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Food and Calendars

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The Law of Moses specified what foods the people of Israel could eat by distinguishing between the “clean” and the “unclean.” The consumption of the latter was strictly forbidden. Israel was summoned to be “holy” since Yahweh was holy. It was inappropriate, therefore, for members of the covenant people to eat anything that was ritually “unclean.”

Day of the Lord

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul refuted claims that the “ Day of the Lord ” was imminent if not already underway. Contrary to what some voices claim, that day will not come until the “ Apostasy ” occurs and the “ Man of Lawlessness ” is unveiled in the House of God. And when Jesus does “ arrive ” on that final day, he will gather his elect to himself and destroy this malevolent figure.

The Season is Here!

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The  Book of Revelation  begins with the phrase, “ Revelation of Jesus Christ .” It is a message for his “ servants ,” the “ Seven Assemblies of Asia ,” and it concerns “ what things must come to pass soon ,” necessary information since the “ season is at hand .” Therefore, the Book pronounces the man who “ reads it, and they who heed the words of the prophecy, blessed ” – (Revelation 1:1-3).

This Evil Age

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The death of Jesus inaugurated the messianic age with consequent changes in the status of God’s people .  In his epistle to the Assembly in Galatia, Paul declares that his apostleship originated from the same God who raised Jesus from the dead, the Messiah of Israel who gave his life to “ deliver us from this evil age .” His declaration anticipates his proposition in the body of the Letter that the arrival of Jesus changed the status of the Law for the people of God, the “ children of Abraham .”

An End-Time People

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The Assembly of God is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and the Ancient Serpent, the Devil . The  Book of Revelation  is addressed to seven first-century congregations in the Roman province of Asia. It deals with their real-life situations and trials. In the process, it presents messages relevant to all the assemblies of God throughout the present age, the period known as the “ Last Days ” which began following Calvary. The daily struggles of the Asian churches provide a microcosm of the great cosmic battle that is being waged between Jesus and the Devil.

The Ends of the Ages

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Paul links the start of the “ Last Days ” with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The time of fulfillment arrived, and all God’s promises now find their “ Yea and Amen ” in the risen Savior. Similarly, the  Letter to the Hebrews  declares that “ in these last days ,” God has “ spoken ” His definitive “ Word ” in His Son who now sits at the “ right hand of the Majesty on High .” History reached its pivotal point in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.