Letters

The Pendulum Swings to Mercy

It seems that the history of mankind can be described as a rush from one extreme position to another, like a pendulum gone. We’re doing it again.

For the past several decades, we’ve lost track of the promise at the end of James 2:13: “…Mercy triumphs over judgment.” For the past several decades, the church has earned a reputation as a house of judgment and intolerance, of narrow-mindedness and bigotry. Frankly, we’ve earned the reputation.

You’ve may have noticed, however, that the pendulum is swinging back, as is its wont. There are several changes that are happening in the church that reflect the pendulum’s return: one that I have observed over the past several years today is a rise, an increase, in the expression of mercy gifts among individuals in the church. It’s one reflection of the change in direction of the church: we’re becoming less judgmental, and more merciful. 

We certainly need that change. The bad news is that the world has judged the church for being judgmental and out of touch, and that judgment has been appropriate. The good news is that the church is changing her heading, but it seems that we’re headed for increased turbulence with the corrections we’re making, not toward calmer waters.

The increase of the gift of mercy within the church, has not been well documented, and indeed it’s difficult to document and to analyze. You may or may not have seen what I have been observing for the past year; it is indeed subtle. Allow me to state my point fairly directly, and you can make your own observations.

Our text, then, is Romans 12:6-8:

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

First, let’s agree that mercy really is a gift, and by divine command, it is to be exercised with “cheerfulness” (literally hílarós, a root word that has become “hilarity” in English).

It’s my observation as one who has been a part of the church for a bunch of decades, that there are more people in the church now than there were a decade ago who are gifted with mercy, and the gift is more respected than it has been before. The church is more aware now than perhaps ever of the need to respond to sinners with understanding and empathy rather than a good clubbing with Old Testament Law. Our services often focus on meeting the needs of “pre Christians” rather than discussing sin and its consequences for “sinners.”

We have softened our approach to people-different-than-ourselves, and even many of our street evangelists are asking questions or meeting needs more than proclaiming judgment on street-corners.

That much is good.

The context for this growth in mercy, however, has been neither cheerfulness nor hilarity. The mercy that is growing in the church is growing without having been disciplined, it is mercy out of control, and it is becoming a destructive force in the church.

Pastors and other leaders are finding themselves confronted by their congregations for being too stern, too strict when confronting sloth or sin. Church discipline – ever the touchy subject – has become anathema: we’re afraid to go there.

Often, the confrontation is motivated at least in part by mercy: let’s not be too harsh. But it’s mercy out of control, mercy without discipline behind it, mercy without maturity. The resulting of the conversation – a pastor afraid to speak the truth – is not normally considered a step toward maturity. This is mercy guided by ignorance or (worse) rebellion.

For example, a friend of mine leads a worship band, and her drummer was getting lazy. He’d use the same riffs for nearly every song, and his playing had gotten boring: he was stagnant and worse than that, he was content with being stagnant. As the leader, she had spoken to him a couple of times privately, and they’d agreed on certain goals, and on the means to achieve those goals.

Once during rehearsal, he drifted back into his old, stagnant patterns, and she needed to remind him of the standards they had agreed to. But when she did, she was surprised to find several other members of the band getting in her face about how she had “judged” him. The other members thought they were being “merciful” (and indeed, they are known to be merciful people), but because their mercy was un-tempered by self-control, it brought division, not unity to their band. This was mercy guided by self-indulgence.

In 1 Samuel 15, God sent king Saul to destroy the Amelekites, with specific instruction to kill everything:

• “But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

Saul musters the army and conquers the enemy, but instead of obeying God, he shows mercy:

• “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them.”

Sure, there were other motivations; greed come to mind, but the act was merciful, whether it was mixed with lesser values or not.

The story concludes with God judging Saul, not because he was merciful (who is more merciful than God?), but because Saul’s mercy was undisciplined, and the fruit was disobedience. Saul feared the people more than he feared God; God could no longer trust him as king, and He fired him and began preparing David to replace him.

In our school district, very few students are “flunked” or “held back” because it’s considered bad for the student’s self-esteem. I’m all for being careful with kids’ tender hearts, but if a teacher feels pity for a capable-but-undisciplined student, and passes a failing student for whatever reason, that teacher is not doing the student any favors. If the kid can’t read his own high-school diploma because of well-meaning, but ultimately short-sighted policies, that student will still be illiterate and functionally unemployable, all because of his educators’ misguided mercy. This is mercy guided by shortsightedness, by fear of confrontation, or perhaps mercy without guidance at all.

For the past twenty years, the church has been getting used to the rebirth of prophetic gifts. We’ve seen Prophetic Schools and Prophetic Training Classes and Prophetic Conferences by the hundreds. All of this has been an attempt to teach the prophetic people how to minister their prophetic gifts: ultimately, it’s been aimed at producing mature prophets and prophetesses, who use their gifts responsibly: in other words, we’ve been breeding self-control into the prophetic movement, and I for one, am thankful for it. (Who wants to return to the prophetic poo-flinging and free-for-alls of the late ’80’s? Not I, thank you very much!)

