The Last Days Pt.3 (The Bones)

 “One of the reasons that I don’t speak Spanish so well is because from the moment I learned English, I spoke nothing but English, especially to my parents. When they were preparing to get their citizenship to the USA, I would help them with their questions because it was such a miracle, especially of what they endured, not only to raise Ten kids, but to become citizens of the country they loved. My dad, from when he was young, would come to America to work for his aunt, doing odd jobs of working the fields, cleaning, cooking and just what he could do to get by, but mainly to support his family. My parents left most of us in Mexico while they came here to find a home, work and have a start, before bringing us to the American dream. My parents never took government aid, and we all slept in a garage, while they worked minimum wage jobs, saving to get us our own home. With the help of people like Roberta, Kathy, Connie and most importantly God, they were able to fulfill their dreams of making a better life for their kids, having my parent's "dry bones," of being lost in a foreign country, become alive in the blessing of God, here in America.

Ezekiel Thirty Six and Seven, Thirty-Eight and Thirty-Nine, Forty Thru Forty-Eight are the most misinterpreted and incorrectly taught chapters when it comes to eschatology and “end times” prophecy. This chapter will deal with Thirty-Six and Thirty-Seven, but also give a preview of Forty thru Forty-Eight. The most popular teaching of Chapter Thirty-Seven is that it is referring to Israel becoming a nation in Nineteen Forty Eight, leading to misinterpreting "End Times" teaching and also what Jesus taught in Luke Twenty-One, Twenty-Nine, 

“And He told them a parable: “LOOK AT THE FIG TREE, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION WILL NOT PASS AWAY until all has taken place.” (ESV) (Emphasis Added)

First and foremost, Israel is NEVER EVER, in the Bible compared to a fig tree, so to say this relates to Israel becoming a nation and then say that within Eighty years, (what most believe is a generation) that Jesus will come back within this time frame is wrong exegesis. Israel throughout the Bible is referred to as an olive tree or branch, so taking a fig tree and inserting Israel into its meaning is not thoughtful, Berean like study of God’s word. The dry bones of which Ezekiel is referring to when studied in context and also a part of chapter Thirty Six, show us what God is saying. 

Let’s look at what Ezekiel says, who by the way was in Babylon, towards the end of Israel's captivity, when he wrote this, starting in Chapter Thirty-Six Eight, 

“But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ‭(ESV‬‬) 

Ezekiel is prophesying of Israel’s return from exile and how they will again be fruitful, but we can’t stop there, for this is talking of Jesus, Pentecost, and eventually, the new Jerusalem and restoration of Eden. Wait what? This is what you’re probably thinking, but let’s continue in verse Twenty-Two, 

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate My holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART, AND A NEW SPIRIT I WILL PUT WITHIN YOU. And I will REMOVE THE HEART OF STONE from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (ESV)(EMPHASIS ADDED) 

It’s important when studying the word of God to use the word of God to help interpret the word. We can’t put our spin on it or take it out of context to fit an eschatological view point or our denominational view. What Ezekiel was talking about was that God was not only going to bring the people of God back together again, but that He was going to put His Spirit into the people and remove the hearts of stone. Remember Israel was in captivity for whoring themselves to idols and other god’s and not trusting or staying faithful to God. (Their captivity was for not obeying the Seventy Sabbaths of the land, but it all was driven for their love of other god’s, taking their focus off of God, and not worshipping Yahweh.) 

I think of my own walk and rebellion to God and how I was like them, that my neck was stiff and my heart cold and hard like stone before knowing Jesus. I still sin and I am a work in progress. As Paul says, "we are God's workmanship," but I now know that Jesus has put His Spirit in me. The other thing that I believe Ezekiel is referring to, especially as it pertains to Ezekiel Thirty-Seven, is about the resurrection and our new heavenly body. This teaching was not known to the people of Ezekiel’s day and only after Jesus' death and resurrection was this message taught. Paul reminds us in First Corinthians Fifteen, 

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead.” (ESV)

Jesus told the disciples that He had to go in order for the Helper, the Spirit, to come? When did this happen? When Israel returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple? NO! Remember when Jesus came, the religious leaders and the people were not expecting Him and or believed He was the Messiah to come. The Holy Spirit didn’t come until the day of Pentecost and all the people from every nation throughout the known world had come to Jerusalem to worship and celebrate, when Peter gave his famous sermon as recorded in Acts Two. 

