Israel’s Tribulation is God’s Vengeance

Deu 32:41, 43; Psa 58:10; Psa 94:1; Isa 34:8; Isa 35:4; Isa 61:2; Isa 63:4; Jer 46:10; Jer 50:15, 28; Jer 51:6, 11; Mic 5:15; Nah 1:2; Luk 21:22; 2Th 1:8; Heb 10:30

“If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. … Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people.” (Deu 32:41, 43 KJV)

“The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.” (Psa 58:10 KJV)

“O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.” (Psa 94:1 KJV)

“For [it is] the day of the LORD’S vengeance, [and] the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.” (Isa 34:8 KJV)

“Say to them [that are] of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come [with] vengeance, [even] God [with] a recompence; he will come and save you.” (Isa 35:4 KJV)

“To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” (Isa 61:2 KJV)

“For the day of vengeance

[is]

in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” (Isa 63:4 KJV)

“For this [is] the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.” (Jer 46:10 KJV)

“Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it [is] the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. … The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.” (Jer 50:15, 28 KJV)

“Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this [is] the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. … Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device [is] against Babylon, to destroy it; because it [is] the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.” (Jer 51:6, 11 KJV)

“And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.” (Mic 5:15 KJV)

“God [is] jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and [is] furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [wrath] for his enemies.” (Nah 1:2 KJV)

“For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Luk 21:22 KJV)

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” (2Th 1:8 KJV)

“For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” (Heb 10:30 KJV)  

The Church by Clarence Larkin

Clarence Larkin

DISCLAIMER: Larkin does not hold to the Mid Acts Dispensational position of PMI. Some editing in [brackets].

[God is overseeing two overarching programs for reconciling both earth and heaven to Himself. The prophecy program features Israel and a coming earthly kingdom having been spoken by the mouth of the prophets since the world began (Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21) and the mystery program featuring the body of Christ and our inheritance with Christ in heaven that was hidden until Jesus revealed it to Paul (Rom. 16:25).

“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.” (Col 1:18 KJV)]

1. [The church] is not a continuation of the “Jewish Dispensation” under another name.

As we have seen in the chapter on the Jews, the Jews have been shunted to a sidetrack that the “Main Line” may be clear for the passage of the Church. Jesus said-“The Law and the Prophets are until John.” If the Scriptures put Moses and Law in one Dispensation and Christ and Grace in another let us respect the Divine order and not join together what God has put asunder.

• It is not “The Kingdom”

John the Baptist came preaching that the “Kingdom of Heaven” was “at hand” and Jesus sent out the Twelve and the Seventy to do the same, but the Jewish people rejected their King, and the setting up of the Kingdom was postponed. There cannot be any Kingdom until the “Nobleman Farmer” who has gone into a “far country” to receive the Kingdom returns. Luke 19:11-13

• It is a “Mystery”

The Kingdom was no mystery. The Old Testament prophets describe it in glowing terms. But there was something that was a Mystery” to them, and that was what was to come in between the “Sufferings and Glory” of Christ. 1Pet. 1:9-11.

That is, between the Cross and the Crown. Jesus intimated that there was to be something that He called the “Church, ” but He did not say when it should appear, or what it would be like. Matt. 16:13-15.

The “Mystery of the Church” was first revealed to Paul.

“For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of ‘The Dispensation of the Grace of God’ which is given me to you-ward; how that by revelation He made known unto me ‘THE MYSTERY’ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that THE GENTILES should be fellow heirs and of THE SAME BODY, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel….. according to the ‘Eternal Purpose’ which He purposes in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph. 3:1-3

• It is a “Called Out” Body [Assembly]

The word Church comes from the Greek word “ecclesia” which means “Assembly” or a congregation of “called out ones.”

But the word is not used exclusively as to the Church. Israel was an “ecclesia” or an Assembly of people “called out” from other peoples and nations, and is called in Acts 7:38, “The Church in the Wilderness.”

Any Assembly of worshipers banded together as a church or congregation is an “ecclesia.” Matt. 18:17; 1Cor. 14:19, 1Cor. 14:35.

While Israel is a “called out body” it is a “National Body,” composed exclusively of the descendants of Abraham, but the Church is not a “National Body” for it is [a heavenly body] not composed of the people of any one nation, but of individuals from every kindred, people, tribe and nation.

