On July 29, 2006, the London Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published a detailed article on assistance extended to Hizbullah by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as reported by a high-ranking Revolutionary Guards officer who had trained Hizbullah naval units.
According to the officer, Hizbullah has a diver unit and a naval commando unit. He further claims that Revolutionary Guards officers assisted Hizbullah in the July 14, 2006 firing of a C802 missile at an Israeli Navy ship, and had also helped Hizbullah construct underground facilities – including command and control rooms – which are being operated by Revolutionary Guards officers along with Hizbullah fighters.
In addition, Iranian news agencies have published a number of reports about groups of Iranian volunteers sent to Lebanon to aid Hizbullah in its fight against Israel.
The following are excerpts from these reports on Iranian assistance to Hizbullah.
Revolutionary Guards Assistance to Hizbullah
The following are excerpts from the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat report on aid extended to Hizbullah by Iran's Revolutionary Guards:
"Hundreds of Hizbullah fighters currently confronting Israel's military array took part in special training courses at the Revolutionary Guards bases in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and Ahvaz. According to a high-ranking [Revolutionary] Guards officer, who trained one of the Hizbullah naval units, Hizbullah has many surprises up its sleeve.
Until now, there has been no direct confrontation between Hizbullah and the Israeli navy, [but] one of the Israeli navy's ships was attacked with C802 missiles with the help of Revolutionary Guards [fighters] stationed in Lebanon. Hizbullah has a divers' unit and a naval commando unit [equipped] with Chinese-made Ho-Dong speedboats, which are capable of dealing [serious] blows to the Israeli navy."
The Iranian officer added that "thanks to the presence of hundreds of Iranian engineers and technicians, as well as North Korean experts brought [into Lebanon] in the guise of [domestic] servants by Iranian diplomats and by the staff at the Iranian representations and offices in Lebanon, Hizbullah has managed to build a 25-kilometer underground [tunnel]. Each opening in this [tunnel] measures 12 to 18 square meters, and has a mobile floor and a semi-mobile ceiling. Each four openings are connected by a passage that allows fighters to pass easily [from one opening] to the other.
"The [Revolutionary] Guards has also built Hizbullah underground storerooms in the Beka' Valley, at a depth of no more than eight meters, which hold huge amounts of missiles and ammunition. In the Beka', there is [also] a central command room operated by four Revolutionary Guards officers and four Hizbullah [fighters]. Each sector has its [own] command and operations room.
"Hizbullah's missile unit includes some 200 technicians and experts trained in Iran. Hizbullah has three missile units, each supervised by a staff of 20."
2,500 Iranian Suicide Fighters Await Khamenei's Order
The following are reports recently published by Iranian news agencies regarding groups of Iranian volunteers sent to Lebanon to assist Hizbullah in its fight against Israel:
On July 25, 2006, the Iranian Farda news agency quoted a report by the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), stating that Hizbullah-Iran has recruited some 2,500 suicide fighters who are awaiting an order from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to set out to Lebanon.
Hizbullah-Iran spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli added that the Hizbullah-Iran Chairman Mohammad Baqr Kharrazi will "soon be stationed in Lebanon in order to support Hizbullah-Lebanon and to express solidarity with the resistance and with the oppressed Lebanese nation, and [also] in order to follow developments [more] closely...
"Some 2,500 people who are fully willing to carry out istishhad [martyrdom] operations have signed up through groups connected to Hizbullah-Iran, so that the list [of martyrs] is now ready, and they await an order from the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei]..."
Enlisting Volunteers Online
On July 26, 2006, the Iranian news agency Alborz announced that volunteers could sign up online for the "Army of the Fighters of Muhammad." The report explained that the Army of the Fighters of Muhammad was recruiting fighters to be sent to Lebanon, and that those interested in signing up could also call a telephone number in Tehran (88938821). According to the report, the minimum age for enlisting is 16.
Two Groups of Martyrdom Fighters Sent To Lebanon
On July 18, 2006, the Alborz news agency reported that "two groups of Iranian martyrdom fighters, who have received guidance and training, have been sent to Lebanon in order to participate in the [war on] its fronts.
"Ali Mohammadi, spokesman of The World Islamic Organization's Headquarters for Commemorating the Shahids (martyrdom fighters), stated: 'These two groups, which include 27 people selected from among 55,000 who signed up, were sent to Lebanon in order to participate in the war front against the Zionist regime... These forces have undergone various forms of training... Their mission is to arrive in Lebanon by any means possible, and to carry out martyrdom operations in the event that Lebanon is occupied by the Zionist regime.'
"The sending of these troops, he noted, was on a completely volunteer basis... These people were sent to Lebanon privately, and they have no organizational connection with Hizbullah... It should be noted that these 27 people have mastery of English and Arabic. They are to remain in Lebanon until further notice...'"
Mehr News Agency: "Two Teams [Have Been] Sent to Syria In Order to Reach The Regions Of Conflict In Lebanon"
According to another report, by the Mehr news agency, on the dispatching of two suicide fighter groups to Lebanon, spokesman Mohammadi said that "two teams, one with 18 people and the other with nine, traveled separately... to Syria, in order to reach the regions of conflict in Lebanon by any means possible..." Mohammadi noted that "all 27 [team members] have mastery of Arabic, and some of them can even speak English... We have no organizational connection with Hizbullah or any other group. These people set out with the aim of helping the Lebanese people, and they are acting independently..."
Memri
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Ancient Translation of Psalms Found in Irish Bog
Archaeologists in Ireland found an ancient Latin translation of the Psalms of King David last week. Which Psalm the book was open to when preserved in the Irish bog has been a subject of confusion.
The ancient book was discovered in a bog by a construction worker who spotted it while driving the shovel of his backhoe into an area nearby. The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000.
It was initially reported that Latin Vulgate version of the book was opened to Psalm 83, which in the Hebrew Tanach exhorts G-d to “not hold Yourself silent” as the nations plot against Israel – explicitly mentioning Edom, Ishmael and the residents of Philistia and Tyre.
It turns out, however, that the Vulgate uses a different numbering of the chapters than the Hebrew Bible and the chapter that was actually facing outwards was not Psalm 83.
It was then reported that the visible text on the bog book is from the seventh verse of Psalm 82, which reads: "But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
Finally, the the Director of Ireland's museum Patrick F. Wallace said in a statement Friday that it was actually Psalm 84 that was exposed. He said that the original announcement had “led to misconceptions about the revealed wording. It is hoped that this clarification will serve comfort to anyone worried by earlier reports of the content of the text.”
The words of Psalm 84 are as follows:
1. For the conductor, on the gittith, of the sons of Korah, a song.
2. How beloved are Your dwelling places, O L-rd of Hosts!
3. My soul yearns, yea, it pines for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh pray fervently to the living G-d.
4. Even a bird found a house and a swallow her nest, where she placed her chicks upon Your altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my G-d.
5. Fortunate are those who stay in Your house; they will continually praise You forever.
6. Fortunate is the man who has strength in You, in whose heart are the highways.
7. Transgressors in the valley of Baka (weeping) make it into a fountain; also with blessings they enwrap [their] Teacher.
8. They go from host to host; he will appear to G-d in Zion.
9. O L-rd, G-d of Hosts, hearken to my prayer; bend Your ear, O G-d of Jacob, forever.
10. See our shield, O G-d, and look at the face of Your anointed.
11. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand; I chose to sit on the threshold of the house of My G-d rather than dwell in tents of wickedness.
12. For a sun and a shield is the L-rd G-d; the L-rd will give grace and glory; He will not withhold good from those who go with sincerity.
13. O L-rd of Hosts, fortunate is the man who trusts in You.
The Psalm is recited by many Jews at the beginning of the afternoon prayers on a daily basis. The Valley of Weeping can be read as the Bekaa Valley, one of the areas focused upon in Hizbullah attacks since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon six years ago. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has suggested that Israel cede the area to Lebanon, allowing Hizbullah to declare victory.
July 30, 2006
Arutz Sheva
The ancient book was discovered in a bog by a construction worker who spotted it while driving the shovel of his backhoe into an area nearby. The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000.
It was initially reported that Latin Vulgate version of the book was opened to Psalm 83, which in the Hebrew Tanach exhorts G-d to “not hold Yourself silent” as the nations plot against Israel – explicitly mentioning Edom, Ishmael and the residents of Philistia and Tyre.
It turns out, however, that the Vulgate uses a different numbering of the chapters than the Hebrew Bible and the chapter that was actually facing outwards was not Psalm 83.
It was then reported that the visible text on the bog book is from the seventh verse of Psalm 82, which reads: "But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
Finally, the the Director of Ireland's museum Patrick F. Wallace said in a statement Friday that it was actually Psalm 84 that was exposed. He said that the original announcement had “led to misconceptions about the revealed wording. It is hoped that this clarification will serve comfort to anyone worried by earlier reports of the content of the text.”
The words of Psalm 84 are as follows:
1. For the conductor, on the gittith, of the sons of Korah, a song.
2. How beloved are Your dwelling places, O L-rd of Hosts!
3. My soul yearns, yea, it pines for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh pray fervently to the living G-d.
4. Even a bird found a house and a swallow her nest, where she placed her chicks upon Your altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my G-d.
5. Fortunate are those who stay in Your house; they will continually praise You forever.
6. Fortunate is the man who has strength in You, in whose heart are the highways.
7. Transgressors in the valley of Baka (weeping) make it into a fountain; also with blessings they enwrap [their] Teacher.
8. They go from host to host; he will appear to G-d in Zion.
9. O L-rd, G-d of Hosts, hearken to my prayer; bend Your ear, O G-d of Jacob, forever.
10. See our shield, O G-d, and look at the face of Your anointed.
11. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand; I chose to sit on the threshold of the house of My G-d rather than dwell in tents of wickedness.
12. For a sun and a shield is the L-rd G-d; the L-rd will give grace and glory; He will not withhold good from those who go with sincerity.
13. O L-rd of Hosts, fortunate is the man who trusts in You.
The Psalm is recited by many Jews at the beginning of the afternoon prayers on a daily basis. The Valley of Weeping can be read as the Bekaa Valley, one of the areas focused upon in Hizbullah attacks since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon six years ago. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has suggested that Israel cede the area to Lebanon, allowing Hizbullah to declare victory.
July 30, 2006
Arutz Sheva
Saturday, July 29, 2006
What Is Tisha B'Av?
Five misfortunes befell our fathers ... on the ninth of Av. ...
...On the ninth of Av it was decreed that our fathers should not enter the [Promised] Land,
...the Temple was destroyed the first and second time,
...Bethar was captured and the city [Jerusalem] was ploughed up.
-Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6
...Should I weep in the fifth month [Av], separating myself, as I have done these so many years? -Zechariah 7:3
In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month ...came Nebuzaradan ... and he burnt the house of the L-RD... -II Kings 25:8-9
In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month... came Nebuzaradan ... and he burnt the house of the L-RD... - Jeremiah 52:12-13
How then are these dates to be reconciled? On the seventh the heathens entered the Temple and ate therein and desecrated it throughout the seventh and eighth and towards dusk of the ninth they set fire to it and it continued to burn the whole of that day. ... How will the Rabbis then [explain the choice of the 9th as the date]? The beginning of any misfortune [when the fire was set] is of greater moment. -Talmud Ta'anit 29a
Tisha B'Av, the Fast of the Ninth of Av, is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which coincidentally have occurred on the ninth of Av.
Tisha B'Av means "the ninth (day) of Av." It usually occurs during August.
Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).
Although this holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.1
Tisha B'Av is the culmination of a three week period of increasing mourning, beginning with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, which commemorates the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem, before the First Temple was destroyed. During this three week period, weddings and other parties are not permitted, and people refrain from cutting their hair. From the first to the ninth of Av, it is customary to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine (except on the Shabbat) and from wearing new clothing.
The restrictions on Tisha B'Av are similar to those on Yom Kippur: to refrain from eating and drinking (even water); washing, bathing, shaving or wearing cosmetics; wearing leather shoes; engaging in sexual relations; and studying Torah. Work in the ordinary sense of the word [rather than the Shabbat sense] is also restricted. People who are ill need not fast on this day. Many of the traditional mourning practices are observed: people refrain from smiles, laughter and idle conversation, and sit on low stools.
In synagogue, the book of Lamentations is read and mourning prayers are recited. The ark (cabinet where the Torah is kept) is draped in black.
...On the ninth of Av it was decreed that our fathers should not enter the [Promised] Land,
...the Temple was destroyed the first and second time,
...Bethar was captured and the city [Jerusalem] was ploughed up.
-Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6
...Should I weep in the fifth month [Av], separating myself, as I have done these so many years? -Zechariah 7:3
In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month ...came Nebuzaradan ... and he burnt the house of the L-RD... -II Kings 25:8-9
In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month... came Nebuzaradan ... and he burnt the house of the L-RD... - Jeremiah 52:12-13
How then are these dates to be reconciled? On the seventh the heathens entered the Temple and ate therein and desecrated it throughout the seventh and eighth and towards dusk of the ninth they set fire to it and it continued to burn the whole of that day. ... How will the Rabbis then [explain the choice of the 9th as the date]? The beginning of any misfortune [when the fire was set] is of greater moment. -Talmud Ta'anit 29a
Tisha B'Av, the Fast of the Ninth of Av, is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which coincidentally have occurred on the ninth of Av.
Tisha B'Av means "the ninth (day) of Av." It usually occurs during August.
Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).
Although this holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.1
Tisha B'Av is the culmination of a three week period of increasing mourning, beginning with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, which commemorates the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem, before the First Temple was destroyed. During this three week period, weddings and other parties are not permitted, and people refrain from cutting their hair. From the first to the ninth of Av, it is customary to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine (except on the Shabbat) and from wearing new clothing.
The restrictions on Tisha B'Av are similar to those on Yom Kippur: to refrain from eating and drinking (even water); washing, bathing, shaving or wearing cosmetics; wearing leather shoes; engaging in sexual relations; and studying Torah. Work in the ordinary sense of the word [rather than the Shabbat sense] is also restricted. People who are ill need not fast on this day. Many of the traditional mourning practices are observed: people refrain from smiles, laughter and idle conversation, and sit on low stools.
In synagogue, the book of Lamentations is read and mourning prayers are recited. The ark (cabinet where the Torah is kept) is draped in black.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Israeli Scientists Find Code Beyond Genetics in DNA
07.28.2006
In a discovery that may aid scientists in the future in understanding the mechanisms underlying many diseases, a team of Israeli researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science have succeeded, together with colleagues from Northwestern University in Chicago, believe they have found a second code in DNA in addition to the genetic code.
The genetic code specifies all the proteins that a cell makes. The second code, superimposed on the first, the scientists say, sets the placement of the nucleosomes, miniature protein spools around which the DNA is looped. The spools both protect and control access to the DNA itself. The bead-like nucleosomes are strung along the entire chromosome, which is itself folded and packaged to fit into the nucleus. What determines how, when and where a nucleosome will be positioned along the DNA sequence?
According to Dr. Eran Segal and research student Yair Field of the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department at Weizmann, the precise location of the nucleosomes along the DNA is known to play an important role in the cell's day to day function, since access to DNA wrapped in a nucleosome is blocked for many proteins, including those responsible for some of life's most basic processes.
Among these barred proteins are factors that initiate DNA replication, transcription (the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA) and DNA repair. Thus, the positioning of nucleosomes defines the segments in which these processes can and can't take place. These limitations are considerable: Most of the DNA is packaged into nucleosomes. A single nucleosome contains about 150 genetic bases (the 'letters' that make up a genetic sequence) while the free area between neighboring nucleosomes is only about 20 bases long. It is in these nucleosome-free regions that processes such as transcription can be initiated.
For many years, scientists have been unable to agree whether the placement of nucleosomes in live cells is controlled by the genetic sequence itself. Segal and his colleagues managed to prove that the DNA sequence indeed encodes 'zoning' information on where to place nucleosomes. They also characterized this code and then, using the DNA sequence alone, were able to accurately predict a large number of nucleosome positions in yeast cells.
Segal and his colleagues accomplished this by examining around 200 different nucleosome sites on the DNA and asking whether their sequences have something in common. Mathematical analysis revealed similarities between the nucleosome-bound sequences and eventually uncovered a specific 'code word.' This 'code word' consists of a periodic signal that appears every 10 bases on the sequence. The regular repetition of this signal helps the DNA segment to bend sharply into the spherical shape required to form a nucleosome. To identify this nucleosome positioning code, the research team used probabilistic models to characterize the sequences bound by nucleosomes, and they then developed a computer algorithm to predict the encoded organization of nucleosomes along an entire chromosome.
The nucleosomes frequently move around, letting the DNA float free when a gene has to be transcribed. Given this constant flux, Segal said he was surprised they could predict as many as half of the preferred nucleosome positions. But having broken the code, "We think that for the first time we have a real quantitative handle" on exploring how the nucleosomes and other proteins interact to control the DNA, he told The New York Times.
The other 50 percent of the positions may be determined by competition between the nucleosomes and other proteins, Segal suggested.
The discovery, if confirmed, could open new insights into the higher order control of the genes, like the critical but still mysterious process by which each type of human cell is allowed to activate the genes it needs but cannot access the genes used by other types of cell.
The team's findings provided insight into another mystery that has long been puzzling molecular biologists: How do cells direct transcription factors to their intended sites on the DNA, as opposed to the many similar, but functionally irrelevant sites along the genomic sequence?
The short binding sites themselves do not contain enough information for the transcription factors to discern between them. The scientists showed that basic information on the functional relevance of a binding site is at least partially encoded in the nucleosome positioning code: The intended sites are found in nucleosome-free segments, thereby allowing them to be accessed by the various transcription factors. In contrast, spurious binding sites with identical structures that could potentially sidetrack transcription factors are conveniently situated in segments that form nucleosomes, and are thus mostly inaccessible.
Since the proteins that form the core of the nucleosome are among the most evolutionarily conserved in nature, the scientists believe the genetic code they identified should also be conserved in many organisms, including humans. Several diseases, such as cancer, are typically accompanied or caused by mutations in the DNA and the way it organizes into chromosomes.
Such mutational processes may be influenced by the relative accessibility of the DNA to various proteins and by the organization of the DNA in the cell nucleus. Therefore, the scientists believe that the nucleosome positioning code they discovered may aid scientists in the future in understanding the mechanisms underlying many diseases.
Israel 21st Century
In a discovery that may aid scientists in the future in understanding the mechanisms underlying many diseases, a team of Israeli researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science have succeeded, together with colleagues from Northwestern University in Chicago, believe they have found a second code in DNA in addition to the genetic code.
The genetic code specifies all the proteins that a cell makes. The second code, superimposed on the first, the scientists say, sets the placement of the nucleosomes, miniature protein spools around which the DNA is looped. The spools both protect and control access to the DNA itself. The bead-like nucleosomes are strung along the entire chromosome, which is itself folded and packaged to fit into the nucleus. What determines how, when and where a nucleosome will be positioned along the DNA sequence?
According to Dr. Eran Segal and research student Yair Field of the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department at Weizmann, the precise location of the nucleosomes along the DNA is known to play an important role in the cell's day to day function, since access to DNA wrapped in a nucleosome is blocked for many proteins, including those responsible for some of life's most basic processes.
Among these barred proteins are factors that initiate DNA replication, transcription (the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA) and DNA repair. Thus, the positioning of nucleosomes defines the segments in which these processes can and can't take place. These limitations are considerable: Most of the DNA is packaged into nucleosomes. A single nucleosome contains about 150 genetic bases (the 'letters' that make up a genetic sequence) while the free area between neighboring nucleosomes is only about 20 bases long. It is in these nucleosome-free regions that processes such as transcription can be initiated.
For many years, scientists have been unable to agree whether the placement of nucleosomes in live cells is controlled by the genetic sequence itself. Segal and his colleagues managed to prove that the DNA sequence indeed encodes 'zoning' information on where to place nucleosomes. They also characterized this code and then, using the DNA sequence alone, were able to accurately predict a large number of nucleosome positions in yeast cells.
Segal and his colleagues accomplished this by examining around 200 different nucleosome sites on the DNA and asking whether their sequences have something in common. Mathematical analysis revealed similarities between the nucleosome-bound sequences and eventually uncovered a specific 'code word.' This 'code word' consists of a periodic signal that appears every 10 bases on the sequence. The regular repetition of this signal helps the DNA segment to bend sharply into the spherical shape required to form a nucleosome. To identify this nucleosome positioning code, the research team used probabilistic models to characterize the sequences bound by nucleosomes, and they then developed a computer algorithm to predict the encoded organization of nucleosomes along an entire chromosome.
The nucleosomes frequently move around, letting the DNA float free when a gene has to be transcribed. Given this constant flux, Segal said he was surprised they could predict as many as half of the preferred nucleosome positions. But having broken the code, "We think that for the first time we have a real quantitative handle" on exploring how the nucleosomes and other proteins interact to control the DNA, he told The New York Times.
The other 50 percent of the positions may be determined by competition between the nucleosomes and other proteins, Segal suggested.
The discovery, if confirmed, could open new insights into the higher order control of the genes, like the critical but still mysterious process by which each type of human cell is allowed to activate the genes it needs but cannot access the genes used by other types of cell.
The team's findings provided insight into another mystery that has long been puzzling molecular biologists: How do cells direct transcription factors to their intended sites on the DNA, as opposed to the many similar, but functionally irrelevant sites along the genomic sequence?
The short binding sites themselves do not contain enough information for the transcription factors to discern between them. The scientists showed that basic information on the functional relevance of a binding site is at least partially encoded in the nucleosome positioning code: The intended sites are found in nucleosome-free segments, thereby allowing them to be accessed by the various transcription factors. In contrast, spurious binding sites with identical structures that could potentially sidetrack transcription factors are conveniently situated in segments that form nucleosomes, and are thus mostly inaccessible.
Since the proteins that form the core of the nucleosome are among the most evolutionarily conserved in nature, the scientists believe the genetic code they identified should also be conserved in many organisms, including humans. Several diseases, such as cancer, are typically accompanied or caused by mutations in the DNA and the way it organizes into chromosomes.
Such mutational processes may be influenced by the relative accessibility of the DNA to various proteins and by the organization of the DNA in the cell nucleus. Therefore, the scientists believe that the nucleosome positioning code they discovered may aid scientists in the future in understanding the mechanisms underlying many diseases.
Israel 21st Century
Thursday, July 27, 2006
The Time Shall Come By Jack Kinsella
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matthew 24:5-6)
The verses quoted above were part of Jesus' response to the question, "What will be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3)
The Lord's reply to the question is known to Bible scholars as the "Olivet Discourse" because, 1) Jesus was standing 'upon the Mount of Olives' at the time, and; 2) His answer, which is contained in the three Synoptic Gospels, fills the entire chapter. It is one of the most lengthy teaching discourses in the New Testament.
The Olivet Discourse focuses its attention on events that take place DURING THE TRIBULATION, but begins by describing the events that conspire together to bring it about.
The period of wars and rumors of wars has been ongoing now since 1914 with the first truly global war in human history. It was followed by a second global war in 1939, whose conclusion brought about the ultimate 'rumor of war' between the West and the Soviet Empire.
There are two different entities under discussion, 'nations' and 'kingdoms'. The word 'nation' is translated from the Greek word 'ethnos' and describes an ethnic state, like Israel or one of the ethnic states of the Arab world. Or North Korea.
The world translated 'kingdom' 'basileia' means "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule" and it describes a national entity bound together by economic/social interests, rather than ethnic relationships.
America would fit the Biblical understanding of a 'kingdom' in the sense Americans are not bound together by blood or ethnicity, but rather by common social and economic benefits. The same could be applied to the member/states of the EU. Individually, some European countries might be ethnic in origin, but the Common Market exists for economic reasons.
The collapse of the Soviet Union uncorked a new round of ethnic unrest and international conflict, but, as Jesus was careful to note, "the end is not yet."
Ethnic or economic strife have been responsible for all the wars of modern times. The world wars were wars aimed at conquest for economic reasons. Hitler's Nazis sought both ethnic purity and "liebensraum"(living space) for Germany.
Japan's Imperial government set out to conquer Asia to ensure a steady supply of raw materials and to establish ethnic Japanese rule over Greater Asia.
Skeptics might argue that wars, ethnic unrest, even famines, earthquakes and pestilences, all have been part of the human condition since the Fall of Man at the Garden of Eden. (Or since the first amoeba turned into a person . . . for the skeptic who can't bring himself to believe in God, but finds no conflict of faith in a frog turning into a prince).
Note that Jesus said "all these are the beginning of sorrows." The word 'sorrow' first appears in Scripture in Genesis 3:16 when God tells Eve, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." "Sorrow" is translated from the Hebrew "itstsabown" and refers to labor pains.
The Greek word 'odin' translated as 'sorrows' in Matthew 24:8 also refers to labor pains.
Every parent who has ever lived could instantly grasp the meaning of this metaphor -- that is why Jesus chose it. As the birth of a child approaches, the mother begins to experience labor pains, which, having once begun, continue to increase in both frequency and intensity as the moment of birth approaches.
Prospective parents in Jesus' day did exactly what I did with each of my kids -- timed the interval between the contractions. It was a carefully chosen metaphor designed to resonate with all people, of all cultures, in all generations. But, to the generation to whom those signs were addressed, the meaning would be unmistakable.
When one compares the accuracy of the Bible's account of the unknowable future to the ever-changing scientific 'explanations' for the distant past, doubts melt away. The skeptic has multiple explanations for static events that have already happened.
The Bible gives a single explanation for a fluid, changeable series of events predicted to happen thousands of years in the future -- the events that define our present day. Which is more convincing?
Bible prophecy proves Jesus was the Son of God, regardless of the latest scientific, archeological or historical discovery. No matter what else might be offered as 'evidence' to the contrary, there is no other explanation for Bible prophecy. It is our generation's unique miracle.
It proves that He remains in charge of the affairs of men. Scripture records His Promise in all three Gospel accounts, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35. Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33)
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" (2 Peter 1:19)
Bible prophecy is proof positive that God remains on the Throne, that His Word will NOT return to Him void, and that all the chaos and terror of the world notwithstanding, all continues to go according to His plan.
Given the unbeliever's explanation of uncontrolled chaos, Bible prophecy isn't all that depressing, after all. What WOULD be depressing would be to be among the lost, not knowing what this world is coming to, and believing the world is in a state of uncontrolled chaos.
For the believer, Bible prophecy can be pretty encouraging, which is what the Lord intended for the last days' Church all along:
"But these things have I told you, that WHEN THE TIME SHALL COME, ye may remember that I told you of them." (John 16:4)
Excerpted from the Omega Letter Daily Intelligence Digest, Volume 58, Issue 5 ~ July 27, 2006
The verses quoted above were part of Jesus' response to the question, "What will be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3)
The Lord's reply to the question is known to Bible scholars as the "Olivet Discourse" because, 1) Jesus was standing 'upon the Mount of Olives' at the time, and; 2) His answer, which is contained in the three Synoptic Gospels, fills the entire chapter. It is one of the most lengthy teaching discourses in the New Testament.
The Olivet Discourse focuses its attention on events that take place DURING THE TRIBULATION, but begins by describing the events that conspire together to bring it about.
The period of wars and rumors of wars has been ongoing now since 1914 with the first truly global war in human history. It was followed by a second global war in 1939, whose conclusion brought about the ultimate 'rumor of war' between the West and the Soviet Empire.
There are two different entities under discussion, 'nations' and 'kingdoms'. The word 'nation' is translated from the Greek word 'ethnos' and describes an ethnic state, like Israel or one of the ethnic states of the Arab world. Or North Korea.
The world translated 'kingdom' 'basileia' means "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule" and it describes a national entity bound together by economic/social interests, rather than ethnic relationships.
America would fit the Biblical understanding of a 'kingdom' in the sense Americans are not bound together by blood or ethnicity, but rather by common social and economic benefits. The same could be applied to the member/states of the EU. Individually, some European countries might be ethnic in origin, but the Common Market exists for economic reasons.
The collapse of the Soviet Union uncorked a new round of ethnic unrest and international conflict, but, as Jesus was careful to note, "the end is not yet."
Ethnic or economic strife have been responsible for all the wars of modern times. The world wars were wars aimed at conquest for economic reasons. Hitler's Nazis sought both ethnic purity and "liebensraum"(living space) for Germany.
Japan's Imperial government set out to conquer Asia to ensure a steady supply of raw materials and to establish ethnic Japanese rule over Greater Asia.
Skeptics might argue that wars, ethnic unrest, even famines, earthquakes and pestilences, all have been part of the human condition since the Fall of Man at the Garden of Eden. (Or since the first amoeba turned into a person . . . for the skeptic who can't bring himself to believe in God, but finds no conflict of faith in a frog turning into a prince).
Note that Jesus said "all these are the beginning of sorrows." The word 'sorrow' first appears in Scripture in Genesis 3:16 when God tells Eve, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." "Sorrow" is translated from the Hebrew "itstsabown" and refers to labor pains.
The Greek word 'odin' translated as 'sorrows' in Matthew 24:8 also refers to labor pains.
Every parent who has ever lived could instantly grasp the meaning of this metaphor -- that is why Jesus chose it. As the birth of a child approaches, the mother begins to experience labor pains, which, having once begun, continue to increase in both frequency and intensity as the moment of birth approaches.
Prospective parents in Jesus' day did exactly what I did with each of my kids -- timed the interval between the contractions. It was a carefully chosen metaphor designed to resonate with all people, of all cultures, in all generations. But, to the generation to whom those signs were addressed, the meaning would be unmistakable.
When one compares the accuracy of the Bible's account of the unknowable future to the ever-changing scientific 'explanations' for the distant past, doubts melt away. The skeptic has multiple explanations for static events that have already happened.
The Bible gives a single explanation for a fluid, changeable series of events predicted to happen thousands of years in the future -- the events that define our present day. Which is more convincing?
Bible prophecy proves Jesus was the Son of God, regardless of the latest scientific, archeological or historical discovery. No matter what else might be offered as 'evidence' to the contrary, there is no other explanation for Bible prophecy. It is our generation's unique miracle.
It proves that He remains in charge of the affairs of men. Scripture records His Promise in all three Gospel accounts, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35. Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33)
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" (2 Peter 1:19)
Bible prophecy is proof positive that God remains on the Throne, that His Word will NOT return to Him void, and that all the chaos and terror of the world notwithstanding, all continues to go according to His plan.
Given the unbeliever's explanation of uncontrolled chaos, Bible prophecy isn't all that depressing, after all. What WOULD be depressing would be to be among the lost, not knowing what this world is coming to, and believing the world is in a state of uncontrolled chaos.
For the believer, Bible prophecy can be pretty encouraging, which is what the Lord intended for the last days' Church all along:
"But these things have I told you, that WHEN THE TIME SHALL COME, ye may remember that I told you of them." (John 16:4)
Excerpted from the Omega Letter Daily Intelligence Digest, Volume 58, Issue 5 ~ July 27, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
DEBKAfile: Middle East War Rhetoric
Not surprisingly, the most extreme statement came from Iran: A Middle East storm is brewing and will strike violently, said the radical Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “The use of force in Lebanon could trigger a hurricane.”
He spoke after Riyadh released an official statement from King Abdullah asserting: “If the peace option fails because of Israeli arrogance, there will be no option but a war in the region.” The Saudi king was uncharacteristically unrestrained in his speech after seeing the US secretary come and go without allaying the Lebanese crisis.
At around the same time as the statement from Riyadh, huge explosions struck Hizballah targets in South Beirut for the first time since US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice landed in the Middle East for talks in Beirut, Jerusalem and Ramallah. Israeli positions along the Lebanese border also came under heavy Hizballah mortar fire on Tuesday afternoon, coinciding with an Israeli air bombardment of Hizballah rocket sites in Tyre. The IDF began closing some strategic roads to the Lebanese border to civilian traffic.
Hopes had been entertained In Cairo and Riyadh that the visiting US secretary would voice some sort of reproof for Israel’s extensive military action in Lebanon and apply the brakes in her private talks with Ehud Olmert. Instead, no sooner had she departed when Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz announced that Israel is clearing a security zone in South Lebanon that will remain under IDF fire control unless a multinational force assumes responsibility.
Given the enormous, time-consuming difficulties facing the assembly of such a force, his statement was taken as the first avowal of Israel’s intentions beyond the military operation. The term “security zone” was uttered for the first time since the Hizballah attack of July 12 sparked the current crisis.
Privately, the pro-Western rulers in Riyadh, Cairo and Amman were cheering Israel’s offensive in the hope of its crippling the extremist Shiite Hizballah and dealing Tehran its comeuppance. But Peretz’s statement gave Arab rulers the pretext for ignoring the fact that Israel was defending itself against attack and reviving their age-old accusations of Israeli ambitions to seize Arab lands with American support.
It was rumored in Cairo that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak plans to visit Syrian president Bashar Asad in Damascus this week to discuss the Lebanese crisis.
July 25, 2006, 11:56 PM (GMT+02:00)
He spoke after Riyadh released an official statement from King Abdullah asserting: “If the peace option fails because of Israeli arrogance, there will be no option but a war in the region.” The Saudi king was uncharacteristically unrestrained in his speech after seeing the US secretary come and go without allaying the Lebanese crisis.
At around the same time as the statement from Riyadh, huge explosions struck Hizballah targets in South Beirut for the first time since US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice landed in the Middle East for talks in Beirut, Jerusalem and Ramallah. Israeli positions along the Lebanese border also came under heavy Hizballah mortar fire on Tuesday afternoon, coinciding with an Israeli air bombardment of Hizballah rocket sites in Tyre. The IDF began closing some strategic roads to the Lebanese border to civilian traffic.
Hopes had been entertained In Cairo and Riyadh that the visiting US secretary would voice some sort of reproof for Israel’s extensive military action in Lebanon and apply the brakes in her private talks with Ehud Olmert. Instead, no sooner had she departed when Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz announced that Israel is clearing a security zone in South Lebanon that will remain under IDF fire control unless a multinational force assumes responsibility.
Given the enormous, time-consuming difficulties facing the assembly of such a force, his statement was taken as the first avowal of Israel’s intentions beyond the military operation. The term “security zone” was uttered for the first time since the Hizballah attack of July 12 sparked the current crisis.
Privately, the pro-Western rulers in Riyadh, Cairo and Amman were cheering Israel’s offensive in the hope of its crippling the extremist Shiite Hizballah and dealing Tehran its comeuppance. But Peretz’s statement gave Arab rulers the pretext for ignoring the fact that Israel was defending itself against attack and reviving their age-old accusations of Israeli ambitions to seize Arab lands with American support.
It was rumored in Cairo that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak plans to visit Syrian president Bashar Asad in Damascus this week to discuss the Lebanese crisis.
July 25, 2006, 11:56 PM (GMT+02:00)
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
U.N. Official Terms Hizbullah ´Cowardly´
European countries and foreign media, from the outset of Israel's retaliation to the Hizbullah terrorist war against Israel, have charged that the Jewish state has caused a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
However, Jan Egeland, head of the United Nationals humanitarian efforts, accused Hizbullah of "cowardly blending" among women and children." He said he heard that the terrorists were pleased that civilians suffered more than their own terrorists. "I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men," he added.
Egeland did not spare criticism of Israel, which he said has killed innocent civilians in its attacks on Hizbullah strongholds. Visiting American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Monday night that it is important to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Israel already has opened up a corridor to help medical supplies and food enter the country."
Secretary Rice is scheduled to speak with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.
The charges by the United Nations official that Hizbullah is violating the civil rights of Lebanese are an important turn in the war of public opinion and come only one day after a British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) reporter told listeners that he saw Hizbullah terrorists exploiting civilians.
Israel has launched an unprecedented campaign to explain to foreign media and to Jews in the Diaspora that Hizbullah executed acts of war against Israeli citizens that require a sovereign nation to defend itself.
Prime Minister Olmert told a visiting Jewish delegation Monday, "I don't recall such an event in which it was absolutely clear to [so many people] who were united in supporting the State of Israel and accepting the Israeli reaction as inevitable and totally natural...The attacks both in the south and the north were an outright violation of the basic fundamental right of the State of Israel...and it was an act of war.
"A nation that respects itself cannot afford to accept these...[terrorist] threats.... We will fight Hizbullah and we will not stop unless we will able to guarantee the security and safety of the State of Israel even if I have to fight a year or two years.
"We are going to kill them one by one.
07.25.2006
Arutz Sheva News Service - Jerusalem
However, Jan Egeland, head of the United Nationals humanitarian efforts, accused Hizbullah of "cowardly blending" among women and children." He said he heard that the terrorists were pleased that civilians suffered more than their own terrorists. "I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men," he added.
Egeland did not spare criticism of Israel, which he said has killed innocent civilians in its attacks on Hizbullah strongholds. Visiting American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Monday night that it is important to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Israel already has opened up a corridor to help medical supplies and food enter the country."
Secretary Rice is scheduled to speak with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.
The charges by the United Nations official that Hizbullah is violating the civil rights of Lebanese are an important turn in the war of public opinion and come only one day after a British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) reporter told listeners that he saw Hizbullah terrorists exploiting civilians.
Israel has launched an unprecedented campaign to explain to foreign media and to Jews in the Diaspora that Hizbullah executed acts of war against Israeli citizens that require a sovereign nation to defend itself.
Prime Minister Olmert told a visiting Jewish delegation Monday, "I don't recall such an event in which it was absolutely clear to [so many people] who were united in supporting the State of Israel and accepting the Israeli reaction as inevitable and totally natural...The attacks both in the south and the north were an outright violation of the basic fundamental right of the State of Israel...and it was an act of war.
"A nation that respects itself cannot afford to accept these...[terrorist] threats.... We will fight Hizbullah and we will not stop unless we will able to guarantee the security and safety of the State of Israel even if I have to fight a year or two years.
"We are going to kill them one by one.
07.25.2006
Arutz Sheva News Service - Jerusalem
Monday, July 24, 2006
Stand Up for Israel!
Around the world, Israel is drawing predictable but unwarranted criticism for defending itself against attacks from Islamic terrorist groups to its north and south. Pastor Rod Parsley and other Christian leaders were in Washington this week to speak out on behalf of Israel, and your help is especially needed to reinforce the message that our government must support our only sure ally in the Middle East.
To send an e-mail to your U.S. Senators and Member of Congress in support of Israel
Pastor Parsley recently presented the dynamic message “Iran & Israel: Impending Apocalypse,” a timely look at the Middle East from a biblical perspective. It’s now available to you for a gift of any size to CMC. To make an online donation to CMC and receive the DVD, click here. If you’d prefer to send a check, please download this printable response form.
Israel began attacks inside Lebanon July 12, targeting the power base of the radical Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah. The attacks respond to the capture of two Israeli servicemen that day near the border between the two countries.
Israel has imposed an air and sea blockade against Lebanon, forced the closure of the Beirut airport and bombed the main highway to Damascus, Syria. Lebanon has responded to Israel’s defensive measures Friday by firing at least 50 rockets into northern Israeli towns. On July 13, Hezbollah launched 120 rockets into Israel, mostly into towns in Galilee where Israelis typically vacation.
Israel has released three conditions for a cease-fire with Lebanon:
Hezbollah must release the soldiers it captured.
Lebanon must stop rocket fire.
The Lebanese government must decide to implement a United Nations Security Council Resolution that calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government has disavowed the actions of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah was created with Iran’s help in 1982. It has attacked the U.S. embassy twice and in 1983 bombed a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Marines. Now it has a member and supporter in Lebanon’s cabinet and a militia that effectively controls southern Lebanon.
In addition to defending itself at the north, Israel is continuing to defend itself against aggression in Gaza. The Israeli army is attempting to rescue Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, who was captured by Palestinian militants last month.
Shalit was seized as part of an attack on an Israeli army post just outside Gaza. It’s not known precisely where Shalit is being held. Three Palestinian militant factions have insisted that Israel begin to free about 1,500 prisoners, including women and youths, in exchange for Shalit. These factions are at odds even with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a member of Hamas, who has called on the factions to negotiate for Shalit’s release. The factions have warned that Israel will “bear full responsibility for future consequences” if their prisoner swap demands are not met.
Thankfully, President George W. Bush was quick to condemn Hezbollah’s attacks July 12, saying the attacks “threaten Lebanon’s security and are an affront to the sovereignty of the Lebanese government. Hezbollah’s actions are not in the interest of the Lebanese people, whose welfare should not be held hostage to the interests of the Syrian and Iranian regimes.”
Unfortunately, Israel’s defensive actions are being condemned by other world leaders. The European Union and the French government have released statements condemning Israel’s “disproportionate use of force.” On July 13, the United States used its veto power to block a U.N. Security Council resolution accusing Israel of using excessive force. UN Ambassador John Bolton said the resolution “places demands on one side in the Middle East conflict but not on the other.” Bolton also said Syria and Iran, which he called the main sponsors of Hezbollah, must be “held to account” for the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers this week. “No reckoning with Hezbollah will be adequate without a reckoning” with those two countries, he added.
Pastor Rod Parsley joined other Christian leaders this week to advocate for Israel with Congressional leaders. More than 3,400 attended “A Night to Honor Israel” in the nation’s capital, and met with U.S. Senators and Representatives. You can help reinforce the message they sent to our nation’s leaders by contacting your Member of Congress and U.S. Senators about the need for America to stand with Israel while it is at war.
You can find contact information for your federal legislators here, and an e-mail you can send them is available here.
When you reach your leaders’ Washington offices, tell them:
As a member of the Center for Moral Clarity, you want them to support a resolution strongly backing Israel’s right to self-defense. Israel has the right and the duty to defend itself from attacks that represent clear acts of war.
You want them not to pressure Israel to restrain its attacks against these terrorists.
You do not want taxpayers’ money going to the Hamas-led Palestinian government until it recognizes Israel’s right to exist, completely disarms and stops all violence against Israel.
