04 apr 2011

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The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

APRIL 2011$4.75

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Old CovenantRegenerationCharismatic/Pentecostal

EldersPg. 42

Didthe Early ChurchAffirm Preterism? PART IIPg.30

World Conspiracy

inLightoftheBiblePg. 34

Hope andResponsibility

inView of the RapturePg. 19

Jubileum PartI:Gods Prophetic

Outlinefor ProsperityPg.14

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In 2011, Midnight Call Ministry will begin to send out FREE of charge, via email,

the latest updated news items relating to Bibleprophecy to all Swift-Word Members.Without charge and with no obligation on your part, youwill receive as a Swift-Word Memberone selected news item with commen-tary six times each week. Read it, pass it on to family and friends or make use of it as you see fit.

What is the Reason for Swift-WordMembership?We base Swift-Word Membership on Psalm 147:15, Hesendeth forth hiscommandmentupon earth:hisword runnethvery swiftly. That is an up-to-date statement. Today, more thanany other time in history, we are able to send His Word veryswiftly, almost instantaneouslyto any part of the world by emailand Internet.

We are commanded to be His witnesses to send forthHis Word,or as Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, Cast thy bread upon the waters:forthou shalt find it after many days. Sharing the preciousWord of God will reap fruit foreternity.

The distribution of the Word of God is the key to salvation.This

is evidenced in Acts 6:7, And the word of God increased; andthe number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; anda great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Other BenefitsWhen you become a Swift-Word Member, youwill be eligible forspecial,Swift-Word Membership benefits to be determined andimplemented in the future. And, you will be notifiedof specialdiscounted resources from timeto time.

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1 Unfaithful Israel (Chapters 1-3) 3225

2 Prophetic Promises and Judgments (Chapters 4-6) 3226

3 Israels Separation from the Promised Land (Chapters 7-9) 3227

4 Gods Love Declaration Rejected (Chapters 10-11) 3228

5 Irreversible Judgment Leads to Salvation (Chapters 12-14) 3229

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C O N T E N T S

6An Incredible StoryBy Thomas Lieth

Calvary, the death of Jesus on the cross,the darkness at

midday, the earthquake, the burial in the tomb,the

resurrection,the opening of the graves, the appearing

of the Lord Jesus up to His ascensiontruly an

incredible story! But even if such a story seems

incredible, this does not mean that it is not true!

14 Money: Ends and TrendsJubileum Part I:Gods Prophetic Outline forProsperityBy Wilfred Hahn

Just what does the Bible say about the rich the poor about wealth distribution how things

will be when Jesus Christ restores all things (Acts 3:21)? Quite a bit.In fact, as much as 40% of the Bible

is said to deal with these and related topics.

19 Hope and Responsibility in View of the RaptureBy Norbert Lieth

The Rapture is the next great event which awaits the Church of Jesus Christ.What hope is connected

with this,and what is the Churchs responsibility in view of Jesusreturn?

26 The Calling oftheTwelve Disciples James,theSon of AlphaeusBy Marcel Malgo

30 Did the Early Church Affirm Preterism? Part IIBy Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

34 World Conspiracyin Lightof the BibleBy Johannes Pflaum

MidnightCallAPRIL 2011

COVER STORY

DEPARTMENTS

4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ByPeterMalgo

42 Letters to theEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ByArno FroeseOLD COVENANT REGENERATION...CHARISMATIC/PENTECOSTAL...ELDERS

$

37 USA

Earths Magnetic PoleShift Unleashing Poison

into the Air?

39 FRANCE

A New Global Finance

System in the Making?

40 RUSSIA

Crew

Trained to

Walk on

Mars on Simulated

Mission

41 ECUADOR

Chevron Fined $8.6bn for

Pollution

41 IRAN

Iran Has No Nuke

Capability

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4 M I D N I G H T C A L L

Now all these things happened untothem for examples: and they arewritten for our admonition,upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore lethim that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall(1 Corinthians 10:11-12).

E D I T O R S N O T E

The intensity of natural catastro-

phes is steadily increasing all

over the world. While the pastyear already ended as the year with the

most catastrophes in history, hardly a

week passes this year in which reports

of fearful events do not reach us again.

Australia was hit with special force. Since

records were kept a hundred years ago, the

highest rainfall ever recorded took place

there a few months ago. This led to the

heaviest floods. The flooded area was as

large as Germany and France combined. A

little later the monster cyclone Yasirushed towards Australia. Even while the

subsequent floods taxed the strength of the

rescue teams, bush fires in Western Aus-

tralia were raging beyond control. At the

same time, unimaginable catastrophes took

place elsewhere in the world: after heavy

storms, an entire mountain slope slid

down and mud avalanches buried hun-

dreds of people. A resident of that place

was barely able to save his children but had

to watch helplessly as his wife was torn

away with the masses of mud. I could

have lost everything, but not my wife, hesobbed.

The list of these disasters could be end-

lessly enlargedfloods in China, volcanic

eruptions in Japan, earthquakes in Haiti,

fire on Mount Carmel in Israel, blizzards in

the USA, a tsunami in Indonesia. Numer-

ous people lost their lives in them. It was

most tragic, however, that many people

could have been saved if they had paid at-

tention to the warnings of the security

forces and obeyed their instructions. In-stead, some preferred to remain in their

homes, unaware that soon a hot lava

stream would rush in or a flood wave

would overflow them in the next few min-

utes, or a fire would deny them all possibil-

ity of flight. In January, parts of South

Germany were also deeply submerged by

water. A newspaper report described how

people in traffic who wanted to drive on a

flooded street simply removed the barriers

B y P e t e r M a l g o

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A P R I L 2 0 1 1 5

Published 12 times a year by

MIDNIGHT CALL, INC.PO Box 280008

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Physical Location:

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Founder Dr. Wim Malgo (192292)

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Contributing Authors Norbert Lieth,Marcel Malgo, Wilfred Hahn,Dr. Ron J. Bigalke, ReinholdFederolf, Samuel Rindlisbacher,Ernst Kraft and Thomas Lieth

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STATEMENT OF FAITH

WE BELIEVEin the divine inspiration of the whole Bible and there-with the infallibility of the Holy Scripture, which is Gods Word, andin the eternal Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVEJesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of theHoly Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shed Hisblood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the third day andlater ascended into heaven.

WE BELIEVEthat the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of eachindividual sinner and that all who believe in Him as their personalSavior are justified through His shed blood and have becomechildren of God.

WE BELIEVEthat Israel is Gods chosen people, and that therestoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment of theWord of God.

WE BELIEVEin the pretribulational appearance of Jesus Christ forthe Rapture of His Church (all born again believers).

WE BELIEVEin the immortality of our souls and the resurrection ofour bodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, theeverlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment ofthe lost.

The Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes PRINTED IN 12 LANGUAGES

ISSN 10948600within the reach of a mudslide. The police spokesman stated: The drivers

are evidently unaware that they risk great danger because the slope threat-

ens to slide down.

Besides these natural catastrophes threatening our physical lives, we

Christians also risk finding ourselves in areas where our spiritual lives areunder attack. The Bible throws light upon numerous warnings to us. But

do we heed such warnings? This is drastically shown us by the judgment

of Sodom. God wanted to save the entire family of Lot and said: Escape

for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape

to the mountain, lest thou be consumed (Genesis 19:17). But Lots wife

looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (verse 26).

God also quite concretely wants to keep us away from zones of danger and

false ways. Therefore, He speaks through circumstances, by His Word, by

the soft voice of the Holy Spirit in our conscience. But do we pay attention

to this? In Numbers 22 beginning with verse 22, we read how God tried by

His angel to turn Balaam back from his wrong way. Finally, God had to use

very unusual means to open Balaams eyes.

