|
The purpose of this paper is to:
-
explore the coordinates of our
current position on the timeline of planet earth
-
raise resolve amongst Christians
in the marketplace that we are not an intimidated Christian minority
in a secular world but rather the faithful and chosen followers of
the risen and returning Christ before whom every knee shall bow
(Phil 2:8-12, Rev 17:14)
-
debunk the fallacious notion that
we live in a post-Christian era (Dan 2:44)
-
bring confidence through the
prophetic scriptures that God will intervene in world affairs and
give the saints possession of the Kingdom of God (Dan 7:21-22, Matt
25:34)
-
encourage followers of Jesus to
rise up to their calling to be transformational influencers in the
marketplace through their daily occupations (Matt 28:18-20, Jn
17:18, Rev 12:11).
At the start of this new year
after many months of engagement with Word and Spirit and careful
consultation in the body of Christ, the author looks through the
window of the prophetic scriptures into the future with great hope.
Here are three questions beckoning us past a status quo that would
like to marginalise the Kingdom of God in our world today:
-
what are our expectations for
this year under God?
-
how do we interpret our world
in the context of both history and the return of Christ?
-
are we getting prepared to
fulfill our calling in the world through our work (John 17:18)?
Can the Bible help us know where
we are on the global timeline? If so, with what accuracy and for
what purpose? The answer to these questions may surprise you and
refresh a renewed engagement with the Kingdom purposes that bring
meaning and true success to our lives on a daily basis.
To seek to answer these questions
we will look through the biblical window of Daniel’s prophecies in
Babylon around 600BC, and correlate it with the prophecies of the
Apostle John on Patmos in 95AD, when he was exiled off the (now)
Turkish coast, near the seven Churches of Revelation.
On this journey we approach the
scriptures with a sense of humility, enquiry and dependency on the
originating author, the Holy Spirit. Our intention is to edify
without being dogmatic whilst being encouraged by the example of the
prophets and apostles of whom it is written:
“Do not be afraid,
Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain
understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words
were heard, and I have come in response to them” (Dan 10:12).
“Concerning this
salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to
come to you, searched intently and with the
greatest care” (1 Peter 1:10)
Note:
unless otherwise stated the Scriptures quoted in this paper are from
the New International Version and any added emphasis are those of
the author.
Where then does the prophetic
Word of God place us on the timeline of planet earth?
Seven Super Powers
In the vision God gave
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, there was an image of a huge
statue and only Daniel could interpret the vision. The statue
represented five empires from Daniels lifetime forwards. The fourth
empire (Rome) spawned the last diverse power which we now call the
West. Preceding Daniel were two other empires (shown above the
dotted line below). By putting these political and military powers
into chronological order we gain the following overview:
|
Chronological Order |
Description |
Reference |
|
1.
Egypt |
God deals with
Egypt |
Jer ch. 43, 46,
Ezek 32 |
|
2.
Assyria |
God deals with
Assyria |
Jer 50:17-18,
Isa 14:24-27 |
|
3.
Babylon |
Statue’s Golden
head |
Dan 2:31-49 |
|
4.
Medo-Persia |
Silver Chest and
Arms |
“ |
|
5.
Greece |
Bronze Belly and
Thighs |
“ |
|
6.
Rome |
Legs of Iron |
“ |
|
7.
Rome > the West |
Feet & 10 toes
of iron & clay |
“ |
Table 1.
The empires represented in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
were replicated in two other visions God gave Daniel during the
reign of Nebuchadnezzar’s descendant, Belshazzar (Dan 7). In
this subsequent vision the five post-Assyrian empires are
represented below the dotted line as follows:
|
Chronological Order |
Description |
Table 2) Reference |
|
1.
Egypt |
God deals with Egypt |
Jer ch. 43, 46, Ezek 32 |
|
2.
Assyria |
God deals with Assyria |
Jer 50:17-18, Isa 14:24-27 |
|
3.
Babylon |
Lion |
Dan 7:1-7 |
|
4.
Medo-Persia |
Bear |
“ |
|
5.
Greece |
Leopard |
“ |
|
6.
Rome |
4th beast a) Roman
Empire |
Dan 7:7 |
|
7.