They should speak out against Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Iran will use those nuclear weapons against America and Israel.
https://thelamp.wordpress.com/2006/07/20/stand-up-for-israel-2/
To send an e-mail to your U.S. Senators and Member of Congress in support of Israel
Pastor Parsley recently presented the dynamic message “Iran & Israel: Impending Apocalypse,” a timely look at the Middle East from a biblical perspective. It’s now available to you for a gift of any size to CMC. To make an online donation to CMC and receive the DVD, click here. If you’d prefer to send a check, please download this printable response form.
Israel began attacks inside Lebanon July 12, targeting the power base of the radical Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah. The attacks respond to the capture of two Israeli servicemen that day near the border between the two countries.
Israel has imposed an air and sea blockade against Lebanon, forced the closure of the Beirut airport and bombed the main highway to Damascus, Syria. Lebanon has responded to Israel’s defensive measures Friday by firing at least 50 rockets into northern Israeli towns. On July 13, Hezbollah launched 120 rockets into Israel, mostly into towns in Galilee where Israelis typically vacation.
Israel has released three conditions for a cease-fire with Lebanon:
Hezbollah must release the soldiers it captured.
Lebanon must stop rocket fire.
The Lebanese government must decide to implement a United Nations Security Council Resolution that calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government has disavowed the actions of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah was created with Iran’s help in 1982. It has attacked the U.S. embassy twice and in 1983 bombed a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Marines. Now it has a member and supporter in Lebanon’s cabinet and a militia that effectively controls southern Lebanon.
In addition to defending itself at the north, Israel is continuing to defend itself against aggression in Gaza. The Israeli army is attempting to rescue Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, who was captured by Palestinian militants last month.
Shalit was seized as part of an attack on an Israeli army post just outside Gaza. It’s not known precisely where Shalit is being held. Three Palestinian militant factions have insisted that Israel begin to free about 1,500 prisoners, including women and youths, in exchange for Shalit. These factions are at odds even with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a member of Hamas, who has called on the factions to negotiate for Shalit’s release. The factions have warned that Israel will “bear full responsibility for future consequences” if their prisoner swap demands are not met.
Thankfully, President George W. Bush was quick to condemn Hezbollah’s attacks July 12, saying the attacks “threaten Lebanon’s security and are an affront to the sovereignty of the Lebanese government. Hezbollah’s actions are not in the interest of the Lebanese people, whose welfare should not be held hostage to the interests of the Syrian and Iranian regimes.”
Unfortunately, Israel’s defensive actions are being condemned by other world leaders. The European Union and the French government have released statements condemning Israel’s “disproportionate use of force.” On July 13, the United States used its veto power to block a U.N. Security Council resolution accusing Israel of using excessive force. UN Ambassador John Bolton said the resolution “places demands on one side in the Middle East conflict but not on the other.” Bolton also said Syria and Iran, which he called the main sponsors of Hezbollah, must be “held to account” for the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers this week. “No reckoning with Hezbollah will be adequate without a reckoning” with those two countries, he added.
Pastor Rod Parsley joined other Christian leaders this week to advocate for Israel with Congressional leaders. More than 3,400 attended “A Night to Honor Israel” in the nation’s capital, and met with U.S. Senators and Representatives. You can help reinforce the message they sent to our nation’s leaders by contacting your Member of Congress and U.S. Senators about the need for America to stand with Israel while it is at war.
You can find contact information for your federal legislators here, and an e-mail you can send them is available here.
When you reach your leaders’ Washington offices, tell them:
As a member of the Center for Moral Clarity, you want them to support a resolution strongly backing Israel’s right to self-defense. Israel has the right and the duty to defend itself from attacks that represent clear acts of war.
You want them not to pressure Israel to restrain its attacks against these terrorists.
You do not want taxpayers’ money going to the Hamas-led Palestinian government until it recognizes Israel’s right to exist, completely disarms and stops all violence against Israel.
They should speak out against Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Iran will use those nuclear weapons against America and Israel.
https://thelamp.wordpress.com/2006/07/20/stand-up-for-israel-2/
Sunday, July 23, 2006
UNCOVERED: RUSSIAN-SYRIAN-IRANIAN AXIS
For students of Bible prophecy, even the title of this communiqué should set off alarm sirens. I just received some electrifying intelligence data. First, from the Debka-Net-Weekly’s briefing. And second, from some personal intelligence sources (I carefully guard) that confirm Debka’s report.
Russia, Iran and Syria have entered a defense pact that is in the process of altered the balance of power in the entire Middle East. Russia’s part in the pact has been kept relatively secret for a long time. But the facts reveal a long steady Russian commitment to the Iranian nuclear program and arms supply to Syria.
A Mossad General shared with me in confidence that he had personally traced the hiring and importation to Iran 283 of the defunct Soviet Union’s top nuclear and missile scientists. This was in took place in February of 1991.
I shared this information with no one until nine months later when it was first made public (although strangely not followed up by the mainstream media). All Russian leaders continued and expanded this agreement to this day, especially our supposed friend, Vladimir Putin.
Russia has helped the Iranian nuclear program from its inception. Hundreds of Russian scientists with their families live around the some twenty scattered nuclear related facilities. Russian ‘Spetznaz soldiers’ (special forces) guard all the key nuclear facilities.
Iran has had some help on missile development from the North Koreans. But even their missiles are based upon Russian designs. The unmistakable culprit in China, North Korea and Iran’s nuclear development has been the Soviet Union and continued by Russia.
The Soviet Union’s motivation for helping China and North Korea was primarily ideological. Russia’s primary reason is hard cash, although now, it is taking on a strategic importance as well.
So here are the disturbing hard facts about what is taking place in what can only be viewed as a dangerous anti-western strategy in the form of a Russian-Syrian-Iranian Axis.
The first part of this strategy was, as I said above, Russia enabling Iran to produce deliverable nuclear warheads.
The second part was the forming of the recent mutual defense pact between Iran and Syria. The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria, Mostafa Najjar and Hassan Turkmani, signed the pact in Tehran on June 15th, 2006.
Debka’s intelligence sources unveiled a disturbing clause in the agreement that was reported to President Bush by US Intelligence. This report disclosed:
“The clause speaks of more than one battery of upgraded SHEHAB-3 surface-to-surface missiles to be deployed on the 13,000-foot Jabal Ash Shanin ridges towering over central Syria. “The latest Syrian-Iranian exchanges are reported by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s intelligence sources as auguring the early dispatch from Tehran of a deputation of officers to take up position at al Qadnus, east of the Syrian port of Tartus, and along the road linking the port to Jabal Ash Shanin.
“This team will act as the vanguard of the Iranian missile force to operate the missiles station, will check out the ground and fix its precise location.
“Senior intelligence officials warned the US President that this deployment would not just throw the entire Middle East balance of strength out of kilter, but directly menace American bases as far as West and East Europe and the Central Asian republics, including those located on the shores of the oil-rich Caspian Sea.”
This puts virtually all of Europe within range of the soon-coming nuclear tipped Iranian missiles — and at the whim of Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Remember him? He is the one who believes Allah has chosen him to fulfill an “end time” Muslim prophecy by starting a world apocalypse in which the long-awaited ‘Mahdi’ (Muslim Messiah) will appear and subject all survivors to Allah.
As if this isn’t bad enough news, there is something even more alarming developing within this new axis of evil.
Russia is now making moves to protect Syria and its Shehab-3 missile base. This is what DEBKA-News-Weekly reported:
“Our sources have observed the Russians dredging the port of TARTUS, Syria’s second most important Mediterranean port, with a view to expanding their logistical supply point there to a fully-equipped naval base, possibly to serve the Black Sea Fleet warships when they are redeployed from the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol. It is designed to be built up into the permanent base for the fleet led by the RFS Moskva (TG Flag) missile cruiser and the RFS Azov landing ship within the next three years.
“February 27, 2006, DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources found the MOSKVA and AZOV heading into the Mediterranean on Feb. 5, escorted by a Russian military tug, to take part in the a NATO marine exercise Operation Active Endeavor, which was to practice counter-measures against nuclear and other WMD smugglers. NATO chiefs, and American generals in particular, attached great importance to Russia’s participation in the exercise. NATO secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer had intended to make the gesture of being the North Atlantic Organization chief to visit a Russian flagship.
“The visit was cancelled when it was discovered that the three Russian fleet vessels would be paying an official call at the Syrian port of Latakia. “The arrival of the Russian task force in TARTUS in March marked the opening of the Russian base. Our military experts note that the Missile Cruiser MOSKVA is armed with the weapons, radar and electronic gear of an [aircraft] carrier hunter.
“The American intelligence briefing for the US President further disclosed that sophisticated Russian air defense systems are to be installed for the dual purpose of protecting the TARTUS NAVAL BASE and the SHEHAB-3 missile emplacements. DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military sources identify the system as the S-300PMU-2. It will be operated by Russian military crews and not put in Syrian hands.
“This air defense system is comparable to the American Patriot, but is more effective. “The version to be deployed in Syria is geared to intercept ballistic missiles. It has the great advantage of being ready to fire five minutes after receiving orders …”
This explains why Iran has blatantly defied the world and continued developing nuclear warheads, which are closer to becoming operational than we dare believe.
Second, it explains the reason why the Iranian and Syrian defense ministers signed a mutual defense pact last June 15th.
Third, it gives the reason for Hezbollah launching a war with Israel when they did. It was to divert the G-8 leaders from seriously debating action about the Iranian nuclear threat. And Vladimir Putin played a masterful game of concealing what his forces are doing.
Fourth, it explains why Syria and Iran are unafraid to openly support Hezbollah in their war with Israel and support terrorist who target US troops in Iraq. Russia is in the background guaranteeing their protection.
Debka reports that they found data indicating that Russia helped persuade Syrian President Bashir Assad to accept the placement of Iranian missiles on their soil by hinting that “it is part of their own deepening strategic plans Syria.
What is most important is that all this is setting up Ezekiel’s 2600-year-old prophecy in Ezekiel chapter 38. Persia, or modern Iran, is listed a chief among the Muslim nations Russia will lead into an all-out assault against Israel. This is predicted to be the first battle of the war of Armageddon.
The one nation that does not seem to be listed is Syria. I believe this is because as a result of actions it is now taking against Israel, Isaiah’s prophecy about Damascus in the last days is going to be soon fulfilled.
Seven hundred and fifty years ago, Isaiah warned, “An oracle concerning Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins … In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.” (Isaiah 17:1, 4 NIV)
To establish the time of this event, look at these factors. First, Damascus is one of the oldest continuously populated cities on earth. It has never been totally destroyed – yet. Second, it is in a context of events that lead up to the catastrophes that precede the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming. Third, it is far enough away from that event that Jacob (Israel) is enduring terrible circumstances. Fourth, Syria and the tribal name of its forefathers are not mentioned in the Russian led Muslim Confederacy that launches Armageddon in the middle of the Tribulation.
All of this leads me to believe that Damascus will be destroyed before the Tribulation begins. I believe that Damascus is about to so threaten Israel’s existence by either launching or furnishing bio-chemical weapons or radioactive dirty bombs, that Israel will nuke them. Israel has sworn that it will implement the Samson-Option against any nation that attacks them with any form of weapons of mass destruction. That means a thermonuclear strike. This may soon happen to Syria.
This in turn will so terrify the world, that it will be ripe to embrace the antichrist when he is unveiled. And that could be very, very soon.
Thank God that you have received the gift of pardon that Jesus purchased by dying in your place under the judgment for your sins. You will be miraculously snatched up to heaven to meet Him before the antichrist is revealed.
But if you haven’t received this free gift of pardon and accepted Jesus into your life, now is the time. Don’t put it off. It is like playing Russian roulette with eternity. Pray right now and receive your forgiveness. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your life and make it what He wants it to be. He will give you new desires, new joy and purpose for living. Do it now.
If you haven’t.
By Hal Lindsey
Russia, Iran and Syria have entered a defense pact that is in the process of altered the balance of power in the entire Middle East. Russia’s part in the pact has been kept relatively secret for a long time. But the facts reveal a long steady Russian commitment to the Iranian nuclear program and arms supply to Syria.
A Mossad General shared with me in confidence that he had personally traced the hiring and importation to Iran 283 of the defunct Soviet Union’s top nuclear and missile scientists. This was in took place in February of 1991.
I shared this information with no one until nine months later when it was first made public (although strangely not followed up by the mainstream media). All Russian leaders continued and expanded this agreement to this day, especially our supposed friend, Vladimir Putin.
Russia has helped the Iranian nuclear program from its inception. Hundreds of Russian scientists with their families live around the some twenty scattered nuclear related facilities. Russian ‘Spetznaz soldiers’ (special forces) guard all the key nuclear facilities.
Iran has had some help on missile development from the North Koreans. But even their missiles are based upon Russian designs. The unmistakable culprit in China, North Korea and Iran’s nuclear development has been the Soviet Union and continued by Russia.
The Soviet Union’s motivation for helping China and North Korea was primarily ideological. Russia’s primary reason is hard cash, although now, it is taking on a strategic importance as well.
So here are the disturbing hard facts about what is taking place in what can only be viewed as a dangerous anti-western strategy in the form of a Russian-Syrian-Iranian Axis.
The first part of this strategy was, as I said above, Russia enabling Iran to produce deliverable nuclear warheads.
The second part was the forming of the recent mutual defense pact between Iran and Syria. The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria, Mostafa Najjar and Hassan Turkmani, signed the pact in Tehran on June 15th, 2006.
Debka’s intelligence sources unveiled a disturbing clause in the agreement that was reported to President Bush by US Intelligence. This report disclosed:
“The clause speaks of more than one battery of upgraded SHEHAB-3 surface-to-surface missiles to be deployed on the 13,000-foot Jabal Ash Shanin ridges towering over central Syria. “The latest Syrian-Iranian exchanges are reported by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s intelligence sources as auguring the early dispatch from Tehran of a deputation of officers to take up position at al Qadnus, east of the Syrian port of Tartus, and along the road linking the port to Jabal Ash Shanin.
“This team will act as the vanguard of the Iranian missile force to operate the missiles station, will check out the ground and fix its precise location.
“Senior intelligence officials warned the US President that this deployment would not just throw the entire Middle East balance of strength out of kilter, but directly menace American bases as far as West and East Europe and the Central Asian republics, including those located on the shores of the oil-rich Caspian Sea.”
This puts virtually all of Europe within range of the soon-coming nuclear tipped Iranian missiles — and at the whim of Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Remember him? He is the one who believes Allah has chosen him to fulfill an “end time” Muslim prophecy by starting a world apocalypse in which the long-awaited ‘Mahdi’ (Muslim Messiah) will appear and subject all survivors to Allah.
As if this isn’t bad enough news, there is something even more alarming developing within this new axis of evil.
Russia is now making moves to protect Syria and its Shehab-3 missile base. This is what DEBKA-News-Weekly reported:
“Our sources have observed the Russians dredging the port of TARTUS, Syria’s second most important Mediterranean port, with a view to expanding their logistical supply point there to a fully-equipped naval base, possibly to serve the Black Sea Fleet warships when they are redeployed from the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol. It is designed to be built up into the permanent base for the fleet led by the RFS Moskva (TG Flag) missile cruiser and the RFS Azov landing ship within the next three years.
“February 27, 2006, DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources found the MOSKVA and AZOV heading into the Mediterranean on Feb. 5, escorted by a Russian military tug, to take part in the a NATO marine exercise Operation Active Endeavor, which was to practice counter-measures against nuclear and other WMD smugglers. NATO chiefs, and American generals in particular, attached great importance to Russia’s participation in the exercise. NATO secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer had intended to make the gesture of being the North Atlantic Organization chief to visit a Russian flagship.
“The visit was cancelled when it was discovered that the three Russian fleet vessels would be paying an official call at the Syrian port of Latakia. “The arrival of the Russian task force in TARTUS in March marked the opening of the Russian base. Our military experts note that the Missile Cruiser MOSKVA is armed with the weapons, radar and electronic gear of an [aircraft] carrier hunter.
“The American intelligence briefing for the US President further disclosed that sophisticated Russian air defense systems are to be installed for the dual purpose of protecting the TARTUS NAVAL BASE and the SHEHAB-3 missile emplacements. DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military sources identify the system as the S-300PMU-2. It will be operated by Russian military crews and not put in Syrian hands.
“This air defense system is comparable to the American Patriot, but is more effective. “The version to be deployed in Syria is geared to intercept ballistic missiles. It has the great advantage of being ready to fire five minutes after receiving orders …”
This explains why Iran has blatantly defied the world and continued developing nuclear warheads, which are closer to becoming operational than we dare believe.
Second, it explains the reason why the Iranian and Syrian defense ministers signed a mutual defense pact last June 15th.
Third, it gives the reason for Hezbollah launching a war with Israel when they did. It was to divert the G-8 leaders from seriously debating action about the Iranian nuclear threat. And Vladimir Putin played a masterful game of concealing what his forces are doing.
Fourth, it explains why Syria and Iran are unafraid to openly support Hezbollah in their war with Israel and support terrorist who target US troops in Iraq. Russia is in the background guaranteeing their protection.
Debka reports that they found data indicating that Russia helped persuade Syrian President Bashir Assad to accept the placement of Iranian missiles on their soil by hinting that “it is part of their own deepening strategic plans Syria.
What is most important is that all this is setting up Ezekiel’s 2600-year-old prophecy in Ezekiel chapter 38. Persia, or modern Iran, is listed a chief among the Muslim nations Russia will lead into an all-out assault against Israel. This is predicted to be the first battle of the war of Armageddon.
The one nation that does not seem to be listed is Syria. I believe this is because as a result of actions it is now taking against Israel, Isaiah’s prophecy about Damascus in the last days is going to be soon fulfilled.
Seven hundred and fifty years ago, Isaiah warned, “An oracle concerning Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins … In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.” (Isaiah 17:1, 4 NIV)
To establish the time of this event, look at these factors. First, Damascus is one of the oldest continuously populated cities on earth. It has never been totally destroyed – yet. Second, it is in a context of events that lead up to the catastrophes that precede the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming. Third, it is far enough away from that event that Jacob (Israel) is enduring terrible circumstances. Fourth, Syria and the tribal name of its forefathers are not mentioned in the Russian led Muslim Confederacy that launches Armageddon in the middle of the Tribulation.
All of this leads me to believe that Damascus will be destroyed before the Tribulation begins. I believe that Damascus is about to so threaten Israel’s existence by either launching or furnishing bio-chemical weapons or radioactive dirty bombs, that Israel will nuke them. Israel has sworn that it will implement the Samson-Option against any nation that attacks them with any form of weapons of mass destruction. That means a thermonuclear strike. This may soon happen to Syria.
This in turn will so terrify the world, that it will be ripe to embrace the antichrist when he is unveiled. And that could be very, very soon.
Thank God that you have received the gift of pardon that Jesus purchased by dying in your place under the judgment for your sins. You will be miraculously snatched up to heaven to meet Him before the antichrist is revealed.
But if you haven’t received this free gift of pardon and accepted Jesus into your life, now is the time. Don’t put it off. It is like playing Russian roulette with eternity. Pray right now and receive your forgiveness. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your life and make it what He wants it to be. He will give you new desires, new joy and purpose for living. Do it now.
If you haven’t.
By Hal Lindsey
Saturday, July 22, 2006
The Arithmetic of Pain
There is no democracy in the world that should tolerate missiles being fired at its cities without taking every reasonable step to stop the attacks. The big question raised by Israel's military actions in Lebanon is what is "reasonable." The answer, according to the laws of war, is that it is reasonable to attack military targets, so long as every effort is made to reduce civilian casualties. If the objectives cannot be achieved without some civilian casualties, these must be "proportional" to the civilian casualties that would be prevented by the military action.
This is all well and good for democratic nations that deliberately locate their military bases away from civilian population centers. Israel has its air force, nuclear facilities and large army bases in locations as remote as anything can be in that country. It is possible for an enemy to attack Israeli military targets without inflicting "collateral damage" on its civilian population.
Hezbollah and Hamas, by contrast, deliberately operate military wings out of densely populated areas. They launch antipersonnel missiles with ball-bearing shrapnel, designed by Syria and Iran to maximize civilian casualties, and then hide from retaliation by living among civilians.
If Israel decides not to go after them for fear of harming civilians, the terrorists win by continuing to have free rein in attacking civilians with rockets. If Israel does attack, and causes civilian casualties, the terrorists win a propaganda victory:
The international community continues to pounce on Israel for its "disproportionate" response. This chorus of condemnation actually encourages the terrorists to operate from civilian areas.
While Israel does everything reasonable to minimize civilian casualties - not always with success - Hezbollah and Hamas want to maximize civilian casualties on both sides. Islamic terrorists, a diplomat commented years ago, "have mastered the harsh arithmetic of pain. . . . Palestinian casualties play in their favor and Israeli casualties play in their favor."
These are groups that send children to die as suicide bombers, sometimes without the child knowing that he is being sacrificed. Two years ago, an 11-year-old was paid to take a parcel through Israeli security. Unbeknownst to him, it contained a bomb that was to be detonated remotely. (Fortunately the plot was foiled.)
This misuse of civilians as shields and swords requires a clear reassessment of the laws of war. The distinction between the combatants and civilians - easy when combatants were uniformed members of armies that fought on battlefields distant from civilian centers - is more difficult in the present context.
Now, there is a continuum of "civilianality": Near the most civilian end of this continuum are the pure innocents - babies, hostages and others completely uninvolved; at the more combatant end are civilians who willingly harbor terrorists, provide material resources and serve as human shields; in the middle are those who support the terrorists politically, or spiritually.
The laws of war and the rules of morality must adapt to these realities. An analogy to domestic criminal law is instructive: A bank robber who takes a teller hostage and fires at police from behind his human shield is guilty of murder if they, in an effort to stop the robber from shooting, accidentally kill the hostage. The same should be true of terrorists who use civilians as shields from behind whom they fire their rockets. The terrorists must be held legally and morally responsible for the deaths of the civilians, even if the direct physical cause was an Israeli rocket aimed at those targeting Israeli citizens.
Israel must be allowed to finish the fight that Hamas and Hezbollah started, even if that means civilian casualties in Gaza and Lebanon. A democracy is entitled to prefer the lives of its own innocents over the lives of the civilians of an aggressor, especially if the latter group contains many who are complicit in terrorism. Israel will - and should - take every precaution to minimize civilian casualties on the other side.
On July 16, Hasan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, announced there will be new "surprises," and the Aska Martyrs Brigade said that it had developed chemical and biological weapons that could be added to its rockets. Should Israel not be allowed to pre-empt their use?
Israel left Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005. These are not "occupied" territories. Yet they serve as launching pads for attacks on Israeli civilians. Occupation does not cause terrorism, then, but terrorism seems to cause occupation. If Israel is not to reoccupy to prevent terrorism, the Lebanese government and the Palestinian Authority must ensure that these regions cease to be terrorist safe havens.
Gamla - Jerusalem Israel
07.22.2006
This is all well and good for democratic nations that deliberately locate their military bases away from civilian population centers. Israel has its air force, nuclear facilities and large army bases in locations as remote as anything can be in that country. It is possible for an enemy to attack Israeli military targets without inflicting "collateral damage" on its civilian population.
Hezbollah and Hamas, by contrast, deliberately operate military wings out of densely populated areas. They launch antipersonnel missiles with ball-bearing shrapnel, designed by Syria and Iran to maximize civilian casualties, and then hide from retaliation by living among civilians.
If Israel decides not to go after them for fear of harming civilians, the terrorists win by continuing to have free rein in attacking civilians with rockets. If Israel does attack, and causes civilian casualties, the terrorists win a propaganda victory:
The international community continues to pounce on Israel for its "disproportionate" response. This chorus of condemnation actually encourages the terrorists to operate from civilian areas.
While Israel does everything reasonable to minimize civilian casualties - not always with success - Hezbollah and Hamas want to maximize civilian casualties on both sides. Islamic terrorists, a diplomat commented years ago, "have mastered the harsh arithmetic of pain. . . . Palestinian casualties play in their favor and Israeli casualties play in their favor."
These are groups that send children to die as suicide bombers, sometimes without the child knowing that he is being sacrificed. Two years ago, an 11-year-old was paid to take a parcel through Israeli security. Unbeknownst to him, it contained a bomb that was to be detonated remotely. (Fortunately the plot was foiled.)
This misuse of civilians as shields and swords requires a clear reassessment of the laws of war. The distinction between the combatants and civilians - easy when combatants were uniformed members of armies that fought on battlefields distant from civilian centers - is more difficult in the present context.
Now, there is a continuum of "civilianality": Near the most civilian end of this continuum are the pure innocents - babies, hostages and others completely uninvolved; at the more combatant end are civilians who willingly harbor terrorists, provide material resources and serve as human shields; in the middle are those who support the terrorists politically, or spiritually.
The laws of war and the rules of morality must adapt to these realities. An analogy to domestic criminal law is instructive: A bank robber who takes a teller hostage and fires at police from behind his human shield is guilty of murder if they, in an effort to stop the robber from shooting, accidentally kill the hostage. The same should be true of terrorists who use civilians as shields from behind whom they fire their rockets. The terrorists must be held legally and morally responsible for the deaths of the civilians, even if the direct physical cause was an Israeli rocket aimed at those targeting Israeli citizens.
Israel must be allowed to finish the fight that Hamas and Hezbollah started, even if that means civilian casualties in Gaza and Lebanon. A democracy is entitled to prefer the lives of its own innocents over the lives of the civilians of an aggressor, especially if the latter group contains many who are complicit in terrorism. Israel will - and should - take every precaution to minimize civilian casualties on the other side.
On July 16, Hasan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, announced there will be new "surprises," and the Aska Martyrs Brigade said that it had developed chemical and biological weapons that could be added to its rockets. Should Israel not be allowed to pre-empt their use?
Israel left Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005. These are not "occupied" territories. Yet they serve as launching pads for attacks on Israeli civilians. Occupation does not cause terrorism, then, but terrorism seems to cause occupation. If Israel is not to reoccupy to prevent terrorism, the Lebanese government and the Palestinian Authority must ensure that these regions cease to be terrorist safe havens.
Gamla - Jerusalem Israel
07.22.2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Neither Jew Nor Gentile - By Jack Kinsella
According to Scripture, there are four classes of created rational beings in the universe, namely, angels, Gentiles, Jews and Christians. That fact is critical to rightly dividing the word of truth. Each is a different spiritual being, each has a different origin, present estate and a unique destiny.
Angels are the first of the created, rational beings.
"Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts. . . Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created." (Psalms 148:2,5)
The Bible teaches that their home is in heaven (Matthew 24:L36), their activity is both on earth and in heaven (Psalms 103:20, Luke 15:10, Hebrews 1:14) and their destiny is the Eternal City of Revelation 21:12.
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. . ." (Hebrews 12:22)
Angels are unique creations of God, not to be confused with any other of God's created beings. Even though some fall, as was the case with Satan, the fallen angels remain angels throughout their existence. Their numbers are constant; they neither propagate nor die.
The second class of created beings are the Gentiles. The Gentiles trace their origin to Adam. They are partakers in the fall of man, but Scripture says that some of them will share, as a subordinate people, with Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. (Isaiah 2:4, 60:3,5,12, 62:2, and Acts 15:17)
As to their estate, from Adam until Christ, the Gentiles "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12).
Since the Resurrection, the door of Gospel privilege has been opened to the Gentiles, and out of both Gentiles and Jews of this age, God is calling an elect company.
"Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." (Acts 11:17-18)
The period of time bounded by the Babylonian captivity through to the end of the Church Age is called by Scripture "the times of the Gentiles." (Luke 21:24)
The third class of created beings are the Jews. By the calling of Abraham, and all that God accomplished through him, a new race of beings was begun that, under unalterable Divine covenant and promise, continues forever.
So different is this race of created beings that some five-sixths of Scripture bears directly or indirectly on the Jews. The destiny of the Jews is traceable through the Millennial Kingdom and into the new heaven and earth which follows.
In this present Church Age, all Divine progress in the national and earthly program for Israel is on hold; individual Jews have the same privilege as the individual Gentiles of personal faith in Christ as Savior. But Scripture is clear that, when the present age concludes, God will again turn His attention to the national redemption of Israel.
The fourth class of created beings are the Christians. Christians are those called out of both Jew and Gentile, and are formed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him." (Romans 10:12)
Christians are neither Gentile nor Jew, but a new spiritual creation in Christ.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Galatians 6:15)
The Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20), having been raised WITH Christ (Colossians 3:1-3) and are so different than any other created rational being that, of the Christian, Jesus says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 15:19, 17:14,16)
Note carefully that the spiritual rebirth and heavenly position [in Christ] are by faith alone. By definition, human operation is excluded. The only responsibility imposed on the human side of the equation is trusting in the only One Who can save.
The Scriptures which direct a Christian in his walk with the Lord are adapted to the fact that the Christian is no longer striving to secure a standing before God, but is already 'accepted in the beloved'.
"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)
Christians, by their existence, have already attained every spiritual blessing; "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ . ." (Ephesians 1:3)
Obviously, no human effort can bring a person to fulfill God's standard of sinless perfection. God, anticipating the believer's inability to walk worthy of his high calling, freely bestows His empowering Spirit to indwell each believer.
Scripture also promises that when their elect number is complete, as unique citizens of heaven, they will be removed from the earth at the Rapture. The bodies of believers who have died will be raised and living saints will be translated. (1st Corinthians 15:20-57, 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18)
At the Bema Seat in glory, believers will be judged as to their rewards for service. (1st Corinthians 3:9-15, 9:18-27, 2nd Corinthians 5:10,11), the Body of Christ will be wed to the Bridegroom, (Revelation 19:7-9) and return WITH Him to share as His consort during the Millennial Reign.
This new creation, like angels, Gentiles and Jews, can be traced into eternity future, but they are unique from the rest. They possess no land, no house, no earthly capital or city, no earthly kingdom and no earthly king.
Scripture promises that the Jews will inherit the earth. The Gentiles will inhabit it with them as a subordinate people. But the Church does not share in that inheritance.
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)
The Jews and Gentiles inherit the earth. Church Age believers inherit the universe!
The Age of Grace concludes at the Rapture. The Tribulation Period is the final seven years of the Age of Law, under which God will judge a Christ-rejecting world. During this period, some Gentiles will become believers, but, unlike during this present age, they are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Whose earthly ministry concludes at the Rapture.
During the Church Age, believers are promised to 'resist the devil and he will flee from you,' because 'greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. (James 4:7, 1st John 4:4)
But during the Tribulation, "it was given unto him [antichrist] to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." (Revelation 13:7) Those who enter the beast's worship system, believers or not, and accept his mark are forever lost.
As you can see from the revealed Word, there is no place for the Church during Daniel's 70th week. The Church is excluded from the judgments pronounced against a Christ-rejecting world, and the Church plays no role in the national redemption of Israel.
Since the Church Age is characterized by the promise that, "He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever" (John 14:6) while, during the time of Jacob's Trouble, the Holy Spirit's role is limited to 'sealing' the 144,000 Jewish evangelists of Revelation 7:3-8, the Church's presence on earth during the Tribulation has no place in the plan of God.
Since, by definition, Church Age believers are NOT Christ-rejecting and are NOT part of God's plan for the national redemption of Israel, the only role the Church could play during the Tribulation would be to face the judgments of God, bereft of the indwelling Holy Spirit, comfortless, and with no earthly destiny or purpose apart from becoming the antichrist's cannon fodder.
Consider it this way. For the last two thousand years, Church Age believers have enjoyed fellowship with God, thanks to the imputed righteousness of Christ and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus promised He would not leave us comfortless, and that the Holy Spirit will abide with us forever.
But, in the final hours of human history, when man's corruption has reached its peak and God pours out His judgment against them for their unrepentant sin, ("Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts," - Revelation 9:21), some would argue that those living in those days will be stripped of their indwelling Spirit, God breaks fellowship with them, leaving them to face the worst period of spiritual trial in the history of creation alone.
For that to be true, of all the generations of believers from the Apostle Paul until the revelation of 'that Wicked' -- the believers of the last days are the only ones to whom the promise, "I will not leave you comfortless" is meaningless.
The new spiritual creation must then, by definition, revert back to its old form of either Jew or Gentile, and share in the judgments being poured out upon them. The new creature, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and spiritually empowered to resist the devil, with the promise that 'he will flee from you' -- will find that is no longer true. How else could they be 'overcome' by him as Revelation 13:7 says the Tribulation saints will be?
It is not POSSIBLE for Church Age believers to play a role in the Tribulation, other than as recipients of God's justice for sin, although believers, by definition, have already been judged and found righteous at the Cross.
Consider the Promises of Jesus, given the Church, in the context of the Tribulation Period.
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:26-27)
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . " unless you are among those believers of the last generation. If the destiny of the Church is to partake in God's judgment against the world, then my heart should be troubled indeed, and I should be very, very afraid.
His peace was for all the generations that went before. But not for mine?
The Scriptures say otherwise.
Angels are the first of the created, rational beings.
"Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts. . . Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created." (Psalms 148:2,5)
The Bible teaches that their home is in heaven (Matthew 24:L36), their activity is both on earth and in heaven (Psalms 103:20, Luke 15:10, Hebrews 1:14) and their destiny is the Eternal City of Revelation 21:12.
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. . ." (Hebrews 12:22)
Angels are unique creations of God, not to be confused with any other of God's created beings. Even though some fall, as was the case with Satan, the fallen angels remain angels throughout their existence. Their numbers are constant; they neither propagate nor die.
The second class of created beings are the Gentiles. The Gentiles trace their origin to Adam. They are partakers in the fall of man, but Scripture says that some of them will share, as a subordinate people, with Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. (Isaiah 2:4, 60:3,5,12, 62:2, and Acts 15:17)
As to their estate, from Adam until Christ, the Gentiles "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12).
Since the Resurrection, the door of Gospel privilege has been opened to the Gentiles, and out of both Gentiles and Jews of this age, God is calling an elect company.
"Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." (Acts 11:17-18)
The period of time bounded by the Babylonian captivity through to the end of the Church Age is called by Scripture "the times of the Gentiles." (Luke 21:24)
The third class of created beings are the Jews. By the calling of Abraham, and all that God accomplished through him, a new race of beings was begun that, under unalterable Divine covenant and promise, continues forever.
So different is this race of created beings that some five-sixths of Scripture bears directly or indirectly on the Jews. The destiny of the Jews is traceable through the Millennial Kingdom and into the new heaven and earth which follows.
In this present Church Age, all Divine progress in the national and earthly program for Israel is on hold; individual Jews have the same privilege as the individual Gentiles of personal faith in Christ as Savior. But Scripture is clear that, when the present age concludes, God will again turn His attention to the national redemption of Israel.
The fourth class of created beings are the Christians. Christians are those called out of both Jew and Gentile, and are formed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him." (Romans 10:12)
Christians are neither Gentile nor Jew, but a new spiritual creation in Christ.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Galatians 6:15)
The Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20), having been raised WITH Christ (Colossians 3:1-3) and are so different than any other created rational being that, of the Christian, Jesus says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 15:19, 17:14,16)
Note carefully that the spiritual rebirth and heavenly position [in Christ] are by faith alone. By definition, human operation is excluded. The only responsibility imposed on the human side of the equation is trusting in the only One Who can save.
The Scriptures which direct a Christian in his walk with the Lord are adapted to the fact that the Christian is no longer striving to secure a standing before God, but is already 'accepted in the beloved'.
"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)
Christians, by their existence, have already attained every spiritual blessing; "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ . ." (Ephesians 1:3)
Obviously, no human effort can bring a person to fulfill God's standard of sinless perfection. God, anticipating the believer's inability to walk worthy of his high calling, freely bestows His empowering Spirit to indwell each believer.
Scripture also promises that when their elect number is complete, as unique citizens of heaven, they will be removed from the earth at the Rapture. The bodies of believers who have died will be raised and living saints will be translated. (1st Corinthians 15:20-57, 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18)
At the Bema Seat in glory, believers will be judged as to their rewards for service. (1st Corinthians 3:9-15, 9:18-27, 2nd Corinthians 5:10,11), the Body of Christ will be wed to the Bridegroom, (Revelation 19:7-9) and return WITH Him to share as His consort during the Millennial Reign.
This new creation, like angels, Gentiles and Jews, can be traced into eternity future, but they are unique from the rest. They possess no land, no house, no earthly capital or city, no earthly kingdom and no earthly king.
Scripture promises that the Jews will inherit the earth. The Gentiles will inhabit it with them as a subordinate people. But the Church does not share in that inheritance.
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)
The Jews and Gentiles inherit the earth. Church Age believers inherit the universe!
The Age of Grace concludes at the Rapture. The Tribulation Period is the final seven years of the Age of Law, under which God will judge a Christ-rejecting world. During this period, some Gentiles will become believers, but, unlike during this present age, they are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Whose earthly ministry concludes at the Rapture.
During the Church Age, believers are promised to 'resist the devil and he will flee from you,' because 'greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. (James 4:7, 1st John 4:4)
But during the Tribulation, "it was given unto him [antichrist] to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." (Revelation 13:7) Those who enter the beast's worship system, believers or not, and accept his mark are forever lost.
As you can see from the revealed Word, there is no place for the Church during Daniel's 70th week. The Church is excluded from the judgments pronounced against a Christ-rejecting world, and the Church plays no role in the national redemption of Israel.
Since the Church Age is characterized by the promise that, "He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever" (John 14:6) while, during the time of Jacob's Trouble, the Holy Spirit's role is limited to 'sealing' the 144,000 Jewish evangelists of Revelation 7:3-8, the Church's presence on earth during the Tribulation has no place in the plan of God.
Since, by definition, Church Age believers are NOT Christ-rejecting and are NOT part of God's plan for the national redemption of Israel, the only role the Church could play during the Tribulation would be to face the judgments of God, bereft of the indwelling Holy Spirit, comfortless, and with no earthly destiny or purpose apart from becoming the antichrist's cannon fodder.
Consider it this way. For the last two thousand years, Church Age believers have enjoyed fellowship with God, thanks to the imputed righteousness of Christ and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus promised He would not leave us comfortless, and that the Holy Spirit will abide with us forever.
But, in the final hours of human history, when man's corruption has reached its peak and God pours out His judgment against them for their unrepentant sin, ("Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts," - Revelation 9:21), some would argue that those living in those days will be stripped of their indwelling Spirit, God breaks fellowship with them, leaving them to face the worst period of spiritual trial in the history of creation alone.
For that to be true, of all the generations of believers from the Apostle Paul until the revelation of 'that Wicked' -- the believers of the last days are the only ones to whom the promise, "I will not leave you comfortless" is meaningless.
The new spiritual creation must then, by definition, revert back to its old form of either Jew or Gentile, and share in the judgments being poured out upon them. The new creature, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and spiritually empowered to resist the devil, with the promise that 'he will flee from you' -- will find that is no longer true. How else could they be 'overcome' by him as Revelation 13:7 says the Tribulation saints will be?
It is not POSSIBLE for Church Age believers to play a role in the Tribulation, other than as recipients of God's justice for sin, although believers, by definition, have already been judged and found righteous at the Cross.
Consider the Promises of Jesus, given the Church, in the context of the Tribulation Period.
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:26-27)
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . " unless you are among those believers of the last generation. If the destiny of the Church is to partake in God's judgment against the world, then my heart should be troubled indeed, and I should be very, very afraid.
His peace was for all the generations that went before. But not for mine?
The Scriptures say otherwise.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
The 'Great Escape' Misunderstanding
One of the principle misunderstandings concerning the Rapture revolves around its purpose. Critics of a pre-Tribulation Rapture deride it as some pie-in-the-sky 'Great Escape' for Christians living in the last days.
There is no such promise of 'escape' from tribulation, they argue, and (correctly) point out the Bible's promise that 'in this world ye shall have tribulation' so the pretribulational hope of a 'Great Escape' is not only delusional, it is unscriptural.
The fact is, if the pretribulational hope WAS for a 'Great Escape' from tribulation, they would be correct. There is NO promise that the Church will escape tribulation, but there is an iron-clad promise that the Church will not go through the seven years of tribulation described by Jeremiah as the 'Time of Jacob's Trouble' or outlined by Daniel as Israel's '70th Week.'
There are several reasons for a pretribulational Rapture, not the least of which is the purpose of the Tribulation in God's unfolding Plan for the ages.
The purpose of the seven year Tribulation Period is two-fold. The first reason is to fulfill Daniel's prophecy of the 70 Weeks. The angel told Daniel that:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)
Note there are six elements to the fulfillment of this prophecy. First, to finish Israel’s sin – the rejection of the Messiah at the First Advent.
Then there is a skip forward in time to His Second Advent, at which time, an end will be made of sin, reconciliation will be made for Israel’s iniquity, everlasting righteousness will be introduced to Israel, Israel’s Scriptures will be vindicated by the fulfillment of all prophecy and finally, the return of Christ at the conclusion of the war of Armageddon, at which time He will be anointed and will take His seat at the Throne of David.
Between the First and Second Advents there is the Church Age, a 'mystery' unrevealed to the Hebrew prophets. That is why Daniel's outline of 490 years of Israeli history doesn't anticipate a gap between the 'cutting off of the Messiah' at the end of the sixty-nine weeks of years and the confirmation of the covenant by the antichrist at the onset of the 70th. (Daniel 9:27)
From Daniel's perspective, it is an unbroken narrative of what would befall 'his people' (the Jews) and 'his holy city' (Jerusalem), culminating with the 'anointing of the Most Holy' at the conclusion of the 70th week and the ushering in of Isaiah's Millennial Kingdom. There is no role set aside for the Church in prophecy during the 70th Week, since it is reserved for Israel's national redemption and their acceptance of the Messiah.
The Church has, by definition, already accepted the Messiah and was redeemed at the Cross.
The second purpose Scripture gives for the Tribulation Period is that it is a period of judgment against those who reject Christ and embrace the antichrist.
Since Christians who accept Christ were already judged at the Cross, there is no role set aside for the Church in the judgments pronounced because, "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:21)
Repentance is a necessary condition of salvation, it is that repentance that causes us to seek forgiveness at the Cross in the first place. Since believers in the Church Age became believers by repenting, there is no purpose for bringing the judgment of an unrepentant world on the Church.