Today, we live in a time in which the enemys arts of seduction increase

uncannily. Jesus Himself compares the end time with the time of Noah. It

is reported about his contemporaries that they knew nothing until the

flood came, and took them all away. And Jesus continued, So shall also

the coming of the Son of man be Watch therefore (Matthew 24:39,

42). Later, Paul wrote the Corinthians: Now all these things happened

unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon

whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinks he

stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).

E D I T O R S N O T E

To start or renew yourNews From Israelmagazine subscription,please use the order form on pages46-47, or call 800-845-2420 and haveyour credit card ready.

32pages$18foraone-yearsubscription 12 issues

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hidden information the news media leaves out!

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Calvary, the death of Jesus on the cross, the darkness at midday, the earth-quake, the burial in the tomb, the resurrection, the opening of the graves, the

appearing of the Lord Jesus up to His ascensiontruly an incredible story! Buteven if such a story seems incredible, this does not mean that it is not true!

T H O M A S L I E T H


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A P R I L 2 0 1 1 7

Jesus ChristHe truly is the Redeemer and He is the rightful King of Israel.But for this,He received only scornful

laughter. It is no different today.

In Mark 15:21 to 16:14, we read of the

crucifixion and resurrection of theLord Jesus Christ, His appearing after-

wards, as well as the reaction of those to

whom He appeared. This event was totally

incredible, even for His trusted disciples.

Although Jesus had referred to His resur-

rection when speaking to them, and they

had believed Him, trusted Him and fol-

lowed Him, it was still incredible for these

believers when the resurrection took place.

And yet the Lord Jesus had foretold His

path of suffering three times.

From that time forth began Jesus to

shew unto his disciples, how that he

must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many

things of the elders and chief priests and

scribes, and be killed, and be raised

again the third day (Matthew 16:21, cf.

Mark 8:31). Peter exclaimed, Be it far

from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto

thee. His reaction showed that the disci-

ple ultimately did not know what tomake of the idea of the death and resur-

rection of the promised Redeemer, al-

though He had told them about it, For

he taught his disciples, and said unto

them, The Son of man is delivered into

the hands of men, and they shall kill

him; and after that he is killed, he shall

rise the third day. But they understood

not that saying, and were afraid to ask

him (Mark 9:31-32).

When the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross,in addition to His pain, He had to endure

mockery and scorn, Likewise also the

chief priests mocking said among them-

selves with the scribes, He saved others;

himself he cannot save (Mark 15:31).

He saved others; how true that is!

The Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth

as a Savior (Romans 10:11-13). He

saved others, the chief priests and

scribes said mockingly, but they them-

selves would not let Him save them. Hecame unto his own, and his own re-

ceived him not (John 1:11).

The mockery continued in that they

said, Let Christ the King of Israel

(Mark 15:32). Before, when He stood be-

fore the council, Jesus was confronted

with His position when the high priest

asked Him, Art thou the Christ, the Son

of the Blessed? (Mark 14:61). That

meant, Are you the Anointed One, the

promised Messiah-King? And the Lord

Jesus answered, I am (verse 62). How

moving this is! He saved others ...

Christ, the King of Israel. That which

was meant as scorn and mockery was

nothing other than an unconscious testi-

mony to the Son of God.

Jesus ChristHe truly is the Re-

deemer and He is the rightful King of Is-

rael. But for this, He received only

scornful laughter. It is no different today.Who is more mocked, and who is more

ridiculed? Buddha? Not interesting! Mo-

hammed? Life threatening! Any other

deity? Insignificant! No, in the most

cases, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is

slandered and ridiculed. It was the same

at that time when He hung on the cross.

Nobody laughed at the two robbers at

His side. They were not mocked, spat on

or ridiculed.

Could it perhaps be because the state-ment of the Lord Jesus Christ, No man

cometh unto the Father, but by me

(John 14:6), is so provocative because it

is the simple truth? If something does

not affect us, we can overlook it without

becoming indignant or defending our-

selves with mockery and blasphemy. But

woe betide anyone who says something

that makes us feel they are speaking to

us, even doubting us! Then it is not

C O V E R S T O R Y

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enough merely to reject Jesus, to nail

Him to the cross; no, tasteless scorn is

poured upon Him. With this, peoplecover their conviction; with this they

want to demonstrate their superiority, al-

though they are inwardly full of fear and

uncertainty. Could the Bible be right?

Could this despised man on the cross be

the Son of God after all?

Let Christ the King of Israel descend

now from the cross, that we may see and

believe (Mark 15:32). Does this not re-

mind us of the temptation of Jesus in the

wilderness? There the devil tempted theLord Jesus with the words, If thou be

the Son of God, command this stone that

it be made bread (Luke 4:3). But the

Son of God did not let Himself be

tempted; He was obedient unto death

(Philippians 2:8). His descent from the

cross would not have been a triumph, al-

though that would have been an easy

thing for the incarnate God, who had

healed blind and lame people and even

raised people from death. No, the tri-umph was that He conquered death by

remaining on the cross, voluntarily dy-

ing there and ultimately being raised

from the dead. This was the victory of

God and not some heroic deed of Bat-

man or Superman. From this we see that

the words, Descend now from the

cross were not only a mockery but also

simultaneously a temptation. Perhaps a

last desperate attempt of Satan to turn

away his defeat.

That we may see and believe! What

did the Lord Jesus say to His disciple

Thomas after His appearing? Blessed

are they that have not seen, and yet have

believed (John 20:29). Not seeing and

then believing, but exactly the other way

round: first believe and then see. For we

walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthi-

ans 5:7). Are we prepared to believe?

Then we will see. If you are not preparedto believe, however, you will not believe

even if you see.

The chief priests and the scribes, as

well as the many who saw Jesus when He

bore His cross, had heard of the signs

and wonders of the Lord Jesus, and per-

haps even experienced them. Those of

these Jews who did not want to believe

before Calvary, however, those who had

closed their hearts to the impressive

speaking of God in His Son until thistime, would not have believed even if the

Son of God had descended from the

cross.

Unfortunately, we Christians of today

also tend to want to see and thereby

prove the Bible and strengthen our faith.

Yet we go from believing to seeing and

not the other way round. Man is not con-

victed of sin by earthly, visible things and

heroic deeds, but by the Word of God.

Unfortunately,we Christians of today also tend to want to see and thereby prove the Bible and strengthen our

faith.Yet we go from believing to seeing and not the other way round.Man is not convicted of sin by earthly,visi-

ble things and heroic deeds, but by theWord of God.

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C O V E R S T O R Y

Of the death of our Lord Jesus on the cross,Mark says, And Jesus cried with a loud

voice, and gave up the ghost. And the

veil of the temple was rent in twain from

the top to the bottom (Mark 15:37-38).The veil in the temple is torn; now we

have access to the heavenly sanctuary!

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to

enter into the holiest by the blood of Je-

sus, by a new and living way, which he

hath consecrated for us, through the veil,

that is to say, his flesh (Hebrews 10:19-

20). Hallelujah! The way is free!

The dividing wall between God and

man was not the veil in itself, but sin.

The veil in the temple was torn from topto bottom, from God to man. It was the

veil that divided off the Holy of Holies.

This shows us that sin has been blotted

out and paid for. Just like that? No, not

just like that. It may seem so to us be-

cause it is nothing more than undeserved

favor, but for God this act was not simply

that; it was the painful, humiliating way

to the cross, with torture, mockery and

scorn, with pain, suffering and death.

