1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart
from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared
with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from
foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and
nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it
is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the
good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane
and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For
bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all
things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to
come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
10 For
to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the
living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who
believe. 11 These things command and teach. (1Timothy 4:1-11 NKJV)
A lot of people look at 1Timothy 4 as a license to eat absolutely
anything that they want. Others rightfully take the passage to simply
mean that they can eat anything that’s sanctified by the Word of God and
prayer. But then when they consider eating in line with the Scriptures,
they’re all too ready to mix the Old Testament Law with the New
Testament Covenants of grace, mercy, and peace. If we were living either
in "Cartoon world" or on a game show, then I’d love to be the one that
would sound the annoying buzzer while having the large red "X" enclosed
in a red box just appear in front of everybody’s eyes to indicate that
that was the wrong answer. The Old Testament was a Covenant of blessings
to the few at the expense of all others, until the time would come when
the New Covenant would come along and offer blessings to all.
Incidentally, contextually, and context is everything: the "bodily
exercise" reference in this 1Timothy 4 passage isn’t referring to
jumping on your Total Gym or your Bow Flex before you go to work in the
morning. Verse 7 says to "reject profane and old wives’ fables, and
exercise yourself toward godliness." That’s spiritual exercise. By
contrast within this passage, he’s talking about the issues of marriage
and of foregoing eating certain things when he says that that’ll profit
a little for this life if you’ll exercise self-control and abstain in
those areas. But spiritual exercise, or exercising yourself towards
godliness has promise for this life and for the one to come. Bodily
exercise in abstaining from certain foods, like potatoes which can make
you fat, or in abstaining from marriage can help you reach your health,
weight, and other personal goals because you’ve minimized your
distractions in this life and can more fully pursue the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). But if you stop at worrying about
what people are eating with no regards for God’s covenantal purposes,
then you’ve fallen far short of where you ought to be. This is what
distinguishes my message from that of typical veganism in that I’m not
coming at you with a message of minimizing suffering through intelligent
choices, although this [definitely] includes that and would lead to
that. I’m talking to you about God’s covenantal purposes where animals
are concerned.
I’m talking about purposes of divine grace that are beyond God’s call
and election for Israel and for the Church. I’m talking about the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a rather unique area of the Creation
that you probably never heard about in Sunday School when you were a
child. Some would ask that if it’s wrong to eat animals, then why did
God ever allow the eating of animals to start with? That’s sort of like
asking why God allowed the sufferings of Job in the Old Testament when
he was the seed of Abraham (Genesis 46:13).
Do you remember the situation with Job with how it was his own demonic
fears that came upon him (Job 3:25-26)? People were not allowed to eat
animals because of the devastated vegetation after Noah’s flood. That is
a total misnomer. We’re talking about the God Who is able to raise up
descendants for Abraham out of rocks, according to John the Baptist
(Matthew 3:9). And we’re also talking about the God Who grew a really
large plant for Jonah either instantly, or in a few minutes to give him
shade (Jonah 4:6). Again, do you remember the situation with Job with
how it was his own fears that came upon him (Job 3:25-26)? Did you ever
notice that it was after the fearfulness of each of the animals was
mentioned in Genesis chapter 9, verse 2 that God [essentially] said to
man, "behold, they’re in your power, but don’t touch their blood!"?
2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of
the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the
earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they
delivered.
3Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green
herb have I given you all things.
4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye
not eat. (Genesis 9:2-4 KJV)
So, grab your Bibles and make note of everything that the Bible says
about fear and just remember that the same spiritual laws that apply to
human beings also apply to animals! Particularly grab your Bible and
Concordance and make these notes if your Church background hasn’t
included a steady diet of the Word of Faith message to where you’re not
as aware as a lot of Charismatics would be of the destructive nature of
fear and how it ties you to Satan and to death. And that passage in
Genesis, again, is Genesis 9:2-3, 4. Wipe your minds of any
considerations of God having allowed mankind to eat animals because of
devastated vegetation. That’s not why that happened at all. I have a
feeling that Noah’s flood was far noisier than any of us have yet ever
considered and that when the animals left the ark that they were
emotionally a terrified wreck to where it affected their genes! They
heard people screaming to be allowed onto the ark and they saw Noah, at
God’s instruction, have to turn a deaf ear to the suffering outside of
the ark from both human beings and animal-kind.
The fear of animals is what gave them over to the destruction of their
flesh into the hands of religious and secular mankind. Their fear served
them as a self-fulfilling prophecy. God didn’t purpose it. But once that
door was opened, animals have been a prey ever since. And,
unfortunately, there were no intercessors aware of the problem and the
nature of the problem. And there was no one diligent enough in their
relationship with the Lord to turn the tide and bring deliverance and
restoration from those fears. Consequently, age after age passed until
the Lord had to start giving Scriptural reminders that all things don’t
continue as they were from the foundation of the world (2Peter 3:3-7),
but things have wandered away from His original purposes [severely]
where all life is concerned (Genesis 1:29-30). It’s not His purpose that
things should remain as they are on any level whatsoever (Isaiah
11:1-9). And we’re the ones who’ve been entrusted with the full armor of
God and the anointings of the Lord as the dispensers of the full
knowledge of the glory of the Lord in the earth. If people or animals
get eaten then it’s 100% the fault of the Church and it isn’t "just one
of those things!"