Rome > the West |
4th beast b) Rome to end times |
Dan 7:8, 7:20-25 |
Finally Greece and Rome are identified by the
angel Gabriel in the Daniel’s second vision during Belshazzar’s
rule (Dan 8):
|
Chronological Order |
Description |
Table 3) Reference |
|
1.
Egypt |
God deals with Egypt |
Jer ch. 43, 46, Ezek 32 |
|
2.
Assyria |
God deals with Assyria |
Jer 50:17-18, Isa 14:24-27 |
|
3.
Babylon |
|
|
|
4.
Medo-Persia |
2 horned Ram |
Dan 8:1-12 ) |
|
5.
Greece |
Shaggy Goat |
Dan 8:20-21 ) |
|
6.
Rome |
“Out of” Greece, ie: |
Dan 8:9-12 |
|
7.
Rome > the West |
Greek thought continues... |
Dan 8:9-12 |
|
8.
End times of Rev. |
Little horn/stern-faced King |
Dan 8:9/8:23-25/Rev 17:11 |
Note: the West is an extension from Greece
and Rome that continues to contain the corrupt and ungodly practices
that the Bible refers to as ‘Babylon’ in a generic sense.
This satanic infiltration and corruption of trade and commerce is
mapped in scripture from the very beginning at Ezek 28:13-18 to the
very end at Rev 17. In the beginning man was mandated to subdue the
world (Gen 1:28) and this mandate remains true today. This mandate
to bring godly order to a disorderly world is central to our purpose
in creation (John 17:18, Rom 8:18-21). This can be seen in the
following painting:
Rembrandt’s painting of Belshazzar seeing
the “Writing on the Wall” (Dan 5:1-31)
National Gallery, London
The prophecies of scripture and the evidence of
History is clear - the “writing is on the wall” for every
person, authority and power that does not honour our creator God.
The
West
The extension of power and influence to ‘the
West’ after Rome as the Apostle John knew it (Dan 8:5) correlates
with both prophecy and Church history in the following ways:
a)
the super power after Daniel’s time
came “from the West” extending to the whole world
b)
this power is described as having
capacity to cross the whole earth “without touching the ground”,
i.e. this could now be seen as aero-space technology, IT and the
media (Dan 8:5)
c)
we can map the general
westward movement of Christian influence and its impact on
civilisation subsequent to the Apostle Paul’s missions as follows:
·
Jerusalem to Asia Minor
ð
including the region of the seven
Churches of Revelation (now part of Turkey)
ð
Note: Satan ‘had his throne’ in
Pergamum (Rev 2:12-13) to intercept and infiltrate the movement of
Christian influence from Jerusalem to the West – note also that
Pergamum is on the longitude that distinguishes the political East
from the West
·
Constantinople (now Istanbul)
extending to the areas that became Eastern, Egyptian, Serbian and
Russian Orthodox
·
Macedonia and Greece
·
Rome
·
Europe and Britain
·
The Americas
ð
with missionary movements emanating
from Britain, Europe and America
·
Asia and Oceania
ð
including the emergence of China as
the second largest economy in the modern world as of the end of 2009
·
and finally the silk route from
China westward back to Jerusalem (Matt 24:14).
Now let us correlate the visions of Daniel with the revelation of
the Apostle John on Patmos:
|
Chronological Order |
Description |
Table 4) Reference |
|
1.
Egypt |
God deals with Egypt |
Jer ch. 43, 46, Ezek 32 |
|
2.
Assyria |
God deals with Assyria |
Jer 50:17-18, Isa 14:24-27 |
|
3.
Babylon |
Lion |
Rev 13:2 |
|
4.
Medo-Persia |
Bear |
Rev 13:2 |
|
5.
Greece |
Leopard |
Rev 13:2 |
|
6.
Rome |
Seven hills, extending to: |
Rev 17:9 |
|
7.
Rome > the West |
7th King and 10 horns |
Rev 17:10, 12 |
|
8.
