The Waking up to Grace Podcast

058. Tribulation for the Jew first?! (Romans 2:9-11)

Waking up to Grace

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/058-tribulation-for-the-jew-first-romans-2-9-11/

Paul's pronouncement that glory, honor, peace, tribulation and distress would come "to the Jew first" has profound implications for understanding biblical prophecy about the final judgment of national Israel.

• The concept of "to the Jew first" applies to both salvation and judgment, as Christ came first to Israel before the Gentiles
• Old Testament prophecies throughout Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Amos, Malachi etc. repeatedly warned Israel of a coming "Day of Yahweh"
• First-century Jews rejected their Messiah despite prophecies predicting his arrival and the consequences of rejecting him
• The "Great Tribulation" described in Matthew 24 refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD
• John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi's prophecy as the "Elijah" who would come before the day of judgment
• The destruction of Jerusalem marked the complete end of the Old Covenant system, with genealogical records destroyed
• Prophetic language about darkened sun and falling stars represented the fall of governing authorities, not literal cosmic events
• The "Day of Yahweh" fulfilled all written prophecies, closing the biblical canon with the destruction of Jerusalem

Starting with our next episode, we'll explore evidence that Christ's prophesied return occurred in 70 AD alongside the destruction of Jerusalem and how this understanding transforms our view of biblical eschatology.


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Speaker 1:

welcome back to the waking up to grace podcast everyone. If you're a regular listener, you may have noticed that there's been some space in between my episodes. I've been trying to get a feel for the frequency that I'm going to be releasing new content and I'm finding that bi-weekly is going to be the way to go. It's going to allow me enough time to put together the best possible episodes, and I'm going to be putting them together now as blog posts. So if you're a reader, you might want to check that out. It's going to be extra helpful in certain ways because I'm going to be able to have visual aids. I'm going to be able to link to information that's valuable and it's going to be laid out really nicely for reading and studying. So check it out. You're going to be laid out really nicely for reading and studying, so check it out. You're going to like the new blog post. I think Even if you're a listener, you know at some point, when you sit down and have time to read, check it out. I think you're going to really like it. But without further ado, let's get started.

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Why does Paul make proclamations for the Jew? First, in our Romans 2 passages, paul asserts that glory, honor and peace are for the Jew first, and even more alarming, we see that tribulation and distress will be for the Jew first as well. Let's unpack what the Apostle Paul is trying to tell his audience in Rome regarding this Jew first perspective In order to get a full context of the Jew first policy Paul claims that the Lord has put into place. Let's start with the good news. When we believe the gospel, we're set free from the sin and the death. Those who believe in him are now reconciled to Yahweh by the blood of Christ Yeshua. Now that our Lord is no longer counting sin against us, we can serve him freely. How much greater can we focus our attention on our Heavenly Father, knowing that our sin is no longer breaking our fellowship with him or stirring up its deserved wrath and punishment? How much better can we focus when we don't have stress, anxiety and fear going on in the background of our mind? We can now have a clear conscience before our Lord. His face is always upon us. This is great news, isn't it? I think so, but not everyone who heard the good news in the first century received it with joy. In fact, those who received Messiah in the flesh despised his message and even had him put to death. When it came to rejecting Messiah, it was certainly for the Jew first. Those who received Messiah first were even given a second chance through the apostles after the resurrection of Christ, and even then they continued to devote themselves to ending the lives of those who declared the gospel, christ Yeshua Earlier.

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In his Romans letter, paul wrote shall live by faith, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who, by their unrighteousness, suppress the truth. Romans 1.16. We determine that the gospel is good news to some, while its judgment for others. In 2 Corinthians 2.15 we read For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life. To those who receive it, the gospel is life, spiritual and eternal. It's the good news of salvation. To those who reject it, those who are perishing, it's a death sentence. They will go from spiritual death to eternal death.

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Today we'll be looking at the wrath, fury, tribulation and judgment that Paul describes in Romans, chapter 2. Specifically, we'll be investigating why this tribulation is for the Jew first. In our last study we left off reading. He will render to each one according to his works. To those who, by patience and well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, he'll give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. That's Romans 2.6.