The Rapture isn't a 'Great Escape', contrary to popular belief. The Rapture occurs when the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is removed with the Church to allow the onset of the 7 year period of unrestrained evil that occurs during the Tribulation. (2nd Thessalonians 2:7)
The Rapture is the Blessed Hope of the Church, but it's primary purpose is not so much a 'rescue mission' as it is a necessary function of the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit's ministry of restraining evil. Since we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, when the Restrainer is withdrawn, so are we, since we are His vessels.
Therefore, it is certain to conclude that the Church won't be here for the Tribulation itself, since withdrawing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit from the believing Church would leave them spiritually defenseless at a time of maximum need, something Jesus promised He would never do.
Jesus said we could trust Him that He would never forsake His Church, and His Church is defined as being composed of believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you FOREVER. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
But there is no reason to conclude the Church will be Raptured for the purpose of providing a 'Great Escape' for, as I said, the Rapture is necessary to withdrawal of the Restrainer, rather than a rescue mission to the Church.
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18)
Christians have suffered in every generation, and continue to suffer persecution and death for their faith today in places like Vietnam, China, Sudan and most of the Islamic world.
There is no promise to the Church of the last days for a 'rescue' but rather, the Rapture is the fulfilment of an EXISTING Promise Jesus made that the Holy Spirit would Personally indwell believers and guide us in all truth 'forever'.
"In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2-3)
For believers, our finite understanding of 'forever' begins with Pentecost and continues to the Rapture, at which point 'forever' takes on its eternal meaning for all believers covered under the Covenant between Jesus and the Church.
"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
By Jack Kinsella of OmegaLetter.com
There is no such promise of 'escape' from tribulation, they argue, and (correctly) point out the Bible's promise that 'in this world ye shall have tribulation' so the pretribulational hope of a 'Great Escape' is not only delusional, it is unscriptural.
The fact is, if the pretribulational hope WAS for a 'Great Escape' from tribulation, they would be correct. There is NO promise that the Church will escape tribulation, but there is an iron-clad promise that the Church will not go through the seven years of tribulation described by Jeremiah as the 'Time of Jacob's Trouble' or outlined by Daniel as Israel's '70th Week.'
There are several reasons for a pretribulational Rapture, not the least of which is the purpose of the Tribulation in God's unfolding Plan for the ages.
The purpose of the seven year Tribulation Period is two-fold. The first reason is to fulfill Daniel's prophecy of the 70 Weeks. The angel told Daniel that:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)
Note there are six elements to the fulfillment of this prophecy. First, to finish Israel’s sin – the rejection of the Messiah at the First Advent.
Then there is a skip forward in time to His Second Advent, at which time, an end will be made of sin, reconciliation will be made for Israel’s iniquity, everlasting righteousness will be introduced to Israel, Israel’s Scriptures will be vindicated by the fulfillment of all prophecy and finally, the return of Christ at the conclusion of the war of Armageddon, at which time He will be anointed and will take His seat at the Throne of David.
Between the First and Second Advents there is the Church Age, a 'mystery' unrevealed to the Hebrew prophets. That is why Daniel's outline of 490 years of Israeli history doesn't anticipate a gap between the 'cutting off of the Messiah' at the end of the sixty-nine weeks of years and the confirmation of the covenant by the antichrist at the onset of the 70th. (Daniel 9:27)
From Daniel's perspective, it is an unbroken narrative of what would befall 'his people' (the Jews) and 'his holy city' (Jerusalem), culminating with the 'anointing of the Most Holy' at the conclusion of the 70th week and the ushering in of Isaiah's Millennial Kingdom. There is no role set aside for the Church in prophecy during the 70th Week, since it is reserved for Israel's national redemption and their acceptance of the Messiah.
The Church has, by definition, already accepted the Messiah and was redeemed at the Cross.
The second purpose Scripture gives for the Tribulation Period is that it is a period of judgment against those who reject Christ and embrace the antichrist.
Since Christians who accept Christ were already judged at the Cross, there is no role set aside for the Church in the judgments pronounced because, "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:21)
Repentance is a necessary condition of salvation, it is that repentance that causes us to seek forgiveness at the Cross in the first place. Since believers in the Church Age became believers by repenting, there is no purpose for bringing the judgment of an unrepentant world on the Church.
The Rapture isn't a 'Great Escape', contrary to popular belief. The Rapture occurs when the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is removed with the Church to allow the onset of the 7 year period of unrestrained evil that occurs during the Tribulation. (2nd Thessalonians 2:7)
The Rapture is the Blessed Hope of the Church, but it's primary purpose is not so much a 'rescue mission' as it is a necessary function of the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit's ministry of restraining evil. Since we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, when the Restrainer is withdrawn, so are we, since we are His vessels.
Therefore, it is certain to conclude that the Church won't be here for the Tribulation itself, since withdrawing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit from the believing Church would leave them spiritually defenseless at a time of maximum need, something Jesus promised He would never do.
Jesus said we could trust Him that He would never forsake His Church, and His Church is defined as being composed of believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you FOREVER. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
But there is no reason to conclude the Church will be Raptured for the purpose of providing a 'Great Escape' for, as I said, the Rapture is necessary to withdrawal of the Restrainer, rather than a rescue mission to the Church.
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18)
Christians have suffered in every generation, and continue to suffer persecution and death for their faith today in places like Vietnam, China, Sudan and most of the Islamic world.
There is no promise to the Church of the last days for a 'rescue' but rather, the Rapture is the fulfilment of an EXISTING Promise Jesus made that the Holy Spirit would Personally indwell believers and guide us in all truth 'forever'.
"In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2-3)
For believers, our finite understanding of 'forever' begins with Pentecost and continues to the Rapture, at which point 'forever' takes on its eternal meaning for all believers covered under the Covenant between Jesus and the Church.
"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
By Jack Kinsella of OmegaLetter.com
Monday, July 17, 2006
The Time Of Jacob's Trouble
The Beginning Of The Tribulation
The Antichrist in the 70th Week. The 70th week will begin when someone with authority will make a binding commitment with a group of people called "the many." After 3 1/2 years he will break his agreement. This will be accompanied by some kind of sacrilege. But in the end, the person who breaks the treaty and engages in this abomination will meet his doom.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate (Dan. 9:27).
It seems obvious that this 70th week does not immediately follow the 69th week. The time period of 7 weeks plus 62 weeks extends from the decree to restore Jerusalem to "Messiah the Prince" (v.25). It is after this time period of 49 years plus 434 years that the Messiah is "cut off," and the city and sanctuary are destroyed. No time spans are given for these events, which are both well-attested historically. Moreover, to view verse 27 as taking us back to the Messiah who was "cut off" doesn't work out very well. Jesus did not make a covenant. And He wasn't the kind of man who would make a 7-year covenant and then break it.
Since the events described in verse 27 cannot be tied in with the time of Christ's crucifixion, the destruction of Jerusalem, or anything that happened in the first century, the text must look to the future.
The man who "shall confirm a covenant with many for one week" is undoubtedly the ruler introduced to us in verse 26 as "the prince who is to come." As noted earlier, he is the "little horn" of Daniel 7. He will head a western confederacy of nations, the revived Roman Empire in its "ten toes" phase of Daniel 2:40-43, the "ten horned" phase of Daniel 7:24.
This same individual is referred to as the "man of sin" (2 Th. 2:3), the "Antichrist" (1 Jn. 2:18), and the "beast" (Rev. 13:1-10). He will apparently pose as a friend of Israel, giving the Jewish people a sense of security and allowing them to worship in their newly rebuilt temple. Revelation 13 opens with this man receiving the adulation of all mankind. He will have unified the Western world.
He will have brought order out of chaos. People will feel confidence in his goodness. It is then that he dares to drop all pretense and show himself to be Satan's henchman. He begins to blaspheme God and "make war with the saints and to overcome them" (vv.6-7). From this point on, he remains in power for 42 months before meeting his doom.
The final statement of Daniel 9:27 is difficult to translate, but the rendering in the NIV clarifies the meaning. He will "set up an abomination that causes desolation." Three New Testament passages throw some light on these words: Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 13.
Addressing Jewish people, Jesus said, "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, . . . then let those who are in Judea flee" (Mt. 24:15). It appears that the image of Antichrist will be placed in the temple and that people will be ordered to worship it. This is the abominable event that will trigger the desolation of the temple and the city of Jerusalem at the end of the age.
Paul, instructing Christian believers about the coming time of tribulation that will precede Christ's return to set up His kingdom, declared that during this period of trouble the "man of sin" will be revealed, describing him as one "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Th. 2:3-4).
Revelation 13 tells us that he will start a war against the saints and blaspheme God. Then his partner, the False Prophet, will make an image of the Beast (Antichrist) and demand that people worship it or die. Jesus and Paul both indicated that this outrageous blasphemy will take place in the restored Jewish temple. The devil himself as the Anti-father (the dragon of Rev. 13:4), the Antichrist (the Beast), and the Anti-spirit (the False Prophet) are the infernal trinity. They will attempt to make the restored Jewish temple their religious headquarters, the place where they will be worshipped.
The last words of Daniel 9:27, "until the end that is decreed is poured out on him" (NIV), indicate Antichrist's doom. Other Scriptures clearly declare that he will be totally and disgracefully defeated. His final series of battles and his destruction are portrayed in Daniel 11:40-45. This passage closes with the words, "Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him."
Israel's Conversion In The 70th Week. Daniel 9 closes, as noted above, with a summary statement about the shocking sacrilege and predetermined doom of the future world ruler the Bible calls the Beast, the man of sin, and the Antichrist. His defeat is further described in Daniel 11:40-45. But that's not the end of the story. Daniel 12:1-3 gives a summary of what will happen to the Israelites as a nation:
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:1-3).
"At that time" refers to the interval between the rise of Antichrist and his destruction. During this time of great tribulation--tribulation for Israel predicted in Deuteronomy 4:30, Jeremiah 30:7, Matthew 24:21-22, and many other Bible passages--the archangel Michael will see to it that the Israelites are not annihilated. Multitudes of Jewish people will repent and believe in their Messiah. Zechariah 12 graphically depicts God's supernatural deliverance of the surviving Israelites at the close of this terrible time. He then describes the repentant nation as Messiah returns to establish His kingdom:
I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn (Zech. 12:10).
The Jewish people who still refuse to believe will be removed in judgment (Ezek. 20:33-38). Therefore, all the Israelites who go into the full blessings of the kingdom age will be true believers, people whose names appear in the book of life. All the promises in Daniel 9:24 will be realized. The prophet Isaiah portrays what will then occur:
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isa. 2:2-4).
And what about the Israelites whose bodies have turned to dust? They will not be forgotten! The Christian scholar Tregelles, following earlier Jewish commentators, translated verse 2, "And many from the sleepers of the dust of the earth shall awake, these shall be to everlasting life; but those of the rest of the sleepers, those who do not awake at this time, shall be unto shame and everlasting contempt." The coming of God's Messiah will be a tremendous event for all the believing Israelites of all the ages!
I personally believe that WE are we at a crisis point in human history? I am not alone in that thinking. Many conservative Jews and Christians believe we are. They see as highly significant the fact that Israel often occupies center stage in newscasts and is signing treaties with her Arab neighbors. They insist that we are inevitably moving toward such internationalization that mankind is ripe for a world dictator who could easily be the Antichrist.
On the other hand, some Christians believe we are on the verge of a worldwide spiritual revival. People are becoming alarmed at world conditions. Reports of spiritual awakenings in India, Africa, and countries in Central and South America support this optimistic outlook.
I believe the next event in God's prophetic program is described by the apostle Paul:
The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Th. 4:16-17).
The Scriptures indicate that this "catching up," or rapture, of those who are "in Christ" must take place before Antichrist reveals his true identity.
Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians in part because some of them thought they had entered the great tribulation of the end-times. Paul assured them that they were wrong and said it would not begin until after the man of sin had been revealed (2 Th. 2:1-3). He went on to explain:
Now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way (2 Th. 2:6-7).
It's important that we see the Holy Spirit and the church together as the restrainer mentioned in this text. The third person masculine pronoun suggests the Holy Spirit. As God, He is always present everywhere. He cannot be "taken out of the way." But He can leave the earth as the restrainer when the Lord catches up His church to be with Himself. His departure in this sense will open the door for Antichrist to make his move.
This identification of the restrainer fits the context of 2 Thessalonians 2 better than any other suggested interpretation. Good reasons can be given for rejecting the idea that the restrainer who will be removed is the devil, an angel, or civil government. This passage of Scripture gives us solid reasons for believing that the return of Christ for His church could occur at any moment.
Believers therefore must live in healthy tension. On the one hand, we are looking for His any-moment coming for us. On the other hand, because we do not know exactly where we are in God's end-time program, we pray and work to spread the good news about Jesus Christ. The fact that the nation of Israel is making treaties reminds us of Bible passages about the end-times. It heightens our sense of anticipation. The news about multitudes turning to Christ throughout the world moves us to pray and give and work.
For nonbelievers, the fact that Christ could return at any moment has ominous overtones. The Bible has a solemn warning to those who have heard the gospel and have not believed. Paul declared that when the Antichrist is revealed, it may be too late for a change of mind:
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Th. 2:9-12).
Now is the time to make the decision to trust Jesus as Messiah. Tomorrow may be too late.
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).
Senior Research Editor - Herb Vander Lugt - RBC Ministries
The Antichrist in the 70th Week. The 70th week will begin when someone with authority will make a binding commitment with a group of people called "the many." After 3 1/2 years he will break his agreement. This will be accompanied by some kind of sacrilege. But in the end, the person who breaks the treaty and engages in this abomination will meet his doom.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate (Dan. 9:27).
It seems obvious that this 70th week does not immediately follow the 69th week. The time period of 7 weeks plus 62 weeks extends from the decree to restore Jerusalem to "Messiah the Prince" (v.25). It is after this time period of 49 years plus 434 years that the Messiah is "cut off," and the city and sanctuary are destroyed. No time spans are given for these events, which are both well-attested historically. Moreover, to view verse 27 as taking us back to the Messiah who was "cut off" doesn't work out very well. Jesus did not make a covenant. And He wasn't the kind of man who would make a 7-year covenant and then break it.
Since the events described in verse 27 cannot be tied in with the time of Christ's crucifixion, the destruction of Jerusalem, or anything that happened in the first century, the text must look to the future.
The man who "shall confirm a covenant with many for one week" is undoubtedly the ruler introduced to us in verse 26 as "the prince who is to come." As noted earlier, he is the "little horn" of Daniel 7. He will head a western confederacy of nations, the revived Roman Empire in its "ten toes" phase of Daniel 2:40-43, the "ten horned" phase of Daniel 7:24.
This same individual is referred to as the "man of sin" (2 Th. 2:3), the "Antichrist" (1 Jn. 2:18), and the "beast" (Rev. 13:1-10). He will apparently pose as a friend of Israel, giving the Jewish people a sense of security and allowing them to worship in their newly rebuilt temple. Revelation 13 opens with this man receiving the adulation of all mankind. He will have unified the Western world.
He will have brought order out of chaos. People will feel confidence in his goodness. It is then that he dares to drop all pretense and show himself to be Satan's henchman. He begins to blaspheme God and "make war with the saints and to overcome them" (vv.6-7). From this point on, he remains in power for 42 months before meeting his doom.
The final statement of Daniel 9:27 is difficult to translate, but the rendering in the NIV clarifies the meaning. He will "set up an abomination that causes desolation." Three New Testament passages throw some light on these words: Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 13.
Addressing Jewish people, Jesus said, "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, . . . then let those who are in Judea flee" (Mt. 24:15). It appears that the image of Antichrist will be placed in the temple and that people will be ordered to worship it. This is the abominable event that will trigger the desolation of the temple and the city of Jerusalem at the end of the age.
Paul, instructing Christian believers about the coming time of tribulation that will precede Christ's return to set up His kingdom, declared that during this period of trouble the "man of sin" will be revealed, describing him as one "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Th. 2:3-4).
Revelation 13 tells us that he will start a war against the saints and blaspheme God. Then his partner, the False Prophet, will make an image of the Beast (Antichrist) and demand that people worship it or die. Jesus and Paul both indicated that this outrageous blasphemy will take place in the restored Jewish temple. The devil himself as the Anti-father (the dragon of Rev. 13:4), the Antichrist (the Beast), and the Anti-spirit (the False Prophet) are the infernal trinity. They will attempt to make the restored Jewish temple their religious headquarters, the place where they will be worshipped.
The last words of Daniel 9:27, "until the end that is decreed is poured out on him" (NIV), indicate Antichrist's doom. Other Scriptures clearly declare that he will be totally and disgracefully defeated. His final series of battles and his destruction are portrayed in Daniel 11:40-45. This passage closes with the words, "Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him."
Israel's Conversion In The 70th Week. Daniel 9 closes, as noted above, with a summary statement about the shocking sacrilege and predetermined doom of the future world ruler the Bible calls the Beast, the man of sin, and the Antichrist. His defeat is further described in Daniel 11:40-45. But that's not the end of the story. Daniel 12:1-3 gives a summary of what will happen to the Israelites as a nation:
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:1-3).
"At that time" refers to the interval between the rise of Antichrist and his destruction. During this time of great tribulation--tribulation for Israel predicted in Deuteronomy 4:30, Jeremiah 30:7, Matthew 24:21-22, and many other Bible passages--the archangel Michael will see to it that the Israelites are not annihilated. Multitudes of Jewish people will repent and believe in their Messiah. Zechariah 12 graphically depicts God's supernatural deliverance of the surviving Israelites at the close of this terrible time. He then describes the repentant nation as Messiah returns to establish His kingdom:
I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn (Zech. 12:10).
The Jewish people who still refuse to believe will be removed in judgment (Ezek. 20:33-38). Therefore, all the Israelites who go into the full blessings of the kingdom age will be true believers, people whose names appear in the book of life. All the promises in Daniel 9:24 will be realized. The prophet Isaiah portrays what will then occur:
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isa. 2:2-4).
And what about the Israelites whose bodies have turned to dust? They will not be forgotten! The Christian scholar Tregelles, following earlier Jewish commentators, translated verse 2, "And many from the sleepers of the dust of the earth shall awake, these shall be to everlasting life; but those of the rest of the sleepers, those who do not awake at this time, shall be unto shame and everlasting contempt." The coming of God's Messiah will be a tremendous event for all the believing Israelites of all the ages!
I personally believe that WE are we at a crisis point in human history? I am not alone in that thinking. Many conservative Jews and Christians believe we are. They see as highly significant the fact that Israel often occupies center stage in newscasts and is signing treaties with her Arab neighbors. They insist that we are inevitably moving toward such internationalization that mankind is ripe for a world dictator who could easily be the Antichrist.
On the other hand, some Christians believe we are on the verge of a worldwide spiritual revival. People are becoming alarmed at world conditions. Reports of spiritual awakenings in India, Africa, and countries in Central and South America support this optimistic outlook.
I believe the next event in God's prophetic program is described by the apostle Paul:
The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Th. 4:16-17).
The Scriptures indicate that this "catching up," or rapture, of those who are "in Christ" must take place before Antichrist reveals his true identity.
Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians in part because some of them thought they had entered the great tribulation of the end-times. Paul assured them that they were wrong and said it would not begin until after the man of sin had been revealed (2 Th. 2:1-3). He went on to explain:
Now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way (2 Th. 2:6-7).
It's important that we see the Holy Spirit and the church together as the restrainer mentioned in this text. The third person masculine pronoun suggests the Holy Spirit. As God, He is always present everywhere. He cannot be "taken out of the way." But He can leave the earth as the restrainer when the Lord catches up His church to be with Himself. His departure in this sense will open the door for Antichrist to make his move.
This identification of the restrainer fits the context of 2 Thessalonians 2 better than any other suggested interpretation. Good reasons can be given for rejecting the idea that the restrainer who will be removed is the devil, an angel, or civil government. This passage of Scripture gives us solid reasons for believing that the return of Christ for His church could occur at any moment.
Believers therefore must live in healthy tension. On the one hand, we are looking for His any-moment coming for us. On the other hand, because we do not know exactly where we are in God's end-time program, we pray and work to spread the good news about Jesus Christ. The fact that the nation of Israel is making treaties reminds us of Bible passages about the end-times. It heightens our sense of anticipation. The news about multitudes turning to Christ throughout the world moves us to pray and give and work.
For nonbelievers, the fact that Christ could return at any moment has ominous overtones. The Bible has a solemn warning to those who have heard the gospel and have not believed. Paul declared that when the Antichrist is revealed, it may be too late for a change of mind:
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Th. 2:9-12).
Now is the time to make the decision to trust Jesus as Messiah. Tomorrow may be too late.
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).
Senior Research Editor - Herb Vander Lugt - RBC Ministries
Sunday, July 16, 2006
The Coming King - Walter Martin
As far back as the Book of Genesis, when man first fell into sin, God had provided a Redeemer. Scripture says in Genesis 3 that the "seed of the woman" would crush the serpent's head.
Now, we know that the serpent symbolized Satan (see Rev. 12:9). And we know that the "seed of the woman" is a reference to the coming Messiah. This Messiah was to come through the royal line of David (2 Sam. 7:14-16). In direct fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus was indeed born of a woman (Gal. 4:4) from the line of David (Matt. 1:1; 2:1).
Now, the early Jewish theologians in the time of our Lord had a great deal of difficulty in understanding Jesus' messianic office. The reason for this is that they were schooled to believe that the Messiah would come in the clouds of heaven to crush the earthly governments under His feet and establish Israel as the ruling nation of the world. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus came, presenting Himself as the Savior and as the sacrifice for sin, they could not accept Him.
We must clearly understand that Christ's role in Scripture is twofold. He is both the suffering servant and He is the coming King. In Isaiah 53 we have recorded for us a prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ in His first advent:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa. 53:3-6).
Clearly, then, Christ came the first time to suffer humiliation -- despised and rejected among men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But Christ is coming a second time as King. He who bore the sorrows of the world and who cried out in agony on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," will one day come again in great glory and majesty.
In his great portrayal in the Book of Revelation, John the Apostle reminds us of this second aspect of the Lord Jesus Christ's coming in terms of great, glowing beauty:
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron sceptre." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:11-16).
The Scriptures point out -- in terms which few can fail to understand -- that time does have an end; that God will intervene in the world of men; that God has a destiny for those who are willing to trust and believe in Him; and that the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of humanity will judge the world and sift the sons of men.
For believers there is a glorious destiny ahead. Scripture portrays it this way: "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it" (Rev. 21:22-24).
Oh what a wonderful testimony this is to the sovereignty of the God of all creation, who alone can say, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Rev. 21:6-7).
Let us with confidence exult in what God will do for believers in the eternal state: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true'" (Rev. 21:4-5).
Let us with great confidence "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
Let us place our faith and our trust in Him, who alone could say: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
And let us peer through the darkness of the future in the searchlight of God's Word, knowing certainly that "one day, one golden daybreak, Jesus will come; One golden daybreak, battles all won. He will shout the victory, He will break through the blue; One golden daybreak, for me and for you."
A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.
Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute
Now, we know that the serpent symbolized Satan (see Rev. 12:9). And we know that the "seed of the woman" is a reference to the coming Messiah. This Messiah was to come through the royal line of David (2 Sam. 7:14-16). In direct fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus was indeed born of a woman (Gal. 4:4) from the line of David (Matt. 1:1; 2:1).
Now, the early Jewish theologians in the time of our Lord had a great deal of difficulty in understanding Jesus' messianic office. The reason for this is that they were schooled to believe that the Messiah would come in the clouds of heaven to crush the earthly governments under His feet and establish Israel as the ruling nation of the world. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus came, presenting Himself as the Savior and as the sacrifice for sin, they could not accept Him.
We must clearly understand that Christ's role in Scripture is twofold. He is both the suffering servant and He is the coming King. In Isaiah 53 we have recorded for us a prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ in His first advent:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa. 53:3-6).
Clearly, then, Christ came the first time to suffer humiliation -- despised and rejected among men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But Christ is coming a second time as King. He who bore the sorrows of the world and who cried out in agony on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," will one day come again in great glory and majesty.
In his great portrayal in the Book of Revelation, John the Apostle reminds us of this second aspect of the Lord Jesus Christ's coming in terms of great, glowing beauty:
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron sceptre." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:11-16).
The Scriptures point out -- in terms which few can fail to understand -- that time does have an end; that God will intervene in the world of men; that God has a destiny for those who are willing to trust and believe in Him; and that the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of humanity will judge the world and sift the sons of men.
For believers there is a glorious destiny ahead. Scripture portrays it this way: "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it" (Rev. 21:22-24).
Oh what a wonderful testimony this is to the sovereignty of the God of all creation, who alone can say, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Rev. 21:6-7).
Let us with confidence exult in what God will do for believers in the eternal state: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true'" (Rev. 21:4-5).
Let us with great confidence "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
Let us place our faith and our trust in Him, who alone could say: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
And let us peer through the darkness of the future in the searchlight of God's Word, knowing certainly that "one day, one golden daybreak, Jesus will come; One golden daybreak, battles all won. He will shout the victory, He will break through the blue; One golden daybreak, for me and for you."
A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.
Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Inside Iran: Signs Of The Apocalypse
Whether it is his belief that Israel should be wiped off the map, denials of the Holocaust, obsession with going nuclear, or support for radical Islamic terrorist groups, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a man on a divine mission.
To understand him and that mission, you have to travel to a small dusty village called Jamkaran that is tucked into a corner of Iran's holy city of Qom.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, CBN News made that journey, heading south from Iran's capital of Tehran. Some 95 miles and a couple of wrong turns later, we arrived at the Jamkaran mosque on the outskirts of Qom.
Behind the Jamkaran mosque, there is a well. And according to many Shiite Muslims, out of this well will one day emerge their version of an Islamic savior.
They call him the Mahdi, or the 12th Imam. Ron Cantrell has written a book about him.
"The Mahdi is a personage that is expected to come on the scene, by Islam, as a messiah figure. He is slotted to come at the end of time, according to their writings -- very much like how we think of the return of Jesus," said Cantrell.
Cantrell said the Mahdi, a descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, vanished in the middle of the 9th century. No one knows what he really looks like.
"The 12th Imam disappeared around the age of 9," said Cantrell, "with a promise that he would return and bring Islam to its total fruition, as the world's last standing religion."
Enter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since becoming the president of Iran in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has emerged as the Mahdi's most influential follower.
"He has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this Islamic messiah," Cantrell explained.
In almost all his speeches, the president begs Allah to hasten the return of the Mahdi.
During one speech, he is talking to soldiers at a military parade in Tehran, which was also attended by CBN News.
"Oh, Allah, please facilitate Imam Mahdi's early return and make us one of his supporters," said Ahmadinejad.
He said something similar last September, just before ending a speech at the United Nations in New York.
"Oh mighty lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace," Ahmadinejad prayed.
A few days later in Iran, Ahmadinejad told a group of religious leaders that, during his UN speech, he felt a bright light around him.
His reactions were captured on video and later posted on a
conservative Iranian Web site.
"I felt it myself. I felt that the atmosphere suddenly changed, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, all the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn't move an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating. They were looking as if a hand was holding them there, and had just opened their eyes to the message of the Islamic Republic," Ahmadinejad recalled.
Ahmadinejad is reportedly tied to a radical Islamic society in Iran that believes man can hasten the appearance of the Mahdi by creating chaos in the world.
Ahmadinejad has stated that this chaos must take place before the Mahdi can come on the scene.
Some wonder if Ahmadinejad believes these are the end times. And, whether his calls for the destruction of Israel and nuclear pursuits are ways to accelerate the divine timetable.
"With him, it is a win-win situation," Cantrell said. "If we attack him, he wins because chaos happens. If we don't attack him, he gets to create the chaos, which he has said he is willing to do."
In Shiite Muslim belief, the Madhi's second coming will be marked by apocalyptic times. Wars, famines, and floods will ravage the Earth --followed by Judgment Day and a battle between good and evil.
On this Tuesday, as the sun dips behind the mountains that surround Jamkaran, the faithful -- many of whom voted for Ahmadinejad -- arrive by the thousands from across Iran to pray for the Mahdi's return.
Ezatallah Alimoradi, a follower of the Mahdi, said, "I feel so
refreshed in my spirit when I come here to Jamkaran."
"This day belongs to the Mahdi," said another follower, Akram Alsadat Emmami, "and I've come to share my heart with him."
The night begins with a visit to the sacred well. CBN News was given a rare opportunity to film people praying there. The opening of the well is covered by a green-like metal box to prevent people from jumping in.
Most of the time here is spent praying and kissing the metal box. Others scribble prayer requests to the Mahdi on pieces of paper that are then dropped into the well.
One man asks the Mahdi to forgive his sins. "If you ask in the right way, your prayers will be answered," he explained.
Another seeks healing for family members. "I don't come here just to pray for myself," he said. "I also ask the Mahdi to take care of my family and their needs."
Many, like one young boy with a flashlight, believe the Mahdi is actually hiding at the bottom of the well, reading those prayer requests.
"I was looking into the well with my flashlight," the boy said,
"hoping to see the Mahdi -- but not tonight."
Shia tradition teaches that if you come to Jamkaran 40 weeks in a row, you will "see" the Mahdi.
A woman said, "I have not had the privilege to see him yet, but I've had many dreams about him. In one of my dreams, I saw a big bright light in the sky and this figure standing over me."
The next few hours are spent praying inside the Jamkaran mosque. At the Jamkaran mosque, I've been told that, as a non-Muslim, I am not allowed to go inside. The truth is, though, every day tens of thousands of men and women come through the mosque to say their prayers -- and also to pray that one day soon the Mahdi would return.
Nadal, a follower of the Mahdi, said, "And because we believe that he is going to come back soon, we can believe in heaven and hell and we can believe in the life after death."
Ahmadinejad's government reportedly gave $20 million to help renovate the Jamkaran mosque. There are rumors that he is planning to build a railway line connecting Tehran and Jamkaran, to ferry the faithful.
And apparently, Ahmadinejad has also drawn up plans for the road that the Mahdi will take when he returns.
Cantrell said, "...that will actually serve as the red carpet rolled out in Iran for the Mahdi to appear."
And if all this wasn't mystical enough, there is also the belief that when the Mahdi comes back, he will be accompanied by Jesus Christ, who is referred to as the prophet Isa.
"The Mahdi will take Jesus to Mecca," Cantrell explained. "They will circumambulate the Kabah together. The Mahdi will teach Jesus to pray, at which time Jesus will then replace the Gospel with the Koran, and then all of us -- as Christians -- wherever you are on the face of the Earth, will convert to Islam because Islam will be deemed the one lasting pure religion."
As the West drifts closer to a potential showdown over Iran's nuclear program, followers of the Mahdi are getting ready for Judgment Day.
And many of them are convinced that President Ahmadinjead, who is considered by some as Allah's shadow on Earth, will fulfill his divine mission to prepare the world for the coming of the Islamic savior.
By CBN News
To understand him and that mission, you have to travel to a small dusty village called Jamkaran that is tucked into a corner of Iran's holy city of Qom.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, CBN News made that journey, heading south from Iran's capital of Tehran. Some 95 miles and a couple of wrong turns later, we arrived at the Jamkaran mosque on the outskirts of Qom.
Behind the Jamkaran mosque, there is a well. And according to many Shiite Muslims, out of this well will one day emerge their version of an Islamic savior.
They call him the Mahdi, or the 12th Imam. Ron Cantrell has written a book about him.
"The Mahdi is a personage that is expected to come on the scene, by Islam, as a messiah figure. He is slotted to come at the end of time, according to their writings -- very much like how we think of the return of Jesus," said Cantrell.
Cantrell said the Mahdi, a descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, vanished in the middle of the 9th century. No one knows what he really looks like.
"The 12th Imam disappeared around the age of 9," said Cantrell, "with a promise that he would return and bring Islam to its total fruition, as the world's last standing religion."
Enter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since becoming the president of Iran in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has emerged as the Mahdi's most influential follower.
"He has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this Islamic messiah," Cantrell explained.
In almost all his speeches, the president begs Allah to hasten the return of the Mahdi.
During one speech, he is talking to soldiers at a military parade in Tehran, which was also attended by CBN News.
"Oh, Allah, please facilitate Imam Mahdi's early return and make us one of his supporters," said Ahmadinejad.
He said something similar last September, just before ending a speech at the United Nations in New York.
"Oh mighty lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace," Ahmadinejad prayed.
A few days later in Iran, Ahmadinejad told a group of religious leaders that, during his UN speech, he felt a bright light around him.
His reactions were captured on video and later posted on a
conservative Iranian Web site.
"I felt it myself. I felt that the atmosphere suddenly changed, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, all the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn't move an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating. They were looking as if a hand was holding them there, and had just opened their eyes to the message of the Islamic Republic," Ahmadinejad recalled.
Ahmadinejad is reportedly tied to a radical Islamic society in Iran that believes man can hasten the appearance of the Mahdi by creating chaos in the world.
Ahmadinejad has stated that this chaos must take place before the Mahdi can come on the scene.
Some wonder if Ahmadinejad believes these are the end times. And, whether his calls for the destruction of Israel and nuclear pursuits are ways to accelerate the divine timetable.
"With him, it is a win-win situation," Cantrell said. "If we attack him, he wins because chaos happens. If we don't attack him, he gets to create the chaos, which he has said he is willing to do."
In Shiite Muslim belief, the Madhi's second coming will be marked by apocalyptic times. Wars, famines, and floods will ravage the Earth --followed by Judgment Day and a battle between good and evil.
On this Tuesday, as the sun dips behind the mountains that surround Jamkaran, the faithful -- many of whom voted for Ahmadinejad -- arrive by the thousands from across Iran to pray for the Mahdi's return.
Ezatallah Alimoradi, a follower of the Mahdi, said, "I feel so
refreshed in my spirit when I come here to Jamkaran."
"This day belongs to the Mahdi," said another follower, Akram Alsadat Emmami, "and I've come to share my heart with him."
The night begins with a visit to the sacred well. CBN News was given a rare opportunity to film people praying there. The opening of the well is covered by a green-like metal box to prevent people from jumping in.
Most of the time here is spent praying and kissing the metal box. Others scribble prayer requests to the Mahdi on pieces of paper that are then dropped into the well.
One man asks the Mahdi to forgive his sins. "If you ask in the right way, your prayers will be answered," he explained.
Another seeks healing for family members. "I don't come here just to pray for myself," he said. "I also ask the Mahdi to take care of my family and their needs."
Many, like one young boy with a flashlight, believe the Mahdi is actually hiding at the bottom of the well, reading those prayer requests.
"I was looking into the well with my flashlight," the boy said,
"hoping to see the Mahdi -- but not tonight."
Shia tradition teaches that if you come to Jamkaran 40 weeks in a row, you will "see" the Mahdi.
A woman said, "I have not had the privilege to see him yet, but I've had many dreams about him. In one of my dreams, I saw a big bright light in the sky and this figure standing over me."
The next few hours are spent praying inside the Jamkaran mosque. At the Jamkaran mosque, I've been told that, as a non-Muslim, I am not allowed to go inside. The truth is, though, every day tens of thousands of men and women come through the mosque to say their prayers -- and also to pray that one day soon the Mahdi would return.
Nadal, a follower of the Mahdi, said, "And because we believe that he is going to come back soon, we can believe in heaven and hell and we can believe in the life after death."
Ahmadinejad's government reportedly gave $20 million to help renovate the Jamkaran mosque. There are rumors that he is planning to build a railway line connecting Tehran and Jamkaran, to ferry the faithful.
And apparently, Ahmadinejad has also drawn up plans for the road that the Mahdi will take when he returns.
Cantrell said, "...that will actually serve as the red carpet rolled out in Iran for the Mahdi to appear."
And if all this wasn't mystical enough, there is also the belief that when the Mahdi comes back, he will be accompanied by Jesus Christ, who is referred to as the prophet Isa.
"The Mahdi will take Jesus to Mecca," Cantrell explained. "They will circumambulate the Kabah together. The Mahdi will teach Jesus to pray, at which time Jesus will then replace the Gospel with the Koran, and then all of us -- as Christians -- wherever you are on the face of the Earth, will convert to Islam because Islam will be deemed the one lasting pure religion."
As the West drifts closer to a potential showdown over Iran's nuclear program, followers of the Mahdi are getting ready for Judgment Day.
And many of them are convinced that President Ahmadinjead, who is considered by some as Allah's shadow on Earth, will fulfill his divine mission to prepare the world for the coming of the Islamic savior.
By CBN News
Friday, July 14, 2006
Iran Denies Hizbullah Moving Captives
The Iranian Foreign Ministry described as "nonsense" on Friday the allegation that two IDF soldiers captured by the Lebanese Hizbullah were being transferred to Iran.
On Thursday, Israel said it had information that the guerrillas who captured the two soldiers were trying to transfer them to Iran in an apparent move to prevent the IDF from rescuing them. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev did not disclose the source of his information.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi categorically denied the allegation.
"This regime (Israel) is trapped in its homemade crisis and these sort of accusations are simply nonsense," he was quoted as saying by IRNA, Iran's official news agency.
The IDF released the names of the two soldiers on Thursday. According to the IDF Spokesperson, the two reserve are Ehud Goldwasser, 31, from Nahariya, and Eldad Regev, 26, from Kiryat Motzkin.
Hizbullah guerrillas, who are backed by Iran, seized the soldiers Wednesday in a cross-border raid.
OC Northern Command Lt.-Gen. Udi Adam said Thursday evening that the army has hit hundreds of targets in Lebanon since Wednesday night.
Adam added that Israel has not ruled out sending ground forces into Lebanon. He told reporters that even Northern Command had come under Katyusha fire during the day.
"I imagine over time that we will be able to rid ourselves of this threat entirely," he said.
Earlier in the day, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz confirmed Thursday that the soldiers who had been kidnapped by Hizbullah a day before were still alive.
"We know the soldiers are alive and we hold the Lebanese government completey responsible," he said during a tour of the North.
Israel was not at war with Lebanon but at a "high volume crisis," he added.
He said that a new reality has been created on the northern border that started yesterday with the deaths of eight soldiers.
The focus of the operation in Lebanon would be to restore Israel's deterrent capability against those in Lebanon, referring to Hizbullah, who thought the IDF was irrelevant, he explained.
"The goal is to create a new reality in the north," Halutz told reporters, "Such attacks will not be tolerated."
Halutz said the north was well protected by shelters but he could not guarantee that Israeli civilians would not be harmed during the current campaign in Lebanon.
He also revealed that OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam had set up an investigative committee into Wednesday's kidnapping, which would be headed by a major general.
By Yaakov Katz - Jerusalem Post
On Thursday, Israel said it had information that the guerrillas who captured the two soldiers were trying to transfer them to Iran in an apparent move to prevent the IDF from rescuing them. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev did not disclose the source of his information.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi categorically denied the allegation.
"This regime (Israel) is trapped in its homemade crisis and these sort of accusations are simply nonsense," he was quoted as saying by IRNA, Iran's official news agency.
The IDF released the names of the two soldiers on Thursday. According to the IDF Spokesperson, the two reserve are Ehud Goldwasser, 31, from Nahariya, and Eldad Regev, 26, from Kiryat Motzkin.
Hizbullah guerrillas, who are backed by Iran, seized the soldiers Wednesday in a cross-border raid.
OC Northern Command Lt.-Gen. Udi Adam said Thursday evening that the army has hit hundreds of targets in Lebanon since Wednesday night.
Adam added that Israel has not ruled out sending ground forces into Lebanon. He told reporters that even Northern Command had come under Katyusha fire during the day.
"I imagine over time that we will be able to rid ourselves of this threat entirely," he said.
Earlier in the day, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz confirmed Thursday that the soldiers who had been kidnapped by Hizbullah a day before were still alive.
"We know the soldiers are alive and we hold the Lebanese government completey responsible," he said during a tour of the North.
Israel was not at war with Lebanon but at a "high volume crisis," he added.
He said that a new reality has been created on the northern border that started yesterday with the deaths of eight soldiers.
The focus of the operation in Lebanon would be to restore Israel's deterrent capability against those in Lebanon, referring to Hizbullah, who thought the IDF was irrelevant, he explained.
"The goal is to create a new reality in the north," Halutz told reporters, "Such attacks will not be tolerated."
Halutz said the north was well protected by shelters but he could not guarantee that Israeli civilians would not be harmed during the current campaign in Lebanon.
He also revealed that OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam had set up an investigative committee into Wednesday's kidnapping, which would be headed by a major general.
By Yaakov Katz - Jerusalem Post
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Daniel's "Seventy Weeks" Prophecy - Daniel 9:24-27
Below is a detailed look at Daniel 9:24-27. Much of our commentary below is based on Josh McDowell's book, "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict", pages 197-201:
PART ONE:
A chronological summary of Daniel 9:24-26
1. There would be a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
2. Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt.
3. Then an anointed one (messiah) would be "cut off" (an idiom for "rejected" or "killed").
4. Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed again.
I came up with this summary after reading various renderings of this verse in various translations of the Christian Bible and of the Jewish Tanakh. (The Tanakh is the Jewish Bible; it contains the writings of what we Christians refer to as the Old Testament). I believe that this chronology fits most of the renderings that I have seen, whether they are translations by Christians or by Judaists. My summary is in no way original - many Christians, such as Josh McDowell, have come up with the same chronology long before I did.
PART TWO:
A summary of how Daniel 9:24-26 was fulfilled
All of these events later happened, in the same order in which they are described in Daniel 9:24-26:
1. After the Medo-Persians had conquered the Babylonian empire about 2540 years ago, they ruled a vast empire that included the land of Israel. About 2446 years ago (about 445 BC), Persian king Artaxerxes gave permission to the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem, which was still in ruins after having been destroyed earlier by the Babylonians.
2. The Jews rebuilt the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
3. Then, in about 33 AD, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Messiah who had been promised by Old Testament prophets. But, many people rejected Jesus as the Messiah and He was crucified by the Romans.
4. About 40 years after Jesus was crucified, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. (The Temple has not been rebuilt since then).