End times of Rev. |
8th King/little
horn/anti-Christ |
Rev 17:11/Dan 7:8/2 Thess 2:3-4 |
Note: in scripture #7
denotes God’s number of completion and #8
denotes new beginnings (eg: correlate the 8th day in Lev
23:33-36 with John 7:37-39). This hope of new beginnings was
similarly celebrated in Canberra on 08.08.08 when the wedding feast
of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-10) was prophetically enacted in the great
hall of the National Parliament of Australia.
In answer to our question: where then does the
prophetic Word of God place us on the timeline of planet earth? -
we have seen that Daniel’s first prophetic vision (Dan 2:21-35)
was very clear that the last super-power era is the feet of
iron and clay with 10 toes – which correlates with the 7th
beast and 10 horns in Revelation and the era of the West. From this
we conclude that biblical prophecy puts us right near the end of
the seventh and final era of the super-powers.
In Matt 24:39-36 Jesus exhorts us to discern the
signs of the times with the constraint that we can’t know the ‘day
or hour’. With this in mind it is concluded that biblical
prophecy places us on the time line of planet earth in the final
phases of ‘the West’ before the rise of the anti-Christ and the
subsequent victorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Dan 7:8,
Rev 13:11-18, Rev 17:11-14).
The Two Beasts of Revelation
In Rev 13 there are two beasts that emerge. In
13:1 the first beast comes out of the sea with
10 horns and 7 heads, which have been decoded above. The term ‘out
of the sea’ is explained by the angel at Rev 17:15 - "The waters
you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations
and languages…” - which takes in the seven powers listed above
(see also Rom 13:1).
The second beast comes out of
the earth (Rev 13:11) and creates a global government that
enforces the mark of the beast (666: Rev 13:16-18). Although we
haven’t yet seen this beast emerge, we can make the following
observations:
a)
the technology to enforce 666
globally is now available
b)
the threat of global warming and
the inability of current world leaders to resolve the issue could
pave the way for an anti-Christ leader to emerge ‘out of the earth’
or out of the need of the earth. This is a distinct possibility that
should not surprise us.
Note: as Christians we have
responsibility as co-carers of God’s creation to look after the
earth and not damage its beauty and ecology by greed and pollution.
However this is quite different to the potential for Satan to
manipulate global felt needs as an impetus to creating a global
government with an anti-Christ leader who would fulfill the words of
Jesus: "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the
abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet
Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains..." (Matt 24:15-16).
The Ten Horns
Over the last two millennia commentators have
sought to interpret the 10 horns in the context of their
understanding of world events. However it has proven difficult to
align any 10 Kings with the 10 horns, from the Caesars to the
Economic Union. In Rev 17:10-12 the 10 horns had not yet received
their authority when John wrote Revelation, so they come after the
Roman time of the 6th King.
Nor can we align the 10 horns with the Economic
Union because it currently has 27 member states. However it is
interesting to note that the EU was founded by six states
signing the Treaties of Rome in 1957. This adds strength to
the view that the 7th King of Revelation comes out of
Rome to what we now know as ‘the West’. From this perspective the
terrible wars over the last two millennia (including Napoleon and
World Wars 1 & 11) fit with the prophecies of Dan 7:7 and Matt 24:6.
A new Proposal to help us Interpret the 10
Horns
Whilst there are different interpretations of the
10 horns, the previous difficulties in identifying the horns may
well be an outcome of the presupposition that the construct of the
horns is the same as that of the 7 Kings – i.e. political/military
powers or empires.
Instead the author invites the reader to consider how the 10 horns
correlate today with the key drivers of power, influence and
authority on a global basis. We understand how the following 10
domains in our day exercise global authority ‘as Kings without
receiving a kingdom’ (Rev 17:12):
1.
Business including technology and
IT
2.
Charity and Not for Profits
3.
Church and Religion
4.
Creative Arts
5.
Education
6.
Government and Military
7.
Health
8.
Justice
9.
Media and Entertainment
10.
Sport and Recreation.
In this construct the family is seen as the
target audience of the domains who compete for the family’s time,
money and allegiances. Is it not through deception in the domains that
the devil exercises the authority with which he tempted Christ (Matt
4:8-9, Rev 20:3)? Do we not see the enemy using these cultural and
economic drivers to marginalise our Judeo/Christian heritage and in its
place bring anti-Christian values and attitudes? Where are the culture
wars taking place? The sting in the tail is legislation that
progressively makes it illegal to discriminate against ungodly values.