Let’s look at a part of the New Testament’s commentary on the Mosaic Law
and it’s comparison of the Mosaic Law with the Law of the Spirit of Life
in Christ Jesus. Turn with me to 2Corinthians chapter 3:
4And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the
letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life.
7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the
face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be
done away:
8How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by
reason of the glory that excelleth.
11For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of
Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same
vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is
done away in Christ.
15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their
heart.
16Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken
away.
17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.
18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord. (2Corinthians 3:4-18 KJV)
2Corinthians chapter 3 talks about how the Old Testament Law, though
having a measure of glory about it, isn’t as glorious as the New
Testament "Law." 2Corinthians chapter 3 says that the Old Testament Law
only offered a ministry of condemnation. Then how can we look to it for
perfect lessons on grace? Though Paul said that the things that were
previously written were written for the benefit of those of us that the
ends of the ages have overtaken (1Corinthians 10:11), it doesn’t follow
that we need to follow every element of cruelty that the Old Testament
Law introduced in the absence of the perfectly redeeming Blood of Jesus
Christ and the Covenant Life that God has given for us to have [life]
within ourselves in this age. The curses aren’t ours under the Law of
grace, but the blessings are ours to minister to absolutely all of the
families of the earth. And Jeremiah 31:27-28 lets us know that we’d
better not count out the animals in our count of the families of the
earth!
Under the Mosaic Law dispensation, both men and animals were bound by
the Mosaic Law. If Christ has redeemed us as human beings from the curse
of the law (Galatians 3:13-14), has Christ left animals under bondage to
the law? This is a very important question to consider because it
strikes to the heart of both sides of this issue. If Christ has left
animals under bondage to the Mosaic Law, then they owe you their flesh
and bodily fluids for your consumption – provided that they’re the
particularly clean races of animals that we’re supposedly allowed to eat
(if we’re under the Law). I don’t believe for a minute that Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13-14) while at the
same time having left animals under the curse of the Law. There’s
nothing in the whole New Testament to indicate that. And there are quite
a few things that specifically specify otherwise. There is absolutely no
basis for continuing to consume animal derived products for anyone who
believes that they’re redeemed from the old Adamic race that fell in the
Garden of Eden.
21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage
of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans
8:21 KJV)
Romans chapter 8, verse 21 says that the animals are to enter into the
liberties of the children of God. We can’t facilitate those liberties
while at the same time we’re eating the animals. When the end of the
previous world was drawing near, animals were only rescued by 2s and 7s.
St. Peter seems to indicate that that was what I would call "an
antimatter reality" to our world, or a silhouette of contrasts with what
we’re to expect for the future. So, by the end of this world, we should
not expect more than 2s and 7s of the animal kingdoms to get killed in
the process of our transition to the New Earth! Obviously, that would be
of what animals remained until then that haven’t already gone extinct.
But I do believe that there is a future age in which all of these
animals are raised from the dead and inhabit the New Earth and perhaps
other worlds.
The vision in Isaiah 40:11 of Jesus in His High Priestly ministry caring
for animals may perhaps offer the hope that we won’t have to wait for
thousands of years until Christ delivers up the Kingdom to the Father,
according to 1Corinthians 15:28 before we see resurrection life being
exercised in the behalf of the animals that have died and of those that
have gone extinct. The raising of animal life from the dead and allowing
it to achieve it’s zenith in Him may be within the power of His High
Priestly ministry [for our age] because of the continual language in
Scripture from cover to cover describing Him as a Shepherd.
Jesus is our Shepherd in the New Covenant. He’s a Shepherd from the
perspective of being the seed of David. And He’s a Shepherd to animals
according to Isaiah 40:11. It’s interesting how Isaiah 63:14-16 says
that they’re given rest through the Holy Spirit. Christ’s specific and
direct Personal activities in the behalf of animals are within the
framework of His High Priestly ministry. And as always, His High
Priestly activities are only carried out as those of us who have the
full armor of God mentioned in Isaiah 11 and Ephesians 6 are pursuing
His covenant purposes in the behalf of the Creation around us by
exercising our own royal priesthood.
Jeremiah 31:27-28 is a covenant provision made for these ends. This is
not just so that we’d be so bonded to animals that the reasons would
become abundantly self-evident for not harming them. This is also so
that the Lord would be obligated towards them, in His High Priestly
Office, because He did sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah
with their "seed," according to Jeremiah 31:27-28. Again, as always,
whatever the Lord does, He always does it through a covenantal framework
in Scripture. And most believers, as of when I’m writing this, have not
yet had their eyes opened to this particular Hosea 2:18; Jeremiah
31:27-28 covenant that I’m speaking of.
