A.D., and it actually began before that. But now Israel is in dispersion, and Christ has been presenting the Gospel based on His death, burial, and resurrection. We hold to the fact that, before God can pick up and begin the Tribulation period with the Nation of Israel, the Church has to be removed. The reason I emphasize that is because there has been so much teaching coming in lately, that the Church will not be raptured – that we will go into the Tribulation. This is completely false.

Always remember the Church is predominately Gentile. The Church is totally insulated from all the dealing that God did with the Nation of Israel. The Covenant promises are not ours. So God cannot pick up where He left off with Israel until the Church is out of the way. That is why we put the Church Age in a parenthesis. And when the Church is removed, then God can once again deal fully and completely, and finish everything that was prophesied concerning His Covenant people. That is the best statement that I can make for believing the way I do. And always remember, concerning the out-calling of the Church, this doctrine comes from the writings of Paul as He gave only that great Apostle the revelation of the calling out of the Body of Christ.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 2 * BOOK 11

PROPHECY: THE WHITE HORSE OF REVELATION 6

Let’s turn to Revelation Chapter 4 and begin an in-depth study of the Book of Revelation. It’s a book I think is thrilling. It’s not that hard to understand, though I know there have been a lot of people instructed to shy away from it (leave it alone, you can’t understand it anyway). In fact, as we were driving up to the studio this morning I remembered when I was still farming in Iowa, we had a home class and were teaching the Book of Revelation one winter. As that part of the country is prone to, there came a tremendous blizzard, and many stranded travelers came in to spend the night.

It just so happened that this situation occurred and a couple got stranded near the home of a couple who had been attending my classes. During that storm, while locked up within those four walls together, the couple from my class shared what they had been learning from the Book of Revelation. As it turned out, one of the stranded couple was a pastor of a large denomination. When he heard the word “Revelation,” he said, “We never pay any attention to that Book, we don’t feel there’s anything in it that’s appropriate, and so we have no interest in it. At the time it shocked me a little bit, but not really, because I know this is a trend in a lot of peoples’ thinking. Nevertheless, the Book of Revelation starts out with:

Revelation 1:3

“Blessed is he that readeth,…”

And that means you and I. Studying the Book of Revelation is exciting and revealing. Remember that it is all symbolism, but every symbolic teaching in Revelation comes back to a literal meaning and truth. All we have to do is search the Scriptures and it comes out clearly. Since we are dealing primarily with the future aspect of the Nation of Israel and the Tribulation period as we see it coming on the scene, I’m going to skip the Seven Churches. I don’t like to do that, but for the sake of time we will and catch them at a later time. Go all the way to the last verse in Chapter 3:

Revelation 3:22

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

This is the last time the word Church appears in the Book of Revelation until you get to the closing verses. So from Chapter 4 verse 1, all the way through to the end, there is nothing of what we know as the Church Age. I think it is evident then that the Church will be gone when the Tribulation begins. And again it is symbolically pictured in John’s own experience in Chapter 4 verse 1.

Revelation 4:1

“After this (after what? After the Church Age has been completed. The previous three chapters.) I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me;…”

Be careful as you read Revelation. It doesn’t say the voice was a trumpet, but rather like a trumpet. I’ve had people try to refute the whole aspect of the Rapture because it is associated with the trumpet call. They say only Israel was called with a trumpet. That limits God. Yes, Israel was called by a trumpet for assembly for war and other assemblies. But God has His own trumpets as well. He also has his angelic trumpets. But here John hears a trumpet from heaven, which calls, “Come up hither.” I like to picture that as a symbolic view of what is going to happen to the Church. It too will hear a trumpet call. And the Archangel will give a shout, and suddenly all of us that know the Lord will be gone.

I’m aware that there are many who refute what we call the doctrine of the Rapture. The first thing they like to point out is the word Rapture is not in the Bible. True, it is not in the English, but the German translation does use the word Rapture – a calling out. As we have stressed before, it is so clear in the earlier translation in II Thessalonians Chapter 2 that before the Man of Sin can be revealed, before the Anti-christ can come on the scene, there has to be the departure. That’s the departure of the Body of Christ. We too, will hear the trumpet call to come up. That’s that blessed hope the Apostle Paul talks about in Titus Chapter 2:

Revelation 4:1

“…which said, `Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.'”

After what? After the Church Age is ended. The Church is over and all these things are going to be left on the scene. Now verse 2:

Revelation 4:2

“And immediately (John says) I was in the spirit (he didn’t go to glory bodily. Remember he is exiled on the Island of Patmos, so evidently he just went up to heaven in the spirit.): and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”

Revelation 4:3

“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Beautiful beyond description. I don’t think John could begin to put it into words the beauty of the throne room in heaven. Now verse 4:

Revelation 4:4

“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats (or thrones): and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

There has been lots of controversy. Who are the twenty-four elders? The Bible doesn’t tells us, so why speculate. We just don’t know. Like I told a lady who called yesterday morning, who had several questions. I told her to remember that the Bible doesn’t tells us everything we would like to know. It just tells us everything we need to know. But we do know they are sitting there on the twenty four seats, or smaller thrones, in the very throne room of heaven. And they are wearing their crowns of gold. Now verse 5:

Revelation 4:5

“And out of the throne (the very presence of God) proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

The best way I can define the seven Spirits of God are attributes of the Holy Spirit. So we need to go to the Book of Isaiah Chapter 11. And remember in Revelation it talks about Christ having the seven Spirits. Well here is what I think it is referring to:

Isaiah 11:2

“And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him (in this case it’s the Branch in verse l who of course is the Son, the Christ.), the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;”

Remember the Book of Proverbs tells us the fear of the Lord is wisdom. So there you have the Seven attributes of the Holy Spirit as they function within His role as a member of the Godhead. Come back to Revelation Chapter 4. These seven-fold aspects of the Holy Spirit are round about the throne as John is being introduced to it:

Revelation 4:6

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”

Now be careful. Don’t envision some horrible looking wild animals. A better translation is “living creatures.” These are angelic beings of a sort. I’ll show you in a bit where I get the word creatures, but for now lets read verse 7 and 8. Here are some beautiful illustrations again as to how Scripture fits together. Even though this is written by John in about 90 A.D., we are going to see it fits the picture of Christ in the four Gospels, and it’s going to picture the exact description of Ezekiel back in the Old Testament. Let’s finish these two verses and we will go back and look at it.

