THE RAPTURE?
Key Verse: “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.” (v.9)
Key Theme: The righteous remain. The wicked get taken.
Key Descriptive of God: Sovereign (established throughout the chapter); He Who Gives Inheritance ON EARTH
What a task for today! Psalm 37 is perhaps the most powerfully instructive of all the Psalms and especially so for our day. The Lord showed me years ago that this chapter has more “eschatology” (end-times understanding) than any chapter in the Bible. I have been immersed in it for 25 years ever since John Paul Jackson and another prophet gave me specific prophetic words from this chapter. I remember about that time Bob Jones (the prophet) sharing that the whole Body of Christ needs to I.V. this chapter. I agree and I have. Especially in 2020. Early this year I went through and did a verse by verse and word by word study. This chapter has 40 verses and so I have 15 pages of notes. We can cover only themes today but that will be rich and hope-giving. (Psalm 37 is an acrostic Psalm meaning every line begins with the next letter of the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 25 and 34 were also acrostic Psalms and had exactly 22 verses each. There is something special about these Psalms as they lift our spirits in unusual ways.)
DO NOT FRET
Verses 1,7,8 tell us three times “Do not fret”. It is specifically not to “fret” over “evildoers”, “workers of iniquity”, “the man who brings wicked schemes to pass”. In my early year notes I put in parenthesis (Soros, Clintons, “deep state”). Anybody else see that too? It is a verse for us today because never has a populace been more aware of “wicked scheming” seemingly prosper. It can make one sick at heart to know of it all. It is why the Lord tells us even today August 19, 2020, DO NOT FRET and as is added in verse 8, “it only causes harm”. The alternative David gave to “fretting” was REST and TRUST. What a great year to grow these rare plants.
THE RIGHTEOUS INHERIT THE EARTH: 7 TIMES
Psalm 37, is so anti-conventional “rapture thinking” that it is shocking at how it has remained ignored and unattended to. Conventional “rapture thinking” has us expecting things to get worse and worse and then finally Jesus comes and rescues us from it all. The wicked are either than “burned up” or forced to live on earth for a season until they get destroyed with the earth. Psalm 37 says the opposite. I will let it do its’ own teaching by pointing out the 7 times it tells us who remains. I will start with the back of the chapter. Be aware that the word LAND (“erets” in Hebrew) means “land, earth, country, piece of ground, countries.” Be aware that the word INHERIT (“yarash” in Hebrew) means “possess, heir, occupy, have permanently” and that the word DWELL (“shakan” in Hebrew) means “to reside permanently, settle, remain.”
#1. “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to INHERIT THE LAND.” (v.34)
#2. “The righteous shall INHERIT THE LAND, and DWELL IN IT FOREVER.” (v. 29)
#3. “Depart from evil, and do good; And DWELL FOREVERMORE.” (v.27)
#4. “For those blessed by Him shall INHERIT THE EARTH.” (v.22)
#5. “But the meek shall INHERIT THE EARTH, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (v.11)
#6. “But those who wait on the Lord shall INHERIT THE EARTH.” (v.9)
#7. “Trust in the Lord and do good; DWELL IN THE LAND and feed on His faithfulness.” (v.3)
Note on #3, we “depart from EVIL” not “depart from the EARTH”. On #5, “abundance of peace (Shalom)” is for here on earth. We don’t just “inherit” trouble, but it becomes Hab. 2:14, “the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.” I am continually stunned at the saturation of “fake news” eschatology in the Body of Christ where people who challenge the 7 Mountain Mandate say the scripture is clear that things can’t get better. There are twenty times more scriptures speaking of a good future ON EARTH than a bad one. A puny view of God causes one to embrace the “less than” and that is the illness to be healed of. As AW Tozer said, “What you think about God is the most important thing about YOU.” You will always gravitate towards an end-times view consistent with your God-view. The tinier He is, the sooner we need to get “raptured”. The bigger He is, the more we innately know our assignment as His kids to contend for “on earth as it is in heaven”. That is how we INHERIT THE EARTH.