That Israel and the Church are distinct and separate and cannot be blended, is clear from the fact that their “election” was made at different dates, and that the “election” of the Church antedates the “election” of Israel, for Israel was chosen in Abraham from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34), while the Church was chosen in HIM (Jesus) BEFORE the Foundation of the World. Eph. 1:4-6

• It is the “Body of Christ”

In Eph. 1:22, 23 we read-

“And hath put all things under His feet, and gave HIM (Jesus), to be the HEAD over all things to the Church which is His BODY.”

The context shows (vs. 20), that this “Headship” was not possible until Jesus had been raised from the dead, and seated at the right hand of the Father. The Church, therefore, could not have been in existence before there was a Head, for God does not make headless things. The Church then is the Body of which Christ is the Head.

In 1Cor. 12:12, 13 we are told how this “Body” is formed.

“For as the body is one, and hath many members; and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into One Body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into ONE SPIRIT.”

From this we see that it is the “Baptism of the Spirit” that incorporates us into the “BODY OF CHRIST.”

Therefore there could be no Church until the “Day of Pentecost.” Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:1-3

• It is to be the “Bride of Christ”

At present the Church is a virgin espoused. Paul said to the Church at Corinth, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste VIRGIN to Christ.” 2Cor. 11:2.

In Christ’s day an espousal was as sacred as a marriage. The First Adam had his Bride, and the Second or Last Adam must have His Bride. In Gen. 2:18, Gen. 2:21-23, we are told how the First Adam got his Bride.

“The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and with the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made (builded) He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.”

Now Jesus during His life on the earth as a man, abode alone, but a deep sleep-the sleep of death-fell on Him, and out of His wounded side, as the result of the Atonement He made on the Cross, there came that from which the Church was formed, and to which the Holy Spirit gave life on the Day of Pentecost; so that, as Adam said of Eve-“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, ” so we can say of the Church-“We are members of His Body, of his Flesh, and of his Bones.” Eph. 5:29-31 [1]

---

[1] Adapted from Clarence Larkin’s great book, “Dispensational Truth” chapter 11 – edits in [brackets].

Bible Brief from Right Division

Dr. Mike Johnston

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Ti 2:15 KJV). This Bible Brief provides an overview of the Scriptures, rightly divided.

When “God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1), He also established two programs with ordinances to govern them (Jer. 33:25).^[1] These programs operate separately, never simultaneously.

God’s prophecy program was well known. It features Israel as God’s elect nation on earth through the seed of Abraham involving a covenant with him concerning a coming Jewish King and kingdom (2 Sam. 7:13-16) the Lord progressively unfolded through “the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:21; see Luke 1:70). ^[2]

Conversely, His mystery program was unknown until the Lord Jesus revealed it to Paul (Gal. 1:11-12). It features the church as the Body of Christ and it focuses on heaven and our inheritance there with Christ “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25).

Immediately following creation, God’s focus is on the establishment of an earthly Kingdom. God’s spoken word to Adam placed him in a beautiful Garden of bountiful blessing (Gen. 2). However, this didn’t set well with Satan who lusted for power (Isa. 14:12-14). Therefore, knowing Adam had the word of God to guide him, his only recourse was to retranslate the Word ^[3] hoping to cause some confusion and rebellion. It worked. Eve was deceived leading to Adam’s sin of eating from the only tree God had forbidden (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-7). Man fell, and Satan claimed a temporary victory as “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4).

On the heels of the fall, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden. However, Kingdom plans were not lost. Foreknowing man’s disobedience, the Lord had formulated redemption’s plan (Rev. 13:8) which involved Himself as Redeemer of man and Ruler of the Kingdom man forfeited (Gen 3:15-21; see Isa. 7:14; 9:16-17). Over time, God sent inspired messengers called prophets (Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21) to systematically reveal His plans through five Covenants made with Israel unilaterally. These Covenants – all building upon the initial Abrahamic Covenant – were paramount in guiding her, guarding her, and governing her ^[4] from the calling of Abraham on through the Davidic Kingdom (Gen. 12; Matt. 25:34; Rev. 21-22). The 5 Covenants are:

1. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15:18): God promised Abraham’s family would become a nation, in a promised land.^[5]
2. The Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 19:25): God constituted the 12 tribes into the nation of Israel giving her Laws and leaders to govern her.
3. The Land Covenant (Deut. 30:3): God promised Canaan to all of Israel in perpetuity for the Kingdom.
4. The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:16): God promised a royal seed from the tribe of Judah in the bloodline of David to rule over the earthly Kingdom.
5. The New Covenant (Jer. 31:31; see Matt. 26:28; Heb. 8:8): God provided a way for Israel to be permanently reconciled to God in the land, under the Messiah, during the earthly Kingdom located in Jerusalem where His Law would be written upon her heart. ^[6]

