The Church Age

TEXT:

‘He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”’ (Acts 1:7-8 NLT)

THOUGHT:

The Book of Daniel is full of amazing prophecies about world superpowers and the end of everyday living as we know it.

In interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s ¹ and subsequently his own dreams, God showed Daniel four great world powers that would succeed each other.

First was the Babylonian empire that Daniel was a part of, having been taken captive from Jerusalem. Then the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon. Daniel not only survived the overthrow, but prospered and was promoted into a three man team of governors overseeing one hundred and twenty satraps who were responsible for areas of the whole kingdom. Although he was so prominent, he was persecuted because of his integrity, and spent a night in the lion’s den. God kept him safe because there was no fault in him or his work.

The Grecian Empire was the next to follow, conquering the Medo-Persians in 330 BC. God showed Daniel that it would be broken up into four parts. This is exactly what happened after Alexander the Great’s death. The kingdom was divided up between his four generals. Their allocation would be known today as Greece, Turkey, Syria and Egypt.

The fourth great world power was the Roman Empire. It conquered Greece in 146 BC. It was not named in Daniel’s vision but it was known for its brutality and ruthlessness. Daniel’s prophecy described this kingdom as iron, surely an apt description.

Some wrongly think the Bible was written in the light of known history, but the Old Testament as we know it was completed probably around 300, BC long before Greece was conquered by Rome. It was this kingdom that was in power when Jesus Christ was born.

Jesus, when warning His disciples about what would happen in the end-times, made reference to Daniel’s prophecy. ‘Be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up in the Temple sanctuary. The prophet Daniel described this. If you’ve read Daniel, you’ll know what I’m talking about’ (Matthew 24:15 MG). The significance of this comment was not lost on His disciples, because they asked Him after His resurrection, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?’ (Acts 1:6 NLT). They knew Daniel’s prophecies, particularly about the fourth kingdom, Rome.

Far from it being time for the end of the world and establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, ⁴ Jesus said, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know’ (Acts 1:7 NLT). God inserted another age into world history, the age of the church which has continued for nearly 2000 years since AD 33.

Many of the Old Testament prophets had no clear revelation about the Gentiles (anyone who is not a Jew), being included in God’s Kingdom. Jeremiah prophesied the return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem after a seventy year exile ⁵ and of Israel becoming a nation again in its own right. The former occurred when Cyrus, a Medo-Persian king allowed the Jews to return, stating God had commanded him to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah prophesied his name years before he was even born. ⁶

The latter happened in 1948. The British control of Palestine came to an end and the land was divided into two sections, Arab and Israeli. On May 14th, the existence of the state of Israel was declared by David Ben-Gurion, who became its first Prime Minister. The Jews had occupied the Promised Land for centuries, although a much smaller area than what they were first given through the leadership of Moses and Joshua. Since falling to the Babylonian army, the Jews were always under some occupying nation’s control, but in 1948 they became a sovereign nation in their own right and have continued to be one ever since. This is despite several wars with neighbouring Arab countries that threatened their very existence.

What is there left to happen before God sets up His kingdom on earth? The Bible clearly shows two major events still to take place.

• The removal or snatching away of those who believe in Christ

I believe in the rapture, when Jesus returns in the air for His church. ‘For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have diedwill rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT). As this can take place at any time, we need to be ready, watching and waiting.

• The reign of the Anti-Christ and God’s final judgment

This event is called the Great Tribulation and covers a seven year period. The Anti-Christ deceives the Jews into thinking he is the Messiah and for three and a half years give them every reason to believe that, through miraculous signs and wonders. When he insists that an idol be set up in the temple to be worshipped, the Jews then realise they have been deceived. What follows is an intense persecution, called Jacob’s Trouble, while God’s judgment is poured out on the unbelievers, during the rest of the seven year period. This period culminates with the overthrow of Satan and the Anti-Christ by the literal return of Jesus to the earth, and the establishing of His millennial kingdom. You can find out more details about the end-time scene by reading the Book of Revelation.

How close we are to these next two events taking place is impossible to say. When pressed by His disciples about dates, Jesus replied, “No one knows!” What we do know is there will be a generation that will see these prophecies fulfilled and it could well be ours. The Lockdown imposed because of Covid-19 has shown how quickly governments throughout the world took control over its citizens. It will happen again when the Anti-Christ is in charge. Then it will be impossible to even buy food without some form of identification. Scripture calls it the mark of the beast. ⁷ It is important we do not make light of Biblical prophecy which will come to pass regardless of what we think.

What did Jesus tell His disciples to do once they had been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? To go everywhere in the world and preach the good news of the gospel. What are people to do in response to such preaching? Believe the good news, repent of their sin and receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. Then and only then will they be ready for what is coming next to our world!

Endnotes:

¹ Daniel 2:36-45

² Daniel 7:1-27

³ Daniel 8:20-22

⁴ Daniel 2:44, 7:13-14

⁵ Jeremiah 29:10

⁶ Isaiah 44:28, 45:1

⁷ Revelation 13:16-17