So consider this a call (perhaps even a prophetic call?) to arms on behalf of the restoration of the gift of mercy. It’s time for mercy to come to the forefront in the church.

And it’s time that we begin to expect, even plan for, maturity in the gift of mercy.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mature mercy triumphs better.

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Letters

Issachar, the Cat

Oh my. God's using my cat to teach me a lesson again. Awkward.

Our cat gets a healthy breakfast. Then she gets lunch at 1:30 or 2:00. (She's a very well-fed cat.)

I don't eat breakfast. They call it intermittent fasting; I have breakfast at noon. (It keeps me from being a "very well-fed" human.)

So I was in the kitchen at noon the other day, chopping up the toppings for the personal pizza I was going to have for breakfast. And the cat saunters in, all affectionate, assuming that since I was in the kitchen, I must be preparing lunch for her.


I scritched her neck and she purred. Then she started to yowl when I didn’t get the hint, so I walked away. We repeated the cycle two or three times before she gave up and walked away and sulked. I went back to slicing peppers and shredding cheese.

Then I heard the whisper. "It's easy to misunderstand what time it is if you depend on someone else for that information."

Immediately 1 Chronicles 12:32 came to my mind. "...from Issachar [came] men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do."

Personally, I believe it's more important in these days than ever before in my own lifetime at least, to understand the times and to know how to respond in the midst of these days.

And I cannot (I MUST not) depend on somebody's prophetic word, or what my pastor preaches about, or what that person on Facebook writes about. I must understand the times from knowing my Father, from walking with Jesus, from listening to Holy Spirit.

It's awkward when I get misled by gifted saints who are walking in step with God. It's awkward when I follow what they're proclaiming rather than what Father is whispering.

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Prophecy

FOR SUCH A TIME, Kris Vallotton

For Such a Time: Prophetic Insight for 2017

I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been noticing that in the last year or so some very unusual things have happened in the world. Many of these occurrences are unexpected and have got me thinking and praying about the time that we are living in.


In the Bible we can see how God directed specific seasons in time for specific ways He wanted to lead His people. I know God continues to deal with us in the same way today, and I feel a shift in our season. 

The ancient Greeks had two words for time; chronosand kairos. Chronos refers to clock time—time that can be measured in a quantitative way, whether that be in seconds, minutes, hours, and years. 

Kairos, however, is qualitative. It measures moments in time by what they encompass; the right moment, the opportune moment or the perfect moment. I believe that we have just entered one of the most exciting kairos moments in history!

In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we can see that the Sons of Issachar understood the times, “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do…” Not only did they understand the times, or season they were in, but they also understood what they were supposed to do. God has given us prophetic insight into what kind of season He has taken the world into— it’s an exciting one at that! We must understand the new kairos moment God is bringing us into, so that we can partner with the grace He’s releasing on the earth!

THERE’S SOMETHING UNUSUAL IN THE AIR

Here’s what I’ve noticed: there have been unusual, against-all-odds-moments across the professional sports, political and religious realms that we can all learn from. For example, on June 19th, 2016 the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in Game Seven. The Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors, which had never been done in the history of the NBA! Furthermore, the Warriors set the regular season record for the most games won in a season by winning 73 games. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry made a record 401 3-points shots the same season. So how did the Cavaliers end up beating such an amazing team like the Warriors?

This could be an isolated incident, but it’s not. On February 5th, 2017 the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, beating the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. No team has ever come back from a 21-point deficit to win a super bowl but the Patriots did! Beyond that, there has never been an overtime game in the history of the Super bowl! There’s something to this!

These unusual occurrences aren’t just happening in the sports world. Nobody predicted that the British would vote themselves out of the EU, but against the odds on June 24th, 2016 England voted to leave the European Union. Once again, this is not an isolated event. 

Let’s take a look at the United States. Donald Trump became president of the U.S. defeating 15 other Republicans candidates for the nominations. He went on to beat Hillary Clinton in the final race for president. There wasn’t a single straw poll that predicted Trump would win. The day of the election he was down in the polls as much as 12 points. But once again against all odds, Trump won 3084 of 3141 counties! 

Whether you voted for Trump or not, the facts are clear that this was unusual and unpredicted. I’m not saying this was a fulfillment of a prophecy, and I’m not endorsing Trump, but I’m simply saying this was a sign of the unusual time we are living in.

In the religious realm we also see breakthrough moments that are outside of our ordinary experiences. 2017 marks the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Last year, Pope Francis declared that Catholics and Protestants are one church in Christ, ending 499 years of division! This year begins a year of unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches! 

