The unchanging Word of God – Pt 2

We ended the first part of this teaching three months ago with these words of YHVH through Isaiah the Prophet:

“On this one will I look:  on him who is poor and of a contrite heart, and who trembles at My word.” (Is 66:1-2)

The emphasis in that teaching was that God’s word does not change, and it will not change. It does not matter if people believe it or not. Yet Yeshua has told us that the wise builder hears the Lord’s words, and acts upon them. The unwise builder also hears the words of the Lord, but does not believe them enough to act upon them. So, as the Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah, God is looking for those who hear His Word, and are humble and teachable in the fear of YHVH, to take it seriously. Because our Father’s word does not change, and He knows the end from the beginning, the Holy Spirit through the Bible speaks to us today, and into the future.

Today, I want to focus more on some unchanging words that are coming to life in our time. Understanding the implications of Yeshua’s words and teaching, and discerning them rightly are critical so as not to be deceived, and for having the mind of Messiah. A key verse for taking this to heart has the Son of God saying to one of His closest disciples, Peter: 

“Get behind me, Satan; for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men!” (Mt 16:13-27) 

What brought such a strong rebuke? Peter had just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Yeshua said that he did not get this from men, but from the Father in Heaven. Then Yeshua began to teach His disciples that He would be going to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of sinful religious leaders, be crucified, and rise on the third day. Peter – not only a believer, but a disciple; not only a disciple, but an apostle — said “God forbid that this should happen to You!” Jesus was telling His disciples (and us) that His being the Messiah meant that this was going to happen to Him, and it was the way and the will of God to fulfill all that had been written in Moses and the Prophets about what must happen when the Messiah came the first time. Peter, satanically inspired, spoke as a mortal man to a friend, and not in accord with the heart and mind of God in the war against sin and evil.  

Lots of prophecies are going out today around the world, especially, maybe, in the US. The devil is trying to deceive us, mislead us, confuse us with false prophecies, which appeal to our worldly interests and cares. The events in the Middle East this past year; the war between Russia and Ukraine; the elections and their results in the US have all given many believers to speak what they would consider “prophesies”, or at least “prophetic”. I myself have done that (and am probably not done doing it). One does not need to be a prophet to prophesy or to speak prophetically. As YHVH spoke through Amos the prophet: YHVH has spoken; who will not prophesy?!” (Amos 3:7-8) The testimony of Yeshua/Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 

God loves us. He is our Father in Heaven. He relates to us, especially for those who believe in His uniquely beloved Son, as His children – His sons and daughters. He tells us the truth; He sets boundaries for our safety and purity; He warns us of dangers; He encourages us and guides us in the good way; He promises us who are His an everlasting inheritance of the Kingdom of God. He gives us every reason to believe in Jesus, to believe what He says, to know that He is good and faithful in all that He says and does. His Word is completely reliable and trustworthy.

Israel was caught by surprise by the terror-fying Hamas invasion on Oct 7, 2023. It wasn’t that the information and clues were not available and even known by those responsible for the safety and protection of the country. They were:  but, they either did not believe them; or, they had an agenda to disregard them; or, they did not think that it would happen “on their watch”. The Messiah, our Lord Jesus/Yeshua, and His prophets and apostles and other chosen men who have written the Bible, have given us information and clues about the real threats and events to come against Israel, the Jewish people, and the disciples of Yeshua/Jesus. 

If we are called to be watchmen; if we are called to be shepherds of God’s flock; if we are called to be teachers of the Word of God, then we have a great responsibility to warn and to prepare for things to come, and to strengthen the hope of all who put their trust in Jesus for salvation and the glory to come when He returns. His word does not change, and Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah – the Word of God — is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but the word of Yeshua/Jesus will never pass away. All will be fulfilled in the whole counsel of God, from Genesis through the Revelation. (Lk 18:31-34; 24:25-27; Rev 22:18-19; Mt 5:17-20; Lk 16:27-31; Jn 5:45-47; Ps 119:160; Is 55:8-11) 

As children of light, we do not need to be caught by surprise, as Israel was, when these things begin to take place. As Yeshua told His disciples: I have told you beforehand, so that when these things happen, you will believe [and not be shaken]. (Jn 14:29) He loves us, and wants us to always know that. He loves us so much that He died a horrible death on a cross, so that we might repent and believe the good news of salvation and the Kingdom of God, to live with Him forever in the new universe that YHVH God will create for those who love Him. This was the sacrifice of YHVH’s war to defeat the devil, evil, sin, death; nothing less, and nothing else. After that victory on the cross, the resurrection was “easy” for the God who spoke the world(s) into existence! 