The final twist will be the implementation of 666 to preclude buying and
selling without the mark of the beast imprinted by micro-chip in
people’s hands or foreheads (Rev 13:17). The followers of Jesus will
refuse this imposition, suffer for it and be rewarded by God for doing
so (Rev 13:6 and 20:4).
Today the great calling of the Church is to be
salt and light in the world and to: “demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge
of God…” (2 Cor 10:5).
We are not living in a post
Christian age - because Jesus is eternally victorious over sin, death
and the devil through his death and resurrection (Rev 1:18).
However we are living in a relatively short period of time where to
natural eyes the devil is temporarily winning the current war
against the saints. This has been clearly foretold in Scripture at Dan
7:21, Matt 24:9, Rev 13:7 and 17:14.
The great
news is that Jesus will win this war. Hallelujah!
Every Christian and Messianic Jew can be 100% confident of this as hard
fact (Dan 2:34-45, Dan 7:11-27, Rev 17:14, 18-20). Take time out to
think on these scriptures in order to rise up to our calling to be
unflinching followers of Jesus…
“This is the
meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by
human hands - a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the
silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the King what
will take place in the future. The dream is true and the
interpretation is trustworthy" (Dan 2:45, see also Rom 9:33 and 1
Cor 10:4).
“Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy" (Rev
19:10).
If we are so close to the end of earth’s time
line, what is going to happen?
At this point we need to have our Bibles open at Rev
chapter 17 so that we can look at this part of John’s prophecy in more
detail. The author offers the following interpretation for your
evaluation:
|
Rev |
Description |
Table
5) Proposed Interpretation |
|
17:7 |
Seven
heads |
The
seven major epochs of super powers as outlined above |
|
|
10 horns |
Interpreted above as the 10 major constructs or domains of
society |
|
|
The
Beast |
Satan
(as per Rev 17:3-8) |
|
17:8 |
Once was |
Satan
was commonly accepted as part of life from Gen 3:1 on |
|
|
Now is
not |
Locked
in the abyss for a period of time (Rev 20:2) |
|
|
Astonished inhabitants |
Non-believers who dismissed Satan as a myth |
|
|
Will
come again |
He will
re-manifest for a period of time allotted by God |
|
17:9 |
Mind of
wisdom |
Let us
seek the gift of wisdom in a spirit of humility |
|
|
Seven
hills |
Rome in
John the Apostle’s time (Rome sits on 7 hills) |
|
17:10 |
Also 7
Kings |
The 7
super powers listed above |
|
|
Five
have fallen |
Five
powers have fallen pre-John, as per #1 to #5 listed above |
|
|
One is |
Rome in
John’s day |
|
|
One has
not yet come |
The West
as an extension of Rome |
|
17:11 |
The
eighth King |
The
anti-Christ, as tabled above (Daniel’s little horn) |
|
|
He
belongs to the 7 |
Satan
using all the 7 Kings for his purposes |
|
|
Going to
his destruction |
The
final end of evil after the millennium (Rev 20:7-14) |
|
17:12 |
The 10
horns |
Powers
that have authority like Kings but are not Kings – the ten
primary domains of society that Satan uses to attack the Lamb |
|
17:13 |
Their
one purpose |
To
hand over their authority to Satan for a short period of
time, eg: domains such as media, education, government and
justice giving over their God given authority for anti-Christian
outcomes |
|
17:14 |
Make war
on the Lamb |
Anti-Christ culture wars and persecution |
|
|
But the Lamb wins! |
Hallelujah - we live, work and die for this victory (Rev 12:11) |
|
|
Chosen
and Faithful |
Arise oh
Church to your destiny! |
|
17:16 |
Beast
hates prostitute |
The
beast who deceives the world through the 10 horns will hate his
own followers, ie: under God’s justice the beast will hate those
who have the mark of the beast. |
|
|
They
will eat her flesh |
The
beast will turn on those who gave their authority to the beast |
|
|
The
great city |
The
generic Babylon finally under one world government. |
|
18:1 |
The fall
of Babylon |
In one
hour her doom will come (18:10). |
Warning Against anti-Semitism
Since John’s time there has been recurring teaching
in parts of the Church that turns against Israel. Under “Replacement
Theology” some Churches and Bible colleges have taught that the Church
has taken over the eternal promises of God that were given to Israel.
