Are we living in the end times? By Ron Knight

Do the things that we see going on today in the Middle East have ANYTHING to do with the “End Times of God’s Prophetic Program” in the bible?

In order to understand the things that are going on in our world today, we MUST go to God’s Word, the Holy Bible. In order to get understanding from the bible we must consider what the Apostle Paul says, because God Himself sent him to us to for that purpose…2 Timothy 2:7...1 Corinthians 14:37...Romans 11:13...Acts 9:1-15. Therefore, when we study God’s Word about the things that are going on in the world today, we MUST study it in light of what Paul writes in his 13 letters, Romans thru Philemon. When we do this, we obey God’s command to us to “rightly divide” His Word of truth…2 Timothy 2:15.

Rightly dividing God’s Word of truth simply means separating God’s truth to us, the Church, the Body of Christ, found in Paul’s 13 letters, from the rest of the bible. In the other 53 books of the bible God speaks to and about His people Israel. Paul teaches us that God has TWO separate, different, and distinct programs called “Prophecy” to the Nation of Israel, and “Mystery” to the Body of Christ.

God’s program of prophecy has to do with information that He has made known to Israel “thru all His holy prophets since the world began”…Luke 1:70...Acts 3:19-21...24.…2 Peter 1:21.…Revelation 1:3. This body of information/doctrine has to do with God’s plan for the EARTH. God’s ultimate plan for this earth is to rule and reign in a kingdom thru His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, and His holy nation of Israel….Daniel 2:44...7:18-27...Matthew 19:28! That is the summation of the 53 books of the bible that make up prophecy. In that program, God manipulates the kingdoms of this world, and sets the stage thru PROPHESIED events in order to bring His plan to fruition…Daniel 4:17...25...32. This includes bringing other nations against Israel in His wrath against their unbelief and breaking their Law covenant with Him…Ezekiel 28:7...Micah 4:11. The Lord Jesus also said that in the “last days” of prophecy there would be wars, and rumours of wars, and distress among the nations as well…Matthew 24:6...Luke 21:25.

In Daniel chapter 9, God gives Israel a “time schedule” of His dealings with them….up to the time of His wrath, and bringing in His kingdom….Dan 9:23-27. God tells then that 70 weeks of years (490 years) is all that is left to accomplish with them to bring Messiah and His kingdom. By the time of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, 483 years were accomplished…Daniel 9:26. The LAST week, or 7 years was about to be accomplished during the early Acts period, but in Acts chapter 9, God, in response to Israel’s rejection of their King (The Lord Jesus Christ), and His kingdom, put ALL of that program on hold, and ushered in a NEW program of Gentile Grace…Romans 11:25.

Paul says that we today live in a time period called the Dispensation of God’s Mystery….Col 1:25-26. It is an age of Gentile Grace that God did not make known to mankind, but kept secret, hid in Himself, until he revealed it to and thru our Apostle Paul…Ephesians 3:1-4...Romans 16:25. The information that is to be obeyed in this dispensation/age of Gentile Grace, has to do with God’s Heavenly program and people, the Church, the Body of Christ. ALL the wars/devastation/destruction that take place during this time period relate to what Paul calls the “the bondage of corruption”, which are the affects of a sin cursed world controlled by sinful man, all under the rule and dominion of the “god of this world” Satan…Romans 8:22-23...2 Corinthians 4:4. The wars and rumours of war today are NOT prophetic, but are the results of man’s sinfulness and his rejecting of Christ! God is “allowing” all this evil today because He is operating with mankind on a basis of “grace and peace” today, and NOT according to the “judgment and war” of His prophetic program with the Nation of Israel.

Today, Our Apostle Paul says that God is NOT manipulating the events of our world in preparation of His wrath, or for His earthly kingdom, like He did in time past, and will do in the ages to come. Paul says that we are not to be concerned with Israel’s prophetic “times and season”, but to know that they do not affect us…1 Thessalonians 5:1. No, today, in the Dispensation of the Mystery, God has put a stop to His prophetic clock with the Nation of Israel, and working a new and different program! Today God is NOT trying to set up a kingdom here on the earth, but is preparing a HEAVENLY people (the body of Christ), for a heavenly kingdom that He has created us for…Phil 3:20-21.

Today, in the Dispensation of the Mystery, the things that we see going on in the Middle East are NOT part of God’s prophetic program! After the Rapture of the Church, the body of Christ, God will again begin His prophetic clock and have all the events of the world accomplish His purpose to pour our His wrath, and then establish His kingdom.