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We determine that seeking glory, honor and immortality was seeking the Lord. Those things are attributed to the Lord, as we found in Scripture. The faithful are given these things by the Lord when they seek His guidance and proclaim Him as their Lord. As Christians, when we believe the Gospel, we go from sinner to saint. That long list of sins that keeps you out of the Kingdom of God no longer define you. You're in Christ now and Yahweh has made you holy to saint. That long list of sins that keeps you out of the kingdom of God no longer define you. You're in Christ now and Yahweh has made you holy to him. This was the good news that you would think the Jews under old covenant law would embrace. But they were looking for something else.

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The first century Jews in the days of Christ were looking for a war hero to deliver them from the bondage of the Roman Empire. They wanted power and glory for themselves. They wanted the kingdom to be restored to them physically, giving them the power and glory that Israel had over the world in days of old. They wanted to be set free from Roman tyranny. When Yeshua came to set them free spiritually, they weren't interested. In their eyes, they didn't need to be saved from their sin, they believed they were obedient to the law by self-effort.

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In Romans 9.30, paul writes what shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, but that Israel, who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone.

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The Jews in the days of Christ Yeshua did not seem to understand that obedience to the law literally proved that you were a sinner. The regular shedding of blood through animal sacrifices proved guilt. The author of Hebrews made this very clear. Hebrews 10 reads For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near, otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered be God's holy? People rejected their own Savior, had the special status of the teachers of law and Pharisees gone to their heads, had they become so hardened that they would stop at nothing to extinguish the gospel of their own Lord in order to preserve their worldly riches? It's clear to see that is exactly what was going on in the first century, while the Church of Christ was being established throughout all the world.

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Earlier, in Romans 2.6, we read he will render to each one according to his works. To those who, by patience and well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Then, in the very next verse, we have today's passage Romans 2, 9-11. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek, for God shows no partiality. Notice that Paul emphasizes the same point in these statements but uses different words. Instead of eternal life to those who, by patience and well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality. We seek glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good. To the faithful, our Lord gives glory, honor, peace, eternal life. To those who do not obey, which is to reject him, they'll receive God's wrath and fury, tribulation and distress. They don't receive from him glory, honor, peace and eternal life, and they do not seek these things from him anyways. Apart from Yahweh man finds himself consumed in sin and deserving of judgment, according to what we have studied in Paul's letter so far. And in verse 11 we read for God shows no partiality. This is important. Going further into Romans, as Paul begins to focus on both Jew and Gentile salvation, he's now bringing things closer to home for his first century Christian audience of both Jew and Gentile believers. But before we go any further, we see something interesting in this last passage that was not present in the previous similar verses. But glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

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In our studies so far, we've come to realize that the gospel was being revealed from the beginning of creation, but the gospel in the flesh, christ Yeshua, the anointed one, the living word of God, had not yet revealed himself to the world. When Christ did reveal himself, who did he go to? Christ himself came for the lost sheep of Israel, didn't he? Christ himself came for the lost sheep of Israel, didn't he? He came to Israel for the faithful in Israel. In Matthew 15 we read Yeshua saying I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. So who were the first to receive Messiah? What people were the first to receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? Christ came to the Jew first, didn't he? Paul, the apostle chosen by Yahweh to bring the gospel of grace to the Gentiles, came to the scene a little bit later. The risen and ascended Christ Yeshua revealed himself to Paul and taught him directly. It wasn't until the cross and resurrection had taken place that anyone became aware that the Gentiles would be included in this good news. Paul, who himself was a Jew, was sent out to bring the good news to the Gentiles. Case in point the good news of Christ Yeshua came to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.

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I think anyone would agree on this. For the most part, it's what we read in verse 9. That's not understood today. The error is not misunderstanding the passage altogether, but rather missing the timing of the event. That is clearly indicated In verses 8 and 9, paul writes but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first, and also the Greek, would you say. This is just an ordinary wrath and fury, tribulation and distress, similar to what we read when Yahweh hands mankind over to his lusts earlier in Romans. People have been rejecting Yahweh since the beginning of time, as written by Paul and explored in our Roman studies so far. If sinful mankind has been deserving tribulation and distress and God's wrath and fury since the beginning, then why the Jew first?