In Isaiah 11 and Hosea 2 it mentions the animals being at peace with one
another [because of my preaching] and then the nations being gathered to
Christ and Israel being restored, as it was when He brought them out of
Egypt. This tells me that this whole thing with both the animals and the
restoration of Israel to Christ is a fulfillment of an upcoming Passover
or two – though not necessarily in back-to-back years. Of course, I
don’t mean to imply that all of this will come about through my
preaching alone, but I do believe that preaching is involved in
inheriting that altered state of reality outlined for us in Isaiah
chapter 11 and Hosea chapter 2. I used to think that Isaiah chapter 11
was vague and not very detailed, but I’ve been in a season, recently,
when the Holy Spirit has been correcting my understanding of it.
As you comb over the details of Isaiah chapter 11, it very definitely
brings up the preaching anointings in that passage. It also talks about
the full armor of God as being worn by the segment of the Body of Christ
that catches the vision of the implications to the entire Creation of
what a fully matured Gospel ministry means in this earth, per Ephesians
4, Mark 4, and Isaiah 11. Incidentally, for those of you who’ve wondered
about a "7-fold Spirit of God" or "7 Spirits of God" that are mentioned
in the book of Revelation, this Isaiah 11 passage gives you the
explanation:
Spirit of the Lord (or Lordship);
Spirit of Wisdom;
Spirit of Understanding;
Spirit of Counsel;
Spirit of Strength;
Spirit of Knowledge;
Spirit of the Fear (or Worship) of the Lord
That they’re Named here would seem to make one to wonder if this passage
is an understood subject of the book of Revelation, even if it didn’t
spell out for you absolutely all of the consequences of each of it’s
judgments.
I’ve never previously been a teacher on all of the various forms of
typology in the Scriptures, so you’ll have to bare with this first creud
attempt at teaching where I’m attempting to demonstrate types, shadows,
and antitypes in the Scriptures. But the Lord has shown me something in
relation to providing a third Scriptural witness to the general timing
of when we could expect the Hosea 2:18 covenant to begin baring fruit in
the earth. And with this additional 5 or 6 passages of Scripture that
I’ll be talking about, referencing or just mentioning, it would raise
the number of witnesses in the Scripture that I’m able to cite in
seeking the timing of fruitfulness for this Hosea 2:18 covenant to 7 or
8 passages when combined with the passage in Mark chapter 5 and Isaiah
chapter 30 that I’ve previously cited in providing a general time-frame
for when this Hosea 2:18 covenant came online from the Hand of the Lord
as an upgrade to the programming of the New Covenant in the Blood of
Jesus Christ for our lives.
The number 40 seems irrevocably linked with animals in the Scriptures.
During what we tend to call "Noah’s Flood," it rained for 40 days and
nights according to Genesis 7:12. During the time that Moses was given
the Law, he fasted 40 days and nights. And it was during the giving of
the Law that the animals were bound to the sacrificial system of the
young Israelite nation. Moses had to deal with the golden calf situation
shortly afterwards. Those of you that have seen the Ten Commandments
movie with Charleton Heston already know the story without my
elaborating further. When the idolatrous situation was dealt with, Moses
wound up extending his fast up to 80 days in total as he wound up
re-writing the Law of God for the young Israelite nation.
I don’t want to spend any time at this point trying to explain the
animal sacrificial system that was pretty near the heart of the Mosaic
Law. I believe that I’ve previously dealt with it briefly and that’ll
have to do for now. I’m sure the Scriptures contain a fuller explanation
than I can give at the present for why the animals were used as a sort
of credit card system with regards to the sins of the people until the
actual payment of Jesus Christ would come into the earth to deal with
the sin problem and free every creature from it’s fallen past.
In 1Samuel 17 it says that Goliath had harassed the heirs of the Mosaic
covenant for 40 days before David came along and killed him. David
promised the flesh of the Philistine Army to the birds of the air and
the beasts of the field. (The flesh of a Goliath will always belong to
the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.) Later, the prophet
Elijah is fed by ravens for a time period. He’s the only person in the
Old Testament, that I’m aware of, that was supernaturally catered to by
animals in such a way. And he wound up doing a 40-day fast which renewed
his youth as the eagle’s right before he was caught up into the heavens
as an eagle and taken into heaven by the angel of the Lord. So again, we
notice the number 40 associated either directly or indirectly with
someone who was in some relation to an animal in the Scriptures.
Lastly, Jesus fasted for 40 days as He was both preparing Himself for
full-time ministry and as He was taking to Himself the whole sacrificial
system that was to find it’s fulfillment in Him rather than in the flesh
and blood of animals. And Jesus is pictured in Isaiah chapter 40 as
ministering to animals while He’s at the right hand of God and operating
in His High Priestly ministry in the behalf of Christians. Evidently,
we’re supposed to be remembering animals in our priestly duties as
Christians. 1Peter says that all Christians are a royal priesthood, so
this isn’t in reference to either your place of employment and source of
income or your particular denomination or type of Church or whatever. If
you’ve embraced the Lordship of Jesus Christ then you are a king and a
priest before God, whether you’re in active public ministry or not.
I want to make a special note of approximately when Jesus did His 40-day
fast. Your best scholars have placed the crucifixion of Jesus at 32A.D.
based on extra-biblical sources that give them a date for the particular
Passover year when it became totally dark outside, as we’re told
happened in the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion story. If Jesus’
ministry was around three and a half years as both tradition and many
scholars insist, then this would place Jesus’ fast as having been around
28A.D.