Back to Ezekiel Thirty-Seven, which is a continuation of what God was telling Ezekiel of His coming restoration of His covenant, which is the New Covenant says, 

“And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause BREATH TO ENTER YOU, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”” (ESV)(Emphasis added)

Before Jesus, man was still dead and lifeless and religion was no better, as it was more about tradition and making money for those in leadership than teaching the true word of God, and it’s sadly no different today. Read the Gospels and you see Jesus condemning the "teachers" of not teaching correctly, of misleading the people, and Him overturning tables, because they had turned His Father's house into a den of robbers.

Ezekiel continues in verse Fourteen, 

“And I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (ESV) 

God is saying that He will put His Spirit in them and they shall live! This is not about Nineteen Forty Eight, because if you haven't noticed, Israel, the nation, doesn't accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, let alone that He was the Messiah. Now there are many Jews who have converted to Christianity. although some hold on to their traditions and a hope of a rebuilding of a literal temple. 

The nations gathering on the day of Pentecost, was what Ezekiel was referring to. Remember if you know your Old Testament, that when Israel came back from captivity, not all the nations returned from exile. Ezra lists the names from Judah, but the ten tribes were still in exile and did not return from captivity. Ezekiel Thirty-Seven, Twenty-One says, 

“then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land.” (ESV)

What Ezekiel is referring to can be seen in Acts Two, which says: 

“Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN. And at THIS SOUND the MULTITUDE CAME TOGETHER, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (ESV)

I remember later in life as my Spanish had mainly vanished and many words today, even allude or confuse me, I started working in the warehouse. The guys all spoke Spanish, and it was neat as the words came back to me and, being able to hear them speak in foreign a language but my ears understanding the words being spoken. To hear someone speak and you understanding the words, even though they're foreigners, is magnified more with the Spirit of God, and what an awesome event that must have been at Pentecost.

Now the argument, of course, is what about the "literal" temple that Ezekiel talks about in Chapters Forty thru Forty-Eight, and he also refers to in Chapter Thirty-Seven? For the most popular eschatology view to fit, they need a literal temple to restore the “fig tree,” to have a literal millennium, to have a Seven year disappearance, otherwise it doesn’t work. 

Ezekiel Thirty Seven verse Twenty Six says,

“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an EVERLASTING COVENANT with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set MY SANCTUARY in their midst forevermore.” (ESV)(Emphasis Added)

To quote one of my favorite movies, The Breakfast Club, “In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions,” THE TEMPLE BEING TALKED ABOUT IS THE BODY OF GOD. (I will explain more about why a literal temple is not what Ezekiel chapters Forty thru Forty-Eight are about and all the holes in popular Eschatology teachings in the next part.) John, Paul, Peter wrote about it in the New Testament, and Jesus is the Temple, but let’s look at what scripture says, and not what man interjects to fit their eschatology.  

First Corinthians Three Sixteen, 

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (ESV)

First Corinthians Six Nineteen, 

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (ESV) 

Ephesians Two Nineteen, 

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the Cornerstone, in whom the WHOLE STRUCTURE, being joined together, grows into a HOLY TEMPLE in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (ESV) (Emphasis Added)

First Peter Two Five, 

“As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a SPIRITUAL HOUSE, to be a HOLY PRIESTHOOD, to OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE to God THROUGH Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a Cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone!” (ESV)

"American" or "Western" Christians, have little or no concept of temple talk, because most teachers only teach a temple as it relates to Israel and the need for one to be built again so that all the prophecy lists can be checked off of to usher in the "secret vanishing" of the church for seven years. What we skip or not focus on enough, is the fact that because of Jesus, who is the NEW TEMPLE, we are also part of that temple, and temples of the Holy Spirit and we don't need a physical building that isn't scriptural.  