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For this answer, we must go back to the first covenant, the covenant that Yahweh made with Israel In Deuteronomy 18.15. We read the Lord, your God, will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen. And then, verses 18 and 19, we read I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth. He shall speak to them all that I command him, and whoever will not listen to my words, that he shall speak in my name. I myself will require it of him.

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We see in this passage that when the law was being proclaimed by Moses, another message was proclaimed with it. Can we guess who the prophet would be that would come from among Israel? Yes, it was most certainly Christ Yeshua. And what was the primary and most important command of Christ Yeshua? We read it in John 6, 28. Jesus answered them. The moment had arrived. The Messiah had come to Israel, just as Yahweh had proclaimed. He came to the Jew first. Belief in Christ Yeshua would now be required for Israel. This was not going to be an option for them. The law and its temple worship, which were merely a shadow of the things to come, were fading and would soon be gone forever. Did you catch the last part of what I said? The law and its temple worship, which were merely a shadow of the things to come, were fading. Did you catch the last part of what I said? The law and its temple worship, which were merely a shadow of the things to come, were fading and would soon be gone forever. This fact was fully understood by the apostles. God's holy people had stored up wrath for themselves and that wrath would soon cause a tribulation on them, a great tribulation. As we read, tribulation and distress would be for the Jew first.

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Please realize that when I say God's holy people, I don't speak of the elect. I'm not saying they were faithful or holy in any spiritual way. They were set apart to represent Yahweh by keeping his commands. They were called to be a light to the world, but they failed and turned away from the Lord and instead turned to their own ways. A final judgment on Israel was announced by Yahweh and his prophets all over our Old Testament scriptures, but one passage really stands out to me Just as Israel would be entering their promised land, yahweh told of what would occur.

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And again we see Christ proclaimed along with a judgment. Deuteronomy 31.16 says and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them, then my anger will be kindled against them in that day and I will forsake them and hide my face from them. And they will be devoured and many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. Now, therefore, write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. In the next verses we see Christ in the song Yahweh gave to Moses for the people of Israel.

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Deuteronomy 32, 4 and 5 says the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice, the God of faithfulness and without iniquity. Just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him. They are no longer his children because they are blemished. They are a crooked and twisted generation. And then we see the major error that the holy nation of Israel made. Deuteronomy 32.18 says it is most certainly important that we understand who the rock is here. It doesn't take a whole lot of studying in the New Testament of our Bibles to figure it out either. Paul makes this fact very plain for us. 1 Corinthians 10.4 says and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

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It's often said that we don't need the Old Testament anymore as Christians, but the Old Testament points to Christ. Even the Torah, the first five books of the law, are about Christ. If you don't agree with me, that's fine, but you might want to consider that Christ Yeshua was the one who made the statement John 5 46 says. Then he said to them these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures Luke 24, 44. You search the speaking in John 5.39. And then John 5.46,. Yeshua says If you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? All of scripture points to Christ. All of scripture is about Christ.

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The good news of Christ is declared in all of scripture, and so is the great tribulation and final judgment. But before we go and apply these things to our future, like most do today, let's take a moment to consider who it was that would really be receiving a final wrath, destruction and a great tribulation. Let's not forget that tribulation and distress were for the Jew first. To whom was the law and the prophets given? To whom did the Messiah come to? It was for the Jew first, wasn't it?