Salvation, the now free way to God, did

not take place just like that, but it wasand is the proof of Gods love for you and

me (Romans 5:8). And if we look at this

grace of God, His love and kindness,

how irrelevant and trivial earthly things

become!

And when the centurion, which

stood over against him, saw that he so

cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said,

Truly this man was the Son of God

(Mark 15:39). This Roman officer real-

ized that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

He would not have contemplated the

possibility of His resurrection. He did

not have the hope of the resurrection,

and stood perplexed and full of fear in

the face of his realization. He simply

knew, I am also guilty of the death of

this just Man. How terrible this thought

must have been, and how guilty he must

have felt at this moment. We do not

know what happened to this centurion.We do not know whether he later met

the risen Lord and came to saving faith

in Him. The only thing we know is that

the crucifixion of this just Man moved

him deeply. If he confessed his guilt and

sincerely prayed for mercy, then we will

see this Roman centurion one day in

heaven. Then the words of Jesus on the

cross, Father, forgive them; for they

know not what they do (Luke 23:34)

applied to this Roman soldier, who reallyhad no idea who this Man was that they

nailed to the cross.

There were also women looking on

afar off: among whom was Mary Magda-

lene, and Mary the mother of James the

less and of Joses, and Salome; (who also,

when he was in Galilee, followed him,

and ministered unto him;) and many

other women which came up with him

unto Jerusalem (Mark 15:40-41). Who

A P R I L 2 0 1 1 9

The dividing wall between God and man was not the veil in itself,but sin.The veil in the temple was torn from top

to bottom, from God to man.It was the veil that divided off the Holy of Holies.

C O V E R S T O R Y

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were the women of whom these verses

speak? It is said of Mary Magdalene that

the Lord Jesus had healed her from her

demon possession (Luke 8:2). Mary, the

mother of James and Joses, was the

mother of the Apostle James, the son of

Alphaeus; and Salome was the mother of

the so-called sons of thunder (the

apostles James and John), the sons of

Zebedee (Matthew 27:56). These

women, who are mentioned by name,

and many others looked where the body

of the Lord Jesus was taken (Mark

15:47).

Notice what love women had for Jesus.Weonly have to think of the ministry of

Mary and Martha. Think of how lovingly

Mary anointed the feet of the Lord Jesus,

and see how these three women bought

sweet spices to anoint the body of the

Lord (Mark 16:1-2). This is love, this is

faithfulness, this is devotion which only

women are capable of in this measure.

And entering into the sepulchre, they

saw a young man sitting on the right

side, clothed in a long white garment;and they were affrighted. And he saith

unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Je-

sus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he

is risen; he is not here: behold the place

where they laid him (Mark 16:5-6).

It is interesting to note that the angel

spoke of Jesus the Nazarene, i.e. of the

Crucified One, and not of the Son of

God. Everything still seems to be taking

place on earth; it is all about the man Je-

sus, and only later on with His incredibleascension do we find the transition to

the heavenly Kingdom of God, which

Luke hints at, Why seek ye the living

among the dead? (Luke 24:5). The cen-

tral thing about this incredible story is

certainly the fact of the resurrection, He

is risen; he is not here (Mark 16:6). And

then the angel, in the guise of the young

man, continues, But go your way, tell

his disciples and Peter that he goeth be-

It is interesting to note that the angel spoke of Jesus the Nazarene, i.e.of the Crucified One,and not of the Son of

God.Everything still seems to be taking place on earth; it is all about the man Jesus,and only later on with His

incredible ascension do we find the transition to the heavenly Kingdom of God,which Luke hints at,Why seek ye

the living among the dead?(Luke 24:5).The central thing about this incredible story is certainly the fact of theresurrection,He is risen;he is not here(Mark 16:6).

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C O V E R S T O R Y

fore you into Galilee: there shall ye seehim, as he said unto you (verse 7).

Why is Peter specially mentioned?

The angel spoke of the disciples of the

Lord Jesus; that should have been

enough. Peter was one of them, after all.

I think this has to do with his previous

denial of Jesus. Peter, who denied his

Lord and Master three times, was full of

shame and sorrow over his personal fail-

ure. How vehemently he had declared

before this that he would go to his death

with Jesus. But when theory was turned

into practice, he denied the Lord who

loved him so much. And Peter certainly

loved his Lord. He must have felt all the

worse after his denial of Him. With the

command of the angel to tell Peter in

particular that the Lord Jesus was risen

from the dead, Peters sadness was to be

changed into joy. And it should assure

him, Peter, I forgive you! None of thedisciples suffered as much as Peter, and

so this news of the resurrection was like

a tremendous liberation to him. An in-

credible story for Peter, who, as Luke

and John report, now hastened to the

grave to see for himself what they had

told him (Luke 24:12 and John 20:3).

But when, where and in what circum-

stances did Jesus tell His disciples that

after His resurrection He would go to

Galilee? This took place when He was onthe Mount of Olives together with His

disciples, after the last supper, and

shortly before His arrest in the Garden of

Gethsemane, when He also predicted Pe-

ters denial of Him (Mark 14:28). This

detail was also known to the disciples,

and yet they were so slow to understand

all this. I say deliberately to understand

and not to believe, because I think that

they really did believe, in the true sense

of the word, but did not really under-stand. It was all an incredible story for

them, mere theory and not to be under-

stood in practice. The angel underlined

the reliability of the Word of God by ex-

pressly emphasizing, There shall ye see

him, as he said unto you (Mark 16:7).

In other words, and this is valid up to the

present day, Believe and trust in the

Word of God; then you will not go

wrong.

What a faith it would have been if the

disciples had made their way to Galilee

after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, to

wait for Him there instead of barricading

themselves in a house in Jerusalem. The

apostles should have known, and yet

they were completely taken by surprise.

They were not expecting the Lord Jesus,

really. Are you waiting for the Lord? I do

not meant theoretically, according to the

Word, but practically. Are you ready tomeet the Lord, or are you saying, The

Lord will not come for a long time? As

he said unto youthese are words that

should touch our hearts too.

And they went out quickly, and fled

from the sepulchre; for they trembled

and were amazed: neither said they any

thing to any man; for they were afraid

(Mark 16:8). An incredible story is our

theme, and we see by the reaction of the

women how incredible this all seemed tothem. We could really say they were suf-

fering from shock. They had reckoned

with everything, just not an empty tomb.

And now the angel gives them a com-

mand. This must have seemed like a

dream to them. And what about the

command they received to tell the disci-

ples and Peter of the risen One? Neither

said they any thing to any man. We do

not want to judge them, but we acknowl-

A P R I L 2 0 1 1 1 1

What a faith it would have been if the disciples had made their way to Galilee after the crucifixion of the Lord

Jesus, to wait for Him there instead of barricading themselves in a house in Jerusalem.The apostles should have

known,and yet they were completely taken by surprise.They were not expecting the Lord Jesus, really.

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edge this fact, and above all we ask our-

selves, what command has the Lord

given us? Are we fulfilling it? Go ye into

all the world, and preach the gospel toevery creature (Mark 16:15). This is the

Lords command to us too. And what did

Peter and John say so eloquently after-

wards, For we cannot but speak the

things which we have seen and heard

(Acts 4:20). Is this the case with us, or

perhaps the words, Neither said they

any thing to any man; for they were

afraid, are more applicable where we are

concerned. Let us each examine our-

selves and answer for ourselves. Thewords of 2 Timothy 1:7 should encour-

age us in this connection, For God hath

not given us the spirit of fear; but of

power, and of love, and of a sound

mind.

After all this, at last the appearing of theLord took place, Now when Jesus wasrisen early the first day of the week, he

appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of

whom he had cast seven devils (Mark

16:9).

