Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: Shalom, and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello.

Some of God's mysteries are meant to be understood, and others are not. In this series of messages, our Bible teacher Pastor Al Runge discusses the mysteries of the kingdom of God. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. And now, with today's message, here's Pastor Al Runge.

Al Runge: Thank you for tuning in. I am speaking on the mysteries of the kingdom of God, which the world does not understand. There's a good reason for their inability to not understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Look with me at 1st Corinthians 2:13. These things we also speak, things referring to truth, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but with the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual, but the natural man does not receive the truths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

The mysteries of the kingdom of God can only be discerned by spiritual people who are born of the spirit of God. Every one of us begins as a natural person. We're born of flesh and blood, but there is a provision of the second birth, a spiritual birth. Our Lord said to a very religious man, Nicodemus, in John 3:3, "I tell you the truth, no one can see, perceive, the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Why is the second birth a necessity? In our first birth, we are born without spiritual eyes or spiritual ears and without a spiritual mind, and that is why we need a spiritual birth so that we can perceive and understand the truths of God's Spirit. Look with me at 1st Corinthians 2:15. "But he who is spiritual judges all things of the Spirit." And that is the mysteries of God. A spiritual person can discern spiritual truth, but a natural person can't understand. Why is he unable to do it? Because he doesn't have a spiritual life.

Today I want to take you beyond the age of the church to what happens immediately after the rapture. It is the mystery of iniquity that is revealed on the earth. Look with me at 2nd Thessalonians 2:12, "For the mystery of iniquity is already at work." It has been ever since man's fall. Only he who now restrains it from being revealed will do it until he is taken out of the way.

So what is the mystery of iniquity? The mystery of iniquity is the ultimate coming of the man of lawlessness, known as the Antichrist, who will rule the world during the great tribulation time. Who is holding back the mystery of iniquity from coming to pass and being fulfilled? Who must be taken out of the way in order for the mystery of iniquity to become a reality?

The answer is the Holy Spirit. He is the hinderer. He is preventing the appearance of the Antichrist on the world scene. I used to believe that the Holy Spirit is going to be taken out of the world with the church in the rapture, which would then free Satan from any restraint. I now realize that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. Even before Noah's flood, the Holy Spirit was present in the world, striving with wicked people.

God said before the flood in Genesis 6:3, "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not always strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh, yet his days shall be 120 years.'" God wanted to avert sending the flood that destroyed all of mankind except for Noah and his family, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, but that wicked generation rejected all the strivings of God's Spirit.

Look with me at Genesis 6, verse 5. "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and every thought and intent and imagination of his heart was only evil continually." The mystery of iniquity is at work affecting the imagination of the human mind and heart even today. The Holy Spirit will never be absent from the world. He only steps aside and allows the mystery of iniquity to finally be fulfilled with the appearance of the Antichrist.

The Spirit is not taken out of the world during the great tribulation or no one could be saved, and we know from God's word that there will be tribulation saints. In Revelation 7, we see 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel, who will become the servants of our Lord Jesus, and following their ministry, there will be a multitude saved from every nation and language.

Turn with me to Revelation 7:13. Then one of the elders asked me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" And John the apostle said, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, the great one, and washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb."

Notice they come out of the great tribulation. They are tribulation saints. Many, yes many will believe even after the church is taken out of the world. The Holy Spirit simply steps aside, allows the mystery of iniquity to fulfill itself on a rebellious mankind, but he'll still be striving with individuals.

Remember, the mystery of iniquity is already at work in humanity, and as we get closer to the end, mankind will only get worse. Listen to what God's word says in 2nd Timothy 3: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying their power; and from such people turn away."

We know that this is exactly what is happening. All we have to do is read our newspapers or look at television news, and we'll see that we're getting to the end time. The Antichrist will come after the church is removed, and he'll come with great deceptive power so the whole world will accept him. Look at 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 9. "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders."

Notice: lying wonders. Satan has power, but it's not a creative power. It is not the power of truth; it is the power to destroy and to deceive. How is it possible for the world to be so deceived? Well, we're told in verse 10 of 2nd Thessalonians 2: the Antichrist comes with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.

Those who had the opportunity to receive the love of the truth but rejected it will fall totally into darkness as a divine judgment. Look at verse 11: "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they may all be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Those who refuse to believe the truth about Jesus and who have pleasure in unrighteousness will be blinded.

They will worship the seed of the serpent. The ultimate sin of the Antichrist will be that he'll go into God's temple in Jerusalem, declare himself to be God, and he'll exalt himself above every other name of any other gods. He will demand worship in the name of the serpent, his father. All who refuse to worship him will be executed.

What will be the end of the Antichrist? 2nd Thessalonians 2:8 tells us: "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming." God predicted the coming of this man of sin immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve. Listen to what God said to the serpent in Genesis 3:15. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed, the Antichrist, the seed of the serpent, and her seed, the redemptive Messiah."

By the way, this is the first prophecy of a virgin birth. "The seed of the woman shall bruise your head, or in the Hebrew, crush your head, and you shall crush his heel." This is a prophecy of the seed of the woman. And believe me when I tell you that on the cross, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent so that the serpent will never recover.

And he'll come back one day and he'll complete the work. The day is coming that the seed of the woman will return with his glory, and he'll destroy the seed of the serpent and all those who worship him. Ultimately, the Antichrist, who is also called the beast, along with the false prophet, Satan, and all those who are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be thrown in the lake of fire.

Listen to Revelation 20:10. "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." And listen to Revelation 20, verse 14: "Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, and everyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

So the second death is not eradication or annihilation of the individual but eternal torment. This condemnation can be avoided now by receiving the love of the truth that you might be saved, by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's up to you. May you make the right decision so that you will not spend eternity with the devil and the Antichrist and the false prophet. This is my prayer for you. May God deliver you from your own unwillingness to believe.

I remember one day I gave an invitation. I said, "If you're not willing, are you willing to be made willing?" and one man said yes to God, and a lady told me, "You know, God made me willing." Thank God I know Jesus as my Savior. So if you're unwilling, are you willing to be made willing by God? If so, he'll give you the love of the truth and bring you into his family and redeem you from the wrath of God to come. That is my prayer for everyone that listens, is that they may rejoice in salvation of our Savior. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Pastor Runge. We've been listening to Pastor Al Runge teach on the mysteries of the kingdom of God. If you would like to have your own copy of this series, or perhaps you'd like to share it with a friend, you'll be glad to know that it's available on convenient compact disc. Just ask for ART-24, The Mysteries of the Kingdom of God. It's available for a suggested contribution of just $6 or more. Just visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order.

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