 Segment 1: An Introduction to the Presence Movement
[Garden of the Gods, 0:00 – 2:27 minutes]
You cannot walk through a setting such as this and not sense the presence of God. Hello, I’m Tim King with Presence Ministries. Thank you for joining us. During the course of our time together I want to present for you a biblical alternative to what could only be defined as end time alarmism. We’re coming to you from Colorado Springs, the heart of the Rocky Mountains, home of Presence Ministries.
Specifically, our journey begins today in a setting so beautiful it is called the "Garden of the Gods." The same awe and wonder that we feel within these natural cathedrals is not always felt within the walls of our churches. It’s as if the focus is on what is wrong instead of what is right. As if we’re being called to serve a God who is in control of a world spinning out of control and that the real answers to life’s problems are in Jesus returning and taking us away. Feeling much of this despair throughout the 1990s was a torrent of fictional writings called "the Left-Behind Series." This series was such a big hit because it promoted this message of escape as a quick fix to the world’s problems, and even to our own despair. But is this escapist mentality really what God had in mind when He sent Jesus to the cross?
Furthermore, does such an end-time scenario really reflect what the Bible teaches? Is this in fact the plan of God? Just to rapture a handful of people off the face of this earth, living the rest of those made in His image to suffer the horrible fate of a fiery destruction? And all of this in the name of the "victory of God." Really?
Segment 2: Our Understanding of the Last Days
[Garden of the Gods, 2:28 – 3:20]
Over the past thirty years we at Presence Ministries have been finding that the Bible teaches quite a different message about the last days than what we are hearing today. Rather than see the end time as something facing our generation we have discovered that it was a time unique to Jesus and his generation. A period that extended from the Cross to the monumental event of the destruction of Jerusalem, Israel’s old covenant temple and city in A.D. 70. Instead of teaching a future rapture, as does the Premillennial view, Max King opened up an understanding called the Transmillennial® view. It’s not about escaping this world. It’s about transforming it through the accurate retelling of the greatest story ever told. But understanding a message that’s some 2,000 years old is not always an easy thing to do.
Segment 3: Interpreting Our Past
[Cliff-Dwelling Museum, 3:21 – 7:17]
Behind me stand the remains of a civilization that lived in this land long ago. There are known as the "cliff dwellers." What we’ve interpreted from their story has been through archeological discoveries and by piecing together drawings or paintings that pretty much tell us the story of what their lives were like. But the interpretation is sometimes difficult and the going is often slow at best.
Understanding the story of the Bible presents us with many of the same challenges. The New Testament was written in a language known as Koine Greek, a language without punctuation or even spaces between words. To give you an appreciation of how difficult it would be to interpret such a language let me give you a phrase in English and you interpret it. What does this phrase say? "GODISNOWHERE." Did you interpret the phrase to say, "God is nowhere"? Or, did you interpret it to say, "God is now here"? It makes a difference, does it not? That’s sort of where we find ourselves today as the people of God when it comes to interpreting the New Testament text. In interpreting the New Testament the translators of the King James Bible had some decisions to make. And some of those decisions that they made are responsible for some of the cultural pessimism which we feel today.
For instance, in Matthew 24[:3], after hearing a discussion about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple the disciples came to Jesus and said, "tell us, when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?" So it was translated in the King James Bible. There is a lot of discussion today about the end of the world and whether or not we’re living in the last days. But did the disciples really ask Jesus about the end of the world? In actuality, no, they did not. What they asked Jesus was, "What is the sign of the end of the age, the Mosaic age?" That was their question.
There is a lot of discussion about the end of the world today. Religion tells us that we’re living in the last days, that the end of the world is at hand. Well, the translators of the King James Bible and many that followed got it wrong. And, as a result, it’s caused no few problems. It’s as big a difference as whether or not "God is now here" or "God is nowhere." The earliest disciples addressed the end of an age, not the end of a world.
As a result of these misunderstandings, many believers today live under a cloud of impending doom. When Hal Lindsey wrote his book, "The Late Great Planet Earth," much of his fiery destruction was taken from the context of 2 Peter 3, where the elements melt with fervent heat. But what we need to see is, in the Greek language the word "element" is "stoikion." And it simply means the rudimentary principles of Judaism, not the planet earth.
Well, these interpretations have added to a lot of the cultural pessimism we see today. And that has brought us a tension, a tension that maybe should not be ours to bear. For sure in the first century there was coming a judgment and it was coming upon that generation and that generation felt the tension of that coming judgment. The question for us is, "is that a tension that was supposed to span twenty-one centuries of time?"