I personally believe that these references to the number "40" in
relation to the animals aren’t without significance. But what can they
mean, some would ask? Obviously, nothing happened by 68A.D. to have
ended all of the senseless slaughter of animals, other than Christ
having paid for that ultimate reality at the same time as He paid for
everything else in His self-sacrificial work in 32A.D. I personally
believe that the Bible is indicating for us that from the day that Jesus
concluded His 40-day fast that it would be roughly 40 Jubilees before
we’d see the fullness of the Hosea 2:18 covenant start to enter into the
picture. A Jubilee in ancient Israel was a special year that only
happened every 50 years and during that time period debts were canceled
and liberty was to be proclaimed throughout the land. And yes, in the
laws of Release and of Jubilee in Leviticus chapter 25 there is a
passing reference to not forgetting to be kind to animals in the 7th
verse. However, there’s no doctrinal or other form of commentary given
in the immediate context to explain it’s [immediate or prophetic]
significance in the passage.
In saying what I’m saying, I’m not meaning to imply by any stretch, lest
I be laughed at by scholars that’ll see this – I don’t mean to imply
that 28A.D. was in any way a Jubilee that can be verified in the
Rabbinical literature. I’m saying that Jesus is our Jubilee and that as
He taught us to expect our Father to reward us openly regarding our
fasting, that perhaps the miracles in the 4-Gospels aren’t the extent of
Christ’s reward for His extended fast. Perhaps He was given more control
over certain aspects of time in the purposes of God than we’d previously
considered. Might the "rapture" have been sidestepped in 1988 and 1989
and in 1993 and in all of the other years that people were expecting it,
not necessarily because anyone who took that leap of faith was
automatically wrong in their assertion, though they likely were? Is
there the slightest chance that what is said of the Old Testament heroes
of the faith in Hebrews 11:39-40 might have happened to our generation
as well? Could God have decided to reach for something bigger and
grander and more excellent than merely the completion of the Body of
Christ?
39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received
not the promise:
40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40 KJV)
So, if a Jubilee is every 50th year in the Scriptures and I’m counting
40 Jubilees from 28A.D., then I’m essentially saying that the Scriptures
are indicating to me that by 2028A.D. that we should see a tremendous
amount of liberty worked out in the behalf of animals in our society
that’s rooted, spiritually, in this Hosea 2:18 covenant. I’ve previously
taught that Isaiah chapter 30 has a passage that seems to strongly
indicate that the New Covenant was amended with this Hosea 2:18;
Jeremiah 31:27-28 covenant on September 11th of 2001 "in the day of the
great slaughter, when the towers fell." And in teaching this Hosea 2:18
covenant, I’d previously drawn attention to the number 2000 being
associated with the pigs that ran into the water, that I likened to
baptismal waters, when the demoniac was set free in Mark chapter 5. So,
I believe that this gives us, roughly, a 27 or 28 year time period
within which to very diligently fast and to pray many times throughout
each day looking to our heavenly Father for a prophetic fulfillment
along these lines. We should behave as Daniel did in the Old Testament
for God to fulfill His promises in the behalf of the heirs of the
covenant in his day. We can expect for an enormous amount of miracles in
the behalf of animals to take place within this season.
Some have wondered if Daniel was a vegetarian because of the 1st chapter
of the book of Daniel. Whatever may have been involved with that, it was
more likely a partial fast of some type because then in the 10th chapter
of Daniel we’re told that during his 3-week partial fast, in that
instance, that he didn’t consume any flesh, which would indicate to me
that otherwise he would. As a kosher Jew, he wouldn’t have said that he
was abstaining from crabs, pigs, and shellfish for three weeks because
even when he wasn’t on a 3-week partial fast those ceremonially unclean
animals were never a part of his normal diet. But that he made a special
point of emphasizing that he didn’t eat any animal flesh during his
3-week partial fast would indicate to me that he was normally in the
habit of eating some type of meat. Whether it was livestock and fish
that were regarded as religiously clean in the Mosaic Law or some other
type of meat that was allowed by the Mosaic Law at the time, (because of
the hardness of the human heart,) we’re not privy to those details. But
it’s very likely that Daniel wasn’t any type of vegetarian. In having
said that we should emulate Daniel in looking to God to fulfill His
promises to our present day where animals are concerned, I’m certainly
not calling attention to Daniel’s diet. I’m pointing to his fervency in
prayer until he received a clear answer from God regarding the issues at
hand in his day.
Remember when I said that Moses fasted 80 days, total, before they had a
copy of the Law that they were going to hang on to for the balance of
that age? 2028A.D. just so happens to be the 80th anniversary of the
re-establishment of the nation of Israel. And Jeremiah 31:27-28 says
that, spiritually speaking, it was in the House of Israel and of Judah
that the Lord would be sowing the beasts of the earth with the intent of
no longer doing them any harm, but of at long last building and planting
their lives. And Jeremiah 31 goes further to say, after it’s outlined
the New Covenant, that if these ordinances can be done away with, then
the House of Israel will cease to be a nation before the Lord forever.
