Let me warn Christians that anyone who claims and teaches that the present conflict in Iran is a prelude to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is delusional and false. All the prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
After His resurrection, Jesus Christ declared, “These are My words that I spoke to you (i.e., the disciples) while I was still with you. Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44) During His sermon on the mount, Jesus emphasized, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). In essence, Jesus Christ proclaimed that He was fulfilling Scriptures from the very beginning of His earthly ministry and even after His resurrection. It’s crucial to understand that if Jesus didn’t fulfill all Scriptures, He wouldn’t be true to His Word and couldn’t be the Christ. However, Jesus certainly is the Christ.
Hebrews teaches that the coming of Jesus Christ signaled the last days. See Scripture, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Bible says “it’s the last days”, not millennia. Peter affirmed it’s the last days in Acts 2:16-40, same as Paul and other apostles (2 Timothy 3:1; James 5:3; 2 Peter 3:3).
Contrary to contemporary Christian teachings, God’s kingdom cannot be postponed. Daniel prophesied that it will come during the reign of the fourth Gentile kingdom ruling over Israel, asserting that it’s certain and sure (Daniel 2:44-45). Rome was the fourth empire after Babylon (Daniel 2:36-38), Persia, and Greece (Daniel 8:20-21). The fact is, even the Jewish religious leaders, despite denying Christ, knew its time; hence, Jesus said they were forcing themselves into the kingdom. See Luke 16:16, “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.”
The teaching about a Revived Roman Empire was developed to circumvent God’s declarations. There are many more lies invented to justify their assertions, and sadly many Christians have fallen into their myths and deceptions.
God’s kingdom is spiritual. The Bible nowhere teaches it would be physical. Jesus made clear it’s not coming in ways that can be observed.
Jesus Christ declared the arrival of God’s kingdom; see Luke 17:20-21, “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There!” for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’”
See Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman: “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” (John 4:21-26)
Without a doubt, Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah who was to come. He came, therefore the Messianic kingdom was inaugurated; that’s the reason the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Take note, Jesus did say, with His coming, Jerusalem would cease to be the place for worship. Believers are no longer confined to spaces or a sanctuary, but are to worship God in truth and spirit.
The Messianic kingdom was spoken in Psalm 2. Jesus Christ is the King of Zion, a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7 and Isaiah 7:14 as declared in Matthew 1:22-23. The Bible never spoke of a gap in the prophetic fulfillment of God’s kingdom. The talk of a rapture is nonsense. With the coming of Jesus, the Messianic kingdom has begun. Paul, in Acts, declared the fulfillment of Psalm 2, “And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this He has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’” (Acts 13:32-33). The Messianic kingdom is God’s kingdom – the kingdom of heaven – as heralded by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2) and announced by Jesus Christ to have arrived (Matthew 4:17; 12:28; Luke 11:20).
What is too hard to understand? It’s plain and simple. But contemporary Christianity resists the truth and insists on what they have been told and taught.
Now that another Middle East crisis is at hand, soothsayers once more are abound. But Jesus Christ alone is the true prophet of God, to whom we ought to listen. At the transfiguration of Jesus, God declared, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” (Matthew 17:5)
Christians, let us not be alarmed by claims or teachings that supposedly the end of the world is coming. The Bible never spoke of the end of the world, but the end of the age. Jesus Christ taught about two ages only, the present age and the age to come, see Mark 10:29-30 and Luke 18:29-30. By “present age or in this age”, Jesus didn’t mean our time but the Old Covenant age – the period in which He came, lived, died, and resurrected, which consists of regulations, offerings, and animal sacrifices – see Hebrews 9:1-15. The Bible teaches that Christ Jesus has made it obsolete, with the passing of the Jewish temple (Hebrews 8:13). Making it impossible for the Mosaic regulations to be observed and practiced. The Bible declared Christ Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15; 12:24).
Paul, in Ephesians, expounded on the mystery of God about the church also teaches only two ages (Ephesians 1:21-22).
However, Jewish survivors of the A.D. 70 destruction of the temple continued in disbelief, so they came out with the Talmudic writings. Prominent on its declaration is a third rebuilding of the Jewish temple, which was nowhere taught in the Old or New Testament Scripture, but has been promoted by some Christians who hold dispensational theology. Beware of what you are learning, believing, and teaching. You might be disseminating falsehoods.
Study the Bible thoroughly with a clear mind, free from biases introduced by mainstream Christianity. Just a few decades after Jesus Christ’s resurrection, false gospels began spreading, prompting Paul to confront them by writing letters to various churches (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4). Also, the writing of the gospels ensued— Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Today, it remains an issue even millennia later. The root cause seems to be Christianity’s tendency to rely on the writings of early church fathers, those of the Reformers, or modern scholars rather than the Bible itself.
Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share this article freely, for you freely receive. Take note, underlines and highlights are clickable links for definitions or Bible references. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessing!
Unlearning Tradition, Relearning Scripture 