PART THREE:
How Daniel 9:24-26 was "Fulfilled to the day" according to scholars such as Josh McDowell
First, McDowell, and other scholars, separate the prophecy into three parts:
1. The "7 sevens" in Daniel 9:25.
2. The "62 sevens" in Daniel 9:25.
3. And the 70th "seven" in Daniel 9:27.
Then, they combine the first two periods for a total of 69 "sevens." They combined the first two periods because it is at after the completion of those two periods that the anointed one appears, and that's what we are trying to calculate - when the anointed one was supposed to appear.
Next, they interpret the "sevens" as "seven years" or periods of seven years, rather than a period of seven days or seven weeks or seven months. Part of the reason that this is interpreted as "years" is because of the reference to "years" in Daniel 9:2. (Daniel 9:2 refers to the "seventy years" prophecy that Jeremiah spoke of in Jeremiah 25).
PART FOUR:
The mathematics of calculating Daniel 9:24-26 and the issue of the 360-day "prophetic" calendar
At this point, we're adding the 7 "sevens" and the 62 "sevens" for a total of 69 "sevens". And we are interpreting the 69 "sevens" to mean 69 periods of seven years, for a total of 483 years. So, we are saying that there would be a period of 483 years from the time that a decree is given to rebuild Jerusalem to the time that a Messiah is to appear.
Some Christian scholars say that the period of 483 years should not be thought of in terms of our modern solar calendar which is based on a 365.25 days to a year. Instead, we are to use a "prophetic" calendar which has 360 days to a year. Many ancient calendars, including the Jewish calendar, were based on a lunar year of 12 months, with each month lasting 30 days each. Many ancient peoples, including the ancient Jews, did realize that there actually were more than 360 days to a year and so they would tack on an extra five days at some point during the year.
Another reason some scholars say that we should apply a 360-day calendar to Daniel's prophecy is because of various Bible references that allude to a fixed 30-day month view of time. For example, in Genesis 7:24, it says that the flood lasted 150 days. And, in Genesis 7:11, it says the flood began in the 17th day of the second month. And in Genesis 8:4, it says that the flood subsided on the 17th day of the seventh month, when the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. So, these passages present us a 5-month period of time that is described as being 150 days in length. And that of course is five 30-day months.
There are other Bible passages that indicate that time is being measured in fixed 30-day month periods. Revelation 12:6 mentions a 1,260 day period which, in my view, clearly relates to the three-and-a-half-year period mentioned in Revelation 12:13-14 and in Daniel 9:27.
For three-and-a-half years to equal 1,260 days, one would have to measure years in 360-day increments. That of course doesn't mean that the earth's orbit of the sun is going to speed up or change, it just simply means that the prophetic year is a measure of time in which a "year" has 360 days, nothing more, nothing less.
It's no different than weighing a bag of groceries using the metric system of kilograms and then using the old English system of pounds and ounces. It is not that one system causes the groceries to weigh more or less, but rather the two systems describe the weight in different units. So too does the prophetic year in comparison to our solar calendar - it uses a different system to measure time.
So, we take the 483 years that we had calculated earlier and we multiply the 483 by 360. In other words, we are viewing the 483 year period described in Daniel 9:25 as "prophetic years" of 360 days each. And, 483 times 360 equals 173,880. And that gives us a total of 173,880 days.
Now, we want to apply these 173,880 days to our calendar, which has 365.25 days to a year. Why? So that we can use our calendar in trying to figure out the year that this part of Daniel's prophecy was to begin its fulfillment and when this part of Daniel's prophecy was to be completed. So, we divide the 173,880 days into years of 365.25 days. And, that equals 476 (solar) years. Now, we need to figure out when this 476 year period was supposed to begin.
PART FIVE:
When was Daniel's "69 weeks of years" supposed to begin?
At this point we are trying to figure out when the 476-year period begins. The prophecy in Daniel 9:24-26 begins with a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Many people have proposed different years for different decrees. And I won't pretend to have the "only correct answer," because I don't know if I have that or not. In any event, here are four decrees that are often discussed in relation to Daniel 9:24-26:
1. The decree from Cyrus in 539 BC. (see Ezra 1:1-4)
2. The decree from Darius in 519 BC. (see Ezra 5:3-7)
3. The decree from Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457 BC. (see Ezra 7:11-16)
4. The decree from Artaxerxes to Nehemiah in 444 BC. (see Nehemiah 2:1-8)
As cited in McDowell's book, a Christian scholar named J.D. Wilson contends that only the decree from Artaxerxes to Nehemiah applies to this prophecy. As cited in McDowell's book, Wilson explains:
" The words of the decree are not given, but its subject matter can easily be determined. Nehemiah hears of the desolate condition of Jerusalem. He is deeply grieved. The King asks the reason. Nehemiah replies, 'the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire.' The King bids him make request. He does so promptly, asking for an order to from the King that 'I be sent to the city that I may build it.' And, as we read, he was sent, and he rebuilt Jerusalem. "
And so, that is J.D. Wilson's reason for using the Artaxerxes to Nehemiah. The next issue is finding a date for that decree. McDowell, page 199 of his "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict," reads:
" The decree was given in 444 B.C., based on the following:
1. 'In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' (Nehemiah 2:1).
2. Artaxerxes' accession was in 465 B.C.
3. There is no day-of-month specified, so according to the Jewish custom the date is understood as the first day of the month, which would be Nisan 1, 444 BC.
4. March 5, 444 B.C. is our corresponding calendar date. "
(Many scholars use the March 5 date, but not all use the 444 BC year. Some use 445 BC as the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. I myself haven't done enough research to decide which year is most likely to be the correct year). Regardless of whether you accept the date as being March 5, 444 BC or March 5, 445 BC, we now have a starting point for Daniel's prophecy.
PART SIX:
When was Daniel's "69 weeks of years" supposed to end?
We are now at the point where we can try to pinpoint when the Messiah was supposed to make his appearance. If we agree on the points that have been made earlier, then we simply calculate 476 years into the future, using 444 BC as the starting point. To do that, if I am not mistaken, we count 443 BC as the first of the 476 years. Why - because the first began in 444 BC and it ended in 443 BC. So we start counting from 443 BC. So, we have 443 years on the BC side of measuring time and that leaves us with 33 years on the AD side to account for the full 476 years. Using this formula, we arrive at 33 AD the year in time in which the Messiah was to appear.
And that would correspond to the time that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The reason the donkey is important is that in Zechariah 9:9, the prophet Zechariah speaks of a King riding a donkey and presenting himself as the King to Jerusalem.
Alfred Edersheim, a Christian Jew who lived during the 1800s, studied ancient Rabbinical writings, and said that Zechariah 9:9 was often interpreted as being about a Messiah. In the book, "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," Edersheim wrote: "The Messianic application of this verse in all its parts has already been repeatedly indicated. We may here add that there are many traditions about this donkey on which the Messiah is to ride; and so firm was the belief in it, that, according to the Talmud, `if anyone saw a donkey in his dreams, he will see salvation' (Ber 56 b)."
So then, what better way for a Messiah to announce himself in Jerusalem than to enter the great city on the back of a humble donkey?
There are theories that pinpoint the exact date of the exact year that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The dates that I have seen in my review of other people's research is April 6, either April 6, 32 AD, or April 6, 33 AD. (And, again, the difference in the year depends on whether the 20th year of Artaxerxes was in 444 BC or 445 BC). And, some scholars have claimed that there are exactly 173,880 days from March 5, 444 BC to April 6, 33 AD (and, 173,880 days from March 5, 445 BC to April 6, 32 AD).
PART SEVEN:
What ancient Rabbis thought of Daniel 9:24-26
I found a Web site that pulls together various ancient writings from Rabbis, commenting on Daniel, chapter 9. That Web site's address is: http://www.inerrancy.org/dan.htm
According to that Web site, at least a handful of ancient Rabbis agree that it is correct to view Daniel 9 as providing a timeline for the arrival of a Messiah. Below are a few examples that I copied verbatim from that Web site:
" 1a. Maimonides (Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon): "Daniel has elucidated to us the knowledge of the end times. However, since they are secret, the wise [rabbis] have barred the calculation of the days of Messiah’s coming so that the untutored populace will not be led astray when they see that the End Times have already come but there is no sign of the Messiah" (Igeret Teiman, Chapter 3 p.24.) "
" 1b. Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi: "I have examined and searched all the Holy Scriptures and have not found the time for the coming of Messiah clearly fixed, except in the words of Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which are written in the 9th chapter of the prophecy of Daniel (The Messiah of the Targums, Talmuds and Rabbinical Writers, 1971) p.141-142 (These two quotes were taken from The Creator Beyond Time and Space by Mark Eastman, M.D. and Chuck Missler (The Word for Today, 1996)). "
Assuming that these citations are accurate renderings of what the Rabbis had said, it seems clear that these Rabbis believed that Daniel 9:24-26 referred to a Messiah, a very important Messiah, and that the Bible passage provided the information needed to calculate the Messiah's arrival. As for the first example, Maimonides of course was a Judaist, not a Christian, and so from his point of view, the prophecy had not yet been fulfilled. And that would account for his comments about calculating the Messiah's arrival.
PART EIGHT:
My conclusions about Daniel's "69 weeks of years"
Perhaps we can't all agree, at this time, on every specific detail involved in calculating a starting point for Daniel's prophecy about the 69 weeks of years. But, eventually, we might have additional information from archaeologists and historians to help pinpoint that starting point. But at this present time, it seems to me that there is widespread agreement among Christian scholars on the following issues:
1. That there is evidence in the Bible to support the concept of the "prophetic calendar" which measures time in terms of 360-day years.
2. That there is evidence in the Bible to support the view that the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah is, or at least could be, the starting point of Daniel's prophecy.
3. That there is strong evidence from historians and archaeologists to pinpoint "twentieth year of Artaxerxes" as being either 444 BC or 445 BC.
4. That the events described in Daniel's prophecy do line up as follows:
• That there would be a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
• Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt.
• Then an anointed one (messiah) would make his appearance and then be "cut off."
• Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed again.
George Konig - Copyright ©2001-2006 All rights reserved
PART ONE:
A chronological summary of Daniel 9:24-26
1. There would be a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
2. Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt.
3. Then an anointed one (messiah) would be "cut off" (an idiom for "rejected" or "killed").
4. Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed again.
I came up with this summary after reading various renderings of this verse in various translations of the Christian Bible and of the Jewish Tanakh. (The Tanakh is the Jewish Bible; it contains the writings of what we Christians refer to as the Old Testament). I believe that this chronology fits most of the renderings that I have seen, whether they are translations by Christians or by Judaists. My summary is in no way original - many Christians, such as Josh McDowell, have come up with the same chronology long before I did.
PART TWO:
A summary of how Daniel 9:24-26 was fulfilled
All of these events later happened, in the same order in which they are described in Daniel 9:24-26:
1. After the Medo-Persians had conquered the Babylonian empire about 2540 years ago, they ruled a vast empire that included the land of Israel. About 2446 years ago (about 445 BC), Persian king Artaxerxes gave permission to the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem, which was still in ruins after having been destroyed earlier by the Babylonians.
2. The Jews rebuilt the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
3. Then, in about 33 AD, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Messiah who had been promised by Old Testament prophets. But, many people rejected Jesus as the Messiah and He was crucified by the Romans.
4. About 40 years after Jesus was crucified, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. (The Temple has not been rebuilt since then).
PART THREE:
How Daniel 9:24-26 was "Fulfilled to the day" according to scholars such as Josh McDowell
First, McDowell, and other scholars, separate the prophecy into three parts:
1. The "7 sevens" in Daniel 9:25.
2. The "62 sevens" in Daniel 9:25.
3. And the 70th "seven" in Daniel 9:27.
Then, they combine the first two periods for a total of 69 "sevens." They combined the first two periods because it is at after the completion of those two periods that the anointed one appears, and that's what we are trying to calculate - when the anointed one was supposed to appear.
Next, they interpret the "sevens" as "seven years" or periods of seven years, rather than a period of seven days or seven weeks or seven months. Part of the reason that this is interpreted as "years" is because of the reference to "years" in Daniel 9:2. (Daniel 9:2 refers to the "seventy years" prophecy that Jeremiah spoke of in Jeremiah 25).
PART FOUR:
The mathematics of calculating Daniel 9:24-26 and the issue of the 360-day "prophetic" calendar
At this point, we're adding the 7 "sevens" and the 62 "sevens" for a total of 69 "sevens". And we are interpreting the 69 "sevens" to mean 69 periods of seven years, for a total of 483 years. So, we are saying that there would be a period of 483 years from the time that a decree is given to rebuild Jerusalem to the time that a Messiah is to appear.
Some Christian scholars say that the period of 483 years should not be thought of in terms of our modern solar calendar which is based on a 365.25 days to a year. Instead, we are to use a "prophetic" calendar which has 360 days to a year. Many ancient calendars, including the Jewish calendar, were based on a lunar year of 12 months, with each month lasting 30 days each. Many ancient peoples, including the ancient Jews, did realize that there actually were more than 360 days to a year and so they would tack on an extra five days at some point during the year.
Another reason some scholars say that we should apply a 360-day calendar to Daniel's prophecy is because of various Bible references that allude to a fixed 30-day month view of time. For example, in Genesis 7:24, it says that the flood lasted 150 days. And, in Genesis 7:11, it says the flood began in the 17th day of the second month. And in Genesis 8:4, it says that the flood subsided on the 17th day of the seventh month, when the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. So, these passages present us a 5-month period of time that is described as being 150 days in length. And that of course is five 30-day months.
There are other Bible passages that indicate that time is being measured in fixed 30-day month periods. Revelation 12:6 mentions a 1,260 day period which, in my view, clearly relates to the three-and-a-half-year period mentioned in Revelation 12:13-14 and in Daniel 9:27.
For three-and-a-half years to equal 1,260 days, one would have to measure years in 360-day increments. That of course doesn't mean that the earth's orbit of the sun is going to speed up or change, it just simply means that the prophetic year is a measure of time in which a "year" has 360 days, nothing more, nothing less.
It's no different than weighing a bag of groceries using the metric system of kilograms and then using the old English system of pounds and ounces. It is not that one system causes the groceries to weigh more or less, but rather the two systems describe the weight in different units. So too does the prophetic year in comparison to our solar calendar - it uses a different system to measure time.
So, we take the 483 years that we had calculated earlier and we multiply the 483 by 360. In other words, we are viewing the 483 year period described in Daniel 9:25 as "prophetic years" of 360 days each. And, 483 times 360 equals 173,880. And that gives us a total of 173,880 days.
Now, we want to apply these 173,880 days to our calendar, which has 365.25 days to a year. Why? So that we can use our calendar in trying to figure out the year that this part of Daniel's prophecy was to begin its fulfillment and when this part of Daniel's prophecy was to be completed. So, we divide the 173,880 days into years of 365.25 days. And, that equals 476 (solar) years. Now, we need to figure out when this 476 year period was supposed to begin.
PART FIVE:
When was Daniel's "69 weeks of years" supposed to begin?
At this point we are trying to figure out when the 476-year period begins. The prophecy in Daniel 9:24-26 begins with a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Many people have proposed different years for different decrees. And I won't pretend to have the "only correct answer," because I don't know if I have that or not. In any event, here are four decrees that are often discussed in relation to Daniel 9:24-26:
1. The decree from Cyrus in 539 BC. (see Ezra 1:1-4)
2. The decree from Darius in 519 BC. (see Ezra 5:3-7)
3. The decree from Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457 BC. (see Ezra 7:11-16)
4. The decree from Artaxerxes to Nehemiah in 444 BC. (see Nehemiah 2:1-8)
As cited in McDowell's book, a Christian scholar named J.D. Wilson contends that only the decree from Artaxerxes to Nehemiah applies to this prophecy. As cited in McDowell's book, Wilson explains:
" The words of the decree are not given, but its subject matter can easily be determined. Nehemiah hears of the desolate condition of Jerusalem. He is deeply grieved. The King asks the reason. Nehemiah replies, 'the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire.' The King bids him make request. He does so promptly, asking for an order to from the King that 'I be sent to the city that I may build it.' And, as we read, he was sent, and he rebuilt Jerusalem. "
And so, that is J.D. Wilson's reason for using the Artaxerxes to Nehemiah. The next issue is finding a date for that decree. McDowell, page 199 of his "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict," reads:
" The decree was given in 444 B.C., based on the following:
1. 'In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' (Nehemiah 2:1).
2. Artaxerxes' accession was in 465 B.C.
3. There is no day-of-month specified, so according to the Jewish custom the date is understood as the first day of the month, which would be Nisan 1, 444 BC.
4. March 5, 444 B.C. is our corresponding calendar date. "
(Many scholars use the March 5 date, but not all use the 444 BC year. Some use 445 BC as the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. I myself haven't done enough research to decide which year is most likely to be the correct year). Regardless of whether you accept the date as being March 5, 444 BC or March 5, 445 BC, we now have a starting point for Daniel's prophecy.
PART SIX:
When was Daniel's "69 weeks of years" supposed to end?
We are now at the point where we can try to pinpoint when the Messiah was supposed to make his appearance. If we agree on the points that have been made earlier, then we simply calculate 476 years into the future, using 444 BC as the starting point. To do that, if I am not mistaken, we count 443 BC as the first of the 476 years. Why - because the first began in 444 BC and it ended in 443 BC. So we start counting from 443 BC. So, we have 443 years on the BC side of measuring time and that leaves us with 33 years on the AD side to account for the full 476 years. Using this formula, we arrive at 33 AD the year in time in which the Messiah was to appear.
And that would correspond to the time that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The reason the donkey is important is that in Zechariah 9:9, the prophet Zechariah speaks of a King riding a donkey and presenting himself as the King to Jerusalem.
Alfred Edersheim, a Christian Jew who lived during the 1800s, studied ancient Rabbinical writings, and said that Zechariah 9:9 was often interpreted as being about a Messiah. In the book, "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," Edersheim wrote: "The Messianic application of this verse in all its parts has already been repeatedly indicated. We may here add that there are many traditions about this donkey on which the Messiah is to ride; and so firm was the belief in it, that, according to the Talmud, `if anyone saw a donkey in his dreams, he will see salvation' (Ber 56 b)."
So then, what better way for a Messiah to announce himself in Jerusalem than to enter the great city on the back of a humble donkey?
There are theories that pinpoint the exact date of the exact year that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The dates that I have seen in my review of other people's research is April 6, either April 6, 32 AD, or April 6, 33 AD. (And, again, the difference in the year depends on whether the 20th year of Artaxerxes was in 444 BC or 445 BC). And, some scholars have claimed that there are exactly 173,880 days from March 5, 444 BC to April 6, 33 AD (and, 173,880 days from March 5, 445 BC to April 6, 32 AD).
PART SEVEN:
What ancient Rabbis thought of Daniel 9:24-26
I found a Web site that pulls together various ancient writings from Rabbis, commenting on Daniel, chapter 9. That Web site's address is: http://www.inerrancy.org/dan.htm
According to that Web site, at least a handful of ancient Rabbis agree that it is correct to view Daniel 9 as providing a timeline for the arrival of a Messiah. Below are a few examples that I copied verbatim from that Web site:
" 1a. Maimonides (Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon): "Daniel has elucidated to us the knowledge of the end times. However, since they are secret, the wise [rabbis] have barred the calculation of the days of Messiah’s coming so that the untutored populace will not be led astray when they see that the End Times have already come but there is no sign of the Messiah" (Igeret Teiman, Chapter 3 p.24.) "
" 1b. Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi: "I have examined and searched all the Holy Scriptures and have not found the time for the coming of Messiah clearly fixed, except in the words of Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which are written in the 9th chapter of the prophecy of Daniel (The Messiah of the Targums, Talmuds and Rabbinical Writers, 1971) p.141-142 (These two quotes were taken from The Creator Beyond Time and Space by Mark Eastman, M.D. and Chuck Missler (The Word for Today, 1996)). "
Assuming that these citations are accurate renderings of what the Rabbis had said, it seems clear that these Rabbis believed that Daniel 9:24-26 referred to a Messiah, a very important Messiah, and that the Bible passage provided the information needed to calculate the Messiah's arrival. As for the first example, Maimonides of course was a Judaist, not a Christian, and so from his point of view, the prophecy had not yet been fulfilled. And that would account for his comments about calculating the Messiah's arrival.
PART EIGHT:
My conclusions about Daniel's "69 weeks of years"
Perhaps we can't all agree, at this time, on every specific detail involved in calculating a starting point for Daniel's prophecy about the 69 weeks of years. But, eventually, we might have additional information from archaeologists and historians to help pinpoint that starting point. But at this present time, it seems to me that there is widespread agreement among Christian scholars on the following issues:
1. That there is evidence in the Bible to support the concept of the "prophetic calendar" which measures time in terms of 360-day years.
2. That there is evidence in the Bible to support the view that the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah is, or at least could be, the starting point of Daniel's prophecy.
3. That there is strong evidence from historians and archaeologists to pinpoint "twentieth year of Artaxerxes" as being either 444 BC or 445 BC.
4. That the events described in Daniel's prophecy do line up as follows:
• That there would be a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
• Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt.
• Then an anointed one (messiah) would make his appearance and then be "cut off."
• Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed again.
George Konig - Copyright ©2001-2006 All rights reserved
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Defending The Pre-Trib Rapture
After reading countless messages and articles that attack the pre-trib rapture, I've noticed a certain number of arguments that are repeatedly sent to me.
Instead of trying to answer every individual e-mail I receive, I thought it would be a good idea to create a web page that addresses the most commonly mentioned points of debate. This way, I can avoid repeating myself so many times; thereby, maintain my sanity.
Q: Nowhere in the Bible, can you find the word "rapture"
It amazes me that some folks write to me, questioning the validity of the rapture, simply because the word "rapture" doesn't appear in the Bible.
With 1 Thes 4:16-18 giving us such a clear description of the rapture, you would have to conclude that some people are just playing games with the Word of God. I could change the name of my site to “Catching Up Ready” to satisfy these folks, but I hardly think that would improve things.
Their logic fails because there are a huge number of words that don't appear in the Bible, including the word "Bible." Because God's Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, one could truthfully say that no English words are in the Bible. Let's take a look at 1 Thes 4:16-18 in the original Greek:
4:16 oti autos o kurios en keleusmati en fwnh arcaggelou kai en salpiggi qeou katabhsetai ap ouranou kai oi nekroi en cristw anasthsontai prwton 4:17 epeita hmeis oi zwntes oi perileipomenoi ama sun autois arpaghsomeqa en nefelais eis apanthsin tou kuriou eis aera kai outws pantote sun kuriw esomeqa 4:18 wste parakaleite allhlous en tois logois toutois
I don't see the dead in Christ rising, Jesus descending from heaven, and us meeting Him in the air. So the cynics are right: the word "rapture" is nowhere to be found. All I see is gobbledygook.
For the record, the word "rapture" comes from the Latin word "rapturo," which in turn was a translation of the Greek verb "caught up" found in 1 Thes 4:17. You can call it the pre-trib rapture, the pre-trib rapturo, or the pre-trib caught up--it's all the same thing.
Q: Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say that the Church will be raptured before the tribulation.
Pre-trib opponents should have thought this one through because any pre-tribulationist has the same right to say, "Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say the Church will go through the tribulation."
Jesus did say, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44). The only time frame I can think of when we believers would not be expecting Jesus to return would have to be before the tribulation.
Q: The Margaret MacDonald Origin
One of the most widely circulated attacks against the pre-trib rapture is the notion that a girl named Margaret MacDonald started this theological view back in 1830. The claim is typically made that MacDonald received a demonic vision, passed it on to John Darby, who in turn popularized it. Disproving this assertion proves rather easy. Pre-trib scholars have discovered a host of rapture writings that predate Margaret MacDonald.
Epharaem the Syrian said, in 373 AD, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
One post-trib author offered a reward to anyone who could find a quote that predated MacDonald. He had to quickly cough up the money when someone identified a scholar who wrote about the pre-trib rapture several years before MacDonald. As of late, dozens of examples have been found, and the literary surface has hardly been scratched.
With the revealing of all these pre-MacDonald writings, you would think that this argument has been debunked. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We seem to be involved in a tug-of-war with the truth. Apparently, due to their lack of research, pre-trib opponents continue to pump out publications that cite MacDonald as the originator of the pre-trib rapture.
Q: The Last Trumpet Argument
Because Paul, in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thes 4:16, said believers would be raptured at the sounding of a trump, many folks have tried to make it appear that the rapture trumps are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Mat 24:31--which all occur during the tribulation.
When you have trumpets commonly used throughout the Bible, I think it's foolish to just assume any two of the 62 trumps or trumpets are prophetically related. To be able to make the claim that the tribulation trumpet soundings are the same as the rapture trumps, you would need a direct statement saying this is the case.
In the movies Ben-Hur and The Wizard of Oz, I recall hearing the sounding of trumpets. Are both these trumpets somehow prophetically related?
If your friend John said he went to his favorite restaurant last night, and another friend Larry said he also went to his favorite restaurant last night, is it logical for you to assume they both went to the same restaurant? Obviously not, because even though John and Larry went to their favorite restaurants, they may have had two different eating establishments in mind. The same logic should apply with the word trumpet.
With such a blind devotion to this one similarity, I have to wonder if these last-tumpeters are able to distinguish the difference between Tylenol and Exlax. They're both over-the-counter drugs, they come in pill form, and they can also be found in a medicine cabinet. Of course, one will make your headache disappear and the other will make your toilet paper disappear.
Pre-wrath proponents say that the Seventh Trumpet blown in Rev 11:15-18 is the same last trump Paul spoke of in 1 Cor 15:52. However, they fail to take into account the fact that John wrote Revelation 40 years after Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians. How could Paul refer to something that was not yet revealed?
Post-tribbers use a trumpet sounding in Joel 2:1 as evidence for a post-trib rapture on the Day of the Lord. I have three problems with Joel 2:1:
1. Joel clearly says that the purpose for blowing the trumpet is to "sound an alarm."
2. According to 1 Cor 15:52, the rapture is something that occurs in the twinkling of an eye. Joel 2:1 says the Day of the Lord is nigh at hand. In order for Joel's trumpet to be the same one in 1 Cor. there would have to be a time delay between the sounding of the trumpet and the rapture of the Church.
3. The fact that there is another trumpet being sounded in Joel 2:15 further clouds the possibility that these trumpets could have anything to do with the rapture.
When Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he specifically said "the" last trump. During the Feast of Trumpets, the Jews blow short trumpet blasts. They end the feast with a long blast from what is called the last trump, which is blown the longest. Judaism has traditionally connected this last trump with the resurrection of the dead. Paul also made the connection. For many Christians, the association between the rapture and the Feast of Trumpets is so strong, they look for the rapture to someday occur on this feast.
Q: The Day of the Lord Argument
A number people have attempted to refute the pre-trib rapture by trying to associate the "Day of the Lord" with a catching-up of believers at the end of the tribulation. They base their rapture views solely on the idea that the "Day of the Lord" and the rapture are either synonymous or somehow linked together.
The Achilles heel of their argument has to be the notion that the "Day of the Lord" and various other "days" of an end-time context refers to a 24 hour period that occurs at or near the end of the tribulation. Probably the most commonly cited verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:2 where Paul tells us the "Day of the Lord" will come "as a thief in the night."
I've read countless articles that describe the "Day of the Lord" as Christ's advent at Armageddon. These articles go on to say that, because Paul also tells us the Lord will come "as a thief," we have a direct link to the same description that is applied to noted rapture verses.
It's rather obvious that those trying to rely on the "Day of the Lord" never bothered to validate the meaning of this particular day. I've checked a number of commentaries on the "Day of the Lord" and many of them define this as being an all-encompassing period that begins with the Great Tribulation. Let's examine some verses that clearly indicate that the term "day" is used to represent a broader time period.
II Peter 3:10-13
The "Day of the Lord" Peter spoke of in second Peter, cannot be a one day event because it mentions the destruction of the earth by fire and its renovation. Rev 21:11 tells us the earth will not be renewed until after Christ's 1000 year reign.
Joel 2:11-20
The "Day of the Lord" Joel describes, includes the defeat of the northern army. Ezk. 38 and 39 is parallel passage. Most scholars would time the destruction of the Gog army as occurring before in the first half of the tribulation.
John 12:48
In the book of John, Jesus uses the term "last day" to indicate when the lost would be judged. Rev 20 makes it clear that the unsaved will not be judged until after the millennium--yet another 1000 year gap.
Hebrews 10:25
One of the best indications that most of the various “day” references are citing a general time period can be found in Hebrews 10:25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Surely, Paul would not be warning us to watch for a day that would be coming at the end of the tribulation. That type of logic would be like warning children, as they cross the road, to watch out for tail lights.
Q: The First Resurrection
I've heard some folks say, "There cannot be a pre-trib rapture because to have one would require a second resurrection at Christ's return to earth." This conclusion is drawn from Revelation 20:
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev 20:5-6).
One pre-trib writer, explaining this passage, said, "The first did not mean first in time, but rather first in kind." The first resurrection was for God's people the second will be for the unsaved.
A quick way to shoot down the notion that the first resurrection is tied to a specific date, as opposed to a more general time frame, is to take note of the tribulation rapture of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. At the mid-point of the tribulation, the two witnesses are killed by the Antichrist, resurrected by God, and then caught up into heaven (Rev 11:3-12).
Revelation chapter 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists just before the Beast issues his mark. Sometime during the latter half of the tribulation, Revelation chapter 14 indicates they will be "redeemed from the earth," standing before the throne of God.
Q: Confusion over Confusion: 2 Thes 2:1-6
Because Paul, in 2 Thessalonians, said the Antichrist would be revealed before the Day of the Christ, post and pre-wrath adherents frequently try to cite this passage as one that refutes the pre-trib rapture.
To quell the Thessalonian's misunderstanding that they had somehow entered the tribulation, Paul told them the Antichrist must first be revealed. By telling them they had no reason to panic, Paul is clearly disputing the idea that the Thessalonians could someday find themselves facing the tribulation hour.
I'm constantly being irked by Post-trib and pre-wrath folks' consistent, or better yet deliberate, failure to accept the simple fact that the pre-trib doctrine calls for a rapture and a second coming. Because they only glean the prophetic word for one event--the second coming--they're unable to recognize pre-trib rapture passages.
Of course, when you fuse the two advents together, you end up with verses that appear to contradict each other: 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," and Revelation 13:7, "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Reverse Logic Stuck In Reverse
Many people are against the pre-trib rapture simply because they see it as being the dominant view on the timing of Christ's return for the Church. The anti-pretribulationists often think they are the last remaining true believers. I'm simply dumbfounded over why some people choose rebellion against the majority view as their guide for finding truth.
The measurement of popularity alone is a terrible way to determine something's validity. It is particularly strange when people solely rely on the contrarian view to judge truth from fiction. I utilize contrarian views all the time to help determine what is truthful; however, it would be a terrible mistake on my part if I made Contrarianism the core foundation of any of my beliefs.
If you're using reverse logic, you need to support your conclusions. The vast majority of the population would agree that apples grow on apple trees and cherries grow on cheery trees. The pure novelty of the opposite being true does not in any way help make it so. Unless you see farmers gluing apples onto cherry trees or picking cherries from apple trees, you have no basis to think that these two fruits do not grow on anything but the trees that share the same name.
Some people are clearly more in love with the idea of a conspiracy than they are the truth. Every time an airplane crashes to the earth there's someone who will proclaim it was caused by anything from an act of terrorism to a bizarre government plot. It's just not exciting enough to say it was a mechanical problem that led to the crash.
The idea that the pre-trib rapture is the dominant view is not correct in the first place. Most evangelicals would say they look for a pre-trib rapture, but if you include all Christians, pretribulationists would rank third behind post-trib and preterist adherents.
Persecute Me Please
You would think the desire to go through the tribulation would be as popular as the desire to jump into a pit filled with vipers and broken glass. As illogical as it may seem, there appears to be a large number of Christians that fully expect to get roughed up before Christ returns.
Many Christians argue strongly for the right to suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist and the one world government. These tribulation saint wannabees constantly harp, "Because Jesus and His disciples suffered persecution, we should expect no better." It's been my experience that people with the weakest faith are generally the ones that talk the boldest. When the slightest difficulty comes their way, they cry to high heaven.
I hate to be the bearer of good news, but the word of God clearly states that believers will escape the tribulation bloodbath. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes 5:9). "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev 3:10).
In one regard, people who think the Church will go through the tribulation are somewhat correct. I believe there will be a huge number of "carnal Christians" that will find themselves left behind. By having the rapture before the tribulation, all those who find themselves facing the wrath of God will be without an excuse.
No Secret Rapture
"There is no secret rapture" is the beginning declaration of a large percentage of messages that attack the rapture. Rarely is this statement backed by supporting scriptural evidence. A few people will cite Rev 1:17, "every eye shall see him," as proof that the rapture will not be a secret event. Of course, I would immediately note that "every eye shall see him" is the second coming.
I have a hard time understanding how these folks could think pretribulationists preach a secret rapture. We seem to be doing our very best to popularize the rapture before it takes place. I doubt that, afterwards, with all the car wrecks, plane crashes, and missing persons reports, the rapture will remain a secret occurrence.
The only people I know who are attempting to keep the pre-trib rapture a secret are its critics. Pre-wrath and post-trib folks have the national media and the liberal churches as their allies in their ongoing effort to silence all knowledge of the "blessed hope."
No Imminency
Because an imminent or any moment rapture is one of the major teachings of pre-tribulationists, opponents of this view attempt to dismantle the imminency of the rapture.
Although Jesus said, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Mat 24:42), advocates for knowing the "day" will claim this only applies to the unsaved. I hear arguments like, "Surely a loving father would tell his own children when he's coming for them."
To try to get around "no man know the hour," a popular scripture often cited is: "But yea brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief" (1 Thes 5:4).
Despite all their monkeying with scripture, pre-trib detractors just cannot escape Jesus' restriction against knowing the timing of the rapture. In fact, our Lord was so restrictive about the rapture, He said its occurrence would come as a total surprise. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44).
Now as far as the second coming goes, the Bible couldn't be plainer. It clearly states that Jesus will return 1260 days from the moment the Antichrist sits in the Temple of God and declares himself to be God. Because there exists both a known and an unknown date, many scholars have logically concluded that there must be two different events occurring--the rapture and the second coming.
The Restrainer
In 2 Thessalonians the Apostle Paul speaks of a "he" that will restrain the advent of the Antichrist. The restrainer's removal is required before the Antichrist can be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."
A debate has erupted over the identity of the Restrainer because if this "he" is the Holy Ghost, the only real explanation for his removal would be the rapture of the Church, which is indwelled by him. The strongest argument offered against the Holy Spirit being the Restrainer is the belief that if God's Spirit was ever removed from the earth, no one could then be saved. The removal of the Holy Ghost does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. I believe his being "taken out of the way" will only be a degree of removal.
Before the Church Age, people were able to find salvation, which obviously meant the Holy Spirit was at work on earth. When the outpouring of the Holy Ghost occurred at Pentecost, we didn't have a second Holy Spirit come to earth. His removal at the rapture will only be a reversal or ending of the Pentecostal outpouring.
Replacementism
Because Revelation places a strong emphasis on Israel during the tribulation, and not on the church, most post-tribulationists have adopted a replacement theology view in order to maintain the focus on them.
Replacementism is the view that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced by the Church. The Church is now seen as spiritual Israel and spiritual Jerusalem. This teaching claims that all the promises and blessings, in fact Israel's entire inheritance, now belongs to the Church. However, all is not lost for Israel; it gets to keep all the curses.
Dispensational theology, taught by nearly all pre-tribulationists, teaches that God has separate strategies for dealing with the Church and the Jews. When you consider the change in focus, during the tribulation, from the Church to Israel, the pre-trib rapture provides a good explanation for this transfer of attention.
To say that Israel is no longer God's chosen people is really playing with fire because the Antichrist will likely be saying the same thing when he tries to destroy the Jews during the tribulation. I look for people that hold to replacementism to be in the cheering section when the Beast goes on his Jew-killing campaign. "The Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance" (Psalm 94:14).
"This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord Almighty is his name: 'Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,' declares the Lord, 'will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me'" (Jeremiah 31:35-36).
By Terry James - Rapture Ready
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50 Evidences For The Pre-Trib Rapture
Historical Doctrine of Imminency
1. The early church believed in the imminency of the Lord's return. While it can be debated which church father said what, there is a consistency in the early church on imminency which is essential to the pre-trib position and in opposition to some other positions.
2. The Pre-trib position is the ONLY one which truly teaches imminency.
3. The fact that there is a greater development of the doctrine in recent centuries does not preclude it from the early centuries. In the very early years of the church you see the development of great fundamentals doctrines of Trinity, Deity, God-man, canon of Scripture, etc. Following those early church councils is a time of decline in the corporate church into great apostasy. The teaching of that time are built on many of the heresies of Augustine. When the Reformation comes, there is a period of reestablishing the foundational doctrines of salvation. Now, in these last days there is both and ability and a need in the church to better understand the doctrines of eschatology and the Spirit is continuing His ministry of guiding the church in all truth.
4. The exhortation to be comforted by the "coming of the Lord" (1Thes 4:18) is valid only in the context of the pre-trib view. It could even be a fearsome thing in a post-trib view.
5. We are exhorted to look for the "Glorious Appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13) If there are any prophetic events (ie: tribulation) to come first, then this passage is nonsensical.
6. Again, we are to "purify ourselves" in view of his coming.(1 John 3:2-3) If his coming is not imminent then the passage is meaningless.
7. The church told *only* to look for the Coming of Christ. It is Israel and the tribulation saints that are told to look for signs.
Nature of the Church
(Those who do not understand the nature of the church as unique in the program of God will continually be confused about the nature of His coming for the church.)
8. The translation of the church is never mentioned in any context dealing with the second coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.
9. The church is "not appointed to wrath" (Rom 5:9; 1 Thes 1:9-10) The church cannot enter into the "great day of their wrath."
10. The Church will not be "overtaken by the Day of the Lord." (1 Thes 5:1-9) (Day of the Lord is another term for the great tribulation.)
11. The church will be "kept from the hour of testing that shall come upon all the world." (Rev. 3:10)
12. The believer will escape the tribulation (Luke 21:36).
13. It is in the character of God to deliver His own from the greatest times of trial. (Lot, Rahab. Israel, Noah,etc)
14. It is clear that there is a time interval between the translation of the church and the Return of Christ. (John 14:3)
15. Only the pre-trib position does not divide the Body of Christ on a works principle as does partial rapture does so clearly and others to a lesser extent. It becomes a climatic finale to the grand plan of salvation by grace alone.
16. The Scriptures are adamant that the church is undivided. In this age the church is divided by the continuing old nature in the believers. When we are glorified at the coming of Christ, the church is no more divided.
17. The godly remnant of the tribulation has the attributes seen in OT Israel and not the church. The church is not present in the prophecies of Revelation.
18. The pre-trib view, unlike the post-trib view does not confuse terms like elect and saints which apply to believers of all ages, as opposed to terms like church and in Christ, which apply only to those who are the body of Christ in this age.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
19. The Holy Spirit is the Restrainer of evil in the world. He cannot be taken out as prophesied unless the church which is indwelt by the Holy Spirit is taken out.
20. The Holy Spirit will be taken out before the "lawless one" is revealed. That lawless one will certainly be revealed in the tribulation. In fact, the tribulation begins with the signing of the covenant between that lawless one and Israel. That act will reveal him.
21. The "falling away" in 2 Thes 2:3 would better be understood in its context as "the departure." This is a reference to the departure of the Holy Spirit as He indwells the church.
22. The work of the Holy Spirit making the church like Christ where they submit to death and persecution, whereas the OT saints (see many of the Psalms) and the tribulations saints cry out for vengeance (Rev 6:10)
The Hermeneutical Argument
23. Only the pre-trib view allows for a truely literal interpretation in all of the OT & NT passages regarding the great tribulation.
24. Only the pre-trib position clearly distinguishes the church and Israel and God's dealing with each. The Necessity of an Interval of Time between the Rapture and the Second Coming
25. All believers must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10). This event is never mentioned in the account of events surrounding the second coming.
26. The "four and twenty elders" in rev 4:1-5:14 are representative of the church. Therefore it is necessary that the church, undivided, be brought to glory before those events of the tribulation.
27. There is clearly a coming of Christ for his bride before the second coming to earth. Rev 19:7-10.
28. Tribulation saints are not translated at the second coming of Christ but carry on ordinary activities. These specifically include farming, construction, and giving birth. (Is 65:20-25).
29. The Judgment of the Gentile nations following the second coming (Mat 25:31-46) indicates that both the saved and the lost are in a natural body which would be impossible if the translation had taken place at the second coming.
30. If the translation took place at the same time as the second coming, there would be no need to separating the sheep from the goats at the subsequent judgment. The act of the translation would be the separation.
31. The Judgment of Israel (Ez 20:34-38) occurs after the second coming and requires a regathered Israel. Again, the separation of the saved and the lost would be unnecessary if all the saved had previously been separated by a translation at the second coming.
Differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming.
32. At the Rapture, the church meets Christ in the air. At the second coming, Christ returns to the Mt of Olives.
33. At the time of the Rapture, the Mt of Olives is unchanged. At the second coming it is divided forming a valley east of Jerusalem.
34. At the time of the rapture, saints are translated. No saints are translated at the time of the second coming.
35. At the time of the rapture, the world is not judge for sin, but descends deeper into sin. At the second coming, the world is Judged by the King of kings.
36. The translation of the church is pictured as a deliverance from the day of wrath, whereas the coming of Christ is a deliverance for those who have suffered under severe tribulation.
37. The rapture is immanent whereas there are specific signs which precede the second coming.
38. The translation of living believers is a truth revealed only in the NT. The second coming with the events surrounding it is prominent in both OT and NT.
39. The rapture is only for the saved, while the tribulation and second coming deals with the entire world.
40. No unfulfilled prophecy stands between the church and the rapture. Many signs must be fulfilled before the second coming of Christ.
41. No passage in either OT or NT deals with the resurrection of the saints at the second coming nor mentions the translation of living saints at that same time.