Today I want to propose to you that we are in a very special kairos moment, an opportune moment when divine favor is meeting divine opportunity. This is not only a moment for sports, government or church leaders, but it’s a moment for the entire world!

WHAT’S OUR EPOCH SEASON?

I believe that there are three specific things that mark this moment in time:

1) Acceleration – I believe that things that normally take years will happen suddenly. Just as Nehemiah only took 52 days to rebuild the city walls (Nehemiah 6:15), there will be supernatural grace to get things done quickly and even suddenly.

2) Unusual occurrences – I believe that things that never happen will occur against ridiculous odds. Just as we see in 1 Samuel 14:6-15 when the Lord delivered Israel by the hands of two very young men.

3) Supernatural interventions – In this season, there will be things that come about in ways that make no earthly sense. We can see an example of this in Judges 6 and 7, when Gideon defeated a massive army with simple trumpets and breaking of jars.

Could it be that you were born for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13) Today I want to encourage you to align your spirit with what Holy Spirit is doing on the earth! I believe He will show up in your life through acceleration, unusual occurrences and supernatural interventions for the benefit of the world! 

Where do you see yourself in this kairos moment? What is God speaking to you in this moment in time? 

--------------

Kris Vallotton is a prophet with Bethel Church, Redding, California.
Their iBethel.tvwebcasts reach around the world.
Though in California, Redding is considered to be part of the Pacific Northwest, both socially and geologically.


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Prophecy

FOR SUCH A TIME, Kris Vallotton

For Such a Time: Prophetic Insight for 2017

I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been noticing that in the last year or so some very unusual things have happened in the world. Many of these occurrences are unexpected and have got me thinking and praying about the time that we are living in.


In the Bible we can see how God directed specific seasons in time for specific ways He wanted to lead His people. I know God continues to deal with us in the same way today, and I feel a shift in our season. 

The ancient Greeks had two words for time; chronosand kairos. Chronos refers to clock time—time that can be measured in a quantitative way, whether that be in seconds, minutes, hours, and years. 

Kairos, however, is qualitative. It measures moments in time by what they encompass; the right moment, the opportune moment or the perfect moment. I believe that we have just entered one of the most exciting kairos moments in history!

In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we can see that the Sons of Issachar understood the times, “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do…” Not only did they understand the times, or season they were in, but they also understood what they were supposed to do. God has given us prophetic insight into what kind of season He has taken the world into— it’s an exciting one at that! We must understand the new kairos moment God is bringing us into, so that we can partner with the grace He’s releasing on the earth!

THERE’S SOMETHING UNUSUAL IN THE AIR

Here’s what I’ve noticed: there have been unusual, against-all-odds-moments across the professional sports, political and religious realms that we can all learn from. For example, on June 19th, 2016 the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in Game Seven. The Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors, which had never been done in the history of the NBA! Furthermore, the Warriors set the regular season record for the most games won in a season by winning 73 games. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry made a record 401 3-points shots the same season. So how did the Cavaliers end up beating such an amazing team like the Warriors?

This could be an isolated incident, but it’s not. On February 5th, 2017 the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, beating the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. No team has ever come back from a 21-point deficit to win a super bowl but the Patriots did! Beyond that, there has never been an overtime game in the history of the Super bowl! There’s something to this!

These unusual occurrences aren’t just happening in the sports world. Nobody predicted that the British would vote themselves out of the EU, but against the odds on June 24th, 2016 England voted to leave the European Union. Once again, this is not an isolated event. 

Let’s take a look at the United States. Donald Trump became president of the U.S. defeating 15 other Republicans candidates for the nominations. He went on to beat Hillary Clinton in the final race for president. There wasn’t a single straw poll that predicted Trump would win. The day of the election he was down in the polls as much as 12 points. But once again against all odds, Trump won 3084 of 3141 counties! 

Whether you voted for Trump or not, the facts are clear that this was unusual and unpredicted. I’m not saying this was a fulfillment of a prophecy, and I’m not endorsing Trump, but I’m simply saying this was a sign of the unusual time we are living in.

In the religious realm we also see breakthrough moments that are outside of our ordinary experiences. 2017 marks the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Last year, Pope Francis declared that Catholics and Protestants are one church in Christ, ending 499 years of division! This year begins a year of unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches! 

Today I want to propose to you that we are in a very special kairos moment, an opportune moment when divine favor is meeting divine opportunity. This is not only a moment for sports, government or church leaders, but it’s a moment for the entire world!

WHAT’S OUR EPOCH SEASON?

I believe that there are three specific things that mark this moment in time:

1) Acceleration – I believe that things that normally take years will happen suddenly. Just as Nehemiah only took 52 days to rebuild the city walls (Nehemiah 6:15), there will be supernatural grace to get things done quickly and even suddenly.