Only Mark writes of the fact that the

shocked women did not say anything to

anyone at first. As the other Gospels re-

port, these women were full of fear on

the one hand, but full of great joy on the

other hand. On the way to the disciples,

to tell them of their incredible meeting,

they were silent, knowing that nobody

would believe them anyway. Who would

take them seriously as women? The tes-

timony of a woman at that time had ab-

solutely no value. This fact is also a proof

of the credibility of the Bible: if this book

would have been written later on by peo-

ple without the inspiration of the holy

God, then the writers would surely have

come up with more reliable witnesses

than a couple of women.

Mark describes further that the LordJesus met with Mary Magdalene. She had

possibly not even gotten over the shock

of His death when the Lord appeared to

her. Similarly as with Thomas later on,

first she had to see before she believed

with all her heart. And she [Mary Mag-

dalene] went and told them that had

been with him, as they mourned and

wept. And they, when they had heard

that he was alive, and had been seen of

her, believed not (verses 10-11). Luke24:11 says it even more emphatically,

And their words seemed to them as idle

tales, and they believed them not. What

is our title? An incredible story. They

did not believe it. It was simply an in-

credible story. We see this again in Mark

16:13, after the Lord Jesus had revealed

Himself to the two disciples on the road

to Emmaus, After that he appeared in

another form unto two of them, as they

And even when the two disciples who had been on the road to Emmaus told the disciples, they were inca-

pable of regarding the impossible as being possible.Then the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples,and

upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen

him after he was risen(verse 14).

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C O V E R S T O R Y

walked, and went into thecountry. And they went and

told it unto the residue: nei-

ther believed they them

(verses 12-13).

Let us imagine how the

eleven disciples must have felt

just before that. A couple of

days ago, they were there when

their Lord and Master rode tri-

umphantly into Jerusalem, and

then the events leading up to

the crucifixion took place in quick suc-

cession. The disciples were despondent,

desperate, full of fear, unsure and per-

plexed. And then came Mary Magdalene

and the other women. But what is the

reason for Jesus first appearing to the

women and not His disciples? This testi-

mony was too incredible to be true. And

even when the two disciples who had

been on the road to Emmaus told thedisciples, they were incapable of regard-

ing the impossible as being possible.

Then the Lord Jesus appeared to His dis-

ciples, and upbraided them with their

unbelief and hardness of heart, because

they believed not them which had seen

him after he was risen (verse 14).

The Lord Jesus had to scold His clos-

est friends, namely the remaining eleven

apostles, for their unbelief. Unbelief? In

what form? They saw in Jesus theAnointed One and Son of God, and con-

fessed Him as such. The disciples be-

lieved in Jesus, by all means. Yet they

showed their unbelief in their practical

faith-lives. Just as today, many Christians

believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ, but do not put their faith into

practice. They give no testimony, al-

though they know of their commission.

They do not grow, although they should.

They still consume spiritual milk, al-

though they should have become teach-

ers themselves long ago (Hebrews 5:12).

They complain and despair although

they know the promises. Are you also

concerning yourself with the question,

Who shall roll us away the stone from

the door of the sepulchre? (Mark 16:3),

when this stone has been rolled away

long ago? The women realized it whenthey looked up (verse 4). What are you

spending more time doing? Looking at

the stones that you think are in your way,

or are you looking up to your Lord and

Savior?

Do what the scolded disciples did and

let the admonition of the Lord be an en-

couragement to grow spiritually. Later

on, after the Lord Jesus had ascended

into heaven, they could not do other

than to proclaim boldly and powerfullythe fact of the resurrection, And with

great power gave the apostles witness of

the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and

great grace was upon them all (Acts

4:33).

An incredible story? Yes, indeed. In-

credible, and yet true. What grace that

those who believe it will one day go from

believing to seeing. Praise be to the risen

Lord Jesus Christ! (MR0410/432)

A P R I L 2 0 1 1 1 3

Are you also concerning yourself with the question, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepul-

chre? (Mark 16:3),when this stone has been rolled away long ago?The women realized it when they looked up

(verse 4).

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M O NE Y: E ND S & T R E ND S $For resources on endtime economics and to subscribe to the free newsletter,Eternal Value Review,visit Wilfreds

website www.eternalvalue.com or contact him at: [email protected]

Jubileum Part I: Gods PropheticOutline for Prosperity

Just what does the Bible say about the rich the poor about wealth

distribution how things will be when Jesus Christ restores all things

(Acts 3:21)? Quite a bit. In fact, as much as 40% of the Bible is said to

deal with these and related topics.

B y W i l f r e d H a h n

Most wonderfully, the

Bible concerns itself pri-

marily with the captives

and the poor, whether in spirit or

physically. In this 3-part series,

our aim is to show just how won-

derfully God has aligned the phys-

ical creation with his heavenly kingdom

and work of salvation. Should His re-quirements of love, mercy and forgive-

ness not be practiced, the societies of

mankind are designed to malfunction

and self-destruct.

We will begin by first consulting the

Bible for its perspectives on these top-

ics. In Part II, we will then explore

Gods ideal plan for economic justice

on eartha program that will be rein-

stituted in the Millennium period. Part

III reflects upon the wonderful bless-

ings of cancellation and forgive-

ness. As we will discover, these

concepts are necessary for both eternal

salvation and the blessed existence of

mankind during his temporal, physical,

existence on earth.

The Poor and the RichEvery time we risk writing about Bibli-

cal perspectives on wealth and its distri-

bution, we seem to invite incendiary

responses. Quoting Robert E. Lucas, Of

the tendencies that are harmful to sound

economics, the most seductive, and

the most poisonous, is to focus on ques-

tions of distribution.1 We would agree.

Even my background as a practitioner in

the Darwinian world of the global in-

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Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity

vestment industry, has not spared me

from being accused a Marxist.

Therefore, lets settle this point right at

the outset. We are here more interested

in the Bibles view on these questions ofwealth, the poor, forgiveness and Gods

desired economy for mankind, not the

secular theories of men. As it is, the field

of economics and its myriad theories

(which is a subject body that belongs to

the humanities, not science) has yet to

settle on a unanimous view. It should

also be recognized that this field of non-

sciences has had a terrible, terrible track

record.

Moreover, populist views and policies

on these matters tend to change with the

times and zeitgeist. For example, in

America today, to speak of wealth

redistribution from the rich to

the poor would be economic

heresy. According to the

thinking in higher-echelon

political circles, the rich

must be protected. In

short, arent they the onesthat provide the capital that

provides jobs and incomes

for everyone else? There-

fore, the right and privilege

to achieve huge outsized

after-tax incomes and wealth must

be preserved. At least, that is the reason-

ing that is prevalent in the halls of

power.

However, lets get back to the Biblical

view and put these things into properfocus. It is not so much that specific

tenets of capitalist theories about wealth

creation and distribution are dead

wrong. It is that their implementation

does not always emphasize fairness,

compassion and love. Dont believe it? If

that were not the case, one would need

to wonder why the Holy Spirit went to

the trouble of inspiring the Bible. Its

central message would be obviated.

As the Bible repeatedly shows, God

chooses to observe the motives of the

heart rather than the punctilious obser-

vance of ritual or theory. For I desire

mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledg-ment of God rather than burnt offer-

ings (Hosea 6:6, see also Matthew 12:7,

9:13). Through Micah, God admonished

the Jews, saying, He has showed you, O

man, what is good. And what does the

LORD require of you? To act justly and

to love mercy and to walk humbly with

your God (Micah 6:8).