Of course, we cannot forget what Jesus said in John Two, 

“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking about the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” (ESV)

The issue with a literal temple that many teach or say must happen before the end times or to fulfill Ezekiel’s word to fit all nicely into a little box with a bow is really putting themselves into a sticky situation of wrong biblical interpretation. What do I mean? If you have a literal temple, does that mean sacrifices? If so, then the writer of Hebrews is wrong and that book should be removed from the Bible. We can't be like the progressive church and only read the safe passages and those that allow us to live our lives how we want, instead of realizing that everything is for Jesus and because of Jesus.

Hebrews Seven Twenty Seven says, 

“He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this ONCE FOR ALL when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” (ESV) (Emphasis Added)

Paul also stated in Romans Six of Jesus dying once and for all, 

“For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

I used to listen to an old show back in the nineties called the Christian Jew hour, and the teacher was an old believer of Judaism and was now a believer in Jesus and his whole show was about sharing the gospel of Jesus and looking at scripture from a Jewish perspective, but also how it translated to faith in Jesus. No longer being bound to the Old Covenant or old regulations, but being free in Jesus alone. My point is that, what Ezekiel was writing was not about a restoration of a nation in Nineteen Forty Eight and a rebuilding of a literal temple and the dry bones and all coming back to the land, was about the resurrection of believers, the day of Pentecost and the body of Christ being the temple. 

If the argument becomes, the sacrifices are needed as a memorial, to give the people a visual of what happened on the cross, then why not have them read the New Testament? There are plenty of Jewish believers in Christ that have come to saving knowledge with just the Gospel. Read Acts and the Letters of Paul, Peter and John and you can see that. The other thing with a literal temple is what about the "GLORY" passages that are attributed to Jesus and how the New Testament writers reference these passages in their writings? People will say yes, the Glory will return during the millennium and that is when the Shekinah glory returns. If that is true, then people are stretching their eschatology to fit their denomination and not seeing what God is saying. Isaiah Forty says, 

"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (ESV) 

This is quoted in Luke Three Six.

Isaiah Sixty One says, 

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (ESV)

This again speaks of Jesus and Him being the temple and we being a temple of the Holy Spirit and of God. 

Ezekiel, in Thirty Seven Twenty Six, actually quotes Leviticus Twenty Six Eleven. First Ezekiel says, 

"I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (ESV)

Leviticus says, 

"I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people." (ESV)

And you may think, so what that Ezekiel quotes Leviticus, but this is also what Paul quotes in Second Corinthians Six Sixteen that says: 

"What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (ESV)

The reason all this matters is that Paul is writing to the Corinthians and again, if you study your word, you will see that the Corinthians were Gentiles. What Paul basically has done is linked Leviticus and Ezekiel to the gentiles, again confirming that God's word and what all of this means, is that we are all equal in God's eyes, if we repent and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is also a reference to the New Jerusalem and Jesus dwelling with His people forever, again with no literal, physical temple, because if we look at Revelation Twenty-One, it says:

"And I SAW NO TEMPLE in the city, for ITS TEMPLE IS THE LORD GOD the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for THE GLORY OF OF GOD gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (ESV)(Emphasis Added)

One last note of why Ezekiel Thirty Six and Thirty-Seven are not about Israel's return from exile or even Nineteen Forty-Eight is what is said in Two verses. Let's look at them, first Ezekiel Thirty Six Twenty Eight B, 

"you shall be My people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleanness. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you." (ESV)

Ezekiel Thirty Seven Twenty Three says: 

"They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I WILL SAVE THEM FROM ALL THE BACKSLIDINGS IN WHICH THEY HAVE SINNED, and WILL CLEANSE THEM; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God." (ESV)

This gets quoted in Matthew One Twenty One, which says,

"She will bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He WILL SAVE His people FROM THEIR SINS." (ESV)

Many will say okay, what's all the big deal and why does it matter, but again returning to my point of studying the word of God and not just listening and blindly following the popular beliefs that are being taught. 