2) Unusual occurrences – I believe that things that never happen will occur against ridiculous odds. Just as we see in 1 Samuel 14:6-15 when the Lord delivered Israel by the hands of two very young men.

3) Supernatural interventions – In this season, there will be things that come about in ways that make no earthly sense. We can see an example of this in Judges 6 and 7, when Gideon defeated a massive army with simple trumpets and breaking of jars.

Could it be that you were born for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13) Today I want to encourage you to align your spirit with what Holy Spirit is doing on the earth! I believe He will show up in your life through acceleration, unusual occurrences and supernatural interventions for the benefit of the world! 

Where do you see yourself in this kairos moment? What is God speaking to you in this moment in time? 

--------------

Kris Vallotton is a prophet with Bethel Church, Redding, California.
Their iBethel.tvwebcasts reach around the world.
Though in California, Redding is considered to be part of the Pacific Northwest, both socially and geologically.


Standard
Prophecy

FOR SUCH A TIME, Kris Vallotton

For Such a Time: Prophetic Insight for 2017

I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been noticing that in the last year or so some very unusual things have happened in the world. Many of these occurrences are unexpected and have got me thinking and praying about the time that we are living in.


In the Bible we can see how God directed specific seasons in time for specific ways He wanted to lead His people. I know God continues to deal with us in the same way today, and I feel a shift in our season. 

The ancient Greeks had two words for time; chronosand kairos. Chronos refers to clock time—time that can be measured in a quantitative way, whether that be in seconds, minutes, hours, and years. 

Kairos, however, is qualitative. It measures moments in time by what they encompass; the right moment, the opportune moment or the perfect moment. I believe that we have just entered one of the most exciting kairos moments in history!

In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we can see that the Sons of Issachar understood the times, “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do…” Not only did they understand the times, or season they were in, but they also understood what they were supposed to do. God has given us prophetic insight into what kind of season He has taken the world into— it’s an exciting one at that! We must understand the new kairos moment God is bringing us into, so that we can partner with the grace He’s releasing on the earth!

THERE’S SOMETHING UNUSUAL IN THE AIR

Here’s what I’ve noticed: there have been unusual, against-all-odds-moments across the professional sports, political and religious realms that we can all learn from. For example, on June 19th, 2016 the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in Game Seven. The Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors, which had never been done in the history of the NBA! Furthermore, the Warriors set the regular season record for the most games won in a season by winning 73 games. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry made a record 401 3-points shots the same season. So how did the Cavaliers end up beating such an amazing team like the Warriors?

This could be an isolated incident, but it’s not. On February 5th, 2017 the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, beating the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. No team has ever come back from a 21-point deficit to win a super bowl but the Patriots did! Beyond that, there has never been an overtime game in the history of the Super bowl! There’s something to this!

These unusual occurrences aren’t just happening in the sports world. Nobody predicted that the British would vote themselves out of the EU, but against the odds on June 24th, 2016 England voted to leave the European Union. Once again, this is not an isolated event. 

Let’s take a look at the United States. Donald Trump became president of the U.S. defeating 15 other Republicans candidates for the nominations. He went on to beat Hillary Clinton in the final race for president. There wasn’t a single straw poll that predicted Trump would win. The day of the election he was down in the polls as much as 12 points. But once again against all odds, Trump won 3084 of 3141 counties! 

Whether you voted for Trump or not, the facts are clear that this was unusual and unpredicted. I’m not saying this was a fulfillment of a prophecy, and I’m not endorsing Trump, but I’m simply saying this was a sign of the unusual time we are living in.

In the religious realm we also see breakthrough moments that are outside of our ordinary experiences. 2017 marks the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Last year, Pope Francis declared that Catholics and Protestants are one church in Christ, ending 499 years of division! This year begins a year of unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches! 

Today I want to propose to you that we are in a very special kairos moment, an opportune moment when divine favor is meeting divine opportunity. This is not only a moment for sports, government or church leaders, but it’s a moment for the entire world!

WHAT’S OUR EPOCH SEASON?

I believe that there are three specific things that mark this moment in time:

1) Acceleration – I believe that things that normally take years will happen suddenly. Just as Nehemiah only took 52 days to rebuild the city walls (Nehemiah 6:15), there will be supernatural grace to get things done quickly and even suddenly.

2) Unusual occurrences – I believe that things that never happen will occur against ridiculous odds. Just as we see in 1 Samuel 14:6-15 when the Lord delivered Israel by the hands of two very young men.

3) Supernatural interventions – In this season, there will be things that come about in ways that make no earthly sense. We can see an example of this in Judges 6 and 7, when Gideon defeated a massive army with simple trumpets and breaking of jars.

Could it be that you were born for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13) Today I want to encourage you to align your spirit with what Holy Spirit is doing on the earth! I believe He will show up in your life through acceleration, unusual occurrences and supernatural interventions for the benefit of the world! 