Now, listen to me clearly on this and don’t misunderstand and slander
me. I am not saying that Jesus will come back by then. And I am not
saying that no one will have any pets any more after 2028A.D. I’m not
saying that at all. And I’m not saying that animals will automatically
totally cease to die under either mysterious or sinister circumstances
on that date. I’m saying that this is the season of the Lord’s favor in
the behalf of animals and that if we’ll take this open door that the
Lord promised us in the book of Revelation (very carefully compare:
Revelation 3:8 with Daniel 7:21-22 with Revelation 19:11), then we can
inherit the Isaiah chapter 11 scenario when animals no longer harm one
another, no longer harm us, and when people are no longer harming
animals. Isaiah 11 indicates that this takes place prior to the
conversion of Israel. I’ve recently been musing as to whether or not
this is the particular aspect of the New Covenant that St. Paul was
hinting at that was supposed to make Israel envious in such a way as to
lead to their ultimate restoration to Christ in Romans 11. Even in the
book of Hosea, we find this "Animal Gospel" spelled out early in the
book, while the restoration of the tribe of Ephraim doesn’t happen until
the last chapter of Hosea.
My personal curiosity [that I don’t want to be dogmatic about] as to
whether or not Paul was hinting at this very thing in his comments about
the final restoration of Israel to Christ as perhaps being from the envy
kindled through this Hosea 2:18 covenant having an expanding prophetic
fulfillment with signs and wonders following is because of Paul’s
allusion to this very text in Hosea in the 8th and 9th chapters of
Romans, as I’ve previously mentioned elsewhere in talking about this
covenant.
I'm more convinced than ever that we're the generation that'll see the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, per Daniel chapter 9 and
everlasting righteousness brought in for all. In saying all that I’ve
said thus far in this article, I’m not saying that if nothing more
happens by 2028A.D. that this Hosea 2:18 covenant is in any way
invalidated. And I’m not seeking to set dates for any particular aspects
of it’s fulfillment. Neither am I in any way saying that nothing could
be expected either before or beyond that date. Things could continue to
progress until 2012A.D. and then nothing further happen in the behalf of
animals until the following century. I pray that that’s not how things
work out, but I’m simply illustrating the fact that I’m not setting
dates nor seeking to limit the dispensation of the promises of God
towards animals. It’s merely been my hope to demonstrate from the
Scriptures in multiple ways a general season for when we could expect
for the Lord to begin prioritizing more than human life as He’d express
towards us the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us.
The 2028A.D. date is speculative on my part, as to it’s particular
significance. And it’s an interesting coincidence that it would just
happen to overlap with the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Israel
as a nation in the light of all that I’ve pointed out regarding God’s
usage of the number 40 in the Scriptures and in relation to Moses having
fasted 80 days while obligating animals to the sacrificial system of
ancient Israel. There may be a significance there, or there may not be.
If there isn’t, then counting 40 Jubilees from Jesus’ birth, since Jesus
is our Jubilee Who ever-liveth to make known to us the acceptable year
of the Lord, then counting from Jesus’ birth, you’re still faced with a
time-period that’s roughly around the year 2000A.D.
Counting, from Jesus’ birth, 40 Jubilees in the light of the association
of the number 40 with the animals in the Scriptures would give you a
third witness to the general timing of when the Hosea 2:18 covenant
would begin to take priority in the Heart of God as an important
amendment on the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. It would agree with the
general timing that I’ve previously alluded to that I see special
significance in with the passing of the 2000 pigs beneath the water. And
it would seem to agree with my interpretation of the day of the great
slaughter passage from Isaiah chapter 30 that I’ve previously mentioned
a few times as relating to the Twin Towers catastrophe from September
11th, 2001. I’ve previously mentioned this passage as giving us a
time-frame to know when to expect this Hosea 2:18 passage to take
special significance in the appointed times and seasons of the Lord.
This concept of Christ’s 40th Jubilee that I’m extracting from Scripture
for your blessing and consideration would seem to harmonize with that.
I believe that this Hosea 2:18 covenant is foremost a covenant of peace
and that it’s God’s scriptural legal technicality for beginning to
address the fear in the lives of animals that has existed since Noah’s
flood. And I believe that in proportion as the fear of man is lifted
from animals that mankind’s apparent insatiable appetite for animal
flesh will begin to melt away from mankind. Jesus came to deliver those
who through the fear of death were all of their lifetimes subject to
bondage according to Hebrews chapter 2. And to me, Jeremiah 31:27-28 is
His declaration that He’s not ashamed to call these animals "brethren."
Again, Romans 8 says that they’re destined to enter into many of our
liberties as the children of God. And I say, from all that the Lord’s
shown me thus far, that the time for this is now. It’s time for each of
us to look beyond ourselves to the sufferings of others and to begin to
put off the old man with his animal exploitation deeds and to put on the
new man which is the last Adam according to 1Corinthians 15.