Revelation 4:7

“And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf (or ox), and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”

Here in Revelation we have creatures like a lion, ox, a face as a man, and an eagle. Turn back to Ezekiel Chapter 1. I told you several lessons ago there were three books in our Bible written outside the Nation of Israel by Jews: Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation. They are all written in symbolic language. So now we can see that Ezekiel and Revelation have a perfect correlation.

Ezekiel 1:5

“Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance;…” Now to get all four together go to verse 10:

Ezekiel 1:10

“As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.” So here we have the same four that we have in Revelation 4:7.

Let me ask you, “How is Christ pictured in the Book of Matthew?” Matthew depicts Him as King. Mark depicts Him as Servant, Luke depicts Him as the Son of Man. John’s Gospel depicts Him as the Son of God, His Deity. What am I trying to show? That all of the Scriptures are depicting Christ from the same view point. He is first and foremost the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Servant as Mark depicts Him. He washed the disciples feet, for example. He lowers Himself to that. And then Luke depicts Him as the Son of Man, His humanity. Then John shows us that indeed He was the Son of God.

So these angelic creatures spoken of by Ezekiel, as well as what John sees in Revelation, are all living creatures that are depicting one of these four attributes again of Christ as we see Him in the Gospels. To me, that shows how perfectly it fits together. It’s so beautifully tuned. I’m reminded of a letter we got recently from a gentlemen in Pennsylvania. He said, “Les, the Bible is finally beginning to run like a fine-tuned machine.” I like that. He was a farmer and we are aware when a machine is running right you don’t hear anything except that steady hum of a fine-tuned machine. And that is what this Book is. It is so fine-tuned. So it disturbs me when we hear people say it is full of contradictions and errors. No it isn’t. When there is a seeming contradiction, it is just a difference in programs. Naturally what the Bible says to the Nation of Israel under the Law is going to be different than what He says to us under Grace. That’s not contradiction, but simply a change in operations. Now back to Revelation for a few moments. And as John sees the living creatures. Verse 8:

Revelation 4:8

“And the four beasts (or creatures) had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, `Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'”

What does that speak of? From His eternity past, to the present, to the future, He’s the same Eternal Sovereign God of the universe.

Revelation 4:9-11

“And when those beasts (or creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever (now the four and twenty elders get involved), The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, `Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power (why?): for thou hast created all things (He created it all. It didn’t just happen. But every thing was created by the Creator), and for his pleasure they are and were created.”

Someone called me awhile back and said, “Before I became involved with your class I didn’t really read every word. I was taught that when we get to glory we will take our crowns and cast them at His feet. But all of a sudden I realized this is the verse we get that from, and it’s the twenty-four elders that are doing that and not us.” We may cast our crowns at His feet, but the Scriptures don’t say we will. You see it is so easy to take a verse of Scripture and lift it out of context and make a statement from it. Like I said, we may indeed. We certainly should be worthy of not keeping those things for ourselves. All I’m trying to show you is the Scriptures don’t say we will do that, but the twenty-four elders do. Now to Chapter 5. I just want you to be careful with what you read, and how you read it. It makes all the difference in the world.

Revelation 5:1

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book (or scroll is a better word. It was rolled up and sealed) written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.”

Just picture a scroll rolled up and then sealed with seven seals. On the outside are written details. This is alluded to in the Old Testament economy, going back to Israel. They had every right to mortgage their property. Some may think mortgages are strictly twentieth century, but mortgages are not something new. Even at the time of Ruth and Boaz, they could mortgage their property. If they got in a bind and the mortgage was due, and they couldn’t pay, they would either lose their property, or could go to a next of kin for help. If the next of kin had the funds, and wanted to, then the mortgage could be paid off. There you have the three requirements for paying off a mortgage. Next of Kin, Able, and Willing.

This was the whole idea in Israel, that the families would keep their inheritance. Now we have the same picture here of a mortgage. It says it was written inside as well as on the outside. The private details that were not for public scrutiny were written on the inside. But the things that needed to be made public were written on the outside – for example, who the property belonged to. We still do that at the court house today, so it’s not that much different. The lesson here is, there is a mortgage involved, sealed with seven seals, but only One can open the scroll and pay it off.

Revelation 5:2,3

“And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, `Who is worthy to open the book (or scroll), and to loose the seals thereof?’ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book (or scroll), neither to look thereon.”

No one seemingly had the next of kinship, who had the wherewithal in wealth, and who was willing. And John says in verse 4:

Revelation 5:4

“And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book (or scroll), neither to look thereon.” Look at verse 5:

Revelation 5:5

“And one of the elders saith unto me, `Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.'” And who is the Lion of the tribe of Juda? Christ.

Revelation 5:6

“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts (or creatures), and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb [I mentioned a few lessons ago, that if I’m not mistaken (and I’m always willing to have people check me out) the Book of John is the only one that uses the expression, the Lamb of God.] as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

Revelation 5:7

“And he (the Lion of the tribe of Juda, Israel’s King, the King of kings, the Son of God) came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”

We have to bring the Trinity into view again here don’t we? We have to place God the Father on the throne, because Christ is not on the throne tonight, you are all aware of that I’m sure. It says He ascended to sit at the right hand. So in order to get the language, we picture God the Father as on the throne, God the Son at the right hand, and when John gets all shook up that no one can open the scroll, then God the Son comes before God the Father and what does He say? “I’ll do it. I’ll pay off that mortgage.” He is depicted throughout the Old Testament as the Son of David, the Son of God, and so in kinship He can fulfill all of those demands.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 1 * BOOK 11

PROPHECY: THE WHITE HORSE OF REVELATION 6

Get your Bible and follow along with us. You can’t grow in grace and knowledge unless you stay in the Book. And that is the only reason I teach. I trust I can help people to understand what the Bible is saying. Let’s turn to the Book of Ezekiel. We will continue to study prophecy for several more lessons before going into the Book of Matthew as we continue ourThrough the Bible teaching.