The same message is found in the

New Testament. Even the gospel cannot

be operative without love and mercy. If

I speak in the tongues of men and of an-

gels, but have not love, I am only a re-

sounding gong or a clanging

cymbal. If I have the gift of

prophecy and can fathom

all mysteries and all

knowledge, and if I have

a faith that can move

mountains, but have not

love, I am nothing. IfI give all I possess to the

poor and surrender my

body to the flames, but have

not love, I gain nothing

(1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

People may have great

head knowledge of Scriptures or ele-

gant economic theories about wealth

creation and prosperity. However, it is

all insignificant noise if its implemen-

tation (putting into practice) does notinvolve love. The two Royal Laws,

which Christ said encompassed all the

Law and the Prophets (Matthew

22:40), were best summarized by the

law expert mentioned in Luke 10:27:

Love the Lord your God with all your

heart and with all your soul and with

all your strength and with all your

mind; and, love your neighbor as

yourself.

$

If I speak in the

tongues of men

and of angels, but

have not love, I am

only a resounding

gong or a clanging

cymbal. If I have

the gift of prophecy

and can fathom all

mysteries and all

knowledge, and

if I have a faith that

can move

mountains, but

have not love, I am

nothing. If I give all

I possess to thepoor and surrender

my body to the

flames, but have

not love, I gain

nothing

(1 Corinthians

13:1-3).

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The very last days of the Church Era

the terrible times that Paul talks ofare de-

scribed as being without love,

unforgiving, instead characterized

by the love of money and loveof themselves (2 Timothy

3:2-3). That exactly de-

scribes the attitudes re-

quired to underpin an

environment of eco-

nomic oppression,

high indebtedness and

widening wealth skews.

That day is here today. If

anything (by at least some

measures), these conditions are likely to get

worse and most certainly, much worse

by the time the Tribulation unfolds.

The Bible Versus Political PolemicsUsing such terms as Marxism or Capi-

talism is not helpful in discussing what

the Bible actually says and mandates vis-

-vis wealth. Neither ism is supported

in the Bible. (In fact, the Bible supports no

isms of mankind.) Actually, the Scrip-tures and ancient wisdom precede these

man-made theories by several millennia.

To the extent that Karl Marx might have

theorized some of the flaws of capitalism

(as does the Bible), this did not qualify

him as a godly man. Much to the contrary.

His seminal failings were that he did not

operate out of a spirit of love (more likely

envy) nor a fear of God. Likewise, any

rich person or proponent of capitalism

would not be sinfully wrong, were theyinspired by a sense of justice or love for

fellow mankind. Without love and mercy,

the ultimate consequence of even the best

theory and doctrine will be destructive.

The essential points and attitudes to

which we must orient ourselves in rela-

tion to wealth and physical possessions

are found in the Bible. These were estab-

lished long before Adam Smith or Karl

Marx came along. To emphasize, Biblical

wealth theory cannot be disassociated

from love and justice, and has no union

with concepts of self-interest (Adam

Smith and later concepts of the good of

capitalism or affluence); nor asso-ciations with envy nor

covetousness; and more

lately, the good of greed.

Why Are There Poor?Wasnt Abraham, the Bib-

lical patriarch, wealthy?

This observation is often

made in the defense of the

rich. It completely misses the

point. To be relatively or absolutely

wealthy is not a sin (though it is also

true that very few are capable of justly

managing wealth). The Bible does not

condemn the state of being rich; it

rather indicts the elite rich that oppress

their fellow mankind and take no con-

cern for the poor.

Without a doubt, there were numer-

ous wealthy individuals mentioned in

the Old Testament. But, what conclu-sions should we draw from this observa-

tion? First, we need to draw a

distinction between those rich that were

righteous and those that were not. We

have already drawn attention to the crit-

ical differentiationlove, mercy and

justice. However, lets also consider

some practical aspects. Who would not

agree that it is impossible for everyone

in the world to be as rich as Abraham, in

relative terms. This is simply not physi-cally possible. Nor does the Bible ever

promise that everyone can be rich (as

do todays popular and widespread

[false] Prosperity Gospel teachers).

The Bible draws a distinction between

the state of being wealthy and that of

hoarding. These are not one and the

same concepts. It is a mathematically-sup-

portable fact that hoarding must result in a

wealth distribution skew in other


M O NE Y: E ND S & T R E ND S $

The Bible draws

a distinction

between the

state of being

wealthy and that

of hoarding.

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Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity

words, a relative division in wealth or stan-

dard of living. In fact, such is the very defi-

nition of hoarding. As outlined in James

5:1-6, wealth is described as having been

heaped or amassed, which is impliedby the Greek word saurizo. This is an im-

portant distinction, as it gives evidence of a

wealth skew. Wealth cannot be heaped and

concentrated without there being a lessen-

ing or deprivation of someone elses rela-

tive wealth. The impulse for this effect may

be unintentional, sin or conspiracy. At the

very least, we must not forget the innate

vulnerability of all human flesh. Every-

thing else being equal, the love of money

(1 Timothy 6:10), the lust of the flesh

(1 John 2:16), and all mankind being born

into sin testify to the corruptible bias of the

world. Just who is uncorruptible?

It is no surprise therefore that almost

the entire emphasis of the Bible in relation

to the poor is to their defense. But why

should this be? Just why is it necessary for

the Bible to counsel special aid and care for

the poor? While there are godly people

mentioned in the Bible who were wealthy,just why is it that the rich attract so little

favorable mention in the Scriptures? The

answer: the same reason that mankind

needs salvation and forgiveness of sins.

Therefore, what the Bible does consistently

concern itself with are the poor and the op-

pressed, both physically and in spirit.

Moses said to the Hebrews, There

should be no poor among you

(Deuteronomy 15:4), this being a com-

mand from God. Jesus said that he cameto preach good news to the poor. (The

Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he

has anointed me to preach good news to

the poor. He has sent me to proclaim

freedom for the prisoners and recovery

of sight for the blind, to release the op-

pressedLuke 4:18.) He also said:

You will always have the poor among

you (John 12:8), pointing out the un-

fortunate state of a fallen world.

Gods Plan for Fair Dealing withWealthA thorough study of the economic princi-

ples within the God-given laws to the Is-

raelites of the Sabbath and the Jubilee Year

reveals the intended wealth distribution

that God had planned upon earth. It is not

unreasonable to take instruction from

these commanded ordinances of the Is-

raelites as, after all, they were called to be a

light to the world (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6).

But arent ancient laws and principles ir-

relevant today? No. Consider that Godhimself will again reinstitute these two

Sabbath ordinances in the Millennium pe-

riod. Think of it: when Jesus Christ re-

stores all things (Acts 3:21), the Sabbath

and Jubilee years will be practiced by the

entire earth. Civil leaders today would then

do well if they sought to pursue the same

principles behind these two ordinances.

Then, just what are these principles? We

next need to examine the Bibles teachings

about the Sabbath and Jubilee Years.Of course, the Sabbath finds its origi-

nal roots at Creation. God rested on the

7th day. The entire earth was to rest on

this day. Ever since, all developed cul-

tureswhether Asian, Western or oth-

erwisehave operated on a seven-day,

weekly cycle. Later, the Sabbath Law was

given to the Hebrews. However, this oc-

curred in several stages, as we will review

in Part II.

$

As a brief

foretaste,

considered what

God said through

Moses, At the

end of every

seven years you

must cancel

debts(Deuteronomy

15:1). As such,

we see that a

seven-year debt

cycle was

instituted. There

was no such

thing as

perpetual debt:

every Sabbath

Year, debts had

to be laid flat.