There are only TWO VERSES in the Old Testament that deal with salvation referring to an internal sin problem, and those are the Two mentioned above that get quoted by Matthew. Psalm One Hundred Thirty verse Eight also is a bridge of these verses, 

“O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (ESV)

This didn't happen when Israel returned from captivity, and it surely didn't happen in Nineteen Forty-Eight. Ezekiel Thirty Six and Thirty Seven is about the New Testament era, the work of Christ, and then when we get to Pentecost, we see the body of Christ and the temple made up of His people. There is no other explanation without putting our own spin on what God's word is teaching. OF course, we also know that when Jesus restores Eden, the writer of Revelation says there is no temple, and that Jesus is the temple. 

The dry bones coming to life and the Two sticks being joined together with Jesus, for Jesus, as He is the only glory we will ever need. The only sacrifice and the only temple needed, and nothing built by man to fill an ideology.

I know I am a sinner who has not always been a follower or hearer of the Word of God. I know I used to listen to the popular versions of the word, because in a way I wanted to escape to a better land and be a part of this group that would be whisked away like we were when we came to America. The problems we encountered here were nothing with what we could have encountered in Mexico, but only God knows. I am thankful that I have been allowed to have my eyes and ears opened, to become a citizen of heaven and only because and thru Jesus. 

My bones are awake, my flesh is coming alive, and the Spirit of God is moving. We are to be making disciples and sharing the Good News to other dry bones, not because a generation has come and gone, or because they too can disappear, because that’s not scriptural, but because we don't know when our last breath will be and the harvest is ripe! Do you hear the rattling?” Jose Barajas 

One World Religion

“A friend of mine posted a picture once of a church on a cliff. The people were walking in through the front door and falling out through the bottom into a dark pit representing the abyss, or hell. The caption said The difference between a relationship  with Jesus Christ and a religion. It also said that you could go to church your whole life and still draw no closer to God or understand who God was and what being a Christian is truly about. The world and sadly many “Christian” churches in my opinion, mistake religion with true Christianity and true disciples of Jesus Christ. Like anything else, I believe we lump all people groups by the actions of a few, and the world especially loves to do that when it comes to Christians and those who follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For many “religions” claim to know God, or even a version of Jesus, but yet do everything opposite of what the whole Word teaches or even compare to what Jesus taught and stood for. 

Jesus had just finished healing a man who couldn’t walk for Thirty Eight years and when the Pharisees saw him carrying his mat or pallet as it states in the NASB, on the Sabbath, they focused more on that “act,” than his actual healing. When they found out that Jesus had commanded him to take up his mat, they again questioned Him and argued the point about doing anything on the Sabbath. Jesus in John Five says, 

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.” (ESV) 

That is what Religion is, a relationship with the ways of the world and though many churches are filled up on Saturday or Sunday based on your faith, hearts are not changed. Sure people get moved by the music and their arms are raised in “worship,” maybe even a little emotion drips out with a “hallelujah” here and an “Amen” there, but the heart is as cold as the winter snow. The Pharisees were the “religious” leaders and yet, their hearts were focused more on the rules and legalism of their faith, rather than the miracle of a healing, of a lame man that could walk, and the breaking of their traditions, rather than the focus on the One who heals and forgives us of our sins. Jesus continues later in chapter five of John,

““Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of Me.” (ESV)

Too many put their hope in their denomination and the “fathers” of that sect, but like Jesus said about Moses, I’m sure He would say that about any man who is exalted as the one who is praised over God. The Pharisees praised and worshiped Moses and Jesus said, he will accuse you before God. When we stand before Jesus at the judgement, we will not be able to blame anyone but ourselves if we are not able to enter in His glory. 