Where do you see yourself in this kairos moment? What is God speaking to you in this moment in time? 

--------------

Kris Vallotton is a prophet with Bethel Church, Redding, California.
Their iBethel.tvwebcasts reach around the world.
Though in California, Redding is considered to be part of the Pacific Northwest, both socially and geologically.


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Letters

Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets

Abolish is a strong word.

People quote Matthew 5:17&18 at me, to say “See! We still need to be under the Law! Look! See!”

These verses reads, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

I have to admit, if you grab that verse, yank it out of its context, ignore the bit about the Prophets, and try to use it as a club to support a need for the Law (or at least the 10 Commandments), then it kind of fits. If you squint.

Let’s look at this a little more closely, a little more objectively, shall we? Is Jesus really saying, “Psych! I’m not really freeing you from the Law!”? Or is Jesus saying something else.


That “Something else” could be several things:

  1. Perhaps the context tells us some things?
  2. There may be a Jewish metaphor here that we’re not catching because we’re not first century Jews. That might change the meaning here.  
  3. He might be talking about a purpose of the Law and the Prophets that he’s going to fulfill.
  4. He might be talking about and end of the Law, but one that is not His doing.
Let’s look at these possibilities one by one.

1. First, what does the context tell us? This is in the middle of a sermon where Jesus is completely re-interpreting their understanding of the Law. The entire chapter is about Jesus saying, “You’ve heard the Law taught this way…. But I tell you this other thing instead.”

So it’s not reasonable to assume that this is about submitting to the Law, at least not without some more evidence to work with. It’s more reasonable to infer that Jesus is doing away with how that Jewish culture has always understood the Law, and replacing that with a completely new understanding. 

2. Is there a Jewish metaphor here? I’m glad you asked. Yes there is. Jesus says the Law is valid “until heaven and earth pass away.” Well, when is that?

We, in our 21st century, science-based world interpret that literally, and if Jesus were speaking on CNN or the Discover Channel, that would probably be a reasonable interpretation. But that is not how his audience at the time would interpret it, so it’s not permitted for us to impose a 21st century interpretation onto this first century document.

If you look at the phrase in scripture (http://nwp.link/2idn9Ml), it’s used more than 120 times (NKJV). In general, the words are used together to describe “Pretty much everything we know” (which was *much* less than what we know today!), but when used together, it’s specifically addressing the abode of God (see: http://nwp.link/2j2nNR5, especially Isaiah 66:1 and Jeremiah 23:24).

In fact, this view was so prevalent that eventually the temple and its courtyard in Jerusalem became known as “Heaven and Earth,” and was spoken of as immovable. The temple itself, the “dwelling place of God” was Heaven, and the courts, particularly with the court of Gentiles, was “the Earth. In more poetical language, it was described as “Where Heaven and Earth meet.” (https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/grawhe)

3. The structure of the sentence clearly points to the fulfillment of “The Law and the Prophets.” We’ve taught for generations (correctly) that the Law and the Prophets point to Jesus, and this passage in Matthew has been part of that teaching. Certainly, the reference to “the Prophets” would not be part of a declaration of keeping the Old Covenant Law.

These verses are clearly saying that the Law was still in place as Jesus made the statement; it hadn't been fulfilled yet. Recently, I fulfilled my obligations on a loan. Until that loan was fulfilled, I kept making payments. If I missed even one payment, maybe the last payment, then the loan was in default, and the bank had the right to seize my property and sell it off to cover that payment.

But when I fulfilled that loan, when the payments were done, then the loan no longer has any power over my behavior (“Payments are due!”) or consequences (“…or we’ll seize your stuff!”). I was now free from that law.

4. The Old Covenant Law was still in place when Jesus spoke these words about the Law being fulfilled. It was already “obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away,” (Hebrews 8:13), but it didn’t finally “vanish away” until the last possible second: exactly one generation (40 years) after Jesus’ death, when the Jerusalem, the temple (“Heaven & Earth”) and perhaps most significantly, the genealogical records of Israel were all destroyed. Without those records, it was impossible to determine who was a descendant of Aaron, and therefore qualified to be a priest and to make the sacrifices the Law demanded.

When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD (a description of which is in Matthew 24, in answer to the question of “When will the stones of the temple be thrown down?”), the Old Covenant finally breathed its last and died, completely fulfilled in Christ.

So these verses are not a statement that Believers need to keep the Old Covenant Law. They were a warning that while the Law was still in force when the words were spoken, that Law would end soon. Romans is blunt: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness….” Done.

And Jesus didn't just end Ten Commandments. He ended 613 laws; he ended all of them. All of that is dead. It was obsolete. It wasn’t needed any more.

You see, all of those commandments were the "terms and conditions" for the Old Covenant. And he ended the Old Covenant. (The Epistle to the Hebrews describes it pretty well, better than this article has room for.)

