That's why we wanted to come back here and reconstruct the earthly promises, because they're all going to be aligned with the heavenly promises of the Church, and it's all going to come under one umbrella of Christ, through which God in Christ and Christ restored within us works out His Salvation both within and then through us. Now they're not going to be mixed like a lot of folks are trying to do these days. They're still going to maintain their separate entities, but they're both under the headship of Christ, the King of kings and LORD of Lords. Now we'll be dealing with the heavenly part when we finish the earthly.
Isaiah 2:2
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, (that is in that final seven years that Ephesians is talking about) that the mountain (or the Kingdom) of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, (now remember a mountain in Old Testament symbolism is a kingdom. So His Kingdom is going to be above all the other kingdoms or governments of mans making) and shall be exalted above the hills; (now no doubt under His rule there will be smaller kingdoms among the Gentile nations or as just said governments) and all nations shall flow unto it."
This all again ties into Psalm 2 verse 10 and 11 of God's divine time table and Psalm 82 not to mention Isaiah's prophesies.
Why? Because it's going to be the hub of the planet. Jerusalem the capital of this earthly Kingdom will be the center of the whole world activity. We could use Washington DC as an example today. We are for now a super power, the only one left, and so everything sort of flows to Washington today, and everything flows back from it. Well Washington is not going to last that long, but Jerusalem will. Christ, when He sets up His Kingdom, it's going to be headed up in the reign of Jerusalem. Now let's look at another one in the Old Testament in Zechariah chapter 14. The first 3 verses is about the battle of Armageddon, and we're hearing a lot about that. When all the armies of the world are going to gather in the Middle East.
That's why we're not too shook up, because if everything crashes like they tell us it will these armies would never get to the Middle East, but they're going to get there. So we're not looking for a total crash, there may be some blips but, we're not all that shook up because according to God's time plan it's just too early. Now if we were already out of here by way of the departure, the Tribulation would have already begun, and that would fit with the middle of the Tribulation, then we'd say maybe, but it's just too early. It's just not time for the world to collapse, the time of the gentiles has not reaches its appointed end so we're not jumping on that band wagon at all. But here in these verses we have the battle of Armageddon, and all the nations of the world are going to come together and be destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ. Let's begin with verse 4.
Zechariah 14:4a
"And his (Christ) feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,..."
Remember this is earthly, not heavenly. Now come on up to verse 9.
Zechariah 14:9
"And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one."
Now I'm not sure if this will be of a help but the word "one" simply means: united, that coupled with the word "name" which means: authority or character of and in this case is coupled with LORD or Christ is Yehovah, Master.
Ephesians 1:8-9
"Wherein (Grace, in verse 7) he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery (or secret) of his will (which we saw that God has a right to keep everything secret, and He can reveal it when He's ready, and not until) according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:"
In other words as we've said several times, "Everything begins and ends with and in God!" He created everything, He set everything in motion and He's going to bring it to His own end! And remember that Jesus Christ was the physical manifestation of the totality of the Godhead. The world is not going to be blown up with nuclear bombs during this age of Grace. All of that will take place when God is ready to do it Himself. Now we don't deny that there will be nuclear warfare during the seven years of Tribulation, but God is in control, and it won't happen until He's ready for it to happen. Now we come down to verse 10.
Ephesians 1:10
"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times (which we feel is the 1000 year millennial rule and reign of Christ on the earth, now this is the way that many see this passage however) he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:"
Now we took the concept in the last lesson that the spheres that God has been dealing with through history is Heavenly (Isaac equating to spiritual) and earth (Jacob/ Israel equating to earthy). We went back to Genesis 1:1 where in the beginning God created Heaven and earth, and we can keep those two things separated all throughout Scripture. We can't mix them because the heavenly things are those which were revealed only to the Apostle Paul in the mysteries, the Body of Christ, we are the heavenly connection. All the rest of God's history is earthly. The Nation of Israel, and all that was around them were earthly, and when Israel rejected everything then God turned to the Gentiles, and began to work in the heavenlies of promise. But to whom are they promised, why Christ Jesus as His inheritance along with the utter most parts of the earth or kingdoms or governments of, again Psalm 2:8.
Now we really didn't finish the earthly concept. I guess we should put it now that beginning with the call of Abram at 2000 BC the Nation of Israel began though not yet known or seen. God pulls that little nation out of the rest of humanity, and sets them apart. Then when Christ starts His earthly ministry to the Nation of Israel, the Hebrew, there were only two exceptions where he ministered to Gentiles, and don't let anyone ever try to tell you that He went to the Hebrews and Gentiles. Guess we'd better back that statement up, so turn with us to Matthew chapter 10. There are so many people that get confused with the false teaching that Jesus ministered to the Gentiles. The Scriptures make it so clear that He did not. He couldn't because He came to the Nation of Israel to fulfill the earthly Covenant, the Law and the Prophets, that He made with Abraham. Also the later covenants, which were also under the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic, the Mosaic, the Levitical and the Palestinian as we call it because it was referring to the land of Palestine. He had to bring them all to their assigned completion and this was then done by His being raised from the earth in His vicarious death. For remember that He said, that if He were raised up in death that He'd draw all men to Himself (John 12:32).
Someone asked us why we used the word `Palestine'. Well it's in the Scriptures, and refers to Israel as the land of Palestine. So we use the term only because of its geographical clarity. We know where Palestine is. Now Matthew chapter 10. In this chapter Jesus has just called out the 12 disciples. Now verse 5.
Matthew 10:5-6
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, `Go not unto the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans (who were half breeds) enter ye not: (here is His command) But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" (God's earthly chosen people of that day and time)
Now I'd like to point out that Paul makes this analogy in 1Corinthians chapter 15, this chapter is our source of the beginning of our salvation verses 1-3 but we're looking at verse 47 which reveals this: "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." Now because as we've said many miss understand or miss interpret God's revelation or prophecy many don't hear or see the power in what is here stated. This being that since the time of mans fall God has been dealing with the earthy but with the coming of the Son of man, God has changed the program as it were. He has with the advent of the gift of Christ or the Holy Spirit who was given and then received by man been working within those who have become receptive of Him, just as Jesus prayed and which was recorded by John in chapter 17.
So Christ's earthly ministry was confined to His earthly people Israel, and there were only two exceptions, and we'll show you one of them right now as it's right in chapter 15. People wonder how we remember a portion of Scripture like this. Well we just know. So here it is. We all should know the account, and we think everybody does, but we probably don't understand the ramifications of it.
Matthew 15:21-23
"Then Jesus went thence and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. (these two cities were up there on the Mediterranean Sea coast, and the area as we know it today as Lebanon, and it was two Gentiles cities. But He doesn't go into the cities so much, as He comes to the border area) And behold, a woman of Canaan (a Gentile) came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, `Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.'" (or demon) But he (Jesus) answered her not a word. (now what does that imply? He ignored her, because she's a Gentile. Remember He has a ministry only to the Nation of Israel.) And his disciples came and besought him, saying, `Send her away: for she crieth after us.'"
Now this had no doubt been going on for a few days. Everywhere they went there was this Canaanite woman probably making a nuisance of herself, and so the disciples were getting out of sorts, and saying, "Lord she's a Gentile and we don't have anything to with her so get rid of her, send her away." Well, the Lord has something else on His mind, and so now verse 24, so He answers to the Twelve.
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