This teaching has contributed to the persecution of Jewish people and
mitigated against their salvation when they perceive the Church as
enemies rather than brothers. Whilst it is absolutely true that both Jew
and Gentile can only come to salvation through Christ alone, it is also
true that there are 24 thrones in heaven (in addition to those of
God and Jesus):
"Surrounding the
throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were
twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of
gold on their heads." (Rev 4:4 - the Apostle John’s revelation of
heaven).
In Rev 7 both Jew
and Gentile are listed: first the 144,000 representing the 12 named
tribes of Israel and second the great multitude in white robes
representing the saved gentiles. This is repeated at Rev 14 where the
144,000 are the “first fruits” purchased from among men.
“And the
twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God,
fell on their faces and worshiped God” (Rev 11:16 in the time when
Christ’s reign is established over the world).
The twenty-four
elders and the four living creatures (the Gospels - author)
fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they
cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" (Rev 19:4 - at the wedding banquet of the
Lamb).
It (the New
Jerusalem) had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve
angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east,
three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall
of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of
the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev 21:12-14).
The 24 elders who have ‘authority to judge’
(Rev 20:4, Psalm 122:5) comprise the 12 tribes of Israel and the
12 Apostles. Therefore the prophetic scriptures reveal that God’
s plan is not to replace Israel with the Church but to create an eternal
future for both Israel and the Church (Rom 11).
Conclusion
In
Daniel 2 the final Kingdom is represented by the great statue’s feet
made of iron and clay. From the foregoing study the author
submits that this composition of the feet represents ‘the West’
incorporating Church and State with the iron represents political,
military and commercial power and clay the spiritual. The ten toes
represent the 10 domains. The iron and clay live together but can’t
stick together. In Dan 2:41 the clay starts out as good potters
clay and ends up as brittle miry earthen clay (v42
amplified), representing the apostate part of the Church that is
corrupted in the world.
In Romans 9:21 potter’s clay is used as a metaphor
for both noble and common use. In 2 Cor 4:7 the Apostle Paul describes
Christians as like jars of clay. Concluding prayer:
‘Lord, help us to be soft malleable
clay in your hands so that we may fulfill the purposes for
which you created us: to take your Kingdom into the world (Matt
5:13-16, Matt 6:10, John 13:34, 17:18 and Rev 12:11).
The Light of the World, by Holman Hunt
Note the brambles on the outside of the
door
while the handle is on the inside
St Pauls’ Cathedral, London
www.explore-stpauls.net/oct03/textMM/LightWorldN.htm
God’s invitation to new beginnings:
“As many as
I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Therefore be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
(Rev 3:19-20 NKJV).
Supplement
The
Churches Strategic Response
In biblical history we can see that God has always
had key strategic plans for the circumstances. From Moses delivering
Israel from Egypt, to David and Goliath, to Gideon defeating the
Midianites, to the whole plan of redemption at the Cross. Therefore what
is God’s plan for his victorious Church in the realities of the
spiritual war of our day? What changes do we need to make from the 19th
and 20th century Church that are not working in the 21st
century? How is God leading us forward today?
There is growing acceptance that God is moving
freshly today in ways that are about:
·
the mercy and grace of the Cross to a
hurting world
·
the Kingdom, not Christians or local
Churches in isolation (Matt 24:14, Acts 1:3)
·
prayer and intercession focussed on
Kingdom purposes in the world, but not of it
·
unity and love being manifest in the
Church to the world (John 17:20-23, 1 Cor 12:12)
·
relationships built on safe systems
(you can have a great conversation in an aircraft but the system keeping
you up there has to be safe - we need sound doctrine and practice)
·
denominational barriers coming down
·
the local Church training, equipping
and sending disciples into the world under the power of the Holy
Spirit (Matt 28:19, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4:11-16)
·
networking and small groups where
people are, in the marketplace of the 10 domains (or seven
mountains - same concept with some different specifics)
·
obedience and discipleship
·
the great command implemented where
people are in their daily occupation (Matt 22:37).