These 5 Covenants form a contiguous prophetic conglomerate featuring Abraham’s Covenant family, under Covenant Law, in Covenant Land, seeking the Covenant King and Kingdom (Heb. 11:8-10). However, although it was well known in an historical sense, it’s date certain was unknown until Daniel codified it into a final 490-year prophetic calendar of seventy-weeks of seven years (Dan. 9:24-27) with two vital stipulations: (1) it MUST be fulfilled by “thy people” (Israel), and (2) it MUST involve “thy holy city” (Jerusalem) (Dan. 9:24-27).

Two-thousand years ago precisely as Daniel had predicted (Dan. 9:24-27; see Matt. 26:56; see Acts 3:18-26) the incarnate God, our Lord Jesus, appeared on earth (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23) in response to the prophets to inaugurate the Davidic Covenant Kingdom (Luke 1). In that capacity, He preached “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17) to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). However, Daniel’s prophecy contained a slight hiatus that was fulfilled when Messiah was “cut off” (Dan. 9:26) and crucified, in accord with a veiled prophecy of redemption given to Adam in Genesis 3:15 and pictured in Isaiah 53.

Research experts such as former head of Scotland Yard Sir Robert Anderson have calculated Christ’s rejection by Israel occurred precisely at Daniel’s 70^th week leaving one future seven-year period (week) to be fulfilled by Israel before the Jewish Kingdom can begin. Scholars tell us this week begins when “the prince that shall come” – “that Wicked” (2 Thess. 2:3-12) aka the Antichrist (1 John 2:18) – in some manner brokers a seven-year covenant for Israel in the Middle East (Dan. 9:26-27).

Then will begin a kingdom preparatory judgment on Israel that Moses called “tribulation” (Deut. 4:30), the prophets call “the time of [Jacob’s] trouble” (Jer. 30:7; see Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15), and John the Baptist referred to as “the wrath to come” (Matt. 3:7). All and all, it is the day of Lord (Joel 2) named first by Joel, that was so firmly established for Israel’s future, the other prophets confirming Joel simply had to call it “that day” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea). Zechariah is very clear about this period: “That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,” (Zep 1:15 KJV) (see also Amos 5:18, 20; Isa. 13:9-11 ^[7]).

Jesus explained this time of wrath epoch in one of the final messages to His Jewish disciples. It’s called the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21), and it came in response to urgent pleas from Peter, ^[8] James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3) – faithful followers all standing firm on the Covenant promises for Israel’s Kingdom – begging Him to tell them when He would return to inaugurate it (Matt. 24:3; see Acts 1:6). During this briefing, the Lord revealed a series of disastrous signs – more fully revealed by John the Revelator almost 60 years later (Rev. 6-19) – preceding it: First, He linked His message to the Jewish prophet Daniel by referring to the “abomination of desolation” which occurs midway in the Tribulation (Dan. 9:24-27; Matt. 24:15). Second, He twice linked it to Moses’ maiden prophecy which serves as the first mention of a coming Tribulation for Israel (Deut. 4:30-31; Matt. 24:21, 29). Third, He completed His sermon with details of His return to earth immediately following Israel’s Tribulation to establish “the Kingdom prepared (primarily for Covenant Israel) from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).

From the creation of earth to the Kingdom on earth, this is a Bible Brief you should learn to explain.

[1] “Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant [be] not with day and night, [and if] I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;” (Jer 33:25 KJV)

[2] Except for Romans-Philemon which focus on the Body of Christ, the entire Bible is to Israel and the nations in contact with her.

[3] Modernists do this today in concerted effort to impugn God’s Word to English speaking people, the King James Bible.

[4] Study carefully the strict stipulations laid out in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

[5] References are from the Old Scofield Reference Bible, available from PMI for a gift of $34. Stamps are welcome.

[6] Notice there is no Pauline or body of Christ Covenant. All 5 of these were given to Israel specifically.

[7] “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” (Isaiah 13:9-11 KJV) “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:” (Revelation 6:16 KJV) “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 14:19 KJV)

[8] Keep in mind Peter’s mission was NOT to the mystery Body of Christ which was yet a mystery. His ministry was to Jews as the apostle to the circumcision (Gal. 2:7-9).