I think of many MEN, who are praised and thought of as god’s, because of their ministry or their denomination, but like us, they were just men called to do the work of God thru Jesus, though some better than others. Men of God like C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, Oswald Chambers, Walter Martin, J. Vernon McGee and so many other good teachers of the word. There are others who get praised and yet some of their doctrine was questionable, like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Augustine, George Fox, Chuck Smith and John Smyth. Too many idolize these men, and you can even throw Mary and the pope into this group, but they aren’t Jesus and though we can learn from some good sermons and some good exegesis, from most of the these, (for the Pope is a heretic) some of their sermons are eisegesis. (If you don’t know the difference, research it, because one is a true interpretation of the word and the another is how they see the word) (I’m not claiming these men weren’t godly and had good sermons, but some of their doctrine doesn’t line up with the whole of scripture, and I also am not God and can’t judge their heart or salvation)

Before Jesus came and since, too many pastors, priest, evangelist whether on TV or going from town to town, have changed the word of God to fill their pockets, to fit their desires, to fulfill their wants rather than to preach the message of Christ. Religion is man-made, that serves the purpose of the person or group who started it and we see how everyone of them have different denominations or sects or set of rules, because they break away from the original one that started it. Hebrews Thirteen reminds us, 

““So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace” (ESV)

The writer is reminding us that there are good teachers and good churches, but we also should be checking their words against their walk, their faith and how it aligns with God’s word. Paul’s reminds us to be like the Bereans, checking and examining everything taught. There are too many strange and false doctrines, especially now with eschatology and the incorrect teaching of the rapture of the church, but we can’t be tossed around like waves in the ocean Like James says in James One. The other false teaching out there is about a One world religion, but the word is clear there has always been a One world religion. This is everyone who does not accept or believe, by true repentance, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This list includes, atheists, cults like Mormonism, JW’s, Muslims, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Catholics, (because of their worship of Mary and “saints” and the pope) throw in Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, Hillsong church, Bethel Church, Elevation Church, T.D. Jakes and many other so called evangelical churches that focus more on the music ministry than the true word of God. Jesus says in Luke Eleven,

“Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” (ESV) 

I think it’s pretty clear, that there is a true relationship with Jesus or you are a part of a one world “religion” that denies Jesus!

Jesus does not change, God‘s word does not change. What changes is the heart of man to seek their own will, their own pleasure, to be okay in their own way of being content in their sin, lifestyle, or gathering. Like I said at the beginning, so many churches and yet so little fruit! So my question is, are you in a religion, that is leading you to the abyss and dark pit or are you following the light of this world and walking with Jesus Christ the only Savior of the world? Jesus said in Matthew Seven, 

““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (ESV)

The choice is simple and only you can make that choice! Are you content playing church and feeling good, or are you ready to die to self and take up your cross, abandoning all to follow Jesus in Spirit and Truth?” Jose Barajas

Infomercial Theology

by Jose Barajas

“When we go to sleep, the TV is left on as my wife likes to have the sound on as it soothes her. On my side of family, we have this sleep power; (I’m joking as there is no such thing) in that we can sleep anywhere and instantly and that drives my wife mad, but that’s why I don’t mind the TV being on. I do wake up a few times during the night and I hear the informercials that I’m sure we all have seen or heard. They’re all the same, regardless of the product being sold, as they have an energetic host who is an expert in using what they’re selling. They make the items they’re selling seem so easy to use and that we can do all things. You can cook full course meals, clean your house, or repair everything in your house, all so easily and instantly. People buy them and get them and then they sit in their cupboards or closets as they don’t work, or never take the time to use them correctly, or they were just bought at a whim. 

Paul in Romans Ten Eight Thirteen says, 

““For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NET‬‬) 

He is quoting Joel Two Thirty Two, that says the same thing. Now here is where people crack me up, because “Meme” religion explains it all. Atheists or those who mock Christians and say the Bible is false and contradicts itself use these type of passages and reference them to how scripture is false and wrong. One example is what Joel and Paul say and what Jesus says in Matthew Seven , 

“Not all who call on My Name will be saved!” 

Scripture can be like informercials, where not all things are what they seem and half using the "products" or being enamored by the thing being sold. Many in churches, or so called "religious" people choose to only study half of what is said, or we only quote or know the happy verses. Paul in Romans Ten before this says, 

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord” (ESV) 

Many “confess” at conferences and churches with a little “sinner’s” prayer (that isn’t scriptural), and we tell them, “welcome to the kingdom of God!” when we don’t truly know their heart. We will see, Jesus is saying, it means more than just saying some words that aren't because of true repentance, and Paul even continues in Romans Ten, 

“and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) 

