Hungry For God

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Notes from "How Can We Know If We are Living in the Last Generation," by Alan Hood

Alan Hood, who is a teacher at the Forerunner School of Ministry, part of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and Friends of the Bridegroom, does a series that addresses three questions about the end times...
1. Can we know if we are living in the last generation?
2. Should we know if we are living in the last generation?
3. If we can and should know, how will we know?

So, here are my notes from this series...I thought it was pretty good.

1. Can we know?
There has been a mocking spirit released by satan - the spirit that 2nd Peter speaks of (scoffers). This spirit says, "He's supposedly been coming forever - He's not going to come now!" or "It's not for common people to know, only scholars can guess at these things." It's even become politically incorrect in many churches to discuss these things.

The most widely used scripture to make the claim against our ability to know is Matthew 24:36 - the Olivet Discourse. Verse 36 clearly states, "But of the exact day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father knows."

The problem with this is that the entire context is missing. If we look closer at the text, what is before and after and even in the next chapter (ten virgens), we will see that we are commanded to know of the signs and the seasons. We are commanded to watch and to be ready. We can know when we are in the time or season, we can know the order of events, we can know what is coming.

Secondly, the verse states that no one DOES know, it does not state that no one WILL know or cannot know.

Verse 37 states, "As were in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." In the days of Noah, God warned his people, he gave Noah the word, and though Noah tried to tell others, they did not believe him. In Genesis, we can even know that God warned Noah again 7 days before the great flood that he had 7 days, God told him exactly when to get in the boat!
"For just as in those days, they were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the very day when Noah went in to the ark. And they did hot know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

If we are to survive, we MUST know. In verse 32, Jesus warns, "From the fig tree LEARN this lesson; as soon as its young shoots become soft and tender and it puts out its leaves, you know of a surety that summer is near. So also when you see these signs, all taken together, coming to pass, you may know of a surety that He is near, at the very doors."!!!

As in the days of Noah, so also will the unfolding of revelation be for the church as revelation was unfolded to Noah.

Matthew 24:36 has been used in the wrong spirit in which Jesus teaches it - some are giving wrong council with the word of God at the wrong time. If one read it entirely, they would know this is exactly what He was warning against - to NOT know. He exhorts us in this message to seek it out, to dig for it, to ask for revelation.
I Peter 1:10 - the prophets of old inquired and searched carefully - what time and in what manner of time certain things would occur.

Yes, we CAN KNOW.

2. Should we know?

This is made pretty evident in the answer to the first question. There is a verse further down in the Olivet Discourse - Matt 24:44...here Jesus has been talking of the householder who, if he had known when the theif was coming, would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. v44 - "You must also be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you don't expect Him." v45 - "Who then is the faithful, thoughtful and wise servant, whom his master has put him in charge of his household to give to others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom when his master comes, he will find so doing. I solemnly declare to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, My master is delayed and is going to be gone a long time, and begins to beat his fellow servant and to eat and drink with the drunken, the master of the servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware."

WOW. The servant who is giving the food to the people at the proper time is one who recognizes the season. Blessed is he who feeds the church and gets them ready for what lies ahead. Jesus is likening NOT feeding the church in due season, not knowing these things and making the church ready for them, to beating them and eating with drunkards. When you do not share and feed the church on this word, you are setting them up for failure in the future.

Throughout redemptive history, God has raised up prophets who have warned of what is coming - look at the minor prophets and you will see this, no doubt. How much more will He warn His people when the whole earth is in the crosshairs of satan's rage and the wrath of the Lamb, dying forever or living and reigning with Him?

God demands that in the day of transition we listen to His word. Just as in the day of Noah, if you did not heed, you were dead. He releases the word to that generation.

We SHOULD know

3. How will we know if we can and should know?

There are 2 parts to Alan's answer to this question..I would have to add a little bit more. I believe there are several ways to know including asking for revelation, studying the prophesies, and just being aware of the things that have to take place before we can say for sure we are in that generation. God speaks to us, He does answer.

Alan focuses on these 2:
1. The salvation of Israel
Matthew 23:39 (this is the "woa to you, scribes and pharisees"... speech) Jesus clearly tells the people of Jerusalem, the religious leaders of that time, the nation of Israel, "for I declare to you, you will not see Me again until you say, Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord."
Meaning, the salvation of Israel must occur before Jesus returns. He is serious because He loves His people, He gives them a clear condition. Not every person who is Jew or Israelite will come to know Jesus as their Messiah, and I'm not clear on how many or what this looks like, but it does allow us to see the importance of Israel in our own future, and that their King has not given up on them.

2. Fullfillment of the Great Commission
Matt24:14 "And this good news of the kingdom (the gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations and then will the end come." (the scripture that every missionary knows)
This is the fullfillment of the great commission. It makes you wonder how many countries are out there who do not have even one missionary among them?

This is evidence of the compassion that Jesus has for the people of the earth...that He would wait until every tribe, tongue, nation has at least heard the gospel, has had a chance to say Yes to Him.


These are my notes...
He is a Good Father, and it is His nature to warn us. He wants us to be aware.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Why Doesn't Anyone Want To Talk About It?

Let's just say that there is not going to be a rapture before any of the shaking occurs....what then? How much time do we have? Will it be our children or their children who will witness the tribulation and 2nd coming of Christ? How will we know or prepare?

How many people are really serious about studying these things, being ready? Not very many...most people avoid this topic like the plague...there are a lot of excuses. Some say we should not know, that Jesus directs us that we cannot know. Some say that it's too negative for the church to focus on. Some say, "If I believe in Jesus, it will all pan out...I don't have to worry about anything..." Some think that there is no way to know if we are in that generation. Some church authoritative figures claim that groups in the past who preached "we are in the last days," have hurt the church considerably, and have made Christians look like a bunch of nut cases...Some think that if you are knowledgeable or interested in the end times you are a psycho squirrell with an underground capsule full of guns and ammo, duct tape and plastic wrap.

What is the right answer? There seems to be scripture after scripture prophesying the 2nd coming of Christ and describing the events that precede that time. There seem to be numerous warnings in the Bible to God's people to watch, to be ready, to know what to look for, to not be deceived. Is this for someone else to worry about, in another time and place? Or is it for the church, anyone who believes in the scriptures?

Friday, June 24, 2005

Which One Do You Believe?

Post-Millenialism: Jesus comes back after the millenium, goal is to Christianize the earth before Jesus comes, He will come after a period of peace and spirituality, and this theory embraces replacement theology - the church replaces Israel in God's plan

A-Millenialism: focuses on the symbols and also the spiritual triumph of the church, makes majority of the Word symbolic, with no clear standard of agreement on the interpretation, wide belief that there is no millenial reign - this is symbolic of Jesus's reign in our hearts. (Preterism: all prophecy was fullfilled in the past - 70AD Rome's conquering of Israel, etc)

Pre-Millenialism: Jesus comes back before the millenial reign begins, views end times prophecy as literal.

3 Approaches/Views of Pre-Millenialism
1. Dispensational: Belief in rapture before tribulation - seems to be the most popular
2. Historic: Post trib rapture, no victorious bride or vision for victorious King/church
3. Apostolic: Post trib rapture with a victorious bride who may die physically, but satan is still defeated spiritually