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If we pay attention in our Bible reading, we'll see clearly that the law and prophets were all given to Israel. That's what made them holy. In that sense they were a holy people because Yahweh was among them. Yahweh made Israel his people and stopped dealing with other nations. Yahweh was the God of Israel, as we see in the Song of Moses. Deuteronomy 32.8 says when the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is his allotted heritage. Yahweh let the lesser gods deal with the other nations. The Gentile nations were now godless nations. I go over that in messages number 42 and 43. Israel as a nation was holy because God was among them. Yahweh was dealing only with Israel. Now, if a Gentile wanted to worship Yahweh, they were to become a proselyte and obey the law with Israel. Yahweh was the God of Israel, but as we see all throughout scripture, the people of Israel were not all holy in a spiritual sense. Yahweh displayed his glory in them as a people and as a nation, but often it was through wrath on the unfaithful, through national Israel, yahweh displayed all of his attributes, including wrath and justice.

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Continuing in Deuteronomy, yahweh declares truth through his prophet Moses, in what is called the Song of Moses, and he said I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. They have made me jealous with what is no God. They have provoked me to anger with their idols, so I will make them jealous with those who are no people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation, for a fire is kindled. That's Deuteronomy 32.20. There are two key points to take from this passage. One, yahweh declares that national Israel will have an end. Two, yahweh will make them jealous with a foolish nation. The second point establishes the time frame that's being referred to here.

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The gospel of Christ Yeshua was to bring salvation to the Gentile nations, as we have studied already in Romans, and we'll continue to see Paul write about throughout his letter, paul was sent out for that very purpose. But getting back to the judgment, we saw in Deuteronomy that Israel would have an end. We see it clearly stated again right after this, in verse 28 and 29. For they are a nation void of counsel and there is no understanding in them. If they were wise, they would understand this. They would discern their latter end, the end of national Israel, the end of God's holy people. That's a lot to take in, isn't it? Are there any other passages to prove this? Actually, there are so many it's impossible to keep track of them all, but let's look at a few in order to establish some context, shall we?

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What we're going to be looking at is known as the Great Tribulation. It's referred to in scripture as the Day of the Lord. More accurately to the original Hebrew language, it was called the Day of Yahweh. I've heard many today deny that there is a great tribulation in scripture. This is pure ignorance. When we study the scriptures and learn to see prophecy in context, we're going to find that the Day of Yahweh was to bring an end to national Israel and Old Covenant Temple worship. This would be the final end of that covenant in its entirety and the full transition into the New Covenant age that began at the cross of Christ. We'll get into that more in the next messages.

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For now, I want to focus on the Great Tribulation and final judgment and how it applies to the Jew. First, the day of Yahweh was not going to be a pleasant day, and this day was reserved for a specific group of people. They'd been storing up wrath for themselves by turning away from the Lord. What we read in Deuteronomy was prophecy given to the people of Israel. Yahweh had entered into a covenant with the nation of Israel and the law and prophets would be for them. In Romans, chapter 9, paul writes they are Israelites and to them belong the adoption. The writes this was not a mystery to the ancient Hebrews. They knew that Yahweh was their God. They failed miserably at honoring him as such, but they knew that Yahweh was their God. They failed miserably at honoring him as such, but they knew all these things were for them. It should have been abundantly clear that there would be a final judgment for them. However, they tended to not take it well when their Lord sent prophets to them.

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Let's look at what Israel's prophets said to them about the day of Yahweh. From the prophet Isaiah we read they will look aghast at one another. Their faces will be aflame. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it, for the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low, the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken out of its place At the wrath of the Lord of hosts and the day of his fierce anger. And like a hunted gazelle or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people and each will flee to his own land. Whoever is found will be thrust through and whoever is caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes, their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. Behold, I am stirring up the meads. 1 Peter, chapter 1, verses 1 through 10. The splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans will be like Saddam and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations. No Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there, but wild animals will lie down there and their houses will be full of howling creatures. Their ostriches will dwell and their wild goats will dance, hyenas will cry in its towers and jackals in the pleasant.

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If you were to read the historical documentation of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, you'll find these tragic events were experienced by the nation of Israel. You can review the writings of Flavius Josephus to get a picture of these things. The destruction of Israel in the first century is a well-documented event. In my last podcast message, number 57, I discussed that in the ancient Hebrew prophecy of our Bibles, the sun, moon and stars represented governing authorities and were often descriptive of nations or kingdoms. In Joseph's dream in Genesis 37, joseph's ancient Hebrew family clearly understood Joseph to be referring to his parents as the sun and moon and his 11 siblings as stars.