Internal Enemies
within the Church that mitigate against Kingdom influence in the world:
1.
silo Church mentalities
2.
independence and arrogance
3.
public scandals
4.
disconnection from the world
5.
liberalism and legalism
6.
program driven life that is too busy
7.
intimidation and fragmentation in the
world
Note: if around 80% of the Christian population in the workforce
are unhappy at work without a sense of Kingdom mission in their
marketplace and are looking for meaning somewhere else - then this
majority of the Church are de-evangelising their world. This
cannot be allowed to continue. We need a cross-church solution to turn
this around.
Body of Christ
Potential to impact the world through the 10 domains (or 7 mountains):
1.
Godly leaders in both Church and
marketplace
2.
chaplains, coaches, mentors and
workplace small groups
3.
Ephesians 4:11 ministries in the
workplace
4.
marketplace changers (bringing godly
order, redemption, and social justice)
5.
domain intercessors
6.
watchmen (interpreting the times to the
Church)
7.
gate keepers (people holding
responsible positions where they can make decisions that can let in the
good and keep out the bad, eg: media content managers).
Proposals to help
the Church be more effective in the World:
1.
find out how the gifts and passions of
members are directed by God in the 10 domains and help them grow their
discipleship in context of their daily occupation
2.
increase cross-church training on how
to live in the world in the power of the Holy Spirit in the context of
Jesus teaching on his second coming (Matt ch 24-25):
a.
being spiritually equipped and ready
(Matt 25:1-13)
b.
using God given talents for the good in
the commercial world (Matt 25:14-30)
c.
practicing social justice (Matt
25:31-46)
3.
encourage intercessors to extend their
reach into marketplace ministry
4.
develop a network of cross-church
marketplace small groups where Kingdom purposes are worked out in the
course of people’s daily occupations
5.
encourage business leaders join ILG
groups:
www.marketplaceconnections.com/ILG
6.
contribute to the development of a
network of leaders in each of the 10 domains and develop a top level
network of leaders across the domains in the nation
7.
develop a pattern of preaching,
prayers, interviews and testimonies in local Churches that relate to
people’s ministry in their daily occupation
8.
increase the growth of Christian
chaplaincy, business coaching and mentoring
9.
pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm
122:6) and the completion of the yet to be fulfilled prophecies of
messianic revival in Israel (Psalm 85 & Ezek 34:22-31…)
10.
provide recurrent teaching on the
wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev 19) and the New Jerusalem coming down to
earth (Rev 21) - if we don’t see the destination we won’t fulfill the
mission on the way.
Note: Scripture has many perpetual
promises that link the people of Israel with the land from Abraham to
messianic times, for example Ezek 37:21-28. As part of this divine plan
Australia has a distinguished record in supporting the establishment of
modern Israel, ie:
a)
the liberation of Israel from the Turks
at Beersheba in 1917:
www.lighthorse.org.au/histbatt/beersheba.htm
b)
the significant participation in
resisting the German siege of Tobruk in 1941 and in defeating Rommel at
the second battle of El Alamein in 1942. If the allies had not won this
battle then the German holocaust would have extended to Jerusalem:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tobruk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_El_Alamein
c)
the leading role played in 1947 by
Australia’s Labour deputy Prime Minister, Dr H.V. Evatt, in supporting
the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, and the then Prime
Minister, Ben Chifley, leading Australia to be one of the first
countries to recognise the new state of Israel:
www.1948.com.au/2008events/national/PDFnat/RUDDsMOTION12Mar08.pdf
d)
the consistent support of the state of
Israel by Australian Governments from 1948 to the present day:
www.foreignminister.gov.au/speeches/2009/090519_aus_il.html
You may contact the author as follows:
Peter Kentley
peter@airborne.org
P.O. Box 359, Balwyn, Vic 3103, Australia.