The Nature of the Tribulation
42. Only the pre-trib view maintains the distinction between the "great tribulation" and the tribulations in general which we all experience.
43. The great tribulation is properly understood in the pre-trib view as a preparation for the restoration of Israel. (Deut 4:29-30. Jer 30:4-11, Dan 9:24-27, Dan 12:1-2)
44. Not one single passage in the OT which discusses the tribulation, mentions the church.
45. Not one single passage in the NT which discusses the tribulation, mentions the church.
46. In contrast to mid trib or pre-wrath views, the pre-trib view offers an adequate explanation for the beginning of the great tribulation in Rev 6. These others are clearly refuted by the plain teaching of Scripture that the great tribulation begins long before the 7th trumpet of Rev 11.
47. There is no proper groundwork provided that the 7th trumpet of Rev is the last trumpet of 1 Cor 15. It is accepted only on the basis of assumption. The pre-trib view maintains the proper distinction between the prophetic trumpets of the church and the trumpets of the tribulation.
48. The Unity of Daniel's 70th week is maintained by the pre-trib view. By contrast, the mid-trib view destroys the unity and confuses the program for Israel and the church. The post trib view usually denies the clear teaching of the 70th weeks by subverting it into some form or another of allegory.
49. The gathering of saints after the tribulation is done by angels whereas the gathering of the church is done by "The Lord Himself."
50. Rev 22:17-20 And the Spirit and the Bride say come. And he that heareth, let him say come ... He who testifieth of these things saith
"Yea, I come quickly, AMEN. COME LORD JESUS.
Please feel free to email me, Jason, at
bibleprophesy@yahoo.com
Instead of trying to answer every individual e-mail I receive, I thought it would be a good idea to create a web page that addresses the most commonly mentioned points of debate. This way, I can avoid repeating myself so many times; thereby, maintain my sanity.
Q: Nowhere in the Bible, can you find the word "rapture"
It amazes me that some folks write to me, questioning the validity of the rapture, simply because the word "rapture" doesn't appear in the Bible.
With 1 Thes 4:16-18 giving us such a clear description of the rapture, you would have to conclude that some people are just playing games with the Word of God. I could change the name of my site to “Catching Up Ready” to satisfy these folks, but I hardly think that would improve things.
Their logic fails because there are a huge number of words that don't appear in the Bible, including the word "Bible." Because God's Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, one could truthfully say that no English words are in the Bible. Let's take a look at 1 Thes 4:16-18 in the original Greek:
4:16 oti autos o kurios en keleusmati en fwnh arcaggelou kai en salpiggi qeou katabhsetai ap ouranou kai oi nekroi en cristw anasthsontai prwton 4:17 epeita hmeis oi zwntes oi perileipomenoi ama sun autois arpaghsomeqa en nefelais eis apanthsin tou kuriou eis aera kai outws pantote sun kuriw esomeqa 4:18 wste parakaleite allhlous en tois logois toutois
I don't see the dead in Christ rising, Jesus descending from heaven, and us meeting Him in the air. So the cynics are right: the word "rapture" is nowhere to be found. All I see is gobbledygook.
For the record, the word "rapture" comes from the Latin word "rapturo," which in turn was a translation of the Greek verb "caught up" found in 1 Thes 4:17. You can call it the pre-trib rapture, the pre-trib rapturo, or the pre-trib caught up--it's all the same thing.
Q: Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say that the Church will be raptured before the tribulation.
Pre-trib opponents should have thought this one through because any pre-tribulationist has the same right to say, "Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say the Church will go through the tribulation."
Jesus did say, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44). The only time frame I can think of when we believers would not be expecting Jesus to return would have to be before the tribulation.
Q: The Margaret MacDonald Origin
One of the most widely circulated attacks against the pre-trib rapture is the notion that a girl named Margaret MacDonald started this theological view back in 1830. The claim is typically made that MacDonald received a demonic vision, passed it on to John Darby, who in turn popularized it. Disproving this assertion proves rather easy. Pre-trib scholars have discovered a host of rapture writings that predate Margaret MacDonald.
Epharaem the Syrian said, in 373 AD, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
One post-trib author offered a reward to anyone who could find a quote that predated MacDonald. He had to quickly cough up the money when someone identified a scholar who wrote about the pre-trib rapture several years before MacDonald. As of late, dozens of examples have been found, and the literary surface has hardly been scratched.
With the revealing of all these pre-MacDonald writings, you would think that this argument has been debunked. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We seem to be involved in a tug-of-war with the truth. Apparently, due to their lack of research, pre-trib opponents continue to pump out publications that cite MacDonald as the originator of the pre-trib rapture.
Q: The Last Trumpet Argument
Because Paul, in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thes 4:16, said believers would be raptured at the sounding of a trump, many folks have tried to make it appear that the rapture trumps are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Mat 24:31--which all occur during the tribulation.
When you have trumpets commonly used throughout the Bible, I think it's foolish to just assume any two of the 62 trumps or trumpets are prophetically related. To be able to make the claim that the tribulation trumpet soundings are the same as the rapture trumps, you would need a direct statement saying this is the case.
In the movies Ben-Hur and The Wizard of Oz, I recall hearing the sounding of trumpets. Are both these trumpets somehow prophetically related?
If your friend John said he went to his favorite restaurant last night, and another friend Larry said he also went to his favorite restaurant last night, is it logical for you to assume they both went to the same restaurant? Obviously not, because even though John and Larry went to their favorite restaurants, they may have had two different eating establishments in mind. The same logic should apply with the word trumpet.
With such a blind devotion to this one similarity, I have to wonder if these last-tumpeters are able to distinguish the difference between Tylenol and Exlax. They're both over-the-counter drugs, they come in pill form, and they can also be found in a medicine cabinet. Of course, one will make your headache disappear and the other will make your toilet paper disappear.
Pre-wrath proponents say that the Seventh Trumpet blown in Rev 11:15-18 is the same last trump Paul spoke of in 1 Cor 15:52. However, they fail to take into account the fact that John wrote Revelation 40 years after Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians. How could Paul refer to something that was not yet revealed?
Post-tribbers use a trumpet sounding in Joel 2:1 as evidence for a post-trib rapture on the Day of the Lord. I have three problems with Joel 2:1:
1. Joel clearly says that the purpose for blowing the trumpet is to "sound an alarm."
2. According to 1 Cor 15:52, the rapture is something that occurs in the twinkling of an eye. Joel 2:1 says the Day of the Lord is nigh at hand. In order for Joel's trumpet to be the same one in 1 Cor. there would have to be a time delay between the sounding of the trumpet and the rapture of the Church.
3. The fact that there is another trumpet being sounded in Joel 2:15 further clouds the possibility that these trumpets could have anything to do with the rapture.
When Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he specifically said "the" last trump. During the Feast of Trumpets, the Jews blow short trumpet blasts. They end the feast with a long blast from what is called the last trump, which is blown the longest. Judaism has traditionally connected this last trump with the resurrection of the dead. Paul also made the connection. For many Christians, the association between the rapture and the Feast of Trumpets is so strong, they look for the rapture to someday occur on this feast.
Q: The Day of the Lord Argument
A number people have attempted to refute the pre-trib rapture by trying to associate the "Day of the Lord" with a catching-up of believers at the end of the tribulation. They base their rapture views solely on the idea that the "Day of the Lord" and the rapture are either synonymous or somehow linked together.
The Achilles heel of their argument has to be the notion that the "Day of the Lord" and various other "days" of an end-time context refers to a 24 hour period that occurs at or near the end of the tribulation. Probably the most commonly cited verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:2 where Paul tells us the "Day of the Lord" will come "as a thief in the night."
I've read countless articles that describe the "Day of the Lord" as Christ's advent at Armageddon. These articles go on to say that, because Paul also tells us the Lord will come "as a thief," we have a direct link to the same description that is applied to noted rapture verses.
It's rather obvious that those trying to rely on the "Day of the Lord" never bothered to validate the meaning of this particular day. I've checked a number of commentaries on the "Day of the Lord" and many of them define this as being an all-encompassing period that begins with the Great Tribulation. Let's examine some verses that clearly indicate that the term "day" is used to represent a broader time period.
II Peter 3:10-13
The "Day of the Lord" Peter spoke of in second Peter, cannot be a one day event because it mentions the destruction of the earth by fire and its renovation. Rev 21:11 tells us the earth will not be renewed until after Christ's 1000 year reign.
Joel 2:11-20
The "Day of the Lord" Joel describes, includes the defeat of the northern army. Ezk. 38 and 39 is parallel passage. Most scholars would time the destruction of the Gog army as occurring before in the first half of the tribulation.
John 12:48
In the book of John, Jesus uses the term "last day" to indicate when the lost would be judged. Rev 20 makes it clear that the unsaved will not be judged until after the millennium--yet another 1000 year gap.
Hebrews 10:25
One of the best indications that most of the various “day” references are citing a general time period can be found in Hebrews 10:25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Surely, Paul would not be warning us to watch for a day that would be coming at the end of the tribulation. That type of logic would be like warning children, as they cross the road, to watch out for tail lights.
Q: The First Resurrection
I've heard some folks say, "There cannot be a pre-trib rapture because to have one would require a second resurrection at Christ's return to earth." This conclusion is drawn from Revelation 20:
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev 20:5-6).
One pre-trib writer, explaining this passage, said, "The first did not mean first in time, but rather first in kind." The first resurrection was for God's people the second will be for the unsaved.
A quick way to shoot down the notion that the first resurrection is tied to a specific date, as opposed to a more general time frame, is to take note of the tribulation rapture of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. At the mid-point of the tribulation, the two witnesses are killed by the Antichrist, resurrected by God, and then caught up into heaven (Rev 11:3-12).
Revelation chapter 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists just before the Beast issues his mark. Sometime during the latter half of the tribulation, Revelation chapter 14 indicates they will be "redeemed from the earth," standing before the throne of God.
Q: Confusion over Confusion: 2 Thes 2:1-6
Because Paul, in 2 Thessalonians, said the Antichrist would be revealed before the Day of the Christ, post and pre-wrath adherents frequently try to cite this passage as one that refutes the pre-trib rapture.
To quell the Thessalonian's misunderstanding that they had somehow entered the tribulation, Paul told them the Antichrist must first be revealed. By telling them they had no reason to panic, Paul is clearly disputing the idea that the Thessalonians could someday find themselves facing the tribulation hour.
I'm constantly being irked by Post-trib and pre-wrath folks' consistent, or better yet deliberate, failure to accept the simple fact that the pre-trib doctrine calls for a rapture and a second coming. Because they only glean the prophetic word for one event--the second coming--they're unable to recognize pre-trib rapture passages.
Of course, when you fuse the two advents together, you end up with verses that appear to contradict each other: 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," and Revelation 13:7, "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Reverse Logic Stuck In Reverse
Many people are against the pre-trib rapture simply because they see it as being the dominant view on the timing of Christ's return for the Church. The anti-pretribulationists often think they are the last remaining true believers. I'm simply dumbfounded over why some people choose rebellion against the majority view as their guide for finding truth.
The measurement of popularity alone is a terrible way to determine something's validity. It is particularly strange when people solely rely on the contrarian view to judge truth from fiction. I utilize contrarian views all the time to help determine what is truthful; however, it would be a terrible mistake on my part if I made Contrarianism the core foundation of any of my beliefs.
If you're using reverse logic, you need to support your conclusions. The vast majority of the population would agree that apples grow on apple trees and cherries grow on cheery trees. The pure novelty of the opposite being true does not in any way help make it so. Unless you see farmers gluing apples onto cherry trees or picking cherries from apple trees, you have no basis to think that these two fruits do not grow on anything but the trees that share the same name.
Some people are clearly more in love with the idea of a conspiracy than they are the truth. Every time an airplane crashes to the earth there's someone who will proclaim it was caused by anything from an act of terrorism to a bizarre government plot. It's just not exciting enough to say it was a mechanical problem that led to the crash.
The idea that the pre-trib rapture is the dominant view is not correct in the first place. Most evangelicals would say they look for a pre-trib rapture, but if you include all Christians, pretribulationists would rank third behind post-trib and preterist adherents.
Persecute Me Please
You would think the desire to go through the tribulation would be as popular as the desire to jump into a pit filled with vipers and broken glass. As illogical as it may seem, there appears to be a large number of Christians that fully expect to get roughed up before Christ returns.
Many Christians argue strongly for the right to suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist and the one world government. These tribulation saint wannabees constantly harp, "Because Jesus and His disciples suffered persecution, we should expect no better." It's been my experience that people with the weakest faith are generally the ones that talk the boldest. When the slightest difficulty comes their way, they cry to high heaven.
I hate to be the bearer of good news, but the word of God clearly states that believers will escape the tribulation bloodbath. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes 5:9). "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev 3:10).
In one regard, people who think the Church will go through the tribulation are somewhat correct. I believe there will be a huge number of "carnal Christians" that will find themselves left behind. By having the rapture before the tribulation, all those who find themselves facing the wrath of God will be without an excuse.
No Secret Rapture
"There is no secret rapture" is the beginning declaration of a large percentage of messages that attack the rapture. Rarely is this statement backed by supporting scriptural evidence. A few people will cite Rev 1:17, "every eye shall see him," as proof that the rapture will not be a secret event. Of course, I would immediately note that "every eye shall see him" is the second coming.
I have a hard time understanding how these folks could think pretribulationists preach a secret rapture. We seem to be doing our very best to popularize the rapture before it takes place. I doubt that, afterwards, with all the car wrecks, plane crashes, and missing persons reports, the rapture will remain a secret occurrence.
The only people I know who are attempting to keep the pre-trib rapture a secret are its critics. Pre-wrath and post-trib folks have the national media and the liberal churches as their allies in their ongoing effort to silence all knowledge of the "blessed hope."
No Imminency
Because an imminent or any moment rapture is one of the major teachings of pre-tribulationists, opponents of this view attempt to dismantle the imminency of the rapture.
Although Jesus said, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Mat 24:42), advocates for knowing the "day" will claim this only applies to the unsaved. I hear arguments like, "Surely a loving father would tell his own children when he's coming for them."
To try to get around "no man know the hour," a popular scripture often cited is: "But yea brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief" (1 Thes 5:4).
Despite all their monkeying with scripture, pre-trib detractors just cannot escape Jesus' restriction against knowing the timing of the rapture. In fact, our Lord was so restrictive about the rapture, He said its occurrence would come as a total surprise. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44).
Now as far as the second coming goes, the Bible couldn't be plainer. It clearly states that Jesus will return 1260 days from the moment the Antichrist sits in the Temple of God and declares himself to be God. Because there exists both a known and an unknown date, many scholars have logically concluded that there must be two different events occurring--the rapture and the second coming.
The Restrainer
In 2 Thessalonians the Apostle Paul speaks of a "he" that will restrain the advent of the Antichrist. The restrainer's removal is required before the Antichrist can be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."
A debate has erupted over the identity of the Restrainer because if this "he" is the Holy Ghost, the only real explanation for his removal would be the rapture of the Church, which is indwelled by him. The strongest argument offered against the Holy Spirit being the Restrainer is the belief that if God's Spirit was ever removed from the earth, no one could then be saved. The removal of the Holy Ghost does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. I believe his being "taken out of the way" will only be a degree of removal.
Before the Church Age, people were able to find salvation, which obviously meant the Holy Spirit was at work on earth. When the outpouring of the Holy Ghost occurred at Pentecost, we didn't have a second Holy Spirit come to earth. His removal at the rapture will only be a reversal or ending of the Pentecostal outpouring.
Replacementism
Because Revelation places a strong emphasis on Israel during the tribulation, and not on the church, most post-tribulationists have adopted a replacement theology view in order to maintain the focus on them.
Replacementism is the view that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced by the Church. The Church is now seen as spiritual Israel and spiritual Jerusalem. This teaching claims that all the promises and blessings, in fact Israel's entire inheritance, now belongs to the Church. However, all is not lost for Israel; it gets to keep all the curses.
Dispensational theology, taught by nearly all pre-tribulationists, teaches that God has separate strategies for dealing with the Church and the Jews. When you consider the change in focus, during the tribulation, from the Church to Israel, the pre-trib rapture provides a good explanation for this transfer of attention.
To say that Israel is no longer God's chosen people is really playing with fire because the Antichrist will likely be saying the same thing when he tries to destroy the Jews during the tribulation. I look for people that hold to replacementism to be in the cheering section when the Beast goes on his Jew-killing campaign. "The Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance" (Psalm 94:14).
"This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord Almighty is his name: 'Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,' declares the Lord, 'will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me'" (Jeremiah 31:35-36).
By Terry James - Rapture Ready
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50 Evidences For The Pre-Trib Rapture
Historical Doctrine of Imminency
1. The early church believed in the imminency of the Lord's return. While it can be debated which church father said what, there is a consistency in the early church on imminency which is essential to the pre-trib position and in opposition to some other positions.
2. The Pre-trib position is the ONLY one which truly teaches imminency.
3. The fact that there is a greater development of the doctrine in recent centuries does not preclude it from the early centuries. In the very early years of the church you see the development of great fundamentals doctrines of Trinity, Deity, God-man, canon of Scripture, etc. Following those early church councils is a time of decline in the corporate church into great apostasy. The teaching of that time are built on many of the heresies of Augustine. When the Reformation comes, there is a period of reestablishing the foundational doctrines of salvation. Now, in these last days there is both and ability and a need in the church to better understand the doctrines of eschatology and the Spirit is continuing His ministry of guiding the church in all truth.
4. The exhortation to be comforted by the "coming of the Lord" (1Thes 4:18) is valid only in the context of the pre-trib view. It could even be a fearsome thing in a post-trib view.
5. We are exhorted to look for the "Glorious Appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13) If there are any prophetic events (ie: tribulation) to come first, then this passage is nonsensical.
6. Again, we are to "purify ourselves" in view of his coming.(1 John 3:2-3) If his coming is not imminent then the passage is meaningless.
7. The church told *only* to look for the Coming of Christ. It is Israel and the tribulation saints that are told to look for signs.
Nature of the Church
(Those who do not understand the nature of the church as unique in the program of God will continually be confused about the nature of His coming for the church.)
8. The translation of the church is never mentioned in any context dealing with the second coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.
9. The church is "not appointed to wrath" (Rom 5:9; 1 Thes 1:9-10) The church cannot enter into the "great day of their wrath."
10. The Church will not be "overtaken by the Day of the Lord." (1 Thes 5:1-9) (Day of the Lord is another term for the great tribulation.)
11. The church will be "kept from the hour of testing that shall come upon all the world." (Rev. 3:10)
12. The believer will escape the tribulation (Luke 21:36).
13. It is in the character of God to deliver His own from the greatest times of trial. (Lot, Rahab. Israel, Noah,etc)
14. It is clear that there is a time interval between the translation of the church and the Return of Christ. (John 14:3)
15. Only the pre-trib position does not divide the Body of Christ on a works principle as does partial rapture does so clearly and others to a lesser extent. It becomes a climatic finale to the grand plan of salvation by grace alone.
16. The Scriptures are adamant that the church is undivided. In this age the church is divided by the continuing old nature in the believers. When we are glorified at the coming of Christ, the church is no more divided.
17. The godly remnant of the tribulation has the attributes seen in OT Israel and not the church. The church is not present in the prophecies of Revelation.
18. The pre-trib view, unlike the post-trib view does not confuse terms like elect and saints which apply to believers of all ages, as opposed to terms like church and in Christ, which apply only to those who are the body of Christ in this age.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
19. The Holy Spirit is the Restrainer of evil in the world. He cannot be taken out as prophesied unless the church which is indwelt by the Holy Spirit is taken out.
20. The Holy Spirit will be taken out before the "lawless one" is revealed. That lawless one will certainly be revealed in the tribulation. In fact, the tribulation begins with the signing of the covenant between that lawless one and Israel. That act will reveal him.
21. The "falling away" in 2 Thes 2:3 would better be understood in its context as "the departure." This is a reference to the departure of the Holy Spirit as He indwells the church.
22. The work of the Holy Spirit making the church like Christ where they submit to death and persecution, whereas the OT saints (see many of the Psalms) and the tribulations saints cry out for vengeance (Rev 6:10)
The Hermeneutical Argument
23. Only the pre-trib view allows for a truely literal interpretation in all of the OT & NT passages regarding the great tribulation.
24. Only the pre-trib position clearly distinguishes the church and Israel and God's dealing with each. The Necessity of an Interval of Time between the Rapture and the Second Coming
25. All believers must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10). This event is never mentioned in the account of events surrounding the second coming.
26. The "four and twenty elders" in rev 4:1-5:14 are representative of the church. Therefore it is necessary that the church, undivided, be brought to glory before those events of the tribulation.
27. There is clearly a coming of Christ for his bride before the second coming to earth. Rev 19:7-10.
28. Tribulation saints are not translated at the second coming of Christ but carry on ordinary activities. These specifically include farming, construction, and giving birth. (Is 65:20-25).
29. The Judgment of the Gentile nations following the second coming (Mat 25:31-46) indicates that both the saved and the lost are in a natural body which would be impossible if the translation had taken place at the second coming.
30. If the translation took place at the same time as the second coming, there would be no need to separating the sheep from the goats at the subsequent judgment. The act of the translation would be the separation.
31. The Judgment of Israel (Ez 20:34-38) occurs after the second coming and requires a regathered Israel. Again, the separation of the saved and the lost would be unnecessary if all the saved had previously been separated by a translation at the second coming.
Differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming.
32. At the Rapture, the church meets Christ in the air. At the second coming, Christ returns to the Mt of Olives.
33. At the time of the Rapture, the Mt of Olives is unchanged. At the second coming it is divided forming a valley east of Jerusalem.
34. At the time of the rapture, saints are translated. No saints are translated at the time of the second coming.
35. At the time of the rapture, the world is not judge for sin, but descends deeper into sin. At the second coming, the world is Judged by the King of kings.
36. The translation of the church is pictured as a deliverance from the day of wrath, whereas the coming of Christ is a deliverance for those who have suffered under severe tribulation.
37. The rapture is immanent whereas there are specific signs which precede the second coming.
38. The translation of living believers is a truth revealed only in the NT. The second coming with the events surrounding it is prominent in both OT and NT.
39. The rapture is only for the saved, while the tribulation and second coming deals with the entire world.
40. No unfulfilled prophecy stands between the church and the rapture. Many signs must be fulfilled before the second coming of Christ.
41. No passage in either OT or NT deals with the resurrection of the saints at the second coming nor mentions the translation of living saints at that same time.
The Nature of the Tribulation
42. Only the pre-trib view maintains the distinction between the "great tribulation" and the tribulations in general which we all experience.
43. The great tribulation is properly understood in the pre-trib view as a preparation for the restoration of Israel. (Deut 4:29-30. Jer 30:4-11, Dan 9:24-27, Dan 12:1-2)
44. Not one single passage in the OT which discusses the tribulation, mentions the church.
45. Not one single passage in the NT which discusses the tribulation, mentions the church.
46. In contrast to mid trib or pre-wrath views, the pre-trib view offers an adequate explanation for the beginning of the great tribulation in Rev 6. These others are clearly refuted by the plain teaching of Scripture that the great tribulation begins long before the 7th trumpet of Rev 11.
47. There is no proper groundwork provided that the 7th trumpet of Rev is the last trumpet of 1 Cor 15. It is accepted only on the basis of assumption. The pre-trib view maintains the proper distinction between the prophetic trumpets of the church and the trumpets of the tribulation.
48. The Unity of Daniel's 70th week is maintained by the pre-trib view. By contrast, the mid-trib view destroys the unity and confuses the program for Israel and the church. The post trib view usually denies the clear teaching of the 70th weeks by subverting it into some form or another of allegory.
49. The gathering of saints after the tribulation is done by angels whereas the gathering of the church is done by "The Lord Himself."
50. Rev 22:17-20 And the Spirit and the Bride say come. And he that heareth, let him say come ... He who testifieth of these things saith
"Yea, I come quickly, AMEN. COME LORD JESUS.
Please feel free to email me, Jason, at
bibleprophesy@yahoo.com
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S GRACE
GRACE - a most beautiful word, a Biblamosthreethreeical doctrine of immense importance! Titus 2:11-15 speaks these wonderful words about God’s grace:
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach); Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”
THE APPEARANCE OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:11
“the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men”
Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches us:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
It is NOT faith in this passage that is the “gift of God” - the word “that” is a masculine singular demonstrative pronoun and cannot modify “faith” which in Greek is a feminine noun. The word “that” is referring to the first phrase or clause which reads “having been saved by grace” - it is salvation by grace that is “not of yourselves” but rather is a “gift of God.” If we learn anything about the wonderful salvation that God has given us through the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord Yeshua, it is that God’s grace (which gives us what we do not deserve!) has made it possible!
THE ADMONITIONS OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:12
“teaching us that” - the Greek word is “paideuo” and is used 13 times in the Greek New Testament. In Hebrews 12:6, 7, & 10 it is translated “chasten.” It refers to discipline and training. The grace of God does not lead us into a sinful lifestyle where the concept of freedom is to do whatever we want to do. Grace disciplines us, teaching us to avoid (”denying”) two things: “ungodliness” and “worldly lusts” - these two words represent the SECULARISM and the SENSUALITY of our culture. Secularism leaves God out of the picture, and evil sensuality violates God’s standards of holiness and righteousness.
Grace also teaches us to apply three qualities while we try to survive in this sinful, secular society of today. First, it involves the word “soberly” - the Greek word “sophronos” is only used in this verse; it is related to words that refer to sound mindedness, sound judgment, and self-discipline. Secondly, it involves the word “righteously” - the Greek “dikaios” - it simply and clearly means doing what is right. Thirdly, it involves being “godly” - the Greek word “eusebos” refers to honoring God and being concerned about worship.
THE ANTICIPATION OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:13
“Looking for that blessed hope” - This hope of the believer will one day burst into a wonderful display of the majesty of our Lord - “the glorious appearing” - literally in the Greek text it is “and appearing of the glory” - Granville Sharp’s rule makes “hope” and “appearing” equal! Colossians 3:1-4 says that when Christ Who is our life will appear, then we will appear with Him “in glory.”
The “glory” of our Lord is described again by Granville Sharp’s rule (two nouns connecting by “and” with the definite article “the” in front of the first noun only, but not the second noun) when we read “the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” - Our Lord Yeshua is both “the great God” and “our Savior.”
THE AIM OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:14
We are told that our Lord “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.” The wonderful provision of His grace is SUFFICIENT for (Greek preposition - “huper” - “in the behalf of”) all men - cf. I Timothy 2:5-6; 4:10; I John 2:2; and it is SACRIFICIAL (”gave Himself”) and it is SAVING (”redeem us from all iniquity - Greek word is “lawlessness”)
The aim (purpose) of His grace is to “purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” This aim is centered in the will of God Himself, for the text says “purify (cleanse) unto Himself.” It is also characterized by good works which is again the argument of Ephesians 2:10.
THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:15
This authority involves the WORDS that we speak - “these things speak” and the WAY we speak them - “exhort and rebuke” and comes with a WARNING - “Let no man despise thee.” It is easy to be threatened or intimidated by others instead of being loyal to what God says in His Word!
II Corinthians 12:9-10 reminds us that God’s grace is SUFFICIENT!
To Him be all the glory and praise!
David Hocking - Copyright © 2005 - 2006 Hope For Today
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach); Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”
THE APPEARANCE OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:11
“the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men”
Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches us:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
It is NOT faith in this passage that is the “gift of God” - the word “that” is a masculine singular demonstrative pronoun and cannot modify “faith” which in Greek is a feminine noun. The word “that” is referring to the first phrase or clause which reads “having been saved by grace” - it is salvation by grace that is “not of yourselves” but rather is a “gift of God.” If we learn anything about the wonderful salvation that God has given us through the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord Yeshua, it is that God’s grace (which gives us what we do not deserve!) has made it possible!
THE ADMONITIONS OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:12
“teaching us that” - the Greek word is “paideuo” and is used 13 times in the Greek New Testament. In Hebrews 12:6, 7, & 10 it is translated “chasten.” It refers to discipline and training. The grace of God does not lead us into a sinful lifestyle where the concept of freedom is to do whatever we want to do. Grace disciplines us, teaching us to avoid (”denying”) two things: “ungodliness” and “worldly lusts” - these two words represent the SECULARISM and the SENSUALITY of our culture. Secularism leaves God out of the picture, and evil sensuality violates God’s standards of holiness and righteousness.
Grace also teaches us to apply three qualities while we try to survive in this sinful, secular society of today. First, it involves the word “soberly” - the Greek word “sophronos” is only used in this verse; it is related to words that refer to sound mindedness, sound judgment, and self-discipline. Secondly, it involves the word “righteously” - the Greek “dikaios” - it simply and clearly means doing what is right. Thirdly, it involves being “godly” - the Greek word “eusebos” refers to honoring God and being concerned about worship.
THE ANTICIPATION OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:13
“Looking for that blessed hope” - This hope of the believer will one day burst into a wonderful display of the majesty of our Lord - “the glorious appearing” - literally in the Greek text it is “and appearing of the glory” - Granville Sharp’s rule makes “hope” and “appearing” equal! Colossians 3:1-4 says that when Christ Who is our life will appear, then we will appear with Him “in glory.”
The “glory” of our Lord is described again by Granville Sharp’s rule (two nouns connecting by “and” with the definite article “the” in front of the first noun only, but not the second noun) when we read “the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” - Our Lord Yeshua is both “the great God” and “our Savior.”
THE AIM OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:14
We are told that our Lord “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.” The wonderful provision of His grace is SUFFICIENT for (Greek preposition - “huper” - “in the behalf of”) all men - cf. I Timothy 2:5-6; 4:10; I John 2:2; and it is SACRIFICIAL (”gave Himself”) and it is SAVING (”redeem us from all iniquity - Greek word is “lawlessness”)
The aim (purpose) of His grace is to “purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” This aim is centered in the will of God Himself, for the text says “purify (cleanse) unto Himself.” It is also characterized by good works which is again the argument of Ephesians 2:10.
THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S GRACE - Titus 2:15
This authority involves the WORDS that we speak - “these things speak” and the WAY we speak them - “exhort and rebuke” and comes with a WARNING - “Let no man despise thee.” It is easy to be threatened or intimidated by others instead of being loyal to what God says in His Word!
II Corinthians 12:9-10 reminds us that God’s grace is SUFFICIENT!
To Him be all the glory and praise!
David Hocking - Copyright © 2005 - 2006 Hope For Today
Monday, July 10, 2006
Ten End Time Prophecies
These 10 Bible prophecies from Jesus, Zechariah and the Bible's book of Revelation deal with the End Times, Apocalypse, or Last Days, when Jesus is to return and judge the living and the dead.
1. Jerusalem would become an international problem
Bible passage: Zechariah 12:1-5
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Zechariah 12, the prophet said that there would come a time when the surrounding nations would besiege Jerusalem and Judah (the area around Jerusalem), and that all the nations of the world would gather against Jerusalem, but that God ultimately would save the city and its people. This is widely regarded as an End Time prophecy to be fulfilled in the future.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this prophecy is that it is predicated on Jerusalem being a city of critical interest to the rest of the world. And it just so happens that Jerusalem is the only city in the world that is of interest to the rest of the world.
For Jews, it is their ancient capital, founded by King David about 3000 years ago. Many Arab Moslems, however, believe that the city should be part of an independent state for Palestinian Arabs. The issue of who should control Jerusalem has been a cause of the Arab-Israeli wars during the past century.
And, the conflict between Arabs and Jews has been a primary reason as to why the international community has taken an interest in Jerusalem. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly approved a plan to carve up the ancient land of Israel into a state for Jews and another for Arabs. This plan would have established Jerusalem as an international city to be governed by the United Nations.
This extremely unusual proposal, suggesting that a city be governed by the United Nations, simply shows the unique status that Jerusalem already has in the world: It is the only city in the world that is of interest to the rest of the world.
Given the history of the city, the volatile conflict between Israel and the surrounding Arab nations, and the unusual interest that the international community has shown in regards to Jerusalem, it seems clear that the groundwork for the future fulfillment of this prophecy is in place.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Zechariah 12:1-5
This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the Lord. "I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, `The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.'
2. When Israel blooms again, the Kingdom of God will be near
Bible passage: Luke 21:29-31
Recorded: about 30 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Luke 21:29-31, Jesus said that when the fig tree blooms again, people will know that the End Times and Kingdom of God is near. Some Christian scholars believe that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel. This passage is sometimes interpreted to mean that the End Times would not begin until sometime after the nation of Israel regains sovereignty. When Jesus delivered this prophecy about 2000 years ago, Israel was ruled over by the Roman Empire. The people of Israel did not have sovereignty over their own land during that era. But, after centuries of exile, the Jews were able to return to Israel and reclaim sovereignty, in 1948.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Luke 21:29-31
He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
3. The Messiah will appear after the Jews return to Israel
Bible passage: Jeremiah 23:3-6
Written: sometime from 626 to about 586 BC
Fulfilled: end times
In Jeremiah 23:3-6, there is a prophecy that indicates when the Messiah is to appear in the land of Israel. Jeremiah said that it would be after the exiled people of Israel return to their homeland. From a Christian point of view, this is of special interest because Jesus is supposed to appear twice. And this coincides with the fact that the people of Israel have been expelled from their homeland twice, and that they are currently in the process of returning after the second expulsion.
More than 2500 years ago, the Assyrians and Babylonians forced the people of Israel out of their homeland. Many returned during the centuries that followed and then Jesus appeared, about 2000 years ago, and announced that he is the Messiah. Later, the people of Israel were again forced out of their land (by the Romans in 135 AD) and scattered to countries throughout the world.
But, during the past few centuries, millions of exiled Jews around the world have returned to their ancient homeland. And this is one of the reasons why Christians say that the world is being prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. Because, as Jeremiah had prophesied long ago, the Messiah is to appear after the people of Israel return to their land.
The phrase, in Jeremiah 23:5, "I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King," refers to the Messiah, and that he will be a king and a descendant of King David, who reigned over Israel about 3000 years ago. Christians believe that when Jesus returns, he will establish a kingdom of peace and righteousness.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Jeremiah 23:3-6
"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.
4. The Gospel will be preached to the entire world
Bible passage: Matthew 24:14
Recorded: about 30 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Matthew 24:14, the Bible says that the Gospel (the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) will be preached throughout the world. The Bible also says that after this happens, the end times will come. The Bible has been preached throughout the world for a long time. But now, with the increasing worldwide availability of television and the Internet, there is greater potential for the Gospel to be preached to everyone, everywhere.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
5. The world would be able to simultaneously witness events
Bible passage: Revelation 11:9-10
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 11:9-10, the Bible gives a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, at least not in a literal sense. But, perhaps for the first time in history, it can be fulfilled. The prophecy says that people all over the world will be able to simultaneously witness a particular event (the death of two prophets). This of course would have been difficult before the popularization of television and the Internet. But it is now common for people worldwide to simultaneously witness events via television and the Internet.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 11:9-10
For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
6. Zechariah foreshadowed modern warfare
Bible passage: Zechariah 14:12
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Zechariah, chapter 14, the prophet says a time will come when nations gather to attack Jerusalem. In Zechariah 14:12, the prophet says the nations that attack Jerusalem will be struck with a "plague" that will cause their flesh to rot while they are still standing. This might be a fitting description for modern warfare if it were described by a person who lived 2500 years ago, as Zechariah did. Chemical weapons are capable of causing rapid deterioration of flesh. And a blast of heat from a nuclear weapon could have a similar affect. Some Bible scholars, however, believe that this plague could refer to a supernatural event from God to protect the Holy Land.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Zechariah 14:12
This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
7. Many people will go to Jerusalem to seek God's favor
Bible passage: Zechariah 8:22
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Zechariah 8:22, the prophet said 2500 years ago that a time will come when many people go to Jerusalem to seek and honor God. This prophecy has been at least partially fulfilled already. The Jews recaptured Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. Since then, people from around the world have toured Jerusalem to visit various sites that are important to the history of Judaism and Christianity. Jerusalem is also an important city to Moslems.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Zechariah 8:22
And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him."
8. Book of Revelation envisioned an army of 200 million
Bible passage: Revelation 9:16
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 9:16, the Bible says that an army of 200 million will one day be assembled. This prophecy, obviously, hasn't been fulfilled yet, at least not literally. But, as the world's population rises above 6 billion, it is increasingly possible for a coalition of countries to amass an army of 200 million, and this would have been unthinkable even 100 years ago.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 9:16
The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
9. The troops would cross the Euphrates
Bible passage: Revelation 16:12
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 16:12, the Bible says there will come a time when the flow of the Euphrates River is halted or dried up, preparing the way for the "the kings from the East." Some scholars have connected this prophecy to others that speak of armies waging war in Israel. When the book of Revelation was written 1900 years ago, it would have taken a great natural disaster, or a great amount of labor to divert the flow of the Euphrates so that an army could cross it. (In 539 BC, Cyrus and his army diverted the flow so that his troops could march across the riverbed and conquer Babylon). But, today, there are a series of dams that would make it much easier to divert the flow of the powerful river.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 16:12
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
10. People would be forced to receive the mark of the beast
Bible passage: Revelation 13:16-18
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 13:16-18, the Bible says that there would come a time when a powerful leader would force people to receive a "mark" on or in their right hand or forehead, and that no one would be able to buy or sell unless they had that mark. When the book of Revelation was written about 1900 years ago, it would have been nearly impossible for a world leader to force everyone to receive such a mark. But, today, with modern technology, it would be much easier. Today, for example, it would be possible to implant under a person's skin a small microchip that could be used like a credit card.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 13:16-18
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV).
Notes: Bible verses are from the New International Version (NIV) translation.
Copyright ©1999-2006 George Konig
1. Jerusalem would become an international problem
Bible passage: Zechariah 12:1-5
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Zechariah 12, the prophet said that there would come a time when the surrounding nations would besiege Jerusalem and Judah (the area around Jerusalem), and that all the nations of the world would gather against Jerusalem, but that God ultimately would save the city and its people. This is widely regarded as an End Time prophecy to be fulfilled in the future.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this prophecy is that it is predicated on Jerusalem being a city of critical interest to the rest of the world. And it just so happens that Jerusalem is the only city in the world that is of interest to the rest of the world.
For Jews, it is their ancient capital, founded by King David about 3000 years ago. Many Arab Moslems, however, believe that the city should be part of an independent state for Palestinian Arabs. The issue of who should control Jerusalem has been a cause of the Arab-Israeli wars during the past century.
And, the conflict between Arabs and Jews has been a primary reason as to why the international community has taken an interest in Jerusalem. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly approved a plan to carve up the ancient land of Israel into a state for Jews and another for Arabs. This plan would have established Jerusalem as an international city to be governed by the United Nations.
This extremely unusual proposal, suggesting that a city be governed by the United Nations, simply shows the unique status that Jerusalem already has in the world: It is the only city in the world that is of interest to the rest of the world.
Given the history of the city, the volatile conflict between Israel and the surrounding Arab nations, and the unusual interest that the international community has shown in regards to Jerusalem, it seems clear that the groundwork for the future fulfillment of this prophecy is in place.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Zechariah 12:1-5
This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the Lord. "I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, `The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.'
2. When Israel blooms again, the Kingdom of God will be near
Bible passage: Luke 21:29-31
Recorded: about 30 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Luke 21:29-31, Jesus said that when the fig tree blooms again, people will know that the End Times and Kingdom of God is near. Some Christian scholars believe that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel. This passage is sometimes interpreted to mean that the End Times would not begin until sometime after the nation of Israel regains sovereignty. When Jesus delivered this prophecy about 2000 years ago, Israel was ruled over by the Roman Empire. The people of Israel did not have sovereignty over their own land during that era. But, after centuries of exile, the Jews were able to return to Israel and reclaim sovereignty, in 1948.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Luke 21:29-31
He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
3. The Messiah will appear after the Jews return to Israel
Bible passage: Jeremiah 23:3-6
Written: sometime from 626 to about 586 BC
Fulfilled: end times
In Jeremiah 23:3-6, there is a prophecy that indicates when the Messiah is to appear in the land of Israel. Jeremiah said that it would be after the exiled people of Israel return to their homeland. From a Christian point of view, this is of special interest because Jesus is supposed to appear twice. And this coincides with the fact that the people of Israel have been expelled from their homeland twice, and that they are currently in the process of returning after the second expulsion.
More than 2500 years ago, the Assyrians and Babylonians forced the people of Israel out of their homeland. Many returned during the centuries that followed and then Jesus appeared, about 2000 years ago, and announced that he is the Messiah. Later, the people of Israel were again forced out of their land (by the Romans in 135 AD) and scattered to countries throughout the world.
But, during the past few centuries, millions of exiled Jews around the world have returned to their ancient homeland. And this is one of the reasons why Christians say that the world is being prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. Because, as Jeremiah had prophesied long ago, the Messiah is to appear after the people of Israel return to their land.
The phrase, in Jeremiah 23:5, "I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King," refers to the Messiah, and that he will be a king and a descendant of King David, who reigned over Israel about 3000 years ago. Christians believe that when Jesus returns, he will establish a kingdom of peace and righteousness.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Jeremiah 23:3-6
"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.