The word believe in the English language is very watered down like love, and other cliché words. It can be casual as, “I believe I can make it by five,” or it can be an intellectual assent like, “I believe what they say.” The Greek word is “pisteuo” which means, “To be convinced of something, or to give credence to something.” It’s not flippant or an after thought and that is not what Paul or any of the New Testament writers were thinking when they wrote it. Jesus even said, we must DENY SELF and TAKE UP OUR CROSS DAILY. Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve never physically carried a  wooden cross that weighed roughly One Hundred and Sixty Five pounds, but what Jesus did, and though Jesus spoke metaphorically when He said this, He meant what the cost of following Him was. People have died, have been jailed, have been beaten, and stoned, for His Name’s sake, and we can’t even share our faith because we’re afraid of what others might say, or because it’s not politically correct. 

Do we “believe” the lies of the informercials and the “fake” promises of what they offer like the false “RAVENOUS” wolf’s that are being allowed to spew their lies using Jesus Name to “solve” all your problems for “$19.99?” 

So back to where the passage that people say is contradictory when Jesus says, “not all!” but what Jesus is saying isn’t contradictory, if the other passages say, all who call on His Name can be saved? Let’s look at what Jesus is saying, “Not all!” in Matthew Seven, 

“““Not everyone who SAYS to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, BUT the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your Name, and cast out demons in your Name, and do many mighty works in your Name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (‭ESV‬‬)(Emphasis added) 

Most of the items sold on informercials don’t work, aren’t used the way they’re intended and or people get cheap imitations of the real product. It’s no different with many churches and so called prophets or “teachers” of the word. Jesus prior to these verses was warning against false prophets who would come in sheep’s clothing, but really were ravenous wolf’s! (I think when people quote this verse, they only say wolves in sheep’s clothing, but Jesus is saying, RAVENOUS!) Think about that when you hear false prophets like Joel Osteen, Steven Furtick, Brain Houston, Bill Johnson, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, and so many others, that when you look at this list, you make think, I’m wrong, but have we looked at what they are teaching compared to the TRUE gospel, or because they have successful “ministries that they are OK? Think Ravenous and we think mean, ugly, full of venom, but they dress  like sheep, “Meek, soft, stupid” and then you might get the picture. The enemy’s best trick is to make us think that the fruit isn’t bad for us and we can be like God, but is that SCRIPTURALLY true? Do we know our WORD enough to understand that the “INFOMERCIAL” is just a sham, a way of making money and doesn’t line up with the WHOLE OF SCRIPTURE? Jesus isn’t looking for SHOWMEN, looking for FAME OR MONEY, but looking for humble, broken, contrite men and women who will “deny self” and do the will of the Father.  

Jesus doesn’t want people calling His Name and “buying” the Christian lifestyle, where we hide it in the closet, or never use it again. He desires those who call on His name to “use” the gifts He has given us to continue His ministry of calling and disciplining people, not for show or for a fad but for eternity. So my informercial is simple, do we call on the Name of Jesus only when we’re in trouble, in vain, to get what we want, or do we truly call on His Name letting Him guide and lead us, walking with Him daily? He is ready to save you and bring you into His rest, the choice is simple and yours to make. But wait there’s more, we get to spend eternity with Him, won’t you make that “CALL” and fall on your knees, repent and come to Jesus?” Jose Barajas

The Last Days Pt2 (The Trumpet)

One of my favorite movies is Star Wars and all the other sequels, prequels, side stories and spin-offs, but everyone always quotes the line from “Empire Strikes Back” of “Luke, I am your father,” incorrectly. The line is actually “No, I am your father!” Over time and hearing it in different movies, comedies, or other, one thinks, that it says the first way, and because we are a culture of not really listening; especially men (ask any wife) and “blindly” believing, we can misinterpret simple things like this, or worse, scripture and what the Word of God says. In my creative writing classes, I was taught a few things when it came to writing a story, reading a story and also understanding the protagonist, the antagonists, the plot, the climax and then the end. My teacher Ms. Tollstrup who I wrote about previously made us think, made us understand and to not take all things at face value. This goes back to how something is written, how someone reads it, and how someone interprets it. Though movies and books, or stories may take “liberties” of interpretation, we should not do that with the word of God.

