A Scripture Study The Rebellious or Last Days Generation A Study Only for Study Only A time or generation is to come described by Apostle Paul when there will be a rebellion or great falling away, 2 Thess 2:3 "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." Paul then continues to describe two important events that saints yet living need not have worry, the first is the 'coming of the Lord' for those yet living in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him..." Paul continues giving assurance concerning previous teaching about the Return of the Lord or Day of the Lord not occurring until first this rebellion occurs, saying in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-7 "... that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed." Two important points were made by Paul, first that the Lord is now restraining Satan from deceiving all the nations as Satan had done once before, Satan restrained today described in Rev 20:3 "He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time." This falling of Satan from heaven is described by Christ during his ministry as having been observed by Him, and the event of Satans fall described in Isaiah 14:12-15 "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." Here the grave is Sheol where Satan was immediately cast, and the pit is the abyss over which there is no crossing. Here during Old Testament times were both sinner suffering as they wait judgment, and the upright called righteous who rest in peace as they await resurrection, told in Isaiah 57:2 "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death... But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." The second point is that saints having passed away will have already been gathered into the heavens. Satan released now before the end of the 70th Prophetic Week will once again deceive all the people and nations. However before this happens a remnant elect very likely the chosen people Israel find sanctuary and grace from God, and now the Lord sends His angels not to Sheol-grave but to the heavens where they gather all of the saints described in Mark 13:26-27 "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Notice within the Old Testament when these 'four winds' are mentioned as in Mark chapter-13, it speaks about the four winds of heaven, being evident that the saints had already been gathered into one of the heavens before the Return of Christ said not to bear sin again, but for final judgment. There is only one time in the New Testament that these four winds are mentioned on earth, and this is during the symbolically described prophetic events within Revelations, this concerning angels certainly in the very last days. During these last days of Satan as ruler over all the earth saints have assurance of escaping the wrath of God, this we are told in Rom 5:9-10 "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" During this rebellion when Satan is revealed concerning the last generation of saints found upon the earth, the last of saint's yet living are gathered at the 1325 day within the 70th week prophecy, told of in Rev 7:14 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes-who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." This Great Tribulation is not the normal Tribulations everyone will experience during their lifetime as Christ described, it is instead a time during the first 3½ years of Desolations called the prophetic 70th Week, this 'Great Tribulation' is described in [KJV] (Matthew 24:21, Revelations 2:22, Revelations 7:14). Returning to the great falling away or 'Rebellion', this is a sign of the last of end times after which Christ is revealed. Christ is revealed according to scripture when He is seen coming in the clouds of the sky, this is commonly called the Day or Return of the Lord not to bear sin again, but for final judgment. The rebellious generation that remain upon the earth that wish to believe a lie will certainly believe their lie as told in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." What is believed certainly will be their own lies as they serve their father of lies, as seed of their father, and they do the work of their father in wickedness as they delight in believing their own lies, this already evidenced as beginning. Some believe the verses above describe God sending a lie, instead it clearly says God is sending one that is a Great Delusion, and each of the deceived will then be able to believe their own lie. Concerning delusion or deceiving of all the nations and people, we should remembered Old Testament scripture describing when last this occurred, when all of the nations and people were deceived into rebellion. Within the New Testament we are now told this will happen again as described in Revelations 20:7-8 "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth..." But when does this rebellion begin or occur, I believe today we see a man made State of Israel in rebellion of God although fulfilling the prophetic purpose of God, and this foretold in Jeremiah 14:18 "Both prophet and priest have gone to a land they know not." I believe spiritual maturity is needed to discern the signs of the times evident in the man made State of Israel today. About this man made State of Israel under a Zionist government of Zionist Congress and Zionist Supreme Court, scripture describing this egregious fruit is accurately described in Ezekiel 20:32-33 "'You say, "We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone." But what you have in mind will never happen.'" Some at this point will say 'but surely there is a State of Israel today', however forgetting that God is slow to anger, or when God said 'do not eat of the forbidden fruit or you shall surely die'. Some may believe all within this State of Israel are in rebellion, however during the scattering many chosen stayed or returned to Palestine for religious reasons establishing themselves within a Homeland, living many years and decades in peace with their Arab neighbors, this all happened long before Zionism. Over the centuries a number of small Jewish groups formed by various leaders returned to begin a homeland settlement, some failing from natural or economic and religious/political reasons, however of those that stayed none had considered beginning a State of Israel. And so concerning a State of Israel today we are dealing with a time period concerning the prophetic Rebellious Generation. Concerning a generation or length of ones lifetime, the Bible from Old to New Testament's described different period's within which men live different longevity or length of lifetime. Methuselah had the greatest longevity of 969 years, there came a time however in mans rebellion when God decreed man would live no longer than 120 years. Since the 120 year decree by God man has lived in periods that a lifetime lasted 30-40 years, increasing in succeeding generations to 80-90 and 100 years, today there are reports of men living to 110-115 years and possibly longer. It appears in this succession that it will not be long before it will be common to hear of men living 120 years, and this I believe is the period of both a literal and figurative or symbolic fulfillment for the Rebellious Generation. This 120 year limit does not mean all mankind will live 120 years, but that man will reach a period or generation when they will be found living 120 years. This prophetic I believe does not relate to Gentile, instead it refers to the Chosen people called Israel, also to a prophetic and symbolic 120 year generation. God does not relate a Rebellious people concerning Covenant to the Gentile people, but always concerns Covenant in relation to the Chosen people. And