Bad News and Good News While Waiting for the Bridegroom

By David Dombrowski

More and more, as I hear news of what is happening in the world, my only conclusion can be that we must be living in the last days. And contrary to “replacement theology,” the Jewish people and the nation of Israel will have a key position in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Ironically, fewer and fewer Christians seem to think that Bible prophecy has anything to do with the time in which we live. They may say the Book of Revelation has already been fulfilled (Preterism), or they may say it is a figurative book (not literal) in which the grueling events described therein only serve as exhortations for the church to focus on “unity” and “oneness.”

And even though each believer is personally responsible for how he perceives Bible prophecy,  replacement theology and Dominionism are in large part to blame. This became especially obvious to me this past year as I was going through Bill Randles new book War Against the Saints, which affirms the role of Israel in the last days. The thought dawned on me, How can anyone have even a remotely correct understanding of Bible prophecy if he refuses to recognize the key role the nation of Israel will have in these last days? To do this, a person would have to read the Bible with a filter over his eyes, excluding the Jews from God’s plans for the future, whenever encountered in Scripture. On the contrary, the prophetic writings of the Bible reveal that the Jews are still God’s chosen people who will yet inherit the promises; and Bible prophecy will be especially relevant to their future though they will continue to be hated by the world. The Jews, still scrutinized by the world, have a special place in God’s heart:

 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (Zechariah 2:8)

Jesus put it very succinctly when He said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). And, contrary to some of the teachings presented today, God’s plan of salvation for the Jews themselves is through the Gospel. Paul explains it this way:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.(Romans 1:16)

Yes, the Gospel itself came first to the Jews before it was extended to the Gentiles.

According to God’s way of thinking, the world consists of Jews and Gentiles (who make up all the remaining tribes and nations of the world). Hence, the Gospel is for the whole world and is God’s only plan for salvation. This is actually God’s way of blessing all the peoples of the Earth by redeeming at great cost all who receive Him.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (John 1:12)

A Plan Not to Be Taken Lightly

Some will say that salvation came with the Law, but as Paul points out, the Gospel really began with Abraham where God made a covenant with him based upon a promise (Galatians 3:16-18). Chapter 15 of Genesis is one of the most significant passages of the Bible in that it describes just what transpired between God and Abraham (“Abram”).  Verses 5 and 6 disclose the promise where God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of Heaven to which Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he [God] counted it to him for righteousness” (v. 6). Paul recalls this event when saying, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6). And what does it mean to be accounted as righteous? When God does it, it means that He places on our account a pass that makes us ready for Heaven, and that, of course, happened when Christ died to redeem all who believe God as Abraham did.

This is a righteousness that is based on our faith and therefore cannot be earned. God’s call to be justified by faith will determine where we will be spending eternity, so it is not a subject to be taken lightly. Paul affirms that we are saved by faith alone when he says in Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Here, Paul is saying that we are saved by faith from start to finish. Our salvation is fully imputed to us as we place our trust not in our own merit but in Christ alone who paid the penalty for our sins.

Preparation for Deception

Today, erroneous teachings are being fed to the church via various movements such as the New Apostolic Reformation, Dominionism and Kingdom Now, Replacement Theology, and the Emerging Church. Among all these movements, the general idea is that all is (or soon will be) well with the world and that Jesus will return to a world that we cleaned up for Him. In actuality, Jesus will return to a world that has rejected Him and is near to completely destroying itself.

Right now, adherents from these movements are talking about an ecumenical world revival. Meanwhile, tensions continue to build in the Middle East as a global resentment for the Jews and Israel continues to grow. Yet, all of this is in fulfillment of Bible prophecy as we see the Adversary creating a worldwide ecumenical, all-inclusive “church.” This counterfeit body will merge through occultic meditative practices with the New Age movement (the vehicle that will convince man he is divine) in preparation for the Antichrist. On a prophetic scale, we have yet to see the temple rebuilt and the Antichrist come on the scene; but preparations for the temple are already underway.

The Word of Their Testimony

Many today who talk about oneness and unity are predicting a coming great revival, but it is a revival of compromised doctrine. The Gospel is something we can never compromise. The Book of Revelation speaks of people who were willing to die for “the word of their testimony.”

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11)

May I ask, what is John speaking of here? What is “the blood of the Lamb,” and what is “the word of their testimony”? Is it not the Gospel? And it says here they overcame him (i.e, the great dragon, that old serpent, the Devil,  Satan—v. 9) by the Gospel. This is where our spiritual warfare is, and this is how we overcome! So wherever you hear spiritual warfare being talked about, look to see if the Gospel is being proclaimed and defended. The fact is, we have the Good News, and we can and should encourage ourselves in it. Our hope is in the Lord, and no matter how grim the world may get, God is with us, and He will never forsake us.

I therefore urge believers in Christ who understand the times in which we live to consider that this is not a time to slumber but to be diligent for our Lord and His return as our Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13). And be steadfast in your faith.  While we live on a dying planet, let us place our hope in Him, keeping our eyes on Him as we wait with joyful expectation for His return.