The Amazing Overlooked Prophecies of Jesus Regarding the

The Amazing Overlooked Prophecies of Jesus Regarding the Simultaneous Emergence of the Church and Israel’s Exile

Big picture of Romans, the greatest book ever written in the history of the world… God’s plan of salvation (Salvation) 1 -8 Severed Israel and Grafted Church (Sovereignty) 9 -11 Living the Life, the Christian life (Sanctification) 12 -16 the

Two types of prophecies related to Christ… Prophecies made about Jesus There are 350 plus prophecies made about Christ centuries before He was born that He alone fulfilled. And if Jesus was not the Messiah, no other person could qualify based on the necessary requirements. Prophecies Jesus made prophecies regarding the rise of the church and the soon demise of Israel due to the rejection and killing of the Messiah. What is extraordinary about these prophecies is that they are collaborated by world wide history books and believer’s lives.

The synergism between the two… The 350+ prophecies made about Jesus which He fulfills gives additional credibility to the prophecies He makes and their fulfillment! One builds on the other.

Part 1 In Part 1 of our introduction to Romans 9 -11, we looked at the prophecies and their fulfillment Jesus made regarding Israel’s fall in A. D. 70

Five prophecies of Jesus regarding the Israel being sacked and exiled… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Jerusalem will be desolated by a coming army as a result of rejecting the Messiah. Luke 19. 44 Jews will endure their second exile. Luke 21. 24 a The exile would have a conclusion date when the “times of the Gentiles” are completed. Luke 21. 24 b The temple would be destroyed in such an extreme manner that no two stones would be left on top each other. Matthew 24. 2 These events would not occur to some future Jews, but to the present generation who rejected Him. Luke 21. 20

Part 2 Five Prophecies of Jesus Regarding His Church Rising to World Wide Prominence

What Jesus taught and predicted about the Church… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The gospel would be preached throughout the world. Matthew 24. 14; 26. 13 That the followers of Jesus will comprise a new entity called the church built on Peter who confessed Jesus as Messiah, the Son of the living God. Matthew 16. 18 In the future, the centrality of worship will no longer be defined by real estate (geographically) as in Jerusalem or even Samaria, but will shift to true believers who will worship in spirit and truth. John 4. 21 The words of Christ are eternal. Meaning that they are indestructible, true, unstoppable, and verifiable as history unfolds. Matthew 24. 35 The deed of Mary washing the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiping them with her hair will be reiterated across the world in her memory. Matthew 26. 13

1. The Global Gospel 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24 How brash of Jesus, a poor son of a carpenter in a conquered tiny ancient nation to say such a thing. Unless He truly was the Son of God and Messiah and His declaration did play out in history as it certainly did.

Here is the best definition of the gospel… 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3

Does this mean that every human will hear the good news of the gospel? Not really, but meaning that the gospel will spread throughout the world. Paul is using hyperbole to make the point that the word of the true faith was travelling extremely fast in all directions. 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 a which has come to you, just as in all the world. Colossians 1

The spread of the gospel message… The gospel has been shared and spread all over the world for 2, 000 years. Although the job is not finished, the supernatural inroads that have been made are a fulfillment of Christ’s words. Here are some of the ways it has spread… 1. 2. 3. 4. Christians sharing their faith one on one World wide mission boards Christian relief ministries Wycliffe Bible Translators

2. The Church That the followers of Jesus will comprise a new entity called the church built on Peter who confessed Jesus as Messiah, the Son of the living God. 18 “I [Jesus] also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. ” Matthew 16. 18

Church = ekklēsía � This is the first occurrence of the Greek word church ekklēsía (ἐκκλησία), meaning a called out assembly or body. First used here, the word evolves to mean specifically that body of humanity who receive Christ from Jesus to the last person before the rapture. � Used also in Matthew 18. 17 in reference to church discipline. � As the story of the church unfolds in the New Testament, the term church would refer to all true Christ followers who become God children and agents of salvation throughout the world. � What is missing in this passage is any reference to Israel which Jesus seems to supplant with the Church.

How this prophecy is played out. . Part of this prophecy regarding the birth of the church is that it will be built on Peter. Many Protestants get nervous thinking that Peter needs to be down played in order to refute Catholicism’s position that Peter is made the first pope based on this passage. In reality, there is nothing in this passage that has anything to do with Peter being the first pope or the succession of popes in the future.

