The Apocalypse - A Revealing of That Which was Once a Mystery

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Aug 18, 2014 at 18:35

["Yes, this is my understanding. No number of wars, battles and exchanges of leaders can bring about the rule of Torah in people's lives. The victory has to be internal, and permanent -- with our total surrendering of our lives to God. This can only come about when we realize that God has forgiven and accepted us; and that because of the resurrection, we can be assured that even death cannot separate us from the love of God. Jesus made these things a reality, though his teaching, death and resurrection."]

With not too dissimilar backgrounds, arriving at this juncture of understanding took decades of dissecting, new avenues of study and dispensing with the prefabricated revisionist influences of youth, this began to from as a basic basis from which to revisit almost every facet of what it meant to be engaged with spiritual things, as they are meant to be engaged with the Holy Spirit. Once this breakthrough was embraced (the Song of Solomon was pivotal), then the next sprint for freedom in the Spirit was in the offing.

Much of this cannot be understood without knowing that Israel's destiny was and is predicated upon every WORD that proceeds from the mouth of the Almighty Eternal Sovereign of Israel, her Creator and Author. Thus, for this reader, Isaiah is the quintessential key at every step of Israel's' progression through it travels to its destiny.

Isaiah tells us 'Who' is at the root of all this; Daniel gives an outline of 'Israel's' path through History and fellow prophets (Ezekiel, Micah, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah, etc.,) give the specifics, but revealed only at the appointed times. And who is in control of the appointed times? Yeshua tells us that is reserved to the Father.

For this reader, defining the Messianic age as being limited to the fulfillment of the second advent is like dismissing Isaiah 52 and 53 as not being Messianic; and that got the Pharisees into major trouble that is still permeating the Church age today. It is in this realm of speculation by this reader that it is a proximal failing that was incorporated into the religious furor of today's hatred of things Christian.

As for the future reign of the Eternal Sovereign (Isaiah 9:7), [Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore…….
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this… ], we read further (Jeremiah 23:5) ["Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.]. We even further read (Psalm 146:10) [The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!]

As for a takeaway of things Messianic being something of a Lewis tome, I have never really warmed up to his chronicles, any assimilation of such being too much of a stretch to be called a parable, let alone an analogy. The whole issue of calling any particular period in Israel's history as the 'Messianic Age' is, as you have observed, somewhat misleading, something misconstrued potentially for a labeling convenience.

If Isaiah calls the LORD HaMashiach, then He IS the Messiah, no matter what age Israel is in, or the whole earth for that matter. Now, there are the multiple ages (epochs of the kingdom), the times of which are invisible as in the first advent, and visible in the second (future) advent; but the Kingdom has always been the domain and realm of the Eternal Sovereign, Israel's HaMashiach.

Furthermore, the eternal kingdom is not limited to a thousand years; a predicted epoch ending the final years of the final rebellion; a time of which proves the LORD's WORD does not return void; having demonstrated that in every dominion of man from Adam's sin to the man of sin, mankind has no business thinking like Israel did with Saul, that any mere mortal could ever do better than HaMashiach.

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