4. The Gospel will be preached to the entire world
Bible passage: Matthew 24:14
Recorded: about 30 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Matthew 24:14, the Bible says that the Gospel (the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) will be preached throughout the world. The Bible also says that after this happens, the end times will come. The Bible has been preached throughout the world for a long time. But now, with the increasing worldwide availability of television and the Internet, there is greater potential for the Gospel to be preached to everyone, everywhere.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
5. The world would be able to simultaneously witness events
Bible passage: Revelation 11:9-10
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 11:9-10, the Bible gives a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, at least not in a literal sense. But, perhaps for the first time in history, it can be fulfilled. The prophecy says that people all over the world will be able to simultaneously witness a particular event (the death of two prophets). This of course would have been difficult before the popularization of television and the Internet. But it is now common for people worldwide to simultaneously witness events via television and the Internet.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 11:9-10
For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
6. Zechariah foreshadowed modern warfare
Bible passage: Zechariah 14:12
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Zechariah, chapter 14, the prophet says a time will come when nations gather to attack Jerusalem. In Zechariah 14:12, the prophet says the nations that attack Jerusalem will be struck with a "plague" that will cause their flesh to rot while they are still standing. This might be a fitting description for modern warfare if it were described by a person who lived 2500 years ago, as Zechariah did. Chemical weapons are capable of causing rapid deterioration of flesh. And a blast of heat from a nuclear weapon could have a similar affect. Some Bible scholars, however, believe that this plague could refer to a supernatural event from God to protect the Holy Land.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Zechariah 14:12
This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
7. Many people will go to Jerusalem to seek God's favor
Bible passage: Zechariah 8:22
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Zechariah 8:22, the prophet said 2500 years ago that a time will come when many people go to Jerusalem to seek and honor God. This prophecy has been at least partially fulfilled already. The Jews recaptured Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. Since then, people from around the world have toured Jerusalem to visit various sites that are important to the history of Judaism and Christianity. Jerusalem is also an important city to Moslems.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Zechariah 8:22
And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him."
8. Book of Revelation envisioned an army of 200 million
Bible passage: Revelation 9:16
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 9:16, the Bible says that an army of 200 million will one day be assembled. This prophecy, obviously, hasn't been fulfilled yet, at least not literally. But, as the world's population rises above 6 billion, it is increasingly possible for a coalition of countries to amass an army of 200 million, and this would have been unthinkable even 100 years ago.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 9:16
The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
9. The troops would cross the Euphrates
Bible passage: Revelation 16:12
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 16:12, the Bible says there will come a time when the flow of the Euphrates River is halted or dried up, preparing the way for the "the kings from the East." Some scholars have connected this prophecy to others that speak of armies waging war in Israel. When the book of Revelation was written 1900 years ago, it would have taken a great natural disaster, or a great amount of labor to divert the flow of the Euphrates so that an army could cross it. (In 539 BC, Cyrus and his army diverted the flow so that his troops could march across the riverbed and conquer Babylon). But, today, there are a series of dams that would make it much easier to divert the flow of the powerful river.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 16:12
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
10. People would be forced to receive the mark of the beast
Bible passage: Revelation 13:16-18
Written: sometime between 54 and 95 AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
In Revelation 13:16-18, the Bible says that there would come a time when a powerful leader would force people to receive a "mark" on or in their right hand or forehead, and that no one would be able to buy or sell unless they had that mark. When the book of Revelation was written about 1900 years ago, it would have been nearly impossible for a world leader to force everyone to receive such a mark. But, today, with modern technology, it would be much easier. Today, for example, it would be possible to implant under a person's skin a small microchip that could be used like a credit card.
- Copyright AboutBibleProphecy.com and konig.org
Revelation 13:16-18
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV).
Notes: Bible verses are from the New International Version (NIV) translation.
Copyright ©1999-2006 George Konig
Sunday, July 09, 2006
AMERICA: IS THERE ANY HOPE?
II Chronicles 7:11-22
On this past July 4th, our thoughts turned to the freedom that we enjoy in this great country. Patriotic celebrations were being conducted in many places with the American flag being proudly displayed in homes, businesses, and churches. But, in spite of all the celebrations, there is an uneasy feeling among most Americans that something is definitely wrong with our country.
In the Bible we learn that the Nation of Israel was also warned about what could happen if they did not fulfill their God-given role and responsibilities in this world. The instruction came to Solomon after the dedication ceremonies for the newly-completed Temple. Please take a moment to read the passage in II Chronicles 7.
WHAT IS WRONG?
1A. WE HAVE FORSAKEN THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD! - II Chron. 7:19
(Lack of OBEDIENCE)
2A. WE HAVE FOLLOWED OTHER BELIEFS INSTEAD OF THE LORD AND HIS WORD! - II Chron. 7:22; Heb. 11:6
(Lack of FAITH)
3A. WE HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST THE LORD HIMSELF! II Chron. 36:12-13; Prov. 28:9; 29:1; Heb. 3:7-13
(Lack of SUBMISSION)
4A. WE HAVE FOUND TEMPORARY SATISFACTION IN IMMORAL PRACTICES! - “wicked ways” II Chron. 36:14 - “all the abominations of the heathen” - cf. Lev. 18:24-30; Deut. 18:9-14
(Lack of HOLINESS)
5A. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THE SANCTITY OF LIFE! II Kings 21:1-16 - “innocent blood”
(Lack of VALUES)
6A. WE HAVE FAILED TO RESPOND TO GOD’S WARNINGS! II Chron. 36:15-16
(Lack of REPENTANCE)
IS THERE ANY HOPE?
1A. SUBMIT TO GOD! - “humble themselves” - cf. James 4:7-10 - The problem is PRIDE in one’s ability to function without God and His help.
2A. SPEND TIME IN PRAYER! - “pray” - The problem is PRIORITIES - other things seem more important or needful at the moment - cf. Colossians 4:2-6
3A. SEEK THE LORD AND HIS WILL! - “seek My face” - The problem is PLANNING our lives without God in mind - trying to operate without Him and His wisdom - cf. James 1:3-8
4A. SEPARATE FROM SINFUL PRACTICES! - “turn from their wicked ways” - The problem is PLEASURES of sin that we refuse to give up - that have been tolerated and accepted for so long! - cf. I Thess. 4:3; 5:22
Yes, there is hope for America! We need to repent and to seek the Lord with all of our hearts! Would it not be wonderful to see a moral and spiritual awakening in our country? God is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think” - Philippians 3:20.
Copyright © 2005 Dr. David Hocking - Hope For Today Ministries
So then, we should not sleep, as the rest also do, but we should watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6
On this past July 4th, our thoughts turned to the freedom that we enjoy in this great country. Patriotic celebrations were being conducted in many places with the American flag being proudly displayed in homes, businesses, and churches. But, in spite of all the celebrations, there is an uneasy feeling among most Americans that something is definitely wrong with our country.
In the Bible we learn that the Nation of Israel was also warned about what could happen if they did not fulfill their God-given role and responsibilities in this world. The instruction came to Solomon after the dedication ceremonies for the newly-completed Temple. Please take a moment to read the passage in II Chronicles 7.
WHAT IS WRONG?
1A. WE HAVE FORSAKEN THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD! - II Chron. 7:19
(Lack of OBEDIENCE)
2A. WE HAVE FOLLOWED OTHER BELIEFS INSTEAD OF THE LORD AND HIS WORD! - II Chron. 7:22; Heb. 11:6
(Lack of FAITH)
3A. WE HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST THE LORD HIMSELF! II Chron. 36:12-13; Prov. 28:9; 29:1; Heb. 3:7-13
(Lack of SUBMISSION)
4A. WE HAVE FOUND TEMPORARY SATISFACTION IN IMMORAL PRACTICES! - “wicked ways” II Chron. 36:14 - “all the abominations of the heathen” - cf. Lev. 18:24-30; Deut. 18:9-14
(Lack of HOLINESS)
5A. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THE SANCTITY OF LIFE! II Kings 21:1-16 - “innocent blood”
(Lack of VALUES)
6A. WE HAVE FAILED TO RESPOND TO GOD’S WARNINGS! II Chron. 36:15-16
(Lack of REPENTANCE)
IS THERE ANY HOPE?
1A. SUBMIT TO GOD! - “humble themselves” - cf. James 4:7-10 - The problem is PRIDE in one’s ability to function without God and His help.
2A. SPEND TIME IN PRAYER! - “pray” - The problem is PRIORITIES - other things seem more important or needful at the moment - cf. Colossians 4:2-6
3A. SEEK THE LORD AND HIS WILL! - “seek My face” - The problem is PLANNING our lives without God in mind - trying to operate without Him and His wisdom - cf. James 1:3-8
4A. SEPARATE FROM SINFUL PRACTICES! - “turn from their wicked ways” - The problem is PLEASURES of sin that we refuse to give up - that have been tolerated and accepted for so long! - cf. I Thess. 4:3; 5:22
Yes, there is hope for America! We need to repent and to seek the Lord with all of our hearts! Would it not be wonderful to see a moral and spiritual awakening in our country? God is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think” - Philippians 3:20.
Copyright © 2005 Dr. David Hocking - Hope For Today Ministries
So then, we should not sleep, as the rest also do, but we should watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Accuracy of Bible prophecy
The Old Testament of the Bible was written more than 2000 years ago. Christians call it the Old Testament. Jews call it the Tanakh. Both regard it as the word of God. The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies about the future. These prophecies are not "predictions," they are promises from God. Many of these promises have found fulfillment in recorded historical events during the past 1900 years. Did you know that the Bible foretold the following events:
1. Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed.
2. The Jews would be exiled.
3. Israel would become a wasteland.
4. The Jews would be scattered worldwide.
5. The Jews would be persecuted worldwide.
6. The Jews would have a worldwide impact.
7. The Jews, and their national identity, would be preserved.
8. The Jews would return to their ancient homeland.
9. Enemies of the Jews would also reside in their homeland.
10. The Jews would have Israel again as their own country.
1. Jerusalem would be destroyed
Examples: Daniel 9:26, Deuteronomy 28:49-52, Deuteronomy 29:23, Hosea 3:4-5, Leviticus 26:31-32, Luke 21:24, Micah 3:11-12.
In Micah 3:11-12, the prophet Micah said 2700 years ago that Jerusalem would be destroyed and Zion (a central part of Jerusalem) would be "plowed like a field." Since the time of Micah, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, in 586 BC. And then the Romans destroyed the city, twice, in 70 AD and in 135 AD.
According to a text in the Gemara - an ancient Jewish writing - the Romans ran a plow over Zion on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Ab. The Gemara said that Turnus Rufus, a Roman officer, plowed the area of the Temple. And there was a Roman coin minted during the era of Hadrian - the Roman general who destroyed Jerusalem in 135 AD - that shows an image of a man riding a plow over the site of Jerusalem. The coin was intended to commemorate the founding of the pagan Roman city called Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem.
2. The Jews would be exiled
Examples: Deuteronomy 4:25-30, Deuteronomy 28:36-37, Deuteronomy 28:65-67, Hosea 9:17.
The people of Israel were exiled from the northern part of their homeland by the Assyrians about 2700 years ago, and from the southern part of their homeland by the Babylonians about 2600 years ago. Some returned after those exiles. But the people again were exiled by the Romans, about 1900 years ago. The Romans banned Jews from living in Jerusalem. Even today, the majority of Jews live outside of their ancient homeland.
3. Israel would become a wasteland
Examples: Deuteronomy 29:23, Ezekiel 36:33-35 (indirectly), Isaiah 51:3, Leviticus 26:31-32.
In Deuteronomy 29:23, the Bible said Israel would become a wasteland. The land has often been described as having been a wasteland. American writer Mark Twain wrote this, in 1867, about the land of Israel, which at the time was called Palestine: "Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes… the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies… Palestine is desolate and unlovely… It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land." - from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. The Bible also said that the land again would become productive. This transformation has been taking place during the past century as many Jews have been working to restore Israel.
4. The Jews would be scattered worldwide
Examples: Deuteronomy 4:25-30, Deuteronomy 28:64, Deuteronomy 28:65-67, Genesis 28:10-15, Hosea 9:17.
Imagine that "prophets" from every country of the world had predicted in ancient times that their people would be forced out of their homeland and forcibly scattered to all nations of the world. How many of those countries would have prophets who would have been proven correct? None, except for Israel. Only one group of people, in the history of this world, has been forcibly scattered to every inhabited continent of this world - the Jews.
When the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans ousted the Jews from their homeland, the Jews fled to countries near the Mediterranean Sea in north Africa, west Asia and southern Europe. When the Europeans tormented the Jews, they fled to the east into Arabic countries in Asia. And when they were tormented there, they fled to west to Europe. When the Spaniards oppressed the Jews in the late 1400s, many Jews boarded ships that traveled to South America. And when the Jews were marked for annihilation by the Nazis in Europe, they fled to Australia, South Africa, North America and South America. There have been Jewish settlements as far east of Israel as China, as far west as California, as far south as South America, South Africa and Australia, and as far north as Russia, Scandinavia and Canada. Persecution forced the Jews out of their homeland. And persecution forced the Jews out of their adopted countries and into other countries throughout the world, just as the Bible prophets had claimed more than 2000 years ago.
5. The Jews would be persecuted worldwide
Examples: Deuteronomy 28:65-67, Deuteronomy 31:16-17, Leviticus 26:31-32, Zechariah 8:13.
Imagine that "prophets" from every country of the world had predicted in ancient times that their people would be scattered worldwide and persecuted worldwide. How many of those countries would have prophets who would have been proven correct? None, except for Israel. Only one group of people in the history of this world has been forcibly scattered to every inhabited continent of this world and persecuted in every inhabited continent. And that group is the Jews. They were scattered worldwide and persecuted worldwide, just as the ancient Jewish prophets had foretold in the Bible.
6. The Jews would have a worldwide impact
Examples: Deuteronomy 28:64, Genesis 12:2-3, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 28:10-15, Genesis 35:9-12, Isaiah 27:6, Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 49:6.
The people who wrote the Bible were Jews. Try finding someone who could plausibly deny that the Bible is the most published, the most circulated, the most widely read, and the most influential book in history.
No group of people in the world has ever had this kind of impact on the world. In fact, write down a list of the most influential people in theology, governance, philosophy, music, science, literature and commerce. And then check to see which group of people appears prominently on all lists. And yet the Jews are small in number, comprising less than 1 percent of the world's population. Please note that the authors of this article are non-Jews who are simply trying to point out what they believe is plainly true to anyone who is honest - that the Jews have had a far greater impact on the day-to-day life of people worldwide than any other group of people.
7. The Jews, and their identity as a group, would be preserved
Examples: Isaiah 66:22, Jeremiah 30:11, Jeremiah 31:10, Jeremiah 31:35-36, Jeremiah 32:36-37, Jeremiah 46:28, Leviticus 26:3-8, Leviticus 26:44, Zechariah 8:13.
What other group of people has survived so many centuries of worldwide dispersion and managed to preserve their ancient culture, their ancient religion and their ancient language? None. What other group of people, after enduring 19 centuries of exile, has been able to return in large numbers to their ancient homeland and even reclaim sovereignty over a significant portion of it? None. Only the Jews. What other group or nation had prophets who said that their people would be exiled and scattered worldwide, and that they would remain a distinct, viable group of people, and that they would one day return to their ancient homeland and reclaim it as their own land? None. Only the Jews.
8. The Jews would return to their ancient homeland
Examples: Amos 9:14-15, Deuteronomy 4:25-30, Deuteronomy 30:3-5, Ezekiel 20:34, Ezekiel 34:13, Ezekiel 36:24, Genesis 28:10-15, Isaiah 27:12-13, Isaiah 43:5-6, Jeremiah 23:3-6, Jeremiah 32:36-37, Jeremiah 32:37-41, Zechariah 8:7-8.
During the late 1800s, after about 17 centuries of exile, the Jews began to return to their ancient homeland, which at that time was called Palestine and was ruled over by the Ottoman Empire. A few million more returned shortly before and after the World War II Holocaust, in which the Nazis sought to destroy all Jews as part of their so-called "Final Solution." When the Jews reclaimed sovereignty for Israel in 1948, it was the first time in about 2000 years that the Jews had sovereignty over any part of their homeland. It was also the first time in about 2900 years that Israel was both a united and sovereign country. Has any other country endured such lengthy intervals of independence? Has any other country endured such intervals with the additional challenge of having its residents exiled and scattered throughout the world?
9. Enemies of the Jews would also reside in their homeland
Example: Leviticus 26:31-32.
In Leviticus 26:31-32, the Bible said that Israel would become a wasteland and that it would be inhabited by enemies of the Jews. Both parts of this prophecy have been clearly documented throughout history. Many Jews were forced out of their homeland by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. Each time, other people were able to move into the land. These people often had conflicts with the Jews when the Jews returned to their homeland. When the Jews began returning during the 1800s and 1900s, they had skirmishes with the peoples living there, including the Arabs, who continue to live in parts of Israel. Perhaps every country in the world has "enemies" residing within. But how many of those countries have enemies that seek the destruction of the host nation? And how many of those countries had prophets who predicted it?
10. The Jews would have Israel again as their own country, again
Examples: Amos 9:14-15, Ezekiel 4:3-6, Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 36:24, Ezekiel 37:10-14, Ezekiel 37:15-19, Ezekiel 37:21-22, Genesis 15:18, Genesis 28:10-15, Genesis 35:9-12, Isaiah 66:7-8, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Jeremiah 32:44, Micah 7:8-11.
In Isaiah 66:7-8, the prophet foreshadowed the re-birth of Israel. Isaiah describes a woman giving birth before going into labor, and he speaks of a country being born in one day. This accurately describes what happened on May 14, 1948 - when the Jews declared independence for Israel as a united and sovereign nation for the first time in 2900 years.
During that same day, the United States issued a statement recognizing Israel's sovereignty. And, only hours beforehand, a United Nations mandate expired, ending British control of the land. During a 24-hour span of time, foreign control of the land of Israel had formally ceased, and Israel had declared its independence, and its independence was acknowledged by other nations. Modern Israel literally was born in a single day.
Isaiah also said the birth would take place before there would be labor pains. And that too is precisely what happened. A movement called Zionism began in the 1800s to encourage Jews worldwide to move to Israel, which at that time was called Palestine. When the Jews declared sovereignty in 1948, the declaration did not follow a war for independence, but rather a war for independence followed the declaration. The birth was peaceful, the aftermath was painful. Within hours of the declaration, Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Israel prevailed in that war and expanded the size of the country by 50 percent.
Take the test:
1. Can you deny that any one of the following events happened during the past 1900 years:
1. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
2. The Jews were exiled.
3. Israel did become a wasteland.
4. The Jews were (and still are) scattered worldwide.
5. The Jews have been persecuted worldwide.
6. The Jews have had a tremendous worldwide impact.
7. The Jews, and their national identity, have been preserved.
8. The Jews are returning to their ancient homeland.
9. Enemies of the Jews are residing in their homeland.
10. The Jews do have Israel again as their own country.
2. Can you deny that the Bible's prophets had said each of those things would happen?
3. Can you deny that the Bible said each of those things more 2000 years ago? Or that all of those things have happened since then?
If you can - please tell us how. Our email address is:
abpquestions@yahoo.com
By George and Raymond Konig
Copyright ©2001-2006 George Konig
1. Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed.
2. The Jews would be exiled.
3. Israel would become a wasteland.
4. The Jews would be scattered worldwide.
5. The Jews would be persecuted worldwide.
6. The Jews would have a worldwide impact.
7. The Jews, and their national identity, would be preserved.
8. The Jews would return to their ancient homeland.
9. Enemies of the Jews would also reside in their homeland.
10. The Jews would have Israel again as their own country.
1. Jerusalem would be destroyed
Examples: Daniel 9:26, Deuteronomy 28:49-52, Deuteronomy 29:23, Hosea 3:4-5, Leviticus 26:31-32, Luke 21:24, Micah 3:11-12.
In Micah 3:11-12, the prophet Micah said 2700 years ago that Jerusalem would be destroyed and Zion (a central part of Jerusalem) would be "plowed like a field." Since the time of Micah, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, in 586 BC. And then the Romans destroyed the city, twice, in 70 AD and in 135 AD.
According to a text in the Gemara - an ancient Jewish writing - the Romans ran a plow over Zion on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Ab. The Gemara said that Turnus Rufus, a Roman officer, plowed the area of the Temple. And there was a Roman coin minted during the era of Hadrian - the Roman general who destroyed Jerusalem in 135 AD - that shows an image of a man riding a plow over the site of Jerusalem. The coin was intended to commemorate the founding of the pagan Roman city called Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem.
2. The Jews would be exiled
Examples: Deuteronomy 4:25-30, Deuteronomy 28:36-37, Deuteronomy 28:65-67, Hosea 9:17.
The people of Israel were exiled from the northern part of their homeland by the Assyrians about 2700 years ago, and from the southern part of their homeland by the Babylonians about 2600 years ago. Some returned after those exiles. But the people again were exiled by the Romans, about 1900 years ago. The Romans banned Jews from living in Jerusalem. Even today, the majority of Jews live outside of their ancient homeland.
3. Israel would become a wasteland
Examples: Deuteronomy 29:23, Ezekiel 36:33-35 (indirectly), Isaiah 51:3, Leviticus 26:31-32.
In Deuteronomy 29:23, the Bible said Israel would become a wasteland. The land has often been described as having been a wasteland. American writer Mark Twain wrote this, in 1867, about the land of Israel, which at the time was called Palestine: "Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes… the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies… Palestine is desolate and unlovely… It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land." - from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. The Bible also said that the land again would become productive. This transformation has been taking place during the past century as many Jews have been working to restore Israel.
4. The Jews would be scattered worldwide
Examples: Deuteronomy 4:25-30, Deuteronomy 28:64, Deuteronomy 28:65-67, Genesis 28:10-15, Hosea 9:17.
Imagine that "prophets" from every country of the world had predicted in ancient times that their people would be forced out of their homeland and forcibly scattered to all nations of the world. How many of those countries would have prophets who would have been proven correct? None, except for Israel. Only one group of people, in the history of this world, has been forcibly scattered to every inhabited continent of this world - the Jews.
When the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans ousted the Jews from their homeland, the Jews fled to countries near the Mediterranean Sea in north Africa, west Asia and southern Europe. When the Europeans tormented the Jews, they fled to the east into Arabic countries in Asia. And when they were tormented there, they fled to west to Europe. When the Spaniards oppressed the Jews in the late 1400s, many Jews boarded ships that traveled to South America. And when the Jews were marked for annihilation by the Nazis in Europe, they fled to Australia, South Africa, North America and South America. There have been Jewish settlements as far east of Israel as China, as far west as California, as far south as South America, South Africa and Australia, and as far north as Russia, Scandinavia and Canada. Persecution forced the Jews out of their homeland. And persecution forced the Jews out of their adopted countries and into other countries throughout the world, just as the Bible prophets had claimed more than 2000 years ago.
5. The Jews would be persecuted worldwide
Examples: Deuteronomy 28:65-67, Deuteronomy 31:16-17, Leviticus 26:31-32, Zechariah 8:13.
Imagine that "prophets" from every country of the world had predicted in ancient times that their people would be scattered worldwide and persecuted worldwide. How many of those countries would have prophets who would have been proven correct? None, except for Israel. Only one group of people in the history of this world has been forcibly scattered to every inhabited continent of this world and persecuted in every inhabited continent. And that group is the Jews. They were scattered worldwide and persecuted worldwide, just as the ancient Jewish prophets had foretold in the Bible.
6. The Jews would have a worldwide impact
Examples: Deuteronomy 28:64, Genesis 12:2-3, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 28:10-15, Genesis 35:9-12, Isaiah 27:6, Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 49:6.
The people who wrote the Bible were Jews. Try finding someone who could plausibly deny that the Bible is the most published, the most circulated, the most widely read, and the most influential book in history.
No group of people in the world has ever had this kind of impact on the world. In fact, write down a list of the most influential people in theology, governance, philosophy, music, science, literature and commerce. And then check to see which group of people appears prominently on all lists. And yet the Jews are small in number, comprising less than 1 percent of the world's population. Please note that the authors of this article are non-Jews who are simply trying to point out what they believe is plainly true to anyone who is honest - that the Jews have had a far greater impact on the day-to-day life of people worldwide than any other group of people.
7. The Jews, and their identity as a group, would be preserved
Examples: Isaiah 66:22, Jeremiah 30:11, Jeremiah 31:10, Jeremiah 31:35-36, Jeremiah 32:36-37, Jeremiah 46:28, Leviticus 26:3-8, Leviticus 26:44, Zechariah 8:13.
What other group of people has survived so many centuries of worldwide dispersion and managed to preserve their ancient culture, their ancient religion and their ancient language? None. What other group of people, after enduring 19 centuries of exile, has been able to return in large numbers to their ancient homeland and even reclaim sovereignty over a significant portion of it? None. Only the Jews. What other group or nation had prophets who said that their people would be exiled and scattered worldwide, and that they would remain a distinct, viable group of people, and that they would one day return to their ancient homeland and reclaim it as their own land? None. Only the Jews.
8. The Jews would return to their ancient homeland
Examples: Amos 9:14-15, Deuteronomy 4:25-30, Deuteronomy 30:3-5, Ezekiel 20:34, Ezekiel 34:13, Ezekiel 36:24, Genesis 28:10-15, Isaiah 27:12-13, Isaiah 43:5-6, Jeremiah 23:3-6, Jeremiah 32:36-37, Jeremiah 32:37-41, Zechariah 8:7-8.
During the late 1800s, after about 17 centuries of exile, the Jews began to return to their ancient homeland, which at that time was called Palestine and was ruled over by the Ottoman Empire. A few million more returned shortly before and after the World War II Holocaust, in which the Nazis sought to destroy all Jews as part of their so-called "Final Solution." When the Jews reclaimed sovereignty for Israel in 1948, it was the first time in about 2000 years that the Jews had sovereignty over any part of their homeland. It was also the first time in about 2900 years that Israel was both a united and sovereign country. Has any other country endured such lengthy intervals of independence? Has any other country endured such intervals with the additional challenge of having its residents exiled and scattered throughout the world?
9. Enemies of the Jews would also reside in their homeland
Example: Leviticus 26:31-32.
In Leviticus 26:31-32, the Bible said that Israel would become a wasteland and that it would be inhabited by enemies of the Jews. Both parts of this prophecy have been clearly documented throughout history. Many Jews were forced out of their homeland by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. Each time, other people were able to move into the land. These people often had conflicts with the Jews when the Jews returned to their homeland. When the Jews began returning during the 1800s and 1900s, they had skirmishes with the peoples living there, including the Arabs, who continue to live in parts of Israel. Perhaps every country in the world has "enemies" residing within. But how many of those countries have enemies that seek the destruction of the host nation? And how many of those countries had prophets who predicted it?
10. The Jews would have Israel again as their own country, again
Examples: Amos 9:14-15, Ezekiel 4:3-6, Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 36:24, Ezekiel 37:10-14, Ezekiel 37:15-19, Ezekiel 37:21-22, Genesis 15:18, Genesis 28:10-15, Genesis 35:9-12, Isaiah 66:7-8, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Jeremiah 32:44, Micah 7:8-11.
In Isaiah 66:7-8, the prophet foreshadowed the re-birth of Israel. Isaiah describes a woman giving birth before going into labor, and he speaks of a country being born in one day. This accurately describes what happened on May 14, 1948 - when the Jews declared independence for Israel as a united and sovereign nation for the first time in 2900 years.
During that same day, the United States issued a statement recognizing Israel's sovereignty. And, only hours beforehand, a United Nations mandate expired, ending British control of the land. During a 24-hour span of time, foreign control of the land of Israel had formally ceased, and Israel had declared its independence, and its independence was acknowledged by other nations. Modern Israel literally was born in a single day.
Isaiah also said the birth would take place before there would be labor pains. And that too is precisely what happened. A movement called Zionism began in the 1800s to encourage Jews worldwide to move to Israel, which at that time was called Palestine. When the Jews declared sovereignty in 1948, the declaration did not follow a war for independence, but rather a war for independence followed the declaration. The birth was peaceful, the aftermath was painful. Within hours of the declaration, Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Israel prevailed in that war and expanded the size of the country by 50 percent.
Take the test:
1. Can you deny that any one of the following events happened during the past 1900 years:
1. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
2. The Jews were exiled.
3. Israel did become a wasteland.
4. The Jews were (and still are) scattered worldwide.
5. The Jews have been persecuted worldwide.
6. The Jews have had a tremendous worldwide impact.
7. The Jews, and their national identity, have been preserved.
8. The Jews are returning to their ancient homeland.
9. Enemies of the Jews are residing in their homeland.
10. The Jews do have Israel again as their own country.
2. Can you deny that the Bible's prophets had said each of those things would happen?
3. Can you deny that the Bible said each of those things more 2000 years ago? Or that all of those things have happened since then?
If you can - please tell us how. Our email address is:
abpquestions@yahoo.com
By George and Raymond Konig
Copyright ©2001-2006 George Konig
Friday, July 07, 2006
What is Bible prophecy?
Christians believe that a Bible prophecy is a God-given revelation of the future. God gave His prophets, including Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah, prophecies of the future. He did this to prepare people for the future, and to show that He is the one true God and that He is all-powerful.
A prophecy is not a prediction of the future - it is a promise about the future. God gave promises to His prophets. He told them, for example, that the Jews would be forced out of Israel, scattered worldwide, persecuted worldwide, and that they would eventually return to Israel. All of these promises have been fulfilled.
There are different kinds of prophecies. Some prophecies are about a Messiah, which means "anointed one" or "chosen one." These are called "Messianic" prophecies. Christians believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophecies. There also are "end time" prophecies. These prophecies refer to a time of war, famine and pestilence, after which a Messiah will reign over the world with justice and righteousness. Christians believe that this Messiah is also Jesus, who will return in the future.
The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies. Some were fulfilled more than 3000 years ago. Others have been fulfilled since then. And, by our count, more than 50 have found fulfillment or partial fulfillment during the past 200 years. Many Bible prophecies have found fulfillment more than once, such as the prophecies that the Jews would have Israel as their own country. (The Jews had sovereignty over the land of Israel about 3400 years ago up until about 2700 years ago, and again in 1948).
Based on our own personal studies, it appears that the majority of Bible prophecies have these characteristics in common:
1. Bible prophecies involve specific places
Bible prophecies often involve specific places. And usually that place is all or part of the Jewish homeland. Many prophecies refer specifically to Israel, Judah and Jerusalem. Judah is the southern part of the Jewish homeland. Jerusalem is Israel's most important city. It was established as the Jewish capital by King David about 3000 years ago. When prophecies involve other nations, such as Tyre, Babylon, Nineveh or Edom, it is because those nations had sought the destruction of the Jewish homeland, or the Jews, or both.
2. Bible prophecies involve specific people
Bible prophecies almost always involve a specific person or persons. And they usually involve the Jewish people as a group, or a Jewish person as an individual, such as a king or a Messiah. Sometimes a Bible prophecy will involve someone who is not Jewish, such as a king who will attack Israel (example: Nebuchadnezzar) or a king who will help the Jewish people (example: Cyrus). Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus lived about 2600 years ago.
3. Bible prophets are Jewish
God chose to reveal His words to one group of people - the Jews. This has helped to ensure that we have one source of information for God's teachings. And, because Israel is literally in the "middle" of the world, near the convergence of the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, the Jews have been in a unique geographical position to influence the world with the monotheistic teachings of about one true God. The Bible, in Exodus 19:6, said the Jews were to be a "nation of priests." The Jews were to teach the rest of the world about God. And, during the past 2000 years, the Jews have accomplished this remarkable feat. Through the influence of the Hebrew scriptures, about half of the world's people have abandoned their pagan religions and now worship a monotheistic God.
4. Bible prophecies were usually delivered in Israel
Bible prophecies usually were delivered in the Jewish homeland of Israel or Judah. (About 2900 years ago, Israel split into two Jewish kingdoms called Judah and Israel. Today, the Jewish nation is united again and is called Israel). However, there are exceptions: Some prophecies, for example, were delivered in Babylon when the Jewish homeland had been destroyed about 2600 years ago and many Jews were taken as captives to Babylon.
5. Bible prophecies explain why a particular event is going to happen
Bible prophecies often include an explanation as to why a particular event is going to happen. In Micah 3:11-12, for example, the prophet Micah said about 2700 years ago that Jerusalem would be destroyed and "plowed like a field" because its leaders had turned away from God. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem a century later. In the year 135, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and literally plowed part of the city.
Copyright ©2001-2006 George Konig and AboutBibleProphecy.com. All rights reserved.
A prophecy is not a prediction of the future - it is a promise about the future. God gave promises to His prophets. He told them, for example, that the Jews would be forced out of Israel, scattered worldwide, persecuted worldwide, and that they would eventually return to Israel. All of these promises have been fulfilled.
There are different kinds of prophecies. Some prophecies are about a Messiah, which means "anointed one" or "chosen one." These are called "Messianic" prophecies. Christians believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophecies. There also are "end time" prophecies. These prophecies refer to a time of war, famine and pestilence, after which a Messiah will reign over the world with justice and righteousness. Christians believe that this Messiah is also Jesus, who will return in the future.
The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies. Some were fulfilled more than 3000 years ago. Others have been fulfilled since then. And, by our count, more than 50 have found fulfillment or partial fulfillment during the past 200 years. Many Bible prophecies have found fulfillment more than once, such as the prophecies that the Jews would have Israel as their own country. (The Jews had sovereignty over the land of Israel about 3400 years ago up until about 2700 years ago, and again in 1948).
Based on our own personal studies, it appears that the majority of Bible prophecies have these characteristics in common:
1. Bible prophecies involve specific places
Bible prophecies often involve specific places. And usually that place is all or part of the Jewish homeland. Many prophecies refer specifically to Israel, Judah and Jerusalem. Judah is the southern part of the Jewish homeland. Jerusalem is Israel's most important city. It was established as the Jewish capital by King David about 3000 years ago. When prophecies involve other nations, such as Tyre, Babylon, Nineveh or Edom, it is because those nations had sought the destruction of the Jewish homeland, or the Jews, or both.
2. Bible prophecies involve specific people
Bible prophecies almost always involve a specific person or persons. And they usually involve the Jewish people as a group, or a Jewish person as an individual, such as a king or a Messiah. Sometimes a Bible prophecy will involve someone who is not Jewish, such as a king who will attack Israel (example: Nebuchadnezzar) or a king who will help the Jewish people (example: Cyrus). Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus lived about 2600 years ago.
3. Bible prophets are Jewish
God chose to reveal His words to one group of people - the Jews. This has helped to ensure that we have one source of information for God's teachings. And, because Israel is literally in the "middle" of the world, near the convergence of the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, the Jews have been in a unique geographical position to influence the world with the monotheistic teachings of about one true God. The Bible, in Exodus 19:6, said the Jews were to be a "nation of priests." The Jews were to teach the rest of the world about God. And, during the past 2000 years, the Jews have accomplished this remarkable feat. Through the influence of the Hebrew scriptures, about half of the world's people have abandoned their pagan religions and now worship a monotheistic God.
4. Bible prophecies were usually delivered in Israel
Bible prophecies usually were delivered in the Jewish homeland of Israel or Judah. (About 2900 years ago, Israel split into two Jewish kingdoms called Judah and Israel. Today, the Jewish nation is united again and is called Israel). However, there are exceptions: Some prophecies, for example, were delivered in Babylon when the Jewish homeland had been destroyed about 2600 years ago and many Jews were taken as captives to Babylon.
5. Bible prophecies explain why a particular event is going to happen
Bible prophecies often include an explanation as to why a particular event is going to happen. In Micah 3:11-12, for example, the prophet Micah said about 2700 years ago that Jerusalem would be destroyed and "plowed like a field" because its leaders had turned away from God. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem a century later. In the year 135, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and literally plowed part of the city.
Copyright ©2001-2006 George Konig and AboutBibleProphecy.com. All rights reserved.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The Assurance of Salvation in the Bible
Many Christians, by virtue of poor teaching, have no assurance or certainty of their own salvation. Because of this they reject the doctrine of eternal security (that the true believer in Christ can never lose his or her salvation).
But we believe that not only does God want us to know that we can have assurance of salvation in this life, but He also wants us to know that we will never be lost.1 When Christ paid the full penalty for our sins 2000 years ago, remember, all our sins were future at that point. If the Bible teaches our sins are forgiven at the point of true faith in Christ, this must logically include all of them, even all future sins.
Thus, "He forgave us all our sins" (Col. 2:13). Therefore, come what may in life (please read Rom. 8:28-38), the person who trusts in Christ alone for salvation will go to heaven when he dies because God Himself informs the believer that he now possesses "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade" because it is "kept in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4).
The salvation God offers is perfectly secure precisely because it involves a gracious act of God and is in no way dependent upon human merit or good works for its accomplishment. It is simply a free gift (Rom. 3:24)!
Because salvation occurs by God’s grace and is in no way dependent upon anything we do to earn it, and because the divine penalty for all sin was fully paid by Jesus on the cross, the Bible teaches that those who have genuinely received Christ as their personal Savior may from that point forward be fully assured that they now possess eternal life. Again, consider the following Scriptures carefully:
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24, emphasis added).
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life (John 6:47, emphasis added).
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13, emphasis added).
Again, these verses teach that God wants believers to know they now possess eternal life merely by their personal trust in Jesus. If any person now possesses eternal life, how can it be lost?
Unfortunately, the above Scriptures do not reflect the teachings of the cults which maintain that salvation is a provisional, lifelong process partially or wholly earned by a person’s own works and individual merit.
Biblically, of course, salvation can be viewed as a process, but only in this manner: that sinless perfection and glorification are not received until after death. And so we struggle in this life to increase our sanctification and "work out" (Phil. 2:12), not work for, the logical consequences of our having already been saved and of having already received the gift of eternal life.
Thus, biblically, true salvation—in the sense of our right standing before God and forgiveness of all sins—occurs at a point in time (the point of receiving Christ as personal Savior), even though the practical implications of salvation (progressive sanctification or growth in holiness) are worked out over a lifetime.
Thus, 1) complete reconciliation with God (full forgiveness of sins and cancellation of the penalty of sin); 2) regeneration (being made spiritually alive to God and the imparting of eternal life), and 3) justification (the crediting of Christ’s full and complete righteousness to the believer) all occur in an instant, at the moment in time: the point of faith.
They are irrevocable since they are all gifts from God, and God says that He never takes back what He gives: "For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29). This includes God’s calling to salvation and His election (Eph 1:4,5,11; Acts 13:48).
To summarize:
1. Salvation, or an eternally valid right standing before God, occurs solely due to the death of Christ (what Christ accomplished on the cross) entirely apart from works and personal righteousness (1 John 2:2; 1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 10:13; John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
2. On the cross Jesus Christ paid in its entirety the full divine penalty for all sin (Heb. 10:12,14).
3. In terms of our standing before God, full salvation occurs at a point in time (1 Cor. 5:17-21; 1 Pet. 2:24). It is not a lifelong process that occurs or increases over time, which is sanctification.
4. Complete salvation is secured solely by personal faith—by trusting in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:12; Rom. 10:9,10; Eph. 2:8,9). Good works enter the picture only as a result—not a cause—of our salvation (Eph. 2:10; Rom. 12:1,2). Thus, good works are not even a partial cause of our salvation (Rom. 11:6; Gal. 3:13,21; 4:9,10; 5:1,4).
5. At the moment of saving faith a person is fully—not partially—justified (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). In other words, a person is declared righteous by God Himself—fully and finally. All his sins are forgiven and God declares him legally righteous (perfectly righteous in God’s own eyes), even though he continues to remain a sinner because of the presence of a sinful nature (Rom. 3:28-4:6; Jas. 2:10; 3:2; 1 John 1:8-10). What this means is that in an instant of time a person has passed over from spiritual death to spiritual life, and that nothing else is required for him to go to heaven (see John 5:24). Once justified, a person can never lose her or his justification (see Rom. 8:30-38; 11:29).
6. At the moment of saving faith a person has also been regenerated—God has made him alive spiritually and imparted eternal life to him. Regeneration does not occur at the point of baptism or death; rather, it occurs at the point of saving faith. The fact that regeneration involves the imparting of eternal life underscores the finality of biblical salvation (John 6:47; 1 John 5:13).
7. Because a person now possesses eternal life, his salvation, as a result, can never be lost (Eph. 1:11-12; 1 Pet. 1:3-5). Such a person is eternally secure from the point of saving faith, regardless of his sins or his works (Rom. 8:28-38).
In conclusion, in the field of comparative religion, what the Bible teaches about salvation is truly revolutionary—eternal salvation, wholly by grace, as a free gift, is found nowhere else.
By Dr. John Ankerberg & Dr. John Weldon1
Note
1 We wrote our book, Knowing the Truth About Eternal Security (Harvest House)—to prove this Scripturally.
But we believe that not only does God want us to know that we can have assurance of salvation in this life, but He also wants us to know that we will never be lost.1 When Christ paid the full penalty for our sins 2000 years ago, remember, all our sins were future at that point. If the Bible teaches our sins are forgiven at the point of true faith in Christ, this must logically include all of them, even all future sins.
Thus, "He forgave us all our sins" (Col. 2:13). Therefore, come what may in life (please read Rom. 8:28-38), the person who trusts in Christ alone for salvation will go to heaven when he dies because God Himself informs the believer that he now possesses "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade" because it is "kept in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4).
The salvation God offers is perfectly secure precisely because it involves a gracious act of God and is in no way dependent upon human merit or good works for its accomplishment. It is simply a free gift (Rom. 3:24)!
Because salvation occurs by God’s grace and is in no way dependent upon anything we do to earn it, and because the divine penalty for all sin was fully paid by Jesus on the cross, the Bible teaches that those who have genuinely received Christ as their personal Savior may from that point forward be fully assured that they now possess eternal life. Again, consider the following Scriptures carefully:
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24, emphasis added).
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life (John 6:47, emphasis added).
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13, emphasis added).
Again, these verses teach that God wants believers to know they now possess eternal life merely by their personal trust in Jesus. If any person now possesses eternal life, how can it be lost?
Unfortunately, the above Scriptures do not reflect the teachings of the cults which maintain that salvation is a provisional, lifelong process partially or wholly earned by a person’s own works and individual merit.
Biblically, of course, salvation can be viewed as a process, but only in this manner: that sinless perfection and glorification are not received until after death. And so we struggle in this life to increase our sanctification and "work out" (Phil. 2:12), not work for, the logical consequences of our having already been saved and of having already received the gift of eternal life.
Thus, biblically, true salvation—in the sense of our right standing before God and forgiveness of all sins—occurs at a point in time (the point of receiving Christ as personal Savior), even though the practical implications of salvation (progressive sanctification or growth in holiness) are worked out over a lifetime.