Bible Brief

Right Division Overview from Genesis to Revelation

Dr. Mike Johnston

When “God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1), He also established two programs with ordinances to govern them (Jer. 33:25).^[1] These programs operate separately, never simultaneously.

God’s program for earth was well known, revealed through prophecy. It features Israel as God’s elect nation on earth, promised a coming Jewish King and kingdom (2 Sam. 7:13-16) that was progressively unfolded from “the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:21; see Luke 1:70). ^[2]

Conversely, His program for the church was a mystery, unknown until the Lord Jesus revealed it to Paul (Gal. 1:11-12). It features the church as the Body of Christ and it focuses on heaven and our inheritance there with Christ “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25).

Immediately following creation, God’s focus is on the establishment of an earthly Kingdom, with instructions spoken to Adam, the heir and steward of its bounty and beauty (Gen. 2). However, Satan lusted to rule (Isa. 14:12-14) but knew he must get man to relinquish his assignment so he provided his own contradictory translation of God’s Word ^[3] which deceived Eve and caused Adam to sin by eating from the only tree God had forbidden (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-7).

Not long after, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden. However, Kingdom plans were not lost. Foreknowing man’s disobedience, the Lord had formulated redemption’s plan (Rev. 13:8) which involved Himself as Redeemer of man and Ruler of the Kingdom man forfeited (Gen 3:15-21; see Isa. 7:14; 9:16-17). Over time, God sent inspired messengers called prophets (Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21) to systematically reveal His plans through a prophecy panorama that included five Covenants made with Israel unilaterally. These Covenants – all building upon the initial Abrahamic Covenant – were paramount in guiding her, guarding her, and governing her ^[4] from the calling of Abraham on through the Davidic Kingdom (Gen. 12; Matt. 25:34; Rev. 21-22). The 5 Covenants are:

1. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15:18): God promised Abraham’s family would become a nation, in a promised land.^[5]
2. The Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 19:25): God constituted the 12 tribes into the nation of Israel giving her Laws and leaders to govern her.
3. The Land Covenant (Deut. 30:3): God promised Canaan to all of Israel in perpetuity for the Kingdom.
4. The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:16): God promised a royal seed from the tribe of Judah in the bloodline of David to rule over the earthly Kingdom.
5. The New Covenant (Jer. 31:31; see Matt. 26:28; Heb. 8:8): God provided a way for Israel to be permanently reconciled to God in the land, under the Messiah, during the earthly Kingdom located in Jerusalem where His Law would be written upon her heart. ^[6]

These 5 Covenants form a contiguous prophetic conglomerate featuring Abraham’s Covenant family, under Covenant Law, in Covenant Land, seeking the Covenant King and Kingdom (Heb. 11:8-10). However, although it was well known in an historical sense, it’s date certain was unknown until Daniel codified it into a final 490-year prophetic calendar of seventy-weeks of seven years (Dan. 9:24-27) with two vital stipulations: (1) it MUST be fulfilled by “thy people” (Israel), and (2) it MUST involve “thy holy city” (Jerusalem) (Dan. 9:24-27).

Two-thousand years ago precisely as Daniel had predicted (Dan. 9:24-27; see Matt. 26:56; see Acts 3:18-26) the incarnate God, our Lord Jesus, appeared on earth offering to inaugurate the Davidic Covenant Kingdom (Luke 1). In that capacity, He preached “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17) to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). However, Daniel’s prophecy contained a slight hiatus that was fulfilled when Messiah was “cut off” (Dan. 9:26) and crucified, in accord with a veiled prophecy of redemption given to Adam in Genesis 3:15 and pictured in Isaiah 53. Research experts such as former head of Scotland Yard Sir Robert Anderson have calculated Christ’s rejection by Israel occurred precisely at Daniel’s 70^th week leaving one future seven-year period (week) to be fulfilled by Israel before the Jewish Kingdom can begin. Scholars tell us this week begins when “the prince that shall come” – in some manner – brokers a seven-year covenant for Israel in the Middle East (Dan. 9:26-27). Then will begin a kingdom preparatory judgment on Israel the prophets call “the time of [Jacob’s] trouble” (Jer. 30:7; see Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15). Joel was the first to name it the day of Lord (Joel 2; Isa. 2:21;), followed by other prophets – some simply calling it “that day” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, etc) who warned it would be a time of darkness (Amos 5:18, 20), wrath, and trouble (Zeph. 1:15; Isa. 13:9-11^[7]). This catastrophic period was outlined by Jesus from the Mount of Olives (Matt. 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21), in a sermon that came in response to urgent questions from Peter, ^[8] James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3) regarding the timing of His return to instate the Davidic Kingdom (Matt. 24:3; see Acts 1:6) promised, presented, and yet rejected out of hand by Israel’s leaders.