Segment 4: Too Much Tension
[Royal Gorge Bridge, 7:18 – 12:14]
Behind me stands one of the man-made wonders of Colorado. It’s a bridge that is constructed with the same engineering of some of the largest expansion bridges in the world. It covers what is known as the Royal Gorge in the Arkansas River some 1,200 feet below. As you walk across this bridge you get the feeling that it could fall at any moment. It sways and when people drive over it the boards are moving up and down. I think you can relate none of us would want to be on such a structure if the tension did not hold and for some reason the bridge fell.
Bridges are amazing. Every suspension bridge that stands does so on the basis of tension. Tension is not always a bad thing. However, if there is too much tension it can be catastrophic, for if there is too much tension, the bridge would collapse. That’s about the way we need to see it in the New Testament period. There is a bridge that expands between the Law of Moses and the New Covenant of Christ.
Perhaps this tension is best felt in the New Testament in what scholars refer to as the "already but the not yet." In other words at times we see where the kingdom is present in the ministry of Jesus and yet at other times Biblical writers such as the writer of the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 28, speaks as though they are still in the process of receiving a kingdom. So our question is, "do we still live in an ‘already but not yet’ or has that ‘not yet’ come in fullness and, if it hasn’t come, why not?"
If we say there is more to come this is where the tension of the bridge becomes too much and collapses. This is also where we find ourselves at odds with Jesus and the earliest biblical writers. Jesus clearly saw the end not of world history but of redemptive history and he saw it happening within the time frame of his generation. Matthew 16:27-28 he said, "For the son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of His father. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the son of man coming in his kingdom." Do you see how the tension builds? And yet there is even more.
In Matthew 24, where Jesus talks about the "Sun being darkened" and the "Moon turning into blood" and the "Stars not giving their light," he says in verse 34, "This generation will not pass away until all these things take place." So we ask, Did Jesus return with his angels, in his kingdom, before some of those standing in his audience tasted death, or was he mistaken? Do you feel the tension? But there is even more.
Peter said that "the end of all things is at hand…" 1 Peter 4:7. James said that the coming of the Lord was "at hand…" James 5:8. Paul said that from now on "Those who have wives should be as though they had none for the form of this world is passing away," 1 Corinthians 7. John, the only Gospel writer to speak of "the last DAY" writes in his epistle that it is now "the last HOUR."
The writer of the book of Hebrews, in language too clear to miss, proclaims that "For yet in a very little while He who is coming will come and will not delay," Hebrews 10:37. As well, John begins and ends the book of Revelation with these words, in Revelation 1:1, he is to "Write the things which must shortly come to pass." He ends the book by saying, in 22, verse 7, "Behold, I’m coming quickly." And in verse 10, "Do not seal the words of this book." And, in verse 20, "Surely I come quickly."
In his essay "The World’s Last Night," C.S. Lewis calls Matthew 24 verse 34 "the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. For clearly Jesus expected to return in that generation but He did not." The question is, "who are you going to believe? C.S. Lewis or Jesus? Hal Lindsey or Jesus? Tim LaHaye or Jesus?" I’m going to keep my confidence in Christ.
And I think if we back up and take a look at these scriptures from a little different light we’ll see that the greatest story ever told does not have to be undermined but it can be supported when we understand it’s a change from an Old covenant world to a New covenant world.
Segment 5: The Process of the Changing Covenants
[Sand Dunes, 12:15 – 18:11]
Some of the most difficult travel on earth could take place in a desert such as this. It’s hot. It’s dry. And the going is not easy. Israel knew this well for the heart of Israel’s story takes place in a desert like this.
One of the greatest feasts celebrated by Israel was the Feast of Passover. This feast celebrated their being set free from Egyptian captivity. What is important to see is that this was a 40-year process. They were set free at the Red Sea and yet it wouldn’t be for another 40 years until they would enter into their promised rest and Promised Land.
This entire event played a central role in Paul’s theology as far as what was taking place in his generation. In 1 Corinthians the 10th chapter he said that that wilderness experience of Israel happened as examples for them in his generation for they were the ones "upon whom the ends of the ages had come." Not the end of world history, but the end of redemptive history, the time of ushering in salvation.
Here’s the picture. Israel was freed from her bondage at the crossing of the Red Sea. But she would not enter her promised land for another 40 years. Likewise those at the time of Christ were freed from their bondage at the Cross but, like Israel before, they would not enter their rest for another 40 years. The writer of the book of Hebrews demonstrates this in chapter 3 and 4 where he says, "there is still a rest to be entered into." But this period of time did not extend past the destruction of Jerusalem and the Old covenant world in A.D. 70.
To describe the events that would take place at the end of this 40 year period of time that span from the cross to the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew the 24th chapter Jesus employs the same descriptive language concerning Jerusalem’s fall as the prophet Isaiah had done years before concerning God’s judgment against Babylon. Let’s look at the words of Jesus together.
Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven and all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [Matthew 24:29, 30]
Concerning the overthrow of Babylon the prophet Isaiah said, [Isaiah 13:10, 13]
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the Lord of Hosts in the day of this fierce anger.