So when that broken down, obsolete covenant was replaced with a New Covenant, the terms and conditions of the first covenant (all those laws, and the priesthood, and the sacrifices) were all replaced with the terms and conditions of the New Covenant as well.


So anyone who names the name of Christ is not under the Old Covenant, and not obligated – not even a smidgeon – to the terms and conditions of that obsolete covenant. We share in a New Covenant, and no man can serve two masters. 
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Letters

Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets

Abolish is a strong word.

People quote Matthew 5:17&18 at me, to say “See! We still need to be under the Law! Look! See!”

These verses read, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

I have to admit, if you grab that verse, yank it out of its context, ignore the bit about the Prophets, and try to use it as a club to support a need for the Law (or at least the 10 Commandments), then it kind of fits. If you close one eye and squint the other. 

Let’s look at this a little more closely, a little more objectively, shall we? Is Jesus really saying, “Psych! I’m not really freeing you from the Law!”? Or is Jesus saying something else.

That “Something else” could be several things:

  1. Perhaps the context tells us some things?
  2. There may be a Jewish metaphor here that we’re not catching because we’re not first century Jews. That might change the meaning here.  
  3. He might be talking about a purpose of the Law and the Prophets that he’s going to fulfill.
  4. He might be talking about and end of the Law, but one that is not His doing. 
Let’s look at these possibilities one by one.

1. First, what does the context tell us? This is in the middle of a sermon where Jesus is completely re-interpreting their understanding of the Law. The entire chapter is about Jesus saying, “You’ve heard the Law taught this way…. But I tell you this other thing instead.”

So it’s not reasonable to assume that suddenly he breaks his train of thought and talks about submitting to the Law, at least not without some more evidence to work with. It’s more reasonable to infer that Jesus is doing away with how that Jewish culture has always understood the Law, and replacing that with a completely new understanding. That is the context.

2. Is there a Jewish metaphor here? I’m glad you asked. Yes there is. Jesus says the Law is valid “until heaven and earth pass away.” Well, when is that?

We, in our 21st century, science-based world interpret that literally, scientifically, and if Jesus were speaking on CNN or the Discover Channel, that would probably be a reasonable interpretation. But that is not how his audience at the time would interpret it. So it’s not permitted for us to impose a 21st century interpretation onto this first century document.

If you look at the phrase in scripture (http://nwp.link/2idn9Ml), it’s used more than 120 times (NKJV). In general, the words are used to describe “Pretty much everything we know” (which was *much* less than what we know today!), but when used together, it’s specifically addressing the abode of God (see: http://nwp.link/2j2nNR5, especially Isaiah 66:1 and Jeremiah 23:24). This is describing the Jewish temple. 

In fact, this view was so prevalent that eventually the temple and its courtyard in Jerusalem became known as “Heaven and Earth,” and was spoken of as immovable. The temple itself, the “dwelling place of God” was Heaven, and the courts, particularly with the court of Gentiles, was “the Earth. In more poetical language, it was described as “Where Heaven and Earth meet.” (https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/grawhe)

So the Law and the Prophets are still valid, under Jesus’ new interpretation, until the temple was destroyed. That’s what it meant to the writer and the original readers of the Gospels. We cannot impose our 21st century cosmology onto the text.

3. The structure of the sentence clearly points to the fulfillment of “The Law and the Prophets.” We’ve taught for generations (correctly) that the Law and the Prophets point to Jesus, and this passage in Matthew has been part of that teaching. Certainly, the reference to “the Prophets” would not be part of a declaration of keeping the Old Covenant Law.

These verses are clearly saying that the Law was still in place as Jesus made the statement; it hadn’t been fulfilled yet. Recently, I fulfilled my obligations on a loan. Until that loan was fulfilled, I kept making payments. If I missed even one payment, even the very last payment, then the loan was in default, and the bank had the right to seize my property and sell it off to cover my failure. 

But when I fulfilled that loan, when the payments were done, then the loan no longer has any power over my behavior (“Payments are due!”) or consequences (“…or we’ll seize your stuff!”). I was now free from that law. 

Jesus was declaring that the fulfillment of everything the Law and the Prophets spoke about was upon them: they were about to see the realization of everything they’d been waiting for for the last couple of millennia!

4. The Old Covenant Law was still in place when Jesus spoke these words about the Law being fulfilled. It was already “obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away,” (Hebrews 8:13), but it didn’t finally “vanish away” until the last possible second: exactly one generation (40 years) after Jesus’ death, when the Jerusalem, the temple (“Heaven & Earth”) and perhaps even most significantly, the genealogical records of Israel were all destroyed. Without those records, it was impossible to determine who was a descendant of Aaron, and therefore qualified to be a priest and to make the sacrifices the Law demanded. Legitimate sacrifices could never be re-instituted.

