When our spirits resonate with truth we will discover that there are many wonders beyond those specifically mentioned in the Bible. We are walking with God on a relational journey to discover more about Him and ourselves and what our role is in restoration. We have the Holy Spirit of Truth in us and with us as our guide. We have Jesus, the way, truth and life, in us and with us to disciple us. We have our loving Father in us and with us to Father us into sonship. Agape love should be what we use to measure and test everything against. If you don’t resonate with anything on the journey, park it and continue to pursue the truth with God directly. There are many things that I don’t yet fully understand cognitively but that does not necessarily make them wrong. There have been many things that I was convinced were true that I now realize were merely man’s opinions and ideas.
The 4 streams of thought that are converging into one mighty river are: Mystic sonship, Realized eschatology, Universal reconciliation, Energy frequency healing.
As we have been learning how to engage God, our focus was on the mystic stream. So now we are going to cover the other 3 streams in these messages. How does the restoration of our creation mandate relate to our expectations for the future?
Eschatology is the study of the last things: how does this relate to restoration? How did Jesus link eschatology and restoration? We are looking at realized eschatology in relation to the restoration of all things.
Jesus referring to Gehenna did not mean future punishment in “hell,” but a literal death in the destruction of Jerusalem. There are many doctrines linked to eschatology that can sidetrack us from the goal of restoration.
Fruit of the poisonous tree of Brethrenism.
The ‘second coming’ as a future rapture event rather than a past event and constant presence. When did Jesus Christ say He would come? Some of His audience would live to see it happen (Matthew 16:28.) He would surely come during that generation (Matthew 24:34.) The apostles wouldn’t have enough time to go through Israel, before His coming (Matthew 10:23.) The apostle John would still be alive (John 21:22.) The members of the Jewish Council would witness it (Matthew 26:64.) The first Jewish Christians had to be prepared for His coming (Matthew 24.)
The so called second coming was just coming in that generation. Now that we know when Jesus Christ said He would come, what was the timeframe His apostles gave for this incredible event? Did they contradict Jesus? Have the disciples been interpreted wrongly? Did they tell the first Christians they would surely not live to see the Second Coming, and it was all meant for a generation of believers in a very, very distant future? What are the time indications for the return of Christ given by the apostles? ‘For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not delay (Hebrews 10:37.) ‘But this I say, brethren, the time is short’ (1 Corinthians 7:29.) ‘The night is far spent; the day is at hand’ (Romans 13:12.) ‘The end of all things is near’ (1 Peter 4:7.) When did the apostles say Christ would come?
It would only be a little while; He would not delay (Hebrews 10:37.)
The time was short (1 Corinthians 7:29.)
The day was at hand (Romans 13:12.)
The end was near (1 Peter 4:7.)
The Judge was already at the door (James 5:9.)
They were in the last hour (1 John 2:18.)
They were eagerly waiting for Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7.)
Christ would keep them strong until His coming (1 Corinthians 1:8.)
The first Christians and the apostles would find relief at the coming of Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8.)
Paul told the Christians in Corinth: ‘…you eagerly await the unveiling of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. He will keep you steady and strong to the very end, making your character mature so that you will be found innocent on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 1:7-9.) Jesus Christ would keep the Corinthians strong till His coming. In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul said some important things that confirm the biblical timeframe of the coming of Christ. Does history reveal the Second Coming as having already occurred?
Before we check the history books, we need to assess what history needs to reveal, in order for us to know whether Jesus prophesied the truth or not. What did He announce? It would take me too long to list all the details, but here is a basic outline of what Christ announced would happen during that generation: What were they told to expect? What signs were they to look for?
Jerusalem would be destroyed (Matt. 23:38.)
The temple would be destroyed (Matt. 24:2.)
Christ would be seen in the sky (Matt. 26:64.)
His angels would be seen in the clouds (2 Thess. 1:7, 8.)
There would be a great light (Matt. 24:27.)
A supernatural sign would appear in the sky (Matt 24:30.)
The sun would darken, and the moon turn red (Matt 24:30.)
There would be earthquakes, famines, disease, wars and false prophets (Matt 24:6,7.)
All this would happen in the first generation of believers (Matt 24:34.)
So… can we find these events in the history books? It may be a shock to some that all these things have been described in detail, by the most authoritative historians of the first century!
