Plucking the Eagle's Wings

2001 to 2008 and the Fullness of the Gentiles

This three-fold process of separating, crushing, and gathering illustrates God's Divine order in preparing the church and Israel for their prophetic future. 1. The separating

In Christ's parable of the wheat and tares, He explained that wheat and tares grow together until harvest time (Matthew 13:24-30). At the end of the age, there will be a separating of the wheat from the tares. A similar separation happens within the church, as is illustrated in the parable of the ten virgins. The five wise virgins make it into the wedding, yet the five foolish ones do not (Matthew 25:1-13).

2. The crushing

God will allow a crushing to occur in the church in order to remove compromise and sin from our lives. Sinners are destroyed during the tribulation (Isaiah 13:9). To crush olives or grapes, a large stone was used as a weight to create pressure. Jesus is the stone that will put pressure on the kingdoms of the world (Daniel 2:45).

3. The gathering together

The church will experience a gathering together in Christ at His coming (Ephesians 1:9-10). After the tribulation, the surviving Jewish remnant will be gathered together at the sound of a great trumpet, and return to Jerusalem to worship Messiah (Isaiah 27:13). When God re-grafts the Jewish branch into the old olive tree, the Gentile nations that were most blessed by hearing the message of the Gospel will experience the greatest wrath. Some may wonder why the tribulation is called Jacob's trouble if, during this period, Israel (Jacob) is not at the forefront of suffering. The Antichrist and the false prophet will bring great distress to Israel, but the trumpet and vial judgments of God will be poured out upon all nations, not just on Israel. The year 2001 to 2007-2008

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