When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD (a description of which is in Matthew 24, in answer to the question of “When will the stones of the temple be thrown down?”), the Old Covenant finally breathed its last and died, completely fulfilled in Christ.

So these verses are not a statement that Believers need to keep the Old Covenant Law. They were a warning that while the Law was still in force when the words were spoken, but that Law would end soon. Romans is blunt: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness….” Done.

And Jesus didn't just end Ten Commandments. He ended 613 laws; he ended all of them. All of that is dead. It was obsolete. It wasn’t needed any more.

You see, all of those commandments were the "terms and conditions" for the Old Covenant. And Jesus ended the Old Covenant. (The Epistle to the Hebrews describes that termination pretty well, better than this article has room for.)

So when that broken down, obsolete covenant was replaced with a New Covenant, the terms and conditions of the first covenant (all those laws, and the priesthood, and the sacrifices) were all replaced with the terms and conditions of the New Covenant as well.

So anyone who names the name of Christ is not under the Old Covenant, and not obligated – not even a smidgeon – to the terms and conditions of that obsolete covenant. We share in a New Covenant, and no man can serve two masters. Dont try.
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Prophecy

What about the Law and the Trials of the End Times?

People regularly quote Second Timothy Three: “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.” And Paul outlines much of the difficulties going on in the Roman Empire at the time. And people say, “These are difficult times! Paul must not have been talking about first century Roman Empire, but about twenty first century America (or Europe, or whatever). 
Paul offering pastoral advice to his young protégé. He’s writing from prison, which means he’s writing in AD66 or AD67. And he’s telling Timothy, “Here’s how to pastor this kind of person (verses 8-15, same chapter).
So If Paul is telling Tim how to pastor these people, then “the last days” that he’s talking about in AD67 must be AD70, when the Jerusalem was destroyed, when the temple was destroyed, and most importantly, when the genealogies (which showed who was qualified to be a priest or even a Levite) were burned. Destroyed. Gone forever. 
That was the “Last Days” that Paul was writing about. It’s not about now. It’s about the end of the Law.
Why in Heaven’s name would the apostle write pastoral advice for how to relate to a situation that was exactly what was going on in his day that minute, but give advice that would be about an event that wouldn’t happen for twenty centuries? That’s just silly.
Of COURSE he was writing to what was going on in Tim’s ministry right then.
—————————
So here’s the real question:
Given that the Law of the Old Covenant is dead and gone, given that the “Last Days” talked about in the Bible are generally about “the last days of the Old Covenant,”
HOW SHALL WE THEN LIVE.
Note: this is not a place to argue about whether you agree that the last days are behind us. This is an “If – then” question:

If the evil things and the “difficult times” that the New Testament writes about have already happened, what do we do with our lives?
That’s the question that really matters. If we’re going to focus on the days ahead, let’s focus on what’s important. 
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Devotionals, Letters

What about the Law and the Trials of the End Times?

People regularly quote Second Timothy Three: “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.” And Paul outlines much of the difficulties going on in the Roman Empire at the time. And people say, “These are difficult times! Paul must not have been talking about first century Roman Empire, but about twenty first century America (or Europe, or whatever). 

Paul offering pastoral advice to his young protégé. He’s writing from prison, which means he’s writing in AD66 or AD67. And he’s telling Timothy, “Here’s how to pastor this kind of person (verses 8-15, same chapter).

So If Paul is telling Tim how to pastor these people, then “the last days” that he’s talking about in AD67 must be AD70, when the Jerusalem was destroyed, when the temple was destroyed, and most importantly, when the genealogies (which showed who was qualified to be a priest or even a Levite) were burned. Destroyed. Gone forever. 

That was the “Last Days” that Paul was writing about. It’s not about now. It’s about the end of the Law.

Why in Heaven’s name would the apostle write pastoral advice for how to relate to a situation that was exactly what was going on in his day that minute, but give advice that would be about an event that wouldn’t happen for twenty centuries? That’s just silly.

Of COURSE he was writing to what was going on in Tim’s ministry right then.

---------------------------

So here’s the real question:

Given that the Law of the Old Covenant is dead and gone, given that the “Last Days” talked about in the Bible are generally about “the last days of the Old Covenant,”

HOW SHALL WE THEN LIVE.

Note: this is not a place to argue about whether you agree that the last days are behind us. This is an “If – then” question:


If the evil things and the “difficult times” that the New Testament writes about have already happened, what do we do with our lives?

That’s the question that really matters. If we’re going to focus on the days ahead, let's focus on what’s important. 

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Devotionals, Letters

What about the Law and the Trials of the End Times?

People regularly quote Second Timothy Three: “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.” And Paul outlines much of the difficulties going on in the Roman Empire at the time. And people say, “These are difficult times! Paul must not have been talking about first century Roman Empire, but about twenty first century America (or Europe, or whatever). 