There are many examples of misinterpretation in the Bible across, cults, denominations, and even atheists who completely take things out of context, interject their own agenda or view and many don’t study, read and check, what is truly being said. I have read Revelation quite a few times, have heard sermons on it, and even written a few “Cup of Joe’s” on it, but I too, was guilty of not studying the Word and believing whatever pastor or teacher I was listening to, instead of “LISTENING” to what the Spirit is saying. 

Revelation Four, which many believe is the “secret” rapture of the church, mis-read or interject their own interpretation or believe it says one thing that it doesn’t. Let’s look at Revelation Four verse One which says,

““After these things I looked, and there was a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said: “Come up here so that I can show you what must happen after 

these things.”” (NET)

In order for things to make sense we need to know who is speaking, who is being spoken to and where, what, when, otherwise, we’d be lost like the Israelites wandering around the desert, not realizing they were going in circles because of their disobedience. John starts out with “After these things,” so what things is he referring to? If you look at the Two previous chapters, he is reading the letters that were given to him, (we will get to the who but it’s not who most people think this who is) but where was he before, “after these things?” Let’s go back to Chapter One, verse Nine of Revelation, 

““I, John, your brother and the one who shares with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, WAS ON THE ISLAND CALLED PATMOS because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. I WAS IN THE SPIRIT ON THE LORD’S DAY” (NET)(Emphasis Added)

In sentence and writing structure, we see that John was, where? On the Island of Patmos where he was exiled after they tried boiling him in oil and he was also, “on the Lord’s day,” which is the day of rest, and most importantly, “he was in the Spirit.” John is letting us know in chapter four that after these things of reading the letters to the Seven churches and being in the Spirit, he looked, saw a door standing open in heaven, and he heard a voice like a trumpet. 

Now, most popular eschatological systems will say that this is where the “secret” rapture happens, because John hears a trumpet and then they quote First Thessalonians Four to emphasize or back up their claim of “Harpazo” of a “secret” rapture, but let look at what Pauls says,

““For the LORD HIMSELF WILL COME DOWN from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the TRUMPET OF GOD, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.” ‭(NET‬‬)

So Paul is saying that the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Trumpet of God. There is no charades going on with a “sounds like,” or that He only calls John and everyone “secretly” goes up behind with John and we are there with John being shown what must happen. The trumpet John hears is not the last trumpet of God, because then Paul would be lying  and his words would not be true, as the world doesn’t end when John went up or we weren’t raptured when John heard the sound, but also look at what John hears in Chapter One of Revelation continuing from verse Ten,

“ when I heard behind me a loud voice LIKE A TRUMPET: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches – to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”” ‭(NET‬‬)

So if John is hearing the same trumpet sound in Chapter One and Chapter Four, how can there be Two “raptures?” God is not confusing or contradictory in any sense of His Word and to say or add other meanings is false on so many levels. We can think we hear, “Luke, I am your father,” but that is not what is being written or said. The other thing is that Jesus is the One coming down in Thessalonians and John is told to come up here. If we wanted to talk trumpets, and think there is a “secret” disappearance, the trumpets that are blown don’t appear until chapter Eight of Revelation, which then really can be confusing, if that is what we are attributing to the Trumpet call of God and what John heard.

The other thing with reading, writing and understanding is who is speaking to John and who is the “trumpet” sound speaking of? Many think it is Jesus, but again, let’s read what is written. Revelation One says in verse Twelve, 

““I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands,” ‭(NET‬‬)

In verse One it says, 

““The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending HIS ANGEL to His servant John, who then testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about Jesus Christ.” (NET) 

If we are reading in context, we see that the one with the sound like a trumpet, not a trumpet, is the angel sent by Jesus to reveal what is going to happen, and when John turns to see, He sees the seven lampstands and Jesus was there, so John is already in heaven in the presence of the lampstands and of Jesus. The word doesn’t say, the voice of the trumpet was Jesus, but it says as he turned to look, he saw Jesus. When we get to heaven, we will see the saints, the lampstands, the angels, but best of all we will see Jesus and He will shine brighter than all things, as the Word says, that there is no need for a sun. After reading the letters, which in movies, or writing stories or books, the writers jump to different situations, either looking forward or back, as John does here. John goes back to that voice of the angel telling him to come up here, but he was already in the Spirit and in the presence of the Lamb, so the word is clear that it’s not a rapture, because I think God would have used that word Harpazo here, but it’s more of, OK, John’s there more to see, so come here. 