For example, the leading expert on the history of the Jews is Flavius Josephus, who documented the Jewish history of the first century in tremendous detail. He describes in his book ‘Wars of the Jews’ how during the years 68-70 AD Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans and the temple was ruined till the very last stone. That happened indeed within that generation, less than 40 years after Jesus predicted it. More than 1.3 million Jews died in the most horrendous ways. The sun darkened because of the smoke that rose up from Jerusalem and the moon turned to blood, due to the flames that went so high up. There was a river of blood flowing and tens of thousands of dead bodies were covering the streets. Famines were so horrendous that mothers ate their children, there were false prophets all over the place, earthquakes shook the world and wars erupted in every direction. That was indeed the ‘Great Tribulation’ announced by Jesus Christ.
But not only did Josephus describe the great tribulation, he also describes how armies of angels appeared on the clouds, with great fire; how supernatural signs were seen in the heavens and on the earth; how a bright light shone from heaven; how the presence of the Lord left the temple and moved to the Mount of Olives, and so much more.
Several Jewish, Greek and Roman historians describe how a tremendous figure of an unknown beauty was seen on the clouds of heaven, along with the armies of angels.
The Pseudo-Hegesippus is a well-known historical writing of the Jewish people. This classical Jewish historiography mentions that, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 66-70 AD, impressive angelic armies appeared in the clouds, clearly visible for all to see.
Moreover, the Pseudo-Hegesippus states that a figure of enormous size was observed in the sky, along with the angel armies. ‘A certain figure appeared of tremendous size, which many saw, just as the books of the Jews have disclosed, and before the setting of the sun there were suddenly seen in the clouds chariots and armed battle arrays, by which the cities of all Iudaea and its territories were invaded.’ (Quote from chapter 44 from the Latin version of the Pseudo-Hegesippus)
The best-known Christian historian of the first centuries was the Greek, Eusebius of Caesarea. He was considered an exceptionally educated man of his time and is called the father of church history.
Eusebius reported in detail on the earliest church. In his book ‘Ecclesiastical History’ he describes what was observed in the sky, shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century. ‘A demonic phantom appeared of incredible size, and what will be related would have seemed a fairytale had it not been told by those who saw it, and been attended by suffering worthy of the portent. ‘For before sunset there appeared in the air over the whole country chariots and armed troops coursing through the clouds and surrounding the cities.’ (Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 8, Sections 1-6.)
When the apostles saw Jesus Christ walking on the Sea of Galilee, they also shouted that He was a demonic phantom or a ‘ghost’. Apparently people do not always recognize Jesus, so Eusebius wrote that the huge figure, who appeared on the clouds with armies of angels, was a ‘phantom’. But again, who else could this impressive appearance in the sky, along with the armies of angels, have been but Jesus Christ? After all, this happened precisely at the place, the time, and in the way He had predicted. And it wasn’t only mentioned by the Jews, this is the father of church history who also records it!
Whether Eusebius himself understood this was the coming of the Lord or not, is not the point. He does confirm the appearance of a figure of tremendous size in the clouds with the armies of angels, and that is exactly what the Lord Jesus had predicted. There is however far more history written about this event, so keep reading…
The chief Jewish historian of the first century was called Titus Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD). In his work, famous historiography ‘Wars of the Jews’ he describes in great detail how Jerusalem and the temple were indeed destroyed by fire, exactly as predicted by Jesus Christ in Matthew 23 and 24.
That was the day of God’s revenge and retribution, the ‘Day of the Lord’, the outpouring of God’s wrath, the ‘day of Jacob’s Trouble’, the ‘Great Tribulation’, as was abundantly prophesied throughout the Old and New Testament.
In Josephus’ writings we read about the plagues that struck the land, the supernatural signs that appeared in the sky, the names of the false prophets Jesus had predicted, and many more details. ‘…chariots and troops of soldiers in their Armour were seen running about among the clouds and surrounding of cities.’ (Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapter 5, Sections 2-3.)
Not only the Jewish and Greco-Christian historiography mentions the armies of angels in the clouds, the Roman historian named Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (56–177 AD) also describes it in his books.
Tacitus was a Roman orator, senator, and governor. He is recognized as the most reliable Roman historian from the first century. The following quote comes from his famous work ‘The Histories’, a description of the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD. This excerpt comes from Book 5.13, which, like the previous writings, reports on the period prior to the fall of Jerusalem: ‘There had been seen hosts joining battle in the skies, fiery gleams of arms…’, ‘…the temple illuminated by a sudden radiance from the clouds’. (Gaius Tacitus, The Histories, Book 5.13.)
It is remarkable that the Roman historiography mentions these biblical events. Tacitus even describes an important sign that would be characteristic of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus had said that His coming would be like a lightning or a flash of light, as it is written in the Greek text. Later on we will talk more about this blazing light that appeared from heaven, during the appearance of Jesus and the angels on the clouds.
A medieval historiography of ancient Israel, called Sepher Josippon, also mentions the fiery angelic armies, but adds that at the same time a male face appeared above the holy of holies of the temple. That face had a beauty they had never seen before and is described as ‘very impressive.’