so I believe this unbelieving or Rebellious Generation will be a sign among the Chosen, although certainly at this time including also the Gentile as either saint or rebel. Of interest, many of the Jewish having established a homeland in Palestine in the later time were killed by the Crusader's. Few are aware that beginning 70AD when the Chosen were scattered out of their land into all the nations, soon after their religious leaders and sage's taught from the Torah that while scattered God had imposed three vow's upon the scattered, significant is the first vow that they were not to re-establish Israel in what was then called Palestine. This vow was kept in obedience for almost 2000 years, although they all longed for the Torah promise in the last days when their Messiah will come to re-gather the Chosen into new covenant and return them into Israel. It is true some remained or returned to Palestine for religious reason's, these having established a Homeland only, and these also living almost 2000 years in peace with their Palestine neighbor's. These same Chosen in Palestine and many around the world adamantly reject the Zionist State of Israel as a sin against God. Today there is a sign few are aware, the preponderance of population within the State of Israel are a people secular in belief. Many believe as during the time of Christ that they will be part of a government ruling over unsaved upon this old order of earth. Instead the prophet Isaiah clearly describes the future creations of a new heavens, new earth, and the creation of Jerusalem where the people are a joy, described in Isaiah 65:17-18 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy." The Bible leaves little doubt these are new creations and not the old as greatly destroyed being refurbished or rebuilt. The word used for 'New' is OT:2319...chadash (khaw-dawsh'); from OT:2318; new: KJV - fresh, new thing. The word used for creation is OT:1254...bara' (baw-raw'); a primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes): -choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat). Apostle Paul clearly looked forward to this new heaven and earth, saying in 2 Peter 3:13 "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." Paul also prophetically describing the present Jerusalem as not an enduring city but anxiously awaiting the enduring or eternal Jerusalem told in Hebrew 13:13-14 "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." Revelations describes this new Jerusalem coming down or revealed out of heaven as in Revelations 21:1-2 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Would it be impossible to understand Israel as the place that Gentile Christian spliced into the family or remnant Chosen, enter an eternal Israel where also is found the eternal Jerusalem and Sanctuary or Temple God establishes for eternity? Or that this will occur only after judgment and no longer upon the old order of heaven and earth, heaven and earth having passed away to mean destroyed when no place is found for it? What then constitutes the Last Days and last or Rebellious Generation is the breaking of this vow, happening also as mankind reaches the 120 year longevity. More precisely, this rebellion began remarkably by a non-believing Jewish man, and this man forming a group of similarly minded men calling themselves Zionists, and these in 1897 forming a Zionist Congress. Although commonly believed they wished only to establish a Jewish Homeland in Palestine, other documents would indicate that shortly within forming their concept and purpose was set to re-establish Israel in Palestine. Discarding the proposals of Britain, it is documented these Zionist's produced in 1919 their map for the Paris Peace Commission claiming ownership of land, and this map showed all of Palestine along with Arab lands similar to the kingdom of Saul as lands they claimed. Please also learn about the Promised land (shown on right), compare it to the Zionist State of Israel. About this land and ownership, take heed of what God says in Leviticus 25:23-24 "The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants."   Concerning the Palestinian being displaced in the State of Israel today, often called 'the alien', few remember these alien and that God made allotment of land among the twelve tribes of the chosen as described in Ezekiel 47:21-48:1 "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign LORD." What does this say about the displacement of all Palestinian people as evidence shows is being done today, warned of in Deuteronomy 19:14 "Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess." Among these aliens are Palestinian Christians, many if not most have also been displaced. These aliens could very well refer symbolically to the Gentile spliced into the family of God, having through Christ a part in the eternal promise. Summation There have been many wicked and perverse generation's, there will also be a prophetic and symbolic generation covering 120 years, these Last Days will be the last generation ending also the time of fulfillment for the Gentile. This end time prophecy is given Daniel by archangel Michael, he tells of the 70 Weeks prophecy that concludes this earth age bringing final judgment described in Daniel 20:24-27. We are told however of a remnant elect still living in these last days that are able to make it through the first half of the 70th week, coming out of the Great Tribulations as told in Daniel 12:11-12 and Revelations 7:14. The entire prophetic week is described in Daniel 9:21-27 and outlines what is to happen, however as evident today, the chosen people Israel have not ended transgressions and sin nor as yet have they anointed the Most Holy. At the beginning of desolation scripture tells us a remnant of the chosen people find sanctuary in God, this also begins the out pouring of Gods' grace upon the upright and righteous scattered among the nations described in Zechariah 12:10-14. At this time the chosen people are gathered into the wilderness of the nations where scattered, and in judgment the rebel that revolt against God are purged out and do not enter eternal Israel as told of in Ezekiel 20:34-37. The remnant or elect that remain then are gathered into new covenant as described in Jeremiah 31:31-32, being also brought into eternal Israel where is found the new created Jerusalem described in Isaiah 65:17-19. Here also God establishes His Sanctuary forever described in Ezekiel 57:26-28. These events are outlined as described graphically below: The Symbolic About the Day of the Lord when the Lord Returns for final judgment, scripture tells us in Mark 13:32 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Yet each of us are given a task, and in this we are told in Mark 13:36-37 "If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" From this it is apparent knowing when Christ returns is not most important, most important is being ready when Christ returns. However Christ also gave two warning's about discernment needed, in Matthew 16:3 "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." The second warning described in Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves..." In the last days the Bible tells of an Israel, it does not say in this Israel are the scattered that God has regathered for eternity. Scripture does give important advice about this land (I believe symbolically called Jerusalem), warning when Gog and Magog armies surround it, saying in Luke 21:20-22 "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. I believe the above verse is strong warning to all of the chosen within the world today. RtPriceTag@comcast.net | Return to Top | Return to Index of Articles |