Yes, the road towards animal liberation in Christ is a gravel road at
points and at other points it’s sort of paved, but at the same time it’s
filled with potholes because of cultural and religious slander regarding
God’s purpose of the age where animals are concerned. There are many
Goliaths along the way that’ll have to fall before the pressure of this
Hosea 2:18 covenant as we begin to put the pressure on it in our prayers
and in our fasting. It’s time to begin speaking blessings to animals
that they’d be free of this terror that they’ve had that has worked
together with every other evil principle at work in the world to bring
all of these evils into their lives. There will come an ultimate
Armageddon in our lifetimes when the flesh of the kings of the earth
will belong to the birds of the air.
I’m totally convinced that the judgment that comes upon mankind through
the beasts of the earth that’s mentioned in Revelation 6:8 is talking
about their liberation from the fear of man. We can see this most
especially at the point of Revelation chapter 19 which isn’t the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ but a prophecy of God’s outpoured Spirit upon all
flesh. The windows of heaven were opened to John in Revelation 19 for
him to see the risen Christ judging and making war with the sword of His
mouth. It was the same sword and the same methodology with which He
warred against certain heresies in the first three chapters of the book
of Revelation during His times of Visitation with those 7 Churches. The
book of Acts in chapter 3, verse 21 says that Christ comes back at the
time of the restoration of all things, which would seem to place His
bodily return in sync with the coming of the new heavens and the new
earth.
Jesus and His Apostles told the Pharisees that their millenial
expectations were wrong. I think that many people hold to
premillenialism rather than to postmillenialism because of the people
who are being raised from the dead in Revelation chapter 20. But any
time that there has been a really strong outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
there’s been the raising of the dead and the securing of a heavenly
reign on the part of believers throughout history. That’s happened with
every outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Study all of the various ones of
the 20th century for anecdotes about the raising of the dead. The dead
were raised in the Old Testament through the prophets Elijah, Elisha,
and Ezekiel, and they were raised from the dead through the Apostle
Paul’s ministry in the New Testament. In the 20th century people were
seen raised from the dead through various Pentecostal ministries such as
Smith Wigglesworth, Kenneth Copeland, and various others.
Any new entrance of the Holy Spirit is an impartation of life, a raising
to newness of life, an elevation in the standard of living, life from
the dead, and any other manifestation of life that’s ever needed whether
bodily or in some other way. But when Christ returns, according to the
book of Daniel, the Gospel of John, and the book of Acts, the righteous
and the wicked are raised from the dead together. The "dead" under
Christ’s administration are raised first and then those who are the
righteousness of God in Christ are raised and they’re all judged at once
at the White Throne judgment. After the wicked are sent into the
correction of the ages and the righteous are sent into their rulership
over the ages of correction, according to Matthew 25:46, then gradually
we’ll see the completion of the fulfillment of the promises of
restoration after every judgment and punishment has been executed to the
very letter of the law. Absolutely every promise of punishment,
destruction, and restoration must be fulfilled in fullness.
Incidentally, in passing, when I wrote the first 5 major articles that I
wrote for this website on the Hosea 2:18 covenant, I viewed my
eschatology as being premillenialist because that’s what I grew up being
taught. I didn’t know back then that there was any other perspective in
the Church among sincerely diligent students and disciples of the Word.
Postmillenialism is the perspective of scripture that says that the
millenial reign is the millenial reign of the saints and that Christ
doesn’t return, bodily, until after the millenium. Premillenialism is
the belief that Christ’s bodily return begins the millenial reign of
Christ during which He’ll do all that He told us to do in discipling the
nations. But upon an indepth careful re-examination of the entire book
of Revelation in the strictest translations that I could find, as well
as looking very carefully at the Bible’s usage of the term "thousand"
from cover to cover, then that’s when the transition occurred in my
beliefs to what would be labeled as "postmillenialism" in theology.
I’d never heard of the postmillenial perspective until several months
after I’d already embraced it. Several months later, on a whim, I looked
up what the online wikipedia had to say about the book of Revelation and
within a link or two I was reading what they had to say about
postmillenialism. That was when I found out for the very first time what
the theological name was of my newly established perspective on Bible
prophecy. I’m saying all of this to say that I already saw this Hosea
2:18 covenant with clarity while I believed in premillenialism (which
seems to be the predominant view of Christians as of when I’m writing
this). So, agreeing with my newly embraced postmillenialism isn’t
necessary. It’s not a deal maker or deal breaker for embracing this
covenant that Christ has initiated with animals. You’re free to take one
subject at a time and to look at it individually in your own time as you
pray and seek the Holy Spirit for yourself regarding the truth of all of
this.
Postmillenialism, not to be confused with Amillenialism by any remote
stretch, simply seems more consistent with the Scriptures; the Spirit of
Christ; the principles of the seed which Christ validated, drew lessons
from, and gave absolute preeminence to in Mark 4; the promises regarding
Christian destiny in the earth; and other things that I’d always
wondered about. Unlike several postmillenial authors, I lean a little
heavier towards a more literal thousand-year time frame for the
millenium. 2Peter chapter 3 with it’s talk about the Lord’s return and
upon the Lord’s return the immediate setting on fire (whether spiritual
or physical fire) of the elements, the earth, and the works therein was
always a "problem text" for me when I was a premillenialist. But that
chapter harmonizes beautifully verse by verse with my recently revised
beliefs and doesn’t require a cookie-cutting of a verse or two to try to
line it up with my previously held premillenialist presupposition. Daily
I’m feeling more and more towards the doctrine of the rapture what I’ve
grown to feel regarding the erroneous doctrine of eternal punishment.