Professor Steven Bowman, the Josippon-to-English translator has given assurances that the Josippon is a reliable historical writing, and this appearance is therefore historically accurate.
‘Now it happened after this that there was seen over the Holy of Holies from above for the entire night the outline of a man’s face, the like of whose beauty had never been seen in all the land, and his appearance was very awesome. ‘Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all the land of Judah, all of them horses of fire and riders of fire.’ (Sepher Jossipon, Burning of the temple, Chapter 87.)
The apostle Paul had written that the coming of Jesus Christ would be with angels and fire: ‘He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief TO YOU who are troubled, and TO US as well.’ 2 Thess 1:6-8- This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is exactly what happened, according to the Jossipon: ‘a great force flying across the sky… all of them horses of fire and riders of fire.’ As we continue to read the historiography, we see many more things that were fulfilled in the manner that Jesus Christ had predicted.
Jesus had also prophesied the following: ‘For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.’ (Matthew 24:27, 30.) The Greek word translated as ‘lightning’ here is ‘astrapē’, which means ‘a flash of light’ or ‘a bright light’. So, Jesus said that His coming would be accompanied by a bright light. Moreover, the ‘sign of the Son of Man’ would appear in heaven.
Now read what the various historical sources say. This happened at the same time as the appearance of Jesus Christ and his angel armies on the clouds. ‘At one time a star, in form like a sword, stood over the city, and a comet, which lasted for a whole year’ and ‘…so great a light shone about the altar and the temple that it seemed to be bright day; and this continued for half an hour. This seemed to the unskillful, a good sign, but was interpreted by the sacred scribes as portending those events which very soon took place.’ (Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 8, Sections 1-6). ‘Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year. Thus also before the Jews’ rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Xanthicus and at the ninth hour of the night so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which lasted for half an hour.‘ (Flavius Josephus, ‘Wars of the Jews’, Book 6, chapter 5, sections 2 and 3) ‘…the temple illuminated by a sudden radiance from the clouds.’ (Gaius Tacitus, The Histories, Book 5.13). Jesus Christ had said that His coming would be like a sudden gleam of light (Greek word ‘astrapē’) and that is exactly what happened, at the same time as the visible appearance of the armies of angels on the clouds, the face of an unprecedentedly beautiful man above the temple and a huge, impressive figure in the clouds. Moreover, the supernatural sign of a sword-shaped star appeared above the city of Jerusalem. Was this sword over Jerusalem the ‘sign of the Son of Man’ announced by Jesus? ‘For about the signs of the stars even in the Gospels we are taught that there were signs in the sun and the moon and the stars.’ (Pseudo Hegesippus, Book V, Section XLIV). There was physical evidence recorded that Jesus did indeed come, as He predicted would happen, in that generation. All these signs are written in symbolic language also, that readers and listeners of the day would have understood. Many of the things Jesus predicted were shadowed in Old Testament prophetic books Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah etc.
Their focus was a new covenant coming to a remnant in Israel who would follow the coming Messiah.
The First and Second coming of the Messiah scriptures are often mixed.
John 1:29- The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:35- Again, the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
The prophecies were all for the future age for the Jewish prophets and they probably did not understand the spiritual significance of the Messiah who would come to save the whole world (cosmos.)
John the Baptist was the last of the Old Prophets in the transition period.
Matt 3:1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Matt 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”
Matt 3:10 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Matt 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Salvation of the world in the new covenant was the end of physical Israel at the end of the old. All of the old covenant promises of God to physical Israel were fulfilled in Jesus in the new covenant.
2 Cor 1:19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you … Was not yes and no but is yes in Him. 20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore, also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.
Rest is the key to restoration and revelation. Start to focus on your breathing, slowing it down, and start thinking of the name of God- YHVH. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly: Yod- Breathe in. Hei breathe out. Vav-breathe in. Hei-breathe out. Invite love, joy and peace to flow in you, fill your spirit and soul, and all it to flow through you to create an atmosphere of rest around you. You are in a safe place. Start to think of an open heaven and set your desire upon it. Steps like Jacob’s ladder leading up to heaven. Hear the invitation to come up here. Shift the focus of your mind in heaven. Walk up those steps to the door. Now step through the veil into the kingdom realm. Jesus is standing in the doorway. Present yourself to Jesus, your High Priest, as a living sacrifice. Let Him take you by the hand. Ask Him to reveal restoration and the oracles of the Father’s heart. Ask Him to take you into the eternal now. Ask Him to take you to the fire stones. Jesus, please take each person and show them what they need to receive the mandate for restoration. Go wherever He takes you.