We will be going to the Book of Revelation, and the timeline as it unfolds for that last seven years. First, I want to show you an event that’s unfolding in Ezekiel Chapter 37. I think we are seeing this happen right before our eyes. Ezekiel 37 is dealing with the awakening again of the Nation of Israel – how they have come out of complete obscurity as a nation. They have been buried among the Gentiles. But this Chapter prophesies that one day they will come alive, come back to the land and become a viable nation. We are seeing that take place even as we speak. But they haven’t come to the full culmination yet, that is still future. So let’s start at verse 1:

Ezekiel 37:1

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,”

When we were in Israel a few months ago, our guide pointed to the valley of Kedron, and made reference to this Chapter. He said, “This is what the Jews call the valley of dry bones.” There is a multitude of graves as you look from the Mount of Olives down across the Kedron Valley up to the old wall. But that is not what Ezekiel 37 is talking about.Ezekiel 37 is talking about the Nation of Israel out of the land; out among the Gentile nations scattered across the world without a land, altar, or priesthood. This has been the lot of the Jew ever since 70 AD. But it’s not going to stay that way. And Israel out of the land is a Nation that is in its grave. And that is the whole concept you need to remember as you read this Chapter.

Ezekiel 37:2

“And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.”

If you know anything about bones, you realize the longer they lie out in the sun, the whiter and dryer they get. The emphasis here is that Israel has been out of the land, the place of blessing, for a long time – over 1900 years. It was from 70 A.D. when Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, that the Jews were scattered throughout the then-known world. They didn’t become a nation again until 1948. So they were out there a long time.

Ezekiel 37:3

“And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?…”

The normal answer from a human standpoint would have been, “No way!” How could a nation as tiny as Israel completely subjugated by her Gentile enemies ever come back on the scene. I guess when you have an agnostic, or someone who has trouble believing the Bible as the Word of God, one of the most viable proofs, that this Book is supernatural and is the Word of God, is the Jew. He is living proof that this Book knows what it’s talking about – keep that in mind. This little nation should have been completely obliterated. They should have been totally assimilated into the various nations of the world and lost their identity completely – but they haven’t. And we have seen them go back to their land.

Another miracle is the Hebrew language. It was dead. Even the Jews didn’t speak Hebrew for hundreds of years. But when some of the Zionists first anticipated going back to what we call Palestine to make it a Jewish homeland, they demanded that people learn and speak Hebrew again. So, if you go to Israel today, all the billboards and all the highway signs are Hebrew and English. Never has a dead language ever been brought back to life as it has here. Another absolute proof of the prophetic word. So he says:

Ezekiel 37:4

“Again he said unto me, `Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'”

Now the most that people know about Ezekiel 37 is the old well-known spiritual, isn’t it? “The hip bone’s connected to the…” and so on and so on. Well, that’s where it came from. It’s from this Chapter. But it’s speaking of something far more important than just a skeleton. Remember, we’re talking about the Nation of Israel as they have been out there amongst the Gentile nations.

Ezekiel 37:5

“Thus saith the LORD GOD unto these bones (to these Israelites scattered throughout the world); `Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.'” In other words, a national breath. They will once again become a nation of people.

Ezekiel 37:6

“And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you,…”

This is a symbolic language. It is merely speaking of that which was dead and seemingly without hope: all of a sudden they are coming back. The Nation of Israel is in the news every day, seven days a week for some reason or another. But they haven’t reached yet, all this is looking forward to – but they’re certainly on their way.

Ezekiel 37:6

“…and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

It’s amazing that in spite of all that Israel has accomplished (the tremendous increase in agricultural production; large high-rise building projects; freeway construction. It’s just unbelievable), they do not give God any of the credit. They just claim that they are doing it on their own. But the Lord says that one day they will realize that they didn’t do it on their own. That it was the work of their Almighty God. Alright, verse 7:

Ezekiel 37:7

“So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking,…”

We want you to see the illustration. This great valley floor, just covered with dry bones. That’s what we want to picture mentally. All of a sudden those bones begin to move, to shake and rattle – they begin to come together and form skeletons. Then soon, the flesh comes on them; and then the skin. And the day is coming when the life will come on them. Now, all of this is just symbolic language in regard to the Nation of Israel away from their homeland. Scattered amongst the nations. Seemingly no hope of ever having a homeland. But little by little, beginning in 1897, a Viennese Jew by the name of Theodor Herzl dreamed of a homeland for the Jews, and founded the World Zionist Organization. The British Government and other powers at that time, thought they could set them aside an area in Africa someplace. But these Jews said, “No we don’t want someplace in Africa. We want our own homeland. We want the land of our forefathers.” And of course we know now from history that it was quite a battle. The British fought them tooth and toenail, all during the eight days after World War II.

Very few people are aware that as the Jews were escaping Europe from the holocaust, the British navy patrolled the Mediterranean Sea day and night, trying to intercept the boat people of that day, who were the Israelites, or Jews, coming out of Europe. If they intercepted them, they would put them in refugee camps on the island of Cyprus. But the few that got through went into the land of Israel and began by building the Kibbutzim. If you go to Israel today, you will likely visit a Kibbutz, which is basically a farming community. But from their farming enterprises, they have expanded and have begun manufacturing and developing a tourist trade.

But it was the Kibbutz people who were the mainstay of that little rag-tag army that defeated the Arabs in 1948. It was quite a bit like our own revolutionary war. Just the rag-tag of farmers and common people with no military acumen whatsoever. And yet with the overwhelming power of God – with just small arms, no tanks, no artillery, no air power – they won the war in 1948 and established themselves as a little nation once again. Well that’s the shaking of the dry bones. Alright now let’s read on:

Ezekiel 37:8

“And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above (that much they’ve accomplished. But the last still hasn’t happened.): but there was no breath in them.” Or I should say that is still the case. There is no spiritual breath, as yet.

Ezekiel 37:9

“Then said he unto me, `Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the LORD GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.'”

We’re dealing now with the spiritual aspect. And so we see them in the land. They have their own government – they have their Knesset (what we would call our Congress). And they have a sovereignty of sorts. But they are still so dependent on Uncle Sam and some of the Western European nations for their financial stability. In fact one of the first things that our guide told us, “We just consider ourselves the fifty first State.” – which is so apropos, as they are dependent on us, even though they are an independent state.

