THE LAST PLAGUES AND THE SEAL OF GOD

15811 읽음

Outline

The Bible prophesies about disaster and judgment, and also testifies to the truths that God granted His people to save them from the judgment. Christ Ahnsahnghong enlightened the importance of the covenant through the history of those who did not keep God’s covenant and were judged. He also testified that the way to be saved from the last disaster is to keep the gospel of the New Covenant that Christ preached, that is, the Passover of the New Covenant, the seal of God.

Preface

This book is about the good news that God’s people will receive the seal of God by which they can be saved from the last plagues and great tribulation.

The seven last plagues will come in the near future. People have been deceived by false prophets, who still say that Jesus’ second coming is close at hand. However, as you know, where there is truth, falsehood always appears and works in advance.

We should not forget that the truth is hidden where there is falsehood. If you keep this in mind and study this book, you will easily find the truth of life. Please do not delay studying this book carefully, so that you may escape the impending seven last plagues and be saved.

The good news in this book is that whoever enters this truth can be saved, like the ark of Noah. All kinds of animals entered the ark of Noah, but it was not because they were without sin. Likewise, whoever enters this truth will be saved, whether he has sin or not. Please study this book carefully and receive the seal of God, so that you can enter eternal life.

CONTENTS

  • Chapter 1 The Last Plagues and Judgment
  • Chapter 2 The Mystery of the Passover
  • Chapter 3 Being Captives to Babylon by Forsaking the Covenant
  • Chapter 4 The Ten Commandments and the Law of the Letter
  • Chapter 5 The Old Covenant Has Been Changed to the New Covenant
  • Chapter 6 Comparison Between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant
  • Chapter 7 The Order of Melchizedek
  • Chapter 8 The Regulations of the New Covenant
  • Chapter 9 The New Covenant Is the Gospel
  • Chapter 10 A Minister of the Gospel Is a Minister of the New Covenant
  • Chapter 11 The Passover and the Last Supper
  • Chapter 12 The Passover Exposes a Home for Demons
  • Chapter 13 The New Covenant Purges Away Sin
  • Chapter 14 God’s Sealing Work
  • Chapter 15 Is the Sabbath the Seal of God?
  • Chapter 16 What Is the Seal of God?
  • Chapter 17 Jesus’ Body Is the Seal of God
  • Chapter 18 Those Who Sorrow Over the Appointed Feasts

Chapter 1 The Last Plagues and Judgment

Mt 24:37–39 『“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”』

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the members of the church in Thessalonica as follows:

1 Th 5:1–3 『Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.』

The Apostle Peter prophesied about the “times” as follows:

2 Pe 3:6–7 『By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.』

2 Pe 3:10–13 『But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.』

The Apostle John described the scene at the time when the last disasters will come, as follows:

Rev 16:17–21 『The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.』

There is also a record in the Old Testament as follows:

Zep 1:14–18 『“The great day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.”』

Mal 4:1–3 『“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.』

The prophecies of many prophets mentioned above are about the end of the age. Today there are reports by those who have insights about this generation: “Doomsday Is Only the Push of a Button Away” (Kyongnam Daily News, October 20, 1977), and, “97 Underground Cities Have Been Built Around Washington D.C. in the United States in Case of a Nuclear War” (Kookje Daily News, March 12, 1976). This raises an alarm in people’s minds.

This is an age of hopelessness and despair; people are in a serious spiritual predicament and dilemma. However, when the alarming news comes, the good news of salvation also comes.

Jer 4:5–6 『“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”』

Zep 2:1–3 『Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger.』

The most urgent thing to do now is to listen to the news of salvation. Let’s study the verses in the Bible which show how we can escape the last disaster, whatever it may be: The earth will meet its doomsday, either by a world war or by God’s mighty power. There are many prophecies about the end of the age in the Bible. Whoever absolutely believes and follows the prophecies will be saved.

If people do not believe the message of salvation, they cannot obtain eternal life, even though they try to seek salvation with their own methods such as building an underground shelter, going to another planet by rocket, fleeing to a peaceful country, or hiding themselves under an iceberg at the North Pole in an atomic submarine. These are mere temporary ways to hide from danger. In regard to this, some prophets prophesied as follows:

Zep 1:18 『“Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath.”』 And the prophet Amos wrote:

Am 9:2–4 『“Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”』

Now, the time has come to study and follow the way of salvation according to the guidance of God, following the prophecies of the Bible, instead of seeking man’s ways.

In order to give salvation to those who believe the prophecies, God showed a historical event in ancient times as a shadow of the end of the age.

Ex 12:12–14 『“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.”』

In Heb 11:28, it is written, “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.” In other words, the blood of the Passover lamb became a sign for them, so that no destructive plague would be brought upon them.

