The New Testament tells us to consider the lessons of the Old Testament as instruction. One of the lessons is that of Achan. A battle had been won and then the next battle which should have been a “slam dunk” was lost. The reason was because Achan had disobeyed God’s orders and taken “stuff” that was off limits.  One man affected a nation.

Who is a modern day Achan? Is it someone like Lindsey Graham?  Is it those that play for pay? Jesus overthrew the moneychangers.  While the first coming of Christ was focused on Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, at the end of time, he is portrayed as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He opens the seals in Revelation. The plagues begin.  Judgement falls on a world that has failed to receive Jesus as the Lamb.  Jesus now comes as the Lion.

Historically, during the time of the first coming of Christ, there was a misunderstanding among the people. The zealots expected a fiery king who would destroy the enemy. Instead the Messiah, Jesus, came as a suffering servant.  Jesus came as the sacrificial Lamb.  That season has passed.

You might say that now there is a reverse understanding.  Since people now understand that Jesus came as the suffering Messiah, as the Lamb of God, perhaps there is a thought that judgement to the continued sin and evil in the world will never come.  But voices from many denominations warn that at some point the door of grace will close.

When Jesus revealed himself in the temple, by reading a scripture that could only apply to the Messiah, he stopped at a certain point.

Luke 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

They wanted to kill him for that.

Luke 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

What Jesus read came from a prophecy in Isaiah.   He stopped at the part that was relevant to Jesus’s first coming.  The portion that he read was not the full prophecy. The rest of the prophecy still has to be fulfilled.

This is the rest of it.

Isaiah 61:2b …and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

 

In Jesus’s second coming, there will be God’s vengence on the enemies of God. When that is over, verse four will come to pass, “And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.”

Jesus accomplished his mission as the Lamb of God at the cross.  He is now functioning as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  In the earth, lions operate differently than lambs. In the book of Revelation, the connection is made between the Lion and the Lamb.

Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

 

 

Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

There is an intensity of awareness that the time is late.  Satan knows his time is short.  The battle to take souls to hell is increasing in intensity.  It is time to understand the gospel message.