(Read Part 1) Foreshadowing Christ "The blood of bulls and goats" (Heb. 9:13; 10:4) was shed on a million occasions in the Old Testament for man the sinner. Now, what we must remember is, that the blood shed by the innocent animals in the Old Testament not only became a covering for sin before the days of the earthly ministry of Christ, but also, it became a foreshadowing of what God would do as we move through history. It foresaw what would take [...]
By PAUL J. SCHARF, M.Div. Editor in Chief Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:13) Hopeless. Helpless. That is how they felt as they began their journey away from Passover in Jerusalem on that first Easter Sunday afternoon. We know nothing about them except one of their names—Cleopas (Luke 24:18; cf. John 19:25)—and that they were "sad" (Luke 24:17). The entirety of their view of life at [...]
By PAUL J. SCHARF, M.Div. Editor in Chief There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (Luke 23:32-33) The crowd that had gathered was growing larger and the scene was becoming more intense. The atmosphere was fueled by a mixture of curiosity, disgust, hatred and raucous jubilee. They [...]
(Read Part 27) This week we continue our consideration of the distinctly dispensational doctrine of the birthing process of the theocratic millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. Sixth Seal: A Great Earthquake Great Upheaval of the Sun, Moon, Stars and Sky The sixth seal further reveals that the sun, moon, stars and the sky will all be affected during the sixth seal judgment. The Apostle John uses several similes to describe the changes. Notice the descriptive language that he employs in Revelation 6:12-17: And I beheld when he had [...]
The Prophesied Blood Sacrifice It seems to me that one of the most dramatic events in the history of the world took place in the life of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 21, we have the story of how Christ instructed His disciples as to how they should find a donkey and bring that animal to Him. If the keeper of the donkey objected, they were to simply say that the king needs him. They brought the donkey; Christ climbed astride that donkey, [...]
(Read Part 26) We begin again this time with this basic chart, which shows that there are four main categories of tribulation judgments: the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, the thunder judgments and the bowl judgments. These judgments will continue to grow more severe all during the seven-year tribulation period. Jesus spoke about the progressive nature of the tribulation judgments in His Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25). We continue our consideration of the distinctly dispensational doctrine of the birthing process of the theocratic millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. Sixth Seal: A Great Earthquake And [...]
(Read Part 2) The Change When the Lord Jesus comes for His church at the time of the rapture, the bodies of believers will “put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:54). This body of humiliation and limitation wastes away. It dies and goes into the grave. But 1 Corinthians 15 has the body in view, not the soul. When the believer is resurrected at the coming of Christ, he will be given an immortal body. What a tremendous expectation! We are hampered by [...]
(Read Part 25) As we have seen illustrated on the following chart, there are four main categories of tribulation judgments: the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, the thunder judgments and the bowl judgments. Throughout the seven-year tribulation period these judgments will become progressively worse. Remember that Jesus discussed the progressive nature of the tribulation judgments as He taught His disciples in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25).We have been thinking about the distinctly dispensational doctrine of the birthing process of Jesus Christ’s theocratic millennial kingdom. In Part 25, we began [...]
(Read Part 24) There are four main categories of tribulation judgments: the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, the thunder judgments and the bowl judgments. These judgments will become progressively harsher during the seven-year tribulation period. As we have seen, Jesus discussed the progressive nature of the tribulation judgments as He taught His disciples in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25). The following chart is provided so that you can review the progression of these judgments in a way that may make them easier to understand: We have [...]
(Read Part 23) We remind ourselves again that the four main categories of tribulation judgments are the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, the thunder judgments and the bowl judgments. The judgments become progressively harsher during the seven-year tribulation period. Jesus discussed the progressive nature of the tribulation judgments in His powerful, prophetic instruction to His disciples in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25). Remember that you can review the progression of these judgments by studying the chart found below. We are currently in [...]