Anyone who

could not pay

back his debts

by that time was

forgiven this

amount.

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As a brief foretaste, considered what

God said through Moses, At the end of

every seven years you must cancel

debts (Deuteronomy 15:1). As such, we

see that a seven-year debt cycle was in-

stituted. There was no such thing as per-

petual debt: every Sabbath Year, debts

had to be laid flat. Anyone who could

not pay back his debts by that time was

forgiven this amount. We can imagine

just how different our economies would

be today were this same convention ap-

plied.

Points to PonderThe CircaseptanCycleThe seven-day cycle, ending with the

day of rest, is evidenced by all of Cre-

ation. Here is an excerpt from an excel-

lent article on this subject, written by

Kenneth Westby, entitled The Amazing

7-Day Cycle.2

Now we discover that the beat all life is

tuned to is seven.

How did seven come to be imbedded

deep into the ancient genetic building

blocks of life? Why is seven the key coordi-

nating rhythm for lifes myriad complexi-

ties?

God didwind up the clockworkleaving

his fingerprints all over the clock. The new

science of chronobiology has had some of

sciences most impressive successes in see-

ing back to creation with its discovery of

primitive origins to the seven-day cycle

found in human cells and other life forms.

God somehow coded into the infinite

complexities of life a clock that ticks to the

time of a seven-day rhythm. We humans

have no control over these innate circasep-

tan rhythms and benefit best by simply liv-

ing in sympathetic harmony with them.

More importantly, the seven-day cycle in

physical nature points beyond temporal

reality to a far greater spiritual reality.

God, with masterful design, uses time it-

self and a seventh day rest to call his cre-

ation to pause and listen.He has a message

which explains why we were created and

for what special purpose. His words are so

majestic, so exciting, so unbelievable, so

beyond our mundane world that they

could only be comprehended as coming

from God himself. His message dispels ig-

norance, solves lifes grand mysteries, and

offers a future too beautiful to be true.

His personal message introduces him-

self as our creator,he gives us dignity and a

special relationship to himself by declaring

we have been made in his image, he then

offers to save us into an eternity with

himif we but follow him. He invites us tojoin him on his journey,to walk with him, to

talk with him, to learn from him, to even

rule with him.How could we refuse such an

invitation?

The mystery of the seven-day cycle was

never intended to be a mystery, but a call

from the Creator to get in harmony, in sync,

with him. It is high time we get in step with

God.

In Part II and Part III, we will focus onGods perfect plan for economic justice

and the great gifts of forgiveness and

cancellation.

ENDNOTES

1 Robert E.Lucas,The Industrial Revolutions:Past and

Future(2004)

2 http://www.godward.org/archives/Special%20

Articles/7-Day%20Cycle.htm

M O NE Y: E ND S & T R E ND S $

The mystery of

the seven-day

cycle was never

ntended to be a

mystery, but a

call from the

Creator to get in

harmony, in sync,

with him. It ishigh time we get

n step with

God.

MC


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A P R I L 2 0 1 1 1 9

And the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to-gether with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

B Y N O R B E R T L I E T H

HOPE ANDRESPONSIBILITY INVIEW OFTHE RAPTURE

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The Rapture is the next

great event which

awaits the Church of

Jesus Christ. What hope is con-

nected with this, and what is the Churchs

responsibility in view of Jesus return?

The hope embraces five encouragements. Thefirst one is, And that, knowing the time, that

now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now

is our salvation nearer than when we believed

(Romans 13:11).

Every day the return of Jesus for His own draws a

little nearer. For now refers to people who have

already been redeemed through Jesus (spiritually

renewed), and gives them the hope of redemption

from the body at the Rapture, i.e. the resurrection.

The return of Jesus to take home His Church is the

conclusion of the process of redemption of the chil-

dren of God. We could say that it is our ultimate

salvation or the completion of redemption. Theprocess of redemption which began with the spiri-

tual renewal will culminate in the transformation of

the body and the glory of God.

At our conversion, our soul was redeemed; at the

Rapture, the body will also be transformed.

Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, wait-

ing for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our

body (Romans 8:23). Everything earthly (physical,

negative), everything that limits us through our

physical nature, all physical weakness, such as the

process of aging, the inclination to sin, sorrow,tears, and worry, will be transformed into eternal

glory. Paul explains that the new body will be

adapted to heaven, just as the bodies of birds are

adapted for flying, the bodies of animals for the

earth, the bodies of fish to water and the bodies of

people to the world (1 Corinthians 15:39-49).

The second encouragement is: For our conver-

sation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also

we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who

shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned

like unto his glorious body, ac-

cording to the working whereby

he is able even to subdue all things unto

himself (Philippians 3:20-21).

I would like to emphasize the word citi-

zenship. It is so wonderful that the Bible al-

ways gives us assurance. What is citizenship?

Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a coun-

try. As a German citizen, I have the right to live in

Germany, and nobody can drive me out. I am a

child of this people. As a citizen of heaven, I have

the right to live in Gods kingdom, because I have

become a child of God through Jesus Christ.

We are born into the people of a nation. In the

same way, we are born into the kingdom of heaven

(through rebirth). Jesus bought us the right to be-

come a citizen of heaven; through Him we have be-

come partakers of grace. He is our guarantee, the

divine signature, our legitimation, our passport.

Now we are awaiting the Lord Jesus, for Him to re-

turn to take us home, to the kingdom where He hasprepared a place for us.

The third encouragement: Looking for that

blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the

great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave

himself for us, that he might redeem us from all in-

iquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,

zealous of good works (Titus 2:13-14). The

blessed hope is directly connected with the appear-

ing of the Lord, who is our God and Savior.

What is blessed? It is the expression for re-

demption and fellowship with God. Blessed is theterm for attaining to the highest supernatural bless-

ing that lies beyond the possibility of man. The

highest blessing is God Himself. Therefore, blessed-

ness puts everything humanly achievable into the

shade. The uniting with God through the appearing

of Jesus is, therefore, our blessed hope.

The fourth encouragement: And to you who are

troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be

revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

(2 Thessalonians 1:7).

Paul explains that the new body will be adapted to heaven, just as the bodies of birds areadapted for flying, the bodies of animals for the earth, the bodies of fish to water and the bod-

ies of people to the world (1 Corinthians 15:39-49).


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The Bible tells us that at the return of Jesus for

the resurrection and Rapture, we will first enter

into rest, to appear with the angels of His power

in glory later on. Rest means that we have

come to rest from all toil, the battle of faith and

overcoming. We will be liberated from all suffer-

ing, trouble will be over; life will attain its ut-

most fullness, the goal of our faith having been

reached.

When Jesus was risen from the dead, it says

that His head covering in the tomb was folded up

in a special place by itself (John 20:7). Why is

this mentioned? It is to draw our attention to the

fact of what Jesus achieved. The cloth that had

been wrapped around Jesus head reminds us of a

sweatband (in the sweat of thy face, Genesis

3:19): the battle, the trouble and toil were set

aside. He accomplished the work in our place

and thereby created a blessed rest, a rest from

having to work for our redemption ourselves.For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath

ceased from his own works, as God did from his

(Hebrews 4:10).

Fifth encouragement: Blessed be the God and

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according

to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again

unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus

Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incor-

ruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,

reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the

power of God through faith unto salvation readyto be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Notice the correlation: the eternal inheritance

that Jesus achieved for us is kept for us in

heaven, and we are kept for this inheritance. Isnt

that wonderful? The Bible always gives us assur-

ance! It is not our power that keeps us, or we

would soon be in trouble; it is Gods power, His

omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence

that keep us. We may trust in this power of God

in faith and act accordingly.