If we read what John continues in Chapter Four, we see that again, John is repeating where he was, who was talking to him, and what he was about to write. So John is in the presence of the angel who was sent by Jesus, telling and showing him all these things to write for all who would read the words aloud and understand what the Spirit is saying. John is not yet seeing the multitude of God and all those who would be saved, not thru a seven year tribulation period, but for all time and eternity, until chapter Seven. He is in the presence of the council of God, where the elders and the angels are praising God, not human elders but those already in heaven with God. This imagery John is quoting is out of Ezekiel and Isaiah of God’s cherubim and seraphim. Go read chapter One of Ezekiel and you will see the same imagery. Isaiah chapter six has the same imagery and he even sees the beasts calling out Holy, holy, holy, because that is what God’s word is, consistent, not confusing and orderly. 

We should know that the Old Testament is the prophecy of Jesus, and the New Testament writers use it to quote and emphasize what took place and what will take place. Remember when Jesus opened His ministry, He opened the Word and read out of Isaiah, it says in Luke Four, 

““Now Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as WAS HIS CUSTOM. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He began to tell them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”” ‭(NET‬‬)

In John Five it says,

““You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about Me, but you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.” ‭(NET‬‬)

In Luke Twenty Four it says, 

““So He said to them, “You foolish people – how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things written about Himself in all the scriptures.” ‭(NET‬‬)

We can read and study, listen to pastors and go to conferences, crusades, outreaches; (that are more of a concert anymore, than the truth of the Word being spoken), but never come to know Jesus. We use the Word as a self help book, where we look up scriptures, take them out of context, to “Live our Best life,” Fulfill our Purpose,” “Be blessed financially, because that’s  His will for us,” “and any other fad book, seminar or mockery of God’s word there is. But the scriptures old and new, are all about Jesus. Did you know that there isn’t a single verse of a suffering Messiah in the Bible, that when Jesus came, the reason the “religious” leaders didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, was because they were blinded to the fact, because of what Jesus quoted in Luke Four. I dare you to find one verse, you won’t and that is why Jesus shared and said all of scripture. In context, in the whole, the Word talks about Jesus coming, Jesus dying, and then coming back ONCE and for all, to reset us back to Eden. 

We have so many examples of people in the Bible; from Cain to Judas, Nadab and Abihu, most of the kings of Israel starting with Saul, to Zedekiah, the Pharisees to the many false prophets, cult leaders and many in so-called Christian churches, that “study” the scriptures, but sadly to look more for loop holes, water it down, make it fit their denomination, but truly never see Jesus. 

John in writing Revelation was given the message, yes ultimately from Jesus, but we must remember in context and read aloud as instructed what the message is from God. The angels are God’s messengers, the elect are anyone who have repented and come or will come to Jesus, and the Day of the Lord will be one day, where all will either be taken up to heaven, the true rapture for all to see, for him to take us home with Jesus, and the others away from Jesus. There is no secret coming of Jesus. John being taken up in chapter Four is not a rapture or a rapture event, as all of scripture doesn’t say that, and or even reference that.

God, who is the Author and Creator of all things, He gave us sentence structure, gave us His word, and we must be diligent in understanding. His coming will be like a thief in the night, that never means secretly. The flood that overtook the world, came as a thief in the night, but not from them not being warned, they just chose to not believe, until they saw the rain, but by then it was too late and Noah and his family were still on the earth.  Even though the people were warned, didn’t escape death, so it will be for those refusing to repent and come to Jesus. The rapture comes, then the wrath, then the End, all on the same day. Read, listen to the Spirit, understand, it’s not what we want to hear, but what is being said by Him and Him alone.” Jose Barajas