(June 5, 2022) In the middle of His earthly ministry, Jesus was traveling in the northern area of ancient Judaea, in the region of Caesarea Phillippi.
There was quite a “buzz” regarding the events that are recorded in Matthew 15.
In this chapter, Jesus confounded the Pharisees, repudiated their authority (verses 3-11), cast a demon out from the child of a persistent mother, (verses21-28), healed the lame, mute, maimed, “and many others,” — perhaps hundreds of people or more, and then miraculously fed a a crowd of 4,000 with only 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish!
This was the second time in His ministry that thousands had been witnessed the supernatural duplication of a small amount of food that fed thousands who followed him! (See Matthew 14:15-21, where over 5,000 men, and thousands more women and children were fed)
Such miracles drew widespread attention as Jesus was traveling near His hometown of Nazareth.
When He and His disciples reached Caesarea, Jesus asked his disciples who men thought He was?
The guesses by the multitudes were John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or another of the prophets who had died. When he asked His own disciples who they thought He was, Peter was quick to answer; “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Jesus then replied to Peter, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
WHERE is that Church today? Wherever it is, we know that it was founded on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D., when 120 disciples were gathered in Jerusalem, as commanded by Jesus Christ at His final ascension into heaven — to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit to be given to them. Pentecost is one of the seven annual holy days kept by the disciples of Jesus Christ, along with the seventh day Sabbath — all kept by the early New Testament Church, and recorded by His disciples through the New Testament as identifying signs of the Church of God. This year, 2022, Pentecost was celebrated June 5.
Twelve times in the New Testament, writers Luke and Paul name those who carried the Gospel message of the future Kingdom of God — the disciples of Jesus, as the ekklesia (called out ones), or Church of God. (For a complete scriptural reference listing, please email wnpr@protonmail.com, and ask for this list)
So where can you find the historical antecedents of that Church? The Church of the early New Testament followed the practice, teachings and life of Jesus Christ. But as we peel back the layers of the first few centuries, records of a Christian Church that kept the Sabbath and annual Holy Days, as the Book of Acts records, are almost non existent. In the 4th century, Roman Emperor Constantine, declared Sabbath keepers anathema to Christ, changed the practice of the Christian Passover to the pagan ritual Ishtar (Easter, from ancient Babylon) and banished Jews from the Empire! If Jesus followers had not been keeping the Day of Pentecost as He directed them (Acts 1:4,8) they would not have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, helping them to continue the work of preaching the Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God.
There is enough pieces of the historical puzzle to trace the Church Jesus said he would build, through the ages. His future disciples through the centuries kept the hope of the gospel of the Kingdom alive, kept the Sabbath and other annual “Feasts of the Lord,” (Leviticus 23). Often times, the people of the Church of God were very small groups, scattered throughout the known world, and often persecuted because they followed the teachings of the entire Bible, while more prominent churches grew exponentially, often because of the coercion of the union of church and state, or the Holy Roman Empire. This was of course, the topic of many prophecies of the New Testament, and a prophecy for the future as well. Note Matthew 13:24-30, 13:31-32. Jesus told His disciples that what He planted could be infiltrated by “tares,” and as a man planted a mustard seed in a field (the world) it would be strangely transformed into huge tree that would house the birds of the air — a picture that is eerily similar to the tree representing Nebuchadnezzar’s Pagan Kingdom, in his dream of Daniel 4.
Despite repeated attempts through history to suppress the truth of the Bible, and the people of God — Jesus’ true Church, Jesus authoritatively proclaimed that the “gates of hades,” or the grave, would not prevail against His church.
His Church would carry the name of the Father, as Jesus prayed in John 17:11: “ Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father, keep through Your name (emphasis ours) those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” The name of the Father is GOD, and since Jesus said He would build His church, doesn’t it make sense that His church, even in present day, carry the name Church of God, as recorded in a dozen instances in the Holy Bible? And further — wouldn’t that body of believers be assembling together on the Holy Sabbath day, and the other annual festivals, including Passover, kept by the early New Testament church?
The responsibility for finding that church, if you are interested, is up to you. It is great to understand Bible Prophecy and have a window into the future, but the role of Jesus’ ekklesia is to help with that proclamation — to share the knowledge that Jesus is indeed coming back to rule the Earth. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Many students of Bible Prophecy are correctly discerning the nature of the world we are living in, and as reported here on numerous occasions in the last 2 years, the world has shifted dramatically. Do you see the change in terms of individual freedoms? Can you see that those who oppose certain government sanctions and mandates are literally banned from having opportunity to express themselves? No one encourages a blatant lie such as alarming a crowded theater with a false report of a fire or other calamity, but a trend in society is the combination of government, colluding with an increasingly powerful technocracy and media, to silence opposition. This friends is the very definition of Fascism!
Economic depression, war, starvation, hardship, death on a massive scale — in other words, “Great Tribulation” of Matthew 24:9 seems imminent on the prophetic horizon. These are not accidental blunders of mankind. They are deliberate choices, made well in advance, and are now moving forward according to well orchestrated plans, led mostly by unelected leaders and influencers. Many sharp observers have recognized the evil of these men, and their plan began in earnest during the Covid Pandemic.
Many in the world object to these horrific results, and that is where there is a glimmer of hope. Some Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and citizens of the United Kingdom are wide awake. The popularity of the recent documentary “2000 Mules,” proving one of the ways the U.S. Presidential election was stolen, shows the freedom loving spirit of many Americans is still very much alive!
Jesus said in John 4:34-38 that His food was to do the will of the one who sent Him and that the fields were white for harvest. He closed this admonition by telling them in verse 38 that He sent them to reap for what “they had not labored,” and they had entered into the labors of others.
Many had been involved in the work of God since the time of Adam and Eve. God called the prophets and righteous men of old who preceded the life of the disciples for a purpose — they were called to perform specific tasks in their lives, thus qualifying them for Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God! Their work bore fruit through the ages as the knowledge of God and His law was sprinkled throughout history. The disciples shared in a work that began long before their lifetimes, thus entering into a harvest they had been sown much earlier, Christ calling them into the labors of others.
This is the work of Jesus’ ekklesia!
Have you been called to join in the effort to help, serve and assist others? If so, you need to find the Church of God — the church Jesus said He would build.
World News & Prophecy Review
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