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Do you recall that Jacob was named Israel by Yahweh? Yes, jacob was a Christ type. In other words, he was a shadow of the reality to come. Jacob's twelve sons represented the twelve tribes of Israel. True Israel was Christ. Yeshua and his twelve apostles are the foundations of his church.

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National Israel was an old covenant shadow of what was to come in the new covenant. The lights would go out for the old covenant. The temple worship would end forever. This was declared to Israel from the beginning, as we saw in Deuteronomy From more of Israel's prophets. We read you have not gone up into the breaches or built up a wall for the house of Israel that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord.

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Ezekiel 13.5. The sun shall be turned to darkness and moon to blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Joel 2.31. Then, to the Jews, the prophet Amos writes Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light, writes I hate, I despise your feasts and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. And the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs. To the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos, chapter 5. Are you beginning to see how tribulation and distress would come to the Jew first and finally, 400 years before John the Baptist takes the scene, the prophet Malachi has an entire writing announcing the coming judgment for Israel. Among his writings we read For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says Yahweh of hosts, so that will leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4.

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In my last writing message number 57, we discussed that in 70 AD the temple in Jerusalem was set ablaze and that all of the genealogical records were destroyed. I talked about how genetic testing reveals that there is no ethnic DNA in today's Jews. They have neither root nor branch. They have not properly kept the Feast of Yahweh or the Law of Moses since the destruction of the Temple. Yahweh left no possible way of doing so. It's sad to see people, to this very day, going through the motions of a false religion that leads to death, day in and day out, performing religious acts that will never lead anyone to life and, even worse, having 99% of Christians believe in their holy people doing holy things when they reject everything that Yahweh did for them. The only similarity that today's leaders in Israel have with the Jews of the first century is that they turned something holy into an evil and murderous political movement for power and riches. National Israel ended in AD 70 and was falsely brought back by the Rothschilds in the 60s. If you think that what they're doing is holy, you're being deceived by the Zionist media.

Speaker 1:

But getting back to Israel's great tribulation and final judgment, malachi continues Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes, and he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with the decree of utter destruction. Malachi 4, verse 5. A decree of utter destruction? That's a tough thing to overcome, wouldn't you say? This would be a bit concerning if you lived in Israel and were being told that these things would come to the Jew first, wouldn't it? And very soon. But Elijah has to come first. People are still waiting for that, aren't they? Well, not.

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If we're paying attention to our scripture and the words of Christ Yeshua In Matthew 11.13, about John the Baptist, yeshua says and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Can you see why this might be significant. 400 years after the prophet Malachi prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, john the Baptist, who Christ Yeshua calls Elijah, takes the scene. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. We know that believers began receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but what is the fire referring to? Do you remember what we read in Malachi? The day that is coming shall set them ablaze. The baptism of fire is a baptism of judgment. We now begin to see Christ Yeshua tied to this judgment, but let's keep that one on standby for now.

Speaker 1:

This message is about the tribulation and judgment for the Jew first. In our Romans passage, paul wrote but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first, and also the Greek. I think we're getting a pretty clear picture of why Paul declares that when it comes to judgment, it will be for the Jew first. Just as Messiah came first to the Jew, so also did judgment. You might be asking yourself, but what about the Bema Seat, judgment known as the judgment seat of Christ? We all have to stand before the Lord and give an account. What does the destruction of national Israel have to do with that? We're making our way into that soon and we'll be covering it in our next message, so don't worry. For now let's finish up our study on the final judgment of God's holy nation of Israel.

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Luke 21 says and while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, as for these things that you see, christ Yeshua prophesied that the temple would be destroyed, not a temple in our future, but one that the disciples stood in with Yeshua in that first century AD. They were terrified when he told them this. The law in the temple was their world. Imagine being told that everything, that the buildings and activities that you have devoted your life to, would be destroyed, and by someone who you know tells the truth. We have to realize how big of a deal this was to the Jews of the first century. It was everything they knew prior to the Messiah's arrival.