After the Exodus, around 586 B.C. when Jerusalem was about to be devastated and Judah was about to be destroyed by Babylon’s attack, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed the reason for the destruction of Judah as follows:

Jer 11:1–4 『This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the man who does not obey the terms of this covenant—the terms I commanded your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ (It was on the day of the Passover that God brought them out of Egypt.) I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.’”』

The Israelites did not listen to what Jeremiah had testified about, so they were invaded and destroyed by Babylon. In regard to this, Jeremiah testified again as follows:

Jer 16:10–11 『“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?’ then say to them, ‘It is because your fathers forsook me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.’”』

Jer 44:23 『“Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”』

The prophet Isaiah warned that the whole world would perish because the people broke the everlasting covenant.

Isa 24:3–5 『The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.』

The everlasting covenant is the new covenant Jesus established.

Chapter 2 The Mystery of the Passover

Lk 22:20 『“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”』

Heb 13:20 『May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep . . .』

In the New Testament times, those who keep the new covenant can escape disasters, while in the Old Testament times those who kept the old covenant could escape disasters.

In 1498 B.C. when the Israelites came out of Egypt, the blood of the Passover lamb became a sign for them, that they were saved from the plague. In the days of King Hezekiah, the king and his people who kept the Passover were saved from invasion by Assyria with the help from an angel in the city of Jerusalem. Its history is as follows:

2 Ch 30:4–10 『The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly. They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written. At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: “People of Israel, return to the LORD [come to keep the Passover], the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. If you return to the LORD [If you come to keep the Passover], then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate (to those who repent and come to keep the Passover). He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.” The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh [Samaria region], as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and ridiculed them [couriers].』

The following is a detailed explanation of the words above: Judah, which had not kept the holy feasts of God for a long time, repaired the destroyed temple on the advice of the prophet Isaiah. As soon as King Hezekiah acceded to the throne (2 Ch 29:1–3), he decided to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month of the sacred year in 726 B.C., and sent couriers throughout all Israel and Judah. However, Samaria, which had not kept the Passover for over 250 years, did not know about the Passover itself, to say nothing of its profound truth, and scorned and mocked the couriers who brought such good news (2 Ch 30:10).

Three years later, Shalmaneser king of Assyria went up against Samaria and besieged it. In 721 B.C., the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, at the end of three years after it was besieged, Samaria that scorned and mocked the couriers was captured and came to an end; millions of victims were brought forth, and hundreds of thousands of people were taken captive, and millions of people were scattered to all nations and became wanderers. Samaria of which Jeroboam became the first king in 975 B.C. came to an end 254 years later because the people abandoned the LORD’s Passover and worshiped idols.

2 Ki 18:9–12 『In King Hezekiah’s fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes. This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.』

Even Judah, although it was said to be observant of God’s law, neither realized the Passover, the most important law, nor kept it. That was why Judah was invaded and afflicted by other countries so often. However, sometimes God sent prophets to them, so that they might keep His laws and decrees and be under His protection.

King Hezekiah also kept the Passover as soon as he sat on the throne, accepting the advice of the prophet Isaiah, because he wanted to secure his nation with God’s blessing and to be protected by Him in a time of dreadful tribulation. As long as King Hezekiah kept the Passover, as a result of his faith and deeds, Judah remained under the protection of God and was protected even in a time of tribulation.

2 Ki 19:30–35 『Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.” That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!』

Samaria was destroyed because the people did not keep the Passover, but Judah remained in existence until 586 B.C. under the protection of God, having the seal of redemption through the Passover. Afterwards, Judah was also invaded by Babylon, and Jerusalem lied desolate for 70 years. It was because the descendants forsook the covenant of God. Among them, some who followed the words of the true prophets were allowed to return to their own country, but others who listened to false prophets were destroyed.

Now, our careful study of the things that happened in those days will give us wisdom to understand what God’s will is for us in this age.

Chapter 3 Being Captives to Babylon by Forsaking the Covenant

In 587 B.C., the nation of Judah was invaded and destroyed by Babylon because they forsook the Passover and the covenant of God; Jerusalem was captured, millions of people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of people were taken captive and they remained prisoners until the seventy years were completed, as Jeremiah had prophesied. As it is written:

Jer 44:22–23 『“When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”』 And it is written:

2 Ki 24:14 『He carried into exile all Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men, and all the craftsmen and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.』

2 Ki 25:8–12 『On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon. But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.』

The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

Jer 25:11–14 『“This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever. I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”』

Indeed, those who listened to the word of the prophet Jeremiah and put it into practice lived in safety and sometimes achieved worldly success, and they returned to their homeland and made efforts to build the city and repair the temple with joy and pleasure. However, the people who believed the word of false prophets like Hananiah were all destroyed. The prophet Isaiah wrote as follows:

Isa 9:16 『Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.』

Thus, those who were led astray by the false prophets revolted against Babylon and were destroyed, while those who believed the prophecy of Jeremiah endured, waiting for the day when they would see the glory of returning home, and finally they came to witness it.

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