True love never fails and true love never bails.
Unless the animals also left in such a rapture, [which has never been
consistently taught by any premillenialist who believes in a rapture,]
then wouldn’t it be the greatest animal cruelty of all to leave the
animals with a world full of the ungodly without a single born again
soul in sight, according to the premillenialist worldview for the
future? Animals are inevitably ignored in such a scenario of God, Satan,
and fallen man supposedly having it out for 7 solid years. There’s no
consistency to that with the holistic views of creation, redemption, and
eschatology that the Bible sets before us. Both the incarnation and the
resurrection forever make Jesus Christ a shepherd.
In the hour of the world’s greatest need, the Church will be right here
teaching, discipling, delivering, restoring, performing the acts of a
good Samaritan, and challenging the world more than ever to come out
from under the wrath of God into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. The
Church is mentioned in Revelation chapters 12, 13, and 15 as those who
dwell in heavenly places. According to St. Paul that is the present
positional reality of all who’ve embraced the Lordship of Jesus Christ
and are driven along by the Presence, Power, and Expression of the Holy
Spirit. Christ will open each of the 7 seals of the scroll that is in
God’s right Hand and Satan will go forth to steal the Word that will be
sown, as Jesus said that he’d definitely try to in the parable of the
sower. As we see calamity upon calamity coming upon the world to try to
distract from the Everlasting Gospel, we’re still assured in Scripture
that the opening of the seals dries the tears that are coming from every
eye as we see John no longer weeping but rejoicing because the message
held back until the opening of the apocalyptic seals is being released.
Whatever the message is, it causes the worship of every single creature
in the entire creation in heaven, earth, and under the earth to abound
to the glory of God the Father in Revelation 5:13:
13and every creature that is in the heaven, and in the earth, and under
the earth, and the things that are upon the sea, and the all things in
them, heard I saying, `To Him who is sitting upon the throne, and to the
Lamb, [is] the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the might --
to the ages of the ages!' (Revelation 5:13 YLT)
Acts chapter 1 says that Jesus will return in the same peaceful way as
He ascended. And Psalm 110 says that He sits at God’s right hand until
His enemies are made His footstool. So, scripturally, there’s no place
in the covenant for a fulfillment of the premillenialist’s erroneous
expectation based on Revelation chapter 19’s imagery. To hear
premillenialists talk, we’re to expect a cosmic Rambo to be judging and
making war in the natural, carnal realm through brute force
totalitarianism rather than through the fulfillment of the Gospel
Commission, as though Christ were a carnal Emperor like Napoleon
Bonaparte – which He’s not! The heavens were opened in Revelation
chapter 19 for John to see and not for Jesus to return at that
particular time. I most emphatically do believe in a literal, eventual,
bodily return of Jesus Christ that’ll begin the judgment after the [yet
future] thousand years are passed. I simply don’t believe that
Revelation 19 is talking about the Second Coming.
To me the passage in question in Revelation 19 simply speaks of a
tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit that’ll lead to the destruction
of the carnal nature of all of Israel’s enemies. And perhaps [I’m
suggesting] there may be a parallel fulfillment either simultaneously or
previously in the behalf of the animals as they face an Armageddon of
sorts in the book of Hosea where their covenant with the Lord is
outlined. And again, we have another outpouring of the Holy Spirit in
Revelation chapter 20 when those who’ve either physically or socially
and emotionally died in the behalf of the cause of Christ are brought
into newness of life to reign with Christ’s High Priestly ministry. This
will be for the thousand years yet to come when Satan will be removed
from human contact and from hindering the furtherance of the Gospel.
Look with me in Daniel chapter 7, verses 21-22:
21I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them;
22Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints
of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22 KJV)
To me Revelation chapters 19 and 20 are simply the fulfillment of Daniel
7:21-22 when it talks about those who are being raised from the dead who
were beheaded for the cause of Christ either literally and physically or
metaphorically, emotionally, socially, and financially. Daniel chapter 7
says that the spirit of Antichrist is winning until a judgment is
rendered by the Most High in the behalf of, and in the favor of, the
saints. History is a witness to how the spirit of Antichrist has been
winning against the animals until the judgment that was recently
rendered by the Most High in the behalf of the animals through the Hosea
2:18; Jeremiah 31:27-28 covenant.
14As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused
him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious
name.
15Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness
and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of
thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?
16Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and
Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer;
thy name is from everlasting. (Isaiah 63:14-16 KJV)
There’s a reference to the full armor of God in Isaiah chapter 11,
verses 4-5 which tells me that the rest that animals are entering into
in that chapter isn’t either on the New Earth nor after Satan has been
bound for a thousand years. It’s for right now! It’s a rest [for the
Creation] that’s administered through those who are overcoming in Christ
according to Revelation 2:25-29 through the power of Jesus’ High
Priestly ministry.