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The question we need to ask is when would this time come? Is it in our future? We should have a pretty good handle on the fact that the whole world wouldn't end. It would be Israel that comes to an end. When God made his first covenant with national Israel, it was proclaimed a new heavens and earth. We see this in Isaiah 51.15. We can't apply what we see as heaven and earth to prophetic language. We have to see things the way the ancient Hebrews did if we want to avoid today's massive misguidance in the church institutions. We constantly hear people parrot the verse, but concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the sun, but the Father only. Matthew 24, 36. For some reason, we use this verse today to justify futurism, dispensationalism, zionism and even partial preterism.

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There's a parallel here with the fall feast of trumpets. Preparations had to be made in Israel for this great feast of Yahweh, all the while not knowing the exact date or time that it would begin. They had to watch the sky and wait for the new moon to arrive. The new moon would mark the beginning of the feast of trumpets. They may not have known the exact date or time, but they did know what to look for and an approximate time frame. If not, they could never be ready for such a feast. The preparations would have been time-consuming and tedious. The blowing of the trumpets was the major thing that we know about this feast. Can you think of something else tied to a trumpet sounding? So they knew it was coming soon and they would have to have been told what to be looking for.

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Right, let's look at what is written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Thessalonians 2 says Now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by a spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. The evidence has sufficiently concluded, at least in my mind, that the day of the Lord would be a day of judgment and wrath. We also know that this great tribulation would be for the Jew first, as it was prophesied to be the end of national Israel. Many today, based on prophetic language being perverted, believe that the day of the Lord will be the end of the world as we know it. We are taught that there will be a global calamity and the entire earth will be destroyed, but that is not even remotely consistent with what we just read. Consider these facts the Thessalonians were told that the day of the Lord already happened and they were still alive and breathing on planet earth. Number two Paul doesn't remind them that the world would have melted already. Neither Paul or the Thessalonians seem to be looking for the end of the world as we know it. Paul does correct them by reminding them of what he told them to be looking for.

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However, in chapter 3 of 2 Thessalonians, paul says Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in. The day of the Lord will not come until the rebellion occurs. He does not say a rebellion, he says the rebellion. Some translations, like the NASB, say the apostasy. Both of these translations could have truth to them. We'll cover this detail in another message, but we do know that there was a rebellion that erupted in Israel, spurred by the Zealots in AD 66. There is much written by the Jewish historian Josephus on this matter, but we see, the context here is that these things were happening in that first century. Paul continues Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things, and you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time? For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 5-7.

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Are you gathering that Paul is not speaking of events coming in our near future? But how did Paul know these things? It's likely because the prophet and Messiah, christ Yeshua, taught him. We see these exact things outlined by Christ Yeshua right in our Bible, matthew 24-15. Yeshua says we see these exact things outlined by Christ Yeshua right in our Bible, matthew 24, 15. Yeshua says but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are inside the city depart and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written, that's Luke 21, 20. Then in Matthew 24, 15, we read so when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? And again, you're surely asking yourself if this was the end times, what about the return of Christ?

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Many attempt to separate these two events in Scripture, but they cannot be pulled apart In context. They are inseparable. Our Lord Christ Yeshua says to his first century followers in Matthew 24-29, in Matthew 24, 29, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of man. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven in power and great glory, and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather as a lot. Do you remember what we discussed about the Feast of Trumpets? Here it is the fulfillment of that feast, coming at the loud trumpet call.

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As Christ said a few verses prior, this tribulation would fulfill all that is written. The canon was closed upon the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The destruction of Jerusalem marked the bitter end of the tribulation and distress that would come for the Jew first. In my next message, I'll attempt to prove to you that the return of Christ occurred in AD 70, alongside this tribulation, destruction and judgment of national Israel, its temple worship, its lineage and the entire old covenant. This will allow us to further understand why Paul told us there will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek. Stay tuned for the next message and I hope you all have a great day out there. Grace and peace to you.