The words of Jesus are not embarrassing and he was not mistaken. Those who are wrong are the modern interpreters who take the events of Matthew 24 and place them in our future, not understanding the commonly used language or the history of Israel that had gone before. In Jesus’ time it was a last day’s generation and the world most definitely came to an end. The question is, "what world was it?"
Year’s earlier, Joel prophesized of what would take place in the last days. On the day of Pentecost, in Acts the 2nd chapter, Peter says, "look around you. Do you see what’s happening? This is that which was prophesized by the prophet Joel." They were in the last days at that time. Now, if that were the case, why would we think that the last days are in our future or that we’ve been living in the last days for some twenty-one centuries? What were they the last days of? Certainly they can’t be the last days of the new covenant for that is an everlasting covenant and as Paul says in Ephesians 3:21, it’s part of that which is "a world without end."
So we ask again, "what were they in the last days of?" Well, certainly it wasn’t the end of the New Covenant world. That was just coming into existence. But the Old covenant system was on its way out. Traditionally, often we are taught that it went out at the Cross. But that will not stand the test of Scripture.
In Hebrews, chapter 8, verse 13, the writer says, "in that he says a new covenant, the old has become obsolete." Now, what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Years after the Cross this covenant world had to vanish away for Paul calls it in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 7, "a ministry of death." And in verse 11 he says, "for if this world which is passing away," present tense, "if it was glorious then what remains," which is what? the New covenant world, "is much more glorious."
The sands of time certainly testify to the passing of a world but it was an Old covenant world. The New covenant stands forever. It’s not to dwell or exist in a land that’s dry and barren and parched. But the New covenant is about the reality of the presence of God in this world, this life, right now. It’s all about life and joy and hope and living water.
Segment 6: Our New Covenant
[Helen Hunt Falls, 18:12 – 20:14]
Jesus said that he came that we might have abundant life. He’s the living water that flows from the throne of God. He’s the fountain that flows from within. But many people today are living back in that dry and parched desert out of which we’ve just come. They’re proclaiming the end when in fact it’s just the beginning. The difference between these two views is as great as the difference of seeing God as "nowhere," vs. "now here."
If the people of God today believe that God’s plan is for us to escape the world then who will be around to lovingly engage the world? To build the civilizations of tomorrow that bring glory and honor to God? And, what happens to our lives in the meantime? It’s true, so many people are living lives of quiet despair. It’s as if we’re Shakespeare without a pen. As if we’re Picasso, but the world of religion has stolen away our canvas. It’s as if we’re Galileo without the telescope, and we will not discover the worlds of tomorrow, we will not have the adventure needed today to build that civilization that will bring glory to God.
If this world is not for the citizens of the kingdom of God, then who is it for? God has called us to accurately tell the greatest story ever told. But to do this we have to enter into a study, a study that will draw us into the very presence of God. And when we understand the presence and the fullness of God we will engage our world and we will love our world into conformity. As children of God, brethren of Christ, should we really expect anything less?
Segment 7: Continue the Journey
[Garden of the Gods, 20:15 – 22:55]
Well, all of this brings us back to the Garden where we began. I’m somewhat disturbed by a statement of William Blake. He said that "we’re caught between two worlds, one that is dead and another that is powerless to be born." What has gone before in the world of religion has done little or nothing to recover humanity’s hope. And as long as we’re living in some sort of last day’s countdown then this new world will be powerless to be born. We need to leave behind the left behind delusion and embrace the living presence of God by embracing the truth of his word.
The Bible began in a garden but it ends in a new city, a New covenant reality best viewed through a fulfilled perspective of Scripture. I’d like to challenge you, don’t take the words of a C.S. Lewis or a Hal Lindsey or a Tim LaHaye but let’s study these things together, seeing them through the eyes of that first century generation to whom Jesus spoke and delivered these words. That’s what Max King dared to do some thirty years ago when he wrote "The Spirit of Prophecy" and it changed the way modern interpreters look at the Scriptures.
I’d like to invite you to join with us each week as we go through several episodes dealing with the Last Days, the Coming of the Kingdom, the Judgment, the Resurrection of the Dead, the Second Coming of Christ, the Destruction of Jerusalem, and the Transmillennial® View.
If you’ll join with us you will begin to see Scriptures you’ve never seen it before, understanding salvation and most importantly, understanding that the world is changed not by what happens out there, but by what happens within.
What I’d like you to do now is pick up the phone and call us, toll free, at 1-877-757-2703 and we will rush deliver "The Spirit of Prophecy" book and DVD study series. Call us now. Let’s get started. I’m Tim King with Presence Ministries. I look forward to seeing you soon. God bless.
[The "Spirit of Prophecy" 12-part DVD series is available from Presence Books for $50.]
URL:
http://www.presence.tv/cms/pm-intro-transcript.php
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