So what does it mean? Answer: Peter is given the keys to the kingdom of heaven in reference to the coming Church. A key meant authority and Peter used his church keys three times in the book of Acts as he opens the church doors to three different people groups: Jews – Acts 2 Samaritans – Acts 8 Gentiles – Acts 10 Peter was present at all three occasions as these three groups became part of Christ’s Church.

Today the Church is the largest religion on the planet of global influence. And it is an amazing fulfillment of our Lord’s prophecy in Matthew 16!

Indestructibility of the Church Jesus also gives a prophesy that even the darkest spiritual powers will be incapable of the church’s demise. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16

3. The Temple Replacement 20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. ” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. John 4

The timing is incredible. As Israel’s light is being extinguished, Christianity’s light is being lite. �In the future, the centrality of worship will no longer be defined by real estate (geographically) as in Jerusalem or even Samaria, but will shift to true believers who will worship in spirit and truth all over the world. God’s residence moves from the temple to the heart of believers. �The Jerusalem temple is destroyed in A. D. 70 as Christianity is declaring that the purpose of the sacrificial system is completed and that Christ’s blood has fulfilled once and for all the need for the temple sacrifices. For He is the lamb of God.

At the moment our Lord was dying, two fascinating things happen… Jesus declares that everything necessary for salvation is paid in full! 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19. 30 The veil in the temple separating the holy place from the holy of holies is cut in half as if by the finger of God. Believers now have full access to the throne of God. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Mark 15

The unmasked irony… Hebrews is written to make this very point, that the old covenant with Israel with its laws and temple sacrifices is out and the new covenant with the church based on faith and grace is now in place. Hebrews 9 � Hebrews was written between A. D. 64 -68 and declares that the temporary purpose of the temple which was to foreshadow Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary and has been fulfilled. Hebrews 8 -10. � In the same timeframe, the temple was destroyed in A. D. 70. because of God’s judgment of the Jews for rejecting and killing their Messiah, making faith and grace possible.

This metaphor is carries throughout the New Testament… � In the Old Testament God resided in the temple, but now Christians are living temples where God resides. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? I Corinthians 3. 16 � If our bodies are temples of God then the holy of holies must be our hearts. That is now where God resides as stated in Ephesians 3. 17, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts. ” � In the Old Testament, only the high priest had access into the holy of holies and that once a year. Now we have full access to the throne of grace. Hebrews 4. 16

4. Eternal Impact of Christ’s Words That His words would not be buried in history but would survive time. 35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Matthew 24 Though the context of this passage is regarding end times, the application of the meaning is significant. The words and teachings of our Lord are profound on the history of the world.

Ideas rule the world… A tremendous impact on the history of the world has been in the arena of the ideas of Jesus. His ideas have shaped history more than any other singular historical person.

The major influential ideas of Jesus… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Monotheism God is love The dignity of all men Morality – The existence of good and evil and definitions of good and sinfulness. Love, grace, mercy, kindness, faith, and hope. Freedom of choice, you may accept or reject Jesus. Compassion toward others. Education (especially in light of written language so that people could learn and apply the Bible). The early colleges were seminaries.

As to the greatness of Christ and His Church in world history, here is insightful book… A sampling of contributions Kennedy addresses… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Impact on the value of human life Impact of morality Education for everyone Freedom and civil liberties Free enterprise / work ethic Healing the sick Sexuality Inspiring the great arts

In the battle of ideas, Dave Breese wrote a book that defines the true nature of spiritual warfare. 7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave Charles Darwin Karl Marx Julius Wellhausen Sigmund Freud John Dewey John Maynard Keynes 7. Soren Kierkegaard 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

America is the greatest country in the history of the world… The United States was founded on the words and teachings of Christ. It does not mean that its founders were all Christians, but rather all held predominantly to a Christian world view. An amazing proof of this is the way we handled our enemies after WWII. Instead of plundering and punishing them, we treated them with respect and built them into great democracies.

5. Mary The deed of Mary washing the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiping them with her hair will be reiterated across the world in her memory. 13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman [Mary] has done will also be spoken of in memory of her. ” Matthew 26. 13

Two prophecies in one? There is also an implication from this prophecy and it includes Jesus Himself. Mary’s act would be insignificant unless Jesus Himself became an extremely important historical figure. So the prophecy then in the background is the greatness of Jesus coming to worldwide prominence while the main prophecy is about Mary’s act of worship to the Messiah, and both happen.