Ezekiel 37:10

“So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”

That was the vision that he saw, but in reality it is the Nation of Israel coming back to their homeland out of all the nations of the earth. You may ask, “Well, where do you get that?”You just read on, and like I’ve said so many times, if you go far enough, the Scripture interprets for you. Now look what it says in verse 11:

Ezekiel 37:11

“Then he said unto me, `Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel:…'”

Do you see that? Not just two tribes. But the whole house of Israel. I’m emphasizing that because there is a great move afoot that maintains the Jews of today are only the residue of Judah and Benjamin. The other ten tribes are lost and have been destroyed and are no long a viable entity. But that flies in the face of Scripture. Because even in the Book of Acts, as Peter addresses the Jews on the day of Pentecost, what term does he use? “Therefore let the whole house of Israel know assuredly,…“ The whole house of Israel is not just Judah and Benjamin; it’s all twelve or thirteen tribes if you want to include the two sons of Joseph. So, here again, we have the terminology that they are the whole house of Israel.

Ezekiel 37:11

“`…behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost:…'”

Isn’t that exactly what the Jew felt? Especially prior and after World War II? No hope of having a homeland. No hope of having any congealing of their people. They were just isolated, usually in ghettos in various capital cities in Europe. And they thought that there was no hope. And then all of a sudden a Sovereign God came into the picture. And they said:

Ezekiel 37:11

“…Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.”

And then I would like to come down to verse 13. Where God says:

Ezekiel 37:1314a

“And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves (in other words, out of the place of dispersion.), And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I (God says) shall place you (where?) in your own land:…”

With all due respect to the Arabs, no one likes to give up what they call their homeland. And we certainly don’t look down on them for feeling that way. But the Scripture is so plain. Whose land is the land of Palestine? It’s the Jews.’ It was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And all of Scripture declares it as “Their land.” Our United States government can go to its doom trying to change that. Other governments will go to their doom if they try to change that. Because God has delineated this little strip of ground between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, as the homeland for his Covenant people.

Ezekiel 37:14b

“…then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” Now he gives another illustration. And he says to Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 37:16

“Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, `For Judah (that was the Southern Kingdom, remember. Judah and Benjamin, the Southern Kingdom after the nation was divided), and for the children of Israel his companions:’ then take another stick, and write upon it, `For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:'”

That was the Northern Kingdom. So we have one stick representing the Southern Kingdom, Judah and Benjamin. The other stick is representing the ten tribes to the north which we normally call the Northern Kingdom, or Israel, or Ephraim. In verse 17, he says:

Ezekiel 37:17

“And join them one to another into (what?) one stick (see); and they shall become one in thine hand.”

A miracle? Just about like when Moses cast down his rod back there in Exodus. Ezekiel takes two separate sticks, one for Judah and one for the Northern Kingdom. And in his hand, those two become one. Alright, God again is showing not only Ezekiel, but us today, a tremendous lesson. Verse 18:

Ezekiel 37:18,19

“And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, `Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?’ Say unto them, `Thus saith the Lord GOD;…'”

You know I’m always emphasizing that what is most important in the life of a believer is faith. I think I’m getting to be known as emphasizing faith – taking God at His Word. But who is saying this? God is saying it. What does He expect us to do? Believe it. And here is a good example. We believe that the Nation of Israel is going to come back and totally come together as one nation. No longer divided – all the tribes will be involved. Now verse 20:

Ezekiel 37:20,21a

“And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, `Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen,…'”

The word heathen in our Bible is simply another word for Gentiles. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are decrepit paganists or something like that – but Gentiles from all the nations of the world.

Ezekiel 37:21b

“…whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:”

We have been witnessing the return ever since the turn of the century, but especially since World War II. The Jews are just constantly coming back. I read in the Daily Oklahoman several weeks ago where a speaker in Oklahoma City, and I believe it was the head of tourism from the Nation of Israel, and he was speaking to a group of businessmen there. He gave this comparison which was shocking. In order to get an idea of what Israel has absorbed in the last year or two, it would be like the whole Nation of France immigrating to America in twelve months time. These immigrants came from all over the world, especially from Russia and from Eastern Europe. This is a staggering number of Jews that have come into that little land which is only 40 miles wide and about 200 miles long at the very most. Could we absorb them? Just imagine what they are up against – finding places for them to live, a food supply. They have to be put on welfare until they can get on their feet and find a job. But always be aware that God is bringing them back.

Ezekiel 37:22a

“And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel (most people don’t realize just how many mountains are in that nation. And here they are building high-rise apartments on those mountain sides. Just one right after the other. Now read on); and one king shall be king to them all:” That is still future. But they are looking for their King. And again, as you travel the Nation of Israel, you see big billboard signs in Hebrew telling the people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. They don’t look at it as we do for they think He is coming for the first time, and we know it will be the Second Coming. But they realize the signs of the times are building so rapidly that Israel should be ready for her Messiah. Yes, the day is coming, and that is why we are going to study the Book of Revelation because all of that is going to build to the coming of the King of kings.

Ezekiel 37:22,23

“And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.”

That hasn’t happened yet. Tonight you would have to say, “Lo-Ammi.” And what does that mean? “They’re not my people.” At times Moses used to tell God, “They are not my people.” And God would say, “They are not mine either.” Still, God doesn’t call them His people, although He has His hand over them and is protecting them. Yet, as a nation, they are completely out of fellowship with Him. And some of the Jewish people who hear me teach this might not accept this. I have many Jewish people who watch the program. Many are now beginning to see what the Old Testament is really talking about. The day is coming when the Jew will be called once again, “My people.” They will have a new heart and God will cleanse them. Also remember in Jeremiah 31:31 it says:

Jeremiah 31:31

“`Behold, the days come,’ saith the LORD, `that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:'”