Thus, 1) complete reconciliation with God (full forgiveness of sins and cancellation of the penalty of sin); 2) regeneration (being made spiritually alive to God and the imparting of eternal life), and 3) justification (the crediting of Christ’s full and complete righteousness to the believer) all occur in an instant, at the moment in time: the point of faith.
They are irrevocable since they are all gifts from God, and God says that He never takes back what He gives: "For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29). This includes God’s calling to salvation and His election (Eph 1:4,5,11; Acts 13:48).
To summarize:
1. Salvation, or an eternally valid right standing before God, occurs solely due to the death of Christ (what Christ accomplished on the cross) entirely apart from works and personal righteousness (1 John 2:2; 1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 10:13; John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
2. On the cross Jesus Christ paid in its entirety the full divine penalty for all sin (Heb. 10:12,14).
3. In terms of our standing before God, full salvation occurs at a point in time (1 Cor. 5:17-21; 1 Pet. 2:24). It is not a lifelong process that occurs or increases over time, which is sanctification.
4. Complete salvation is secured solely by personal faith—by trusting in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:12; Rom. 10:9,10; Eph. 2:8,9). Good works enter the picture only as a result—not a cause—of our salvation (Eph. 2:10; Rom. 12:1,2). Thus, good works are not even a partial cause of our salvation (Rom. 11:6; Gal. 3:13,21; 4:9,10; 5:1,4).
5. At the moment of saving faith a person is fully—not partially—justified (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). In other words, a person is declared righteous by God Himself—fully and finally. All his sins are forgiven and God declares him legally righteous (perfectly righteous in God’s own eyes), even though he continues to remain a sinner because of the presence of a sinful nature (Rom. 3:28-4:6; Jas. 2:10; 3:2; 1 John 1:8-10). What this means is that in an instant of time a person has passed over from spiritual death to spiritual life, and that nothing else is required for him to go to heaven (see John 5:24). Once justified, a person can never lose her or his justification (see Rom. 8:30-38; 11:29).
6. At the moment of saving faith a person has also been regenerated—God has made him alive spiritually and imparted eternal life to him. Regeneration does not occur at the point of baptism or death; rather, it occurs at the point of saving faith. The fact that regeneration involves the imparting of eternal life underscores the finality of biblical salvation (John 6:47; 1 John 5:13).
7. Because a person now possesses eternal life, his salvation, as a result, can never be lost (Eph. 1:11-12; 1 Pet. 1:3-5). Such a person is eternally secure from the point of saving faith, regardless of his sins or his works (Rom. 8:28-38).
In conclusion, in the field of comparative religion, what the Bible teaches about salvation is truly revolutionary—eternal salvation, wholly by grace, as a free gift, is found nowhere else.
By Dr. John Ankerberg & Dr. John Weldon1
Note
1 We wrote our book, Knowing the Truth About Eternal Security (Harvest House)—to prove this Scripturally.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
The Speed of Thought - By Gary Stearman
Have you ever heard someone say, "One day, we’ll be able to travel at the speed of thought"? Usually, such an idea pops up in a discussion about life in the kingdom of heaven. We envision a kind of unlimited freedom in the glories of heaven, where the mere desire to be in a location results in instant relocation to that point. But here on earth, we’re trapped in the scaffolding of time-space, where things creep along at a predetermined rate. In this domain, one’s progress is blocked by traffic, fences, walls, doors and dimensional barriers. This is simply the normal physical experience, sometimes accompanied by frustration when we’re late, or blocked by some obstruction.
But in the theater of our minds, travel is unlimited. On a stage set with things dreamed, we can be instantly transported to another room, another city — or, for that matter, another galaxy. This can be amazingly entertaining, but only to a point. Alas, the trip is not real. Who has not lamented the fact that such marvelous journeys are only flights of the imagination? Wearing a lightweight space suit, you search the sandy wastes of Mars for seashells. What a price they would bring on the open market!
Confronted with the multiplication tables or the rules of grammar, every schoolboy has made many such trips. He has flown out through a classroom window, over fields and farms, to that special place where he can escape to some paradise. Or better yet, he is engaged in the important work of saving the universe from evil. Perhaps he is a knight (whether Arthurian or Jedi). The superhero of modern literature is born in a world such as this.
Villains, dragons and demons populate this amphitheater of thought. Some of these figures even find permanent status in the pages of science fiction and fairy tales, as well as the popular drawings of the comics. Life is given to these modern equivalents of ancient Greek demigods. The best-known personalities of this genre are Superman and Wonder Woman, but there are many, many more. In one important respect, however, they are quite different from their ancient predecessors.
The old gods of the ancient world were capricious and immoral. Often, they were the focus and source of all evil. Zeus and his wife Hera were fickle despots. The adulterous Zeus fathered Apollo by Leto, giving rise to a host of evil repercussions. As just one of the many families of Greek demigods, Apollo and his sister Artemis are remembered for curses, debauchery, adultery, murder and torture. In one episode, Apollo’s son, Asclepius, was slain by one of Zeus’s lightning bolts. Yet, in spite of their gods’ personal failures, the Greeks and Romans believed that the proper worship of these supernatural beings would bring fertility to crops and cattle, and blessing to government and household. Now, that’s imagination!
Modern superheroes, by contrast, are not evil. In fact, they are its very antithesis, as they battle for truth and justice (and something called "the American way"). We all remember the Green Hornet and Kato; Batman and Robin; Captain Marvel; the Flash; and a host of others. They were the imaginative incarnations of American idealism.
It has often been said that the model for all such heroes is none other than Jesus. He is truth; He is justice; He exposes evil. In the end, He will come and establish the perfect Kingdom, as He abolishes that ultimate fiend, rogue and oppressor, Satan, as well as his earthly representative, the Antichrist. The modern superhero is, in fact, a Jesus substitute, based upon the well-known story of His incarnation.
This saga is engraved in the heart of every human being. It is the universal dream that somewhere, a superbeing must come forth to save the world from the forces of darkness. If, for whatever reason, the authenticity of Jesus is refused, the next step is to create a false hope, in the person of a fictional character. Hence, we find the heart of messianic themes that run through virtually all the great works of literature. The hero who saves the world (or a small town, for that matter) is the world’s most popular literary device. Of course, it is also the central theme of the Bible.
In the secular world, those early schoolhouse voyages into the field of dreams mature into utopian visions, political schemes and cultural engineering. That which innocently begins in the mind can birth a myriad of bizarre cultural codes and traditions.
In this world, the trip that begins in the mind usually crashes upon the hard rocks of this reality. The imagination may succeed, but its result is always failure. When human thought is translated into earthly reality, the usual result is disaster. The awful presence of sin always creates only a caricature of God’s original intent for this planet.
The Human Mind
The collected legends, tales, myths, sagas and epics of human history are fraught with disaster, intrigue, betrayal, murder and debauchery. Occasionally, we encounter an uplifting incident, but it is the exception, not the rule. Before the great Flood of Noah, mankind was allowed to operate in the sphere of his own conscience. But the dictates of his morality lay in the realm of his warped imagination, as described in Genesis 6:5:
"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Here, the form of man’s imagination, dictated by his inner motivations, is immortalized as totally evil. So evil, in fact, that the Lord destroyed all but Noah and his family. However, the Flood didn’t cure man’s intrinsic wickedness. Rather, it created a longing to return to the antediluvian world where the dark forces of the fallen angels fed a twisted human imagination.
To achieve this they began a project. In the episode of the Tower of Babel, the Lord looked down upon the evil venture and concluded that the thoughts of men would take him into the very heavens. He ruled that they should be diverted before that happened. Notice that is it man’s imagination that comes into question:
"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" (Genesis 11:6).
Later, Moses, in prophesying that Israel would one day be scattered over the earth, gave one clear reason why this would happen. It would be the imagination of the Israelites that would lead them to destruction:
"And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst" (Deut. 29:19).
The Israelites allowed their own thoughts and ideas to lead them, rather than the mind of God. Their long and tortured history leaves no doubt about that. Certainly, they are quite gifted as a people. In each of the world’s cultures to which they have been driven, they have become the leading lights. They are the scientists, authors, musicians, artists, philosophers and inventors. The Lord has spoken through them to the world. They lived by their wits and imagination, rather than the wisdom of God.
In the New Testament, when Mary met Elizabeth, she prophesied that the long-awaited Messiah would bring a new reality to humankind. Even though He had not yet been born, she spoke as if He had already achieved His revolutionary work in the world:
"He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luke 1:51).
Israel attempted to live by their wits and their secular wisdom, rather than the wisdom of the Lord. Once again, the words of the Bible point the finger of guilt at the collective imagination of mankind. It is the real enemy of His work.
Courting the Demonic
This brings up a salient point. Man’s imagination doesn’t function in a vacuum. In this world, it is constantly being stimulated by Satan and his hoards of demons. The real battle, illustrated by Satan’s temptation of Christ, is spiritual. Demons appeal to human vanity, arrogance and intellectual pride, causing them to develop and promote wicked schemes in the name of progress.
David’s son Solomon was divinely gifted with wisdom. But in his personal life, he often disregarded God’s leading. In the end, he saw the value of that for which he had prayed. The siren song of the world is simple foolishness. He likens its attraction to that of the wayward woman who lures a man away from the path of righteousness into the dark alleys of the lost.
Solomon depicts her as a harlot. He begs the young man to follow the wisdom of the Lord, who will, "… deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
"Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
"For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead" (Proverbs 2:16-18).
On the other hand, the wisdom of the Lord, Solomon depicts as a righteous woman who points one toward the Lord:
"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
"She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded" (Proverbs 1:20-24).
Clearly, Solomon’s intent is to show that the battle for true wisdom is fought on the grounds of emotion and allure, versus common sense and responsibility. The imaginative flight of fancy too often presides over common sense.
In his own life, Solomon repeatedly listened to the wrong voices. After years of worldly experience, including wine, women and song, his collected Proverbs, stand as a witness that wisdom is always there for those who will listen.
A millennium later, in the first century A.D., James encouraged the believers of the early church to follow the Lord in unity. His words, written from the viewpoint of early Messianic Judaism, show that internal strife in the newborn church was planted there by demonic intrusion. He makes the point that "devilish" (demonic) ideology is planted to thwart the wisdom of the Lord. It operates in the arena of the imagination:
"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (James 3:13-18).
Once again, we see that the Bible shows two contrasting methods of thinking. One is from below, demonic and destructive. The other is from above in the dimension of God. The first is a counterfeit of the second. Only the wisdom (thinking) of God is productive. The false wisdom of this world system has only the power to destroy.
The Power of Thought
Men earnestly desire to give life to their thoughts. In one sense, they are able to do this, in that their inventions and commerce change the flow of history. The convoluted course of historical wealth and power has traditionally followed the perfection of marketing and weaponry. This produces a system that imbues itself with godlike power.
In the purest sense, this world is a contest between the thoughts of man and the thoughts of God. Or, is it a contest between the thoughts of Satan and the thoughts of God? Whatever the source of man’s imagination, it is only a vain and passing exercise in futility.
Only the thoughts of God are worthy and permanent. More than that, only His thoughts have reality. That is, they result in something tangible and permanent, as written by the prophet Isaiah:
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:6-11).
This Scripture puts man’s imagination in its place. It begins with a call to the "unrighteous man." Actually, its original language exhorts man to forsake the vanity inherent in his old pattern of thinking.
In the original Hebrew, "thought" is an expression created by the word machshavah vcajn, meaning, "an invention, idea or thought." Truly, the inventions of faithless men have been the basis of a million transgressions and the source of corruption.
Here, God asserts that His thoughts operate on a different and higher plain than the thoughts of man. At first, this statement would seem so blatantly obvious that it hardly needs to be stated at all. It’s easy to say that His thoughts are higher than ours.
But notice that the Lord likens His thoughts to rain and snow. These meteorological realities actually cause the earth to function, giving life to what would otherwise be a barren waste. In other words, God’s thoughts constitute a physical reality. When His thoughts are spoken as a "word" that goes forth from His mouth, His thought and His word literally take on substance and shape. They affect the world in which we live.
This seems to be the intent of Revelation 1:16, where John described the glorified Christ. His words are described as so powerful, so effective, that they can literally be seen:
"And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
These Scriptures are far more than a mere statement about the quality of God’s thought. They show us that His thoughts are of an entirely different order than our thoughts. Man’s thoughts can modify that which is already in existence, but God can literally think things into existence in the first place — something impossible for humans.
It is this simple fact that is the greatest testimony to His existence. In his current sinful state, man actually suppresses God’s thoughts, covering them with his own ideas. In the process, he comes to believe in the validity of his own ideas. In the following verses (Romans 1:18-23) this is exactly the meaning of the word "hold:"
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."
Notice, too, that the result of their activities is vain imagination, those vagrant thoughts that imagine a better world, but without God. As mentioned earlier, this is the world of human thought, of imagined superheroes and utopian ideals. In the end, it rejects God as Creator and Redeemer.
Instead, it worships the created world, which is the end product of God’s thought. Men, in their vanity, imagine this physical universe to have created itself through some evolutionary process. In the following passage, the word "creature" is from the Greek ktisis, which refers both to the act of creation and to its end product — that which is created. In the present condition of sin, the entire creation is in a broken condition, awaiting the healing that will be brought by the One who spoke it into existence in the first place.
By substituting their human imagination for the thoughts of the Lord, mankind has substituted opinion for reality. The result has been increasing chaos, decay and ultimate corruption:
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:18-22).
Again, the word "creature" should be read as "creation," meaning "the entire creation." This would include all that the eye can see — from atoms to galaxies. Everything is in a state of decay and dissolution. But here, Paul rejoices in the coming deliverance. The "sons of God" are the redeemed who will come as the armies of heaven, with the returning Messiah in the Second Coming. Certainly, the religion, politics and economy of the world will come under His judgment. But more than that, the very environment will be changed, making the earth a paradise once again. The mind of God will rule the world.
Imagination Versus Reality
Remember that trip of the imagination we mentioned earlier? Flights of fancy are the stuff of human thought. But they can only result in tangible blessings if they are ordained of God. Things that last can be made only by God, as Abraham, the father of the faithful, knew all too well:
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
"For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10).
Abraham knew that wealth and power could never build an empire. There is a new construction coming. It will be built by the Lord, Himself, probably in the same way He constructed the heavens and the earth. His direct command will result in the most perfect city ever seen.
By contrast, earthly kingdoms — devices of the mind of man — will end up in dust. The four great world empires prophesied by Daniel — Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome — already lie in dust. One by one, the empires of gold, silver, brass and iron fell into obscurity. They were, of course, memorialized in the figure of a huge image, with a head of gold.
That fourth beast still has life left in it, and will experience a rapid resurgence to power. Many volumes have been written about this so-called "Revived Roman Empire." In the end, it will be crushed at the Lord’s Second Coming. This is only another of many examples that show the reality of God’s thought. Note in the following verses, that Daniel saw a stone (Christ) made without hands. It is not the work of human effort or human ideology:
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces" (Daniel 2:34).
"Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure" (Daniel 2:45).
The Form of Thought
With the foregoing in mind, let’s look at a few examples that illustrate the biblical view of thought speed. First and foremost, when "… God created the heaven and the earth," it was done by utterance. His thought, expressed as words, became reality in an instant. In the first chapter of Genesis, there is an orderly progression from disorder to order:
First, He said, "Let there be light" (v.3).
Next, He said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters" (v.6).
Then, He said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear" (v.9).
After that, He said, "Let the earth bring forth …" (v.11).
After the earth brought forth, He said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night" (v.14).
Following that, He said, "Let the waters bring forth …" (v.20).
Finally, He said, "Let the earth bring forth… and "Let us make man in our image" (vv. 24,26).
In all these utterances, there is not the slightest mention of technique, engineering or craftsmanship. His thought, expressed in words, became what we call, "reality." It began with light, suggesting an energy field of some sort. It was a presence that became differentiated into substance and form. Then, it was gone, replaced by the light of the Sun and stars that had come into existence.
How long did it take for all this to happen? No time at all. Certainly, there was the time span of six days. But each of the events is narrated as the simple act of utterance … of thought. When we imagine something, it never really appears. Our thoughts may be fascinating, but by themselves, they are ineffective. But when God thinks, things happen.
God’s thought is an utterance, and this is what is meant by"the Word:"
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
"The same was in the beginning with God.
"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1-3).
Out of nothing, God declared something. In fact, He declared everything. Throughout the Bible, we find that the Lord is more than Creator. He is also instantly able to affect His creation. He parted the waters of the Red Sea, allowing Moses to lead the children of Israel to freedom. He suspended the water, so that it formed a wall to the left and right of the fleeing Israelites:
"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
"And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left" (Exodus 14:21,22).
Many have attempted to explain away this miracle by saying that a strong wind created a channel across the sea. Certainly, an east wind blew. However, any wind strong enough to hold back heaps of water would be a literal hurricane. (An east wind of this velocity would halt the Israelites’ eastward march across the dry floor of the sea.) A force held the waters apart. God created that force by a thought.
Men, women, children, oxen, carts, tents, food, clothing and the Egyptian treasure marched across the sea bottom, apparently unhindered. There is no force known to man that can make water behave in this way. But for the Lord, a thought will suffice, creating a force of such intensity that even water would stand up in a wall, without affecting the Israelites. So far as we know, this is simply impossible.
It is equally impossible to form complex objects in an instant, but our Lord easily accomplished this, as shown in a miraculous event known to everyone who has read the Bible. Jesus healed a man blind from birth, one of the signs he brought to Israel. It had long been taught that when the Messiah came, He would restore sight to the man born blind. Nor is this a simple task. In this anonymous recipient of Jesus’ grace, eyeballs, optic nerves and even the brain, itself, had never been conditioned to see.
Had Jesus simply healed the man’s physical systems, he would still have had to be taught to see. It is interesting that, just as in the creation of the world, the light is given prominence:
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
"And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing" (John 9:5-7).
It has been said that Jesus created new eyes with balls of freshly-made clay. But only His thought could have produced the working systems of sight. Or, how did Jesus walk on the water of the Sea of Galilee? By taking thought.
Thought holds the universe together. One day, as foretold in II Peter 3:10, it will be completely restructured:
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
By taking thought, the Lord will unleash the elements to achieve His desired goal. In Hebrews 1:3, He is said to be, "upholding all things by the word of his power." As we have already seen, this "word" is simply the utterance of His divine thought. In an instant, the things we regard as solid and unmovable will suddenly assume new shape, form and flow, all at the speed of thought.
The Speed of Thought
How fast is thought? Just as we have imagined in our own dreams, it is instantaneous. We think about being somewhere — say, the British Museum or the Great Pyramid — and our thoughts are there in no time at all. But on God’s plane of existence, it is also very real, as the Apostle John discovered when he was transported to the Kingdom of Heaven and simultaneously, to the future:
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne" (Revelation 4:1,2).
The instantaneous nature of John’s transport is conveyed with absolute authenticity. John actually experienced what the rest of us only dream about. He was taken to the dimension of eternity, where he could view events that we think of as "future." He saw war and famine, economic chaos and pandemics, astronomical and geological upheavals, reporting on them as a credible eyewitness.
Occasionally, he even questioned his heavenly guides, asking for explanations of what he saw. At the speed of thought, he was actually taken to a number of vantage points, from which he was able to report on the events of the Lord’s Day of Judgment. His view of Mystery Babylon’s fall and the Second Coming of Christ are indelibly etched upon the minds of the faithful. Upon his return, he was released from his Patmos exile, to return to Ephesus, where he spent the rest of his life as the Apostle of love. After experiencing a thought trip of magnificent proportions, his constant exhortation was to "love one another," as the Lord loves us.
Of course, the Apostle Paul was also taken on an instantaneous trip to another dimension. His thought trip is well known. It bears the distinct marks of an actual experience:
"It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
"And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
"How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (II Corinthians 12:1-4).
First and foremost, Paul found himself instantly borne aloft on a thought in the mind of God. The term, "caught up" is from the Greek harpazo. It speaks of something or someone quickly seized and pulled up at breathtaking speed. It is, in fact, the very term used to describe the catching-away of the church: "Then we … shall be caught up…" (I Thessalonians 4:17).
He was instantly transported to another dimension, just as we shall be at the proper moment. We shall travel at the speed of thought, to a place where one can be transported into the past, present and future with equal facility.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).
The vocal command of the Lord reminds us of so many other similar commands recorded in Scripture. The creation of the world, the parting of the Red Sea, the healing commands of Jesus, the cataclysms of Revelation — all are the result of the Lord’s thought, expressed as Word.
And the beautiful part of the equation is this: As faithful believers, we have access to His thoughts. As Paul puts it, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ" (I Corinthians 2:16).
This is an amazing truth, expressing the idea that our salvation grants us present access to the Kingdom of Heaven. Through prayer, we can instantly travel to that place where the speed of thought is an actuality. Paul urges believers to realize this great truth: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). Though presently locked in this place of time and space, our thoughts soar into eternity — the eternal present.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
"But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:9,10).
We have been given the perception of things beyond this world. It has given us the ability to know about the speed of thought in the dimension of the Lord. We patiently await its full realization.
Prophecy in the News
But in the theater of our minds, travel is unlimited. On a stage set with things dreamed, we can be instantly transported to another room, another city — or, for that matter, another galaxy. This can be amazingly entertaining, but only to a point. Alas, the trip is not real. Who has not lamented the fact that such marvelous journeys are only flights of the imagination? Wearing a lightweight space suit, you search the sandy wastes of Mars for seashells. What a price they would bring on the open market!
Confronted with the multiplication tables or the rules of grammar, every schoolboy has made many such trips. He has flown out through a classroom window, over fields and farms, to that special place where he can escape to some paradise. Or better yet, he is engaged in the important work of saving the universe from evil. Perhaps he is a knight (whether Arthurian or Jedi). The superhero of modern literature is born in a world such as this.
Villains, dragons and demons populate this amphitheater of thought. Some of these figures even find permanent status in the pages of science fiction and fairy tales, as well as the popular drawings of the comics. Life is given to these modern equivalents of ancient Greek demigods. The best-known personalities of this genre are Superman and Wonder Woman, but there are many, many more. In one important respect, however, they are quite different from their ancient predecessors.
The old gods of the ancient world were capricious and immoral. Often, they were the focus and source of all evil. Zeus and his wife Hera were fickle despots. The adulterous Zeus fathered Apollo by Leto, giving rise to a host of evil repercussions. As just one of the many families of Greek demigods, Apollo and his sister Artemis are remembered for curses, debauchery, adultery, murder and torture. In one episode, Apollo’s son, Asclepius, was slain by one of Zeus’s lightning bolts. Yet, in spite of their gods’ personal failures, the Greeks and Romans believed that the proper worship of these supernatural beings would bring fertility to crops and cattle, and blessing to government and household. Now, that’s imagination!
Modern superheroes, by contrast, are not evil. In fact, they are its very antithesis, as they battle for truth and justice (and something called "the American way"). We all remember the Green Hornet and Kato; Batman and Robin; Captain Marvel; the Flash; and a host of others. They were the imaginative incarnations of American idealism.
It has often been said that the model for all such heroes is none other than Jesus. He is truth; He is justice; He exposes evil. In the end, He will come and establish the perfect Kingdom, as He abolishes that ultimate fiend, rogue and oppressor, Satan, as well as his earthly representative, the Antichrist. The modern superhero is, in fact, a Jesus substitute, based upon the well-known story of His incarnation.
This saga is engraved in the heart of every human being. It is the universal dream that somewhere, a superbeing must come forth to save the world from the forces of darkness. If, for whatever reason, the authenticity of Jesus is refused, the next step is to create a false hope, in the person of a fictional character. Hence, we find the heart of messianic themes that run through virtually all the great works of literature. The hero who saves the world (or a small town, for that matter) is the world’s most popular literary device. Of course, it is also the central theme of the Bible.
In the secular world, those early schoolhouse voyages into the field of dreams mature into utopian visions, political schemes and cultural engineering. That which innocently begins in the mind can birth a myriad of bizarre cultural codes and traditions.
In this world, the trip that begins in the mind usually crashes upon the hard rocks of this reality. The imagination may succeed, but its result is always failure. When human thought is translated into earthly reality, the usual result is disaster. The awful presence of sin always creates only a caricature of God’s original intent for this planet.
The Human Mind
The collected legends, tales, myths, sagas and epics of human history are fraught with disaster, intrigue, betrayal, murder and debauchery. Occasionally, we encounter an uplifting incident, but it is the exception, not the rule. Before the great Flood of Noah, mankind was allowed to operate in the sphere of his own conscience. But the dictates of his morality lay in the realm of his warped imagination, as described in Genesis 6:5:
"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Here, the form of man’s imagination, dictated by his inner motivations, is immortalized as totally evil. So evil, in fact, that the Lord destroyed all but Noah and his family. However, the Flood didn’t cure man’s intrinsic wickedness. Rather, it created a longing to return to the antediluvian world where the dark forces of the fallen angels fed a twisted human imagination.
To achieve this they began a project. In the episode of the Tower of Babel, the Lord looked down upon the evil venture and concluded that the thoughts of men would take him into the very heavens. He ruled that they should be diverted before that happened. Notice that is it man’s imagination that comes into question:
"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" (Genesis 11:6).
Later, Moses, in prophesying that Israel would one day be scattered over the earth, gave one clear reason why this would happen. It would be the imagination of the Israelites that would lead them to destruction:
"And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst" (Deut. 29:19).
The Israelites allowed their own thoughts and ideas to lead them, rather than the mind of God. Their long and tortured history leaves no doubt about that. Certainly, they are quite gifted as a people. In each of the world’s cultures to which they have been driven, they have become the leading lights. They are the scientists, authors, musicians, artists, philosophers and inventors. The Lord has spoken through them to the world. They lived by their wits and imagination, rather than the wisdom of God.
In the New Testament, when Mary met Elizabeth, she prophesied that the long-awaited Messiah would bring a new reality to humankind. Even though He had not yet been born, she spoke as if He had already achieved His revolutionary work in the world:
"He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luke 1:51).
Israel attempted to live by their wits and their secular wisdom, rather than the wisdom of the Lord. Once again, the words of the Bible point the finger of guilt at the collective imagination of mankind. It is the real enemy of His work.
Courting the Demonic
This brings up a salient point. Man’s imagination doesn’t function in a vacuum. In this world, it is constantly being stimulated by Satan and his hoards of demons. The real battle, illustrated by Satan’s temptation of Christ, is spiritual. Demons appeal to human vanity, arrogance and intellectual pride, causing them to develop and promote wicked schemes in the name of progress.
David’s son Solomon was divinely gifted with wisdom. But in his personal life, he often disregarded God’s leading. In the end, he saw the value of that for which he had prayed. The siren song of the world is simple foolishness. He likens its attraction to that of the wayward woman who lures a man away from the path of righteousness into the dark alleys of the lost.
Solomon depicts her as a harlot. He begs the young man to follow the wisdom of the Lord, who will, "… deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
"Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
"For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead" (Proverbs 2:16-18).
On the other hand, the wisdom of the Lord, Solomon depicts as a righteous woman who points one toward the Lord:
"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
"She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded" (Proverbs 1:20-24).
Clearly, Solomon’s intent is to show that the battle for true wisdom is fought on the grounds of emotion and allure, versus common sense and responsibility. The imaginative flight of fancy too often presides over common sense.
In his own life, Solomon repeatedly listened to the wrong voices. After years of worldly experience, including wine, women and song, his collected Proverbs, stand as a witness that wisdom is always there for those who will listen.
A millennium later, in the first century A.D., James encouraged the believers of the early church to follow the Lord in unity. His words, written from the viewpoint of early Messianic Judaism, show that internal strife in the newborn church was planted there by demonic intrusion. He makes the point that "devilish" (demonic) ideology is planted to thwart the wisdom of the Lord. It operates in the arena of the imagination:
"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (James 3:13-18).
Once again, we see that the Bible shows two contrasting methods of thinking. One is from below, demonic and destructive. The other is from above in the dimension of God. The first is a counterfeit of the second. Only the wisdom (thinking) of God is productive. The false wisdom of this world system has only the power to destroy.
The Power of Thought
Men earnestly desire to give life to their thoughts. In one sense, they are able to do this, in that their inventions and commerce change the flow of history. The convoluted course of historical wealth and power has traditionally followed the perfection of marketing and weaponry. This produces a system that imbues itself with godlike power.
In the purest sense, this world is a contest between the thoughts of man and the thoughts of God. Or, is it a contest between the thoughts of Satan and the thoughts of God? Whatever the source of man’s imagination, it is only a vain and passing exercise in futility.
Only the thoughts of God are worthy and permanent. More than that, only His thoughts have reality. That is, they result in something tangible and permanent, as written by the prophet Isaiah:
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:6-11).
This Scripture puts man’s imagination in its place. It begins with a call to the "unrighteous man." Actually, its original language exhorts man to forsake the vanity inherent in his old pattern of thinking.
In the original Hebrew, "thought" is an expression created by the word machshavah vcajn, meaning, "an invention, idea or thought." Truly, the inventions of faithless men have been the basis of a million transgressions and the source of corruption.
Here, God asserts that His thoughts operate on a different and higher plain than the thoughts of man. At first, this statement would seem so blatantly obvious that it hardly needs to be stated at all. It’s easy to say that His thoughts are higher than ours.
But notice that the Lord likens His thoughts to rain and snow. These meteorological realities actually cause the earth to function, giving life to what would otherwise be a barren waste. In other words, God’s thoughts constitute a physical reality. When His thoughts are spoken as a "word" that goes forth from His mouth, His thought and His word literally take on substance and shape. They affect the world in which we live.
This seems to be the intent of Revelation 1:16, where John described the glorified Christ. His words are described as so powerful, so effective, that they can literally be seen:
"And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
These Scriptures are far more than a mere statement about the quality of God’s thought. They show us that His thoughts are of an entirely different order than our thoughts. Man’s thoughts can modify that which is already in existence, but God can literally think things into existence in the first place — something impossible for humans.
It is this simple fact that is the greatest testimony to His existence. In his current sinful state, man actually suppresses God’s thoughts, covering them with his own ideas. In the process, he comes to believe in the validity of his own ideas. In the following verses (Romans 1:18-23) this is exactly the meaning of the word "hold:"
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."
Notice, too, that the result of their activities is vain imagination, those vagrant thoughts that imagine a better world, but without God. As mentioned earlier, this is the world of human thought, of imagined superheroes and utopian ideals. In the end, it rejects God as Creator and Redeemer.
Instead, it worships the created world, which is the end product of God’s thought. Men, in their vanity, imagine this physical universe to have created itself through some evolutionary process. In the following passage, the word "creature" is from the Greek ktisis, which refers both to the act of creation and to its end product — that which is created. In the present condition of sin, the entire creation is in a broken condition, awaiting the healing that will be brought by the One who spoke it into existence in the first place.
By substituting their human imagination for the thoughts of the Lord, mankind has substituted opinion for reality. The result has been increasing chaos, decay and ultimate corruption:
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:18-22).
Again, the word "creature" should be read as "creation," meaning "the entire creation." This would include all that the eye can see — from atoms to galaxies. Everything is in a state of decay and dissolution. But here, Paul rejoices in the coming deliverance. The "sons of God" are the redeemed who will come as the armies of heaven, with the returning Messiah in the Second Coming. Certainly, the religion, politics and economy of the world will come under His judgment. But more than that, the very environment will be changed, making the earth a paradise once again. The mind of God will rule the world.
Imagination Versus Reality
Remember that trip of the imagination we mentioned earlier? Flights of fancy are the stuff of human thought. But they can only result in tangible blessings if they are ordained of God. Things that last can be made only by God, as Abraham, the father of the faithful, knew all too well:
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
"For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10).
Abraham knew that wealth and power could never build an empire. There is a new construction coming. It will be built by the Lord, Himself, probably in the same way He constructed the heavens and the earth. His direct command will result in the most perfect city ever seen.
By contrast, earthly kingdoms — devices of the mind of man — will end up in dust. The four great world empires prophesied by Daniel — Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome — already lie in dust. One by one, the empires of gold, silver, brass and iron fell into obscurity. They were, of course, memorialized in the figure of a huge image, with a head of gold.
That fourth beast still has life left in it, and will experience a rapid resurgence to power. Many volumes have been written about this so-called "Revived Roman Empire." In the end, it will be crushed at the Lord’s Second Coming. This is only another of many examples that show the reality of God’s thought. Note in the following verses, that Daniel saw a stone (Christ) made without hands. It is not the work of human effort or human ideology:
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces" (Daniel 2:34).
"Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure" (Daniel 2:45).
The Form of Thought
With the foregoing in mind, let’s look at a few examples that illustrate the biblical view of thought speed. First and foremost, when "… God created the heaven and the earth," it was done by utterance. His thought, expressed as words, became reality in an instant. In the first chapter of Genesis, there is an orderly progression from disorder to order:
First, He said, "Let there be light" (v.3).
Next, He said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters" (v.6).
Then, He said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear" (v.9).
After that, He said, "Let the earth bring forth …" (v.11).
After the earth brought forth, He said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night" (v.14).
Following that, He said, "Let the waters bring forth …" (v.20).
Finally, He said, "Let the earth bring forth… and "Let us make man in our image" (vv. 24,26).
In all these utterances, there is not the slightest mention of technique, engineering or craftsmanship. His thought, expressed in words, became what we call, "reality." It began with light, suggesting an energy field of some sort. It was a presence that became differentiated into substance and form. Then, it was gone, replaced by the light of the Sun and stars that had come into existence.
How long did it take for all this to happen? No time at all. Certainly, there was the time span of six days. But each of the events is narrated as the simple act of utterance … of thought. When we imagine something, it never really appears. Our thoughts may be fascinating, but by themselves, they are ineffective. But when God thinks, things happen.
God’s thought is an utterance, and this is what is meant by"the Word:"
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
"The same was in the beginning with God.
"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1-3).
Out of nothing, God declared something. In fact, He declared everything. Throughout the Bible, we find that the Lord is more than Creator. He is also instantly able to affect His creation. He parted the waters of the Red Sea, allowing Moses to lead the children of Israel to freedom. He suspended the water, so that it formed a wall to the left and right of the fleeing Israelites:
"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
"And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left" (Exodus 14:21,22).
Many have attempted to explain away this miracle by saying that a strong wind created a channel across the sea. Certainly, an east wind blew. However, any wind strong enough to hold back heaps of water would be a literal hurricane. (An east wind of this velocity would halt the Israelites’ eastward march across the dry floor of the sea.) A force held the waters apart. God created that force by a thought.
Men, women, children, oxen, carts, tents, food, clothing and the Egyptian treasure marched across the sea bottom, apparently unhindered. There is no force known to man that can make water behave in this way. But for the Lord, a thought will suffice, creating a force of such intensity that even water would stand up in a wall, without affecting the Israelites. So far as we know, this is simply impossible.
It is equally impossible to form complex objects in an instant, but our Lord easily accomplished this, as shown in a miraculous event known to everyone who has read the Bible. Jesus healed a man blind from birth, one of the signs he brought to Israel. It had long been taught that when the Messiah came, He would restore sight to the man born blind. Nor is this a simple task. In this anonymous recipient of Jesus’ grace, eyeballs, optic nerves and even the brain, itself, had never been conditioned to see.
Had Jesus simply healed the man’s physical systems, he would still have had to be taught to see. It is interesting that, just as in the creation of the world, the light is given prominence:
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
"And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing" (John 9:5-7).
It has been said that Jesus created new eyes with balls of freshly-made clay. But only His thought could have produced the working systems of sight. Or, how did Jesus walk on the water of the Sea of Galilee? By taking thought.
Thought holds the universe together. One day, as foretold in II Peter 3:10, it will be completely restructured:
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
By taking thought, the Lord will unleash the elements to achieve His desired goal. In Hebrews 1:3, He is said to be, "upholding all things by the word of his power." As we have already seen, this "word" is simply the utterance of His divine thought. In an instant, the things we regard as solid and unmovable will suddenly assume new shape, form and flow, all at the speed of thought.
The Speed of Thought
How fast is thought? Just as we have imagined in our own dreams, it is instantaneous. We think about being somewhere — say, the British Museum or the Great Pyramid — and our thoughts are there in no time at all. But on God’s plane of existence, it is also very real, as the Apostle John discovered when he was transported to the Kingdom of Heaven and simultaneously, to the future:
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne" (Revelation 4:1,2).
The instantaneous nature of John’s transport is conveyed with absolute authenticity. John actually experienced what the rest of us only dream about. He was taken to the dimension of eternity, where he could view events that we think of as "future." He saw war and famine, economic chaos and pandemics, astronomical and geological upheavals, reporting on them as a credible eyewitness.
Occasionally, he even questioned his heavenly guides, asking for explanations of what he saw. At the speed of thought, he was actually taken to a number of vantage points, from which he was able to report on the events of the Lord’s Day of Judgment. His view of Mystery Babylon’s fall and the Second Coming of Christ are indelibly etched upon the minds of the faithful. Upon his return, he was released from his Patmos exile, to return to Ephesus, where he spent the rest of his life as the Apostle of love. After experiencing a thought trip of magnificent proportions, his constant exhortation was to "love one another," as the Lord loves us.
Of course, the Apostle Paul was also taken on an instantaneous trip to another dimension. His thought trip is well known. It bears the distinct marks of an actual experience:
"It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
"And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
"How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (II Corinthians 12:1-4).
First and foremost, Paul found himself instantly borne aloft on a thought in the mind of God. The term, "caught up" is from the Greek harpazo. It speaks of something or someone quickly seized and pulled up at breathtaking speed. It is, in fact, the very term used to describe the catching-away of the church: "Then we … shall be caught up…" (I Thessalonians 4:17).
He was instantly transported to another dimension, just as we shall be at the proper moment. We shall travel at the speed of thought, to a place where one can be transported into the past, present and future with equal facility.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).
The vocal command of the Lord reminds us of so many other similar commands recorded in Scripture. The creation of the world, the parting of the Red Sea, the healing commands of Jesus, the cataclysms of Revelation — all are the result of the Lord’s thought, expressed as Word.
And the beautiful part of the equation is this: As faithful believers, we have access to His thoughts. As Paul puts it, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ" (I Corinthians 2:16).
This is an amazing truth, expressing the idea that our salvation grants us present access to the Kingdom of Heaven. Through prayer, we can instantly travel to that place where the speed of thought is an actuality. Paul urges believers to realize this great truth: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). Though presently locked in this place of time and space, our thoughts soar into eternity — the eternal present.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
"But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:9,10).
We have been given the perception of things beyond this world. It has given us the ability to know about the speed of thought in the dimension of the Lord. We patiently await its full realization.
Prophecy in the News
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
President Honors Veterans at West Virginia Fourth of July Celebration
Courthouse Square
Ripley, West Virginia
10:00 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Well, thank you, Shelly, and thanks for that warm welcome. I'm really proud to be in Jackson County, West Virginia. (Applause.)
Today we mark the 226th birthday of the United States of America. Last year I spent my first Independence Day as your President in Philadelphia. This year I get to spend it in Ripley, West Virginia. (Applause.)
Shelly told me about the 4th of July celebration. She said I needed to come and meet the town. It looks like most of you showed up. (Laughter.) I appreciate your hospitality. I appreciate all the hard work that went into making this 4th of July celebration such a fantastic gathering of our fellow Americans. And thanks for having me. (Applause.)
I want to thank Shelly Moore Capito for her friendship and her leadership in the halls of Congress. I appreciate so very much one of my Cabinet officers, Tony Principi, who is the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, for not only serving the country, and serving in Vietnam, but also agreeing to come today to Ripley to represent the veterans from all across our country. Thank you for being here, Tony. (Applause.)
I want to thank your Governor, Governor Wise, for joining us today. I appreciate you being here, Bob. And I appreciate Senator Jay Rockefeller coming, as well. Thank you both for coming. (Applause.)
I had the honor of meeting the Mayor of Ripley, Mayor Guthrie. Thank you for being here, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate your hospitality, and tell all the folks who work in the city here, I'd like to stay around for the cleanup, but -- (laughter) -- I'm sure you would let me, but -- (laughter.)
I also appreciate Mayor Ritchie of Ravenswood for coming over to say hello, as well. Thank you, Mayor. (Applause.) I know the Attorney General of West Virginia is here, General McGraw. I appreciate the Secretary of State for West Virginia for being here. I want to thank all the members of the legislature. But most of all, I want to thank my fellow citizens. (Applause.)
Today I had the honor and privilege of saying hello to two West Virginia citizens who are family members of some of West Virginia's finest. Earlier this year, U.S. Special Forces Sergeant Gene Vance, Jr. and Anissa Ann Shero lost their lives in defense of our freedom. And I had the privilege of kissing Gene's wife, to express our sympathies and our love and our prayer. And I had the privilege of doing the same with Annisa's Dad. And I would like you all to join me in welcoming them to this celebration today. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)
The anniversary of America's independence is a day for gratitude, and a day for celebration. On the 4th of July, we count our blessings, and there are so many to count. We're thankful for the families we love. We're thankful for the opportunities in America. We're thankful for our freedom, the freedom declared by our founding fathers, defended by many generations and granted to each one of us by Almighty God. (Applause.)
Americans know that our country did not come about by chance. Our nation was first designed as a colony, serving an empire and answering to a king. The founders had other things in mind. In the summer of 1776, they declared that these colonies are and, of right, ought to be free and independent states. (Applause.)
With a great army massed against the Americans, these were not idle words. "Stepping forward to sign the Declaration," said Dr. Benjamin Rush, "was like signing your own death warrant." Yet he and 55 others put their name on the document, pledging to the cause their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
And all Americans can draw a straight line from the free lives we lead today to that one moment, when the world changed forever. From that day in 1776, freedom has had a home, and freedom has had a defender. (Applause.)
Unlike any other country, America came into the world with a message for mankind -- that all are created equal, and all are meant to be free. (Applause.) There is no America race; there's only an American creed: We believe in the dignity and rights of every person. We believe in equal justice, limited government, and in the rule of law. We believe in personal responsibility, and tolerance toward others.