During the Olivet Discourse, the Lord Jesus outlined a bevy of disastrous signs related to Israel and her prophets. First, He linked His message to the Jewish prophet Daniel by referring to the “abomination of desolation” which Daniel placed about midway in the Tribulation (Dan. 9:24-27; Matt. 24:15). Second, He linked it to Moses’ maiden prophecy which serves as the first mention of a coming Tribulation (Deut. 4:30-31) by using that very term twice (Matt. 24:21, 29). Third, He completed His sermon with details of His return to earth immediately following the Tribulation to establish the Kingdom. As a testament to Biblical continuity, this same epoch period was called Tribulation by John (Rev. 7:14) who described it in detail, from its commencement in Revelation 6 through to its conclusion in Revelation 19 at the return of the Lord Jesus as Messiah to Jerusalem, Israel to install the long awaited Davidic Kingdom in fulfillment of the 5 well known Covenants concerning God’s program for earth and Israel that the four disciples knew about and had initially inquired about, that had been “spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:21; see Matt. 25:31-46).

[1] “Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant [be] not with day and night, [and if] I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;” (Jer 33:25 KJV)

[2] Except for Romans-Philemon which focus on the Body of Christ, the entire Bible is to Israel and the nations in contact with her.

[3] Modernists do this today in concerted effort to impugn God’s Word to English speaking people, the King James Bible.

[4] Study carefully the strict stipulations laid out in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

[5] References are from the Old Scofield Reference Bible, available from PMI for a gift of $34. Stamps are welcome.

[6] Notice there is no Pauline or body of Christ Covenant. All 5 of these were given to Israel specifically.

[7] “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” (Isaiah 13:9-11 KJV) “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:” (Revelation 6:16 KJV) “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 14:19 KJV)

[8] Keep in mind Peter’s mission was NOT to the mystery Body of Christ which was yet a mystery. His ministry was to Jews as the apostle to the circumcision (Gal. 2:7-9).

The Sabbath Belongs to the Hebrews

Dr. J. Vernon McGee

THE SABBATH DAY OR THE LORD’S DAY — WHICH?

 

One man esteemeth one day above another;
another esteemeth every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in
his own mind. (Romans 14:5)

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore, the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.(Exodus 20:8-11)

The Sabbath day is Saturday. It is the seventh day of the week according to our calendar. Furthermore, the Sabbath day has never been changed to Sunday.

The present-day controversy over which day of the week Christians should observe hinges upon a false premise, which resulted in a warped and distorted viewpoint of the real meaning of the Sabbath day as found in the Word of God. Many Christians have a woeful misconception of why the church has always observed the first day of the week. Nothing but abysmal ignorance has permitted the protagonists of the Sabbath day to traffic in their legalistic system.

The question, “When was the Sabbath changed to Sunday?” is like the old chestnut asked of the man who was very much a Mr. Milquetoast: “Do you still beat your wife?” You cannot answer that question without getting into a peck of trouble. If you say, “Yes,” you are wrong. If you say, “No,” you are wrong, and you are immediately in difficulty. For the same reason, “When was the Sabbath day changed to Sunday?” is one of those questions that cannot be answered in a word or two since it is based upon a false premise. I am going to ask that you think with me as I deal with this subject, for I believe this to be one of the most important of the commandments, and it is essential that we understand what it means.

The Ten Commandments are given first in Exodus 20. They are repeated in Deuteronomy 5, but it is interesting to note that in no instance is this a repetition of the Law — it is rather an interpretation of the Law in the lives of the people and nation after forty years of experience with it in the wilderness. Therefore, all the commandments that we find given in Deuteronomy are identical to those given in Exodus with one exception: The fourth commandment, the one that has to do with the Sabbath day. Thereby hangs a tale, and this is something our legalistic friends never call to our attention.

Continue reading: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mcgee_j_vernon/eBooks/sabbath-day-or-the-lords-day-which.cfm