They won’t be under that old Covenant of Law any longer, but a new Covenant, where no one will have to be taught the Word of God or what the Law commands. But under that new Covenant every Israelite will have the heart of God within him. They will be an obedient people, they will be a people of faith and believe. And they will prosper materially. Remember in the Old Testament economy, when the Jews were obedient and faithful, God would bless them with material blessing. Now He never promised the Church that in the New Testament. So the day is coming when Israel once again will be showered with all the blessing of God. They are going to enjoy the King and His Kingdom. They will be the head of the nations rather than the tail.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 1 * PART 4 * BOOK 11

THE ANTI-CHRIST: DEPARTURE: ESCAPING REMNANTS

Revelation 11-13

Let’s jump ahead of prophecy a little bit. We have had so many requests to teach the Rapture of the Church. Many people have been waiting a long time for this, but I didn’t want to jump the gun and come in and teach the Rapture until some of the other things had been laid out correctly. We will begin in I Corinthians Chapter 15. Now, I am well aware of the fact, the word “Rapture” per se doesn’t appear in our King James or in most of our English translations, although the word is in the German translation. As I pointed out previously, the word used most often by the early translators, before 1611 AD, was the “departure,” or departing from one place to another. We have coined the word “Rapture.”

I Corinthians 15 deals with the resurrection. Paul uses various allegories to describe it, saying that throughout nature we have this concept of resurrection from one state to another. In explaining this, he reaches verse 51 (the casual reader may miss this). Paul starts out by talking about a mystery that is about to be revealed.

And the word mystery is translated “a secret.” And indeed it has been a secret. How many times over the last several lessons have I said that there is not a hint of a group of people who are going to be alive, and suddenly taken off the scene (which, of course, we call the Rapture). And the reason is, it is a Church Age phenomena and only one writer in Scripture writes concerning the Church, and that is the Apostle Paul. So it stands to reason that from this man’s writing we get the teaching of the Rapture, or the catching away the Body of Christ. It is a Church Age doctrine. No one else was ever told to look for this event except the Church.

Paul taught the Thessalonians this event would probably take place in their lifetime. You can’t put a date on it, but we are to expect it at any moment. The word we use is “imminent.” He may come this afternoon before we finish this lesson. We cannot speculate when He will come, but when the last sinner is saved, and the Body of Christ is complete, then we are removed, and the Anti-christ will sign a peace treaty with Israel. We do know according to Paul, the Rapture will happen before the Anti-christ is revealed. Verse 51:

I Corinthians 15:51,52a

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We (Paul always includes himself with us, the believers) shall not all sleep (or die), but we shall all be changed (how?), In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,…”

The Greek here implies, down to the smallest part of time (smaller than the blink of an eye). A lady asked the other night, “What will people think when they see our dead bodies and we’re gone?” They won’t see our dead bodies, they won’t see any trace of us except maybe our clothes and possessions left behind. This body is going to suddenly change. Maybe some theologians would rebel at my analogy, but I like to think of the metamorphosis of a butterfly (like all earthly illustrations of a spiritual truth, you can’t take this from start to finish). What does that beautiful butterfly look like before it is changed? An ugly old cocoon in which there is a ugly worm. And yet after it has gone through that metamorphosis, what comes out of that ugliness? That beautiful butterfly.

Now put ourselves in that same situation. Here we are in this old ugly frame of dust. People ask me, “Les, am I going to have a better looking body than what I have now?” Of course you will. It’s going to be a new body, it will be glorious. Here we are in this old frame of dust, prone to sin and corruption, sickness, and all of its faults. but, all of a sudden, in a split second, those of us who know the Lord and are alive are suddenly going to be changed. We won’t leave this body behind, but it will be changed to a new one.

I Corinthians 15:52

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (now the trump has always been used in Scripture to announce. Even in Israel, they blew the trumpet for various reasons for the gathering the people together): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

The first to respond to that trumpet call will be the dead. In verse 23 of this Chapter, Paul tells us that believers of the human race from Adam through the Tribulation are not going to be resurrected at the same moment. There are going to be divisions.

I Corinthians 15:23

“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

The word “order” in the Greek is a military term – a term of organization or company. So there are going to be several resurrections of the believers, not at the same time. They will be close in proximity of course. But since Paul is writing to the Church, the only resurrection that he is dealing with in verse 52 and 53 is the resurrection of the Body of Christ. This will not include the Old Testament believers, and it can’t include the Tribulation believers because that will not have happened when we are raptured.

Here, Paul’s writing is strictly for the Church Age believer. If we have time I’ll show you how these resurrections are ordered throughout the Scripture. For now, let’s deal with the Church Age believers: those of us who have come into the Body of Christ by believing the Gospel, which Christ Himself revealed to the Apostle Paul for us. If we believe that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the grave – only believing for our salvation – not working for it. Paul writes this old body must put on incorruption.

I Corinthians 15:53,54

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal (prone to die) must put on immortality (an eternal body that will never die – fit for eternity. That’s what we get with our new body). “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, `Death is swallowed up in victory.'”

In I Thessalonians Chapter 4, the Apostle Paul states this more clearly than in I Corinthians, using almost the same language:

I Thessalonians 4:13

“But I would not have you to be ignorant (when I read something like that, I stop and think for a moment. Why would Paul think that I or anyone else would be ignorant of these things? Because we’ve never heard it before. Paul is the first one to reveal it. He says, “I’m going to bring you out of your ignorance by revealing something to you”), brethren, concerning them which are asleep (or have died a physical death), that ye (as a believer) sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

What is Paul recognizing? When a pagan, or lost person, who has no concept of what’s out there in the future, loses a loved one what do they do? They weep and scream and fall apart. We’ve had missionaries from the darkest parts of Africa, and other uncivilized parts of the world, see unbelievers lose a loved one. They weep and wail for days. Why? They know they will never see that person again. They are gone. Now Paul says, “The believer doesn’t have to do that.” We can lose a loved one and suffer loss and mourn. But, I think it’s ridiculous when Christians try to put on a bold front saying, “I’m a believer; I will see my wife again, so I don’t have to cry at her death.” That’s not right. We should mourn the loss of our loved ones, but we don’t have to fall completely apart and weep for days on end, because we know we will see them again.