The responsibility embraces five admonitions. First ad-monition: In view of the imminent return of the

Lord Jesus for His Church, we are told to love one

another, Owe no man any thing, but to love one

another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the

law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou

shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt notbear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there

be any other commandment, it is briefly compre-

hended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy

neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his

neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high

time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation

nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:8-11).

A child once wrote the following words to God,

Dear God, I bet its hard for You to love everyone

in this world. We are only four people in my family,and I never make it!

When a person close to us is taken from us by

death, we often regret many things; we regret not

having loved them more, for instance. John Wesley

once said, I have often regretted judging too

harshly, but only seldom being too compassionate.

When we stand before the judgment seat of God,

the Lord will not ask in the first place how much

we prayed or how much we resisted sin, how well

we fought and admonished, how faithful we were

HOPE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN VIEW OF THE RAPTURE

We are born into the people of a nation. In the same way, we are born into the kingdom ofheaven (through rebirth). Jesus bought us the right to become a citizen of heaven; through Him

we have become partakers of grace. He is our guarantee, the divine signature, our legitima-tion, our passport.

A P R I L 2 0 1 1 2 1

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or how much we did for Him.

He will ask how much we

loved. Love is the fulfillment

of the law; love is the greatest

thing of all. And the worst

thing of all is to neglect to

love. The letter to the Church

at Ephesus shows us where

our priorities lie (in Revelation

2:1-7). Everything else is important too, but love al-

ways has priority.

Second admonition: We are admonished to keep

a pure conscience, Now the Spirit speaketh ex-

pressly, that in the latter times some shall depart

from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and

doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; hav-

ing their conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Tim-

othy 4:1-2).

A man once asked his neighbor, who was a

farmer, why he had been looking so sad recently.After a while, the farmer admitted, I have a guilty

conscience because I stole a chain. The neighbor

encouraged him to give the chain back and put the

matter in order, so that his conscience would be

clear and he could be happy again. Days later he

met the farmer again, but he still looked sad. He

asked him whether he had returned the chain, to

which the farmer answered, Yes, I did, but it didnt

help matters much. After a while, he ultimately

confessed, Well, there was a cow at the end of the

chain. We must tell the whole truth, and manypeople are afraid to do this, and therefore they are

not free.

Third admonition: We are admonished to await

Jesus. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glori-

ous appearing of the great God and our Saviour Je-

sus Christ (Titus 2:13). Christians have many

goals that they pursue, and they are awaiting a lot

of things, but they look far too little for the return

of Jesus for the Rapture. We await death, the day of

judgment, the end of the world, but hardly Jesus

appearing. It is not without

significance that the New Tes-

tament speaks less of our ex-

pectation of death than the

return of Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthi-

ans 1:7 and 1 Thessalonians

1:9-10). Fervent expectation

belongs to true conversion

and true service.

Fourth admonition: We are admonished to hope,

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,

concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow

not, even as others which have no hope. For if we

believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them

also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with

himWherefore comfort one another with these

words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 & 18).

People who have no personal relationship with

Jesus are called outsiders, them that are without;

in the Word of God, they are people without hope,who have no citizenship in heaven and no comfort.

The Bible describes the kingdom of heaven for us in

the most vivid colors, but it also says that we will

not go there automatically. A personal turning in

faith to Jesus Christ is, according to the Scriptures,

essential and cannot be replaced by anything else.

Fifth admonition: We are admonished to take the

Word of God seriously. And he said unto me,

These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord

God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew

unto his servants the things which must shortly bedone. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that

keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book

(Revelation 22:6-7).

The Bible proclaims the judgment of God. It

speaks of the coming wrath, it speaks of death and

the possibility of spending eternity far from God.

We should not ignore these warnings, but take

them seriously, and they should lead us to turn con-

sciously to the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

(MR0310/387)

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holyprophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book(Revelation 22:6-7).

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We are living in an increasingly insecure world.The news media continues to bombard uswith reports,mainly negative, and we can barely digest it all. But theabove Scripturegives us theanswer: its about the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the spirit of grace. Is-raels salvation is at stake.The Gentiles are mentioned in the previous verse: And it shallcome to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come againstJerusalem (verse 9).That sums up theconviction of our world today.

Thisyears AtlanticCoast Prophecy Conference will be targeted toward Israel, theChurch, and the Gentile world.What it all means and what the Bible has to say about itwill be presentedby our speakers during the21/2 day prophecyconference.So, dont missthis important event!

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16-18 October 2011Landmark Resort HotelMyrtle Beach,South Carolina

And I will pour upon thehouse of David, and upon theinhabitantsof Jerusalem, thespirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they havepierced,and theyshall mourn for him,asone mournethfor his onlyson, and shall bein bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn (Zechariah 12:10).

2 0 1 1 A T L A N T I C C O A S T P R O P H E C Y C O N F E R E N C E

24 M I D N I G H T C A L L24 M I D N I G H T C A L L

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NORBERT LIETHis a graduate of Midnight Call

Bible School in Montevideo/Uruguay. He has

served as Midnight Calls missionary in sev-

eral South American countries. Norbert Lieth is

the lead speaker for Midnight Call Ministries

throughout Europe. He has authored 18 books,

and many have been translated into several languages. He

and his wife, Elke, and their four daughters reside in Switzerland.

WILFRED HAHNis known for his writings and

insights on present-day world economic and

money trends, viewed from a Biblical perspec-

tive. He has global investment industry experi-

ence spanning three decades, having held

various executive positions from Director of

Research for a major Wall Street firm, to Chairman of Canadas

largest global investment group. At one time also a top-ranked

global analyst and strategist, he continues to write and work as

a Chief Investment Officer. The Mulberry Ministry, founded in

1995 with his wife, Joyce, publishes and distributes Eternal

Value Reviewand over 40 books and booklets. For the past 10

years, he has been a contributor toMidnight Callmagazine.

DR. CHUCK MISSLER,a Naval academy gradu-

ate and former Branch Chief of the Dept. of

Guided Missiles, had a remarkable 30-year

executive career. He served on the Board of

Directors of 12 public companies and was CEO

of 6 of them. For twenty years, Chuck balanced

his high-profile corporate career with his teaching commit-

ment to a weekly Bible study at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in

Southern California. He earned a Ph.D. from Louisiana Baptist

University in Biblical Studies in 1999. He and his wife Nancy

established Koinonia House in 1973. Koinonia House publishes

the monthlyPersonal UPDATE, which highlights the Biblical rel-

evance of current events to over 50,000 subscribers world-

wide. After a devastating earthquake in 1992 demolished their

home in Big Bear, California, Chuck and Nancy moved Koinonia

House to Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and K-House now reaches tens

of thousands through its monthly newsletter, radio shows,

cassette tapes, and conferences.

DR. GREG HARRIS(Th.D.) has taught at Wash-

ington Bible College for seven years. Then for

ten years, Dr. Harris taught Bible and Greek at

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He continues to serve as an international faculty

member of the Jordan Evangelical Theological

Seminary in Amman, and maintains an ongoing international

conference and pulpit ministry. He is the author ofThe Cup and

the Glory, The Darkness and the Glory, andThe Stone and the

Gloryand numerous journal articles. He joined The Masters

Seminary family in 2006 as Professor of Bible Exposition, and

also teaches as an adjunct professor at The Masters College. Dr.

Harris serves as the teaching pastor at Lake Hills Community

Church in Castaic, CA.