EVILDOERS GET “RAPTURED”: 7 TIMES
Ironically, or not, I found it 7 times in this chapter when who gets “cut down”, “cut off”, “removed”, “passed away” or otherwise “vanished” is the wicked. For the record, yes I believe in a glorious return of Jesus (“rapture” if you want, though not a Biblical word) but it clearly is not a rescue operation from being overwhelmed by the devil, but rather a celebration of His kids having sufficiently proven on earth that they are His kids. Romans 8:19 states that creation itself is waiting for this. This does not happen when you live under constant speculation or expectation of soon leaving the planet. Again, take in David’s eschatology as it is nourishment to our God-view.
#1. “Nor be envious of WORKERS OF INIQUITY. For they shall soon be CUT DOWN like the grass, and wither as the green herb.” (v.2)
#2. “For EVILDOERS shall be CUT OFF.” (v.9)
#3. “For yet a little while AND THE WICKED SHALL BE NO MORE; Indeed you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.” (v.10)
#4. “But those cursed by Him shall be CUT OFF.” (v.22)
#5. “But the WICKED shall PERISH; and the ENEMIES of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, SHALL VANISH, into smoke they shall VANISH.” (v.20)
#6. “For the Lord LOVES JUSTICE, and does not forsake His saints; THEY ARE PRESERVED FOREVER, But the descendants of the WICKED shall be CUT OFF.” (v.28)
#7. “When the WICKED are CUT OFF you shall see it (meaning we are here not gone). I have seen the WICKED in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he PASSED AWAY, and behold, he WAS NO MORE; Indeed I sought him, but HE COULD NOT BE FOUND.” (v.34-36)
Please note who gets “Left Behind”. It is not the wicked. Who suddenly disappears in #3 and #7? Who was “taken” in Noah’s day? The Bible says it will be “as in the days of Noah”. PLEASE, LET”S STOP THE FAKE NEWS ESCHATOLOGY. It literally enables “the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree.” Guess who you are going to see “disappear” in 2020? It is happening before our eyes and wait until you see the way this year ends. Psalm 37 is for 2020.
There is a final passage from Psalm 37 we just must cover. It is from verse 4.
DESIRES OF YOUR HEART FULFILLED?
“DELIGHT yourself also IN THE LORD, and He will give you the DESIRES OF YOUR HEART.”
We often try to skip the first half and just “claim” the second half. Here’s the deal, our “desires of the heart” are just lust for money, power, fame or significance— without the first part. The Hebrew word for “delight” is ANAG. NO, it doesn’t mean NAG the Lord until He gives you what you want. ANAG means, “to be soft; dainty; be delicate; take exquisite delight; make sport of; to allure as in the amorous gestures, look, walk of a woman;”. Yes, I know that is uncomfortable thinking, especially if you are a man, but it is what intimacy with God is all about. Did you see the “make sport of” part of the definition? Can you have fun with God? Again, there is a reason we are called to be “the Bride of Christ”. The word DESIRE is also so interesting in its’ Latin understanding. DE means FROM. SIRE means to BE THE MALE PARENT. In other words, if you fall head over heels in love with God, you and He will have babies. The DESIRES of your heart are what your love affair with Him produces. You and Him together produce a “desire”. This keeps it from being just a solo-generated lust for something else.
Ah, so much more in this chapter. Make sure to be secured by verses 25 and 26. Those who find their righteousness in Jesus Christ are NEVER forsaken.
Written by: Johnny Enlow
Featured Image by chris ganser on Unsplash
67 DAY COUNTDOWN SERIES
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The 67 Day Countdown Series is brought to you by Johnny and Elizabeth Enlow, founders of Restore7 ministry, as well as international speakers and best-selling authors. Among Johnny’s books are The Seven Mountain Prophecy, The Seven Mountain Mantle, Rainbow God, The Seven Mountain Renaissance, Becoming A Superhero, and RISE. Elizabeth serves as CEO and penned Rainbow God: The Seven Colors of Love and God in Every Season.
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