So this is what Paul is referring to when he says, “that ye sorrow not” Now, here in verse 14, Paul makes it as simple as anyplace in Scripture, how to be involved in this departure if we are alive, or how to be resurrected from the dead if we do go through death. How can we know that we will not be left behind to go into these awful terrible days of Tribulation? How can we know we will be in that group that departs? Here it is in simple language:

I Thessalonians 4:14

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again (the Gospel), even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” We will explain the last part of this verse in a few moments.

“For if we…” Repent and are baptized and have joined a church? It doesn’t say that! Paul never makes that a requirement. But what is the requirement? If we believe. But not just anything. A few lessons ago I told you there was a big difference in believing in God and believing God. Now when you believe God, that is being a man or woman of faith. You are doing what God has said. You are resting on it. And here is a perfect example of it. What has God said concerning the Gospel? That it is the power of God unto salvation. And here Paul puts it right into plain language. Turn back with me to I Corinthians 15 where you will find the clearest and simplest language in the New Testament of the Plan of Salvation.This will take a person to heaven whether by death and resurrection, or by way of the Rapture. And it’s the only way, whether we are Methodists, Catholic, Baptists or whatever, to be assured of heaven. Here it is. This isn’t my idea or my interpretation. This is what the Book says in plain English. Now verse 1:

I Corinthians 15:1,2

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel (watch it. It doesn’t say a Gospel. If a translation does, it is violating Scripture) which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; (positionally, what are we to stand in? This Gospel. And remember it’s the Gospel). By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” Let’s break that verse down:

“By which also ye are saved (many people don’t like that word. But it is a simple word we use in the secular world, and it denotes a salvation. How many times have you heard of an individual being saved from financial ruin? We use that term in salvation the same way. You have heard people say, “The death of that rich uncle was his salvation.” It saved him from financial ruin. And Paul uses it the same way in the spiritual as he says, “It’s by this Gospel by which you are saved.” But we have to understand and know what we believe, so he says), if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” Too many people don’t know what they believe. They have some idea but can’t put it into words. They just hope they make it. It is so plain we are to believe the Gospel. Here is the Gospel that saves each of us in verses 3 and 4:

I Corinthians 15:3,4

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins… And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” Now let me explain:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received (now where did he receive it? From the Ascended Glorified Lord. God reveals to this Apostle of the Gentiles – remember he calls himself that over and over – how that salvation is not in Law, works, repentance and baptism, but in believing the Gospel. It is too simple for most people, yet I have said over the years that the power of this Gospel is so complex that we can’t understand it, so just believe it.), how that Christ died for our sins… (but He didn’t stay dead ), he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Now that is the Gospel!

Come back to I Thessalonians Chapter 4. Let’s identify the vehicle for being in on this great event. It’s believing that Christ died, was buried and rose again (that’s not just head knowledge). When every believer can come to the place that he genuinely, totally and completely can rest on the fact that when Christ died, he died; when Christ was buried, he was buried; and when He rose from the dead, he rose from the deadness of sin, and He has imparted eternal life to him. It was that same beautiful picture of Israel coming out of Egypt. What was Israel’s lot? Slavery and bondage; but as a result of the blood of the Passover Lamb, they escaped the death Angel. But they didn’t stay in Egypt. Where did they go? Through the Red Sea event which was a picture of the burial and the death of Christ. They come out on the other side a redeemed people, a picture of the resurrection. They didn’t work for it; neither do we. It was and still is, the power of God. Now verse 15:

I Thessalonians 4:15

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord (the ascended Christ revealed this to Paul), that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (or go ahead of) them which are asleep.” Or have died. Why?

I Thessalonians 4:16

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” There will be no lost dead come out of the grave here. This is only for the believers of the Church Age, the Body of Christ. Then in the next split second:

I Thessalonians 4:17

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the ones that have died) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (not on the Mount of Olives; that’s at His Second Coming. This meeting will take place in the air): and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

All the way since the Body of Christ, saints have been dying and are buried. They are in the grave around the planet. But when the trumpet sounds and Christ leaves Heaven, He is going to bring the souls of those who have died with Him. Remember the Apostle Paul tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And they are there in Christ’s presence. We don’t know their state or anything like that. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But we know they are waiting for the Great Resurrection Day. When Christ leaves Heaven coming to get us believers, He will also bring our loved ones and all the Church Age saints who have died with Him. Their bodies will rise with us (who are alive when this event occurs) to meet in the air. They will at last, again, have a new body when their souls and bodies once again become united in the air. We will then be escorted back up into Heaven with Him.

Remember at the Rapture, Christ comes for the Saints. And at the Second Coming, Christ comes with the Saints. Turn with me to the Old Testament, to the Book of Zechariah 14 verse 4. Now here is the language of the Second Coming. Paul says, “We will meet the Lord in the air.” The Old Testament prophecy says:

Zechariah 14:4

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,…”

Do you see the difference? For the Church, He only comes to the air. For the Second Coming, He comes to the Mount of Olives.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 1 * PART 3 * BOOK 11

THE ANTI-CHRIST: DEPARTURE: ESCAPING REMNANTS

Revelation 11-13

We’ve been talking about the Anti-christ, the kind of person he would be and how that he is going to sign a seven-year treaty with the Nation of Israel. Now let’s turn to Daniel Chapter 9 once again. We’ll look at verse 27, where we see so clearly this prince that shall come, this Anti-christ, this vile person, this being of fierce countenance, this man who is going to come in with peace and prosperity on his platform. He’s going to literally bowl people over with his charismatic personality. The thing that is going to reveal who he really is that he will sign a seven-year treaty with the Nation of Israel. And that’s why I maintain that we, as believers, will not see this happen, because it can’t happen until after we’re gone.

Daniel 9:27

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

“And he,” this Man of Sin, this Anti-christ, “shall confirm“ or make, “the Covenant with many,“ the Nation of Israel, “for one week:…” Remember, going back a few lessons, that Daniel’s prophecy was a 490 year period of time, going all the way back to Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls. And 483 of those years were fulfilled just before the Crucifixion: probably on Palm Sunday. And then, according to the Old Testament prophetic program, there might have been a small interval of time between the death, burial and resurrection, and the ushering in of this final seven years to complete the 490. We’ve been trying to show that nothing in the Old Testament indicated that 490 would be split open and stretched out over almost 2,000 years before the final seven happen. But they are going to still be fulfilled. And so this is the triggering mechanism that kicks God’s time clock back in gear.