Paul offering pastoral advice to his young protégé. He’s writing from prison, which means he’s writing in AD66 or AD67. And he’s telling Timothy, “Here’s how to pastor this kind of person (verses 8-15, same chapter).

So If Paul is telling Tim how to pastor these people, then “the last days” that he’s talking about in AD67 must be AD70, when the Jerusalem was destroyed, when the temple was destroyed, and most importantly, when the genealogies (which showed who was qualified to be a priest or even a Levite) were burned. Destroyed. Gone forever. 

That was the “Last Days” that Paul was writing about. It’s not about now. It’s about the end of the Law.

Why in Heaven’s name would the apostle write pastoral advice for how to relate to a situation that was exactly what was going on in his day that minute, but give advice that would be about an event that wouldn’t happen for twenty centuries? That’s just silly.

Of COURSE he was writing to what was going on in Tim’s ministry right then.

---------------------------

So here’s the real question:

Given that the Law of the Old Covenant is dead and gone, given that the “Last Days” talked about in the Bible are generally about “the last days of the Old Covenant,”

HOW SHALL WE THEN LIVE.

Note: this is not a place to argue about whether you agree that the last days are behind us. This is an “If – then” question:


If the evil things and the “difficult times” that the New Testament writes about have already happened, what do we do with our lives?

That’s the question that really matters. If we’re going to focus on the days ahead, let's focus on what’s important. 

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Devotionals, Letters

Preparing for an Uncertain Future.

I’ve been asked recently, “How should we prepare for the upcoming hard times in our nation?” The topic comes up a fair bit in one form or another.
I started to reply to the individual who asked this one, but there are several folks with questions on this topic. Here’s what I observe on the topic:
§         No single prophet will have all the insight on this (or any other) topic. Father promises to reveal his secrets to “the prophets” not “to each prophet.” I won’t have anything close to a complete picture. Having said that,
§         It’s not the prophet’s job [ever] to replace your hearing from God yourself. Take what you hear from the prophets to God to get your instructions for your own situation.
 
§         I believe that fear is the primary danger ahead of us: the enemy is making a pretty strong focus on this sin, trying to drive God’s. If believers resist that temptation, we’ll be positioned to get the rest of it right. (This means, of course, filtering what we listen to, and HOW we listen to it.)
§         It’s my opinion that the disaster prognostications flooding the media are fear-based, and are in error, if only because they’re based on fear.
§         While God is calling some of his children into the prepping community, “prepping” is not the answer. Luke 12:20-21 applies to those who, because of fear, store up all they’ll need to survive Armageddon: I don’t believe that’s actually possible; if we knew all that we needed to store up, that violates the First Commandment, and God has promised to not permit that. (Note: the “first commandment” is more of a threat than a commandment: “You will not be able to have any other gods before me: you set ‘em up & I’ll knock ‘em down!” [http://bit.ly/1nn65Rm])
§         I personally believe that the epic disasters of Matthew 24 and the Book of Revelation are clearly behind us, not in front of us (that is perhaps another conversation, and others believe differently). Nevertheless,
§         That does NOT mean I see blue skies and butterflies. Someone really smart said, “In this world, you will have tribulation.” I suspect that’s related to the fact that we are engaged in the greatest war this universe has ever known. It’s NOT “good vs evil.” It’s about the Kingdom of Heaven vs the lesser kingdoms (of which there are many: “good vs evil” is one; fear is another, and self-sufficiency is a third).
§         It is my opinion that the most critical things we can do are in John 2:5 (“Whatever He [Jesus] says to you, do it.”) and Hebrews 12:1&2 (“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”) Key: fix our eyes on Jesus. Having said that,
§         This does not mean “Don’t prepare.” It means look at what Jesus is doing and do what he says. He has had me make SOME preparations (we have gotten out of debt, and we grow some of our own food on our city lot, etc).
§         I’m reminded of stories like Matthew 17:24-27 (and we could choose many others!): It appears that Jesus is invested in provisioning us. Which leads to,
§         I believe we’re coming into a season where we rely on the supernatural for our daily lives. We need to (and are, in fact, beginning to) get used to miracles, so that we can multiply food or raise the dead comfortably and consistently.
§         Whatever troubles that come are an opportunity for the Kingdom of God, not obstacles. Even if there is real persecution against believers, upheaval of any sort open people’s hearts and minds to the King of the Kingdom. If we respond in fear we’ll miss the opportunity (see Romans 8:15).
§         Other people may be called to different responses. I am clearly called to a non-political response, but Father has specifically spoken to me about others whom He may be calling to be involved with politics, or even with forceful resistance to evil. Their calling is not my calling, but I need to not hinder them.
§         The story remains unchanging: God’s goal for us is still intimate relationship, his instruction is still to extend the kingdom, by means of the Great Commission.

So what do you hear God saying to YOU about this season ahead of us? 
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