As you all know, I believe that God has a plan, and He is working according to it, and will complete it on time. When Yoel and Avner planned to build the deck, they did not have a time to finish it. Did they need to work quickly? Could it be dragged out and done whenever they had time and felt like working on it? There was no context for the plan, other than to build a great deck (which they did!) But then we told them that, if possible, the deck should be finished before Oct 30, in time for a wedding. (God has also planned a wedding!) That goal motivated them to plan the schedule for the project, so that, God helping, it could be done in time for the wedding. And, praise the Lord, it was!

When you speak with other believers about when they think that the Messiah will return, very many will say that no one knows. Some of these believers believe in each of the possibilities of when the rapture will take place, and some separate the rapture from the return of the Lord. Because they have no sense of when Jesus Christ will come again, the events currently taking place in Israel and around the world are not seen in the context of any completion date: it can happen at any time, which no one knows, and will possibly happen long after we have died. 

It is true that no one knows, nor can figure out, the exact day and hour that the Lord will return, with the first resurrection and rapture of the true and expectant believers. (Heb 9:27-28) But the 70th week of Daniel (the last seven years of Gentile kingdoms) has signs in it that the Word of God has given us for the end-times, the time of the end. Yeshua Himself has told us that the generation that sees the fig tree shoot forth leaves will see the abomination of desolation by the antichrist, and will see the return of the Lord to set up YHVH God’s Kingdom on the Earth. (Mt 24:15-22, 32-51) National Israel is more than 76 ½ years old now, and is a sign (a banner; a nes/miracle) for the end-times, as Noah’s ark was in his generation. (Is 11:11-12) 

For the abomination that brings desolation to occur, there first needs to be the 2300 daily sacrifices by the Jews, which the antichrist will demand to be stopped. (Mt 24:15-25; Rev 13; 2 Thes 2; Dan 11:20-39; 12:1-13; 8:1-27; Rev 11:1-3) This will probably necessitate not only a huge event to take place which would even make these sacrifices possible, but also a strong right-wing religious nationalist government to be in place. While no friends of the Jewish believers in Yeshua/Jesus, the Word of God must be fulfilled. This should move us to strengthen our relationship and hope in Him, bringing revival within the Body of Christ, and an evangelistic impetus to repentance, for the Kingdom of God is near, even at the door.

We are living in this generation; therefore all of the whole counsel of God regarding these times is relevant for us, and will come to pass. The timing of the rapture does not affect the Father’s appointed time (mo’ed) – which will not change — for Christ’s/Messiah’s return in great power and glory. Neither will the wars or the elections. His foreknowledge and sovereignty have taken all these into account. They all fit into God’s plan and framework. Rather than be surprised, we should be preparing our hearts and lives so that our absolute hope and trust is in the name of our Savior God, and so that we can be faithful and useful to our Lord to help others come to faith in Him, and to endure in the faith until the end. (Jude 1:3-4; Lk 18:8 Gr)   

Zech 1:3-6 “The words of the prophets are overtaking us.” 

The fathers have died; the prophets through whom the LORD spoke have also died.  But the Word of YHVH which He spoke lives, and will come to pass in God’s time, and according to what He sent it out to accomplish! 

The 1st century AD believers may have thought that the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD was as far into the future as Yeshua was telling them about regarding the end of the age, and of His coming again. There are still many believers today who are called “preterists”, who believe that Daniel’s 70th week (the final seven years of God’s plan for saving Israel) was fulfilled in 70AD. (Dan 9:24-27) Yet Yeshua told His disciples that every word that He spoke would be fulfilled, not just some of what He spoke; every jot and tittle of the Law and the Prophets will be fulfilled, not just many of them. There is still much that needs to be fully fulfilled, and not only partially fulfilled, or fulfilled in part, but not in the whole. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the whole of the Bible, the Scriptures, thus making the whole Bible “the Word of God/YHVH”.

God cannot deny Himself. His word is Him; Yeshua is the Word become flesh. He and the Father are one. The Holy Spirit fulfills the Word, glorifying the Father and the Son. (Zech 4:6; Jn 16:1-15)  

Because of the love that is in the truth of our God’s word, Yeshua tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. The unchanging Word of the living God must come to pass; and it is a good thing that it will, for it lead to the glory of our great God and Savior. (Mt 24:4-8) We can have a peace that surpasses all understanding, and be faithful witnesses to the truth of who the Lord and Messiah are, honoring Him in our lives, and perhaps through our deaths. Jesus overcame the world, and so will we by our living faith, hope, and love in the risen Son of God!  Even so, come, Lord Jesus!