You want to remember that when those 483 years were completed and Israel rejected the King and the Kingdom, God put His whole program on hold. His time clock stopped. And it hasn’t run for the last 1900 years or so. But as soon as this individual signs a seven-year treaty with Israel, then you’re going to have seven literal years unfold and then Christ returns. So the language is plain enough, that then, “in the middle of the week,” or the middle of that seven years, “he is going to cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” In other words, the Temple worship will stop. Now in order for the Temple worship to stop, it has to be in operation. So we gather from this that Israel is going to rebuild her Temple. Whether she’ll have it the whole 3 ¹/2 years is beside the point. It’s going to be operating by the mid-point of this seven years.

This is one reason I think the Anti-christ will be an apostate Jew, because when this fellow signs this seven-year treaty with Israel, they are going to be so enraptured with him. He’s promising them the peace and prosperity they’ve been looking for; he’s going to guarantee their borders against any of their enemies and he’s going to give them permission for Temple worship – well, this is everything they’ve been dreaming of. As I’ve referred to in several of our lessons recently, when you read little comments from some of the Rabbis in the Jerusalem Post, that the Messiah they’re looking for is really a perfect description of the Man of Sin. They’re looking for a man who will rule the world in peace. Someone who will elevate Israel to the epitome of all the nations. But that all the nations would enjoy the peace that could flow from their Messiah ruling the Nation of Israel. That’s what they’re looking for.

So this guy is going to come on the scene, sign the seven-year treaty, and the Jews are going to think they’ve finally arrived. They no longer have to maintain that tremendous military machine. They can lower their taxes and have a prosperity of domestic production and what have you. But, this verse says, that in the middle of the week he’s going to cause all of that to stop; he’s going to turn on the Jew and he will usher in then that final 3 ¹/2 years. After the departing, which we talked about last lesson, from II Thessalonians, then shall that Wicked One be revealed. He’s going to sign this seven-year treaty with Israel, but in the middle of that seven years, he’s going to go down to Jerusalem, probably from his headquarters in Europe, move into the Temple complex, defile the Temple and force the Jew to worship him as God. It’s going to be Hitler’s Nazism all over again, only a thousand times worse. Let’s go to Matthew 24 again. I think if I’ve emphasized anything over the last two and one half years of teaching on television, it’s that Christ is the Creator God of the universe. He is the very Author of this Book and He Himself refers to this verse we just read in Daniel, when He says in verse 15, “and when you see these things,“ and this where we closed last lesson. I’ve been hitting this several times over the last few weeks for emphasis. Now Verse 15:

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:),”

The holy place spoken of here is Jerusalem. Now get the setting here. This is Jesus in His earthly ministry. He’s talking to the twelve and He’s talking as if it’s going to happen in their lifetime. He gives no indication there’s going to be a big time span in between all of this. He’s talking to them as if they should be ready for it. Now this is in accord with all of Scripture until you get to the Apostle Paul. Then all of a sudden we realize that instead of Israel going out to the nations with the Gospel, what does God tell Ananias in Chapter 9? “Don’t be afraid of old Saul of Tarsus coming into your home, because I have commissioned him to be the apostle of the Gentiles.” See what a difference that makes? Jesus isn’t speaking that way. He is speaking as if all these things are about to happen. Now read on:

Matthew 24:16

“Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:”

Now I like to always emphasize time words. Until, is a time word. Then, is a time word. And now He says, “then,“ at that point in time when the Anti-christ comes in and defiles the Temple and causes the Jews to stop their worship of their Old Testament system, “then,“ He says, “let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.” Now keep that in your mind because we’re going to refer back to it in a little bit. Now to verse 17:

Matthew 24:17

“Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:”

There’s been a lot of talk about the remnant Jew in the Tribulation. Some think it’s the 144,000, but it’s amazing that, of all the reading I’ve done concerning the remnant of Jews who will be saved during the Tribulation, nobody, I feel, explains this portion of Scripture. These are not 144,000 young Jewish men, which Revelation says they will be. This is a mixture of a whole society. Now look at them as we come down through them. Now “Let him which is on the housetop not come down…“ If you know anything about Middle Eastern lifestyle, folks who had retired and who were living in a nice comfortable retirement situation, where was their patio? It was upon the roof top. And so Jesus is referring to people who were quite well-to-do, who were no longer in the mainstream work force, but were now enjoying a life of relative ease on their patio on the roof top.

Now, He says to that remnant of Jews, “Who is going to be in the exodus out of Jerusalem?” To this particular group He said, “Don’t even bother to stop and take your clothes.” Well now just be sensible. Just be logical. What class of people are going to be more concerned about the clothes in their closets than they are about getting out of a place of danger? The wealthy, the well-to-do. They may have some expensive dresses, and suits, and so forth. “Oh, I can’t leave them behind.” And so Jesus said if you are in that category, don’t you take time for it. Because time is going to be of the essence. All right, that’s another class of people; let’s read on:

Matthew 24:18

“Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”

Now what class of people do you have? Working people. Probably the younger people, between the ages of 25 and retirement age, who are still out there working every day. They are doing the common everyday tasks of life. And to that class of people He says, “Don’t you turn back to get your clothes or anything out of your house. Regardless of where you are working, when you hear the Temple has been defiled, you move out to the mountains if you want to escape.”

Matthew 24:19

“And woe unto them that are with child (now what age level are we talking about? Probably young mothers in their 20’s and 30’s. They will be heavy with child, and they are going to have to walk a long way. But He is including them in that escaping remnant.), and to them that give suck (or nursing) in those days!”

There you have young mothers. Do you see the cross-section of society that we are coming up with? We’ve got older, retired well-to-do people, the working class, the young married with their children. A cross-section from top-to-bottom. In Verse 20 Jesus said:

Matthew 24:20

“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:”

Do you see what that shows? Since the Temple has been operating for this first 3 ¹/2 years, what are the Jews going to be aware of concerning the sabbath day? The Law, and how far they can walk without breaking it! And they are going to be so aware of the Law, that Jesus said if it’s on the sabbath most of you won’t dare walk more than the lawful limit. Approximately what? 4000 feet? They wouldn’t get out of town! And then He said hope that it’s not in the winter time, because they are going to be walking. When the Anti-christ comes in and defiles the Temple, when he turns on the Children of Israel or the Jews, and there’s that exodus.