Endorsements
By
Dr Wynand de Kock
Principal: Tabor Victoria
Director: OpenSeminary
This paper is a
passionate call to Christians across Australia and beyond to live with
eyes wide open and hearts filled with hope.
By Dr. John
Yates
I have been asked by my friend
Peter Kentley to endorse his recent paper, ‘The Kingdom of God in 2010’,
a matter which I am very happy to do for a singular purpose.
Having lectured on eschatology
for quite some years, I am aware that what Peter is attempting is no
mean task, the prophetic and apocalyptic books of the Bible, especially
Daniel and Revelation, present a formidable challenge to any
interpreter, and have often, over the course of time, exposed many
systems of interpretation as fallacious. One may therefore wonder why
anyone would want to read a piece by a “lay” rather than professional
theologian. The answer is simple; Peter has focussed on the one element
that will remain when all systems of interpreting the end-times have
passed away, the victory of Jesus Christ!
The noted statesman, Prime
Minister of the Netherlands, and renowned scholar Abraham Kuyper once
said,
"There is not a square inch
in the
whole domain of our human existence
over
which Christ, who is Sovereign over all,
does
not cry: 'Mine!'". This creed is a succinct way of understanding the
passion of Peter Kentley’s heart; his article is in fact a clarion call
for all Christians in all parts of society to bring the presence of the
kingdom of God into the marketplace.
Readers who are
listening to the voice of God will discern through
‘The Kingdom of God in 2010’ the supreme desire of
the Father to see his Son enthroned in the midst of all the domains of
modern society – government, business, justice, education, health, media
etc. It is not possible to read Peter’s work and to remain passive about
the challenge to be salt and light in a midst of a corrupting
generation. I exhort you to ponder this work in the Spirit of humility
and prayer in which it is written, and to hear what the Spirit is saying
to the churches.
Dr. John Yates (BSc Hons Dip.Ed M.A. Ph.D)
has pastored in Anglican and Churches of Christ congregations in three
Australian states, he was the theology coordinator for Tabor College
Perth for many years, has been a past chair of the Evangelical Alliance
in Western Australia and is presently involved in an itinerant ministry
that includes teaching, mentoring and encouraging believers in the
marketplace .
By Martien Kelderman
I am delighted to commend Peter
Kentley and his work to you. Hear if you can the heart beat of this work
and of Peter’s own heart beat. That . .
Ø
we are all part of a bigger
story that began before we existed and points to a conclusion we may or
may not be part of within our own lifetime
Ø
the Word of God is good for our
guidance and our understanding
Ø
the Lord will triumph and will
reign forever
Ø
these convictions should be
reflected in life, lead to action, and transform society through us
Ø
the marketplace is where the
engagement is
Ø
Christians already have an
enormous penetration of the marketplace – Oh if only the sleeping giant
of God’s people might awaken
Ø
we are ALL called to a great
commission.
Do you get
excited? I do, and I know Peter does to. I admire Peter’s passion, I
admire his perseverance, I admire his willingness to engage with the
Word of God and find words and messages for life. Oh that you might
follow his example and allow the Lord to speak through His word to you
and motivate you to mission in all of life wherever God has placed you.
You may or may not go to Daniel and Revelation to connect with the big
story but go and connect and hear God’s heartbeat. I believe Peter has
heard it
Martien
Kelderman
The Fountain
Institute
Martien
Kelderman B Com, BTh, MBA, Dip Tchg, Dip Min.
Martien was a leader in Industrial Chaplaincy for seven years. In 1993
he moved to Sydney where he worked in his own business and marketing
consulting company. He further held senior management roles in
Integratec, (video production and training), Effective Negotiation
Services (an international consulting company) and Opportunity
International. Martien is now a Faith-Marketplace Consultant in New
Zealand. He is CEO of The Fountain Institute whose activities include
teaching, training, mentoring and pastoring Christian business people,
and seeking to facilitate collaboration amongst Marketplace Ministries
in New Zealand. Martien is a regular radio contributor for ‘Faith at
Work’ and is highly regarded as a teacher and conference speaker.
Martien is also GM for New Lynn ITM a Building Products company for 20%
of his time.
Pete
Peter Kentley |