JAMES K. WALKER,the president of Watchman

Fellowship, is a former fourth generation Mor-

mon with over twenty years of ministry experi-

ence in the field of Christian counter-cult

evangelism, apologetics, and discernment. He

has been interviewed as an expert on new

religious movements and cults on a variety of network television

programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and The

News Hour with Jim Lehrer. He has spoken at hundreds of

churches, colleges, universities, and seminaries throughout

the United States and internationally.

ARNO FROESEis the executive director of Mid-

night Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the

critically-acclaimed prophetic magazinesMid-

night Call and News From Israel. He has

authored a number of well-received books,

and has sponsored many prophecy confer-

ences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels

have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he

sees it from an international perspective.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

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James, the son of Alphaeus, is

almost always only mentionedin the various lists of the apos-

tles, and always toward the end of

them. Apart from this, he is only

mentioned a few times in connec-

tion with his mother (Matthew

27:56, Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10).

He is also called James the less in

Mark 15:40, to distinguish him

from James, the son of Zebedee. We

may assume from this that the lat-

ter was taller or older than James, the son of Al-phaeus.

How were the disciples called? The brothersPeter and Andrew, and also James and John, were

called directly from their place of work to follow

Jesus (cf. Matthew 4:19-22). This was surely

something that they remembered all their lives,

that tremendous moment when they were called

out of their daily routine to follow Jesus, Peter, do

you remember? John, do you remember?

The calling of Philip and Nathanael

or Bartholomew was extraordinary,The day following Jesus would go

into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and

saith unto him, Follow mePhilip

findeth Nathanael, and saith unto

him, We have found him, of whom

Moses in the law, and the prophets,

did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son

of JosephJesus saw Nathanael

coming to him, and saith of him, Be-

hold an Israelite indeed, in whom is

no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whenceknowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto

him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou

wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael an-

swered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son

of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered

and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw

thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt

see greater things than these (John 1:43, 45 &

47-50). This must have changed the lives of the

two disciples. Matthew was also called from his

The Calling of the Twelve Disciples

James,the Son ofAlphaeusB Y M A R C E L M A L G O

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits,to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the

twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son

of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James

the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas

Iscariot, who also betrayed him (Matthew 10:1-4).


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A P R I L 2 0 1 1 2 7

Yet particularly with James, the son of Alphaeus, we could have expected a specialreport of his calling, because he was probably related to Jesus Christ on his mothers

side. In John 19:25, the following three women are named, Now therestood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his motherssister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

tax booth in a special way

(Matthew 9:9). This must

have moved this man enor-

mously.

But how was it with

James, the son of Alphaeus?

Could he also look back on a

special moment? One thing

is sure, at some point there

was a day in his life in which

he was received into the cir-

cle of the twelve. The Bible

does not speak of this day. It

gives no information as to

whether this calling took place in a spectacular

way. The Bible does not say a word too much, but

not a word too little either. If it does not say any-thing about the calling of James, the son of Al-

phaeus to be a disciple, then there is nothing

spectacular to say. It must have been an insignifi-

cant event that took place in all stillness. Nonethe-

less, this James was an apostle who was received

into the circle of the disciples by Jesus Christ Him-

self.

Yet particularly with James, the son of Al-

phaeus, we could have expected a special report of

his calling, because he was probably related to Je-

sus Christ on his mothers side. In John 19:25, thefollowing three women are named, Now there

stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his

mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and

Mary Magdalene. The name Cleophas is a Greek

form of the Aramaic name Chalpaj, which can also

be translated as Alphaeus. Therefore, Cleophas Al-

phaeus was the father of the apostle James. This

made Mary, the wife of Cleophas the mother of

James. And this Mary was called the sister of Mary,

the mother of the Lord.

There are two arguments against this. Firstly,

that in John 19:25, not three but four women are

mentioned. According to this theory, hismothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas are

two different people and not, as we presume, one

and the same person. Most expositors speak actu-

ally of a total of three women. Secondly, you

could say that two physical sisters would surely

not bear the same name. The German Bible trans-

lator Ludwig Albrecht writes, however, in the

margin of his Bible, The fact that two sisters

bore the same name would not necessarily have

been odd at that time. King Herod the Great had

two sons who were both called Herod. The Biblescholar Abraham Meister also had no problem

with this, and he wrote explaining the name of

Cleophas, Husband of Mary, the sister of the

mother of Christ.

Proceeding from the assumption that this

James was related to Jesus, it is not peculiar to

think that there must have been a special bond

between Jesus Christ and the family of Alphaeus.

In spite of this, we read nothing of the calling,

life or ministry of this apostle.

Veronese, Crucifixion 1582

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James, the son of Alphaeus,was a man in the background

and played a rather modest

role. If this had not been the

case, then the four evangelists

would certainly have men-

tioned him. But James appar-

ently accepted this subordinate

role completely. He lived ac-

cording to the words of Jesus,

Take my yoke upon you, and

learn of me; for I am meek and

lowly in heart: and ye shall find

rest unto your souls (Matthew

11:29). Why can this be applied

to this unknown apostle?

Let us concern ourselves briefly with the situa-

tion after the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:9). Awhole new era began for the disciples. They had to

ask themselves, Where do we go from here?

This taking stock would have been the opportu-

nity for James to make a completely human deci-

sion, namely, to leave. He had always been in the

background, in spite of the fact that he was related

to Jesus. Peter was already the uncontested leading

figure. You could probably have been able to tell

from afar that he was an apostle. Perhaps you

could not say this about this James, the son of Al-

phaeus. Jesus was no longer there. How couldthings get any better? He could have reviewed the

supposedly meager years and decided to leave and

begin anew. But James, the son of Alphaeus, did

not do this. He remained with the disciples, And

when they were come in, they went up into an up-

per room, where abode both Peter, and James, and

John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas,

Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Al-

phaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother

of James (Acts 1:13). He was an apostle, and in

this he was no less than Peter. He would also re-

ceive the promised reward from Jesus, And I ap-point unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath

appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at

my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judg-

ing the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29-30).

He had the same rank, the same position; he was

like all the others, and all the others like him.

Is this not a message to our hearts? There are

Christians who experience so much with the Lord

that we could become green with envy when we

hear them speak. But there are also many believers

who do not have such experiences, or merely oc-casionally, and therefore they have nothing to tell.

Are they the poorer Christians than those who ex-

perience so much with the Lord? By no means. In

the first place, it is not about experiencing spec-

tacular things with the Lord, but having Him.

James, the son of Alphaeus, experienced much less

than Peter or John probably, but he did not have

the Lord any less than they.

Perhaps you feel like a James, the son of Al-

phaeus. You are often alone, experience little and

The Calling of the Twelve Disciples

James,the Son of AlphaeusJames, the son of Alphaeus, was a man in the backgroundand played a rather modest role ... He lived according to the words ofJesus, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and yeshall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29).

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Think of James, son of Alphaeus. He could have expected more, seeing that hewalked with his Master, Jesus Christ. He remains in the Bible a

minor apostle. Did he give up his office as an apostle?No, he carried on after Jesus ascension into heaven,even if his position did not change.are seldom asked for your help, although you wait

for it. Your experiences with Jesus are fewer than

those of others. Your life is sometimes monoto-

nous. You feel underestimated and misjudged. Per-

haps you ask yourself sometimes, What is the

point of it all?

Think of James, son of Alphaeus. He could have

expected more, seeing that he walked with his

Master, Jesus Christ. He remains in the Bible a

minor apostle. Did he give up his office as an

apostle? No, he carried on after Jesus ascension

into heaven, even if his position did not change.

We should all take this to heart. The same Jesus

dwells through the power of His Holy Spirit in

each of us. The tasks and the experiences may be

different, but in Jesus

04 apr 2011

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