Let’s use our timeline in a two-fold way. The Anti-christ is going to come in, I think, from Europe, from the west. He’s going to go down into Jerusalem into the Temple, defile it, and immediately turn on the Jew. Now we are going to go to Revelation, and we’re going to find there is going to be another triggering mechanism that’s going to cause these Jews to go down to the mountains. These mountains are to the Southeast of Jerusalem. I call this the escaping remnant. It’s not the whole nation, but only a remnant of Jews from all categories of life. And they are going to flee the area of Jerusalem down to the mountains; whether it’s the city of Petra or not I don’t know – it’s possible. And while there, God is going to watch over and protect them for that whole 3 ¹/2 years. Now let’s read one more verse before we leave Matthew 24. Verse 21:

Matthew 24:21

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, or ever shall be.”

I believe the beginning of this verse is the mid-point of the Tribulation. The last 3 ¹/2 years is known as the Great Tribulation. The first 3 ¹/2 years is not going to be a Sunday school picnic, as I’ll try to show you during the next lesson. But here at the mid-point, things start to get tough. You not only have the outpouring of Satan’s wrath, but also the outpouring of God’s wrath on the whole human race. Stop and think, those of you who heard me teach about the flood; was that an enjoyable experience? It was awful. It was cataclysmic. It was the end of everybody living at that time except Noah and his family. Then, come up through history. I’ve always said the more you read history, the more you realize that for 95% of the world’s population, life was not life, it was an existence. It was a life of slavery, just barely existing. In World War II, it wasn’t just the slaughter of the Jews, but Russians, and Germans; millions came under the suffering of that war. But Jesus said that is nothing compared to what is coming to this planet.

Matthew 24:22

“And except those days should be shortened,…”

Many people get the idea that instead of running seven years it may run only 6 ¹/2. I believe the Greek implies that, unless it would end on time, there wouldn’t be anyone left. But since it will end on schedule, there will be survivors. We have to have survivors, for after all, you’ve got to have people going into the Kingdom. The largest group of survivors will be this escaping remnant of Israel. Now to Revelation again and let’s pick up this escaping remnant in the prophetic Book. Revelation Chapter 11. Now here again, symbolism comes in so clearly; all we have to do is decipher it, and all of a sudden the symbolism becomes a literal truth. Just as literal as if it had been written out in plain English. In verse 3, we have the very onset of the seven years, as soon as Israel signs that treaty with the Anti-christ. I think at this time God is going to send the two witnesses to Jerusalem. The two Jews who are going to proclaim salvation to the Nation of Israel. I think it will be out of their ministry that the 144,000 will be sealed and designated, and sent out into the world to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom (The King is coming, and is going to set up His Kingdom.) In order to pick up the time factor, look at verse 3:

Revelation 11:3

“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”

How long is that? Three and one-half years. They will be put to death; we’ll come to that later. Anyway, at the end of that 3 ¹/2 years, verse 12:

Revelation 11:12a

“And they heard a great voice in heaven saying unto them, come up hither….”

In other words, they’d been killed, and the whole world is going to see their bodies lying on the streets of Jerusalem. Remember, before the invention of television and Telstar; those of us who are old enough can remember hearing sermon after sermon on this, wondering how in the world will everyone see their bodies. But now we know. With our current technology, the streets of Jerusalem are constantly in our living room on the evening news. So every household will see those two Jews lying on the street, I suppose to rot in that hot midday sun. Then, after lying there for 3 days, they stand upon their feet, as God calls them back to life. And He calls them back to heaven.

Revelation 11:12b

“And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud (now this is the miraculous again you know. I’ve told you as soon as God starts dealing with Israel, the supernatural comes in and becomes almost everyday. So they ascend into heaven in a cloud); and their enemies beheld them.”

I don’t know if it will be on the 6:00 news, but it wouldn’t surprise me. This is going to be world news. Now verse 13. This is what I really wanted to come to.

Revelation 11:13

“And the same hour (remember where we are at in the Tribulation? The mid-point) was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

Now be careful. Is there salvation by merely ascribing glory to the God of heaven? No! A lot of people do that constantly. And so these Jews recognize now that the God of Abraham, the God of Heaven, is certainly working in their midst. It’s not a salvation experience; but because of their physical fear of what has just taken place, what are they going to do? They are going to flee. Remember not all, but a remnant. Let’s go to Chapter 12, verses 5 and 6. Now here is symbolism again. The woman is the Nation of Israel.

Revelation 12:5

“And she brought forth a man child (in other words, the Christ child. And here we leap the ages, from the time of His birth to the rule of His Kingdom, 2000 years or more), who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron (now the verse backs up again to His ascension): and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. In verse 6, we leap back to the mid-point of the Tribulation:

Revelation 12:6

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they (The Godhead) should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” Or 3¹/2 years. This is the last 3 ¹/2 years of the Tribulation. Now in that same 12th Chapter, verses 13-16:

Revelation 12:13-16

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (that is the Nation of Israel) which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished (by God) for a time, and times, and half a time (3 ¹/2 years), from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”

Quickly go to Exodus 19. I’ve always taught that so much of what happened in Genesis and Exodus, we see a repetition of in Revelation. And this is exactly what we have here. In Exodus, we have Israel fleeing out of Egypt with the Egyptian armies behind them. Now look how God looked at it. He says through Moses:

Exodus 19:4

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”

Do you see what it says? Now flip back again to Revelation 12:14:

Revelation 12:14a

” And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness,…”

Now put all of this together. What happened back there in Exodus when Israel was escaping? Pharaoh sent his armies and chariots out to destroy Israel. Where did God stop Pharaoh? At the Red Sea. The Anti-christ is going to do the same thing. He’s going to send an army after this escaping remnant of Jews as they are being hurried along by the escaping power of God. But what’s going to happen? The armies will be destroyed.