August 2007 - Volume 3, Issue 3

In this issue...
-- The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 7)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Fourth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries draws near
-- Dr. Whitcomb part of new AiG DVD

The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 7)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

National, ethnic Israel will turn to their long-rejected Messiah in genuine faith at least three years before they see Him at His second coming and the inaugural banquet. By the mid-point of the 70th week of Daniel, 42 months before He returns to establish His kingdom, 144,000 Israelis will have been sealed by God - 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes - to evangelize the entire world (Rev. 7:1-8; 13-14). The Messiah assured His disciples that "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14).

How will these Israelis come to know their Lord? It will not be through a visual encounter with Christ, but through the preaching of "Elijah the prophet," who will return from the realm of the dead "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD." Under God, "he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Mal. 4:5-6). That is a description of genuine national revival, beginning in the homes of the people.

When three of the apostles were granted a spectacular preview of Christ's second coming on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 16:28-17:8), they seemed to be especially fascinated by the appearance of Moses and Elijah. Coming down from the mount, they asked the Savior, "Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?" (Matt. 17:10). His answer was emphatic: "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things" (Matt. 17:11), just as Malachi had predicted.

Thus, by the middle of the 70th week - not at the end when they see Christ returning to the earth - the nation of Israel will be a regenerated nation. Isaiah was amazed at how quickly this will happen: "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children" (Is. 66:8). Paul assured us that "all Israel shall be saved. For the gifts and calling of God (i.e., the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant) are without repentance" (Rom. 11:26, 29).

Among the converts of the two witnesses (who will be killed after 42 months of proclaiming the true gospel to Israel - Rev. 11:7-14) will be the 144,000 witnesses. The rest of the nation will flee from the newly resuscitated "beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" (Rev. 11:7), and will be protected by God throughout the remaining 42 months of the great tribulation (Rev. 12:6, 13-17; cf. Is. 26:20-27:1).

What will the regenerated nation of Israel do when they finally see their resurrected and glorified Messiah at His second coming? To be sure, "every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him" (Rev. 1:7).

Especially traumatic will be this experience for Israel. The Lord Jesus Himself announced, 550 years before He was crucified: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zech. 12:10).

In fact, the prophet Zechariah was told that, "In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" (i.e., when Josiah, the last godly king of Judah, was killed by Pharaoh Necho [2 Chron. 35:20-25]; Zech. 12:11).

Even more specifically, "And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart" (Zech. 12:12-14). Can anything in the history of the world be compared to this?

The wording of Isaiah 53 will be totally appropriate at that time: "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4, 5).

This will not be a conversion experience, but a very deep remorse for having been responsible for His crucifixion, and for having rejected Him for many centuries. It will be like the Apostle Thomas, who was overwhelmed at the sight of his Savior whose resurrection he had denied, and cried out: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). And it will be like the Apostle Peter, who suddenly realized that he had denied his Lord, and "went out, and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:75).

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Dr. Whitcomb's schedule is very busy once again this fall. Please be in prayer for his many obligations during these days.

On Sunday, Oct. 21, Dr. Whitcomb will be speaking on "Thinking in the Holy Spirit," at the Valley Grace Brethren Church in Hagerstown, Md. For more information, call Pastor Dan Pritchett at 301-582-0155, or visit www.valleygrace.net.

From Friday, Oct. 26, to Sunday, October 28, Dr. Whitcomb will be speaking on prophecy at the Englewood Grace Brethren Church in Englewood, Ohio. For more information, call Dan Hensley at 937-237-0646.

From Sunday, Nov. 4, to Tuesday, November 6, Dr. Whitcomb will teach at the Trinity Baptist Church and School in Fond du Lac, Wis. For more information, call Pastor Dan Leeds at 920-922-9044, or visit www.trinityfdl.net.

On Wednesday, Nov. 7, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Immanuel Bible Church in Sheboygan, Wis. For more information, call Julie Nyhuis at 920-458-4979, or visit www.delightintheword.org.

On Friday, Nov. 9, Dr. Whitcomb will be the guest on the "Crosstalk" radio program on the VCY America radio network. For more information, or to listen live or through the archives online, visit www.vcyamerica.org or www.crosstalkamerica.com.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Dr. Whitcomb will speak for the Fourth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries, which will be held at the Calvary Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wis. For more information, call Paul or Lynnette Scharf at 920-623-0257, or click on "Events" at www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

On Sunday, Nov. 11, Dr. Whitcomb will preach at the Calvary Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wis. For more information, call Pastor Mark Brooks at 262-251-0320, or visit www.calvarytoday.org.

On Monday, Nov. 12, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Calvary Baptist Christian School in Menomonee Falls, Wis. For more information, call Pastor Mark Brooks at 262-251-0320, or visit www.calvarytoday.org.

From Friday, Nov. 16, to Sunday, Nov. 18, Dr. Whitcomb will preach on creationism at the Heritage Bible Fellowship in Hope Mills, N.C. For more information, call Pastor Boyd Dellinger at 910-717-8172, or visit www.hbffnc.org.

From Sunday, Nov. 25, to Tuesday, Nov. 27, Dr. Whitcomb will speak on creationism at the Lakeland Conservative Grace Brethren Church in Warsaw, Ind. For more information, call Dr. Russell Simpson at 574-268-0458 or 574-267-4808.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, Dr. Whitcomb will address the Pre-Trib Study Group in Irving, Tex. For more information, call 972-929-8400.

For additional details about these events, please visit our web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

(*Answers in Genesis-sponsored event. For more information on these conferences, visit www.answersingenesis.org/events.)

Fourth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries draws near
The Fourth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., at the facilities of the Calvary Baptist Church (Main Campus), in Menomonee Falls.

The theme of this year's conference will be "The Bible: The Christian's Essential Foundation."

Dr. Whitcomb will bring powerful truth-filled messages for the purpose of "Helping People Believe the Bible" - the subtitle of this apologetics conference.

The conference will also include music from featured vocalist Sherry Trainer. Trainer has recorded on several CDs, including her popular work entitled His Way is Perfect, from The Wilds Music. Violinist Elizabeth Pabón and harpist RuthAnn Ledgerwood will also provide wonderful sacred music to complement the day's events.

Registration for this conference is now open, and admission for this year's event will be free for all who attend. Only those who pre-register will be guaranteed to receive a conference registration packet, however. A freewill offering will be received at the event.

For more information, or to request a brochure, call 920-623-0257, e-mail conference@whitcombministries.org, or visit www.whitcombministries.org or www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb, where you can register online simply by clicking on "Events."

Seating is limited, but registration will remain open until the capacity is filled. Calvary Baptist Church's Main Campus is located at N84 W16971 Menomonee Ave. For further directions, visit their website at www.calvarytoday.org.

Dr. Whitcomb part of new AiG DVD
Dr. John Whitcomb, along with Tim Lovett and Ken Ham, is a contributor to a new DVD published by Answers in Genesis called, "Noah's Ark: Thinking Outside the Box." For complete information, or to order this exciting new resource, visit the online Answers Bookstore.