4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity
for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins. (Isaiah 11:4-5 KJV)
25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will
I give power over the nations:
27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
28And I will give him the morning star.
29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches. (Revelation 2:25-29 KJV)
As Christians are inheriting the fullness of the Spirit (Isaiah
63:14-16); of the commandment of love; and are learning to operate in
the heavenly realms that they’ve been raised up to in Christ, [according
to the book of Ephesians,] they must proclaim the Good News of the
Kingdom and dismantle the curse everywhere they find it (2Corinthians
chapter 10), while discipling every nation (Matthew chapter 28).
Christians are to reign over life, in every area of life, economics, and
culture with the rod of iron of all of the redemptive promises of
Scripture. Animal exploitation isn’t a part of their righteous reign
according to Isaiah chapter 11 and Isaiah 63:7-16:
9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
(Isaiah 11:9 KJV)
7I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the
LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great
goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them
according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his
lovingkindnesses.
8For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so
he was their Saviour.
9In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence
saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare
them, and carried them all the days of old.
10But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned
to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
11Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying,
Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his
flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?
12That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm,
dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
13That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that
they should not stumble?
14As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused
him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious
name.
15Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness
and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of
thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?
16Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and
Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer;
thy name is from everlasting. (Isaiah 63:7-16 KJV)
As with every other expression and level of growth with the "seed" of
the kingdom we see "first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in
the ear." (Mark 4:26-29) Psalm 104 seems to precede Isaiah chapter 11
because in Psalm 104 we see that although God has decreed that the
grasses and herbs are given by God for the animals and for the service
of man (verse 14), yet the young lions are roaring after their prey
(verse 21). This indicates that the animals are not yet leaning towards
their dominant genes of being grass and herb eaters but are still
functioning under the recessive genes of their fallen past. This isn’t
the case in Isaiah chapter 11.
But Psalm 104 concludes in it’s 35th verse with talking about the
judgment of sinners who are harming these animals. And in Isaiah 11:4 we
find that those judgments and vindications from the Lord lead to the
place of God’s rest for the animals in the 6th through the 9th verses.
Isaiah 63:14-16 says that they’ve entered into the liberties of the
children of God at that time that were promised to them in Romans 8:21.
And again, I would remind you that these judgments are being wrought by
those who are wearing the full armor of God according to Isaiah 11:5
because Jesus has promised us that as we’re overcoming that we’d judge
the earth with the rod of our mouths in Revelation chapter 2. And it
doesn’t make sense that we’d be clad in the full armor of God after
Satan has been bound for a thousand years or after the New Earth has
been created.
Many within the Church, particularly of the Charismatic or Pentecostal
persuasion, are currently boasting in what they perceive to be a 5-fold
ministry in Ephesians chapter 4. According to many of them, there has
been a full restoration in recent years of the Apostolic and Prophetic
offices that were given by Christ for the development of the Church in
it’s Kingdom purposes. This is from a segment of the Church in the earth
that has conservatively surpassed 500 million people in numbers. If a
full heralding of the Gospel of the Kingdom is an announcement of all
that Christ has done and of His demands upon every heart, then this
message must begin to take root within the Apostles and Prophets of the
Lamb in our day.
This message must come to the forefront because it’s where we’re heading
as a people and as a world. As the Kingdom of God is not food and drink,
but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17;
Matthew 6:33), the Kingdom is likewise not merely a rediscovery of
humanity’s original purpose or ultimate destiny through Jesus Christ.
The Kingdom is the full realm of God’s glory and includes every single
subject of God’s Kingdom and not just human beings.
Let me remind you that Mark chapter 4 says in the parable of the mustard
seed that although the Kingdom were the smallest seed, that it would
grow to the point where the birds of the air would be able to find rest
in it’s branches. Isaiah chapter 11 says that animals would no longer
harm one another, animals would no longer seek to harm human beings, and
human beings would no longer seek to harm animals when the full
knowledge of the glory of the Lord is in the earth through the Church’s
prophetic mantle. Turn in your Bible to 2Corinthians chapter 4 and read
this with me:
3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them.
5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves
your servants for Jesus' sake.
6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ.
7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of
the power may be of God, and not of us.
8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair;
9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the
life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I
believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore
speak;
14Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also
by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
(2Corinthians 4:3-15 KJV)
2Corinthians chapter 4 says that the full knowledge of the glory of the
Lord is in discerning in the Gospel, through the Holy Spirit’s aid, the
full knowledge of the glory that shines in the face of Jesus Christ.
What else would make Christ’s face shine more than all of the joys and
pleasures of a New Heavens and a New Earth that has been inaugurated
through a global conquest of every soul through the Gospel of Jesus
Christ by which every thought has been brought into captivity to
obedience to Jesus Christ? What else would make Christ’s face shine more
than every life on this side of the New Earth totally setting the world
on fire with reaching the zenith of it’s destiny – the furthest that it
could possibly reach within the limitations of the present heavens and
earth? I believe that when the Holy Spirit can’t possibly take us any
further in the present world that then [and then alone] will it be time
for a new world in which righteousness dwells in the heavens!
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