This creed of freedom and equality has lifted the lives of millions of Americans, of citizens by birth and citizens by choice. This creed draws our friends to us. It sets our enemies against us, and always inspires the best that is within us. In this 226th year of our independence, we have seen that American patriotism is still a living faith. We love our country; only more when she's threatened. (Applause.)
An Air Force pilot spoke for everyone when he was asked if anyone on his base had a personal connection to the victims of September the 11th. He said, I think we all do; they were all Americans. (Applause.)
Watching the events of that day, no American felt this was an attack on others, it was an attack on all of us, on each and every one of us. Every ethnic background is known and respected here in America. Every religious belief is practiced and protected here. Yet, in a moment we discovered again that we're a single people. We share the same allegiance. We live under the same flag. When you strike one America -- when you strike one American, you strike us all. (Applause.)
In the moments after September the 11th, Americans turned instinctively to the flag we share. The flag was lowered to half-staff in days of mourning; raised in respect over Ground Zero; hung in defiance from the wall of the Pentagon; carried with special pride at the Olympic Games; carefully folded at military gravesides and given to families. The American people, when we pledge our allegiance to the flag, feel renewed respect and love for all it represents. And no authority of government can ever prevent an American from pledging allegiance to this one nation under God. (Applause.)
More than ever in the lifetimes of most Americans, the flag stands for a truly unified country. We've been united in our grief, and we are united in our resolve to protect our people and to defeat the enemies of the United States of America. (Applause.)
Sixty years ago, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, General George C. Marshall declared that "before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom, on the one hand, and of overwhelming power on the other." This is our purpose again today. Once again, history has called America to use our overwhelming power in the defense of freedom. And we'll do just that. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan we defeated the Taliban regime, but that was just the first step. The liberation of that country was the beginning of the long and unrelenting struggle we have entered. America is a patient and determined country. We're working with our allies; we'll use every tool of diplomacy and law enforcement; we're organizing to protect the homeland against further attack. And we will take the battle to the enemy, wherever he hides and wherever he plans and wherever he dwells. (Applause.)
The greatest asset we have in this conflict is the military of the United States of America. (Applause.) At this hour, more than 60,000 American troops are deployed around the world in the war against terror. Many of you here today have family members serving in the military. (Applause.) Wherever they are stationed, this nation is depending on them. And you need to be proud of them. (Applause.)
Thousands of our men and women in uniform were born in other countries, and now spend each day in honorable service to their adopted land. Many of them are still waiting for the chance to become American citizens because of the waiting period for citizenship. These men and women love our country. They show it in their daily devotion to duty. Out of respect for their brave service in this time of war, I have signed an executive order allowing them an immediate opportunity to petition for citizenship in the United States of America. (Applause.)
America has always depended on the courage and character of our people in the military. We're honored today by the presence of some of West Virginia's most distinguished citizens -- veterans of American Armed Forces. (Applause.) These men and women served in different places, at different times, but all were ready when they're country needed them, ready to sacrifice, to fight, and if necessary, to die for the sake of others.
That's the highest form of citizenship. Whether the veterans here served in peacetime or in the worst battles, you have the nation's gratitude and the respect of your fellow Americans. (Applause.) On this 4th of July, it is my privilege to thank you for your service to your country. (Applause.)
Veterans know better than anyone that love for country is shown in works. A spirit of service is alive and strong in America today. Our response to tragedy and sudden national challenges has revealed the courage, and it has revealed the kindness of the American people. As we fight a war abroad, here at home Americans are answering the call of service, giving their time and energy to causes greater than self-interest. This nation is confronting a terrible evil, and we are overcoming evil with good. (Applause.)
There is much in modern America that the founding generation might not understand. Yet, they would recognize the Stars and Stripes, and they would know qualities of character that still define our country. They would take great pride, as I do, in the decent, responsible, caring citizens who are the true strength of our country. (Applause.) I am certain, as well, that if they could survey this country of ours, they would join us all in giving thanks for all that we have.
A year after independence was declared, the Second Continental Congress set the design of our nation's flag. The stars on blue were to represent a new constellation, the different world our young nation had begun to create. Today, as much as ever before, America bears the hope of the world. Yet, from the day of our founding, America's own great hope has never been in ourselves alone. The founders humbly sought the wisdom and the blessing of Divine Providence. (Applause.)
May we always live by that same trust, and may God continue to watch over the United States of America. (Applause.) God bless, and God bless America. (Applause.)
Ripley, West Virginia
10:00 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Well, thank you, Shelly, and thanks for that warm welcome. I'm really proud to be in Jackson County, West Virginia. (Applause.)
Today we mark the 226th birthday of the United States of America. Last year I spent my first Independence Day as your President in Philadelphia. This year I get to spend it in Ripley, West Virginia. (Applause.)
Shelly told me about the 4th of July celebration. She said I needed to come and meet the town. It looks like most of you showed up. (Laughter.) I appreciate your hospitality. I appreciate all the hard work that went into making this 4th of July celebration such a fantastic gathering of our fellow Americans. And thanks for having me. (Applause.)
I want to thank Shelly Moore Capito for her friendship and her leadership in the halls of Congress. I appreciate so very much one of my Cabinet officers, Tony Principi, who is the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, for not only serving the country, and serving in Vietnam, but also agreeing to come today to Ripley to represent the veterans from all across our country. Thank you for being here, Tony. (Applause.)
I want to thank your Governor, Governor Wise, for joining us today. I appreciate you being here, Bob. And I appreciate Senator Jay Rockefeller coming, as well. Thank you both for coming. (Applause.)
I had the honor of meeting the Mayor of Ripley, Mayor Guthrie. Thank you for being here, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate your hospitality, and tell all the folks who work in the city here, I'd like to stay around for the cleanup, but -- (laughter) -- I'm sure you would let me, but -- (laughter.)
I also appreciate Mayor Ritchie of Ravenswood for coming over to say hello, as well. Thank you, Mayor. (Applause.) I know the Attorney General of West Virginia is here, General McGraw. I appreciate the Secretary of State for West Virginia for being here. I want to thank all the members of the legislature. But most of all, I want to thank my fellow citizens. (Applause.)
Today I had the honor and privilege of saying hello to two West Virginia citizens who are family members of some of West Virginia's finest. Earlier this year, U.S. Special Forces Sergeant Gene Vance, Jr. and Anissa Ann Shero lost their lives in defense of our freedom. And I had the privilege of kissing Gene's wife, to express our sympathies and our love and our prayer. And I had the privilege of doing the same with Annisa's Dad. And I would like you all to join me in welcoming them to this celebration today. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)
The anniversary of America's independence is a day for gratitude, and a day for celebration. On the 4th of July, we count our blessings, and there are so many to count. We're thankful for the families we love. We're thankful for the opportunities in America. We're thankful for our freedom, the freedom declared by our founding fathers, defended by many generations and granted to each one of us by Almighty God. (Applause.)
Americans know that our country did not come about by chance. Our nation was first designed as a colony, serving an empire and answering to a king. The founders had other things in mind. In the summer of 1776, they declared that these colonies are and, of right, ought to be free and independent states. (Applause.)
With a great army massed against the Americans, these were not idle words. "Stepping forward to sign the Declaration," said Dr. Benjamin Rush, "was like signing your own death warrant." Yet he and 55 others put their name on the document, pledging to the cause their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
And all Americans can draw a straight line from the free lives we lead today to that one moment, when the world changed forever. From that day in 1776, freedom has had a home, and freedom has had a defender. (Applause.)
Unlike any other country, America came into the world with a message for mankind -- that all are created equal, and all are meant to be free. (Applause.) There is no America race; there's only an American creed: We believe in the dignity and rights of every person. We believe in equal justice, limited government, and in the rule of law. We believe in personal responsibility, and tolerance toward others.
This creed of freedom and equality has lifted the lives of millions of Americans, of citizens by birth and citizens by choice. This creed draws our friends to us. It sets our enemies against us, and always inspires the best that is within us. In this 226th year of our independence, we have seen that American patriotism is still a living faith. We love our country; only more when she's threatened. (Applause.)
An Air Force pilot spoke for everyone when he was asked if anyone on his base had a personal connection to the victims of September the 11th. He said, I think we all do; they were all Americans. (Applause.)
Watching the events of that day, no American felt this was an attack on others, it was an attack on all of us, on each and every one of us. Every ethnic background is known and respected here in America. Every religious belief is practiced and protected here. Yet, in a moment we discovered again that we're a single people. We share the same allegiance. We live under the same flag. When you strike one America -- when you strike one American, you strike us all. (Applause.)
In the moments after September the 11th, Americans turned instinctively to the flag we share. The flag was lowered to half-staff in days of mourning; raised in respect over Ground Zero; hung in defiance from the wall of the Pentagon; carried with special pride at the Olympic Games; carefully folded at military gravesides and given to families. The American people, when we pledge our allegiance to the flag, feel renewed respect and love for all it represents. And no authority of government can ever prevent an American from pledging allegiance to this one nation under God. (Applause.)
More than ever in the lifetimes of most Americans, the flag stands for a truly unified country. We've been united in our grief, and we are united in our resolve to protect our people and to defeat the enemies of the United States of America. (Applause.)
Sixty years ago, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, General George C. Marshall declared that "before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom, on the one hand, and of overwhelming power on the other." This is our purpose again today. Once again, history has called America to use our overwhelming power in the defense of freedom. And we'll do just that. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan we defeated the Taliban regime, but that was just the first step. The liberation of that country was the beginning of the long and unrelenting struggle we have entered. America is a patient and determined country. We're working with our allies; we'll use every tool of diplomacy and law enforcement; we're organizing to protect the homeland against further attack. And we will take the battle to the enemy, wherever he hides and wherever he plans and wherever he dwells. (Applause.)
The greatest asset we have in this conflict is the military of the United States of America. (Applause.) At this hour, more than 60,000 American troops are deployed around the world in the war against terror. Many of you here today have family members serving in the military. (Applause.) Wherever they are stationed, this nation is depending on them. And you need to be proud of them. (Applause.)
Thousands of our men and women in uniform were born in other countries, and now spend each day in honorable service to their adopted land. Many of them are still waiting for the chance to become American citizens because of the waiting period for citizenship. These men and women love our country. They show it in their daily devotion to duty. Out of respect for their brave service in this time of war, I have signed an executive order allowing them an immediate opportunity to petition for citizenship in the United States of America. (Applause.)
America has always depended on the courage and character of our people in the military. We're honored today by the presence of some of West Virginia's most distinguished citizens -- veterans of American Armed Forces. (Applause.) These men and women served in different places, at different times, but all were ready when they're country needed them, ready to sacrifice, to fight, and if necessary, to die for the sake of others.
That's the highest form of citizenship. Whether the veterans here served in peacetime or in the worst battles, you have the nation's gratitude and the respect of your fellow Americans. (Applause.) On this 4th of July, it is my privilege to thank you for your service to your country. (Applause.)
Veterans know better than anyone that love for country is shown in works. A spirit of service is alive and strong in America today. Our response to tragedy and sudden national challenges has revealed the courage, and it has revealed the kindness of the American people. As we fight a war abroad, here at home Americans are answering the call of service, giving their time and energy to causes greater than self-interest. This nation is confronting a terrible evil, and we are overcoming evil with good. (Applause.)
There is much in modern America that the founding generation might not understand. Yet, they would recognize the Stars and Stripes, and they would know qualities of character that still define our country. They would take great pride, as I do, in the decent, responsible, caring citizens who are the true strength of our country. (Applause.) I am certain, as well, that if they could survey this country of ours, they would join us all in giving thanks for all that we have.
A year after independence was declared, the Second Continental Congress set the design of our nation's flag. The stars on blue were to represent a new constellation, the different world our young nation had begun to create. Today, as much as ever before, America bears the hope of the world. Yet, from the day of our founding, America's own great hope has never been in ourselves alone. The founders humbly sought the wisdom and the blessing of Divine Providence. (Applause.)
May we always live by that same trust, and may God continue to watch over the United States of America. (Applause.) God bless, and God bless America. (Applause.)
Monday, July 03, 2006
What Should You Do?
The biblical record of prophecy is long and astoundingly accurate. No human seer could have accurately predicted the remarkable rise and fall of kingdoms, leaders and peoples that we find in the Bible.
"For I am God," He declares, "and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand . . .’" (Isaiah 46:9-10). God alone has the power to foretell the future—and then bring it to pass.
But why does God reveal the future? Why does He tell us what is coming?
One crucial reason is so we can see the need to change. God reveals the future so each of us, individually, can personally repent—change our way of living and begin living as He tells us to—and avoid suffering God’s judgment on the world as these prophetic events come to pass. He tells us what is coming to motivate us to make the changes we need to make in our lives, both personally and nationally.
God’s pleadings with ancient Israel and Judah are revealing. He sent His prophet Ezekiel with a heartfelt appeal: "Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die ...?’" (Ezekiel 33:11).
God doesn’t want to punish anyone. But, like any loving parent, He knows that sometimes we need a painful lesson in discipline to prevent even greater pain and suffering further down the line.
He has also given us laws, summarized in the Ten Commandments, that bring great blessings when we obey them—because they teach us a way of life that shows love for Him and for our fellow man (Matthew 22:37-40). These laws also have consequences when we ignore or disobey them. When we break them, they inevitably bring painful results and, in turn, break us. Sadly, few are willing to humbly submit to God and allow themselves to learn this lesson.
Throughout His Word, God reveals the events and conditions that will engulf the world at the time of the end. In Mark 13 Jesus warns His followers three times that they need to be alert to the trends that will precede His return and to not be caught spiritually unprepared: "Take heed," He says, "keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is" (verse 33, New American Standard Bible; compare verses 35, 37). One of the reasons we have prepared and freely distributed this booklet is so people can recognize these events as they begin to unfold. Near the end of the book of Daniel is the warning that the period preceding Christ’s return will be "a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then" (Daniel 12:1, New International Version). The whole world will be overtaken by one unprecedented disaster after another after another.
Notice Jesus Christ’s own description of the time leading up to His return: "It will be a time of great distress, such as there has never been before since the beginning of the world, and will never be again. If that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God’s chosen it will be cut short" (Matthew 24:21-22, Revised English Bible). This time will be so perilous, He warns, that mankind will be in danger of extinction. Considering the remarkably accurate prophecies of the Bible, this should surely get our attention.
God’s prophecies are sure. He foretold the decline and fall of many nations for their sins—including many of the leading nations and peoples of our day. What about you? Will you be among them?
Notice also in Christ’s warning the good news that, "for the sake of God’s chosen," total annihilation won’t come. These are the few who truly believe God and have the faith, courage and willingness to act on that belief. They are truly willing to repent—to change their lives, to surrender to God, to give up everything, if necessary, to humbly submit to and follow a God who has promised them everything in return.
In that most remarkable book of Bible prophecy He assures them, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7). What a loving promise from the Creator of all things!
The same book closes with a glimpse of the incredible future God has in store for all who are willing to make that choice—a future that includes living forever with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, as part of His immortal family in the Kingdom of God. He wants you to have a part in that awesome future!
We should also not forget God’s promise to protect His people during this time of mounting global turmoil and catastrophes. In Revelation 3:10 He assures us, "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." God means what He says. And who are those whom He considers His people? Revelation 12:14-17 identifies them as those who faithfully "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
If you believe God really exists and foretells the future in His Word—facts clearly proven in this booklet to those willing to accept them—are you willing to shape your life according to that revealed Word? Are you, as Jesus Christ said in Luke 4:4, willing to "live ... by every word of God"? If you want to learn the meaning of true repentance, receiving God’s Spirit and how to keep the commandments of God, request or download our free booklets What Is Your Destiny?, Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion and The Ten Commandments. Also request or download our other booklets on Bible prophecy—The Gospel of the Kingdom, Are We Living in the Time of the End?, The Book of Revelation Unveiled, You Can Understand Bible Prophecy and The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy—to better understand what God reveals about the future and His coming Kingdom.
Be sure to also read every issue of The Good News magazine and our free newsletter, World News & Prophecy, to understand world news in the light of Bible prophecy. Also request our free Bible Study Course, with monthly lessons taking you through the major themes and teachings of the Bible. All are free from our Web site at www.gnmagazine.org.
Tensions continue to build in the Middle East, and it’s only a matter of time before these long-prophesied events explode to shock the entire world. But you can find assurance and hope in this dangerous and troubling time—if you are willing to not only believe, but take action on that belief.
As Isaiah 55:6-7 advises: "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."
© 1995-2006 United Church of God
"For I am God," He declares, "and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand . . .’" (Isaiah 46:9-10). God alone has the power to foretell the future—and then bring it to pass.
But why does God reveal the future? Why does He tell us what is coming?
One crucial reason is so we can see the need to change. God reveals the future so each of us, individually, can personally repent—change our way of living and begin living as He tells us to—and avoid suffering God’s judgment on the world as these prophetic events come to pass. He tells us what is coming to motivate us to make the changes we need to make in our lives, both personally and nationally.
God’s pleadings with ancient Israel and Judah are revealing. He sent His prophet Ezekiel with a heartfelt appeal: "Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die ...?’" (Ezekiel 33:11).
God doesn’t want to punish anyone. But, like any loving parent, He knows that sometimes we need a painful lesson in discipline to prevent even greater pain and suffering further down the line.
He has also given us laws, summarized in the Ten Commandments, that bring great blessings when we obey them—because they teach us a way of life that shows love for Him and for our fellow man (Matthew 22:37-40). These laws also have consequences when we ignore or disobey them. When we break them, they inevitably bring painful results and, in turn, break us. Sadly, few are willing to humbly submit to God and allow themselves to learn this lesson.
Throughout His Word, God reveals the events and conditions that will engulf the world at the time of the end. In Mark 13 Jesus warns His followers three times that they need to be alert to the trends that will precede His return and to not be caught spiritually unprepared: "Take heed," He says, "keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is" (verse 33, New American Standard Bible; compare verses 35, 37). One of the reasons we have prepared and freely distributed this booklet is so people can recognize these events as they begin to unfold. Near the end of the book of Daniel is the warning that the period preceding Christ’s return will be "a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then" (Daniel 12:1, New International Version). The whole world will be overtaken by one unprecedented disaster after another after another.
Notice Jesus Christ’s own description of the time leading up to His return: "It will be a time of great distress, such as there has never been before since the beginning of the world, and will never be again. If that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God’s chosen it will be cut short" (Matthew 24:21-22, Revised English Bible). This time will be so perilous, He warns, that mankind will be in danger of extinction. Considering the remarkably accurate prophecies of the Bible, this should surely get our attention.
God’s prophecies are sure. He foretold the decline and fall of many nations for their sins—including many of the leading nations and peoples of our day. What about you? Will you be among them?
Notice also in Christ’s warning the good news that, "for the sake of God’s chosen," total annihilation won’t come. These are the few who truly believe God and have the faith, courage and willingness to act on that belief. They are truly willing to repent—to change their lives, to surrender to God, to give up everything, if necessary, to humbly submit to and follow a God who has promised them everything in return.
In that most remarkable book of Bible prophecy He assures them, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7). What a loving promise from the Creator of all things!
The same book closes with a glimpse of the incredible future God has in store for all who are willing to make that choice—a future that includes living forever with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, as part of His immortal family in the Kingdom of God. He wants you to have a part in that awesome future!
We should also not forget God’s promise to protect His people during this time of mounting global turmoil and catastrophes. In Revelation 3:10 He assures us, "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." God means what He says. And who are those whom He considers His people? Revelation 12:14-17 identifies them as those who faithfully "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
If you believe God really exists and foretells the future in His Word—facts clearly proven in this booklet to those willing to accept them—are you willing to shape your life according to that revealed Word? Are you, as Jesus Christ said in Luke 4:4, willing to "live ... by every word of God"? If you want to learn the meaning of true repentance, receiving God’s Spirit and how to keep the commandments of God, request or download our free booklets What Is Your Destiny?, Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion and The Ten Commandments. Also request or download our other booklets on Bible prophecy—The Gospel of the Kingdom, Are We Living in the Time of the End?, The Book of Revelation Unveiled, You Can Understand Bible Prophecy and The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy—to better understand what God reveals about the future and His coming Kingdom.
Be sure to also read every issue of The Good News magazine and our free newsletter, World News & Prophecy, to understand world news in the light of Bible prophecy. Also request our free Bible Study Course, with monthly lessons taking you through the major themes and teachings of the Bible. All are free from our Web site at www.gnmagazine.org.
Tensions continue to build in the Middle East, and it’s only a matter of time before these long-prophesied events explode to shock the entire world. But you can find assurance and hope in this dangerous and troubling time—if you are willing to not only believe, but take action on that belief.
As Isaiah 55:6-7 advises: "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."
© 1995-2006 United Church of God
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Prophecy of an Arab Confederation
Psalm 83 contains an intriguing prophecy of many Middle Eastern nations that appears to be as yet unfulfilled and to possibly tie in with end-time events. If so, it foretells a confederation of Arab nations that are determined to eliminate Israel.
"They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.' For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them" (verses 3-8).
These biblical names are significant when we understand the areas and peoples to which this prophecy refers. Edom includes the Palestinians and some of the Turks. The Ishmaelites, descendants of Ishmael, are many of the Arab peoples throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Moab is the area of central Jordan. The Hagrites appears to refer to other descendants of Hagar, mother of Ishmael.
Gebal, meaning "mountain" or "boundary," is commonly equated with the Phoenician city of Byblos, modern Jubayl in Lebanon. Ammon refers to northern Jordan around Amman, the capital (which gets its name from Ammon). Amalek appears to refer to a branch of Edomite Palestinians. Philistia is the area around what is today known as the Gaza Strip. Anciently Tyre was a major city-state in southern Lebanon along the Mediterranean coast. Assyria ethnically appears to refer to inhabitants of Central Europe who migrated there many centuries ago, while geographically Assyria is in what is today northern Iraq. The children of Lot refers to Moab and Ammon—again, regions of modern-day Jordan.
Arab unity has long been elusive, but slowly a common purpose is bringing the different peoples of the Arab world together. This common purpose is the desire to destroy the nation of Israel and its chief backer, the United States of America, along with the West's liberal culture, long perceived as a threat to the Muslim way of life.
© 1995-2006 United Church of God
"They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.' For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them" (verses 3-8).
These biblical names are significant when we understand the areas and peoples to which this prophecy refers. Edom includes the Palestinians and some of the Turks. The Ishmaelites, descendants of Ishmael, are many of the Arab peoples throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Moab is the area of central Jordan. The Hagrites appears to refer to other descendants of Hagar, mother of Ishmael.
Gebal, meaning "mountain" or "boundary," is commonly equated with the Phoenician city of Byblos, modern Jubayl in Lebanon. Ammon refers to northern Jordan around Amman, the capital (which gets its name from Ammon). Amalek appears to refer to a branch of Edomite Palestinians. Philistia is the area around what is today known as the Gaza Strip. Anciently Tyre was a major city-state in southern Lebanon along the Mediterranean coast. Assyria ethnically appears to refer to inhabitants of Central Europe who migrated there many centuries ago, while geographically Assyria is in what is today northern Iraq. The children of Lot refers to Moab and Ammon—again, regions of modern-day Jordan.
Arab unity has long been elusive, but slowly a common purpose is bringing the different peoples of the Arab world together. This common purpose is the desire to destroy the nation of Israel and its chief backer, the United States of America, along with the West's liberal culture, long perceived as a threat to the Muslim way of life.
© 1995-2006 United Church of God
Saturday, July 01, 2006
What Is the "Abomination of Desolation?"
In His most detailed prophecy of the end time, Jesus said, "... When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place ..., then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16). What was He talking about?
The longest and most precise prophecy of the Bible, Daniel 11, recorded in advance what would occur in the empires and nations that would vie for control of the Holy Land for centuries to come. It describes, in astounding detail, rulers and other peoples who lived long after Daniel's prophecy and several centuries before Christ( as spelled out in chapter 3 of this booklet).
For much of the prophecy these kingdoms were Syria to the north, ruled by descendants of Seleucus, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, and Egypt to the south, ruled by descendants of another of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy.
An evil ruler arises
Eventually the prophecy describes a Seleucid ruler named Antiochus IV, also known as Antiochus Epiphanes. Daniel 11:21 states, "And in his [Seleucus IV's] place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty." Most Syrian officials, tired of the excesses of the Seleucid rulers, backed the usurper Heliodorus, who had poisoned the previous king.
"But," the prophecy explains of Antiochus, "he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue" (verse 21). By a show of what some historians have called "Roman manners" and a great deal of flattery, he enlisted the aid of neighboring King Eumenes II of Pergamum and officials at home in forcing out Heliodorus and obtaining the throne in 175 B.C. The next verse explains that all those who opposed Antiochus would be swept away and broken—and they were.
At this time Syria ruled over the Holy Land. Included in those "swept away" is one referred to as "the prince of the covenant" (verse 22). This is apparently a reference to a Hellenistic Jew who changed his name to the Greek form Jason, appointed by Antiochus as replacement high priest over the Jewish worship system. He was dropped from that position by Antiochus only three years later in favor of another Hellenizing (that is, Greek-culture-promoting) apostate named Menelaus.
As verses 23-24 show, elements of the Jewish leadership made a "league," a treaty or similar agreement, with Antiochus, and at first he entered "peaceably" into the Holy Land with only a small force.
What did this league, or covenant, entail? The apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees, although not Scripture, provides us with history of the period. "In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us ..." (1 Maccabees 1:11, KJV).
Continuing in a paraphrased version of the account: "‘... For our refusal to associate with them has brought us nothing but trouble.' This proposal appealed to many people, and some of them became so enthusiastic about it that they went to the king and received from him permission to follow Gentile customs. They built in Jerusalem a stadium like those in the Greek cities. They had surgery performed to hide their circumcision, abandoned the holy covenant, started associating with Gentiles, and did all sorts of other evil things" (verses 11-15, Today's English Version). Still, even the apostatizing factions did not wholly abandon the Jewish worship system—at least not yet.
In any event, Antiochus soon betrayed the Jewish leaders by taking from the rich and giving to the poor, yet only as a temporary ploy to gain support among the Jewish masses (Daniel 11:24).
Antiochus vents his fury
Then notice what was to happen in 168 B.C. after the king defeated Egypt: "While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land" (verse 28).
As 1 Maccabees records, he set himself against the Jews, massacred many of them and plundered the temple at Jerusalem before returning to Syria (1 Maccabees 1:20-28).
Antiochus then embarked on a second venture into Egypt, unsuccessful this time because a Roman fleet forced him to give up his fight and return the island of Cyprus to Egypt (Daniel 11:30). "... Therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant" (verse 30). Antiochus vented his fury on the Jews, yet he accorded special favor to those among them who rejected their religion.
As 1 Maccabees explains: "When the soldiers entered Jerusalem, their commander spoke to the people, offering them terms of peace and completely deceiving them. Then he suddenly launched a fierce attack on the city, dealing it a major blow and killing many of the people. He plundered the city, set it on fire, and tore down its buildings and walls. He and his army took the women and children as prisoners and seized the cattle. Then Antiochus and his forces built high walls and strong towers in the area north of the Temple, turning it into a fort ..." (1:29-33, TEV).
Antiochus rejects God's laws
Then came the worst. Daniel's prophecy warned of Antiochus: "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation" (Daniel 11:31).
The book of 1 Maccabees gives us details: "Antiochus now issued a decree that all nations in his empire should abandon their own customs and become one people. All the Gentiles and even many of the Israelites submitted to this decree. They adopted the official pagan religion, offered sacrifices to idols, and no longer observed the Sabbath.
"The king also sent messengers with a decree to Jerusalem and all the towns of Judea, ordering the people to follow customs that were foreign to the country. He ordered them not to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or wine offerings in the Temple, and commanded them to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary work days.
"They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it. They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. They were forbidden to circumcise their sons and were required to make themselves ... unclean in every way they could, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses and would disobey all its commands. The penalty for disobeying the king's decree was death.
"The king not only issued the same decree throughout his whole empire, but he also appointed officials to supervise the people and commanded each town in Judea to offer pagan sacrifices. Many of the Jews were ready to forsake the Law and to obey these officials. They defiled the land with their evil, and their conduct forced all true Israelites to hide wherever they could" (1 Maccabees 1:41-53, TEV).
The temple defiled
Then it happened: "On the fifteenth day of the month Kislev in the year 145" (verse 54, TEV), which corresponds to 168/167 B.C., "they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar" of the temple (verse 54, KJV). This appears to have been a pagan altar, probably with an image representing the Greek chief god Zeus, as 2 Maccabees 6:2 tells us that Antiochus defiled the Jewish temple "by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus" (TEV). After all, to the Greek mind the God of the Hebrews simply equated to the chief god in the Greeks' pantheon.
We are further told: "Pagan sacrifices were offered in front of houses and in the streets. Any books of the Law which were found were torn up and burned, and anyone who was caught with a copy of the sacred books or who obeyed the Law was put to death by order of the king. Month after month these wicked people used their power against the Israelites caught in the towns. On the twenty-fifth of the month, these same evil people offered sacrifices on the pagan altar erected on top of the altar in the Temple" (1 Maccabees 1:55-59, TEV). Indeed, pigs, declared unclean in God's law (Deuteronomy 14:8), were offered over His own altar.
The account in 1 Maccabees 1:60 continues: "Mothers who had allowed their babies to be circumcised were put to death in accordance with the king's decree. Their babies were hung around their necks, and their families and those who had circumcised them were put to death" (TEV). Yet, as horrible as this was, some still resisted. In fact, 1 Maccabees 1:62-63 reports: "But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath came upon Israel" (New Revised Standard Version).
Yet many in the resistance lived. The account continues with the rise of the Hasmonean priestly family of Mattathias, including his son and successor Judas Maccabeus, who would not compromise with paganism. In the end, the efforts of these patriots and their followers were in large measure responsible for eventually pushing the Syrians out.
Later prophetic fulfillment
Now, with all of that as history, consider Christ's warning about the abomination of desolation. When He gave it, hadn't this part of Daniel's prophecy been fulfilled almost 200 years earlier, as we've seen? Certainly. So Daniel's prophecy, according to Jesus, must have a dual fulfillment.
Jesus revealed to us the time for this prophecy's ultimate fulfillment in Matthew 24 when He explained what would immediately follow it: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (verses 21-22).
This recalls another part of Daniel's prophecy, which says that in the end time "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered ... And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake ..." (Daniel 12:1-2).
So this awful period of tribulation occurs at the end of this present age, just before Christ's return when He will resurrect His faithful followers (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). Indeed, Daniel was told that "from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up," 1,290 days—a little more than 3 1⁄2 years—would elapse until, apparently, the resurrection of Daniel and the rest of the saints would occur (Daniel 12:11, 13).
Lessons from the first fulfillment
We can learn a great deal about this end-time prophecy from the original abomination of desolation Daniel foretold. Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner of the end-time king of the North, the world dictator the book of Revelation refers to as the "beast." No doubt this end-time ruler will employ the same deceitful and underhanded methods that marked the reign of Antiochus and many of his successors, such as Hitler.
Furthermore, it appears from what we've seen and other scriptural indications that the end-time ruler, to accomplish his ends, will feign overtures of peace to the Jews of the modern nation of Israel. This might help explain why the end-time "king of the South," evidently an Islamic leader, will act against the final Beast power (Daniel 11:40)
What other parallels do we see? Part of the "abomination" of Antiochus involved the cessation of the daily temple sacrifices (verse 31). Yet Daniel's prophecy makes it clear that sacrifices will again be ended in conjunction with the abomination of desolation to come (Daniel 12:9-13). For this prophecy to be fulfilled, it appears that sacrifices will again be instituted and an altar rebuilt before the return of Jesus the Messiah.
In another parallel, Antiochus defiled the ancient holy temple when he erected an idol of the pagan god Zeus and sacrificed swine there. The end-time abomination may also involve an idolatrous image at a new temple. What we know for certain is that within the "temple of God" there will be an actual person who claims to be God in the flesh.
The apostle Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, foretold this "son of perdition." Notice verses 3-4: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [of Christ's return] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" .
Christ will destroy this religious figure at His second coming (verses 5-8), but not before many have been deceived with "power, signs, and lying wonders" (verses 9-12).
Also, just as the original abomination of desolation marked the beginning of a period of unparalleled horror and misery, so will the final one begin the time of the greatest horror ever, the coming Great Tribulation.
We can be thankful that God promises to send His Son back to earth to save mankind from self-annihilation in this coming horrible time of mass deceit and destruction. We can also thank God for the wonderful example of those who stood fast—who would not compromise with God's way—and the awesome hope of the return of Christ, of resurrection to eternal life and of the establishment of His glorious Kingdom on earth.
Indeed, as world events march ever closer to the fulfillment of these prophecies, let us draw closer to God in faith, trusting Him to see us through even the worst of times, knowing that we aren't left without foreknowledge to help us better understand end-time events.
© 1995-2006 United Church of God
The longest and most precise prophecy of the Bible, Daniel 11, recorded in advance what would occur in the empires and nations that would vie for control of the Holy Land for centuries to come. It describes, in astounding detail, rulers and other peoples who lived long after Daniel's prophecy and several centuries before Christ( as spelled out in chapter 3 of this booklet).
For much of the prophecy these kingdoms were Syria to the north, ruled by descendants of Seleucus, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, and Egypt to the south, ruled by descendants of another of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy.
An evil ruler arises
Eventually the prophecy describes a Seleucid ruler named Antiochus IV, also known as Antiochus Epiphanes. Daniel 11:21 states, "And in his [Seleucus IV's] place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty." Most Syrian officials, tired of the excesses of the Seleucid rulers, backed the usurper Heliodorus, who had poisoned the previous king.
"But," the prophecy explains of Antiochus, "he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue" (verse 21). By a show of what some historians have called "Roman manners" and a great deal of flattery, he enlisted the aid of neighboring King Eumenes II of Pergamum and officials at home in forcing out Heliodorus and obtaining the throne in 175 B.C. The next verse explains that all those who opposed Antiochus would be swept away and broken—and they were.
At this time Syria ruled over the Holy Land. Included in those "swept away" is one referred to as "the prince of the covenant" (verse 22). This is apparently a reference to a Hellenistic Jew who changed his name to the Greek form Jason, appointed by Antiochus as replacement high priest over the Jewish worship system. He was dropped from that position by Antiochus only three years later in favor of another Hellenizing (that is, Greek-culture-promoting) apostate named Menelaus.
As verses 23-24 show, elements of the Jewish leadership made a "league," a treaty or similar agreement, with Antiochus, and at first he entered "peaceably" into the Holy Land with only a small force.
What did this league, or covenant, entail? The apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees, although not Scripture, provides us with history of the period. "In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us ..." (1 Maccabees 1:11, KJV).
Continuing in a paraphrased version of the account: "‘... For our refusal to associate with them has brought us nothing but trouble.' This proposal appealed to many people, and some of them became so enthusiastic about it that they went to the king and received from him permission to follow Gentile customs. They built in Jerusalem a stadium like those in the Greek cities. They had surgery performed to hide their circumcision, abandoned the holy covenant, started associating with Gentiles, and did all sorts of other evil things" (verses 11-15, Today's English Version). Still, even the apostatizing factions did not wholly abandon the Jewish worship system—at least not yet.
In any event, Antiochus soon betrayed the Jewish leaders by taking from the rich and giving to the poor, yet only as a temporary ploy to gain support among the Jewish masses (Daniel 11:24).
Antiochus vents his fury
Then notice what was to happen in 168 B.C. after the king defeated Egypt: "While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land" (verse 28).
As 1 Maccabees records, he set himself against the Jews, massacred many of them and plundered the temple at Jerusalem before returning to Syria (1 Maccabees 1:20-28).
Antiochus then embarked on a second venture into Egypt, unsuccessful this time because a Roman fleet forced him to give up his fight and return the island of Cyprus to Egypt (Daniel 11:30). "... Therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant" (verse 30). Antiochus vented his fury on the Jews, yet he accorded special favor to those among them who rejected their religion.
As 1 Maccabees explains: "When the soldiers entered Jerusalem, their commander spoke to the people, offering them terms of peace and completely deceiving them. Then he suddenly launched a fierce attack on the city, dealing it a major blow and killing many of the people. He plundered the city, set it on fire, and tore down its buildings and walls. He and his army took the women and children as prisoners and seized the cattle. Then Antiochus and his forces built high walls and strong towers in the area north of the Temple, turning it into a fort ..." (1:29-33, TEV).
Antiochus rejects God's laws
Then came the worst. Daniel's prophecy warned of Antiochus: "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation" (Daniel 11:31).
The book of 1 Maccabees gives us details: "Antiochus now issued a decree that all nations in his empire should abandon their own customs and become one people. All the Gentiles and even many of the Israelites submitted to this decree. They adopted the official pagan religion, offered sacrifices to idols, and no longer observed the Sabbath.
"The king also sent messengers with a decree to Jerusalem and all the towns of Judea, ordering the people to follow customs that were foreign to the country. He ordered them not to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or wine offerings in the Temple, and commanded them to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary work days.
"They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it. They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. They were forbidden to circumcise their sons and were required to make themselves ... unclean in every way they could, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses and would disobey all its commands. The penalty for disobeying the king's decree was death.
"The king not only issued the same decree throughout his whole empire, but he also appointed officials to supervise the people and commanded each town in Judea to offer pagan sacrifices. Many of the Jews were ready to forsake the Law and to obey these officials. They defiled the land with their evil, and their conduct forced all true Israelites to hide wherever they could" (1 Maccabees 1:41-53, TEV).
The temple defiled
Then it happened: "On the fifteenth day of the month Kislev in the year 145" (verse 54, TEV), which corresponds to 168/167 B.C., "they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar" of the temple (verse 54, KJV). This appears to have been a pagan altar, probably with an image representing the Greek chief god Zeus, as 2 Maccabees 6:2 tells us that Antiochus defiled the Jewish temple "by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus" (TEV). After all, to the Greek mind the God of the Hebrews simply equated to the chief god in the Greeks' pantheon.
We are further told: "Pagan sacrifices were offered in front of houses and in the streets. Any books of the Law which were found were torn up and burned, and anyone who was caught with a copy of the sacred books or who obeyed the Law was put to death by order of the king. Month after month these wicked people used their power against the Israelites caught in the towns. On the twenty-fifth of the month, these same evil people offered sacrifices on the pagan altar erected on top of the altar in the Temple" (1 Maccabees 1:55-59, TEV). Indeed, pigs, declared unclean in God's law (Deuteronomy 14:8), were offered over His own altar.
The account in 1 Maccabees 1:60 continues: "Mothers who had allowed their babies to be circumcised were put to death in accordance with the king's decree. Their babies were hung around their necks, and their families and those who had circumcised them were put to death" (TEV). Yet, as horrible as this was, some still resisted. In fact, 1 Maccabees 1:62-63 reports: "But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath came upon Israel" (New Revised Standard Version).
Yet many in the resistance lived. The account continues with the rise of the Hasmonean priestly family of Mattathias, including his son and successor Judas Maccabeus, who would not compromise with paganism. In the end, the efforts of these patriots and their followers were in large measure responsible for eventually pushing the Syrians out.
Later prophetic fulfillment
Now, with all of that as history, consider Christ's warning about the abomination of desolation. When He gave it, hadn't this part of Daniel's prophecy been fulfilled almost 200 years earlier, as we've seen? Certainly. So Daniel's prophecy, according to Jesus, must have a dual fulfillment.
Jesus revealed to us the time for this prophecy's ultimate fulfillment in Matthew 24 when He explained what would immediately follow it: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (verses 21-22).
This recalls another part of Daniel's prophecy, which says that in the end time "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered ... And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake ..." (Daniel 12:1-2).
So this awful period of tribulation occurs at the end of this present age, just before Christ's return when He will resurrect His faithful followers (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). Indeed, Daniel was told that "from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up," 1,290 days—a little more than 3 1⁄2 years—would elapse until, apparently, the resurrection of Daniel and the rest of the saints would occur (Daniel 12:11, 13).
Lessons from the first fulfillment
We can learn a great deal about this end-time prophecy from the original abomination of desolation Daniel foretold. Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner of the end-time king of the North, the world dictator the book of Revelation refers to as the "beast." No doubt this end-time ruler will employ the same deceitful and underhanded methods that marked the reign of Antiochus and many of his successors, such as Hitler.
Furthermore, it appears from what we've seen and other scriptural indications that the end-time ruler, to accomplish his ends, will feign overtures of peace to the Jews of the modern nation of Israel. This might help explain why the end-time "king of the South," evidently an Islamic leader, will act against the final Beast power (Daniel 11:40)
What other parallels do we see? Part of the "abomination" of Antiochus involved the cessation of the daily temple sacrifices (verse 31). Yet Daniel's prophecy makes it clear that sacrifices will again be ended in conjunction with the abomination of desolation to come (Daniel 12:9-13). For this prophecy to be fulfilled, it appears that sacrifices will again be instituted and an altar rebuilt before the return of Jesus the Messiah.
In another parallel, Antiochus defiled the ancient holy temple when he erected an idol of the pagan god Zeus and sacrificed swine there. The end-time abomination may also involve an idolatrous image at a new temple. What we know for certain is that within the "temple of God" there will be an actual person who claims to be God in the flesh.
The apostle Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, foretold this "son of perdition." Notice verses 3-4: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [of Christ's return] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" .
Christ will destroy this religious figure at His second coming (verses 5-8), but not before many have been deceived with "power, signs, and lying wonders" (verses 9-12).
Also, just as the original abomination of desolation marked the beginning of a period of unparalleled horror and misery, so will the final one begin the time of the greatest horror ever, the coming Great Tribulation.
We can be thankful that God promises to send His Son back to earth to save mankind from self-annihilation in this coming horrible time of mass deceit and destruction. We can also thank God for the wonderful example of those who stood fast—who would not compromise with God's way—and the awesome hope of the return of Christ, of resurrection to eternal life and of the establishment of His glorious Kingdom on earth.
Indeed, as world events march ever closer to the fulfillment of these prophecies, let us draw closer to God in faith, trusting Him to see us through even the worst of times, knowing that we aren't left without foreknowledge to help us better understand end-time events.
© 1995-2006 United Church of God
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